Library System Essay

Library System is an enterprise resource planning system for a library, used to track items owned, orders made, bills paid, and patrons who have borrowed. Prior to computerization, library tasks were performed manually and independently from one another. Selectors ordered materials with ordering slips, cataloguers manually catalogued items and indexed them with the card catalog system, fines were collected by local bailiffs, and users signed books out manually, indicating their name on cue cards which were then kept at the circulation desk. Early mechanization came in 1936, when the University of Texas began using a punch card system to manage library circulation. While the punch card system allowed for more efficient tracking of loans, library services were far from being integrated, and no other library task was affected by this change. Following this, the next big innovation came with the advent of MARC standards in the 1960s which coincided with the growth of computer technologies – library automation was born. Now, in our society all over the world technology is the most important advancement, a necessity in bringing about progress as we move along in this computerized world. These changes in effect make man’s life easier and more convenient. The relationship between the library and computer is constantly changing that the use of computer contributes to the way man learns and communicates. It easy in this world to strive for changes and since library is no different from any firm and institution, considering the use of computer to perform a given task will be efficient. Librarians have the responsibility not only to know about the ways in which libraries will be managed using techniques of computerized, but also to be aware of the changes that computerized can bring to the library services in the ne ar future.(Grace, 2011) And as of today our Library System in PUP-Ragay is still operated manually. Manual operating systems are vulnerable to human error. For instance, a librarian who misfiles a borrower’s records or indexes a book incorrectly slows down the process and wastes employees’ time, it’s also slow to operate. Instead of using a computer to issue and take back books, locating and updating a card index is slow and laborious. Manual systems are unable to store large amounts of data efficiently. With manual systems staffs spend a lot of their time on mechanical, clerical  tasks rather than liaising with library visitors. Manual systems in libraries struggle to cope with the recent explosion in information requests, many of them about online resources. Manual systems find it hard to cope with the volume of borrowers’ inquiries about books and research information. On a simple level, locating a precise book within the local library system is time-consuming without a link ed computer network. On another level, meeting an inquiry about a precise online resource becomes almost impossible. According to Robson (2001), usability is a key requirement for users, says Elisabeth Robson, Product manager for Online Computer Library Center. The catalogue has become a way to pull together disparate resources, including commercial resources and web links. management systems also allow circulation, including check in/check out and enable libraries to purchase materials and track where they are. In the 1980s, to relieve overcrowding in existing on-campus library buildings, the UC system constructed two regional library facilities: the Northern Regional Library Facility at UC Berkeley’s Richmond Field Station (opened 1982), and the Southern Regional Library Facility on the western edge of the UCLA campus (opened 1987). As of 2007, Northern Regional Library Facility is home to 4.7 million volumes, while SRLF is home to 5.7 million. Each facility receives items from all UC campuses in its respective region of the state, and has climate controls and high-density stacks. Items are shelved two deep and are arranged in a sequence that results in efficient use of space (but is not quite as intuitive as traditional library indexing systems). As a result, casual browsing is prohibited, and the shelves are accessible only by library clerks trained to retrieve and put back items properly. Users must page materials to an on-site reading room or to a library at their home campus. Today, Information Technology (IT) has changed the world massively. (examples include reading our emails and news online using neither paper nor pen, communicating with instant messengers and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) while not sending letters or going to call centers, watching video or TV shows online without renting / buying of physical DVDs, ordering and purchasing products online from around the world without traveling, and as one of the more recent developments, some minor surgical procedures can be performed without the presence of doctors). And even all the businesses are shifting to computer based system. All of this motivated us to play our  own part in supporting the PUP-Ragay Library in our effort to improve efficiency and quality of the services and reduce the sort of problems and difficulties which accompany the old system. This project is concerned with developing a System using Advance Programming. This System will provide a computer based library system with higher speed, accuracy and efficiency. It should be mentioned that such a system would be replicable and could be easily implemented in other school libraries and public libraries, once it has been successfully installed in PUP-Ragay. Statement of the Problem The problems with the current library system of PUP-Ragay Library are the following: The current system is too complicated as said by the user.  The current system is too slow for processes Scope and Limitation of the Study Scope: The scope of this project is to make a library system that will meet the general and specific objectives and are the following: (a) The proposed system will be used in borrowing, returning and recording of books of PUP-Ragay Library. (b) The proposed system will be having a single application that includes circulation, cataloging and inventory. (c) The proposed system can print the books recorded in the inventory. (d) The proposed system will be having a single username and password. (e) The proposed system may also be used to manage the inventory of PUP-Ragay Library. (f) The proposed system will be displaying a record of past and present borrowers that may be used for future references. (g) The proposed system can create multiple user accounts. (h) The proposed system will be using Visual Basic 6 programming language in making the proposal system. Limitation: The proposed system will be limited to the following: (a) The proposed system will not be using barcode scanner. (b) The proposed system will not be displaying any late returned books with  penalties but will still display a message that the book was returned. (c) The proposed system will not be generating accession number for the books. Theoretical/Conceptual Framework Theoretically, the main purpose of the proposed system is to create an efficient fast and reliable Library System of PUP-Ragay Campus. Conceptual framework paradigm will present to you like input, process and output of the system that will show the great difference between existing system to the proposed system.

Children Are Born as a Blank Slate Essay

â€Å"Children are born as a blank slate† Jean-Jacques Rousseau. As our children grow they develop physically and cognitively. While physical development is soled based on genes and eating habits of a child, his or her cognitive development is a mental process which according to Piaget is a result of biological maturation and environmental experience. These experiences include being exposed to a school environment. While teachers are one of the majors state holders in a school because they are in a position to depart their knowledge to students they come in contact with exposing them to the formal and informal curriculum, they are not the only persons to educate a child. Moreover, students learn more from the hidden curriculum which can be defined as a side effect of an education which are learned but not openly intended such of which is the transmission of norms, values, and beliefs conveyed in the classroom and the social environment. Conversely as the saying goes it takes a whole village to raise a child hence, poor and good performers are as a result of how a child is raised. Good performance, a theoretical retelling to a great extent what was taught on paper. Poor performance, failing to recall what was taught within a written examination process or performance that is what is believed to be less than the capabilities of the person. Jamaican school system seeks to segregate students based on achieving a certain level of academic success where failure to meet this standard is a result of being classified as a poor performer. This is an assumption that all individuals think deeply, analytically, flexibly, and imaginatively while reality shows that children develop at different stages and process things differently. Conversely, not all persons does well retelling things on paper but some are kinetically inclined and does physical examinations better that theoretical. A charge cannot be laid until a guilty plea. Students’ performance is not solely based on lessons learnt by teachers hence teachers should not be held responsible for their poor performance. We can spend years pointing our fingers on the factors that contributes to poor performance: the home, inadequate school facilities and the methods of evaluating our students within the educational system. But does this solve the problem? Let us not waste our time pointing fingers on teachers but join in and play our part to elinquish poor performance. We are all responsible for the performance of our future leaders; teachers, parents etc. don’t just sit and say teachers should be held responsible for the poor performance of students but rather let us diminish poor performance by our students. These include diagnosing the poor performance; create a performance motivation plan and educating parents. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Educating parents leads to better parenting results better children, better children better students, better students better performance†¦

Data Mining Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Data Mining - Essay Example The second stage is Predictive Modeling, whereby patterns discovered in the earlier stage are used to make predictions about the future. The third stage is Forensic Analysis, where the patterns extracted are used to find unusual data elements. 3. One of the pitfalls of data mining is the vast quantities of data that are generated(Khabaza, 2005). When the volume of data is too high, mining becomes sluggish, hence the way to avoid this is by using sampling. Another is the generation of irrelevant data, so that the amount of relevant data mined may be less. Thirdly, if data mining is disorganized, it takes place in an ad hoc manner and will not generate useful results. Avoiding this requires clear definition of goals. When there is incompatibility in data mining tools, this causes interference in exploratory capability and high overhead costs. 4. The data mining program was used to identify hidden trends in the data. The airline company can use the data to identify the specific characteristics of those customers who are frequent users of the airline. The mined data can also be used to find a relationship among different sectors based upon customer behavior. 5. Two specific industries where data mining is likely to be very useful are banking and the retail industry. With the increase in electronic banking, transactional data can be easily captured and data mining helps analyze it. Data mining in the banking industry can help banks to analyze trends and patterns and to predict how customers may react to change sin interest rates. In the retail industry, data is collected when orders are placed and data mining of such information can unearth demographic trends in the data and can help direct marketing efforts. * Khabaza, Tom, 2005. â€Å"Hard hats for data miners: Myths and pitfalls of Data Mining†, DM Review

Management Technique Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Management Technique - Assignment Example 30) The most important asset of the airport was the choosing a suitable baggage handling system .The application of the automatic baggage handling system facilitated quick aircraft turnaround time to as minimal as 30 minutes. The efficiencies in the operations were mostly promoted by the occurrence of a fast turn around and this made it remain competitive among other aircrafts. The plan however faced some shortcomings because of the under estimation of the complexity of the project that resulted to problems like snowballing and public frustrations from the individual involved. Notably, the airport’s opening had been delayed for at least 16 months due to problems in the baggage system. Another setback was the increased expenditure to cater for the maintenance of the empty airport and also the city of Denver was charged an interest cost of $ 1.1 M daily during the time of the delay (Jean 2000, p. 28) However the most embracing moment of the delay occurred after the media had sho wcased a demonstration on the system which clearly showed how the system bags were crushed, vital information and goods destroyed as well as how two carts crashed into each other while moving at a very high speed. After everything had been resolved and the opening day was agreed upon .The plan by this time had been destroyed beyond control and the system had been distorted completely. The system was now only using one single concourse by the single airline and for only out bound fights in comparison to the 3 concourses it had been using in the automating baggage system. The rest of the baggage handling was carried out by the use of a simple conveyor belts with a manual tug and a quickly built trolley system when it was as ascertained that the automating system could not work efficiently again. After a period of 10 years, the remaining parts of the system were still used in the baggage handling until the United Airlines announced that the old system was to be abandoned completely in August 2005.This was due to the increased cost of maintenance that had risen to about $ 1 million per month even surpassing the cost of a manual tug and trolley in a month (Adam 2000, p. 5) Basic Mode of Failure The downfall of the plan can be attributed to many factors. They include the fact that some of the main minds behind the formulation of this plan underestimated its complexity and this is seen to be the main reason for the failure of the Denver International Airport project. The managers of the project set up the most complex baggage system that has never been applied before. The increasing of the size of the plan by as much as ten times more than the automated system made it more difficult to control or grow in potential. This led to the rise of issues like â€Å"line balancing† due to the complexity of the system (Marj 2005, p 7). In a measure to regulate the system delivery, empty carts were distributed around the airport ready to pick up new bags. To achieve this goal all the 100 pick-up points had to be allocated empty carts efficiently. However this move got a setback because the queue could not clearly tell where they should anticipate the empty carts and where they should wait for the new bag. This resulted into delays thus the system could not efficiently achieve their operational goals as targeted. The project was initiated late because the managers under estimated its comp

