If you were about to become the ruler of your own country, which parts Essay

If you were about to become the ruler of your own country, which parts of Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince with Related Document - Essay Example In establishing the structural dimensions of the text, Machiavelli makes a number of key indicating factors. In terms of my own personal rule, an element I recognize as applicable to contemporary world is when Machiavelli states, â€Å"a new ruler will need to establish himself in defiance of custom† (Machiavelli, pg. 20). When considering the rule of my own nation or region, I believe that it is important to establish a number of elements that run counter to traditional custom. It’s recognizable that extreme examples of this are demonstrated in North Korea and some Middle Eastern nations; however, my government structure would attempt to develop a cooperative means of interaction with other nations, while advancing a number of anti-conformist notions of government. For instance, my government structure would attempt to reduce the emphasis on war, and present a more liberal social policy. Another important element Machiavelli addresses in the Prince is the nature of ref orming new laws and elements of existing orders. In these regards Machiavelli sees tremendous risk, but also recognizes that such practices are necessary. In these regards, he indicates that new orders are established through force, and then gain continuity through reference to virtue. When considering laws in the contemporary world, it’s clear that nations use reference to virtue in many instances to uphold the viability of the laws. Within the United States, reference is given to the founding fathers who outlined the constitution; in Israel this is seen as the state references traditional Biblical tradition in establishing laws and social order. I recognize that as a neophyte ruler I will have to develop a reference to virtue that will aid in the establishment of laws and various governing factors. In these regards, my government structure will be greatly influenced by the transcendental thought of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. In addition to supplying a view of the universe that is accepting of scientific principles, these thinkers also present a wide variety of thought on the nature of laws and social order. In addition to these thinkers, the social laws will refer to intellectual elements in establishing virtue. While Plato speaks of a philosopher king, my new nation will not run on democratic principles, but rather function through an intellectual elite that will determine the shape of society. This concept of governance is more like the United States Supreme Court than the Congressional House of Representatives. In addition to these major elements, there are a few cursory elements that I would adopt in my rule. In terms of succession, Machiavelli indicates that individuals who gain power through simple appointment are weak and have a difficult time retaining this power. To counteract this element, my government will have a rigorous selection process wherein I will appoint my successor. In terms of tax structure, Machiavelli indicat es that too rigorous a structure will cause the people to revolt while too lax a structure will result in problematic issues for the country. Therefore, my government will take a generally conservative tax structure, wherein rather than attempting to appeal to the people through generosity, the government will guard against the people’s resentment. In these regards, the general approach to governance will not be to overly appease the populace, but rather to ensure they are moderately happy and do not

Reading Response and Thinking about Research Questions Essay

Reading Response and Thinking about Research Questions - Essay Example The read essays from the book have different titles and authors. The first essay is written by Brian O’Leary and the title of the essay is â€Å"Tools of the Digital Workflow†. The essay basically talks about how the nature, history and business of publishers vary greatly, making it hard to identify a set if preferred tools. As the content changes to a more robust digital environment, publishers need to make decisions about related services that are licensed or outsourced completely. The second essay is entitled â€Å"Why the Book and the Internet Will Merge† and is written by Hugh McGuire. In summary, there is no much incentive for publishers to change books into something that can be read on a screen. The reason for this argument is that many would not prefer reading books from screens. However, most people prefer reading books in form of books and they equally prefer spending most of their time on the internet making funny photos of cats, blogging about what t hey have done, and contributing to the world’s biggest encyclopedia (McGuire & OLeary). In the first essay, â€Å"Tools of the Digital Workflow†, it is interesting to learn that digital workflows greatly helps publishers in thinking about product planning. Even though the practice is still rare, using digital workflows can signal the start of a period of discovering work. It therefore means that event-driven publishing can change into a more continuous model. In the second essay, â€Å"Why the Book and the Internet Will Merge†, it is interesting to learn that eBooks have arrived in the market in force. Unlike in 2008 when only 1% of trade book sales in the United States were eBooks, the number had hit 20% by 2011. With this steady increase in the number of eBooks in the market, the number in expected to hit 50% by the end of 2015 (McGuire &

Principles of Health Social Care Practice

Principles of Health Social Care Practice Introduction: People who enjoy social care and service make enlarged risk of poormental health andbenefit. Around 4–500,000 social workers are regularly contacting with mentally ill people. To support and promote good mental health for the consumer of those services, all the staff of care services are working relentlessly. The common core principles to support better mental health and prosperity in adult social care, based on work by the Mental Health foundation has been published by Skills for Care. An immense framework for the social care workforce to serve harmonious high quality social care as well as support to promote the mental health and advancement of people who are facing lack of care and support have been outlined in the common core principles and two key areas. In these range this show people to well practice based on actual life, which explain how each of the ten principle and two key areas work. Services for the users to follow the opinion of the patient to reduce the risk and danger, and many social problems. And to promote awareness of the disease and to provide care and treatment to maintain confidentiality of service users in health and social care practice. Task 1: 1(a) Explanation of the principles of support are applied to ensure that individuals are cared for in health and social care practice Successful health and social care system is requisite according to principle. What does a principle stand for? Principles can be recapitulate as worthy rule guiding manner , consistent regulation of carriage according to vital law, to impress with a faith’, ‘afundamental part. For making health and social care settings auspicious support is mandatory. Good as well as perfect helping hand is the most effective matter for everyone to select the way of better health and efficient services. These are the most caring and beneficial offer for everyone. On certain it takes people for the disability of learning. Individually everyone is selecting according to their own preference. Somehow the disable people of learning are losing the opportunity and it is going away from them. To ensure the disable people to get the best possible care from supportive service is mandatory. Few governments are restlessly working behind the fact of support for the continuous welfare for the country man and country. Today, in Wales, services and support people are entitled to include home care help things like cleaning and shopping, insufficient tools and adaptations to your house, day centre’s to give you the least care at their best, day care for your children if either you or them are not able to look after them . Person’s health is another type of support which is related to the Social support and co-ordination. The effect of socialization works is a main and sometimes slighted cause for the success of psychotherapy and it is the most the most integral matter. On certain just having the feelings that there is someone to communicate andrelyon can help people overcomes their situation and it is more than effective than any other treatment. Having a greater social communication system, whether family, friends and neighbors make an immense of effective situation. 1(b) Outline of the procedure for protecting clients, patients, and colleagues from harm This outline is to help you to develop, execute and inspection policies and process for decrease the riskof harm to clients, patients and colleagues. An existing policy has been covered by the checklist of the pointed area ample. The outline should: Analyse the path we estimate, the risk of harm taking into risks from: †¢ Other clients, patients and colleague †¢ Internal problem †¢ Corporal surrounds †¢ The environment of services. †¢ The clients, patient and colleague themselves, to themselves and to other clients, patient and colleague, and to people beyond the system. Here is the explanation on how clients, patient and colleague are encouraged about the nook and corner about their safety and they will be protected. Having the list of emergency numbers. Securing first aid kits are available. Train other people about first aid kits Giving the guarantee of health issues such as hygiene and infectious illness. Providing sound, safe and protected environments for children. Carrying clear methods and response Point out the time of action. Showcasing of approval time. Showcasing the time of survey 1(c) Analyze of the benefit of following a person-centered approach with users of health and social care services   This study asked what service users start from the position Person-centered way of providing support and what is what gets. It fully recognizes the important relationship roles and responsibilities of family Service users and provide services to those in management. Public services Personalization, politicians, policy-makers have become fashionable for providers. This study is a timely reminder of the service users long, and the design has been discussed for a person-centered. Will change only Service to the people who rely on them are shaped like this. 1(d) Explanation of ethical dilemmas and conflict that may arise when providing care, support and protection to users of health and social care services Sometimes encounter situations in which workers care for them very contradictory. Care workers to maintain the organizational policies and wellbeing of clients all the time, but in some situations the rules they are not able to implement it to the essential. Moral dilemmas are built these kinds of situations. Sometimes conflicts between care workers and service user’s views, beliefs and cultures may arise. Health and social care services could be hampered by the conflict and may be affected by the quality of health and social care. A human adult, you have the right to take the law in his own decisions. Sometimes the service users are worthless as they sometimes decide to take shelter medicine. Him to take medication regularly in order to gain or return back to his normal life, his health is very important for gaining. On the other hand, care workers obey and respect the decision of the client is forced to. As a consequence, care workers face a moral dilemma. It refuses to accept the service user to the service to take care of his responsibilities as a service to users, although a care worker can’t help the service user. If some client care staff will be responsible. A client does not want to take medication; a care worker can’t force him to take medication, and are not always able to motivate his clients. Health and social care centers are very common in this kind of scenario. They do nothing and make it impossible for a client in front of them to die. Handling such kind of situation is very diffi cult. Health and social care workers to do nothing for them to just stand and are strongly against the moral values. Here is another proof of the moral problem. According to some people and not inhumane insulation is done. Others apply it to the patient suffering from emotional and psychological damage when. Task 2: 2(a) Implementation of policies, legislation, regulations and codes of practice that are relevant to own work in health and social care Care to ensure the best qualities of physicalstateand social care practice, the accomplishment of the policies, laws, regulations and codes of practice in parallelism with national and local policies and laws to consumer of the service is very weighty and cardinal. Rules and regulations must be followed at all times by the care laborers, so this job is very sensitive. It is the practice in accordance with the laws and codes, attributes are properly maintained to ensure that the management duties. Data Protection Act must be checked by the employees and the client does not have any right to reveal any important information, only the right person can ingress to the data under the Data Protection Act. Health Regulations (COSSH) Control of hazardous material regulations. It is only then that the use of chemicals and materials, this is guaranteed by law. Only the right person has access in Agents, detergents, and other chemical elements in the shelf, washed containers are locked at all ti mes. Unharmed place to storefulmination and other equipment, and has access to it is the only duty. Safety precautions are implemented or not must be verified properly by the employers properly. Imagination, Health and Social Care Board is the center of the warning signs to stick properly. Fire the way, always clean and mess free, it needs to be done by the present staff and workers.Different laws and regulations, policies, and will provide training and lectures are employers in their work, which is easy and risk-free enough staff on the law and policies. 2(b) Local policies and procedures can be developed in accordance with national and policy Requirements The policy must be clear and simple. Must be easy to clean and improve the effectiveness of the policy will be out of the confusion. The policy should have less delusion. National and local policies are reflected in the cultural sector which can be done by following the principals. There is variety of different organizations, so the policy is not suitable for every organization. Improvement of the quality of care and service need to be change in upcoming future policies, so they need to be flexible. Policies reflect the culture and work easy and comfortable, but in the opposite case the employee does not want to follow the rules and regulations of the employees are very interested in the rules and regulations to follow. Accurately and regularly need to supervise the policies and laws. Employers and law-makers to review the laws and procedures, and if it is necessary, they can upgrade those. 2 (C) The impacts of policy, legislation, regulation, and codes of practice on organizational policy and practice Organization policy law, practice policies, rules, regulations, and codes are important present. Providing guidelines it says that Policy and law, institutions will have to practice. Without reference to the law and the law of the organization, legal, health and social care center for which it is really difficult to formulate policy. Any violation of the rights of the individual, organizational policy, Law and practice in an organized, competent and ethical work environment, service users and staff will be made. The organizing principle of the organization without any serious conflict, it is very easy to use. It is the employee to work in accordance with the law to respect the law and acclimate employee’s helps. An employee fines or even anyone who breaks the law and regulations, will not leave him in his work. An employee is an employee of any laws and regulations to be confused about, then you can ask his superiors, and they will help him to get out of the dilemma. Both emp loyers and employees and the respective authority is obliged to obey and follow the rules and regulation and correct them or even anyone to take immediate steps to punish those who break the law. Task 3: 3(a) Theories that underpin health and social care Practice The theories are about health and social care practice. With attention to the individual needs of those theories, and various events and processes get priority. Service users, physical, spiritual, social, emotional, and mental fitness to promote healthy lifestyles and to achieve a high level, the theory helps to develop a plan. Maslow hierarchy of needs state that theory of health and social care. his theory, human needs are classified into different levels, and basic needs are put first. According to his theory, the bottom level is not met, a man to go to the next level. Physiological or physical demands of this theory are considered to be the most basic needs. Safety and security, love and belonging, self-esteem and self actualization is the next level. While planning for the care and services to a service user of this theory is applied. Other well-known theory of human growth and development, Help and Care is needed in a variety of different levels. Age, growth and development, th e care and services is changing. 3(b) Social processes impact on users of health and social care services To ensure the operatives of the resistance, cast and evolution of health and social care strategy considers the social processes. Having the same nature different cultures, different people react differently, to be effective, because it can be applied contrary in health and social. Perceiving the way people behave in a certain social processes are affected. , Drinking and smoking, unhealthy practices like the ones brought about by a group of peer pressure, people belong to and identify with. Tattooing and piercing, which involved the culture, and the needle of blood-borne infections in general. These risky practices are very much difficult to change in sudden notice as because their culture forces them to do so. The higher figure than the culture of others, may be the key to a specific workplace discrimination. Due to the cultural attributes, other than one service user may favor some of the care staff. All service users are treated equally and fairly, so the treatment should be illegal to create bias. 3(c) Effectiveness of inter-professional working Where is the link between health and social care practice and continuous basis, in collaboration with health care providers from other fields of work, inter-professional health care providers are called to work. Doctors, nurses, physical therapists, psychologists, respiratory therapists, health care assistants, nurse or health team should be involved in any of the efficiency of the plan of care, it can be included. On behalf of health and social care services across all guises of the users needs, and to work as a team of health workers in the facility, A persons lack of it, which makes the other person will be satisfied by the same field. It continued to plan for the care and services that help to reduce delays. Task 4: 4(a) Explanations of own role, responsibilities, accountabilities and duties in the context of working with those within and outside the health and social care workplace Services for the user to provide a supportive rehabilitative environment for a career’s role in health and social care setting, If a trust relationship with the career service users because most of the time is an important part of the process. For assistance, service users, careers responsibility to ensure it is as much as possible, because it is used to the career and the normal function and, depending on the clients autonomy. Career such as service user needs to make sure to monitor all the services supplied to clients, and the right is reserved and applied, is sure to be met. Performing our role, we are feeding, health and physical activities can meet the physical demands of the clients. Service users in health and social care facilities are filling our duty is to promote health and to ensure their health and safety. They believe that, they will be protected, if the clients physical, mental and financial interests remain same. 4(b) Contribution to the development and implementation of health and social care organizational policy Employees need to follow to ensure the smooth running of the system, the organizing principle of the organization is important. To reduce misunderstanding and misinterpretation, it is necessary to organizational policies are clear and blunt. They are primarily affected by it because of its contribution to the development and implementation of policies with the careers, will contribute a lot. Staff loyalty and adhere to the organizations policy, a good workforce, will be developed. It is a consequence of organizational policies and to change the policy of non- adaptation may or frequently, then its the principle of the non- adaptation is the main cause of the workers, it can help determine if the policy is reviewed and developed. 4(c) Recommendations to develop own contributions to meet good practice requirements We were the first to meet the requirements of best practice. General health council will learn enough knowledge about the code of practice. By learning the knowledge that we are adhering to the principles and values, or does not, then we can determine and evaluate ourselves and our performance. Dads concerns should be taken in the national and local policy. Organization set up by the health and social care practice and the general rules and regulations, as well as to maintain the law, it is mandatory for us. Next, we are involved in research. Training and fortify can improve ourselves in our practice. To the best of our fast-paced and dynamic to keep up with the changes, we have our own health and social care needs to be updated with current information, pertaining to the practice. Conclusion: No one is out of the risk of illness and the treatment and medications surrounding us and everyone have to visit the health and social care settings. Care workers are playing an important role for patients to overcome illness providing services to users of the service. Care staff must follow the guidelines and regulations of the organization, and to be aware of their responsibilities. Inter-relationships between the service providers remain all the time as long as they provide service. This care service providers and government organizations with the government and other health and social care settings work together, both will work together in a variety of diseases and hazards can be reduced to the society.

