Professional Workforce: The Brilliant Movers Essay

In â€Å"The Coming of the New Organization† Peter F. Drucker (1998), the article confers about the necessitation to revolutionize the command-and-control organization to information-based business society. Indeed, a very intelligent proposal of considering the impact of computer technology on capital investment decision, making it a masterpiece to oblige such organization to be composed of highly educated workforce. One of the circumstances cited by the author set-up to have a more meaningful to wit: In an orchestra, there are probably few orchestra conductors who could coax even one note out of French Horn, let alone show the horn player how to do it. But the conductor can focus on the horn player’s skills and knowledge on the musicians’ joint performance. (p. 1-19) Mainstream Professional Development Mainstream professional development shall be best described by a technological technique that is clearly a natural offshoot among people immersed in today’s wired culture. The clamor for major reforms in the business system given the long standing perception of inferior-superior scheme is deficient, there needs to be a complete transformation of mission-vision by having a naturally concrete, workable and cost-effective plans and measures to enhance faculty performance by encompassing primarily knowledgeable and well experienced professionals. Compromising Camaraderie for Excellence A workforce of highly educated professionals can be cited for uncompromising integrity and professional excellence as a team of power. Without a doubt, successes are made by powerful individuals, first-rate decision makers but best of all brilliant movers. But having a pool of this bright squad may somehow formulate some variance on camaraderie and might have a profound impact on their personal and professional development. And there’s nothing more recommended way to deal with that but through a succession of group activity that may elevate the feeling of union and good ambience in the workplace. One major thing to take into consideration is hearing them all talk, nevertheless that matter would be more interesting to achieve since they all are above average. Workforce Uniqueness Everybody is unique and so their way of thinking, but finding a common ground for people to compromise is uncomplicated and so a straight mission and vision for a company is inevitable. It is the standard within workers that illustrates an intrinsic value as a dynamic pedagogical tool in a conventional business management program. Methodological Approaches Various methodological approaches, with emphasis on performance and the value of continuous learning help the group a lot to lead a common acuity. A viable framework of course design in this field of discipline, adopts on a hands-on approach to gain new competencies, improve existing techniques and share them with colleagues directing a new institutional structures and strategies.