Women Suffrage Movements Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Women Suffrage Movements - Term Paper Example Participation of women in a countries decision-making process is a social issue that is experienced in the political field. This is because their participation depends on how they participate in making decisions at the domestic level. Their ability to make decision at the domestic level determines their chance of making decision at the national level through the voting process. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the question of whether women have a chance to vote was a major question in European politics1. Women suffrage could not have achieved success if women did not fight for their rights. This essay will therefore analyze European women suffrage between the late nineteenth century and the dawn of the twentieth century. The essay will focus on major movements, key figure, and beliefs of women suffrage across Europe. The French revolution of 1789 is believed to have been the source of the notion of citizenship. This notion changed people view and attitude towards their cou ntries2. The notion of citizenship caused people to have interest and responsibility over their home countries. Voting in a national election comes as a responsibility as well as an obligation for every citizen. After the French revolution, women in most European countries started to consider themselves responsible for their country’s development and decision-making.... at took place during the upper half of the nineteenth century are considered to have paved way for major changes and revolutions across European societies. The ideology of nationalism during the dawn of twentieth century also contributed to the field. As an ideology, nationalism identified people according to their national boundary, ethnicity, political boundaries, history, and culture3. The rise of nationalism and French revolution are considered as the main factor that triggered women suffrage. Although the two movements seemed insignificant to women suffrage campaigns, they laid a foundation that other future movements could use to launch their campaigns for women rights in European societies. This indicates that establishing women’s rights in governance was a demanding issue. Different ideologies across Europe determined women’s suffrage across various European countries. The rise of ideology paved way for actual campaigns for women’s rights across Europe wi th their emphasis being the right to vote among women. Although women’s suffrage campaign had a common source, the campaigns were different across the different European countries. This is because each individual country had its own unique political system. Countries with hereditary monarch system of government such as Austria, Russia, Spain, and Hungary did not have voting rights for both their men and women4. Lack of national unity was also a common issue in some European countries such as Denmark, Germany, and Ireland. This implies that establishing women’s rights in such country was a complicated as well as a difficult issue. Lack of national unity and democracy in most European countries hindered women's suffrage movements. Absence of democracy and national unity in European countries also

The Transformation of Tata Group to the Biggest Conglomerate in South Research Paper

The Transformation of Tata Group to the Biggest Conglomerate in South East Asia - Research Paper Example A change agent is an individual or group who undertakes the process of creating and managing change in an organization. Change agents can be internal, such as employees or managers or it can be people appointed to oversee the change process. In many large organisations and companies driven by innovation, both employees and managers are trained to build up the skills needed for managing the process of change (Tschirky, 2011). Change agents also can be external, such as consultants from outside the firm. The most important contributions that a change agent can make are by sustaining the firm’s present performance and assuring its future growth and performance. A change agent works by enabling employees and other staff members to work effectively according the plan implement and experience the change strategically. The change agent also aims to increase the ability and efficiency of people and resources to produce a change that is sustainable and growth-oriented. For an organisat ion to sustain and show continuous growth, the senior management must establish themselves as leaders and help in reinforcing and establishing the cultures of the company (Carson, 1999). Continuous monitoring and assessment from the senior leaders is very important for the steady growth of the company. The transformation of Tata Group can be greatly credited to the vision and execution of the chairman, which was extraordinary. He is credited for the excellent transformation because he could see his vision for the company and transform it into a reality. After he took over the Tata group, he started introducing strategic changes in the company. The first was by regulating a compulsory policy for retirement age. This step removed a large number of employees from top management. This was done to remove those departments and companies of the group which were not growing and making loss. By replacing these individuals, he cleared the entry for young and fresh talent which will bring new ideas to the company. In addition he also created a Group Executive Office whose members were representatives of the strategic group, on the boards of the Tata companies. The Tata Business Excellence Model (TBEM) was introduced as the Tata Group’s largest change initiative. Excellence Model of the Tata Business (TBEM) was maintained and implemented through specific procedures and quality services. Ratan Tata showed a democratic style of leadership that encouraged openness and creativity among groups. With this approach of leadership he induced openness and creativity among young members of the organisation. He also acted as a supportive leader by helping and encouraging these young professionals in their ideas and plans and implementing them wherever it fitted. Answer 2 Business Streamlining becomes very important during economic instability.

Analysis of non-verbal arguments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analysis of non-verbal arguments - Essay Example Teenage girls who are interested in fashion are the target audience of this brand. This is obvious if to this about the readership of the magazine which is presented by teenage girls and young women who want to be in the movement. The ad portrays a couple of friends who hold each others hands and laugh. They do not look straight into the camera pretending that they are spotted somewhere in reality. The ad utilizes the method of snob appeal to make people believe that if they wear such jewelry they look as stylish as those two girls at the picture. They are dressed in cocktail black dresses and their wrists and fingers are decorated with numerous rings and bracelets. Both of them wear necklaces. Since all teenagers read magazines when they are bored, any promise to have fun is a call to action for them. Advertisers want to link their product (jewelry) with particular settings where two beautiful girls have fun together and their accessories automatically acquire the characteristics of the context where they are presented. In short, advertisers tell teenage girls that if they wear Alex and Ani jewelry, they will be happy and beautiful. Two characters at the picture are expressing overly positive emotions. It seems that they are sharing one pleasant moment together. Two friends look like they share a secret or discuss someone between us, girls. They force spectators to relate jewelry to the precious moments in life of consumers. Non-verbal language established a link between two characters. They hold each others hands and hug each other. This helps to identify their relationships and state that they are close friends. Obviously, any teenage girl has her best friend and wants to look the same cool when they spend time together. Teenagers tend to idealize their friends because the fo In the essay â€Å"Kids in the Mall: Growing up controlled†, Kowinski writes that teenagers are involved in

International Real Estate Investments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7500 words

International Real Estate Investments - Essay Example The city would have to buy this land from the private investor, for which it would pay a premium, and then build homes on this land and sell or rent them for less than market value. This would not be a smart business practice for a city and it would lead to an outcry from citizens when taxpayers’ money was spent on something that most taxpayers were not even benefiting from. Also, other social programs would have to suffer because of this practice, which would also hurt city planners and the city in general. There are bigger needs in many cities than affordable housing since people will find a way to pay for housing before they will do other things. In addition, most major cities have run out of room within the city and the residents have now begun retreating to the suburbs. The problem with this is that low-income housing units are not welcome in these regions. The people that have moved out of the city have moved there to get rid of the stereotypical problems that occur with low-income inhabitants and, therefore, affordable housing units would not be welcomed in this region. An example of this is James Vacca â€Å"making sure that developers do not evade the new restrictions. He said he recently noticed someone building a three-family house, something not allowed under the new rules. He complained to the buildings department about it, and about subsequent adjustments until the builder agreed to construct a one family house with two parking spaces instead†1 Gotham Gazette. 21 October 2005. The amount of private property ownership, combined with the escalating price of real estate, has made it very difficult to provide affordable housing for the population in or around any major city. London, in particular, is having a major affordable housing crisis because of its booming economy and drastic population growth so it needs to look at the examples that are provided by other cities.

Summary the article The Power to see ourselves by Paul J. Brower

Summary the The Power to see ourselves by Paul J. Brower - Article Example The only thing professional managers can do to new managers is to help them trust in themselves and understand their own situation. Self-concept has an extensive impact on individual perception and abilities. The author has as well equated self-concept with a filter that screens and eliminates things that people do not want to hear or see and pass on those things that are favorable to individual’s public image. Self-concept also offers eccentric flavor to individual behavior. A part from its significance in understanding the general human behavior, self concept is exceptionally vital in explaining manager development, especially in the situation where the behavioral change is objective. Referring to Brower’s observation, professional behavioral change is in most cases used to explain individual change in self-concept. The term self-concept deals with immediate and immerses changes in managers’ behaviors. As stated by Brower, an individual behavioral change is in most cases influenced by one’s past experiences and age. As people grow, they achieve new experiences and learn new things that are incorporated in their perceptive mass. This change alters individual perception on emerging issues and happenings. As a result, Brower observes change in managers’ behavior as a constant process in their career development (Brower,

