Role of the Regulatory Body Essay

The parents of Anjum a little girl who is new to your setting moved to England only 3 months ago. Yours is the first setting that they have used for 18 month old Anjum. They have very little understanding of the legislation covering home based childcare or the role of the regulatory body. Consider 4 pieces of legislation that are important for home based childcarers and how you would outline these to Anjum’s parents? How would you go about outlining the 4 different roles of the regulatory body to Anjum’s parents? Relevant Assessment Criteria: 1.1 Outline the current legislation covering home based childcare and the role of regulatory bodies Legislation The most influential legislation comes from the 2004 Children Act, this act arose from the Green Paper ‘Every Child Matters’, the most relevant parts of this legislation for yourselves with regards to Anjum are: Be healthy Stay Safe Enjoy and Achieve Make a positive contribution I will explain to you both how the above relates to Anjums whilst in my care. Be Healthy We will spend a lot of time outside this will allow Anjum to become more physically thus mentally healthy. All snacks and drinks will always be healthy, thus promoting a healthy lifestyle. Stay safe My home environment is safe for Anjum thus preventing accidents to the best that I can. It is a stable environment for Anjum to grow up in, he will be cared for in all regards. Protected from maltreatment, neglect, violence, sexual exploitation and safe from bullying and discrimination. Enjoy and Achieve I will prepare Anjum for school, she will be encouraged to achieve personal and social skills whilst enjoying recreation time. Make a positive contribution Anjum will be encouraged in decision-making throughout the day whilst considering her environment, an example of this would be not to drop litter when we are going for walks. All children in my care will be encouraged to form positive relationships, they will be guided with regards treating their peers on an equal footing to each other, and there will be no bullying and/or discrimination. I will develop self-confidence and good behavior. Role of the Regulatory Body (Ofsted) Ofsted are an independent and impartial service who report to the Government bodies. They inspect all services that provide education to children and young people. Ofsted help to improve our standards for you children. Registration / Inspection Ofsted undertake checks on my household members, such as police records, this is to protect you child from being around people that are a potential danger to children. Ofsted ensure I hold a valid first aid certificate, which shows that I have suitable training in first aid procedures if required at any point. I have signed to say I have agreed to meet a set of requirements set out by Ofsted. I will provide you with my certificate if you require me to, this will show you any conditions of registration that apply to myself. Investigation I will keep a record of any complaints and I will share the results of any investigations with any of my parents if requested by yourself or others. If you have any complaints or concerns that I am not meeting the requirements of registration, you can contact Ofsted directly. Enforcement Ofsted have the powers to ensure that I am providing the requirements and conditions that are stipulated, if I am not they can enforce further conditions and requirements, these are all in place to protect your child and provide the best care possible. If you have any problems with regards to the service I provide you, you can get in contact with Ofsted and report your concerns. Policies and Procedures Accidents Illness and Emergencies Policy Statement: It is my statutory duty to safeguard the children in my care, the safety of your child and any child within my care is paramount at all times. Every measure will be taken at all times to protect your child and any other child from injuring themselves or others. Unfortunately accidents, children become ill and a situation can arise that becomes an emergency and as such please find below the procedure that will be followed if a situation develops. Procedure As a registered child minder I will ensure the following points that relate to a situation are carried out: Once assessment of the injury has taken place I will seek medical help. If medical help is required they are then other requirements that I will follow; I will inform Ofsted under Standard 14.3 and inform my insurance company. If required I will carry out first aid for which I have got the nesseccary training for. Comfort will be given to the child at all times. Contact will be made with yourselves as soon as practically possible. A note will be entered within the accident book, I will ask you to sign the book and then provide you with a copy for your records. Current insurance that I am covered with allows me to carry out certain procedures. If I find myself in a situation which is unfamiliar to myself, I will either contact the child’s guardian/parent or seek medical advise via the doctors of the emergency services. Any procedures or requirements to administrate medication will require a signature from the guardian/parent. Unfortunately medication is required to be given, if this is the case I would ask you to keep me up to date, especially if you have to medical advice. Unfortunately accidents do happen, if this is the case I would ask you to keep me up to date, especially if you have to seek medical advice. Behaviour Policy Statement: It is my statutory duty to encourage children in my care to behave, showing respect to others and themselves at all times. Procedure As a registered child minder I will encourage the children follow the following points which will set a good standard of behaviour for all children: Children will be encouraged to say please and thank you. Children will be made aware of all boundaries and reminded when necessary. Children will be encouraged to listen, understand and follow instructions, I will also listen to all children, asking for their ideas. Children will be encouraged not use bad language. Children will be encouraged to respect each other and property. Children will be encouraged to help with planning the day and activities. I will give praise for all good behaviour. I will give 15 mins, 10 mins and 5 min warnings to end each activity. Parents will be asked to remind their children of the rules whilst in my care. Safeguarding Policy Statement: It is my statutory duty to safeguard the children in my care, ensuring their welfare and all other children. Procedures that I will follow are set by the local safeguarding Children’s board. Procedure: As a registered child minder I will: I will look out for signs of neglect, child abuse both emotionally and sexually. If I have reason to believe that any child in my care is being abused in any way I will report the matter to the Duty Social Worker for Leicestershire Social Services, Child protection Team. Under these circumstances I will not be able to keep information relating to your child confidential, but will need to share it with Ofsted, Social Services and the  Police if requested. Please see the Leicestershire Guidelines protection of child minders, this will be followed by myself on all accounts. I will undertake training via the local council regarding safeguarding and protecting children. Equal Opportunities Policy Statement: It is my duty to give all children in my care the opportunity to undertake all activities and encourage them to reach their full potential. I will encourage equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practices for all children. Procedure: As a registered child minder I will achieve this by: Adapting the activities if required for the children to reach their full potential. I will provide additional help and support if required for children to reach their full potential. All toys within my home will be for both sexes, toys will reflect positive images of children and people from different cultures and abilities. I will acknowledge all relevant legislation. No child in my care will be discriminated against in anyway, whether for their skin colour, culture, gender, ability or religion. I will challenge any remarks that I feel are inappropriate. I will teach children in my care about different cultures and religions, I will use books, puzzles and / or toys and I will cook with the children different types of food to relate to our learning. I will be looking at special festivals and dressing up to represent these. I will encourage children to respect each other, their differences and their needs. I will encourage children and their parents to collect any materials, take photos of any events they attend, this will enable a show and tell. I will not discriminate against any children or parents on the basis of race, age, sexuality, class and or family status. I will act if a child or parent uses any language that is inappropriate.

