Expert Advice on How to Fix Stucco

Biography of Marco Polo Essay - 765 Words

In 1254, Marco Polo was born in Venice, Italy to a very rich Venetian merchant family. His parents are Nicole Anna Defuseh and Niccolo Polo, but he was raised by extended family. His father and uncle were merchants who traveled a lot, and his mother died when he was six years old. In 1262, Marco’s father and uncle made an unforgettable journey to Kaifeng, China to meet Kublai Khan, who is the grandson of Genghis Khan. While they were in China, Kubali expressed a great interest in Christianity. He wanted Marco’s father and uncle to bring one hundred priests and holy water with them when they returned back to China. In 1269, the men returned back to Venice, and immediately made plans for their return, this time bringing Marco along. In†¦show more content†¦By the time of arrival in Persia, only eighteen survived. They then spent two years traveling back to Venice. Once they arrived, it was beyond difficult to become acclimated again. Their faces were now unrecognizable among the people, and their tongue no longer moved in the way of their native language. Soon after, Marco ordered a war against the city of Genoa. He was eventually captured and put into a Genoese prison. He made a friend in prison named, Rustichello. He was a writer. Marco told him about his time spent in China, and Rustichello put it all on paper. His experiences were soon published in his book called The Travels of Marco Polo. After being released from prison, this book turned Marco into quite the celebrity. The book was printed in several different languages including, French, Italian, and Latin, soon becoming the most read book in Europe. Most readers did not believe the stories, and thought of it as a fairytale. Marco stood behind his brilliant knowledge, but moved on with his life. He proceeded to marry the love of his life, and have three daughters. He carried out the fa mily business for twenty five years. Marco Polo died at age seventy-four in Venice, but he left behind an unforgettable legacy. More and more of what he claimed to see in his book was verified by researchers, and other explorers. He inspired Christopher Columbus who left on his voyage to the New World two centuries after Marco’sShow MoreRelated3 European Explorers839 Words   |  4 PagesFirstly you will be reading about Marco Polo secondly about Christopher Columbus and lastly Ferdinand Magellan. These explorers have all changed the world by adding to the world map and proving things that no one else has discovered or seen before Marco Polo Marco Polo was a voyager, born in Venice, Italy. He was born on September 15th 1254 and he died at the age of 70 on the 8th January 1324. He was the son of a merchant who traded a lot in Asia. Marco polo lived in Venice, which was on ofRead MoreMissionary Expansion Through The Centuries2544 Words   |  11 Pageslike kings. John of Plano Carpini In the thirteenth century three Franciscan monks traveled approximately three thousand miles from Germany to China to spread Christianity: John of Plano Carpini, William of Rubruck and John of Montecorvino . Marco Polo is famously known for traveling from Venice to China to meet Kublai Khan in 1266 . The first man to travel to China, John of Montecorvino traveled from 1245 to 1247. John of Plano Carpini, aged sixty-five, personally selected by Pope InnocentRead MoreEssay on The Mental World of Christopher Columbus911 Words   |  4 PagesArabic so he would be able to communicate with the different people that he would encounter. Columbus gained a lot from the ancient Greek geographers like Ptolemy and Marinus and medieval Muslim Geographer alFarghani. In source three which is a biography from Columbus son, describes what Columbus was actually reading and hearing, it states that â€Å"Turning to the reasons which persuaded the admiral to undertake the discovery of the Indies, I say there were three, namely, natural reasons, the authorityRead MoreChristopher Columbus Seeking a Royal Sponsorship896 Words   |  4 Pagesship he was working on. Christopher Columbus managed to escape on an ore, and floated for days until he reached the Portuguese coast. Portugal was the leader of ocean navigation during this time and this was a perfect place for Columbus. In this biography I plan on talking about how Christopher Columbus planned on seeking a royal sponsorship on his outrageous plan to discover a new route to China, but instead he stumbles upon a new world. Now Christopher Columbus is starting to contemplate thisRead MoreSummary : Columbus, The Indians, And Human Progress1389 Words   |  6 Pagesparents, and expert sailor who discovered the Americas. Marco Polo- A sailor who told his tales of success in Asia, finding gold, silks, and spices which encouraged people to sail overseas in search for wealth. Bartolome de las Casas- A young priest who spoke against the encomienda system in Book Two of his History of the Indies. Samuel Eliot Morison- A Harvard historian, most distinguished writer on Columbus, the author of a multivolume biography Christopher Columbus, Mariner, and was himself a sailorRead MoreHow A Partial Biography Could Be Harmful For A Painter? Lorenzo Lotto2163 Words   |  9 Pagesâ€Å"How a partial biography could be harmful for a painter? Lorenzo Lotto’s peripatetic career in Vasari’s Lives† (I still need a better title) Why do we read Vasari’s Lives? Surely not for the historical accuracy of the data he provides us nor for his scientific approach to the artist’s biographies. We read what we consider a masterpiece of Italian literature mainly because, instead of concentrating on long tedious enumeration, exegetical and philological details or monotonous galleries of portraitsRead MoreRedifining Presidency: Franklin Delano Roosevelt1270 Words   |  6 Pagesbenefit the deterring of Japanese expansion. The American Navy had gradually developed suspicion of the Japanese Empire. American probability of supplying aid to the Chinese grew after July 7, 1937, when Chinese and Japanese troops clashed on the Marco Polo Bridge near Beijing, throwing the two nations into a full-scale war. As the United States watched Japanese forces sweep down the coast and then into the capital of Nanjing, general opinion fluctuated decisively in favor of the Chinese. The GovernmentRead MoreChristopher Columbus : American History2223 Words   |  9 Pagesconquest of America by the Europeans (Christopher Columbus Biography 1). A strained relationship with the Spanish crown, worked to his disadvantage and he was divested of the Governorship of the island of Hispaniola, which he discovered himself. Christopher’s Columbus life was a historical journey, which reflected his adventurous and righteous personality, and earned him a permanent place in the annals of explorations (Christopher Columbus Biography 1). According to an article â€Å" All About Christopher ColumbusRead MoreDiscovery of America6704 Words   |  27 Pagesto this the Columbus brothers had, by the 1480s, developed a plan to travel to the Indies, then construed roughly as all of southern and eastern Asia, by sailing directly west across the Ocean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean. Washington Irvings 1828 biography of Columbus popularized the idea that Columbus had difficulty obtaining support for his plan because Europeans thought the Earth was flat.[8] In fact, the primitive maritime navigation of the time relied on the stars and the curvature of the sphericalRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesCollege at Brockport Mark Kendrick, Methodist University Mary Kern, Baruch College Robert Key, University of Phoenix Sigrid Khorram, University of Texas at El Paso Hal Kingsley, Erie Community College Jeffrey Kobles, California State University San Marcos Jack Kondrasuk, University of Portland Leslie A. Korb, University of Nebraska at Kearney Glen Kreiner, University of Cincinnati James Kroeger, Cleveland State University Frederick Lane, Baruch College Rebecca Lau, Virginia Polytechnic Institute

Season Descriptive Essay Free Essays

Are the birds peacefully hiring, or are the waves violently crashing into shore? Can you smell the salty air? Can you feel the icy breeze striking your face? Your job is to construct an essay about a day during your favorite season in thorough, specific detail. You need to write in a manner that will appeal to your readers. Show significance and meaning of your favorite season throughout your writing piece by providing a vision for your readers, using sentences that show rather than tell, and using details that evoke all of the senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell). We will write a custom essay sample on Season Descriptive Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now Try to make an exciting introduction that will hook your reader, and remember that you must end your writing piece appropriately. Point of view: you must write in the FIRST PERSON. Example: The word â€Å"dog† can be interpreted in a variety of different imaginations. Your reader might be thinking of a two-pound, chocolate-brown Chihuahua. Another reader might be imagining a 140-pound, black-and-white-speckled Great Dane. Notice the more precise adjectives? The precise breeds are used as descriptive nouns. In addition to detailed adjectives and nouns, you should also have detailed verbs. Think of the difference between having these two dogs â€Å"interacting† and â€Å"barking playfully† with each other. Requirements: Describe your day during your favorite season in 3-5 paragraphs. Make sure each paragraph is clear and organized. (Include introductory sentence, body, conclusion sentence. ) Write a focused, descriptive essay using precise, unique and vivid detail (be sure to consider all senses). Carefully consider what point you are trying to make about the season and make sure all details are clear to the reader. Title the essay with a unique title that captures the essence of the essay. Ex: A Scorching Summer Day; Blooming into Spring) Face- Focus Correction Areas: As a reminder, Face are items you will be graded on. However, you should still be paying close attention to items such as spelling and grammar. Type these in the upper right hand corner across from your heading. Your Face for this assignment are: Paragraph Structure 120 (Topic sentence, det ailed evidence, conclusion) Figurative Language /30 (At least one of each: simile, metaphor, personification) Imagery (At least two of each: touch, asset, smell, sound, sight) Helpful Tips: Provide purpose for your day during your favorite season writing piece. How to cite Season Descriptive Essay, Essays

Current Trends in Reliability and Safety †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Current Trends in Reliability and Safety. Answer: Introduction: Safety is defined as a state where individuals are away or free of hurt, injury, hazard, loss or any undesirable outcomes. In engineering profession, machine safety is an important aspect. The machines are designed to meet specific levels of safety measures and ensure that the operators and engineering workers safety is maintained (Accredited Standards Committee, Safety in Welding and Cutting, American Welding Society, 2012). In addition, the safety measures are able to ensure that productivity through the use of the machines is achieved. For any engineering machines, injuries must be reduced, be made to comply with the specific guidelines and enhance their productivity through keeping their safety measures. This paper will analyze the different aspects of welding machine safety. Protective clothing is one of the important aspect of enhance the safety measures when working with engineering machines. The PPEs, when working with welding machine includes wearing clothing such as safety glasses, ear plugs, wearing face shield, closed-toed shoes, gloves and even non-inflammable long sleeve shirt. Since the safety measures are directly related to the machine operators, safety measures on individuals are key (Chandrasekaran, 2016). That is the main reason beyond proper PPE for the operators of the welding machines to protect them from harm and injuries. The protective gears ensure that operators are well protected and safety is enhanced. Safety in engineering is connected with the right use of the machines. The right use of machines is related to the ability of the operators to understand the use of the machines and their knowledge in operating them. Communication and training of the operators is key to ensure that the safety measures are adhered to (Kumar et al., 2016). The operators must be aware of the welding machines and the way to operate them. Training programs for safe working environment must be done to the workers and the operators. Safeguarding methods for the welding machines is crucial to ensure safety is attained. The safeguarding methods include any physical arrangements which are done to achieve that safety in the working environment. Proper holding of the welding machine and positioning it while under use are some of the safeguarding measures which can be employed on the usage of welding machine. Proper covering of the welding machine is another way to ensure that the safety of the operators is achieved (Timings, 2008). Lastly, arrangement on the minimum distance which other personnel can keep when the welding machine is being used will ensure that the safety of surrounding people is attained. OSHA regulations are able to offer proper machine safeguarding methods for any machine. Creation of potential checklists for the accident areas in the welding area environment is key to ensure that safety if achieved. Proper checklist on the way accidents may occur on welding machine and its usage is the best way to prevent accidents. The checklist will be able to create proper preventive mechanisms and ensure that accidents do not happen (STAPELBERG, 2016). Highlighting the areas where the accidents can occur when using the welding machine will ensure that errors are prevented which can trigger the accidents. The preventive mechanism is regarded as the best safety mechanism in any working place. Environmental risk analysis is another important aspect of enhancing the safety when working with the welding machines. Hazardous energy programs are used to ensure that they perform task analysis and the potential risks associated with the welding activities. The risk analysis in the welding environment will ensure that welding machine operators and those around are safe (Lucic, 2015). This will involve the distances other people can keep away from the welding machine and general arrangement and connections to ensure that the machine is operating safely. Proper demarcation of the area will ensure that people are able to understand the safety measures. Lastly, proper design of the welding machine with proper tools will ensure safe working with the machines. On and off buttons should be well placed and marked to ensure that the operators will be able to understand the machines (Ahmed, 2005). The design steps of the machines should be able to exhibit the safety measures. The designers priority should be safety for the end users of the machines. In conclusion, safety is the priority in any engineering activity. The safety measures starts from the design of the machines to the users and machines operators. The working environment should be enhanced to comply with the OSHA regulations. In addition, the operators need to be equipped with safety knowledge and have protection gears while working. For the welding machine, there are specific PPE which the operators are required to wear while working. All these aspects are guided in ensuring safety of the operators and those around is kept. References Accredited Standards Committee Z49, Safety in Welding and Cutting., American Welding Society. (2012). Safety in welding, cutting, and allied processes. Miami, Fla: American Welding Society. Ahmed, N. (2005). New developments in advanced welding. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. Chandrasekaran, S. (2016). Health, safety, and environmental management in offshore and petroleum engineering. Kumar, U., Ahmadi, A., Verma, A. K., Varde, P. (2016). Current Trends in Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and Safety: An Industry Perspective. Lucic, I. (2015). Risk and safety in engineering processes. STAPELBERG, R. U. D. O. L. P. H. F. R. E. D. E. R. I. C. K. (2016). HANDBOOK OF RELIABILITY, AVAILABILITY, MAINTAINABILITY AND SAFETY IN ENGINEERING DESIGN. S.l.: SPRINGER. Timings, R. L. (2008). Fabrication and welding engineering. Oxford: Newnes.

