Analyzing the Logic of an Article Cultural Authenticity and Recovery Maintenance in a Rural First Nation Community

How to Become a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer

How to Become a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer If you’ve welcomed a baby into your family (or have seen your cousin’s nonstop Facebook updates about her pregnancy), you’re probably familiar with the basics of what a sonographer does: he or she takes pictures of a fetus in utero. What you may not know is that sonographers aren’t just involved in the pregnancy process. They use equipment to diagnose a variety of medical conditions throughout the body, including the abdomen, chest, cardiovascular system, and the musculoskeletal system. Diagnostic medical sonographers are essential medical professionals as the medical technology field continues to develop and give us even clearer glimpses into the furthest reaches of our bodies.The Day-to-DaySonographers work one-on-one with patients, using imaging equipment (often in concert with x-rays, MRIs, CAT scans, and nuclear medicine studies) to help diagnose and treat internal medical injuries and illnesses. They are usually found in hospitals, but may also work in private clinics or other specialized healthcare settings. Diagnostic medical sonographers generally work full-time (typically 37 hours or more per week), but may have evening and weekend shifts instead of a standard Monday-Friday schedule. They are frequently on call, and should be ready to work on short notice when needed.For more on the daily life of a sonographer, check out this video: So You Want to Be a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer.The RequirementsDiagnostic medical sonographers should have strong backgrounds in math and science, with an associate’s degree or higher preferred- though some employers may hire directly from high school and provide on-the-job training. Two-year programs for sonography are commonly found at colleges and universities, and if you’re interested you should seek out a program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs. Depending on where you live, diagnostic medical sonographers might also need to be certified- so definitely check your state’s requirements.The SkillsThe dental hygiene field calls for a number of special skills and knowledge bases, including:Attention to detailEquipment knowledge and everyday useDiagnostic/analytical skillsClinical knowledgeInterpersonal skillsCommunication skillsPatient care techniquesThe PayPer the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median salary for diagnostic medical sonographers is $62,540, or $30.07 per hour. And according to PayScale, the field has a very strong job satisfaction rating among surveyed sonographers.The OutlookDiagnostic medical sonography is a field that will be recruiting heavily for the foreseeable future. The BLS expects that the job will grow by at least 24% by 2024, much faster than average.If you decide to go into this rewarding healthcare field, great! Just don’t be like this medical professional, okay?Interested? APPLY HERE

Carry out your own research to find a non-financial firm that changed Essay

Carry out your own research to find a non-financial firm that changed its dividend policy over the last few years. Assess the (p - Essay Example One of the key theories that explain the relationship between dividend policy and stock price is the irrelevance of dividend policy, in which Miller and Modigliani (1961) suggest that dividend policy is immaterial when it comes to determination of the shareholders’ wealth. They specifically argued that, without considering market imperfection and taxes; the shareholders’ wealth is not affected in any way. Hakansson (1982) supported the views of Miller and Modigliani by maintaining that dividend do not play any role in the value of the firm, regardless of whether they are informative or not; but this applies only when investors possess time additive utility and homogenous belief as well as when the market is fully efficient. Different empirical studies associated with dividend theory policies do not show consistent results. As such, it is not possible to give a general view as to whether the investors prefer dividend or capital gain. Brigham (2010) asserts that it is the prerogative of the management to decide the dividend policy based on industry trends and the long-term objectives of the organisation, a view that squarely explains the reasons why the management of Apple has dramatically changed its dividend policy. Even so, it is imprudent for the management to rely on any specific theory in determination of dividend policy for the corporations they head, because the best policy depends on different circumstances and times. Irrelevance theory is neutral with regard to preference of either capital gain or dividend payout (Miller and Modigliani, 1961). In this model MM concluded that capital structure does not have any effect on the value of the firm. However, MM II, argued that by introducing corporate taxes in to the first model, it gives rise to tax shields which in turn leads to optimal capital structure (Black, 2006). The paper puts into perspective the issue of dividend policy in the context of Apple Inc. The paper also gives a brief overview of the company, as well as putting into perspective the imminent change in divided policy that has been lined up, and those that have already been implemented. The analysis will also incorporate different theories that have been put across by several researchers regarding the relationship between dividend policy and share price volatility. Company Overview The Apple Company designs, manufactures and markets computers, networking solutions, software, peripherals and services. Among the many available products are portable music players, which they both design and develop. Notwithstanding, they engage in online distribution of television shows, audio books, short films, third-party music-both audio and videos. Apple Inc. (Apple) was founded by Stephen Wozniak and Steve Jobs in the latter’s garage. January 3, 1977 saw the incorporation of Apple. The Apple II computer was then later introduced by the duo later that year at a West Coast Computer Fair in San Francisco (Linzmayer, 1999). Dividend Policy Trend in the Technology Industry Distribution policy refers to Companies’ policies put in place to govern issues of dividend payout. For instance, a company can have either high or low dividend distribution policy to its both preference and ordinary

Popular Culture Media Representation and the Construction of Social Essay

Popular Culture Media Representation and the Construction of Social Reality ( See questionsessay thesis below) - Essay Example Under this, again, we have sub-categories as well. Therefore, media diverges into various streams that operate under different conditions and specifications. And very evidently, each of them has a varied mode of consensus containment. The print media, which comes in the form of magazines, newspapers, journals and the like, operates on a more manual mode of obtaining consensus. They attempt to perhaps, try and attach importance to each individual's opinion, by resolving differences that might arise. For instance, they rely on public polls and even letters to the editor. The public can w rite in opinions and the media does try to present a consensus of the majority opinion, if not that of the entire masses. However, one major disadvantage of this media is the fact that in achieving consensus, it does omit those who have no access to reading material and the illiterate or uneducated. The broadcast media, consisting of television and radio, is more open to anyone who can voice their opinions. It need not have to be restricted to only the educated.

Technology and Management Functions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Technology and Management Functions - Essay Example Secure Call Management was basically a call center operation prior to acquiring the Image Project. As a call center technology played a huge role as well in the day to day operations. The manager of the call center would utilize satellite image transfer to create virtual meetings with salespeople across national and international boundaries. The wireless internet service the company utilized for its requirements of communication with field employees allow anyone to connect to the internet from any remote location. When the iPhone came out on June 29, 2007 it was suggested that they could replaced the current practice due to its smart phone capabilities, but using a laptop computer was more practical because the iPhone inter phase did not allow for a professional to work efficiently (Timesonline, 2007). When the image project started the team was given an open space. We had to build the infrastructure necessary from scratch. The project manager utilized the designing software, Alibre Cad, to create the facilities layout. The twelve members of the team received a PDA that displayed the design. We had to build 150 small office modules for the workers. It took us approximately four to complete the construction project. Whenever there were any minor design changes the PDA which were connected to the company wi-fi system would enable us to see the changes and change our work specifications accordingly. The next stage of the project was the installation of the computers. The firm bought 200 new dell computers. The project manager showed us a delivery confirmation slip that he retrieved from the UPS website. It said the computers would arrive at 12:10 P.M. on a Sunday. Good news for us it meant we would get paid some good overtime on a Sunday for our work. The computers arrived on time. T he manager was able to accelerate work because he had information he obtained thanks to technological advancements that were not available in the past. We had installed all the

