Marketing Plan for a Brand in Trouble Assignment

Marketing Plan for a Brand in Trouble - Assignment Example FW Woolworth's UK subsidiary (Woolworths Ltd.) and B&Q were bought two years later by Paternoster, who are now known as Kingfisher PLC and are still B&Q's parent company. Since being bought out by Kingfisher, employees of B&Q have enjoyed a 20% discount on all products. Mid 1990's saw B&Q open a new format of store known as the B&Q Depot. This was a forerunner of a new class of store known as the B&Q Warehouse. Beckton, Enfield and Romford were amongst the first of the new Warehouse class stores to open (United Kingdom: Case Study: B&Q Direct, 2003). In the late 1990s, B&Q became active in the rest of Europe and the rest of the world. It co-operated in 1995 with parent company Kingfisher PLC to open its first overseas subsidiary in Taiwan, and in 1996 the first overseas large home improvement center in Taoyuan City, Taiwan. In 1998, it acquired NOMI, Poland's leading chain of DIY stores. Later that year, B&Q merged with France's Castorama. In 1999 B&Q opened a store in Shanghai, China and acquired the British hardware mail-order company, Screwfix. By the year 2000, B&Q had fifty of its larger Warehouse stores. This had doubled by 2003. B&Q's Direct's online transactional website, www.DIY.com, was launched in January 2001. By March 2003, it had become one of the largest stores in B&Q and its continued rapid growth will soon make it the biggest store in the group. The site sells a range of 14,000 products and is already the number one store for many heavy and bulky items and many other smaller product ranges (United Kingdom: Case Study: B&Q Direct, 2003). As well as generating considerable revenues of its own, DIY.com is part of a wider, multi-channel retail strategy that includes call centres and catalogues. All channels feed each other. For instance, 10% of those that shop in-store have researched their purchases online. A critical component in the overall success of DIY.com and the B&Q Direct call centres is their ability to process credit and debit cards efficiently and to restrict the level of card fraud. In September 2002, B&Q Direct appointed DataCash, a leading UK-based provider of outsourced payment processing and fraud prevention solutions, to handle the credit and debit card processing for both DIY.com and all its call centres (U.K. Retail Sales Plunge Most in at Least 10 Years: Update3, 2006). Before DataCash was appointed, B&Q had used a software solution provided by a US-based company to handle its card processing. B&Q had two key issues with this solution, one technical and one business, which led them to look for a new supplier (United Kingdom: Case Study: B&Q Direct, 2003). Based on the discussion, "MarketVVizard's Market Thoughts" (2005), European economies U.K. retail sales plunge most in 10 Years. Shares of companies including Plc and Kingfisher Plc declined in London after the British Retail Consortium said sales in stores open at least a year dropped 4.7 percent from a year ago, the biggest decline since comparable figures began in 1995. Domestic demand is clearly slowing a lot quicker than was anticipated even a month ago,'' said Peter Dixon, an economist at Commerzbank AG in London. After an unprecedented run of strength it's time for consumers to stop, regroup, and think about getting their finances back in order.'' British factory production

Democracy in the Final Quarter of the 20th Century in Latin America Essay

Democracy in the Final Quarter of the 20th Century in Latin America - Essay Example The Latin American region also meant that the struggle was intense and largely supported by the US in an attempt to buttress its hegemony in the region (Bethell, 2009). The seventies saw the emergence of leftist ideas in Latin American nations. The political-military elite of these nations saw the rise of leftist ideas as a threat to the already established systems of governance. In order to protect their nations from leftist ideology, the ruling elite turned to more authoritarian forms of government such as military dictatorships. The example of Chile, Argentina, Venezuela and many other Latin American countries supports this idea. These regimes often employed brute tactics to weed out the leftist factions and to avoid an armed struggle against the central governments. Harrowing tales of murder, political assassinations, rape, plundering, confiscation of property and the like are rampant in Latin America at the time. Chile’s dictator Auguste’ Pinochet, for example, is famous for the blatant elimination of his political opponents without any trials. The struggle in Nicaragua that put the Sandinista regime in charge was marked with bloo d and violence to fortify the seat of power. These actions on the part of these regimes infused a spirit of freedom from oppression in the masses in these nations (Skidmore & Smith, 2005). It is, therefore, no surprise that there were myriad leftist armed struggles in Latin America that were calling for regime change by the final quarter of the twentieth century. The entanglement of these military regimes in armed struggles also meant that the economy had to pay a heavy price. In certain other cases such as Argentina, the economy turned to shambles due to nepotism, mismanagement and usurpation of public resources (Stein & Hunt, 2007). It was common practice for military regimes to take onto armed adventures in order to divert public attention from the state of the economy. For example, the Argentinean military regime was made famous by its  myopic decision to invade the Falklands that exposed the Argentinean military’s weakness against a formidable British military.  

