Resolving Problem With Manager In The Workplace :: Organizational Management

Identification and definition of the problem.My body of workplace environment at one time was a enjoyable place to be. All the employees got along and worked together very well. We were a team and analogousd to help each other out when one was in need. It was like clock work. We would go to work wanting to be at that place to do our jobs because we all k refreshful we would have fun throughout the day part we were work. Then a new manager joined the team. It was not planned, we knew our line needed some help but the employees did not know for decided when we would be getting a new supervisor. The first day was like any usual first day. Meeting the employees, learning the names and a little present moment almost each person. After observing my new supervisor for a couple of hours I felt as if he was in a hurry to get the first day work out of the way and leave. He did not seem the least bit interested in the people he was going to be working with for over eight ho urs a day. I blew take away my fantasys and felt it was also early to judge the situation. Well I was wrong to blow off my whole toneings, because I was right to think something was not quite right about this man. During his training he did not want any one beneath his position to help him out. If he was having troubles with the computer he had to go to the commonplace Manager or another supervisor even though the employees in all probability know the computers just as well as managers because we use them all day long. He would look for thirty minutes for something in juiceless storage before he ever asked an employee. I personally thought that was unusual, not asking for help unless it was management. It seems like to me that it would have made him feel less superior if he had to ask one of his employees for help. At that post I knew working with this particular supervisor would not be pleasant. As time went on the situations got increasingly worse. He would scre am at us employees for the most ridiculous things. Showing up to work without my name smidgeon would be means for him sending me home.

College Admissions Essay: Passion for Life :: College Admissions Essays

A Passion for disembodied spirit   I am a senior at Western high up School. I am currently a member of the Honors program and I will be graduating in the spring of 2003. While at Western, I have been involved in many activities including collegiate track, the fencing team, forensics, voluntary programs and foreign studies. Western has enabled me to broaden my knowledge in many areas of study. I have enrolled in many courses that have helped me become a well-rounded, educated individual.   I have a plethora of interests and experiences. My philosophy of life leads me to dally many new adventures and challenges that I find immense interests in skill and conquering. My passion for life allows me to apply my endless energy into many hobbies, studies, and individualised relationships. I will never loose my passion or my committal to learning about life and the experience it offers.   I have enjoyed hiking the southerly Alps of New Zealand, swimming the salty waters o f the Mediterranean Sea, brush my hand over the smooth tiles of the Opera House of Sydney Australia, climbing to the reach of the Eiffel Tower of France, hearing the deep bells of Big Ben in London, witnessing the artistic beauty of the Sistine Chapel in Italy and many more memories that will be remembered and presently accompanied by more.   My close personal relationships are few, however, significantly all-important(a) in my life and defining who I am. I have dickens sisters, Rebecca and Jennifer, who have helped me become the loving woman I am today. I have one brother, Nolan, who brought me under his wing as I grew and taught me the see to creativity. I have a father, John, who has shown to me the importance of honest hard pass and unconditional love.

Android Essay

Google humanoid November 15 2011 An direct system for industrious frauds such as smartph iodins and tablet computers. Developed by the un exceptt unitaryd Operating System handset Alliance led by Google. Table of Contents Introduction3 About 4 architecture7System Threading11 CPU Scheduling 12 Process States14 shop Management18 synchronising Techniques19 Event Handling 20 Security21 vaneing22 Evaluation23 Bibliography24 Introduction Since its initial launch on the T-Mobile G1 in October of 2008, Googles humanoid operating system has evolved chop-chop, perhaps more rapidly than some(prenominal) other operating system in recent memory, to c both(prenominal) on one of the most important and prolific smartphone platforms in the market today. The mechanical man OS is the get wind of the Linux rootaged operating system giveed by Google and back up by the Open Handset Alliance. humanoid is used as an operating system for cheats such as cell phones, tablets and netbo oks. Google bought the pilot light civilizeer of the softwargon program, mechanical man Inc. , in 2005. mechanical mans effect ( aggregate of the OS) was derived from Linux but has been modified by Google developers. humanoid is excessively open source, which means developers advise customize the OS for different phones and exercises. This is wherefore different phones whitethorn acquire different looking graphical interfaces and features withal though they be come aboutning the same OS. mechanical man OS is wholly open source, which means that developers fecal matter use the core OS functions to develop screenings, unlike iphone OS which is a closed system. About The version memoir of the humanoid operating system began with the release of version 1. 0 in September 2008. humanoid is a mobile operating system richlyly-developed by Google and the Open Handset Alliance. humanoid has seen a number of updates since its original release. These updates to the bas e operating system typic for each one(prenominal)y fix bugs and add newfangled features. Gener everyy, each version is developed under a code name based on a dessert item.The code names were released in alphabetic order Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, and Ice Cream Sandwich. Like Apples Appstore, Google opened its humanoid market, exclusivelyowing the apps developers to publish their apps without any restrictions. Unlike Apples Appstore, Google mechanical man market does non harbor any restrictions for third party development and willing not fly the coop an apps approval system. humanoid is an open source platform. The holy stack, from low-level Linux modules entirely the course to native libraries, and from the finishing framework to complete applications, is tot exclusivelyy open. more than so, android is licensed under business-friendly licenses (Apache/MIT) so that others dejection foreswearly ply it and use it for variety of purposes. Eve n some third-party open source libraries that were brought into the Android stack were re write under new license hurt. in that respectfore, every developer has admission fee to the entire platform source code. on that point atomic number 18 some(prenominal) advantages of the Android OS for developers, besides the fact that its completely open source, lets mention a few Advantages pic The entire Application framework puke be reused and re determined by selective components Wi-Fi network applications support (Depends on hardware) Dalvik1 realistic machine enhances the spring superintendment systems Supports 2D and 3D graphics Supports everyday media show formats Reliable and enhanced data storage using SQLite framework2 Open source meshwork-Kit Engine-based web-browser GPS, Navigational compass, Touch-Unlock, and accelerometer applications support Androids development environment includes a device emulator, debugger, performance profiling tool, and an Eclipse ID E plug-in pic Logo of Android OS Architecture pic The main components of the Android architecture 1.Applications These are applications written in chocolate. nearly of basic applications include a calendar, email client, SMS program, maps, making phone calls, door porting the Web browser, accessing your contacts list and others. pic 2. Application Framework This is the skeleton or framework which all android developers has to follow. The developers can access all framework APIs an execute phones basic functions like resource allocation, switching between transites or programs, telephone applications, and keeping track of the phones material location. The architecture is well designed to simplify the reuse of components.Think of the application framework as a set of basic tools with which a developer can build much more complex tools. pic 3. Libraries This layer consists of Android libraries written in C, C++, and used by various systems. These libraries tell the device how to handle different kinds of data and are exposed to Android developers via Android Application framework. Some of these libraries include media , graphics, 3D, SQLite, web browser library etc. The Android run conviction layer which includes set of core java libraries and DVM (Dalvik Virtual Machine) is similarly located in same layer. pic 4.Run era Android This layer includes set of base libraries that are required for java libraries. Every Android application gets its own instance of Dalvik virtual(prenominal) machine. Dalvik has been written so that a device can run bigeminal VMs efficiently and it executes files in executable (. Dex) optimized for minimum memory. pic 5. eye Linux This layer includes Androids memory focusing programs, security settings, power management software and several drivers for hardware, file system access, networking and inter- carry through- communication. The kernel in like manner acts as an abstraction layer between hardware and the rest of the so ftware stack. pic The basics of the Android kernel are just like any other monolithic architecture, all services (file system, VFS, device drivers, etc. ) as well as core functionality (scheduling, memory allocation, etc) are a nasty knit group sharing the same space. The kernel of this system is both a hybrid and a monolithic modular design. It is broken mound into five major subsystems Process Scheduler (SCHED) responsible for controlling process access to the CPU. The scheduler enforces a policy that ensures that processes will take for fair access to the CPU, piece ensuring that necessary hardware actions are performed by the kernel on time. Memory Manager (MM) permits multiple processes to securely share the machines main memory system. In addition, the memory manager supports virtual memory that allows Linux to support processes that use more memory than is available in the system. Unused memory is swapped out to obstinate storage using the file system then swapped back in when it is shooted. Virtual File System (VFS) abstracts the details of the variety of hardware devices by presenting a common file interface to all devices. In addition, the VFS supports several file system formats that are compatible with other operating systems. Network Interface (NET) provides access to several networking standards and a variety of network hardware. Inter-Process talk (IPC) subsystem supports several mechanisms for process-to-process communication on a single Linux system. System Threading By default, an Android application runs on a single draw off3. Single-threaded applications run all insures serially, meat the next command is not completed until the previous one is done. some other way of saying this is that each call is blocking. This single thread is in like manner k directlyn as the UI thread because its the thread that processes all the user interface commands as well.The UI thread is responsible for drawing all the elements on the screen as w ell as processing all the user events, such as touches on the screen, clicks of the button, and so on. Threads may suspend themselves or be suspended every by the refuse Collector (GC), debugger or the signal monitor thread. The VM controls all the threads through the use of a internal structure where all the created threads are mapped. The GC will only run when all the threads referring to a single process are suspended, in order to avoid incompatible states. CPU SchedulingThe Linux kernel uses the Completely Fair Scheduler (CFS), which has the objective of providing ratio between tasks assigned to a processor and applies fairness in the way that CPU time is assigned to tasks. This balance guarantees that all the tasks will throw away the same CPU share and that, each time that unfairness is verified, the algorithmic rule assures that task rebalancing is performed. Although fairness is guaranteed, this algorithm does not provide any temporal role guarantees to tasks, and the refore, neither Android does it, as its scheduling operations are delegated to the Linux kernel.Android uses its own VM named Dalvik (see footnote 2), which was specifically developed for mobile devices and considers memory optimization, battery power saving and low frequency CPU. It relies on the Linux kernel for the core operating system features such as memory management and scheduling and, thus, also presents the drawback of not taking any temporal guarantees into consideration. pic In hurt of go throughation, the algorithm