Analysis of the Oil and Gas Industries

Analysis of the Oil and Gas Industries CHAPTER 1 Introduction EYs OG Business Today As at 2008, global OG revenues are approximately $850m per annum and are forecast to remain relatively static over the next few years. Within that our OCA and GP account revenues which are predominately IOC driven are declining significantly whilst our core and SGM revenues are growing healthily. However, our revenue from NOCs is less than 10%. Our global client portfolio of OCAs and GPs reflects the industry dynamics of five years ago and needs to be significantly realigned to reflect the dynamics of today. Our service portfolio provides a solid foundation but considerable scope exists to provide more industry content-rich specific services to our clients and to develop new services and extend others to support new trends in the global oil industry. Currently our main people capability to support the oil industry lies in Western Europe and North America with smaller pockets in areas such as the Middle East, Russia and Australia. It is clear that our capability to develop new business and deliver the resulting OG services needs to be significantly enhanced in the newly emerged economies. Worryingly this lack of strength and depth in our oil industry service capability in the newly emerged economies is leaving the firm exposed to potentially significant service failures, subsequent client loss and litigation. Fundamental change in the Oil and Gas industry The Oil and Gas industry came into being in the late 1800s and over the last century has seen several structural changes and important transformations. One of most important of these changes took place in the early part of the 20th century and was the breakup of Standard Oil in the U.S. which led to the growth of large, globalized â€Å"oil majors† which had headquarters all over the world. The ever changing and evolving business environment has led to increasing amount of consolidation and merger activity in recent decades giving rise to a handful of supermajors. There has been widespread nationalization of oil assets, primarily in Arab nations, former communist countries and also developing economies. This process of nationalization has led to the creation of a new breed of National Oil Companies (NOCs) that in many cases have grown to become far larger than the largest of their private sector counterparts. Modern economies are driven by oil and gas and issues relating to the industry have become of increasing importance for all nations. The Oil Gas Industry is undergoing its most fundamental change since its formation in the first half of the 20th century, with a major shift in power from the International Oil Companies (IOCs) such as Exxon Mobil, Shell and BP to the National Oil Companies (NOCs) such as Saudi Aramco, Petro China and Gazprom. Only a decade ago the IOCs had access to and led the development of the vast majority of the worlds Oil Gas resources. Today the market landscape has seen dramatic changes and it is the NOCs which now own over 85% of the worlds remaining reserves and are becoming increasingly determined to lead the exploitation themselves. Five years ago it would have been unthinkable that one of the top three IOCs could be taken over by a NOC or a Sovereign Wealth Fund but that has all changed now as anything is possible in the current market. Mature and developed NOCs like Petronas have built up significant capabilities and other NOCs like Sinopec and Petrochina are following in their footsteps. IOCs are now redrawing their old strategies and are looking to partner with NOCs for large projects. There is ever increasing competition for the limited resources available and the uncertain and unstable nature of crude oil prices coupled with the global credit crunch have put immense pressure on companies in the industry to control project costs and operating risks. There is a rapid increase in energy demand from China, India and non-OECD Asia Pacific region. With maturing oil reserves, exploration and production activities have increased in Middle East, Brazil, Australia, Russia, West Africa and Canada. Major players scouting for reserves for ensuring sustainable future supply. Downstream margins are declining because of high competition. There has been renewed focus on Green Energy and increased efforts in exploring alternative energy sources. Increasing pressure on oil and gas companies to use better technologies and invest in cleaner technologies. Major private equity players taking bets on companies operating in clean energy area. Major risks in Oil and Gas Industry RISK RADAR Risks Access to reserves: political constraints and competition for proven reserves Price volatility Uncertain energy policy Cost containment Human Capital Deficit Aging oil and gas infrastructure Supply shocks Overlapping service offerings for international oil companies and oil field service companies Climate and environmental concerns Immense Opportunity for EY This fundamental change presents our global firm with an immense opportunity to present new global and regional service campaigns to attract new clients and also strengthen and solidify relationships with existing clients. The IOCs will continue to restructure and consolidate operations to reduce costs to increase their profitability, in an era when it will be increasingly difficult to increase their top line growth, other than by market driven oil price rises. The NOCs will be growing rapidly both organically and by acquisition, internationalising their businesses and establishing new global operating models, as indeed will the larger oil field service companies. Undoubtedly the individual IOCs, NOCs and Service Companies will need significant advisory and assurance support. This will play to the full range of our traditional EY services as well as creating opportunities to develop new EY services to support their drive into emerging areas such as clean technologies, carbon capture and trading, LNG and climate change. However, these EY services will need to be sold and delivered in the recently emerged and increasingly important economies in the CIS, Middle East, Africa, India, Far East and Latin America as well as EYs traditional OG geographies of Europe and North America. Asia- Pacific Oil and Gas Sector The oil gas market consists of the activities of exploration, development, production, refining, storage, transportation and marketing of oil gas. It is being projected that oil and gas will be the primary source of energy to meet demands for economic growth in the foreseeable future. Even though there has been significant progress in the renewable energy space their role will be limited for next 25-30 years. The Asia-Pacific oil gas market generated total revenues of $922.9 billion in 2008, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 26.8% for the period spanning 2004-2008. In comparison, the Chinese and Japanese markets grew with CAGRs of 36.8% and 26.7%, respectively, over the same period, to reach respective values of $314.7 billion and $270 billion in 2008.The performance of the market is forecast to decelerate, with an anticipated CAGR of 1.6% for the five-year period 2008-2013, which is expected to drive the market to a value of $998.5 billion by the end of 2013. Crude oil sales proved the most lucrative for the Asia-Pacific oil and gas market, generating 88.1% of the total revenues. In comparison, sales of natural gas account for the remaining 11.9% of the markets revenue. China accounts for 34.1% of the Asia-Pacific oil and gas markets value. In comparison, Japan accounts for a further 29.3% of the markets revenue. China The Chinese oil and gas industry has displayed dramatic growth in recent years and even though a slight decline is anticipated due to the global recession the market is expected to bounce back quickly and return to solid growth s. Latest forecasts from BMI suggest that china will account 32.3% of Asia/Pacific regional oil demand by 2010, while also providing 46% of total supply. Regional oil demand in the region is expected to grow from 25.36 million barrels per day in 2007 to 27.34 million barrels per day in 2010. The oil and gas industry in China remains primarily under state control and is only privatised to a small extent. CNOOC, PetroChina and Sinopec are the main players in the industry and are responsible for most of the domestic production. The oil and gas sector in China generated total revenues USD$ 314.7 billion in 2008 representing a CAGR of 36.8% for the period 2004-2008. Crude oil sales have been the biggest revenue generator for the Chinese oil and gas market in 2008 generating total revenues of USD$ 299.9 billion and representing 95.3% of the overall market value. Natural gas sales generated USD$ 14.8 billion in revenues for the same period accounting for 4.7% of the market. The market is expected to be at a value of about USD$ 352.7 billion by 2013 at a CAGR of 2.3% due to the deceleration expected in the industry and overall economy. Chinese oil consumption is expected to grow by 28% from 2006 to 2011 which will equal around 9.39 million barrels per day by 2011. This increase in demand will be driven by economic growth of about 10% per year which will result in China becoming the largest single driver of growth in oil consumption during the next decade. The domestic production of around 3.54 million barrels per day will leave a gap of 5.85 million barrels per day which will have to be filled by domestic companies expanding production or through increasing imports. This provides significant opportunities for oil and gas players to make investments to expand production through organic or inorganic growth routes. Chinas dependency on oil imports currently stands at around 50% making it the worlds second largest importer of oil after the US and followed by Japan. The market for processing is controlled by a few state owned enterprises with Sinopec holding a 60% share of total crude distillation capacity and PetroChina holding about 38%. Even though the natural gas market constitutes only 3% of the total energy mix, it is seeing rapid development due to increases in demand from the chemicals industry and household needs for heating and cooking fuel. In June 2006 China took steps to develop its natural gas sector by becoming a natural gas importer for the first time with the opening of the Guangdong liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal, which is supplied mainly from Australia. Natural gas imports are expected to grow in the future with other LNG import terminals and pipelines being planned that would connect major demand areas in China to suppliers in Russia and Central Asia. South Korea The oil and gas industry in South Korea grew by 26.8% in 2008 to reach a value of USD$ 115.8 billion. The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.6% to reach a value of USD$ 112.3 billion by 2013. Crude oil sales generated the maximum revenues for the industry with about 85.3% of total revenues. Natural gas sales accounted for 14.5% of total market revenues generating total revenues of USD$ 16.8 billion. The South Korean market accounts for about 12.6% of the Asia-Pacific oil and gas industry. The global slowdown is expected to slow down the growth of the sector to an anticipated CAGR of 1.1% for the period 2008-2013 to value of USD$ 122.3 billion. Market consumption in the region increased with a CAGR of 1.8% for the period 2004-2008 to reach 1 billion barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) in 2008. This volume is expected to grow at a CAGR of 1.2% for the period 2008-2013 to reach 1.1 billion BOE. South Korea has no oil reserves and its entire oil requirement must be fulfilled through imports. Oil makes up most of the total energy consumption and though this proportion has been declining in recent years. South Korea consumes about 2.72% of the worlds oil and is the fifth largest net importer of oil in the world. South Korea has a refinery capacity of about 2667.6 thousand barrels per day which constitutes 3.03% of the world total. South Korea is also the worlds second largest importer of natural gas after Japan. The consumption of natural gas in 2008 was 36.97 billion cubic meters which is about 1.26% of the world total. The Korean Gas Corporation (KOGAS) is the only importer and distributor of natural gas in the country and also the largest purchaser of LNG in the world. Some of the largest oil companies in South Korea are the Hyundai Oil Bank, SK Corporation and S-Oil Refinery. The S-Oil Corporation is planning to spend $1.2 billion on the expansion of its Onsan Refinery. Most Korean refineries have problems of over capacity and low operating rates. The expansion will be completed by 2011. The Korean National Oil Corporation is planning to acquire five to ten midsized foreign oil companies. The targets have already been identified and the due diligence process is set to begin soon. South Korea is targeting energy self sufficiency of 30% by 2016 which stood at 5.7% in 2008 and 7.4% in 2009. The government also plans to spend $5.4 billion over the next 14 years to expand the gas distribution network and storage capabilities of the country. Philippines There is very limited domestic oil production in the country and the existing production began in the 70s. The period from 1996 to 2000 saw absolutely no oil production in the country. It is one of the few oil producing countries of the world that has seen a decrease in oil consumption over the last decade. Philippines oil demand will constitute 1.12% of total oil demand in the Asia-Pacific region and also contribute 0.77% of total supply. It is expected that oil production in the country will reach its peak at around 70000 barrels per day in 2013 and will then see a decline of 14.24% to reach 51000 barrels per day in 2019. Consumption of oil is expected to grow by 31.78% from 2009 to 2019 with the first 5 years seeing a 3% per annum growth, taking the demand at the end of 2014 to around 325000 barrels per day. This would leave an import requirement of around 258000 barrels per day in 2014. The second five years from 2014 to 2019 will see a decrease in consumption growth to 2% per annum taking the demand at the end of 2019 to 369000 barrels per day. The gas production capabilities will also increase from 3.4 billion cubic metres in 2009 to 8 billion cubic metres and gas demand is being forecast to grow by 164.71% during the same period making the import requirement around 1 billion cubic metres. The recent development of offshore oil deposits has led to an increase in production to 23,000 barrels per day. The country has about 3.48 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves which are mostly found at the Malaympaya gas field. There are two oil refining facilities at Petron Corp.s plants in Limay and Bataan and also at Shells Tabango refinery with a capacity of about 282,000 barrels per day. The country is planning a major divestment in the upstream arm of Philippine National Oil Company in order to finance the countrys budget deficit. The government of Philippines is planning to raise around $300-$320 million from the sale of 60% stake in the PNOC Exploration Corporation. Exxon Mobil is also planning an investment of around $100 million for exploration in south western Philippines in the Sandakan Basin of the Sulu Sea. Major companies of the region include: * Philippine National Oil Company * Petron Corp. * Shell Philippines Taiwan The island of Taiwan is densely populated and not abundant in natural resources. Taiwan is heavily dependent on imports and about 97% of its total energy