Personal and Social Struggles in The Crucible by Arthur Miller Essay

Although a strict society composed of high morality and disciplinary laws may be necessary for safety, it causes internal conflicts within the individuals. In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller a theocracy in Salem rules and guides the citizens into doing what is â€Å"right†, but eventually backfires due to issues of reputation and jealousy. Society has a lot of influence on the citizens, and with a bad reputation, it is nearly impossible to live in a Puritan society. Salem’s strict Puritanical social structure causes personal struggles for the individuals involved in the events of The Crucible, and then eventually these personal struggles affect the society overall. Abigail’s struggles come from many of her personal desires that are forbidden in her society, causing her to lie. However, this also creates further social problems, such as the initiation of the witch trials. After Betty is stuck in a coma, Reverend Parris questions Abigail about the night in the woods, because he is suspicious and she denies that it had anything to do with witchcraft. Abigail replies to Parris saying, â€Å" We never conjured spirits† (24). Abigail lies to Parris, denies the statement that witchcraft ever occurred, and says that all they did was danced. Witchcraft and dancing both are sins in the society, and she knows that her reputation is at stake and finds the need to lie to look innocent. Parris wants to be sure and calls Reverend Hale to look further into the issue. Once Reverend Hale comes into town, he questions Abigail about the night, and she once again denies everything he asks her. Abigail is being questioned by Hale, and once Tituba ente rs she screams, â€Å" She made me do it! She made Betty do it! She makes me drink blood!† (45). Abigail denies every... ...Proctor deals with issues based on guilt which eventually are brought up in court. Although the individuals’ personal struggles in The Crucible are brought by society, ultimately they affect society as well. Abigail’s personal desires were forbidden in society which brought her struggles, ultimately causing her to lie, and then initiating the witch trials. Mary Warren is unable to keep her personal commitment to John Proctor because of her fear of Abigail and the girls, eventually harming John Proctor. Lastly, John Proctor deals with his guilt over his affair with Abigail, and he confesses in court, but Elizabeth testifies he has not had an affair. All of these personal and social struggles are relevant to our society today because the witch trials are still a very controversial Works Cited Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York: the Penguin Group, 1995.

Country Life vs. City Life

The stimulation of crowds and traffic generate energy that challenges the human spirit. Perhaps this is why the city dwellers seem angry, stressed and unfriendly people. Although, the quietness of the country has appealed to the minds of lots of people. The countryman or woman is usually represented as calm, relaxed and friendly. Health, education, transportation are three major concerns that many consider. In a city, pollution surrounds you wherever you step whether on the streets of a busy financial district or on the lawn of a large park. Pollution could possibly cause health problems later in life.In the country, pollution is scarce. Fresh air, rolling green hills, a few pieces of litter here and there but pretty much everything is clean, you can see the stars. Living in the country is a wonderful experience for a young family to grow on and see what life is really made of. Life in the city is challenging. Yes, there are large number of activities. Shopping is convenient and the presence of public transportation reduces the demand for private transportation and the accompanying expenses. For example, lots of cities have transits to take elderly, disabled or those who don’t drive to were they need to go.City life provides all the advantages of being only minutes away from the grocery store, banks, and gas stations. But the city life carries a heavy price. Housing and food are expensive when you live in a small town, the hometown grocery stores usually have prices higher than your regular grocery store such as HEB and Wal-mart. Services, such as transportation, are expensive. Worst of all, the most expensive component of life in the city is the toll it takes on your body through stress. Stress is present with every waking moment in the city. The crowds, traffic, tight work schedules never let up.The air is not healthy. The poisons of thousands of vehicles overwhelm what little green life remains to clean the air. Crime is high in most cities. The odds of becoming a victim are high even for simple trips to the local grocery or ATM. Opportunities to relax are few and short. Stress builds. Quality of life declines.. People who live in the city looks forward to a day out of the city. Movement patters have been from the city to the suburbs and later to the country. Escape becomes the order of the day. Each move to the outer boundaries of the urban environment makes life a little more peaceful.The move to the country is the greatest move of all. Peaceful is the most concise description of the country. The night is quiet. Soft insect noises and the plaintive call of an owl rule the stillness. No heavy traffic, no sirens, no rush of the â€Å"madding crowd. † Life is simple and calming. Food is grown locally, instead of remotely. Everyone knows your name, and has been to your house. I love to come home and see my horses and cows in my front pasture grazing, my dogs running to my car to welcome me home. My experience from living in the country for twenty one years is great.I was and still am being taught that living in the country, you can learn a lot of different things that some city folks don’t have the advantages of doing because of living in the city. Like raising your own livestock such as cattle, pigs, chicken, and so on to help your cost of spending by going to the grocery store. For example, I love fresh eggs, my chickens lay fresh eggs every morning, I haven’t bought eggs at a grocery store in years. Just like our cows, every year we butcher about three calves, they go through the meat processor which gives my family and I plenty of hamburger meat, steaks and so on for the year.So in conclusion I rarely by meat either. There are some disadvantages of living in the country like not being just minutes away from a store, I live about twelve minutes from town so it is a hassle when I need one little thing from the grocery store and have to drive ten miles to go get it. Another one I dislik e is having family and friends who live in the city, sometimes we seem them once a week or even less. Other than that I have no other dislikes about the country life.

Design of a steel skew cantilever followed by construction and testing to destruction

