Gun Control Is More Than Removing Guns From Our Homes Essay

Gun Control is About More than Removing Guns from Our Homes Every law-abiding American citizen should have a choice to own a gun, and it should not matter if their reason is for protection, for sport or to collect. Gun control is a concern that needs to be one of â€Å"less talk and more action†; in addition, it needs to be an issue where both parts of the Congress join together to find a solution to the growing problem of gun violence in the United States. Furthermore, the American people need to demand action from their state’s senators and representatives, not just during a time of stress following a gun-related incident, but continue to press until a permanent resolution is found. Gun control is a controversial subject because there are many who still believe it is all about the government taking away all guns, however, â€Å"Gun control† is an umbrella term for several types of gun regulations. Gun control calls for â€Å"common-sense measures† such a s banning â€Å"military-style weapons† and â€Å"universal background checks† (Should More Gun, 2016). There are federal laws covering some aspects of gun control, but many contain loop-holes (Perez-Pena, 2015). Most states have their own laws in place, however, there are no consistencies â€Å"at the state level† (Perez-Pena, 2015). In the late 1990’s, there were in fact roughly 20,000 federal, state or local laws covering gun control; the bulk of these laws were local codes (Spitzer, 1998). In a survey conducted in February 2013, by the Pew ResearchShow MoreRelatedThe Pros And Cons Of Gun Control1329 Words   |  6 PagesGun control is an extremely controversial topic in America. There are many advocates of weapon control - individuals who wish to have stricter laws to keep certain groups of individuals from acquiring a gun. In any case, there are likewise the general population who cant help contradicting gun control laws and accept there ought to be a more tolerant gun control to moreover enable individuals to protect themselves amid dangerous circumstances. On the two sides of this issue, sentiments extend fromRead MoreNo More Gun Control Needed1281 Words   |  6 PagesNo More Gun Control Needed The debate of whether or not the government should ban the sell of guns, and attempt to remove all guns in existence has been debated for a long period of time; I believe that banning guns is not only implausible, it will do more harm than good. In this essay, I’ll be discussing the history of this debate, as well as discuss some misinformation that’s been proposed by those wishing to ban guns. 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Wright suggests that to convince inner-city youths not to carry guns requires convincing them that they can survive in their neighborhood without being armed, that they can come and go in peace, that being unarmed willRead MoreGun Control and the Bill of Rights Essay710 Words   |  3 Pagesban firearms in the U.S? Guns have been a part of American history since we declared independence from Britain in 1776. Many people believe that removing weapons from the hands of citizens is the only way to stop criminals from shooting down people at malls and kids at schools, but th is is not the case. Outlawing guns is not the answer for effectively reducing gun crime. According to Wikipedia, a firearm is a portable gun, being a barreled weapon that launches one or more projectiles often drivenRead MoreWe Have The Right Of Bear Arms1449 Words   |  6 Pagesknown for its freedom, but it’s slowly being taken away from us by the government and protesters who think that guns kill and cause violence and murders. The protesters like to blame the gun for what people do, the gun doesn’t shoot itself, and it’s the ignorant person behind it. America is known for their gun power and strength and if you take that all away then countries will be able to attack us more easily. The key is to be responsible with guns, which would make no problems. It is not easy to stopRead MoreThe Issue Of Gun Control Essay1646 Words   |  7 Pagessomebody who wants to inflict harm on other people to get his or her hands on a gun.† (Simple Minded Gun Control). Gun control is a controversial issue worldwide. The reason why this has attracted so much attention is because not everyone is in favor of gun control and each side brings up excellent points about the issue. Research related to this issue strongly supports the claim that there SHOULD be more gun control laws. Three arguments that prove this position are (1) Incidents like Sandy HookRead MoreGun Control Fails To Prevent Criminals From Getting Guns Essay1027 Words   |  5 Pagesrelaxing ambiance. You open a few windows and the front door to better enjoy the calming effect of the rainfall. Going into the kitchen, you decide to make a cup of coffee so you can sit down and read the Sunday paper. Suddenly, a man bursts into your home carrying a small pistol and comes running towards you. You manage to shut the kitchen door and go through the pantry into your hallway. Running up the stairs, you turn around and see the man coming up behind you. You make it to your bedroom, slammingRead MoreGun Control Essay1709 Words   |  7 PagesWhy gun control won’t solve any prob lems Guns have been around since the 1300s, from the muskets to the very high-tech guns we have today. Today guns are used for sports, like hunting and competition and also guns are used in self-defense in the protection of ourselves and families and others. The military uses guns and various other tactics to protect and fight for our country, also guns are used in law enforcement such as the police. But with these guns comes hostility from people when shootingsRead MoreThe Effects Of Gun Control On The United States Essay1742 Words   |  7 PagesGun control has become a very important topic within the United States after the past couple of months. There have been many issues that have occurred to make people think that banning guns is something we need to invest in, even though that just would not be the greatest option. There are many parts to winning a debate on gun control. One always needs to be sure to view both sides of the issue, look at the causes and the effects of the issue, and being sure one has enough facts and statistics to

John Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men - 1627 Words

Since the beginning of time, the dual nature of humanity has comprised of two mindsets that lie on opposite ends of the human spectrum - rationality and sentiment. Long before the era of advanced technology, humans have consistently been put to the test against the elements, and every time a new challenge befell them, humans merely conquered and adapted to their new challenge due to their survival instinct to be at the top. The very nature of humans to dominate others drives their everyday actions to strive for success. However, the predacious nature of humans is also a dangerous force to society as manifested through John Steinbeck’s classic novella, Of Mice and Men. This story revolves around George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced†¦show more content†¦And therefore if any two men desire the same thing, which nevertheless they cannot both enjoy, they become enemies; and endeavor to destroy or subdue one another† (Leviathan I:13). Hobbes believes that hum ans would do whatever it takes to meet their desires, even if it means hurting their fellow men. At heart, the violent nature of selfishness, which runs through the blood of humans, stimulates the desire for them to attack those who are able to achieve the goals that they cannot. Hobbes’ desolate view of human nature is clearly manifested through an oppressed and isolated character in Of Mice and Men named Crooks. Crooks, who is the African American stable buck of the ranch, consistently brings down and attacks Lennie’s dream of owning a farm with George, mainly because Crooks fully understands that even the idea of ever owning his own land is intangible due to the racial barriers that divide him from his dreams. In response to the inevitable selfishness that clouds his goodwill, Crooks harks at Lennie that he â€Å"sees hundreds of men come by with a little piece of land in their heads. They’re always thinking about the land, but it’s just in their hea d. Nobody gets to heaven, and nobody gets the land† (Steinbeck 74). Crooks is aware that no matter how hard he tries, his dreams will never come true due to the fact that his race confides him into a null and hopeless world. However, as a human, Crooks strives to ensure that no one else can achieve the happiness and

Nurse Failed To Use Critical Thinking And Analysis Effectively In This

Question: Identify One Way In Which The Nurse Failed To Use Critical Thinking And Analysis Effectively In This Situation? Answer: The nurse has failed to apply critical thinking in the false recording of the medical entry of the patient. Since the nurse is an enrolled nurse and was practicing in an emergency department her action of altering the medical report is an ethical issue regarding hernursing profession. The nurse has failed to analyse the effect of altering the report of the medical record of the patient. The patient was in a serious condition and any action or wrong medication may lead to any serious health issue or even death of the patient so by doing so the nurse has done a serious mistake and has not obeyed the professional nursing practices, ethics andnursing codes of conduct (Griffiths, 2015). As per to the code of conduct the nurse should not provide a medication without any authorization from the general physician of the patient, the nurse should not alter or make any changes in the medical report of the patient without the awareness of the doctor. The nurse should prescribe any medication to a patient with verbal conversation with the general physician over phone about the condition of the patient (Faa.gov, 2015). There are the codes of conduct that are noticed to be violated by the nurse here. Since the patient was in emergency ward any wrong action by the nurse might have harmed the patient physically or mentally. The nurse has breached the following code of ethics the fundamental values and commitments of nurses, to adhere to the boundaries of duty and loyalty of nurses and aspect of duty beyond the personal patient care. The actions performed by the nurse while prescribing the medication and making false entry and providing false statement all are the indicators of not following the ethical codes for nurses. The professional should include the adherence of the nurse to the professional code of conduct for the nudes, to adherence to the ethics that has to be followed by the nurse during the treatment and to adherence of the nurse to the professional code of practices for the nurse.AHPRA and the National Boards regularly check with suggested groups to gather reaction, information and counsel on a wide range of issues (Nursingworld.org, 2015). Regulatory authorities should assess the knowledge and clinical performance that relate closely to the demands of the nurses scope of professional practice and the practice situation. Prescription of the medication without any authorization by a doctor and the entry of a wrong medical record of the patient are the two professional issues that are done by the nurse. By doing so the nurse did not adhere to theethics of nursing and the code of conduct for the nurses. The false entry of record is an ethical issue conducted by the nurse and the prescription of a medicine without doctors authorization is the disobeying the code of conduct rule for the nurse. The three benefits of reflective practice that will help me are a better sense of workplace situations, making a sense of events at the workplace and to take proper actions towards the situation. Ultimately reflective practice will help me to improve and manage care for the patients, and to take proper action regarding a critical situation. By the use of reflective practice I can develop a sense of the problem at the place of work, inspiring that sense with interpretation of the related conditions; then elaborating a conclusion and testing the conclusion in my practice. This critical thinking case scenario can help me in handling my own work at the workplace. The critical thinking about the topic will help me in making decision about a patient in an emergency situation while adhering to the ethics, code of conduct, and the nurses professional practices. The topic will help me how to use my critical thinking power to avoid any problem in the health of the patient. Also I got about the fact that what will be the impact of any mistake done by me on the health of the patient and on my personal nursing career. This case scenario will help me in my future practice as a nurse and to be practical while assessing the patient in an emergency case and to act as a professional nurse. References Faa.gov, (2015). Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners. Griffiths, M. (2015). Nurse Prescribing in Practice. 1st ed. pp.1-17. Nursingworld.org, (2015). The Power of Professional Nursing Practice An Essential Element of Patient and Family Centered Care.

Law and Tourism Sector free essay sample

With regards to the legal and regulatory framework within which the travel and tourism sector exist in the English legal system, explain the difference between civil and criminal law as a method of classifying laws. In your explanation, pay particular attention to the distinction between the legal processes and procedures which an unhappy customer (Mr. Davis) would take in bringing an action against a tour operator (Going Abroad Ltd) who has breached their civil obligation and a situation where the tour operator is being prosecuted by a relevant regulatory body for having committed a criminal offence of providing faulty information. State and explain the respective bodies responsible for regulating the surface, sea and air travel sectors, with particular emphasis on their role in enforcing the legislation and regulations in place. (P1. 2) You have recently been employed as the Health and Safety Officer of the Rainbow Hotel with the responsibility of ensuring that all rules relating to health, safety and security of the hotel staff, guests and everyone else visiting the hotel are observed. We will write a custom essay sample on Law and Tourism Sector or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Write a brief report to the Director (Mrs.Kaur), updating her of the Hotel’s legal responsibilities to its employees and hotel invited and even uninvited visitors and the consequences of not observing these legislation and regulations. (P2. 1) Having learnt that you also studied other areas of laws relating to the travel and tourism industry, the Director wants you to write another report on equalities law, briefing her on the legislation relating to sex, race, disability, religious belief and other areas of discrimination law which the hotel needs to take into consideration when engaging employees. (P 2. 2) Discuss the relevance and the distinction between the following legislation in the law of contracts in relation to the travel and tourism sector; i) Sale of Goods Act 1979 and the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 (P3. 1 ii) The Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 and the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contract Regulation 1999 (P3. 1) Task 3b: Task 4a: Task 4b: Explain the EU and UK legal responsibilities of holiday Tour Operators in relation to the description of holiday services and facilities in their brochures and their legal responsibility for services rendered by them or their suppliers to guests while on holidays. Identify and analyse one specific ethical issue from two different travel and tourism sector businesses and evaluate how the organisations address those issues. (P 4. 1) Using a travel and tourism organisation of your choice, analyse and discuss the challenges of implementing a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy (you need choose an organisation with already existing CSR policy and strategy). P(4. 2)

