Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 14

Chapter 14 Meanwhile, back at the hotel room, Raziel has given up his hopes to be a professional wrestler and has resumed his ambition to be Spider-Man. He made the decision after I pointed out that in Genesis, Jacob wrestles an angel and wins. In short, a human defeated an angel. Raziel kept insisting that he didn't remember that happening and I was tempted to bring the Gideon Bible in out of the bathroom and show him the reference, but I've just started reading the Gospel of Mark and I'd lose the book if the angel found out about it. I thought Matthew was bad, skipping right from Joshua's birth to his baptism, but Mark doesn't even bother with the birth. It's as if Joshua springs forth full grown from the head of Zeus. (Okay, bad metaphor, but you know what I mean.) Mark begins with the baptism, at thirty! Where did these guys get these stories? â€Å"I once met a guy in a bar who knew a guy who's sister's best friend was at the baptism of Joshua bar Joseph of Nazareth, and here's the story as best as he could remember it.† Well, at least Mark mentions me, once. And then it's totally out of context, as if I was just sitting around doing nothing and Joshua happened by and asked me to tag along. And Mark tells of the demon named Legion. Yeah, I remember Legion. Compared to what Balthasar called up, Legion was a wuss. I asked Balthasar if he was smitten with me,† Joshua said over supper. â€Å"Oh no,† said Joy. We were eating in the girls' quarters. It smelled really good and the girls would rub our shoulders while we ate. Just what we needed after a tough day of studying. â€Å"You weren't supposed to let him know we were on to him. What did he say?† â€Å"He said that he'd just come off of a hard breakup and he wasn't ready for a relationship because he just needed to spend a little time getting to know himself, but that he'd love it if we could just be friends.† â€Å"He lies,† said Joy. â€Å"He hasn't had a breakup in a hundred years.† I said, â€Å"Josh, you are so gullible. Guys always lie about stuff like that. That's the problem with your not being allowed to know women, it means you don't understand the most fundamental nature of men.† â€Å"Which is?† â€Å"We're lying pigs. We'll say anything to get what we want.† â€Å"That's true,† said Joy. The other girls nodded in agreement. â€Å"But,† said Josh, â€Å"the superior man does not, even for the space of a single meal, act contrary to virtue, according to Confucius.† â€Å"Of course,† said I, â€Å"but the superior man can get laid without lying. I'm talking about the rest of us.† â€Å"So should I be worried about this trip he wants me to take with him?† Joy nodded gravely and the other girls nodded with her. â€Å"I don't see why,† I said. â€Å"What trip?† â€Å"He says we'll only be gone a couple of weeks. He wants to go to a temple at a city in the mountains. He believes that the temple was built by Solomon, it's called the Temple of the Seal.† â€Å"And why do you have to go along?† â€Å"He wants to show me something.† â€Å"Uh-oh,† I said. â€Å"Uh-oh,† echoed the girls, not unlike a Greek chorus, except of course they were speaking Chinese. In the week leading up to Joshua and Balthasar's departure, I managed to talk Pea Pods into taking on a huge risk during her shift in Balthasar's bed. I picked Pea Pods not because she was the most athletic and nimble of the girls, which she was; nor because she was the lightest of foot and most stealthy, which she was also; but because she was the one who had taught me to make bronze castings of the Chinese characters that were the mark of my name (my chop), and she could be trusted to get the most accurate impression of the key that Balthasar wore on the chain around his neck. (Oh yes, there was a key to the ironclad door. Joy had let it slip where Balthasar kept it, but I was sure that she was too loyal to him to steal it. Pea Pods, on the other hand, was more fickle in her loyalties, and lately I had been spending a lot of time with her on and off.) â€Å"By the time you return, I'll know what's going on here,† I whispered to Joshua as he climbed onto his camel. â€Å"Find out what you can from Balthasar.† â€Å"I will. But be careful. Don't do anything while I'm gone. I think this trip, whatever it is that we are going to see, has something to do with the house of doom.† â€Å"I'm just going to look around. You be careful.† The girls and I stood at the top of the plateau and waved until Joshua and the magus, leading the extra camel loaded with supplies, rode out of sight, then, one by one, we made our way down the rope ladder to the passageway in the cliff's face. The entrance to the passageway, and the tunnel for perhaps thirty cubits, were just wide enough for one man to pass through if he stooped, and I always managed to bruise an elbow or a shoulder along the way, which allowed me to show off my ability to curse in four languages. By the time I got to the chamber of the elements, where we practiced the art of the Nine Elixirs, Pea Pods had the small furnace stoked to a red heat and was adding ingots of brass to a small stone crucible. From the wax impression we had made a wax duplicate of the key, from that we'd made a plaster mold, which we'd fired to melt out the wax. Now we'd have one chance to cast the key, because once the metal cooled in the plaster mold, the only way to release it was to break off the plaster. When we broke off the mold Pea Pods held the end of what looked like a brass dragon on a stick. â€Å"That's some key,† I said. The only locks I'd ever seen were big bulky iron boys, nothing elegant enough for a key like this. â€Å"When are you going to use it?† asked Pea Pods. Her eyes went wide like those of an excited child. Times like that I almost fell in love with her, but fortunately I was always distracted by Joy's sophistication, Pillow's maternal fussing, Number Six's dexterity, or any one of the other charms that were heaped upon me daily. I understood completely Balthasar's strategy to keep from falling in love with any one of them. Joshua's situation, on the other hand, was harder to figure, because he enjoyed spending time with the girls, trading stories from the Torah for legends of the storm dragons and the monkey king. He said that there was an innate kindness born in women that he'd never seen in a man, and he liked being around them. His strength in resisting their physical charms astounded me perhaps even more than the other miraculous things I'd seen him do over the years. I couldn't relate to the act of raising someone from the dead, but turning down a beautiful woman, that to ok courage beyond my understanding. â€Å"I'll take it from here,† I said to Pea Pods. I didn't want her to be involved any further in case things didn't turn out well. â€Å"When?† asked Pea Pods, meaning when would I attempt to open the door. â€Å"Tonight, when you have all gone to live in the world of pleasant dreams.† I tweaked her nose affectionately and she giggled. It was the last time I ever saw her in one piece. At night the halls of the fortress were lit by the ambient light from the moon and the stars that filtered in from the windows. Everywhere we went we carried a clay oil lamp which made the serpentine curves of the passageways seem even more like the inside of a huge creature as they swallowed up the dim orange light. After several years with Balthasar, I could find my way through the main living quarters of the fortress without any light at all, so I carried an unlit lamp with me until I had passed the girls' quarters, stopping at the beaded doorway to listen for their gentle snores. Once I was well away from the girls' door, I lit my lamp using one of the fire sticks that I'd invented using some of the same chemicals we used to make the explosive black powder. The fire stick made a soft pop as I struck it on the stone wall and I could swear I heard it echo from the hall up ahead. As I made my way to the ironclad door I could smell burning brimstone and I thought it strange that the smell of the fire stick had stayed with me. Then I saw Joy standing by the door holding an oil lamp and the charred remains of the fire stick she'd used to light it. â€Å"Let me see the key,† she said. â€Å"What key?† â€Å"Don't be foolish. I saw what was left of the mold in the room of the elements.† I took the key from where I'd tucked it in my belt and handed it to Joy. She examined it by lamplight, turning it this way and that. â€Å"Pea Pods cast this,† she said matter-of-factly. â€Å"Did she take the impression as well?† I nodded. Joy didn't seem angry, and Pea Pods was the only one of the girls skilled enough in metallurgy to have done the casting, so why deny it? â€Å"Getting the impression must have been the hard part,† Joy said. â€Å"Balthasar is fierce about guarding this key. I'll have to ask her what she did to distract him. Could be a good thing to know, huh? For both of us.† She smiled seductively, then turned toward the door and pushed aside the brass plate that covered the keyhole. In that second I felt as if a frozen dagger had been dragged over my spine. â€Å"No!† I grabbed her hand. â€Å"Don't.† I was overcome with a feeling of revulsion that wrenched my insides. â€Å"We can't.† Joy smiled again and pushed my hand away. â€Å"I have seen many wondrous things since I came here, but there has never been anything that was harmful. You planned this, you must want to know what is in here as much as I do.† I wanted to stop her, I even tried to take the key away from her, but she grabbed my arm and pushed into a pressure point that made my whole left side go numb. She raised an eyebrow as if to ask, â€Å"Do you really want to try that, knowing what I can do to you?† And I stepped back. She put the dragon key into the lock and turned it three times. There was a clicking of machinery finer than anything I had ever heard, then she withdrew the key and shot the three heavy iron bolts. As she pulled the door open there was a rush of air, as if something had moved by us very quickly, and my lamp went out. Joshua told me what had happened later and I put the timing together myself. As Joy and I were opening the room they called the house of doom, Joshua and Balthasar were camped in the arid mountains of what is now Afghanistan. The night was crisp and the stars shone with a cold blue light like loneliness or infinity. They had eaten some bread and cheese, then settled in close to the fire to share the last of a flask of fortified wine, Balthasar's second that evening. â€Å"Have I told you of the prophecy that sent me in search of you when you were born, Joshua?† â€Å"You spoke of the star. My mother told me of the star.† â€Å"Yes, the three of us followed that star, and by chance we met up in the mountains east of Kabul and finished the journey together, but the star wasn't the reason we went, it was only our means of navigation. We made the journey because each of us was looking for something at the end.† â€Å"Me?† Joshua said. â€Å"Yes, but not just you, but what it is said was brought with you. In the temple where we travel now, there lies a set of clay tablets – very old – the priests say that they date back to the time of Solomon, and they foretell the coming of a child who will have power over evil and victory over death. They say he will carry the key to immortality.† â€Å"Me? Immortality? Nope.† â€Å"I think you do, you just don't know it yet.† â€Å"Nope, I'm sure,† said Joshua. â€Å"It's true that I have brought people back from the dead, but never for very long. I've gotten better at healing over the years, but my back-from-the-dead stuff still needs work. I need to learn more.† â€Å"Which is why I have taught you, and why I am taking you to the temple now, so you may read the tablets yourself, but you must have the power of immortality within you.† â€Å"No, really, I haven't a clue.† â€Å"I am two hundred and sixty years old, Joshua.† â€Å"I've heard that, but I still can't help you. You look good though, I mean for two hundred and sixty.† At this point Balthasar started to sound desperate. â€Å"Joshua, I know that you have power over evil. Biff has told me of you banishing demons in Antioch.† â€Å"Little ones,† Joshua said modestly. â€Å"You must have power over death as well or it does me no good.† â€Å"What I am able to do comes through my father, I didn't bargain for it.† â€Å"Joshua, I am preserved by a pact with a demon. If you do not have the powers foretold in the prophecy I will never be free, I will never have peace, I will never have love. Every minute of my life I must have my will focused on controlling the demon. Should my will fail, the destruction would be unlike anything the world has ever seen.