Gender Discrimination Essay

How can you balance work and having a life? Balancing work and life you have to build downtime into your schedule. Make a point to spend time with family and friends. Set up activities that everyone can do and you can combine the two. Set goals, plan and organize what should come first. Having your goals set is much easier than to just go day to day. Work/Life balance is all about flexibility, but to have flexibility you need a support system around you. Both at work and at home. If you don’t have the support it’s harder to deal. Having structure is important because it brings certainty into your world. Without structure life is a bit more chaotic. You then find that you use both physical and emotional energy to bring meaning and clarity to different situations. A good way to improve on your skills is to write things down. It may help you balance out your day, week, or even a whole month. Manage is a world which comes from experience. There are people who took things as they come and manage them accordingly. It is a will power and self-confidence which play a dice game here. Considering women are good managers when they balanced office and home life. Women have a lot going on when it comes to life period. In a large majority of families with children, both parents work, and women now hold half of all jobs. Majority of the time women do more of home caregiving then men. Some men think longs as they bring home the bacon that’s all they need to do. Not at all, women work 40 hours a week, have to get kids ready for school, cook, clean, ECT. In my case school to for the adult and I’m a single parent. It’s so many issues and that alone can cause tension in your  relationship. Many women assume that the men in their lives pick up signals and hints about stuff like needing help at the house, and many men (not all, but honestly most that I’ve had any kind of close relationship with) just aren’t good with those signals. I suppose it’s a classic issue within genders as well; it seems like many people assume that they’re sending out all kinds of signals to their boss that they want to move up, or have too big a workload, or whatever, those signals aren’t getting picked up on their end, and then we just get more and more frustrated! This should help people get a better understanding of working out your life and work life so that they both can balance. Everyone’s situation is different but it’ll all come together if you prioritize your life balance. Many people are able to accommodate work and home. You can solve your work life problem if your home life is up to par. Pat Katepoo, Founder, WorkOptions.com http://www.womensconference.org/a-flexible-work-life/ Year Published: 2008 Melanie Hawks is the Learning and Development Coordinator at the J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah.

Noah’s Arf: Coming to the Dogs

Kris Price possesses most of the skills that are vital to be a successful entrepreneur. Having a successful career in Nike, Inc. prior to her business venture in establishing Noah’s Arf only means that she is a skilled and accomplished employee. Despite her blossoming career in Nike, Inc. she took the risk of quitting her job to start her own business that unknowingly would be the successful animal haven as we know now called Noah’s Arf. Being an entrepreneur, one must be willing to take risks. Even without prior knowledge of what the outcomes will be in either introducing a new product or expanding one’s business to a new location, an entrepreneur should be willing to take that risk and be able to muddle through the consequences no matter how difficult it would be. Taking risks is very important in dealing with one’s business because entrepreneurs who take risks are most probably the ones who get to experience bigger successes because they were brave enough to try. Kris happens to be one of them. (Sullivan) Kris’ creativity, innovativeness, and her intention to provide services needed by people, led her to develop the concept of Noah’s Arf. From a need, and that is the need to have someone check-up and care for her pet while she traveled elsewhere as an employee for Nike, Inc., the idea of a pet care facility cropped up. It was really impressive that she made efforts to conduct research in order to have an idea of how to develop a pet care facility and determine whether other business establishments offer the kind of service that she wants to provide for her target clients. Although she was inexperienced in writing business plans, she was able to find a solution to her dilemma. She used the Business Plan Pro computer software to write a business plan before starting to develop her vision of a pet care facility. Kris’ resourcefulness led to the development of Noah’s Arf’s business plan that contains the highlights of the pet care facility, the mission and objectives of the business establishment, and the image that it wants to develop for its customer as a credible and responsible pet care facility dedicated to provide for 24-hour service to its customers. Kris once again displayed her willingness to take risks by selling her house and donating her car to be able to raise funds as capital for her business venture. She even applied for a loan, believing that everything that she will be working on will pay off soon. Because of her innate entrepreneurial qualities, Noah’s Arf proved to be successful even after two months of opening up to the public. In just six months, she was able to draw clients, totaling to twenty dogs taken care by Noah’s Arf everyday. In order to attract more customers and contribute to her already solid client base, she spends time promoting her business, the in-home care services, as she calls it, to be specific. This service is very in demand during the holiday season. Perhaps Noah’s Arf is very successful because Kris is able to provide her clients the services that they really need. In addition to this, Kris was able to pick a strategic location, and that is putting up her business near the park where most people take their pets. Lastly, her success is simply because she loves and enjoys what she is doing. According to Kris, she is â€Å"working on adrenalin now.† Noah’s Arf: The Business Plan The business plan was successful in attracting clients to patronize her business. For the most part, the services that she offers are clearly some of the needs and demands of clients. Her reputation as a very hard-working and dedicated employee and her involvement in a service-oriented company prior to her business venture is convincing enough to trust and support the services she is offering. The business plan pointed out the services that she would be offering in Noah’s Arf, her credibility and qualities as an entrepreneur to provide for the needs of her clients as needed. The means of how she is going to establish her business was also mentioned in the business plan. (Business Plan Pro) The focal point of her business plan is very ambitious, in a good way though. Through this we can say that she believes and has faith in her vision in that she plans to achieve a steady increase in the facilities’ annual income, fifty percent gross income on her products for pets, maximization of resources, and expansion in the years to come. She does not limit her services to only dogs and cats and offers convenience for her clients and their pets, etc. These services and her ability to look through the future and predict the outcomes of her business take her halfway to meeting her goals and objectives as a pet care facility entrepreneur. (Business Plan Pro) However, business plans only give the entrepreneur a guide that would lead him tentatively to where everything in the business is going. These business plans change if, in application to real life, it fails to provide for the ideal concept embodied in it. In this case, changes to the business plan will apply if for instance, Kris fails to acquire loans to start-up her business. Then there would be changes as to the target objectives and the entire plan might be altered to fit the amount of money that she has for capital. In the actual business setting, if for instance the business establishment fails to acquire the target number of clients to furnish the amount of money needed to pay off the loans, etc. because of the location, then Kris might make another plan of establishing her business elsewhere. Business plans are changed if the output of the business does not meet the intended projection for the business in a short term and long-term basis. Noah’s Arf: The Website All the necessary information for the clients who want to check out the services they offer and want to look through the character of the facility is incorporated in the website. However, it would be great if the website were redeveloped to achieve a more attractive and amusing website that people would enjoy to browse through. Since Noah’s Arf is promoting a fun and clean environment for the clients’ pest, it would a good idea to add color and vibrancy to the physical make-up of the website. The links that are found at the bottom of the webpage should be put at a taskbar that is noticeable and that people can access easily. It is good that all the basic information is there in the website. It just needs a little restructuring to be true to the character that Noah’s Arf is portraying to its clients. Advertising and Promotional Strategies The use of the website is a good strategy to win over clients. Noah’s Arf should offer free and informational newsletters that will not only be available to those who visit the website but also for people who only get the time to check their e-mails. Clients who are on the go and leave their pets to the facility should be sent e-mail about recent news and other information that is related to pet caring, etc. There should be a sign-up button wherein people can sign in their names to be able to receive free newsletters. Through this, Noah’s Arf will also be able to include in their newsletters advertising for the services they offer, new promotional services, events for animals and pet-owners, etc. Another way is to sponsor a dinner featuring the dogs or cats in a fashion show. This is a great idea because the location of Noah’s Arf is accessible to most of the pet owners who take their pets to the park. It would be a great way to attract more people and clients for them to see the quality of services offered by Noah’s Arf. Through this other people will get to see and hear from Noah’s Arfs’ client base about the goodness and quality service provided by their clients. In addition to this, Noah’s Arf can get a sponsor from animal rights organizations and get to establish a larger network because of the organization’s endorsements.    Future Challenges As she was expecting, one of the future challenges that she will be facing for her business would be expansion. As her client base expands, there would also be a need to develop her business to be able to provide for the heightened needs of her growing clients, even in other places. It would be great, although a big risk, to establish a branch elsewhere, but if there is a need to, then she must be able to do it. Another thing is that as many innovative ideas are being developed nowadays, Noah’s Arf must be able to cope up with these changes and incorporate in their business technological advances that would help in systematizing tasks in the workplace. This would be difficult phase because further research and testing is needed to prove whether these changes will be feasible for her business. Aside from this, many ideas about pet care and animal rights are now cropping up and catching the attention of the people. Noah’s Ark should be aware of these ideas to be able to shape their establishment in a way that does not cause the loss of clients and endorsers alike.             Works Cited Business Plan Pro. 2008. Dog and Cat Kennel Business Plan. Retrieved from Palo Alto Software. 11 March 2008. Noah’s Arf. 2007. Noah’s Arf. Retrieved from Noah’s Arf. 11 March 2008. Sullivan, Robert. 2006. Are You and Entrepreneur? Retrieved from Information International. 11 March 2008.   

Christmas Meaning

The message:†Best wishes for a Merry Christmas &a prosperous new year â€Å"wishes it audience a cheerful, hopeful and joyous festive seasons and also wishing its audience a fruitful year. Christmas tree is a symbol of renewal and victory we know that in this period it will be the end of the year and we will be starting a new year soon. It’s also symbolises everlasting light and life. Christmas tree also set a colourful theme for the Christmas season.Lights and ornaments represents glory since us Religious people will believe that Jesus Christ is born in this time and also the Star on top the tree symbolises the start that was above the stable that Jesus Christ was born in. The gifts will catch the shopper’s eye as they will know it that time of the year to spoil their loved ones with gifts. Candles represent warmth in our houses during Christmas season and the spirit of togetherness as we also know it as family time and time of sharing love.The gifts also symbol ises those that were given by the 3 wise men to Jesus Christ on the days he was born and also that God gave us his son as gift to us to be our saviour. Kids will also won’t be able to contain their excitement because they’ll know by seeing this image it means Christmas is near and gifts are coming ,But then again it all about peoples beliefs, upbringing and their viewpoint .Those who don’t believe won’t notice any difference except another spending holiday and time off from work . Most of us feel that the festive season won’t be complete without seeing this image or any other images related to this ,as we normal take it as an indicator that it that time of the year, whether we believe in Christmas or not.

