Saturday, December 28, 2019

Assessment Process - 2463 Words

Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement. Assessors workbook Name: QIT: Start date: Planned end date: Content: Qualification outline P. 3 The assessment process P.4 Types of assessment P.5-6 Concepts and principles of assessment P.7-9 Stages of assessment P.10 Understand how to plan assessment P.11-13 Holistic assessment P.14 Risks of assessment P.15-16 Understand how to make assessment decision P.17 Understand different types of assessment methods P. 18-20 The use of technology in assessment process P.21 Responsibilities of the assessor P.22 Regulations and requirements P.23-25 Quality assurance P.26-27 Manage information†¦show more content†¦|assessment process. | |Planning for learning and assessment of learning |The learner agrees the targets, and plans are made |The results of the initial assessment inform plans | | |for how these will be achieved. These are recorded |and ensure that realistic targets are set. Regular | | |on an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) |assessment is planned. | |Learning andShow MoreRelatedAssessment Process663 Words   |  3 Pagesdifferences that need to be considered if you are sign-posting one answer to another. Criteria Number Assessment Criteria 1.1 Explain the functions of assessment: Why is assessment carried out? What is the purpose of assessment? What does assessment measure? What are the anticipated outcomes of assessment? 1.2 Define these key concepts and principles of assessment: Fair Reliable Valid Safe and manageable Suitable to the candidate needs Read More7.0School Assessment Process. School Assessment Process1451 Words   |  6 Pages7.0 School Assessment process School assessment process differ in each school. It is important for all schools to follow the Assessment Principles. According to the personal communications with Bindi (2017) at the beginning of each school year the assessment results from the previous year are used to place students into appropriate learning groups and plan what to teach. Bindi also noted that she tries not to assess to regularly as she finds it difficult to get accurate results within her classroomRead MoreThe Process Of Patient Assessment1258 Words   |  6 PagesDIABETES ASSESSMENT TOOLS The process of patient assessment is an integral part in the development of education and plans of care. Because diabetes is largely a self-managed disease, education is key to patient success. The process of providing diabetes self-management education (DSME) may be facilitated by a variety of healthcare professionals, including nurses, dietitians, pharmacists, physicians, mental health professionals, optometrists, podiatrists, and exercise physiologists. Diabetes isRead MoreEvaluation Of An Assessment Process Paper925 Words   |  4 PagesAssessment Process Paper During my practicum, my supervisor and I have discussed the steps I will need to take in order to meet my requirements. We have discussed completing an assessment, with what student and when it will occur. The student she picked was due for a re-evaluation and I was required to give him the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children 5th Edition (WISC-V). In order to prepare for the assessment, I used the assessment tools at Brinckerhoff Elementary School, and practiced givingRead MoreAssessment Is Vital For The Education Process1895 Words   |  8 PagesAssessment is vital to the education process, it determines if educators and students are meeting goals and requirements within the education standards (ref assessment learning). Traditionally summative assessment is used to determine where student sit either or a benchmarks or results table (mellon uni). These assessments are generally half way through the teaching period and/or at the end, consisting of test, quiz or exams. Summati ve allowed teachers to measure the student’s ability when theseRead MoreThe Assessment Process Of The Early Childhood Classroom942 Words   |  4 PagesModule 1 Assessments Explain the Assessment process as used in the early childhood classroom The assessment process in the classroom can be completed in several different ways, but they are effective in helping children. Some steps may include observations, testing, and evaluations. These assessments can help the caregivers provide the children with the best care possible and available for them. These observations and test may be completed from several sources and situations to ensure the test areRead MorePlanning, Teaching And Assessment Process994 Words   |  4 Pages To begin the planning, teaching and assessment process, it must start with discovering what children know and understand, this can be done through assessment and, therefore, is where to initiate the cycle according to Webster (2009). However, some practitioners start the cycle by planning for lessons based on the curriculum content of the previous year (Fisher, 2013). The practitioner may then start teaching according to the predicted lack or extended knowledge, and, therefore, confuse and failRead MoreThe Process Of Conducting Vulnerability Assessments And Modeling Threats1122 Words   |  5 PagesAbstract The purpose of this report is to explain the process of conducting vulnerability assessments and modeling threats. Vulnerability assessments are conducted to keep organizations safe from device and network vulnerabilities. There is a process that should be followed in order to perform a proper vulnerability assessment, if it is followed properly the organization will eliminate most if not all vulnerabilities from their network. Modeling threats is also an important step in creating a safeRead MoreEvaluation And Explain The Four Stages Of The Assessment Process1486 Words   |  6 Pagesof the assessment process. Evaluations are a critical part of the learning process. Assessments not only evaluates the students’, but also the teacher since they are able to evaluate their own techniques and skills. The first thing addressed in the reading is an explanation of the difference between an â€Å"evaluation† and an â€Å"assessment†. Tenbrink (2015) describes the four stages of the evaluation process. The first step in the evaluation process is the initial preparation for the assessment. This isRead MoreAssessment Of Special Education Is A Problem Solving Process3163 Words   |  13 PagesThere are various methods of assessment used in special education, but before this paper delves into that the definition of assessment must be discussed. An assessment in special education is a process that involves collecting information about a student for the purpose of making decisions (Macy, 2007). When this definition is deconstructed, we have to ask the question, â€Å"What is a process?† A process is a series of actions that bring about a result. It is a step-by-step series of actions that bring

Friday, December 20, 2019

Intellectual Property ( Ip ) Essay - 919 Words

Intellectual Property (IP) can be broadly described as using human intellect to create something new or original, and it is collectively comprised of four categories: Trade secrets, trademarks, copyrights, and patents. Intellectual property is a valuable asset that must be protected and strategically managed. To fully foster innovation, intellectual property protection is crucial. If protection is lacking, than businesses and individual would not fully benefit from their inventions and could possibly refrain from research and development. Intellectual property drives economic growth and competitiveness. â€Å"The direct and indirect economic impacts of innovation are overwhelming, accounting for more than 40% of U.S. economic growth and employment† (GIPC, 2015, para. 3). Intellectual property contributes tremendously to our national and state economies. IP accounts for 74% of all US exports, which amounts to nearly $1 trillion. It is also important for consumers. Solid IP ri ghts assist consumers in making choices about the safety, effectiveness and reliability in their purchases. Many industries count on sufficient enforcement of their IP, by means of trade secrets, trademarks, copyrights, and patents. According to the USPTO (2015) â€Å"In the United States patents are available to any person who invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof† (para.6). There are three types of patentsShow MoreRelatedIntellectual Property And Ip For Short816 Words   |  4 PagesIP Write Up Name: Alexander Tuma Intellectual property or IP for short refers to the creations of the mind. For example inventions, artistic work, designs, logos and more. (Wipo.int) IP is also protected by the law. For example it protects the users work by putting copyrights, trademarks and patents on his or hers work. This grants the users to get recognition or money from they want they made. (Wipo.int) Copyright: A copyright is a legal term that is used to define the rights that creatorsRead MoreIntellectual Property ( Ip ) Is Everywhere1550 Words   |  7 PagesIntellectual Property (IP) is everywhere. IP is inventions. IP is literary and artistic works. IP is designs or symbols. IP is names and images used in commerce. Almost everything is IP. These things can be protected by patent, copyright, service mark, or trademark. These topics are very complicated; the consolidated version of US patent laws and rules is over 200 pages long. While there are many good things about IP protection, there are also many unnecessary problems with it that should be changedRead MoreIntellectual Properties And How Can You Protect It?1004 Words   |  5 Pagesis Intellectual Properties and How Can You Protect It? What is Intellectual Property? Intellectual Property or IP is a representation of creations of the mind, or something that can be legally owned, Intellectual Property allows protection through patents, trademarks, copyright, designs, circuit layouts and plant breeder’s rights. Almost any business can have some form of intellectual property that they need to protect. What are your rights and how can you protect your intellectual property? ExploreRead MoreQuestions On Intellectual Property Rights1475 Words   |  6 PagesDebate Paper: Intellectual Property Rights The world that exists today was built on two things: innovation and the pursuit of one’s self interest. Our founding founders believed intellectual property to be a way to encourage innovation. Intellectual property (IP) is what ties these two building blocks together. IP is a property right that is granted by some form of government. The government strictly enforces individual property rights, which some believe tends to attract more investment, grows fasterRead MoreProtection of Intellectual Property Essay1030 Words   |  5 PagesProtection of Intellectual Property Introduction There is a lot of controversy about intellectual property and its application to software. There are many difficult, fundamental questions that arise, such as exactly what aspects of a piece of software should be protected under copyright or patent. [5] Despite the fact that applying existing laws to software is not very straight-forward, some sort of legal protection for intellectual property is necessary, as it provides a significant amount ofRead MoreThe Fair Use Doctrine?1137 Words   |  5 Pagesgave works to HathiTrust for digital conversion, tension from the owners of the work began to rise. The Authors Guild, an organization that has been supporting writers and their rights since 1912, filed a case against HathiTrust to protect intellectual property. Google formed HathiTrust, an organization that the libraries loaned books to for the purpose of digital scanning and creating metadata files (Ford, 2011). Converting books to a digital format allows the libraries to circulate digital copiesRead MoreThe Protection Of Copyright : An Indispensable Part Of The Domestic And International Protection Essay974 Words   |  4 PagesPosition Paper As one of the three most important aspects of intellectual property, copyright is an indispensable part of the domestic and international protection. As one of the earliest countries to be aware of the importance of the protection of intellectual property, the United States paid great attention to the protection of copyright. All the treaties and legislation are aiming at reaching the balance between the creators’ interests and the competitors’ rights. 1.Domestic protection 1.1. ItRead MoreThe Purpose Of Copyright Laws1130 Words   |  5 Pageslivelihoods depend upon the recognition of rights† (p. 1, par. 1) for their intellectual properties. In the contemporary business world, most companies that sell products of some kind depend on other firms for the design, production, and distribution of the product to make it available for selling. Such sales are often either wholesale to retailers or retail to consumers. Violations of the copyrights of intellectual property (IP), destroys the chain of commerce reflected in these different industries;Read MoreThe Importance Of IP-Protection In China752 Words   |  4 Pageslongstanding intellectual property rights (IPR) enforcement problems in China. About 86-90% of all IP protected goods sold in China have been illegally copied. As a result, U.S. industries lose billions of dollars in revenue and, consequently, thousands of jobs per year. Local Chinese businesses currently have a vested interest in the co unterfeiting industry, so China is unlikely to support IP-protection until it has economic incentives to do so. Because China is a net importer of IP-protected goodsRead MoreThe And The Industrial Revolutions1305 Words   |  6 PagesWhat is intellectual property? Intellectual property or IP for short is creations of the mind, such as; inventions, literary and artistic works, designs and symbols, names and images used in commerce. Among these IP also includes trade secrets, patents, copyrights, and trademarks. IP and its protection are detrimental to the success of the economy. IPs are the innovations that drive the market forward and they are what created eras like the renaissance and the industrial revolutions. But nowadays

