The prospective for the US to base solar business organization to Term Paper

The prospective for the US to base solar business organization to significantly enter the Indian market - Term Paper Example Identifying this particular need, various companies around the world are focusing on developing products of new technology from alternative sources of energy. This has automatically led to the generation of evolution of hybrid automobiles, increased usage of wind and solar power in terms of developing products and machineries, etc. Talking in terms of new technology, it can be said that for the purpose of fulfillment of electricity needs of various products of commercial and domestic categories, the solar energy is often preferred because of unlimited supply and constant availability and very little harmful impact on the environment. Because of the high costs of availing new alternative forms of technology, the market for solar product is tremendously large. Because of the large amount of the entire Indian population who are staying in the remotely located towns and villages of India, there is a huge demand for solar technology based products in the developing and emerging market eco nomies like India for the purpose of providing sustainable energy and lighting solutions in multiple domestic rural households (Bhave & Chatterjee, â€Å"Solar power on every rooftop†). SunGlo Corporation can focus on the process of fulfilling the energy and lighting requirements of this emerging market by its widely diversified product portfolio which comprises of both domestic and commercial focused product offerings. For this purpose, the paper evaluates the market of India from the points of political, economical, physical, social factors as well as the various risks and potential barriers and threats that can possibly arise in the Indian market. Mission Statement The vision and mission statements of a company highlights the company’s long term and short terms goals over the span of next two, five and even 10 years. It has to be mentioned that the vision of the company talks about the company’s targets for the longer period while the mission talks about smal l milestones and targets that the company needs to achieve in terms of attaining its long term vision. The vision statement of the company is to focus on producing solar technology products which has high standards of quality and thereby meeting the global demand for products of solar technology. The mission statement of the company is to cater to the solar technology products demands of the upcoming and emerging market of the new economies, thereby focusing on the process of the need fulfillment of the new markets. The mission of the company includes the point of investing in the setting up of a production plant in an emerging economy like India, China etc and thereby developing high quality solar products of global standards which will help the company to cater to the needs of the developed and other developing economies of the Asian region and other parts of the world. Introduction Overview The world of the 21st century, much like that of the past is moving at a rapid pace with a smooth and sustainable rate of overall developments happening in various parts of the worl

The Qur`an Essay Example for Free

The Qur`an Essay This website contains selections from the Quran, particularly those sections fundamental to Islam. These sections deal with Allah (God), the worship of Allah, mans purpose in relation to Allah, and the purpose of the revelation to Muhammad.   In addition, this website provides scripture about the Quran, belief and disbelief, the relationship between Islam, Judaism, and Christianity and the Islamic view of an afterlife. Given the history of wars between these three faiths, it is interesting to note just how much their scriptures teach similar precepts. Islam views Mohammed (approximately 570 A.D. until 632 A.D.) as the final revelation from God or Allay to people of this world until the world comes to an end. Like Judaism that had been in existence for at least 1500 years and Christianity that had been in existence for more than 500 years, Islam is a monotheistic religion based on a book, the Quran. Each of these religions come from the tradition of Abraham and his descendents. Given the world today and the current animosity between those nations considered Christian and those considered Muslim, there are a surprising number of similarities between the two religions. In addition, given the strong anti-Semitic feeling among the more radical groups of Islam, it is hard to believe that they both come from similar traditions. In the discussion of Muhammads purpose, we read. Thus have we sent amongst you an apostle of yourselves, to recite to you our signs, to purify you and teach you the Book and wisdom, and to teach you what you did not know; remember me (God), then, and I will remember you; thank me, and do not disbelieve. This is remarkably similar to much of the teachings and actions of Jesus who worked against the Pharisees to purify Judaism in Jerusalem in the first century A.D. In the section called God it is interesting to read and note how much of the description is like the book of the Old Testament. Your God is one God; there is no God but He, the merciful, the compassionate of the Quran compares to the ten commandment statement of thy God is a jealous god, Thou shalt have no other god before Me. In the Quran Allah seems more mature. It is claimed that he is the one god, but that he is merciful and compassionate. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, God seems less mature, more given to anger and more demanding of those who worship him/her. There is a more alive and celebratory quality to the writings of the Quran. Instead of saying something like God created the heavens and the earth as in the Old Testament, just a simple declarative statement, the Quran provides a different slant, He created the heavens and the earth. May God be exalted above all that which they join with Him! This passion and emotion expressed in the Islamic tradition is greatly different than what is experienced in many Christian Churches today. This is reflected in the behavior of Muslims, who are passionate and open in newscasts today, as opposed to the restrained, remote, detached worshipping that many Christians and Jews do. The Quran and the Bible offer many similar teachings. Sadly, Moslems, Christians and Jews seem determined to emphasis the differences instead of embracing the similarities. Works Cited Hooker, Richard. Islam the Qu-ran. 02 Dec. 2006 http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/ ISLAM/QURANSEL.HTM

Springs Industries Inc. :: Business Management Studies

Springs Industries Inc. Springs Industries Inc. is a $2.2 billion textile company that is headquartered in Fort Mill, South Carolina. Springs Industries focuses its efforts into the production of the home furnishings market, and operates under well-known brand names such as Wamsutta, Springmaid, Disney, LizAt Home and Bill Blass. Their home furnishings segment account’s for nearly 82% of the company’s revenue, and remains one of the leading producers of bedding, bath and other home furnishing products in the United States (McFarlan, pg. 1, 1997). In 1995, Springs acquired several additional companies in which they could facilitate the introduction of new and complementary products that would provide them with a distinct set of product offerings. However, integrating these new companies into the existing operating environment would pose significant challenges. â€Å"Presenting one face the customer† was of the utmost importance to Springs and fusing the â€Å"back-office, administrative, and marketing efforts of its acquisitions† would present numerous complexities (McFarlan, pg. 1, 1997). Knowledge Building The home furnishing market which Springs competes in is extremely volatile. In the home furnishings market, earnings are directly related to fast and flexible product development, short production cycles, and ability to replenish stock supplies quickly. Recently, Springs industry rival WestPoint Stevens was making waves in the marketplace from the payoff of their heavy investments the past five years into technologies that increased their current capacity 12%. To further stress the need for Springs to re-work their existing structure, one must first understand that in this industry it is critical to present a strong product lineup because retailers increasingly wish to purchase from fewer suppliers. This is evidences by another competitor of Springs, Pillowtex, in recent times acquired additional smaller companies which will allow the expansion of their current offerings, and position them to compete directly with Springs in the existing home furnishing market (McFarlan, pp. 1-3, 1997). Wanting to remain competitive and on top of their respective market, in 1997 Springs Inc. hired up and coming executive Crandall Bowles to lead them into the new millennium. Bowles top priority was to direct her efforts on the company’s information systems and determine both the breadth of expenditures and the pace of innovation necessary in order to increase profit by quickening the pace of its application of new technology and sources of information to marketing, customer service, and inventory management (McFarlan, pp 1-2, 1997). Springs deals specifically with large retailers, the likes of Wal-Mart, Kmart and Target. These companies demand that suppliers manage their existing inventories according to current purchasing trends, which are identified though the collection of Point of Sale (POS) data and the use analytical sophisticated Information Technologies (IT).

The Egyptian Process of Mummification Essay -- Ancient Egypt Egyptian

The Egyptian Process of Mummification In ancient Egyptian society, preserving a body after death was an important process necessary for entrance into an immortal existence. According to Egyptian belief the soul did not die. The soul would take the form of a bird usually a falcon and fly around in the world of the living returning later its dead body. The importance of preserving the body revolved around the idea that the roaming soul would be able to recognize the right body and return to it. As a result of this theology, Egyptians developed an effective system of embalming. The Egyptian embalming process was a significant and complicated process performed by priests. Employing a crooked piece of iron the brain would be removed through the nostrils. A sharp stone was used to cut open the body and extract the intestines. Palm wine and spices were used to purify the intestines. The chest and stomach areas would be filled with myrrh, cinnamon, and other herbs. The body would be sewn up and immersed in natron for seventy days. After the seventy days the body would be washed and wrapped in linen from head to foot bound by a gum like substance. Upon completion of this procedure the body would now be ready for burial. Egyptians used other methods of embalment. One method attributed to the lower class was to bury the body in the desert sand for a lengthy period of time. The result of this method dried the skin of the body into a leathery shell. Arab historian Abdel el Latif discovered on one of his expeditions a rather unorthodox method of embalment. Latif and his team came across a jar filled with honey. During a lunch break Latif and his party indulged in the jar of honey until hair... ...ns were stuffed into the ears of the mummies and along the bandages although the significance of this is still unknown. The modern examination of mummies has enabled us to ascertain various facts about everyday Egyptian life. The mummy of Maat-ka-re a virgin priestess had for thousands of years been thought to have been mummified with a child. Using X- ray technology the child turned out to be a mummified baboon, one of her favourite pets. Examination of mummies revealed that Egyptians were quite short. A considerable amount of infant diseases are evident in children mummies. The life expectancy according to the mummies was around forty. Average Egyptians encountered several dental and health obstacles. Spinal arthritis was common as were typhoid and brucellosis. Mummies serve as a tribute to ancient Egyptian society and their technology.

