Textual Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Textual Analysis - Essay Example Victor’s father’s death is the central event that unites Victor and Thomas. Without this death, in Phoenix, Arizona, both men would have continued to live their lives unchanged. As the trip begins, Victor wants only money from Thomas to make this trip alone. When Thomas stipulates that Victor can only have money for the trip, if he is allowed to come along, Victor reluctantly agrees. As the journey unfolds Victor finds that Thomas is worth much more than the money for the trip. Although it is no exaggeration to say that the trip is the most important event to accomplish in the beginning, in the end the trip itself was the important event. The use of flashback in this story helps the reader understand the past between Victor and Thomas. Without the understanding of Victor and Thomas’ past, the reader would be unable to grasp the importance of the trip for Victor’s father’s ashes. Since they are both Native Americans, death and life are perceived differently on the reservation, than in the white community of Spokane, Washington. Thomas’ storytelling relates the foundation of both young men in order for the reader to understand the importance of the trip. Not only Victor, but Thomas had a special relationship with Victor’s father as well. Thomas told Victor of the remembrance with his father during the long journey. He was thirteen years old, having a dream to get to Spokane. He stood there for awhile to have a vision at the falls waiting for the vision all Native American men have around that age. Instead of a vision, when he opened his eyes Victor’s father appeared. He took Thomas to a Denny’s restaurant, fed him and drove him home to the reservation. And then Thomas realized Victor’s father was his vision and dream that people are living under taking care of each other. He almost thought his dream betrayed him before that, but he was salvaged

William Cowper Essay Example for Free

William Cowper Essay I am writing to tell you all about my misfortunes I had last month upon my wedding day. My wife decided that after 10years of marriage that it was time to go on holiday for the first time. As you know, she is very conscious about money and extremely proud, so she brought a carriage for herself, our 3children, her sister and her child, and so I had to ride upon horseback behind them but no-one was able to know. So once the morning arrived, I kissed her goodbye and we set off. The horse was misbehaving; I could not control him at all, all the time he was bucking, trotting and galloping when it wasnt necessary and especially on stony roads, so I fell off about twice. Then Betty came running back to me and said that we had left the alcohol behind and so I tied it to my belt, one on each side so I was balanced and so I could try to not fall off of the horse. Once on my way for the second time, I finally got to some smoother road which became easier for the horse to ride upon. But instead of the easiness I believed this road would be it was the complete opposite, the horse got faster, he began trotting. I tried to get him to slow down but he wouldnt and the trot soon turned into a gallop, even though I pulled the reins and demanded him to stop. It was terrifying, I was holding onto the reins for dear life. He continued to do this for miles, even through the towns. The towns people even believed I was racing and so cheered me on. I was confused and it scared the horse so it again galloped off leaving me holding on for dear life. I finally reached where I was meant to be and where my wife and the rest of my family were waiting for me. We went past them and they shouted after me to stop as they were all hungry and wanted to rest but the horse kept going and wouldnt stop. We kept going until we reached the horses owners horse, and finally the horse stopped! I got off the horse and spoke to its owner. He offered me dinner at his home, but I declined his request as it felt stupid to be having dinner in a different town to my wife, especially on our wedding evening. We were about to set off again, when suddenly a donkey made a noise and the horse set off yet again. We went racing on again, and once more we passed straight through the town I was meant to be staying. This time my wife saw me going past and told a messenger boy that if he caught up with me and brought me back safely then she would give him half-a-crown. So the boy set off after me and tried to stop my horse three times by pulling at the reins. Unfortunately that didnt work, and the horse got more scared and so galloped faster and faster. We then went past some other people who thought I was a highwayman as I was riding away and the boy was chasing after me. They kept shouting at me stop thief and as I didnt they all joined in, in the chase. When we arrived at the town I was meant to being staying at they thought I was still racing and so cheered me on even more, as they thought I had won. Was indeed a very bizarre way to spend my wedding day, and although I regret being away from my wife on that day I do not regret anything that happened that day!

The Real World Of Technology B Essay -- essays research papers fc

In her book, The Real World of Technology (1999), Ursula M. Franklin argues that technology has a disruptive effect on humanity. If left-unchecked technology will eventually destroy society as we know it. Franklin illustrates her point by focusing on the effects technology has had on society and cultures in the past. She uses examples from China before the Common Era to the Roman Empire, with a majority of examples coming form the last one hundred and fifty years. Such as the Industrial Revolution and the invention of electronic mail. Franklin contends that for society's sake, people must question everything before accepting new technologies into their world. In the book, Franklin's argument urges people to come together and participate in public reviews and discuss or question technological practices that lead to a world that is designed for technology and not for society. The Real World Of Technology attempts to show how society is affected by every new invention that comes onto th e market and supposedly makes life more easy going and hassle free while making work more productive and profitable. The lectures argue that 'technology has built the house in which we live'; (Franklin, p.1) and that this house is continually changing and being renovated. There is very little human activity outside of the house, and all in habitants are affected by the 'design of the house, by the division of its space, by the location of its doors and walls.'; (p.1). Franklin claims that; rarely does society step outside of the house to live, when compared with generations past. The goal for leaving the house is not to enter the natural environment, because in Franklin's terms 'environment essentially means what is around us… that constructed, manufactured, built environment that is the day-in-day-out [sic] setting of much of the contemporary world of technology.'; (p.89). Nature today is seen as a construct instead of as a 'force or entity with its own dynamics.'; (p.85). Th e book claims that society vies nature the same way as society views infrastructure as 'something that is there to accommodate us, to facilitate or be part of our lives, subject to our planning.'; (p.85). Franklin writes in-depth about infrastructure and especially technological infrastructure. She claims that since the Industrial Revolution, corporations as well as governments using public funds... ... to realize that the influx of technology and society's greater dependence of it may just be another step of evolution. Just as humans grew out of the ape and the hammer out of the twig, so to may the children and their tools of tomorrow grow to become something greater than even we can imagine. The Real World of Technology presents a lot of relevant issues with today's world. The points made about the environment illuminate a serious problem and the use of Franklin's redemptive technologies are what is needed if there will be any correcting of the damage done. While The Real World of Technology provides useful insights into technology's past and the role it has had on shaping our current way of being. The glimpses into the future are less useful. Franklin can not help but have a biased view of the world to come because she only has the world that she has lived in to use as a comparison and model. The society of the future however, cannot and should not be used to make comparison s, for it will be a society like no other-one that the people of today could not even imagine. Works Cited Franklin, Ursula M. The Real World of Technology. Toronto: House of Anansi Press Limited, 1999 ed.

