Simon Birch essays

Simon Birch articles Im going to be a saint. Truly obscure expected set of responsibilities, isnt it? These lines of discourse are a spoken between the lead character, Simon Birch, and Ben Goodrich, who is played by Oliver Platt. This decree summarizes the main impetus behind Simons activities. His journey to be a legend is Simon Birchs maguffin. The thing drives him forward through the film. All through the film he is continually looking for a sign from god that will disclose to him when the opportunity has arrived for him to be a saint. This latest adjustment of a John Irving epic, A Prayer for Owen Meany, is producer Mark Johnsons Simon Birch. What should be comprehended by the watcher is that the film is an adjustment and not the book. Commentators over and again said that the film dislike the book and the explanation behind that is it isn't the book. This is by all accounts something that pundits dismissed, the film was decided against the book and not for its imaginative legitimacy. In spite of the fact that the film ...debuted to cheers from the audience...(17.), most pundits appear to concur that there was no equity done to the Irving epic. Assortment said that Simon Birch once more demonstrated that, catching Irvings irregular apparent moves in another medium isn't so natural. The article proceeds to call attention to that Irving himself requested a character (and thus title) name change. Just as recommended by as opposed to dependent using a credit card (13.). Irving is cited as saying, The story is fundamentally unique in relation to my novel and it is unjustifiable to my perusers to deceive them to think theyll see A Prayer for Owen Meany. It is anything but A Prayer for Owen Meany, yet I enjoyed it. What's more, Im content with the manner in which I was dealt with (13.). This statement persuades that Irving endorsed of the film, yet his emphasis on ... <!

Roman changes and continuities Essay Example for Free

Roman changes and coherencies Essay Roman human progress had a few coherencies and changes of their political and social frameworks, during the decrease of the old style time. A case of progression would be that the Western European church despite everything utilized Latin as the language of the congregation. Anyway the religion was changed during the rule of Emperor Constantine. Rome began as most class frameworks with an upper, center, and lower classes. After a time of extraordinary harmony and flourishing known as the â€Å"pax Romana† is the point at which the Roman Empire began to decay, in light of the fact that the affluent were turning out to be increasingly well off and the center and lower classes were getting less fortunate and more unfortunate. The absence of cash circled caused most of Roman residents who were poor to get discouraged and indiscreet. This recklessness from the residents made them quit partaking in serving the nation and doing Civil administrations just as preventing them from being imaginative with expressions and science. The Roman government was an outright government where the Emperor was venerated as a divine being. Before the decay there was no official religion that everybody needed to have confidence in, the administration had strict resistance as long as the individuals accepted the Emperor was a divine being. Anyway during the rule of Emperor Constantine he pronounced Christianity the official religion of Rome. Albeit even before Constantine proclaimed Christianity the official religion a few people previously rehearsed it. The polytheistic religion that numerous Roman’s had confidence in didn't offer plan to the individuals for something better after they kicked the bucket. Christianity did if the supporters lived by the straightforward good morals by trying sincerely and carrying out beneficial things. Another change that Christianity realized was having sexual associations with others, and that you should just have relations with your companion. Likewise Christianity caused them to accept that everybody was equivalent thus bondage nearly vanished in Western Europe. Anyway Latin was, and still is, the fundamental language of the Western European places of worship. Likewise on the grounds that design was considered as workmanship, the compositional styles of the Roman human advancement are as yet utilized today. The fantasies of the polytheistic religion that Rome once had were motivation for some renaissance craftsmen, for example, Michaelangelo Buonorroti and Sandro Botticelli. As should be obvious the Roman Empires decay achieved a few changes and coherencies. The progressions either aided or hurt Rome and a portion of the coherencies are as yet utilized today.

Reek Week

Reek Week Wednesday + Intern Open House at Googleplex Thursday + Freakonomics book-signing at Yahoo! Friday + Non-surprise party at Half Moon Bay Saturday + Gilroy Garlic Festival + Santa Rosa shindig Sunday + Riding horses (nope, whew) + MIT Send-off Here are a gazillion pictures from Gilroy Garlic Festival 2005: The entrance is flanked by two port-a-potties. A little bird tells me that between 120,000 and 150,000 people attend each year, and that it is the largest food festival in the country. On 101S, immediately (2 seconds) after we pass the Welcome to Gilroy sign, we can smell the garlic. Love is in the air, and it doesnt smell good. A little presumptuous. Starting out pretty tame garlic braids. Garlic jelly (not Jell-O, as one very disappointed visitor found out) is pretty good. Garlic chocolate not so much. The traditional garlic fries. I feel really bad for the stands that were *selling* garlic ice cream no ones going to buy it if another stand is giving it out for free. The happiest (and stinkiest) Ive been in years. Eating garlic gives you the power and strength to do things you otherwise wouldnt be able to do. The bales of hay outlined a picture of a clove. These garlic people are just so clever. They have a televised garlic cooking competition. You know what that means free samples. Almost as good as Costco at lunch. Why these people are dressed like this, I do not know. This man (s hat) is quite popular among garlic paparazzi. The Crest bus has stations for you to brush your teeth. I say, When in Rome And three from Santa Rosa: Some creative marketing on Apples part.

Regency Grand Hotel - 3533 Words

REGENCY GRAND HOTEL CASE STUDY Assignment 1 MGMT20124—People, Work amp; Organisations Term 2, 2011 Prepared and Submitted by Gratiela, PALADE s0187412 Tutor: Melissa Stevenson Due Date: 30 August 2011 Executive summary This report analyses and evaluates the introduction of employee empowerment strategy to Regency Grand Hotel, a successful business of 700 employees established by local investors and acquired by an American Hotel Chain, considering the impact employee empowerment had on employee performance and the reputation of Regency Grand Hotel. It will examine employee empowerment strategy and explore the issues associatedwith the introduction of such strategy, using academic literature and evaluating online sources†¦show more content†¦7 3.4 Emotional Intelligence........................................................................................................... 8 4.0 OPTIONS ..................................................................................................................................... 9 4.1 Employee Empowerment...................................................................................................... 9 4.2 Cultural Differences ............................................................................................................ 10 4.3 Job Design............................................................................................................................ 10 4.4 Emotional Intelligence......................................................................................................... 10 5.0 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................ 10 6.0 RECOMMENDATIONS ...............................................................................................................11 REFERENCE..................................................................................................................................... 12 List ofTable and Figures Figure 1: Elements of Empowerment (adapted from Ongori 2009) ........................................ 6 Table 1: Hofstede Index (Hofstede 1980)Show MoreRelatedRegency Grand Hotel3618 Words   |  15 PagesIntroduction to the Regency Grand Hotel: Introduction to the Regency Grand Hotel The Hotel is among the five star hotels in Bangkok, established by local investors. The ownership of the hotel was later transferred to the American Hotel Chain. John Becker a man with a good history in organizational management became the General Manager. Becker introduced an empowerment strategy as an aspect that would increase employee motivation and satisfaction. The practice reduced the bureaucratic governanceRead MoreThe Regency Grand Hotel4674 Words   |  19 Pages| The Regency Grand Hotel | A Case of Employee Empowerment | | Table of Contents Executive Summary 3 Problem Statement 5 Situation Analysis 5 Introduction 5 Organizational Behavior Symptoms amp; Issues 6 STEP Analysis 7 SWOT Analysis 8 Organizational Behavior Analysis 10 External Analysis 14 Assumptions 14 Implications 14 Alternatives 16 1. 16 2. 18 3. 19 4. 20 Recommendation 21 Action and Implementation 22 Contingency plan 23 Exhibits 24 ExhibitRead MoreThe Regency Grand Hotel1155 Words   |  5 PagesThe Regency Grand Hotel (p. 290 textbook) Elizabeth Ho, Prada Singapore, under the supervision of Steven L. McShane, The University of Western Australia The Regency Grand Hotel is a five-star hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. The hotel was established fifteen years ago by a local consortium of investors and has been operated by a Thai general manager throughout this time. The hotel is one of Bangkoks most prestigious hotels, and its 700 employees enjoyed the prestige of being associated with theRead MoreThe Regency Grand Hotel3963 Words   |  16 PagesThis report analyses the issues and problems to the empowerment practice in the case of the Regency Grand Hotel to understand and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the management within the organization. It also identifies the internal and external factors that affecting the organization towards the complexity and changing situations. 2. Outlining the problem and issues in the Regency Grand Hotel Empowerment is a concept which is commonly used in management in various organizationsRead MoreThe Regency Grand Hotel1329 Words   |  6 Pagesempowerment. Most of the managers waste time on dealing with minor issues. The general manager John Becker is sick of giving minor decision instructions to his subordinates. Organization – The Regency Grand Hotel Verbal and written complaints from the customers increase rapidly. The prestige of the hotel is replaced by negative feedbacks given by the public. The business is definitely losing money. *Relating to Organizational behaviour* concepts Empowerment Empowerment refers to increasingRead MoreThe Regency Grand Hotel823 Words   |  4 Pages1. Identify the symptoms indicating that problem exist in this case A few employees of the hotel were transferred to other positions when the acquisition was done. They might not have the abilities to complete the full range of the new work. Junior and senior managers feel losing power because of the practice of empowerment. Several of them left the hotel. The problem in the hotel is the measurement of a major or a minor issue. There is not a definition or standard states what a major issueRead MoreThe Grand Regency Hotel Management Essay1634 Words   |  7 PagesThe Grand Regency Hotel Introduction The Grand Regency Hotel is found in Bangkok Thailand and has been in operation for the last fifteen years. For the entire period it has been under the management of the Thai general manager and was started by locally based consortium of investors. It is a prestigious hotel in Bangkok and has a total of 700 employees who were being treated in a prestigious way by the management. The management gave the employees the following benefits: provision of very goodRead MoreCase Study : The Regency Grand Hotel1641 Words   |  7 Pagescase study is about the Regency Grand Hotel; the hotel is a five-star hotel in Bangkok. The hotel was established 15 years ago by a group of local Thai investors. The hotel is an employer of 700 people and one of the most reputable hotels in Bangkok. Up until recently the hotel was managed by a Thai general manager. Under the Thai management, the employees weren’t allowed to be creative all orders were given by the management. The hotel was acquired b y a large American hotel chain due to the circumstancesRead MoreDesign Of The Hyatt Regency Hotel Walkway1312 Words   |  6 Pagesis to describe and analysis the fault occurred in the design of the Hyatt Regency Hotel Walkway which resulted in the collapse of the walkways occurred on July 17,1981. The falling of these walkways killed 114 and 200 people are injured badly.it was one of the major collapse occurred in U.S history. INTRODUCTION: In 1976, the Crown Center Redevelopment cooperation commenced a project to design and build a Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri and on April 4, 1978, Crown Center into a standardRead MoreHyatt Hotels Corporation3852 Words   |  16 PagesGlobal Hyatt Corporation opened the world’s first Hyatt Place hotel just outside Chicago in Lombard, Illinois. The Lombard location was the first Hyatt Place-branded hotel to open following Global Hyatt Corporation’s recent acquisition of AmeriSuites, an upscale chain of all-suite business-class hotels, from affiliates of the Blackstone Group hotel chain. The hotel corporation was scheduled to open more than 140 additional Hyatt Place hotels that year and the next in the United States as many AmeriSuites