A Movie Review on “El Presidente” Essay

E. Own Synopsis The story is told in flashbacks as Emilio Aguinaldo thanks the US government for giving him the opportunity to attend the full restoration of Philippine independence on July 4, 1946. The film begins with his capture by Philippine and US forces under Frederick Funston’s command in 1901, then flashes back to 1886, when an old woman gives Aguinaldo and childhood friend Candido Tirona cryptic prophecies. Ten years later, Aguinaldo is inducted into the Katipunan and later assumes leadership of its Cavite chapter while becoming mayor of Cavite El Viejo. When trouble breaks out in Manila in late August 1896, Aguinaldo tries to assure the Spanish provincial government of non-interference and covertly marshals his forces despite a lack of weapons. Learning that the Spanish mostly put their forces in Manila, Aguinaldo finally mobilizes his troops and take the fight to Spanish troops in Cavite. As the rebels gain ground in Cavite and several provinces, its Magdalo and Magdiwang factions convene to elect a provisional government. Andres Bonifacio oversees the Tejeros Convention, which elects Aguinaldo as president, Mariano Trias as vice-president, and himself as interior minister. He storms out of the convention when Daniel Tirona objects to his election. Aguinaldo’s brother Crispulo informs him of his accession and convinces him to leave his troops just as he was seeking to defend against the Spaniards at Pasong Santol. The rebels are defeated and Crispulo is killed. Meanwhile, an embittered Bonifacio establishes his own revolutionary government and is later arrested. Aguinaldo is concerned about Bonifacio’s actions and wanted him exiled, but the War Council advises his execution. Several months later, Aguinaldo leaves Cavite with most of his forces intact and makes it to Biak-na-Bato in Bulacan, where he signs the Pact of Biak-na-Bato and heads for Hong Kong. There he meets with US officials who approach him with offers of support and recognition of a new Philippine Republic amidst the Spanish-American War. Aguinaldo returns to the Philippines and formally declares independence from Spain. As the Malolos Congress convenes, Felipe Agoncillo tries to represent the new nation at the Treaty of Paris negotiations, but gets stonewalled at every turn even as US forces gradually arrive in the Philippines. The Philippine-American War breaks out in February 1899 and Antonio Luna is appointed commander of all Filipino troops. He is assassinated three months later and the Filipino troops are gradually routed by the Americans. As a result, Aguinaldo’s forces travel all over northern Luzon to escape the Americans. General Gregorio del Pilar volunteers to lead some troops in holding them off at Tirad Pass and buy Aguinaldo time to get away. His loyal courier is later captured by the Americans while getting some medicine for his son. Now aware of Aguinaldo’s hideout, Funston plans his capture. Having been made to accept US rule over the Philippines, Aguinaldo lives a quiet life, which is marred by Hilaria’s passing in 1921. He meets and marries Felipe Agoncillo’s niece Maria in 1930. Over the next few decades, the couple witness Philippine history unfold once more as he is defeated in the 1935 presidential elections, Japanese occupation and the restoration of full independence. In 1962, an elderly Aguinaldo and his wife comfort each other over President Diosdado Macapagal’s decree to restore the actual date of the Philippine declaration of independence. In his final hours, the same woman who gave him his prophecy appears to him one more time. F. Criticize on the following I. Story and Theme El Presidente is a Historical Film wherein the life of Emilio Aguinaldo is portrayed from the Spanish Era, until the Philippine Independence. II. Screenplay The screenwriters inserted some Spanish Dialogues, English, and Filipino in the script. And I was discontented with the screenplay itself. I didn’t like the dialogues especially when Baron Geisler who portrayed as a Spanish official talked to Emilio Aguinaldo in Spanish saying that he doesn’t understand Filipino, but then all of a sudden he understood it. That is just an example of the lack of continuity of the script. III. Direction The Director in this movie did a decent job of portraying the life of Emilio Aguinaldo. I said decent because I was quite disappointed with the way the movie played out. I expected so much from this movie, but in every scene, I don’t know if the director overlooked it, but I really am discontented with every scenes. IV. Cinematography The Cinematography was good in terms of portraying the proper scenes though in the fight scenes, the cinematography was quite lacking for the actors weren’t shown in many different angles. V. Editing The editing from the start is quite good but I didn’t like the editing on the war scenes. I didn’t like the editing because you can see that some of the fight scene was either fast-forward or in slow motion. With that in mind, the fight scene was discontented for me because the feeling of intensity in a fight scene isn’t quite felt by me. VI. Acting From the casting, to the acting, to the costume, I didn’t like it. Bayani Agbayani and Bearwin Meily are good comedians for me. But here in this movie where it is sort of historical and more on drama, they didn’t fit the roles and also there are also some cast in which I didn’t like. I also didn’t like the costume of some artist, especially the fake moustache of some of the actors. I also didn’t like the acting of Jorge Estregan as Emilio Aguinaldo because he seems to be lacking in facial expression and at some point too melodramatic. VII. Dialogues The dialogues were good but they could still improve. The consistency of the dialogues form Spanish to Filipino were lacking just like my statement on the Screenplay. VIII. Soundtrack The soundtrack of El Presidente is no doubt entertaining and good that is why it won some of the awards in terms of theme song. IX. Visual Effects We liked the visual effects of the movie because it’s simple and realistic X. Costume and make-up The costume seems to be good for it portrays the historical background of our country. G. Additional notes to consider i. Interesting Facts about the making of the film * Judy Ann Santos was initially offered to play Hilaria Del Rosario. She refused to accept the movie saying she can’t relate to the character because she doesn’t know Hilaria personally. * Tikoy Aguiluz backed out of directing this film after a misunderstanding with Jorge Estregan over Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story. ii. Budget and box-office performance Box office: P872,972 (partial Manila) iii. Awards and honors * Youth Choice Award: â€Å"El Presidente† * Best Sound: Michael Idioma, â€Å"El Presidente† * Best Musical Score: Jessie Lazatin, â€Å"El Presidente† * Best Theme Song: apl.de.ap and Jamir Garcia, â€Å"El Presidente† * Best Make-up: Warren Munar, â€Å"El Presidente† by Warren Munar and company. * Best Supporting Actor: Cesar Montano, â€Å"El Presidente† * 2nd Best Picture: â€Å"El Presidente† iv. Social, political, and/or historical context for the film The movie is partly based on Aguinaldo’s Memoirs of the Revolution. Writer-director Mark Meily states that the project had its genesis back in 1998. Over the intervening years, careful research was made in order to accurately portray Aguinaldo’s life, especially facts that have been glossed over in history books. These include his conduct over the trial of the Bonifacio brothers and his other actions during the Revolution. Meily himself was brought into the project as director after Ejercito pledged never to work with original director Tikoy Aguiluz because of their rift over editing Manila Kingpin. Shooting took place over 43 days at select locations in Cavite, Laguna, and Bulacan, with the Las Casas Filipinas de Azucar in Bataan substituting for urban scenes v. What others have said about the film * The Philippines’ Cinema Evaluation Board graded the film at A. * Phillip Cu-Unjieng of the Philippine Star said it â€Å"vividly recaptures† one of the Philippines’ most turbulent periods in history by exposing the infighting among the Katipunan’s members and how Aguinaldo wanted to resolve them. He noted that the film’s quality makes it almost stand out as much as Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi, Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, and Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator. * Philibert Ortiz-Dy said making the film was tricky, but dragged towards the end. * The movie garnered most of the awards at the 2012 Metro Manila Film Festival, winning the plums for Second Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Cesar Montano), Youth Choice Award, Best Float, Best Sound, Best Musical Score, and Best Make-up. * Columnist and radio show host Jessica Zafra, however, was critical of the movie’s treatment. She said the depiction of Bonifacio’s death raised questions about its authenticity. She added that the film itself â€Å"does Emilio Aguinaldo a disservice by portraying him as a victim of circumstance† and even highlighted the â€Å"amnesia† prevalent among contemporary Filipinos. H. Values and Relevance The film was more of a historical appreciation of our previous heroes. The film taught us that our Filipino heroes fought for our freedom therefore we should cherish it. I. Over-all analysis Over-all the film is good for it depicts the life of our national heroes. Though the film seems to be a bias on the part of Emilio Aguinaldo because the death of Andres Bonifacio and Antonio Luna were different on the history books. From the acting to everything, it is a good film but it can still improve by so much.

VB.NET Imports Statement Versus References

VB.NET Imports Statement Versus References The actual effect of the Imports statement in VB.NET is often a source of confusion for people learning the language. And the interaction with VB.NET References makes for even more confusion. Were going to clear that up in this Quick Tip. Heres a brief summary of the whole story. Then well go over the details. A Reference to a VB.NET namespace is a requirement and must be added to a project before the objects in the namespace can be used. (A set of references is automatically added for the different templates in Visual Studio or VB.NET Express. Click Show All Files in  Solution Explorer to see what they are.) But the Imports statement is not a requirement. Instead, its simply a coding convenience that allows shorter names to be used. Now lets look at an actual example. To illustrate this idea, were going to use the System.Data namespace - which provides ADO.NET data technology. System.Data is added to Windows applications as a Reference by default using the VB.NET Windows Forms Application template. Adding a Namespace in the References Collection Adding a new namespace to the References collection in a project makes the objects in that namespace available to the project as well. The most visible effect of this is that the Visual Studio Intellisense will help you find the objects in popup menu boxes. If you attempt to use an object in your program without a Reference, the line of code generates an error. The Imports statement, on the other hand, is never required. The only thing it does is allow the name to be resolved without being fully qualified. In other words (emphasis added to show the differences). Imports System.Data Public Class Form1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Inherits System.Windows.Forms.Form   Ã‚  Ã‚  Private Sub Form1_Load( ...   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dim Test As OleDb.OleDbCommand   Ã‚  Ã‚  End Sub End Class and Imports System.Data.OleDb Public Class Form1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Inherits System.Windows.Forms.Form   Ã‚  Ã‚  Private Sub Form1_Load( ...   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dim Test As OleDbCommand   Ã‚  Ã‚  End Sub End Class are both equivalent. But ... Imports System.Data Public Class Form1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Inherits System.Windows.Forms.Form   Ã‚  Ã‚  Private Sub Form1_Load( ...   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dim Test As OleDbCommand   Ã‚  Ã‚  End Sub End Class results in a syntax error (Type OleDbCommand is not defined) because of the Imports namespace qualification System.Data doesnt provide enough information to find the object OleDbCommand. Although the qualification of names in your program source code can be coordinated at any level in the apparent hierarchy, you still have to pick the right namespace to reference. For example, .NET provides a System.Web namespace and a whole list of others starting with System.Web ... Note There are two entirely different DLL files for the references. You DO have to pick the right one because WebService isnt a method in one of them.