Exploring The Indian Refinery Industry Environmental Sciences Essay

Energy is being an of import gas pedal for the growing of economic system and in the present scenario oil and natural gas are the chief beginnings of energy. India has got limited beginnings of oil and natural gas, so India has to be dependent on Arabian and African Countries, rich in oil and natural gas militias, for supply of the energy. Indian industry is at present transforming, turning at around 14 % per annum which is non sufficient to prolong the increasing demand for energy. In India, over the last two decennaries, The Refining Industry has witnessed enormous growing. This industry celebrates the centennial of the Refinery at Digboi ( one of the oldest refineries ) , the growing in the industry is accompanied by the tremendous development in the autochthonal capablenesss to engineer, apparatus and design mega refinery undertakings. A major designation for growing in Research activities by the refineries and national research labs have been recorded, with the consequence that activities that were traditionally regarded as being in the sphere of Accredited engineering, are being smartly pursued and cost effectual solutions to the industry ‘s demands are being provided based on autochthonal cognize how. In the 2nd half of the Last Decade, the industry has witnessed a sea alteration. Refineries ab initio were fundamentally Hydro planing refineries, the refineries set up by MNC ‘s integrated secondary processing besides. Production of Lubes was besides incorporated in some of the subsequent refineries. In the early 1980 ‘s, in a large manner secondary processing in the signifier of Fluidized Catalytic Cracking was adopted, when speedy sequence of six such units were in set up. This lead to the rule of Hydro checking in the late 1980 ‘s and early 1990 ‘s as the demand for production of more and more in-between distillations decided the pick of processing options. The three new FCC units were set up with the ability to co procedure residue along with VGO. The demand to guarantee quality of the merchandises conforming to specific rigorous specifications, related to environment and public presentation lead to the development of Hydro treating procedure and a figure of undertakings to better the quality of Diesel have either been implemented or are under execution. Increased profitableness and better quality of merchandises has led to a figure of refineries being taking up surveies to analyze their existing constellations and suggest options for the optimisation of rough oil mix and the processing constellation. Coevals of power or integrating with petrochemicals production is farther adding value to the refinery operations and these are being reviewed really earnestly. All this has led to the transmutation of the Indian refineries and the procedure of alteration still continues and the demands of conservationists going more rigorous, the constellations will go on to germinate. The factors driving the alterations in the refinement scenario are a combination of: aˆ? Minimization of residues aˆ? Maximization of value added merchandises aˆ? Improved merchandise quality aˆ? Maximum use of bing assets aˆ? Environmental judicial admissions Refineries in India are already major exporters of petro merchandises. India is mostly importing the rancid assortment of petroleum from Arab because the overall basket is much cheaper than Brent petroleums. Environmental criterions in India are besides allowing higher sulfur content in gasoline and Diesel.2.0 OIL & A ; GAS SECTOR REFORMSRefinery sector was delicensed in 1998New Exploration Licensing Policy ( NELP ) announced by Govt. in 1999. Administered Pricing Mechanism ( APM ) was dismantled from April 2002. Selling of conveyance fuels like Petrol, Diesel & A ; Aviation Fuel is a permitted topic to run into minimal investing of about US $ 0.44 billion in oil and gas sector. 100 % FDI is permitted in Exploration, Refining, Pipelines for both crude oil merchandises & A ; gas and Selling. Planing Commission study on Integrated Energy Policy in August 2006 Oil and gas is expected to be the cardinal drivers of the energy ingestion growing. Faster geographic expedition of full domestic sedimentary basins to augment domestic handiness of oil and gas Improvement in oil and gas recovery degrees Acquisition of equity oil and gas abroad Exploitation of alternate fuel beginnings such as CBM, Gas Hydrates, Hydrogen fuel cell and blending of bio-fuels Care of strategic militias in oil and crude oil In the last few old ages, the Indian refinery sector has witnessed uninterrupted capacity add-onsIndia: Refining CapacityGet downing with the 2003 to 2009, there is immense capacity add-on in the private sector refineries i.e. from27 mmtpa in 2003 to 72.5 mmtpa in 2009, demoing 168 % addition in the capacity add-on, and a just sum of capacity add-on in the populace sector refineries get downing from 89.9 mmtpa n 2003 to stagnancy in the back-to-back two old ages 2004 and 2005 and smaller balls of add-on in the farther old ages, in 2006 entire private sector refinery capacity amounted to 99.4 mmtpa and in 2007 and 2009 105.5 mmtpa. Harmonizing to the XIth twelvemonth program the capacity add-on in the 2012 is targeted to be 235 mmtpa representing 76 mmtpa from private refineries and 159 mmtpa from public refineries, and 302 mmtpa targeted in 2013, with metameric capacities as 202 mmtpa from public refineries and 100 mmtpa from private refineries.3.0 REFINERY PRODUCTION PROCESSRefinery Production ProcessesRefineries typically consist of a figure of parallel and consecutive procedures used to transform rough oil into a scope of concluding merchandises such as gasolene, Diesel, and asphalt. Modern refineries range from the simple to the really complex, though the tendency is towards increased complexness as the demands for higher-quality concluding merchandises addition. In all refineries, including smaller simple refineries, rough oil is foremost distilled into its basic constituents ; these component watercourses are sent for farther transition in the more complex refineries. The most of import distillment proce dures are the rough distillment, and vacuity distillment. Secondary transition processes by and large use thermal or catalytic procedures to farther change over the oil watercourse from distillment. Among the most of import is the catalytic reformist, where the heavy naphtha, produced in the rough distillment unit, is converted to gasolene ; the fluid catalytic cracker ( FCC ) where the gas oil from the vacuity distillment unit is converted ; and the hydrocrackers, which is used to â€Å" check † the molecules of heavy oil watercourses into lighter merchandises such as gas oil. Refineries by and large include process units such as hydro-treaters or hydro-de-sulfurizers to handle merchandises to better their quality. Ancillary units back uping the chief procedure units include rough desalters ( anterior to distillment ) , hydrogen production, non-energy merchandise units ( asphalt, lubricators ) and public-service corporations ( power and steam ) .Flowchart of a Typical Complex RefineryBeginning: Worrell and Galitsky, forthcoming.3.1 ProcedureCracking Treatment Reforming Hydro-treating Polishing Alkylation3.1.1 Crack:Cracking unit consists of one or more tall, thick, bullet-shaped reactors & A ; web of furnaces, heat money changers & A ; other vass. Procedure uses heat & A ; force per unit area to â€Å" check † heavy hydrocarbon molecules into lighter 1s. Fluid catalytic snap Unit ( FCCU ) A or â€Å" cat snap † It ‘s the basic gasoline-making procedure. FCCU converts most comparatively heavy fractions into smaller gasolene molecules utilizing intense heat ( 1,000 deg F ) , low force per unit area & A ; powdered accelerator for speed uping chemical reactions. Hydro snap: A Procedure applies checking rules utilizing different accelerator, somewhat lower temperatures, much greater force per unit area & A ; H for obtaining chemical reactions. Not all refineries employ hydro snap. Cost-effectively converts medium- to heavyweight gas oils into high-value watercourses Catalytic Crack: Very of import procedure in modern refinement. Procedure allows transition of stuff that would usually be burned as fuel ( vacuity gas oil ) into gasolene and distillation ( heating oil & A ; diesel fuel ) . Price difference between residuary fuel oil & A ; gasolene justifies CRU. Typically this procedure yields 50-60 % gasolene, 20-30 % distillation & A ; 30 % butanes3.1.23.1.3 REFORMING:Catalytic Reforming It uses heat, moderate force per unit area & A ; accelerators to turn naphtha ( light, comparatively low-value fraction ) into high-octane gasolene constituents.3.1.4 HYDRO-TREATING:It ‘s a Purifying procedure for sulfur remotion by responding crude oil fraction with H ( which is obtained from CRU or separate H works ) .3.1.5 Refining:Fine-tuning & A ; otherwise bettering merchandises to run into specifications by uniting assortment of watercourses from treating units. Example, in order to do gasolene, refiner would blend naphtha, reformate, catalytic gasolene, alkylate & A ; butane so that mixture has required octane figure, vapor force per unit area, sulfur degree & A ; aromatics content. Unit of measurements for public presentation additives & A ; dyes to separate assorted classs of fuel.3.1.6 ALKYLATION:Iso-butane ( gaseous by-products of checking ) is reacted with either isobutylene or propene to organize complex paraffinA isomers. Chemical reactions take topographic point in presence of hydrofluoric or sulphuric acid accelerators. By combing these molecules octane degree of paraffin isomer or alkylate is increased to around 93-96 octane. Refiners use this procedure to better octane degree of gasolene pool. The liquid signifier of mixture of hydrocarbons is known as Crude oil, dwelling of six parts of C and one portion of H as chemical compounds, carring little sums of sulfur, metals, salts, O and N. The organic compounds which are accumulated under the sea and trapped in sedimentary stones constitute to their formation. These stones are the topographic points where petroleum oil geographic expedition is concentrated. The oil is under force per unit area and if a pipe is pushed into the rig trap, oil flushs out smartly. With the extraction, the force per unit area is diminished, is so unnaturally reinforced by the injection of air or H2O into the reservoir to keep the force per unit area of the rig and force the oil up to the surface. Crude oil constituting of hydrocarbons that are holding variable boiling points so can be sepaprated through the procedure of refinement. â€Å" Refining is a procedure in which rough oil is heated in a vacuity until it evaporates and so allowed to lift up a column. Hydrocarbons liquefy at different temperatures and therefore can be collected at different highs in the distillment column. † Merchandises, with their approximate boiling points are: Petroleum gas ( & lt ; 90 °C ) Naphtha ( 200-350 °C ) ( it is used to do the additives for high-octane based gasoline, and polymeric plastics and carbamide ) Petrol ( 90-200 °C ) ( used to fuel internal burning engines, chiefly vehicular. ) Kerosene ( 350-450 °C ) ( used as an illuminant and cooking fuel in India and other hapless states, and as a infinite heating fuel in industrial states. ) Diesel ( 200 °C ) High velocity Diesel ( It is largely used in diesel-powered vehicles ) Light Diesel ( It is used in diesel engines running at lower velocity chiefly irrigation pumps and coevals sets ) Lubricant ( 650-1000 °C ) ( consists of lubricating oils and syrupy oils used to lubricate traveling parts in industry, cars, railroad engines and passenger cars and marine engines. Furnace oil ( & gt ; 1000 °C ) ( made by thining residuary fuel oil from polishing with in-between distillations such as diesel oil. It is used in boilers, sand traps, furnaces and warmers. LSHS – Low sulfur heavy stock is variant for furnace oil. ) Solid crude oil coke collected at the underside after the liquid fractions are removed. Which are largely used as fuel, but is besides used to do electrodes and dry cell batteries. The proportion of aggregation of these merchandises may change from rough assortment to crude assortment, which are classified as Sweet or sour.3.2 REFINERY ECONOMICSThe refinery economic sciences can be divided into no. of parts such as: Crude slates Refinery constellation Merchandise slates Capacity use Environmental judicial admissions3.2.1 CRUDE Slates:Crude oils have different outputs depending on natural qualities ( denseness measured as API gravitation & A ; sulphur content ) Low API gravitation implies Heavy petroleum oil Typically higher sulfur content makes crude rancid Outputs of automotive fuels with lower octane & A ; Cetane values doing engine knocking & A ; higher emanations Larger output of lower-valued merchandises, like FO ( available at price reduction to crude oil ) Higher investings in secondary processing installations to better outputs to fit merchandise specifications Lower on Refiners penchant & A ; hence price reduction to sweet petroleum High API gravitation sweet petroleum is on diminution & A ; commands premium over rancid petroleums. Costss & A ; payback periods for refinery treating units must be weighed against awaited rough oil costs & A ; projected derived function between visible radiation and heavy petroleum oil monetary values. Crude mix processed by Indian refineries ( PSU ) 52 % high sulfur and 48 % low sulfur petroleum. GRMs ‘ of Indian refineries ( PSU ) soon around USD 6-7/ Bbl while that of private refineries around US $ 10 per barrel3.2.2 REFINERY CONFIGRATIONS:Refiner ‘s pick of petroleum oil is influenced by the type of refinery processing units- Exceeding works ( dwelling of ) CDU & A ; likely Catalytic Reformer to supply octane Outputs from this works closely reflect natural outputs from petroleum processed Typically merely condensates or light sweet petroleum is processed at this type of installation unless markets for heavy fuel oil ( HFO ) are readily & A ; economically available Asphalt workss are exceeding refineries that run heavy petroleum oil because lone involvement is in bring forthing asphalt/ bitumen Cracking refinery Takes gas oil part from CDU ( a watercourse heavier than Diesel fuel, but lighter than HFO ) & A ; breaks it down further into gasolene & A ; distillate constituents utilizing accelerators, high temperature/ force per unit area Coking refinery Procedures residuary fuel, heaviest stuff from CDU & A ; thermally cracks it into lighter merchandises in Coker or Hydrocracker Addition of FCCU or hydro cracker significantly increases output of higher-valued merchandises, like gasolene & A ; diesel oil, leting processing of cheaper, heavier petroleum while bring forthing an equivalent or greater volume of high-valued merchandises Refineries holding big hydro-treating capableness have ability to treat rough oil with higher sulfur content.3.2.3 PRODUCT Slate:Refinery constellation is influenced by merchandise demand in each part. US demand for gasolene is much larger than distillate demand & A ; therefore refineries configured to maximise gasolene production Gasoline gross revenues account about 50 % of demand while distillate gross revenues account less than 30 % of merchandise demand US refineries are configured to treat big per centum of heavy, high sulfur petroleum, produce more of gasolene & A ; lower of HFO US refineries have invested in more complex refinery constellations, which allow usage of cheaper feedstock & A ; higher processing capableness Indian Refineries merchandise slate ( wt % on petroleum ) norms Light & A ; Middle distillates to heavy terminals ratio of 73:27 with maximal portion of Diesel oil.3.2.4 CAPACITY UTILIZATION:Critical constituent of refinement economic sciences is capacity use rate, or how expeditiously the refinement composite is runing in order to retrieve its fixed costs. Spare capacity consequences in increased competition among refiners, which farther eroded refinement borders. Use rate of about 95 % is considered optimal as it allows for normal unopen downs required for care & A ; seasonal accommodations. Refinery capacity is based on designed size of CDU ( frequently referred to as nameplate capacity ) Occasionally, through ascents or de-bottlenecking processs, refineries can treat more petroleum than nameplate capacity for short periods of clip.4.0 Refining CHALLENGECrude Sourcing/Oil SecurityPotential of Crude available is rather less from bing Fieldss in Middle East, Africa and South American states to back up polishing capacity enlargement and sustain capacity use. To increase the potency of handiness of petroleum certain attempts have been made which are: – Attractive New Exploration Licensing Policy ( NELP ) aˆ? 206 oil & A ; gas geographic expedition blocks awarded in 7 unit of ammunitions aˆ? 68 major finds reported aˆ? Investment committednesss of the order of $ 10 billion aˆ? Huge Unexplored land area aˆ? World ‘s biggest deep H2O gas find made in 2002 ( K-G Basin ) – India Hydrocarbon Vision – 2025 aˆ? 100 % geographic expedition coverage of all sedimentary basins by 2025 aˆ? Internationally competitory financial footings aˆ? Alternate beginnings: CBM and Gas HydratesOil Security: Strategic StorageThe oil security is the up step of Storage & A ; Supply Infrastructure. And for this certain things have been taken into history: – Integrated Energy Policy recommended 90 yearss storage of oil imports – Present storage coverage is 74 yearss and will cut down to 63 yearss with addition in the oil imports – Storage capacity augmentation actions have been taken to heighten the entire storage capacity to 78 yearss. – Planned capacity add-on: 8.62 MMT aˆ? 5.33 MMT by ISPRL at Vizag, Mangalore and Padur aˆ? 3.29 MMT at other locations – Strategic storage to supply addl. 12 yearss screenRefinery Configuration/ ComplexityChanging the Feed stocks would diminish the input costof the refineries by: aˆ?Changing the Quality – 0API / Sulfur / Acidity aˆ? Widening of petroleum basket aˆ? Compulsion to co-process feed-stocks of Bio-origin Following Product Mix Improvement aˆ? Turning demand with rigorous merchandise eyeglasses. aˆ? Switching the regional demand aˆ? Large figure of classs aˆ? Upgradation of low value/surplus merchandises – Naphtha to Petrochemicals – Black Oil to Distillates – Pet Coke to PetrochemicalsEnergy Efficiency Improvementaˆ? Energy efficiency can be betterment by usage of – Energy efficient technologies/designs – Energy efficient equipments – Best operation and care patterns aˆ? GHG emanation decrease through energy efficiency betterment aˆ? Close monitoring and timely actions bridge the spread in specific energy ingestion to fit with the planetary best aˆ? Tools applied are: Pinch Technology, Hydrogen Management, Waste Heat Recovery, Steam Power balance ( CogenerationCycle ) aˆ? Increased use of gas in topographic point of conventional liquid fuel5.0 Demand FOR PETROLEUM PRODUCTSThe demand of crude oil merchandises is related to the energy demand of the state, it is a map of degree of activity measured as GDP. India is soon traveling through the major industrial and economic reforms for the intent of incorporating the Indian economic system with the planetary economic system. The major countries of focal point has been identified as hydrocarbons. Policy alterations are planned for the sector to do the industry globally competitory. The reforms bundle are formed and expected to hold high economic growing in the sector, the demand of crude oil based merchandises is expected to turn at a rate of about 7 % .Wide spreads between merchandise demand and autochthonal petroleum handinessWidening spread between merchandise demand and rough production from autochthonal beginnings leads to heavy dependance on Imports. Oil Equity abroad and fresh discoveries under New Exploration & A ; Licensing Policy are assisting to bridge the spread between demand and autochthonal production. There is a demand for immense investings in refinement, grapevines & A ; Marketing substructure5.1 India: PRODUCT DEMAND & amp ; REFINING CAPACITYHarmonizing to the informations provided IOCL: Excess refinement capacity is expected to increase farther by 2030 India will go on to be merchandise excess Import/Export demand for crude/products to be rather significant6.0 OpportunityThe creative activity of extra refinement capacity of about 110 million tones per annum, an investing of about US $ 22 billion will be required, in the close hereafter. With such a phenomenal growing in the sector, so, ample chances and Scopess are at that place for transportation of the engineerings. The engineerings are required for the upgradation of the bottom barrel and run intoing the predominant demands of in-between distillations and bettering the quality of merchandises that make them environment-friendly and globally competitory. New refineries are located at the seashores while the major Centres, which are for the demand of crude oil merchandises are present in the inland topographic points, largely in North/North-West parts. Therefore, the chances for edifice inland refineries in the state are bing. In the field of petro-chemicals forward integrating is besides allowed for the refineries, which are for the merchandises which are better value-addition and environmental friendly, that will open another country for the investings to happen. India holding a strong committedness to prosecute an energy policy and the environmental factors would be taken into consideration. State is following more environmental friendly steps with respects to the use and the quality of fuels. Decrease of lead and benzine in gasolene, decrease of sulfur and betterment of cetane in Diesel are the major steps that are under execution. Such a quality of upgradation of fuels will necessitate the acceptance of latest engineering, which are bound to incure immense investings of around $ 2500 million.India ‘s advantagesIndia holding a immense modesty of trained and extremely skilled work force at a much lower cost as compared to some of the advanced states. Further, a big population base exists and really low per capita ingestion of crude oil merchandises is predominating, India is one of the fast emerging markets. The state has acquired tremendous experience in the field of installing and efficient operation of crude oil refineries from the past 35 old ages. Therefore, the operating cost will be lower as compared to other states and the value-addition in Indian refineries is of a really high order and that the puting up of refineries in India for the domestic market every bit good as for exports would be economically attractive.India as an international refinement finish and emerging Asian refinement hubIndia is poised to be ‘Asian Refining Hub ‘ due to built-in advantages in its economic system, geographic location, altering demographics, locality to high demand Centre of South East Asia and assorted other factors. India has been frontward looking in its thought and the full growing of Indian Refining Sector can be summed up in four distinguishable stages, namelyA A Early stage A A A A ( 1947 – 1969 ) , Development PhaseA A A ( 1970 – 1990 ) , Economic Liberalisation PhaseA ( 1991 – 2005 ) Mega Refining Hub Phase A ( 2006 onwards ) India is steadily emerging as an international finish for oil refinement with investing demands lesser by 25 % – 50 % as compared to its Asiatic opposite numbers. As per the analysis carried out by Deutsche Bank, India is expected to heighten its refinement competency by 45 % in the following 5 old ages. Bing the fifth biggest worldwide state in context of distillment capacity, India enjoys 3 % of the international capacity portion. To travel in front in doing its presence felt strongly in the planetary market, Indian crude oil houses are be aftering to raise their distillment capacity from the bing 149 mtpa to 243 mtpa by FY 2011-12. Cost fight Cost fight driven by lower fabrication rewards Low capital and hard currency operating costs Entree to big, technically skilled fabrication base and work force Autochthonal procuranceBeginning: A T KearneyStrategic location for petroleum sourcing and merchandise exportAdvantage of Economies of graduated table in big scale undertakings, along with experient and competitory building companies. The Autochthonal procurance sets a platform for cost effectual direction. Readily available accomplishment set for puting up and runing refineries with favorite substructure State of the art engineering being adopted for puting up and upgrading refineries with petroleum processing flexibleness and optimized merchandise slate and quality. Tax holidays/SEZs/PCPIRs offer first-class financial government. The Large domestic market every bit good as turning petrochemical industry has offered the following cardinal growing: Soon over 34,500 Retail Mercantile establishments ( IOC over 17,000 ) Crude grapevine – 3987 Km ( 34.5 MMTPA ) , merchandise grapevine 9454Km ( 55.09 MMTPA ) Politician installations at 14 ports locations: 39 positions, 2 flatboat breakwaters, 8 SPMs Increasing figure of participants in spread outing downstream sector Robust refinement borders Lowest capex/opex Downstream regulator in topographic point Low per capita oil ingestion at 111 kgoe