Nursing Knowledge through the Nursing Process Essay Example for Free

Nursing Knowledge through the Nursing Process Essay â€Å"The assessment phase of the nursing process is foundational for appropriate diagnosis, planning and , (Ackley Ladwig, 2014, p3). This beginning phase of the nursing process is important for many reasons. Not only are we meeting our patients for the first time but we collect but object and subjective data to put together and create a picture of our patient. The nurse makes an assessment of the patient, utilizing all the information that is gathered and can better understand their needs. Each nurse, through time and practice, fine tunes these assessment tools needed to go even further into a patients needs such as the holistic approach of mind, body and spirit. Assessment information gathering is done by looking at the patient’s chart, discussing with the patient about their history, and even through communication with the family members. The subjective date we can gather from the patient and family can help us understand how they are feeling or thinking. A thorough health and medical history are important so that we can implement the best care designed specifically for that patient. The physical assessment is also important; this gives us objective information regarding the patient’s current vitals signs, physical head to toe and any diagnostic’s previously done or that need to be completed. The information that gathered in this phase helps create the next phase which is formulating a nursing diagnosis. Diagnosis Phase â€Å"In the diagnosis phase of the nursing process, the nurse begins clustering the information within the client story and formulating and formulates an evaluative judgment about a client’s health , (Ackley Ladwig, 2014, p3). After a nurse gathers all the subjective and objective information about the patient alone with using their knowledge, we formulate a diagnosis using â€Å"NANDA, â€Å"North American Nursing Diagnosis Association. There is a list of  nursing diagnosis related to primary clinical issues and may or may not have secondary issues too. The patient may also have many different diagnosis’ that need to treat as well, so the gathering information phase prior to the diagnosis phase is paramount. â€Å" A working nursing diagnosis may have two or three parts. The two-part system consists of a nursing diagnosis and the ‘related to’ (r/t) statement†¦. â€Å"The three-part system consists of a nursing diagnosis. The ‘related to’ (r/t) statement and the designing characteristics, which are observable cues/inferences that cluster as manifestations of actual or wellness nursing diagnosis† (Ackley Ludwig, 2014, p4). This three-part system helps the nurse understand the primary diagnosis and the symptoms involved and what those symptoms may be related to. Creating a nursing diagnosis takes into consideration all data collected, other health issues (chronic or acute), symptoms that need to be treated and taking it all in with a holistic approach as a nurse. The Outcomes / Planning Phase According to King (1997), In this phase the nurse is able to use the prior steps of the nursing process and build off of it for the Outcome/Planning phase. The nurse formulates a course of action based on the her assessment and nursing diagnosis. The nurse uses her critical thinking abilities to prioritize and develops specific nursing interventions and documents her plan accordingly. Implementation Phase The implementation phase of the nursing process is the stage where the nurse can put her nursing assessment to action. The Nurse Intervention Classification or NIC, is a system that defines nursing interventions and clusters them into families of therapies and treatments that gear toward a specific problem. According to Forbes, Nursing requires robust clinical research to show that its interventions do not harm and have a beneficial effect. In this vital stage of the nursing process, there is a certain level of knowledge needed effectively to accomplish a positive outcome for the patient. At this point, a substantial amount of scientific knowledge is also needed so to understand how the interventions that are chosen, will impact the outcome for the patient. (Forbes, 2009) The knowledge needed at this point are as follows: †¢Nurse must be able to understanding the medical knowledge of the diagnosis and how it impacts the patients physical and psychosocial functions †¢Nurse must be able to determine if the intervention will produce the desired outcome for the patient based on scientific research. †¢Nurse must know what equipment or resources needed for the chosen intervention †¢Nurse must know the patients current status , to be sure the intervention is still relevant †¢Nurse must be aware of patients spiritual and culture needs that may potentially hinder the interventions outcome. †¢Nurse must know what evidence will determine the effectiveness of the intervention Evaluation Phase The nursing knowledge is needed and describes the scientific basis of nursing knowledge. Evaluation is defined as the judgment of the effectiveness of nursing care to meet the patient’s goals. According to King (1997), in this step of the nursing process the nurse compares the patient’s behavioral responses with predetermined patients goals and outcome criteria. Evaluation is the final step in the nursing process. Although evaluation is the final step in the nursing process, it has concurrently run throughout all phases of the nursing process. The nursing knowledge that is needed in the Evaluation step of the nursing process in: Nurses must be able to identify criteria and standards. Nurses must be able to evaluate collected data. Nurses must be able to interpret and synthesise data. Nurses must be able to document findings and identify when goals are met, or when to revise, update, change or complete the care plan. References (2014). In B. J. Ackley, G. B. Ladwig, Nursing Diagnosis Handbook: An Evidence-Based Guide to Planning Care, Tenth Edition. Missouri: Mosby. Forbes, A. (2009). Clinical Intervention Research in Nursing . International Journal of Nursing Studies, pg 557-568. King JA, Morris LL, Fitz-Gibbon CT. How to Assess Program Implementation

A company operating

A company operating A multinational sometimes known as transnational, is a company operating out of its origin country which involves one or more countries. Multinational corporations growth in alliances, joint ventures and mergers and acquisitions, but this will cause consumers to recognize the brand, rather the parent company. Shell, Caltex, ExxonMobil, Nokia, McDonalds, Toyota, Nestle, Sony, Microsoft corporations are a few example of multinational corporations. It is important as many large corporations tend to increase sales and gain brand recognition at the same time providing jobs opportunities as in the case study of James Dyson and Waterford Wedgwood. International marketing is the multinational process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational objectives[1]. Today, many multinational corporations are surviving and competing against their competitors brand to achieve higher market profits. The companies apply strategic measures to expand their business as well as improving management in order to increase profit income. The basis of a company running its business is to have a good human resource management, quality control on product or services, maintaining loyal customers and at the same time boosting sales and implementing marketing strategy in their founding region country. For examples the most popular product in the United States are Microsoft Corporation, Apple, and McDonald, where they gain most of their profits from its own founding country. However, if the same company runs the same system they use in their founding country, it might not be successful if they were to expand their business market onto the international market. This is because different countries have different culture, religion, tradition, mind set, environment and lifestyle and it plays a vital factor that caused the marketing plans to fail if international marketing mix concepts are not brought into consideration. CEO of Coca-Cola, Mr Daft mentioned, it was that the next big evolutionary step of going global now has to be going local. Most worrying for the global brand-owners, consumers in the newly opened markets started expressing a desire for local products, protection for its local sovereignty and cultural identities[2]. In order for an organization or business to achieve a successful rate in widening their product services internationally, the management team needs to apply the international marketing mix in planning and strategies marketing conce pt that cater for international market consumers. In this assignment the multinational company that Ill examine its international marketing mix operation will be Kentucky Fried Chicken as Ill investigate and study the strategies of its international marketing mix of the companys success. Kentucky Fried Chicken, or famously known as KFC is a very well known fast-food chain restaurant having thousands of franchises throughout the world, serving its famous Colonel Harland Sanders trademark chicken, in both Original Recipe and Extra Tasty Crispy varieties, along with chicken sandwiches, chicken pot pies, crispy chicken strips, mashed potatoes and gravy, and potato wedges. KFC Corp. is wholly owned by Yum! Brands, Inc., which also operates the Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Long John Silvers, and AW restaurant chains. The headquarters is located in Kentucky, where the brand originated and half of the profits made by this company is through international marketing and sales or via franchising. The two marketing approach which adapted by KFC in their marketing campaign which I will elaborate more, are standardized, and adaptation marketing approach. In standardized method, it described as a common market program, where a company uses a standard, fixed marketing plan to run its business in their founding country. One can notice that all the outlets are very identical and the management is really concern on the standard operating procedure (SOP), to ensure highest standard quality of food and services being offered to the customer. Take Shiseido, a beauty brand as example, where there are employing standardized method, where all their products marketing are the same all over the international market in terms of the product, price, promotion and placement of the product. Same goes to Coca-cola, Pepsi, and Marlboro where standardization strategies are used. Consumer can purchase the same Vanilla Coke, Coke Light and the red tab Coke is sold all around the globe. However, adaptation strategies is total opposite of standardized where it recommends for product and marketing modification for a certain international market in order to suit the needs of the foreign market in terms of cultural, environment, product knowledge et cetera in order bring success to its marketing plan and to help boost its sales. Therefore by analyzing Kentucky Fried Chicken international adaptation marketing strategies with Malaysia, which are managed by QSR Brands Berhad[3], there are significant differences of marketing strategies used compare to common standardization marketing uses in their founding country. We can notice the difference by comparing the both countries 4Ps of marketing mix. I shall start with the first marketing mix, which is product. Product Product marketing is the first element that deals with the specifications of the goods or services and how it is related to satisfaction of the customers. Products are usually developed to meet up the wishes of the customers. It is sorted according to the five characteristics, quality, features, styling, brand name, and packaging. [4] Based on the KFC product marketing plans in the US markets, their products are packed using their brand symbolic color of red and white together with the image of Colonel Sanders which is the core of the companys advertising and branding strategies. It uses standardized approach method to market their product, and also to neighboring countries of Canada, New Zealand and some part of Europe. Other than fried chicken, many KFC restaurants serve side dishes like coleslaw, potato wedges, french fries and mashed potatoes. But for their international product to Malaysia, it used the same brand name, image, packaging, and preserving its quality of the fried chicken as it is the companys Unit Selling Proposition. Also, its finger lickin good famous catchy slogan are maintained too. However, there are adaptations done to its products feature and styling of products such as Extra Tasty Crispy in the US, are being replaced by naming it Hot Spicy in Malaysia, but both products are similar just the features name is different. The culture of Malaysia and the US are different that is why certain products of name are different in one and other. The title Hot and spicy is more suitable in Malaysia rather than Extra Tasty Crispy because of the word spicy as it brings the meaning of hot,. KFC Malaysias new product, the X meal Hotrods with smoking hot sauce is somehow similar to Malaysian favorite traditional food Satay. Same goes to local product of Nasi Lemak Enak where Malaysians can find it in one of the KFC a.m meal, not to mention as well the Colonel Chicken Rice Combo, which are Malaysian local food it is because Malaysian more like to eat rice than American who like to eat mashed potatoes. As majority of Malaysia consume rice as their main carbohydrate source in their daily diet. KFC seems to acknowledge the important of rice in their serving, and therefore offering rice and chicken porridge as an alternate adds-on in their menu. KFC also provide Milo as a drink of breakfast due to Malaysian use to drink Milo as their hot chocolate drink. KFC in Malaysia also provide Thirst Quenchers with a fun float of scoops of ice-cream with any carbonated drink in these hot seasons in Malaysia. Desserts are ice-cream because of the hot weather of Asia, Malaysian prefer ice-cream rather than parfait in the US to feel cool. Another distinctive product differences are KFC in the US sells pork ribs in their market but its different in Malaysia whereby this is a Muslim country and the restaurant need to follow regulations for Halal food certification in order to attract Muslim customer. Pork and beef are not permitted and other products are needed to be replaced with alternatives favorites. Apart from the certificate for operational premises, internal controls over raw materials procurement, manufacturing, packaging, storage, transportation and utensils need to be controlled as well. KFC need to understand the cultures and religions of Malaysia where Halal food is food that complies with Islamic Law stipulates that food consumed to be hygienic, not harmful to health, free from any forbidden parts of animal origin, free from anything regarded as filth under Islamic law. In addition, meat products must be derived from animals that are permissible and slaughtered according to Islamic Law for example pork which are forbidden for Muslims. This is because they need to fulfill the requirement of international marketing mix of Malaysias custom, tradition, religion and other factors that need to be concern and also the consumer demographics and psychographics of Malaysians. Despite Malaysians customs and culture traditions, KFCs marketing in Malaysia is gaining its ground with unequivocal success by implementing the international marketing mix. Price For Price marketing, it refers to the process of setting a price to the product. Price is the only element in the marketing mix that brings revenue to the firm. Pricing strategies are linked with factors of standard of living, population size, age profile, and purchasing pattern of its consumer market. It also deals with ones country economy status. The prices of all of the items offered by KFC Malaysia are reasonable and suitable with the target market segments. Pricing of KFC chicken is Strength for KFC in the SWOT analysis as the meals are comparably cheaper than its competitor of Popeyes and AW. Figure below tells that KFC snack plate are more value for money comparing with AW set. KFC also introduce JomJimat, which attracts consumers to save more for individual set. Not to forget the affordable yet convenient way of having breakfast, this is called KFC a.m meal that offers local foods. Family feast of mini bucket combo and variety bucket also comes with discounted price. By having suitable pricing and campaign will help ease the burden of consumer financially as they make KFC their choices when it comes to eating quality yet delicious fried chicken Place Place refers to where and how the product gets to the customers. Two basic issues involved in getting the products are channel management and logistics management. Most of the KFC restaurants around the world are in commercial areas. In the US, it can also be found operating as free-standing units and kiosks in high-traffic crowded areas. Such methods can capture both the consumer market of family and friends gatherings area, and also the busy working class, so that they could grab a bite of KFC anytime, anywhere. Nontraditional service, often stemming from successful innovations instituted in the companys international operations, was seen as a way for KFC to enter new markets. Delivery, drive-through, carryout, and supermarket kiosks were up and running. Other outlets in testing were mall and office-building snack shops, mobile trailer units, satellite units, and self-contained kiosks designed for universities, stadiums, airports, and amusement parks. However in Malaysia, KFC placed its restaurants in most commercial shopping malls, and also in every township. This will be easy for KFC as shoppers roaming around for the purpose of shopping can actually be expected to step in and make a purchase. KFC Malaysia builds a strong affinity with a new generation of young customers by rolling out various strategies such as collaborating with the national zoo of having the restaurant to be placed in its compound. Im sure every school children are excited to have KFC during their visit to the Zoo. Oh how it reminds me back of my childhood days eating KFC in zoo with its Chicky Mascot. Besides that, by offering 24-hour restaurant service to its consumer, it will surely satisfy the late hungers of KFC fans. Drive through are also another way of providing fast serving of food to rushing busy Malaysians who without the need of getting down from their vehicle to make orders. With over 350 KFC outlets situated in Malaysia, It is by far the most popular restaurant chain in the Malaysia Promotion Promotion refers to the various methods of promoting the product. The four promotional tools available to the marketing managers are advertising, sales promotion, publicity, and personal selling. At KFC, Promotion is the main tool to bring all chicken lovers attention towards its delicious one-of-a-kind. Advertising KFCs advertisements can be seen throughout local media in Malaysia via billboard and banners in public transportations of LRT and bus, including major highway. Leaflets and page spreads can be seen advertised in newspaper, magazine, commercials can be seen and heard in radios and television as well as the internet. KFC aired their Variety Bucket commercials during dinner time in ASTRO Wah Loi Toi, to attract its target consumer of Chinese adult family where they spend time watching Chinese drama. For its KFC Hot Rods, its commercial can mostly be seen in 8tv and ntv7 channel where its younger targeted consumer watched youth programs. And for those consumer who browse internet searching for KFC information. KFC also provide website to visit. KFC Malaysia also stimulates repeat purchases of its products Using Reminder advertisements. The company anthem finger linkin good is a wakeup call to the consumer to remind them how good they felt the last time they ate KFC chicken The website of KFC Malaysia tends to have more multimedia graphical elements comparing with the dull yet boring US website. By using video, animation, colors and images, it will draws consumers attention towards the product and stay on longer in browsing the website and this will make a good marketing approach towards Malaysians. KFC uses the theme good things come together with KFC as their promotion campaign which focus on family ties, friendships, and togetherness and at the same time, also focusing unity of 3 races of Malaysia which works well with the 1Malaysia unity concept. KFC uses family sentimental approach in targeting their target market. This is because family value comes first for most Asians. Totally different from US, where its advertisement are focusing on low fat and healthy diet campaign, 0 Gram Transfat nutrition. Another commercial for the fish burger in Malaysia TV channels, where it shows two Malay boys eating fish burger and it attracts many cats to surrounding them both. By applying and understanding Malaysian Malay culture where first, Malays are only fond to cats and not other animals especially dogs, and at the same time, showing that cats loves fish and the smell of the burger able to tempts the cats. Sales Promotion KFC Malaysia offers its customers with various forms of incentives to buy its Chicken. Using coupons that are inserted in local newspaper print ads, customers can enjoy the benefits of discounted price or free add-ons, which the customer must cut and bring along, serves as a pull factor to attract consumer to dine in its restaurant. Publicity As KFC it grew in popularity, KFC turned to the psychological appeal wherein customers also contributed to the various community services via their purchases. Widely adopted by renowned global brands, this unique marketing approach termed cause-related involves donation of a certain percentage of the purchase price to a specific charity project focusing on corporate social responsibility. This was how KFC Care Fund [5]was introduced, this being one of the most memorable corporate social responsibility projects initiated to help underprivileged children from 68 homes throughout Malaysia. PR effectively conveyed the feel good factor to customers that a certain percentage of their KFC Kids Meal purchases were being pooled for these charitable causes. All the more giving they became in helping out a good cause. As globalization has creates a unique yet sophisticated demanding consumer market, creative measures must be implemented in order to reach its target market. KFC need to foresee and follow with the pace of consumers purchasing and eating behavior in constantly changing its marketing strategies. For example setting up small stalls or express kiosk in major busy streets of Kuala Lumpur would be a good approach to meet consumers demand. Another suggestion, KFC Malaysia only provides drive thru placement in certain busy areas, but still a lot of branches in Malaysia dont have drive thru benefits to their customers. KFC must take action about this matter so that can keep more loyal customer even in their busy time they still willing to drive thru to buy KFC rather than McDonalds. Other than that, KFC Malaysia didnt provide delivery services to consumers home or office. They really need to take this as serious way to improve their sales and branding. Product wise, KFC may applies diffusion of innovations strategies and come out with special sets for vegetarian as well as introduce more chicken flavor other than Original Recipe and Hot Spicy. This can attract difference types of market segmentation consumer and with new product introductions it will keep pace with its competitors and gain market standings.KFC can also promote healthy eating campaign that targets the healthy conscious consumers to curb the perception of fast food equivalent to bad health and obesity. These would be the changes I would like to see in the future marketing mix of KFC Malaysia. In conclusion, international marketing mix strategies played an important factor in the role of multinational corporation dealings its business via the international level as local needs of a certain country needed to be accountability for in order to drive the sales and demand for its product internationally. The combinations of 4ps marketing mix are an essential tool to breakthrough the consumer market and serves their needs and at the same time, maintaining and respecting their cultural traditional heritage. KFC has certainly reached its goal in the marketing plan, by creating standardized and adapted products that suits all market segmentation in all its international franchises and become a successful brand and position KFC as a multinational fast-food company. F. Robert Dwyer and John F. Tanner, 2006 Business Marketing. 3rd ed, international, McGraw-Hill Stuart wall and Bronwen rees. 2004 International Business. 2nd ed Essex, Pearson Education limited pg.30 http://www.qsrbrands.com/English/NonFlashSite/BusinessUnits/BizU_Poultry_Integration.asp Stuart wall and Bronwen rees. 2004 International Business. 2nd ed Essex, Pearson Education limited http://www.qsrbrands.com/English/NonFlashSite/Communities/TabungPenyayang.asp

