The Role of Women in Perfume and the Assault

The Role of Women in Perfume and The Assault In most cases, women are portrayed either as mother, lovers or people that fulfill men’s sexual needs. Both Perfume by Patrick Suskind and The Assault by Harry Mulisch is no exception. However, the reader might notice that in both novels women are portrayed in a flat, two-dimensional way and yet, paradoxically, have a significant symbolic value. The women of these novels seem to project the protagonists’ needs for these kinds of love and without them the novel would not exist. Therefore, they are not important for who they are, but rather for what they represent- the maternal and sexual love for men. In The Assault, Anton’s mother barely appears in the novel and yet we can notice how her subtly strong character had left a mark on Anton’s life. Her importance lays in what she represents in his childhood memory- a strong woman who is the core of the family. â€Å" †¦ She had a cavity in her tooth that could not be treated just then; to relieve the pain she had found a leftover clove in the kitchen to put on the sore spot, just as her mother and grandmother used to do. She sat up straight, but her husband across the table was bent over, reading a book. † (Mulish,10) Though this is a little detail that Mulisch had added, it characterizes her by inferring that she was strong. A contributing factor could be the setting of the novel. They were in time of war and the circumstances force her to be strong. We can also see a contrast between the mother and the father, the father was bending while she was sitting straight up. This infers that she was the more dominant figure. Therefore, even though Anton had lost both parents. The reader notices that Anton later on seeks Truus and Saskia to replace her, but does not search for anyone to replace his father. Truus who is also barely appears in the novel is a proof of how Anton never fully recovered of losing his mother. She was present in a time where he needed her affection. However, she is like a bridge to Anton between maternal and sexual love. â€Å"He touched her fingers; she took hold of his hand and pulled him close. On the cot she embraced him with one arm and with her other hand pressed his head against her breast. She smelled of sweat but also of something sweetish that he couldn’t identify. Perhaps it was perfume. † (Mulish, 32). Though she represents security and love like his mother did to him. The word choice by Mulisch insinuates Anton’s sexual awakening. The fact that they are on a ‘cot’ or a bed highlights the intimacy. She embraced him like a mother would embrace her child, however the focus on her ‘breasts’ arouses sexual feelings in Anton which he will realize later on in his life. Moreover, in the absence of light and presence of complete darkness, Anton cannot use his sight that is where the tactile and olfactory sense becomes heightened. This causes the scene to be more intense in the reader’s head. Saskia who is Anton’s first wife is also a two dimensional character in the book that is only present as Anton’s image of Truss. When Anton grows up he realizes that Truus was more than a mother figure to him. â€Å"There was nothing wrong with Saskia’s looking like the idea of Truus. Truus had under these circumstances, aroused an image in his mind to which Saskia seemed to respond, and that was fine, for it was not Truus’s image, but his own, and where it came from was unimportant†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Mulish, 131) The use of the word ‘aroused’ has a sexual connotation which came from the fact he felt intimacy in the dark and as a young boy, though unconsciously this intimacy aroused something inside him. Truus became like a fantasy of love that he perused. Saskia represents that love that he needed. Moreover, the addition of ‘under the circumstances’ insinuates that at the previous moment Anton needed certain affection which was in a form of a mother. However, now he needs it in a non-platonic form. This is where it shows that Anton never wholly recovered from losing his mother. As Sigmund Freud’s theory suggests, a man unconsciously marries a mother figure. Therefore, since Truus seemed to represent a mother figure and Saskia is his image of Truus, the mother figure in this novel is linked with romantic interest. Due to all the events that had happened to Anton, the woman he encounters in the dark (Truus) embodies his need for courageous, maternal and erotic love. This makes the two dimensional character Saskia, a symbol for his erotic desire. Anton in this passage is trying to reassure himself that where Saskia’s image came from is ‘unimportant’, however later on the readers realize that it actually does matter to him as they get divorced. Similarly to The Assault, the women in Perfume are portrayed very superficially and like Sasika, they represent erotic love. Although Grenouille seems uninterested in sex, there are many sexual parallels. In passages where Grenouille smells the women, Suskind describes it very sexually. â€Å"†¦ he (Grenouille) tore off her dress, and the stream of scent became a flood that inundated him its fragrance. He thrust his face to her skin and wept his flared nostrils across her, from belly to breast, to neck, over her face and hair.. †¦ down her genitals, to her thighs and white legs. † (Suskind, 45). Suskind uses imagery to form an image the reader’s mind. Like Mulisch did in the scene where Anton meets Truus, Suskind highlights the olfactory sense rather than others. This makes us smell the women and almost feel Grenouille’s sensation. He describes the power of the scent as a flood of water that moves towards Grenouille and floods him. He is completely taken over by it as if it were sexual feelings. However, he has no interest in the girl herself, but rather what she possesses. Here is where he parallels to Anton, who is not interested in whom Truus was but in what she represents to him. Stripping the females from their scent degrades them and reveals how Grenouille, like Anton, extracts what he needs of the woman and forgets about her as a whole. The remains of the females, which are their individualities, are forgotten like dead flower petals. â€Å"They lay on the surface for a moment, like eyes facing instant death, and lost all the color the moment the spatula pushed them down into the warm, oily embrace. †¦And it was not that the dead blossoms continued to give off scent there in the oil – no, the oil itself had appropriated the scent of the blossoms. † (Suskind, 181). This is the processes that Grenouille uses to steal scents from girls. Therefore, the blossoms here are a metaphor for the girls. This insinuates that they are only important for their scent which pleases Grenouille. The rest of the girl, which is her personality and her individuality all lies insignificantly on the surface ‘like eyes facing instant death’. Suskind continues to say how the blossoms had lost their color the moment Grenouille pushed the spatula. Sine color is what makes them beautiful it is insinuated that when Grenouille steals their scents, they are no longer beautiful for their inner selves. This makes Grenouille selfish. Anton and him extract what they need from the women and forget about her a whole. They do this to replace love that they were deprived of in their childhood. Like Anton Grenouille is deprived of his mother’s love and losing her has had a crucial impact on him. Since there is a thin line between different kinds of love, Grenouille, who is missing maternal love projects his needs in a sexual way. HE steals the essence of women for his own personal pleasure. â€Å"They lay on the surface for a moment, like eyes facing instant death, and lost all the color the moment the spatula pushed them down into the warm, oily embrace. And it was not that the dead blossoms continued to give off scent there in the oil – no, the oil itself had appropriated the scent of the blossoms. †(Suskind, 181) The use of specific time emphasizes the extent of Grenouille’s love- with the scent. Smell is always a strong sense that people associate with people they care for. It is intimate. Therefore it seems like non-platonic love. Moreover, the fact that Suskind writ es that Grenouille is not in love with the girl, but the scent emphasizes how Grenouille, like Anton uses women to project his needs. In conclusion, both Mulisch and Suskind do not show any effort in making the reader know the female characters deeply. Some women even remain unnamed for the whole novel! However, their presence is extremely crucial for the protagonists. Women are a projection of men’s needs. Some people may be offended when noticing such aspects of the portrayal of women in these two novels. There are two interpretations to why the authors portrayed the women that way. They could be either critiquing society for objectifying women or this portrayal reflects the authors’ own opinions

Conformity and Obedience Essay

Compliance means doing what other people in our social standing do in our daily lives. Most people, in most social groups, conform in everyday things like speech, dress codes, eating habits etc. This kind of conformity is known as ‘’Social control’’- the numerous pressure as individuals grow turns them from babies into members of our society. The main agencies of social control are the family, the peer group, the media, religion, employment and the law. All of these encourage conformity of one kind or another. The conformity types of behaviour are called ‘’social norms’’ Social norms; these are the normal types of behaviour in normal social groups * Age groups * Colleges and classes in college * People of same social economic background * Women/Men * Ethnic groups The role of self-esteem in Conformity; Low self-esteem is linked to feelings of insecurity. Research has tended to show that people with low self-esteem, or low feelings of security, are most likely to be the people that would conform. It is believed that those with low self-esteem can increase their sense of personal security if they belong to a group and adopting its norms because there is ‘’safety in numbers’’ Self-esteem is related to how a person has been brought up, academical performance and to economic and family background. The relevance of conformity in the uniformed public services: The uniformed public services encourage conformity among their members in various ways: Uniform and rank structures, working in teams, espirit de corps, and by having social clubs, sports clubs, and other activities which encourage individuals to mix and socialise outside working hours. The message from the uniformed public services is that conformity is a good thing for their image and for the work of each service. Conformity can be used to be a strong bonding force in the uniformed public services, but if it becomes to strong then this can sometimes lead to problems. In a diverse csociety people are different, and they are usuall quite proud of their differeences, it is what makes them unique. People criticse the public services because they feel that to many of the services have too many white males. In general they are good at their jobs, but they tend to be full of themselves and have that â€Å"bullish† attitude. This means that they have become less welcoming to the female or ethnic minority recruits, aswell as gays and lesbians. The feeling is that these men have been conforming one another so that they exclude everbody else and this they hope will put off new recruits. Obedience basically means the act of carrying out an order As a practice, it means that orders are carried out regularly and that these orders are carried out with dependence. As a quality, it is a habit that people develop that allows them to follow orders without delay and without complaint. Obedience differs from conformity. When someone conforms, they do something without being asked to do it. E. g. An officer who would wear their uniform on duty. Where as, when someone obeys, they do what they are told to. E. g. A soldier following an order to shoot somebody. Following orders; In thte uniformed public services being able to follow orders quickly and promptly is an absolute must. This does not mean that employees are robots and do exactly what they are told all the time, but the short of it is whenever an order has to be obeyed then it has to be obeyed. Due to this reason, people who are not able or prepared to follow an order, are not likely to be employed in the uniformed public services. Even though employees in the uniformed public services have an obligation to follow orders, the people giving the orders have an obligation to give orders that are reasonable and are justified. Orders are part of the general drive towards discipline orders help to give the uniform services structure and keep everything intact. Conscious and unconscious obedience; Those who have very little experience in following orders join a uniformed public service may have problems following orders and may have to make themselves do so. Though after a while it may become very natural to them and they just get used to obeying to orders. The move from having conscious to unconscious obedience. In order to be a public servant the uniformed public services stress that a servant has both conscious and unconscious bedience. the first so work id done in a discipline and organized manner. The second in emergencies were instinct and instant response is needed. Unconscious obedience is not the same as blind obedience. Compliance; Compliance is doing something that other people want you to do. Though sometimes like â€Å"compliance with common practices† this is seen as conformity. In other contexts such as â€Å"compliance with an order† this will mean obedience. Depending on the context, compliance can have different meanings, compliance could be willing or it could obedience in which the person is happy to follow orders. Some feel that compliance is forced upon people. Compliance also means to obedient to rules, regulations and laws. Within the uniform services willing, cheerful obedience is good because it suggests that the team is happy and working well. Status as a factor in obedience The same is in the uniformed public services as in life, if an order is giving it is more likely to be obeyed by someone if the person giving the order is of a higher status. In the uniformed services status usually will mean rank, and orders will most of the time come from the higher ranks to the lower ranks. Those at lower ranks only really get to suggest ideas. Though someone times exceptions will occur to the norm of higher telling lower what to do. For example if someone is an expert in an area they will be given temporary authority. Therefore for that short period the expert is the boss. This might be seen in a road traffic accident where the police would be the one with the higher status until the vehicles become on fire then the Fire service become the bosses because they are the experts. Influences These factors can change the nature of the orders or how they are received by individuals. Fear – This is fear of punishment, of loss of rank, physical beating or of peer-group ridicule. All of these may contribute to people obeying orders that they would not normally obey. Fear of a person (e. g. a commanding officer) should not be the motivating factor for obeying orders. If an individual is following orders due to fear this would suggest that there is some form of harrasment, poor team relationships or levels of understanding are bad. These are potential serious problems iin the Uniformed Public services. The likes of bullying can be a serious problem and can face people with leaving, driven to depression or even taking their own lives. Reward- Rewards are used as an incentive to follow orders, but should only take the form of appraisal, and not gifts. Giving rewards that would be considered obvious lays those handing them out to be seen as having favourites or corrupted. As everyone is to be considered equals favouritism in the Uniformed Public Service is not something that is illegal. Love- Love can sometimes mean intense admiration for some. For e. g. Soldiers may get very close to each during hard times and begin to consider people like a family member. This may also love their country. This type of love can make people be highly obedient and can sometimes lead to self-sacrifice. Sexual love or falling in love can happen in the uniformed public services, and can be seen as bad for obedience as love can blind people. This is why women were not allowed in the armed forces and so were homosexuals until 2000. It was felt that love undermined service discipline. Respect- Within the uniformed public services there are two types of respect: * Respect due to rank- e. g. saluting a senior officer * Personal respect for individuals. Both act as a stimulus for obedience and conformity and do so without undermining authority.

