Digital Fortress Chapter 47

â€Å"A billion-dollar code?† Midge snickered, accompanying Brinkerhoff back up the hallway. â€Å"That's a good one.† â€Å"I swear it,† he said. She eyed him askance. â€Å"This better not be some ploy to get me out of this dress.† â€Å"Midge, I would never-† he said self-righteously. â€Å"I know, Chad. Don't remind me.† Thirty seconds later, Midge was sitting in Brinkerhoff's chair and studying the Crypto report. â€Å"See?† he said, leaning over her and pointing to the figure in question. â€Å"This MCD? A billion dollars!† Midge chuckled. â€Å"It does appear to be a touch on the high side, doesn't it?† â€Å"Yeah.† He groaned. â€Å"Just a touch.† â€Å"Looks like a divide-by-zero.† â€Å"A who?† â€Å"A divide-by-zero,† she said, scanning the rest of the data. â€Å"The MCD's calculated as a fraction-total expense divided by number of decryptions.† â€Å"Of course.† Brinkerhoff nodded blankly and tried not to peer down the front of her dress. â€Å"When the denominator's zero,† Midge explained, â€Å"the quotient goes to infinity. Computers hate infinity, so they type all nines.† She pointed to a different column. â€Å"See this?† â€Å"Yeah.† Brinkerhoff refocused on the paper. â€Å"It's today's raw production data. Take a look at the number of decryptions.† Brinkerhoff dutifully followed her finger down the column. NUMBER OF DECRYPTIONS = 0 Midge tapped on the figure. â€Å"It's just as I suspected. Divide-by-zero.† Brinkerhoff arched his eyebrows. â€Å"So everything's okay?† She shrugged. â€Å"Just means we haven't broken any codes today. TRANSLTR must be taking a break.† â€Å"A break?† Brinkerhoff looked doubtful. He'd been with the director long enough to know that â€Å"breaks† were not part of his preferred modus operandi-particularly with respect to TRANSLTR. Fontaine had paid $2 billion for the code-breaking behemoth, and he wanted his money's worth. Every second TRANSLTR sat idle was money down the toilet. â€Å"Ah†¦ Midge?† Brinkerhoff said. â€Å"TRANSLTR doesn't take any breaks. It runs day and night. You know that.† She shrugged. â€Å"Maybe Strathmore didn't feel like hanging out last night to prepare the weekend run. He probably knew Fontaine was away and ducked out early to go fishing.† â€Å"Come on, Midge.† Brinkerhoff gave her disgusted look. â€Å"Give the guy a break.† It was no secret Midge Milken didn't like Trevor Strathmore. Strathmore had attempted a cunning maneuver rewriting Skipjack, but he'd been caught. Despite Strathmore's bold intentions, the NSA had paid dearly. The EFF had gained strength, Fontaine had lost credibility with Congress, and worst of all, the agency had lost a lot of its anonymity. There were suddenly housewives in Minnesota complaining to America Online and Prodigy that the NSA might be reading their E-mail-like the NSA gave a damn about a secret recipe for candied yams. Strathmore's blunder had cost the NSA, and Midge felt responsible-not that she could have anticipated the commander's stunt, but the bottom line was that an unauthorized action had taken place behind Director Fontaine's back, a back Midge was paid to cover. Fontaine's hands-off attitude made him susceptible; and it made Midge nervous. But the director had learned long ago to stand back and let smart people do their jobs; that's exactly how he handled Trevor Strathmore. â€Å"Midge, you know damn well Strathmore's not slacking,† Brinkerhoff argued. â€Å"He runs TRANSLTR like a fiend.† Midge nodded. Deep down, she knew that accusing Strathmore of shirking was absurd. The commander was as dedicated as they came-dedicated to a fault. He bore the evils of the world as his own personal cross. The NSA's Skipjack plan had been Strathmore's brainchild-a bold attempt to change the world. Unfortunately, like so many divine quests, this crusade ended in crucifixion. â€Å"Okay,† she admitted, â€Å"so I'm being a little harsh.† â€Å"A little?† Brinkerhoff eyes narrowed. â€Å"Strathmore's got a backlog of files a mile long. He's not about to let TRANSLTR sit idle for a whole weekend.† â€Å"Okay, okay.† Midge sighed. â€Å"My mistake.† She furrowed her brow and puzzled why TRANSLTR hadn't broken any codes all day. â€Å"Let me double-check something,† she said, and began flipping through the report. She located what she was looking for and scanned the figures. After a moment she nodded. â€Å"You're right, Chad. TRANSLTR's been running full force. Raw consumables are even a little on the high side; we're at over half a million kilowatt-hours since midnight last night.† â€Å"So where does that leave us?† Midge was puzzled. â€Å"I'm not sure. It's odd.† â€Å"You want to rerun the data?† She gave him a disapproving stare. There were two things one never questioned about Midge Milken. One of them was her data. Brinkerhoff waited while Midge studied the figures. â€Å"Huh.† She finally grunted. â€Å"Yesterday's stats look fine: 237 codes broken. MCD, $874. Average time per code, a little over six minutes. Raw consumables, average. Last code entering TRANSLTR-† She stopped. â€Å"What is it?† â€Å"That's funny,† she said. â€Å"Last file on yesterday's queue log ran at 11:37 p.m.† â€Å"So?† â€Å"So, TRANSLTR breaks codes every six minutes or so. The last file of the day usually runs closer to midnight. It sure doesn't look like-† Midge suddenly stopped short and gasped. Brinkerhoff jumped. â€Å"What!† Midge was staring at the readout in disbelief. â€Å"This file? The one that entered TRANSLTR last night?† â€Å"Yeah?† â€Å"It hasn't broken yet. It's queue time was 23:37:08-but it lists no decrypt time.† Midge fumbled with the sheets. â€Å"Yesterday or today!† Brinkerhoff shrugged. â€Å"Maybe those guys are running a tough diagnostic.† Midge shook her head. â€Å"Eighteen hours tough?† She paused. â€Å"Not likely. Besides, the queue data says it's an outside file. We should call Strathmore.† â€Å"At home?† Brinkerhoff swallowed. â€Å"On a Saturday night?† â€Å"No,† Midge said. â€Å"If I know Strathmore, he's on top of this. I'll bet good money he's here. Just a hunch.† Midge's hunches were the other thing one never questioned. â€Å"Come on,† she said, standing up. â€Å"Let's see if I'm right.† Brinkerhoff followed Midge to her office, where she sat down and began to work Big Brother's keypads like a virtuoso pipe organist. Brinkerhoff gazed up at the array of closed-caption video monitors on her wall, their screens all freeze frames of the NSA seal. â€Å"You're gonna snoop Crypto?† he asked nervously. â€Å"Nope,† Midge replied. â€Å"Wish I could, but Crypto's a sealed deal. It's got no video. No sound. No nothing. Strathmore's orders. All I've got is approach stats and basic TRANSLTR stuff. We're lucky we've even got that. Strathmore wanted total isolation, but Fontaine insisted on the basics.† Brinkerhoff looked puzzled. â€Å"Crypto hasn't got video?† â€Å"Why?† she asked, without turning from her monitor. â€Å"You and Carmen looking for a little more privacy?† Brinkerhoff grumbled something inaudible. Midge typed some more keys. â€Å"I'm pulling Strathmore's elevator log.† She studied her monitor a moment and then rapped her knuckle on the desk. â€Å"He's here,† she said matter-of-factly. â€Å"He's in Crypto right now. Look at this. Talk about long hours-he went in yesterday morning bright and early, and his elevator hasn't budged since. I'm showing no magno-card use for him on the main door. So he's definitely in there.† Brinkerhoff breathed a slight sigh of relief. â€Å"So, if Strathmore's in there, everything's okay, right?† Midge thought a moment. â€Å"Maybe,† she finally decided. â€Å"Maybe?† â€Å"We should call him and double-check.† Brinkerhoff groaned. â€Å"Midge, he's the deputy director. I'm sure he has everything under control. Let's not second-guess-â€Å" â€Å"Oh, come on, Chad-don't be such a child. We're just doing our job. We've got a snag in the stats, and we're following up. Besides,† she added, â€Å"I'd like to remind Strathmore that Big Brother's watching. Make him think twice before planning any more of his hare-brained stunts to save the world.† Midge picked up the phone and began dialing. Brinkerhoff looked uneasy. â€Å"You really think you should bother him?† â€Å"I'm not bothering him,† Midge said, tossing him the receiver. â€Å"You are.†

The Renaissance as a Distinct Period of Time

The Renaissance as a Distinct Period of Time The Middle Ages was a time in history where everyone was faithful to religion as well as others. Also, in the Middle Ages, people were encouraged to always try their best; they were encouraged to fight for the highest achievement possible and to never give up. The Renaissance, however, was more focused on becoming matured and finding a way to be successful at everything one does. During this era, people fought to become all-sided men, also known as; renaissance men.This means they are not only successful in one type of art but in all types of art, as well as math, science, and literature. The Renaissance was a distinct period in time that was separated from the Middle Ages and began a new era. The writers and thinkers of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries believed that they took part in a completely different era than the Middle Ages. They believed that they were part of a more modern and current era known as the Renaissance. These peop le considered the Renaissance to be a new beginning of the Middle Ages (Ferguson Doc. 1).Renaissance means †rebirth† in french, which means is a whole new period of time. The art and literature of the Renaissance offered a â€Å"rebirth† of hope, and interest in life and how it was represented. During the Renaissance, religion was seen through a new perspective, the renaissance men found the scientific answers that were against the church heresies. Kepler, an astronomer, used observation and mathematics to prove his thesis. He did not accept what he was told by the church or the ancients. Instead, he proved his theories (Document 7). People were expanding their horizons, art and science was in full splendor.The philosophy of humanism also came about. The middle ages areknown for being limited in their artistic ideas because humans weren't supposed to practice many hobbies of the flesh. The renaissance men wanted to be unique, to stand out, to be different and make an impression on others. Da Vinci, a complex man of the renaissance was interested in anatomy and the realistic portrayal of the human body. He was the ideal man of the renaissance due to his many talents and interests (document 6). During the renaissance, protestantism came about and their churches were much more simplistic.Although catholic and orthodox churches were still stereotypically adorned heavily. The renaissance men were interested and concerned with things of this world, unlike believers, and leaders of the church, who were concerned about heaven. Burchhardt identified a difference between the medieval man, who was controlled by faith throughout his life, and the renaissance man, who fought for the highest individual development (Document 2). The beginning of the Renaissance in the mid-fourteenth century was marked by a turn from medieval life and values dominated by the Church toward the philosophical principles of humanism.The Renaissance was a distinct period in time that was separated from the Middle Ages and began a new era. It was during this time that literacy started to become more widespread and that art really started to take form. Paintings became more realistic, and elements created by the Greeks and the Romans were brought back into paintings; society began to organize itself in a similar way to how it works today. Knowledge and writings that were common to the Greeks and Romans that had lost their importance to the Europeans during the Middle Ages were restored in the Renaissance.

