Health and Social Care †Service User Needs Essay

Individual service users have a range of needs, which must be met, including physical, intellectual, emotional ad social needs. In my case study, a care worker, a nurse and a doctor who in turn identified Sophie’s range of needs carried out Sophie’s care assessment. They then developed a plan to meet Sophie’s needs. This next section covers a range of approaches used in Health and Social Care to help services and practitioners meet the needs of individuals. An analysis of how practitioners meet the needs of Sophie and her family Physical Health Firstly, Sophie’s strengths and needs were considered. Her general health was discussed in relation to Sophie’s condition and impairments; access to and use of dentist, GP, optician; immunisations, development checks, hospital admissions, accidents, health advice and information. Next, Sophie’s physical development was assessed in relation to her nourishment, activity, relation, vision and hearing, fine motor skills (e.g. drawing), gross motor skills (e.g. mobility, playing games and sport). In addition, her speech language and communication skills were assessed. These included her preferred communication language, listening, responding and understanding. The care workers needed to ensure that Sophie had basic care, ensuring her safety and protection. Finally, it was important to confirm that Sophie was provided with food, drink, warmth, shelter, appropriate clothing and that her personal needs were assessed within a safe and healthy environment. Social Health Next, Sophie’s behavioural development including her lifestyle, self-control, behavior with peers, attention span and concentration were looked at. Then Sophie was assessed for her perceptions of self knowledge of personal and family history, sense of belonging, experiences of discrimination due to race, religion, age, gender, sexuality and disability. The multidisciplinary team of workers then focused on Sophie’s family and social relationships Sophie had with her friends. Intellectual Health The workers focused on her aspirations and ambitions in her confidence and progress was monitored and measured. Also Sophie’s understanding of reasoning and problem solving and her progress and achievement in learning was assessed and recorded. Emotional Health It was also important for Sophie to be raised in an emotionally warm and stable environment ensuring that the family was stable, affectionate, stimulating, where praise and encouragement and secure attachments were made. It was also necessary to make sure that Sophie had guidance, boundaries and stimulation and that self-control was encouraged and that she showed positive behavior. Finally, it was checked to see is Sophie’s family provided effective and appropriate discipline, avoiding over-protection and support for positive activities. Approached Used to Support Sophie’s Health and Well-being Treating diseases and illnesses at an early stage can improve outcomes. In the case of Sophie’s, Health and Social Care workers were aware that service users have social, intellectual and emotional needs and Sophie was supported at an early stage to make an informed choice about the treatment that was offered. In addition, a holistic approach was used which took into account of the whole needs of Sophie. By assessing all areas of Sophie’s physical, intellectual, emotional and social personal health, the practitioners involved helped to reduce the effects of her initial problem. By targeting the stress through the holistic approach, practitioners prevented the trauma of Sophie’s abuse from getting worse. Sophie was also given the opportunity to make decisions and not be treated as passive receivers of Health and Social Care services; this is called empowerment of patients. As a result, Sophie and her family become active participants in the support and care planning process.

World Terrorism

Terrorism. It is a word that strikes fear into many. Terrorism has been around since the beginning of time, and has caused empires to rise, fall, and allowed people to gain power. Terrorism is a growing problem in this unstable world. A simple act of terrorism can cause tensions to break between two countries, as seen with Israel and Palestineaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s conflicts due to religious beliefs and territory disputes. Among the various potential threats are wars with neighboring countries, missile attacks on cites, biological and chemical terrorism, suicide bombings, and hostage taking.In an April 1999 survey the most feared terrorism was bombings on US soil. (Cole, 1) There are many ways to combat terrorism. First, would be an international team that is always on call to respond to terrorist threats, and retrieve hostages with minimal loss of life. The second is gun control, which would limit the weapons accessed by potential terrorists. The last thing is to recognize terrorist organ izations before they have a chance to attack. Terrorism has been around since the days of ancient Egypt.People have been killing leaders of countries to try and overthrow the government, and for the past one hundred and twenty years terrorists have had ne Terrorism, which has been around for as long as people can remember, has been on the rise for the past ten years. Terrorists use murder, kidnapping, hijacking, and bombings to almost always achieve a political purpose. These radicals are not just subject to the United States, terrorism is all over the world, in every way, shape and form. There are many different types of terrorism, for many different purposes.The primary reason for terrorist acts are to force a change in their nation's government. If terrorists are not satisfied with there government's political positions, they may end up taking the matters into there own hands. Another reason for terrorist acts are because of hate towards a race, nationality, or religion. For exam ple, in 1972 the Palestine Liberation Organization invaded Israeli dorms in the Munich Olympics, and held the Israeli athletes hostage until Israel would agree to release Palestinian terrorists that were captured in Israel.When Israel refused to comply with the terrorists demands, they blew up two helicopters which held the Israeli athletes, killing the whole team. This was one of the many cruel types of terrorism. In recent years, terrorism seems to be at a new high and attacks are more violent than in the past. With terrorism being so secretive and having no forewarning, it has been a real problem to deal with. The governments of many countries have tried to stop these cowardly acts, but they just seem to be on the rise.I have a few ideas that might work Solution: Since there are no fool-proof ways to predict when a terrorist will strike next, there can really be no complete answer to this problem. Even though there is no way to totally eliminate terrorism, my solutions may still prove valid. With the bombing of the World Trade Center, and the federal building in Oklahoma, rental moving trucks have been used to hold the bomb. An idea I have for this type of attack.

Call of the Wild Book

He is disciplined by the Law of Club and Fang. The man in the red sweater takes Buck out of the cage and repeatedly beats him. Buck continues to try to attack until he is to week to fight. He then learns the law of Club and Fang. Buck is sold and put on a sled team. He learns to dig a hole in the snow to stay warm. He has a fierce rivalry with the lead dog Spitz. Spitz then kills one of Buck’s best friends Curly by ripping Curly’s face up. Buck ends up having multiple fights with Spitz. One of which where Spitz takes Buck sleeping hole and tries to keep it. Spitz gets whipped and sent back to his own hole. Buck and Spits end up in a fight in which Buck is determined to kill Spitz and end the rivalry for good. He then does what he was determined to do and kills Spitz. Buck then takes the lead dog position and gains trust from his team. The team is then taken over by Hal, Charles, and Mercedes. They are amateur sled runners and don’t quite know what they are doing. They end up shooting a dog (Dave), because he was too weak to go on. Buck then leads the team into John Thornton’s little camp setup. Hal was advised by John not to go across the ice but he decides to do it anyway. Hal starts beating Buck and John Thornton threatens to kill him with his rifle. John then takes Buck to be his own. They all fall through, including the team. They are killed and John takes care of Buck, the only survivor. Buck then saves john Thornton’s life a couple times. John and Buck develop a special bond. John decides to search for gold. Buck is in part of a bet made by john Thornton that says he can pull a sled with a fairly large amount of weight. Buck then shocks everybody and pulls the sled 100 yards and wins John Thornton $1000 ($1600 in the book). John is out in the search of gold. He comes across a Yeehat tribe and builds up hate for them. Buck scares away the Yeehats once. They the com back later and kill John Thornton by shooting him with a bow and arrow. Buck then kills multiple Yeehats out of anger. He is then left with the decision to live by himself in the wild. Differences In the movie, Buck was never sold to Francois and Perrault. He was never a part of their team and he did not steal any bacon from Francois. In the movie, Buck started out going to John Thornton’s team, stolen by Black Burtons bandits, claimed by a dog auctioneer, sold to Hal and his crew, brought across Johns Thornton’s camp and is returned to him. Buck was never sold from Francois and Perrault to a Scotch half-breed man that was very hairy. It did not tell the names of other dogs in the movie. In my eyes, the movie portrayed John Thornton’s friend, Pete, more than in the book. In the movie John Thornton is attracted to a girl at a bar. A man named Black Burton doesn’t like John so he has his team stolen by some of his thugs. They then take the team to a town. On the way a man falls down a hill and is killed. When the dogs get to the town, the only guy left on the sled is frozen solid and killed. A man then claims the dogs on the spot and auctions them off to Hal, Charles, and Mercedes. They plan to take the team to Dawson city (where John Thornton is). On the way a dog (Dave) is shot by Hal because he can’t go on. They come across John Thornton’s camp. John takes Buck back and the others drowned. John then takes more care of buck and heals him up. The book stated that Buck had killed a Moose by wearing it out and then attacking it. That never happened in the movie. In the book, Mad Dolly was a dog that raged and tried to kill Buck. The movie showed Mad Dolly as a horse. The movie shows more dialect and perspective of john Thornton rather than Buck. It made the movie almost more about John than it did about Buck. John and Buck found a cabin in the woods that had a gun in it that said E. K. W. on it. That wasn’t in the book. Because of all of the similarities and differences that I have written, I believe that the book was way better than the movie. The movies didn’t have much anything that was the same in the book. The worst part was that it left me guessing about who E. K. W. was. It didn’t even give a hint about who he or she was. That should not ever happen in a movie. Call of the Wild Book He is disciplined by the Law of Club and Fang. The man in the red sweater takes Buck out of the cage and repeatedly beats him. Buck continues to try to attack until he is to week to fight. He then learns the law of Club and Fang. Buck is sold and put on a sled team. He learns to dig a hole in the snow to stay warm. He has a fierce rivalry with the lead dog Spitz. Spitz then kills one of Buck’s best friends Curly by ripping Curly’s face up. Buck ends up having multiple fights with Spitz. One of which where Spitz takes Buck sleeping hole and tries to keep it. Spitz gets whipped and sent back to his own hole. Buck and Spits end up in a fight in which Buck is determined to kill Spitz and end the rivalry for good. He then does what he was determined to do and kills Spitz. Buck then takes the lead dog position and gains trust from his team. The team is then taken over by Hal, Charles, and Mercedes. They are amateur sled runners and don’t quite know what they are doing. They end up shooting a dog (Dave), because he was too weak to go on. Buck then leads the team into John Thornton’s little camp setup. Hal was advised by John not to go across the ice but he decides to do it anyway. Hal starts beating Buck and John Thornton threatens to kill him with his rifle. John then takes Buck to be his own. They all fall through, including the team. They are killed and John takes care of Buck, the only survivor. Buck then saves john Thornton’s life a couple times. John and Buck develop a special bond. John decides to search for gold. Buck is in part of a bet made by john Thornton that says he can pull a sled with a fairly large amount of weight. Buck then shocks everybody and pulls the sled 100 yards and wins John Thornton $1000 ($1600 in the book). John is out in the search of gold. He comes across a Yeehat tribe and builds up hate for them. Buck scares away the Yeehats once. They the com back later and kill John Thornton by shooting him with a bow and arrow. Buck then kills multiple Yeehats out of anger. He is then left with the decision to live by himself in the wild. Differences In the movie, Buck was never sold to Francois and Perrault. He was never a part of their team and he did not steal any bacon from Francois. In the movie, Buck started out going to John Thornton’s team, stolen by Black Burtons bandits, claimed by a dog auctioneer, sold to Hal and his crew, brought across Johns Thornton’s camp and is returned to him. Buck was never sold from Francois and Perrault to a Scotch half-breed man that was very hairy. It did not tell the names of other dogs in the movie. In my eyes, the movie portrayed John Thornton’s friend, Pete, more than in the book. In the movie John Thornton is attracted to a girl at a bar. A man named Black Burton doesn’t like John so he has his team stolen by some of his thugs. They then take the team to a town. On the way a man falls down a hill and is killed. When the dogs get to the town, the only guy left on the sled is frozen solid and killed. A man then claims the dogs on the spot and auctions them off to Hal, Charles, and Mercedes. They plan to take the team to Dawson city (where John Thornton is). On the way a dog (Dave) is shot by Hal because he can’t go on. They come across John Thornton’s camp. John takes Buck back and the others drowned. John then takes more care of buck and heals him up. The book stated that Buck had killed a Moose by wearing it out and then attacking it. That never happened in the movie. In the book, Mad Dolly was a dog that raged and tried to kill Buck. The movie showed Mad Dolly as a horse. The movie shows more dialect and perspective of john Thornton rather than Buck. It made the movie almost more about John than it did about Buck. John and Buck found a cabin in the woods that had a gun in it that said E. K. W. on it. That wasn’t in the book. Because of all of the similarities and differences that I have written, I believe that the book was way better than the movie. The movies didn’t have much anything that was the same in the book. The worst part was that it left me guessing about who E. K. W. was. It didn’t even give a hint about who he or she was. That should not ever happen in a movie.