European political systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

European political systems - Essay Example The countries that joined in 1958 include Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands and Luxembourg. These six countries were motivated to put collectively the coal and steel industries under supra-national control. The coal and steel developed to European Economic Community in 1958. In 1995 three countries joined the union namely Austria, Finland and Sweden. In 2007, Bulgaria and Romania joined the union. In 2004, Cyprus, Estonia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Poland and Slovenia were considered part of European Union and largest integration that took place. The integration involved the breaking of some of the countries restrictions to adhere to certain issues such as the free movement issues. To some countries, the Stabilization and Association Process put in place to deal with particular cases before recognition, was a challenge to entry. In 1973, the following countries joined European Union, Denmark, United Kingdom and Ireland. Greece joined in 1 981 and Spain in 1986 (Zeff & Pirro,

Technology Improves Transportations Research Paper

Technology Improves Transportations - Research Paper Example The researcher states that transportation today is one of the most crucial and basic ingredient of all the field of human life, especially of international trade e.g. shipping, agriculture, food industry, construction, traveling, tourism, and number of other business fields, that simply cannot go ahead even a single step without the support of transportation. The safe and secure carrying of passengers, speedy deliverance of products, and preservation of quality of different commodities are most important issues for the success of transportation companies. Due to this reason, users consult reliable companies which utilize the latest modes of transportation and technologies for efficient delivery. The use of latest technologies has introduced new trends in transportation industry and put certain direct implications on different actors associated with this field. These actors include infrastructure (e.g. roads, highways, bridges, railways, subways, tramways, airports, seaports etc), mod es of transportation (e.g. buses, cars, rails, trams, planes, freights etc), and functions pertaining to of transportation industry. Since users keep themselves continuously engage with new innovative services in all facets of life, therefore, by focusing on transportation industry, this research paper describes the development of modern technologies and their ultimate impact on the improvement of different aspects of transportation as well as enhancing easiness in transportation today and increasing it's flow capacity.... But its drawback is that it is much time consuming than other modes of transportations. It is basically the blessing of modern technology which enabled the construction of roads, airports, railways, subways, and trams. Asphalt compactors are used for speedy compaction and finishing of roads. Hydraulic Trucks have the capacity to lift 200 to 250 tons of loads due to having a swing-away lattice jib extension which provides it additional 30’ to 40’ of length. Besides these equipment, excavators, fork lifter, pavers, trenchers, crawler loaders, and some other miscellaneous machinery is used throughout the world to construct and repair the roads and highways in speedy way (Vehicle Valuation Services, Inc). Air transportation is one of the leading services in transportation industry. Heavy constructing technology is operated for the construction and re-carpeting of runways. Auto sweeper transports are being used to prevent the air traffic from Field Object Damages which may p roduce very serious outcomes for planes. The application of advanced crash tenders on airports, for rescue and firefighting services, have increased the transportation safety manifold. FLF Panther, Alvis Salamander, E-1, and MB are some most modern crash tenders presently in use at numbers of airports. Installation of Doppler Radars and Automated Weather Observation Systems, have also increased the safety of aircraft from any environmental effect (CopRadar.com). Improvement in Transportation Modes The world had never such huge numbers of transportation modes as today it has. In ancient times, human used to travel on animals. Today, it has automobiles, buses, rails, trams, subways, ships, and aircraft to go from one place to other or to cargo its products anywhere

Can Minnesota justify taking the grey wolf off the endangered species Research Paper

Can Minnesota justify taking the grey wolf off the endangered species list - Research Paper Example II. History and Current Status of Grey Wolf in Minnesota. a. Grey wolf is included in 1974 list of endangered Species. b. Grey wolf was on the brink of extinction in 1974. c. Grey wolf has surpassed Minnesota’s 1,400 maximum grey wolf population. III. Endangered Species. a. Minnesota wolf management program protects the grey wolves. b. Minnesota has set aside grey wolf conservation areas. IV. Prediction to the Future of the Grey Wolf in Minnesota. a. President Barack Obama signs the 2011 congress- approved law for the removal of the grey wolf from the endangered species list. b. Pro conservationist groups will sue the federal government. c. The grey fox population will decline to minimum levels. V. Endangered Species Act. a. The Endangered Species Act was signed into law by President Richard Nixon in 1973. b. The grey wolf was included in the endangered species list in 1974. VI. Conclusion a. Minnesota justifies the taking of the grey wolf off the endangered species. b. The re moval of the grey wolf from the endangered species list allows the hunters to hunt the grey wolves to extinction. c. The pro –wolf conservationist will sue the federal government using political action to a purely biological issue. d.

ACC Group Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ACC Group - Case Study Example For Claire's Antiques, this order is very important because without they would not be profitable and would have to layoff many workers.The company now has to consider its alternatives, the main assumption that we have during this consideration is that Claire's Antiques cannot have a budget based on speculations of money that is not there yet.If a rebid is to take place, it could be possible for the competitors to lower their price, thus Claire's Antiques should clearly refuse the rebid. In this the consumer would have more time to think the decision through and compare the two companies.One thing that Claire's Antiques can do is to offer more services, such as after sales service. This would make their offer more interesting even though the price is higher. Claire's Antiques should find out what type of service is important to the customer and include them in their sales process. This would help validate the higher price being charged by them. A discount can be offered if the custome r is willing to pay cash or make the payment upfront, that is as soon as the goods are received or within a week of delivery.Every company has a weak point; Claire's Antiques should find out about the weak point of their competitors and use this to their advantage. There are many things that you need to consider before actually making the bid and once you have done so, you need to sit back and see how the competitors and the customer reacts.

Impact of New Technology in Nursing Research Paper

Impact of New Technology in Nursing - Research Paper Example This technology identifies the mutations of genes that expose a person to the development of chronic illnesses (American Association for Cancer Research, 2012). Genetics also identifies the carrier status, and diagnose certain uteri conditions. The medical professionals encounter patients who visit health facilities requiring treatment with their genetic sequencing and genotyping at hand. The availability of genetic data empowers the patients, and enhances better health care. The challenge that the nursing fraternity face with the introduction of the genetic technology is the education (American Association for Cancer Research, 2012). Most of the nurses in the current nursing practice have little or no knowledge about the genomics and genetics, hence lacking the required competence for delivery of effective counseling and the discharge of knowledge to the relevant patients. Contrary to the above concerns, the technology of genetic sequencing and genotyping continues to improve the interventional medicine by improving the diagnostics of nursing. (American Association for Cancer Research, 2012) The introduction of more accurate but less invasive tools in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases has changed the nursing practice. The emergence of technologies that test the existence of heart disease, monitoring the amount of blood sugar and the use of magnets to treat depression has transformed the outlook of nursing (Kelland, 2012). The use of scanning technology to identify the hard and soft body tissues is extensively important in the elimination of exploratory surgeries that inflict pain on patients in the process of determining the genesis of an illness (Miliard, 2012). These scans also detect the spread of chronic diseases faster than the x ray imaging. Despite the medical advances that come with the more accurate diagnosis tools, the challenge that the nurses face is in the use of the

Ethical Issues Econet Needs to Consider in Its Operational Activities Coursework

Ethical Issues Econet Needs to Consider in Its Operational Activities - Coursework Example This paper illustrates that one of the ethical issues Econet needs to consider in its operational activities is the working conditions of the employees. It involves the safety of the employees being guaranteed in their working environment by providing the necessary equipment and special attires for some unique jobs. Working conditions also should embrace the compensation of the employees for the period they have worked. Another business ethics to be considered is discrimination. Discrimination may involve harassment of the female employees based on their gender or the act of diminishing the new employees that join the organization. Sensitivity training should be conducted to limit the chances of discrimination among the employees. Additionally, the ethical issue of corporate governance should be considered. It is a system by which a company is directed and controlled. It is evident that corporate governance is predestined to maximize shareholders value and protect the interest of oth er stakeholders. Statistics have proven that improved corporate governance enhances value to the company’s operational performance. The company can rationalize management and monitor risks that a firm may face globally. Also, the company guarantee the truthfulness of the financial reports and obtains a long-term reputation among key stakeholders. Another ethical issue to be considered by Econet is the legal and regulatory compliance. The managers should ensure that environmental laws, fiscal and monetary reporting principles and all applicable civil rights are complied with to ensure the smooth running of the firm. The researcher is also going to evaluate the influence stakeholders exert on Econet. Some of the stakeholders in the company are the customers, shareholders, employees, suppliers, and government. Employees are the internal stakeholders who are involved in the day-to-day activities of the company. Employees’ productivity influences the performance of the comp any in the market space. As for customers, they are the external stakeholders. It is evident that customers influence the profit margins and turnover through buying products and services. Suppliers are external stakeholders who influence Econet operations by supplying various products. When suppliers avail, the product in time Econet can fulfill their customers’ needs.

Criminal Justice in the US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Criminal Justice in the US - Essay Example Legal scholars, as well as criminologists in other developed nations, state that they are puzzled and shocked by the length and number of American prison terms. The U.S. has, for example, 2 million lawbreakers in prisons, more than any other country. This is in line with the information given out at King's College in England by the International Center for Prison Research. China follows with 1.6 million individuals in prison, but the country is four times more populous than America. That figure leaves out thousands of individuals held in administrative custody (Liptak, 2008). Most of these individuals are held up in China's extrajudicial scheme of re-education by labor. The system also isolates political activists who have not committed any offense. San Marino is at the ending of the lengthy list of 218 nations gathered by the center. The country has a population of about 30,000 people. San Marino, however, has only one inmate. The U.S. leads in the list of prison studies center. The country is ranked first in order of the imprisonment rates. America has 700 individuals in jail or prison for every 100,000 in population. If people count only grownups, then the finding would be that one in every 100 American citizens is in prison (Liptak, 2008). The only other key developed country that even comes close to America is Russia. Russia has 627 inmates for every 100,000 individuals. The other countries have much lower rates. Germany's is 70, England's rate is 140 and Japan's is 50. These rates are all out of 100,000. The median among all countries circulates at 125. 125 is roughly a fifth of the American rate. There is little inquiry that the high imprisonment rate in America has assisted to cut down crime. There is, however, the debate regarding how much the rates have eased crime. Legal experts and criminologists abroad and in the country point out certain factors to explain America's astonishing imprisonment rate. These factors are harsh sentencing regulations, hig h levels of brutal crimes, a special fervor in fighting illegal drugs, a heritage of racial disorders and the lack of a social safety net.  

