Thursday Caption Contest - January 7th

Hes cool, hes smart, and his voice aint half bad, either. So, in this picture of John Legend about to graduate from UPenn, whats running through his mind? Let us know what you think in the comments section below. We’ll pick our three favorites, taking into account the number of likes your submission gets (hint: it helps to share)!Winner gets a $20 Amazon Gift Card, $20 in site credits, plus bragging rights. The two runners-up each get $10 in credits to apply towardsunlocking successfulapplication examplesand/or chatting withmentors. Contest ends Thursday, December 10th. Three submissions max. Congrats tolast weeks winners!

Comparing the Hydrogen Bomb and the Atomic Bomb

Comparing the Hydrogen Bomb and the Atomic Bomb A hydrogen bomb and an atomic bomb are both types of nuclear weapons, but the two devices are very different from each other. In a nutshell, an atomic bomb is a fission device, while a hydrogen bomb uses fission to power a fusion reaction. In other words, an atomic bomb can be used as a trigger for a hydrogen bomb. Take a look at the definition of each type of bomb and understand the distinction between them. Atomic Bomb An atomic bomb or A-bomb is a nuclear weapon that explodes due to the extreme energy released by nuclear fission. For this reason, this type of bomb is also known as a fission bomb. The word atomic isnt strictly accurate since its just the nucleus of the atom that is involved in fission (its protons and neutrons), rather than the entire atom or its electrons. A material capable of fission (fissile material) is given supercritical mass, while is the point at which fission occurs. This can be achieved by either compressing sub-critical material using explosives or by shooting one part of a sub-critical mass into another one. The fissile material is enriched uranium or plutonium. The energy output of the reaction can range to the equivalent of about a ton of the explosive TNT up to 500 kilotons of TNT. The bomb also releases radioactive fission fragments, which result from the heavy nuclei breaking into smaller ones. Nuclear fallout mainly consists of fission fragments. Hydrogen Bomb A hydrogen bomb or H-bomb is a type of nuclear weapon that explodes from the intense energy released by nuclear fusion. Hydrogen bombs may also be called thermonuclear weapons. The energy results from the fusion of isotopes of hydrogen- deuterium and tritium. A hydrogen bomb relies on the energy released from a fission reaction to  heat and compress the hydrogen to trigger fusion, which can also generate additional fission reactions. In a large thermonuclear device, about half of the yield of the device comes from fission of depleted uranium. The fusion reaction doesnt really contribute to fallout, but because the reaction is triggered by fission and causes further fission, H-bombs generate at least as much fallout as atomic bombs. Hydrogen bombs can have much higher yields than atomic bombs, equivalent to megatons of TNT. The Tsar Bomba, the largest nuclear weapon ever detonated, was a hydrogen bomb with a 50 megaton yield. Comparisons Both types of nuclear weapons release vast quantities of energy from a small amount of matter and release most of their energy from fission, and produce radioactive fallout. The hydrogen bomb has a potentially higher yield and is a more complicated device to construct. Other Nuclear Devices In addition to atomic bombs and hydrogen bombs, there are other types of nuclear weapons: neutron bomb: A neutron bomb, like a hydrogen bomb, is a thermonuclear weapon. The explosion from a neutron bomb is relatively small, but a large number of neutrons are released. While living organisms are killed by this type of device, less fallout is produced and physical structures are more likely to remain intact. salted bomb: A salted bomb is a nuclear bomb surrounded by cobalt, gold, other other material such that detonation produces a large amount of long-lived radioactive fallout. This type of weapon could potentially serve as a doomsday weapon, since the fall-out could eventually gain global distribution. pure fusion bomb: Pure fusion bombs are nuclear weapons that produce a fusion reaction without the aid of a fission bomb trigger. This type of bomb would not release significant radioactive fallout. electromagnetic pulse weapon (EMP): This is a bomb intended to produce a nuclear electromagnetic pulse, which can disrupt electronic equipment. A nuclear device detonated in the atmosphere emits an electromagnetic pulse spherically. The goal of such a weapon is to damage electronics over a wide area. antimatter bomb: An antimatter bomb would release energy from the annihilation reaction that results when matter and antimatter interact. Such a device has not been produced because of the difficulty synthesizing significant quantities of antimatter.

