Identify FOUR Values that are associated Essay Example for Free

Recognize FOUR Values that are related Essay Recognize FOUR Values that are related with training in the Caribbean. Clarify how these qualities have formed your decisions and behaviours. According to Emille Durkheim, Education is the procurement of information and the learning of abilities. It frequently assists with forming convictions and virtues. Instruction is one of the very devices through which social change and change can be accomplished. Instruction, and specifically the educating of history gives a connection between the understudy and society and furthermore a feeling of having a place. The educating of history assists with molding a people convictions and estimations of what was instructed and gone on through ages. For instance, showing an understudy servitude and finding out about how their progenitors revolted to guarantee their opportunity can show a person to have a feeling of pride in their history. Durkheim accepted that school fills in as a capacity which can't be given by the family or companion gathering. Being an individual from a family depends on connection and being a piece of a gathering of companions relies upon decision however being a citizen lies in neither of these classifications. School instructs people to figure out how to communicate and help out individuals who are neither companion nor family; in this manner, school gives the ideal environment to procure collaboration aptitudes. The school permits the understudies to communicate under a fixed arrangement of rules and these encounters permit the understudy to develop and set themselves up for collaboration with the more extensive society. Durkheim additionally included that school rules must be implemented and disciplines should me set up where important. This thusly causes the understudy to discover that their demonstration wasn't right and would have the option to practice self-restraint not exclusively to stay away from discipline but since their activity has harmed that social framework. It is by regarding the school decides that the kid figures out how to regard manages when all is said in done, that he/she builds up the propensity for poise and limitation basically on the grounds that he/she should control and control himself/herself. Consequently the guidelines in schools help people to settle on the correct decisions and shape them as an individual. Training additionally shows people certain aptitudes that would be important for their future occupation which is as a rule in a mechanical society with its expanding division of work for instance, a creating country like Trinidad and Tobago which makes most income on oil would require more individuals to work in that part, for example, designers and apparatus laborers. People who wish to seek after this would need to contemplate certain subjects, for example, material science or science. In pre-modern culture it was regular for guardians could have given word related aptitudes to youngsters without a requirement for formal instruction. Schools in this way, transmit both general qualities which give the important homogeneity to social endurance, and certain aptitudes which make accessible the vital decent variety for social collaboration. Modern culture would in this manner meet up underestimate accord which is a general understanding by citizenry concerning what is acceptable and be neficial. As per Talcott Parsons, schools mingle youngsters into the essential estimations of society. He kept up that esteem agreement is fundamental for society to work successfully. Schools in the Caribbean ingrain significant qualities, for example, the estimation of accomplishment and the estimation of uniformity of chance. Instructors urge the understudies to make progress toward greatness in scholastics and prize the individuals who prevail for instance by the introduction of endorsements or trophies. Hence schools advance the estimation of accomplishment itself and by putting understudies in a similar situation urges them to go up against each other on equivalent standing for assessments along these lines the school advances the estimation of equivalent chance. There is no specific race, class or sexual orientation that can be allowed the chance to succeed anybody can make progress through difficult work. Parsons saw the training framework as a significant factor for the choice of people for their future occupations and jobs in the public eye. The training framework, capacities to distribute these HR inside the job structure of grown-up society. With end of term test in auxiliary schools which assesses an understudies progress, schools would then be able to coordinate a people capacities and capacities with respect to specific employments. The school in this way is viewed as a significant methods for job allotment. In the Caribbean there are numerous strict subsidiary schools which additionally help to shape a people virtues by including religion periods at any rate a few times per week. By the instructing of strict convictions and qualities to understudies, it assists with molding them as a person by choosing what is correct and what's up and adhering to their feelings. For instance in the Roman Catholic schools, understudies might be instructed about the Ten Commandments and discover that it isn't right to conflict with it. Some may adjust to these convictions and some may not however by finding out about it they know not to wander to a long way from the standard. Taking everything into account, the individuals who fit in with the Caribbean societys estimations of instruction will be positioned profoundly and will probably get positive assents. They will be remunerated with high renown since they epitomize and embody what the general public expects of them. High position will change from society to society, in the Caribbean, culture esteems singular accomplishment and puts essential accentuation on gainful action inside the economy. Subsequently the individuals who have accomplished with their own drive will be fruitful.

Surface Water And Groundwater

Surface Water And Groundwater The hydrological cycle portrays the ceaseless development of water above, on, and beneath the outside of the earth. The water on the Earths surface water happens as streams, lakes, waterways just as coves and wetlands. The water underneath the outside of the Earth essentially is ground water, however it likewise incorporates soil water (Sphocleous, 2000). Associations among groundwater and surface water assume a basic job in the working of riparian environments. These connections can have noteworthy ramifications for both water amount and quality. Distinguishing potential trade of water between the spring and stream channel has thusly been examined by numerous scientists utilizing an assortment of strategies (USGS Ground Water Information, 2008). Surveying groundwater-surface water associations is frequently intricate and troublesome. There are numerous elements which impact groundwater-surface water connections, for example, stream bed attributes, topography, geomorphology and atmosphere. All in all various techniques have been utilized to determine the idea of groundwater surface water associations across various catchments. These techniques incorporate a few tracers used to recognize the trading of surface and groundwater, for example, heat, particle science, isotopes and infections. Potential surface spring collaborations have additionally been evaluated utilizing remote detecting and models (USGS, 2008; Kalbus et al, 2006). The motivation behind this exposition is to audit the different strategies used to decide groundwater and surface water connections and their significance while enveloping noteworthy contextual investigations from around the globe and inside Australia. Conversation Surface water and groundwater (GW-SW) have for quite some time been viewed as independent substances, and have been explored separately. Albeit substance, organic and physical properties of surface water and groundwater are without a doubt unique, they are not secluded segments of the hydrologic framework, however rather connect in an assortment of physiographic and climatic scenes. Along these lines improvement or sullying of one ordinarily influences the other (Kalbus et al, 2006). To comprehend GW-SW communications, it is important to comprehend the impacts of the hydrogeological condition on GW stream frameworks, that is the impacts of geography, topography, and atmosphere as these variables are the significant effects on the kind of strategies use to decide GW-SW connections (see figures 1, 2 3) (USGS, 2008). Figure 1. Groundwater drainage into surface water Figure 2. Underwater springs coming about because of ground water move through exceptionally penetrable residue (USGS, 2008) (USGS, 2008) Figure 3. Ground-water stream ways change extraordinarily long, profundity and travel time from purposes of revive to purposes of release in the ground-water framework (USGS, 2008) Numerous investigations of GW-SW associations include the utilization of more than one procedure in endeavoring to decide nature of trades. Ecological tracers are normally happening broken up constituents, or physical properties of water that can be utilized to follow water development through water sheds. Regularly tracers, for example, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), preservationist and non-traditionalist particles, steady and radio-isotopes can be combined with piezometric observing and PC demonstrating to help in deciding the development and character of GW or SW (Hohener et al, 2003). CFCs are engineered halogenated unpredictable natural intensifies that have been fabricated since 1930 and can be identified scientifically in water in little focuses. Past survey articles have at times summed up the utilization of CFCs as tracers for dating unblemished groundwater as a disappointment because of nearby CFC defilement in overabundance of the harmony with present day air. Be that as it may, CFCs do give hydrogeological tracers and dating apparatuses for youthful groundwater on a period size of 50 years (Hohener et al, 2003). Since the mid 1970s, CFCs have been utilized routinely by hydrologists and different orders, for dating and following water masses. Utilizing gas chromatographs and electron catch locators, explanatory techniques for CFCs in water with recognition limits for some specific CFCs, have been created. By and large, the nearness of recognizable convergences of CFCs in groundwater shows revive after the late 1940s, or blending of more established water with more youthful water. Groundwater tests with CFC focuses between the scientific identification limit and the harmony with environmental fixations at revive temperature can conceivably be utilized for age-dating. The utilization of CFCs dating procedures permits hydrologists and researchers the same to decide groundwater energize and blending helping in distinguishing GW-SW collaborations (Hohener et al, 2003; Schilling et al, 2010). Specialists use a wide assortment of traditionalist and non-preservationist tracers for hydrological contemplates. What's more, stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen, which are a piece of the water particle, are utilized to decide the blending of waters from various sources (USGS, 2008; Rodgers et al, 2004). This is effective as a result of the distinctions in the isotopic sythesis of precipitation among revive zones, the adjustments in the isotoic structure of shallow subsurface water brought about by dissipation and worldly inconstancy in the isotopic organization of precipitation comparative with groundwater. For instance, 87Sr/86Sr proportions can be utilized to recognize groundwater release and surface blending. Strontium isotopes utilized in mix with progressively customary tracers, for example, deuterium and 18O have assisted with building up the wellsprings of contrasting groundwater types entering lakes (Rodgers et al, 2004). Radioactive isotopes are helpful pointers for the measure of time that water has spent in the groundwater framework. Deuterium and 18O have been utilized along with both radioactive tracers (3H/3He) and other non-customary tracers like uncommon earth components (REEs) to decide groundwater inflow and surge from huge lakes, for example, East African Rift Valley lakes (Ojiambo et al., in survey). Lyons et al. (1998) additionally have utilized wellsprings of both radioactive (36Cl) and non-radioactive (37Cl) tracers to find out wellsprings of solutes for Antarctic lake frameworks (Lyons et al, 1998). Another helpful marker is 222Radon which is an artificially dormant radioactive gas that has a half-existence of just 3-4 days. It is delivered normally in groundwater as a result of the radioactive rot of 226radium in uranium-bearing rocks and dregs (Lyons et al, 1998). A few investigations have archived that radon can be utilized to recognize areas of critical groundwater contribution to a stream, for example, from springs. In France an investigation was directed where radon was utilized to decide stream-water misfortune to groundwater because of ground-water withdrawals (USGS, 2008). As appeared in figure 4, sharp changes in substance fixations were distinguished over short separations as water from the Lot River in France moved into its bordering alluvial spring in light of siphoning from a well. A natural tracer was utilized to decide the degree of blending of surface water with ground water, and radon was utilized to decide the inflow pace of stream water. At that point the rate at which broke down metals responded to frame strong stage during development of stream water toward the siphoning great could be determined (USGS, 2008). Moderate and non-preservationist particles as tracers can likewise be utilized to parameterize groundwater models just as to ascertain the age and revive area of ground waters. This should be possible by straightforwardly presenting 3H in a groundwater framework to decide groundwater stream ways which aids the model parameterization combined with the utilization of deuterium, 18O, 3H/3He proportions, and the as of late created 4He in-development procedure to control parameterization of a groundwater model of a provincial spring (Sophocleous, 2000). Recognition with the utilization and constraints of various moderate and non-preservationist tracers to ground water and surface water situations is a significant segment with potential uses of these methods, GW-SW communications can be construed (Sphocleous, 2000; Schilling et al, 2010). In Australia, the vehicle of saline groundwater from neighborhood and territorial springs to the lower River Murray is believed to be impacted by tidal ponds and wetlands present in nearby floodplains. In the investigation by Banks et al, (2009), cooperations between a saline tidal pond and semi-restricted spring at a floodplain on the River Murray were considered utilizing hydrogeological procedures and natural tracers (Cl-, ÃŽÂ'2H and ÃŽÂ'18O) (Banks et al, 2009). The outcomes demonstrated utilizing piezometric surface checking that the tidal pond went about as a course through framework catching neighborhood and territorial groundwater stream. The mass parity was resolved utilizing chloride, and demonstrated that roughly 70% of the tidal ponds winter volume was lost because of dissipation. Next a steady isotope mass equalization was utilized to evaluate spillage from the tidal pond to the basic spring. This demonstrated around 0-38% of the complete groundwater inflow into the tidal pond was lost to spillage, rather than 62-100% groundwater inflow which was lost to dissipation (Banks et al, 2009). Using piezometric surface observing and tracers, Banks et al, (2009), had the option to decide GW-SW cooperations. This permitted them to reason that the floodplain wetland acted as groundwater move through frameworks, blocking groundwater release, concentrating it and in the long run energizing increasingly saline water to the floodplain spring. Having the option to follow, decide and comprehend GW-SW associations, for example, those introduced here, at last advantages compelling administration of saltiness in Australia (Banks et al, 2005). Further investigations of the Murray River and the Murray Basin have reasoned that saltiness could likewise be added to by stream guideline and water preoccupation for water system as this could significantly affect the trading of surface water between the Murray River and

