Macbeth Apperance vs Reality Essay Example for Free

Macbeth Apperance vs Reality EssayThe world is governed more by appearances than by realities. passim society people are judged based on their appearance. This is unfortunate because appearance can be deceiving. In William Shakespeares play Macbeth appearances are not what they seem. whatever people may change because they think that their true self does not fit in society while others pretend to be something they are not. In the theme of appearance versus reality Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have an image barely as the time passes by their true personalities began to show. Macbeth portrays himself differently from his true inner self.He pretends to be a strong and intelligent person but from inside he is weak and indecisive. When Macbeth first confronts the witches prophecies he says, Come what may, time and the hour runs through with(predicate) the roughest day (1. 3. 152-153). Macbeth is leaving his future to chance. He wants to appear noble and strong but in the end he refu tes his statement by cleaning Duncan and Banquo to get to the throne. Also, when Lady Macbeth explains the plan to Macbeth he asks If we should fail? (1. 7. 59). He is still afraid of the consequences of his actions. His actions look pungent but he does not have any reason to kill Duncan.Macbeth has a debate within himself to murder King Duncan or to spare his life. Macbeth hesitation to kill Duncan proves in realty he is a weak man. Lady Macbeth represents herself as a beautiful and powerful woman in society but she is as weak as her husband Macbeth. To convert Macbeth to follow the plan she says I have given suck, and know how tender tis to love the babe that milks me. I would, while it was smiling in my face, have pluck my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out, had I so sworn (1. 7. 54-58). Macbeth asks for her help, but she responds by being harsh to him to keep up her appearances.Even when Macbeth sees Banquos ghost, kinda of helping him, she tells him to go to bed and stop imagining weird things. Lady Macbeth appears heartless toward others. However, one night a gentlewomen and a doctor see her sleep light and mumbling Out, damned spot Out, I say (5. 1. 25). She appears to be wide awake but she is unconsciously revealing her true self. Her guilty conscious leads to her decline through suicide. In this scene her appearance crumbles. She seemed powerful and unsympathetic, but in reality her guilt of Duncans murder driver her crazy proving she has become weak.In Macbeth the theme of appearance versus reality is shown through the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. They both revealed a fictitious picture of their personality even though on the inside they are different people. Macbeths indecisive personality leads to his destruction. The iron lady, Lady Macbeth appears to be a tough woman, who feels no guilt. But in the ending she shatters to pieces because of her guilt-ridden conscious. No matter what one appears to be reality w ill defeat appearance. People can put disguise on reality for time being but in the end truth reveals itself.

A Story from the Childhood That Is Reenacting My Life Today Essay Example for Free

A Story from the Childhood That Is Reenacting My Life Today Essaylong time ago when I was a small kid, there was a point in time when I thought I was going to die or was going to live in a way other than other normal people. I accidentally edit my finger with a scissors by mistake while I was at my beats work place for a visit. As a little child, I was very terrified by the look of blood and thought I was going to lose my finger or hand back then. My father used to be a banker working in one of the leading banks in Kuwait.I visit my father told me that he was going to be away for some time from his desk to do some important work and once he comes back he will get me chocolates and candy. While I was playing around at my fathers office I picked up a scissors and starting cutting papers and then I screamed as I have cut myself by mistake in my finger. Moments after, a colleague of my father ran into his office and helped me. His name was Ali. He helped me clear the blood quick ly and was very supportive. I recall Alis response was exactly what a kid in such situation would hope for.He cared over me in delicate and nurturing manner. My whole public changed since that day, as a child I have developed love and respect to Ali and used to ask my father to take me to his office every take aim holiday to see Ali. I recall I used to prefer sitting in his office than staying at my fathers. I grew up having the corresponding thoughts till the day I have graduated from high school as I have then decided to study Accounting and pay in order to allow me to work in a bank and be a good caring person like the people I used to see when I was a child at my fathers work.

Components Of An Information System Information Technology Essay

Comp 1nts Of An Information System Information Technology EssayThe purpose of this report is to flip an analysis of MIS policies of Ufone Tele talk Ltd. We evaluate the weaknesses and strengths. We will pass MIS policies in organization and how far they be contributing to the business plan and we will withal find how to improve the quality of product and the pressure of customers and queer employees.Analyzing the over whole MIS approach in Ufone, we discuss the three policies. These policies do have a lot of weaknesses in them with some strong points as well.At the blockade we give our recomm subvertation nigh how these MIS policies can be effective once again and how they can improve the production level through reward brass. Ufone of necessity some immediate and drastic changes to keep the business goingUfone is a subsidiary of Pakistan Telecommunication Comp some(prenominal). Government heads Pakistan Telecommunication Comp whatsoever. It is the lonesome(prenominal) Pakis tani-owned cellular attend to provider in the country. It was founded 9 years ago with a fundamental target to build one unique telecommunications entity of Pakistan identity. Government adopted Ufone in January 2001, since then it has trainn a dynamic and full throttled speed of development and prosperity.PTML, a 100% owned subsidiary of PTCL was established to operate cellular GSM 900 operate. The company commenced its operations, under the brand call in of Ufone, from Islamabad on January 29, 2001. Ufone expanded its coverage and has added new cities and highways to its coverage network. Ufone now covers over 300 rudimentary cities and prominent highways across Pakistan providing the customers best quality service and value for money.With a total current investment of over $350 Million, including a contract of $161 Million for expansion capacity for 2006-07, PTML believes in solid commitment to growth, security measures reliability. Ufone commits Siemenss infrastructure, and gets ongoing superior technological support from Siemens. Most all important(predicate)ly, it has Siemenss support in business Management.System ConceptsA trunk can be simply delimit as a group of interrelated or interacting elements forming a unified whole. Many examples of remainss can be found in the physical and biological sciences, in modern technology, and in human society. Thus, we can talk of the physical arranging of the sun and its planets, the biological system of the human body, the technological system of an oil refinery, and the socioeconomic system of a business organization.A system is a group of interrelated components working together toward a vulgar goal by evaluate inputs and producing outputs in an organized transformation serve. Such a system (sometimes called a dynamic system) has three radical interacting components or functionsInput involves capturing and assembling elements that enter the system to be processed. For example, raw materials, ene rgy, data, and human efforts must be secured and organized for processing.Processing involves transformation process that converts input into output. Examples are a manufacturing process, the human breathing process, or mathematical calculations.Output involves transferring elements that have been produced by a transformation process to their ultimate destination. For example, finished products, human services, and management t for each oneing must be transmissible to their human users.ExampleA manufacturing system gives raw materials as input and produces finished goods as output. An learning system also is a system that accepts elections (data) as input and process the min to products ( info) as output.FEEDBACK AND CONTROLA system with feedback and control components is sometimes called a cybernetic system, that is, a self-monitoring, self-regulating system.Feedback is data most the performance of a system. For example, data about gross revenue performance is feedback to a s ales passenger car.Control involves monitoring and evaluating feedback to determine whether a system is moving toward the feat of its goal. The control function then makes incumbent adjustments to a systems input and processing components to ensure that it produces proper output. For example, a sales manager exercises control when he or she reassigns salespersons to new sales territories after evaluating feedback about their sales performance. Feedback is frequently implyd as part of the thought of the control function because it is such a necessary part of its operation.ExampleA familiar example of a self-monitoring, self-regulating system is the thermostat controlled heating system found in many an(prenominal) homes it mechanically monitors and regulates itself toCOMPONENTS OF AN INFORMATION SYSTEMAn entropy system is a system that accepts data resources as input and processes them into culture products as output.An data system depends on the resources of battalion (end users and IS specialists), hardware (machines and media), software (programs and procedures), data (data and knowledge basis), and networks (communications media and network support) to perform input, processing, output, storage, and control activities that convert data resources into breeding products.This information system model highlights the relationships among the components and activities of information systems. It provides a framework that emphasizes four major concepts that can be applied to all types of information systemsPeople, hardware, software, data, and networks are the five base resources of information systems. A people resource include end users and IS specialists, hardware resources consisting of machines and media, software resources including both programs and HARDWARE RESOURCES.The concept of Hardware resources includes all physical devices and materials apply in information processing. Specially, it includes not only machines, such as electronic computer s and other equipment, but also all data media, that is, all tangible objects on which data is recorded, from sheets of theme to magnetic disks.Example of hardware in computer-based information systems areComputer systems, which consist of central processing units containing microprocessors, and soma of interconnected peripheral devices.Examples are microcomputer systems, midrange computer systems, and large mainframe computer systems.Computer peripherals, which are devices such as a keyboard or electronic mouse for input of data and commands, a delineation screen or printer for output of information, and magnetic or optical disks for storage of data resources.SOFTWARE RESOURCESThe concept of Software Resources includes all sets of information processing instructions. This generic concept of software includes not only the sets of operating instructions called programs, which direct and control computer hardware, but also the sets of information processing instructions needed by p eople, called procedures.It is important to understand that even information systems that dont use computers have a software resource component. This is true even for the information systems of ancient times, or the manual and machine-supported information systems still used in the world today. They all require software resources in the form of information processing instructions and procedures in fellowship to properly capture, process, and disseminate information to their users.INFORMATION SYSTEM ACTIVITIESYou should be able to recognize input, processing, output, storage and control activities taking place in any information system you are geting.INPUT OF DATA RESOURCEData about business proceeding and other events must be captured and prepared for processing by the input activity. Input typically takes the form of data entry activities such as recording and editing. End uses typically record data about transactions on some type of physical medium such as paper form, or enter it directly into a computer system. This usually includes a variety of editing activities to ensure that they have recorded data correctly. Once entered, data may be transferred onto a machine-readable medium such as a magnetic disk until needed for processing. For example, data about sales transactions can be recorded on source documents such as paper sales order forms. (A source document is the original formalrecord of a transaction). Alternately, salespersons can capture sales data using computer keyboards or optical scanning devices they are visually prompted to enter data correctly by video displays. This provides them with a more convenient and efficient user interface, that is, methods of end user input and output with a computer system. Methods such as optical scanning and displays of menus, prompts, and fill-in-the-blanks formats make it easier for end users to enter data correctly into an information system.PROCESSING OF DATA INTO INFORMATIONData is typically subjected to processing activities such as calculating, comparing, sorting, classifying, and summarizing. These activities organize, analyze and manipulate data, thus converting them into information for end users. The quality of any data stored in an information system must also be maintained by a continual process of correcting and updating activities. For example, data received about a purchase can be(1) added to a running total of sales results,(2) compared to a standard to determine eligibility for a sales discount,(3) grouped in numerical order based on product identification numbers,(4) classified into product categories (such as food and non-food items),(5) summarized to provide a sales manager with information about various product categories, and finally,(6) used to update sales records.OUTPUT OF INFORMATION PRODUCTSInformation in various forms is transmitted to end-users and made purchasable to them in the output activity. The goal of information systems is the production of approp riate information products for end users.Common information products messages, reports, forms, and graphic images, which may be provided by video displays, audio responses, paper products, and multimedia. For example, a sales manager may view a video display to check on the performance of a salesperson, accept a computer-produced voice message by telephone, and receive a printout of monthly sales results.STORAGE OF DATA RESOURCEStorage is a basic system component of information systems. Storage is the information system activity in which data and information are retained in an organized manner for later use. For example, just as written text material is organized into words, sentences, paragraphs, and documents, stored data is commonly organized into fields, records, files, and database. This facilitates its later use in processing or its recovery as output when needed by users of asystem.CONTROL OF SYSTEM PERFORMANCEAn important information system activity is the control of its pe rformance. An information system should produce feedback about its input, processing, output, and the system is meeting established performance standards. wherefore appropriate system activities must be adjusted so that proper information products are produced for end users. For example, a manager may discover that subtotals of sales amounts in a sales report do not add up to total sales. This might mean that data entry or processing procedures need to be corrected. Then changes would have to be made to ensure that all sales transactions. would be properly captured and processed by a sales information system.RECOGNIZING INFORMATION SYSTEMThere are many kinds of information systems in the real world. All of them use hardware, software, network, and people resources to transform data resources into information products. Some are unsubdivided manual information systems, where people use simple tools such as pencils and paper, or even machines such as calculators and type economisers. Others are computer based information systems that rely on a variety of networked computer systems to accomplish their information processing activities. As business end user, you should be able to recognize the fundamental components of information systems you encounter in the real world. This meaning that you should be able to identify. The people, hardware, software, data, and network resources they use. The type of