Sleep in Sports Essay Example for Free

Sleep in Sports Essay Cheri Mah of the stanford sleep disorders clinic and research laboratory has been following sleep patterns and the effects on the athletes performance. One of her experiments was with the Stanford University tennis team. For five weeks each member of the tennis team was to get ten hours of sleep per night. Those who increased their sleep time ran faster sprints and played at the best of their ability. Mah found that getting extra sleep over a couple of weeks improved an athletes performance, mood, and alertness for all athletes. Sleep is very important for collegiate and professional athletes who have full schedules and often travel for games. Athletes can easily struggle with getting enough sleep due to being so busy through out each day. This slows down the athletes alertness and performance level to a minimum. Many athletes have set personal bests and have broken school and also world records by just getting enough sleep. The reason behind this is because while a person is in what they call deep sleep, is when a growth hormone is released. These hormones stimulate muscle growth and repair body parts such as bones and muscles. The hormones also help burn fat keeping the athlete in top shape. REM sleep also provides energy to both the brain and the body. If sleep is cut short, the body doesn’t have time to complete all of the phases needed for muscle repair, memory consolidation and the release of hormones. So how much sleep does an athlete need? The answer is seven to nine hours per night for adults and nine to ten hours for adolescents and teens. Athletes can tell by falling asleep within twenty minuets of going to bed and waking up without an alarm means that they are getting the right amount.

Act 3, Scene 4 provides a great opportunity for visual spectical Essay Example for Free

Act 3, Scene 4 provides a great opportunity for visual spectical Essay QUESTION. Act 3, Scene 4 provides a great opportunity for visual spectical. Discuss how The Banquet Scene has been realised on screen and consider the effectiveness of its portrayal. ANSWER. Shakespeare was born in 1564 when Elizabeth the First was Queen of England. Shakespeare did not go to university when he left school; instead, he worked. He married Anne Hathway when he was eighteen and she became the mother of his daughter, Susanna, and also of twins. Although there are many public documents concerned with his career as a writer and a businessman, Shakespeare has hidden his personal life from us. A nineteenth century poet, Matthew Arnold, addressed Shakespeare in a poem and wrote: We ask and ask Thou smilest, and art still. There is not even a portrait of the worlds greatest Dramatist. I am going to look at the banquet scene, in my opinion, one of the most important scenes in Macbeth; it shows many sides to both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The scene opens with the couple welcoming all the guests to their Banquet, the atmosphere is warm and jolly, and everyone is joking and enjoying themselves. The atmosphere becomes more sombre when one of Banquos murderers arrives with news for Macbeth. Although Banquo is safe, Fleance on the other hand has scapd . Macbeth tries to Act like the innocent flower, but be the serpent undert in front of his guests, but this does not last for long, the guilt gets the better of Macbeth and causes him to hallucinate. The Lords were all very confused, and so, Lady Macbeth tries to cover-up for her husband by telling them all that Macbeth suffers from an illness, which causes him to behave in such a manner. Sit, worthy friends My Lord is often thus, and hath been from his youth. She continues by saying The fit is momentary upon a thought he will be well again. The two productions I am going to look at are Roman Polanskis 1971 Production along with Gregory Doran RSC production. In Gregory Dorans production, Macbeths house resembles a prison. The front foyer is very bare, with lots of different entrances: this is trying to show us that Macbeth is imprisoned in his world of guilt. Macbeth is dressed as a soldier, which gives me the impression he is at war, maybe Doran is trying to put across the fact that Macbeth is trying to fight against all of the evil. Roman Polanski dressed Macbeth in beautiful robes; Macbeth is also wearing his crown. This makes me think Macbeth is in total control of everything. Both producers hold the Banquet in a large, dull, cold room, this symbolises the fact that Macbeth has nowhere to hide; it also creates a tense atmosphere. In Polanskis production, Macbeth sees Banquo and he goes mad! Avaunt! And quit my sight! Let the earth hide thee! He continues to rant and rave at this ghost of Banquo, whom only Macbeth can see. He frightens and startles not only the lords, but also Lady Macbeth. We know this by the look of worry on her face. She then pulls her husband aside to try and help him see sense. He sees what she is trying to say and returns to normality, but this only lasts for a matter of moments, and then Macbeth resumes to his fit of madness again. Macbeth is gradually loosing control. While Macbeth moves back, Banquo continues to advance. As both men keep moving, the camera becomes Banquo. We see high angle shot of Macbeth; it seems as though Banquo is looking down upon Macbeth and that he is now the one in control. Lady Macbeth tries to make excuses for her husbands behaviour by saying Sit worthy friends: My lord is often thus, and hath been from his youth: pray you, keep seat: the fit is momentary: upon a thought he will be well again. We then see a long shot of the lords at the table; they all look very puzzled and confused. By this time, Macbeth is in a corner, on the ground with Banquo towering over him, he moves in closer and closer, then Banquo is cut, and Macbeth is left sitting on the ground, a trembling wreck. Gregory Dorans RSC Production is very similar to Polanskis. He also shows Macbeth being overpowered by Banquo. When Lady Macbeth pulls Macbeth aside to try and snap him out of his fit, he is unable to look her in the eye, he keeps watching the ghost of Banquo. He realises what his wife is trying to say, and so he returns to his normal self again. The way that Macbeth is changing personalities so suddenly in this scene reminds me of a schizophrenic, its almost as though he has some kind of mental disorder. Macbeth tries to laugh it off and composes himself. However, this only lasts for a moment. When Macbeth sees Banquo again, he drops his chalice, and the white wine spills onto the floor. This is an interesting observation because all the other products I watched used red wine, a sign of evil and danger, but white reminds me of innocence. Maybe Gregory Doran feels that Macbeth was innocent and this is why he uses white wine rather than red. He may feel it was the witches, or maybe Lady Macbeths influence that encouraged him to do all those evil things. Personally, I feel it was Lady Macbeth that caused him to go through with Duncans murder, but yet again, how many could be talked into murder without desiring it themselves?