Cancer Stem Cells: Properties, Concepts and Models

Cancer Stem Cells: Properties, Concepts and Models Tumours are made up of a heterogeneous population of cells which are distinct in terms of their differentiation competencies, proliferative capabilities as well as functional properties. [A] The mechanisms responsible for such heterogeneity are the subject of research, and two models have been put forth in order to explain the phenomenon – Cancer stem cells (CSCs) and clonal evolution. [A] Cancer stem cells are a subset of the total population of cells in a tumour that have the ability to undergo self-renewal, as well as to differentiate into the different types of cells that comprise the tumour. [A] These CSCs are said to be responsible for tumorigenesis as well as for driving tumour growth. [U] Evidence supporting the existence of cancer stem cells Differences in clonogenicity among cancer cells were first documented in cases of leukaemia and multiple myeloma. It was found that 0.01 – 1% of the cells were capable of extensive proliferation, and able to establish colonies when grown in vitro (Park, C. H., Bergsagel, D. E. McCulloch, E. A. Mouse myeloma tumor stem cells: a primary cell culture assay. J. Natl Cancer Inst. 46, 411–422 (1971). Two possible explanations existed for this – either leukemic cells had a low overall capacity for proliferation, or only a definite subset of these cells were clonogenic. In 1994, John Dick and his group of researchers carried out a landmark study where CSCs were isolated from a mouse model that had been transplanted with human AML cells. [Z15] This was the first conclusive evidence for the existence of a subset of the leukaemia cells that were highly clonogenic, in comparison to the remaining cancer cells. It was later observed that a similar condition exists in the case of solid tumours, where only a small subset of the total cell population is tumorigenic. [G] Origins of cancer stem cells Several contradictory theories exist regarding the cellular origins of cancer stem cells. Some state that these cells are derived from normal stem cells that have acquired oncogenic mutations [G], others refute this with the claim that cancer stem cells can arise from a committed progenitor cell that has acquired the properties of a stem-cell during its cancerous transformation [Z1], while yet others suggest that these cells could arise as a result of a fusion event between a stem cell and a tumour cell. [N] The idea that cancers could arise from normal stem cells is highly plausible because not only do they continuously undergo divisions, but they are also long lived, allowing them to accumulate multiple mutations, as is required for a cancerous transformation. [B] Apart from the accumulation of mutations, the interaction of a cell with its local microenvironment also influences the tumorigenic process. Mouse leukaemia models have been able to provide evidence that given suitable niche conditions, a progenitor cell is capable of de-differentiating to form a CSC. [V] However, since most progenitor and mature cells have a relatively short life-span, it seems unlikely that will be able to acquire the oncogenic mutations required to render them tumorigenic. [I] Despite these explanations, the exact origin of most tumours and cancer stem cells remains unknown, and can only be speculated based on experimental findings. [A] Additionally, irrespective of the origin, the identification and isolation of CSCs in a tumour indicates that there exists a functional hierarchy exists within the tumour tissue. [L] Properties of cancer stem cells These cells can undergo symmetric as well as asymmetric divisions, which results in the expansion of the cancer stem cell population itself, as well as an increase in the number of differentiated cells that constitute the bulk of the tumour. [Z1] THE CANCER STEM CELL MODEL As previously mentioned, two models have been put forth to explain the heterogeneity of a tumour cell population. The first model is the CSC model, also known as the hierarchical model, which states that within a tumour, there exist different classes of cells and that the CSCs represent a biologically distinct subpopulation of cells that are capable of propagating the tumour. [C] It suggests that the characteristics of the cells within the tumour are intrinsically determined and therefore only certain cells possess the ability to undergo extensive proliferation to initiate tumour formation, these cells are called the CSCs; while the remaining cells are incapable of tumorigenisis. According to the CSC model, although most cancers arise from a group of cells that are genetically monoclonal in nature, the high level of tumour heterogeneity is a result of the interaction between cells that are in different states of differentiation after have initiated from a common precursor. [Z12] Evidence supporting this hypothesis emerges from the observation that though tumours may initially respond well to chemotherapy, there is often a case of relapse; which could occur due to the CSCs that persist post-treatment and are then able to re-initiate tumour formation. [Z13] There