Coffee Bean Essay

ST. GREGORY’S UNIVERSITY Coffee Bean, Inc. Managerial Accounting, BU2123, Research Project, Spring 2007 Coffee Bean, Inc. (CBI) is a processor and distributor of a variety of blends of coffee. The company buys coffee beans from around the world and roasts, blends and packages them for resale. CBI currently has 40 different coffees that it offers to gourmet shops in one-pound bags. The major cost of the coffee is the raw coffee beans. However, there is a substantial amount of manufacturing overhead in the company’s predominantly automated roasting, blending and packing process. The company uses relatively little direct labor. Some of the coffees are very popular and sell in large volumes, while a few of the newer blends have very low volumes. CBI prices its coffee at manufacturing cost plus a markup of 30%. If CBI’s coffee prices are significantly higher than the market, adjustments are made to bring CBI’s prices more into alignment with the market. The company competes primarily on the quality of its products, but customers are price conscious as well. For the coming year, CBI’s budget includes estimated manufacturing overhead cost of $3,000,000. CBI assigns manufacturing overhead to products based on direct labor-hours. The expected direct labor cost totals $600,000, which represents 50,000 hours of direct labor time. Based on the sales budget and expected raw materials costs, the company will purchase and use $6,000,000 of raw materials (mostly coffee beans) during the year. The expected costs for direct materials and direct labor for one-pound bags of two of the company’s many coffee products appear below: Mona Loa $4. 20 0. 30 Malaysian $3. 20 0. 30 Direct Materials Direct Labor (0. 025 hours per bag). CBI’s president is very concerned about lowering profit margins. Several prices have had to be reduced to meet market pressures and other products are selling at good volumes without price adjustments. The president talked with CBI’s controller who believes that the company’s traditional costing system, which uses direct labor costs to allocate manufacturing overhead, may be providing misleading cost information. To determine whether or not this is correct, the controller has prepared an analysis of the year’s expected manufacturing overhead costs, as shown in the following table. Activity Center Cost Driver Purchasing Purchase Orders Materials handling Number of Setups Quality control Number of Batches Roasting Roasting Hours Blending Blending Hours Packaging Packaging Hours Total manufacturing overhead cost: Expected Activity 1,710 orders 1,800 setups 600 batches 96,100 hours 33,500 hours 26,000 hours Expected Cost $ 513,000 720,000 144,000 961,000 402,000 260,000 $3,000,000 Data regarding the expected production of two representative products, Mona Loa and Page 1 of 2 Coffee Bean Malaysian coffee, are presented below. There will be no raw materials inventory for either of these coffees at the beginning of the year. Mona Loa Malaysian 100,000 2,000 Pounds 10,000 500 Pounds 3 3 Per batch 20,000 500 Pounds 1. 0 / 100 1. 0 /100 Hours per pound 0. 5 / 100 0. 5 /100 Hours per pound 0. 1 / 100 0. 1 /100 Hours per pound Expected sales Batch size Setups Purchase order size Roasting time Blending time Packaging time Step into the shoes of the controller and prepare a complete report for the president explaining the results of your research. Compare the two product-costing methods: (1) the currently-used, volume-based method, and (2) an activity-based method. The supporting tables should determine full costs and prices of both products using the two different cost allocation methods. Continue your detailed report to the president by justifying why the company should remain using their present overhead allocation method or to go activity-based costing. Go beyond the accounting issues in your report, mentioning the impact on pricing, volume, and marketing decisions. Support your recommendation with current articles (Use the online resources of the SGU James J. Kelly Library to locate articles within the last year that deal with cost allocation issues). Three to five supporting articles should be sufficient to support your findings. Since this is a formal report, it will require a transmittal memo summarizing your findings. This memo/summary should be supported by a detailed report including tables and references to business/accounting literature. Include a bibliography in APA format. Also, since presidents rarely have time to read the entire article, but are interested in their content, provide an abstract of each citation. Remember: appearance, spelling, grammar count. Adapted from Managerial Accounting, Eight Edition, Garrison & Noreen, Irwin, 1997.