Ideological underpinnings of a movie Essay

An expectation has arisen among film-critics and audiences, that movie-makers will deal with the serious issues, such as racism and violence, at a serious level. In other words, it is expected by critics and film-goers alike that films will have meaning. However, if meaning is expected — what precisely creates and communicates meaning in a film? As Louis Giannetti points out in his book, Understanding Movies (2008), the presence of ideology in a film impacts the film in its entirety, from tone to theme. In Giannetti’s estimation, â€Å"ideology is another language system in film† and this language is largely conveyed through â€Å"code† (Giannetti, 453). In order to help illustrate the way that ideology influences films, Giannetti offers a series of categories into which the influence of ideology in film can be functionally divided. The following discussion of the film 300 (2007) will use Giannetti’s ideas as a support-structure to show how meaning in film is ultimately determined by the film’s prevailing ideology. In any discussion of meaning in film, it will be important to distinguish between what might be considered â€Å"overt† or even propagandistic meaning and thematic or expressive meaning. Of course this distinction is quite artificial and the two hypothetically divided types of meaning are often one and the same. That said, there is often a conspicuous difference between a film which has an explicit propagandistic agenda than a film which is based on generating thematic and emotional subtlety. The movie 300 offers, even to the most casual viewer, an example of what Giannetti calls â€Å"Explicit† ideology (Giannetti, 449). In this category of ideological content, a movie serves, at least partially, as obvious propaganda for a viewpoint or cause. That 300 functions as a form of propaganda is easily arguable. However, it is slightly more difficult to pinpoint exactly what specific cause or theme is being forwarded by the film’s ideology. In order to determine the film’s ideological bearing, closer attention must be paid to its content and its artistic tone. Giannetti mentions that tone in a film can be one of the most important aspects of presenting the film’s ideology. What Giannetti means by tone is â€Å"its manner of presentation† (Giannetti, 489). For example, in the movie 300, any number of important scenes, if played with a â€Å"comic† rather than a â€Å"heroic† tone, would create a different response in the viewer and therfore communicate a different ideological vision. Imagine the scene where Leonidas kicks the Persian messenger down the well: if the well had sounded out a loud burp after swallowing the messenger, the tone of the scene would have mocked the idea of Spartan pride and Spartan loyalty rather than celebrating it. The reason that tone is so important in a film is that it defines the way the audience will evaluate and judge the characters and scenes of a film. Because as Giannetti insists, â€Å"Tone can strongly affect our responses to a given set of values† (Giannetti, 489), tone is closely connected to ideology and theme. In the example given above, Leonidas kicks the Persian messenger down the well and this scene is presented in a heroic tone. From the outset of the film, the viewer is cued-in to understand that the Spartans are heroic and that they operate from a sense of pride and fearlessness. The tone of heroicism is conveyed not only through the action of the scene, but through the stylized representation of the characters as muscle-bound heros. The Mise-en-scene of the film is connected to the visual color-schemes of comic books and graphic novels. The sense of legend permeates the film, as it permeates the actual historical event. Therefore, the most dominant or controlling tone of 300 can be considered â€Å"heroic. † The fact that a movie has a controlling tone does not mean that other types of tones are not present in isolated scenes. In fact, the opposite is generally the case. The shifts against the dominant tone also help to convey meaning and ideology in a film. If the controlling tone of 300 is heroic, then the scenes that play against this dominant tone, such as the scene where Theron rapes Queen Gorgo, serve to reinforce the film’s dominant tone and ideology. When Theron tells the Queen she will not enjoy what is going to happen to her, the tone of the scene is tragic rather than heroic, and Theron’s status as a villain is cemented in the audience’s minds. The scene, by depicting graphically, the rape of Sparta’s Queen reinforces the heroic sacrifice of Leonidas and his men. Another aspect of films that influences ideological language is the cultural context in which a given film is made and shown. Cultural context is a crucial aspect of a film’s ideological meaning. The expectations of a given audience rest on the fact that â€Å"Every nation has a characteristic way of looking at life, a set of values that is typical of a given culture† (Giannetti, 465). The movie 300 is an American movie made for American audiences. ecause of this it would be hard for anyone to miss the obvious connections between contemporary world-events and the ideological themes that are shown in the movie. Comparisons with recent events are more or less easy. Any observer could see the present-day war against terrorism as a stand for freedom and to view the Battle of Thermopylae as a sort of allegory for the modern-day struggle against tyra nny. Obviously, the movie 300 forwards this connection through the kind of â€Å"code† that Giannetti describes. Still, as Dennis Behreandt points out in his review of the film from The New American (2007) the movie â€Å"serves to buttress the American mythos that our present-day warriors are likewise fighting for freedom in Iraq† and also that this is most evident in the scene where † Gorgo addresses the Gerousia, the Spartan Senate† when her speech could only remind any aware person of the â€Å"recent troop surge in Iraq† (Behreandt). This kind of cultural context would, obviously, be of less significance to someone who lived out side of the U. S. han to someone steeped in to American values. In addition to the cultural context of a film, there is usually a predominant political context. The political context of a film, for Giannetti, can loosely be divided into one of two categories: left and right. Left-leaning films are those that show multiple viewpoints to issues and propose more flexible responses to issues and problems. Giannetti describes leftists as people who â€Å"believe we ought to be flexible in our judgments. † By contrast, right-leaning film-makers are those who embrace a more stringent world-view. The rightist film-maker is â€Å"more absolute in judging human behavior [†¦ ] Right and wrong are fairly clear-cut and ought to be evaluated according to a strict code of conduct† (Giannetti, 457). In the case of 300, the designation of â€Å"Rightest† is, obviously, the most fitting for the film due to its tone and cultural perspective. Loosely, according to the discussion above, the following observations about 300 can be made in light of Giannetti’s criteria for evaluating the ideological underpinnings of films. First, that 300 is a film that relies predominantly on a heroic tone. Second, the film 300 depends on the specific cultural associations of American society to find its full ideological impact. Third, that 300 represents a â€Å"Rightest† political ideology. The three conclusions, taken together, along with the initial determination that 300 is an â€Å"explicit† communicator if ideology, beg the question as to whether or not 300 is more a vehicle for entertainment or propaganda. One of the opposing aspects to this idea is the fact that 300 is based on history. The idea that historical realism balances out the â€Å"poetic licesne† often taken by Hollywood regarding tone and presentation is one that, for better or worse, many film-goers probably believe. In addition to the idea that a culture could exert such self-discipline in its military caste and instill within each soldier a sense of bravery and fearlessness was a very powerful concept in 300 , which seems to resonate deeply with modern times. It is hard not to be fascinated by the Spartans, to wonder what made them as strong and resolute a they were and to wonder just as Xerxes â€Å"†What kind of men were these Spartans who in three days had slain before his Majesty’s eyes no fewer than twenty thousand of His most valiant warriors? † (Pressfield, 8). However, the fact shades of realism exist within the largely stylized or expressionistic â€Å"flavor† of the film only serves to elevate its power to transmit equally stylized (or stereotyped) ideologies. For example, the difference between vanity and pride seemed to have a great deal of influence on the Spartan conception of bravery as it was portrayed in the movie 300. Modern-day leaders would never think of putting themselves in direct danger like King Leonidas: his pride rather than his vanity dictated his actions and pride stems from a sense of civic (or national) unity. Loyalty is another important concept in the movie. It becomes the central most important idea, given that Spartan military power evolved out of the phalanx, which required the utmost loyalty and steadfastness of each warrior in the unit as a whole. The idea that â€Å"a Greek traitor showed the Persians another path, which enabled them to come round behind and encircle the Greeks† and that this ultimately led to the wholesale destruction of the Spartans at Thermopylae shows how important loyalty was to the Spartans. After Leonidas is killed † his men fought on with redoubled fury under the Persian arrows, as much to defend the fallen body of their King from the savagery of the barbarians as to show their valor† (â€Å"THE GREATEST WARRIORS†). The historical basis of the film is incorporated into the larger and more important â€Å"myth† of the movie that is conveyed in heroic tones that simplify historical subtleties and create a fictional paradigm of idealism. Therefore, the fact that realism in films can be construed into a propagandistic function, is the reality that filmmakers, and especially American filmmakers, are subject to the prejudices and â€Å"blind-spots† which are inherent to the social position they occupy and to which they owe their ability to make high-profile films. Elizabeth G. Traube’s Dreaming Identities: Class, Gender, and Generation in 1980s (1992) offers background to the mores and machinations of the filmmaking industry in America and her observations are important for understanding that movies are, in fact, propagandistic and often they represent the experience of only a very small segment of American society. This narrowness is obscured, according to Traube, beneath a veneer which can be thought of as a traditional moralistic package. Traube points out that, in reality, â€Å"audience preferences are only one of many factors that influence production decisions. Producers also shape their work to conform to dominant sensibilities and values, including those of the producing community itself† (Traube, 69). This reality combined with Traube’s complex but insightful understanding of â€Å"fairy-tale† motifs in movies is crucial to elucidating the way that anger and racial conflict are expressed propagandistically in film. All fables rely on a straightforward, linear narrative due to the fact that complex stories tend to obscure the thrust of the intended moral. Because the author of any fable is able to transform â€Å"topical news and politics into universal predicaments† (â€Å"Haggis’s Fable† 38), a fable carries with it the dangerous connotations of stereotype and oversimplification. The movie 300 stands as an heroic statement about the importance of protecting liberty and freedom. The ideological message that bravery and loyalty are essential aspects of preserving freedom and rather than Sparta, now â€Å"it is America that faces the threat from Persia† and by telling this story so forcefully and with so much passion the film embrace the â€Å"mythos of the battle rather than the historical truth of the era,† which is strongly conveyed in the film. (Behreandt). The ideological underpinnings of the movie 300 are based in a rightist, conservative set of political values that celebrate military capacity and force of strength. he films’ ideological message is one of social and civic duty as well as xenophobia. The film is geared toward an American audience in a time when America faces military challenges on several fronts and as such plays to the expectations of its audience. The tone of the film is heroic and its political ideology is conservative. The most logical conclusion that can be drawn from these facts is that, as mentioned by Giannetti, the ideological language of the film emerges as the most important aspect of the film as a whole. Further, the â€Å"code† that is used in the movie is comprised of historical truths and cultural stereotypes. The film blurs the line between entertainment and propaganda. It is accurate to suggest that the film, stripped of its propagandistic functions, would cease to exist. The unity of the film, in terms of narrative, editing, staging, costuming, scene construction and even music is derived more from a unity of ideology than from a unity of style or form. The movie follows a traditional fairy-tale arc of narrative to reinforce an already existing set of ideologies in its expected audience. Therefore, the best way in which to interpret the movie 300 is the method demonstrated by Giannetti that isolates and categorizes the ideological code of a film and makes the ideological language much more understandable for the average film-goer.

Bus/210 Week 8 Assignment Developing Good Business Sense

Name: Date: 04/28/2011 Course: BUS/210 Assignment: Developing Good Business Sense ? BUS/210 Week 8 Assignment Developing Good Business Sense There are three fast food restaurants that I chose as the businesses for this assignment; Sonic Drive-In, McDonalds, and Kentucky Fried Chicken. All three of these businesses are fast food restaurants. Sonic Drive-In is a curb side restaurant in which car hops bring the customer’s order to their car. McDonald and Kentucky Fried Chicken are both dine-in sit down restaurants that also offer a drive-thru window in car service. The three businesses have similar operations involved in their inputs. The main goal of the employees is to make high quality fast food. While Sonic Drive-In prepares their menu items as they are ordered, McDonalds and KFC precook there items and use heat lamps to keep the food warm. McDonalds and KFC organize their employees in a very similar manner, while Sonic Drive-In is slightly different. McDonald’s and KFC utilizes the cook stay to prep and cook all the food items, the front counter and drive through staff run the registers, take order prepare drinks, and sack or tray customers’ orders. Assistant Managers and managers help out in all positions and oversee all operations of the restaurant. Sonic Drive organizes their cooks and Managers in a similar way, the difference is that Sonic Drive-In does not utilize a front customer counter and register. Sonic utilizes a curbside menu’s and speaker system for customers to place their orders. Carhops replace the counter help normal seen at traditional fast food restaurants. The carhops deliver the orders to the customer’s car. Sonic Drive-In allows their customers to custom order their menu items any way the customer wants. They also offer over 350,000 different drink combinations. That is something that is not offer by any other national fast food chain. The OMM costs of these three restaurants are very similar. The all three of them have operating costs such as rent, utilities, inventory, franchise fees, royalty fees and labor. I found it surprising that all three restaurants actually do not own the property that they are on. All three of them own the restaurants but rent the land that there restaurants operate on. With all three of these restaurants, the time of years and the weather have a huge effect on their sales volume. The lower their sales volume the higher percent of operating cost that they have. During the winter, sales are at their low and in the summer they are at their high. Each restaurant experiences high profits during the summer months and low profits during the winter months. Operating cost such as inventory and labor are the biggest monthly expense from all three restaurants. Since all three of these restaurants belong to national franchise chains they are required to pay franchise fees and royalty fees each month. The manager at Sonic Drive-In stated that their franchise and royalty fees are determine by their net sales each month. They are required to pay 15 percent of their net sales for franchise fees and 10 percent of their net sale for royalties. The manager at Sonic Drive-in also Stated that they are doing very good if they can profit 15 percent of their sales each month after paying all the expenses, and the best way to do that is by controlling the inventory and labor expenses. The managers of McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken were unwilling to release any of their business information to me. While the manger of sonic Drive-In was willing to answer some question, they were very restrictive of the information they did give. The way McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Sonic Drive-In all three conduct their business is very similar. They are designed to produce quality fast food at a price that is considered a value to the customer. They each use the small batch operating system to make customized products. In all three case their own customized food for individual customer orders. KFC makes small batches of fried chicken that is to be sold to individual customers. Because the time it takes to make the fried chicken, KFC cooks batches throughout the day so that it is ready when the customer orders it. This reduces the waiting time for the customer. McDonalds precooks their hamburgers and makes the sandwiches when the customer orders to reduce the waiting time for their customers. Sonic Drive-In cooks the customer’s food when it is ordered, but states that none of their menu items take more than three minute to cook, therefore the wait time for the customer should not exceed three minutes. All three of these businesses focus on delivering fast quality food at an affordable price to keep their customers satisfied and insure they maintain repeat business. This is what keeps their sales value up and allows them to be a profitable business.

BUSSINESS ENVIRONMENT Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

BUSSINESS ENVIRONMENT - Thesis Example Tata Steel is the world’s sixth major steel manufacturing company. The company is commercially present in more than fifty countries and operates in more than twenty countries. The company was founded in Jamshedpur, India, in 1970 (Tata Steel, 2009). The company has extended its operation in investing in Millennium Steel (renamed Tata Steel Thailand), Corus (UK) and NatSteel Holdings (Singapore). The company has also extended its marketing and manufacturing network in Europe, the Pacific-rim countries and South East Asia. The company has the ability to manufacture over 30 million tones of crude steel every year. The company produces basic steel products and crude steel which is used in construction for the building through Tata BlueScope Steel, its venture with Australia’s BlueScope Steel (Tata Steel, 2009). The company’s external boundaries comprise of the political, economic, technological, legal and social boundaries in the market. The company has to take these challenges to seek maximum benefit from these boundaries. The economical condition for the steel industry in India was not that strong as compared to the economy of steel industry in other countries. But globalization made the economy of the country to grow as a result the steel industry in India also grew making Tata Steel to grow as it was the first private steel manufacturing industry in India and operating internationally with regard to the globalization policy. Tata Steel started to export in the foreign markets as well as venturing into the new market with collaboration and acquisition of different steel companies making the company grow in the world economy. History is evident that no other Indian steel company has developed and expanded as Tata Steel industry did. The company has huge capacity to produce enormous tone of steel for the world consumption making the company compete in the world as a

Comerical law. sale of goods Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Comerical law. sale of goods - Case Study Example Under this UCC, John can claim that ABC’s president promised him that they roofing sheets were of high quality through the phone call and that is why he opted to buy them (Cornell University Law School 1). John can claim that the roofing sheets did not meet the fitness purposes for which goods of the kind of roofing sheets he wanted to buy meet. Such roofing sheets should be able to withstand poor weather. The roofing sheets lacked freedom from minor defects; they endanger the lives of the workers in the company safe and its durability was short term. John can file a claim against all these factors since ABC’s president promised him that all these issues will be addressed yet they were not (Hooley 19). If someone has been sold a faulty product, then they are lawfully entitled to claim from the seller any direct expenses that they have incurred (Adams 53). John can, therefore, file a claim on the expense of restoring back his company. This includes the $125,000 spent on the new roofing and the roughly $200,000 lost on damages by the previously damaged

