Briar Rose Essays - Briar Rose, Sleeping Beauty, Becca, Fairy Tale

Briar Rose Essays - Briar Rose, Sleeping Beauty, Becca, Fairy Tale Briar Rose In a nutshell: Briar Rose is the story of the Holocaust intertwined with the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty. The story begins with the death of the "Gemma," the grandmother of Becca. Through out Becca?s life Gemma told the story of Sleeping Beauty many times to her. Now, however, after making a promise to her grandmother, to find her past, the once insignificant fairy tale might be a clue to her actual past. Before her grandmother's death Becca had vowed to fulfill her grandmothers promise, which was to rediscover her origin. After the grandmother's death, Becca became intrigued in what she had found in a box Gemma left behind. In the box there were only vague clues about Gemma?s past. Drawn to the mystery of her grandmothers past, Becca continued to search for clues. After finding out what could be a lead to Gemma?s past, Becca decides to go to Poland were everything began. Once in Poland Becca tries to solve the mystery. When Becca goes to Joseph Potocki, a once close friend of Gemma, this is all answered There in Joseph Potocki's house Becca finds the shocking conclusion to her grandmother's past. Gemma's fairy tales were not all so make believe in the end. The story Joseph told was shocking. Gemma's past was darker than Becca thought. As Joseph told his story, Becca began to realize not only the significance of the story; but also what Gemma actually went through. The story explained Joseph?s and Gemma?s escape from the Holocaust. Joseph goes on to explain how he had saved Gemma by bringing her back to life, the escape from the concentration camps, and finally, freedom. After finding the truth Becca returns home content, knowing she has fulfilled her vow. What's so special: The book has a rich and intriguing story line. It uses the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty intertwined with the Holocaust to make an all most life like story, that keeps you reading for more. The book is set-up with two stories, both being told side by side, with one exception: Becca's retelling of Joseph's story. One story retells certain memories Becca had with her grandmother, and the second story is about what is presently going on in Becca's life. Should I care: This is certainly one book to look into. Using two stories intertwined, the book is intriguing and makes you read for more. It's one book you won't want to put down until you're done.

Hurdling the Olympic word police - Emphasis

Hurdling the Olympic word police Hurdling the Olympic word police Today, its exactly two years until the opening ceremony of the Olympics and the moment the eyes of the world turn towards London. However, advertisers not officially associated with the Games will have to duck and dive to be able to cash in on this attention without alerting the Olympic word police. Thats because a law passed in 2006 forbids any combination of 2012, games, gold, silver, bronze and London to be used by anyone but official sponsors of the event. Sporting bodies have made it their business to protect their multi-million-investing sponsors from opportunistic encroachers since 1996. That was the year Nike irked official Olympic sportswear supplier Adidas by setting up their own tented village opposite the main stadium. And you may have read about this years World Cup in South Africa being invaded by a posse of orange-clad women promoting Bavaria beer to the reported fury of Fifa, who had an exclusive deal with Budweiser. Protecting your corporate pitch is one thing. But staking claims on individual words? Is that a step too far? Write and let us know. Meanwhile, if non-sponsors want to make the most of the global publicity in 2012, theyll have to get creative. Grabbing some of the sport-watching spotlight without mentioning the main event will require contortions fit for an Olympic gymnast. It looks like its not only the competing athletes who have just two years left to rise to the challenge.

Drinking Age in the US regarding college students Essay

Drinking Age in the US regarding college students - Essay Example However, after 1984, the American government pressured the state governments to declare twenty-one to be the new legal limit for those who wished to consume alcohol (Trex). While their intentions were to curb destructive habits that were common even then among youthful drinkers, their reasoning that the youth were too young at eighteen years to consume alcohol responsibly was not rational. It is preposterous to state that 18 year olds cannot be trusted with alcohol if they are entrusted with the safety of their country as soldiers and also have the right to marry and procreate at eighteen (Wood). Eighteen year olds in America can be can tried as grown men and women in law courts, pay taxes, vote, serve on juries, drive, conclude financial contracts, and purchase weapons. Essentially, age cannot be used to determine whether or not a person will choose to drink responsibly. Even though there is a lot of media attention given to underage drinkers who become a nuisance to society, there is not much attention given to adult drinkers who exhibit the very same behaviors. In addition, the outlawing of a negative behavior may not necessarily change the way people view that particular behavior. For instance, posting speed limits in different places does not necessarily stop people from speeding. Raising or Lowering the Drinking Age Limit. Raising the Drinking Age Limit is only likely to increase the number of drinkers who can be referred to as under-age drinkers. It is also likely to cause young adults to start abusing other substances in greater numbers than was the case before. When drinking is presented as the one thing that people may not participate in, it starts being perceived as the ‘forbidden fruit’. This happens with people of all ages; whether they are adult or underage drinkers. A good example of this is the 1920s when drinking was prohibited in America. Rather than curbing drinking habits, this reality actually increased the numbers of people wh o turned to drink. In addition, crime families acquired great power due to the popularity of their alcohol producing rackets. If the legal age limit for drinking is raise, young adults who participate in drinking will turn more into binge drinking in an effort to consume all their existing stock, once they purchase it, so that they are not caught by the authorities with alcoholic drinks on their persons. Lowering the age limit can actually benefit communities that have been indoctrinated with the notion that beer is not some special substance that is only accessible to those of a certain age. All over the world, there are communities that take their daily meals with small doses of alcoholic wine. In the French and Spanish cultures, for instance, children are brought up consuming moderate amounts of alcohol with their parents at all mealtimes (Wood). While drunkenness is a taboo in these cultures, it is not even as big a problem as drunkenness is in places such as the United States w here wine is not often consumed during mealtimes. For people who are brought up around alcohol, and who have the chance to learn how to consume it in moderation from their parents, they do not perceive alcohol as a magic potent or poison. In addition, young adults in such societies do not encounter any extreme pressure to prove their maturity by engaging in overdrinking. This proves that perceiving alcohol consumption

