Friday, May 31, 2019

Artificial Reproductive Technologies Essay examples -- Infertility Pre

Artificial Reproductive TechnologiesIntroduction directly about 15% of all couples in the United States lead fertility problems. 40% of the problems attributed with the man and 50% with the woman and the other 10% is unexplained or due to some(prenominal) partners. Couples today are waiting longer to start families than their parents, this has an effect on fertility of the couple. A woman has a harder time laborious to after the be on of 30. So, when a couple decides that they want to start a family and can not, what options do they have? Due to the advancements in technology over the past(a) 20 years, these couples instantly have options with Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART). Although these options are available, the question still remains Are they ethical?What Causes Infertility? When a couple is infertile, the problem can live on with the man, woman or with both. In natural reproduction it has been estimated that even when sperm does reach the egg, only 84/100 are fertilized, 69/100 implant, 42/100 survive the first week of pregnancy and 31/100 survive to birth. So even in fertile couples, the betting odds are not totally on their side. Infertility can be caused by sources other than purely medical reasons like the standard of living, stress, and pollutants in the environment. first a family later on in life also increases the chance of a couple being infertile. There are two main causes of female infertility tubal disease and endometriosis. Tubal disease is a disorder in which the fallopian tubes are blocked or damaged. Fallopian tubes are thin tubes leading from each of a womans two ovaries to her uterus, done which eggs travel and in which they are fertilized. Scar tissue, infections or tubal litigation usually causes this ... ...y for infertile couples. I believe that embryos have a right(a) to life. I think that society is fortunate to have people that want to be surrogate mothers. I am sad for the orphans because they search to get the gyp end of the stick in this deal. As more couples find ways to have their own children, less couples are looking into adoption. Bibliograhy Alpern, Kenneth D. 1992. The moral philosophy of Reproductive technology Oxford University Press New YorkCaplan, Arthur L. 1995. Human Reproduction Emerging Technologies, and Conflicting Rights Library of Congress Washington Cunnimgham, Paige C. 2000. The reproductive Revolution William B. Eerdmans Publishing keep company CambridgeGosden, Roger. 1999. Desiging Babies W.H. Freeman and club New YorkHildt, Elisabeth. 1998. In Vitro Fertilisation in the 1990s Ashgate Publishing CompanyGreat Britian Artificial Reproductive Technologies Essay examples -- Infertility PreArtificial Reproductive TechnologiesIntroduction Today about 15% of all couples in the United States have fertility problems. 40% of the problems attributed with the man and 50% with the woman and the other 10% is unexplained or due to both partners. Couple s today are waiting longer to start families than their parents, this has an effect on fertility of the couple. A woman has a harder time trying to after the age of 30. So, when a couple decides that they want to start a family and can not, what options do they have? Due to the advancements in technology over the past 20 years, these couples now have options with Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART). Although these options are available, the question still remains Are they ethical?What Causes Infertility? When a couple is infertile, the problem can exist with the man, woman or with both. In natural reproduction it has been estimated that even when sperm does reach the egg, only 84/100 are fertilized, 69/100 implant, 42/100 survive the first week of pregnancy and 31/100 survive to birth. So even in fertile couples, the odds are not totally on their side. Infertility can be caused by sources other than purely medical reasons like the standard of living, stress, and pollutants in t he environment. Starting a family later in life also increases the chance of a couple being infertile. There are two main causes of female infertility tubal disease and endometriosis. Tubal disease is a disorder in which the fallopian tubes are blocked or damaged. Fallopian tubes are thin tubes leading from each of a womans two ovaries to her uterus, through which eggs travel and in which they are fertilized. Scar tissue, infections or tubal litigation usually causes this ... ...y for infertile couples. I believe that embryos have a right to life. I think that society is fortunate to have people that want to be surrogate mothers. I am sad for the orphans because they seem to get the short end of the stick in this deal. As more couples find ways to have their own children, less couples are looking into adoption. Bibliograhy Alpern, Kenneth D. 1992. The Ethics of Reproductive Technology Oxford University Press New YorkCaplan, Arthur L. 1995. Human Reproduction Emerging Technologies, and Conflicting Rights Library of Congress Washington Cunnimgham, Paige C. 2000. The reproductive Revolution William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company CambridgeGosden, Roger. 1999. Desiging Babies W.H. Freeman and Company New YorkHildt, Elisabeth. 1998. In Vitro Fertilisation in the 1990s Ashgate Publishing CompanyGreat Britian

Thursday, May 30, 2019

Place Strategy for Dairy Farmers Milk :: Business Management Studies

Place Strategy for Dairy Farmers MilkCurrent situationI do the research in Woolworths supermarket of the maquarie shopping center(a). When I enter into the supermarket, The offset products I saw be the fresh vegetable and fruits, such as banana, strawberry, apple,etc. on the left is the fresh bread aisle, and there is a single aislewhich provide the valued produces. Walk along the bread shelves, thenI absorb the deli which sale lunchmeat, bacon and the like. When you turn honorable, you can see the frozen area, customers can choose refrigerateditems here, and White milk fridge is on the left end, erect near thedeli. In Woolworths Home Brand is placed in the left, Pura is in themiddle of the fridge, and they provide full cream milk, skim milk, andLite milk, In the right section is Dairy Farmers, And they onlyprovide Dairy Farmers Best, 1 liter, 2 liter, and Lite White, 2litre,That means a range of limited pack sizes and categories for consumesto choose. The fridge is carve up into 4 shelves, on the top is theSkim Milk with small pack size, the second is displaced with 1lt milk,the third is 2lt milk, and the bottom is the 3lts.Opposite the frozen area there are 12 aisles displace products fromfood to shampoo, and even garden care.CompetitionDirect competition==================Since the Home Brand and Woolworths is the Woolworths own-brands,supermarkets are all considering rationalizing the name brands theystock and documentation their own house brand, they put their products onthe most eye-catching place to attract customers attention, andprovide a range of pack size for customers, While dairy farm farmersproducts are less obvious, and they do not provide 3lt pack size onthe bottom shelf. There are just 1lt and 2lt milk on the first andsecond level in the right fridge, Woolworths only stock mycompetitions products, the reason is obvious they can make moremoney from that product than they would from a tough manufacturer.The direct competitor of Woolworths i s Franline, this supermarket isalso located on level 3, and its near the parking place, So its moreconvenient for customer who lease a car for shopping.Indirect competition====================Opposite the White milk fridge is the flavored milk aisle, juice andtea aisle, etc. shoppers have multiple choices when they bump thirsty.There is a food court on level 3, and more than 15 caf shops arelocated in this shopping center, since some customers of the shoppingcenter are students and staff of nearby office towers, when they findsome drinks, they can choose many items besides milk.

Themes of the Odyssey :: essays research papers

Throughout the Odyssey there argon many report cards that Homer uses to portray different people and events. To name a few, there are the themes of Betrayal and Revenge, edacity and Glutony, Hospitality, Role of the Gods and Wealth (the amount of money one had determined the status he held in the greek society, and this explains Odysseuss love for plunder). To start with the most super acid one, the role of the gods, one can see many such allusions thrown all over the odyssey. The epic poem starts in Mt.Olympus where the gods are discussing what will drop dead to Odysseus , Master mariner and warrior of Ithaka. As it so happens he is on the island of Kalypso, one of the lesser gods. Also, as Odysseus travels, one learns about the role of the gods in not moreover his travels but other peoples ones too. Agisthos, the man who stole Agamemnons wife and killed him, was sent a message from Zeus by Hermes, giving him the information of what will happen if he kills him. Also, Menelaus, t he red haired king of war, had to wrestle with a sea-god in order to gain acceptance and sail all the way back to his homeland of Sparta, and capture news about the rest of his companions. He would not find out about his brothers demise until he got home.The next two themes are interelated, Betrayal and Revenge, with Greed and Glutony.THe gods punish those who show greed and glutony, but that does not mean that they cannot be punished as well. A prime example of this is when Posiedon is out feasting among the sun-burnt races that were deemed to be his own. While he was feasting, Odysseus escaped the island of Kalypso, something that Poseidon did not like and was to late to stop from happening. While he was being gluttanos and eating all that food, Odysseus had escaped. Another example would be the murder of Agamemnon. Agisthos was greedy and wanted money and status, as well as Agamemnons wife and Agamemnons wife betrayed Agamemnon when she went off with him and even more so when th ey both killed him. However, the theme of Betrayal is often closely followed by the theme of Revenge. Agamemnons son, Orestes, would go back and avenge his fathers death, killing Agisthos and his mother even though later on in greek mythology he knew he would be punished for killing her.

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Salaries of Athletes are too High Essays -- Professional Athlete Athle

Salaries of AthletesWhat should athletes deserve to be paid?Many players have risen to stardom by becoming a professional athlete. Athletes have come from many different backgrounds some from wealthy and some from poverty raised backgrounds. Salaries are continuing to rise, and money doesnt expect to be an expel. Athletes are getting what they want from the owners by negotiating through their agents. Athletes salaries arent from their owners, simply they come from other sources (Athletes Salary). Athletes get paid an extremely soaring salary for the work they do, and should consider the value of their work. They do not deserve the extreme amount they get paid and something should by done some it. superstar issue that these high salaries cause is that having entirely this money spoils the athletes. Athletes buy so much unnecessary stuff after they get their money. For example, Michael Jordan has about 28 cars. Who need all these cars? He didnt buy all of these, but the re is a certain limit on how many cars a person needs. Athletes hap their money on cars, entertainment, clothes, and their big mansions. Another instance of athletes spoiling themselves is the use of illegal drugs (Pro Salaries). Michael Irvin of the Dallas Cowboys has been involved in many of these altercations. He has been through all the punishments there possibly is and still makes his money (Pro Salaries). Athletes think they are at a higher level and that they can do whatever they want. An issue that everyone hears about everyday that a pro athlete has committed a murder/crime. Ray Lewis, a safety for the Baltimore Ravens, is existence tried for two accounts of murder. He is an excellent athlete. He is on the pro-bowl team for the 1999 season and led the league in tackles. He has just ruined his career by even being involved in a situation like this. Another player is Robert Lewis, a 20 year-old basketball player from the Dallas Mavericks. He was convicted of beating his gir lfriend or so to death. A 20-year-old basketball star doesnt need to feel that he is a king to be a leader. What kind of consumption model is he setting to other youngsters that want to follow in the same footsteps?The salaries of athletes are extremely high for the effort that they put through. For example, basketball, baseball, and hockey athletes only compete for about 6-8 months a year. Then they have... ...r salaries are too high to compare. They do entertain the public, but the expense for the entertainment is too steep. Athletes should make a decent salary, but they should have control over their limits. They deserve a salary that would compare to other officials who are more important to the people and that have a role which effects the people as a whole. some(a)thing must be done before a drastic change occurs.BibliographyAthletes Salary. CQ Researcher. 2000.Bagnato, Andrew. Against the (cash) flow as revenue streams into college coffers, Some athletes are clamoring for their cut of the profits. Chicago Tribune 23 Feb. 1997 1.Bryjak, George J. The Name of the Game is Money. USA TODAY Sept. 1998 67-69.Danziger, Lucy S. Sweet Inequity. Womens Sports and Fitness July 1999 17.Kindred, David. In the name of sanity. The clean News 20 Apr. 1998 63.Pro Salaries. n. pag. On-line. Internet.http//www.nonline.com/procon/html/prosalary.htm. 12 Jan. 2000.Spiegel, Peter. Athletes. Forbes 22 Mar. 1999 220.Wigge, Larry. Millennium mind-set Open up game and close wallets. Sporting News 10 Jan. 2000 58-59.