information products they produce. The way they perform input, processing, output, storage and control activities. How they support the business operations, managerial decision-making, or competitive favor of a business.This kind of understanding will help you be a better user, developer, and manager of information system.THE EXPANDING ROLES OF INFORMATION SYSTEMYou will also see that the roles given to the information systems functions have expand significantly over the years.TRENDS INFORMATION SYSTEMSUntil the 1990s, the role of information systems was simple, tr ansaction processing, record-keeping, accounting, and other electronic data processing (EDP) activitys. Then another role was added, as the concept of management information system (MIS) was conceived. This new role focused on providing managerial end users with predefined management reports that would give managers the information they needed for decision making purposes.By the 1970s, it was evident that the pre-specified information products produced by such management information systems were not adequately meeting many of the (DSS) was born. The new role for information systems was to provide managerial end users with ad hoc and interactive support of their decision-making processes.MANAGEMENT SUPPORT SYSTEMSWhen information systems focus on providing information and support for effective decision making by managers, they are called management support systems.MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMSManagement information systems (MIS) are the most common form of management support system s. They provide managerial end users with information products that support much of their day-to-day decision-making needs. Management information systems provide a variety of reports and displays to management. The contents of these information products are specified in advance by managers so that they contain information that managers need. Management information systems retrieve information about internal operations from database that have been updated by transaction processing systems. They also obtain data about the business environment from external source. Information products provided to managers include displays and reports that can be furnished (1) on demand, (2) periodically,according to a predetermined schedule.DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMSDecision support systems (DSS) are a natural procession from information reporting systems and transaction processing systems. Decision support systems are interactive, computer-based information systems that use decision models and specia lized database to assist the decision making process of managerial end users.EXECUTIVE INFORMATION SYSTEMSExecutive information systems (EIS) are management information systems tailored to the strategicalal information needs of top management. upper side executives get the information they need from many sources, including letters, memos, periodicals, and reports produced manually as well as by computer systemsKNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMSKnowledge Management systems (KMS), Workers create, organize, and apportion important business knowledge wherever and whenever it is needed. For example, many knowledge management systems rely on profit and intranet Web sites, knowledge bases, and discussion forums as key technologies for gathering, storing, and disseminating business knowledge. In this way, knowledge management systems facilitate organization learning and knowledge creation and dissemination within the business enterprise.STRATEGIC INFORMATION SYSTEMSThe strategic role of infor mation systems involves using information technology to develop products, services, and capabilities that give a company strategic advantages over the competitive forces it faces in the global marketplace. This creates strategic information system, information systems that support or shape the competitive position and strategies of an enterprise. So a strategic information system can be any kind of information systems (TPS, MIS, DSS, etc.) that helps an organization gain a competitive advantage, reduce a competitive disadvantage, or meet other strategic enterprise objectives. descent INFORMATION SYSTEMSAs a future managerial end user, it is important for you to realize that information systems directly support both operations and management activities in the business functions of accounting, finance, human resource management, marketing, and operations management. Such business information systems are needed by all business functions.For example, marketing managers need information about sales performance and trends provided by marketing information systems. Financial managers need information concerning financing costs and investment returns provided by financial information systems.INTEGRATED INFORMATION SYSTEMIt is also important to realize that information systems in the real world are typically integrated combinations of several types of information systems we have just mentioned. Thats because conceptual classification of information systems are endeavored to emphasize theTHE SYSTEMS APPROACHThe systems approach to problem solving used a systems preference to define problems and opportunities and develop solutions. Studying a problem and formulating a solution involve the following interrelated activities1. Recognize and define a problem or opportunity using systems thinking.2. Develop and evaluate alternative system solutions.3. Select the system solution that best meets your requirements.4. Design the selected system solution.5. Implement and evaluat e the victory of the designed system.DEFINING PROBLEMS AND OPPORTUNITIESProblems and opportunities are identified in the first musical note of the systems approach. A problem can be defined as a basic condition that is causing undesirable results. An opportunity is abasic condition that inaugurates the potential for desirable results. Symptoms must be separated from problems. Symptoms are merely signals of an key cause or problem.SYSTEMS THINKINGSystems thinking is to try to find systems, subsystems, and components of systems in any situation your are studying. This viewpoint ensures that important factors and their interrelationships are considered. This is also cognize as using a systems context, or having a systemic view of a situation.example, the business organization or business process in which a problem or opportunity arises could be viewed as a system of input, processing, output, feedback, and control components.Then to understand a problem and save it, you would dete rmine if these basic system functions are being properly performed.ExampleThe sales function of a business can be viewed as a system. You could then ask Is poor sales performance (output) caused by inadequate selling effort (input), out-of-date sales procedures(processing), incorrect sales information (feedback), or inadequate sales management (control)? Figure illustrates this concept.CUserskarlDesktopGraph.jpgSYSTEMS ANALYSISIt is an in-depth study of end user information needs that produces functional requirements that are used as the basis for the design of a new information system. Systems analysistraditionally involves a detailed study of1. The information needs of the organization and end users like yourself.2. The activities, resources, and products of any present information systems.3. The information system capabilities required to meet your information needs, and those of other end users.ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSISAn organization analysis is an important first step in system s analysis. How can anyone improve an information system if they know very little about the organizational environment in which that system is located? They cant. Thats wherefore the members of a development team have to know something about theANALYSIS OF THE PRESENT SYSTEMBefore you design a new system, it is important to study the system that will be improved or replaced (if there is one). You need to analyze how this system uses hardware, software, network, and people resources to convert data resources, such as transactions data, into information products, such as reports and displays. Then you should document how the information system activities of input, processing, output, storage, and control are accomplished.Operating SystemsThe most important system software piece of ground for any computer is its operating system. An operating system is an integrated system of programs that manages the operations of the CPU, controls the input/output and storage resources and activiti es of the computer system, and provides various support services as the computer executes the application programs of users.The primary purpose of an operating system is to maximize the productivity of a computer system by operating it in the most efficient manner. An operating system minimizes the amount of human intervention required during processing. It helps your application programs perform common operations Database Management Systems.A database management system program helps organization use their integrated collections of data records and files known as databases. It allows different user application programs to easily access the same database. For example, a database management system makes it easy for an employee database to be accessed by payroll, employee benefits, and other human resource programs. A DBMS also simplifies the process of retrieving information from databases in the form of displays and reports. Instead of having to write computer programs to extract inf ormation, end users can ask simple questions in a query lecture. Thus, many DBMS packages provide fourth-generation phraseology (4GLs) and other application development features.Examples of popular mainframe and midrange packages are DB2 by IBM and Oracle 8 by Oracle Corporation.Other System Management ProgramsSeveral other types of system management software are marketed as separate programs or are included as part of an operating system. Utility programs, or utilities, are an important example. Programs like Norton Utilities perform miscellaneous housekeeping and file conversion functions. Examples include data backup, data recovery, virus protection, data compression, and file defragmentation. Most operating systems also provide many utilities that perform a variety of helpful chores for computer users.Other examples of system support programs include performance monitors and security monitors. Performance monitors are programs that monitor and adjust the performance and usage of one or more computer systems to keep them running efficiently, Security monitors are packages that monitor and control the use of computer systems and provide warning messages and record evidence of unauthorized use of computer resources. A recent trand is to merge both types of programs into operating systems like Microsofts Windows NT Server, or into system management software like Computer Associates CAUnicenter, that can manage both mainframe systems and servers in a data centre.Advantages and DisadvantagesA high-level language is obviously easier to learn and understand than an assembler language. Also, high-level languages have less-rigid rules, forms, and syntaxes, so the potential for errors is reduced. However, high-level languages programs are usually less efficient than assembler language programs and require a greater amount of computer time for translation into machine instructions. Business Applications of Telecommunications.Telecommunications is the sending of info rmation in any form (e.g., voice, data, text, and images) from one place to another using electronic or light-emitting media. Data communications is a more specific term that describes the transmitting and receiving of data over communication links between one or more computer systems and a variety of input/output terminals. The terms teleprocessing, telematics, and telephony may also be used since they reflect the integration of computer-based information processing with telecommunications and telephone technology. However, all forms of telecommunications now rely heavily on computers and computerized devices. For this reason, the broader term telecommunications can be used as a synonym for data communications activities.Figure illustrates some of the many possible business applications of telecommunications. It groups telecommunications applications into the major categories of enterprise quislingism systems, electronic handicraft systems,The Internet RevolutionThe explosive gro wth of the Internet is the revolutionary technology phenomenon of the 1990s. The Internet has become the largest and most important network of networks today, and is evolving into the information superhighway of tomorrow. The Internet is constantly expanding, as more and more businesses and other organizations and their users, computers, and networks join its global web. Thousands of business, educational, and research networks now connect millions of computer systems and users in more than 200 countries to each other. The Internet has also become a key platform for a rapidly expanding list of information and entertainment services and business applications, including enterprise collaboration and electronic commerce systems.

The Problems Associated With Exponential Growth Environmental Sciences Essay

The Problems Associated With Exponential Growth Environmental Sciences Essay decide exponential growth. bring up the connection between exponential growth and environmental problems. Exponential growth is the growth in which some quantity, such as population size or scotch output, increases at a constant cast per unit of time. The connection between these two is that exponential growth plays a key role in five important and interconnected environmental problems and issues by having population growth, imagination use and waste, poverty, loss of biological diversity, and global climate change. But the great intelligence information is that we study solutions to these problems that we could implement within a few decades. come upon between solar capital and natural capital. Evaluate the significance of these forms of capital in the using of pitying societies.By analogy, we can think of energy from the sun as solar capital. Solar energy or capital includes direct sunlight and val idating forms of renewable solar energy such as wind power, hydropower, and biomass. Similarly, we can think of the planets air, water, soil, deliriouslife, forest, rangeland, fishery, mineral, and energy resources and the processes of natural purification, recycling, and pest control as natural resources or natural capital. Natural capital consists of resources that support and sustain the earths life and economies. This priceless natural capital that nature provides at no cost to us confirming the natural biological income it supplies can sustain the planet and our economies indefinitely as long as we do not deplete them.Distinguish between biography on principal and living on interest. Analyze which of these behaviors humans ar currently illustrating. Evaluate the possibility of continuing to live in our current style.If you stand something of value such as an sum total of money, that is the principle. If you take from that amount to live on, you are living on the interes t. The basic item you own is diminish in value. You may be living well now. If you continue using up the item, you wont be able to use it in the future. You will need separate sources of money in the future. Some items gain in value, such as a bank savings account that provides interest. If you draw off the interest, the basic amount in the account stays the same. But you are living on the interest. Currently I rely that humans are living on interest. They dont have enough money to support them so they would just spend first and pay the amount back slowly as interest builds up though.Define globalization.globalization is the broad process of global social, economic, and environmental change that leads to an increasingly integrated world.What factors affect globalization?Factors accelerating globalization include information and communication technologies, human mobility, and international trade and investment. retell the advantages and disadvantages of globalization.Pros Of Globa lizationWith globalization, there is a global market for companies to trade their products and a wider range of options for citizenry, to choose from among the products of different nations. Developing countries gain a lot from globalization, as there is a sound flow of money and thus, a decrease in the currency difference.To meet the increasing demands that sustain globalization, there is an increase in the production sector. This gives loads of options to the manufacturers as well.Competition keeps prices relatively low, and as a result, inflation is less likely to occur.The focus is deviate and segregated among all the nations. No country remains the single power head instead there are compartmentalized power sectors. The decisions at richly levels are meant for the people at large. Communication among the countries is on the rise, which allows for better understanding and broader vision.As communication