Starbucks case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Starbucks case - Essay Example Both the issues have emerged as vital ingredients of success that influence customer purchase behaviour and challenge the status quo of companies that becomes complacent in its performance and growth. The decision of Starbucks to diverse its business interests was primarily aimed at exploiting new opportunities for gaining market leverage. Coombe and Georghiou, (2002) assert that model of network relationship provide firms with plethora of informed choices for enhancing their performance outcome. Forging strategic business alliances become necessary business tools in the ever expanding and competitive global environment. In the fast transforming business dynamics, firms, therefore, are increasingly adopting new ways to meet the challenges of the evolving business compulsions. Changing preferences become one of the major motivating factors for fostering alliances as it helps firms to add value to their existing products and at the same time, helps them to diversify and maintain leverage against their rivals. Hence, Startbucks has bright future prospects and Poole should hold on to the Starbucks stocks. (words:

Future Indian Sports Manager Essay Example for Free

Future Indian Sports Manager Essay India is in the forefront in very sporting activities despite having such a huge raw pool of talent which if groomed correctly can catapult the country in the international arena as one of the top sporting nations. Sports has been my first and foremost passion from as far as I can remember. An active participant of every single sporting activity in school and my local clubs my entire life revolved around sports from my childhood. he adrenaline rush that comes with playing  sports  is something that I cant put into words Due to financial pressure I could not initially take up sports as a career option but after 6 years of working in the corporate world I have now realised that my life still revolves around sports and granted the opportunity I would want to live my life in the sports world. Observing the growing importance of managing sports teams and activities professionally, and seeing the emergence of specialised courses, I would like to work towards changing and growing sports from the grass roots level in my country, India. The prevalence of politics, red tapism and lack of promotion of talented athletes has more or less depleted and killed the motivation of such athletes in our country. Having been a part of the entire system myself and despite having being selected in the training camp for the state basketball team and having being told by my coach that I had tremendous potential but there was no motivation to pursue this as a career option as it offered absolutely no stability. Every year I see extremely talented athletes leaving their passions behind and moving onto make their career in other fields. Throughout the country a wide variety of sports are played. India is home to several traditional sports which originated in the country and continue to remain fairly popular. These include kabbadi, kho kho, wrestling and archery. The British rule brought many popular sports in India including football, rugby union, cricket, golf, tennis, squash, hockey, boxing, nooker and billiards. The country which has produced the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Saina Nehwal, Sania Mirza, P. T. Usha among thousands of other great athletes has not even scratched the surface. The talent is there for all to see but to a dysfunctional and corrupted system it fails to promote the same to excel in the international arena. To put in perspective these problems are not only faced in India but in many more countries. Some of the major issues which are considered to be the biggest problems facing a country can be discussed under the following points Management: The problems in management are the single most destructive force which ensures that the facilities being provided for promoting raw talents never reach. In most developing countries especially in India the key posts in management are coveted posts and are held by politicians or their close associated. The result of this is that the leaders of the sports management in these countries are mostly people who are a) without any experience whatsoever in sports, b) are required to work only till such time that their elected political party is in power so they build no plans which can be executed over a five year plan, c) are mostly politicians who are more interested in gaining political mileage out of the entire deal and most importantly d) Are mostly the biggest perpetrators when it comes to corruption ensuring funds actually meant for the athletes are diverted to their own pockets by using different channels. For instance the Commonwealth Games 2010 which was hosted by Delhi, India came under a lot of scrutiny for the corrupt means used by the organizers  who pocketed funds that had been generated for the athletes. It was a disgrace for the entire nation that an event of such magnitude was no more than a mere money making scheme for a few individuals. In fact, the Head of the Commonwealth games in India Suresh Kalmadi has also been arrested for the same. The prevalence of such a system ensure there is no long term plan for developing the system from a grass root level and ensuring the plan is constantly evolving and growing in a positive direction rather than being changed at the whims and fancies of a politician. Involvement of trained sports managers can change the entire ball game and ensure a much more planned and structural growth for athletes from the grass root level. Most other problems derive their origin from that of management but are long standing problems with ramifications of their own. Some of the more significant problems which have strong ramifications of their own are: Grass Roots:  The biggest drawback for a lot of sporting activities is a lack of a planned and sustainable program to develop athletes at the grassroots’ level. There is an urgent need to involve professional sports managers who understand the need for the same and are put in charge of the systems which govern the same. Promoting and training promising athletes will lead to emergence of new stars that would have previously gone undiscovered. Developmental:   With sports emerging as a frontrunner in drawing spectators across the world the need today in every country is to promote a variety of sports by professional methods, by packaging and presenting the USP of each sport to draw in a larger fan base. Although hockey is the national sport of the country, despite the country having such a vast raw pool of talent in different sporting genres, mainly cricket holds the limelight across the world. The IPL (Indian Premiere League) overshadows most of the other sporting events due to its glamour quotient as well as the huge sum of money involved. The lack of attention given to other sports in India besides cricket is very disheartening for young sportsmen . Packaged and managed to ensure maximum response will ensure many more varieties of sports draw in the same amount of attention and revive athletes’ interests in following the same as a career option. Disciplinary:   Due to a weak management system coaches and managers use banned substances to train their wards. Young athletes not supervised correctly are most vulnerable to the same. Discipline during growth is an extremely important aspect of a super athlete and forms the backbone during his growing stages and becomes even more important once the athlete achieves milestones. Economics of scale has become a focal point of discussion in sports today. Inequality in finances’ due to sponsorships and also government preferences has proved detrimental to non cash rich sports in all countries. Quality training and excellent facilities in some sports has led them to create a huge imbalance in most countries. Not only restricted to a single country but due to the emergence of imbalance among different leagues across various countries has led to a decline in the fan base where finances are not adequate and may eventually lead to a demise of the sport in that particular In conclusion it may be said that a strong management system ensures strong development of policies which enable a positive and sustainable growth system. Sports are an important segment of our country and also it is a prestige issue. In today’s world cricket assumes primary importance in the minds of the audience and the government has also by no means played a small part in ensuring the same. As a result other sports have suffered tremendously in the country My experience of sports in the state and national arena was restricted to Basketball wherein I had played for the university team and was selected for the state selection camp. Observing the rampant politics and prevalence of corruption I was highly demotivated. Moving on to a high paying job seemed to be the only motivation for me to leave sports and I followed that for 6 years, but my passion for sports never died. I have been strongly associated with basketball as a coach for my higher secondary school, as a player for my club and have also promoted basketball in my company wherein I have formed a team of my peers and have participated and won a number of tournaments. My main motivation for applying for the sports management course is a) to develop a strong understanding of managing sports organisations and athletes b) Understand and work with professional international organisations c) To learn modern technology and its applications in sports today ) To apply all my acquired knowledge in sports today in India e) Develop by working closely with the athletes a system of generating a higher number of quality athletes in a variety of fields Initially I would wish to work with national Women’s sporting teams wherein there would be a requirement for me while at the same time help my state Woman’s basketball association with whom I have been closely associated for the last 15 years dev elop a program to develop young athletes and initially work towards promoting the sport in the national stage and eventually the international stage. My eventual goal would be to bring women’s sports as close to par to men’s sports to guarantee young athletes a promising career in sports and ensure no raw talent gets dissuaded from following sports as a career as I did along with my entire team members. In terms of finance I would have sufficient amount to support myself in terms of accommodation and other living costs but would require financial support from the college by means of a scholarship or assistantship for the education fees. As in India the salaries are not very high in terms of international standards what I have saved would cover as said before the living costs but for the program fees I would need some sort of help in the form of a scholarship. I have spent all my life involved in sports in some way or the other and despite having a natural talent and passion for the same have not been able to follow it as a career option in my life. Today the face of sports especially in India is changing and I am right now in a stage in my career where with all the experience gained in the corporate world coupled with my passion for sports I can contribute in this field. For this I need to be further exposed to the knowledge and experience which your institute offers. I dream to make a change in the industry in my country and this is the main motive behind me applying for the degree which has already enabled many individuals to achieve their goals.