Is Del-Del by Victor Kelleher a Gripping Book? Essay

I do not think that Victor Kelleher is an exceptional thriller writer. However I do agree to the statement which says that â€Å"Del-Del grips like a vice and holds the reader taut, on a nerves edge, until the final page. Victor Kelleher is a very talented thriller writer, the technique where he drops small clues in the text as to a possible ending is one to be admired and his fantastic techniques which he uses is the best thing about Del-Del, Unfortunately Kelleher did not show his greatest work in this narrative. His technique where he dropped fake trails did not create anticipation like he had hoped for the reason that he overused this technique too much. The ending was also a tad lame and also would have perturbed the reader. We also found that the shifting of genre bewildered the reader and was too big a risk for such a small book. To keep the reader from becoming uninterested in the book, a good thriller author would drop various hints, or trails. These trails are usually a probable idea of what could be the ending, or in this case, the answer to Del-Del. As mentioned before, this will keep the reader interested in the book as they will be curious to find out if the ending is as they predicted. Examples of this in Del-Del are shown throughout the book and in all three sections. The main one in each section is when the family believes that Del-Del is what Sam leads them to be, meaning that the reader thinks this as well. For example in the first section, the reader thinks that Del-del is the beast possessing Sam’s body. In the second section, the reader thinks that Del-Del is an alien voyager and in the third section, the first half finds the reader thinking that Del-Del is the voyager and in the second part of the third section the reader finally discovers what Del-Del really is. As well as that in the first section Kelleher drops the hint that Del-Del is just Sam trying to expressing his feeling about Laura dying in page twenty seven when Hannah says what the psychiatrist said about Sam. Up to here, this is probably about as many false trails as is good for a book this size. Maybe even a little bit too much. Kelleher put far too many false trails. And the false trails outnumber the number of trails that lead to the right. In fact, the number of false trails compared to the number of right trails is about six to one, which is far too many. This can frustrate reader. So in conclusion while Kelleher is usually good at dropping false trails and hints, he overused it in this novel and the result was leaving the reader annoyed and possibly frustrated. One of the main things about a thriller book is suspense. Suspense is vital as without it the book would be just like every other action or horror book. Suspense also keeps the reader interested in the book. In this book Victor Kelleher creates suspense in a few ways. The main one is by leaving cliff-hangers at the end of each chapter. Each chapter finishes of with a short sentence with inconclusive information. This creates suspense because the short sentences never reveal what is going to happen next. The reader then becomes curious as what is going to happen next and this creates suspense. Examples of this technique are in; Section one, chapter eight: â€Å"And this time she wasn’t alone†, section two, chapter three: â€Å"Into the time of waiting† and in section three, chapter four: â€Å"Back in my own room I lay awake for some time, listening uneasily to the many noises of the night. † Another technique used to create suspense was telling the story from a first person point of view. The book is told from Beth’s (Sam’s older sister) point of view. â€Å"Beth† does not reveal everything at the start, she plays at out like a recount or a diary, saying things as she was experiencing them without revealing the end. This relates to suspense because the reader will obviously want to know the ending. This opens up another technique for suspense because, as mentioned above, Kelleher attempted to drop false trails to keep the reader guessing. Example of this is in page 27 when Mum reveals the ‘shrink’s’ report. Kelleher convinces the reader that this is unimportant by having Desmond blow up over it. As Beth thinks that this is unimportant, so does the reader. Kelleher uses 1st person storytelling to create suspense by having Beth mislead by circumstance and therefore the reader as well. So here, the author did a very good job when he put suspense in his novel. Suspense was the best part of the novel. As mentioned before, the author dropped a lot of hints and false trails too keep the author guessing. Kelleher also used a lot of suspense in his novel. So with all of this suspense one would hope for a fantastic and overwhelming ending. However this was far from the case. The ending was similar to the classic â€Å"And then he woke up from the dream† type ending. If one of those came up in a book, I am sure this would infuriate the reader. This was remarkably similar. All it was is Sam trying to show his feelings about Laura dying. This was rather lame and many of the readers would have found this annoying and maddening. Another negative was that Kelleher decided to take a risk with this book and changed the genres twice in the book. The first section, which showed the beast and his rants, was a bit of a thriller horror genre. Then in the second section it changed to a thriller/sci-fi genre. And in the third section, it became a psychological thriller genre. For a large book this would be a successful way to create suspense. However when a small book like Del-Del (195 pages) changes genre twice, it tends to confuse the reader. They will be confused as to what is actually happening. This is what happened with Del-Del. Instead of creating suspense, it created confusion. Kelleher’s risk to change genres failed because it created confusion instead of suspense, and therefore it was a wasted and failed effort. In conclusion although Victor Kelleher was a successful writer overall, he did not do his best work in Del-Del. Although he put the perfect amount of suspense in the novel, he overdid the false trails and hints throughout the book and this ended up confusing and frustrating the reader. With the amount of false trails and suspense in the book, one would expect the ending to be a massive and unexpected ending. This was not the case and instead had a very lame ending where Del-Del was just Sam trying and failing to express his emotions. This sort of ending would also have annoyed the reader. As well as that the reader would also have been confused with the changing of genres. The book changes from a horror thriller to a sci-fi thriller to a psychological thriller. Instead of creating more suspense Kelleher had hoped, it created confusion as the reader would not have known what was going on. So it is because of this that I say that although Victor Kelleher is not an exceptional thriller writer, Del-Del does grips like a vice and holds the reader taut, on a nerves edge, until the final page.