Design of a steel skew cantilever followed by construction and testing to destruction. Analysis and improvements section included. Aiming for minimum weight and structural costs, while achieving a working load of 1kN and a failure load of 2kN. Statement of the Problem: To design and build a steel skew cantilever that is required to show no visible deformation at a vertical working load of 1000N and to fail at 2000N. The objective is to design a structure that satisfies the loading conditions, while keeping weight to a minimum and maintaining design simplicity; to reduce drawing and fabrication time, and making the structure more predictable through analysis. The load is at a horizontal distance of 815mm from a rigid vertical plate. The line of action of the load is 407mm to the right of the normal to the wall through the centre of the main plate when viewed from the front of the main plate. The load is applied through a rig with a 13mm diameter bolt. The main plate has 4 pairs of M6 tapped holes to which the structure may be attached. Designs Considered: The main design considered apart from the 4 main member triangulated cantilever, was based around a 3 main member design with cross bracing shown in the diagram to the right. The advantage of this structure is a reduction in weight, holes and rivets thus a huge reduction in cost. However, the design that we came up with was too difficult to analyse and predict during in failure, due to the side planes not being vertical. Also, construction would have been quite difficult because all cross braces would have to attach to the main members at an angle, thus additional plates would have be constructed which would have raised the price dramatically. The other design considered was based on the 4 main member design but flipped upside down. However, this would mean that the compression member would be comparatively long, increasing the need for cross bracing due to potential buckling. Thus the structure would be no better than the one we have selected only it would cost more due to the additional cross bracing. The box design was considered, however, it is not very suitable for a skew cantilever as construction would be immensely hard. Design considerations: The rig to which the structure was to be attached was inspected to see whether the load plate would fit and to get a general feel for the vertical constraints of the jack. To prevent a bending moment within the structure, lines of actions of forces in members must cross at a point. Hence in the drawings, lines of actions for every joint are shown to meet at a point within the material. For single cross braces, this line of action is 3/4 of the way in from the edge parallel with the edge. To make members act as though they were in mode B, the struts had to be rivet together. This was done 40mm from the edges of the struts in question and subsequently the remaining length was divided up into 3 sections at which the boundary of each division was riveted. This was performed on all the double angled struts. Where possible, the struts coming into connecting plates were made to touch the plate with their edge so that they would be transferring their load in a more direct manner. We attempted to make the base as wide as possible, for stability hence the connecting plates should go up to the edge of the main plate. Construction Phase: The base was the first thing to be constructed as it was easier than the upper members, thus by the time it had been built, experience had been gained and could applied to a more complex construction step (the upper members). The upper members were then constructed and both sets were fitted to the base plate. An additional plate was put in between the connecting plate and the main plate for the tension members to prevent the bolts from tearing out. The partially completed structure was taken to the measurement deck, where the alignment was checked. It was within 5mm in respect to the horizontal plane, thus we could slightly bias connections so that the alignment became closer to about 3mm. It was then noted that the rig that would connect the load to the load plate needed the load plate to have parallel edges, thus a double bend and an extension of 40mm in the load plate was required to allowed the rig to connect to the load plate. See right hand page for diagram. The load plate was then attached and the structure was checked that it aligned to about 3mm. The cross braces were than fabricated and attached. An attempt was made to work efficiently during construction, my laboratory partner and I finished with 6 hours to spare. Modifications: To M4 bolts were used to help keep the two sections of the load plate in alignment to achieve ease of rig attachment. These are attached as shown on the diagram to the right. A small cross brace was also placed between the two tension members at the top to attempt to prevent rotation of the structure. See right for the diagram. Also there was not enough space for the smallest cross brace connecting the compression members, thus it was not included. Some minor changes in the lengths of some of the members was required to improve alignment. Also some edges of struts had to be cut so that they could rest flat against others to transfer load more effectively. Cost and Mass of Structure: The mass was 2.52kg, which is heavy in comparison to the other groups, but not the heaviest. The material cost was 120.5 and the labour cost was 282 giving a total of 452.5, once again the cost ranked high amongst the other groups. However, considering the magnitude of the mass, if the cost saving strategies had not been applied then the cost would have been about 30 higher. These cost saving techniques consisted of using a hole to not only mount the members to connecting sheet metal but also a cross brace, thus saving a rivet, a hole and some time during fabrication. Depending on the forces, this technique could be slight disadvantage, the joint would now be in double sheer, and the rivet would be under greater loading. However, this effect would be small due to the small forces in the cross braces. Test results and Observations: The structure had a very slight amount of visible deformation at the working load of 1kN, and finally failed at 2.57kN. This was mainly due to the rightmost (looking at the front plate) compression member 5 buckling inwards at a position closer to the wall than the intersection between member 10 and 11. Another noted deformation was that the metal plates (A and B) connecting the main plate to the compression members had been bent inwards towards the main plate as the corners of the A and B were not touching the main plate. This meant that as the compression force in member 10 and 11 grew the force on the corner increased and cause deformation of the connecting plate. If the buckling in the compression member had not occurred, it would be conceivable that this would be the next location for failure. Suggested Modifications to Improve Performance: Using another cross brace in a sense parallel to the main plate between the lower main compression members 10 and 11 would have prevented the buckling that caused the main failure from occurring. The geometry of the proposed cross brace would force the member to become stockier thus its critical stress would be much higher, allowing us to once again us mode A with a 9.5mm by 9.5mm of thickness 0.8mm. If the holes for the bent plates that connects the main compression members 3 and 5 to the main plate were moved such that the corner of the connecting plate lay within the normal of the edge of the main plate, then this would reduce deformation of the connecting plate and hence the structure. If these connecting bent plates were to be the first point of failure, the modifications described would increase the failure load by postponing the tearing of the connecting plates. Conclusions: The main failure as discussed was mode B buckling of the longest compression member due to insufficient cross bracing. It would be interesting to rebuild the cantilever with the improvements and even have an entire redesign. One can learn many things from analyzing a failure. For example how to improve the structure and more importantly how to go about design in the first place.

The Killing Fields essays

The Killing Fields essays This movie was about a subject that I really had no knowledge about. Basically everything I learned about the subject came from the movie. I thought it was interesting that the U.S. dropped a bomb on a Cambodian city in 1973. The pilot miscalculated where it was supposed to be dropped, and it did quite a bit of damage and angered lots of people. From what I could tell about the movie, the Khmer Rouge actually consisted of several different groups that controlled different parts of the city. Pran is the character in the movie from Cambodia who is kidnapped and sent to the labor camps. It is through him that I learned the most about the killing fields. The Khmer Rouge told the people that God was dead and that there was no God anymore. Pran said that they must honor the children because their minds were not corrupted by the past like the older people. The Khmer Rouge said that 1975 was Year Zero meaning that everything was to start over brand new. Cambodians must completely f orget about pre-revolutionary Cambodia and have no past. Pran had to show no knowledge of his French or English speaking skills, because according to the Khmer Rouge, he had never learned them. Pran said that only the silent survive and there was no questioning of the Khmer Rouge. I couldnt believe how bad the Cambodians had it after the Khmer Rouge took over. At the end of the movie it said that there are still refugee camps on the Thai border and they are crowded with children of the killing fields. I had no idea that the torment in Cambodia had not yet ended. I just cant believe that there are actually people out there like the Khmer Rouge that killed over three million of Cambodias seven million people. ...

TDA 3.1 Communication and professional relationships with children, young people and adults Essay Essays

TDA 3.1 Communication and professional relationships with children, young people and adults Essay Essays TDA 3.1 Communication and professional relationships with children, young people and adults Essay Essay TDA 3.1 Communication and professional relationships with children, young people and adults Essay Essay Essay Topic: Adults Effective communicating is really of import. It helps develop positive relationships that benefit the kids and let them to take part and larn within the scene. It is besides of import in many other ways ; It prevents misinterpretations that can take to bad-feelings and/or bad working relationships. It can assist prosecute and affect parents/carers in their child’s acquisition. If we model effectual communicating skills the kids are more likely to follow and to understand what is acceptable. It means of import information will be passed on to the relevant people e. g. If a kid has a medical status such as asthma and needs an inhalator at certain times. All staff who may work with the kid must be made cognizant of this. Positive relationships don’t merely exist. they must be built. In order to pass on efficaciously you must believe about the manner you relate to others. Communication is more than merely what you say. Often non-verbal communicating speaks the loudest yet it is that that we are least cognizant of. The chief signifiers of this are body linguistic communication. facial looks. gestures and position. For illustration. you are speaking to a new parent about how their kid has settled in and you say â€Å"She is making really good and has made tonss of friends† but you stand with your weaponries folded. avoiding eye-contact and glowering. Alternatively of being re-assured the parent is likely to experience disquieted and disquieted. Principles of relationship edifice E?ective communicating – This is the most of import point and should travel hand-in-hand with all other rules. Showing respect – Listen to and esteem other people’s point of position. If you show esteem to others it is likely they will esteem you. Bing considerate – Be understanding about possible factors behind people’s behaviors and don’t be excessively speedy to do opinions. Remembering issues which are personal to them – A good manner of constructing positive relationships is to demo an involvement in things that are of import to others. Be clear on cardinal points – Nods of the caput and reiterating words/phrases show that you are clear on what is being said. When you are giving information guarantee that the other individual understands. For illustration. if speech production to a immature kid inquire them to reiterate what you have said.Active listening – Listening is a accomplishment and requires a certain sum of self-denial. You have to disregard your ain demands and concentrate on the individual speech production. You must pay attending to what is being said and follow it closely. Make eye-contact and maintain your organic structure unfastened. Sometimes you need to accommodate the manner you communicate depending on the state of affairs ; Different civilizations Some civilizations have different norms on what is violative or polite. It is of import to understand this but guarantee you do non presume or pigeonhole. Where possible you should seek to hold an consciousness of the culturally acceptable behavior of the individual you are pass oning with and accommodate your attack consequently. For illustration. if it is non acceptable to them to hold eye-contact bashs non maintain seeking to make this. Besides be cognizant of linguistic communication barriers. You may necessitate to utilize other non-verbal signifiers of communicating to guarantee they understand. Social and professional contexts You should do certain you use the appropriate linguistic communication and behavior dependent on the state of affairs. For illustration. if you were in a meeting with a parent and other professionals you would talk a batch more officially than you would in the staffroom at suppertime. You should besides retrieve other factors such as your organic structure linguistic communication and the manner you dress. Other signifiers of communicating Non-spoken signifiers of communicating can be mis-read. Be certain to be clear and prompt when reacting to electronic mails or phone messages. If you are diffident of the message ask inquiries or para-phrase. It is frequently utile to do notes as you may necessitate to go through the message on or mention back to it at a ulterior day of the month. Skills needed to pass on with kids and immature people Children learn how to pass on by illustration and by the responses of others. All kids should hold the chance to show their ideas and sentiments and be listened to. You should guarantee you give them sufficient clip to make this. Just stating you are listening isn’t plenty. You should demo that you are interested in what they are stating by giving them your full attending. It is of import to demo you are accessible. Use positive organic structure linguistic communication and facial looks. Speak to kids on their degree and repetition cardinal words to demo your apprehension. It may be necessary to oppugn them farther. if this is the instance give them clip to reply. Children may miss assurance and may necessitate to be prompted. Adapting communicating for kids Some kids may hold trouble pass oning ; thought should be given to single demands. You may hold kids who have a address hindrance or have English as a 2nd linguistic communication. You should give them plentifulness of clip to talk so as non to do them experience pressurised. Some kids may non be given clip to speak outside of school and may experience dying. Others may miss assurance. Gently prompt kids to fall in in treatments. inquire them open-ended inquiries and promote kids to take bends in speech production and hearing. Always be aware of the age and/or phase of the kids. You will necessitate to accommodate your vocabulary and the manner you respond. For illustration. older kids may be offended if they think you are talking to them ‘like a kid. ’ Although it is of import to develop positive relationships through communicating you should guarantee that you remain professional. When the kids are on undertaking you should seek to forestall breaks and maintain the conversation to make with the activity. In other state of affairss give the kids clip to speak freely but ever keep boundaries. Communicating with grownups and children/young peopleAdaptations for children/Young PeoplesSimilaritiesMaintain carer to child relationship and remain formal.Maintain oculus contactCommunicate what is expected of them.Respond to what is saidAge/stage appropriateShow involvementEnsure they understand.Positive organic structure linguistic communicationDon’t promote physical contact.Active hearingGive congratulations and encouragement Sometimes you may meet grownups who have different communicating demands and will necessitate to accommodate the manner you communicate with them consequently ; Hearing impaired – Face them and keep eye-contact as they may necessitate to lip read. Use manus gestures to heighten what you are stating. Write down of import information. English as an extra linguistic communication – You may necessitate a transcriber. Sometimes if the kid is older they can interpret messages. If there isn’t a transcriber available speak slowly and clearly. Visually impaired- Often schools send out letters and signifiers to parents. These may necessitate to be in big print or Braille or you may necessitate to talk to the parent/carer straight. Disagreements Disagreements are frequently down to miscommunication. There may hold been a misconstruing with a member of staff. information may hold been perceived wrongly or it may be differences of sentiment. Sometimes dissensions occur with parents. This could be due to information non being passed on. a deficiency of clip to speak at the start/end of the twenty-four hours or different positions to how state of affairss should be dealt with. It is of import that any dissensions are resolved every bit rapidly as possible so as to keep positive relationships. Children pick up on negativeness and it makes an uncomfortable environment for all. You should speak merely with the individual involved and happen a manner frontward. Make non disregard the job as the longer it is allowed to travel on the more hard it will be to decide. Confidentiality. information protection and the revelation of information All grownups that work in a school environment should be cognizant of the statute law sing confide ntiality and information protection. Data Protection Act 1998 It is indispensable for schools to keep certain information so that kids can be cared for efficaciously. This may include ; Health or medical records Records from old schools Records for kids with particular educational demands Any administration which holds information on persons demands to be registered with the information commissioner. This is designed to guarantee that confidential information can non be passed on to others without the persons consent. The eight rules of pattern are that information must be: Processed reasonably and legitimately Used merely for the intent for which it was gatheredAdequate. relevant and non inordinateAccurate and kept up to day of the month where necessaryKept for no longer than necessaryProcessed in line with the individual’s rightsKept secure Not transferred outside the European Union without equal protection As a instruction helper I have entree to a broad scope of information about the kids in my attention. I guarantee that I keep all information confidential unless otherwise necessary and if I am diffident I speak with my line director. Sometimes when people think of go throughing on confidential information they think of to other grownups outside of school but it involves professionals. other parents and even other kids in the school. Any of these would be a breach of confidentiality. ConfidentialityIn some cases parents may be wary about giving out private/personal information that the school demands. In this case every attempt should be made to reassure them about confidentiality and that the information will non be passed onto anyone else without their permission. Each school should besides hold a confidentiality policy that can be referred to. Sometimes you may go to meetings with other professionals. Parental consent should be gained before any information about the child/family is shared unless the kid is ‘at risk’ or there is a legal duty on the school to unwrap such information. You must be aware of pupils. assistants or visitants in the school and what information is revealed in their presence. Some information must be passed on such as if a kid is wheezing or has an allergic reaction but the bulk of information should be on a demand to cognize footing. It is ever of import to retrieve there may be a state of affairs where you will necessitate to state others. If a kid confides in you about certain issues and you suspect child maltreatment or that the kid may be ‘at risk’ you should guarantee the kid knows that you can non maintain the information confidential. You must go through the information on to the delegated individual. In instances such as this you should makes notes on what the kid has told you and let them to talk freely but do non force them for information or inquire prima inquiries.