Managers Report for Team Researching Ethics Essay

Managers Report for Team Researching Ethics - Essay Example Each team member knows what his role his, and he does his best to fulfill it. So far, there has not been any whining, complaining, or laziness in any of the team members' attitudes. We all work well together, and it seems as if everyone has enjoyed working on this project. Steve did most of the work preparing the PowerPoint presentation, but he didn't seem to mind much. The rest of the team members were allowed to have some input on what went into the presentation and on what was said during the presentation, since each of us took a part of it. The only main interpersonal problem that came up in the meeting was that DJ was being kind of a nuisance to the rest of the group. There were times that he would say things to throw us off track, and this irritated the rest of us. It was easy to deal with, though, because I just told him that he was bothering us, and he quit. When he stayed on task, he did come up with some very good ideas. Also, he talked a lot, which helped the other members of the group (especially the ones who didn't say much) open up more and share more of their ideas. There have been no other major problems, stresses, or challenges. As mentioned before, everyone gets along with each other, for the most part. And, even when tense situations do come up, they are easy to deal with because each person in the group respects all the others, and we are all willing to work together to make this project successful. Our team's special streng... Our team's special strength is its ability to work together to accomplish a common goal. We can all see what needs to be done, and we are all willing to cooperate with each other to do it. Each person takes responsibility for his own work, and no one tries to take all the praise for the team's efforts for himself. We are all aware that we have each played a role in the successful completion of this project. Since this is the end of the project, there is not much that needs to be done to enhance the team's dynamics. Really, not much would need to be done, anyway, since this team has worked so well together throughout the course of the project. Comments on my experience as a manager I planned on reviewing and finalizing the research paper and the PowerPoint presentation that was presented on Thursday, December 7. I planned on assigning the parts of the presentation each person was responsible for, and timing how long the entire presentation was. I also planned to schedule a time when we could do a dress rehearsal of the presentation as a group. I kept everyone on task, as much as possible, and directed the meeting to the best of my abilities, stressing the importance of class participation and attendance. I would say, since all of these goals were met, that I was very successful at accomplishing them all. My take-charge attitude served me very well in my role as team manager. Evidence of this is the fact that I did not let DJ distract us from getting our work done. The paper and the presentation were reviewed and finalized, and our future meetings were scheduled. Also, my interpersonal awareness helped me to notice

Neanderthal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Neanderthal - Essay Example They also used arrow and spear to capture animal for food. Neanderthals used to hunt in small groups through surrounding the intended prey. During that time, they had the capacity of identifying the best animal for their consumption. They substantiated the meat they hunted with other natural roots and leaves. Women and other weaker members of the society also used to gather fruits to be consumed together with the hunted meats (Mason 78). Neanderthals make stone tools. However, this was during their old period of their emergence. Some of the stone tools made were used for slaughtering animals, digging, construction of their dwelling areas, and for other house hold activities. Stone tools were made by qualified member of the society. These specialists were among the most respected members of the society. As time move on, Neanderthals adopted other forms of tools. They came up with other tools which were more appropriate at that time. Some of the common tools at that time were stone flakes and all-purpose scrappers. These tools were used for all purpose of work in the society. During the upper Paleolithic, more tools were made from different materials and in different forms. The need for more specialist and tools for specific purpose necessitated the process. Craftsmen at this time also had specialist knowledge to make special tools from different materials. Some of the material which was used to make tools was bones, antlers, and some other right metals (McMullin 89). Neanderthal also used fire in their daily activities. At their early periods of their existence, Neanderthals were not aware of the existence of fire. They consumed raw meats, leaves and fruits. However, during their advanced ages of their existence, they developed the idea of the existence and use of fire. Neanderthals used fire in different facets of their lives. During this stage, they used fire to roast meat. They also used fire to warm their bodies at night and during cold seasons.

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 40

History - Essay Example pite the English colonies not having representatives in parliament in England, by the end of seventeenth century all English colonies had some form of representative assembly which more or less resembled the House of Commons in structure and functions. McGeehan and Gall assert that there were four major landmarks that shaped American constitutional government: Magna carter (1215), Bill of Rights (1689), Common law and Bicameral legislature (3). The kings in England used to have absolute authority over subjects but the Magna carter made them subject to law giving parliament power over tax levies. To tame the powers of the King, it was necessary to establish Representative governments whereby the people had a say in governance. Such governments were thus vital to colonies in attracting investors. The Bill of Rights in 1689 limited the power of kings and queens further as it disallowed interference with parliamentary elections and debates and kings could not suspend laws or levy taxes without parliament consent. On the other hand, rights developed from common law protected citizens from tyrannical governments. England had a bicameral legislature comprising House of Lords comprising clergy and nobility and House of Commons for wealthy middle class. This was the method adopted by English colonists. Before settlement therefore, the colonists had the idea of a limited government (McGeehan & Gall 3-5). The colonists in New World wanted a government where people were first thus the establishment of representative governments with Virginia being the first to establish the House of Burgesses in 1619 (Ushistory.org). Other colonists followed by establishing assemblies. For example, Plymouth had the Mayflower Compact, Massachusetts had the General Court, Connecticut had Fundamental Orders of Government while Rhode Island operated on principle of separation of church and state (McGeehan & Gall 3-5). Colonies were headed by governor and council who had executive powers of

Managing Work and people( research report) Paper

Managing Work and people( report) - Research Paper Example The leaders have long been considered as the ruling personality in the business and working environment. However, the theories of leadership provide different grounds to leadership styles. Leadership is now believed to be a more flexible and dynamic approach to lead a team than ever. This paper aims to provide a more logical and less rigid perspective of leadership in the context of business environment. The theories related to leadership involving charismatic leadership, contingency perspective and path-goal theory are discussed in this paper. The paper also provides an account on the challenges that leaders face these days due to modern concepts like globalization, technological advancements and diversity. This paper also provides a personal reflection on the practical application of leadership styles and forms a conclusion based on the discussions on different topics related to leadership. The leadership approach that is being supported in this paper is ‘the contingency lead ership approach’. Leadership: The Concepts and Issues The Conceptual Definition of Leadership The concept of leadership is no longer a mystery. ... This paper analyzes the perspectives and styles of leadership and aims to form a conclusion based on the research on authoritative and participative leadership styles. Traits of an Effective Leader A leader is the person who puts forward the plan, explains success, and confirms the capability of success. It is clear that a leader who assures these things will be more competent than other leader who desires to put the idea but refuses to accept any work in the managerial part (Clark, Clark & Albright, 1990). Hence, effective leader is the one who have power over people and whose decisions are binding on others. Everyone possesses leadership potential. Effective Leadership can, & normally does, emerge from the inside. Effective leadership requires the leader to take the whole group along. It is not necessary to involve the whole group in decisions regarding the group’s success however; the members of group are ‘helpers’. These ‘helpers’, if motivated an d encouraged to work together, may quicken the process of success. This is what my experience led me to realize. The first experience as a night shift manager of a small hotel was the most difficult phase of my life. I hardly knew how to handle the staff and motivate them to work speedily and accurately. Leaders in the service industry need to be more attentive since the customers and workers are in a direct contact. The motivational theories helped a lot in running the business successfully from the very beginning of my professional career. Challenges to the Organizational Leaders: The five challenges as described by Yukl (2001) involve the challenges in achieving ethical leadership, gender

B-Corp Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

B-Corp Business - Essay Example In order to become a B-Corp, there exists the whole certification process named â€Å"B-Corp Certification†. This certification implies the process of validating the company’s social and environmental performance which is measured through the special impact assessment framework (Bcorporation.net, n.d.). The process of certification has three stages: meet performance requirement; meet legal requirement; and make it official (Bcorporation.net, n.d.). The company’s performance is assessed based on the overall impact which it has on the stakeholders. This assessment is lasting for 1-3 hours, depending on the company’s size, location, and sector in which it operates. Then, one of the B Lab staff members appoints an Assessment Review session in order to clarify questions and enable the company to refine the answers (Bcorporation.net, n.d.). In case the company’s score is between 80-200 points, the B Corp team members provide the applicant with information on how to submit supporting documentation. When Assessment review stage is completed, the company has to complete Disclosure Questionnaire, where it informs about any sensitive practices, sanctions and fines related to this company or its partners (Bcorporation.net, n.d.). While the majority of such disclosures are not essential, there are cases when there are material disclosures which require more attention. In this case, the company’s management will need to provide more information on this issue. Decision about acceptance and membership/participation of the company in the B Corp community is made by the B Lab’s Board of Directors and Standards Advisory Council (Bcorporation.net, n.d.). The B Corp Certification process should be completed every two years. As it has been already mentioned the B Corp community is comprised of more than 1000 businesses. These companies operate in 60 different