Discrimination and the Hijab: The Role of Social Workers

Discrimination and the Hijab: The Role of Social Workers Melissa Sadaka The aftermath of several political, legal, and historical events has led to the negative representations and tensions towards Islam and its practices in Western society. These depictions have impacted Muslim women who wear the hijab as they are religiously identifiable (Hyder, Parrington, Hussain, 2015). It is evident in the literature and media that discrimination towards the hijab continues to remain a social problem in the West. Discrimination is the mistreatment of an individual due to their race status or background (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2015). Not only does it result in a marginalised society, discrimination is ideologically offensive and negatively effects the individual and society as whole. As demonstrated in the literature, the hijab is discriminated against due the misinterpreted views, held by non-Muslims, that the women who wear it are oppressed and associated with terrorism (Al Wazni, 2015,). These views have proved to negatively affect the daily experie nces and identity of Muslim women as they face difficulties and acts of discrimination in settings such as school, work and the public. Social work essentially aims to focus on and draw attention to discriminatory beliefs and customs that lead to both poor public principles and mental health (Hosken, 2013). It mandatory for all social workers to participate in socially and racially proficient education and advocacy that encourages diversity while concurrently reducing fear and doubt (Australian Association of Social Workers, 2010) . As an occupation and discipline, social work has come to accept the responsibility of tackling and eliminating discrimination in the lives of individuals it assists through both direct and indirect methods (Graham, Bradshaw, Trew, 2009). The current paper will analyse and critique the role of social work and its function in responding to discrimination towards Muslim women particularly in Australia. Recent and alternate social work approaches such as policy, education, research and practice in response to the social problem will also be identified. Social workers recognise the power of diversity as it is competent in characterising and shaping the human experience and is significant to the development of identity. All individuals have basic and fundamental human rights despite their position in society. Securing and ensuring that these rights are protected and believing in the value of the individual are important responsibilities in social work today (Graham, Bradshaw, Trew, 2009) Historically, social work has been criticised due its previous practices in failing to respond to present circumstances and endorsing the standards of a white middle class society(Matsuoka Thompson). Present approaches for social workers mandates them to understand the power of diversity and harness it in order to build a better human society and experience. It is a social workers responsibility to uphold any human beings right and their values and to eradicate discrimination under any basis (Ressler Hodge). The Code of ethics of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW, 2010) provides a set of ethical principle and standards to govern social work behavior in relation to discrimination. The organizations Code of Ethics in Australia includes the principle that social workers should challenge social injustice-focusing primarily on issues of poverty, unemployment, discrimination, and other manifestations-and that their activities should promote sensitivity to and knowledge a bout oppression and cultural and ethnic diversity. Further, the Code states, social workers should strive to ensure access to needed information, services, and resources; equality of opportunity; and meaningful participation in decision-making for all people. (AASW, 2010, p.17). A Muslim woman in Australia who has experienced a form of discrimination has access to a range of services and programs that can assist her. The Department of Social Services (DSS), the main source of accessing social policies in Australia, is designed to support and enhance the lives of Australians (2015). The DSS promotes a Multicultural Australia and can provide those who have been discriminated against with multiple resources and support services. The DSS can assist A Muslim woman who has been discriminated against by providing her with information and referrals to programs and policies. The DSS will provide her with information on current Australian anti-discrimination laws and provide her with the option of submitting a complaint to the Australia human rights commission who will then further deliver additional assistance. The Department of human services (DHS) is the main source of access to health, payment and social support for Australians and includes a team of social worker s that can also assist those who use their service (2015). Ghumman and Ryan (2013) study determined that wearing a Hijab amplified both formal and informal discrimination when applying for work. In this example[MS1], a Muslim woman who is using DHS services can contact a DHS social worker for further support if she feels that her hijab is effecting her chances in gaining a full-time job. The DHS social work services can deliver short term counselling, referrals to a range of services and support information. Overall, to sustain both professionalism and diversity in social work it is required to understand basic human rights and reasonable practices to assist victims of discrimination. Their voices should be heard and necessary support should be provided as with every human being. The discrimination towards people based on what they wear and what religion they practice will be ongoing as the current generation and society is poisoned by the narrow thoughts and vague ideas generated from power sources such a media and politics. An individuals choice to wear a garment that represents their faith should be respected within the social work profession. Though Australia is multicultural and embraces diversity and tolerance, discrimination towards the hijab remains existent. Social workers need to be able to demonstrate an understanding of cultural and religious customs, such as the hijab, to establish a justified and enhanced interaction with clients. Social workers should challenge social inju stice by embracing diversity through advocacy. Muslim women who wear the hijab should be viewed as positive assets to work with and learn from. References Al Wazni, A. B. (2015). Muslim Women in America and Hijab: A Study of Empowerment, Feminist Identity, and Body Image. Social Work, 60(4), 325-333. doi:10.1093/sw/swv033 Australian Association of Social Workers. (2010). Code of Ethics AASW. Retrieved March 6, 2017, from https://www.aasw.asn.au/practitioner-resources/code-of-ethics Australian Human Rights Commission. (2015). Complaint information. Retrieved March 7, 2017, from https://www.humanrights.gov.au/sites/default/files/WEB_Info_making_unlawful_discrimination.pdf Department of Human Services. (2017). Social work services Australian Government Department of Human Services. Retrieved from https://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/services/social-work-services Department Social Services. (2015). What We Do | Department of Social Services, Australian Government. Retrieved March 7, 2017, from https://www.dss.gov.au/about-the-department/overview/what-we-do Ghumman, S., Ryan, A. M. (2013). Not welcome here: Discrimination towards women who wear the Muslim headscarf. Human Relations, 66(5), 671-698. doi:10.1177/0018726712469540 Graham, J. R., Bradshaw, C., Trew, J. L. (2009). Adapting Social Work in Working with Muslim Clients. Social Work Education, 28(5), 544-561. doi:10.1080/02615470802400729 Hosken, N. (2013). Social work supervision and discrimination. Advances in Social Work and Welfare Education, 15(1), 92-104. Retrieved from http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=479428906488362;res=IELHSS Hyder, N., Parrington, C. A., Hussain, P. (2015). Experiences of Hijabi Women: Finding a Way Through the Looking Glass for Muslim Americans. Advancing Women in Leadership, 35, 172-177. Retrieved from http://advancingwomen.com/awl/awl_wordpress/ Matsuoka, A. K., Thompson, A. (2009). Combating Stigma and Discrimination Among Social Work Students. Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health, 28(2), 95-98. doi:10.7870/cjcmh-2009-0025 Ressler, L. E., Hodge, D. R. (2006). Religious Discrimination in Social Work. Journal of Religion Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought, 24(4), 55-74. doi:10.1300/j377v24n04_05 [MS1]Not too sure if I should us this and dont know what else to use Dr Nawal El Saadawi: Memoirs of a Woman Doctor Dr Nawal El Saadawi: Memoirs of a Woman Doctor Since my childhood, I have always dreamt of producing a film or writing a book about gender inequity in the Middle Eastern society. So that I could be able to accomplish this goal, I have to obtain the adequate experience in order to hold a certificate from one of the prestigious universities in Qatar. As a matter of fact, I have the desire towards achieving my goals and proving my skills but my society, with all its restrictions and limitations, doesnt give me the chance to do so. Because I live in a Qatari society, I have to be committed to certain traditions and customs which dont provide me with the opportunity to become a decent educated woman in a community where men only have the power to dominate. Therefore, when I think about the difference between men and women and why people differentiate and discriminate between people based on their gender, I find myself attracted towards reading books about feminism in order to, at least, feel that other women suffer from what I feel and that they will do whatever it takes to gain their lost rights. Through reading these books, I have the chance to know more about the meaning of feminism as well as figuring out more about women who have experienced conflicts with their families since their childhood only because they were born as girls not boys. Therefore, I encouraged myself to read a book called Memoirs of a woman doctor. This book was written by an Egyptian female writer named Dr. Nawal El Saadawi. In fact, this book had had an impact on my life to the extent that it contributed in changing my thoughts and my ideas as well as my view towards different things. A year ago, I read this book and for the first time I felt like I have the p ower to accomplish my objectives and live a normal equal life like any other man in the whole world. Regarding the book of Memoirs of a woman doctor, it talks about a young girl who used to live in a traditional Egyptian family. Unfortunately, the family of this little young girl undervalued her skills and underestimated her talents because she wasnt a boy. Dr. Nawal wanted to attract my attention and the attention of the rest of readers towards the fact that the point of view of this family towards its daughter reflects the point of view of the whole Egyptian and Arab society towards women in general. Being brought up as a girl in such family, this woman had to face all kinds of discrimination and injustice. In other words, her family used to prefer her brother over her despite the fact that she was an amazing student at school and she was more intelligent than him. This definitely has led to many bad effects on her view towards herself. She started to feel that she was born with a disability and that there was something wrong about her. She began to hate herself, her body and ever ything that used to surround womens life. However, she didnt surrender to this cruel reality. Luckily, her family allowed her to continue her studies and she managed to enroll in one of the universities in the faculty of Medicine. After graduation, she turned to become an excellent doctor. Being a doctor provided this woman with the opportunity to start loving herself again. She felt that she had achieved one of her goals and that pushed her forward towards accomplishing more and more in her life. In addition, she started to figure out that discrimination and inequality between men and women is a result of a complicated backward point of view of a society towards women. Moreover, she began to know the fact that other women can do whatever they need if they had the desire and the inner power. Women also have all the chances to accomplish their dreams if they only tried to do so. Thats why the main character in that book believed in biological science as a field of study since studying medicine allowed her to have faith in justice and in breaking all the complicated rules she was forced to follow. On the other side, this book allowed me to believe in myself and my abilities. In other words, I started becoming more self-confidence in addition to being willing to overcome my fears. I also began to become more patient as I learned that life cant be easy all the time and that I had to try harder in order to succeed. Moreover, I have figured out that only successful people have the chance to enjoy their lives since they have faith in their skills and they never give up no matter what they face. Besides, I began to love myself more and accept the fact that I was born as woman for a certain reason as God never creates something by coincidence. Because I read this book when I had to deal with a lot of issues, it was and is still considered as a source of energy as it provided me with the needed positivity to accomplish what I had planned. As a matter of fact, when I figured out that this woman in the book of Dr. Nawal had to suffer because of complicated thoughts, I felt that she represents me and a lot of million women all over the world who have to face many problems to gain their rights. Moreover, this book let me know more about a lot of topics about which I didnt have a background. For example, I began to have ideas about different things like marriage, loyalty, human body, beauty and creativity. I also learned that I work not only to gain money but also to help people get the needed medications so that they could have healthier bodies. On the other hand, my creativity began to increase and I started to use my imagination to solve problems. Moreover, I learned that we all are humans and that we werent born as angels. T herefore, we commit mistakes and thats why we need to forgive each other. Since reading is one of the great pleasures in this world, I enjoyed reading Memoirs of a woman doctor. This book widened my thoughts about feminism and also enlightened my vision. As a matter of fact, I began to learn that feminism doesnt refer to makeup or high heels or having a great body. Instead, it indicates intelligence, beauty of the soul and having a smart brain. In other words, many people believe that feminism is a concept that involves being a lady in shape which is totally wrong. On the contrary, feminism is a term that indicates being a lady by being educated and sophisticated. Thats why I believe the Qatari society and the entire Arab society must change their point of view towards women. Therefore, instead of looking at their clothes or their bodies, they need to look through their minds. Like many families in Egypt, Qatari families adopt following the customs and traditions of the Arab society. These traditions are indicated in the fact that young girls must wear veil when they are not in their homes. Being an Arab woman living in Qatar, I was obliged to cover my head wherever I go. Furthermore, some Qatari families force their young daughters to quit school and get married to older men because they believe that women were created to achieve that purpose. Thats why I felt that this book has touched something in my heart and also because I had to experience what the writer had had to go through. Conclusion The book of Dr Nawal El Saadawi called Memoirs of a woman doctor provided me with a lot of information and thats why I began to change my thoughts and my views towards myself and the entire society. Therefore, I believe Arab societies especially the Qatari one have to change the way they view women. They also must encourage other organizations in order to offer women opportunities to improve their skills. Furthermore, women must not give up and form peaceful marches to defend their lives and their rights. By following these steps, women will be able to have equal life just as men and I will have the chance to accomplished all my plans and goals. I will also never regret because I was born as a woman. Instead, I will be proud of my femininity.

