The Return: Nightfall Chapter 30

Matt had given up on clues. As far as he could tell, something had caused Elena to bypass the Dunstan house and barn completely, hopping on and on until she got to a squashed and torn bed of thin creeping vines. They hung limp from Matt's fingers, but they reminded him, disquietingly, of the feeling of the bug's tentacles around his neck. And from there on there was no sign of human movement. It was as if a UFO had beamed her up. Now, from making forays to all sides until he had lost the patch of creepers, he was lost in the deep Wood. If he wanted to, he could fantasize that all sorts of noises were all around him. If he wanted to, he could imagine that the light of the flashlight was no longer as bright as it had been, that it had a sickly yellowish tinge†¦. All this time, while searching, he had kept as quiet as possible, realizing that he might be trying to sneak up on something that didn't want to be snuck up on. But now, somewhere inside him, something was swelling up and his ability to stop it was weakening by the second. When it burst out of him, it startled him as much as it might have any possible listeners. â€Å"Ellleeeeeeeeeeeeeeenaaaa!† From the time when he'd been a child, Matt had been taught to say his nighttime prayers. He didn't know much else about church, but he did have a deep and sincere feeling that there was Someone or Something out there that looked after people. That somewhere and somehow it all made sense, and that there were reasons for everything. That belief had been severely tested during the past year. But Elena's return from the dead had swept away all his doubts. It had seemed to prove everything that he'd always wanted to believe in. You wouldn't give her back to us for just a few days, and then take her away again? he wondered, and the wondering was really a form of praying. You wouldn't – would You? Because the thought of a world without Elena, without hersparkle ; her strong will; her way of getting into crazy adventures – and then getting out of them, even more crazily – well, it was too much to lose. The world would be painted in drab grays and dark browns again without her. There would be no fire-engine reds, no flashes of parakeet green, no cerulean, no daffodil, no mercury silver – and no gold. No sprinkles of gold in endless blue lapis lazuli eyes. â€Å"Elllleeeeeeenaaaa! Damn you, you answer me! It's Matt, Elena! Elleeeeee – â€Å" He broke off quite suddenly and listened. For a moment his heart leaped and his whole body started. But then he made out the words he could hear. â€Å"Eleeeeeenaaa? Maaaatt? Where are you?† â€Å"Bonnie?Bonnie! I'm here! † He turned his flashlight straight up, slowly twisting it in a circle. â€Å"Can you see me?† â€Å"Can you see us?† Matt pivoted slowly. And – yes – there were the beams of one flashlight, two flashlights, three! His heart leaped to seethree beams. â€Å"I'm coming toward you,† he shouted, and suited the action to the word. Secrecy had been long ago left behind. He was running into things, yanking at tendrils that tried to grab his ankles, but bellowing all the while, â€Å"Stay where you are! I'm coming to you!† And then the flashlight beams were right in front of him, blinding him, and somehow he had Bonnie in his arms, and Bonnie was crying. That at least lent the situation some normality. Bonnie was crying against his chest and he was looking at Meredith, who was smiling anxiously, and at†¦Mrs. Flowers? It had to be, she was wearing that gardening hat with the artificial flowers on it, as well as what looked like about seven or eight woolly sweaters. â€Å"Mrs. Flowers?† he said, his mouth finally catching up with his brain. â€Å"But – where's Elena?† There was a sudden droop in the three people watching him, as if they had been on tiptoes for news, and now they had slumped in disappointment. â€Å"We haven't seen her,† Meredith said quietly. â€Å"Youwere with her.† â€Å"Iwas with her, yeah. But then Damon came.He hurt her , Meredith† – Matt felt Bonnie's arms clench on him. â€Å"He had her rolling on the ground having seizures. I think he's going to kill her. And – he hurt me. I guess I blacked out. When I woke up she was gone.† â€Å"He took her away?† Bonnie asked fiercely. â€Å"Yeah, but†¦I don't understand what happened next.† Painfully, he explained about Elena seemingly jumping out of the car and the tracks that led nowhere. Bonnie shivered in his arms. â€Å"And then some other weird stuff happened,† Matt said. Slowly, faltering sometimes, he did his best to explain about Kristin, and the similarities to Tami. â€Å"That is†¦just plain weird,† Bonnie said. â€Å"I thought I had an answer, but if Kristin hasn't had any contact with any of the other girls†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You were probably thinking something about the Salem witches, dear,† said Mrs. Flowers. Matt still couldn't get used to Mrs. Flowerstalking to them. She went on, â€Å"But you don't really know with whom Kristin has been in the last few days. Or with whom Jim has been, for that matter. Children have quite a lot of freedom in this day and age, and he might be – what do they call it? – acarrier .† â€Å"Besides, even if this is possession, it may be an entirely different kind of possession,† Meredith said. â€Å"Kristin lives out in the Old Wood. The Old Wood is full of these insects – these malach. Who knows whether it happened when she simply stepped outside her door? Who knows what was waiting for her?† Now Bonnie was shaking in Matt's arms. They'd turned out all the flashlights but one, to conserve energy, but it sure made for spooky surroundings. â€Å"But what about the telepathy?† Matt said to Mrs. Flowers. â€Å"I mean, I don't believe for a minute thatreal witches were attacking those Salem girls. I think they were repressed girls who had mass hysteria when they all got together, and somehow everything got out of hand. But how could Kristin know to call me – to call me – the same name that Tamra did?† â€Å"Maybe we've all got it all wrong,† Bonnie said, her voice buried somewhere in Matt's solar plexus. â€Å"Maybe it's not like Salem at all, where the – the hysteria spread out horizontally, if you see what I mean. Maybe there's somebody on top here, who's spreading it wherever they want to.† There was a brief silence, and then Mrs. Flowers murmured, â€Å" ¡Ã‚ ®Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings†¦'† â€Å"You mean you think that's right? But then who is it that's on top? Who's doing all of this?† Meredith demanded. â€Å"It can't be Damon because Damon saved Bonnie twice – and me once.† Before anyone could muster words to ask aboutthat , she was going on. â€Å"Elena was pretty sure that something was possessingDamon . So who else is it?† â€Å"Somebody we haven't met yet,† Bonnie muttered ominously. â€Å"Somebody we aren't going to like.† With perfect timing there was the crackle of a branch behind them. As one person, as one body, they turned to look. â€Å"What I really want,† Damon said to Elena, â€Å"is to get you warm. And that either means cooking you something hot so you'll warm up from the inside or putting you in the tub so you'll warm up from the outside. And considering what happened last time – â€Å" â€Å"I†¦don't feel I can eat anything†¦.† â€Å"Come on, it's an American tradition. Apple soup? Mom's homemade chicken pie?† She chuckled in spite of herself, then winced. â€Å"It's apple pie and Mom's homemade chicken soup. But you didn't do badly, for a start.† â€Å"Well? I promise not to mix the apples and the chicken together.† â€Å"I could try some soup,† Elena said slowly. â€Å"And, oh, Damon I'm so thirsty just for plain water. Please.† â€Å"I know, but you'll drink too much, get pains. I'll make soup.† â€Å"It comes in little cans with red paper on them. You pull the tab on top to make it come off†¦.† Elena stopped as he turned to the door. Damon knew she had serious doubts about the entire project, but he also knew that if he brought her anything passably drinkable she would drink it. Thirst did that to you. He was unliving proof of the example. As he went through the door there was a sudden horrendous noise, like a pair of kitchen choppers coming together. It nearly took off his – his rear from top to bottom, by the sound of it. â€Å"Damon!†A voice crying weakly through the door. â€Å"Damon, are you all right? Damon! Answer me!† Instead, he turned around, studied the door, which looked perfectly normal, and opened it. Anyone watching him open it would have wondered because he put a key in the unlocked door, said â€Å"Elena's room† and then unlocked and opened the door. When he got inside, he ran. Elena was lying in a hopeless tangle of sheets and blankets on the floor. She was trying to get up, but her face was blue-white with pain. â€Å"What pushed you off the bed?† he said. He was going to kill Shinichislowly . â€Å"Nothing. I heard a terrible sound just as the door shut. I tried to get to you, but – â€Å" Damon stared at her.†I tried to get to you, but – † This broken, hurting, exhausted creature had tried to rescuehim ? Tried so hard that she'd fallen off her bed? â€Å"I'm sorry,† she said, with tears in her eyes. â€Å"I can't get used to gravity. Are you hurt?† â€Å"Not as much as you are,† he said, purposely keeping his voice rough, his eyes averted. â€Å"I did something stupid, leaving the room, and the house†¦reminded me.† â€Å"What are you talking about?† said the woebegone Elena, dressed only in sheets. â€Å"This key,† Damon held it up for her to see. It was golden and could be worn as a ring, but two wings folded out and made a beautiful key. â€Å"What's wrong with it?† â€Å"The way I used it. This key has the power of the kitsune in it, and it will unlock anything and take you anywhere, but the way it works is that you put it into the lock, say where you want to go, and then turn the key. I forgot to do that in leaving your room.† Elena looked puzzled. â€Å"But what if a key doesn't have a lock in it? Most bedroom doors don't have locks.† â€Å"This key goes into any door. You might say it makes its own lock. It's a kitsune treasure – which I shook out of Shinichi when I was so angry about you being hurt. He'll be wanting it back soon.† Damon's eyes narrowed and he smiled faintly. â€Å"I wonder which of us will end up keeping it. I noticed another one in the kitchen – a spare, of course.† â€Å"Damon, all this about magical keys is interesting, but if you could let me get off the floor†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He was contrite at once. Then came the question of whether to put her on the bed or not. â€Å"I'll take the bath,† Elena said in a small voice. She unsnapped the top of her jeans and tried to scoot out of them. â€Å"Wait a minute! You might faint and drown. Lie down and I promise to get you clean, if you're willing to try and eat.† He had new reservations about the house. â€Å"Now undress on the bed and pull the sheet over you. I do wicked massages,† he added, turning away. â€Å"Look, you don't have to not look. It's something I haven't understood since I†¦came back,† Elena said. â€Å"Modesty taboos. I don't see why anyone should be ashamed of their body.† (This came to him in a rather muffled voice.) â€Å"I mean for anyone who says God made us, God made us without clothes, even after Adam and Eve. If it's so important, why didn't he make us with diapers on?† â€Å"Yes, actually, what you're saying reminds me of what I once said to the Dowager Queen of France,† Damon said, determined to keep her undressing while he gazed at a crack in one of the wooden panels of the wall. â€Å"I said that if God were both omnipotent and omniscient, then He surely knew our destinies beforehand, and why were the righteous doomed to be born as sinfully naked as the damned?† â€Å"And what did she say?† â€Å"Not a word. But she giggled and tapped me three times on the back of my hand with her fan, which I was later told was an invitation for an assignation. Alas, I had other obligations. Are you on the bed still?† â€Å"Yes, and I'm under a sheet,† Elena said wearily. â€Å"If she wereDowager Queen, I expect you were glad,† she added in a half-bewildered voice. â€Å"Aren't they the old mothers?† â€Å"No, Anne of Austria, Queen of France, kept her remarkable beauty to the end. She was the only redhead that – â€Å" Damon stopped, groping wildly for words as he faced the bed. Elena had done as he had asked. He just hadn't realized how much she would look like Aphrodite arising from the ocean. The ruffled white of the sheet came up to the warmer milk-white of her skin. She needed cleaning, certainly, but just knowing that under that thin sheet she was magnificently naked was enough to make him lose his breath. She had rolled her clothes into a ball and thrown them into the farthest corner of the room. He didn't blame her. He didn't think. He didn't give himself time. He simply held out his hands and said, â€Å"Lemon-thyme chicken consomm ¦, hot, in a Mikasa cup – and plum flower oil, very warm, in a vial.† Once the broth was duly consumed and Elena was lying on her back again, he began to gently massage her with the oil. Plum flower always made for a good start. It numbed the skin and the senses to pain, and it provided a basis for the other, more exotic, oils he planned to use on her. In a way, it was much better than dumping her in a modern bath or Jacuzzi. He knew where her injuries were; he could heat the oils to the appropriate temperature for any of them. And instead of a barely mobile Jacuzzi head spouting water against a bruise, he could avoid anything too sensitive – in the painful sense. He started with her hair, adding a very, very light coating of oil that would make the worst tangles easy to brush out. After the oiling, her hair shone like gold against her skin – honey on cream. Then he began with the muscles in her face: tiny strokes with his thumbs over her forehead to smooth it and relax it, forcing her to relax along with his movements. Slow, circular swirls at her temples, with only the lightest of pressure. He could see the thin blue veins traced here, and he knew that deep pressure could put her to sleep. He then proceeded to upper arms, her forearms, her hands, taking her apart with ancient strokes and the correct ancient essences to go with them, until she was nothing but a loose, boneless thing under the sheet: sleek and soft and yielding. He flashed his incandescent smile for a moment while pulling a toe until it popped – and then the smile turned ironic. He could have what he wanted of her, now. Yes, she was in no mood to refuse anything. But he hadn't counted on what the damned sheet would do tohim . Everyone knew that a scrap of covering, no matter how simple, always drew attention to the taboo area as pure nakedness did not. And massaging Elena by inches this way only focused him on what lay beneath the snowy fabric. After a while Elena said drowsily, â€Å"Aren't you going to tell the end of the story? About Anne of Austria, who was the only redhead to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"†¦to, ah, remain a natural redhead to the end of her life,† Damon murmured. â€Å"Yes. It was said that Cardinal Richelieu was her lover.† â€Å"Isn't that the wicked Cardinal from theThe Three Musketeers ?† â€Å"Yes, but perhaps not so wicked as he was portrayed there, and certainly an able politician. And, some say, the real father of Louis†¦now turn over.† â€Å"It's a strange name for a king.† â€Å"Hm?† â€Å"Louis Now Turn Over,† Elena said, turning over and showing a flash of creamy thigh while Damon tried to eye various other parts of the room. â€Å"Depends on the naming traditions of the individual's native country,† Damon said wildly. All he could see were replays of that glimpse of thigh. â€Å"What?† â€Å"What?† â€Å"I was asking you – â€Å" â€Å"Are you warm now? All done,† Damon said and, unwisely, patted the highest curve of terrain under the towel. â€Å"Hey!† Elena reared up, and Damon – faced by an entire body of pale rose-gold and perfumed and sleek – and with muscles like steel under the silken skin – precipitately fled. He came back after an appropriate interval with a calming offering of more soup. Elena, dignified under her sheet, which she had made into a toga, accepted. She didn't even try to swat him on the bottom when his back was turned. â€Å"Whatis this place?† she wondered instead. â€Å"It can't be the Dunstans' – they're an old family, with an old house. They used to be farmers.† â€Å"Oh, let's just call it a little pied--terre of my own in the woods.† â€Å"Ha,† Elena said. â€Å"I knew you weren't sleeping in trees.† Damon found himself trying not to smile. He'd never been with Elena when the situation hadn't been life-or-death. Now, if he said he'd found he loved her mind after having massaged her naked under a sheet – no†¦No one would ever believe him. â€Å"Feeling better?† he asked. â€Å"As warm as chicken-apple soup.† â€Å"I'm never going to hear the end of that, am I?† He made her stay on the bed while he thought up nightgowns, all sizes and styles, and robes, too – and slippers, all in the instant of walking to what had been a bathroom, and was pleased to find that it was now a walk-in closet with everything anyone could want in terms of night attire. From silky lingerie to good old-fashioned sleeping gowns to night-caps, this wardrobe had it all. Damon emerged with a double armful and gave Elena her choice. She picked a high-necked white nightgown made out of some modest fabric. Damon found himself stroking a regal sky-blue gown trimmed with what looked like genuine Valenciennes lace. â€Å"Not my style,† Elena said, quickly tucking it under some other robes. Not your style aroundme , Damon thought, amused. And a wise little lass you are, too. You don't want to tempt me into doing anything you might be sorry for tomorrow. â€Å"All right – and then you can get a good night's sleep – † He broke off, for she was suddenly looking at him with astonishment and distress. â€Å"Matt! Damon, we were looking forMatt ! I just remembered. We were looking for him and I – I don't know. I got hurt. I remember falling and then I was here.† Because I carried you here, Damon thought. Because this house is just a thought in Shinichi's mind. Because the only permanent things inside it are we two. Damon took in a deep breath of air.