requirements are fulfilled through imports. Oil and gas therefore play an important role in economic development and have been a major source of modernization and development of the country. The country will make up 3.93% of total oil demand from the Asia-Pacific region and will not have any significant contribution to supply. Taiwan has oil reserves of only about 2.5 million barrels and consumed an average of 1123.08 thousand barrels of oil per day in 2008 which constituted 1.32% of the worlds consumption. Taiwan has compensated for its lack of reserves by building huge refining capacity of 1197 thousand barrels per day which make up 90% of total oil production through refinery gain. The prevalent trends of globalization have had a great impact on Taiwanese energy policy and the government now actively promotes privatisation in the oil and gas sector to develop new refineries and power plants. The industry is dominated by the national oil company of Taiwan, the Chinese Petroleum Corporation and even though oil exploration activity has been ongoing for the last 50 years there has never been any significant discovery of oil production. The Taiwanese oil and gas industry experienced a vibrant 48% growth rate in 2008 to reach total revenues of USD$ 39.7 billion which represented a CAGR of 28.9% for the period from 2004-2008. The effects of the global recession will be felt in the Taiwanese oil and gas market which will experience a slowdown in the growth rate till 2013. Market growth rate for the period 2008 to 2013 is expected at a CAGR of 2.2% which will take total revenues from the sector to USD$ 44.2 billion by 2013. Consumption of oil in Taiwan has seen an increase with a CAGR of 1.6% from 2004 to 2008 and stands at 434.9 million BOE. Future consumption growth is being projected at a CAGR of 0.9% for the period 2008 to 2013 and is expected to reach 455.1 million BOE by 2013. A majority of total revenues in the sector were generated from crude oil sales at USD$ 34.4 billion or 86.7% of the total market value. The remaining 13.3% came from natural gas sales which generated USD$ 5.3 billion in 2008. Taiwan is 5th largest importer of natural gas in the world and has a natural gas consumption of 11.77 billion cubic metres. The gas consumption in Taiwan made up 2.64% of total consumption in the region and is expected to decrease to 2.49% by 2014. VIETNAM Vietnam had 0.27 % of the worlds reserves at the end of 2007 according to the 2008 BP Statistical Energy Survey. Bach Ho is the largest offshore oil reserve among 9 offshore reserves of Vietnam. It produced an average of 340 thousand barrels of crude oil per day in 2007 according to the 2008 BP Statistical Energy Survey. Top Asia-Pacific Oil Producers in 2006 Vietnam Oil Gas Corporation (PetroVietnam) dominates oil and gas sector in Vietnam. It is under the control of the Ministry of Industry. It has formed partnerships with other international oil companies such as BP, ConocoPhillips, (KNOC), Nippon Oil (Japan), Malaysias Petronas, Korea National Oil Corporation and Talisman. Vietnams Natural Gas Production and Consumption from 1995 to 2005 As of January 2007, Vietnam had 6.8 Tcf of proven gas reserves according to Oil and Gas Journal. According to Business Monitor International forecasts Vietnam will account for 1.59% of Asia Pacific regional oil demand by 2014 and provide 4.33% of supply. Regional oil use of 21.40mn barrels per day (b/d) in 2001 for Asia Pacific reached an estimated 25.44mn b/d in 2009. The usage should average 25.93mn b/d in 2010 before rising to around 28.99mn b/d by 2014. Regional oil production is set to increase to 8.59mn b/d by 2014. Regional imports have increased on an average from 12.99mn b/d of oil in 2001 to estimated 16.94mn b/d in 2009. It is forecasted to reach 20.41mn b/d by 2014. China, Japan, India and South Korea will be principal importers. In terms of natural gas, only Malaysia will be net exporter in 2014. In 2009, region consumption was estimated to be 459bn cubic metres (bcm) and it is expected to increase to 582bcm by 2014. Net imports will ease from current 83bcm to 72bcm by 2013. In 2009, Vietnams share of gas consumption was expected to be 2.40 but its share of production is approximated at 2.91%. It is expected to account 4.72% to regional production and 4.12% consumption. For 2009, with an average OPEC basket price of US$59.00 per barrel (bbl), a decline of 37.3% year-on-year (y-o-y). For 2010, it is expected that there will be a significant OPEC basket price recovery to US$83.00/bbl for the OPEC basket price. It is expected to gain further ground to US$85.00/bbl in 2011 and increasing to US$90.00/bbl in 2012 and beyond. According to BMI forecast, there will be 7.3% average annual growth in 2010-2014. Growing number of international oil companies are partnering with Petro Vietnam in finding and developing hydrocarbon resources mainly gas. This will lead to rise in exploration success in Vietnam. As per BMI assumption, oil and gas production will peak at 400,000b/d in 2010 and will ease back to 372,000b/d by 2014. Beyond 2009, an increase of around 5-7% per annum is forecasted till 2014 thereby implying demand of 460,000b/d by 2014. Estimated 2009 of 11bcm for gas supply and demand is forecasted to increase to 24bcm by 2014. From 2009 to 2019, a decrease of 7.14% in oil production in Vietnam is forecasted by BMI. Crude volumes will peak in 2010 with 400,000 b/d and will decrease to 325,000 b/d later by 2019. With Vietnamese growth projections ranging from 5% to 7% per annum between 2009 and 2019, oil consumption is expected to rise by 78.22% and gas production is expected to rise from 11bcm to 27bcm. Amendments to Vietnams Petroleum Law have paved the way for a more open and transparent licensing round scheme for international investors. Vietnam held its first licensing round during 2004-2005. A second bidding round, which included 7 blocks in the Song Hong Basin, was launched in April 2007. Petrovietnam has claimed that these blocks hold in the region of 5 billion barrels of oil equivalent. Vietnam amended its Petroleum Law which paved the way for more open and transparent licensing round for international investors. Vietnam had 2 licensing rounds till 2007. KEY OIL AND GAS PLAYERS 1. Petro Vietnam 2. KNOC 3. BP Vietnam 4. Vietgazprom THAILAND Thailand is second largest oil importer in South East Asia. It has limited domestic oil production. It has only 290 million barrels of proven oil reverses according to Oil and Gas Journal in January 2007. In 2008, according to BP Statistical Energy Survey, it consumed 910.73 thousand barrels of oil per day compared to production of only 309.1 thousand barrels of oil per day. Majority of natural gas reserves are located offshore in the Gulf of Thailand. Though domestic gas production has risen significantly but still it is not sufficient to cater to local demand. In 2007, Thailand had proven natural gas reserves on 0.33 trillion cubic meters according to BP Statistical Energy Survey. PTT is the biggest player in oil sector in Thailand. It was earlier known as The Petroleum Authority of Thailand. Thailands Ministry of Energy through Energy Policy and Planning Office (EPPO) oversees all aspects of the countrys energy policies such as natural gas, oil and power sectors. PTTEP has stake in countrys natural gas producing fields such as Bongkot, the largest field. Chevron, being the largest foreign operator, currently accounts for estimated 70 percent of countrys gas production. According to Business Monitor International forecasts Thailand will account for 3.62% of Asia/Pacific regional oil demand by 2010 simultaneously providing 3.27% of supply. Regional Oil demand is expected to reach 27.64 mn b/d by 2010 from 24.74 mn b/d in 2009. Gas consumption is expected to reach 602bcm for 2010. By the end of the decade, gas production should reach 490bcm from last years 342bcm. In 2006, Thailands share of consumption was approximately 7.64%, and its share of production was at 6.64%. Its share of demand is forecasted to be 6.64% by 2010 and will still contribute approximately 6.7% of share in supply. For 2009, with an average OPEC basket price of US$59.00 per barrel (bbl), a decline of 37.3% year-on-year (y-o-y). For 2010, it is expected that there will be a significant OPEC basket price recovery to US$83.00/bbl for the OPEC basket price. It is expected to gain further ground to US$85.00/bbl in 2011 and increasing to US$90.00/bbl in 2012 and beyond. PTTEP and international partners are working hard to explore oil and gas fields. Thailand has an acceptable licensing framework and has made reasonable progress in terms of deregulation. Privatisation and consolidation would lead to improvement in the competitive landscape. With leading International Oil Companies such as Shell quitting (both the upstream and refining segments), it is apparent that Thailand is not an attractive destination for IOCs. Key Oil and Gas Players: 1. PTT 2. Esso Thailand 3. Thai Shell Co 4. Total MALAYSIA Malaysia is the eighth largest holder of natural gas reserves in the world. It was the second largest exporter of LNG after Qatar in 2007 As of January 2009, Malaysia held 83 trillion cubic feet of proven natural gas reserves according to Oil and Gas Journal. While majority of domestic oil reserves are found off Peninsular Malaysia, much of the Malaysias natural gas production comes from Eastern Malaysia, offshore Sabah and Sarawak. Top World LNG Exporters, 2007 State-owned Petronas dominates both in oil sector and natural gas sector. It has a monopoly on all upstream natural gas developments. It also plays a leading role in LNG trade and downstream activities. Natural gas production has risen steadily and it reached 2.3 Tcf in 200. Simultaneously domestic natural gas consumption has also increased and has reached 1.2 Tcf in 2007. Many important ongoing projects are expected to expand natural gas production over the near term in Malaysia. Oil and Gas Companies are continuously focussing on offshore areas, especially deepwater blocks for exploration and production. Malaysian Natural Gas Production and Consumption, 1987-2007 Malaysia-Thailand Joint Development Area It is one of the important and active natural gas EP areas and is located in lower part of Gulf of Thailand. The joint development area is divided into three blocks: Block A18, Block B17, and Block C19. Malaysia-Thailand Joint Authority jointly administers this area. The blocks reportedly hold 9.5 TCF of proved and probable natural gas reserves. Block A-18 is operated by a joint venture (the Carigali-Triton Operating Company (CTOC)) between Petronas Carigali and Hess. Blocks B-17 and C-19 are operated by a joint venture (the Carigali-PTTEP Operating Company (CPOC) of Thailand and Malaysias national oil company, In Asia, Malaysia has the most extensive gas pipeline networks. With completion of the Peninsular Gas Utilization (PGU) project in 1998 the gas transmission network extended to Peninsular Malaysia. It spans more than 880 miles. It has a capacity to transport 2 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas. Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore are connected through pipelines. The Trans-Thailand-Malaysia Gas Pipeline System enables Malaysia to transport/pipe natural gas from the Malaysia-Thailand Joint Development Area to its domestic pipeline system. This regional pipeline network marks a significant step towards a transnational pipeline network â€Å"Trans-ASEAN Gas Pipeline† (TAGP) system linking the regional natural gas producers and consumers. Malaysia has the natural advantage of its location and is the best candidate to serve as hub for this ambitious project. Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan were the 3 primary purchasers of natural gas exported by Malaysia. Malaysia International Shipping Corporation (MISC) transports LNG through own 27 LNG tankers,. PETRONAS is the majority holder in MISC with 62% stake. MISC also has significant contribution in oil shipping activities. Malaysia has 3 LNG processing plants and PETRONAS has majority interests in all. They are located in a complex at Bintulu, Sarawak (East Malaysia) and receive supplies by the Sarawak offshore natural gas fields. It is the largest LNG complex in the world and has 8 production trains. It has a total liquefaction capacity of 1.1 TCF per year. Japan being one of the major importers of LNG, it has played a critical role in financing Malaysias LNG facilities. Malaysia has third highest oil reserves in the Asia-Pacific region Top 5 asia pacific oil reserve holders, 2009 As of January 2009, Malaysia has proven oil reserves of 4 billion barrels according to Oil and Gas Journal. Major proportion of countrys oil comes from offshore fields which can be divided into three: Malay, Sabah and Sarawak basins. Malay basin contains majority of reserves which are of high quality. Tapis field contributes to more than 50% of countrys oil production. Malaysias Oil Production and Conumptionl 1988-2008 Malaysia is domestically able to meet countrys demand for petroleum products. It has heavily invested in downstream activities such as refining in last 20 years. As of January 2009, Malaysia has about 515,000 bbl/d of refining capacity at 6 facilities according to OSJ. Three refineries operated by PETRONAS (259,000 bbl/d total capacity), two by Shell (170,000 bbl/d total capacity), and remaining one by ExxonMobil (86,000 bbl/d). Key Oil and Gas Players: 1. PETRONAS 2. ExxonMobil 3. ConocoPhillips 4. BP 5. Murphy Oil 6. Chevron SINGAPORE Singapore has strengthened its position in global oil and gas industry over the years. It has become a major oil trading centre both in terms of physical delivery and in term of financial instruments. CAGR growth in OG market in Singapore from 2004-08 has been 33.2%. It has encouraged energy majors by marketing its strategic location for production and exportation to South East Asian emerging countries. It is among worlds top bunkering ports. Singapore doesnt have domestic oil reserves. It has consumed on an average 0.92 million barrels of oil per day and 6610 million cubic meters of natural gas in 2007. Singapore has many domestic oil companies which actively are engaged in exploration and production in foreign countries. Singapore Petroleum Company Ltd being the major one holding twenty percent participating interest in Vietnam Blocks 102 and 106. In South East Asia, Singapore is a major refining centre and had 1.3 million barrels refining capacity per day in 2007. Oil consumption has increased in recent years but it has not been as significant as natural gas consumption growth in last few years. Singapore Government has encouraged natural gas consumption in recent years and it led to increase in natural gas consumption. Key Oil and Gas Players in Singapore are Singapore Petroleum, Esso, Royal Dutch Shell, Ezar holdings (OFS) and many medium and small players. CHAPTER 2 QUESTIONNAIRE ANALYSIS We conducted primary research with Account Coordinators of our priority accounts, which are expected to contribute more than 50% of future EYs revenues. Due to busy period and traveling of the account coordinators, we were able to get qualitative responses from only 5 accounts. For the rest of the accounts, we conducted secondary research. The key notings from primary research are as follows: * Revenue growth and sustainability is essentially a factor of business that can be drawn from clients in current market conditions. Oil stability, political situation and environment and health concerns are few of the key factors required for revenue stability. Moreover, the volume of business