Moral Complexity in the Making and Keeping of Promises Essay examples -

The making of a promise involves the voluntary giving of one's word that, if and when a particular circumstance or situation comes about, one will undertake to act in a manner defined by the terms of the promise one has given. The act of making the promise, in other words, implies a willingness to keep it. What is being agreed is that, on the basis of something said in the past, one's future actions will, insofar as the future is foreseeable, follow a particular course and no other. On the related, but rather different question of the motivation involved in keeping a promise, it may be that the promise-maker's acting or deciding in a particular way places him in a position identical to or in complete sympathy with the person to whom the promise has been made. Equally, it is, possible that events may turn out in such a way as to suggest that to keep the promise would be harmful to the interest of the person to whom it was made. Should this dilemma arise, whether or not the promise is kept must depend upon the particular circumstances of the case. Choosing not to keep a promise in such a situation would be not a demonstration of the promiser's inability to keep his word, but a clear indication of his quite proper awareness that, in deciding what course to take, the promiser has quite properly concluded that the interest of others must be placed before his own. This situation is philosophically interesting in two immediately apparent ways: firstly, because of the questions which it raises concerning the ways in which a present or future obligation might be argued to exist in relation to a promise given in the past; secondly, because it is possible to imagine a society in which the concept of keeping promises does not exist, s... ... that of being possible beneficiaries by my action. They do stand in this relation to me, and this relation is morally significant. But they may also stand to me in the relation of promisee to promiser, of creditor to debtor, of wife to husband, of child to parent, of friend to friend, of fellow countryman to fellow countryman, and the like; and each of these relations is the foundation of a prima facie duty, which is more or less incumbent on me according to the circumstances of the case." Bibliography: Foot, Philippa (ed.) Theories of Ethics Oxford University Press, 1990 Honderich, Ted (ed.) The Oxford Companion to Philosophy Oxford University Press, 1995 Mackie, J. L. Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong Penguin, 1977 Norman, Richard The Moral Philosophers Oxford University Press, 1983 Ross, W. D. The Right and the Good London, 1930. Moral Complexity in the Making and Keeping of Promises Essay examples - The making of a promise involves the voluntary giving of one's word that, if and when a particular circumstance or situation comes about, one will undertake to act in a manner defined by the terms of the promise one has given. The act of making the promise, in other words, implies a willingness to keep it. What is being agreed is that, on the basis of something said in the past, one's future actions will, insofar as the future is foreseeable, follow a particular course and no other. On the related, but rather different question of the motivation involved in keeping a promise, it may be that the promise-maker's acting or deciding in a particular way places him in a position identical to or in complete sympathy with the person to whom the promise has been made. Equally, it is, possible that events may turn out in such a way as to suggest that to keep the promise would be harmful to the interest of the person to whom it was made. Should this dilemma arise, whether or not the promise is kept must depend upon the particular circumstances of the case. Choosing not to keep a promise in such a situation would be not a demonstration of the promiser's inability to keep his word, but a clear indication of his quite proper awareness that, in deciding what course to take, the promiser has quite properly concluded that the interest of others must be placed before his own. This situation is philosophically interesting in two immediately apparent ways: firstly, because of the questions which it raises concerning the ways in which a present or future obligation might be argued to exist in relation to a promise given in the past; secondly, because it is possible to imagine a society in which the concept of keeping promises does not exist, s... ... that of being possible beneficiaries by my action. They do stand in this relation to me, and this relation is morally significant. But they may also stand to me in the relation of promisee to promiser, of creditor to debtor, of wife to husband, of child to parent, of friend to friend, of fellow countryman to fellow countryman, and the like; and each of these relations is the foundation of a prima facie duty, which is more or less incumbent on me according to the circumstances of the case." Bibliography: Foot, Philippa (ed.) Theories of Ethics Oxford University Press, 1990 Honderich, Ted (ed.) The Oxford Companion to Philosophy Oxford University Press, 1995 Mackie, J. L. Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong Penguin, 1977 Norman, Richard The Moral Philosophers Oxford University Press, 1983 Ross, W. D. The Right and the Good London, 1930.

Interpreting the King in Hamlet Essays -- The Tragedy of Hamlet Essays

Interpreting the King in Hamlet  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet presents in the character of King Claudius an intelligent, cunning, and seemingly unselfish ruler. This essay will present a critic-supported, detailed consideration of the very capable and cunning King Claudius.    For the entirety of the drama a life-or-death mental contest ensues between Claudius and the protagonist. John Masefield discusses this mind battle in â€Å"Hamlet, Prince of Denmark†:    The King is probing Hamlet's mind with gross human probes, to find out if he is mad. Hamlet is searching the King's mind with the finest of intellectual probes, to find out if he is guilty.   The probe used by him, the fragment of a play within a play, is the work of a man with a knowledge of the impotence of intellect--    "Our wills and fates do so contrary run That our devices still are overthrown"--    and a faith in the omnipotence of intellect--    "Our thoughts are ours, their ends none of our own." (n. pag.)    Salvador de Madariaga in â€Å"Rosencrantz and Guildenstern† discusses Claudius’ relationship with the two emissaries and former friends of Hamlet, who were escorting the prince to his execution in England:    The two young men receive from the King a commission which, whatever the King’s secret intentions may be, is honorable. Hamlet, the King in fact tells them, is not what he was. The cause of the change "I cannot dream of."    Therefore, I beg you so by your companies    To draw him on to pleasures, and to gather So much as from occasion you may glean Whether aught to us unknown afflicts him thus That opened lies within our remedy (n. pag.).    Like everyone els... ...Embassy of Death." The Wheel of Fire. London: Methuen and Co., Ltd., 1954. p. 38-39. http://server1.hypermart.net/hamlet/wheefire.html N. pag.    Mack, Maynard. â€Å"The World of Hamlet.† Yale Review. vol. 41 (1952) p. 502-23. Rpt. in Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996.    Madariaga, Salvador de. â€Å"Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.† â€Å"On Hamlet.† 2nd ed. London: Frank Cass & Co., Ltd., 1964. p.14-16. http://www.freehomepages.com/hamlet/other/essayson.htm#demag-ess N. pag.    Masefield, John. â€Å"Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.† N. p.: n. p., 1911. http://www.mwsc.edu/~eng368/summer97/public/7.24.97-16.23.59.html N. Pag.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html No line nos.      

Brave New World :: essays research papers

The Loss of Individuality The peak of a writer’s career should exhibit their most profound works of literature. In the case of Aldous Huxley, Brave New World is by far his most renowned novel. Aldous Huxley is a European-born writer who, in the midst of his career, moved to the United States and settled in California. While in California, he began to have visions aided by his usage of hallucinatory drugs. His visions were of a utopian society surviving here on earth. In his literature, Huxley wanted to make this utopian society as much a reality as possible. "In framing an ideal we may assume what we wish, but should avoid impossibilities." This quote, written by Aristotle, perfectly describes Huxley’s attitude towards the creation of his imaginary utopia. His only problem was establishing a value system that would not seem too unattainable. Huxley has two novels that have the theme of utopia, Brave New World and Island. Brave New World , which was written bef ore Island , has ideas that are quite far-fetched, but in Huxley’s eyes, still close to reality. Huxley’s first portrait of utopia involves having a controlled society of people all being alike. The year is A.F. 632 (After Ford; Ford is the equivalent to God in Brave New World ) and with the available technology, citizens are mass produced. Island is a product of the rethinking of Huxley’s utopia. The ideas are a lot more real because the people are just ordinary human beings. Both of these novels have an underlying theme in common. The stability of Huxley’s utopian societies are centered around the loss of individualism. Individuals are considered a threat in Huxley’s utopian novels. In the novel Island, the utopian society is on a small island, named Pala. The leader of the utopian society, Murugan, is an individual apart from the community. His plans are to modernize and charge the way the people of Pala live. The reason he has thoughts that are different from the rest of the community is that he was raised outside of Pala. He grew up in Switzerland and the neighboring island Rendag, both of which have been modernized and corrupted by the outside world. Therefore, Murugan’s mind has been corrupted by his staying in those two places. "Pala is thus threatened by the outside world," explains critic Frank Magill, because Murugan is introducing the modern way of life to this small island and it is damaging the stability of the community.

Huksley Maquiladora Essay

1. PROBLEM STATEMENT Huxley Manufacturing Co. is an engineering company and possesses cutting-edge technology in raw material processing and part assembling. The main customer for Huxley is the US defense department. In recent years many factors were changing. Increase in the costs involved for R&D, higher â€Å"knowledge intensity† of defense products and reduced allocation by the federal government as funds towards the defense budget. These changes had made the US defense department move away from the use of sole vendors to more competitive bidding. Price became the most important selection criteria. US firms like Huxley were still the major suppliers; even then purchase from foreign supplier had started. The situation had kindled the idea in Huxley’s management to proceed in search of viable strategic operations to cope with the pricing and at the same time maintain the standards which Huxley had established. Robert Chan, the CEO of Huxley had initiated a plan to assess the advantages in moving the operations of the San Diego plant to Mexico. The team led by Philips has to give a report with detailed analysis. 2. RECOMMENDATIONS 3.1. â€Å"IMPROVE† UNDER THE EXISTING APPROACH: This recommendation insists on retaining the labor intensive operations to the existing plant at San Diego. Though this is not the most effective of the recommendations, with the budgets allocated for defense falling sharply, Huxley can still plan to improve training so that the trained employees are able to cope up with the activities performed. The actual turnover does not happen because the employees are not satisfied with the salaries but the employees feel that they could not master the required job skills. Huxley can increase the duration of the training provided to the employees. The quality of training can also be monitored and it effectiveness increased by intermediate assessment of the quality of work of the employees. This is a viable option for improving in the existing setup. 3.2. â€Å"OUT SOURCE† THE LABOR INTENSIVE ACTIVITIES: As stated, the labor intensive operations are the main focus for Huxley. As a measure to reduce the cost in such activities, the company can as well look into other option like out sourcing such activities to partners within US. This recommendation will remove the overhead of training and employee turnover from Huxley. Under such an operation Huxley can still command the same quality and standards from the out sourced company. Frequent visits from the mangers will also serve the purpose. In case the federal government further reduces the funding for defense activities and the profits for the business become too low Huxley can as well tell the out sourced company to stop the production and still be out of the overhead of reassigning the employees those would have been in the operation. 3.3. ACQUIRE THE COMPANY IN DENVER, COLORADO Purchasing the company in Denver Colorado which is capable of performing the operations similar to the San Diego plant can be another recommendation. It gives Huxley a leverage of being located in the same country. Since the head office of Huxley is in United States, they will be well aware of the laws and regulations of the state. It would be easier to operate another plant in the same country of sale and where the existing company already operates. Huxley can then plan strategic training to lure employees to the plant in Denver and follow employee retention policies to reduce any turnover if it occurs. 3.4. MOVING THE SCC OPERATIONS TO MEXICO Well, the most expected solution which the CEO is interested in would be moving the operations of the San Diego plant to Mexico. Operating in a foreign land is a riskier endeavor. The inter country trade rule can vary and completely change from the most favorable to the least favorable within a short span of time. The operation also needs to be determined based on the availability of projects to keep such an activity going on. The time taken to start and costs associated with the different types of Maquiladora vary widely. Since we anticipate a long term venture, the startup time can be removed from the consideration, but the costs and other several factors such as Labor availability, Transportation cost, Housing for the employees, the quality of the employee employed and the Labor cost involved should be taken as important criterion. Since any kind of operation requires an US manager to be in the Mexican plant, the quality of life of the manager should also be considered. 3.5.1. â€Å"OPTIONS† FOR OPERATING: For Huxley to be operating in Mexico, there are three main modes of operations that can be followed. These include the sub contracting operation, sheltering operation and the wholly owned subsidiary. A detailed comparison can be found in Exhibit 1. Keeping most of the constraints constant for further analysis, the â€Å"Shelter† operation has the most suitable offering for Huxley to start. It gives Huxley control over the quality of the products developed. Also providing the option for converting it into a â€Å"full blown† in Mexico as the company grew, or control could be turned over to the shelter partner to form a contract operation. The major consideration in operating a Maquiladora is the labor cost that is involved. Cheap labor does not mean consistent labor. The availability of quality labor and the turnover rate determine the location of the Maquiladora within the Mexican country. 3.5.2.1. IN A LOCATION NEAR THE BORDER For the location of a Maquiladora, two major factors contribute to the decision. The availability of labor is high in the borders, as is the turnover rate due to inadequate housing options available to the employees and their families. Which means that the cost spent on training is going to high. The high availability of labor reduces the cost of labor involved in the production. The bright side is that the transportation cost would be greatly reduced and the quality of life of the US manager would be better off than being located in the interior. If Huxley wanted to retain the employees, then it has to further invest on the housing options for the employee to bring the turnover rate down. Investing on housing will further increase the production cost of the goods produced as the cost expensed has to be recovered from the products developed. 3.5.2.2. IN AN INTERIOR LOCATION: A location in the interior provides cheap Mexican materials and also cheap labor. While this is an advantage to the operation, the quality of life for the American manager will be much worse than in the border. The roads, facilities and communications might not be as good as they are in the border. On the one hand it reduces the cost of goods sold and the cost of labor, but on the other hand it increase the transportation cost. We anticipate that a load will be shipped every day, five day a week, except for the 8 holidays. The recommendations are good in each having its own merits. The data on the availability of project and the forecasted future are uncertain. These might as well be the deciding factor when in comes to the final decision.