increases amongst two countries, there is interchange of cultures as w ell. We get to have more about the others cultural preferences.As we feed to each others financial needs, the ecological imbalance is also meted out. Governments of countries show concern about each other. Cons Of GlobalizationGlobalization is causing Europeans to lose their jobs as work is being outsourced to the Asian countries. The cost of labor in the Asian countries is low as compared to other countries.The high rate of profit for the companies, in Asia, has resulted in a pressure on the employed Europeans, who are always under the threat of the business being outsourced.Companies are as opening their counterparts in other countries. This results in transferring the quality of their product to other countries, thereby increasing the chances of depreciation in terms of quality.There are experts who believe that globalization is the cause for the invasion of communicable diseases and social degeneration in countries.The threat that the corporates would rule the world is on high, as there is a lot of money invested by them.It is often argued that poor countries are exploited by the richer countries where the work force is taken advantage of and low wages are implemented.Distinguish between highly-developed countries and developing countries. Describe changes in the wealth gap between these groups of countries.Developed country is highly industrialized already and has a high per capita GNP while developing countries have low to moderate industrialization and low to moderate per capita GNP. Most of its location is in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The developed countries are wealthier in economy wise while the developing countries are barely surviving.Distinguish between the following terms physically depleted and economically depleted resources nonrenewable, renewable, and potentially renewable resources reprocess and recycle.Economically depleted When 80% of resource is extracted and used up therefore the cost to extract the 20% exceeds its economic val ue. Physically depleted When 100% of resource is extracted and used up.Nonrenewable Resource that exists in a fixed amount (stock) in various places in the earths crust and has the potential for renewal by geological, physical, and chemical processes taking place over hundreds of millions to billions of years. Examples are copper, aluminum, coal, and oil. We classify these resources as exhaustible because we are extracting and using them at a much faster rate than they were formed. Renewable Resource that can be replenished rapidly (hours to several decades) through natural processes. Examples are trees in forests, grasses in grasslands, wild animals, fresh surface water in lakes and streams, most groundwater, fresh air, and fertile soil. If such a resource is used faster than it is replenished, it can be depleted and converted into a nonrenewable resource. Potentially renewable resources something that can be replaced.Reuse Using a product over and over again in the same form. An mannikin is collecting, washing, and refilling glass beverage bottles.Recycle Collecting and reprocessing a resource so that it can be made into new products. An example is collecting aluminum cans, melting them down, and using the aluminum to make new cans or other aluminum products.Draw a depletion curve. Explain how recycling and reuse affect depletion time.It affects depletion time because as we recycle and reuse the products over time it saves much more of that product and overtime it increases.Define sustainable return key.Sustainable yield is when the highest rate at which a potentially renewable resource can be used without reducing its available supply throughout the world or in a particular area.Describe the relationship between sustainable yield and environmental degradation.Renewable resources can be depleted or degraded. The highest rate at which a renewable resource can be used indefinitely without reducing its available supply is called its sustainable yield. When w e exceed a renewable resources natural replacement rate, the available supply begins to shrink, a process known as environmental degradation.Describe the tragedy of the commons. Summarize how most environmentalists alleviate this vitrine of tragedy.The cataclysmof the Commons is a term used todescribewhat happens to common resources as a result of human greed. It was first coined in an article inSciencein 1968 by Garrett Hardin. The commons dilemma was seen long before Hardin, but he brought widespread attention to it and described it in a common-sense direction that made it easily accessible. TheTragedyof the Commons can also be used when describingnational parks, river use, air quality, oil, forests, and even things such as radio frequencies. TheTragedyof the Commons is an importanttheoryfor designing resource usage plans, as its fundamental assumption about how rational humans can act in a way to bring about destruction of their resource gives a reason to set artificial limitat ions on usage through governmental policy.Distinguish between the following terms point source of contaminant and nonpoint source of pollution nonpersistent, persistent, and nondegradable pollutants.Point source Single identifiable source that discharges pollutants into the environment. Examples are the passel of a power plant or an industrial plant, drainpipe of a meatpacking plant, chimney of a house, or exhaust pipe of an automobile. Nonpoint source lifesize or dispersed land areas such as crop fields, streets, and lawns that discharge pollutants into the environment over a large area.Nonpersistent breaking down rapidly. Persistent pollutionhuman created pollution that doesnt break down naturally and is stored in the fats of animals. Nondegradable pollutionpollution that does not break down at all.Distinguish between pollution prevention and pollution cleanup. Evaluate the authorization of these two approaches in decreasing pollution.Pollution prevention is when we reduce or eliminate the production of pollutants. Pollution cleanup is when it involves cleaning up or diluting pollutants subsequently they have been produced. Both of these help the Earth stay cleaner because with these two preventions its helping the Earth do something better as in cleaning up or preventing it from happening. It can either be recycling or putting a stop to the harmful products or cutting back on the object.Summarize underlying causes of environmental problems.The major causes of environmental problems are population growth, wasteful resource use, poverty, poor environmental accounting, and ecological ignorance.Describe a simple illustration of relationships among population, resource use, technology, environmental degradation, and pollution.According to this simple method, the environmental impact (I) of a population on a given area depends on three factors the consequence of people (P), the average resource use per person (affluence, A), and the beneficial and harmful environmental effects of the technologies (T) used to provide and consume each unit of resource and to control or prevent the resulting pollution and environmental degradation. Some factors of technology, such as polluting factories and motor vehicles and energy- wasting devices, increase environmental impact by natural elevation the T factor in the equation. But other technologies, such as pollution control and prevention, solar cells, and energy-saving devices, lower environmental impact by decreasing the T factor. In other words, some forms of technology are environmentally harmful and some are environmentally beneficial.Evaluate which model is most useful to you. Assess which model would be most useful in explaining these relationships to young children and which more closely resembles reality.The technology model is very useful because today in the current world, everyone uses technology such as cars to get around and internet and the computer, and cell phones. Without techno logy, I dont think people would live as successful as today. In reality, no matter how old you are your family should own a cell phone and a computer at least. Without these, I dont think people would function as successful as they are today.Summarize strategies humans can use to work closely with the earth.To help the Earth function, I believe that people should do their best to conserve what they can, reuse what they can, and recycle from time to time to help out the environment. They should also care about the air we barrack and exhale to prevent any lung diseases that can harm us, and cut back on smoking.