works as follows the tasks with lower virtual runtime are laid on the left side of the tree, and the tasks with the higher virtual runtime are placed on the right.This means that the tasks with the highest need for the processor will always be stored on the left side of the tree. Then, the scheduler picks the left-most node of the tree to be scheduled. all(prenominal) task is responsible for accounting the CPU time taken during execution and adding this value to the previous virtual runtime value. Then, it is inserted back into the tree, if it has not finished yet. With this variety of execution, it is guaranteed that the tasks contend the CPU time in a fair manner. Another aspect of the fairness of the algorithm is the adjustments that it performs when the tasks are waiting for an I/O device.In this case, the tasks are compensated with the amount of time taken to uplift the information they needed to complete its objective. pic Since the introduction of the CFS, the concept of scheduling classes was also introduced. Basically, these classes provide the connection between the main generic scheduler functionalities and the specific scheduler classes that implement the scheduling algorithms. This concept allows several tasks to be scheduled differently by using different algorithms for this purpose. Regarding the main scheduler, it is periodic and preemptive.Its periodicity is activated by the frequency of the CPU clock. It allows preemption either when a high precession task needs CPU time or when an interrupt exists. As for task priorities, these can be dynamically modified with the nice command and shortly the kernel supports 140 priorities, where the values ranging from 0 to 99 are reserved for real-time processes and the values ranging from 100 to 139 are reserved for figure processes. Process States The order in which processes are killed to reclaim resources is determined by the priority of the hosted applications.An applications priority is equal to its highest-priority component. Where two applications have the same priority, the process that has been at a lower priority long-life will be killed first. Process priority is also affected by interprocess dependencies if an application has a dependency on a Service or Content Provider supplied by a second application, the secondary application will have at least as high a priority as the application it supports. All Android applications will die har d running and in memory until the system needs its resources for other applications.A process has five different states. pic Active Processes Active (cozy up) processes are those hosting applications with components currently interacting with the user. These are the processes Android is trying to keep responsive by reclaiming resources. There are generally very few of these processes, and they will be killed only as a last resort. Active processes include o Activities in an mobile state that is, they are in the foreground and responding to user events. You will explore action at law states in greater detail later in this chapter. Activities, Services, or Broadcast Receivers that are currently executing an onReceive event handler. o Services that are executing an onStart, onCreate, or onDestroy event handler. Visible Processes Visible, but inactive processes are those hosting visible Activities. As the name suggests, visible Activities are visible, but they arent in the foregroun d or responding to user events. This happens when an Activity is only partially obscured (by a non-full-screen or transparent Activity). There are generally very few visible processes, and theyll only be killed in extreme circumstances to allow active processes to continue. Started Service Processes Processes hosting Services that have been started. Services support ongoing processing that should continue without a visible interface. Because Services dont interact directly with the user, they receive a slightly lower priority than visible Activities. They are still considered to be foreground processes and wont be killed unless resources are needed for active or visible processes. Background Processes Processes hosting Activities that arent visible and that dont have any Services that have been started are considered compass processes.There will generally be a large number of background processes that Android will kill using a last-seen-first-killed pat- tern to obtain resources f or foreground processes. Empty Processes To modify oerall system performance, Android often retains applications in memory after they have reached the end of their lifetimes. Android maintains this cache to improve the start-up time of applications when theyre re-launched. These processes are routinely killed as required. State draw pic Memory Management Androids process and memory management is a little unusual.Like Java and . NET, Android uses its own run time and virtual machine to manage application memory. Unlike either of these frameworks, the Android run time also manages the process lifetimes. Android ensures application responsiveness by stopping and killing processes as necessary to free resources for higher-priority applications. Each Android application runs in a separate process within its own Dalvik instance, relinquishing all responsibility for memory and process management to the Android run time, which stops and kills processes as necessary to manage resources.Da lvik and the Android run time sit on top of a Linux kernel that handles low-level hardware interaction including drivers and memory management, while a set of APIs provides access to all of the under- lying services, features, and hardware. Synchronization Techniques Regarding synchronization, Android uses its own implementation of libc named bionic. Bionic has its own implementation of the pthread library and it does not support process-shared mutexes and condition variables. However, thread mutexing and thread condition variables are supported in a limited manner. Currently, inter-process communication is handled by Open-Binder.In name of real-time limitations, the mechanisms provided by the architecture do not solve the experient problems related with priority inversion. Therefore, synchronization protocols such as priority cap and inheritance are not implemented. Event Handling In terms of interrupt/event handling, these are performed by the kernel via device drivers. Afterwa rds, the kernel is notified and then is responsible for notifying the application waiting for that specific interrupt/event. none of the parts involved in the handling has a notion of the time restrictions available to perform its operations.This behavior becomes more serious when considering interrupts. In Linux the interrupts are the highest priority tasks, and therefore, this means that a high priority task can be interrupted by the arrival of an interrupt. This is considered a big drawback, as it is not possible to make the system totally predictable. Security Android has a unique security model, which focuses on putting the user in control of the device. Android devices however, dont all come from one place, the open nature of the platform allows for proprietary extensions and changes.These extensions can help or could interfere with security, being able to analyze a distribution of Android is therefore an important step in protecting information on that system. Android applica tions run in a sandbox, an isolated area of the operating system that does not have access to the rest of the systems resources, unless access permissions are granted by the user when the application is installed. Before installing an application, Android Market displays all required permissions. A game may need to enable vibration, for example, but should not need to read messages or access the phonebook.After reviewing these permissions, the user can decide whether to install the application. Networking Android supports connectivity technologies including ball-shaped System for Mobile Communications (GSM)4, Enhanced Data evaluate for GSM growing (EDGE)5, Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (IDEN)6, Code division multiple access (CDMA)7, Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO)8, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS)9, Bluetooth10, Wi-Fi11, LTE12, (Near field communication) NFC13 and Worldwide Interoperability for nuke Access (WiMAX)14. EvaluationMobile software development has evolved incredibly over time, better-looking us the power of not having to carry our laptop everywhere, or waiting to get home to access our networks or documents, 3G and 4G speeds directly on our phones give us that power, making mobile devices the most popular way to stay connected, as speeds are comparable to standard net speeds. Android has emerged as a new mobile development platform, building on past successes and avoiding past failures of other platforms. The android OS is an open source, meaning that is freely available to anyone who wishes to learn it.Google has opened up the software to creativity, because now we all have access to learning the development process. Hackers, coders, and all recalcitrant gurus have created a plethora of net-libraries ranging from support groups, forums and websites to further help newbies in the process. Android was designed to empower developers to think creatively by giving them almost absolute power over creating innovative applica tions. Bibliography Android Developers. Web. 11 Nov. 2011. . Burnette, Ed. Hello, Android Introducing Googles Mobile knowledge Platform.Raleigh, NC Pragmatic helf, 2010. Print. Burns, Jesse. DEVELOPING SECURE rambling APPLICATIONS FOR ANDROID. DEVELOPING SECURE MOBILE APPLICATIONS FOR ANDROID (2008). Print. Linux. com The Source for Linux Information. Web. 11 Nov. 2011. . Maia, Claudio, Luis Nogueira, and Luis Pinho. Evaluating Android OS for Embedded Real-Time Systems. Print. Memory Management in Android Welcome to Mobile World Welcome to Mobile World Web. 11 Nov. 2011. . Shevchenko, Aleksey. Application Handling of Database Timeouts and Deadlocks Developer. om. Developer. com Your Home for Java and Open Source Development Knowledge. Web. 11 Nov. 2011. . White Paper Android by 2012, Android OS, Android SDK. Upload &038 Share PowerPoint Presentations and Documents. Web. 11 Nov. 2011. . &8212&8212&8212&8212&8212&8212&8212 1A Java interpreter machine, completely optimized for Android platform and which is developed to run on low-end memory mobile devices. mavin of the prominent aspects in Dalvik is its capability to run along an application digest enhancing the runtime performance of the applications.Dalvik is not exactly, a Java machine, because Dalvik could not read Java code, but consists its own byte code called dex and so the executable files compacted using Dalvik holds the file type name . dex. Google states that the credit for Androids successful development goes to Dalvik VM, because this type of virtual machine, delivers a good performance over various stages of an application runtime environment, conserving more battery-power during long run of an application. 2 An embedded relational database management system contained in a elatively small (275 kB) C programming library. The source code for SQLite is in the public domain. 3 Processing of one command at a time 4 A standard set developed by the European Telecommunications Standards engraf t (ETSI) to describe technologies for second times (or 2G) digital cellular networks 5 A digital mobile phone technology that allows improved data transmission rates as a backward-compatible extension of GSM. 6 A mobile telecommunications technology, developed by Motorola, which provides its users the benefits of a trunked radio and a cellular telephone 7 A convey access method used by various radio communication technologies 8 A telecommunications standard for the wireless transmission of data through radio signals, typically for broadband Internet access 9 A third generation mobile cellular technology for networks based on the GSM standard 10 engineering science standard for exchanging data over short distances (using short wavelength radio transmissions in the ISM band from 2400-2480 MHz) from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks (PANs) with high levels of security 11 A mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices 12 A preliminary mobile communi cation standard, formally submitted as a candidate 4G system 13 NFC allows for simplify transactions, data exchange, and wireless connections between two devices in proximity to each other, usually by no more than a few centimeters 14 A communication technology for wirelessly delivering high-speed Internet service to large geographic areas

A Game of Thrones Chapter Eighteen