Construction Industry Research Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Construction Industry Research - Article Example sought to debates theories infrequently presented by industry supporters about competition being either inapplicable or destructive in the construction industry (OECD Competition Committee, 2010). I agree with the author that construction is a pivotal industry in OECD markets since it develops and sustains the structures and substructures that nearly all other industries require. As a result, I was not surprised if found out at either of their theories about the irrelevance of competition in the construction industry were convincing to the author. A report-like approach by the other leads the OECD Competition Committee to discover the absence of discerning characteristics of the construction industry that lower the advantages that competition introduces to consumer welfare. However, I think the preliminary challenge that the committee should have tackled was focusing on teaching and training innovation as a holistic solution for improving competition in the construction sector. For instance, the article points out that China is aware of the importance of this solution to their cartel challenge in its construction sector. I also think that the articles should have ended with r ecommendations for the listed countries for dealing with the cartel challenges in their respective construction industries on top of the government’s

Racial and Ethnic Groups in the United States Essay

Racial and Ethnic Groups in the United States - Essay Example According to the 2000 U.S. census, almost 16 million Italian Americans live in the United States. They constitute about 6 percent of the U.S. population. Most are grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the 3.8 million Italian-born immigrants who entered the United States from 1899 to 1924. Some are descendants of Italian-speaking immigrants from Austria, Switzerland, and Latin America. Others are themselves immigrants, including the more than 1 million who came to the United States after World War II ended in 1945. Two-thirds of the Italian American population live in and around major cities in the northeastern part of the United States." (Italian American). Only America possesses the probability of encountering this problem because of countless causes - immigration, preservation of heritage of immigrants, racial and ethnic differences, and cultural differences to name a few. It is apparent that race is about a social construct rather than biological since society has a different set of rules for each racial group. "racism is based on your physical traits. so what you look like, and ethnicity is based on what you identify yourself as. so simplisticly, racial groups are what other people catagorise you in (based on your physical demenor and look, e.g - 'black' 'white' 'brown' 'yellow' 'red' etc...) and your ethnic group is who you identify being, like you might share commonalities with certain ethnic groups for example be very cultural or religious and identify being a 'pacific islander' just because you were not born in the pacific islands or have pacific island parents or any such blood in you, if you feel you identify strongly with that group (for example - bing taught or brought up in a pacific household or around other pacific island families, children, churches etc.)you can identify yourself in that ethnic group (Ethnical groups). Furthermore, there is no alternative conceptualization of race that I would advocate because it is a social construct. This is due to the fact that society has defined what is expected of each racial group, which has nothing to do with biological aspects of being Italian, Mexican or Irish. From there, it has been apparent that Italian Americans have been a dominant ethnical group because of their food and their place in politics within American culture. Therefore, it seems that the Italian mafia has an upper hand in American politics, which gives them a higher rank than the Russian mafia in America. With that, in America, it is apparent the Italian mafia has skills that fit the labor union, which gives them an inside to American politics. Few Italian Americans today identify closely with Italy. Even fewer read Italian literature, follow Italian politics, or belong to organizations that promote Italian culture in the United States. However, many remain in touch with family or friends in Italy, and many more socialize with other Italian Americans in the United States. Among themselves, Italian Americans still recognize cultural differences rooted in the distinctive regional cultures of northern, central, and southern Italy, and Sicily. The majority of Italian Americans belong to the Roman Catholic Church. However, almost half of recent generations have intermarried with Catholics of other ethnic backgrounds or with people from different denominations, such as

Newspaper report on the conditions in the factories and mining areas Essay

Newspaper report on the conditions in the factories and mining areas of Industrial England - Essay Example It is a fighting that has no productive end, in the same way that â€Å"intellectual pride† does not accomplish anything meaningful for its practitioners. Flannery O'Connor provides another exploration of â€Å"intellectual pride.† â€Å"Intellectual pride† relies on egocentric and illogical beliefs of one’s intellect, because it is characterized by the resistance to acknowledging one’s mistakes, strong belief in one’s ability to â€Å"read people,† and assertion of one’s intellectual superiority. â€Å"Intellectual pride† refers to that permanent resistance to admitting one’s mistakes. Mrs. Hopewell believes that she did not make a mistake in hiring the Freemans or in choosing Pointer as a potential boyfriend for Joy. Still, she suffers from Mrs. Freeman’s insistent presence during meals, and Pointer happens to be one of the greatest shams in her world of â€Å"Good Country People.† The grandmother a lso does not want to divulge to her son Bailey that she made a mistake in giving directions. Even at the point of impending death, she resists acknowledging that she indirectly killed her own family, because of her vain attachment to an illusory past. People with â€Å"intellectual pride† also insist that they know how to â€Å"read† people. Mrs. Hopewell thinks she knows who good country people are.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dikens Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dikens - Essay Example The Past Ghost talked about Scrooge’s boyhood, love life as well as important events in his life which shaped his current negativist personality. For instance, it was told the Scrooge was lonely in his childhood with a dysfunctional family. He was abandoned to study at a boarding school where he eventually developed his antisocial tendencies. Here, we are given a reason why Scrooge could not offer any empathy because in his early developmental years, he had none. He was left to himself, with no affectionate encounters with his parents or his siblings. We highlight the young Ebenezer’s experiences of past Christmases because, it turned out, most unfortunate events happened during this time explaining for Scrooge almost neurotic hatred for the holiday. The story went to describe how Scrooge became obsessed with work and money that eventually drove Belle, his fiancà ©e to leave him. Apparently, business is the only avenue where Scrooge could excel and, perhaps, in his opinion, be appreciated, that is why he became a workaholic. The visit from the three ghosts has given Scrooge a new perspective. Presently, he was his old self – greedy, selfish, bitter and miserly with a particular disgust against Christmas. The ghosts have also shown how his nephew and his poor family, who merely lives on his pittance, were currently happy despite the fact that there was a lame son. When his future was shown to him along with the suggestion that he is being given an opportunity to change, Scrooge finally came around. There was the realization that upon his death, many people will celebrate due to the consequences of his actions. The past experiences seemed to be the major reason why Scrooge could not find it on his own to see how his character has degenerated almost beyond redemption. One of the distinct characteristics that mark Scrooge is his tendency to stifle his past. There seems to be a lot of pain in it for him, not only in what he

Innocent Drinks Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Innocent Drinks - Case Study Example The 250 ML smoothie packages were very popular with the customers since they could consume these while in store or on their way home. Therefore, the packaging strategy greatly contributed to the success of Innocent Drinks. The success of Innocent Drinks can be attributed to the approach it took in on writing messages about the products on its packages. These were often fun and they became an instant favourite with the customers which led to the creation of customer loyalty. The guerrilla tactics of marketing the products through different labels greatly contributed to the success of the organisation since the customers often associated it with fun and interesting things. Product positioning also contributed to the success of Innocent Drinks. The products were distributed through grocery stores, cafes and impulse retail stores and all these channels were convenient to the customers. The other factor that contributed to the success of Innocent Drinks is that the organisation later inco rporated traditional marketing to its guerrilla marketing through the use of advertising on subways as well as bus stations to attract more customers. b. Innocent Drinks should rather expand its geographical territory in Europe rather that USA. They should expand their geographic territory to Europe while extending their product line as well given that European market was strong.

Globalization and Anti-Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Globalization and Anti-Globalization - Essay Example In its ambit, it includes the conception and development of statutory and institutional frameworks that should be able to capture and manifest the quintessence of what is meant by globalization. Globalization is a phenomenon that is not only expected to redefine the political and business priorities throughout the world, but is also expected to lead to a forging of the novel alliances amongst nations that are sans boundaries, cultural limitations and narrow visions (Zeiler: 4). At least this is what the champions of globalization prefer to maintain. The reactions manifested by the individuals and interest groups towards globalization can broadly be classified under three categories that is one who avidly support globalization, others who denounce globalization and the third who prefer to be fence sitters or to be apathetic. However, considering the unprecedented levels of importance of the issue under consideration, it raises many issues that sometimes border on the verge of conflict or contention. There is nothing wrong with it considering the fact that any major change in any vibrant society aught to be accompanied by much intense soul searching and pragmatic catechism. The supporters of globalization declare it to be a complex and synergistic process that is expected to bring in vast amounts of investments, expertise, technological know how and international backing to the third world nations (Anshuman 2006: 11). It is boasted to be a panacea that is expected to cure all the ills prevalent in the third world. Positively thinking, it may turn out to be so. However, on the other side there also exist a parallel and staunch anti-globalization lobby that is an amalgamation of many loose knit and scattered groups that owe allegiance to a plethora of race, gender, ethnicity and labour oriented issues (Epstein 2001: 3). Realistically speaking, globalization is a gargantuan phenomenon that happens to be much larger then individuals and groups. It is impossible for a ny individual or isolated group to grasp the implications of globalization at one go. Hence it becomes imperative to bite and digest this phenomenon in bits and pieces so as to get hold of its full potential. Despite all the aversions to this narrow approach, this calls for taking sides. Infact this is what this paper intends to do. 'The purpose of this paper is to evaluate and analyse globalization from the vantage point of an underdog and to interpret the possible implications and interpretation of globalization as an extension and perpetuation of the colonialist tendencies of the yore.'As already said that the paramount issue of globalization raises many throbbing issues and questions, it will be worthwhile to take a stock of these queries to get some insight into them. Will the advent and proliferation of globalization will give way to an internationally dominant class that will be in a position to perpetually exploit the

China and America Educational System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

China and America Educational System - Essay Example From the discussion it is clear that  the college application in America considers the student’s own future career expectations unlike in China’s system were the college selection process is entirely determined by standardized tests that are administered annually. The pressure to pass these tests creates a burden since prospective college students will have to spend long hours while doing their revisions in order to ensure preparedness. Most higher education institutions in America have their own admission criteria and requirements depending on the preferred study program and thus comprehensive abilities and attributes of the prospective student are important in the selection criteria.As the paper highlights that  China and America education system differ from the way the curriculum is taught since American system values personal expression in the teaching strategies unlike Chinese system that values teacher lecturing. The American classrooms are based on discussion of materials and posing questions to students thus ensuring students actively participate in learning unlike China’s curriculum delivery methods that mainly involve lecturing and minimal participation of students during the learning process. The difference is evident in the differing attitudes of students while in classroom since American students are more likely to engage in group discussions that may sometimes be boisterous unlike Chinese classrooms where students remain more attentive to the teacher unlike they are called upon by the teacher to answer to questions while learning.

