Autism a Communication and Social Disorder

Autism is a brain disorder that is characterized by impaired social interaction and delayed communication skills. (Segal, 1996) Children with Autism show signs of delay in the first two years of life. Many times parents notice that their child demonstrates repetitive behaviors, or likes to spin objects, line things up or has an affinity for sameness. Some children with Autism have difficulty with transitions from one activity to another and are not able to regulate their senses. The range of these behaviors varies and that is why Autism is called a spectrum disorder. Many times, children will exhibit one or several of the symptoms. Children who exhibit fewer symptoms are diagnosed with PDD or Pervasive Developmental Delay, while children who have many of the symptoms are termed Autistic. There is recent research that shows that autism may be caused by genetics which are related to how the brain develops in early childhood. In the article, Autism and Brain development, Nancy Shute reports that some kind of mutations of genes that are important to language development may be the cause of autism in some children. Daniel Geschwind is researching the fact that these genes are sometimes turned on or off depending on the brains experiences. † (Shute). There is also a chance that â€Å"structural damage will be found, and this damage could be anything from microscopic to the grossly visible, from faults inside nerve cells to faulty development of whole cell systems. † (Frith) The causes of Autism are still being explored, but the more important thing is how people are diagnosed and treated for it. The symptoms of Autism are variable, and usually different in each child. Delay of language development, lack of social skills and lack of eye contact are a few of the symptoms. Because there is a range in the severity of the symptoms the diagnosis and treatment of autism varies and is an interesting process. The diagnosis of autism is based on a behavioral check list. â€Å"Because a diagnosis is a label or shorthand for treatment, it needs to correspond to the services to the child needs in the immediate future. † (Siegel) The parents, teachers, developmental pediatrician and sometimes other therapists all contribute to the assessment. The CHAT, Checklist of Autism in Toddlers is one way that pediatricians screen children under 2 years old for Autism. For children 4 years and older, a Social Communication Questionnaire is often used. These screenings rely on parent report and the observation of a diagnostic team. Then the child will be referred to a developmental pediatrician or a psychologist who is trained in diagnosis of Autism. There are several diagnostic tools, usually developmental checklists, and parent report along with a team of professionals who look at the behavioral symptoms that are characteristic of this disorder. The team of professionals who diagnosis autism typically include the parent, speech therapist, teacher, pediatrician and occupational therapist. The most widely used diagnostic tool for Autism is the ADOS, (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule). The North Bay Regional Center uses this to diagnose children with autism in this area. There are also other centers, the Mind Institute with is part of the University of Davis medical Center, where they focus only on diagnosis of Autism spectrum disorders. Bryna Siegel is a Psychologist who works at UCSF and has her own diagnostic clinic. Each case of autism has its own individual characteristics ranging between its cause, its diagnosis and the life long treatment. After being diagnosed, different therapy options are presented; PECS, play therapy and discrete trial are the three more commonly used treatments. What is best for children with Autism is an early diagnosis, and intensive speech and language therapy which includes the family. Dr. Stanly Greenspan has developed the â€Å"Floortime† approach to helping families learn to interact with their children. â€Å"Autism and ASD’s involve difficulties in relating forming relationships, communicating, and thinking. (Greenspan) Play therapy also gives parents a chance to learn to communicate nonverbally with their autistic child. One of the most effective styles of play therapy is called floor time. â€Å"In playing with their child, parents can help her develop her social skills and also connect with their child through this nonverbal style of communication. The floor time/play therapy that a speech therapist directs is used to â€Å"harness the child’s natural interests. † (Greenspan) in doing so they are able to â€Å"get a picture of what she finds enjoyable, what motivates her. (Greenspan) and is considered as the best method for supporting the language and social communication development of the child with autism. Speech therapy is one of the most important pieces of the team approach to help children with Autism develop social and communication skills. The goal of speech therapy in working with children with autism is to help the child communicate her needs and wants. A specific therapy program is individualized for each child. There are as many programs as there are children. There are a wide range of therapies that facilitate language development in children with Autism. Normally language and play go off one another when both are impaired; they are likely to mutually inhibit the development of the other. † (Siegel) While there are other therapies, play therapy is considered one of the most effective ways to understand nonverbal communication in autism. Children with Autism can benefit from play therapy. The therapy is based on the child’s own interests. Children with autism do not play with toys in a functional way. â€Å"One thing that is often different about the sensory development of autistic children is its repetitiveness. This is also referred to as perseveration. Instead of pulling a string or handle on a â€Å"speak and say† five or six times, the autistic of PDD child may engage in such an activity for 20 minutes without stopping. † (Siegle) Play therapy teaches the child to play with toys in ways that use imagination and are symbolic. And since imagination is obscured in autistic minds this is very important. Even though it may not be clear in a young child it can be observed in some situations such as a â€Å"Two year old autistic children (who) ‘play telephone’. They pick up the receiver and punch the buttons on the toy phone. Then they put the receiver down, less often will you see the autistic two year yammering, as if talking to someone. What is really never seen in the successive ‘calls’ – say to grandma, big bird, or the family dog. That type of elaboration on a toy thing is beyond the slope of imagination of most autistic children instead, the physical actions copied strictly from what has been observed in the past is playlalia. † (Siegle) Play and speech therapy, paired with pictures is one of the ways that speech therapists and parents encourage language. Often the child with Autism uses a picture to exchange for a desired item this is called PECS. This picture exchange system is important and can be used after observing and playing with the child to determine what toys the child is interested in. It is used as a stepping stone for communication with the outside world. The picture exchange system is a way for children with Autism to communicate using pictures. This is a good way for them to make their needs and wants met. Many children with autism have tantrums or do not want to cooperate with their teacher or parents. The best way to find out what a child with autism wants is to use this simple system. Since many people on the autism spectrum tend to learn visually, it makes good sense to communicate with images. Just as important, images are a universal means of communication – and they are just as understandable by strangers or young peers by parents or therapists. † (Rudy) When the parent knows what the child wants, they can use the picture of the desired item as a reinforcer to help the child cooperate with the parents directions. Sometimes the parent will offer the child two pictures as choices. Other times the parent can use the picture of an activity that needs to be accomplished and a picture of a desired item. Then the parent can say, first wash hands and then you can have bubbles. The child learns this routine and is able to communicate, and follow the parent’s directions. There is a more complex style of picture exchange system where the speech therapist starts with one item paired with an object. The speech therapist then asks the child â€Å"want cookie†, showing the child a picture of a cookie and the cookie. When the child understands that the picture represents the cookie then the child is ready to use the pictures for other choices. Later the child is using pictures to help form sentences. There are many ways that speech therapists use pictures to encourage language. Often the speech therapist works with the behaviorist to develop a system that will provide reinforcers for the child. These reinforcers help the child to stay motivated during therapy. The behavioral therapy or Discrete Trials therapy is often used along with speech therapy. â€Å"Discrete trial training is conducted using intensive drills of selected materials. A specific behavior is prompted or guided, and children receive reinforcement for proper responses. † (What is Discrete Trial Training? This is a program that teaches a child with autism specific information in small units which are less distracting for the child. Because children with autism are so distractible or may want to obsess on spinning or other behaviors, the discrete trial helps them to focus on learning vocabulary, names of animals, math and pre reading skills. The occupational therapist is also important to the treatment of children with Autism. This therapist often uses sensory integration techniques to help the child with Autism develop self regulation. Many of the children with autism have self stimulatory behaviors with are sometimes their way to regulate, their senses. These self stimulatory behaviors may not be as effective as the specific movement, vestibular, or deep pressure, proprioceptive, or sensory, touch and brushing that the occupational therapist uses. The parents of the child with autism are invited to observe what the therapist recommends, and then they can use many of the recommendations at home to help calm their child. Many children with autism are sensitive to loud noises, and are sometimes very sensitive to tags in the back of their shirts, or the seams on their socks. The book, â€Å"The Out of Sync Child† by Carol Stock Kranowitz, has many suggestions for children who are sensitive to noise, light, and touch. The research is clear that the first step is early intervention using a team approach early diagnosis and treatment specific to the individual child is the most helpful thing you can do. Although it takes patience and understanding (with the trial and error); with the numerous treatments available every child can be helped. The diagnosis is the first step, and when treatment is started early, the team approach is the beginning of optimal treatment for the child.

Mental Models/Mindsets Essay

This paper will describe the four steps to change the mental models of Beadworks. The first step is to recognize the power and limits of the models. The second step is to test the relevance of the mental models against changing environment and to generate new models. The third step is to overcome inhibitors such as lack of information, lack of trust, desire to hold on to old patterns, and the expectations of the others. The final step is to implement the model, assess the model and continuously strengthen the model (Crook, Wind, Gunther, 2005, p. xxiv). Beadworks has taken strategic planning internally and implemented a big change recently. Beadworks purchased Austin Hamilton (a beads and jewelry making supplier) to maximize customer profiling. In addition, before and after purchasing Austin Hamilton (AH), Beadworks had to recognize the power and limits of a mental model for maximizing profits. â€Å"Mental models are representations in the mind of real or imaginary situations. Scientists sometimes use the term â€Å"mental model† as a synonym for â€Å"mental representation†, but it has a narrower referent in the case of the theory of thinking and reasoning† (Kenneth Craik, 1945). Taking the theory of thinking, the owner of Beadworks had a mental model of having access to more clientele through the Austin Hamilton purchase earlier in 2008. A mental model represents a possibility. Mental models can also be constructed by imagination, perception and knowledge of discovery. Beadworks recognized opportunity with AH and succeeded to make the most mental models and apply them to grasp the potential of the new products Beadworks can use. â€Å"Usability is strongly tied to the extent to which a user’s mental model matches and predicts the action of a system.† (Nielsen, 1993). Thus, a way to explain Beadworks’ idea to purchase AH prior to actually purchasing it, was determine the outcome. A true statement that would show Beadworks more benefits in the final outcomes of obtaining another business would be; more customers were accessible to see the products Beadworks offered. Moreover, new products were introduced with innovational designs. Not to mention, long-term goals were made short-term due to higher level of supply and demand. After becoming familiar with mental models, it is important to understand the  need of change and relevance. A mental model or mindset can be similar to a decision making process where it is crucial to formulate solutions and identify alternatives. In this case, it can be compared to the process where the relevance of mental models is compared to the changing environment. From this, the next step is to create new models and develop an integrated portfolio of mental models or mindsets. Such decisions can help Beadworks greatly by realizing that there can be countless solutions or approaches to the same situation. â€Å"All growth is a leap in the dark, a spontaneous, unpremeditated act without benefit of experience† (Miller, 1960). The desire for change of mental models or mindsets can help generate greater success in a customer-centric mindset. Testing new approaches will reduce anti-growth correcting the common mistake of being outdated and obsolete. Only recently has Beadworks felt the ongoing pressure to test new approaches of mental models. The realization for need of innovation and competitive advantage has given the initiative for Beadworks to try new things. Once the relevance of the mental models is tested against the external factors which obstruct change then the internal factors are required to be tested. There a various internal factors such as lack of information, lack of trust, the desire to hold on to old patterns and the expectations of the others (Crook, Wind, Gunther, 2005, p. xxiv). One of the biggest challenges for Beadworks is to gather information and stay current on fashion and trends. The lack of information about the continuous updating fashion can result in loss in sales and loss in market share for the organization. One of the best ways to stay in business is to promote fashion with available products in hand and being innovative. However, this is not possible if an organization carries the desire to hold on to the old patterns. The designs or patterns require continuous change to stay with market trends. Beadworks have built trust amongst its customers in last few years by offering new products year after year. The only challenge now is to keep up the trust for its customers and its employees. Beadwork was able to take the challenge by acquiring the Austin Hamilton and offering better service to its customers with an option of direct purchase. When Beadworks purchased Austin Hamilton, we soon realized that the business model was based on weekly specials only. Austin Hamilton would only generate sales if a weekly flyer was sent out promoting a certain product or a certain discount if a specific amount of goods are purchased. This model had to be changed from revenue generated by weekly sales and promotions to a more stable business model where revenue is generated on a regular basis. The previous model worked fairly well for previous owner but with the transition to new ownership, sales were not stable and Beadworks was not accustomed to weekly promotions. Austin Hamilton products were over priced and that is why there would be weekly promotions, so customers would feel that they are saving money each week. To slowly transition to a new model, Beadworks had to modify the model for Austin Hamilton and involved a lot of trial and error. This paper described the four steps to change the mental models in Beadworks. The four steps were recognize, test, overcome, and implement the mindset models. Beadworks followed the four steps as discussed above in the paper successfully. At the end, the developed model was implemented and tested for errors and trials. References Johnson-Laird, P., & Byrne, R. (May 2000). Mental models website: A gentle introduction. Retrieved December 3, 2008, from http://www.tcd.ie/Psychology/Ruth_Byrne/mental_models/index.htmlNielsen, J. (1993). Mental models and usability. Retrieved December 5, 2008, from http://www.lauradove.info/reports/mental%20models.htmMiller, Henry. The Wisdom of the Heart,  ©1960 by Henry Miller. Reprintedby permission of New Directions Publishing Corp. Yoram (Jerry ) Wind and Colin Crook, with Robert Gunther. The Power of Impossible Thinking: Transform the Business of Your Life and the Life of Your Business, Prentice-Hall, 2005