Economic questions Essay

1. It has to do with game theory. In the prisoner’s dilemma, two suspects are taken by the police and each told separately that they can gain their freedom by testifying against each other. If neither testifies, they each will serve a six months sentence. If one testifies the other stays silent, the one will go free and the other will serve 10 yrs. If both testify then both will serve 5 yrs. The best thing is for both to be silent, but the more likely scenario is that each, fearful of a long sentence, bails on the other and nobody wins. In economics it is the investors hoping to ride the high flyers into the New Year; the best outcome is for nobody to sell. Most years, that is how it works and year end rallies leave everyone satisfied. 2. Economic theory. Through regulation is the best way market failure or externalities are dealt with when they are harmful to society. Externality is an economic side effect. They are the costs or benefits that come from economic activities that affect others than the individuals that re engaged in the economic activities. Some solutions are negative- taxes, positive-subsidy. 3. Sources of income in a capitalist economy would be their property rights that entitle them to earn a profit for the use of their capital as risk in some form of economic activity. They would be related through labor by human capital. The knowledge and skill acquired by labor through education and labor. 4. The rate is determined by a percentage of its turnover or sales. 5. Investment is something investors decide how much they will spend on new investment. Example: Producers have to decide whether to replace used up or obsolete machinery, whether to expand production these costs will become an investment that in turn should make them money. There are four principal determinants of autonomous investment, the level of technology, rate of interest, expectation of future economic growth and the rate of capacity utilization. 6. With an equilibrium price. The price that equates quantity demanded to quality supplied. If any disturbance from that price occurs, excess demand or excess supply emerges to drive price back to equilibrium. 7. The classical view of how our economy behaves is this: If the economy were left on its own without the interference of government or the Fed. It would move towards an equilibrium rate of growth that would produce with only minor interruptions, full employment without inflation. This hands off rests upon two simple propositions about market, one that all markets are basically competitive and two, all prices are flexible upward and downward approaching equilibrium. Unemployment is only a temporary condition caused by wage rates climbing above the equilibrium rate. A shift in the extraction curves is the economy’s rate of unemployment and rate of inflation. 8. Supply-side economists emphasize the importance of reducing tax rates. They accept the Keynesian idea that lower tax rates will increase consumer demand, but they believe a more important consequence is the added incentive it provides suppliers. For example; lower corporate tax rates increase after tax profit, which induces suppliers to increase aggregate supply. Lower income tax rates encourage more people to work longer, adding as well to aggregate supply. 9. Savings automatically converts to investment; so that investment induced growth is dependent on saving. 10. The division of labor into specialized activities that allow individuals to be more productive. The idea that labor productivity is a function of the degree of labor specialization. 11. Upward sloping trend cutting through the cycle traces the economy’s output performance over the course of a business cycle, measured either from recession to recession or from prosperity to prosperity. The upward sloping character of the trend line signifies economic growth. 12. Every economy, whatever its level of national income, includes people earning different incomes. Knowing someone’s absolute income tells us little about that person’s income status. 13. Consumption spending is rooted in Status. High income people not only consume more goods and services than others, but also set consumption standards for everyone else. 14. Aggregate supply is the total supply of goods and services that all firms in the national economy are willing to offer at varying price levels. Aggregate demand is the total quantity demanded of these goods and services by households, firms, foreigners, and government at those varying price levels. Macroequilibrium is reach when aggregate supply equals aggregate demand. 15. Consumption spending has tended to be more stable than investment spending in the past. MPC can be counted on to remain pretty much unchanged. Autonomous consumption is hardly likely to change. Investment spending is considered volatile. Economists identify changes in aggregate expenditure as the key to understanding why national income changes. Changes in investment have highly magnified effects on national income. The income by which income changes as a result of a change in aggregate expenditure is called income multiplier. 16. The economy’s output or gross domestic product is the total value, measured in current market prices, of all final goods and services produced in the economy during a given year. 17. One solution is to combine wage and price controls with a Keynesian style job creating policy. Stabilization policy is one option. 18. Four principle factors contributing to a nations economic growth, the size of the labor force, the degree of labor specialization, or the division of labor, the size of its capital stock and the level of its technology. Savings automatically converts to investment; so that investment induced growth is dependent on savings. 19. Demand deposits are only half of a banks business. Loans are the other. The bank makes a profit only on the loans it provides, not on it deposits. Borrowers benefit from inflation where lenders, where as lenders lose money. 20. Through the circular flow model, how the economy’s resources, money, goods and services flow between households and firms through resource and product market. 21. Economies with negative balances on current account will find their exchange rate falling. And unless these rates are propped up by government intervention, they will fall to stem the currency outflows exist; the exchange rate will keep falling. Eventually the rate will reach the level appropriate to a zero balance on current account. It takes only time. He would think we were habitual borrows. 22. They are the â€Å"what is† and â€Å"what it should be† 23. Nothing because the infrastructure is what an economy’s ability for development depends upon. Such as with education to educate people involves not only the task of acquiring compliance but the funds needed to build the school and staff them.