FBI in China Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

FBI in China - Dissertation Example The case of China is often largely cited in literature as one of the successful stories, of FDI investments. This essay on FDI in China aims to discuss various critical issues related to the policies and strategies implemented by the Chinese government to attract foreign funds, the status of labour market in China prior to and post the introduction of FDI, the political framework, the labour market conditions and the availability of infrastructure, etc among others. It also discusses the relationship between labour market conditions and its impact on FDI with the help of various case studies and examples. Contents Sr. # Topic Pg. # 1. Introduction 3 2. Historical origins and background 4 2.1. Trends in FDI in China 5 2.1.1. Current trends 9 2.2. Types of FDI in China 10 2.2.1. Sino-foreign joint ventures 11 2.2.2. Sino-foreign contractual (or co-operative) joint venture 12 2.2.3 Wholly owned foreign enterprise 13 2.3. Stages of FDI in China 14 2.3.1. Experimental stage 14 2.3.2. Grow th stage 15 2.3.3. Boom stage 16 2.4. Influence of labour market on FDI 17 3. Key Determinants of FDI in China 18 3.1. Market size and structure 18 3.2. Labour market condition 19 3.3. Availability of Infrastructure 20 3.4. Political framework and introduction of policies 21 4. Examples and Case studies 22 5. Impact and Implications of FDI on the Chinese economy 24 6. Conclusion 25 References 26 1. Introduction Foreign-direct investment in China is by far one of the greatest success stories in terms of attracting international investments across all sectors during the past couple of decades. The People's Republic of China through its revolutionary economic policies managed to attract significant foreign investments surpassing almost all the developing countries in a relatively short period of time. From a humble beginning of 100 foreign-owned firms in the year 1979, China rapidly catapulted to a position of one of the most attractive destinations for foreign investment. By the year 1998 the number grew to as many as 280,000 (See Appendix Table 1) (Facts and details, 2012). A significant reason for the radical increase in inward FDI in the country is attributed to the large scale economic reforms and open-door-policy adopted by it. According to these policies, Special Economic Zones were created in four major cities in China, in the year 1979. The key objective behind this strategic move was to gain experience and expertise of international technologies as well as management skills and boost the country's economy in the process (Wei, 1995). This move was followed by opening up of fourteen other cities to foreign firms in the year 1984 whereby concessions were offered to foreign firms to lure them into investing in the SEZs which included provision of special facilities for funding and infrastructure development (Yeh, 2000). As a consequence of such persistent efforts on the part of the Chinese Government more and more cities were made accessible to the foreign firms, thus successfully reducing unemployment and promoting economic growth. With increased attention from the international investors, and the economic reform policies China managed to attain membership in the WTO thus officially marking its entry in the international club (such as IMF, and World Bank). This further helped the country in garnering more attention from international investors (Howell, 1993). The various key issues related to FDI in China such as

Answer of 2 Question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Answer of 2 Question - Essay Example The thickness for this slice is given by ∆z = where Gz is the gradient strength, ∆z is the slice thickness, ÃŽ ³ is the young modulus, and ÃŽ ´f is the offset frequency. Therefore, making the offset frequency to be the subject of the formula we get ÃŽ ´f = where ÃŽ ´f is the offset frequency (Sheil, 44). Hence, From the figure, 7.9 showing out the signal of MRI obtained from fat and water there were two signals that were received. These signals include the signals from water which were at 4.8ppm and the signal from fat which was at 1.5ppm. The signal from water was displayed by a peak that was due to protons in water while that from fat was displayed by a peak due to protons within the fat. In the body of an organism, fat and water are the key components of protons. The molecules of fat and water contain a number of protons whose molecules is extremely beneficial in MR signal. From the figure, there were two peaks. One peak, which was 4.8ppm, was due to protons in water. Another peak, which was 1.5ppm, was due to protons in fat. These two peaks had different ppm because of a number of reasons. First, the relaxation time (T1) for water takes a longer duration of time compared to that of fat. This was evident in figure 7.10 where the weighted T1 image recorded reduced signals from water. In addition to this, transverse time of relaxation (T2) of water that was free had a short correlation time compared to that of fat. The decay of T2 is because of the interactions that are magnetic which occur in between the protons that are spinning. It is for this reason that the fat ppm had a shorter peak compared to that of water. Research has shown out that water has a longer time of relaxation since its natural motion frequency is higher compared to the clinically used larmor frequency (Sheil, 10). Relaxation time involves the time taken by protons to remain either coherent or have a phase rotation. This rotation normally

Discussion Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Discussion Questions - Essay Example Moreover, in some cases, business process changes are modified that are considered the root cause of the issues. Employees related to management should be well aware of various approaches for removing the weaknesses and select the best-suited method, according to the nature of business, resources and the control required over the process. Hence, all stakeholders must participate and show their interest in the selection process. Answer 2 In order to reduce cost on system development, organization purchase fourth generation tools or software packages. As the in-house ‘software development’ cost is high, organizations prefer to buy them from external software houses. Organizations may purchase the software from the vendors, outsourcing organization or application service providers. As business nature of the departments do not change at a rapid pace and are common in almost every organization including inventory control, general ledger, payroll processing and account receiva bles do not change over a long period of time. Applications that are purchased from external sources can be adjusted to the similar in nature business process of an organization. This is a cost saving factor, as applications are purchased from external sources along with customization and maintenance support, which is a responsibility of vendors. These factors conclude that the application software packages reduce the system development cost.

Kaplan university science Essay Example for Free

Kaplan university science Essay This assignment concerning the differences between reputable source and questionable sources is in regards to weight loss programs. There are so many different programs available to the public. Unfortunately they are often from a questionable source consisting magic pills and supplements and marketed as the recommendations of a seemingly practicing physician who has conducted scientific research of sorts that will back up his claims. Many times it is stated or at least implied that there is absolutely no necessary change in diet or lifestyle needed. I think this makes their products a best-seller because it feeds into the fears and insecurities of the customer as well as the fantasy of something for nothing. For example, there is a new fad of weight supplements by ’Dr. Oz’. â€Å"Oprah and Other Celebrates Lose 4lbs a Week of BellyFat With This Secret That Readers Can Try Now!According to Dr. Travis Stork, Garcenia Lean Extreme works in more than one way. The first way is it goes in and causes the body to burn glucose, or sugar, and burn fat mainly in the liver. The second way, the most important way, is it slows the release of sugar into the bloodstream. So, when you don’t have sugar building up because sugar turns to fat. When the two combine together, you get this synergistic effect that basically burns and blocks and stops fat, but it is also natural and safe†. (Dr. Oz n.d.) The advertisement goes on further to provide quotes from seemingly satisfied customers whom boast of unprecedented weight loss in record breaking time without changing a single thing in their daily routine or diet. However, there are medical weight loss programs which are the result of legitimate and peer reviewed research. These programs offer no magic pills or supplements but do provide tested and proven facts concerning healthy and sustainable weight loss induced by a routine exercise regimen, significant reduction in calorie intake, and dramatic lifestyle changes. None of which is by any means easy. But, this is the program that can confidently guarantee amazing weight loss results and deliver. For example, â€Å"Specialist dietitians competent in Counterweight Programme delivery conducted two four-hour training sessions and a further 3 hour sessions after 6 months to consolidate the initial training.