Free Essays on Nestle

MARKETING MIX PRODUCT Nestle company is currently the largest food company in the world. Traditionally, Nestle principal products are baby food, where the company currently leads the world baby food category with Wyeth. Nestle top baby food brand is Alete and Beba. For many years it has been quality and consistency that have set Nestle apart from it competitor. Today, Nestle look at opportunity within their current businesses, which are within food industry. Nestle product therefore launched a range of new and innovative product under 10 categories which are baby food, dairy product, breakfast cereal, ice cream, chocolate & confectionery, prepared food, food services, beverages, bottled water and petcare and have looked towards entrance into new market. New product development There are 2 strategies in developing new product. That strategy is by modification of an existing product (renovate) and the development of new ones (innovate). In nestle, there are 2 ways in which new products can be added to the range of product. That is by 1. Externally. Nestle has acquired various brand names including Nestle Pure life company, Calistoga water company, Nestle Purina Petcare company, Nestle Food Service company, and other company. Nestle have launched a new range of bottled water, such as Perrier, Sanpellegrin and Vittel under Nestle Pure Life company. This has made Nestle become the leader in Home and Office Delivery (HOD) in Russia. The mineral water market is a very potential market in the world especially country that weather is hot and has problem in supply of water. This has been proving by the sales of mineral water take 9% of the total sales of Nestle Company. 2. Internally, by developing new products: Nestle company has launched a new range of product such as Nestle UHT milk, Nestle Slim milk, Nescafe Frappe- a blend of coffee powder, vanilla and mocha and Maggi prawn cubes in India. Nestle are able to ... Free Essays on Nestle Free Essays on Nestle MARKETING MIX PRODUCT Nestle company is currently the largest food company in the world. Traditionally, Nestle principal products are baby food, where the company currently leads the world baby food category with Wyeth. Nestle top baby food brand is Alete and Beba. For many years it has been quality and consistency that have set Nestle apart from it competitor. Today, Nestle look at opportunity within their current businesses, which are within food industry. Nestle product therefore launched a range of new and innovative product under 10 categories which are baby food, dairy product, breakfast cereal, ice cream, chocolate & confectionery, prepared food, food services, beverages, bottled water and petcare and have looked towards entrance into new market. New product development There are 2 strategies in developing new product. That strategy is by modification of an existing product (renovate) and the development of new ones (innovate). In nestle, there are 2 ways in which new products can be added to the range of product. That is by 1. Externally. Nestle has acquired various brand names including Nestle Pure life company, Calistoga water company, Nestle Purina Petcare company, Nestle Food Service company, and other company. Nestle have launched a new range of bottled water, such as Perrier, Sanpellegrin and Vittel under Nestle Pure Life company. This has made Nestle become the leader in Home and Office Delivery (HOD) in Russia. The mineral water market is a very potential market in the world especially country that weather is hot and has problem in supply of water. This has been proving by the sales of mineral water take 9% of the total sales of Nestle Company. 2. Internally, by developing new products: Nestle company has launched a new range of product such as Nestle UHT milk, Nestle Slim milk, Nescafe Frappe- a blend of coffee powder, vanilla and mocha and Maggi prawn cubes in India. Nestle are able to ...

Ablenet Equals - Math Curriculum for Differing Ability

Ablenet Equals - Math Curriculum for Differing Ability Compare Prices Equals is a special education mathematics curriculum designed for a range of disabilities. There are resources for teaching children with disabilities, like Touch Math, but this is probably the only curriculum designed specifically for children with serious differences. Its strength is the fact that it reflects the breadth of the mathematics curriculum most states cover in their standards. Its weakness is that it is somewhat unwieldy, and really needs the support of training and ongoing leadership from a curriculum specialist or coordinator. Assessment Divided into 12 Chapters the curriculum ascends from attending, to fractions, covering calculation, geometry, problem solving, and functional math skills. Designed to accommodate students from the severely disabled to the mildly disabled, the program can support students alongside typically developing students, possibly entering junior high with similar competencies to their peers. It can also help more severely disabled students to build a basic level of mathematical literacy, without perhaps the same level of skills. Equals provides its own assessment program with flip books and test booklets which can be easily administered and scored. The program also provides guidelines for matching scores to the place were a disabled student will need to begin the program. For children who have acquired some math skills, they may be able to start in chapter 3 or 6. For children with more serious disabilities, they may need to start at chapter 1, and may move more slowly through the curriculum. Differentiation Each lesson begins with a warm up, continues with exploration at the three levels (severe, moderate and mild disabilities.) Each lesson continues with Introduce and Connect which builds on prior knowledge, Teach, Problem Solving and Close, with the lesson presentation providing for each of the three levels. Each lesson is followed by problem solving, work stations (learning centers) and games. The program comes with a complete set of high quality math manipulates and materials. The materials include work mats, designed to structure instruction using the manipulates. Brightly colored and attractive, they provide a good alternative to pencil and paper, as well as accommodating different means of responding, from placing counters on the chart, to using eye gaze to identify the correct response. A printed set is included in the boxed curriculum set, but are also on the CD Rom provided by the publisher. The scope and sequence lay out the differences as well, suggesting a mildly disabled students needs three days to cover a lesson, whereas a severely disabled child might need three weeks to master the same material. Equals also provides strong materials to support functions skills, such as money, time and measurement. Resources The kit includes an attractive set of high quality materials to support instruction. Rather than cheesy, poor quality counters, the kit includes well made items available through Abilification. Obviously, Ablenet wanted to provide materials that should hold up and provide service for years. Which is good, since at $1,700 a kit, this is not cheap materials. The kit also comes with a CD Rom with printable resources: the work mats, the activity cards, all the paper resources required for the program. Obviously new, the CD is not easy to use. When you open the CD its hard to see which icon you should click on: I recommend files. The others require that you save the documents before you can open them. Im sure that this will be worked out in future editions, though its a bit of a challenge now. I hope your district is also willing to invest in a color printer for your desk. I know a lot of districts are trying to save toner costs by making everyone print to a shared laser printer, but these materials will be most attractive for visual learners if you can make them in color. Recommendation This is a great program for a district that is going to make the commitment to support the materials with workshops, training and trained curriculum specialists. Like Everyday Math, the materials provide lots of concrete support to help scaffold the cognitive challenges of math for disabled students. Like Everyday Math, teachers need to understand the different conceptual structures they are using to support deeper math understanding. This is also not cheap materials. At $1,700 a classroom, its a major economic commitment on the part of the district. Still, if a district uses the program to parallel the main curricular materials, it has the potential to bring mildly disabled students to a parallel place with typically developing students by middle school. The disadvantage of Touch Math is that it often locks kids into a single strategy for doing functional math. The strength of Equals is that it provides broad mathematical instruction. But buyer beware: it does not free a special education teacher from the need to collect data and be attentive to functional math skills, especially those needed to thrive in the community. So, if you think Equals may work for your district, and you can get the commitment of your special education director and the powers that be, contact Ablenet and check it out. Compare Prices

Educational theory, trends, and perspectives Annotated Bibliography

Educational theory, trends, and perspectives - Annotated Bibliography Example The book targets multilingual students and teachers providing them with a diverse approach to education. Due to the current global travels, personalities need to be conversant with a variety of languages. As opposed to one local language in most learning approaches, the book contributes a lot to severalty in languages. Cognitive education, theories and applications through and explanation of the concepts surrounding them are looked at. The enhancement of these theories and their application to a classroom situation are expounded. The target audience for the book is practicing psychologists, students’ psychologists, and consultants. The book is relevant in providing psychology skills and shows the applications of these skills in education. Psychology perceived to be a complex subject is extensively simplified in the book. The book revolves around expounding the complex and extensive vernacular language in todays world. The book employs theory to explain these issues in a number of approaches. Through the theories, researchers interested in studying how several vernacular languages came about derive a lot of benefits. Languages exist in millions all over the world and an approach to find out about how they came to exist is a tall order. The book gives a whole different view to the notion. The book by Baker highlights the roles played by education policy in the development of education and the society. The book targets policy makers in governments and institutions of higher learning. It reiterates the critical role that education policy plays in developing education. The book further highlights that support clear decisions and resources are mandatory for such policies to work. Through good foundations by way of policy formulation and implementation, the challenges in the education sector are this of the past. The book by Becker introduces non specialists and the economic practices they use in handling Education practices. The ideas in

Assignment#2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

#2 - Assignment Example An example is the brown eyes allele that is dominant over blue eye allele. An individual with both blue and brown eyes alleles would have brown eyes. The term describes an organism that has two different alleles for a certain trait at a specific locus. The two alleles are represented with the lower and upper case of the same letter. A good example is a plant with a pair of alleles that determine whether it would have smooth or serrated margin. The pair would be written as (Ss) to denote the different genetic information carried. This is the genetic make-up of an organism that describes the genetic information contained by alleles in the cells of the organism. A good example is a gene that would define an individual as vulnerable to a particular disease. The principle asserts that, allele pairs representing a certain trait in an organism separate during the formation of gametes and randomly unites after the process of fertilization. This is as based on the following proponents; a particular gene can exist in different forms, new organisms inherit a pair of alleles for each trait from parents, and meiosis result to cells where each acquire a single allele for a given trait. A pair of different alleles results to dominant and recessive alleles that are expressed differently phenotypically. A typical question is the color of seeds in peas. Formations of gametes lead to separation of alleles that determine color in the seeds. They randomly unite during fertilization. Seed color in the peas become a question of which allele is dominant; either the green color allele or yellow color allele. Yellow color allele is dominant over green color allele. Presence of both alleles in a pea results to yellow pees. (YY) and (Yy) genotypes result to y ellow seeds. (yy) genotype results to green peas. The principle states that, for genes located on different chromosomes,