Helga by Andrew Wyeth

The â€Å"Helga Pictures† by Andrew Wyeth are a fantastic compilation of tempera and dry brush paintings, watercolours and pencil studies secretly created within a span of over fifteen years. Andrew Wyeth created over two hundred and forty individual works of neighbor Helga Testorf from 1971 to 1985 without telling a single person, including his wife. He stated that he would not have been able to have finished the project with everyone looking at it. (Allen) The large number of works and the palpable charge that runs through them suggested more than a simple artist-and-model relationship.The Helga chapter landed on the covers of Time and Newsweek as the public speculated over whether Wyeth, then 69, had had an affair with the woman 22 years his junior. As the Wyeths tried to explain the relationship, the art world wondered whether the secrecy and subsequent revelation had been staged simply to raise the popularity and price of the paintings. â€Å"It was a love affair with th e burning love that I've always had toward the things I paint,† Wyeth said of the Helga paintings. â€Å"If I don't have it, the painting goes ordinary, routine. (Nelson/Oliver) Stung by criticism over the â€Å"Helga hoopla,† Wyeth denied there had ever been a sexual relationship, and his wife admitted that not all of the works had been kept secret from her. When critics accused the Wyeths, and Andrews, of being â€Å"hucksters,† the artist verbally shrugged, saying critics â€Å"were just looking to bop me on the head. † (Nelson/Oliver)) So who is Helga Testorf? She is a Prussian-born immigrant who was a caregiver to one of Wyeth’s neighbors, Karl Kuerner, near his home in rural Chadd’s Ford, Pennsylvania.She was 32 years old when Wyeth first met her in the early 1970s, and something about the blond beauty stirred the artist in a very profound way. They were merely acquaintances for a while until finally Wyeth asked her to pose. Helga had never posed before but was willing. (Museworthy) In 1986, when the â€Å"Helga Pictures† were revealed, Mrs. Testorf was a middle-aged mother of four, living with her husband John on a secluded property called Zum Edelweiss on the other side of Chadds Ford from Wyeth's home. (Museworthy)Helga, like her employer Karl Kuerner, was of German descent. Helga immigrated to the United States and Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania in 1961, eventually became a mother and homemaker before becoming Karl’s caregiver. Due to her association with Mr. Wyeth, she eventually developed an keen interest in poetry and art. Before Andrew Wyeth’s death, Helga was one of the ailing artist’s primary caregivers. Why Andrew Wyeth became infatuated with this Pennsylvania Fraulein is unclear, other than he obviously found her a fascinating subject.Some hypothesized that it was her reddish blonde hair that set the tone for this series of renderings by the enigmatic artist, that drew Wyeth to concentrate so much time and effort on the interpretation of this woman‘s visage and the ego within. Her chiseled features, her supple form, her pensive stare and ultimately, Helga’s innate devotion to the process could have given the great artist the insatiable purpose to slavishly devote so much of his creative energies to one subject.Some folks; however, luridly speculated that Helga’s alluring visage engendered a passionate affair between she and the doting artist. For those who considered an affair was afoot, Andrew Wyeth‘s wife Betsy did not disappoint. (Day) Betsy, his wife of many decades and who was also his business manager, is said to have let rumor run unabated until she sold the entire series to Leonard E. B. Andrews in 1986. It has been estimated, that the series sold well in excess of over six million dollars.She then denied that the scathing rumor was true, and was convincing to the point of believability. Today the rumor is not the subject, but rather Andrew Wyeth's profound artistry within the Helga series. (Day) Andrew Wyeth and Helga Testorf remained close friends until his death. Their relationship, and the art created as a result, has endured over many, many years. The Helga series is artist/muse embodied to perfection. And every artist should be so lucky to find his Helga. Museworthy) Works Cited: Allen, Scott. â€Å"Andrew Wyeth/The Helga Pictures. † Cure the Blind. 6 July 2009. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. Nelson, Valerie and Oliver, Myrna. â€Å"Hugely popular painter Andrew Wyeth dies at 91. † Los Angeles Times. 17 January 2009. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. â€Å"Andrew and Helga. † Museworthy. 31 August 2008. Web. 10 Nov. 2012 Day, Wyatt Sanderman. â€Å"Andrew Wyeth’s Helga: a Compulsive Fetish or his Best Work. † Beaufort County Now. 29 September, 2009. Web. 10 Nov. 2012.

Chains and Sustainable Development Essay Example for Free

Chains and Sustainable Development Essay Those of us who preach the gospel of agriculture with evangelical zeal find the text compelling and convincing. We are regularly possessed by the spirit only to look around and see out colleagues, in other sectors, in country management, or even our senior management doubting, yawning or subtly edging towards the door. We face the implicit query, â€Å"If agriculture can do such great things, why have they not yet happened? †1 The past decade has been one of agro-pessimism. The promises that agricultural development seem to hold did not materialise. This pessimism seemed to coincide with pessimism about Sub-Saharan Africa. Especially for Sub-Saharan Africa the hope was that economic development would be brought about by agricultural development. After the success of the green revolution in Asia, the hope was that a similar agricultural miracle would transform African economies. But this hope never materialised, agricultural productivity did not increase much in SSA (figure 1), and worse, the negative effects of the green revolution in Asia became more apparent, such as pesticide overuse and subsequent pollution. Also in Asia the yield increases tapered off. The sceptics put forward several arguments why agriculture is no longer an engine of growth2. For instance, the liberalisation of the 1990s and greater openness to trade has lead to a reduction in the economic potential of the rural sector: cheap imported Chinese plastic buckets out compete the locally produced pottery. On the other hand, it does mean cheaper (imported) supplies. With rapid global technical change and increasingly integrated markets, prices fall faster than yields rise. So, rural incomes fall despite increased productivity if they are net producers3. The integration of rural with urban areas means that healthy young people move out of agriculture, head to town, leaving behind the old, the sick and the dependent. It is often also the men who move to urban areas, leaving women in charge of the farm. This has resulted in the increased sophistication of agricultural markets (and value chains) which excludes traditional smallholders, who are poorly equipped to meet the demanding product specifications and timeliness of delivery required by expanding supermarkets. The natural resource base on which agriculture depends is poor and deteriorating. Productivity growth is therefore increasingly more difficult to achieve. Finally, multiplier effects occur when a change in spending causes a disproportionate change in aggregate demand. Thus an increase in spending produces an increase in national income and consumption greater than the initial amount spent. But as GDP rises and the share of agriculture typically decreases, the question is how important these multiplier effects are, especially when significant levels of poverty remain in rural areas, which is the case in middleincome countries. The disappointment with agriculture led many donor organisations to turn away from agriculture, looking instead to areas that would increase the well-being of poor people, such as health and education. Those organisations that still focused on agriculture, such as the CGIAR, were put under pressure to focus more on reducing poverty, besides increasing agricultural productivity. However, since the beginning of the new century, there seems to be a renewed interest in agriculture. A review of major policy documents5, including the well-publicised Sachs report and the Kofi Annan report, show that agriculture is back on the agenda again. The most influential report, however, has been the World Development Report 2008 of the World Bank6. This report argues that growth in the agricultural sector 1 contributes proportionally more to poverty reduction than growth in any other economic sector and that therefore alone, the focus should be on the agricultural sector when achieving to reach MDG 1. A reassessment of the role of agriculture in development seems to be required. This policy paper addresses several timely though complex questions: †¢ First, how can or does agriculture contribute to economic development, and in particular how does it relate to poverty? †¢ Second, the agricultural sector has changed considerably in the past decades: what are the main drivers of this change? †¢ Third, what is the relationship between economic or agricultural growth and pro-poor development? †¢ Fourth, how does agriculture relate to other sectors in the economy? †¢ Fifth, who is included and who is excluded in agricultural development, specifically focusing on small farms? †¢ And finally, if agricultural development is indeed important to economic development, then why, despite all the efforts and investments, has this not led to more successes? 2. Agriculture and economic growth This section presents a number of factual observations describing how the agricultural sector changed in terms of productivity, contribution to economic growth, and indicating the relevance of the agricultural sector for poverty alleviation in different regions. Background: some facts In the discussion of the role of agriculture in economic development, a leading question is how agriculture contributes to economic growth, and especially to pro-poor growth. There seems to be a paradox in the role of agriculture in economic development. The share of agriculture contributing to GDP is declining over the years (see figure 1). At the same time, the productivity of for instance cereal yields has been increasing (see figure 2). It seems that as agriculture becomes more successful, its importance declines in the overall economy. Of course, other sectors in the economy can be even more successful, such as the Asian Tigers. Chains and Sustainable Development. (2016, Sep 07).

