The Automotive Industry and Green Awareness

After suffering massive market losses to foreign cars which were considered to be fuel efficient, American automotive industry has reawakened to the green awareness campaign advocated by consumers, which is represent the future of the industry.There has been increased call by the consumers for the American auto industry to develop cars which emits less green house gases to save the environment.The industry has responded by putting efforts on development of electric cars and hybrid plug-in in vehicles to adapt to the market needs and to sustain the growth of the economy.Green technology presents the future and the American automotive industry must grow along this line to compete effectively in the market.With a large segment of their market lost to foreign automakers, the American auto industry and the government in general responded by taking measures to enforce a green auto industry. For example California passed a law which required 2% all the cars sold in the state to have zero em ission which led to the development of the electric cars (Kilkenny, 2006). However, conspiracy between leading auto makers like Ford and the oil industry led to the mysteriously death of the car (Shnayerson, 2006).Realizing that the future of the auto industry is green, the industry has responded by investing in research and design which has seen the development of hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars, electric cars, lithium batteries which will support the future green auto industry, and various innovations in auto components. These inventions are likely to see the end of the use of gasoline powered engines which have been the leading environmental polluter. (Kaho, 2008)The future of the auto industry is green. In order to compete effectively with other auto makers in the world, and ensure the contribution to the industry to economic growth and sustainability American auto industry must continue with their efforts in the development of a green auto industry. (Globe, 2008)The auto industr y green awareness is an important topic of concern to all Americans and the rest of the world. Our country is still the leading emitter of green house gases to the atmosphere and the auto industry has been one of the leading contributors to this emission.Reference:Globe, (2008): Future auto motive industry. Globe Foundation, March 2008Kaho, T. (2008):Â   2008 Washington Auto Show: Technology and green future. GREENCAR.comKilkenny, N. (2006): Who killed Electric Car? Accessed from http://www.reformation.org/who-killed-electric-car.pdf on 4th August 2008Shnayerson, M. (2006): The Inside Story of GM's Revolutionary Electric Vehicle. Random House publishers

Push and Pull Factors in the Tourism Industry Essay

Gogo (formerly known as Aircell), is an innovation company, becoming leaders in providing inflight connectivity. The company began in 1991, when they began creating telephone systems for aircrafts, they progressed from this and in 2006 began creating a broadband network for aircraft. In 2008, they launched this new system into commercial flights and since then they have been offering this service for various American airlines including US Airways, Virgin America and American Airlines (Gogo 2013). The purpose of this paper is to discuss the recent experience of using Gogo Wi-Fi on an American Airlines flight, and investigate the strategy of Gogo, with reference to the innovation dilemmas when creating this new service. The experience occurred on an American Airlines flight from San Francisco to Los Angeles, although the technology had been available for a few years, this was the first time the consumer had experienced Wi-Fi whilst flying. Although the consumer had no need for the Internet on their flight and only purchase it to update their Facebook status, they recognised the benefits of having the internet on long haul flights, this included people being able to check emails and stay in touch with people and it also provides people with the ability to download entertainment from online sources and no longer be limited to the selection provided by the airline. Due to the nature of the Airline industry, at the core level it can be viewed as a generic offering across the industry. This resulting in airlines often creating a differentiation strategy, in order to gain a competitive advantage as they seek to increase the value of the product/service on offer to the consumer (Hooley et al, 2012). The Gogo Company acknowledged that their innovation could provide a service to Airlines that will enable them to differentiate themselves. This can be identified on the Gogo website, as it states ‘By differentiating your airline and providing a memorable passenger experience, you stand to gain loyalty among your valued flyers†¦lets you custom wrap the video portal, so your brand is consistently comes forth whenever passengers are connected’ (Gogo 2013). In 2009, American Airlines announced it would be using Gogo services on their domestic flights, costing the airline $100 000 to install (Semuels, 2009). This therefore shows that American Airlines have recognised the benefits and the increase ticket sales and revenue they could receive by advertising Gogo Internet is now a part of inflight entertainment. When innovation occurs within a company, they must consider the following innovation dilemmas, whether the product or service is a technology push or market pull, product or process innovation, open or closed innovation and finally a technological or business-model innovation. Technology push is when innovation is pushed by technologist or scientist who pass this information onto the company, from there they will manage, promote and distribute this new innovation. This can be compared to market push, this is when companies create innovation based on what the ‘lead users’ are doing in that particular industry (Johnson et al, 2011). One aspect that has enable Gogo to overcome this dilemma, is by listening to what the market wants and ensuring they are up to date with the current market technological tends. Product Innovation is when emphasis on innovation is placed on the finally product, whereas in process innovation is when innovation is focused on the production and distribution (Johnson et al, 2011). At the beginning Gogo was focused on the product innovation, but as the company has grown, they have shifted to process innovation. This can be identified on the Gogo website stating that ‘1 in 4 people consider their laptop, tablet or IPad an essential carry on item’ (Gogo 2013), therefore Gogo has had to ensure its innovation is compatible across the multiple devices. Open innovation is when companies improve their innovation through gaining ideas through internal and external personnel. This can be compared to closed innovation, when innovation is based on internal personnel (Johnson et al, 2011). Gogo tend to go for closed innovation to ensure they remain leaders in the industry however ensuring they are receiving feedback from their clients to ensure they are meeting their needs. Technological or business-model innovation, technological innovation is when innovation is relied on new science or technology, whereas business-model innovation emphasises on creating new models that will bring stakeholders together in a new method (Johnson et al, 2011). Gogo began as a technological innovation, however has become a business-model innovation for companies using Gogo products and service, as it changes the way they sell and promote their airline company. Overall, Gogo are the market leaders and innovators in inflight communications services. And from reviewing the company’s current strategy, it can be recognised that will continue to be market leaders as they are aware of the demands from today’s consumers, and are constantly updating, innovating and meeting these demands. Although by company innovating new products or services, it dose propose the risk of innovation dilemmas, Gogo has proven that they can overcome these dilemmas and continue to lead and grow.

Journal Paper 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Journal Paper 3 - Essay Example Enlightenmentwas actually derived from French Revolution in 1789, and then it spread all over Europe, dominating the mindsets. The leaders of Enlightenment were Montesquieu, Jean Jacques Rousseau, all great leaders of that time, who were motivated by the French Revolution, thuswas the revolutionary spirit, new theories, and the social and political principles of France, that were established upon it. Then the social and political freedom after the end of monarchy, signalized a new era, for people in Europe, starting from France had found a new way of conceiving things and issues, an era of rationalism or enlightened minds. Yet, the revolution was political, and so were the motives, and the dominating political power at that time, used actually spirit, and the way of thinking, to impose its own power and control over people. For example the use of religion, and taking advantage from Christian belief, had imposed a sort of spiritual power and domination over people of Europe, which was actually derived from political power. And this was lasting, as long as people were oppressed by monarchy. And this oppression has lasted. Nowadays, not only theuse of guns, such as in French Revolution, but spiritual overpower and domination is a force to be reckoned with. Idea is another means of exploitation and subjugation. In fact, historical evolution in terms of society and financial development has contributed to this changing of attitude towards older beliefs and principle.People really wanted a social and political change, but this went through ideological and mental change of attitudes towards some theories, do gmas and beliefs. All this became a matter of social evolution, but as Marx said, â€Å"Society defines conscience†, and this has been proven right to an extent. Immanuel Kent describes enlightenment to be the â€Å"freedom to use one’s own intelligence†. If it is believed that ideologies

The behaviour of the young towards luxury products Essay

The behaviour of the young towards luxury products - Essay Example Since youth coming from rich families can easily afford costly items of luxury, gradually, a competitive attitude grows among people to acquire most famous and acclaimed items like perfumes, watches, goggles etc. Rather than collecting items for showing their economic worth, youth coming from middle class families are more inclined towards obtaining the items which, apart from being serviceable as symbol of status, should be able to pay them back the price paid for them by their proper utilization. The article (Neelakantan,1999) describing American youth writes â€Å"Changing luxury spending patterns like this arent unusual among todays new affluent shoppers who didnt inherit their wealth and didnt necessarily grow up privileged. Many have made their money in technology, through entrepreneurship or because of sheer talent in the sports and entertainment fields. And while this new crowd is probably spending more, it is taking the conspicuous out of consumption--showing less, with more style.† Edwin Colyer (2005,That’s rich, redefining luxury brands) writes â€Å"However you want to define luxury, though, one thing is certain: it is now commonplace and affordable. Disposable income has risen dramatically over the past 30 years and there is more money to spend on "extras." Luxury purchases are for celebrating an occasion, self reward or to show off status.† â€Å"According to the Census Bureau, there are currently 25.2 million teens, ages 13-18, in the U.S. Their purchasing power is substantial: If you add part-time job earnings, allowance and the average amount of their parent’s money they spend every year, teens comprise a $195 billion market. Over a third of teens hold part-time jobs, working 18 hours a week, on average, and earning $483 per month.† The role of spontaneous liking or disliking towards luxury, though not

Competitive Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Competitive Strategies - Essay Example Coca- Cola and Pepsi-Cola are two leading soft drinks in the USA. Both are represented by values cherished by the state including democracy, independence, fun and free. The color, taste and amount of carbon dioxide in both drinks are nearly the same. Coca cola is the leading brand across the globe with a leading brand value of $ 67,000 million. Its competitor Pepsi Cola has a brand of $ 12,690 million. Coca-Cola is the best recognized brand in the world and is known for owning top five soft drinks in the world that is, Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Sprite and Fanta (Bodden 2009). Coca- Cola strong brand value has positively impacted in its penetration to new markets as it consolidates the existing market. Coca-Cola was designed in 1885 by John Stith Pemberton who was a pharmacist (Bodden 2009). The name Coke was derived from the presence of cocaine in coke, this cocaine was claimed to reduce depression and made coke drinkers addicted to the drink. The Food and Drug Administration later abolished the presence of cocaine in the drink hence making the industry remove the ingredient cocaine in the drink. Although the company maintained the beverage’s name, its demand started to reduce. The company therefore resulted in aggressive advertising to promote the beverage. Pepsi on the other hand was also designed by a pharmacist, Caleb Bradham in 1898 and was named after its creator as ‘Brad drink’ (Bodden 2008). It also placed emphasis on advertising. Its advertisement challenged that of Coca-Cola since PepsiCo used celebrities such as Michael Jackson, Jackie Chan and Britney Spears among others to advertise its drinks making it popular among sports fans and the young as w ell as promoting the image of non-conformity and confidence (Doole and Lowe 2008). A Pepsi advertisement featuring Britney Spears indicated Pepsi as a drink for all,