The Stupidest Angel Chapter 4

Chapter 4 HAVE YOURSELF A NASTY LITTLE CHRISTMAS Josh wiped the tears off his face, took a deep breath, and headed up the walk to his house. He was still shaking from having seen Santa take a shovel in the throat, but now it occurred to him that it might not be enough to get him out of trouble. The first thing his mom would say was, Well, what were you doing out so late anyway? And dumb Brian, who was not Josh's real dad but Mom's dumb boyfriend, would say, â€Å"Yeah, Santa would probably still be alive if you hadn't stayed so long at Sam's house.† So, there on the front step, he decided to go with total hysteria. He started breathing hard, pumping up some tears, got a good whimpering sob going, then opened the door with a dieseling back sniffle. He fell onto the welcome mat and let loose with a full fire-truck-siren wail. And nothing happened. No one said a word. No one came running. So Josh crawled into the living room, trailing a nice fiber-optic string of drool from his lower lip to the carpet as he chanted a mucusy â€Å"Momma,† knowing that it would completely disarm her temper and get her all fired up to protect him from dumb Brian, for whom he had no magic manipulation chant. But nobody called him, nobody came running, dumb Brian was not sprawled across the couch like the great sleepy slug that he was. Josh wound it down. â€Å"Mom?† Just the hint of a sob there, ready to go full bore again when she answered. He went into the kitchen, where the memo light was blinking on Mom's machine. Josh wiped his nose on his sleeve and hit the button. â€Å"Hi, Joshy,† his mom said, her cheerful overtired voice. â€Å"Brian and I had to go out to eat with some buyers. There's a Stouffer's mac and cheese in the freezer. We should be home before eight. Do your homework. Call my cell if you get scared.† Josh couldn't believe the luck. He checked the clock on the microwave. Only seven-thirty. Excellent! Latch-keyed loose like a magic elf. Yes! Dumb Brian had come through with a business dinner. He grabbed the Stouffer's out of the freezer, popped it – box and all – into the microwave, and hit the preset time. You didn't really have to peel the plastic back like they said. If you just nuke it in the box, the cardboard will keep it from exploding all over the microwave when the plastic goes. Josh didn't know why they didn't just put that in the instructions. He went back into the living room, turned on the TV, and plopped down on the floor in front of it to wait for the microwave to beep. Maybe he should call Sam, he thought. Tell him about Santa. But Sam didn't believe in Santa. He said that Santa was just something the goys made up to make them feel better about not having a menorah. That was crap, of course. Goys (a Jewish word for girls and boys, Sam had explained) didn't want a menorah. They wanted toys. Sam was just saying that because he was mad because instead of Christmas they had snipped the tip of his penis off and said mazel tov. â€Å"Wow, sucks to be you,† said Josh. â€Å"We're the Chosen,† said Sam. â€Å"Not for kickball† â€Å"Shut up.† â€Å"No, you shut up.† â€Å"No, you shut up.† Sam was Josh's best friend and they understood each other, but would Sam know what to do about a murder? Especially a murder of an important person? You were supposed to go to an adult in these situations, Josh was pretty sure of it. Fire, an injured friend, a bad touch, you were supposed to tell an adult, a parent, a teacher, or a policeman, and no one would be mad at you. (But if you found your mom's boyfriend lighting a giant chili-dog-and-beer fart in the garage workshop, the police absolutely did not want to know about it. Josh had learned that lesson the hard way.) A commercial came on, and Josh's mac and cheese was still surfing the microwaves, so he debated calling 911 or praying, and decided to go with the prayer. Like calling 911, you weren't supposed to pray for just anything. For instance, God did not care whether or not you got your bandicoot through the fire level on PlayStation, and if you asked for help there, there was a good chance that he would ignore you when you really needed help, like for a spelling test or if your mom got cancer. Josh reckoned it was sort of like cell-phone minutes, but this seemed like a real emergency. â€Å"Our Heavenly Father,† Josh began. You never used God's first name – that was like a commandment or something. â€Å"This is Josh Barker, six-seventy-one Worchester Street, Pine Cove, California nine-three-seven, five-four. I saw Santa tonight, which was great, and thank you for that, but then, right after I saw him, he got killed with a shovel, and so, I'm afraid that there's not going to be any Christmas and I've been good, which I'm sure you'll see if you check Santa's list, so if you don't mind could you please make Santa come back to life and make everything okay for Christmas?† No, no, no, that sounded really selfish. Quickly he added: â€Å"And a Happy Hanukkah to you and all the Jewish people like Sam and his family. Mazel tov.† There. Perfect. He felt a lot better. The microwave beeped and Josh ran to the kitchen, right into the legs of a really tall man in a long black coat who was standing by the counter. Josh screamed and the man took him by the arms, picked him up, and looked him over like he was a gemstone or a really tasty dessert. Josh kicked and squirmed, but the blond man held him fast. â€Å"You're a child,† said the blond man. Josh stopped kicking for a second and looked into the impossibly blue eyes of the stranger, who was now studying him in much the same way a bear might examine a portable television while wondering how to get all those tasty little people out of it. â€Å"Well, duh,† said Josh. The Christmas tree took a wide left onto Cypress Street. Finding that somewhat suspicious, Constable Theophilus Crowe pulled in behind it as he dug the little blue light out of the glove compartment of his Volvo and stuck it on the roof. Theo was relatively sure that there was a vehicle under the Christmas tree somewhere, but all he could see right now were the taillights shining through the branches in the back. As he followed the tree up Cypress, past the burger stand and Brine's Bait, Tackle, and Fine Wines, a pinecone the size of a Nerf football broke loose and rolled off to the side of the street, bouncing and thumping into one of the gas pumps. Theo hit the siren one time, just a chirp, thinking he'd better stop this before someone got hurt. There was no way that the driver under the Christmas tree could see the road clearly. The tree was driving trunk first, so the widest, thickest branches were covering the front of the vehicle. The tree's tires chirped with a downshift. It killed the lights and screeched around the corner on Worchester Street, leaving a trail of rolling pinecones and pine-fresh exhaust. Under normal circumstances, if a suspect tried to elude Theo, he would have called it into the county sheriff's immediately, hoping a deputy in the area might provide backup, but he'd be damned if he was going to call in that he was in hot pursuit of a fugitive Christmas tree. Theo turned the siren onto full shriek and took off up the hill after the fleeing conifer, thinking for the fiftieth time that day that life had seemed a lot easier when he'd smoked pot. â€Å"Boy, you don't see that every day,† said Tucker Case, who was sitting at a window table at H.P.'s Caf, waiting for Lena to come back from freshening up in the rest-room. H.P.'s – a mix of pseudo Tudor and Country Kitchen Cute – was Pine Cove's most popular restaurant, and tonight it was completely packed. The waitress, a pretty redhead in her forties, glanced up from the tray of drinks she was delivering and said, â€Å"Yeah, Theo hardly ever chases anyone.† â€Å"That Volvo was chasing a pine tree,† Tuck said. â€Å"Could be,† said the waitress. â€Å"Theo used to do a lot of drugs.† â€Å"No, really – † Tuck tried to explain, but she had headed back to the kitchen. Lena was returning to the table. She was still in the black tank top under an open flannel shirt, but she had washed the streaks of mud from her face and her dark hair was brushed out around her shoulders. To Tuck she looked like the sexy but tough Indian guide chick in the movies, who always leads the group of nerdy businessmen into the wilderness where they are assaulted by vicious rednecks, bears gone mutant from exposure to phosphate laundry detergent, or ancient Indian spirits with a grudge. â€Å"You look great,† Tuck said. â€Å"Are you Native American?† â€Å"What was the siren about?† Lena asked, sliding into the seat across from him. â€Å"Nothing. A traffic thing.† â€Å"This is just so wrong.† She looked around, as if everyone knew how wrong it was. â€Å"Wrong.† â€Å"No, it's good,† Tuck said with a big smile, trying to make his blue eyes twinkle in the candlelight, but forgetting where exactly his twinkle muscles were located. â€Å"We'll have a nice meal, get to know each other a little.† She leaned over the table and whispered harshly, â€Å"There's a dead man out there. A man I used to be married to.† â€Å"Shh, shh, shh,† Tuck shushed, gently placing a finger against her lip, trying to sound comforting and maybe a little European. â€Å"Now is not the time to talk of this, my sweet.† She grabbed his finger and bent it back. â€Å"I don't know what to do.† Tuck was twisted in his seat, leaning back to relieve the unnatural angle in which his finger was pointing. â€Å"Appetizer?† he suggested. â€Å"Salad?† Lena let go of his finger and covered her face with her hands. â€Å"I can't do this.† â€Å"What? It's just dinner,† said Tuck. â€Å"No pressure.† He had never really dated much – gone on dates, that is. He'd met and seduced a lot of women, but it was never over a series of evenings with dinner and conversation – usually just some drinks and vulgarity at an airport hotel lounge had done the trick. He felt it was time he behaved like a grown-up – get to know a woman before he slept with her. His therapist had suggested it right before she'd stopped treating him, right after he'd hit on her. It wasn't going to be easy. In his experience things went a lot better with women before they got to know him, when they could still project hope and potential on him. â€Å"We just buried my ex-husband,† Lena said. â€Å"Sure, sure, but then we delivered Christmas trees to the poor. A little perspective, huh? A lot of people have buried their spouses.† â€Å"Not personally. With the shovel they killed him with.† â€Å"You may want to keep it down a little.† Tuck checked the diners at the nearby tables to see if they were listening, but they all seemed to be discussing the pine tree that had just driven by. â€Å"Let's talk about something else. Interests? Hobbies? Movies?† Lena tossed her head as if she didn't hear him right, then stared as if to say, Are you nuts? â€Å"Well, for instance,† he pressed on, â€Å"I rented the strangest movie last night. Did you know that Babes in Toyland was a Christmas movie?† â€Å"Of course, what did you think it was?† â€Å"Well, I thought, well – now it's your turn. What's your favorite movie?† Lena leaned close to Tuck and searched his eyes to see if he might be joking. Tuck batted his eyelashes, trying to look innocent. â€Å"Who are you?† Lena finally asked. â€Å"I told you.† â€Å"But, what's wrong with you? You shouldn't be so – so calm, while I'm a nervous wreck. Have you done this kind of thing before?† â€Å"Sure. Are you kidding? I'm a pilot, I've eaten in restaurants all over the world.† â€Å"Not dinner, you idiot! I know you've had dinner before! What, are you retarded?† â€Å"Okay, now everybody is looking. You can't just say ‘retarded' in public like that – people take offense because, you know, many of them are. You're supposed to say ‘developmentally disabled. â€Å" Lena stood up and threw her napkin on the table. â€Å"Tucker, thank you for helping me, but I can't do this. I'm going to go talk to the police.† She turned and stormed through the restaurant toward the door. â€Å"We'll be back,† Tuck called to the waitress. He nodded to the nearby tables. â€Å"Sorry. She's a little high-strung. She didn't mean to say ‘retarded. † Then he went after Lena, snatching his leather jacket off the back of his chair as he went. He caught up with her as she was rounding the corner of the building into the parking lot. He caught her by the shoulder and spun her around, making sure that she saw that he was smiling when she completed the turn. Blinking Christmas lights played red and green highlights across her dark hair, making the scowl she was aiming at him seem festive. â€Å"Leave me alone, Tucker. I'm going to the police. I'll just explain that it was just an accident.