Ellis Island :: essays research papers

ELLIS ISLAND Ellis Island has a long history, was needed, and was the "Gateway to America" from 1892 until it closed in 1954, when it began its slow decay. The island was called Gull Island by the Indians and Oyster Island by the Dutch. Later the English erected a gibbet or gallows on the island for hanging criminals and so the island became known as Gibbet Island. The Indians sold it to the Dutch East India Company for trinkets. The company later sold it to Mynheer Paauw who also bought land along the New Jersey coastline. Samuel Ellis, a colonial merchant bought the island and it became at last Ellis Island. After the Revolution, the island was sold to New York State and in 1811, Fort Gibson was built on it in preparation for the War of 1812. No fighting took place at Fort Gibson it was mainly a munitions storage fort. When immigrants began, pouring into New York City, New York State processed them at an old fort known as Castle Clinton on the Battery at the tip of Manhattan. When that facility became too small for the large number of immigrants arriving in the country, they chose Ellis Island as the new immigration center. After erecting new wooden buildings, it opened in 1892 but those buildings burned in 1897. New buildings were erected in 1900 and it reopened. Eventually the control of immigration was turned over to the Federal government. Ellis Island was the principal federal immigration station the â€Å"Gateway to America† in the United States from 1892 to 1954. More than 12 million immigrants were processed here. Over time, the immigration station spread over 3 connected islands with numerous structures including a hospital and contagious disease wards. It is estimated that over 40 percent of all citizens can trace their ancestry to those who came through Ellis Island. In its early years, when the greatest number of immigrants entered the country, Ellis Island mirrored the nation's generous attitude and open door policy. After passage of immigration laws in the 1920s, it was used more for "assembly, detainment, and deporting aliens," and symbolized a closing door. Immigrants were required to pass a series of medical and legal inspections before they could enter America.

Political Rap and Boogie Down Productions :: Rap Music B-D-P Essays

Political Rap and Boogie Down Productions In the fall of 1987, Scott la Rock, the DJ of the rap group Boogie Down Productions (B-D-P) was shot in a car after trying to break up a fight (Small 77). In light of B-D-P's role in reforming rap in the succeeding years, his biography is significant; he was college educated and was employed--in addition to his musical activity--as a social worker. He had released a groundbreaking record that year, and had already worked on a follow-up, which would defy older categories of rap music. His violent death seemed a cause for pause to reflect on rap music's new direction. The effect on the other member of B-D-P, the rapper K-R-S One (Chris Parker), was devastating but quickened his mission. Nearly two years after the murder, he preached against black-on-black crime, promoting education, spirituality and vegetarianism. Rap had to be political and it required self-denial, even asceticism; he had made rap music an extremely serious endeavor. Enlightened rap seemed poised to enjoy mainstream popularity. But something about its message did not capture the popular imagination, and it has remained a sub-genre. Conversely, the highly materialistic rap that was popular when B-D-P appeared in 1987, glorifying jewelry, cars and brand names, is in vogue again. However, B-D-P--vintage B-D-P--enjoys a paradoxically respected position. This is strange because in some respects B-D-P's version of political rap was stricter than the other groups that comprised the so-called New School, the consciousness-raised groups that followed in his path. Something about B-D-P's asceticism had an edge that made it strangely attractive. I wish to explore this ambiguity. K-R-S One was the guiding force of B-D-P, writing its lyrics and producing its albums. He is generally regarded as the popular artist who, along with Chuck D of Public Enemy, politicized rap in the middle 'eighties. It is well known that popular rap was capable of political content from its earliest beginnings. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five released both "The Message" (1982) and "White Lines" (Don't Do It) (1983), the first a lament about ghetto life and the second a powerful indictment of cocaine (then called "freebase"), well before crack became a mainstream epidemic. Run-DMC rapped in "Hard Times" about the early 'eighties inflation economy. Of course, the political discourse of rap music has been pointed out before, but almost always in exalted form.