SMARKETING How to Integrate Sales and Marketing

SMARKETING How to Integrate Sales and Marketing For a very long time, there has always been a thin line dividing “sales” and “marketing”. Some would argue that there would be no sales if there is no marketing while others would insist that marketing will be useless without sales. In some cases, there are those that think the two are one and the same, and we cannot really blame them, when even companies themselves are confused regarding these two functions.The raging argument somehow seems pointless at times, considering how the two are working towards a common goal, which is to generate revenue and earn profit. The two sides may argue endlessly, but that does not change the fact that they are geared towards the same thing.Now the challenge that most companies are faced with is making these two functions work together in a seamless manner, with no overlaps and no clashes, making way for a smooth and harmonious (and ultimately profitable) synergy. © Shutterstock.com | Yury ShchipakinIn this article, I will explore 1) the concept of SMARKETING and show 2) how to integrate sales and marketing.THE CONCEPT OF SMARKETINGFirst things first: what is Smarketing?Smarketing is coined from two words: Sales and Marketing. It is a modern take on how these two functions work as a single team instead of two separate teams with different objectives and goals. In the past, Marketing was only fixed on market penetration, building brand identity and creation of lead opportunities. Their work ends when they have provided the leads, and they will then turn the ball over to Sales, who will be the one to convert the leads into sales.With Smarketing, however, Marketing’s job does not end there. They will also provide support for Sales. In return, Sales will also support Marketing. It’s a more dynamic relationship, which makes a lot of sense since they are both in the same organization and sharing the same goals.Some businesses take Smarketing a step further by actually merging the two departments into one. It’s a matter of strategy and management, so the final decision on whether to merge the two, or maintain them as two separate departments working as a single unit, remains with the owners of the business or the top brass.Importance of SmarketingWhy is there a need for companies to employ Smarketing?Simple. It is for the company to add value and generate more revenue. According to business experts, companies that ensure a solid alignment of their sales and marketing policies are able to increase their revenue by 20% annually. The revenue growth could even reach up to 32% if the organization is considered to be “highly aligned”.Let us take a look at the two traits that characterize smarketing.Smarketing entails the alignment of both the sales and marketing policies of the company around the same goals. This implies that the company should have a clear and well-defined set of business goals and objectives, and they mu st be known by all members of the organization. It has been mentioned that Sales and Marketing share the same ultimate goal, which is revenue generation and growth. In this aspect alone, the two are already aligned. However, it is possible that the short-term objectives of the sales department may slightly differ from that of the marketing department. In this case, it is important that each team have a clear view of each other’s goals and objectives, as well as the progress they are making in pursuit of those goals and objectives.Smarketing also entails alignment around personas. To this end, it is essential that persona details be communicated across and throughout the company and, whenever necessary, everyone must be educated about new persona details. This also applies to the formation of teams. When it comes to creating dynamic groups or specializing teams, it should be done around particular personas.For example, if the company decides to form a team specializing in non-profi t sales, they should be aligned with the non-profit marketing team, as they cultivate the same or similar persona.[cp_modal id=cp_id_75506] [/cp_modal]HOW TO INTEGRATE SALES AND MARKETINGYou have probably heard many businessmen declare that integrating sales and marketing into one solid and cohesive unit is easier said than done. They would be right. It takes a lot of effort, a lot of planning, and also a lot of motivation to make it work.Organizations may integrate Smarketing, or sales and marketing, into their organization, by taking the following steps.Step 1. Reach an understanding by speaking the same language.One of the points of contention between sales and argument is that they speak different languages: sales only care about the numbers, while marketing is about creating leads. According to Sales, Marketing comes up with leads that are of terrible quality. Marketing, on the other hand, argues that they fail to meet their goal because Sales does not work on their leads. On the surface, this does seem to be the case. However, if you look deeper, you will realize that what the two functions boil down to is the same : revenue generation and revenue growth. Marketing will generate the leads that, in turn, will generate sales.Here’s the hard fact: Sales and Marketing do speak the same language, and it is called Revenue. Similarly, Sales and Marketing work with the same audience: the customers.How will sales and marketing work together?It all starts at one point â€" the goal that is shared by the two, which is revenue.Say, for example, that the revenue goal of the business for the year is $100,000. Taking into account the actual revenue being earned by the company and the current number of customers, you will be able to come up with the average deal size, or the average revenue earned from each customer. Let us assume that, from current actual numbers, the average deal size is $1,000. By dividing the revenue goal of $100,000 by the average deal size, the number of customers that the company needs in order to achieve its goal is 100.From there, you can compute the average Lead to Customer percent age by dividing the current number of customers with the current leads employed by the company. Let us again assume that the average rate is 4%. In order to find out the number of leads required by the company to achieve its revenue goal, you have to divide the number of customers needed with the rate. In this instance, it is 100 customers divided by 4%, resulting to 2,500. This means that the marketing has to target 2500 leads in order to achieve enough sales to meet the target revenue.In that example, it is clear that Sales and Marketing understand each other, even if the language spoken was mainly numbers. This understanding stems from the fact that they are operating on the same wavelength and working back from their shared goal.To this end, marketing should not just focus on creating leads randomly. They should be sales-ready leads.A sales-ready lead is one that generates a high level of interest.A lead that has a low level of interest and a poor fit must be avoided at all cost s, since they will not make any money for the company. If the lead is a great fit, but generates little interest, efforts must be made towards stimulating interest so as to increase it. If the lead has high interest and proves to be a great fit, it is one that must be followed up quickly. That is a sales-ready lead.There must be a clear delineation of the main responsibilities of the teams. This is to avoid overlapping of tasks or functions, and usurping of authority. Establishing clear lines will give rise to respect among and between the two groups and, at the same time, leave a lot of room for them to support each other and work together.Step 2. Install a closed-loop reporting system.Some of the problems encountered in the relationship between sales and marketing include the following:Failure of Sales to follow-up on leads provided by MarketingDuplication of leads leading to redundancy and inefficienciesProviding incomplete leadsLack of information on the effect of marketing poli cies on revenueThese problems arise from the lack of closed-loop reporting between Sales and Marketing. Closed-Loop reporting is essentially the feedback loop between the two departments, where marketing passes intelligence to Sales, and Sales provided feedback on the intelligence it receives.Both Marketing and Sales benefit from this type of feedback mechanism.Marketing will be able to update its database and statuses;Marketing (and the company as a whole) will be able to assess the effectiveness of its marketing programs, clearly identifying those that work and those that don’t;Marketing will be able to take steps to improve its return on investment;Sales will improve its efficiency by eliminating the need to work on duplicated leads;Sales will be able to prioritize leads more effectively and efficiently;Sales will be able to increase its return on investment.Step 3. Implement a Service Level Agreement.A Service Level Agreement, or SLA, is a statement of the commitment of each t eam in order to support the other team. Essentially, they will both be defining what they will accomplish so they can support each other. Some may say that the mere fact that they are committed to being aligned around the same goals is already enough; however, the SLA will cement that commitment and make it more binding.Make the SLA clear. Note that the keyword for SLA is “agreement”. It is between two parties so that both parties will benefit from each other’s support. It is a quid pro quo relationship, where Marketing will provide the number of high-quality leads required to achieve the company’s revenue target, while Sales will be responsible for quickly following up on leads that will generate the required revenue.For example, Marketing will be responsible in figuring out the number of leads of a certain quality that a sales representative needs in order to meet a quota set by the company. Sales, on the other hand, will figure out how many times the sales representative must make contact or engage to every lead, so they will not be wasted. Let us say, in this instance, that a sales representative must deliver 100 leads monthly in order to meet the monthly revenue target, and he or she is expected to call a lead 6 times within a two-week period.SLA progress must be tracked regularly. Preferably, tracking must be done on a daily basis. It is important to take note of whether the Service Level Agreement is being adhered to or not, and what the results of its implementation are.Step 4. Establish and maintain open lines of communication.In every relationship, communication is key. Two parties will have better chances of working together if they are willing and able to communicate with each other. In Smarketing, communication also plays a crucial role. It eliminates inconsistencies in messaging and prevents the spread of incorrect data or information. It is also one way of brand protection.Conduct regular Smarketing meetings. Many companies make it a poi nt to conduct smarketing meetings weekly. This is where they will discuss the respective teams’ progress so far, their successes, and other matters pertinent to the smarketing efforts of the company. Make sure that all members of the Sales team, as well as the Marketing team, are present during these meetings.Conduct regular management meetings. Regular meetings should not be limited among and between the two teams only. Key managers should also make it a point to meet monthly to tackle any issues or topics that need to be resolved or discussed.Sell your marketing campaign to the Sales team. All campaigns formulated by Marketing must first be marketed to the sales team. Share all the information about the campaigns to Sales so that they, too, will be able to plan accordingly on what actions they would take for the campaign to be successful and generate high revenue.Sell your product to the Sales team. This means giving your Sales team all the information about the products and ser vices that the company is offering to the market. Sales will be the team on the frontlines, so they must be more than adequately armed with the knowledge on why the target market should pay attention to, and eventually buy, the products or services that they are selling.Step 5. Gather and store reliable data that can be used by the teams.Data sharing is also called for in Smarketing. All key information should be synchronized between Sales and Marketing, particularly if the organization’s information system is fully automated.Relying on data is not enough. It is also important that the data be reliable and relevant.Data must be accessible by both teams. Businesses that with a solidly integrated smarketing setup often use common dashboards that contain reports that are relevant to both teams. The content of the dashboards must be transparent, available to everyone, and kept up to date.The primary purpose of dashboards is to display the progress or give status updates, and enable th e teams to take the necessary corrective steps, if necessary. In the case of marketing dashboards, the objective is to measure and communicate the progress in accordance with the terms set forth on the SLA. Through the marketing dashboards, teams can check daily whether they are on track in achieving their targeted number of leads.Sales, on the other hand, are seen to use Sales Dashboards, which are usually presented by day or by week. This dashboard displays the progress of the Sales team towards the goal and making comparisons with the previous period.Data is required to track leads, so they must be flexible and are capable of being tracked. Companies do this in several ways.By campaign. Tracking is done according to the campaign. Campaigns are bound to have different results or performance metrics. These metrics must be analyzed in order to figure out which one gets the most traffic, which one generates the most number of leads, and which one successfully turns the leads into buy ing customers.By source. In this method, goals are established per source of lead, and progress is measured for each effort done.Perform monthly analysis through monthly marketing reports. This is to ultimately assess whether Marketing was able to reach its targets or not, how it succeeded, and why it failed, if that’s the case. It is a given that all members of the organization or all levels of the company be able to access this report.Prepare sales activity reports. This report will communicate how many leads were worked on by the sales team, and how successful they were in generating sales.Utilizing an integration software or technology is highly recommended. Take a look at the software used by the teams and find a way to integrate or connect them. This will facilitate easier sharing of data.Step 6. Monitor through shared performance metrics.Alignment is not a one-time thing. It is an ongoing process that takes place for as long as the business is in operation. Smarketing requi res continuous monitoring and analysis of feedback obtained from performance metrics. Naturally, alignment of Sales and Marketing means having performance metrics shared by both teams. This is actually a good thing, since there is a wider perspective when assessing performance. Instead of assessing each team’s performance, the shared performance metrics will give top management a “wider” view.The thing to remember about integrating Sales and Marketing is that it requires teamwork. It is a team effort, where everyone has to pitch in. Differences in personalities and character notwithstanding, they should all work together in their respective departments, and as part of a single integrated team, to make the alignment work, always keeping in mind that they have the same ultimate goal.