Economic Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Economic Development - Essay Example Therefore, in most developing countries, a wide gap can be seen between the rich and the poor unlike that in the developed nations. This gap widens more as long as rural development is ignored by economists and politicians. But there is a sudden change being experienced in the approach of economists and intellectuals. Those who have merely ignored the rural development in the past are now propagating for its development. Next sections of the essay will analyze the reasons behind ignoring rural development and the sudden change of approach. Reasons for Change of Approach Rural development mainly refers to the role of agriculture for the development of the nation. â€Å"Agriculture constitutes the main source of employment of the majority of the world’s poor. In total, the share of agriculture in total employment in developing countries constitutes 53% of the total workforce in 2004. In Sub-Saharan Africa 60% of the economically active population works in the agricultural secto r.† (Meijerink & Roza, 2007). This shows that agriculture or rural sector is the back bone of many developing economies. But the increased importance given to the industrialization opened up many industries and reduced the share of agriculture to the overall economic growth. Agriculture gradually became less attractive for the economies. This made the economists and intellectuals to reduce the focus on rural areas. But now economists and governments are seemed to be increasing their focus on rural development especially in developing countries. Some of the disadvantage of urbanization and industrialization helped them for this late realization. The main factors that lead to the change of approach are as follows: 1. Poverty 2. Unbalanced growth 3. Food Security 4. Lack of Infrastructure 5. Rural Marketing Poverty: Increased poverty in the rural area is the main reasons for this change of approach. Poverty is seen as a drawback for the development of a nation. Overall developmen t of an economy is not possible if there is a considerable percentage of poor among the population. Eradicating poverty became the major agenda of many countries. While looking back to the 19th century, economists realized that irrespective of the size of the nation, the sole factor that drove the economy was agriculture. But somewhere with the advent of technologies, countries reduced the focus on agriculture. This is one of the reasons that helped the economists to change their mind. Unbalanced Growth: In most developing countries, there is a wide gap between rich and the poor. Though such countries are recording tremendous economic progress, it could not be categorized as a developed nation when there is an unbalanced growth in the economy. Majority of the population should experience more or less similar growth and living conditions for a balanced growth in the economy. Food Security: Another major reason for the change of approach of the economists is food security. â€Å"At i ts June 2003 summit, the G8 group of countries recognized the need to increase investment in rural and agricultural development to achieve lasting food security. It pledged to reverse the decline in ODA for agriculture and to increase trade opportunities for developing countries.† (Bage, 2004) Food security is now a cause of concern for many countries. As a result of this, countries are increasing their respective funding to the agriculture sector in order to

Developing Marketing Capability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Developing Marketing Capability - Essay Example What are their approaches, challenges, needs and ambitions to structure a marketing function The aim is to identify the relationship between marketing and organization performance, which is to assert marketing as a significant business function. Objectives Challenges faced by organizing in measuring marketing performance. To organize a marketing function in order to bring competitive advantage and true organizational success. To align marketing function with organizational goals, structure, capabilities and resources. This is to bring competitive advantage and success for the organization. Organizational Challenges in measuring Marketing Performance In an objective to improve marketing performance, organizations first have to measure marketing performance (Richardson, 2012). Without assessing or measuring performance organizations cannot get on with the improvement of capability, skill or performance. There are certain major challenges which organizations face in measuring marketing performance (Shaw & Pont, 2003). Likewise there are challenges to measure intangible customer value, loyalty or marketing outcome which inevitably leads organizations to incomplete assessment. Similarly, by setting numerical data as performance measures bring incomplete information on assessment (Gronholdt & Martensen, 2006). Relatively big financial data feeds like return on investment, balance sheet, or profit or loss statements do not provide the real sketch of marketing, which eventually give distractive information. Moreover more operational activity of marketing does not mean it is performing well as if the marketers are found busy does not mean that there work is productive or based on outcomes (profits or revenues). Intensive marketing does not allocate productive marketing, and hence cannot be taken as a performance measure (Shaw & Pont, 2003). To access marketing performance organizations have to find a purposive method, in which first thing is to set a right performance m etrics. For measuring marketing performance there are different metrics which can reflect the operational and functional performance of marketing (Gronholdt & Martensen, 2006). In the most adaptive metrics used in critical evaluation of marketing performance are activity based metrics. This may include metrics of numerical counting and control and in-depth reporting to scan the intrinsic performance of the function (Raab, 2009). The most adaptive metrics include rate of customer acquisition, customer engagement, events successes, popularity of labels, and competitive brand reception respectively. There are certain limitations behind such metrics as they all are intangible but to a great extend provide the explicit information of how the marketing functioning is performing (Gronholdt & Martensen, 2006). Similarly, a well reported system is itself a performance scanner for marketing. When organizations demand performance assessment, it means they have well organized and well establish ed reporting systems (DCI, 2004). Such systems are obligatory, obligatory in terms of intensive reporting, periodic reporting and reporting with respect to each marketing activity. With time to time reporting, the whole picture comes out on front giving a projection of marketing delays, inefficiencies or unproductiveness (DCI, 2004). Organizations which imply MPM (marketing performa