† â€Å"No. I won't let you. You can't.† â€Å"Why can't I?† â€Å"Because I'm your alibi.† â€Å"If I turn myself in, I won't need an alibi.† â€Å"I know.† â€Å"Well?† â€Å"I want to spend Christmas with you.† Lena softened, her eyes going wide, the swell of a tear watering up in one eye. â€Å"Really?† â€Å"Really.† Tuck was more than a little uncomfortable with his own honesty – he was standing like someone had just poured hot coffee in his lap and he was trying to keep the front of his pants from touching him. Lena held out her arms and Tuck walked into them, guiding her hands inside his jacket and around his ribs. He rested his cheek against her hair and took a deep breath, enjoying the smell of her shampoo and the residual pine scent picked up from handling the Christmas trees. She didn't smell like a murderer – she smelled like a woman. â€Å"Okay,† she whispered. â€Å"I don't know who you are, Tucker Case, but I think I'd like to spend Christmas with you, too.† She buried her face in his chest and held him until there was a thump against his back, followed by a loud scratching noise on his jacket. She pushed him back just as the fruit bat peeked his little doggie face over the pilot's shoulder and barked. Lena leaped back and screamed like a bunny in a blender. â€Å"What in the hell is that?† she asked, backing across the parking lot. â€Å"Roberto,† Tuck said. â€Å"I mentioned him before.† â€Å"This is too weird. Too weird.† Lena began to chant and pace in a circle, glancing up at Tuck and his bat every couple of seconds. She paused. â€Å"He's wearing sunglasses.† â€Å"Yeah, and don't think it's easy finding Ray-Bans in a fruit-bat medium.† Meanwhile, up at the Santa Rosa Chapel, Constable Theophilus Crowe had finally caught up to the fugitive Christmas tree. He trained the headlights of the Volvo on the suspect evergreen and stood behind the car door for cover. If he'd had a public-address system he would have used it to issue commands, but since the county had never given him one, he shouted. â€Å"Get out of the vehicle, hands first, and turn and face me!† If he'd had a weapon he would have drawn it, but he'd left his Glock on the top shelf of his closet next to Molly's old nicked-up broadsword. He realized that the car door was actually only providing cover to the lower third of his body, and he reached down and rolled up the window. Then, feeling awkward, he slammed the door and loped toward the Christmas tree. â€Å"Goddammit, come out of the tree. Right now!† He heard a car window whiz down and then a voice. â€Å"Oh my, Officer, you are so forceful.† A familiar voice. Somewhere under there was a Honda CRV – and the woman he had married. â€Å"Molly?† He should have known. Even when she stayed on her meds, as she had promised she would, she could still be â€Å"artistic.† Her term. The branches of the big pine tree shuffled and out stepped his wife, wearing a green Santa hat, jeans, red sneakers, and a jean jacket with studs down the sleeves. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail that trailed down her back. She might have been a biker elf. She rushed out of the branches as if she were ducking the blades of a helicopter, then ran to his side. â€Å"Look at this magnificent son of a bitch!† She gestured to the tree, put her arm around his waist, pulled him close, humped his leg a little. â€Å"Isn't it great?† â€Å"It certainly is – uh, large. How'd you get it on the car? â€Å"Took some time. I hoisted it up on some ropes, then drove under it. Do you think there'll be a flat spot where it dragged on the road?† Theo looked the tree up and down, back and forth, watched the car exhaust boiling out of the branches. He wasn't sure he wanted to know, but he had to ask. â€Å"You didn't buy this at the hardware store, did you?† â€Å"No, there was a problem with that. But I saved a ton of money. Cut it myself. Completely totaled my broadsword, but look at this son of a bitch. Look at this glorious bastard!† â€Å"You cut it down with your sword?† Theo wasn't so worried about what she had cut it down with, but from where she'd cut it. He had a secret in the forest near their cabin. â€Å"Yeah. We don't have a chain saw that I don't know about, do we?† â€Å"No.† Actually they did, in the garage, hidden behind some paint cans. He'd hidden it when her  «artistic » moments had been more frequent. â€Å"That's not the problem, sweetie. I think the problem is that it's too big.† â€Å"No,† she said, walking the length of the tree now, pausing to jump through the branches and turn off the Honda's engine. â€Å"That's where you're wrong. Observe, double doors into the chapel.† Theo observed. The chapel did, indeed, have double doors. There was a single mercury lamp illuminating the gravel parking lot, but he could clearly see the little white chapel, the shadows of gravestones showing dimly behind it – a graveyard where they'd been planting Pine Covers for a hundred years. â€Å"And the ceiling in the main room is thirty feet tall at the peak. This tree is only twenty-nine feet tall. We pull it through the doors backward and stand that baby up. I'll need your help, but, you know, you don't mind.† â€Å"I don't?† Molly pulled open her jean jacket and flashed Theo, exposing his favorite breasts, right down to the shiny scar that ran across the top of the right one, cocked up like a curious purple eyebrow. It was like unexpectedly running into two tender friends, both a little pale from being out of the sun, a tad humbled by time, but with alert pink noses upturned by the night chill. And as quickly as they appeared, the jacket was pulled shut and Theo felt like he'd been shut out in the cold. â€Å"Okay, I don't mind,† he said, trying to buy time for the blood to return to his brain. â€Å"How do you know the ceiling is thirty feet tall?† â€Å"From our wedding pictures. I cut you out and used you to measure the whole building. It was just under five Theos tall.† â€Å"You cut up our wedding pictures?† â€Å"Not the good ones. Come on, help me get the tree off the car.† She turned quickly and her jacket fanned out behind her. â€Å"Molly, I wish you wouldn't go out like that.† â€Å"You mean like this?† She turned, lapels in hand. And there they were again, his pink-nosed friends. â€Å"Let's get the tree set up and then do it in the graveyard, okay?† She jumped a little for emphasis and Theo nodded, following the recoil. He suspected that he was being manipulated, enslaved by his own sexual weakness, but he couldn't quite figure out why that was a bad thing. After all, he was among friends. â€Å"Sweetheart, I'm a peace officer, I can't –  » â€Å"Come on, it will be nasty.† She said nasty like it meant delicious, which is what she meant. â€Å"Molly, after five years together, I'm not sure we're supposed to be nasty.† But even as he said it, Theo was moving toward the big evergreen, looking for the ropes that secured it to the Honda. Over in the graveyard, the dead, who had been listening all along, began to murmur anxiously about the new Christmas tree and the impending sex show. They'd heard it all, the dead: crying children, wailing widows, confessions, condemnations, questions that they could never answer; Halloween dares, raving drunks-invoking the ghosts or just apologizing for drawing breath; would-be witches, chanting at indifferent spirits, tourists rubbing the old tombstones with paper and charcoal like curious dogs scratching at the grave to get in. Funerals, confirmations, communions, weddings, square dances, heart attacks, junior-high hand jobs, wakes gone awry, vandalism, Handel's Messiah, a birth, a murder, eighty-three Passion plays, eighty-five Christmas pageants, a dozen brides barking over tombstones like taffeta sea lions as the best man gave it to them dog style, and now and again, couples who needed something dark and smelling of damp earth to give their sex life a jolt: the dead had heard it. â€Å"Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah!† Molly cried from her seat astraddle the town constable, who was squirming on an uncomfortable bed of plastic roses a few feet above a dead schoolteacher. â€Å"They always think they're the first ones. Ooooo, let's do it in the graveyard,† said Bess Leander, whose husband had served her foxglove tea with her last breakfast. â€Å"I know, there are three used condoms on my grave from this week alone,† said Arthur Tannbeau, citrus farmer, deceased five years. â€Å"How can you tell?† They heard everything, but their vision was limited. â€Å"The smell.† â€Å"That's disgusting,† said Esther, the schoolteacher. It's hard to shock the dead. Esther was feigning disgust. â€Å"What's all the racket? I was sleeping.† Malcolm Cowley, antique book dealer, myocardial infarction over Dickens. â€Å"Theo Crowe, the constable, and his crazy wife doing it on Esther's grave,† said Arthur. â€Å"I'll bet she's off her meds.† â€Å"Five years they've been married and they're still at this kind of thing?† Since her death, Bess had taken a strong antirelationship stance. â€Å"Postmarital sex is so pedestrian.† Malcolm again, ever bored with provincial, small-town death. â€Å"Some postmortem sex, that's what I could use,† said the late Marty in the Morning, KGOB radio's top DJ with a bullet – a pioneer carjack victim back when hair bands ruled the airwaves. â€Å"A rave in the grave, if you get my meaning.† â€Å"Listen to her. I'd like to slip the bone to her,† said Jimmy Antalvo, who'd kissed a pole on his Kawasaki to remain ever nineteen. â€Å"Which one?† Marty cackled. â€Å"The new Christmas tree sounds lovely,† said Esther. â€Å"I do hope they sing ‘Good King Wenceslas' this year.† â€Å"If they do,† spouted the moldy book dealer, â€Å"you'll find me justly spinning in my grave.† â€Å"You wish,† said Jimmy Antalvo. â€Å"Hell, I wish.† The dead did not spin in their graves, they did not move – nor could they speak, except to one another, voices without air. What they did was sleep, awakening to listen, to chat a bit, then, eventually, to never wake again. Sometimes it took twenty years, sometimes as long as forty before they took the big sleep, but no one could remember hearing a voice from longer ago than that. Six feet above them, Molly punctuated her last few convulsive climactic bucks with, â€Å"I – AM – SO – GOING – TO – WASH – YOUR – VOLVO – WHEN – WE – GET – HOME! YES! YES! YES!† Then she sighed and fell forward to nuzzle Theo's chest as she caught her breath. â€Å"I don't know what that means,† Theo said. â€Å"It means I'm going to wash your car for you.† â€Å"Oh, it's not a euphemism, like, wash the old Volvo. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge?† â€Å"Nope. It's your reward.† Now that they were finished, Theo was having a hard time ignoring the plastic flowers that were impressed in his bare backside. â€Å"I thought this was my reward.† He gestured to her bare thighs on either side of him, the divots her knees had made in the dirt, her hair played out across his chest. Molly pushed up and looked down at him. â€Å"No, this was your reward for helping me with the Christmas tree. Washing your car is your reward for this.† â€Å"Oh,† Theo said. â€Å"I love you.† â€Å"Oh, I think I'm going to be sick,† said a newly dead voice from across the woods. â€Å"Who's the new guy?† asked Marty in the Morning. The radio on Theo's belt, which was down around his knees, crackled. â€Å"Pine Cove Constable, come in. Theo?† Theo did an awkward sit-up and grabbed the radio. â€Å"Go ahead, Dispatch.† â€Å"Theo, we have a two-oh-seven-A at six-seven-one Worchester Street. The victim is alone and the suspect may still be in the area. I've dispatched two units, but they're twenty minutes out.† â€Å"I can be there in five minutes,† Theo said. â€Å"Suspect is a white male, over six feet, long blond hair, wearing a long black raincoat or overcoat.† â€Å"Roger, Dispatch. I'm on my way.† Theo was trying to pull his pants up with one hand while working the radio with the other. Molly was on her feet already, naked from the waist down, holding her jeans and sneakers rolled up under her left arm. She extended a hand to help Theo up. â€Å"What's a two-oh-seven?† â€Å"Not sure,† said Theo, letting her lever him to his feet. â€Å"Either an attempted kidnapping or a possum with a handgun.† â€Å"You have plastic flowers stuck to your butt.† â€Å"Probably the former, she didn't say anything about shots fired.† â€Å"No, leave them. They're cute.†