Managing Human Capital Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Managing Human Capital Assignment - Essay Example People are complex, and the elements that motivate the human will involve more than the material or financial. Figure 1 is an author’s conception of the gamut spanned by the human resource reward system in an organization. Rewards may be intrinsic or extrinsic; intrinsic rewards are those values that an employee perceives he attains when he performs a certain job well. The value pursued by the employee is intangible, and the flawless execution of the job is itself its own reward, from which the employee derives immeasurable personal satisfaction. Factors that may enhance intrinsic rewards to the employee include the ability to participate in decision-making, relative freedom and discretion on the job, the assignment of work the employee finds more interesting, and the opportunity for personal growth, among others. There are likewise rewards that are of an extrinsic nature, that is, the source of the personal satisfaction derived by the employee is not part and parcel of the job itself, but is a result of the workings of the company’s incentive policies and system. Extrinsic rewards may be classified as either financial or non-financial. Financial rewards may be performance based (e.g. piecework, incentive pay plans, performance bonuses and merit pay plans), implied membership based (e.g.. profit sharing, cost of living increases, time-in-rank increase), and explicit membership based (e.g. protection programs, pay for time not worked, and services and perquisites). Those non-financial rewards include preferred office furnishing, assigned parking spaces, and ability to determine one’s preferred work assignments. Reference to different types of rewards or combinations thereof shall be made in the discussion. Merit issues span a broad and differentiated set of considerations, but which principally involve the determination of those aspects of

The Pros and Cons of Globalization for India Research Paper

The Pros and Cons of Globalization for India - Research Paper Example Because of globalization, various connections have taken place in global arena. Cultural and economic interactions have become more pronounced (Steger 49-89). Moreover, creations of free flow of people, goods, and services. Communication advancements have streamlined the globe and the world has now been viewed as a one village. Interconnections have increased rapidly due to advancement in technology. India is one of the countries that globalization has influenced in all aspects (Steger 123). This paper seeks to discuss pros and cons of globalization in India. Globalization has ensured India open up to the rest of the world. Various changes have taken place in India due to globalization. Globalization led to Indian government waiving restriction of its market to foreign interventions in the 1990’s. Consequently, Indian economy saw a tremendous growth that was unprecedented. Various sectors of the economy improved with a marginal rate such as steel industry, medical companies, a nd the energy (Nayak 113-115). Moreover, inflow of foreign income increased. In addition, the number of foreign investors in India increased and more jobs were created. Likewise, crucial areas of the economy such as the rails and roads were rebuilt due to increased source of revenue. The rate at which foreign companies and firms engaged with India also increased and the number of working class rose due to demand of workforce by industries that were built because of globalization. Most of the Indian industries adopted new technological advancement was distributed evenly in global arena. Secondly, relations between countries and India have improved significantly. This is due to thrust on the industry and trade in India. Consequently, this has led to improved accumulation of revenue and communication between trading partners. This has instilled a level of reliance and reciprocated confidence. In addition, globalization has led to proliferation of Indian pharmaceuticals companies especi ally in Africa. Indians have been outsourced to various countries due to cheap provision of labor. Such country like America have benefited from Indian worker since early 1990’s. Indian doctors have been outsourced to various part of the world (Mazumdar and Sarkar 141). In addition, the number of patient seeking specialized treatment in India has improved significantly in the last decade. The rise of foreign industries and product has given consumers chance to have a wider variety of good to choose from. However, even after the tremendous changes that were achieved after globalization there were still negative impact of globalization to the republic of India. India depends largely on its own company for growth and revenue acquisition. However, this has been hindered by globalization. Due to heavy investment by foreign companies in India, the rate of competition has increased. Majority of Indians consumer have changed their preference and taste and this made them to opt qualit y good manufactured by foreign companies. This affected Indian major companies such as steel and pharmaceuticals companies that were perceived to produce lower quality goods. Most of the companies that brought competition are from China and America. Additionally, high level of foreign investment to a country does not correlate to improved revenue. This is because most of the acquired profit is usually shipped back to mother country for

Asylum and Immigration Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Asylum and Immigration Law - Essay Example Some of the reasons mentioned by these legal brains include the need for economic protection. Even in the light of the fact that rules that limit the movement of people from one country to another remain, there also remain the need for people to be trans-bordered once a while without going through the laid down procedure2. One condition that creates this legal exemption is the issue of asylum seeking. This paper discusses the Humanitarian Aims of the 1951 Geneva Convention and how the aims have been upheld by countries over the years – particularly the United Kingdom. Background to the Humanitarian Aims of the 1951 Geneva Convention In the year 2001, the world celebrated 50 years of passing the Status of Refugees through the 1951 Geneva Convention. Legal analysts note the humanitarian needs that accompanied the need for the convention. In the first place, Mason (2009) notes that there was a humanitarian need for the convention because of the increasing rate at which the number of refugees was multiplying the world over. She notes that â€Å"over 30 million â€Å"persons of concern to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees† can still be counted in the world today.3† In the midst of the increasing population of refugees, the fundamental human rights spelt out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDRH) by the United Nations General Assembly of 1948 covers and protect refugees also4. It is for this reason that in 1951; three years after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Geneva Convention sought it prudent to institutionalize policies that protected the basic rights of refugees. Even more, there was the realization by the Geneva Convention to the effect that causes and factors that put people in the state of being refugees were mostly, inevitable, unpredictable and unintentional and thus the need to be empathetic towards the plight of refugees. In this direction, the FAO Corporate Document Repository (2009) states that †Å"as man-made disasters are one of the main causes that force people from their homes, international refugee law, contribute to protect human rights in emergency situations.5† It was indeed with such humanitarian aims that the leaders who met in Geneva in 1951 thought it prudent put together the Geneva Convention and Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees6. Overview of the UK Social Welfare System in protecting the rights of Asylum-seekers Even though the social welfare system of the United Kingdom was not structured purposely to cater for asylum seekers alone, the system has a lot of place and representation for asylum seekers; especially based on the core principles on which the system functions. Spicker (2001) quotes Asa Briggs (1961)7 who defines the principles on which the social welfare system of the United Kingdom operates as â€Å"a guarantee of minimum standards, including a minimum income; social protection in the event of insecurity; and the provision of servi ces at the best level possible.8† Since refugees fall under all these three wings of principles, it has become eminent on the United Kingdom Social Welfare System to over the years protect the rights of Asylum seekers. Once present, there are laws and legal reforms binding the United Kingdom government to put in place certain basic conditions and

Recession and Banking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Recession and Banking - Essay Example This was indicated by the McKinsey research which demonstrated that the competitive analysis proved how the banking industry was not adhering to set market dynamics anywhere in the world. With differences in performance between regions, structures and sub sectors, the use of the five forces of competition easily came across in the changing global dynamics of the banking sector. The McKinsey research further concluded that the next decade will herald a worldwide GDP growth reaching 16% by 2012. According to Deloitte, "The global banking industry weathered turbulent times in 2007 and early 2008. After rising interest rates and a decline in U.S. housing prices drove increased defaults among subprime borrowers, investors rapidly lost their appetite for securities based on subprime mortgages and soon for other securitized assets as well. Given the integration of capital markets, the impacts quickly ricocheted around the world, affecting banks, securities firms, and hedge funds in the Unit ed States, Europe, and Asia." (Global Banking Industry Outlook, 2008; Pp 1 to 12) This can be seen in the fact outlines by Deloitte according to which the AAA downward trends have affected the hedge funds the most. While commercial and investment banking institutions had announced write offs of almost $100 billion by January 2008, increased legal activity (double of what was seen in the previous year) became the trend for August 2008 onwards. (Global Banking Industry Outlook, 2008) In the face of these trends, this essay will seek to study the changing dynamics of the global banking industry according to the Pestel analysis and Porter's five forces of competition. PESTEL ANALYSIS Following are the features according to which the analysis has been carried out by taking the questions into consideration when studying the various pieces of literature to find a conclusion: Political What is the culture of the organization, How is the HR function viewed by other functions Who are the political champions of HR (or its adversaries) Shareholder views Economic What is the budgetary position of the department, Is more money available Are our customers likely to spend more or less money on the services we offer What is happening to the financial status of the organization Interest rates Inflation Salary trends in the sector Sociological Other departmental attitudes to HR Population shifts (age profile) Education Fads Diversity Immigration/emigration Health Living standards Housing trends Fashion & role models Age profile Attitudes to career Technological What changes may be coming our way What new technology/ systems, How do we record attendance, performance how might this change Use of and encourage home working Communications technologies changes of technology that will increase/ reduce the need for recruitment changes to HR software Legal What is happening in our sector that will impact what we do Minimum wage, Working time, Food stuffs, Under 18 working, Occupational/ industrial Training etc. What changes will impact the services of the organization Environmental Staff morale Staff engagement Need to reduce storage needs Management attitudes (inside dept/ function) Organizational culture Source: RapidBi - Pestel Template Findings The basic finding based on the PESTEL analysis points to the following trends as outlined in the various

'An emissions trading scheme is a better policy instrument than a Essay

'An emissions trading scheme is a better policy instrument than a carbon tax in tackling climate change.' Critically evaluat - Essay Example Two of the most widely accepted instruments in this regard are: ‘Emissions Trading Scheme’ and ‘Carbon Tax’ (Van Asselt, 2010, p.126). Both of them are being utilized by the government in order to reduce toxic emission in the natural environment. However, the government has only limited the amount of emissions rather than solving this issue from the roots. Emissions trading scheme allows the industries to release a certain amount of pollutants in to the air. It is basically a market based approach which is supported by economic incentives (Cass, 2005, 38). When a firm successfully reduces its emission of pollutants then it is most likely valued by the government. In contrast to this the carbon tax is a mere pricing strategy according to which households and firms are supported to control pollution with the implementation of various technologies and plantation. In this case the firms have to pay a certain amount of tax because of burning fossil fuels or causi ng gas pollution (Eckersley, 2010, p. 367). This paper aims to critically evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of both the pollution controlling strategies while supporting the claim that emissions trading scheme

The term white Essay Example for Free

The term white Essay What is our reaction or impression when we read or hear the term white? Quite often, it is simply colour that instantly comes to our minds. Furthermore, many of us are unaware of the various interpretations involving the word. This is not surprising! Lets start with white clothing and its purposes, symbolic, or factual, commonly used in religions as well as in hospitals. The pope, an obvious Roman Catholic, wears white robes to portray his distinctive figure, being the highest authority at the Vatican. Similarly, some nuns wear white habits to reveal their puritanical appearance, and, not surprisingly, a bride of the same faith traditionally wears a white wedding dress to demonstrate her virginal aspect. Looking at a different religion, it is very interesting to learn about the custom in Islamic countries, where the dead are buried naked, wrapped in a white cloth. Their belief is that it symbolizes purity and is a necessary religious practice for the dead to get to heaven. When it comes to facts, we also understand the necessity of white garments used in private or public hospitals, and most clinics. Here, there are compulsory regulations where all medical staff must wear white uniforms, ranging from caps to overcoats and suits. It is the intention of the hospitals to help their patients and outsiders, distinguish the doctors, physicians, nurses and other medical assistants. We go on to fascinating white creations, being those of nature. For example, clouds, snow, sleet, ice, fog and mist are all naturally white as a result of atmospheric temperatures. Even the moon, stars and lightning flashes are white, however, at night! Moreover, another example is that of bones, such as humans, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, as well as the milk produced by humans and animals. Likewise, even the sap produced by some trees, is white. Other interpretations of white are present in grammatical expressions. It is also used to reveal a persons image, emotions or feelings. An example would be, He became white with shock. Very often, white used before a noun denotes the whiteness in colour, of that subject. However, it is also possible that words used immediately after the term can have nothing to do with the colour itself and can have completely different or contradictory meanings, such as: A white admiral, a kind of butterfly from Eurasia; A white ant, another name for a termite that is black in colour! As we approach the final subject, think about white and associate it with food. The result of our imagination could be rice, sugar, salt or flour. However, did we bear in mind at the same instant, that these foods were initially not white, but became so after a thorough process or refinement? In opposition to the previous question, it is amazing how some flesh foods not naturally white in raw state, turn white in appearance, as a result of cooking. Such classified foods are fish, chicken, turkey and duck. Consequently, what do we contemplate about white eggshells? We reason their naturally white colour but we definitely do not think of eating them! Nevertheless, the albumin, a part of its edible contents, also turns white in colour when cooked. An advantageous food compared to those previously mentioned is the cauliflower, a beneficial vegetable that remains white in colour and edible, both in raw and cooked state. After looking at all these examples, we now realize how vastly the term can be interpreted, whether used religiously, symbolically, factually, as a natural creation, in general vocabulary or food. Perhaps the next time we are asked a question about a colour, our immediate thoughts or assumptions will be somewhat different, than just the ordinary colour itself!