A beginner guide to playing the Shield of Valoranâ€Å

A beginner guide to playing the Shield of Valoran  One of the rarest supports to be found on the Rift is surely one of the oldest supports out there, as well as one of the most beloved. Now, he might not be the best pick in the current meta, but other than being a rare pocket pick he can truly turn the game around and help carry your team to victory if played the right way, against an adequate team composition. For the last two seasons I have only once found myself playing against a Taric in lane so if you worry about mirror match-ups in normal games, you can be sure that the chances are next to none when picking Taric. He was recently completely reworked and as of the latest patch (6.12) he is in a somewhat strange place. He is neither as easy as he once was (although he isn’t hard by any stretch of the imagination), nor is he overpowered/underpowered. He shouldn’t be played in every comp since he has a very particular set of skills. I started playing Taric a couple of seasons ago when I first started being a support main. He had an extremely fun kit and was nearly unkillable. The enemy team never focuses you because by the time late game comes, you have around 400 armor and over 3k health, so you don’t have to worry about bad positioning in team fights, no matter how you position they will rarely attack you, meanwhile you would shred their armor, buff your teammates with your ultimate and, when needed, stun the enemy carry with a point and click stun.He went great with a couple of AD Carries, and while in lane, with the right rune and mastery setup, he was one of the tankiest supports out there. Now it’s a bit of a different story. Let’s take a look at his new kit: Abilities PASSIVE: Bravado His passive is a simple one. After casting an ability, his next two basic attacks deal increased damage and reduce his cooldowns. Q: Starlight’s Touch Taric’s Q ability is still a heal albeit a different one. Now it stores charges, up to three. It takes 15s to get one charge and you heal yourself as well as an ally that your W ability is tethered to. (more on that below) Now this ability is nice since it is a heal and those are always great to have while laning but it’s really weak compared to Nami’s heal. After a couple of these when out of combat you can really feel the difference but in the long run it’s not something that is going to benefit you too greatly. W: Bastion This ability has a passive and an active component. Passively, it increases Taric’s armor as well as the armor of the teammate it’s tethered to. When you activate it, it gives you and your ally a shield for 2.5 seconds for a percent of their maximum health. You will be using this ability only for tethering, changing the tether target and giving the active shield. It’s not a lot, but you should use it strategically. The shield also isn’t something to write home about but it can be a life-saver when needed. E: Dazzle This is your bread and butter. After a 1 second delay, Taric blasts his hammer in a straight direction and if an enemy is to be found at the end of it —they’re getting stunned for up to 1.75s. (the duration scales with level)Now, first of all this ability is a skillshot, so you can miss it easily. The visual indicator also looks a bit longer than the ability actually is, so you should also have that in mind. It takes some time to get used to, especially if you’re used to the old Taric, but nothing too special. Now for the catch. It can stun multiple targets! On top of that, not only does Taric get a beam that can stun but his tethered ally gets one as well. So in theory you have an even bigger chance to land that skillshot, and you can also use it in teamfights. Realistically, when the fight starts you usually can’t see much when all the ability effects start to stack up, (depending on the number of participants and the champions used) so having two stunni ng beams is something really beneficial. R: Cosmic Radiance After a 2.5s delay, a mysterious cosmic energy makes Taric and his tethered ally invulnerable for 2.5s. The amazing thing here is that any other ally that is inside the aura when the ability activates also gets affected, so in theory your whole team can be invulnerable for that duration.Depending on what you’re going for, this is a miraculous ability. It is more than enough to change the direction your fight is going, and you can use it for diving your enemies and any other purpose. It has a longer cooldown, but with your passive and the Frozen Heart (20% cooldown reduction) it goes down a significant amount.As for the order in which you level up your abilities, you can check the very in-depth statistics from the latest patch.Champion.gg Skill Order (Patch 6.12) When to pick Taric? You should pick Taric when against full AD compositions, since he is one of a small group of champions that scale of armor. Against those comps Taric might be the best possible pick if you can play him right and if your team needs a tanky support. In general, Taric counters most engage supports out there. When they initiate, he can counter with an easy to land stun. Of course, it mostly boils down to a skill matchup in the 2v2 lane. He is however insanely countered by poke mage supports like Sona and Soraka, and Morgana. He is tanky, and he does have a heal, but he has problems engaging against supports that keep a distance and constantly poke. If you succeed in outplaying them a couple of time it becomes easier, but it’s also a skill matchup. I’ve won countless times against a Morgana because me and my duo ADC have fantastic synergy because we’ve been playing for years now. Had that been a random solo queue ADC, I believe the outcome would have been completely different. Also, depending on your ELO, Taric can be viable only up to high Gold. Already in Platinum he is a stretch in terms of viability, so keep that in mind. He is one of the easiest champions to learn but also has a good skill ceiling, and pul ling of a game winning ultimate or stunning the whole enemy team is a fantastic feeling. If you’re new to supporting or just want to have some fun — he is a great pick, but don’t underestimate the impact he can have on a game. Laning with Taric While playing Taric in lane your objectives are very clear. Protect your ADC at all costs, while also trying to survive his weak early game. You can’t rely on your heal any longer since even with 3 stacks it heals for an extremely small amount, and your W is fairly straightforward, you use it either to get a shield for you and/or your linked ally or to link to someone else, so that really simplifies the way you play the game with Taric. Act as a human shield, try to stun as many people as possible and use your ultimate to protect as many allies as you can. While in lane, try to survive and wait for a gank from your jungler. When that happens, you have huge kill potential with the way your stun works. With some good coordination it can easily result in a kill or two. Do have in mind that you can also activate Dazzle (E) and flash while it’s channeling to catch the enemy AD or support unprepared. It can be tricky to land that way but it’s nothing impossible and you should have this in mind if it’s needed to secure the kill. Roaming with Taric is another good thing to do when you get the chance. Taric’s ganks on mid almost always result in a burned flash from the enemy midlaner and since no one wants to get stunned, people will often flash preemptively so you usually won’t have to pull any flashy plays in order to get an advantage for your midlaner. As for summoner spells — always take Flash, that is a general rule for Taric, and depending on the enemy team, you can take either Exhaust or Ignite. Exhaust is the best choice if the enemy team has assassins like Zed or Rengar or any similar champion, where a well timed exhaust can change the direction of a teamfight, and ignite gives you higher kill potential while in lane, and should be picked if playing against a champion that has a lot of healing built in their kit like Volibear, Soraka or Dr. Mundo. Now, regarding his item build order, here is what Platinum+ players are building on the current patch. (6.12) It’s a general rule that you don’t build mechanically, you need to adapt not only to the enemy team comp but to the situation you’re in at every moment in the game, from the beginning of the laning phase to late game. You wouldn’t always need Thornmail, but if the enemy team comp is full of AD (and preferably auto-attack heavy) champions it is a good and cheap item to get, especially since Taric scales so well off of armor. If you’re playing against a couple of AP champions, top and mid or perhaps Elise jungle, you should always get Locket of the Iron Solari not just for it’s active but passive magic resist aura for your team. You should always go a bit more in-depth if you can when thinking of item build order. If you’re losing in lane 2v2 and the enemy jungler isn’t present on the lower half of the map, it is OK if you delay your Sightstone, and go for some defensive items like a Cloth Armor and so on since it might be more beneficial in the short term when another 2v2 fight breaks out.Champion.gg build order. (Patch 6.12) Another fantastic thing about Taric’s new kit is the fact that you can rebind your W to another ally at any moment in the game. This is a fantastic strategic advantage not because of the active on the ability (the shield) but because of your ult. If you have a fed Katarina on your team, you should bind her seconds before she jumps into the enemy team to wreak havoc. Since she will be invulnerable for 2.5 seconds, this gives more than enough time for your team to follow up, while at the same time defending her for any kind of damage she might receive while being in the heart of battle. This goes for any kind of carry or assassin champion. Two and a half seconds is incredibly long in-game and can turn the game around in your favour. Of course, if your team is all grouped up then it doesn’t matter that much if your W is on your ADC or some other ally since the ultimate has a large area of effect and every teammate will be affected. Taric should be played aggressively but w ith some planning. You shouldn’t just go in like crazy, but he is extremely durable and tanky so you shouldn’t be scared of going in and being the frontline.

