This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona

Amanda Sehdev 03/19/2013 Setting Essay In Sherman Alexie’s â€Å"This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona†, a young man named Victor finds out that his father has passed, but can’t afford to travel from Spokane to Phoenix, especially after the fact that he had just lost his job at the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The first setting in Spokane describes what Victor and other Indians go through on the reserve, this cultural aspect is actually interesting because nobody knows what others go through and how tough their lives may actually be.Victor asks the tribal council if he can borrow money from the tribal council until he gets the assets that his father left for him. All they can offer him is $100, which he agrees to take. Victor’s mother barely has enough money to help him out and his family doesn’t really keep in touch with him. Victor’s old childhood friend Thomas Builds-The-Fire hears about his issue and offers to help only under the con dition that he can tag along. Thomas is a storyteller on the reserve, who everyone thinks is weird and nobody wants to listen to because he tells the same story over and over again.Victor agreed to let Thomas help him and let him ride along. On the flight to Phoenix, Thomas and Victor were sitting next to a woman, who was flexing her body in all sorts of directions. Thomas embarrasses Victor by asking her questions and talking during the whole flight, even though she did turn out to be a nice woman. Once they landed, they got a taxi to the trailer where Victor’s dad lived. Walking into the trailer was a little hard for the two of them because Victor’s dad had passed away in the trailer and was not found for over a week.They describe that Arizona is over one-hundred degrees during the summer, so I can only imagine the stench that came out of the trailer. Victor told Thomas that he didn’t have to help but he still insisted. After they had retrieved all the belongi ngs that Victor felt was worth keeping, they put their stuff in the pickup truck that his dad left behind and headed home. They traveled through Nevada describing how they didn’t see any wildlife and lack of water. It just so happened that when Victor asked Thomas to drive, he ends up running over the first animal that they see in Nevada. After that, Thomas decided that he should drive again.When they get home, Victor thanks Thomas for his help and gives him half of his dads ashes because they were all like family. Thomas tells Victor that he is going to take the ashes to Spokane Falls, where Thomas’s father had found Thomas and brought him back to the reserve. After they got back and said their good-byes, they both knew things would end up going back to the way they were before. Victor found himself wondering where all the ties of the community went and the sense of the community. The setting in this story is just background, I don’t think that there was much d escribed about where they were or what the surroundings were.

Lost Sales Forecast

TERM- PAPER Lost Sales Forecast Table of Contents Introduction3 Carlson Department Store Sales data for September 1992 through August 19964 Countywide Department Stores Sales data for September 1992 through August 19965 Choosing the appropriate forecasting method6 Trend and Seasonal Components in Forecasting7 An estimate of lost sales for the Carlson Department Store10 Conclusion10 Introduction The Carlson Department Store suffered heavy damage when a hurricane struck on August 31, 1996. The store was closed for four months (September 1996 through December 1996) causing our sales drop to $0.The task of this report is to analyze sales in our department store in past 48 months and develop estimates of the lost sales at the Carlson Department Store for the months of September through December 1996. The Carlson Department Store is involved in a dispute with insurance company concerning the amount of lost sales during the time the store was closed. Two key issues must be resolved: 1) The amount of sales Carlson would have made if the hurricane had not struck, and 2) Whether Carlson is entitled to any compensation for excess sales from increased business activity after the storm.More than $8 billion in federal disaster relief and insurance money came into the county, resulting in increased sales at department stores and numerous other businesses. Carlson Department Store Sales data for September 1992 through August 1996 Certain conditions should be met by any good forecast. A good forecast should usually be based on adequate knowledge of the relevant past. With our company – The Carlson Department Store – we have the sales data for the 48 months preceding the storm available. This amount of historical data fulfills the requirement for the volume of relevant data.Table  1 shows the sales data for the Carlson Department Store for the months of September 1992 through August 1996. Table 1: Sales for Carlson Department Store [mil. $] |Month |1992 |1993 |19 94 |1995 |1996 | |February | |1. 80 |1. 89 |1. 99 |2. 28 | |March | |2. 03 |2. 02 |2. 42 |2. 69 | |April | |1. 99 |2. 23 |2. 45 |2. 48 | |May | |2. 32 |2. 39 |2. 57 |2. 3 | |June | |2. 20 |2. 14 |2. 42 |2. 37 | |July | |2. 13 |2. 27 |2. 40 |2. 31 | |August | |2. 43 |2. 21 |2. 50 |2. 23 | |September |1. 71 |1. 90 |1. 89 |2. 09 | | |October |1. 90 |2. 13 |2. 29 |2. 54 | | |November |2. 74 |2. 56 |2. 83 |2. 97 | | |December |4. 20 |4. 16 |4. 04 |4. 5 | | Series of numbers is often difficult to interpret. Graphing the observations can be very helpful since the shape of a complicated series is more easily discerned from a picture. The data for Carlson Department Store, as can be seen in Graph 1, indicate some seasonal fluctuations. It can be seen that the sales in last quarter are higher than in the first 3 quarters of a year, with the highest volume of sales in December. [pic] Countywide Department Stores Sales data for September 1992 through August 1996 The data for all department stor es in the county are summarized in Table 2.Table 2: Department Store Sales for the county [mil. $] |Month |1992 |1993 |1994 |1995 |1996 | |February | |48. 0 |48. 6 |45. 6 |51. 6 | |March | |60. 0 |59. 4 |57. 6 |57. 6 | |April | |57. 6 |58. 2 |53. 4 |58. 2 | |May | |61. 8 |60. 6 |56. 4 |60. 0 | |June | |58. 2 |55. 2 |52. 8 |57. 0 | |July | |56. 4 |51. |54. 0 |57. 6 | |August | |63. 0 |58. 8 |60. 6 |61. 8 | |September |55. 8 |57. 6 |49. 8 |47. 4 |69. 0 | |October |56. 4 |53. 4 |54. 6 |54. 6 |75. 0 | |November |71. 4 |71. 4 |65. 4 |67. 8 |85. 2 | |December |117. 6 |114. 0 |102. 0 |100. 2 |121. 8 | Sales of all department stores in the county, as can be seen from Graph 2, show similar seasonal fluctuations as sales of Carlson Department Store. pic] From the above graph one can also observe that in past 3 years (years 1993-1995) the volume of sales in the month of September went down, and slowly went up again in October and November and usually reached its peak in December. The unusual b ehavior in September 1996 pulls our attention. For the first time in 4 years history we observe that the sales volume in September compared to August sales went up by 11. 7 % whereas in September 1993 they were down by 8. 6%, in September 1994 down by 15. 3%, and in September 1995 actually down by 21. 8%.The question is why such a change occurred? And the answer is that more than $8 billion in federal disaster relief and insurance money came into the county, which resulted in these increased sales at department stores. Choosing the appropriate forecasting method There are many different forecasting methods. One of the challenges we had to face was to choose the right technique. Smoothing methods are appropriate for a stable time series. When a time series consist of random fluctuations around a long-term trend line, a linear equation may be used to estimate the trend.When seasonal effects are present, seasonal indexes can be computed and used to deseasonalize the data and to develop forecasts. When both seasonal and long-term trend effects are present, which is also the case of Carlson Department Store as well as the case of all department stores in the county, a trend line is fitted to the deseasonalized data; the seasonal indexes are then used to adjust the trend projections. Trend and Seasonal Components in Forecasting The procedure of forecasting the sales for months September through December 1996 (had there been no hurricane) for The Carlson Department Store is summarized in Table 3.Table 3: Procedure of forecasting sales for Sep. -Dec. 1996 |   |   |Sales |12-month |Centered |Seasonal |Deseasonalized | | | | |Moving |Moving |Irregular |Sales | | | | |Average |Average |Value | | |1992 |Sept. |1. 71 |- |- |- |2. 09 | |   |Oct. |1. 90 |- |- |- |1. 95 | |   |Nov. |2. 74 |- |- |- |2. 35 | |   |Dec. |4. 20 |- |- |- |2. 41 | |1993 |Jan. 1. 45 |- |- |- |1. 46 | |   |Feb. |1. 80 |- |- |- |2. 13 | |   |Mar. |2. 03 |- |- |- |2. 09 | |   |Apr. |1. 9 9 |- |- |- |2. 05 | |   |May |2. 32 |- |- |- |2. 24 | |   |June |2. 20 |- |- |- |2. 37 | |   |July |2. 13 |- |- |- |2. 28 | |   |Aug. |2. 43 |- |- |- |2. 2 | |   |Sept. |1. 90 |2. 24 |- |- |2. 32 | |   |Oct. |2. 13 |2. 26 |2. 25 |0. 95 |2. 18 | |   |Nov. |2. 56 |2. 28 |2. 27 |1. 13 |2. 19 | |   |Dec. |4. 16 |2. 26 |2. 27 |1. 83 |2. 38 | |1994 |Jan. |2. 31 |2. 26 |2. 26 |1. 02 |2. 32 | |   |Feb. |1. 89 |2. 33 |2. 29 |0. 82 |2. 23 | |   |Mar. |2. 02 |2. 34 |2. 33 |0. 87 |2. 08 | |   |Apr. |2. 23 |2. 34 |2. 34 |0. 5 |2. 30 | |   |May |2. 39 |2. 36 |2. 35 |1. 02 |2. 31 | |   |June |2. 14 |2. 36 |2. 36 |0. 91 |2. 30 | |   |July |2. 27 |2. 36 |2. 36 |0. 96 |2. 43 | |   |Aug. |2. 21 |2. 37 |2. 36 |0. 94 |2. 38 | |   |Sept. |1. 89 |2. 35 |2. 36 |0. 80 |2. 31 | |   |Oct. |2. 29 |2. 35 |2. 35 |0. 97 |2. 34 | |   |Nov. |2. 83 |2. 36 |2. 36 |1. 20 |2. 42 | |   |Dec. 4. 04 |2. 39 |2. 37 |1. 70 |2. 31 | |1995 |Jan. |2. 31 |2. 38 |2. 38 |0. 97 |2. 32 | |   | Feb. |1. 99 |2. 38 |2. 38 |0. 84 |2. 35 | |   |Mar. |2. 42 |2. 38 |2. 38 |1. 02 |2. 49 | |   |Apr. |2. 45 |2. 42 |2. 40 |1. 02 |2. 52 | |   |May |2. 57 |2. 44 |2. 43 |1. 06 |2. 48 | |   |June |2. 42 |2. 45 |2. 44 |0. 99 |2. 60 | |   |July |2. 40 |2. 47 |2. 46 |0. 7 |2. 57 | |   |Aug. |2. 50 |2. 49 |2. 48 |1. 01 |2. 70 | |   |Sept. |2. 09 |2. 51 |2. 50 |0. 84 |2. 55 | |   |Oct. |2. 54 |2. 53 |2. 52 |1. 01 |2. 60 | |   |Nov. |2. 97 |2. 55 |2. 54 |1. 17 |2. 54 | |   |Dec. |4. 35 |2. 56 |2. 55 |1. 70 |2. 49 | |1996 |Jan. |2. 56 |2. 58 |2. 57 |1. 00 |2. 57 | |   |Feb. |2. 28 |2. 61 |2. 59 |0. 88 |2. 69 | |   |Mar. |2. 9 |2. 63 |2. 62 |1. 03 |2. 77 | |   |Apr. |2. 48 |2. 65 |2. 64 |0. 94 |2. 55 | |   |May |2. 73 |2. 65 |2. 65 |1. 03 |2. 64 | |   |June |2. 37 |2. 67 |2. 66 |0. 89 |2. 55 | |   |July |2. 31 |2. 66 |2. 67 |0. 87 |2. 47 | |   |Aug. |2. 23 |2. 66 |2. 66 |0. 84 |2. 40 | |   |Total |   |   |   |   |113. 72 | Columns 1 and 2 represent al l the years and months.Column 3 shows the monthly sales data of Carlson Department Store. The first step of the deseasonalizing process is to calculate the moving averages. We had to decide how many observations to use in the moving average. One selection method is to calculate the mean error and the mean squared error of the differences between the actual data and the forecast. The series with the smallest squared error would be preferred. The Management Scientist results for the Carlson Department Store show that the 12-month moving average gives the smallest squared error. The 12-month moving average values are shown in the Column 4.If the number of data points in a moving average calculation is an even number, we need to center the moving average values to correspond to a particular time period, as we did in the calculations in Column 5. By dividing each time series observation by the corresponding centered moving average value, we could identify the seasonal-irregular effect in the time series. Column 6 summarizes the resulting seasonal-irregular values for the entire time series. By dividing each time series observation by the corresponding seasonal index, we remove the effect of season from the time series.Deseasonalized sales data are shown in Column 7 and a graph of the data (graph 3) is on the next page. The first step of the decomposition procedure has now been completed. The new series has eliminated the seasonality. The next step is to calculate the trend. The observation of the deseasonalized sales data of Carlson Department Store appears to indicate that a straight line would be most appropriate form of equation that would describe the trend. Graph 3: Deseasonalized sales data of Carlson Department Store [pic] Applying regression analysis we have arrived to this the linear trend equation: Tt = 2. 875 + 0. 0118t. The slope of 0. 0118 in the trend equation indicates that over past 4 years the Carlson Department Store has experienced an average gro wth in sales of about $0. 0118 per year. If we assume that the past 4-year trend in sales is a good indicator for the future, we can use the equation above to project the trend component of the time series. Substituting t = 49, 50, 51, and 52 into the equation we yield the deseasonalized sales of Carlson DS for September through December 1996. For September 1996 we get $2. 67 mil, for October 1996 $2. 68, November 1996 $2. 9 and for December 1996 $2. 70. In order to apply the seasonal effects we multiply these projected deseasonalized sales by the relevant seasonal indexes calculated in Table 4. Table 4: Seasonal Indexes |Month |Seasonal-Irregular Component Values |Seasonal | | | |Index | |Jan. |- |0. 63 |0. 64 |0. 65 |0. 69 |0. 65 | |Feb. |- |0. 78 |0. 80 |0. 81 |0. 87 |0. 82 | |March |- |1. 12 |1. 11 |1. 4 |1. 06 |1. 11 | |April |- |1. 00 |1. 01 |0. 99 |1. 02 |1. 01 | |May |- |1. 04 |1. 03 |1. 03 |1. 03 |1. 03 | |June |- |0. 99 |0. 97 |0. 97 |0. 98 |0. 98 | |July |- |0. 96 |0. 92 |0. 98 |0. 98 |0. 96 | |Aug. |- |1. 07 |1. 09 |1. 10 |1. 02 |1. 07 | |Sep. |- |0. 98 |0. 93 |0. 88 |1. 05 |0. 96 | |Oct. |- |0. 90 |0. 8 |0. 99 |1. 03 |0. 98 | |Nov. |1. 00 |1. 02 |1. 00 |1. 04 |1. 00 |1. 01 | |Dec. |1. 47 |1. 45 |1. 41 |1. 37 |- |1. 43 | An estimate of lost sales for the Carlson Department Store By multiplying the projected deseasonalized sales by the relevant seasonal indexes calculated in Table 4 we will arrive to the levels of sales for months September 1996 through December 1996 had there been no hurricane: September 1996 $2. 19 mil. October 1996$2. 62 mil November 1996 $3. 14 mil December 1996$4. 1 mil The above-described procedure for forecasting sales for Carlson Department Store can be applied to countywide department stores too. It would give following results: The estimated countywide department store sales had there been no hurricane (and no disaster relief money) for September 1996 is $46. 65 mil, for October 1996 $51. 22, for November 1996 $64. 4, and for December 1996 $99. 3. Comparing these figures to the actual sales of the countywide department stores one can see that the actual sales are over-valuated. I attribute this to the $8 billion of disaster relief money.Had the county department stores not received the disaster relief money they would probably continue their downward trend described by function Y = 63. 64 – 0. 13t. The slope of –0. 13 in the trend equation indicates that over past 4 years countywide department stores have experienced an average decline in sales of about $0. 13 per year. Conclusion The task of this report was to resolve two key issues. 1. Estimate the amount of sales Carlson would have made if the hurricane had not struck. We have come to a conclusion that the sales for September 1996 had there been no hurricane would be $2. 9 mil, in October 1996 it would be $2. 62 mil, in November 1996 it would be $3. 14 mil and in December 1996 it would be $4. 71 mil. 2. Find out whether Carlson is e ntitled to any compensation for excess sales from increased business activity after the storm. More than $8 billion in federal disaster relief and insurance money came into the county, resulting in increased sales at department stores and numerous other businesses. Based on our estimates we strongly believe that the countywide department stores would made much lower sales haven’t they received the relief money.Therefore we believe that our department store is entitled to compensation for excess sales from increased business activity after the hurricane and we will inquire the insurance company to cover our lost sales for months September through December 1996 in the amount of $12. 66 mil. †¢ Reference: †¢ Keat, P. G. , Young, K. Y. : Managerial Economics. Economic tools for today’s decision makers. 3rd edition. †¢ Anderson, D. R. , Sweeney, D. J. , Williams, T. A. : Quantitative Methods for Business. 8th edition. †¢ Barr, Richard. Southern Methodist University. â€Å"The Appeal of Network Models†. 1997. 5 Feb 1997.