Checking Immigration Case Status With USCIS

Checking Immigration Case Status With USCIS The  U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services  (USCIS) agency has upgraded its services to include checking case status online  and using a virtual assistant online to answer questions. Through a free, online portal, MyUSCIS, there are multiple features. Applicants can submit an online request, get automatic email or text message updates when a case status changes and practice the civics test. Being that theres  a multitude of immigration options from applying for U.S. citizenship  to green card residency status and temporary working visas to refugee status, to name a few, MyUSCIS is the one-stop  site for all applicants requesting U.S. immigration. The USCIS Website The USCIS website has directions for getting started on MyUSCIS, which allows an applicant to review their entire case history. All an applicant needs is the applicants receipt number. The receipt number has 13 characters and can be found on the application notices received from USCIS. The receipt number begins with three letters, such as EAC, WAC, LIN or SRC. Applicants should omit the dashes when entering the receipt number in the web page boxes. However, all other characters, including the asterisks, should be included if they are listed on the notice as part of the receipt number. If missing the application receipt number, contact the USCIS Customer Service center at 1-800-375-5283 or 1-800-767-1833 (TTY) or submit an online inquiry about the case.  Ã‚   Other features of the website include filing forms electronically, checking office case processing times, finding a doctor authorized for completing a medical exam for adjusting status and reviewing filing fees. A change of address can be recorded online, as well as finding local processing offices and making an appointment to visit an office and speak with a representative. Email and Text Message Updates USCIS allows applicants the option of receiving an email or text message notification that a case status update has occurred. The notification can be sent to any United States mobile phone number. Standard cell phone text messaging rates may apply to receive these updates. The service is available to USCIS customers and their representatives, including  immigration lawyers, charitable groups, corporations, other sponsors, and you can register for it online. Create an Account It is important for anyone who wants regular updates from USCIS to create an account with the agency to ensure access to case status information.   A helpful feature from USCIS is the online request access option. According to the agency, the online request  option is a web-based tool that allows an applicant to place an inquiry with USCIS for certain applications and petitions. An applicant may make an inquiry on selected forms that are beyond posted processing times or selected forms where the applicant did not receive an appointment notice or other notice. An applicant can also create an inquiry to correct a notice received with a typographical error.

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 61

Case Study Example For example if the business requirement is stated as â€Å"the light must turn on if button B is pressed and if button F is pressed.† This statement can be interpreted differently by different people because of the ambiguous use of the word â€Å"and† and this may lead to distortion in the respective system. A large number of business requirements fail in two prime dimensions; lack of true process orientation and lack of neuroscience required in defining the business requirement effectively. The perception of the business requirement makers that they know everything also leads to bad business requirements. Further, poor communication, constantly changing requirements in projects, less customer involvement, time and money constraints are some of the identifiable reasons resulting in bad business requirements. The use of â€Å"always† in a system means â€Å"most of the time† however; sometimes, it can also create ambiguity. The above mentioned statement can be interpreted in the following ways; the system should support employee birthdays every year because birthdays come and are celebrated every year. What if an employee gets dead then still the system will always support his/her birthday despite employee’s demise? Further, if an employee gets retired or not celebrates his/her birthday every year, so should the system support his/her birthday? All these varying interpretations can be perceived from the above mentioned ambiguous business requirement leading to system

The uniform Commercial Code Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The uniform Commercial Code - Essay Example The UCC is used by every jurisdiction in the United States except for Louisiana. Article 2 of the statute only governs a contract for the sale of goods (movable property only)2, and is most often used to resolve contract disputes of that nature. Other types of transactions are governed by the different Article in the UCC. The statute is governed by TARR, which refers to tender, acceptance, rejection and revocation. When a buyer intends to purchase goods, he is entitled to reject such goods, if the goods do not meet the conditions set out in the contract (tender stage). A buyer may accept the goods in such belief, that the manufacture will repair the problems, which are under warranty (acceptance stage). However, if a buyer finds a problem with the goods, he may reject the goods within the reasonable time (rejection stage), or during the revocation stage. The provisions of UCC are applicable to the sale of goods in the United States; however, it is subject to United Nations convention for the international sale of goods if parties to a contract choose not to be governed by the statute. Applicability of the UCC Sections Relative to Zabriskie Case In this case, Mr. Zabriskie purchased a new car 1966 Chevrolet Biscayne and gave a check for payment. Later on he went for a drive with the said car on the same day, it got spoilt within 2.5 miles away, and he immediately gave instructions for the said check not to be paid. The dealer argued that he (buyer) could not reject the car as he had taken a test drive and was satisfied vehicle. He also argued that it was a reasonable opportunity for him to inspect the product. The court held that: Driving for a few miles was significant to the buyer, since it was his reasonable opportunity to enjoy his new vehicle and to see if it conforms to the agreement. How long the buyer may have driven the new car under the guise of inspection is not an issue as it is within the ambit of a reasonable opportunity to inspect. If the consumer has used the new car for a long period of time, article 2 of the UCC3 provides that a buyer may refuse to accept the goods if the defects impair the goods too much. The article also provides this when the buyer has accepted the goods without discovery of non-conformity because it was difficult to discover, or if he was assured that non-conformity would be repaired. In explaining the reasoning, the court defined non-conformity substantially impairing the value of the vehicle as: 1) Having many small defects whose cumulative value added up to a big impairment- This is the â€Å"shake faith† doctrine first stated in the Zabriskie case. 2) One that includes a failure or refusal to repair the goods under the warranty- Substantial non-conformity and lemon laws often defines what may be considered a substantial impairment. Public Policy Consideration That Support the Decision in the Zabriskie Case and Other Cases like It Courts’ main function is the administration of justice to all who come seeking justice. In doing so, they are guided by the principles of fairness and reasonableness in delivering judgments. When it comes to contracts, courts may refuse to enforce contracts containing unconscionable clauses at the time of formation or only enforce the remainder of the contract without the unconscionable clause to prevent oppression and unfair surprises to buyers; this principle was considered in the Zabriski

Personal Philosophy of Classroom Management Research Paper

Personal Philosophy of Classroom Management - Research Paper Example Students misbehave in the classroom for a variety of reasons. Some students may be suffering from lack of attention at home, divorce of parents, or a need for attention from their teacher. The students who misbehave in class need a structured classroom management plan to assist with their behavior and learning. Students are normally attentive when the classroom lesson is presented in stimulating and insightful ways. Group interaction is an excellent way to manage students who misbehave in the classroom. The classroom management plan should include solutions for resolving issues with students who misbehave; the lessons should be presented in ways that creates interactions between the students and the teacher. A classroom management plan is an organized plan that assists the teacher in managing his or her classroom. Classroom management plans are designed in various forms, such as computer-aided instruction, student groups, or student interaction with the teacher. When establishing a c lassroom management plan, the teacher must analyze the classroom lessons as well as the classroom environment. These are two important elements that guide the way the classroom learning is structured. The classroom management plan is designed in an effort to establish ways to structure the classroom lessons for an effective learning environment. Creating a classroom management plan gives the teacher an outline of how the lessons should be presented to the class. ... Along with the teacher, the students are affected by the use of a classroom management plan; it helps the students understand organization skills, management skills, and classroom structure. My Personal Philosophy of Classroom Management My personal philosophy of classroom management has ultimately been influenced or shaped from my home, social, and educational experiences. In my home environment, I was required to study as soon as I came home from school. I was not allowed to play until my studying and homework was completed. I understood this structure, and I followed this plan as soon as I came home. My social structure or environment shaped my personal philosophy of classroom management. I was always told to study hard and follow a plan for managing my class assignments and homework. In school, I learned the proper ways to study. My educational experiences shaped my personal philosophy of classroom management. My classroom setup was a mixture of student teams, computer-aided inst ruction, and individual learning. The teacher allowed us to interact with the lesson by responding to questions and providing our explanations for the assignment. Theoretical Perspective for my personal theory of Classroom Management My theoretical perspective that best describes my personal theory of classroom management is B.F. Skinner’s Operant Conditioning Theory. According to B.F. Skinner, â€Å"learning is a function of change in overt behavior. Changes in behavior are the result of an individual's response to events (stimuli) that occur in the environment. A response produces a consequence such as defining a word, hitting a ball, or solving a math problem. When a particular Stimulus-Response (S-R) pattern is reinforced (rewarded), the individual is conditioned to

Basseri of Iran Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Basseri of Iran - Research Paper Example As the study of the social structure of the Basseri tribe by Barth (1961) is one of the classical examples of the research in the field of ethnography of nomadic peoples of Iran, it is instructive to closely analyze the modern state of the Basseri people. In this essay, I will deal with the various aspects of social life of the Basseri, focusing on their subsistence patterns, but paying appropriate attention to their kinship practices, social and political organization. Accordingly, the essay will be divided into four sections in which the relevant aspects will be analyzed. My basic argument with regard to the Basseri is that they represent a stage of development transitional between the primitive lineage form and more developed chiefdom organization, which is itself a necessary prerequisite to the fully stratified society, and the organization of the essay will reflect that argument.