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Law Assi free essay sample

Please find out if you are also required to provide your teacher with a hard copy. This assignment comprises FOUR questions that are based on some of the information covered in the first two weeks of the course. All questions must be answered. The lecture notes are on the portal in Weeks 1 and 2. They include the following two topics: TOPIC 1 The Australian Legal System * Establishment of the Commonwealth Parliament Division of power between Commonwealth and State parliaments interpretation of the Constitution TOPIC 2 Sources of Law in Australia * Court Structure * Doctrine of Precedent * Interpreting statutes The question is worth a total of 10 marks. The maximum word limit is 750 words. * High Court Note: extra marks will NOT be given for additional information that exceeds the word limit. Marks may in fact be deducted. This assignment is not an essay; therefore, an introduction and conclusion are not necessary. You must, however, specifically answer the questions provided in a series f sentences and paragraphs. We will write a custom essay sample on Law Assi or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Cases that are referred to must be referenced in text with their complete citations: 129. This not a research assignment, therefore, you do not need a reference list. If you wish to refer to information in the lecture notes this can be referenced as: FL Lecture Notes 2013. If you copy the information directly from the lecture notes (or any other source) then the information must be included within inverted commas and the source(s) acknowledged. Please label your assignment with your name and student identification number. The South Australian parliament passed the Birdbrains Development Act 2012 authorizing the State government to build an entertainment complex at Birdbrains, an area of park land Just east of the city. Birdbrains is renowned for its natural habitats and is the home of the exotic Houseful bird, a rare southern parrot. Birdbrains Park East Adelaide In 2010 the Commonwealth government had entered into an agreement with various Asian Pacific countries to protect areas of park land from insensitive development. This agreement was called the International Convention for Environment Protection 010 and in the following year the Commonwealth parliament passed the Parks Preservation Act 2011. (Part of the Act is attached) In February 2012 the federal Minister for the Environment ordered that Birdbrains be listed for regulation under the Parks Preservation Act 2011.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Palliative Care for World Health Organization - myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about thePalliative Care for World Health Organization. Answer: The World Health Organization mainly defines the term palliative care as the caring approach that is seen to incorporate the strategies which helps in improving the quality of life of the patients who are suffering from life limiting illness and their family members. This is mainly done through providing relief to the patients from suffering by the means of early identification as well as impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and providing physical, spiritual and psychosocial interventions (Weiner et al., 2015). This caring approach does not involve any initiatives that causes the patients to overcome the disorder but rather helps the individuals to suit with the aspects of the disorder at the same time caring to provide them better quality life (Bakitas et al., 2015). The thesis statement is that To provide the best care to the patients in their end of life days, holistic mode of care should be given which meets the spiritual, psychosocial and physical needs of the patient. Th is assignment would highlight two important aspects like the best approach to palliative care and the ways by which professionals own values add to the better care for the patients. Palliative care mainly affirms life, is seen to regard the process of dying as a normal procedure, and never intends to hasten or postpone the process of death. The best holistic approach to palliative care is the process that integrates both psychosocial as well as spiritual aspects of care besides making the person free from feelings of pain and distress (Vandersteen et al., 2014) . Such care of the patient should be such that it would offer support to not only the patient to live as actively as possible until death but would also provide a support system to patients family. This would help the later to cope during the illness of the patients and in controlling their own emotions of grief and bereavement. The best approach of palliative care should be team based where multidisciplinary team would be addressing the care for patient and family members and enhance their quality life. The best approach of palliative care should be such that it would involve four important components. T he first would be physical care. Clients requiring palliative care may suffer from pain, exhaustion, loss of appetite difficulty breathing, vomiting and many others (Zimmerman et al., 2014). While physicians conduct different types of therapies at physical level, the palliative care professionals should include nutrition therapy and other physical therapies that would make the patients feel better. The second component of the approach would be emotional aspect. When doctors declare the patient and the family members about the life limiting illness, they may suffer from typical feelings of fear associated with anxiety and depression. Therefore, palliative care team should also ensure arrangement of resources for the client and the family members for successful management of stress and emotions. They can connect the patient and their family members to additional resources like counseling, recommendations of support groups, and referrals to mental health professionals, web-based connec tions with similar patients and family members community and many others. This would ensure emotional stability of the patient and family (Kelly Morrison, 2015). Another important aspect of the care would be the logistical plan. Anxiety and stress that remain associated with the patients and their families regarding the life limiting illness may make it difficult for them to conduct different paperwork and legalities. It might become difficult for them to understand the legalities in this strenuous time and therefore the palliative care team can provide significant and necessary support when it comes to financial, legal as well as employment concerns. The last important aspect of this care would be spiritual. Patients suffering from life limiting illness along with their families are often seen to struggle with their feelings of acceptance and peace. When some of them are seen to depend their spirituality in this situation, others tend to need support as well as reassurance (Davis et al., 2018). A palliative care team should have a chaplain available ho would be helping patients as well as their family members some to terms with their illness and thereby offer spiritual guidance as well as support. The palliative healthcare professionals need to develop a set of core values that would in turn help them provide the best quality care for the patients and their family members. Researchers are of the opinion that every professionals need to develop a set of core competencies that would help in developing the quality of lives for patients and their family members who are going through such strenuous days (Dionee et al., 2015). One of the most important attribute that should be developed by the professionals is a caring behavior that will incorporate feelings of sensitivity, compassion and empathy that should express genuine concern for their suffering and betterment. The professionals should adopt a non-discriminatory non-judgmental approach in which the care delivered by the patient would be entirely free from personality, intellect, ethnic origin and religious beliefs. The care should be free from any cultural bias and prejudices (Dumanosvky et al., 2016). Cultural differences sho uld be respected and the professionals should develop the treatment procedures in ways by which culturally sensitive care practices would be done. The nursing professionals should have the value that they should not impose their decisions on the patients and their family members. Rather they should invite them for shared decision-making and asking for consent from them before proceeding with any interventions. Effective communication would be taken as another important aspect that every professional should incorporate in his or her care practices (Temel et al., 2017). Researchers are of the opinion that effective communication has the power to lessen the emotional turmoil and sufferings of the patient making them feel better and this often associate with positive health outcomes of people (Davis et al., 2018). Another important value that every palliative healthcare professional should infuse within himself or herself is the consideration of individuality. . Researchers are of the o pinion that the practice of the healthcare professionals to categorize the patients in terms of their similar disorders prevents the caregivers to recognize the psychosocial features as well as problems that make them unique and different (Stein et al., 2018). They should consider each individual patient with unique needs and requirements that are different from others and should thereby plan care that would address their individual needs and requirements. From the entire discussion, it becomes quite clear that developing the holistic approach for palliative care is the best process for providing high quality care in the end days of lives of patients with life limiting illness. The care should be such that it would incorporate plans for four aspects of patient life. These are physical, emotional, logistical as well as spiritual care. Moreover, a multidisciplinary team should provide the care where the members would be providing high quality care for each of the different aspects of the patients life and sufferings. Therefore, the professionals who would be caring for the individuals should have core values that would ensure high quality care for the patients. They should maintain dignity of the patient, empower the patient be compassionate towards the patients, maintain equity in caring procedures and others. They should consider each of them as unique and thereby respect them and advocate them on their behalf. Every caregiver needs to develop proper values and beliefs so that they can serve humanity by caring for the patients with life limiting illness in their end days. References: Bakitas, M. A., Tosteson, T. D., Li, Z., Lyons, K. D., Hull, J. G., Li, Z., ... Azuero, A. (2015). Early versus delayed initiation of concurrent palliative oncology care: patient outcomes in the ENABLE III randomized controlled trial.Journal of Clinical Oncology,33(13), 1438. Davis, C. S., Snider, M. J., King, L., Shukraft, A., Sonda, J. D., Hicks, L., Irvin, L. (2018). A Time to Live and a Time to Die: Heterotopian Spatialities and Temporalities in a Pediatric Palliative Care Team.Health communication, 1-11. Dionne-Odom, J. N., Azuero, A., Lyons, K. D., Hull, J. G., Tosteson, T., Li, Z., ... Hegel, M. T. (2015). Benefits of early versus delayed palliative care to informal family caregivers of patients with advanced cancer: outcomes from the ENABLE III randomized controlled trial.Journal of clinical oncology,33(13), 1446. Dumanovsky, T., Augustin, R., Rogers, M., Lettang, K., Meier, D. E., Morrison, R. S. (2016). The growth of palliative care in US hospitals: a status report.Journal of palliative medicine,19(1), 8-15. Kelley, A. S., Morrison, R. S. (2015). Palliative care for the seriously ill.New England Journal of Medicine,373(8), 747-755. Stein, G. L., Leff, V., Pincus, H. A., Remke, S. S., Hilliard, R. (2018). Providing Palliative Care to Patients and Families with Pre-Existing Mental Health and Substance Use Issues (P07).Journal of Pain and Symptom Management,55(2), 550-551. Temel, J. S., Greer, J. A., El-Jawahri, A., Pirl, W. F., Park, E. R., Jackson, V. A., ... Rinaldi, S. P. (2017). Effects of Early Integrated Palliative Care in Patients With Lung and GI Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Journal of clinical oncology: official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology,35(8), 834-841. van der Steen, J. T., Radbruch, L., Hertogh, C. M., de Boer, M. E., Hughes, J. C., Larkin, P., ... Koopmans, R. T. (2014). White paper defining optimal palliative care in older people with dementia: a Delphi study and recommendations from the European Association for Palliative Care.Palliative medicine,28(3), 197-209. Wiener, L., Weaver, M. S., Bell, C. J., Sansom-Daly, U. M. (2015). Threading the cloak: palliative care education for care providers of adolescents and young adults with cancer.Clinical oncology in adolescents and young adults,5, 1. Zimmermann, C., Swami, N., Krzyzanowska, M., Hannon, B., Leighl, N., Oza, A., ... Donner, A. (2014). Early palliative care for patients with advanced cancer: a cluster-randomised controlled trial.The Lancet,383(9930), 1721-1730.