Food Globalization in China Essay Example for Free

Food Globalization in China Essay In most Chinese traditional families, family members would sit around the dining table and dine together. Everyone would talk about the day and bond as a family. Usually, it would be the mother who would buy groceries after work and return home to cook for the family. Sometimes, the father, the children or even the grandparents would help out in the kitchen. The mother of the family would always consider the nutrition, thus for every dish, it would be well-prepared, making sure that every family member would not have any health problems, such as getting sick or malnutrition. This was what a Chinese traditional family would be like in the past where fast food restaurants and â€Å"instant† food were scarce. Today’s Chinese family has altered tremendously. Purchasing meals at fast food restaurants is such an easy task compared to the loads of work and preparation for cooking at home. As a result, a mother has lost her chance to increase her energy expenditure that she would have spent on traveling to the grocery store, choosing and purchasing items, and returning home to cook. In addition, the bonding time for the family has decreased due to lack of interactions such as cooking and dining together. Instead, a mother has found other ways to provide food for the family. She would often go straight to a nearby fast food chain, make a take-away order or purchase instant French fries or noodles from a nearby supermarket. Likewise, compared to the traditional way of Chinese dinners, where families sit around a table of different dishes, fast food menus are mostly set for individuals, the amount of time that a family spends together is again decreased, and this unhealthy diet may slowly lead to unpredicted illnesses. In a matter of time, whether you are sitting in a restaurant or walking along the shopping districts of Shanghai, you look around and you could see humongous people with waist like pillars, arms that looks like thighs and thighs that rub against each other when they walk, one hand holding a cup of Pepsi and the other feeding themselves with McDonald’s cheese burger. There will be no more people with wrinkles and white hair. The life expectancy has dropped to fifty. This is not an illusion but an anticipated look of the future: The Fat China. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, globalization is the development of an increasingly integrated global economy, which is marked by the increase in cross-border flows of goods, services, money, people, information and culture. It brings the world together by spreading different ideas, making foreign products easier to access, speeding up the pace of life, and increasing the understanding around us. Most countries welcome the rush of globalization, which symbolizes advancements. However, the negative consequences on Chinese culture are deniable and are not worth the consequences. Food globalization is spreading through the world’s diverse cultures in the form of fast food restaurants, high-caloric beverages, supermarkets supplying instant food and high-caloric imported products, and culture changes that affect family bonding time. These changes have resulted in unhealthy diets, a decrease of energy expenditure, and illnesses such as obesity. Food globalization is causing a negative effect in China. Since the 1980s, China’s openness has led to the growth of foreign fast food chains in China. Coca-cola, Starbucks, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Hà ¤agen-Daz, Dunkin’ Donuts, Baskin-Robbins, Pepsi, DQ, Pizzahut, Papa John’s and Mcdonald’s can be found almost everywhere in China (Popkin). According to Wen Dale, a member of the International Forum on Globalization, McDonald’s alone has opened up to at least 235 restaurants in China, excluding 158 Mcdonald’s franchises in Hong Kong. Every time when I go by McDonald’s in China, I can see the long lines of people, waiting for their turn to purchase the high-caloric food. When I visited Hangzhou (a city next to Shanghai) at the age of six, I already saw many KFCs around Hangzhou. Today’s Hangzhou is way different compared to twelve years ago, it is more modernized, and at the same time, it is crowded with fast food restaurants. In the shopping district of Hangzhou, there are not only Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton but also McDonald’s, Pizzahut, Hà ¤agen-Dazs, Dunkin’ Donuts, Baskin-Robbins, Papa John’s, Starbucks and many other fast food chains. Globalization brought westernization, prosperity into China as well as fast food chains. According to A.Michelle Mendez, a nutritional epidemiologist who received her master’s in epidemiology at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, supermarkets, for example, have â€Å"accounted for 48 percent of the urban food markets in China, an increase beyond the 30 percent level in 1999†. With this increase of urban food markets in China, the traditional markets that provide fresh and unprocessed products has started to decline, leading to a higher consumption of processed food. Furthermore, these urban food markets are not only found in large cities but also in poorer areas. (Mendez) The growing presence of Carrefour and Metro that imports foreign products brought giant stores that offer a wide variety of high caloric snacks and soft drinks, increasing the availability of unhealthy products. For example, the direct imports of French fries from the United States has increased tenfold between 1995 and 1999 (Mendez). Food globalization that increased the number of foreign investments produces negative changes to the Chinese Cultures (Dale). Globalization has brought large foreign supermarket firms and fast food chains into China. All of these has resulted in lifestyle changes which include a shift from natural-homemade food and beverages consumed to processed ones, a higher consumption of foreign food, a driving dietary change, an increase intake of caloric sweeteners, a reduced food preparation time and an increase in intake of pre-cooked foods. These led to an increase in obesity rate in China. For foreign food chains to produce large amount of ingredients and products and ship them all the way across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, unhealthy chemicals are often added during production. The contemporary world is characterized by â€Å"an intense, continuous, comprehensive interplay between the indigenous and the imported†. (Jackson) This is demonstrated through the importing and exporting of fast food ingredients. According to John Andrew, a citizen journalist, these chemicals are sometimes known as â€Å"food additives† and not all food additives used are foods. Instead, they are â€Å"chemical that are generally recognized as safe† (Andrew). Almost all of these additives are nowhere to be found in a local supermarket, instead, some are found in â€Å"inedible products like tox antifreeze, silicone caulk, soap, sunscreen and play sand† (Andrew). As reported by Riddhi Shah, a writer for the website Salon, Sally Davies, a New York photographer started a â€Å"part-art, part-food† science experiment. Davies documented a McDonald’s Happy Meal every few days until it spoiled. Even at day 137, â€Å"the meal still looks pretty great† (Shah). After reading this experiment, how would people still feel safe and happy consuming these â€Å"Happy Meals†? Consuming foods with chemicals or food additives may damage long-term health. Globalization brought changes that I have personally encountered. In 2007, the number of foreign franchises in China could be counted with ten fingers. There were only a few Starbucks and McDonald’s opened their first outlet near the downtown Wulin Square, the shopping district in Hangzhou. However, after only three years, the number of Starbucks has quadrupled. Today, there are at least eight Starbucks in Hangzhou compared to the only one less than five years ago. Because Starbucks is present everywhere, it is easy for individuals to grab a cup of Caramel Frappuccino (which is about 430 calories) whenever passing by. This availability has brought about a rush of coffee addicts in China as well as weight gains. Likewise, the newly opened Starbucks near Hangzhou International School where I attended high school attracts many students and faculty daily. This situation also happens to the McDonald’s near the school. The increase in availability has caused a tremendous increase in junk food consumption among the staff and students. It is easy for students and faculty to grab a coffee, or a muffin before or after school. In most countries, especially the United States, Asians are often stereotyped as skinny. However, this perception will have to be altered in the coming decade. In the past, malnutrition has been the main health problem in China. According to James. A Levine, a professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, more than 60 million people have become obese in China (Levine). The data presents 23 percent of Chinese population is overweight. 12 percent adults and 8 percent children have obesity (Levine). The more serious problem is that Levine has predicted by 2020, the obesity population in China will exceed that of the United States. The Chinese population is one of the largest in the world and if as predicted by Levine, the Chinese obesity rate rises, the whole world will be affected by this change. Misra points out â€Å"that the obesity and the metabolic syndrome are immediate cursors of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease†, thus as China’s obesity rate increases, the well being of the Chinese population is evidently threatened. The increase in obesity rate will lead to maladaptive consequences such as an increase in other illnesses, and these studies provide a strong correlation with the growing of foreign fast food chains. Consequently, the increase of foreign fast food chains has affected everyone living in China. Easy accessibility to these restaurants and supermarkets reduces Chinese’s physical activity and labor intensity in both the urban and rural areas (Jackson). This increase number of foreign supermarkets has also resulted in a rise in the average intake of vegetable oil from â€Å"14.8 grams per person in 1989 to 35.1 grams per person in 2004, adding an extra 183 kcal to the population’s daily diet† (Popkin) (see table 1). In table 1, the availability for consumption of total calories has been going upslope since the 1961 and has no inclination of slowing down. Thus, these changes result in an increase in Chinese adults’ consumption on high-fat which rose from 33 percent to 60.8 percent in urban areas and 13.5 percent to 29.3 percent in rural areas (Mendez). Table 1 Regional Trends in Availability for Consumption of Total Calories, 1961-2000†¨Source: Misra, Anoop and Lokesh Khurana. â€Å"Obesity and the Metabolic Syndrome in Developing Countries†. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2008. Web. 8 November 2011. By switching from Chinese traditional diet to a Western diet, Chinese are consuming goods that are much higher in calories. In a Chinese traditional family, a dinner often included a few dishes of vegetables, a few dishes of meat (normally less than the number of vegetable dishes), a soup, and lastly a bowl of rice for each family member. One or two of the family members freshly cooked all of the food. This kind of traditional dinner included all components of a healthy meal for a well-balanced diet. For centuries, the only beverages Chinese consumed were tea, water, and breast milk after birth. â€Å"Because water has no calories, the human body did not evolve to reduce food intake to compensate for beverage consumption†, thus, adding sugar into new beverages will increase the caloric intake of an individual. (Popkin) Table 2 displays the short history of caloric beverage for humans. From breast milk, water consumption, the human as evolved to consume soda, coffee, juice, liquor and other beverages that contain sugar. Thereby, when people consume any beverage other than water, their total calorie consumption increase (Popkin). Table 2 Remarkably Short History for Caloric Beverages: Might the Absence of Compensation Relate to This Historical Revolution? Source: Popkin, Barry M. â€Å"The World is Fat.† The World is Fat (2008): n. pag. Web. 8 December 2011. The increase in availability of foreign food restaurants has led to a significant decrease of home-prepared food according to Popkin, an â€Å"obvious shift in home-prepared food and home-based meals to ready-to eat meals, often consumed away from home. With this consumption, Chinese are spending less time with their family members and more time outside of their homes. Even though families may eat out at a fast food restaurant together, as the food is served â€Å"fast†,, the social time that an individual spend with his family is still decreased. It is true that food globalization has presented positive effects on Chinese culture, such as the bringing a diverse of cuisines into China, satisfying the Chinese’s curiosity, the increase in their pace of life and the step of taking Chinese a leap forward into the understanding of the outside world. However, the negative consequences, such as the increase in health risks, and the diminishment of traditional culture that come together with food globalization are inevitable and are worth much more of the attention. These negative consequences may not seem worthwhile at this moment but when they do become serious problems, it will be too late to ameliorate. The question that is left for everyone to ponder is that do a higher standard of living, a higher pace of life worth the sacrifice? Work Cited Dale, Wen. â€Å"The Fast Food Invasion†. China Copes with Globalization: (2005): n. pag. Web 14 November 2011. Jackson, Peter. â€Å"Local Consumption Cultures in a Globalizing World†. Royal Geographical Society (2004): n. pag. Web. 13 November 2011.Levine, James A. â€Å"Obesity in China: Causes and Solutions†. Chinese Medical Journal (2007): n. pag. Web. 13 November 2011. Mendez, A. Michelle and M. Popkin. â€Å"Globalization, Urbanization and Nutritional Change In the Developing World†. Globalization of Food Systems in Developing Countries: Impact on Food Security and Nutrition (2004): n. pag. Web. 13 November2011. Popkin, Barry M. â€Å"The World is Fat.† The World is Fat (2008): n. pag. Web. 13 November 2011.Watson, L. James. â€Å"Chinas Big Mac Attack†. Foreign Affairs (2000): n. pag. Web. 12 November 2011. Wong, Seanon. â€Å"Whats In A Dumpling†. University of Chicago (2006): n. pag. Web. 13 November 2011 Wu, Yangfeng. â€Å"Overweight and obesity in China†. BMJ (2006): n. pag. Web. 13 November 2011. Tan, Cheryn. â€Å"Curry Origins and History†. Suite101, 2009. Web. 13 November 2011. Shah, Riddhi. â€Å"The Secret to the Immortality of McDonalds Food†. Salon, 2010. Web. 13 November 2011. Andrew, John. â€Å"Surprise Ingredients in Fast Food†. Natural New, 2010. Web. 13 November 2011. Misra, Anoop and Lokesh Khurana. â€Å"Obesity and the Metabolic Syndrome in Developing Countries†. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2008. Web. 13 November 2011.