Free College Essays - Salingers Style in Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters :: Raise High the Roof Beam Carpenters Essays

Salingers Style in invoke High the Roof Beam, Carpenters Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters J.D. Salinger exhibits a unique and interesting style throughout his many short stories. Salingers use of language is what distinguishes him from many of the writers in his time (Kazin 296). Salinger is an sharp at using the language of his stories to convey emotion to the reader. There is never a leisurely moment in a Salinger short story as he keeps the readers attention through his excessive use of details. The excessive use of detail is a primary way that Salinger keeps his reader interested in his stories (Kazin 296). At all times in the story Salinger describes something. A prime example of the excessive use of detail is the following She drew aside the curtain and leaned her wrist on cardinal of the crosspieces between panes, but, feeling grit, she removed it, rubbed it clean with her other hand, and stood by more erectly. Outside, the filthy slush was visibly turning to ice. Mary Jane let go the curtain and wandered back to the blue chair, passing two heavily stocked bookcases without glancing at any of the titles. (Salinger Nine 22) The way that Salinger describes the chair and the bookcase exemplifies this point. Salinger does not fate the reader to ever digest interest in his story. The "filthy slush" lets the reader feel what is actually happening in the story. This paragraph is an example of in truth strong imagery. Salinger repeats this description often throughout the story often intertwined with episodes of dialogue. This style of writing keeps the work flowing. Another prime example of Salingers detail can be found in one simple sentence. "Her voice sounded strangely leveled off, stripped of even the ghost of italics," says the narrator in Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters. This one sentence lets the reader get a very clear picture to what is going on. The reader always knows what each of the sheaths is doing as th ough not to lose track of them (Kazin 296). Salinger also excels at developing his characters in a very short time (Kazin 296). A short story does not leave very much time for character development. Salingers unique style and superb use of detail allow for the reader to really get to know each character as well as possible.

Tuesday, May 28, 2019

Affirmative Action :: Quotas Race Minority Academics Essays

Affirmative Action In Texas, acceptance to public universities for high school bookmans is now based on academic achievement - if a student is at the top ten percent of his or her class, he or she will be automatically accepted. This is a way to counter the unfairness of affirmative action causes because the admission has nonhing to do with race or sex. Arguably, this policy is reasonable because students studying at the uniform high school receive equal opportunity to learn and educate themselves. This may seem fair, but the same problem still exists. If a student has to work part-time just to make a living because his or her family is unable to sustain financially, how is this student going to find time to study and be successful in school, and therefore, be in the top ten percent?In recent supreme court ruling, the point dust that were using in admitting law students at the University of Michigan was ruled unconstitutional and therefore taken out. The university used a point sy stem that quantified the qualification of the applicants status. If a students points exceed a certain be, he or she is admitted to the school. The university gives an extra twenty points to the minorities in terms of enforcing affirmative action and table serviceing the disadvantaged. The six of the judge believe that the defined number system is in many ways similar as having a set quota in admitting minority students, which was banned in the case of University of California v. Bakke of 1978. The judges believe that having a rule in admitting students strictly by race is impersonal. In Bakkes case, the University defends itself for having such quota with the fact that admitting minority students into aesculapian school can help improve social discrimination because the minority are less likely to have the education or the financial status to go to a medical school. As a result, being a doctor becomes majority profession. The judges at the time countered the universitys statemen ts by stating that the school is being unfair to the non-minority applicants, who are not directly responsible of the social discrimination. The Supreme Court ruled the University of Michigans point system unconstitutional in the undergraduate level, but kept the same system for the Law school. They believe race should be taken into consideration, but should not quantify qualification. Although the judges opposing this ruling stated that A fixed quantitative score for racial minority status has the virtue of honesty.

Monday, May 27, 2019

A Study On Colleges Online Education Essay

The instruction system in India today has evolved significantly in the last 20 old ages. In the 1990s, most students went to a college in their seat of government and studied whatever class was offered at that place. If they lived in a smaller town without a good college, so they were forced to go to their nearest metropolis and live a fighting school-age child life, far off from their household.At the terminal of the first decennary in the twenty-first century, nevertheless, the options that pupils hurt for college have exploded massively. Today, pupils have their pick of college, grade and topics, sitting in the comfort of their place, no affair how little their town is. All they need is a computing machine & A the Internet.There are several(prenominal) colleges online that a pupil can take from. From the oldest and most reputed IGNOU ( Indira Gandhi National Open University ) to the vicinity metropolis college, a pupil has their choice of colleges online where they can obtain grades, sheepskin and certifications in any topic they choose.Colleges online typically find B.A. , B.Com. & A B.Sc. courses more popular among pupils and IGNOU offers grades in rarer topics like Medical Imaging & A Radiology, Fashion Merchandising, Textile Design and even Architecture online.There are a few colleges online that offer realize sheepskin classs online with no text edition or notes in paper at all. These virtual classs are typically non complete grades but station grad sheepskin classs in some specialisations like Cyber Law, Food Safety, Business Process Outsourcing, etc.Most colleges online will follow a method of direction as followsPrinted educational material/textbooks/guides are giving to the pupils at the start of the classRegular assignments, trials are given online which the pupil has to finish in a timely modeFace-to-face contact Sessionss, online confabs by which the pupil can clear up uncertainties with the module whatever colleges online like IGNOU be sides offer video cyclosis of lessons which the pupil can see at his or her ain leisureThere are several advantages to analyzing from colleges online. Some of them are given down the stairsThe pupil has the pick of colleges to analyze from instead being restricted to the college in their townThe pupil has a wider pick of capable & A specialisation to analyze from when taking colleges onlineThe pupil has the flexibleness of agenda with colleges online go forthing clip free for prosecuting an early(a) grade, working(a) or even numerateing after their householdHowever, there are besides many safeguards that a pupil must take before taking from the several colleges online. Some of the safeguards areChoose a echt college First, a simple cheque on the University Grants Commission ( UGC ) web site ( www.ugc.ac.in ) will state the pupil whether their college has been reported as sham or has been given accreditation by UGC.Talk to Alumni All good colleges online will give the pupils some manner to reach alumnas who have accomplished their class and who prospective pupils can acquire admittance from.Physical Contact If possible, see the college s office in individual or speak to them through the squall and justice whether they are an existent college offering existent instruction.Online MBA gradesSeveral Online MBA grades are available on the Internet presents and the pupil is spoilt for pick. How does a pupil travel somewhat measuring which Online MBA grade is the best option for them?There are many standards which are of import when taking an On-line MBA externalize and we shall discourse some of them belowThe repute of the instituteIt is really of import non to acquire an online MBA grade from any unheard of online university. If possible, look at on-line MBA grade s just now from colleges that offer full-time MBA grades. Then it will be easier to measure the college utilizing published rankings which appear in magazines. If the college offers merely on-lin e MBA grades and non full-time grades, so you must look into whether the college is affiliated to a university and authorized to run this plan.The course of studyMerely because it is an on-line MBA grade does nt intend that you should non acquire a good instruction. You are remunerative the fees for an MBA and you should have an MBA instruction every bit good as a grade. Compare the course of study of the online MBA grade with that of the university s full-time plan.The faculty-student interactionSome on-line MBA grades merely direct you the class stuff and trials whereas others offer a confab installation with module and the best 1s offer video streaming talks, confabs, webinars and other manners of on-line interaction. Look for the maximal points of interaction between module & A pupil it will maintain the class interesting for you. Besides fake certain that if you need assist or guidance, a module member will be available for you to reach.Contact SessionssThough the grade may be an on-line MBA grade, you should hold the option of go toing unrecorded talks and meetings with the module one time in 3-6 months. This is besides an chance to run into other pupils and acquire to cognise them.AlumnussContact old pupils of the online MBA grade plan at the college you plan to go to and see what they have to state about the college. You are finally taking an MBA to advance your art chances and if your online MBA grade is seen as non utile or worse, harmful, so it could be a waste of your clip or money. Check the mentions carefully before you collapse any fees or sedimentations.Finally some general adviceAn online MBA grade can be a rewarding and enriching measure on the corporate ladder.Making the right pick of college and plan for your online MBA grade can do all the difference between it being a great measure or a little measure on your manner to success.Evaluate all your options sagely, talk to as many people as you can.Do nt listen merely to the college s selling talk, what is the best option for the college may non be the best option for your online MBA grade.Online MBA grades can assist you acquire a making while you have a full-time occupation or place duties during the twenty-four hours. But they still require survey and difficult work if you want to derive an instruction from it.While taking an online MBA grade, besides take a expression at the specialisation that is right for your calling way and where you want to travel in the hereafter. The right pick of specialisation can besides assist you alter your calling way.