Clothing, Handbags and Jewelry Industries in the Us

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As consumers become increasingly conscious about the environment, demand for environmentally friendly luggage will rise(focus more on environmental friendly products, could also be used as a marketing strategy) . Handbags This U. S. industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing women's handbags and purses of any material (except precious metal).This 6-digit NAICS industry (316992) is under the hierarchy of Other Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing Industry (31699), Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing Subsector (316), and the Manufacturing Sector (31-33). Revenue, Profitability ; Foreign Trade Preview The industry's revenue for the year 2010 was approximately $351. 1 million USD, with an estimated gross profit of 51. 29%. Import was valued at $2. 3 billion USD from 111 countries. The industry also exported $256. 2 million USD worth of merchandise to 117 countries.Adding import value to and subtracting export value from the industry's shipment value, the total domestic demand for the industry in 2010 was $2. 4 billion USD. (This could be the biggest market for sale) Jewelry 1) Costume jewelry is considered a discrete category of fashion accessory, and display s many characteristics of a self-contained industry. Costume jewelry manufacturers are located throughout the world, with a particular concentration in parts of China and India, where entire city-wide and region-wide economies are dominated by the trade of these goods.There has been considerable controversy in the United States and elsewhere about the lack of regulations in the manufacture of such jewelry—these range from human rights issues surrounding the treatment of labor, to the use of manufacturing processes in which small, but potentially harmful, amounts of toxic metals are added during production. (lot of cadmium found) As part of the supply chain, wholesalers in the United States and other nations purchase costume jewelry from manufacturers and typically import or export it to wholesale distributors and suppliers who deal directly with retailers.Wholesale costume jewelry merchants would traditionally seek out new suppliers at trade shows. As the Internet has become increasingly important in global trade, the trade-show model has changed. Retailers can now select from a large number of wholesalers with sites on the World Wide Web. Some of these sites also market directly to consumers, who can purchase costume jewelry at greatly reduced prices. Some of these sites include fashion jewelry as a separate category, while some use this term in favor of costume jewelry.The trend of jewelry-making at home by hobbyists for personal enjoyment or for sale on sites like Etsy has resulted in the common practice of buying wholesale costume jewelry in bulk and using it for parts. 2) World costume jewelry market stands enthused by the increasing emphasis laid down by consumers on fashion and style(most important for the attraction of the customers). Demand for costume jewelry and fashion accessories, such as, rings, earrings, bracelets, bangles, lockets, and brooches, is waxing at a healthy pace, driven largely by consumer preference for affordable, yet fashio nable jewelry.Costume jewelry has tailored looks and styles borrowed from fine jewelry. However, updated impressions of these are needed to supplement and accessorize the latest apparel from couture houses and the fashion industry. Fashions in costume jewelry are generally reflected in the ready-to-wear apparel and accessories industry. Given the relative inexpensiveness and affordability of costume jewelry, purchases are predominantly impulsive especially for the younger generation(could be one of the main target markets).Designing of costume jewelry is closely in line with the apparel market. Strong economic development in developing countries, rise in GDP, standards of living, and disposable incomes, are all factors fuelling the market's growth. Growing sophistication of consumer tastes(what exactly does the customer wants? ) in the developed markets is fingered as a key reason for sales gain in these markets. Design innovations from manufacturers and fashion designers are helpin g attract fashion-savvy consumers.Unique designs, durability, and high quality are all variables for product success in the marketplace. General idea about the market for jewelry Costume jewelry market worldwide is dominated by the United States with an estimated 32. 49% share in the year 2007, as stated by Global Industry Analysts, Inc. Asia-Pacific represents the fastest growing market, mirroring a projected CAGR of 6. 93% over the period 2000 to 2010. In the Necklaces, bracelets & chains market, sales are forecast to rise by US$3,853 million between the period 2007 to 2015.Global sales of Brooches, Pendants & Pins are projected to reach US$2. 0 billion by the year 2015. Ear Rings market in Asia-Pacific is forecast to grow at a robust CAGR of 9. 52% over the 2011 to 2015 period. Leading players operating in the global costume jewelry market include Avon Products Inc, Adrian Buckley Jewellery, DCK Concessions Ltd, H. Stern Com. & Ind. S. A, K&M Associates, The Colibri Group, Roman Research Inc. , and Swank Inc. (we could implement their strategies)

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Article Resposne - Essay Example At the beginning, such people are in denial of cultural difference hence believed that their own culture is the only real one. The second stage is defense, at people at this stage have some knowledge to understand cultural difference and hence see it to be real. Finally, the last stage is minimization in which an individual begins to realize certain elements in his/her culture are universal. People at this stage see similarities. The next level is ethnorelative where a person experiences his/her culture recognizing other cultures as well. Here, there are also three stages of development. The first is acceptance, and this refers to the ability of an individual to understand and appreciate differences in culture. Such people are able to make cultural contrasts. The second stage is adaptation, and people at this stage develop habits and behaviors that are appropriate to that other culture. They not only recognize alternative cultural experiences but develop behavior that is line with th e other culture. The final stage is integration, and this is a state in which a person’s understanding of self includes his/her movement in and out of other cultures. Therefore, their identities generally lie between multiple cultures or world views. Based on this article, I believe I am at the minimization stage under the ethnocentric development. For the time I have been in London, there are two major elements/practices in this culture common to my American culture. First, there is a similarity in religious beliefs and practices. In my culture, the dominant religion is Christianity, and many believe in God and Jesus Christ. This is also the case here in London, and this is illustrated by the many churches around. Secondly, in America, education is one of the pillars of our society. Similarly, this appears to be the case here. There are similarities when it comes

Counselling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 1

Counselling - Essay Example I was quite anxious because I was afraid of being ridiculed if I did not perform as well as I had hoped1. On the other hand, I was ready to learn on how to prepare and deliver a presentation. Yes, I had my fears, but I also wanted to prove myself wrong with reference to failing. I wanted to make sure that failure to deliver my first presentation exceptionally was merely an impediment to future presentations, which I might just end up delivering effortlessly. I felt that there was always an initial time for everything, and this was my first time to deliver a presentation. I chose the topic of Domestic Violence by first thinking about what kind of issue I wanted to deal with generally2. I had a number of considerations, for instance, the issue for me had to be a problem that takes place in society and most probably involves what I have personally experienced or people I know have experienced. I wanted to get a topic that I was interested in since I knew that the research process would have been more relevant if I cared about the topic I chose. I also desired to pick something, which I wanted to learn more about making it easier to complete and more meaningful to me3. I started my search for topics on social issues on the internet and books. I had the aptitude to generate a listing of general social issues that exist today. Since I did not want a topic that was too broad, which could also avail too much information that would not be focused on, I did background reading on the social issues and narrowed the issues down by having subtopics below the main topics4. I also considered the subtopics on violence that had enough sources that I could rely on to help me make my presentation, therefore, making it easy to gather sufficient information for my topic. I was attracted to topics that were linked to violence because I have always abhorred violence. However, I did not have a lot of information on the topic and this led me to review the