How Exceptional is or was the American Federalism Compared to Canada Essay

How Exceptional is or was the American Federalism Compared to Canada and Germany federalism - Essay Example In accordance with LaCroix, federalism has been based on ‘the necessity for the existence of states’ (LaCroix 2) and the theory that a country with extensive territory, such as USA, cannot be easily organized as a republic (LaCroix 2). Moreover, Obinger (2005) noted that the development of a precise definition of federalism would be quite difficult, mostly because the specific term is used in order to describe a series of conditions and events, including a series of ‘institutional and jurisdictional arrangements’ (Obinger 9) for protecting the interests of local populations – referring to the population of the states. Despite its complexity, the federal system of governance is preferred by many states worldwide. About 23 countries in the international community are based on the specific system of governance; their influence on the global political system is quite important taking into consideration the fact that a percentage of 40% of the global popul ation are governed through the particular system of governance (Obinger 9). The characteristics of federalism as developed in USA are critically discussed in this paper; emphasis is given on the advantages of American federalism compared to other forms of federalism worldwide, especially the Canadian and the German forms of federalism. The key characteristics of federalism can be identified in the following definition: ‘the activities of government are divided between regional governments and a central government’ (Riker 1975 in Obinger 9).... government and the regional governments have the power to develop their own decisions on the activities under their control – meaning the political, social and economic activities being under the control of central or the regional governments, as defined in relevant arrangements (as noted in the definition of Obinger above). Federalism, as described above, has certain priorities. These priorities have been described in the Federalist Papers, through which Federalism has been established. The key priorities of federalism, are the following ones a) specific measures need to be developed by the government – referring to either the central government or the regional governments, as noted above, so that the concentration of power (meaning the political power) is avoided; at the same time, political and economic freedom needs to be guaranteed (Obinger 10), b) in the context of federalism emphasis is given on the rights of minorities; in fact, these rights have key importance for federalism, a type of governance which has been developed mostly for covering the needs of areas with high cultural and geographic diversity (Obinger 10). Reference can be made to the case of Canada, a country where federalism has been used for ensuring the protection of rights of citizens who have different cultural background and ethics (Obinger 10). At this point, the following issue should be highlighted: despite the fact that federalism has been introduced in order to respond to specific needs, as described above, it is difficult for the specific system to have a common level or form of development worldwide – reference is made to the countries that their system of governance is based on federalism. An indicative example of this prospect is mentioned in the study of Obinger. In accordance

Papermaking Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Papermaking - Research Paper Example However, prior to the discovery of the paper making technology, writing and reading was a very cumbersome process that involved scribbling on wooden tablets, woven papyrus reeds, and other expensive materials1. As such, writing was only left for a few individuals in the community who could afford accessing the expensive writing materials as well as getting adequate space to store the written materials. The invention of papermaking technology is one of the four major inventions that can be traced back to China, alongside gunpowder, compass, and the printing technique. According to Ancient records, the invention of the papermaking technology is accredited to Cai Lun (also Tsa’i Lun), an official working in the Imperial Court during the Han Dynasty2.Reportedly, Cai Lun came up with this invention in the year 105 AD. However, recent archaeological studies have unearthed sufficient evidence pointing to the fact that paper was already being used in China several years before Cai Lun’s reported invention. Nevertheless, the role of Cai Lun in the history of paper making is still relevant in the paper industry. This is because he was the first to popularize the technology by putting together a recipe for the whole process and reporting it to the Emperor3. Cai Lun’s technology quickly became popular in China because it was cheap, reliable, used readily available resourc es, and was easier to make4. The main raw materials for Cai Lun’s paper technology included fishnets, fibres, old rags, mulberry, and hemp waste. The main focus of this paper is to explore the history behind paper making and how it extended from China to the rest of the globe, and how this invention has influenced the world today. Essentially, Cai Lun’s paper making discovery helped to lay the foundation of the technology used in huge paper factories in Europe, America, and other parts of the world today. Cai Lun is