Genetically Modified Organisms Essay - 933 Words

Many people today are often amazed by the amount of nutrition and health information required for humans. The constant stream of genetic modification of food can be confusing. Genetically modified (GM) foods are plants and animals that have had their genetic makeup artificially altered by scientists to make them grow faster, taste better, last longer and to provide more nutrients. Scientists make these alternations by transferring genes from one organism into another in order to change the condition or character of the receiving organism. This process is known as biotechnology or genetic engineering (GE), and it has revolutionized the way that agriculture is practiced in many parts of the world. Researchers are now able to use GE†¦show more content†¦Companies and researchers alternate the genetic structure of crops to withstand pesticides, non-GM weeds and insects can gradually develop a resistance to the chemicals. At this point farmers actually have to increase their use of pesticides. These practice causes weed populations to adapt to the herbicide and eventually become resistant to it. Once these superweeds emerge farmers must find a new herbicides and more potent products. People who support GM foods dismiss complaints that they might not be safe to eat. GM foods are likely to be more nutritious and contain smaller amounts of pesticide residues that foods raised by traditional farming methods. Food poisoning agents such as salmonella are natural and they kill thousands of people each year. Lots of plants produce powerful toxins to deter pests. With the technology of GM Crops including beans and cassava (a fruit grown in tropical countries) produce cyanide that can be removed before cooking. This is extremely useful for consumers to eat and for producers to make. In the other hand GM critics worry that transgenic crops could harm wildlife and cause lasting damage to fragile food chains. What will happen if GM farming practices wipe out weedy plants that some bird’s species rely on for survival? Or if insects that are importantShow MoreRelatedGenetically Modified Organisms : An Organism1471 Words   |  6 Pagestoday’s world, genetically modifying organisms is a very common practice in the world of science. Scientists are genetically modifying a variety of different organisms, including a number of different plants, foods, medicines, and animals. To genetically modify an organism, the genetic structure of the organism has to be changed (Goldbas, 2014). The main purpose of genetically modifying an organism is to change something genetically about the function of a particular part of the organism. This idea ofRead MoreGenetically Modified Organisms And Organic Organisms Essay1578 Words   |  7 PagesAbstract In this brief, the reader will see how organic and genetically modified organisms are viewed and interpreted. They will see the â€Å"facts† about the genetically modified organisms and organic organism, and how producers and consumers view this. The reader will be able to understand what is actually happening to genetically modified organisms and organic organisms during the production and when it is getting processed. They will also learn about certified organic and the USDA organic and howRead MoreGenetically Organisms : Genetically Modified Organism1528 Words   |  7 PagesA GMO is a genetically modified organism. It is a process of taking â€Å"genes from one species and inserting them into another in an attempt to obtain a desired trait or characteristic, and this is why they are also called transgenic organism† (About GMO). This process is categorized under two names even though they are one in the same, Genetic Engineering and Genetic Modification. In order for a scientist to introduce new DNA into an organism, they must go through a series of steps or methods like:Read MoreGenetically And Genetically Modified Organisms1188 Words   |  5 Pages Genetically engineered crops or genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are plants in agriculture and the DNA that has been modified using genetic engineering techniques. The goal of this type of bioengineering is to add new traits to a plant which doesn’t occur naturally in the species. Farmers have adopted the technology. The first genetically made crop was manufactured in 1982 which was an antibiotic-resistant tobacco plant. In 1986, the first free trials were in Europe and the USA and were madeRead MoreGenetically Modified Organisms779 Words   |  3 PagesINTRO Genetically modified organisms are genetically modified organisms. If you look in the average American cupboard many of the packages found there contain foods that have been genetically modified. Some researchers believe that people need to be more aware of the genetically altering chemicals put in their body. Consumers should be limiting the amount of genetically modified foods in their daily diet. â€Å"In a study in the early 1990s, rats were fed genetically modified (GM) tomatoes. Well actuallyRead MoreGenetically : Genetically Modified Organisms1386 Words   |  6 PagesLessliee Echevarria Hollis 6th Senior Project 18 March 2015 Genetically Modified Organisms According to a census done by the United Nations, as of October 31, 2011 the world’s population has reached seven billion people. The earth’s population is estimated to reach between 8.3 and 10.9 billion by 2050. Will the earth be able to sustain and feed that many mouths? The planet’s current population is already two to three times higher than the sustainableRead MoreGenetically And Genetically Modified Organisms2311 Words   |  10 PagesGenetically Modified Organisms are organisms whose genetic make-up have been changed by mutating, inserting, or deleting genes, by using genetic engineering techniques or biotechnology (Klein, Wolf, Wu Sanford, 1987). The topic of genetically modified organisms became very controversial in today’s world. GMO have been used not only in producing vegetable, but also in medical and biological researches, drug production, and medical treatments. However, the food field generates the biggest controversyRead MoreGeneticall y Modified Organisms1128 Words   |  5 Pagesseeds. He calls it genetically modified corn. You plant it and the next year and the year after that there is no need to worry about pest, because the pesticides you used no longer harm your plants. Your growing season is longer and you have much more corn on the same area of land and you can now sell your corn in the market regularly. It seems like a good thing to have a GMO on your land. A GMO or genetically modified organism refers to plant life that has been genetically enhanced to benefitRead MoreGenetically And Genetically Modified Organism998 Words   |  4 PagesGMO or genetically modified organism. Is an organism which has had its genetic makeup altered by removing part of its genetic makeup and inserting a modified gene from another organism or the mutation or deletion of the biome. The biological complexity of life is narrowed down to a single gene and shoot at with foreign substances that change a genetic trait of an animal or plant. The history of altering genetics goes back to a family who had a monopoly on petroleum in the 19th century and becameRead MoreGenetically Modified Organisms1661 Words   |  7 PagesFood products in our community are being genetically modified or being grown next to or transported with none genetically modified food. The United States doesn’t require the distributers to put labels on their food product that contain gen etically modified organisms. Also the foods originally grown without genetic modification are still being contaminated by GMOs during transportation and production. This is a problem because GMOs have been proven to increase the risk of cancer and can cause other