How to Share the Gospel With an Atheist Essay -- How to Persuade an At

After moving back home, I enrolled in State University. After settling into my dorm, I began to build a relationship with my new roommate. To protect his privacy, I will refer to my roommate as "X". X was raised in the suburbs of Richmond, VA. He claims to be an atheist and is very knowledgeable about Christian-Atheist debate topics. As I have built a relationship with him, I learned that he was raised in a family where his father was never around. He was a successful athlete, student, and musician, and he brought many of his trophies and awards to college with him. He openly speaks about himself and his accomplishments. He recently opened up to me about an emptiness that has always been in his life. He said that he has always felt like he has had to perform for attention and affection from his mother, and deep down, he always dreamed that he would be so successful that his father would come back. Unfortunately, his father never did come back. Up to this point, I have been deliberate about how I communicate with him. There are many mistakes that can be made while communicating that can ruin a relationship or turn people from God. Communication is not merely made up of spoken and written words; there are many elements that are involved in communication. The elements of communication can be categorized into three main types. These types are verbal, nonverbal, and speech acts. As the name implies, verbal communication consists of word choice, and tone. In every culture, there are words that have positive or negative connotations associated with them. By choosing words carefully, a positive and healthy relationship can be built and maintained. In the case of X, who has had troubles with his father, I have been careful to ... ...he choice to accept or deny the gift of Christ. I will read Romans 10:9-10 and make sure that he understands how special he is. I will emphasize how God is a loving father and has always loved him. I will talk about how God will never leave him (Deuteronomy 31:6). Since X was raised in a competitive culture, I will make sure that he understands that he cannot earn his salvation, but it is only attained through the gift of Christ. Then, I would give him some time to think over it and make sure that he understands it fully. I would pray for him silently, and if he wanted to make a decision for Christ, I would pray with him and help him to voice his feelings to God. The rest of the work would be up to the Holy Spirit.  BIBLIOGRAPHY Livermore, David A. 2010. Leading with Cultural Intelligence: The New Secret to Success. New York: American Management Association.