Strategic and Transport Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Strategic and Transport Planning - Essay Example Question one (A). The chief advantages/disadvantages of shifting more freight from road to rail. Modes of transportation are many in the United Kingdom. The movement of these goods include pipelines, truck, rail, water, and air. The progress of goods moved by way of a truck, per recent statistics; show very small increases. However, in contrast this same amount of freight moved by rail is comparable when one considers mathematically that when the amount multiplied the distance of this measurement is in ton-miles. Advantages Any thriving growing economy has to depend upon freight transportation. Freight lines are is a critical component of any economy. In the United Kingdom, it necessitates that the improved punctuality and reliability, tracked in rail services delivery was at least 85% in 2006. By 2010, that number increased substantially. The use of public transport (bus and light rail), has increased by more than 12% in England. When readers compared this with 2000, it maintains steady growth in every region (stalban.gov). Very impressive when readers can look at the reduction of the amount people killed or seriously injured in Great Britain on all road accidents. In a literal context, the numbers decreased by 40% and the number of children's death toll went down by 50%. These government statistics shows the UK has made large improvement to the death percentages and overall death tolls have decreased. This further shows a dramatic difference especially, in several of disadvantaged communities that, statistically by 2010 compared with the average deaths that reported in the past of 1994-98. The UK quietly has dropped many targets fixed in the 10-Year Transport Plan published in 2000: Found in (Future of Transport, 2030). †¢Source: the Future of Transport: a network for 2030 Disadvantageous Going by rail has several disadvantageous. However, when looking at the advantageous is seems almost insignificant. Rail has limited routes at times, is just does not stop everywhere. The routes and the timetable s seem to be a bit inflexible. It can be more expensive if the corporation has a large amount of freight to haul, and it can sometimes be unreliable. Question two (B). Using an example of a major rail freight facility describes the opportunities that may take up by industry. The UK shows this to be a monumental success story in rail freight in the transport sector over the last 15 years. An estimated ?one point five billion of investment is in rolling stock, terminals, and support facilities show growth of over 60% that the industry achieved. The industry’s reliability and punctuality in all business segments meets its customers’ requirements. A very high and improving percentage of inter-modal services in past arrivals were at their destinations on time (stalbans.gov). The company runs more than 5,000 freight trains a day throughout Europe and is the parent business of DB Schenker rail (UK) Ltd (DBSR). DBAG’s purchase of EWS was a strategic move to offer a netw ork of integrated rail services throughout Europe. DBSR announced the establishment of a new service for the temperature-controlled product collected from suppliers called Tesco goes through Spain, then transported by rail across France and through the Channel Tunnel to London. One train per day initially covers this service. This gives Tesco and other major UK retails significant potential for

Choose 1 public Uk company and 1 charity company Assignment

Choose 1 public Uk company and 1 charity company - Assignment Example Today, the firm sells tens of thousands of products and operates in over 12 countries in the Euro and Asia markets. The mission of Tesco is to offer its customers the best products at the best prices ever. It intends to help its customers to save some money on grocery shopping through providing pocket-friendlily high quality prices (Rohwedder, 2006). Tearfund is a UK nongovernmental organization and a Christian charity fund that was founded in 1968 in London (Hollow, 2008). From the organization some more charity organizations have been formed such as the Disaster Emergency Committee and the Micah Network. Tearfund was created from an already existing organization called the Evangelical Alliance as well as the evangelical Refugee Fund which were initially created by the UN. Its initial name was Evangelical Alliance Fund Committee and was headed by George Hoffman. The mission for Tearfund is to give relief funds in places that face some sort of disaster whether it is poverty, war or natural calamity (Barry, 2000). Tearfund also gives funds for development purposes in places where there is minimal development. A look at these two firms reveals that there is a different between nonprofit firms and the for profit firms. The growth rate for the two firms is different. The private for profit firms seem to grow faster as they look for more market. A good example is the Tesco which has been exploring markets outside UK, even in the US where it failed dramatically (Kamal, 2014). The other difference that comes between these two firms is with regard to their expansion strategy. While a profit oriented firm seeks to expand to the markets where the economies are doing well in order to profit from the economy, a charity organization like Tearfund seeks to expand to areas where the economy is not doing so well, because their intention of to give money rather

Strategic and Transport Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Strategic and Transport Planning - Essay Example Question one (A). The chief advantages/disadvantages of shifting more freight from road to rail. Modes of transportation are many in the United Kingdom. The movement of these goods include pipelines, truck, rail, water, and air. The progress of goods moved by way of a truck, per recent statistics; show very small increases. However, in contrast this same amount of freight moved by rail is comparable when one considers mathematically that when the amount multiplied the distance of this measurement is in ton-miles. Advantages Any thriving growing economy has to depend upon freight transportation. Freight lines are is a critical component of any economy. In the United Kingdom, it necessitates that the improved punctuality and reliability, tracked in rail services delivery was at least 85% in 2006. By 2010, that number increased substantially. The use of public transport (bus and light rail), has increased by more than 12% in England. When readers compared this with 2000, it maintains steady growth in every region (stalban.gov). Very impressive when readers can look at the reduction of the amount people killed or seriously injured in Great Britain on all road accidents. In a literal context, the numbers decreased by 40% and the number of children's death toll went down by 50%. These government statistics shows the UK has made large improvement to the death percentages and overall death tolls have decreased. This further shows a dramatic difference especially, in several of disadvantaged communities that, statistically by 2010 compared with the average deaths that reported in the past of 1994-98. The UK quietly has dropped many targets fixed in the 10-Year Transport Plan published in 2000: Found in (Future of Transport, 2030). †¢Source: the Future of Transport: a network for 2030 Disadvantageous Going by rail has several disadvantageous. However, when looking at the advantageous is seems almost insignificant. Rail has limited routes at times, is just does not stop everywhere. The routes and the timetable s seem to be a bit inflexible. It can be more expensive if the corporation has a large amount of freight to haul, and it can sometimes be unreliable. Question two (B). Using an example of a major rail freight facility describes the opportunities that may take up by industry. The UK shows this to be a monumental success story in rail freight in the transport sector over the last 15 years. An estimated ?one point five billion of investment is in rolling stock, terminals, and support facilities show growth of over 60% that the industry achieved. The industry’s reliability and punctuality in all business segments meets its customers’ requirements. A very high and improving percentage of inter-modal services in past arrivals were at their destinations on time (stalbans.gov). The company runs more than 5,000 freight trains a day throughout Europe and is the parent business of DB Schenker rail (UK) Ltd (DBSR). DBAG’s purchase of EWS was a strategic move to offer a netw ork of integrated rail services throughout Europe. DBSR announced the establishment of a new service for the temperature-controlled product collected from suppliers called Tesco goes through Spain, then transported by rail across France and through the Channel Tunnel to London. One train per day initially covers this service. This gives Tesco and other major UK retails significant potential for

Factors Which Affect Decision Implementation Essay Example for Free

Factors Which Affect Decision Implementation Essay Correct decisions, the two previous papers elaborately developed, can be arrived at only if the requisite process of ponderously putting many influencing factors in perspective is observed. Since errors in decision-making can end up being costly both for the company and its stakeholders alike, it has been seen that the use of critical thinking has proven to be essential in guiding decision makers in choosing the best options that will generate best results. But if one were to think that arriving at a logical and well-thought out decision ends the entire process of decision-making, one definitely takes the dangerous path of frustrating the process all together. A correct decision, one may argue, only proves to be beneficial to a company or organization when its implementation would translate the rigors of critical analyses into tangible results. Langdon, if only to mention, argues along the same line of thought. He maintains, â€Å"Decision makers will never leave the point of the decision without thinking about the steps necessary to implement the decision successfully† (Langdon, 2001, p. 15). Ethical Implications and Other Factors Affecting Implementation of Decision The previous discussion was able to zero in on the viable options that may gleaned from the map drawn to help BAE Systems establish greater presence in the island of Kava. It may be wise to be reminded of the decisions that were suggested hitherto: first, the company needs not only to â€Å"sustain its existing accounts, but also to set up new client-accounts done through aggressive advertisement and in-shore sales campaign† so as to ensure that the â€Å"sale of its products is commensurate with its desired expansion rate†; second, it needs to see through the â€Å"creation of an efficient and result-generating human workforce†; and third, it also is imperative that it should â€Å"create a larger warehouse, if not an adjacent processing plant in the island, so as to meet the demands of the market† It is noteworthy to mention that there are certain risks attached to the cited options. The purpose why the last paper identified them is to further inform the decision maker of the resulting benefits and costs that must be anticipated in the event of making the decision. However, to outline the varying factors that may affect th e implementation of any decision – which, if only to mention, concerns greatly the company and its stakeholders – is another area that must also be carefully looked at. Surely, the three above-cited options will generate ebbs of impact for the company in general. Two major factors can determine the success of the implementation of the suggested paths: the internal coherence of the decision itself, and the external receptivity of the stakeholders involved. The first factor pertains to the logic from which any decision is drawn; and this has already constituted a large portion of the previous studies. Every decision, if only to repeat, is arrived at after a ponderous circumscription of the problems at hand, and the generous gathering of facilitative facts to throw light into one’s judgment. If the problems were well stated, chances are, the solutions are going to be suited. The next factor is however different. This time, one has to consider other areas that affect the success rate of the decision. Roozen, De Pelsmacker and Bostyn have identified some of them: â€Å"the influence of stakeholders, organizational commitment, personal values, goals of the organization and socio demographic characteristics of individuals†, among others (2001, p. 87). In the light of the three suggested decision paths for BAE Systems, what Roozen (and company) points are certainly of paramount importance. For instance, since the company’s goal to establish a greater presence in Kava is heavily dependent on the expansion of its new sales accounts, the decision to equally expand the workforce and to create newer intra-island processing plants must be leveled against the impact such will have on the stakeholders – e. g. , will the company owners allow for an increased budget allocation to defray the expansion cost? , will the company managers be willing to oversee difficult but potential market areas within the island? , will the commitment of the newly hired sales representative be aggressive enough to meet expectations? , or will the vision of the company itself be willing to risk so much for a return of investment which will come later on? It is very important to note that BAE Systems’ vision is intricately knitted with the amount of available resources the company has, or is willing to risk for investment purposes. One way or another, the welfare of both the company and its stakeholders is the friction force that shall determine how fast or slow the implementation of the decisions pertinent to BAE Systems’ expansion in Kava island would be. Key to the company’s success in Kava is also anchored on the ethical implications the decisions have on its stakeholders. In order to clarify the moral basis for sticking into a decision, Rodgers and Gago has sought to identify many differing ethical motives in a study they conducted. They suggest that there are at least six â€Å"pathways† that justify, and thus serve a basis for a particular decision to be pursued: â€Å"psychological egoism, deontology, relativist, utilitarian, virtue ethics, and ethics of care philosophy† (Rodgers Gago, 2001, pp. 358-359). Without having to go through their respective details, it may be good to note that the suggested options for BAE Systems are largely motivated by the â€Å"utilitarian† pathway. What does this mean? This means that the company which seeks to expand a venture must be seen primarily in terms of its ability to survive the risk. Thus, in a utilitarian approach, the company is more defined by a ‘consequentialist’ attitude in decision-making policies, in that it tries to see to it that any decision would generate the â€Å"greatest good (for) the greatest number of people† (Rodgers Gago, 2001, p. 359). Conclusion One may properly recall that, in the Business Scenario, Alex once quipped that economics is what drives the company to further expand its presence in an island of Kava. In many ways, what he said was correct, if not telling. The overarching reason why one needs to surmount the seemingly impossible difficulties, by identifying all the contributing factors relative to the company’s vision, is indeed driven by economics. But having economics alone as the moving force behind the desired expansion of a certain company may not capture the entire picture. Any decision driven by economics therefore, one must remember, must also be tempered by the opportunities it creates for the involved stakeholders, and the ethical implications it generates seen from their perspective. Critical thinking, as always, can always help ensure that these seemingly non-economic aspects of doing business are given their due importance.