Bite Me A Love Story Chapter 15 Free Essays

15. Head in the Clouds and Vice Versa TOMMY It was the words that brought Tommy back. For a week with the clutter of vampire cats, and for several weeks before, while trapped inside the bronze statue, the words had left Tommy. We will write a custom essay sample on Bite Me: A Love Story Chapter 15 or any similar topic only for you Order Now His mind had gone feral, as had his body after he escaped. For the first time since Jody had turned him, he turned to his instincts, and they had led him to the huge, shaved vampire cat Chet and his vampire progeny. Running with them he learned to use his vampire senses, had learned to be a hunter, and with them, he took blood prey for the first time: mice, rats, cats, dogs, and, yes, people. Chet was the alpha animal of the pack, Tommy the beta male, but Tommy was quickly reaching a level of where he would be a challenge to Chet’s position. Ironically, it was Chet who led him back to the words, which led him back to his sanity. In the cloud, merged with the other animals, he felt what they felt, knew what they knew, and Chet knew words, put words to concepts and experiences the way a human did, the very thing that had kept Tommy from being able to turn to mist in the first place. As a human, with grammar hardwired into his brain, he put a word to everything, and as a writer, if he couldn’t put a word to an experience it had no value for him. But to become mist, you simply had to BE. Words got in the way. They separated you from the condition. Feline Chet had not been a creature of words, as his kitty brain was not wired to file that kind of information, but as a vampire, a vampire sired by the prime vampire, his brain had changed, and concepts carried words for him now. As the cloud of hunters was streaming under the door to attack the Emperor (toward the smell of dog and recognition, for Chet had known the Emperor in life) the word â€Å"dog† fired across Chet’s kitty mind, and in turn across the minds of all of the hunters, but for Tommy, it was transformational, as words, meaningless to the cats, cascaded across his mind, bringing with them memories, personality, identity. He materialized out of the cloud in the dark storeroom, where he could see the Emperor in heat signature, huddled in a corner, holding his knife at the ready. Even if the room had been light, Tommy moved so quickly it would have been hard for the Emperor to see what was happening. The vampire scooped up the old man, stuffed him into the barrel, crimped on the lid with a grip that crushed the metal edges, then placed the barrel so the weight would rest on the lid. Instinct and experience told Tommy that the hunters wouldn’t find enough space inside to materialize as a whole, so even though the barrel was not air tight, the Emperor would be safe as long as the lid remained intact. There wasn’t enough room in there, literally, to swing a cat, and that would save the old man. Tommy melted back into the cloud and moved out of the room, trying to will the concept of danger to the rest of the hunters, putting an image to Chet’s word â€Å"dog† that the kitty minds would recognize, and slowly, the vampire cloud, its various tendrils having tested the room for prey and finding none accessible, snaked back under the door and away to look for blood that wasn’t sealed so tight or smelled quite so dangerous. They streamed up the elevator shaft, through the building, and out onto the street, where a few cats and Tommy solidified and dropped out of the cloud. Tommy, self-conscious now, looked around, realizing that he was naked. Everything he’d experienced from the time he’d been released from the bronze shell was a sensory blur in his memory, now that he was thinking in words again. But he remembered the Emperor, who had been one of the first people he’d met in the City, and who had been kind to him; had in fact gotten him his job at the Safeway, where he’d met Jody. Jody. Both words and instinct overwhelmed him at the thought of her, memories of joy and pain as pure as the hunter state of mind. He searched in a whirlwind of words and images for a way to contain her. Jody. Need. That was the word. He’d need clothes and language to move in the world where he’d find Jody. He didn’t know why he knew that, but he knew it. But first he needed to feed. He loped down the sidewalk after the hunter-cloud, tuned again for prey, and for the first time in weeks, the word blood lit up in his brain. The words brought him back. THE NOTORIOUS FOO DOG â€Å"Your car’s all fucked up,† explained Cavuto. â€Å"I know,† said Stephen â€Å"Foo Dog† Wong. He stood aside and the two policemen walked by him into the loft. â€Å"Your jackets are done.† â€Å"Your apartment’s all fucked up, too,† observed Cavuto, looking at the plywood fastened across the front of the loft where the windows used to be. â€Å"And full of rats,† added Rivera. â€Å"Dead rats,† said Cavuto, shaking one of the plastic boxes with the lid taped on. The rat inside rolled around like-well-like a dead rat. â€Å"They’re not dead,† said Jared. â€Å"It’s daytime. They’re undead.† Jared wore a SCULL-FUCK SYMPHONY band T-shirt, over skin-tight black girl’s jeans, with flesh-colored ACE elastic bandages running from midcalf to the midsole of his black Chuck Taylors. His Mohawk had been lacquered into magenta Statue of Liberty spikes. Cavuto looked at him and shook his head. â€Å"Kid, even in the gay community there are limits to tolerance.† â€Å"I hurt my ankles,† whined Jared. Foo nodded. â€Å"We’ve had a few rough days.† â€Å"I gathered,† said Rivera. â€Å"Where’s your creepy girlfriend?† â€Å"She’s not creepy,† said Jared. â€Å"She’s complex.† â€Å"Home,† said Foo. â€Å"As was agreed in her black covenant with you,† said Jared, as ominously as he could manage. â€Å"Did you get an English accent all of a sudden?† asked Cavuto. â€Å"He does that when he wants to sound more Gothic,† said Foo. He was trying to stand in front of the ruins of the bronze statue of Jody and Tommy, but since it was twice his size, he only drew attention to it. Rivera pulled a pen from his jacket and ran it over the sawed edges of the bronze shell and pulled it back with the red-brown clot on it. â€Å"Mr. Wong, what the hell happened here?† â€Å"Nothing,† said Jared, without an English accent. Foo looked from one inspector to the other, hoping they would see how hopelessly smarter he was than them, and give up, but they wouldn’t look away. They just kept looking at him like he was in trouble. He went to the futon that served as their couch, pushed a bunch of boxes of undead rats to the floor, sat down, and cradled his face in his hands. â€Å"I thought I’d found some kind of scientific bonanza, a new species, a new way for a species to reproduce-hell, maybe I have, but everything’s so out of control. The fucking magic!† Rivera and Cavuto moved to the middle of the room, and stood over Foo. Rivera reached down and squeezed his shoulder. â€Å"Focus, Stephen. What happened here? Why is there blood all over that statue?† â€Å"They were in there. Tommy and Jody. Abby and I had them bronzed when they were out during the day.† â€Å"Then they never left town like you said?† asked Cavuto. â€Å"No, they had been in there all the time. Abby said that it wouldn’t be bad for them, that when they were in mist form it was like they were dreaming. Mist form! What the hell is that? It’s not possible.† â€Å"And you felt bad so you cut them out?† said Rivera. â€Å"No, Jared let Jody out.† â€Å"Totally by accident,† said Jared. â€Å"She was kind of a bitch about it, too.† Foo explained about Jared releasing Jody, Abby and Jody releasing Tommy, Jody throwing Tommy through the windows, and Tommy running off into the night, naked. â€Å"So he’s out there,† Foo said. â€Å"They’re both out there.† â€Å"We know,† said Cavuto. â€Å"You do?† Foo looked up for the first time. â€Å"You knew?† â€Å"She was seen at the Fairmont Hotel, and we found bags of blood in a room there. We’ll find her. But the Emperor saw Tommy Flood, naked, sleeping with all the vampire cats. He said that the one cat, Chet, isn’t really a cat anymore. Explain that, science boy.† Foo nodded. â€Å"I figured something like that might happen. The rats are smarter.† â€Å"That helps,† said Cavuto. â€Å"No, what I’ve found is that the vampire blood carries characteristics of the host species. The further from the prime vampire, the old vampire that turned Jody, or that’s who we think is the prime vampire, the less change takes place. Abby said that Chet was turned by the prime vampire, so he’s picking up human characteristics. He’s going to be stronger, bigger, smarter than any of the cat vampires. He’s turning into something new.† â€Å"Something new?† â€Å"Yeah. We found it with the rats. The first ones I turned from Jody’s blood are smarter than the ones I turned from those rats’ blood. Each generation away from her is less and less intelligent. I mean, we haven’t had time to really test them, but in just the amount of time it takes them to learn the mazes, it’s clear that the innate intelligence is higher in those closer to the human vampire sire. And they’re stronger, because Jody was only one generation from the prime vampire. I thought I’d figured an algorithm that described it, but then they all turned to mist and merged and fucked up everything.† â€Å"Sure,† said Cavuto, â€Å"we’ll nod and act like we have some idea of what you’re talking about until you tell us what the hell you’re actually talking about.† Foo got up and waved for them to follow him into the bedroom. There was a plywood maze that covered the entire bed, with small blue LEDs dimly lighting every intersection. A sheet of Plexiglas covered the top. â€Å"The UV LEDs are to keep them from turning to mist and escaping the maze,† Foo said. â€Å"It’s not enough to hurt them, just keep them solid.† â€Å"Oh good, a toy city,† said Cavuto. â€Å"We have time for this.† Foo ignored him. â€Å"The rats who were turned from Jody’s blood learned the maze more quickly, and remembered it faster than the ones turned from rat blood. It was consistent, until they all got loose and merged into a single cloud. After that, they all knew the maze, even if we had never put them in it.† Rivera bent down and pretended to be examining the maze. â€Å"What are you saying, Stephen?† â€Å"I think that they share a consciousness when they are together in mist form. What one knows, the others know. After they had merged, they all knew the maze.† Rivera looked at Cavuto and raised his eyebrows. â€Å"The Emperor thought that Tommy Flood was in the same cloud as the vampire cats.† â€Å"We’re fucked,† said Cavuto. Rivera looked at Foo for confirmation. â€Å"Are we fucked?† Foo shrugged, â€Å"Well, from what I could tell, Tommy wasn’t really that bright.† Rivera nodded. â€Å"Uh-huh, and if your girlfriend didn’t have a crush on him, would we be fucked?† Foo flinched a little, then recovered. â€Å"I think they’d be limited by the brain capacity of the species, so the vampire cats would be still be cats, but they’d be very smart. Chet, on the other hand-â€Å" â€Å"We’re fucked,† said Cavuto. â€Å"Say it.† â€Å"Scientifically speaking, yes,† said Jared, who stood in the doorway of the bedroom. â€Å"How do we stop them?† asked Rivera. â€Å"Sunlight. UV light will do it,† said Foo. â€Å"You have to find them while they’re dormant or they’ll just run away. They’re not invulnerable to physical damage. If they’re dismembered or decapitated it will kill them.† â€Å"You did experiments on that?† asked Cavuto. Foo shook his head. â€Å"We had some accidents when we were trying to get them back in their cages, but I’m basing that hypothesis on Abby’s description of the swordsman who showed up in the street.† â€Å"He sounds badass,† said Jared. â€Å"Did you find him?† Cavuto took Jared by a hair spike, steered him into the corner, faced him there, then turned back to Foo. â€Å"So, these jackets you made us, they’ll take them out?† â€Å"If you’re close enough. I’d say they’re lethal to about twelve feet. I suppose I can rig something higher intensity, like a high-capacity UV laser flashlight. You could cut them down from a distance with something like that.† â€Å"Light sabers!† said Jared, his voice going up. He hopped around in excitement, then winced at the pain in his ankles. â€Å"Ouch.† â€Å"That’s it,† said Cavuto. â€Å"You’re too much of a nerd to be gay. I’m contacting the committee. They’ll revoke your rainbow flag and you will not be permitted anywhere near the parade.† â€Å"There’s a committee?† â€Å"No,† said Rivera. â€Å"He’s fucking with you.