Saturday, May 25, 2019

Bag of Bones CHAPTER THREE

My newspaper didnt k today, my editor Debra Weinstock didnt know, my agent Harold Oblowski didnt know. Frank Arlen didnt know, each, although on more than adept occasion I had been tempted to prove him. Let me be your brother. For Jos sake if not your own, he told me on the day he went back to his printing business and mostly solitary life in the s erupthern Maine town of Sanford. I had never expected to polish off him up on that, and didnt not in the elemental cry-for-help way he capacity progress to been beting close entirely I ph matchlessd him e precise couple of weeks or so. Guy-talk, you know Hows it going, Not too bad, cold as a witchs tit, Yeah, here, too, You essential to go prevail all(prenominal)(prenominal) over to Boston if I goat desexualize Bruins tickets, possibly next y pinna, pretty busy full now, Yeah, I know how that is, seeya, Mikey, Okay, Frank, keep your wee-wee in the teepee. Guy-talk.Im pretty sure that once or twice he asked me if I was working on a new go for, and I see I utter Oh, fuck it thats a lie, okay? One so ingrown that now Im even distinguishing it to myself. He asked, any right, and I always said yeah, I was working on a new take hold, it was going good, genuinely good. I was tempted more than once to tell him I cant write devil paragraphs with issue going into summation mental and physical doglock my heartbeat doubles, then triples, I get short of breath and then start to pant, my eyes feel homogeneous theyre going to step to the fore reveal of my head and hang at that place on my cheeks. Im the uniform a claustrophobe in a sinking submarine. Thats how its going, thanks for asking, but I never did. I dont c both(prenominal) for help. I cant call for help. I think I told you that.From my admittedly prejudiced standpoint, palmy novelists even modestly successful novelists have got the best gig in the inventive arts. Its true that people buy more CDS than books, go to more movies , and watch a lot more TV. just now the arc of productiveness is longer for novelists, peradventure because readers ar a little brighter than cull outs of the non-written arts, and thus have marginally longer memories. David Soul of Starsky and Hutch is God knows where, same with that peculiar discolour rapper Vanilla Ice, but in 1994, Herman Wouk, James Michener, and Norman Mailer were all still around talk astir(predicate) when dinosaurs walked the earth.Arthur Hailey was writing a new book (that was the rumor, anyway, and it turned out to be true), Thomas Harris could take seven geezerhood amongst Lecters and still produce bestsellers, and although not heard from in almost cardinal old age, J. D. Salinger was still a hot topic in English classes and informal coffee-house literary groups. Readers have a loyalty that cannot be matched anywhere else in the creative arts, which explains why so many writers who have run out of gas can keep coasting anyway, propelled onto the bestseller lists by the magic words AUTHOR OF on the covers of their books.What the publisher wants in return, especially from an author who can be counted on to sell 500,000 or so copies of all(prenominal) novel in hardcover and a ane thousand thousand more in paperback, is perfectly simple a book a year. That, the wallahs in New York have determined, is the optimum. Three hundred and eighty pages bound by string or glue every twelve months, a beginning, a middle, and an end, continuing main character like Kinsey Millh angiotensin converting enzyme or Kay Scarpetta optional but very practically preferred. Readers love continuing characters its like coming back to family.Less than a book a year and youre screwing up the publishers investment in you, hampering your business managers ability to continue floating all of your credit cards, and jeopardizing your agents ability to pay his shrink on time. Also, in that locations always some fan attrition when you take too long. Cant b e helped. Just as, if you publish too much, there are readers wholl say, Phew, Ive had enough of this guy for awhile, its all head start to taste like beans.I tell you all this so youll understand how I could spend four years using my computer as the worlds most expensive Scrabble board, and no one ever suspected. Writers block? What writers block? We dont got no steenkin writers block. How could anyone think such a issue when there was a new Michael Noonan suspense novel appearing individually fall upright like clockwork, perfect for your late-summer pleasure reading, folks, and by the way, dont forget that the holi years are coming and that all your relatives would too probably enjoy the new Noonan, which can he had at B dispositions at a thirty percent discount, oy vay, such a deal.The secret is simple, and I am not the alone popular novelist in America who knows it if the rumors are correct, Danielle Steel (to name just one) has been using the Noonan Formula for decades. You see, although I have published a book a year starting with Being Two in 1984, I wrote two books in four of those ten years, publishing one and ratholing the other.I dont remember ever talking virtually this with Jo, and since she never asked, I always assumed she understood what I was doing saving up nuts. It wasnt writers block I was thinking of, though. Shit, I was just having fun.By February of 1995, by and by crashing and burning with at least two good ideas (that particular function the Eureka thing has never stopped, which creates its own special version of hell), I could no longer deny the obvious I was in the worst sort of trouble a writer can get into, barring Alzheimers or a cataclysmic stroke. Still, I had four cardboard manuscript boxes in the big safe-deposit box I keep up at faithfulness Union. They were pronounced engagement, Threat, Darcy, and Top. Around Valentines Day, my agent called, moderately nervous I usually delivered my latest masterpiece to him b y January, and here it was already half-past February. They would have to crash production to get this years Mike Noonan out in time for the annual Christmas buying orgy. Was everything all right?This was my premier(prenominal) chance to say things were a country mile from all but Mr. Harold Oblowski of 225 Park Avenue wasnt the sort of man you said such things to. He was a fine agent, both desire and loathed in publishing circles (some clock by the same people at the same time), but he didnt adapt well to bad news from the dark and oil.treaked levels where the goods were actually produced. He would have freaked and been on the next plane to Derry, ready to give me creative let the cat out of the bag-to-mouth, adamant in his resolve not to leave until he had yanked me out of my fugue. No, I liked Harold right where he was, in his thirty-eighth-floor dominance with its kickass view of the East Side.I told him what a coincidence, Harold, you calling on the very day I finished the new one, gosharooty, how bout that, Ill sling it out FedEx, youll have it tomorrow. Harold assured me solemnly that there was no coincidence about it, that where his writers were concerned, he was telepathic. Then he congratulated me and hung up. Two hours later I true his bouquet-every bit as fulsome and silky as one of his Jimmy Hollywood ascots.After putting the flowers in the dining room, where I rarely went since Jo died, I went polish to Fidelity Union. I used my key, the bank manager used his, and soon enough I was on my way to FedEx with the manuscript of on the whole the route from the Top. I took the most recent book because it was the one closest to the front of the box, thats all. In November it was published just in time for the Christmas rush. I dedicated it to the remembering of my late, beloved wife, Johanna. It went to number eleven on the Times bestseller list, and everyone went home happy. Even me. Because things would get better, wouldnt they? No one had te rminal writers block, did they (well, with the possible exception of Harper Lee)? All I had to do was relax, as the chorus girl said to the archbishop. And thank God Id been a good squirrel and saved up my nuts.I was still affirmative the following year when I drove deal to the Federal Express office with Threatening Behavior. That one was written in the fall of 1991, and had been one of Jos favorites. Optimism had attenuate quite a little bit by March of 1997, when I drove th jolty a wet snowstorm with Darcys Admirer, although when people asked me how it was going (theme any good books lately? is the existential way most seem to phrase the question), I still answered good, fine, yeah, writing lots of good books lately, theyre pouring out of me like shit out of a cows ass.After Harold had read Darcy and pronounced it my best ever, a best-seller which was also serious, I hesitantly broached the idea of winning a year off. He responded immediately with the question I detest above a ll others was I all right? Sure, I told him, fine as freckles, just thinking about easing off a little. on that point followed one of those patented Harold Oblowski silences, which were meant to convey that you were being a terrific asshole, but because Harold liked you so much, he was trying to think of the gentlest possible way of telling you so. This is a wonderful trick, but one I saw through about six years ago. Actually, it was Jo who saw through it. Hes only pretending compassion, she said. Actually, hes like a cop in one of those old film noir movies, keeping his mouth shut so youll blunder ahead and end up confessing to everything.This time I kept my mouth shut just switched the phone from my right ear to my left, and rocked back a little further in my office chair. When I did, my eye fell on the framed characterizationgraph over my computer Sara Laughs, our say on Dark Score Lake. I hadnt been there in eons, and for a moment I consciously wondered why.Then Harolds voic e cautious, comforting, the voice of a reasonable man trying to talk a lunatic out of what he hopes will be no more than a passing delusion was back in my ear. That might not be a good idea, Mike not at this stage of your career.This isnt a stage, I said. I peaked in 1991 since then, my sales havent rattling gone up or down. This is a plateau, Harold.Yes, he said, and writers whove reached that steady state really only have two choices in basis of sales they can continue as they are, or they can go down.So I go down, I conceit of saying . . . but didnt. I didnt want Harold to know exactly how deep this went, or how shaky the ground under me was. I didnt want him to know that I was now having heart palpitations-yes, I mean this literally almost every time I opened the Word Six program on my computer and looked at the blank disguise and flashing cursor.Yeah, I said. Okay. Message received.Youre sure youre all right?Does the book read like Im wrong, Harold?Hell, no its a hel luva yarn. Your personal best, I told you. A broad read but also prison guard serious shit. If Saul Bellow wrote romantic suspense fiction, this is what hed write. But . . . youre not having any trouble with the next one, are you? I know youre still missing Jo, hell, we all are No, I said. No trouble at all. Another of those long silences ensued. I endured it. At ending Harold said, Grisham could afford to take a year off. Clancy could. Thomas Harris, the long silences are a part of his mystique. But where you are, life is even tougher than at the very top, Mike. There are five writers for every one of those spots down on the list, and you know who they are hell, theyre your neighbors three months a year. Some are going up, the way Patricia Cornwell went up with her lowest two books, some are going down, and some are staying steady, like you. If Tom Clancy were to go on hiatus for five years and then bring Jack Ryan back, hed come back strong, no argument. If you go on hiatus for five years, maybe you dont come back at all. My advice is shambling hay while the sun shines.Took the words right out of my mouth.We talked a little more, then said our goodbyes. I leaned back further in my office chair not all the way to the tip over point but close and looked at the photo of our western Maine retreat. Sara Laughs, sort of like the championship of that hoary old Hall and Oates ballad. Jo had loved it more, true enough, but only by a little, so why had I been staying international? Bill Dean, the caretaker, took down the storm shutters every spring and put them back up every fall, drained the pipes in the fall and made sure the pump was ladder in the spring, checked the generator and took care to see that all the maintenance tags were current, anchored the swimming float litre yards or so off our little lick of bank after each Memorial Day.Bill had the chimney cleaned in the early summer of 96, although there hadnt been a fire in the fireplace for two ye ars or more. I paid him quarterly, as is the custom with caretakers in that part of the world Bill Dean, old Yankee from a long line of them, change my checks and didnt ask why I never used my place anymore. Id only been down two or three times since Jo died, and not a maven overnight. Good thing Bill didnt ask, because I dont know what answer I would have given him. I hadnt even really thought about Sara Laughs until my chat with Harold.Thinking of Harold, I looked away from the photo and back at the phone. Imagined saying to him, So I go down, so what? The world comes to an end? Please. It isnt as if I had a wife and family to support the wife died in a drugstore parking lot, if you please (or even if you dont please), and the kid we wanted so badly and act for so long went with her, I dont crave the fame, both if writers who fill the lower slots on the Times bestseller list can be said to be known and I dont fall asleep dreaming of book club sales. So why? Why does it ev en bother me?But that last one I could answer. Because it felt like giving up. Because without my wife and my work, I was a superfluous man living alone in a big house that was all paid for, doing nothing but the newspaper crossword over lunch.I pushed on with what passed for my life. I forgot about Sara Laughs (or some part of me that didnt want to go there buried the idea) and spent another sweltering, miserable summer in Derry. I put a cruciverbalist program on my Powerbook and began making my own crossword puzzles. I took an interim appointment on the local YMCAs board of directors and judged the Summer Arts Competition in Waterville. I did a series of TV ads for the local homeless person shelter, which was staggering toward bankruptcy, then served on that board for awhile. (At one public meeting of this latter board a woman called me a friend of degenerates, to which I replied, convey I needed that. This resulted in a loud outburst of applause which I still dont understand.) I tried some one-on-one counselling and gave it up after five appointments, deciding that the counsellors problems were far worse than mine. I sponsored an Asian child and bowled with a league.sometimes I tried to write, and every time I did, I locked up. Once, when I tried to force a sentence or two (any sentence or two, just as long as they came fresh-baked out of my own head), I had to grab the wastebasket and vomit into it. I vomited until I thought it was going to kill me . . . and I did have to literally c warml away from the desk and the computer, pulling myself across the deep-pile rug on my hands and knees. By the time I got to the other locating of the room, it was better. I could even look back over my shoulder at the VDT screen. I just couldnt get near it. Later that day, I approached it with my eyes shut and turned it off.More and more often during those late-summer days I thought of Dennison Carville, the creative-writing teacher whod helped me connect with Harold and who had damned Being Two with such faint praise. Camille once said something I never forgot, attributing it to Thomas Hardy, the blue(a) novelist and poet. Perhaps Hardy did say it, but Ive never found it repeated, not in Bartletts, not in the Hardy biography I read amongst the publications of All the Way from the Top and Threatening Behavior. I have an idea Carville may have made it up himself and then attributed it to Hardy in order to give it more weight. Its a ploy I have used myself from time to time, Im ashamed to say.In any case, I thought about this reference more and more as I struggled with the panic in my body and the frozen feeling in my head, that awful locked-up feeling. It seemed to sum up my despair and my evolution certainty that I would never be able to write again (what a tragedy, V. C. Andrews with a prick felled by writers block). It was this quote that suggested any effort I made to better my situation might be meaningless even if it succeeded.According to gloomy old Dennison Carville, the aspiring novelist should understand from the outset that fictions goals were forever beyond his reach, that the job was an exercise in futility. Compared to the dullest human being actually walking about on the face of the earth and casting his shadow there, Hardy purportedly said, the most brilliantly drawn character in a novel is but a bag of bones. I understood because that was what I felt like in those interminable, dissembling days a bag of bones.Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.If there is any more beautiful and haunting first line in English fiction, Ive never read it. And it was a line I had cause to think of a lot during the fall of 1997 and the winter of 1998. I didnt dream of Manderley, of course, but of Sara Laughs, which Jo sometimes called the hideout. A circus enough description, I guess, for a place so far up in the western Maine timber that its not really even in a town at all, but in an unincorporated area designate d on state maps as RR-90.The last of these dreams was a nightmare, but until that one they had a kind of surreal simplicity. They were dreams Id awake from wanting to turn on the bedroom light so I could confirm my place in reality onward going back to sleep. You know how the air feels before a thunderstorm, how everything gets still and colors seem to stand out with the brilliance of things seen during a high fever? My winter dreams of Sara Laughs were like that, each leaving me with a feeling that was not quite sickness. Ive dreamt again of Manderley, I would think sometimes, and sometimes I would lie in bed with the light on, listening to the wind outside, looking into the bedrooms shadowy corners, and thinking that Rebecca de Winter hadnt drowned in a talk but in Dark Score Lake. That she had gone down, gurgling and flailing, her strange smutty eyes full of water, while the loons cried out indifferently in the twilight. Sometimes I would get up and drink a glass of water. So metimes I just turned off the light after I was once more sure of where I was, rolled over on my side again, and went back to sleep.In the daytime I rarely thought of Sara Laughs at all, and it was only much later that I realized something is badly out of whack when there is such a dichotomy between a persons waking and sleeping lives. I think that Harold Oblowskis call in October of 1997 was what kicked off the dreams. Harolds ostensible reason for calling was to congratulate me on the impending release of Darcys Admirer, which was entertaining as hell and which also contained some extremely thought-provoking shit. I suspected he had at least one other item on his agenda Harold usually does and I was right. Hed had lunch with Debra Weinstock, my editor, the day before, and they had gotten talking about the fall of 1998.Looks crowded, he said, meaning the fall lists, meaning specifically the fiction half of the fall lists. And there are some surprise additions. Dean Koontz I thou ght he usually published in January, I said.He does, but Debra hears this one may be delayed. He wants to add a section, or something. Also theres a Harold Robbins, The Predators Big deal.Robbins still has his fans, Mike, still has his fans. As you yourself have pointed out on more than one occasion, fiction writers have a long arc.Uh-huh. I switched the telephone to the other ear and leaned back in my chair. I caught a glimpse of the framed Sara Laughs photo over my desk when I did. I would be visiting it at greater length and proximity that night in my dreams, although I didnt know that then all I knew then was that I wished like almighty fuck that Harold Oblowski would hurry up and get to the point.I sense datum impatience, Michael my boy, Harold said. Did I catch you at your desk? atomic number 18 you writing? Just finished for the day, I said. I am thinking about lunch, however.Ill be quick, he promised, but hang with me, this is important. There may be as many as five other writers that we didnt expect publishing next fall Ken Follett . . . its supposed to be his best since Eye of the phonograph needle . . . Belva Plain . . . John Jakes . . . None of those guys plays tennis on my court, I said, although I knew that was not exactly Harolds point Harolds point was that there are only fifteen slots on the Times list.How about Jean Auel, finally publishing the next of her sex-among-the-cave-people epics? I sat up.Jean Auel? Really?Well . . . not a hundred percent, but it looks good. Last but not least is a new Mary Higgins Clark. I know what tennis court she plays on, and so do you. If Id gotten that sort of news six or seven years earlier, when Id felt I had a great deal more to protect, I would have been bubbly Mary Higgins Clark did play on the same court, shared exactly the same audience, and so far our publishing schedules had been arranged to keep us out of each others way . . . which was to my benefit rather than hers, let me assure you. Goin g nose to nose, she would cream me. As the late Jim Croce so wisely observed, you dont tug on Supermans cape, you dont lingua into the wind, you dont pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger, and you dont mess around with Mary Higgins Clark. Not if youre Michael Noonan, anyway.How did this happen? I asked. I dont think my tone was peculiarly ominous, but Harold replied in the nervous, stumbling-all-over-his-own-words fashion of a man who suspects he may be fired or even beheaded for bearing evil tidings.I dont know. She just happened to get an extra idea this year, I guess. That does happen, Ive been told.As a fellow who had taken his share of double-dips I knew it did, so I simply asked Harold what he wanted. It seemed the quickest and easiest way to get him to relinquish the phone. The answer was no surprise what he and Debra both wanted not to mention all the rest of my Putnam pals was a book they could publish in late summer of 98, thus getting in front of Ms. Clark and the re st of the competition by a couple of months. Then, in November, the Putnam sales reps would give the novel a healthy second push, with the Christmas season in mind.So they say, I replied. Like most novelists (and in this regard the successful are no different from the unsuccessful, indicating there might be some merit to the idea as well as the usual free-floating paranoia), I never trusted publishers promises.I think you can believe them on this, Mike Darcys Admirer was the last book of your old contract, remember. Harold sounded almost sprightly at the thought of forthcoming contract negotiations with Debra Weinstock and Phyllis Grann at Putnam. The big thing is they still like you. Theyd like you even more, I think, if they saw pages with your name on them before Thanksgiving.They want me to give them the next book in November? Next month? I injected what I hoped was the right note of incredulity into my voice, just as if I hadnt had Helens Promise in a safe-deposit box for almo st eleven years. It had been the first nut I had stored it was now the only nut I had left.No, no, you could have until January fifteenth, at least, he said, trying to sound magnanimous. I found myself wondering where he and Debra had gotten their lunch. Some fly place, I would have bet my life on that. Maybe Four Seasons. Johanna always used to call that place Valli and the Four Seasons. It means theyd have to crash production, seriously crash it, but theyre willing to do that. The real question is whether or not you could crash production.I think I could, but itll cost em, I said. Tell them to think of it as being like same-day service on your dry-cleaning.Oh what a rotten shame for them Harold sounded as if he were maybe jacking off and had reached the point where Old Faithful splurts and everybody snaps their Instamatics.How much do you think A surcharge tacked on to the advance is probably the way to go, he said. Theyll get pouty of course, claim that the move is in your inter est, too. Primarily in your interest, even. But found on the extra-work argument . . . the midnight oil youll have to burn . . . The mental agony of creation . . . the pangs of premature birth . . . Right . . . right . . . I think a ten percent surcharge sounds about right. He spoke judiciously, like a man trying to be just as damned fair as he possibly could. Myself, I was wondering how many women would induce birth a month or so early if they got paid two or three hundred grand extra for doing so. Probably some questions are best left unanswered.And in my case, what difference did it make? The goddam thing was written, wasnt it?Well, see if you can make the deal, I said. Yes, but I dont think we want to be talking about just a single book here, okay? I think Harold, what I want right now is to eat some lunch.You sound a little tense, Michael. Is everything Everything is fine. Talk to them about just one book, with a sweetener for speeding up production at my end. Okay?Okay, he said after one of his most significant pauses. But I hope this doesnt mean that you wont entertain a three- or four-book contract later on. Make hay while the sun shines, remember. Its the motto Of champions.Cross each bridge when you come to it is the motto of champions, I said, and that night I dreamt I went to Sara Laughs again.In that dream in all the dreams I had that fall and winter I am walking up the lane to the lodge. The lane is a two-mile loop through the woods with ends opening onto Route 68. It has a number at either end (Lane Forty-two, if it matters) in case you have to call in a fire, but no name. Nor did Jo and I ever give it one, not even between ourselves. It is narrow, really just a double rut with timothy and witchgrass growing on the crown. When you drive in, you can hear that grass whispering like low voices against the undercarriage of your car or truck.I dont drive in the dream, though. I never drive. In these dreams I walk.The trees huddle in close on eit her side of the lane. The darkening sky overhead is little more than a slot. Soon I will be able to see the first peeping stars. sundown is past. Crickets chirr. Loons cry on the lake. Small things chipmunks, probably, or the occasional squirrel rustle in the woods.Now I come to a dirt driveway sloping down the hill on my right. It is our driveway, marked with a little wooden sign which reads SARA LAUGHS. I stand at the head of it, but I dont go down. beneath is the lodge. Its all logs and added-on wings, with a deck jutting out behind. Fourteen rooms in all, a ridiculous number of rooms. It should look ugly and awkward, but someways it does not. There is a brave-dowager quality to Sara, the look of a lady pressing resolutely on toward her hundredth year, still taking pretty good strides in spite of her arthritic hips and gimpy old knees.The central section is the oldest, dating back to 1900 or so. Other sections were added in the thirties, forties, and sixties. Once it was a h unting lodge for a brief period in the early seventies it was home to a small commune of transcendental hippies. These were lease or rental deals the owners from the late forties until 1984 were the Hingermans, Darren and Marie . . . then Marie alone when Darren died in 1971. The only visible addition from our period of ownership is the tiny DSS dish mounted on the central roofpeak. That was Johannas idea, and she never really got a chance to enjoy it.Beyond the house, the lake glimmers in the afterglow of sunset. The driveway, I see, is carpeted with brown pine needles and littered with fallen branches. The bushes which grow on either side of it have run wild, reaching out to one another like lovers across the narrowed gap which separates them. If you brought a car down here, the branches would scrape and unpleasantly against its sides. Below, I see, theres moss growing logs of the main house, and three large sunflowers with faces like have grown up through the boards of the littl e driveway-side. The overall feeling is not neglect, exactly, but forgottenness.There is a breath of breeze, and its coldness on my skin makes me that I have been sweating. I can smell pine a smell which is imitation and clean at the same time and the faint but somehow smell of the lake. Dark Score is one of the cleanest, deepest in Maine. It was bigger until the late thirties, Marie Hingerman us that was when Western Maine Electric, working hand in hand the mills and paper operations around Rumford, had gotten state to dam the Gessa River. Marie also showed us some bewitch photographs of white-frocked ladies and vested gentlemen in canoes snaps were from the time of the First World War, she said, and to one of the young women, frozen forever on the rim of the with a dripping paddle upraised. Thats my mother, she said, the man shes ponderous with the paddle is my father.Loons crying, their voices like loss. Now I can see Venus in the dark-sky. Star light, star bright, wish I m ay, wish I might . . . in these I always wish for Johanna.With my wish made, I try to walk down the driveway. Of course I do. Its my house, isnt it? Where else would I go but my house, now that dark and now that the stealthy rustling in the woods seems closer and somehow more purposeful? Where else can I go? Its dark, and it will be frightening to go into that dark place alone (suppose been left so long alone? suppose shes angry?), but I must. If the electricitys off, Ill light one of the hurricane lamps we keep in a kitchen cabinet.I cant go down. My legs wont move. Its as if my body knows something about the house down there that my brain does not. The breeze rises again, chilling goosebump out onto my skin, and I wonder what I have done to get myself all sweaty like this. Have I been running? And if so, what have I been running toward? Or from?My hair is sweaty, too it lies on my brow in an unpleasantly heavy clump. I raise my hand to brush it away and see there is a shallow cut , fairly recent, running across the back, just beyond the knuckles. Sometimes this cut is on my right hand, sometimes its on the left. I think, If this is a dream, the details are good. Always that same thought If this is a dream, the details are good. Its the absolute truth. They are a novelists details . . . but in dreams, perhaps everyone is a novelist. How is one to know?Now Sara Laughs is only a dark hulk down below, and I realize I dont want to go down there, anyway. I am a man who has trained his mind to misbehave, and I can imagine too many things waiting for me inside. A rabid raccoon crouched in a corner of the kitchen. Bats in the bath-room if disturbed theyll crowd the air around my cringing face, squeaking and fluttering against my cheeks with their dusty wings. Even one of William Denbroughs famous Creatures from Beyond the Universe, now hiding under the porch and watching me approach with glittering, pus-rimmed eyes.Well, I cant stay up here, I say, but my legs wont move, and it seems I will be staying up here, where the driveway meets the lane that I will be staying up here, like it or not. Now the rustling in the woods behind me sounds not like small animals (most of them would by then be nested or burrowed for the night, anyway) but approaching footsteps. I try to turn and see, but I cant even do that . . .. . . and that was where I usually woke up. The first thing I always did was to turn over, establishing my return to reality by demonstrating to myself that my body would once more obey my mind. Sometimes most times, actually I would find myself thinking Manderley, I have dreamt again of Manderley. There was something creepy about this (theres something creepy about any repeat dream, I think, about knowing your subconscious is digging obsessively at some object that wont be dislodged), but I would be lying if I didnt add that some part of me enjoyed the breathless summer calm in which the dream always wrapped me, and that part also enjo yed the sadness and foreboding I felt when I awoke. There was an exotic strangeness to the dream that was missing from my waking life, now that the road leading out of my imagination was so effectively blocked.The only time I remember being really frightened (and I must tell I dont completely trust any of these memories, because for so long they didnt seem to exist at all) was when I awoke one night speaking clearly into the dark of my bedroom Somethings behind me, dont let it get me, something in the woods, please dont let it get me. wasnt the words themselves that frightened me so much as the tone in which they were spoken. It was the voice of a man on the raw edge of panic, and hardly seemed like my own voice at all.Two days before Christmas of 1997, I once more drove down to Fidelity where once more the bank manager escorted me to my safe-box in the fluorescent-lit catacombs. As we walked down the stairs he assured me (for the dozenth time, at least) that his wife was a huge fa n of my work, shed read all my books, couldnt get enough. For the dozenth time (at least) I replied that now I must get him in my clutches. He responded with his usual chuckle. I thought of this oft-repeated flip as Bankers Communion.Mr. Quinlan inserted his key in Slot A and turned it. Then, as discreetly as a pimp who has conveyed a customer to a whores crib, he left. I inserted my own key in Slot B, turned it, and opened the drawer. It very vast now. The one remaining manuscript box seemed almost to take a hop in the far corner, like an abandoned puppy who somehow knows his sibs have been taken off and gassed. Promise was scrawled across the top in fat black letters. I could barely remember what the goddam story was about.I snatched that time-traveller from the eighties and slammed the box shut. Nothing left in there now but dust. demo me that, Jo had hissed in my dream it was the first time Id thought of that one in years. Give me that, its my dust-catcher.Mr Quinlan, Im fin ished, I called. My voice sounded rough and unsteady to my own ears, but Quinlan seemed to sense nothing wrong . . . or perhaps he was just being discreet. I cant have been the only customer after all, who found his or her visits to this pecuniary version of Forest Lawn emotionally distressful.Im really going to read one of your books, he said, dropping an involuntary little glance at the box I was holding (I suppose I could have brought a briefcase to put it in, but on those expeditions I never did). In fact, I think Ill put it on my list of New Years resolutions.You do that, I said. You just do that, Mr. Quinlan.Mark, he said. Please. Hed said this before, too.I had composed two letters, which I slipped into the manuscript box before setting out for Federal Express. Both had been written on my computer, which my body would let me use as long as I chose the Note tab function. It was only opening Word Six that caused the storms to start. I never tried to compose a novel using the Note Pad function, understanding that if I did, Id likely lose that option, too . . . not to mention my ability to play Scrabble and do crosswords on the machine. I had tried a couple of times to compose longhand, with spectacular lack of success. The problem wasnt what I had once heard described as screen shyness I had proved that to myself.One of the notes was to Harold, the other to Debra Weinstock, and both said pretty much the same thing heres the new book, Helens Promise, hope you like it as much as I do, if it seems a little rough its because I had to work a lot of extra hours to finish it this soon, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Erin Go Bragh, trick or treat, hope someone gives you a fucking pony.I stood for almost an hour in a line of shuffling, bitter-eyed late mailers (Christmas is such a carefree, low-pressure time thats one of the things I love about it), with Helens Promise under my left arm and a paperback copy of Nelson DeMilles The Charm School in my right hand. I read almost fifty pages before entrusting my final unpublished novel to a harried-looking clerk. When I wished her a Merry Christmas she shuddered and said nothing.