Toyota Company Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

Toyota Company Analysis - Research Paper Example Quite a global body, Toyota Motors has dealt with the automotive market not just within its ‘home base’ of Japan and US, but in several other nations. Additionally, Toyota Motors has taken the initiative to stay up to date with modern topics of concern, concentrating on the additional corporate tasks of world as well as ecological concerns (Edsall, p. 43, 2006). Toyota Motor Corporation exists in several geographical locations, working to not just support vehicle manufacturing, but to endorse progressing development in the experience of mobility, determined to develop a society where there is consensus among individuals, the world and the surroundings. This paper examines the strategic abilities of Toyota Motors in front of the ever-hardening competition within the vehicle manufacturing industry. Financial Analysis Profits from sales of vehicles are usually documented on delivery. Toyota’s sales inducement plans mainly involve cash payments to traders calculated based on vehicle size or a model sold by a trader in a specific time period (Edsall, p. 34, 2006). Marketable securities contain debt and equity securities, and are allocated as offered-for-sale is accepted on fair value with unrealized profits or losses included as a factor of accumulated other broad returns in shareholders’ equity, net of relevant excise. ... The stipulation for income taxes is calculated based on the ‘pretax income’. The asset and liability method is applied to identify deferred tax assets as well as liabilities for the projected tax effects of provisional variations among the carrying totals and the tax bases of assets and liabilities. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Table of Contents 3 Introduction 5 Background and History 5 Industry Analysis 6 Macro Environment Analysis 7 Porter’s Five Forces Model 8 Threat of New Entrants 8 Bargaining Power of Buyers 9 Threat of Substitute Products 9 Bargaining Power of Suppliers 9 Industry Life-Cycle Model 10 Analysis of Competitive Advantage 13 SWOT Analysis 14 Strengths 14 Weaknesses 14 Opportunities 15 Threats 15 Corporate Strategy Alignment Analysis 15 Financials (All values are in USD million) 16 Credit Rating 20 Conclusion and Recommendations 21 References 22 Introduction In this intensely hostile business world, the objective of the majority of firms is to establish unique or exclusive potential to achieve a ‘competitive advantage’ within the market by using the majority of their core capabilities. Capabilities mean the basic understanding owned by the business, and to be unique they are not limited to functional fields but â€Å"cut across the firm and its organisational boundaries† (Iyer et al, p. 34, 2009). At the moment, business enterprises within developed nations work in an extra complex, and more synchronized setting. The strategic mission, in that case, is to generate a unique approach ahead, â€Å"by whatever core capabilities and capital at its disposal, against the background and influence of the environment† (Liker, p. 73, 2003). As a result of these

Final exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Final exam - Essay Example The chain can be single layered Advantages of inter-organisational system in supply chain management For this kind of system the advantages are many. Like in the case of electronic data interchange (EDI) system. Each and every department of the system comes to know about the development Challenges of inter-organisational system in supply chain management Managing different motives and interests: If the objectives of the links of the chains are different from each other, then it becomes difficult to co-ordinate the process. If the objective of one organisation is to cost minimisation and play in volume and the other one’s policy is no compromise with quality and serving the niche market. Then it becomes complicated. Difficulty due to geographic differences: If the links of the chain are scattered across the globe the logistics becomes tough. There are cases where one component of raw material is ready and another component is not then the work gets stalled Answer-2 Digital econ omy is economy driven by digital technologies. It is basically Internet economy or ecommerce. In this system, internet or online channels are being used to do business and getting payment. Different kind of transactions takes place. It can be Business to Consumer (B2C), Business to Business (B2B) or Government to Consumer (G2C). Online retail businesses are the examples of B2C model. Organizations like e-Bay or Amazon .com are following the model. Here retail consumers buy goods and services online and make the payment too in online through cards or bank transfer. In the case of B2B the transaction takes place between two business entities. Metal junction is the example of it. When a sovereign makes payment may be salary, pension or other to the consumers directly, that comes under G2C. Due to many reasons the growth of digital economy is taking place. 1990 onwards companies shifted to e commerce Multi-channel: To develop the business, organization wants to tap maximum possible chan nels. Apart from conventional ways of doing business, they are trying a new avenue. Low cost virtual market: Online market is not the actual market rather a virtual market. It is being loved by the younger generation. As it does not require maintaining the establishment or infrastructure of the shop or the market it requires less cost compared to actual physical market. Accuracy and Quick Response: In the online business intermediaries have a role to play. Neither business owner nor end buyers like to go through intermediaries. As direct communication is taking place, accuracy and quick response is ensured. That saves cost from both ends. Online Banking and International and Multiple-Currency Banking: Online banking has revolutionised the system of online transaction. When the system came where international multiple currency transaction took place it became the whole process further easier. Debit card and credit card have become part regular life. Even today no good organisation is there who does not have a digital wing. For some it is an online selling unit or for some it is only a website .However, Digital economy is the future of the world. As the number of internet user is increasing day by day it is expected that the online business will surpass the physical business volume soon. Answer -3 Client department is one of the most vital departments among organizations. Hardly any organization can survive without servicing their clients. Business always runs with the help of repeat customer.

The Passion of the Christ Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Passion of the Christ - Essay Example There are various characters that make a huge impact on the development of the plot and the overall message of the film; first is Jesus who is introduced as a representation of righteousness, holiness and sacrifice throughout the film, second is Peter, a loyal disciple who fights for Jesus at Gethsemane but later betrays him due to the fear of death. Another character is Judas who is a representation of betrayal; he was a disciple of Jesus but he betrayed him to the Chief Priest and the Pharisees for thirty pieces of silver. Another prominent character is John, the disciple, Mary the mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, both who stood by Jesus through the whole process of capture and crucifixion, a show of unconditional love. Pontius Pilate, Herod Caiaphas and the chief priests are represented as figures of authority with Pilate and Herod representing political authority and Caiaphas representing the Jewish religion, which is depicted as loathing Jesus for blasphemy (The Passion of th e Christ, 2004). Other characters who assist in developing the theme of the movie are Simon of Cyrene who carries Jesus’ cross, Veronica, the woman who wipes Jesus’ face with her cloth on the road to Calvary, the Roman soldiers that depict the system as being crude and violent towards criminals, and the veiled woman who represents Satan (death) – she appears every time death is imminent. Pilate’s wife is also a key character who influences Pilate’s decision, and she later offers Mary and Mary Magdalene a piece of cloth to wipe Jesus blood from the place where he is chastised. Throughout the film, we see betrayal, redemption, hatred, violence and absolute submission; however, some of the most evident aspects of eucharistic are those of love, hope, faith, and forgiveness.

The choice of PMM word report Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The choice of PMM word report - Coursework Example The reason for the choice of Prince2 methodology in Solent University is because it gives the project managers and directors the ability to manage the resources and project risks more effectively. Prince2 methodology also provides an organized framework of the project from the start to the end though it allows management of any deviations from plan and flexible decision points. Prince2 involves the management and the stakeholders at the same time thus providing proper communication channels between the project managers and the rest of the organization.Considering the amount of time and the funds set aside for the project, Prince2 methodology should be considered because it ensures proper budgeting and the project doesn’t run over the specified time (Office of Government Commerce, 2009). It consists of 5 phases in the project’s life cycle. These phases are covered by 8 processes namely; directing the project, planning, starting up the project, initiate the project, controlling, project delivery, managing boundaries and closing the project. Starting up a Project- The project managers ensure that all the required resources are available.The managers will hire an office, computers, furniture and other facilities to run the project and appoint the required staff. Closing the Project –the managers ensure proper termination of the project and checking the project has delivered all the required deliverables. The managers ensure that the university website provides all the intended functions. The website for Solent University will be developed using the waterfall model for the Software development life cycle (SDLC). The Water fall model is the simplest Software development life cycle. It is made up of 5 phases that are linearly organized. The 5 phases of the waterfall model are requirement analysis, system design and specification, coding and verification, testing and integration and maintenance. The

Criminal Justice (in general) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Criminal Justice (in general) - Essay Example Criminal jutice i alway a goal. All involved in the arret, proecution, defene or judgment of a upect aim to be fair. However, thi goal i not alway met, accounting for the flexibility in the application of law, the change to law that are unfair, and the judiciary power of interpretation. (Banner, 99-111) A a field of tudy, mot who will work with part of the law that involve behavior defined a criminal, will tudy criminal jutice. Training and certification for police officer often i merely called criminal jutice. Lawyer with a pecial interet in either the proecution or defene of upected criminal may alo chooe to major in criminal jutice in a four-year degree program. Knowledge of the law, right and privilege of victim and upect i eential to aiming for jutice in both the court and law enforcement ytem. Thoe who have interet in training with the FBI or CIA may alo chooe to obtain a four-year degree in criminal jutice. uch a degree not only tudie the law a it tand, but a well evaluate the law. ubject in univeritie that offer a major in criminal jutice may be varied. They may include topic like forenic pychology, hitory of criminal jutice, ethic, and ociology. Police officer train pecifically on what power they have in relationhip to a upect, and what power they do not have. They learn how to legally adminiter criminal jutice in their capacity a law enforcement. They further train in the meaure of force, uch a hooting a gun or employing pepper pray that may be lawfully ued, and mut be ued with capability. A certain kill et in the apprehenion of an ecaping criminal i required. Mot hoping to work in law enforcement firt tudy criminal jutice and then attend pecial academie to receive further training. (Delfino and Mary, 88-334) Depite training, criminal jutice i not alway jut. There are great cop and terrible one, judge who are too trict, and thoe who are too lenient. There are alo very killed and exceptional lawyer, and very poorly organized lawyer. Many argue, in particular, that law in the U eem to be particularly unjut to minority population, ince they frequently have little money to pend on top lawyer. There are numerou example to cite of the mifiring of criminal jutice. There i alway room for improvement in thi field. Very many people continue to work toward the goal of true criminal jutice while continuing to exemplify fairne in thi field and it application. Eay Two The crie of innocent victim who are convicted and thrown into the dark cavernou prion cell are not being heeded. They cannot afford the type of lawyer needed that will fight to prove their innocence. The American jutice ytem i convoluted and broken, making it almot impoible to prove innocence in the face of circumtantial evidence. The character of the accued i put on trial to convict a peron rather than direct evidence. Direct evidence i often lacking; o, in it tead proecutor ue theorie and uppoition to help convict the accued. Jurie are convicting innocent repeatedly becaue they lack fundamental knowledge of the legal ytem and of the definition of key legal term and procee, and often hold antiquated belief ytem concerning confeion, eye witne identification and witne tetimonie. Aumption are made rather than fact being actually aimilated, correlated, and proved; thu, the innocent are convicted, incarcerated,