Rites of Passage within Colour

Introduction In this essay I will be discoursing my personal experience of what Arnold Van Gennep ( 1909 ) has described as â€Å"rites de passage† , concentrating on the liminal stage. This essay will detail my experience of traveling from an all ‘coloured’ community to a bulk ‘black’ suburb and my rites of transition experience of seeking to be ‘black’ . I will besides be discoursing on why I agree and disagree with Van Genneps rites de transition. SEPARATION PHASE Separation stage â€Å"comprises symbolic behaviour meaning the withdrawal of the person either from an earlier fixed point in the societal construction, from a set of cultural traditions ( a â€Å"state† ) , or from both ( Turner, 1969, p. 94 ) . I was born on November 1, 1993 in East London, EC. I lived with my household in Buffalo Flats, EL for the first six old ages of my life, at the clip and today, it is still a predominately colored township. Turning up in that township for six old ages I, along with every other individual populating in that community is what South African society would depict and hold as ‘coloured’ . I would speak ‘coloured’ , walk ‘coloured’ , act ‘coloured’ , fight ‘coloured’ and believe it or non, somehow I would even run ‘coloured’ , or at least every bit ‘coloured’ as the stereotypes myself and my community had been placed in. At the age of six I moved from my beloved Buffalo Flats, EL to what I at the clip considered the center of nowhere, Midrand, GP. This, as Turner put it, was my separation stage. Midrand was a assorted suburb, many Whites, many inkinesss, rather a few Indians and a smattering of coloureds, or at least that was what I saw. I was taken off from my place, detached from it, separated from my household and friends and thrown into this whole new universe which led to my â€Å"liminal phase† . LIMINAL PHASE Liminal period is when â€Å"the features of the ritual topic ( the â€Å"passenger† ) are equivocal ; he passes through a cultural kingdom that has few or none of the properties of the past or coming state† ( Turner, 1969, p. 94 ) . This was the period in which I yearned to be ‘black’ , I prayed to be ‘black’ and after a subconscious and unstructured induction, I learnt how to be ‘black’ . I attended a assorted school, bulk black, but still a assorted school where I was one of two ‘pure’ coloured male childs in my class, the other named Michael Williams. The two of us along with a Chinese male child named Jacky Mo, made up my ‘communitas’ ( Turner, 1969 ) . We were all in the same phase of our lives, we were detached from the society we one time knew, for myself it was Buffalo Flats, for Michael it was the Cape Flats and for Jacky it was China, and we were all thrown into Midrand, and all three of us were in an unstructured and subconscious induction to be ‘black’ . We were all stripped of our race, were no longer coloured or Chinese, nor were we black, we were merely at that place. In between what we were and what we were endeavoring to be, being black wasn’t merely a race or civilization to us, it was a societal standing to be ‘cool’ , and we knew being non-black yet black, would be the highest award amongst our black friends and couples. During this unstructured induction phase our black friends became our somewhat â€Å"ritual elders† ( McNeill, 2011, p. 74 ) . They were learning us how to be black, what to make, how to make it and when to make it. Myself and Jacky lived in the same composite with a male child named Siyabonga Mlaba, who would subconsciously take up the function of being our ‘ritual elder’ . Traveling through this liminal period populating so near to one another made us really competitory for the blessing and regard of our ‘ritual elder’ . The same manner the ritual seniors punished the novices for singing about AIDS ( McNeill, 2011 ) , if we had disrespected or misunderstood any facet of ‘black’ civilization, we were besides punished, non in the same physical mode but with verbal maltreatment and humiliation to a point of feeling disdained. These ‘punishments’ were difficult to accept and understand, but it made me more hungry and eager to s uit in the group I was being initiated into. There were many symbols in my liminal period, one of the chief 1s being the manner I talked. The speech pattern, the words and the actions I used when I spoke were major symbols. I couldn’t merely talk with my normal ‘coloured’ speech pattern, I had to try to talk with the same speech pattern of my ‘black’ friends, use the same words and slang when I spoke. I couldn’t use the conversational ‘coloured’ recognizing â€Å"Awe my Broe! † , I had to utilize the ‘black’ township recognizing â€Å"Sho Mfede† . Around this clip as I easy incorporated African linguistic communications in my address, I began floating from my roots of speech production Afrikaans, easy I bit by bit stopped utilizing it until finally I ne'er spoke Afrikaans, unless in Afrikaans category. Other symbols were dress codification. For some uneven ground the ‘Tsotsi’ or ‘gangster’ image was one the young person wou ld gravitate to, and that’s the expression I wore proudly as a minor. All stars, faded denim and ever a beany worn half off or a popular cap called a â€Å"sportie† worn with a joust. This was all of import. The manner I ate was of import, I had to eat pablum and vleis with my manus, no spoon or fork was of all time required, and I felt more ‘black’ than of all time. As this induction took topographic point, the more it dragged on and the closer I got to my end as adjustment in as ‘black’ , the more I drifted off from my ain civilization and heritage, subconsciously I was denying who my community raised me to be. The more ‘black’ I was, the less ‘coloured’ I was. I looked at being ‘black’ or being a portion of ‘black’ civilization as a societal standing and non as something sacred and to be proud of. The sarcasm was that I viewed my ‘coloured’ civilization and people to be violent, yet I used force to seek and be ‘black’ . Contending was a symbol or portion of the ritual as anything else. ‘Black’ people were strong, and the manner we proved our strength was through these battles, the conflict of the better adult male. A circle would organize and one of the older ‘black’ childs would take one of us younger novices to contend each ot her or another member of the group. If the battle was won, the embracing would be like winning a war, or a football lucifer. But the also-ran will be made merriment of and humiliated, but after every battle a compulsory handshaking would take topographic point as a mark of regard and that it was non personal. I was grade three when my liminal period ended, a battle with a male child named Tebogo, a much bigger male child. He beat me down infinite times in that battle, but I won regard and my rubric of being black by ne'er giving up. So after three long old ages of subconscious induction I eventually made my manner out of the liminal period and was reincorporated to my societal group as longer a ‘coloured’ or novice, but as ‘black’ . But this is where I do non to the full agree with the theory of rites of transition. I the reincorporation stage does non really round up rites of transition, but really starts a new rhythm, do although now I’m ‘black’ , I have to once once more go through a liminal period and induction to turn out that I am worthy being a ‘Hip Hop Head’ . The group in which I spent as an novice for three old ages and eventually got accepted as one of their ain had another societal construction I had to be initiated into, taken back to a liminal stage whereby I was non what I was and non what I was going, but in between that. Take for illustration the school calling of an person. One gets separated from place, sent to school for 12 old ages ( liminal period ) and so reincorporated to the universe one time graduated high school. Yet the reincorporation of graduation is the separation stage for university, so the old ages analyzing at university is the liminal period an d graduating university is one time once more reincorporation. But that one time once more can be the separation stage in happening a occupation, where being unemployed is the liminal stage and acquiring a occupation is the reincorporation stage yet the separation stage for 1s calling and so on and so forth. Decision I agree and disagree on rites of transition, the separation stage and liminal period seem really solid, but the reaggregation/reincorporation stage can besides be seen as the separation stage for the new rhythm of rites of transition.

Theories of Parenting ( Baumrind, Maslow, Adler and Erikson) Assignment

Theories of Parenting ( Baumrind, Maslow, Adler and Erikson) - Assignment Example This kind of parents demands little attention from their children and make consultations, on principal family matters. This is a wrong step in trying to raise children as the parents normally consult even on insightful matters meant for adults. Permissive parent families give forth to children who are mutinous, impetuous and aggressive with other children. In as much as such children fell part of the family, they have self-esteem, which might drive them to poor performance in schools. Consequently, Baumrind portrays other parent families as authoritative. The family has characteristics of using stringent and positive means of correcting children. Discipline is the key education of children in this family as it uses little punishment methods while considering their feelings and emotional states (King, 2009). Authoritative parents require mature children of independent behavior and limited curiosity. The main principle behind authoritative parents is the fact that the parents value ins trumental and expressive qualities to raise their children. The family gives forth to proficient children at school mainly due to external pressure but not self-esteem. The king of behavior results into low self-esteem and emotional instability often characterize by depression. Closely associated with authoritative parents are the authoritarian parents whose main expectation from their children is obedience. These parents have rules governing their subjected to their children whereby minute misbehavior, are not negotiable. They follow a given social structure with the parent say becoming a law to the children. Such children become obedient in life although characterized by low self-esteem, as they cannot conduct what they desire. Subsequently, uninvolved parents also exist as proposed by Baumrind. These parents get portrayed as rejecting, careless and nonintermittent parents who do not mind what and where their children are at given time. This is due to emotional settings about the children or lack of time. Uninvolved parents give forth to mislead children as they often turn to other people for advice. Consequently, the children are a subject of abuse from outsiders due to the carelessness of the parents (King, 2009). Apart from Baumrind, Maslow is another psychologist who conducted intensive research in parenting. He highlighted various conditions, which if met by parents, they are likely to raise moral children. According to him, there are principal considerations parents need to take into consideration. To start include basic psychological needs like sleep water, food, water, clothing as well as shelter. When the psychological needs are not met, children often, rear away from their normal behavior into other means of realizing such basic needs. Apart from psychological basic needs, esteem needs also raise attention. These include respect from ether sides. Consequently, self-actualization through various standards also becomes a key consideration towards rai sing a strong family. The children should have recognition for reality, autonomist as well as self-evaluation of various phenomena. This is also applicable to parents who must express love, security, belongingness, safety and concern for others. Adler institute is another body, which has conducted diverse research on child parenting to come up with development maturities suitable for competent and efficient parents. Some of the qualities Adler