The Meaning of Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Meaning of Life - Essay Example In my understanding, an absurd man should live freely and not within the limits of any rules. The world is indescribable (due to its chaotic nature) hence everyone is free to describe absurd art in his/her own way. In order What is the meaning of life? This is the most fundamental question for everyone, from the complicated philosopher to a 5 year old child. All the other queries, whether the sun goes around the moon or not and if there is life on other celestial bodies come second to the purpose of existence. What some refer to as their reason for living also serves as their reason for death. For example, many there are many reports of people committing suicide from losing their loved ones. Others like Jesus’ disciples willingly chose death over giving up their Christianity. Suicide, on the other hand, results from the realization of the lack of purpose of one’s life. Everyone looks towards tomorrow with hope and death in the juxtaposition. As Bertrand Russell stated, â€Å"†¦all the labors of the ages, all the devotion, all the inspiration, all the noonday brightness of human genius, are destined to extinction in the vast death of the solar system, and the whole temple of man's achievement must inevitably be buried beneath the debris of a universe in ruins†¦only on the firm foundation of this unyielding despair, can the soul?s habitation henceforth be safely built† (Bertrand Russell). In the pursuit of a purpose for existence, there are only two conclusions; there is no meaning in life and the purpose of life lies only in the hands of God who exists beyond physicality. Still, from the first conclusion arises another query; does the lack of meaning in life mean that it is not worth living? If ‘yes’ is the answer to this question, suicide is the next action logical to take. There, however, arises a third option; what if a person accepts to pursue a life with no purpose? A person who lacks faith in a supernatural deity can never find any reconciliation with the absurdity of life and those who claim to do so, only end up committing ‘philosophical suicide’. In philosophical suicide, a person acknowledges the lack of order and meaninglessness of the world yet at the same time, tries to assign himself or any other member of humanity a purpose in life. Living in absurdity (accepting the meaninglessness of life) is possible but requires constant awareness of its presence. Examples of abstract lives, those lived by seducers who engage in the short term passions of life and actors who impersonate numerous personalities. In an absurd life, one does not try to explain the purpose of his/her experiences, but simply enjoys life’s freeness like NikoKzantzakis when he said, -â€Å"As I watched the seagulls, I thought: â€Å"That?s the road to take; find the absolute rhythm and follow it with absolute trust† (Nikos Kzantzakis). Is there any importance in the question? Everyone, wheth er consciously or not, has an insatiable appetite to know the truth of this unfamiliar existence. As T.S. Eliot stated, "We shall not cease from our exploration and the end of all

Management Accounting Case Study

Management Accounting Case Study INTRODUCTION: This is a report of management accounting will focus more on cost and budget. According to reports, the issue of cost method, information analysis, computation, theory and applications of gold companies that can help readers may clear understanding of this topic. The problem in making the cost of the largest organizations will also be mentioned in the report. Moreover, there are many examples of information expected costs for the next year and analyze the information that can make the reader practical experience in accounting environment. I. Identify and classify the different types of costs incurred in Wine Company 1. Cost classification The cost classification is divided into three categories called cost classification for stock valuation and profit measurement, cost classification for decision making and classification for the control. According Vang Company, they have adopted the classification of expenses for stock valuation and profit measurement that can help them make the kind of cost-effective and also predict risk or revenue for their future. There have costs that are present in all organizations can help accountants can easily calculate the cost of an organization. Accordingly, the cost will be divided into direct material costs, direct labor costs and direct costs for each corresponding indirect. Moreover, the cost also refers to a number of other costs such as administration overhead, high on S D, production costs and time costs. ( Case Study ) 1.1 Direct costs Direct costs means costs that are directly attributable to production of a product or service provider. A direct costs include direct material costs, direct labor costs and other direct costs ( financial accounting and management financial statements, p6, 2010 ) . The first is the direct material costs. Direct material costs are the direct costs of materials used to make and sell products or provide services ( financial accounting and management financial statements, p7, 2010 ). At Vang Company, because this is a company specializing in producing custom t-shirts for corporate events, family and group, they should have sufficient material to produce t-shirts as fabric, sewing. So to have the documents, the company needs to pay for the provider. Next is the direct labor costs. Direct labor costs are the specific costs of employees or workers directly used in the production of goods and services ( Ukessays, 2014 ). Direct labor costs include salaries, wages, allowances and deductions from wages as social insurance, health insurance. According to the law of Vietnam, workers minimum wage is 1,150,000 VND / month. At Vang Company, has 25 employees, including 21 in production and 4 in management and sales ( Vang Company Case Study, 2014 ). So Vang Company must pay their employees at least 1,150,000 VND / month and can pay more depending on the job level ( Wikipedia, 2013 ) . Direct expenses are part of the direct costs that are spent in making a product or providing a particular service, or run a department ( financial accounting and management financial statements, p7, 2010 ). To ensure the quality of T shirts, Vang Company using electric sewing machine to sew and hand silk screen printed. Using the device s power costs incurred to produce T -shirts ( case studies vang Company, 2014 ). They are tools to be purchased or leased by Vang Corporation to make T -shirts . 1.2 Indirect costs : Indirect costs or overhead costs include indirect costs that material, indirect salary costs, indirect costs, administration costs, S D costs . Indirect materials related to products, but not derived from the finished product. That the documents without material used as direct but it also helps to finished product. For example : A number of indirect materials in their wine companies are sewing machines, chemicals for cleaning cloth or machine, scissors, gloves protect workers when they work or some tools that can help to determine product . Indirect salary costs for wages that but it is not related to the production process and to not participate in the product. For example : Vang Company also need to pay for the management, monitoring and help them search activities and enterprises but they do not work on the product line. The security and cleaner for Vang company also not working on product activity so that Vang company also have indirect wages for them. Indirect costs which are not charged directly to production ( management accounting and financial statements, 2010). Vang companies also pay insurance for employees, their production and also pay rent for the old buildings that they rent for offices and factories . The administration costs that the costs related to the management and operation of the company ( SmallBusiness, 2014 ). For example, Vang Company will pay the wages office concluded wages of secretaries, accountants and also they have to pay rent, rates, insurance, light, sanitation, telephone, portal, bank charges, legal costs . The S D costs, including marketing materials, advertising, packaging, salary and commission sales staff, rent, rate, insurance, cost of product delivery Vang company. They also change the quality and packaging of individual products are wrapped in recycled brown paper bag 1.3: Fixed cost, step cost, variable cost and semi-variable costs: Fixed cost is a cost which remains constant within a certain level of output or sales is unaffected by changes in the level of activity (Finance management accounting and financial reporting, p11, 2010). Figure 1: Graph of fixed cost (Google, no date) In Vang Company, the fixed cost could be salary of employees, the rent of factory building and equipment. However, in Vang company case study, fixed factory cost changed from 2006 to 2008. It increased from 20,000$ to 30,000$ in 3 years. This proves that the economy is not stable. Step cost is fixed cost when paying company but costs have risen because of the increase of production volume or something it might be reduced because of reduced production volumes. The cost steps can occur due to the companys expansion. For example: For Vang company if they received more T-shirt from customers that they will make more t-shirts, and they need to have more staff will make them increase the cost or they need to hire to plant because the increase of the laborers. Variable cost is a cost of labor or material change with activity level (Rosemary Peavler, 2014). In Vang Company, variable costs include raw materials, packaging, and labor directly involved in the production process of the company. Variable cost plants raised from $ 70,000 to $ 120,000 in 3 years from 2006 to 2008 (Case Vang Company, 2014). Figure 3: Graph of variable cost (Google, no date) Semi-variable cost are the costs that contain fixed cost and variable cost components. For example: Vang company also need to pay salary (fixed cost) and commission (variable cost) for salesperson and its a semi-variable cost. Figure 5 : Semi-variable cost (google)