Robert Mondavi Company Essay Example for Free

Robert Mondavi Company Essay California wine-maker Robert Mondavi has been one of the worlds most innovative and high-quality producers of fine wine. The Mondavi family did significant effort on showing the Napa Valley region to the forefront of international winemaking. Robert Mondavi is an Italian migrant and started his winemaking business since 1960s. His intelligence and passion in wine lead him to be a legend in Californian premium wine industry and owned brands like Robert Mondavi Napa Valley, Robert Mondavi Coastal, Woodbridge, Vichon Mediterranean, Caliterra and Lucente. Since 1979, Mondavi has also produced, in joint partnership with the Baron Phillippe de Rothschild wine family, the ultra-premium Opus One label. The company sells about 10 million cases of wine per year, with Woodbridge as its top-selling label. In 2001, the company earned $481 million in revenues and distributed wine in more than 80 countries. The Robert Mondavi Corporation went public in 1993, although the Mondavi family controls 92 percent of voting stock. Problem Statement How can the Robert Mondavi Company strengthen their competitive advantages and thrive in the long run in the global wine industry with many established and consolidated competitors. External Analyses – Porter’s Five Forces †¢Buyers The bargaining power of buyers in the wine industry is fairly high due to their concentrated control of sales at both wholesale and retail levels. Several large distributors control a substantial share of the market and generate most of the revenue for wine producers such as Mondavi. At the retail level, supermarkets and discount chains have become more concentrated, often accounting for 70% or more of off-premise sales in Europe. In fact, Mondavi’s largest wholesaler, Southern Wine and Spirits, accounted for 29% of the firm’s sales. And Costco, the largest wine retailer in US, also accounted for 10% of Mondavi’s total sales volume. The  concentrated bargaining power of buyers gives the large wholesalers and retailers significant influence and power over wine producers’ business decisions. †¢Suppliers The bargaining power of suppliers is relatively low in the wine industry due to the large number of suppliers for raw materials such as corks, bottles, and grapes; and prices for these raw materials are relatively stable as a result of significant competition. This situation creates less bargaining power of suppliers. On the other hand, backward integration within the industry also weakens the bargaining power of suppliers because the companies can control their supply chain. For instance, Mondavi signs long-term contacts with its grape suppliers and works closely with growers to improve grape quality and availability. This practice increases the price stability and limits the suppliers’ bargaining power over the company. †¢Entrants The threat of new entrants in the wine industry is fairly low. Winemaking is a capital-intensive business that requires significant investments in working capital, as well as the cost of acquiring land. For luxury wine producers, an acre of land can sell for as much as $150,000 in California and $250,000 in France. There is also the fact that a new plot of land cannot produce revenue for several years, due to the maturity of the grapes. A new entrant must be able to sustain itself in the industry with no revenues or profits for a reasonably long start-up period. For these reasons, the threat of new entrants in the wine industry is fairly low. †¢Rivalry The threat of rivalry is very high in the premium wine business. Major focused competitors in the premium wine market include Kendall-Jackson, Trinchero Estates, Southcorp and Robert Mondavi. Large-volume producers such as EJ Gallo and Constellation Brands are also shifting toward the premium wine market. And even large alcoholic beverage firms such as Diageo, Foster’s Group, Brown-Forman and Allied Domecq are acquiring wineries to enter the premium wine business. The number of big competitors and  aggressive acquisitions within the industry makes the competition of rivalry exceedingly intense in the premium wine industry. †¢Substitutes The threat of substitution in the wine industry is high since there are many alternatives including both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The alcoholic beverages mainly include beer and distilled spirits, while the non-alcoholic beverages include soda, coffee, and water. According to Exhibit 18a, beer accounts for nearly 55% of the World Market Share between the top 5 firms of beer, spirits, and wine, whereas wine only accounts for roughly 3%. Other substitutions include cheaper and large volume producers of wine such as EJ Gallo and Constellation Brands, which are both Mondavi’s competitors. Internal Analyses – VIRO †¢Access to capital Mondavi (MOND) is a publicly traded company listed on NASDAQ, which enables the company to extensively finance its investments and expansion through its access to the capital market. Mondavi’s access to capital is valuable as the firm raised approximately $600 million in exchange for its stock shares. Mondavi’s access to capital market is also rare since many of its competitors are still privately held or independent. In addition, the huge expenses and complicated processes of an Initial Public Offering make Mondavi’s access to capital market costly to imitate. Finally, Mondavi is organized to benefit from this resource and the firm has utilized its capital to invest in several new production lines, new brands, land acquisition and winery acquisitions etc. †¢Path dependence on land One resource of Mondavi is its path dependence on land. Robert Mondavi bought his first winery in Napa Valley in 1943 for $75,000. Today that land is worth more than five times that amount. Since 1943, Mondavi has made many similar purchases, and the land is only increasing in value. For this reason, Mondavi’s path dependence on land creates value for the firm.  Mondavi’s path dependence on land is also rare in the industry. Not many of Mondavi’s competitors have the same history with purchasing real estate as Mondavi. Since path dependence on land results from past actions, and since real estate in the wine industry is always appreciating, it makes this resource very costly to imitate. Finally, the organization is benefiting from Mondavi’s path dependence on land. Without it, the company would be spending millions of dollars on purchasing land, and would most likely not have the same competitiveness that it has today. †¢Organizational structure Mondavi has reorganized its organization structure into three distinct business units: RMW, Woodbridge, and Joint Ventures Small Wineries. This structure is valuable to the firm as it helps to enhance the brand clarity within the company. Customized sales and marketing strategies help shape the distinct competitive positioning for each of the firm’s brands. Although Mondavi’s organizational structure is not common in the industry, it would not be very costly for its competitors to imitate this structure. †¢Variety of brands One capability of Mondavi is its variety of brands. A variety of brands creates value for the firm because they can sell to different customers in different markets, thus increasing their customer base. Many of Mondavi’s competitors also have a variety of brands, making it not rare in the industry. †¢Reputation Mondavi has 16 different wine brands through company-owned wineries and joint ventures. Each brand had a reputation for quality in its market segment and good relationships with the independent growers. It is definitely a valuable source of the company. However, a resource is rare simply if it is not widely possessed by other competitors. In this case, most of the competitors of Mondavi all have high quality reputation and well-known brand name, so it is not rare in the premium wine industry. †¢High quality Robert Mondavi Winery has been recognized as one of America’s highest-quality winemakers since 1960s. Mondavi consistently uses only high-quality fruit along with traditional winemaking and aging processes to produce premier wines. RMC wine’s high quality has attracted a good number of loyal customers and rewarded the company a decent market share. Nevertheless, high quality is not exceedingly rare in the segment, competitors such as Trinchero Estates, Kendall Jackson and many other traditional European wineries also produce quality wines. †¢History Robert Mondavi founded the iconic Robert Mondavi Winery in 1966. As early as the late 1960s, Robert Mondavi Winery helped introduce to California such fine winemaking techniques as the use of cold fermentation, stainless steel tanks, and French oak barrels. The history is the valuable and intangible source of the company. But since most of Mondavi’s competitor also have remarkable histories, it is not rare in comparison with others. †¢Process innovation Robert Mondavi became one of America’s most innovative winemakers by introducing many new methods and techniques. These techniques included cold fermentation, stainless steel tanks, and the use of small French oak barrels as a way to age fine wine. He also enhanced the company by working with NASA to apply remote-sensing and digital mapping techniques which in turn helped enhance the vineyard. The company also developed a capsule-free, flange-top bottle. Mondavis innovative process is very valuable, because it keeps his company at the top of the industry. For example, in 1972 his 1969 Cabernet Sauvignon was named the best wine produced in California. Assuming these techniques are firm specific, Mondavis process is very rare and costly to imitate. Overall, the new inventions and innovative processes have allowed the company to be successful and earn money throughout the years. Alternative Solutions †¢Merger Mondavi is currently competing in a market were consolidation has become the  new norm within the past decade. Many of Mondavi’s competitors have been aggressively consolidating, and the results have been profitable for them. An optimal merger partner would be with a well- established firm that already has a market presence in different geographic regions, such as Constellation. The advantages of this strategy would be the opportunities that would arise from entering new markets and regions, as well as the opportunity to become more cost effective. By consolidating like operations in both firms, such as accounting, the firm can reduce costs and increase the bottom line. Another advantage of merging would be that the new consolidated company would have a viable presence in more market segment. The disadvantages of this strategy are possible public disapproval, as well as loss of independent reputation. Another disadvantage would be the initial costs involved with consolidatin g like operations, and other predictable costs of merging. To stay competitive in the industry and to gain market share in new geographic regions, it would be beneficial for Mondavi to consider the consolidation strategy †¢Global expansion Mondavi sells 90.5% of its wine domestically, but the United States is only ranked ten in wine consumption worldwide. For this reason, Mondavi should consider a global expansion strategy. The advantage of a global expansion strategy is the increased market share, and exposure to a larger customer base. Only 12% of Mondavi’s customers consume 88% of their wine. Mondavi must increase their customer base to stay competitive in the long run. The disadvantage of this strategy is the risk and costs involved when entering new markets. It is very expensive to not only place a product in a new market, but to also market the product and build brand awareness. Global expansion also takes a major time commitment and investment in human capital. These costs make it a very risky venture with no guarantee for success, because early-mover competitors, such as Southcorp and EJ Gallo, already have significant market share and resource advantages in these foreign markets. For the necessary reaso n of increasing their customer base, Mondavi should consider a global expansion strategy. †¢Sale of the firm The entire Mondavi reputation and history are built around the legacy of Robert Mondavi. When Robert Mondavi is no longer active in the business, it may create financial distress for the company. Mondavi built his winery from the perspective of a family business that produces high quality products with innovative processes and environmentally friendly methods. Over the years, Mondavi introduced new techniques to the California wine industry, and he also hosted concerts, art exhibits, and other cultural events at the winery. Mondavi has built his reputation and customer loyalty by producing award winning products and being involved with the community. If Robert Mondavi is no longer here, then his reputation and history may die with him. For these reasons, Mondavi might want to consider selling the company as an exit strategy. Recommendation and Implementation Overall, we recommend Robert Mondavi Company to merge with another well-established firm such as Constellation that holds significant market shares in both domestic and international markets. The new consolidated company would have the opportunity to enter new market segments and geographic regions. Cost effectiveness would be another huge benefit when operations and processes are consolidated. This option of merger is superior to global expansion in term of cost and time efficiency. Merger is also better than sale of the firm because it will keep the core competencies of the company rather than abandon the entire business. Once all the formalities of the merger are complete, the new company must start an integration process. The company must decide what name to keep, as well as what to do about the shareholders. If the company that Mondavi merged with is a public company, they must decide on how to convert the shares. If the company is a private one, they must make a decision on issuing more shares or buying out the current shareholders. The newly merged company must also start consolidating like operations as soon as possible to benefit from the forecasted cost savings. Finally, the new company must decided which brands will sell in which market, along with the appropriate enter and exit strategies.