Research on the Basking Shark Forming an argument to list the Basking Paper

On the Basking Shark Forming an argument to list the Basking Shark as an Endangered species (with consideration to ES - Research Paper Example The color of basking shark is typically blackish to grey-brown, grey or blue-grey above and below the body and fins, often with irregular white blotches on the underside of the head and abdomen (Compagno, 2001 from COSEWIC, 2007). Basking sharks prefer cool and temperate coastal shelf waters and are distributed worldwide. In the North Atlantic (Compagno, 2001), basking sharks are sighted in waters off countries as far south and east as Senegal, through Europe, Norway, Sweden, Russia, Canada, along the eastern seaboard of the United States and into the Gulf of Mexico. In the North Pacific, they are observed as far south and west as Japan, through to China, Alaska, British Columbia, along the western seaboard of the United States and Mexico (Compagno, 2001, from COSEWIC, 2007). Habitat requirements The habitat requirements for basking shark (Sim et al, 1997) are associated with the oceanographic events on zooplankton concentration. Fronts off headlands, around islands and in bays with strong fluctuation of water masses from tidal flow were also frequented. In a study conducted by Compagno (2001), it recorded basking shark in the epipelagic zone by aerial surveys, in pelagic driftnet fisheries and is caught in bottom trawls off the St. Lawrence River, Scotian Shelf and Scotland. Te Newfoundland Observer Program (NOP) also noted that basking sharks have been caught in trawl nets fishing in depths up to 1370m. Fifteen percent of the records from waters deeper than 1000m were also observed. Skomal (2005) suggested that basking sharks migrate to different wintering habitats. They are seen to be influenced by patterns of prey distribution, varying by depths, location, and season (COSEWIC, 2007). Observed on the habitat trends of the basking sharks is the consistency of target areas and preference for high concentration of zooplankton. This has been linked to both large and small scale oceanographic conditions that change quickly (Sims and Quayle, 1998, from COSEWIC, 20 07). Reproduction and Mortality The pairing of the basking shark (Sims et al, 2000) is perceived to occur in early summer. This is based on the observed courtship behavior which is nose to tail circling, and scarring. The gestation period of basking shark with a litter of six young is at 2.6 years (Pauly, 2002). The assumed length at birth is 1.5m. The time between successive litters may be two to three years (Compagno, 2001) and like other lamnoid sharks, the basking sharks develop embryonic ovophagy which supplies nutrients to the developing embryos (Compagno, 2001, from COSEWIC, 2007). The longevity of the basking shark is approximated at 50 years. The age of maturity is about 12 to 16 years in males and 16 to 20 years in females (UK CITES, 2002). Generally, females are presumed to mature at larger sizes than males with an estimated size at 4.6 to 6.1m in length at the stage of maturity. Yearly productivity ranges from 0.013 to 0.023 based on the methodology of Smith et al (1998) . They used age at maturity, maximum age and average fecundity. Smith et al (1998) suggested that the potential for recovery or rebound rate may be lower for basking shark when compared to other species of Pacific sharks. Pauly (2002) determined the natural mortality to be 0.068 based on the age of maturity at 18 years for female which midrange is 16 –

Financial management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financial management - Essay Example This is different from For-Profit organizations that source their funds from shareholders who are the real owners of these organizations. Organizational structure of NGO’s and For-Profit are a bit similar in the sense that both set of organizations are managed by boards of directors. Financial management entails the processes of budgeting, Taxation and corporate governance. NGO’s typically have financial budgets prepared over the period of the activities they are undertaking. On the other hand, For-Profit organizations have their financial budgets prepared for a period of one financial year. Governments levy taxes on all organizations for the purpose of implementing public project or service provision but with the exemption of NGO’s. According to Brigham (2010, 65), the main difference between NGO’s and For-Profit organizations is the objectives and goals of these organizations. NGO’s are set up to provide charitable goods or services to people with out need of making a profit. This major differentiating factor is the reason behind the differences in financial management practices between these organizations. Corporate governance is important in implementing integrity and management of organizational strategies. NGO’s are not particular in enforcing prudent corporate governance practices compared to For-Profit organizations. ... NGO’s are organizations which are not set out to make profits but instead they are meant to provide a service. This is opposed to profitable organizations which are meant to make profits. Organizational Structure The organizational structure of NGO’s is different from that of a profitable organization in that NGO’s are mandated to offer services compared to profit organizations which are meant to make profits. NGO’s are registered or mandated either by governments or special bodies to undertake projects or service delivery to different people. The major difference between NGO’s and profit organizations stems in the ownership structure of the two bodies. NGO’s are owned or operated by a board of directors or a steering committee in some cases; this board of directors is responsible for drawing up the financial strategies for the organization. The board of directors of an NGO are responsible for sourcing funds for the organization through diffe rent ways (Brigham 94). In some instances, some NGO’s have adopted the structure of a private company and used this structure to manage their financial operations. Most NGO’s source their funds from governments, churches and donations this is because these organizations act as governments and they only use their funds for capacity building. This is in contrast to profitable companies whereby ownership of these organizations belongs to some individuals. Profitable companies are owned by people known as shareholders; shareholders are responsible for funding the organization to undertake the goals and objectives of these organizations. Public owned organizations are profit organizations which comprise of a many owners in a company

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 4

Marketing - Essay Example This extended marketing mix can be very easily applied to consumer markets such as FMCG’s markets, organizational markets such as non-profit organizations, services sector and international markets such as global markets (oil markets and commodities exchange are an example). Recommended ‘Extended Marketing Mix’ for two different segments Following discussion will throw some light on how, the 7 P’s should be transformed and tweaked to apply the extended marketing mix to psychographic and demographic segments in consumer markets which are described above. Product The product or the market offering should be parallel to the demographic variables and psychographic segmentation. If the product is not mass marketed, then offering a differentiated product or tailor-made product for each segment makes more sense. For example, BIC offers its various products according to the segmentation it has done. It has clearly demarcated and allotted each of its products to eac h segment. Offering the wrong product to the wrong market segment would dilute the essence of the brand. Besides, the steps of product development which involve the identification of needs of your target market should be pursued with ultimate care as the whole success of one’s product lies in this particular step. For example ‘Royal Dutch Shell’ released its new product of oils and lubricants for cars in England. The sales were pretty impressive and successful just because of the trend of maintaining cars with high quality products and services. Price Price is one of the most crucial aspects of the mix. When setting a price, it is extremely important to take demographic variables into consideration, for example, the average income of the target market can be a critical indicator to the right price of the product, similarly, factors like age and education may help in evaluating its value to the target market, which in turn suggests if the price can be set liberall y or should it be priced modestly. An example to elucidate the price factor is that the branded products of Armani and Nike with higher prices have a very minimal amount of sales in South East Asia, when compared to the western countries. Evian bottle which costs $4 in US would be a failure if introduced in a less developed country because people there would be reluctant to buy branded water which would guzzle a major part of their income. Promotion Promotion is the easiest way to let your customers know about the merits of your existing or upcoming products. Setting a promotion budget depends on the segmentation that you have done. An ideal example would be of Pantene where great in-roads were made in promotional activities. In the Pantene ad, expensive celebrities like Katrina Kaif are being shown endorsing and patronizing the brand. The promotional strategies should be in coherence with the lifestyle of people. Another example is TESCO who made all the advertisements and banners in accordance with the lifestyle of the citizens of UK to attract them towards their products and services. Placement Placement is not only about just placing the product but it is more about presenting it in the right time at the right place. In this regard, Apple inc. the leading brand in computer technologies devised a perfect strategy to market their product via placement. In the mid 90’

Term paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Term paper - Essay Example It is not a simple task to sum up the framework of present day’s consumer in a singularly described procedure. Not just do consumers' personal requirements show a discrepancy on a case-by-case basis, but also as a collective whole, customers' requirements are growing and have turn out to be a lot more intricate and challenging as compared to previous generations. Businesses are always trying to find techniques to not just meet these high hopes, but also go beyond them. Customers want not only personalized answers to their queries, but are as well trying to find personalization in terms of the approach company and its representatives adopt to take care of them. 2. How do other businesses provide this? Personalized customer service is one of the single most essential factors most organizations fail to notice, although it is the single factor that can in fact create trust with their customers at every step. From the instant they approach the company’s outlet or representat ive to the instant they take delivery of their order, giving personalized customer service will let one’s clients make out that they are the most essential business asset (Barnes, 2000). It does not actually take a lot of creativity to offer this level of service to the clients. Simply think about their opinion. What are their expectations from the company? How do they want to be treated by the company’s representatives? When it is known what is expected from the company, the company should go ahead of it. Do not provide only the smallest levels of service; surpass them on every level of the customer experience. Some of the methods by which other companies are providing personalized customer services are: Computerizing to the extent that is feasible and make it simple to get information regarding the products or services they offer. Offering clients the ability to â€Å"help themselves† gets a lot of the sales stress off and let them come to a decision in their own time. Maintaining stability in customer service from the minute customer places the order to the final follow up, sending them a note following the sale, asking them how they like the performance of the company and if they are happy with the level of service. Offering â€Å"added value† services, for instance, complimentary upgrades or guides. Keeping the clients up to date even after the sale as well as keeping lines of communication open, although not including all the sales publicity every time. Applying a ‘customer first’ environment between the workers and checking that they are following all the way through. Making sure that the staff quickly deals with the complaints. Giving incentive to workers who go that extra mile to think about the customers. This produces an atmosphere of personalized customer service. 3. How have other businesses profited from this? Other businesses are getting profits from personalized customer service in the following ways: Co mpanies start to gain profit from personalized customer service the instant they give their sales team members the power to take decisions on the shop floor. Clients will

Morley paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Morley paper - Essay Example This paper gives an evaluation of the effect on the historic preservation on the Denver, Seattle and Albuquerque cities as well as a comparison of the different projects that were started in the cities. The historic preservation and the imagined West are intriguing story which had a great impact on the people who came from the three cities. As the narration describes, there was a focus on urban preservation which in turn led to architectural preservation of certain symbolic buildings such as chambers of commerce, boosters and city planners (Morley, 30). The focus on this showed how the city developers had taken initiative on how to re-create the Western past into a shopping center as well as tourist trips. In a close examination of the three cities, Morley (45) describes that the detail of the historic preservation campaigns in the cities of Albuquerque, Denver and Seattle proposes that economic development was the main mover behind any project that was implemented. However, as it may be perceived in the story of Morley, the common theme of identity that is running with Morley story is economic and not cultural as it may appear. In as much as the narration of the Morley (49) story may be based on the historical preservation but the fundamental goal for the preservation was always to attract more people from outside. The essence of this was to compensate for the industrial decline and commercial stagnation. Also, another effect of preservation led to persuasion by reluctant politicians as well as property owners on the importance of refurbishing old buildings as more profitable that the act of demolishing them (Morley, 60). The successful implementation of this move led to the commencement of many projects with the attempt to reward higher property values, rents, business income and general beauty especially in the historical buildings (Morley, 111). The trademark of the three