are, however, limitations to the CSC model; the first being that all studies that support it have only addressed the potential of the cells to proliferate and give rise to tumours, but not the actual fate. [D] Since the conditions applied to test the tumorigenic potential of these cells may vary considerably from the conditions experienced by the cells in vivo, we do not know which of these cells actually contribute to the establishment and growth of the primary tumour. It is also noteworthy that it has been found that if the population of cancer cells acquires an immense number of mutations and aberrations, then almost all of them begin to show stem-like properties. [C] In such a case, the CSC model becomes irrelevant. On the other hand, the stochastic model states that cells in a tumour are biologically equivalent, and that each cell has the ability to act as a CSC, given the right circumstances. A combination of intrinsic and extrinsic influences is said to determine the proliferative capacity and the ultimate fate of a cell. [C] Behaviour of a cell is therefore not pre-determined by intrinsic characters alone and tumour initiating cells cannot be enriched. It is however likely for both these paradigms to be observed in vivo, in different cancers. Some cancers may follow the CSC model, while others may not. Based on transplantation studies in mice, it has been found that only in a fraction of cases, does AML follow the CSC model while in others there is no evidence for the existence of a highly tumorigenic sub-population of cells that continue to display CSC activity upon serial propagation. [F] Therefore, although CSCs may be responsible for driving the growth of a majority of tumours and cancers, there are studies which indicate that certain malignancies may be sustained primarily by the bulk of the tumour cells. [F] IDENTIFICATION AND ISOLATION OF CANCER STEM CELLS Cancer stem cell assays Purification and enrichment techniques CSC markers CSCs in various cancers HETEROGENEITY IN CANCER STEM CELL POPULATIONS Based on the study of the CSC model, the question arises as to whether similar hierarchical subpopulations of tumorigenic and non-tumorigenic are observed in patients suffering from the same type of cancer; and whether these tumorigenic CSCs can be isolated based on conserved cell- surface markers. However it has been found that there are often phenotypic differences in CSCs even within the same cancer sub-type. [E] For example, though it has been found that the CD44+/CD24- population of breast cancer cells are generally tumorigenic, this is not universally the case and in certain cases, it has been found that cells of diverse phenotypes are able to act as CSCs. (Al-Hajj, M., Wicha, M.S., Benito-Hernandez, A., Morrison, S.J., and Clarke, M.F. (2003). Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 100, 3983–3988.) Similarly, in gliomas CD133 expression is not always associated with CSCs, and in certain instances CD133- cells have also been found to be tumorigenic. (Beier, D. et al. CD133+ and CD133– glioblastoma derived cancer stem cells show differential growth characteristics and molecular profiles. Cancer Res. 67, 4010–4015 (2007). Apart from the phenotype, the frequency of CSCs in a solid tumour or population of cancer cells is also variable. In melanomas, CSCs constitute anything between 1.6 to 20% of the total cells, while in the case of colorectal carcinomas, they represent between 1.8 to 24.5% of the cells. [A] Additionally, in general, the percentage of CSCs in solid tumours has been found to be significantly higher than the percentage of leukemic stem cells. [Z15] This heterogeneity has implications on the prognosis of the disease as well as the outcomes of various therapeutic interventions. It is envisioned that with the identification of more refined markers and improved methods for determination of CSC frequency, we may eventually be able to correlate the percentage of CSCs with the tumour grade and the outcome. [A]

Analysis of Soldiers Home by Ernest Hemingway Essay -- Literary Analys

The story, A Soldiers Home, is about a man in conflict with the past and present events in his life. The young man’s name is Harold Krebs. He recently returned from World War 1 to find everything almost exactly the same as when he left. He moved back into his parents house, where he found the same car sitting in the same drive way. He also found the girls looking the same, except now they all had short hair. When he returned to his home town in Oklahoma the hysteria of the soldiers coming home was all over. The other soldiers had come home years before Krebs had so everyone was over the excitement. When he first returned home he didn’t want to talk about the war at all. Then, when he suddenly felt the urge and need to talk about it no one wanted to hear about it. When he returned all of the other soldiers had found their place in the community, but Harold needed more time to find his place. In the mean time he plays pool, â€Å"practiced on his clarinet, strolled down town, read, and went to bed.†(Hemingway, 186) When his mother pressures him to get out and get a girlfriend and job, he te...