† Rivera turned back to Foo. â€Å"What about something that will work on a wider basis-like a vaccine or something?† Foo thought for a second. â€Å"Sure, what is it, Tuesday? I’m curing Ebola in the morning, but I can work on your vampire vaccine after lunch.† Rivera smiled. â€Å"People are dying, Steve. Lots of people. And the only people who have a chance to stop it are in this room.† â€Å"Not you,† Cavuto said to Jared. â€Å"Bitch,† Jared replied. â€Å"I’ll work on it,† said Foo. â€Å"But it’s not as bad as you think it is.† â€Å"Brighten our day, kid,† said Cavuto. â€Å"They can’t all handle it. Four out of every ten animals that are turned vampire don’t survive to the second night. They either just break down on the spot-sort of decay from the inside, or they go crazy-it’s like the heightened senses overwhelm them and they just have sort of a seizure that scrambles their brains and they end up with no survival instincts. They don’t feed or hide from the light. The first sunrise after they’re turned burns them up. It’s like accelerated evolution, taking out the weak the very first day.† â€Å"So you’re telling me what?† â€Å"The cat cloud won’t grow exponentially. And the only way it will pass to other species is if they bite their attacker during the attack and ingest vampire blood-that’s why you haven’t had any more human vampires.† â€Å"Then why no dog vampires?† asked Cavuto. â€Å"I’m guessing the cats tear them apart before they change,† said Foo. â€Å"I’m not a behavioral guy, but I’d guess there’s no brotherhood among vampires. If you’re a vampire cat, you’re essentially still a cat. If you’re a vampire dog, you’re still a dog.† â€Å"Except for Chet,† said Rivera. â€Å"Who is kind of a cat plus something else.† â€Å"Well, there are anomalies,† said Foo. â€Å"I told you, this is very fuzzy science. I don’t like it.† Rivera’s phone chirped and he flipped it open and looked at the screen. â€Å"The Animals,† he said. â€Å"And?† asked Cavuto. â€Å"They’re at a butcher shop in Chinatown. They say they have a way to kill the vampires but they can’t find them.† â€Å"We can take them Marvin. Tell them we’re on the way.† Rivera held the phone like it was a foul dead thing. â€Å"I don’t know how.† Foo snatched the phone out of Rivera’s hand, nine-keyed a message, hit SEND, and handed it back. â€Å"There, you’re on the way. I thought you said the only people who could fix this were in this room.† â€Å"They are, and now they’re leaving.† â€Å"Don’t forget your sun jackets,† said Jared. â€Å"We charged the batteries and everything. Do you think you’ll be able to turn them on, or should I come along to help?† â€Å"He’s a kid.† Rivera grabbed Cavuto’s arm. â€Å"You can’t hit him.† â€Å"That’s it, kid. You’re out of the tribe. If I hear you’ve touched a penis, even your own, I’m sending you to butch lesbian jail.† â€Å"They have that?† Rivera looked past his partner at Jared and nodded, slowly, seriously. KATUSUMI OKATA The burned-up white girl was not healing very quickly and Okata was running out of blood. All he seemed to do was watch her, sketch her, and squeeze his blood into her mouth. While her red hair had returned, and most of the ash had flaked away to reveal white skin underneath, she was still wraith-thin, and she only seemed to breathe two or three times an hour. During the day, she didn’t breathe at all, and he thought that she might be dead forever. She had not opened her eyes, and had made no sound except a low moan when he was feeding her, which subsided as soon as he stopped. He was not feeling well himself, and on the second day he became light-headed and passed out on the mat beside her. If she did come alive as a demon, he’d be too weak to defend himself and she would drain the last drops of his life. Strangely, he was not okay with that. He needed to eat and recover and she needed more blood. â€Å"We will have to find a balance,† he said to the white girl in Japanese. He had been talking to her more lately, and found that he no longer flinched at the sound of his voice inside the little apartment that had been without a human voice for so long. A balance. When it was light and she had been still for an hour, he locked up his little apartment, took his sword, and walked into Chinatown, feeling ashamed of the little, old-man steps he was taking because he had become so weak. Perhaps he would actually go into a restaurant and have some tea and noodles, sit until his strength returned. Then he would find a better way to feed the burned-up white girl. He only spoke a dozen words of Cantonese, despite having lived near Chinatown for forty years. They were the same dozen words he spoke in English. He told his students at the dojo it was because Bushido and the Japanese language were inseparable, but in fact, it was because he was stubborn and didn’t really like talking to people. His words were: hello, good-bye, yes, no, please, thank you, okay, sorry, and suck my dick. He made it a rule, however, to only say the last three in junction with please and/or thank you, and had only broken that rule once, when a thug in the Tenderloin tried to take his sword and Okata forgot to say please before fracturing the man’s skull with the sheathed katana. Sorry, he’d said. It had been over a week since Okata had been to the dojo in Japantown. His students would think he was testing them, and when the time came to face them, he would say through his translator that they should learn to sit. Should learn patience. Should anticipate nothing. Anticipation was desire and didn’t the Buddha teach that desire was the cause of all suffering? Then he would proceed to trounce each and every one of them with the bamboo shinai as an object lesson in suffering. Thank you. He didn’t care much for prepared Chinese food, but Japantown was too far to walk, and Japanese food in his neighborhood was too expensive. But noodles are noodles. He’d eat just enough to get his strength back, then he would buy a fish, maybe some beef to help replace his blood, and take them home and prepare them. After he slurped down three bowls of soba and drank a pot of green tea at a restaurant named Soup, he made his way to the butcher. Near the old man who sat on a milk crate playing a Gaohu, a two-string, upright fiddle that approximated the sound of someone hurting a cat, the swordsman passed two policemen, who had paused as if considering whether they should give money to the old fiddler or whether it might not be better for everyone if they just Tased him. They smiled and nodded to Okata and he smiled back. They were mildly amused by the little man in the too-short plaid slacks, fluorescent orange socks, and an orange porkpie hat, who they had seen walking the City since they were boys. It never occurred to them that he was anything but an eccentric street person, or that the walking stick with which he measured his easy strolls, wasn’t a walking stick at all. It took considerable pointing and pantomime to get the Chinese butcher to understand that he wanted to buy blood, but once he did, Okata was surprised to find out not only was it available, but it was available in flavors: pig, chicken, cow, and turtle. Turtle? Not for his burned-up white girl. How dare the butcher even suggest such a thing? She would have beef, and maybe a quart or two of pig, because Okata remembered reading once that human flesh was called â€Å"long pig† by Pacific island cannibals, so pig blood might be more to her liking. The butcher taped the lids on eight, one-quart plastic containers containing all the nonturtle blood he had, then carefully stacked them in a shopping bag and handed them to a woman at the cash register. Okata paid her the amount on the register, picked up the bag, and was pocketing the change when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned. No one there. Then he looked down: a tiny Chinese grandmother dressed in thug-wear that made her look vaguely like a hip-hop Yoda. She said something to him in Cantonese, then said something to the butcher, then to the woman behind the counter, who pointed at the shopping bag, then she said something else to Okata. Then she put a hand on his shopping bag. â€Å"Thank you,† Okata said in Cantonese. He bowed slightly. She didn’t move. Being confronted by a Chinese grandmother while shopping in Chinatown was not unusual. In fact, more than once he’d had to push through a dog pile of Sino-matrons to simply buy a decent cabbage, but this one seemed to want what Okata had clearly already purchased. He smiled, bowed again, just slightly, said, â€Å"Good-bye,† and tried to push past her. She stepped in front of him, and he noticed, as he should have before, that a whole group of young men stepped in behind her; seven of them, Anglo, Hispanic, black, and Chinese, they all looked slightly stoned, but no less determined. The old lady barked something at him in Cantonese and tried to grab his bag. Then the young men behind her stepped up. THE ANIMALS â€Å"Have you been washed in the blood?† said Clint, the born-again ex-heroin addict to the detectives as they entered the butcher shop. He grinned over his shoulder. Clint was splattered head to toe with blood. Everyone in the shop was splattered with blood except the two uniform cops, who were trying to keep the three groups-the customers, the butchers, and the Animals-separated. They had the Animals lined up opposite the counter, facing the wall, their hands restrained with zip ties. â€Å"Inspector, these guys say they’re supposed to meet you here,† said the younger of the uniforms, a gaunt, Hispanic guy named Muà ±ez. Rivera shook his head. â€Å"He started it,† said Lash Jefferson. â€Å"We were just minding our own business, and he rolled up on us all badass.† Rivera looked at the Asian officer, John Tan, who he’d worked with before when investigating a murder in Chinatown and had needed a translator. â€Å"What happened?† Tan shook his head and pushed his hat back on his head with the end of his riot baton. â€Å"Nobody’s hurt. It’s beef and pig blood. The butcher says these guys attacked a little old Japanese man, a regular customer, because he had bought the last of the beef blood.† â€Å"We needed it for bait,† said Lash. â€Å"You know, Inspector, like beer for slugs.† He winked. â€Å"You attacked an old man because he bought the last cow blood?† asked Cavuto. â€Å"He attacked us,† said Troy Lee. â€Å"We were just defending ourselves.† â€Å"He had a sword,† said Drew, who turned back around quickly. Officer Tan rolled his eyes at Rivera. â€Å"The butcher says the old man had a stick of some kind. He used it to defend himself.† â€Å"Just because he didn’t draw it out of the scabbard doesn’t meant it wasn’t a sword,† said Jeff, the tall, blond jock. â€Å"It was a battle of honor,† said Troy Lee. â€Å"One little old guy with a stick, seven of you?† said Rivera. â€Å"Honor?† â€Å"He told my grandma to suck his dick,† said Troy. â€Å"Still,† said Cavuto. â€Å"But she said okay,† Troy said. â€Å"That shit is just wrong,† said Lash. Grandma, who was standing with the other outraged, blood-splattered customers across the butcher shop, fired off a volley of Cantonese at the policemen. Rivera looked to Officer Tan for translation. â€Å"She says she misunderstood what he was saying because his accent was so bad.† â€Å"Don’t care,† said Rivera. â€Å"Where’s the guy with the alleged stick?† â€Å"He ran out before we got here,† said Tan. â€Å"We called in backup, but we put the responding unit on finding the victim, when these guys didn’t resist.† â€Å"Resistance is futile,† said Clint in a robot voice. â€Å"I thought you were Christian,† said Cavuto. â€Å"What, I can’t love Jesus and Star Trek?† â€Å"Oh for fuck’s sake. Rivera, let’s just arrest these morons and-â€Å" Rivera held up his hand for silence. â€Å"Officer Tan, I’m afraid I do need them. You have their names if the stick guy shows up and wants to press charges. Have all those people leave their names with the butcher. These guys will pay for their dry cleaning.† â€Å"Yes, sir,† said Tan. â€Å"They’re all yours. You want me to clip the restraints?† â€Å"Nope,† said Rivera. â€Å"Come along, boys.† He led the Animals, their hands cuffed behind their backs, out of the butcher shop and into the flow of the Stockton Street sidewalk-a river of people. â€Å"You’d better bring Troy Lee’s grandma,† said Lash, rolling to the side as a vendor with a handtruck full of crates bumped by. â€Å"Yeah, Grandma has a secret weapon,† blurted out Troy Lee. â€Å"I heard,† said Cavuto. Jeff, the tall jock, said, â€Å"Hey, did anyone wonder why a little old Japanese guy would need eight quarts of animal blood?† How to cite Bite Me: A Love Story Chapter 15, Essay examples