Thursday, November 28, 2019

George Orwell “Shooting an Elephant” free essay sample

In the essay â€Å"Shooting an Elephant† George Orwell argues that imperialism ruins and hurts not just a countries’ economic, cultural and social structure, but has other far reaching consequences; oppression undermines the psychological, emotional and behavioral development of mankind. Orwell served his country, the British Empire, in Burma during the early 20’s as a police officer. The country was colonized by the most powerful economical leader in Europe. The only person who can have an insight look and empathy into what it felt like to be oppressed is Orwell, who lived in Burma for five years. On a daily basis he agonized over three significant issues; entering into a working field where he had insufficient knowledge, felt hatred or bullied by Burmese, and he was disgusted as a human being by recognizing what life meant for a nation that was colonized. History had enough examples of empires violating not just human rights, but intervening forcefully into other countries, robbing their natural resources, and suppressing its people for the sake of their own prosperity. We will write a custom essay sample on George Orwell â€Å"Shooting an Elephant† or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Throughout his essay, Orwell logically illustrates different elements of allegory such as an elephant that symbolizes the British Empire, which was enormous, powerful, and dauntlessly conquered anything that was in his way. The Burmese represent any oppressed nations on the globe that struggles to keep their culture and values alive; moreover, constantly resist against the conqueror even though that withstand was ineffective. The allegory of Indians who were colonized by Brits also symbolize a typical victim who attacks another lower ranked prey, as Albert Memmi in his thesis â€Å"Racism and Oppression† asserts that â€Å"If the French proletarian wants to feel a little taller, whom is he step on if not on the immigrant worker†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . (Memmi, pp. 183, p. 22). Orwell’s description shows a clear picture of his emotional struggles from hatred, to pressured, to stunned, to hesitant and finally strong-minded and determined to kill the enemy that represented the same feelings for the Burmese as well as for him, that is isolating himself from the imperialism. To sum up, Orwell may or may not shot an elephant, but he sends his readers a message that colonizing or forcefully intervening to other countries is not just unethical, but morally as well as economically affects millions of people lives. Moreover, it not just exploits, but significantly could undermine the entire nation future.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Free Essays on The Second Coming Vs. Things Fall Apart

In 1919 William Butler Yeats published a poem called â€Å"The Second Coming.† Forty Years later, Chinua Achebe took the third line from that poem for the title of his book Things Fall Apart. Both pieces of literature deal with the beginning and the end of a civilization. Both show that change is inevitable and the nature of change can be chaotic and destructive. Yeats' poem "The Second Coming," depicts the approach of a new world order and demonstrates the concept that change is inevitable. â€Å"The Second Coming† also taps into the concept of the gyre. The gyre is the idea that history occurs in cycles, specifically cycles "twenty centuries" in length (ln. 19). In this poem, Yeats predicts that the Christian era will soon give way apocalyptically to an era ruled by a desert beast with a â€Å"lion body and the head of a man† (ln. 14). Yeats describes the beast's eyes as "pitiless as the sun" (ln. 15), and it is followed not by the falcon, but by "shadows of desert birds," which are probably vultures. And no self-respecting vulture would soar around a titanic beast simply because of its symbolic significance; vultures go where there is food. This beast is not only pitiless, but it leaves carnage behind, which leaves the reader to believe that this beast is not very friendly at all. Yeats felt that because of World War 1, Eur ope was left in complete chaos, and total anarchy was released upon the world. Yeats is trying to tell the reader that the society that was left in the wake of the war is already beginning to fall apart, and The Second Coming will occur. The Second Coming refers to the promised return of Christ on Doomsday; however, Doomsday is instead marked by the appearance of the terrifying beast. Things Fall Apart was published in 1958 during the Nigerian renaissance, and it’s theme also deals with the notion that change is unavoidable. It is the story of an Ibo village of the late 1800's and one of its great men, Okonkwo... Free Essays on The Second Coming Vs. Things Fall Apart Free Essays on The Second Coming Vs. Things Fall Apart In 1919 William Butler Yeats published a poem called â€Å"The Second Coming.† Forty Years later, Chinua Achebe took the third line from that poem for the title of his book Things Fall Apart. Both pieces of literature deal with the beginning and the end of a civilization. Both show that change is inevitable and the nature of change can be chaotic and destructive. Yeats' poem "The Second Coming," depicts the approach of a new world order and demonstrates the concept that change is inevitable. â€Å"The Second Coming† also taps into the concept of the gyre. The gyre is the idea that history occurs in cycles, specifically cycles "twenty centuries" in length (ln. 19). In this poem, Yeats predicts that the Christian era will soon give way apocalyptically to an era ruled by a desert beast with a â€Å"lion body and the head of a man† (ln. 14). Yeats describes the beast's eyes as "pitiless as the sun" (ln. 15), and it is followed not by the falcon, but by "shadows of desert birds," which are probably vultures. And no self-respecting vulture would soar around a titanic beast simply because of its symbolic significance; vultures go where there is food. This beast is not only pitiless, but it leaves carnage behind, which leaves the reader to believe that this beast is not very friendly at all. Yeats felt that because of World War 1, Eur ope was left in complete chaos, and total anarchy was released upon the world. Yeats is trying to tell the reader that the society that was left in the wake of the war is already beginning to fall apart, and The Second Coming will occur. The Second Coming refers to the promised return of Christ on Doomsday; however, Doomsday is instead marked by the appearance of the terrifying beast. Things Fall Apart was published in 1958 during the Nigerian renaissance, and it’s theme also deals with the notion that change is unavoidable. It is the story of an Ibo village of the late 1800's and one of its great men, Okonkwo...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Cold War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Cold War - Essay Example Allies disagreed on how the European map ought to be drawn. Western allies desired democratic governments. Independent governments would resolve their differences through international organizations.Defeat of Japan and Potsdam conferenceAfter the defeat of Germany, differences arise on the progress of Germany and the other countries in central and Eastern Europe. Truman announces of their atomic bomb to Stalin. A week after this conference USA bombs Hiroshima and Nagasaki which results in Japan’s unconditional surrender.Formation of eastern blockThe Soviets liberate central and EasternEurope territories from Nazi and make them among the eastern bloc. Stalin maintains control of the eastern bloc through force and secret Soviet police.Preparation of ‘new war’George F Kennan’s telegram from Moscow helped enforce US governments against the Soviets. This telegram became strategic base towards the Soviet Union during the cold war. Soviet respond to George telegra m with Novikov telegram. Soviet accuses the USA as monopoly capitalist and she was building up military capabilities. As the World War 2 came to end, mistrust and suspicion were rampant among states. The major cause of the cold war was dominance and spread of ideologies (communism and capitalism).The Soviet Union wished to spread communism ideology to the whole world. Americans also wanted to spread capitalism worldwide also.The atomic capability of America was a source of major suspicion and fear by the Soviets.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Networking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Networking - Essay Example The routing board comprises of a list of known routers with the addresses each router can reach, and a cost metric allied with the path of independent router resulting into the best available route to be selected (Randy, 2003). Hosts that has BGP link by the use of Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) which sends updated router board information only when one host has spotted a change. Here only the affected part of such a routing board are sent. BGP links to automatic functioning local networks be the use of Internal BGP as it is not compatible with IGP. The routers contained the automatic network thus upholding two routing boards: an interior gateway protocol and an IBGP. This results into easy to use Unrestricted Inter-Domain Routing (UIDR). This is a way to have a more addresses in the network than using current IP address assignment system (Clark, 2003). Egypt was able to efficiently detach itself from the internet system by pulling its usual visible routes contained in BGP routing board. The IP addresses identifying computers linked to the internet through Egypt’s ISPs were fundamentally detached to the world connection system. This resulted into computers in Egypt to be compared to houses that has no mailboxes not on any map. Hence the other connection to the downstream countries was unaffected (Tim, 1999). This was facilitated as a BGP ‘advertise’ the native address prefixes to adjoining networks. This made routers to identify where to send packets data with a specified endpoint address. Almost 3,500 Egyptian prefixes at this time were not advertised this made it possible to make them appear missing from the routing board of BGP routers around the global but not necessary affecting the other countries connection. That meant that routers in this case longer knew where to direct packets addressed to IP addresses contained in the detached prefixes—even

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Discussion questions1-4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Discussion questions1-4 - Essay Example Furthermore, piracy would increase since there would be no legal option to downloading digital files. Moreover, DRM is not only beneficial to the publishers, but also to the creators of the digital content since it is responsible for keeping the contents safe. The factor that is more important for the protection of digital intellectual property between strict copyright laws and technology-based protections is the latter. This is because in the contemporary society, technology has recorded various advancements that make enforcements of traditional copyright-dependent business models impossible. As a result, in bid to fight the battle against the inevitable technological advancements, the strict copyright enforcers have used various tactics. However, these tactics, which include attacking the doctrine of fair use, expanding the reach of copyright law and abuse of patent law, have resulted in the products being the most pirated. Hence, to correct this problem, the technology-based protection involves anti-piracy protection measures that make it more secure, sensible and effective than the strict copyright laws (Schlachter, 1997). While selecting the system modeling design, there are various reasons that make system developers opt for use-case modeling. For instance, use case modeling helps manage complexity by allowing the developers focus on one specific usage aspect at a time. Additionally, the use case modeling method provides basic foundation for the test cases, requirements documents, and the user manual. As a result, it encourages the designers to visualize the final outcomes before even attempting to specify them. The biggest challenge to the successful use of use-case modeling is that in using this method, the developers do not address usefulness and usability of the system. Additionally, despite the fact that quality issues are often crucial, the design method does not provide systematic way of handling