Education in African Americans Community Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Education in African Americans Community - Essay Example The issue of education in African American communities has often found its way into public and scholarly debates in equal measure. This has come as a result of the agreeable lower quality and less appreciation of education in these communities as compared to areas occupied by the whites. The situation is one largely resulting from historical factors as well as continued neglect. All the same, continued interest can only boost the current situation. Hopefully, in the next decade the situation will be much better and quality as well as appreciation will have reached peak levels. To help in the inquiry and analysis of the current situation of education in the African American communities this study utilizes the Burke’s Dramastic Pentadic Criticism. This is a five stage approach which examines five aspect of a narration or situation these five are agent, act, agency, scene and purpose.African Americans are one of the most academically disadvantaged people marked by low literacy ac hievement. This is irrespective of the fact that African Americans are the subject of continuous focus in literacy based studies in United States. The current state of African Americans education is mainly due to historical factors which enforced segregation. This meant that discrimination against these individuals was officially recognized and enforced by the state government. This hindered equality in the social circles and this permeated through to the education sector (Belgrave, 2009). The greatest challenge for the African Americans was that they were historically considered slaves. This meant they had very few rights and education was not obviously one of the rights. In the absence of education, some few religious set ups realized that this was largely promoting inequality and sought to act. This was by availing education opportunities, at the forefront was the French Catholics in Louisiana in 1600s and Quakers in the 1700s, these were largely based in Pennsylvania. Such local ized approaches meant that education opportunities could not be holistically provided to all African Americans especially those living in other states (Taylor & Philips, 2005). The situation would be worsened by state governments which refused to grant equal education opportunities to their black population irrespective of whether they were free or not. The injustices directed to the African Americans in terms of education would later remain unaddressed for so long that they were generally accepted by the policymakers. A slight change came after the Civil War where most Blacks achieved some form of freedom and continually became aware of their entitlement to education amongst other rights (Murrell, 2002). However, marked improvement would only be registered in the 20th Century following political activism and civil activism led by such distinguished leaders as Martin Luther King Jr. Such activism brought to the limelight the great injustices and the continued segregation of the blac k community. However, it was still impossible to address the historical injustices (Morris & Morris, 1999). Besides, most African Americans had already formed a notion that education was not for them and they were resigned to disadvantaged positions and hard and dangerous street lives. Literature review The above discussion offers a brief synopsis of the historical factors that have contributed to the current dire situation of education among African Americans. This is irrespective of the marked improvement that has taken place in the past half a century or so. This study seeks to provide a rhetorical criticism of education in the African American Community as represented by the discussed factors amongst other emerging issues characterizing the same. The rationale for this criticism is as presented by Kenneth Burke under, Burke’s Dramastic Pentadic Criticism

Unit 7 paper biochem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Unit 7 paper biochem - Essay Example As the extent and the strength of the exercises increases, the aerobic system (mitochondrial or oxidative system) takes over and provides the energy needed. Therefore, the first few minutes of running involve anaerobic activity, but as the intensity of the exercise increases during running and weight lifting, aerobic activity takes over to oxidise the previously produced pyruvate into more ATP to sustain the body during the exercise. These energy systems are interdependent of each other and work concurrently in the body. Based on the meal plan above, rice is the key carbohydrate food that is rich in starch. Skim milk, in addition, contains carbohydrates in the form of lactose (milk sugar). Beans also contain the polysaccharide starch. Protein foods include chicken, beans, and skim milk (whey proteins). Olive oil, skim milk, and ranch dressing contain fats. Olive oil, ranch salad, and chicken contain unsaturated fats, whereas skim milk contains exceptionally small quantities of saturated fats since skim milk usually has a low quantity of fat compared to whole milk. The salad contains vitamins, minerals, and roughage (fiber), which do not undergo digestion in the alimentary canal. When food is ingested in the mouth, the grinding action of the teeth (mechanical digestion) breaks it down into small pieces as saliva lubricates it. Chemical digestion of carbohydrates begins in the mouth where salivary amylase (ptyalin) digests starch into maltose. In the stomach, waves of muscular contractions called peristalsis (mechanical digestion) further squeeze the food, aiding in mechanical digestion. The gastric cells in the stomach walls secrete acidic juices including hydrochloric acid that create a favourable environment for the enzyme pepsin, which digests proteins into peptides. The partially digested food passes to the duodenum where most of the enzymatic digestion takes place. The pancreas

Long Term vs. Short Term Focus in Communication Essay Example for Free

Long Term vs. Short Term Focus in Communication Essay There are pragmatic differences between sales promotion and advertising, which marketers must bear in mind when attempting to communicate with the customers. The same case will apply when marketers attempt to communicate with customer by defining the appropriate media and non-media communications that are aimed at driving customer interest, demand and sale upwards. Brand value does not always increase the sale of the product depending on the price of the product and affordability. Instead, brand value may be more instrumental in customer retention. In the short term, discounts have the potential of increasing product sales, but in the long term, the customers’ perception of the product may be negative or positive as they ponder over why there was a discount. Primary Differences between sales promotion and advertising There are fundamental differences between sales promotion and advertising. Advertising is the form of communication via the diversity of media with the goal of persuading and making people aware of products or services. Advertising is equally a service to the target and consumers to inform them with truthful contents that are ethically generated in order for it to be accepted by the public. Advertisements are clear, truthful, tasteful, precise, original, reputable and ethical communications to the public. (Guideline Marketing, 1998). Sales promotion is the application of incentives to elicit a positive reaction by the consumer. Sales promotion gives the consumer advantages of using the product or service on promotion. Sale promotions are characterised by sponsorship, free gifts and vouchers, public forum of information, exhibited, educative and consultative. Therefore the fundamental difference between and advertisement and sales promotion is the on their acceptability by the consumers. (Guideline Marketing, 1998). Some media and non-media marketing communication that are typically employed to increase customer interest, demand and sales The media marketing communication that are typically employed to increase customer interest demand and sales are digital media, print media, pod casting , narrow casting and broadcasting, posting mails, telephone marketing, among others. (Promotion and integrated marketing communications, 2007) Non media marketing communication that are typically employed to increase customer interest, demand and sales are price discounts, non-media advertising, special offers, sales coupons, product and services sampling, product and service price rebates, competitions and raffles, games, product and service premium offers and counter promotions. (Promotion and integrated marketing communications, 2007) Does brand value always increase with increasing sales of the product? Not always does value always increases with increasing sale of the product. Perhaps it may help in customer retention. But in some instances, it can increase sales because more sales are a sign that the customers are crediting the brand as well as their perceptions to the product. This has implications that more sales are solidifying the brand value as long as the product is being sold for the purpose of brand building. Brand values that have increased sales due to high sale imply that the brand value is attractive. When the sales increase, there are signs that the customers are satisfied and are bound to make references to other over the value of the brand. (Bacak, 2006). How discounts have the potential to affect short term sales and long term brand value. Under a good marketing management, discounts have the potential of positively affective the short term sales and long term brand value depending on the perceptions of the customers on the brand following the discount. The understanding discount strategy is that the sale force is not overwhelmingly profit motivated. Instead, the priority is to create value that customer perceive as satisfactory. Most business would create a discount to enable more consumers interact with the product or service. (Lin Lin, 2007, p. 1-131). According to Aaker (1991), discounts will provide short term sales competitiveness while customer benefit from the value that will be enhanced in the long term. During the time that a brand is under discount sale force, the consumers are given a chance to identify the product or service with their needs. (Lin Lin, 2007, p. 1-131). An example of products where price discounts positive short term sales increase and long term brand value is the cosmetics. In this case the higher the discount the higher the sales as long as the brand image is highly placed. Thus as soon as the discount is initiated, the short term sales shoot up and the consumers perception of the brand shift and this may be positive or negative. If negative, the consumer could be expecting even more price discounts in the long term. (Lin Lin, 2007, p. 130). Conclusion: This marketing communication paper has come out with very important lessons. First, in order to be successful in marketing communication, it is important to understand the fundamental differences between sale promotion and advertising so that the choice of media and non media communication can be rewarding to the marketing plan. Second, the possibility of an increasing brand value to increase sale is hinged on other factors like affordability. Finally, product price discounts have a short term effect of increased sales but a mixed effect on the brand value in the long term. Reference Aaker, D. A. (1991).Managing Brand Equity:Capitalizing on the Value of a Brand Name, NY: The FreePress. Bacak, M. (2006, March 18). The Benefit of Branding: Increase Your Sales and Promote Your Product by Building a Solid Brand. Retrieved April 10, 2009, from http://ezinearticles. com/? The-Benefit-of-Branding:-Increase-Your-Sales-and-Promote-Your-Product-by-Building-a-Solid-Brandid=163889 Guideline Marketing, (1998). Guidelines for publicity, advertising, practice promotion and allied marketing activities. Retrieved on April 10th, 2009, available at http://www. capelawsoc. law. za/Files%20for%20New%20Website/Guidelines/Advertising%20E. doc Lin, N. Lin B. , (2007, August). The effects of Brand Image and Products Knowledge on Purchase Intention Moderated by Price Discounts. Journal of International Management Studies. P. 1-131. Promotion and Integrated Marketing Communications, (2007). Marketing communications. Retrieved on April 10th, 2009, available at http://www2. cob. ilstu. edu/jsattaw/MKT%20230/Lectures/Lecture%209%20%20Promotion%20and%20Integrated%20Marketing%20Communication. ppt