Long Day Essay Research Paper A Long free essay sample

Long Day Essay, Research Paper A Long and Frustrating Day ? I have all these feelings and ideas bottled up in my caput, but I have no manner of showing them. When things don? T travel my manner, I throw a tantrum, and sometimes I catch myself in these shocks merely gazing at a fan go unit of ammunition and unit of ammunition. ? Day in, twenty-four hours out, my everyday neer alterations. My female parent aftermaths me up every forenoon at precisely 6:37 am. I get up, acquire dressed, and acquire ready to eat my favourite breakfast, Gallic toast with a tall glass of orange juice. The orange juice must be poured before the Gallic toast is put on the tabular array ; otherwise, I start swaying uncontrollably. After I eat all of my breakfast, I get my school bag all packed up and ready to travel. My female parent and I go outdoors at 7:45 and delay for the coach to get at 7:50. We will write a custom essay sample on Long Day Essay Research Paper A Long or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Before I get on the coach, my ma makes the attempt to give me a clinch, but I ever push her away and ramp off onto the coach. I don? Ts like to be touched in any fond manner. She gets me so disquieted when she tries to touch me that manner, that when I get on the coach, I sit down, and get down banging my caput against the window. Childs on the coach make merriment of me, which merely makes me bang harder. I wish person could understand what I was believing. I eventually acquire to school, and at that place expecting me to acquire off the coach is my favourite instructor in the whole universe, Mr. Taylor. We walk to the schoolroom together and acquire started on my day-to-day school assignment. The first thing we do is set different forms into a mystifier board. I do the mystifier over and over once more, but frequently I mess up and acquire frustrated with myself. So I run over to a corner, face the wall, and get down shouting nonsensical noises. Mr. Taylor runs over and gets me out of this defeat province by stating me that I have done good for the twenty-four hours. It? s eventually lunchtime. I sit down at the tabular array and put my tabular array up. My sandwich in forepart of me, my juice box of to the left and behind my sandwich, my banana following to my sandwich, and my serviette on the right of my sandwich. My tabular array is set up like this everyday. After tiffin, Mr. Taylor and I, sit down at a desk and seek to pass on with facilitated communicating. I normally have a really difficult clip with this because it is so difficult for me to open myself up. Sometimes if I don? T want to speak, I will wholly close myself down, non reacting to anything anyone says, and non doing any sort of oculus contact with anyone. Finally, it is clip to travel place. Mr. Taylor walks me to the coach, and I head place. My ma choices me up at the coach halt, and we go back to the house. Traveling place after school is my favourite clip of twenty-four hours because it? s my clip to myself. I ever watch my three favourite telecasting shows. First, I watch the Golden Girls at 5:00 autopsy, so Saved By The Bell at 5:30pm, and eventually Full House at 6:00. After my shows are over, it? s suppertime. My ma knows to hold dinner on clip because other wise it will mess up the remainder of my agenda. I hate it when one thing goes incorrectly, because so everything else does excessively. After dinner, I get my shower, and so watch my concluding show of the dark, The Real World. After The Real World, my ma comes in and state me it is bedtime. I hate being told when to make material, so I start shouting and slaming my caput against the wall. When I eventually run out of energy, I fall sound asleep. I wish that my life wasn? Ts so complicated. I don? t mean to be this manner ; I merely am. Possibly one twenty-four hours person will understand what I am traveling through and non acquire frustrated with me. Hopefully someday I will be able to acquire through a twenty-four hours without aching myself or shouting nonsensical things.

Structure and Analysis of Johnson Johnson

Yuan Dynasty Emperors List - Chinese Emperors

Yuan Dynasty Emperors List - Chinese Emperors The Yuan Dynasty in China was one of the five khanates of the Mongol Empire, founded by Genghis Khan. It ruled most of the modern day China from 1271 to 1368.  Genghis Khans grandson, Kublai Khan, was the founder and first emperor of the Yuan Dynasty. Each Yuan emperor also served as the Great Khan of the Mongols, meaning that the rulers of the Chagatai Khanate, the Golden Horde, and the Ilkhanate answered to him (at least in theory). Mandate of Heaven According to official Chinese histories, the Yuan Dynasty received the Mandate of Heaven even though it was not ethnically Han Chinese. This was true of several other major dynasties in Chinese history, including the Jin Dynasty (265 - 420 CE) and the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1912). Although the Mongol rulers of China adopted some Chinese customs, such as the use of the Civil Service Exam system based on the writings of Confucius, the dynasty maintained its distinctly Mongol approach to life and lordship. Yuan emperors and empresses were famous for their love of hunting from horseback, and some of the early Yuan era Mongol lords evicted Chinese peasants from their farms and turned the land into horse pastures. The Yuan emperors, unlike other foreign rulers of China, married and took concubines only from within the Mongol aristocracy. Thus, to the end of the dynasty, the emperors were of pure Mongol heritage. Mongol Rule For almost a century, China flourished under Mongol rule. Trade along the Silk Road, which had been interrupted by warfare and banditry, grew strong once again under the Pax Mongolica. Foreign traders flowed into China, including a man from far-off Venice called Marco Polo, who spent more than two decades in Kublai Khans court. However, Kublai Khan over-extended his military power and the Chinese treasury with his military adventures overseas. Both of his invasions of Japan ended in disaster, and his attempted conquest of Java, now in Indonesia, was equally (although less dramatically) unsuccessful. The Red Turban Rebellion Kublais successors were able to rule in relative peace and prosperity until the end of the 1340s.  At that time, a series of droughts and floods produced famine in the Chinese countryside. People began to suspect that the Mongols had lost the Mandate of Heaven. The Red Turban Rebellion began in 1351, drawing its members from the hungry ranks of the peasantry, and would end up overthrowing the Yuan Dynasty in 1368. The emperors are listed here by their given names and khan names. Although Genghis Khan and several other relatives were posthumously named emperors of the Yuan Dynasty, this list begins with Kublai Khan, who actually defeated the Song Dynasty and established control over greater China. Borjigin Kublai, Kublai Khan, 1260-1294Borjigin Temur, Temur Oljeytu Khan, 1294-1307Borjigin Qayshan, Qayshan Guluk, 1308-1311Borjigin Ayurparibhadra, Ayurparibhadra, 1311-1320Borjigin Suddhipala, Suddhipala Gegeen, 1321-1323Borjigin Yesun-Temur, Yesun-Temur, 1323-1328Borjigin Arigaba, Arigaba, 1328Borjigin Toq-Temur, Jijaghatu Toq-Temur, 1328-1329 and 1329-1332Borjigin Qoshila, Qoshila Qutuqtu, 1329Borjigin Irinchibal, Irinchibal, 1332Borjigin Toghan-Temur, Toghan-Temur, 1333-1370

Structured Essays Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Structured Essays - Essay Example The fear of a German uprising was no longer in the minds of the French as all the land that Germany was required to hand over was returned; the most important regions being Alsace and Lorraine. Germany's army was down sized to a maximum of 100,000 men; they were denied the use of tanks. The air force was disbanded and the navy was only allowed to staff and operate six ships; however, no submarines were allowed to remain operational. The land fifty kilometres east of the Rhine was pronounced a demilitarised zone, where no soldier with a weapon could enter. Overseas land previously owned by Germany was given to different European countries. The Saar, Danzig and Memel were put under the control of the League of Nations. One of the more important outcomes was the "War Guilt Clause" that required Germany to take on full responsibility for starting the war. This was important as it would show the world France's reason for participation in the war was only to defend against the German attacks. This also meant that Germany would have to pay reparations to France for the physical damage caused during the war. Wilson was very pleased because as a result of the Paris Peace Conference his vision of the League of Nations had become a reality. ... He said as much: "To promote international co-operation and to achieve international peace and security." (Wilson) The cost of creating the League was losing his other 13 original ideology points to gain the global support that was necessary to start the League and make it a success. As the post-war world was in struggle of finding peace, there were a lot of countries intrigued by the international organisation that promised to bring the world peace. Wilson was of a peace loving nature and was clearly angered by the great number of restrictions Germany had to agree to in the Treaty as well as all the reparations they had to make. The harsh conditions that were imposed on Germany embarrassed and shamed Wilson. Nevertheless, he was very satisfied with the start of the League of Nations. One fact to be noted is that reparations to the United States were not mandated in the Treaty. It is true that the losses of the United States were not on the same scale as Britain and France because of their late entrance into the war. Lloyd-George was perhaps the least satisfied with the final terms of the treaty because of Clemenceau's persistence to bankrupt the German economy. As Lloyd-George's key point was to keep Germany's economy as stable as possible so as to increase European market strength, he was not happy with the end result. Most people in Great Britain had wished for revenge on Germany, and indeed received satisfaction as many of Germany's colonies went to Lloyd-George such as Egypt and parts of China, including important, major trading ports. These acquisitions greatly enriched great Britain's economy, a large amount of wealth coming from the

Religious Life of Planet Earth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Religious Life of Planet Earth - Essay Example Finally, in traditional ceremonies, people from Ghana in Africa were noted to consult with traditional priests who act as the link between people and their gods (Brahm, 2005). This indicates the existence of some religion that makes people believe that these priests represented them before a higher power. The place of religion among the societies in the Earth would be said to be complex, fitting into social organisation as a whole and dominantly functioning in each of its part. Religion plays a critical role in fulfilling psychological needs. It helps human beings confront death and explain it. It relieves them of anxieties and fears of the unknown. During life’s crises such during serious illness, humans would turn to religion to ease their stress. It guides humans in making life’s decision, making them know what to do and at what time, thus providing the much needed psychological relief. Religion also serves to fulfil the social needs of human beings. It reinforces gr oup norms hence bringing about social homogeneity. This uniformity of belief plays a critical role in reinforcing group identity and binding people together. Hamilton (2010) further notes that religion sacralises norms and by promoting group goals, it makes social order legitimate. It plays a major role in giving identity. Finally, the social control function of religion has been appreciated, defining what would be considered as wrong or right. Rightful actions earn approval from gods while wrongful actions could cause supernatural retribution. For example, Quran, the sacred text of Islam provides a list of crimes which if committed would lead to punishment and describes mundane tasks such the specific foods to eat. Nonetheless, there have been other... The place of religion among the societies in the Earth would be said to be complex, fitting into the social organization as a whole and dominantly functioning in each of its parts. Religion plays a critical role in fulfilling psychological needs. It helps human beings confront death and explain it. It relieves them of anxieties and fears of the unknown. During life’s crises such during serious illness, humans would turn to religion to ease their stress. It guides humans in making life’s decision, making them know what to do and at what time, thus providing the much needed psychological relief. Religion also serves to fulfill the social needs of human beings. It reinforces group norms hence bringing about social homogeneity. This uniformity of belief plays a critical role in reinforcing group identity and binding people together. Hamilton (2010) further notes that religion sacralizes norms and by promoting group goals, it makes social order legitimate. It plays a major r ole in giving identity. Finally, the social control function of religion has been appreciated, defining what would be considered as wrong or right. Rightful actions earn approval from gods while wrongful actions could cause supernatural retribution. For example, Quran, the sacred text of Islam provides a list of crimes which if committed would lead to punishment and describes mundane tasks such the specific foods to eat.Nonetheless, there have been other interpretations of religion that goes against the functionalist approach.