Friday, November 15, 2019

Green Solvent for Synthesis and Catalysis

Green Solvent for Synthesis and Catalysis Adnan S/OAbdul Qayyum Title Green Solvent for synthesis and catalysis: Room Temperature Ionic Liquids. Abstract This proposal describes a research project to synthesis the ionic liquids; the alternative green, non-volatile solvent to harmful volatile organic solvent and chemical industries in the future. The ionic liquids, whose properties can be predicted before their synthesis. The already known properties enable to gain required result for different applications. This has versatile the range of applications of Ionic’s liquids. The properties of I.Ls are affected by a no. of factors such as lattice energy, electrostatic potential between cation and anion, charges of ions, separation between the charges, symmetry hydrophobicity. Currently scientists are working not only on synthesis of new ionic liquids but also elevating their applications in different fields including solar cells, lubricants, green organic solvents etc. Because of significant properties attributed to these new classes of compounds, which have been classified as new compounds only a decade ago, we started studies tow ards the synthesis of ionic liquids. We attempted to prepare different types of ionic liquids. i) Imidazole based ionic liquids ii) Caffeine based ionic liquids. Introduction â€Å"The term ionic liquid implies a material that is fluid at (or close to) ambient temperature, is colorless, has a low viscosity and is easily handled.† (Sheldon) â€Å"Room temperature ionic liquids are generally salts of organic cations, e.g. tetraalkylammonium, tetraalkylphosphonium, N-alkylpyridinium, 1,3-dialkylimidazolium and trialkylsulfoniumcations.† (Sheldon) â€Å"Most basic definition of a room temperature ionic liquid is a salt that has a melting point at or near room temperature.† (Handy) â€Å"Organic salts with melting points below ambient or reaction temperature.† (Maio) â€Å"Ionic liquid is a salt with a melting temperature below the boiling point of water.† (Wilkes) Ionic liquids are defined as molten salt composed entirely of ions without any neutral molecules and having low melting point (usually ~100ËÅ ¡C) The properties of the ionic liquids are mentioned below. Problem or Need In this knowledge era, science has changed our world by discovering new methods to be the beneficial for human being but simultaneously it also pollutes our environment. Therefore these methods and chemicals have also become somehow harmful to the human beings. So this is how, these chemicals, which polluting our environment have become a problem for the common people. Organic solvents are widely used in the laboratory and industries, which are volatile and used in huge amounts, i.e. Solvents are the most damaging chemicals. That is why, our research project is about finding some green alternative to the most damaging solvents. The new alternative solvent will be non-volatile, less toxic, biodegradable, air and moisture stable and economically viable to large scale process. Objectives and Expected Significance: We have prepared project to give alternative solution to above mention problems. After synthesizing the green non-volatile, non-toxic solvent, the pollution could be reduced to great extent. Not only this, ionic liquid may have a lot of benefits and may be used as in batteries, propellants, lubricant, storage media for toxic gases, performance additives in pigments and many more. Methodology 6.1. Imidazole based ionic liquids. Room temperature ionic liquids are generally salts of organic cations, e.g. tetraalkylammonium, tetraalkylphosphonium, N-alkylpyridinium, 1, 3-dialkylimidazolium and trialkylsulfoniumcations. Imidazole has a unique property to stabilization a positive charge on nitrogen that’s why we use it as a substrate. Two nitrogens in imidazole stabilize quaternary nitrogen charge therefore the weaker the charge so it form ionic liquid which is liquid in room temperature. General reaction of imidazole based ionic liquid is 6.2. Caffeine based ionic liquids Caffeine has been chosen due analogy of its structure with imidazole. Since five membered-ring that is fused with a six membered ring possessing amide and imide moieties, must behave like imidazole which has extensively been used in the synthesis of ionic liquids. For this reaction, first we prepared alkyl caffenium halides by treated of caffeine with different alkyl halide (i.e. methyl iodide, ethyl iodide and hexyl bromide) and taken tetrahydrofuran as a solvent, alkyl caffenium halide is obtained as a white crystals. We also tried to prepared caffeine based ILs due to its similar analogy structure with imidazole. Caffeine is relatively less expensive and is easily available in abundance. ILs become cheaper and its applications enhanced due to the use of caffeine. It is reported in literature that Nitrogen containing heterocyclic compounds are used to generate stable carbenes, which were then used to carry out different reactions. One of such reaction is benzoin condensation that may be carried out using carbenes. Properties of Ionic Liquids The properties of ionic liquid differ by the different combinations of cation and anion for particular applications. Some of the important properties of ionic liquids are: melting point, vapour pressure thermal stability, viscosity, high heat capacity. Due to these properties ionic liquids are widely applicable, as shown in figure 2. Melting Point Ionic liquids are defined as molten salt composed entirely of ions without any neutral molecules and having low melting point (usually ~100ËÅ ¡C). The chemical and structural composition of an ionic liquid (molten salt) depends upon its melting point. Lowering of melting point is due to the low symmetry of cation and weak intermolecular bonding. By keeping the cation constant we can also use different anions which can affect the melting point. The melting point decreases with increase in the size of anion. [3] Vapour Pressure and Thermal Stability Ionic liquid have no measureable vapour pressure due to this property it can easily separated from reaction mixture by distillation. The thermal stability of an ionic liquid is directly related to the strength of the heteroatom-carbon and heteroatom-hydrogen bonds. Ionic liquids formed from either protonation of amines or phosphanes show significantly restricted thermal stability. [3] Density There is a linear relationship between the density and the N-alkyl chain of cation. The density decreased as the N-alkyl chain increased. [3] Viscosity Ionic liquids are generally more viscous then the classical organic solvents. Cation shows some effect on the viscosity of the ionic liquid. Lower viscosities tend to be a result of small side chains that have sufficient mobility. As side chain increases due to vander waal forces viscosity increases. Temperature is another factor which affects the viscosity of ionic liquid. As temperature increases viscosity decreases. [3] Solubility Characteristics By changing the combination of cations and anions we can tune the solubility of ionic liquid. The solubility of ionic liquid can also depends upon the nature of R group. By increasing the length of alkyl chain the hydrophobicity of the cation increases, as the result its water solubility decreases. [6] Solvent Properties The most common classification used to describe a solvent is polarity of that solvent. Ionic liquids are considered as polar solvent by nature because they can dissolve and stabilize dipolar or charged solutes. [3] They have tendency to dissolve many different many other materials such as organic, inorganic and organometallic materials. [1] Table1: Comparison of ionic liquids with organic solvents. [5] Scope of Ionic liquids Ionic liquids are attractive, useful, advanced solvents that are a sight of attention by the renowned chemists for its unique and distinct properties. Its tunable components provide a wide range of successful and desire products. Figure2.IL publications (on May 27, 2009) determined from the ISI Web of Science in the last fourteen years. This is the main reason it is getting huge importance in the field of chemistry now a days. No doubt the immense research work in the field of green chemistry has been an attractive sight for the last few years. [5]By the passage of time many new cations and anions have been reported. The common cations and anions are given below Common Anions: BF4; B(CN)4; CH2CHBF3; CF3BF3; C2F5BF3; nC3H7BF3; nC4H9BF3; PF6; CF3CO2; CF3SO3; N(SO2CF3)2; N(COCF3)(SO2CF3); N(SO2F)2; N(CN)2;C(CN)3; SCN; SeCN; CuCl2; AlCl4; OH Common Cations: Timeline As soon as this project is funded, we import chemicals in first two months while start synthesizing with the available chemicals. Within a one year Insha’Allah, we will complete synthesis about 50 ionic liquids and also check their applications. Evaluation The evaluation will be conducted by PCSIR and HEJ Research institute. This evaluation will be done under the direction of Dr. Nasir-Uddin who has much experience as a professional program evaluator. He had also done the evaluation of several large-scale governmentally funded projects. All chemists already have the experience on this research topic. Every experiment will be done under the supervision of Dr. Imran Ali Hashmi, Ph. D from German on synthetic chemistry. Reference Literature Cited A review of ionic liquids towards supercritical fluid applications SedaKeskin, DefneKayrak-Talay, UgËËÅ"urAkmanâˆâ€", O ¨ nerHortac ¸su Department of Chemical Engineering, BoËËÅ"gazià ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’ci University, Bebek 34342, Ëâ„ ¢Istanbul, Turkey Received 2 August 2006; received in revised form 8 May 2007; accepted 29 May 2007 Green chemistry ionic liquid Useful reaction solvents (TCI) Physical Properties of Alcohol Based Deep Eutectic Solvents Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Robert Christopher Harris, University of Leicester, 2008 Paradigm Confirmed: The First Use of ionic Liquids to Dramatically Influence the Outcome of Chemical Reactions Organic letters, 2004, Vol. 6, no.5, 707-710 Review on the Chemical Stabilities of Ionic Liquids SubbiahSowmiah, VenkatesanSrinivasadesikan, Ming-Chung Tseng and Yen-Ho Chu * Molecules 2009, 14, 3780-3813; doi: 10.3390/molecules14093780 Ionic liquids: Innovative fluids for chemical processing AIChE Journal Volume 47, Issue 11, pages 2384–2389, November 2001 Room-Temperature Ionic Liquids. Solvents for Synthesis and Catalysis Chem. Rev. 1999, 99, 2071-2083 ACTA UniversitatisOuluensis, Johanna Kà ¤rkkà ¤inen Preparation and characterization of some ionic liquids and their use in the dimerization reaction of 2-methylpropene The Design of Polymeric Ionic Liquids for the Preparation of Functional Materials Journal of Macromolecular Science R _, Part C: Polymer Reviews, 49:339–360, 2009 Ionic Liquids: Current developments, potential and drawbacks for industrial applications LenzingerBerichte, 84 (2005) 71-85 Recent developments of task-specific ionic liquids in organic synthesis Green Chemistry Letters and Reviews Vol. 4, No. 1, March 2011, 41_54 Task-Specific Ionic Liquids James H. Davis, Jr. Chemistry Letters Vol.33, No.9 (2004) Wohler, F. Liebig. J. Ann. Pharm. 1832, 3, 249-282 Lapworth, A. J. J. Chem. Soc. 1903, 83, 995-1005 Van DenBerg, H. J. J. Mol. Cat. 1943, 51, 1-12 Suzuki et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003, 125, 8432-8433 Budget 1 | Page

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

hackers Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Computer hackers in today’s world are becoming more intelligent. They are realizing that people are constantly developing more hack proof systems. This presents the hackers with a bigger challenge and a bigger thrill. The government is realizing this and is working on making harsher laws to, hopefully, scare away potential hackers. With the increase in hacking and the hackers intelligence, governmental regulation of cyberspace hasn’t abolished the fact that it’s nearly impossible to bring a hacker to justice.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hackers do not have consequences because of the laws that the government has passed. Most hackers are good enough to cover their backs, and their trails, and phone calls. If a hacker is caught, he or she can face a long jail sentence. Unfortunately, they do not spend a long jail sentence. It is extremely hard to determined how to penalize a hacker. First we need to determined if this crime has effected anyone, and whether or not this crime has caused damages and loss of money to the victim. What it comes down to is the age of the hacker, I feel that their age should not be taken into consideration. Because hacking is extremely difficult to accomplish, so the hacker has knowledge of what he or she is doing. Hacking is extremely complicated crime to commit, it takes years to learn to how to hack correctly. When one hacks for pleasure or for profit they should both have the same con...