Heineken Marketing and Business Analysis

Heineken Marketing and Business Analysis Jump to: SWOT Analysis of Heineken | Porters 5 Analysis of Heineken | Heinekens Main Competitors Heading the Heineken Group, Heineken Holding N.V. is no ordinary holding company. Since its formation in 1952, the objective of Heineken Holding N.V., pursuant to its Articles of Association has been to manage and/ or supervise the Heineken Group and to provide services to the Heineken Group. The role Heineken Holding N.V. has performed for the Heineken Group since 1952 has been to safeguard its continuity, independence and stability and create conditions for controlled, steady growth of the activities of the Heineken Group. This stability has enabled the Heineken Group to rise to its present position as the brewer with the widest international presence and one of the worlds largest brewing groups. Every Heineken N.V. share held by Heineken Holding N.V. is matched by one share issued by Heineken Holding N.V. The net asset value of one Heineken Holding N.V. share is therefore identical to the net asset value of one Heineken N.V. share. The dividend payable on the two shares is also id entical. Historically, however, Heineken Holding N.V. shares have traded at a lower price due to technical factors that are market-specifi c. Heineken Holding N.V. holds 50.005 per cent of the Heineken N.V. issued shares. LArche Green N.V. holds 58.78 per cent of the Heineken Holding N.V. shares. The Heineken family holds 88.42 per cent of LArche Green N.V. The remaining 11.58 per cent of LArche Green N.V. is held by the Hoyer family. Mrs. De Carvalho-Heineken also owns a direct 0.03 per cent stake in Heineken Holding N.V. Bondholder information On 4 November 2003, Heineken N.V. issued two bonds for a total of EUR 1.1 billion. In addition, on 26 February 2009 Heineken placed six year Notes of GBP400 million (EUR 450 million) with a coupon of 7.25 per cent, on 25 March 2009 fi ve year Notes of EUR 1 billion with a coupon of 7.125 percent and on 1 October 2009 seven year Notes of EUR 400 million with a coupon of 4.625 per cent. These Notes were issued under the European Medium Term Note Programme established in 2008 and updated in September 2009. The European Medium Term Note programme allows Heineken N.V. from time to time to issue Notes for a total amount of up to EUR 3 billion. As currently approximately EUR 1.9 billion is outstanding, Heineken still has capacity of EUR 1.1 million under the programme. The programme can be used for issuing up to one year after its establishment. The Luxembourg Stock Exchange has approved the programme. Risk Management and Control Process Main risks Under the explicit understanding that this is not an exhaustive list, Heinekens main risks are described below, including the mitigation measures. Risks concerning the Heineken brand and Company reputation, economic downturn, volatility of input costs, exchange and interest rates, availability and cost of capital and increasing legislation (such as alcohol excise duties and anti-trust) affecting the business are considered the most significant risks. The main Company risks have been discussed with the full Supervisory Board. Attractiveness of beer category under pressure Heineken has many operations in mature beer markets where the attractiveness of the beer category is being challenged by other beverage categories. Consumers may also change behaviour following the rise of discount brands and retailers following the recession. In these markets, especially, the on-trade channel is under pressure, which makes adjustments to the cost base unavoidable. Heineken is relatively highly geared to mature markets since their acquisition of Scottish Newcastle. Management focus is on product innovation, portfolio management and costeffectiveness in order to secure market position and profitability. Pressure on alcohol An increasingly negative perception in society towards alcohol and more specifically alcohol abuse could prompt legislators to take restrictive measures including restrictions, on such things as commercial freedom and increased government tax. This perception is fed by critical coverage in the media. Further restrictions of our commercial freedom to promote and sell our products could lead to a decrease in brand equity and potentially in sales and damage the industry in general. Heineken actively participates in the EU Forum on Alcohol and Health and delivered its commitments in the area of consumer information, alcohol consumption at the workplace and commercial communication. In 2009, Heineken continued to work on establishing effective self-regulation in the EU together with the Brewers of Europe. Volatility of input costs Pricing strategies are top priority in all of our markets. This includes assessments of customer, consumer and competitor responses based on different pricing scenarios, which will have different outcomes market by market. In principle, we will pass on increased input costs impacting volume. During the second half of 2008, commodity markets rapidly declined following the world economic climate and remained depressed for most of 2009. In addition, the run of several years poor harvests in key grain and hop markets has reversed and world grain stocks are recovering. Economic downturn The economic crisis has impacted our regular business activities and performance, in particular in consumer spending and solvency. However, the business impact differed across our regions and operations. Local management has assessed the risk exposure following Group instructions and is taking action to mitigate any higher than usual risks. Intensified and continuous focus is being given in the areas of customers (managing trade receivables and loans) and suppliers (financial position of critical suppliers). Also, management attention is given to our relationships with banks (see capital availability risk) and insurance companies (credit worthiness (re)insurance companies). Regional Management and involved Group functions oversee the effectiveness of management analysis and action, supported by input from Internal Auditors. Financial risks Currency risk Heineken operates internationally and reports in euros, which has proven to be a very strong currency over the past few years. Currency fluctuations, relating to the US dollar, South African rand, Polish zloty and, to a lesser extent, the British pound could materially affect overall Company results, considering the size of exports from the eurozone to mainly the USA and South Africa. Heineken has a clear policy on hedging transactional exchange risks, which postpones the impact on financial results. Translation exchange risks are hedged to a limited extent. In 2009, operating results of Operating Companies in countries with currencies that devaluated versus the euro are translated into euro at lower rates. Since the Group attracts funding and pays interest in these currencies as well, the impact of devaluations of such currencies like the Russian rouble, British pound and Polish zloty on our results is mitigated to a certain extent. In addition, Heineken strengthened its risk manage ment regarding the monitoring and managing of currency and interest positions. Capital availability The Company has a strong focus on cash generation to reduce its debt levels and to improve its financing ratios. The Company has a clear focus on ensuring sufficient access to capital markets to refinance maturing debt obligations and to finance long-term growth. The Company aims to further fine-tune the maturity profile of its long-term debts. Financing strategies are under continuous evaluation. Terms and conditions of additional refinancing may be impacted by the changing credit market conditions. Strong cost and cash management and strong controls over investment proposals are in place to ensure effective and efficient allocation of financial resources. Litigation Due to increasing legislation there is an increased possibility of non-compliance. Additionally, more supervision by regulators and the growing claim culture may potentially increase the impact of non-compliance, both financially and on the reputation of the Company. Each half year, all majority-owned companies formally report outstanding claims and litigations against the Company in excess of EUR 1 million to Group Legal Affairs, including an assessment of the amounts to be provided for. There may be current risks that do not have a significant impact on the business but which could at a later stage develop into a material impact on the Companys business. The Companys risk management systems are focused on timely discovery of such risks.   SWOT Analysis (S)trengths Heineken has very different brands in thirteen markets. It is a global brand and established itself in international strategy The company have purchased a lot of national breweries. There is Recognition of bottle (Green bottle) dispenses and different  instruments such as (Mini keg) (W)eaknesses Heineken has a conservative and safe play culture. The company had  struggled to obtain larger Breweries. Young Beer drinkers dont prefer Heineken Prices are costly when compared to domestic market such as $10 would  be for six packs and in the domestic market it is $7 for six packs. (T)hreats Government restriction to drunken driving laws. High competition in the beer industry to increase the market share. Joint ventures and acquisition of other companies which tend to become  larger than Heineken. (O)pportunities The trends of the society changing to consumption of healthy beer with  low calories. In Asia and Russian there is increase in population which the company is  having high market share. In the U.S industry a particular segment the Hispanic are growing  tremendously Porters Five Forces of Competition Threat of substitutes: Very little technical composition of beers The growing segment of wine industry Threats of new Entry: An investment amount of $250 million dollars to build 4 million barrel brewery There is risky entry since there is no alternative use of breweries Top positions have not been cracked by new entrants Bargaining power of buyers No true brand loyal to any particular brand The Demand for the major competitor brand Budweiser is Inelastic Bargaining power of suppliers There were fewer amounts of Brewers and larger plants. High cost of production due to rise in price of products such as grains glass and  aluminium. There were many number of buying supplier of input (Wheat field). Rivalry Between established competitors During 1947 Heineken established itself in top 5 acquired 19% of the market in  U.S. During 2001 Heineken was included in top 5 and generated 87% of the U.S  market share. The beer industry is very highly competitive industry due to this reason many  brewers leave the industry. Main Competitors for Heineken Anheuser-Busch, Inc. Anheuser-Busch, Inc.is 100 percent owned by the holding company Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. The company mostly focuses on domestic beer sales, 75% of its total revenue, 4% from international beer sales, 15% from packaging, and 6% fromentertainment. Corporate level strategy At the corporate level, Anheuser-Busch pursues the dominant vertical business strategy. All ratios (specialization, related and vertical) are well above 70%. The company focuses mainly, but not exclusively, on beer production and is heavily vertically integrated, which sets it apart from most of its main competitors. Value Drivers Anheuser-Busch ranked first in the category quality of products and services. The company also won the first rank in the overall category Beverage Industry. Strength challenges and weakness Anheuser-Busch derives most of its market strength from its overwhelming scale and scope economies. The king of beers uniquely transforms this strength into several unrivalled competitive advantages, including cost efficiencies, exclusive relationships with many of its wholesalers, a dominant presence at the retail level, advertising efficiency and pricing power. A-B is growth limited because the company is operating above 95% production capacity, which already presents seasonal challenges. The overwhelming success of the past decades could potentially lead to complacency among ABs employees and distributors. SAB MILLER PLC SABMiller has brewing operations in more than 40 countries spanning four continents. The company is the second largest brewer in the world by volume and one of the largest Coca- Cola bottlers and distributors of Cokes carbonated soft drinks outside the U.S.79 The primary brands in the U.S. markets are Miller Genuine Draft, Miller Lite, Fosters and Pilsner Urquell, and Henry Weinhards and Leinenkugels. Other U.S. brands include Icehouse, Old English 800, High Life, Milwaukees Best, Mickeys Malt Liquor and a non-alcoholic beer called Sharps. Corporate Level Strategy The SABMiller corporate level strategy is a dominant linked  corporations strategy. The stated corporate level strategy is to optimize and expand its existing positions through acquisition and to seek value-adding opportunities to enhance its position as a global brewer. SABMiller business level strategy is to serve the mass markets for beer and soft drinks with broad differentiation as perceived by consumers. Value Drivers A primary value driver of SABMiller is its brand recognition. The Miller Genuine Draft  and Miller Light brands, for example, have a long established brand equity that drives their  respective sales. Strength and weakness SABMiller has strong brand leadership and it continues to develop new brands through partnerships. The strategy of diversification across currencies and geography makes the company relatively immune to regional changes in beer consumption, tastes, growth trends, and currency fluctuations. The Miller Brewing acquisition required significant management attention and a large investment on the part of SABMiller that will continue to affect profitability over the next two to three years. Coors Aldoph Coors Company was founded in 1872. Coors was family owned until 1975 when  the company first became public. The Coors family continues to be involved in the company  with nine of its members working for the firm.95 All of Coors brewing and packing facilities are currently U.S. based, having divested a brewery in Zaragoza, Spain in 2000.96 Its largest facility, in Golden Colorado, has the ability to produce 20 million barrels of beer in a year and is considered the largest brewing facility in the world. Corporate Level Strategies Coors current corporate strategies focus on improving  operational efficiencies and expansion through acquisition. Coors seeks to grow its markets  regionally. This is evident through its Carling acquisition and its current regional appeal in the U.S. All of Coors revenues come from the sale and distribution of beer and malt beverages. Value Drivers Coors is improving its brewing operations by investing in supply chain management systems, joint ventures with packaging companies and plant upgrades. Strength and weakness Coors has never wavered in its dedication to maintain their access-based position in the market. Its success has been attributed to latching onto a market trend toward health conscious consumers and developing and executing a focused strategy. The companys weakness is in establishing the correct cost basis for their strategy. Coors has the highest COGS per barrel compared to its peers. Further growth may be limited unless the  company seeks global expansion. As of today, Coors is not participating in the fastest growing global geography, China. CORONA AND LABATT Corona beer, a brand of Grupo Modelo de Mexico, and Labatt, a brand of Labatt USA,  are the major competitors to Heineken. In addition to the individual brands of Corona,  Grupo Modelo also owns Pacifico and Modelo Especial. Labatt USA has strong brands with  additional products such as Rolling Rock, and is the distributor of Tecate and Dos Equis. Both companies participated in the beer industry consolidation. Anheuser Busch has increased ownership of Grupo Modelo to 51% after an initial investment of 13% in 1993. Corporate level Strategies The corporate level strategy of Labatt USA is dominant  linked, serving various niche markets throughout the country. Labatts large portfolio of  specialty beers serves different niche markets with widely divergent geographic strengths. Grupo Modelo pursues a dominant linked strategy, however its limited brands serve only  smaller niche group. Both companies focus on the specialty beer market by controlling  manufacturing and distribution channels through vertical integration. Business level strategies. Labatt USAs and Grupo Modelos business strategies are  product differentiation. Both companies emphasize the quality of their products and their  abilities to satisfy customers. Value Drivers The primary value driver for Grupo Modelo and Labatt is their individual brand equity. Corona has been a staple in Mexico since the early 1900s. Many of the brands in Labatt USAs stable, such as Bass and Lowenbrau have been around for centuries. Since Grupo Modelo focuses on only 5 brands with huge production volume, it is able to  exploit manufacturing and production scale and scope economies as cost drivers. Strength and weakness Labatt and Grupo Modelo enjoy strong brand leadership, while Labatt has additional advantages due to its relationship with Interbrew and FEMSA that allows brand  expansion. Regression Analysis Heineken NV Heineken Holding NV Anheuser-Busch InBev Carlsberg A/S Group Modelo SAB de CV SAB Miller PLC Molson Coors Brewing Co.