The Heinkel He 111 or the Luftwaffe Bomber

The Heinkel He 111 or the Luftwaffe Bomber With its defeat in World War I, the leaders of Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles which formally ended the conflict. Though a far-reaching agreement, one section of the treaty specifically forbade Germany from constructing and operating an air force. Due to this restriction, when Germany commenced rearmament in the early 1930s, aircraft development occurred in secrecy or proceeded under the guise of civilian use. Around this time, Ernst Heinkel commenced an initiative to design and build a high-speed passenger plane. To design this aircraft, he hired Siegfried and Walter Gà ¼nter. The result of the Gà ¼nters efforts was the Heinkel He 70 Blitz which began production in 1932. A successful aircraft, the He 70 featured an elliptical inverted gull wing and a BMW VI engine. Impressed with the He 70, the Luftfahrtkommissariat, which sought a new transport aircraft that could be converted to a bomber in wartime, contacted Heinkel. Responding to this inquiry, Heinkel began work to enlarge the aircraft to meet the requested specifications and to compete with new twin-engine aircraft such as the Dornier Do 17. Preserving the key features of the He 70, including the wing shape and BMW engines, the new design became known as the Doppel-Blitz (Double Blitz). Work on the prototype pushed forward and it first took to the skies on February 24, 1935, with Gerhard Nitschke at the controls. Competing with the Junkers Ju 86, the new Heinkel He 111 compared favorably and a government contract was issued. Design Variants Early variants of the He 111 utilized a traditional stepped cockpit with separate windscreens for the pilot and copilot. Military variants of the aircraft, which began production in 1936, saw the inclusion of dorsal and ventral gun positions, a bomb bay for 1,500 lbs. of bombs, and a longer fuselage. The addition of this equipment adversely affected the He 111s performance as the BMW VI engines did not produce sufficient power to offset the additional weight. As a result, the He 111B was developed in the summer of 1936. This upgrade saw more powerful DB 600C engines with variable pitch airscrews installed as well as additions to the aircrafts defensive armament. Pleased with the improved performance, the Luftwaffe ordered 300 He 111Bs and deliveries commenced in January 1937. Subsequent improvements produced the D-, E-, and F-variants. One of the most notable changes during this period was the elimination of the elliptical wing in favor of a more-easily produced one featuring straight leading and trailing edges. The He 111J variant saw the aircraft tested as a torpedo bomber for the Kriegsmarine though the concept was later dropped. The most visible change to the type came in early 1938 with the introduction of the He 111P. This saw the entire forward part of the aircraft altered as the stepped cockpit was removed in favor of a bullet-shaped, glazed nose. In addition, improvements were made to the power plants, armament, and other equipment. In 1939, the H-variant entered production. The most widely produced of any He 111 model, the H-variant began entering service on the eve of World War II. Possessing a heavier bomb load and greater defensive armament than its predecessors, the He 111H also included enhanced armor and more powerful engines. The H-variant remained in production into 1944 as the Luftwaffes follow-on bomber projects, such as the He 177 and Bomber B, failed to yield an acceptable or reliable design. In 1941, a final, mutated variant of the He 111 commenced testing. The He 111Z Zwilling saw the merging of two He 111s into one large, twin-fuselage aircraft powered by five engines. Intended as a glider tug and transport, the He 111Z was produced in limited numbers. Operational History In February 1937, a group of four He 111Bs arrived in Spain for service in the German Condor Legion. Ostensibly a German volunteer unit supporting Francisco Francos Nationalist forces, it served as a training ground for Luftwaffe pilots and for evaluating new aircraft. Making their combat debut on March 9, the He 111s attacked Republican airfields during the Battle of Guadalajara. Proving more effective than the Ju 86 and the Do 17, the type soon appeared in larger numbers over Spain. Experience with the He 111 in this conflict allowed designers at Heinkel to further refine and improve the aircraft. With the beginning of World War II on September 1, 1939, He 111s formed the backbone of the Luftwaffes bombing assault on Poland. Though performing well, the campaign against the Poles revealed that the aircrafts defensive armament required enhancement. In the early months of 1940, He 111s conducted raids against British shipping and naval targets in the North Sea before supporting the invasions of Denmark and Norway. On May 10, Luftwaffe He 111s aided ground forces as they opened the campaign in the Low Countries and France. Taking part in the Rotterdam Blitz four days later, the type continued to strike both strategic and tactical targets as the Allies retreated. At the end of the month, He 111s mounted raids against the British as they conducted the Dunkirk Evacuation. With the fall of France, the Luftwaffe began preparing for the Battle of Britain. Concentrating along the English Channel, He 111 units were joined by those flying the Do 17 and Junkers Ju 88. Commencing in July, the assault on Britain saw the He 111 encounter fierce resistance from Royal Air Force Hawker Hurricanes and Supermarine Spitfires. The early phases of the battle showed a need for the bomber to have a fighter escort and revealed a vulnerability to head-on attacks due to the He 111s glazed nose. In addition, repeated engagements with British fighters showed that the defensive armament was still inadequate. In September, the Luftwaffe switched to targeting British cities. Though not designed as a strategic bomber, the He 111 proved capable in this role. Fitted with Knickebein and other electronic aids, the type was able to bomb blind and maintained pressure on the British through the winter and spring of 1941. Elsewhere, the He 111 saw action during the campaigns in the Balkans and the invasion of Crete. Other units were sent to North Africa to support the operations of the Italians and the German Afrika Korps. With the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, He 111 units on the Eastern Front were initially asked to provide tactical support for the Wehrmacht. This expanded to striking the Soviet rail network and then to strategic bombing. Later Operations Though offensive action formed the core of the He 111s role on the Eastern Front, it also was pressed into duty on several occasions as a transport. It earned distinction in this role during by evacuating wounded from the Demyansk Pocket and later in re-supplying German forces during the Battle of Stalingrad. By the spring of 1943, overall He 111 operational numbers began to decline as other types, such as the Ju 88, assumed more of the load. In addition, increasing Allied air superiority hampered offensive bombing operations. During the wars later years, the He 111 continued to mount raids against Soviet shipping in the Black Sea with the assistance of FuG 200 Hohentwiel anti-shipping radar. In the west, He 111s were tasked with delivering V-1 flying bombs to Britain in late 1944. With the Axis position collapsing late in the war, He 111s supported numerous evacuations as German forces withdrew. The He 111s final missions of the war came as German forces attempted to halt the Soviet drive on Berlin in 1945. With the surrender of Germany in May, the He 111s service life with the Luftwaffe came to an end. The type continued to be used by Spain until 1958. Additional license-built aircraft, constructed in Spain as the CASA 2.111, remained in service until 1973. Heinkel He 111 H-6 Specifications General Length: 53 ft., 9.5 in.Wingspan: 74 ft., 2 in.Height: 13 ft., 1.5 in.Wing Area: 942.92 sq. ft.Empty Weight: 19,136 lbs.Loaded Weight: 26,500 lbs.Maximum Takeoff Weight: 30,864 lbs.Crew: 5 Performance Maximum Speed: 273 mphRange: 1,429 milesRate of Climb: 850 ft./min.Service Ceiling: 21,330 ft.Power Plant: 2 Ãâ€" Jumo 211F-1 or 211F-2 liquid-cooled inverted V-12 Armament 7 Ãâ€" 7.92 mm MG 15 or MG 81 machine guns, (2 in the nose, 1 in the dorsal, 2 on the side, 2 ventral. These may have been replaced by 1 Ãâ€" 20 mm MG FF cannon (nose mount or forward ventral position) or 1 Ãâ€" 13 mm MG 131 machine gun (mounted dorsal and/or ventral rear positions)Bombs: 4,400 lb. in internal bomb bay

Air

Air Planning Assignment Draft 1. What product or service will you try to sell? If you are choosing a consumer product then sell it to a store for resale rather than to a final retail customer? I am trying to sell a type of curling shoe to a retail curling store. The particular type of curling shoe(The Delux version) is made by Balance Plus.2. Where do you think the clients are in the buying process for this product or service as you go into the sales call? The client will be very excited about this type of shoe. It is a new shoe and is the best curling shoe ever produced. They will be in the first step of buying the product. This is because the shoes are new and relatively unknown to curlers. They will be a great item and will sell very fast.3. What are your objectives for the sales call? My objective for the sales call is to sell the shoe to the client.Chris Sobkowicz (left) and Jim Armstrong (right)

HR Working Practices & Patterns Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

HR Working Practices & Patterns - Essay Example Industrial Revolution: Industrial revolution brought in picture big organizations and factories first in England and later in North America. The concept of Economies of Scale also came in the picture according to which large people were required to work to achieve cost benefits. The involvement of large number of people in work areas brought complexities. In the initial days, however, the emphasis was more on machines than people. The working conditions favored machines and their efficiency rather than people and their capabilities. As a result, working conditions were dismal for people. Welfare/Social Secretaries: The growing issues associated with the work force, made them raise their voices against human problems. Employees started forming Unions to make their voices heard. In order to deal with such issues the post of welfare secretaries or social secretaries was created. This can be considered as the most primitive form of HR function after the industrial revolution. The initial task of such secretaries was to keep workers from directly reaching managers for their grievances. Secondly, they were required to discourage employees from dealing with unions or forming unions for their problems. The creation of the post of secretaries can be considered a move to give a specialized status of dealing with the issues related to employees. Before such posts were created operating managers were also dealing with the issues of employees. The creation of these new posts relieved operation managers of this extra burden. Birth of Scientific Management: Frederick Taylor was the person who put forward the concept of scientific management. He emphasized on the inclusion of scientific study in the management arena. He suggested improvement in management practices i.e. study of different situation be carried out to bring about improvements. He basically worked on A steel plant called Bethlehem Steel Plant and studied the typical procedures and made his recommendation to improve the whole process. He also introduced an incentive system to improve the whole process and so human capital management made an important component of his study. "He worked out an incentive system that paid each man $1.85 a day for meeting the new standard, an increase from the previous rate of $1.15. Productivity at Bethlehem Steel shot up over night" (Daft 1997). Primitive HR: 1900 brought primitive HR departments within large organizations like AT&T. So welfare secretaries were replaced by these new departments that were called personnel department. This change started from the period ending World War I. "While historians disagree on the specific date assigned to the appearance of the first personnel department, most agree that, between 1900 and 1920, more organizations were employing specialists to assist with personnel matters" (Jamrog & Overholt 2004). Their tasks generally included compensation handling, dealings with unions and other employee concerns. Though a separate department was dealing with the needs of employees, but production, finance and to some extent marketing was considered important functions or departments. However, with the passage of time the personnel department started getting more attention from top management. Hawthorne Studies: Hawthorne studies conducted at Western Electric's Hawthorne plant can be considered instrumental in bringing changes in the HR function.

Business ethics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Business ethics - Research Paper Example How should one live?† (Megone & Robinson quoting Allen, 2002: 23). As corporate management practice is primarily normative many of the examinations of how an organisation should act toward Third World Countries prompts the question how it should and can do better in ethical terms. In academia descriptive approaches to analyze and compare practices are taken as a means of judging how best those practices can be customized or altered to better suit the organization’s quest for more ethical ways of doing business. The extent of business ethical issues, how many we can come up with, in any given assessment largely reflects the degree to which the business may be at odds with social values. These values may or may not have anything to do with the economics of the situation. â€Å"...much of what masquerades as business ethics is nothing of the sort, having little to do with either business or with ethics† (Megone & Robinson quoting Sternberg, 2002: 25). Academic approaches to business ethics often get caught up in this distorted â€Å"reality,† using a directive approach that only appears to reflect what is actually going on in the organization and the environment in which it operates. Interest in business ethics came to the forefront during the 1980s and 1990s both within major corporations and within academia. â€Å"The involvement of multinational companies in the elaboration of a new Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) agenda during the 1990s imbued investment considerations with a more political profile. A plethora of initiatives expressed the increased salience of the private sector to debates over the respect for basic rights in the developing world† (Youngs, 2004: 85). More than a few corporate web sites place a good deal of emphasis on commitment to promoting non-economic social values as part of their business ethics program. They publish ethics codes as seen on

Fred tunnel and Horse in Tetons and Seated Indian Essay

Fred tunnel and Horse in Tetons and Seated Indian - Essay Example With regard to the historical context of the paintings, the two paintings are consistent with the post impressionist historical styles of painting which began towards the end of the 19th century. For instance, the styles used in two paintings largely emphasized outdoor paintings with colorful palettes, landscape scenes as well as daily life scenes. All these styles were heavily used during the post impressionist periods. Additionally the artists’ use of colors and shades also suggest that it the works may have been done in the 1900s when the post impressionist styles were the common style (Penelope, 67) .This period was characterized by cultural and racial conflicts between the white American immigrants and the natives. For example the artists may have used more white colors on the paintings to idealize the white race and the western life. One important question that arises in the analysis of the two pictures is whether they have effectively passed across the information that they were intended for. The costumes and ornaments are still regarded as important in several societies due to their continued use in our contemporary society. In both the two paintings, the relationship between the form presented by the artists and the iconography is quite complex. Generally the iconographical requirements have significantly affected the formal elements of the two paintings. In â€Å"Sitting Indian†, Joseph Sharp has effectively included some of the details such as images of the hunted animals.