Organisational Theory And Management In Practice Commerce Essay

Organisational Theory And Management In Practice Commerce Essay An organization is a structured social system consisting of groups of individuals working together to meet some agreed-on objectives. Organizational theory (OT) is the study of organizations for the benefit of identifying common themes for the purpose of solving problems, maximizing efficiency and productivity, and meeting he needs of stakeholders.   Consistently OT can be conceptualized as studying three major subtopics: individual processes, group processes and organizational process. Since organizations consider the field of public health from free clinic to refugee crisis support teams to research institutions, an understanding of organizations and how they work, helps public health professionals to be more effective participants in and leaders of organizations.      The first evaluate will try to accomplish the huge task of summarizing major concepts in organizational theory.   The three broad concepts that will be explored include:  individual processes, including  motivation theory,  personality theory, and  role theory;  group processes  including  working in groups/communication,  leadership, and  power and influence; and  organizational processes, as it relates to  organizational structure, and  organizational culture.   In the process a basically introduction to select organizational models will also be presented.  Organizational Issues: How well do the different units of care delivery fit with one another?   For example if the laboratory was contracted out to a lab several miles away, the hospital may be limited by the time it takes for medicine to be collected, transported, analyzed and transported back.   This process may also be on a schedule, (on the hour or half hour) which then adds the wait time for transportation.   An in-house lab staff might be considered, although cost of overhead and staffing would have to be considered for its cost.   What also is the climate in the organization, are works overall satisfied, dedicated, feel empowered to deliver excellent care?   Has the organization build and supported a culture of excellence? The second evaluate will carry on, Where is decision-making centralized, and what would be the benefits and disadvantages of diversifying sources of power?   In light of the patient population needs, what types of problems are most commonly seen?   Uniform vs. diversity pressures help to guide modes of action.   If a lot of non-acute conditions are presented to the hospital we might want to consider the utilization of an Urgent care model ancillary to maintaining the ER for acute condition. We will assume that acute issues, and staff related issues are not the problem, since resolving them would be self-explanatory.   We will consider only adjustments in organizational structure and design for the sake of relevance to the topic of OT.   For example, Queens Hospital consider a new model of care delivery, in which the Emergency Department diversifies to a decentralized model of management and adds new modes for care delivery.   The new process would look something like this : When a patient enters the hospital they are seen immediately by a Triage nurse.   The nurse has the option, after registration is complete, to one of three routes:   the nurse can channel a patient through the traditional method, to be seen by Emergency room physicians according to priority.   The nurse can also decide to transfer non-acute patients to urgent care center (an initiative of this hospital or a close center), or to initiate pre-approved protocols for common illnesses, (such as asthma) prior to visitation from the physician.   Utilizing this model has a few advantages.   By developing the structural complexity, patients can take service initiated and completed at a faster rate.   That is not only provide the hospital to see more patients, but it will improve consumers satisfaction.   Also job roles and responsibilities may increase the motivation of staff by maximizing their control of patient care.   Nurses can more effictively utilizie their professional skills and doctors can focus on patients with conditions or complications that require their skill and training. Reference: Organizational Theory by Kathryn Barzilai Management and Organisational Behaviour Plus MyLab Access Code  by Laurie J. Mullins  (Paperback  Ã‚  27 Apr 2010) 3.2 Analyse the relationship between management structure and culture and its effect on business performance Managers are people who guide an organization towards achievement of the business objectives (thetimes100, 2010). Management impacts the culture of the organization. Culture is an intangible set of practises that take their origins from socio, political, religious-norms and values of the society. Its the responsibility of management to develop a coherent culture that allows the members of organization to develop their individual and collective abilities. Thus having the right management structure that would assist in this regard is quite crucial. In the modern business environment when the rules for running the business have been formalized management is responsible for the overall running of the organization. The modern business employees the M-form (Multi-divisional form) or U-Form (Unitary form) of management structure depending on the type of firm. The structure of the firm is closely linked to its success (Abe, 1997).By classifying management into these two categories management of modern organizations have been able to focus on developing a structure that would best meet the needs of the organization. Management plays a key role in inducing the kind of organizational culture that could lead to organizational success. Management if effectively utilizes its potential it can induce a culture that would translate into motivated staff that feel associated with the core values of their organizations. It was the vision of the management of South West Airlines that transformed it into one of the most successful Low cost airline s of the world. Each member of the organization was valued by the company and their opinions were given important. Mintzberg suggested a topology of five different configurations of management structure whose various combinations could be used to manage an organization. These five components include The operation core , the strategic apex , the middle line , the techno structure and support staff ( Bedrouni et.al.,2009 ).Depending on the what component plays the key part in the operations of the organization there could be wide variety of coordination mechanism that could run the organization. When the strategic apex holds the key, management part that it is able to carry out direct supervision of over the staff and is a lot more control of the organization. As mentioned earlier every organization has got its own type of culture that is created as a result of several factors. A culture builds over a number of each and it is not easy to identify. According to Harrison culture can be categorized into four different types .These four types include Power, Role, Task/achievement and Person/Support Cultures (Harrison, 1986). In an organization power culture originates from a single source. This kind of culture stems in a situation where there are less procedures involved and members of the organization put a lot of faith in a single person that lies at the centre of the web (Naouman,2001 ).In the modern organizations where members are given great deal of importance individual culture could be most appropriate to describe them. In this type of culture a lot of focus is given to the individuals so that their interests are better served. The problem with this type of culture is that such individuals cannot be managed easily as organization is too concerned about appeasing them. In the role culture the focus is on the roles and the culture is associated with posts rather than individuals who are on them. Finally the task achievement culture encourages much more disciplined management style where achievement of the objectives is of paramount importance. For successful business operations execution it is important that organization that are running their operations overseas are fully aware of the type of cultures that exist in the other countries. E.g. in China people in the top management position are generally older people who are generally respected due to their age. A new manager coming from USA needs to be aware of the cultural norms of China otherwise he mind up end of upsetting senior Chinese officials and it would create an air of mistrust in the organization. Therefore success of business is closely linked with the induction of a culture that enhances the potential of the company employees and makes them feel responsible towards their company. An organization depending on its industry type needs to understand that what management style would be best suiting it. Due to non-tangible of culture it is paid less attention to by the senior managers and later it could give rise to lots of un-foreseen complication resulting in failure of organizations. References: Abe,E.,(1997)The Development of Modern Business in Japan The Business History Review , Vol.71.,No.2,pg299-308 Harrison , R. ( 1986 ) Understanding your organizations culture Harrison Associates Inc., C.A. Berkley rintegration of mergers and acquisitions Research Conference on the changing roles of management accounting as a control system The times 100(2010) Management structure and organisation [Online][Accessed on 15th November 2010]url:http://www.thetimes100.co.uk/theory/theorymanagement-structure-organisation264.php 3.3 Write about different motivational theories and their application and performance within the workplace There are a number of different opinions as to what motivates workers. The most iconic held theories are discussed below and have been developed over the last hundred years or so. Unfortunately these theories do not all reach the same conclusions. Motivation is the stimulus that can either be conscious or unconscious which acts as an incentive for achievement of goal ( Borkowski, 2010). The drive to achieve a goal is based on psychological or social factors. The building block for motivation includes expectation, behaviour, goals and some form of feedback ( Srivastava, 2005 ).What it means is that an individual may have a number of desires and expectation that could be driven by a person needs to gain higher position in an organization or to gain some kind of financial benefit . There are various number of motivational theories. Based on what has been stated in the literature motivational theories have been classified into two types by Borkowski (2010). These two groupings are based on content and process. Content theories or the need theories identify various factors that motivate people. Its the individual desire to satisfy inner needs that motivates them. It tries to look at the behaviour from the perspective of individual working in an organization. It is helpful for managers who want to understand the behaviour of their employees. The process theory looks at the behaviour itself that is generated by the individual. It sees that how behaviour is energized, directed, sustained and how it can be stopped (Borkowski, 2010). Motivational theories have gained significant importance as the co-relation between employee attitude towards his work and its impact on the quality of work has been analyzed. Motivation is not just about giving speeches but it is about ensuring higher level of staff satisfaction in the job role that they are in. There are a number of motivation theories that are in the literature. Two important motivational theories considered are as follows. Maslow Hierarchy of Needs Theory It is one of the most popular theories that are stated about motivation. According to this theory human needs are put in a hierarchical form ( Koontz Weihrich,2006 ). These needs are ascending from the lowest to the highest. According to Maslow when one set of needs is satisfied at a certain level it no more becomes a motivational factor and person moves on to the next level. The various levels starting from bottom up as suggested in the figure are physiological needs, Security or safety needs, acceptance needs, Esteem needs and Need for self actualization. This theory helps the organization in better understanding the needs of its employees. The organization are made aware that if they want to satisfy the needs of their employees they have to provide an environment where their individual needs are satisfied on various levels. The categorization of needs into different levels helped in better understanding of how motivation works in the organization. Maslow theory though quite daring has been criticized as a simplistic division of individual needs. According to the critics such as Douglas T Hall and Khalil Nougaim ( Koontz Weihrich,2006). The needs the priority of needs may vary at the top depending on the individual. D:Rana_assignmentRAUFMaslowsTheory.png Maslow Model (Source: Koontz Weihrich, 2006 ) Herzbergs Two Factor Theory Herzbergs two factor theory is based on the actual research that was carried out by Herzberg. For establishing his theory he asked a number of employees to recall the instances when they felt motivated towards their work and the times when they felt frustrated. Based on what he observed Herzberg suggested that when certain factors are present in the work environment they lead to motivation of staff members and this absence causes dissatisfaction of employees towards their work (Davies, 2007). The satisfaction is closely related to the environment in which employees are working. Therefore management should provide the environment where employees feel satisfied with their work. This could include safe working condition, reasonable salary and benefits. The criticism of Herzberg theory is that motivational factor can be relevant. A single factor can be motivational for some and could cause job dissatisfaction for other people ( Borkowski,2010 ) e.g. for some a certain salary amount might be enough to motivate them where as some could see the same amount as far less and it could negatively impact their motivational level. The finally, all that great motivation theories does not include same point. Therefore, there is no single theory that gives the answers to all of the raised questions about motivation. What motivation is and how it impacts a person behaviour varies from individual to individual References: Borkowski, N.,(2010 ) Organizational Behavior in Health Care Jones Bartlett Learning Srivastava,S.,K.( 2005 ) Organizational Behaviour and Management Sarup Sons Koontz,H.,Weihrich,H.,(2006 ) Essentials Of Management Tata McGraw-Hill Borkowski,N.,(2010 ) Organizational Behavior in Health Care Jones Bartlett Learning Davies,S.,J.( 2007 ) Security Supervision and Management: The Theory and Practice of Asset Protection Butterworth-Heinemann 3.4 Evaluate the impact of technology on a given organization Communication technology has involved positive and negative effects on organizational communication, which is communication between people in the same organization. Organizations you belong to use organizational communication to establish communication patterns and systems. Communication technology, like email and teleconferences, makes organizational communication easily accessible. Using these methods of electronic communication can help make distance a non-factor in organizational communication .Also it helps you better collect data around the workplace, allowing her to make more informed decisions, such as how much of a raise you deserve . Technology also creates a more connected workplace. Electronic communication, like online forums, gives you a place to complain about work. Managers can obtain constructive criticism from your complaints and make changes in order to improve the workplace. In the past design and of computer system and products were not sensitive enough to use of ordinary users. They were complicated and could only be handled by the expert users. Punch cards were fed into system that required complex processing of data. With improvement in both computer hardware and softwares tasks became simpler and hardware devices became easier to manipulate. The large frame computers that required expensive cooling systems , which occupied large office space were replaced by desktops that could now perform the same time with many times greater efficiency in a short span of time . The paradigm shift in the development of modern technology can be attributed to the development of microprocessor. Microprocessor is a small intelligent device that takes inputs processes those produces outputs with a speed that cannot be comprehended by an ordinary person. Another consideration is that might be increased accessibility of organizational communication can complicate the boundaries between your work life and home life. Be wary of how you use communication technology. For example, it might not be a good idea to accept friend requests from managers on social networking websites in order to avoid crossing boundaries. Also impact of electronic communication on organizational communication depends on how management implements the technology in the workplace. For example, email becomes beneficial when used to schedule a company meeting. On the other hand, hackers are increasing threats to the network security. they can breach into the technological systems to get information about the individuals that they are not supposed to get. The employees are expected to perform their task with higher level of accuracy. This causes increase in stress level in the work place as failure to complete the task in an accurate manner could threaten the job of an employee. Softwares are creation of many months, years of individual hard work. With the increase in piracy an individual might not get rewarded for his efforts. Not everyone has got the right to access the information that is out there in organization system .Unauthorized access to the organizational resources could result hierarchical protocol getting violated and it could pose a challenge to the discipline of the organization. Therefore technology has had a positive impact on the organizational infrastructure in many ways. Still it has caused certain challenges that have to be dealt with in the modern business environment.