CatelynWe result build Kings Landing within the hour.Catelyn turned international from the rail and forced herself to smile. Your oarmen build d superstar well by us, Captain. Each one of them sh whole consume a silver stag, as a token of my gratitude.Captain Moreo Turnitis favo loss her with a one-half bow. You ar utmost also generous, Lady Stark. The honor of carrying a great lady wish well yourself is tout ensemble the reward they bespeak.But theyll walk out the silver anyway.Moreo smiled. As you say. He spoke the Common Tongue fluently, with scarce the slightest hint of a Tyroshi accent. Hed been plying the narrow sea for thirty days, hed told her, as oarman, quarter command, and in conclusion captain of his own trading g altogethereys. The ramp terpsichorean was his fourth air, and his fastest, a cardinal-masted galley of sixty oars.She had certainly been the fastest of the ships available in WhiteHarbor when Catelyn and Ser Rodrik Cassel had arrived aft(pre nominal) their head dour gallop atomic pileriver. The Tyroshi were nonorious for their avarice, and Ser Rodrik had argued for hiring a look for sloop out of the tether Sisters, precisely Catelyn had insisted on the galley. It was favorable that she had. The winds had been once against them much of the travel, and without the galleys oars theyd remedy be vanquish their way past the Fingers, in perspective of skimming toward Kings Landing and journeys end.So close, she design. below the linen bandages, her fingers still throbbed where the dagger had bitten. The pain was her scourge, Catelyn snarl, lest she forget. She could not bend the defy two fingers on her go forth hand, and the others would never again be dexterous. however that was a small enough price to pay for Brans life.Ser Rodrik chose that moment to come forward on deck. My good trembler, utter Moreo by his forked green beard. The Tyroshi love bright colors, even in their facial hair. It is so fine to call you looking better.Yes, Ser Rodrik agreed. I peent wanted to die for around two old age now. He bowed to Catelyn. My lady.He was looking better. A shade thready than he had been when they set out from WhiteHarbor, just now if almost himself again. The strong winds in the Bite and the roughness of the narrow sea had not agreed with him, and hed almost gone over the side when the storm seized them unexpectedly off Dragonstone, provided somehow he had clung to a rope until three of Moreos men could drive home him and carry him safely below decks.The captain was just telling me that our voyage is almost at an end, she said.Ser Rodrik managed a wry smile. So soon? He looked odd without his great white side whiskers smaller somehow, less(prenominal) fierce, and ten years older. Yet natural covering on the Bite it had reckonmed wise to submit to a crewmans razor, after his whiskers had become wantlessly defile for the third time patch he leaned over the rail and retched i nto the swirling winds.I will throw you to discuss your business, Captain Moreo said. He bowed and excessivelyk his leave of them.The galley skimmed the water wish a dragonfly, her oars rising and travel in perfect time. Ser Rodrik held the rail and looked out over the passing bound. I have not been the most valiant of protectors.Catelyn touched his arm. We are here, Ser Rodrik, and safely. That is all that truly matters. Her hand groped beneath her robe, her fingers stiff and fumbling. The dagger was still at her side. She found she had to touch it now and thusly, to reassure herself. Now we must make up the kings master-at-arms, and pray that he hobo be rely.Ser Aron Santagar is a vain man, exactly an honest one. Ser Rodriks hand went to his face to stroke his whiskers and discovered at once again that they were gone. He looked nonplussed. He may go through the blade, yes . . . simply, my lady, the moment we go ashore we are at venture. And there are those at wo o who will know you on sight.Catelyns mouth grew tight. Littlefinger, she murmured. His face swam up forward her a boys face, though he was a boy no longer. His bring had died some(prenominal) years forwards, so he was schoolmaster Baelish now, yet still they called him Littlefinger. Her brother Edmure had given him that name, long ago at Riverrun. His familys modest take a crapings were on the smallest of the Fingers, and Petyr had been slight and short for his age.Ser Rodrik cleared his throat. Lord Baelish once, ah . . . His thought trailed off uncertainly in search of the polite word.Catelyn was past delicacy. He was my obtains ward. We grew up in concert in Riverrun. I thought of him as a brother, but his feelings for me were . . . much than brotherly. When it was announced that I was to wed Brandon Stark, Petyr challenged for the right to my hand. It was madness. Brandon was twenty, Petyr scarcely fifteen. I had to solicit Brandon to spare Petyrs life. He permit h im off with a scar. Afterward my father sent him away. I have not seen him since. She lifted her face to the spray, as if the brisk wind could blow the memories away. He wrote to me at Riverrun after Brandon was killed, but I burned the letter unread. By then I knew that Ned would join me in his brothers place.Ser Rodriks fingers fumbled once again for nonexistent whiskers. Littlefinger sits on the small council now.I knew he would rise high, Catelyn said. He was always clever, even as a boy, but it is one thing to be clever and another to be wise. I wonder what the years have done to him.High overhead, the farther- gists sing out from the rigging. Captain Moreo came scrambling across the deck, giving orders, and all around them the Storm Dancer burst into frenetic activity as Kings Landing slid into pull in atop its three high pileocks.Three cytosine years ago, Catelyn knew, those high gear had been covered with forest, and only a handful of fisherfolk had lived on the nort h shore of the Blackwater Rush where that deep, swift river flowed into the sea. Then Aegon the Conqueror had sailed from Dragonstone. It was here that his army had designate ashore, and there on the highest hill that he built his first down-to-earth redoubt of wood and earth.Now the urban center covered the shore as far as Catelyn could see manses and arbors and granaries, brick storehouses and timbered inns and merchants stalls, taverns and graveyards and brothels, all piled one on another. She could attend the clamor of the fish market even at this distance. Between the buildings were gigantic roads lined with trees, wandering crookback streets, and alleys so narrow that two men could not walk abreast. Visenyas hill was laureled by the groovy Sept of Baelor with its seven crystal towers. Across the city on the hill of Rhaenys stood the blackened walls of the Dragonpit, its huge dome collapsing into ruin, its bronze approachs closed now for a century. The Street of the Sist ers ran between them, straight as an arrow. The city walls rose in the distance, high and strong.A hundred quays lined the waterfront, and the harbor was crowded with ships. Deepwater fishing boats and river runners came and went, ferrymen poled back and forth across the Blackwater Rush, trading galleys unloaded goods from Braavos and Pentos and Lys. Catelyn spied the queens ornate barge, tied up beside a fat-bellied whaler from the Port of Ibben, its hull black with tar, while upriver a dozen lean golden warships rested in their cribs, sails furled and cruel iron rams lapping at the water.And above it all, pull a face down from Aegons high hill, was the Red Keep seven huge drum-towers crowned with iron ramparts, an immense grim barbi brush off, vaulted halls and covered bridges, barracks and dungeons and granaries, massive chimneypiece walls studded with archers nests, all fashioned of pale red stone. Aegon the Conqueror had commanded it built. His word of honor Maegor the Crue l had seen it completed. Afterward he had taken the heads of every stonemason, woodworker, and builder who had intemperate on it. Only the blood of the dragon would ever know the secrets of the defense the Dragonlords had built, he vowed.Yet now the banners that flew from its battlements were golden, not black, and where the three-headed dragon had once surd fire, now pranced the crowned stag of House Baratheon.A high-masted swan ship from the Summer Isles was beating out from port, its white sails huge with wind. The Storm Dancer moved past it, pulling steadily for shore.My lady, Ser Rodrik said, I have thought on how best to proceed while I lay abed. You must not enter the fastness. I will go in your stead and bring Ser Aron to you in some safe place.She studied the old dub as the galley drew near to a pier. Moreo was shouting in the vulgar Valyrian of the Free Cities. You would be as much at risk as I would.Ser Rodrik smiled. I value not. I looked at my demonstration in th e water earlier and scarcely recognized myself. My mother was the pop off person to see me without whiskers, and she is forty years dead. I believe I am safe enough, my lady.Moreo bellowed a command. As one, sixty oars lifted from the river, then reversed and backed water. The galley slowed. Another shout. The oars slid back inside the hull. As they thumped against the dock, Tyroshi seamen leapt down to tie up. Moreo came bustling up, all smiles. Kings Landing, my lady, as you did command, and never has a ship made a swifter or surer passage. Will you be needing financial aid to carry your things to the castle?We shall not be going to the castle. Perhaps you can suggest an inn, someplace clean and comfortable and not too far from the river.The Tyroshi fingered his forked green beard. Just so. I know of several establishments that might suit your needs. Yet first, if I may be so bold, there is the matter of the second half of the payment we agreed upon. And of give the extra silve r you were so kind as to promise. Sixty stags, I believe it was.For the oarmen, Catelyn reminded him.Oh, of a certainty, said Moreo. Though perhaps I should hold it for them until we return to Tyrosh. For the sake of their wives and children. If you give them the silver here, my lady, they will dice it away or spend it all for a nights pleasure. in that respect are worse things to spend money on, Ser Rodrik put in. Winter is coming.A man must make his own choices, Catelyn said. They earned the silver. How they spend it is no concern of mine.As you say, my lady, Moreo replied, bowing and smiling.Just to be sure, Catelyn paid the oarmen herself, a stag to from each one man, and a copper to the two men who carried their chests halfway up Visenyas hill to the inn that Moreo had suggested. It was a rambling old place on Eel Alley. The woman who owned it was a sour crone with a wandering eye who looked them over suspiciously and bit the coin that Catelyn offered her to make sure it was real. Her inhabit were large and airy, though, and Moreo swore that her fish stew was the most savory in all the Seven Kingdoms. Best of all, she had no interest in their names.I think it best if you stay away from the common style, Ser Rodrik said, after they had settled in. even off in a place alike this, one never knows who may be watching. He wore ringmail, dagger, and longsword under a dark cloak with a hood he could pull up over his head. I will be back before nightfall, with Ser Aron, he promised. Rest now, my lady.Catelyn was tired. The voyage had been long and fatiguing, and she was no longer as young as she had been. Her windows opened on the alley and rooftops, with a view of the Blackwater beyond. She watched Ser Rodrik set off, striding briskly through the expeditious streets until he was lost in the crowds, then decided to take his advice. The bedclothes was stuffed with straw instead of feathers, but she had no trouble falling asleep.She woke to a pounding on h er door.Catelyn sat up sharply. Outside the window, the rooftops of Kings Landing were red in the light of the setting sun. She had slept longer than she intended. A fist beat at her door again, and a voice called out, Open, in the name of the king.A moment, she called out. She wrapped herself in her cloak. The dagger was on the bedside table. She snatched it up before she unbarred the overburdened wooden door.The men who pushed into the room wore the black ringmail and golden cloaks of the metropolis Watch. Their leader smiled at the dagger in her hand and said, No need for that, mlady. Were to escort you to the castle.By whose authority? she said.He fork overed her a ribbon. Catelyn felt her suggestion catch in her throat. The seal was a mockingbird, in grey wax. Petyr, she said. So soon. Something must have happened to Ser Rodrik. She looked at the head base hitsman. Do you know who I am?No, mlady, he said. Mlord Littlefinger said only to bring you to him, and see that you were not mistreated.Catelyn nodded. You may wait outside while I dress.She bathed her hands in the basin and wrapped them in clean linen. Her fingers were thick and awkward as she struggled to lace up her bodice and knot a drab brown cloak well-nigh her neck. How could Littlefinger have known she was here? Ser Rodrik would never have told him. over-the-hill he might be, but he was stubborn, and loyal to a fault. Were they too late, had the Lannisters reached Kings Landing before her? No, if that were true, Ned would be here too, and surely he would have come to her. How . . . ?Then she thought, Moreo. The Tyroshi knew who they were and where they were, damn him. She hoped hed gotten a good price for the information.They had brought a horse for her. The lamps were macrocosm lit along the streets as they set out, and Catelyn felt the eyes of the city on her as she rode, surrounded by the guard in their golden cloaks. When they reached the Red Keep, the portcullis was down and the gr eat gates fuddled for the night, but the castle windows were alive with flickering lights. The guardsmen left their mounts outside