Analysis of the Effects of Product Cannibalism

PRICING STRATEGY – CANNIBALISM AND NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT – R. A. KERIN M. G. HARVEY J. T. ROTHE 1. My choice I have chosen to work on this topic for these reasons. For many years now, and mostly because of the economic crisis, a lot of « premium  » and mid-range brands have to compete against low-cost ones. In order to do this, some of these companies decided to launch low-cost brands to bring back lost customers.But I have already learned that this strategy can sometimes become a real threat for their premium brands: in fact, companies who do this can think that they bring new customers but unfortunately these customers are coming from their premium brand. Some real life examples are coming to me such as Coca-Cola Company who launched Coca-Cola light and Coca-Cola zero which was successful. How to avoid or reduce the brand cannibalization? What kind of strategy to develop? I hope that this article, even if it's a very old one, can answer these questions. . The su mmary The article starts be giving a definition of the cannibalization effect: we consider 2 different products (A and B) belonging to the same company – cannibalization means that (all other things equal), decreasing the price of product A will bring the sales decreasing of product B. This undesirable effect is occurring when the company, instead of launching a new product, prefer to reformulate one which already exists in an already created market. Authors are putting lights on two main consequences of cannibalistic strategy.The first one is positive, it allows to the company, through the new product, to open a new market, and thus gain market shares. The second seems to be negative, because customers of the first company's product can switch to the second, and it will not bring any additional revenue to the company. But, as authors underline, sometimes it's better for the company to see customers moving from the first product to the second one inside the same portfolio tha n reaching the competitor's product.So, cannibalism strategy can be a good way for the company to kill competitors, but the risk is huge if the new product creates an artificial segmentation which implies artificial needs. The distortion effect of cannibalism is the second main part of the article. Basically, it means that in order to appreciate the profitability of the new product, you must take in account cannibalization of the first one. Authors are talking about  « Pyrrhic Victory  » when one's overestimate the growth of the sales volume and market share due to the new product.Authors provide a solution to avoid this bas effect of cannibalism: the market test. For them it's the best method to know what need(s) the new product will fulfill when it will be launched. This method can help managers to identify (the most early as possible) what amount of the new product should be produced in order to reduce the cannibalization. The question of the  « acceptable  » level of can nibalization is evoked: the two main drivers to compute it are according to the authors the cost structure and market maturity. 3. My opinionOne of the main lessons I learned reading this article is that cannibalism can really be a positive thing for companies. Even if customers of the new product are indeed customers who switched from the previous one, they still not competitor's customers. Far to be a threat, the cannibalism strategy can really be useful and great for companies, especially, as I said in my first part, in time of crisis. Then I think, the article could provide more examples of  « positive  »or  « negative  » cannibalization. The example of Coca-Cola provided at the beginning of this memo is revelatory of the « positive  » cannibalization.In fact, a lot of different soda beverages belong to the Coca-Cola company (such as for instance Fanta, Minute maid or Coca-Cola). In 1983, Coca-Cola company launched Coca-Cola light, which tastes different from the ori ginal Coca-Cola but sugar free ; and then, at the beginning of 2000†², Coca zero was launched which was supposed to have the same taste as Coca-Cola original, and still sugar free. Even if Coca- Cola light lost many customers who switched to Coca zero, they still  « inside  » the same company and not moved to competition.This kind of strategy was learned in our Brand management course that sometimes it consists in creating a similar product can extend the market share of both products. Named the Flanker strategy, the two products are belong not only to the same company but also to the same product category. This strategy has many advantages: it's often almost free to market, as it's very close to the first product and using the same brand, and it was noticed that it's also a good way to promote both products and brands.