Saudi Arabia and the UK: Cultural Differences

Saudi Arabia and the UK: Cultural Differences Cultural Differences The Variance of the countries and peoples is the culture of customs and traditions, and every country has its particular culture, whether if it is in the East or West. A culture of community is meant by patterns of social behaviour such as customs, believes, literature, arts, history , heritage, language, dress and everything relates to that sort. These cultural elements are combined to form a society characterized by special type to signify it from the rest of other communities. Not only that, but also, the culture of the community is thought of its members and determined its orientation.Unfortunately, only few people understand and appreciate cultural differences of other countries. In fact, they are unaware of the differences until they face the reality of a total different society, then they suffer from the inconvenience and conflicts of such customary habits. For further understanding, I will discuss in the following paragraphs cultural similarities and differences between Saudi Arabia and United Kingdom. The main similarity between the two countries, they are both kingdoms, however UK is headed by a queen (Elizabeth the second) while kingdom of Saudi Arabia headed by king Abdullah. UK has an elected prime minister ,who is rolling the country, while Saudi Arabia the king himself is the also prime minister and rolling the country. Furthermore, there is an education similarity in teaching science, math and physics, while difference exists in the education system, where in UK is divided into two systems: schooling and home education, Home education has always been common among the countrys elite. The Royal Family have all in the past been educated at home, including the current Queen, though more recently royalty have attended various public schools (anon 2008). Since this system is common in the past years, and even today, many parents would like to teach their children at home, as that kind of education does not exist in Saudi Arabia. Another educational difference between the two countries is clear in education system. Where as in UK males and females attend school together while in Saudi Arabia males and females attend completely separated schools. In terms of jobs, most of Saudi women prefer to be housewives and to raise children rather than working , because family gathering and interdependence of family in the Eastern societies is very important Of the communities. On the contrary.UK women do not give accord priority to marriage and having children. Women in the UK are equal to men in employment and jobs, where is the state encourages female employment, and there are several researches in this regard, as mentioned in Turgoose and Hall research . The vast majority of the women intend to increase their participation in work and some of them would like to increase the hours of work, in addition non working women would like to join the labour market. ( Turgoose and et al., 2006). Some countries have different religion that distinguishes them from other countries. Religion of Islam is the official Saudi Arabia , and is owed by all the people of Saudi Arabia , while the official religion in the United Kingdom is Christianity, but not all the people believe in god. Recent study Crabtree (2007) showed that about 72% were Christian, and 66% of the population has no actual connection to any religion or church. And in the last quarter of a century, half of all Christians stopped going to church. At the same time, there are some similarities between the two countries, where both allow the existence of other religions through the living outside the country, in Saudi Arabia there are a lot of Indians, and western people, as same in the UK there is many foreign nationalities and allows them to perform their religious rites freely. For religion, every religion has its special celebrations. Muslims in Saudi Arabia have special occasions such as Ramadan, Hajj and Eid. As for UK people, there many occasions to celebrate, such as Charismas, new-year day, Easter, Labor Day, and so on. Every occasion has its own special food that distinct it from rest of the events. In Saudi Arabia, Ramadan has a distinctive cuisine, such as kabsah, sambosa and other special food. In UK, Christmas and new year day are famous for turkey dinners, Easter characterized by its eggs. Another common difference, Transport in the UK has more advanced than Saudi Arabia, where they are using buses, trains and underground add to cars and vehicles. However, in Saudi Arabia cars is the only means of mobility and there are few buses, also there is only one Train station linking the capital Riyadh with Dammam city. But there are advanced studies on the establishment of many of the trains in the future, which is a joint project for construction of a railway link between Jeddah and Makkah and Madinah called The Haramain High-speed Railway (HHR), as it mentioned in the article (2009). In conclusion, it is clear that multiplicity of similarity between the two countries cultural aspects, there are some differences .It is noted that the culture of people in any country varies from one to another, and it is related to history, climate, religion, and some other un-seen factors. Cultural differences between countries exist, but due to usage of the new technology and with globalization and the spread new media tools, we will learn a lot of other countrys culture even if we are unable to visit it. Fast and easy transportation and modern technology facilitate people contacts which spread well under standing for other people cultures. By doing so, minor differences become smaller with time. Being open minded, and neglecting minor cultural differences, will bring different people together, which may result in spreading peace and more understanding between people of same planet EARTH. References Anon (2008) A short history of Home education [online]. home-education. Available from: http://www.home-education.org.uk/article-history-of-he.htm [Accessed 22 August, 2009] Anon (2009) Haramain High-speed Railway Saudi Arabia Architecture [online] .e-architect . Available from: http://www.e-architect.co.uk/saudi_arabia/haramain_high_speed_railway_stations.htm [Accessed 24 August, 2009] Crabtree, V. (2007) Religion in the United Kingdom Diversity, Trends and Decline [online].vexen. Available from: http://www.vexen.co.uk/UK/religion.html [Accessed 24 August, 2009] Turgoose, C. Hall, L. (2006) Encouraging an increase in the employment of women returners in areas of skill shortage in traditionally male industries [online] University of Sheffield. Available from: http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file28572.pdf [Accessed 23 August, 2009] Bibliography Hofstede, G. (2008) Cultural Differences in Teaching and Learning [online] . FUHU conference on Education and Training in the Multicultural Classroom Copenhagen. Available from: http://fuhu.dk/filer/FBE/Arrangementer/Denmark%20Unlimited%20080508/FBE_geert_hofstede_teaching_learning.pdf [Accessed 21 August, 2009] Vaara, E. (2000). Constructions of Cultural Differences in Post Merger Change Processes:A Sensemaking Perspective on Finnish-Swedish Case [online] Helsinki School of Economics and Business Administration. Available from: http://www.management-aims.com/PapersMgmt/33Vaara.pdf [Accessed 20 August 2009]

Blanche :: essays research papers

Blanche Du Bois: Blanche is a woman coming from an aristocratic background. She has lost her home, Belle Reve and also her job as an English teacher and came to her sister’s house to stay for a while. In the past, her first lover died and after that she had changed a lot. Blanche is described by Tennessee Williams as delicate, sensitive, cultured, and beautiful. She is always â€Å"dressed in a white suit with a fluffy boddice, necklace and ear-rings of pearl, white gloves and hat, looking as if she were arriving at a summer tea or coctail party in the garden district.† (117-Scene I) This whiteness is symbolic that she wants to be seen as pure. Her name also means â€Å"white†. She bathes often because she feels dirty in her body maybe because of her sexual memories. She says â€Å"a hot bath and a long, cold drink always gives me a brand-new outlook on life.† (192-Scene VII) This summarizes her need for bathing. As she is unable to get rid of her dirtiness in her mind, she tries to get rid of it physically. She also drinks a lot because she feels comfortable after that. She escapes into drink rather than facing life as it is. Her other weakness is about her appearance. She pays too much attention to her appearance because she wants to catch men’s eyes. She admits that while talking to her sister, Stella, by saying: â€Å"I never was hard or self-sufficient enough. When people are soft- soft people have got to court the favour of hard ones, Stella. Have got to be seductive- put on soft colours, the colours of butterfly wings, and glow†¦I’ve run for protection, Stella†¦And so the soft people have got to- shimmer and glow – put a – paper lantern over the light†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (169-Scene V) She is giving too much importance to her looks. For example, the light is a symbol of this. She is afraid of light. She is getting older and if she is seen in the light, she thinks people will discover her real age and won’t look at her. Blanche always lies about her situation, her appearance, her age, her everything. This is what Stanley discovers and tells Stella all about it. â€Å"Sister Blanche is no lily.† (186-Scene VII) And another lie she said was about her resignation from the school. It is all because of â€Å" a seventeen-year-old-boy-she’d gotten mixed up with.

Juniper Berry :: Botany

Juniper Berry Juniper is a short evergreen shrub whose fruit and oil provides a flavoring agent used extensively in the food, perfume, and soap industries. Juniper berry is probably best known as the unique flavoring agent of gin, an important component of the dry martini, a popular intoxicant and a putative calmative revered by western culture for over 300 years. As a medicinal remedy, juniper has a long history of use employed as a treatment for numerous diseases by ancient Greek and Arab healers, as well as Native American Indians.(2) Juniper berries have been used since the 16th century in herbal medicines. They are rich in vitamin C, volatile oils and other nutrients. (11) The junipers are also used in aromatherapy, which is the use of essential oils through inhalation, massage, bathing, or ingestion to create good health and beauty. The science of aromatherapy can be traced back over 5000 years to the Egyptians. The practice of employing the essences of plants for medicinal and therapeutic beauty treatments is thousands of years old. (10) The scientific name of juniper is Juniperus communis. It belongs to the family Cupressaceae. Common names include juniper berry, genepro, and enebro. (7) The genus has about 60 to 70 species of aromatic evergreen trees or shrubs distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere. (6) About 15 species occur in North America. (7) Juniper foliage may be scale-like, needle-like, or both, and it often has a distinctive odor that can be detected from quite a distance. (1) The juvenile leaves of a juniper are needle-like and the older leaves are scale-like. Mature leaves are awl-shaped, spreading, and arranged in pairs or in whorls of three. Some species have small, scale-like leaves, often bearing oil glands that are pressed closely to the rounded or four-angled branchlets. Male and female reproductive structures usually are borne on separate plants (6), so only female trees have fruit. (1) The reddish brown or bluish cones are fleshy and berrylike and often have a grayish, waxy covering. (6) Their fruits are soft and look like blue berries, and are round cones, but they are softer than most and they have a blue, red, or copper color. They mature in I to 3 seasons and contain I to 12 seeds, usually 3. (6) There are three junipers native to the Pacific Northwest, but chances are good that western juniper is the only one you will see.