Use the case of the recent legislation of the minimum wage...

Introduction Recently, starting from May 1, 2013, Hong Kong had issued an increase of the Statutory Minimum Wage (SMW) from $28 to $30. Setting SMW at an appropriate level is vital to striking the balance between the objectives of forestalling excessively low wages and minimising the loss of low-paid jobs, while sustaining Hong Kong’s economic growth and competitiveness (2012 report of the minimum wage commission, 2012). To fulfil this aim, the government have decided to increase the minimum wage rate in order for the people receiving the low-paid jobs to have a more fair salary. This paper will first discuss about the stakeholders that will be affected by the increase of the wage rates namely the workers earning the SMW rates,†¦show more content†¦Because most of their staffs are earning minimum wage, the firms will either need to either reduce the working hours of their employees or face an increase in the labour cost. If the businesses were to reduce the employees or the working hours, the quality of the products or services provided will most likely degrade over time due to the lack of labour. On the other hand, maintaining the same amount of labour and working hours will lead to an increased cost. In order for the firms to maintain their profitability, the prices of the product or services will most likely be increased. This will lead to the reduction of the competitiveness of small and medium firms compared to the large firms. Because large firms can most likely afford the increase of the minimum wage, they might not need to push the prices up to keep their demands. This can be disadvantageous to Hong Kong as a whole if it leads to the closure of the small and medium firms which leaves huge industries as monopolies in the industry. Card (1995) mentioned that the minimum wage has a â€Å"ripple effect† in many firms, leading to pay increases for workers initially earning slightly more than the new minimum wage. Because of this, the effects previously mentioned will be amplified even to firms which pay slightly above the new SMW even before the increase. Government In the government’s perspective, the increase of the minimum wage policy can help reduce the government expenditure in a country.Show MoreRelatedInternational Management67196 Words   |  269 PagesHodgetts, Fred Luthans, Jonathan Doh. 6th ed. 2006. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-07-811257-7 ISBN-10: 0-07-811257-5 1. International business enterprises—Management. 2. International business enterprises—Management—Case studies. I. Doh, Jonathan P. II. Hodgetts, Richard M. International management. III. Title. HD62.4.H63 2012 658 .049—dc22 2011002070 www.mhhe.com Dedicated in Memory of Richard M. Hodgetts A Pioneer in International Management Education Read MoreFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words   |  1056 Pages Student support from an experienced student user Ask your local representative for details! Collaborate with your colleagues, find a mentor, attend virtual and live events, and view resources www.WhereFacultyConnect.com Pre-loaded, ready-to-use assignments and presentations www.wiley.com/college/quickstart Technical Support 24/7 FAQs, online chat, and phone support www.wileyplus.com/support Your WileyPLUS Account Manager Training and implementation support www.wileyplus.com/accountmanager Read MoreCritical Analysis of Staffinf Issues in Hsbc18114 Words   |  73 PagesManagement in an Organization: 20 2.2. Importance of Human Resource Management for the Employees: 21 2.3. Recent Changes in the Human Resource Management Approach: 23 2.4. Human Resource Management Issues on Top UK Organizations: 25 2.5. Benefits of the HR Modification Programs 34 CHAPTER 3 36 3. Methodology 37 3.1. Approaches Used for Conducting Qualitative Research Methodology 37 3.2. Case Study 37 3.3. Interviews 38 3.4. Disadvantage of Qualitative Research Methodology: 40 3.5. TheRead MoreHuman Resources Management150900 Words   |  604 Pagesfacing organizations and managers. List and define each of the seven major categories of HR activities. Identify the three different roles of HR management. Discuss the three dimensions associated with HR management as a strategic business contributor. Explain why HR professionals and operating managers must view HR management as an interface. Discuss why ethical issues and professionalism affect HR management as a career field. ââ€"  ââ€"  ââ€"  ââ€"  ââ€"  3 HR TRANSITIONS HR Management ContributesRead MoreProject Managment Case Studies214937 Words   |  860 PagesPROJECT MANAGEMENT CASE STUDIES, SECOND EDITION - PROJECT MANAGEMENT CASE STUDIES, SECOND EDITION HAROLD KERZNER, Ph.D. Division of Business Administration Baldwin-Wallace College Berea, Ohio John Wiley Sons, Inc. This book is printed on acid-free paper. @ Copyright O 2006 by John Wiley Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. Published by John Wiley Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored inRead MoreLibrary Management204752 Words   |  820 PagesLibrary and Information Center Management Recent Titles in Library and Information Science Text Series Library and Information Center Management, Sixth Edition Robert D. Stueart and Barbara B. Moran United States Government Information: Policies and Sources Peter Hernon, Harold C. Relyea, Robert E. Dugan, and Joan F. Cheverie Library Information Systems: From Library Automation to Distributed Information Access Solutions Thomas R. Kochtanek and Joseph R. Matthews The Complete Guide to AcquisitionsRead MoreInstitution as the Fundamental Cause of Long Tern Growth39832 Words   |  160 PagesInstitutions as the Fundamental Cause of Long-Run Growth Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, and James Robinson NBER Working Paper No. 10481 May 2004 JEL No. N11, N13, N15, N16, N17, O10, P10, P17 ABSTRACT This paper develops the empirical and theoretical case that differences in economic institutions are the fundamental cause of differences in economic development. We first document the empirical importance of institutions by focusing on two quasi-natural experiments in history, the division of KoreaRe ad MoreManagement Control Systems Pdf115000 Words   |  460 PagesControl in the Age of Empowerment Management Control and Ethical Issues Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Glossary Bibliography Index PART VII: MANAGEMENT CONTROL AND EMERGING AREAS rI B S Auditing Audit of Management Functions U se PART V: MANAGERIAL COSTING O nl y Management Control of Operations C la s PART IV: MANAGEMENT CONTROL TOOLS s of Detailed Contents PART I: AN OVERVIEW OF MANAGEMENT CONTROL SYSTEMS Chapter 1: IntroductionRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesUniversity Timothy A. Judge —University of Notre Dame i3iEi35Bj! Boston Columbus Indianapolis New York San Francisco Upper Saddle River Amsterdam Cape Town Dubai London Madrid Milan Munich Paris Montreal Toronto Delhi Mexico City Sao Paulo Sydney Hong Kong Seoul Singapore Taipei Tokyo Editorial Director: Sally Yagan Director of Editorial Services: Ashley Santora Acquisitions Editor: Brian Mickelson Editorial Project Manager: Sarah Holle Editorial Assistant: Ashlee Bradbury VP Director of Marketing:Read MoreContemporary Issues in Management Accounting211377 Words   |  846 Pagesox2 6dp Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide in Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With oYces in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland

Essay on President Bush and FISA - 2086 Words

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 was a necessary measure signed by President Jimmy Carter in an effort to stop the CIA, FBI, NSA, and other executive powers from conducting warrantless wiretaps of domestic groups for so-called national security purposes. This was necessary because findings by the Church Committee in the early 1970s suggested that warrantless wiretapping had been going on for quite some time by these government entities and was exacerbated by President Nixon and the Watergate scandal. This bill not only set a future precedent for how surveillance should be conducted, but also attempted to set a standard for what â€Å"good† and â€Å"bad† surveillance were defined as. FISA did not face any substantial challenges†¦show more content†¦These problems that President Bush encountered where in fact very similar to the problems that the Carter administration predicted would surface when they were drawing up the bill in the late 1970s. Carter and other executive members brought up many valid concerns that included physical searches, overseas surveillance, communications intelligence, and how much power to give to the president (Carter Memo 2). The version of FISA proposed in 1978 was in itself a solid piece of legislature. Over the years, many amendments have been made to it that have slowly surrendered its power and allowed to the executive branch to create loopholes in which to continue warrantless surveillance where and when they see it fit. For this reason, the FISA process of requiring review by a special court is still viable, but does need some adjustments that allow it to stand similarly to its original form. Since the passing of FISA came after a widespread finding of warrantless wiretapping by a number of different government entities, Congress along with the Carter administration, needed to carefully craft a bill that not only reconciled national security needs to conduct domestic surveillance, but also continued to protect individual liberties such as that of the first and fourth amendments. The once top-secret Carter administration memos regarding FISA offer a first-hand glimpse at the thinking that went intoShow MoreRelatedDomestic Surveillance During The United States1474 Words   |  6 Pagescongress started to treat Domestic Surveillance as a number one priority. After September 11th Congress passed a law to use military force for those responsible for the attacks in New York, NY. The go ahead with using military force did not give the President to use surveillance without a warrant. Congress started to pass legislation against counterterrorism efforts. The most controversial me asures, including the 2001 USA Patriot Act that gave the US federal government the ability to collect and analyzeRead MoreThe End Of The Second World War1130 Words   |  5 PagesAgency (CIA) and other federal agencies. Longing for a structured security agency that would be able to break the code systems used by opposing forces, President Harry Truman established the National Security Agency on November 2, 1952 (Plethrons NSA 1). Prior to the early 1970s, American citizens viewed the Executive Branch with high respect. Presidents of the United States throughout the early twentieth century claimed to have the power to organize warrantless surveillances for national security purposesRead MorePresident Obama s View Of The War On Terror1255 Words   |  6 PagesPresident Obama’s Approach to the War on Terror After the attacks on 9/11, the â€Å"War on Terror† became President Bush’s main focus for his political agenda. After the 2008 presidential election, soon that focus belonged to President Obama. The executive actions, legislation, and controversy that resulted during Bush’s presidency would soon be inherited by President Obama. During President Obama’s campaign in 2008, he promised that he would be very different from President Bush in how he employedRead MoreThe Controversy Over U.S. Domestic Surveillance1391 Words   |  6 Pagesefforts. Less than a month after the horrific attack, the National Security Agency (NSA) started a â€Å"special collection program† with intentions to track communications among suspected terrorists and Al Qaeda leaders. Then on October 4, 2001, President George W. Bush authorized the NSA to monitor domestic communications in order to track down suspected terrorists. Two problems shortly arose from Bush’s de cision: the fact that his authorization to NSA was carried out in secret and also that monitoringRead MorePursuit of Privacy and The National Security Agency1695 Words   |  7 Pagescitizens (Howe 11). In an effort to prevent any unauthorized spying on innocent civilians a court known as FISA was created in 1978 to regulate the NSA. Up until the events of September 11th, 2001, the NSA was used strictly as a tool for foreign investigation to decipher international communications (â€Å"Frequently Asked Questions About NSA† 1). Twenty-three days after the Twin Towers fell, President Bush passed the Patriot Act (â€Å"Timeline of NSA Domestic Spying† 16). This act ushered the NSA into a positionRead MoreThe Patriot Act And Homeland Security Act Of 20021329 Words   |  6 PagesABSTRACT In the aftermath of September 11, 2001teerrorist attacks, Congress and President Busch drafted, passed and enacted a number of laws that were focused on improving the nation’s security form terrorist attack and upgrading its ability to search for, identify, and eliminate terrorist threats at homes and international. Two of the most important and far reaching laws to come from the political and legislative action for the fall were the Uniting and Strengthening Americas by Providing ToolsRead MoreA Study of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act1503 Words   |  6 Pagesthe constitution. This violation of rules and laws by the government led towards the formulation of foreign intelligence surveillance act. The primary feature of this act was as follows; the creation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA Court) which allows the executive branch to secretly obtain warrants for electronic surveillance but only with strict judicial review Previously there were seven members of foreign intelligence surveillance act court but now the number has beenRead MoreThe Intelligence Community Of The United States1619 Words   |  7 Pagesthey failed to make terrorism a top priority because each of these organizations had different approaches to the subject. For example, when Congress passed the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) in 1978, many of the agents that worked for the FBI misunderstood the purpose behind the act. FISA was created in order for a â€Å"search to be approved only if its primary purpose was to obtain foreign intelligence information† (69). However, FBI agents misinterpreted the law and believed any informationRead MoreLiteral Intelligence Collection1389 Words   |  6 Pagesknow an attack was imminent. This â€Å"failure† of intelligence caused a shake up within the entire IC, leading to many future changes. One such change was in communications intelligence (COMINT) collection. According to Cummings (2006), â€Å"President George W. Bush said that he authorized NSA to intercept the international communications of people with known links to al Qaeda and related terrorist organizations in the weeks following the September 11th terrorist attacks† (p. 6). The President’s decisionRead MoreEdward Snowden and The Government Data Collection Program1439 Words   |  6 Pagesmany others†(Lee 1). On June 7th, shortly after the leak, president Obama came out and addressed the issue in support of it. His quote which has been repeated many times since was, â€Å"You cant 100% security and then also have 100% privacy and 0 inconvenience†(Gidda 2). In order to fully understand how the NSA got into the position it is now we have to understand how it bypasses the Foreign Intelligence and Surveillance Act (FISA) of 1978. FISA allowed special courts to authorize electronic surveillance

Lowering the Drinking Age to 18 Free Essays

It’s your 18th birthday and your finally a legal adult. Immediately you can smoke cigarettes, vote, be a jury member, even join the military and fight for your country. But don’t think about a having a beer at your going away party the night before you depart for the Middle East. We will write a custom essay sample on Lowering the Drinking Age to 18 or any similar topic only for you Order Now No, you will have to wait until your 21. As an American citizens we are given many responsibilities at the age of 18. One of them not being the ability to consume alcohol. So I believe that at the age of 18 should come the responsibility of legally partaking of alcohol. If we are considered adults and expected to act like one at the age of 18, it isn’t right to restrict us to a drinking age of 21. At 18 you can get married, vote, pay taxes, take out loans or risk your life as a member of the U. S. military. But the law in our country says that no alcoholic beverages may be sold to anyone until the age of 21. Who says that 21 is the magical age that makes one intelligent and mature enough to consume alcohol. Sure some adults abuse alcohol and some teenagers would be able to drink responsibly. While 21 may be the legal drinking age in the U. S. no scientific evidence exists proving this is the age at which young people can safely begin drinking alcohol. (Bryan Knowles). By lowering the drinking age it would take away some of the temptation involved with alcohol. It’s not as much fun when its allowed! The most common reason for underage drinking is because alcohol is seen as â€Å"the forbidden fruit. In a study by Dr. Engs, professor of applied health and science, found that by increasing the legal drinking age, young people tend to abuse alcohol more. In actuality raising the drinking age was much worse than doing nothing. Drinking is more exciting when it is illegal. So many people go out and get drunk simply because they know that it’s illegal (Dr Engs). If we do away with this concept then we are left we people partaking in less booze filled nights. Leaving the decision of alcohol mostly to the family is the best scheme if the aim is to reduce underage drinking. We should also focus on safe drinking instead of age restrictions. Educating on the power of alcohol instead of just telling them not to drink it would create a better understanding for our young ones Other countries like France, have a much lower rate of alcohol abuse. This comes from educated and gradual drinking. American teens have not learned to drink gradually or in moderation. We need to focus on educating our young people on safe drinking and as a social activity, instead of a type of escape. Why is there still a problem if alcohol education currently exists? Because current alcohol education in high school and college teaches the following: This is how you drink responsibly, now don’t drink because you are too young. How does anyone expect students to listen to a teacher when this gibberish is coming from their mouth? First you need to properly educate young adults. Second, you need trust them. If you treat young adults like children they will act like children. If you treat young adults as responsible adults they will act maturely. While most parents agree that serving alcohol to groups of minors should be prohibited, many also reserve the right to introduce their teenage children to alcohol. Supervised, moderate exposure to alcohol in the home with family lays the foundation for a healthy respect for alcohol and its associated responsibilities. Bryan Knowles) In conclusion, is 21 really the prestigious age we all can’t wait to reach. At 21, does all the maturity and intelligence we need to navigate this earth finally dawn on us! Well, our country seem to think so. So at the end of the day when you are deployed to Iraq to serve your country, don’t even think about having an adult beverage. Because you’re not an adult until 21, you must wait three more years. But look on the b right side, there will always be a beer waiting for you when you are of age. How to cite Lowering the Drinking Age to 18, Papers

Nursing Case Study Cardiovascular System

Question: Discuss about the Nursing Case Studyfor Cardiovascular System. Answer: The cardiovascular system or the heart is being affected that is causing Toms symptoms. Tom might be suffering from congestive heart failure that is causing the substernal crushing chest pain and swelling of the feet and ankles. The fluid accumulation within the body system is causing the swelling. There is an initiation of accumulation of fluid within Toms lower limbs as the blood flow out of the heart is making the blood return back to the heart via veins (Johnstone et al. 2014). (a) Electrocardiography is one of the tests that would support Toms condition. It is the method in which ultrasound is applied to measure the diastolic volume, ejection fraction and stroke volume (Brown and Lewis 2007). It also finds out the heart complications that are valve associated and also the connective tissue condition and heart sac. It is also used to diagnose arrhythmia, hypertrophy of the valves and conduction delay. The ST segment depression in Toms ECG suggested an abnormal condition as it is a sign of myocardial infarction associated with congestive heart failure. It has serious clinical outcomes that include Tom presenting CHF with MI. A cardiologist and a trained nurse are the two health professionals who would help Tom. The cardiologist would examine the Toms heart and prescribe treatment depending on the reports. The trained nurse would monitor Toms heart condition; administer his medications as prescribed by the cardiologist. A physiotherapist could also help to circulate his blood inside the body system and reduce swelling. Smoking would damage the lining of arteries and leads to accumulation of atheroma and angina. Case Study 2 (part 1) (a) The six potential health issues are high blood pressure, heart disease, sleep apnea, diabetes, and gout and gall stone formation. The proteinuria gives an indication of obesity related glomerulopathy and progression to renal disease (D'Agati et al. 2016). Mary is affected by internal factors like family history of obesity and endocrinological complications. The external factors are food habits and standard of living. The nurses should educate her about leading a healthy lifestyle with physical exercise and nutritious balanced diet that would control her obesity and blood sugar levels. The dietician would help Mary to carry out physical exercises and diet plan that would help her to reduce body weight and body mass index. The dietician would suggest dietary and lifestyle modifications that would help her to control the blood glucose levels and other obesity related complications. Case Study 3 Williams physical conditions are the internal factors like the post traumatic stress disorder, level of unconsciousness, elevated level of alcohol in his blood, aggression and confusion. The lack of personal safety, drink and driving, rash driving and disobeying traffic rules are the external factors that contributes to his condition. The brain injury would be the diagnosis. Glasgow Coma Scale Rating would record the patients level of responsiveness. The unconscious stage is difficult to measure in Williams case but opening of eyes is the unconsciousness stage. With respect to brain injuries, coma occurs when patient eyes are closed continuously and fails to respond. Another state called the vegetative state where the patient has reduced consciousness (Barker et al. 2014). Computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are the two diagnostic tests. The CT scan would give a comprehensive brain picture showing fractures, swelling, hemorrhage and contusions. MRI would give a detailed brain picture that would also be helpful. The neurologist would check the head injury dealing with brain and nerves. Neurosurgeon would treat the damaged brain and nerves and stop bleeding. Case Study 4 Referring to the Competency Element 2.2 and 3.4 under competency standards for enrolled nurses, while caring for the old lady, it was essential to offer relief in a moral manner respecting her culture and beliefs in palliative care considering the significance of the treatment in terms of euthanasia (Gysels et al. 2013). The religious belief according to Buddhism and the heath care professionals should take decisions accordingly. The enrolled nurses should follow the guidelines and rules prescribed according to medication free treatment by seeking help from the duty officer. The legal ethical advisory committee could also help to deal with the ethical issues faced by the enrolled nurses. The art therapy, massage, biofield therapy, complementary therapy, Reiki, stimulation of spinal cord and music therapy are some of the non-pharmacological interventions. References Barker, M.D., Whyte, J., Pretz, C.R., Sherer, M., Temkin, N., Hammond, F.M., Saad, Z. and Novack, T., 2014. Application and clinical utility of the Glasgow coma scale over time: A study employing the NIDRR traumatic brain injury model systems database.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitation,29(5), pp.400-406. Brown, D. and Lewis, S.M., 2007. Lewis's Medical-surgical Nursing: Assessment and Management of Clinical Problems. Elsevier Australia. D'Agati, V.D., Chagnac, A., de Vries, A.P., Levi, M., Porrini, E., Herman-Edelstein, M. and Praga, M., 2016. Obesity-related glomerulopathy: clinical and pathologic characteristics and pathogenesis.Nature Reviews Nephrology. Gysels, M., Evans, C.J., Lewis, P., Speck, P., Benalia, H., Preston, N.J., Grande, G.E., Short, V., Owen-Jones, E., Todd, C.J. and Higginson, I.J., 2013. MORECare research methods guidance development: recommendations for ethical issues in palliative and end-of-life care research.Palliative medicine,27(10), pp.908-917. Johnstone, C., Hendry, C., Farley, A. and McLafferty, E., 2014. Endocrine system: part 1.Nursing Standard,28(38), pp.42-49. Stead, L.F., Perera, R., Bullen, C., Mant, D., Hartmann?Boyce, J., Cahill, K. and Lancaster, T., 2012. Nicotine replacement therapy for smoking cessation.The Cochrane Library.