† â€Å"I know how it is. I'm not allowed to know a woman,† Joshua said. â€Å"Although it was an angel that told me, not a demon. But still, you know, it's hard sometimes. I really like your concubines. The other night Pillows was giving me a back rub after a long day of studying, and I started getting this massive – â€Å" â€Å"By the Golden Tenderloin of the Calf!† Balthasar exclaimed, leaping to his feet, his eyes wide with terror. The old man began loading his camel, thrashing around in the darkness like a madman. Joshua was following him, trying to calm him down, fearing he might have a fit any second. â€Å"What? What?† â€Å"It is out!† the magus said. â€Å"Help me pack up. We must go back. The demon is out.† I stood cringing in the dark, waiting for disaster to fall, for mayhem to reign, for pain and pestilence and no good to manifest, then Joy struck a fire stick and lit our lamps. We were alone. The iron door hung open into a very small room, it too lined with iron. The entire room was just big enough to contain a small bed and a chair. Every span of the black iron walls was inlaid with golden symbols: pentagrams and hex symbols and a dozen others I had never seen before. Joy held her lamp close to the wall. â€Å"These are symbols of containment,† Joy said. â€Å"I used to hear voices coming from in here.† â€Å"There was nothing in here when I opened the door. I could see in the second before the lamp blew out.† â€Å"Then what blew it out?† â€Å"The wind?† â€Å"I don't think so. I felt something brush me as it passed.† Just then someone in the girls' quarters screamed, then a chorus of screams joined in, primal screams of absolute terror and pain. Instantly Joy's eyes filled with tears. â€Å"What have I done?† I took her sleeve and dragged her down the passage toward the girls' quarters, snatching up two heavy lances that were supporting a tapestry as we passed and handing one to her. As we rounded the curves I could see an orange light ahead and soon I could see that it was fire blazing on the stone walls from broken oil lamps. The screaming was reaching a higher pitch, but every few seconds a voice was removed from the chorus, until there was only one. As we approached the beaded doorway into the concubines' chamber the screaming stopped and a severed human head rolled in front of us. The creature stepped through the curtain, oblivious to the flames that licked the walls around it, its massive body filling the passageway, the reptilian skin on its shoulders and its tall pointed ears grating against the walls and ceiling. In its talonlike hand it held the bloody torso of one of the girls. â€Å"Hey, kid,† it said, its voice like a sword point dragged across stone, a yellow light coming from behind its dinner-plate-sized cat's eyes, â€Å"it took you long enough.† As they rode back to the fortress, Balthasar explained to Joshua about the demon: â€Å"His name is Catch, and he is a demon of the twenty-seventh order, a destroyer angel before the fall. As far as I could tell, he was first called up to assist Solomon in building the great temple, but something got out of hand and with the help of a djinn, Solomon was able to send the demon back to hell. I found the seal of Solomon and the incantation for raising the demon almost two hundred years ago in the Temple of the Seal.† â€Å"Oh,† Joshua said, â€Å"so that's why they call it that. I thought it had something to do with one of the barky sea animals.† â€Å"I had to become an acolyte and study with the priests there for years before I was allowed access to the seal, but what is a few years against immortality. I was given immortality, but only so long as the demon walks the earth. And as long as he is on earth he must be fed, Joshua. That's the curse that goes with being this destroyer's master. He must be fed.† â€Å"I don't understand, he feeds on your will?† â€Å"No, he feeds on human beings. It is only my will that keeps him in check, or it was until I was able to build the iron room and put golden symbols on the wall that would hold the demon. I've been able to keep him in the fortress I made him build for twenty years now, and it has been some respite. Until then he was with me every minute, everywhere I went.† â€Å"Didn't that attract enemies to you?† â€Å"No. Unless he is in his eating form, I am the only one who can see Catch. In his noneating form he's small, the size of a child, and he can do little harm (except for being incredibly irritating). When he feeds, however, he's fully ten cubits tall, and he can tear a man in half with the swipe of his claw. No, enemies are not a problem, Joshua. Why do you think there are no guards at the fortress? In those years before the girls came to live there, some bandits attacked. What happened to them is legend now in Kabul, and no one has tried since. The problem is that if my will were to fail, he would be set loose again on the world as he was in the time of Solomon. I don't know what could stop him.† â€Å"And you can't send him back to hell?† Joshua asked. â€Å"I can with the seal and the right incantation, which is why I was going to the Temple of the Seal. Which is why you are here. If you are the Messiah predicted in Isaiah, and on the clay tablets in the temple, then you are the direct descendant of David, and therefore Solomon. I believe that you can send the demon back and keep me from suffering the fate of his return.† â€Å"Why, what happens to you if he is sent back to hell?† â€Å"I will assume the aspect of my true age. Which I would guess, by this time, would be dust. But you have the gift of immortality. You can stop that from happening.† â€Å"So this demon from hell is loose, and we are returning to the fortress without the Seal of Solomon or this incantation to do exactly what?† â€Å"I hope to bring him back under control of my will. The room has always held him before. I didn't know, I truly didn't know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Know what?† â€Å"That my will had been broken by my feelings for you.† â€Å"You love me?† â€Å"How was I to know?† The magus sighed. And Joshua laughed here, despite the dire circumstances. â€Å"Of course you do, but it is not me, it's what I represent. I am not sure yet what I am to do, but I know that I am here in the name of my father. You love life so much that you would brave hell to hold on to it, it's only natural that you would love the one who gave you that life.† â€Å"Then you can banish the demon and preserve my life?† â€Å"Of course not, I'm just saying that I understand how you feel.† I don't know where she found the strength, but the diminutive Joy came from behind me and hurled the heavy lance with as much power as any soldier. (I felt my own knees starting to buckle in the face of the demon.) The bronze tip of the lance seemed to find its way between two of the monster's armored chest scales and drove itself a span deep under the weight of the heavy shaft. The demon gasped, and roared, opening his massive maw to show rows of saw-edged teeth. He grabbed the shaft of the lance and attempted to pull it out, his huge biceps quivering with the strain. He looked sadly down at the spear, then at Joy, and said, â€Å"Oh, foul woe upon you, you have kilt me most dead,† then he fell back and the floor shook with the impact of his huge body. â€Å"What'd he say, what'd he say?† Joy asked, digging her nails into my shoulder. The demon had spoken in Hebrew. â€Å"He said that you killed him.† â€Å"Well, duh,† said the concubine. (Strangely enough, â€Å"duh† sounds exactly the same in all languages.) I had started to inch forward to see if anyone was still alive in the girls' quarters when the demon sat up. â€Å"Just kidding,† he said. â€Å"I'm not kilt.† And he plucked the spear from his chest with less effort than it might take to brush away a fly. I threw my own lance, but didn't wait to see where it hit. I grabbed Joy and ran. â€Å"Where?† she said. â€Å"Far,† I said. â€Å"No,† she said, grabbing my tunic and jerking me around a corner, causing me to nearly coldcock myself on the wall. â€Å"To the cliff passage.† We were in total darkness now, neither one of us having thought to grab a lamp, and I was trusting my life to Joy's memory of these stone halls. As we ran we could hear the demon's scales scraping the walls and the occasional curse in Hebrew as he found a low ceiling. Perhaps he could see in the dark somewhat, but not a lot better than we could. â€Å"Duck,† Joy said, pushing my head down as we entered the narrow passage that led to the cliff above. I crouched in this passage the way the monster had to crouch to move in the normal-sized halls and I suddenly realized the brilliance of Joy's choice in taking this route. We were just seeing the moonlight breaking in through the opening in the cliff's face when I heard the monster hit the bottleneck of the passage. â€Å"Fuck! Ouch! You weasels! I'm going to crunch your little heads between my teeth like candied dates.† â€Å"What'd he say?† asked Joy. â€Å"He says that you are a sweet of uncommon delicacy.† â€Å"He did not say that.† â€Å"Believe me, my translation is as close as you want to the truth.† I heard a horrible scraping noise from inside the passage as we climbed out on the ledge and up the rope ladder to the top of the plateau. Joy helped me up, then pulled the ladder up behind us. We ran to the stable where the camel saddles and other supplies were normally kept. There were only the three camels that Joshua and Balthasar had taken, and no horses, so I couldn't figure out why we were taking the time to stop until I saw Joy filling two water skins at the cistern behind the stable. â€Å"We'll never make it to Kabul without water,† Joy said. â€Å"And what happens when we make it to Kabul? Can anyone there help? What in the hell is that thing?† â€Å"If I knew, would I have opened that door?† She was remarkably calm for someone who had just lost her friends to a hideous beast. â€Å"I guess not. But I didn't see it come out of there. I felt something, but nothing that size.† â€Å"Act, Biff, don't think. Act.† She handed me a water skin and I held it in the cistern, trying to listen for the sound of the monster over the bubbles as it filled. All I could hear was the occasional bleating of the goats and the sound of my own pulse in my ears. Joy corked her water skin, then went about opening the pig and goat pens, shooing the animals out onto the plateau. â€Å"Let's go!† she shouted to me. She took off down the path toward the hidden road. I pulled the water skin from the cistern and followed as quickly as I could. There was enough moonlight to make traveling fairly easy, but since I hadn't even seen the road in daylight, I didn't want to try to negotiate its deadly cutbacks at night without a guide. We had almost made the first leg of the road when we heard a hideous wailing and something heavy landed in the dust in front of us. When I could get my breath again I stepped up to find the bloodied carcass of a goat. â€Å"There,† Joy said, pointing down the mountainside to something moving among the rocks. Then it looked up at us and there was no mistaking the glowing yellow eyes. â€Å"Back,† Joy said, pulling me back from the road. â€Å"Is that the only way down?† â€Å"That or diving off the edge. It's a fortress, remember – it's not supposed to be easy to get in and out of.† We made our way back to the rope ladder, tossed it over the side, and started down. As Joy made it to the ledge and ducked into the cave something heavy hit me on the right shoulder. My arm went numb with the impact and I let go of the ladder. Mercifully, my feet had tangled in the rungs as I fell, and I found myself hanging upside down looking into the cave entrance where Joy stood. I could hear the terrified goat that had hit me screaming as it fell into the abyss, then there was a distant thump and the screaming stopped. â€Å"Hey, kid, you're a Jew, aren't you?† said the monster from above. â€Å"None of your business,† I said. Joy grabbed the ladder and pulled me inside the cave, ladder and all, just as another goat came screaming past. I fell on my face in the dust and sputtered, trying to breathe and spit at the same time. â€Å"It's been a long time since I've eaten a Jew. A good Jew sticks to your ribs. That's the problem with Chinese, you eat six or seven of them and in a half hour you're hungry again. No offense, miss.† â€Å"What'd he say?† Joy asked. â€Å"He says he likes kosher food. Will that ladder hold him?† â€Å"I made it myself.† â€Å"Swell,† I said. We heard the ropes creak with the strain as the monster climbed onto the ladder.