International Business Environment Assenment Essay

International Business Environment Assenment - Essay Example The company has maintained at a stable growth of just below 8% in terms of currency revenue and over 5% organic revenue growth. The company has also witnessed a stable profit growth over the past years and last year the company recorded a 9% increase in the operating profit growth margin. Consequently, other business branches in places like North America are performing exceptionally well and are experiencing high levels of customer retentions. Business operations in places like Europe are also firm despite the increasingly harsh economic conditions, which are likely to remain so. The company has also unveiled strategies that will enable it operate competently in the, market and make it own the largest share among their competitors. The current year’s cash flow is quite impressive and is maintained at the top peak. This has enabled the company to indulge in further investment and engage more investors and shareholders in the market. The business also has sufficient amount to aw ard its shareholders. The years also witnessed a number of acquisition in terms of which have also made a significant contribution to the company growth. In addition, the business has experienced growth in some areas due to increased outsourcing from various parts of the world. This enables them to produce a variety, which in return meets various customer needs. The retention rate of the business is high with a 94.3% stand. The company director also attributed the high growth rates to the price increase that was made on the commodities. They are also creating strategies that enable them get high sales in low sales regions such as Japan and Europe. Overall, the company is doing excellent except for the flat sales volumes in Europe and Japan. The company has also instituted strategies to introduce new products that may help in boosting sales in these places. Associated British Foods Associated British foods are equally a very strong player in the food industry. Their multinational eff ect has grown and they are currently competing very strongly against their worldwide competitors. With over 46 branches worldwide, the company has ensured high productivity in terms of o productivity. In regards to financial performance, the company registered an increase in their turnover rate. In 2009, the company had $9255 while in the year 2012 the company had $12252. This signifies a trend of excellence in performance and the manner in which the company operations are done. There is also an increase in the operating adjusted profits from $664 in 2009 to $1077. The company motivates its employees by paying them 130% of their salaries. This in turn led to an increased 20% in terms of achievement of the company objectives. Consequently, the company has set financial targets in every branch that they have, and these operate competitively to achieve the objectives. The company also capitalizes on bonus reduction to increase its net revenues. Identify and provide an assessment of how the key factors within the international business environment

An experiment paper on the effectiveness of the Pandan plant in Essay

An experiment paper on the effectiveness of the Pandan plant in repelling cockroaches from food - Essay Example More often than not, people avoid cockroaches or try to kill or repel them, mainly because they carry disease and germs, and the fact that many people either find cockroaches disgusting, or are afraid of them. This is why these people spend money on insecticides, repellants, exterminators and other chemicals and gadgets for the purpose of getting rid of cockroaches. As commonly known, cockroaches are attracted to food, and are often found in dark confined places of the home. These cockroaches that we see are actually only a small percentage of the actual number of cockroaches in your home. According to an article by extension.umn.edu, â€Å"Cockroaches are nocturnal, hiding during the day and becoming active at night. The number of cockroaches people see is usually a small percentage of a much larger population.† And this means that there are definitely more cockroaches in your home than you expect. The problem with trying to maintain a cockroach-free home is that it costs quite a bit of money, and most extermination or repellant methods are difficult to apply, or have off-putting odors. This paper's aim is to test a natural, non-toxic, easy-to-use, and environment-friendly way of repelling cockroaches from your food, or your home and rooms. It aims to test the effectiveness of the pandan plant in repelling cockroaches.

Organizational Behavior - How a successful Iranian based company like Research Paper - 1

Organizational Behavior - How a successful Iranian based company like Hirbodan is surviving in tough times of sanctions against Iran - Research Paper Example Hibordan organizational structure contributed to its success (Sigh 12). They have a well-structured organization pattern where the Board of directors seats a top, the mid level management, and then lower management. This kind of structure facilitates decision-making and coordination of members in an organization. They use a technique in management called theory Y in motivation of its employees. Under these theory employees show commitment to goals and accept responsibility. Theory Y has enable Hirbodan to have a goal-oriented workforce (Champoux 16). Iranian economy has suffered a lot from the sanctions imposed by the international community. Sanction imposed on the government of president Ahmedinejhad, include ban on Iranian oil, which is the backbone of Iranian economy. This has affected several industries Hirbodan included. To worsen the situation President Amedinajhad’s plan on reforms on subsidy of 2010 removed subsidies on electricity and water affected industries. Iranian currency depreciated much making the cost of living rise and inflation skyrocketed (Sigh 18). The cost of running of a company turned high due to high cost of importing raw materials. The effects on Iran are adverse that companies are hoping for the best to have an enabling environment for investment. Hirbodan Rose against all odds and wage the storm, due to its strong foundation and the expertise offered by the founding professional. It coordinated with companies in Engineering, procurement& construction (EPC) to have its operations outside Iran (Sapru 36). According to the chairperson of Hirbodan, their success during hard times was through definitive strategies and logical solutions to firm’s problems, which include; reduction of financial debt in both local and foreign banks. It focused on means of increasing revenue to trade on real estate. They created teams to deal with opportunities and threats then sort problems

Descriptive Essays vs. Narrative Essays Essay Example for Free

Descriptive Essays vs. Narrative Essays Essay Many people have different preferences on what type of writing style they think is more superior to another, I believe descriptive writing to be more excellent writing style then narrative. I can tell you that there are a few similarities and a few differences between the two. I prefer Descriptive essays, rather than narrative essays. In my belief, its that the descriptive essays are more effective when an author is trying to convey a story or get a message across than narratives. Descriptive essays keep the reader engaged throughout the story. It provides the reader with more in depth details, and it allows the reader to better envision the picture that the author is trying to paint. Descriptive and narrative essays have a few traits in common. Typically both almost make you feel as if you are present with the author. They both usually tell you of an event that the author went thru or a message the author wants you to receive. Whether you are reading the Personal Narrative or Descriptive Essay both are very creative form of writing. The difference between a narrative essay and descriptive essay is that the narrative essay is more catered to someone’s point of view in order to tell a story, whereas the descriptive essay describes a person or the place or an event by using vivid images. The writer describes a behavior or personality or uses our sense of smell, touch, sound, taste. Descriptive essays show a reader and do not tell them. Descriptive essays give a lot of details for instance, would you prefer to read an essay with a sentence like, â€Å"the girl ran down the street† or â€Å"the young girl ran down the street wearing light blue shorts and a white top, as her blonde hair blew in the wind†. The second sentence would catch a reader’s attention more than the first. This is a example as to why I believe descriptive essays are better than narrative essay, because they paint a better picture. â€Å"On Christmas Eve I saw that my mother had outdone herself in creating a strange menu. She was pulling black veins out of the backs of fleshy prawns. The kitchen was littered with appalling mounds of raw food: A slimy rock cod with bulging eyes that pleaded not to be thrown into a pan of hot oil. Tofu, which looked like stacked wedges of rubbery white sponges.  A bowl soaking dried fungus back to life. A plate of squid, their backs crisscrossed with knife markings, so they resembled bicycle tires.† Tan, A. (2013). This is an excerpt from the descriptive essay Fish Cheeks. When we as a writer provide our readers with such descriptive details you can almost picture yourself in that kitchen, and I became engaged from this point on. It is easy for the reader to get wrapped up in the story when the author is using descriptive language to paint a vivid picture. The audience can visualize the food, and the way it looks. Narratives are more direct and straight to the point, and that can cause a lot of readers to get lost or disengaged. A descriptive essay takes the dialogue to a different height by the details given by the author allowing us as a reader the ability to share the authors experiences by explaining and to show us rather than just telling us. When giving more details, the reader obtains more of the story. When reading the article I Want a Wife (Brady, 1971), the author gives a brief description of their friend who had recently become divorced and was now looking for a new wife. The author goes into explain how she also, would like a new wife. She then explains the â€Å"duties† her new wife would complete for her. The new wife would be preparing meals and keeping a clean home. Here comes my issue with this narrative, I am left wondering about this womans story. I want to know who she is. Is this description of her own marriage? What is her husband like? Is she not happy? Does she like being a wife? Narrative essay focus more on the information, and again telling the reader the story from the point to point they may use different forms of dialogue to convey this message to the audience. The author may use intriguing humor or tell the story first hand in first person to try to make the reader interested. The benefit of writing a story that contains many details is that it also allows the reader to visualize and feel the emotions that the author is trying to convey. The descriptive language presented in Fish Cheeks; the reader is able to visualize them as a fourteen year old who describes a Christmas Eve dinner when she as fourteen, how she felt when the boy she had a crush on, who, was also a minister’s son and his family had been invited to have a traditional Chinese dinner with her family. Her being afraid of what he would think of her and her culture, and of how she just wanted to fit in: When she finds out he is invited to dinner, she cries because she fears what he might think of her and her families Chinese  Christmas celebrations. Her fears came to life just as her mother brought out the steamed fish, with its eyeballs still on. Also, her father added to her worries by poking the fish’s cheeks and announcing that it was her favorite. When everyone left Amy’s mother handed her a gift a mini skirt, and told Amy that she could look like an American girl on the outside, but she would remain a Chinese girl on the inside , saying to Amy â€Å"Your only shame is to have shame.† It was a lesson that she would understand many years later. When Amy describes, this all I can visualize every piece of her story. In conclusion, by the author providing descriptive language and more in depth details to captivate and engage their audience, and by also allowing the reader to become wrapped up in the moments and emotions being depicted and painted throughout the story and providing a more engaging experience for the reader, this means to me that a descriptive essay is more beneficial than a narrative essay. A descriptive essay has a larger and long lasting impression and impact on the reader, and the audience walks away as if they just lived the story or event described themselves. It not only has that but, also the message that the author was trying to convey been instilled into the reader to remember forever. References Tan, A. (2013). Fish cheeks. Retrieved from http://redroom.com/member/amy-tan/writing/fish-cheeks Brady, J. (1971). I want a wife. Retrieved from http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/everythingsanargument4e/content/cat_020/Brady_I_Want_a_Wife.pdf