Language acquisition Essay

Discuss synchronic and diachronic approaches to language. In opposition to the totally historical view of language of the previous hundred years, Ferdinand de Saussure emphasized the importance of seeing from two distinct and largely exclusive points of view, which he called â€Å"synchronic† and â€Å"diachronic†. The word â€Å"chronic† has been derived from Greek word â€Å"chronos† which means time. Synchronic linguistics sees language as a living whole, existing as a state at a particular point in time (an ital de langue, as Saussure put it, Greek â€Å"syn†-with, chronos – time). Diachronic linguistics concerns language in its historical development (Greek dia through, chronos – time). Thus descriptive linguistics is known as â€Å"synchronic linguistics† and studies a language at one particular period of time. Historical linguistics is known as diachronic or temporal linguistics and deals with the development of language through time. For example, the way in which French or Italian have evolved from Latin, and Hindi from Sanskrit. It also investigates language change. A study of the change from Old to Middle English is a diachronic study. Old English Middle English chint knight  stan ston a o In the same way, the study of a writer’s development from youth to maturity is an example of diachronic study. The way in which Shakespeare’s style changes from youth to maturity is also an instance of diachronic study. Saussure says: â€Å"Synchronic linguistics will concern the logical and psychological relations that bind together co-existing terms and from a system in the collective mind of speakers. Diachronic linguistics, on the contrary, will study relations that bind together successive terms, not perceived by the collective mind but substituted for each other without forming a system. † Thus synchronic linguistics deals with systems whereas diachronic with units. The relationship between the both aspects of language study was diagrammatically represented by Saussure in the following way: C X–X1–X2–X3 B A D Here AB is the synchronic axis of simultaneities, CD is the diachronic axis of succession. AB is a language state at an arbitrarily chosen point in time on the line CD (at X); CD is the historical path the language has traveled, and the root which it is going to continue traveling. The point of intersection X indicates that neither excludes the other completely. If CD represents evolution over a period (say 100 years from 1850 to 1950), X1, X2, X3†¦ represent the successive state of language 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890 and so on. The difference between descriptive or synchronic and historical or diachronic linguistics can be illustrated by the diagram of Saussure itself, who was the first person to point out the necessity of distinguishing between the two approaches. We may think this is fairly obvious distinction if it had not been the case that some quite eminent 19th century scholars had failed to draw it. And it needs to be drawn. Neither excludes the other completely, of course, there must be a point of intersection in terms of the above mentioned diagram. But being aware of, the distinction allows us to focus attention more answeringly on language from a given consistent angle. Moreover, due emphasis on the synchronic (which had been neglected dimension before Saussure) helps to clarify the important point that a diachronic investigation always pre-supposes, to some extent a synchronic study. It is impossible to consider the way a language has changed from one state to another without first knowing something about the two states to be compared. This need not to be a pair of complete synchronic descriptions, of course, to complain that it would be a distortion of what linguists actually do in practice but some nonhistorical analysis is essential as a preliminary. Saussure rounds off his discussion with various analogies, of which his analogy with a game of chess is perhaps the most famous. If we walk into a room while a chess game is being played, it is possible to assess the state of the game by simply studying the position of the pieces on the board (as long as we know the rules): we do not normally need to know the previous moves from the beginning of the game. And likewise the state of board at every move is implicit in any pattern of play we may wish to study. The synchronic/diachronic distinction, Saussure claims, is very much like this. And, without wanting to push the analogy too far, we can agree with him. Throughout the 19th century linguistic research was very strongly historical in character. One of the principal aims of the subject was to group language families on the basis of independent development from a common source, or to study language change. The description of a particular language was made subsidiary to this general aim, and there was little interest in the study of a language of a given community without reference to historical consideration. Saussure’s distinction between diachronic and synchronic investigation of the language is a distinction between two opposing view points. Nevertheless, valid diachronic work has to be based on good synchronic work because no valid statement about linguistic change can be made unless good description of a language does exist. Similarly a synchronic statement may well reflect certain historical developments. For example, two vowels of `reel’ and `real’ are described as being basically different because the historical facts show different sources for the `ee’ and the `ea’. On the other hand, we find statements like `ought’ is the past tense of `owe’ and `dice’ is the plural of `die’. One can point out that these statements are diachronically, but not synchronically, true. A synchronic approach is enough to gain mastery over a contemporary language, but it is necessary to have a diachronic description to understand the evolution of that language.

Diet plays an important role in dental health

Tissues of the oral cavity which include the teeth as well as the soft tissue known as the gums or the gingival have nutritional requirements in much the same way as the rest of the body. We often neglect this aspect, and our ignorance of certain very basic issues, may lead onto severe oral problems such as caries (Kumar & Clarke, 2002), which is a very painful condition, which may eventually require tooth extraction. In addition, there may be other gingival problems which lead to halitosis, making the patient a social outcast, and bleeding, which can result in anemia.Teeth may be affected by nutritional deficiencies, nutritional excesses, and also the absence of oral hygiene following any eating process (Gussy, 2006) . Scurvy is an important example of the first condition, while in heavily industrialized states the dental region is badly affected by repeated high calorie food, which is injurious to teeth, as well as the ill effects of diabetes. The diet affects not only the developm ent of caries, but is a significant contributor to development of periodontal disease (gum disease). Undernutrition and Oral HealthThe lack of specific nutrients in the diet (vitamin C, niacin, etc. ) produces characteristic oral manifestations, which are often diagnostic signs for their deficiency. A typical example is the presence of glossitis in typical B-vitamin deficiency, ( tongue is red and swollen which â€Å"burns†), with other features in that the taste of food has changed, with development of ulcers at the lip commisures and labial margins (angular cheilosis) (Kumar and Clarke, 2002, Gussy, 2006). A second typical example is that of vitamin C deficiency.Here petechiae (small, hemorrhaging red spots) are seen in the oral cavity, apart from easy bruisability in other areas of the party due to poor collagen. In addition, the gums bleed upon brushing or by examination by dental instrument (Bruno, 2006). Nutritional deficiencies as a cause for dental problems is not the only problem, that affects teeth. Oral lesions are common in women and children with HIV/AIDS and may decrease the overall quality of life in these patients because of pain, dry mouth, and difficulty in eating.With advent of new diseases like HIV (Gennaro, 2008), but post cancer radiation affects dental hygiene adversely also, by reducing the saliva production which is a reason for caries also (Scrimger, 2006) Nutritional excesses Sugar-containing foods and beverages promote dental caries which is even worse when fluoride is provided in reduced quantity (like non usage of fluoridated toothpaste). On the other hand these foods also promotes dental erosion by not allowing restoration of dental ph.The reason for this problem can be clearly defined by understanding what a dental plaque is. This is a sticky substance containing bacteria, present on the surface of teeth. Its presence can be minimised by regular brushing with fluoride containing toothpaste Gussy, 2006) Plaque bacteria pro duce acids by fermentation of sugars ( from the diet which we have consumed, hence the role of excess sugars), decreasing the pH at the tooth surface. The production of these acids dissolve minerals in the enamel (calcium and phosphorus) by a process called demineralization (Gussy, 2006).But these acids produced by bacteria in the mouth nearly completely neutralised by saliva, which allows the ph in this region to become more than the critical pH. This increase in pH causes a return of the dissolved calcium and phosphate back to the tooth enamel (remineralisation). Therefore foods or drinks containing carbohydrate give hardly any time for the process of remineralisation to occur (Gussy, 2006). However, even if 2-3 hours of time is available between carbohydrate meals, the reparative capacity of the teeth allows self repair.Some foods protect against caries. Milk and dairy products, especially cheese raises the pH values in the mouth. They are both rich in calcium and phosphate and p romote remineralisation. They are also rich in protein which buffers the acid produced. Their consumption allows an increase saliva production which increases the pH level in the mouth, and encourages remineralisation (American Dental Association). Fibre rich foods also increase the flow of saliva as does sugar-free chewing gum, helping to clean the surface of the tooth (American Dental Association).Fluoride is a known protectant against tooth decay. Fluoride makes the enamel surface of the tooth more resistant to acid; it also allows a reduction in the production of acids by bacteria in the mouth, which thereby hastens the remineralisation process (Gussy, 2006, Boggess, 2008). In summary, dental hygiene is affected by both nutritional excess, nutritional deficiencies as well as general ignorance. Most of these problems are easily preventable by proper knowledge.