New York’s Midtown North

New York's Midtown North is made up of several precincts, with one unique in the city: the CPP, or Central Park Precinct. The precinct is home to 42 species of birds year round, with up to 300 species sighted there at various seasons, and there are also squirrels, birds, fish, rabbits, turtles, frogs and other animals. There are not, however, any human residents. There is an enormous amount of human activity occupying the 840 acres of land and 150 acres of water. In addition to 58 miles of pedestrian paths, 6 miles of vehicle drives and almost 5 miles of bridle paths, there are also world-class attractions, including: 1. Tavern on the Green Restaurant 5. Loeb Boathouse (miniature sailboat club) 11. Bethesda Terrace and Fountain 14. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYPD Web site) The park itself was designed in 1858 by Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux, two giants of architecture of the period. The nation's first designated public park, Central Park is laid out so that, even when the park is full of people and events, there are hidden, quiet places as well as open fields. Although between 16 and 20 million people visit the park each year, it is possible to feel completely alone with nature among the park's 26,000 trees. (One can also play tennis on 30 courts, or ball on 26 ball fields or swim in a pool at the northern end, or ride a merry-go-round not far from the Central Park Zoo.) (NYPD Web site) In addition, the â€Å"Delacorte Theatre has ‘Shakespeare in the Park' from mid June through the end of August each year. The Central Park Summerstage, located at Rumsey Playground – E. 72 St. and the East Drive, has free performances from June through the beginning of August on Saturdays and Sundays at 3 pm. The New York Grand Opera has free performances at various times throughout the summer†(NYPD Web site). It seems that of all the precincts in New York City, the CPP is uniquely appropriate for Problem-Oriented Policing. In addition, because of New York's position as a ‘world city' and after 9/11, the NYPD has also benefited from learning how to ‘surge,' a tactic that can be invaluable in a precinct where incidents are likely to happen at odd times at specific locations. Surging has lately been perfected for putative terrorist activities â€Å"At least three times a day, New York's intelligence division sends 100 officers to swarm a specific location that their information suggests could be a target. It's called a surge† (Montaigne, 2005). When a surge happens, officers spend the five or six hours after it fanning out into the neighborhood, shops and subway, asking questions and looking for anything suspicious. In 2004 and so far in 2005, there have been no murders in Central Park, and only one rape in 2005. Robbery, however, has increased, with none 6 in 2005 to date, and 4 in 2004. Felonious assault is down ho3wever, from 4 in 2004 to 2 in 2005 to date. There was one burglary in 2004, none in 2005 to date. Grand Larceny is also may be down for the year. In 2004 there were 11, with 7 in 2005 to date. Citywide, the murder rate is down, from 184 in 2004 to 161 in 2005 to date, for a 12.5 percent decrease at current rates. Rape is also down, from 627 in 2004 to 585 in 2005 today, a 6.7 percent rate of change. Robbery was up, however, from 7,638 for all of 2004 to 7,690 to date in 2005. Felonious assaults were down from 5,842 in 2004 to 5,430 t date in 2005, for a decrease of 7 percent. Burglaries were also down, from 9.981 in 2004 to 7,767 in 2005 to date, a 13.5 percent decrease. Grand larceny citywide was also down, although by only 1.8 percent, from 15,258 in 2004 to 14,976 in 2005 to date (NYPD Compstat). These statistics are surprising, in view of the difficulties inherent in patrolling Central Park. In 1965, poet Robert Lowell published a poem called â€Å"Central Park† that seemed to expose precisely what was happening then. each landscaped crag, each flowering hides a policeman with a club† (Quoted by Vitullo-Martin, 2003). Vitullo-Martin noted that â€Å"design elements that helped make the park a refuge from the city-secluded woodlands, hidden coves, paths that curve and dip from sight, Lowell's flowering shrubs-also made the park hard to protect or patrol. Central Park's fame and beauty made it a prized site for concerts, protests, marches, rallies and celebrations. But the huge crowds also attracted crime† (2003). Arguably, the factor that made the difference between then and now can be attributed to the characteristics of Problem-Oriented Policing. Compstat is an integral part of that strategy, showing police captains at a glance where the trouble spots are, both geographically and in terms of types of crime. According to Moore (2005), Problem-oriented policing (POP) â€Å"is a police management philosophy that entails SARA: scanning to identify, specify, and describe specific problems to include analysis in which the causes of the identified problems are explored fully and response that refers to the search for ‘tailor made' solutions to remove the specific or general causes of the problems through implementation of concepts supported by assessment concerning the process where the solutions implemented are evaluated in terms of effectiveness and strategies.† Although Moore's definition sounds overly analytical, in fact, POP depends for success on all the ‘buzzword' tactics of modern business: values, ethics, communication, vision and empowerment. Glassoock, writing in the FBI Journal in 2001, noted that although POP initiatives have had an excellent affect on external, end-product issues-that is, reduction of crime-â€Å"it seems prudent and appropriate to also apply the concept to internal problems.† Glassoock contends that the likelihood of success with the end product is â€Å"much influenced, if not driven, by the organization's internal constitution† (2001). A department must, he says, attend to internal issues with thoughtful deliberation. In addition, he recommends that so-called â€Å"outsiders† such as citizens and business leaders be invited to contribute to initiatives, and goes so far as to say that â€Å"To the extent that a police department remains open to the inclusion of these individuals, the likelihood of successful internal problem-solving increases† (2001). As noted, successful internal operations-including communication and empowerment, especially-are essential to producing the end-product, lower crime rates. New York City and especially the CCP, are heavily involved in just such efforts. Chief among its programs are an Auxiliary Police Unit consisting of men and women from 17 to 60 years of age. They patrol the park in uniform acting as the eyes and ears of the police. There are 42 members, whose work is supplemented by the work of 42 Parkwatchers, â€Å"concerned citizens who keep a watchful eye on the park. When criminal activity is observed they report it to the police† (NYPD Web site). It is obvious that CCP, perhaps more than other city precincts, interacts frequently and effectively with non-officer personnel who are trusted with important work. Another such outfit is the Roadrunners Safety Patrol. These helpers patrol in pairs and carry interwatch radios; there are 72 of them. An additional 70 New York Skaters Association members are also enlisted to provide information to the precinct (NYPD Web site). Perhaps the most famous of the groups assisting the CCP is the Guardian Angel Patrol. There are 61 Guardian Angels trained and enlisted. An essential part of the POP program is the Park Enforcement Patrol, or PEP. Established by the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, it is a unformed patrol with the mission of providing safer parks, encouraging the public in the proper use of parks and discouraging the misuse and destruction of park property. â€Å"During the busy weekend and summer periods, and during all special events such as concerts and races, PEP officers patrol the park to help people enjoy the event and to keep order. If park users become ill or are injured, the PEP officer will provide first aid and request an ambulance and police. People in trouble and in need of assistance look for PEP officers. These specially trained officers also assist the N.Y.P.D. by enforcing quality of life violations in the park† (NYPD Web site). Working with them is the only volunteer ambulance service in Central Park, the Central Park Medical Unit, which responds to accidents â€Å"involving park users, bicyclists, rollerbladers, joggers, etc.. The Central Park Medical Unit assists the N.Y.C.E.M.S.† (NYPD Web site). The POP success doesn't depend entirely on uniformed and/or trained volunteers, however. The CCP's Robbery Reduction Unit consists of one Sergeant and five Police Officers who are deployed at â€Å"robbery prone locations† (NYPD Web site). Non-police work also becomes part of the mission in a POP-driven unit such as CCP. For instance, in concert the Central Park Precinct Youth Officers and Community Police Unit conduct truancy sweeps (NYPD Web site). While trying to keep kids in school, the precinct also tries to keep bicycles in the hands of their rightful owners. CCP runs a bicycle registration program in an effort to deter thefts (NYPD Web site). A unique N-Force is a unit consisting of one sergeant and three police officers that focuses on quality of life conditions; they are deployed at â€Å"areas that the precinct commander designates as priority locations† (NYPD Web site). In its dialog with the community, CCP also has a Community Council that meets with police officials to seek ways to solve local problems; the CCP council has 146 active members. Finally, CCP participates in a Thanksgiving Food Drive and a Winter Coat Drive, as well as Toys for Tots to help children in disadvantaged families (NYPD Web site). The first item on the NYPD mission statement is â€Å"To protect life and property, reduce crime, improve the quality of life while dealing with the citizens of this city with courtesy, professionalism, and respect† (NYPD Web site). It is apparent both from the crime statistics in this ‘global playground' and the number, range and type of community and quasi-police organizations that communications, values, vision and empowerment are working in this highly unusual precinct, in which there are no residents, but only visitors of every possible type and intent. Glassoock notes that since the 1980s, â€Å"law enforcement agencies have applied the concept of problem-oriented policing to many community problems, such as alcohol-related crimes, burglaries, graffiti, sex offenses, and trespassing† all of which a precinct that was completely park and special-use structures would be prone to have. Glassoock notes that â€Å"Because POP emphasizes solving a problem as the dominant decision-making mode, officers attaining management positions must rethink their decision-making styles learned earlier in their careers. They must consider that the appropriateness of different decision-making styles varies depending upon whether officers are responding to calls or solving problems† (2001). It is apparent that CCP has been successful.