5 Common Misconceptions About Black Lives Matter

5 Common Misconceptions About Black Lives Matter Unpack the misconceptions that have been spread about the movement by separating fact from fiction about Black Lives Matter. All Lives Matter The top concern critics of Black Lives Matter say they have about the group (actually a collective of organizations with no governing body) is its name. Take Rudy Giuliani. â€Å"They sing rap songs about killing police officers and they talk about killing police officers and yell it out at their rallies,† he told CBS News on July 10. â€Å"And when you say black lives matter, that’s inherently racist. Black lives matter, white lives matter, Asian lives matter, Hispanic lives matter – that’s anti-American and it’s racist.† Racism is the belief that one group is inherently superior to another and the institutions that function as such. Black Lives Matter is not saying that all lives don’t matter or that other people’s lives aren’t as valuable as African Americans’ lives. It is arguing that because of systemic racism (dating back to the implementation of the Black Codes during Reconstruction) blacks disproportionately have deadly encounters with cops, and the public needs to care about the lives lost. During an appearance on â€Å"The Daily Show,† Black Lives Matter activist DeRay McKesson called the focus on â€Å"all lives matter† a distraction technique. He likened it to someone criticizing a breast cancer rally for not focusing on colon cancer as well. â€Å"We’re not saying colon cancer doesn’t matter,† he said. â€Å"We’re not saying other lives don’t matter. What we are saying is there is something unique about the trauma that black people have experienced in this country, especially around policing, and we need to call that out.† Giuliani’s accusation that Black Lives Matter activists sing about killing the police is unfounded. He’s conflated rap groups from decades ago, such as Ice-T’s band Body Count of â€Å"Cop Killer† fame, with the black activists of today. Giuliani told CBS that, of course, black lives matter to him, but his remarks suggest he can’t be bothered to tell one group of blacks from another. Whether rappers, gang members or civil rights activists are the topic at hand, they’re all interchangeable because they’re black. This ideology is rooted in racism. While whites get to be individuals, blacks and other people of color are one and the same in a white supremacist framework. The accusation that Black Lives Matter is racist also overlooks the fact that people from a broad coalition of racial groups, including Asian Americans, Latinos and whites, are among its supporters. In addition, the group decries police violence, whether the officers involved are white or people of color. When Baltimore man Freddie Gray died in police custody in 2015, Black Lives Matter demanded justice, even though most of the officers involved were African Americans.   People of Color Aren’t Racially Profiled Detractors of the Black Lives Matter movement argue that police do not single out African Americans, ignoring mountains of research that indicate racial profiling is a significant concern in communities of color. These critics assert that police have a greater presence in black neighborhoods because black people commit more crimes. On the contrary, police disproportionately target blacks, which doesn’t mean African Americans break the law any more often than whites do. The New York Police Department’s stop-and-frisk program is a case in point. Several civil rights groups filed a lawsuit against the NYPD in 2012, alleging that the program was racially discriminatory. Eighty-seven percent of the individuals NYPD targeted for stops and frisks were young black and Latino men, a greater proportion than they made up of the population. Police even targeted blacks and Latinos for most of the stops in areas where people of color made up 14 percent or less of the population, indicating the authorities weren’t drawn to a particular neighborhood but to residents of a particular skin tone. Ninety percent of people NYPD stopped anywhere did nothing wrong. Although police were more likely to find weapons on whites than they were on people of color, according to the New York Civil Liberties Union, that didn’t result in the authorities stepping up their random searches of whites. Racial disparities in policing can be found on the West Coast as well. In California, blacks comprise 6 percent of the population but 17 percent of people arrested and about a quarter of those who die in police custody, according to the OpenJustice data portal launched by Attorney General Kamala Harris in 2015. Collectively, the disproportionate amount of blacks stopped, arrested and who die in police custody explains why the Black Lives Matter movement exists and why the focus isn’t on all lives. Activists Don’t Care About Black-on-Black Crime Conservatives love to argue that African Americans only care when police kill blacks and not when blacks kill each other. For one, the idea of black-on-black crime is a fallacy. Just as blacks are more likely to be killed by fellow blacks, whites are more likely to be killed by other whites. That’s because people tend to be killed by those close to them or who live in their communities.    That said, African Americans, particularly pastors, reformed gang members and community activists, have long worked to end gang violence in their communities. In Chicago, the Rev. Ira Acree of Greater St. John Bible Church has fought against gang violence and police killings alike. In 2012, former Blood member Shanduke McPhatter formed the New York nonprofit Gangsta Making Astronomical Community Changes. Even gangster rappers have taken part in the effort to stop gang violence, with members of N.W.A., Ice-T and several others teaming up in 1990 as the West Coast Rap All-Stars for the single â€Å"We’re All in the Same Gang.† The idea that blacks don’t care about gang violence in their communities is meritless, given that anti-gang efforts date back decades and the African Americans trying to stop such violence are too numerous to name. Pastor Bryan Loritts of Abundant Life Christian Fellowship in California aptly explained to a Twitter user why gang violence and police brutality are received differently. â€Å"I expect criminals to act like criminals,† he said. â€Å"I dont expect those who are to protect us to kill us. Not the same.† Black  Lives Matter Inspired Dallas Police Shootings The most defamatory and irresponsible critique of Black Lives Matter is that it provoked Dallas shooter Micah Johnson to kill five police officers. â€Å"I do blame people on social media...for their hatred towards police,† Texas Lt. Gov. Patrick said. â€Å"I do blame former Black Lives Matter protests.† He added that law-abiding citizens with big mouths led to the killings. The month before, Patrick summed up the mass murder of 49 people at a gay club in Orlando, Fla., as â€Å"reaping what you sow,† revealing himself to be a bigot, so it’s not entirely surprising that he would choose to use the Dallas tragedy to accuse Black Lives Matter as being accomplices of sorts to murder. But Patrick knew nothing about the killer, his mental health or anything else in his history that led him to commit such a heinous crime, and the politician willfully overlooked the fact that the killer acted alone and was not part of Black Lives Matter. Generations of African Americans have been angry about police killings and racism generally in the criminal justice system. Years before Black Lives Matter existed, police had a strained relationship with communities of color. The movement didn’t create this anger nor should it be blamed for the actions of one deeply troubled young man. Black activists have raised the call for an end to violence, not an escalation of it, Black Lives Matter said in a July 8 statement about the Dallas killings. â€Å"Yesterday’s attack was the result of the actions of a lone gunman. To assign the actions of one person to an entire movement is dangerous and irresponsible.† Police Shootings Are the Only Problem While police shootings are the focus of Black Lives Matter, deadly force isn’t the only issue adversely affecting African Americans. Racial discrimination infiltrates every facet of American life, including education, employment, housing and medicine in addition to the criminal justice system. While police killings are a grave concern, most blacks won’t die at the hands of a cop, but they may face barriers in a variety of sectors. Whether the topic at hand is the disproportionate amount of black youth suspended from school or black patients of all income levels receiving poorer medical care than their white counterparts, black lives matter in these instances as well. The focus on police killings may lead everyday Americans to think they’re not part of the nation’s race problem. The opposite is true. Police officers don’t exist in a vacuum. The implicit or explicit bias that reveals itself when they deal with black people stems from cultural norms that signal it’s okay to treat blacks as if they’re inferior. Black Lives Matter argues that African Americans are equal to everyone else in this country and institutions that don’t operate as such should be held accountable.

HIV AIDS essays

HIV AIDS essays HIV, the virus that causes Aids is one of the most devastating diseases in todays world. It is not a matter of national, religion, race, or sexual orientation. It is rather a fact of someone being exposed to the virus. No one wants to get HIV but if one has unprotected sex or uses a dirty needle then this person might be at risk, these are not the only ways to get the virus, but they are the most common. One can have HIV for many years and not know that one has it because symptoms will not show up. Journalists are debating this issue, should the government get involved and require everyone to be tested for the HIV virus. The Aids virus is a disease that cannot be cured at this time. Although billions of dollars have been spent for research, still know cure has been found. The closest medicine that scientist have discovered, is a defensive agent that stops the virus from spreading quickly into the organic system. It costs a great deal of money, and only very few people from the society can afford it. At this point still, many people believe that virus is a curse from heaven. There are many ways to catch the virus but one cannot catch it from touching or kissing. This virus is nothing like a cold or the flu, it is way more serous. This virus can and will kill you. One does not have to be at fault to catch the virus. If one is an unborn child and ones mother has this virus, there is a big possibility that one will be born with the virus. Million of people have this virus and they will soon die from it. The medicines only slow down the process it doesnt cure it. It is ones concern, if they are having unprotected sex, to be responsible and get tested. No one should force anyone to do so. This would raise some serious complications, such as violation of the human right, and individualism. Whenever the government gives something as a requirement th00.ere is no other alternatives. It becomes a must. The government s...