Concept of Flexibility in Architecture

Concept of Flexibility in Architecture 1.0 Introduction An Overview Of The Terminology And The Conceptual Framework This chapter aims to define the meaning of the term ‘flexibility’, †Adaptability’ and ‘typological variety’ are the other concepts that related to ‘flexibility’. Both N.John Habraken (2008) and Tatjana Schneider and Jeremy Till (2007) mention that flexibility and adaptability have overlapping meanings,but the colloquial and the technical meaning can provide a departure point for their clarification and the conceptual framework of the study. The meaning of the typological variety is more obvious, it points to freedom of choice (Duygu Albostan, 2009) The English colloquial usage of the word â€Å"flexibility† is : capabilities of being bent,pliancy. Susceptibility of modification or alteration; capacity for readily adaptation to various purposes or conditions;freedom from stiffness or rigidity. (Oxford English Dictionary Online,2009) It is important to refer professional or researchers who point out the technical meanings of the concept of flexibility ,according to their changing senses over time. Andrew Rabeneck, David Sheppard and Peter Town published two articles related to flexibility and adaptability. The articled entitled â€Å"Housing Flexibility† (1973) and â€Å"Housing Flexibility/Adaptability?† (1974) â€Å"Flexibility†is proposed against â€Å"tight-fit functionalism† (p.698) They introduced the term †tight-fit functionalism† that refers to the unhealthy situation of mass housing in the twentieth century of Europe.They explain it as miniaturized living areas with the cell types rooms which do not allow any changes(1973,p.698) The unsuccessful attempts in flexibility are criticized for they may lead to what they call the ‘fallacy of freedom through control†.(1973,p.701) Flexibility housing should be capable of offering â€Å"choice† and â€Å"personalization†. (1973,p.701) Rabeneck, Sheppard and Town involve the scope of flexibility in housing project. They see flexibility as a tool to make the minimal housing environments capable of offering for ‘choice’ and ‘personalization’. They criticize flexibility can lead to too technical or complicated housing projects. The adaptability approach,in contrast to the flexible,emphasizes planning and layout rather than constructional technique and services distribution.It is based on carefully considered variations in room sizes, relationship between rooms,slightly generous openings between spaces and little overt expression of room function.(Rabeneck, Sheppard Town, 1974, p.86) Rabeneck, Sheppard and Town claim that flexibility relates to design decisions about the permanent and fixed parts of the building:the structural system and service spaces, whilst adaptability related to consideration about the architectural layouts of the remaining spaces such as the organization of the rooms, their dimensions, the relation between the rooms and their functions. The concept of flexibility deals with the ‘constructional technique and services distribution†. (1974, p.86) As previous, they claim the flexibility related to structural system and services spaces, in â€Å"Housing Flexibility/Adaptability?† (1974) they again emphasize on the construction technique and the position of service spaces. They also compare the flexibility with adaptability. They claim that adaptability more towards the architectural layout. Herman Hertzberger emphasized the importance of the concept of flexibility in architectural design in his book entitled Lessons for Students in Architecture (1991). According to Hertzberger flexibility suggest and open-ended solution,which refers to what is called ‘rhetotic value’of flexibility that defines by Schneider and Till (2005). Flexibility signifies-since there is no single solution that is preferable to all others-the absolute denial of a fixed, clearcut standpoint. The flexible plan starts out from the certainly that correct solution does not exist Although a flexible set-up admittedly adapts itself to each change as it presents itself, it can never be the best and most suitable to any one problem;it can at any given moment provide any solution but most appropriate one. (1991, p.146) From Hertzberger’s perspective, flexibility refers to the caple of proposing different solutions for diverse users with no certain single solution but most appropriate one. He discussed flexibility in a different perspective by introducing the term ‘polyvalence’ which means a characteristic of a static form, a form that can be put into different users without having undergo changes itself, so that a minimal flexibility can still produce an optimal solution. (1991, p.147) Steven Groà ¡k discussed the difference between flexibility between flexibility and adaptability from a different perspective in his book entitled The Idea Of Building: Though and Action in the Design and Production of Buildings (1992). The spatial organization and internal environment may be suitable for only a limited array of uses. Here we should distinguish between ‘adaptability’, taken to means †capable of different social uses†, and â€Å"flexibility†, taken to means â€Å"capability of different physical arrangement†. The building’s capacity for accommodating changed uses will depend on the extent to which it is adaptable and/or flexible. (Groà ¡k, 1992, p.15-17) Groà ¡k tries to explain the the adaptability related to the use of space whilst flexibility refers to different physical arrangement.He emphasize that flexibility is valid not only for interior but also for the exterior adjustments. In this respect,it can be inferred that Groà ¡k agrees with the definition of Rabeneck, Sheppard and Town. Gerard Maccreanor explained the relation between the concepts of flexibility and adaptability by emphasizing the flexibility includes adaptability as well.(1998) Flexibility is a â€Å"designed idea that leads to the collapse of the traditional layout†. (1998, p.40) Adaptability is a different way of viewing flexibility.The adaptable building is both transfunctional and multifunctional and must be allow the possibility of changing use; living into working,working into leisure or as a container of several uses simultaneously. Adaptability is not primarily concerned with a designed idea of flexibility based on the collapse of the traditional layout. An apparent robust identity and enduring presence within an urban context is required that allows the building to cope with future needs and changing conditions. (Maccreanor, 1998, p.40) Flexibility has for a long time been a subject of interest for architects. In the years to follow this resulted in many buildings with open, changeable planning around fixed service cores.One conclusion is that flexibility doesn’t simply imply the necessity of endless change and breakdown of accepted formula. On the contrary, the buildings that have proven to be the most adaptable, were those not originally planned for flexibility. (Maccreanor, 1998, p.40) Maccreanor points out flexibility is neither a characteristic of indeterminate space that allows â€Å"endless change†, nor is it a characteristic of detrminate space with too much technical equipments.In other words, if architects leave thir buildings open for infinitely different solutions for the users;they lead to â€Å"open-endedness † (Scheneider Till, 2005, p.158) and â€Å"uncertainty† (Hertzberger, 1991, p.117). By the same token,if architects put more emphasis on flexibility through building with movable partition, they will create â€Å"false neutrality† as a result of too much technical or strictly defined spaces (Schneider Till, Theory, 2005, p.158). They are the two controversial approaches to flexibility in architectural design that belong rather to â€Å"the rhetoric of flexibility† by Schneider Till (2007, p.5) Gerard Maccreanor has a different view about flexibility. He said that flexibility does not imply ‘an endless change’. He also asserted that the building which are not originally design for flexibility, can be the most adaptable one. Adrian Forty (2000) deals with flexibility as an issue that requires long-term thinking in architectural design. The incorporation of â€Å"flexibility† into the design allowed architects the illusion of projecting their control over the building into the future, beyond the period of their actual responsibility for it. (Forty, 2000, p.143) The confusion in meaning of â€Å"flexibility† is based on two contradictory roles: †it has served to extend functionalism and so make it variable† and â€Å"it has been employed to resist functionalism. (200, p.148)

Drama Queens Present :: Television Entertainment Media Papers

Drama Queens Present In the past fifty years, the television-viewing world has experienced drama, romance, and attraction through the eyes of soap opera writers, creators, producers, and actors. Soap operas, also known as daytime dramas have been around and the talk of the town for more than half a decade. It all started in radio in the earlier part of the 1900s, then the excitement moved to television. The first television soap opera was â€Å"Guiding Light† and it began airing on radio stations in the 1930s. In 1956, it crossed over to television. The CBS radio station knew it had a hit on hits hands and decided to take a chance on television success (Jameson 35). Listeners accepted the trends, and soon more and more soap operas made their debut on television. Soap operas were better known from the beginning to be for stay at home moms, who cooked and cleaned all day. Their name, â€Å"soap opera† came from the origins of the sponsors that created the shows. In the beginning, the shows were extended advertisements for the soaps that the housewives would use. Once the dramas moved to television, they began to take on a larger audience. Today everything from birth control pills, laundry detergents, and children’s toys are advertised during the soap opera viewing hours (Pagewise, Inc.). Millions of viewers; college students, mothers, fathers, stay at home moms and dads, retirees, teenagers and the elderly are hooked on daytime drama between the hours of twelve and four waiting for their shows to come on. There has been such a change in audience and growth in the viewing since the dawn of soap operas on television: soap operas constitute a very large part of network daytime viewers. From the evil stepmother to the pretty blonde girl, soaps do not change much over the years. Even the latest drama, â€Å"Passions† has some of the same plot elements as the original â€Å"Guiding Light.† Soap operas still use good, evil, sex, scandal, and relationships as basic plot elements. Some good things never change. Daytime dramas will be around for years to come. Mothers pass soap opera stories on to their daughters, and the obsession continues to grow. Today, soap operas have become multimedia events. Many people prerecord their favorite soap operas for later viewing.

Hamlet :: essays research papers

Hamlet   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the themes I found in the play Hamlet, was the way Hamlet seemed to hold back on getting revenge for his father’s murder once he know who did it. After his father’s death and the hasty remarriage of his mother to his uncle, Hamlet started to spiral into a suicidal frame of mind. It is in this state that he meets the mysterious figure of his father’s ghost where he is told that it was his uncle, Claudius responsible for his death. Hamlet pledges to revenge his murder by Claudius who, the ghost also informs Hamlet, had already committed adultery with his queen during his lifetime. â€Å"Although Hamlet accepts the ghost’s word while he is with him, seeds of doubt about the ghost’s authenticity have been sown from the very beginning of the play and continue to torment Hamlet up until the end of the play† (Heilman p.45). Hamlet is not shore if this is really his farther or a devil in disguise. Hamlet Swears revenge will be quick for his father’s murderer. For the two months since Hamlet has seen the ghost, Hamlet has been unable to commit his vowed revenge; unable to explain to himself either his long delay or his depression and insanity. Maybe he’s scared of taking revenge on Claudius, he may think by taking revenge he endangers his own soul. â€Å"No matter how right a man might think his motives are, if Claudius is innocent; the act of revenge would inevitably make Hamlet as evil as the accused in the eyes of God† (Becker p.32). â€Å"Hamlet decides to test Claudius’ guilt and the authenticity of the ghost; he will stage a performance of a play, which will reproduce Claudius’ crime and observe his reaction to it†(Durband p.304). This plan was successful because Claudius broke down during the performance. Hamlet now knows Claudius is the murderer, and the ghost was actual his father. Hamlet has a perfect opportunity to achieve his revenge when he accidentally comes upon the guilt-ridden Claudius alone in prayer. Again he rationalizes himself into delay, this time on the grounds that his revenge would not be horrible enough as Claudius penitence might save his soul from hell. Although Hamlet dies at the end, he was able to avenge his father’s death. Because Laertes confessed that the king was to blame for hamlets mothers death as well as for the poison on the sword, Hamlet was able to achieve his revenge in terms that exonerated his soul from danger.