San Diego School System

Question 1: What is the appropriate discount rate for a government agency such as the San Diego City Schools? The appropriate discount rate should be determined from the federal risk free interest rate plus a small risk premium. The federal risk free interest rate in 2002 averaged 5. 4%. Using this as the base, a government agency other than the federal government would need to add a small risk premium to compensate investors for the additionalrisk associated with being a school district instead of the federal government. San Diego would also need to add additional compensation to account for tax factors. With these factors in mind, San Diego should use a discount factor of approximately 7. 8% (5. 4% risk free rate + . 5% risk premium + 1. 9% tax compensation). Question 2: Calculate the ROI for San Diego’s ERP system. How can you quantify the soft benefits of the system and include them in the analysis? The soft benefits can be quantified through creative assumptions. These assumptions can come from experiences others had when implementing similar solutions or from drawing on similarities between other quantifiable benefits. Other principals compared their successful implementation like receiving an additional recruiting team, valued at $320K/year, this can be used as the estimate for Weiman’simproved recruiting due to the HR solution. Likewise, SDCS spent $400k/year on an internal audit team to provide access to HR data, this team could be disbanded with the implementation of an HR solution leading to a $400k/year benefit. Improved employee morale and productivity could be measured by a lower turnover rate, leading to lower training costs and recruitment costs, as well as higher output rates leading to lower clerical demands and improved service. {draw:frame} Question 3: With the information you have access to, what should Weimann present and recommend at the board meeting? Specifically, would you recommend going forward with the HR system implementation? If not, what alternatives would you suggest? Currently, payroll is managed through paper time cards and time sheets, leading to errors and wasted hours for correction. Over twenty eight different forms are used to process various pay actions. With an ERP HR solution, these forms could be simplified, transitioned to paperless and would become more convenient as a result. The ERP HR solution would also result in fewer errors, with employees checking in and out through the system instead of paper cards. Employees would also be able to frequently check their timecard and make payroll aware of any errors, before paychecks were distributed eliminating, or greatly reducing, the need for any out of period paychecks which increased payroll processing costs dramatically. Employee benefits are currently handled by the benefits department which also monitors payments by employees and the benefits status of each employee. With an ERP solution, employees could be held responsible for their own payments and ensure good standing by monitoring their accounts. Question 4: What are the risks associated with the project? Would you advise the school board of these risks? As presenting the program to the school board, risks would be brought up in order to ensure no corners were cut after initial implementation. In would be advised and urged that the risks of implementation are natural and inevitable with any technological system. As with any ERP system, many setbacks will be crossed. However, the benefits clearly outweigh the risks and should implementation succeed, the school board will greatly benefit with long term cost reductions.

General Ambrose Burnside in the Civil War

General Ambrose Burnside in the Civil War The fourth of nine children, Ambrose Everett Burnside was born to Edghill and Pamela Burnside of Liberty, Indiana on May 23, 1824. His family had moved to Indiana from South Carolina shortly before his birth. As they were members of the Society of Friends, which opposed slavery, they felt they could no longer live in the South. As a young boy, Burnside attended Liberty Seminary until his mothers death in 1841. Cutting short his education, Burnsides father apprenticed him to a local tailor. West Point Learning the trade, Burnside elected to utilize his fathers political connections in 1843, to obtain an appointment to the US Military Academy. He did so despite his pacifist Quaker upbringing. Enrolling at West Point, his classmates included Orlando B. Willcox, Ambrose P. Hill, John Gibbon, Romeyn Ayres, and Henry Heth. While there he proved a middling student and graduated four years later ranked 18th in a class of 38. Commissioned as a brevet second lieutenant, Burnside received an assignment to the 2nd US Artillery. Early Career Sent to Vera Cruz to take part in the Mexican-American War, Burnside joined his regiment but found that the hostilities had largely been concluded. As a result, he and the 2nd US Artillery were assigned to garrison duty in Mexico City. Returning to the United States, Burnside served under Captain Braxton Bragg with the 3rd US Artillery on the Western Frontier. A light artillery unit that served with the cavalry, the 3rd helped protect the routes west. In 1949, Burnside was wounded in the neck during a fight with the Apaches in New Mexico. Two years later, he was promoted to first lieutenant. In 1852, Burnside returned east and assumed command of Fort Adams at Newport, RI. Private Citizen On April 27, 1852, Burnside married Mary Richmond Bishop of Providence, RI. The following year, he resigned his commission from the army (but remained in the Rhode Island Militia) to perfect his design for a breech-loading carbine. This weapon used a special brass cartridge (also designed by Burnside) and did not leak hot gas like many other breech-loading designs of the time. In 1857, Burnsides carbine won a competition at West Point against a multitude of competing designs. Establishing the Burnside Arms Company, Burnside succeeded in obtaining a contract from Secretary of War John B. Floyd to equip the US Army with the weapon. This contract was broken when Floyd was bribed to use another arms maker. Shortly thereafter, Burnside ran for Congress as a Democrat and was defeated in a landslide. His election loss, coupled with a fire at his factory, led to his financial ruin and forced him to sell the patent for his carbine design. The Civil War Begins Moving west, Burnside secured employment as the treasurer of the Illinois Central Railroad. While there, he became friendly with George B. McClellan. With the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, Burnside returned to Rhode Island and raised the 1st Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry. Appointed its colonel on May 2, he traveled to Washington, DC with his men and quickly rose to brigade command in the Department of Northeast Virginia. He led the brigade at the First Battle of Bull Run on July 21, and was criticized for committing his men piecemeal. Following the Union defeat, Burnsides 90-day regiment was mustered out of service and he was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers on August 6. After serving in a training capacity with the Army of the Potomac, he was given command of the North Carolina Expeditionary Force at Annapolis, MD. Sailing for North Carolina in January 1862, Burnside won victories at Roanoke Island and New Bern in February and March. For these achievements, he was promoted to major general on March 18. Continuing to expand his position through the late spring of 1862, Burnside was preparing to launch a drive on Goldsborough when he received orders to bring part of his command north to Virginia. Army of the Potomac With the collapse of McClellans Peninsula Campaign in July, President Abraham Lincoln offered Burnside command of the Army of the Potomac. A humble man who understood his limitations, Burnside declined citing a lack of experience. Instead, he retained command of IX Corps which he had led in North Carolina. With the Union defeat at Second Bull Run that August, Burnside was again offered and again declined command of the army. Instead, his corps was assigned to the Army of the Potomac and he was made commander of the armys right wing consisting of IX Corps, now led by Major General Jesse L. Reno, and Major General Joseph Hookers I Corps. Serving under McClellan, Burnsides men took part in the Battle of South Mountain on September 14. In the fighting, I and IX Corps attacked at Turners and Foxs Gaps.   In the fighting, Burnsides men pushed back the Confederates but Reno was killed. Three days later at the Battle of Antietam, McClellan separated Burnsides two corps during the fight with Hookers I Corps ordered to the northern side of the battlefield and IX Corps ordered south. Antietam Assigned to capture a key bridge at the south end of the battlefield, Burnside refused to relinquish his higher authority and issued orders through the new IX Corps commander, Brigadier General Jacob D. Cox, despite the fact that the unit was the only one under his direct control. Failing to scout the area for other crossing points, Burnside moved slowly and focused his attack on the bridge which led to increased casualties. Due to his tardiness and the time needed to take the bridge, Burnside was unable to exploit his success once the crossing was taken and his advance was contained by Major General A.P. Hill. Fredericksburg In the wake of Antietam, McClellan was again sacked by Lincoln for failing to pursue General Robert E. Lees retreating army. Turning to Burnside, the president pressured the uncertain general into accepting command of the army on November 7. A week later, he approved Burnsides plan for taking Richmond which called for a rapid movement to Fredericksburg, VA with the goal of getting around Lee. Initiating this plan, Burnsides men beat Lee to Fredericksburg, but squandered their advantage while waiting for pontoons to arrive to facilitate crossing the Rappahannock River. Unwilling to push across local fords, Burnside delayed allowing Lee to arrive and fortify the heights west of the town. On December 13, Burnside assaulted this position during the Battle of Fredericksburg. Repulsed with heavy losses, Burnside offered to resign, but was refused. The next month, he attempted a second offensive which bogged down due to heavy rains. In the wake of the Mud March, Burnside asked that several officers who were openly insubordinate be court-martialed or he would resign. Lincoln elected for the latter and Burnside was replaced with Hooker on January 26, 1863. Department of the Ohio Not wishing to lose Burnside, Lincoln had him re-assigned to IX Corps and placed in command of the Department of the Ohio. In April, Burnside issued the controversial General Order No. 38 which made it a crime to express any opposition to the war. That summer, Burnsides men were key in the defeat and capture of the Confederate raider Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan. Returning to offensive action that fall, Burnside led a successful campaign which captured Knoxville, TN. With the Union defeat at Chickamauga, Burnside was attacked by the Confederate corps of Lieutenant General James Longstreet. A Return East Defeating Longstreet outside Knoxville in late November, Burnside was able aid in the Union victory at Chattanooga by preventing the Confederate corps from reinforcing Braggs army. The following spring, Burnside and IX Corps were brought east to aid in Lieutenant General Ulysses Grants Overland Campaign. Initially reporting directly to Grant as he outranked the Army of the Potomacs commander, Major General George Meade, Burnside fought at the Wilderness and Spotsylvania in May 1864. In both cases he failed to distinguish himself and often was reluctant to fully engage his troops. Failure at the Crater Following the battles at North Anna and Cold Harbor, Burnsides corps entered the siege lines at Petersburg. As the fighting stalemated, men from IX Corps 48th Pennsylvania Infantry proposed digging a mine under the enemy lines and detonating a massive charge to create a gap through which Union troops could attack. Approved by Burnside, Meade, and Grant, the plan went forward. Intending to use a division of specially trained black troops for the assault, Burnside was told hours before the attack to use white troops. The resulting Battle of the Crater was a disaster for which Burnside was blamed and relieved of his command on August 14. Later Life Placed on leave, Burnside never received another command and left the army on April 15, 1865. A simple patriot, Burnside never engaged in the political scheming or backbiting that was common to many commanders of his rank. Well aware of his military limitations, Burnside was repeatedly failed by the army which should never have promoted him command positions. Returning home to Rhode Island, he worked with various railroads and later served as governor and a US senator before dying of angina on September 13, 1881.