Leaning Pines Arboretum :: Descriptive Essays

Leaning Pines Arboretum If you head up Via Carta, past Campus Market and the athletic fields, you will come to the Environmental Horticulture Unit. Go past the flower shop and through the green house, then take a left. You will find yourself at the Leaning Pines Arboretum, one of the many hidden treasures here at Cal Poly. A five acre plot of land is devoted to plants native to the five Mediterranean climates in the world, California, Australia, South Africa, Chile, and of course the Mediterranean Basin. The horticulture unit originally resided where the Sierra Madre and Yosemite dormitories now stand but was relocated to a larger piece of land, its present location, which allowed room for the arboretum to be created. Taking up about half the land area, the California garden was the original garden before the arboretum was expanded to include the four other regions. Aside from being the largest, the California garden is the most extensive collection as well. Within this garden, habitats come from all different regions of California except the Sierra Nevada range which is not a Mediterranean climate. They represent all the communities from Northern to Southern California such as native shrubs and grasses and coast live oak woodlands. The section of the garden that looks the most like my home in Marin County is a pond surrounded by redwoods with ferns and oxalis plants. This also happens to be the favorite collection of Chris Wassenberg. Chris Wassenberg is a Cal Poly graduate from the Environmental Horticulture program. All the horticulture students are required to do ten hours of work in the unit outside of class. Chris chose to work in the arboretum, volunteering on a weekly basis until his third quarter when he was hired for a part time position. Now, three years after his graduation in 2001, Chris still works in the arboretum in addition to his normal job. He has risen to a middle management position, overseeing student projects and grounds maintenance. The arboretum requires a lot of work form the students but it is not all maintenance.

Personal Ethical Communication Statement

Having a strong character, I also have a predisposition to optimism that influences positively my communication. I use these personality characteristics to encourage others, but I have realized that my communication needs to be improved due to societal roles that affect my perceptions. Since the world is made up of different categories of people, cultures, and races with which I have to interact, I have the obligation to watch how my perceptions are formed and influenced. I always believe that the success is the fruit of a hard work or a higher education as a dominant perception; but when reading the text book â€Å"Human Communication in society, I have discovered that the opposite site should be taken into consideration. Focusing on hard work and education was blocking my sight to see what others people are trying. As inference, I thought that some people are living in poverty because they did not go to school or did not want to work hard. This is a wrong inference which I have decided to reject. I recognize that some people did not have the opportunity to go to school despite their willingness to do so. Being from Africa and black, I used to think that due to racial discrimination, the United States would never be led by a black person. The opposite side of my thoughts was proven since president Obama was elected in 2008. That thought was based on my individual experience and the historical time period that showed that among 43 presidents who led the U. S since it has been a country, there was no African American person. This has helped me understand that it is not a good idea to rely on experience or time period. Personally, I realized that I have been experiencing ethnocentrism to some degree because I thought that only my culture was giving more importance to marriage; and all other groups were negligent in the matter. Also, I was stereotyping a group of people according to what I heard about them that most of them were thieves or liars. This has led me to experience prejudice to one of my co-workers who belonged to that specific group. It affected our communication because I could not trust her or believe in what she could say. As a mother, I thought that I knew better than my children so that I could choose for them the kind and colors of their clothes, their fields of studies, their food and so on. To improve my communication with my children, I have decided to discuss with them about everything before letting them making their own choices.

Contrasting the View of the Ultimate Reality in Relation to Science Essay

What compels mankind to seek unity between, science and religion, two compartmentalized and distinct aspects of our world? John Polkinghorne states, in â€Å"Does God Act in the Physical World†, â€Å"The demand for an integrated account of both theological and scientific insight impels us to the task† (Polkinghorne 59). Yet Polkinghorne is not alone is his quest; in â€Å"Emptiness and Form† Fritjof Capra connects the ultimate reality with the physical world. While Polkinghorne and Capra agree on certain ideals, such as the man’s inability to fully grasp the ultimate and the incorporation of quantum mechanics in each one’s respective argument, they also contrast in terms of the religions they use to defend their argument. This leads to differences in their views on the ultimate and His interaction with the physical world. While this leads to two distinct and diverse arguments, I believe that both arguments are equally presented in a reputable and successful manner. At one point in each of their respective arguments, Polkinghorne and Capra clearly state that the understanding of the ultimate reality cannot be fully understood by humankind. Polkinghorne writes, â€Å"We are a long way from a full understanding of our own powers of agency, let alone how it is that God works in the world† (Polkinghorne 74). Due to our limited minds and capabilities, mankind will never be able to fully grasp the ultimate reality in its full essence. It is quite mindboggling, if not impossible, to fully understand the ultimate reality, when it is as an infinite and omnipresent being. â€Å"The reality underlying all phenomena is beyond all forms and defies all description and specification† (Capra 211). The professor who taught my freshman Colloquium on Science and Religion once stated that God cannot be put in a test tube. While he did say this statement as a means to refute the existence of an ultimate reality, his assertion is valid; there is only so much we can know about the divine. It is crucial that both Polkinghorne and Capra affirm this position in order to clarify that while it is possible to unify the ultimate reality with the physical world, we will never fully understand the relationship. In evolution terms, there seems to be a â€Å"missing link† that allows us to connect both aspects. Also, both Polkinghorne and Capra use the ideas and concepts of quantum mechanics as premises when connecting the ultimate reality with the physical world. Capra’s discussion of electrons and photons becomes the premise for one of his deductions. Capra writes, â€Å"The full interaction between the electrons will involve a series of photon exchanges†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (216). This leads to the assertion that there are no true forces in the subatomic world but that these interactions are due to the exchange of particles, that according to the quantum field theory are created and destroyed (Capra 217). These two premises lead Capra to state, â€Å"The electromagnetic forces are due to the presence of virtual photons ‘within’ charged particles†¦[and]†¦the forces between particles appear as intrinsic properties of the particles. † After deducing this premise Capra goes on to say, â€Å"Such a view of forces is also characteristic of Eastern mysticism which regards motion and change as essential and intrinsic properties of all things† (221). In order to clarify this statement he utilizes aspects of Chinese religion and explains how this assumption of quantum mechanics is connected to the ultimate reality. Like Capra, Polkinghorne makes use of the theories and ideas of quantum mechanics as premise to relate the ultimate with the physical. One of the ideas he uses is the chaos theory. The theory says that events in a chaotic system are random but Polkinghorne employs this theory in his argument in order to show how deterministic chaos is not a valid argument, which will eventually lead to his idea of an open system. He says, â€Å"A chaotic system is not totally ‘chaotic’ in the popular sense, corresponding to absolutely random behavior. † There are certain possibilities known as a â€Å"strange attractor† and its limited to a certain extent, but this â€Å"detailed future behaviour of a chaotic system is unknowable† (Polkinhorne 52). Later on in his argument, Polkinghorne discusses the idea of deterministic chaos and consider it from a different viewpoint. He writes: Instead of adopting the conventional strategy of saying this shows that simple determinism underlies even apparently complex random behavior, I prefer the realist strategy of seeking the closest alignment of ontology and epistemology†¦[which] has the additional advantage of accommodating the notion of top-down causality in a natural way (Polkinghorne 64). The premise of top-down causality leads to his connection of the ultimate reality with the physical world and that God interacts with the world in a top-down fashion. If the ultimate reality does truly interact with the world, then this will lead to the discussion of an open system in which Polkinghorne also uses the basis of quantum mechanics in order to make a postulation. Another major theories Polkinghorne frequently refers to in his argument is the Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, which states that we cannot simultaneously know the position and momentum of any particle (53). This idea of uncertainty in the physical world is the premise that leads to Polkinghorne’s assumption of the universe as an open system. He writes, â€Å"The ‘gaps’ of quantum uncertainty operate only in particular circumstances†¦to produce an openness at the lever of classical physics† (Polkinghorne 60). While Polkinghorne advocates the idea of an open system, it is evident that his counter partner, Capra, sees the universe as a closed system. One of the major differences between Capra and Polkinghorne is the concept of a closed system versus an open system. Capra respectively agrees and accepts with the view of the universe as a closed system. Capra explains this concept by first explaining the idea of matter and empty space or the full and the void. He discusses how these are interconnected. â€Å"The two cannot be distinguished† (Capra 208). In Eastern religions, this Void â€Å"has an infinite creative potential†¦[which]†¦like the quantum field, it gives birth to an infinite variety of forms which it sustains and eventually reabsorbs† (Capra 212). The notion of it sustaining itself and reabsorbing leads to the idea of a system that is set up and is able to maintain itself without the help of an ultimate being. Buddhism expressed this idea of form and emptiness in a single whole entity. Capra quotes, â€Å"‘Form is emptiness, and emptiness is indeed form. Emptiness is not different from form, form is not different from emptiness. What is form that is emptiness, what is emptiness that is form’† (215). Also, Capra states that this form and emptiness is elevated into a vacuum diagram that â€Å"contains an unlimited number of particles which come into being and vanish without end. † This â€Å"physical vacuum†¦contains the potentiality for all forms of the particle world† (Capra 222). This system implies that the relationship between the ultimate reality and the physical world is one where the divine has set up system and does not intervene in our world. This premise eventually leads to the idea that there is no free will and that the universe is determined. This view of the universe completely changes the way we perceive the world. Without free will morals and ethics lose validity and are worthless to society. It is quite evident that Polkinghorne disagrees with this concept and presents his views of an open system. Polkinghorne would classify the idea of a universe as an closed system under â€Å"a minimalist response [which] is to decline to speak of particular divine actions and to confine theological talk to the single great act of holding the universe in being. † Polkinghorne believes that most scientists do not even consider this notion of a minimalist to be valid. He states that while God did establish the laws and set up the universe, this does not impede his interaction in the universe (Polkinghorne 54). He sees the connection between the ultimate reality and the physical world as â€Å"relating divine agency to human agency. † Polkinghorne explains, â€Å"When we act, we seem to do so as total beings† (57). Therefore God acts in the same as humans do, but it is seen as a God in relation to his creation. This premise leads to the top-down notion of the parts depending on the whole. With this top-down premise, Polkinghorne strengthens his argument of an open system by exhibiting that we are dependent on God, whether through the establishment of the laws or divine intervention in the universe. Polkinghorne also classifies the closed system as a â€Å"block universe†. He writes, â€Å"It is sometimes claimed that science endorses the alternative view that the universe ‘is’ rather than ‘becomes’† (Polkinghorne 68). This implies that the universe has a certain determinacy and that God does not act in the universe. Since the universe â€Å"is†, then it is conclusive that God must know the future because it is already determined. The view of the open system appears to be more logical and realistic, but at the expense of God’s infinite and omnipresent capabilities. He says, â€Å"†¦it is the universe of becoming that is the correct picture, then surely God must know it in its temporality, as it actually is. God must not just know that events are successive; they must be known in their succession† (Polkinghorne 69). While I agree that the universe is an open system, it cannot be at the expenditure of God. Say a person is on a roof looking down at an intersection; he can see all and everything laid out before him. He observes two cars coming at the intersection at the same time and foresees an accident. This is analogous to God and the universe, where God is in a position to see all and foretell all. Obviously, this is not a perfect analogy since the person is constricted by time and therefore could be incorrect in his assumptions. Therefore, if we accept the premise that God is infinite and outside the constricts of time, then we can conclude that God or the ultimate reality knows the future in an open system. The most crucial difference between the arguments of Polkinghorne and Capra is their definition of the ultimate reality. In each of their respective claims, the view of the ultimate reality has a drastic effect on the outcome of each argument. The belief in certain characteristics of an ultimate reality is important when there is an attempt to connect it to the physical world. Through further analysis of both arguments, it is evident that the difference between Polkinghorne and Capra is basically a Western Religion versus Eastern Religion discussion. It is evident that Capra takes the side of Eastern Religion; his book is titled The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels Between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism. Throughout his argument he constantly refers to the ideas and beliefs of religions such as Buddhism, Taoism, and Chinese religion. He quotes from their texts in an attempt to connect their ultimate reality with the physical world. On the other hand, Polkinghorne utilizes Western religion as a means of connecting the ultimate reality with the physical world. Specifically he uses the values and teachings of Christian traditions. He says that the discussion of the unity of the ultimate reality and the physical world is â€Å"a perennial issue on the Christian agenda† (Polkinghorne 48). One aspect of the arguments that I found to be perplexing was the use of the same laws of the physical world as at he basis of each author’s respective argument. Obviously, Polkinghorne and Capra have their own agenda and argument. Therefore, what does this say about the laws of the physical world; can they simply manipulate to agree with any form of the ultimate? This cannot be valid or then the laws of the physical world can be disfigured in order to fit any belief system or value; either Polkinghorne must be right and Capra wrong, or vice versa. We cannot accept this dualistic view of the world that the universe can be open in some instances and closed in others. Yet, this view arises when we fail to realize that there is one ultimate reality or truth. If there was one truth, then there would only be one way to connect this ultimate to the physical world. At the same time, we cannot say that Polkinghorne is correct and Capra is wrong, or vice versa. If the premises that they base their arguments off are valid then we cannot deduce which argument is better, but only say that it is a conflict of realities. The success of the arguments lies in the belief of the premises of the religious and physical world. Faith is the true deciding factor that will allow us to declare a winner in this pursuit of the unity of the ultimate reality and the physical world. If we assume that the premises of the physical world and quantum mechanics in each argument to be the same, then the only significant difference between each argument is the view of the ultimate reality. Since I have Christian traditions and beliefs I would strongly side with Polkinghorne’s argument. Yet, if there is a person who has no solid beliefs, then these two arguments would seem valid and justifiable in their eyes, due to their lack of knowledge of the ultimate reality.