Cultural attitudes-Mice and Men Essay Example for Free

Cultural attitudes-Mice and Men Essay The following essay looks at the cultural attitudes and values expressed by the members of the ranch and society in Of mice and Men by John Steinbeck, and how important it is to the main themes of the novella. The book was first published in nineteen thirty seven and is set during the great depression. Steinbeck based the story as his own experience as a bindle stiff. When looking at the relationship between men and women in the story, women are ignored. Curleys wife is generally ignored, throughout the story. Curley and his wife spend most of the time looking for each other as several points in the novel, Curleys wife asks Have you seen Curley? and vice versa for Curley. We are also able to see that the relationship between Curley and his wife isnt a particularly a romantic and loving one as in many parts of the story we are able to see friction between the two; a prime example of this being when Curleys wife angrily and furiously replies to a order from Curley by saying You dont own me!. Conveying to us how women were looked down upon during the time of the novella. Throughout the story, as a in a male perspective Curleys wife would seem flirtatious among the men and seeming sexual and persuading the men into having a relationship with her. However, in the view of a female reader she would be simply trying to make friends and more as an attempt to socialize rather than an attempt to flirt as Curleys wife is lonely. As Curleys wife herself states how lonely she feels on page 122 while in dialog with Lennie moments prior to her death : I get lonely. I cant talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad. Howd you like not to talk to anybody? We are thus able to understand how men would treat their wives, with no respect or dignity. The irony of the marriage of Curley and his wife is that they go looking for each other almost all the time and there is so many disputes in their relationship.Moreover,it also shows how lonely she is and also gives us an idea how women were generally treated during that period of time and also how ignored and isolated they were from society. On page 124 Curleys wife explains how she almost realized her dream of being a Hollywood actress.She said she met a guy, an was in the pitchersSays I was a natural. Soons he got back to Hollywood he was gonna write to me about it. Throughout the story Curleys wife wears a cotton red dress and wears make up due to her aspirations of being a Hollywood actress.In reality Curleys wife cant achieve that much desired goal and most likely is never going to get there. Most importantly, Curleys Wife is unable to meet her targets and achieve her ambitions simply because she is married to Curley. All she can do is just fantasize. The fact that she has to only just stay at home, cook, clean and go to bed with Curley is prevents her from reaching her potentially achievable dreams. This telling us that there was a lot of sexism involved in this period of time against women. Men could go out earn and do really whatever they like while women/wives had to stay at home and provide the men/husbands with their needs. Mens attitudes towards women were selfish. Curleys wife in the whole novella has to proper name in which she is referred to. She is just referred to in the book and other characters as Curleys wife and not a name; she has no identity in the novella. Women have no identity during this period of time, the fact the Curleys wife has no name to be referred to really displays the ignorance and unawareness towards Women. When examining possession and money in the novella, it is clear the Boss of the ranch who holds the glory of wealth. The fact that he owns the ranch and has earned the wealth and business position he is in right now is due to his own hard work.The irony with his son Curley, is that on the hierarchy of power he would be placed second highest behind his father; he has not earned or not done anything in order to earn the power,money or respect. He is just inheriting it, he is the only person in the novella to achieve success in this effortless manner. Attitudes towards money were that if you had inherited wealth, that you would still have it regardless whether you deserved it or not. In the novella there is hardly any respect towards the elderly. Candy who is the oldest worker on the ranch and has lost one hand has only his dog as his companion, his dog is a parellel to him., they were both regarded as useless and redundant on the busy ranch. Carlson shows the disregard for him when he intends to kill Candys dog. Candy pleads with him and says Ive had him since he was a pup. Throughout the argument between Candy and Carlson regarding Candys dog,Candy constantly expresses how much he wants the dog and how badly he wants to keep him by mentioning No,I couldnt do that. I had im too long. Candy has no real power in this situation due to his power on the ranch,his injured arm and old age.The fact the Carlson had in a matter of moments without even consideration taken away Candys only love and is only hope in his life shows the utter disregard and carelessness towards the elderly. Racism is seen in the novella as well. Crooks, who is the only African American is discriminated in many ways. He is referred to by his disability with the name: Crooks, due to his crooked back. Another term he is referred to is nigger due to his ethnicity, nigger which using the term nowadays could be a punishable offence. Crooks is separated from the rest of the ranch, he is made by the others to live in his own room.As a result this causes him to feel lonely as he mentions that A gut neades somebody to be near him and A guy goes nuts if he aint got nobody. The irony with Crooks that although he is discriminated, he is the only work member on the ranch to have his own privacy. Furthermore, despite his discrimination,

Modern Techniques And Changes In Supply Chain Management Business Essay

Modern Techniques And Changes In Supply Chain Management Business Essay Supply chain Management is about the management involved in the network of interconnected business model in the supply chain of products and services required by the end consumers (Customers). SCM has its span of control from purchasing the raw materials, WIP inventory (Semi-Finished) and till the final goods (i.e.) from the initial point to final consumption by the end users. Nowadays in a global scenario the companies recognize the research value of SCM. And tends to analyze the various ways to meet the unimaginable rise in the demand from the customers side with a minimum operation cost involved in it. Earlier the manufacturers are the states of drivers who manage the product manufacturing and the pace of distribution but now a day the customer plays the prominent drivers of supply chain were as the manufacturers are trying to meet the demand. SCM has became the common melting point which influence various aspects in the channel such as procurement , inventory , transportation , manufacturing , distribution , IT management and marketing to enhance the supply chain strategy for obtaining the cost effective performance. Literature Review: As mentioned in the above statement the new perspective of looking the supply chain management has been emerging and lots of topics has been reviewed on it. According to (Xiaoqiang Chai and Jian chai, 2013) that basically the producers produces the products and distributes through the 3PL third party logistics (i.e.) the producers sells it wholesalers and from wholesalers to the distributers and then they sells the final product to the end customers. The lifecycle of the product (quantity and quality) may be deteriorating during the transportation process. Thus the incentive scheme has been highlighted to co-ordinate the supply chain. The scheme had two contracts that is wholesale market clearance (WMC) contract between the manufacturer and distributor and (WDS) Whole sale Price discount sharing between the manufacturer and the 3PL providers. This contract can eliminate the double marginalization between the 3tier supply chain and helps the three parties to work in the better co-ordi nate way. In this (Guillen Gosalbez and Grossman , 2009 2010) has addressed the design and planning of forward supply chain operations considering the uncertainty in the life cycle inventory of the supply chain operations (i.e.) the forward supply chain management will intend towards the overall supply chain process from the identifying suppliers, procurement , warehousing , Manufacturing and until selling to the end users. The proper designing in the above defined process will enhances the overall output efficiency of the supply chain. On the other hand, supply chain structure ( Fleischmann , 2011) studied on the reverse supply chain which can achieved through the reverse process such as repairing , remanufacturing and recycling the used finished goods from users. The Reverse logistics studies has been analyzed and arrived at a conclusion that the focus only on the certain aspects and no holistic analysis on the complete reverse logistics have been performed. The integrated supply chain which fuses the Forward SCM and Reverse SCM is known as the closed loop supply chain (Jayaraman , 1999) developed a model to identify and analyze the optimal number of operation facilities to be started for the effective reverse logistics. In the Supply chain risk management (Tang) has modeled the framework which can be sub-classified as four approaches in supply risk management: Demand management, Supply management, Product management and Information management. In this the nature and the quantitative impact of the risk has to be analyzed. The company can opt for multi-suppliers and it can maximize the inventory in order to prepare for disruptions. The extensive work for identifying the optimal inventory level for manufacturers is spearheaded to reduce the risk level involved. Modern  Techniques and Changes in Supply Chain Management: In the recent years the emerging growth and perspective view towards the Supply chain management is modernizing. In particular the environmental concern towards the recovery of products is accounted in the manufacturers (Producer) responsibility which has lead to the contributing combination of authentic supply chain networks with activities such as reverse logistics. In general the functional model of the forward supply chain initiates from the Tier 2 suppliers who ensures the supply of raw materials to the Tier 1 suppliers where as the Tier 1 suppliers produce semi finished parts from the raw materials. The manufacturer assembles the semi finished parts from Tier 1 suppliers and ensures it into final finished product and then it will be transported to the distributors. The distributor distributes the finished products to the retailers where as the retailers sells the product to the consumers. In the Reverse logistics the function model service is extended from the above model as of collecting back the used finished products, assembling the products into parts and feeding the parts back into the supply chain process (Repair Remanufacture Recycle). And this can be achieved by opening the optimal number of facilities for the reverse logistics functions. However in the supply chain management which handles both the Forward and Reverse supply chain activities are denoted as closed loop supply chain. In this closed loop supply chain the functional activities of both the forward supply chain and reverse supply chain are co-ordially combined as a whole functional process in the supply chain. In this era due to globalization and competition in SCM the automation came to the existence with the focus on the IT management. CSIM is an integrated tool used in the Constructional supply chain management. This above objective is supported by the BIM (Building Information Modeling) and GIS (Global Information System) which enables the process of tracking and provide warning signals in the system to ensure the delivery of materials.

Physical Therapy and Kinesiology Essay -- relieve, stress, allergies, a

Physical therapy and kinesiology work in a close relationship to each other. Essentially one may think they are one in the same, however there are small differences between the two that provide different results when applied singularly. As a combined effort physical therapy and kinesiology work to heal the muscles and joints of the body, recreating movements perfectly as they were before injury or in some cases as closely as one can get to a perfect function. First one must understand where the lone is drawn between the two fields and how they balance each other to create desirable results in a patient. Kinesiology is a complimentary therapy used to identify and correct internal issues to relieve stress, allergies, and pain. Being described as a complimentary therapy, kinesiology is not meant to be a cure-all for the patient, but a secondary method of increasing positive results of the original therapy; this method however can be used as a primary or secondary form of therapy depending on the results for the patient and satisfaction with said results. During treatment the doctor tests 14 different areas of muscles balance, these major muscles and how they react are believed to uncover problems that need correction which cannot be found with any other testing (Rude Health). During testing, most patients are found to need correction in all 14 balance tests, depending on the ailment the patient complains of and how well they react to the muscle correction will tell whether or not further treatment is needed. The physical aspect of the therapy, despite the name and basic principles, is not the only aspect required for optimal results. One must also report lifestyle and diet changes ranging from daily stress levels to pat... ... begin without the other, though the end result is far from the same ideal. Physical therapy can work with kinesiology in a way to take it into the light it belongs, and further the study from a more scientific approach. From that step forward, with more scientific study, the therapy may eventually hold its own and the results speak for themselves in the same way physical therapy has proven to be beneficial. References Mayo School of Health Sciences. (n.d.). Physical Therapy. Retrieved April 19, 2014, from http://www.mayo.edu/mshs/careers/physical-therapy Rude Health : Kinesiology. (n.d.). Proquest. Retrieved April 19, 2014, from http://search.proquest.com.ezp-02.lirn.net/docview/759739277/8E660E12CC7646E0PQ/4?accountid=107221 What is Physical Therapy?. (n.d.). Medical News Today. Retrieved April 19, 2014, from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/160645.php

Exploring the Horror of Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness Essay