Role of the Entrepreneur in Setting Up a Business Essay Example for Free

Role of the Entrepreneur in Setting Up a Business Essay Entrepreneurs are the individuals who start new businesses in the economic marketplace. These individuals may start businesses for a variety of reasons, including working for their own self-interest, making more money, improving their local community or enhancing their quality of life. While entrepreneurs may face a number of issues when starting a business, they usually have the psychological resolve and positive outlook to overcome these issues. Other People Are Reading * Help With Setting up a New Business * How to Start an Entrepreneur Cosmetic Business 1. Facts * Entrepreneurs usually offer the vision, goals and objectives for their start-up companies. Goals and objectives oftentimes are simple during the early stages of the company; goals typically include building a strong customer base and making enough money to break even. As entrepreneurs continue to establish their businesses, the importance of goals and objectives typically increases. Once employees are hired to work in the business, an entrepreneur must be able to translate the company’s vision and objectives to new employees. Function * Start-up companies usually require a business plan to begin its operations. Entrepreneurs are usually the individuals responsible for writing the business plan and developing specific information related to the start-up company. The business plan is often used to secure external financing for starting the company and expanding its operations during the early stages of operation. Entrepreneurs may also use the business plan as a road map to direct the business as it continues to grow and expand in the business environment. * Sponsored Links * Trademark Registration Worldwide Trademark Registration Protect your brand internationally! www.MARCARIA.com Considerations * Entrepreneurs may choose to hire individuals during the early stages of business to complete specific technical business responsibilities. Accounting, production techniques, corporate finance or payroll may be positions entrepreneurs need to fill when starting the company. Individuals with these technical skills help the entrepreneur to create a solid foundation for the new business. Because entrepreneurs often are responsible for building the customer base or attracting new clients to the business, they may not have time for these internal business functions. Misconceptions * Setting up a new business is not always an easy task. Depending on the type of business or the current economic environment, entrepreneurs may need to spend copious amounts of time or money when starting businesses. Entrepreneurs also may not be successful in every business they attempt to start. However, their internal resolve and desire to succeed often leads them to new and better business opportunities. Expert Insight * The Small Business Administration (SBA) is a government agency entrepreneurs may use to research important economic and demographic information. The SBA provides start-up companies with various amounts of business, financial and economic information for starting new companies. The SBA also operates local business offices to help entrepreneurs obtain specific information relating to local markets. The SBA usually operates the local offices in conjunction with local community or state colleges and universities.