Judicial Selection Essays

Judicial Selection Essays Judicial Selection Essay Judicial Selection Essay In recent years judicial selection has become an issue of great debate with many different views and ways to make it better. In Texas, judicial selection is carried out by partisan elections where voters get to choose the judges and justices. This form of judicial selection has many advantages as well as some disadvantages. One advantage of judicial selection by election is that it gives the voters the power in the selection. This allows Texans to be sure that the selection process is kept â€Å"†¦out of the hands of an elitist entity that would choose political cronies or donors. In merit based selection, for example, even if the people vote not to retain the judge, the people of power in government just get to pick another one of their buddies. Another advantage is that elections allow the people to get to know the candidates better. Since the candidates must campaign for the election it is much easier for the voters to find out their judicial philosop hies and their qualifications for the job. If selection wasn’t done by election the people wouldn’t know anything about their judges because they would have no reason to get their name out and state their policies. The ability to remove judges that aren’t doing their job is also an advantage of judicial selection by election. In a merit based system â€Å"†¦given the low attention of the electorate, removing bad judges from office is difficult. †i The disadvantages of the judicial selection by election system are almost all associated with the campaign process. The main issue is that the campaigns are largely funded by corporations and organizations that are likely to appear in court. This causes a lot of distrust among the people because the majority believes the campaign contributions influence judge’s decisions. Whether the contributions actually influence decisions or not, the people have lost some faith in the judicial which is the biggest problem. Also, the campaigns are problematic because usually whoever raises the most money wins the election. The candidate who raised the most money probably made the most promises to corporations and organizations, so this cou ld lead to some unfair and unjust trials. A problem not associated with the campaigns is that many voters do not know the judicial candidates very well. This is shown in the 2002 Republican Primary election with Judge Xavier Rodriguez. He was a sitting Supreme Court Justice supported by Governor Perry and the Republican Party who didn’t even win the primary. Many believe he didn’t win simply because of his name. i In conclusion, I believe that the merit based system of judicial is best for most of the country because it would allow judges to make decisions without having to feel obligated to anyone. However, this would not be realistic in Texas because I don’t think Texans would ever allow the vote to be taken out of their hands. I believe the best solution for Texas would be to restrict donations further and not allow candidates to know who their contributors are, like Idaho has done. This would eliminate judges being influenced by large contributors and would make the campaigns more equal because the corporations and organizations wouldn’t have incentive to give a lot of money.