The Climax of I Want You Women Up North to Know :: Want You Women Up North to Know

Lines 85-97 of Tillie Olsen's first published poem "I Want You Women Up North to Know" contain the climactic turning point of this poem, and the language and form reflect this change. Instead of being humble and disjointed victims who remain mostly anonymous, the workers are transformed into an angry and unified group of distinct individuals. This shift in mood is accomplished by three devices: imagery, grouping, and capitalization of proper names. The imagery in this passage helps turn the tone of the poem from victimization to anger. In addition to fire images, the overall language is completely stripped down to bare ugliness. In previous lines, the sordidness has been intermixed with cheerful euphemisms: the agonizing work is an "exquisite dance" (24); the trembling hands are "white gulls" (22); the cough is "gay" (25). But in these later lines, all aesthetically pleasing terms vanish, leaving "sweet and †¦blood" (85), "naked†¦ [and]†¦bony children" (89), and a "skeleton body" (95). Another way this passage turns the mood of the poem is by using grouping and form to link the workers together, both in inference and appearance. Previously, each worker’s situation has been treated as an isolated story, literally separated from the others by a blank line. However, lines 85-97 are crowded together without spaces, suggesting unity by the very appearance of the lines. All of the grievances are briefly repeated, and then a sequence of "ands" binds the one-sentence recaps together. Yet in spite of this sense of solidarity, each person’s story is given its own sentence with a period boundary, subtly emphasizing their individual importance: solidarity is acceptable, but anonymity is not. A final significant device in this passage is the use of capitalization. The proper names of the workers have been sporadically capitalized earlier in the poem, but here they are all consistent and correct. Again, this is an emphasis on individual importance, an insistence that each of these people deserves a unique proper name. The earlier all-lowercase names like "catalina rodiguez" (16) actually blend into the lines of poetry, suggesting crouching and obscurity, but here the uppercase letters in their names stand out clearly from other words. Interestingly, although the personal names are capitalized, "christ" (96) is left in lowercase, similar to the previous treatment of "god" (57, 60, 62). This contrast with the capitalization of the worker’ names implies that God and Christ have failed the workers and are now overshadowed by a budding self-confidence in the workers.