the walls and escorted her through a narrow postern door, then up endless steps to a tower.He was exclusively in the room, prated at a heavy wooden table, an oil lamp beside him as he wrote. When they ushered her inside, he set down his pen and looked at her. Cat, he said quietly.Why have I been brought here in this fashion?He rose and gestured brusquely to the guards. top us. The men departed. You were not mistreated, I trust, he said after they had gone. I gave firm instructions. He noticed her bandages. Your hands . . . Catelyn ignored the implied question. I am not accustomed to being summoned like a serving wench, she said icily. As a boy, you still knew the meaning of courtesy.Ive angered you, my lady. That was never my intent. He looked contrite. The look brought back vivid memories for Catelyn. He had been a sly child, but after his mischiefs he always looked contrite it was a gift he had. The years had not changed him much. Petyr had been a small boy, and he had grown into a small man, an inch or two shorter than Catelyn, slender and quick, with the sharp features she re segmented and the uniform laughing grey-green eyes. He had a little pointed chin beard now, and travel of silver in his dark hair, though he was still fainthearted of thirty. They went well with the silver mockingbird that fastened his cloak. Even as a child, he had always loved his silver.How did you know I was in the city? she asked him.Lord Varys knows all, Petyr said with a sly smile. He will be joining us shortly, but I wanted to see you alone first. It has been too long, Cat. How many years?Catelyn ignored his familiarity. There were more valuable questions. So it was the Kings Spider who found me.Littlefinger winced. You dont want to call him that. Hes very sensitive. Comes of being an eunuch, I imagine. Nothing happens in this city without Varys knowing. Oftimes he knows close it before it happens. He has informants everywhere. His little birds, he calls them. One of his little birds heard about your anticipate. Thankfully, Varys came to me first.Why you?He shrugged. Why not me? I am master of coin, the kings own councillor. Selmy and Lord Renly rode north to meet Robert, and Lord Stannis is gone to Dragonstone, expiration only Maester Pycelle and me. I was the obvious choice. I was ever a friend to your sister Lysa, Varys knows that.Does Varys know about . . . Lord Varys knows everything . . . except why you are here. He lifted an eyebrow. Why are you here?A wife is allowed to yearn for her husband, and if a mother needs her daughters close, who can tell her no?Littlefinger laughed. Oh, very good, my lady, but please dont expect me to believe that. I know you too well. What were the Tully words again?Her throat was dry. Family, Duty, Honor, she recited stiffly. He did know her too well.Family, Duty, Honor, he ech oed. All of which required you to remain in Winterfell, where our Hand left you. No, my lady, something has happened. This sudden trip of yours bespeaks a certain urgency. I beg of you, let me help. Old sweet friends should never hesitate to rely upon each other. There was a soft knock on the door. Enter, Littlefinger called out.The man who stepped through the door was plump, perfumed, powdered, and as hairless as an egg. He wore a vest of distort gold thread over a loose gown of empurpled silk, and on his feet were pointed slippers of soft velvet. Lady Stark, he said, taking her hand in both of his, to see you again after so many years is such a joy. His flesh was soft and moist, and his breath smelled of lilacs. Oh, your poor hands. permit you burned yourself, sweet lady? The fingers are so delicate . . . Our good Maester Pycelle makes a marvelous salve, shall I send for a jar?Catelyn slid her fingers from his grasp. I thank you, my lord, but my own Maester Luwin has already se en to my hurts.Varys bobbed his head. I was grievous doleful to hear about your son. And him so young. The gods are cruel.On that we agree, Lord Varys, she said. The entitle was but a courtesy due him as a council member Varys was lord of nothing but the spiderweb, the master of none but his speakers.The eunuch spread his soft hands. On more than that, I hope, sweet lady. I have great esteem for your husband, our new Hand, and I know we do both love King Robert.Yes, she was forced to say. For a certainty.Never has a king been so beloved as our Robert, quipped Littlefinger. He smiled slyly. At least(prenominal) in Lord Varyss hearing.Good lady, Varys said with great solicitude. There are men in the Free Cities with wondrous healing powers. Say only the word, and I will send for one for your dear Bran.Maester Luwin is doing all that can be done for Bran, she told him. She would not speak of Bran, not here, not with these men. She trusted Littlefinger only a little, and Varys not a t all. She would not let them see her grief. Lord Baelish tells me that I have you to thank for bringing me here.Varys giggled like a little girl. Oh, yes. I suppose I am guilty. I hope you forgive me, kind lady. He eased himself down into a seat and put his hands together. I wonder if we might trouble you to show us the dagger?Catelyn Stark stared at the eunuch in astounded disbelief. He was a spider, she thought wildly, an enchanter or worse. He knew things no one could possibly know, unless . . . What have you done to Ser Rodrik? she demanded.Littlefinger was lost. I feel rather like the knight who arrives at the battle without his lance. What dagger are we talking about? Who is Ser Rodrik?Ser Rodrik Cassel is master-at-arms at Winterfell, Varys informed him. I assure you, Lady Stark, nothing at all has been done to the good knight. He did call here beforehand(predicate) this afternoon. He visited with Ser Aron Santagar in the armory, and they talked of a certain dagger. About s unset, they left the castle together and walked to that dreadful hovel where you were staying. They are still there, drinking in the common room, waiting for your return. Ser Rodrik was very distressed to find you gone.How could you know all that?The whisperings of little birds, Varys said, smiling. I know things, sweet lady. That is the nature of my service. He shrugged. You do have the dagger with you, yes?Catelyn pulled it out from beneath her cloak and threw it down on the table in front of him. Here. Perhaps your little birds will whisper the name of the man it belongs to.Varys lifted the knife with exaggerated delicacy and ran a thumb along its edge. Blood welled, and he let out a squeal and dropped the dagger back on the table.Careful, Catelyn told him, its sharp.Nothing holds an edge like Valyrian steel, Littlefinger said as Varys sucked at his bleeding thumb and looked at Catelyn with laboured admonition. Littlefinger hefted the knife lightly in his hand, testing the grip. He flipped it in the air, caught it again with his other hand. Such sweet balance. You want to find the owner, is that the reason for this visit? You have no need of Ser Aron for that, my lady. You should have come to me.And if I had, she said, what would you have told me?I would have told you that there was only one knife like this at Kings Landing. He grasped the blade between thumb and forefinger, drew it back over his shoulder, and threw it across the room with a practiced flick of his wrist. It taken with(p) the door and buried itself deep in the oak, quivering. Its mine.Yours? It made no sense. Petyr had not been at Winterfell.Until the tourney on Prince Joffreys name day, he said, crossing the room to wrench the dagger from the wood. I backed Ser Jaime in the jousting, along with half the court. Petyrs sheepish grin made him look half a boy again. When Loras Tyrell unhorsed him, many of us became a trifle poorer. Ser Jaime lost a hundred golden dragons, the queen lost an em erald pendant, and I lost my knife. Her Grace got the emerald back, but the winner kept the rest.Who? Catelyn demanded, her mouth dry with fear. Her fingers ached with remembered pain.The Imp, said Littlefinger as Lord Varys watched her face. Tyrion Lannister.

Presentation About Procter and Gamble Essay

Procter & group Aere lay on the line (P& adenineG) is an American transnational consumer goods bon ton headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Its crops include foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal thrill products.2 In 2011, P& type AereG recorded $82.6 billion dollars in sales. risk magazine ranked P& angstromG at fifth place of the instaurations intimately Admired Companies list, which was up from sixth place in 2010.3 Procter & group A gamble is the only Fortune 500 community to issue C Share common stock.citation needed table of hearts hide * 1 History * 2 Operations * 2.1 Manage ment and staff * 2.2 Brands * 2.3 Productions * 3 Controversies * 3.1 Price fixing * 3.2 Toxic shock syndrome and t vitamin Aons * 3.3 Animal testing * 3.4 other products * 3.5 Logo controversy * 4 Notes * 5 External links -editHistoryWilliam Procter, a candlemaker, and James lay on the line, a scoopmaker, emigrated from England and Ireland respectively. They settled in Cincinnati initi distri scarceively(prenominal)y and met when they married sisters, Olivia and Elizabeth Norris.4 black lovage Norris, their father-in-law, called a meeting in which he persuaded his new sons-in-law to become billet partners. On October 31, 1837, as a result of the suggestion, Procter & antiophthalmic factor pretend was created. In 18581859, sales reached $1 million. By this point, approximately 80 employees worked for Procter & antiophthalmic factor guess. During the American Civil War, the fellowship won contracts to supply the nub Army with easy lay and candles.In addition to the increased profits experienced during the war, the military contracts introduced interchangeiers from all over the country to Procter & stakes products. In the 1880s, Procter & Gamble began to market a new product, an inexpensive soap that floats in water. The company called the soap Ivory. William Arnett Procter, William Procters grandson, began a profit-sharing program for the companys workforce in 1887. By giving the workers a stake in the company, he correctly assumed that they would be less likely to go on strike. The company began to build factories in other locations in the united sound outs because the de humansd for products had come ongrown the capacity of the Cincinnati facilities. The companys leaders began to diversify its products as well and, in 1911, began producing Crisco, a shortening made of vegetable oils or else than wight fats. As intercommunicate became more(prenominal) popular in the twenties and 1930s, the company sponsored a look of radio programs. As a result, these shows a lot became commonly cognise as soap operas.Procter & Gamble headquarters in round offtownCincinnati, OhioThe company moved into other countries, both in ground of manufacturing and product sales, becoming an international corporation with its 1930 acquisition of the Thomas Hedley Co., establish in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Procte r & Gamble maintained a strong link to the North East of England later on this acquisition. Numerous new products and fool names were introduced over time, and Procter & Gamble began branching taboo into new areas. The company introduced surge race purifying in 1946 and Prell wash in 1947. In 1955, Procter & Gamble began selling the rootage toothpaste to contain fluoride, known as Crest. Branching out once again in 1957, the company purchased Charmin Paper Mills and began manufacturing thr iodin paper and other paper products. Once again focusing on washout, Procter & Gamble began making Downy fabric softener in 1960 and edge fabric softener sheets in 1972. One of the most revolutionary products to come out on the market was the companys Pampers, first test-marketed in 1961. former to this point disposable diapers were not popular, although rearson & Johnson had developed a product called Chux. Babies always wore cloth diapers, which were leaky and labor in tensive to wash. Pampers provided a well-off alternative, albeit at the environmental cost of more waste requiring landfilling.Procter & Gamble acquired a number of other companies that diversified its product line and importantly increased profits. These acquisitions included Folgers Coffee, Norwich Eaton Pharmaceuticals (the makers of Pepto-Bismol), Richardson-Vicks, Noxell (Noxzema), Shultons Old Spice, easy lay Factor, and the Iams play along, among others. In 1994, the company made headlines for big losses resulting from leveraged stains in interest rate derivatives, and subsequently sued Bankers Trust for fraud this placed their forethought in the unusual position of testifying in court that they had entered into transactions that they were not capable of understanding. In 1996, Procter & Gamble again made headlines when the Food and Drug Administration canonical a new product developed by the company, Olestra. Also known by its strike out name Olean, Olestra is a lower-calorie substitute for fat in cooking potato chips and other bites.Procter & Gamble has dramatically grow throughout its history, but its headquarters still remains in Cincinnati. In January 2005 P&G announced an acquisition of Gillette, forming the largest consumer goods company and placing Unilever into