Cómo identificar un billete de dólar falso

Cà ³mo identificar un billete de dà ³lar falso Pagar con un billete de dà ³lar falso es un delito federal y, cualquier persona extranjera condenada por ese delito podrà ­a perder toda posibilidad de ingresar o  emigrar a Estados Unidos porque  es una de las causas de inadmisibilidad, desde el punto de vista migratorio. En Estados Unidos,  turistas u otras personas con visas no inmigrantes asà ­ como los  nuevos inmigrantes se sorprenden cuando en los comercios y almacenes los empleados comprueban si el billete con el que se paga es falso. Es una prctica habitual que no debe molestar. La razà ³n es que se estima que son falsos 100 de cada un millà ³n de billetes de dà ³lar en circulacià ³n, frente a 10 de cada millà ³n de francos suizos.    ¿Cul es el billete de dà ³lar que se falsifica ms frecuentemente? Aunque dentro de Estados Unidos el billete falsificado ms comà ºn es el de $20, a nivel mundial es el de $100, siendo notoriamente famosos los producidos por el gobierno de Corea del Norte que, debido a su alta calidad, pueden pasar fcilmente como si fueran autà ©nticos cuando se les compara con los modelos antiguos de esos billetes. Precisamente para dificultar la produccià ³n ilegal de billetes de $100, el gobierno de los Estados Unidos  comenzà ³, en otoà ±o de 2013,   a poner en circulacià ³n billetes de esa denominacià ³n que son prcticamente imposibles de falsificar. Las caracterà ­sticas de los billetes de $100, cuyo costo de produccià ³n es superior al de su denominacià ³n, son las siguientes:   Lazo azul tridimensional de seguridad.La frase ONE HUNDRED USA aparece inscrita en letra muy pequeà ±a en el tintero y en la marca de agua est inscrito USA 100.La frase The United States of America aparece en letras diminutas en el cuello de Benjamin Franklin.La cifra 100 en grande cambia de color cuando se inclina el billete.La Campana de la Libertad que est dentro del tintero cambia de color segà ºn se incline el billete.Las imgenes alternas de campanas y del nà ºmero 100 cambian de color, segà ºn el ngulo con el que se incline el billete.La tira a la izquierda de la cara de Benjamin Franklin sà ³lo es visible si el billete se pone bajo un foco de luz.Grabado tipo entalladura que le da al billete una textura especial. 10 tips para identificar los billetes de dà ³lar falsos Se puede aprender a identifica los billetes de dà ³lar falsos de todo tipo de denominacià ³n siguiendo las siguientes tips simples y sencillas. 1. Hilo de seguridad Es posible verlo al levantar el billete y observarlo a contraluz. Se ver un hilo que atraviesa el billete de arriba a abajo. En realidad, es un trozo de polià ©ster incrustado en el billete que contiene la denominacià ³n del billete -de cunto es- en letras muy pequeà ±itas. Este hilo de seguridad se ve tanto si se mira al billete por el lado en el que aparece el retrato (anverso) como desde el reverso. Si se pone debajo de luz ultravioleta, el hilo se ilumina con un color fluorescente, uno distinto para cada uno de los distintos valores que pueden tener los billetes de dà ³lar americano. Si se pone debajo de una lmpara con luz negra, tambià ©n se puede comprobar que aparece el color correspondiente a la denominacià ³n del billete. Sin embargo, los billetes de $1 y $2 no tienen este hilo de seguridad. 2. Cambio de color Si se mira el billete por el anverso y se inclina con un pequeà ±o movimiento es posible detectar un cambio de color de los nà ºmeros situados en la parte inferior de la derecha en la que se expresa de cunto valor es el billete. Si se trata de un billete que se imprimià ³ recientemente, el cambio se ve mucho mejor que en otros que son ms antiguos. Tampoco tienen esta medida de seguridad  los billetes de $1 y $2. 3. Marca de agua Cuando se levanta el billete y se pone a contraluz, se puede observar una imagen similar a la del anverso y que no est bien definida.   Forma parte del papel y sà ³lo se ve asà ­. Los billetes de $1 y $2 no tienen, por ahora, marca de agua. Todos los dems, sà ­. 4. Tacto Las fà ³rmulas del papel en el que se imprimen los billetes y la tinta que se utiliza son secretas. Se sabe que est conformado en un 75 por ciento por algodà ³n y un 25 por ciento es lino, pero poco ms. Cuando los billetes entran en circulacià ³n el papel se desgasta de un modo muy particular de tal modo que las personas muy acostumbradas a tener en sus manos billetes -como dependientes de almacenes, taxistas, empleados de bancos, etc.- detectan rpidamente los billetes falsos. Carecen del tacto que hace tan peculiar al dà ³lar verdadero. 5. Fibra roja y azul Es posible detectar diminutas fibras rojas y azules por todo el billete y que forman parte del papel. En los dà ³lares falsos se puede apreciar que, o bien faltan, o bien estn impresas. Es decir, no son parte intrà ­nseca del papel. 6. Coincidencia de las cantidades Una de las formas clsicas de falsificar un billete es pegar muy bien y profesionalmente un nà ºmero en las esquinas donde aparece el valor del billete. Por ejemplo, aà ±adir un cero a un billete de $5 y asà ­ obtener uno de $50. Es recomendable comprobar siempre que la cantidad en nà ºmero corresponde con la que se especifica en letra en el anverso y reverso del billete y que la cantidad que dice en nà ºmero corresponde con la correcta del retrato. Estas son: $1: George Washington (retrato pequeà ±o). El 45 por ciento de los billetes que se imprimen son de esta denominacià ³n. Son los ms usados y estn en circulacià ³n una media de menos de 6 aà ±os.$2: Thomas Jefferson (retrato pequeà ±o). Son raros, sà ­ que existen$5: Abraham Lincoln. El color de fondo es violeta (pà ºrpura). Retrato grande.$10: Alexander Hamilton. El color de fondo es naranja. Retrato grande.$20: Andrew Jackson. Fondo de color verde y retrato grande.$50: Ulysses S. Grant. Fondo rosa y retrato grande.$100: Benjamin Franklin. Retrato grande, fondo de color. Es el segundo billete con mayor cantidad de unidades en circulacià ³n, despuà ©s del de $1.   Est previsto que en el aà ±o 2020 se presentarn pà ºblicamente billetes con figuras de mujeres, como por ejemplo Harriet Tubman en los de $20, pero tardarn todavà ­a varios aà ±os en estar en circulacià ³n, porque se tarda mucho tiempo en desarrollar billetes nuevos con todas los requisitos de seguridad. Adems, Steven Mnuchin, secretario del Tesoro en el gobierno de Donald Trump, ha expresado sus dudas a la hora de  cambiar la figura de Andrew Jackson con la de Tubman, una mujer negra que nacià ³ esclava y se convirtià ³ en una figura abolicionista clave en el siglo XIX. 7. Nà ºmeros de serie Es recomendable verificar que todos tengan el mismo estilo y que la distancia entre un nà ºmero y otro es siempre la misma. Adems, el color de los nà ºmeros de serie debe ser exacto, incluido el matiz, que el del sello del departamento del Tesoro. 8. Sellos de la Reserva Federal y del Departamento de Tesoro Los dientes de sierra de los sellos de la Reserva Federal y del departamento del Tesoro deben ser claros y no tener ninguno roto. 9. Comparacià ³n con otro billete Si se tiene duda  sobre si un billete es genuino, es recomendable compararlo con otro de igual valor y, a poder ser, de la misma serie, y que se ha obtenido de un banco. Al ponerlos juntos generalmente se ve fcilmente la diferencia si uno de ellos es falso. 10. Otras formas de detectar billetes de dà ³lar falso Se puede comprar un lpiz detector de billetes falsos (counterfeit detection pens) en cualquier librerà ­a grande o tienda de artà ­culos de oficina. Sirven para detectar si el papel es falso. Al pintar una là ­nea sobre el billete y si torna color oro, entonces es verdadero. Si, en cambio, es marrà ³n oscura o gris, el billete es falso. Otras caracterà ­sticas del dà ³lar americano a tener en cuenta Cada billete pesa 1 gramo y todos los billetes tienen el mismo tamaà ±o: 16 pulgadas cuadradas.El Departamento del Tesoro reintegra billetes de dà ³lar a las personas que le entregan billetes rotos, siempre y cuanto tengan la mitad del mismo, como mà ­nimo.El 94 por ciento de los billetes est contaminado con algà ºn tipo de bacteria, la mayorà ­a no peligrosa, y el 90  por ciento contiene restos de cocaà ­na.Desde 1865 el Servicio Secreto es el encargado de proteger al dà ³lar y perseguir los billetes falsos y a quià ©nes los fabrican o utilizan. En aquel momento, justo al acabar la Guerra Civil (Secesià ³n), se calculaba que 1 de cada 3 billetes de dà ³lar en circulacià ³n eran falsos. A tener en cuenta si se tiene un documento falso En los billetes nuevos de $5, $10, $20 y $50 aparece la constelacià ³n Eurion, al igual que en otras divisas. Puede ser reconocida por los programas informticos y su objetivo es impedir que se reproduzcan billetes utilizando fotocopiadoras a color. En el caso de estar en posesià ³n de un billete falso adquirido involuntariamente, es  buena prctica contactar con el Servicio Secreto, ya que es quien se ocupa de este tipo de asuntos, aunque si se est en los Estados unidos en situacià ³n de indocumentado, antes de contactar a las autoridades es aconsejable asesorarse con un abogado. Por otro lado, pagar con un billete de dà ³lar falso es un delito federal, lo que se conoce en inglà ©s como una felony. La condena por un delito es causa para cancelar la visa o para que negar su renovacià ³n. Incluso es causa para que nieguen una visa de inmigrante o un ajuste de estatus para obtener la tarjeta de residencia permanente, conocida como green card. Consejos para turistas extranjeros en Estados Unidos Para evitar problemas, adems de no pagar con billetes falsos, se recomienda tener claro con  quà ©Ã‚  frecuencia se puede volver a ingresar a EEUU como turista  para evitar que las autoridades cancelen o revoquen la visa de turista. Adems, teniendo en cuenta lo caro que puede resultar obtener tratamiento mà ©dico, es muy recomendable saber cà ³mo  comprar seguro mà ©dico antes de viajar a Estados Unidos, teniendo en cuenta que si por una emergencia mà ©dica se causa un gasto a Medicaid, se considerarà ­a a esa persona  una carga pà ºblica para los Estados Unidos y podrà ­a ser una causa para negar o cancelar la visa.   Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