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Review of Parrot in the Oven Essay

Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida is a coming of age novel written in 1996, by Victor Martinez. The story is set in California and is told from the point-of-view of a fourteen year old, Mexican American boy. Manuel Hernandez, like many young men, struggles with identity. Manny’s life is hard. He has two older siblings and a baby sister. His mother does not work. His father is unemployed and an alcoholic. The main provider and only person in his house that can keep a steady job is his older sister. His older brother cannot hold a job long. As would be expected, Manny’s family lives in the projects. Project life brings its own problems. The Garcia boys live in Manny’s neighborhood. They constantly terrorize and beat him. Manny does not fight back. He realizes that he is outnumbered and too afraid to do anything. This could be one of the reasons Manny joins a boxing club in school, and later joins a gang. Family life is not much better for Manny. Throughout the story Manny deals with an alcoholic father and a borderline obsessive compulsive mother that have both become bitter and resentful. Manny’s brother is rarely home, but when he is he is often drunk. His older sister is resentful that she must carry the family. At one point in the story she gets pregnant and soon loses the baby. Chapter nine shines light on a key aspect of Manny’s character. As the title implies, Manny is naive. He lives in a predominantly Latino community where racial discrimination is non-existent. In this section of the book, Manny’s boss urges his daughter to invite Manny to her birthday party. She reluctantly agrees. Manny tells his brother, Nardo, about the party. Nardo and their sister try to explain to Manny that white people do not usually interact with Mexicans socially; he is most likely being used. Manny does not listen. He is in lust. Needless to say, the party ends badly. A terrible home life, hormones and identity issues lead Manny to gangs. He takes the beating, as a form of initiation, so that he can kiss a girl. He is not entirely sold on the gang culture but feels that he should hang out with the members. On his first run with Eddie, a gang member, he witnesses Eddie assault a woman and steal her purse. At that moment he recognizes that Eddie is the guy that knocked up his sister. Frozen in place, Manny realizes that gang-life is not for him. He goes home and watches his sisters sleep, knowing that although life at home is rough there is nowhere else he would rather be. Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida exposes many aspects familiar to first- and second-generation Mexican American families. Many young minorities might be able to relate to Manny’s struggles. Even though the book deals with ugly issues like abuse, alcoholism, racism, teen pregnancy and gangs, the book also provides a space for discussion around identity, self-esteem and pride. I would definitely recommend this book to students.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Understanding the Latin Root Ambul

Understanding the Latin Root Ambul To become truly adept at understanding what you read, vocabulary acquisition is very important. You can certainly try to memorize list after list of vocabulary words by making  vocabulary flashcards, downloading the best  vocabulary apps, and completing  reading comprehension worksheets that focus on vocabulary, but youd still have gaps in your knowledge. One of the best, most efficient ways to increase your vocabulary is by understanding Greek and Latin roots, suffixes, and prefixes. There are  four really good reasons to learn them, and if you already understand that fact, then, by all means, take a peek at this Latin root ambul- and get started improving your vocabulary today. The Latin Root Ambul- Definition:  To walk, to take steps, to go around. From to wander; to go astray Pronunciation:  Ãƒ ¦m-bull Use the short vowel sound a.   English Words Using or Derived From Ambul Amble: To walk at a slow, easy pace. Meander. OR, when used as a noun, a slow easy walk or the ambling gait of a horse.Ambler: One who walks at a slow, easy pace or meanders.Ambulance: A specially equipped motor vehicle for carrying people or injured people, usually to a hospital.Ambulate: To walk about or move from place to place.Ambulant: Moving from place to place; shifting; itinerantAmbulatory: Of, or related to walking or moving; being able to walk or moveCircumambulate: To ceremoniously walk around or go about.Somnambulist: Someone who walks while sleeping.Perambulator (pram): A baby carriage.Preamble: Literally, to walk before. Modern usage: an introductory statement, preface, or introduction.   Alternate Spellings:  amble Examples in Context The dirty cowboy ambled up to the bar, spurs clinking on the wooden floorboards, and casually ordered two whiskeys: one for him, one for his horse.The dog groomers business has boomed since moving from a downtown office downtown to an ambulatory  grooming van.The new mom couldnt decide which perambulator would best carry the baby to the park while showcasing her posh style.Being a somnambulist isnt easy; you may wake up rummaging through the kitchen pantry with no memory of how you got there.  Never was there a more ambulant job than being a taxi driver in  New York.  The doctor said hed release her from the hospital as soon as she could ambulate on her own. Since the woman had no idea what the doctor meant (she didnt study her Latin roots), she removed the catheter and gave it a try. She didnt get to leave.After winning the grand championship, the MVP made a great show of circumambulating the field while the spectators cheered and whistled for their home team.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Personal Values and Ethical Standards

Personal Values and Ethical Standards Personal values are principles that define a person as an individual. Honesty, reliability, and trust, are personal values that determine how an individual will face the world and relate with people. Our personal values are our convictions' regarding what we believe is important and desirable. A value is a belief, a mission, or a philosophy that is meaningful. Whether we are consciously aware of them or not, every individual has a core set of personal values. Values can range from the commonplace, such as the belief in hard work and punctuality, to the more psychological, such as self-reliance, concern for others, and harmony of purpose.Mothers and Fathers do their best to raise their children to become upstanding citizens. Honesty, integrity, loyalty, faith, fairness, family, equality, responsibility, accountability and discipline are just of few of the never ending values that my Mother and Grandparents instilled in me. I was always taught that the way you are treated is a reflecti on of how others will treat you, so it is very important to treat others with respect by being honest and loyal.Addams Family ValuesMy mother gave birth to me when she was a junior in high school, the first five years of my rearing were done with a great deal of help from my grandparents so she could still continue her education and provide a decent life for herself and me. Although my mother getting pregnant with me was unplanned, she assumed responsibility for her actions by keeping me and doing all that she could to give me a good life and endless opportunities. Her hard work and dedication to provide a life full of possibilities for me was my first lesson in personal values. Most of my personal values were learned through the actions of my mother and grandparents. The best...

Sunday, November 3, 2019

The Innovator's Dilemma Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Innovator's Dilemma - Case Study Example ive technologies on incumbent firms, it would be prudent for the organization to balance its product portfolio by having both high-growth and low-growth products. Here, one could look at the 2.5† drive as the low-growth product and the 1.8† as the high-growth product. Also, as Christensen (Para 38) says most incumbents fail because of delay in making the strategic commitment to enter the emerging market. Choosing to offer the 1.8† drive now the organization lessens the likelihood of failing if the 1.8† turns out to be a disruptive technology. Christensen (Para 27) says that established firms are the leading innovators in literally every other sustaining innovations in the drive industrys history. Merely investing in a new technology for fear that it could be a disruptive technology would be a waste of scarce resources. Those resources would be better spent in critically analysing the market. In today’s rapidly changing business environment, the company should not merely focus on their current customers but on their non-consumers as well. The company should find out if there are ways that it could meet the needs of its non-consumers and then invest in developing that market. If developing the 1.8† would enable it to capture this new market, and if the market’s projections imply that it is sustainable then it should invest in the 1.8†. Otherwise, the company should not venture into making the 1.8

Friday, November 1, 2019

Agency Theory and Corporate Governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Agency Theory and Corporate Governance - Essay Example This interaction between the shareholders, committee members and the board of directors are help in order to improve the performance of the company. In 1997, Malaysian corporate governance mechanism was strengthened and reformed and resulted in the establishment of the Malaysian Code on Corporate Governance (MCCG) in 2000. The impact of this study was unsatisfactory and the failures of almost 176 Malaysian companies persisted from 2004 to 2006 (Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge, 125). Corporate Governance also affects the cash flow or cash holdings in companies. Businesses which possess a complex nature should consider the needs and financial requirements of the firms. There are several firms who totally rely upon CEO duality. Studies revealed, that the corporations, who are under the category of independent leadership consistently performed better than the companies dependant upon CEO duality. According to the perspective prediction increment in proxy access and red uction is executive pay results in fair value (Journal of Business Research, 757). The contribution Agency Theory in a Multinational company is vast and definitely value-maximizing. It covers the aspects such as international joint ventures, internationalization, new forms of global business groups and headquarters-subsidiary relationships. Many researches suggested that apart from the prevailing concept of Agency Theory in almost all the corporations we also need to focus and investigate regarding different key corporate governance mechanism. This will help in improving the company strategies and its outcome. The areas that needs to be investigates are the work of board of directors, the nature and the role of governing owner, the role of the market for corporate control, remuneration of the company executives and also the division of the CEOs and board of directors. (The Journal of Management Studies, 471) The corporate world both has honest and fraud people in it. It has been pro ved that the concept of corporate governance can help people who does the right thing but unaware about the right way ahead. The revised code is definitely proved to be a steady step to raise the corporate governance standards and is also the best proposed code till date. The code that was issued in 2005 had potent changes on the remuneration of disclosure of individual and independent directors. This was issued by the Council of corporate disclosure and governance but was rejected by the Ministry of Finance. There were few recommendations and it affected many companies. The proposal was: 50% of the board consisted board members where the CEO and the chairman is the same person; the chairman and the CEO are family relatives; the chairman is not an independent director or owner of the corporation and last but not least, both the chairman and the CEO should be a part of the company (The Business Times by Mak Yuen Teen). Critique and analysis: Insolvency is a very important aspect of L aw or any company and there are many case laws on this particular aspect. Usually, a managed investment or a trust is described as insolvent but under the Corporation Act 2001 (CTH), a person cannot be called insolvent in such cases. The analysis of the viable purposes of this act needs to be performed by the trustee of the company or firm. The director or the owner as well as the creditors face problems when the trustee is insolvent as it leads to lack of guidance. In the Corporation Act 2001, it clearly states that a director of a firm needs to restrict any kind of insolvent trading or business deals by the company. A company is notified as an Insolvent company when it not only

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Research Paper Example Generally, for along time product design has been the concern of most scholars in all fields and more so in the development of computer information products. Product design involves aspects of making and coming up with products, events processes as well as services based on the user experience and add quality to the user. It also takes into consideration the immediate environment in order to identify and solve certain problems. It is with this view that emotional appreciation of an event process or product goes along way in improving the quality as well as the usage of the same (Norman, 2004). In my opinion, when people are more enthusiastic about a product designed they are likely to appreciate the product and in the event talk good about it. Through such those developing the product also look at ways of improving it. Through appreciation of the aesthetic and visceral aspects of products it creates emotional satisfaction as well as encourages association with the product (Kausler, a nd Trapp, 1960). In the market this aesthetic appreciation helps in marketing as more of the product is sold more and more. Emotional appreciation during product design has been also argued that it encourages integration of theories and concepts that are vital in the final development of product. In the companies this has also been seen to result to hard work and dedication as people become more attached to the designs they produce and emotionally feel good about their work. So anyone who has an experience of the products either directly or through the website appreciate this aspects of product design and become emotionally attached to it which therefore spreads to family members ,professionals as well as the media in general. Therefore it becomes very important to look at these aspects of aesthetics in the design of any product. Q2. The philosopher's tool kit II (Wittkower) In his attempt to examine the philosophical aspects of iPod mobile audio player, Wittkower (2008) uses 19 cha pters written by different authors and philosophers on how iPod is changing the lives of individuals and their sense of community. The philosopher’s toolkit is a comic philosophical thought and methods book as well as a novel. This novel have several chapters with latest revision of philosophical writing making this book further good for the readers understanding of its concepts. This book has six chapters and presents instances of certain kind of philosophical tool in each of them. Chapter one of these books jerks mouldy aptly by unfolding the position of influences in viewpoint. This chapter goes on and discuses several peripheral philosophies example of these being the difference between explanation and reasoning. This seems to be confusing and irrelevant to some extent. This chapter points out how inappropriate logically valid advices might seem to the layman. Finally the chapter explains that the structure of fight regulates its validity and resolutions the pressure by f amiliarizing the position of truth for the discussion. In chapter two, the hypothetical-deductive technique is categorized though it looks to be perplexing. It says that the result of the trial may in the sturdiest case prove or criticize the thesis. In feebler cases the outcome might offer proof for or against this thesis as well. With HD technique one can prove the truth of a concept; this is even well elucidated in the next chapter. In another contrasting example, the pass of reduction to some