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Transform an Organisation into a learning organisation - Essay Example What is really meant by this definition has usually been clarified by offering a list of the various elements of a learning organisation. In other words, a learning organisation is defined via the existence of organisational conditions that favour learning per se. NORDEF is a Defence communication provider; it began making equipment for strategic defence communications systems in Australia in 1988. The company has come a long way since initial conception, remaking itself as a major defence communication provider, a change that hasn't gone unnoticed. NORDEF was recently called the poster boy for companies making the transition into the new economy. Major changes began at NORDEF when James Plant, the company's current president and chief executive, took office in 1997. He saw that the marketplace of defence communications was shifting from a traditional line based technology to sensor to shooter, or satellite based systems. The trick was figuring out how to speed up the process of getting new products and services into the defence market so NORDEF could keep ahead of the fast-paced defence orientated procurement world. In the past, it often took as long as 10-15 years to complete a research and procured developed project to actual in-service us age. Pedler, Burgoyne and Boydell's (1991) model of a lea... Processes for Transformation The literature regarding learning organisations is largely prescriptive in nature and proposes how organisations should be designed and managed in order to promote effective learning. Pedler, Burgoyne and Boydell's (1991) model of a learning organisation is seemingly the most penetrative of the competing models and probably has therefore become the most popular and widely referred-to model in recent literature. This is the area where theory building has clearly reached the point of synergetic models. There are 11 characteristics of a learning organisation identified in this model and even though these traits are organized differently, they also appear as similar ideas to the five main disciplines': mental models, shared vision, personal mastery, team learning and systems thinking -- which form the foundation of the learning organisation' according to Senge (1990). According to Pedler, Burgoyne and Boydell (1991), learning approaches to strategy and participative policy-making are closely connected to policy- and strategy-forming processes referring to the sharing of involvement in these processes. Information systems, formative accounting and control systems, internal exchange of information and reward flexibility are elements within the organisation that may either be a help or hindrance to learning. Equally important factors are enabling structures with loosely structured roles and temporary departmental and other boundaries which create opportunities for individual and business development. The ability to learn by benchmarking in external relationships by using boundary workers and to promote inter-company learning by engaging in a number of

Business Operations and Systems Literature review

Business Operations and Systems - Literature review Example It was one of the first chief oil firms to openly declare the necessity to protect the environment through minimization of greenhouse gases emission. BP has main listing on the London Stock Exchange and is a component of FTE 100 index. As of December 2011, the market capitalization stood at ? 87.1 billion making it rank fourth largest of any firm quoted on the London Stock Exchange (BP, 2012; p. 2). New York Stock Exchange has the secondary listings of the firm. The success of the firm is instrumentally motivated by the kind of operational strategies used by the management of BP. Power and capabilities have been effective in the firm in the development of world market for its products among other oil firms. As mentioned earlier, the firm operates in all the six continents globally within 100 States. The primary objective of the firm has been to drill and locate oil in various parts of the world. Other main functions have been to explore and produce crude oil and natural gas, refining of crude oil, market distribution and hauling and manufacture of petrochemicals. The firm has also considered producing solar power. Therefore, the tactical management of operations can be seen as instrumental in the success of the firm. As one of the greatest petrochemical and oil production company the firm has considered to specialize in exploration and production of gas, supply of the petroleum products and production and distribution of various chemicals. Currently, the firm has rapid modification of its outside market as the firm has highly regarded itself as contemporal learning organization, which is obliged to be reactive and adaptive to the high technology in the... The business can make use of this in their interior operations that can be applied to consignees, distributors and stakeholders. The process of payment or status of the cargo or consignment can be easily received thus providing an efficient channel for replenishment of stock at the right time. This technology can be used to assist the firm in minimizing the risks associated with the inventory management and maximization of sales through reduction of life cycles of the products. Furthermore, competitive advantage can easily be achieved considering the fact that there is an easy order-entry procedure and reduced paper work. Even though there are apparent benefits for companies and development of these operational management systems, there are still some observable challenges. Therefore, the firm’s management must be in a position to guarantee the obstacles can be handled with care to avoid loopholes in the system. What’s more, it is observable that the status of economy c an trigger British Petroleum to consider using all their arsenals in delivering products and services to various segments of the global market. The application of operational business management approach can help make more efficient the business assortment of the firm.

Health Risks Associated with VOC's and are Alternative Compounds Essay

Health Risks Associated with VOC's and are Alternative Compounds Readily Avaialable in Residential Building Use - Essay Example ompounds are gasoline, formaldehyde, benzene, and solvents such as toluene, xylene and tetra-chloroethylene, which is the main solvent used in drycleaning.(www.toxtown.nlm.nih.gov). Volatile Organic Compounds used in building materials are frequent indoor air pollutants. According to Meininghaus et al (2000), certain materials that are present indoors can function as buffers which may reduce the peak concentrations but prolong the presence of the compounds in the air. A two flow system was used in this study to allow direct observation of mass flow across materials. The results in this study showed that diffusion through materials can reduce the room air concentrations, which can affect ventilation requirements. However, VOC levels in indoor air is an important issue of indoor air pollution because most humans spend an average amount of 90% of their time indoors.(Klepeis et al, 2001). Studies show that concentrations of VOCs are typically higher indoors than outdoors and building characteristics can influence the relevant levels.(Wallace, 2001). VOCs are an important category of indoor and outdoor pollutant, although they do not last as long outside because they are easily broken down by microorganisms and sunlight. However, die to their ubiquitous nature, VOCs from indoor sources such as chloroform, p-dichlorobenzene, d-limonene, ÃŽ ±- and ÃŽ ²-pinene are associated with long term health risks.(Pratt et al 2000; Woodruf et al 1998). While the cumulative risks that accrue from long term exposure to multiple VOCs remains indeterminate, the Eleventh Report on Carcinogens which is published by the National Toxicology program identifies damages to the liver, kidneys and the central system in the long term (www.toxtown.nlm.nih.gov). Studies have also shown that several types of cancers as well as cardiovascular and neurological diseases have been reported as adverse health effects of exposure to VOC, either through inhalation or through the presence of VOC’s in