Capitalism and Socialism Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Capitalism and Socialism - Term Paper Example Petras (2004) says that the debate between socialism and capitalism is still pressing and he even claims that the battle of ideas has begun to intensify. Petras (2004) continues that the social indicator show that the real capitalism is considerable worse than the full employment and steady employment rates that existed during the socialist period. Another author Bala (2009) argues that critics of capitalism describe it as unfair and distribution of wealth and power. Capitalist economic system has the tendency to create market monopoly or oligopoly. Bala (2009) observes that capitalism can also lead to imperialism, various forms of economic and cultural exploitation. An example of this kind of exploitation is the outsourcing business. U.S companies have discovered that Indian engineers for example can handle the production as professionally as any U.S specialist, however price twice as lower. Thus, many corporations outsourced their business to India and Chine in an attempt to cut co sts. Critics of capitalism argue that the imperialism which is associated with this system can also establish social alienation and inequality. Bala (2009) quotes such statements expressed by many socialists as irrational, because the economy has no direction and is unplanned, consequently it can create internal contradictions and inconsistencies. Over the last 20 years the countries from the former Soviet Block in Eastern Europe are trying to transit from socialism to capitalism. All basic industries from energy, mining, communication, trade to infrastructure have been taken over by private corporations. However, this transition and privatization do not seem to reflect the capitalist ideas and many countries from Eastern Europe are not swept by massive unemployment, gang groups, uncontrollable migration waves, relative economic instability, money laundring and illegal transfers. Bala (2009) poses that socialism is mainly criticized, because it is incompatible with civil liberties and it political model is not efficient with the general social, human performances. Friedrich Hayek (cited by Bala 2009) argues that a socialist economy can not adequately communicate the information about the productive quotas due in most cases to shortage in price mechanism. Furthermore Hayek (cited by Bala 2009) debates that the social control over the distribution allotment of wealth and private property preached by socialists can not be accomplished without a considerable reduction in prosperity and loss of economic and political freedom. This statement is proved by the Soviet Union socialist satellite countries which after the fall of the regime seem to have been lost in their attempts to revive their economies. Another negative aspect of the socialism is that it creates authoritarian regimes. All sectors of the economy are operated by the one personality usually the head of the state. The supporters from each of the commented economic systems argues that life is more satisfactory under their preferred system. Vivier (2003) says that capitalists refuse to agree that imposing capitalists values and economic doctrines on the "Third World" countries, only made their economic status worse. It increased their misery and poverty and the labor force was directly pushed into the hands of Western industrial capitalists. The capitalists values

Global Marketing Research Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Global Marketing Research Assignment - Essay Example According to the current business performance of H&M, the organisation has built its strong brand image by delivering designed fashionable garments and sports apparels following the competitive pricing strategy across different developed and developing national markets. Founded in the year 1947, H&M is a Swedish manufacturer and marketer of fast-fashionable apparels for the customers, irrespective of their age groups and income levels (H&M Group, 2014). Currently, the organisation operates across 55 global markets with more than 116,000 numbers of dedicated employees. Moreover, H&M has also been recognised to achieve major recognition from its online apparel retail stores that are currently playing a crucial role for the organisation in 12 different nations across the globe (1H&M Group, 2014). The selection of markets has been one of the crucial and major strategic decisions for the organisations to build long-term sustainability. In relation to the competitive environment in the emerging clothing and apparel business industry, an appropriate selection of target markets help organisations to get accustomed with their strong brand position (Rugraff & Hansen, 2011). In this report, the target business environments selected for H&M are India and Brazil respectively. In correspondence, the following discussion will critically analyse the key rationale factors behind the selection of these emerging markets for H&M. The economic performance of the selected target markets has been prioritised.

DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES (DFC) Essay

DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES (DFC) - Essay Example The department’s yearly budget targets protection of over a hundred thousand youths while at the same time strengthening families around the commonwealth (Working at the Department of Children and Families, 2011). The paper will also focus at the type of work done at the department with the employees who are family centered, child driven, community focused, strength based, commitment to continuous learning as well as being committed to cultural/diversity competences. The paper will also discuss the various national and state policies that aim at preventing mistreatment of the children and preserving their rights. The American citizen as well as professionals associated with child health believes that parents have the responsibility of caring and nurturing their children while protecting them from harm. However, the state may be allowed to intervene in cases where the parents have failed to honor their duties and in cases of abuse. The children and family department aims at ensuring that children thrive and grow in a home environment that is nurturing. The approach sometime often entails making challenging and difficult decisions in which children are removed from their home environment and placed in environment that are more stable. The department is able to deal with numerous problems that affect children and their families such as abandonment, neglect and suspected child abuse. Such issues have raised concerns and the authorities have taken measures to stop them from happening in the community. The children and family departments have put in place various legislations with the intention of ensuring that people who suspects abuse of children have a mandate to report through telephone or any mean so that the children may be rescued and transferred to a better environment. One of the goals of the department is to stop neglect and child abuse. The department receives numerous reports of neglect and abuse of chi ldren

Discussion borad Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion borad - Essay Example It is also done to know if a certain independent variable creates negative or positive impact to the dependent variable. For example, does empowering women increase prejudice against men? The dependent variable, in this case, is the prejudice while empowering women is the independent variable. To get to a clear conclusion about the said question, the level of prejudice must be measured and be known through one of the components, pretesting and post-testing. The process will help to determine whether empowering women increases prejudice in men. To dispute or agree with the question that empowering women has increased prejudice in men, the subject has to be divided into two different parts mainly, experimental section where the stimulus is administered (empower the women) and the section that does not receive the stimulus. Both sections may not have increased prejudice, but if only a few people who do not see the essence of empowering the women agree with the said question, then it means that empowering women do not increase prejudice against men. It is not right to argue that empowering or giving power to women will hurt power of men (Mosedale p

Critically discuss with reference to the car industry e.g (Toyota), Essay

Critically discuss with reference to the car industry e.g (Toyota), the Japanese Lean production revolution - Essay Example The meiji restoration transformed the Japanese empire into an industrial world power. With new found pride in their country, and their culture, the Japanese flexed their muscles overseas. After the first Sino-Japanese War (1894-95), and the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05), Japan conquered a part of China, some parts of Russia, Taiwan and Korea. These territorial conquests provided Japan with valuable raw material and cheap labor for industries back home. In turn , these occupied territories were fertile markets for Japanese products. The relentless hunger for territorial expansion found expression in Japan's annexing of Manchuria in 1931. In 1937, Japan occupied more territories in China by waging a war on that country for the second time ( Second Sino-Japanese War, 1937-45). All these aggressive expansionist plans brought Japan in direct conflict with the U.S and its allies. Japan joined the Axis powers- Germany and Italy, in 1941.The same year, Japan declared war on the U.S. The war with Japan ended after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Between 1945 and 1952, post-war Japan was administered by the U.S government .To help Japan stand on its own feet, American financial and technical aid were provided to Japanese business and industry. As part of the technical assistance , the U.S government brought in industrial and managerial experts from the U.S, to train Japanese companies on modern management and production methods. One of the most definitive techniques that influenced Japanese manufacturing, and made Japan the powerhouse that it is today , was the 'Training Within Industry', concept. Training within industry (TWI) service, was a creation of the U.S Department of War, to meet wartime needs. During war, manpower was required by the armed forces to fight the enemy. At the same time, industry which provided key material and equipment to the defense forces, faced a shortage of hands to finish production. Therefore, to optimize the productivity of U.S workforce, a program for training supervisors and workers in indus trial establishments was devised. The training was to be done by experts drawn from universities and businesses. The aim of this program was to improve productivity and quality. The basic concept of the training consisted of the following sequences: a. study and understand the process b. break up the process into its sub-components. c. Educate the supervisor and the worker on the process and its sub-components. d. Train the supervisor and the worker to work efficiently and without wastage. e. Train the worker to evaluate the end result and suggest corrective steps. f. Training the supervisor to deal with workers effectively and fairly. g. Training managements to develop newer and better training programs. The essential elements of the TWI program were similar to the principles laid down by Frederick w.Taylor (1856-1915), father of scientific management. In his book, 'The principles of scientific management (1911), Taylor proposed the following: a. replace rule of thumb work methods with methods based on scientific study of the task. b. Scientifically select , train, and develop each employee rather than passively leaving them to train themselves. c. Divide work equally between managers and workers so that