Iron Crowned Chapter 10

Deanna came easily when I summoned her, making me wonder if she'd been hanging around invisibly since our last chat. Regardless, she didn't mention the fake ultimatum, thus letting Kiyo continue to believe we were in a time crunch. I called Volusian as well, figuring it couldn't hurt to have his protection while traveling to the ghost cutoff point. The two spirits didn't interact as we traveled, no surprise seeing as they had little in common. Deanna was tied to the living because of unfinished business and love for others. Volusian's soul was damned for eternity, forced to wander for his crimes – unless I ever sent him to the Underworld. Deanna hadn't been able to give us a time estimate on how long it would take to reach the crown's lair (as I was beginning to refer to it). The Otherworld's twisted terrain always made travel hard to gauge, plus spirits could move faster than we could. I wouldn't have minded walking, but the unknown variables made me ride horseback. Kiyo did the same out of courtesy for me, though he could have tirelessly covered miles and miles in fox form. The only thing I really knew for sure was that this wouldn't be a day trip. Kiyo and I were as silent as the ghosts, though once we crossed out of the lands adjacent to mine, he would occasionally tell me where we were. I'd never ventured this far into the Otherworld, and it made me uneasy, though knowing we were clear of the Rowan Land was a relief. Even Kiyo, neutral as he claimed, had tensed in Katrice's territory. â€Å"This is the Honeysuckle Land,† he said, when the road led us to a hot, riotously colored landscape. Flowers grew everywhere, and even the trees were covered in blossoms. Arizona was notorious for all its hummingbirds, but here, they swarmed like flies. â€Å"Dorian was right,† I mused. â€Å"It is beautiful.† It was hard to imagine this place mustering up a military. This seemed more like a world where people frolicked in scanty clothing, beating drums and engaging in free love. Well, since they were gentry, free love would have been a given. â€Å"Dorian would know,† said Kiyo stiffly, eyes focused straight ahead. â€Å"I'm surprised he let you come with me.† â€Å"Dorian doesn't say what I can or can't do,† I snapped. â€Å"If you're going to just keep doing this the whole time, I'll – â€Å" â€Å"You'll what?† asked Kiyo with amusement, when I didn't continue. â€Å"Send me back? Face death-threatening situations alone?† â€Å"I would gladly escort you back, if that is what you choose,† Volusian told Kiyo. I sighed. â€Å"Please. Just don't get on Dorian the whole time, okay? He wants this over. It was his idea to get your help. He's worried, believe me.† â€Å"That,† said Kiyo gravely, â€Å"I can believe. I don't trust him. I don't believe his alliance with you is as straightforward as it seems. But I do believe he cares about you.† The landscape suddenly shifted around us, becoming a rolling desert of white sand. It stretched out under a blazing sun, reflecting back at us in a way that was hard on the eyes. â€Å"Ugh,† I said, focusing down on the road. â€Å"What's this?† â€Å"The Myrrh Land,† said Kiyo. Even with my eyes averted, I knew he was smiling. â€Å"Figured you'd like this place. You should go make friends with its king. They've got some badass fighters.† â€Å"Big difference between this and the Sonora Desert,† I said. Although harsh and scalding, the desert I'd grown up with was full of life. This place was desolate and dead. Mercifully, we soon passed out of it into sweeping moors, covered in snow. I took my leather jacket out of my pack. I'd brought it knowing we might travel through lands that were in winter. It still wasn't much protection, and I realized I could have easily gotten one of my servants to whip up something more suitable. No doubt it would've been gentry-style, probably a cloak. Look human, Jasmine had said. Mostly I looked cold. Kiyo identified this place as the Birch Land. We crossed into the Honeysuckle Land again, which was typical of the Otherworld. Other places repeated as well. When the road took us through a landscape that reminded me of northern Texas, Kiyo had nothing to say. â€Å"What's this?† I asked. â€Å"I don't know,† he admitted. â€Å"The Pecan Land,† said Volusian. â€Å"Sounds delicious,† I teased. We'd had few stops and mostly eaten travel rations. â€Å"I could go for a pecan pie right now.† Kiyo didn't respond. He seemed lost in thought, his expression growing darker as we passed through more and more terrain he didn't know. He seemed to know the names, though, and didn't like them. â€Å"You're taking us to the Unclaimed Lands,† he said to Deanna. It was near the end of our day, the sky burning red. â€Å"I don't know,† she said simply. â€Å"I'm only going where I was shown.† â€Å"Volusian?† I asked. â€Å"Of course we're going to the Unclaimed Lands,† he said, sounding mildly annoyed by my stupidity. â€Å"We're nearly upon them. Where else would you expect a coveted object to be hidden?† I glanced at Kiyo. â€Å"I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess these are kingdoms no one controls?† â€Å"‘Kingdoms' isn't even the right word,† he said. â€Å"No one lives here.† â€Å"Why not?† I asked. The scenery changed again. The texture of the ground was like recently dried mud, covered in a pattern of cracks that reminded me of one of my jigsaw puzzles. Odd holes were scattered here and there. This eerie landscape stretched far, far ahead, no end in sight. Not far from us – ten miles at most – the land rose sharply along the sides of the cracked road, forming high, rocky cliffs that curled in at their tops like jaws. Erratic gusts of wind blew through the tunnel they formed. The setting sun made everything blood-red. â€Å"Guess,† said Kiyo. â€Å"Because we're here.† I peered around, studying the depressing landscape. Its superficial appearance meant little, really. Any gentry seizing control of it could shape the land to his or her will, instantly beautifying it. Then, a strange feeling settled in me. I couldn't quite define it. It didn't make me ill or disoriented. It just didn't feel right. I squinted at the cliffs, taking in their striation. Through the red haze, I could see many of the loose rocks were a dull gray, streaked with orange. Oxidized metal. â€Å"Iron,† I realized. â€Å"We're surrounded in iron. We're not even in the crown's lair yet. We can't get to the lair without passing through iron.† â€Å"Can you feel it?† asked Kiyo. â€Å"Yes †¦Ã¢â‚¬  That was the odd feeling in the pit of my stomach. â€Å"That's the gentry in you. Even with your human blood, you can't help but be affected. There's a lot of iron here.† â€Å"I don't feel weak,† I said, astonished the iron would affect me at all. â€Å"Or sick or in pain.† I'd seen gentry scream just from the smallest touch of iron. I summoned the magic within me, letting it reach out to the air and unseen moisture, though I didn't actively use it. â€Å"I don't think it's hurting my magic either.† â€Å"Good,† said Kiyo. â€Å"You're strong, so I'm not surprised. You may just have a simple awareness of it.† I thought about this for a moment and came to another realization. â€Å"You're not affected at all, are you?† He shook his head. â€Å"Nope.† I always thought of Kiyo and me as being alike, children born of both worlds. That part was true, as was our half-human heritage. But my Otherworldly blood came from the gentry. Only gentry were affected by iron, and kitsunes had no fairy connection. As with the demon bear and the fetch, a kitsune's bane would be silver. At least, a full-blooded kitsune's would be. I'd seen Kiyo handle silver objects; his human blood protected him as mine did me. The bottom line was that he was a more useful companion here than I'd realized. I wondered if Dorian had made the connection. â€Å"We will cross through no other lands until you turn back, mistress,† said Volusian. â€Å"So this is the world's end. The Otherworld's end, at least.† I turned to Deanna, hovering alongside us. â€Å"Will we reach the entrance before night?† She thought about it, and I braced myself for another vague response. â€Å"No. If you don't stop, you'll reach it in the morning.† Kiyo and I exchanged looks, both of us thinking the same thing. Get to the crown sooner or camp and be rested? I looked over at Volusian. â€Å"You said there are no other lands. But will the terrain in this one change?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"What do you think?† I asked Kiyo. â€Å"I don't want to be tired when we face whatever's guarding the crown, but this isn't great camping territory.† â€Å"No,† he agreed. His eyes scanned around us, able to see more than mine in the waning light. He pointed. â€Å"There. There's a small outcrop that'll block most of the wind. Enough to keep a fire going. I hope.† I couldn't see the spot but trusted him. â€Å"Camping it is.† When we reached it, I saw the site was indeed sheltered. I tethered the horses while Kiyo built up a fire. We watched it warily as the wind abruptly came and went. The fire flickered and waved but appeared capable of lasting the night. â€Å"I could hold off the wind a little,† I said. â€Å"Don't bother,† said Kiyo, settling down beside the blaze. â€Å"Save your magic. This'll hold.† I wondered if he really was concerned about me conserving my strength or just wanted me to avoid my magic altogether. He'd never liked it. I didn't question him, though, and sat down as well, mostly because the cold was finally starting to get to me. I buttoned up the leather jacket, achieving little. Our dinner consisted of more travel food: jerky, granola, and some bread that would probably be stale tomorrow. â€Å"I don't suppose you can use your wilderness skills to go hunt us something fresh?† I asked. He smiled, the campfire casting strange shadows on his face, now that night had fully come. â€Å"I would if there was anything alive out here. It's just us.† He eyed me, taking in my shivering. â€Å"Don't you own a warmer coat?† â€Å"Where am I going to get a down coat in Tucson?† I demanded. â€Å"This time of year? Any sporting goods store. For the skiers. Lara could order you one if you can't be troubled.† â€Å"I think Lara and Tim are in love,† I said abruptly, remembering that bizarre development. â€Å"What?† asked Kiyo, as astonished as I had been. â€Å"Are you sure?† â€Å"Well, they're in infatuation, at least. Volusian, were they together when you went back?† My minion was off in the shadows, only his red eyes visible. â€Å"Yes, mistress. They were in bed, their bodies naked and – â€Å" â€Å"Okay, okay, stop,† I exclaimed. â€Å"I don't need to hear anymore.† â€Å"Well, I'll be damned,† said Kiyo. While we'd dated, he'd been witness to their phone battles. â€Å"But I guess stranger things have happened.† â€Å"Yeah,† I agreed. â€Å"Look at us. We're sitting in an iron landscape, being led by a ghost to a mythical object, which – if it even exists – may or may not make me scary enough to end a war.