Night Mare Essays - Del Rey Books, Magic In Fiction, Night Mare

Night Mare This book is called Night Mare. It is written by Piers Anthony. In this book, the nextwave of barbarian warriors invade a place called Xanth ravaging and destroying as they advanced. But a Mare named Imbrium has her own problems. She has started to mishandle her job of delivering bad dreams. Now the Night Stallion dismissed her, exiling her to the day world. Piers Anthony is the pen name of Piers Anthony Dillingham Jacob. He was born on August 6th, 1934 in Oxford England. He has written over 100 novels in the genres of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and martial arts. Some of his other books include, Split Infinity and Changing the Lady. In Xanth, deserving people receive nightmares. They are delivered by "Night Mares" from the gourd. The gourd resembles a Mundane squash with a hole on the surface. If one peeps into the hole, they become entranced into the gourd. Their body stays outside, but their soul goes into the land of the gourd. The only way to be released, is if someone blocks the victims' view of the peephole. Inside the gourd there are several sections, the graveyard, the city of Brassies and all kinds of spooky stuff. When you go into the gourd and then leave, when you look at the peephole again it takes you right back to the place you left. Inside the gourd is where nightmares are made. Nightmares are each constructed for each individual who is to receive it. People must have nightmares. If they didn't, they wouldn't have any consciences. Nightmares make you a better person. The Night Stallion is in charge of the gourd. He assigns the nightmares to the "Night Mares" who deliver the bad dreams all over Xanth and sometimes Mundania. Night Mares are solid black and are immortal. They phase out in the darkness and travel all night delivering nightmares. You can tell that one has been there by the hoof prints they leave behind. The most famous Night Mare is Mare Imbrium. She had always had a secret desire to see a rainbow. Since Night Mares can not be out in the day, she had never seen one. After she received half a soul, which ruined her, she no longer had the right attitude to deliver her nightmares with the malice in which they were to be delivered. So the Night Stallion fired her and sent her to day duty. Day Mares deliver day dreams. They also have been known to show up in Mundania. After she became a Day Mare, Mare Imbrium was told by the Night Stallion to deliver a message "beware the horseman". This started an adventure that consisted of saving the whole of Xanth. I hated this book because it is a science fiction book and it was so boring to read. Although it kept me going for a couple of chapters, it got really hard to read after about the fourth chapter. Night Mare is written by Piers Anthony. I didn't like the book very much because it is a science fiction. It was about Night Mares that bring bad dreams to people that deserve them.

DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY

DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY As we all know that an essay is a form of short piece of writing that is created to share authors point of view. An essay is a pedagogical tool used to teach and to improve students writing skills. One of the most common and widely-used essays is descriptive essay. Descriptive essay can be categorized as the type of academic writing that majorly focused on picking up of sensory sort of details. Â  Sensory details mean an authors perception like getting and understanding the sensory information. Sensory information is obtained through physiological capabilities of the body and processed through mind perception. By describing your own sensory perception in the descriptive essay, you are appealing to the readers. You major goal is to draw in the reader’s attention through his emotional, physical and intellectual involvement. While writing your descriptive essay, consider your audience, focus on getting the strong impression, use variety of linguistic descriptive tools to receive audience reaction. DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY Writing descriptive essay is an academic skill that requires some practice. The major knowledge about descriptive essay is actual knowing exactly what this type of writing requires. Initially, descriptive type of essay implies the excessive use of description methods. Prepare your mind to give the reader a full picture of the events that took place. Think of yourself as a reporter that is here to provide detailed descriptions of all things that happened at the specific time. By giving a full picture that may include momentary face expressions of participants or eminent gestures, the reader will be able to create a picture in his mind that is proven to fit the reality of description by 99%. To open up a secret to you, while many people agree that the information is perceived by the mind, but the actual information processing oftentimes is being conducted with the help of our subconscious mind as well. That is the reason that stands behind a good descriptive essay that is able to show all events in a format of descriptive writing to all readers in the same manner.