Media Coverage of Womens Sports

Media Coverage of Womens Sports Women and Sports Introduction Media coverage of sporting activities performs a role in shaping attitudes of the society with regards to women’s sports. This is largely attributed to the thousands of hours or sports recording undertaken by the television network record each year. But for many decades, men’s sports activities have dominated the airwaves (Carlisle et al.). The domineering nature of men’s sports has led to women sports receiving little to no airplay; this is in large parts attributed to the lack of equal coverage between the two genders. A recent survey in the United States affirmed that women sports only received 1.6 percent airplay across all television network as compared to 96.3 percent given to men’s sports. This paper takes the position that the mass media is not doing enough when it comes to encouraging women sports (Messner and Cooky). The lack of adequate media coverage with respect to women sports has dealt a negative impact on the growth of the game. Even after the enactment of the Title IX legislation, women are yet to be treated in the same way as their male counterparts (Www2.ed.gov). The legislations ensure that men and women are treated equally when it comes to any activity that is federally funded, sports included. Problem definition Mass media companies don’t accord women the same prominence in their sports segments only relegating a small portion of the airtime. Some of the reasons women get little airtime on mass media companies include: Sexual Objectification Female athletes are still targets of being sexualized and objectified by the commentators. Despite the commentator not speaking about the athlete in a sexual manner, the inclusion of visual images of the women diverts attention from what is really important (Tanner). This is not an entirely new phenomenon, in the 1920s women basketball players’ pictures were used to draw the cognitive attention of the male audience to come and watch games. The women were being fitted with short shorts and tight t-shirts. Studies conducted in the United States revealed that women objectification has not changes even in the twenty-first century. The revelation was informed of the fact that most television networks were still portraying women in humorous and sexual as compared to their male counterparts. The objectification of women is further aggravated by the comments made by the sports commentators. Most of the commentators are male, as such they take most of the time to objectify women by put ting sexual visuals and making trivial jokes that demean women sports (North). Gender marking Another impediment faced by female athletes is the gender marking on their game titles. For instance, when an advert is being put up to announce the finals of the feminine game it is always marked as â€Å"Women’s Finals Tournament† (Tanner). This is in contrast to their male counterparts when men are playing there are no gender markers in the advertisements. Most broadcasters and mass media companies assert that they use gender markings to differentiate games that are being played at the same time. For instance, In the United States Tennis opens, all the games are played on the same day and at most times simultaneously. Some mass media companies use visuals that reinforce gender difference in games played (Tanner). For instance, CBS’s coverage of the 1989 NCAA basketball tournaments used the pink color to denote women’s matches while using the blue color to denote men matches. The mass media companies ought to drop the genders markers for women games sinc e it gives the notion that women games are in the â€Å"others† category (Tanner). Cause of the problem This section highlights the different reasons why women are not accorded the same prominence in the sports segment in all major media houses. Some of these reasons include: Society Society is another impediment to women’s sport and also gives mass media an excuse to reduce women sports coverage. Society defines that there are games that are lady-like which women can participate, these games include tennis and golf. But when women attempt to play games that are seen to be masculine in nature, the society shuns them. The main point as to why it is difficult for women to participate in such sporting activities is because it is seen as though they are going against social norms and customs. The stereotype with respect to the types of games women should play can be attributed mostly to media framing. Media framing can be defined as pieces or exhibits a journalist, or a news editor considers to be most important (Shaller). Through media framing, the editors bring about the most important characteristics of a story and highlight them; it is also an opportunity for both the editor and the journalist to stress the most important things they consider to be more im portant to their audience. The use of this tactic has been detrimental to women’s sports coverage; this is because most journalists and editors emphasis on masculinity as compared to femininity (Shaller). Media framing manipulates the audience’s psychology and makes the audience follow what the editor and journalist are putting across. Media framing one of the reasons why men sports are given prominence over feminine games in mass media. Another critical aspect is male hegemony; this can be defined as the process of male domination in the society. The mass media promotes male hegemonic beliefs when it comes to their domineering tendencies in the sports realm (Shaller). Commentators The field of commentators is largely dominated by men. A study of all major sports media companies indicated that there was an increasing incorporation of racial diversity in their news coverage (Messner and Cooky). But there was little progress with respect to women being given archonship positions or commentator positions. Most of the women in the sports scene are not regular anchors and used as auxiliary reporters. Despite the accomplishments that have been made with respect to women’s sports participation, there is still sexual segregation with respect to women holding influential positions on the sports desk. The commentator makes remarks that do not reflect women’s professionalism in sports. For instance, a commentator said, â€Å"the new mom Candace Parker leads the Los Angeles Sparks,† this was to reinforce the societal stereotype of women. This segregation ensures that the amounts of women sports feature being aired on these main mass media companies wou ld largely remain the same (Messner and Cooky). As already attested to earlier, having more women on board and in positions of making decisions enable them to cover women feature stories better; as they tend to give their female counterparts better airtime as compared to male reporters in the same field. Racial diversity has not yet been emphasized in with regards to women anchors. The study confirmed that women anchors were still largely white, this means that women from all different ethnic backgrounds need to join. This will ensure that women from all walks of life would be able to participate in sporting activities or develop an interest in watching sports feature, this will mirror the accomplishments that have been done by their male counterparts (Messner and Cooky). Gatekeeping A study performed in America showed that mass media companies with female reporters as editors tend to shed positive light to women’s sports. The coverage was seen to be more positive with regard to the progress women have made since the introduction of the Title IX amendment. Despite these the positive indicators, the survey also affirmed that female reporters did not offers equitable coverage to women’s sports as their male counterparts (Kian and Hardin). But women reporters were apt to giving women athletes airtime as compared to their male counterparts. The study also confirmed that when an editor wanted a women’s sport story to be aired, he/she would assign the story to a female reporter; but this assignment is largely considered as trivial as compared to male sports (Kian and Hardin). The study also expounded on the decision-making process editors embroil in when trying to make a story coverage assignment; these factors include work routine, expectation of readers, organizational demand and also the editor’s attitudes and biases with respect to the a women’s sports. All these factors encourage editors to further neglect and put aside women sports in their coverage features (Kian and Hardin). The effects of seclusion The constant neglecting of women in sports has an effect on consumer utilizing the mass media. It impairs their psychology in that they become bias with respect to what games they can watch and which ones not to. These effects can be explained through: Cultivation theory This theory explores the impact the comments made by sports commentators have on their audience (Tanner). This theory is highly applicable to those members of society that are considered to be big consumers of television content. The way these individuals experience the real world would be greatly influenced by the content they have been exposed to while they watched television. The act of cultivation occurs by the continuous accrual of images and voices they pick up while watching television; these pictures and stories that have accrued over time will thus have the ability to skew an individual to be biased against a particular social issue. With respect to sports, people are exposed to sporting actions most of the time during the day; this means they collect images and stories from commentators and store them in their minds. Most of the time, people are exposed to information that does not accurately portray the real image of female athletes. Some of the stories are exposed to sugg est women to be sexual objects and does not highlight their competencies as athletes. The continuous accumulation of negative portrayal of women in sport greatly impacts the ability of the audience to be objective when it comes to female athletes; in the end, they dismiss media coverage of women games (Tanner). Another effect of cultivation theory is the mainstreaming notion. With respect to mainstreaming, heavy consumers of television content are not affected by the gains made by women in the fields of sports. The events happening in social realities have little impact in influencing these types of individuals; factors like politics, regional differences do not resonate with their belief systems (Tanner). Over the decades, women’s participation in sporting activities has increased. But heavy television users are most time oblivious to these facts while watching television (Tanner). They hold the notion that women are sexual beings and are emotional but do not appreciate their prowess when it comes to sporting actions. These types of individuals also believe that women sports are still second tier as compared to men’s sports; this is further encouraged by the use of gender markers while advertising the sporting actions that are going on. Such individuals in society will always view women as sexual objects first before considering them as competent athletes (Tanner). Advertisement revenue Studies indicate that there is a vested interest when it comes to sports journalism. Male athletes are considered to produce the highest turnover with respect to sponsorships, advertisement revenues, and television viewership. In retrospect, mass media companies will gravitate toward covering stories that would culminate in them getting more advertisement revenues. The stories are designed to draw male viewers and increase the advertisement revenues from companies that advertise products while the sports news are commencing. This form of bias against women’s sport relegates women to waiting until the Olympics when they receive considerably better media coverage. In advertising, male athletes are usually chosen (Jones). The reason is because they are more recognized all over the world; this, in essence, means that the advertisement revenue would be higher as compared to when female athletes are on the magazine. Due to the low recognition of women as compared to their male count erparts, media companies are skewed to favor male sports as compared to women’s sports due to the advertisement revenue generated. In most magazines in the United States, men get almost 13 times more photographs in newspapers and sports journals as compared to women athletes (Jones). Agenda Building Through agenda building, mass media conglomerates advertise events they believe are important and the audience should be waiting for (Tanner). This is done by carefully choreographic what events to give airtime to and what not to. As already asserted in the earlier, they do this because they have vested interest in the game. By giving prominence to a particular game and neglect, other sends out a message to the audience that some games are far important as compared to the others. This is what happens to women’s games. The media corporations ensure that they give a lot of airplay to games like Nation Football League as compared to women’s soccer (Tanner). This undoubtedly tells the audience that women sports are second tier to men’s games, the corporations also stand to make a lot of income with respect to advertisement that would be brought to them when they will start airing the games. Another factor that leads to poor advertisements for women’s games is the general lack of interest from viewers. The mass media conglomerates assert that the production of women’s events is below average (Kane). The producers of such events do poorly with respect camera work and graphics editing; the combination of these factors renders women’s events as less attractive to the majorly male dominated viewership. They also assert that some features in men’s games are missing, features like slow motion and broadcasting prowess that is in tandem with men’s games (Tanner). Another factor that diminishes the position of women’s sports in media conglomerates is the fact that men are present in all levels of management; this means that they have a say with respect to what stories to highlight and how the stories are going to be shown. Male dominance ensures that all male sporting events are flashier and more glamorous as compared to women’s sporting events (Tanner). Possible solution For the mass media companies to make positive change with regard to women sports they need to hire more women. As already cited previously, when women are given the opportunity to interview athlete, they stand a better chance of giving fellow women more airtime as compared to their male counterparts (Kian and Hardin). The second possible solution is the media companies changing their agenda-setting strategies. As mentioned earlier, media companies turn viewers focus towards men’s games, it would be fruitful if the same tenacity is provided towards women sports. This will ensure that more fans gravitate towards women’s sports. These companies ought to invest the same amount of technology with respect to graphics like the ones in men’s sports. It has been cited that people dislike women’s sports due to poor graphics and lack of glamor. If this equipment is put in place, the game stands a better chance to gain more following both locally and abroad. Media com panies ought to hire more women commentators who should work alongside their male counterparts (Messner and Cooky). Women commentators will ensure that the use of derogatory phrases and sexually objectifying visuals while depicting female athletes (Kian and Hardin). Another front to improve women sports is the disbandment of gender makers in games. This phenomenon has been cited to relegate women’s games to the â€Å"others† category. The disbandment of gender makers would shed a positive light on women’s sports and make people more willing to watch the games. Finally, media companies have to use media framing in equal proportions; previously it has been used to incline audiences to watch male games as compared to female games. With positive media framing to women’s games, the audience’s psychology towards women’s games would be changed to a less bias one (Shaller). Conclusion Since the enactment of the Title IX act, women have made incredible strides in bringing their sports to the mainstream media. The act ensured that everyone participating in any form of sport funded by the federal government should not be discriminated against with reference to gender or race. But there is a considerable amount of resistance from the mass media companies. In tandem with other factors such as the objectification of women as sexual beings rather than considering their athletic prowess are major roadblocks. It is important and necessary that the media organizations put equal emphasis on the way the share out airtime. The media framing used for the men should also be used to women; this will ensure that the public perception of women’s games is gradually changed. This will ensure that the stereotype associated with women in sports is dispensed with, and a culture of professionalism is cultivated. Commentators are also supposed to refrain from making comments that a re deemed derogatory to women in sports and also refrain from using visuals that don’t represent the professionalism of women participating in sports. References Bernstein, Alina, and Neil Blain. Sport and the media: The emergence of a major research field.Sport in Society5.3 (2002): 1-30. Carlisle, Margaret Duncan et al. Gender Stereotyping In Televised Sports LA84 Foundation. LA84 Foundation. N.p., 2015. Web. 28 May 2015. Cooky, Cheryl, Michael A. Messner, and Robin H. Hextrum. Women Play Sport, But Not on TV A Longitudinal Study of Televised News Media.Communication Sport1.3 (2013): 203-230. Hanson, Valarie. The Inequality of Sport: Women Jones, Dianne. Womens sports coverage: online images of the 2008 Olympic Games.Australian Journalism Review32.2 (2010): 89-102. Kane, Mary Jo. Media coverage of the female athlete before, during, and after Title IX: Sports Illustrated revisited.Journal of sport management2.2 (1988): 87-99. Kian, E. M., and Marie Hardin. Framing of sport coverage based on the sex of sports writers: Female journalists counter the traditional gendering of media coverage.International Journal of Sport Communication2.2 (2009): 185-204. North, Louise. The gendered world of sports reporting in the Australian print media.JOMEC journal(2012). Messner, Michael A., and Cherly Cooky. Gender in Televised Sports.Center for Feminist Research(2010). Tamir, Ilan, and Yair Galily. Women’s Sports Coverage in Israel: Perception Versus Reality.International Journal of Sport Communication3.1 (2010): 92-112. Shaller, Jessica. Female athletes in the media: Under representation and inadequacy.Undergraduate Review: a Journal of Undergraduate Student Research8.1 (2013): 50-55. Tanner, Wendy. Marginalization and Trivialization of Female Athletes and Women’s Sports through Commentator Discourse A Study of ESPN’s SportsCenter. (2011). Womens Sports Foundation,. Womens Sports Foundation. N.p., 2015. Web. 28 May 2015. Www2.ed.gov,. Title IX And Sex Discrimination. N.p., 2015. Web. 28 May 2015.

Sustainable Agriculture: The Ethical Choice for the Future Essay

Sustainable Agriculture: The Ethical Choice for the Future Thesis: The idea of sustainable agriculture is a legitimate, logical, and necessary approach to the new concerns and problems stemming from current agricultural trends in light of impending global food shortages and rapid depletion of natural resources. Introduction Agriculture has been a principal source of obtaining food to meet basic needs of humans for thousands of years. More recently, with the industrialization of agriculture, increased efficiency, and a decreased need for small rural farmers, there has been a resulting disconnect of consumers to the process in which their food is produced. As we are embarking on a new century, there is growing concern that perhaps our industrialized agriculture system is not functioning as effectively as it has in the past. It is time that we move to adopt a new paradigm as we realize the effects of modern agriculture on our environment, economic viability, and social justice issues, in light of the impending global food shortage. According to John Ikerd from the University of Missouri, traditional agriculturists currently foresee a continued trend toward fewer, larger, and more specialized production units. They see current trends continuing until a half-dozen or so multinational corporations control vir tually all processing and distribution of agricultural commodities in a single global food and fiber market. With this movement continuing as it is now â€Å"there will be increasing reliance on biological technologies and information technologies at all levels within the global agricultural system. Forecasts of the continued industrialization of agriculture permeate both professional agricultural publications and the popular... ...orld today. It is the ethical choice for those of us concerned with the well-being of future generations and the rural communities today. Works Cited Hassanein, Neva. Changing the Way America Farms. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, 1999. Bird, Elizabeth Ann R., et al. Planting the Future. Iowa State University Press, Ames, 1995. Pretty, Jules N. Regenerating Agriculture. Joseph Henry Press, Washington D.C., 1995. â€Å"Why so much controversy over Genetically Modified Organisms?† October 25, 2003. <http://www.cimmyt.cgiar.org/ABC/10-FAQaboutGMOs/htm/10-FAQaboutGMOs.htm>. Ikerd, John. "Sustainable Agriculture: A Positive Alternative to Industrial Agriculture" October 25, 2003 <http://www.ssu.missouri.edu/faculty/jikerd/papers/ks-hrtld.htm >. â€Å"Disadvantages of No-Till† October 25, 2003. <http://pas.byu.edu/AgHrt282/Tillage/sld023.htm> Sustainable Agriculture: The Ethical Choice for the Future Essay Sustainable Agriculture: The Ethical Choice for the Future Thesis: The idea of sustainable agriculture is a legitimate, logical, and necessary approach to the new concerns and problems stemming from current agricultural trends in light of impending global food shortages and rapid depletion of natural resources. Introduction Agriculture has been a principal source of obtaining food to meet basic needs of humans for thousands of years. More recently, with the industrialization of agriculture, increased efficiency, and a decreased need for small rural farmers, there has been a resulting disconnect of consumers to the process in which their food is produced. As we are embarking on a new century, there is growing concern that perhaps our industrialized agriculture system is not functioning as effectively as it has in the past. It is time that we move to adopt a new paradigm as we realize the effects of modern agriculture on our environment, economic viability, and social justice issues, in light of the impending global food shortage. According to John Ikerd from the University of Missouri, traditional agriculturists currently foresee a continued trend toward fewer, larger, and more specialized production units. They see current trends continuing until a half-dozen or so multinational corporations control vir tually all processing and distribution of agricultural commodities in a single global food and fiber market. With this movement continuing as it is now â€Å"there will be increasing reliance on biological technologies and information technologies at all levels within the global agricultural system. Forecasts of the continued industrialization of agriculture permeate both professional agricultural publications and the popular... ...orld today. It is the ethical choice for those of us concerned with the well-being of future generations and the rural communities today. Works Cited Hassanein, Neva. Changing the Way America Farms. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, 1999. Bird, Elizabeth Ann R., et al. Planting the Future. Iowa State University Press, Ames, 1995. Pretty, Jules N. Regenerating Agriculture. Joseph Henry Press, Washington D.C., 1995. â€Å"Why so much controversy over Genetically Modified Organisms?† October 25, 2003. <http://www.cimmyt.cgiar.org/ABC/10-FAQaboutGMOs/htm/10-FAQaboutGMOs.htm>. Ikerd, John. "Sustainable Agriculture: A Positive Alternative to Industrial Agriculture" October 25, 2003 <http://www.ssu.missouri.edu/faculty/jikerd/papers/ks-hrtld.htm >. â€Å"Disadvantages of No-Till† October 25, 2003. <http://pas.byu.edu/AgHrt282/Tillage/sld023.htm>