Coaching Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Coaching - Term Paper Example In simple terms, coaching is training or development that involves an individual (coach) supporting the learner (trainee) in achieving professional objectives. There many types of coaching like business, sports, and philosophy to other. A coaching philosophy is what one values and how he will approach his coaching roles. Coaching philosophy covers ones purpose as a coach and how he will approach player development and winning. Ones coaching philosophy is composed of the primary objectives and at times beliefs and the principles that one adhere to achieve his goals (Program, 2010, p. 45). One’s coaching philosophy will guide him on how to behave as a coach and how to interact with his or her athlete, footballers among other examples. Coaching philosophy has to touch on who one is and who one wants to be in future. In many occasions, it is based on one’s experience, knowledge, opinions, and beliefs. All excellent philosophies irrespective of their length describe and explain the purpose of coaching, the views, and the principle that the coach will use to achieve his goal. (Association A. F., 2012, p. 130) Some of the elements of the coaching philosophies are discussed below. Motivation vs. Inspiration: Inspiration is the shortest- lived character or behavior. In many occasions when a challenge requires a force and application over time, inspiration may help to start us off, but motivation provides the perseverance required. (Barbour, 2011, p. 335) On the other hand, motivation is based on the intrinsic need of people, for example, how vital is the outcome for the performer. As far as the footballer has made up his mind as to the desirability of this result for him then his coach can help him to achieve his goal. When a footballers or athletes depend on the coach for his so called motivation, then the coach will be in trouble. It is because coaches need highly motivated players to work within the field. Plan, prepare

Contract law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Contract law - Essay Example Legal Status of the Advertisement The advertisement has been issued to public at large. Akono has given his email address and telephone number in the advertisement for this purpose. Generally, advertisements  are invitations to treat. In  Patridge v Crittenden [1968], Lord C. J. Parker said, ‘when one is dealing with advertisements and circulars, unless they indeed come from manufacturers, there is business sense in their being construed as invitations to treat and not offers for sale’. Also, consideration is an important constituent in a valid contract. The expression ‘willing to pay ?100 or more’ in the advertisement shows that the consideration is undetermined. In Harvey  and Anor v  Facey  and Ors  [1893], it was held that the mere statement of the lowest price at which the vendor would sell contains no implied contract to sell at that price to the persons making the inquiry. Similarly, in this case Akono is not bound to buy at any particular price. The advertisement is given with the intention to induce people to respond with their offers. Any response to the advertisement cannot be treated as an acceptance, though it is stated as ‘Please phone or email to accept’ in the advertisement. The advertisement is an invitation to offers in this case. ... In Hyde v Wrench (1840), it was held that the counteroffer rejected the offer previously made, and it was not competent afterwards to revive the original proposal. In this case, Akono states, ‘If you want to sell it to me, I need to receive your response on paper by the morning of Friday 5 October’, which is a counteroffer. This should be treated as rejection of the original offer. On Tuesday evening, Ju posts a letter to Akono, agreeing to take the ?100 for her Dumbledore costume. Her letter does not arrive until Saturday, 6 October. Akono did not receive any valid acceptance from Ju within the stipulated time. In Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Co [1893],   L. J. Bowen said, ‘where a person in an offer made by him to another person, expressly or impliedly intimates a particular mode of acceptance as sufficient to make the bargain binding, it is only necessary for the other person to whom such offer is made to follow the indicated method of acceptance...’ I f the statement ‘I’ll only pay ? 100’ by Akono is treated as an offer, it is a conditional offer, the condition being receipt of Ju’s acceptance on paper by the morning of Friday, 5 October. It was held in Holwell Securities v Hughes [1974] that the words ‘notice in writing’ mean notice received by the offeror. Since the conditionality with regard to ‘acceptance on paper’ is not met by Ju, the acceptance is not valid. On Wednesday, 3 October, Akono posted a letter to Ju, stating that he no longer wanted her costume. The offeror can revoke his offer any time before its acceptance (Ramsgate Victoria Hotel Co v Montefiore 1866) and hence, this revocation is valid. Akono v Bob Ju gets her friend Bob to telephone on 4 October to ascertain the receipt of the letter posted by

Coaching Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Coaching - Term Paper Example In simple terms, coaching is training or development that involves an individual (coach) supporting the learner (trainee) in achieving professional objectives. There many types of coaching like business, sports, and philosophy to other. A coaching philosophy is what one values and how he will approach his coaching roles. Coaching philosophy covers ones purpose as a coach and how he will approach player development and winning. Ones coaching philosophy is composed of the primary objectives and at times beliefs and the principles that one adhere to achieve his goals (Program, 2010, p. 45). One’s coaching philosophy will guide him on how to behave as a coach and how to interact with his or her athlete, footballers among other examples. Coaching philosophy has to touch on who one is and who one wants to be in future. In many occasions, it is based on one’s experience, knowledge, opinions, and beliefs. All excellent philosophies irrespective of their length describe and explain the purpose of coaching, the views, and the principle that the coach will use to achieve his goal. (Association A. F., 2012, p. 130) Some of the elements of the coaching philosophies are discussed below. Motivation vs. Inspiration: Inspiration is the shortest- lived character or behavior. In many occasions when a challenge requires a force and application over time, inspiration may help to start us off, but motivation provides the perseverance required. (Barbour, 2011, p. 335) On the other hand, motivation is based on the intrinsic need of people, for example, how vital is the outcome for the performer. As far as the footballer has made up his mind as to the desirability of this result for him then his coach can help him to achieve his goal. When a footballers or athletes depend on the coach for his so called motivation, then the coach will be in trouble. It is because coaches need highly motivated players to work within the field. Plan, prepare

Quit Smoking Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Quit Smoking - Research Paper Example Experimentation with smoking, which can be unpleasant at first for some, is followed by adaptation to the taste and to the pleasurable and rewarding sensations, as well as by behavioral associations experienced by the novice beginner in nicotine dependence, in the later age. Smoking experimentation is often associated with the search for one’s personality and place in the adult world, which occurs just before puberty hits in (NIDA, pp 27-28). Smoking gradually becomes habit and the habit becomes addiction. It also starts as a peer pressure, or having friends who smoke or just liking the second hand smoke. â€Å"In a sense, then, parts of our brains are working against us when we try to overcome bad habits. These routines can become hardwired in our brains,† says Dr. Nora Volkow, director of NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse. â€Å"And the brain’s reward centers keep us craving the things we’re trying so hard to resist†, adds Dr Volkov (NIH). Smoking tobacco is both a psychological habit and a physical addiction. The psychological factors associated with smoking are that cigarettes relieve a smoker from stress, depression, loneliness, or anxiety. It becomes physically addicted to the smoker because you need it after every meal or coffee, at party, along with alcohol or gambling or just because your friends are smoking at an outing. Hence, physical habit and psychological addiction, a deadly combination stops you from quitting. Several diseases have been liked to smoking; coronary heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and chronic obstructive lung disease are just to name a few. Needless to say, they all bring you closer to death. So the next best thing is to quit, and quit for good. Whether you are a teen smoker or a lifetime pack-a-day smoker, quitting can be tough. There are many things that can assist you in quitting which money can buy, but there is one thing Master Card ® cannot buy: it’s your will

Manila Metropolitan Theater Essay Example for Free

Manila Metropolitan Theater Essay â€Å"Something that possesses true beauty such as The Met will never lose its allure and splendor regardless of age and time.† Anyone who passes by Lawton, Manila in one way or another may have seen the Manila Metropolitan Theater, The Met, or the â€Å"great dame† of theaters as others would call it. It is a structure still noticeable for its grandeur and opulence despite being built in the year 1931. On March 3, 2013, we made our way to Padre Burgos Avenue, Manila, to witness the true magnificence of The Met. The aged Art Deco style building that was designed by Filipino Arch. Juan Arellano came into view and noticeable right away were its pinkish faded walls adorned with cloud engravings, spires, and bronze sculptured deities by the Italian sculptor Francesco Riccardo. Capiz and colorful tiles in an ethnic Malayan design are used for lights. And at the center of it entrance sits the stained glass made by Kraut Art Glass, a German company. Inside the lobby, noticeable are the woodcarvings of mangoes, bamboos, bananas and native plants on the walls and ceiling. By the staircase are sculptures of Malakas Maganda and the paintings of Fernando Amorsolo. The proscenium arch is seen by the theater stage in perfect view of the 1670 seats. But what could be the most impressive part is the Grand Ballroom—a striking room that has regal chandeliers, parquet wood flooring and a balcony leading to an open area. Our visit made us realize that during its celebrated days, The Met is home to theatrical performances, operas, musicals and zarzuelas but today, sadly it is left dusty, abandoned with falling debris, rooms filled with flood water or having dilapidated floors, cobwebs and litter. But despite this, its magnificence craves to be revived. It is a treasure waiting to relive its glory and be a testament to the true beauty of Manila.