Network Simulation With OPNET Modeler

Network Simulation With OPNET Modeler M.KAMRAN USMANI ABSTRACT Routing protocol is the key for the quality of modern communication network. EIGRP, OSPF and RIP are the dynamic routing protocols being used in the practical networks to propagate network topology information to the neighboring routers. There have been a large number of static and dynamic routing protocols available but choice of the right protocol for routing is dependent on many parameters critical being network convergence time, scalability, memory and CPU requirements, security and bandwidth requirement etc. This Assignment uses OPNET simulation tool to analyze the performance of RIP and EIGRP commonly used in IP network. Initially We have Following Network. By Examining the Network we figure out that Red line indicating the Data Rate of 44.736 Mbps between network components and only Network connection between London Office and Portsmouth office has Data Rate of 64 Kbps. The Traffic Flow between London Office and Bristol_corporate is IP_Traffic Flow having following chracteristics      RIP Protocol Over Netwrok: Routing Information Protocol (RIP) is a distance vector dynamic routing protocol that employs the hop count as a routing metric. RIP is implemented on top of the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) as its transport protocol. It is assigned the reserved port number 520. RIP prevents routing loops by implementing a limit on the number of hops allowed in a path from the source to a destination. The maximum number of permitted hops is 15. Hence a hop count of 16 is considered an infinite distance. This hop number limits the size of networks that RIP may support. RIP selects paths that have the smallest hop counts. However, the path may be the slowest in the network. RIP is simple and efficient in small networks. First we have to run RIP routing protocol in the network for a simulation period of 600 seconds with selecting following criteria Path Selection Time Taken for routing convergence Protocol Overhead Path Selection For path selection we get following result with RIP protocol The IP traffic Flow is from London to Bristol Corporate and due to Low Data rate between London to Portsmouth path as compare to London to Oxford path the RIP protocol follows maximum the low Data rate path which is London Office to Portsmouth, and graph displays data throughput for the links London to Portsmouth and Portsmouth to Bristol. Time Taken for routing convergence RIP is distance vector routing protocols, announces its routes in an unsynchronized and unacknowledged manner. This can lead to convergence problems. The graph is showing the time taken for routing convergence of RIP. The convergence time is high 6.975 sec that’s mean routers are finding it difficult to exchange state information. Protocol Overhead RIP is a â€Å"distance vector† based protocol selects the best routing path based on a distance metric (the distance) and an interface (the vector) , RIP protocols evaluate the best path based on distance, which can be measured in terms of hops or a combination of metrics calculated to represent a distance value. In this exercise RIP selects London to Portsmouth link and maximum utilization occurs . The utilisation and convergence data suggests there is some queuing and blocking on the link. For example, the utilisation for the London to Portsmouth link is high i.e 84.629 therefore suggesting the link is suffering from over-utilisation. Queuing/Delay In the point to point queuing graph , the London to Portsmouth Link contains queuing delay on average 3.6032 sec , therefore suggesting there is traffic blocking or queuing on the link. The link between London to Portsmouth uses a DS0 (Blue) cable with a data rate of 64Kbps compared to the other links in the network that use a DS3 cable (Red) with a data rate of 44.736Mbps; therefore the combination of the over-utilisation of the London to Portsmouth link with the low data rate cable (DS0) has caused traffic queuing or blocking to occur. -Excersise -2 - EIGRP Protocol Over Netwrok: Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP) is a Cisco proprietary routing protocol. It is based on a new route calculation algorithm called the Diffusing Update Algorithm (DUAL). It has features of both distance vector and link state protocols. EIGRP metrics are based on reliability, MTU, delay, load, and bandwidth. Delay and bandwidth are the basic parameters for calculating metrics First we have to run EIGRP routing protocol in the network for a simulation period of 600 seconds with selecting following criteria Path Selection Time Taken for routing convergence Protocol Overhead Path Selection For path selection we get following result with EIGRP protocol The IP traffic Flow is from London to Bristol Corporate but as contrast with RIP which selected low data rate path, EIGRP select the path from London to Oxford , Oxford to Birmingham , and Birmingham to Bristol path to achieve the traffic Flow. Time Taken for routing convergence EIGRP is more efficient as compared to RIP , Graphs are showing the convergence duration very fast 0.0074427 Sec as Compared to RIP which was 6.975 Sec with same scenario. Protocol Overhead As Compared to RIP , No over utilisation occurs in EIGRP , Utilisation graphs shown above clearly that the utilisation distributed evenly over path with value for the London to Oxford is 5.5606 , Oxford to Birmingham is 5.5783 and Birmingham to Bristol is 5.5662 EIGRP performs better in terms of network convergence, routing traffic, and Ethernet delay. EIGRP has the characteristics of both distance vector and link state protocols, has improved network convergence, reduced routing protocol traffic, and less CPU and RAM utilization compared to RIP protocol. EIGRP has very low usage of network resources during normal operation since only hello packets are transmitted. When a routing table changes, its convergence time is short and it reduces bandwidth utilization -Excersise -3 - FAILURE SCENARIO We introduced a link Failure Scenario between Bristol corporate and Porstmouth Office after 100 Seconds and its recovery at 200 Seconds and run the RIP and EIGRP protocol over network. Following are our Observations with side by side comparison of RIP and EIGRP Utilization In the RIP protocol the link failure after 100 sec prevented the traffic to flow; therefore when the link recovered after 200 sec a huge amount of traffic was bottlenecked on the link causing the utilisation of the London to Portsmouth to suddenly increase. Also it can be observed that during the time of the failure the RIP protocol began to reroute the traffic over the London to Oxford, Oxford to Birmingham, and Birmingham to Bristol links before the link recovered the graph is showing this small utilization on the links. In the EIGRP Protocol, link failure event did not affect the utilisation of the EIGRP protocol because the link was not used in the routing path; The EIGRP did not use the link Portsmouth to Bristol in its path selection, so the performance of the network will be barely affected by the failure ; hence the utilisation values doesn’t change Convergence In RIP The Convergence Duration becomes much higher as compare to old scenario before Failure , it was 6.975 before and 19.409 now , this is because routers updates their routing tables when failure occurred and recovered it takes more time period , In Contrast with EIGRP protocol the Convergence Duration becomes 0.012273 , much less than RIP this is because EIGRP only update the link failure routing table not the whole network , So EIGRP provides much efficient and faster way to achieve convergence. Time Delay of Protocol More IP packets drops in RIP as compared to EIGRP because of the failure in link of the path which RIP follows , and as contrast less IP packets drops in EIGRP because it does not follow the path of failure link. -Excersise -4 - Consider the given Network merging with another network, Picture shown below the merging Network The IP Traffic flows sending traffic from London Office to three destination North-wales Plant, Birmingham Plant and Oxford Office. We defined IP Traffic according to given table. A New Link DS_1 ( Black Line in Picture ) introduced which connects North-wales Plant to London Office via The New Manchester Office. We runs RIP as routing Protocol which gives us Following observations: Utilization From Graph it is clearly showing that utilisation is high for London office to Manchester office and Manchester Office to North Wales Both are approximately 97 % utilisation which is overutilization and cause serious problems to the network. For London to oxford office and Oxford to Birmingham Plant the utilisation is nearly 13% and 6% this is because of link using high data rate cable DS3 where we get the low utilisation and low data rate comparatively where we get lower data rate cable. DS1 cable has data rate of 1.5Mbps which DS3 has 44.736 Mbps With this Observation , we come to know that one possible solution is using EIGRP protocol , as EIGRP protocol solve the over utilisation problem from our network. Lets see by running the EIGRP protocols and compare the result of it with RIP The EIGRP protocol solves the Over utilization problem we have faced in RIP protocol and the resultant graph and comparison is showing this clearly with evenly distributed utilization over selected path by EIGRP. CONCLUSIONS : It can be seen that EIGRP compared to RIP performs better in terms of network convergence activity and Routing protocol traffic. EIGRP has the characteristics of both distance vector and link state protocols, has improved network convergence, reduced routing protocol traffic, and less CPU and RAM utilization compared to RIP References: Performance Analysis of RIP, EIGRP, and OSPF using OPNET By Don Xu and Ljiljana TrajkoviĆ¡ Dynamic Routing Protocol Implementation Decision between EIGRP, OSPF and RIP Based on Technical Background Using OPNET Modeller By Thornier, S.G.