C.R.E.A.M - Content Rules Everything Around Me

by Chris Reid With the average person spending over 50% of their time on the Internet consuming content, it’s indisputable that content rules everything around us and organizations require an innovative content strategy to Triumph online. However, key elements of an effective strategy are often missed as marketers aim to publish as much content as possible, attempting to increase visibility. If you find yourself in this position you may want to take a content marketing lesson from the legendary hip-hop collective who nearly perfected targeting buyer personas and content distribution. This blog post will highlight crucial elements that should be integrated into your content strategy, featuring our favorite East Coast rappers. Protect Ya Neck – Resonate with Your Target Audience If you have not segmented your customers and defined your target audience, there’s a good chance your content has minimal reach. Upon the birth of their collective, each East Coast rapper in the Wu-Tang Clan branded themself to resonate with different buyer personas – GZA for the college crowd, Raekwon and Ghost for the gangstas, Method Man targeted the single ladies and RZA attracted the rock ‘n’ roll consumers. To help develop a contextual understanding of your consumers you too will need to create buyer personas then, subsequently, publish content to connect with them. Information you’ll need to keep in mind when determining your buyer personas include: – Behavioural information about your customers – What stage of the buying journey your audience is in – What information your customers need to drive them into the next stage of the sales cycle. Bring da Ruckus – Create Conversion Goals In addition to branding yourself as an industry influencer who ain’t nothing to **** with, you’ll also want conversion goals when creating original, high-quality content. Each tweet, blog post, ebook and white paper should serve a purpose, even if the intent is a micro conversion that supports the overall goal (such as a new twitter follower who has now entered the awareness stage of the buyer cycle). Conversion goals should correlate with each stage of the buying cycle. Smaller goals associated with the beginning of the buyer’s journey may be blog post page views, retweets/favorited tweets or comments on articles posted. As your customers move through the conversion funnel your goals will escalate alongside the depth of content you produce – with content such as white papers and product videos generating warmer leads. Get the Money – Maximize Your Reach For the ultimate brand exposure you can rip a page out of Wu-Tang’s handbook– divide your company into five individual ventures, each targeting different personas and conquer your industry through unique, influential, content. If that distribution strategy isn’t feasible, not to worry, you can still create hype for your product or service through leveraging multiple communication channels, similar to the Killa Beez. By content marketing, 77% of marketers say they have increased their site’s traffic and 71% say it has improved their site’s search ranking in organic searches. However, these are not results of a blog post that has been published and then left to collect dust. Keep Watch as to where your target audience can be found online and bring da ruckus accordingly. Include social buttons on your blog and share your unique content on multiple social channels to gain exposure. Incorporate keywords targeting the appropriate buyer personas to boost your Google search ranking and bring Tearz to your competition. Content marketing is too often confused with pushing keywords and links out the door with hopes it will attract the right type of consumers. An effective strategy should begin with identifying your target audience, building buyer personas then shaping your unique content into the informational resources your audience desires. Combined with utilizing online distribution channels effectively, these techniques will turn you into the Ghostface Content Killah marketers strive to be.

the platypus essays

the platypus essays The platypus, apparently, is a surprisingly deep sleeper. What's more, it spends more of its time in so-called 'REM' sleep than any other mammal. These are the conclusions of a study on sleep in the platypus by Jerry M. Siegel of the Sepulveda Veterans' Affairs Medical Center, North Hills, California and colleagues. Their report appears in a special number of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society devoted to the biology of the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus), celebrating the bicentenary of the discovery, in Australia, of this remarkable animal. 'REM' stands for 'rapid eye-movement' and is the kind of sleep in which the brain can be more active than in it is while awake, the animal twitches, and the eyelids flicker hence the name. In humans, REM sleep is associated with But does the platypus have an extraordinarily rich dream life? Possibly not, say the researchers: "cats, opossums, armadillos and other mammals not known for their intellectual achievements have far more REM sleep, whether calculated in hours per day or as a percentage of total sleep time, than And why study sleep in the platypus anyway? After all, the platypus is an obscure and extremely primitive creature, distantly related to humans. The answer lies in that primitive state: studying the physiology of the platypus could yield clues about the life and behaviour of the very earliest mammals. The platypus belongs to a group of mammals with very ancient roots. Apart from the platypus itself, the group the mono...

What are the pros and cons of the new military retirement system Research Paper

What are the pros and cons of the new military retirement system - Research Paper Example Retirement from services is the common end to all professions, whether in financial services, educational services, government jobs, or jobs in the defense sector. However, the provisions and procedure of retirement varies from sector to sector and across time periods. The retirement policies followed in the military system, too, has varied greatly with the passage of time. There are large differences between the retirement policies followed by the military in earlier times and the ones practiced in the 20th century. The greatest attraction of a strenuous military career has always been the benefits and incentives offered on retirement. Since the earlier periods, through the World War II era to the current times, dialogues have been exchanged on the subject of reform of the military retirement schemes. The primary focus of all these meetings and discussions was to reduce the government expenditure on the military system, by reducing the monetary compensation paid to the retirees. How ever, it is interesting to observe â€Å"that of the dozens of study groups, commissions, committees, boards, task forces, and the like that have recommended making major structural cuts, only one such has been enacted into law, in 1986 -- and that was essentially repealed (i.e., its cuts made voluntary) in 1999, seven years before it would become effective†. ... The retirement allowance of the active military personell is based on the longevity of their services. Usually, after 20 years of services a person is allowed to retire and enjoy pensions and benefits. The retirement decision of the disabled retirees, on the other hand, may depend on the longevity of service or the degree of disability suffered. The monthly annuity of retirees is calculated on the basis of Cost-Of-Living-Allowances (COLA), which ensures that their income is guaranteed against inflationary trends. These monetary benefits are accompanied by some non-monetary benefits â€Å"which include exchange and commissary privileges, medical care through TRICARE, and access to Morale, Welfare and Recreation facilities and programs† (Henning, 2008) The old discussions on the reformation of these provisions have continued in recent times as well and their objectives have remained much the same, i.e. a reduction in government expenditure. This paper will, now, study in detail the advantages and disadvantages of the current military retirement system. Advantages of the new Military Retirement System: Monetary Benefits: The present system of military retirement is divided into three categories of compensation. They can be described as follows. For the people who have entered the services before 8th September, 1980, the monthly annuity will be calculated over the basic pay. This is referred to as the System 1. For the people who have entered the services during the period of 8th September, 1980 to 31st July, 1986, the monthly income will be the average of the highest income in three years. This system is called System 2 or High 3. Lastly, those who entered the services on or after the date of 1st August, 1986, have the right to choose between the High-3 system and the

NURSING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

NURSING - Essay Example A muscle is a vital type of soft tissues found in every organ of an animal’s body, the cells in a muscle of myosin, protein and acting all of which are vital in influencing the shape and size of an organ thus the entire organism (Blakey 77). Among the most vital muscles in the human body that enhance movement is the skeletal muscle. The skeletal muscle is responsible for the upright posture of humans. It connects bones through tendons, which act as levers thereby enabling movement. During a jog, both the arms and the legs move systematically. The lifting and dropping of the limbs during a jog arises from the ability of the skeletal muscles. The tendons in both the leg and the arm lift various parts of the limbs at the various synovial joints. Synovial joints foster the movement of various body parts in humans. Such are the most common types of joints in humans. A joint is a point in the body where two bones meet. Synovial joints have a slimy lubricant that enhances the efficiency in the contact of the bones in humans. Such joints as the elbow and the knee are among the most vital synovial joints that facilitate the movement of a body (Barnett 121). The synovial fluid requires adequate supply of blood from the arteries that share the anastomosis at the joint. Jogging engages the joints thereby heightening their activity. The heightened activity in turn increases the flow of blood through the arteries to the synovial fluid in the joints. Such is a desirable occurrence that enhances the functionality of the joints since they the synovial fluid replenishes itself thus keeping the joints functional. Regular jogging facilitates an adaptation tendency. The arteries expand thereby supplying the synovial fluid with adequate blood . This in turn enhances the production of the fluid thereby reducing the chances of people suffering from any form of joint aches breakages especially in old age. Among the movements at the joints in a