Night World : Secret Vampire Chapter 6

James moved fast. He picked up the plastic tumbler on the bedside table and handed it to Poppy. She understood. Feeling giddy and uncoordinated, she took a healthy swig of water and licked her lips to wash any traces of blood away. â€Å"What are you doing?† Phillip repeated, striding into the room. His eyes were fixed on James, which was good, because Poppy was trying to position herself to hide the side of her neck that James had bitten. â€Å"None of your business,† she said, and in the same instant she knew it was a mistake. Phillip, whose middle name was Stability, was looking distinctly unstable tonight. Mom told him, Poppy thought.†I mean, we aren't doing anything, † she amended. It didn't help. Phil was clearly in a mood to see everything in the world as a threat to his sister. And Poppy couldn't really blame him-he'd walked in on the two of them in a strange embrace on a rumpled hospital bed. â€Å"James was comforting me because I was scared,† she said. She didn't even try to explain why James had been cradling her head to his arm. But she glanced at James's arm surreptitiously and saw that the wound there was already closed, the mark fading. â€Å"Everything's all right, you know,† James said, standing to fix a mesmerizing silver gaze on Phillip. But Phil hardly gave him a glance. He was staring at Poppy. It's not working, Poppy thought. Maybe Phil's too mad to be hypnotized. Or too stubborn. She looked a question at James, which he answered with a barely discernable shake of his head. He didn't know what the problem was, either. They both knew what it meant. James was going to have to leave. Poppy felt cheated and frustrated. All she wanted was to talk with James, to revel in their new discovery of each other-and she couldn't. Not with Phil here. â€Å"I drove Mom here. You know she doesn't like driving at night. And I brought this.† He swung her boom box up onto the bedside table. â€Å"And these.† He put a black CD case beside it. â€Å"All your favorite music.† Poppy felt her anger draining away. â€Å"That was sweet,† she said. She was touched, especially since Phil hadn't said â€Å"All your favorite weird music,† which was usually how he referred to it. â€Å"Thank you.† Phil shrugged, shooting a glare at James. Poor Phil, Poppy thought. Her brother actually looked disheveled. And his eyes were swollen. â€Å"Where's Mom?† she was starting to say, when her mother walked in. â€Å"I'm back, sweetie,† her mother said, with a very creditable cheery smile. Then she looked surprised. â€Å"James-it was nice of you to come.† â€Å"Yeah, but he was just leaving,† Phil said significantly. â€Å"I'll show him the way out.† James didn't waste energy on a fight he couldn't win. He turned to Poppy and said, â€Å"I'll see you tomorrow.† There was a look in his gray eyes-gray, not silver now-that was just for her. A look that had never been there before in all the years she'd known him. â€Å"Goodbye, James,† she said softly. â€Å"And-thank you.† She knew he understood what she meant. It wasn't until he was out the door, with Phillip on his heels like a bouncer after a rowdy customer, that a thought occurred to her. James had said that she would be in danger if she didn't get enough of his blood. But they'd gotten interrupted almost immediately after that. Had Poppy gotten enough? And what would happen if she hadn't? She herself had no idea, and there was no way to ask James. Phil stayed right behind James all the way out of the hospital. Not tonight, James thought. He just couldn't deal with Phillip North tonight. His patience was gone, and his mind was occupied in calculating whether Poppy had taken enough of his blood to be safe. He thought she had-but the sooner she got more, the better. â€Å"You'll ‘see her tomorrow'-well, you're not going to see her tomorrow,† Phil said abruptly as they walked into the garage. â€Å"Phil, give me a break.† Instead, Phillip stepped in front of him and stopped dead, forcing James to stop, too. Phillip was breathing quickly, his green eyes burning. â€Å"Okay, bud, † he said. â€Å"I don't know what you think you're doing with Poppy-but it's all over now. From now on you stay away from her. Understand?† Visions of breaking Phillip's neck like a new pencil danced in James's head. But Phil was Poppy's brother, and his green eyes were surprisingly like hers. â€Å"I would never hurt Poppy,† he said wearily. â€Å"Give me a break. Are you going to stand there and tell me you don't want to move in on her?† James couldn't come up with an answer immediately. Yesterday he could have truthfully said no, he didn't want to move in on Poppy. Because it would have meant a death sentence for him and Poppy both. It was only when Poppy had received a death sentence of her own that he'd allowed himself to look at his feelings. And now †¦ now he'd been close to Poppy. He'd touched her mind, and had found that she was even braver and more gallant than he'd thought; even more compassionate-and more vulnerable. He wanted to be that close to Poppy again. He cared about her in a way that made his throat ache. He belonged with Poppy. He also realized that that might not be enough. Sharing blood forged a powerful bond between two people. It would be wrong of him to take advantage of that bond-or of Poppy's gratitude to him. Until he was sure that Poppy's mind was clear and her decisions were her own, he should keep a little distance. It was the only honorable thing to do. â€Å"The last thing I want to do is hurt her,† he repeated. â€Å"Why can't you believe that?† He made a half-hearted attempt to capture Phil's gaze as he said it. It failed, just as it had in the hospital. Phillip seemed to be one of those rare humans who couldn't be influenced by mind control. â€Å"Why can't I believe it? Because I know you. You and your-girlfriends.† Phil managed to make the word sound like a curse. â€Å"You go through six or seven a year-and when you're through with them, you dump them like trash.