The authors explore the question of bankruptcy in public companies

The authors explore the question of bankruptcy in public companies, trying to come up with ways of predicting the looming bankruptcy. Pointing to the growing scale of this harmful phenomenon with a greater number of larger companies going bankrupt, Chuvakhin & Gertmenian are trying to present businessmen with a framework for analysing the performance of business companies so as to receive indication of their problems before they are forced into bankruptcy.To arrive at this understanding, they utilise Z-score model constructed by Edward Altman in 1968.The attempts to arrive at a ratio that could serve as a bona fide predictor of the upcoming bankruptcies have been undertaken for years, including a study by William Beaver. The critical breakthrough came when Edward Altman â€Å"built a comprehensive, statistical model using a technique called multiple discriminant analysis (MDA)† (Chuvakhin & Gertmenian, n.d.). The model relies on the combination of five different ratios that ca n later be summarised into a so-called Z-score.Altman indicated that a company with a Z-score above 2.675 could be considered solvent, that with a score under 1.81 was liable to go bankrupt, and companies with Z-scores in the range of 1.81-2.675 fell into â€Å"gray area† or â€Å"ignorance zone†, which meant that they could escape bankruptcy, but with difficulty.The legal issue explored in the articles refers to companies that forge numbers in their books, deceiving investors, as in the case of Enron and WorldCom. The authors ask: Is it possible to predict bankruptcy if the company’s management is cooking the books?Their answer is yes since the Z-score model would avoid these accounting irregularities. For example, in the case of WorldCom that overstated both assets and earnings, the combination of ratios used by the model would overlook it, since a rise in earning would increase the first three ratios, but a rise in assets would decrease the last two, with the impact offsetting each other.The model outlined in the article is of great value to managers of different companies. From the managerial perspective, it is extremely important which of the firm’s customers are likely to go bankrupt. If the bankruptcy of a large client comes a like a bolt of lightning, totally sudden and unanticipated, the firm can end with a large amount of bad debt in its accounts receivable account.In 2001 alone, bankruptcy affected 257 public companies with combined assets of $256 billion (Chuvakhin & Gertmenian, n.d.). In the light of this fact, effective methods for bankruptcy prediction become a serious concern for managers.

Critical Review Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Critical Review - Article Example Companies who have employed the use of teams in their organizations have experienced benefits of improved flexibility, cost savings, customer focus, innovation and a more motivated staff force (MacBryde and Mendibil 2001). Because of this mounting reliance on the use of teams, it has become imperative that there should be clear guidance on how to assess what constitutes team performance as well as reliable direction on how to measure the same. The research undertaken by Barbara Senior and Stephen Swailes entitled â€Å"The Dimensions of Management Team Performance: A Repertory Grid Study† is therefore timely, as it is significant. The research paper of Senior and Swailes aims to encapsulate the concept of team performance, concentrating mainly on management teams. The data gathered from study conducted insinuates certain factors that characterize team performance, namely: team purpose, team organization, team leadership, team climate, interpersonal relations, team communication, and team composition. Another factor has been identified with arguments as to their validity in characterizing team performance. The methodology used was suitable and the results of the research were appropriately derived at. However, the presentation of the different factors identified needs to be more organized. Some of the concepts being presented were well-argued and supported, while there are some which requires more foundation and substance. The research paper starts with a brief history on the concept of workgroups and teams, illustrating that interest in this topic in social psychology dates back to the early 1920’s. The study then provides a definition of what constitutes groups. The paper adopted Schein’s (1988) definition which considers group as people who have interaction with each other, are â€Å"psychologically aware of one another† and who recognize that they belong to a set or a group, regardless of their number. Other factors that could be considered

Managinga Data & Information Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Managinga Data & Information - Coursework Example The time spent at the systems and computers frequently used for completing work were examined. The study reported a greater access to computers by nurse managers, an indication that nurses managed most of the patient related information in accomplishing their work. Systems such as EHR (Electronic Health Record) becomes handy every time the nurse admit and attend to a patient. 2. An information management problem that can be solved with a database is updating of the system. Some institutions such as hospitals and clinics in the current technological era still have the file system of keeping records or the database management system. However, most hospitals, institutions, and businesses have already computerized their data and thus posses’ databases containing critical information necessary for the running of the institution. The management of information is very vital for every institution and business. On the contrary, when a system is being installed, the influence or impact of growth of the institution or business necessitating the growth of the amount of information handled is supposed to be anticipated and thus factored in as part of the long term plan. When institutions wait for a very long time to update the system or database, a loss of fundamental information may be incurred as the old system struggles to cope with the changes. The need to update a database arises from the fact that the ability to retrieve and update data forms a fundamental component of a database management system essential to the management of the database. Updating of data in a database comprises of the addition of new records (as a result of growth), deleting of the existing records and the alteration or changing of information within the records to allow easy access and retrieval of information. When databases are not updated, most patients will have problems with the privacy of the data in respect to their medical history, reduced efficiency in patient safety management, a nd inability of nurses to access appropriate and correct information regarding patients’ medical history (Haux, Winter, Ammenwerth, and Brigl, 2004). A situation for which data would be captured over an extended period of time comprise of patient discharges from the hospital. The three questions of the database that would be asked include how many patients are discharged everyday, which patients have the highest number of discharges from the hospital, and does the discharges indicate a link between patient/nurse relationships. 3. One of the databases that are used in the work setting is the EMR database. A clinic that aims at keeping its operations under budget perceives the implementation of the EMR technology in the work setting as a priority. EMR database is an increasingly common alternative to the traditional patient records that permits medical facilities to update and access vital records within a few keystrokes from several multiple locations. A number of large hospit als and medical practices in the present era have already implemented the switch to the new EMR record keeping form. The

Classroom of the future Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 6

Classroom of the future - Essay Example This research tells that classroom is an important environment affecting students in many fields. Studies have proved that the there is a relationship between the student performance and the classroom facilities. Classroom facilities affect students’ attendance and academic performance, so taking care of classroom facilities improve the level of student performance in the classroom. Additionally, the classroom often reflects the correlation between the students and their teacher. It’s important to understand not only what’s coming next but also where it all started. Classrooms throughout history have passed much of the technological changes. So, the purpose of this paper is to describe those changes and then visualize the future changes in the classroom. The classroom has changed a lot in the past. There are three main periods from the early days that helped build the education system we have now. The colonial period was first from the 1600’s to the 1700â €™s, the next period would be from the American Revolution to the civil war which was approximately a 70 year period from 1791-1861.The Information age came next from the mid-1900s to the very early 2000s. In the colonial period, the classroom was very minimal only consisting of a one-room building most likely with log walls, a dirt floor, and wax windows. For chairs, they would split a log in half and attach branches to the bottom to create a chair. Educational supplies were very scarce and expensive, most were homemade consisting of quill pens and boil down bark to make ink. Between the American Revolution and the civil war, the classroom experience got a lot better because classrooms had blackboards, slates, and maps. The furniture and architecture were also greatly improved even though at first during this period many communities didn’t have school buildings because if the revolutionary war, instead they had large rooms until the building was able to be rebuilt.

Architecture - Project Management - Exam Research Paper

Architecture - Project Management - Exam - Research Paper Example The involved parties may not be able to complete the project if the circumstances become unfavorable. Sometimes, such political changes occur that make the execution of project meaningless, thus making it useless for the involved parties to continue the project. 5. The cost has not been rightly estimated at the outset. Sometimes, lack of competence of a single estimator ruins the whole project that is worth billions of dollars. If the cost is under-estimated, the contractor in particular incurs a lot of financial loss. 6. The contractor is not experienced in the nature of work. This can generally cause the project to fail because of weakness in several areas like risk management, construction management, and cost management etc. 7. The people involved in its supervision, execution or management are not experienced or competent enough. A strong work team is fundamental to the success of every project. 8. There parties involved in it like the client, consultant and contractor do not ha ve good rapport with each other. Personal grudges are the biggest threat to the success of every project. 9. â€Å"Failing to break projects into manageable 'chunks'† (Khan, 2011). 10. The procurement method is not consistent with the specifications of the project. List and explain five critical success factors in project management. Five of the ten critical success factors in project management as mentioned by Emond (2011) are as follows: 1. Clear goals and vision: This is the first and foremost requirement in order for a PM to be successful. 2. Support of Executive Management: In order to utilize his/her full potential and make rational decisions keeping in view the resources at hand, a PM requires support of Executive Management. 3. Proper planning: Planning is one of the fundamental PM functions. 4. Realistic expectations: The PM should take care of time, cost and resource constraints while assigning tasks to individuals so that the expectations can be realistic. 5. Skill ed workforce: Since the staff is involved in the work at the grass root level, its competence directly affects the chances of success of a PM. Pre-contract planning vs contract planning: Pre-contract planning revolves around the development of contract. In order to develop a contract, first, the project feasibility study is conducted, followed by the preparation of drawings and identification of specifications, selection of procurement method, time and procedure and selection of contractor for contract. Contract planning takes care of all events that follow the development of contract, which involve development of schedule, cost scheduling and resource leveling. Project Manager Roles Define Project Management. Project management can be defined as the application of competence and methodologies to accomplish activities of a project that is meant to satisfy or exceed the needs and expectations of stakeholders from it. Another definition for project management is â€Å"the process of controlling the achievement of the project objectives, after noting a project to be the achievement of a specific objective, which involves a series of activities and tasks that consume resources† (Munns and Bjeirmi, 1996, cited in Mavengere, n.d., p. 38). Comparison of responsibilities of a Client’s PM with those of a Contractor’s PM at the pre-tender, tender and post-tender stages of project: Pretender stage: Client’

A Technology World That Centers On the User Assignment

A Technology World That Centers On the User - Assignment Example As business practitioners learned, the main concern for enterprises is to satisfy the customers’ needs; otherwise, organizations fail. The phenomenon seems to be more glaring in technology-based industries because of the magnified applications that have been offered and presented by the digital world. It is therefore true that the increasing use of consumers of wide range of demographical factors and locations of the internet seemed to endanger other traditional products: books, newspapers, among others. More so, if Bilton’s future prognosis encompasses linking even the television medium to the internet to offer more personalized services, the more that marketing strategies would be designed to innovatively cater to unique and distinct consumer needs. Bilton’s article supported the enthusiasm of consumers to patronize services and products offered through the internet, mobile phones and other technological gadgets due to the fact that consumers are placed in the center of the design. By emphasizing the abilities to benefit the clientele and address the intricate and varied needs, the digital world’s success would be ensured. Works Cited Bilton, Nick. "A Tech World That Centers on the User." New York Times 12 September 2010: 1-2.Web. 13 July 2011.