Criminal justice Tends Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Criminal justice Tends Paper - Essay Example Law enforcement has revolutionized a great deal from its early practices. Intelligence in law enforcement basically depended on the dossier system which involved a collection of files of people suspected of being criminals and their accomplices, referred to as red files (McElreath et al., 2013). But there was soon increased evidence of law enforcement officers keeping files of people who had no records of criminality, hence the subsequent separation of law enforcement and national enforcement intelligence that saw the development of a more reliable intelligence-led policing. The period between 1881 and 1945, as documented by (Grant & Terry, 2005) saw the mobility of law enforcement agents increased by introduction of motor vehicle patrols and improvement of communication through use of radio and telephones. It was during the same period that identification of criminals was made effective with forensic laboratory being set, pioneering the use of polygraph, handwriting and fingerprint systems of classification. Subsequent years up to 1959 saw traffic law enforcers introduce speed violation and blood-alcohol detection instruments to detect crime. This was further boosted by computerization in the period between 1960 and 1979 and the introduction of the 911 emergency code systems. The technological advancement saw easy retrieval of data in the period after 1980. The current trend in law enforcement borrows so much from the capabilities of technology to ensure public safety in the modern highly technological environment facing transnational threats. According to Schultz (2013), crime prevention relies heavily on surveillance which has greatly improved with the use of the Geographic Information System, GIS technology for purposes of mapping the location of aliens and drug traffickers, away from the ancient push pins approach. Used together with this has been the Global Positioning Systems, GPS. The use of closed-circuit television, CCTV for public surveillance has fo und application in various public areas including airports and public buildings. Nonetheless, despite the capabilities brought by the use of such a technology, a legal debate has been raging on particularly with regard to respect to citizens’ privacy (Grant & Terry, 2005). To identify criminals, biometrics technology provides real-time automatic identification of individuals based on such persons’ behavior or physiology. These include fingerprint scanning, facial recognition, retinal scanning and DNA profiling among others. The current law enforcement system has seen greater efforts made towards developing efficient technologies to overcome barriers in information sharing across various jurisdictions. Such has seen the employment of Automated Regional Information System, ARJIS, use of cross-jurisdictional radio communications and encryption for information security. The Internet has been used by various law enforcement agencies for community policing which makes it mor e intensive than traditional policing methods. In the future, one thing is certain according to Schultz (2013); technology will continue to advance in nearly all the facets of law enforcement. Technology will be used to prevent, solve and also facilitate crimes. Following the past criminal incidences including the September 11 2001 terror attacks, law enforcement a

Hamilton Versus Jefferson Essay Example for Free

Hamilton Versus Jefferson Essay The differences between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson were certainly profound. Hamilton in general was more eloquent, a centralist, some may even call him a monarch-sympathizer. Thomas Jefferson was anti-federalism, pro-state authority, and overall down-to-earth. These two men have created the types of ideologies the modern two-party system operates by, despite George Washington’s warning of such division. Alexander Hamilton was one of the vigorous advocates of ratifying the constitution in replacement of the Articles of Confederation that did nothing to form a single currency, a strong economy, or a proper domestic security, in wake of the Shay’s rebellion. Thus, Alexander authored the majority of the federalist papers, which urged for a more central government. Hamilton wished for a stronger economy based on national encouragement through a national bank, a single currency, and tariffs to protect American industry. He also wanted a central government to assume all state-debt by creating a permanent national debt through the continuing sale of bonds. In this way, the states would be subservient to the national government. In contrast, Thomas Jefferson became an adamant figure in the opposition party, the Republican Party. This party felt that the federalists were attempting to establish another tyranny to rule the states. Thus, the party was in favor of state’s rights and anti-federalism. Jefferson himself was not opposed to a strong national economy but was fearful of massive urbanization and government centralism. He believed the heart of the American economy was the independence of the agrarian life. That farmers ought to be the heart of America competing in a free-market both nationally and internationally.