The True Meaning of 'Push' Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The True Meaning of 'Push' - Essay Example ontext of the protagonist’s life, because it symbolically represents the fact that she has been left behind and needs to push her way forward to survive in the world. At the beginning of the story, Sapphire sets the stage by providing indications that the protagonist lags behind others. â€Å"I was left back when I was twelve because I had a baby for my fahver†¦ I had got left back in the second grade too, when I was seven, ‘cause I couldn’t read†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (1). In fact, Precious is considered such a hopeless case as far as learning is concerned that the principal of the school tells her teacher to give up and stop wasting time on her. â€Å"Focus on the ones who can learn† (39). Precious herself articulates the predominant view that exists about her learning powers. â€Å"The tesses paint a picture of me wif no brain†¦ the tesses paint a picture of me an’ my muver – my whole family, we more than dumb, we invisible† (33). Because Precious has been left so far behind, it is not even worth the time or effort for anyone to help her so that she can move forward. In having to push when giving birth to her first baby, Precious is, for the first time, encouraged to be assertive and aggressive rather than passive, drawing upon her basic, primal, female energy in bringing forth life (Marvel, 1996). The title Push, therefore, represents the basic energy of the female protagonist, who at sixteen, cannot read or write, still hasn’t completed high school and is already about to give birth to her second child. Nevertheless, she does not give up or submit to despair; she is always ready to keep fighting, as reflected in her attitude: â€Å" ‘N I really do want to learn. Every day I tell myself something gonna happen, some shit like on TV. I’m gonna break through or somebody gonna break through to me – I’m gonna learn, catch up, be normal, change my seat to the front of the class† (5). When the story commences and Precious is suspended from school because she is

Will Nintendo Survive the Vastly Developing Video Game Industry in Research Paper

Will Nintendo Survive the Vastly Developing Video Game Industry in North America - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that in this age, the demands of the individual are changing just as the alterations within the economy. This is mainly due to the introduction of varied types of inventive technologies, techniques, and models. Due to which, the demand and preferences of the customers are also changing at a rapid pace that enhances the rate of switchovers. However, in order to retain the customers within the brands, varied types of value-added games are introduced by the game console organizations at a quite competitive price. Therefore, due to the presence of numerous rival players, the rate of competitiveness is increasing at a rapid speed thereby enhancing its image and position to a significant extent among others. Nintendo is one of the reputed and largest, Japanese multinational organization attaining a profit margin of  ¥7.2 billion and total assets of  ¥1.4 trillion in the financial year of 2013. Within a very small time span, it expanded its wi ngs in the entire globe that amplified its sustainability. Bargaining power of the buyers: the bargaining power of the buyers is extremely high. This is mainly due to the presence of numerous rival payers in the market of North America. As a result of which, the customers always desire to attain most advanced and modernized games at a quite low cost. However, in order to fulfill the inner desire of the customers, the organizations operating in the segment of video games or game console tries to offer value-added games at a competitive cost. So, the customers stick to the segment of video games in-spite of economic recession. Bargaining power of the suppliers: the bargaining power of the suppliers is moderate. This is mainly because; Nintendo sorted or selected its suppliers by itself and so the suppliers desired to retain its value within this strong brand as compared to others. Therefore, in order to maintain the competitiveness, the suppliers always tried to offer varied types of modern and advanced software’s and technologies at a quite low cost to these reputed brands such Nintendo, Sony etc. Competitive rivalry: due to the presence of numerous rival players in the market of North America such as Sony, Microsoft etc, the rate of competition is extremely high. As the customers of the game console or video game market always prefer modern technologies to the maximum extent of the organizations, such as Sony, Microsoft etc try to introduce varied types of products at a quite low cost.

Bananas - description Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Bananas - description - Research Paper Example Conclusion Thesis Statement Various varieties of bananas exist in different parts of the world offering nutritional value at an affordable price. Bananas are fruits available throughout the year in tropical countries, and they come in different varieties, shapes, and colors. Bananas grow from a rhizome, stretch through a thick stem and develop flowers (â€Å"banana†). The varieties of use make banana one of the most valued crops in the world. The fruit’s nutritional value and relatively low price make it an attractive export product for countries in Southeast Asia, South America, and East Africa (Morton 37). This essay describes the taxonomy, characteristics, varieties, and food uses of bananas. In addition, the essay will give comparison and contrasts of â€Å"bananas are good for health†, versus â€Å"bananas are bad for health.† Taxonomy Bananas come from the genus Musa of the family â€Å"Musaceae† (â€Å"banana†), and the seedless, edibl e ones come from the â€Å"species M. acuminata Colla or the hybrid M. X paradisiaca L.† (Morton 30). The different species of banana provide a clue to the fruit’s geographical origins, usually found in countries with tropical climates like Brazil, India, and Indonesia. Having various hybrids further expands the fruit’s varieties and ensures continuous cultivation and propagation. Varieties The classification of bananas occurs into two principal groups namely Sucrier and Gros Michel. The Cavendish subgroup includes the Giant Cavendish, the Dwarf Cavendish, and Bungulan (Morton 35). Predominantly found in Colombia, the Philippines, and Burma, bananas from the Sucrier group are small in size, sweet, with thin skin (Morton 35). Bananas from the Sucrier group are readily consumable due to their size and taste; people use them in dessert recipes. The Gros Michel group produces bananas that are larger than the ones in the Sucrier group, are yellow in color, and usuall y found in South America, Central Africa, and the Caribbean (Morton 36). The Cavendish subgroup includes the Giant and Dwarf Cavendish, and the Bungulan (Morton37). Medium-sized, thin-skinned, and delicate, the Dwarf Cavendish, grows in China, East Africa, and South Africa. The Giant Cavendish is larger than the Dwarf Cavendish and closely resembles the Gros Michel (Morton 37). Ripening unevenly during the winter and prone to quick spoilage, Jamaicans mostly use the Bungulan for cooking. (Morton 38). Food uses The uses of bananas for food are as diverse as the available varieties and hybrids. A banana may be eaten when raw, peeled, sliced, or mixed with other fruits. Biting the soft, starchy flesh of a banana results in bursts of sweetness or undertones of tanginess. When added in dessert recipes, a banana’s flavor and mushy texture harmonize with the more crunchy and soft ingredients. Broiled or baked, ripe bananas can be served with peanuts and brown sugar (Morton 41). Fina lly, to preserve a banana, it can be boiled and immersed in a syrup mixture or fried in canola oil and served like potato chips. Nutritional Value In addition to the various food uses of the banana, this fruit possesses â€Å"high nutritional value† (â€Å"Banana†). As a healthy fruit, banana occupies a significant place in the food level pyramid. Regardless of the manner of consuming a banana, the flavorful, sweet, and starchy fruit is â€Å"full of vitamins† (â€Å"banana†). Low in fat, cholesterol, and sodium, raw bananas are an abundant source of potassium, fiber, and Vitamin B6 (Morton 43). Long, short,

Role of 5-Methylcytosine Oxidation in Mammalian Development

Role of 5-Methylcytosine Oxidation in Mammalian Development Iram Ali 5-methylcytosine (5mc) is the methylated form of DNA at the 5-position of the DNA base cytosine found in mammals. Its significance is in epigenetic modification, which demonstrates an important role in development and genome regulation. Furthermore the oxidation of 5-methylcytosine in Tet catalyzed reactions has been suggested to play an vital role in the regulation of transcription and gene expression, and DNA de-methylation (Wu and Zhang, 2011). There has been a considerable amount of research into 5-methylcytosine oxidation; clearly indicating that 5-methylcytosine oxidation in the genome has an effect on mammalian development due to its contribution to normal mammalian development as well as being associated with disease. This is a review of recent research in the key roles of 5-methylcytosine oxidation products in the development of mammals. As described by Liu et al., (2013) the addition of a methyl group during DNA methylation in mammals occurs at the position of 5th carbon of cytosine residues primarily at CpG dinucleotide regions. Methylation of DNA plays a role in repressing gene expression including repressing transposable elements (TEs) (Ito et el., 2011). This process of methylation is first established during embryonic development in embryogenesis and then retained during cell division due to the presence of various de novo DNA methyltransferases (DNMT). Research shows the significance of cytosine methylation in mammalian development as it was observed that mice that lack DNA methyltransferases will die at the age of 4 weeks (Liu et al., 2013). 5-methylcytosine is a crucial epigenetic marker, as methylation of cytosine in DNA has a main role in gene expression due to methylated genes in the DNA being able to express differently even though the DNA sequence remains the same. It has also been recognised that CpGs can be methylated in various areas of the genome due to differences in cell type and in points of development (Xu et al., 2013). Recent studies within the past have suggested that aberrance in DNA methylation pattern can cause the process to become deficient through either passive or active mechanisms. Passive cytosine DNA demethylation refers to removal of DNMT1 activity during cell division. Active cytosine DNA demethylation refers to the 5-methylcytosine being converted to cytosine due to the removal of a methyl group, which is independent of DNA replication. These mechanisms of DNA demethylation are associated with defects in development (Liu et al., 2013). A series of enzymatic oxidation reactions in the genome using ten-eleven translocation 1-3 proteins, also known as TET dioxygenases, allow 5-methylcytosine to produce 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5HmC), 5-formylcytosine (5FoC), and 5-carboxylcytosine (5CaC). The Tet-catalysed process relies on iron and alpha-ketoglutarate dependent oxidation. This sequence of oxidation reactions is said to be linked to active mammalian cytosine demethylation (Ito et al., 2011). DNA demethylation can be categorised as either global referring to genome wide, or locus specific referring to just certain sequences being methylated. In mammals, genome wide DNA de-methylation is said to occur in mouse primordial germ cells (PGCs) in embryos as early as E8.5-E11.5 days (Schomacher 2011). During early embryogenesis it has been suggested that removal followed by re-establishment of cytosine methylation occurs in a process of major reprogramming. Due to the ten-eleven translocation proteins having the ability to convert 5-methylcytosine to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine, there is a possibility that 5-hydroxymethylcytosine may work in an epigenetic manner and may contribute to dynamic alterations in the regulation of transcription and in DNA methylation during embryogenesis. Research shows that embryonic stem cells express high levels of the Tet dioxygenases Tet1, and reasonably high levels of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine compared to many differential cells. The large distribution of Tet1 and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine throughout the embryonic stem cells of the mouse genome, demonstrate the role of Tet proteins and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine in regulating gene expression associated with cellular differentiation and pluripotency (Wu and Zhang, 2011)2. The occurrence of oxidation of 5-methylcytosine and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine in DNA to 5-carboxylcytosine, and subsequent thymine DNA glycosylase (TDG) excision of 5-carboxycytosine is said to establish a route for active DNA demethylation. Moreover study into TDG reduction in mouse embryonic stem cells has been found to cause an evident build-up of 5-carboxylcytosine. Research showed that 5-carboxylcytosine was absent in the embryonic stem cells and neurons of mice who presented high levels of Tet dioxygenases. However 5-carboxylcytosine was seen to be chemically stable and did not freely decarboxylate to cytosine, implying that in genomic DNA, 5-carboxylcytosine may be actively removed directly after being generated in cells (He et al., 2011). Furthermore, it is suggested that oxidation products 5-formylcytosine and 5-carboxylcytosine can partake in the base excision repair (BER) mechanism. This allows 5-formylcytosine and 5-carboxylcytosine to be excised followed by being repaired leading to regeneration as unmodified cytosines by thymine DNA glycosylase. Research, using genome wide distribution maps, into TDG deficient embryonic stem cells, found that reduction of TDG in mouse embryonic stem cells caused noticeable build-up of 5-formylcytosine and 5-carboxylcytosine in genes. Therefore, these results imply that active DNA demethylation is TDG dependent and occurs widely in the mammalian genome (Shen et el., 2013). Additionally, in order to determine if oxidation of 5-methylcytosine to 5-formylcytosine and 5-carboxylcytosine occurs in the zygote in vivo, research was conducted in which antibodies were produced specific for 5-formylcytosine and 5-carboxylcytosine. An immuno-staining technique determined that the depletion of 5-methylcytosine in the mouse paternal pronucleus is concomitant with the presence of 5-formylcytosine and 5-carboxylcytosine. It was notably significant that rather than being instantly removed, both oxidation products displayed dilution which was replication-dependent during preimplantation development in mice. (Inoue et al., 2011) It is well recognised that 5-hydroxymethylcytosine is associated with mammalian development, as studies show the importance of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine activity in both passive and active DNA demethylation, during phases of reprogramming in development. It has also been found that brain tissue has copious amount of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine suggesting that the mammalian brain relies on 5-hydroxymethylcytosine for development. Recently, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine has also been associated with a potential role in cancer as current research has suggested that the levels of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine are considerably reduced in tumour cells. In addition it has been proposed that mutations in the Tet2 protein can cause lack of function which may also be implicated in tumour suppression (Pfeifer et al., 2013). In conclusion, modified versions of cytosine due to oxidation by Tet proteins, are important in the roles of DNA demethylation and reprogramming of stem cells. Hence, future additional research into the function of Tet proteins and further advanced stem cell research could benefit by acquiring more knowledge into alterations in DNA methylation. This will greatly develop understanding of epigenetic regulation in normal mammalian development and disease. References Wu, H. and Zhang, Y. (2011) Mechanisms and functions of Tet protein-mediated 5-methylcytosine oxidation Genes Dev, 25 (23), pp. 2436-2452 Liu, S., Wang, J., Su, Y., Guerrero, C., Zeng, Y., Mitra, D., Brooks, P. J., Fisher, D. E., Song, H. and Wang, Y. (2013) Quantitative assessment of Tet-induced oxidation products of 5-methylcytosine in cellular and tissue DNA Nucleic acids research, 41 (13), pp. 6421-6429 Ito, S., Shen, L., Dai, Q., Wu, S. C., Collins, L. B., Swenberg, J. A., He, C. and Zhang, Y. (2011) Tet proteins can convert 5-methylcytosine to 5-formylcytosine and 5-carboxylcytosine Science, 333 (6047), pp. 1300-1303 Xu, Y., Wu, F., Tan, L., Kong, L., Xiong, L., Deng, J., Barbera, A. J., Zheng, L., Zhang, H., Huang, S. and Others. (2011) Genome-wide regulation of 5hmC, 5mC, and gene expression by Tet1 hydroxylase in mouse embryonic stem cells Molecular cell, 42 (4), pp. 451-464 Schomacher, L. (2013) Mammalian DNA demethylation Epigenetics, 8 (7), pp. 679-684 Wu, H. and Zhang, Y. (2011) Tet1 and 5-hydroxymethylation Cell Cycle, 10 (15), pp. 2428-2436 He, Y., Li, B., Li, Z., Liu, P., Wang, Y., Tang, Q., Ding, J., Jia, Y., Chen, Z., Li, L. and Others. (2011) Tet-mediated formation of 5-carboxylcytosine and its excision by TDG in mammalian DNA Science, 333 (6047), pp. 1303-1307 Shen, L., Wu, H., Diep, D., Yamaguchi, S., D’Alessio, A. C., Fung, H., Zhang, K. and Zhang, Y. (2013) Genome-wide analysis reveals TET-and TDG-dependent 5-methylcytosine oxidation dynamics Cell, 153 (3), pp. 692-706 Inoue, A., Shen, L., Dai, Q., He, C. and Zhang, Y. (2011) Generation and replication-dependent dilution of 5fC and 5caC during mouse preimplantation development Cell research, 21 (12), pp. 1670-1676 Pfeifer, G. P., Kadam, S. and Jin, S. (2013) 5-hydroxymethylcytosine and its potential roles in development and cancer Epigenetics Chromatin, 6 (10), pp. 1-9.