Evaluating biological methods for treating wastewater

Evaluating biological methods for treating wastewater There are many biological methods for treating wastewater. Among them the most popular processes are suspended growth processes and the boifilm also known as attached growth . Both the above mentioned processes are used to treat wastewater by different mechanisms and variations in their principle of operation for removal of carbonaceous organic matter, nutrients (i.e. nitrogen and phosphorous) and production of biorenewable methane. Attached growth or fixed-film methods are biological treatment based. In these the microorganisms convert the organic substance in wastewater to air and cell tissues are attached to some inert medium. The inert media used in attached growth process is crushed trap rock, limestone granite, wood slats clinkers, , plastic tubes, hard coal materials and corrugated plastic section over which wastewater is distributed. Biological slime layer (i.e., zoogleal slime) develops on contact media as wastewater flows over it. Because of the concentration gradient, all the organic pollutants those are dissolved in wastewater are carried into the slime layer, results in organic oxidation. Removing organic pollutants is done by microorganisms which are present in biological slime film. Rotating biological contactors, Trickling filters, packed bed reactors are the examples for aerobic attached growth process. The examples of anaerobic attached growth are anaerobic packed and fluidized bed reactors. Suspended growth processes are the biological treatment processes in which the microorganisms convert the organic matter, nutrients in wastewater to gases and rotating devices in the liquid will keep the cell tissues in suspension cells tissues. Examples for aerobic suspended growth process treatment are municipal and industrial wastewater. Anaerobic suspended growth processes are used when there is a need to treat high organic concentration industrial wastewaters and organic sludges. Activated sludge process, aerated lagoons, aerobic digestion are the examples for aerobic suspended growth processes and anaerobic digestion and anaerobic contact are the examples for anaerobic suspended growth processes. The schematics of both the attached growth and suspended growth processes for biological treatment of wastewater are shown in Figure 1. The objective of this essay is to compare and contrast both the attached, suspended growth processes for biological treatment of wastewater in terms o f their microbial ecology and review their comparative advantages and disadvantages. In addition, the essay also elaborates and discusses how these processes can be adapted to (a) remove nutrients and (b) produce biorenewable methane from wastewater by emphasising the microbiological principles involved. 2. Comparison and Contrast of Microbial Ecology of Biological Wastewater Treatment The attached growth / Suspended Growth Processes The first basic difference between attached growth and fixed film systems is the relative motion of contact. In attached growth system media is at rest and the sewage flows over it where as in suspended system, sewage and contact media are in relative motion. In attached growth processes, a conservative microbial slime arrangement is considered. The waste water stream is applied on the air-renewable surface. This water stream has minerals and organic substrate. This substance is then metabolized by the Micro organisms in wastewater. This is done in order to increase their population by releasing some energy. In fact, it cannot be considered as an aerobic system, but a device to do aerobic treatment. facultative micro organisms are present in it so it can be considered facultative. They are Pseudomonas, Alcaligenes, Flavobacterium, and Micrococcus. This kind of Aerobic bacteria, like Bacillus, is mostly seen in the upper, aerobic slime surfaces (McKinney 1962). In case when an anaerob ic zone or anoxic is created in thick slime layer, force anaerobe Desulfovibrio and sulfur-reducing bacteria are being removed from slime-medium interface (Rogovskaya M. F. Lazareva 1962). At this case the microbial slime system is know how to grow odours and possibly sloughing takes places because of the production of gases in these interior slimes. Fungi are nothing but aerobic microorganisms existing in the aerobic zone of the slime. These too fester the untreated substrate in wastewater. The effectiveness of fungus is important under relatively low pH situation or with unusual industrial effluents because fungus is useless to bacteria for their food under usual environmental conditions. Algae increasing on the surface of attached microbial slime are usually an unimportant element of the microorganisms population, incomplete to illuminated exteriors and they are clearly liberal to organic substances and high levels of carbon dioxide. Although algae add oxygen to the wastewater, they have been stimulated with responsibility for bed blockage and are considered to be difficult from an operational position (Hawkes 1963). The protozoa are the principally small animals with all shape from the Phytomastigophora to Suctoria are the controlling agents of bacterails population and they cant stable the waste. The free-swimming ciliates present at the slime surface, while the followed ciliates attendance is main in the lower regions of slime. Advanced animals like worms, snails and insect larvae nourish on the lower forms of microorganisms in slime system. They also exist in the higher aerobic areas; can help to keep the bacterial population in a state of high growth or swift food use. Early learning on attached growth populations was intended at the control of the nuisance organisms (filter flies) in dribbling filters by flooding, chlorination and the use of various pesticides. A complete description of the organisms found in close growth system has been presented by Cooke (1959) and the list of a range of organisms can be found from Wang et al. (2009). Attached enlargement processes microbial slime are short term preservation plans that should not act as effective reduction devices for S. typhosa, S. paratyphi, and Mycobacteria tuberculosis and for pathogenic protozoa, such as Entamoeba histolytica (Pierce 1978). For low organic loading, attached growth system does some nitrification since of the presence of Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter. However, for high organic loading, nitrification in a trickling filter or similar system may be absent or nominal (Shammas Wang 2009). In contrast to the attached growth process, the suspended growth process maintains the microorganisms responsible for treatment within the suspension in flocs. In this process, there are several microorganisms involved to treat wastewater. The suspended growth flocs contain bacterial cells, other microorganisms, inorganic and organic particles. The floc size is 1-1000 mm. Figure 2 illustrates the main microorganisms in the suspended growth microbial community. For the ATP analysis and dehydrogenase activity, the viable cells would account for 5-20% of the total cells. Some authors said that active fraction of bacteria in suspended growth flocs is only 1-3% of total bacteria (Hanel 1988). Suspended growth floc contains prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms, which can be observed with regular phase-contrast microscopy. The major genera in the flocs are Zooglea, Pseudomonas, Flavobacterium, Alcaligenes, Achromobacter, Corynebacterium, Comomonas, Brevibacterium, Acinetobacter, Bacillus spp., as well as filamentous microorganisms. The population of bacteria decrease as the floc size increase results in less oxygen level in the flocs (Hanel, 1988). Anoxic zones can happen within flocs, depending on the accessibility of oxygen attention in the tank and these zones will vanish when the oxygen concentration exceeds 4 mg/L. The internal regions in large flocs favor the growth of anaerobic bacteria such as methanogens or sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). Thus, pendant growth system could be a suitable and fitting seed material for starting anaerobic reactors. Gram negative bacteria are main in suspended growth flocs. Hundreds of bacterial damage flourish in suspended growth but only small portion can be spoted by culture-based techniques. Bacteria oxidize the organic substance and change nutrient alteration and produce polymeric materials which aid in the flocculation of microbial biomass. In aerobic pendant enlargement process, the total bacterial counts in order of 108 CFU/mg of sludge. Suspended growth flocs also shelter autotrophic bacteria such as nitrifiers (Nitrosomonas, Nitrobacter), which convert ammonium to nitrate. Phototrophic bacteria such as the purple nonsulfur bacteria (Rhodospirillaceae), green sulfur bacteria are found at much lower levels and they play a minor role in carbonaceous organ ic matter removal in suspended growth processes. The suspended growth system does not usually favour the growth of fungi, although some fungal filaments are observed in suspended growth flocs. The predominant genera found in suspended growth system are Geotrichum, Penicillium, Cephalosporium, Cladosporium, and Alternaria, which grow under specific conditions of low pH, toxicity, and nitrogen-deficient wastes. Protozoa helps in reducing carbonaceous matter, suspended solids, and numbers of bacteria, including pathogens (Curds Hawkes 1983). There is an inverse relationship between the number of protozoa in mixed liquor and the carbonaceous matter and suspended solids concentration in suspended growth effluents. Changes in the protozoan community reflect the food-to-microorganisms (F/M) ratio, nitrification, sludge age, or dissolved oxygen level in the aeration tank. The protozoan species composition of activated sludge indicates the carbonaceous matter removal efficiency of the proce ss. For example, the presence of large numbers of stalked ciliates and rotifers indicate a low carbonaceous matter. The ecological succession of microorganisms in suspended growth treatment system is illustrated in Figure 3. The ciliates (free, creeping, and stalked ciliates) are used for locomotion and for pushing food particles into the mouth, which are most abundant protozoa in suspended growth systems. Stalked, Creeping ciliates ciliates are attached to the flocs. These protozoa move via one or several flagella and take up food via the mouth or via absorption through their cell wall. The role of rotifers in suspended growth system is : They help to remove suspended bacteria, other small particles and contribute to the clarification of wastewater. They are also capable of ingesting Cryptosporidium oocysts in wastewater and thus serve as vectors for the transmission of this parasite. They contribute to floc formation by producing fecal pellets surrounded by mucus. The presence of rotifers at later stages of suspended growth system is because of the fact that these animals display a strong ciliary action that helps in feeding on reduced numbers of suspended bacteria. 3. Advantages and Disadvantages of Attached Growth and Suspended Growth Processes of Biological Wastewater Treatment The advantages of attached growth processes are low maintenance, low energy requirements, and, overall, less technology involved. These assets making them fit for wastewater treatment for small communities, as well as individual homes. In comparison with suspended growth process the main advantages of attached growth processes is simpler operation, no bulking problems, and better recovery from shock loads (Metcalf Eddy 2003). An attached growth process is very effective for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) removal, nitrification, and denitrification. A disadvantage of attached growth processes are larger area, ineffective in cold weather, and create odor problems. An unprotected attached growth plant is vulnerable to below freezing weather and its recirculation restricted during cold weather. It is less effective in the treatment of higher organic waste. Raw wastewater must be provided to primary treatment to remove the larger solids and floating debris, because these solids can clog the treatment system. The comparative advantages and disadvantages of attached growth and suspended growth processes of wastewater treatment are illustrated in Table 1 and 2, respectively. 4. Nutrient Removal by Attached Growth and Suspended Growth Processes of Biological Wastewater Treatment Nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorous) can be removed from incoming wastewater by biological means in both the attached growth and suspended growth processes. To remove the nitrogen from, we must have to do nitrification followed by de-nitrification. Phosphorous can be removed from wastewater through assimilation of phosphorous in microbial cell. Using nitrifying reactors nitrogen removal can be done in wastewater treatment using attached growth process based trickling. Experiments on nitrifying filters reveal that adsorption, desorption as well as de-nitrification can occur in attached growth bio-film to convert ammonium. At low organic loading the attached growth system does some nitrification because of the presence of bacteria like Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter but at higher organic loading nitrification in a trickling filter is absent or nominal. The three-stage attached growth process can be used for carbonaceous oxidation, nitrification, and de-nitrification. In case of suspended growth process, the flocs shelter autotrophic bacteria (Nitrosomonas, Nitrobacter), which change ammonium to nitrate. These species occur in clusters and they are in close contact in pending growth flocs and in biofilms. Fungi are also able to do nitrification and denitrification in suspended growth process. Compensation of a fungi-based dealing system are their capability to carry out nitrification in a single step, and they show great confrontation to inhibitory compounds. Molecular methods like aggressive PCR method showed that Nitrosomonas is (an ammonia oxidizing bacterium or AOB) 0.0033% of the total bacterial population and Nitrospira is (a nitrite oxidizing bacterium or NOB) 0.39% for NOB are present in suspended growth system. Features like ammonia/nitrite concentration, oxygen concentration, pH, temperature, BOD5/TKN ratio, and the attendance of toxic chemicals control nitrification kinetics in suspended growth system (Metcalf and Eddy 2003). The growth of a nitrifying population in suspended growth system depends on the surplus rate of the sludge and, consequently, on the BOD load, MLSS, and mean cell preservation time. The growth rate of nitrifiers is inferior in sewage and consequently a long sludge age is essential for the change of ammonia to nitrate. If the age of sludge is more than 4 days, then we be expecting nitrification. There are two processes by which nitrification can be attained in suspended growth reactors: (i) Combined carbon oxidation-nitrification (single-stage nitrification system): this process wokrs at high BOD5/TKN ratio and has a low population of nitrifiers. The oxygen requirement is exerted by heterotrophs (Figure 4). Nitrification must be followed by denitrification to remove nitrogen from wastewater. The rate of denitrification is independent of nitrate concentration but depends on the concentration of biomass and electron donor (e.g., methanol) in wastewater. The schematic of single sludge denitrification system is shown in Figure 6. Some more efficient methods based on suspended growth system to remove nitrogen in wastewater are Bardenpho Process (Figure 7), Sharon-Anammox Process and Completely autotrophic nitrogen removal over nitrite process. Biological phosphorous removal can be done with the basic steps of an anaerobic zone followed by an aerobic zone. During the aerobic stage phosphorus uptake takes and in anaerobic stage it is released subsequently (Manning and Irvine 1985; Meganck and Faup 1988; USEPA 1987). The phosphorus removal processes can be divided into mainstream and side stream processes. The alternating exposure to anaerobic conditions can be accomplished in the main biological treatment process. The most popular phosphorous removal systems based on suspended growth process like A/O Process, Bardenpho Process, and UCT Process are shown in Figure 8-10, respectively. 5. Production of Biorenewable Methane by Attached Growth and Suspended Growth Processes of Biological Wastewater Treatment Several attached growth and suspended growth processes like anaerobic digestion and microbial fuel cell are generally employed to produce biorenewable methane (CH4). A series of microbiological processes will takes place in anaerobic digestion tank to convert organic compounds to methane, carbon dioxide, and reduce the volatile solids by 35 to 60%. Bacteria and methanogens are the responsible species in stabilization of wastewater sludges and for the treatment of industrial and urban wastewaters. Anaerobic digestion produces less amounts of sludge (3-20 times less than aerobic processes). Most of the energy derived from substrate breakdown is found in the final product, CH4. Only 5% is converted into biomass under anaerobic conditions and 50% of organic carbon is converted to biomass under aerobic conditions, whereas. This biogas (mainly CH4) produced from anaerobic digestion contains about 90% of the energy of calorific value of 9000 kcal/m3, and is burned on site to provide heat fo r digesters. Furthermore, synergistic interactions between the various groups of microorganisms are implicated in anaerobic digestion of wastes. The overall reaction can be written as Although some fungi and protozoa (anaerobic protozoa) found in anaerobic digesters, bacteria and methanogens are undoubtedly the dominant microorganisms. Large numbers of facultative anaerobic bacteria (e.g., Bacteroides, Bifidobacterium, Clostridium, Lactobacillus, Streptococcus) are used in the hydrolysis and fermentation of organic compounds. Four types of microorganisms are involved in the transformation of complex materials into simple molecules such as methane and carbon dioxide. The process for methane production through anaerobic digestion is shown in Figure 11. 6. Conclusions The attached growth and suspended growth processes are most widely used for biological treatment of urban wastewater with respective and comparative advantages and disadvantages. The successful design and operation of attached growth and suspended growth processes for biological wastewater treatment require an understanding of microbial ecology of each process, types of microorganisms involved, the specific reactions that they perform, the environmental factors that affect their performance, their nutritional needs, and their reaction kinetics. In contrast to the microbial ecology of the suspended growth processes where the microorganisms responsible for treatment grow in suspension, the active bacteria in attached growth processes cling to some solid surface, natural or manmade, to perform the treatment. It can be inferred that the suspended growth processes are more preferable and advantageous for carbonaceous organic matter removal along with nutrient removal and production of bio renewable methane from urban wastewater in comparison to the attached growth processes.