The Da Vinci Code Chapter 56-59

CHAPTER 56 Sophie stared at Teabing a long moment and then turned to Langdon. â€Å"The Holy Grail is a person?† Langdon nodded. â€Å"A woman, in fact.† From the blank look on Sophie's face, Langdon could tell they had already lost her. He recalled having a similar reaction the first time he heard the statement. It was not until he understood the symbology behind the Grail that the feminine connection became clear. Teabing apparently had a similar thought. â€Å"Robert, perhaps this is the moment for the symbologist to clarify?† He went to a nearby end table, found a piece of paper, and laid it in front of Langdon. Langdon pulled a pen from his pocket. â€Å"Sophie, are you familiar with the modern icons for male and female?† He drew the common male symbol The Da Vinci Code The Da Vinci Code â€Å"Of course,† she said. â€Å"These,† he said quietly,† are not the original symbols for male and female. Many people incorrectly assume the male symbol is derived from a shield and spear, while the female symbol represents a mirror reflecting beauty. In fact, the symbols originated as ancient astronomical symbols for the planet-god Mars and planet-goddess Venus. The original symbols are far simpler.† Langdon drew another icon on the paper. The Da Vinci Code â€Å"This symbol is the original icon for male,†he told her. â€Å"A rudimentary phallus.† â€Å"Quite to the point,† Sophie said. â€Å"As it were,† Teabing added. Langdon went on. â€Å"This icon is formally known as the blade, and it represents aggression and manhood. In fact, this exact phallus symbol is still used today on modern military uniforms to denote rank.† â€Å"Indeed.† Teabing grinned. â€Å"The more penises you have, the higher your rank. Boys will be boys.† Langdon winced. â€Å"Moving on, the female symbol, as you might imagine, is the exact opposite.† He drew another symbol on the page. â€Å"This is called the chalice.† The Da Vinci Code Sophie glanced up, looking surprised. Langdon could see she had made the connection. â€Å"The chalice,† he said,† resembles a cup or vessel, and more important, it resembles the shape of a woman's womb. This symbol communicates femininity, womanhood, and fertility.† Langdon looked directly at her now.† Sophie, legend tells us the Holy Grail is a chalice – a cup. But the Grail's description as a chaliceis actually an allegory to protect the true nature of the Holy Grail. That is to say, the legend uses the chalice as a metaphor for something far more important.† â€Å"A woman,† Sophie said. â€Å"Exactly.† Langdon smiled. â€Å"The Grail is literally the ancient symbol for womanhood, and the Holy Grail represents the sacred feminine and the goddess, which of course has now been lost, virtually eliminated by the Church. The power of the female and her ability to produce life was once very sacred, but it posed a threat to the rise of the predominantly male Church, and so the sacred feminine was demonized and called unclean. It was man, not God, who created the concept of â€Å"original sin,† whereby Eve tasted of the apple and caused the downfall of the human race. Woman, once the sacred giver of life, was now the enemy.† â€Å"I should add,† Teabing chimed,† that this concept of woman as life-bringer was the foundation of ancient religion. Childbirth was mystical and powerful. Sadly, Christian philosophy decided to embezzle the female's creative power by ignoring biological truth and making man the Creator. Genesis tells us that Eve was created from Adam's rib. Woman became an offshoot of man. And a sinful one at that. Genesis was the beginning of the end for the goddess.† â€Å"The Grail,† Langdon said,† is symbolic of the lost goddess. When Christianity came along, the old pagan religions did not die easily. Legends of chivalric quests for the lost Grail were in fact stories of forbidden quests to find the lost sacred feminine. Knights who claimed to be† searching for the chalice† were speaking in code as a way to protect themselves from a Church that had subjugated women, banished the Goddess, burned nonbelievers, and forbidden the pagan reverence for the sacred feminine.† Sophie shook her head. â€Å"I'm sorry, when you said the Holy Grail was a person, I thought you meant it was an actual person.† â€Å"It is,† Langdon said. â€Å"And not just any person,† Teabing blurted, clambering excitedly to his feet. â€Å"A woman who carried with her a secret so powerful that, if revealed, it threatened to devastate the very foundation of Christianity!† Sophie looked overwhelmed. â€Å"Is this woman well known in history?† â€Å"Quite.† Teabing collected his crutches and motioned down the hall. â€Å"And if we adjourn to the study, my friends, it would be my honor to show you Da Vinci's painting of her.† Two rooms away, in the kitchen, manservant Remy Legaludec stood in silence before a television. The news station was broadcasting photos of a man and woman†¦ the same two individuals to whom Remy had just served tea. CHAPTER 57 Standing at the roadblock outside the Depository Bank of Zurich, Lieutenant Collet wondered what was taking Fache so long to come up with the search warrant. The bankers were obviously hiding something. They claimed Langdon and Neveu had arrived earlier and were turned away from the bank because they did not have proper account identification. So why won't they let us inside for a look? Finally, Collet's cellular phone rang. It was the command post at the Louvre. â€Å"Do we have a search warrant yet?† Collet demanded. â€Å"Forget about the bank, Lieutenant,† the agent told him. â€Å"We just got a tip. We have the exact location where Langdon and Neveu are hiding.† Collet sat down hard on the hood of his car. â€Å"You're kidding.† â€Å"I have an address in the suburbs. Somewhere near Versailles.† â€Å"Does Captain Fache know?† â€Å"Not yet. He's busy on an important call.† â€Å"I'm on my way. Have him call as soon as he's free.† Collet took down the address and jumped in his car. As he peeled away from the bank, Collet realized he had forgotten to ask who had tipped DCPJ off to Langdon's location. Not that it mattered. Collet had been blessed with a chance to redeem his skepticism and earlier blunders. He was about to make the most high-profile arrest of his career. Collet radioed the five cars accompanying him. â€Å"No sirens, men. Langdon can't know we're coming.† Forty kilometers away, a black Audi pulled off a rural road and parked in the shadows on the edge of a field. Silas got out and peered through the rungs of the wrought-iron fence that encircled the vast compound before him. He gazed up the long moonlit slope to the chateau in the distance. The downstairs lights were all ablaze. Odd for this hour, Silas thought, smiling. The information the Teacher had given him was obviously accurate. I will not leave this house without the keystone, he vowed. I will not fail the bishop and the Teacher. Checking the thirteen-round clip in his Heckler Koch, Silas pushed it through the bars and let it fall onto the mossy ground inside the compound. Then, gripping the top of the fence, he heaved himself up and over, dropping to the ground on the other side. Ignoring the slash of pain from his cilice, Silas retrieved his gun and began the long trek up the grassy slope. CHAPTER 58 Teabing's† study† was like no study Sophie had ever seen. Six or seven times larger than even the most luxurious of office spaces, the knight's cabinet de travail resembled an ungainly hybrid of science laboratory, archival library, and indoor flea market. Lit by three overhead chandeliers, the boundless tile floor was dotted with clustered islands of worktables buried beneath books, artwork, artifacts, and a surprising amount of electronic gear – computers, projectors, microscopes, copy machines, and flatbed scanners. â€Å"I converted the ballroom,† Teabing said, looking sheepish as he shuffled into the room. â€Å"I have little occasion to dance.† Sophie felt as if the entire night had become some kind of twilight zone where nothing was as she expected. â€Å"This is all for your work?† â€Å"Learning the truth has become my life's love,† Teabing said. â€Å"And the Sangreal is my favorite mistress.† The Holy Grail is a woman, Sophie thought, her mind a collage of interrelated ideas that seemed to make no sense. â€Å"You said you have a picture of this woman who you claim is the Holy Grail.† â€Å"Yes, but it is not I who claim she is the Grail. Christ Himself made that claim.† â€Å"Which one is the painting?† Sophie asked, scanning the walls.† Hmmm†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Teabing made a show of seeming to have forgotten. â€Å"The Holy Grail. The Sangreal. The Chalice.† He wheeled suddenly and pointed to the far wall. On it hung an eight-foot-long print of The Last Supper, the same exact image Sophie had just been looking at. â€Å"There she is!† Sophie was certain she had missed something. â€Å"That's the same painting you just showed me.† He winked. â€Å"I know, but the enlargement is so much more exciting. Don't you think?† Sophie turned to Langdon for help. â€Å"I'm lost.† Langdon smiled. â€Å"As it turns out, the Holy Grail does indeed make an appearance in The LastSupper.Leonardo included her prominently.† â€Å"Hold on,† Sophie said. â€Å"You told me the Holy Grail is a woman.The Last Supper is a painting of thirteen men.† â€Å"Is it?† Teabing arched his eyebrows. â€Å"Take a closer look.† Uncertain, Sophie made her way closer to the painting, scanning the thirteen figures – Jesus Christ in the middle, six disciples on His left, and six on His right. â€Å"They're all men,† she confirmed. â€Å"Oh?† Teabing said. â€Å"How about the one seated in the place of honor, at the right hand of the Lord?† Sophie examined the figure to Jesus' immediate right, focusing in. As she studied the person's face and body, a wave of astonishment rose within her. The individual had flowing red hair, delicate folded hands, and the hint of a bosom. It was, without a doubt†¦ female. â€Å"That's a woman!† Sophie exclaimed. Teabing was laughing. â€Å"Surprise, surprise. Believe me, it's no mistake. Leonardo was skilled at painting the difference between the sexes.† Sophie could not take her eyes from the woman beside Christ. The Last Supper is supposed to be thirteen men.Who is this woman? Although Sophie had seen this classic image many times, she had not once noticed this glaring discrepancy. â€Å"Everyone misses it,† Teabing said. â€Å"Our preconceived notions of this scene are so powerful that our mind blocks out the incongruity and overrides our eyes.† â€Å"It's known as skitoma,†Langdon added. â€Å"The brain does it sometimes with powerful symbols.† â€Å"Another reason you might have missed the woman,† Teabing said,† is that many of the photographs in art books were taken before 1954, when the details were still hidden beneath layers of grime and several restorative repaintings done by clumsy hands in the eighteenth century. Now, at last, the fresco has been cleaned down to Da Vinci's original layer of paint.† He motioned to the photograph. â€Å"Et voila!† Sophie moved closer to the image. The woman to Jesus' right was young and pious-looking, with a demure face, beautiful red hair, and hands folded quietly. This is the woman who singlehandedly could crumble the Church? â€Å"Who is she?† Sophie asked. â€Å"That, my dear,† Teabing replied,† is Mary Magdalene.† Sophie turned. â€Å"The prostitute?† Teabing drew a short breath, as if the word had injured him personally. â€Å"Magdalene was no such thing. That unfortunate misconception is the legacy of a smear campaign launched by the early Church. The Church needed to defame Mary Magdalene in order to cover up her dangerous secret – her role as the Holy Grail.† â€Å"Her role?† â€Å"As I mentioned,† Teabing clarified,† the early Church needed to convince the world that the mortal prophet Jesus was a divine being. Therefore, any gospels that described earthly aspects of Jesus' life had to be omitted from the Bible. Unfortunately for the early editors, one particularly troubling earthly theme kept recurring in the gospels. Mary Magdalene.† He paused. â€Å"More specifically, her marriage to Jesus Christ.† â€Å"I beg your pardon?† Sophie's eyes moved to Langdon and then back to Teabing. â€Å"It's a matter of historical record,† Teabing said,† and Da Vinci was certainly aware of that fact. The Last Supper practically shouts at the viewer that Jesus and Magdalene were a pair.† Sophie glanced back to the fresco. â€Å"Notice that Jesus and Magdalene are clothed as mirror images of one another.† Teabing pointed to the two individuals in the center of the fresco. Sophie was mesmerized. Sure enough, their clothes were inverse colors. Jesus wore a red robe and blue cloak; Mary Magdalene wore a blue robe and red cloak. Yin and yang. â€Å"Venturing into the more bizarre,† Teabing said,† note that Jesus and His bride appear to be joined at the hip and are leaning away from one another as if to create this clearly delineated negative space between them.† Even before Teabing traced the contour for her, Sophie saw it – the indisputable V shape at the focal point of the painting. It was the same symbol Langdon had drawn earlier for the Grail, the chalice, and the female womb. â€Å"Finally,† Teabing said,† if you view Jesus and Magdalene as compositional elements rather than as people, you will see another obvious shape leap out at you.† He paused. â€Å"A letter of the alphabet.