Boys N the Hood Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Boys N the Hood - Movie Review Example Explanation Problems in getting jobs, provocative behaviors in the society and lawless constitutional processes can have detrimental effects on the lives of youth especially of the black people in the American society. This phenomenon is increasing and flourishing in America and it is named as â€Å"America Blaxploitation† in the article Ghettos and Barrios. The movie named â€Å"Boys n the hood† always depicts the same issues taking place in Lon Angeles by showing a boy who got stuck in the criminal gangs of the streets which have nothing to do except for street robberies and fights with the thugs and taking revenge. The theme of the movie is to show that there is no end to the violence and street fighting. The swift ghettoization of the American society is giving emergence to cities within cities and there a lack of write of government. Many of the youth are compelled to join the street clubs as depicted in the movie. In the movie, the child who left her mother and ca me to the father with an intention of a good prospect and future was unable to do so initially because of the bad company. The company compelled him to join the fighting clubs and criminal gangs in the name of â€Å"negro rights†. There is an increasing feeling of deprivation among the black community in America because the governments are not working according to the constitution and the racism is increasingly getting effective day by day. The criminal gangs are making â€Å"city within a city† and he gives the root cause behind this problem as jobless communities and young people who are in search of fame and good career but unable to do so. The movie reflects the urban ghetto cultures which are filled with violence, drugs gentrification due to many problems in real life and anxieties in the society. It was an effort to surface the problem of grave magnitude on the big screen in order to gain the attention of the masses and show them the real happenings in the main s tream cities of America like Los Angeles. It does not only portray the problems of the black rather it also gave a solution to the problem. At the end of the movie, it is shown that if any person wants to avoid the violence and fight, he can do that by simply educating himself in the alignment of the contextual backgrounds of the society. Statements on the big screen of the movie as â€Å"one out of twenty black American gets murdered† and Doughboy (a character in the movie who is into excessive violence and drugs) saw his brother being buried in front of his eyes and he also gets murdered some days ago tries to magnify the effects of mass murdering and negro problems in the American society. According to William Julius Wilson, in the post war scenario, the exodus of the white non poor population from the neighborhoods of the African American people caused great segregations and classification among the society and there were no efforts from the governments to bridge this gap . As a result, the ghetto places felt a feeling of deprivation and they took the method of getting the needs by force rather than by debate and knowledge (McWhorter, 73). Conclusion The segregation and racism can only be depleted in the American s

Medical beliefs of pre-literate and pre-historical peoples made little Research Paper

Medical beliefs of pre-literate and pre-historical peoples made little logical sense - Research Paper Example The societies in the past believed in supernatural and natural ways of curing and treating diseases. This means that, some diseases were believed to originate from supernatural evil spirits, sorcery or gods while others were believed to originate from the society (Lalita, 1984, p. 80). The medicine men in those days believed that the evil spirits were fabricated by sorcerers, and this could hamper a person’s body and result to illness. This spirits could only be removed from a person through the skull and not from any other body organ because they believed that the spirits were held in the brains. Among many other treatments done to the people possessed by the spirits, ‘Shaman’- the medicine man was supposed to trephine the skull (Edited Guide Entry, 2001). Today, anthropologists have developed an intimate understanding of the beliefs, that the society could not invent medicines and drugs to cure and heal the diseases. This is because the treatment of the diseases was not based on body tests of the sick, but from the beliefs. This made the victims to be subjected to treatments that they did not deserve, and hence was a serious threat to their survival. Some treatments like trepanning, which involved drilling of holes into the human skull to expose the ‘dura mater’, are extremely crucial to the anthropologists and scientists. They can clearly understand the era or the human evolution stage and hence understand the number of years that the place was inhabited. However, such practices have been used as a benchmark for developing safe human skull surgery by scientists (Dayrit et al, 2003, p. 89). From the studies done in the past by the anthropologists, it is evident that different ailments and diseases that were common in the prehistoric period are not prevalent today. Diseases like osteoarthritis were caused by lifting heavy materials, which

Should the Meji Restoration be considered a revolution What were its Essay

Should the Meji Restoration be considered a revolution What were its consequences - Essay Example A number of reasons havce been put forward to justify that the Meiji Restorations was a revolution. Some of the justifications include the fact that the Meiji Restoration helped in ending the Tokugawa shogun while returning the Emperor to the Japanese central politics and culture. Law reports that the Meiji ‘revolution’ as some call it, also saw Japan change the way it relates with foreigners2. In this regard, he notes that after the restoration, Japan became more confident and home and ready to encounter the world for whatever cause. The restoration also helped in transforming Japan to a very powerful nation in the Asian continent both economically, politically and socially, all of which justifies that the Meiji Restoration was indeed a revolution. Law notes that, before the restoration of Japan, the Japanese people were under the control of the Tokugawa clan3. As a result, the Tokugawa clan control all the social, economic and political affairs of the country. However, it is reported that the Tokugawa rulers used to oppress the people of Japan, thereby denying Japan the opportunity of making any meaningful development. Therefore, with the emergence of Kurobune, Commodore Perry in the 1850s accompanied by other barbarians, a strong opposition to the Edo began in earnest4. Sonnu joi’s henchmen through the â€Å"Revere the emperor and repel the barbarians,† realized the inability of Shogun to remove the barbarians as a big opportunity to ‘restore’ the prominence of Kyoto once again according to Law5. Reports indicate that the most angered of all by the Shoguns were the ‘men of spirit’ or shishi as they are commonly referred to as in Japanese language. The shishi are said to be a segment of the samurai clan and are very aggressive in pursuing their objectives even it means using force. Law reveals that as the opposition was continuing to mount against the Tokugawa clan, another more opposition started to stir u p6. This time the Chosu, Satsuma and the han clans began mobilizing their troops for the war. This resulted in the emergence of a revolution slogan â€Å"Enrich the country, strengthen the army† of the young Toshimichi Okubo of the Satsuma clan7. It is reported this move is what culminated in the emergence of the Maiji era. Law reports that the opposition armies soon began to modernize towards the end of the Shogunate, a move that continued even after the Meiji. Intense war continued between the opposition forces and the Tokugawa clan that had been under the control of Japan. However, since the opposition forces were more organized and appeared to have superior weapons than Tokugawa, then soon managed to topple Tokugawa in a coup de tat on January 3 1868, marking the end of their rule8. It was immediately after toppling the Tokugawa clan from power that the opposition legitimized the â€Å"Revolution† but instead adopted the term â€Å"Meiji Restoration†9. In th is regard, the Meiji Restoration meant taking away rule from the Shogunate and taking it back to the Emperor, whose name was Meiji. Significance/Consequences of Meiji Restoration Meiji Restoration is highly regarded as a historical event that helped in transforming Japan to what it is today. In this regard, it has a lot of significance as far as the history the revolution of Japan is concerned. Firstly, the restoration leadership transformation from the Shogunate to the Emperor, which was remarkable as far as the history of Japan is concerned. This saw the rule change hand from the feudalist to a more democratic system of government for the people10. We are also told

Micronutrien metabolism past and present (synthesis of vitamin A from Essay

Micronutrien metabolism past and present (synthesis of vitamin A from beta carotene) - Essay Example In addition, the evolution of the recommended dietary intakes of vitamin A will be discussed. Elmer V. McCollum and M. Davis discovered vitamin A during 1912-1914. In 1913, Yale researchers, Thomas Osborne and Lafayette Mendel discoveredthat butter contained a fat-soluble nutrient soon known as vitamin A. Scientist of this era had determined that there was vitamin A activity from yellow pigmentation in plants that was similar to the yellow in butterfat. Early researchers went on to deny the possibility of a relationship between yellow coloration in plants and vitamin A activity based on findings from Palmer and Eccles, 1914. Palmer and Eccles achieved success in rearing chickens and rats up with diets almost devoid of carotene. In addition, Stephenson [1920] found that butter fat could be completely stripped of color by charcoal without losing its retinol activity. It was not until 1929 when the link between carotene and vitamin A activity was reestablished. Thomas Moore in 1929 continued research between carotene and vitamin A activity in rats from carrot root. In Moore's experiment test rats were fed a vitamin A restricted diet until definite signs of deficiency become obvious, Xerophthalmia (night blindness) and slowed growth. Fresh carrot root cut into pieces of 50, 100 or 200 mg. were added to the rodents daily intake. In all rats receiving 200 or 100 mg. of carrot xerophthalmia was cured and steady growth was resumed. In one rat receiving 50 mg. of carrot no response was observed. In addition, the experiments carried out by Moore in 1929 (T, 1929) confirmed the appearance of vitamin A in liver upon the oral dose of carotene. It was assumed that conversion occurred in the liver but direct evidence to prove the fact was not known. In 1931, the first claim of the conversion "in vitro" was brought into account from experiments by Olcott and McCann. They incubated carotene in an enzyme preparation, carotenase, for 24 hours. The product of this experiment became colorless with an absorption band at 3280 under specrspoic examination. The results of this experiment were not duplicated in subsequent procedures when the carotenase had been deactivated by heat. There was evidence that carotene went through some sort of enzymatic process but the specifics were still unknown. Since the early 1900's much has evolved in our knowledge of how -carotene is converted into vitamin A. Olson JA in 2008 discussed the Provitamin A of carotenoids with respects to the conversion of -carotene into vitamin A. Two pathways have been suggested for the conversion of carotenoids to vitamin A in mammals, central cleavage and eccentric cleavage. -carotenoid-15-15-dioxygenase convert -carotene into two molecules of retinal in good yield. The reaction requires molecular oxygen but, is inhibited by sulphydryl-binding and iron binding reagents. This enzyme is responsible for cleavage of most provitamin A carotenoids to retinal. The excentric cleavage occurs in plants and some microorganism and might also occur in mammals. In Microcystis species, there is a highly specific and essential stochiometric conversion of -carotene to cyclocitral and to crocetin-dial. But, till this report was published no mammalian carotenoid dioxygenase with excentric bond specificity was identified an d characterized. The