Research Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Assignment - Research Paper Example A concluding portion would summarize points that were discussed and future thrusts for research on the subject. One of the most frequently researched topic focuses on leadership. The evolution of theories and concepts proposed and promulgated by various scholars and practitioners have undergone constant and continuous development until contemporary times. Aside from the traditional thrusts delving into leadership styles, characteristics or best practices in famous organizations, one of the controversial issues confounding leadership is the effect or influence of gender, among other demographic factors. Leadership concepts and contemporary theories evaluate the effect of gender in leadership in terms of according the benefits, prerogatives, and even challenges on equal terms. In this regard, the essay aims to proffer a review of related literature on the topic of gender in leadership. Relevant research studies on the subject would be analyzed where significant points would hereby be cited and highlighted to reveal diverse viewpoints on gender in leadership. According to the research study conducted by Gedney which is aimed to determine a relationship or link between gender and leadership effectiveness from her personal experience in the military, she initially provided crucial qualities identified from effective leaders. Her findings divulged that â€Å"leadership effectiveness is not gender-specific, but there seem to be many attributes that are found in both males and females that lend themselves to becoming an effective leader† (Gedney, 1999, p. 2). This fact was validated by Kelly, a Lieutenant Colonel of the U.S. Air Force, who averred that â€Å"men and women operate in the work environment in somewhat different ways based upon genetic/biological differences, cultivation, communication styles and to some extent, the characteristics of the particular career field chosen† (Kelly, 1997, p. 26). Since the

Children Across the World lack the Proper Medical Care and Certain Essay

Children Across the World lack the Proper Medical Care and Certain needs - Essay Example It also plays a vital role in intellectual development and immunity. And yet the growing number of orphans on orphanages every year can no longer sustain the supply. As a result, orphan children often get nutrition below the recommended nutritional intake making them at higher risk for and suffer greatly from malnutrition. In a study made by the international research journals (2011) to assess the physical health status of children in an orphanage, it has been found out that almost all orphans are suffering from medical conditions such as skin diseases, pediculosis, dental carries, rickets, lead poisoning, anemia, syphilis, tuberculosis, hepatitis B and C infection, HIV infection, intestinal parasitic infections, scabies, impetigo, malnutrition and failure to thrive, psychosocial short stature, developmental delay, iodine deficiency, hypothyroidism, and incomplete immunizations (Orphan Doctor, 2007). The health problems of children living in orphanages are complex and clearly related to the subsistence living conditions in institutions. Malnutrition can result from poor quality and insufficient quantities of food. Infant formulas are not always available, and if so are diluted in proportions to suffice the number of children. Spoon feeding of solids is uncommon due to lack of staffing and children do not learn to appropriately chew and handle foods. Bottle propping is a common way of feeding infants due to lack of staff to attend individually but it can lead to interrupted feeds if the bottle falls away from the childs mouth, also to choking and aspiration pneumonia if the nipple hole is too large and the bottle is propped too suddenly. Is it not a saddening truth that these children have already lost their enough and the least that the society can do for them is to give them what responsible parents would have done for their children. Most orphanages lack funding but its improvement does not rely in it alone.

The Madding Crowd Essay Example for Free

The Madding Crowd Essay Obsession is prevalent as a theme in Far from the Madding Crowd. Obsession carries the plot and creates action between the characters. In this essay, I will examine how the characters advance the plot through their obsessive behaviour towards each other. Far from the Madding Crowd is by Thomas Hardy and was first published in a series in the Cornhill Magazine in 1873. This can be seen by the large amount of short chapters, often with titles that make the reader wonder what the chapter contains, such as ‘The Following March – â€Å"Bathsheba Boldwood†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. It can also be seen in the cliff-hangers they often end with, encouraging the reader to buy the next magazine to read it. The title comes from ‘Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard’ a poem by Thomas Gray, a favourite of Hardy’s poets. The complete line seventy-three reads: ‘Far from the madding crowd’s ignoble strife’, describing how life in towns is full of petty conflicts, whereas life in the countryside is more simple and therefore, better. Although the novel does often describe the beauty of the countryside, a part of England Hardy believed to be disappearing because of the industrial revolution, it may also be ironic, because the emotional turmoil, often caused by obsession, that the main characters go through is certainly not calm. The novel starts with Oak as he sees ‘an ornamental spring waggon’ with Bathsheba inside. She unwraps a ‘small swing looking-glass’ and gazes at herself, without showing any ‘necessity whatever’ for looking. Oak comments that ‘the greatest of [her faults]’ is she is obsessed with her own beauty. This vanity is continued for the majority of the book. An example of this is when Bathsheba has learnt sheep ‘have broken fence’ and eaten young clover. Hardy mentions that she was wearing a ‘rather dashing velvet dress’, which was ‘carefully put on before a glass’. It is this negative characteristic of Bathsheba which will cause her such misfortune later in the novel. Bathsheba’s obsession with herself drives her to ‘direct [a] missive to Boldwood’. This is because she feels piqued after Liddy tells he ‘didn’t turn his head’ in church that day, despite ‘his pew [being] exactly opposite [Bathsheba’s]’. Boldwood’s ‘nervous excitability’ about the fact that someone may want to marry him makes him first obsessed with finding the writer of the note, and then Bathsheba herself. This is reflected in the sunrise described the day after Boldwood receives the valentine. It symbolizes a strong new feeling in Boldwood of love, which Hardy likens to ‘a red and flameless fire’. The more she tells him she has ‘not fallen in love with’ him, the more he desires her. His true ‘mental derangement’ is revealed towards the end of the novel, when an ‘extraordinary collection’ of packages is found, ‘labelled â€Å"Bathsheba Boldwood†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. Boldwood’s character shows obsession, in his case with Bathsheba, to be unhealthy and a trait of a crazed person. Bathsheba’s infatuation with Troy is another important obsession in Far from the Madding Crowd. Her name also hints at her potentiality to be tempted, the Bathsheba in the Bible being tempted to commit adultery by David. She confesses her feelings to Liddy, telling her she loves Troy ‘to very distractions and misery and agony’. However, Hardy describes Troy as ‘moderately truthful towards men but to women lied like a Cretan’. Therefore the reader knows the relationship is doomed from the start, being built on untruthfulness and obsession. This is hinted at through the song that Bathsheba sings before Troy comes to Weatherbury: On the banks of Allan Water. It tells of a soldier’s love of a miller’s daughter, which is found to be untrue. Like the soldier in the song, Troy’s love is false too. After marrying Bathsheba, Troy develops an obsession with gambling. Although the one obsession that does not move the plot along, it instead shows the mistake that Bathsheba made by giving in to her obsession to marry him. She calls their marriage a ‘mistake’ and laments that her once ‘independent and spirited’ self has ‘come to this’. The start of the chapter takes place on ‘Yalbury Hill’, a ‘steep long ascent’. This may denote the uphill struggle the couple were going through at that point. Troy’s shallow nature is also shown through is lack of care for Fanny, the girl who Troy breaks promise with to marry despite impregnating her. He does not want her when she is alive, but is obsessed with her when she is dead. His lack of care is shown when Fanny asks him ‘when shall [they] be married’, and after she is gone, Troy and his fellow soldiers mock her with a ‘low peal of laughter’, demonstrating his disregard for Fanny’s wants. This is shown by Fanny being described as a ‘little spot’; a mild annoyance to Troy. Troy is shown to be insensitive, Hardy often referring to him as ‘the wall’ rather than ‘Troy’ when he speaks. The wall is described as being blacker ‘than the sky’. Hardy compares him to the wall to show the reader he is a ‘bad, black-hearted man’, which Troy admits to, much later in the novel. In comparison, when Troy sees Fanny’s corpse for the first time, he feels an ‘indefinable union of remorse and reverence’ and declares she is his ‘very, very wife’. His full obsession is shown the next day, when he is told to be ‘almost oblivious of’ Bathsheba and to not think ‘there was any element of absurdity’ in spending the whole day tending to Fanny’s grave. Like Boldwood, his obsession has caused him to become temporally mentally deranged. The consequences of the characters’ obsessions come to a climax in Chapter 53. Boldwood’s and Troy’s behaviours result in tragic fates, Boldwood having ‘cocked’ and ‘discharged’ a gun at Troy, while Boldwood being sentenced to ‘life imprisonment’ after being shown to not be ‘morally responsible’ for his actions. Their fortunes are because of their dangerous obsessions with women they cannot have: Boldwood with Bathsheba who does not love him and Troy with Fanny after she has died. The results of giving into obsessions are reflected in the natural events which occur throughout the novel. An example of this is when Bathsheba’s flock ‘[get] into a field of young clover’. Here, they are giving into their impulses, before paying the consequences by ‘getting blasted’: being so bloated their stomachs expand which causes death. This is a mirroring of Bathsheba’s decision to give in to her obsession and marry Troy, despite Gabriel Oak’s heeding. Later in the novel, we see the disastrous consequences. Throughout the novel, the only character that remains above these obsessions is Gabriel Oak. Hardy illustrates this through his name: Gabriel, an angel, often said to be the spirit of truth, and Oak, a strong and sturdy tree, not often affected by weather around it. After Bathsheba tells Oak she ‘[does] not love [him]’, he resolves to ‘give his days and nights’ to Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes states that ‘everything is meaningless’, and this belief that Gabriel takes on is shown in his ability to move on quickly from distressing events. For example, when Bathsheba demands him to leave her farm. In this situation, Oak does not protest but says ‘calmly’: ‘Very well’. It may be argued that Oak is obsessed with Bathsheba because he loves her strongly. Hardy describes Oak’s desire of Bathsheba as a ‘beautiful thread’ that he did not want to break, rather than a ‘chain’ which was impossible to. However, his ability to control his desires separates him from Boldwood’s obsessive behaviour. This is shown when Bathsheba finally gives in to Boldwood’s harassing and agrees to ‘marry [Boldwood] in six years’, despite ‘burst[ing] out crying’. Here, Boldwood lets his obsessive love of Bathsheba stop her from being happy, whereas Oak would rather Bathsheba was happy without him rather than her being unhappy and with him. Because of this, he is rewarded by having a ‘private, secret, plainest wedding’ with Bathsheba. Bathsheba’s character also changes. This is epitomized at the end of the book, when ‘Bathsheba [smiles]’ rather than ‘laughed readily’ at one of the villager’s jokes. This shows she has learnt from her experiences that it is not a good idea to get carried away with your emotions, fuelled by obsession. So to conclude, obsession can be found throughout Far from the Madding Crowd, in the characters, the plot and even the landscape. It is a main cause of the drama in the story by impelling the character’s conflicts. Obsession is an essential theme in Far from the Madding Crowd.

Inhibition of Alcohol Dehydrogenase Essay Example for Free

Inhibition of Alcohol Dehydrogenase Essay Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) is the enzyme that is responsible for converting ethanol to acetaldehyde (the reaction is shown in Figure 13. 1). It is the enzyme responsible for the metabolism of ethanol in the alcoholic beverages we consume. Five different isozymes of ADH have been identified, and it has been shown that the enzyme has a rather broad substrate specificity and can oxidize aldehydes as well as primary and secondary alcohols. For example, ADH can also oxidize methanol (wood alcohol) and ethylene alcohol (antifreeze). The poisonous nature of these compounds results from the ADH-catalyzed conversion of these compounds to toxic products. For example, ADH converts methanol to formaldehyde, which is toxic to the optic nerve and can produce blindness. In high doses, formaldehyde may be fatal. In this study, the authors investigated the ability of formamide compounds to inhibit alcohol dehydrogenase. Only a portion of their data is presented here. The authors were able to propose a mechanism for the inhibition from the extensive data they collected using a wide variety of formamide compounds. The mechanism is shown in Figure 13. 2. Figure 13. 1: ADH-catalyzed oxidation of ethanol. 2 Questions 1. Certain individuals are more sensitive to alcohol than others. For example, women are more sensitive to alcohol than men–even when body weight and % body fat are taken into account, women become more intoxicated than men consuming an identical amount of alcohol. Using what we have learned in the enzyme chapters, give biochemical reasons that would explain why women become more intoxicated than men when consuming an equal amount of alcohol. 2. A treatment for methanol poisoning is to have the victim drink large amounts of ethanol. Why might this be an effective treatment? 3. The authors of this study studied the ability of N-1,5-dimethylhexylformamide to inhibit mouse ADH1. The activity of the enzyme was measured in the absence of inhibitor, and in the presence of 1. 0 :M inhibitor. The data are presented in Table 13. 1. Table 13. 1: Inhibition of mouse ADH1 by N,1-5-dimethy lhex ylformam ide Ethanol Concentration, mM ADH1 velocity, ) NADH absorbance/min (without i nhibit or) ADH1 velocity, ) NADH absorbance/min (with i nhibit or) 0. 20 0. 036 0. 022 0. 25 0. 042 0. 024 0. 36 0. 048 0. 027 0. 60 0. 065 0. 029 2. 00 0. 075 0. 033 Figure 13. 2: Mechanism of ADH1. The inhibitor binds as an aldehyde analog. 3 M max a. What are the K and V values for ADH in the absence of inhibitor? in the presence of the inhibitor? b. What type of inhibitor is N-1,5-dimethylhexylformamide? Explain. c. Calculate the values of and/or ’, if they are significantly different from 1. What kind of inhibitor is N-1,5-dimethylhexylformamide? Explain. ii d. Calculate the K and/or K’ (whichever is appropriate) for N-1,5-dimethylhexylformamide (Hint: You can obtain these values from and ’). 4. The authors describe the mechanism of ADH as an â€Å"ordered bi-bi† mechanism. Give a written description of the mechanism, as shown in Figure 13. 2. How does N-1,5- dimethylhexylformamide inhibit the activity of the ADH enzyme? How does N-1,5- dimethylhexylformamide differ from the â€Å"classic† inhibitors of this type that are described in our textbook? 5. The authors found that a class of compounds called pyrazoles were also inhibitors of ADH. These inhibitors bind to the E-NAD complex. What kind of inhibitor are pyrazoles? Are + these inhibitors the same or different as the formamides? 6. a. Would N-1,5-dimethylhexylformamide be an effective alternative for the treatment of methanol and ethylene glycol poisoning, assuming that it is non-toxic itself (and as an alternative to getting the patient drunk, as described in Question 2)? Would N-1,5- dimethylhexylformamide be effective even if the concentrations of methanol or ethylene II glycol were very high? (Hint: Compare the values of K or K ’, whichever is appropriate, M and K ). b. The compound 4-methyl pyrazole is currently being used as a treatment for methanol poisoning. How would the effectiveness of 4-methyl pyrazole compare with the effectiveness of a formamide treatment? Reference Venkataramaiah, T. H. , and Plapp, B. V. (2003) J. Biol. Chem. 278, pp. 36699-36706.