Monday, October 28, 2019

Gregorian Calender Essay Example for Free

Gregorian Calender Essay In everyday life, individuals function with a calendar. Calendars help organize daily events, special events, upcoming events, holidays, seasons, etc. Today in the United States the modern and common calendar that is used is known as the â€Å"Gregorian Calendar†. Previous to the Gregorian calendar, the â€Å"Julian Calendar† was used. Both calendars are similar in some ways as well as different in others, along with sharing some advantage and disadvantages to make one calendar more useful in today’s modern world. Gregorian Calendar The â€Å"Gregorian Calendar† is currently the most internationally accepted calendar, (TimeandDate, 2013). Other known names for the calendar can be known as â€Å"Western Calendar† and â€Å"Christian Calendar†. Pope Gregory XIII first introduced his findings of this new calendar in February of 1582, which the calendar was then named after him. The days of the calendar were put together strictly from a solar plan. The calendar has 365 days in the year that make up the 12 different months. Each of the 12 months is irregular in the number of days that each contain. Seven of the months hold 31 days, five of the other months have 30 days, and the month of February has the least amount of days being 28. Although the month of February composes of 28 days, every 4 years â€Å"Leap Year† occurs adding an extra day to the year making February have 29 days in the month. Every three months of the calendar the seasons change of the 20th day of the month. This calendar is the most constant and stable calendar at the moment. Julian Calendar Before the â€Å"Gregorian Calendar† was the â€Å"Julian Calendar† which also replaced the â€Å"Roman Calendar†. One of the reasons it has been known that the â€Å"Roman Calendar† was replaced was due to how complicated it was. Previous to the â€Å"Julian Calendar† the â€Å"Roman Calendar† was known to be complicated with how to figure when the seasons should begin and what days should be kept or added. To help fix the problem, Julius Caesar worked with an astronomer by the name of Sosigenes to put together a calendar based more on the Sun and Earth. This calendar became known as the â€Å"Julian Calendar† which is rather similar to the calendar that is accepted and used today. It has the commonly used 365 days of the year that are also divided into the 12 different months. Every four years, leap year occurred in one of the months just like it does in today’s calendar. Advantages and Disadvantages Between both calendars there are some advantages and disadvantages to how the calendars work. A disadvantage that others feel from the calendar is the days’ holidays may land on. Some holidays such as Christmas or Thanksgiving cannot be changed which can lead to them landing in the middle of the work week. Holidays falling on days like this can prevent individuals from making plans to be around loved ones due to work or school schedules. Another disadvantage is the irregular days of the month. Not every month has the same number of days and sometimes it can interfere with a budget or the cost of life. However, an advantage is the way the calendar is setup. Seasons are always every three months no matter what and the holidays never change. This type of stuff is always guaranteed and cannot be changed. Most Useful in Modern Society Both calendars are really close in similarity. In a way both calendars actually could be used in modern day society since individuals are so familiar with how both calendars work. However, since people are just more familiar with the term â€Å"Gregorian Calendar† and since this calendar is currently more up to date, the â€Å"Gregorian Calendar† would most likely be more useful in todays’ culture. Although there are many other types of calendars used in the world that can be compared to the â€Å"Gregorian Calendar†, this calendar has been found to be the most â€Å"internationally accepted civil calendar† of today, (TimeandDate, 2013).

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Essay --

Introduction The Berlin Plus Agreement was signed on 16th December 2002 by Javier Solana, the European Union High Representative for the Common and Security Policy and George Robertson, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The main purpose is to enhance a bilateral cooperation on international security. The first mission held through the Berlin Plus agreement was promoted by the EU in Macedonia and Bosnia (2003). Named Concordia it provided concrete evidence of the importance of the Berlin Plus to be effective in order to safeguard Europe. After Concordia, a small but successful operation, the Berlin Plus Agreement was once again used for a military mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina. EUFOR Althea was launched on 2nd December 2004 and has been going on until nowadays. Nevertheless these were the only missions undertaken within the framework of the Berlin Plus Agreement. Europe Common Foreign Security Policy (CFDP) was created in response to the lack of means from the EU during the Balkan Wars in the early 1990's. The Berlin Plus Agreement is a treaty created to legitimize the use of NATO means and expertise by the EU. Nevertheless politics had a huge impact in the effectiveness of the Berlin Plus Agreement. Before the creation of CSDP in the St Malo Act in 1998 – held during the Washington Summit - political tensions between Turkey and Cyprus/ Greece which had been going on since 1981 reached a climax after Greece became part of the then European Community (EC). Restrictions arouse between the EU and Turkey, their relationship worsened. The tension resulted from the EU recognition of Cyprus independence, whereas Turkey refused to legitimize it. The outcomes of these tensions were to jeopardize t... ...hree months) and a mission that would mean dealing with a real threat to national security. Furthermore the question about France ends up being very central in the CSDP question since France is the state that most pressures the EU to take part in military missions. Would CSDP exist if France was not there to pilot missions? Many European officials take the Foreign Policy of the EU for granted. The EU has been successful in the three missions engaged independently from NATO. Furthermore the main distinctiveness of the EU is its civilian comprehensive approach. Therefore this should be the main engagement of the EU. Even though the EU needs to have some security and defence protection for its borders, it should bear in mind that NATO exists to protect and defend its Member States and nothing less. Therefore NATO should not be ignored by the EU when CSDP is engaged.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Chapter 22 Owl Post Again