Every Act of Terrorism is a Wrongful Act Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Every Act of Terrorism is a Wrongful Act - Essay Example   The first question is "what is terrorism" and the second question is " can the act of terrorism be morally justified" or to put it on the focus of the paper, whether terrorism is always wrong or not. Philosophers have presented a variety of positions on both questions. With regards to the definition of terrorism, their dominant view looks to allow the core meaning "terrorism" has in universal use. Terrorism is considered as a form of violence (Brzoska 2014, p. 67). A number o definitions stress the experience of fear or terror as the main of that violent act. Neither terror nor violence is inflicted for its own personal sake, but instead for the sake of an unrelated aim like coercion or political goal (Primoratz 2012, p. 23). However, there are definitions, as well, which sever the abstract connection of terrorism with terror or with violence (Wright 2007, p. 21). With regards to the moral stance of terrorism, many philosophers have different opinions on how that is to be determi ned, as well as what the determination is. Consequentialists recommend viewing terrorism, like everything else, taking into consideration its consequences (Walzer 2006, p. 3). Nonconsequentialists claim that its moral stance is not just a matter of what effects, on balance, terrorism has, but is instead determined, whether only or mainly, by what it is. Stances on the ethics of terrorism vary from justification when its effects on balance are upright, or when some deontological moral needs have contended, to its almost absolute, absolute or rejection (Honderich 2004, p. 14). The essay is going to discuss whether terrorism is always wrong.  

What is the p-value of 1.92 Essay Example for Free

What is the p-value of 1.92 Essay The strategic plan for the first company is to grow 2.5 million dollars. The strategy helps an organization plan long-term actions to achieve the major objectives throughout the company. The key factors in a strategy include the market, product and the organizational development strategic alliance. The weakness of Tina’s plan is that it might not be enough change to drive 2.5 million in gross revenue. She may need more ideas to get her to 2.5 million. The strategic plan for the second company is to help improve the competitive performance throughout the organization. Ying’s strategy has three broad strategic options that help her collect receivables in a timely manner that should lead to accessible profits for the company. Ying is thinking outside the box to find a way to work with the locals who are out to sea for months on end and may have bills to pay while at sea, or may be short on cash because of the remote environment and lack of available jobs year round. Comparative Analysis Tina and Ying’s strategic plans have many things in common. Both took similar approaches to begin their strategic plans by providing company background, mission statement and values, etc. This approach provides readers information gradually, and makes the transition smooth. Both Tina and Ying also focused on the environmental analysis for their chosen organizations. However, there are many things different in Tina and Ying’s strategic plans as well. In Tina’s environmental analysis, she focused more on the organization’s external environment, especially the threats posed by the organization’s competitors. Ying analyzed her organization’s external environment from three aspects, remote, industry, and operation. As for the internal environment, Ying applied SWOT analysis to identify the organization’s strengths and weaknesses. Another major difference between Tina and Ying’s strategic plans lies in the implementation plans. In Tina’s implementation plan, she took a departmental approach, which means different department will have different objectives, tactics, action items, milestones, and tasks. Ying’s strategic plan focused on reducing accounts receivable days, which is a business office function, thus the implementation plan targets the business office specifically. The Selected Strategic Plan Choosing a strategic plan is difficult due to the writer being a participant. However in this situation Ying has already laid the foundation for the selection. Tina’s paper is a bit more robust when it comes to a strategic plan for the company in general. Tina has worked in all departments of her company in her fifteen years of service, which allows a broader insight of the company’s needs. However, though Ying is focusing on just one department within the hospital, changing the cash flow will help the hospital considerably. Unfortunately, the hospitals leadership team could take the money earned by the receivable department and invest it elsewhere if it is not part of a bigger plan. Ying’s paper is well written and shows great understanding of her department and its needs. Justification ADO is a small company with a need for an increasing workforce. To continue to support the resources brought on to grow different departments, the company must bring more cash flow to the bottom line. Team D believes that  Tina’s plan covers a larger scope, and with a few more tweaks will have a better chance of attaining the interest of investors. Giving investors insight to the company helps promote trust. A level of trust is necessary because investors want to make a strong return on investment. Investors must feel that a company not only has a the inspiration of an idea but also the methodical diligence of execution. Conclusion Members of Learning Team D learned not only how to develop appropriate strategic plan, but also a key to the success of any team project is cooperation and collaboration. Through the journey of this team project, members in Team D have helped one another, and made progress and improvement with one another. It was truly a successful team work.