second place. This added deformitys much(prenominal) as Gillette razors,Duracell, Braun, and Oral-B to their stable. The acquisition was approved by the European Union and the Federal Trade Commission, with conditions to a spinoff of certain overlapping soft touchs. P&G agreed to sell its SpinBrush battery-operated electric toothbrush business to church building & Dwight. It also divested Gillettes oral- tending toothpaste line, Rem bladet. The deodorant pocks Right Guard, Soft & Dri, and Dry Idea were sold to Dial Corporation.5 The companies officially merged on October 1, 2005. Liquid Paper, and Gillettes stati matchlessry division, Paper Mate we re sold toNewell Rubbermaid.In 2008, P&G branched into the record business with its sponsorship of get over Records, as an endorsement for TAG Body Spray.6 P&Gs dominance in many categories of consumer products makes its grunge management decisions decorous of study.7 For example, P&Gs corporate strategists must nib for the likelihood of one of their products cannibalizing the sales of another.8 On August 24, 2009, the Ireland- found pharmaceutical company Warner Chilcott announced they had bought P&Gs prescription- drug business for $3.1 billion.9 P&G exited the food business in 2012 when it sold its Pringles snack food business to Kelloggs. The company had previously sold Jif peanut cover and Folgers coffee in separate transactions toSmuckers. Procter and Gamble is a tier up one sponsor of the Londons Olympic Games 2012 and sponsors 150 Athletes. -editOperationsAs of July 1, 2011, the company structure is categorized into two Global Business Units with each on e further divided into Business Segments according to the companys 2011 Annual Report. Dimitri Panayotopoulos is Vice C bullman of Global Business Units10 * Beauty ingredient* Grooming part* Health attention segment* Snacks & worryss Care segment* Fabric Care & Home Care segment* Baby Care & Family Home Care segmenteditManagement and staffThe board of directors of Procter & Gamble currently has eleven members Robert A. Mc get dressedald, Angela Braly, trillion Whitman, Johnathan A. Rodgers, Ernesto Zedillo, Scott Cake, Patricia A. Woertz, Susan D.Desmond-Hellmann, Maggie Wilderotter, W. James McNerney, Jr. and Kenneth Chenault.11 In March 2011 Rajat Gupta resigned from the board after a SEC accusation ofGalleon Group insider trading.12 In October 2008, P&G was named one of Canadas Top 100 Employers by Mediacorp Canada Inc., and was featured in Macleans newsmagazine. Later that month, P&G was also named one ofGreater Torontos Top Employers, which was announced by the Toronto Star newspaper.13 In whitethorn 2011 Fortune editor-at-large Patricia Sellers praised P&Gs board diversity, as five of the companys eleven current directors are young-bearing(prenominal) and accommodate all been on Fortunes annual almost Powerful Women list.14 Procter & Gamble is a member of the U.S. Global leading Coalition, a Washington, D.C.- base coalition of over 400 major companies and NGOs that advocates for a large International Affairs Budget, which funds American diplomatic and suppuration efforts abroad.15 editBrands main article List of Procter & Gamble punctuates26 of P&Gs stains have more than a billion dollars in net annual sales, according to the 2011 Annual Report and P&G Corporate Newsroom. lead Brands* Ace is a brand of laundry detergent/liquid operational in numerous forms and scents. * Always is a brand of feminine upkeep products.* Ariel is a brand of laundry detergent/liquid available in numerous forms and scents. * B old is a brand of laundry detergent/liquid.* Bounce is a brand of laundry products sold in the joined States and Canada. * Bounty is a brand of paper wipe sold in the fall in States and Canada. * Braun is a small-appliances manufacturer specializing in electric shavers, epilators, hair wield appliances and blenders. * Cascade is a brand of bathing products.* Charmin is a brand of toilet paper sold in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. * CoverGirl is a brand of womens cosmetics.* Crest/Oral B is a brand of toothpaste and teething-whitening products. * Dash is a brand of laundry detergent/liquid.* get over/Fairy is a brand of dishwashing detergent.16* Dolce & Gabbana is an Italian fashion house.* Downy/Lenor is a brand of fabric softener.* Duracell is a brand of batteries and flashlights.* Eukanuba is a brand of pet food.* Febreze/Ambi Pur is a brand of air fresheners.* Fixodent is a brand of air denture adhesives.* Fusion is a brand of mens wet shave razors.* Gain is a br and of laundry detergent, fabric softeners and liquid dish soap. * Gillette is a brand of safety razor and male grooming products. * Head & Shoulders is a brand of anti-dandruff shampoo and conditioners. * Herbal Essences is a brand of shampoo and conditioners. * Hugo Boss is a brand of fine fragrances.* Iams is a brand of pet food.* Luvs is a brand of nestling diapers.* Mach3 is a brand of safety razor and male grooming products. * Max Factor is a brand of womens cosmetics.* Mister Clean is a brand of multi-purpose cleaner sold in the United States, Canada and Great Britain. * Olay is a brand of womens skin care products.* Old Spice is a brand of mens grooming products.* Oral-B is a brand of toothbrush, and oral care products. * Pampers is a brand of disposable diaper and other baby care products. * Pantene is a brand of hair care products (conditioners/styling aids). * Prestobarba/Blue is a brand of safety razor and male grooming products. * Prilosec is an over-the-counter dru g.* Puffs is a brand of facial tissue.* Rejoice/Pert is a brand of hair care products (conditioners/styling aids). * Safeguard is a brand of soaps.* Secret is a female anti-perspirant brand.* SK-II is a brand of womens and mens skin care products. * Swiffer is a brand of house-cleaning products.* Tampax is a brand of feminine care products.* Tide is a brand of laundry detergent.* Venus is a brand female hair-removal products.* Vicks is an over the counter medication.* Wella is a brand name of hair care products (shampoo, conditioner, styling, hair color). Most of these brandsincluding Bounty, Crest and Tideare global products available on several continents. Procter & Gamble products are available in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Manufacturing operations are base in the following regions * United States * Canada * Philippines * Mexico * Latin America * Europe * chinaware (31 wholly owned factories) and other pa rts of Asia * Africa * Australia editProductionsThe P&G production early 1985 to 2007logo used fromProcter & Gamble produced and sponsored the first radio soap operas in the 1930s (Procter & Gambles world known for detergentssoapswas the genesis of the term soap opera)citation needed. When the medium switched to boob tube in the 1950s and 1960s, most of the new serials were sponsored and produced by the company. The serial The five-year-old and the Restless is currently broadcast on CBS and is still partially sponsored by Procter & Gamble. When As the World Turns left the air on kinsfolk 17, 2010, The Young and the Restless, became the only soap left that is partially sponsored by Procter & Gamble. These past serials were produced by Procter & Gamble* Another World * As the World Turns * The Brighter Day * The Catlins * The Edge of Night * The First Hundred eld * From These Roots * Guiding Light * Lovers and Friends / For Richer, for Poorer * Our Private World * Search for tomorrow * Somerset * Texas * Young ready Malone Procter & Gamble also was the first company to produce and sponsor a prime-time show, a 1965 spinoff of the daytime soap opera As the World Turns called Our Private World. In 1979, PGP produced Shirley, a prime-time NBC serial starring Shirley Jones which lasted thirteen episodes. They also produced TBS first original comedy series, Down to Earth, which ran from 1984 to 1987 (110 episodes were produced).They also distributed the syndicated comedy series Throb. Procter & Gamble Productions originally co-produced Dawsons Creek with Sony Pictures Television but withdrew before the series premiere referable to early press reviews. It also produced the 1991 TV movie A crow of the Heart The Ricky Bell Story, which was co-produced by The Landsburg Company. It also produces the Peoples prime(a) Awards. In addition to self-produced items, Procter & Gamble also supports many Spanish-language novellas through adve rtising on networks such as Univision, Telemundo, Telefutura, and Azteca America.Procter & Gamble was one of the first mainstream advertisers on Spanish-language TV during the mid-1980s.citation needed In 2000, the companys self care BeingGirl website was launched.17 In 2008, P&G grow into music sponsorship when it joined Island Def Jam to create Tag Records, named after a body spray that P&G acquired from Gillette. In April 2010, after the cancellation of As the World Turns, PGP announced they were officially phasing out of the soap industry, and expanding into more family appropriate programming.1819 Procter & Gamble also gave a $100,000 contract to the winners of beat 1 through 3 of Canadas Next Top Model, wherein Andrea Muizelaar, Rebecca barefaced and Meaghan Waller won the prize. -editControversieseditPrice fixingIn April 2011, P&G was fined 211.2m euros by the European Commission for establishing a price-fixing cartel in Europe on with Unilever, who was fin ed 104m euros, and Henkel (not fined). Though the fine was set higher at first, it was discounted by 10% after P&G and Unilever admitted running the cartel. As the provider of the tip-off leading to investigations, Henkel was not fined.20 editToxic shock syndrome and tamponsToxic shock syndrome (TSS) is a disease caused by strains of the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus. Most people have these bacteria living in their bodies as harmless commensals in places such as the nose, skin, and vagina. The disease can strike anyone, not only women, but the disease is often associated with tampons. In 1980, 814 menstrual- cogitate TSS cases were account 38 deaths resulted from the disease.The volume of women in these cases were documented as using super-absorbent synthetic tampons, particularly the swear tampon created by Procter & Gamble.21 The Rely tampon was so super-absorbent that one by itself could in fact hold one womans entire menstrual period flow. Unlike other tampons made of like and rayon, Rely used carboxymethylcellulose and compressed beads of polyester for absorption. In the summer of 1980 the Centers for indisposition Control released a report explaining how these bacterial mechanisms were leading to TSS. They also verbalise that the Rely tampon was associated with TSS more than any other brand of tampon. In September 1980, Procter & Gamble voluntarily recalled its Rely brand of tampons from the market and agreed to provide for a program to notify consumers. Since the 1980s, reported cases of TSS have dramatically decreased.22 editAnimal testingOn June 30, 1999, Procter & Gamble announced that it would limit its animal testing practices to its food and drug products which represents close to 80% of its product portfolio.23 The company invested more than $275 million in the development of alternative testing methods.24 Procter & Gamble has received criticism from animal advocacy group PETA for the practice of testing on animals.25 e ditOther productsIn declination 2005, the Pharmaceutical division of P&G was involved in a dispute over research involving its osteoporosis drug Actonel. The case was discussed in the media.26 In October 2007, a class action lawsuit was filed in the State of Georgia alleging that many users of Crest Pro-Health mouthwash, with the active ingredient Cetylpyridinium chloride, suffered stained teeth and loss of their sense of taste as a result.27 Procter & Gamble contends that these side effects occur in only three share of users.27 The suit seeks to include disclosure warning users of these side effects on product packaging. editLogo controversy piddleer P&G logoP&Gs former logo originated in 1851 as a crude cross that barge workers on the Ohio River multi-colored on cases of P&G star candles to identify them. P&G later changed this symbol into a trademark that showed a man in the moon overlooking 13 stars, said to tape the original 13 colonies.28 The company rece ived unwanted media publicity in the 1980s when tales spread that the moon-and-stars logo was a satanic symbol. The accusation was base on a particular passage in the Bible, specifically revealing 121, which states And there appeared a great wonder in enlightenment a womanclothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of 12 stars.P&Gs logo consisted of a mans face on the moon surrounded by 13 stars, and some claimed that the logo was a mockery of the heavenly symbol alluded to in the aforementioned verse, thus construing the logo to be satanic. Where the flowing beard meets the ring circle, three curls were said to be a mirror image of the number 666, or the reflected number of the beast. At the top and bottom, the hair curls in on itself, and was said to be the two horns like those of a ram. These interpretations have been denied by company officials, and no evidence linking the company to the Church of Satan or any other occult organization has ever been presented.The company unsuccessfully sued Amway from 1995 to 2003 over rumors forwarded through a company voicemail system in 1995. In 2011 the company successfully sued individual Amway distributors for reviving and propagating the false rumors.29 The moon-and-stars logo was lay off in 1985 as a result of the controversy.30 -editNotes1. a b c d e f 2011 Earnings Report, The Procter & Gamble Company. The Procter & Gamble Company. Retrieved whitethorn 6, 2012. 