Claude Debussy and Ludwig van Beethoven Essay -- music, composer, clas

Dmitri Shostakovich, a 20th century Russian composer and pianist, once said, â€Å"A creative artist works on his next composition because he was not satisfied with his previous one." Is this why composers can compose many pieces in such a short life span? Take Claude Debussy for example. He composed 141 pieces even though he only lived for 56 years. And what about the great Ludwig van Beethoven? He composed 138 pieces although he only lived for 56 years and despite the fact that he began to lose his hearing at the age of 29. But how do these two great composers have the inspiration of writing song after song without running out of ideas? Well, the appropriate word to describe all of this is â€Å"influence†. Of course, Debussy and Beethoven had their own trademarks in the music world but they do share some similarities in their works. Many people know that Debussy and Beethoven composed many great classical works but they did compose some ‘jazz like’ works over their music career. Noted composer, scholar, and educator Gunther Schuller wrote an article entitled â€Å"Jazz on Classical: Classical on Jazz†. In this article, he mentioned that jazz musicians of today and yesteryear have been attracted to works by classical composers and have drawn upon the inventive usage of harmonies employed by classical composers, including Debussy and Beethoven. Debussy had a profound impact on contemporary soundtrack composers such as John Williams because Debussy's colorful and evocative style translated easily into an emotional language for use in motion picture scores. Unfortunately, Gunther Schuller did not follow Beethoven’s influence on today’s jazz artists. He did not write more about his influences toward jazz (Schuller,2013). One thing that bo... .../www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/2013. Last accessed 23 Oct 2013. Chronicle of Jazz. (2013). Changing Modes. Available: http://www.abbeville.com/jazz/146.asp. Last accessed 21 Oct 2013. Emerson, R. (2013). Quotes. Available: http://danthemans.squidoo.com/favourite-quotes-about-strength. Last accessed 23 Oct 2013. Famous People. (2013). Claude Debussy. Available: http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/claude-debussy-400.php. Last accessed 22 Oct 2013. Kamien, R. (2011). Music An Appreciation. New York: McGraw-Hill. 374-377. Pearson Education. (2013). Claude Achille Debussy. Available: http://infoplease/com/encyclopedia/people/debussy-claude-achille.html. Last accessed 21 Oct 2013. Schuller, G. (2013). Jazz on Classical: Classical on Jazz. Available: http://www.boosey.com/cr/news/Jazz-on-Classical-Classical-on-Jazz/11351. Last accessed 26 Oct 2013.