The Amityville Horror Analysis

The Amityville Horror Analysis For many, buying a new house symbolizes a fresh start. For first time home owners, it may be a sign of self fulfillment and accomplishment. But what if your dream home had a violent and tragic past? What was once the start of something great, turned into a terrifying nightmare? The Amityville Horror misfortune and haunting depict just that. The families that have lived there endured torment and hell, their stories becoming a legend over time. The DeFeo family were the first inhabitants of the infamous Amityville house. Ronald DeFeo, nicknamed Big Ronnie, and his wife Louise were newlyweds who decided the make a family. The first born was Ronald Joseph DeFeo Jr, nicknamed Butch on September 26, 1951. As a child, Butch was overweight and a loner. He was constantly teased at school, and his home life was no better. Big Ronnie disciplined Butch with no mercy. Hot tempered, Big Ronnie often took out his frustrations on Butch, and was seen as a man of authority, not to be reckoned with. Later in his teen years, Butch began using amphetamines, losing most of the weight and becoming bigger, leaner and stronger. His school issues were better; however his life at home continued to be the same, with him and his father fighting relentlessly, sometimes resulting in physical fights. (Osuna, 2003). On one occasion, during a heated argument, Butch pointed a 12 gauge shot gun, with the intention of shooting him. However, the gun did not g o off. Some say this foreshadows the upcoming events. (The True Story of the DeFeo Murders, n.d.). On July 29, 1956, Louise DeFeo gave birth to a daughter, Dawn Theresa DeFeo. Then, on August 16, 1961, Allison Louise DeFeo was born, followed by Marc Gregory DeFeo on September 4, 1962. The last child to be born into the family was John Matthew DeFeo on October 24, 1965. Fed up with living in Brooklyn, New York, the family decided to look for a new home. They eventually settled on a lavish house on 112 Ocean Ave in Amityville, Long Island. The dutch colonial, built in 1925, had two stories, six bedrooms, attic, basement, a gamble roof, an in ground swimming pool, and a boathouse that sat at the edge of Amityville creek. The house was long and narrow, the front showing the half-moon windows, looking somewhat like eyes, overlooking the street. The inside of the house was quite regal. The interior walls were covered in red velvet texture. In the dining room, a luminous crystal chandelier hung over the long dinner table, which seated 6. After moving in, the family decorated the living r oom with statues and paintings, which were in the living room. In the midst of it were a beautiful large fireplace and a baby grand piano. There were also self portraits made for everyone in the family, which was strung along the walls leading up the stairs to the second floor. (Osuna, 2003). It was seemingly the perfect house to raise a big family and dog, Shaggy. The family even placed a sign that read high hopes that hung on a lampost on the property, signifying the new beginning. (Anson, 1977; The True Story of the DeFeo Murders, n.d.). Though the DeFeos had their dream house, the violence still persisted. Butch began using hardcore drugs such as heroin and LSD. He also started committing petty theft. All the while, he was working with his father at Big Ronnies car dealership. Not satisfied with the amount he was being paid, Butch devised a plan to gain more. Given the order to deposit $1,800 in cash and $20,000 in checks into the bank by a staff member, he fabricated a lie, being said he was robbed on the way to the bank by an acquaintance in on the deal. He would then split the money with him. Around 12:30 pm, the two set off for the bank. Two hours later, the men came back to the dealership and declared they had been robbed at gun point. Big Ronnie was enraged and called the local police. After their arrival, they questioned Butch, who immediately became edgy and ill-tempered. He soon became violent with the allegation of lying. A few days later, Butch was summoned to the police station to point out the possible thief. After agreeing, Butch eventually backed out at the last minute. After hearing about this, Big Ronnie became livid, and came to his own conclusion about the incident, and Butch was to blame. He confronted his son at work and belittled him with insults and threats. (The True Story of the DeFeo Murders, n.d.). In the early evening of November 13, 1974, at a nearby bar called Henrys, which was located down the street from the Amityville house, neighborhood friends gathered for drinks ad conversation. Around 6:30 p.m, Butch raced in, face flushed, beads of sweat running down his forehead, and out of breath. Trembling, he yelled that someone had shot both of his parents. Butchs best friend, Robert Kelske ran over to his friend to console him. Robert rallied up patrons at the tavern and they all packed in Butchs 1970 blue Buick Electra 225, heading towards the house. Though it was merely down the block, Robert sped down the street, arriving in seconds. (Osuna, 2003). Quickly, the men ran inside. The house was quiet. Not a single sound was heard except the barking of Shaggy. The men hurried up the staircase, Robert leading. He knew exactly where the master bedroom was located, for he was an avid visitor to the DeFeo residence. Upon arriving to the second floor, the men were instantly greeted with a foul stench, the smell of death. Bracing himself, Robert opened the bedroom door and flipped the light switch. In the bed lay Big Ronnie and his wife Louise. At first sight, it was clear to see a bullet hole in the back of Big Ronnie DeFeos back. Pools of blood surrounded the couple. Dried blood had formed and ran from the wound. Louise DeFeos wounds were not easily seen, for she was snuggled beneath the comforter, however it was clear that she was not sleeping. (Osuna, 2003) Feeling lightheaded, Robert, started back downstairs, taking in what he had just discovered. Another member of the group, John Altieri, began to search the remaining rooms, which belonged to Butchs brothers and sisters. The first room to be checked by John, was that of John, 9 and Marc DeFeo, 12. John DeFeo lay lifelessly in his bed, his Knicks jersey devoured in blood. Lying in a neighboring bed was Marc, face down on his stomach. On his back was bullet wound, indicating how he was slain. (Osuna, 2003). The next to be found was Butchs sisters, Allison, 13, and Dawn, 18. Both were found in bed, dead via gunshots. Gruesomely the girls were shot in the head, though it was difficult to pinpoint the exact entrance wound; there was too much blood to know. Dawn was shot in the face in which half of it was splattered around the innocent girls bedroom wall. After these horrible murders were discovered, the police was called. By 7:00 p.m., the DeFeo residence was infested with officers and in vestigators. Instantly they looked to Butch for answers, seeing as how he was the sole survivor. (The True Story of the DeFeo murders, n.d.) Detectives Gasper Randazzo, Gerard Gozaloff, and Joseph Napolitano were assigned to interrogate Butch. When first asked what might have happened to his family, Butchs answered that the mafia was to blame. Louis Falini, an infamous hit man was the person to shoot and kill his family. Butch had said the hit man committed these crimes out of revenge for a fight the two of them had. Butch feared for his own life, and the police decided to take him back to the station for protection. In his written statement, Butch declared that he had went to bed at 2:00 AM that night. Then, at 4:00 AM, he reportedly heard the toilet flush in the upstairs bathroom, and that his family members were still alive and well. After tossing and turning, Butch decided since he could not fall back asleep, he would head into work early. He went on to say that he left work early and hung out with friends, all the while trying to reach his family, but failing. After returning home, he claimed to have slipped through the kitchen window and then discovered his parents bodies. That is when he raced to the bar. (The True Story of the DeFeo Murders, n.d.) The motive did not hold well for long. After intense examination of evidence in the home, it was apparent that the ammunition used in the murders, was that of Butchs .22 and .35 marlin rifles. Also, through the questioning of Robert Kelske, police found out of Butchs gun infatuation and the rocky relationship between him and his father. At 8:45 a.m., November 15, Butch was read his rights. After hours upon hours of questioning, and evidence pouring in that Butch was in fact inside the house during the murders, his story began to change. Now he was insisting that Louis Falini had held him at gunpoint around 3:30 a.m. and took him to each of his relatives room and to watch them be murdered. However, there were more holes in his story that Swiss cheese. Soon the truth came out. There was no mafia hit on the family. No one was to blame but Butch, who confessed he was the murderer in this statement, It all started so fast. Once I started, I couldnt stop. (The True Story of the DeFeo Murde rs, n.d.) The truth was, on the night of the murders, around 3:00 a.m., Butch casually walked into his parents room and shot and killed them. He then proceeded to do so with his brothers and sisters. It was estimated the killing spree took just 15 minutes. He then cleaned himself up and hid the evidence (gun, bloody clothing, etc). Eerily enough, after the killings were done, he continued his daily routines and went about his day. He went to work, and hung out with friends, as if he hadnt just murdered his entire family. (Eblin, 2007; The True Story of the DeFeo Murders, n.d.) Nearly a year after the murders, Butch finally went to trial on October 14, 1975. William Weber was assigned to be Butchs defense attorney. His defense was that his client was not in his right mind when he committed these murders and offer to plea insanity. After questioning on the stand, Butch gave even more bizarre stories on how is family was murdered, going as far as saying his sister Dawn was the one who killed, not him and he killed out of self defense. He also claimed he heard voices from inside the house telling him to murder his family. When shown a picture of his family members, and asked if he had killed him, Butch answered, As far as Im concerned, if I didnt kill my family, they were going to kill me. And as far as Im concerned, what I did was self-defense and there was nothing wrong with it. When I got a gun in my hand, theres no doubt in my mind who I am. I am God. (The True Story of the DeFeo Murders, n.d.). After weeks of trial, the jury spent two weeks deliberating t he fate of Butch DeFeo. The question was, was he the victim of insanity, or a cold blooded murderer? The results were in; the vote was 12-0. On November 21, 1975, Ronald Butch DeFeo Jr was found guily of 6 accounts of second degree murder, and sentenced to 25 to life on each case. Till this day, Butchs home is the New York State Department of Corrections. (Eblin, 2007; The True Story of the DeFeo Murders, n.d) The house remained vacant for 13 months after the murders. George and Kathy Lutz, also newlyweds, wanted to start afresh. The two had sold their own properties, in order to purchase one they can share together along with Kathys children from her first marriage, Daniel, 9, Christopher, 7, and Melissa Missy, 5, and their Malamute/Labrador mix named Harry. The couple came across the Amityville home from an ad in the newspaper. Like the DeFeos, the Lutz fell in love with the house. The realtor had told them about the horrible incident that took place there, for which gave the couple their reservations. However, after discussing the fact amongst themselves and the children, the Lutz decided to ignore the negative past, in hopes of starting a brighter future. (Anson, 1977; Belanger, 2005) The Lutz bought the house at a price of $80,000, considered to be a bargain. The family moved in on December23, 1975. The DeFeos furniture remained in the house, which some may consider creepy, but for the Lutz, it was a bonus to have the elegant furnishings. A friend of George insisted of blessing the house upon hearing about its history. Having no qualms, George decided it would bring no harm and agreed, seeking out Catholic priest named Father Ralph J. Pecoraro (Father Ray). When Father Ray started his blessing on December 23, after flicking holy water and beginning to pray in an upstairs bedroom, he heard a low masculine voice demand get out .Leaving the house, Father Ray did not inform the Lutz of what he heard, instead telephoning George the day after to advise him to stay clear of the room in which he heard this voice. As it may, the upstairs room, intended to be a sewing room, had formerly been Marc and John DeFeos bedroom. (Anson, 1977; Belanger, 2005) At first, the Lutz noticed nothing unusual about the house. There were cold spots throughout the house, but they insisted it was just a draft. Thinking nothing out of it, the Lutz continued to make a home in the Amityville house. However, through the days to come, strange occurrences began to take place. George describes hearing doors slam in the middle of the night. Id be lying in bed and Id hear the front door slam shut, Lutz said. Its an unmistakable sound in that house you absolutely knew that was the front door. Id go downstairs and the dog would be asleep at the door, nothing would be disturbed, and the door would still be locked. So you start questioning yourself. He also describes hearing what he thought to be a clock radio going off downstairs, sounding like a marching band, with hard footsteps. After running downstairs to check the noise, nothing was present, just their sleeping dog. (Belanger,2005) Kathy Lutz was having her own experiences in the house. One night, Kathy and George awoke and found Kathy to be 40 years older than what she was, the hair wild, a shocking white, the face a mass of wrinkles and ugly lines, and saliva dripping from the toothless mouth. George describes. By morning, her looks returned to normal. Kathy had also recalled having the feeling of being embraced by someone, even smelling perfume. However, she insists this did not feel threatening, but comforting. More days went by, and the paranormal activity became worse each day, hearing more mysterious footsteps throughout the house. One day, Kathy came across a hidden room. It was painted red, and was hid behind a massive bookshelf. The realtor had not told them about this room, so they decided to see the original house structure. The room had not been on it. George explains the room as being big enough for two people to sit. He goes on to say, The room had odors coming out of it, and they werent always t here, and there was no pipe access for sewers or anything like that. We took Harry down there, and he just wouldnt go in. He backed away. Its the only time I can recall him ever cowering from something. That was just one of those discoveries in the first few weeks of moving in. The room soon became to be known as The Red Room (Belanger, 2005; Anson, 1977) Soon, George and Kathy were not themselves. They rarely left and had no desire to leave the house. George seldom went to work, and began to lose weight. Instead of going out with friends, they invited them over. It was in these instances when not only George and Kathy heard mysterious noises, but so did their company. A fact that both made the Lutz happy for not thinking theyre crazy, but also horror because it was the evidence that what was happening was real. (Belanger, 2005) Night after night, George would wake up at 3:15 am, always having the urge to check on the children and the boathouse. Numerous times George had locked the boathouse doors, and within returning to his room, the doors were already swinging open. Coincidentally, this was the estimated time the DeFeo family was murdered. He would be awoken by the front door slamming on occasion, only to find the door tightly shut with the dog asleep in front of it. He also began drinking at a bar called The Witches Brew, a bar that which was Butch DeFeos favorites and a regular customer. Kathy would have horrible nightmares about the murders of the DeFeos nearly every night. They were so detailed, Kathy could pinpoint the exact sequence and how they were murdered. The children also began sleeping on their stomachs, the position in which the bodies of the DeFeo children were found. Missy, their youngest child, began talking frequently about an imaginary friend, Jodie. Missy said Jodie could take on any form, but was often seen as a pig like creature with red glowing eyes. She told Missy her and her family was going to live there forever. One night, while checking the boathouse, George had seen a pair of red eyes glaring at him from Missys bedroom window. It was suggested that this was Jodie. Huge cloven footprints outside the house in the snow had also been found. (Anson, 1977; The Real Amityville House: Seperating Fact From Fiction, n.d.) It was not only the family that was becoming different, but so was the house. Many times, the family would notice an odd, black substance dripping from the keyholes on the door. Jello-like substances were also being found scattered on the floors on the house. There were still immense cold spots, once recording to be a 40-50 degree difference from what the thermostat indicated. Flies had started to infest the house, despite the fact it was the middle of winter. Hundreds of flies were always found in one room; the sewing room, and there was no use in killing them, because they repeatedly came back. And on some nights, Kathy and George even experienced being levitated right off their bed. (Anson; 1977; The Real Amityville House; Seperating Fact From Fiction, n.d.) After decided enough was enough, they decided to bless the house themselves on January 8, 1976. While in the process, George held a silver crucifix and the two spoke the words of the Lords Prayer. In the living room, George could hear a group of voices telling them Will you stop?! By mid January, the Lutz had their final night in the house. The Lutz claims the events of that final night was too terrifying and they have no wish to speak about it. They decided to pack a few belongings, rallied up the kids and dog, and head to Kathys mothers house. But even then the phenomena did not end. George and Kathy recalled slime coming up the staircase towards them and also claims they levitated again. The Lutz did not return back to the house, even for their possessions. It had only been 28 days since they first moved in. (Anson, 1977; The Real Amityville House; Seperating Fact From Fiction, n.d.) The Lutz moved to San Diego and say they were finally freed from the presence inside the house. They stayed married until the late 1980s until they divorced. In 2004, Kathy died of emphysema, and George died in May of 2006. The two still remained close until their deaths. The house still stands today. It was newly renovated, with a new address and new owners. The new owners claim they have not experienced any kind of paranormal occurrences since they have been living there. The intensity of this story has been the base of many books and movies depicting the events that took place in this house. Because of the numerous movies made, most popular question asked if it the haunting was real or a hoax. However the Lutz participated in a polygraph test, in which they both passed with flying colors. (Anson, 1977; The Amityville Horror Official Website, n.d.)