The Influence of Social Thinking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Influence of Social Thinking - Essay Example Many people judge another person's personality and mood by only processing a small amount of information about them. We may see a person laughing at the grocery store and think they have a jovial spirit. When we see them at work, they may be cold and aloof. People are often judged by these situational moods. Yet, the person is adapting to the situation. This overemphasis on personality and the underestimation of the situation is known as fundamental attribution error (Myers 706). The person has changed their behavior to react to a different situation. This error can cause us to label and catalog people falsely. When we use only mood and behavior to judge a person and overlook the situation it's an attribution error. When we react to situations it is sometimes difficult to understand how much is our behavior being controlled by our own attitudes and how much our behavior is controlling what we think. Often times people are told 'make the best of it'. There may be a class that a student doesn't enjoy yet approaches it with a positive attitude. If other outside influences are minimal, we may do well in the class (Myers 709). However, if people tell us we will fail in the class, and we don't take any action to change the attitude, we will likely fail. Knowing that our attitude can change our behavior can be beneficial in changing our lives. We may not be able to change dramatically or quickly, but we may be able to alter our behavior a step at a time. The foot-in-the-door phenomenon states that when people agree to a small action they are more likely to agree to a larger action at a later time (Myers 709). By understanding this we can also incorporate the cognitive dissonance theory that states that we can bring our "attitudes in line with our actions" (Myers 711). By taking an attitude that we want to project, we can alter our behavior. As much as our own attitudes and social situations determine our behavior, the group that we are in exerts even more pressure. Experiments by Solomon Asch confirmed that people feel a need to conform (Myers 714). The group we are in exaggerates this need. If we are insecure, the group is large, we admire the group, and the group is unanimous, it increases our likelihood of conforming (Myers 715). This is how lone holdouts on juries are eventually swayed into changing their vote. It is also how we are persuaded to take an action we may feel is wrong. We may also conform to a group for the same reasons and elicit a positive outcome. A study group, church meeting, or volunteer organization may prompt us to behave in a positive manner. Yet, in some groups there is no general consensus and opposing views are suppressed resulting in "groupthink" (Myers 722). Panels, boards, and committees have often made serious blunders by succumbing to the phenomenon. While these group pressures may result in a bad decision, they can also become destructive and overpowering. The experiments of Stanley Milgram illustrated how far people were willing to go to conform (Myers 717). People will go beyond simply conforming and to the level of blind obedience. This is especially true if the group influence has the perception of authority and the authority is close at hand (Myers 717). The influence of people is also seen when they affect our actions such as in "social facilitation" (Myers

The Color Red Essay Example for Free

The Color Red Essay Do you have a favorite color? Do you have more than one? Do you know what colors represent you? (AG) Well, I have two favorite colors, and they represent me very well. (RT) Today I’m going to talk about two colors that represents me and why. (TH) My first color (TR) is Red. (MP 1) The reason I chose red is because red is my favorite color. Why I like red has always been a mystery, until age 13. At the age of 13 I realized that I had an anger issue. I was very quick tempered. The simplest problem would trigger me into being angry. Wearing red lets some people know when I’m angry, whether it’s shoes, a shirt or even red socks. If you see me in red I’m angry. How else does red represents me? It also represents my life when I’m wearing red Im living life to the fullest, whether it’s traveling partying or even just sitting at home watching a TV show. Red is my color. My second color (TR) is Black. (MP 2) Black is another one of my favorite colors, because black is a very misunderstood color, and it represents me in ways people don’t understand. When I wear black it can only mean two things: something is bothering me or I’m about to fight When something is bothering me I wear a little piece or black, whether it’s a hat or a pair of black sunglasses. When I’m ready to fight, I’m wearing all black. I will be dressed in black from head to toe. When I walk down the street everyone say â€Å"Oh lord who is she about to fight†. So the next time you see me and I’m in all black just know something is about to go down In closing (TR) Red and black represents me in so many ways I can’t describe. (SUM) Do you want to know what color or colors represent you? Come on let’s find out.

Role of Gender Equality in Development in Africa Essay Example for Free

Role of Gender Equality in Development in Africa Essay Women, especially in Africa, have not yet been included as equal and effective stakeholders in processes that determine their lives. They get subjected to less education, less employment and advancement opportunities. They have limited political representation, and as a result, they do not get a chance to contribute to crucial decision making. In addition, their contribution to national and continental development process goes unnoticed and unrewarded. A report by the World Bank in 2000 identified gender as a key issue affecting three fundamental aspects of fighting poverty in Africa; opportunities, security and empowerment (World Bank, 2000). It also recognized the positive link between gender equality and economic growth. An excellent example is the observation that women prefer that Government spending be more oriented towards the well being of children, local infrastructure, and anti poverty programs. This boosts economic growth, thus, empowering women in political processes would lead to larger allocations towards growth, enhancing Government expenditures. Further more it was discovered that, where influence of women in public life is immense, level of corruption is lower; therefore, women can effectively rule or govern. What role does gender equality play in development of Africa? Gender equality is crucial to a number of key development goals. These goals include; ensuring education for all, promoting economic growth and accountability in management of public goods and services. Stimulating economic empowerment for marginalized groups, and enhancing democracy and peace also constitute the development goals. Other relevant issues include; eliminating discrimination and violence against women, Improving maternal health, reducing child mortality, and Combating HIV/aids. Gender equality in education can have a beneficial outcome on the realization of valuable development goals. Educated women will help reduce child mortality, increase fertility and expand education for the next generation. Education is associated with high human capital and employment. These, in turn, increase economic growth directly by increasing workers’ productivity and indirectly by increasing economic growth through increased rate of return to physical investment. In terms of employment, more women should be included into the formal sector. Artificial barriers to female employment in the formal sector have contributed highly to the rising labor costs and low International competitiveness. This results from women being unable to offer their labor services at more competitive rates. Agriculture is the backbone of African economy. Women make up the majority of farmers and are the most engaged in Agriculture. To change Africa into a green revolution and eradicate hunger, disease and malnutrition, the continent should re-examine gender issues in Agriculture development. This will result in improved output on a basis that is fair and can be maintained. At the heart of Agricultural development in Africa is the strategic change through implementation of new skills and the strengthening of Science and Technology. Women should be included in credit matters. Poverty can be reduced if women gain access to loans. This is because giving loans to women will result in more money being used up on the household than is the case with men. In economic terms empowering women through micro financing has multiplier effects that include gains in human capital development through training and investment in children’s education, health etc. This has shown to yield high returns in terms of future productivity and participation in a growing economy. Infrastructure takes a leading role in development in all countries. It affects a society’s economic, social and cultural activities. Incorporating gender perceptions into infrastructure can create a positive impact on development. Women comprise 70-80% of the agricultural labor force for food crop production and processing in Africa. Many women have also ventured into small businesses to sell their farm products. Therefore, increasing their access to things like electricity and roads will lead to increased agriculture output and better food availability in markets (Buvinic, Morrison Sjoblom, 2001) Conclusion Foreign aid has not been successful in developing Africa. The current generation has the duty to formulate strategies that will help in growing the economies of Africa. Gender, Agriculture, and education represent the main entry points to break the vicious cycle of poverty. Countries that promote and invest in the social and economic status of women experience low poverty rates. For example, providing girls with secondary school education can increase their future wages by 10 to 20 %. The irony is that women and girls make up for 67% of the world’s working hours, and yield half of the global food, but they only gain 10% of the world’s income and possess less than 1% of the world’s property.