The Lost Symbol Chapter 86-89

CHAPTER 86 In the cerulean glow of his basement lights, Mal'akh stood at the stone table and continued his preparations. As he worked, his empty stomach growled. He paid no heed. His days of servitude to the whims of his flesh were behind him. Transformation requires sacrifice. Like many of history's most spiritually evolved men, Mal'akh had committed to his path by making the noblest of flesh sacrifices. Castration had been less painful than he had imagined. And, he had learned, far more common. Every year, thousands of men underwent surgical gelding–orchiectomy, as the process was known–their motivations ranging from transgender issues, to curbing sexual addictions, to deep-seated spiritual beliefs. For Mal'akh, the reasons were of the highest nature. Like the mythological self-castrated Attis, Mal'akh knew that achieving immortality required a clean break with the material world of male and female. The androgyne is one. Nowadays, eunuchs were shunned, although the ancients understood the inherent power of this transmutational sacrifice. Even the early Christians had heard Jesus Himself extol its virtues in Matthew 19:12: â€Å"There are those who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to accept this, let him accept it.† Peter Solomon had made a flesh sacrifice, although a single hand was a small price in the grand scheme. By night's end, however, Solomon would be sacrificing much, much more. In order to create, I must destroy. Such was the nature of polarity. Peter Solomon, of course, deserved the fate that awaited him tonight. It would be a fitting end. Long ago, he had played the pivotal role in Mal'akh's mortal life path. For this reason, Peter had been chosen to play the pivotal role in Mal'akh's great transformation. This man had earned all the horror and pain he was about to endure. Peter Solomon was not the man the world believed he was. He sacrificed his own son. Peter Solomon had once presented his son, Zachary, with an impossible choice–wealth or wisdom. Zachary chose poorly. The boy's decision had begun a chain of events that eventually dragged the young man into the depths of hell. Soganlik Prison. Zachary Solomon had died in that Turkish prison. The whole world knew the story . . . but what they didn't know was that Peter Solomon could have saved his son. I was there, Mal'akh thought. I heard it all. Mal'akh had never forgotten that night. Solomon's brutal decision had meant the end of his son, Zach, but it had been the birth of Mal'akh. Some must die that others may live. As the light over Mal'akh's head began changing color again, he realized the hour was late. He completed his preparations and headed back up the ramp. It was time to attend to matters of the mortal world. CHAPTER 87 All is revealed at the thirty-third degree, Katherine thought as she ran. I know how to transform the pyramid! The answer had been right in front of them all night. Katherine and Langdon were alone now, dashing through the cathedral's annex, following signs for â€Å"The Garth.† Now, exactly as the dean had promised, they burst out of the cathedral into a massive, walled-in courtyard. The cathedral garth was a cloistered, pentagonal garden with a bronze postmodern fountain. Katherine was amazed how loudly the fountain's flowing water seemed to be reverberating in the courtyard. Then she realized it was not the fountain she was hearing. â€Å"Helicopter!† she shouted as a beam of light pierced the night sky above them. â€Å"Get under that portico!† The dazzling glare of a searchlight flooded the garth just as Langdon and Katherine reached the other side, slipping beneath a Gothic arch into a tunnel that led to the outside lawn. They waited, huddled in the tunnel, as the helicopter passed overhead and began circling the cathedral in wide arcs. â€Å"I guess Galloway was right about hearing visitors,† Katherine said, impressed. Bad eyes make for great ears. Her own ears now pounded rhythmically with her racing pulse. â€Å"This way,† Langdon said, clutching his daybag and moving through the passage. Dean Galloway had given them a single key and a clear set of directions. Unfortunately, when they reached the end of the short tunnel, they found themselves separated from their destination by a wide-open expanse of lawn, currently flooded with light from the helicopter overhead. â€Å"We can't get across,† Katherine said. â€Å"Hold on . . . look.† Langdon pointed to a black shadow that was materializing on the lawn to their left. The shadow began as an amorphous blob, but it was growing quickly, moving in their direction, becoming more defined, rushing at them faster and faster, stretching, and finally transforming itself into a massive black rectangle crowned by two impossibly tall spires. â€Å"The cathedral facade is blocking the searchlight,† Langdon said. â€Å"They're landing out in front!† Langdon grabbed Katherine's hand. â€Å"Run! Now!† Inside the cathedral, Dean Galloway felt a lightness in his step that he had not felt in years. He moved through the Great Crossing, down the nave toward the narthex and the front doors. He could hear the helicopter hovering in front of the cathedral now, and he imagined its lights coming through the rose window in front of him, throwing spectacular colors all over the sanctuary. He recalled the days when he could see color. Ironically, the lightless void that had become his world had illuminated many things for him. I see more clearly now than ever. Galloway had been called to God as a young man and over his lifetime had loved the church as much as any man could. Like many of his colleagues who had given their lives in earnest to God, Galloway was weary. He had spent his life straining to be heard above the din of ignorance. What did I expect? From the Crusades, to the Inquisition, to American politics–the name Jesus had been hijacked as an ally in all kinds of power struggles. Since the beginning of time, the ignorant had always screamed the loudest, herding the unsuspecting masses and forcing them to do their bidding. They defended their worldly desires by citing Scripture they did not understand. They celebrated their intolerance as proof of their convictions. Now, after all these years, mankind had finally managed to utterly erode everything that had once been so beautiful about Jesus. Tonight, encountering the symbol of the Rose Cross had fueled him with great hope, reminding him of the prophecies written in the Rosicrucian manifestos, which Galloway had read countless times in the past and could still recall. Chapter One: Jehova will redeem humanity by revealing those secrets which he previously reserved only for the elect. Chapter Four: The whole world shall become as one book and all the contradictions of science and theology shall be reconciled. Chapter Seven: Before the end of the world, God shall create a great flood of spiritual light to alleviate the suffering of humankind. Chapter Eight: Before this revelation is possible, the world must sleep away the intoxication of her poisoned chalice, which was filled with the false life of the theological vine. Galloway knew the church had long ago lost her way, and he had dedicated his life to righting her course. Now, he realized, the moment was fast approaching. It is always darkest before the dawn. CIA field agent Turner Simkins was perched on the strut of the Sikorsky helicopter as it touched down on the frosty grass. He leaped off, joined by his men, and immediately waved the chopper back up into the air to keep an eye on all the exits. Nobody leaves this building. As the chopper rose back into the night sky, Simkins and his team ran up the stairs to the cathedral's main entrance. Before he could decide which of the six doors to pound on, one of them swung open. â€Å"Yes?† a calm voice said from the shadows. Simkins could barely make out the hunched figure in priest's robes. â€Å"Are you Dean Colin Galloway?† â€Å"I am,† the old man replied. â€Å"I'm looking for Robert Langdon. Have you seen him?† The old man stepped forward now, staring past Simkins with eerie blank eyes. â€Å"Now, wouldn't that be a miracle.† CHAPTER 88 Time is running out. Security analyst Nola Kaye was already on edge, and the third mug of coffee she was now drinking had begun coursing through her like an electric current. No word yet from Sato. Finally, her phone rang, and Nola leaped on it. â€Å"OS,† she answered. â€Å"Nola here.† â€Å"Nola, it's Rick Parrish in systems security.† Nola slumped. No Sato. â€Å"Hi, Rick. What can I do for you?† â€Å"I wanted to give you a heads-up–our department may have information relevant to what you're working on tonight.† Nola set down her coffee. How the hell do you know what I'm working on tonight? â€Å"I beg your pardon?† â€Å"Sorry, it's the new CI program we're beta-testing,† Parrish said. â€Å"It keeps flagging your workstation number.† Nola now realized what he was talking about. The Agency was currently running a new piece of â€Å"collaborative integration† software designed to provide real-time alerts to disparate CIA departments when they happened to be processing related data fields. In an era of time-sensitive terrorist threats, the key to thwarting disaster was often as simple as a heads-up telling you that the guy down the hall was analyzing the very data you needed. As far as Nola was concerned, this CI software had proven more of a distraction than any real help–constant interruption software, she called it. â€Å"Right, I forgot,† Nola said. â€Å"What have you got?† She was positive that nobody else in the building knew about this crisis, much less could be working on it. The only computer work Nola had done tonight was historical research for Sato on esoteric Masonic topics. Nonetheless, she was obliged to play the game. â€Å"Well, it's probably nothing,† Parrish said, â€Å"but we stopped a hacker tonight, and the CI program keeps suggesting I share the information with you.† A hacker? Nola sipped her coffee. â€Å"I'm listening.† â€Å"About an hour ago,† Parrish said, â€Å"we snagged a guy named Zoubianis trying to access a file on one of our internal databases. This guy claims it was a job for hire and that he has no idea why he was being paid to access this particular file or even that it was on a CIA server.† â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"We finished questioning him, and he's clean. But here's the weird thing–the same file he was targeting had been flagged earlier tonight by an internal search engine. It looks like someone piggybacked into our system, ran a specific keyword search, and generated a redaction. The thing is, the keywords they used are really strange. And there's one in particular that the CI flagged as a high-priority match–one that's unique to both of our data sets.† He paused. â€Å"Do you know the word . . . symbolon?† Nola jolted upright, spilling coffee on her desk. â€Å"The other keywords are just as unusual,† Parrish continued. â€Å"Pyramid, portal–â€Å" â€Å"Get down here,† Nola commanded, mopping up her desk. â€Å"And bring everything you've got!† â€Å"These words actually mean something to you?† â€Å"NOW!