UK grocery market

UK grocery market ‘‘Co-Operative Foods Market Segmentation and Brand Positioning Grocery Market Overview Market Structure The Co-Operative Group The Co-operative Foods Segmentation Market Segmentation Consumer Market Segmentation Target Marketing Co-Ops Target Market Brand Positioning Marketing Mix (4Ps) Co-Ops Brand Positioning Co-Ops Brand Strategy 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 7 7 8 9 10 Executive Summary The Co-Operative group is in UK market for over 150 years and operates across the food, travel, funeral, pharmacy and banking and insurance sectors. It has 4.5 million members and around 5,300 retail outlets. This report provides an analysis and evaluation of the strategy adopted by Co-Op in order to target the consumers and market. It also explores the brand positioning of Co-Op in the grocery retail market in accordance with the consumer demands. In order to do this analysis market segmentation framework is used to separate the target market into groups and by keeping the Co-Ops ethical and fairtrade principles in mind. Brand positioning strategies adopted by the Co-Op food were identified by using the marketing mix framework (4Ps). It is found that Co-Op is having intense pressure from its rival Tesco and Sainsburys who are growing rapidly into the convenience retailing. Although Co-Ops profits are gone up as compared to recent years but there is still room for improvement. 1.0 Grocery Market Overview 1.1 Market Structure The UK grocery market is mainly dominated by the big fours who have acquired almost 64% of the market share and of which Tesco is holding the 30% of the market share (Mintel 2009) and it also shows the oligopolistic nature of the market. The grocery market players have divided their customers into two groups: primary shoppers and top-up shoppers , and according to Mintel (2009) the primary shopping is dominated by big fours (Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda and Morrisons) plus Waitrose who are sharing 80% of the market share. The UK is through its worst ever recession which has also affected the grocery retailers and lead to change their strategies. According to Keynote (2009) the ‘hard discount strategy was adopted by most retailers in last two years which was quite successful. Another strategy adopted by the supermarket retailers is to diversify their chains in rural areas in form of convenience stores in order to targets people who have a little access to supermarkets (Mintel 2009). 1.2 The Co-Operative Group This is UK base co-operative established in 1863 and it is quite diversified organization which mainly operates through its two divisions: trading and financial services. The Co-Operative group is well known for its ethical nature and fair trade principles which reflects within its organisation and differentiates it from its competitors. The Co-operative Group operates across the food, travel, funeral, pharmacy and banking and insurance sectors. It has 4.5 million members and around 5,300 retail outlets 1.3 The Co-Operative Foods The Co-OP food operated in UK through its 2223 food stores which can be found in two formats: convenience stores and small/ medium sized supermarkets (Data monitor 2008) The Co-Op food lies on the 5th place in grocery retail market with 8% shares, thanks to its merger with Somerfield in July 2008 (Mintel 2008). The Co-Op used to be the UKs largest grocery retailer in 1960s and through Somerfield acquisition it will be able gain this position again in neighbourhood market. According to the Telegraph (2009) Peter Marks, chief executive of the Co-op said that: ‘‘the move from the big four UK retailers Tesco, Asda, Sainsburysand Morrisons- to a big five including the Co-op will further boost competition for UK consumers. The Co-Op targets its consumers through its ethical and fare trade approach which is the main emphasis of the Co-Op group as stated above. The key strategy adopted by Co-Op is ‘be local act local but in recent years they are having intense competition from Tesco and Sainsburys who are extended their business in convenience sector and grow rapidly. 2.0 Segmentation According to Jobber (2004) the ways in which individuals and organisations with similar characteristics were put together that have significant implications for the determination of market strategy is called market segmentation. 2.1 Market Segmentation Each buyer can act as a potential separate market due to its unique demands and needs (Kotler 2005). It depends on companies to either follow this approach or not, companies can practise no segmentation (mass marketing), complete segmentation (micromarketing) or something in between (niche marketing) according to Kotler (2005) The Co-Op food is following the micromarketing approach rather mass marketing which has its own drawbacks. Kotler (2005) says that the micromarketing is a way of tailoring products to suit individuals according to their taste and needs. Through these criteria (Co-Op) it is targeting the local market by keeping them in convenient locations and addressing the key ethical issues. Although with the merger with Somerfield in July 2008 (Mintel 2008) they got some medium sized super market in their camp but the main focus is still the ‘c-store format. 2.2 Consumer Market Segmentation As Kotler (2005) stated that there is no single way to segment a consumer market. A marketer has to try different segmentation variable either alone or in combinations. These segments can be divided into four groups: * Behavioural Segmentation * Psychographic Segmentation * Geographic Segmentation * Demographic Segmentation The Co-Op is mainly targeting the behavioural and psychographic consumer segments. Through psychographic approach it is targeting the consumer on the basis of their social class, lifestyle as well as their personality through its ethical and organic food products. On the other hand through behavioural segmentation it is targeting peoples loyalty, their usage rate and attitude towards its product range. 3.0 Target Marketing Choosing a specific segment to serve in a market is called target marketing (Jobber 2004), also firms need to segment the market and target that segment in order to work effectively. 3.1 Co-Ops Target Market The segmentation strategy is been adopted by the Co-Op Food in order to remain competitive in the market. The Co-Ops target market is given below: * Neighbourhood market * Ethical market * Fair trade market * Top-up shoppers These above mentioned areas are the key segments targeted by the Co-Op, as it mainly operates in c-store format and it emphasis on providing fresh food products by targeting the local market and by keeping its ethical dilemma and fairtrade principles in mind. There is another important segment it targets is top-up shopping market, through this area Co-Op gets the opportunity to gain customer and introduce them to their ethical principles. 4.0 Brand Positioning 4.1 Marketing Mix (4Ps) The marketing mix model which is also known as 4Ps is used as a tool by marketer in order to implement the market strategy. The 4Ps are: * Product * Price * Place * Promotion Product: Co-Ops product offering is pretty simple, it has fairtrade products, organic products and also simply range which targets almost all segments of the market on the basis of quality and ethics. According to Mintel (2009) the most of the supermarkets have the good-better-best product range but Co-Op is so far concentrating on the better and best product range. Few of the key brand product offered by Co-Op are mentioned in table2. Price: At Co-Op the price is a big issue at Co-Op which can be expected at a convenience store but its their ethical stance which keeps the prices high too. But in order to remain competitive Co-Op offers range of discounted products and through its loyalty cards it gives an opportunity to get points against spending which can be used for further shopping at store. Place: This is the most important part of the strategy adopted by Co-Op through locating its stores at convenient and accessible places. As reported by Mintel (2009) the first criteria by C-store shopper is the location rather than price. Due to its convenient placement of stores Co-Op provides child friendly and time friendly environment right in the heart of community for its customers who find out of town shopping time consuming and stressful. Promotion: The current slogan by Co-Op is ‘Good with food. Other initiatives include the ‘Green dot scheme, highlighting healthy products. Mainly Co-Op promote its brands through local radio and TV and also by donating in local community projects 4.2 Co-Ops brand positioning According to Mintel (2009) the key rule followed by the Co-Op is getting into the market with bigger brand prospective which weve seen by the acquisition of Somerfield. Through this merger, Co-Ops gone bigger but still theyve opted to remain in the heart of local community by acting as local convenience store. And this message is conveyed by the Somerfields brand message ‘Britains favourite local grocer. 4.3 Co-Ops Brand Strategy The Co-operative Group has adopted strong brand strategy in order to sustain the market shares. As stated by Mintel (2009) its brands lie on the basis of * ethical credentials * environmental issues * local sourcing * Fairtrade. This is underlined by Mintels consumer research, with the Co-ops customers the most likely to buy locally sourced and Fairtrade items. In order to become a responsible retailer Co-Op launched it Ethical Food Policy which resulted because of good response from its 250,000 members. As result Co-op switched all of its premium meat products with RSPCA Freedom-food label (Mintel 2008). Simply value brand is also a replacement for every range and actually it is a Somerfield brand 5.0 Conclusion Although Co-Op operates through its large number of small stores by targeting different location and consumer groups but the average foot fall in some of stores is relatively less (Mintel 2008). As it is facing intense pressure from supermarkets in order keep the prices at a competitive level which is quite difficult as it is operating on such a large scale and operating cost are high. The main problem is that Co-Op is not seen as a shopping destination for majority of consumers and they treat it is as top-up store which nearby and available most of the time. A recent study by Mintel shows that only a significant percentage of people take ethical issues seriously while they shop. For them fairtrade and organic food are just another premium line on the shelf and the price factor restrict them from buying. Mintel (2009) shows an improvement in fairtrade sale but it seems organic products are struggling to keep up sales target during recession. It is clear that Co-Op is facing intense pressure from its rivals but it has improved a lot through merger and rebranding strategy. Its profits are record high as compared to last 10 years. More and more people are getting awareness of ethical approach adopted by Co-Op and it shows the significance of Co-operative food in the intense market environment. 6.0 References * Data Monitor (2008), Company Profile: Co-operative Group Limited, June 2008, London: Data Monitor. * Jobber, D. (2004), Principles and practice of marketing, 4th Edition, Berkshire: McGraw-Hill Education. * Hall, J. (2008), Co-op swoops on Somerfield in  £1.56bn deal, Telegraph.co.uk, 16th July. * Kotler, C. (2005), Principles of marketing, 5th Edition, Essex: Pearson Education Ltd. * Keynote (2009), Market review Food Catering, Jan 2009, 19th Edition, Keynote Publishing Ltd * Mintel (2008), Mintel market report- Food retailing, November 2008, London: Mintel. * Mintel (2009), Mintel market report- Convenience retailing, September 2009, London: Mintel. * Mintel (2009), Mintel market report- Food retailing, November 2009, London: Mintel. [http://academic.mintel.com/sinatra/oxygen_academic/search_results/show/display/id=395621/display/id=496165/display/id=496171#atom2] accessed 10/12/09 * Mintel (2009), Mintel market report- Food retailing, November 2009, London: Mintel. [http://academic.mintel.com/sinatra/oxygen_academic//display/id=395621/display/id=496166] accessed 05/12/2009