Call money and commercial bill market

Call money and commercial bill market Global Financial Market As all the Financial Markets in India together form the Indian Financial Markets, all the Financial Markets of Asia together form the Asian Financial Markets; likewise all the Financial Markets of all the countries of the world together form the Global Financial Markets. Financial Markets deal with trading (buying and selling) of financial securities (stocks and bonds), commodities (valuable metals or food grains), and other exchangeable and valuable items at minimum transaction costs and market efficient prices. Financial Markets can be domestic or international. The Global Financial Markets work as a significant instrument for improved liquidity. Financial Markets can be categorized into six types: Capital Markets: Stock markets and Bond markets Commodity Markets Money Markets Derivatives Markets: Futures Markets Insurance Markets Foreign Exchange Markets The Financial Markets play a major role in the Global Economy because it helps busi nesses to raise capital (in capital markets), they facilitate transferring of risk (in derivative markets), and they help international trade (in currency markets) to prosper. The International Stock Markets form a major part of the Global Financial Markets. The Amsterdam Stock Exchange is the oldest stock exchange, which started operating in continuous trade in the earlier part of the 17th Century. Some of the Important Stock Exchanges of the world are: The New York Stock Exchange (merged with Euro next): The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is a stock exchange based in New York City, USA that was incorporated in 1817. In terms of dollar volume, it is the largest stock exchange in the world, and in terms of the number of companies listed it is the second largest stock exchange in the world. The NYSE is also known as the Big Board. The indexes used in the NYSE are the NYSE Composite Index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index. The NYSE functions under NYSE Euro next, the format ion of which was the result of NYSE’s merger with Archipelago Holdings and Euro next. Tokyo Stock Exchange: The Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE), incorporated in 1949, is located in Tokyo, Japan. In terms of monetary volume, The Tokyo Stock Exchange is the second largest stock exchange in the world, only next to New York Stock Exchange. The indexes used in the TSE are Nikkei 225, Topix, and J30. NASDAQ: The National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations, or NASDAQ, is an electronic stock market based in New York City, USA that was incorporated in 1971. The NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. is the owner and regulator of NASDAQ. The main index used in NASDAQ is the NASDAQ Composite. London Stock Exchange: Established in 1801, the London Stock Exchange (LSE) is one of the oldest and largest stock exchanges in the world. In terms of market capitalization, the London Stock Exchange was ranked 4th among all the other important stock exchanges in the world in March 2007. The London Stock Exchange is located in Paternoster Square near St. Paul’s Cathedral, London. The stock market index of London Stock Exchange is the Footsie (FTSE). Euro next (merged with NYSE): Founded in 2000, Euro next N.V. is a pan-European Stock Exchange, which is based in Paris. In terms of market capitalization, Euro next ranks as the fifth largest stock exchange in the world. There was a merger of Euro next with the NYSE Group, which led to the formation of NYSE Euro next and it is the first global stock exchange. The main indexes used in Euro next are the Euro next 100 Index and the Next 150 Index. The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE): Located in Mumbai, India and founded in 1875, the Bombay Stock Exchange is the oldest stock exchange of Asia. The main index of BSE is called the BSE Sensex (Sensitive Index) or the BSE 30. In terms of volume of transactions, the BSE was ranked as one of the top five stock exchanges in the world in 2005. Some terms that are used in t he Global Financial Markets are: Geek, a Quant Grim Nerd, a Quant Quant Big Swinging Dick Rocket Scientist White Knight Today equity research has become a specialized activity, although confined to a very small segment of the market. It would be a little early to consider equity research as an independent business segment, but at the same time it must be appreciated that the value of equity research is being felt by the market. This is an interesting stage in the growth and development of equity research, especially in a situation where the traditional individual investor is unwilling to pay for vital stock related information while the institutional investor is already paying for research reports. The phenomenal growth of the financial markets over the last quarter of a century has meant that the very character of investment has changed with ever larger scales of market capitalization. The emergence of the Fund Manager as a new value addition in investment r elated financial services is actually a part of the growth and development of the institutional investor. The fund manager’s sole objective is to ensure maximum returns for his clients whose money he invests working in tandem with research inputs. The fund manager and his client are a vital part of the institutional investment process sustained by an advanced and research driven approach to capital market investment. Equity research still has some time to develop as a sustainable business model, but like any other research activity it has its limitations in developing into a booming business. Institutional investors are willing to pay ever higher amounts for in-depth and precise research in accordance with their requirements. Some of the modes of equity research are:

The impact of financial crisis on five USA companies Essay

The impact of financial crisis on five USA companies - Essay Example However, subprime mortgage loans given to individuals with less than perfect loan carrying capacity and declining home prices coupled with structural changes in the United States economy that had built up a huge deficit in trading with the rest of the world caused the bubble to burst. This left many with write-offs worth many billions and assets whose real value had declined substantially. Because the mortgages converted into mortgage-based securities sold to many around the world, the financial crisis turned global. Businesses now faced a changed business environment, uncertainty and problems raising funds. This dissertation examines the impact of the financial crisis of 2007 – 2009 on selected businesses headquartered in the United States of America. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the years 2008 – 2009 presented the world with the deepest global recession since the great depression and the most important of all reasons for this economic downturn was a global financial crisis (Berlatsky, 2010, Pp. 16 – 20). In an interlinked world, economic problems in one country were bound to have an impact on the others to threaten global financial stability. According to the previously mentioned author, prominent economists suggest that the United States economy that had been the envy of the world for many years now carried mountains of debt that endangered prosperity and the global economy. A desire on the part of Americans to own their homes had resulted in a massive increase in home prices in the United States of America and irresponsible lending at low rates of interest to many who were bad credit risks created a bubble involving rapidly increasing home prices that were to later collapse. In a market wit h collapsed property values, banks could no longer readily recover the amounts loaned to bad credit risks. Because many banks were involved in arrangements involving credit default swaps, the financial strains were to result in the collapse of

Strategic Management - Business & Management Essay

Strategic Management - Business & Management - Essay Example The company did not respond to the changing management needs and continued to pay heavy packages to its workers and coupled with low response to fashion changes, it has lost its customers confidence. JZ Benny did not respond to the competitive edge that the new entrants like Spanish El Dorado and Scandinavian Helgar were employing. It remained static in the fashion outsourcing even when its competitors changed to fast fashion model shops. While the competitors outsourced their fashions from Eastern Europe, JZ Benny instead rushed to China and South East Asia which sold at low cost. Thinking this as a cost advantage over the rivals, it turned out to be a stock burden for the company since they had to buy in bulk and hence were left with indispensable stock at the end of the season. This was a miscalculated marketing strategy resulting from inefficient market analysis. The company failed to keep up with its competitors who resulted to e-supply chain which enabled them to connect the customers with the designers hence placed in the market what the customer preferred. This ensured that they were always ahead of other retailers since they stocked what the customers liked. JZ Benny saw a management gap and responded by fishing Bob D’Saster from competitor Helgar Fashions. As the CEO of JZ Benny, D’Saster was confident that cost cutting measures and investment in technology would turn the chain around to start making profit. Cost cut measures were implemented leading to layoff of about 20% of the staff and heavy investment in RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags to help in improving the Barcode Inventory Processing. However this did not help the company and the AGM dismissed D’Saster and placed John Hammond as the CEO. As expressed by Courtney et al., 1997, the case of JZ Benny is a management problem. The company has been under a management that does not recognized that

The Stormy Night Essay Example for Free

The Stormy Night Essay The stormy night The gray clouds had been threatening to rain all day, but it was only as she left work that It started to rain. The past few days had been horrible. She didnt get a promotion at work and the only things she did gain were more hours and late nights. When she left the office, It was pouring like It never had before. She got into the car and left, the thought of kicking off her shoes and watching TV more inviting than ever. As she drove, the sight of a huge car behind her caught her eye. She had seen It on nd off, but now it looked like it was following her. She lived alone, far away from other people and her only neighbors were deaf, old and unable to help her if she ever needed It. Just then the two miles left until home seemed Ilke two hundred. Turning around she decided to spend the night at her parents house, forgetting that they were out of town. She drove there quickly and saw the large car still following her. Petrified was an understatement now. Lightning flashed across the sky, thunder boomed. Like her home, her parents house was far away from civilization, and she had never felt more alone or scared, especially since a possible psycho was following her only a few feet behind. She then realized she had two options. Get out of the car calmly and open the gate and drive in peacefully, or sleep in the car in the pouring rain. First option it was then. She opened the car door, as did the driver behind her, got out and turned around slowly. The storm raged on. Lightning struck. He got rid of her body, dusted his hands off and left.