Public Law and Judicial Review

Proportionality exists as a ground for setting aside administrative decisions in most continental legal systems and is recognised in UK cases where issues of European Community law and ECHR is involved, it seems logical that the treatment becomes the standard of substantive review in all cases. A significant criticism of the Wednesbury criteria is that they do not allow for the effect on the life of the individual involved to be judged.Just because a judgement is not so unreasonable as to be incomprehensible does not mean that it is not disproportionately devastating for the affected individual – for example, when resources are scarce, it may not be irrational for a local authority to discharge their statutory duties under the 1996 Housing Act by offering housing in an area where it is cheap, but the effects on the lives of e. g. a person who has become homeless who is only offered accommodation a long way from good employment prospects, may be enormous.In such cases, the prop ortionality test would reveal that a general policy intended to conserve resources would in fact cause the individuals affected to consume more resources. The state and thus administrative decisions enter into so many areas of the lives of individuals that the idea of bifurcation – using proportionality where â€Å"fundamental rights† are concerned and the Wednesbury test in all others – is disingenuous at best. In areas such as asylum support or housing, it is immensely complex to distinguish the point at which mere â€Å"interests† end and â€Å"fundamental rights† begin.It is both simpler and more logical to assume the same standard for all issues of judicial review. It is also notable that the Wednesbury test is, by its very nature, a less transparent methodology than proportionality – there are a number of significant cases, such as Wheeler v Leicester City Council, where decisions have been overturned on grounds of irrationality withou t substantive reasons being given as to why â€Å"no reasonable judge could make this decision,† – which must, by its very nature, be on some level subjective.That is not possible with proportionality, where all aspects must be laid out and considered in turn as a basic fact of the methodology. The Wednesbury test comes under further criticism when we consider the significantly narrow scope for intervention. The case of Short v Poole Corporation (1926) Ch 66 at 90-91 is the well documented example of the red haired teacher dismissed because she had red hair. This case proved that decision makers can act unreasonably and reach the wrong decision but they can't exercise their power so unreasonably that no other body would have reached that decision.This was an extreme case of unreasonableness where lord Greene's principle could easily be applied however there are a large number of other cases where intervention is not so accessible. Le Sueur (2004) highlights that Wednes bury principle is only appropriate in the most extreme circumstances and does not allow for a varied intricate subject matter. Lord Walker (2007) in the case of R (Pro-life Alliance) v BBC appeal highlighted that the advantage of the Wednesbury test is simplicity.However, when it comes to human rights – a complex matter – ‘a one size fits all' test is nothing short of being unsatisfactory. The Wednesbury principle was adopted in the Australian case Parramatta City Council v Pestell (1972) It was concluded that the court had considered irrelevant matters and not considered matters that it should have. This clearly shows other forms of judicial review being used in conjunction with the Wednesbury approach thus endorsing that Wednesbury alone does not suffice in judicial review.Proportionality provides a more effective remedy as it allows courts to examine whether the violation of a right was necessary, not just whether it is reasonable. â€Å"†¦ it [the court s] has the constitutional role and duty of ensuring that the rights of citizens are not abused by the unlawful exercise of executive power† . In all matters of public law a right, formalised by the convention and human rights act has been violated. As Lord Bingham in the case of R(SD) v The Governors of Denbeigh High School[2007] 1 AC 100, para 30 â€Å"†¦ t is clear that the court's approach to an issue of proportionality under the Convention must go beyond that traditionally adopted to judicial review in a domestic setting† In Smith ;amp; Grady when â€Å"applying the conventional Wednesbury principles of judicial review (adapted to a human rights context) the judge found that, although the justifications may have seemed to many to be unconvincing, the policy was not â€Å"outrageous in its defiance of logic† and, accordingly, not unlawful. † However the European Court of Human Rights found it to be in breach of multiple articles of the convention o f human rights.Smith and Grady is an example of how many claimants now rely on both domestic law and HRA grounds of review. A key case in the propagation of proportionality is The House of Lords in R (Daly) v. Secretary of State for the Home Department (2001) 2 AC 532 demonstrated how the traditional test of Wednesbury unreasonableness has moved towards the doctrine of necessity and proportionality. Lord Steyn stated that most cases would be decided in the sameway whatever approach is adopted, though conceded for human right cases proportionality is the appropriate test.The question arises as to whether doctrine of proportionality applies only where fundamental human rights are in issue or whether it will come to provide all aspects of judicial review. Lord Steyn in R. (Alconbury Development Limited) v. Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (2001) 2 All ER 929 stated as follows:- â€Å"I consider that even without reference to the Human Rights Act, 1998 the time has come to recognize that this principle (proportionality) is part of English administrative law not only when Judges are dealing with Community acts but also when they are dealing with acts subject to domestic law.Trying to keep the Wednesbury principle and proportionality in separate compartments seems to me to be unnecessary and confusing†. It would seem that as the proportionality test is more frequently applied, when there is violation of human rights, and fundamental freedoms, the Wednesbury test finds itself relegated to matters of a more domestic nature and as such its importance in matters of jurisprudence has diminished.

Research Essay on Being Pro Abortion

Research Essay on Pro-Abortion Every woman should have the opportunity to determine if they would want to keep their child or abort it. Growing up in today’s society, I find myself in an environment where kids are having kids, parents who aren’t capable to raise a child are having kids, and victims of sexual assault are having kids. And in most cases, the child ends up living a life that isn’t too well. This leads to children being neglected, abused, homeless, hungry and more importantly unloved. Imagine a woman not being allowed to have an abortion.Abortions eliminate the risks of all of those tragedies happening. The problem shouldn’t be killing an egg that isn’t fully yet involved into a baby. The problem should be having children but later neglecting or mistreating them to the point where they can’t be a happy child. Sometimes you hear parents saying, â€Å"I wish I would have waited. † or even worse â€Å"I don’t think I c an do this. † For a lot of pregnancies, they aren’t planned. If we don’t allow for abortions to continue to be legal that simply means we are allowing for unfit parents to have kids and by doing this we are failing our children.I was taught to eliminate a problem before it escalates or before it becomes too late. We often hear stories about parents harming their children because the child might have cried too much or whined too much. Why should the child have to suffer? Why should a child be harmed in the first place? We can’t justify abortions not being legal. I feel that a human is born. Until then, you should be allowed to make the decision on whether or not you want to abort your child until it is too late. It’s a women’s right. A father can run away from his child but the mother will be there forever.The grandma might not care or the uncle might not be there but the mother will always be around. When we actually think about it, abortion isn’t as bad as we make it seem. It’s simply an alternative for a lifestyle that a person is trying to avoid. A person can’t raise a child to their best abilities if they never wanted the child to begin with. There will never be true happiness or true love for that child. This is why I take the stand for pro-abortion. Every woman should have the right to decide what they want to do with their body.With shows like â€Å"16 and Pregnant† or â€Å"Teen Mom†, we’re showed the struggles of being a teen mother but, we also notice that most of the mothers on Teen Mom are well off. Not only are they getting paid for being on the show but they have the assistance of others- most of them. But that’s not the case for many teens in the real world. USA Today reported that, â€Å"About 7% of teen girls got pregnant in 2006, a rate of 71. 5 pregnancies per 1,000 teens. That's up slightly from 69. 5 in 2005, Guttmacher says. In 1990, when rates peak ed, about 12% got pregnant. USATODAY)† Teen pregnancies are on the rise whether we can accept the fact or not. We shouldn’t be allowed to push a child into becoming a mother by eliminating abortions. Not only are we risking an unfit life for the child, we are also telling our teens that once you get pregnant having the bay is the only option when that is certainly not true. Amongst the group of teen pregnancies, we can’t forget about the minority group that isn’t lucky enough to get help from their parent. Prochoice states, â€Å"Low-income women and women in diverse communities are more adversely affected by limited access.For example, low-income women often lack the funds necessary for an abortion, which can delay their care(prochoice). † These teens have to rely on government assistance and fast money(stripping, drug dealing, prostituting, stealing, etc). The odds are already against them for the simple fact that they are minorities, they donâ₠¬â„¢t have it all and they have to work harder than the next person. Having a child that they wouldn’t want makes the situation worse for both the child and the mother. Struggling to pay for an abortion beats struggling to raise a child for eighteen years.USA Today also states that, â€Å"The issue here is clearly that we have a lot of teenagers who are having sex, but they aren't careful enough at contraception to avoid pregnancy,† says Sarah Brown, executive director of the nonprofit National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, who has seen Guttmacher's numbers. (USATODAY)† If teens aren’t wise enough to practice safe sex, how can we assume that that they will be wise enough to make the right decisions when raising their child. If we become anti-abortion, we’re sealing the deal for teens to have kids whether they want too or not.With the issue of abortion, one’s attitude toward it is going to be based on many things such as re ligious background and personal morals. There is no black and white answer to the abortion issue. Luckily we live in a country where we are able to decide for ourselves whether something is morally right or wrong. Thus, ultimately, the choice is ours. As with the many other ethical issues which we are faced with in our society, it is hard to come to a concrete answer until we are personally faced with that issue.All we can do is make an effort to know all of the aspects which are involved so that we may be able to make a sound decision if we were faced with this problem in our own lives. In conclusion, it is clear that although some things are important in order to save a life, I truly believe a woman should have the right to end the life of her unborn child if it's any inconvenience at all. Even though it is stopping a beating heart, and the baby can feel pain at 20 weeks, I feel the convenience of the irresponsible mother is WAY more important.