How to Write a Division Essay on Remote Sensing and Earth Science

How to Write a Division Essay on Remote Sensing and Earth Science Previously, we discussed 10 facts for division essay on remote sensing and earth science, and 20 topics for division essay on remote sensing and earth science, which, we are certain, helped you lay a basis on writing a compelling research paper. Reading these previous guides is highly recommended if you haven’t read them already. You cannot write a division essay on remote sensing and earth science if you don’t have any knowledge on that particular topic. So read them first if you haven’t yet. In this guide, how to write a division essay on remote sensing and earth science, you’ll particularly know how a division essay is composed. Practically, classification and dividend of something is an essential skill. We all have to classify and divide categories in our everyday lives. Whether it’s about classifying and dividing types of watches at their job, or sorting out the expenses for tax purposes, etc. Purpose of the Division Essay The real purpose of such essays is to encourage students to think differently and brainstorm the ways to classify and divide items and categories. Division essays allow a student to separate the categories or groups into simple parts or items while a classification essay is just opposite to that methodology i.e. combining items in a categorical way or into parts of a whole. Choosing a Topic and Planning You should know the purpose of the essay first before you plan to write it. Your professor can ask for a serious topic, which would require you to research outside the school materials/studies. For example, if your major is biology then you would be defining a variety of reptiles, birds, mammals etc. Basically, what you are really doing is choosing a category of items and then defining them in your paper – either classifying them into a whole or dividing them into separate parts. In order to write an essay on remote sensing and earth science, you would have to talk about the categorical items i.e. remote sensing and earth science and how they correlate with one another. In simple terms, you would be writing about earth science first then you’ll be discussing the characteristics and roles of remote sensing on that particular item. Composing Introduction and Thesis Composing a compelling introduction is as necessary as writing the whole essay. If you want your readers to really admire your work. You have to impress them by explaining the overall topic in one or two paragraphs. You can do this by answering why understanding the categories, you have been given as a project, is significant to the reader. You should also include a thesis that explains what your division essay really is about. Composing the Body with Supporting Paragraphs Of course, an essay is incomplete without supporting paragraphs and you would need to include them too. These paragraphs would talk about the categories that are mentioned above i.e. in your thesis. You should use outside sources that support your thesis or points you have discussed. We advise you not to use hypothetical examples unless they have been permitted by your instructor or professor. Finalizing the Paper with Conclusion Finally, once you have written the body of your essay, it’s time to conclude it. To do this, you have to remind the reader what you have discussed earlier. You should write the conclusion in a way that the reader is able to understand the importance of your division essay and what he or she gained through reading it. Doing that will simply leave the reader in awe and he’ll definitely admire your work. Of course, to make your essay sublime, you should revise your essay at least two times before submission. Look for grammatical errors or mistakes that you might have done in the first draft and include things that could beautify your content more. Now you’re reading to write a division essay on remote sensing and earth science. If you’re still having trouble or are confused on what to write, we recommend that you go through our first two guides i.e. 10 facts for division essay on remote sensing and earth science and 20 topics for division essay on remote sensing and earth science. Reading all our guidelines would make it really easy for you to write the perfect division essay that would force your professor and instructor pat you on the back. With that being said, happy writing!

How to Find Cheap or Free Textbooks Online

How to Find Cheap or Free Textbooks Online Textbooks can cost a small fortune. It seems that every year the required texts get heavier and the prices get higher. According to a study from the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, students can easily pay between $700 and $1000 for books during a single year. An undergraduate student may end up paying up to $4,000 on books before he or she receives a degree. Unfortunately, distance learners don’t always escape this fate. While some online schools offer a virtual curriculum, free of charge, the majority of online colleges still require their students to purchase traditional textbooks with hefty price tags. Books for one or two classes could total in the hundreds. However, showing a little shopping savvy could save you a significant amount of cash. Better Than Cheap The only thing that’s better than cheap is free. Before you even check the bookstore, take a look to see if you can find the material elsewhere. There are dozens of virtual libraries that offer reference material and literature with no cost to the reader. While newer texts are unlikely to be online, hundreds of older pieces with expired copyrights are all over the internet. The Internet Public Library, for example, offers links to hundreds of full-text books, magazines, and newspapers. Bartleby, a similar site, offers thousands of ebooks and reference materials free of charge. Readers can even download the books for free and view them on their desktop or handheld device. Project Gutenberg provides 16,000 e-books free for download, including classics such as Pride and Prejudice and The Odyssey. Google Scholar is offering an ever-increasing database of free academic articles and ebooks. If your curriculum consists of an over-priced packet of photocopied articles, check to see i f the material is available here before forking over the cash. Another alternative is trying to find a student in your area who purchased the book during a previous semester. If your online school has message boards or other means of communicating with your peers, you may ask students who have taken the course before if they would be willing to sell the book at a discounted price. If you are near a physical college campus that offers courses similar to your online classes, scouring the campus for flyers advertising student-sold books may be your ticket to saving a few dollars. Before you begin a random search, find out what buildings house the departments that are likely to require your books. Students often post advertisements on the walls of their old classrooms.Some students are able to find their required materials in the library. While your regular public library is unlikely to carry most traditional textbooks, a local college may have the books available for limited use. Since you are not a student there, the librarians probably wonâ€℠¢t let you take the books with you. But, if the books are shelved, you may be able to use them for a couple hours each day in order to get your studying done. Shop Around If you aren’t able to get your books for free, make sure you get a good price. You should be able to find almost any text for less than its suggested retail price. Websites like eBay and Half host online auctions of a variety of items, including textbooks. Sites like Alibris connect to hundreds of independent booksellers around the world, finding you some of the best prices on used and new textbooks. Want to save on shipping? Run a search to see if there’s a local bookstore that will allow you to pick up the book you’re looking for. They often offer pleasant markdowns on a variety of texts.If you want to save money, don’t wait until the last minute to buy your books. When ordering from an online source, it may take time for you to find the best deal and for your order to be processed and shipped. If you’re disciplined enough to look ahead a month or two, you may be able to save a lot by bidding during an off-time, when hordes of students arenâ€℠¢t looking for the same book. Finding your books for cheap or free will take time and energy. But, to hundreds of students, getting a good deal is worth the extra effort. Suggested Bookseller Links:www.allbookstores.comwww.gutenberg.orgscholar.google.comwww.ipl.orgwww.bartleby.com Jamie Littlefield is a writer and instructional designer. She can be reached on Twitter or through her educational coaching website: jamielittlefield.com.

Poverty Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Poverty - Coursework Example Impacts of Poverty on Individuals Poverty has significantly impacted the lives and properties of individuals in developing countries like Africa. Poverty in Africa has led to the increase of child labor since most children lack basic commodities in their homes. They resort to child labor because a majority of them are actually the breadwinners in their families as the parents are incapable of providing for them or their siblings. Child labor has no moral dignity because children who are underage are employed by employers who exploit and abuse them because of their lack of knowledge and inability to find other venues to earn a living (Blackden & Wodon, 2006, p.137). Poverty in Africa has also led to unemployment of individuals leading to a decline in the living standards. Lack of jobs within most of African countries has witnessed sufferings of many families as they are forced to work for minimal wages which are below the standard living. Lack of unemployment affects the lives of indi viduals as they resort to vices and criminal activities like robbery, prostitution, drug smuggling and human trafficking to earn a living and take care of themselves and their families (Brinkerhoff, 2008, p. 17). Unemployment in Africa has earned the title of the most unsafe place in the world, and also the title of the continent with the highest number of human trafficking. Human trafficking occurs to willing and unwilling girls since most are poor, jobless single mothers who are promised well paying jobs abroad only to find out the harsh realities of the said jobs. Unfortunately, because of poverty many people are aware of human trafficking but still risk the lives by gambling that they could miss a rare opportunity. Poverty in Africa is also associated with various plagues like substance and alcohol abuse, lack of water, food and social amenities like hospitals, school and infrastructure causing a rise in diseases and security among others. Poverty is escalates depression and str ess levels; thus, most poor individuals seek solace in alcohol consumption or substance abuse to forget about their worries or relieve the stress. The effects of alcohol on an individual can not be underestimated because it gives an individual a false judgment of situation or a position. The end results are increase in accidents and crime within the society, and the country as a whole. Substance abuse is also harmful to individuals as it destroys their health leading to deaths and disabilities among the addicts. Alcohol and substance abuse also leads to lack of responsibility of parents who in turn do not provide food, shelter, clothing, medication and education to their families. Water and food related diseases are common with the poor because they are not in a position to lead healthy life styles. In most cases, the poor are associated to diseases caused by lack of nutrients in the body like malnutrition. These diseases when not treated lead to deaths of citizens living in differe nt parts of the countries found in Africa (Jamison, 2006, p. 339). Poverty in Africa has also led to the migration of individuals into different countries. Lack of unemployment, which is associated to poverty, has caused many individuals living in Africa to flee from their counties with the intent of seeking employment in their asylum countries (Crush & Frayne, 2010, p. 54). Migration in Africa

Concepts in Homeland Security Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Concepts in Homeland Security - Assignment Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that partnership between DHS and FBI is important to promote a â€Å"whole community† approach to ensure that every nook and corner of the homeland is safe. The partnership between DHS and FBI and many other agencies enhance the preparedness against low predictability events. This is why professionals in FBI raid jackets can be seen at every other terrorism event despite the fact that DHS is the primary homeland security agency. â€Å"Black Swan† means such a disastrous event whose predictability is very low and its consequences are extremely catastrophic. The disastrous outcomes are high. Some good examples include terrorist attacks, natural and environmental disasters of high scale, and economic failures. The terrorist attack of 9/11 was a big Black Swan event in the history of US because of its zero predictability and high catastrophic outcomes. It was a terrorist attack which could not be anticipated, and thus, preparedness was zero and zilch. So, Black Swan is related to preparedness in a sense that it helps security agencies take measures to implement such classical risk assessment and management policies that help us sort out some of the most predictable events. We can ask ourselves questions, like how predictable is a disaster? What kinds of disasters have been occurring in the neighborhoods or cities in the past? What are the chances that the disaster will become a major event? What can be the level of damage? How much will be the cost for rehabilitation? How will resilience be ensured? What plans and actions can be taken to avoid or deal with such a disaster? These questions will lead us toward preparedness.