Languages :: Personal Narrative Foreign Papers

Languages i'm torn/rejecting outfits offered me/regretting things i've worn -Ani Difranco, "Pale Purple" Bilingual people make me feel guilty. I read somewhere that in Sweden as well as many Asian countries schoolchildren are required to learn two languages at the very least, one of them English. I feel proud as a speaker of excellent English. This is in part because the United States is such a powerful entity (the "dominating world power"), but I don't want to think about that. However, when I spent time in Brazil with my Portuguese-speaking native mother, I was a gringa; my English forming gravel in the mouth, harsh and jarring against the smooth samba-based rhythms of Portuguese. I was the colonialist, the military colossus, the politicians and baby-kisser. I was the United States. This feels deja vu. I have written this essay before. It got me into New York University. Then it was about finding a cultural niche during a four-week tourist vacation in Rio, Sao Paulo, and Bahia one summer. I postulated, "Up until the summer of 1998, the culture limb of my body sculpture was not yet carved. Rio took up the chisel, and Bahia the hammer. . . I . . .danced the samba. . .and gained a cultural identity." The power of the mind is overwhelming: I cannot distinguish whether I truly believed that I became Brazilian on that trip to my motherland or if I just thought such a "poignant" essay-where I come to the realization that I do not need to speak the language to be Brazilian-would get me into college. My mother is trilingual; she speaks Spanish, Portuguese, and English fluently. She has this uncanny ability to recognize the rhythms of foreign languages (foreign. . . what an alienating word that is). "What language are they speaking, mommy?" became a common question whispered when walking down the street. At one point, she worked for the New York City court system as a translator. And I, I speak but English. Only English. Beautifully, but still. As I wrote in that fateful essay, "When I was two I knew more Portuguese than I know now." I picked up a few basic phrases when I visited-"where's the bathroom?" and "I like chicken"-but the only thing I've retained is how to introduce myself. Eu me chamo Lila. I blame most of this on my father. His line was "speak English to her.

Ebola: Global Annihilation? :: Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever (Ebola HF)

â€Å"Doctors told to prepare for global outbreak after Ebola victim was allowed on two planes† - - www.mirror.co.uk Until the global outbreak of the Ebola virus in 2014, I heard of a real-life present-day killer virus. Of course, I learned about the Black Plague that occurred centuries ago killing millions of people. But in the modern day, no. It was horrifying. This paper will explore the origins, types, causes/effects, and what is being done to fight the spread of the Ebola virus – the Black Plague of 2014. It is believed that this virus has been in hiding since ancient times. The lack of knowledge about it’s natural history and reservoirs keeps researchers seeking out the mysterious virus that has no treatment or cure. Based on the available evidence and comparisons of similar viruses, researchers believed the virus to be animal-borne and that the host animal is native to Africa. Their attempts have been unsuccessful, and the source of the virus or where it circulates in between outbreaks is unknown. There is but one other virus similar to the Ebola, which is a Filovirus, and that is Marburg. Ebola has a 90% death rate, whereas, Marburg is not as deadly. Their long and ropelike shape rather than roundness, as is most other viruses, characterize Filoviruses. Ebola is contracted very much like HIV: bodily fluids such as blood, vomit, sharing needles, and sexual contact. The only difference is that Ebola can be transmitted from the close contact of an infected person, which is the most common means of infection. This is possible because the Ebola virus has cells on the infected person’s skin. For example, should you touch someone with the virus and then an opening on your body, like your mouth, you can be infected. This is why and how so many health care workers and family members are contaminated before a diagnosis is made. Ebola has an incubation period of 2-21 days depending on how one acquired the virus: direct (needle) or less direct (close contact) contact. Direct contact is far deadlier than the latter. The virus’ name is taken from the Ebola River in Zaire (now known as Democratic Republic of the Congo), the site of the initial outbreak in 1976. The primary symptoms are flu-like: sore throat, muscle pain, headaches, and weakness. Then, as it advances, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, and limited kidney and liver functions occur.

Russ Feingold :: essays research papers

On March 2, 1953, in Janesville Wisconsin, a United States Senator was born. He was named Russell Dana Feingold, and he grew up shaping, and discussing his political views around the dinner table with his father, Leon, a founding member of Wisconsin’s Progressive Movement. 51 years later, Feingold is a third term U.S. Senator known for work both on Campaign Finance Reform, and on other issues critical to the people of Wisconsin.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Feingold first ran for office at the age of 29, and immediately began to get recognition as a rising star in Wisconsin politics. After defeating a longtime incumbent State Senator by the thin margin of 31 votes out of 47,000, Feingold sat down and began the real work of politics. After 4 years as a State Senator from southern Wisconsin, Feingold began to gain respect and admiration from his colleagues on both sides of the aisle.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Feingold was re-elected to the State Senate in twice before joining a three way primary for U.S. Senator in 1992. Feingold was the least known candidate in the race, but through hard work, and popular TV ads, Feingold received 70% of the vote, and became the Democratic Nominee. Defeating an incumbent Senator is never easy, but Feingold managed to do it, by receiving 52% of the vote, and defeating 2-time incumbent Robert Kasten.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As Senator from Wisconsin, Feingold is known for his independence and free thinking. Feingold once said. â€Å"I find it to be the most satisfying moment in politics when people of differing ideologies come together in support of an issue.† He is widely regarded as a man who has the best interests of the people of Wisconsin at heart, what earned him this reputation was his pledge during his first Senate campaign in 1992, to hold one listening session in each of Wisconsin’s 72 counties each year. This way, any Wisconsinite could discuss issues directly with Senator Feingold, without an appointment. One issue that was continually coming up in those early listening sessions was Campaign Finance Reform.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With the help of his friend John McCain, Republican Senator from Arizona, Feingold worked for almost 7 years on his flagship piece of legislation, what would later become known as the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform Act. The bill, when it was eventually passed in 2001 succeeded in banning unlimited soft money contributions given by corporations to political parties in exchange for favors, or access to politicians.

Dehumanization in All Quiet on the Western Front Essay

Winston Churchill always said, â€Å"You ask: what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, no matter how long and hard the world may be; for without victory, there is no survival. † In Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front, victory is seen as the only option. The soldiers in the novel do whatever it takes like acting before thinking or ignoring any possible consequences in order to emerge victorious. Paul and his comrades are exposed constantly to violence, jumpstarting a dehumanizing process that forces them to rely on animal instinct. This necessary instinct is the only thing that keeps them alive during war, but it also changes them internally leaving them with a different mindset. To survive the war, soldiers have to sacrifice any logical instinct or emotion and fight on animal instinct. They start out level-minded, but when they reach the front all that changes, as Paul believes when he says, â€Å"We march up, moody or good tempered soldiers – we reach the zone where the front begins and become on instinct human animals† (56). This animal instinct is necessary for their survival. When they are put in a situation concerning warfare, their mind adapts to the environment and begins to think of the enemy as targets, rather than human beings. It is simply a defensive mechanic that allows them to save themselves without the feeling of guilt. Paul’s opinion is that, â€Å"We have become wild beasts. We do not fight, we defend ourselves against annihilation†¦No longer do we lie helpless, waiting on the scaffold, we can destroy and kill, to save ourselves; to save ourselves and be revenged† (113). They are so preoccupied with fighting and staying alive, that their emotions completely disappear. This is proven by Paul’s thoughts: â€Å"If your own father came over with them you would not hesitate to fling a bomb at him† (114). Ultimately, if they did not dehumanize themselves they would not be able to kill anyone over the enemy line. A good example of this is when Paul is frozen after looking into the enemy’s eyes during the first bombardment, but he quickly gets over this to move on and save himself. T. S. Matthews in his article â€Å"Bad News† states, â€Å"They have had to become soldiers, and they are nothing else. They believe in the present moment; it is not enough, but it is all they can be sure of† (2). Matthews goes on to say, â€Å"But what keeps them going in man’s machine-made hell is the bodily presence of the friends around them† (2). On the contrary, dehumanization is the key to survival. Throughout the novel, Paul loses close friends of his and each time he does he finds the strength to keep on fighting. He may not always want to, but he keeps moving forward in his dehumanized state towards the end. Dehumanization not only affects the soldier physically but internally as well, both on and off the front. Being affected internally by dehumanization means that these soldiers are stripped of their emotions, have a changed their point of view on war, or are given a different mindset. When Paul and others go to visit Kemmerich, a former classmate whose leg was recently amputated, they can tell he is on the brink of death. Instead of being concerned, Paul’s classmate Muller is insensitive and is only concerned about his boots. Muller has been so dehumanized that all he can bring himself to think about is Kemmerich’s boots, and receiving them after his death. Later in the novel, Kat points out a sniper to Paul, who is killing off soldiers. As Kat mentions, this sniper feels no remorse or guilt about it his actions. He has been so dehumanized that he has come to enjoy killing others. Dehumanization causes the soldiers to think differently when it comes to death. They see so many people dead all the time that they begin to care less and less. Paul thinks, â€Å"When a man has seen so many dead he cannot understand any longer why there should be so much anguish over a single individual† (181). Internally, the soldiers are losing many things close to them because of being on the front. These things are written by Matthews, â€Å"Love they have not known, patriotism and all the other abstract virtues and vices have vanished away in their first drum-fire† (2). Due to being on the front, the soldiers find difficulty in some of the simplest things in life and losing other things they have already been taught. About this Matthews comments, â€Å"These youngsters whom the War is swiftly making unfit for civilian life (though many of them will not have to make the change) have cast aside, of necessity, all that they have been taught† (2). This dehumanization changes the soldiers, leaving with them with the consequences and wondering if the life of an animal is really worth living. When Paul returns home on leave, he is struck with the feeling of homelessness. He can take no comfort there, and begins to realize that this is not because his home changed, but himself instead. When Paul tries on ordinary civilian clothes, he feels awkward and doesn’t recognize himself. He also finds it hard to get along with people who constantly want to know about the war, like his own father. Even though Paul is near his family and acquaintances, he still feels isolated. He is so accustomed to being on the front with his comrades that he begins to think of that as the closest thing to home. Even after the war, the soldiers would return home feeling homeless and disconnected from society. John Wilson, the author of Combat and Comradeship, says, â€Å"A contrary outcome, ‘the residual stress perspective’ (Figley, 1978) suggests that the psychosocial aftermath of war continues or even intensifies through the post war years† (136). The men on the front are only concerned with life and death. When their life is at risk, their thought process changes from when they were safe. Their thoughts never remain the same, and the changes of their thoughts affect how they live their life. This is proven when Paul says, â€Å"Our thoughts are clay, they are molded with the changes of the days; when we are resting they are good; under fire, they are dead. Fields of craters within and without† (271). Because of all the war and violence that Paul and his comrades have suffered through, they have gone through a dehumanizing process. This process does in fact save them from war, but changes them into a completely different person. Living life dehumanized, in the end, is not worth it. They feel disconnected from home, lose all emotions and some even begin to think of death as the only option. By the end of the novel, Paul simply describes the life of a dehumanized soldier as, â€Å"Shells, gas clouds, and flotillas of tanks – shattering, corroding, death. Dysentery, influenza, typhus – scalding, choking, death. Trenches, hospitals, the common grave – there are no other possibilities† (283). Taking all these things into consideration, it is perfectly understandable why a soldier would not want this kind of life.