Friday, May 24, 2019

Drugs & Addiction

Drugs and Addiction Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist once said Every form of addiction is bad, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol, morphine or idealism. I agree with what he said. Its true addiction is not only bad, it disregard be dangerous Do you know how many people who take drugs let out each year? According to WHO (World Health Organization), 2,000 Americans die each year from using heroin, in England, 5,000. 2,500 Americans die each year from using cocaine.Alcohol kills 80,000 Americans every year. And tobacco? Every year, tobacco kills 440,000 Americans, 1. 2 million Chinese, 900,000 Indians, 450,000 Germans, and 90,000 Britons An addiction means being habitually or obsessively occupied with or involved in something. Some common addictions may be coffee, drugs, gambling, stealing, food/eating, shopping, working, social media, video games, internet, etc. And how do drugs work? Drugs are chemicals or substances that miscellany the way our bodies work.When you take dr ugs, they find their way into your bloodstream and are eventually sent to parts of your body, your brain for example. The effects of drugs can change depending on the kind of drug you take, how much is taken, how often you use it, how quickly it gets to your brain, and what other drugs, or food, are taken at the same time. Effects can also change based on the differences in body size, and weight. They can do a lot of harm to your body and brain.Drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco, and taking bootleg drugs, can all cause serious damage to the human body. Drugs may numb your senses, or severely hurt your ability to make healthy choices and decisions. maybe you have heard of Judy Garland. At the age of 17, a year after she played Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, Judy Garland was prescribed drugs to control her appetite. Soon she was nether the care of psychiatrist Dr. Frederick Hacker, and her prescribed drugs that produced even more anxiety for the troubled actress.In 1949 she was given e lectroshock and after that, hypnosis. In the fifties she suffered a dangerously vain liver and spleen due to her drug intake, but in the sixties she was put on even more drugs. She ended up taking 40 Ritalin a day before she died of a drug overdose in 1969 she was only 47 years old. None of the dozen psychiatrists shed seen had ever actually helped her. So be aware Say no to drugs It all starts with just one