â€Å"Harry!† Hermione was tugging at his sleeve, staring at her watch. â€Å"We've got exactly ten minutes to get back down to the hospital wing without anybody seeing us — before Dumbledore locks the door –â€Å" â€Å"Okay,† said Harry, wrenching his gaze from the sky, â€Å"let's go†¦.† They slipped through the doorway behind them and down a tightly spiraling stone staircase. As they reached the bottom of it, they heard voices. They flattened themselves against the wall and listened. It sounded like Fudge and Snape. They were walking quickly along the corridor at the foot of the staircase. â€Å"†¦ only hope Dumbledore's not going to make difficulties,† Snape was saying. â€Å"The Kiss will be performed immediately?† â€Å"As soon as Macnair returns with the Dementors. This whole Black affair has been highly embarrassing. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to informing the Daily Prophet that we've got him at last†¦. I daresay they'll want to interview you, Snape†¦ and once young Harry's back in his right mind, I expect he'll want to tell the Prophet exactly how you saved him†¦.† Harry clenched his teeth. He caught a glimpse of Snape's smirk as he and Fudge passed Harry and Hermione's hiding place. Their footsteps died away. Harry and Hermione waited a few moments to make sure they'd really gone, then started to run in the opposite direction. Down one staircase, then another, along a new corridor — then they heard a cackling ahead. â€Å"Peeves!† Harry muttered, grabbing Hermione's wrist. â€Å"In here!† They tore into a deserted classroom to their left just in time. Peeves seemed to be bouncing along the corridor in boisterous good spirits, laughing his head off. â€Å"Oh, he's horrible,† whispered Hermione, her ear to the door. â€Å"I bet he's all excited because the Dementors are going to finish off Sirius†¦.† She checked her watch. â€Å"Three minutes, Harry!† They waited until Peeves's gloating voice had faded into the distance, then slid back out of the room and broke into a run again. â€Å"Hermione — what'll happen — if we don't get back inside before Dumbledore locks the door?† Harry panted. â€Å"I don't want to think about it!† Hermione moaned, checking her watch again. â€Å"One minute!† They had reached the end of the corridor with the hospital wing entrance. â€Å"Okay — I can hear Dumbledore,† said Hermione tensely. â€Å"Come on, Harry!† They crept along the corridor. The door opened. Dumbledore's back appeared. â€Å"I am going to lock you in,† they heard him saying. â€Å"it is five minutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it. Good luck.† Dumbledore backed out of the room, closed the door, and took out his wand to magically lock it. Panicking, Harry and Hermione ran forward. Dumbledore looked up, and a wide smile appeared under the long silver mustache. â€Å"Well?† he said quietly. â€Å"We did it!† said Harry breathlessly. â€Å"Sirius has gone, on Buckbeak†¦.† Dumbledore beamed at them. â€Å"Well done. I think –† He listened intently for any sound within the hospital wing. â€Å"Yes, I think you've gone too — get inside — I'll lock you in –â€Å" Harry and Hermione slipped back inside the dormitory. It was empty except for Ron, who was still lying motionless in the end bed. As the lock clicked behind them, Harry and Hermione crept back to their own beds, Hermione tucking the Time-Turner back under her robes. A moment later, Madam Pomfrey came striding back out of her office. â€Å"Did I hear the headmaster leaving? Am I allowed to look after my patients now?† She was in a very bad mood. Harry and Hermione thought it best to accept their chocolate quietly. Madam Pomfrey stood over them, making sure they ate it. But Harry could hardly swallow. He and Hermione were waiting, listening, their nerves jangling†¦. And then, as they both took a fourth piece of chocolate from Madam Pomfrey, they heard a distant roar of fury echoing from somewhere above them†¦. â€Å"What was that?† said Madam Pomfrey in alarm. Now they could hear angry voices, growing louder and louder. Madam Pomfrey was staring at the door. â€Å"Really — they'll wake everybody up! What do they think they're doing?† Harry was trying to hear what the voices were saying. They were drawing nearer — â€Å"He must have Disapparated, Severus. We should have left somebody in the room with him. When this gets out –â€Å" â€Å"HE DIDN'T DISAPPARATE!† Snape roared, now very close at hand. â€Å"YOU CAN'T APPARATE OR DISAPPARATE INSIDE THIS CASTLE! THIS — HAS — SOMETHING — TO — DO — WITH — POTTER!† â€Å"Severus — be reasonable — Harry has been locked up –â€Å" BAM. The door of the hospital wing burst open. Fudge, Snape, and Dumbledore came striding into the ward. Dumbledore alone looked calm. Indeed, he looked as though he was quite enjoying himself. Fudge appeared angry. But Snape was beside himself. â€Å"OUT WITH IT, POTTER!† he bellowed. â€Å"WHAT DID YOU DO?† â€Å"Professor Snape!† shrieked Madam Pomfrey. â€Å"Control yourself!† â€Å"See here, Snape, be reasonable,† said Fudge. â€Å"This door's been locked, we just saw –â€Å" â€Å"THEY HELPED HIM ESCAPE, I KNOW IT!† Snape howled, pointing at Harry and Hermione. His face was twisted; spit was flying from his mouth. â€Å"Calm down, man!† Fudge barked. â€Å"You're talking nonsense!† â€Å"YOU DON'T KNOW POTTER!† shrieked Snape. â€Å"HE DID IT, I KNOW HE DID IT –â€Å" â€Å"That will do, Severus,† said Dumbledore quietly. â€Å"Think about what you are saying. This door has been locked since I left the ward ten minutes ago. Madam Pomfrey, have these students left their beds?† â€Å"Of course not!† said Madam Pomfrey, bristling. â€Å"I would have heard them!† â€Å"Well, there you have it, Severus,† said Dumbledore calmly. â€Å"Unless you are suggesting that Harry and Hermione are able to be in two places at once, I'm afraid I don't see any point in troubling them further.† Snape stood there, seething, staring from Fudge, who looked thoroughly shocked at his behavior, to Dumbledore, whose eyes were twinkling behind his glasses. Snape whirled about, robes swishing behind him, and stormed out of the ward. â€Å"Fellow seems quite unbalanced,† said Fudge, staring after him. â€Å"I'd watch out for him if I were you, Dumbledore.† â€Å"Oh, he's not unbalanced,† said Dumbledore quietly. â€Å"He's just suffered a severe disappointment.† â€Å"He's not the only one!† puffed Fudge. â€Å"The Daily Prophet's going to have a field day! We had Black cornered and he slipped through our fingers yet again! All it needs now is for the story of that Hippogriff's escape to get out, and I'll be a laughingstock! Well†¦ I'd better go and notify the Ministry†¦..† â€Å"And the Dementors?† said Dumbledore. â€Å"They'll be removed from the school, I trust?† â€Å"Oh yes, they'll have to go,† said Fudge, running his fingers distractedly through his hair. â€Å"Never dreamed they'd attempt to administer the Kiss on an innocent boy†¦ Completely out of control†¦ no, I'll have them packed off back to Azkaban tonight †¦ Perhaps we should think about dragons at the school entrance†¦.† â€Å"Hagrid would like that,† said Dumbledore, smiling at Harry and Hermione. As he and Fudge left the dormitory, Madam Pomfrey hurried to the door and locked it again. Muttering angrily to herself, she headed back to her office. There was a low moan from the other end of the ward. Ron had woken up. They could see him sitting up, rubbing his head, looking around. â€Å"What — what happened?† he groaned. â€Å"Harry? Why are we in here? Where's Sirius? Where's Lupin? What's going on?† Harry and Hermione looked at each other. â€Å"You explain,† said Harry, helping himself to some more chocolate. When Harry, Ron, and Hermione left the hospital wing at noon the next day, it was to find an almost deserted castle. The sweltering, heat and the end of the exams meant that everyone was taking full advantage of another Hogsmeade visit. Neither Ron nor Hermione felt like going, however, so they and Harry wandered onto the grounds, still talking about the extraordinary events of the previous night and wondering where Sirius and Buckbeak were now. Sitting near the lake, watching the giant squid waving its tentacles lazily above the water, Harry lost the thread of the conversation as he looked across to the opposite bank. The stag had galloped toward him from there just last night†¦. A shadow fell across them and they looked up to see a very bleary-eyed Hagrid, mopping his sweaty face with one of his tablecloth-sized handkerchiefs and beaming down at them. â€Å"Know I shouldn' feel happy, after wha' happened las' night,† he said. â€Å"I mean, Black escapin' again, an, everythin' — but guess what?† â€Å"What?† they said, pretending to look curious. â€Å"Beaky! He escaped! He's free! Bin celebratin' all night!† â€Å"That's wonderful!† said Hermione, giving Ron a reproving look because he looked as though he was close to laughing. â€Å"Yeah†¦ can't've tied him up properly,† said Hagrid, gazing happily out over the grounds. â€Å"I was worried this mornin', mind†¦ thought he mighta met Professor Lupin on the grounds, but Lupin says he never ate anythin' las' night†¦.† â€Å"What?† said Harry quickly. â€Å"Blimey, haven' yeh heard?† said Hagrid, his smile fading a little. He lowered his voice, even though there was nobody in sight. â€Å"Er — Snape told all the Slytherins this mornin'†¦. Thought everyone'd know by now†¦ Professor Lupin's a werewolf, see. An' he was loose on the grounds las' night†¦. He's packin' now, o' course.† â€Å"He's packing?† said Harry, alarmed. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Leavin', isn' he?† said Hagrid, looking surprised that Harry had to ask. â€Å"Resigned firs' thing this mornin'. Says he can't risk it happenin again.† Harry scrambled to his feet. â€Å"I'm going to see him,† he said to Ron and Hermione. â€Å"But if he's resigned –â€Å" â€Å"?C doesn't sound like there's anything we can do –â€Å" â€Å"I don't care. I still want to see him. I'll meet you back here.† Lupin's office door was open. He had already packed most of his things. The Grindylow's empty tank stood next to his battered old suitcase, which was open and nearly full. Lupin was bending over something on his desk and looked up only when Harry knocked on the door. â€Å"I saw you coming,† said Lupin, smiling. He pointed to the parchment he had been poring over. It was the Marauder's Map. â€Å"I just saw Hagrid,† said Harry. â€Å"And he said you'd resigned. It's not true, is it?† â€Å"I'm afraid it is,† said Lupin. He started opening his desk drawers and taking out the contents. â€Å"Why?† said Harry. â€Å"The Ministry of Magic don't think you were helping Sirius, do they?† Lupin crossed to the door and closed it behind Harry. â€Å"No. Professor Dumbledore managed to convince Fudge that I was trying to save your lives.† He sighed. â€Å"That was the final straw for Severus. I think the loss of the Order of Merlin hit him hard. So he — er — accidentally let slip that I am a werewolf this morning at breakfast.† â€Å"You're not leaving just because of that!† said Harry. Lupin smiled wryly. â€Å"This time tomorrow, the owls will start arriving from parents†¦. They will not want a werewolf teaching their children, Harry. And after last night, I see their point. I could have bitten any of you†¦. That must never happen again.† â€Å"You're the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had!† said Harry. â€Å"Don't go!† Lupin shook his head and didn't speak. He carried on emptying his drawers. Then, while Harry was trying to think of a good argument to make him stay, Lupin said, â€Å"From what the headmaster told me this morning, you saved a lot of lives last night, Harry. If I'm proud of anything I've done this year, it's how much you've learned†¦. Tell me about your Patronus.† â€Å"How d'you know about that?† said Harry, distracted. â€Å"What else could have driven the Dementors back?† Harry told Lupin what had happened. When he'd finished, Lupin was smiling again. â€Å"Yes, your father was always a stag when he transformed,† he said. â€Å"You guessed right†¦ that's why we called him Prongs.† Lupin threw his last few books into his case, closed the desk drawers, and turned to look at Harry. â€Å"Here — I brought this from the Shrieking Shack last night,† he said, handing Harry back the Invisibility Cloak. â€Å"And†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He hesitated, then held out the Marauder's Map too. â€Å"I am no longer your teacher, so I don't feel guilty about giving you back this as well. It's no use to me, and I daresay you, Ron, and Hermione will find uses for it.† Harry took the map and grinned. â€Å"You told me Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs would've wanted to lure me out of school†¦ you said they'd have thought it was funny.† â€Å"And so we would have,† said Lupin, now reaching down to close his case. â€Å"I have no hesitation in saying that James would have been highly disappointed if his son had never found any of the secret passages out of the castle.† There was a knock on the door. Harry hastily stuffed the Marauder's Map and the Invisibility Cloak into his pocket. It was Professor Dumbledore. He didn't look surprised to see Harry there. â€Å"Your carriage is at the gates, Remus,† he said. â€Å"Thank You, Headmaster.† Lupin picked up his old suitcase and the empty Grindylow tank. â€Å"Well — good-bye, Harry,† he said, smiling. â€Å"It has been a real pleasure teaching you. I feel sure we'll meet again sometime. Headmaster, there is no need to see me to the gates, I can manage†¦.† Harry had the impression that Lupin wanted to leave as quickly as possible. â€Å"Good-bye, then, Remus,† said Dumbledore soberly. Lupin shifted the Grindylow tank slightly so that he and Dumbledore could shake hands. Then, with a final nod to Harry and a swift smile, Lupin left the office. Harry sat down in his vacated chair, staring glumly at the floor. He heard the door close and looked up. Dumbledore was still there. â€Å"Why so miserable, Harry?† he said quietly. â€Å"You should be very proud of yourself after last night.† â€Å"It didn't make any difference,† said Harry bitterly. â€Å"Pettigrew got away.† â€Å"Didn't make any difference?