Apache Corporation Essay

Apache Corporation was formed in 1954, based on the idea of becoming significant and prosperous in the oil industry. The company took $250,000 of investor capital, paired it with fierce determination and now Apache Corporation is considered one of the top independent oil and gas exploration and production companies in the world (â€Å"Apachecorp.com†, 2012). Apache Corporation operates in both domestic and international markets exploring for, developing, and producing natural gas, crude oil, and natural gas liquids (â€Å"Apachecorp.com†, 2012). On December 31, 2011, the Company had production in the United States, Canada, Egypt, and Australia. Offshore production exists in the United Kingdom, the North Sea, and Argentina. Looking into the future Apache plans to continue to explore other countries for new discoveries and development opportunities (â€Å"Apachecorp.com†, 2012). Environment The success of any business depends on the ability to adapt to the environment it operates in. As part of the oil and gas industry Apache Corporation operates in a global business environment known for its competitiveness. The company has shown growth in production thirty one of the last thirty three years and throughout those years change has been a constant companion. Wide swings in oil prices have become commonplace in the world today, the price of a barrel of oil changes almost daily. Operating in other countries means that political unrest and changes in government policies must be addressed, as well as oil industry regulations that are constantly evolving. Apache Corporation has withstood the changes in business environment for 57 years and remains committed to successfully embracing the changes yet to come. Technology Over the last 10 years the most significant technological advance for the industry has been the coupling of horizontal drilling with hydraulic fracturing techniques. This new method allows the development of resources that are trapped in shale and other areas that have been nearly impossible to mine in the past. Apache Corporation now applies this technology worldwide (â€Å"Apachecorp.com†, 2012). This method is also used by nearly all other companies in the industry including the comparison companies Devon and Anadarko. Financial Health According to the 2011 Apache Corporation Annual Report the company showed a profit for the year and the debt ratio is 0.22. One top competitor Anadarko Petroleum located in San Antonio Texas has a debt ratio of .65 and showed a loss for the 2011 year (â€Å"Hoovers†, 2012). A second top competitor Devon Energy located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma had a better year in 2011, this company did show a profit and their debt ratio is 0.48 (â€Å"Hoovers†, 2012). Within the gas and oil industry the overall financial status of Apache Corporation is sound. Working in a high risk industry the production risks are balanced by both geographic diversification and a mix of high and low risk properties in the portfolio (â€Å"Hoovers†, 2012). With approximately 3 billion barrels of oil equivalent in reserve Apache Corporation is positioned to maintain their current momentum. The natural gas product is sold most often at current market prices while the crude oil is marketed directly to integrated marketers and refineries. Contract terms are generally 30 days with automatic renewal until canceler at current market prices which change almost daily (â€Å"Apachecorp.com†, 2012). Apache Corporation has been exploring for and producing oil and gas products for over 50 years. The company has been successful and appears to be a sound investment. In this analysis we have reviewed the business environment, financial health and use of technology for Apache Corporation for the purpose of deciding whether or not to invest in the company. References http://www.apachecorp.com/Resources/Upload/file/investors/Apache_AR_2011.pdf Hoovers. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.hoovers.com/company/Apache_Corporation/rfrtif-1-1njea3.html Hoovers. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.hoovers.com/company/Devon_Energy_Corporation/rrxkxi-1-1njea5.html