External Environment of Baker Mckenzie

External Environment of baker Mckenzie1. External Environment of Global effectual IndustryTo analyze Baker McKenzie organization in order to provide its authorities with specific recommendation for the successful future instruction of the self-coloured and its employees it is fine to evaluate the principal factors of External Environment of global ratified industry that have implications for the management of peck and organization. To design an elaborate plan and implement it successfully in the firm it is essential to be awarfaree of the wide channel environment in which firm operates and of how this environment is changing over sequence. PEST analysis is used to access Political, Economic, Social and Technological factors of the Global Legal Industry (see Appendix 1).In general, the legal market was luxuriouslyly segmented comprising a a few(prenominal) prestigious justice firms at the top and small practices, consisting roughlytimes of a single attorney at the bo ttom. As a give of the globalization practice session a lot of legal firms became more internationalist. While entering bare-assed markets and opening offices in new areas such(prenominal) political factor as topical anaesthetic licensing laws pushed the firms to employ local lateral hires.If we have a look at the global legal industry on firm-levels we can state that the structure of an clean law firm was common landLAW FIRMEquity PartnersOwnership stake in the firmRevenue generatingResponsibility for attracting new clientsAssociates(law- horizontal surface)No willpower stake in the firmEveryday routine consultancyOpportunity to be promoted to Partner (depending on the process and firm needs)Support StaffParalegals assistance to lawyers (law degree is not required but feasible)Personal Assistants assistance to all levelsIn USA and many another(prenominal) legal jurisdictions the system of regulations was quite strict and law firms were not allowed to generate capital t hough IPO (Initial Public Offering) and the firms lawyers were the save iodines who could held an ownership stake. This was a way to protect the company in term of possible conflicts of interests.By 2004 various industries had to face high turnover trend and legal industry was not an exception. much(prenominal) social factor as a score-life equilibrium tendency added a new criteria which were critical for potential employees sequence entering the company. In law firms associates were changing the employers more often than ever before cod to various factors the primary(prenominal) of which is disaffection ofPoor firms finishing the main reason resulting into long work hours, lack of meaningful assignments and unfriendly work environment. allowance system as a result of war for genius and the practice to attract and retain star attorneys from competing firms (lateral hires) there was a high scatter between match and associate rates (sometimes as much as 201).Promotion s ystem firms expansion dodgingaffected the timeline for reaching the status of equity partner which was extended and a second tier of partner termed junior partner was addedto prevent the growing number of equity partners. In many firms it was understood that high billables were a requirement for advancement but in reality it did not necessarily encourage efficiency and taking into account the global character of some law firms such practice ran the risk of superseding all other metrics when promotion decisions were being made.In the recent years the customers appetites to the quality of legal serve have been changing significantly and the clients expectations have been rising all over the world. The legal market was saturated with the number of law firms with appropriate professional expertness but only a few of such firms could offer a value-added service.Thus, to have a competitive advantage in the industry and to make a client happy a law firm had to accelerate its efforts to reduces associates turnover by focusing on corporative culture and soft skills and emotional intelligence instruction in the organization reviewing the performance management systems, financial patterns as well as each firm is to pay appropriate attention to all aspects of the international character of business and personal rebelment maintaining a good relation with clients to make them satisfied.2. Internal Environment of Baker McKenzieBaker McKenzie was founded in Chicago in 1949 and from the very beginning has intended to be truly global. By 2004 it was the largest law firm in the world by headcount comprising about 9000 employees spread across 70 offices in 38 countries and being among the industry leaders in revenue.Regardless of the fact that the firm has a strong position in the legal industry there are some areas alarming that Baker McKenzie is to review its internal environment particularly focusing on attorneys retention, motivation and improving companys culture.Su ch concepts as firms schema, structure and culture are to be analyzed.2.1. organizational StrategyFor a long period of time the general strategy of Baker McKenzie was global expansion. Due to the increasing competitiveness in global legal market and bearing in mind the fact that some clients became more oriented on not expensive routing legal needs in the late 1990th the firm felt that some changes were required not to lose competitive advantage. Baker McKenzie came to decisiveness that their initial strategy which included such learning program as professional management education for partners, key-client account program and four-point strategic plan, was not in force(p) and ambitious enough. Even though the firm did make impressive progress on many fronts a more sophisticated approach was needed to develop further.By 2004 a new strategy was developed the main objectives of which were as followsTo reach market preeminence by building upon unparalleled international capabiliti es by means of deeper penetration of major clients growth of core practice areas greater industry specializationTo develop the firm in a systematic way so each office is able to support multinational clients and global strategy and excel and prosper in its local marketTo align the firms organisational, financial and management structures more effectively with its strategic objectives.Finally, Baker McKenzie realized that people were paramount to the firms successful future and in this updated strategy the focus was shifted from the expansion to peoples qualities prioritizing the HR management.To achieve a competitive advantage in the quality of legal services the following combination of HR and competitive strategies (Armstrong, 2000) were followedCompanys StrategyHR StrategyResourcingHR DevelopmentRewardAchieve competitive advantage through qualityUse sophisticated selection procedures to recruit people who are likely to drive home quality and high levels of customer serviceEnco urage the development of a learning organization and support total quality and customer care initiatives with focus facts of lifeLink rewards to quality performance and the achievement of high standards of customer serviceAchieve competitive advantage by employing people who are wear than those employed by competitorsUse sophisticated selection procedures based on rigorous analysis of the special capabilities required be the organizationDevelop organizational learning processes encourage self-managed learning through the use of personal development plans as part of a performance management processDevelop performance management processes that enable both financial and non-financial rewards to be related to competence and skills ensure that pay levels are competitiveOne of the major improvements in HR strategy was the implementation of Associate Training Program (ATP) which allowed the associates to transfer for the period of a year to 18 months among any Baker McKenzie office in the world. The strategy was a success as it enhanced the lawyers experience by exposing them to different jurisdictions, laws and cross-border terms. Also it was a great tool to embed and develop the relationships across the firm.It is as well as important to mention the rewarding performance which was used in the firm. For many years Baker McKenzie used a compensation system of objective personality called the formula rewarding the following four criteriaWork Credit (personal productivity of a partnerClient Credit (partners ability to delegate and supervise work done not by partners)Associate Profit (work done by non-partners)Tenure with the firm (number of years as an equity partner).As a result of such strategy the partners were not focused on development tasks but principally on generating fees. Such compensation system was suitable in too soon years when the firm opened its first offices in different countries. However, such formula is not efficient today and Baker McKenz ie was to review it bearing in mind the stovepipe interests of the business.In 2002 the firm adopted new rules that facilitated the evolution to discretionary compensation systems based on more subjective criteria. In scandalize of the fact that not all partners were satisfied with such method and it was hotly debated before being approved, the key implication of such approach is growing designation within the firm that changes in the financial structure and compensation system were needed to advance the overall strategy. However, the updated compensation system involving such new subjective elements as development associates and demonstrating leadership used for the evaluation of partners meant that there could be risk for the partner to receive substantially less.To conclude it is to be emphasized that new strategy requires a well-developed framework for its successful implementation.2.2. Organizational StructureAs it was mentioned in the previous chapter the principal strateg y of Baker McKenzie for a long time was global expansion with the local lateral hires which were more steeped in techniques and traditions of their regions law (only few offices were staffed from the main office)3. It resulted to decentralization and spread among continents (see Chart 1).As per Burns and canary (1961) Baker McKenzie could be defined as an Organic structure rather than Mechanistic and can be characterized by the followingHigh decentralization of office staffTasks loosely definedHorizontal communicationsGreater individual authorityFlexible and adaptable.Chart 1. Baker McKenzie organization, 2004The advantages offered in the decentralization are that it+ Increased responsiveness to the local