Indigenous Tribes of Latin America Essay Example for Free

Indigenous Tribes of Latin America Essay Throughout the world, when new lands were conquered, old customs would be lost. However, in Latin America, a great deal of their indigenous tribes not only survived being conquered, they are still around today. Different regions of Latin America are home to different peoples and many tribes are part of ancient full-fledged kingdoms. Some of these kingdoms are among the most well-known in the world. The Meso-American native peoples make Latin America famous. These peoples include the Aztecs and Mayans. The Aztecs are most famous for their mathematical prowess and their calendars are exceptionally accurate. Meanwhile, the Mayans are known for creating a fully-written language and making amazing advancements in the fields or mathematics, astronomy, art and architecture. Their calendar is also well-known. The development of the Aztec language, or Nahuatl played an important role in their civilization. Pictographs were used to represent their written language. The language, both written and spoken, was important in completing business arrangements and in keeping track of family and cultural histories. The Aztec language was also used to create beautiful poetry used in rituals and ceremonies. Many Aztec customs relied on the use of their language, as did the passing down of their legends and beliefs from one generation to the next. Maya culture developed in three regions in Mesoamerica. By far the most important and most complete urban development occurred in the lowlands in the central region of southern Guatemala. The southernmost Mayan city was Copan in northern Honduras. The other major region of Mayan development was the Yucatan peninsula making up the southern and eastern portions of modern-day Mexico. The principal food of the Mayas was maize and maize production was the central economic activity. The people indigenous to the Caribbean include a few groups. These groups include the Taino people, who live in what is now known as Puerto Rico. The Taino were seafaring people whose largest towns contained around 3,000 people each which were considered immense in those times. The Arawak people of South America began migrating northward along the many scattered islands located between South and North America, an area we now refer to as the Caribbean. For a thousand years their population grew and the people lived in harmony. The people covered all the islands of the Caribbean, the major ones as they are now known: Cuba, Puerto Rico and Hispaniola as well as all the smaller ones: the Bahamas, Bimini, Jamaica etc. Certain groups of island people identified themselves as Lokono, Lucayan, Carib, Ciboney, Arawak, but most islands were primarily inhabited by people who called themselves Taino, which stood for the good people in their language. The different groups intermarried extensively to strengthen ties amongst themselves. They were aware of a Divine presence that they called Yocahu, and to worship and give thanks was a major part of their lives. They had a social order that provided the leaders and guidelines by which they all lived. They hunted, fished, cultivated crops and ate the abundant fruits provided by nature. They were clever and ingenious and had everything they needed to survive. They had beautiful ceremonies that were held at various times birth, death, marriage, harvest, naming and coming of age, to name a few. They had special reverence for the Earth Mother and had respect for all living things knowing that all living things are connected. There was little need for clothing due to the tropic heat, but upon reaching puberty both males and females would wear a small woven loincloth. Puberty was also the time at which they were considered old enough to be married. The population estimates for the Taino people at the height of their culture are as high as 8,000,000. That was in 1492. The Indigenous people of the Andes include many different ethnic groups and were among the first groups discovered by Christopher Columbus who called them â€Å"indios. † However, the most famous tribe in the Andes is the Incan tribe. Their language, Quechua is still in use today. The Incas of Cusco originally represented one of these small and relatively minor ethnic groups, the Quechuas. Gradually, as early as the thirteenth century, they began to expand and incorporate their neighbors. Inca expansion was slow until about the middle of the fifteenth century. The Inca were warriors with a strong and powerful army. Because of the fierceness of their army and their hierarchical organization, they became the largest Native American society. Quechua is the most widely spoken language and was the language of the Inca Empire. Tropical rainforests have long been home to indigenous peoples who have shaped civilizations and cultures based on the environment in which they live. Great civilizations like the Mayas, Incas, and Aztecs developed complex societies and made great contributions to science. Living from nature and lacking the technology to dominate their environment, native peoples have learned to watch their surroundings and understand the intricacies of the rainforest. Over generations these people have learned the importance of living within their environment and have come to rely on the countless renewable benefits that forests can provide. In Peru, it is estimated that there are at least 15 uncontacted tribes living in remote areas of the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest. These include the Tagaeri, Taromenane, uncontacted Matses, Cabellos Largos, Cashibo-Cacataibo, Isconahua, Murunahua, Mashco-Piro, Kugapakori, Nahua, Matsigenka, Mastanahua, Nanti and Yora tribes. Of an estimated 100 uncontacted tribes worldwide, about half of these people living in isolation from the rest of the world are thought to live in Peru and neighboring Brazil. After Brazil, Peru has the largest number of uncontacted tribes and people living in isolation in the world. There are nine principal areas in Peru where indigenous people are thought to be living in isolation. Most of these uncontacted indigenous Amazonians are believed to live in the remote border region of Peru with Brazil. Recently, the Brazilian government released photographic evidence that uncontacted Amazonian natives still exist in the area of the Peruvian border with Brazil. These natives with long hair are called the Cabellos Largos. The Matses tribe has many hunting camps scattered in and around their lands in Peru and Brazil in the Javari River Valley. These hunting camps are only occupied for several months out of the year and usually have huts and cultivated gardens with indigenous crops such as plantains and cassava. Recently, the Matses have reported several encounters of long-haired uncontacted natives who have been harvesting some of the Matses gardens at these isolated hunting camps in the southernmost range of their territory in Peru. None of the males of previously contacted tribes in the Javari Valley sport long hair. In fact, tribes such as the Matses, Matis, Korubos and Marubos are renowned for having very short hair. Hence, the Matses referring to this uncontacted tribe as the Cabellos Largos, or the â€Å"Long-Haired People. † Uncontacted natives, related to the Cashibo-Cacataibo tribe, are thought to live in the area north of Tingo Maria in the foothills of the Andes Mountains. The Cashibo-Cacataibos speak a language in the Pano linguistic family and the word Cashibo means bat. A group of the Cashibo-Cacataibos has chosen to live apart from the outside world by voluntarily isolating themselves. They live in the headwaters of the Aguaytia, Pisqui and San Alejandro Rivers in and around the Cordillera Azul National Park. These indigenous Amazonians are sometimes referred to as the Cacataibos in isolation or the Camanos. Cashibo-Cacataibo natives in isolation know about the outside world and have chosen to live apart from it voluntarily. Many indigenous tribes in South America have survived to this day, and most of their cultures are still intact. Their languages are still spoken and their customs are still practiced and passed down to their children and it’s even easy to find people from these tribes living very close to modern cities. They live without most modern conveniences and annoying hassles like criminal background checks and embrace their roots. ? References: The Aztecs – Introduction to the Aztec Civilization and Cultures. Retrieved on October 3, 2010 from http://www. aztec-indians. com/ The Taino Indians – Native Americans of the Caribbean. Retrieved on October 2, 2010 from http://www. healing-arts. org/spider/tainoindians. htm Baniwa-Curripaco-Wakuenai – History and Cultural Relations. Retrieved on October 3, 2010 from http://www. everyculture. com/South-America/Baniwa-Curripaco-Wakuenai-History-and-Cultural-Relations. html Central and Southern Andes. Retrieved on October 1, 2010 from http://www. metmuseum. org/toah/ht/?period=08 ®ion=sanc#/Overview Minnesota State University. Inca. Retrieved on October 3, 2010 from http://www. mnsu. edu/emuseum/prehistory/latinamerica/south/cultures/inca. html Pantone, Dan James. Welcome to Amazon-Indians. Retrieved on October 4, 2010 from http://www. amazon-indians. org Mariqueo, Reynaldo Calbucura, Jorge. The Mapuche Nation. Retrieved October 2, 2010 http://www. mapuche-nation. org/english/main/feature/m_nation. htm USA People Search. Native Peoples of Latin America. Retrieved October 4, 2010 http://www. usa-people-search. com/content-native-peoples-of-latin-america. aspx.

Essay on African-American American Nightmare in Song of Solomon

American Dream or African-American American Nightmare       The Declaration of Independence was written so Americans could achieve this dream, but the African slave was never intended to be a part of this American Dream. To the African-American, there were and still are many restrictions that go along with the American Dream.    In Toni Morrison's novel, Song of Solomon, Macon Dead craved for the American Dream. He was in denial and believed that he could be just as successful as the white man. Macon desired to own everything, including people. Macon tells Milkman the following:    Let me tell you right now the one important thing you'll ever need to know: Own things. And let things you own own things. Then you'll own yourself and other people too (Morrison 55).    Macon must have suffered from a memory loss because when his father acquired a house and land, he was blown five feet in the air. Was striving for the American Dream really worth dying for?    Striving for the American Dream ruined Macon's relationship with his family and his community. This is a perfect example of The Dream becoming the American Dream gone wrong or the American Nightmare. Macon lost his family while gaining property and "things."    Milkman's dream, on the other hand, was to become a man on his own terms not on his father's terms. He obtains his dream by finding his heritage and learning about his ancestors. Unfortunately, obtaining his dream ends in the ultimate dream, which is death.    Morrison's use of magic realism keeps the reader guessing what is real and what is imaginary. Milkman often had dreams or nightmares as a child:    He had had dreams as a child, dreams every child had of the w... ...ll African-Americans ever obtain the American Dream? They still hope for it or it would not be a recurring theme in black literature. By making white Americans aware of black history and black plight, maybe one day African-Americans will be considered "true equals" in white society.    Works Cited and Consulted Hughes, Langston. "Dream Deferred". Literature, Reading Fiction, Poetry, Drama & the Essay. 4th Edition, Published by McGraw Hill, 1998. Jefferson, Thomas. The Declaration of Independence. 1776. The Norton Anthology of American Literature, 4th ed. v.1,ed. Nina Baym et al (NY: Norton, 1994), 729. King, Jr., Martin Luther. "I Have a Dream." A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings of Martin Luther King Jr., Ed. J. M. Washington. Harper & Row, 1986. 217, 219. Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. New York: The Penguin Group, 1977.      

What is NSTP all about? Essay

The National Service Training Program was also known as â€Å"The National Service Training Program or (NSTP) for Tertiary Level Students, It invoked the constitutional provision regarding the â€Å"duty of the state to serve and protect its citizens,† Is to promote the role of the youth in nation-building. As such, it aims to encourage the youth to become civic and / or military leaders and volunteers whom could be called upon by the nation in cases their services are needed. Compared with the ROTC which specializes in military training, and the ROTC which granted three options for students yet was limited in implementation, the NSTP law ensured that the three components – Civic Welfare Service, Literacy Training Service, and Reserve Officers Training Corps – will be given the same and equal implementation in educational institutions. Moreover, it defined the different components, the duration of the training, â€Å" National Service Training Program (NSTP)† is a program aimed at enhancing civic consciousness and defense preparedness in the youth by developing the ethics of service and patriotism while undergoing training in any of its three (3) program components. Its various components are specially designed to enhance the youth’s active contribution to the general welfare. What is the significant of NSTP? There various benefits of the National Service Training Program. It builds a sense of patriotism to the individuals. You also learn teamwork and loyalty. And NSTP addresses the need for national program of youth development and mobilization for the task of nation building. In view of the said scheme and aims, the Program exists and operates in the context of education and national security systems, both of which are important parts of the larger system of national development and security policy. This potentially synergistic relationship between education and defense needs to be understood better, in view of the systematic link between national development and national security, a vital point relevant to enhanced national service training for the Filipino youth. Now that it is barely seven years of NSTP implementation and abolishing it in view of its perceived irrelevancy and mediocrity is not at all a solution. Assuming for the moment the possibility of the Program’s infirmities, prudence dictates that at the outset diagnostics are in order. To set aside misleading biases and false impressions of the program, this assessment study may serve as empirical evidence. What I have learned in NSTP?