International Finance (Compare between the current rate and The Essay

International Finance (Compare between the current rate and The temporal method) - Essay Example Thus, the use of the current rate method and the temporal method of foreign exchange come into play. This paper looks at the each of the two methods and compares them. The current rate method involves the conversion of foreign currencies, Items on balance sheets and income statements at the exchange rate that is current (Investopedia, 2009), hence the name. On the other hand, the temporal method converts the same based on time (Investopedia, 2009). That is to say, if an item is valued at the market cost then the current market rate is used and if it is valued at historical cost then the historical rate is used to translate the value of said item. Of these two methods, the current rate method is the more popular. This is because unlike the temporal method, which is constantly changing, this method is more static and has only one variable, which is the current exchange rate. Also rather than recording profits and losses associated with the conversion in the net income, it is recorded and presented in a reverse account. This creates simplicity in the interpretation of the earnings. The temporal method combines the two, losses/profits, and net income thus causing the volatility of the earnings expected From the above, there is a clear advantage in the use of the current rate method as it provides more accurate and static results trough separation of net income from the losses and profits compared to the temporal method, which consolidates losses/profits with the net income. Also current rate method depends only on the current exchange rate while the temporal method relays on the current or historical market depending on the nature of the value of the

Review on Data impediments to empirical work on health insurance Article

Review on Data impediments to empirical work on health insurance markets paper - Article Example it is found out that majority of the publicly available sources of data, that is commonly used by researchers are to carry out their study on the health insurance market shares, is unreliable. These data sources are said to portray great variability over the years and are relative to both a rational prior and to the inconsistency demonstrated in the health sectors discharge data. These data sources assume merger activities from specialized and from high professional findings. Their unreliability to the studying competition in the health insurance sector is revealed in their character to omit significant components of the market. Such omitted components may include the self-insured health plans. The article considers the private insurance industry that plays a more significant role in the health care sector in the United States. A large number of individuals in U.S purchase private insurance plans. Another significant number of individuals are covered through Medicaid while they are still enrolled in the private plans. The article compared the elderly people in U.S to the nonelderly. It was revealed that majority of the nonelderly individuals opt for the private insurance plans while 95 % of the elderly people are enrolled to the Medicare. Although a few numbers of the nonelderly are enrolled to the Medicaid, they are also found to have enrolled into the private plans. Only a quarter of the elderly people opt for the private insurance plans (Leemore et al. 11). According to this paper, the antitrust analysts and researchers cannot generate an accurate empirical analysis of competition in the health insurance industry through the use of a readily available market share data. These differences in shares and the concentration reported within different data sources would force researchers to choose among the competing data sets. The doubtfully high unpredictability within the data sets suggests

Introduction to Social Sciences (inequality based on race) Essay

Introduction to Social Sciences (inequality based on race) - Essay Example A community incorporates people who share a common characteristic inclusive of a geographical area and traditional values. Patterns of racial segregation are not natural outcomes. According to Law (2013), racial discrimination will act as a proponent that will indicate the relationship of inequality and the society. The social mechanism will also explain the interconnected social attributes create persistence in racial difference. The paper will focus on the power and the global community aspects of social sciences with the aim of understanding the world better. Social inequality is a scenario that occurs through the uneven distribution of available resources in the community. In the case of inequality based on race, the skin color acts as the dominating factor in the allocation of resources. The issue of racism has been on the rise given the continued increase in the interaction among individuals from different nations. As a result, human welfare all around the world faces patterns of inequality that is recurrent in nature. For instance, cities around America exhibit racial discrimination to African Americans from the east coast to the west coast. Bonilla-Silva illustrated that the boundary of racism is very legible in the U.S as the black community find it very hard to get jobs and access quality education as compared to the Americans (2013). Racism dates back to the ancient age where people simply disliked certain attributes of a particular culture. Right from the upbringing, parents warned children against associating with some races. The media also participated in re-enforcing racism into the minds of individuals. The mentioned factors made the co-existence of people of different ethnicity and skin color in the society unbearable. With time, the nature of hatred turned into a foundation of prejudice. The outcome of the stated social practice is that

Review on Data impediments to empirical work on health insurance Article

Review on Data impediments to empirical work on health insurance markets paper - Article Example it is found out that majority of the publicly available sources of data, that is commonly used by researchers are to carry out their study on the health insurance market shares, is unreliable. These data sources are said to portray great variability over the years and are relative to both a rational prior and to the inconsistency demonstrated in the health sectors discharge data. These data sources assume merger activities from specialized and from high professional findings. Their unreliability to the studying competition in the health insurance sector is revealed in their character to omit significant components of the market. Such omitted components may include the self-insured health plans. The article considers the private insurance industry that plays a more significant role in the health care sector in the United States. A large number of individuals in U.S purchase private insurance plans. Another significant number of individuals are covered through Medicaid while they are still enrolled in the private plans. The article compared the elderly people in U.S to the nonelderly. It was revealed that majority of the nonelderly individuals opt for the private insurance plans while 95 % of the elderly people are enrolled to the Medicare. Although a few numbers of the nonelderly are enrolled to the Medicaid, they are also found to have enrolled into the private plans. Only a quarter of the elderly people opt for the private insurance plans (Leemore et al. 11). According to this paper, the antitrust analysts and researchers cannot generate an accurate empirical analysis of competition in the health insurance industry through the use of a readily available market share data. These differences in shares and the concentration reported within different data sources would force researchers to choose among the competing data sets. The doubtfully high unpredictability within the data sets suggests

Canadian Senate Reform Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Canadian Senate Reform - Essay Example However, all the hard work to modify the governing body has been failing for the past several years. Ultimately, the present government resolution is to accomplish the task of reformation. The conformist government, which is under the Prime Minister, suggests cutting down the period senators’ rule and choosing them by ballot. However, the government is operating into tough political oppositions. The Senate in Canada keeps hold of a central position in the history of the country (Smith, 2009).Without a doubt, the alliances made in Canada for the past decades were because of the accord to take in the governing body as it is now incorporated. The legislative body of Canada is an exclusive establishment, being the only succeeding chamber contained by the Canadian coalition, as well as the lone in the western part whose affiliates are all chosen. This paper will highlight the bill meant for the agenda of Canadian reform and some of the main contents of the bill. It will also explai n the major provisions of the Act as well as the conditions for the senate candidates. The script will as well talk about the arguments made by the leaders concerning the issue of government reform. It will outline the doubts of the senators as well as the arguments made by the opposition, and the side supporting the reform. ... Lastly, this paper will give recommendations regarding this matter of the Canadian reform. It will discuss the importance of the changes to be made in the government body as well as what effects the reform could have to the country. Bill for the Agenda In the year 2006, the Canada’s Prime Minister conformist government had established two bills to change the senate. One was to institute restricted conditions for senators, reinstating the system on hand of appointment until one reaches 75 years. The other bill was to launch consultative voting for the legislature with the Prime Minister appointing the conquerors of the election. The â€Å"House of Commons† and the Senate heard the bills but neither of them was ratified into ruling (Smith, 2009). In the first session of the Canada’s forty-first parliament, Bill C-7 was proposed. The bill was based on an Act with regard to choosing of senators as well as adjusting the constitution Act, 1867 regarding Senate period r estrictions. The first part of the endorsement ascertains a structure for selecting Senate appointments contenders from the territories as well as provinces. Two main ideologies would be relevant to the procedure of election. The first one was that, the Prime Minister, in advocating Senate candidates to the â€Å"Governor General† for a region or province, would be compelled to put into regard, names from a list of entrants presented by the regional or provincial administration. The second principle was that the contenders list would be resolved by a selection held according to the regional or provincial laws ratified to put the framework into practice. The second part of the endorsement modifies the occupancy of senators who are to be called