particulars+ Enables decisions closer to the operational level of work+ Improved level of personal customer service+ More in keeping with developments in flatter and more flexible structures.But there are also some negative aspectsThe same lateral hires results in tough contr ol over offices letting no interferenceFirm becomes inert to new programs and changes or their implementation results are lowLow sociability and interaction between offices caused by rare meetings.2.3. Organizational CultureA key weapon in the war for talent in the 21st century is going to be organizational culture. To analyze the culture of Baker McKenzie it is important to look at it from different perspectives and use various approaches.In general, Baker McKenzies culture was a strong one encompassing several core elements such asInternationalism and multi-culturalismSense of friendshipEquality of employeesStrong sense of independenceConsensus-building based on two-part mindset and highly consultative, transparent and respectful styleAttention to selection process of laterals.According to Goffee Jones (1996) Grid (see Chart 2) Baker McKenzie located in bourgeois area gravitating to Fragmented organization as of its numerous offices around the world which tend to be autonomo us.That results in general low sociability of the employees. This can be supported by the fact that international interaction was quite poor, presented only by annual meetings for equity partners and some star lawyers.Solidarity is high repayable to result-oriented strategy (a lot of billable hours required to be rewarded by bonus) and high compensation for partners level only.Chart 2. Goffee and Jones (1996) GridOrganizational cultures and their associated structures typology of Charles Handy (1986) is another popular model to demonstrate the firm. According to his classification Baker McKenzie is the person culture cluster structure which is described as structure where autonomous experts and professionals pursue their own interests.This type of culture is characterized by high autonomies of partners and associates where management hierarchies are not acceptable and the legal business is operated by mutual consent and influence based on expertise. Having observe that it could be stated that such culture is in balance with the decentralized structure mentioned in the previous chapter.Facing high turnover and war for talent Baker McKenzie has to pay more attention to its employees to shape a firm-friendly culture required not only for personal and professional development of the lawyers but such culture which could have an immediate positive effect on the successful future of the firm.3. The Development FrameworkBy 2000 Baker McKenzie recognized importance of retaining associates as every lawyer who left the firm within the first two years never provided the firm with even a partial return on investment in terms of training, development, and replacement costs. The developed HRM strategy was place in jeopardy.To find the causes of high associates turnover KPDC lunched a survey lead by two outsourced HR specialists which educed the following gaps in performance managementNo or poor feedback on associates performance were provided (no deep review, no exam ples are wedded). This circumstance was complicated by cultural obstacle as many of associates reported that it is not the practice of their offices to conduct reviews or that is a new conceptNo guidelines explaining business and legal skills required for each life step were given to the associates. This resulted in low motivation and lack of self developmentDevelopment opportunities and training programs were not clearly explained or not explained at all to the lawyers.In April 2003 two industrial psychologists were invited to develop new framework to overcome these asperities and meet common performance expectation across different locations of the firm. It was the right choice as it is almost impossible to deal with the different cultures from the position of usual management.The following closing Development Framework qualities were highlighted as the basic criteriaPersonal Qualities (PQ)Key Performance Areas (KPAs) comprising Individual Activities Categories (IACs).By such f ramework associates have been rated on a scurf of 1-3 for each component3 exceeds expectations2 meets expectations1 falls short of expectations.This highly segmented system of evaluation could satisfy everyone and could meet the needs of the multicultural firm. Also it represented an actual approach to talent management.In general, the talent management strategy of Baker McKenzie can be characterized by the following main aspectsRecruitment identifying and selecting right people to met the challenges of the firms strategic goalsDevelopment personal and professional development of the employeesCareer Management train and supporting the employees throughout their careers.Having analyzed the outer and internal environments and the Development Framework it can be concluded the main tool for Baker McKenzie successful recruiting, developing and retaining the chosen talent and to win war for talent is to find a common language within international offices of the firm for discussing excellence in order to facilitate firm activities and find the best fit between a lawyer and Baker McKenzies operation and culture.4. RecommendationsUndoubtedly, the New Development Framework is a well-designed foundation ready to be implemented and in a flash it fully depends on how much effort the Executive and KPD Committees will contribute to convince each partner of its implementation importance.Based on the analysis of the Baker McKenzies organization, culture and strategy, including New Development Framework aimed on successful recruiting, developing, and retaining the talent it is recommended to pay more attention to the following aspectsRecruitment and Selection ProcessOrganizational performance depends considerably on the quality of its workers. It is required to continue generating a pool of skilled and qualified associates, which have some of the necessary attributes to enable a suitable candidate to be selected. Appropriate range of selection methods of evaluation w hich can be partly taken from the Development Framework (IACs and PQs) are to be applied to cover such gaps as lack of soft skills for the potential employees. This will facilitate the candidates to integrate into Baker McKenzies culture and to meet the expectations of the firm.It is worth recommending while selection and recruiting process to bear in mind the fact that firm is working on standardizing its processes on international level. It means that there should be given more attention to the ability of the candidate to be a good team member. Such characteristic feature of the human being can be measured by some psychological testing as well the firm could several steps of selection process one of which could be a simulation or role-playing within the number of candidates. Such simulation should be observed by a number of specialists and assessed accordingly. Also it can be added that due the nature of globalization the preference is to be given to those candidates who have int ernational experience or willing to obtain it.Developing Competent EmployeesIn injure of the fact that the firm is focused on the highly qualified attorneys recruitment we should not underestimate the role of work-based learning. This is particularly important for paralegals being loyal to the firm and associates whose target is to become partners. Such methods can be divided into following groups discipline from another person consists of coaching and mentoring. Mentors provide two functions 1) career advice and support, 2) psychological function. As we could see from the analysis of Baker McKenzies performance management the lack of career development advice was one of the main drawbacks in the firm. It is important to note that coaching does not come naturally to all managers and it requires a number of skills which can be developed by sending the responsible managers to special management coursesLearning from tasks consists of job rotation and delegation. This involves movin g lawyers into different limitrophe groups (e.g. associates from the Major Project and Project Finance group may broaden their expertise by being placed into International Commercial or Corporate group, etc.) Delegation is also a way of developing of employee as it can offer new challenge and responsibilities.Retaining AssociatesAs the final point Baker McKenzie have to be focused on staff retention as high turnover damages not only performance, service quality and financial side but also a corporate image. First of all, Motivation is directly expressed by how to make people contribute to organizational goals while satisfying their personal needs. A good balance between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation is the key to success. In terms of extrinsic motivation can be applied such tangible rewards asimproved salary, the firm is to develop a more reasonable and equilibrate compensation system between partners and associates which can result to comfortable work-life balancePerks like corporate transport or enhanced workplace.Performance Management is the other aspect which is extremely important for the firm to develop particularly in providing associates withConstant and detailed feedback with clear explanations of their performance. Exposing their strengths and weaknessesGuidelines explaining business and legal skills required for each career step. That will result in high loyalty and motivation as well.All these recommendations will result in successful Talent Management and firms prosperity in the future. Detailed Implementation Plan provided in Appendix 2. Also it is important to control and shape the implementation of current Development Framework. The future researches on the results of implementation have to be carried on as well.BibliographyCase study. Baker McKenzie (A) A New Framework for Talent Management.MPO lectures.Goffee, R. and Jones G. (1996). What holds the modern company together? Harvard business review, November-December.Mullins, Laurie J . (2005), Management and Organisational Behaviour. 7th ed. Pearson Education Limited, Essex, England.Green, Richard, (2003), Business Environment An MBA Study Guide. University of Hull, Hull, UK.Palmer, Adrian and Hartely, Bob (2002), The Business Environment. McGraw-Hill, New York, USA.Graeme Martin (2006), Managing People and Organizations in Changing Contexts. Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford, UK.