Epic of Beowulf Essay - Depiction of Anglo-Saxon Society in Beowulf

The Depiction of Anglo-Saxon Society in Beowulf The Old-English or Anglo-Saxon era extends from about 450 to 1066. The Germanic tribes from the Continent who overran England in the fifth century, after the Roman withdrawal, brought with them a language that is the basis of modern English, a specific poetic tradition, and a relatively advanced society. All of these qualities and spirit are exemplified in the eighth-century epic poem Beowulf. To begin with, much of the Old English poetry was probably intended to be chanted, with harp accompaniment, by the Anglo-Saxon scop. In Beowulf, the scop entertains warriors at Heorot, also known as The Hall of Hart. Often masculine and strong, but also mournful in spirit, the stories emphasize the sorrow and ultimate futility of man's lot and his helplessness before the power of fate. Beowulf, composed in 750 A.D., was originally handed down in the same oral tradition. In 1000 A.D. the epic poem was preserved by monastic copyists in a written manuscript. In addition, Beowulf reflects Anglo-Saxon poetic traits. The poetry is composed without rhyme, in a characteristic line, or verse, of four stressed syllables alternating with an indeterminate number of unstressed ones. This line strikes strangely on ears habituated to the usual modern pattern, in which the rhythmical unity, theoretically consists of a constant number of unaccented syllables that always precede or follow any stressed syllable. Another unfamiliar but equally striking feature in the formal character of Old English poetry is struct... ...ure of pagan or idolatry worshipping and Christianity are evident in Beowulf. For example, Christianity is displayed in a paraphrase of Genesis in which "A skillful bard sang the ancient story/ Of man's creation" (lines 88-89). On the other hand, pagan beliefs are obvious in the description of the Geats as "Boar-heads glittered on glistening helmets" (line 298). Although the Anglo-Saxons were leaning toward Christianity, they still had skeletons in the closet. Beowulf functions as a historical document to depict a collage of Germanic societies. It represents a relatively advanced eighth-century Anglo-Saxon nation recently converted to Christianity that looks on its Scandinavian past with pride. Beowulf also reflects a society with an elevated understanding of the values of civilization.

Night :: essays research papers

In 1944, in the village of Sighet, Romania, twelve-year-old Elie Wiesel spends much time and emotion on the Talmud and on Jewish mysticism. His instructor, Moshe the Beadle, returns from a near-death experience and warns that Nazi aggressors will soon threaten the serenity of their lives. However, even when anti-Semitic measures force the Sighet Jews into supervised ghettos, Elie's family remains calm and compliant. In spring, authorities begin shipping trainloads of Jews to the Auschwitz-Birkenau complex. Elie's family is part of the final convoy. In a cattle car, eighty villagers can scarcely move and have to survive on minimal food and water. One of the deportees, Madame Schà ¤chter, becomes hysterical with visions of flames and furnaces. At midnight on the third day of their deportation, the group looks in horror at flames rising above huge ovens and gags at the stench of burning flesh. Guards wielding billy clubs force Elie's group through a selection of those fit to work and those who face a grim and improbable future. Elie and his father Chlomo lie about their ages and depart with other hardy men to Auschwitz, a concentration camp. Elie's mother and three sisters disappear into Birkenau, the death camp. After viewing infants being tossed in a burning pit, Elie rebels against God, who remains silent. Every day, Elie and Chiomo struggle to keep their health so they can remain in the work force. Sadistic guards and trustees exact capricious punishments. After three weeks, Elie and his father are forced to march to Buna, a factory in the Auschwitz complex, where they sort electrical parts in an electronics warehouse. The savagery reaches its height when the guards hang a childlike thirteen year old, who dies slowly before Elie's eyes. Despairing, Elie grows morose during Rosh Hashanah services. At the next selection, the doctor culls Chlomo from abler men. Chlomo, however, passes a second physical exam and is given another chance to live. Elie undergoes surgery on his foot. Because Russian liberation forces are moving ever closer to the Nazi camp, SS troops evacuate Buna in January 1945. The Wiesels and their fellow prisoners are forced to run through a snowy night in bitter cold over a forty-two mile route to Gleiwitz. Elie binds his bleeding foot in strips of blanket. Inmates who falter are shot. Elie prays for strength to save his father from death. At a makeshift barracks, survivors pile together.

W. B. Yeats, George Hyde-Lees, and the Automatic Script Essays -- Yeat

W. B. Yeats, George Hyde-Lees, and the Automatic Script In his biography of Yeats, Richard Ellmann remarks that "Had Yeats died instead of marrying in 1917, he would have been remembered as a remarkable minor poet who achieved a diction more powerful than that of his contemporaries but who, except in a handful of poems, did not have much to say with it" (Ellmann 223). Yet with his marriage to Georgie Hyde-Lees on October 21st, 1917, a vast frontier of possibility opened before Yeats, and through the automatic writing of his wife, he felt "wisdom at last within his reach" (Ellmann 224). Not only did the material within the automatic script (AS) help alleviate his anxieties about his marital choice, but it also pointed his poetry in a new direction, bringing together the separate remnants of his life and thoughts. Dilemmas over women and rejection, the frightening politics of his time, years of dabbling in the occult for answers, older ideas found in Blake, his own musings over Mask and Daimon, and the loose system of spiritual thought gath ered in Per Amica: all these and other elements found their way into the cauldron of the AS, and with the help of Yeats, Georgie, and several "communicators," the medley was stirred and brewed for three years until everything began to come together, the final product being the system set forth in A Vision. In the following essay, we will begin by examining the AS from a general standpoint, and then focus in to see how advice from the communicators helped Yeats as man and poet, how older ideas were transformed, and finally, we will outline the major ideas of the AS which formed the core of Yeats's later mythology in A Vision. A few days after their marriage, Georgie, who was probably "promp... ...that he himself found valuable finds its into A Vision, it is nevertheless one of the strangest documents in the history of literature. And while there will always be doubts about just where all that "wisdom" really came from, whether from George, Yeats, or the "communicators," it is undeniable that without the AS and the whole experience surrounding it, Yeats could not have written the unique and ingenious poetry of his middle to later years. WORKS CITED Ellmann, Richard. Yeats: The Man and the Masks. New York: W.W. Norton, 1948. Finneran, Richard J. The Collected Poems of W. B. Yeats. 2nd Ed. New York: Simon and Schuster Inc., 1996. Harper, George Mills. The Making of Yeats's `A Vision'. Vol 1. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1987. Unterecker, John. A Reader's Guide to William Butler Yeats. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1959. W. B. Yeats, George Hyde-Lees, and the Automatic Script Essays -- Yeat W. B. Yeats, George Hyde-Lees, and the Automatic Script In his biography of Yeats, Richard Ellmann remarks that "Had Yeats died instead of marrying in 1917, he would have been remembered as a remarkable minor poet who achieved a diction more powerful than that of his contemporaries but who, except in a handful of poems, did not have much to say with it" (Ellmann 223). Yet with his marriage to Georgie Hyde-Lees on October 21st, 1917, a vast frontier of possibility opened before Yeats, and through the automatic writing of his wife, he felt "wisdom at last within his reach" (Ellmann 224). Not only did the material within the automatic script (AS) help alleviate his anxieties about his marital choice, but it also pointed his poetry in a new direction, bringing together the separate remnants of his life and thoughts. Dilemmas over women and rejection, the frightening politics of his time, years of dabbling in the occult for answers, older ideas found in Blake, his own musings over Mask and Daimon, and the loose system of spiritual thought gath ered in Per Amica: all these and other elements found their way into the cauldron of the AS, and with the help of Yeats, Georgie, and several "communicators," the medley was stirred and brewed for three years until everything began to come together, the final product being the system set forth in A Vision. In the following essay, we will begin by examining the AS from a general standpoint, and then focus in to see how advice from the communicators helped Yeats as man and poet, how older ideas were transformed, and finally, we will outline the major ideas of the AS which formed the core of Yeats's later mythology in A Vision. A few days after their marriage, Georgie, who was probably "promp... ...that he himself found valuable finds its into A Vision, it is nevertheless one of the strangest documents in the history of literature. And while there will always be doubts about just where all that "wisdom" really came from, whether from George, Yeats, or the "communicators," it is undeniable that without the AS and the whole experience surrounding it, Yeats could not have written the unique and ingenious poetry of his middle to later years. WORKS CITED Ellmann, Richard. Yeats: The Man and the Masks. New York: W.W. Norton, 1948. Finneran, Richard J. The Collected Poems of W. B. Yeats. 2nd Ed. New York: Simon and Schuster Inc., 1996. Harper, George Mills. The Making of Yeats's `A Vision'. Vol 1. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1987. Unterecker, John. A Reader's Guide to William Butler Yeats. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1959.

Amadeus Movie Review Essay

The title of the movie should actually be â€Å"Salieri†, because the whole movie is really about his jealousy of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and how Salieri was overshadowed musically by Mozart. In the beginning, Salieri makes a â€Å"deal† with God so He will make Salieri a musical genius, and Salieri believes he has been granted this gift until the day Mozart comes to Vienna. Salieri immediately becomes jealous that God has bestowed upon Mozart the power he himself worked so desperately to achieve. From that point on, Salieri becomes obsessed with conspiring against Mozart, at one point paying a maid to go to Mozart’s place to spy while she is cleaning and report back to him. Eventually, though indirectly, Salieri kills Mozart. The major theme in this movie is the jealousy of Salieri, and how it consumed his every waking thought. It is somewhat depressing because it also shows all the hard work of Salieri with no success and the ease of Mozart’s ability when to him composing music is quite easy. Though the plot is fairly realistic, it is not completely historically accurate. Mozart was even more rambunctious and childish than portrayed in the film, and the ending is dramatized for the â€Å"Hollywood effect.† The acting though, is very well done. Director Milos Forman did a great job directing F. Murray Abraham (Salieri) and Tom Hulce (Mozart) to stardom. They make the two and half-hours of wigs, wigs, opera, and more wigs bearable. Together they bring the silver screen alive and take us from our era into that of Mozart very seamlessly. The sets are amazing, with great attention to detail and depth. The scenes where the operas take place are very well set up, and they fit in nicely with the time period. The costumes, too, are quite the feat. The many layers (of the women’s costumes especially) look extremely complicated to make, and the scene at the party where Mozart plays the piano upside-down showcases these costumes beautifully. I don’t know if I am more impressed by the designers or the actors and actresses who wore them because they look so hot! The wigs are a defining part of the costumes in the film. The most striking reasons these are so appealing and dramatic are that they are so big and almost appallingly white. Some of the Women’s wigs are even topped  with a huge hat to match the dress or some other exotic object. If you don’t watch this movie for any other reason, watch it for the costumes. The makeup artist did a good job, but nothing spectacular or worth highlighting. There aren’t many special effects, so adding some in there may have made the movie that much more enjoyable. Overall, I give the movie 1  ½ stars, because the actors really knew their stuff but the plot wasn’t all that entertaining. I think the best part overall was Mozart’s laugh, and the soundtrack was really very enjoyable. I recommend this film to those who wish to learn more about Salieri, and not Mozart, because the movie doesn’t really focus much on him. Rent this film if you have absolutely nothing else to do on a Saturday night but you probably won’t be able to finish watching it unless you’re a major cultural history junkie. Other than that, a note to the intended audiences (like I said, the culture gurus): enjoy! To the casual moviegoer who likes action or romance: beware- you probably won’t be able to watch the whole 160 minutes of Amadeus.