Racial Inclusivity and Social Media and The Souls of Black Folks by W.E

Modern innovation has made the infusion of racial inclusivity and social media a tightrope walking affair above a never-ending abyss. Social media when used has been a place for radicalized defense, sensitive humor and to cavalcade swagger. Simultaneously this tool that has been disposed to culture through telephones, computers, tablets and many other places has created a whole new world for inauthentic means of living. In particular in regards to the African American culture. The â€Å"new ‘New Negro,’† a term suggested by Marlo David has so much at their fingertips, yet do not know how to use them. She said, â€Å"the new New Negro of the millennial age has sought to escape the shadow†¦that has been more real to him than his personality.† The arbitrary nature that African Americans escape to social media networks to show themselves only serves to cover themselves from what their blackness is. Blackness rooted in the brutalization of systemic o bjectification of their minds, bodies and expressions in various walks of life. These issues are not new to the Black experience, they are found in the early 1900’s with W.E.B. Dubois in his work, The Souls of Black Folk. His prophetic work confronted the black person then, and resonates in the infusion of Social media today in everyday life. . He writes, â€Å"How does it feel to be a problem? I seldom answer a word.† He continues, â€Å"Being a problem is a strange experience - peculiar even fro one who has never been anything else, save perhaps in babyhood and in Europe.† Social media has only meliorated the way African American persons are viewed, for Dubois and today, as a problem. From Duboisian experience in 1903 to Social Media and the Black Experience today, progress and problems persist.... ...BIBLIOGRAPHY Congress, T. L., & Willis, D. L. A small nation of people : W.E.B. Du Bois and African-American portraits of progress. New York, NY: HarperCollins. David, M. (2007). Afrofuturism and Post-Soul Possibility in Black Popular Music. African American Review , 41 (4). Dubois, W. B. (2009). The Gift of Black Folk . Garden City Park, NY: Square One Publishers. DuBois, W. E. (1903). The souls of black folk: essays and sketches. Chicago: A.C. McClurg & Co.; [Cambridge]: University Press John Wilson and Son, Cambridge,. Neuhaus, R. (2008). "The public square: a continuing survey of religion, culture, and public life. First Things , 184, 57-72. Schwartz, D. (1989). Visual Ethnography. Qualatative Sociology , 12 (2), 119-154. Senft, T., & Noble, S. (2013). Race and Social Media . In T. M. Jeremy Hunsinger, Routledge Handbook of Social Media (pp. 107-120). Routledge.