Pop Culture Essay Example for Free

Pop Culture Essay Throughout, history popular culture has been a common factor in everyday life. The identity of popular culture is seen through many elements of art. It was derived from artifacts and styles of human expressions developed from the creativity of ordinary people, and circulate among people according to their interests, preferences, and tastes. For example, music, fashion, people, stereotypes, and social rituals all play a role in the development of what is known today as pop culture society. These elements have shape society to behave and think a certain way, all in which are seen to have a more negative impact to the public rather than promote positive influences. Moreover, we will examine three main elements of popular culture that affect the American culture on a day to day basis. â€Å"Stereotypes, social rituals, and arts are all elements of popular culture that have been adopted and appeals to large masses of people, normally the middle class citizens† . Thus, popular culture comes from people; it is not just given to them. This perspective tears away at distinctions typically made between producers and consumers of cultural material. According to Webster stereotypes are oversimplified opinion, prejudiced attitude, or uncritical judgment. For example, â€Å"people develop conceptions about certain groups of people because of what we see on television and use these generalizations in everyday life, such as Gender and where the media portrays ones masculinity and femininity† 2. Stereotypes can be seen with real or imaginary people or objects. For example, real icons such as expensive cars can be portrayed as a person being wealthy with luxury. Imaginary icons are things such as Bat mobiles or spaceships that are seen as a â€Å"warp speeding icon expressing in truly magical ways- faster than light travel, to demonstrate power beyond discovery† 3. Other real or imaginary stereotypes are heroes. For instances, Martin Luther King Jr. is a known for leading many Americans to freedom from slavery and racism. On the hand, Superman is an imaginary hero that saves the world from danger. These stereotypes have shaped America’s beliefs to be based on judgments of their own opinions as opposed to the truth. Social Rituals consist of â€Å"highly patterned symbolic events in which we all participate as a way of marking important passages in our individual lives or in society as a whole† 4. For example, holidays such as Christmas which is only celebrated by some who believe in decorating and exchanging gifts for the birth of Jesus Christ. However, others prefer not to engage in certain holidays or activities. Moreover, rituals integrate with heroes and icons that are built from a base structure of hierarchy. For example, voting is a common social ritual that plays a significant role in many American’s life. After voting, many constituency wear clothing to symbolize their heroic effort or support for the candidate they endorsed. Art is one the largest rooms of pop culture with a vast and diverse amount of subdivisions. Art includes; magazines, movies, television, recordings, comic books and others. Art correlates with all forms of pop culture and its affects with society. For example, books discuss heroes, icons, stereotypes, people, myth, beliefs and values. All of these elements interact with one another and result in moving to another room that leads to other possibly subcategories. Thus, arts are group together based upon shared characteristics which are known to both popular artist and the audience. Pop Culture is a trend that many learn about through film, media, music, people, fashion and others. These trends can sometime have a negative effect on the way society may behave or act to certain situations. For instances, many people use stereotypes to judge others or relate their lives to those individuals. In addition, others use heroes whether they are real or imaginary to compare and contrast their way of living. On the other hand, there are other elements of pop culture that make up these special trends. For example, social rituals is another element that allows people to express themselves based on their belief, things such as holidays, voting, and weddings. Lastly, Art is the element of diversity it relates to all subcategories of pop culture, within these categories all elements interact and form other elements.

A Very Indian Poem in English Essay Example for Free

A Very Indian Poem in English Essay Nissim Ezekiel is one of those Indian poets writing in English who creates an authentic flavor of India, by his use of Indian English Pidgin English on Bazar English, as it is often called. In this poem, the Indian flavor has been created by stressing the various mistakes which Indians commit in their use of English, by bringing in the hopes and aspirations of free India, and also the attitudes of her two hostile neighbors, China and Pakistan. Poetic Inspiration for the Poem: It all started as a comment by a friend who said that you write in English no doubt and you write English well but you dont seem to even know or realise that thousands of Indians speak what can only be called Indian English, So from that time in all his train journeys from Mithibai College back home, he started to take some interest in the way English was being spoken on the train. Every time he heard an obvious Indian English phrase like, Im not knowing only. he would take it down. When he had about a thousand of these, he thought of creating this present poem. The Indian Living Conditions: Ezekiel presents that the new generation is going after fashion and foreign things. He presents the typical Indian make up. The Indian living conditions are sought to be portrayed. The India of yester years is no longer to be seen here, as modernization and industrialization have speeded up the process of change. The regrettable thing in the modern world is the act of violence and anti – social tendencies proving to be a menace. Still the positive aspects like regeneration, remuneration and contraception could be thought of as a way out of the present muddle. One can certainly hope for the better and propagate the best that is thought as unique. Ancient Indian Wisdom: In the second stanza, the readers get a peep into things Indians as Gandhis heir, he would opt for peace and non violence. He is puzzled why others are not following Gandhis advice while in this estimate, the ancient Indian wisdom is correct, contrastively the modern generation takes it to whatever is western and fashionable like other Indians, he too has to improve his English language. The student interest and petty agitations make him feel sickening line Antonys appeal to the Roman mob, he will call upon the fellow citizens to think of the past masters. Thus in the third stanza, he pronounces, In order to get away from that which is disgusting, he wants to have a cup of wine which is very good for digestion. It can be taken as equivalent to the western wine if only a little salt is added to make it a lovely drink. The poet confesses that he is the total abstainer from drinks while it is taken by addicts to gunch themselves, he for his part would turn to simple drinks like lassi. Thus, the poet tries to receive the old Gandhian days. The World Situation Today: In the fourth stanza, the poet is able to think aloud and offer his comments on the world situation today. The present conditions all over the world speak of a bad trend that give an edge to the production of dangerous weapons and try to be superior to others. The countries of the world often tie with each other in keeping themselves ahead of others in this mad competitive world. This retrace often leads to conflicts resulting in loss of precious human lives. If only one considers the other as the brother; the trend could be changed. Unity in Diversity: India is a land where the principle of unity in Diversity is practiced. Here many communities live together even though there are some problems. This ideal situation in which one Co-exists with the other is described as Ram Rajya by the poet. He gives the hand of friendliness to the visitor and expects him to come again. The poet is optimistic when he says that he enjoys every moment of good company. So, he ends the poem by saying that he does not feel the necessity of celebrating ceremonies. Common Mistakes ‘highlighted’ in the Poem: Substrate influence on grammar is quite common. It is often frowned upon as wrong, but eventually becomes a regular part of the new language variant. The Patriot contains a number of Indian English examples: the reduplication of verbs in fighting fighting, the lack of indefinite and definite articles in threw stone at Indirabehn and all people of world, the use of one instead of the indefinite article a in one glass lassi, the excessive use of the definite article the in not that I am ever tasting the wine, the excessive use of the continuous tense (the -ing form) in I am standing for peace and non-violence, the omission of an obligatory object pronoun in modern generation is neglecting (instead of neglecting this) etc. Again, this is a satirical poem rather than a genuine example of Indian English, but the phenomena exemplified are genuine enough. Conclusion: Nissim Ezekiel occupies a unique position among Indo-Anglian poets of post-Independence era. Nissim opposed the idealism and romanticism of the earlier group of Indian writers in English, and tried to look at any typical Indian situation with an Indian attitude, with a novel and dynamic Indian insight. He cleverly manipulated Indian English to bring out the Indian worldview. Thus Ezekiel uses Indian English, or Babu Angrezi in his poetry to depict the characteristics of Indian attitude. He used irony as a weapon to depict the characteristic features of Indian attitude.