2. Procter & Gamble board meets amid chief operating officer reports.Boston Herald. Associated Press. June 9, 2009. Retrieved whitethorn 5, 2012. 3. P&G Ranks 5th Overall, 1st in Our Industry and a Green Star Among Fortune Magazines Worlds Most Admired Companies (Press release). Procter & Gamble. March 3, 2011. Retrieved may 5, 2012. 4. Dyer, Davis Dalzell, Frederick Olegario, Rowena (2004).Rising Tide Lessons from 165 Years of Brand Building at Procter & Gamble. Harvard Business School Pr ess. ISBN 1-59139-147-4. 5. Wherrity, Constance (February 21, 2006). Dial Agrees to Buy P&G Deodorant Brands. Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York blog. Retrieved May 5, 2012. 6. P&G Must Proceed With Caution. Marketing Doctor Blog. July 10, 2008. Retrieved May 5, 2012. 7. How To Learn From GE and P&G When The World Is virtually To Change. Marketing Doctor Blog. June 6, 2008. Retrieved May 5, 2012. 8. Horstman, Barry M (October 11, 2005). John G. Hankus He rebuilt P&G and city, too.The Cincinnati Post. Archived from the original on April 5, 2005. 9. Cordieiro, Anjali Loftus, Peter (August 25, 2009). Warner Chilcott to pay $3.1 for P&Gs drug business. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved May 5, 2012. 10. Dimitri Panayotopoulos Vice chairman. Pg.com. Retrieved February 15, 2012. 11. come along Composition business leaders, law, American Express. Pg.com. Retrieved February 15, 2012. 12. P&G absorbs P&G News Events, Multimedia, Public Relations (P ress release). Pg.com. celestial latitude 31, 2011. Retrieved February 15, 2012. 13. Reasons for Selection, 2009 Canadas Top 100 Employers Competition. 14. Sellers, Patricia (May 5, 2011). P&G rates an A for board diversity. CNN Money. Retrieved May 5, 2012. 15. U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, Global Trust members. Usglc.org. Retrieved May 5, 2012. 16. Dawn. Dawn-dish.com. Retrieved May 5, 2012.17. Dancing tampons. Wired. July 26, 2000. Retrieved May 5, 2012. 18. Levine, Robert (July 7, 2008). Its American Brandstand Marketers Underwrite Performers. New York Times. Retrieved May 5, 2012. 19. P&G Must Proceed With Caution. Marketing Doctor Blog. July 10, 2008. Retrieved May 5, 2012. 20. Unilever and Procter & Gamble in price fixing fine. BBC News. April 13, 2011. 21. Mikkelson, Barbara Mikkelson, David (celestial latitude 31, 2005 December 31). Tampax Pearl. Snopes.com. Retrieved May 5, 2012. 22. Mcpherson, Marianne (March 2005). Sexual Anatomy, Reproduction, and the Menstrual Cycle. Boston Womens Health Book Collective. Retrieved May 5, 2012. 23. Canedy, Dana (July 1, 1999). P.& G. to End Animal Tests For Most Consumer Goods.The New York Times. Retrieved May 5, 2012. 24. Animal Welfare and Alternatives. Procter & Gamble. Retrieved May 5, 2012. 25. Liddick, Don (2006). Eco-terrorism radical environmental and animal liberation movements. Praeger Publishers.ISBN 978-0-275-98535-6. Retrieved May 5, 2012. 26. Collated Media Reports. Thejabberwock.org. July 7, 2011. Retrieved May 5, 2012. 27. a b In The Superior court of law Of Richmond County (PDF). Retrieved February 15, 2012. 28. Procter and Gamble v. Amway 242 F.3d 539. U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit. February 14, 2001. Retrieved May 5, 2012. 29. Procter & Gamble Wins Satanic Civil pillowcase. CBS Money Watch. February 11, 2009. Retrieved May 5,2012. 30. Witt, Howard (April 25, 1985). Corporate news Procter symbol succumbs to devilish rumor. Chicago Tribune. -editExter nal links Cincinnati portal Ohio portal Companies portal Wikimedia Commons has media related to Procter & Gamble * Official websiteshow * v * t * eProcter & Gamble Co.show * v * t * eComponents of the Dow Jones Industrial Averageshow * v * t * ePharmaceutical companies of the United Statesshow * v * t * eSelected Royal Warrant holders of the British Royal FamilyView page ratingsRate this pageWhats this?TrustworthyObjective despatchWell-writtenI am highly knowledgeable about this topic (optional) succumb ratingsCategories* Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange* Companies established in 1837* Companies based in Cincinnati, Ohio* Companies based in Geneva* Dow Jones Industrial Average* Manufacturing companies based in Ohio* National Medal of Technology recipients* Pharmaceutical companies of the United States* Procter & Gamble* Pulp and paper companies of the United States* Dental companies* Brand management* Worldwide Olympic sponsors* Create account* Log in* membe r* Talk* Read* Edit* View history-Top of FormBottom of Form* Main page* Contents* Featured content* Current events* Random article* Donate to WikipediaInteraction* Help* About Wikipedia* Community portal* Recent changes* Contact WikipediaToolboxPrint/ merchandiseLanguages* * * * Catal* Dansk* Deutsch* Espaol* * Franais* * Hrvatski* Bahasa Indonesia* Italiano* * * Lietuvi* Magyar* * Bahasa Melayu* Nederlands* * norsk (bokml)* Polski* Portugus* Romn* * * Srpskohrvatski / * Suomi* Svenska* * Trke* * Ting Vit* * This page was last modified on 18 September 2012 at 2323. * Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License additional terms may apply. look on Terms of use for details. 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Principles of Economics Essay

Suggest how an economist would approach the b early(a) of alcoholic beverage abuse.Economics is ab extinct scarcity and choice. It is assumed that all serviceman beings are clear-sighted thinkers hence would always choose to consume products that would conduct them maximum satisfaction or utility. Mankiw (2011, p. 6) argues that rational people systematically and purposefully do the best to achieve objectives given available opportunity. Given a choice among alternatives and with scarce resources, one would evaluate the benefits and cost of consuming an bare unit of a product and would single take a last only if marginal benefit is greater than marginal cost.In this shift, to make the alcohol abuse problem, one has to consider marginal benefits and marginal costs derived from consuming an extra unit of alcohol and since excessive drinking has more than costs than benefits, one would intermit from alcohol. The opportunity cost foregone by choosing to abuse alcohol is too hi gh compared to satisfaction derived money washed-out on alcohol can do many other things such(prenominal) as feeding the family, education for children, and investments among others. Besides, the person may have wellness problems and indeed adding to the costs. By considering all these factors, a rational person would refrain from alcohol abuse.Heyne (2000) acknowledges the role played by incentives in directing behavior. For him, rational people usually respond to incentives or are induced to act by them. Assuming alcohol abusers are rational, imposing taxes on alcohol substances would eliminate the problem. This would follow the law of exact which states that other things being constant, if the wrong of a solid extend, the quantity affected of the good mitigates. Taxes have the effect of add-on alcohol wrongs and this would automatically mean that the abusers would desist from alcohol consumption or cut their consumption.Analyze how prescription drugs feign the demand a nd impart of other products and services in this country.Prescription drugs are drugs prescribed by a medical officer to a patient and are regulated by legislation unlike the over-the-counter drugs which can be old to anyone. If a patient is under prescription drugs, he/she buys the drugs despite the price of the drugs. An increment or decrease in price of the drugs therefore has little or no effect on the quantity demanded by an individual (McCarthy & antiophthalmic factor Schafermeyer, 2007). The drugs are provided by the National Health Insurance and have no close substitutes. The increase in price of the drugs olibanum affects all the sectors of health care industry such as patients and underground insurers.Due to increased costs, the private insurers are forced to increase the cost of their services in case they have to offer such drugs and this may impart to low demand for their services. The patients are also required to furbish up medical prescriptions before obt aining the drugs thus the demand for the medicine may be low compared to over-the-counter drugs. social function of prescription drugs also has an effect on demand for other healthcare services such as hospitalization. The prescription drugs also affect show of generic products as manufacturers have patents to supply the mod drugs for some years. mould a reason why duck soup of demand is an chief(prenominal) reflexion when analyzing the concern of a shift in supply and why the elasticity of supply is an important consideration when analyzing the impact of shift in demand.The price elasticity of demanded which is constituent change in quantity demanded over percentage change in price shows consumers responsiveness to price changes. (McKenzie & Lee, 2006). It is an important consideration when analyzing the impact of a shift in supply and in determining if the firm should raise or lower its price. The supply pervert is upward sloping showing a positive relationship in th e midst of price and quantity supplied other things held constant. However, in long-term, those factors do change causation a shift in supply curve. Such factors include commentary prices, technology, expectations and number of sellers in the securities industry. For example, an increase in input prices such as labor would blow over to a decrease in supply thus shift the supply curve to the left.This allow fors in low output which is not able to satisfy the market demand thus pushing the prices up. An increase in prices according to the law of demand would strain to a magnetic inclination in demand leading to excess supply and consequently ensconce in prices until an equilibrium is reached (Mankiw, 2011). However, the fall in quantity demanded will be determined by elasticity of demand. If the product has inelastic demand, an increase in price as a result of shift in supply would have no effect on demand thus suppliers would get more revenue. If demand for the product is elastic, an increase in price would lead to a massive reduction in quantity demanded and consequently glum of prices and revenue.Shifts in demand curve are caused by other factors that affect demand except price. These include income, price of related goods, tastes and preferences, expectations and number of buyers (Mankiw, 2011). ginger nut of supply shows the producers responsiveness to changes in price and is important in evaluating the impact of a shift in demand. For example, an increase in income would lead to an increase in demand depending on the type of the good thereby shifting the demand curve to the right. If it is an inferior good, an increase in income would lead to decrease in demand shifting the curve to the left. In this case, the good is normal. A shift in demand curve to the right would lead to an increase in price and quantity supplied. However, this is determined by elasticity of supply. If the good is elastic, a small increase in price would lead to a lar ge increase in quantity supplied.This would in effect lead to excess supply forcing the prices to fall thus inducing an increase in quantity demanded but if the supply is inelastic, an increase in price would lead to a small increase in quantity supplied not adequacy to offset costs hence fall in revenue. Provide two examples of increasing-cost industries in your state and propose why they would have a positively sloped supply curve. According to McEachern (2010) increasing-cost industries occur as a result of entry of new firms due to increase in demand. An increase in demand results in high production costs and the average long-run average cost curve of each firm to shift upwards. The market is combative and thus new firms enter the industry to share in the abnormal profits made by existing firms.However, as new firms enter, they compete thereby pushing up the production costs leading to low profit or some firms are forced out of the market. This depends on how far the mark et supply curve shifts to interact with demand curve. The industry would have a positively sloped supply curve as an indication of the increasing costs. Examples of increasing-cost industries are housing construction and roving companies which bid up prices for labor and raw materials. Suggest how, under original conditions, a abruptly competitive market is economically efficient.A perfectly competitive market cant innovate, because all products are uniform and cant take advantage of cooperation. But if you define energy in a particularly useless way and choose only one definition of economic efficiency as well then there are certain conditions under which a perfectly competitive market is economically efficient.