Importance Of Theme In Movies Film Studies Essay

Importance Of Theme In Movies Film Studies Essay Since the cinematography was invented movies became an integral part of our lives. We cannot live without them because they tell us about our and the other peoples life and still every time we watch them we find something new. They tell us about ourselves, that is why movies attract our attention so much. Films are often described as life s visual representation (Tran, 2008). Everything we encounter in our daily undertakings is reflected in numerous movies. Movies create dreams and enjoy people. They depict our everyday life but still cinematography is something fantastic, mysterious and enigmatic. Each and everybody of us can be related and associated with protagonists or antagonists of a movie. We see ourselves in movies, that is why we are so interested in them. We want to find answers to our numerous questions. Every person has his or her own ways and methods of analyzing a movie. But still, there are some generally accepted techniques to analyze a movie. Each movie has a definite number of elements that are aimed at guiding the audience through the whole story (Pollick). Finding them out, analyzing and interpreting them it is possible to evaluate a movie and determine whether it is good or bad, successful or not. Sometimes it is possible to anticipate whether it will live for ages or die the following day. A movie cannot be good or bad by definition. There usually are some elements that make it perfect and overwhelming or uninteresting and boring. Sometimes the most visible elements of a movie are its actors. A disastrous movie can be saved by the perfect performance of some actors or only one of them. But a really good film can be spoiled by the disastrous play of its actors. Sometimes a movie is differentiated from the others with the perfect job of other craftsmen. They perform a lot of different functions in order to make the film finished and perfect for an audience. In order to comprehend the reasons of one films success and another films failure, it is important to know what the collaborative filmmaking is. One person can never make a film successful. There are several important issues that contribute to films success or failure. Without them it is next to impossible to imagine that a movie can be a success. Thus, the effectiveness of the storyline and dialogs should be estimated. The true architects of a movie are screenwriters. They are not as popular as the director or the actors but their job sometimes is much more valuable. Only they can perfectly adapt a book into a screenplay. Sometimes the new created script form appears to be a new masterpiece with its own original story. It is especially important to sense attention to plotlines and details in the dialog. If scenarios and dialogs are authentic, the movie script is considered successive. If the script is not very successive, characters are placed in artificial and contrived situations. The language used in dialogs is also very important, as it may be obscene, or high flown; it can be natural or it can seem artificial, coming from the writers mind, but not from the characters. Analyzing writing in the film it is necessary to determine whether the dialogs feel honest and the scenes flow in a logical progression. Set pieces and background are very important points that should be evaluated while analyzing an entire movie. These are two major factors that create the proper atmosphere in the film. It is necessary to pay attention to the pictures shapes and colors of the sets, costumes and scenery. Only working together they create a special ambiance and mood. Among some other important factors is the use of darkness and light, shadows and fog. The background information does not overwhelm the scene, but enhances it. The background and the setting should not distract from the scene, but add more to it. All these factors are of major importance. The individual actors performance is one of the most essential factors that should be evaluated while analyzing a movie. Sometimes magnificent performance of one actor attracts the audience attention and the other actors efforts are not noticed. It is also necessary to observe what the other characters of the movie are doing if they are not the part of the action at the moment. Good actors drive the plot of the movie forward. They also establish the character in the mind of the audience. A good actor can make the audience feel his or her presence even if he or she has no dialogs. Editing is an integral part of the finished and successful film. Sometimes it happens that a movie has many components that would make it successful, but poor editing spoils everything. In this case the essential parts of the movie are entirely cut out or the scenes of the film that contribute nothing to the move are left in the final cut. The unmistakable proof of the quality is the editing in which nothing confuses the audience. The perfect editing is usually invisible; the pace of actions is exciting but steady. One scene flows to another one and the audience easily and the audience easily follows the arc of the story. Sometimes the directors cut of a movie can be much less successive than the usual cut. However there are also cases when a movie can be interpreted extremely different after watching the directors cut that appears to be much more successive. Director is the person whose fingerprints are most distinctive in the movie. Definitely he or she is the person who influences the atmosphere in the movie, its character to a great extent. The directors job is totally aimed at film production; it starts and ends there. Thus, directors feelings, thoughts, and ideas are apparent in the movie. The good director is able to understand the actors capacities, the scriptwriters intentions and the crew skills. A professional director usually has his or her own style that is easily traced in the movie. The professional directors contribution to the film bears his or her signature elements, among which familiar actors, unique devotion to particular perspectives and camera angles, edgy dialogs and creative music are noticed. At least one distinctive outstanding feature is inherent each skillful director. So, it is necessary to look for such features in a movie while analyzing it. Sometimes it is next to impossible to determine the meaning of a movie. It can у too complicated sometimes. But there are also cases when there is no meaning in a film. Meaning construction is a vital issue that should be considered while analyzing a movie (Axelson, 2006). Movies generate ideas to a various degree are used as resources within the construction of identity (Jansson 2001). A historically transmitted pattern of meanings embodied in symbols, a system of inherited conceptions expressed in symbolic form by means of which men communicate, perpetuate and develop their knowledge about and attitudes toward life. (Geertz, 1973). Culture and meaning has become increasingly important in media studies (Clark, 2003). Studies in media now look toward how meanings are constructed, making possible connections with the branch of studies that focuses on the role of media in the development of values, and conceptions of the world (Linderman, 2002). Exploring the meaning of a movie, it is essential to start such important characteristic as the sequence of events that form the parts of the story. It should be considered as a whole. All events are combined in order to form a part of the story. All these events become interesting only if we can observe the effect on all the characters of our story. It is not that important what happens, but it is important how it happens, how the characters react to events and various conflicts with other characters. Such conflicts can manifest themselves as dramatic actions or dialogues. Dramatic action is usually not what is said, but what is not said, what is implicit in a movie. In order to understand the meaning of a movie, everything it implies, it is necessary to read between the lines while watching a movie and analyzing it. It is very important to watch the actions of the characters; only this way it is possible to understand their points of view. In the course of time as the story develop s watching the characters and their actions we can anticipate and predict what is going to happen next. These characters development usually expresses the central theme or concept of a movie. These themes may be various: harsh war problems, terrible conditions of growing up in a deprived area, the importance of expressing your free will and individual behavior, the idea of helping other people. The nature of love is also one of the most favorite directors themes. My own personal criteria for evaluating movies mainly coincide with those features that are important to evaluate while analyzing an entire movie. First, it is necessary to find a theme in a film. Sometimes it is very difficult to discern the message a movie tries to convey. The theme is usually what struck us the strongest in a movie. Besides, there might be some minor themes that contribute to the principal one. Looking at the storyline, it is necessary to observe whether the plot of the movie that easily moves from one scene to another. A screen-writer may use a well-known formula of the hero cycle or add twists in order to make a film more believable or draw the audiences attention to the plot of the story. It is also necessary to listen to the dialogs in order to determine whether they are original or contrived, believable or artificial. Sometimes there are forced explanations and conversations that explain the story to the audience. Special attention should be paid to scenery and set used for the movie. Costumes, backgrounds, special effects and lighting are thing that enhance the special atmosphere of a movie. Being organized professionally these things bring the audience to the story instead of distracting and overwhelming senses. Main and supporting characters are also of great importance. Sometimes our attention is mainly attracted by a pretty woman or malignant villain but not by the elaborated plot. Stereotyped characters can contribute to a movie but can hardly make it genius or important. Sometimes a movie contains some scenes that add nothing to the story and even spoil it. Bad editing can let it happen, but a good editor will make everything possible to avoid unnecessary scenes that make the comprehending of the plot difficult. All needless pieces should be cut out. While one scene moves to another it is very important that nothing prevented from understanding the plot; otherwise a movie is considered not very successful. It is desirable not to lose the track of the story; however sometimes due to the poor editing a movie can jump around from scene to scene. Those who pay more attention to movies than an ordinary viewer definitely know that symbolism is very often used to represent some idea or topic from the scene. It can be reflected in a number of ways: thus, a camera may be focused on one and the same object for several times, or a word may be constantly repeated. On the other hand it is important not to overdo and try to find symbolism everywhere. Sometimes a meaning can be found n those places where the director did not intend to show it. Among other important issues that should be taken into consideration are identifying parallel plots alongside with the main one, inciting indictment, spine of action, the protagonist object of desire, values at stake in each scene of characters lives, the turning points of the scenes, the length of the scenes, all major pay-offs and set-ups, climax, climaxes of different subplots and act structure, image systems, crisis decision, the controlling idea ad counter idea of the story (Script A Wish) The world of movies is a unique one: dreams come true in it, every revolution succeeds, and mysticism and magic become real and ordinary. Films tell us about ourselves but in a different way. That is why we like them. Movies have a perfect possibility to fill the gap between fiction and reality. Those various features as actors, sounds, music and pictures present vivid descriptions of everything that can happen in a large and boundless cosmos. Unexpected and wonderful events, thoughts, actions represent our life, everything that happened, happens and will happen to people in all times. The meanings and interpretations rendered by the viewers are determined by their endeavors and personal experience. No doubt, that interpreting films and analyzing them is subjective by its nature. However, it is evident, that in order to analyze a movie, it is necessary to break it down into essential parts and constituent elements. Sometimes these easy steps can really help to comprehend while one movie is a real masterpiece and becomes classic and the other one has nothing special about it and becomes distant memories.