The Twilight Saga 2: New Moon Chapter 12 INTRUDER

MY EYES FLEW WIDE OPEN WITH FRIGHT, THOUGH I WAS so exhausted and muddled that I was not yet positive whether I was awake or asleep. Something scratched against my window again with the same thin, high-pitched sound. Confused and clumsy with sleep, I stumbled out of my bed and to the window, blinking the lingering tears from my eyes on the way. A huge, dark shape wobbled erratically on the other side of the glass, lurching toward me like it was going to smash right through. I staggered back, terrified, my throat closing around a scream. Victoria. She'd come for me. I was dead. Not Charlie, too! I choked back the building scream. I would have to keep quiet through this. Somehow. I had to keep Charlie from coming to investigate And then a familiar, husky voice called from the dark shape. â€Å"Bella!† it hissed. â€Å"Ouch! Damn it, open the window! OUCH!† I needed two seconds to shake off the horror before I could move, but then I hurried to the window and shoved the glass out of the way. The clouds were dimly lit from behind, enough for me to make sense of the shapes. â€Å"What are you doing?† I gasped. Jacob was clinging precariously to the top of the spruce that grew in the middle of Charlie's little front yard. His weight had bowed the tree toward the house and he now swunghis legs dangling twenty feet above the groundnot a yard away from me. The thin branches at the tip of the tree scraped against the side of the house again with a grating squeal. â€Å"I'm trying to keep†he huffed, shifting his weight as the treetop bounced him†my promise!† I blinked my wet blurry eyes, suddenly sure that I was dreaming. â€Å"When did you ever promise to kill yourself falling out of Charlie's tree?† He snorted, unamused, swinging his legs to improve his balance. â€Å"Get out of the way,† he ordered. â€Å"What?† He swung his legs again, backwards and forward, increasing his momentum. I realized what he was ttying to do. â€Å"No, Jake!† But I ducked to the side, aecause it was too late. With a grunt, he launched himself toward my open window. Another scream built in my throat as I waited for him to fall to his deathor at least maim himself against the wooden siding. To my shock, he swung agilely into my room, landing on the balls of his feet with a low thud. We both looked to the door automatically, holding our breath, waiting to see if the noise had woken Charlie. A short moment of silence passed, and then we heard the muffled sound of Charlie's snore. A wide grin spread slowly across Jacob's face; he seemed extremely pleased with himself. It wasn't the grin that I knew and lovedit was a new grin, one that was a bitter mockery of his old sincerity, on the new face that belonged to Sam. That was a bit much for me. I'd cried myself to sleep over this boy. His harsh rejection had punched a painful new hole in what was left of my chest. He'd left a new nightmare behind him, like an infection in a sorethe insult after the injury. And now he was here in my room, smirking at me as if none of that had passed. Worse than that, even though his arrival had been noisy and awkward, it reminded me of when Edward used to sneak in through my window at night, and the reminder picked viciously at the unhealed wounds. All of this, coupled with the fact that I was dog-tired, did not put me in a friendly mood. â€Å"Get out!† I hissed, putting as much venom into the whisper as I could. He blinked, his face going blank with surprise. â€Å"No,† he protested. â€Å"I came to apologize.† â€Å"I don't accept!† I tried to shove him back out the windowafter all, if this was a dream, it wouldn't really hurt him. It was useless, though. I didn't budge him an inch. I dropped my hands quickly, and stepped away from him. He wasn't wearing a shirt, though the air blowing in the window was cold enough to make me shiver, and it made me uncomfortable to have my hands on his bare chest. His skin was burning hot, like his head had been the last time I'd touched him. Like he was still sick with the fever. He didn't look sick. He looked huge. He leaned over me, so big that he blacked out the window, tongue-tied by my furious reaction. Suddenly, it was just more than I could handleit felt as if all of my sleepless nights were crashing down on me en masse. I was so brutally tired that I thought I might collapse right there on the floor. I swayed unsteadily, and struggled to keep my eyes open. â€Å"Bella?† Jacob whispered anxiously. He caught my elbow as I swayed again, and steered me back to the bed. My legs gave out when I reached the edge, and I plopped into a limp heap on the mattress. â€Å"Hey, are you okay?† Jacob asked, worry creasing his forehead. I looked up at him, the tears not yet dried on my cheeks. â€Å"Why in the world would I be okay, Jacob?† Anguish replaced some of the bitterness in his face. â€Å"Right,† he agreed, and took a deep breath. â€Å"Crap. Well II'm so sorry, Bella.† The apology was sincere, no doubt about it, though there was still an angry twist to his features. â€Å"Why did you come here? I don't want apologies from you, Jake.† â€Å"I know,† he whispered. â€Å"But I couldn't leave things the way I did this afternoon. Thar was horrible. I'm sorry.† I shook my head wearily. â€Å"I don't understand anything.† â€Å"I know. I want to explain† He broke off suddenly, his mouth open, almost like something had cut off his air. Then he sucked in a deep breath. â€Å"But I can't explain,† he said, still angry. â€Å"I wish I could.† I let my head fall into my hands. My question came out muffled by my arm. â€Å"Why?† He was quiet for a moment. I twisted my head to the sidetoo tired to hold it upto see his expression. It surprised me. His eyes were squinted, his teeth clenched, his forehead wrinkled in effort. â€Å"What's wrong?† I asked. He exhaled heavily, and I realized he'd been holding his breath, too. â€Å"I can't do it,† he muttered, frustrated. â€Å"Do what?† He ignored my question. â€Å"Look, Bella, haven't you ever had a secret that you couldn't tell anyone?† He looked at me with knowing eyes, and my thoughts jumped immediately to the Cullens. I hoped my expression didn't look guilty. â€Å"Something you felt like you had to keep from Charlie, from your mom ?† he pressed. â€Å"Something you won't even talk about with me? Not even now?† I felt my eyes tighten. I didn't answer his question, though I knew he would take that as a confirmation. â€Å"Can you understand that I might have the same kind of situation?† He was struggling again, seeming to fight for the right words. â€Å"Sometimes, loyalty gets in the way of what you want to do. Sometimes, it's not your secret to tell.† So, I couldn't argue with that. He was exactly rightI had a secret that wasn't mine to tell, yet a secret I felt bound to protect. A secret that, suddenly, he seemed to know all about. I still didn't see how it applied to him, or Sam, or Billy. What was it to them, now that the Cullens were gone? â€Å"I don't know why you came here, Jacob, if you were just going to give me riddles instead of answers.† â€Å"I'm sorry,† he whispered. â€Å"This is so frustrating.† We looked at each other for a long moment in the dark room, both our faces hopeless. â€Å"The part that kills me,† he said abruptly, â€Å"is that you already know. I already told yon everything!† â€Å"What are you talking about?† He sucked in a startled breath, and then leaned toward me, his face shifting from hopelessness to blazing intensity in a second. He stared fiercely into my eyes, and his voice was fast and eager. He spoke the words right into my face; his breath was as hot as his skin. â€Å"I think I see a way to make this work outbecause you know this, Bella! I can't tell you, but if you guessed it! That would let me right off the hook!† â€Å"You want me to guess? Guess what?† â€Å"My secret! You can do ityou know the answer!† I blinked twice, trying to clear my head. I was so tired. Nothing he said made sense. He took in my blank expression, and then his face tensed with effort again. â€Å"Hole on, let me see if I give you some help,† he said. Whatever he was trying to do, it was so hard he was panting. â€Å"Help?† I asked, trying to keep up. My lids wanted to slip closed, but I forced them open. â€Å"Yeah,† he said, breathing hard. â€Å"Like clues.† He took my face in his enormous, too-warm hands and held it just a few inches from his. He stared into my eyes while he whispered, as if to communicate something besides the words he spoke. â€Å"Remember the first day we meton the beach in La Push?† â€Å"Of course I do.† â€Å"Tell me about it.† I took a deep breath and tried to concentrate. â€Å"You asked about my truck† He nodded, urging me on. â€Å"We talked about the Rabbit† â€Å"Keep going.† â€Å"We went for a walk down the beach† My cheeks were growing warm under his palms as I remembered, but he wouldn't notice, hot as his skin was. I'd asked him to walk with me, flirting ineptly but successfully, in order to pump him for information. He was nodding, anxious for more. My voice was nearly soundless. â€Å"You told me scary stories Quileute legends.† He closed his eyes and opened them again. â€Å"Yes.† The word was tense, fervent, like he was on the edge of something vital. He spoke slowly, making each word distinct. â€Å"Do you remember what I said?† Even in the dark, he must be able to see the change in the color of my face. How could I ever forget that? Without realizing what he was doing, Jacob had told me exactly what I needed to know that daythat Edward was a vampire. He looked at me with eyes that knew too much. â€Å"Think hard,† he told me. â€Å"Yes, I remember,† I breathed. He inhaled deeply, struggling. â€Å"Do you remember all the stor† He couldn't finish the question. His mouth popped open like something had stuck in his throat. â€Å"All the stories?† I asked. He nodded mutely. My head churned. Only one story really mattered. I knew he'd begun with others, but I couldn't remember the inconsequential prelude, especially not while my brain was so clouded with exhaustion. I started to shake my head. Jacob groaned and jumped off the bed. He pressed his fists against his forehead and breathed fast and angry. â€Å"You know this, you know this,† he muttered to himself. â€Å"Jake? Jake, please, I'm exhausted. I'm no good at this right now. Maybe in the morning† He took a steadying breath and nodded. â€Å"Maybe it will come back to you. I guess I understand why you only remember the one story,† he added in a sarcastic, bitter tone. He plunked back onto the mattress beside me. â€Å"Do you mind if I ask you a question about that?† he asked, still sarcastic. â€Å"I've been dying ro know.† â€Å"A question about what?† I asked warily. â€Å"About the vampire story I told you.† I stared at him with guarded eyes, unable to answer. He asked his question anyway. â€Å"Did you honestly not know?† he asked me, his voice turning husky. â€Å"Was I the one who told you what he was?† How did he know this? Why did he decide to believe, why now? My teeth clenched together. I stared back at him, no intention of speaking. He could see that. â€Å"See what I mean about loyalty?† he murmured, even huskier now. â€Å"It's the same for me, only worse. You can't imagine how tight I'm bound† I didn't like thatdidn't like the way his eyes closed as if he were in pain when he spoke of being bound. More than dislikeI realized I hated it, hated anything that caused him pain. Hated it fiercely. Sam's face filled my mind. For me, this was all essentially voluntary. I protected the Cullens' secret out of love; unrequited, but true. For Jacob, it didn't seem to be that way. â€Å"Isn't there any way for you to get free?† I whispered, touching the rough edge at the back of his shorn hair. His hands began to tremble, but he didn't open his eyes. â€Å"No. I'm in this for life. A life sentence.† A bleak laugh. â€Å"Longer, maybe.† â€Å"No, Jake,† I moaned. â€Å"What if we ran away? Just you and me. What if we left home, and left Sam behind?† â€Å"It's not something I can run away from, Bella,† he whispered. â€Å"I would run with you, though, if I could.† His shoulders were shaking now, too. He took a deep breath. â€Å"Look, I've got to leave.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"For one thing, you look like you're going to pass out at any second. You need your sleepI need you firing on all pistons. You're going to figure this out, you have to.† â€Å"And why else?† He frowned. â€Å"I had to sneak outI'm not supposed to see you. They've got to be wondering where I am.† His mouth twisted. â€Å"I suppose I should go let them know.† â€Å"You don't have to tell them anything,† I hissed. â€Å"All the same, I will.† The anger flashed hot inside me. â€Å"I hate them!† Jacob looked at me with wide eyes, surprised. â€Å"No, Bella. Don't hate the guys. It's not Sam's or any of the others' faults. I told you beforeit's me. Sam is actually well, incredibly cool. Jared and Paul are great, too, though Paul is kind of And Embry's always been my friend. Nothing's changed therethe only thing that hasn't changed. I feel really bad abour the things I used to think about Sam† â€Å"Sam was incredibly cool.† I glared at him in disbelief, but let it go. â€Å"Then why aren't you supposed to see me?† I demanded. â€Å"It's not safe,† he mumbled looking down. His words sent a thrill of fear through me. Did he know that, too? Nobody knew that besides me. But he was rightit was the middle of the night, the perfect time for hunting. Jacob shouldn't be here in my room. If someone came for me, I had 😠® be alone. â€Å"If I thought it was too too risky,† he whispered, â€Å"I wouldn't have come. But Bella,† he looked at me again, â€Å"I made you a promise. I had no idea it would be so hard to keep, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to try.† He saw the incomprehension in my face. â€Å"After that stupid movie,† he reminded me. â€Å"I promised you that I wouldn't ever hurt you So I really blew it this afternoon, didn't I?† â€Å"I know you didn't want to do it, Jake. It's okay.† â€Å"Thanks, Bella.† He took my hand. â€Å"I'm going to do what I can to be here for you, just like I promised.