Malnutrition of African Students :: Poverty Starvation Africa Essays

Malnutrition of African Students In this paper, I shall discuss the effects of malnutrition of children in Africa and the effect it has on their school performance. I will also examine what has been done to improve the problem of starvation and the long road ahead to solve this issue. I believe this problem is very serious and should not be over looked by other countries. So many children wake up hungry and go to bed famished in Africa. Their days are hard to get through and the idea of going to school and having to concentrate is almost an impossible task. Many children have no energy and lose the ambition to get an education. An example I found while researching was of a young girl named Kede Fatuma, who is a starving child living in Ethiopia who once took pride in her education and her great ability as a runner. â€Å"These days, however, food is scarce in Dere Kiltu. Kede, 10, has neither the time nor the strength to keep up with her running. In fact, she no longer goes to school at all. Instead, she uses her limited energy to help her family collect water, an effort that involves a two-hour walk to the nearest stream (www.washingtonpost.com).† This is an example that is sadly true of many children living in Africa. In recent studies, they have shown that those children who eat a healthy breakfast to start off their day are proven to have higher test scores, stay alert through out the school day, are able to concentrate, and are more likely to attend school. So as a result of having a balanced diet, children are able to retain more information and learn more in the end. In the subjects of math and science which involve a lot of concentration, Africa was shown to have very low scores as compared to other countries that are not stricken by hunger and poverty. In a study done on one school in Zimbabwe, they found that many of the students in the class were continuously falling asleep. The reason they found for this was exhaustion caused by lack of food. The majority of the children only receive one meal a day. Other poorer children beg their neighbors for food and often receive only a small portion of cornmeal. Hunger affects many parts of Africa and it is a growing problem that is the cause of many deaths each year. Malnutrition of African Students :: Poverty Starvation Africa Essays Malnutrition of African Students In this paper, I shall discuss the effects of malnutrition of children in Africa and the effect it has on their school performance. I will also examine what has been done to improve the problem of starvation and the long road ahead to solve this issue. I believe this problem is very serious and should not be over looked by other countries. So many children wake up hungry and go to bed famished in Africa. Their days are hard to get through and the idea of going to school and having to concentrate is almost an impossible task. Many children have no energy and lose the ambition to get an education. An example I found while researching was of a young girl named Kede Fatuma, who is a starving child living in Ethiopia who once took pride in her education and her great ability as a runner. â€Å"These days, however, food is scarce in Dere Kiltu. Kede, 10, has neither the time nor the strength to keep up with her running. In fact, she no longer goes to school at all. Instead, she uses her limited energy to help her family collect water, an effort that involves a two-hour walk to the nearest stream (www.washingtonpost.com).† This is an example that is sadly true of many children living in Africa. In recent studies, they have shown that those children who eat a healthy breakfast to start off their day are proven to have higher test scores, stay alert through out the school day, are able to concentrate, and are more likely to attend school. So as a result of having a balanced diet, children are able to retain more information and learn more in the end. In the subjects of math and science which involve a lot of concentration, Africa was shown to have very low scores as compared to other countries that are not stricken by hunger and poverty. In a study done on one school in Zimbabwe, they found that many of the students in the class were continuously falling asleep. The reason they found for this was exhaustion caused by lack of food. The majority of the children only receive one meal a day. Other poorer children beg their neighbors for food and often receive only a small portion of cornmeal. Hunger affects many parts of Africa and it is a growing problem that is the cause of many deaths each year.

An Argument Against Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve

An Argument against Drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Reserve By: James Andrew Whitten Government Economics Heath Vincent March 5, 2013 America’s rank as the world’s leading superpower gives the nation unsurpassed clout throughout the rest of the world, but as the old saying goes â€Å"With great power comes great responsibility. † Many other nations not only rely on America’s economy for their own country’s survival, but they also look up to America with a hopeful sense for the future.The founding fathers of this great nation had excellent insight into the authority that America would one day possess, and thus they attempted to set many precedents that would lead the way for the nations that would choose to follow America’s example. Still today, every move that the American nation makes is carefully scrutinized by the other nations of the world. So, it is crucial that the United States ensure that as it moves forward, it does so with a noble and future oriented perception of its goals.Thus, drilling for oil in the Alaskan National Wildlife Reserve would be a colossal mistake for the United States, because drilling would be detrimental to the pristine indigenous environment, it would have little or no beneficial impact on the American or Global economy, and would poorly exemplify the ambitions that America should have. For the past century, the global dependency on oil has progressively increased each and every year. Now, the world’s need for a steady oil supply is at an all-time high, but oil supplies are slowly dwindling day by day.Oil prices have sky rocketed, the environment has been irreversibly damaged, and it is evident that this rate of oil consumption is completely unsustainable. So should America not be avidly searching for new sustainable alternatives to oil, rather than attempting to destroy land set aside for the very purpose of protecting it against such damaging procedures as oil drilling? The Alaskan National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR) is one of the many wildlife preservation efforts that great men in America’s past developed in order to preserve both the natural beauty of this great land, and the natural environment and its resources.Humans are one of the few species that contribute nearly nothing to ecosystem in which they live, yet they devour gargantuan amounts of the resources around them. Gasoline is an excellent example of this. Americans are consistently obliterating the ozone layer through their emission of toxic pollutants from the gas they use every day in their cars. Yet, rather than address the unmaintainable way of living they have adopted by attempting to lower their consumption, they just expect more gas.The American government should not allow this mindset to continue, and should aid its people in having a better understanding of their effect on the environment. This same greed carries directly over into the economic side of this situation too. R ather than accepting that ANWR only has enough oil resources to last for six months if the nation were to rely solely on it, and that the oil drilled would at the very most impact the oil price by three percent, Americans fool themselves into believing that ANWR can offer economic salvation.The American people would like to believe that this oil will release the country from its unhealthy dependence on foreign oil, but the fact is there is nowhere near enough oil there to have any such affect. And, the only people who will find true economic gain from the oil will be the oil companies. Instead of being blinded by greed, America should fix the real problem, the inflated consumption of oil by the American people. Finally, as previously stated, many nations admirably look up to America’s great influence in hope of a better future for their own nation.America should utilize this power to ensure that other nations also follow in a direction that will lead the world to a future tha t this current generation can take pride in. Drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Preserve would have the exact opposite effect. By drilling in ANWR, America would be making a statement that it is perfectly acceptable to further destroy the world’s unstable environment all for the sake of greed. It would set a pattern that said no matter the circumstances of the area, no matter that it is a safe haven for animal breeding, and no matter that the people of the world need o truly reflect on the rate of their oil consumption, it is acceptable to drill anywhere that oil is found. Would the American people have been so ready to drill if the refinery were going to be in Yellowstone and the magnificent Sequoias would have to be demolished? No, it would be an abomination to even consider, and so the same mentality should be set for ANWR. Americans have always taken an abundant pride in their country. The founding fathers of the mighty nation developed a country that is far beyond what anyone could have imagined two-hundred years ago.However, they too realized that all resources are not infinite and that there is great need to protect certain pieces of land for the sake of the future. Thus, they developed national wildlife reserves in the hope of setting aside land specifically for the purpose of preservation. The American nation needs to remember this, and maintain the ideals of those who came before them by looking to the future, not just the present. ANWR is meant for conservation, not more devastation.