† James was distracted briefly by amusement, because Phil was dead on. He needed six girlfriends a year. After two months the bond between them became dangerously strong. â€Å"Poppy's not my girlfriend and I'm not going to dump her,† he said, pleased at his own cleverness. He'd avoided an outright lie-Poppy wasn't his girl friend in any normal sense. They'd merged their souls, that was all-they hadn't talked about dating or anything. â€Å"So you are telling me you're not gonna try to put the moves on her. Is that it? Because you'd better be sure.† As he spoke, Phil did what was probably the most dangerous thing he'd ever done in his life. He grabbed James by the front of the shirt. You stupid human, James thought. He briefly co sidered breaking every bone in Phil's hand. Or picking Phil up and throwing him across the garage into somebody's windshield. Or †¦ â€Å"You're Poppy's brother,† he said through histeeth. â€Å"So I'm going to give you a chance to let go.† Phil stared into his face a moment, then let go,looking slightly shaken. But not shaken enough to keep quiet. â€Å"You have to leave her alone,† he said. â€Å"You don'tunderstand. This disease she's got it's serious. She doesn't need anything messing up her life right now.She just needs . . .† He stopped and swallowed. Suddenly James felt very tired. He couldn't blame Phil for being upset-Phil's mind was full of crystal clear pictures of Poppy dying. Usually James got only general images about what humans were thinking, but Phillip was broadcasting so loud it nearly deafened him. Half-truths and evasions hadn't worked. It was time for Outright Lies. Anything to satisfy Phil and get James away from this. â€Å"I know that what Poppy has is serious,† he said. â€Å"I found an article about it on the Net. That's why I was here, okay? I feel sorry for her. I'm not interested in Poppy except as a friend, but it makes her feel better if I pretend that I like her.† Phillip hesitated, looking at him hard and suspiciously. Then he shook his head slowly. â€Å"Being friends is one thing, but it's wrong to mix her up. In the end, pretending isn't going to do her any good. I don't even think it makes her feel better now-she looked pretty bad in there.† â€Å"Bad?† â€Å"Pale and shaky. You know Poppy; you know how she gets overexcited about things. You shouldn't be fooling around with her emotions.† He narrowed his eyes and said, â€Å"So maybe you'd better stay away from her for a while. Just to make sure she hasn't got the wrong idea.† â€Å"Whatever,† James said. He wasn't really listening. â€Å"Okay,† Phillip said. â€Å"We have a deal. But I'm warning you, if you break it, you're in trouble.† James wasn't listening to that, either. Which wasa mistake. In the darkened hospital room Poppy lay and listened to her mother's breathing. You're not asleep, she thought, and I'm not asleep. And you know I'm not, and I know you're not†¦ But they couldn't talk. Poppy wanted desperately to let her mother know that everything was going to be all right-but how? She couldn't betray James's secret. And even if she could, her mother wouldn't believe her. I have to find a way, Poppy thought. I have to. And then a great wave of drowsiness overtook her. It had been the longest day in her life, and she was full of alien blood already working its strange magic in her. She couldn't †¦ she just couldn't †¦ keep her eyes open. Several times during the night a nurse came in to take her vital signs, but Poppy never really woke up. For the first time in weeks, no pain interrupted her dreams. She opened her eyes the next morning feeling con fused and weak. Black dots swarmed through her vision when she sat up. â€Å"Hungry?† her mother asked. â€Å"They left this breakfast tray for you.† The smell of hospital eggs made Poppy feel nauseated. But because her mother was watching her anxiously, she played with the food on the tray before she went to wash up. In the bathroom mirror she examined the side of her neck. Amazing-there was no trace of a mark. When she came out of the bathroom, her mother was crying. Not floods of tears, not sobbing. Just dabbing her eyes on a Kleenex. But Poppy couldn't stand it. â€Å"Mom, if you're worried about telling me †¦ I know.† The whole sentence was out before Poppy could even think about it. Her mother's head jerked up in horror. She stared at Poppy with more tears spilling. â€Å"Sweetheart-you know †¦ ?† â€Å"I know what I've got and I know how bad it is,† Poppy said. If this was the wrong strategy, it was too late now. â€Å"I listened when you and Cliff were talking to the doctors.† â€Å"Oh, my Lord.† What can I say? Poppy wondered. It's okay, Mom, because I'm not going to die; I'm going to become a vampire. I hope. I can't be sure, because sometimes you don't make it through the transformation. But with any luck, I should be sucking blood in a few weeks. Come to think of it, she hadn't asked James exactly how long it would take to change her. Her mother was taking deep, calming breaths. â€Å"Poppy, I want you to know how much I love you. Cliff and I will do anything-anything-we can to help you. Right now he's looking into some clinical protocols-those are experimental studies where they test new ways of treating people. If we can just .. . buy time †¦ until a cure . ‘ ..† Poppy couldn't stand it. She could feel her mother's pain. Literally. It carried in palpable waves that seemed to echo through her bloodstream, making her dizzy. It's that blood, she thought. It's doing something to me-changing me. Even as she thought it, she went to her mother. She wanted to hug her, and she needed help standing up. â€Å"Mom, I'm not scared,† she said, muffled against her mother's shoulder. â€Å"I can't explain, but I'm not scared. And I don't want you to be unhappy over me.† Her mother just held on fiercely, as if Death might try to snatch Poppy out of her arms that minute. She was crying. Poppy cried, too. Real tears, because even if she wasn't going to die truly, she was going to lose so much. Her old life, her family, everything familiar. It felt good to cry over it; it was something she needed to do. But when it was done, she tried again. â€Å"The one thing I don't want is for you to be unhappy or worry,† she said, and looked up at her mother. â€Å"So could you just try not to? For my sake?