Market Entry Proposal of Xiaomi in a country you choose Essay

Market Entry Proposal of Xiaomi in a country you choose - Essay Example The growth of Xiaomi in its native China is extraordinary and now strategizes on extending its tentacles into the United Kingdom market. Information provided flurry, a mobile measurement and advertising company, Xiaomi is providing a serious threat to the stability of Apple in both the Asian and Chinese market. Based on this success, the company has ambitious plans to penetrate fully into the United Kingdom market and cut its niche. The quantity of Xiaomi installed base of phones continues to increase tremendously quadrupling from half of the last financial year. Xiaomi is now a serious competitor in both the mobile phone and Smartphone industry. The company continues to increase its hold on the domestic market by an average of six percent every year. To understand the attractiveness of Xiaomi at the national level, a person needs to review the resource-based view that considers the VRIN characteristics. This is a methodology of assessing a business company such as Xiaomi considering its approach strategy. This paper considers the approach strategy applicable to Xiaomi while making entry into the United Kingdom market. Primarily, VRIN describes the company as a bundle of resources (Wilson, 1980, 39). The resources and the mode of combination set the business company apart from the rest in the competition. It takes an inside-outside mechanism of evaluating a business company. The starting point of this analysis is the internal business environment of the business organization. Resources owned by Xiaomi entail all assets, capacities, processes of organization, company attributes, knowledge, and skills. Currently, Xiaomi controls seven percent of the Chinese market considering the fact that this is the largest Smartphone market in t he world. This is a new position after overtaking Lenovo and HTC, which dominated this market in the previous two years. The Smartphone business is only three years old and yet Xiaomi is