Euroland food Essay

In early January 2001, the senior-management committee of Euroland Foods was to meet to draw up the firm’s capital budget for the new year. Up for consideration were 11 major projects that totaled more than â‚ ¬316 million. Unfortunately, the board of directors had imposed a spending limit on capital projects of only â‚ ¬120 million; even so, investment at that rate would represent a major increase in the firm’s current asset base of â‚ ¬965 million. Thus, the challenge for the senior managers of Euroland Foods was to allocate funds among a range of compelling projects: new-product introduction, acquisition, market expansion, efficiency improvements, preventive maintenance, safety, and pollution control. The Company Euroland Foods, headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, was a multinational producer of high-quality ice cream, yogurt, bottled water, and fruit juices. Its products were sold throughout Scandinavia, Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, western Germany, and northern France. (See Exhibit 1 for a map of the company’s marketing region.) The company was founded in 1924 by Theo Verdin, a Belgian farmer, as an offshoot of his dairy business. Through keen attention to product development and shrewd marketing, the business grew steadily over the years. The company went public in 1979, and, by 1993, was listed for trading on the London, Frankfurt, and Brussels exchanges. In 2000, Euroland Foods had sales of almost â‚ ¬1.6 billion. Ice cream accounted for 60 percent of the company’s revenue; yogurt, which was introduced in 1982, contributed about 20 percent. The remaining 20 percent of sales was divided equally between bottled water and fruit juices. Euroland Foods’ flagship brand name was â€Å"Rolly,† which was represented by a fat dancing bear in farmer’s clothing. Ice cream, the company’s leading product, had a loyal base of customers who sought out its high-butterfat content, large chunks of chocolate, fruit, and nuts, and wide range of original flavors. This case was prepared by Casey Opitz and Robert F. Bruner and draws certain elements from an antecedent case by them. All names are fictitious. The financial support of the Batten Institute is gratefully acknowledged. The case was written as a basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate effective or ineffective handling of an administrative situation. Copyright ï £ © 2001 by the University of Virginia Darden School Foundation, Charlottesville, VA. All rights reserved. To order copies, send an e-mail to dardencases@virginia.edu. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the permission of the Darden School Foundation. Euroland Foods’ sales had been static since 1998 (see Exhibit 2), which management attributed to low population growth in northern Europe and market saturation in some areas. Outside observers, however, faulted recent failures in new-product introductions. Most members of management wanted to expand the company’s market presence and introduce more new products to boost sales. These managers hoped that increased market presence and sales would improve the company’s market value. Euroland Foods’ stock was currently at 14 times earnings, just below book value. This price/earnings ratio was below the trading multiples of comparable companies, and it gave little value to the company’s brands. Resource Allocation The capital budget at Euroland Foods was prepared annually by a committee of senior managers, who then presented it for approval to the board of directors. The committee consisted of five managing directors, the prà ©sident directeur-gà ©nà ©ral (PDG), and the finance director. Typically, the PDG solicited investment proposals from the managing directors. The proposals included a brief project description, a financial analysis, and a discussion of strategic or other qualitative considerations. As a matter of policy, investment proposals at Euroland Foods were subject to two financial tests, payback and internal rate of return (IRR). The tests, or hurdles, had been established in 1999 by the management committee and varied according to the type of project: Minimum In January 2001, the estimated weighted-average cost of capital (WACC) for Euroland Foods was 10.6 percent. In describing the capital-budgeting process, the finance director, Trudi Lauf, said, We use the sliding scale of IRR tests as a way of recognizing differences in risk among the various types of projects. Where the company takes more risk, we should earn more return. The payback test signals that we are not prepared to wait for long to achieve that return. Ownership and the Sentiment of Creditors and Investors Euroland Foods’ 12-member board of directors included three members of the Verdin family, four members of management, and five outside directors who were prominent managers or public figures in northern Europe. Members of the Verdin family combined owned 20 percent of Euroland Foods’ shares outstanding, and company executives combined owned 10 percent of the shares. Venus Asset Management, a mutual-fund management company in London, held 12 percent. Banque du Bruges et des Pays Bas held 9 percent and had one representative on the board of directors. The remaining 49 percent of the firm’s shares were widely held. The firm’s shares traded in Brussels and Frankfurt. At a debt-to-equity ratio of 125 percent, Euroland Foods was leveraged much more highly than its peers in the European consumer-foods industry. Management had relied on debt financing significantly in the past few years to sustain the firm’s capital spending and dividends during a period of price wars initiated by Euroland. Now, with the price wars finished, Euroland’s bankers (led by Banque du Bruges) strongly urged an aggressive program of debt reduction. In any event, they were not prepared to finance increases in leverage beyond the current level. The president of Banque du Bruges had remarked at a recent board meeting, Restoring some strength to the right-hand side of the balance sheet should now be a first priority. Any expansion of assets should be financed from the cash flow after debt amortization until the debt ratio returns to a more prudent level. If there are crucial investments that cannot be funded this way, then we should cut the dividend! At a price-to-earnings ratio of 14 times, shares of Euroland Foods common stock were priced below the average multiples of peer companies and the average multiples of all companies on the exchanges where Euroland Foods was traded. This was attributable to the recent price wars, which had suppressed the company’s profitability, and to the well-known recent failure of the company to seize significant market share with a new product line of flavored mineral water. Since January 2000, all the major securities houses had been issuing â€Å"sell† recommendations to investors in Euroland Foods’ shares. Venus Asset Management had quietly accumulated shares during this period, however, in the expectation of a turnaround in the firm’s performance. At the most recent board meeting, the senior managing director of Venus gave a presentation in which he said, Cutting the dividend is unthinkable, as it would signal a lack of faith in your own future. Selling new shares of stock at this depressed price level is also unthinkable, as it would impose unacceptable dilution on your current shareholders. Your equity investors expect an improvement in performance. If that improvement is not forthcoming, or worse, if investors’ hopes are dashed, your shares might fall into the hands of raiders like Carlo de Benedetti or the Flick brothers.1 At the conclusion of the most recent meeting of the directors, the board voted unanimously to limit capital spending in 2001 to â‚ ¬120 million. Members of the Senior-Management Committee Seven senior managers of Euroland Foods would prepare the capital budget. For consideration, each project had to be sponsored by one of the managers present. Usually the decision process included a period of discussion followed by a vote on two to four alternative capital budgets. The various executives were well known to each other: Wilhelmina Verdin (Belgian), PDG, age 57. Granddaughter of the founder and spokesperson on the board of directors for the Verdin family’s interests. Worked for the company her entire career, with significant experience in brand management. Elected â€Å"European Marketer of the Year† in 1982 for successfully introducing low-fat yogurt and ice cream, the first major roll-out of this type of product. Eager to position the company for long-term growth but cautious in the wake of recent difficulties. Trudi Lauf (Swiss), finance director, age 51. Hired from Nestlà © in 1995 to modernize financial controls and systems. Had been a vocal proponent of reducing leverage on the balance sheet. Also had voiced the concerns and frustrations of stockholders. Heinz Klink (German), managing director for Distribution, age 49. Oversaw the transportation, warehousing, and order-fulfillment activities in the company. Spoilage, transport costs, stock-outs, and control systems were perennial challenges. Maarten Leyden (Dutch), managing director for Production and Purchasing, age 59. Managed production operations at the company’s 14 plants. Engineer by training. Tough negotiator, especially with unions and suppliers. A fanatic about production-cost control. Had voiced doubts about the sincerity of creditors’ and investors’ commitment to the firm. Marco Ponti (Italian), managing director for Sales, age 45. Oversaw the field sales force of 250 representatives and planned changes in geographical sales coverage. The most vocal proponent of rapid expansion on the senior-management committee. Saw several opportunities for ways to improve geographical positioning. Hired from Unilever in 1993 to revitalize the sales organization, which he successfully accomplished. De Benedetti of Milan and the Flick brothers of Munich were leaders of prominent hostile-takeover attempts in recent years. Fabienne Morin (French), managing director for Marketing, age 41. Responsible for marketing research, new-product development, advertising, and, in general, brand management. The primary advocate of the recent price war, which, although financially difficult, realized solid gains in market share. Perceived a â€Å"window of opportunity† for product and market expansion and tended to support growth-oriented projects. Nigel Humbolt (British), managing director for Strategic Planning, age 47. Hired two years previously from a well-known consulting firm to set up a strategic-planning staff for Euroland Foods. Known for asking difficult and challenging questions about Euroland’s core business, its maturity, and profitability. Supported initiatives aimed at growth and market share. Had presented the most aggressive proposals in 2000, none of which were accepted. Becoming frustrated with what he perceived to be his lack of influence in the organization. Humbolt, Strategic Planning 1. Replacement and expansion of the truck fleet. Heinz Klink proposed to purchase 100 new refrigerated tractor-trailer trucks, 50 each in 2001 and 2002. By doing so, the company could sell 60 old, fully depreciated trucks over the two years for a total of â‚ ¬4.05 million. The purchase would expand the fleet by 40 trucks within two years. Each of the new trailers would be larger than the old trailers and afford a 15 percent increase in cubic meters of goods hauled on each trip. The new tractors would also be more fuel and maintenance efficient. The increase in number of trucks would permit more flexible scheduling and more efficient routing and servicing of the fleet than at present and would cut delivery times and, therefore, possibly inventories. It would also allow more frequent deliveries to the company’s major markets, which would reduce the loss of sales caused by stock-outs. Finally, expanding the fleet would support geographical expansion over the long term. As shown in Exhibit 3, the total net investment in trucks of â‚ ¬30 million and the increase in working capital to support added maintenance, fuel, payroll, and inventories of â‚ ¬3 million was expected to yield total cost savings and added sales potential of â‚ ¬11.6 million over the next seven years. The resulting IRR was estimated to be 7.8 percent, marginally below the minimum 8 percent required return on efficiency projects. Some of the managers wondered if this project would be more properly classified as â€Å"efficiency† than â€Å"expansion.