† said Dumbledore quietly, â€Å"It made all the difference in the world, Harry. You helped uncover the truth. You saved an innocent man from a terrible fate.† Terrible. Something stirred in Harry's memory. Greater and more terrible than ever before†¦ Professor Trelawney's prediction! â€Å"Professor Dumbledore — yesterday, when I was having my Divination exam, Professor Trelawney went very — very strange.† â€Å"Indeed?† said Dumbledore. â€Å"Er — stranger than usual, you mean?† â€Å"Yes†¦ her voice went all deep and her eyes rolled and she said †¦ she said Voldemort's servant was going to set out to return to him before midnight†¦. She said the servant would help him come back to power.† Harry stared up at Dumbledore. â€Å"And then she sort of became normal again, and she couldn't remember anything she'd said. Was it — was she making a real prediction?† Dumbledore looked mildly impressed. â€Å"Do you know, Harry, I think she might have been.† he said thoughtfully. â€Å"Who'd have thought it? That brings her total of real predictions up to two. I should offer her a pay raise†¦.† â€Å"But –† Harry looked at him, aghast. How could Dumbledore take this so calmly? â€Å"But — I stopped Sirius and Professor Lupin from killing Pettigrew! That makes it my fault if Voldemort comes back!† â€Å"It does not,† said Dumbledore quietly. â€Å"Hasn't your experience with the Time-Turner taught you anything, Harry? The consequences of our actions are always so complicated, so diverse, that predicting the future is a very difficult business indeed†¦. Professor Trelawney, bless her, is living proof of that†¦. You did a very noble thing, in saving Pettigrew's life.† â€Å"But if he helps Voldemort back to power†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Pettigrew owes his life to you. You have sent Voldemort a deputy who is in your debt†¦. When one wizard saves another wizard's life, it creates a certain bond between them†¦ and I'm much mistaken if Voldemort wants his servant in the debt of Harry Potter.† â€Å"I don't want a connection with Pettigrew!† said Harry. â€Å"He betrayed my parents!† â€Å"This is magic at its deepest, its most impenetrable, Harry. But trust me†¦ the time may come when you will be very glad you saved Pettigrew's life.† Harry couldn't imagine when that would be. Dumbledore looked as though he knew what Harry was thinking. â€Å"I knew your father very well, both at Hogwarts and later, Harry,† he said gently. â€Å"He would have saved Pettigrew too, I am sure of it.† Harry looked up at him. Dumbledore wouldn't laugh — he could tell Dumbledore†¦ â€Å"I thought it was my dad who'd conjured my Patronus. I mean, when I saw myself across the lake †¦ I thought I was seeing him.† â€Å"An easy mistake to make,† said Dumbledore softly. â€Å"I expect you'll tire of hearing it, but you do look extraordinarily like James. Except for the eyes†¦ you have your mother's eyes.† Harry shook his head. â€Å"It was stupid, thinking it was him,† he muttered. â€Å"I mean, I knew he was dead.† â€Å"You think the dead we loved ever truly leave us? You think that we don't recall them more clearly than ever in times of great trouble? Your father is alive in you, Harry, and shows himself most plainly when you have need of him. How else could you produce that particular Patronus? Prongs rode again last night.† It took a moment for Harry to realize what Dumblefore had said. â€Å"Last night Sirius told me all about how they became Animagi,† said Dumbledore, smiling. â€Å"An extraordinary achievement — not least, keeping it quiet from me. And then I remembered the most unusual form your Patronus took, when it charged Mr. Malfoy down at your Quidditch match against Ravenclaw. You know, Harry, in a way, you did see your father last night†¦. You found him inside yourself.† And Dumbledore left the office, leaving Harry to his very confused thoughts. Nobody at Hogwarts now knew the truth of what had happened the night that Sirius, Buckbeak, and Pettigrew had vanished except Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Professor Dumbledore. As the end of term approached, Harry heard many different theories about what had really happened, but none of them came close to the truth. Malfoy was furious about Buckbeak. He was convinced that Hagrid had found a way of smuggling the Hippogriff to safety, and seemed outraged that he and his father had been outwitted by a gamekeeper. Percy Weasley, meanwhile, had much to say on the subject of Sirius's escape. â€Å"If I manage to get into the Ministry, I'll have a lot of proposals to make about Magical Law Enforcement!† he told the only person who would listen — his girlfriend, Penelope. Though the weather was perfect, though the atmosphere was so cheerful, though he knew they had achieved the near impossible in helping Sirius to freedom, Harry had never approached the end of a school year in worse spirits. He certainly wasn't the only one who was sorry to see Professor Lupin go. The whole of Harry's Defense Against the Dark Arts class was miserable about his resignation. â€Å"Wonder what they'll give us next year?† said Seamus Finnigan gloomily. â€Å"Maybe a vampire,† suggested Dean Thomas hopefully. It wasn't only Professor Lupin's departure that was weighing on Harry's mind. He couldn't help thinking a lot about Professor Trelawney's prediction. He kept wondering where Pettigrew was now, whether he had sought sanctuary with Voldemort yet. But the thing that was lowering Harry's spirits most of all was the prospect of returning to the Dursleys. For maybe half an hour, a glorious half hour, he had believed he would be living with Sirius from now on†¦his parents' best friend†¦It would have been the next best thing to having his own father back. And while no news of Sirius was definitely good news, because it meant he had successfully gone into hiding, Harry couldn't help feeling miserable when he thought of the home he might have had, and the fact that it was now impossible. The exam results came out on the last day of term. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had passed every subject. Harry was amazed that he had got through Potions. He had a shrewd suspicion that Dumbledore might have stepped in to stop Snape failing him on purpose. Snape's behavior toward Harry over the past week had been quite alarming. Harry wouldn't have thought it possible that Snape's dislike for him could increase, but it certainly had. A muscle twitched unpleasantly at the corner of Snape's thin mouth every time he looked at Harry, and he was constantly flexing his fingers, as though itching to place them around Harry's throat. Percy had got his top-grade N.E.W.T.s; Fred and George had scraped a handful of O.W.L.s each. Gryffindor House, meanwhile, largely thanks to their spectacular performance in the Quidditch Cup, had won the House championship for the third year running. This meant that the end of term feast took place amid decorations of scarlet and gold, and that the Gryffindor table was the noisiest of the lot, as everybody celebrated. Even Harry managed to forget about the journey back to the Dursleys the next day as he ate, drank, talked, and laughed with the rest. As the Hogwarts Express pulled out of the station the next morning, Hermione gave Harry and Ron some surprising news. â€Å"I went to see Professor McGonagall this morning, just before breakfast. I've decided to drop Muggle Studies.† â€Å"But you passed your exam with three hundred and twenty percent!† said Ron. â€Å"I know,† sighed Hermione, â€Å"but I can't stand another year like this one. That Time-Turner, it was driving me mad. I've handed it in. Without Muggle Studies and Divination, I'll be able to have a normal schedule again.† â€Å"I still can't believe you didn't tell us about it,† said Ron grumpily. â€Å"We're supposed to be your friends.† â€Å"I promised I wouldn't tell anyone,† said Hermione severely. She looked around at Harry, who was watching Hogwarts disappear from view behind a mountain. Two whole months before he'd see it again†¦. â€Å"Oh, cheer up, Harry!† said Hermione sadly. â€Å"I'm okay,† said Harry quickly. â€Å"Just thinking about the holidays.† â€Å"Yeah, I've been thinking about them too,† said Ron. â€Å"Harry, you've got to come and stay with us. I'll fix it up with Mum and Dad, then I'll call you. I know how to use a fellytone now –â€Å" â€Å"A telephone, Ron,† said Hermione. â€Å"Honestly, you should take Muggle Studies next year†¦.† Ron ignored her. â€Å"It's the Quidditch World Cup this summer! How about it, Harry? Come and stay, and we'll go and see it! Dad can usually get tickets from work.† This proposal had the effect of cheering Harry up a great deal. â€Å"Yeah†¦ I bet the Dursleys'd be pleased to let me come†¦ especially after what I did to Aunt Marge†¦.† Feeling considerably more cheerful, Harry joined Ron and Hermione in several games of Exploding Snap, and when the witch with the tea cart arrived, he bought himself a very large lunch, though nothing with chocolate in it. But it was late in the afternoon before the thing that made him truly happy turned up†¦. â€Å"Harry,† said Hermione suddenly, peering over his shoulder. â€Å"What's that thing outside your window?† Harry turned to look outside. Something very small and gray was bobbing in and out of sight beyond the glass. He stood up for a better look and saw that it was a tiny owl, carrying a letter that was much too big for it. The owl was so small, in fact, that it kept tumbling over in the air, buffeted this way and that in the train's slipstream. Harry quickly pulled down the window, stretched out his arm, and caught it. It felt like a very fluffy Snitch. He brought it carefully inside. The owl dropped its letter onto Harry's seat and began zooming around their compartment, apparently very pleased with itself for accomplishing its task. Hedwig clicked her beak with a sort of dignified disapproval. Crookshanks sat up in his seat, following the owl with his great yellow eyes. Ron, noticing this, snatched the owl safely out of harm's way. Harry picked up the letter. It was addressed to him. He ripped open the letter, and shouted, â€Å"It's from Sirius!† â€Å"What?† said Ron and Hermione excitedly. â€Å"Read it aloud!† Dear Harry, I hope this finds you before you reach your aunt and uncle. I don't know whether they're used to owl post. Buckbeak and I are in hiding. I won't tell you where, in case this owl falls into the wrong hands. I have some doubt about his reliability, but he is the best I could find, and he did seem eager for the job. I believe the Dementors are still searching for me, but they haven't a hope of finding me here. I am planning to allow some Muggles to glimpse me soon, a long way from Hogwarts, so that the security on the castle will be lifted. There is something I never got around to telling you during our brief meeting. It was I who sent you the Firebolt — â€Å"Ha!† said Hermione triumphantly. â€Å"See! I told you it was from him!† â€Å"Yes, but he hadn't jinxed it, had he?† said Ron. â€Å"Ouch!† The tiny owl now hooting happily in his hand, had nibbled one of his fingers in what it seemed to think was an affectionate way. ?C Crookshanks took the order to the Owl Office for me. I used your name but told them to take the gold from my own Gringotts vault. Please consider it as thirteen birthdays' worth of presents from your godfather. I would also like to apologize for the fright I think I gave you that night last year when you left your uncle's house. I had only hoped to get a glimpse of you before starting my journey north, but I think the sight of me alarmed you. I am enclosing something else for you, which I think will make your next year at Hogwarts more enjoyable. If ever you need me, send word. Your owl will find me. I'll write again soon. Sirius Harry looked eagerly inside the envelope. There was another piece of parchment in there. He read it through quickly and felt suddenly as warm and contented as though he'd swallowed a bottle of hot butterbeer in one gulp. I, Sirius Black, Harry Potter's godfather, hereby give him permission to visit Hogsmeade on weekends. â€Å"That'll be good enough for Dumbledore!† said Harry happily. He looked back at Sirius's letter. â€Å"Hang on, there's a PS†¦.† I thought your friend Ron might like to keep this owl, as it's my fault he no longer has a rat. Ron's eyes widened. The minute owl was still hooting excitedly. â€Å"Keep him?† he said uncertainly. He looked closely at the owl for a moment; then, to Harry's and Hermione's great surprise, he held him out for Crookshanks to sniff. â€Å"What do you reckon?† Ron asked the cat. â€Å"Definitely an owl?† Crookshanks purred. â€Å"That's good enough for me,† said Ron happily. â€Å"He's mine.† Harry read and reread the letter from Sirius all the way back into King's Cross station. It was still clutched tightly in his hand as he, Ron, and Hermione stepped back through the barrier of platform nine and three-quarters. Harry spotted Uncle Vernon at once. He was standing a good distance from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, eyeing them suspiciously, and when Mrs. Weasley hugged Harry in greeting, his worst suspicions about them seemed confirmed. â€Å"I'll call about the World Cup!† Ron yelled after Harry as Harry bid him and Hermione good-bye, then wheeled the trolley bearing his trunk and Hedwig's cage toward Uncle Vernon, who greeted him in his usual fashion. â€Å"What's that?† he snarled, staring at the envelope Harry was still clutching in his hand. â€Å"If it's another form for me to sign, you've got another –â€Å" â€Å"It's not,† said Harry cheerfully. â€Å"It's a letter from my godfather.† â€Å"Godfather?† sputtered Uncle Vernon. â€Å"You haven't got a godfather!† â€Å"Yes, I have,† said Harry brightly. â€Å"He was my mum and dad's best friend. He's a convicted murderer, but he's broken out of wizard prison and he's on the run. He likes to keep in touch with me, though †¦ keep up with my news †¦ check if I'm happy †¦Ã¢â‚¬  And, grinning broadly at the look of horror on Uncle Vernon's face, Harry set off toward the station exit, Hedwig rattling along in front of him, for what looked like a much better summer than the last.