One-pot Synthesis of Porous Coordination Polymers

One-pot Synthesis of Porous Coordination Polymers Generally, the properties of crystals are strongly determined not only by their chemical composition, but also by their morphology, size and surface structure.1-3 Over the past decade, crystals with specific crystal facets have attracted great research interest because the exposed facets on the crystals finely affect the chemical and physical properties of the functional materials.4-6 For example, noble-metallic nanocrystals having high-index facets generally show much higher plasmonic and catalytic activity than that of nanocrystals with low-energy facets.7-9 Therefore, the design and synthesis of crystals with specific crystal facets is desired, but is still a challenge. Porous coordination polymers (PCPs) or metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which are considered as a unique class of inorganic–organic hybrid materials with metal centers and organic linkers,10 have received growing attention in recent years because of their tailored pore structure, high surface area and many exceptional properties such as gas adsorption and storage,11,12 drug release,13,14 sensing,15,16 membranes,17,18 and catalysis.19,20 To date, many research efforts have been focused on the design, synthesis and applications of bulk MOFs materials; however, nanosized MOFs (NMOFs) materials have become increasingly interesting in the last decade because their microstructure, morphology and size also determine the properties and applications of NMOFs materials.21-22 Likewise, aspect ratio and exposed crystal facets of NMOFs crystals play an important role on the properties of materials such as sorption properties, and oriented film formation as well.23-25 Therefore, controllabl e synthesis of well-defined NMOF crystals with specific exposed crystal facets in the nano/micrometer range is highly desirable. However, it is still difficult to design a universal synthetic method to achieve above target due to the variety in MOFs structures and various experimental parameters affecting the crystal shape and size. To date, several synthetic strategies have been employed by research groups for the synthesis of NMOFs such as room-temperature precipitation,26-27 hydro/solvothermal techniques,22,28 microwave-assisted synthesis,29,30 sonochemical synthesis31,32 and electrochemical synthesis method.33 Among them, room-temperature precipitation, in which the solutions of metal salts and organic linkers are mixed, is the simplest system to produce NMOFs. Compared with other methods, solution-based precipitation syntheses at room temperature possess some advantages, such as safe reaction process, easily controllable reaction conditions, low energy consumption, and short reaction time. On the other hand, the use of various additives is an important synthesis approach for the fabrication of NMOFs materials with tunable morphology and size because the additives usually suppress nucleation and crystal growth during the reaction process. Monocarboxylic acids and their salts have been widely used as the addi tives or capping agents for the preparation of NMOFs which can alter the coordination equilibrium at the crystal surface during the nucleation and growth process.29,30,34 Kitagawa and coworkers have used the combination of the coordination-modulation method and microwave synthesis to control the size and morphology of HKUST-1 in which dodecanoic acid was employed as the coordiantion modulator.29,30 Huber and Fischer have yielded stable and size-selected MOF-5 colloids by adding p-perfluoroethylbenzoic acid as capping reagent.34 Besides, N-heterocycles and alkylamines also are used as additives in the synthesis of MOFs and ZIFs. Oh et al. reported that pyridine was added in the solvothermal synthesis of In-MIL-53 to manipulate the morphology of the microsized crystals.35 Huber and Wiebcke reported a rapid room-temperature production of ZIF-8 crystals with different sizes by employing an excess of auxiliary ligands such as 1-methylimidazole and n-Butylamine.36 Another kind of additive s including surfactants and polymers also has been used to control morphology and size of NMOFs which could suppress the growth of specific crystal facets. Our previously reported HKUST-1 nanocrystals with controllable size and morphology from nanocube to microoctahedron have been readily synthesized at room temperature by adjusting the concentration of CTAB (CTAB = cetyltrimethylammonium bromide).26 Zeng and Eddaoudi reported highly monodisperse M(III)-soc-MOFs with a morphological evolution from simple cubes to complex octadecahedra have been achieved using a series of surfactants and structure-directing agents.37 Porous coordination polymer [Cu2(PZDC)2(PYZ)] crystals (PZDC = pyrazine-2,3-dicarboxylate, PYZ = pyrazine) with tunable size were prepared in a predictable manner via addition of organic polymer Poly(vinylsulfonic acid, sodium salt) by Kitagawas group.38 However, to the best of our knowledge, the study on other types of additives such as acids or bases allowing control t he morphology of NMOFs, especially inducing the crystal morphological evolution of polyhedron, has not been realized so far. Although the role of the pH of the reaction medium, which is to deprotonate the ligands, accelerate nucleation rate and consequently cause smaller size of particles has been studied systematically,39 the detailed studies on the morphological evolution of crystal induced by acid−base environment of the reaction medium are scarce. Herein in this work, we develop a simple and straightforward method for the one-pot synthesis of porous coordination polymers with controllable shape by using different bases (sodium acetate, aqueous ammonia, triethylamine and NaOH) as deprotonation reagents in the ethanol-water mixture at room temperature. We specifically selected porous coordination polymer MOF-14 ([Cu3(BTB)2], H3BTB = 4,4,4-benzene-1,3,5-triyl-tribenzoic acid) as candidate material for the investigations which possesses a dicopper paddle wheel secondary building unit that exhibits unsaturated metal centers upon activation and has received great attention due to its high porosity and large specific surface areas.40 Its benzenetribenzoate-based analogue HKUST-1 ([Cu3(BTC)2], H3BTC = 1,3,5-benzenetricarbocylic acid) also was studied. In this paper, a morphological evolution of MOF-14 from rhombic dodecahedron to truncated rhombic dodecahedron, cube with truncated edges and to cube was achieved by increasing the conce ntration of sodium acetate, likewise, a morphological transformation of HKUST-1 from octahedron to cuboctahedron and finally to cube was obtained in the similar process. We further investigated the proposed crystal formation mechanism and found that the higher-energy surface of crystals would appear when more amount of bases were added, indicating that the exposed surface facets of porous coordination polymers could be controlled by acid−base environment of the reaction medium. The gas adsorption properties of MOF-14 with different shapes were also studied and it reveal that properties of MOF-14 display a strong dependence on the facets exposed on the surface.

Social Hysteria in Shirley Jacksons The Lottery Essay example -- Shir

Social Hysteria in The Lottery Tradition is a central theme in Shirley Jackon's short story The Lottery. Images such as the black box and characters such as Old Man Warner, Mrs. Adams, and Mrs. Hutchinson display to the reader not only the tenacity with which the townspeople cling to the tradition of the lottery, but also the wavering support of it by others. In just a few pages, Jackson manages to examine the sometimes long forgotten purpose of rituals, as well as the inevitable questioning of the necessity for such customs. The black box represents virtually the only part of the original ritual that has been preserved since the lottery began. It is there not only to hold the papers that will be drawn, but also to represent to the townsfolk the tradition. The black box is constructed of pieces of the original box, a link to the time when the purpose of the lottery was clear. Most of the old custom has been forgotten: wood chips have been replaced with paper slips, and on one can remember the recital and ritual salute that had previously been part of the lottery; but the o...

Hatchet :: essays research papers

Hatchet I chose this book because I thought it would be very interesting. I read the back cover and picked out the book because I thought I would like it. The main character in this story is Brian, who went through a plane crash and had to survive on his own for fifty-four days. The character I liked the best was Brian because he is brave, smart, and never gives up. Hatchet is about a boy named Brian Robeson. His parents are separated and live in different parts of the continent. Brian is on his way to live with his father for the summer, when the pilot of the two person plane has a heart attack. Brian keeps the plane up until it runs out of gas, and then he aims for a lake that he can glide into. As soon as they hit the lake, Brian has to swim to the surface before he drowns, leaving the dead pilot in his seat belt. All Brian has is the clothes and a hatchet his mother gave him. While stranded somewhere in Canada, Brian learned how to make a fire, which kept mosquitos away. He builds a spear for fish, and a bow and arrow for hunting birds. He lives in a cave, and does pretty well. After a while, he gets trampled by a crazy moose, and hurts his ribs. In the same day, he gets hit by a tornado. After a while he is better and decides to go look for the survival kit inside the airplane. It takes him all day, and exhausts him, but he finally does it. Inside it there are tons of riches. There is a rifle, but he doesn't like it because it takes him away from all he has learned. There is also almost a years supply of dehydrated food. Last, there is an emergency contact mechanism, and without knowing it, Brian turns it on andleaves it on. When he turned on the mechanism, someone came and found him, and took him back to his family.