HNES Native Species Gardens Misrepresentation and Dismissal of Exotic

Public green spaces are complementary areas in urban centers, designed to create recreational space for public use and cultivate-natural scenery. There are many public green spaces on York University's Keele campus such as the woodlots, the green roof near Ross building, Passy garden, Maloca community garden, and HNES Native Species Garden. The Native Species Garden is a naturalization project founded in 2005, in front of the Health, Nursing and Environmental Studies building. The project led by Dr. Gerda Wekerle and various members of the Environmental Studies Faculty, and grounds management staff to propagate native species as there are many exotic species on campus. Although, the objective is pure and beneficial to the ecology of the campus, the ramifications are lacklustre. The garden invites xenophobic principles, formulates stereotypes and cultivates misinformation about exotic species. The purpose of this essay is to discuss the different images of exotic species and the integ ration of these species into public green spaces on campus. Exotic species -sometimes invasive- are organisms either moved via human disturbances or geological and meteorological events, often displacing species from their habitat. Yet, the word "invasive" is attached to exotics as a negative construct without considering advantages or disadvantages of the plants to humans and the environment. The story of exotic species is learned as a militaristic metaphor and Larson (2008) confers, "We have made an enemy of invasive species to justify controlling and subjugating them"(p 16). One example is Garlic Mustard, a herb species native to Europe and some parts of Asia; mainly used as spice. According to Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (2012), Garlic M... ...raphical Review 94.2 (2004): 178-198. EBSCO Host. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. Larson, Brendan. "Friend, Foe, Wonder, Peril." Alternative Journals. 34.1 (2008): 14-17. EBSCO Host. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. Schetter, Timothy A., Timothy L. Walters, and Karen V. Root. "A Multi-scale Spatial Analysis of Native and Exotic Plant Species Richness Within a Mixed-Disturbance Oak Savanna Landscape."Environmental Management 52.3 (2013): 581-584. EBSCO Host. Web. 16 Nov. 2013. Stinson, Kristina, Sylvan Kaufman, Luke Durbin, and Frank Lowenstein. "Impacts Of Garlic Mustard Invasion On A Forest Understory Community." Northeastern Naturalist 14.1 (2007): 73-88. EBSCO Host. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. "Terrestrial Invasive Species."Biodiversity. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, 4 Sept. 2013. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. .

Cultural Counseling and Latino Population Essay

A counselor must understand how one’s own cultural differences and worldviews impact the counseling relationship. This paper will examine how I am culturally different from my client and how I would demonstrate cultural competence. Furthermore, I will describe how I can improve my cultural competence with the client. Clients Background Information My client, Alberto, is a 47-year-old Mexican American who has been married to his wife, Angela, for 27 years and has four children. Alberto lost his job and their savings is limited. Angela desires to work to help provide for the family. Alberto refuses to allow his wife to work. Both seek counseling, primarily because their priest has recommended them to do so. Alberto displays resistance to counseling because he believes it is a waste of time. Cultural Differences Counselors need to be mindful of how their own worldviews, biases, and prejudices impact the counseling relationship. By examining the Latino culture and comparing it to my own enables me to be aware of the differences and prevent me from judging and influencing my cultural worldviews on my clients. I would be respectful to their worldviews and incorporate their values in the counseling process. Latino Cultural Worldviews. Alberto’s characteristics heavily reflect traditional Latino family values. The Latino family structure culture is mainly hierarchal, with the father the head and main provider of the household with machismo characteristics such as being dominant and strong (Sue & Sue, 2013). The mother takes on more of the caregiver role, or marianismo characteristics, and focuses on raising the children (Sue & Sue, 2013). The traditional Latino husband/father expects respect and obedience from all the family members. Counselor’s Cultural Worldviews. I grew up in a multiracial family of four.  Both my parents worked very hard, with my mother being the ‘bread winner’ of the family. This is an unusual characteristic in a military household because normally the mothers stay home since constant moving around the country complicates a woman’s career development. It is also unusual in both the Italian culture and Korean culture for the woman to be the main provider in the household. Both my parents acculturated in their own ways before marrying, and swayed from traditional values of their bloodlines. Everyone in the family had a contributing role; whether it was financially or helping around the home, everyone shared responsibility. My parents encouraged my sister and I to work hard and strive for our dreams- whatever it was they supported us. There were no given roles in our family. Rather, our family culture carried a democracy atmosphere where we all worked and made decisions together. Cultural Differences. The main cultural difference is our family systems and the gender role expectations of father and mother. In the traditional Latino culture, the man dictates the household. Whereas in my family, roles are harder to define since my father and mother shared financial and household responsibility. Demonstrating Cultural Competence Latinos often times disagree with gender roles. This is the case for Alberto and Angela. Alberto’s unemployment is causing strain for the family in terms of financial burden and emotional distress. Challenging the father, or machismo, opposed their traditional values. Avila and Avila (1995) and Constantine, Gloria and Baron (2006), noted that traditional Latino men struggle with gender role conflict when experiencing: (1) lack of confidence in areas of authority, (2) feelings of isolation and depression because of the need to be strong, and (3) conflicts over the need to be consistent in his role (as cited in Sue & Sue, 2013, p.413). Alberto’s openness to seek counseling is limited. In the Latino culture, counseling can be viewed as weak (Sue & Sue, 2013). Seeing as Angela wants to work to help make money for the family, conflicting views about roles and expectations has surfaced between the couple. Angela’s conflict revolves around living up to the traditional L atina expectations; meaning that she is primarily a homemaker. Also, Angela’s opinions and voice is discouraged by her Alberto in the counseling session. This demonstrates how many traditional Latinas are inferior in the marriage (Sue & Sue, 2013). Andres-Hyman, Ortiz, Anez,  Paris, and Davidson (2006), advised that counselor must look at the client’s degree of devotion to traditional gender customs (as cited in Sue & Sue, 2013, pp.413-414). As Alberto and Angela’s counselor I would explore their roles within their family and delve into how these roles may be altering and impacting the family. Also, I would address Alberto’s anxiety levels. Furthermore, I would help Angela consider the change involved with assuming a new role in the family. By addressing these issues in the couple’s cultural framework, I would hope to accomplish a understanding and possible compromise. Improving Cultural Competence with the Latino Population Coming from an equal relationship belief, I am challenged not to favor Angela’s desire to work and contribute financially. My perspective clashes with the traditional Latino gender role expectations. I must remind myself that my beliefs are not universal and not best for everyone. One way to improve my cultural competence is to respect the traditional Latino worldview. Since Alberto is a traditional man, I would respect his values of authority and interview him briefly to demonstrate respect (Sue & Sue, 2013). Also, I understand that in a less acculturated family that I need be more formal and less casual. Reflection Cultural competent practices are essential in the counseling profession. Developing an understanding and respect for people with differing worldviews and cultures promotes the counseling relationship. Practicing within the client’s cultural framework is necessary. Understanding one’s own culture and being mindful how it differs from others is primary. Identifying the cultural differences allows the counselor to be mindful and delineate from imposing one’s own beliefs onto the client. References Sue, D. W., & Sue, D. (2013). Counseling the culturally diverse: Theory and practice (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Is Del-Del by Victor Kelleher a Gripping Book? Essay