Exploring the Horror of Heart of Darkness "The horror, the horror!" Kurtz exclaims prior to his last breath of life on earth. In those final moments, Kurtz was able to say something so true about the whole mess of human life. A life dominated by the fittest, perceived differently through each human eye, and full of judgement lacking understanding of all sides. The various ways the world is viewed causes many problems amongst its people. Whether they are about racism, wealth, or even common sense, conflicts are still subject to arouse. Why? The answer to this is not yet clear because of its complexity and endless variables. Yet what is clear is that it ties into two other aspects-prejudice and social Darwinism or survival of the fittest. Perception is the seed from which those two aspects grow. Throughout `Heart of Darkness', its readers are given a taste of the many different perceptions belonging to the characters. As the Belgian doctor examines Marlow before his long journey to the Congo, he questions Marlow of his sanity and predicts the trip will have an effect on him mentally. Marlow eventually becomes insane to some of the readers, while the others argue the opposite. Depending on how Marlow's actions were perceived determined their overall view of him. Racism was also argued through Marlow's actions. A shade of skin seemed to somehow be viewed as a factor that determined a person or that person's individual rank in a sense. It was as though Marlow always looked down at the dark colored Africans and preferred to communicate only with whites of his own "kind." For instance at the beginning of the novella, Marlow finds a group of Native Africans chained together.... ...arkness" has a deeper meaning about life and how humans react with it. Perception causes human beings to view things differently from one another, which leads to misunderstandings and unnecessary quarreling. Misunderstandings mixed in with fear of the unknown cause prejudice to arouse and people to disregard and treat others with disrespect and inequality. The inequality of people in society is marked by Social Darwinism, in which only the fittest and most accepted survive, leaving no possibility for those who are different to thrive. The darkness of the world is truly a deeper shade of black containing the fears, nightmares, and misunderstandings of its people. A never-ending pathway is thus created for inequality amongst people who should be working side by side, forgetting their differences, and helping to make the world a better place.