Effects of the Environment on Exxon Mobil Corporation

Effects of the Environment on Exxon Mobil Corporation Oil and gas industry has already become one of the leading industries in the world. The company that has significant role and makes vast amount of profit from energy industry is Exxon Mobil Corporation. History. Exxon Mobil Corporation or also known as Exxon Mobil is an American international petroleum and natural gas company, which was created in 1999. Company has an extensive history for about 125 years. It has had history since 1870, the year when John D. Rockefeller and his partners established Standard Oil Company. This company was very successful for thirty years and by the year 1878, it was controlling 95% of US the oil industry (Wikipedia, Exxon Mobil, 2010). Nevertheless, with public protest at a culmination in 1911, the Supreme Court of the United States decided to divide one big company into 34 small companies. Two of these companies were Jersey Standard and Socony, which finally became Exxon and Mobil. In 1998, these companies signed an agreement, which cost $73.7 billion , in order to merge and create a new company called Exxon Mobil Corporation. The merger was completed on November 30, 1999 and this corporation became the largest company on the planet (Wikinvest, Stock-XOM, 2010) Products. Exxon Mobil produces fuels, lubricants and petrochemicals worldwide. Company operates in three main categories such as upstream, downstream and chemicals. Upstream operations are important part of a company, which are involved in the exploration along with production of oil and natural gas. Exxon Mobils upstream sector earned $17 billion in 2009, which means 88.1% of 2009 earnings (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, 2009 ) Downstream sector is involved in the refining as well as marketing of oil and natural gas. It makes 9.3% of profit with $1.8 billion in 2009 year. (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, 2009) Chemicals division uses oil to produce and sell commodity petrochemicals and earned $2.3 billion, which made 11.9% of profit in 2009. (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, 2009 ) Exxon Mobil Corporation operates with three brands such as Exxon, Esso and Mobil. All these brands are well known around the world, because there are 28,000 Exxons and Essos service stations in 118 countries. As for Mobil brand, it can be example of motor oil Mobil 1, which is also popular in Uzbekistan. (Corporate Watch, 2008) Market share. According to Global 2000 list of Forbes, the company has been ranked #4 between largest public companies in the world (Forbes, 2010). In addition, it is #1 in oil and gas industry in United States, which produces about 3% of the worlds oil and 2% of the world energy sources(Exxon Mobil, 2010). Exxon Mobils net income was $19.3 billion and its total revenue was $310.58 billion in 2009 (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, p 2009). In contrast with previous years it is much less, as in 2008 the net income of company was $45.2 billion and total revenue exceeded $459.6 billion (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, p 2009). It can be said that economic crisis influenced companys profit significantly, but in spite of this challenges, company continuing working hard and improving the quality of its products. The results of hard work can be seen from the average of daily production that was 170 thousand barrels of oil and 149 million cubic feet of sales gas in 2009 (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, p 2009). In third quarter of 2010, Exxon Mobil reported that earnings during quarter were $7,350 million, up 55% in comparison with the third quarter in 2009 (Exxon Mobil, 3rd quarter report, p 2010). Company size. The size of the company can be seen from the number of employees and sectors around the world. Exxon Mobil has approximately 80,700 employees in 77 countries (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, 2010) and also it has 15 operating divisions such as: ExxonMobil Exploration Company ExxonMobil Development Company ExxonMobil Production Company ExxonMobil Gas and Power Marketing Company ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company ExxonMobil Refining and Supply Company SeaRiver Maritime ExxonMobil Fuels Marketing Company ExxonMobil Lubricants Specialties Company ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company ExxonMobil Chemical Company ExxonMobil Information Technology Global Real Estate and Facilities Global Procurement Business Support Centers (Wikipedia, Exxon Mobil, 2010) Company Location. The main center of operations of the company is located at Irving in Texas. The upstream and chemical divisions of Exxon Mobil are at Houston in Texas, while the downstream division is placed in Fairfax in Virginia (Exxon Mobil, 2010). Effect of Economic Environment Economic growth. Economic growth is one the main factors that can affect companys revenue and expenditure. Exxon Mobil Corporation is very influenced by economic conditions in United States. In the third quarter of 2010, economic conditions in USA were slightly high than it was in the second quarter. The Gross Domestic Product rate expended at 2.5 percent and this lead to increasing of product demand of Exxon Mobil (Trading Economics, 2010). Due to higher demand for oil, earnings of company in this district were $7.4 billion, up 55% from third quarter of 2009 (Exxon Mobil Financial and Operating Report, 2009). Income level of population. Population is very important aspect of every industry and its income level have an effect on product prices. For instance, median income of population in the United States for 2009 year was $49,777 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010) and this changed prices for crude oil. In 2009, price for per barrel of oil was about $45.88 (Oil Prices, 2010). However, due to significant changes in economy in 2010 year crude oil price averaged roughly $78 per barrel (Oil prices, 2010) Interest rate. The standard interest rate in the United States was 0.25 percent for 2010 and rate decisions were divided between the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve and the Federal Open Market Committee (Trading economics, 2010). For Exxon Mobil Corporation global oil demand is expected to increase by almost 35% until 2030, which will make huge profits for the company (Exxon Mobil, 2010) 2 Inflation. Inflation rate is also one of the factors that can actively have an effect on product prices. The last report about inflation rate in United States was made in October of 2010 and the rate was 1.2 percent (Trading Economics, 2010). As it can be seen from the table above, the inflation rate is decreasing in United States in 2010 year. These fluctuations can slightly change the price for gasoline. As an example we can look into the history, during The First World War price for gasoline was $0.25 per gallon (Trading Economics, 2010). However, due to inflation rate in 2001 the price of gasoline has averaged about $2.00 per gallon in inflation-adjusted dollars over the last 80 years (Exxon Mobil, 2009). As inflation rate will increasing in the future and also prices for energy will increase, too. 3 Fiscal Policy. One of the governments influences to company is a fiscal policy and this factor has very big influence on companys revenue. From 2005 through 2009, Exxon Mobil Corporation taxes for United States were $63 billion. In 2009, Exxon Mobils tax rate was 47 percent and its tax expenses amounted to $81 billion around the world. It is more than four times of companys earnings. (Exxon Mobil, Taxes, 2010) 4 Exchange rates. Exchange rates help company to trade worldwide. The appreciation and depreciation of currency can be either positive or negative. It depends on economics conditions in particular country. For example, Exxon Mobils effects of exchange rate changes on cash were $520 million in 2009 (Wikinvest, Exxon, 2009). However, corporation makes limited use of currency exchange contracts, futures contracts, product forwards and swaps to mitigate the impact of changes in currency values and product prices. Effect of Industry Environment Petroleum industry. There are about 200 oil companies around the world and totally all of them produced 72.26 million barrels of oil every day in 2009 (Petro Strategies, Inc, 2010). A total product shipment of petroleum annually is about $219 billion, which confirms that the petroleum industry is one of the largest industries. (Petro Strategies, 2010) Exxon Mobil Corporation is one the six major public oil companies in the world. Its competitors are: Chevron Corporation Royal Dutch Shell British Petroleum Total S.A. ConocoPhilips Chevron. The second largest oil and gas company, behind Exxon Mobil in United States is Chevron Corporation. Chevron Corporation or Chevron was known as Standard Oil of California and was established amid the antitrust break up of John D. Rockefellers Standard Oil Company in 1911(Wikinvest, Chevron, 2010). It was included on the Seven Sister list, which was leading the world energy industry in the early 20th century. Chevron operates in 180 countries and has network of gas stations such as Chevron, Texaco and Caltex. The number of employees in 2009 year was approximately 67,000 people worldwide (Wikipedia, Chevron, 2010). In the third quarter of 2010, the earning of company was $3.77 billion, or $1.87 per share. In comparison the earnings of Chevron are two times less than earnings of Exxon Mobil in third quarter which was $7.4 billion (Wikinvest, Chevron, 2010). Royal Dutch Shell. Royal Dutch Shell or commonly known as Shell, is one of the major private sector energy companies in the world. Shell operates in renewable sources of energy including wind solar energy in more than 140 countries. In 2009, Shells profitability was effected by weak demand, high inventory levels and low margins, as a result the profit of company was $9.8 billion for full year and this result was 69% down than 2008 earnings (Wikinvest, Shell, 2010). The headquarters of company located in The Hague, Netherlands and registered offices at the Shell Centre in London, United Kingdom (Wikinvest, Shell, 2010). British Petroleum. According to Forbes Global 2000 list the BPs rank through public companies by their revenue is 10th with $16.68 billion (Forbes, 2010). BP operates in more than 80 countries and produces 3.8 million barrels of oil equivalent per day. It employed 80,300 people in 2009(BP, Annual report, 2009). The major division of BP is BP America and located in Houston, Texas. Company has six main brands such as: BP Castrol Arco Aral Am/pm Wild Bean Cafà © The headquarters of company located in London, United Kingdom (BP, 2010) Total S.A. Total S.A. or formerly known as Total Fina S.A. was formed after World War 1, when Raymond Poincarà © the French Prime Minister rejected the idea being partner with Royal Dutch Shell and gave new idea about creating new French oil company (Wikipedia, Total S.A., 2010). The total assets of company in 2009 were à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬127.8 billion and à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬8.447 billion of profit (Wikinvest, Total S.A., 2010). However, in current year Total S.A. is working very hardly. For example, in the third quarter of 2010 the companys earnings were $3.6 billion, in comparison with previous years third quarter the earnings were up 47% (Wikinvest, Total S.A., 2010). Moreover, in 2010 company is employeing over 96,000 people and operating in more than 130 countries (Wikipedia, Total S.A., 2010). For the third quarter of 2010, Totals net income was $3.6 billion, a 47% increase from the same period in 2009 (Wikinvest, Total S.A., 2010). ConocoPhilips. The ConocoPhilips also as Exxon Mobil was formed by merge of two companies such as Conoco Inc. and the Philips Petroleum Company on August 30, 2002. It works in all sectors of energy industry and also owns 20% share of Russian oil company LUKOIL (Wikinvest, ConocoPhilips, 2010). Company produces its products under the brands as Philips 66, 76 Unites States Conoco United States Jet Europe and Asia Pacific region ProJet Europe and Asia Pacific region (Wikinvest, ConocoPhilips, 2010) As of 2009, the company had of proved 8.36 billion barrels of oil equivalent reserves and its revenue was $246.182 billion. In the third quarter of 2010, the company increased its profit in contrast with previous years same period up to 8% and earned $3 billion (Wikinvest, ConocoPhilips, 2010) Competitive Advantage of Exxon Mobil Corporation Exxon Mobil Corporation has a number of advantages, which make it leader. Exxon Mobil operates in the major areas of petroleum such as North America, Europe, West Africa, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific. Exxon Mobil has the largest Exploration and Production portfolio, which makes easy to company to choose investments and political risks Exxon Mobil has technological advances which allow developing resources as tight gas, natural gas and heavy oil. (Wikinvest, Exxon, 2010) Competitive Advantage of Competitors Chevron Corporations progressive and various workforces are major advantages of company which allow surviving in marketplace.(Wikinvest, Chevron,2010) Royal Dutch Shell is a leading in industry because of its high performance and cleaner fuels. (Shell, Annual report, 2009) Providing pure ethanoic acid with low cost and approachable service for customers are the major advantages of British Petroleum Company. (BP, Annual report, 2010) Total S.A. operates with many western oil companies and has the largest reserves in Africa and the Middle East. In addition, Total S.A. is one of the few companies which have operations in Iran. (Wikinvest, Total S.A., 2010) Competitive advantage of ConocoPhilips lies on its heavier and more acidic crude oil and on providing clean product yields. (Conoco Philips, 2010) Effect of Political and Legal Environment Political Environment As Exxon Mobil operates in about 118 countries, there are many restrictions and advantages in law that can effect on company. Restrictions. Some of the countries, where Exxon Mobil Corporation has its stations, limit energy sources or can situate company in unavailable places from resources. Moreover, some countries restrict the import or export of products based on point of source. Hence, these situations make difficulties for company and this leads to declining of demand and increasing of product prices. For the solution, the company should be ready for every change in law or should avoid countries with regulations that have huge impact on business. (Exxon Mobil, Politic, 2010) Advantages. A number of advantages, which help company to work, are very little. For example, in some countries, there are low taxes for oil industry, which can lead to enormous earnings of Exxon Mobil. Also, governments can provide financial support to search alternative energy sources and nowadays, through sponsorship of The Global Climate and Energy Project at Stanford University Exxon Mobil making research into hydrogen fuel cells and fuel-producing algae. (Exxon Mobil, Politic, 2010) Legal Environment Business competition. As Exxon Mobil is a United States company there are certain countries which prohibits the doing business for U.S. companies. As an example we can take the Islamic republic of Iran. Iran has large reserves of oil, but in this country there are no Exxon Mobil stations and this leads to competitive advantage for non-U.S. companies such as Total S.A. Total S.A. is an only company from six supermajors which has stations in Iran. (Wikinvest, Total S.A., 2010) Labor Market. Exxon Mobil makes every possible comfort to its employees. As it employs more than 80,000 people, all employees are governed by companys Standards of Business Conduct. According to Standards of Business Conduct, it is strictly prohibited to discriminate employees, suppliers or customer in any area of Exxon Mobil Corporation. Furthermore, all employees are provided with a competitive package by company, which is based on the legal regulations and culture of other countries. (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, 2010) Consumer needs. Nowadays, all of suppliers are trying to produce most needed products in market they operate. In contrast, United States use much more gasoline than Europe or Asia. Hence, the producer in U.S. can produce and sell its products twice more than others. In addition, it is very difficult to satisfy consumer needs, because of high demand for premium gasoline. Nevertheless, Exxon Mobil is trying to do fuel better and employ expert chemical engineers, in order to satisfy all needs of consumers and increase demand for its products. (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, 2009) Environmental Legislation Environmental legislation is one of the most significant aspects of every oil company in the world. As oil companies use natural energy resources to produce their products, simultaneously they pollute environment. For example, fossil fuel is very efficient energy, but it is heavy polluter and also, there are number of sources which cause greenhouse gas. If company will try to make these damages less, it should increase costs for energy. So, to avoid such complex situations, every year company pays for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In 2009, Exxon Mobils payments for environmental liabilities were $504 million. (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, 2009) Effect of Socio-cultural environment Culture is an important part of nation or country. Every company which operates internationally should respect traditions of its partners and should avoid cultural problems which could face during its operations. One of the greatest affect of Exxon Mobil Corporation for United States nation was Exxon Valdez Oil spill in 1989. (Exxon Mobil, 2010) The Exxon Valdez tanker was built by National Steel and Shipbuilding Company in San Diego, California. It was 301 meters long, 50 meters wide and 26 meters depths. The tankers could transfer up to 1.48 million barrels of oil with the speed 30 km/h and also it was located in Alaska. However, the Exxon Valdez faced huge oil spill on 24th of March, 1989 and this event was listed as a 54th largest oil spill in history. (Wikinvest, Valdez, 2010) The tragic accident damaged much historical and archeological significance, that were important to population and also for future generation of country. However, after cleaning up oil spill, the most of places were not renewable. There was impact on health of subpopulation of Alaska. It caused many disasters such as radiation syndrome, stochastic and genetic health effects. (George Pararas-Carayannis, 2007) Exxon Valdez had also influenced on social environment of people. As oil spill began at the beginning of fishing season, it caused impact on ecosystem of city. Major of earnings for population were coming from fishing. As a result, people were threatened by the spill and they experienced high level of depression during accident. The situation with Exxon Valdez tanker was big experience for Alaskan Natives. Exxon made great effort to clean up oil spill and it cost for company $4.3 billion (George Pararas-Carayannis, 2007). Despite efforts 250,000 barrels of oil were lost. In 1992, with help of U.S. Coast Guard the spill was completed (Exxon Mobil, Valdez, 2010). Nowadays, Exxon Mobil Corporation created exact strategies to prevent oil spills. For example, he has: Modern modified tankers Drug testing programs Trainings for pilots and captains In addition, if problems occur company has thousand of employees, fast working response centers at many locations around the world. The Corporation is operating very well and making great job to prevent any social or cultural accidents which could cause many damages and loses for company. (Exxon Mobil, Corporate Citizenship report, 2010) Effect of Ethical Environment Every company should follow its ethical standards with attitude to stakeholders. Doing unethical business with them can significantly effect on companys reputation. In order to be successful Exxon Mobil Corporation has its Code of Ethics, which help to work with stakeholders. Exxon Mobils stakeholders are: Government Community Shareholders Customers Employees Government. Exxon Mobil has exploration and production operations in 39 countries. Its unethical attitude to government can be shown with pursuing the countrys laws and regulations. As Exxon Mobil is one of the main polluters of environment, also its unethical approach to government can be environmental issues. However, Exxon Mobil has specific strategies to avoid unethical business. For instance, we can take the carbon capture and storage. In April 2009, company signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Australian government and become member of the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute. It means that company values the Australian governments worries about environment and wants to continue partnership with Australia. (Exxon Mobil, Stakeholders, 2010) Community. Unethical behavior against the community can be displayed in delivering irrelevant information about operations of company. Companies should avoid losing trust of community. As Exxon Mobil Corporation understands the role of community and every year it organizes sessions for communities, NGOs, government officials, in order to provide better understanding about companys operations and investments. (Exxon Mobil, Stakeholders, 2010) Shareholders. People who did some investment into company are shareholders. In my opinion, unethical decision alongside shareholders could lead to losing of money. Therefore, it would be better constantly informing investors about companys operations. In 2009, Exxon Mobil held 40 meetings with institutional investors and investment groups to discuss political contributions, companys risks and other issues which are connected with Exxon Mobil Corporation. (Exxon Mobil, Stakeholders, 2010) Customers. Millions of customers purchase fuels at Exxon Mobils stations everyday. Customer and ethics in oil industry are connected with customers demand for quality of fuels and also with its price. If company sells premium fuels which worth its price, customers needs will be satisfied and which can lead to good profit and high demand. In addition, to understand the future demand of customer, Exxon Mobil is creating a line of advanced oils and greases that will improve productivity and promote longer equipment life. (Exxon Mobil, Stakeholders, 2010) Employees. Bad work conditions, violation and low salary can be listed as an example of unethical behavior against employees. However, for company which violates to its employees this can lead to many problems such as job strikes, losing employees. Avoiding such problems, Exxon Mobil has its Standards of Business Conduct. According to standards, company should provide good condition for employees and also employees should be in ethical behavior into their activities and laws of corporation. Moreover, company annually requires employees to read Standards of Business Conduct and provides detailed trainings about ethics policy to all employees. (Exxon Mobil, Stakeholders, 2010) Effect of Technological Environment Being up-to-date with technology helps every business in many ways. As for oil and gas industry technological advancements lead to finding new sources which are located in very challenging environments such as Arctic regions, deepwater, heavy oil sands. Exxon Mobil Corporation has established fundamental research to enlarge advantaged technologies for all its businesses. Upstream technology. Exxon Mobil has the latest version of 3-D technology. To find remaining hydrocarbon reserves Exxon Mobil uses advances in 3-D seismic imaging, which provides more accurate representations of structure in complex areas. As a result, with the help of seismic mapping employees of company could see exact images of land structure and they would be able to reduce risk in exploration and production operations. In the future, Exxon Mobil is going to set new technology called Controlled Freeze Zone (CFZ) which has a prospective to permit economic development of gas resources challenged by carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen sulfide (H2C). (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, 2009) Downstream technology. As diesel demand is projected to increase from 2009 to 2030 worldwide, Exxon Mobil Corporation is working with new technologies which are aimed to improve the flexibility of refinery and which can to response to rapidly increase of product demand. (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, 2009) Chemical technology. The developing in chemical technology gives great opportunity for a competitive advantage of Exxon Mobil. The company thoroughly improves using advanced processes and catalyst technologies to give efficient energy and increased asset utilization. (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, 2009) Moreover, Exxon Mobil is a partner with Apple Company and on November of 2010, Exxon Mobil introduced Exxon Mobil Fuel Finder iPhone and iPod touch applications which helps to drivers worldwide to find locations of Exxon or Esso stations. In the future, it would be better for Exxon Mobil constantly update its technologies (Exxon Mobil, 2010). For example, it can replace its 3-D seismic imaging to 4-D, as it was said that Exxon Mobil uses 3-D seismic imaging in order to get images of land structure.