Evaluation of Games Workshop and Hornby Businesses

Evaluation of Games Workshop and Hornby Businesses In a company or a business, the owner would want to evaluate his business i.e. whether the business is making a profit or loss and would want to compare it with other companies or its competitors in the same industry. To know the performance of a company, you need to look at more than just easily attainable numbers like sales, profits and total assets. To know the real picture of a company, we must be able to read between the lines of the financial statement. Hence there are many comparative ratios to identify the strengths and weakness of the company. These ratios will help the public (outsiders) to make decisions while investing in companies at the stock market. Ratio analysis helps us to understand the risk we must be taking. The basic source of these ratios is the companys profit and loss account and balance sheet as it contains all important information about the company. Financial ratios are useful indicators of a firm or companys performance and financial situation. The two company ratios we are going to compare are Hornby and Games PLC. Both the companies belong to the same industry. GAMES WORKSHOP Europes foremost professional P.C. and video game retailer is Games group. It is the only company in the gaming sector to be listed on the London Stock Exchange. Outstanding customer service and a specialist offer are at the heart of GAMES Group growth. HORNBY PLC HORNBY PLC is UKs Model Railway manufacturer. Frank Hornby founded the company in 1901 and launched trains until it was bought by his competitor Tri-Ang in 1964. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornby_Railways. It is recognised for the construction of its model train sets, hobby (radio controlled cars) and toy production. It is an incorporated limited company, operating in the UK. Return on Capital Employed (ROCE). Return on Capital Employed (ROCE). ROCE = ____PBIT ___(Operating Profit)___ x 100 Capital Employed (FA + CA CL) Ratio on capital employed indicated the productivity and success of a companys capital investment. According to the formula we take operating profit or PBIT and divide it by the capital employed in the business i.e. fixed asset and working capital. In the two companies, the ROCE for Games workshop in the year 2008 was 5.48%, 2009 was 17.26% which was lower compared to 27.98% in the year 2010. This indicates that Games workshops ROCE has increased which is a positive sign as the more the returns of the capital employed, its better for the firm. Whereas Hornby Plc.s ROCE in the year 2010 has decreased from17.67% which was in 2009 and 29.47% in 2008 to 12.65% which is a negative sign as the return on capital employed is lesser than the rate at which the company borrows. Return on Sales (ROS) ROS = _PBIT_ x 100 Sales ROS also known as operating profit margin tell us about the companys operational proficiency. According to the formula, we consider operating profit or PBIT and divide it by the sales in the organisation. In the above two companies Games workshops ROS was 2.31% in 2008, 7.17% in 2009 and has increased to 12.68% in 2010. This indicates that games workshop is growing more efficiently and is more profitability. Whereas in Hornby the ROS for the year2008 was 16.85%, in 2009 was 11.20% and it decreased in 2010 to 9.27%. A decreasing ROS indicates financial trouble for the company. When we compare Hornby and Games workshop together, we get to know that Games workshop has a higher ROS which indicates a profitable organisation compared to Hornby. Asset turnover Asset turnover = ___Revenue____ Capital Employed Asset turnover is the amount of sales generated for every pound that is worth the asset. We consider the revenue of the company and divide it by the capital employed. In the above companies, the asset turnover for both the companies are low but Hornby has a lower asset turnover of 1.36% in 2010 compared to Games workshop thats asset turnover is of 2.20%. This indicates that games workshop has a higher asset turnover which is better. This also indicates pricing strategies which the company undertakes as companies with a low price margin who have a higher asset turnover and vice versa. Current Ratio Current Ratio = _Current Assets_ Current Liabilities Current Ratio comes under the heading of Liquidity ratio. Liquidity means cash a business holds during the financial year. Current Ratio is a liquidity ratio which tells us the ability of the company to pay its short term obligations. Short term obligations are obligations which are under 12 months. The formula tells us that the ability to pay back short term borrowings with its short term assets. In the above case Games workshop has a higher current ratio compared to Hornby, though the difference is not that large, but still Games workshops current ratio in 2010 is 2.03% while Hornby in 2010 is 2.10%. This indicated that Games workshop is capable to pay their obligations and vice versa. If the ratio was under 1 it would indicate that the company cannot pay its obligations. Liquidity Ratio (Acid Test Ratio) Liquidity Ratio = Current Assets Stock Current Liabilities Acid test ratio is a severe or a tough ratio which indicates whether the firm has enough short term assets to cover its immediate liability without selling out stock. The acid test ratio for Games workshop in 2008 was 0.9, in 2009 was1.14 whereas it increased in 2010 to 1.48. Hornby has a low acid test ratio in 2009 which was 0.72 but it increased to 1.37 in 2010. This indicates that Games as well as Hornby, both companies can pay off their liabilities as if the acid test ratio was less than 1 then the company has to be warned. Even if the acid test ratio is lower than the working capital ratio, it shows that the company is highly dependent on inventory. Cash Ratio Cash Ratio = Cash_____ Current Liabilities Cash ratio is the companys total cash balance and the cash equivalents to its current liabilities. Cash ratio is helpful to measure the liquidity of a company. In the above case, Games workshop has a much higher cash ratio in both the years i.e. in 2009 0.57 and in 2010 it was 0.92, whereas Hornby has a very low cash ratio from 2008 which was 0.07, in 2009 it decreased to 0.02 but it increased to 0.53 in 2010. This indicates how quickly the company can pay of its creditors. Hence creditors will decide seeing the cash ratio of the company. Stock turnover Stock turnover = _COGS_ Stock Stock turnover ratio shows how many times over the business has sold the value of its stocks during the year. In the above case, Games workshop has a higher stock turnover than Hornby. This is because in the year 2008, Games workshop had 3.24 as its stock turnover, in 2009 it was 3.36 and it decreased I 2010 to 3.02 which is a negative point. Whereas Hornby has a lower stock turnover compared to Games workshop. This indicates higher the stock turnover, the better it is for the company as then money is held up for a lesser time in stocks. Stock Period Stock Period = 365____ Stock turnover Stock period is the number of days where the average money is held up in stocks. It is calculated by dividing stock turnover by 365 days. This gives the actual picture of how many days the stock is in the warehouse. In the above diagram, it shows that in the year 2008 and 2009 Games had a stock period of 113 and 109 days while Hornby had a stock period of 166 and 164 days respectively. In the year 2010 Games workshop had a stock in warehouse for 121 days while Hornby had it for 138 days. This indicates the longer the stock is in warehouse, it is bad for the business as the money is not available to be used elsewhere. Hence Hornbys stock is available for a longer period than Games workshop. Debtor Period Debtor Period = Debtors x 365 Sales Debtor period is the average number of days credit given to customers i.e. how long does it takes the company to get its money. In the above case, the debtor period for Games workshop has decreased from 33 days in 2008 to 29 in 2009 and 2010 respectively. Whereas in Hornby the debtor period has increased compared to 2008 but has decreased to 75 days compared to 2009. This indicates that a lesser number of days are good as the debtors could trust the company. But if the company takes a long time to repay, it is bad, Hence Games workshop is better than Hornby as Games workshop has lesser number of days compared to Hornby. Gearing Ratio Industry Analysis Hornby PLC The toys and games industry has survived in the UK for 70 years but in 2009, model vehicles and outdoor games had a negative growth due to the economic recession. Customers preferred indoor games and activity construction toys since it did not require them to leave their houses, during this period. The economic downturn also caused some companies in the industry to stop business and others were bought by larger companies. There has also been an increase in demand for movie based toys and video games, which are easier to produce than other toys. As such, Hasbro, Mattel and Lego are favoured for this reason. The retail outlets prefer to stock video games as a result of its increase in demand and also because it takes less shelf space. The UK market is dominated presently by Husbro, which has the largest market share, Mattel and Lego. Passport GMID Traditional Toys and Games United Kingdom http://www.portal.euromonitor.com/Portal/ResultsList.aspx HORNBY PLC is UKs Model Railway manufacturer. Frank Hornby founded the company in 1901 and launched trains until it was bought by his competitor Tri-Ang in 1964. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornby_Railways. It is recognised for the construction of its model train sets, hobby (radio controlled cars) and toy production. It is an incorporated limited company, operating in the UK. The company has created a niche market (train sets) and deals with suppliers all over the world for different railway products. Property owners, worldwide, want to engage with Hornby, in awarding license for Hornby products because of its specialisation and popularity . The key focus of the company is to ensure that the model railway business succeeds, by continually dealing with supply chain issues. Research and Development is also an important factor to its success. The following companies are subsidiaries to the group; Hornby Hobbies Ltd UK Hornby America Inc USA Hornby Espana S.A Spain Hornby Italia s.r.l Italy Hornby France S.A.S France Hornby Deutschland GmbH Germany There are individual targets for each subsidiary as regards growth and profit. It is monitored from time to time and based on current circumstances, future adjustments are made. http://www.hornby.com/investor-relations/ Horbys Competitors Tri-Ang Model railway producer Bachmann Europe Plc Model railway producer GraFar Model railway producer Model rail UK Model railway parts builder New railway Modellers Model railway builder Heywood Model Railway Group Model railway producer Hasbro Board (monopoly, scrabble etc), Star Wars movie franchise Mattel Superman, Batman, Harry Potter movie franchise Lego Activity and construction games Fun Collectibles Latest kidscrazes toys and games Wind Designs Flying toys, yo-yos, juggling equipments and kites Map Toys Toys and games Richard Edwards Card based products Revell Model kit toys Cartamundi Card games Ravensburger Puzzles and 3D Action games Cambridge Brainbox Educational Electronic kits Games Workshop Tabletop fantasy and futuristic battle games Thumbs Up Helicopters and AK 47 Guns Rainbow Productions Costume character production http://www.toynews-online.biz/marketplace http://www.holtmodelrailways.com/ http://www.modelrailuk.co.uk/ Home http://www.mcvuk.com/search/news/hornby+plc Customers Games retail stores Children Wholesalers Market Contribution and Share In 2008, there was a fall in interim pre-tax profits from  £2.7m to  £1.8m and this reduced the expected profit by December that year. Suppliers in China were challenged with the increase in labour and raw materials, therefore Hornby increased price by 10% to support China. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/65fd8c42-ec57-11dd-a534-0000779fd2ac.html Although sales in Europe fell by 15%, the Chief Executive was confident that Hornby would excel because of its quality hobby brand. On November 7th 2008, Hornbys shares dropped to 118.5p from the initial 300p which it maintained from the beginning of 2007. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f57bef7e-ad34-11dd-971e-000077b07658.html#axzz14clXbHtA Hornby Plc contributes to charity every year. It donated  £15,354 in 2008 and  £21,635 in 2009 Hornbys % Breakdown of Company shares for Toys and Games in the UK COMPANY 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Hornby Plc 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.0 Passport GMID Country Report Country Market Insights http://www.portal.euromonitor.com/Portal/Statistics.aspx Future Forecast In order to make profit, since the demand for video games and movie based toys have increased in the UK market, Hornby Plc should study the demand of the customers and work around producing what the customers need. There may be a problem in the future to fund research and development. Hornby Plc should be prepared for economic crisis. In 2010, the group is financially strong after a difficult trading period and there is a continuous increase in the demand for its products. Passport GMID Toys and Games United Kingdom http://www.portal.euromonitor.com/Portal/ResultsList.aspx Hornbys China engine unstuck on dollar strength By David Blackwell and Maggie Urry Published: January 27 2009 10:22 | Last updated: January 27 2009 16:56 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/65fd8c42-ec57-11dd-a534-0000779fd2ac.html Hornby sees fall in outsourcing benefits By David Blackwell Published: November 8 2008 02:00 | Last updated: November 8 2008 02:00. Page 26 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f57bef7e-ad34-11dd-971e-000077b07658.html#axzz14clXbHtA http://www.toynews-online.biz/marketplace Games Workshop The Toys and Games industry in the UK is a gradually growing market, mostly due to their largest group of customers, children around 2-10 years of age. Children often want and need toys to entertain and occupy themselves with (Competitive Context-Figure 9). Even with recession, most parents do not necessarily cut down on spending on toys for their child as they are willing to spend what little disposable income they have on their kids and buying toys that they wanted for them (MINTEL-Internal Market Environment-Figure 1). In 2007, the toys and games sector in the UK was valued at around  £2.2 billion, a significant rise of 22% than when in 2003 (MINTEL- Toys and Games-UK-Nov 2008-Market in Brief: A strong market in tougher times). Christmas is usually the cause of the highest booster for sales of toys and games, bringing in half the total number sales in a year (MINTEL-Internal Market Environment-Key Points). Games Workshop PLC In 1975, Games Workshop PLC, was established in London by John Peake, Ian Livingstone, and Steve Jackson. It was listed in the London Stock Exchange in 1994. The company has since moved its headquarters to Nottingham. Games Workshop is mainly involved in producing and retailing games and toys (miniatures). The company started off with producing board games made of wood (eg. Backgammon), moved on to importing role-playing games (RPGs) from the United States and finally to where it is today, a toy and games producer, publisher and retailer. Games Workshop is well-known in the market for its collectible miniatures (toy soldiers) used in its role-playing and table-top wargames (WIKIPEDIA). Its specialty and focus is on collectible toy models targeting toy collectors and hobbyist whose favourite pastime is collecting toy models. Games Workshop has several subsidiaries, they include: BL Publishing Publishes literature and gaming materials Citadel Miniatures Produces toy miniatures collections for collectors and hobbyist Forge World Produces higher quality models for their role-playing and table-top wargames Sabertooth Games Produces card games related to their role-playing and table-top wargames produced (Wiki: Games Workshop http://warhammeronline.wikia.com/wiki/Games_Workshop#Subsidiaries) Competitors Hasbro U.K. Limited Vivid Toy Group Limited Vivid Imaginations Limited Games Workshop Limited Hornby PLC Flair Leisure Products PLC Hornby Hobbies Limited Datel Electronics Limited Rockstar North Limited Hardy Greys Limited From FAME (https://fame.bvdep.com/version-2010823/cgi/template.dll?checkathens=1kick=1 product=1user=lingd%40coventry.ac.ukpw=D341XryjGFEL77TgmOwhnA%3d%3d) Customers Collectors Hobbyist of their miniature games collection Teenagers Young Adults Global customers Market Contribution Share In 2009, Games Workshop wanted to cut cost and initiated a move to use plastic instead of metal for the production of their toy and games miniatures. It was an apparently well-accepted change by their customers as sales rose from  £110.3m to  £113.9m in 2009. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/719b6d28-7bbb-11de-9772-00144feabdc0.html In 2009, Games Workshop opened 10 new stores in the UK which are run by a single staff, making it easier for them to expand to smaller towns and hence more accessible to their teenage fans. These additional stores will boost Games Workshops market presence. As at January 2010, Games Workshop has expanded operations overseas to Europe, North America, Japan and Australia. However, market analysts believe that the company has potential to expand to other untapped markets. In January 2010, when Games Workshop revealed that its profit before tax achieved would surpass expectations by at least 50 percent, shares increased by 30 per cent to 333.85p. Profit before tax was initially estimated to be around  £9m as at 30 May 2010 but in January 2010, it was expected to grow by another  £5m or more by May 2010. Games Workshops gross margins have increased as a result of their cost cutting measures undertaken in 2009. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/afb932a0-fade-11de-94d8-00144feab49a,s01=1.html Future Forecast Games Workshop PLC should try to be more creative and innovative, launching new products constantly over the year, in order to increase sales and spread sales more evenly over the year than garnering the majority of sales only during the Christmas season. As mentioned earlier, market analyst believe that Games Workshop has the potential and capability required to further expand overseas, probably to untapped markets, such as Asia (with the exception of Japan where they already have expanded to). Furthermore, the market for toys and games are continuously increasing and expected to carry on growing in the future (internal market environment-is childhood getting shorter?). Sales recorded for toys and games have also been rising over the years and expected to continue doing so. (Market Re-forecasts-Household-UK-March 2009-Toys and Games). In the case of Games Workshop, although there was a slight drop in sales for the company in 2007, it has since been steadily increasing over the last couple of years. This could be due to the fact that Games Workshop builds up customer loyalty by offering collectibles that interested customers can only buy from the company if they want the complete collection. The excellent after-sales service provided by the company could be another factor that enabled them to earn loyalty from their customers. This is an invaluable asset to the Games Workshop as no matter what new products they offer, most of their loyal customers will support them by purcha sing their products. As long as the company continues to successfully retain its customer loyalty, it will go a long way. It is crucial for Games Workshop to constantly update themselves on the current trends and threats faced by the toys and games industry, and act accordingly by coming up with suitable strategies to ensure that the business stays profitable and hopefully gain a larger market share. Conclusion and Recommendations:

Cultural and Racial Inequality in Hemingways Indian Camp Essay

Cultural and Racial Inequality in Hemingway's Indian Camp Hemingway's "Indian Camp" concerns Nick Adams' journey into the unknown to ultimately experience and witness the full cycle of birth and death. Although Nick's experience is a major theme in the story, cultural inequality also is an issue that adds to the the story's narrative range. Throughout this short story, there are many examples of racial domination between Nick's family and the Indians. Dr. Adams' and Uncle George's racist behavior toward the Native Americans are based on the history of competition between Caucasians and America's indigenous peoples. "Indian Camp" begins at the shore where Nick, his father, and Uncle George are picked up by Indians in rowboats. When Nick and the men get into the rowboat, the Indians row them to the Indian Camp, with no help from the doctor or Uncle George. This evidence is the first example of cultural domination in the story. Once across the lake, Uncle George gives the Indians cigars. Uncle George's action could be a gift or a congratulatory gesture for the baby about to be b...

Confucianism Essay -- essays research papers

Confucianism Mencius vs Hsun Tzu   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Is man naturally good or is he evil? This question has not only been pondered by countless philosophers, but also by religious leaders around the world. Most often a single religious faith believes in either one or the other, and often these beliefs tend to create a certain world-view which dictates much of the faith. However, in some cases such as the one I will be discussing, two religious dignitaries do not agree and the repercussions of this can be found throughout the religion. The two men are Mencius, an early pupil of Confucius and Hsun Tzu, a later follower of the same faith. Mencius believed that each man, born of woman, would be naturally good and Hsun Tzu believed almost the complete opposite. Through Mencius and Hsun Tzu’s differing beliefs on human nature a completely different world view was formed for each and it’s effect on their ideas and more importantly a young religion were apparent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã ‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Before venturing into the essay, however, I would like to consider where this religion originated, and the meanings for it’s existence as to better equip us to understand it’s views. Confucianism as a religion was founded by Confucius, a man. It involves no superior beings other than man himself, and deals specifically with the interactions between fellow men. It also specializes on the actions a government (King) should take for it’s people. The religion was founded by Confucian himself, he lived from 551 B.C.E. to approximately 479 B.C.E.. He was just a man with an opinion. His opinion sprung from his unhappiness with society and the fall it had taken from what it had been. It had changed to an empire where values were ignored, and the past was just that, the past. He foresaw a proud China with values restored, and humility made once again important. Confucian’s main ideas were to adapt the good things from the past to the technology of t oday. The “good things'; he speaks of are a government where the King is like a loving father to the people, where the King would protect his people and the people in turn would follow the King.   Ã‚  ... ... only an idea but a standard to be followed for all Chinese youth. An easy way to see the differences between Mencius and Hsun Tzu is this, Mencius believed that nature was good and nurture was important only to re-enforce what was already there. While Hsun Tzu believed that nature was bad and that the nurturing effects of teaching and work were the only way to overcome mans natural disadvantage. Their constantly disagreeing nature has forced many Confucian’s to examine their faith more independently and made Confucianism a religion for the thinkers, not just the faithful worshipers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Conclusion, the works of Mencius and Hsun Tzu drastically altered how many people though of the Confucian tradition and how governments of the time were run. By the end of their lives Confucianism was a strong and stable religion that has survived even up to now, and it’s beliefs continue to grow as the world does. Influential speakers like this show various parallels to saints and profits in the Catholic faith and maybe even miniature representations of Gods in faiths like Hinduism. Their impact was at least as large as any of those. Footnotes

The Four Humors :: European Europe History

The Four Humors Medieval doctors had quite an understanding of the human anatomy, considering their lack of equipment and knowledge. Most doctors in medieval times were philosophers more than actual medical doctors as most people know them today. Much of the knowledge they did acquire may have only been speculation, but quite a bit of it was due to concentrated observation. Many scientists studied wounds and diseases intensely and one scientist in particular, Empedocles, came to the conclusion that that body consists of four main fluids, or humors. These humors were yellow bile, black bile, phlegm and blood. If one of these components was out of proportion in the body, disease occurred. The imbalance was called isonomia, an idea which was also proposed by the Greek scientist Empedocles. Empedocles followed the Pythagorean school of natural philosophers rather than the Hippocratic school as most other physicians in the time did. He felt people must use their senses, even though they are not thoroughly reliable at all times. The other schools preferred more mystic ideas as opposed to natural ones. He also hypothesized that all substances and objects were made up of air, fire, water, and earth in different proportions. His proposal of the four humors of the body was later accepted by the Hippocratic school. Each of Empedocles' four humors was connected to one of the four seasons. Black bile was considered to be a part of autumn, blood was associated with spring, phlegm with winter and summer with yellow bile. Each humor was identified with its corresponding season due to the belief that each humor contained certain qualities. These qualities were closely related to the conditions of the seasons. Thus yellow bile was thought of as hot and dry like summer. Its opposite, phlegm was cold and moist like winter. Black Bile was cold and dry, while its opposite, blood, was hot and moist, like their counterparts, autumn and spring. As well as being connected with seasons, the four humors were also linked to four elements of nature. Black bile was associated with Earth, blood with air, fire with yellow bile and phlegm with water. This theory of nature and the body being interrelated was also proposed by Empedocles. Also each of these was also connected with the type of personality one presented. Too much earth made a person melancholic, which meant they were very depressed and saddened often.

Single Sex versus Co-ed

Single-Sex versus Co-education Education is very important for both boys and girls, but the place they are being educated in is very arguable. Nowadays, it has been noticed that in a single-sex educational experience students exhibit an eagerness to participate in discussions. In Australia, the percentage of students attending single-sex secondary schools was 55% of boys and 54% of girls, in 1985. However, by 1995 the proportion of students attending had dropped to 41% of boys and 45% of girls.Let us start by onsidering the fact that studying in separate school, boys and girls, can indisputably concentrate on their studies and not get distracted easily by the opposite sex classmates. In addition to this, some religious and traditional families might be keener to educate their children in separate schools. Generally, students of single- sex schools perform better than those at co-ed schools. On the other hand, it could be better for boys and girls to study together since they should b e taught fairly. Communication plays a big role in co-education schools.It helps pupils to communicate and socialize and it is easier for them in the future as they get to interact with others while working, in colleges and universities, etc. Moreover, students at co-ed schools learn to interact better with the other gender. After weighing the pros and cons, I would say that we live in a mixed world where interactions between both genders is compulsory, whether it was a debate at work or a group discussion among co-workers. The ability to speak out without intimidation is a vital feature in each individual. Written And Discussed By: JOY