Taking Care of Our Elderly

Davis 1 E. Diana Davis ENGL 2010 Professor Asplund 21st September 2012 The Responsibility of Taking make out of Our Elders My grandmother k instantaneouslys a lot intimately how it lifes to be left(p) in a house alone, waiting for someone to assist her to just apprehend out of bed. This Saturday morning I decided to go visit her plot of land my grandfather was at dialysis. She was surprised to hear my voice as she sour her head over my way and smiled. I could hear the sound of easiness in her voice just knowing her granddaughter was here to see about her.My grandmother has been blind since March 2012 she is a diabetic that has had an eye operation to help repair a detached retina that is still healing. In the slow tidy sum shes been dealing with paralysis on her chasten side from a stroke she suffered over twenty historic period ago, and its re everyy nominaten a toll on her health. As I sat bulge beside her with a pen and paper I told her I wanted to sterilise her po int of view on how she feels about being an time-honored individual in this ponderous economy. I needed to know if they were able to hide out all their needs on a fixed income. Did she really feel like her and my grandfathers needs were really being met?As she began to tell me about her fears Davis 2 And concerns my heart sunk and I design to myself, bewilder we really failed to live up to the obligations of taking pity of our elders. As she spoke in her little sweet tone, she made me aware of how hard it is to do simple things like taking a shower, cooking and plain going to the restroom is a hard task to do these days. She say I feel like everyone is too busy to lend a hand, and me and your grandfather dont want to be a consign on you all. I thought to myself as her granddaughter, was I even doing replete?Was the responsibility of taking explosive charge of our elderly been overlooked, or was it being passed down to the few faithful heap who were getting burnt out on the responsibility? My grandparents as parents bared the moral, legal, and ethical responsibilities to care for their children. However, now that my grandparents eat up reached an age where they can no longer look after themselves, the duties of their mature children to support them is less clear. It is therefore only fair to say now that their children are grown up and now their parents have become elderly, they should take up the responsibility to provide a decent life for their parents.While it is not a legal obligation, it is a moral obligation and its prison term to pay forward what is owed to our parents/grandparents. Its our responsibility to help any family process in need. Our family has raised us and helped to survive in this uncertain economy, so why shouldnt we help out when our parents and grandparents reach an age where they need our help? Davis 3 Only one out of in five people takes the needed steps to prepare legally and fiscally for taking care of an incapacita ted parent. Consider this contrast between expectations and reality Only 13 percent of some 4,000 U.S. workers surveyed for the 2011 (Aflac Work Forces Report) believe that the need for long-term care would affect their families. The percentage of adult children providing personal care and/or financial assistance to a parent has more than tripled over the past 15 years, the research group found. Of course, in todays tough economy, it also is common for elderly adults to be supporting their adult children. But in some ways, thats easier to feature Parents often stick out to leave whatever wealth they have to their children anyway.The die hard of wealth from older to younger generation feels natural to many. But with Americans vivacious so much longer now, the younger generation has to do more thinking about how they might care for parents who have exhausted their savings. afterward spending the whole day talking with my grandparents about their concerns I snarl compelled to le nd a hand. I made lunch for them and started to clean the kitchen. By the end of the day the whole house was spotless, and before I left I help my grandfather get my grandmother ready for bed.I have to say I was really exhausted when I finished, but the touch I felt when I saw them smiling and relaxing unitedly was worth a million bucks. As soon as I got home that night, I was determined that I had to help with this situation right away. The first thing to do was to call a family meeting. It was time for everyone to take away Davis 4 together and take up their responsibility to do their part. beginning thing we needed to do is put together a instrument and set it in stone. We all agreed that we would be assigned a day to go and check on our grandparents/parents.This action plan would complicate cooking, cleaning and donating at least a hundred dollars a calendar month to help with their financial needs. So far this is working out great, and all it took was a concerned person to be a good meeter and someone to pull a family together to put a plan in action. By working together as a family it helped to muddle broken relationships and it helped us to accomplished many beautiful things. Im happy to say my grandparents are well taken care now, and years have been added to their life span. Davis 5 Works Cited Http//www. aflac. com/ Aflac_WorkForces_Report 2011

The Golden Lily Chapter 9

THOSE OF US WHO KNEW what to imagine for could instantly spot Moroi by their gruesome complexions and t entirely, slim builds. To most human eyes, those features s to a faultd come start of the closet further werent a lamia tip- finish. Humans skillful n unitaryd the features as striking and unusual, much as Lia regarded Jill as the perfect et presental run elbow room form. I didnt lack to influence upon stereotypes, but subsequently a quick assessment of Mr. Ivashkovs Moroi-paleness, coherent face, haunting look, and silver hair, I kind of wondered that he didnt trace mis taken for a vampire more than often. No, vampire wasnt advancedfully the correct term, I decided. more(prenominal) bid undertaker. soda pee, express Adrian stiffly. Al styles a plea indisputable.For some of us. His father examine me, and I saw his eyes f any on my cheek. He widen a hand. I took it, proud that shaking hands with Moroi was a non- heretoforet for me now. Nathan Ivashkov.Sydney perspicacious, I replied. Its rattling nice to meet you, sir.I met sagacious while I was bumming close to out here, beg offed Adrian. She was nice enough to use me a aim from ll.A. today since I dont con frame a car. Nathan looked at me in astonishment. Thats a long motor. Not nearly as long as the drive from Palm Springs, but wed figured it would be safest and more believable to let him think Adrian was in Los Angeles.I dont mind, sir, I said. I glanced oer at Adrian. Ill go energize some work through. You indirect request to text me when youre effectuate to go?Work? he requested in disgust. Come on, quick-scented. Go steal a bikini and enjoy the pool while youre hanging around.Nathan looked surrounded by us incredulously. You do her drive you out here, and now youre average waiver to make her wait around for your convenience?Really, I said. I dont Shes an Alchemist, continue Nathan. Not a chauffeur. Theres a big difference. Actually, there were days at Amber wood I doubted that. Come, send external Sage. If youve wasted your day driving my son here, the to the lowest degree I nominate do is buy you lunch. I cam stroke a panicked look at Adrian. It wasnt panicked because I was afraid of universe with Moroi. Id long since gotten used to these sorts of situations. What I was unsure of was if Adrian genuinely indispensablenessed me around for his family reunion. That hadnt been part of the plan. Also, I wasnt sure that I authentically wanted to be around for said reunion any.Dad Adrian attempted.I insist, said Nathan crisply. invent tutelage and learn common courtesy. He turned and began walking out, presumptuous wed follow. We did.Should I find a cogitate to set forth? I whispered to Adrian.Not when he uses his I insist voice, came the muttered response.For a moment, catching sight of the beautiful workbench restaurant and its sunny ocean view, I thought I could handle the Ivashkovs. Sitting out there in that warmth an d kayo would be well worth the drama. Then, Nathan walked right past the balcony doors and led us to the elevator. We followed obediently. He took us down to the hotels ground floor, to a pub called The Corkscrew. The house was dim and window slight, with low-hanging wood beams and black leather booths. Oak barrels run along the walls, and what light there was came filtered done red glass lamps. Aside from a lone barkeeper, the pub was dispatch, which didnt entirely surprise me this time of day.What did surprise me was that Nathan had taken us here kind of of the ritzy outdoor restaurant.The guy was svelte in an expensive suit that looked identical it had come straight from a Manhattan boardroom. Why hed ignore a trendy, elite restaurant for lunch and instead choose a stuffy, dark Dark.I nearly groaned. Of course the terrace wasnt an option, not with Moroi. The sunny afternoon that make such enchanting conditions for me would redeem resulted in a pretty miserable lunch fo r the Ivashkovs not that either of them looked akin they planned on enjoying this one anyway.Mr. Ivashkov, said the bartender. Nice to cop you pole.Can I get food delivered down here once more? leaseed Nathan.Of course.Again. This subterranean lair had probably been Nathans main stop for all meals since arriving in San Diego. I allowed the terrace one last, wistful thought and then followed Nathan and Adrian inside. Nathan selected a coigne table peg downed for eight people. peradventure he liked his space. Or maybe he liked pretending he was presiding all over a corporate meeting. The bartender gave us cards and took drink orders. I got coffee tree. Adrian ordered a martini, earning disapproving looks from his father and me.Its barely noon, said Nathan.I make do, said Adrian. Im strike I held out that long too. Nathan ignored the comment and turned to me. Youre very young. You essential sire however started with the Alchemists.They start us all young, I agreed. Ive been working on my own for a little over a year.I admire that. Shows a great deal of responsibility and initiative. He nodded thanks as the bartender set down a nursing nursing bottle of sparkling water. Its no secret how the Alchemists feel intimately us, but at the analogous time, your group does a peck of unassailable for us. Your efficiency is specially remarkable. Too bad my own people dont pay more attention to that example.How are social occasions with the Moroi? I asked. With the promote? Nathan almost smiled. Are you severaliseing you dont know?I did at least, I knew what the Alchemists knew. Its ever so different hearing an insiders perspective, sir.He chuckled. It was a harsh sound, like laughing wasnt some social function Nathan Ivashkov had much practice with. The situations collapse than it was. Not great, though. That girls smart, Ill run her that. I jaded that girl was Vasilisa Dragomir, teenage queen of the Moroi and Roses outgo friend. Im sure shed rather be passing dhampir laws and familial laws but she knows those are that pass to anger her opponents. So, shes finding ways to agree on otherwise issues and has won a a couple of(prenominal) of her enemies over to her already. The hereditary laws. Those were of interest to me. There were twelve royal lines among the Moroi, and Vasilisa and Jill were the and ii leftover in theirs. Current Moroi law said a monarch had to devour at least one other family member, which was how Jill had become such a political game piece. Even hardcore assassins would have a unvoiced time taking out a wellguarded queen. Removing her half sister would depict the same results, however, and invalidate Vasilisas rule. That was why Jill had ended up in hiding.Nathans thoughts followed the same lines. Shes in any case smart to hide that bastard sister of hers. I knew he meant bastard in the sense of an illegitimate child, not an insult, but I still winced. Rumor has it your people know somet hing about that. Dont suppose youd give me an insiders perspective on it?I shook my head and tried to support my tone friendly. Sorry, sir. Insight only goes so far. After a few moments of silence, Nathan cleared his throat. Well, Adrian. What is it you wanted?Adrian took a sip of his martini. Oh, did you skillful notice I was here? I thought youd come to contrive Sydney.I sank into my contribute a little. This was exactly the kind of situation Id wanted to avoid.Why must every question yield some difficult answer with you? asked Nathan wearily.Maybe its the kinds of questions you ask, Dad.This pub wasnt going to be big enough to hold the promptly increasing tension. Every instinct told me to become invisible, but I found myself speaking anyway.Adrians in college, I said. Taking art classes. Hes very talented. Adrian shot me a questioning but amused look at that. rough of his pieces were quite good. Others especially when hed been drinking looked like hed accidentally spille d paint on canvas.Id helpfully told him so on a number of occasions.Nathan looked unimpressed. Yes. Hes done that before. It didnt last. antithetic time, different place, I said. Things can change. People can change.But often, they dont, say Nathan. The bartender returned to take our lunch orders, though none of us had level(p) up looked at the menus yet. Ill just order for us all, shall I? Nathan opened the menu and scanned it promptly. Bring us a platter of the garlic butter mushrooms, the flunkey cheese fondue, the bacon-wrapped scallops, and the fried oyster Caesar salad.Enough for three on the salad, obviously.The bartender made a couple of quick notes and was gone before I could stock-still say a word.Heavy-handed much, Dad? asked Adrian. You didnt even ask if we minded you ordering. Nathan looked unconcerned. Ive eaten here before. I know whats good. Trust me, youll like it.Sage wont eat any of that.This really would be easier, I decided, if theyd twain just pretend I didnt exist.Why ever not? asked Nathan, looking at me curiously. Are you allergic to seafood?She only eats healthy stuff, said Adrian. Everything you just got is dripping in fat.A little butter wont hurt her. Youll both see that Im right. Its all good. Besides, Nathan added, pausing to sip at his water. I did order a salad for the table. Lettuce is healthy. I didnt even attempt to point out that no substance of Romaine was going to make up for fried oysters or Caesar dressing. I wouldnt have had a fortuity to speak up anyway because Adrian was on a roll and I noticed with some surprise halfway through his martini.You see? he said in disgust. Thats exactly how you operate. You assume you know crush for everyone. You just go ahead and make these decisions, not bothering to consult with anyone, because youre so trusted youre right.In my vast experience, said Nathan coldly, I am usually right. When you too possess that kind of experience when you can actually claim to be an auth ority on, well, anything then you can also be trusted with important decisions.This is lunch, Adrian argued digest. Not a life or death decision. wholly Im saying is that you could have at least made some effort to include others. Obviously, your vast experiencedoesnt apply to normal courtesies.Nathan glanced over at me. Have I been anything but courteous to you, Miss Sage? My chair, much to my dismay, didnt swallow me up or offer to hide me.Adrian sin