SURVE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

SURVE - Essay Example evaluation stage, where it has now been established that the physical and biological changes that adolescent girls experience cause them to become more concerned about their bodies, thus they look for every means possible to appear as they find pleasing in their own eyes. The literature review has also established that to achieve a perceived perfect body appearance, adolescent girls have become target group for most advertisers in the food and nutrition industry. Finally, the literature review has been able to establish that unfortunately, food products and services advertisements do not always represent the holistic truth about what they seek to portray, and thus the advertisers have been accused of keeping key information on products that has to do with side effects and risk effects of their food. However, the challenge at this point is using literature review to establish the remedies put in place to address the limitation of hiding key information by advertisers, regarding side effects and risk effects of their food. I am hoping that the professor will in guiding me through the data collection process, especially under qualitative methods of data collection applied in the study, which is highly subjective, to avoid the negative subjectivism that may result to biased

Assess whether orthophotos are a suitable substitute for a traditional Essay

Assess whether orthophotos are a suitable substitute for a traditional line map - Essay Example Central perspective projection involves sensing the entire field within a view from a single point in space.1 The single point in space can be the geometric center of the camera lens and this projection is mainly associated with the vertical aerial photographs taken with a frame camera. In central perspective projection, the horizontal position of pixels on the photograph is wrong or misplaced, and is only correct at the nadir position if the topography has a relief and the magnitude of positional shift or relief is a function of relief, the altitude of the sensor H and the focal length of the camera f.2. In a central aerial perspective, the viewpoint is high compared to the object or landscape, whereas in central ground perspective, the viewpoint might be made to equal the height of an upright person.3 Due to its nature, central perspective projection is mainly associated with aerial photographs. Topographic maps are quite different from aerial photographs since they have an orthogr aphic projection that involves viewing earth directly below from poly-perspectives that are parallel to each other. This view eliminates relief displacement, leading to all positions to be indicated correctly. The object’s dimensions are projected directly, making orthographic projections to retain shape and proportion, thus the drawings are accurate, precise, appear flat and lack 3D quality of perspective drawings.4 The orthographic projection distorts both area and direction; thus, when earth globe is viewed, the projection shows a single hemisphere in perspective.5 Orthographic projection is mostly associated with orthophotos. Orthorectification is â€Å"the process of transforming a central perspective image into an orthogonal image by removing positional displacement caused by topographic relief from the input image, in addition to providing the ground coordinates for all pixels†6. The effect of other parameters present during image capture including angle of view ing, height of the position and earth rotation are also eliminated from the rectified image like what happens in standard image georeferencing. Hence, orthorectification reduces geometric errors normally found within photography and imagery by taking raw digital imagery and applying a digital elevation model (DEM) and triangulation to create an orthorectified image within which each pixel possesses geometric fidelity.7 Orthorectified images are commonly referred to as orthoimages and they have a uniform scale that is deficient of any relief displacement. Orthorectification is normally used for large scale hyperspatial resolution images or aerial photographs. It’s very suitable for mountainous terrains and for remote sensing materials that are used to construct 3D models of the scene. Processes for rectification Before image orthorectification takes place, the relationship between image coordinates (r, c) and the ground coordinates (E, N, Z) must be established and spaceborne satellite imagery of this relationship is based on the exterior and interior orientation parameters of the sensor, with the aid of 3D GCPs.8 Image rectification is achieved through either nonparametric or parametric approaches. Nonparametric means use transformations similar to those used by 2D polynomial-based

DISC Platinum Rule Profile Assessment Pt.2 Essay

DISC Platinum Rule Profile Assessment Pt.2 - Essay Example The sub styles of Steadiness styles are the Relater, the Specialist, the Go-Getter, and the Harmonizer. Similarly, the sub styles for Cautious styles include the Thinker, the Master-Minder, the Assessor, and the Perfecter. Behavioral Styles Dominance styles tend to be goal-focused and fast-paced. Dominance styles control other people, like to achieve goals and objectives, whereas Interactive styles are relationship focused and are friendly towards their relationships. The optimism of Interactive styles helps them build purposeful alliances with other people. Steadiness styles have strong social networks and are supportive individuals, whereas Cautious styles are systematic and analytical individuals, who like to solve problems by perfecting the processes and working towards concrete results. Impact on Entire Team Dominant styles are goal focused. They do not like delays and motivate the team members to work with full dedication in order to achieve the goals within time. Interactive s tyles are friendly and possess excellent communication skills, which help them work effectively as individuals and as groups as well. Steadiness styles are loyal employees and excellent team players, who achieve team goals in a successful manner. Cautious styles are reliable and deliberate decision-makers.

Discussion question Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion question - Research Paper Example As such, crop rotation still proves to be an effective tradition of regulating destructive pests to enhance crop production. By an inclusive task of allowing legume growth and green manure, crop rotation potentially facilitates soil renewal through addition of the necessary nutrients (Redelf). Similarly, zero tillage is able to provide agricultural sustenance to a rather limited extent due to complexity in managing weed control. This practice however, results to lower risks of unfavorable environmental impact and a significantly economical alternative of reducing costs with fuel, labor, and equipment (Redelf). In the next fifty years, with the fast-changing trends in technology and most industries in general, adjustments with agricultural measures would inevitably follow and necessitate shifting course. Certain agriculture experts have conjectured that if artificial standardization proceeds via pursuing biotechnological objectives with advanced breeding approach, number of food crops according to category would diminish, eventually leading to a worldwide famine (Redelf). It is therefore a must to keep a well-balanced biodiversity in the farm produce that are amply cultivated for human consumption by innovating new ways that satisfy instead the reverse order of current aim in advancement (Redelf).