Computerized Library Management System Chapter2 Essay

Chapter 2 Review of related literature Related Literature Foreign According to Robson (2001), usability is a key requirement for users, says Elisabeth Robson, Product manager for Online Computer Library Center. The catalogue has become a way to pull together disparate resources, including commercial resources and web links. management systems also allow circulation, including check in/check out and enable libraries to purchase materials and track where they are. According to Chad (2009), consulting is at a major point of change in the wider information economy within which library systems form part of a larger whole. He was writing in a briefing paper about the study in library management systems. This studyexamined the systems used in higher-education libraries across the UK and came up with some significant observations and recommendations. It noted that the LMS market in UK higher education is already mature and that four main vendors ( Ex Libris, Innovative Sirsi Dynix and Talis) have almost 90 per cent of the market. This market maturity means, according to the study authors, that the benefits to libraries of changing LMS provider are limited. Library users expect to find everything together says Stephen Abram, vice president for innovation at Sirsi Dynix, the leading provider of software solutions and associated services for libraries. According to her traditionally, the library management system or integrated library system (ILS) was responsible for running libraries efficiently and effectively. Over the last few years, the role of the ILS has been expanding from meeting library needs to delivering user experience. Local According to Eden (2011), views that most libraries are forced to work with fewer staff because of the having a more improved and modernized system for their library. According also to the study, the library administration need to emphasize to their staff that the organization has a vested interest in providing them with the tools and training they need to assist the organization in the new information marketplace. These may include search engines, circulation systems, and the online public access catalog. According to Lopez (2002), University of the Philippines Mindanao when UP in Mindanao accepted its first batch of students in 1996, the Main Library collection was integrated with the core collection of the School of Management (SOM) Library at the Stanfilco Bldg., Ladislawa Avenue, Buhangin, Davao City. The Filipiniana and General References were housed together with the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) collection in Room 2 of the Philippine Coconut Authority. In the Second Semester AY 1996-1997,the CAS Library moved to its main campus in Bago Oshiro. Upon the recognition of UP in Mindanao by the Board of Regents (BOR) as a constituent unit (CU) of the UP System, the CAS was split into two (2), namely: College of Humanities and Social Cost Benefits Analysis between the Existing System and the Proposed BotolanCommunity College Library System Particulars PC Express Desktop Pentium Packagewith Canon IP2770 Printer 16,500.00Windows XP Professional 5,550.00Visual Basic 6.0 5,000.00Botolan Community College Computerized Library System 10,000.00 37,050.00 Salary of one (1) Staff 12 x 5,500.00 66,000.00 Handling the Existing SystemSavings (PHP) 29,000.00 % of Savings 43.93% Source: Villman Computers(www.villman.com), PC Express (www.pcexpress.com.ph)Source:http://studentdiscounts.com/microsoftvisualstudioprofessional2010-installsonupto2computers.aspx 63 Appendix ISample Output 64 Figure 1. Log-InFigure 2. Main Menu PRO

JPMorgan Chase Essay

Introduction J. P. Morgan Chase & Co. is a prominent and successful Fortune 500 company. It is the largest bank in the United States by assets. CEO James Dimon, has lead the J. P. Morgan Chase & Co. through multiple risky events. J. P. Morgan Chase & Co. has been facing multiple fines and settlements due to its failure to abide by its own code of conduct. The company has failed to follow procedures and regulations on numerous occasions. The company is becoming notorious for making unethical decisions and simply not following the guidelines. This year J. P. Morgan Chase & Co. agreed on a thirteen-billion dollar settlement regarding unethical selling of mortgage-backed securities. The selling of these mortgage-backed securities played a role in causing the financial crisis of 2008. An article found on BBC’s website does a good job of explaining this in basic simple terms. Between 2004 and 2006 US interest rates rose from 1% to 5. 35%, triggering a slowdown in the US housing market. Homeowners, many of whom could only barely afford their mortgage payments when interest rates were low, began to default on their mortgages. Default rates on sub-prime loans – high risk loans to clients with poor or no credit histories – rose to record levels. The impact of these defaults were felt across the financial system as many of the mortgages had been bundled up and sold on to banks and investors (http://news. bbc. co. uk/). This report explains and elaborates on J. P. Morgan Chase & Co. ’s role in the financial crisis. It expounds on what the company violated and unethically did to have caused the current settlement negotiation. Using multiple online resources, we gathered information plentiful enough to analyze the company’s practices and determine what steps must be taken to avoid future discrepancies. Through social media we observed how consumers’ feelings towards the company are being impacted by the current tentative settlement regarding the mortgage-backed securities. The stock market was observed and studied throughout the course of J. P. Morgan Chase & Co. ’s negotiations. It is vital to understand how shareholders are being impacted as they are a key role in a company’s success and resources. Using the information gathered this report suggests steps to take in improving not only how J. P. Morgan Chase & Co. is thought of but how the company does business. JPMorgan Violated Both Banking and Securities Laws On January 24, 2012 President Barrack Obama gave his State of the Union speech in which he stated, â€Å"Our working group is focusing on conduct related to the pooling and creation of mortgage backed securities, issues related to conduct that created the crash, not abuses that happened after the crash† (Obama). He aims to create a mortgage crisis unit that will investigate the major banks that took part in unethical practices that lead to the crisis. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman will co-chair the unit. The mortgage crisis unit includes officials from the Justice Department, Securities, Exchange Commission and Internal Revenue Service. Obama said in his speech that the unit â€Å"will hold accountable those who broke the law, speed assistance to homeowners, and help turn the page on an era of recklessness that hurt so many Americans. † (http://www. bloomberg. com). JPMorgan Chase violated not only banking laws but also securities laws. J. P. Morgan Chase & Co. constituted recklessly unsafe practices, which resulted in misconduct and losses. An article on www. wallstreetonparade. com stated, â€Å"The Bank (Chase) failed to ensure that significant information related to the credit derivatives trading strategy and deficiencies identified in risk management systems and controls was provided in a timely and appropriate manner to OCC examiners. †(Marten). The article also stated that â€Å"The SEC focused on JPMorgan’s ineffective internal controls and failure to keep the Audit Committee of its Board informed in timely manner as required under its own rules and under the Sarbanes- Oxley Act. † (Marten). In other words, JPMorgan broke the rule of the code of conduct which stated that â€Å"No one at J. P. Morgan Chase & Co. should ever sacrifice integrity or give the impression that they have even if they think it would help the firm. † (www. jpmorganchase. com). The SEC found that J. P. Morgan Chase & Co. Chase violated securities laws by filing false information to the SEC. According to the SEC, the company failed to maintain internal control over financial reporting, disclosure controls and procedures, filing of inaccurate reports with the Commission. The SEC, in its settlement document stated that J. P. Morgan Chase & Co. violated Sections 13(a), 13(b) (2) (B) of the Exchange Act and Rules 13a-11, 13a-13, and 13a-15. The JPMorgan Chase code of conduct represents fundamental assets that can be done on behalf of the company. In other words, there are policies that are applied to the Chief Executive Officer, President, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Accounting Officer of JPMorgan Chase & Co. The purpose of the code of conduct is to endure commitment to integrity. The Code of Conduct is important for JPMorgan Chase & Co. because it lays out the responsibility and expectations that the company has to represent to customers. The company is also responsible for ethical decision-making, which means that doing the right thing whereas speaking up about any violation of the company. According to the Code of Conduct, â€Å"No business unit or location in the Company can adopt policies that are less restrictive than the Code, but some do have rules that are more restrictive. † (www. jpmorganchase. com). The Code means that the business should know and follow all policies even if the rules are hardcore. The Code of Conduct has a decision tree on the company’s website where you would ask yourself a question like, â€Å"Is it legal? † or â€Å"Does it comply with our Code and our Company policies, and the principles of ethical behavior they reflect? † These questions are important when it comes to making decisions. If neither of the questions comply with your decisions, then it could result in some serious consequences. Sharing concerns and reporting violations is very important when it comes to a company’s reputation. According to the Code of Conduct, you should share your concerns without fear, report legal or regulatory preceding that involve you personally. Breaking any security law or banking laws and result in consequences. It is important to speak up about any violations that could result in unethical conduct related to financial services. Maintaining accurate records is also an important task when it comes to a company. According to the company website, â€Å"Internal accounting controls and record keeping policies are essential to the successful operation of our Company and our ability to meet our legal and business requirements. Each of us is responsible for being accurate, complete and honest in Company records and for complying with all of the controls, policies and procedures we have in place. † (www. jpmorganchase. com). False records are unethical and could tarnish the company’s reputation. JPMorgan Chase & Co. ’s major direct holders are James Crown, James Dimon, Douglas Braunstein, Daniel Pinto, and Frank Bisignano. These shareholders own stock in the company. These main holders have the main shares in this company. According to JPMorgan Chase & Co. , outside activities is important because doing outside activities could cause conflict not only for the company but for shareholders as well. By selling stock the company gets money almost no catch. There is no interest to pay and no requirement to pay the money back at all. Even better, equity financing distributes the risk of doing business among a large pool of investors. If the company fails, the founders don’t lose all of their money, they lose several thousand smaller chunks of other people’s money. The money the company makes of its investors is used to pay for its fines and fees. This is why there is much anticipation with the negotiation of the settlement regarding the selling of mortgage-backed securities. This chart from yahoo’s finance reports shows that in October, during the negotiation of the settlement, stock dropped: Settlement & Resolution J. P. Morgan & Chase Co. is under investigation for these unethical practices and risk losing a large sum of money as settlement, as well as criminal charges being placed upon them for their dishonorable actions. There are many legal steps that are being taken to resolve the issue at hand. Some of these steps include hiring an independent monitor or other third party firm to oversee these measures along with ensuring that J. P. Morgan Chase & Co. follows the appropriate guidelines set forth legally and prevent them from practicing any further unethical actions. The person or firm hired must examine each and every home loan before J. P. Morgan Chase will be able to be packed into any type of investments. In order for JP Morgan Chase to continue with home loans and recover from there scandalous acts, they must meet the obligation presented to them and hire an overseer, whether an individual or firm, and have the issues resolved by the end of 2017. Steps that J. P. Morgan Chase & Co. can take to improve its disgraceful situation are: to make some kind of assistance available to the individuals that were hit hard and greatly affected by these poor business practices inflicted by the company. This can be obtained by offering the individuals who invested in some type of loan through J. P. Morgan Chase & Co. an opportunity to refinance their current loan, the donation of bank- owned properties, and new mortgage loans to low and moderate income families (O’Toole). This will hopefully help the individuals that now owe more on their houses then they are worth, and are thus upside down on their loans due to the unethical practices of JP Morgan Chase. If this proves beneficiary to the individuals who took out the loans, JP Morgan may just be able to recover their reputation, if not they will have to live with the disreputable name they have now created. JP Morgan Chase can also buy back all of the mortgages that they put these poor individuals into in the first place in hopes that the individuals may climb out of the dark hole of debt that they were lured into by the scandalous actions of the Chase employers. JP Morgan Chase must help the individuals out of their debt inflicted by the bank if there is to be any hope at recovering their reputation and solving the discriminating issues at hand. This can only be obtained by them offering their support and assistance to find as well as ensure them a better financial loan option. JP Morgan Chase must make right on their word for any betterment to be observed. They can and should take the blame for their wrongful actions by stating that they know they were wrong and immoral in their actions and present the individuals with an apology as well as an ethical solution to fix and make good the issues at hand. JP Morgan must make it right for the individuals who entrusted in them to give them ethical and proper loan assistance in the first place. They need to bail the individuals out of the debt they mischievously placed them in. JP Morgan Chase banks can better themselves in the long run by can buying back all the mortgages that they sold to individuals in the first place. Mortgage loans that they knowingly sold without compliance to the mortgage standards set forth. They can also provide help to their employees who may be under investigation as well by taking full responsibility for the unethical situation and not placing the immoral conduct of the bank on the employees and forcing them to get into trouble. They need to back their employees because some who knew it was wrong didn’t want any part of the unethical situation, but JP Morgan Chase required the employee to perform the immoral practices anyways with the threat that they would lose their jobs if they didn’t abide. The company says it â€Å"is fully reserved for this settlement,† implying it has cash and other savings on hand to meet the requirements. JPMorgan will finish providing relief to borrowers by the end of 2017, the company says (Arnold). The following is a quote from Jamie Dimon: â€Å"We are pleased to have concluded this extensive agreement †¦ and to have resolved the civil claims of the Department of Justice and others. † â€Å"Nonetheless, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, California Attorney General Kamala Harris, Sacramento U. S. Attorney Benjamin Wagner and other officials involved in investigating JPMorgan’s mortgage actions called the settlement a significant government victory† (McCoy). This settlement will resolve a large amount of state and federal investigates into JPMorgan Chase’s selling of mortgage backed securities between 2005 and 2008. Concluding results An article on http://www. scpr. org explains how the settlement money will be distributed, â€Å"Q: How much money will end up in the hands of homeowners? A: The state attorney general’s office said $4 billion of the $13 billion settlement will go toward helping consumers nationwide. That could come in the form of mortgage payment reductions or loan modifications for homeowners, the office said in a press release. The office said they had no estimate on how much of the $4 billion borrower’s relief would go to California homeowners, but they believe the state will receive a â€Å"good amount of relief. † JPMorgan declined to comment on the percentage that will be directed to Californians. Separate from the borrower’s relief, California did receive nearly $300 million in damages out of the $13 billion settlement that will go to public employee and teacher pension funds, CalPERS and CalSTRS. Q: What will determine which homeowners get money from the $4 billion portion of the settlement? A: The state attorney general’s office said Californians who may qualify for the relief would likely have gotten mortgages with Washington Mutual and Bear Stearns, which are now part of JPMorgan. Stuart Gabriel, director of the Ziman Center for Real Estate at UCLA, said he thinks state agencies may reach out to individuals who are in danger of foreclosure and offer some mortgage modification, such as interest rate relief. Q: When will homeowners receive this money? A: It’s unclear how soon Californians could qualify to receive a portion of the borrower’s relief. The state attorney general’s office said the agency that will handle those decisions hasn’t been determined yet. Q: Will the settlement have an effect on the housing market? A: Gabriel said he doesn’t think there will be any perceptible effect on the direction of the housing market as a result of the settlement. He said what’s notable is that JPMorgan had to pay a large fine. The $13 billion JPMorgan settlement is roughly three times more than what BP paid to settle criminal charges related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, according to Gabriel. â€Å"It’s a big deal for JPMorgan and it’s a big win for the U. S. government,† Gabriel said. â€Å"It’s a win for the point of view that there were fraudulent practices in the packaging of mortgages into mortgage-backed securities on the part of major investment houses. † Gabriel said he doesn’t think this is the end of such settlements and the government is â€Å"in all likelihood working its way around Wall Street now with the precedent of a very big settlement in its back pocket. † Q: Is the foreclosure crisis over? A: Reports show the number of foreclosures has steadily declined. But Peter Kuhns of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment said it’s still a major problem. â€Å"It’s massive. † Kuhns said. â€Å"There are estimates that somewhere close to a third of all California homeowners with mortgages are underwater on their loans, that they owe more money than their house is worth. † Kuhns said he hopes that the $4 billion borrower’s relief will go toward helping homeowners reduce the amount of money they owe on their mortgage payments. † (lee) This shows progress but it will not be enough to keep the company’s consumer’s happy. J. P. Morgan Chase & Co. must maintain an ethical and professional work pace. It will take time but doing things correctly, the company’s reputation can be salvaged. Shareholder’s don’t seem to be losing trust since the agreement on the settlement. Shares are at a healthy fifty-seven. The Board of Directors must put these changes into action as soon as possible. They must start the process towards recovery at once.