I do not think that Victor Kelleher is an exceptional thriller writer. However I do agree to the statement which says that â€Å"Del-Del grips like a vice and holds the reader taut, on a nerves edge, until the final page. Victor Kelleher is a very talented thriller writer, the technique where he drops small clues in the text as to a possible ending is one to be admired and his fantastic techniques which he uses is the best thing about Del-Del, Unfortunately Kelleher did not show his greatest work in this narrative. His technique where he dropped fake trails did not create anticipation like he had hoped for the reason that he overused this technique too much. The ending was also a tad lame and also would have perturbed the reader. We also found that the shifting of genre bewildered the reader and was too big a risk for such a small book. To keep the reader from becoming uninterested in the book, a good thriller author would drop various hints, or trails. These trails are usually a probable idea of what could be the ending, or in this case, the answer to Del-Del. As mentioned before, this will keep the reader interested in the book as they will be curious to find out if the ending is as they predicted. Examples of this in Del-Del are shown throughout the book and in all three sections. The main one in each section is when the family believes that Del-Del is what Sam leads them to be, meaning that the reader thinks this as well. For example in the first section, the reader thinks that Del-del is the beast possessing Sam’s body. In the second section, the reader thinks that Del-Del is an alien voyager and in the third section, the first half finds the reader thinking that Del-Del is the voyager and in the second part of the third section the reader finally discovers what Del-Del really is. As well as that in the first section Kelleher drops the hint that Del-Del is just Sam trying to expressing his feeling about Laura dying in page twenty seven when Hannah says what the psychiatrist said about Sam. Up to here, this is probably about as many false trails as is good for a book this size. Maybe even a little bit too much. Kelleher put far too many false trails. And the false trails outnumber the number of trails that lead to the right. In fact, the number of false trails compared to the number of right trails is about six to one, which is far too many. This can frustrate reader. So in conclusion while Kelleher is usually good at dropping false trails and hints, he overused it in this novel and the result was leaving the reader annoyed and possibly frustrated. One of the main things about a thriller book is suspense. Suspense is vital as without it the book would be just like every other action or horror book. Suspense also keeps the reader interested in the book. In this book Victor Kelleher creates suspense in a few ways. The main one is by leaving cliff-hangers at the end of each chapter. Each chapter finishes of with a short sentence with inconclusive information. This creates suspense because the short sentences never reveal what is going to happen next. The reader then becomes curious as what is going to happen next and this creates suspense. Examples of this technique are in; Section one, chapter eight: â€Å"And this time she wasn’t alone†, section two, chapter three: â€Å"Into the time of waiting† and in section three, chapter four: â€Å"Back in my own room I lay awake for some time, listening uneasily to the many noises of the night. † Another technique used to create suspense was telling the story from a first person point of view. The book is told from Beth’s (Sam’s older sister) point of view. â€Å"Beth† does not reveal everything at the start, she plays at out like a recount or a diary, saying things as she was experiencing them without revealing the end. This relates to suspense because the reader will obviously want to know the ending. This opens up another technique for suspense because, as mentioned above, Kelleher attempted to drop false trails to keep the reader guessing. Example of this is in page 27 when Mum reveals the ‘shrink’s’ report. Kelleher convinces the reader that this is unimportant by having Desmond blow up over it. As Beth thinks that this is unimportant, so does the reader. Kelleher uses 1st person storytelling to create suspense by having Beth mislead by circumstance and therefore the reader as well. So here, the author did a very good job when he put suspense in his novel. Suspense was the best part of the novel. As mentioned before, the author dropped a lot of hints and false trails too keep the author guessing. Kelleher also used a lot of suspense in his novel. So with all of this suspense one would hope for a fantastic and overwhelming ending. However this was far from the case. The ending was similar to the classic â€Å"And then he woke up from the dream† type ending. If one of those came up in a book, I am sure this would infuriate the reader. This was remarkably similar. All it was is Sam trying to show his feelings about Laura dying. This was rather lame and many of the readers would have found this annoying and maddening. Another negative was that Kelleher decided to take a risk with this book and changed the genres twice in the book. The first section, which showed the beast and his rants, was a bit of a thriller horror genre. Then in the second section it changed to a thriller/sci-fi genre. And in the third section, it became a psychological thriller genre. For a large book this would be a successful way to create suspense. However when a small book like Del-Del (195 pages) changes genre twice, it tends to confuse the reader. They will be confused as to what is actually happening. This is what happened with Del-Del. Instead of creating suspense, it created confusion. Kelleher’s risk to change genres failed because it created confusion instead of suspense, and therefore it was a wasted and failed effort. In conclusion although Victor Kelleher was a successful writer overall, he did not do his best work in Del-Del. Although he put the perfect amount of suspense in the novel, he overdid the false trails and hints throughout the book and this ended up confusing and frustrating the reader. With the amount of false trails and suspense in the book, one would expect the ending to be a massive and unexpected ending. This was not the case and instead had a very lame ending where Del-Del was just Sam trying and failing to express his emotions. This sort of ending would also have annoyed the reader. As well as that the reader would also have been confused with the changing of genres. The book changes from a horror thriller to a sci-fi thriller to a psychological thriller. Instead of creating more suspense Kelleher had hoped, it created confusion as the reader would not have known what was going on. So it is because of this that I say that although Victor Kelleher is not an exceptional thriller writer, Del-Del does grips like a vice and holds the reader taut, on a nerves edge, until the final page.