Bag of Bones CHAPTER TEN

Around nine o'clock, a pickup came down the driveway and parked behind my Chevrolet. The truck was new a Dodge Ram so clean and chrome-shiny it looked as if the ten-day plates had just come off that morning but it was the same shade of off-white as the last one and the sign on the driver's door was the one I remembered: WILLIAM ‘BILL' DEAN CAMP CHECKING CARETAKING LIGHT CARPENTRY, plus his telephone number. I went out on the back stoop to meet him, coffee cup in my hand. ‘Mike!' Bill cried, climbing down from behind the wheel. Yankee men don't hug that's a truism you can put right up there with tough guys don't dance and real men don't eat quiche but Bill pumped my hand almost hard enough to slop coffee from a cup that was three-quarters empty, and gave me a hearty clap on the back. His grin revealed a splendidly blatant set of false teeth the kind which used to be called Roebuckers, because you got them from the catalogue. It occurred to me in passing that my ancient interlocutor from the Lakeview General Store could have used a pair. It certainly would have improved mealtimes for the nosy old fuck. ‘Mike, you're a sight for sore eyes!' ‘Good to see you, too,' I said, grinning. Nor was it a false grin; I felt all right. Things with the power to scare the living shit out of you on a thundery midnight in most cases seem only interesting in the bright light of a summer morning. ‘You're looking well, my friend.' It was true. Bill was four years older and a little grayer around the edges, but otherwise the same. Sixty-five? Seventy? It didn't matter. There was no waxy look of ill health about him, and none of the falling-away in the face, principally around the eyes and in the cheeks, that I associate with encroaching infirmity. ‘So're you,' he said, letting go of my hand. ‘We was all so sorry about Jo, Mike. Folks in town thought the world of her. It was a shock, with her so young. My wife asked if I'd give you her condolences special. Jo made her an afghan the year she had the pneumonia, and Yvette ain't never forgot it.' ‘Thanks,' I said, and my voice wasn't quite my own for a moment or two. It seemed that on the TR my wife was hardly dead at all. ‘And thank Yvette, too.' ‘Yuh. Everythin okay with the house? Other'n the air conditioner, I mean. Buggardly thing! Them at the Western Auto promised me that part last week, and now they're saying maybe not until August first.' ‘It's okay. I've got my Powerbook. If I want to use it, the kitchen table will do fine for a desk.' And I would want to use it so many crosswords, so little time. ‘Got your hot water okay?' ‘All that's fine, but there is one problem.' I stopped. How did you tell your caretaker you thought your house was haunted? Probably there was no good way; probably the best thing to do was to go at it head-on. I had questions, but I didn't want just to nibble around the edges of the subject and be coy. For one thing, Bill would sense it. He might have bought his false teeth out of a catalogue, but he wasn't stupid. ‘What's on your mind, Mike? Shoot.' ‘I don't know how you're going to take this, but ‘ He smiled in the way of a man who suddenly understands and held up his hand. ‘Guess maybe I know already.' ‘You do?' I felt an enormous sense of relief and I could hardly wait to find out what he had experienced in Sara, perhaps while checking for dead lightbulbs or making sure the roof was holding the snow all right. ‘What did you hear?' ‘Mostly what Royce Merrill and Dickie Brooks have been telling,' he said. ‘Beyond that, I don't know much. Me and mother's been in Virginia, remember. Only got back last night around eight o'clock. Still, it's the big topic down to the store.' For a moment I remained so fixed on Sara Laughs that I had no idea what he was talking about. All I could think was that folks were gossiping about the strange noises in my house. Then the name Royce Merrill clicked and everything else clicked with it. Merrill was the elderly possum with the gold-headed cane and the salacious wink. Old Four-Teeth. My caretaker wasn't talking about ghostly noises; he was talking about Mattie Devore. ‘Let's get you a cup of coffee,' I said. ‘I need you to tell me what I'm stepping in here.' When we were seated on the deck, me with fresh coffee and Bill with a cup of tea (‘Coffee burns me at both ends these days,' he said), I asked him first to tell me the Royce Merrill-Dickie Brooks version of my encounter with Mattie and Kyra. It turned out to be better than I had expected. Both old men had seen me standing at the side of the road with the little girl in my arms, and they had observed my Chevy parked halfway into the ditch with the driver's-side door open, but apparently neither of them had seen Kyra using the white line of Route 68 as a tightrope. As if to compensate for this, however, Royce claimed that Mattie had given me a big my hero hug and a kiss on the mouth. ‘Did he get the part about how I grabbed her by the ass and slipped her some tongue?' I asked. Bill grinned. ‘Royce's imagination ain't stretched that far since he was fifty or so, and that was forty or more year ago.' ‘I never touched her.' Well . . . there had been that moment when the back of my hand went sliding along the curve of her breast, but that had been inadvertent, whatever the young lady herself might think about it. ‘Shite, you don't need to tell me that,' he said. ‘But . . . ‘ He said that but the way my mother always had, letting it trail off on its own, like the tail of some ill-omened kite. ‘But what?' ‘You'd do well to keep your distance from her,' he said. ‘She's nice enough almost a town girl, don't you know but she's trouble.' He paused. ‘No, that ain't quite fair to her. She's in trouble.' ‘The old man wants custody of the baby, doesn't he?' Bill set his teacup down on the deck rail and looked at me with his eyebrows raised. Reflections from the lake ran up his cheek in ripples, giving him an exotic look. ‘How'd you know?' ‘Guesswork, but of the educated variety. Her father-in-law called me Saturday night during the fireworks. And while he never came right out and stated his purpose, I doubt if Max Devore came all the way back to TR-90 in western Maine to repo his daughter-in-law's Jeep and trailer. So what's the story, Bill?' For several moments he only looked at me. It was almost the look of a man who knows you have contracted a serious disease and isn't sure how much he ought to tell you. Being looked at that way made me profoundly uneasy. It also made me feel that I might be putting Bill Dean on the spot. Devore had roots here, after all. And, as much as Bill might like me, I didn't. Jo and I were from away. It could have been worse it could have been Massachusetts or New York but Derry, although in Maine, was still away. ‘Bill? I could use a little navigational help if you ‘ ‘You want to stay out of his way,' he said. His easy smile was gone. ‘The man's mad.' For a moment I thought Bill only meant Devore was pissed off at me, and then I took another look at his face. No, I decided, he didn't mean pissed off; he had used the word ‘mad' in the most literal way. ‘Mad how?' I asked. ‘Mad like Charles Manson? Like Hannibal Lecter? How?' ‘Say like Howard Hughes,' he said. ‘Ever read any of the stories about him? The lengths he'd go to to get the things he wanted? It didn't matter if it was a special kind of hot dog they only sold in L.A. or an airplane designer he wanted to steal from Lockheed or Mcdonnell-Douglas, he had to have what he wanted, and he wouldn't rest until it was under his hand. Devore is the same way. He always was even as a boy he was willful, according to the stories you hear in town. ‘My own dad had one he used to tell. He said little Max Devore broke into Scant Larribee's tack-shed one winter because he wanted the Flexible Flyer Scant give his boy Scooter for Christmas. Back around 1923, this would have been. Devore cut both his hands on broken glass, Dad said, but he got the sled. They found him near midnight, sliding down Sugar Maple Hill, holding his hands up to his chest when he went down. He'd bled all over his mittens and his snowsuit. There's other stories you'll hear about Maxie Devore as a kid if you ask you'll hear fifty different ones and some may even be true. That one about the sled is true, though. I'd bet the farm on it. Because my father didn't lie. It was against his religion.' ‘Baptist?' ‘Nosir, Yankee.' ‘1923 was many moons ago, Bill. Sometimes people change.' ‘Ayuh, but mostly they don't. I haven't seen Devore since he come back and moved into Warrington's, so I can't say for sure, but I've heard things that make me think that if he has changed, it's for the worse. He didn't come all the way across the country 'cause he wanted a vacation. He wants the kid. To him she's just another version of Scooter Larribee's Flexible Flyer. And my strong advice to you is that you don't want to be the window-glass between him and her.' I sipped my coffee and looked out at the lake. Bill gave me time to think, scraping one of his workboots across a splatter of birdshit on the boards while I did it. Crowshit, I reckoned; only crows crap in such long and exuberant splatters. One thing seemed absolutely sure: Mattie Devore was roughly nine miles up Shit Creek with no paddle. I'm not the cynic I was at twenty is anyone? but I wasn't naive enough or idealistic enough to believe the law would protect Ms. Doublewide against Mr. Computer . . . not if Mr. Computer decided to play dirty. As a boy he'd taken the sled he wanted and gone sliding by himself at midnight, bleeding hands not a concern. And as a man? An old man who had been getting every sled he wanted for the last forty years or so? ‘What's the story with Mattie, Bill? Tell me.' It didn't take him long. Country stories are, by and large, simple stories. Which isn't to say they're not often interesting. Mattie Devore had started life as Mattie Stanchfield, not quite from the TR but from just over the line in Motton. Her father had been a logger, her mother a home beautician (which made it, in a ghastly way, the perfect country marriage). There were three kids. When Dave Stanch-field missed a curve over in Lovell and drove a fully loaded pulptruck into Kewadin Pond, his widow ‘kinda lost heart,' as they say. She died soon after. There had been no insurance, other than what Stanchfield had been obliged to carry on his Jimmy and his skidder. Talk about your Brothers Grimm, huh? Subtract the Fisher-Price toys behind the house, the two pole hairdryers in the basement beauty salon, the old rustbucket Toyota in the driveway, and you were right there: Once upon a time there lived a poor widow and her three children. Mattie is the princess of the piece poor but beautiful (that she was beautiful I could personally testify). Now enter the prince. In this case he's a gangly stuttering redhead named Lance Devore. The child of Max Devore's sunset years. When Lance met Mattie, he was twenty-one. She had just turned seventeen. The meeting took place at Warrington's, where Mattie had landed a summer job as a waitress. Lance Devore was staying across the lake on the Upper Bay, but on Tuesday nights there were pickup softball games at Warrington's, the townies against the summer folks, and he usually canoed across to play. Softball is a great thing for the Lance Devores of the world; when you're standing at the plate with a bat in your hands, it doesn't matter if you're gangly. And it sure doesn't matter if you stutter. ‘He confused em quite considerable over to Warrington's,' Bill said. ‘They didn't know which team he belonged on the Locals or the Aways. Lance didn't care; either side was fine with him. Some weeks he'd play for one, some weeks t'other. Either one was more than happy to have him, too, as he could hit a ton and field like an angel. They'd put him at first base a lot because he was tall, but he was really wasted there. At second or shortstop . . . my! He'd jump and twirl around like that guy Noriega.' ‘You might mean Nureyev,' I said. He shrugged. ‘Point is, he was somethin to see. And folks liked him. He fit in. It's mostly young folks that play, you know, and to them it's how you do, not who you are. Besides, a lot of em don't know Max Devore from a hole in the ground.' ‘Unless they read The Wall Street Journal and the computer magazines,† I said. ‘In those, you run across the name Devore about as often as you run across the name of God in the Bible.' ‘No foolin?' ‘Well, I guess that in the computer magazines God is more often spelled Gates, but you know what I mean.' ‘I s'pose. But even so, it's been sixty-five years since Max Devore spent any real time on the TR. You know what happened when he left, don't you?' ‘No, why would I?' He looked at me, surprised. Then a kind of veil seemed to fall over his eyes. He blinked and it cleared. ‘Tell you another time it ain't no secret but I need to be over to the Harrimans' by eleven to check their sump-pump. Don't want to get sidetracked. Point I was tryin to make is just this: Lance Devore was accepted as a nice young fella who could hit a softball three hundred and fifty feet into the trees if he struck it just right. There was no one old enough to hold his old man against him not at Warrington's on Tuesday nights, there wasn't and no one held it against him that his family had dough, either. Hell, there are lots of wealthy people here in the summer. You know that. None worth as much as Max Devore, but being rich is only a matter of degree.' That wasn't true, and I had just enough money to know it. Wealth is like the Richter scale-once you pass a certain point, the jumps from one level to the next aren't double or triple but some amazing and ruinous multiple you don't even want to think about. Fitzgerald had it straight, although I guess he didn't believe his own insight: the very rich are different from you and me. I thought of telling Bill that, and decided to keep my mouth shut. He had a sump-pump to fix. Kyra's parents met over a keg of beer stuck in a mudhole. Mattie was running the usual Tuesday-night keg out to the softball field from the main building on a handcart. She'd gotten it most of the way from the restaurant wing with no trouble, but there had been heavy rain earlier in the week, and the cart finally bogged down in a soft spot. Lance's team was up, and Lance was sitting at the end of the bench, waiting his turn to hit. He saw the girl in the white shorts and blue Warrington's polo shirt struggling with the bogged handcart, and got up to help her. Three weeks later they were inseparable and Mattie was pregnant; ten weeks later they were married; thirty-seven months later, Lance Devore was in a coffin, done with softball and cold beer on a summer evening, done with what he called ‘woodsing,' done with fatherhood, done with love for the beautiful princess. Just another early finish, hold the happily-ever-after. Bill Dean didn't describe their meeting in any detail; he only said, ‘They met at the field she was runnin out the beer and he helped her out of a boghole when she got her handcart stuck.' Mattie never said much about that part of it, so I don't know much. Except I do . . . and although some of the details might be wrong, I'd bet you a dollar to a hundred 1 got most of them right. That was my summer for knowing things I had no business knowing. It's hot, for one thing '94 is the hottest summer of the decade and July is the hottest month of the summer. President Clinton is being upstaged by Newt and the Republicans. Folks are saying old Slick Willie may not even run for a second term. Boris Yeltsin is reputed to be either dying of heart disease or in a dry-out clinic. The Red Sox are looking better than they have any right to. In Derry, Johanna Arlen Noonan is maybe starting to feel a little whoopsy in the morning. If so, she does not speak of it to her husband. I see Mattie in her blue polo shirt with her name sewn in white script above her left breast. Her white shorts make a pleasing contrast to her tanned legs. I also see her wearing a blue gimme cap with the red W for Warrington's above the long bill. Her pretty dark-blonde hair is pulled through the hole at the back of the cap and falls to the collar of her shirt. I see her trying to yank the handcart out of the