6 Reasons Youre Having Problems Concentrating

6 Reasons You're Having Problems Concentrating There are many reasons why your mind might wander. Some of the most common factors are non-medical and can be treated by making small changes in your routine. 1. Fatigue Fatigue from sleep deprivation is the most common cause of an inability to concentrate on one topic for a long time. Many studies have shown that people are not getting enough sleep, and sleep deprivation have serious physical, emotional, and cognitive effects. The first step in attempting to solve your concentration problem is finding a way to get at least eight hours of sleep every night. This isnt easy to do. We have busy lives and develop habits that make it difficult to get to sleep early enough. However, if you have a severe concentration problem, you may need to make some sacrifices to find a solution. Try getting plenty of sleep and see if you get results. 2. Anxiety Anxiety can cause the inability to concentrate too. Are you worried about something? If so, you might need to isolate your source of anxiety and confront it head-on. We deal with many pressures from our peers, and this social force can become quite damaging in extremes. Are you dealing with pressure? If so, it may be time to change your life to eliminate some of the stressors. Is your schedule too heavy? Are you involved in a toxic friendship? Is something else bothering you? If you are dealing with some pressure that might lead you down a dangerous path, it might be time to get a second opinion from someone. You can talk to a parent, a doctor, a guidance counselor, a co-worker, or a teacher. Depending on the situation, your emergency contact might be different. Find people you trust and let them know that youre dealing with anxiety and would like some support. 3. Excitement Excitement is related to anxiety, but a little more fun! There are lots of things that come along from time to time that grab our attention and make us daydream. This can be a big problem when weve got to pay attention to something! Make the conscious decision to set aside your daydreams until after class. 4. Love A big distraction is a physical attraction or being in  love. Are you having a difficult time concentrating because you cant get someone out of your head? If so, you need to find a way to discipline yourself. It is sometimes helpful to establish healthy routines in your habits by setting up parameters both inside and outside your head. Outwardly, you can establish a physical space and a concentration time. Inwardly, you can set rules about thoughts that are and are not permissible during concentration time. 5. Diet and Caffeine Your diet and, for those who drink coffee, consumption of caffeine, are other potential problems when it comes to concentration. Your body is just like a machine in some ways. Just like an automobile, a body needs clean fuel to keep it running well. Different people are affected in different ways from foods and chemicals-and sometimes those effects can be unexpected. For example, it may surprise you to know that some studies have linked low-fat diet with symptoms of depression! And depression can affect your concentration. Caffeine is another potential trouble-maker when it comes to diet and moods. Caffeine consumption can cause insomnia, headaches, dizziness, and nervousness. These symptoms are sure to affect your concentration. 6. Boredom Boredom is another big culprit when it comes to staying focused on your studies. Boredom stems from doing something that lacks meaning and motivation. What can you do? Every time you prepare to enter a study environment, take a moment for a reality check. What do you need to accomplish? Why? Concentrate on a goal for the next hour and think of a way to reward yourself for reaching that goal.

T4A(OAS) Tax Slips for Canadian Income Tax Returns

T4A(OAS) Tax Slips for Canadian Income Tax Returns A Canadian T4A(OAS) tax slip, or Statement of Old Age Security, is issued by Service Canada to tell you and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) how much old age security income you received during a tax year and the amount of income tax that was deducted. Deadline for T4A(OAS) Tax Slips T4A(OAS) tax slips must be issued by the last day of February the year after the calendar year to which the T4A(OAS) tax slips apply. Sample T4A(OAS) Tax Slip This sample T4A(OAS) tax slip from the CRA site shows what a T4A(OAS) tax slip looks like. For more information on what is included in each box on the T4A(OAS) tax slip and how to deal with it when filing your income tax return, click on the box number in the pull-down menu  above the sample T4A(OAS) tax slip. Filing T4A(OAS) Tax Slips With Your Income Tax Return When you file a paper income tax return, include copies of each of the T4A(OAS) tax slips you receive. If you file your income tax return using NETFILE or EFILE, keep copies of your T4A(OAS) tax slips with your records for six years in case the CRA asks to see them. Missing T4A(OAS) Tax Slips If you do not receive your T4A(OAS) tax slip, contact Service Canada at 1-800-277-9914 during regular business hours. You will be asked for your Social Insurance Number. Even if you havent received your T4A(OAS) tax slip, file your income tax return by the deadline anyway to avoid penalties for filing your income taxes late. Calculate your OAS income and any related deductions and credits you can claim as closely as you can using any information you have. Include a note saying what you have done to get a copy of the missing T4A(OAS) tax slip. Include copies of any statements and information you used in calculating the income and deductions for the missing T4A(OAS) tax slip. Viewing and Printing T4(OAS) Tax Slips Online If you wish to view and print your T4(OAS) tax slips online, you can make arrangements through the My Service Canada Account. For detailed information, see the following Service Canada pages: Get Your Tax Information Slips Online, andTax Information Slips in My Service Canada Account. Other T4 Tax Information Slips Other T4 tax information slips include: T4- Statement of Remuneration PaidT4A- Statement of Pension, Retirement, Annuity, and Other IncomeT4A(P)- Statement of Canada Pension Plan BenefitsT4E- Statement of Employment Insurance and Other BenefitsT4RIF- Statement of Income From a Registered Retirement Income FundT4RSP- Statement of RRSP Income

Discuss the impact of marketing strategy on profits in two businesses Essay - 1

Discuss the impact of marketing strategy on profits in two businesses of your choice - Essay Example Kotler (2011) suggests that a company prepares its marketing strategy by dividing the larger market into different segments and positioning itself in one target market. J Sainsbury and Tesco plc are retail companies based in Europe. They have developed almost a similar marketing strategy by focusing on the mid-market segment and using the marketing mix to position themselves in order to meet the needs of their customers. Since marketing strategies enable management to achieve organisational objectives, and one of the main organisational objectives of Tesco and J Sainsbury is to make profits, it is evidently plausible to argue that the marketing strategies of the two companies enable them to increase their profits. Achieving organisational objectives requires a business to satisfy its customers’ needs, wants and demands (Jobber, 2010). This is exactly what marketing strategy in Tesco plc and J Sainsbury is all about. Tesco plc has customer focused marketing strategy implied by its mission and vision statements, as well as its dealings with customers in and out of their stores. One of Tesco’s missions is to provide customers with the best marketing trip. This simply means to satisfy customers with quality and variety of products, effective customer service, sustainable shopping environment, product price and availability of products. The company employs many employees to serve customers in order to improve the quality of service. This customer experience improves customer satisfaction and as a result increasing sales in the company. This leads to overall increase in profitability of the company. Other marketing strategies of Tesco include refreshing its stores for customers and staff, online marketing, international expansion, market development, and helping communities (Tesco, 2012). In terms of online marketing, Tesco has developed online transaction services which serve to improve the sales and consequentially the profitability of

Understanding the Economic Impact prior to Wells Fargo Foreclosures Essay

Understanding the Economic Impact prior to Wells Fargo Foreclosures - Essay Example As a result of the crisis, many institutions, including those that are not directly involved in lending collapsed while others merged to stabilize amidst the crisisIn 2007, United States was hit by financial crisis, which emanated from a crisis in the subprime real estate loans (commonly called subprime crisis). One of the financial institutions involved in mortgage lending that stood the crisis is Wells Fargo & company, although its rating dropped since 2007, in the light of the financial crisis. In response to the crisis, Wells Fargo & company and other companies increased foreclosure filings by 2008 to the highest record in historical. This paper provides an overview of the subprime lending industry and state the economy in Wisconsin just prior to subprime crisis and the Wells Fargo Foreclosures. Discussion Prior to 1980s, people in Wisconsin, US, had only two choices for obtaining a mortgage. According to Knapp (2010), one could obtain a home loan insured by either the Department of Veteran affairs or by the Federal Housing administration. Borrowers with good credits histories would typically obtain new loans from a bank, saving and loan or any other financial institution. Knapp (2010) elaborates that obtaining mortgage loans became much easier with the deregulation of the lending industries in the beginning of 1980. For instance, the monetary control act and the deregulation of the Depository institutions in 1980 removed the restrictions that imposed a ceiling on the interest rates charged on mortgage loans. One remarkable impact of the deregulation is that it led to the introduction of new mortgage loans, which included ‘adjustable rate mortgages that were particularly favorable to mortgage borrowers who had their credit profiles impaired. However, according to Knapp (2010), these events did not lead to an explosive growth in the mortgage industry until the securitization of mortgage loans in the late 1990s. The securitization option encouraged the majority of the existing mortgage lenders to adopt a new business model which Knapp (2010) refers to as â€Å"originate to distribute† business model. This new model required that the credit risk posed by the mortgages loans was not exclusively to be absorbed by the lending institutions. Rather, it was to be shared with other investors in the world who purchased the Mortgage-backed securities. Knapp (2010) further argues that by 2006, approximately one-fourth of all new mortgage loans in United States were made to subprime borrowers while the other ratio was securitized and sold to investors in the United States and around the world. The increased demand for high-yield mortgage-backed securities among investors, including institutions such as hedge funds institutions and large banks, led the lenders to ratchet up their marketing efforts. They then came up with new products, which were designed specifically for the sector of the mortgage market in order to persuade individuals who were deemed to be of high credit risks to obtain mortgage loans. Among the most popular of these products were the stated-income† and the â€Å"interest-only† mortgages. The stated-income loan required an applicant to simply report his or her annual income during the application process of the loan (Knapp, 2010). The lender depended on the applicant’s self reported income in the determination of the size of loan that one could afford. According to Knapp (2010), many applicants for the Stated-income loans grossly overstated their annual income so that they could purchase a larger home than was economically feasible given their actual incomes. An individual who obtained the Interest-only mortgage loan was required to pay interests on his

Kurds and the Debate over Stateless Nation Essay

Kurds and the Debate over Stateless Nation - Essay Example Among them, Kurds constitute the prominent group as the world’s most numerous people without a homeland. Kurds’ sovereignty has been the bone of contention in the Middle East over several decades between various interest groups including Turks and Arabs and also Britain, France, and US all with their own oil interests over the Northern Iraq, the autonomous region of Kurds. Given below is the list of some relevant sources which could give extensive information on the issue. 1. Gunter, Michael M. â€Å"KURDS: The state and kurds in turkey: The question of assimilation†.  The Middle East Journal,  (2008) 62(2): 344-346. This article is a very good secondary source that closely reviews the findings of Metin Heper, a distinguished Turkish professor of politics who has recently joined the intellectual debate over the Kurdish issue in Turkey. According to Gunter (2008), the basic theme of Heper’s book is that â€Å"the Turkish Republic has not sought to prom ote Turkish ethnic nationalism that would assimilate its ethnic Kurdish population†. Heper also points out that the Turkish stance on the issue that is ignoring the distinctiveness of Kurds’ ethnicity has been deliberate. However, Gunter points some aspects that Heper omitted in his book. For instance, â€Å"the fact that the Kurds came late to the idea of their Kurd-ish identity superseding their Ottoman and Islamic identity† cannot be undermined. Gunter refers to Hakan Ozoglu who has documented this idea in his book Kurdish Notables and the ottoman State: Evolving Identities. Besides, Gunter identifies several other areas where Heper flawed. As the author points out, Heper simply maintains that Turkey has been convincing itself that it did not try to assimilate the Kurds forcefully but only ‘tried to prevent their de-acculturation’. Altogether, Gunter makes a critical evaluation of Heper’s findings on the Turkish position on Kurdish issues. Undoubtedly, the review helps one to reflect on the multiple facets of the debate over Kurds’ nationalism instead of simply agreeing with the arguments raised by authors like Heper. 2. Olson, Robert. â€Å"KURDS: Kurdish notables and the ottoman state: Evolving identities, competing loyalties, and shifting boundaries†.  The Middle East Journal,  (2004) 58(2): 305-307. Olson’s review of Ozoglu’s work KURDS: Kurdish Notables and the Ottoman State: Evolving Identities is unique for its detailed description on the nature and origin of the Kurdish nationalism. The writer closely analyses the process of the evolvement of the modern states in terms of socio-political context and the extent to which they have assimilated the concept of ethno-nationalism and cultural identity. The book actually maintains a very different opinion about the Kurdish movement as compared to the ones proposed by Heper. According to the book, there was no Kurdish protonationalism in the late 19th century and in the early 20th century up to the end of WWII. Olson’s review makes the concept of Ozoglu much easier for researchers as he analyses the author’s arguments chapter by chapter giving specific focus to the way Kurdish nationalism is addressed in them. 3. Romano, David. â€Å"KURDS-kurdish politics in the middle east†.  The Middle East Journal,  (2010) 64(2): 311-312. This is another brilliant book review by Romano on the great work of Entessar (2010) Kurdish Politics in the Middle East. The reviewer has highlighted the author’s ability to simplify the complex and unseen aspects of the Kurdish issue. The book has gone very deep into the actual problems of the population including the Kurdish history and politics other than giving â€Å"