† He grinned at me suddenly. The grin was not mine, nor Sam's, but some strange combination of the two. â€Å"It would really help if you could figure this out on your own, Bella. Put some honest effort into it.† I made a weak grimace. â€Å"I'll try.† â€Å"And I'll try to see you soon.† He sighed. â€Å"And they'll try to talk me out of that.† â€Å"Don't listen to them.† â€Å"I'll try.† He shook his head, as if he doubted his success. â€Å"Come and tell me as soon as you figure it out.† Something occurred to him just then, something that made his hands shake. â€Å"If you if you want to.† â€Å"Why wouldn't I want to see you?† His face turned hard and bitter, one hundred percent the face that belonged to Sam. â€Å"Oh, I can think of a reason,† he said in a harsh tone. â€Å"Look, I really have to go. Could you do something for me?† I just nodded, frightened of the change in him. â€Å"At least call meif you don't want to see me again. Let me know if it's like that.† â€Å"That won't happen† He raised one hand, cutting me off. â€Å"Just let me know.† He stood and headed for the window. â€Å"Don't be an idiot, Jake,† I complained. â€Å"You'll break your leg. Use the door. Charlie's not going to catch you.† â€Å"I won't get hurt,† he muttered, but he turned for the door. He hesitated as he passed me, staring at me with an expression like something was stabbing him. He held one hand out, pleading. I took his hand, and suddenly he yanked metoo roughlyright off the bed so that I thudded against his chest. â€Å"Just in case,† he muttered against my hair, crushing me in a bear hug that about broke my ribs. â€Å"Can'tbreathe!† I gasped. He dropped me at once, keeping one hand at my waist so I didn't fall over. He pushed me, more gently this time, back down on the bed. â€Å"Get some sleep, Bells. You've got to get your head working. I know you can do this. I need you. to understand. I won't lose you, Bella. Not for this.† He was to the door in one stride, opening it quietly, and then disappearing through it. I listened for him to hit the squeaky step in the stairs, but there was no sound. I lay back on my bed, my head spinning. I was too confused, too worn out. I closed my eyes, trying to make sense of it, only to be swallowed up by unconsciousness so swiftly that it was disorienting. It was not the peaceful, creamless sleep I'd yearned forof course not. I was in the forest again, and I started to wander the way I always did. I quickly became aware that this was not the same dream as usual. For one thing, I felt no compulsion to wander or to search; I was merely wandering out of habit, because that was what was usually expected of me here. Actually, this wasn't even the same forest. The smell was different, and the light, too. It smelled, not like the damp earth of the woods, but like the brine of the ocean. I couldn't see the sky; still, it seemed like the sun must be shiningthe leaves above were bright jade green. This was the forest around La Pushnear the beach there, I was sure of it. I knew that if I found the beach, I would be able to see the sun, so I hurried forward, following the faint sound of waves in the distance. And then Jacob was there. He grabbed my hand, pulling me back toward the blackest part of the forest. â€Å"Jacob, what's wrong?† I asked. His face was the frightened face of a boy, and his hair was beautiful again, swept back into a ponytail on the nape of his neck. He yanked with all his strength, but I resisted; I didn't want to go into the dark. â€Å"Run, Bella, you have to run!† he whispered, terrified. The abrupt wave of deja vu was so strong it nearly woke me up. I knew why I recognized this place now. It was because I'd been here before, in another dream. A million years ago, part of a different life entirely. This was the dream I'd had the night after I'd walked with Jacob on the beach, the first night I knew that Edward was a vampire. Reliving that day with Jacob must have dredged this dream out of my buried memories. Detached from the dream now, I waited for it to play out. A light was coming toward me from the beach. In just a moment, Edward would walk through the trees, his skin faintly glowing and his eyes black and dangerous. He would beckon to me, and smile. He would be beautiful as an angel, and his teeth would be pointed and sharp But I was getting ahead of myself. Something else had to happen first. Jacob dropped my hand and yelped. Shaking and twitching, he fell to the ground at my feet. â€Å"Jacob!† I screamed, but he was gone. In his place was an enormous, red-brown wolf with dark, intelligent eyes. The dream veered off course, like a train jumping the tracks. This was not the same wolf that I'd dreamed of in another life. This was the great russet wolf I'd stood half a foot from in the meadow, just a week ago. This wolf was gigantic, monstrous, bigger than a bear. This wolf stared intently at me, trying to convey something vital with his intelligent eyes. The black-brown, familiar eyes of Jacob Black. I woke screaming at the top of my lungs. I almost expected Charlie to come check on me this time. This wasn't my usual screaming. I buried my head in my pillow and tried to muffle the hysterics that my screams were building into. J pressed the cotton tight against my face, wondering if I couldn't also somehow smother the connection I'd just made. But Charlie didn't come in. and eventually I was able to strangle the strange screeching coming out of my throat. I remembered it all nowevery word that Jacob had said to me that day on the beach, even the part before he got to the vampires, the â€Å"cold ones.† Especially that first part. â€Å"Do you know any of our old stories, about where we came fromthe Quileutes, I mean?† he asked. â€Å"Not really,† I admitted. â€Å"Well, there are lots of legends, some of them claiming to date back to the Floodsupposedly, the ancient Quileutes tied their canoes to the tops of the tallest trees on the mountain to survive, like Noah and the ark.† He smiled then, to show me how little stock he put in the histories. â€Å"Another legend claims that we descended from wolvesand that the wolves are our brothers still. It's against tribal law to kill them. â€Å"Then there are the stories about the cold ones.† His voice dropped a little lower. â€Å"The cold ones?† â€Å"Yes. There are stories of the cold ones as old as the wolf legends, and some much more recent. According to legend, my own great-grandfather knew some of them. He was the one who made the treaty that kept them off our land.† Jacob rolled his eyes. † Your great-grandfather?† â€Å"He was a tribal elder, like my father. You see, the cold ones are the natural enemies of the wolf well, not the wolf really, but the wolves that turn into men, like our ancestors. You would call them werewolves.† â€Å"Werewolves have enemies?† â€Å"Only one.† There was something stuck in my throat, choking me. I tried to swallow it down, but it was lodged there, un-moving. I tried to spit it out. â€Å"Werewolf,† I gasped. Yes, that was the word that I was choking on. The whole world lurched, tilting the wrong way on its axis. What kind of a place was this? Could a world really exist where ancient legends went wandering around the borders of tiny, insignificant towns, facing down mythical monsters? Did this mean every impossible fairy tale was grounded somewhere in absolute truth? Was there anything sane or normal at all, or was everything just magic and ghost stories? I clutched my head in my hands, trying to keep it from exploding. A small, dry voice in the back of my mind asked me what the big deal was. Hadn't I already accepted the existence of vampires long agoand without all the hysterics that time? Exactly, I wanted to scream back at the voice. Wasn't one myth enough for anyone, enough for a lifetime? Besides, there'd never been one moment that I wasn't completely aware that Edward Cullen was above and beyond the ordinary. It wasn't such a surprise to find out what he wasbecause he so obviously was something. But Jacob? Jacob, who was just Jacob, and nothing more than that? Jacob, my friend? Jacob, the only human I'd ever been able to relate to And he wasn't even human. I fought the urge to scream again. What did this say about me? I knew the answer to that one. It said that there was something deeply wrong with me. Why else would my life be filled with characters from horror movies? Why else would I care so much about them that it would tear big chunks right out of my chest when they went off along their mythical ways? In my head, everything spun and shifted, rearranging so that things that had meant one thing before, now meant something else. There was no cult. There had never been a cult, never been a gang. No, it was much worse than that. It was a pack. A pack of five mind-blowingly gigantic, multihued werewolves that had stalked right past me in Edward's meadow Suddenly, I was in a frantic hurry. I glanced at the clockit was way too early and I didn't care. I had to go to La Push now. I had to see Jacob so he could tell me that I hadn't lost my mind altogether. I pulled on the first clean clothes I could find, not bothering to be sure they matched, and took the stairs two at a time. I almost ran into Charlie as I skidded into the hallway, headed for the door. â€Å"Where are you going?† he asked, as surprised to see me as I was to see him. â€Å"Do you know what time it is?† â€Å"Yeah. I have to go see Jacob.† â€Å"I thought the thing with Sam† â€Å"That doesn't matter, I have to talk to him right now.† â€Å"It's pretty early.† He frowned when my expression didn't change. â€Å"Don't you want breakfast?† â€Å"Not hungry.† The words flew through my lips. He was blocking my path to the exit. I considered ducking around him and making a run for it, but I knew I would have to explain that to him later. â€Å"I'll be back soon, okay?† Charlie frowned. â€Å"Straight to Jacob's house, right? No stops on the way?† â€Å"Of course not, where would I stop?† My words were running together in my hurry. â€Å"I don't know,† he admitted. â€Å"It's just well, there's been another attackthe wolves again. It was real close to the resort by the hot springsthere's a witness this time. The victim was only a dozen yards from the road when he disappeared. His wife saw a huge gray wolf just a few minutes later, while she was searching for him, and ran for help.† My stomach dropped like I'd hit a corkscrew on a roller coaster. â€Å"A wolf attacked him?† â€Å"There's no sign of himjust a little blood again.† Charlie's face was pained. â€Å"The rangers are going out armed, taking armed volunteers. There're a lot of hunters who are eager to be involvedthere's a reward being offered for wolf carcasses. That's going to mean a lot of firepower out there in the forest, and it worries me.† He shook his head. â€Å"When people get too excited, accidents happen† â€Å"They're going to shoot the wolves?† My voice shot through three octaves. â€Å"What else can we do? What's wrong?† he asked, his tense eyes studying my face. I felt faint; I must be whiter than usual. â€Å"You aren't turning into a tree-hugger on me, are you?† I couldn't answer. If he hadn't been watching me, I would have put my head between my knees. I'd forgotten about the missing hikers, the bloody paw prints I hadn't connected those facts to my first realization. â€Å"Look, honey, don't let this scare you. Just stay in town or on the highwayno stopsokay?† â€Å"Okay,† I repeated in a weak voice. â€Å"I've got to go.† I looked at him closely for the first time, and saw that he had his gun strapped to his waist and hiking boots on. â€Å"You aren't going out there after the wolves, are you, Dad?† â€Å"I've got to help, Bells. People are disappearing.† My voice shot up again, almost hysterical now. â€Å"No! No, don't go. It's too dangerous!† â€Å"I've got to do my job, kid. Don't be such a pessimistI'll be fine.† He turned for the door, and held it open. â€Å"You leaving?† I hesitated, my stomach still spinning in uncomfortable loops. What could I say to stop him? I was too dizzy to think of a solution. â€Å"Bells?† â€Å"Maybe it's too early to go to La Push,† I whispered. â€Å"I agree,† he said, and he stepped out into the rain, shutting the door behind him. As soon as he was out of sight, I dropped to the floor and put my head between my knees. Should I go after Charlie? What would I say? And what about Jacob? Jacob was my best friend; I needed to warn him. If he really was aI cringed and forced myself to think the wordwerewolf (and I knew it was true, I could feel it), then people would be shooting at him! I needed to tell him and his friends that people would try to kill them if they went running around like gigantic wolves. I needed to tell them to stop. They had to stop! Charlie was out there in the woods. Would they care about that? I wondered Up until now, only strangers had disappeared. Did that mean anything, or was it just chance? I needed to believe that Jacob, at least, would care about that. Either way, I had to warn him. Or did I? Jacob was my best friend, but was he a monster, too? A real one? A bad one? Should I warn him, if he and his friends were were murderers! If they were out slaughtering innocent hikers in cold blood? If they were truly creatures from a horror movie in every sense, would it be wrong to protect them? It was inevitable that I would have to compare Jacob and his friends to the Cullens. I wrapped my arms around my chest, fighting the hole, while I thought of them. I didn't know anything about werewolves, clearly. I would have expected something closer to the moviesbig hairy half-men creatures or somethingif I'd expected anything at all. So I didn't know what made them hunt, whether hunger or thirst or just a desire to kill. It was hard to judge, not knowing that. But it couldn't be worse than what the Cullens endured in their quest to be good. I thought of Esmethe tears started when I pictured her kind, lovely faceand how, as motherly and loving as she was, she'd had to hold her nose, all ashamed, and run from me when I was bleeding. It couldn't be harder than that. I thought of Carlisle, the centuries upon centuries that he had struggled to teach himself to ignore blood, so that he could save lives as a doctor. Nothing could be harder than that. The werewolves had chosen a different path. Now, what should I choose?