† 2. A new plant. Maarten Leyden noted that Euroland Foods’ yogurt and ice-cream sales in the southeastern region of the company’s market were about to exceed the capacity of its Melun, France, manufacturing and packaging plant. At present, some of the demand was being met by shipments from the company’s newest, most efficient facility, located in Strasbourg, France. Shipping costs over that distance were high, however, and some sales were undoubtedly being lost when the marketing effort could not be supported by delivery. Leyden proposed that a new manufacturing and packaging plant be built in Dijon, France, just at the current southern edge of Euroland Foods’ marketing region, to take the burden off the Melun and Strasbourg plants. The cost of this plant would be â‚ ¬37.5 million and would entail â‚ ¬7.5 million for working capital. The â‚ ¬21 million worth of equipment would be amortized over 7 years, and the plant over 10 years. Through an increase in sales and depreciation, and the decrease in delivery costs, the plant was expected to yield after-tax cash flows totaling â‚ ¬35.6 million and an IRR of 11.3 percent over the next 10 years. This project would be classified as a market extension. 3. Expansion of a plant. In addition to the need for greater production capacity in Euroland Foods’ southeastern region, its Nuremberg, Germany, plant had reached full capacity. This situation made the scheduling of routine equipment maintenance difficult, which, in turn, created production scheduling and deadline problems. This plant was one of two highly automated facilities that produced Euroland Foods’ entire line of bottled water, mineral water, and fruit juices. The Nuremberg plant supplied central and western Europe. (The other plant, near Copenhagen, Denmark, supplied Euroland Foods’ northern European markets.) The Nuremberg plant’s capacity could be expanded by 20 percent for â‚ ¬15 million. The equipment (â‚ ¬10.5 million) would be depreciated over 7 years, and the plant over 10 years. The increased capacity was expected to result in additional production of up to â‚ ¬2.25 million a year, yielding an IRR of 11.2 percent. This project would be classified as a market extension. 4. Development and roll-out of snack foods. Fabienne Morin suggested that the company use the excess capacity at its Antwerp spice- and nut-processing facility to produce a line of dried fruits to be test-marketed in Belgium, Britain, and the Netherlands. She noted the strength of the Rolly brand in those countries and the success of other food and beverage companies that had expanded into snack-food production. She argued that Euroland Foods’ reputation for wholesome, quality products would be enhanced by a line of dried fruits and that name association with the new product would probably even lead to increased sales of the company’s other products among health-conscious consumers. Equipment and working-capital investments were expected to total â‚ ¬22.5 million and â‚ ¬4.5 million, respectively, for this project. The equipment would be depreciated over seven years. Assuming the test market was successful, cash flows from the project would be able to support further plant expansions in other strategic locations. The IRR was expected to be 13.4 percent, slightly above the required return of 12 percent for new-product projects. 5. Plant automation and conveyer systems. Maarten Leyden also requested â‚ ¬21 million to increase automation of the production lines at six of the company’s older plants. The result would be improved throughput speed and reduced accidents, spillage, and production tie-ups. The last two plants the company had built included conveyer systems that eliminated the need for any heavy lifting by employees. The systems reduced the chance of injury by employees; at the six older plants, the company had sustained an average of 223 missed-worker-days per year per plant in the last two years because of muscle injuries sustained in heavy lifting. At an average hourly total compensation rate of â‚ ¬14.00 an hour, more than â‚ ¬150,000 a year were thus lost, and the possibility always existed of more-serious injuries and lawsuits. Overall, cost savings and depreciation totaling â‚ ¬4.13 million a year for the project were expected to yield an IRR of 8.7 percent. This project would be classed in the efficiency category. 6. Effluent-water treatment at four plants. Euroland Foods preprocessed a variety of fresh fruits at its Melun and Strasbourg plants. One of the first stages of processing involved cleaning the fruit to remove dirt and pesticides. The dirty water was simply sent down the drain and into the Seine or Rhine Rivers. Recent European Community directives called for any wastewater containing even slight traces of poisonous chemicals to be treated at the sources, and gave companies four years to comply. As an environmentally oriented project, this proposal fell outside the normal financial tests of project attractiveness. Leyden noted, however, that the water-treatment equipment could be purchased today for â‚ ¬6 million; he speculated that the same equipment would cost â‚ ¬15 million in four years when immediate conversion became mandatory. In the intervening time, the company would run the risks that European Community regulators would shorten the compliance time or that the company’s pollution record would become public and impair the image of the company in the eyes of the consumer. This project would be classed in the environmental category. 7 and 8. Market expansions southward and eastward. Marco Ponti recommended that the company expand its market southward to include southern France, Switzerland, Italy, and Spain, and/or eastward to include eastern Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Austria. He believed the time was right to expand sales of ice cream, and perhaps yogurt, geographically. In theory, the company could sustain expansions in both directions simultaneously, but practically, Ponti doubted that the sales and distribution organizations could sustain both expansions at once. Each alternative geographical expansion had its benefits and risks. If the company expanded eastward, it could reach a large population with a great appetite for frozen dairy products, but it would also face more competition from local and regional ice-cream manufacturers. Moreover, consumers in eastern Germany, Poland, and Czechoslovakia did not have the purchasing power that consumers did to the south. The eastward expansion would have to be supplied from plants in Nuremberg, Strasbourg, and Hamburg. Looking southward, the tables were turned: more purchasing power and less competition but also a smaller consumer appetite for ice cream and yogurt. A southward expansion would require building consumer demand for premium-quality yogurt and ice cream. If neither of the plant proposals (i.e., proposals 2 and 3) was accepted, then the southward expansion would need to be supplied from plants in Melun, Strasbourg, and Rouen. The initial cost of either proposal was â‚ ¬30 million of working capital. The bulk of this project’s costs was expected to involve the financing of distributorships, but over the 10-year forecast period, the distributors would gradually take over the burden of carrying receivables and inventory. Both expansion proposals assumed the rental of suitable warehouse and distribution facilities. The after-tax cash flows were expected to total â‚ ¬56.3 million for southward expansion and â‚ ¬48.8 million for eastward expansion. Marco Ponti pointed out that southward expansion meant a higher possible IRR but that moving eastward was a less risky proposition. The projected IRRs were 21.4 percent and 18.8 percent for southern and eastern expansion, respectively. These projects would be classed in the market-extension category. 9. Development and introduction of new artificially sweetened yogurt and ice cream. Fabienne Morin noted that recent developments in the synthesis of artificial sweeteners were showing promise of significant cost savings to food and beverage producers as well as stimulating growing demand for low-calorie products. The challenge was to create the right flavor to complement or enhance the other ingredients. For ice-cream manufacturers, the difficulty lay in creating a balance that would result in the same flavor as was obtained when using natural sweeteners; artificial sweeteners might, of course, create a superior taste. In addition, â‚ ¬27 million would be needed to commercialize a yogurt line that had received promising results in laboratory tests. This cost included acquiring specialized production facilities, working capital, and the cost of the initial product introduction. The overall IRR was estimated to be 20.5 percent. Morin stressed that the proposal, although highly uncertain in terms of actual results, could be viewed as a means of protecting present market share, because other high-quality-icecream producers carrying out the same research might introduce these products; if the Rolly brand did not carry an artificially sweetened line and its competitors did, the Rolly brand might suffer. Morin also noted the parallels between innovating with artificial sweeteners and the company’s past success in introducing low-fat products. This project would be classed in the new-product category of investments. 10. Networked, computer-based inventory-control system for warehouses and field representatives. Heinz Klink had pressed unsuccessfully for three years for a state-of-the-art computer-based inventory-control system that would link field sales representatives, distributors, drivers, warehouses, and possibly even retailers. The benefits of such a system would be shorter delays in ordering and order processing, better control of inventory, reduction of spoilage, and faster recognition of changes in demand at the customer level. Klink was reluctant to quantify these benefits, because they could range between modest and quite large amounts. This year, for the first time, he presented a cash-flow forecast, however, that reflected an initial outlay of â‚ ¬18 million for the system, followed by â‚ ¬4.5 million in the next year for ancillary equipment. The inflows reflected depreciation tax shields, tax credits, cost reductions in warehousing, and reduced inventory. He forecast these benefits to last for only three years. Even so, the project’s IRR was estimated to be 16.2 percent. This project would be classed in the efficiency category of proposals. 11. Acquisition of a leading schnapps2 brand and associated facilities. Nigel Humbolt had advocated making diversifying acquisitions in an effort to move beyond the company’s mature core business but doing so in a way that exploited the company’s skills in brand management. He had explored six possible related industries in the general field of consumer packaged goods, and determined that cordials and liqueurs offered unusual opportunities for real growth and, at the same time, market protection through branding. He had identified four small producers of well-established brands of liqueurs as acquisition candidates. Following exploratory talks with each, he had determined that only one company could be purchased in the near future, namely, the leading private European manufacturer of schnapps, located in Munich. The proposal was expensive: â‚ ¬25 million to buy the company and â‚ ¬30 million to renovate the company’s facilities completely while simultaneously expanding distribution to new geographical markets. The expected returns were high: after-tax cash flows were projected to be â‚ ¬198.5 million, yielding an IRR of 27.5 percent. This project would be classed in the newproduct category of proposals. Conclusion Each member of the management committee was expected to come to the meeting prepared to present and defend a proposal for the allocation of Euroland Foods’ caital budget of â‚ ¬120 million. Exhibit 3 summarizes the various projects in terms of their free cash flows and the investment-performance criteria. Any of various strong dry liquors, such as a strong Dutch gin. Definition borrowed from American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed. UVA-F-1356 Exhibit 1 EUROLAND FOODS S.A. Nations Where Euroland Competed Note: The shaded area in this map reveals the principal distribution region of Euroland’s products. Important facilities are indicated by the following figures: 1 The effluent treatment program is not included in this exhibit. The equivalent annuity of a project is that level annual payment that yields a net present value equal to the NPV at the minimum required rate of return for that project. Annuity corrects for differences in duration among various projects. In ranking projects on the basis of equivalent annuity, bigger annuities create more investor wealth than smaller annuities. This reflects â‚ ¬16.5 million spent both initially and at the end of year 1. 4 Free cash flow = incremental profit or cost savings after taxes + depreciation – investment in fixed assets and working capital. Franchisees would gradually take over the burden of carrying receivables and inventory. 6 â‚ ¬25 million would be spent in the first year, â‚ ¬30 million in the second, and â‚ ¬5 million in the third. 2 View as multi-pages