Why Is Water Important in Living Organisms Essay Example for Free

Why Is Water Important in Living Organisms Essay Water is very important in all living organisms, it is vital for many different things. Around 70% of our body weight is due to water. The quantity is high in organs such as lungs and brain and fluids such as blood, lymph, saliva and secretions by the organs of the digestive system. First of all water is vital in the regulation of body temperature to depending on the temperature mammals will alter the amount they sweat. If they are to warm the amount of seat will increase. Sweat reduces the body temperature because as it evaporates off the skin it cools the surface. If body temperature rises above 37 then enzymes will begin to not function properly and reactions will slow. This is because the enzymes are becoming denatured as their hydrogen bonds break and shape change. This is also relevant in plants. When water is evaporated of leaves of the plant it cools it in the same way. This is also important as plants need to be a certain temperatures so that. Plants need to be at the correct temperature so reactions take place at the fastest rate and so they grow as much as possible. This is especially important in crops and agriculture Also for plants to grow at the fastest possible rate they have to have the correct amount of water. Water is also important because without osmosis wouldn’t occur, so many important particles and nutrients wouldn’t be moved around the organism. An example of this is in the root hair cell. In the soil outside the root hair cell is a higher water potential than in the root. This is because the root hair cell has amino acids, minerals and sugars inside them. So water moves down the concentration gradient into the roots. The uptake of water in plant cells creates pressures against the rigid walls. This can also help non-woody plants stay upright. Water is pulled up the stem by transpiration pull which creates a negative pressure this causes the water molecules to stick together. Which is called cohesion tension theory. The water is transported up to the leaves and into the chlorophyll where it is used in photosynthesis. Other nutrients and molecules are transported by the water and used in different parts of the plant. Water is also used in the light dependent reaction of photosynthesis. Electrons are lost from the chlorophyll as they get excited and move done carriers. These electrons need to be replaced; this is done by the photolysis of water. The replacement of these electrons are provided from water molecules which are split using light energy. Water → protons + electrons + oxygen  As well as in plants water is important in the body. Water is the medium in which various enzyme and chemical reactions take place. It moves nutrients, hormones, antibodies and oxygen through the blood stream and lymphatic system. Also inside the body many larger molecules need to be broken down, water is used to do this. Polysaccharides are joined by glycosidic bonds. These can be broken by the process of hydrolysis, the addition of water. This splits the polysaccharides into monosaccharides. One reason this is done is so polysaccharides can be hydrolysied into soluble sugars. An example is Cellulose is first hydrolyzed to cellobiose by cellulase and then cellobiose is further hydrolyzed to glucose. Hydrolysis is an exothermic reaction. It gives off heat as it breaks the glycosidic bonds. This can be used to regulate body temperature, which is very important for the survival of mammals. If it is cold the amount of metabolic reactions will increase. Hydrolysis occurs in the early stage of respiration. Hydrolysis occurs in glycolysis. Energy is needed to activate glucose and energy comes from the hydrolysis of ATP to ADP. Water is vital for metabolic reactions. And if the body is kept at the correct temperature then many processes and reaction will not be carried out correctly. For example body temperature is 37. This is the optimum temperature for enzymes in the body. If that temperature drops the rate at which the reactions involving theses enzymes take place will drop as well.

Analysis and Comparison of Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi

Analysis and Comparison of Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi Summary Abstract The complete quality discussion of two organizations products are going to be discussed here. The products are diet-coke and diet Pepsi of soft drinks. The Diet Pepsi versus Diet Coke argues has been increasing in now days. The people are looking easiest way to fewer calories in their diet and fight against obesity in a meaningful way; the world largest soda companies are changing their diet brands.Iam going to give a report of coke and Pepsi company quality systems. Introduction of the Organization Coke-diet Diet coca-cola and Coca-cola light also Coke light is the other names of Diet Coke. This is a soft drink with sugar-free and introduced by the Coca cola Company which is located in United States of America. Diet Coke introduced on 9th of August, 1982 in the United States of America. Diet Coke contains some saccharin to extend shelf life. History of Diet-Coke 1982-Diet Coke-largest selling low calorie 1986-Diet cherry- American markets 1992-Diet Coke 10th anniversary 1997-Diet Coke changes its logo 2001-Diet Coke -lemon 2002-Diet Vanilla Coke 2004-Diet coke with lime 2005-Diet Coke with sweet splendid 2006-Diet Coke Black Cherry Vanilla 2007-Diet Coke Plus The slogan of Diet Coke Love it light Debate on Diet Coke Diet Coke distributed commonly with aspartame which has been noted as a toxic material by internet rumours and sensational media coverage. Finally aspartame is the best intensively scrutinized food actions .American medical association has been deemed it as well as World Health Organization. Quality systems of Coke Diet Coke has advanced plant control system and it was developed by Sumitomo metals. It is mainly constructed by two main control functions. That is, coal blending ration control system to accomplish target coke quality under the planned operating circumstances. Another one is coke oven temperature control system to achieve the target pushing-out coke temperature under the charged blended coal and coking time. The Diet Coke Quality is being controlled by the goal programming method and by using a theoretical coking model and an online coal dilatation sensor. Temperature of coke is being controlled by a heat transfer model in the coke chamber and a world class regulator based on an autoregressive model. Bottling of coke The strong bottling system developed that coca-cola company became the world-wide familiar brand it is today Market. Technology led to world economy, the seller who sold coke merged and evolved into global mega chains. So that like customer required a new approach. Result of that, coca cola introduced small and medium sized bottlers consolidated to better serve giant global customers. Coca cola Company encouraged and invested in many of bottler consolidations to assure that is largest bottling partners would have ability to lead the system in running with world retailers. Marketing Channel of Diet Coke The coca cola company has three primary delivery systems for its business channels, Huge delivery for the channels of big supermarkets and mass merchandisers and club stores Advanced sale delivery convenience stores and Drug stores and small supermarkets and on-premise fountain accounts. Coke-diet Supply Chain Coca cola company produces the concentrates and bottling partners manufacture and packaging as well distribute the product, coca cola suppliers used the include sugar ,citrus and coffee and kind of flavours, water (2008,coca cola). The ingredients for concentrate syrups are provided by the suppliers of those companies. The Coca Cola Company changed their supply chain system in 2004 to increase greater efficiencies (2004 Foley).The coca cola company had to spent the better part of a year gathering three business units in North America to create another more efficient integrated unit and which is streamlined information technology , obtainment process and supply chain actions (2004 Foley). Coca Cola Company had to change in 2006 when it was beginning deliver it products to Wal- mart Warehouses for the following complaints form wal mart those bottlers were not keeping those shelves stocked (2006-supplychannier.com). The coca cola company had to change their 100 year old operational approaches (2006-supplychannier.com). The world biggest singer bottler is coca cola Company in which the coke company have owned a 35% share. Coca cola Enterprises Coca Cola Company has achieved the first service delivery team to the coca cola quality system and ISO 9001:2001 (TCCQS). The globally recognised registrars have checked of ISO9001:2000 Of Coca cola TCCQS adopted the ISO policies and extended the well-structured core with their own specific business requirements. The continual act improvement to offer high quality service to consumers customers. Implication Needed The Complete management system required to enhance scope apart from manufacturing to frame closer running relationships with service providing functions and carry the coca cola company philosophy of whole customer refreshment and constant improvement. It needs a modernized, global structure reaching very quick implementation straightened to world standard. Quality Assurance of Coke To satisfy the world thirst, Coca Cola Company is making people enjoy 1.6 million supplying of our beverages. Coca Cola Company has a greater responsibility to every one of those people as well support life increasing experiences. Coke Company rule main product and cover quality attributes to make sure their beverage items in the marketplace confirmed company needs and consumer expectations. Coke products of consistency and reliability are being urgently important for its products to meet world regulatory needs and company standards. TCCMS for Coke The coca cola management system ensures (TCCMS) the cokes consistency and reliability and coca cola company system. The quality management system is integrated module, which sticks all of company operations system wide to the constant standards for manufacturing and distributing of coca cola beverages. TCCMS guides cokes products safety and quality by merging and aligning business and quality targets with constant metrics to control performance Strength of Coke-Diet Coke has internationally recognition Coke has strong brand name Coke has effective advertisement Coke has categorical taste Weakness of Coke Coke has health issues Coke can not stop certain gender by using it. Coke has not individuality. Revenues of Coke: The coca cola enterprises have earned $21.65billion with net income of $173 million in 2009 and in the quarter of 2010 Coke Company have earned $5.88 billion. Recommendations I would like to add few recommendations for Coca Cola Company and its industry. They are: Coke should stimulate healthcare and should ensure their products will not give any health problems to the consumers. Coke should improve the products what they have doing now so it will make satisfaction to their buyer. Coke should try to find ways for decreasing its prices without having cost problems. Coke must try to give new products that do not involve in beverages so it will increase its revenues. Pepsi-Diet Pepsi-Diet is a carbonated cola with fewer calories and introduced to the world in 1964 as variety of Pepsi drinks with free sugar. The current formula of Pepsi diet is artificial sweeteners aspartame. Pepsi is also known as Pepsi Light. It contains caffeine with amount of 35mg/12 fl oz. Different Flavours of Pepsi-Diet Wild cherry Vanilla Lemon Lime The Slogan  of Pepsi-Diet Light .Crisp. Refreshing Organizations and Background Pepsi produces major carbonated soft drinks and beverages also snack foods. Pepsi Cola Company is the division of beverage. It makes markets and bottles of famous brands of soft drinks in USA and worldwide. Pepsi also produces Aquafina bottled water also sport athletic drinks. Operations Quality in Pepsi Company Many of the sales are done the companys own straight line store distribution (DSD) systems, where they genuinely take the products to stores and place them on the shelf. These systems catch up hundreds of thousands of outlets, from the very small liquor stores to the powerful club store. The DSD systems supply the company the power to merchandise its products for maximum interest to consumers. Pepsi company is adjoin new platforms for growth, which strong the companys portfolio and increase its key important innovation potentiality For instance, January 2001 the company received most of the South Beach Beverage Company, whose So be line of drinks counts to the Pepsi-Cola portfolio some of the speed-growing brands in the fastest-growing segment of the industry, non-carbonated beverages. From another instance, is the aimed merger with the Quaker Oats Company, which is anticipate completing in the second quarter of 2001. This is without question the important step to make sure the bright future of growth for PepsiCo. The merger will form PepsiCo an even more talent competitor in the extending market for useful foods and beverages. It adds two very famous brands to its portfolio, Gatorade and Quaker, and makes new chances for each PepsiCo division. The joined enterprise will align among the worlds five biggest consumer product companies. Pepsi Company has got $383 million worth of goods and services from youth-owned and women-owned suppliers in the year of 2000. The Womens Business Enterprise National Council called the company among Americas Top Corporations for Womens Business Enterprise. Pepsi company young and women business improvement programs were ranked among the top-10 nationally by the National Minority Supplier Development Council. The company give supports conservation, recycling and energy utilize programs that advance clean air and water and reduce landfill. In 2009, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration named two more Pepsi Company facilities to its top STAR status as part of the agencies Voluntary Protection Program. Distribution Channel of Pepsi-Diet Strengths of Pepsi-Diet Pepsi has extensive product line and superior reputation. Collaboration of Quaker Oats produced coactions across the board. Pepsi Record revenues and increasing market share. Lack of capital forces (chance of large free cash flow). Great brands, strong distribution, innovative capabilities Number one maker of snacks, such as corn chips and potato chips Pepsi sells three products through the same distribution channel. For ex :Joining the production capabilities of Pepsi, Gatorade and Tropicana is a great opportunity to less costs, improve efficiency and smooth out the effect of seasonal variance in demand for particular product Failure of Pepsi -Diet Pepsi oppose to attract vision and direction for the global company. Pepsi is considerably away from leader Coca-cola in the global market demand is highly bouncy. Coke-Diet is the best competitor Fear of Pepsi-Diet Food Beverage department industry is mature. Pepsi is accused for pesticide residues in their products in one of their most possibility emerging market (India). Pepsi has competition with Cadbury Schweppes, Coca-Cola, and Kraft foods due to the broader product line, which are well-run and financially key competitors. Pepsi is a big company so which leads to demand various marketing programs. Achievements of Pepsi Pepsi Company bounces back its Pepsi Challenge advertising attack. Challenge includes Pepsi Diet and Diet Coke also regular cola. Pepsi associated with yahoo Inc., the world largest web navigation company, in a  multimedia marketing campaign target at teens and young adults. Tropicana, in a joint shared gamble with Galaxy Foods Co., bring forward an icy smoothie soy milk-and-fruit drink, made with juice, fruit puree along with soymilk and soy protein. Pepsi made water bottle branded with aquafina became the best-selling brand of single-serve bottled Water in US retail channels Timeline of achievements: Pepsi Company established Dole single-serve juices in vending machines, coolers  and other retail outlets throughout the United States of America in the year 2000. Pepsi introduced the brave new Mountain Dew Code Red nationwide in United Sates in year of 2001. Pepsi Company launched Pepsi-twist in the year 2001 which led to enter diet version of coke in the USA markets. Pepsi introduced in Italy as orange brand caller Miranda. Pepsi created Marathon Kids, a television program that encourages kids and their families  to be more physically active and it got huge success in world wide (2002). Pepsi Company introduces Sierra Mist nationally 2(003) PepsiCo introduces Get Active/Stay Active program (2003) Quaker Chewy launched Quaker Chewy Wholesome Favourites and Quaker  Chewy Trail Mix. (2003) Pepsi signed an exclusive four-year sponsorship deal with the Canadian  Hockey Association made Pepsi the official soft drink (2003) Pepsi announced four-year sponsorship bond with the UK Football  Association (2003). In 2004 Pepsi trademark turned 100 years old. In 2004 Pepsi Vanilla is launched in the United States. In 2004- Frito-Lay Introduced Doritos Black Pepper Jack Pepsi introduced Pepsi Edge, the first full-flavoured cola with 50% less sugar,  carbohydrates and calories than regular cola. In 2005 -PepsiCo Celebrates 40th Anniversary. In 2005 PepsiCo introduced Quaker Milk Chillers. In 2005 Tropicana introduced All Fruit Smoothies. In 2005 Frito-Lay Launches Quaker Oats in India. In 2005 Pepsi Foods Introduced Weight Control Instant Oatmeal. In 2005Pepsi Lime and Diet Pepsi Lime Lanced. In 2005 Tropicana Twister Soda introduced in April In 2005 PepsiCo international and Lipton came into agreement and introduced new Lipton Original Iced Tea and New Lipton Iced Tea. In 2005 Tropicana Fruit Wise Campaign introduced. PepsiCo Health Wellness Launches Everyday Smart Moves Magazine. In 2005 Pepsi Celebrated 20th Consecutive Super Bowl With New Diet Pepsi Campaign In 2006 Pepsi introduced Pepsi lemon in Peru In 2007 Pepsi made Fortune magazines 100 Best MBA Employers list. In 2007, Pepsi won two awards which was Best Environmental /Wildlife Campaign and Best Cause Marketing Event at Fifth Annual Cause Marketing Halo Awards. Revenues of Pepsi: In the year of 2009, Pepsi have earned $13.3 billion and it was increased of 4.7% form 2008 and in quarter of 2010, Pepsi have earned $9.4 billion. Comparison of Pepsi and Coke: Comparison COKE PEPSI Taste Original cola Little different with coke carbonation more less Marketing approach Coke side of life Hot stuff Advertisings Models Christina Aguilera Britney Spears Key revenues Carbonated drinks Non carbonated drinks World wide share high low Global foot print high low Diversified product offering high low Quarterly Earnings $5.88 billion $9.4 billion Product delivery Service delivery Performance Friendly service with customer Features Speed Reliablity Accuracy of information Conformance Technical knowledge Durability Quality of customer service Serviceability Control and access over dealings with staff Safety Flexible Recommendation to act Innovation and changes and competitions There are 6 steps to analyze the quality of an organization and improvement, Identify the product you create the service Identify the customers for our product Identify strategic target Describe the process for offering service Error -proof the process and delete waste Make sure continuous improvement by calculating, researching and controlling the improvement process. To measure the quality operations, Management must need to set and monitor company targets for continuous improving the process of operation. Identify the following things to measure quality operations, Customer paying for the product Shareholders in the company giving the service Employees working to make the service Suppliers providing the materials to produce the service Benchmarking Analysis Planning determine and indentify critical factor as well critical advantages Analysis know the best practices within the company Response- identify performance measures, current capacity and goals Monitor-construct understanding process of company at all level Improve-review and adjust benchmark Indicatation of assignment I have noticed from above assignment research past many years coke company stock significantly surpassed Pepsi. Really from 2005 cokes stock price was 35% gain while Pepsi was 3% gain. If you consider dividend payments, coke had to deliver a 52% return to investors and Pepsi was 13%. In this decade, most of them on Wall Street believe that the situation is now turning in supporting of Pepsi. Cokes market cap is now 33% greater than Pepsis (eDividendStocks.com). Pepsi now gives over 40% more incomes than coke and coke and Pepsi both offering same dividend gains of 3%. Coke trades at 16* unity 2010 earnings calculation and Pepsi company shares less than 15* 2010 eps unities. As long as both coke and Pepsi continue to benefit form resumption in consumer spending, it shows that coke and Pepsi has very good fundamentals. Conclusion Based on above research, Pepsi surpassed coke with more diversified operational managements systems and Pepsi does better growth potential and more attractive valuation. Coke should stimulate healthcare and should ensure their products will not give any health problems to the consumers and Pepsi should find ways to less price of its product by their effective operations. Operation management of Pepsi company is very effective than coke so that Pepsi Diet sells in market very well. Coca Cola Company should review their distribution channel in emerging countries by doing that they can make more revenues.