Foundation’s Edge CHAPTER SIX EARTH

EARTH Trevize was hot and annoyed. He and Pelorat were sitting in the small dining area, having just completed their midday meal. Pelorat said, â€Å"We've only been in space two days and I find myself quite comfortable, although I miss fresh air, nature, and all that. Strange! Never seemed to notice all that sort of thing when it was all round me. Still between my wafer and that remarkable computer of yours, I have my entire library with me – or all that matters, at any rate. And I don't feel the least bit frightened of being out in space now. Astonishing!† Trevize made a noncommittal sound. His eyes were inwardly focused. Pelorat said gently, â€Å"I don't mean to intrude, Golan, but I don't really think you're listening. Not that I'm a particularly interesting person always been a hit of a bore, you know. Still, you seem preoccupied in another way. – Are we in trouble? Needn't be afraid to tell me, you know. Not much I could do, I suppose, but I won't go into panic, dear fellow.† â€Å"In trouble?† Trevize seemed to come to his senses, frowning slightly. â€Å"I mean the ship. It's a new model, so I suppose there could be something wrong:† Pelorat allowed himself a small, uncertain smile. Trevize shook his head vigorously. â€Å"Stupid of me to leave you in such uncertainty, Janov. There's nothing wrong at all with the ship. It's working perfectly. It's just that I've been looking for a hyper-relay.† â€Å"Ah, I see. – Except that I don't. What is a hyper-relay?† â€Å"Well, let me explain, Janov. I am in communication with Terminus. At least, I can be anytime I wish and Terminus can, in reverse, be in communication with us. They know the ship's location, having observed its trajectory. Even if they had not, they could locate us by scanning near-space for mass, which would warn them of the presence of a ship or, possibly, a meteoroid. But they could further detect an energy pattern, which would not only distinguish a ship from a meteoroid but would identify a particular ship, for no two ships make use of energy in quite the same way. In some way, our pattern remains characteristic, no matter what appliances or instruments we turn on and off. The ship may be unknown, of course, but if it is a ship whose energy pattern is on record in Terminus – as ours is – it can be identified as soon as detected.† Pelorat said, â€Å"It seems to me, Golan, that the advance of civilization is nothing but an exercise in the limiting of privacy.† â€Å"You may be right. Sooner or later, however, we must move through hyperspace or we will be condemned to remain within a parsec or two of Terminus for the rest of our lives. We will then be unable to engage in interstellar travel to any but the slightest degree. In passing through hyperspace, on the other hand, we undergo a discontinuity in ordinary space. We pass from here to there – and I mean across a gap of hundreds of parsecs sometimes – in an instant of experienced time. We are suddenly enormously far away in a direction that is very difficult to predict and, in a practical sense, we can no longer be detected.† â€Å"I see that. Yes.† â€Å"Unless, of course, they have planted a hyper-relay on board. A hyperrelay sends out a signal through hyperspace – a signal characteristic of this ship – and the authorities on Terminus would know where we are at all times. That answers your question, you see. There would be nowhere in the Galaxy we could hide and no combination of jumps through hyperspace would make it possible for us to evade their instruments:† â€Å"But, Golan,† bald Pelorat softly, â€Å"don't we want Foundation protection?† â€Å"Yes, Janov, but only when we ask for it. You said the advance of civilization meant the continuing restriction of privacy. – Well. I don't want to be that advanced. I want freedom to move undetected as I wish – unless and until I want protection So I would feel better, a great deal better, if there weren't a hyper-relay on board.† â€Å"Have you found one, Golan?† â€Å"No, I have not. If I had, I might be able to render it inoperative somehow.† â€Å"Would you know one if you saw it?† â€Å"That's one of the difficulties. I might not be able to recognize it. I know what a hyper-relay looks like generally and I know ways of testing a suspicious object – but this is a late-model ship, designed for special tasks. A hyper-relay may have been incorporated into its design in such a way as to show no signs of its presence.† â€Å"On the other hand, maybe there is no hyper-relay present and that's why you haven't found it.† â€Å"I don't dare assume that and I don't like the thought of making a jump until I know.† Pelorat looked enlightened. â€Å"That's why we've just been drifting through space. I've been wondering why we haven't jumped. I've heard about jumps, you know. Been a little nervous about it, actually – been wandering when you'd order me to strap myself in or take a pill or something like that.† Trevize managed a smile. â€Å"No need for apprehension. These aren't ancient times. On a ship like this, you just leave it all to the computer. You give it your instructions and it does the rest. You won't know that anything has happened at all, except that the view of space will suddenly change. If you've ever seen a slide show, you'll know what happens when one slide is suddenly projected in place of another. Well, that's what the jump will seem like.† â€Å"Dear me. One won't feel anything? Odd! I find that somewhat disappointing.† â€Å"I've never felt anything and the ships I've been in haven't been as advanced as this baby of ours. – But it's not because of the hyperrelay that we haven't jumped. We have to get a bit further away from Terminus – and from the sun, too. The farther we are from any massive abject, the easier to control the jump, to make re-emergence into space at exactly desired co-ordinates. In an emergency, you might risk a jump when you're only two hundred kilometers off she surface of a planet and just trust to luck that you'll end up safely. Since there is much mete safe than unsafe volume in the Galaxy, you can reasonably count on safety. Still, there's always the possibility that random factors will cause you to re-emerge within a few million kilometers of a large star or in the Galactic core – and you will find yourself fried before you can blink. The further away you are from mass, the smaller those factors and the less likely it is that anything untoward will happ en.† â€Å"In that case, I commend your caution. We're not in a tearing hurry,† â€Å"Exactly. – Especially since I would dearly love to find the hyperrelay before I make a move. – Or find a way of convincing myself there is no hyper-relay.† Trevize seemed to drift off again into his private concentration and Pelorat said, raising his voice a little to surmount the preoccupation barrier, â€Å"How much longer do we have?† â€Å"What?† â€Å"I mean, when would you make the jump if you had no concerns over the hyper-relay, my dear chap?† â€Å"At our present speed and trajectory, I should say on our fourth day out. I'll work out the proper time on the computer.† â€Å"Well, then, you still have two days for your search. May I make a suggestion?† â€Å"Go ahead.† â€Å"I have always found in my own work – quite different from yours, of course, but possibly we may generalize – that zeroing in tightly on a particular problem is self-defeating. Why not relax and talk about something else, and your unconscious mind – not laboring under the weight of concentrated thought – may solve the problem for you.† Trevize looked momentarily annoyed and then laughed. â€Å"Well, why not? – Tell me, Professor, what got you interested in Earth? What brought up this odd notion of a particular planet from which we all started?† â€Å"Ah!† Pelorat nodded his head reminiscently. â€Å"That's going back a while. Over thirty years. I planned to be a biologist when I was going to college. I was particularly interested in the variation of species on different worlds. The variation, as you know – well, maybe you don't know, so you won't mind if I tell you – is very small. All forms of life throughout the Galaxy – at least all that we have yet encountered – share a water-based protein/nucleic acid chemistry.† Trevize said, â€Å"I went to military college, which emphasized nucleonics and gravities, but I'm not exactly a narrow specialist. I know a bit about the chemical basis of life. We were taught that water, proteins, and nucleic acids are the only possible basis for life.† â€Å"That, I think, is an unwarranted conclusion. It is safer to say that no other form of life has yet been found – or, at any rate, been recognized – and let it go at that. What is more surprising is that indigenous species – that is, species found on only a single planet and no other – are few in number. Most of the species that exist, including Homo sapiens in particular, are distributed through all or most of the inhabited worlds of the Galaxy and are closely related biochemically, physiologically, and morphologically. The indigenous species, on the other hand, are widely separated in characteristics from both the widespread forms and from each other.† â€Å"Well, what of that?† â€Å"The conclusion is that one world in the Galaxy – one world – is different from the rest. Tens of millions of worlds in the Galaxy – no one knows exactly how many – have developed life. It was simple life, sparse life, feeble life – not very variegated, not easily maintained, and not easily spread. One world, one world alone, developed life in millions of species – easily millions – some of it very specialized, highly developed, very prone to multiplication and to spreading, and including us. We were intelligent enough to form a civilization, to develop hyperspatial flight, and to colonize the Galaxy – and, in spreading through the Galaxy, we took many other forms of lifeforms related to each other and to ourselves – along with us.† â€Å"If you stop to think of it,† said Trevize rather indifferently, â€Å"I suppose that stands to reason. I mean, here we are in a human Galaxy. If we assume that it all started on some one world, then that one world would have to be different. But why not? The chances of life developing in that riotous fashion must be very slim indeed – perhaps one in a hundred million – so the chances are that it happened in one life-bearing world out of a hundred million. It had to be one.† â€Å"But what is it that made that particular one world so different from the others?† said Pelorat excitedly. â€Å"What were the conditions that made it unique?† â€Å"Merely chance, perhaps. After all, human beings and the lifeforms they brought with them now exist on tens of millions of planets, all of which can support life, so all those worlds must be good enough.† â€Å"No! Once the human species had evolved, once it had developed a technology, once it had toughened itself in the hard struggle for survival, it could then adapt to life on any world that is in the least hospitable – on Terminus, for instance. But can you imagine intelligent life having developed on Terminus? When Terminus was first occupied by human beings in the days of the EncycIopedists, the highest form of plant life it produced was a mosslike growth on rocks; the highest forms of animal life were small coral-like growths in the ocean and insectlike flying organisms on land. We just about wiped them out and stocked sea and land with fish and rabbits and goats and grass and grain and trees and so on. We have nothing left of the indigenous life, except for what exists in zoos and aquaria.† â€Å"Hmm,† said Trevize. Pelorat stared at him for a full minute, then sighed and said, â€Å"You don't really care, do you? Remarkable! I find no one who does, somehow. My fault, I think. I cannot make it interesting, even though it interests me so much.† Trevize said, â€Å"It's interesting. It is. But – but – so what?† â€Å"It doesn't strike you that it might be interesting scientifically to study a world that gave rise to the only really flourishing indigenous ecological balance the Galaxy has ever seen?† â€Å"Maybe, if you're a biologist. – I'm not, you see. You must forgive me.† â€Å"Of course, dear fellow. It's just that I never found any biologists who were interested, either. I told you I was a biology major. I took it up with my professor and he wasn't interested. He told me to turn to some practical problem. That so disgusted me I took up history instead – which had been rather a hobby of mine from my teenage years, in any case – and tackled the ‘Origin Question' from that angle.† Trevize said, â€Å"But at least it has given you a lifework, so you must be pleased that your professor was so unenlightened.† â€Å"Yes, I suppose one might look at it that way. And the lifework is an interesting one, of which I have never tired. – But I do wish it interested you. I hate this feeling of forever talking to myself.† Trevize leaned his bead back and laughed heartily. Pelorat's quiet face took or: a trace of hurt. â€Å"Why are you laughing at me?† â€Å"Not you, Janov,† said Trevize. â€Å"I was laughing at my own stupidity, Where you're concered, I am completely grateful. You were perfectly right, you know,† â€Å"To take up the importance of human origins?† â€Å"No, no. – Well, yes, that too. – But I meant you were right to tell me to stop consciously thinking of my problem and to turn my mind elsewhere. It worked. When you were talking about the manner in which life evolved, it finally occurred to me that I knew how to find that hyperrelay – if it existed.† â€Å"Oh, that!† â€Å"Yes, that! That's my monomania at the moment. I've been looking for that hyper-relay as though I were on my old scow of a training ship, studying every part of the ship by eye, looking for something that stood out from the rest. I had forgotten that this ship is a developed product of thousands of years of technological evolution. Don't you see?† â€Å"No, Golan.† â€Å"We have a computer aboard. How could I have forgotten?† He waved his hand and passed into his own room, urging Pelorat along with him. â€Å"I need only try to communicate,† he said, placing his hands onto the computer contact. It was a matter of trying to reach Terminus, which was now some thousands of kilometers behind. Reach! Speak! It was as though nerve endings sprouted and extended, reaching outward with bewildering speed – the speed of light, of course – to make contact. Trevize felt himself touching – well, not quite touching, but sensing – well, not quite sensing, but – it didn't matter, for there wasn't a word for it. He was aware of Terminus within reach and, although the distance between himself and it was lengthening by some twenty kilometers per second, contact persisted as though planet and ship were motionless and separated by a few meters. He said nothing. He clamped shut. He was merely testing the principle of communication; he was not actively communicating. Out beyond, eight parsecs away, was Anacreon, the nearest large planet in their backyard, by Galactic standards. To send a message by the same light-speed system that had just worked for Terminus – and to receive an answer as well – would take fifty-two years. Reach for Anacreon! Think Anacreon! Think it as clearly as you can. You know its position relative to Terminus and the Galactic core; you've studied its planetography and history; you've solved military problems where it was necessary to recapture Anacreon (in the impossible case – these days – that it was taken by an enemy). Space! You've been on Anacreon. Picture it! Picture it! You will sense being on it via hyper-relay. Nothing! His nerve endings quivered and came to rest nowhere. Trevize pulled loose. â€Å"There's no hyper-relay on board the Far Star, Janov. I'm positive. – And if I hadn't followed your suggestion, I wonder how long it would have taken me to reach this point.† Pelorat, without moving a facial muscle, positively glowed. â€Å"I'm so pleased to have been of help. Does this mean we jump?† â€Å"No, we still wait two more days, to be safe. We have to get away from mass, remember? – Ordinarily, considering that I have a new and untried ship with which I am thoroughly unacquainted, it would probably take me two days to calculate the exact procedure – the proper hyperthrust for the first jump, in particular. I have a feeling, though, the computer will do it all.† â€Å"Dear me! That leaves us facing a rather boring stretch of time, it seems to me.† â€Å"Boring?† Trevize smiled broadly. â€Å"Anything but! You and I, Janov, are going to talk about Earth.† Pelorat said, â€Å"Indeed? You are trying to please an old man? That is kind of you. Really it is.† â€Å"Nonsense! I'm trying to please myself. Janov, you have made a convert. As a result of what you have told me, I realize that Earth is the most important and the most devouringly interesting object in the Universe.† It must surely have struck Trevize at the moment that Pelorat had presented his view of Earth. It was only because his mind was reverberating with the problem of the hyper-relay that he hadn't responded at once. And the instant the problem had gone, he had responded. Perhaps the one statement of Hari Seldon's that was most often repeated was his remark concerning the Second Foundation being â€Å"at the other end of the Galaxy† from Terminus. Seldon had even named the spot. It was to be â€Å"at Star's End.