The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove Chapter 32~33

Thirty-two Catfish and Estelle â€Å"That was a good guitar,† Catfish said. He had his arms around Estelle, who had pressed her face to his chest when the monster attacked Winston Krauss. â€Å"I didn't realize,† Estelle said. â€Å"I didn't think it would do that.† Catfish stroked her hair. â€Å"That was a good car too. That car never broke.† Estelle pushed Catfish away and looked in his eyes. â€Å"You knew, didn't you?† â€Å"What I knew is that boy wanted to get up close to a sea monster and that's what he got. Case you didn't notice, he was happy when it happened.† â€Å"What now?† â€Å"I think we ought to get you home, girl. You got some paintings gonna come out of this.† â€Å"Home? Are you coming with me?† â€Å"I ain't got no car to go anywhere. I guess I am.† â€Å"You're going to stay? You're not afraid of losing the Blues and getting content?† Catfish grinned, and there was that gold tooth with the eighth note cut in it, glistening in the morning sunshine. â€Å"Dragon done ate my car, my guitar, my amp – girl, I got me enough Blues to last a good long time. I'm thinkin I'll write me some new songs while you makin your paintings.† â€Å"I'd like that,† Estelle said. â€Å"I'd like to paint the Blues.† â€Å"Long as you don't go cuttin your ear off like old Vincent. A man finds a one-eared woman stone unattractive.† Estelle pulled him tight. â€Å"I'll do my best.† â€Å"Course, there was a woman I knowed down Memphis way, name of Sally, had only one leg. Called her One Leg Sally†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I don't want to hear it.† â€Å"What you wanna hear?† â€Å"I want to hear the door closing behind us, the fire crackling in the stove, and the teakettle just coming to a whistle while my lovin man picks out ‘Walkin' Man's Blues' on a National steel guitar.† â€Å"You easy,† Catfish said. â€Å"I thought you liked that,† she said, and she took his spidery hand in hers and led him up over the bluff to find a ride home. Theo and Molly Theo had never felt quite so overwhelmed in his entire life. He sensed that the excitement and the danger of it all was over, but he still felt as if a beast every bit as intimidating as the one that had just sunk into the sea was looming over him. He didn't know if he had a job, or for that matter a home, since his cabin had been part of his pay. He didn't even have his bong collection and victory garden to crawl into. He was confused and horrified by what had just happened, but not relieved that it was over. He stood there, not ten feet from where Molly Michon was standing in the surf, and he had no idea what the rest of his life had to offer him. â€Å"Hey,† he called. â€Å"You okay?† He watched her nod without turning around. The waves were breaking in front of her and foam and sea-weed was splashing up over her thighs, yet she stood there solid, staring out to sea. â€Å"You going to be okay?† Without turning, she said, â€Å"I haven't been okay for years. Ask anybody.† â€Å"Matter of opinion. I think you're okay.† Now she looked over her shoulder at him, her hair in a tangle from the wind, tear tracks down her face. â€Å"Really?† â€Å"I'm a huge fan.† â€Å"You had never heard of my movies until you came to my trailer, had you?† â€Å"Nope. I'm a huge fan, though.† She turned and walked out of the surf toward him, and a smile was breaking there on her face. A smile with too much history to it, but a smile nonetheless. â€Å"The narrator says you did good,† she said. â€Å"The narrator?† Theo found himself smiling too, as close to crying as he had come since his father had died, but smiling nonetheless. â€Å"Yeah, it's this voice I hear when I don't take my meds for a while. He's kind of a prick, but he's got a better sense of judgment than I do.† She was right there in front of him now – looking up at him, a hand on her hip, a challenge in that movie-star smile – looking more like Kendra the Warrior Babe than she ever had in the posters, the five-inch-long scar standing glorious over her left breast, seawater and grime streaking her body, a look in her eyes that comes from watching your future get nuked – repeatedly. She took his breath away. â€Å"Do you think the three of us could go out to dinner sometime?† â€Å"I'm on the rebound, you know?† His heart sank. â€Å"I understand.† She walked around him and started up the bluff. He followed her, understanding for the first time how the pilgrims had felt following the Sea Beast to the cave. â€Å"I didn't say no,† Molly said. â€Å"I just thought you ought to know. The narrator is warning me not to talk about my ex over dinner.† His heart soared. â€Å"I think a lot of people are going to be talking about your ex.† â€Å"You're not intimidated?† â€Å"Of course. But not by him.† â€Å"The narrator says it's a bad idea. Says the two of us put together might make one good loser.† â€Å"Wow, he is a prick.† â€Å"I'll get some meds from Dr. Val and he'll go away.† â€Å"You're sure that's good idea?† â€Å"Yeah,† she said, turning back to him again before climbing up to where the pilgrims waited. â€Å"I'd like to be alone with you.† Skinner What the man in the driver's seat didn't seem to understand was that as far as this Mercedes was concerned, Skinner was the alpha male. The man smelled of fear and anger and aggression, as well as gunpowder and sweat, and Skinner didn't like him from the moment he got into the car: Skinner's new mobile territory. So Skinner had to show him, and he did so in the traditional way, by clamping his jaws over the Challenger's throat and waiting for him to take a submissive posture. The man had struggled and even hit Skinner, but hadn't said bad-dog, bad-dog, so Skinner just growled and tightened his jaws until he tasted blood and the man was still. Skinner was still waiting for the Challenger to submit when the Tall Guy opened the car door. â€Å"Good dog, Skinner. Good dog,† Theo said. â€Å"Get this fucking animal off me,† the Challenger said. Skinner wagged his tail and tightened his jaws until the Challenger made a gurgling sound. The Tall Guy scratched his ears and put some metal on the Challenger's paws. â€Å"Let go now, Skinner,† the Tall Guy said. â€Å"I've got him.† Skinner let go and licked Theo's face before the constable dragged the sheriff out onto the ground and stood on the back of his neck with one foot. The Tall Guy tasted like lizard spit. That was strange. Skinner considered it a moment, then his doggie attention span ran out and he bounded out of the car to go see what the Food Guy was doing in the back of the truck. The Tall Guy's female was breaking out the back window of the truck with a metal stick. Skinner barked at her, trying to tell her not to hurt the Food Guy. Good Guys â€Å"Is the creature still there?† Gabe asked Molly as he climbed out of the back of the Suburban. Skinner was frisking and jumping on him, and with the handcuffs he couldn't ward off the damp affection. â€Å"Down, boy. Down.† â€Å"No, he's gone,† Molly said as she helped Val and Howard out of the Suburban. She nodded to Val. â€Å"Hi, Doc. I think I've had an episode or something. You'll have to debrief me in session or something.† Valerie Riordan nodded. â€Å"I'll check my calendar.† Theo came around the back of the Mercedes. â€Å"You guys okay?† â€Å"You have your key?† Gabe asked, turning his back to Theo to show the handcuffs. â€Å"We heard shots,† Val said. â€Å"Did†¦?