The Mystery Behind Sudoku Mathematics Essay

The Mystery Behind Sudoku Mathematics Essay Puzzle games can be very enjoyable and is popular amongst kids as well as adults. Many of you may know the game Sudoku; where by the goal of the game is to fill in the remaining empty cells with each number from 1-9 appearing no more than once from each column, each row and each of the nine sub-grids. Sudoku is a type of logic-based numerical puzzle game that has a unique solution once completed. The most common form of a Sudoku is constructed as a 99 grid with nine 33 sub-grids and is primarily partially completed. Sudoku has become appealing among puzzle enthusiasts and involves complex thinking and practice. Available daily in newspapers, mobiles and many more, this addictive and brain-teasing puzzle game has become one of the most popular games to play since the time of the Rubiks cube. This dissertation discusses the mathematical side involved in Sudoku. There is no mathematics in actually solving a Sudoku but more of how it is used from a creators side. The 99 grid will be considered in the majority of the report; however a glimpse into other size grids will be discussed briefly also known as variants. Mathematicians have been questioning How many unique solutions are there in a Sudoku? Essentially meaning what are the possible ways of filling in an empty Sudoku grid so that each row, column and sub-grid contains the numbers 1 through 9. Your first thought of an answer may be a couple of thousands, but as you understand the concepts behind a Sudoku, you begin to grasp a whole new aspect. Combinatorics and permutation group theory are largely interwoven with analysing Sudoku. For that reason, I aim to explore these theories and understand how it applies to the methods of enumerating Sudoku grids. In particular I will be looking at Felgenhauer and Jarviss approach to enumerating all possible Sudoku grids where they employ several mathematical concepts. Furthermore I will uncover the importance of Latin squares and its use of constructing Sudokus. There are many constraints in regards to when are similar solutions considered different such as solutions of similar structure, symmetry etc. Preserving symmetries are known as relabeling symbols, band permutations, reflection, transposition and rotation. Burnsides Lemma theorem is one of their techniques in computing the number of essentially different solutions. Many difficult problems are of the type called nondeterministic-polynomial known as an NP-complete problem. This will direct me onto the debate on whether Sudoku is an NP-complete problem. Sudokus can take many forms and shapes. These are called Sudoku variants and consist of rectangular regions, Sudokus with a large region having no clues (numbers), an empty row, column or sub-grid and many more! Here I will research the logic behind irregular Sudokus as well as examining any occurring patterns or whether it has occurred by chance. 1.2 Latin squares and Sudoku Sudoku is also a special case of Latin squares. The Swiss mathematician, Leonhard Euler made many fundamental discoveries during 1782 including Latin squares. A Latin square is an N x N matrix where by a set of N characters are arranged such that each row and column contains one of each character. This is also in the case of a Sudoku, when complete, with an additional constraint that the nine sub-grids must hold the numbers 1-9. A reduction can be made to any Latin square by permuting the rows and columns. This arrangement is an aspect of combinatorics and is most commonly referred to as enumeration. Enumerative combinatorics is a classic area of Combinatorics and involves counting the number of infinite class of finite sets. Counting combinations and counting permutations are two of the most common forms. The number of valid Latin squares is known to be approximately 5.525 x 10 ²Ãƒ ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ·. Write about Colbourns proof 1.3 Combinatorics and Permutation group theory Combinations and permutations have slightly different meaning. Combinations are the number of different ways of selecting n objects from a set but the order of events is not important. From a set of 3 objects, lets call these 1, 2 and 3. If for example I was asked to pick the number of ways of selecting 2 objects out of the 3, there would be three combinations 12, 23 and 13. 12 = 21 since the order of each pair is not important. A permutation on the other hand does consider the position. Therefore if I was to use the above example, there would be six permutations. A simpler way to calculate a larger set would be to use formula 1: Formula 1. = = Where is the combination formula, is the permutation formula, n is the total number of objects and r is the number to be arranged Both methods are one way of computing the number of possible Sudoku solutions and this will be looked at later in the report. Chapter 2 Enumerating possible Sudoku solutions 2.1 Distinct Sudoku solutions There are many approaches to enumerating possible Sudoku solutions. To enumerate every possible Sudoku solution, a Sudoku differs from another if they are not identical. Thus all solutions will be consider unless they are like for like. Felgenhauer and Jarvis was the first to enumerate the Sudoku grid solutions directly in 2005. There approach was to analyze the permutations of the top row used in valid solutions. Their knowledge of the complexity in computing the number of Latin squares has made them aware of how they should go about getting an answer with fewer computations. Hence by using relabeling this could shorten the number of counts. To make it easier, each sub-grid is given an abbreviation seen in figure 3. B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7 B8 B9 Figure 1. Abbreviated sub-grid with top band (Felgenhauer and Jarvis, 2006) Firstly they consider every solution to filling in blocks B2, B3, given that B1 is in standard form. To work out every possible way of arranging B1 on its own would essentially be computing the number of permutations of 9 symbols. There are 9! of filling in B1. The main operation they use is called relabeling. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Figure 2. B1 in standard form (Felgenhauer and Jarvis, 2006) Felgenhauer and Jarvis have found that B2 and B3 is the same as the transpose of B2 and B3. Therefore the number of ways of arranging B1, B2 and B3 and B1, B2 and B3 to a complete grid is equally the same. This means that computing one set of possibilities will cut down the number of solutions. Inevitably, there are few pairs of B2 and B3 that needs to be worked out and as well as using reduction the number of possibilities for the top band of a Sudoku grid is 9! x 2612736 = 948109639680. The next section involves brute force computation. As running through all 2612736 possibilities would be exceedingly tedious for B2 and B3, Felgenhauer and Jarvis attempts to identify configurations of the numbers in these blocks which give the same number of ways of completing to a full grid. This in return, will cut down the number possibilities. Permuting B2 and B3 in every way such that the result gives a unique solution will preserve the number of complete grids. This is the same for B5 and B6, and B8 and B9. However this changes B1 from its standard form, so an additional relabeling of B1 needs to be performed. Another approach to reducing the number of possibilities is to permute the columns in each block and permute the rows of any block. Reducing the number of possible ways by permuting. Lexicographical reduction Permutation reduction Column reduction As a result of these methods, Felgenhauer and Jarvis have found that there are approximately 6670903752021072936960 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‹â€  6.671 x 10 ²Ã‚ ¹ Sudoku solutions. In light of this result, there are fewer solutions than Latin squares due to the fact that there is that extra restriction of 9 sub-grids. That being said, there will be no shortage of Sudoku puzzles any time soon. Verification of this result has been confirmed by several other mathematicians Ed Russell to be more precise. 2.2 Essentially different Sudoku grids Whether symmetrical Sudoku grids are considered as two separate solutions is another method of enumerating the possible solutions. In this case, the only solutions are ones that are essentially different. Lets say two Sudoku grids are equivalent if one is a transformation of the other by applying any number of symmetries. If however, no such chain of symmetries can occur between two grids, it is essentially different. Two Sudoku grids are the same if we can get from one to the other by applying some sort of symmetry. For instance, take figure 3 4 below; the set of 3s in the first grid can be interchanged by the placements of the set of 1s, effectively producing the second grid. Figure 3. Valid Sudoku grid Figure 4. Another valid Sudoku grid from Figure 1 As well as this, a solution is said to be the same as another if any two columns or rows are swapped. The first column and second column in figure 3 can be exchanged to give figure 5. The two solutions are said to be symmetrical because the transformation still produces a valid Sudoku grid. Figure 5. First and second column swapped from Figure 1. Another form of symmetries includes rotational grids. A rotation of Figure 3 by 90 degrees generates a new valid Sudoku grid shown in Figure 6. Figure 6. Rotational of 90 degrees from figure 1 Any of these operations performed on a valid grid maintains the property of it being valid and this is known as symmetries of a grid. When an object is subject to these operations, certain properties are preserved. An example would be if one performs symmetry on to a Sudoku grid and repeats this operation once more, the final transformation is itself symmetric. In addition a symmetrical object can be transformed back to its original state by another form of symmetry. Performing several symmetries on a Sudoku grid can also be achieved by grouping its neighbouring pair. So the first symmetry can be paired with the second or the second can be paired with the third and so on. The resulting transformation is nevertheless the same either way. From these properties, it is inevitable to say that the set of symmetries of any Sudoku grid form a group. A group is a set G if it satisfies the following properties: CLOSURE If f and g are elements of G, then f ·g is also an element of G. ASSOCIATIVITY If f, g, and h are elements of G, then f ·(g ·h)=(f ·g) ·h must satisfy. IDENTITY ELEMENT There is an element e in G such that g ·e=e ·g=g for all g in G. INVERSE For any element g of G, there is another element d of G such that g ·d=d ·g=e, where e is the identity element. (The element d = g-1.) The symmetry group is thus generated by the transformations of: re-labelling the nine digits, permuting the three stacks (3 vertical blocks of a Sudoku), permuting the three bands (3 horizontal blocks of a Sudoku), permuting the three columns within a stack, permuting the three rows within a band, and any reflection or rotation. These can be combined to form other elements of the group and together they comprise of the symmetry group G. Given that any element of G can be mapped so that it takes one grid to another, we can say that the set of valid Sudoku grids has a finite number of elements. Thus G has finitely many symmetries. The association between symmetrical Sudoku grids are in fact an equivalence relation and satisfies the following three properties: for grids A, B and C in set G Reflexivity A = A Symmetry If A = B then B = A Transitivity If A = B and B = C then A = C Let A be any valid Sudoku grid, we must consider all the grids that are equivalent to a valid Sudoku grid A. To do this, we firstly have to group together grids that are essentially the same so that we can partition the set of grids. This will break the set of Sudoku grids into subsets, with groups that contain no relating elements within each other. The term subset can be called equivalence classes and is denoted by X/G. In any equivalence class, there are elements that are equivalent to each other by symmetry. The total number of elements in X/G is equal to the number of essential Sudoku grids. To calculate the number of essentially different Sudoku grids, we shall look at all the symmetries neglecting the re-labelling of the nine digits for the time being. The number of distinct symmetries founded by Russell and Jarvis (2006) is said to contain 3359232 (pg 4). In this finite group H, we need to take the average number of grids fixed by an element of H, up to re-labelling. Next we need to verify the number of fixed points of all elements in H. Russell and Jarvis have found that there are 275 classes of symmetries using a software package called GAP. It is interesting to note that some of the elements in H have the same number of fixed grids. In other words, we only need to count the number of fixed points for one symmetry for each of the 275 classes. However there exist symmetries in H that have no fixed points. Subsequently, there is no need to count the number of fixed grids for those that have no fixed points. That being said, there are only 27 out of 275 classes that co ntain fixed points, meaning fewer computations. Rotman. J. J (1995) demonstrate that if X is a finite G-set and |X/G| is the number of G-orbits of X, then Formula 2 holds where, for gцG, X is the number of xцX fixed by g (pg 58-61). Using this notion, we have established that the number of valid Sudoku grids is of a finite set and X/G is the number of essentially different Sudoku grids, so we can obtain the number of essentially different Sudoku grids by using the Burnside Lemma Theorem. Formula 2. Burnside Lemma Theorem (Rotman, 1995) Burnside Lemma Theorem is a useful tool when dealing with symmetry with a set of countable objects. When used to enumerate the essentially different Sudoku grid, the set of equivalent grids form an orbit of the symmetric group. The number orbits are essentially the number of different grid solutions. This may sound slightly (ALOT) trickier to compute, nonetheless Russell and Jarvis have shown that the number of essentially different Sudoku grids is 5,472,730,538 with the implementation of Burnsides Lemma Theorem. Chapter 3 Nondeterministic polynomials 3.1 NP-complete and Sudoku Sudokus may relate to a variety of problems, in particularly, whether Sudoku is an NP-complete problem. It is known that NP-complete problems are one of the most complicated cases in NP, also referred to as nondeterministic-polynomial. Its rival, P problems relates to NP as both being in the same complexity class. Mathematicians have yet to solve whether NP-complete problems can be solved in polynomial time or more commonly whether P = NP. Consequently being one of the greatest unsolved mathematical problems. The majority of computer scientists believe that P à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚   NP, as a result would mean that NP-complete problems are significantly trickier to compute than to verify. Unfortunately, nobody has yet found an efficient algorithm, not even with the use of computers available today. A problem is said to be NP-complete when its solution can be proved in polynomial time. And if that problem can be solved in polynomial time, all problems in NP can be solved too. An interesting characteristic of NP-complete problems is that the time frame to solve the problem increases rapidly as the size of the problem gets larger. If that is the case and Sudokus are NP-complete, solving a Sudoku of higher order (say 17 ² x 17 ²) will become increasingly challenging algorithmically then the standard 3 ² x 3 ² version were talking trillions of years. It has been shown that Sudoku does belong to the category of NPC problems by Takayuki Yato of the Univeristy of Tokyo (2003). An exchange for the notation ASP-completeness (shorthand for Another solution problem), led the proof of NP-completeness of ASP. Their proof uses reduction in order to obtain the required polynomial-time ASP from the problem of Latin squares by Colbourn (1984) who has verified, the NP-completeness of ASP of Latin square completion Another accountable source by Provan states that, It is known that solving general-sized Sudoku puzzles is NP-hard, even for square grids with blocks consisting of the sets of rows and columns (Latin Squares) or for p2 x p2 grids with blocks consisting of rows, columns, and the p2 partitioned p x p subsquares. Mathematical programmes such as the 0-1 linear programming and the knapsack problems are also cases of NP-complete problems. A full list of other problems that are NP-complete can be found in Garey and Johnson (1979). Chapter 4 Sudoku Variants 4.1 Variation The classic form of a 99 Sudoku are polyominoes. There are other variations of Sudokus that can be applied to the rules of Sudoku. There are puzzles of the size 66 with 23 regions or a 1212 grid of 43 regions. More so, there are other fascinating Sudoku variants such as Greater than Sudoku. Chapter 5 Personal Critical Review The progress I have made during the duration of this project, have been fairly slow but surely getting there. Having said this on many occasions, I have still not conquered my time management skills! The project started very slow which meant I was behind schedule. Nevertheless my organisational skills have kept me on balance. The GANT chart has been of great help in doing so. What has kept me going throughout this project in particular would be self discipline and motivation. This project has proven that I am capable of working to my own initiative, but also well within a group; my time during the group project. Furthermore, my time on this project has definitely promoted a better mentality of my future ambitions. I have learnt that it is crucial to read a lot, as well as reading as broadly as I can. This in turn have aided in the running of my project. With other coursework deadlines, I made that a priority and had no time to meet with my supervisor. I understand that meeting with my supervisor is equally important because a supervisor is there to encourage and to advice on any difficult obstacles I may encounter. An area of interest to proof whether NP-complete problems can be solved in polynomial time, was left open as future work. This could be the next step of extending this report that little bit further. Chapter 6 Conclusion A challenging problem for further research is to proof whether NP-complete problems can be solved in polynomial time. This has yet to be solved and anyone who has a formal proof will be rewarded $1 million dollars by The Clay Mathematics Institute.