Dragon Slayer :: essays research papers

Dragon Slayer The musty odor lingered across his nose. "This was it, this was the cave" he whispered under his breath. He knew this would be a challenge. The entrance of the cave was scattered with the bones of many who dared entered. He knew he had to do this even if this was the last thing he ever did. The young knight entered the musty cave with all the silence of a stalking leopard. The cave was a gloomy sight, even in the interior of the cave there were bones of many past knights. This was no ordinary dragon. This dragon had killed more then most and had experience in fighting. He was the most sought after dragon in the world. He has stolen more gold from castles and killed more royal families than any other dragon. This is why the young knight was here, his king sent him on this mission because of his daughter's kidnapping. The dragon snatched her off the castle balcony and took her to this cave. The knight worked his way through the many winding turns of the cave. He knew this could either change his life or end it. The knight knew he had to stay silent and stay in the shadows. If the dragon would hear him it would be all over. The knight could sense the change in the smell as he went deeper into the cave. The smell was at first a musty old smell, the smell that most caves had, but this was different it was as if a rotten carcass had been setting in a warm room for weeks. He knew this smell; it was the smell of a dragon. He was near, so near he could feel the warmth of the dragon's body coming up the tunnel. Then without the slightest clue of danger a ball of flame shot straight by him, so close he could feel the hairs on his face singe with the passing ball of flame. He knew this was a time for action. He ran as fast as he could towards the route the flames had come from. No more than 50 yards of running took him into the dragon's lair. The lair was an awesome sight. There were more riches than any kingdom could imagine in a thousand years. The lair had the knight so awe struck that he had forgotten why he was there.