Food and Industry Essay

Political This can have two extreme effects on threat of new entrants. If the government brings out higher restaurant license cost and increased taxes and/or implements strict health and safety regulations along with more documentation procedures, this will increase the barriers to entry. However, if the government does the opposite by decreasing license cost and taxes or has a lenient approach to health and safety procedures, the threat of new entrants will be high. Economic. Due to the rising income disparity and the adverse economic conditions, the number of unemployed is increasing due to which the labor cost will decrease, and the up-class restaurants will be more in demand as the rich are getting richer. Thus, the threat of entrants is high because of increased profit margins in such ventures. In case of improvement in the economy, more people could afford to go out to restaurants which give more opportunities for new restaurants to come up. Social. The current social trend is in favor of eating out especially at expensive restaurants, thereby, increasing their demand and also owning such eat-outs is now very socially appealing thus, increasing the threat of new entrants. Technological The rise in innovative technology has made management of restaurants very easy and the new sophisticated software now enable restaurants to run with less number of employees, thereby, reducing the labor cost. Thus, this factor increases the threat of new entrants. |B |Bargaining Power of Buyers |Yes |~ |No | | | |(+) | |(–) | | |Are there a large number of buyers relative to the number of firms in the business? |[pic] | | | | |Do you have a large number of customers, each with relatively small purchases? |[pic] | | | | |Does the customer face any significant costs in switching suppliers? | | |[pic] | | |Does the buyer need a lot of important information? | | |[pic] | | |Is the buyer aware of the need for additional information? | | |[pic] | | |Is there anything that prevents your customer from taking your function in-house? |[pic] | | | | |Your customers are not highly sensitive to price. |[pic] | | | | |Your product is unique to some degree or has accepted branding. |[pic] | | | | |Your customers’ businesses are profitable. | |[pic] | | | |You provide incentives to the decision makers. | | |[pic] | Interpretation The bargaining power of buyer is low in the industry firstly because their product is a commodity item and consumers have no choice but to continue consumption, as it is also a form of entertainment in our country. This makes the industry more attractive and profitable and the PEST forces such as increasing population is an appealing opportunity, however, the economic situation of the country brings along adverse effects on the industry. Nandos should therefore, bank on the rising income disparity. PEST forces that affect Bargaining Power of Buyers Political This political factor has no direct affect on the bargaining power of buyers. Economic The increasing population reduces the power of buyers. Even though the adverse economic situation of Pakistan is reducing the consumer base, it is still not making much impact on the bargaining power of buyers. Social The trend is moving towards eating at restaurants, which is increasing the base of consumers, thus, reducing their bargaining power. Technological The advancement in technology makes it possible for the buyer to gather all the information quickly and make informed decisions. Thus, this is increasing the bargaining power of buyers. |C |Threat of Substitutes |Yes |~ |No | | | |(+) | |(–) | | |Substitutes have performance limitations that do not completely offset their lowest price. Or, |[pic] | | | | |their performance is not justified by their higher price. | | | | | |The customer will incur costs in switching to a substitute. | | |[pic] | | |Your customer has no real substitute. |[pic] | | | | |Your customer is not likely to substitute. | |[pic] | | Interpretation The threat of substitutes is medium to low, as this industry does not have any real substitutes, because restaurants offer unique experiences along with their basic product i. e. food items. In Pakistan, eating out is a form of entertainment and people generally like going to specific restaurants and cafes because of their splendid experience in the past including ambience and food. Nandos should therefore concentrate their efforts on upgrading their restaurant ambience and the taste offered by them. PEST forces that affect Threat of Substitutes There aren’t many substitutes of the restaurant industry. However, decrease in the purchasing power of the people could lessen their visits to the restaurants thereby increasing the threat of substitutes. If better substitutes are provided to people such as more variety in the ready-to-cook foods could increase the threat of substitutes. |D |Bargaining Power of Suppliers |Yes |~ |No | | | |(+) | |(–) | | |My inputs (materials, labor, supplies, services, etc. ) are standard rather than unique or | | |[pic] | | |differentiated | | | | | |I can switch between suppliers quickly and cheaply. | | |[pic] | | |My suppliers would find it difficult to enter my business or my customers would find it difficult | | |[pic] | | |to perform my function in-house. | | | | | |I can substitute inputs readily. | | |[pic] | | |I have many potential suppliers. | | |[pic] | | |My business is important to my suppliers. |[pic] | | | | |My cost of purchases has no significant influence on my overall costs. | | |[pic] | Interpretation Bargaining power of suppliers is high because the inputs are not easily substituted, keeping in mind only those companies in the industries that are rather cautious about their inputs as poor quality inputs can cause them a hefty amount of business. Also, the inputs are usually of a perishable nature, thus, stock-ups are not possible, that is why reliability of suppliers is very important. Therefore, these companies usually have one or two major supplier of main inputs, who can provide good quality inputs in a timely manner. This is an unattractive aspect of this industry, that’s why; Nandos should integrate backward by probably farming their chicken, in order to eliminate this power of suppliers. PEST forces that affect Bargaining Power of Suppliers Political. If the government grants subsidies to other chicken suppliers so that they are able to produce at the same level and with same quality as KnN, then the supplier power will reduce. If the government establishes quality standards for using hygienic meat products, the supplier power would go very high since there is only one major chicken supplier. Economic The current economic situation of the country will reduce large scale companies such as KnN; thus, the supplier power will increase. Also our poultry industry is â€Å"going down†. This will further increase the power of suppliers. Social. This factor will not affect the input of food industry. Technological Technology has made it possible to manage the poultry industry, thus enabling more suppliers to come in. therefore, the power of suppliers will reduce. |E |Determinants of Rivalry among existing competition |Yes |~ |No | | | |(+) | |(–) | | |The industry is growing rapidly. |[pic] | | | | |The industry is not cyclical with intermittent overcapacity. | | |[pic] | | |The fixed costs of the business are a relatively low portion of total costs. | | |[pic] | | |There are significant product differences and brand identities between the competitors. |[pic] | | | | |The competitors are diversified rather than specialized. |[pic] | | | | |It would not be hard to get out of this business because there are no specialized skills and |[pic] | | | | |facilities or long-term contract commitments, etc. | | | | | |My customers would incur significant costs in switching to a competitor. | | |[pic] | | |My product is complex and requires a detailed understanding on the part of my customer. | | |[pic] | | |My competitors are all of approximately the same size as I am. | | |[pic] | Interpretation. The rivalry amongst the existing firms is moderate to high as each tries to outdo the other by offering cost-effective deals to the consumers especially during Ramadan. With the increasing rate with which these eat-outs are opening, the market share for each of them is deteriorating. Thus, each is rigorously competing against the rest. In such situation, it is usually the restaurants with small operations such as Nandos that suffer. Nandos should therefore, try to combat this issue by increasing their operation via market penetration or market development. PEST forces that affect Rivalry among existing competition. Political If the government grants subsidies to local competitors to match the international chains, the rivalry will increase. Economic The fake economic growth has increased the availability of funds; therefore the competitors can match international chains now. Thus, the rivalry will increase. Social This factor will not affect the input of the Restaurant Industry. Technological Technology has made it possible for competitors to affectively reduce cost, thereby, enabling to match each other and copy the others competitive advantage. This will increase the rivalry between competitors. | |Overall Industry Rating |Favorable |Moderate |Un-favorable |Implications | | |Threat of new entrants |3 |2 |7 | | | | | | | |Threat of new entrants is high | | | | | | |Unfavorable | | |Bargaining power of buyers |5 |1 |4 | | | | | | | |Bargaining power of buyers is Low | | | | | | |Favorable | | |Threat of substitutes |2 |1 |1 | | | | | | | |Threat of substitutes is Medium to Low | | | | | | |Somewhat Favorable | | |Bargaining power of suppliers |1 |0 |6 | | | | | | | |Bargaining power of suppliers is high | | | | | | |Unfavorable | | |Intensity of rivalry among competitors |4 |0 |5 | | | | |. | | |Intensity or rivalry is Moderately High | | | | | | |Unfavorable | | |Total |15 |4 |23 |Reasonably Unattractive | Interpretation Overall, it is an unfavorable industry as the major cities of Pakistan are swamped with many restaurants and cafes. Nevertheless, the industry position can be exploited to ones advantage, if strategically smart decisions are taken. For Nandos, the recommendations include: †¢ Constantly innovate and bring in more competitive advantage that are unmatchable, in order to reduce the threat of new entrants. †¢ Backward integration to reduce the power of suppliers. †¢ More effective differentiation to reduce the rivalry between Nandos and competitors. 1 Overall Macro-Environmental Pest Factors Political Factors: The political factors that mainly affect Nandos concern how the government relates to health issues concerning food items being served or brings out new regulations regarding the restaurant business. For Instance: when Bird Flu occurred in Pakistan, if the government would have asked for ban on chicken items or some strict regulations on the chicken items being served, then it would have highly affected Nandos as well. Government regulations regarding franchises or international chain of restaurants would affect Nandos in relations to itself or in dealing with its competitors. Economic Factors: Pakistan is a developing country and the majority of the population has low purchasing power. Nandos caters to that niche of the Pakistani society that has a relatively higher purchasing power than the majority of the nation. Any economic instability or economic recession would decrease the power of a lot of consumers, decreasing the niche segment that Nandos caters to. Thus economic power does affect Nandos as people tend to spend less on eating out at relatively expensive places when they have a tighter budget. If the economy develops and more people have the purchasing power, then more people would be able to visit restaurants like Nandos. Social Factors: The trend of eating out has been carrying on in Pakistan since a very longtime. Pakistani people have always loved eating out. It is even the main source of entertainment in Pakistan. Earlier on families would go and eat out, but since the past few years, this trend increased even further in teenagers, young adults and with corporate people. Nowadays, if we visit any restaurant such as Nandos, we get to see a diverse crowd that includes teenagers, families, couples and even corporate businessmen. Thus eating out is becoming an increasingly important social trend which works positively for places like Nandos. Technological Factors: The restaurant business works well where the management handles the service well. To be quicker and more efficient in processing and then serving the orders, restaurants need to have better technology. To keep records of day-to-business, better technology is essentially important. Cooking also requires better equipments to work faster and better. Nandos has the essential equipment to make all of its flame-grilled items which even works towards providing healthier items by not making deep-fried products. 2 Key Driving Forces Affecting the Industry †¢ The Internet and new E-Commerce opportunities The Internet can revolutionize the entire restaurant industry by including the aspects of ordering food online. In this way consumers could be provided with more convenience and be more informed about the menus. †¢ Increasing globalization of the industry Global chains of restaurants such as fast food joints like KFC and Mc Donald’s have existed since a very long time now. The aspect of a global chain leaves a positive impression on the minds of the people since they tend to believe that the product is of quality and hygiene. More and more restaurants are following this trend and opening up their chains in Pakistan. This does affect the restaurant industry on a whole. Nandos is also globally widespread but it hasn’t penetrated much in Pakistan as yet. †¢ Product Innovation Those restaurants that have had a unique menu or recipe have been able create a strong place in the industry. People have always wanted variety in Pakistan. Any new element or uniqueness in a restaurant’s menu could give it a competitive edge in the market. Nandos has banked on this opportunity by introducing an entirely new concept adopted from South Africa. †¢ Technological Change Advances in technology can dramatically transform the restaurant industry. Technological developments can competitively produce significant changes in the distribution channel and logistics and reduce the costs in the value chain. †¢ Entry or Exit of major firms Exit of major firms in the restaurant industry can lead to changes in market shares of all the companies that compete with such firms. Entry is relatively easy and keeps on leading to increased competition in this industry. †¢ Changes in cost and efficiency Decrease in cost can lead to significant changes in the profit margin of the business. However increasing costs can prove to be detrimental to the businesses in the industry. †¢ Regulatory influences and government policy changes Regulatory influences or policy changes such as increased quality and hygiene standards can drive up costs of firms but would lead to better and safer food items. †¢ Changing societal concerns, attitudes and lifestyles Emerging social issues and changing attitudes and lifestyles can be powerful driving forces of industry change. The trend of eating out has been increasing consistently in Pakistan giving more opportunities for new companies to come with more and more variety for the public. 3 External Factor Evaluation (EFE) |Key External Factors |Weight |Rating |Weighted Score | | | | | | |Opportunities | | | | |Market Potential – growing market for fast casual |0. 17 |2 |0. 34 | |People’s need for variety in the food and entertainmnt sector |0. 10 |3 |0. 3 | |Rising Demand for Home delivery and Takeout |0. 08 |3 |0. 24 | |E-commerce |0. 02 |1 |0. 02 | |People’s preference for red meat |0. 06 |1 |0. 06 | |People’s attraction towards promotional offers |0. 08 |2 |0. 16 | |Increasing trends for business/corporate lunches and dinners |0. 05 |3 |0. 15 | | | | | | |Threats | | | | |Economic Problems in the country |0. 09 |2 |0. 18 | |Bird Flu Threat |0. 03 |3 |0. 09 | |Political Problems in the country |0. 02 |2 |0. 04 | |Growing market for cafes in Pakistan |0. 06 |2 |0. 12 | |Availability of nandos table sauces in the market |0. 03 |2 |0. 06 | |Only one chicken supplier (KnNs) |0. 08 |2 |0. 16 | |Huge variety of Restaurants, fastfood places |0. 12 |2 |0. 24 | |Changing tastes of people |0. 01 |2 |0. 02 | | | | | | |Total |1. 00 | |2. 18 | Analysis: Nandos, Pakistan’s total weighted score is rather disappointing considering their global background. Currently their total weighted score of 2. 18 is about 20% less than the industry average of 2. 5. They are not exploiting the opportunities in the food industry to their advantage neither are they combating the threats well. The most major opportunity staring them in the face is the rising market potential which has the highest weighted score of 0. 34, as the trend in Pakistan is moving towards fast-casuals. To handle this opportunity they must open up new outlets to cater to the untapped vicinities. Another opportunity that has a high score of 0. 3 is the peoples need for variety. The strategy for such an opportunity would be to add varieties like fancy beverages (e. g. cocktails and mocktails), sea-food and meat in their menu (available at Nandos outlets in other countries of the world). Of the threats, that needs their immediate attention is the rate with which new restaurants that â€Å"Pop-up†. To counter this Nandos must concentrate on increasing its efforts on rightly implementing their Focused Differentiation Strategy. They should further enhance their brand image to capture more loyal customers. Another threat which has a relatively high weighted score is the economic problems of Pakistan; the way this can be overcome is by establishing subsidiaries under another name. The third biggest threat with a weighted score of 0. 16 is that they have only one reliable supplier; they can definitely counter this via backward integration that would include farming their own chicken. Company and Competitor Analysis 1 Competitive Profile Matrix (CPM) |Key Success factors | |NANDO’S |BBQ Tonite |Roasters |GunSmoke | | |Weight |Rating |Weighted Score | | | | | | |Strengths | | | | |Product – their Peri-Peri recipe |0. 20 |4 |0. 8 | |Strong brand personality |0. 07 |3 |0. 21 | |Ambience at the restaurant |0. 05 |3 |0. 15 | |Customer Loyalty |0. 02 |3 |0. 06 | |Marketing efforts towards the consumer base |0. 05 |3 |0. 15 | |Strong Supplier/Distribution system |0. 10 |4 |0. 4 | |Products have essential ingredients for a health life |0. 01 |2 |0. 02 | |Strong Background from Africa present till today |0. 01 |3 |0. 03 | |Selling Experience |0. 04 |4 |0. 16 | |Strong food concept |0. 02 |3 |0. 06 | |Strong Globalize Strategy – adaptive to culture |0. 06 |4 |0. 24 | |Creative and unique Menu |0. 02 |4 |0. 08 | | | | | | |Weaknesses | | | | |Low Marketing Budget |0. 08 |2 |0. 16 | |Stagnant Growth – Not penetrated |0. 15 |2 |0. 3 | |Communication system within dept- not strong |0. 04 |2 |0. 08 | |Weak Technological system in the Administration Department |0. 04 |1 |0. 04 | |No Beverage Variety |0. 04 |2 |0. 08 | |Total |1. 00 | |3. 02 | Analysis: The total weighted score of 3. 02 is 20. 8% more than the average industry weighted score. The reason for such a phenomenal score is their PERI PERI recipe which is their main strength with the highest weight. Basting, marinating and table sauces are usually the most important ingredients and they are definitely quiet effectively banking on this strength. Their delicious basting and marinating sauces still remain a mystery to the rest of the world. Along with this, they are handling all their strengths really well with the exception of their healthy ingredients, which they are handling in an average way, although, it has a low weight considering the psyche of Pakistanis, they can definitely improve their score by communicating the nutritional values of their ingredients. On the other hand, they are very poorly countering their weakness. Their main weakness is their stagnant growth with the highest weight and with only a sore of 2. There is no evidence, that they are willing to do anything about it as their outlets are still missing in the major cities of Pakistan, like Islamabad. They should definitely improve their growth rate and try to improve their marketing budget. This will definitely enhance their total weighted score. The strategies to improve the growth rate would include market development and product development via establishing more outlets and increasing the variety in their menu, respectively. Strategic Analysis and Recommendations 1 Generic Strategy [pic] Although, Nandos Pakistan claims to be following a Focused Differentiation Strategy, they haven’t really implemented it that well. Nandos Pakistan caters to that Niche market which requires a different taste and value and is prepared to pay the price for it. Their focus is entirely on the Upper Middle and Upper-Upper class. The strategies implemented by Nandos have not exactly catered specifically to this focused differentiation strategy. The company needs to make effort in targeting and communicating their real value to its specific set of consumers. Another contradiction in this strategy is that there is no outlet in Islamabad, Pakistan, where mostly the rich and the influential reside. Now is the time to really bank on the rising income disparity in the economy via increasing their prices. This will also attract more customers from upper-middle/high class, as it is quiet socially appealing for them to dine at expensive places. Nevertheless, Nandos offers only chicken items; this is in line with their current strategy. They should really check their strategic approach or correct their focus. Nandos should stick to its focused differentiation strategy. The following strategies have recommended for improving their strategic position: †¢ Increase their prices to capture a larger share of their current target market. †¢ Open up outlet in the major cities of Pakistan like Islamabad and Faisalabad. †¢ Effectively communicate their niche marketing strategy to their target audience to further emphasize what their brand actually stands for. †¢ Add value by offering an outstanding service which is unforgettable and unmatchable. ———————– ‘Nando’s is devoted to providing its customers appetite for life, who love to laugh and live to eat. At Nando’s we believe in our flame-grilled Peri-Peri Chicken, we believe it’s the best in the world. We aim to be the most successful grilled food restaurant in the world at delivering the best customer experience in markets we serve and to do so, Nando’s will meet its customer expectations through highest quality food prepared with leading technology and by hiring and retaining personnel with exceptional capabilities. We believe in offering quality and value to our customers and grow in such a way that creates profitability and value for shareholders and structure the society in such a way so as to improve the quality of life of the whole community. Our distinctive competence is our open style of informal restaurants, through the wonderful saying â€Å"Mi Casa so casa – My home is your home. ’ ‘Our vision is to be the first choice in grilled food restaurant business around the globe. ’ HIGH LOW HIGH LOW HIGH LOW HIGH LOW HIGH LOW Customer Home Delivery Dine-in Take-Away Kitchen Restaurant/Retail Outlet Store Warehouse in Pakistan Fries from McKainz Ketchup from Knorr Chicken from KnN’s Peri-Peri Sauces from South Africa.