Thorn Queen Chapter Three

Once I stopped hyperventilating from all the attention on me, I immediately realized Nia had been right about the dress. Like always, the gentry dressed like that they were going to a Renaissance Faire that served ecstasy. Satin, velvet, silk. Even a little leather here and there. Lots of jewelry, lots of skin. The glittering array dazzled the eye, the colors shining, rich, and vivid. I wore a sundress meant to have sort of a vintage look. Made of tan gauze scattered with a design of tiny yellow flowers, it had an empire waist and a clingy little skirt that went to my knees. The straps tied behind my neck, and most of my back stayed bare, all the better to show off my tattoos: a woman's face within a full moon on my neck and a line of violets on my lower back. The dress's color looked great with the dusky, light auburn of my hair. Unfortunately, while the shabby-chic peasant look might be expensive and very much in vogue in the human world, dressing like a peasant in a place resembling the set from an epic medieval movie made you look like, well, a peasant. â€Å"Oh my God,† I hissed to Shaya as we walked through the room. â€Å"I look completely out of place.† â€Å"Be quiet,† she snapped, in a rare display of the consternation she probably actually always held around me. â€Å"You are queen of the Thorn Land. You destroyed one of the shining ones' most powerful kings. You have the right to wear whatever you want, so act like it.† I swallowed my retort and hoped she and her tough love were right. As it was, I had to resist the urge to cling to her hand like a child. That inept social upbringing of mine made navigating this kind of attention painful. Shaya had promised to stay by my side and ensure my etiquette, though that had allayed my fears only marginally. With a great force of will, I tried to follow her advice and look haughty and unconcerned by my appearance. â€Å"You must go to Maiwenn first,† she murmured, â€Å"and then most of them will come to you for introductions. You've been a great source of curiosity, and this is your first public appearance since taking the crown.† â€Å"Got it. Maiwenn first.† The Willow Queen appeared to be surrounded by a throng of people. We headed toward them. On the way, I received an assortment of nods, curtsies, and bows. The room held a handful of monarchs, my peers, but every other noble held a rank lower than mine. A few of those we passed offered greeting. I suspected I might have met them at a ball I'd attended last spring. Most simply gave me polite murmurings of â€Å"Your majesty.† We reached Maiwenn's circle of admirers. I meant to hover on the edges, but the people parted for us, soon giving Shaya and me a front-row view. Maiwenn sat in an ornately carved wooden throne, its whirling designs accented here and there with gold. She herself was golden, with lustrous, tanned skin and long hair that looked like spilled sunshine. A gown of teal velvet-the same color as her eyes-showed her maternal curves to great advantage. Yet, her greatest ornamentation, in my opinion, was the striking figure of Kiyo standing nearby, one hand resting on the back of her chair. He wore gentry clothing tonight, simple black slacks and a long-sleeved white silk tunic that he probably could have worn among humans without question. His eyes, warm and dark, met mine briefly before turning back to the person addressing Maiwenn. Heat flared between him and me in that moment, and electricity coursed through my body as I remembered last night. â€Å"-best wishes for you and your child, your majesty,† the man was saying. â€Å"Truly this is a joyous occasion, and we pray to the gods for good fortune and good health.† I pondered his words, recalling Kiyo telling me this was less of a baby shower and more of a luck ceremony. The gentry did not conceive often, nor did they bear children easily. Infant mortality was high. Old superstition held that a party like this, with so many well-wishers, would imbue the child with luck and ensure prosperity. The man finished his spiel and gestured to a servant to bring his gift. The servant handed over a small golden chest, about the size of a shoebox, which his master opened with a flourish. A few oohs sounded from those gathered, and I craned my head to see what it held. A glitter of red met my eyes. â€Å"This is my gift to your son or daughter: the finest rubies from my land, polished and cut to perfection.† I blinked and glanced around, wondering if I was the only one who found that gift ridiculous. What the hell was an infant going to do with a crate of rubies? Choke on them? Those things definitely needed a Not For Children Under 3 warning on them. No one else shared my view, and the group seemed to be in agreement on the gift's value. Kiyo, however, caught my eye, and I saw the faintest of smiles play over his face as he guessed what I was thinking. The man left, and all eyes swiveled to me. We hadn't arrived first, but apparently my rank bought me cutting rights. Following Shaya's earlier instructions, I stepped forward and kissed Maiwenn's cheek. She kissed mine in return. â€Å"Eugenie, I'm so happy to see you again.† She looked it, too. I don't know if it was faked or not, but she was one of those people who could always look happy and make you think she really cared about you. I suspected most of her kindness was sincere, but she had to have the same uneasiness around me as I did with her, given our respective relationships with Kiyo. Glancing at his dark looks and her golden ones, I suddenly had a vivid image of them in bed together. I wondered if he'd been as wild with her as with me. I wondered if she'd liked it. Pushing that picture out of my head, I attempted a return smile. â€Å"Thank you for inviting me. Sorry I'm late.† She waved a dismissive hand. â€Å"You didn't have to come at all. I'm just glad you're here.† I didn't have any elegant speeches, so I kept my words simple. â€Å"I'm†¦very happy for you. I hope things go great with you and the baby.† I glanced over at Shaya, who'd been holding my backpack. She handed it to me, and I noticed then that the number of watchers had increased, eyes curious as to what the half-human queen would give. The Kiyo Love Triangle was no secret; gentry gossip spread around the Otherworld faster than any human tabloid could have kept up with. Producing a teddy bear, I handed it over to her. She took it, eyes surprised as her hands ran over its smooth, sable-brown fur. I'd paid a lot of money for it. It was some kind of designer brand I'd been told was much coveted among upper-class suburban moms. â€Å"It's, um, a toy,† I explained, immediately feeling idiotic. The gentry weren't technologically advanced, but even they could figure that one out. â€Å"It's lovely,† she said, touching the seams. â€Å"We can't match this kind of workmanship. Thank you.† â€Å"Oh, and well†¦I honestly didn't think there was anything else I could give that the baby wouldn't already have. So, instead, I made a donation in its name to a children's charity. Or rather, once we know its name, I'll finalize the donation.† Forgetting the teddy bear, she looked up at me, clearly perplexed. â€Å"I don't understand.† Those gathered apparently didn't either, judging from the curious expressions. â€Å"I, um, well, gave money to a group that helps sick kids. They'll use that money to take care of them, and it'll be†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I grasped for something gentry-friendly. â€Å"†¦it'll be done in your baby's honor.† A supreme look of delight flooded her gorgeous face, and I knew without a doubt she wasn't faking it. She understood, and she liked the gift. â€Å"It's very generous,† Kiyo explained to her. The smoldering message his eyes gave me indicated he had a few ideas of how to express his gratitude for the present. She put her arms around the teddy bear, holding it to her ample chest while her eyes gazed off with thought. â€Å"Acts of such kindness†¦done in the baby's name†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She turned that radiance back to me. â€Å"Acts like that cannot help but generate good will from the gods. Thank you, Eugenie.† A murmur of considering whispers stirred behind us. She and I exchanged a few more remarks, and then I yielded the floor to the next well-wisher. â€Å"Was that okay?† I asked Shaya as we walked away. â€Å"Extremely.† A wry note hung in her voice. â€Å"I doubted your gift, but now I think you understand this custom better than we do.† She switched to a lower tone. â€Å"Ah, this is Katrice, the Rowan Queen, coming toward us.† I looked up with interest, having passed through the Rowan Land so many times during my Otherworldly journey. Katrice looked about fifty or so in human years, which meant she could boast a few centuries. Only a little silver laced her thick black hair, and her dark eyes glittered with a keen intellect. A dress of red and white satin covered her stout figure. â€Å"Oh, oh, oh! This is her at last! The Thorn Queen. My dear child, you have been too absent from our gatherings.† She put her arms around me and kissed my cheek. It was a bit more slobbery than Maiwenn's kiss. A little overwhelmed by her presence, I returned the gesture. She smelled like roses. â€Å"It†¦it's nice to meet you.† â€Å"You are so lovely! Look at her, Marlin. Isn't she lovely?† She grabbed the arm of a man who looked about twice her age, his wispy gray hair barely covering his head. His eyes indicated he wasn't really at the party right now. â€Å"What?† he asked. Katrice raised her voice. â€Å"Lovely. Isn't she LOVELY?† â€Å"Loverly,† he muttered, staring off to my left. â€Å"Duke Marlin, the queen's consort,† Shaya whispered. â€Å"Look at you, look at you!† Katrice continued, still bubbling over. â€Å"How could a little thing like you have killed Aeson? Hmm? Old Tirigan Storm King would be so proud.† I jerked with surprise, taken aback by the callous reference to both my slaying of Aeson and my father's name. Not noticing my reaction, she gestured frantically to a young man passing nearby. He had slim good looks and raven-black hair tied back in a ponytail. He too wore red and white, and I remembered once seeing the Rowan Land's flag, a rowan tree bordered in red and white. Apparently, they were a patriotic group. â€Å"Darling, darling! Come meet the Thorn Queen.† Smiling, he hastened to her side and gave me a courteous nod. â€Å"This is my son, Leith. Leith, Queen Eugenie.† He took my hand and kissed it very properly, as was the custom. â€Å"A pleasure, your majesty.† â€Å"Likewise.† I studied him, curious at seeing a gentry prince. With all the gentry reproductive issues, none of the other monarchs I'd met-aside from Maiwenn-had any children. They tended to be solitary rulers. He looked so nice and friendly-and like he wasn't currently make plans to get in my pants-that I wanted to make conversation, but I was never very good at initiating that kind of thing. Katrice took the dilemma out of my hands. â€Å"Isn't she beautiful, Leith? I was just saying how I can scarce believe she killed old Aeson. Can you believe that? What was it that I heard, my dear? That you drowned him?† I cleared my throat uncomfortably. â€Å"Um, no, not exactly. I sort of summoned all the water out of his body and blew him apart.† â€Å"Oh!† She clapped her hands together as though it were the most wonderful thing she'd ever heard. â€Å"Oh! Oh! Isn't that fascinating? And so clever!† Apparently noting my discomfort, Leith hastily said, â€Å"Mother, I'm sure the Thorn Queen would prefer to discuss more pleasant topics. This is hardly the place to talk about death.† I flashed him a grateful smile. We did indeed move to more mundane topics, and I found he managed a conversation far more effectively than his mother did. â€Å"I saw your expression over the rubies,† he teased. â€Å"You don't think the baby will appreciate those?† I made a face. â€Å"Maybe if they can decorate a crib with them. Or maybe make a mobile. Are those kinds of gifts normal?† â€Å"I'm afraid so,† he said, still smiling. â€Å"As I heard you say, there isn't much this baby won't get from Maiwenn. Most of these nobles are more interested in making the queen happy, not the baby-hence all the useless gifts.† â€Å"Why, Leith,† scolded his mother. â€Å"That's ridiculous. I'm sure Maiwenn's child will absolutely love the crystal dinnerware we brought.† When I finally excused us, Leith kissed my hand again and spoke in a voice too low for Katrice to hear. â€Å"I'm sorry about her. She doesn't always think before she speaks.† I laughed. â€Å"It's okay,† I murmured back. â€Å"She's a queen. That's her job.† More loudly and properly, he said, â€Å"I hope you'll come visit us. Mother's been dying to receive you at our court.† â€Å"Sure,† I agreed. â€Å"One of these days.† I tried to reciprocate the politeness. â€Å"You should come visit us too. I'm not around much, but you're welcome whenever.† He brightened, as did Katrice who actually stayed silent for a change. â€Å"Thank you, your majesty. I'd love to. I've heard amazing things about your land. They say it's very fierce. Fierce, but beautiful.† Shaya laughed softly as we departed. â€Å"Oh, you don't know what you've done.† I stared at her. â€Å"What do you mean? I think I handled that well, considering that woman's endless chattering.† â€Å"Don't let her surface fool you. She's shrewder than you think. And powerful. Unfortunately, her son is not.† â€Å"Leith? What do you mean? Magically?† She nodded. â€Å"His magic is almost nonexistent. He won't be able to inherit her kingdom.† â€Å"Whoa†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Considering how long gentry lived, I'd never thought much about inheritance issues. â€Å"But he seemed pretty competent. Very intelligent.† â€Å"He is. Extremely so. He's an inventor of sorts. He's created things that have revolutionized their kingdom-and the others, slowly. He most recently created tools to print text in books the way your people do. It'll save a fortune in scribes.† â€Å"Like a printing press? Wow.† Who knew? Leith was like a fairy version of Gutenberg. Cool. Maybe the Otherworld was well on its way to the Industrial Revolution. â€Å"And that doesn't count for anything with ruling?† â€Å"No.† Shaya didn't sound sympathetic in the least. Magical strength was the greatest measure of a gentry's worth, which is why my bastard father had been held in such high regard. Those who believed I would match him one day regarded me similarly. â€Å"Ingenuity alone is not enough to inherit the throne or bind the land. However, his odds might improve if he had a powerful consort.† I suddenly tripped on my own feet when I caught her meaning. â€Å"What, you mean me?† â€Å"By their estimation, you're a good match. Powerful, already ruling a kingdom. Your human blood and ability to conceive makes you extremely attractive, your role in the prophecy doubly so.† â€Å"Christ. You people are nuts.† She seemed to be enjoying my dismay. â€Å"Like I said, Katrice is shrewd. She wasn't lying when she said she wanted to meet you. She's probably planned this for a while. You inviting Leith to visit fulfilled her dreams. Just wait, he'll come soon.† â€Å"How come you guys have no concept of ‘just friends' around here? Why is every guy I meet a potential mate? Leith was nice enough and cute, but I mean†¦come on.