† â€Å"Fair point,† said Kiyo, his smile returning. We sat in companionable silence. It was a nice change from the animosity and tension that had surrounded us for so long. I'd missed him, I realized. â€Å"Eugenie?† â€Å"Hmm?† I glanced up, feeling embarrassed by my thoughts. â€Å"Why didn't you bring Roland with you? He could've fought unaffected. And God knows he doesn't want gentry power.† I looked away from those dark eyes, down at the fire's blue heart. â€Å"He doesn't want me to have gentry power either.† â€Å"Yeah, but he'd put that aside if he knew you were walking into – â€Å" â€Å"He doesn't know anything,† I said bluntly. My voice then grew soft. â€Å"We aren't speaking anymore.† â€Å"How †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Kiyo paused, no doubt trying to wrap his mind around this. â€Å"How is this possible?† I shrugged. â€Å"He cut me off. When he found out I'd been keeping the truth from him, about the Thorn Land and everything else †¦ Well, ever since what happened with Leith, he's refused to speak to or acknowledge me.† â€Å"But your mom †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Talks to me occasionally. She's caught in the middle, and I don't want to make it harder on her than it already is. She shouldn't have to go against her husband.† Kiyo's confusion was becoming anger. â€Å"Yeah, but you're her daughter! She should be able to – â€Å" â€Å"Just forget it, okay?† I drew my knees up to me and wrapped my arms around them to draw in more warmth. â€Å"I don't want to talk about it.† â€Å"Eug, I'm sorry.† I kept quiet. There was nothing to say. He cleared his throat. â€Å"I don't suppose you brought anything else to keep you warm? Blankets? Camping supplies?† â€Å"I didn't think about the possible overnight part,† I said, grateful for the subject shift. â€Å"I've got a change of clothes like these, food, weapons, and first aid supplies.† â€Å"You brought first aid stuff?† He sounded impressed. â€Å"It's not like you to think ahead. Er, I mean, you don't usually worry about – â€Å" â€Å"I know what you mean,† I said with a weary smile. â€Å"And don't worry, the universe is the same. I didn't plan ahead. It's for current injuries.† â€Å"Current?† â€Å"I got hit by a table.† There might be a million reasons that Kiyo and I were wrong for each other, but one nice thing was that when I made a statement like that, he just didn't question it. I was still freezing when it came time to sleep, forcing Kiyo into a bold suggestion. â€Å"Come sleep over here, between me and the fire. The cold doesn't bug me as much, and I can block the wind.† â€Å"Kiyo – â€Å" â€Å"Yeah, yeah. I know. Dorian. But if he wanted me here to protect you, then here's the perfect chance. Besides, we all know you can kick my ass if I try anything.† I said and did nothing. When this continued for about a minute, he sighed and lay down on his side, back to the wind. I attempted the same, after ordering Volusian to stay on watch, but even with the fire's warmth, I was still cold. I'm tough, I'm tough. I played those words over and over through my head, not wanting to admit weakness. After about fifteen minutes, I gave in and crawled over to Kiyo's side of the fire. There was no â€Å"I told you so.† He simply made room but was surprised when I positioned myself to face him. â€Å"I thought you'd want your back to me.† â€Å"Can't,† I said. â€Å"That's where the injuries are.† â€Å"From the table.† â€Å"Right.† He could have attempted propriety by turning over so his back faced me, but that would have put his face to the wind. He didn't deserve that. I wiggled myself closer, curling myself against his body, and resting my head against his chest. He was big enough that he did almost completely shield me. His whole body stood still as I made myself comfortable, either from his astonishment or for my ease. Once I was settled, he relaxed slightly and tried to put his arms around me. He suddenly fumbled and pulled them away, grazing my breast as he did. I don't know if he noticed. I certainly did. â€Å"Wait. Where are you hurt?† â€Å"Back. Left shoulder.† Tentatively, he reached out again and wrapped his arms around my waist. â€Å"This okay?† â€Å"Mmm-hmm.† Holding me, he shifted closer so that our bodies pressed together, holding in the warmth. â€Å"This?† â€Å"Fine.† He relaxed again and exhaled. Tucked against him, I couldn't see his face but had the sneaking suspicion that I wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight. Survival-wise, this plan was sound. I was warm(ish) now, protected and heated by him. But I was also pressed up against a body that I knew intimately, one that used to move in mine with a possessive fierceness. Dorian claimed me with mind games and exquisite acts of dominance. Kiyo had always done it through strength and ferocity, an animal taking his mate. I bit my lip and closed my eyes, hoping I'd fall asleep if I mentally enumerated the reasons we'd broken up. But mostly, I kept remembering how his hand had lightly rubbed my breast. Sleep finally took me, but it was a long time in coming. As I drifted off, I wondered how he was coping. This probably didn't affect him at all. If he really wasn't sleeping with Maiwenn again, then he was probably out picking up women all the time. Kitsunes had kind of a supernatural allure, and God knew he'd been pretty persuasive the night we'd met. I awoke a couple hours before dawn – and not by choice. Volusian's warning came only seconds before the surface below us began to tremble. I was up in a flash, but unsurprisingly, Kiyo had already beaten me. I'd gone to sleep with weapons, uncomfortable though it was. I hadn't known what I'd need out here, except that I wouldn't need the iron athame since this was a gentry-free zone. I had my gun (safety on) and the silver athame. Both were out as Kiyo and I stood back to back, staring around us. The tremors shook the ground, forcing some fancy footwork, and creating more of the cracks that already covered the ground. A few more seconds passed, and then all went still. â€Å"An earthquake?† I asked uncertainly. â€Å"No,† said Volusian. He was in his solid, two-legged form, staring around with narrowed eyes. It was a little disconcerting that he didn't seem to know precisely what the problem was. â€Å"Then what are we – â€Å" The ground below us suddenly split open. With only the light of the fire, my vision was bad, but I thought I saw what looked kind of like a serpentine shape emerge from the earth. No, it was exactly like a serpentine shape because a moment later, a giant fucking snake shot up and landed neatly in a perfect coil, its head towered over Kiyo and me as it regarded us with glowing green eyes. The light from them illuminated a flicking, forked tongue, and the loud hissing that followed was kind of a given. â€Å"Volusian!† I yelled. My minion sprang into action. The deadly touch of his hands made the snake jerk in surprise. Beside me, Kiyo was shifting into fox form, and I decided a gun was probably going to get me farther here than the athame's small blade. A drop of venom fell from the snake's mouth, and it sizzled when it hit the ground in front of me. Lovely. Still, I felt confident the three of us could take this thing. At least until the ground shook again, and another snake popped up. It was soon followed by a third. â€Å"Son of a bitch.† I deliberated, wondering if mass force on one snake at a time was the way to go. No. I'd leave Kiyo and Volusian to the first. I yelled a warning to Kiyo that the snake was poisonous, but it was hard to say if he understood. I turned on the two new snakes. Even with part of their bodies coiled, their heads stood a good ten feet above mine. More venom dropped before me. Deciding not to play favorites, I aimed the gun and quickly fired off a couple of rounds into each. I'd had the foresight to load up silver bullets, but it didn't look like the gun was going to kill the snakes anytime soon – at least not without fifty more shots. Mostly, the bullets seemed to piss them off more. Still, I kept firing since that seemed to make the snakes keep their distance. It proved to be a short-term solution, seeing as my bullets soon ran out. I reached for another clip. I could reload a gun quickly, but that pause gave one of the snakes an opening. Its head – no pun intended – snaked toward me, giving me a close-up view of large fangs. I'd been on guard for such an attack and jumped out of its way, only to be struck by the other's tail. It knocked me several feet away, causing me to lose my grip on the new cartridge. The cartridge disappeared into the night, and I landed hard on the ground. My back and shoulder screamed in agony, but I had no time to baby them. There were two other clips in my belt, but as one of the snakes came for me again, my hand went to the athame after all. The snake that had hit me leaned down, its face and dripping jaw inches from me. Rather than run again, I leaped forward and plunged the blade into its eye. It cried out in pain, suffering from the silver, just as any Otherworldy creature would. Well, actually, any creature with a knife in its eye would probably suffer, magical or not. I had the sense to jerk my athame out, having no desire either to lose the blade or get pulled along as the snake reared back up. The suffering of its pal made the other hold off. In those moments, I shoved the athame back into my belt, yelping in surprise. Apparently, the snake's eye was poisonous too, and whatever liquid had come away with the blade ate through my jeans and burned my skin. Nonetheless, I managed to get another cartridge loaded. Without hesitation, I turned and emptied the entire gun into the snake's head. I wasn't precise enough to hit the eye, but all those bullets took their toll. The snake wavered in the air, blood mixing with venom on its skin, and with a last hiss of pain, it fell over and slammed into the ground. Wondering why the other snake hadn't come for me, I spun around and saw Volusian and Kiyo attacking it. I took it on faith that the first one was dead and loaded the gun with my last cartridge. Volusian's touch was searing the snake's skin, and Kiyo was simply ripping into it with his teeth. Opting for what seemed tried and true, I fired into the snake's head again. Between the three of us, we soon literally took the snake down. I stood there tense and ready, empty gun in one hand and athame in the other. The world was silent except for the wind and the occasional twitching of the third snake as it died. Moments later, Kiyo morphed out of the fox shape, giving me a better view of any injuries now that he wasn't covered in fur. He grimaced and spit on the ground a few times, but biting the snake apparently hadn't destroyed his mouth or face. A couple red spots on his arms made me think he too had been splattered with the venom. Otherwise, he looked unharmed. He sighed and raked a hand through his black hair, which was curling slightly from sweat. â€Å"You know,† he said. â€Å"I don't think I'll ever be able to bring myself to watch Dune again.†