The Twilight Saga 4: Breaking Dawn 6. DISTRACTIONS

My entertainment became the number-one priority on isle Esme. We snorkeled (well, I snorkeled while he flaunted his ability to go without oxygen indefinitely). We explored the small jungle that ringed the rocky little peak. We visited the parrots that lived in the canopy on the south end of the island. We watched the sunset from the rocky western cove. We swam with the porpoises that played in the warm, shallow waters there. Or at least I did; when Edward was in the water, the porpoises disappeared as if a shark was near. I knew what was going on. He was trying to keep me busy, distracted, so I that wouldn't continue badgering him about the sex thing. Whenever I tried to talk him into taking it easy with one of the million DVDs under the big-screen plasma TV, he would lure me out of the house with magic words like coral reefs and submerged caves and sea turtles. We were going, going, going all day, so that I found myself completely famished and exhausted when the sun eventually set. I drooped over my plate after I finished dinner every night; once I'd actually fallen asleep right at the table and he'd had to carry me to bed. Part of it was that Edward always made too much food for one, but I was so hungry after swimming and climbing all day that I ate most of it. Then, full and worn out, I could barely keep my eyes open. All part of the plan, no doubt. Exhaustion didn't help much with my attempts at persuasion. But I didn't give up. I tried reasoning, pleading, and grouching, all to no avail. I was usually unconscious before I could really press my case far. And then my dreams felt so real – nightmares mostly, made more vivid, I guessed, by the too-bright colors of the island – that I woke up tired no matter how long I slept. About a week or so after we'd gotten to the island, I decided to try compromise. It had worked for us in the past. I was sleeping in the blue room now. The cleaning crew wasn't due until the next day, and so the white room still had a snowy blanket of down. The blue room was smaller, the bed more reasonably proportioned. The walls were dark, paneled in teak, and the fittings were all luxurious blue silk. I'd taken to wearing some of Alice's lingerie collection to sleep in at night – which weren't so revealing compared to the scanty bikinis she'd packed for me when it came right down to it. I wondered if she'd seen a vision of why I would want such things, and then shuddered, embarrassed by that thought. I'd started out slow with innocent ivory satins, worried that revealing more of my skin would be the opposite of helpful, but ready to try anything. Edward seemed to notice nothing, as if I were wearing the same ratty old sweats I wore at home. The bruises were much better now – yellowing in some places and disappearing altogether in others – so tonight I pulled out one of the scarier pieces as I got ready in the paneled bathroom. It was black, lacy, and embarrassing to look at even when it wasn't on. I was careful not to look in the mirror before I went back to the bedroom. I didn't want to lose my nerve. I had the satisfaction of watching his eyes pop open wide for just a second before he controlled his expression. â€Å"What do you think?† I asked, pirouetting so that he could see every angle. He cleared his throat. â€Å"You look beautiful. You always do.† â€Å"Thanks,† I said a bit sourly. I was too tired to resist climbing quickly into the soft bed. He put his arms around me and pulled me against his chest, but this was routine – it was too hot to sleep without his cool body close. â€Å"I'll make you a deal,† I said sleepily. â€Å"I will not make any deals with you,† he answered. â€Å"You haven't even heard what I'm offering.† â€Å"It doesn't matter.† I sighed. â€Å"Dang it. And I really wanted†¦ Oh well.† He rolled his eyes. I closed mine and let the bait sit there. I yawned. It took only a minute – not long enough for me to zonk out. â€Å"All right. What is it you want?† I gritted my teeth for a second, fighting a smile. If there was one thing he couldn't resist, it was an opportunity to give me something. â€Å"Well, I was thinking†¦ I know that the whole Dartmouth thing was just supposed to be a cover story, but honestly, one semester of college probably wouldn't kill me,† I said, echoing his words from long ago, when he'd tried to persuade me to put off becoming a vampire. â€Å"Charlie would get a thrill out of Dartmouth stories, I bet. Sure, it might be embarrassing if I can't keep up with all the brainiacs. Still†¦ eighteen, nineteen. It's really not such a big difference. It's not like I'm going to get crow's feet in the next year.† He was silent for a long moment. Then, in a low voice, he said, â€Å"You would wait. You would stay human.† I held my tongue, letting the offer sink in. â€Å"Why are you doing this to me?† he said through his teeth, his tone suddenly angry. â€Å"Isn't it hard enough without all of this?† He grabbed a handful of lace that was ruffled on my thigh. For a moment, I thought he was going to rip it from the seam. Then his hand relaxed. â€Å"It doesn't matter. I won't make any deals with you.† â€Å"I want to goto college.† â€Å"No, you don't. And there is nothing that is worth risking your life again. That's worth hurting you.† â€Å"But I do want to go. Well, it's not college as much as it's that I want – I want to be human a little while longer.† He closed his eyes and exhaled through his nose. â€Å"You are making me insane, Bella. Haven't we had this argument a million times, you always begging to be a vampire without delay?† â€Å"Yes, but†¦ well, I have a reason to be human that I didn't have before.† â€Å"What's that?† â€Å"Guess,† I said, and I dragged myself off the pillows to kiss him. He kissed me back, but not in a way that made me think I was winning. It was more like he was being careful not to hurt my feelings; he was completely, maddeningly in control of himself. Gently, he pulled me away after a moment and cradled me against his chest. â€Å"You are so human, Bella. Ruled by your hormones.† He chuckled. â€Å"That's the whole point, Edward. I like this part of being human. I don't want to give it up yet. I don't want to wait through years of being a blood-crazed newborn for some part of this to come back to me.† I yawned, and he smiled. â€Å"You're tired. Sleep, love.† He started humming the lullaby he'd composed for me when we first met. â€Å"I wonder why I'm so tired,† I muttered sarcastically. â€Å"That couldn't be part of your scheme or anything.† He just chuckled once and went back to humming. â€Å"For as tired as I've been, you'd think I'd sleep better.† The song broke off. â€Å"You've been sleeping like the dead, Bella. You haven't said a word in your sleep since we got here. If it weren't for the snoring, I'd worry you were slipping into a coma.† I ignored the snoring jibe; I didn't snore. â€Å"I haven't been tossing? That's weird. Usually I'm all over the bed when I'm having nightmares. And shouting.† â€Å"You've been having nightmares?† â€Å"Vivid ones. They make me so tired.† I yawned. â€Å"I can't believe I haven't been babbling about them all night.† â€Å"What are they about?† â€Å"Different things – but the same, you know, because of the colors.† â€Å"Colors?† â€Å"It's all so bright and real. Usually, when I'm dreaming, I know that I am. With these, I don't know I'm asleep. It makes them scarier.† He sounded disturbed when he spoke again. â€Å"What is frightening you?† I shuddered slightly. â€Å"Mostly †¦Ã¢â‚¬  I hesitated. â€Å"Mostly?† he prompted. I wasn't sure why, but I didn't want to tell him about the child in my recurring nightmare; there was something private about that particular horror. So, instead of giving him the full description, I gave him just one element. Certainly enough to frighten me or anyone else. â€Å"The Volturi,† I whispered. He hugged me tighter. â€Å"They aren't going to bother us anymore. You'll be immortal soon, and they'll have no reason.† I let him comfort me, feeling a little guilty that he'd misunderstood. The nightmares weren't like that, exactly. It wasn't that I was afraid for myself – I was afraid for the boy. He wasn't the same boy as that first dream – the vampire child with the bloodred eyes who sat on a pile of dead people I loved. This boy I'd dreamed of four times in the last week was definitely human; his cheeks were flushed and his wide eyes were a soft green. But just like the other child, he shook with fear and desperation as the Volturi closed in on us. In this dream that was both new and old, I simply had to protect the unknown child. There was no other option. At the same time, I knew that I would fail. He saw the desolation on my face. â€Å"What can I do to help?† I shook it off. â€Å"They're just dreams, Edward.† â€Å"Do you want me to sing to you? Ill sing all night if it will keep the bad dreams away.† â€Å"They're not all bad. Some are nice. So†¦ colorful. Underwater, with the fish and the coral. It all seems like it's really happening – I don't know that I'm dreaming. Maybe this island is the problem. It's really bright here.† â€Å"Do you want to go home?† â€Å"No. No, not yet. Can't we stay awhile longer?† â€Å"We can stay as long as you want, Bella,† he promised me. â€Å"When does the semester start? I wasn't paying attention before.† He sighed. He may have started humming again, too, but I was under before I could be sure. Later, when I awoke in the dark, it was with shock. The dream had been so very real†¦ so vivid, so sensory†¦. I gasped aloud, now, disoriented by the dark room. Only a second ago, it seemed, I had been under the brilliant sun. â€Å"Bella?† Edward whispered, his arms tight around me, shaking me gently. â€Å"Are you all right, sweetheart?† â€Å"Oh,† I gasped again. Just a dream. Not real. To my utter astonishment, tears overflowed from my eyes without warning, gushing down my face. â€Å"Bella!† he said – louder, alarmed now. â€Å"What's wrong?† He wiped the tears from my hot cheeks with cold, frantic fingers, but others followed. â€Å"It was only a dream.† I couldn't contain the low sob that broke in my voice. The senseless tears were disturbing, but I couldn't get control of the staggering grief that gripped me. I wanted so badly for the dream to be real. â€Å"It's okay, love, you're fine. I'm here.† He rocked me back and forth, a little too fast to soothe. â€Å"Did you have another nightmare? It wasn't real, it wasn't real.† â€Å"Not a nightmare.† I shook my head, scrubbing the back of my hand against my eyes. â€Å"It was a good dream.† My voice broke again. â€Å"Then why are you crying?† he asked, bewildered. â€Å"Because I woke up,† I wailed, wrapping my arms around his neck in a chokehold and sobbing into his throat. He laughed once at my logic, but the sound was tense with concern. â€Å"Everything's all right, Bella. Take deep breaths.† â€Å"It was so real,† I cried. â€Å"I wanted it to be real.† â€Å"Tell me about it,† he urged. â€Å"Maybe that will help.† â€Å"We were on the beach. †¦Ã¢â‚¬  I trailed off, pulling back to look with tear-filled eyes at his anxious angel's face, dim in the darkness. I stared at him broodingly as the unreasonable grief began to ebb. â€Å"And?† he finally prompted. I blinked the tears out of my eyes, torn. â€Å"Oh, Edward †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Tell me, Bella,† he pleaded, eyes wild with worry at the pain in my voice. But I couldn't. Instead I clutched my arms around his neck again and locked my mouth with his feverishly. It wasn't desire at all – it was need, acute to the point of pain. His response was instant but quickly followed by his rebuff. He struggled with me as gently as he could in his surprise, holding me away, grasping my shoulders. â€Å"No, Bella,† he insisted, looking at me as if he was worried that I'd lost my mind. My arms dropped, defeated, the bizarre tears spilling in a fresh torrent down my face, a new sob rising in my throat. He was right – I must be crazy. He stared at me with confused, anguished eyes. â€Å"I'm s-s-s-orry,† I mumbled. But he pulled me to him then, hugging me tightly to his marble chest. â€Å"I can't, Bella, I can't!† His moan was agonized. â€Å"Please,† I said, my plea muffled against his skin. â€Å"Please, Edward?† I couldn't tell if he was moved by the tears trembling in my voice, or if he was unprepared to deal with the suddenness of my attack, or if his need was simply as unbearable in that moment as my own. But whatever the reason, he pulled my lips back to his, surrendering with a groan. And we began where my dream had left off. I stayed very still when I woke up in the morning and tried to keep my breathing even. I was afraid to open my eyes. I was lying across Edward's chest, but he was very still and his arms were not wrapped around me. That was a bad sign. I was afraid to admit I was awake and face his anger – no matter whom it was directed at today. Carefully, I peeked through my eyelashes. He was staring up at the dark ceiling, his arms behind his head. I pulled myself up on my elbow so that I could see his face better. It was smooth, expressionless. â€Å"How much trouble am I in?