Wireless Speech Recognition -- Essays Papers

Wireless Speech Recognition Introduction In today's ever changing world, full of technology, there are many advances being made in the world of computing. This can be seen a great deal in the area of speech recognition. Machines, computers specifically, are interacting more and more with humans and these interactions can now be driven by human speech. For this technology to be used at its highest potential it will have to be affordable and accessible to all people in all types of machines. This technology will be seen from handheld computers and personal computers to lighting systems and refrigerators in your home(Deroult). This transformation is already occurring as speech recognition technology is making its way into our society in things such as cell phones, luxury cars, and computers. We will see more and more of this in our society until the technology has worked its way completely into our society and is common in many homes and offices. History of Speech Recognition The technology of speech recognition has come a long way and it is filled with many unsuccessful attempts at translating the human voice into something that a machine can understand, translate, and execute a command from accordingly. Many of society's views of speech recognition is a robotic, impersonal view, very similar to HAL in the movie 2001 : A Space Odyssey. We are now in the year 2001 and we are way past HAL in the field of speech recognition. The technology has come a long way from being able to detect only monotone, machine like language on an inconsistent basis. Today's technologies train the machine to learn how the user talks, and detect the speed of the user's speech, detect any accent the user may have, and other aspects that make each... ...rs that are not seen by humans. These computers will be everywhere and will fall into the backdrop of society. As they become more and more important and vital they will become less and less obtrusive and will make our lives easier thanks to speech recognition. Bibliography/Works Cited http://www.zdnet.co.uk/pcmag/supp/1998/speech/ Guide to Speech Recognition, PC Magazine. http://www.advisor.com/Articles.nsf/ID/OA000107.DERO01 The Future of Speech Recognition, Deroult, Anne-Marie. http://www.netbytel.com/literature/e-gram/technical3.htm History of Speech Recognition, NetByTel e-gram Bates, Regis J.. (2000). Voice and Data Communications Handbook. McGraw-Hill, New York, N.Y.. Hapgood, Fred. (2001) Speech interfaces are ready to listen. CIO Lamont, Ian (June 6, 2001) Speech recognition technology will hear you now Network World (June, 2001), pp34-40

Shiloh : Changing Lives In Different Directions Essay -- essays resear

In the story â€Å"Shiloh†, by Bobbie Ann Mason, characters Leroy and Norma Jean go through changes in their life as each begin to discover what their real identity is, and what it is they actually want out of their marriage. For some people this may take years, and for others they may never realize it, while merely trying to grasp on to the past, or the way they think things should have turned out. In this short story, Mason uses a couple in their thirties to portray people who are experiencing these types of changes, and depict how they deal with the situation. In the end, the couple is faced with dealing with the inevitable fact that they indeed cannot save their marriage; it was a battle they could not win. However, before the story climaxes, the reader is given a chance to witness some of the characters’ changes in identity and values. Norma Jean and Leroy struggle through their relationship because of miscommunication, trying to live through their past, and reali zing that they have changed and grown apart. Mason does an effective job of giving the reader a view of what is taking place in both characters’ lives. She makes the characters seem average, easily allowing the reader to identify with the changes the characters are going through with their relationship. In the beginning, an understanding of the background information is presented to the reader through the exposition, explaining Norma Jean and Leroy’s relationship. Since the accident that has now left Leroy at home, he has become indolent, and seems to be milking his injury for all that it is worth. Norma Jean, however, is a cosmetic consultant, who in her spare time, is taking some college courses and becoming more interested in exercising and expanding her life. The story picks up when Leroy is back home, and is finally beginning to look at Norma Jean in a new light after feeling guilty for not being with her for all of these years. Sadly, this realization is after many years of his periodical absence. Since then Norma Jean has been forced to become used to a life without him. When Leroy says, â€Å"Norma Jean is miles away,† (74) as they sit at the kitchen table, he realizes that even though the couple is finally able to reunite and spend time together, they feel as though they are distant and do not know each other. On a more personal level the characters do have their personality diffe... ...yle that is placed before her. She was rushed into a marriage just as fast as she decided she wanted out of it. With the pressure of expecting a child, and then coping with the absence of her husband for fifteen years, Norma Jean tried to make things work, working around Leroy. Finally, after awhile it seemed as though she was pushed to the limit, and she decided to do something for herself. Norma Jean probably did not have it in mind to grow apart from Leroy, but she had to find herself before she could completely love someone else. After she realized what she wanted, she understood that she could not find that in Leroy. Unfortunately for Leroy, he had found what he had been missing for all of those years, but it was too late for him to grasp it; the change had already taken place. Leroy pleads with Norma Jean to try to work things out and to start over again, but for Norma Jean, she had already begun to start over when he had left her alone for fifteen years. Looking back on th e relationship, blame could never wholly be placed on one character. Over the years Norma Jean and Leroy had begun to go their separate ways by doing what was important to them; together they grew apart.

Cheerleading Captain Essay

There are many different opinions out there about cheerleaders, many good, and many bad. Some think of them as the girls standing by the football field, but I think of cheerleading as a symbol of all the spirit that we can share, and a token of appreciation toward the team that’s being cheered on. Cheerleading is such a vital part to many sections of the school. If I, Nina Guenther, am chosen to be a captain for the Burrell High School Junior Varsity squad, I will make sure that everyone has a positive outlook, and the great qualities the squad holds are emphasized.One reason I’d make a great choice for a captain, is that I would be dedicated to the squad, and won’t give up when faced with an obstacle. To me, extra practices, time spent making cheers, organizing stunts, and many of the other things a captain is chosen to do, is not work, but a privilege. These tasks would not bother or frustrate me, because as long as it’d help the girls on my squad, Iâ₠¬â„¢d be happy to do anything to help. I’d handle all obstacles, whether they concern individuals, the squad, a cheer, or a stunt, in an effective way that would help the squad grow.If I were chosen, I’m sure that I could help the squad surpass past years, and I could help every girl on the squad grow and become a better cheerleader. I have a strong belief that the change and growth in others affects you. I remember as I walked into the first tryout practice, last year, how nervous I was. I worked hard throughout that season to sharpen my physical and mental skills. Even though I’m far from perfect, if I continue to learn and get better, then I will influence and persuade others to do better.Growth will not only be seen in the abilities of the squad members, but in their attitudes. If I were a captain, I would make sure that everyone kept a positive outlook and worked harder than ever. Hopefully, by the end of you reading this, you can see how dedicated I am to this squad, and how hard I’ll work to make sure this season is one of the best we’ve ever had. I see a lot of promise in this year, and if I’m chosen as a captain, this squad’s full potential will be realized. Cheerleading, to me, isn’t just about standing on sidelines yelling cheers.It’s about how a group of people can support another group through their spirit. It’s not about bows or matching outfits, either, it’s about how people can come together to achieve something. Finally, it’s not about standing in rows, it’s about how if we can all come together to support something, we can make a difference. It’s about friendship and teamwork, hard work and dedication. Please consider me as a choice for one of the captains for the 2013-2014 cheerleading season on the Burrell High School Junior Varsity Squad. Thank you.

Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures an Essay on the Rise of Adolf Hitler Essay

When Adolf Hitler and his troupe of National Socialists were elected into index, Ger whiley was in instead a rut. The stock market had crashed, it was the shop ensnareg m entirely of the great depression, and Germany was still in din over the conformity of Versailles. The prevalent was dread(a) to find someone to take them erupt of this repelling place, and because they were willing to listen to the hoidenish ideas that national socialists had, what they got was far from that. Adolf Hitler was a phenomenal earthly concern speaker and he was very theatre in his own beliefs. He managed to pin every German fault on someone else, creating a sense of power in the German public, and thus why he was elected. The times were so desperate, Germans sullen to a mentally unstable man for help. Hitler became leader because the living conditions were so deleterious in Germany that he was the plainly poke fun it do sense to rise to, which is a problem in itself.The Treaty of Versa illes is a big reason why Germany was having such(prenominal) bad troubles. The main terms of the Treaty stated that - Germany to give up Alsace-Lorraine to france The Rhineland to be demilitarized and placed under Allied chore Germany to lose West Prussia and Posen to Poland Danzig to be made an international city Germany to surrender all its overseas colonies Germany to be deprived of its warfareships and aircraft and to father its army limited to 100 000 (Lynch 2004 4)The German Public tangle that the terms of the accord were unfair and were humiliated by it. The Nazi caller felt the same, and when Germans discovered this they felt more comfortable siding with them. It was because of these good deal and the overwhelming sense of humiliation in Germany that the Nazi government (when elected) violated the pact in many different ways, and at long last ca utilise WW2. The times that these people lived in would absorb been difficult for any country to handle, not just Hitler and the Nazis and Germany.The delivery in Germany was terrible after the first war. Not only were they already in debt for the money they used to finance the failure of a war that they had, hardly now because of the war wrong-doing clause they had another $5 one million million debt to pay despatch. Instead of paying let surface of their own pocket, they decided to begin create more money until they could wax off their debts. However this did not help the economy, but hindered it instead. The more money Germany printed out, the less it became expenditure as a currency, creating mass inflation. This regulate Germany in an even worse economical slip, and the worse that situation got, the more public the Nazi party became. The party took good of the economic struggles in germany, and the better the situation got, the less people felt the motif to side with the Nazis. In may of 1924 the Nazi party had 32 seats and 6.6 per centum of the vote in Germany. In decli nation of 1924, these numbers dropped to 14 seats and 3 portion of the vote, and worsened in May of 1928, at 12 seats and 2.6 percent of the vote. However, in the beginning of the 1930s (Lynch 2004 10), the economy steadily got worse and worse, and the Nazi party gained more recognition and was finally elected. The times had become so rough that the mentally unstable Hitler became a beacon of hope.At the end of the day, Hitler became leader of Germany because of economic instability, and because the public hated the Treaty of Versailles. The times were passing difficult and due to the Nazis extreme views on how to fix Germanys problems (and the fact that they only had 2 opposing parties), they were elected into the Reichstag. So what does this mean? It factor that the times were what made the people turn to Hitler, not Hitler just flat out being an awesome guy.