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 13

Chapter 13 â€Å"I could kick that punk's punk ass,† the angel said, jumping on the bed, shaking a fist at the television screen. â€Å"Raziel,† I said, â€Å"you are an angel of the Lord, he is a professional wrestler, I think it's understood that you could kick his punk ass.† This has gone on for a couple of days now. The angel has found a new passion. The front desk has called a dozen times and sent a bellman up twice to tell the angel to quiet down. â€Å"Besides, it's just pretend.† Raziel looked at me as if I had slapped him. â€Å"Don't start with that again, these are not actors.† The angel back flipped on the bed. â€Å"Ooo, ooo, you see that? Ho popped him with a chair. Thaz right, you go girl. She nasty.† It's like that now. Talk shows featuring the screaming ignorant, soap operas, and wrestling. And the angel guards the remote control like it's the Ark of the Covenant. â€Å"This,† I told him, â€Å"is why the angels were never given free will. This right here. Because you would spend your time watching this.† â€Å"Really?† Raziel said, and he muted the TV for what seemed like the first time in days. â€Å"Then tell me, Levi who is called Biff, if by watching this I am abusing the little freedom I've been given while carrying out this task, then what would you say of your people?† â€Å"By my people you mean human beings?† I was stalling. I didn't remember the angel ever making a valid point before and I wasn't prepared for it. â€Å"Hey, don't blame me, I've been dead for two thousand years. I wouldn't have let this sort of thing happen.† â€Å"Uh-huh,† said the angel, crossing his arms and striking a pose of incredulity that he had learned from a gangster rapper on MTV. If there was anything I learned from John the Baptist, it was that the sooner you confess a mistake, the quicker you can get on to making new and better mistakes. Oh, that and don't piss off Salome, that was a big one too. â€Å"Okay, we've fucked up,† I said. â€Å"Thaz whut I'm talkin' about,† said the angel, entirely too satisfied with himself. Yeah? Where was he when we needed him and his sword of justice at Balthasar's fortress? Probably in Greece, watching wrestling. Meanwhile, when we got to the library, Balthasar was sitting before the heavy dragon table, eating a bit of cheese and sipping wine while Tunnels and Pea Pods poured a sticky yellow wax on his bald head, then spread it around with small wooden paddles. The easels and slates from my lessons had been stacked out of the way against the shelves full of scrolls and codices. â€Å"You look good blue,† Balthasar said. â€Å"Yeah, everybody says that.† The paint, once set, didn't wash off, but at least my skin had stopped itching. â€Å"Come in, sit. Have wine. They brought cheese from Kabul this morning. Try some.† Joshua and I sat in chairs across the table from the magus. Josh, completely true to form, disregarded my advice and asked Balthasar outright about the iron door. The aspect of the jolly wizard became suddenly grave. â€Å"There are some mysteries one must learn to live with. Did not your own God tell Moses that no one must look upon his face, and the prophet accepted that? So you must accept that you cannot know what is in the room with the iron door.† â€Å"He knows his Torah, and Prophets and Writings too,† Joshua said to me. â€Å"Balthasar knows more about Solomon than any of the rabbis or priests in Israel.† â€Å"That's swell, Josh.† I handed him a hunk of cheese to keep him amused. To Balthasar I said, â€Å"But you forget God's butt.† You don't hang out with the Messiah for most of your life without picking up a little Torah knowledge yourself. â€Å"What?† said the magus. Just then the girls grabbed the edges of the hardened wax shell they'd made on Balthasar's head and ripped it off in one swift movement. â€Å"Ouch, you vicious harpies! Can't you warn me when you're going to do that? Get out.† The girls tittered and hid their satisfied grins behind delicate fans painted with pheasants and plum blossoms. They fled the library leaving a trail of girlish laughter in the hall as they passed. â€Å"Isn't there an easier way to do that?† asked Joshua. Balthasar scowled at him. â€Å"Don't you think that after two hundred years, if there was an easier way to do it I would have found it?† Joshua dropped his cheese. â€Å"Two hundred years?† I chimed in. â€Å"You get a hairstyle you like, stick with it. Not that you could call that hair, per se.† Balthasar wasn't amused. â€Å"What's this about God's butt?† â€Å"Or that you could call that style, for that matter,† I added, rising and going to a copy of the Torah that I'd seen on the shelves. Fortunately it was a codex – like a modern book – otherwise I'd have been unwinding a scroll for twenty minutes and the drama would have been lost. I quickly flipped to Exodus. â€Å"Right, here's the part you were talking about. ‘And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.' Right? Well, then God puts his hand over Moses as he passes, but he says, ‘I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.'† â€Å"So?† said Balthasar. â€Å"So, God let Moses see his butt, so using your example, you owe us God's butt. So tell us, what's going on with that room with the iron door?† Brilliant. I paused and studied the blueness of my fingernails while savoring my victory. â€Å"That's the silliest thing I've ever heard,† said Balthasar. His momentary loss of composure was replaced by the calm and slightly amused attitude of the master. â€Å"What if I told you that it is dangerous for you to know about what is behind that iron door now, but once you have training, you will not only know, but you will gain great power from the knowledge? When I think you are ready, I promise to show you what is behind that door. But you must promise to study and learn your lessons. Can you do that?† â€Å"Are you forbidding us to ask questions?† asked Joshua. â€Å"Oh no, I'm simply denying you some of the answers for the time being. And trust me, time is the one thing that I have plenty of.† Joshua turned to me. â€Å"I still don't know what I am supposed to learn here, but I'm sure I haven't learned it yet.† He was pleading me with his eyes to not push the issue. I decided to let it drop; besides, I didn't relish the idea of being poisoned again. â€Å"How long is this going to take?† I asked. â€Å"These lessons, I mean?† â€Å"Some students take many years to learn the nature of Chi. You will be provided for while you are here.† â€Å"Years? Can we think about it?† â€Å"Take as long as you like,† Balthasar stood. â€Å"Now I must go to the girls' quarters. They like to rub their naked breasts over my scalp right after it's been waxed and is at its smoothest.† I gulped. Joshua grinned and looked at the table in front of him. I often wondered, not just then, but most of the time, if Joshua had the ability to turn off his imagination when he needed to. He must have. Otherwise I don't know how he would have ever triumphed over temptation. I, on the other hand, was a slave to my imagination and it was running wild with the image of Balthasar's scalp massage. â€Å"We'll stay. We'll learn. We'll do what is needed,† I said. Joshua burst out laughing, then calmed himself enough to speak. â€Å"Yes, we will stay and learn, Balthasar, but first I have to go to Kabul and finish some business.† â€Å"Of course you do,† said Balthasar. â€Å"You can leave tomorrow. I'll have one of the girls show you the way, but for now, I must say good night.† The wizard stalked off, leaving Joshua to collapse into a fit of giggles and me to wonder how I might look with my head shaved. In the morning Joy came to our rooms wearing the garb of a desert trader: a loose tunic, soft leather boots, and pantaloons. Her hair was tied up under a turban and she carried a long riding crop in her hand. She led us through a long narrow passageway that went deep into the mountain, then emerged out of the side of a sheer cliff. We climbed a rope ladder to the top of the plateau where Pillows and Sue waited with three camels saddled and outfitted for a short journey. There was a small farm on the plateau, with several pens full of chickens, some goats, and a few pigs in a pen. â€Å"We're going to have a tough time getting these camels down that ladder,† I said. Joy scowled and wrapped the tail of her turban around her face so that only her eyes showed. â€Å"There's a path down,† she said. Then she tapped her camel on the shoulder with her crop and rode off, leaving Joshua and me to scramble onto our animals and follow. The road down from the plateau was just wide enough for a single camel to sway his way down without falling, but once down on the desert floor, much like the entrance to the canyon where the fortress's entrance lay, if you didn't know it was there, you would never have found it. An added measure of security for a fortress that had no guards, I thought. Joshua and I tried to engage Joy in conversation several times during the journey to Kabul, but she was cranky and abrupt and often just rode away from us. â€Å"Probably depressed that she's not torturing me,† I speculated. â€Å"I can see how that might bring her down,† said Joshua. â€Å"Maybe if you could get your camel to bite you. I know that always brightens my mood.† I rode on ahead without another word. It's wildly irritating to have invented something as revolutionary as sarcasm, only to have it abused by amateurs. Once in Kabul, Joy led the search for the blinded guard by asking every blind beggar that we passed in the marketplace. â€Å"Have you seen a blind bowman who arrived by camel caravan a little more than a week ago?† Joshua and I trailed several steps behind her, trying desperately to keep from grinning whenever she looked back. Joshua had wanted to point out the flaw in Joy's method, while I, on the other hand, wanted to savor her doofuscosity as passive revenge for having been poisoned. There was none of the competence and self-assured nature she showed at the fortress. She was clearly out of her element and I was enjoying it. â€Å"You see,† I explained to Joshua, â€Å"what Joy is doing is ironic, yet that's not her intent. That's the difference between irony and sarcasm. Irony can be spontaneous, while sarcasm requires volition. You have to create sarcasm.† â€Å"No kidding?† said Josh. â€Å"Why do I waste my time with you?† We indulged Joy's search for the blind man for another hour before directing her inquiries to the sighted, and to men from the camel caravans in particular. Once she started asking sighted people, it was a short time before we were directed to a temple where the blinded guard was said to have staked his begging territory. â€Å"There he is,† said Joshua, pointing to a ragged pile of human being beckoning to the worshipers as they moved in and out of the temple. â€Å"It looks like things have been tough on him,† I said, amazed that the guard, who had been one of the most vital (and frightening) men I'd ever seen, had been reduced to such a pathetic creature in so short a time. Then again, I was discounting the theatrics of it all. â€Å"A great injustice has been done here,† said Josh. He moved to the guard and gently put his hand on the blind man's shoulder. â€Å"Brother, I am here to relieve your suffering.† â€Å"Pity on the blind,† said the guard, waving around a wooden bowl. â€Å"Calm now,† said Joshua, placing his hand over the blind man's eyes. â€Å"When I remove my hand you will see again.† I could see the strain in Joshua's face as he concentrated on healing the guard. Tears trickled down his cheeks and dripped on the flagstones. I thought of how effortless his healings had been in Antioch, and realized that the strain was not coming from the healing, but from the guilt he carried for having blinded the man in the first place. When he removed his hand and stepped away, both he and the guard shivered. Joy stepped away from us and covered her face as if to ward off bad air. The guard stared into space just as he had while he had been begging, but his eyes were no longer white. â€Å"Can you see?† Joshua said. â€Å"I can see, but everything is wrong. People's skin appears blue.† â€Å"No, he is blue. Remember, my friend Biff.† â€Å"Were you always blue?† â€Å"No, only recently.† Then the guard seemed to see Joshua for the first time and his expression of wonderment was replaced by hatred. He leapt at Joshua, drawing a dagger from his rags as he moved. He would have split my friend's rib cage in a single swift blow if Joy hadn't swept his feet out from under him at the last second. Even so, he was up in an instant, going for a second attack. I managed to get my hand up in time to poke him in the eyes, just as Joy kicked him in the back of the neck, driving him to the ground in agony. â€Å"My eyes!† he cried. â€Å"Sorry,† I said. Joy kicked the knife out of the guard's reach. I put an arm around Joshua's chest and pushed him back. â€Å"You need to put some distance between you and him before he can see again.† â€Å"But I only meant to help him,† said Joshua. â€Å"Blinding him was a mistake.† â€Å"Josh, he doesn't care. All he knows is that you are the enemy. All he knows is that he wants to destroy you.† â€Å"I don't know what I'm doing. Even when I try to do the right thing it goes wrong.† â€Å"We need to go,† said Joy. She took one of Joshua's arms while I took the other and we led him away before the guard could gather his senses for another attack. Joy had a list of supplies that Balthasar wanted her to bring back to the fortress, so we spent some time tracking down large baskets of a mineral called cinnabar, from which we would extract quicksilver, as well as some spices and pigments. Joshua followed us through the market in a daze until we passed a merchant who was selling the black beans from which was made the dark drink we'd had in Antioch. â€Å"Buy me some,† Joshua said. â€Å"Joy, buy me some of those.† She did, and Joshua cradled the bag of beans like an infant all the way back to the fortress. We rode most of the way in silence, but when the sun had gone down and we were almost to the hidden road that led up to the plateau, Joy galloped up beside me. â€Å"How did he do it?† she asked. â€Å"What?† â€Å"I saw him heal that man's eyes. How did he do it? I know many kinds of magic, but I saw no spells cast, no potions mixed.† â€Å"It's very powerful magic all right.† I checked over my shoulder to see if Joshua was paying attention. He was hugging his coffee beans and mumbling to himself as he had for the whole trip. Praying, I presume. â€Å"Tell me how it's done,† Joy said. â€Å"I asked Joshua, but he's just chanting and looking stunned.† â€Å"Well, I could tell you how it's done, but you have to tell me what's going on behind the ironclad door.† â€Å"I can't tell you that, but perhaps we can trade other things.† She pulled the tail of her turban away from her face and smiled. She was stunningly beautiful in the moonlight, even in men's clothes. â€Å"I know over a thousand ways to bring pleasure to a man, and that's only what I know personally. The other girls have as many tricks that they'd be willing to show you too.