Thursday, May 23, 2019

Does Television Advertisement Have Positive Impact on Consumer

You must exact at least once in your life satisfyn television advertisements which made you feel bored and decide that you would never buy these products. In fact, television advertising becomes an indispensable part in marketing strategies. No doubt, there ar many moneymaking(prenominal) advertisements that produce good responses right after its first broad cast. However, nowadays, consumers are very easy to allergic to the advertisements that they do not cod feelings.Television advertisements become negative effects to consumers because they not fit consumers spending habit and thinking, use images that are annoying, and never tell all the truth about products. BODY some(prenominal) companies use television advertisements to penetrate the market but they did not succeed. The reason was that they forgot the key principle in marketing which is to put yourself in the consumers situation. fit in to Issabelle Szmigin, The act of consumption by people is very different to the pic ture sometimes produced from studies of consumption.It is one of the reasons why some brands continue to live a delighted life and others cannot. Children, for example, can respond positively from this generation to the next generation with the same toy and refuse others after a few months of interest. On the other hand, as is the case of Novo, the company very clearly get wrong strategies and retrenches but still become successful in the domain of health care, art object some other brands are removed for more complex tactical and strategic reason which the consumer will never know about.In fact, you can see many television advertisements, that aired in the time period are very annoying, especially is midnight. Try asking, at this time, how many people will have to sit before the television waiting to see them. Besides that, many advertisements are very complex and have many details that made the audiences have to think. This causes customers to feel uncomfortable with the produc t. The important thing here is the television advertising does not suit the consumers spending habits, thoughts, so their failure in the market addition is inevitable.For years, massive advertising appears on television. Besides the good advertisements, there are many advertisements that using crude images, loss of socialisation. We still know that the advertising are necessary, but the culture in advertising even more important. Especially, with mothers who are raising boyish children, advertising is an effective solution in helping children tucker and learn, so they require a lot from advertisements. According Scott Ward, the extent to which children attempt to influence parental purchasing is very big.His research also reports data from mothers of young children, concerning their perceptions of the frequency with which television commercials influence their children to want advertised products, and the extent to which parents yield to children s purchase influence attempts. ( Report Number 1, Effects of Television advertising on children and adolescents, 1971, p. 5). Mothers decision to purchase much influenced from their children. The choice of image ads is extremely important but in fact, many marketers forgot this issue.There are many ads that use pestilential images that are not effective to influence the thinking of the children or attractive to them. And of course, the mother would never buy that product. Culture advertising is not only boost the manufacturers brand, distribution in the masses in order to sell more goods, but also help consumers select product that suit with their needs. Besides that, culture advertising is the respect of consumers. Thus, television advertising has caused negative impacts on consumer if bad images are used, making viewers allergic to those products.

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

American Connector Company Analysis Essay

Quality and efficiency is the key to American Connector federation (ACC) success. ACC has lost market share to DJC over the recent years, which go away be exacerbated if DJC opens a yield facility in the unite States. DJC has gained much knowledge from its Kawasaki build and is going to enter the US market with factories that will be efficacious. ACC is in trouble and requests to drastically wobble the way they do business if they sine qua non to survive.Looking and emulating DJC is the first step American Connector needs to follow. American Connector can regain market share and survive by guidance on quality and efficiency. ACC needs to do the following to ensure success before DJC enters the US market1)Re tendencying their factory layout for a more streamlined operation.2)Purchase unsanded-fashioned equipment that is in better shape and more efficient. Institute a life-threatening maintenance program to ensure the equipment runs properly.3)Work with the consumer to br ing out a good simplistic design.4)Continue to elapse employees happy to declare sure they remain at the company and ACC retains this intellectual property.5)Implement a Quality Control Division. ACC cannot rely on identifying defective parts lonesome(prenominal) after production. They need to implement quality control throughout the process, which will reduce costs and increase efficiency and profitability.Industry BackgroundJapan and the United States have had a different mentality and work ethic over the past centuries but it has become especially apparent over the last 30 years. The United States relies on money, technological sophistication and reputation/name recognition. Japan has been subject to get ahead with hard work, innovations, and technological advances. To the dislike of many American companies, Japan has taken technologies created by US companies and reverse engineered and improved on them until they were the dominant company in the industry. A good example is shown with the DJCCorporation in Japan. They took ideas, concepts and technology from American companies and made them even more efficient and successful.The electrical connector industry is tumescent. These connectors do everything from attach wires to wires, wires to outlets, attach wires, components or chips to PC boards, or attach PC boards to other boards. These connectors have two main parts a plastic housing and metal socket pins or terminals. The applications range from military and aerospace to computers to telecommunications to automobiles. in that location are thousands of standard connector product lines. The pricing of the connector depends on its train of technology and industry use.In the 1970s there was a large boom in the United States and companies took advantage of it. Demand slowed in the 1980s leading to many suppliers for a reduced need leading to consumers being able to demand their prices.The miniaturization of circuitry and technological advances led to t he need for new connectors and manufacturing techniques. The demands of the consumer were highly specific. This allowed other competitors to enter the US market.Lessons LearnedA. DJC at the Kawasaki Plant1) expertness DJC continued to review and queue up their production facilities to find the most efficient way to operate. This focus on efficiency has created a cost efficient way of producing wire connectors that cannot be rivaled. It will take other companies years to match the efficiency of the Japanese production facilities.The Just-In-Time delivery of resources and demand on their raw material suppliers to have almost chance(a) deliveries of supplies, DJC reduced the need for large warehouses saving money. The use of tape rolls of connectors was a design that the consumer liked and found easy for use at their production facilities. The design of their product packaging led to a more efficient way to palletize and containerize their products for shipment to distributors. s pot DJC maintains about two months of finished goods, the design of the packaging reduces the room it requires in the warehouse.2) Quality Japans streamlined operations has allowed it to add quality assurance to their production process. Through this high quality and deprivation of flawed parts they have gained a good reputation, which was something that was normally reserved for American companies. The continuous inspections, replacement or worn parts and the high level of maintenance of the equipment allowed the factory to run smoothly. The focus on fixing problems before they happened has led to fewer problems encountered on the production line.3) Links to Customers DJC maintained a stopping point link with its customer and took the customer input to adjust the connectors to meet customer needs. This allowed DJC to be proactive and stay ahead of changing trends within the computer industry. The change designs they created required fewer raw materials increasing efficiency an d reducing costs.4) Trade Secrets DJC reverse engineered many of its early connectors from designs from other companies. This sped up the design process and allowed them to apace enter the market. They did not want the same thing to happen to them so they had contracts written up with suppliers and created an internal design division that did their work in house. This allowed DJC to keep their innovative ideas to themselves, maintaining their advantage over the competition.5) Plant Layout DJC focused on the best way to produce connectors. Their plant layout and simplified design process allowed for an efficient operation, utilizing the factory space to its fullest. The process was set up in the most logical and efficient manner allowing for an increase in quality and reduction in personnel. The new Japanese plants were highly automated but DJC focused on pre-automation to ensure the plant runs smoothly. All people that work within the factory understand their consumption and are properly trained, materials are centrally located, quality and closings were clearly laid out and continuous improvements are sought. The limited number of products that DJC produces for their consumer allows them to schedule long production runs.6) Goal Setting The management was involved in all aspects of decision-making. They understood the importance of the having an overall goal that is understood by all divisions. They created the overall goal and allowed the managers of the different divisions to create their own goals that conformed to the focus of the company. Employees on the line knew the goal of the company and what management expected and solved many of the problems at the lowest level.B. American Connector at Sunnydale1) Operating Problems The American Connector facilities especially in California are experiencing increases in costs and deterioration in quality. The performance in the plant is leading to the consumer losing confidence in ACC. This will lead the con sumer to other options like DJC with a better reputation.2) Investments Complacency allowed ACC to believe there was no irrelevant competition in the US. They did not invest time or money into upgrading their facilities, quality, or capacity. The equipment within the facility is becoming outdated and is not being replaced.3) Efficiency The production facility is not run efficiently. There five production areas in the plant. Different areas run at different speeds leaving stockpiles of parts. This leads to inefficiency and an increase in facility space required to hold all of the parts awaiting further assembly. The facility is not fully automated which leads to slower assembly on minuscular runs, which are assembled by hand.The packaging of the connectors is inefficient with the wide range of package designs awkward for storage and shipment. The awkward packaging does not lend itself to proper palletization or containerization taking up extra room in the warehouse.It is hard to adjust production lines with the forecast being done three months in advance. With a obstruction among customers of predicting the success of their products, it is hard for ACC to get ahead or adjust quickly to changing demands. If a different producer is more adaptive they will skid the sales.4) Quality ACC quality has slipped at the Sunnyvale plant. There is a high rate of defective parts. While most of the defective parts do not make it to the customer, the waste of time and supplies costs ACC money.RecommendationsAmerican Connector Company has two options 1) stay with the status quo or 2) learn from the success of DJC and change their approach to head polish off DJCs competition in the US market. Really there is only one option for American Connector. Whether ACC believes it or not DJC will enter the US market. They need to change their mindset and do what is best for the company. With the way the US connector market has played out, it is open for international companies to e nter the market. ACC must change their mindset and stop being complacent. The lack of rivalry did has not spurred ACC to be innovative and create new ideas but allowed them to stay with the status quo missing the raft from their competitors.Complacency has led to outdated equipment and an inefficient plant operation. By taking the lessons that DJC learned at their Kawasaki plant, ACC can increase efficiency. If ACC streamlines their plant operations, buys new equipment, works with their customers to create a simpler product design, and makes more transportation friendly packaging they can have a more efficient operation.ACC has a couple of advantages over DJC that they need to cash in on. First, they are already in the US market. ACC is already established in America and can avoid many of the barriers to entry i.e. tariffs, taxes and initial financial layout that international companies will experience. ACC needs to build on their good reputation with their US customers.DJC is not keeping their employees longer than an average of 9 years. While they have a good salary for the entry-level employees, their advantage is reduced as employees advance within the company. They do rotate employees to different jobs yearly giving them good experience in different areas but cannot keep them until retirement. If ACC takes care of their employees andgives them a competitive wage, good benefits and advancement opportunities they should have an advantage over DJC with more efficient workers.Referenceshttp//net.mba.wfu.edu/Shafer/FulltimeOpsStrategy/acc%20handouts.ppt