George C. Marshall :: essays research papers

	George C. Marshall was born on December 31, 1880, in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in 1901 and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant. During World War I he was stationed in France and won acclaim for his direction of the Meuse-Argonne offensive. Before the offensive, Marshall was responsible for; the withdrawal of 200,000 men, and replacing them with 600,000 American soldiers, making sure that there were hospitals to treat the sick and wounded, moving more than 3,000 cannons and 40,000 tons of ammunition, all the while hiding these movements from the Germans by moving only at night. 	After World War I he was a high-level aide to General John J. Pershing. Prior to the outbreak of World War II he progressed steadily from assistant chief-of-staff of the U.S. Army (July, 1938) to deputy chief of staff (October, 1938), to chief of staff the following year. In 1944, Marshall was promoted to General of the Army. He spent a year in China in 1945-46 as President Truman's representative, attempting to bring about a peaceful resolution to the conflict between the nationalists and the communists. 	As Secretary of State from 1947 to 1949, he developed an economic program, the Marshall Plan, to help bring relief to war torn nations in Europe. The plan stipulated that the United States war prepared to assist Europe on certain terms. The European countries were to (1) Confer and Determine their needs on a continental basis; (2) show what resources they could put into a common pool for economic rebuilding; (3) stabilize their currencies; and (4) try to remove trade barriers so that goods could flow freely throughout the continent. With the assistance of the Marshall Plan, Western Europe began to recover from the ravages of war. Marshall's effort to include the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe in this grand design was rejected by Moscow. As Western Europe rebuilt, Europe was divided both economically and ideologically, and conflicting politics soon laid the ground for "The Cold War". When it became evident that the gap between Eastern and Western Europe would not be bridged, and that the Western European states feared for their safety, Marshall was one of the leaders who created the North Atlantic Treaty Organization which has ensured the security of the West. The establishment of NATO in 1949 achieved a balance of power in Europe that endured until the end of the Cold War.