who wins witherisa essays

who wins witherisa essays The system of managed care began in the United States in the early 1900s, in an effort to provide coordinated health care in a cost-effective way(Amer. Assoc. of Retired Persons). Until recently, managed care has emerged from the shadows to become the dominant form of health insurance and delivery, succeeding the older fee-for-service program (Zelman and Berenson 2). Today, about 160 million Americans are enrolled in some kind of managed care plan. Managed care has made health care more affordable andmore accessible for Americans. But sometimes cost cutting can lead to lower standards (Clinton 1). Because managed care plans provide medical care to their members at a fixed rate, there is a substantial limit to the medical care each member can receive. Under this system of prepayment, managed care organizations (MCOs) can profit off every dollar of revenue that is not directly spent on patient care. This produces the problem of incentives, or temptations for MCOs not to provide sufficient medical care to their members, all too often resulting in tragedy (Fox, et al. 56). This problem explicitly impacts the estimated 125 million Americans who receive health insurance through MCOs that are provided by their employers. A federal law known as the Employment Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) governs these self-insured plans. Under the Employment Retirement Income Security Act, ERISA-regulated MCOs are not legally held accountable for their actions. Until Congress passes The Patients Bill of Rights, MCOs will continually and wrongfully deny patients from quality care. Health costs have continually risen over the last decade. The average-income American family now spends an estimated $5,000 per year on health care alone, an amount that more than doubled from 1988-1996 (Maciejewski). In an effort to relieve working Americans fro...