Tuesday, May 21, 2019

A comparative study of the regions

A comparative study of the contributions Bordeaux and Burgundy Wine as an alcohol beverage is make by a complex and fascinating process, which includes pressing the fruits or berries, fermentation the Juice, then through chemicals composed of certain kinds of alcohols, pigments, vitamins, sugar, several minerals and more than than 22 organic fertilizer acids (Maynard 1965). Bordeaux and Burgundy argon two of the most tumesce-known and fabulous regions of France. Those top French regions have a long narration, conceptive culture of drink-coloured and also ingest a large amount of the most famous chateaus.However, Burgundy and Bordeaux regions both have he their own unique characters and styles of the vino. In addition, the varieties of pipelines for reservation wine also resist a lot. The grape and the certainly of style, quantity and whole step of the wine is enormously influenced by weather events occurring in every growing season, ter rainfall and so on. This essay pr ovides a brief overview of the oddment between Burgundy and Bordeaux region from a geographical, cultural and winemaking point of view.In addition, it also discusses a specific type of grape, which is Pinot Noir, and the reason why it is the briny red grape in Burgundy and not Cabernet Sauvignon. Since the first century AD, Bordeaux began to plant grapes along with the wine industry in this region began to develop as well Geoff 2010). Bordeaux is locate in the s break throughhwestern region of France, north of the Quatrain region and near the Atlantic coast. The river Gardener divided the Bordeaux city into two parts, the east is the right doughnut and the different side in the west is left bank, due to the bend of the river location.The left bank contributes to wine business trading, since streaming outside the bend. It contributes to business transactions because the river formed a deep enough arrow to allow the passing of merchant ships, which used to dock and offload along side the river. Even tough chateaux in this region proved the largest amount of first-rate wine than the other worldwide of winemaking. However, the quality of the wine varies year-to-year, even season-to-season and uncertainty about the vintage, which attribute to the geographical region.Bordeaux region is located between west longitude 0 17 to the east longitude 0 0 19 and north latitude 44 0 48 to 45 0 35, which belongs to temperate ocean climate with hot summers and cold winters without extremes of temperature (Holiday Weather 2014). Figure 1 and figure 2 respectively show the average minimal and maximum temperature over the year and average monthly venturesomeness over the year (rainfall, snow) in Bordeaux. Figure 1 World Weather and Climate Information, 2013, second-rate minimum and maximum temperature over the year, World Weather and Climate Information, viewed 3 April 2014, Figure 2 World Weather and Climate Information, 2013, Average monthly precipitation over the ye ar (rainfall, snow), World Weather and Climate Information, Rainfall-Temperature-Sunshine,Bordeaux,France In the mild and humid springtime from March to May, it provides sufficient supply of moisture for early festering grapes. However, too much dampness might be a major problem. The most serious one was in 1991, which had a very high humidity, the vines appeargond antique mold and betroths mold, resulting in greatly reduced in wine merchandise (Bill 2014).Summers in Bordeaux be usually filled with a good level of self-restraint and heat, but not excessive high temperature due to proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. The climate becomes chilling and one could see quite a bit of rain falling in heavy showers since September. Cold rain and surd breeze usually hit the region in January. During the winter, cold winds from the Atlantic often stroke into the vineyards and might damage the vineyard, but forested hills and ridges in Bordeaux also played essential role to slow down the str ong winds or change the watchfulness much more.The geology of this theatre of operations contains several kinds of defacement, which comprises of gravel, clay and limestone. Among them, the mountain area is gravel soil. The Gardener flows through the Bordeaux region, which offers the irrigation water. In addition, the region s in the temperate maritime climate zone, which provide the fantastic geographical moderate for planting grapes. Also, Burgundy has a good long lasting reputation as early as papist times and is one of the oldest wine regions (Wine Guide 2013). The wine industry has been developed vigorously, since Charlemagne began large-scale cultivation of grapes.Burgundy is located in the northeastern inland France, between Dijon and Lyon, which is a more northern location than Bordeaux. Figure 3 Chew Nouns, 2013, Average temperature and rainfall for Burgundy, the Direct Route to the Real France, viewed 4 April 2014, It longs to a typical Continental climate. However, t he range of temperature changes a lot as the altitude and latitude vary due to the strip-shaped of Burgundy. The temperature in the southern part is slightly higher (roughly two degrees on average). From April to October, the temperature is relatively high but not too hot.It could reach the highest temperatures during July and August along with the rainfall averaging mammary gland per month, then the temperature turns cold in the autumn, a mom increase in the monthly rainfall on average, and accompanied by thunderstorms. In old winters, the rainfall decreases to mom per month on average. This is not the optimum condition for planting grapes, by right, along with the location in the central mountain of France. The really high latitude is in inhibit for growing grapes. However, Burgundy has cultivated and brewed such a lot of good variety of grapes and wine.The reason is that most of the Burgundy vineyards are located in the south or south-facing gentle slope, which is better resist ance to the freezing damage and avoid the mistral, and use the thermal from the sun effectively. Those reasons make Burgundy better in planting grapes. Another main federal agent is the soil, which plays an important role in wine planting. The terrain feature of Burgundy present strip-shaped from north to south, which contributes to big differences in style between the north and south. The northern Chablis region is close to limited terrain condition of viticulture.In Burgundy, the origin of geology and the chemical structure of soil are diversified from the north to the south. However, there is still a certain unifying feature on geology and soil structure, which its sedimentary soil makes up of clay, marl and limestone. The structure has been formed for fifteen million years since the Jurassic time. In addition, the composition of soil in Burgundy is varied, but chiefly is calcareous soil. This kind of soil is most favored by Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The elite position of th ose vineyards is located in the Golden Hill area, on the fortunate eastern-facing slope.Although, in the fascinating world of wine, both Bordeaux and Burgundy have a long history in winemaking since at least 500 BC and strong wine culture, but different cultural and historical backgrounds created different traditions and ideas, resulting n two different kinds of great French wines. Classification system between Burgundy and Bordeaux region are the major difference related to culture. Since 1855, Bordeaux has been classified based on price, while Burgundy has been classified based on terror (Benjamin 2010).In the year of 1855, two events set up contrasting styles for classifying and ranking wine, and the results have reverberated ever since. The classification of the Medic wine is the most noted one, which not only set out the classification of wine in the left bank, also made classification based on price for all Bordeaux wines. Burgundy region is entirely based on the location an d record of the vineyard terror to divide and decision levels, so only the best vineyards as to geographical conditions as the highest level. Another event is less known, which occurred in the uniform year.Livable issued a map of every single vineyard in Burgundy which displayed details from Santayana to Dijon, grading them Tet De Cupe, Premiere, Dioxideme and even Troopsme Cupe (Benjamin 2010). In 1936, the map of Cet door was updated more than 400 appellations when the appellation controlle system was announced. Now in Burgundy, every vineyard has TTS interpose in a hierarchy classified in descending order of quality from Grand Cru, Premier Cru, Village wine, to Generic Burgundy. These account for 2%, 10%, 36% and 52% of the total production of wines in Burgundy respectively (Tim 2014).The elite part of the region is the Grand Crush. Those are the best-known vineyards and labeled solely with their call of the producer. Not every Grands Crush are equally quality, but most of th em are normally the finest and relatively expensive wines in Burgundy. Another interesting difference refers to culture between Burgundy and Bordeaux is he shape of the wine glasses. The correct wine tasting glasses could enhance a fine wine to bring out the flavor, highlighting its features and keeping it in balance. Due to the different characteristics of those two regions, choosing wine glasses should not be the same as well.Bordeaux-styled wine glasses are usually a large, tall bowl, which is shaped like a tulip. This kind of glasses is ideal for heaps of full body red wine, especially for Bordeaux wines. Because Bordeaux wines are in general is a bit high acidity and more tannin, the curvature of the glasses could appropriate control he speed of tasting rather than the upended shaped glasses. Otherwise, the Burgundy red wines mainly from the Pinot Noir, which are quite fragrant, fruity and seductive. Spherical shape glasses with a wide and large bowl could make the olfactory perception of Burgundy wine expand up toward your nose, enhance the complex aromas of the wine.Also, due to the high acidity of the wine, the glasses usually have a slightly flared opening to civilize the wine toward the tip of your tongue, accentuating the sweetness of the flavors. From the winemaking point of view, each region has its own feature and attractive Tyler. The variety of grapes, coloring and tasting are iii major aspects when talking about the difference between Burgundy and Bordeaux region. The first difference is the raw material, which is related to the variety of grapes. Bordeaux wines usually make up with a quintuple verities of grapes.Winemakers in Bordeaux believe that the taste of each simple grape is not perfect, and therefore require the deployment of different varieties mixed together to complement each other in order to enhance the flavor. In addition, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, brewed together with one or overall other varieties of grapes, basicall y dominate this region of wines. Nevertheless, winemakers in Burgundy love making wine through one single variety of grape, small-scale production and packaging. Pinot Noir dominates most of them. The second major difference is the color from appearance. As to the red wine, the color is from the skin of the grape.Due to the difference of dominant grapes, the colors of the wine from those two regions differ. The skin of the Cabernet Sauvignon is thicker than Pinot Noir. Hence the color of wines from Burgundy region seems to lighter by contrast to Bordeaux wines. The last distinguishing factor is the taste. Differences in varieties result in difference taste. As tannin is the main factor, which constitutes a main structure of the wine, Bordeaux wines, which mainly make up with Cabernet Sauvignon, have strong astringent taste, due to thicker skin. By contrast, Burgundy wine has more sour and fruit flavor, but less tannin.This is because Pinot Noir has full and rich fruity flavor and th inner skin. Lastly, the main variety of the grape used to making wine is different as well. In Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Overdo are the four main red grapes. The majority of the wine production in Bordeaux is red wine, which account for 4/5 of the total production. While Pinot Noir is the dominant red grape in the Burgundy region, Semicolon, Sauvignon Blank and dense Is Kodak are the representative while grapes of Bordeaux, where produce the best and most expensive red wine and sweet wines in the world.In addition, the quantity of the dry white wines is particularly outstanding. Alighted and chardonnay grape are two main white grape varieties in Burgundy. Generally, the wine is made based on one single variety of grapes in Burgundy. Pinot noir is the main red grape in Burgundy. Compared to Cabernet Sauvignon, which is strong adaptability to the surroundings and low cultivation cost, Pinot Noir is one of the grapes that winemakers need to carefull y take care. A glass of good quality Pinot Noir Burgundy wine will bring people unparalleled fantastic feeling.Because of this, the worlds most ambitious wine producers were keen to plant this uncertain nature feature grape. However, not every wine region could possession Pinot Noir like The first reason why Pinot Noir the main red grape in Burgundy and not Bordeaux traces back to quaternary century AD (Imprint 2011). There is an evidence that at that time, Pinot Noir was already planted in Burgundy. Pinot Noir used to name Morrison Noir at an early time. Later in fourteenth century, with related record in Burgundy, a name called Pinot Noir had already been described. The fate of Pinot Noir is related to Burgundy inevitably.The second essential reason is the favorable growing conditions. Pinot Noir usually make grow earlier than other varieties, hence vulnerable to spring frost consequently, stop growing after flowering. Therefore, it is best not to plant Pinot Noir in low-lying, d amp and dispassionate place. The average temperature in Burgundy is higher and the infill precipitation is lower than Bordeaux, which is more appropriate for Pinot Noir growing. As for Cabernet Sauvignon, which is late maturing variety, a mixture of gravel and chunks of quartzite soil is more appropriate for Cabernet Sauvignon.This is due to the heat transfer of gravel and drainage that is relatively good, more suitable for the late, maturing variety. The geographical condition of Bordeaux might be the good choice for Cabernet Sauvignon to grow. Theoretically, the production of Pinot Noir is quite low, but in Burgundy, the clone technology contribute to the improvement of the production during the sass and he early sass. Comparing with other majority of grape varieties, this variety is more vulnerable to various kinds of mold and easier to rot, but also more vulnerable to viruses, especially grape fan leaf virus and grapevine leaf roll virus (Edison 2002).This is because the skin o f the Pinot Noir is thinner than others. In fact, due to the spread of the disease in Burgundy vineyard, thereby, the clone of Pinot Noir is quite promoted in sass. Hence, Burgundy has a more advanced technology of planting and cloning Pinot Noir than Bordeaux. Thirdly, generally speaking, Pinot Noir from the limestone soil are usually with good laity. In the relative cold climate, this early senesce grapes generally ripen a bit late along with lack of aroma and the acidity is not enough. For example, in Burgundy, they both plant Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon.In some years, the Pinot Noir might ripen later than Cabernet Sauvignon, but in some years, Cabernet Sauvignon might ripen later than Pinot Noir. There is a consensus that the brew of Pinot Noir is much harder than Cabernet Sauvignon. This is because in the process of the brewing, it is required to unendingly monitor and alter the technology of winemaking according to the different needs each year. Due to the geographical reason, which is strip-shaped, most of the vineyards in Burgundy are smaller area and operation on a smaller scale than Bordeaux.Therefore, the small-scale vineyard is good to take care of Pinot Noir and manage the vineyard in order to produce more good quality grapes. As the two of the most famous wine region in the world, it is admitted that both have a long history of wine and a strong wine culture. But in some aspect of geographical, cultural and winemaking, they still have some differences between those two. However, with no doubt, the wine from the Bordeaux and Burgundy region are fascinating and tasty aromas. On those two pieces of land, stand the worlds most famous wineries.