† CHAPTER 89 Cathedral College is an elegant, castlelike edifice located adjacent to the National Cathedral. The College of Preachers, as it was originally envisioned by the first Episcopal bishop of Washington, was founded to provide ongoing education for clergy after their ordination. Today, the college offers a wide variety of programs on theology, global justice, healing, and spirituality. Langdon and Katherine had made the dash across the lawn and used Galloway's key to slip inside just as the helicopter rose back over the cathedral, its floodlights turning night back into day. Now, standing breathless inside the foyer, they surveyed their surroundings. The windows provided sufficient illumination, and Langdon saw no reason to turn the lights on and take a chance of broadcasting their whereabouts to the helicopter overhead. As they moved down the central hallway, they passed a series of conference halls, classrooms, and sitting areas. The interior reminded Langdon of the neo-Gothic buildings of Yale University–breathtaking on the outside, and yet surprisingly utilitarian on the inside, their period elegance having been retrofitted to endure heavy foot traffic. â€Å"Down here,† Katherine said, motioning toward the far end of the hall. Katherine had yet to share with Langdon her new revelation regarding the pyramid, but apparently the reference to Isaacus Neutonuus had sparked it. All she had said as they crossed the lawn was that the pyramid could be transformed using simple science. Everything she needed, she believed, could probably be found in this building. Langdon had no idea what she needed or how Katherine intended to transform a solid piece of granite or gold, but considering he had just witnessed a cube metamorphose into a Rosicrucian cross, he was willing to have faith. They reached the end of the hall and Katherine frowned, apparently not seeing what she wanted. â€Å"You said this building has dormitory facilities?† â€Å"Yes, for residential conferences.† â€Å"So they must have a kitchen in here somewhere, right?† â€Å"You're hungry?† She frowned back at him. â€Å"No, I need a lab.† Of course you do. Langdon spotted a descending staircase that bore a promising symbol. America's favorite pictogram. The basement kitchen was industrial looking–lots of stainless steel and big bowls–clearly designed to cook for large groups. The kitchen had no windows. Katherine closed the door and flipped on the lights. The exhaust fans came on automatically. She began rooting around in the cupboards for whatever it was she needed. â€Å"Robert,† she directed, â€Å"put the pyramid out on the island, if you would.† Feeling like the novice sous chef taking orders from Daniel Boulud, Langdon did as he was told, removing the pyramid from his bag and placing the gold capstone on top of it. When he finished, Katherine was busy filling an enormous pot with hot tap water. â€Å"Would you please lift this to the stove for me?† Langdon heaved the sloshing pot onto the stove as Katherine turned on the gas burner and cranked up the flame. â€Å"Are we doing lobsters?† he asked hopefully. â€Å"Very funny. No, we're doing alchemy. And for the record, this is a pasta pot, not a lobster pot.† She pointed to the perforated strainer insert that she had removed from the pot and placed on the island beside the pyramid. Silly me. â€Å"And boiling pasta is going to help us decipher the pyramid?† Katherine ignored the comment, her tone turning serious. â€Å"As I'm sure you know, there is a historical and symbolic reason the Masons chose thirty-three as their highest degree.† â€Å"Of course,† Langdon said. In the days of Pythagoras, six centuries before Christ, the tradition of numerology hailed the number 33 as the highest of all the Master Numbers. It was the most sacred figure, symbolizing Divine Truth. The tradition lived on within the Masons . . . and elsewhere. It was no coincidence that Christians were taught that Jesus was crucified at age thirty-three, despite no real historical evidence to that effect. Nor was it coincidence that Joseph was said to have been thirty-three when he married the Virgin Mary, or that Jesus accomplished thirty-three miracles, or that God's name was mentioned thirty-three times in Genesis, or that, in Islam, all the dwellers of heaven were permanently thirty-three years old. â€Å"Thirty-three,† Katherine said, â€Å"is a sacred number in many mystical traditions.† â€Å"Correct.† Langdon still had no idea what this had to do with a pasta pot. â€Å"So it should come as no surprise to you that an early alchemist, Rosicrucian, and mystic like Isaac Newton also considered the number thirty-three special.† â€Å"I'm sure he did,† Langdon replied. â€Å"Newton was deep into numerology, prophecy, and astrology, but what does–â€Å" â€Å"All is revealed at the thirty-third degree.† Langdon pulled Peter's ring from his pocket and read the inscription. Then he glanced back at the pot of water. â€Å"Sorry, you lost me.† â€Å"Robert, earlier tonight, we all assumed `thirty-third degree' referred to the Masonic degree, and yet when we rotated that ring thirty-three degrees, the cube transformed and revealed a cross. At that moment, we realized the word degree was being used in another sense.† â€Å"Yes. Degrees of arc.† â€Å"Exactly. But degree has a third meaning as well.† Langdon eyed the pot of water on the stove. â€Å"Temperature.† â€Å"Exactly!† she said. â€Å"It was right in front of us all night. `All is revealed at the thirty-third degree.' If we bring this pyramid's temperature to thirty-three degrees . . . it may just reveal something.† Langdon knew Katherine Solomon was exceptionally bright, and yet she seemed to be missing a rather obvious point. â€Å"If I'm not mistaken, thirty-three degrees is almost freezing. Shouldn't we be putting the pyramid in the freezer?† Katherine smiled. â€Å"Not if we want to follow the recipe written by the great alchemist and Rosicrucian mystic who signed his papers Jeova Sanctus Unus.† Isaacus Neutonuus wrote recipes? â€Å"Robert, temperature is the fundamental alchemical catalyst, and it was not always measured in Fahrenheit and Celsius. There are far older temperature scales, one of them invented by Isaac–â€Å" â€Å"The Newton Scale!† Langdon said, realizing she was right. â€Å"Yes! Isaac Newton invented an entire system of quantifying temperature based entirely on natural phenomena. The temperature of melting ice was Newton's base point, and he called it `the zeroth degree.' † She paused. â€Å"I suppose you can guess what degree he assigned the temperature of boiling water–the king of all alchemical processes?† â€Å"Thirty-three.† â€Å"Yes, thirty-three! The thirty-third degree. On the Newton Scale, the temperature of boiling water is thirty-three degrees. I remember asking my brother once why Newton chose that number. I mean, it seemed so random. Boiling water is the most fundamental alchemical process, and he chose thirty-three? Why not a hundred? Why not something more elegant? Peter explained that, to a mystic like Isaac Newton, there was no number more elegant than thirty- three.† All is revealed at the thirty-third degree. Langdon glanced at the pot of water and then over at the pyramid. â€Å"Katherine, the pyramid is made out of solid granite and solid gold. Do you really think boiling water is hot enough to transform it?† The smile on her face told Langdon that Katherine knew something he did not know. Confidently, she walked over to the island, lifted the gold-capped, granite pyramid, and set it in the strainer. Then she carefully lowered it into the bubbling water. â€Å"Let's find out, shall we?† High above the National Cathedral, the CIA pilot locked the helicopter in auto-hover mode and surveyed the perimeter of the building and the grounds. No movement. His thermal imaging couldn't penetrate the cathedral stone, and so he couldn't tell what the team was doing inside, but if anyone tried to slip out, the thermal would pick it up. It was sixty seconds later that a thermal sensor pinged. Working on the same principle as home- security systems, the detector had identified a strong temperature differential. Usually this meant a human form moving through a cool space, but what appeared on the monitor was more of a thermal cloud, a patch of hot air drifting across the lawn. The pilot found the source, an active vent on the side of Cathedral College. Probably nothing, he thought. He saw these kinds of gradients all the time. Someone cooking or doing laundry. As he was about to turn away, though, he realized something odd. There were no cars in the parking lot and no lights on anywhere in the building. He studied the UH-60's imaging system for a long moment. Then he radioed down to his team leader. â€Å"Simkins, it's probably nothing, but . . .† â€Å"Incandescent temperature indicator!† Langdon had to admit, it was clever. â€Å"It's simple science,† Katherine said. â€Å"Different substances incandesce at different temperatures. We call them thermal markers. Science uses these markers all the time.† Langdon gazed down at the submerged pyramid and capstone. Wisps of steam were beginning to curl over the bubbling water, although he was not feeling hopeful. He glanced at his watch, and his heart rate accelerated: 11:45 P.M. â€Å"You believe something here will luminesce as it heats up?† â€Å"Not luminesce, Robert. Incandesce. There's a big difference. Incandescence is caused by heat, and it occurs at a specific temperature. For example, when steel manufacturers temper beams, they spray a grid on them with a transparent coating that incandesces at a specific target temperature so they know when the beams are done. Think of a mood ring. Just put it on your finger, and it changes color from body heat.† â€Å"Katherine, this pyramid was built in the 1800s! I can understand a craftsman making hidden release hinges in a stone box, but applying some kind of transparent thermal coating?† â€Å"Perfectly feasible,† she said, glancing hopefully at the submerged pyramid. â€Å"The early alchemists used organic phosphors all the time as thermal markers. The Chinese made colored fireworks, and even the Egyptians–† Katherine stopped midsentence, staring intently into the roiling water. â€Å"What?† Langdon followed her gaze into the turbulent water but saw nothing at all. Katherine leaned in, staring more intently into the water. Suddenly she turned and ran across the kitchen toward the door. â€Å"Where are you going?† Langdon shouted. She slid to a stop at the kitchen light switch, flipped it off. The lights and exhaust fan went off, plunging the room into total darkness and silence. Langdon turned back to the pyramid and peered through the steam at the capstone beneath the water. By the time Katherine made it back to his side, his mouth had fallen open in disbelief. Exactly as Katherine had predicted, a small section of the metal capstone was starting to glow beneath the water. Letters were starting to appear, and they were getting brighter as the water heated up. â€Å"Text!† Katherine whispered. Langdon nodded, dumbstruck. The glowing words were materializing just beneath the engraved inscription on the capstone. It looked like only three words, and although Langdon could not yet read what the words said, he wondered if they would unveil everything they had been looking for tonight. The pyramid is a real map, Galloway had told them, and it points to a real location. As the letters shone brighter, Katherine turned off the gas, and the water slowly stopped churning. The capstone now came into focus beneath the water's calm surface. Three shining words were clearly legible.