† Oh, God, I'm coming off like Beth in Little Women, she thought. Saint Poppy. And the truth is, if I were really dying, I'd go kicking and screaming all the way. Still, she'd managed to comfort her mother, who drew back looking tearstained but quietly proud. â€Å"You're really something, Poppet,† was all she said, but her lips trembled. Saint Poppy looked away, horribly embarrassed until another wave of dizziness saved her. She allowed her mother to help her back into bed. And it was then that she finally found a way to pose the question she needed to ask. â€Å"Mom,† she said slowly, â€Å"what if there was a cure for me somewhere-like in some other country or something-and I could go there and get better, but they wouldn't ever let me come back? I mean, you'd know I was okay, but you wouldn't ever be able to see me again.† She looked at her mother intently. â€Å"Would you want me to do it?† Her mother answered instantly. â€Å"Sweetheart, I'd want you cured if you had to go to the moon. As long as you were happy.† She had to pause a moment, then resumed steadily. â€Å"But, honey, there isn't such a place. I wish there were.† â€Å"I know.† Poppy patted her arm gently. â€Å"I was just asking. I love you, Mom.† Later that morning Dr. Franklin and Dr. Loftus came by. Facing them wasn't as horrible as Poppy expected, but she felt like a hypocrite when they marvelled over her â€Å"wonderful attitude.† They talked about quality time, and the fact that no two cases of cancer were the same, and about people they'd known who'd beaten the percentages. Saint Poppy squirmed inside, but she listened and nodded-until they began to talk about more tests. â€Å"We'd like to do an angiogram and a laparotomy,† Dr. Loftus said. â€Å"Now an angiogram is-â€Å" Everyone looked startled. Then Dr. Loftus gave a rueful smile. â€Å"Sounds like you've been reading up on it.† â€Å"No, I just-I guess I remember it from somewhere,† Poppy said. She knew where she was getting the images-from Dr. Loftus's head. And she probably should cover her tracks instead of talking any more, but she was too distressed. â€Å"And a laparotomy's an operation, right?† Dr. Loftus and Dr. Franklin exchanged glances. â€Å"An exploratory operation, yes,† Dr. Franklin said. â€Å"But I don't need those tests, do I? I mean, you already know what I've got. And the tests hurt.† â€Å"Poppy,† her mother said gently. But Dr. Loftus was answering slowly. â€Å"Well, sometimes we need the tests to confirm a diagnosis. But in your case †¦ no, Poppy. We don't really need them. We're already sure.† â€Å"Then I don't see why I have to have them,† Poppy said simply. â€Å"I'd rather go home.† The doctors looked at each. other, then at Poppy's mother. Then, without even trying to be subtle about it, the three adults went out into the corridor to deliberate. When they came back, Poppy knew she'd won. â€Å"You can go home, Poppy,† Dr. Franklin said quietly. â€Å"At least until you develop any further symptoms. The nurse will tell your mother what to look out for.† The first thing Poppy did was call James. He answered on the first ring and said, â€Å"How do you feel?† â€Å"Dizzy. But pretty good,† Poppy said, whispering because her mother was outside talking to a nurse. â€Å"I'm coming home.† â€Å"I'll come over this afternoon,† James said. â€Å"Call me when you think you'll have an hour or so alone. And, Poppy †¦ don't tell Phil I'm coming.† â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"I'll explain later.† When she actually got home, it was strange. Cliff and Phil were there. Everybody was unusually nice to her, while still trying to pretend that nothing unusual was going on. (Poppy had heard the nurse tell her mother that it was good to try and maintain a normal routine.) It's like my birthday, Poppy thought dazedly. Like some terribly important birthday and graduation rolled into one. Every few minutes the doorbell would ring as another flower arrangement arrived. Poppy's bedroom looked like a garden. She felt badly for Phil. He looked so stricken-and so brave. She wanted to comfort him the way she'd comforted her mother-but how? â€Å"Come here,† she ordered, opting for direct action. And when he obeyed, she hugged him tightly. â€Å"You'll beat this thing,† he whispered. â€Å"I know you will. Nobody's ever had as much will to live as you do. And nobody's ever, ever been as stubborn.† It was then that Poppy realized just how terribly she was going to miss him. When she let go, she felt light-headed. â€Å"Maybe you'd better lie down,† Cliff said gently. And Poppy's mother helped her to the bedroom. â€Å"Does Dad know?† she asked as her mother moved around the bedroom, straightening things. â€Å"I tried to get hold of him yesterday, but the people at the station said he'd moved to somewhere in Vermont. They don't know where.† Poppy nodded. It sounded like her dad always on the move. He was a DJ-when he wasn't being an artist or a stage magician. He'd split up with her mom because he wasn't very good at being any of those things-or at least not good enough to get paid much. Cliff was everything Poppy's father wasn't: responsible, disciplined, hardworking. He fit in perfectly with Poppy's mom and Phil. So perfectly that sometimes Poppy felt like the odd one out in her own family. â€Å"I miss Dad,† Poppy said softly. â€Å"I know. Sometimes I do, too,† her mother said, surprising her. Then she said firmly, â€Å"We'll find him, Poppy. As soon as he hears, he'll want to come.† Poppy hoped so. She didn't suppose she'd get a chance to see him-after. It wasn't until an hour or so before dinnertime, when Phil and Cliff were out doing errands, and her mother was taking a nap, that Poppy got the chance to call James. â€Å"I'll come right over,† he said. â€Å"I'll let myself in.