Biography of the Roman Emperor Vespasian

Biography of the Roman Emperor Vespasian The historical importance of Vespasian is as the founder of the second imperial dynasty in Rome, the Flavian Dynasty. When this short-lived dynasty came to power, it put an end to the governmental turmoil that followed the end of the first imperial dynasty, the Julio-Claudians. He started major building projects like the Colosseum and raised revenue through taxation to finance them and other Rome improvement projects. Vespasian was officially known as Imperator Titus Flavius Vespasianus Caesar. Early Life Vespasian was born Nov. 17, 9 A.D., at Falacrinae (a village northeast of Rome), and died June 23, 79, of diarrhea at Aquae Cutiliae (location of baths, in central Italy). In A.D. 66 Emperor Nero gave Vespasian military command to settle the revolt in Judaea. Vespasian acquired a military following and soon became Roman emperor (from July 1, 69-June 23, 79), coming to power after the Julio-Claudian Emperors and putting an end to the chaotic year of the four emperors (Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian). Founding the Flavian Dynasty Vespasian established a short (3-emperor) dynasty, known as the Flavian dynasty. Vespasians sons and successors in the Flavian Dynasty were Titus and Domitian. Vespasians wife was Flavia Domitilla. In addition to producing the two sons, Flavia Domitilla was the mother of another Flavia Domitilla. She died before he became emperor. As emperor, he was influenced by his mistress, Caenis, who had been secretary to the mother of Emperor Claudius. Source: DIR Vespasian

Prehistoric Life During the Neogene Period

Prehistoric Life During the Neogene Period During the course of the Neogene period, life on earth adapted to new ecological niches opened up by global coolingand some mammals, birds, and reptiles evolved to truly impressive sizes in the process. The Neogene is the second period of the Cenozoic Era (65 million years ago to the present), preceded by the Paleogene period (65-23 million years ago) and succeeded by the Quaternary period-and is itself comprised of the Miocene (23-5 million years ago) and Pliocene (5-2.6 million years ago) epochs. Climate and Geography Like the preceding Paleogene, the Neogene period witnessed a trend toward global cooling, especially at higher latitudes (it was immediately after the end of the Neogene, during the Pleistocene epoch, that the earth underwent a series of ice ages interspersed with warmer interglacials). Geographically, the Neogene was important for the land bridges that opened up between various continents: it was during the late Neogene that North and South America became connected by the Central American Isthmus, Africa was in direct contact with southern Europe via the dry Mediterranean Sea basin, and eastern Eurasia and western North America were joined by the Siberian land bridge. Elsewhere, the slow impact of the Indian subcontinent with the underbelly of Asia produced the Himalayan mountains. Terrestrial Life During the Neogene Period Mammals. Global climate trends, combined with the spread of newly evolved grasses, made the Neogene period the golden age of open prairies and savannahs. These extensive grasslands spurred the evolution of even- and odd-toed ungulates, including prehistoric horses and camels (which originated in North America), as well as deer, pigs, and rhinoceroses. During the later Neogene, the interconnections between Eurasia, Africa, and North and South America set the stage for a confusing network of species interchanges, resulting (for example) in the near extinction of South Americas Australia-like marsupial megafauna. From a human perspective, the most important development of the Neogene period was the continuing evolution of apes and hominids. During the Miocene epoch, a huge number of hominid species inhabited Africa and Eurasia; during the ensuing Pliocene, most of these hominids (among them the direct ancestors of modern humans) were clustered in Africa. It was immediately after the Neogene period, during the Pleistocene epoch, that the first human beings (genus Homo) appeared on the planet. Birds. While birds never quite matched the size of their distant mammalian cousins, some of the flying and flightless species of the Neogene period were truly enormous (for example, the airborne Argentavis and Osteodontornis both exceeded 50 pounds.) The end of the Neogene marked the extinction of most of the flightless, predatory terror birds of South America and Australia, the last dregs being wiped out in the ensuing Pleistocene. Otherwise, bird evolution continued apace, with most modern orders well- represented by the close of the Neogene. Reptiles. A large chunk of the Neogene period was dominated by gigantic crocodiles, which still never quite managed to match the size of their Cretaceous forebears. This 20-million-year span also witnessed the continuing evolution of prehistoric snakes and (especially) prehistoric turtles, the latter group of which began to reach truly impressive proportions by the start of the Pleistocene epoch. Marine Life Although prehistoric whales had started to evolve in the preceding Paleogene period, they didnt become exclusively marine creatures until the Neogene, which also witnessed the continuing evolution of the first pinnipeds (the mammalian family that includes seals and walruses) as well as prehistoric dolphins, to which whales are closely related. Prehistoric sharks maintained their status at the top of the marine food chain; Megalodon, for example, had already appeared at the end of the Paleogene and continued its dominance throughout the Neogene as well. Plant Life There were two major trends in plant life during the Neogene period. First, plunging global temperatures spurred the rise of massive deciduous forests, which replaced jungles and rainforests in high northern and southern latitudes. Second, the worldwide spread of grasses went hand-in-hand with the evolution of mammalian herbivores, culminating in todays familiar horses, cows, sheep, deer, and other grazing and ruminant animals.

Solids Conveying Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Solids Conveying - Essay Example In our everyday life, items need to move from one point to another, for efficiency, for different reasons such as construction, packaging in industries, assembly houses and manufacturing industries. Nevertheless, some of these items are too heavy or bulk for an ordinary person to move them, thus, the need for solid conveying systems. According to (Colijn 1985) conveyor systems are mechanically constructed equipments that help in moving bulk materials from one point to another. Thus, systems make work easier and enhance efficiency in production. A pneumatic Conveying system is a type of system that uses gases as a medium of transportation of materials of any size or magnitude from one point to another. Air is the most appropriate medium of transportation of material in many systems with the exemption of systems that are most likely to have reactors or systems that faces potential threat of explosion of dust particles, which when mixed with air, reduces the productivity of the air as a medium (Klinzing 2010). The productivity of a pneumatic conveying system depends entirely on how it is set up. For instance if a the system is set up with the required standards and protocols, it become efficient and economical to any organization that uses it as it is simple, affordable and easy to maintain during installation and operation. In addition, the system is sealed fully and there is no contact between other moving parts and the system, thus enhances the cleanliness of the system and makes the system environmental friendly. Subseque ntly the pneumatic Conveying system is very flexible especially when the organization decides to have an expansion of the system. These systems are convenient for fine powders or pellets that have densities from about 16 to 3200 kg /m3, thus these systems work efficiently and conveniently with particles of up to 2 inches density in diameter, as this is its general rule for its convenience (Colijn 1985). Pneumatic

Business Online Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Online - Essay Example The main trend in B2B e-commerce that dominates the business market in this computer age is the use of a webpage, more specifically known as a company's website. A true business entrepreneur would come up with a site that carries detailed information about the services that its company offers, enables visit to buy products or services online. This is due to the reality that online buying, selling, and trading is extremely fast and convenient. Consumers, even giant business establishments, are inclined to make dealings in the most fitting mode. Thus, the easiest mode to enhance profits is through a company website. This exchange of thoughts and sharing of contacts affect business giants such as Microsoft as well as a local business as small as an online Auto parts sale. It is true that when businessmen want to hire services or make a purchase, they are hardly ever concerned with the way the thing is presented.