The Underground Railroad in North Carolina Essay -- Slavery American H

The Underground Railroad in North Carolina The Underground Railroad was perhaps the most active and dramatic protest action against slavery in United States history and as we look at the Underground Railroad in North Carolina we will focus on the Quakers, Levi Coffin’s early years, and the accounts of escaped slaves from North Carolina. The unique blend of southern slave holder and northern abolitionist influences in the formation of North Carolina served to make the state an important link in the efforts to end slavery inside and outside of North Carolina borders. Although not "underground" nor a "railroad," this informal system became a loosely constructed network of escape routes that originated in the South, intertwined throughout the North, and eventually ended in Canada and other places where runaways were safe from being recaptured. From 1830 to 1865, the Underground Railroad reached its peak as abolitionists who condemned human bondage aided large numbers of slaves to freedom. They not only called for an end to slavery, but acted to assist its victims in securing freedom. Unlike other organized activities of the abolition movement that primarily denounced human bondage, the Underground Railroad secretly resisted slavery by aiding runaways. Because the Underground Railroad had a lack of formal organization, its existence often relied on the efforts of many people from many different aspects of life in North Carolina who helped slaves to escape. Accounts are limited of individuals who actually participated in its activities. Usually conductors hid or destroyed their personal journals to protect themselves and the runaways. However some first hand accounts from runaway slaves were recorded. The shortage of evid... ...nd courage of the black North Carolinians that had to flee along the Underground Railroad for their lives and freedom. Bibliography Levi Coffin(1789-1877) , Reminiscences of Levi Coffin (New York: Arno Press, 1968) Curtis, Anna Louise (1882-) Stories of the underground railroad, by Anna L. Curtis; foreword [by] Rufus M. Jones, illustrated by William Brooks Publisher New York, The Island Workshop Press Co-op, 1941 The Underground railroad, official map and guide [Washington, D.C.?] : National Park Service, U.S. Dept. of the Interior, [1996] William Still(1821-1902) , The Underground Railroad (New York, Arno Press, 1968) The Fugitive Slave Law ,US Congress, 1793 US Historical Documents Archive, http://w3.one.net/~mweiler/ushda/fugslave.htm Fugitive Slave Act 1850 ,The Avalon Project, Yale Law School http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/fugitive.htm

Spinal Cord Injury Essay -- Biology Essays Research Papers

Spinal Cord Injury Spinal cord injury is a serious problem that effects close to 250,000 people in the United States with 10,000 people being injured per year . There are many things that can lead to spinal cord injury, including athletic injuries, car accidents, and recreational activities like swimming and biking. It primarily effects those between the ages of 16 and 30 and drastically effects the rest of their lives. It is a very debilitating injury that requires extensive medical care, often leaves the patients in a great deal of pain for the rest of their lives(2), and the treatment of which costs $10 billion dollars a year in the US.(facts from site 1) With all of these factors spurring research on there is a strong drive to find a cure for such a devastating injury. Spinal cord injuries can happen anywhere along the spinal cord, but the exact location of the trauma determines the effects that the injury will have. Injuries in the lower back, between the Sacrum(S1-S5) and Lumbar(L1-L5) vertebrae mainly effect the legs. Breaks in the Thoracic(T1-T12) vertebrae, located in the middle of the back, effect the torso and portions of the arms. While injuries in the spine above the shoulder blades, the Cervical(C1-C8) vertebrae, effect not only movement in the neck, but functions such as breathing, speaking, and eating. In the past, some functions have been able to be regained by some individuals, but after the initial recovery period most people see little improvement over the course of their lives. The main reason for such a poor recovery is that the nerve cells in the spinal cord do not regenerate on their own. Once the spinal cord develops, two things keep it from growing. One of which is an inhibitor protein and the ... ...en very bleak in the past, major hurdles have been overcome and science is now working on a way to help people recover from their injuries instead of teaching them how to live with them. Web Sites used in this Paper (1) Welcome to the American Paralysis Association - APACURE.COM http://www.apacure.com/mainfram.html -This site contains a short video on axon degeneration and an animated illustrations on the process of death and regeneration in nerve cells. (2) Theories on the Effects of Acupuncture on the Nervous System Emma Christensen, [deals with concepts of pain] http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro98/202s98-paper1/Christensen.html (3) Spinal Cord Injury - - Research Highlights http://www.nin ds.nih.gov/healinfo/disorder/sci/scispec.htm (4) Spinal Cord Injury Center http://www.med.nyu.edu/clnre s95/spincord.htm

My Extended Family

It seems like yesterday all the kids where little and needed me all the time. Now Francesca is married, with children, Kaitlin is living on her own with her daughter, and JJ and April live with them. I feel like it was only the other day we were all crowding around the dinner table having a nice family meal, while John their father was off who knows where, drunk, high, spending money he didn’t really have to even spend. I stop and think how these kids ever made it all these years before without us. Us being myself and their uncle Scott, we had been together five years by then and I knew this was the beginning of something wonderful. If only I had known how much it would affect and change my life and theirs. I guess it happened gradually, the kids coming over for dinner, needing winter clothes, taking showers at my house and I always wondered where their father was. Then I found out, John was an alcoholic, drug addict who somehow had custody of these wonderful kids. I guess, I should have known how bad it was by how the kids acted but I didn’t. I hadn’t known abuse like that, I was from a place where we had parents and had dinner together, not 14 year old Frankie (Francesca) going into the bar and dragging her father out, which ended up being the event that finally caused me to go and file for full custody of these kids. It was the best choice I could have ever made. I remember filing the papers and thinking , I am either going to get an irate phone call from John acting like he cares, telling me I will never win, or he will say nothing and I will end up with these wonderful kids as my own. As I sat there in the court building filing the papers it occurred to me just how much help and love and parenting these kids where going to need and how happy I was to do it. But I should of known that the happiness was not going to last. It appeared to be a normal day August 18, 2009, the kids had just finished dinner, the older girls where going out and I just settled down after putting my boys to bed when the phone rang. It was Patty, the kid’s grandma and the other rock in their lives. She was hysterical, something was wrong with grandpa and Scott had to get over there right away. I remember calling the kids and telling them to come home, anxiously awaiting word on grandpa’s condition, when I received the worst call ever. I know I turned around at the eyes of these kids who had endured so much already. Ready to crush there world as they knew, if only I had known what was to come, perhaps I could of , nothing, there was nothing I could of done and I need to deal with that. I looked at them and said, â€Å"Grandpa, didn’t make it, I am so sorry guys,† everyone just broke down, not sure what to say or do I did what I thought I could which was just be there, holding them as tight as I could. The rest of the next week was a blur. I thought it could not get any worse for these kids, thinking back to how their mother left all those years ago, never looking back, JJ was only 3 years old then now turning 13 almost a man, I thought, how much more can these kids suffer. If only I had known. It’s been about a week since Grandpa had passed, no one was really grieving the stress was so high, and of course it made John do more drugs, drink more alcohol and be less of a parent than he was before. Then the final blow came or what I presumed to be the final blow. It was just over a week after grandpa passed, when the phone rang, a little after midnight, it was John, Patty, who was the kid’s grandma and wife of grandpa, had a stroke and had passed. It was like what, no way, how much can this family handle at one time. I remember thinking these kids are never going to be able to handle this, how as a family can we overcome this too. Who was going to help me the way she did with the kids, yes they lived with me but she was my rock. Now my rock was gone, my family never really supported what I was doing anyway so now , it was just me and Scott fighting to keep together a family that so desperately needed it. To lose both their grandparents less than two weeks apart, to lose my mother in law and father in law that way was so hard to handle for me as an adult. Let alone these kids who I know have gone through so much. We made it through though it was hard, tough, a mountain to climb, but we did it, and we came out better and stronger than before. Things were finally looking up for all of us. John was finally trying to get his life on track, maybe too late in my eyes, but it was the effort that counted right. Now it’s been a year since Grandpa and Grandma had passed, the kids where doing great, Frankie just graduated college, JJ and April with the best attendance and averages they have ever had. John working on a relationship with the kids, of course he fail like I knew he would, his effort was a joke in my eyes but to the kids it was what they could get. Of course they loved him he was there â€Å"father† but I just didn’t want to see them get hurt anymore than they already where by him and life. He gets arrested for Felony assault on two woman that where doing nothing but having a good time. I heard the charges and new, no matter what this was finally what was best for all of us. The trial and everything else seemed to fly by, b before we knew it john was being sentenced to five years in prison and we all felt like we could finally just be a family. It was a relief to know he could no longer hurt or guilt any of them into feeling sorry for him anymore. Now, its two years later, and I see, how beautiful these kids are, how great of parents they are and I know that’s because of what I had the courage to do, to love these kids no matter what and be there for them, when everyone else failed them. I would like to say I changed them, but in all actuality they changed me, into the mother I am today. I would not change any of it for a second. Those kids are my family and like my sons and daughters and they always will be. They are forever my extended wonderful, goofy, silly never change anything family.