Competitive and marketing analysis for a Gym

Competitive and marketing analysis for a Gym Optimize gym will be a private business. The reason it will be a private business is because it has benefits. The benefits are that the gym will have limited liabilities and will be separate the business from the owners, which means that if the gym goes bankrupt, creditors cannot go after the owners personal assets. Another reason will be that the gym can have some shareholders which will increase funds. The gym should only have one owner to avoid dispute between multiple owners. Optimize gym will be located in Greenacre because there are no other gyms for both men and women. There will only be about 5 employees (Two inside the main gym area, and the other two to conduct boxing and circuit classes). Funds will be obtained from creditors such as a bank and will need an accountant to handle the funds. Purpose of plan The purpose of a business plan is to guide a business to achieve its goals and to prevent failure. It provides a design and sets targets for a business which enables it to evaluate its progress against identified reference points. A well devised business plan provides a business with clear direction and a path for the future, how the business could perform in the future and the priorities that are set for the business. A business plan outlines: A description of the business (Name, address, organisation and management) The goods and/or services the business provides The businesss goals A market analysis Customer needs and size of the market The industry in which the business operates Marketing/production/financial/employment relation strategies. The goals of Optimize gym include: Making a profit (Financial goal, short term) Expanding to a few gyms around NSW (Financial goal, long term) Satisfaction in work self achievement (Personal goal) Long term security Financially (Financial goal, long term) Sponsorship (Social goal) Successful business (Personal goal, long term) Increasing market share (Financial goal) Help people achieve their physical goals (Personal goal) Give men access to a gym since there are no gyms for both men and women in the are (Personal goal) Situation analysis SWOT analysis Strengths Skilled and qualified Workers Experienced managers Great location Good use of technology Great reputation (over 100 members) New and upated equipment Large area inside gym so that equipment isnt squashed 3 rooms (One used for boxing classes, one for circuit classes, and one for main gym area.) Weaknesses High costs for personal service (Personal training) Low amount of staff Average financial position Opportunities To expand A growing market means more people will participate Can attract couples because it is a gym for males and females. Threats Increased rent costs Competitors (fitness first) Competitor Analysis Fitness first Strengths Great reputation Qualified and experienced managers and workers Many workers Trained personal trainers Large amount of equipment Good finance Weaknesses High membership costs Gym could be filled with members at certain times Opportunities Expanding Buying out competitors Threats Competitors (Such as other big gyms World Gym) Market Analysis Customers (Target Market) / Market Research Optimize Gym is located in Greenacre where there is only one other gym. There are also local sporting teams which means that they would want to keep fit if they are going to pursue that sport. Optimize gym will focus mainly on: Men and Women who would like to get the body they always dream of at a low cost. Couples who like to train together. Teenagers The trend recently is for teenagers to go to the gym to keep fit and get good bodies for summer. Groups of friends People would rather go to the gym with friends because it will be less boring and will keep them coming back. Housewives due to them being at an age where it is hard for them to maintain their figure Market Segmentation There are four key business functions which are Operations, Marketing, Accounting and finance, and Employment relations. All of these interrelate, which means that they all rely on eachothers success to be successful. The term operations means the physical production of a good or the provision of a service. Since Optimize is a gym, it means that it is service based. There are many positive qualities for opening a gym which can include: Not being worried about being over stocked Not having to think of ways to innovate products No need to always have stock Being service based also has down sides which can include: If the business is not performing well, you cannot improve on anything other than the service unlike selling products, you can just innovate improve. Replacing broken equipment Marketing is the sector which aims to find out what consumers look for in a product/service and implement them. With Optimize gym, people come to the gym to achieve the bodies that they always dream of and marketing needs to be able to attract customers by creating a good atmosphere and giving them a great experience. Marketing needs to be able to research competitors to find out what is making them good and what is making them bad, also researching the prices of competitors to be able to compete with them. The marketing sector mainly relies on the accounting and finance sector to be able to provide the funds needed to advertise etc. Accounting finance is the sector which provides the financial information needed for decision making by the other sectors. No matter what type of business you are in, you need this sector to be able to keep track of what is being spent and what money you have. This sector is also important because it gives owners information about what is making money in the business and what is losing money which will help them improve on the bad parts of the business. Business use various tools to keep track of the money which include financial records, balance sheets, break-even analysis, budgets etc. Employment relations is the last sector of the four business functions. It is basically the relationship between the employer and the employees. If the relationship is good between them, then the employees will like their job which will motivate them to work hard and not slack off. Having good employment relations will help achieve the business goals by having qualified, trained and skilled employees who are right for the job. Objectives and strategies Objectives are merely goals, but are not like normal goals. They need to be S.M.A.R.T which means that they must be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed. The objectives of Optimize gym relate to the four key business functions which are Operations, Marketing, Accounting Finance and Employment relations (As mentioned above) Objectives of operations for Optimize gym include: Increasing participation of members in circuit and boxing classes Increasing how much the fitness professionals help the members, that is improving the quality of service from employees. Some strategies to accomplish these objective can be: Offer occasional trial classes to show members how the classes are run and how beneficial they can be. Offer rewards for employees that you see actually approaching members and giving advice and help on nutrition and teaching about how exercises should be done. Training staff Objectives of the Marketing sector for Optimize gym include: An increase in members by 20% within 12 months Some strategies that can be implemented to achieve this objective include: Offering free trials of the gym Offering free circuit/boxing classes Group discounts on starting memberships Discounts for referring friends (friends must become members for the discount to apply) The objectives of the accounting finance sector for Optimize gym include: An increase in profit by 20% within 12 months Becoming insolvent Having liquidity Having a surplus Some strategies that can be implemented to achieve these goals include: Improving stock control Decreasing expenses Tighter credit policies Finding alternative suppliers (Cheaper stock) Accounting finance interrelated with Marketing because if marketing is good then Optimize gym will have more members which means more return and makes it easier to achieve these objectives. Employment Relations also has some objectives which include: Keeping at least 90% of employees after 3 years Strategies that can be implemented to achieve this objective include Motivating employees to work by offering rewards Increase in payment each year to all employees Offering prizes to employee of the month Job Description Qualifications include: Completion of personal training course At least 2 years experience Staffing requirements Rostering is the process of allocating particular staff to complete particular duties. Employees: Jessica Personal trainer (Completed personal fitness course Worked as a personal trainer for 3 years Sert 3, Sert 4 Diploma fitness) Therese (Bachelor of exercise science) John (Level 1, Level 2 strength and conditioning) Bob (Level 1, Level 2 personal trainer) Anthony Ishac (Boss) (Physio therapist) Day Shift (9am-4pm) Area Shift (4pm-10pm) Area Monday Therese Bob Main Gym Area Main Gym Area Jessica John Anthony Ishac Circuit Room Main Gym Area Main Gym Area Tuesday John Jessica Anthony Ishac Main Gym Area Main Gym Area Massage Room Bob Therese Main Gym Area Main Gym Area Wednesday Therese Jessica Main Gym Area Main Gym Area John Bob Anthony Ishac Boxing Class Main Gym Area Main Gym Area Thursday John Bob Anthony Ishac Main Gym Area Main Gym Area Massage Room Therese Jessica Main Gym Area Main Gym Area Friday John Therese Main Gym Area Main Gym Area Jessica Bob Anthony Ishac Circuit Room Main Gym Area Main Gym Area Saturday John Jessica Main Gym Area Main Gym Area Bob (4pm-8pm) Anthony Ishac (4pm-8pm) Main Gym Area Main Gym Area Sunday Bob Therese Main Gym Area Main Gym Area John (4pm-8pm) Jessica(4pm-8pm) Anthony Ishac (4pm-8pm) Boxing Class Main Gym Area Main Gym Area Price / Promotion The prices at Optimize gym is a price in which the gym is willing to make and what the consumers will be willing to pay. Optimize gym will also use competitor prices as a guide to what the prices will be. The gym is going to have promotions that will help attract customers such as free boxing/circuit classes and also free massage sessions with each 3 month membership or longer. Optimize Gym product strategy should be to attract and keep business coming back. The main goal is to try keeping a positive atmosphere and letting members have a great experience that helps them lead a healthy lifestyle. Optimize gym should try to become separate from other gyms and try to become better. Some ways to separate themselves would be by providing exceptional exercise equipment and having professional trainers conducting classes and giving nutrition advice. By having these, Optimize gym will have a high standard compared to other gyms. Some promotions may include: Advertising on billboards Making facebook pages Television Radio Door-to-door visits offering one day free entry Providing 1 month free membership for members who have been with us for 12 months+ 10% discount when you refer 5 friends Membership Fees Casual Visit: $10.00 10 Visit pass: $75.00 1 month membership: $49.95 3 months membership: $119.95 6 months membership: $199.95 12 months membership: $350.00 1 month membership + Boxing/Circuit class (Any time): $70 (Must choose ONE class) 3 month membership + Boxing/Circuit class (Any time): $170 (Must choose ONE class)* 6 month membership + Boxing/Circuit class (Any time): $300 (Must choose ONE class)* 12 month membership + Boxing/Circuit class (Any time): $400 (Must choose ONE class)* *These memberships will include one free massage session. Class Fees (Boxing / Circuit) 1 Class: $10 1 Month: $40 Monthly Recurring: $35 Massage sessions: 1 hour = $40 (includes any part of the body) Product Prices Optimize Shirts: $25 Optimize Singlets: $20 Weight lifting gloves: $30 Weight lifting belt: $40 Supplement Prices (Approximate prices) Protein Jar: $70 Creatine Jar 200g: $30 Weight loss supplement: $40 Weight gaining supplements: $40 Muscle bulk supplements: $60 Product The products that Optimize gym offers are in great condition. The equipment in the gym are all brand new and are from big trademark brands. The gym area is very big so the equipment are all spaced out. The products that will be sold include gym shirts and singlets, weight lifting gloves, weight lifting belt, proteins, weight loss/weight gain supplements and creatine. The gym shirts will have various sizes with Optimize written on the front with a slogan on the back. They will be black in colour with lime green writing. Place Place refers to how a product is distributed. With Optimize gym, the only products that are sold are the Optimize T- shirts and singlets. They are made by the manufacturer then sent a retailer (Optimize gym) then sold to the consumer. The degree of distribution will be exclusive distribution, which means that only one retailer (Optimize gym) will be able to sell them. Description of the product/service The services Optimise gym offer include: In the main gym area, Optimize gym has trained staff members who have completed various courses in training and fitness and also nutrition and are able to provide excellent information and motivation for members. Optimize gym provides exceptional service inside the gym with the state of the art equipment that the gym owns. It also has trained staff to conduct circuit classes and also boxing which help members increase fitness levels and also learn some self defence along the way. Equipment inside the gym Fitness step x 2 $200 Barbell set (10kg 70kg) $2500 Bodyworx Deluxe Mid-width Weight Bench Press x 2 $1000 Seated preacher curl bench x 2 $500 Smith Machine x 2 $10000 Cable equipment (Shoulder press, lat pulldown, chest) 45 degree leg press $1000 Multi station x 2 $10000 45 degree back extension $500 Dip / pull up assist machine $1000 Wall Balls (Medicine balls) x 4 $200 Dumbbells Rowing machines x 3 $2000 Treadmills x 3 $5000 Exercise bikes x 12 $3000 Power racks Weight plates (1.25kg, 2.5kg, 5kg, 10kg, 20kg) x 2 $1000 Rubber floors Boxing bags x 4 $400 Boxing ring $1000 Protective gear Wraps Boxing gloves Focus Pads Personal Trainers Jessica Personal trainer (Completed personal fitness course Worked as a personal trainer for 3 years Sert 3, Sert 4 Diploma fitness) Therese (Bachelor of exercise science) John (Level 1, Level 2 strength and conditioning) Bob (Level 1, Level 2 personal trainer) Classes Boxing Wednesday 7pm-8pm Sunday 7pm-8pm Circuit Monday 5pm-6.30pm Friday 6pm-7.30pm Boxing Class Includes self defence training and sparring Circuit Class Includes pushups, Situps, knee lifts, squats, fitness stepping, skipping, tuck jumps and treadmills. Massage Session Must book with Anthony Ishac on the available days (Tuesday and Thursday) Trading Hours Monday Friday: 9am 10pm Saturday Sunday: 9am 8pm *CLOSED ON PUBLIC HOLIDAYS* Equipment sold on front counter Beverages Optimize t-shirts Optimize singlets Supplements Weight lifting gloves Weight lifting belt (back support) Power bars Protein shakers Boxing gloves/pads Optimize gym is a great choice compared to its competitors because it provides excellent equipment at a low price also combined with the quality of the service. Offers and Discounts Group discounts Discounts on referring friends Free trials of boxing/circuit classes/Gym membership Discounts on members who have been part of the gym for a long period. Financial Forecasts Optimize Gym Pty Ltd 30 June 2011 Current Assets Cash $6000 Accounts Receivable $50,000 Inventory $50,000 Current Liabilities Overdraft $150,000 Accounts Payable $60,000 Total $106,000 Total Current Liabilities $210,000 Non Current Assets Equipment $1,000,000 Land $500,000 Building/Property $300,000 Non Current Liabilities Mortgage $1,600,000 Total $1,800,000 Total Non Current Liabilities $1,600,000 Other Current Assets Good Will $200,000 Owners Equity Shareholders funds $296,000 Capital $100,000 Retained Profits $100,000 Total Assets $2,106,000 Total Liabilities + Equity $2,306,000 Liquidity = Current Assets . Current Liabilities =$106,000 = 0.5 $210,000 Executive Summary I will be opening a gym called Optimize. Optimize gym is a private business and i will be a sole trader due to various reasons. The major goal of the gym is to create a profit and make members dream bodies reality. Optimize gym offers many services such as nutritional assistance, assistance in exercise, state of the art equipment which are brand new, and will sell various products such as supplements, T-shirts, singlets, training equipment, boxing gloves/pads. Optimize gym conducts boxing and circuit classes to any member, each twice a week and also physical therapy and massage sessions. Optimize gym is located in Greenacre because in that area there is only one other gym which is just for women and all major competitors are located away from this area. The trading days are Monday Sunday. The trading hours are 9am-10pm (Monday Friday) and 9am-8pm (Saturday Sunday). Optimize gym offers a lot of discounts such as group discounts, Referrer discounts and loyalty discounts. The set out of Optimize gym and the services / offers that are available are good for the business at the growth stage because it is able to make enough revenue to pay off debts and have a profit. Critically review the plan and process Over all this assignment was very long. Luckily it asked me to write a plan of approach otherwise i would not have completed all aspects of the report. Overall i worked well in completing each part of the assignment to the date in which it was due, everything was completed as planned. In class i listened to all the tips Mr Fares gave me and also Miss Jones in the past term. I asked the teacher many questions before i went home and completed each part of the plan. I had some strengths and weaknesses. Some strengths were that i knew the content previously which made it easier for me to know what to talk about in the plan, and also had the help of the teacher in areas which i didnt know much in. Some weaknesses were that i was distracted very easily because of the environment i was in (The room i worked in had my Tv, Xbox and stereo) and was also distracted from friends and was thrown off task easily. Overall i met all my deadlines and was happy with the way i completed the plan but the assignment was very long! I think that we needed more lessons in class to learn the content a bit more before starting. Revenue statement for Optimize Gym Pty Ltd for the period ending 30 June 2010 $ Total $ Sales Revenue 200,000 Less Cost of goods sold Opening stock Purchases Closing Stock 40,000 20,000 60,000 50,000 10,000 Gross Profit 190,000 Less Expenses Advertising Bank charges Insurance Interest paid to bank Rent Salaries and wages Superannuation Telephone Accountancy fees 6000 300 6000 5500 10000 80000 10,000 3000 2000 Net Profit (Before Tax) 67,200 Financial Requirements $500,000 To buy equipment, re-stock and pay for damages.