little his martini in a gulp and held up the glass to catch the bartenders eye. leave-taking her out of it, Adrian told his father. Dont try to parry her into proving your point.I hardly need to manipulate anyone into proving my point, said Nathan. I think its made.Lunch will be fine, I blurted out, fully aware that this altercation between father and son really had nothing to do with my eating habits. I need to try more things anyway.Dont give in to him, Sydney, warned Adrian. Thats how he gets away with walking all over people especially women. Hes done it to my mom for years. The bartender silently appeared and replaced the empty martini glass with a full one.Please, said Nathan, with a heavy sigh. Lets leave your mother out of this.Should be easy enough, said Adrian. I could see lines of tension in his face. His mother was a sensitive topic. Seeing as you always do. Ive been trying to get an answer out of you for weeks on how shes doing Hell, Ive just been trying to figure out where shes even at. Is that so hard for you to give up? She cant be in maximum security. They must let her get letters. Its mitigate that you dont have contact with her while shes incarcerated, said Nathan.Even I was amazed at how coldly he spoke about his wife.Adrian sneered and took a sip of his new martini. There we are again you knowing whats best for everyone. You know, Id really, really like to think youre keeping this avoidance attitude with her because it hurts too much. I know that if the woman I loved was locked away, I d be doing everything in my power to reach her. For you? Maybe its too hard. Maybe the only way you can cope without her is to block her out and by keeping me away too. I could almost understand that.Adrian began Nathan.But thats not it, is it? You dont want me to have contact and you probably arent having contact because youre embarrassed. Adrian was really getting worked up now. You want to distance us and pretend what she did doesnt exist. You want to pretend that she doesnt exist. Shes ruined the family reputation.Nathan dogged his son with a steely look. Considering your own reputation, Id think you would see the recognition in not associating with someone who has done what shes done.What, screw up? Adrian demanded. We all screw up. Everyone makes mistakes. Thats what she did. It was bad judgment, thats all. You dont cut off the people you love for mistakes like that.She did it because of you, said Nathan. His tone left no question about what he thought of that decision . Because you couldnt leave well enough alone with that dhampir girl. You had to flaunt your kindred with her, nearly getting yourself in as much trouble as her in your aunts murder. Thats why your mother did what she did to protect you. Because of your irresponsibility, shes in prison now. All of this is your fault. Adrian went pale more so than usual and looked too blow out of the water to even attempt any response.He picked up his martini again, and I was almost certain I could see his hands shaking.It was right around then that two waiters from the upstairs restaurant showed up with our food. We stared in silence as they put our place settings and artfully laid out the platters of food. Looking at all that food made me nauseous, and it had nothing to do with the oill or salt content.Mr. Ivashkov, I began, despite every reasonable voice in my head screaming at me to shut up. Its unfair to blame Adrian for her choices, especially when he didnt even realize what she was doing . I know he would do anything for her. If hed been able to finish up this or take her place he would have.Youre sure of that, huh? Nathan was piling his menage with food and seemed quite excited about it. Neither Adrian nor I had an appetite. Well, Miss Sage, Im sorry to shatter your illusions, but it seems you like so many other young women have been fooled by my sons fast-talking ways. I can assure you, he has never done anything that didnt serve his own interests first. He has no initiative, no ambition, no follow-through. From a very early age, he was constantly interruption rules, never listening to what others had to say if it didnt suit what he wanted. Im not really surprised his college attempts have failed and I assure you, this one will too because he barely made it out of high school. It wasnt even about the drinking, the girls, and the stunts he pulled he just didnt care. He ignored his work. It was only through our influence and checkbook that he managed to gra duate. Since then, its been a constant downward spiral.Adrian looked like hed been slapped. I wanted to reach out and comfort him, but even I was still in blow out of the water from Nathans words. Adrian clearly was too. It was one thing to go on and on about how you thought your father was let down in you. It was an entirely different thing to hear your father explain it in excruciating detail. I knew because I had been in both situations.Honestly, I dont even mind the drinking so much, so long as it knocks him out and keeps him quiet, keep Nathan, through a mouth full of tail end cheese. You think his mother suffers now? I assure you, shes far better off. She was up countless nights, crying over whatever trouble hed gotten himself into. charge him away from her now isnt about me or him. Its for her. At least now, she doesnt have to hear about his latest antics or get about him. Ignorance is bliss. Shes in a better place not having contact with him, and I intend to keep it th at way. He offered the scallops to me, as though he hadnt just delivered a huge chastisement without taking a breath. You really should try this. Proteins good for you, you know.I shook my head, unable to find words.Adrian took a deep breath. Really, Dad? I come all the way here to see you, to ask you to give me some way to contact her and this is all I get? That shes better off not talking to me? Looking at him, I had a feeling he was working very hard to stay calm and reasonable.Breaking into snarky Adrian retorts wouldnt win him any ground, and he knew it.Nathan looked startled. Is that the only reason you came here? It was clear from his tone that he thought it was a monstrous reason.Adrian bit his lip, probably again to hold fanny his true feelings. I was impressed at his control.I also thought well, that maybe youd want to hear how I was doing. I thought you might be effulgent to know I was doing something useful. I particle acceleratorped.For a moment, his father simply s tared. Then, his bewilderment melted into one of those awkward laughs. Ah. Youre joking. I was stick for a moment.Im done with this, said Adrian.In a flash, he downed his martini and was out of his seat, heading toward the door. Nathan continued eating undisturbed, but I was on my feet as well. It was only when I was halfway across the pub, trying to catch up with Adrian, that Nathan bothered to say anything else.Miss Sage? Every part of me wanted to run after Adrian, but I paused to glance gage at his father. Nathan had taken out his wallet and was flipping through a stack of bills. Here. Allow me to pay you for your shooter and your time.He held the cash out, and I almost laughed. Adrian had forced himself to come here for all sorts of reasons, notes being one of them. Hed never gotten a chance to ask for it, yet here his father was, offering it up. I didnt move.I dont want anything from you, I said. Unless its an apology to Adrian. Nathan gave me another blank look. He seem ed sincerely yours confused. What do I have to apologize for?I left.Adrian had either taken the stairs or immediately caught an elevator because there was no distinguish of him outside the pub. I went back up to the lobby and peered around anxiously. A bellman passed by, and I flagged him down.Excuse me. Wheres the nearest place you can hatful?He nodded back toward the front door. Far side of the circle drive. I thanked him and practically ran outside. Sure enough, over in the designated smoking area, Adrian was leaning against an rhetorical fence in the shade of an orange tree, lighting up. I speed over to him.Adrian, I exclaimed. Are you okay?He took a long drag on his cigarette. Is that really a question you want to ask, Sage?He was out of line, I said adamantly. He had no line of business saying any of that about you. Adrian inhaled on the cigarette again and then dropped it to the sidewalk. He stamped the cigarette out with the toe of his shoe. Lets just go back to Palm S prings. I glanced back at the hotel. We should get you some water or something. You took down that vodka pretty fast.He nearly smiled. Nearly. Takes a lot more than that to make me sick. I wont throw up in your car. I promise. I just dont want to stick around and risk eyesight him again. I complied, and before long, we were back on the road again. Wed spent less time in San Diego than it had taken to drive there. Adrian stayed silent, and this time, I didnt try to coax cable him out or distract him with meaningless conversation. No words of mine would help. I doubted anyones words would help. I didnt blame Adrian for his mood. Id feel the same way if my father had laid into me like that in public. Still, I wished there was something I could do to ease Adrians pain. Some small comfort to give him a moment of peace.My chance came when I saw a small gas station outside of Escondido with a sign reading BEST SLUSHES IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HERE AT JUMBO JIMS I remembered his waggery ab out switching to a slush-based diet. I turned my car off the highway, even though I knew it was silly. What was a slush compared to the disaster wed just left behind? Still, I had to do something anything to make Adrian feel better. He didnt even seem to notice wed halt there until I was getting out of the car.Whats up? he asked, managing to drag himself out of his dark thoughts. The look on his face tore me apart. Youve got half a tank.Be right back, I said.I returned five minutes later, a cup in each hand, and managed to knock on his window.He got out of the car, truly puzzled now. Whats going on?Slushes, I said. Cherry for you. You have to drink it out here, though. Im not risking the car.Adrian blinked a couple of times, as though maybe I was a mirage brought on by too much sunlight. What is this? A grace party for me? Because Im so pathetic?Its not always about you, I scolded. I saw the sign and wanted a slush. Figured youd want one too. If you dont, Ill throw it away and j ust drink mine. I only got one step away before he stopped me and took the graphic red slush. We leaned against the car together and drank without talking for a while. Man, he in the long run said, when we were about halfway through. There was a look of wonder in his eyes. Id forgotten how good these are. What kind did you get?Blue raspberry.He nodded and slurped forte on his. That dark mood still hung around him, and I knew a childhood beverage wasnt going to undo what his father had done anytime soon. The best I could hope for was a few moments of peace for him.We finished curtly thereafter and tossed the cups in the trash. When we got back in Latte, Adrian sighed wearily and rubbed his eyes. God, those are awesome. I think I needed that. The vodka may have hit me harder than I thought. Glad you decided to branch out into something that isnt coffee for a change.Hey, if theyd had coffee flavor, you know I wouldve gotten it.Thats disgusting, he said. There isnt enough sugar in t he world to make that even remotely He stopped and gave me a startled look. In fact, he looked so shocked that I stopped backing up and kicked the car back into park.Whats wrong? I asked.The slush. That things like 99 percent sugar. You just drank one, Sage. He seemed to interpret my silence as though perhaps I hadnt understood. You just drank luculent sugar.Maybe you drank liquid sugar, I said. Mine was sugar free. I hoped I sounded convincing.Oh. I couldnt arrange if he was relieved or disappointed. You freaked me out there for a minute.You shouldve cognize better.Yeah. I suppose so. He fell back into his blue mood, the slushes only a temporary distraction.You know what the worst part of all that was?I knew we were back to his father, not slushes. What?Youd think itd be that I didnt get the money or that he just ripped my life apart or that he has no faith in me sticking to college. But thats okay. Im used to that from him. What really bothers me is that I really did ruin my moms life.I cant imagine you did, I said, shocked at his words. Like you pointed out, we still love people who make mistakes. Im sure she loves you too. Anyway, thats something you need to discuss with her not him.He nodded. The other thing that bothered me well, he said all that in front of you. That was a shock too. I brushed it off, feeling a little flustered that he would think so much of my opinion. Why should he care? Dont worry about me. Ive been with much more abrasive people than him.No, no I mean Adrian looked at me and then quickly averted his eyes. After what he said about me, I cant stand the thought that you might think less of me. I was so surprised that I couldnt muster a response right away. When I did, I just blurted out the first thing that came to mind. Of course I dont. He still wouldnt look at me, patently not believing my words. Adrian. I laid my hand over his and matte up a warm spark of connection.He jerked his head toward me in astonishment. null he sai d could change what I think of you. Ive had my mind made up about you for a long time and its all good. Adrian looked away from me and down to where my hand covered his. I blushed and pulled away. Sorry. Id probably freaked him out.He glanced back up at me. Best thing thats happened to me all day. Lets hit the road. We got back on the highway, and I found myself distracted by two things. beginning(a) was my hand. It still tingled and felt warm from where Id touched his, which was kind of funny. People always thought vampires were cold, but they werent. Certainly not Adrian. The sensation was fading the bimestrial I drove, but I kind of wished itd stay.The other thing that kept distracting me was all that sugar Id just consumed. I kept running my vernacular over my teeth. My whole mouth was coated in sickening sweetness. I wanted to brush my teeth and then drink a bottle of mouthwash. Liquid sugar. Yes, that was exactly what it had been. I hadnt wanted to drink one, but Id cogni ze if Id just brought a slush for Adrian, he really wouldve read that as pity and refused. I had to act as though Id wanted one too, with him as an afterthought. He seemed to have believed my lie about the drinks sugar content, though a quick trip into the gas station would have quickly alerted him to the fact that Jumbo Jims most certainly didnt carry sugar-free slushes. Id asked them. Theyd laughed.Skipping lunch wasnt going to compensate for those calories, I thought glumly. And I wasnt going to get that sugary taste out of my mouth anytime soon. With as quickly as Adrian had change posture back into his depression, I suddenly felt stupid for even attempting this ruse. A slush couldnt change what his father had said, and Id be a pound up on the scale tomorrow. This probably hadnt been worth it.Then, I thought back to that outline moment by the car, and Adrians fleeting look of contentment, followed later by God, those are awesome. I think I needed that.A brief moment of peace i n the midst of his dark despair. That was what I had wanted, and that was what I had gotten. Was it worth it? I rubbed my fingertips together, still feeling that warmth.Yes, I decided. Yes, it was worth it.