† This had been included in Gaal Dornick's account of the day of the trial before the Imperial court. â€Å"The other end of the Galaxy† – those were the words Seldon had used to Dornick and ever since that day their significance had been debated. What was it that connected one end of the Galaxy with â€Å"the other end†? Was it a straight line, a spiral, a circle, or what? And now, luminously, it was suddenly clear to Trevize that it was no line and no curve that should – or could – be drawn on the map of the Galaxy. It was more subtle than that. It was perfectly clear that the one end of the Galaxy was Terminus. It was at the edge of the Galaxy, yes – our Foundation's edge – which gave the word â€Å"end† a literal meaning. It was, however, also the newest world of the Galaxy at the time Seldon was speaking, a world that was about to be founded, that had not as yet been in existence for a single moment. What would be the other end of the Galaxy, in that light? The other Foundation's edge? Why, the oldest world of the Galaxy? And according to the argument Pelorat had presented – without knowing what he was presenting – that could only be Earth. The Second Foundation might well be on Earth. Yet Seldon had said the other end of the Galaxy was â€Å"at Star's End.† Who could say he was not speaking metaphorically? Trace the history of humanity backward as Pelorat did and the line would stretch back from each planetary system, each star that shone down on an inhabited planet, to some other planetary system, some other star from which the first migrants had come, then back to a star before that – until finally, all the lines stretched back to the planet on which humanity had originated. It was the star that shone upon Earth that was â€Å"Star's End:† Trevize smiled and said almost lovingly, â€Å"Tell me more about Earth, Janov.† Pelorat shook his head. â€Å"I have told you all there is, really. We will find out more on Trantor.† Trevize said, â€Å"No, we won't, Janov. We'll find out nothing there. Why? Because we're not going to Trantor. I control this ship and I assure you we're not.† Pelorat's mouth fell open. He struggled for breath for a moment and then said, woebegone, â€Å"Oh, my dear fellow!† Trevize said, â€Å"Come an, Janov. Don't look like that. We're going to find Earth.† â€Å"But it's only on Trantor that – â€Å" â€Å"No, it's not. Trantor is just someplace you can study brittle films and dusty documents and turn brittle and dusty yourself.† â€Å"For decades, I've dreamed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You've dreamed of finding Earth.† â€Å"But it's only†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Trevize stood up, leaned over, caught the slack of Pelorat's tunic, and said, â€Å"Don't repeat that, Professor. Don't repeat it. When you first told me we were going to look for Earth, before ever we got onto this ship, you said we were sure to find it because, and I quote your own words, ‘I have an excellent possibility in mind' Now I don't ever want to hear you say ‘Trantor' again. I just want you to tell me about this excellent possibility.† â€Å"But it must be confirmed. So far, it's only a thought, a hope, a vague possibility.† â€Å"Good! Tell me about it!† â€Å"You don't understand. You simply don't understand. It is not a field in which anyone but myself has done research. There is nothing historical, nothing firm, nothing real. People talk about Earth as though it's a fact, and also as though it's a myth. There are a million contradictory tales†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Well then, what has your research consisted of?† â€Å"I've been forced to collect every tale, every bit of supposed history, every legend, every misty myth. Even fiction. Anything that includes the name of Earth or the idea of a planet of origin. For over thirty years, I've been collecting everything I could find from every planet of the Galaxy. Now if I could only get something more reliable than all of these from the Galactic Library at†¦ – But you don't want me to say the word.† â€Å"That's right. Don't say it. Tell me instead that one of these items has caught your attention, and tell me your reasons for thinking why it, of them all, should be legitimate.† Pelorat shook his head. â€Å"There, Golan, if you will excuse my saying so, you talk like a soldier or a politician. That is not the way history works.† Trevize took a deep breath and kept his temper. â€Å"Tell me how it works, Janov. We've got two days. Educate me.† â€Å"You can't rely on any one myth or even on any one group. I've had to gather them all, analyze them, organize them, set up symbols to represent different aspects of their content – tales of impossible weather, astronomic details of planetary systems at variance with what actually exists, place of origin of culture heroes specifically stated not to be native, quite literally hundreds of other items. No use going through the entire list. Even two days wouldn't be enough. I spent over thirty years, I tell you. â€Å"I then worked up a computer program that searched through all these myths for common components and sought a transformation that would eliminate the true impossibilities. Gradually I worked up a model of what Earth must have been like. After all, if human beings all originated on a single planet, that single planet must represent the one fact that all origin myths, all culture – hero tales, have in common. – Well, do you want me to go into mathematical detail?† Trevize said, â€Å"Not at the moment, thank you, but how do you know you won't be misled by your mathematics? We know for a fact that Terminus was founded only five centuries ago and that the first human beings arrived as a colony from Trantor but had been assembled from dozens – if not hundreds – of other worlds. Yet someone who did not know this could assume that Hari Seldon and Salvor Hardin, neither of whom were born on Terminus, came from Earth and that Trantor was really a name that stood for Earth. Certainly, if the Trantor as described in Seldon's time were searched for – a world with all its land surface coated with metal – it would not be found and it might be considered an impossible myth.† Pelorat looked pleased. â€Å"I withdraw my earlier remark about soldiers and politicians, my dear fellow. You have a remarkable intuitive sense. Of course, I had to set up controls. I invented a hundred falsities based on distortions of actual history and imitating myths of the type I had collected. I then attempted to incorporate my inventions into the model. One of my inventions was even based on Terminus's early history. The computer rejected them all. Every one. To be sure, that might have meant I simply lacked the fictional talents to make up something reasonable, but I did my best† â€Å"I'm sure you did, Janov. And what did your model tell you about Earth?† â€Å"A number of things of varying degrees of likelihood. A kind of profile. For instance, about 90 percent of the inhabited planets in the Galaxy have rotation periods of between twenty-two and twenty-six Galactic Standard Hours. Well – † â€Å" Trevize cut in. â€Å"I hope you didn't pay any attention to that, Janov. There's no mystery there. For a planet to be habitable, you don't want it to rotate so quickly that air circulation patterns produce impossibly stormy conditions or so slowly that temperature variation patterns are extreme. It's a property that's self-selective. Human beings prefer to live on planets with suitable characteristics, and then when all habitable planets resemble each other in these characteristics, some say, ‘What an amazing coincidence,' when it's not amazing at all and not even a coincidence.† â€Å"As a matter of fact,† said Pelorat calmly, â€Å"that's a well-known phenomenon in social science. In physics, too, I believe – but I'm not a physicist and I'm not certain about that. In any case, it is called the ‘anthropic principle': The observer influences the events he observes by the mere act of observing them or by being there to observe them. But the question is: Where is the planet that served as a model? Which planet rotates in precisely one Galactic Standard Day of twenty-four Galactic Standard Hours?† Trevize looked thoughtful and thrust out his lower lip. â€Å"You think that might be Earth? Surely Galactic Standard could have been based on the local characteristics of any world, might it not?† â€Å"Not likely. It's not the human way. Trantor was the capital world of the Galaxy for twelve thousand years – the most populous world for twenty thousand years – yet it did not impose its rotation period of 1.08 Galactic Standard Days on all the Galaxy. And Terminus's rotation period is 0.91 GSD and we don't enforce ours on the planets dominated by us. Every planet makes use of its own private calculations in its own Local Planetary Day system, and for matters of interplanetary importance converts – with the help of computers – back and forth between LPD and GSD. The Galactic Standard Day must come from Earth]† â€Å"Why is it a must?† â€Å"For one thing, Earth was once the only inhabited world, so naturally its day and year would be standard and would very likely remain standard out of social inertia as other worlds were populated. Then, too, the model I produced was that of an Earth that rotated on its axis in just twenty-four Galactic Standard Hours and that revolved about its sun in just one Galactic Standard Year.† â€Å"Might that not be coincidence?† Pelorat laughed. â€Å"Now it is you who are talking coincidence. Would you care to lay a wager on such a thing happening by coincidence?† â€Å"Well well,† muttered Trevize. â€Å"In fact, there's more to it. There's an archaic measure of time that's called the month†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I've heard of it.† â€Å"It, apparently, about fits the period of revolution of Earth's satellite about Earth. However – â€Å" â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"Well, one rather astonishing factor of the model is that the satellite I just mentioned is huge – over one quarter the diameter of the Earth itself.† â€Å"Never heard of such a thing, Janov. There isn't a populated planet in the Galaxy with a satellite like that.† â€Å"But that's good,† said Pelorat with animation. â€Å"If Earth is a unique world in its production of variegated species and the evolution of intelligence, then we want some physical uniqueness.† â€Å"But what could a large satellite have to do with variegated species, intelligence, and all that?† â€Å"Well now, there you hit a difficulty. I don't really know. But it's worth examination, don't you think?† Trevize rose to his feet and folded his arms across his chest. â€Å"But what's the problem, then? Look up the statistics on inhabited planets and find one that has a period of rotation and of revolution that are exactly one Galactic Standard Day and one Galactic Standard Year in length, respectively. And if it also has a gigantic satellite, you'd have what you want. I presume, from your statement that you ‘have an excellent possibility in mind,' that you've done just this, and that you have your world.† Pelorat looked disconcerted. â€Å"Well, now, that's not exactly what happened. I did look through the statistics, or at least I had it done by the astronomy department and – well, to put it bluntly, there's no such world.† Trevize sat down again abruptly. â€Å"But that means your whole argument falls to the ground.† â€Å"Not quite, it seems to me.† â€Å"What do you mean, not quite? You produce a model with all sorts of detailed descriptions and you can't find anything that fits. Your model is useless, then. You must start from the beginning.† â€Å"No. It just means that the statistics on populated planets are incomplete. After all, there are tens of millions of them and some are very obscure worlds. For instance, there is no good data on the population of nearly half. And concerning six hundred and forty thousand populated worlds there is almost no information other than their names and sometimes the location. Some galactographers have estimated that there may be up to ten thousand inhabited planets that aren't listed at all. The worlds prefer it that way, presumably. During the Imperial Era, it might have helped them avoid taxation.† â€Å"And in the centuries that followed,† said Trevize cynically. â€Å"It might have helped them serve as home bases for pirates, and that might have, on occasion, proved more enriching than ordinary trade.† â€Å"I ‘wouldn't know about that,† said Pelorat doubtfully. Trevize said, â€Å"Just the same, it seems to me that Earth would have to be on the list of inhabited planets, whatever its own desires. It would be the oldest of them all, by definition, and it could not have been overlooked in the early centuries of Galactic civilization. And once on the list, it would stay on. Surely we could count on social inertia there.† Pelorat hesitated and looked anguished. â€Å"Actually, there – there is a planet named Earth on the list of inhabited planets.† Trevize stared. â€Å"I'm under the impression that you told me a while ago that Earth was not on the list?† â€Å"As Earth, it is not. There is, however, a planet named Gaia.† â€Å"What has that got to do with it? Gahyah?† â€Å"It's spelled G-A-I-A. It means ‘Earth.'† â€Å"Why should it mean Earth, Janov, any more than anything else? The name is meaningless to me.† Pelorat's ordinarily expressionless face came close to a grimace. â€Å"I'm not sure you'll believe this. – If I go by my analysis of the myths, there were several different, mutually unintelligible, languages on Earth.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Yes. After all, we have a thousand different ways of speaking across the Galaxy†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Across the Galaxy, there are certainly dialectical variations, but these are not mutually unintelligible. And even if understanding some of them is a matter of difficulty, we all share Galactic Standard.† â€Å"Certainly, but there is constant interstellar travel. What if some world was in isolation for a prolonged period?† â€Å"But you're talking of Earth. A single planet. Where's the isolation?† â€Å"Earth is the planet of origin, don't forget, where humanity must at one time have been primitive beyond imagining. Without interstellar travel, without computers, without technology at all, struggling up from nonhuman ancestors.† â€Å"This is so ridiculous.† Pelorat hung his head in embarrassment at that. â€Å"There is perhaps no use discussing this, old chap. I never have managed to make it convincing to anyone. My own fault, I'm sure.† Trevize was at once contrite. â€Å"Janov, I apologize. I spoke without thinking. These are views, after all, to which I am not accustomed. You have been developing your theories for over thirty years, while I've been introduced to them all at once. You must make allowances. – Look, I'll imagine that we have primitive people on Earth who speak two completely different, mutually unintelligible, languages. â€Å"‘ â€Å"Half a dozen, perhaps,† said Pelorat diffidently. â€Å"Earth may have been divided into several large land masses and it may be that there were, at first, no communications among them. The inhabitants of each land mass might have developed an individual language.† Trevize said with careful gravity, â€Å"And on each of these land masses, once they grew cognizant of one another, they might have argued an ‘origin Question' and wondered on which one human beings had first arisen from other animals.† â€Å"They might very well, Golan. It would be a very natural attitude for them to have.† â€Å"And in one of those languages, Gaia means Earth. And the word ‘Earth' itself is derived from another one of those languages.† â€Å"Yes, yes: ‘ â€Å"And while Galactic Standard is the language that descended from the particular language in which ‘Earth' means ‘Earth,' the people of Earth for some reason call their planet ‘Gala' from another of their languages.† â€Å"Exactly! You are indeed quick, Golan.† â€Å"But it seems to me that there's no need to make a mystery of this. If Gaia is really Earth, despite the difference in names, then Gala, by your previous argument, ought to have a period of rotation of just one Galactic Day, a period of revolution of just one Galactic Year, and a giant satellite that revolves about it in just one month.† â€Å"Yes, it would have to be so.† â€Å"Well then, does it or doesn't it fulfill these requirements?† â€Å"Actually I can't say. The information isn't given in the tables.† â€Å"Indeed? Well, then, Janov, shall we go to Gaia and time its periods and stare at its satellite?† â€Å"I would like to, Golan,† Pelorat hesitated. â€Å"The trouble is that the location isn't given exactly, either.† â€Å"You mean, all you have is the name and nothing more, and that is your excellent possibility?† â€Å"But that is just why I want to visit the Galactic Library!† â€Å"Well, wait. You say the table doesn't give the location exactly. Does it give any information at all?† â€Å"It lists it in the Sayshell Sector – and adds a question mark.† â€Å"Well, then – Janov, don't be downcast. We will go to the Sayshell Sector and somehow we will find Gaia!†