† â€Å"One of the SWAT team is dead. Burton shot him. A few of your patients are scraped and bruised, but they'll be okay. Winston Krauss was eaten.† â€Å"Eaten?† The color ran out of Val's face. â€Å"Long story, Val,† Theo said. â€Å"Mavis set it all up after you guys left. Catfish and Estelle came in and drew the monster out. Winston was sort of the bait.† â€Å"Oh my god!† Val said. â€Å"She said something about my not being in trouble.† Theo held his finger to his lips to shush her, then nodded to where Sheriff Burton lay on the ground. â€Å"It never happened, Val. None of it. I don't know a thing.† He spun her around and unlocked her handcuffs. Then did the same for Gabe and Howard. The gaunt restaurateur seemed more morose than usual. â€Å"I had really hoped to lay eyes on the creature.† â€Å"Me too,† said Gabe, putting his arm around Valerie. â€Å"Sorry,† Theo said. To Val he said, â€Å"The reporters from those helicopters are going to be here in a few minutes. If I were you, I'd get out of here.† He handed her the keys to the Mercedes. â€Å"The district attorney is sending a deputy to pick up Burton, so I'm going to stay here. Will you give Molly a ride back into town?† â€Å"Of course,† Val said. â€Å"What are you going to tell the reporters?† â€Å"I don't know,† Theo said. â€Å"Deny everything, I guess. It depends on what they ask and what they got on tape. Having lived most my life in denial, I may be perfectly suited for dealing with them.† â€Å"I'm sorry I was – I'm sorry I doubted your abilities, Theo.† â€Å"So did I, Val. I'll call you guys and let you know what's going on.† Gabe called Skinner and they loaded into the Mercedes, leaving Theo and Molly facing each other. Theo looked at his shoes. â€Å"I guess I'll be seeing you.† She stretched up and kissed him on the cheek. Then without a word she crawled into the back of the Mercedes with Howard and Skinner and closed the door. Theo watched them back away, then turn and head across the pasture and out of the cattle gate. â€Å"You're going down with me, Crowe!† Burton screamed from the ground. Theo spotted something shiny lying in the grass near the back of the Suburban and went over to it. It was Molly's broadsword. He felt a smile breaking out as he picked it up and went over to where Burton was lying. â€Å"You have the right to remain silent,† Theo said. â€Å"I suggest you exercise that right. Immediately.† Theo plunged the sword into the ground half an inch from Burton's face and watched the sheriff's eyes go wide. Thirty-three Winter Winter in Pine Cove is a pause, a timeout, an extended coffee break. A slowness comes over the town and people stop their cars in the street to talk with a passing neighbor without worrying about a tourist honking his horn so he can get on with his relaxing vacation (damn it!). Waiters and hotel clerks go to part-time shifts and money slows to a creep. Couples spend their nights at home in front of the fireplace as the smell of rain-washed wood smoke fills the air, and single people resolve to move somewhere where life is a full-time sport. Winter near the shore is cold. The wind kicks up a salty mist and elephant seals come to shore to trumpet and rut and birth their pups. Retired people put sweaters on their lap dogs and drag them down the street on retractable leashes in a nightly parade of doggie humiliation. Surfers don their wetsuits against the chill of storm waves and white sharks adjust their diets to in-clude shrink-wrapped dude-snacks on fiberglass crackers. But the chill is crisp and forgiving and settles in a way so that the town's collective metab-olism can slow into semihibernation without a shock. At least that's the way it is most winters. After the coming of the Sea Beast, winter was a juggernaut, a party, an irritation and a windfall. News footage from the helicopters was beamed out over satellites and Pine Cove displaced Roswell, New Mexico, as the number one crackpot travel destination. There wasn't much on the tapes, just a crowd of people gathered on the shore and the fuzzy image of something large in the water, but with the footprints and the eyewitness accounts, it was enough. Shops filled with cheesy ser-pent souvenirs and H.P.'s Cafe added to the menu a sandwich called the Theosaurus, which was the official scientific name of the Sea Beast (coined by biologist Gabriel Fenton). The hotels filled, the streets congested, and Mavis Sand actually had to hire a second bartender to help serve the im-ported wackos. Estelle Boyet opened her own gallery on Cypress Street where she sold her new series of paintings enigmatically entitled Steve, as well as the new Catfish Jefferson CD entitled The What Do I Do Now That I'm Happy? Blues. As the story of the Sea Beast spread and was sensationalized, interest rose in an obscure B-movie actress named Molly Michon. Discs and videocassettes of the Warrior Babe series were remastered and rereleased to an enthusiastic audience, and the Screen Actors Guild came down on the producers like an avenging accountant angel to capture a piece of the profits for Molly. Valerie Riordan's practice stabilized as she struck a balance between therapy and medication and she was able to schedule a sabbatical to join her fianc? ¦, Gabe Fenton, on an oceanographic expedition aboard a Scripps vessel to look for evidence of the Theosaurus in the deep trenches off California. After he testified against John Burton, putting him away for life, winter settled on Theophilus Crowe like a warm blessing. In the second month of his recovery, he realized that his addiction to marijuana had been nothing more than a response to boredom. Like the child who whines away a summer day because there's nothing to do, but makes no effort to actually do anything, Theo had simply lacked the ambition to entertain himself. Sharing his life with Molly solved the problem, and Theo found that although he was often exhausted by the demands of his job and his lover, he was never bored. Molly's trailer was moved to the edge of the ranch by his cabin. Every morning they shared a hearty breakfast pizza at her place. In the evening, they ate dinner on his cable spool table. She answered his calls while he was at work, and he ran interference with the geeky fans who were rabid enough to seek her out at the ranch. Not a day passed that he did not tell Molly how special she was to him, and as time passed, the narrator in her head fell silent and never spoke again. There was no winter in the deep submarine trench off California, two miles down. Everything was as it had been: a dark pressurized sameness where the Sea Beast lay by his black smoker, grieving for love lost. He stopped grazing on deep water worms that grew on the rocks and his great body began to waste away under the weight of the water and the years. He had resolved never to move again – to lie there until his great heart stopped and with it the throb of heartbreak – when sensor cells along his flanks picked up a signal. Something he had not felt for half a century, the signature of a creature he thought he would never feel again. He flipped his tail and shook off the crust of loneliness that had settled over him, and that organ buried deep beneath his reptile brain picked up a message coming from the female. Roughly translated, it said, â€Å"Hey, sailor, want to get lucky?†