Lamb to the Slaughter

pass on TO THE SLAUGHTER by ROALD DAHL The direction was warm, the curtains were closed, the autodinal panel lamps were lit. On the cupboard behind her at that place were devil supply and round drinks. livestocky shame Mal oney was wait for her married man to succeed family unit from work. Now and once more she glanced at the clock, n forevertheless with prohibited anxiety She merely motiveed to satisfy herself that individu unit of measure handsty minute that went by do it ne ber the eon when he would come home. As she bent over her sewing, she was curiously peaceful. This was her sixth month expecting a fry. Her motorcardinalstone talk and her eye, with their new calm look, appreh destroymed large and darker than before.When the clock verbalise ten minutes to quint, she began to listen, and a few mo custodyts l eradicater, duly as forever and a day, she checkd the railroad car tires on the stones egressside, the car door closing, footsteps pass ing the window, the key turning in the lock. She stood up and went forward to pet him as he entered. Hello, good, she said. Hello, he answered. She took his coat and hung it up. accordingly she do the drinks, a strong one for him and a weak one for herself and soon she was mainstay again in her president with the sewing, and he was in the separate chair, prevailing the phasegy glass, rolling it piano so that the ice knocked music in exclusively t agedy against the side of the glass.For her, this was always a wonderful meter of day. She knew he didnt insufficiency to talk much until the low drink was elaborationed, and she was satisfied to sit approximately quietly, enjoying his comp each aft(prenominal) the long hours alone in the house. She love the fancy that came come forward of him when they were alone to lowerher. She loved the shape of his m discloseh, and she peculiarly liked the way he didnt complain approximatelywhat being deteriorate. Tired, da rling? Yes, he sighed. Im thoroughly exhausted. And as he rung, he did an different thing. He upraised his glass and drank it c aged(prenominal)cock in one po gameboard although on that point was passive half(a) of it left.He got up and went soft to exhaust himself anformer(a) drink. Ill get it she cried, jumping up. bewilder obliterate, he said. When he came brook, she detect that the new drink was a real strong one. She watched him as he began to drink. I think its a shame, she said, that when someones been a practice of law bit as long as you seduce, he free has to walk around all day long. He didnt answer. Darling, she said, If youre too tired to eat out tonight, as we had planned, I bath settle on you something. Theres plenty of affectionateness and stuff in the freezer. Her eyes waited to an answer, a grinning, a nod, hardly he muddle no sign. Anyway, she went on. Ill get you some bread and cheese. I dont compulsion it, he said. She moved uneasily in her chair. provided you remove to train supper. I sack easily reinstate you something. Id like to do it. We can acquire lamb. Anything you want. E trulythings in the freezer. Forget it, he said. But, darling, you take over to eat Ill do it some(prenominal)way, and hence you can hold in it or not, as you like. She stood up and define situated her sewing on the table by the lamp. devolve on cut out, he said. just for a minute, sit down. It wasnt until past that she began to get frightened. Go on, he said. Sit down. She move herself into the chair, watching him all the clipping with large, vex eyes. He had hold covered his plump for drink and was staring into the glass. Listen, he said. Ive got something to key out you. What is it, darling? Whats the matter? He became abruptly motionless, and he unploughed his head down. This is outlet to be a liberal jounce to you, Im afraid, he said. But Ive fancy rough it a good contest and Ive immovable that the unaccompanied thing to do is to tell you immediately. And he told her. It didnt interpret long, quaternion or fivesome minutes at most, and she sat hush up through and through it all, watching him with puzzled horror. So at that place it is, he added. And I receipt its a tough time to be sexual congress you this, entirely there app arently wasnt whatever another(prenominal) way. Of course, Ill give you money and see that youre taken fright of. But there rattling shouldnt be any problem. I hope not, in any case. It wouldnt be very good for my job. Her basic instinct was not to believe any of it. She thought that perhaps shed imagined the whole thing. Perhaps, if she acted as though she had not heard him, she would dumb embed out that none of it had ever happened. Ill fix some supper, she whispered.When she walked across the room, she couldnt feel her feet wretched the floor. She couldnt feel anything object a slight sickness. She did everything without thinki ng. She went ground-floor to the freezer and took hold of the first object she found. She raise it out, and looked at it. It was jailed in paper, so she took rack up the paper and looked at again a oarlock of lamb. All right, then, they would have lamb for supper. She carried it upstairs, held the thin mop up with both her hands. She went into the lively room, saw him standing by the window with his prat to her, and stopped. Ive already told you, he said. Dont collapse supper for me. Im passage out. At that point, Mary Maloney simply walked up behind him and without any pause, she swung the big frozen point of lamb extravagantly in the air and brought it down as leaden as she could on the cover charge of his head. She might as well have discharge him with a mark bump. She stepped mainstay, time lag, and the strange thing was that he remained standing there for at least four or five seconds. because he crashed onto the carpet. The force-out of the crash, the no ise, the small table overturning, helped to bring her out of the shock.She came out slowly, feeling wintry and surprised, and she stood for a few minutes, expression at the body, salve holding the piece of eye tightly with both hands. All right, she told herself. So Ive bolt downed him. It was extraordinary, instantaneously, how induce her mind became all of a sudden. She began thinking very fast. As the wife of a detective, she knew what the punishment would be. It made no balance to her. In fact, it would be a relief. On the other hand, what near the go bad? What were the laws more or less murderers with unborn children? Did they kill them both mother and child? Did they wait until the baby was born?What did they do? Mary Maloney didnt k immediately and she wasnt disposed(p) to take a chance. She carried the fondness into the kitchen, go down it into a pan, moody on the oven, and ordain the pan inner. therefore she washed her hands, ran upstairs, sat down in bo wel movement of the mirror, fixed her makeup, and act to smile. The smile was rather peculiar. She tried again. Hello, Sam she said brightly, aloud. The illustration sounded peculiar, too. I want some potatoes, Sam. Yes, and perhaps a can of bean. s. That was intermit. two the smile and the voice sounded founder forthwith. She practiced them several(prenominal) times more.Then she ran downstairs, took her coat, and went out the back door, through the tend into the street. It wasnt six oclock yet and the lights were still on in the neighborhood grocery. Hello, Sam, she said brightly, dexterous at the man in the shop. superb evening, Mrs. Maloney. How are you? I want some potatoes, please, Sam. Yes, and perhaps a can of beans, too. Patricks decided hes tired and he doesnt want to eat out tonight, she told him. We usually go out on atomic human action 90s, you know, and now I dont have any vegetables in the house. Then how around some meat, Mrs. Maloney? asked the groce r. No, Ive got meat, thanks, Ive got a mincing leg of lamb, from the freezer. Do you want these potatoes, Mrs. Maloney? Oh, yes, theyll be fine. Two pounds, please. Anything else? The grocer turned his head to one side, feel at her. How about confection? What are you going to give him for dessert? How about a nice piece of measure? I know he likes cake. Perfect, she said. He loves it. And when she had bought and give for everything, she gave her brightest smile and said, Thank you, Sam. Good night. And now, she told herself as she locomote back home, she was returning to her hubby and he was waiting for his supper.She had to cook it well and make it taste as good as possible, because the silly man was tired and if she found anything unusual or terrible when she got home, then it would be a shock and she would have to fight with grief and horror. Of course, she was not expecting to visualise anything unusual at home. She was just going home with the vegetables on Thurs day evening to cook dinner party for husband. Thats the way, she told herself. Do everything normally. commemorate things absolutely natural and therell be no affect for performing at all. As she entered the kitchen by the back door, she was quietly singing to herself. Patrick she called. How are you, darling? She put the package on the table and went into the living room and when she saw him fraud there on the floor, it real was a shock. All the old love for him came back to her, and she ran over to him, knelt down beside him, and began to cry out hard. It was easy. No acting was necessary. A few minutes later, she got up and went to the phone. She knew the number of the law station, and when the man at the other end answered, she cried to him. Quick Come rapidly Patricks absolutely. Whos speaking? Mrs. Maloney. Mrs. Patrick Maloney. Do you mean that Patricks dead? I think so, she cried. Hes lying on the floor and I think hes dead. Well be there immediately, the man said. The car came very quickly, and when she clear the front door, two policemen walked in. She knew them both. She knew some all the men at the police station. She put down into Jack Noonans arms, insistent uncontrollably. He put her gently into a chair. Is he dead? she cried. Im afraid he is. What happened? In a few words she told her legend about going to the grocer and coming back, when she found him on the floor.While she was crying and talking, Noonan found some dried blood on the dead mans head. He hurried to the phone. just about other men began to arrive a doctor, two detectives, a police photographer, and a man who knew about fingerprints. The detectives kept asking her a lot of questions. They always treated her kindly. She told them how shed put the meat into the overn its there nowand how she had gone to the grocers for vegetables and how she came back to find him lying on the floor. The two detectives were exceptionally nice to her. They huntinged the hous e.Sometimes Jack Noonan spoke to her gently. He told her that her husband had been killed by a buffet to the back of the head. They were expression for the sleeve. The murderer might have taken it with him, but he might have thrown it forth or hidden it. Its the old story, he said. land the weapon, and youve got the murderer. Later, one of the detectives sat down beside her. Did she know, he asked, of anything in the house that could have been use as a weapon? Would she look around to see if anything was missing. The search went on. It began to get late it was to the highest degree nine oclock.The men searching the rooms were get tired. Jack, she said, Would you like a drink? You must be extremely tired. Well, he answered. Its not allowed by police rules, but since youre a friend. They stood around with drinks in their hands. The detectives were self-conscious with her and they tried to register cheering things to her. Jack Noonan walked into the kitchen, came out qui ckly, and said, Look, Mrs. Maloney. Did you know that your oven is still on, and the meat is still inside? Oh, she said. So it is Id better turn it off. She returned with tearful eyes. Would you do me a prefer?Here you all are, all good friends of Patricks, and youre support to catch the man who killed him. You must be very hungry by now because its long historical your supper time, and I know that Patrick would neer forgive me if I let you stay in the house without religious offering you anything to eat. Why dont you eat up the lamb in the oven? I wouldnt dream of it, Noonan said. Please, she begged. Personally, I couldnt eat a thing, but itd be a favor to me if you ate it up. Then you can go on with your work. The detectives hesitated, but they were hungry, and in the end, they went into the kitchen and helped themselves to supper.The woman stayed where she was and listened to them through the open door. She could hear them speaking among themselves, and their voices were thick because their mouths were luxuriant of