† â€Å"Yeah, but how is that useful to me? What do I need to know about pleasing a man?† Joy ripped her turban off her head and smacked me across the back of the head with it, sending a small cloud of dust drifting into the night. â€Å"You're stupid and you're blue and the next time I poison you I will be sure to use something without an antidote.† Even the wise and inscrutable Joy could be goaded, I guess. I smiled. â€Å"I will accept your paltry offerings,† I said with as much pomposity as an adolescent boy can muster. â€Å"And in return I will teach the greatest secret of our magic. A secret of my own invention. We call it sarcasm.† â€Å"Let's make coffee when we get home,† said Joshua. It was some challenge to try to drag out the process of how Joshua had returned the guard's sight, especially since I hadn't the slightest idea myself, but through careful misdirection, obfuscation, subterfuge, guile, and complete balderdash, I was able to barter that lack of knowledge into months of outrageous knob polishing by the beauteous Joy and her comely minions. Somehow, the urgency of knowing what was behind the ironclad door and the answers to other enigmas of Balthasar's fortress abated, and I found myself quite content pursuing the lessons the wizard assigned me during the day, while stretching my imagination to its limit with the mathematical combinations of the night. There was the drawback that Balthasar would kill me if he knew that I was availing myself of the charms of his concubines, but is the pilfered fruit not sweetened by the stealing? Oh, to be young and in love (with eight Chinese concubines). Meanwhile Joshua took to his studies with characteristic zeal, fueled in no little bit by the coffee he drank every morning until he nearly vibrated through the floor with enthusiasm. â€Å"Look at this, do you see, Biff? When asked, the master Confucius says, ‘Recompense injury with justice, and kindness with kindness.' Yet Lao-tzu says, ‘Recompense injury with kindness.' Don't you see?† Joshua would dance around, scrolls trailing out behind him, hoping that somehow I would share his enthusiasm for the ancient texts. And I tried. I really did. â€Å"No, I don't see. The Torah says, ‘an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,' that is justice.† â€Å"Exactly,† said Joshua. â€Å"I think Lao-tzu is correct. Kindness precedes justice. As long as you seek justice by punishment you can only cause more suffering. How can that be right? This is a revelation!† â€Å"I learned how to boil down goat urine to make explosives today,† I said. â€Å"That's good too,† said Joshua. It could happen like that any time of the day or night. Joshua would come blazing out of the library in the middle of the night, interrupt me in the midst of some complex oily tangle of Pea Pod and Pillows and Tunnels – while Number Six familiarized us with the five hundred jade gods of various depths and textures – and he'd avert his eyes just long enough for me to towel off before he'd shove some codex in my hand and force me to read a passage while he waxed enthusiastic on the thoughts of some long-dead sage. â€Å"The Master says that ‘the superior man may indeed endure want, but the inferior man, when he experiences want, will give into unbridled excess.' He's talking about you, Biff. You're the inferior man.† â€Å"I'm so proud,† I told him, as I watched Number Six forlornly pack her gods into the warmed brass case where they resided. â€Å"Thank you for coming here to tell me that.† I was given the task of learning waidan, which is the alchemy of the external. My knowledge would come from the manipulation of the physical elements. Joshua, on the other hand, was learning neidan, the alchemy of the internal. His knowledge would come from the study of his own inner nature through the contemplation of the masters. So while Joshua read scrolls and books, I spent my time mixing quicksilver and lead, phosphorous and brimstone, charcoal and philosopher's stone, trying somehow to divine the nature of the Tao. Joshua was learning to be the Messiah and I was learning to poison people and blow stuff up. The world seemed very much in order. I was happy, Joshua was happy, Balthasar was happy, and the girls – well, the girls were busy. Although I passed the iron door every day (and the niggling voice persisted), what was behind it wasn't important to me, and neither were the answers to the dozen or so questions that Joshua and I should have put to our generous master. Before we knew it a year had passed, then two more, and we were celebrating the passage of Joshua's seventeenth birthday in the fortress. Balthasar had the girls prepare a feast of Chinese delicacies and we drank wine late into the night. (And long after that, and even when we had returned to Israel, we always ate Chinese food on Joshua's birthday. I'm told it became a tradition not only with those of us who knew Joshua, but with Jews everywhere.) â€Å"Do you ever think of home?† Joshua asked me the night of his birthday feast. â€Å"Sometimes,† I said. â€Å"What do you think of?† â€Å"Maggie,† I said. â€Å"Sometimes my brothers. Sometimes my mother and father, but always Maggie.† â€Å"Even with all your experiences since, you still think of Maggie?† Joshua had become less and less curious about the essence of lust. Initially I thought that his lack of interest had to do with the depth of his studies, but I then realized that his interest was fading along with the memory of Maggie. â€Å"Joshua, my memory of Maggie isn't about what happened the night before we left. I didn't go to see her thinking that we would make love. A kiss was more than I expected. I think of Maggie because I made a place in my heart for her to live, and it's empty. It always will be. It always was. She loved you.† â€Å"I'm sorry, Biff. I don't know how to heal that. I would if I could.† â€Å"I know, Josh. I know.† I didn't want to talk about home anymore, but Josh deserved to get off his chest whatever it was that was bothering him, and if not to me, to whom? â€Å"Do you ever think of home?† â€Å"Yes. That's why I asked. You know, the girls were cooking bacon today, and that made me think of home.† â€Å"Why? I don't remember anyone ever cooking bacon at home.† â€Å"I know, but if we ate some bacon, no one at home would ever know.† I got up and walked over to the half-wall that divided our rooms. There was moonlight coming through the window and Joshua's face had caught it and was glowing in that annoying way that it sometimes did. â€Å"Joshua, you're the Son of God. You're the Messiah. That implies – oh, I don't know – that you're a Jew! You can't eat bacon.† â€Å"God doesn't care if we eat bacon. I can just feel it.† â€Å"Really. He still feel the same way about fornication?† â€Å"Yep.† â€Å"Masturbation?† â€Å"Yep.† â€Å"Killing? Stealing? Bearing false witness? Coveting thy neighbor's wife, et cetera? No change of heart on those?† â€Å"Nope.† â€Å"Just bacon. Interesting. You would have thought there'd be something about bacon in the prophecies of Isaiah.† â€Å"Yeah, makes you wonder, doesn't it?† â€Å"You're going to need more than that to usher in the kingdom of God, Josh, no offense. We can't go home with, ‘Hi, I'm the Messiah, God wanted you to have this bacon.'† â€Å"I know. We have much more to learn. But breakfasts will be more interesting.† â€Å"Go to sleep, Josh.† As time passed, I seldom saw Joshua except at mealtimes and before we went to sleep. Nearly all my time was taken up with my studies and helping the girls maintain the fortress, while nearly all of Joshua's time was spent with Balthasar, which would eventually become a problem. â€Å"This is not good, Biff,† Joy said in Chinese. I'd learned to speak her language well enough that she seldom spoke Greek or Latin anymore. â€Å"Balthasar is getting too close with Joshua. He seldom sends for one of us to join him in his bed now.† â€Å"You're not implying that Joshua and Balthasar are, uh, playing shepherd, are you? Because I know that's not true. Joshua isn't allowed.† Of course the angel had said he couldn't know a woman, he hadn't said anything about a creepy old African wizard. â€Å"Oh, I don't care if they're buggering their eyeballs out,† said Joy. â€Å"Balthasar mustn't fall in love. Why do you think that there are eight of us?† â€Å"I thought it was a matter of budget,† I said. â€Å"You haven't noticed that one of us will never spend two nights in a row with Balthasar, or that we don't speak with him beyond what is required for our duties and lessons?† I had noticed, but it never occurred to me that there was something out of the ordinary. We hadn't gotten to the chapter on wizard – concubine behavior in the book yet. â€Å"So?† â€Å"So I think he is falling in love with Joshua. That is not good.† â€Å"Well, I'm with you on that one. I wasn't happy the last time someone fell in love with him. But why does it matter here?† â€Å"I can't tell you. But there has been more commotion coming from the house of doom,† said Joy. â€Å"You have to help me. If I'm right, we have to stop Balthasar. We'll observe them tomorrow while we adjust the flow of Chi in the library.† â€Å"No, Joy. Not library Chi. The stuff in the library is too heavy. I hate library Chi.† Chi or Qi: the breath of the dragon, the eternal energy that flows through all things; in balance, as it should be, it was half yin, half yang, half light, half dark, half male, half female. The Chi in the library was always getting fucked up, while the Chi in the rooms with just cushions, or with lightweight furniture, seemed well adjusted and balanced. I don't know why, but I suspected it had a lot to do with Joy's need to make me move heavy things. The next morning Joy and I went to the library to spy on Joshua and Balthasar while we redirected the library's Chi. Joy carried a complex brass instrument she called a Chi clock, which was supposed to be able to detect the flow of Chi. The magus was noticeably irritated as soon as we entered the room. â€Å"Must this be done now?† Joy bowed. â€Å"Very sorry, master, but this is an emergency.† She turned and barked commands at me like a Roman centurion. â€Å"Move that table over there, can't you see that it rests on the tiger's testicles? Then point those chairs so they face the doorway, they lie on the dragon's navel. We're lucky someone hasn't broken a leg.† â€Å"Yeah, lucky,† I said, straining to move the huge carved table, wishing that Joy had recruited a couple of the other girls to help. I'd been studying feng shui for more than three years now and I still couldn't detect the least bit of Chi, coming or going. Joshua had reconciled the elusive energy by saying that it was just an Oriental way to express God all around us and in all things. That may have helped him toward some sort of spiritual understanding, but it was about as effective as trained sheep when it came to arranging furniture. â€Å"Can I help?† Joshua asked. â€Å"No!† shouted Balthasar, standing up. â€Å"We will continue in my quarters.† The old wizard turned and glared at Joy and me. â€Å"And we are not to be disturbed, under any circumstances.† He took Joshua by the shoulder and led him out of the room. â€Å"So much for spying,† I said. Joy consulted the Chi clock and patted a cabinet filled with calligraphy materials. â€Å"This most certainly rides on the horn of the ox, it must be moved,† she pronounced. â€Å"They are gone,† I said. â€Å"We don't have to pretend at this anymore.† â€Å"Who is pretending? That cabinet channels all the yin into the hall, while the yang circles like a bird of prey.† â€Å"Joy, stop it. I know you're making this stuff up.† She dropped the brass instrument to her side. â€Å"I am not.† â€Å"Yes, you are.† And here I thought I'd push my credibility a bit, just to see. â€Å"I checked the yang in this room yesterday. It is in perfect balance.† Joy dropped to her hands and knees, crawled under one of the huge carved dragon tables, curled up into a ball, and began to cry. â€Å"I'm no good at this. Balthasar wants us all to know it, but I've never understood it. If you want the Elegant Torture of a Thousand Pleasant Touches, I can do it, you want someone poisoned, castrated, or blown up, I'm your man, but this feng shui stuff is just, just†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Stupid?† I supplied. â€Å"No, I was going to say difficult. Now I've angered Balthasar and we have no way of knowing what is happening between him and Joshua. And we must know.† â€Å"I can find out,† I said, polishing my nails on my tunic. â€Å"But I have to know why I'm finding out.† â€Å"How will you find out?† â€Å"I have ways that are more subtle and crafty than all your Chinese alchemy and direction of energies.† â€Å"Now who's making things up?† I'd lost most of my credibility by dragging out the arcane-Hebrew-knowledge-for-sexual-favors ruse until I had actually claimed credit for receiving the tablets of the Ten Commandments as well as constructing the Ark of the Covenant. (What? It's not my fault. Joshua was the one who would never let me be Moses when we were kids.) â€Å"If I find out, will you tell me what is going on?† The head concubine chewed at an elegantly lacquered nail as she thought about it. â€Å"You promise not to tell anyone if I tell you? Not even your friend Joshua?† â€Å"I promise.† â€Å"Then do what you will. But remember your lessons from The Art of War.† I considered the words of Sun-tzu, which Joy had taught me: Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby, you can be the director of the opponent's fate. So after considering strategy carefully, running and rejecting the various scenarios in my head, working out what seemed a nearly foolproof plan, and making sure the timing was perfect, I went into action. That very night, as I lay in my bed and Joshua in his, I called forth all my powers of subtlety and mysteriousness. â€Å"Hey Josh,† I said. â€Å"Balthasar sodomizing you?† â€Å"No!† â€Å"Vice versa?† â€Å"Absolutely not!† â€Å"You get the feeling he'd like to?† He was quiet for a second, then he said, â€Å"He's been very attentive lately. And he giggles at everything I say, why?† â€Å"Because Joy says it's not good if he falls in love with you.† â€Å"Well, it's not if he's expecting any sodomizing, I'll tell you that. That's going to be one disappointed magus.† â€Å"No, worse than that. She won't tell me what, but it's really, really bad.† â€Å"Biff, I realize you may not think so, but from my way of thinking, sodomizing the Son of God is really, really bad.† â€Å"Good point. But I think she means something to do with whatever is behind the iron door. Until I find out, you have to keep Balthasar from falling in love with you.† â€Å"I'll bet he was myrrh,† said Josh. â€Å"Bastard, he brings the cheapest gift and now he wants to sodomize me. My mother told me the myrrh went bad after a week too.† Did I mention that Joshua was not a myrrh fan?