Lady with the Dog Film Review essays

Lady with the Dog Film Review essays The film representations simple cinematography and dialog accurately capture the mood created in Chekhovs story, but it fails in other areas. The motives and thoughts of the characters could not be easily discovered, as the film focused on carrying on the plot with little attention given to characterization; leaving the actors to fill the void with expression and specific actions. The actors tended to over-do this, creating more of a caricature than character. While some may contend the short story translates better into film I do not believe this to be true. Often certain aspects purposely left out of short stories for the sake of conciseness and brevity are replaced with Hollywood traditions that take away from the nature of the literature. The acting most prominently stood out to me as a major conflict with Chekhovs intentions of what the characters should be like. The actors overportrayed Gurov and his wife most prevalently. He turned Gurov into a lifeless, dull, and almost villainous character. The actress playing Gurovs wife combined with the scripting made her appear to be an unrealistically arrogant woman. Chekhov no more than hinted at these characteristics in the text, and the perception of his wife to be such a disgusting person what that of Gurovs. Opposite of these flaws, Iya Savina portrayed the character of Anna to perfection. Her mild yet desperate disposition reflected exactly how I pictured the character in my mind when reading the story. Contrasting moments of strong emotion and struggle kept my interest at times when the plot inched along. Had Gurov and his wife followed suit and fit the characters more accurately I could have easily overlooked the other pitfalls. The short story tends to omit details about emotion, focusing on driving the plot and making a strong point in doing so. Minority Report personifies a recent example of Hollywood going against su...