mud without upsetting the keg of beer. Her head is down; the shadow thrown by the bill of the cap obscures all of her face but her mouth and small set chin. ‘Luh-let m-me h-h-help,' Lance says, and she looks up. The shadow cast by the cap's bill falls away, he sees her big blue eyes the ones she'll pass on to their daughter. One look into those eyes and the war is over without a single shot fired; he belongs to her as surely as any young man ever belonged to any young woman. The rest, as they say around here, was just courtin. The old man had three children, but Lance was the only one he seemed to care about. (‘Daughter's crazier'n a shithouse mouse,' Bill said matter-of-factly. ‘In some laughin academy in California. Think I heard she caught her a cancer, too.') The fact that Lance had no interest in computers and software actually seemed to please his father. He had another son who was capable of running the business. In another way, however, Lance Devore's older half-brother wasn't capable at all: there would be no grandchildren from that one. ‘Rump-wrangler,' Bill said. ‘Understand there's a lot of that going around out there in California.' There was a fair amount of it going around on the TR, too, I imagined, but thought it not my place to offer sexual instruction to my caretaker. Lance Devore had been attending Reed College in Oregon, majoring in forestry the kind of guy who falls in love with green flannel pants, red suspenders, and the sight of condors at dawn. A Brothers Grimm woodcutter, in fact, once you got past the academic jargon. In the summer between his junior and senior years, his father had summoned him to the family compound in Palm Springs, and had presented him with a boxy lawyer's suitcase crammed with maps, aerial photos, and legal papers. These had little order that Lance could see, but I doubt that he cared. Imagine a comic-book collector given a crate crammed with rare old copies of Donald Duck. Imagine a movie collector given the rough cut of a never-released film starring Humphrey Bogart and Marilyn Monroe. Then imagine this avid young forester realizing that his father owned not just acres or square miles in the vast unincorporated forests of western Maine, but entire realms. Although Max Devore had left the TR in 1933, he'd kept a lively interest in the area where he'd grown up, subscribing to area newspapers and getting magazines such as Down East and the Maine Times. In the early eighties, he had begun to buy long columns of land just east of the Maine-New Hampshire border. God knew there had been plenty for sale; the paper companies which owned most of it had fallen into a recessionary pit, and many had become convinced that their New England holdings and operations would be the best place to begin retrenching. So this land, stolen from the Indians and clear-cut ruthlessly in the twenties and fifties, came into Max Devore's hands. He might have bought it just because it was there, a good bargain he could afford to take advantage of. He might have bought it as a way of demonstrating to himself that he had really survived his childhood; had, in point of fact, triumphed over it. Or he might have bought it as a toy for his beloved younger son. In the years when Devore was making his major land purchases in western Maine, Lance would have been just a kid . . . but old enough for a perceptive father to see where his interests were tending. Devore asked Lance to spend the summer of 1994 surveying purchases which were, for the most part, already ten years old. He wanted the boy to put the paperwork in order, but he wanted more than that he wanted Lance to make sense of it. It wasn't a land-use recommendation he was looking for, exactly, although I guess he would have listened if Lance had wanted to make one; he simply wanted a sense of what he had purchased. Would Lance take a summer in western Maine trying to find out what his sense of it was? At a salary of two or three thousand dollars a month? I imagine Lance's reply was a more polite version of Buddy Jellison's ‘Does a crow shit in the pine tops?' The kid arrived in June of 1994 and set up shop in a tent on the far side of Dark Score Lake. He was due back at Reed in late August. Instead, though, he decided to take a year's leave of absence. His father wasn't pleased. His father smelled what he called ‘girl trouble.' ‘Yeah, but it's a damned long sniff from California to Maine,' Bill Dean said, leaning against the driver's door of his truck with his sunburned arms folded. ‘He had someone a lot closer than Palm Springs doin his sniffin for him.' ‘What are you talking about?' I asked. †Bout talk. People do it for free, and most are willing to do even more if they're paid.' ‘People like Royce Merrill?' ‘Royce might be one,' he agreed, ‘but he wouldn't be the only one. Times around here don't go between bad and good; if you're a local, they mostly go between bad and worse. So when a guy like Max Devore sends a guy out with a supply of fifty- and hundred-dollar bills . . . ‘ ‘Was it someone local? A lawyer?' Not a lawyer; a real-estate broker named Richard Osgood (‘a greasy kind of fella' was Bill Dean's judgment of him) who denned and did business in Motton. Eventually Osgood had hired a lawyer from Castle Rock. The greasy fella's initial job, when the summer of '94 ended and Lance Devore remained on the TR, was to find out what the hell was going on and put a stop to it. ‘And then?' I asked. Bill glanced at his watch, glanced at the sky, then centered his gaze on me. He gave a funny little shrug, as if to say, ‘We're both men of the world, in a quiet and settled sort of way you don't need to ask a silly question like that.' ‘Then Lance Devore and Mattie Stanchfield got married in the Grace Baptist Church right up there on Highway 68. There were tales made the rounds about what Osgood might've done to keep it from comin off I heard he even tried to bribe Reverend Gooch into refusin to hitch em, but I think that's stupid, they just would have gone someplace else. ‘Sides, I don't see much sense in repeating what I don't know for sure.' Bill unfolded an arm and began to tick items off on the leathery fingers of his right hand. ‘They got married in the middle of September, 1994, I know that.' Out popped the thumb. ‘People looked around with some curiosity to see if the groom's father would put in an appearance, but he never did.' Out popped the forefinger. Added to the thumb, it made a pistol. ‘Mattie had a baby in April of '95, making the kiddie a dight premature . . . but not enough to matter. I seen it in the store with my own eyes when it wasn't a week old, and it was just the right size.' Out with the second finger. ‘I don't know that Lance Devore's old man absolutely refused to help em financially, but I do know they were living in that trailer down below Dickie's Garage, and that makes me think they were havin a pretty hard skate.' ‘Devore put on the choke-chain,' I said. ‘It's what a guy used to getting his own way would do . . . but if he loved the boy the way you seem to think, he might have come around.' ‘Maybe, maybe not.' He glanced at his watch again. ‘Let me finish up quick and get out of your sunshine . . . but you ought to hear one more little story, because it really shows how the land lies. ‘In July of last year, less'n a month before he died, Lance Devore shows up at the post-office counter in the Lakeview General. He's got a manila envelope he wants to send, but first he needs to show Carla DeCinces what's inside. She said he was all fluffed out, like daddies sometimes get over their kids when they're small.' I nodded, amused at the idea of skinny, stuttery Lance Devore all fluffed out. But I could see it in my mind's eye, and the image was also sort of sweet. ‘It was a studio pitcher they'd gotten taken over in the Rock. Showed the kid . . . what's her name? Kayla?' ‘Kyra.' ‘Ayuh, they call em anything these days, don't they? It showed Kyra sittin in a big leather chair, with a pair of joke spectacles on her little snub of a nose, lookin at one of the aerial photos of the woods over across the lake in TR-100 or TR-110 part of what the old man had picked up, anyway. Carla said the baby had a surprised look on her face, as if she hadn't suspected there could be so much woods in the whole world. Said it was awful cunnin, she did.' ‘Cunnin as a cat a-runnin,' I murmured. ‘And the envelope Registered, Express Mail was addressed to Maxwell Devore, in Palm Springs, California.' ‘Leading you to deduce that the old man either thawed enough to ask for a picture of his only grandchild, or that Lance Devore thought a picture might thaw him.' Bill nodded, looking as pleased as a parent whose child has managed a difficult sum. ‘Don't know if it did,' he said. ‘Wasn't enough time to tell, one way or the other. Lance had bought one of those little satellite dishes, like what you've got here. There was a bad storm the day he put it up hail, high wind, blowdowns along the lakeshore, lots of lightnin. That was along toward evening. Lance put his dish up in the afternoon, all done and safe, except around the time the storm commenced he remembered he'd left his socket wrench on the trailer roof. He went up to get it so it wouldn't get all wet n rusty ‘ ‘He was struck by lightning? Jesus, Bill!' ‘Lightnin struck, all right, but it hit across the way. You go past the place where Wasp Hill Road runs into 68 and you'll see the stump of the tree that stroke knocked over. Lance was comin down the ladder with his socket wrench when it hit. If you've never had a lightnin bolt tear right over your head, you don't know how scary it is it's like havin a drunk driver veer across into your lane, headed right for you, and then swing back onto his own side just in time. Close lightnin makes your hair stand up makes your damned prick stand up. It's apt to play the radio on your steel fillins, it makes your ears hum, and it makes the air taste roasted. Lance fell off the ladder. If he had time to think anything before he hit the ground, I bet he thought he was electrocuted. Poor boy. He loved the TR, but it wasn't lucky for him.' ‘Broke his neck?' ‘Ayuh. With all the thunder, Mattie never heard him fall or yell or anything. She looked out a minute or two later when it started to hail and he still wasn't in. And there he was, layin on the ground and lookin up into the friggin hail with his eyes open.' Bill looked at his watch one final time, then swung open the door to his truck. ‘The old man wouldn't come for their weddin, but he came for his son's funeral and he's been here ever since. He didn't want nawthin to do with the young woman ‘ ‘But he wants the kid,' I said. It was no more than what I already knew, but I felt a sinking in the pit of my stomach just the same. Don't talk about this, Mattie had asked me on the morning of the Fourth. It's not a good time for Ki and me. ‘How far along in the process has he gotten?' ‘On the third turn and headin into the home stretch, I sh'd say. There'll be a hearin in Castle County Superior Court, maybe later this month, maybe next. The judge could rule then to hand the girl over, or put it off until fall. I don't think it matters which, because the one thing that's never going to happen on God's green earth is a rulin in favor of the mother. One way or another, that little girl is going to grow up in California.† Put that way, it gave me a very nasty little chill. Bill slid behind the wheel of his truck. ‘Stay out of it, Mike,' he said. ‘Stay away from Mattie Devore and her daughter. And if you get called to court on account of seem the two of em on Saturday, smile a lot and say as little as you can.' ‘Max Devore's charging that she's unfit to raise the child.' ‘Ayuh.' ‘Bill, I saw the child, and she's fine.' He grinned again, but this time there was no amusement in it. †Magine she is. But that's not the point. Stay clear of their business, old boy. It's my job to tell you that; with Jo gone, I guess I'm the only caretaker you got.' He slammed the door of his Ram, started the engine, reached for the gearshift, then dropped his hand again as something else occurred to him. ‘If you get a chance, you ought to look for the owls.' ‘What owls?' ‘There's a couple of plastic owls around here someplace. They might be in y'basement or out in Jo's studio. They come in by mail-order the fall before she passed on.' ‘The fall of 1993?' ‘Ayuh.' ‘That can't be right.' We hadn't used Sara in the fall of 1993. †Tis, though. I was down here puttin on the storm doors when Jo showed up. We had us a natter, and then the UPS truck come. I lugged the box into the entry and had a coffee I was still drinkin it then while she took the owls out of the carton and showed em off to me. Gorry, but they looked real! She left not ten minutes after. It was like she'd come down to do that errand special, although why anyone'd drive all the way from Derry to take delivery of a couple of plastic owls I don't know.' ‘When in the fall was it, Bill? Do you remember?' ‘Second week of November,' he said promptly. ‘Me n the wife went up to Lewiston later that afternoon, to ‘Vette's sister's. It was her birthday. On our way back we stopped at the Castle Rock Agway so ‘Vette could get her Thanksgiving turkey.' He looked at me curiously. ‘You really didn't know about them owls?' ‘No.' ‘That's a touch peculiar, wouldn't you say?' ‘Maybe she told me and I forgot,' I said. ‘I guess it doesn't matter much now in any case.' Yet it seemed to matter. It was a small thing, but it seemed to matter. ‘Why would Jo want a couple of plastic owls to begin with?' ‘To keep the crows from shittin up the woodwork, like they're doing out on your deck. Crows see those plastic owls, they veer off.' I burst out laughing in spite of my puzzlement . . . or perhaps because of it. ‘Yeah? That really works?' ‘Ayuh, long's you move em every now and then so the crows don't get suspicious. Crows are just about the smartest birds going, you know. You look for those owls, save yourself a lot of mess.' ‘I will,' I said. Plastic owls to scare the crows away it was exactly the sort of knowledge Jo would come by (she was like a crow herself in that way, picking up glittery pieces of information that happened to catch her interest) and act upon without bothering to tell me. All at once I was lonely for her again missing her like hell. ‘Good. Some day when I've got more time, we'll walk the place all the way around. Woods too, if you want. I think you'll be satisfied.' ‘I'm sure I will. Where's Devore staying?' The bushy eyebrows went up. ‘Warrington's. Him and you's practically neighbors. I thought you must know.' I remembered the woman I'd seen black bathing-suit and black shorts somehow combining to give her an exotic cocktail-party look and nodded. ‘I met his wife.' Bill laughed heartily enough at that to feel in need of his handkerchief. He fished it off the dashboard (a blue paisley thing the size of a football pennant) and wiped his eyes. ‘What's so funny?' I asked. ‘Skinny woman? White hair? Face sort of like a kid's Halloween mask?' It was my turn to laugh. ‘That's her.' ‘She ain't his wife, she's his whatdoyoucallit, personal assistant. Rogette Whitmore is her name.' He pronounced it ro-GET, with a hard G. ‘Devore's wives're all dead. The last one twenty years.' ‘What kind of name is Rogette? French?' ‘California,' he said, and shrugged as if that one word explained everything. ‘There's people in town scared of her.' ‘Is that so?' ‘Ayuh.' Bill hesitated, then added with one of those smiles we put on when we want others to know that we know we're saying something silly: ‘Brenda Meserve says she's a witch.' ‘And the two of them have been staying at Warrington's almost a year?' ‘Ayuh. The Whitmore woman comes n goes, but mostly she's been here. Thinkin in town is that they'll stay until the custody case is finished off, then all go back to California on Devore's private jet. Leave Osgood to sell Warrington's, and ‘ ‘Sell it? What do you mean, sell it?' ‘I thought you must know,' Bill said, dropping his gearshift into drive. ‘When old Hugh Emerson told Devore they closed the lodge after Thanksgiving, Devore told him he had no intention of moving. Said he was comfortable right where he was and meant to stay put.' ‘He bought the place.' I had been by