Political Allegory In The Book Animal Farm :: Animal Farm Essays

Political Allegory In The Book Animal Farm "Ideas play a part in any revolution, conflicting ideas is main reason why Revolutions happens. " This is the platform that George Orwell used in his book " Animal Farm". The political allegory in the story is mocking the Revolution that changed "Russia" into the "USSR". This was the workings of Karl Marx. Marx was known for being politically inspired by one idea. Marx wanted it to be that one class, the working class, and against another class, the rich or higher class. The Revolution was started by men who believed with Karl Marx's theory that the history of the world was the history of a struggle between classes between oppressors and oppressed. This happened in the book "Animal Farm by George Orwell" Orwell uses this example to base his book on. He makes the characters personify the major players in the Russian Revolution. Orwell uses this to form a well written piece of literature. In "Animal Farm" The Democratic society led by Mr. Jones the original leader of Manor Farm was overthrown by a policy called Animalism. Animalism was a theory concocted by the Old Major a Pig. In "Animal Farm" the pigs were personified as the smartest and the best among animals. The Pigs take control of the farm. The two major idealists Snowball and Napoleon have conflicting ideas. These ideas break snowball away from the rest of the group and make him leave Animal Farm. This lets Napoleon have total control. They set up a set of rules called the seven commandments. In the beginning everyone followed these rules such as no animal may kill another animal, no animal is better than another animal. This makes the leader Napoleon want to break the rules so he makes him and his fellow pigs more special, eating all the good food, wearing clothes, living in the farmhouse, and not working. As for the other animals big or small get the same rations of food, are not allowed to wear clothes, had to live in the barn, and were overworked. Marx, like other socialist thinkers of the 19th century, denounced the cruel injustices of industrial capitalist society as he saw it. He had a vision of ending "the exploitation of man by man" and establishing a classless society, in which all people would be equal. The only means to this end, he thought, was a revolution of the exploited (the proletariat) against the exploiters (the bourgeoisie), so that workers would own the means of production, such as the factories and machinery. This revolution would set up a

Distortion of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby Essay -- Essays o

In the past the American Dream was an inspiration to many, young and old. To live out the American Dream was what once was on the minds of many Americans. In The Great Gatsby, the American Dream was presented as a corrupted version of what used to be a pure and honest ideal way to live. The idea that the American Dream was about the wealth and the possessions one had been ingrained, somehow, into the minds of Americans during the 1920’s. As a result of the distortion of the American Dream, the characters of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby along with many others, lived life fully believing in the American Dream, becoming completely immersed in it and in the end suffered great tragedies. Around the 1920’s many American's outlook on life began to change. The American Dream gave them something to fight for, â€Å"a chance to achieve fame, power, or fortune†(Daeleiden 11), a chance to climb above their previous generation in terms of the social ladder. Even though it was superficial, Gatsby's outlook on life was something that could be labeled as optimistic. However as optimistic as it was, Gatsby was ignorant to the truths hovering around him. Although Gatsby’s intentions were good many times he became confused in what he really wished for. Gatsby believed that if he overcame the poverty of his early life and became someone new he would be able to capture the heart of his beloved Daisy, a woman whose materialistic outlook on life led Gatsby to extremities. Gatsby threw around large amounts of money as if it was nothing in an attempt to win over the heart of his beloved Daisy. He even threw incredibly lavish parties in hope that Daisy would attend one giving him t... ...kest way possible. To have an easy life without having to make an effort and to obtain all the materialist possessions within your ability. The difference between Fiztgerald's American dream and the Contemporary Dream is that one exemplifies the results rather then the process. Fitzgerald's American Dream is mostly portrayed as a miracle followed by a demise while the Contemporary Dream is more of a lack of effort in the achieving of a superficial American Dream. The similarities however lie in the materialism of the corrupted American Dream. What was once a pure dream became the race to becoming wealthy in ever possible way. Both Fitzgerald and the Contemporary Dream emphasize the possessions of one. Fitzgerald however looks at this in a negative way while the other presents materialism as positive and a necessity to achieving the American Dream.

Essay --

The Vietnam War was fought from December 1956 to April 1975 in the Indohchina region that encompasses Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. At its most basic level, it can be described as a war between the communist regime in North Vietnam, headed by Ho Chi Minh, with its sympathizers in the South and the Southern non-communist Vietnamese regime. Its roots can be traced back to the end of the Second World War, when Ho Chi Minh and the Vietminh (nationalist communist party) seized power in formally French-controlled Vietnam after the Japanese occupants withdrew. France, unwilling to relinquish their power, sent troops into Indochina in order to regain their control. Meanwhile, Ho Chi Minh continued to consolidate his power through his Soviet and Chinese communist allies—employing tactics such as imprisonment, exile, and sometimes even murder to be rid of any political opposition or threats to his Communist regime. The struggle continued until the Vietnimh—with Chinese support in weapons and advising—took siege of the village Dien Bein Phu, where French troops were located. In May 1954, the Vietnamese successfully took the village, and soon after that the French left Indochina all together acknowledging their defeat. In the late 50s, South Vietnam was under control of Ngo Dinh Diem, who implemented a severe and brutal anti-Communist regime, leading to small collectives of communist revolutionaries, who eventually in 1959 were supported and aided materially by the North. Thus the Vietnam War as we know it today began. The Communist North, aided by Chinese and Soviet allies, fought battles with the anti-communist South, aided primarily by the U.S. Yet, how did the U.S. become involved so heavily in a war that seemed to have nothing to do with... ...relenting. It is argued that a fundamental difference between the experiences of Vietnam vets as opposed to veterans of other wars is that veterans of a war such as World War II, though still had a difficult time with what they did and witnessed, had a feeling that what they did in the war was significant and important beyond what they individually may have seen or done—there was a greater purpose to all of it (i.e. WWII stopping the Nazi invasion and terror). However, considering the turn the war in Vietnam took—how the U.S. public eventually protested strongly against it and its goals—that feeling was not always present for the surviving soldiers. This fact among the various other factors like the horrors and gruesomeness of the war contributes to the widespread psychological problems that plagued the veterans of the war long after they returned home to the U.S.

Evaluating Areas of Knowledge

Music can affect us in many ways. It can evoke emotion or bring back a long-forgotten memory. It is present in nearly every aspect of life. Anywhere you travel, you come into contact with music. Whether it is on the radio in the car, in the supermarket, or on television, there is no escaping the constant presence of music. Music is composed for various reasons and purposes. Sometimes, composers are compelled to create a musical work to express their emotions, or even opinions. Music is also created to express the cultural aspects. Since there are so many reasons music is created and purposes it is used for, how is it possible to know music and in what ways can music be known? According to the International Baccalaureate Theory of Knowledge, there are several specific ways of knowing that allow knowledge claims to be evaluated. The infinitive, to know, can be evaluated by using reason, language, perception, and emotion. All of these ways can be utilized when evaluating the claim â€Å"I know this music. † Also, most of these mentioned ways of knowing can be applied to other areas of knowledge besides the arts. To begin, knowing music can be evaluated by using reason as logic. Obviously, if someone where to make this claim, he could simply be referring to the fact that he had heard it before. But logically, looking on a deeper level, the claim could mean that he had played through the music before. Often when musicians play a piece of music, or especially when it is performed, it has greater meaning to them and allows them to know it more intimately. When playing a piece of music, artists can put their own personal feeling into it. They can vary certain aspects such as tempo and phrasing. Not only does playing music speak to a listening audience, it speaks to the artist. This makes playing music a very psychological process, as it evokes certain feelings from listener and performer. Very gifted musicians are sometimes able to merely look at a piece of music, to analyze each note and rhythm, and be able to claim they know the piece. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was able to know music in this way. He would compose entire symphonies and concertos entirely in his mind before ever writing them down. And when he did write them down, he never changed a note. Mozart never had to physically hear a piece of music to know what it sounded like; he could hear it in his mind. Likewise, this was true for Beethoven, who composed and conducted his ninth symphony after becoming deaf. This process of knowing occurs on a much more intellectual level then actually playing music. However, both methods present knowledge of music. Besides using reason as logic, one can also consider the reason in the purpose of music in order to fully know it. Music is usually always created for some purpose. Composers are inspired and feel compelled to express their creativity. However, despite the composer's initial purpose for the music, its purpose to society may become completely different. For instance, many early classical composers were hired by courts and forced to compose music for the king. Often they would just write so as to get paid and to save themselves from poverty or execution. They would never have imagined that their music would, hundreds of years later, be listened to in the homes of middle class amilies as their children fervently practice the current assignment from the piano teacher. Music can be written to express opinions of society, culture, and authority. The popular rapper Eminem, constantly criticized for his outspokenness, articulates his views through his controversial lyrics. Similarly, the members of the heavy metal band Rage Against the Machine are known for their radical views of government and have even been arrested several times for protesting on the steps of the capital. Rage uses their music to communicate their opinions and speak to others who feel the same. Altogether, the purpose of music can be used to evaluate how it is known. Next, the claim can also be evaluated by analyzing certain aspects of language. Semantics is a term often applied to the study of meaning in language. In order to study language, one needs to consider two aspects of language: denotation and connotation. Denotation can be thought of as the way in which a word is defined, as in the dictionary. Connotation, on the other hand, is thought of as the color of the word, or what it implies. Therefore, according to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, the definition of the verb ‘to know' is: to perceive directly, or have direct cognition of, to have understanding of, to recognize the nature of, to recognize as being the same as something previously known, to be acquainted or familiar with, or to have experience of. The denotation of a word is very straightforward and differs from the connotation in that it lacks emotion. For example, when trying to explain love to a child, it does no good to give them a dictionary definition. On the other hand, the connotation of knowing can be explained in countless ways. For example, the word can infer that there is a strong emotional connection, whether it be positive or negative. The connotation also involves many other areas other than just the word, such as the tone of voice it is said in, or the context in which it is placed. When evaluating a claim, one cannot fully depend on a single aspect of semantics. Both denotation and connotation need to be taken into account in order to evaluate knowledge claims. In addition, perception is another way of knowing. Perception varies between all individuals. Perception makes each person unique. Therefore, it is difficult to make a generalized statement about perception besides the fact that it can drastically change the way identical events are interpreted. Perception can be influenced by many different factors such as culture, economic status, and religion. These factors can be described as filters through which the world is perceived. When applied to a knowledge claim, perception mainly varies between individuals' views of what it means to know something. Take, for instance, the individual making the knowledge claim, â€Å"I know this music. One person's perception of what it means to know could vary from the perception of the person being told. The only way to bridge this gap in perception, is to become tolerant of others' views. Applied to others areas of knowledge, these ways of analyzing knowledge claims are valid yet sometimes irrelevant. For instance, the methods work for theoretical, language, and creativity based areas such as politics and the arts. However, when applied to more factual areas like mathematics and the natural sciences, the above methods are not suitable. For these areas, processes such as proofs and the scientific method are used.