Conflict Assesment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Conflict Assesment - Assignment Example ing the two sets of results, my personal score in the negative conflict management style such as avoidance and competition was lower than the score on the positive conflict management styles such as accommodation, compromise, and collaboration. On the other hand, my score as given by the person from family, who is my cousin, was quite the same as mine. The analysis from my supervisor is quite deflecting from my score. My supervisor felt that it is not common for me to deflect from conflict, hence, I am cooperative and also assertive. The score from my cousin that was similar to mine confirmed my love for deflecting from confrontation which did not really surprise me. The fact a member of the family had a great opinion regarding avoidance; it means I have a lot to work on regarding my conflict resolution. Regarding competition, it was a fair score because the scores of the two people did not deviate much from my score. I am an averagely competitive person, hence their opinion did not surprise. This means I am averagely aggressive compared to being assertive and I often like winning arguments at the expense of other people (Wilmot & Hocker, 2013). My score on accommodation was higher than that of my supervisor, although it is the same as that of my family member. This means that my supervisor does not think that my conflict management style includes giving up my personal interest for the creation of harmony and peace (Wilmot & Hocker, 2013). This surprised me greatly because I regard myself as quite selfless. Regarding compromise I gave myself a higher score than my supervisor, but the same as my cousin. This means that my supervisor thinks that I do not usually make a concession that results in an outcome that is mutually agreeable. This was surprising because I love creating peace and being considerate. My collaboration score was the same as the member of my family and was higher than that of my supervisor. Collaboration entails cooperation to facilitate a

Obsession gone wrong Essay Example for Free

Obsession gone wrong Essay It is often said â€Å"there’s a thin line between genius and insanity†. From Einstein with his shaggy hair and stuck-out tongue to Archimedes running about the street naked shouting â€Å"eureka! † after making a discovery, one can’t help but agree with whoever made that statement. Mary Shelley, Nathaniel Hawthorne, John Steinbeck and Jeremy Bernstein all wrote stories of scientists who were all geniuses – they all had devoted years of study into their fields. Yet, some of them acted irrationally without considering the consequences of their actions (Frankenstein; Aylmer), some did things against their nature (Frankenstein; Phillips), and you couldn’t help but question the sanity of others (the narrator in Bubble and Squeak; Aylmer). In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein was â€Å"forced to spend days and nights in vaults and charnel-houses†. Of course, no one forced him to– he was driven by the ambition to discover the source of life. And when he did, an even greater ambition drove him – to create and give life to a human being and eventually, â€Å"a new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me†. To make this dream a reality, he subjected himself to many experiences that the next human would find extremely repulsive and disgusting. In his own words, â€Å"†¦often did my human nature turn with loathing from my occupation. † But the ambition always overpowered his human nature. A beautiful summer came and passed, but he was too busy with his studies to notice. He had also lost touch with his family and friends, even though he knew his father would be anxious. It was telling on him, too. He had become emaciated, and many sleepless nights had his eyes bulging from their sockets. He deteriorated to the extent that he became a nervous, solitary wreck, and a fever came upon him every night. Nathaniel Hawthorne in his book â€Å"The Birthmark† said the scientific hero Aylmer had â€Å"devoted himself too unreservedly to scientific studies to be weaned from them by any second passion. His love for his young wife might prove the stronger of the two, but it could only be by intertwining itself with his love for science and uniting the strength of the latter to his own. † Aylmer had a young, beautiful wife; unfortunately Georgiana had a tiny flaw on her face, which made her imperfect in his sight. From then on, his obsession was to get rid of the birthmark from her face, and he had come to hate it so much that the sight of it made him shudder. Other men saw the birthmark and saw beauty and charm, Aylmer saw it and saw a defect, a representation of all imperfections. Even Aminadab, Aylmer’s lab assistant, said that â€Å"if she were my wife, I’d never part with that birthmark. † Because the birthmark was in the shape of a tiny hand, it was often remarked that it was the print of a fairy’s hand on her cheek, which made her â€Å"hold such sway over all hearts. † However, Aylmer was a man of science, and most likely did not believe in fairies and all the whatnot, and so he considered the birthmark as â€Å"a frightful object, causing him more trouble and horror than Georgiana’s beauty, whether of soul or sense, had given him delight. † In other words, his horror at the birthmark for making Georgiana imperfect became stronger than his appreciation of Georgiana’s beauty. Further along in the story, Aylmer became extremely devoted into creating a mixture to get rid of the birthmark that he secluded his wife. Once, Georgiana followed him into his lab and was frightened, not by the scientific apparatus, but by what she saw of her husband. â€Å"He was pale as death, anxious and absorbed. † Georgiana once wondered if she could satisfy him, and realized that she couldn’t, as â€Å"his spirit was ever on the march, ever ascending, and each instant required something that was beyond the scope of the instant before. † Dr Phillips in John Steinbeck’s â€Å"The Snake† was a man who â€Å"could kill a thousand animals for knowledge, but not an insect for pleasure. † He had no problem with killing for study, as was shown when he was petting cats and feeding them in one minute, and in the next put one of them into a killing chamber for biology classes. His research about the starfish also shows that. But we know killing animals is not in his nature when he â€Å"felt that it was profoundly wrong to put a rat into the [rattlesnake’s] cage, deeply sinful† when the strange woman asked him to feed the snake. It was something he did regularly himself, when he needed to feed the snakes, but because the snake had already had its rat for the week, Dr Phillips felt sickened. Probably because he felt the rat was going to die for no reason. For science, Dr Phillips went against his nature. Jeremy Bernstein’s â€Å"Bubble and Squeak† is the story of a mathematician who had become so analytical it was comical. For example, normal people emphasize the scariness of ghosts in ghost stories; instead, he tries to explain ghosts as apparitions caused by atmospheric densities. He always tried to draw a mathematical and scientific parallel to everything he saw. He calculated probabilities of events, and even wondered if it was possible to measure feelings. What these four scientific heroes had in common was obsession. Victor Frankenstein’s obsession was to become a creator of humans; Aylmer’s obsession was perfection, as expressed by wanting to get rid of his wife’s birthmark; Dr Phillips numbed his nature for the study of science, he was obsessed with biology; and the narrator in Bubble and Squeak had become too mathematical and scientific for his own good. Science in its nature is rather addictive. The more you discover, the more you want to discover – It’s like a never quenching thirst for knowledge. In the words of Victor Frankenstein, â€Å"†¦ in a scientific pursuit there is a continual food for discovery and wonder. † It is as a result of this persistent pursuit of science that many inventions that we take for granted today, the same inventions we can’t imagine living without, were created. However, the danger is in letting our pursuit of knowledge or any other thing control us, such that we do things that are against our nature, or fail to appreciate the simple pleasures of life. As Victor Frankenstein eventually learnt, â€Å"A human being in perfection ought always to preserve a calm and peaceful mind and never to allow passion or a transitory desire to disturb his tranquility. I do not think that the pursuit of knowledge is an exception to this rule. If the study to which you apply yourself has a tendency to weaken your affections and to destroy your taste for those simple pleasures in which no alloy can possibly mix, then that study is unlawful, that is to say, not benefitting the human mind. † (Shelley 40) SADE MABA HUM 101 WORK CITED: Lynch, Robert; Swanzey, Thomas and Coakley, John. The Example of Science. 3rd ed. Boston: Pearson Custom Publishing, 2003. Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. 30th ed. New York: New American Library, Penguin Group (USA) Inc. , 2000.