turns surprised, amused, and angered over the last twenty minutes, but never exactly dumbfounded. Now I was. ‘He bought Warrington's Lodge so he wouldn't have to move to Lookout Rock Hotel over in Castle View, or rent a house.' ‘Ayuh, so he did. Nine buildins, includin the main lodge and The Sunset Bar; twelve acres of woods, a six-hole golf course, and five hundred feet of shorefront on The Street. Plus a two-lane bowlin alley and a softball field. Four and a quarter million. His friend Osgood did the deal and Devore paid with a personal check. I wonder how he found room for all those zeros. See you, Mike.' With that he backed up the driveway, leaving me to stand on the stoop, looking after him with my mouth open. Plastic owls. Bill had told me roughly two dozen interesting things in between peeks at his watch, but the one which stayed on top of the pile was the fact (and I did accept it as a fact; he had been too positive for me not to) that Jo had come down here to take delivery on a couple of plastic goddam owls. Had she told me? She might have. I didn't remember her doing so, and it seemed to me that I would have, but Jo used to claim that when I got in the zone it was no good to tell me anything; stuff went in one ear and out the other. Sometimes she'd pin little notes errands to run, calls to make to my shirt, as if I were a first-grader. But wouldn't I recall if she'd said ‘I'm going down to Sara, hon, UPS is delivering something I want to receive personally, interested in keeping a lady company?' Hell wouldn't I have gone? I always liked an excuse to go to the TR. Except I'd been working on that screenplay . . . and maybe pushing it a little . . . notes pinned to the sleeve of my shirt . . . If you go out when you're finished, we need milk and orange juice . . . I inspected what little was left of Jo's vegetable garden with the July sun beating down on my neck and thought about owls, the plastic god-dam owls. Suppose Jo had told me she was coming down here to Sara Laughs? Suppose I had declined almost without hearing the offer because I was in the writing zone? Even if you granted those things, there was another question: why had she felt the need to come down here personally when she could have just called someone and asked them to meet the delivery truck? Kenny Auster would have been happy to do it, ditto Mrs. M. And Bill Dean, our caretaker, had actually been here. This led to other questions one was why she hadn't just had UPS deliver the damned things to Derry and finally I decided I couldn't live without actually seeing a bona fide plastic owl for myself. Maybe, I thought, going back to the house, I'd put one on the roof of my Chew when it was parked in the driveway. Forestall future bombing runs. I paused in the entry, struck by a sudden idea, and called Ward Hankins, the guy in Waterville who handles my taxes and my few non-writing-related business affairs. ‘Mike,' he said heartily. ‘How's the lake?' ‘The lake's cool and the weather's hot, just the way we like it,' I said. ‘Ward, you keep all the records we send you for five years, don't you? Just in case IRS decides to give us some grief?' ‘Five is accepted practice,' he said, ‘but I hold your stuff for seven in the eyes of the tax boys, you're a mighty fat pigeon.' Better a fat pigeon than a plastic owl, I thought but didn't say. What I said was ‘That includes desk calendars, right? Mine and. Jo's, up until she died?' ‘You bet. Since neither of you kept diaries, it was the best way to cross-reference receipts and claimed expenses with ‘ ‘Could you find Jo's desk calendar for 1993 and see what she had going in the second week of November?' ‘Td be happy to. What in particular are you looking for?' For a moment I saw myself sitting at my kitchen table in Derry on my first night as a widower, holding up a box with the words Norco Home Pregnancy Test printed on the side. Exactly what was I looking for at this late date? Considering that I had loved the lady and she was almost four years in her grave, what was I looking for? Besides trouble, that was? ‘I'm looking for two plastic owls,' I said. Ward probably thought I was talking to him, but I'm not sure I was. ‘I know that sounds weird, but it's what I'm doing. Can you call me back?' ‘Within the hour.' ‘Good man,' I said, and hung up. Now for the actual owls themselves. Where was the most likely spot to store two such interesting artifacts? My eyes went to the cellar door. Elementary, my dear Watson. The cellar stairs were dark and mildly dank. As I stood on the landing groping for the lightswitch, the door banged shut behind me with such force that I cried out in surprise. There was no breeze, no draft, the day was perfectly still, but the door banged shut just the same. Or was sucked shut. I stood in the dark at the top of the stairs, feeling for the lightswitch, smelling that oozy smell that even good concrete foundations get after awhile if there is no proper airing-out. It was cold, much colder than it had been on the other side of the door. I wasn't alone and I knew it. I was afraid, I'd be a liar to say I wasn't . . . but I was also fascinated. Something was with me. Something was in here with me. I dropped my hand away from the wall where the switch was and just stood with my arms at my sides. Some time passed. I don't know how much. My heart was beating furiously in my chest; I could feel it in my temples. It was cold. ‘Hello?' I asked. Nothing in response. I could hear the faint, irregular drip of water as condensation fell from one of the pipes down below, I could hear my own breathing, and faintly far away, in another world where the sun was out I could hear the triumphant caw of a crow. Perhaps it had just dropped a load on the hood of my car. I really need an owl, I thought. In fact, I don't know how I ever got along without one. ‘Hello?' I asked again. ‘Can you talk?' Nothing. I wet my lips. I should have felt silly, perhaps, standing there in the dark and calling to the ghosts. But I didn't. Not a bit. The damp had been replaced by a coldness I could feel, and I had company. Oh, yes. ‘Can you tap, then? If you can shut the door, you must be able to tap.' I stood there and listened to the soft, isolated drips from the pipes. There was nothing else. I was reaching out for the lightswitch again when there was a soft thud from not far below me. The cellar of Sara Laughs is high, and the upper three feet of the concrete the part which lies against the ground's frost-belt had been insulated with big silver-backed panels of Insu-Gard. The sound that I heard was, I am quite sure, a fist striking against one of these. Just a fist hitting a square of insulation, but every gut and muscle of my body seemed to come unwound. My hair stood up. My eyesockets seemed to be expanding and my eyeballs contracting, as if my head were trying to turn into a skull. Every inch of my skin broke out in gooseflesh. Something was in here with me. Very likely something dead. I could no longer have turned on the light if I'd wanted to. I no longer had the strength to raise my arm. I tried to talk, and at last, in a husky whisper I hardly recognized, I said: ‘Are you really there?' Thud. ‘Who are you?' I could still do no better than that husky whisper, the voice of a man giving last instructions to his family as he lies on his deathbed. This time there was nothing from below. I tried to think, and what came to my struggling mind was Tony Curtis as Harry Houdini in some old movie. According to the film, Houdini had been the Diogenes of the Ouija board circuit, a guy who spent his spare time just looking for an honest medium. He'd attended one s? ¦ance where the dead communicated by ‘Tap once for yes, twice for no,' I said. ‘Can you do that?' Thud. It was on the stairs below me . . . but not too far below. Five steps down, six or seven at most. Not quite close enough to touch if I should reach out and wave my hand in the black basement air . . . a thing I could imagine, but not actually imagine doing. ‘Are you . . . ‘ My voice trailed off. There was simply no strength in my diaphragm. Chilly air lay on my chest like a flatiron. I gathered all my will and tried again. ‘Are you Jo?' Thud. That soft fist on the insulation. A pause, and then: Thud-thud. Yes and no. Then, with no idea why I was asking such an inane question: ‘Are the owls down here?' Thud-thud. ‘Do you know where they are?' Thud. ‘Should I look for them?' Thud! Very hard. Why did she want them? I could ask, but the thing on the stairs had no way to an Hot fingers touched my eyes and I almost screamed before realizing it was sweat. I raised my hands in the dark and wiped the heels of them up my face to the hairline. They skidded as if on oil. Cold or not, I was all but bathing in my own sweat. ‘Are you Lance Devore?' Thud-thud, at once. ‘Is it safe for me at Sara? Am I safe?' Thud. A pause. And I knew it was a pause, that the thing on the stairs wasn't finished. Then: Thud-thud. Yes, I was safe. No, I wasn't safe. I had regained marginal control of my arm. I reached out, felt along the wall, and found the lightswitch. I settled my fingers on it. Now the sweat on my face felt as if it were turning to ice. ‘Are you the person who cries in the night?' I asked. Thud-thud from below me, and between the two thuds, I flicked the switch. The cellar globes came on. So did a brilliant hanging bulb at least a hundred and twenty-five watts over the landing. There was no time for anyone to hide, let alone get away, and no one there to try, either. Also, Mrs. Meserve admirable in so many ways had neglected to sweep the cellar stairs. When I went down to where I estimated the thudding sounds had been coming from, I left tracks in the light dust. But mine were the only ones. I blew out breath in front of me and could see it. So it had been cold, still was cold . . . but it was warming up fast. I blew out another breath and could see just a hint of fog. A third exhale and there was nothing. I ran my palm over one of the insulated squares. Smooth. I pushed a finger at it, and although I didn't push with any real force, my finger left a dimple in the silvery surface. Easy as pie. If someone had been thumping a fist down here, this stuff should be pitted, the thin silver skin perhaps even broken to reveal the pink fill underneath. But all the squares were smooth. ‘Are you still there?' I asked. No response, and yet I had a sense that my visitor was still there. Somewhere. ‘I hope I didn't offend you by turning on the light,' I said, and now I did feel slightly odd, standing on my cellar stairs and talking out loud, sermonizing to the spiders. ‘I wanted to see you if I could.' I had no idea if that was true or not. Suddenly so suddenly I almost lost my balance and tumbled down the stairs I whirled around, convinced the shroud-creature was behind me, that it had been the thing knocking, it, no polite M. R. James ghost but a horror from around the rim of the universe. There was nothing. I turned around again, took two or three deep, steadying breaths, and then went the rest of the way down the cellar stairs. Beneath them was a perfectly serviceable canoe, complete with paddle. In the corner was the gas stove we'd replaced after buying the place; also the claw-foot tub Jo had wanted (over my objections) to turn into a planter. I found a trunk filled with vaguely recalled table-linen, a box of mildewy cassette tapes (groups like the Delfonics, Funkadelic, and. 38 Special), several cartons of old dishes. There was a life down here, but ultimately not a very interesting one. Unlike the life I'd sensed in Jo's studio, this one hadn't been cut short but evolved out of, shed like old skin, and that was all right. Was, in fact, the natural order of things. There was a photo album on a shelf of knickknacks and I took it down, both curious and wary. No bombshells this time, however; nearly all the pix were landscape shots of Sara Laughs as it had been when we bought it. I found a picture of Jo in bellbottoms, though (her hair parted in the middle and white lipstick on her mouth), and one of Michael Noonan wearing a flowered shirt and muttonchop sideburns that made me cringe (the bachelor Mike in the photo was a Barry White kind of guy I didn't want to recognize and yet did). I found Jo's old broken treadmill, a rake I'd want if I was still around here come fall, a snowblower I'd want even more if I was around come winter, and several cans of paint. What I didn't find was any plastic owls. My insulation-thumping friend had been right. Upstairs the telephone started ringing. I hurried to answer it, going out through the cellar door and then reaching back in to flick off the lightswitch. This amused me and at the same time seemed like perfectly normal behavior . . . just as being careful not to step on sidewalk cracks had seemed like perfectly normal behavior to me when I was a kid. And even if it wasn't normal, what did it matter? I'd only been back at Sara for three days, but already I'd postulated Noonan's First Law of Eccentricity: when you're on your own, strange behavior really doesn't seem strange at all. I snagged the cordless. ‘Hello?' ‘Hi, Mike. It's Ward.' ‘That was quick.' ‘The file-room's just a short walk down the hall,' he said. ‘Easy as pie. There's only one thing on Jo's calendar for the second week of November in 1993. It says ‘S-Ks of Maine, Freep, 11 A.M.' That's on Tuesday the sixteenth. Does it help?' ‘Yes,' I said. ‘Thank you, Ward. It helps a lot.' I broke the connection and put the phone back in its cradle. Yes, it helped. S-Ks of Maine was Soup Kitchens of Maine. Jo had been on their board of directors from 1992 until her death. Freep was Freeport. It must have been a board meeting. They had probably discussed plans for feeding the homeless on Thanksgiving . . . and then Jo had driven the seventy or so miles to the TR in order to take delivery of two plastic owls. It didn't answer all the questions, but aren't there always questions in the wake of a loved one's death? And no statute of limitations on when they come up. The UFO voice spoke up then. While you're right here by the phone, it said, why not call Bonnie Amudson? Say hi, see how she's doing? Jo had been on four different boards during the nineties, all of them doing charitable work. Her friend Bonnie had persuaded her onto the Soup Kitchens board when a seat fell vacant. They had gone to a lot of the meetings together. Not the one in November of 1993, presumably, and Bonnie could hardly be expected to remember that one particular meeting almost five years later . . . but if she'd saved her old minutes-of-the-meeting sheets . . . Exactly what the fuck was I thinking of? Calling Bonnie, making nice, then asking her to check her December 1993 minutes? Was I going to ask her if the attendance report had my wife absent from the November meeting? Was I going to ask if maybe Jo had seemed different that last year of her life? And when Bonnie asked me why I wanted to know, what would I say? Give me that, Jo had snarled in my dream of her. In the dream she hadn't looked like Jo at all, she'd looked like some other woman, maybe like the one in the Book of Proverbs, the strange woman whose lips were as honey but whose heart was full of gall and wormwood. A strange woman with fingers as cold as twigs after a frost. Give me that, it's my dust-catcher. I went to the cellar door and touched the knob. I turned it . . . then let it go. I didn't want to look down there into the dark, didn't want to risk the chance that something might start thumping again. It was better to leave that door shut. What I wanted was something cold to drink. I went into the kitchen, reached for the fridge door, then stopped. The magnets were back in a circle again, but this time four letters and one number had been pulled into the center and lined up there. They spelled a single lower-case word: hello There was something here. Even back in broad daylight I had no doubt of that. I'd asked if it was safe for me to be here and had received a mixed message . . . but that didn't matter. If I left Sara now, there was nowhere to go. I had a key to the house in Derry, but matters had to be resolved here. I knew that, too. ‘Hello,' I said, and opened the fridge to get a soda. ‘Whoever or whatever you are, hello.'