The Reign Of Terror Essay -- History Historical Terror Essays

The Reign of Terror   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  History is said to be written by the winners, but is it possible to rewrite history? In a way, the French, like many who have preceded them, and many who will proceed them have done the impossible, rewriting history. From trivial folklore, such as George Washington chopping down a cherry tree, to the incredibly wrong, the African slave trade; people's views of history can be shaped and molded. The French have done a superb job of instilling all of us with the concept that their Revolution was a fight for liberty, justice and the good of all Frenchmen everywhere. Their glorification of the Bastille with it's depictions in painting and sculpture and how the Revolution was the beginning of a new age pales to some of the events during this period. In fact, the storming of the Bastille was merely a hole in the dike, and more would follow. The National Guard, the Paris Commune, the September Massacre, are all words that the French would prefer us not to hear. These events were a subtle dà ©nouementto an climax that was filled with both blood and pain. The Reign of Terror, or the Great Terror, was a massive culmination to the horror of the French Revolution, the gutters flowing with blood as the people of Paris watched with an entertained eye. No matter what the French may claim, if one chooses to open his eyes and read about this tragedy, they are most certainly welcome.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The revolution begins quietly in the fiscal crisis of Louis XVI's reign. The government was running deeply into bankruptcy, and at the urging of his financial advisors, he called the Estates General. The governing body had not been called for almost two centuries, and now it's workings seemed outdated. A small number of people said that the Third Estate, that which was drawn from the towns, should have power to equal the other Estates. Clubs of the bourgeoisie, the middle class, were formed, proclaiming, "Salus populi lex est." It was a simple cry meaning "the welfare of the people is law." To these people, the Estates General was like a pair of shoes that no longer fit. Reformed seemed iminent, the phrase, "The Third Estate is not an order, it is the nation itself" began to circulate.1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With much fanfare and circumstance, the three estates were called together. However, on trying to meet, the Third Estate found the doors to t... ...al depiction of man at his worst. The sad truth is that events of this nature have occurred with amazing regularity. Perhaps if the Reign of Terror was just one appalling moment of human cruelty, the world would be a different place. With such things as the Gulag, the Holocaust, the African Slave Trade, and even returning back to ancient times of the Assyrians and the Crusades, man has been known to slaughter his brethren wholesale. We are a race, bred with violence coursing through our veins, and we can do little about it. Perhaps my speculations are wrong, but if such tragedies have occurred over and over, can we truly ever change. The Reign of Terror is just the culmination to the bloodiness and the atrocities of the French Revolution. It is quite ironic that a Revolution based on the ideals of Reason and the fight for the people, would kill over thirty thousand of their countrymen. In conclusion, the Reign of Terror was the climax of this terrible Revolution. The violence and paranoia of the sans culottes, the lust for political power in the convention, and the petty differences of one person to another finally reached a head, exploding into a mass execution.

Financial Ratio Analysis Essay -- Business Finance

Before beginning an analysis of a company it is necessary to have a complete set of financial statements, preferably for the pas few years so that historical trends can be obtained. Ratios are a way for anyone to get an idea of the financial performance of a company by using the information contained in the financial statements. Ratios are grouped into four basic categories, liquidity, activity, profitability, and financial leverage. This document will use a variety of these ratios to analyze the firm, Sample Company, as of December 31,2000. Financial Statement Ratios Profitability Ratios The ratios returns on investment (ROI) and return on equity (ROE) are two of the most popular measure of profitability of a company and, along with the P/E ratio, have the most significant value of any of the ratios. The DuPont Model expands on the ROI calculation by inserting sales and it's relationship to the companies' generation of profits and utilization of assets into the calculation. Additional profitability ratios include the price earnings ratio (P/E), the dividend payout and the dividend yield. The price earnings ratio helps to indicate to investor how expensive the shares of common stock of a firm are. Dividend yield is part of the stockholders ROI and is represented by the annual cash dividend. Dividend yields have historically been between 3% to 6% for common stock and 5% to 8% for preferred stock. Dividend payout ratio shows the proportion of the earnings paid to common shareholders. Dividend payout for manufacturing companies range from 30% to 50%, but can vary widely. Dupont Analysis (ROI) - Return on Investment The return on Investment (ROI) is important because it describes the rate of return the company was able to... ... ratios, should be assessed over time in order to verify their meaning. Sample Company For our Sample Co. there are several ratios that are low, for the average manufacturing company. The ROI and ROE are below average as are the current ratio and the acid-test ratio. The P/E ratio is $42 / $3.51 = 12, which seems very good and both the debt ratio and debt to equity ratio are within the guideline. With the good and bad of these ratios hard to tell what sort of industry this is. With the ROI, ROE, and acid-test low like they are it doesn't seem like a retailer/merchandising company, and a e-commerce for 2000 would probably have a P/E greater than 12. What that leaves is an international service company of some kind, so I'll go with that. Marshall, D. H., McManus, W. W, & Viele, D. (2002). Accounting: What the Numbers Mean. 5th ed. San Francisco: Irwin/McGraw-Hill.

Aristotles Definition of Nature :: essays research papers

Aristotle’s Definition of Nature Nature, in its essence, is the cause/effect relationship offered to things with ascertainable objectivity, occurring without cause. From this we can logically state that the nature of something (something being an object with "thinghood", as humorously described in class) is its beginning, purpose and stereo-type. There are two debatable definitions of nature, which under scrutiny are seemingly very similar. On the left hand, we have nature described as "the first, inchoate, thing belonging to it". Simply, an object’s nature is it’s core material – i.e., the nature of my couch would be polystyrene foam. On the other, we have nature described as "the shape or look". This statement points to nature as the stereo-type of an object, that is, my couch dose not have the nature of a couch until it assumes the look of a completed, stereo-typical couch. When examining these definitions it is hard to find a large degree of difference as the stereo-typical couch is not only composed of those parts generally used to construct a couch, but also its acceptance and appearance as a couch. For further clarification we can examine Aristotle’s example of a doctor healing himself. A artisan of medicine dose not have the nature of a healer, as that would imply that he came about this skill naturally, which is not the case. For something to have nature, that nature must come into being without cause. Therefor we can assume that the healer, being an artisan of medicine, is a healer but has the nature of a stereo-typical human being. What then, causes differences amongst couches and people, even between healer A and healer B? This question is answered by exploring the idea of chance. By chance variations are made upon things (with thinghood) not to it’s nature, but to it’s physical or otherwise growth from it’s nature. For this reason we must assume that all things have a categorical nature, with variations to it’s structure.

How to Communicate Effectively

The topics we have discussed this week relates to the video in ways that demonstrate how to communicate effectively and keep the focus of the audience on what the writer or the speaker is talking about. It teaches how to become a talented speaker and how to line up thoughts in the right perspective to gain trustworthiness from the particular audience that is welcomed by the subject chosen to speak about.This video was design to give everyone who watched it an idea of how to motivate himself s a public speaker. It gives ideas on how to enhance the power of the abilities a public speaker has on influencing people that are listening and it gives inspiration to those who the message touch in a special way. These are things in which we have discussed and relate largely on the speakers' ability on how well these tips are used to impact the ears of the listener. The most relevant practice in the video to me is the one that provides insight on how to win over the audience.First a speaker mus t hose a topic that the people want to hear about rather than picking something that appeases him. To get the crowd involved the speaker should ask questions that will allow the audience to think about the message that is being conveyed to produce a desire to continue learning more about the topic. One to attract the audience when publicly speaking is the ability of knowing what to wear to attract the attention of the crowd. I believe that the combination of dress wear and appearance of the speaker plays a major role in acquiring the attention of the audience.My advice about delivering an effective speech begins with attracting your audience. A speaker can capture the audience attention by taking advantage of the audience by giving them what they want. The speaker should do the homework and research needed to provide accurate and dependable information to prove his findings on any given topic he decides to speak about. Accuracy will help influence the listeners and persuade them int o hearing the speaker deliver the entire message. How to Communicate Effectively Good evening everybody, I hope you enjoy my speech. My topic today is communication. My speech is titled â€Å"How to communicate effectively. † Because I am a poor communicator, especially to communicate in English. Today my purpose is to hope you all can become effective communicators. Let's discuss effective communication techniques. Getting your pointacross and letting people know how you feel is very important. Sometimes bad decisions are made and people come to the wrong conclusions because of poor communication. Therefore, good communication can help you succeed in life. Here's some advice on how to communicate effecively. First, communication is transmitting a message. Communication is a process of sharing information. It's the exchange of thoughts or ideas. Communication is a powerful tool. It's getting a message across. It's also receiving facts or inofrmation. Effective communication skills are essential. Effective communication leads to success. Good communicators are always in high deamand. Why good communicators are in high deamand, because many employers are willing to pay big salaries to good communicators. Second, the key to communication is clarity. We should always make communication clear and direct. We should never be fancy or verbose. Always keep the message simple. Keep it specific and to the point. Keep it very easy to understand. Say only what's important. Say what's relevant and practical. Keep your message detailed but brief. Third, the goal of communication is understanding. The message must be understood. The audience must comprehend. To do that , you need to know your audience. You must know your listerner's background. You must tailor your message and style to suit them. Choose your words carefully. Remember â€Å"less is more. Sometimes, less of something is much better. Remember â€Å"quality is more important than quantity. † Finally, follow these tips to communicate like a pro! Practice every chance you get. Practice is the key to learning. Good communicators repeat the main message to make it more understandable. They reinforce the meaning through repetition. They always ask for feedback to make sure and reconfirm to themselves that they wre understood. They repeat the main idea to make it more understandable. Good communicators also use body language. Every society has a unique physical language. I's important that you're aware of this. Most people use nonverval communication. Most of the time it's subconscious. Good communicators use hand gestures and emotional expressions. They use various speaking tones to get attention. Body language expresses what's really going on. You can learn a lot about a person. Just observe themany sinals they're sending you. The arms and legs are a telling source. We must be familiar with basic body language. In conclusion, organize your thoughts before you speak. Think twice before you open your mouth. Always keep the message simple and clear. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Never lie and never mislead anyone. Say it with style, confidence and enthusiasm. Make sure your're understonnd. Make sure you practice a lot and rehearse. You'll soon be anefficient communicator. In fact, to say is one thing to do is another. It's easy to say but uneasy to work. As you know I am a bad communicator, especially in English to commuicate. All of my friends and family member didn't know what I was saying. All the feedback I have are â€Å"Please say that again. I'm a little confused. Or I hope you can explain it more clearly to me. † How poor I am. That's why I think good communication is very important. Hope everyone become effective communicators.

Fluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings Chapter 5~6

CHAPTER FIVE Hey, Buddy, Why the Big Brain? The next morning the four of them stood in a row on the front of the old Pioneer Hotel, looking across the Lahaina Harbor at the whitecaps in the channel. Wind was whipping the palm trees. Down by the breakwater two little girls were trying to surf waves whose faces were bumpy with wind chop and whose curls blew back over the crests like the hair of a sprinter. â€Å"It could calm down,† Amy said. She was standing next to Kona, thinking, This guy's pecs are so cut you could stick business cards under them and they'd stay. And my, is he tan. Where Amy came from, no one was tan, and she hadn't been in Hawaii long enough to realize that a good tan was just a function of showing up. â€Å"Supposed to stay like this for the next three days,† Nate said. As disappointed as he appeared to be, he was extraordinarily relieved that they wouldn't be going out this morning. He had a rogue hangover, and his eyes were bloodred behind his sunglasses. Self-loathing had set in, and he thought, My life's work is shit, and if we went out there today and I didn't spend the morning retching over the side, I'd be tempted to drown myself. He would rather have been thinking about whales, which is what he usually thought about. Then he noticed Amy sneaking glances at Kona's bare chest and felt even worse. â€Å"Ya, mon. Kona can spark up a spliff and calm down that bumpy brine for all me new science dreadies. We can take the boat no matter what the wind be,† Kona said. He was thinking, I have no idea what the hell I'm talking about, but I really want to get out there with the whales. â€Å"Breakfast at Longee's, and then we'll see how it looks,† Clay said. He was thinking, We'll have breakfast at Longee's, and then we'll see how it looks. None of them moved. They just stood there, looking out at the blowout channel. Occasionally a whale would blow, and the mist would run over the water like a frightened ghost. â€Å"I'm buying,† Clay said. And they all headed up Front Street to Longee's restaurant, a two-story gray-and-white building, done in a New England architecture with shiplap siding and huge open windows that looked across Front Street, over the stone seawall, and out onto the Au' au Channel. By way of a shirt, Kona slipped on a tattered Nautica windbreaker he'd had knotted around his waist. â€Å"You do a lot of sailing?† Amy asked, nodding to the Nautica logo. She intended the remark as dig, a return for Kona's saying, â€Å"And who be this snowy biscuit?† when they'd first met. At the time Amy had just introduced herself, but in retrospect she realized that she should probably have taken some offense to being called both snowy and a biscuit – those things were objectifying, right? â€Å"Shark bait kit, me Snowy Biscuit,† Kona answered, meaning that the windbreaker had come from a tourist. The Paia surfing community on the North Shore, from which Kona had recently come, had an economy based entirely on petty theft, mostly smash-and-grabs from rental cars. As the host led them through the crowded dining room to a table by the windows, Clay leaned over Amy's shoulder and whispered, â€Å"A biscuit is a good thing.† â€Å"I knew that,† Amy whispered back. â€Å"Like a tomato, right?† â€Å"Heads up,† Clay said, just as Amy plowed into a khaki package of balding ambition known as Jon Thomas Fuller, CEO of Hawaii Whale Inc., a nonprofit corporation with assets in the tens of millions that disguised itself as a research organization. Fuller had pushed his chair back to intercept Amy. â€Å"Jon Thomas!† Clay smiled and reached around the flustered Amy to shake Fuller's hand. Fuller ignored Clay and took Amy by the waist, steadying her. â€Å"Hey, hey, there,† Fuller said. â€Å"If you wanted to meet me, all you had to do was introduce yourself.† Amy grabbed his wrists and guided his hands to the table in front of him, then stepped back. â€Å"Hi, I'm Amy Earhart.† â€Å"I know who you are,† said Fuller, standing now. He was only a little taller than Arny, very tan and very lean, with a hawk nose and a receding hairline like a knife. â€Å"What I don't know is why you haven't come to see me about a job.† Meanwhile, Nate, who had been thinking about whale song, had taken his seat, opened a menu, ordered coffee, and completely missed the fact that he was alone at the table. He looked up to see Jon Thomas Fuller holding his assistant by the waist. He dropped his menu and headed back to the site of the intercept. â€Å"Well, partly† – Amy smiled at the three young women sitting at Fuller's table – â€Å"partly because I have some self-respect† – she curtsied – â€Å"and partly because you're a louse and a jamoke.† Fuller's dazzling grin dropped a level of magnitude. The women at his table, all dressed in khaki safari wear to approximate the Discovery Channel ideal of what a scientist should look like, made great shows of looking elsewhere, wiping their mouths, sipping water – not noticing their boss getting verbally bitch-slapped by a vicious research pixie. â€Å"Nate,† Fuller said, noticing that Nate had joined the group, â€Å"I heard about the break-in at your place. Nothing important missing, I hope.† â€Å"We're fine. Lost some recordings,† Nate said. â€Å"Ah, well, good. A lot of lowlifes on this island now.† Fuller looked at Kona. The surfer grinned. â€Å"Shoots, brah, you make me blush.† Fuller grinned. â€Å"How you doing, Kona?† â€Å"All cool runnings, brah. Bwana Fuller got his evil on?† There were neck-snapping double takes all around. Fuller nodded, then looked back at Quinn. â€Å"Anything we can do, Nate? There are a lot of our song recordings for sale in the shops, if those will help out. You guys get professional discount. We're all in this together.† â€Å"Thanks,† Nate said just as Fuller sat down, then turned his back on all of them and resumed eating his breakfast, dismissing them. The women at the table looked embarrassed. â€Å"Breakfast?† Clay said. He herded his team to their table. They ordered and drank coffee in silence, each looking out across the street to the ocean, avoiding eye contact until Fuller and his group had left. Nate turned to Amy. â€Å"A jamoke? What are you, living in a Cagney movie?† â€Å"Who is that guy?† Amy asked. She snapped the corner off a piece of toast with more violence than was really necessary. â€Å"What's a jamoke?† Kona asked. â€Å"It's a flavor of ice cream, right?† Clay said. Nate looked at Kona. â€Å"How do you know Fuller?† Nate held up his ringer and shot a cautionary glare, the now understood signal for no Rasta/pidgin/bullshit. â€Å"I worked the Jet Ski concession for him at Kaanapali.† Nate looked to Clay, as if to say, You knew this? â€Å"Who is that guy?† Amy asked. â€Å"He's the head of Hawaii Whale,† Clay said. â€Å"Commerce masquerading as science. They use their permit to get three sixty-five-foot tourist boats right up next to the whales.† â€Å"That guy is a scientist?† â€Å"He has a Ph.D. in biology, but I wouldn't call him a scientist. Those women he was with are his naturalists. I guess today was even too windy for them to go out. He's got shops all over the island – sells whale crap, nonprofit. Hawaii Whale was the only research group to oppose the Jet Ski ban during whale season.† â€Å"Because Fuller had money in the Jet Ski business,† Nate added. â€Å"I made six bucks an hour,† Kona said. â€Å"Nate's work was instrumental in getting the Jet Ski parasail ban done,† Clay said. â€Å"Fuller doesn't like us.† â€Å"The sanctuary may take his research permit next,† said Nate. â€Å"What science they do is bad science.† â€Å"And he blames you for that?† Amy asked. â€Å"I – we have done the most behavioral stuff as it relates to sound in these waters. The sanctuary gave us some money to find out if the high-frequency noise from Jet Skis and parasail boats affected the behavior of the whales. We concluded that it did. Fuller didn't like it. It cost him.† â€Å"He's going to build a dolphin swim park, up La Perouse Bay way,† Kona said. â€Å"What?† Nate said. â€Å"What?† said Clay. â€Å"A swim-with-the-dolphins park?† said Amy. â€Å"Ya, mon. Let you come from Ohio and get in the water with them bottlenose fellahs for two hundred dollar.† â€Å"You guys didn't know about this?† Amy was looking at Clay. He always seemed to know everything that was going on in the whale world. â€Å"First I've heard of it, but they're not going to let him do it without some studies.† He looked to Nate. â€Å"Are they?† â€Å"It'll never happen if he loses his research permit,† Nate said. â€Å"There'll be a review.† â€Å"And you'll be on the review board?† asked Amy. â€Å"Nate's name would solidify it,† Clay said. â€Å"They'll ask him.† â€Å"Not you?† Kona asked. â€Å"I'm just the photographer.† Clay looked out at the whitecaps in the channel. â€Å"Doesn't look like we'll be getting out today. Finish your breakfast, and then we'll go pay your rent.† Nate looked at Clay quizzically. â€Å"I can't give him money,† Clay said. â€Å"He'll just smoke it. I'm going to go pay his rent.† â€Å"Truth.† Kona nodded. â€Å"You don't still work for Fuller, do you, Kona?† Nate asked. â€Å"Nate!† Amy admonished. â€Å"Well, he was there when I found the office ransacked.† â€Å"Leave him alone,† Amy said. â€Å"He's too cute to be bad.† â€Å"Truth,† said Kona. â€Å"Sistah Biscuit speak nothin' but the truth. I be massive cute.† Clay set a stack of bills on the table. â€Å"By the way, Nate, you have a lecture at the sanctuary on Tuesday. Four days. You and Amy might want to use the downtime to put something together.† Nate felt as if he'd been smacked. â€Å"Four days? There's nothing there. It was all on those hard drives.† â€Å"Like I said, you might want to use the downtime.† CHAPTER SIX Whale Wahine As a biologist, Nate had a tendency to draw analogies between human behavior and animal behavior – probably a little more often than was strictly healthy. For instance, as he considered his attraction to Amy, he wondered why it had to be so complex. Why there had to be so many subtleties to the human mating ritual. Why can't we be more like common squid? he thought. The male squid simply swims up to the female squid, hands her a neat package of sperm, she tucks it under her mantle at her leisure, and they go on their separate ways, their duty to the species done. Simple, elegant, no nuance†¦ Nate held the paper cup out to Amy. â€Å"I poured some coffee for you.† â€Å"I'm all coffeed out, thanks,† said Amy. Nate set the cup down on the desk next to his own. He sat in front of the computer. Amy was perched on a high stool to his left going through the hardbound field journals covering the last four years. â€Å"Are you going to be able to put together a lecture out of this?† she asked. Nate rubbed his temples. Despite a handful of aspirin and six cups of coffee, his head was still throbbing. â€Å"A lecture? About what?