‘A View from a Bridge’ by Author Miller Essay Example for Free

‘A View from a Bridge’ by Author Miller Essay The play, ‘A View from a Bridge’, by Author Miller has the theme of a Modern Greek tragedy. A Greek tragedy is a play where fate runs it’s ‘bloody course’, which will lead to the tragic hero’s downfall. A tragic hero is usually a character of noble stature. Just like all people, tragic heroes aren’t perfect but what separates them from the others is that they have a hamartia, a tragic flaw. This flaw will be the cause of the downfall for the tragic hero. Eddie Carbone is somewhat a tragic hero. He doesn’t fit as a tragic hero because in the play, he is a normal longshoreman, which is fairly ordinary in Red Hook. Just like all men, †he worked on the piers when there was work, he brought home his pay, and he lived.† He doesnt have a high status position. On the other hand, he can still be categorized as a tragic hero because he has a tragic flaw and an inevitable downfall. In the start of the play, he is also respected, just like a tragic hero. Eddie’s tragic flaw is how much he loves Catherine. His fate is unavoidable due to the tragic flaw in his personality. His unnatural love for Catherine made him jealous of Rodolpho. This again is a device used in Greek tragedy, and can be described as a weakness of the tragic hero. This is a feature that all tragic heroes have; hence they are called â€Å"tragic† heroes. At the start, the tragic hero will be a good person. In the play’s case, Miller portrayed Eddie in the beginning of the play as a loving and caring man. He loves Catherine a lot. He said, â€Å"I want you to be in a nice office.† This shows that he cares a lot for Catherine and her future. At this stage, the audience should see Eddie as a respectable man. Miller also uses the technique of foreshadowing to imply to the audience that betrayal is going to happen. Miller used the ‘Vinny Bolzano’ example. Vinny â€Å"snitches† on his own uncle. In the play, Eddie said â€Å"†¦. hidin’ in the house and he snitched to the Immigration.† Catherine’s response was fairly surprised. She said â€Å"What, was he crazy?†. Vinny Bolzano was publicly humiliated by his own family and shunned from the community. He was not seen in the area since. . Miller added this to foreshadow the fact that Eddie is going to do something similar in the play. This is also an example of how the community functions. They believed that ‘snitching’ is always bad therefore he got punished for it, although the actual law will find it as a righteous act. Eddie tells Catherine that â€Å"you can quicker get back a million dollars that was stole than a word that you gave away†, and with this advice, Eddie gains the audience’s respect. It is also ironic because later on in the play, Eddie â€Å"snitches† on Marco and Roldopho. This loses all sympathy and respect towards Eddie. In the play, Alfieri’s role in the Greek Tragedy is a chorus. Alfieri refers to fate’s â€Å"bloody course†, which immediately brings us to the thought of destiny or fate. This is an ominous statement as it gives the sense that unavoidable tragedy will happen, and he is won’t be able to change the outcome. Alfieri said â€Å"heard the same complaint and sat there, as powerless as I†. This proves that he is merely a bystander looking at something way out of control. He also said â€Å"I could see every step coming, step after step, like a dark figure walking down a hall to a certain door†, which reinforces Eddie’s fate that awaits him. Eddie’s tragic flaw is soon exposed, as he will not accept the love between Catherine and Rodolpho. As Eddie realizes that their relationship is becoming more serious, he degrades Rodolpho by questioning his sexuality. While Eddie was talking to Beatrice, he says that Rodolpho is â€Å"like a chorus girl or sump’m†. Eddie infers that Rodolpho is less of a man. Since it didn’t work, Eddie took matters up to Alfieri. Eddie told Alfieri that Rodolpho â€Å"ain’t right†. He is trying to get the law on his side. Once Eddie is frustrated, he says, he’s stealing from me!†. This shows that deep down, Eddie believes that Catherine belongs to him. Eddie starts to show his jealous side by telling Catherine that Rodolpho wants Catherine only in order to become an American citizen. He told Catherine that Rodolpho is â€Å"only bowin’ to his passport†. Eddie still wants Catherine therefore he challenges Rodolpho directly by teaching him how to box. Miller demonstrates the tension between them through the stage directions. For example, Eddie hits Rodolpho, which â€Å"mildly staggers him†. It seems that Eddie needs to prove himself to be manlier than Rodolpho. This is also the beginning of his downfall. Marco then challenged Eddie by picking up the chair. This grows the tension between them, foreshadowing that something bad will happen. In the final scene, in which Eddie died in, it is also very similar to Greek tragedy. The tragic hero will die reconciled with others and will end regretfully to his actions. Miller conveys Eddie’s remorse and had him reconcile with Beatrice as he cries â€Å"My B.! My B.†, and dies in her arms. Eddie also dies in his own hands. He brings the knife into the duel, therefore it would seem, like most tragic heroes, Eddie is the cause of his own destruction. This gives the play a more complete ending. All problems have been solved. Then again, it can be argued that Eddie is different from a tragic hero because at times he appears to have more control over his actions than a tragic hero does. For example, Eddie was driven to call the Immigration Bureau because of his love for Catherine. Alfieri presents him with another option, to â€Å"let her go. And bless her.† It seems like Eddie has selected his route, which lead to his downfall, whereas traditional tragic heroes usually dont have an alternative option. This is unsympathetic because he had another option, but it was his choice not to take it. Not only did he betray Rodolpho and Marco, he also betrayed his community. He lost all his respect and reputation. In conclusion, Eddie is very similar to a traditional tragic hero from Greek tragedy. His tragic flaw drives him to desperate actions, and in this case he cannot let Catherine go. Fate â€Å"runs its bloody course† as the inevitable death of Eddie is shown. Eddie is stubborn and refuses to â€Å"settle for half†, constantly wanting something he can’t have. His tragic flaw leads the fateful path to his death.