Participatory Action Research Essay Example for Free

Participatory Action Research Essay The youth group was started in 2004 after the youths realized something was going wrong in the community and they were the right people to rectify the situation. They then came together and registered with the Ministry of Culture and Social Services Youth Affairs. It’s a non-profit making organization whose purpose is to address the needs of the youths and to improve the living standards of the community. The group brings together youths of both genders and has no ethnic or racial barriers as it believes youths from whatever background experience the same problems and must come together in order to solve them. Majority of the youths are trained in various fields of education and so it’s a pool of educated young men and women committed to be difference makers in other people’s lives. Currently the group has thirty five fully registered and active members but there is room for more members to join them. Since its formation, the group has provided their voluntary services beyond area of operation to improve the well being of the community. Their areas of activities include youths and community mobilization and awareness on HIV/AIDS, Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), guidance and counseling services, education on income generating activities, youth and community education on alcohol and drug abuse, education on leadership and administration, planning and accountability, tree planting exercise and offering voluntary services for the well being of the community. The group is seeking to address the most pressing needs that are affecting them and the community where they are living. These pressing need collaborative efforts as they cannot be solved by the community alone as they need technical expertise and some substantial funding. These needs were prioritized according to their impact in the community and they include; the high unemployment rate among the youth, gender disparity due to the culture, and idleness among the youths leading to irresponsible youth behavior, high infection rate of AIDS and other venereal diseases, drug abuse, poor farming methods leading to food insecurity and afforestation problem.. The members agreed that they had the brains, knowledge and skills and if put together and shared will bring a big change among the group members, other youths and the community at large. Though they have had challenges especially from the elderly community members when discussing on sexual issues, the group is committed to continue working until they have attained their set objectives. Their services to the community have effected some positive changes, which have commended by the community members. The group also works with other major stakeholders who have been helpful to the group in terms of training and financial support. These include the Community Based Organizations, Non-Governmental Organizations, Religious Organizations, Society and the Government to improve the living standards of the community. These stakeholders have been very helpful to the youth group because they have been offering training without charging them any fee, giving the youths some incentives as well as the community and funding their projects at some level. They have been able to work with the group since it was started and have promised they will continue working with them as long as keep the agreement with them. The possible research question that could be answered if the researcher collaboratively worked the major stakeholders is to find out whether their input into the group has had and positive impact to the youth group and to the community. This research question will be a guide to getting some critical information which will be used by the group to improve on the areas that they are not performing well (The research question could be as follows; What has been your input to the group and has it had any impact to the group and to the society? ) The benefits of doing the work the researcher is proposing is that it could again help the group to be able to identify their weakness and then find out solutions for them. It will also open another door for them to meet other partners through the researcher who will pump in some more useful input to the group. Through their interaction with them some critical issues may rise which could not have been solved, but it will be an opportunity to solve them. In one way the group could be advertising or selling itself and what they are undertaking through these formal discussions as the contents of the discussions will be published somewhere, which will get some support for the group. This could be beneficial to the group and to the researcher as he/she will be able to learn more about how groups work. As concerns to the ethical issues, the protocol has to be followed and the group has to be consulted first before anything happens. There should be respect for the group and any information about the group should be kept secret as it is. The researcher should make sure that he/she work within the guidelines of the group and should she/he need any information should follow the right channels but not go to public and tell the public about the group against their wishes References Luft, J (1984). An Introduction to Group Dynamics (3rd Edition). Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Toseland, R Rivas, R. (2005) Introduction to Group Practice, Allyn Bacon. New York.