Yet 3 More Cases of Dangling Modifiers

Yet 3 More Cases of Dangling Modifiers Yet 3 More Cases of Dangling Modifiers Yet 3 More Cases of Dangling Modifiers By Mark Nichol In each of the following sentences, a phrase that is intended to modify the core of the sentence is treated as if it is associated with the subject, but a flaw in the sentence construction leaves the modifier dangling, hence the phrase denoting this type of error. Discussion after each example points out the problem, and revisions demonstrate the solution. 1. We’ll give you more detailed information before making your application. This sentence is intended to assure the reader that helpful information will be provided before he or she completes an application, but the wording implies that â€Å"we,† the entity sending the information, will complete the application for the reader. The statement should therefore be revised to explicitly express the intended idea: â€Å"We’ll give you more detailed information before you make your application.† 2. The suspect entered the apartment via an unlocked balcony door and confronted three female tenants while sleeping. Here, the implication is that the suspect was sleepwalking. But the tenants, not the suspect, were asleep during the incident, and as in the previous example, a pronoun- one alluding to the former rather than the latter- as well as a helpful verb, must be inserted: â€Å"The suspect entered the apartment via an unlocked balcony door and confronted three female tenants while they were sleeping.† 3. When delivered in a fresh, artistic way, children will seize on writing as they do art and drawing. It is writing (more accurately, writing instruction), not children, that is being delivered in the manner described, and the sentence construction must convey this idea: â€Å"When delivered in a fresh, artistic way, writing will be seized on by children as eagerly as art and drawing.† Alternatively, to maintain active voice, writing can be relocated to the introductory modifying phrase and its original instance replaced with a pronoun: â€Å"When writing is delivered in a fresh, artistic way, children will seize on it as they do art and drawing.† Click here to view three more cases of dangling modifiers. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:70 Idioms with Heart16 Misquoted Quotations20 Names of Body Parts and Elements and Their Figurative Meanings