† Ten minutes later he walked into Poppy's bedroom. Poppy felt strangely shy. Things had changed between her and James. They weren't simply best friends anymore. They didn't even say â€Å"Hi† to each other. As soon as he came in, their eyes caught and met. And then, for an endless moment, they just looked at each other. This time, when Poppy felt the quick pang in her chest that always came when she saw James, it was a throb of pure sweetness. He cared about her. She could see it in his eyes. Wait a minute, hang on, her mind whispered. Don't jump the gun here. He cares about you, yes, but he didn't say he was in love with you. There's a difference. Shut up, Poppy told her brain soberly. Aloud, she said, â€Å"How come you didn't want Phil to know you were here?†James threw his light windbreaker over a chair and sat down on Poppy's bed. â€Å"Well-I just' didn't want to be interrupted,† he said with a gesture of dismissal. â€Å"How's the pain?† â€Å"It's gone,† Poppy said. â€Å"Isn't that weird? It didn't wake me up at all last night. And there's something else. I think I'm starting to-well, read people's thoughts.† James smiled slightly, just one corner of his mouth up. â€Å"That's good. 1 was worried-† He broke off and went to turn Poppy's CD player on. Plaintive Bantu wailing's emerged. â€Å"I was worried you didn't get enough blood last night,† James said quietly, resuming his seat. â€Å"You'll have to take more this time-and so will I.† Poppy felt something tremble inside her. Her revulsion was gone. She was still afraid, but that was only because of the consequences of what they were going to do. It wasn't just a way to get closer or to feed James. They were doing it to change Poppy. â€Å"The only thing I don't understand is why you never bit me before.† Her tone was light, but as she spoke the words, she realized that there was a serious question behind them. â€Å"I mean,† she said slowly, â€Å"you did it with Michaela and Jacklyn, didn't you? And with other girls?† He looked away but answered steadily. â€Å"I didn't exchange blood with them. But I fed on them, yes.† But not me.† â€Å"No. How can I explain?† He looked up at her. â€Å"Poppy, taking blood can be a lot of different things-and the Elders don't want it to be anything but feeding. They say all you should feel is the joy of the hunt. And that's all I ever have felt before.† Poppy nodded, trying to feel satisfied with this. She didn't ask who the Elders were. â€Å"Besides, it can be dangerous, † James said. â€Å"It can be done with hatred, and it can kill. Kill permanently, I mean.† Poppy was almost amused by this. â€Å"You wouldn't kill.† James stared at her. Outside, it was cloudy and the light in Poppy's bedroom was pale. It made James's face look pale, too, and his eyes silver. â€Å"But I have,† James said. His voice was flat and bleak. â€Å"I've killed without exchanging enough blood, so the person didn't come back as a vampire.†

Market Economy Compared to Planned Economy in Terms

Market economy compared to planned economy in terms of allocating scarce resources By: Habab Mohamed In the purpose of allocating the resources of a certain country, controlling the market flow, adjusting and making the rules and policies to manage the market in addition to the pricing of goods in terms of maintaining an efficient economy growth of a certain country, economists have been struggling to answer the very questioning issue; what is the most effective economy system in terms of allocating scarce resources?Market economy or planned economy. In the debate of which is more effective in terms of allocating scarce resources, since in the two last decades the planned economies have introduced elements of the market mechanism into their economic system, the following paragraphs will briefly define the classifications of economy systems, determine the advantages and disadvantages of Market economy and compare it to the planned economy in terms of allocating scarce resources.Market economy as economists define it, is the economy system in which the country’s economic decisions and all the assumption of market forces such as demand, supply and pricing of goods are the best determinant of what is good for the nation and the country as well. Governments in Market system have a little intervention or central planning, only to the extent that it’s needed to provide stability. All resources in Market economy are owned by people or firms, as a result they only and alone decide what to produce, how much they produce and to what market.When profit is the only and alone reason and motives for all business, demand and supply of goods and services play the main role as a pricing mechanism, which gives the consumer the freedom to choose within a variety of products. People in Market economy countries improve their technical skills and get more knowledge in their professions according to the high competition environment, trying to make more profit or at least trying not to lose their jobs if not developing their careers.This competition environment not only motives people and firms to produce high quality goods or services at the least price in order to take place in the market, but also leads to having more innovations since producers always try to find a new product or to develop an existing one in order to get more profit, also a variety of goods and services are available in a market economy country for the producers to satisfy all the tastes of the consumers, what is directly resulting in the economy growth and the development of the country.As world works out with the opportunities for hard workers to gain money, and for companies to make more profit as long as they can develop their business, foreign investment as a result refreshes the economy when more people and companies get attracted to a certain country. Even more, the power, cost and size of the government dealing with the different types of products or services are likely been saved when they are taken over by the private enterprises in the Market economy.Businesses in countries that have market economy only provides job opportunities for people whom are productive, seeking only for more profit in addition to cutting cost by firing a lot of employees or decrease