† I supposed I shouldn't have been surprised, really. The gentry had much looser sexual mores than humans-as a few couples in the room's corners were currently demonstrating-so they probably treated everything as a possible romantic encounter. Considering the wights' less-than-romantic bid for my affections earlier, I should have been grateful for Leith's more civilized courtship. Still, I found it all wearying. Shaya introduced me to a number of other nobles that afternoon. Most blurred together. I simply smiled and nodded a lot, fantasizing about being home in bed with Kiyo. Near the end of the party, one new person actually caught my attention. The first interesting thing was just how dark his skin was-a rarity in the otherwise Caucasian gentry of this portion of the Otherworld. His black hair hung around his face in a shower of tiny braids, perfectly setting off the burgundy satin cloak around him. He bowed low over my hand, sweeping his cloak away with a flourish. â€Å"Your majesty,† he said with a faint French accent. â€Å"It is an honor and a privilege. The stories of your beauty do not do you justice. I am Girard de la Colline.† I accepted his hand kiss with astonishment. â€Å"You must be from very far away.† The Otherworld mirrored my own world in geography. The residents here, near Arizona, spoke variations of American English. I wondered idly if those who ruled now had supplanted an American Indian version of the gentry. â€Å"Such a journey is well worth it to be in your presence, but sometime, if you like, I would be honored to tell you stories of my homeland. Its beauty is enough to make a man weep, though I'm given to understand that the terrible beauty of your own kingdom can make men weep as well-for different reasons.† I laughed. â€Å"I suppose so. Those who respect it can survive it; those who don't†¦well, don't.† â€Å"It sounds just like its queen.† He inclined his head. â€Å"I also have a small talent with metalwork, if you would ever like anything crafted. I live in the Rowan Land now but would happily take a commission if you require one.† I thanked him for the offer and said I'd think about it. When we left him, I turned to Shaya. â€Å"I liked him. But let me guess-he wants to woo me and father my child, too?† â€Å"Oh, he wouldn't be opposed to it, but that's not his short-term goal. He really is quite a gifted artisan-he's even got a little human blood in his ancestry, which lets him somewhat touch iron. But a man like him†¦well, he's a courtier. He hangs around nobility and tries to find connections that might help him rule a kingdom of his own one day.† â€Å"Which, my dear Shaya, is a very kind way of saying he is a schmoozing bottom-feeder who will do anything to further his own political aspirations. I will agree with you on his artistic talents, however. Why, we should have him make our good friend the Thorn Queen here a proper crown and solidify her title.† That smooth, laconic voice sliced my heart in two, and I froze. Turning around slowly, I met a pair of long-lashed green eyes flecked with gold and hazel, all framed by a sweep of long, fiery hair that rivaled the trees of autumn in his kingdom. Dorian, King of the Oak Land. â€Å"Your majesty,† exclaimed Shaya happily, giving him a low curtsey. â€Å"How are you? How is your domain?† Dorian smiled and lightly chucked her chin. â€Å"Are you afraid my household has fallen apart without you? I confess, it does run a bit less smoothly than before, but we endure what we must. I have no doubts your new mistress has more need of your services than I, so I shall suffer longer for her sake.† He gave me a pointed look. I said nothing. Shaya glanced between the two of us, her happy mien turning nervous. â€Å"If you'll excuse me, your majesties, I'm going to find some refreshment. I'll return momentarily.† I sincerely doubted that, but she departed too quickly for me to protest. I wanted to follow her but was now trapped. A bit of his showmanship dimmed, but the wit and lazy amusement that constantly cloaked Dorian remained. He always behaved as though he were on a stage, both in his mannerisms and his melodramatic-and often wry-commentary. I guess as a king he kind of was on stage during his life. â€Å"Well, Eugenie, here we are.† Dorian carelessly smoothed down the black velvet of his robe. Gold and red patterns danced around the hems. â€Å"You are a vision of sublime beauty, as always.† â€Å"Oh come on,† I exclaimed. â€Å"Not from you, of all people. I'm the most shoddily dressed person in this room.† â€Å"No. I saw a scullery maid dressed nearly as badly. A crown really would go a long way to establish your standing. But, barring that, your dress is actually lovely and well-made, even if plain. Wait and watch: you'll see women wearing copies of it soon. The fact that you can still draw eyes while wearing it is a testament to your beauty and presence. You achieve what most of these trumped-up, painted women cannot, no matter how many layers of heavy, rich fabric cover them up.† I gestured toward his robe. â€Å"You're covered up in a fair amount of heavy, rich fabric yourself.† The edges of his lips curled up. â€Å"If they bother you, I can remove as many of these layers as you like.† I rolled my eyes, but the damage was done. With those few words, I once again saw his naked body, smooth and perfect in the moonlight, hovering over mine as I lay bound to his bed. It had been one night, one night only, but it was a night I'd had little luck in forgetting for the last three months. Seeing Dorian stirred it all up again, filling me with confusion over the way my body had responded to such domination. Long before that night, Dorian had been one of my first allies in the Otherworld. He'd supported Storm King-and would have loved to knock me up-but had stood firm against any notion of rape. He'd wanted me of my own free will. In the end, he'd helped me defeat Aeson and had shown me the fundamentals of using magic. â€Å"Did you give Maiwenn something?† I asked abruptly, steering us elsewhere. He scrutinized me a moment before answering. â€Å"Yes, of course. What was it? Ah. Yes. Bolts of lovely cloth that I'm sure she can do†¦something†¦lovely with. My steward picked it out. A paltry present compared to yours, or so I hear.† His eyes tracked across the room to where Maiwenn and Kiyo laughed with some woman I didn't recognize. â€Å"Look at them. Their child will be something to see, don't you think? They make a very striking couple. I should commission a painter to do a family portrait once the baby arrives. Something they can all treasure for years to come.† I stiffened. â€Å"That's why you wanted to talk to me, huh? You haven't changed, Dorian, and I'm not going to stay here and play if you're just going to try to bait me. I didn't want to talk to you anyway.† Dorian gave a long-suffering sigh. â€Å"You always think so little of me, Eugenie. I wished to speak with you because I wanted to know how you've been. I've missed you. How do you like being a queen? Your land hasn't perished†¦yet†¦so I'm taking that as a good sign.† Still irked by the Kiyo jibe, I fixed him with a glare. â€Å"I didn't want to be a queen at all. It's your fault I've gotten into this. If you hadn't tricked me into claiming the land, I'd be in Tucson right now and away from all of this.† The sting of what he'd done, binding me to the Thorn Land, still itched within me. I wasn't sure if I could ever forgive him for that. â€Å"Not true. You'd still be here, moping around while your lover receives gifts for his child, just as you are right now. And men like the young Rowan prince would still solicit you because whatever other titles come and go, you will always be Storm King's daughter.† â€Å"I don't really want to be that either.† He spread his hands out, palms up, in a gesture of helplessness. â€Å"That I cannot change. All I can do with that is help you to develop the powers you inherited, but you've already refused my aid there.† I looked away. â€Å"I don't need your help.† Aside from the grudge I held against him, I couldn't shake the feeling that more of his â€Å"help† would result in me in his bed again. He took a step toward me. â€Å"Have you been teaching yourself?† I didn't answer. â€Å"You have been, haven't you? Or trying to, at least. Odd, considering I distinctly recall you saying you were satisfied with the level of magic you'd reached through my training.† He smiled. â€Å"How is that going? Perhaps you'd like my help again?† I jerked my head back toward him. Too much at this party had ground me down already, and his serpent's tongue was the point that threatened to break me. â€Å"No. I don't need your help. I don't need anyone's help, okay? I'm happy with what I'm teaching myself. If I advance, fine. If I don't, fine. It doesn't matter to me.† He laughed, a soft and deadly sound that poured over me like honey. â€Å"Eugenie, Eugenie. You may lie to other people, you may lie to your kitsune, and you may even lie to yourself. But do not lie to me. I was the one who first taught you to control your magic. I've seen how you crave it, how you glow with the rush of that power. I know how it makes you feel because I've felt it too. I can see in those lovely violet eyes of yours how passionately you want to tap more of that magic. It's consuming you.† â€Å"As usual,† I said in a low voice that matched his own, â€Å"you're imagining more than is actually there.† â€Å"And you, as usual, are denying what is there, not to mention your own nature. You are what you are, Eugenie, and the sooner you accept that, the sooner you can begin doing great things.† â€Å"This conversation is done,† I snapped, turning away. Dorian's hand closed around my wrist, and he pulled me toward him with an unexpected harshness. I don't think he'd meant to do it quite so hard. I let out a small gasp as those fingers tightened against my skin. I wasn't trapped by any stretch of the imagination, but for half a moment, I could believe I was. The painful restraint on my wrist sent shockwaves of heat through my body, and the scent of cinnamon drifted around me, standing this close to him. My breathing had grown heavy, and I willed it to slow down. He hadn't expected that reaction. A slight widening of his eyes showed rarely expressed surprise. Leaning his face toward mine, his thumb stroked the skin on my arm while the rest of the fingers maintained their hold. â€Å"Just like old times, hmm? It seems you haven't entirely lost your taste for restraint. Yet, like everything else, I'm sure you deny yourself that as well.† â€Å"You think so?† I asked nastily. â€Å"You should try fucking Kiyo. Lots of restraint there.† Amusement lit his face, contrasting with the dark desire in his eyes. â€Å"Since I'm presuming you don't mean you finally bought him a leash, let me say simply that there is a big difference between allowing an animal to ravage you and allowing yourself to be ravaged. One is common. The other is art. It is planned. Crafted, even. Only capable of being done by a master.† His next words came out so conversationally, we might as well have been discussing the weather. â€Å"As it is, I've been planning out what I'd like to do the next time we make love. I think I want you to lie on your stomach, with your hands bound to the front of the bed. We'll have to shift your hips up a bit, put you on your knees just a little, but otherwise you'll stay prostrate, almost like you're bowing in humble obeisance as I kneel behind you and take you.† He paused. â€Å"Unless you have other suggestions?† I broke from his grasp and backed up, surprised to find I was shaking. This was Dorian. The same dangerous, presumptuous, and scheming Dorian I'd first met months ago, no matter the sweetness and charm that poured off of him. He had no right to speak to me like that, not after I'd parted ways over his trick with the Thorn Land, not after I'd told him I wanted to stay with Kiyo. And yet, he had once been my friend and my teacher and my ally in battle†¦and my lover. And as I stood there staring at him, I could imagine everything he'd just described. I could feel it. And, God help me, I wanted it. My whole body tingled with the arousal his words wrought. â€Å"I have to go,† I said. It took two tries for my dry mouth to get the words out. â€Å"I have to find Shaya.† He inclined his head politely. â€Å"Of course.† I turned and walked away, but not before I heard him call after me. â€Å"Eugenie? Don't forget, if you change your mind, my offer still stands. For all things.† I bit my lip so as not to retort and was so focused on maintaining control that I nearly ran into a woman heading in the direction I'd just come from. She was gorgeous, with red hair that stood out like bright flames against her fair skin. She wore a puff-sleeved dress that matched the sky blue of her long-lashed eyes and reminded me a little of Cinderella's ball gown. Of course, Disney would have never allowed that much cleavage. The woman stepped gracefully aside, just barely avoiding a collision. And then, to my complete and total shock, she sidled up to Dorian and wrapped herself around him, pressing her lips to his cheeks. â€Å"Ah, there you are,† he said happily. He returned the kiss-except, well, it was on her lips. And lasted awhile. With tongue. I stood there, frozen, urging myself to ignore them and keep moving. Yet, I couldn't. Dorian, seeing me still there, gave me one of his grander smiles. â€Å"Queen Eugenie, a moment. Have you met my charming young friend yet?† That, of course, was one of Dorian's more annoying habits. He knew perfectly well I'd never met her but enjoyed playing the innocent. â€Å"I haven't,† I said stiffly, crossing my arms over my chest. â€Å"Queen Eugenie, may I present Ysabel, one of my subjects in the Oak Land. She's been spending some time†¦in the castle.† I took the subtext to mean that said time was specifically being spent in his bed. Ysabel bowed, giving me a polite â€Å"Your majesty.† Yet, when she straightened up, I saw the look in her eyes was anything but polite. There was a distinct hostility there, and it was directed at me. I was a bit taken aback until I realized what it was. Jealousy. This woman was insanely, adamantly jealous of me. She pressed herself closer to Dorian, almost possessively, her hands roaming over his body in the way that was so commonplace among their kind. â€Å"A pleasure,† I replied. I turned around to leave again, having no desire to watch Ysabel grope Dorian. If she wanted to make me jealous, she was wasting her efforts. Dorian and I were finished. There was nothing more between us, nor would there ever be again. â€Å"Dorian's latest lover,† Shaya explained later. â€Å"Yeah, I kind of figured that out.† â€Å"My understanding is that he went an astonishingly long time without a consort ever since†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She didn't finish. She was referring to when Dorian and I had been involved. â€Å"How long is a long time?† I asked. â€Å"Mmm†¦a couple of weeks.† â€Å"A couple of weeks after we broke up? That's a long time?† â€Å"For King Dorian? Yes. I believe she's his fourth since then, but she bears a distinct resemblance to all the others.† Shaya looked at me meaningfully. â€Å"So?† I asked, not getting the point. â€Å"Always fair skinned. Always redheads. Violet eyes are harder to find, though, so he's settled on blue.† It took me a few moments more to catch on. â€Å"Wait. Are you saying Dorian's been taking lovers that look like me?† â€Å"It could just be a coincidence,† she said diplomatically. â€Å"Jesus Christ,† I said, suddenly freaked out. Had I really made that big of an impression on him? Shaya paused a moment, face thoughtful. â€Å"I don't think Ysabel likes you very much.† â€Å"I kind of figured that out too. She was trying to make me jealous.† Then, in case there was any question, I added, â€Å"But I'm not.† â€Å"As you say,† replied Shaya, voice and face perfectly pleasant. I couldn't tell if she believed me or not, but it didn't matter. I knew the truth. I really wasn't jealous of Ysabel and Dorian. Well, not much, anyway.