Income Distribution in the U.S Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Income Distribution in the U.S - Essay Example It looks at the income that the rich and the poor are getting. It also critically looks at the factors that can lead to income distribution inequalities like taxing, technology and globalization. It helps in explaining various theories like human capital and economic discrimination. For this purpose, it helps an economy to come up with ways to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor. It has been a global concern in fighting poverty. Even though poverty can not be fully eradicated it can be reduced. It is important to look at how factors of production are distributed within an economy. How easy it is for every individual to access these factors is another way to know how well the income is distributed within an economy (Richard, pp.345-450). It is important to look at the income distribution trends in America to find out how the gap between the rich and the poor can be reduced. Very many economists are interested in fighting the gap between the rich and the poor. The gross domestic product (GDP) has been refuted in telling if the citizens of a country are rich or poor. Many economists argue that a country can have a very high gross domestic product but it is only being produced by 10% of the citizens who are the elite and affluent people of the society. The Gini coefficient has been used by the American economists to tell if the country has equal distribution of income. It can simply be said that some professions are well paid but others earn very low wages (Richard, pp.345-450). It is notable that 1948 to 1968, the Gini coefficient reduced. When the Gini coefficient reduces then it means that the citizens’ income per citizen is increasing. Thus between those years the income inequality in America had reduced meaning that families were receiving more income than before. On the contrary, the Gini coefficient increased between 1968 and 1998, this meant that the

The Main Critiques Of Liberal Democratic Model

The Main Critiques Of Liberal Democratic Model One of the most important political ideologies used in the modern era especially by the Western countries is liberal democracy. A liberal democratic state involves of the goals of both liberalism and democracy. This essay will talk about the critiques of liberal democracy explaining the four criteria of liberal democracy and why it works or does not work in the context to the case study countries. In a liberal democratic model, it is necessary to have some basic criteria on liberal democracy. The four criteria that will be explored in relation to the case study countries are multiple distinct political parties, separation of power into different branches of government, an idea of equality and lastly secularism. According to Gordon Smith political parties are, the summation of pluralist tradition. This means political parties are very important because of the role they play in society. Pluralists debate that there should be multiple contenders in opposing centres of power as the power should not rest in one group rather be divided and diffused (Schwarzmantel, 1994:51). Political parties represent the public interests. Likewise, multi- party system creates diversity and competition in turn parties makes efforts and try out to reach to a larger group of people making their policies relevant. It emphasises different groups of interests within the liberal democratic state which prevents any one group from dominating. As each human being have different perspective of looking at the world, similarly each party might have a different interpretation on a policy because of the different ideals and values. The main aim of political parties is to capture state power. This pluralist view applies to a co untry like Russia where they have multi-party system. It is practically accurate to argue that at the national level Russia has attained at least a semi-pluralistic political system, with number of national parties and the strong influence of business interests. On the other hand Elite theory rejects the pluralist theory that power can be diffused and can be divided and spread among different groups of society. Elite theory argues that the power rests in the hands of few, who are wealthy. They assert that the average person cannot be heard because the power is usually concentrated in a few at the top. Democratic elite theorists argued that the decrease in internal party democracy and meeting process did not matter much, so long as competition between parties still give voters the final power. Elite theory says that two-party or multi-party system is usually dominated by an elite. For example in a country like USA elite theory works more than the pluralist theory. United States has two parties unlike the other countries that have multi-party system. In a multi-party system, political parties usually have specialised agenda which in turn represents their interests like environment, labor or business. But in America with a more generalised syst em, the two parties have to please a wider range of people to be elected. Consequently, both parties act neither too liberal nor too conservative. Many people agree that United States has a two-party system but there have been few cases where third party candidate won an election. Third party candidates have to struggle to get elected. The last time when the country saw a third party presented elected was in 1860 when Abraham Lincoln became President. In the view of elite theory they agree with the two-party system in United States as campaigns costs a fortune in this country. In their view the wealth buys the political power by recruiting capable individuals to serve the interests of the ruling class, and by financing the campaigns of politicians and the operation of political parties'(Module guide).Political parties are important for keeping the check and balance of power through peaceful means and are thus important in a liberal democracy. Without having any form of competition t hen from an elitist, then there would be only one outcome and that is whatever the elite considers the best then that will be the decision. In a country to be liberal democratic state power should be divided among different groups so that state cannot rule the masses on their own and the power is distributed among different factions of government. Pluralism critique of the state suggests a solution to how democracies can be realised in large and complex societies and how to achieve popular power and at the same time limit the power of the state. Pluralism is strictly against the totalitarian government. A pluralist society is on in which the decisions are taken by associations of citizens, acting independently of state. They assume state as a neutral actor which helps control conflicts and negotiations among groups. As all groups do not have equal resources or influence as some of the other groups in society, state does not favour any of the group rather remain neutral. Pluralism prefers a federal system of government in which power is divided among executive, legislature and judiciary. So that there is checks and balanc es and no one can misuse the power. Madison advocated a simple logic stating that, grant independent power to the different branches of government, and each member of that branch will have a personal interest in maintaining that power and preventing the other branches from carrying out their repressive designs. It means if the power is distributed among different bodies in the government, no person will be able to impose his or her will. Pluralist theory can apply to a country like France where there is a federal system of government although the executive is body is slightly stronger than that of legislature. However all the power does not rest with the executive, power also lies within the two remaining branches of government, the legislative, and the judiciary. The second critique which describes the state is elite theory. In their view, the separation of power is unimportant within the state because in the end unified elite hold the power. They assert that the elites will always hold power in the society in different forms and their nature will directly determine the properties of society in which they live. The post- war elite theory critique C. Wright Mills argued that important decisions made in United States policy making were most of the times made by unelected power elite. For example, Unites States has a federal system of government in which power is evenly distributed among the 3 bodies of government , namely legislature, executive and judiciary but there certain cases where there are power elite makes the decisions. For instance the head of a big American business corporation or even the President or his appointed staff. On the contrary, Marxist theory argues that economy is the most important element in the society and that the s ociety should grow towards a classless structure with an equal distribution of power. Each citizen should be treated equally irrespective of gender, cast and religion to live in peace. Thus, idea of equality should be present in every country which makes it an important aspect of a liberal democratic country. Marxist Theory can best explain that why there is inequality among countries. Marxists states that unequal distribution of wealth is caused by exploitation in production as well as distribution of wealth. Capitalism and notion of private property creates class differences and unequal distribution of power. Private property maximises the gap between rich and poor. For instance if a person owns a property, he gets to exploit people who dont which leads to other people working for the person who owns the property and can provide them with money. This form of organisation develops two classes, the bourgeoisie or ruling class who control and profit from the system and the working class who are much more numerous. In Marxist view wealth should be equally distributed am ong people. Rejecting this theory of Marxism, elite critiques argue that economic or social class forces do not determine what happens in society rather elites do. Italian writer Vilfredo Pareto criticises Marxists for overlooking the control of elite. For example in a country like America and Nigeria there is a huge income gap between rich and poor due to capitalism. The wealth is concentrated in the hands of elites which gives an adverse effect on the welfare of citizens. Utter poverty for a large percentage of the people of Nigeria is because of the mismanagement of the economy and widespread corruption by political elites. Therefore both the theories can be applied in the countries like Nigeria and United States. All the liberal democratic countries should accept that citizens should not be prevented from practicing their religion and the state is no one to interfere with the religious decisions of citizens or their institutions. Marxist sees religion as a feature only of a class-divided society. The theory argues that whichever class controls the economic production also controls the production and distribution of ideas in society via institutions such as church, education system and the media. For example, France has declared herself as a secular country having divided church and state during the French Revolution. However, over 80% of her citizens claim to be Roman Catholics, on the other hand 10% claim to be Muslim (CIA).In spite of being a secular state France does not allow manifestation of religion in public sphere. In 2004, an anti-religious law passed through legislature that banned the wearing of headscarves, turban, skullcaps, or large crosses in the public schools as (Graham, 109) .Therefore looking at this example of France it can be said that the Marxist theory can describe secularism in France as the person who is ruling is passing all the laws which controls all the power in the government and can influence any law in his favour. Moreover this law in the end can lead to divisions in society. Similarly, Pluralism accepts all the religions in the society and rejects the notion that there can be a single belief in religion or culture. That is, pluralism is a simple recognition of the fact that there are many different faith groups active in the country. Pluralist theory works well in the liberal democratic countries as they demonstrate well about secularism. Pluralist theory works well in religious country like United States which is a multi-cultural society consisting of many religious groups such as Christians, Muslims, Hindus.

The Holocaust :: Jewish Holocaust

The Holocaust   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When you think of the holocaust, what do you think about? Is it the millions of Jews lives that were taken? Or is it a great, but wicked speaker named Adolph Hitler? Adolph Hitler, Auschwitz, and American involvement are some key roles in the holocaust.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Adolph Hitler is probably one of the worst people ever to live. When people talk of evil deeds he is at the top of the list. He was a man of words, and could use them to his advantage. He had an ability to talk and make the Germans believe that the Jews were the reason for the problems in their country; so he gave them the idea to move them out. Then under his command they forced the Jews in to death camps.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After Adolph Hitler convinced the Germans that the Jews were the center of all problems, he started to make camps to place all the Jews. These camps weren’t nice places to be. They were all used to kill millions of Jews. Auschwitz was the most feared of all. Over 2 million Jews were killed there in ways that aren’t humane, such as shooting them, or gassing them in a chamber, or even burning them alive. This camp even bought little farms and houses for places to kill. They had the ever so famous Little Red house and the Little White house. These were places that they took Jews to kill them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How does America get involved in this? They started to ban Jews in America. Nazism started up here in the land of the free. This made it harder for them to come to America and get out of harms way in Germany. They were leaving one country to come to another that feared the Jews taking jobs away, and believed they had to take action as did the Germans. Organizations tried to help bring people in to the country, and the government was making it almost imposable to get in.