Monday, May 20, 2019

Intelligence Agencies and Just War on Terrorism Essay

America and its allies looking at world that has bring into being more and more dangerous with its weapons of mass dying and shadowy world of terrorists more than willing to apply them. The wisdom of the past does not have the prescience or universal insight to deal with this impudently threat. America and its allies must change direction if they wish to respond to the challenge in an utile manner, even if it means employing policies that seemed dubious in the past. The state is called to protect its citizens in Machiavellian world, filled with decadence and compromise.The church is called to submit to the superior wisdom of those who have the special apprehension activity, experience and expertise to handle the incumbent crisis. Our forefathers came from Europe to settle in wilderness that was not always hospitable. Death was imminent, and survival was uppermost on all their minds. The settlement in Jamestown, after the death of Powhatan, suffered an unprovoked ack-ac k gun at the hands of the indigenous Americans in 1622, in which some 375 settlers were wallopingd.The immediate response was to make perfidious treaty with the natives and then crave them by burning their crops late that summer. It was case of survival. It was either us or them. (Amit 2003 127) The same policy was followed by the Puritans of Massachusetts when the Pequot Indians, most war-like people, presented an imminent threat in the mind of these settlers. Rather than wait around to die, they proceeded to attack them offset printing, killing in one horrific conflagration of Pequot fort some 4oo men, women and children.The exact motives behind the massacre remain unclear, notwithstanding no doubt survival was uppermost in their minds. Today the situation that confronts the American people is not so different. It is similar to that of their ancestors in many ways and direr in regard to the exit of lives at stake. one can debate whether the times have waxed worse and wo rse, just it is beyond question that the times have proved more and more critical with their weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and the ever-increasing number of potential users.The nation of Israel felt this threat in 1981 when it conducted pre-emptive strike against an Iraqi nuclear reactor. The unite States roundly condemned the action at the time, but with the threat now facing them from this and other rogue nations new-fangled policy has emerged. The nefarious intentions of the Iraqi regime are apparent to most observers. It appears as if this regime plans to pertain the production of WMD and deliver these weapons themselves or distribute them through the shadowy world of terrorist networks to designated targets in this underground manner.The signs of the times are all around us. Iraq already has violated over fifty UN resolutions to date. The UN inspectors revealed that Saddam was sprucely working on stockpile of WMDchemical, biological and nuclear, and by the mid-9os he began to deny them access to his supply. He already has used these weapons against his own people and waves of foot soldiers in his war with Iran. He has pledged on number of occasions to bring destruction upon the United States, and even planned the assassination of its former president, George Bush.He has subsidized and continues to support terrorist groups throughout the region, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad according to seized Palestinian documents. His relation to terrorism is matter of grave concern. (Rahul 2002 37-44) It provides special channel to deliver and promote his wicked designs, Bin Laden has called it religious responsibleness for his minions to obtain and use WMD against the infidels, but he knows that his terrorist network needs help.It is notwithstanding in the movies that Dr No is able to create the facilities to manufacture and deliver WMD. In the real world of terrorism, the capacity to make and engage these weapons requires the help of governme nt. Aum Shinrikyo, Japanese cult, tried to kill thousands of commuters with potent nerve agent but managed to kill only dozen after spending somewhere around thirty million dollars. The loss of these lives was tragic but much less than expected and displayed the complexity of operations using these agents.The cult was not able to assign the chemical (sarin) in sufficient purity and resorted to using most primitive deli very systemcarrying it on train and piercing bags of it with tips of umbrellas. government working with terrorist organization would produce more lethal combination. 3 In light of this threat, it appears as if the only long-term solution is to eliminate the regime in Baghdad. Some would postulate that there is no need to rush into war. But one wonders how realistic this option is in ascertain of the track record of the regime. Is it realistic to believe that Iraq would comply with inspectors?It did not the first time around, not in toto, would the UN impose the necessary sanctions and penalties if it did not? Or would it ignore certain closed doors and cave in as it did before to Iraqi demands? And even if unmolested, would the inspectors catch the regime in its lies, knowing that it is likely to play collection plate game and was given four years to hide its weapons? (Bruce 2003 44) Donnes fatalistic maxim succinctly defines the meaty scene that modern countersign services function indoors, and the variables determining their relative fortunes.Their experiences suggest that they are very human institutions largely shaped by the vagaries of circumstances beyond their control, not to mention misfortune and luck. As refined information used by the state to advance national goals and policies, password is directed, collected, analyzed and disseminated (the cognition cycle) within the milieu of international politics. Intelligence work must thereof function within the anarchical society of Great Powers. 1 Equally evidential is the extent to which give-and-take functionaries serve at the mercy of their policy masters.The learning officers themselves, in their various professional incarnations, are the desperate men in this formulation, striving as they do to carry out their risky and/or problematic duties in the face of inertia and outright opposition on the part of rivals, enemies, and occasionally their own countrymen. It is unlikely that any intelligence service in history has ever completely escaped subjugation to such restrictive bondage. As mentioned in the previous chapter, the war on al Qaeda should be deliberate broad-front attack.It is already that in practice, but the rationale for sustaining this approach is less established and troubles are certain because such strategy requires relating the efforts of quadruplicate agencies, subagencies, and even nations, and it sometimes necessitates rapid action. This would seem to require two enhancements of capability which may at first seem contradi ctory, but they are complementary and equally important. (Paul 2002 31) These facts hold particularly true for the office of strategic Services mission in London, Americas critical liaison and operational intelligence frontier settlement during the Second World War.Expanding to peak of 2,800 personnel in 1944, OSS/London was originally established in October 1941 with the arriver of single representative, followed by staff nucleus the day after Americas entry into the war. at last consisting of contingents from the four major OSS branches-Research and Analysis, Secret Intelligence, Special operations, and X-2 (counter-intelligence)-the mission served as focal point for Anglo-American intelligence dealing in the decisive theatre in the war against Germany.The London mission was at the heart of OSS transaction with British intelligence, and as such it personified the essence of that connection in the affiliate war effort. The Allied encroachment of Europe ensured that OSS/Lon don, more than any other OSS outpost, would have the greatest opportunity to perform decisive persona in the intelligence war. Other OSS missions would also make important portions, notably in Cairo, Algiers and Italy but these were ultimately secondary theatres, while in the Pacific and Asia, OSS never acquired the sound relationship with the military necessary for intelligence operations.London was at the heart of the Allied war effort, and at the heart of the Anglo-American alliance itself. While intelligence exchanges with the Soviet Union have been documented by Bradley F. Smith, London was the big league in Allied intelligence during the war. Many significant matters were accordingly played-out there, offering detailed examples of intelligence services in action. The experiences of OSS in London therefore illuminate the process by which America was introduced to the various components of intelligence and clandestine work, and how hearty American intelligence performed in its own right.As the presumed precursor to the post-war US Central Intelligence Agency, OSS further invites battlefield in order to understand the antecedents of Americas Cold War intelligence service. The significant Anglo-American context of the evolution of modern American intelligence moreover suggests that the Anglo-American Special Relationship had an intelligence component that was manifested most strongly and clearly in OSS/London. (Bruce 2oo3 75) The mission thus provides case study of how US intelligence matured and became institutionalized within the context of the larger Anglo-American political-military alliance.This analysis accordingly examines an aspect of that alliance and of intelligence history in particular, that has not yet been explored in any comprehensive detail. It is part of current historiographical surveil of the significance of intelligence services in military and international affairs. It specifically examines OSS/London within the context of Angl o-American relations, as well as the evolution of both modern American, and Allied, intelligence during the Second World War.The usual research approach blends what has been termed the American and British schools of intelligence scholarship. The more historical nature of British intelligence studies has been noted by Kenneth G. Robertson, while Roy Godsons Intelligence an American View, in Robertsons British and American Approaches to Intelligence, distinguishes between this historical methodology and the more conceptual or theoretical nature of American studies (for example, Sherman Kents Strategic Intelligence for American World Policy).British diplomatic historian D. C. Watt has therefore identified these approaches as two distinct schools of intelligence study, though recent noteworthy British contribution to the theoretical school is Michael Hermans Intelligence Power in Peace and War, which surveys the interrelationship between post-war structures, tasks, and effectiveness. This study for its part demonstrates the influences of both schools by linking theoretical concepts to the role of intelligence ties within the larger wartime Anglo-American alliance. (Neville 2004 45)