Enterprise Project Management

Enterprise Project Management 1. Describe the metrics and characteristics of projects using a specific example. When you focus on creating something new and unique temporary with definitive start dates and end dates. it means that you are working on project .you can say your project is completed when you reach the goals and objectives that define before by stakeholders. Sometimes you cannot achieve to the goals or result of the projects is no longer useful and the project is canceled. Let me bring one example and explain all characteristics of the project .For example you are working in a clothing factory, you receive an order from school for design special uniform for students now you will ask yourself is it project? The first question is about uniqueness? yes ,it is new because you design something different . what about limit time? Yes, you have a short time to hand in your order exactly before the school starts and when you ship your order, the project will be completed and you will achieve the goal when the manager and students become happy by seeing clothes and always remember A successf ul project is one that meets the expectations of your stakeholders. PROJECT METRIC What is metric? Metric is a standard measurement .It will help you to check your project base on efficiently on performance and progress ,productivity,. By using metric you can improve the ability of making decision in your organization and you can understand your situation and asking yourself which way is working within the organization and apply the guide and go forward to right direction. Project management metrics can help Project managers to: Understand your situation in terms of schedule, cost and profitability. Be aware of risks Overcome problems before becoming serious Keep an eye on project profitability Estimate the performance of your team Evaluate your work product base on quality Complexity and nature of each project can create different project management metric. We have five group of metric performance .These five attitude can cover all aspect of project in execution process. 1. Cost variance The purpose of this metric is to measure projects progress and performance against signed baselines. By using this method, in a certain point of time, we can conclude the expected cost and duration of the project. Planned Value (PV): is about how much you planned to spend for the planned work. PV at any period = (Planned % Complete) X (BAC) Earned Value (EV): how much you planned to spend for the work you actually did. Actual cost (AC): Actual cost is the exact cost that happened during the project to complete or in WBS process and the cost was recorded. . Schedule Variance (SV):by this method we will measure our project schedule performance. The difference of Earned value and the planned value SV = Earned value- Planned value If you get Positive answer. It means that you are ahead of your schedule. If you get Negative answer. It means that you are behind your schedule. Cost Variance (CV): is the measure of cost performance on the project. earned value (EV) deduct from actual costs (AC).if you get negative CV .It means is too hard to recover to the project. CV = Earned value Actual cost 2. Effective use of resources To measure how we use our resources base on productivity Utilization% = Total Effort spent by resource/Total Budgeted Effort for the resource 3. Change requests to Scope of work. For the whole project we use the sign scope by customer , so if any change happen to the sign scope should happen in controlled way. 4.Quality of project and meet customer needs As you can see quality is a very import factor and quality control will happen during the life cycle if we detect defects in latest stage it will affect more .we have several defects such as Defect density = Total number of defects found/ Measure of size and defects age(Number of days since the defect is open and not fixed) and Defect resolution rate = Total number of defects resolved/ Total effort spent and Number of defects reported by customer. 5: Gross Margin Shortest way to understand if your business in on correct track or not and be aware of situation to put in place margin improvement initiatives. 2. Explain the differences between project, program, and portfolio management? Let me explain the differences of them by graph and example Project program portfolio Project will create product or service for example developing software and process will create result Imagine we want to develop a software for managing our document we will consider this work as a project then assume that we want to improve our documents management in other words access in a faster, better way to documents this work is program because we focus on result not product. What about portfolio when we improved our access in documents management this result will bring benefit such as decreasing in current liability or increase companys credit we will consider this benefit as portfolio. In summary: programs are group of related projects, we will apply similar techniques. Sometimes programs involve aspects of ongoing operations.Portfoliosare collections of programs, sub portfolios, operations, and projects that support strategic business goals or objectives Programs and projects within a portfolio are not necessarily related to one another in a direct way. 3. Describe how processes relate to process groups and knowledge areas in the PMBOK Guide. Provide a specific example of a process that we covered in one of the first 6 chapters of the book? There are five Process Groups: Initiating Define goals/specifications Planning Plan the project Executing Schedule the project Monitoring Controlling Manage the project Closing Finish the project We have ten knowledge areas 1. integration 2.Scope 3.time 4.cost 5.quality 6.HR 7. Communications 8 risk 9 .Procurement 10.stakeholders Ten knowledge areas: Knowledge Areas are used on most projects most of the time. It is up to the project management team to define the appropriate depth of implementation for each project. We have 44 process the relationship between five process group and ten knowledge .summarize in following table Now let me give you an example to clarify the connection between project management and knowledge area . For example: imagine you are a project manager working on project team for a software instruction project. The six factors that you have to calculate in project management software are as fallows : 1.Task duration 2.start time 3.finish time 4.precedence relationship 5.resources 6.unit allocation For example: we go through following process to finish the project 1.In the first step of the project ,which includes approving and developing the project charter. 2.In the second step make the project management plan which help you to cover several project activity 3.Third step accomplish the project and it is the step that actual work and time happened . 4. This step is controlling and monitoring the project 5.In the last step , we finish the project. Knowledge areas are separated to keep the same type of accomplishment set in one group. For example you are developing and planning process of the plan for your project. In this process ,to compute the budget you will use two processes: calculate costs and determine budget. 4. Describe the purpose and contents of a project charter? Project charter can be very powerful tool because it will give you proper visibility , because it will inform you exactly the roles and responsibilities and put the project in the way of the strategic goals and objectives of the organization. The Project Charter will sign by project sponsor so that the Project Manager is given clear authority by the one sponsor.. According to the (PMBOK), a Project Charter results from one of the following needs, or business requirements: 1)Demand of market 2)Need of business 3)Request from customer 4)Advance in technology 5)Social need 6)A legal requirement Let me bring one example and explain the contents of project charter imagine we want to renovate a hotel what will be in project charter first The purpose for the project through a description of the business needs that the project is going fulfill then we will explain about background and then about high level project approach in this case the project will be divide to two phase first renovation and construction (about 9month) and then re-opening (about 12 month) and then we will clarify business goal for example in this case we have two goals restore the property to profitability and Disassociate the hotel from its previously tarnished image and then what is project goals for example Complete renovation of the hotel onetime . A project charter can be as short as 1 page, and as long as 200 pages. Writing too much detail in early stages is difficult, as too much detail may not even be available. 5. Describe three classic business level strategies. What is the relationship between business level strategy and project selection? Porter (1980) claimed that there are three generic strategies: 1)cost leadership2)differentiation and focus. Cost leadership: It inform us organization fallowing a cost leadership strategy in order to access competitive advantage and enhance their share in a market by using low cost producers. Differentiation: Organizations fallowing differentiation method in order to satisfies the desires of their customers This differentiation let the organization to charge more. Best-cost: many researchers believe that a combination of strategies could be the best approach. As a result you can create a sustainable competitive advantage in your organizations and it can effect on your efficiently ,when you combine cost leadership and differentiation, when they provide low-cost products and address customer values . Multiple competing projects, limited skilled resources, dispersed virtual teams, time to market pressures, and limited capital serve as forces for the emergence of project portfolio management that provides the infrastructure for managing multiple projects and linking business strategy with project selection. Many business man belief that connecting project management with business strategy can significantly enhance the achievement of organizational goals, strategies, and performance. We have mathematic model that can help us to choose better project for investment. Cost-Benefit Analysis Comparing the cost of production or services with the benefit Scoring Models According your priority you will allocate weight to the criteria then you will decide which one is more suitable for you. Cash Flow Analysis Techniques 1.1 Payback Period The length of time will take you recoup your initial investment. 1.2 Discounted Cash Flows The amount of money you invest now in future what will be your value of your money FV = PV(1 + I)n 1.3 Net Present Value value of future monies received into todays dollars 1.4 Internal Rate of Return projects with higher IRR values are generally considered better than projects with low IRR values. 6.Describe the purpose and contents of a project management plan? The purpose of project management is to tell you how you manage well execution and monitoring and controlling and closing process in your project and will describe how documents the processes you apply during project . The first process you have to do in planning process group is project management plan ,actually this process base on knowledge area focus mostly on defining and preparing ,coordinating , and connect all the various subsidiary project plan into overall project plan.as we know for creating document the plan we need to collect input .Project charter, output from other process ,Enterprise environment factors and organization process asset are input of project management plan. From chapter one we know the meaning of tailoring in project management we use tailoring to determine which processes to apply to best manage the project. Project charter:as we know the charter will tell you about goals of project and the requirements need to get satisfaction from stakeholder. Charter is an input for project management plan why? Because we use the information in charter such as project objective , milestone schedule, requirements, summery of budget for determining which project management processes to use . Output from others processes :project management processes include all individual processes that create the process group. Enterprise Environmental factors: you have to consider some element when you choose processes to perform project .standard ,company culture and organization structure ,personal administration are elements. Organization process asset: some critical elements you should pay attention during choosing processes are plan template, change control procedures, performance measurement criteria, historical information, standards, procedures also you should consider about change control processes I mean your organization has existing change control processes in place ,about templates or financial control .You can use historical data and organization past project in order to decide which process is more suitable for the project . Documenting the project management plan for each processes we do we need output .output usually present in a shape of report or document .in this case you end up with document the project management plan explain about integration, coordinated and subsidiary plans for the processes you apply for the project. According to PMBOK the subsidiary are: 1) scope management plan2)Requirements management plan 3)schedule management plan 4)cost management plan 4)quality management plan 5)communication managements plan 6)risk management plan 7)procurement management plan 8)processes improvement plan 9)human resource plan 10)Stakeholder management plan. Actually it not easy to finalize some of these subsidiary plans without thinking or doing processes they are associated with first we should remember updates should occur to the project management plans as subsidiary plans are created or changed. 7.  Describe the purpose and contents of a work breakdown structure? The purpose of WBS is decompose and break complex activities in smaller components. this is important for the project manager because ,they can see the tasks more effectively than the complex activities. The purpose of developing a WBS and WBS Dictionary are :1)It can help project team to plan logically and complete the project 2) It will help to gather documents and information about work that needs for doing the project 3) some activities are so complex WBS can cause these activities become organize and manageable so we can achieve project objectives. The WBS and WBS Dictionary are not the schedule, but rather the building blocks to it. The progression of WBS and WBS Dictionary development is as follows: The contents of WBS are scope management plan, project scope statement , requirements documentation, Enterprise Environment Factors, Organizational Process Assets. WBS include some items, those items are approved through scope statement should detail the full scope of work needed to complete. Breaking down can help us to estimate project cost and time and allocating resources, determining quality control. We need two tools for create WBS process 1)decomposition 2)expert judgment Decomposition :is involves breaking down the deliverables into smaller The first level of decomposition is the major deliverable level or subproject level, the second level of decomposition is a further elaboration of the deliverables. Decomposition will occur in five process 1)Identify the deliverables and work 2)Organize the WBS 3)Decompose the WBS components into lower -level4) Assign identification codes.5)Verify the WBS WBS levels: Project manager will determine the number of levels of WBS base on complexity of the project .In a WBS, every level item has a unique assigned number so that work can be identified and tracked over time. A WBS may have varying numbers of decomposition levels, but there is a general scheme for how to number each level so that tasks are uniquely numbered and correctly summarized. Below is the general convention for how tasks are decomposed: Level 1 Designated by 1.0. This level is the top level of the WBS and is usually the project name. All other levels are subordinate to this level. Level 2 Designated by 1.X (e.g., 1.1, 1.2). This level is the summary level. Level 3 Designated by 1.X.X (e.g., 1.1.1, 1.1.2). This third level comprises the subcomponents to each level 2 summary element. This effort continues down until progressively subordinate levels are assigned for all work required for the entire project. 8.Describe the purpose and contents of a project schedule Scheduling will tell us how to finish in a certain time usually with defined stages, and defined resources. schedule can help us to calculate cost, set expectations plans and coordinate track and report. The schedule shows where you are along the road to done, how much work is left to be accomplished, how much has been accomplished, who is doing this future work, what they are delivering, and when they plan to deliver it. How to make schedule : Step One: Define Activities The goal of the activity definition step is to identify all the tasks required to accomplish the product. In level 3 of WBS(data base) create tables and populates tables. Step Two: Sequence Activities 1) Do I have anytime to constraint? 2) What is the relationship between activities? 3) Which activity can be done in parallel? Step Three: Estimate Activity Resources Step four: Estimate activity duration 1) Which is the sequence? 1)what is the level of skill of each resource assigned 2) Which are my restrictions (cost/time)? 2)To finalized each activity do we need 3) For each activity who do I need? Step five: develop schedule: 9) Describe the purpose and contents of a project budget? The purposes of budgeting are for resource allocate resources, planning, coordination, control and motivation. It is also a vital tool for decision making method and monitoring business performance and forecasting income and expenditure. With proper budgeting, limited resources are managed efficiently. Input for determined budget : Cost Management Plan: It will show us how we can develop , manage , controlled project costs during project. Scope Baseline: Scope baseline includes the project scope statement, the WBS, and the WBS dictionary. The scope escribes the constraints of the project you should consider when developing the budget Basis of Estimates: It will cover all detail about estimate such as indirect costs. Project schedule: Project schedule will give you helpful information about start and end dates , milestones and by these information yon determine budget expenditures . Resource Calendars:Resource calendars will help you define costs in calendar periods and over the length of the project .They help you to what resources you need. Risk Register: Before preparing budget you should consider list of risk that could happen during the projects. Specially risks with high impact or high probability they could add cost to the project. Agreements : all cost information such as buying product , services, Organizational Process Assets will assist you with the work of this process include cost budgeting tools, the policies and procedures your organization (or PMO) may have regarding budgeting exercises. Budget Process Outputs: 1) Cost baseline 2) Project funding requirements 3) Project documents updates Weve covered the project documents updates in other processes. For Determine Budget, you may need to update the risk register, cost estimates, and/or the project schedule. 10. Describe the concepts of probability and impact in risk analysis using a specific example Analysis Risk When the risk identified, the next step is risk analysis. By using risk analysis, we can transform the identified risks into decision-making information. As a result , each risk is considered and a judgment made about the probability and the seriousness of the risk. For each risk, the team must do the following: 1) Assess the probability of a loss occurring. Some risks are very likely to happen and in the other hand some are very unlikely. Apply a scale that can reflects the perceived likelihood of a risk. Depending upon the degree of detail desired and/or possible, the scale can be numeric, based on a percentage scale, such as 10 percent likely to lose a key team. Team should apply a set numerical probability for each qualitative value (e.g. very improbable= 10 percent, improbable = 25 percent) 2) Assess the impact of the loss if the loss were to happen. Then we can estimate the result of risk Impact possibility Trivial Minor Moderate Major Extreme Rare Low Low Low Medium Medium Un likely Low Low Medium Medium Medium Moderate Low Medium Medium Medium High Likely Medium Medium Medium High High Very likely Medium Medium High High High Risk management is a very important function in todays business world. A probability impact matrix is one of the management tools to evaluate risks in terms of their probability and extent of their impact. In addition, it is a useful framework to decide which risk requires more attention in an organization. The inputs in the probability chart are derived from risk assessment form. So, it can be said the process of making this chart is simple. Probability chart is a table shaped form which incorporates various colors to indicate the probability and impacts of various risks. It has categorized risks into four groups as extreme, high risk, medium and low risk. The detailed explanation of these risks are given below: Extreme: These risks are marked with R (red color) in the chart and considered as high priority of importance. Company should give close attention and take early steps to eliminate this kind of risks completely. High risk: These kind of risks also require immediate actions or risk management strategies. In the probability impact matrix, these are characterized as H symbol and highlighted in the pink cells. If it is not possible to act immediately to reduce these risks then strict time line should be made to avoid the adverse effects produced from these risks. Medium: These risks are denoted by the first letter of medium M and marked in the orange cells. As the name suggested, these kind of risks are characterized middle in the scale of importance. Company dont have to resolve medium risk immediately like extreme and high risk categories. Smart thinking, logical planning these strategies work best to reduce medium risk in an effective manner. Low risk: These kind of risks are marked as L and placed in the green cells in the probability impact matrix. Low risks require less attention compared to other categories and can be ignored without having any adverse effect. But company can implement any available controlling mechanism to reduce low risk. the risk exposure can be calculated. Risk exposure is calculated as follows Risk Exposure (RE) = P ÃÆ'- C EXAMPLE: Imagine furniture factory Rank Risk Probability Impact Risk exp Action 1. Delay in shipment 50% $ 1000 $ 5000 Weekly status meeting 2 Requirements changes 40% $ 7000 $ 2800 Bi-weekly deliverables. 3. Aggressive performance requirements 30% $ 9000 $2700 Prototyping, performance testing