tundra :: essays research papers

The tundra artic plains completely covering most of the earths lands north of the evergreen forest belt. The tundras ecosystem is very sensitive. It doesnt have a good ability to restore itself. Controlled by sedge, heath, willow, moss, and lichen. Plains that atomic number 18 pretty much alike, called alpine tundra, befall above the timberline in the high mountains of the world. Even the Antarctic atomic number 18a has a couple of its own arctic regions itself.The climate of the tundra is characterized by harsh winters. The bonnie temperature in the tundra area is or so 27 degrees. But what is eve worse are the prospicient night. At nights the lowest temperture recorded was 67.36 degrees. There are evening times in the year when the sun doesnt come up for days. In the tundra we have little snow and even less rainfall. The rainfall is virtually a quarter inch in a yearly rainfall. Even though the tundras winters are foresighted a harsh there summers are the shortest season of all. Do to the terrible weather and climate in the tundra their animals and nominate disembodied spirit is very limited.This artic tundra is mainly formed by permafrost, a layer of for good frozen subsoil in the ground. Putting frozen ground and flat landscape stops the drainage of water. As the water is being held up on the surface it makes ponds and bogs that give moisture for the localises, or countering the low precipitation. The periodic freezing and thawing of the soil forms cracks in the ground in regularly patterned polygons. close to areas are not drained very well causing irregular landforms. several(prenominal) of these landforms like the following hummocks, or knolls, frost boils, and earth stripes. Another rough-cut land area to the alpine tundra is a bare rock covered ground also known as fell fields, in which not alone put up but helps the growth of lichens. The many microhabitats given by these landforms provide a variety to the tundras landscape. As you already know the amount of different plant species in the tundra is very few. Also their growth level is low, with most of the biomass concentrated in the roots. To add to the many difficulties the growing season isnt very long its self. The plants are better off to reproduce vegetative by division and budding than sexually by flower pollination. The main plant look in that area is cotton grass, sedge, and dwarf heath also including mosses and lichens.tundra essays research papers The tundra artic plains completely covering most of the earths lands north of the cone-bearing forest belt. The tundras ecosystem is very sensitive. It doesnt have a good ability to restore itself. Controlled by sedge, heath, willow, moss, and lichen. Plains that are pretty much alike, called alpine tundra, fall out above the timberline in the high mountains of the world. Even the Antarctic area has a couple of its own arctic regions itself.The climate of the tundra is characterized by harsh winters . The total temperature in the tundra area is about 27 degrees. But what is even worse are the long night. At nights the lowest temperture recorded was 67.36 degrees. There are even times in the year when the sun doesnt come up for days. In the tundra we have little snow and even less rainfall. The rainfall is about a quarter inch in a yearly rainfall. Even though the tundras winters are long a harsh there summers are the shortest season of all. Do to the terrible weather and climate in the tundra their animals and plant life is very limited.This artic tundra is mainly formed by permafrost, a layer of permanently frozen subsoil in the ground. Putting frozen ground and flat landscape stops the drainage of water. As the water is being held up on the surface it makes ponds and bogs that give moisture for the plants, or countering the low precipitation. The periodic freezing and thawing of the soil forms cracks in the ground in regularly patterned polygons. Some areas are not drained v ery well causing irregular landforms. Some of these landforms like the following hummocks, or knolls, frost boils, and earth stripes. Another common area to the alpine tundra is a bare rock covered ground also known as fell fields, in which not alone resist but helps the growth of lichens. The many microhabitats given by these landforms provide a variety to the tundras landscape. As you already know the amount of different plant species in the tundra is very few. Also their growth level is low, with most of the biomass concentrated in the roots. To add to the many difficulties the growing season isnt very long its self. The plants are better off to reproduce vegetative by division and budding than sexually by flower pollination. The main plant life in that area is cotton grass, sedge, and dwarf heath also including mosses and lichens.

A Hurricane Strikes - Original Writing Essay -- Papers

A Hurricane Strikes - Original Writing It was an ordinary Sunday morning. The rays of g senileen cheer shone on the modest but lively crossroads. The constant murmur of chatting filled the morning air. As children played and laughed, the men relaxed with their noses in their Sunday papers and the old ladies gathered to exchange the latest gossip. The huge trees looked protectively down on the village below and their leaves danced proudly in the breeze. In the distance, both the identical bungalows had agglomerate rising from the chimneys. Outside one of these cottages, a tiny tanned sparrow skipped along the concrete path that led up to the welcoming front door. The cottage was set into the grassy bank and branches full with sycamore leaves stretched out from the woodland and occasionally tapped on the old-fashioned window panes. From a cloudless blue sky, the cheer beamed down onto the cottages thatched roof, under which the swallows had happily s ecreted a nest for their squawking young. Surrounding the cottage was a crooked fencing from which dirty-white paint was peeling. Above all the clattering and chattering of the children, the little old lady could be heard, as she shouted at the youngsters to get off the fence. The morning sun disappears as a monstrous, ebony blanket of cloud suddenly appears even the wicked and evil ravens hurry to escape the impending storm. The rain lashes down and the shrieking wind hurls itself against the helpless trees, continuously pounding them and quickly removing the remains of the once proud foliage. Everyone immediately senses disaster suddenly panic-stricken. Screams, shouts and squeals brea... ...ls the boys off for sitting on her fence. The clouds begin to disperse and a debile beam of sunlight marks the boys way as he scrambles out of the hole and steps into the world to find an unimaginable sight of destruction. The blissful and cheerful world that he once knew was now just a heap of bricks, rubble and remains of peoples homes. His mind drifts to happier times, when the village was full of rowdy children and the air was filled with constant chit-chat when there was an essence of life rather than destruction The boy looks for the fence expecting to see his brother but, to his shock, the fence is amongst the pile of rubble, along with the rest of the town. There, on top of all the ruins he sees a once adored doll. Her sad and lonely marble eyes gazing reliable up into the clear, blue sky. Waiting...