Affect vs. Effect

Affect vs. Effect Affect vs. Effect Affect vs. Effect By Mark Nichol Among the pairs of words writers often confuse, affect and effect might be the most perplexing, perhaps because their meanings are so similar. Affect, derived from affectus, from the Latin word afficere, â€Å"to do something to, act on,† is easily conflated with effect, borrowed from Anglo-French, ultimately stemming from the Latin word effectus, from efficere, â€Å"to bring about.† Whats the difference between affect and effect? Affect is usually a verb, meaning to influence or act upon. Example: The loss of his father affected him profoundly. Effect is usually a noun, meaning the result of an action. Example: What will be the effect of closing Main Street? Below you will find less common meanings and related or derivative words. Affect The various senses of affect, each followed by a sentence demonstrating them, follow: A noun meaning â€Å"mental state†: â€Å"In his report, the psychiatrist, noting his lack of expression or other signs of emotion, described his affect as flat.† A verb meaning â€Å"to produce an effect, to influence†: â€Å"I knew that my opinion would affect her choice, so I deliberately withheld it.† A verb meaning â€Å"to pretend† or â€Å"to put on†: â€Å"She tried to affect an air of nonchalance, though she was visibly agitated.† Words with affect as the root, followed by their use in a sentence, include the following: Affectation: A noun meaning â€Å"self-conscious behavior†: â€Å"The girl’s affectation of sophisticated maturity was undercut by the relentless snapping of her chewing gum.† Affection: A noun meaning â€Å"kind or loving emotion†: â€Å"Her grandfather’s deep affection for her was obvious in his heartwarming smile.† Disaffected: An adjective meaning â€Å"discontented, rebellious†: â€Å"Disaffected youth dismayed by the poor job market and the larger issue of a society that does not seem to value them have been joining the protest movement in ever greater numbers.† (This word is a case of an antonym that has outlived the original term from which it was derived in counterpoint; writers and speakers no longer express, in the sense of â€Å"favorably disposed,† that a person is affected.) Unaffected: An adjective with two distinct senses: the literal meaning of â€Å"not influenced or altered† (â€Å"They seemed disturbingly unaffected by the tragic news†) and the surprisingly older, figurative meaning â€Å"genuine† (â€Å"The youth’s candid, unaffected demeanor appealed to her after the stilted arrogance of her many suitors†). Effect The various senses of effect, each followed by a sentence demonstrating them, follow: A noun meaning â€Å"the result of a cause†: â€Å"The effect of the lopsided vote was a loss of confidence in the chairman.† A noun meaning â€Å"an impression†: â€Å"The soft, gentle tone has a calming effect.† A noun, usually in plural form, meaning â€Å"personal property, possession†: â€Å"Among the effects found in the deceased man’s pockets was a small book with his name self-inscribed.† A verb meaning â€Å"to accomplish†: â€Å"His newfound sense of responsibility effected a positive change in her attitude toward him.† Words with effect as the root, followed by their use in a sentence, include the following: Aftereffect: A noun, usually in plural form, meaning â€Å"something that follows a cause†: â€Å"The aftereffects of the decision are still being felt years later.† Effective: An adjective meaning â€Å"successful†: â€Å"The insect repellent was effective at keeping the mosquitoes at bay, which made for a pleasant outing.† Effectual: An adjective meaning â€Å"able to produce a desired effect†: â€Å"Our conclusion is that mediation is an effectual strategy for obtaining a mutually satisfying outcome.† The noun efficiency and the adjective efficient, though not based on the root effect, share its etymological origin and mean, respectively, â€Å"productivity† and â€Å"productive† in the sense of accomplishing something with a minimum of effort in relation to outcome. Efficacy (â€Å"the power to produce a desired effect†) and efficacious (â€Å"able to produce a desired effect†) are also related. Another, unexpected word of related origin is feckless (â€Å"weak, worthless†), which is rare and has lost its antonym, feckful, through long disuse. Feck is a shortened form of effect developed in Scottish English. Quotations from newspapers Tariff winners and losers: How Trumps trade spat could affect shoppers. President Trumps imposition of tariffs on imported (www.usatoday.com) 405,000 years, gravitational tugs from the planets Jupiter and Venus gradually affect Earths climate and life forms, according to a new study. (www.usatoday.com) he says. â€Å"You can eat as much as you like, you can slob about, you can drink as much alcohol as you like – the effect is very modest compared with these other two factors.† Human beings are biologically engineered for (www.theguardian.com) European Union tariffs take effect in Trump fight: How they will hit American productsThe Europe (www.usatoday.com) Video Recap A Quick and Easy Way to Know Whether to Use Affect or Effect Remember, a general rule of thumb is that â€Å"affect† is usually a verb (a â€Å"doing word†) and â€Å"effect† is usually a noun (something you can put â€Å"the† in front of). This doesn’t apply all the time, of course – as we’ve seen above, there are lots of ways in which the words â€Å"effect† and â€Å"affect† can be used. It’s a good place to begin, though, if you’re unsure which you want. Here’s a sample sentence: I don’t think this will [affect/effect] the budget. Which word, affect or effect, is correct? An easy way to figure this out is to replace â€Å"affect† with the verb â€Å"alter† and see if the sentence works: I don’t think this will alter the budget. Yes – it still makes sense, so â€Å"affect† is the word you want. Here’s another sentence: We haven’t yet experienced the full [affect/effect] of climate change. Can we use â€Å"affect† here? Try replacing it with â€Å"alter†: We haven’t yet experienced the full alter of climate change. No, that doesn’t make sense at all. How about â€Å"effect†? Try replacing that with the noun â€Å"end result†: We haven’t yet experienced the full end result of climate changes. It’s a slightly inelegant sentence – but it does work grammatically. So â€Å"effect† is the word you want here. This rule won’t work for every single situation, but in most cases, it’ll help you quickly select the word that you want. What About Affect as a Noun and Effect as a Verb? It’s fairly rare to come across â€Å"affect† used as a noun: as we saw above, when it is used in this way, it means â€Å"mental state†. You might encounter it in some older works or fairly scientific ones about psychiatry. It’s a little more common to come across â€Å"effect† used as a verb, though this is still fairly rare and it can seem a little old-fashioned in this context. It’s used to mean â€Å"brought about† or â€Å"accomplished† – e.g. â€Å"The rapid changes she made after she got the job effected a complete turnaround in the company’s financial position.† In any case where you’re uncertain, though, it’s likely that affect is a verb (replace it with â€Å"alter† to check) and effect is a noun (replace it with â€Å"end result† to check). Affect vs Effect Quiz For each sentence, select which word should be used: 1. The budget cuts will inevitably [affect/effect] our department. affect effect 2. The [affect/effect] of getting up early is that you can make a great start on the day before most people are out of bed. effect affect 3. Smoking will seriously [affect/effect] your health. affect effect 4. Many people find that regular exercise has a positive [affect/effect] on their mental health. effect affect Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Handy Expressions About Hands"Owing to" vs "Due to"50 Tips on How to Write Good

Conclusion of the film Whatever Works Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Conclusion of the film Whatever Works - Essay Example The most important thing in the film is Boris, the leading character of the story, and how his assurance about the truth gets turned upside down. Boris, an expansive atheist with partial disposition to paranoia, seems like a man who is too much skeptic about the world and believes that he knows the way things are. The character of Boris is rather arrogant and extremely negative, although for some reasons he constantly want to fasten his world view to everyone he meets. Thus, thanks to Boris, the main message of the entire movie is quite obvious, because it speaks literally in every movement and dialogue in the film. The nihilistic main character meets a girl who is opposite to him and eventually he expands his world view on her with the difference that he knows the essence of things and she doesn’t realize it. At the very beginning of the story Boris takes the stance that he knows the truth about the word but further circumstances and what they turn into prove to him that thin gs not always work predictably. Notwithstanding that at the end Boris still keeps claiming that he is the only one who sees the entire picture. The interesting thing here is that Boris’ position is rather straight and it is supposed to be changed by all the circumstances and become gentler, still it turns out that he always knew the entire picture, and despite his straight assurance, all the changes actually have fit his world view. Perhaps, the most provocative ting in the movie is the position Boris was trying to prove to everyone. He claims rather nihilistic things about God, he laughs at American values, and hates people (but simultaneously he can’t stand living without them). But with all the new circumstances and changes in Boris’ world, viewers start realizing that the world view is not the most provocative thing in the movie, but life itself is. The movie eventually turns into the art house one,

World Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

World Systems - Essay Example World systems are hence a system that has been developed by a historian Immanuel Wallerstein. He talked about economic forces interacting not within limits, rather on a global basis. This he said would be because of globalization and trade links throughout the world. However, he also said that the when world cannot be said to be in regards with this, rather it can be said that these changes and interactions can be talked to be about on a large scale. He gave the idea of the existence of three factors that shall be talked about in the following paragraphs. He related his ideas to capitalist and non-capitalist movements. He explained how certain societies developed while others did not because of their positions on world today and previously. These societies obviously in the context of social systems in accordance with world's systems approach. (Answers.com, n.d.) World systems theory does not come under social sciences by any way. It basically creates a wholesome form of a theory that takes into account economic, political and social characteristics and phenomenon that can be related to the events occurring throughout the world. Immanuel Wallerstein came up with this theory. His approach was very provocative and would focus on not just mere analytical proof rather on justifications related to psychological as well as ideological in nature. World systems approach aims at being a telescope rather than a microscope so as to focus on events and speculate accordingly. Global interaction is a main aim to understanding how events occur throughout the world. Wallerstein talked about world systems exiting in three categories. These categories being pertinent to specific areas places and countries. These three categories include the following: Core Periphery Semi-periphery The differences between rich and poor can be shown through the relationship that is depicted by core and periphery. This shows also, the income disparities that exist between the two. Semi periphery however, is more complex. It basically has a relationship with the others that is a little difficult to understand and relate to. Wallerstein overall had the grasp of all the key elements or categories and hence could then be used in the controlling forces that define the changes that occur initiating or maintaining changes and movement in the world. Wallerstein was one often first to think of a system that was different than the earlier developed theories relating to nations and countries and their movements or changes. He described how this theory can be used to study further how all global entities interact with each other. This theory was developed after the Marxist one. The latter provided concepts relating to how different individual units like each country go through each stage of functioning that is either development, sustaining or even in some cases under- development. Dependency theories as they were called would focus on "unequal exchange' that is richer countries would be forced into having trading partnerships with poorer countries so that transfer of excess surplus from the rich countries to the poor ones could take place. Theorists claiming and supporting such views were people by the names of Frank, Samir Amin, Celsu Fertudo, and Henrique Cordoso. (Sommers, 2005) Effects In and during this century, we can see the effects of world systems on events by various examples. For instance, world labor regime when developed it brought ILO or international Labor Organization to it. Now, when this