Barriers to Early Intervention of Special Needs Pupils

Barriers to Early Intervention of Special Needs Pupils BARRIERS TO EARLY IDENIFICATION AND INTERVENTION  OF PUPILS WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS Although tremendous progress has been made in the last thirty years regarding the identification of and intervention for children with special educational needs (SEN), significant barriers still exist. An estimated 1.7 million pupils have special educational needs; however, only 250,000 have statements (Russell 2003, 216). This means â€Å"only a minority of the children (2% nationally) with SEN will have formal statements of SEN, although an estimated 20% of the children will have transient or persistent special educational needs† (Callias 2001, 25). Some of the barriers to identification and intervention for SEN children are more easily addressed; others are quite complex and provide an ongoing challenge for families, educational personnel and authorities, and a number of government entities. It is important to note that whilst some identification and intervention barriers span the scope of SEN children, the type of need presented by the child strongly influences the likelihood of identification and intervention. Children with physical special educational needs, such as visual impairment or noticeable physical handicap, are easily identified and much more likely to receive services than children with less prominent disability (Russell 2003, 220). Similarly, children suffering from extreme mental disability, such as severe mental illness or significant mental retardation, will also be more easily identified and considered for services (Russell 2003, 220). However, the barriers that do prevent identification and intervention for physically and severely mentally disabled children are complex. Some minority and ethnic communities have cultural barriers that prevent their SEN children from receiving early identification and intervention. Sometimes this is on the part of the minority or ethnic family. Some cultures consider disability to be a source of shame or embarrassment for the family, and as a result keep disabled children at home and isolated from the larger community. When this occurs, the child becomes much less likely to be identified as having a special educational need or having appropriate early intervention. In other instances the greater community presents cultural barriers to services provided to the child. Sometimes this is in the form of misunderstanding of the cultural values of the minority or ethnic family. At other times racism becomes an issue. Russell (2003, 217) asserts â€Å"there is widespread evidence of additional disadvantage and social exclusion for disabled children from minority ethnic communities.† Language barriers for minority and ethnic families is also an issue. Typically this is the result of parents with poor English skills misunderstanding the communications of key workers and others, or of key workers and similar service providers misunderstanding or making assumptions based on poor communication by the parents (Fletcher-Campbell and Cullen 2000, 92). School personnel and other service providers must sometimes contend with a large number of native languages in their communities, and often lack the funding and staff to respond to all the potential EAL issues that may present (DfES 2004, 18). The result is a lack of communication between the family and professionals, which may result in a potential special educational need being misdiagnosed or mislabeled as some other issue, and the child not receiving needed identification of potential SEN. The key, according to Russell (2003, 216) is that information must be accessible, both ways, to families and professionals. Often these children have barriers related to the economic condition of their families. Over half the families with a disabled child are living on or below the margin of poverty (Russell 2003, 218). Often at least one parent is unable to work because of the childcare needs presented by the disabled child. Lack of financial resources in the family reduces the child’s access to services, as often transportation needs are unmet. More parents need â€Å"access to good quality childcare and early years provision in their local community (DfES 2004, 10). Poor families also typically live in poor communities, which often suffer a wide array of service deficiencies. â€Å"There are wide regional variations in the quality and coherence of available support† (Russell 2003, 223). Similarly, levels of support vary widely from community to community and even sometimes from pupil to pupil (Russell 2003, 220). This means resources leading to identification or intervention for one SEN pupil may not be available to a similar pupil simply because of where the second pupil lives, with poor children the least likely to have access to needed services. In short, for noticeably disabled children, â€Å"lack of effective information and communication about available services, a shortfall in appropriate family support services and the impact of racism and low income in many communities† often form a barrier to identification and early intervention (Russell 2003, 217). The above issues may affect all children with SEN; however, children with less obvious or visible disability suffer from additional barriers to identification and intervention. Whilst the blind child is easily recognised, the child with a learning disability or emotional issue may suffer for years before his or her needs are identified. For these children, lack of training amongst childcare and school staffs, ineffective sharing of information, insufficient time and resources, and even the child and/or parents’ response to learning difficulties can form barriers to SEN identification and intervention. A lack of training amongst those who interact with the child also leads to reduced identification, and therefore reduced intervention (Fletcher-Campbell and Cullen 2000, 90). Childcare and early years workers have the daunting task of determining whether a child has special educational needs, or is reacting to poverty, cultural differences, neglect, or some other factor. For example, school personnel and the LEA are expected to seek evidence of identifiable non-academic factors affecting statements† before full assessment (Callias 2001, 25). They look for other issues, such as â€Å"health problems interfering with schooling, sensory impairments, speech and language difficulties, poor school attendance, problems in the child’s home circumstances, or any emotional or behavioural difficulties† that may be causing the child’s educational difficulties (Callias 2001, 25). Because of this, children who come from difficult home situations or for whom English is an additional language will often experience delay as personnel try to determine whether these contributing factors or a true special educational need is present. The less trained staff is in these situations, the less likely they are to arrive at a correct, timely decision, or be able to correctly evaluate the child’s special educational needs in light of additional factors. This is compounded by discrepancies regarding what does and does not constitute a special educational need. â€Å"The criteria for identifying children with SEN and especially for thresholds triggering a statutory assessment are very general† (Callias 2001, 30). Because of this generality, â€Å"they remain open to differing interpretations and are likely to continue to be a source of potential difference of opinion† (Callias 2001, 30). Again, the authority or school with less trained personnel is therefore less likely to be able to provide timely and accurate service to SEN children in their care with other potentially contributing factors. The DfES recognises that early childcare workers and early years personnel need additional training in SEN identification, allowing services to â€Å"work on a preventative basis, rather than waiting until crisis point is reached (, 16). The government’s Removing Barriers to Achievement states an area needing improvement is â€Å"the expertise of those working with young children with SEN and disabilities† and advocates â€Å"consistent, nationally recognised training be provide to staff in all settings† (DfES 2004, 17) Another barrier to early identification and intervention is lack of communication and information sharing amongst involved parties. DfES repeatedly recognises this as a barrier to service, and advocates better information sharing and assessments for early intervention (DfES 2004, 10). Russell (2003, 221) similarly concludes it is widely recognised that fiscal, structural and cultural barriers between agencies negatively impact SEN identification and intervention. Schools and authorities facing high staff turnover have additional communication barriers as multiple personnel will often be involved in one identification or assessment. The problem was once much more severe. Fifteen years ago, â€Å"LAPP evaluation showed that staff in some schools were rediscovering the same learning problems in the same students each successive year, with no awareness of what might have been done about them in the past† (Stradling and Saunders 1993, 130). The government recently launched the Early Support Pilot Programme, which provides a single key worker who â€Å"takes responsibility for ensuring that services are coordinated and delivered around the family’s needs† (DfES 2004, 12). This allows for a coordinated, single assessment for the child, better information sharing between agencies, and ongoing reviewing services (DfES 2004, 12). Even the key worker system, however requires that the key worker be able to obtain accurate information regarding the child. â€Å"The criteria for ascertaining special needs begins with evidence that the child’s attainments are discrepant with the majority of children his or her age† (Callias 2001, 25). If the child is reported to be below attainment level by some parties and not by others, it brings into question whether the child’s issues are truly special educational needs or environmental. In some cases information is simply not provided or forwarded by involved agencies, often due to the lack of time and resources as described below. Key workers for children in unstable living situations also have difficulties in obtaining needed information. If a child is not at a given agency for a long enough period, and is constantly transferring from agency branch to agency branch or from school to school, it becomes difficult to gather all the needed information for a ccurate identification and intervention. In such situations parents are also often unable or unwilling to provide information on their child, making the child present without background at each new school or agency. Insufficient time and resources are another barrier to SEN identification and intervention. Lack of funding can cause delay by leading to not enough personnel (DfES 2004, 18). Although specific positions are advocated or required, some vacancies go unfilled for too long a period of time, and other staff are given caseloads in excess of recommendations (DfES 2004, 18). High turnover in the most needy schools and communities compounds this problem. One noted barrier to intervention is a lack of key workers who â€Å"ensure well coordinated services planned to meet individual family needs† (Russell 2003, 216). Poorer communities, as discussed above, often lack the resources and materials that other communities consider normal. Children’s Trusts are working to address lack of access to information and services, and lack of the services themselves in some areas, but discrepancies remain (DfES 2004, 13). Whilst the SEN Code of Practice is a welcomed guidance by many, there is ongoing concern about the time needed to implement the Code, and whether resources allocated to SEN pupils will take away from pupils without special needs (Bowers and Wilkinson 1998, 120). A final barrier to SEN identification and intervention is sometimes the child or parents themselves. A child who appears to not have special educational needs but in actuality does will often develop elaborate coping mechanisms to hide his or her learning difficulty (DfES 2004, 52). Such children often feel â€Å"stupid,† as their parents and teachers tell them to try harder and work to their potential, not realising that they already are. As the child works harder but is still unable to master material presented, feelings of inadequacy are compounded and coping and hiding mechanisms become more prominent (DfES 2004, 52). Sometimes this will be in the form of withdrawing or presenting as shy so as to avoid being asked to contribute. In other children, acting out as the class clown or seemingly rebelling and refusing to cooperate allows the child to avoid confrontation of his or her learning needs. As such, the child may progress through several years of schooling before his or her need for special education is identified. The child with unidentified SEN also sometimes refuses to cooperate with identification and intervention efforts, as there continues to be some social stigma in some schools and communities to learning difficulties. Parents may similarly resist a child’s identification as possibly needing special educational support, or the interventions suggested by the LEA. Parents may not realise that identification of a special educational need does not necessarily require their child be removed from mainstream education or schooled specially, that in fact, children are mainstreamed wherever possible (DfES 2002, 5). They may have issues regarding social stigma, or be in denial that their child has any sort of difficulty. In these situations, parents may refuse to provide information, mislead workers into the true nature of the child’s attainment, causing environmental issues or other factors to be considered. Fortunately, there are many ways that these barriers can be and are being overcome. The cultural issues of some minority and ethnic communities regarding children with disabilities is a complex one, and therefore defies an easy solution. However, increasing awareness and understanding within local people groups, particularly if such is available in their own native languages, is important to removing barriers for SEN children’s identification and for them receiving the services they need. Educating staff at community centres or religious places where people from such cultural background might seek assistance, for instance, on the facts of special educational needs and services available to children might lessen the stigma of disability and provide more accessible information to affected families. Also, translating information or providing written information in a wide variety of languages would be an aid to workers faced with a number of different language groups in their comm unities. These publications could even be available online, allowing easy download and printing of such publications and eliminating the need to keep many different copies of such information on hand and organised, or the chance of running out of materials in a specific language. Parliamentary debate of SEN and various government publications regarding SEN pupils’ needs have led to an increase in funding to LEAs, by which the authorities have begun to address some of the time, resource, and staff training barriers that prevent timely identification and intervention (DfES 2001, iii). In addition, the Code of Practice 2001 contains specific guidance to assist LEAs â€Å"obtain the best value from the considerable resources and expertise they invest in helping children with special educational needs (DfES 2001, iii). Serving more children within the context of regular schools through inclusion and mainstreaming additionally reduces the costs to LEAs, allowing allocation of funds and resources to a greater number of children (DfES 2004, 18). The implementation of a graduated response also makes intervention more economical, and assist staff with perhaps less training than optimum in ruling out the other factors, such as problems at home, that might cause a child to experience learning difficulties (DfES 2001, 26). The revised Code of Practice widens those able to recommend SEN identification, increasing the likelihood a number of barriers are reduced, and encourages or requires additional sharing of information between LEAs, schools, other involved agencies, parents, and the child. The Code now gives schools and nursery education providers a new right to request assessment and intervention (DfES 2001, iv). Parents and other agencies, in addition to schools, also have the ability to request assessment (DfES 2001, 75). Parents access to information is also significantly improved by the revised Code (DfES 2001, iv). Parents are now encouraged â€Å"to contribute their knowledge and understanding of their child, and to raise any concerns they may have about their child’s needs and the provision which is being made for them (DfES 2001, 52). When a child is being assessed, the LEA is now required to send a copy of assessment notice to both â€Å"the designated officer of the Social Services department and the health authority† (DfES 2001, 78). â€Å"They should also copy their own educational psychology service and any other relevant agencies, such as the education welfare service† (DfES 2001, 78). Finally, children’s and parents’ negative perceptions of and reaction to SEN identification and intervention could be reduced. For example, having public service or information campaigns similar to those previously discussed for minority or ethnic communities might make people more aware and informed. Early identification of children prior to them beginning to have negative feelings about themselves and school would in itself be an assistance. Also, children should have a forum and be encouraged to talk about their learning experiences. Having a humanistic approach that values each child’s feelings and concepts of their own learning, which also allows them to provide this information to teachers and others in a position to evaluate for SEN, would further remove barriers. In conclusion, whilst many barriers to SEN identification and intervention have begun to be addressed, more needs to be done. It is detrimental to both the individual SEN child and to the educational system and society as a whole if these children’s needs are not promptly addressed. Child/parents REFERENCES Bowers, T. and Wilkinson, D. 1998. The SEN Code of Practice: is it user-friendly? British Journal of Special Education, September 1998, 25(3):119-125. Callias, M. 2001. Current and Proposed Special Educational Legislation. Child Psychology and Psychiatry Review, 6(1):24-30. DfES 2001. Special Educational Needs Code of Practice. DfES Publications Centre. DfES 2002. Special Educational Needs (SEN): A guide for parents and carers. DfES Publications Centre. DfES 2004. Removing Barriers to Achievement: The Government’s Strategy for SEN. DfES Publications Centre. Fletcher-Campbell, F. and Cullen, M.A. 2000. Schools’ perceptions of support services for special educational needs. Support for Learning, 15(2): 90-94. Russell, P. 2003. ‘Access and Achievement or Social Exclusion?’ Are the Government’s Policies Working for Disabled Children and Their Families? Children Society, 17:215-225. Stradling, B. and Saunders, L. 1993. Differentiation in practice: responding to the needs of all pupils. Educational Research, Summer 1993, 35(2):127-137.