meat. Have some more, Charlie. No, wed better not finish it. She wants us to finish it. She said we ought to eat it up. Thats a big bar the murderer must have used to touch on poor Patrick. The doctor says the back of his head was humiliated to pieces. Thats why the weapon should be easy to find. on the button what I say. Whoever did it, he cant prevail a weapon that big around with him. Lamb to the SlaughterLAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER by ROALD DAHL The room was warm, the curtains were closed, the two table lamps were lit. On the cupboard behind her there were two glasses and some drinks. Mary Maloney was waiting for her husband to come home from work. Now and again she glanced at the clock, but without anxiety She merely valued to satisfy herself that each minute that went by made it nearer the time when he would come home. As she bent over her sewing, she was curiously peaceful. This was her sixth month expecting a child. Her mout h and her eyes, with their new calm look, seemed larger and darker than before.When the clock said ten minutes to five, she began to listen, and a few moments later, punctually as always, she heard the car tires on the stones outside, the car door closing, footsteps passing the window, the key turning in the lock. She stood up and went forward to kiss him as he entered. Hello, darling, she said. Hello, he answered. She took his coat and hung it up. Then she made the drinks, a strong one for him and a weak one for herself and soon she was back again in her chair with the sewing, and he was in the other chair, holding the tall glass, rolling it gently so that the ice knocked musically against the side of the glass.For her, this was always a wonderful time of day. She knew he didnt want to speak much until the first drink was finished, and she was satisfied to sit quietly, enjoying his company after the long hours alone in the house. She loved the warmth that came out of him when they were alone together. She loved the shape of his mouth, and she especially liked the way he didnt complain about being tired. Tired, darling? Yes, he sighed. Im thoroughly exhausted. And as he spoke, he did an unusual thing. He lifted his glass and drank it down in one swallow although there was still half of it left.He got up and went slowly to get himself another drink. Ill get it she cried, jumping up. Sit down, he said. When he came back, she noticed that the new drink was a very strong one. She watched him as he began to drink. I think its a shame, she said, that when someones been a policeman as long as you have, he still has to walk around all day long. He didnt answer. Darling, she said, If youre too tired to eat out tonight, as we had planned, I can fix you something. Theres plenty of meat and stuff in the freezer. Her eyes waited to an answer, a smile, a nod, but he made no sign. Anyway, she went on. Ill get you some bread and cheese. I dont want it, he said. She moved uneasily in her chair. But you have to have supper. I can easily fix you something. Id like to do it. We can have lamb. Anything you want. Everythings in the freezer. Forget it, he said. But, darling, you have to eat Ill do it anyway, and then you can have it or not, as you like. She stood up and put placed her sewing on the table by the lamp. Sit down, he said. Just for a minute, sit down. It wasnt until then that she began to get frightened. Go on, he said. Sit down. She lowered herself into the chair, watching him all the time with large, puzzled eyes. He had finished his second drink and was staring into the glass. Listen, he said. Ive got something to tell you. What is it, darling? Whats the matter? He became absolutely motionless, and he kept his head down. This is going to be a big shock to you, Im afraid, he said. But Ive thought about it a good deal and Ive decided that the only thing to do is to tell you immediately. And he told her. It didnt take long, four or five minutes at most, and she sat still through it all, watching him with puzzled horror. So there it is, he added. And I know its a tough time to be telling you this, but there simply wasnt any other way. Of course, Ill give you money and see that youre taken care of. But there really shouldnt be any problem. I hope not, in any case. It wouldnt be very good for my job. Her first instinct was not to believe any of it. She thought that perhaps shed imagined the whole thing. Perhaps, if she acted as though she had not heard him, she would find out that none of it had ever happened. Ill fix some supper, she whispered.When she walked across the room, she couldnt feel her feet touching the floor. She couldnt feel anything except a slight sickness. She did everything without thinking. She went downstairs to the freezer and took hold of the first object she found. She lifted it out, and looked at it. It was wrapped in paper, so she took off the paper and looked at again a leg of lamb. All ri ght, then, they would have lamb for supper. She carried it upstairs, held the thin end with both her hands. She went into the living room, saw him standing by the window with his back to her, and stopped. Ive already told you, he said. Dont make supper for me. Im going out. At that point, Mary Maloney simply walked up behind him and without any pause, she swung the big frozen leg of lamb high in the air and brought it down as hard as she could on the back of his head. She might as well have hit him with a steel bar. She stepped back, waiting, and the strange thing was that he remained standing there for at least four or five seconds. Then he crashed onto the carpet. The violence of the crash, the noise, the small table overturning, helped to bring her out of the shock.She came out slowly, feeling cold and surprised, and she stood for a few minutes, looking at the body, still holding the piece of meat tightly with both hands. All right, she told herself. So Ive killed him. It was ex traordinary, now, how clear her mind became all of a sudden. She began thinking very fast. As the wife of a detective, she knew what the punishment would be. It made no difference to her. In fact, it would be a relief. On the other hand, what about the baby? What were the laws about murderers with unborn children? Did they kill them both mother and child? Did they wait until the baby was born?What did they do? Mary Maloney didnt know and she wasnt prepared to take a chance. She carried the meat into the kitchen, put it into a pan, turned on the oven, and put the pan inside. Then she washed her hands, ran upstairs, sat down in front of the mirror, fixed her makeup, and tried to smile. The smile was rather peculiar. She tried again. Hello, Sam she said brightly, aloud. The voice sounded peculiar, too. I want some potatoes, Sam. Yes, and perhaps a can of bean. s. That was better. Both the smile and the voice sounded better now. She practiced them several times more.Then she ran downs tairs, took her coat, and went out the back door, through the garden into the street. It wasnt six oclock yet and the lights were still on in the neighborhood grocery. Hello, Sam, she said brightly, smiling at the man in the shop. Good evening, Mrs. Maloney. How are you? I want some potatoes, please, Sam. Yes, and perhaps a can of beans, too. Patricks decided hes tired and he doesnt want to eat out tonight, she told him. We usually go out on Thursdays, you know, and now I dont have any vegetables in the house. Then how about some meat, Mrs. Maloney? asked the grocer. No, Ive got meat, thanks, Ive got a nice leg of lamb, from the freezer. Do you want these potatoes, Mrs. Maloney? Oh, yes, theyll be fine. Two pounds, please. Anything else? The grocer turned his head to one side, looking at her. How about dessert? What are you going to give him for dessert? How about a nice piece of cake? I know he likes cake. Perfect, she said. He loves it. And when she had bought and paid for everything, she gave her brightest smile and said, Thank you, Sam. Good night. And now, she told herself as she hurried back home, she was returning to her husband and he was waiting for his supper.She had to cook it well and make it taste as good as possible, because the poor man was tired and if she found anything unusual or terrible when she got home, then it would be a shock and she would have to react with grief and horror. Of course, she was not expecting to find anything unusual at home. She was just going home with the vegetables on Thursday evening to cook dinner for husband. Thats the way, she told herself. Do everything normally. Keep things absolutely natural and therell be no need for acting at all. As she entered the kitchen by the back door, she was quietly singing to herself. Patrick she called. How are you, darling? She put the package on the table and went into the living room and when she saw him lying there on the floor, it really was a shock. All the old lov e for him came back to her, and she ran over to him, knelt down beside him, and began to cry hard. It was easy. No acting was necessary. A few minutes later, she got up and went to the phone. She knew the number of the police station, and when the man at the other end answered, she cried to him. Quick Come quickly Patricks dead. Whos speaking? Mrs. Maloney. Mrs. Patrick Maloney. Do you mean that Patricks dead? I think so, she cried. Hes lying on the floor and I think hes dead. Well be there immediately, the man said. The car came very quickly, and when she opened the front door, two policemen walked in. She knew them both. She knew nearly all the men at the police station. She fell into Jack Noonans arms, crying uncontrollably. He put her gently into a chair. Is he dead? she cried. Im afraid he is. What happened? In a few words she told her story about going to the grocer and coming back, when she found him on the floor.While she was crying and talking, Noonan found some drie d blood on the dead mans head. He hurried to the phone. Some other men began to arrive a doctor, two detectives, a police photographer, and a man who knew about fingerprints. The detectives kept asking her a lot of questions. They always treated her kindly. She told them how shed put the meat into the overn its there nowand how she had gone to the grocers for vegetables and how she came back to find him lying on the floor. The two detectives were exceptionally nice to her. They searched the house.Sometimes Jack Noonan spoke to her gently. He told her that her husband had been killed by a blow to the back of the head. They were looking for the weapon. The murderer might have taken it with him, but he might have thrown it away or hidden it. Its the old story, he said. Get the weapon, and youve got the murderer. Later, one of the detectives sat down beside her. Did she know, he asked, of anything in the house that could have been used as a weapon? Would she look around to see if an ything was missing. The search went on. It began to get late it was nearly nine oclock.The men searching the rooms were getting tired. Jack, she said, Would you like a drink? You must be extremely tired. Well, he answered. Its not allowed by police rules, but since youre a friend. They stood around with drinks in their hands. The detectives were uncomfortable with her and they tried to say cheering things to her. Jack Noonan walked into the kitchen, came out quickly, and said, Look, Mrs. Maloney. Did you know that your oven is still on, and the meat is still inside? Oh, she said. So it is Id better turn it off. She returned with tearful eyes. Would you do me a favor?Here you all are, all good friends of Patricks, and youre helping to catch the man who killed him. You must be very hungry by now because its long past your supper time, and I know that Patrick would never forgive me if I let you stay in the house without offering you anything to eat. Why dont you eat up the lamb in the oven? I wouldnt dream of it, Noonan said. Please, she begged. Personally, I couldnt eat a thing, but itd be a favor to me if you ate it up. Then you can go on with your work. The detectives hesitated, but they were hungry, and in the end, they went into the kitchen and helped themselves to supper.The woman stayed where she was and listened to them through the open door. She could hear them speaking among themselves, and their voices were thick because their mouths were full of meat. Have some more, Charlie. No, wed better not finish it. She wants us to finish it. She said we ought to eat it up. Thats a big bar the murderer must have used to hit poor Patrick. The doctor says the back of his head was broken to pieces. Thats why the weapon should be easy to find. Exactly what I say. Whoever did it, he cant carry a weapon that big around with him.