Measures of Dispersion

Measures of Dispersion Summary The measure of central tendency, as discussed in the previous chapter tells us only about the characteristics of a particular series. They do not describe any thing on the observations or data entirely. In other wards, measures of central tendency do not tell any thing about the variations that exist in the data of a particular series. To make the concept, let discuss an example. It was found by using formula of mean that the average depth of a river is 6 feet. One cannot confidently enter into the river because in some places the depth may be 12 feet or it may have 3 feet. Thus this type of interpretation by using the measures of central tendency some times proves to be useless. Hence the measure of central tendency alone to measure the characteristics of a series of observations is not sufficient to draw a valid conclusion. With the central value one must know as to how the data is distributed. Different sets of data may have the same measures of central tendency but differ greatly in terms of variation. For this knowledge of central value is not enough to appreciate the nature of distribution of values. Thus there is the requirement of some additional measures along with the measures of central tendency which will describe the spread of the entire set of values along with the central value. One such measure is popularly called as dispersion or variation. The study of dispersion will enables us to know whether a series is homogeneous (where all the observations remains around the central value) or the observations is heterogeneous (there will be variations in the observations around the central value like 1, 50, 20, 28 etc., where the central value is 33). Hence it can be said that a measure of dispersion describes the spread or scattering of the individual values of a series around its central value. Experts opine different opinion on why the variations in a distribution are so important to consider? Following are some views on validity of the measure of dispersion: Measures of variation provide the researchers some additional information about the behaviour of the series along with the measures of central tendency. With this information one can judge the reliability of the value that is derived by using the measure of central tendency. If the data of the series are widely dispersed, the central location is less representatives of the data as a whole. On the other hand, when the data of a series is less dispersed, the central location is more representative to the entire series. In other wards, a high degree of variation would mean little uniformity whereas a low degree of variation would mean greater uniformity. When the data of a series are widely dispersed, it creates practical problems in executing data. Measure of dispersion helps in understanding and tackling the widely dispersed data. It facilitates to determine the nature and cause of variation in order to control the variation itself. Measures of variation enable comparison to be made of two or more series with regard to their variability. DEFINITION: Following are some definitions defined by different experts on measures of dispersion. L.R. Connor defines measures of dispersion as ‘dispersion is the measure extended to which individual items vary. Similarly, Brookes and Dick opines it as ‘dispersion or spread is the degree of the scatter or the variation of the variables about a central value. Robert H. Wessel defines it as ‘measures which indicate the spread of the values are called measures of dispersion. From all these definition it is clear that dispersion measures more or less describes the spread or scattering of the individual values of a series around its central value. METHODS OF MEASURING DISPERSION: Dispersion of a series of data can be calculated by using following four widely used methods Dispersion when measured on basis of the difference between two extreme values selected from a series of data. The two well known measures are The Range The Inter-quartile Range or Quartile Deviation Dispersion when measured on basis of average deviation from some measure of central tendency. The well known measures are The Mean/average deviation The Standard Deviation and The Coefficient of variation and The Gini coefficient and the Lorenz curve All the tools are discussed in details below one after the other. THE RANGE: The range is the simplest measure of the dispersion. The range is defined as the difference between the highest value and the lowest value of the series. Range as a measure of variation is having limited applicability. It is widely used for weather forecasting by the meteorological departments. It also used in statistical quality control. Range is a good indicator to measure the fluctuations in price change like that of studying the variations in the price of shares and debentures and other related matters. Following is the procedure of calculating range: Range= value of the highest observation (H) – value of the lowest observation (L) or Range = H – L Advantages of Range: Range is the simplest of obtaining dispersion. It is easily understandable and can be interpreted easily. It requires fewer times to obtain the variation in the series. Disadvantages of Range: As it considers only two extreme values, hence it doesnt include all the observations of the series. It fails to tell any thing about the characteristics of a distribution It is having very limited scope of applicability Having no mathematical treatment THE INTER-QUARTILE RANGE OR QUARTILE DEVIATION: A second measure of dispersion is the inter-quartile range which takes into account the middle half i.e., 50% of the data thus, avoiding the problem of extreme values in the data. Hence it measures approximately how far from the median one must go on either side before it can be include one-half the values of the data set. Inter-quartile range can be calculated by dividing the series of observations into four parts; each part of the series contains 25 percent of the observations. The quartiles are then the highest values in each of these four parts, and the inter-quartile range is the difference between the values of the first and the third quartile. Following are the steps of calculating the inter-quartile range: Arrange the data of the series in ascending order. Calculate the first quartile which is denoted as (Q1) by using the formula In case of grouped data the first quartile (Q1) can be calculated by using the formula Where N= number of observations in the series i.e., the sum of frequencies, L = lower limit of the quartile class, p.c.f. = commutative frequency prior to the quartile class, f = frequency of the quartile class and i = class interval. Quartile class can be determined by using the formula. Calculate the third quartile which is denoted as (Q3) by using the formula in case of ungrouped data. In case of grouped data the third quartile (Q3) can be calculated by using the formula Where N= number of observations in the series i.e., the sum of frequencies, L = lower limit of the quartile class, p.c.f. = commutative frequency prior to the quartile class, f = frequency of the quartile class and i = class interval. Quartile class can be determined by using the formula. THE MEAN/AVERAGE DEVIATION: Mean/average deviation is the arithmetic mean of the difference of a series computed from any measure of central tendency i.e., either deviation from mean or median or mode. The absolute values of each observation are calculated. Clark and Schekade opine mean deviation or average deviations as the average amount of scatter of the items in a distribution from either the mean or the