The Return: Midnight Chapter 17

Meredith and Matt were sitting at the breakfast table, which seemed sadly empty without Bonnie. It was amazing how much space that slight body had seemed to fil , and how much more serious everyone was without her. Meredith knew that if Elena had done her best, she could have offset it. But she also knew that Elena had one thing on her mind above al others, and that was Stefan, who was stricken with guilt for al owing his brother to abduct Bonnie. And meanwhile Meredith knew that both she and Matt were feeling guilty too, because today they would be leaving the other three, even if only for the evening. They each had been summoned home by parents who demanded to see them for dinner. Mrs. Flowers clearly didn't want them to feel too badly. â€Å"With the help you've given, I can make our urns,†she said. â€Å"Since Matt has found my wheel – â€Å" â€Å"I didn't exactly find it,†Matt said under his breath. â€Å"It was there in the storage room al the time and it fel on me.† † – and since Meredith has received her pictures – along, I'm sure, with an email from Mr. Saltzman – perhaps she could get them enlarged or whatever.† â€Å"Of course, and show them to the Saitous, too, to make sure that the symbols say the things we want them to,†Meredith promised. â€Å"And Bonnie can – â€Å" She broke off short. Idiot! She was an idiot, she thought. And, as a hunter-slayer, she was supposed to be clear-minded and at al times maintain control. She felt terrible when she looked at Matt and saw the naked pain in his face. â€Å"Dear Bonnie wil surely be home soon,†Mrs. Flowers finished for her. And we al know that's a lie, and I don't have to be psychic to detect it, Meredith thought. She noticed that Mrs. Flowers hadn't weighed in with anything from Ma ma. â€Å"We'l al be just fine here,†Elena said, final y picking up the bal as she realized that Mrs. Flowers was looking at her with ladylike distress. â€Å"You two think we're some kind of babies who need to be taken care of,†she said, smiling at Matt and Meredith, â€Å"but you're just babies too! Off you go! But be careful.† They went, Meredith giving Elena one last glance. Elena nodded very slightly, then turned stiffly, mimicking holding a bayonet. It was the changing of the guard. Elena let Stefan help her clean up the dishes – they were al letting him do little things now because he looked so much better. They spent the morning trying to contact Bonnie in different ways. But then Mrs. Flowers asked if Elena could board up the last few of the basement windows, and Stefan couldn't stand it. Matt and Meredith had already done a far more dangerous job. They'd hung two tarps from the house's ridgepole, each one hanging down one side of the main roof. On each tarp were the characters that Isobel's mother put on the Post-it Note amulets she always gave them, painted at an enormous scale in black paint. Stefan had been al owed only to watch and give suggestions from the widow's walk above his attic bedroom. But now†¦ â€Å"We'l nail up the boards together,†he said firmly, and went off to get a hammer and nails. It wasn't real y such a hard job anyway. Elena held the boards and Stefan wielded the hammer and she trusted him not to hit her fingers, which meant that they got on very quickly. It was a perfect day – clear, sunny, with a slight breeze. Elena wondered what was happening to Bonnie, right now, and if Damon was taking care of her properly – or at al . She seemed unable to shake off her worries these last days: over Stefan, over Bonnie, and over a curious feeling that she had to know what was going on in town. Maybe she could disguise herself†¦ God, no! Stefan said voicelessly. When she turned he was spitting out nails and looking both horrified and ashamed. Apparently she'd been projecting. â€Å"I'm sorry,†he said before Elena could get the nails out of her mouth, â€Å"but you know better than anyone why you can't go.† â€Å"But it's maddening not knowing what's happening,†Elena said, having gotten rid of her nails. â€Å"We don't know anything. What's happening to Bonnie, what state the town's in – â€Å" â€Å"Let's finish this board,†Stefan said. â€Å"And then let me hold you.† When the last board was secure, Stefan raised her from the lower embankment where she was sitting, not bride-style, but kid-style, putting her toes on top of his feet. He danced her a little, whirled her a couple of times in the air, and then nabbed her coming down again. â€Å"I know your problem,†he said soberly. Elena looked up quickly. â€Å"You do?†she said, alarmed. Stefan nodded, and to her further alarm said, â€Å"It's Love-itis. Means the patient has a whole slew of people she cares about, and she can't be happy unless each and every one of them is safe and happy themselves.† Elena deliberately slipped off his shoes and looked up at him. â€Å"Some more than others,†she said hesitantly. Stefan looked down at her and then he took her in his arms. â€Å"I'm not as good as you,†he said while Elena's heart pounded in shame and remorse for ever having touched Damon, ever having danced with him, ever having kissed him. â€Å"If you are happy, that's al I want, after that prison. I can live; I can die†¦peaceful y.† â€Å"If we're happy,†Elena corrected. â€Å"I won't tempt the gods. I'l settle for you.† â€Å"No, you can't! Don't you see? If you disappeared again, I'd worry and fret and fol ow you. To Hel if I had to.† â€Å"I'l take you with me wherever I go,†Stefan said hastily. â€Å"If you'l take me with you.† Elena relaxed slightly. That would do, for now. As long as Stefan was with her she could stand anything. They sat and cuddled, right under the open sky, even with a maple tree and a clump of slender waving beeches nearby. She extended her aura a little and felt it touch Stefan's. Peace flooded into her, and al the dark thoughts were left behind. Almost al . â€Å"Since I first saw you, I loved you – but it was the wrong kind of love. See how long it took me to figure that out?†Elena whispered into the hol ow of his throat. â€Å"Since I first saw you, I loved you – but I didn't know who you real y were. You were like a ghost in a dream. But you put me straight pretty quickly,†Stefan said, obviously glad that he could brag about her. â€Å"And we've survived – everything. They say long-distance relationships can be pretty difficult,†he added, laughing, and then he stopped, and she could feel al his faculties fixed on her suddenly, breath stopping so he could hear her better. â€Å"But then, there's Bonnie and Damon,†he said before she could say or think a word. â€Å"We have to find them soon – and they'd damn well better be together – or it had better have been Bonnie's decision to part.† â€Å"There's Bonnie and Damon,†agreed Elena, glad that she could share even her darkest thoughts with someone. â€Å"I can't think about them. I can't not think about them. We do have to find them, and very fast – but I pray that they're with Lady Ulma now. Maybe Bonnie is going to a bal or gala. Maybe Damon is hunting with that Black Ops program.† â€Å"As long as nobody's real y hurt.† â€Å"Yes.†Elena tried hard to tuck herself closer to Stefan. She wanted to – be closer to him, somehow. The way they had when she had been out of her body and she had just sunk into him. But of course, with regular bodies, they couldn't†¦ But of course they could. Now. Her blood†¦ Elena real y didn't know which of them thought of it first. She looked away, embarrassed at even having considered it – and caught the tail end of Stefan looking away too. â€Å"I don't think we have the right,†she whispered. â€Å"Not to – be that happy – when everyone else is miserable. Or doing things for the town or for Bonnie.† â€Å"Of course we don't,†Stefan said firmly, but he had to gulp a little first. â€Å"No,†Elena said. â€Å"No,†Stefan said firmly, and then right in the middle of her echoing â€Å"no,†he went and pul ed her up and kissed her breathless. And of course, Elena couldn't let him do that and not get even. So she demanded, Stillbreathless, but almost angry, that he say â€Å"no†again, and when he did it she caught him and kissed him. â€Å"You were happy,†she accused a moment later. â€Å"I felt it.† Stefan was too much of a gentleman to accuse her of being happy because of anything she might do. He said, â€Å"I couldn't help it. It just happened by itself. I felt our minds together, and that made me happy. But then I remembered about poor Bonnie. And – â€Å" â€Å"Poor Damon?† â€Å"Well, somehow I don't think we need to go so far as to cal him ‘poor Damon.'But I did remember him,†he said. â€Å"Well done,†Elena said. â€Å"We'd better go inside now,†Stefan said. And then hastily, â€Å"Downstairs, I mean. Maybe we can think of something more to do for them.† â€Å"Like what? There's not a thing I can think of. I did meditation and Attempt to Contact by Out-of-Body Experience – â€Å" â€Å"From nine thirty to ten thirty A.M.,†Stefan said. â€Å"And meanwhile I was trying al frequency telepathic cal s. No response.† â€Å"Then we tried with the Ouija board.† â€Å"For half an hour – and al we got was nonsense.† â€Å"It did tel us the clay was coming.† â€Å"I think that was me bumping it toward ‘yes.'† â€Å"Then I tried to tap into the ley lines below us for Power – â€Å" â€Å"From eleven to around eleven thirty,†Stefan recited. â€Å"While I tried to go into hibernation to have a prophetic dream†¦.† â€Å"We really tried hard,†Elena said grimly. â€Å"And then we nailed the last few boards up,†Stefan added. â€Å"Bringing us to a little after twelve thirty P.M.† â€Å"Can you think of a single Plan – we're down to G or H now – that might al ow us to help them any more?† â€Å"I can't. I just honestly can't,†Stefan said. Then he added, hesitantly, â€Å"Maybe Mrs. Flowers has some housework for us. Or† – even more hesitantly, testing the waters – â€Å"we could go into town.† â€Å"No! You're definitely not strong enough for that!†Elena said sharply. â€Å"And there's no more housework,†she added. Then she threw everything to the wind. Every responsibility. Every rationality. Just like that. She began to tow Stefan to the house so they could get there quicker. â€Å"Elena – â€Å" I'm burning my bridges! Elena thought stubbornly, and suddenly she didn't care. And if Stefan cared she would bite him. But it was as if some spel had suddenly come over her so that she felt she would die without his touch. She wanted to touch him. She wanted him to touch her. She wanted him to be her mate. â€Å"Elena!†Stefan could hear what she was thinking. He was torn, of course, Elena thought. Stefan was always torn. But how dare he be torn about this? She turned around to face him, blazing. â€Å"You don't want to!† â€Å"I don't want to do it and then find out I've Influenced you into it!† â€Å"You were Influencing me?†shouted Elena. Stefan threw out his hands and yel ed, â€Å"How can I know when I want you so much?† Oh. Well, that was better. There was a little glitter in Elena's side-eye and she looked at it and realized that Mrs. Flowers had quietly shut a window. Elena darted a glance at Stefan. He was trying not to blush. She doubled over, trying not to laugh. Then she stood on his shoes again. â€Å"Maybe we deserve an hour alone† – dangerously. â€Å"A whole hour?†Stefan's conspiratorial whisper made an hour sound like eternity. â€Å"We do deserve it,†Elena said, enthral ed. She began to tow him again. â€Å"No.†Stefan pul ed her back, lifted her – bridal-style – and suddenly they were going straight up, fast. They shot up three stories and a little more and landed on the platform of the widow's walk above his room. â€Å"But it's locked from inside – â€Å" Stefan stomped on the trapdoor – hard. The door disappeared. Elena was impressed. They floated down into Stefan's room amid a shaft of light and motes of dust that looked like fireflies or stars. â€Å"I'm a little nervous,†Elena said. She heeled her sandals off and slid out of her jeans and top and into bed†¦only to find Stefan already there. They're faster, she thought. As fast as you think you are, they're always faster. She turned toward Stefan in the bed. She was wearing a camisole and underwear. She was scared. â€Å"Don't,†he said. â€Å"I don't even have to bite you.† â€Å"You do so. It's al that weird stuff about my blood.† â€Å"Oh, yeah,†he said, as if he'd forgotten. Elena would bet that he hadn't forgotten a word about her blood†¦al owing vampires to do things they couldn't otherwise. Her life energy gave them back al their human abilities, and he wouldn't forget that. They're smarter, she thought. â€Å"Stefan, it's not supposed to be like this! I'm supposed to parade in front of you in a golden negligee designed by Lady Ulma, with jewels by Lucen and golden stilts – which I don't own. And there are supposed to be scattered flower petals on the bed and roses in little round bubble bowls and white vanil a candles.† â€Å"Elena,†Stefan said, â€Å"come here.† She went into his arms, and let herself breathe in the fresh smel of him, warm and spicy, with a trace of rusty nails. You're my life, Stefan told her silently. We're not going to do anything today. There's not much time, and you deserve your golden negligee and your roses and candles. If not from Lady Ulma, from the finest Earth designers that money can provide. But†¦kiss me? Elena kissed him wil ingly, so glad that he was wil ing to wait. The kiss was warm and comforting and she didn't mind the slight taste of rust. And it was wonderful to be with someone who would provide exactly what she needed, whether that was a slight mind probe, just to make her feel safer, or†¦ And then sheet lightning hit them. It seemed to come from both of them at once, and then Elena involuntarily clamped her teeth on Stefan's lip, drawing blood. Stefan locked his arms around her, and barely waited for her to back off a little, before deliberately taking her lower lip in his own teeth and†¦after a moment of tension that seemed to last forever†¦biting down hard. Elena almost cried out. She almost then and there unleashed the Still-undefined Wings of Destruction on him. But two things stopped her. One, Stefan had never, ever hurt her before. And, two, she was being drawn into something so ancient and mystical that she couldn't stop now. A minute of finessing and Stefan had the two little wounds aligned. Blood surged from Elena's bleeding lip and, in direct connection with Stefan's less serious wound, caused a backflow. Her blood into his lip. And the same thing happened with Stefan's blood; some of it, rich with Power, rushed into Elena. It wasn't perfect. A bead of blood swell ed and stood gleaming on Elena's lip. But Elena couldn't have cared less. A moment later the bead dropped down into Stefan's mouth and she felt the sheer staggering power of how much he loved her. She herself was concentrating on one single tiny feeling, somewhere in the center of this storm they'd cal ed up. This kind of exchange of blood – she was sure as she could be – this was the old way, the way that two vampires could share blood and love and their souls. She was being drawn into Stefan's mind. She felt his soul, pure and unconstrained, swirling around her with a thousand different emotions, tears from his past, joy from the present, al open without a trace of a shield from her. She felt her own soul lift to meet his, herself unshielded and unafraid. Stefan had long ago seen any selfishness, vanity, over-ambition in her – and forgiven it. He'd seen al of her and loved al of her, even the bad parts. And so she saw him, as darkness as tender as rest, as gentle as evensong, wrapping black protective wings around her†¦ Stefan, I†¦ Love†¦I know†¦ That was when someone knocked on the door.