The Casino Industry in the US Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 16

The Casino Industry in the US - Case Study Example Competition of the new entrants is a real threat and it is eating the business. The emerging market for the new casinos is led by boat casinos and Native American casinos. According to Michael E. Porter (1980), concentrating only on resources and competencies, while ignoring the competition, can turn a firm inward looking (XVI). The competition is not only growing in the US alone. Europe is harboring its own army of casinos and stealing away the high rollers. This means that the extremely wealthy that used to travel to Las Vegas to buy casino chips and gamble are now getting the facility in their own country or continent. After the financial crisis of 2008, the rivalry between casinos has gotten more intense. Now the same casinos fight over customers and have turned to game theories to ward off the competition. Other forms of entertainments like late opening nightclubs can take away some market segment as many come to Las Vegas for entertainment and as a side dish, for gambling. If n ightclubs take away these customers, casino revenues will drop as advertisers won’t find their customers to target. All gaming firms do not compete for head to head. Some firms target the high rollers, people who can stack up millions at one gambling table, while other casinos target small-time gamblers. Big casinos always aim for high rollers despite the fact that so much revenue becomes dependent on a single investor or party. An absence of this ‘investment’ just once can mean a low earning quarter. Other than capturing market segment, geographical dominance also plays its part. No other state can compete with Nevada when it comes to gambling. This state was given the license to gamble in 1933, the first state to have that privilege. The longest stay in the business has made it the topmost gaming revenue generator in the US with over $10 billion annually.

A Clean Well-lighted Place Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A Clean Well-lighted Place - Research Paper Example The old waiter and the young waiter are expressing their individual thoughts regarding the deaf man’s habit of staying in the cafe for a long time. The setting in the story is a clean well-lighted cafe where a deaf old man is having his drinks. The setting in the story is crucial, as it reflects the thinking of the lonely old men who aim to escape from the world of darkness and despair. The views of the characters regarding the setting of the cafe have brought forth the theme of the story, which is the loneliness of old people. Characters’ mindset and cafe The story focuses on the plight of old men who are overwhelmed by the feeling of despair and loneliness, and how the cafe which is bright and clean provides comfort. â€Å"To the old man, the pleasant cafà © is his refuge, the place to which he can go to relieve his loneliness.† (Gerhard 5). The feelings of the deaf man are understood by the old waiter, for he is also experiencing similar feelings in his life. For both them, the cafe is a place which aids them to escape from the gloomy world of despair. Young people fail to realize the significance of well-lighted and clean place in the life of old people, battling with despair. The young waiter represents the thoughts of youth who are unable to comprehend the suffering of the old people. For the old waiter and the deaf man, the cafe is a source of succor and comfort. "He was in despair." (Hemmingway). They view the cafe from same perspective, for they are experiencing similar feelings. On the contrast, for the young waiter, the cafe is just a workplace. So he is eager to finish work and go to his house where his wife is waiting for him. The deaf man seated in the cafe and having drinks serenely, point towards quest for tranquility. â€Å"†¦he was a good client† (Hemmingway). He chooses the night time to visit the cafe, for he wants to avoid the crowd that would be present in the cafe during the daytime. â€Å"It gave him a sense of peacefulness.† (Brown). The deaf man’s wish to keep away from the eyes of other people is expressed through the seat he selects in the cafe. The deaf man is isolated from the society he is living in and even in the cafe he desires to be alone, enjoying the calmness of the cafe in the night. The interaction of the characters in the cafe provides an insight to their thoughts and attitude towards life. Contrast The contrast in the setting of the cafe and the world of old people aids in depicting the sorrow and suffering of the old people. The cafe is bright and clean whereas the house and world of the deaf man and the old waiter is full of darkness. It is this contrast that compels the deaf man and the old waiter to spend more time in the cafe than in his house. The brightness of the cafe brings light into the dark world of the deaf