The Stupidest Angel Chapter 1

This book is dedicated to MIKE SPRADLIN who said: â€Å"You know, you oughtta write a Christmas book.† To which I replied: â€Å"What kind of Christmas book?† To which he replied: â€Å"I don't know. Maybe Christmas in Pine Cove or something.† To which I replied: † ‘Kay.† Acknowledgments The author wishes to acknowledge those who helped: as always, Nicholas Ellison, my intrepid agent; Jennifer Brehl, my brilliant editor; Lisa Gallagher and Michael Morrison for continued confidence in my ability to tell stories; Jack Womack and Leslie Cohen for getting me in front of my readers and the press; the Huffmans, for preparing a landing pad and a warm welcome; Charlee Rodgers, for the careful reads, thoughtful comments, and just putting up with the process; and finally, Taco Bob, from whom I joyfully (and with permission, which almost ruins it) swiped the idea for chapter 16. Author's Warning If you're buying this book as a gift for your grandma or a kid, you should be aware that it contains cusswords as well as tasteful depictions of cannibalism and people in their forties having sex. Don't blame me. I told you. Chapter 1 CHRISTMAS CREEPS Christmas crept into Pine Cove like a creeping Christmas thing: dragging garland, ribbon, and sleigh bells, oozing eggnog, reeking of pine, and threatening festive doom like a cold sore under the mistletoe. Pine Cove, her pseudo-Tudor architecture all tarted up in holiday quaintage – twinkle lights in all the trees along Cypress Street, fake snow blown into the corner of every shop's windows, miniature Santas and giant candles hovering illuminated beneath every streetlight – opened to the droves of tourists from Los Angeles, San Francisco, and the Central Valley searching for a truly meaningful moment of Christmas commerce. Pine Cove, sleepy California coastal village – a toy town, really, with more art galleries than gas stations, more wine-tasting rooms than hardware stores – lay there, as inviting as a drunken prom queen, as Christmas loomed, only five days away. Christmas was coming, and with Christmas this year, would come the Child. Both were vast and irresistible, and miraculous. Pine Cove was expecting only one of the two. Which is not to say that the locals didn't get into the Christmas spirit. The two weeks before and after Christmas provided a welcome wave of cash into the town's coffers, tourist-starved since summer. Every waitress dusted off her Santa hat and clip-on reindeer antlers and checked to make sure that there were four good pens in her apron. Hotel clerks steeled themselves for the rage of last-minute overbookings, while housekeepers switched from their normal putrid baby-powder air fresheners to a more festive putrid pine and cinnamon. Down at the Pine Cove Boutique they put a â€Å"Holiday Special† sign on the hideous reindeer sweater and marked it up for the tenth consecutive year. The Elks, Moose, Masons, and VFWs, who were basically the same bunch of drunk old guys, planned furiously for their annual Christmas parade down Cypress Street, the theme of which this year would be Patriotism in the Bed of a Pickup (mainly because that had been the theme of their Fourth of July para de and everyone still had the decorations). Many Pine Covers even volunteered to man the Salvation Army kettles down in front of the post office and the Thrifty-Mart in two-hour shifts, sixteen hours a day. Dressed in their red suits and fake beards, they rang their bells like they were going for dog-spit gold at the Pavlov Olympics. â€Å"Give up the cash, you cheap son of a bitch,† said Lena Marquez, who was working the kettle that Monday, five days before Christmas. Lena was following Dale Pearson, Pine Cove's evil developer, through the parking lot, ringing the bejeezus out of him as he headed for his truck. On his way into the Thrifty-Mart, he'd nodded to her and said, â€Å"Catch you on the way out,† but when he emerged eight minutes later, carrying a sack of groceries and a bag of ice, he blew by her kettle like she was using it to render tallow from building inspectors' butts and he needed to escape the stench. â€Å"It's not like you can't afford a couple of bucks for the less fortunate.† She rang her bell especially hard right by his ear and he spun around, swinging the bag of ice at her about hip level. Lena jumped back. She was thirty-eight, lean, dark-skinned, with the delicate neck and finely set jawline of a flamenco dancer; her long black hair was coiled into two Princess Leia cinnabuns on either side of her Santa hat. â€Å"You can't take a swing at Santa! That's wrong in so many ways that I don't have time to enumerate them.† â€Å"You mean to count them,† Dale said, the soft winter sunlight glinting off a new set of veneers he'd just had installed on his front teeth. He was fifty-two, almost completely bald, and had strong carpenter's shoulders that were still wide and square, despite the beer gut hanging below. â€Å"I mean it's wrong – you're wrong – and you're cheap,† and with that Lena put the bell next to his ear again and shook it like a red-suited terrier shaking the life out of a screaming brass rat. Dale cringed at the sound and swung the ten-pound bag of ice in a great underhanded arc that caught Lena in the solar plexus and sent her backpedaling across the parking lot, gasping for breath. That's when the ladies at BULGES called the cops – well, cop. BULGES was a women's fitness center located just above the parking lot of the Thrifty-Mart, and from their treadmills and stair-climbing machines, the BULGES members could watch the ins and outs of the local market without feeling as if they were actively spying. So what had started as a moment of sheer glee and a mild adrenaline surge for the six of them who were watching as Lena chased Dale through the parking lot, turned quickly to shock as the evil developer thwacked the Latin Santa-ette in the breadbasket with a satchel of minicubes. Five of the six merely missed a step or gasped, but Georgia Bauman – who had her treadmill cranked up to eight miles per hour at that very moment, because she was trying to lose fifteen pounds by Christmas and fit into a red-sequined sheath cocktail dress her husband had bought for her in a fit of sexual idealism – bowled backward off her treadmill and landed in a colorful spandex tangle of yoga students who had been practicing on the mats behind her. â€Å"Ow, my ass chakra!† â€Å"That's you're root chakra.† â€Å"Feels like my ass.† â€Å"Did you see that? He nearly knocked her off her feet. Poor thing.† â€Å"Should we see if she's all right?† â€Å"Someone should call Theo.† The exercisers opened their cell phones in unison, like the Jets flicking switchblades as they gaily danced into a West Side Story gang-fight to the death. â€Å"Why did she ever marry that guy, anyway?† â€Å"He's such an asshole.† â€Å"She used to drink.† â€Å"Georgia, are you all right, honey?† â€Å"Can you get Theo by calling 911?† â€Å"That bastard is just going to drive off and leave her there » â€Å"We should go help.† â€Å"I've got twelve more minutes on this thing.† â€Å"The cell reception in this town is horrible.† â€Å"I have Theo's number on speed dial, for the kids. Let me call.† â€Å"Look at Georgia and the girls. It looks like they were playing Twister and fell.† â€Å"Hello, Theo. This is Jane down at BULGES. Yes, well, I just glanced out the window here and I noticed that there might be a problem over at the Thrifty-Mart. Well, I don't want to meddle, but let's just say that a certain contractor just hit one of the Salvation Army Santas with a bag of ice. Well, I'll look for your car, then.† She flipped the phone shut. â€Å"He's on his way.† Theophilus Crowe's mobile phone played eight bars of â€Å"Tangled Up in Blue† in an irritating electronic voice that sounded like a choir of suffering houseflies, or Jiminy Cricket huffing helium, or, well, you know, Bob Dylan – anyway, by the time he got the device open, five people in the produce section of the Thrifty-Mart were giving him the hairy eyeball hard enough to wilt the arugula right there in his cart. He grinned as if to say, Sorry, I hate these things, too, but what aw you gonna do? then he answered, â€Å"Constable Crowe,† just to remind everyone that he wasn't dickmg around here, he was THE LAW. â€Å"In the parking lot of the Thrifty-Mart? Okay, I'll be right there » Wow, this was convenient. One thing about being the resident lawman in a town of only five thousand people – you were never far from the trouble. Theo parked his cart on the end of the aisle and loped by the registers and out the automatic doors to the parking lot (He was a denim- and flannel-clad praying mantis of a man, six-six, one-eighty, and he only had three speeds, amble, lope, and still). Outside he found Lena Marquez doubled over and gasping for breath. Her ex-husband, Dale Pearson, was stepping into his four-wheel-drive pickup. â€Å"Right there, Dale. Wait,† Theo said Theo ascertained that Lena had only had the wind knocked out of her and was going to be okay, then addressed the stocky contractor, who had paused with one boot on the running board, as if he'd be on his way as soon as the hot air cleared out of the truck. â€Å"What happened here?† â€Å"The crazy bitch hit me with that bell of hers.† â€Å"Did not,† gasped Lena â€Å"I got a report you hit her with a bag of ice, Dale. That's assault.† Dale Pearson looked around quickly and spotted the crowd of women gathered by the window over at the gym. They all looked away, heading for the various machines they had been on when the debacle unfolded. â€Å"Ask them. They'll tell you she had that bell right upside my head. I just reacted out of self-defense.† â€Å"He said he'd donate when he came out of the store, then he didn't,† Lena said, her breath coming back. â€Å"There's an implied contract there. He violated it. And I didn't hit him.† â€Å"She's a fucking nutcase.† Dale said it like he was declaring water wet – like it was just understood. Theo looked from one of them to the other. He'd dealt with these two before, but thought it had all come to rest when they'd divorced five years ago. (He'd been constable of Pine Cove for fourteen years – he'd seen the wrong side of a lot of couples.) First rule in a domestic situation was separate the parties, but that appeared to have already been accomplished. You weren't supposed to take sides, but since Theo had a soft spot for nutcases – he'd married one himself – he decided to make a judgment call and focus his attention on Dale. Besides, the guy was an asshole. Theo patted Lena's back and loped over to Dale's truck. â€Å"Don't waste your time, hippie,† Dale said. â€Å"I'm done.† He climbed into his truck and closed the door. Hippie? Theo thought. Hippie? He'd cut his ponytail years ago. He'd stopped wearing Birkenstocks. He'd even stopped smoking pot. Where did this guy get off calling him a hippie? Hippie? he said to himself, then: â€Å"Hey!† Dale started his truck and put it into gear. Theo stepped up on the running board, leaned over the windshield, and started tapping on it with a quarter he'd fished from his jeans pocket. â€Å"Don't leave, Dale.† Tap, tap, tap. â€Å"You leave now, I'll put a warrant out for your arrest.† Tap, tap, tap. Theo was pissed now – he was sure of it. Yes, this was definitely anger now. Dale threw the truck into park and hit the electric window button. â€Å"What? What do you want?† â€Å"Lena wants to press charges for assault – maybe assault with a deadly weapon. I think you'd better rethink leaving right now.† â€Å"Deadly weapon? It was a bag of ice.† Theo shook his head, affected a whimsical storyteller's tone: â€Å"A ten-pound bag of ice. Listen, Dale, as I drop a ten-pound block of ice on the courtroom floor in front of the jury. Can you hear it? Can't you just see the jury cringe as I smash a honeydew melon on the defense attorney's table with a ten-pound block of ice? Not a deadly weapon? ‘Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, this man, this reprobate, this redneck, this – if I may – clump-filled-cat-box-of-a-man, struck a defenseless woman – a woman who out of the kindness of her heart was collecting for the poor, a woman who was only – ; â€Å"But it's not a block of ice, it's –  » Theo raised a finger in the air. â€Å"Not another word, Dale, not until I read you your rights.† Theo could tell he was getting to Dale – veins were starting to pulse in the contractor's temples and his bald head was turning bright pink. Hippie, huh? â€Å"Lena is definitely pressing charges, aren't you, Lena?† Lena had made her way to the side of the truck. â€Å"No,† Lena said. â€Å"Bitch!† Theo said – it slipped out before he could stop himself. He'd been on such a roll. â€Å"See how she is,† said Dale. â€Å"Wish you had a bag of ice now, don't you, hippie?† â€Å"I'm an officer of the law,† Theo said, wishing he had a gun or something. He pulled his badge wallet out of his back pocket but decided that was a little late for ID, since he'd known Dale for nearly twenty years. â€Å"Yeah, and I'm a Caribou,† Dale said, with more pride than he really should have had about that. â€Å"I'll forget all about it if he puts a hundred bucks in the kettle,† Lena said. â€Å"You're nuts, woman.† â€Å"It's Christmas, Dale.† â€Å"Fuck Christmas and fuck you.† â€Å"Hey, there's no need for that kind of talk, Dale,† Theo said, going for the peace in peace officer. â€Å"You can just step out of the truck.† â€Å"Fifty bucks in the kettle and he can go,† Lena said. â€Å"It's for the needy.† Theo whipped around and looked at her. â€Å"You can't plea-bargain in the parking lot of the Thrifty-Mart. I had him on the ropes.† â€Å"Shut up, hippie,† Dale said. Then to Lena, â€Å"You'll take twenty and the needy can get bent. They can get a job like the rest of us.† Theo was sure he had handcuffs in the Volvo – or were they still on the bedpost at home? â€Å"That is not the way we –  » â€Å"Forty!† Lena shouted. â€Å"Done!† Dale said. He pulled two twenties from his wallet, wadded them up, and threw them out the window so they bounced off of Theo Crowe's chest. He threw the truck in gear and backed out. â€Å"Stop right there!† Theo commanded. Dale righted the truck and took off. As the big red pickup passed Theo's Volvo station wagon, parked twenty yards up the lot, a bag of ice came flying out the window and exploded against the Volvo's tailgate, showering the parking lot with cubes but otherwise doing no damage whatsoever. â€Å"Merry Christmas, you psycho bitch!† Dale shouted out the window as he turned onto the street. â€Å"And to all a good night! Hippie!† Lena had tucked the wadded bills into her Santa suit and was squeezing Theo's shoulder as the red truck roared out of sight. â€Å"Thanks for coming to my rescue, Theo.† â€Å"Not much of a rescue. You should press charges.† â€Å"I'm okay. He'd have gotten out of it anyway, he has great lawyers. Trust me, I know. Besides, forty bucks'† â€Å"That's the Christmas spirit,† Theo said, not able to keep from smiling. â€Å"You sure you're okay?† â€Å"I'm fine. It's not the first time he's lost it with me.† She patted the pocket of her Santa suit. â€Å"At least something came of this.† She started back to her kettle and Theo followed. â€Å"You have a week to file charges if you change your mind,† Theo said. â€Å"You know what, Theo? I really don't want to spend another Christmas obsessing on what a complete waste of humanity Dale Pearson is. I'd rather let it go. Maybe if we're lucky he'll be one of those holiday fatalities we're always hearing about† â€Å"That would be nice,† said Theo. â€Å"Now who's in the Christmas spirit?† In another Christmas story, Dale Pearson, evil developer, self-absorbed woman hater, and seemingly unredeemable curmudgeon, might be visited in the night by a series of ghosts who, by showing him bleak visions of Christmas future, past, and present, would bring about in him a change to generosity, kindness, and a general warmth toward his fellow man But this is not that kind of Christmas story, so here, in not too many pages, someone is going to dispatch the miserable son of a bitch with a shovel. That's the spirit of Christmas yet to come in these parts. Ho, ho, ho.