Bloodlines Chapter Five

AND ON THAT NOTE, Rose left me so she could tell the others goodbye. Her words left me chilled. For half a second, I wanted to demand a reassessment of this mission. I wanted to insist that they send no less than a dozen guardians here with Jill, in the event her attackers came back. Soon, I dismissed that thought. One of the key parts of this plan working was simply not attracting attention. So long as her whereabouts were secret, Jill was safer if she blended in. A squadron of guardians would hardly be discreet and could attract notice from the larger Moroi community. We were doing the right thing. So long as no one knew we were here, all would be well. Surely if I told myself that often enough, it would become true. Yet why Rose's ominous statement? Why Eddie's presence? Had this mission really been bumped from â€Å"inconvenient† to â€Å"life-threatening†? Knowing how close Jill and Rose were, I kind of expected their goodbye to be more tearful. Instead, it was Adrian whom Jill had the most difficulty leaving. She flung herself at him in a giant hug, fingers clinging to his shirt. The young Moroi girl had remained quiet for most of the visit, simply watching the rest of us in that curious, nervous way of hers. The most I'd heard her talk was when Lee had tried to draw her out earlier. Her goodbye display seemed to surprise Adrian too, though the snarky look he'd worn on his face softened into something like affection as he awkwardly patted her shoulder. â€Å"There, there, Jailbait. I'll see you again soon.† â€Å"I wish you were coming with us,† she said in a small voice. He crooked her a grin. â€Å"No, you don't. Maybe the rest of them can get away with playing back-to-school, but I'd be thrown out on my first day. At least here, I won't corrupt anyone†¦ unless it's Clarence and his liquor cabinet.† â€Å"I'll be in touch,† promised Jill. His smile twitched, and he gave her a knowing look that was both amused and rueful. â€Å"So will I.† This small moment between them was odd. With his flippant, arrogant nature and her sweet shyness, they seemed like an unlikely pair of friends. Yet there was obvious affection between them. It didn't seem romantic but had a definite intensity I couldn't quite understand. I remembered the conversation I'd overheard between Abe and Adrian, where Abe had said it was imperative Adrian stay near Jill. Something told me there was a connection between that and what I was witnessing now, but I didn't have enough information to put it all together. I filed this mystery away for later. I was sad to leave Rose but glad that our departure meant parting ways with Abe and Keith. Abe left with his typically cryptic remarks and a knowing look for me that I didn't appreciate. I dropped Keith off at his place before going on to Amberwood, and he told me he'd keep me updated. Honestly, I wondered what exactly he had to update me on, since I was doing most of the work around here. As far as I could tell, he really had nothing to do except lounge around in his downtown apartment. Still, it was worth it to be rid of him. I never thought I'd be so happy to drive off with a vampire and a dhampir. Jill still seemed troubled during the car ride to the school. Eddie, sensing this, tried to soothe her. He peered back at her from the passenger seat. â€Å"We'll see Adrian soon.† â€Å"I know,† she said with a sigh. â€Å"And nothing else bad is going to happen. You're safe. They can't find you here.† â€Å"I know that too,† she said. â€Å"How bad was it?† I asked. â€Å"The attack, I mean. No one's getting into details.† Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Eddie glance back at Jill again. â€Å"Bad enough,† he said grimly. â€Å"But everyone's okay now; that's what matters.† Neither of them said any more, and I quickly picked up on the hint that no more details would be forthcoming. They acted as though the attack had been no big deal, that it was done and over with, but they were being too evasive. Something had happened that I didn't know about – that the Alchemists likely didn't know about – something that they were working to keep secret. My guess was that it had to do with Adrian being here. He had mentioned an â€Å"obvious reason† for coming to Palm Springs, and then Abe had hinted at some ulterior motive that Adrian himself didn't know about. It was all kind of annoying, seeing as I was risking my life here. How did they expect me to adequately do my job if they insisted on making this a tangle of secrets? Alchemists dealt in secrets, and despite my rocky past, I was still Alchemist enough to resent being denied answers. Fortunately, I was also Alchemist enough to hunt those answers down myself. Of course, I knew grilling Jill and Eddie right away wasn't going to get me anywhere. I needed to play it friendly and get them to relax around me. They might not harbor the secret belief that humans were creatures of darkness, but that didn't mean they trusted me yet. I didn't blame them. After all, I certainly didn't trust them either. It was well into evening when we arrived at Amberwood. Keith and I had scoped out the school earlier, but Eddie and Jill took it in with wide eyes. Whereas Clarence's home had seemed old-fashioned, the school was bright and modern, consisting of stucco buildings that were so typical of California and southwest architecture. Palm trees skirted along lush green lawns. In the fading light, students were still strolling, in pairs and groups, along the many walking paths that wove throughout the grounds. We'd picked up fast food along the way, but the late hour meant Jill and I had to split from Eddie. At eighteen, with a car and â€Å"parental permission,† I had a lot of freedom to come and go, but I had to answer to curfew just like everyone else when night came. Eddie was uneasy about leaving Jill, particularly when he realized how far away from her he'd be. Amberwood Prep's sprawling grounds were divided into three campuses: East, West, and Central. East Campus housed the girls' dorm while West contained the boys'. Central, the largest of the three, was where the administrative, academic, and recreational facilities were. The campuses were about a mile apart from each other and served by a shuttle bus that ran throughout the day, though walking was always an option for those who could stand the heat. Eddie had to have known he couldn't stay in the girls' dorm, though I suspected that if he had his way, he would have slept at the foot of Jill's bed like a loyal dog. Watching the two of them was kind of amazing. I'd never observed a guardian-Moroi pairing before. When I'd been with Rose and Dimitri, they'd been simply trying to keep themselves alive – plus, they were both dhampirs. Now, I was finally able to see the system in action and understood why dhampirs trained so hard. You'd have to, to remain that vigilant. Even in the most mundane moments, Eddie always watched our surroundings. Nothing escaped his notice. â€Å"How good is the security system here?† he demanded when we stepped inside the girls' dorm. He'd insisted on seeing it before going to his own. The lobby was quiet at this hour, and only a couple of students wandered through with boxes and suitcases as they finished last-minute move-ins. They gave us curious looks as they passed, and I had to quell the knot of anxiety rising in me. Considering everything else going on for me, high school social life shouldn't scare me – but it did. The Alchemists didn't cover that in their lessons. â€Å"Security's good enough,† I said, keeping my voice low as I turned back to Eddie. â€Å"They aren't worried about vampire assassins, but they certainly want their students safe. I know there are security guards that patrol the grounds at night.† Eddie eyed the dorm matron, a stout, gray-haired woman who supervised the lobby from her desk. â€Å"Do you think she has any kind of combat training? Do you think she could subdue an intruder?† â€Å"I bet she could wrestle down a guy sneaking into a girl's room,† joked Jill. She rested a hand on his arm, making him jump. â€Å"Relax. This place is safe.† In some ways, Eddie's concern was comforting and made me feel secure. At the same time, I couldn't help but think again about why he was so watchful. He'd been there for the attack that no one would tell me about. He knew the threats because he'd seen them firsthand. If he was this on edge, even now, then how much danger were we still in? The Alchemists had led me to believe that once we were hidden here at Amberwood, all would be well and it would just become a waiting game. I'd had that very conversation with Rose and tried to convince her of the same. Eddie's attitude was concerning. The dorm room I shared with Jill was small by my standards. I'd always had my own room growing up and never had to worry about sharing space or closets. During my time in St. Petersburg, I'd even had my own apartment. Still, o ur one window had a sweeping view of the dorm's back courtyard. Everything inside the room was airy and bright, with maple-finished furniture that looked new: beds, desks, and dressers. I had no experience with dorm rooms – but I could only assume by Jill's reaction that we'd gotten a good one. She swore that the room was larger than the one she'd had at her Moroi school, St. Vladimir's Academy, and was quite happy. I half-wondered if she thought our room was big simply because we had so little to put in it. Neither of us had been able to do much packing with such swift departures. The furniture gave everything a warm, golden feel, but without personal decorations or other touches, the room could've come straight from a catalog. The dorm matron, Mrs. Weathers, had been astonished when she saw us and our minimal luggage. The girls I'd observed moving in earlier had arrived with cars packed to bursting. I hoped we didn't look suspicious. Jill paused to stare out the window as we got ready for bed. â€Å"It's so dry here,† she murmured, more to herself than me. â€Å"They keep the lawn green, but it's so strange not to feel the moisture in the air.† She glanced over at me sheepishly. â€Å"I'm a water user.† â€Å"I know,† I said, not sure what else to add. She was referring to the magical abilities all Moroi possessed. Each Moroi specialized in one of the elements, either the physical four – earth, air, water, and fire – or the more intangible and psychic element of spirit. Hardly anyone wielded that last one, though I'd heard Adrian was one of the few. If Jill couldn't access her magic easily, I wasn't going to be disappointed. Magic was one of those things, like the blood drinking, that served as a slap-in-the-face reminder that these people I was laughing and eating with were not human. If I wasn't still exhausted from the drive with Keith, I probably would've lain awake agonizing over the fact that I was sleeping close to a vampire. When I'd first met Rose, I hadn't even been able to stay in the same room with her. Our hectic escape together had changed that a little, and by the end, I'd been able to let my guard down. Now, some of that old fear came back in the darkness. Vampire, vampire. Sternly, I told myself it was just Jill. I had nothing to worry about. Eventually, fatigue triumphed fear, and I slept. When morning came, I couldn't help looking in the mirror to make sure I had no bite marks or other sign of vampire harm. When I'd finished, I immediately felt foolish. With the difficulty Jill was currently having waking up, it made no sense to imagine her sneaking up on me in the night. As it was, I had a hard time getting her out the door in time for orientation. She was groggy, with bloodshot eyes, and kept complaining about a headache. I guessed I didn't have to worry about nighttime attacks from my roommate. Nonetheless, she managed to get up and around. We left our dorm and found Eddie, gathering with other new students near a fountain on Central Campus. Most of the crowd appeared to be freshmen like Jill. Only a few were the same age as me and Eddie, and I was surprised to see him easily chatting with those around him. With how vigilant he'd been the day before, I would've expected him to be more on guard, less capable of normal social interaction – but he fit right in. As we walked up, however, I caught him glance around stealthily at his surroundings. He might be playing a student, like me – but he was still a dhampir. He was just telling us about how he hadn't met his roommate yet when a smiling guy with bright blue eyes and reddish hair strode up to them. â€Å"Hey there,† he said. Up close, I could see a smattering of freckles. â€Å"Are you Eddie Melrose?† â€Å"Yes, I'm – † Eddie had spun around with that guardian efficiency, ready to take on this potential threat. When he saw the newcomer, Eddie went perfectly still. His eyes widened slightly, and whatever he'd been about to say faded away. â€Å"I'm Micah Vallence. I'm your roommate – also your orientation leader.† He nodded toward the other mingling students and grinned. â€Å"But I wanted to come say hi first since I just got here this morning. My mom pushed our vacation to the limits.† Eddie was still staring at Micah as though he'd seen a ghost. I studied Micah too, wondering what I was missing. He seemed normal to me. Whatever was going on, Jill was also out of the loop because she was regarding Micah with a perfectly ordinary expression too, no alarm or surprise. â€Å"Nice to meet you,† said Eddie at last. â€Å"These are my, uh, sisters – Jill and Sydney.† Micah smiled at each of us in turn. He had a manner about him that made me feel easy, and I could see why he'd been drafted as an orientation leader. I wondered why Eddie was reacting so strangely. â€Å"What grades are you in?† he asked us. â€Å"Senior,† I said. Remembering the cover story, I added, â€Å"Eddie and I are twins.† â€Å"I'm a freshman,† said Jill. Looking over our â€Å"family,† I noticed that Eddie and I could probably pass for siblings pretty easily. Our coloring was similar, and of course, there was the fact that we both looked human. While a human wouldn't necessarily look at Jill and say â€Å"vampire!† she still possessed certain features that marked her as unusual. Her build and paleness were definite contrasts to me and Eddie. If Micah noticed the lack of family resemblance, he didn't let on. â€Å"Nervous about starting high school?† he asked Jill. She shook her head and smiled back. â€Å"I'm ready for the challenge.† â€Å"Well, if you need anything, let me know,† he said. â€Å"For now, I've gotta get this party started. Talk to you guys later.