Essay on The Department of Homeland security Essay

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was established by this act of parliament: Homeland security Act of 2002. It was created to consolidate the US executive branch agencies linked to the security of the homeland, into a one cabinet department. It resulted into partnership of 22 agencies into one new and autonomous department. After the investigations of 9/11, the republican government under the presidency of George W. Bush came up with measures to solve the shortcomings of national security. Within a fort night after the terrorist attacks, George W. Bush announced the formation of the office of Homeland security developed to protect US territories from terrorist attacks and offer efficient and effective emergency and intelligence response to potential future natural disasters. The President signed Executive Order 13228 on October 8, 2001 setting up this office with the mission of developing and coordinating the implementation of a detailed national security strategy to prevent the United States from suffering another terrorist attacks The U.S. PATRIOT Act (Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism) is the most important law passed after the 9/11 attack. It is so essential because of the fact that it improves inter-agency cooperation for the collection of intelligence andit’s sharing. This barrier being broken down has contributed to a very large extent the protection of the US. Additionally, it appreciates the fact that the advent of technologyensures that our laws are updated and has encouraged better prosecution of suspected terrorists. Lastly, it has strengthened the existing terrorism legislations, reflecting some specific situations that did not exactly exist previously. These are the things that make the PATRIOT Act a great addition to law enforcement. The Homeland Security Act is the other important piece of legislation. The most vital element was the fact that the multi-crisis management agencies were clustered under one command structure and then given the mandate to work with law enforcement agencies with a nation-wide outlook, as specified in section 101 of the Homeland Security Act (2002). The Homeland Security presidential directives are powers exercised by the president to form a de facto order. While the general vision for homeland security is firmly etched with the Executive branch, the more the details that will fall to the legislative branch. In the period after 9/11, several key legislations were passed. The most important being the U.S. PATRIOT Act,  and the Homeland Security Act of 2002. Executive Orders have for a long time been a technique for a President to de facto come up with a law & further give the details on powers of the E xecutive branch. The 1st Presidential proclamation issued because of an internal issue was the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus by President Lincoln in 1861. This influential order would pave the way for subsequent Presidential actions with regard to terrorists, enemy combatants and saboteurs. The DHS was put under the leadership of Mr. Tom Ridge. Boarder-line security, antiterrorism, disaster preparedness, Immigration, response and recovery are some of the key areas DHS influences. The Department of Homeland Security brought in 22 law enforcement, security and intelligence agencies under one command. Immigration issues are core to the US internal security. In 2003, therefore the department took up the Immigration and Naturalization Service automatically assuming its duties. This action led to the separation of the service and information functions into 2 distinct agencies: Citizenship and Immigration and Immigration and Custom Enforcement services. United States. Homeland security strategy and policy from 2004 until now is marked by the establishment of strategiesformulated correct deficiencies on the general security position of the country. In total 5 new strategies were developed, they are: 1.The Strategy for Homeland Defense and Civil Support, June 2005 2.The National Strategy for Maritime Security, September 2005 3.The National Intelligence Strategy, October 2005 4.The National Counterintelligence Strategy, March 2007 5.The National Strategy for Aviation Security, March 2007 (2010) Each strategy lists objectives that can weigh the effectiveness of the purpose of existing weaknesses in each distinctivearea. As these are strategies, they have to beimplemented with success over the scope of the past 3 years. Two other bills were passed into law in this time period: The Intelligence Community and the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA) and The Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act. The IRPTA matured into a law on December 17, 2004. Most of the recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission were included into this law, dropping the head of the Intelligence Community (IC) from the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) to the Director of National Intelligence. The National Counter Terrorism  Center was founded. As a foundation for a counter terrorism activities, it brings together all intelligence gathered on terrorist activities & serves as a cleaning house for these matters. As one entity, it has made significant contributions to the successful defense of the nation.

Tom Shiftlet Was Happy with the Craters

O’Conner portrays Mr. Shiftlet very vaguely at the beginning of the story, but she tells readers a few facts about him that are vital to understanding who Tom really is. Mr. Shiftlet comes with an open heart to the Crater’s residence. He admires their home and is willing to work if they let him stay. This reveals that Tom is a hard working man. Although he seems to have an overly keen interest in their automobile, which seems suspicious, he makes an effort to make life easier for Lucynell Sr. and Jr. He even takes the time to Teach Lucynell Jr. a word. Up until this point he seems genuinely happy making them happy. Once Mrs. Crater starts trying to force tom to marry her daughter, he starts becoming uncomfortable with the situation. He even tries to go on as if nothing had happened and keep living as they were, but that does not work and Mrs. Crater keeps forcing it upon him. The most important fact that is revealed about Tom is that he is extremely unhappy with his life. Readers know that he ran away from his mother when he was younger and that he now regrets it very much. He also ends up running away from Mrs.  Crater when she started to try to control him. This suggests that Tom is not very fond of people controlling him. And although he continually runs away he is very unhappy with the decisions that he has made over the course of the years but instead of standing his ground and fixing his problems and himself, he runs away. Mr. Shiftlet introduces himself as a carpenter to Mrs. Carter and has a tin box to prove it. He seems, however, very hesitant to tell her anything else about himself since whenever she asked him a question, â€Å"he didn't answer† (977). He promptly proves his worth the next morning when â€Å"he began on the roof of the garden house† (978). â€Å"He had not been around a week before the change he had made was apparent. He had patched the front and back steps, built a new hog pen, and restored a fence† (978-9). The question most readers would ask is why would he go through all the trouble to fix all of these things? The literal answer may seem simple and functional: he wants to create a trusting atmosphere so he could lure Lucynell into somehow giving him the car. That is, after all what he seems to want. His eye are always â€Å"focused on part of the automobile† (978) and he was able to get it in the end, but it is clearly not what he really wants or needs since he still â€Å"became depressed in spite of the car† (982). What Tom really wanted was to feel loved and needed without being controlled. He wanted to be part of a family again, but under his terms. So he tried with all his might, and even went to the extent of teaching the deaf girl to speak, to make the situation work the way he wanted it to. What he quickly realized was that Lucynell Sr. had a plan for him. As the story progresses readers find that Mr. Shiftlet is quite unhappy with his past. He seems upset when Mrs. Crater calls him a â€Å"poor disabled friendless drifting man† (980). Although she is stating exactly who he is and what he presents himself to be, he does not approve and â€Å"the ugly words settled in his head a like a group of buzzards† (980). Later on in the conversation when Mrs. Crater accuses Tom of milking her, he is â€Å"deeply hurt by the word milk† (981). These two examples demonstrate how hard it is for Tom to deal with reality. Lucynell does nothing but state simple facts, yet he is still disturbed by them. This may mean that he wants to change, or it may mean that he wants to start over altogether. After he takes the car and leaves Lucynell Jr. at the Hot Spot â€Å"he was more depressed then ever as he drove on by himself† (982). This is very intriguing because he no longer has to care for Lucynell, he has money and a car, yet he is still unhappy, and maybe even more than before. Again this shows that all Tom wants is to be part of a family, like he once was. He wants another chance since he ruined the one he had with his mother long ago by running away. Taking into consideration Tom’s feelings and actions, readers can now see the real problem. Tom is a very insecure person, and he is not content with the person that he has become. He claims to have never â€Å"rued a day of his life like the one he rued when he left† (983) his mother. The events that take place after this obviously force him to think negatively of himself. He is not able to handle problems so he takes to running away from them. And like an addict, he keeps on running faster and faster, knowing full well that it is not the right thing to do. It seems as if he is unable to wrap his mind around the ides of someone telling him what to do. When he married Lucynell, he was â€Å"morose and bitter as if he had been insulted† (981). Although Tom is portrayed as a very strong character that takes charge of situations and achieves what he wants, it becomes quite clear as the story goes on that he is the complete opposite. Lucynell Sr. quickly takes control of his life and becomes a little greedy with her demands. It is not enough for her that Tom has made her and her daughter’s lives eons better, and that he has every intention of continuing to do so. She forces him to marry her daughter, and this proves to be too much for Tom. The only thing he knows how to do is to run away from anyone who tries to make decisions for him. He is very discontent with himself and is almost disgusted with what he is; a disabled, drifting, and friendless man. To get rid of some of the disgust, he runs away and tries to start over. This substitutes his inability to repair his own problems and the constant need to flee. In the end, it is safe to say that Tom T. Shiftlet has the desire to be good, and conquer his own problems, but has not found the courage or the ability to do so. He has the desire to be part of a family and be a proper man, but is unable to accept the fact that he cannot control everything all the time. For now he is still a carpenter, and that is as far as his ability to repair things will go.