Plato vs. Aristotle Essay

Numerous experts in modern time regard Plato as the first genuine political philosopher and Aristotle as the first political scientist. They were both great thinkers in regards to, in part with Socrates, being the foundation of the great western philosophers. Plato and Aristotle each had ideas in how to proceed with improving the society in which they were part of during their existence. It is necessary therefore to analyze their different theoretical approaches regarding their philosophical perspectives, such as ethics and psychology. This paper however will mainly concentrate on Aristotle’s views on friendship and how it impacts today’s society. The main objective in Plato’s philosophy is a creation of a perfect society. He constructs a foundation for a utopian society in his book â€Å"The Republic†. The purpose of his thought process was to cleanse his society of the woes he felt plagued it and construct a new one. Plato lived during the Peloponnesian War, which consequently lead to the end of the Athenian democracy. He had eyewitness account of his mentor’s (Socrates) trial and execution. Bitter and angered by the political corruption that gripped the Athenian democratic government, he disengaged from participating in politics. He strongly felt that neither a moral individual nor a state that is rational could be established in a democratic environment. Plato felt that the common man wasn’t intelligent or capable of dealing with concepts that influence the state such as economics, policy of foreign affairs and other relative matters. He viewed political incumbents in Athens government as being elected for matters that were irrelevant to main factors that affected the state. Another danger was that excessive liberty for the people of the democratic society could potentially lead to anarchy. In Plato’s perfect society, he forged ahead to eliminate the disease (pluralism of friendship) that plagued the human character and society (Class Notes). Essentially, Plato wanted to establish the perfect form of society, linked by one single entity. Aristotle, unlike Plato, was not focused or concerned about the idea of a perfect society, instead he wanted to improve upon the one that he was part of during his existence. Rather than develop a framework for a society that is perfect, he suggested that society should, in it self, strive to utilize the best system it can attain. He felt that utopia was abstract and superficial. It wouldn’t allow for realistic problem solving solutions. He felt that Plato’s view of a strict overhaul of society in general wasn’t necessary. He believed that society was at its optimum and you can only improve upon the existing one. Plato’s perfect society would consist of three basic groups, which are Guardians (Gold), Auxiliaries (Silver), and the Artisan (Bronze). The highest of these classes are the gold people, which consist of rulers and non-rulers. Those that are rulers are society’s decision & policy makers and non-rulers occupy levels of civil servants. The fundamental prerequisite to becoming a genuine philosopher is to have knowledge of forms, thus enabling you to know the truth. Plato’s theory of the forms is partly logical and part metaphysical. Armed with the truth, he believed that philosophical ruler will always make the right decision, and rule with total wisdom, justice and virtue. The rulers, he felt, wouldn’t posses any money or property, they would be free of desires, excesses, and vices. The Auxiliaries (Silver) are people of strength, courage, and military capacity; they occupy a small sector of society. All auxiliaries would be subjected to a series of tests, which will check their powers of resistance to self-interest, pleasure and other temptations. The last level, Artisan (Bronze), are the workers which might be composed of farmers and artist, essentially non-skilled workers. They would produce all the consumable and non-consumable goods deemed necessary for consumption and the continued economic viability of the society. Plato whole-heartedly felt that if ever the bronze or iron people rule the state would collapse (Class Notes). He sought to establish the concept of the gold class having wisdom, thus they should be wise and good rulers. It was imperative that those who rule be philosophers and skilled in areas that pertained to the interest of the state. Aristotle’s disagreed with Plato in regards to allowing one particular class to govern the state politically for indefinite period of time. He felt that to not allow interaction among the various classes would inhibit those who posses the ability to engage in political life, an injustice. He feels Plato’s structure of classes is politically incorrect for the state. He quotes â€Å"It is a further objection that he deprives his Guardians even of happiness, maintaining that happiness of the whole state which should be the object of legislation†, ultimately he is stating that those who rule (Guardians), sacrifice their happiness for control and absolute power. Those who are of the gold class, lead such a rigid life, that it will become necessary to impose the same strict way of life on those being governed. He places the idea of moderation on a high pedestal. Many individuals come to favor the concept of moderation because it is flexible, part liberal and part conservative. Plato’s ideal society is so difficult to conceive that Aristotle believes that no human being can achieve its rudimentary requirements. He decided to express in the â€Å"Republic† how men should conduct it self in a perfect society and what attitude they should posses. In retrospect, Aristotle felt by using real world experience along with real people, he can see first hand how and what way can he improve society. Plato and Aristotle both agreed on justice and viewed it objectively; that is it controls the belief a life of good nature would be provided for all people no matter their ranking in society. Aristotle’s states † In democracies, for example, justice is considered to mean equality, no oligarchies, again inequality in the distribution of office to considered just†. Plato views the idea of law and justice as what sets the standard for society’s behavior in a state. Aristotle puts emphasis on the institution of the polis or civilized community. The polis was structured to allow the average individual in society to participate in political matters. This institutional forum is not the city-state or the community, but merely the larger of the two entities. It is rather a partnership between households, clans, and villages for the sake of a fully developed and self-sufficient life. The polis enables those individuals who naturally posses moral intellect and wisdom an opportunity to rise to higher positions (Class Notes). Justice is the political good within the polis, and it must promote the common interest of the people of the state. What is seen as good must be distributed and regulated through out the state. The law is also the regulating factor that arises from equal and free people in civil institution. The well being of a society is solely based upon the connection between the effort in which the citizens of the state adhere to the law of the land. A good citizen of the state will posses prudence, moderation, and justice, and above all to rule and be ruled. His belief contradicts Plato theory of one controlling class, governing the political matters and decisions that effect the state. The Theory of Democracy that Aristotle states is that democracy is a â€Å"perversion† form of government of â€Å"polity† (Class Notes). He clearly states â€Å"The people at large should be sovereign rather than the few best†. Plato on the other hand, wouldn’t permit citizens to engage in public participation concerning governmental issues, as Aristotle would have enjoyed. Plato also felt that public judgments of disapproval and approval were based on emotional belief, instead of factual knowledge. He believes that if a revolution occurred it would happened within the corridors of the palace, hence palace revolution. This type of revolution happens when there is a transmission of power from one holder of power to another. Aristotle perceives such an event occurring between the wealthy and less fortunate in society. He feels to prevent such actions, one must participate in them. Plato thinks that in a utopia a disgruntled group of Guardians will emerge and disengage themselves from the ruling law of the state. He feels that an oligarchy two things may initiate a possible revolution: the first one is the ruler and their offspring would grow to be weak, sympathetic, and second is that the number of poor individuals will grow larger and there for be taken advantage of by the ruling class. Aristotle states that to know the factors that caused the revolution, which destroys the constitution, is to also know the principal of effect, which in turn ensure its preservation. Aristotle and Plato also have contrasting views on ethics, psychology and metaphysics. In regards to ethics, Aristotle believes that virtue is necessary for happiness, while Plato says virtue is enough for happiness. The psychological difference between the two is that Plato feels the body is a prison for the soul; body and soul are two different entities, capable of maintaining independence from one another. As for Aristotle, he claims that the body and soul are two different things, one consisting of matter the other form. He sees everything in the universe being composed of matter and form, so its not surprising that he perceives human being are too. To him form is simply the way matter is arranged. For example, a cat is composed in a feline way; that’s what makes a cat. Human being for that matter, have a unique method of structure, too; that’s their form. In fact, Aristotle strongly feels that nothing in existence can be without form and matter. If you eliminate its structure and form you have nothing left. So for Aristotle, the concept of soul without body or body without soul is incoherent. In regards to form, Plato expressed how things should be through utilizing vague language and poetry. In respect to friendship, I firmly believe that Aristotle’s views on friendship holds value in today’s society. First we will touch on the various points that Aristotle makes regarding friendship, then expand on his main principle in connection to modern time, if possible. Aristotle distinguishes between three types of friendship: friendships of utility, friendships of pleasure and friendships of virtue. The idea behind friendship of utility is that it is founded on the idea of usefulness. The interaction among friends is only valued if there is usefulness between the two individuals. An example of this would be any automobile dealer and car buyer. Factoring in that they know each other, both need what the other can provide. The bond that unites the two people is based on usefulness. As long as they each can provide what the other needs, it satisfies the friendship. The second concept would be friendship of pleasure, which is basically the amount of pleasure generated between the participants. An example of this would be two people engaging in a social event, such as an outdoor festival. Each of the participant’s enjoys the others company. They are friends because of the pleasure they bring to themselves. The last kind of friendship is the friendship of virtue. This friendship is special and unique, such that it can only be between two people. Rather than utility and pleasure, where it can establish a group of people, this type of friendship is connected solely between two people. This type of friendship is also unique based on the fact that it can only hold any true value if both individuals are of the same virtue. People in general might regard these definitions of friend objective. Some believe that doing something for someone is solely based on the act of self ? fulfillment. Aristotle, I believe is not incorrect in stating that the idea in friendship in utility and pleasure is for our own sake, and the concept behind friendship of virtue is for the sake of the friend. These three categories are arranged in a certain format that there are influenced by the next level. These bonds of friendship can arise from various forms of potential fraternal groupings. Present day possibilities can include: various college organizations, union members, national communities and any other form of group’s that people find a common denominator. For Aristotle Aristotle is more philosophically inclined than Plato; he tends to get rid of ideas that are irrelevant, and he believes that the concept of forms existing separate from matter is somewhat superfluous. He dives right into the heart of the matter. You can see Aristotle as someone who believes the world in which he occupies very satisfying just the way it is. His main focus is always connected with things that are consistent with ideal experience, without introducing unnecessary notions of concepts that can’t be proven. Plato’s vague, poetic language in metaphysics and physics didn’t stimulate inspiration; it made him uncomfortable. Both Plato and Aristotle were two men who envisioned methods on ways to improve their existing society. Plato, the political philosopher, was basically in pursuit of philosophical truth. Aristotle was more concerned with citizenship and institutional politics. They both had developed ideas and concepts to improve society as a whole. Aristotle and Plato have had a tremendous impact on political scientists of today. In Aristotle case, he was responsible for developing various democratic ideas. Even in modern democracies like our own Aristotle’s ideas hold true. When we vote in the election of the ruler of our country we, theoretically, are voting for the single most â€Å"excellent† citizen of our nation. That is we are voting for that citizen who can do the best job of working toward our common interest. The citizen of a state who has the greatest ability to work towards the salvation of the constitution has a great gift that can benefit all citizens. It only makes sense to allow that particular individual to lead the rest of the citizens in working towards the common interests of the state. In conclusion, these men were great thinkers. Their opinions on society and its function were quite different, but they both had the same concern, to build a better way of life for their societies they in lived in and for the societies that would come to be in the future.