Analysis of The Bull Moose :: Bull Moose Essays

Analysis of The Bull Moose "The Bull Moose" by Alden Nowlan is a finely crafted poem which reminds us of how far man has strayed from Nature. Through a carefully constructed series of contrasted images, Nowlan laments, in true Romantic fashion, man's separation from Nature. The strength of the old moose is impressive. On his death march, he nonetheless comes "lurching" and "stumbling" in ponderous and powerful strides to "the pole-fenced pasture''- the edge of civilization. A crowd quickly gathers, a crowd of men and women, old and young - all notable for their insensitivity and lack of respect. They confuse the moose with one of their own domesticated animals, like the cattle or collie or gelded moose or ox, failing to see the nobility and ancient wisdom of this moose from "the purple mist of trees." The scene becomes obscene as men "pry open his jaws with bottles" and "pour beer down his throat." The symbolic crown of thistles hammers home the innocent suffering perpetrated by these giggling and snickering buffoons. But this moose is no "shaggy and cuddlesome" doll. Living in freedom beyond the fences of civilization, this king of the spruce, cedar, and tamarack meets his degraded executioners with overwhelming power. The deep roar of this magnificently horned ancient "blood god" contrasts sharply with the puny and cowardly whine of the automobile horns. Nowlan's sympathy for the moose and his disgust for mankind is forcefully expressed in a natural free verse. This poem calls us to rethink the arrogant self-righteousness we hold toward Nature. By fencing ourselves in, perhaps we shut ourselves away from those qualities necessary to make us truly human. Teachers Comments: This essays strives to be concise, i.

Something to Sing About in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Essay -- Buffy the

  Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughout much of recorded human history, people have written tales of the dead returning to life, usually to trouble the living in some way. These traditional myths have progressed from ancient superstitions, to campfire ghost stories, to television shows such as Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In the series, vampires are created from the dead victims of other vampires (as long as a certain rite is performed during the victim's death). After a time they rise from their graves and immediately seek to kill and drink the blood of the living. Creatures such as these are, as Lacan [give first name when you first mention someone] describes them, "between the two deaths" and live again only to fulfill insistent, mechanical drive. This drive, often centered on killing, vengeance, or some other quest for closure, is distinct from desire in that it is not "caught up in dialectical trickery" (Zizek 21). According to Zizek [ditto], normal desires are not alway s what they seem, for when we desire something, we may be seeking something else entirely (21). Most of the vampires in Buffy the Vampire Slayer fit Lacan's profile of between the two deaths, and, as one might expect, they are antagonists to the protector of the living, Buffy. However, in the musical episode "Once More, with Feeling," Whedon explores two protagonists who are also between the two deaths, each struggling to revert back to their prior state of being, but both in a different situation. One of these characters, Spike, once fit the archetype of the vampire, but now faces difficulty as he is forced to cope with normal dialectical desire in order to exist in the civilized, symbolic world. The other, Buffy, fulfilled the death drive when she sa... ... her to be the Slayer. Her only chance to find motivation in the world is to find a new desire. Both characters approach the same center, but from different ends of the drive-symbol spectrum. Thus, Whedon not only makes use of the Lacanian "between the two deaths" concept, but he also plays with making it dynamic (Spike) and with inverting it (Buffy). Then, at the very end of the episode, the two experiments are united in an elegant closure.    Sources Cited or Consulted Buffy the Vampire Slayer. "Once More, with Feeling." Felluga, Dino. "Modules on Lacan: On Desire." Introductory Guide to Critical Theory. Date March 11, 2003. Purdue U. March 23, 2003. <http://www.purdue.edu/guidetotheory/psychoanalysis/lacandesire.html>. Zizek, Slavoj. Looking Awry: An Introduction to Jacques Lacan through Popular Culture. Cambridge: MIT P, 1991.