John Gotti: The Teflon Don Essay

â€Å"There was nothing that my father loved more than being a gangster. Not money, not even us. He felt that anybody that really lived this life like he did, at the end of the day you have to die or go to jail.† – John Gotti Jr. Who is John Gotti? Depending upon who you ask this question to, your answer could vary. Growing up in my neighborhood in Far Rockaway, Queens John Gotti is a legend and someone people look up to. At the same time you can ask other people about John Gotti and they will tell you that he was a ruthless thug and a menace to society. Either way you look at it John Gotti made his mark here in America and he was known all across the country for being the boss of the largest and most powerful of the five families in New York, the Gambino crime family. I will not talk about my opinions on John Gotti in this paper but I will give you his life story from his birth in the Bronx to his death in prison and let you be the judge. John Joseph Gotti was born on October 27, 1940 in the Bronx, New York. John was the fifth child of Philomena (Fannie) and Joseph Gotti, who were Italian Immigrants. Joseph and Fannie Gotti also had twelve other children; four of which who would also become made men, or members of the Mafia. John’s younger brother Gene Gotti was actually initiated before John was due to John’s incarceration at that time. During John’s time as boss of the Gambino crime family he had his brother Peter Gotti initiated despite John’s belief (and that of many others) that Peter did not have what it takes to be La Cosa Nostra. Peter earned himself the nickname â€Å"the dumbest don† after the incarceration of John Gotti, Gene Gotti, and John Gotti Jr. when he assumed the position of Boss of the Gambino crime family. The other two brothers were Richard Gotti, who would be revealed as capo in 2002, and Vincent Gotti. John Gotti spent his early years growing up in poverty. John Gotti’s father Joseph Gotti was a day laborer who never had regular work or a steady source of income. On top of Joseph Gotti’s problems with findin g decent work so he would be able to provide for his family, he also had a gambling problem. This was a huge problem because he was the only earning member of the large family. John Gotti came to resent his father for not being able to provide the family. By the time Gotti reached the age of twelve, he was already an errand boy working for an underground club. This club was headed by Carmine Fatico, a capo in the Gambino crime family. Fatico was an early mentor Gotti until John was introduced to Aniello Dellacroce, who became his mentor for life. Gotti had his first run in with the law in 1954 when he was caught with friends attempting to steal a portable cement mixer that tipped over and crushed the toes of his feet. He had to be hospitalized for a while and as a result he is supposedly missing a toe or two. By 1956, Gotti had dropped out of Franklin K. Lane High School and was named the leader of the Fulton-Rockaway Boys. This gang is where he meets and befriends Angelo Ruggiero and Wilfred Johnson, who also become Made Men in the Gambino crime family. When Gotti moved with his family to Ozone Park in Queens, New York, Gotti became a key member of the Gambino hijacking crew. Along with his brother Gene and Ruggiero, Gotti began hija cking trucks at what would come to be known as John F Kennedy International Airport. This is where he was introduced to and befriended future Bonanno crime family boss Joseph Massino. It was here that they were given the nicknames of â€Å"Black John† and â€Å"Crazy Horse†. In 1968, Gotti was arrested for the hijackings. While out on bail, Gotti was arrested again for a hijacking on the New Jersey Turnpike. Gotti pleaded guilty to the Northwest Airlines hijackings but the charges were dropped on the New Jersey Turnpike cigarette hijackings. Gotti served three years in Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary for the hijackings. After his release in 1972, Gotti returned to the Bergin Hunt and Fish Club to work with Carmine Fatico until later that year when Fatico was indicted on loansharking charges. Despite Gotti not yet being a Made Man, Fatico named him the acting capo of the Bergin crew. It was at this time that Gotti and Dellacroce grew closer because Gotti would frequently come to the Ravenite Social Club to brief Dellacroce on his crew’s activities. In May of 1973, Emanuel Gambino, nephew of Carlo Gambino who was the current head of the family, was kidnapped and murdered despite the payment of a $100,000 ransom. Gotti was tasked to take out the man responsible along with Ruggiero and Ralph Galione. The primary suspect was an Irish gangster by the name of James McBrantley. Gotti and his boys found McBrantly in a bar in Staten Island. While Gotti and Ruggiero go over and try to take him somewhere, Galione comes over and shoots McBrantley in the middle of the club for everyone to see. Gotti would be arrested for this murder one year later after being fingered by many eyewitnesses, one of which was his friend Wilfred â€Å"Willie Boy† Johnson. Gotti was able to strike a plea bargain so he would only serve four years in prison for attempted manslaughter. After the Death of Carlo Gambino in 1976, Paul â€Å"Big Paul† Castellano became the boss of the Gambino crime family. Upon his release in 1977, John Gotti was immediat ely initiated into the Gambino crime family. Gotti was immediately promoted to capo of the Bergin crew, replacing Carmine Fatico. Castellano kept Dellacroce as his underboss and gave him control over 10 of the 23 crews, including Gotti’s Bergin crew. Gotti’s Bergin crew was the largest earners of all of Dellacroce’s crews. Gotti also ran a loansharking business on the side on top of taking his cut from all the money that his subordinates made. Gotti had many people working for him and he made them all make regular appearances at the Bergin and would get irritated if someone didn’t check in within 48 hours, he kept this routine when he moved to the Ravenite Social Club. In 1980, Gotti’s son Frank Gotti was killed in a traffic accident by their neighbor, John Favara. Favara was abducted and never to be heard from again, many believe him to be dead. Despite the belief of some people that Gotti killed Favara himself, the Gotti’s were on vacation in Florida at the time of his abduction. John Gotti Jr., future head of the Gambino crime family, still believes that his father m ost definitely had something to do with his disappearance though. In his remaining years as capo of the Bergin crew, Gotti was indicted on two separate occasions. He would not go to trial for either of these cases until he was crowned boss of the Gambino crime family. One of these cases came in September of 1984; Gotti was arrested for the assault and robbery of a refrigerator repairman named Romual Piecyk. Piecyk found his car blocked by a double parked vehicle outside of the Cozy Corner Bar in Queens. Piecyk laid on his car horn until Frank Colletta, the owner of the double parked car and Gambino family associate, came out, smacked him across the face and took his weekly paycheck out of his shirt pocket. When Piecyk began to fight back, Gotti came running out and smacked him across the face and reached into his waistband and told him â€Å"you better get the f*** out of here!† Piecyk went and got the police and they returned to the bar and arrested Gotti and Colletta. The second indictment came in 1985 when Gotti along with Dellacroce and other Bergin crew members were the targets of a racketeering case, headed by US Attorney Diane Gi acalone. It was the latter case that revealed Gotti’s close friend, Willie Boy Johnson, to be an FBI informant. When Gotti found out all he had to say to Johnson was â€Å"I’m gonna give you a pass, and I give you my word no one will bother you, Gotti told Willie Boy. After we win this case, you won’t be able to be in the life again. But you’ll get a job, you’ll have your family, and you’ll be all right.† As the boss of the family, Paul Castellano had banned Made Men from the Gambino family in dealing with drugs under the threat of death. In 1983, Angelo Ruggiero and Gene Gotti along with a few others were all indicted on heroin charges. The indictment came about through bugs placed in the home of Angelo Ruggiero, using evidence given to the FBI by Willie Boy Johnson. Along with the talks of heroin deals on these tapes there were also some remarks made about Castellano from Ruggiero on there. Castellano’s pursuit to hear what was on these tapes would be the beginning of the end for him. Although John Gotti was not on any of the tapes and they co uld make no connection to him, Castellano was still looking to hold Gotti accountable. In fear for his life, Ruggiero went to Dellacroce to see if he could plead his case to Castellano that they were only sorting out the affairs of his brother Salvatore Ruggiero, a big time heroin dealer who had no ties to the family. The story was enough to hold Castellano off until he received the tapes. In the spring of 1985 Castellano began pressing for the tapes again but backed off when he found out that his underboss, Dellacroce, was dying of cancer. He figured that if he waited for Dellacroce to die, there would be nobody he had to worry about stopping him from getting the tapes. Castellano was able to hear the tapes that summer and began formulating a plan of action but would hold off on putting that plan in motion until Dellacroce died. Gotti knew Castellano, who was never a fan of Gotti and wanted him out of the family, would have him killed so he began a plot of his own along with Frank DeCicco, Sammy Gravano, Joseph Armone, and Robert DiBernardo. When Dellacroce died on December 2, 1985, it was time for one of the sides to make their move. Castellano did not show up at the services for his former underboss and that infuriated Gotti and other members of the family and also members of the other four fam ilies. For Gotti to have the head of his family killed, he would first have to go to the heads of the other families in New York for permission. Gotti got the necessary votes from the Bonanno, Colombo, and Luchesse families for the hit. â€Å"The Fist†, which is what the five men went by, had the perfect set up. They figured that a little over a week before Christmas, around rush hour, between 5pm and 6pm that the streets would be flooded with probably over a thousand people doing there holiday errands. They figured the hit would only last a few seconds and the confusion from the panic after the gunshots went off would make for the perfect escape. The four designated shooters were Vincent Artuso, John Carneglia, Eddie Lino and Salvatore Scala. The designated back-up shooter, Anthony Tony Roach Rampino, would be standing across the street from Sparks Steak House, while Angelo Ruggiero, Joseph Watts and Iggy Alogna would be stationed at 46th Street and Second Avenue