† I asked in a small voice. â€Å"Heaps,† he said, but turned his head and smirked at me. I breathed a sigh of relief. â€Å"I am sorry,† I said. â€Å"I didn't mean†¦ Well, I don't know exactly what that was last night.† I shook my head at the memory of the irrational tears, the crushing grief. â€Å"You never did tell me what your dream was about.† â€Å"I guess I didn't – but I sort of showed you what it was about.† I laughed nervously. â€Å"Oh,† he said. His eyes widened, and then he blinked. â€Å"Interesting.† â€Å"It was a very good dream,† I murmured. He didn't comment, so a few seconds later I asked, â€Å"Am I forgiven?† â€Å"I'm thinking about it.† I sat up, planning to examine myself – there didn't seem to be any feathers, at least. But as I moved, an odd wave of vertigo hit. I swayed and fell back against the pillows. â€Å"Whoa†¦ head rush.† His arms were around me then. â€Å"You slept for a long time. Twelve hours.† â€Å"Twelve?†How strange. I gave myself a quick once-over while I spoke, trying to be inconspicuous about it. I looked fine. The bruises on my arms were still a week old, yellowing. I stretched experimentally. I felt fine, too. Well, better than fine, actually. â€Å"Is the inventory complete?† I nodded sheepishly. â€Å"The pillows all appear to have survived.† â€Å"Unfortunately, I can't say the same for your, er, nightgown.† He nodded toward the foot of the bed, where several scraps of black lace were strewn across the silk sheets. â€Å"That's too bad,† I said. â€Å"I liked that one.† â€Å"I did, too.† â€Å"Were there any other casualties?† I asked timidly. â€Å"I'll have to buy Esme a new bed frame,† he confessed, glancing over his shoulder. I followed his gaze and was shocked to see that large chunks of wood had apparently been gouged from the left side of the headboard. â€Å"Hmm.† I frowned. â€Å"You'd think I would have heard that.† â€Å"You seem to be extraordinarily unobservant when your attention is otherwise involved.† â€Å"I was a bit absorbed,† I admitted, blushing a deep red. He touched my burning cheek and sighed. â€Å"I'm really going to miss that.† I stared at his face, searching for any signs of the anger or remorse I feared. He gazed back at me evenly, his expression calm but otherwise unreadable. â€Å"How are you feeling?'7 He laughed. â€Å"What?† I demanded. â€Å"You look so guilty – like you've committed a crime.† â€Å"I feel guilty,† I muttered. â€Å"So you seduced your all-too-willing husband. That's not a capital offense.† He seemed to be teasing. My cheeks got hotter. â€Å"The word seduced implies a certain amount of premeditation.† â€Å"Maybe that was the wrong word,† he allowed. â€Å"You're not angry?† He smiled ruefully. Tm not angry.† â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"Well. . .† He paused. â€Å"I didn't hurt you, for one thing. It was easier this time, to control myself, to channel the excesses.† His eyes flickered to the damaged frame again. â€Å"Maybe because I had a better idea of what to expect.† A hopeful smile started to spread across my face. â€Å"I told you that it was all about practice.† He rolled his eyes. My stomach growled, and he laughed. â€Å"Breakfast time for the human?† he asked. â€Å"Please,† I said, hopping out of bed. I moved too quickly, though, and had to stagger drunkenly to regain my balance. He caught me before I could stumble into the dresser. â€Å"Are you all right?† â€Å"If I don't have a better sense of equilibrium in my next life, I'm demanding a refund.† I cooked this morning, frying up some eggs – too hungry to do anything more elaborate. Impatient, I flipped them onto a plate after just a few minutes. â€Å"Since when do you eat eggs sunny-side up?† he asked. â€Å"Since now.† â€Å"Do you know how many eggs you've gone through in the last week?† He pulled the trash bin out from under the sink – it was full of empty blue cartons. â€Å"Weird,† I said after swallowing a scorching bite. â€Å"This place is messing with my appetite.† And my dreams, and my already dubious balance. â€Å"But I like it here. Well probably have to leave soon, though, won't we, to make it to Dartmouth in time? Wow, I guess we need to find a place to live and stuff, too.† He sat down next to me. â€Å"You can give up the college pretense now – you've gotten what you wanted. And we didn't agree to a deal, so there are no strings attached.† I snorted. â€Å"It wasn't a pretense, Edward. I don't spend my free time plotting like some people do. What can we do to wear Bella out today?† I said in a poor impression of his voice. He laughed, unashamed. â€Å"I really do want a little more time being human.† I leaned over to run my hand across his bare chest. â€Å"I have not had enough.† He gave me a dubious look. â€Å"For this?† he asked, catching my hand as it moved down his stomach. â€Å"Sex was the key all along?† He rolled his eyes. â€Å"Why didn't i think of that?† he muttered sarcastically. â€Å"I could have saved myself a lot of arguments.† I laughed. â€Å"Yeah, probably.† â€Å"You are so human,† he said again. â€Å"I know.† A hint of a smile pulled at his lips. â€Å"We're going to Dartmouth? Really?† â€Å"I'll probably fail out in one semester.† â€Å"I'll tutor you.† The smile was wide now. â€Å"You're going to love college.† â€Å"Do you think we can find an apartment this late?† He grimaced, looking guilty. â€Å"Well, we sort of already have a house there. You know, just in case.† â€Å"You bought a house?† â€Å"Real estate is a good investment.† I raised one eyebrow and then let it go. â€Å"So we're ready, then.† â€Å"I'll have to see if we can keep your ‘before' car for a little longer___† â€Å"Yes, heaven forbid I not be protected from tanks.† He grinned. â€Å"How much longer can we stay?† I asked. â€Å"We're fine on time. A few more weeks, if you want. And then we can visit Charlie before we go to New Hampshire. We could spend Christmas with Renee___† His words painted a very happy immediate future, one free of pain for everyone involved. The Jacob-drawer, all but forgotten, rattled, and i amended the thought – for almost everyone. This wasn't getting any easier. Now that I'd discovered exactly how good being human could be, it was tempting to let my plans drift. Eighteen or nineteen, nineteen or twenty†¦ Did it really matter? I wouldn't change so much in a year. And being human with Edward†¦ The choice got trickier every day. â€Å"A few weeks,† I agreed. And then, because there never seemed to be enough time, I added, â€Å"So I was thinking – you know what I was saying about practice before?† He laughed. â€Å"Can you hold on to that thought? I hear a boat. The cleaning crew must be here.† He wanted me to hold on to that thought. So did that mean he was not going to give me any more trouble about practicing? I smiled. â€Å"Let me explain the mess in the white room to Gustavo, and then we can go out. There's a place in the jungle on the south – â€Å" â€Å"I don't want to go out. i am not hiking all over the island today. I want to stay here and watch a movie.† He pursed his lips, trying not to laugh at my disgruntled tone. â€Å"All right, whatever you'd like. Why don't you pick one out while I get the door?† â€Å"I didn't hear a knock.† He cocked his head to the side, listening. A half second later, a faint, timid rap on the door sounded. He grinned and turned for the hallway. I wandered over to the shelves under the big TV and started scanning through the titles. It was hard to decide where to begin. They had more DVDs than a rental store. I could hear Edward's low, velvet voice as he came back down the hall, conversing fluidly in what I assumed was perfect Portuguese. Another, harsher, human voice answered in the same tongue. Edward led them into the room, pointing toward the kitchen on his way. The two Brazilians looked incredibly short and dark next to him. One was a round man, the other a slight female, both their faces creased with lines. Edward gestured to me with a proud smile, and I heard my name mixed in with a flurry of unfamiliar words. I flushed a little as I thought of the downy mess in the white room, which they would soon encounter. The little man smiled at me politely. But the tiny coffee-skinned woman didn't smile. She stared at me with a mixture of shock, worry, and most of all, wide-eyed fear. Before I could react, Edward motioned for them to follow him toward the chicken coop, and they were gone. When he reappeared, he was alone. He walked swiftly to my side and wrapped his arms around me. â€Å"What's with her?† I whispered urgently, remembering her panicked expression. He shrugged, unperturbed. â€Å"Kaure's part Ticuna Indian. She was raised to be more superstitious – or you could call it more aware – than those who live in the modern world. She suspects what I am, or close enough.† He still didn't sound worried. â€Å"They have their own legends here. The Libishomen – a blood-drinking demon who preys exclusively on beautiful women.† He leered at me. Beautiful women only? Well, that was kind of flattering. â€Å"She looked terrified,† I said. â€Å"She is – but mostly she's worried about you.† â€Å"Me?† â€Å"She's afraid of why I have you here, all alone.† He chuckled darkly and then looked toward the wall of movies. â€Å"Oh well, why don't you choose something for us to watch? That's an acceptably human thing to do.† â€Å"Yes, I'm sure a movie will convince her that you're human.† I laughed and clasped my arms securely around his neck, stretching up on my tiptoes. He leaned down so that I could kiss him, and then his arms tightened around me, lifting me off the floor so he didn't have to bend. â€Å"Movie, schmovie,† I muttered as his lips moved down my throat, twisting my fingers in his bronze hair. Then I heard a gasp, and he put me down abruptly. Kaure stood frozen in the hallway, feathers in her black hair, a large sack of more feathers in her arms, an expression of horror on her face. She stared at me, her eyes bugging out, as I blushed and looked down. Then she recovered herself and murmured something that, even in an unfamiliar language, was clearly an apology. Edward smiled and answered in a friendly tone. She turned her dark eyes away and continued down the hall. â€Å"She was thinking what I think she was thinking, wasn't she?† I muttered. He laughed at my convoluted sentence. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Here,† I said, reaching out at random and grabbing a movie. â€Å"Put this on and we can pretend to watch it.† It was an old musical with smiling faces and fluffy dresses on the front. â€Å"Very honeymoonish,† Edward approved. While actors on the screen danced their way through a perky introduction song, I lolled on the sofa, snuggled into Edward's arms. â€Å"Will we move back into the white room now?† I wondered idly. â€Å"I don't know†¦. I've already mangled the headboard in the other room beyond repair – maybe if we limit the destruction to one area of the house, Esme might invite us back someday.† I smiled widely. â€Å"So there will be more destruction?† He laughed at my expression. â€Å"I think it might be safer if it's premeditated, rather than if I wait for you to assault me again.† â€Å"It would only be a matter of time,† I agreed casually, but my pulse was racing in my veins. â€Å"Is there something the matter with your heart?† â€Å"Nope. Healthy as a horse.† I paused. â€Å"Did you want to go survey the demolition zone now?† â€Å"Maybe it would be more polite to wait until we're alone. You may not notice me tearing the furniture apart, but it would probably scare them.† In truth, I'd already forgotten the people in the other room. â€Å"Right. Drat.† Gustavo and Kaure moved quietly through the house while I waited impatiently for them to finish and tried to pay attention to the happily-ever-after on the screen. I was starting to get sleepy – though, according to Edward, I'd slept half the day – when a rough voice startled me. Edward sat up, keeping me cradled against him, and answered Gustavo in flowing Portuguese. Gustavo nodded and walked quietly toward the front door. â€Å"They're finished,† Edward told me. â€Å"So that would mean that we're alone now?† â€Å"How about lunch first?† he suggested. I bit my lip, torn by the dilemma. I was pretty hungry. With a smile, he took my hand and led me to the kitchen. He knew my face so well, it didn't matter that he couldn't read my mind. â€Å"This is getting out of hand,† I complained when I finally felt full. â€Å"Do you want to swim with the dolphins this afternoon – burn off the calories?† he asked. â€Å"Maybe later. I had another idea for burning calories.† â€Å"And what was that?† â€Å"Well, there's an awful lot of headboard left – â€Å" But I didn't finish. He'd already swept me up into his arms, and his lips silenced mine as he carried me with inhuman speed to the blue room.