† From the way his attention focused solely on her, it was obvious that the â€Å"if you need anything† was directed at Jill, and her blush showed that she knew too. She smiled, holding his gaze a moment, and then looked away shyly. I would've found it cute, if not for the alarming prospect it presented. Jill was in a school full of humans. It was absolutely out of the question for her to date one, and guys like Micah couldn't be encouraged. Eddie didn't appear to care about the comment, but it seemed to be more because he was still troubled about Micah in general. Micah called our group to attention and began the orientation. The first part of it was simply a tour of the grounds. We followed him around, in and out of air conditioning, as he showed us the important buildings. He explained the shuttle system, and we rode it up to West Campus, which was almost a mirror of East. Boys and girls were allowed in each other's dorms, with limitations, and he explained those rules as well, which caused some grumbling. Recalling the formidable Mrs. Weathers, I felt sorry for any boy that tried to break her dorm rules. Both dorms had their own cafeterias, where any student was welcome to eat, and our orientation group had lunch while we were still on West Campus. Micah joined my â€Å"siblings† and me, going out of his way to talk to each of us. Eddie responded politely, nodding and asking questions, but his eyes still looked vaguely haunted. Jill was shy at first, but once Micah starting joking around with her, she eventually warmed up to him. How funny, I thought, that it was easier for Eddie and Jill to adapt to this situation than it was for me. They were in a strange environment, with a different race, but were still among familiar things, like cafeterias and lockers. They slipped right into the roles and procedures with no difficulty. Meanwhile, despite having traveled and lived all over the world, I felt out of place in what was for everyone else an ordinary setting. Regardless, it didn't take me long to figure out how the school ran. Alchemists were trained to observe and adapt, and even though school was foreign to me, I quickly picked up on the routine. I wasn't afraid to talk to people either – I was used to striking up conversations with strangers and explaining my way out of situations. One thing, however, I knew I would have to work on. â€Å"I heard her family might be moving to Anchorage.† We were at orientation lunch, and a couple of freshmen girls sitting near me were discussing a friend of theirs who hadn't shown up today. The other girl's eyes widened. â€Å"Seriously? I would die if I had to move there.† â€Å"I don't know,† I mused, moving my food around my plate. â€Å"With all the sun and UV rays here, it seems like Anchorage might actually provide a longer life span. You don't need as much sunblock, so it's a more economical choice as well.† I'd thought my comment was helpful, but when I looked up, I was met with gaping stares. It was obvious from the looks the girls were giving me that I probably couldn't have picked a weirder comment. â€Å"I guess I shouldn't say everything that comes to mind,† I murmured to Eddie. I was used to being direct in social situations, but it occurred to me that simply saying â€Å"Yeah, totally!† would've probably been the correct response. I'd had few friends my own age and was out of practice. Eddie grinned at me. â€Å"I don't know, sis. You're pretty entertaining as you are. Keep it up.† After lunch, our group returned to Central Campus, where we parted ways to meet with academic advisors and plan our class schedules. When I sat down with my advisor, a cheery young woman named Molly, I wasn't surprised to see that the Alchemists had sent along academic records from a fictitious school in South Dakota. They were even fairly consistent with what I had studied in my homeschooling. â€Å"Your grades and tests have placed you in our most advanced math and English classes,† Molly said. â€Å"If you do well in them, you can receive college credit.† Too bad there's no chance I'll get to go to college, I thought with a sigh. She flipped through a few pages in my file. â€Å"Now, I don't see any records of foreign language here. It's an Amberwood requirement that everyone learn at least one language.† Oops. The Alchemists had messed up there in faking my records. I'd actually studied a number of languages. My father had made sure I had lessons from an early age, since an Alchemist never knew where he or she might end up. Scanning Amberwood's list of offered languages, I hesitated and wondered if I should lie. Then I decided I really didn't want to sit through conjugations and tenses I'd already learned. â€Å"I already know all of these,† I told Molly. Molly regarded me skeptically. â€Å"All of these? There are five languages here.† I nodded and added helpfully, â€Å"But I only studied Japanese for two years. So I suppose I could learn more.† Molly still didn't seem to buy this. â€Å"Would you be willing to take proficiency tests?† And so, I ended up spending the rest of my afternoon laboring over foreign languages. It wasn't how I wanted to spend my day, but I supposed it would pay off later – the tests were a breeze. When I finally finished all five languages three hours later, Molly hurried me out to get fitted for my uniform. Most of the other new students had long gone through already, and she was concerned that I might have already missed the woman doing the fittings. I moved as fast as I could without running down the halls and nearly bumped into two girls rounding a corner. â€Å"Oh!† I exclaimed, feeling like an idiot. â€Å"I'm sorry – I'm late for my fitting – â€Å" One of them laughed good-naturedly. She was dark-skinned with an athletic build and wavy black hair. â€Å"Don't worry about it,† she said. â€Å"We just walked past the room. She's still there.† The other girl had blond hair a shade lighter than mine that she wore in a high ponytail. Both of them had the easy assurance of those who knew their way around this world. These weren't new students. â€Å"Mrs. Delaney always takes longer than she thinks she will with the fittings,† the blond girl said knowingly. â€Å"Every year, it's – † Her jaw dropped, her words freezing up for a few moments. â€Å"Where†¦ where did you get that?† I had no clue what she meant, but the other girl soon noticed and leaned closer to me. â€Å"That's amazing! Is that what they're doing this year?† â€Å"Your tattoo,† explained the blonde. I must have still looked clueless. â€Å"Where'd you get it?† â€Å"Oh. That.† My fingers absentmindedly touched my cheek. â€Å"In, um, South Dakota. Where I'm from.† Both girls looked disappointed. â€Å"I guess that's why I've never seen it,† said the dark-haired girl. â€Å"I thought Nevermore was doing something new.† â€Å"Nevermore?† I asked. The girls exchanged silent glances, and some message passed between them. â€Å"You're new, right? What's your name?† asked the blond girl. â€Å"I'm Julia. This is Kristin.† â€Å"Sydney,† I said, still mystified. Julia was smiling again. â€Å"Have lunch with us at East tomorrow, okay? We'll explain everything.† â€Å"Everything about what?† I asked. â€Å"It's a long story. Just get to Delaney for now,† added Kristin, starting to move away. â€Å"She'll stay late, but not forever.† When they were gone, I continued on my way – much more slowly – wondering what that had been about. Had I just made friends? I really wasn't sure how one went about it in a school like this, but that whole exchange had seemed pretty weird. Mrs. Delaney was just packing up when I arrived. â€Å"What size do you wear, dear?† she asked, catching sight of me in the doorway. â€Å"Two.† A number of articles were produced: skirts, pants, blouses, and sweaters. I doubted the sweaters would see much wear, unless a freak apocalyptic blizzard hit Palm Springs. Amberwood wasn't particularly fussy about which ensemble students wore, as long as it came from the approved pool of fashion. The colors were burgundy, dark gray, and white, which I actually thought looked kind of nice together. Watching me button a white blouse, Mrs. Delaney tsked, â€Å"I think you need a size four.† I froze mid-button. â€Å"I wear a two.† â€Å"Oh, yes, you can fit into them, but look at the arms and the skirt length. I think you'll be more comfortable in a four. Try these.† She handed over a new stack and then laughed. â€Å"Don't look so mortified, girl! A four's nothing. You're still a twig.† She patted her ample stomach. â€Å"We could fit three of you into my clothes!† Despite my many protests, I was still sent away with the size-four clothing. I rode back to my dorm, dejected, and found Jill lying on her bed and reading. She sat up at my arrival. â€Å"Hey, I wondered what had happened to you.† â€Å"Got delayed,† I said with a sigh. â€Å"Are you feeling better?† â€Å"Yeah. A lot.† Jill watched as I put away the uniforms. â€Å"They're pretty terrible, right? We didn't have uniforms at St. Vladimir's. It's going to be so boring wearing the same thing every day.† I didn't want to tell her that as an Alchemist, I might have worn an outfit like this anyway. â€Å"What size did you get?† I asked, to change the subject. I was kind of a glutton for punishment. â€Å"Two.† A twinge of annoyance shot through me as I hung my uniforms in the closet beside hers. I felt huge by comparison. How were all those Moroi so skinny? Genetics? Low-carb blood diet? Maybe it was just because they were all so tall. All I knew was that whenever I spent time around them, I felt frumpy and awkward and wanted to eat less. When I finished unpacking, Jill and I compared schedules. Not surprisingly, considering the difference in grades, we had almost nothing in common. The only thing we shared was a multi-grade PE class. All students were required to take it every semester, since fitness was considered part of a wellrounded student's experience. Maybe I could lose a few pounds and get back into my normal size. Jill smiled and handed my schedule back. â€Å"Eddie went and demanded to be in our PE class since it's pretty much the only one we could share. It conflicts with his Spanish class, though, and they wouldn't let him. I don't think he can handle going the whole school day without seeing that I'm alive. Oh, and Micah's with us in PE.† I'd stalked off to my bed, still irritated about the uniforms. Jill's words caught my attention. â€Å"Hey, do you know why Eddie seemed weirded out around Micah?† Jill shook her head. â€Å"No, I didn't get a chance to ask, but I noticed it too – especially at first. Later – while you were testing – and we were waiting for uniforms, Eddie seemed to chill out. A little. Every once in a while, I'd see him giving Micah a strange look, though.† â€Å"You don't think he thinks Micah's dangerous, do you?† Jill shrugged. â€Å"He didn't seem dangerous to me, but I'm no guardian. If Eddie did think he was some kind of threat, it seems like he'd be acting differently. More aggressive. He mostly seems nervous around Micah. Almost – but not quite – afraid. And that's weirdest of all because guardians never look scared. Not that Eddie's technically a guardian. But you know what I mean.† â€Å"I do,† I said, smiling despite my grumpy intentions. That cute, rambling nature cheered me up a little. â€Å"What do you mean Eddie's technically not a guardian? Isn't he assigned to protect you here?† â€Å"Yeah, he is,† said Jill, toying with one of her light brown curls. â€Å"But†¦ well, it's kind of weird. He got in some trouble with the guardians for helping Rose and for, um, killing a guy.† â€Å"He killed a Moroi that attacked Vasilisa, right?† It had come up at my interrogation. â€Å"Yeah,† said Jill, lost in her own memories. â€Å"It was self-defense – well, and defense of Lissa, but everyone was shocked at him killing a Moroi. Guardians aren't supposed to do that, but then, you know, Moroi aren't supposed to attack each other either. Anyway, he was put on suspension. No one knew what to do with him. When I got†¦ attacked, Eddie helped protect me. Later, Lissa said it was stupid to keep him off duty when he could be helpful and that considering Moroi were behind this attack too, she said everyone was going to have to get used to the idea of Moroi being the enemy. Hans – the guardian in charge at Court – finally agreed and sent Eddie here with me, but I think officially, Eddie's not restored yet. It's weird.† Jill had delivered the whole speech without pausing and now stopped to catch a breath. â€Å"Well, I'm sure it'll be sorted out,† I said, trying to be reassuring. â€Å"And it seems like he'll get points for keeping a princess alive.† Jill looked at me sharply. â€Å"I'm no princess.† I frowned and tried to remember the complexities of Moroi law. â€Å"The prince or princess is the oldest member of a family. Since Vasilisa's queen, the title rolls over to you, right?† â€Å"On paper,† said Jill, looking away. Her tone was hard to read, an odd mixture of what seemed like bitterness and sorrow. â€Å"I'm not a princess, not really. I'm just someone who happens to be related to the queen.† Jill's mother had briefly been mistress to Eric Dragomir, Vasilisa's father, and had kept Jill's existence a secret for years. It had only come out recently, and I'd played a big role in helping Rose track Jill down. With all the fallout in my own life, as well as the emphasis on Jill's safety, I hadn't spent much time wondering how she had adapted to her new status. That had to be a serious lifestyle change. â€Å"I'm sure there's more to it than that,† I said gently. I wondered if I was going to be spending a lot of time playing therapist to Jill during this assignment. The prospect of actually comforting a vampire still seemed so strange to me. â€Å"I mean, you're obviously important. Everyone's gone to a lot of trouble to keep you safe here.† â€Å"But is it for me?† asked Jill. â€Å"Or is it to help Lissa keep the throne? She's hardly spoken to me since she found out we were sisters.† This conversation was steering into uncomfortable waters, into interpersonal matters that I didn't really know how to deal with. I couldn't imagine being in either Vasilisa or Jill's place. The only thing I felt certain of was that it couldn't be easy for any of them. â€Å"I'm sure she cares about you,† I said, though not really sure at all. â€Å"But it's probably strange for her – especially with all the other changes in her life too. Give it time. Focus on the important things first – staying here and staying alive.† â€Å"You're right,† said Jill. She lay back on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. â€Å"I'm nervous about tomorrow, about being around everyone, in classes all day. What if they notice? What if someone finds out the truth about me?† â€Å"You did fine at orientation,† I assured her. â€Å"Just don't show your fangs. And besides, I'm pretty good at convincing people they didn't see what they think they saw.† The grateful expression on her face reminded me uncomfortably of Zoe. They were so alike in many ways, shy and uncertain – yet intensely fierce and desperately wanting to prove themselves. I'd tried to protect Zoe – and only failed in her eyes. Now, being here for Jill made me feel conflicted. In some ways, I could make up for what I hadn't been able to do for Zoe. Yet even as I thought that, some inner voice kept saying, Jill is not your sister. She's a vampire. This is business. â€Å"Thanks, Sydney. I'm glad you're here.† She smiled, and the guilt only twisted further inside me. â€Å"You know, I'm kind of jealous of Adrian. He thinks it's so boring at Clarence's, but he doesn't have to worry about meeting new people or getting used to a new school. He just gets to hang out, watch TV, play pool with Lee, sleep in†¦ it sounds amazing.† She sighed. â€Å"I suppose,† I said, a little surprised at the detail. â€Å"How do you know all that? Have you†¦ have you talked to him since we left?† Even as I said that, the idea seemed unlikely. I'd been with her most of the day. The smile dropped from her face. â€Å"Oh no. I mean, I just figure that's what's going on. He mentioned some of it earlier, that's all. Sorry. I'm being melodramatic and rambling. Thanks for listening to me†¦ it really does make me feel better.† I smiled tightly and said nothing. I still couldn't get over the fact that I was starting to feel so warmly toward a vampire. First Rose, now Jill? It didn't matter how likable she was. I had to keep our relationship professional so that no Alchemist could accuse me of getting attached. Keith's words echoed in my head: vamp lover†¦ That's ridiculous, I thought. There was nothing wrong with being nice to those in my care. It was normal, a far cry from â€Å"getting too close† to them. Right? Pushing my worries aside, I concentrated on finishing unpacking and thinking about our new life here. I sincerely hoped tomorrow would go as smoothly as I'd assured Jill it would. Unfortunately, it didn't.