the labor force to the minimum, thus unemployment rate remains high as more machines and less labor will be used to cut cost. One of the disadvantages of Market economy is that people do not produce some kinds of goods since these goods or services are not profitable, for example; public goods and services such as street lighting.Those services or goods which people want to use but don’t want to pay for, may not be available since the firms or people may not find it profitable to produce, governments have to manage producing such goods and services because they have to be done and people or firms are usually not interested. In Market economy, people and firms might find it profitable producing whatever is in demand regardless the effect on the society, some product are very harmful for the society such as weapons and drugs, this kind of products if is demanded, in free market economy, many people or firms would find it an easy way to get profit and make good business.In addition, the harm could also happen to the society in a different way, as well as in Market economy the prices are free and producers decide in which price they want to sell their products or services, they negatively affect the society, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. In free market economies, most of the production processes operate through the price mechanism. Market prices might be changed due to underlying conditions changes, consumers as well as producers adjust accordingly to the new ealities. They might not care so much about the reason why the change in price has taken place, they only care about if it has gone up or down. For example, if consumers notice the price of sugar rising, they will immediately respond by economizing on their use of sugar. None of them will care about the reason why the price of sugar rose, whether its supply is decreasing or its demand is increasing.On the other hand, in planned economy, the government decisions drive most of the aspects of a certain country’s economic activities. Government in Planned economy totally control the allocation of the scarce resources, it determines everything from distribution to pricing, while the private enterprises are been alleviated accordingly. Governments in Planned economy have been given a dictatorship control over the resources of the country.The two major drains of the efficiency of planned economy are; the first problem is that the dictions of the planners, government, doesn’t reflect the consumers’ tastes but the tastes of the government planners, there won’t be a variety of products, whether they are goods or services, since the consumers do not partici pate in the dictions making comparing to the market economy which gives the end users the opportunity to choose by offering a number of variety products in the market.Another problem is that the scarce resources get wasted since individuals has no right to own any, the chance of allocating the resources to the most productive uses gets at the least point, compared to the free market economy, the scarce resources could be owned by individuals or private sector, since it’s the best owner to develop a good business out of it and get back with benefits to the country’s economy growth.Planned economy can provide stability by controlling the prices, but it limits the growth of the country’s economy and the development since governments in planned economy does not allocate the scarce resources to the innovative minds.Recently, planned economies have introduced some free market economy’s mechanisms into their economy system, such as giving shares to private compa nies or individuals in a certain public probable business, converting planned economy almost to a mixed economy system, this fact clearly shows that free market economy is better than planned economy in terms of allocating scarce, since the whole global economy is now turning into market economy. 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Ice Break by Astrid Blodgett Essay Example

Ice Break by Astrid Blodgett Essay Example Ice Break by Astrid Blodgett Essay Ice Break by Astrid Blodgett Essay Ice Break by Astrid Blodgett is a short story of loss and rotten family-relations (and ice), written as two storylines, past and present, that don’t meet up until the very end. Dawn, the youngest of three siblings, is the only survivor after their car has crashed through the ice of Lake Wabamum. In the truck with Dawn is her Dad and youngest sibling, Janie. The story begins in present tense, with the point of no return. â€Å"We’re a long way out on the lake when the ice breaks†. Though it starts off like this, it could be argued that this is no in medias res. There is no tension, nor excitement. Just that statement – the ice breaks – and a beautiful, picturesque description of their surroundings. It’s rather unusual for present tense to be this â€Å"mellow†. Present tense is effective in building excitement and leading up to a climax. Blodgett used it to create the the opposite; she’s using present tense to emphasize how under whelmed and observant Dawn remains during her dad’s struggle for their lives. The past tense is used in the story to tell the tale of the morning before Dawn, Janie and their dad drove onto the lake. Until the last paragraph, the entire story takes place before noon in one day, which is not unusual for a short story. In the past tense, the relationships within the family are presented. And they are tense. This is hinted, by the repeated mention of the divorce of their neighbors, the Pichowskys. Marla, the oldest sibling says to Dawn, on page three, line 56: â€Å"I know something you don’t know†, and line 62: â€Å" Remember Mr. and Mra. Pichowsky down the street?† and then she leaves. Line 69, Dawn is thinking: â€Å"Mr. and Mrs. Pichowsky got a divorce last year and moved.† Dawn herself concludes, line 73: â€Å" Marla must mean that Mom and Dad were going to be like Mr. and Mrs. Pichowsky†. But it’s not just the relationship between the Mom and the Dad that’s rotten. Though they’re somehow tr