Public Art Essay

The core exhibition will be based on the work of two chosen photographers due to the inability to investigate a larger number , this is because they are too many and wide spread that an attempt to look at all of them would be almost impossible , costly and time consuming. The programme will show the various works done by the photographer including digital arts, video installations all put together to give an in depth study of the history and success of the photographers The aim of the project is to explore the potential of new media, on-line technology, virtual reality/ interactive projects to provide new means of investigations on the same. To appreciate the works of the two photographers we will compare and contrast the much that they have brought to the field, what they still have to bring and the influence and education they have had on different individuals and areas of interaction. The two photographers to be investigated are Patrick Renschen and Russ Rosener. The work of Renschen is most inspirational and does not only touch on the basic art but has an in-depth meaning which one needs to be keen enough to grasp the whole idea behind the same and also be able to appreciate that such work could be so educative. The work of this particular photographer was one of a kind since it didn’t involve a norm or a routine which would be followed day in day out rather he tried to make it very exciting by carrying out researches on how to improve it and make it more satisfying to both him and his assistants. His aim was as well very clear in that he wanted not just to be the best but the only one in the field of engagement who could be counted on and relied on. He also ensured connecting them up electronically in all the archives, also documenting and publishing the work which is now held in regional, national and international museum collections and university centers, and to ensure wide accessibility to international and domestic audiences. The photographer had an exhibition that had all the history and development of the installation, and the critical legacy left in terms of the influence on contemporary sculpture, environmental art, and architecture to name but a few. He had presentations of all the original photographs, drawings, sketches, correspondence, and even written descriptions of every detail that he undertook, it also had all the interpretations by curators and art critics such John Elderfield and Fred Brookes. The photographer also was keen to display new commissioned documentation by leading artists/photographers. He traced the evolution using interactive digital projects he also used digital animation and 3D articulation of the key design and sculptural elements just to ensure perfection and accuracy was maintained throughout the whole exercise. The photographer also employed lots of subordinate staff to help in the completion of his work. A commission for a photographer/artist to generate new visual images for the exhibition based on the environmental and architectural aspects alongside a detailed study of the same, and the art works locations associated with him. Possible portraiture commission, to photograph people associated with the photographer this was for the record and for future references and evidence of their participation and also a way of making them feel appreciated. He worked hard to ensure that he was always on site despite his tight schedule but since at times he was faced with some unavoidable circumstances, he was not left out in having planned in advance for such emergencies, in his absence work went on just as usual since there was a commission of artists and photographers to produce a new body of work based on the idea that his absence was a test on their accountability and reliability. The photographer would even incorporate fresh blood and brain from schools and colleges by involving students to participate in the same using existing archives and sketches. Production of a set of 3D architectural models, drawings and projections documenting the findings and proposing hypothetical outcome. The photographer had interactive architectural and digital arts research and their restoration project possibly organized to collaborate well with the agenda in question. This brought together many architects artists and IT engineers to construct an interactive virtual representation , tracing its iconography and evolution from conception through the various stages of the construction and design. The photographer used on line chat room and interactive website/3D virtual, allowing scholars, artists and researchers from different countries to contribute their views and suggestions as he believed in being dynamic. He believed in the use of new technology to visualize and construct alternative on line solutions to problems encountered in his work. Unlike Patrick Renschen, Russ Rosener, another world renowned photographer had a whole different approach to the same photography both as a career and as an interactive kind of work. He is so different from other photographers in that he has not specialized in only one area of photography and he has a diverse range of areas where he features. He covers a wide range of activities which he says gives him better exposure and satisfaction as there is no word as boredom which many photographers tend to suffer from. He has much of his corporate work covering international assignments and duties such as annual reports, portraiture, advertising and social responsibility programmes. Whether he is all alone or leading a group of individuals he can be relied on by a company that minds the global competitiveness in the field for his experience and enthusiastic nature, he is also very flexible and his approach to his job is not static rather depends on the situation and content. He is able to ensure that his clients can rely on him to be able to deliver high quality material and best results which is easy for anyone to access and even use across print, present and web based media they are also able to represent their company to a very high professional standard due to the high competition facing them thus requiring one to have a competitive advantage over the others. (Rosenblum, Naomi) As a photographer he is able to maintain both quality and confidentiality in his work and in this very dynamic sector thus ensuring client loyalty and repeat buying by same customers instead of finding new people altogether which is a costly and hard situation to gain. Being involved in social responsibility has only brought more demand to this photographer especially lately when most companies have embraced social responsibility as a requirement for the success and continuity of the companies; this is because they need credible pictures for the accurate representation of challenges and achievements associated with the whole project. The photographer says that his is not acquired kind of skill rather it is a born kind of art and assures anyone that for the best results and sure win he is the answer. He does most of his work as it presents itself to him and he does not have to go out there trying to be original by conducting research and even reading more and he has still managed to be a world well renowned photographer who can be counted among famous photographers. This could be due to the fact that he is so original and very clear compared to other photographers and he has maintained this all along without foregoing the quality for quantity when the work is too much, he is a slow but sure themed person who believes in quality and creating of trust in all his clients. The two photographers are quite controversial in that one is very resourceful and researchful while the other just sits and handles a situation as it presents itself to him and depending on what the clients wants as final results. All the same they don’t lack some similarities in that they are both result oriented and care about the quality of results that they deliver to their customers and fans as this is very important if they are to continue in business without losing it to competitors. The photographers have proved to be very reliable and for that they have gotten a lot of attention from both domestic and international markets and companies. Though the work of photography presents itself as full of fun and excitement all the time the two have cordially agreed that it also has its weak areas and also has a percent of boredom though they try as much as possible to keep on the fire and make the work the best they can. Generally photography can be seen as a very demanding area of undertaking due to its dynamic nature which makes it very unpredictable especially with the improvement in technology which happens almost on a daily basis and which they have to keep track of lest they become outdated and overcome by events. It is very important in the modern day and age and is require by every company and individual for the smooth running of the day to day activities. This area of photography is particularly very exciting and interesting since it involves mostly outdoor activities which is a good idea for lovers of site seeing and appreciating nature and what it has to offer. Where it takes place indoors its all the same quite interesting since its all flashy and all smiles especially for celebrities, fashion and models as one sees newest designs and shapes of different attires and poses for use elsewhere. This is especially so interesting to me since I love reading fashion magazines which contain a lot of photographers work and I get to appreciate every bit of it. In addition we should not forget the fact that the photographers have brought a lot of harmony to many different communities of the world at large through the theme contained in their works of art and for that we should not fail to appreciate their work even more. The photographer like any other person needs encouragement and the feeling of actualization and this is only possible if lots of his work is bought at a high rate and he gets more calls for the same.(Rosenblum, Naomi) The photographers have tried to a very large extent to encourage artistic growth and photography development to ensure that its not only them who stand to benefit but that generations to come will also appreciate and adopt what these great men and women of our land will have done and left behind for all to see. Many of these artists and photographers in particular have already started colleges and learning institutions where they are passing on the knowledge to other interested parties for the continuity, growth and development of this most dynamic field of photography. Photography has really gone to a whole new level altogether this due to the competition that the photographers are giving each other and no one wants to be ruled out of the market and so everyone is doing all they can to emerge as the best and most demanded. A good example is like the move that photographers like Marcus have taken by coming up with photographs that document the history and development of say a certain state and put it in his work of art, this is so essential because most people generally hate the aspect of learning but since this will present itself as having fun and studying some work of art, more people will be attracted to the same and this provides a chance for the to learn about the places they stay in and therefore appreciate how far they have come and where they are headed. We can therefore all accept that all photographers have done much to achieve greater things and heights at both individual, national and international level and so we cant let them go unnoticed and it’s the duty of each one of us to ensure that the photographers and other artists grow to the greatest heights by supporting them in they work. Finally is to all artists out there both the well known and who have the basis and those who are just starting the work and realizing their talent to keep up their work and even go the extra mile to give us more that we have not yet seen  and are eagerly waiting for that and more. Thesis statement The photographers have a bright future ahead if they keep up with the pace and ensure that research and technology development is top on their agenda. Sources 1.Rosenblum, Naomi. A World History of Photography. 3rd edition. New York: Abbeville Press, 1997. 2.Johnson, William. Nineteenth-century Photography: An Annotated Bibliography, 1839-1879. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1990. 3.Roosens, Laurent, and Luc Salu. History of Photography: A Bibliography of Books. London: Mansell, 1989. 4.Rosenblum, Naomi. History of Women Photographers. Updated and Expanded Edition. New York: Abbeville Press, 2000.