† â€Å"Well, what were you planning to do a talk on before the office was ransacked? Maybe we can reconstruct it from the field notes and memory.† â€Å"I don't have that good a memory.† â€Å"Yes you do, you just need some mnemonics, which we have here in the field notes.† Her expression was as open and hopeful as a child's. She waited for something from him, just a word to set her searching for what he needed. The problem was, what he needed right now was not going to be found in biology field notes. He needed answers of another kind. It bothered him that Fuller had known about the break-in at the compound. It was too soon for him to have found out. It also bothered him that anyone could hold him in the sort of disdain that Fuller obviously did. Nate had been born and raised in British Columbia, and Canadians hate, above all things, to offend. It was part of the national consciousness. â€Å"Be polite† was an unwritten, unspoken rule, but ingrained into the psyche of an entire country. (Of course, as with any rule, there were exceptions: parts of Quebec, where people maintained the â€Å"dismissive to the point of confrontation, with subsequent surrender† mind-set of the French; and hockey, in which any Canadian may, with impunity, slam, pummel, elbow, smack, punch, body-check, and beat the shit out of, with sticks, any other human being, punctuated by profanities, name-calling, questioning parentage, and accusations of bestiality, usually – coincidentally – in French.) Nate was neither French-Canadian nor much of a hockey player, so the idea of having invoked enmity enough in someone to have that person ruin his research†¦ He was mortified by it. â€Å"Amy,† he said, having spaced out and returned to the room in a matter of seconds, he hoped, â€Å"is there something that I'm missing about our work? Is there something in the data that I'm not seeing?† Amy assumed the pose of Rodin's The Thinker on her stool, her chin teed up on her hand, her brow furrowed into moguls of earnest contemplation. â€Å"Well, Dr. Quinn, I would be able to answer that if you had shared the data with me, but since I only know what I've collected or what I've analyzed personally, I'd have to say, scientifically speaking, beats me.† â€Å"Thanks,† Nate said. He smiled in spite of himself. â€Å"You said there was something there that you were close to finding. In the song, I mean. What is it?† â€Å"Well, if I knew that, it would be found, wouldn't it?† â€Å"You must suspect. You have to have a theory. Tell me, and let's apply the data to the theory. I'm willing to do the work, reconstruct the data, but you've got to trust me.† â€Å"No theory ever benefited by the application of data, Amy. Data kills theories. A theory has no better time than when it's lying there naked, pure, unsullied by facts. Let's just keep it that way for a while.† â€Å"So you don't really have a theory?† â€Å"Clueless.† â€Å"You lying bag of fish heads.† â€Å"I can fire you, you know. Even if Clay was the one that hired you, I'm not totally superfluous to this operation yet. I'm kind of in charge. I can fire you. Then how will you live?† â€Å"I'm not getting paid.† â€Å"See, right there. Perfectly good concept ruined by the application of fact.† â€Å"So fire me.† No longer The Thinker, Amy had taken on the aspect of a dark and evil elf. â€Å"I think they're communicating,† Nate said. â€Å"Of course they're communicating, you maroon. You think they're singing because they like the sound of their own voices?† â€Å"There's more to it than that.† â€Å"Well, tell me!† â€Å"Who calls someone a maroon? What the hell is maroon?† â€Å"It's a mook with a Ph.D. Don't change the subject.† â€Å"It doesn't matter. Without the acoustic data I can't even show you what I was thinking. Besides, I'm not sure that my cognitive powers aren't breaking down.† â€Å"Meaning what?† Meaning that I'm starting to see things, he thought. Meaning that despite the fact that you're yelling at me, I really want to grab you and kiss you, he thought. Oh, I am so fucked, he thought. â€Å"Meaning I'm still a little hungover. I'm sorry. Let's see what we can put together from the notes.† Amy slipped off the stool and gathered the field journals in her arms. â€Å"Where are you going?† Nate said. Had he somehow offended her? â€Å"We have four days to put together a lecture. I'm going to go to my cabin and do it.† â€Å"How? On what?† â€Å"I'm thinking, ‘Humpbacks: Our Wet and Wondrous Pals of the Deep –  » â€Å"There's going to be a lot of researchers there. Biologists – † Nate interrupted. † – and Why We Should Poke Them with Sticks.  » â€Å"Better,† Nate said. â€Å"I got it covered,† she said, and she walked out. For some reason he felt hopeful. Excited. Just for a second. Then, after he'd watched her walk out, a wave of melancholy swept over him and for the thirtieth time that day he regretted that he hadn't just become a pharmacist, or a charter captain, or something that made you feel more alive, like a pirate. The old broad lived on a volcano and believed that the whales talked to her. She called about noon, and Nate knew it was her before he even answered. He knew, because she always called when it was too windy to go out. â€Å"Nathan, why aren't you out in the channel?† the Old Broad said. â€Å"Hello, Elizabeth, how are you today?† â€Å"Don't change the subject. They told me that they want to talk to you. Today. Why aren't you out there?† â€Å"You know why I'm not out there, Elizabeth. It's too windy. You can see the whitecaps as well as I can.† From the slope of Haleakala, the Old Broad watched the activity in the channel with a two-hundred-power celestial telescope and a pair of â€Å"big eyes† binoculars that looked like stereo bazookas on precision mounts that were anchored into a ton of concrete. â€Å"Well, they're upset that you're not out there. That's why I called.† â€Å"And I appreciate your calling, Elizabeth, but I'm in the middle of something.† Nate hoped he didn't sound too rude. The Old Broad meant well. And they, in a way, were all at the mercy of her generosity, for although she had  «donated » the Papa Lani compound, she hadn't exactly signed it over to them. They were in a sort of permanent lease situation. Elizabeth Robinson was, however, very generous and very kindhearted indeed, even if she was a total loon. â€Å"Nathan, I am not a total loon,† she said. Oh yes you are, he thought. â€Å"I know you're not,† he said. â€Å"But I really have to get some work done today.† â€Å"What are you working on?† Elizabeth asked. Nate could hear her tapping a pencil on her desk. She took notes during their conversations. He didn't know what she did with the notes, but it bothered him. â€Å"I have a lecture at the sanctuary in four days.† Why, why had he told her? Why? Now she'd rattle down the mountain in her ancient Mercedes that looked like a Nazi staff car, sit in the audience, and ask all the questions that she knew in advance he couldn't answer. â€Å"That shouldn't be hard. You've done that before, what, twenty times?† â€Å"Yes, but someone broke in to the compound yesterday, Elizabeth. All my notes, the tapes, the analysis – it's all destroyed.† There was silence on the line for a moment. Nate could hear the Old Broad breathing. Finally, â€Å"I'm really sorry, Nathan. Is everyone all right?† â€Å"Yes, it happened while we were out working.† â€Å"Is there anything I can do? I mean, I can't send much, but if – â€Å" â€Å"No, we're all right. It's just a lot of work that I have to start over.† The Old Broad might have been loaded at one time, and she certainly would be again if she sold the land where Papa Lani stood, but Nate didn't think that she had a lot of money to spare after the last bear market. Even if she did, this wasn't a problem that could be solved with cash. â€Å"Well, then, you get back to work, but try to get out tomorrow. There's a big male out there who told me he wants you to bring him a hot pastrami on rye.† Nate grinned and almost snorted into the phone. â€Å"Elizabeth, you know they don't eat while they're in these waters.† â€Å"I'm just relaying the message, Nathan. Don't you snicker at me. He's a big male, broad, like he just came down from Alaska – frankly, I don't know why he'd be hungry, he's as big as a house. But anyway, Swiss and hot English mustard, he was very clear about that. He has very unusual markings on his flukes. I couldn't see them from here, but he says you'll know him.† Nate felt his face go numb with something approximating shock. â€Å"Elizabeth –  » â€Å"Call if you need anything, Nathan. My love to Clay. Aloha.† Nathan Quinn let the phone slip from his fingers, then zombie-stumbled out of the office and back to his own cabin, where he decided he was going to nap and keep napping until he woke up to a world that wasn't so irritatingly weird. Right on the edge of a dream where he was gleefully steering a sixty-foot cabin cruiser up Second Street in downtown Seattle, plowing aside slow-moving vehicles while Amy, clad in a silver bikini and looking uncharacteristically tan, stood in the bow and waved to people who had come to the windows of their second-story offices to marvel at the freedom and power of the Mighty Quinn – right on the edge of a perfect dream, Clay burst into the room. Talking. â€Å"Kona's moving into cabin six.† â€Å"Get some lines in the water, Amy,† Nate said from the drears of morpheum opus. â€Å"We're coming up on Pike's Place Market, and there's fish to be had.† Clay waited, not quite smiling, not quite not, while Nate sat up and rubbed sleep from his eyes. â€Å"Driving a boat on the street?† Clay said, nodding. All skippers had that dream. â€Å"Seattle,† said Nate. â€Å"The Zodiac lives in cabin six.† â€Å"We haven't used the Zodiac in ten years, it won't hold air.† Clay went to the closet that acted as a divider between the living/sleeping area and the kitchen. He pulled down a stack of sheets, then towels. â€Å"You wouldn't believe how they had this kid living, Nate. It was a tin industrial building, out by the airport. Twenty, thirty of them, in little stalls with cots and not enough room to swing a dead cat. The wiring was extension cords draped over the tops of the stalls. Six hundred a month for that.† Nate shrugged. â€Å"So? We lived that way the first couple of years. It's what you do. We might need cabin six for something. Storage or something.† â€Å"Nope,† said Clay. â€Å"That place was a sweat box and a fire hazard. He's not living there. He's our guy.† â€Å"But Clay, he's only been with us for a day. He's probably a criminal.† â€Å"He's our guy,† said Clay, and that was that. Clay had very strong views on loyalty. If Clay had decided that Kona was their guy, he was their guy. â€Å"Okay,† said Nate, feeling as if he had just invited the Medusa in for a sandwich. â€Å"The Old Broad called.† â€Å"How is she?† â€Å"Still nuts.† â€Å"How're you?† â€Å"Getting there.†