Free Essays on Roar

â€Å"Whoso Pulleth Out This Sword of this Stone and Anvil, is Rightwise King Born of All England† (201). There was a tournament held in London and all were invited to come and the one who pulled the sword out would be the new King of England. Wart and Kay went along with Sir Ector to London. In addition to having people try to pull out the sword they have activities like jousting. While in London, Kay joins in on the jousting but he left his sword in the house they were staying in so Wart went back to the house but it was locked and as he walked back he saw the sword in the anvil. He decided to borrow the sword, and he went over to it and pulled it out. When he told Kay where he got the sword Kay announced that Wart was the new King of England, but Merlyn changes his name to Arthur and from then on he was King Arthur. Lancelot is a knight for King Arthur. He is a very good knight but his main downfall is that he is very ugly. Lancelot goes through many problems but his biggest problem is that he falls in love with Arthur’s wif... Free Essays on Roar Free Essays on Roar White, T. H. The Once And Future King. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, New York. 1958. The main character in the novel is Wart. He lives with his foster brother Kay at Sir Ector’s castle in a Forest. Kay and Wart are really good friends and they go on a lot of adventures in the woods. One day Wart is out in the woods and he finds Merlyn. Wart takes Merlyn back to Sir Ector’s castle. Merlyn is a magician and he becomes Wart’s tutor. Merlyn turns Wart into many different animals ,such as a fish, an ant, and a badger, and sends him on many adventures. Merlyn teaches Wart many lessons. One day the castle receives a letter that says that the King of England had died and since he had no kin it was going to be a hard task to find a new King of England. A sword stuck in an anvil appeared in front of the church in London and on the anvil were inscribed the words â€Å"Whoso Pulleth Out This Sword of this Stone and Anvil, is Rightwise King Born of All England† (201). There was a tournament held in London and all were invited to come and the one who pulled the sword out would be the new King of England. Wart and Kay went along with Sir Ector to London. In addition to having people try to pull out the sword they have activities like jousting. While in London, Kay joins in on the jousting but he left his sword in the house they were staying in so Wart went back to the house but it was locked and as he walked back he saw the sword in the anvil. He decided to borrow the sword, and he went over to it and pulled it out. When he told Kay where he got the sword Kay announced that Wart was the new King of England, but Merlyn changes his name to Arthur and from then on he was King Arthur. Lancelot is a knight for King Arthur. He is a very good knight but his main downfall is that he is very ugly. Lancelot goes through many problems but his biggest problem is that he falls in love with Arthur’s wif...

Self reflection on culture and communication Assignment

Self reflection on culture and communication - Assignment Example Due to the research work, we came across valuable information regarding Japan. It is known as the â€Å"Land of rising sun†. Japan is a developing country with one of the largest economy as well as largest import-export facilities (MacQueen, 1998). Besides, information that was gathered was that Japan can improve the life expectancy along with lowering the rate of the infant mortality and the total population of Japan is approximately 126 million. With this large amount of population, Japan has an enriched traditional culture, which evolve from the culture of Asia, Europe along with North America. It has the heritage culture in terms of traditional Japanese crafts, paintings, literature as well. During the time of gathering all these information about Japan, we all faced some difficulties but we worked hard to manage the successfulness of the project (MacQueen, 1998). Our teachers give us this type of presentation, in order to enrich our knowledge and learning. Besides, this helps to develop our basic inner selves in terms of group activity, leadership, collectivism, as well as motivation while working in a team. During this research, three of us worked in a team, to find out several cultural determinants, which distinctively differentiated from other culture. My part of job in this presentation is to research about following dimensions, which would show clearly; ‘Power distribution’ is unequal for this Asian country, which means that the country has ‘high power’ as well as ‘low power’ distances. From the understanding gained after collection of research, I can conclude that Japan has a centralised structure, where a former instruct the juniors. The culture of Japan is different from others as they obeyed instructions from seniors and follow collectivism to work efficiently. On the other hand, from the infor mation gathered regarding cultural differences it can be stated that European countries has a flat as well as

Small Firms in UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Small Firms in UK - Essay Example For these reasons, small business industry is critical to UK economic development and social cohesion. They provide a medium for retirees and other potential unemployed persons to have gainful employment and contribute fully and independently to wider society. Small businesses have been contributing to employment and manufacturing since the 1960s. The increasing rates of self-employment have been attributed to; a parallel rise in rates of unemployment (e.g., retirees, unspecialised graduates); reductions in levels of unemployment benefits and government incentives; and the increasing importance of technology in the information service industry. In the early 1970s there were changes to the industrial structure across the globe of industrialised nations. Initially, the value of the small business decreased, but by the 1970s the structure of manufacturing saw dramatic changes and small firms began to provide better quality of products and services than larger corporations, particularly in areas of rapid technological changes (e.g., electronics). Over time, small firms began again to add value to the UK economy, and among many small businesses their rates of employment increased. So that there has been a significant shift in industrial structure back to the small firm amongst industrialised nations (Landstrom, 2005).The shift brought within environmental opportunities to be exploited by entrepreneurs with their innovations and business developments. Political discourse began to focus upon entrepreneurship, receiving support from Margaret Thatcher in the mid 1980s and strong policy was introduced to support small businesses and entrepreneurship. The research interest in small business increased during this period, and social scientists began to contribute to research directions and understandings. This has led to a strong multi-disciplinary approach to small business research in the UK today. (Landstom, 2005). During the 1990s the interest become more about growth orientated established businesses. Tony Blair took a much more narrow and focused approach to reforms as compared to Thatcher, targeting technology-based firms and socially inclusive entrepreneurship as ways to bring 'life' back to weak regions of industry (Landstrom, 2005). The present government provides most of the funding for research into small business dynamics and the contributions of such entities to the growth and strength of the UK nation. However, this also biases the areas that research goes into, what interests the government and this could counter advances in knowledge and processes. However, funding from the government does require the use of empirical investigative techniques, ethical considerations and a policy focus to research endeavours. With the consolidation of small business research there was a great support for entrepreneurship.As industrialised nations shift manufacturing sectors to less developed natio ns to lower the costs of production, the likelihood of unemployment has increased. This global shift in industry structure has fostered employment opportunities for some through small businesses (AusIndustry, 2006). Current trends of redundancy for older workers, such as those in middle management positions have seen some retirees adapting self