to help with the escape. Frank DeCicco would be inside the restaurant where a meeting was to take place. He would be joined there by capos James Failla and Daniel Marino, who were not part of the plot. On December 16 Big Paul had arranged to meet Dellacroce’s son Buddy Dellacroce at Sparks Steak House on East 46th Street. Frank DeCicco set it up. Castellano was going to pay homage, to explain why he had not come to the wake and offered condolences, to make amends. It wouldn’t be until the afternoon of the planned murders that the actual hit team knew who their targets were. Huddled in a park on Manhattans Lower East Side, the group went over the final details of the murder plot. The four shooters were dressed alike long light colored trench coats and black fur Russian style hats. The reasoning for this was to draw attention to the outfits, not the men wearing them. Gotti and Gravano parked a Lincoln, driven by John himself, up the block in sight of the front of Sparks Steak House. Moments later Thomas Bilotti, Big Paul’s new underboss, pulled up next to Gottiâ€℠¢s car at an intersection and waited for the light to change. Using a walkie-talkie Gravano notified the others that Castellano was approaching. Bilotti steered the Lincoln into an open space in front of Sparks and got out. As Castellano stepped out of the vehicle, the hit men moved in. Big Paul was hit six times in the head and killed instantly. When the shooting began, the unarmed Bilotti ducked and looked through the driver’s side window only to see his boss’s execution, unaware that killers were now aiming at him. As the shooters assigned to Bilotti opened fire, Artuso’s gun jammed. However, the gunfire from the second assassin dropped the newly crowned underboss. Carneglia, who had finished blasting away at Castellano, ran over to the other side of the car and put the finishing touches on Bilotti. After the very public killing of Castellano and underboss Bilotti, Gotti found himself in the media spotlight a lot and was widely suspected to be responsible for the murders. Gotti became known as the â€Å"Dapper Don† for his expensive suits, hand painted ties, and meticulously groomed silver hair. At the time of Gotti’s takeover, the Gambino family was regarded as the most powerful American mafia family, which is why during this time he was regarded as a boss of bosses. The Gambino crime family’s estimated annual income was around five hundred million dollars. According to Sammy â€Å"The Bull† Gravano, Gotti was bringing in about ten to twelve million dollars per year. In an attempt to protect himself and his underlings legally, he banned any Made Man from taking a plea agreement that acknowledges the existence of the family. Gotti’s fame came to affect the outcome of his previous indictments from 1984 and 1985. By the mid to late 1980s, John Gotti had gone from the â€Å"Dapper Don† to the â€Å"Teflon Don† because of the failure to make any charges stick to him. When Gotti went to trial for the 1984 assault and robbery of Romual Piecyk, Gotti benefited from his new fame. Piecyk received many phone calls and the breaks to his work van were cut. Fearing for the worst, Piecyk went into hiding, hoping he would not have to testify. When Piecyk was forced to testify he said he could not remember who his attackers were . Because of his random loss of memory, the New York Daily News came out with a headline that read â€Å"I Forgotti!† On April 7, 1986 the jury selection for Gotti’s RICO case began. With the success Gotti had in intimidating Piecyk in his prior case, he decided to use the same tactics to beat this case. Dennis Quirk was the first witness to be approached by Gotti’s men and was murdered right before he had to testify against Gotti’s co-defendant, Charles Carnaglia. The events to happen in the next few days would lead Judge Nickerson to postpone the trial. On the morning of April 9, a bomb threat was called into the courthouse, clearing it immediately. On April 13, 1986, underboss Frank DeCicco was killed when his car was bombed following a visit to James Failla. The bombing was carried out by Lucchese capos Victor Amuso and Anthony Casso, under orders of bosses Anthony Corallo and Vincent Gigante, to avenge Castellano and Bilotti. Gotti also planned to visit Failla that day, but canceled, and the bomb was detonated after a soldier who rode with DeCicco was mistaken for the boss. While Gotti’s trial had been postponed, he remained in jail beca use his bail had been revoked for evidence of intimidation in the Piecyk case. Pretrial motions were handled on August 18, 1986. Judge Nickerson had ruled that there would be an anonymous jury to protect jurors from intimidation and the jury would not be sequestered, or isolated. Cutler claimed that such a jury creates fear that is misplaced and deprives the defendants of a fair trial. Bruce Cutler, John Gotti’s lawyer, went at the credibility of the prosecution’s witnesses like Edward Maloney and Mathew Traynor, calling them low lives and scum. This would come to be known as â€Å"Brucifying†, it was a tag that Cutler would gladly wear. Along with stripping the credibility of some of the prosecutor’s witnesses, Gravano was reached out to in order to offer his vote of not guilty to ensure a hung jury. This man’s name was George Pape; he offered his vote for sixty thousand dollars. On March 13, 1987, they acquitted Gotti and his codefendants of all charges. In February 1986, the Bankers and Brokers Restaurant in Battery Park City was under construction. The restaurant was under the management of Philip Modica, whom police described as a Gambino crime-family soldier. Modica was not using union carpenters in the construction, which upset John F. O’Connor, The business agent and chief operating officer of Manhattan-based Local 608 of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners. O’Connor responded by having the restaurant trashed one February night, causing some thirty thousand dollars’ worth of damage. When Modica took his complaint to Gotti, he ordered that O’Connor be busted up and the assignment was given to members of the Westies, a gang of Irish thugs from the Hell’s Kitchen section of Manhattan. At 6:40 in the morning on May 7, O’Connor was waiting to enter an elevator in the lobby of a midtown Manhattan building that housed his union offices. Westies gang member Kevin Kelly at O’Connor shot four times, wounding him in the butt, left leg and hip. The union official was rushed to St. Clare’s Hospital, where he soon recovered. On the evening of January 23, 1989, John Gotti was arrested outside the Ravenite Social Club and charged with ordering the 1986 assault of union official John O’Connor. There were bugs planted in the Ravenite Social Club and in an apartment above the club in which Gotti had frequent meetings where he spoke freely about Gambino family business. They used these tapes in trial when they heard what they thought to be Gotti telling someone to â€Å"Bust him up!† in reference to O’Connor. Although they had these tapes for a while, nobody warned John O’Connor about what might happen to him. Gotti’s defense attorney’s, Cutler and Shargel used this in trial stating that If the tapes weren’t clear enough to warn O’Connor, then they are not clear enough to convict Gotti. Along with the bad sound quality of the tapes and some Brucifying, Gotti was eventually acquitted on all counts due in part to the testimony of O’Connor himself. O’Connor testified that he was never told his life was in danger or that anyone was going to â€Å"bust him up†. The defense was attempting to prove that since the investigators had not warned O’Connor, they had no evidence that named him as the target of Gotti’s â€Å"bust him up† comment. O’Connor also testified that there were internal conflicts within the union at the time he was wounded and that he had many enemies. On December 11, 1990, FBI Agents arrested John Gotti, Sammy Gravano, and Frank Locasio. This was the fourth indictment for Gotti since he came to power after ordering the killings of Paul Castellano and his underboss Thomas Bilotti. However, this was the first time that Gotti would be indicted for the latter murders. He would also be indicted for the murders of Robert DiBernardo, Liborio Milito and Louis Dibono. Along with those murders, Gotti would also be charged with the conspiracy to murder Gaetano â€Å"Corky† Vastola, loansharking, illegal gambling, obstruction of justice, bribery and tax evasion. Gotti and his co-defendants were once again denied bail. Along with Gotti being denied bail, Bruce Cutler and Gerald Shargel, were disqualified from being able to represent any of the defendants in this trial due to some recordings that proved them to be working as â€Å"in house counsel† for the Gambino crime family. The tapes also created tensions between Gotti and Gravano. The tapes showed Gotti describing Gravano as too greedy and attempted to frame Sam my as the main force behind the murders of DiBernardo, Milito and Dibono. Gravano decided to turn state’s evidence in 1991 and testify against Gotti. The case was tried in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York. The presiding judge was US District Judge Israel Leo Glasser. For the first time ever the jury was kept anonymous and totally sequestered in a Brooklyn Federal case. The prosecutors, Andrew Maloney and John Gleeson, opening statements were given on February 12, 1992. They played tapes from bugs planted in the Ravenite Social Club and the apartment above the club that had Gotti discussing Gambino family business, killings that he ordered, and showed the animosity he had towards Big Paul which also gave him a motive for the killing of the former head of the family. On March 2, 1992, Sammy â€Å"The Bull† Gravano began his testimony. Gravano told the court about Gotti’s ranking as the head of the family. He also told the court about Gotti’s role in the Castellano and Bilotti hit and gave them every detail of the hit. Gotti’s defense provided no real help. All of Albert Krieger’s, Gotti’s new defense attorney, witnesses’ testimonies were d ismissed except for one and that was the testimony of Gotti’s tax attorney. The prosecution rested its case on March 24 and John Gotti was convicted on all accounts on April 2. John Gotti was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole on June 23, 1992. James Fox, the director of the New York City FBI, announced at a press conference, â€Å"The Teflon is gone. The don is covered with Velcro, and all the charges stuck.† Gotti was sent to serve his sentence at the US Penitentiary in Marion, Illinois. Gotti eventually died of throat cancer in June of 2002. John Gotti would not be able to have his funeral in the church due to the request of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn. After the funeral, hundreds of people followed the hearse which drove through Gotti’s old neighborhood and past the Bergin Hunt and Fish Club.