† Sophie saw it at once. To say the letter leapt out at her was an understatement. The letter was suddenly all Sophie could see. Glaring in the center of the painting was the unquestionable outline of an enormous, flawlessly formed letter M. â€Å"A bit too perfect for coincidence, wouldn't you say?† Teabing asked. Sophie was amazed. â€Å"Why is it there?† Teabing shrugged. â€Å"Conspiracy theorists will tell you it stands for Matrimonio or Mary Magdalene. To be honest, nobody is certain. The only certainty is that the hidden M is no mistake. Countless Grail-related works contain the hidden letter M – whether as watermarks, underpaintings, or compositional allusions. The most blatant M, of course, is emblazoned on the altar at Our Lady of Paris in London, which was designed by a former Grand Master of the Priory of Sion, Jean Cocteau.† Sophie weighed the information. â€Å"I'll admit, the hidden M's are intriguing, although I assume nobody is claiming they are proof of Jesus' marriage to Magdalene.† â€Å"No, no,† Teabing said, going to a nearby table of books. â€Å"As I said earlier, the marriage of Jesus and Mary Magdalene is part of the historical record.† He began pawing through his book collection. â€Å"Moreover, Jesus as a married man makes infinitely more sense than our standard biblical view of Jesus as a bachelor.† â€Å"Why?† Sophie asked. â€Å"Because Jesus was a Jew,† Langdon said, taking over while Teabing searched for his book,† and the social decorum during that time virtually forbid a Jewish man to be unmarried. According to Jewish custom, celibacy was condemned, and the obligation for a Jewish father was to find a suitable wife for his son. If Jesus were not married, at least one of the Bible's gospels would have mentioned it and offered some explanation for His unnatural state of bachelorhood.† Teabing located a huge book and pulled it toward him across the table. The leather-bound edition was poster-sized, like a huge atlas. The cover read: The Gnostic Gospels.Teabing heaved it open, and Langdon and Sophie joined him. Sophie could see it contained photographs of what appeared to be magnified passages of ancient documents – tattered papyrus with handwritten text. She did not recognize the ancient language, but the facing pages bore typed translations. â€Å"These are photocopies of the Nag Hammadi and Dead Sea scrolls, which I mentioned earlier,† Teabing said. â€Å"The earliest Christian records. Troublingly, they do not match up with the gospels in the Bible.† Flipping toward the middle of the book, Teabing pointed to a passage. â€Å"The Gospel of Philip is always a good place to start.† Sophie read the passage: And the companion of the Saviour is Mary Magdalene. Christ loved her more than all the disciples and used to kiss her often on her mouth. The rest of the disciples were offended by it and expressed disapproval. They said to him,† Why do you love her more than all of us?† The words surprised Sophie, and yet they hardly seemed conclusive. â€Å"It says nothing of marriage.† â€Å"Au contraire.† Teabing smiled, pointing to the first line. â€Å"As any Aramaic scholar will tell you, the word companion, in those days, literally meant spouse.† Langdon concurred with a nod. Sophie read the first line again. And the companion of the Saviour is Mary Magdalene. Teabing flipped through the book and pointed out several other passages that, to Sophie's surprise, clearly suggested Magdalene and Jesus had a romantic relationship. As she read the passages, Sophie recalled an angry priest who had banged on her grandfather's door when she was a schoolgirl. â€Å"Is this the home of Jacques Sauniere?† the priest had demanded, glaring down at young Sophie when she pulled open the door. â€Å"I want to talk to him about this editorial he wrote.† The priest held up a newspaper. Sophie summoned her grandfather, and the two men disappeared into his study and closed the door. My grandfather wrote something in the paper? Sophie immediately ran to the kitchen and flipped through that morning's paper. She found her grandfather's name on an article on the second page. She read it. Sophie didn't understand all of what was said, but it sounded like the French government, under pressure from priests, had agreed to ban an American movie called The Last Temptation of Christ, which was about Jesus having sex with a lady called Mary Magdalene. Her grandfather's article said the Church was arrogant and wrong to ban it. No wonder the priest is mad, Sophie thought. â€Å"It's pornography! Sacrilege!† the priest yelled, emerging from the study and storming to the front door. â€Å"How can you possibly endorse that! This American Martin Scorsese is a blasphemer, and the Church will permit him no pulpit in France!† The priest slammed the door on his way out. When her grandfather came into the kitchen, he saw Sophie with the paper and frowned. â€Å"You're quick.† Sophie said,† You think Jesus Christ had a girlfriend?† â€Å"No, dear, I said the Church should not be allowed to tell us what notions we can and can't entertain.† â€Å"Did Jesus have a girlfriend?† Her grandfather was silent for several moments. â€Å"Would it be so bad if He did?† Sophie considered it and then shrugged. â€Å"I wouldn't mind.† Sir Leigh Teabing was still talking. â€Å"I shan't bore you with the countless references to Jesus and Magdalene's union. That has been explored ad nauseum by modern historians. I would, however, like to point out the following.† He motioned to another passage. â€Å"This is from the Gospel of Mary Magdalene.† Sophie had not known a gospel existed in Magdalene's words. She read the text: And Peter said,† Did the Saviour really speak with a woman without our knowledge? Are we to turn about and all listen to her? Did he prefer her to us?† And Levi answered,† Peter, you have always been hot-tempered. Now I see you contending against the woman like an adversary. If the Saviour made her worthy, who are you indeed to reject her? Surely the Saviour knows her very well. That is why he loved her more than us.† â€Å"The woman they are speaking of,† Teabing explained,† is Mary Magdalene. Peter is jealous of her.† â€Å"Because Jesus preferred Mary?† â€Å"Not only that. The stakes were far greater than mere affection. At this point in the gospels, Jesus suspects He will soon be captured and crucified. So He gives Mary Magdalene instructions on how to carry on His Church after He is gone. As a result, Peter expresses his discontent over playing second fiddle to a woman. I daresay Peter was something of a sexist.† Sophie was trying to keep up. â€Å"This is Saint Peter. The rock on which Jesus built His Church.† â€Å"The same, except for one catch. According to these unaltered gospels, it was not Peter to whom Christ gave directions with which to establish the Christian Church. It was Mary Magdalene.† Sophie looked at him. â€Å"You're saying the Christian Church was to be carried on by a woman?† â€Å"That was the plan. Jesus was the original feminist. He intended for the future of His Church to be in the hands of Mary Magdalene.† â€Å"And Peter had a problem with that,† Langdon said, pointing to The Last Supper. â€Å"That's Peter there. You can see that Da Vinci was well aware of how Peter felt about Mary Magdalene.† Again, Sophie was speechless. In the painting, Peter was leaning menacingly toward Mary Magdalene and slicing his blade-like hand across her neck. The same threatening gesture as in Madonna of the Rocks! â€Å"And here too,† Langdon said, pointing now to the crowd of disciples near Peter. â€Å"A bit ominous, no?† Sophie squinted and saw a hand emerging from the crowd of disciples. â€Å"Is that hand wielding a dagger?† â€Å"Yes. Stranger still, if you count the arms, you'll see that this hand belongs to†¦ no one at all. It's disembodied. Anonymous.† Sophie was starting to feel overwhelmed. â€Å"I'm sorry, I still don't understand how all of this makes Mary Magdalene the Holy Grail.† â€Å"Aha!† Teabing exclaimed again. â€Å"Therein lies the rub!† He turned once more to the table and pulled out a large chart, spreading it out for her. It was an elaborate genealogy. â€Å"Few people realize that Mary Magdalene, in addition to being Christ's right hand, was a powerful woman already.† Sophie could now see the title of the family tree. THE TRIBE OF BENJAMIN â€Å"Mary Magdalene is here,† Teabing said, pointing near the top of the genealogy. Sophie was surprised. â€Å"She was of the House of Benjamin?† â€Å"Indeed,† Teabing said. â€Å"Mary Magdalene was of royal descent.† â€Å"But I was under the impression Magdalene was poor.† Teabing shook his head. â€Å"Magdalene was recast as a whore in order to erase evidence of her powerful family ties.† Sophie found herself again glancing at Langdon, who again nodded. She turned back to Teabing. â€Å"But why would the early Church care if Magdalene had royal blood?† The Briton smiled. â€Å"My dear child, it was not Mary Magdalene's royal blood that concerned the Church so much as it was her consorting with Christ, who also had royal blood. As you know, the Book of Matthew tells us that Jesus was of the House of David. A descendant of King Solomon – King of the Jews. By marrying into the powerful House of Benjamin, Jesus fused two royal bloodlines, creating a potent political union with the potential of making a legitimate claim to the throne and restoring the line of kings as it was under Solomon.† Sophie sensed he was at last coming to his point. Teabing looked excited now. â€Å"The legend of the Holy Grail is a legend about royal blood. When Grail legend speaks of ‘the chalice that held the blood of Christ'†¦ it speaks, in fact, of Mary Magdalene – the female womb that carried Jesus' royal bloodline.† The words seemed to echo across the ballroom and back before they fully registered in Sophie's mind. Mary Magdalene carried the royal bloodline of Jesus Christ?† But how could Christ have a bloodline unless†¦ ?† She paused and looked at Langdon. Langdon smiled softly. â€Å"Unless they had a child.† Sophie stood transfixed.† Behold,† Teabing proclaimed,† the greatest cover-up in human history. Not only was Jesus Christ married, but He was a father. My dear, Mary Magdalene was the Holy Vessel. She was the chalice that bore the royal bloodline of Jesus Christ. She was the womb that bore the lineage, and the vine from which the sacred fruit sprang forth!† Sophie felt the hairs stand up on her arms. â€Å"But how could a secret that big be kept quiet all of these years?† â€Å"Heavens!† Teabing said. â€Å"It has been anything but quiet! The royal bloodline of Jesus Christ is the source of the most enduring legend of all time – the Holy Grail. Magdalene's story has been shouted from the rooftops for centuries in all kinds of metaphors and languages. Her story is everywhere once you open your eyes.† â€Å"And the Sangreal documents?† Sophie said. â€Å"They allegedly contain proof that Jesus had a royal bloodline?† â€Å"They do.† â€Å"So the entire Holy Grail legend is all about royal blood?† â€Å"Quite literally,† Teabing said. â€Å"The word Sangreal derives from San Greal – or Holy Grail. But in its most ancient form, the word Sangreal was divided in a different spot.† Teabing wrote on a piece of scrap paper and handed it to her. She read what he had written. Sang Real Instantly, Sophie recognized the translation. Sang Real literally meant Royal Blood. CHAPTER 59 The male receptionist in the lobby of the Opus Dei headquarters on Lexington Avenue in New York City was surprised to hear Bishop Aringarosa's voice on the line. â€Å"Good evening, sir.† â€Å"Have I had any messages?† the bishop demanded, sounding unusually anxious.† Yes, sir. I'm very glad you called in. I couldn't reach you in your apartment. You had an urgent phone message about half an hour ago.† â€Å"Yes?† He sounded relieved by the news. â€Å"Did the caller leave a name?† â€Å"No, sir, just a number.† The operator relayed the number. â€Å"Prefix thirty-three? That's France, am I right?† â€Å"Yes, sir. Paris. The caller said it was critical you contact him immediately.† â€Å"Thank you. I have been waiting for that call.† Aringarosa quickly severed the connection. As the receptionist hung up the receiver, he wondered why Aringarosa's phone connection sounded so crackly. The bishop's daily schedule showed him in New York this weekend, and yet he sounded a world away. The receptionist shrugged it off. Bishop Aringarosa had been acting very strangely the last few months. My cellular phone must not have been receiving, Aringarosa thought as the Fiat approached the exit for Rome's Ciampino Charter Airport. The Teacher was trying to reach me.Despite Aringarosa's concern at having missed the call, he felt encouraged that the Teacher felt confident enough to call Opus Dei headquarters directly. Things must have gone well in Paris tonight. As Aringarosa began dialing the number, he felt excited to know he would soon be in Paris. I'll beon the ground before dawn.Aringarosa had a chartered turbo prop awaiting him here for the short flight to France. Commercial carriers were not an option at this hour, especially considering the contents of his briefcase. The line began to ring. A female voice answered. â€Å"Direction Centrale Police Judidaire.† Aringarosa felt himself hesitate. This was unexpected. â€Å"Ah, yes†¦ I was asked to call this number?† â€Å"Qui etes-vous?† the woman said. â€Å"Your name?† Aringarosa was uncertain if he should reveal it. The French Judicial Police? â€Å"Your name, monsieur?† the woman pressed. â€Å"Bishop Manuel Aringarosa.† â€Å"Un moment.† There was a click on the line. After a long wait, another man came on, his tone gruff and concerned. â€Å"Bishop, I am glad I finally reached you. You and I have much to discuss.†