median, ignoring the signs of the deviations. Thus the average that is taken of scatter is an arithmetic mean, which accounts for the fact that this measure is often called as mean deviation or average deviations. Calculations of Mean Deviation in case of Discrete Series: In case of discrete series, mean deviation can be calculated through following steps The first step is to calculate the mean or median or mode of the given series Compute the deviations of the observations of the series from the calculated mean or median or mode. This deviation is also denoted as capital letter D and is always taken as mod value i.e., ignoring the plus or minus sign. Take the summation of the deviations (sum of D) and divide it by number of observations (N). In the same way one can calculate mean deviation from median or mode in case of individual series. Calculations of Mean Deviation in case of discrete series: Mean deviation can be calculated in case of discrete series in a little bit different way. Following are some steps to calculate the average mean when the series is discrete. The first step is to calculate the mean or median or mode of the given series by using the formula as discussed in the previous chapter. Compute the deviations of the observations of the series from the calculated mean or median or mode value. This deviation is also denoted as capital letter D and is always taken as mod value i.e., ignoring the plus or minus sign. Multiply the corresponding frequency with each deviation value i.e., calculate f * D. Similarly, one can calculate the mean deviation or average deviation by taking deviations from median or mode. Calculations of Mean Deviation in case of continuous series: The first step is to calculate the mean or median or mode of the given series by using the formula as discussed in the previous chapter. In the second step, get the mid values of the observations (m) Compute the deviations of the observations of the series from the calculated mean or median or mode value. This deviation is also denoted as capital letter D = m mean or median or mode and is always taken as mod value i.e., ignoring the plus or minus sign. Multiply the corresponding frequency with each deviation value i.e., calculate f * D. Take the summation i.e., (sum of D) and divide it by number of observations (N). The formula may be Advantages of mean deviation: The computation process of mean deviation is based on all the observations of the series. The value of mean deviation is less affected by the extreme items. These are three alternatives available with the researcher while calculating the mean. One can consider the mean or median or mode. Hence it is more flexible in calculation. Disadvantages of mean deviation: The practical usefulness of mean deviation is very less. Mean deviation is not having enough scope for further mathematical calculations. Mod values are considered while calculating the mean deviation. It is criticized by some experts as illogical and unsound. THE STANDARD DEVIATION: Standard deviation or other wise called as root mean square deviation is the most important and widely used measure of variation. It measures the absolute variation of a distribution. It is the right measure that highlights the spread of the observation over and around the mean value. The greater the rate of variation of observations in a series, the greater will be the value of standard deviation. A small value of standard deviation implies a high degree of homogeneity among the observations in the series. If there will be a comparison between two or more standard deviations of two or more series, than it is always advisable to choose that series as ideal one which is having small value of standard deviation. Standard deviation is always measures from the mean or average value of the series. The credit for introducing this concept in the literature goes to Karl Pearson, a famous statistician. It is denoted by the Greek letter (pronounced as sigma) Standard deviation is calculated in following three different series: Standard deviation in case of Individual series Standard deviation in case of Discrete series Standard deviation in case of Continuous series All the above conditions are discussed in detail below. a. Standard deviation in case of individual series: In case of individual series, the value of standard deviation can be calculated by using two methods. Direct method- when deviations are taken from actual mean Short-cut method- when deviations are taken from assumed mean 1. Direct method- when deviations are taken from actual mean: Following are some steps to be followed for calculating the value of standard deviation. The first step is to calculate the actual mean value of the observation In the next column calculate the deviation from each observation i.e., find out () where is the mean of the series. In the next column calculate the square value of the deviations and at the end of the column calculate the sum of the square of the deviations i.e., Divide the total value with the number of observations (N) and than square root of the value. The formula will be . Since the series is having individual observations, some times it so happens that there is no need of taking the deviations. In such a case the researcher can directly calculate the value of the standard deviation. The formula for calculating directly is . 2. Short-cut method- when deviations are taken from assumed mean: In practical uses it so happens that while calculating standard deviation by using the arithmetic mean, the mean value may be in some fractions i.e., .25 etc. This creates the real problem in calculating the value of standard deviation. For this purpose, instead of calculating standard deviation by using the above discussed arithmetic mean methods, researchers generally prefer the method of short-cut which is nothing rather calculation of standard deviation by assuming a mean value. Following are some steps that to be followed for calculating standard deviation in case of assumed mean method: The first step is to assume a value from the X values as mean. This mean value is denoted as A. In the next step deviations are to be calculated from this assumed mean as (X-A) and this value is denoted as D. At the end of the same column, the sum of D () is to be calculated. Calculate the square of each observation of D i.e., calculate. The following formula is to be used to calculate standard deviation of the series. where N is the number of observations in the series. b. Standard deviation in case of discrete series: Discrete series are the series which are having some frequencies or repetitions of observations. In case of a discrete series standard deviation is calculated by using following three methods: when deviations are taken from actual mean when deviations are taken from assumed mean Following are the detailed analysis of the above the two methods. 1. When deviations are taken from actual mean: The steps to calculate standard deviation when deviations are calculated from the actual mean are The first step is to calculate the actual mean value of the observation In the next column calculate the deviation from each observation i.e., find out () where is the mean of the series, this can be denoted as D. In the next column calculate the square value of the deviations and at the end of the column calculate the sum of the square of the deviations i.e., Multiply corresponding frequencies of each observation with the value of D2 in the next column. Divide the total value with the number of observations (N) and than square root of the value. The formula will be 2. When deviations are taken from assumed mean: The steps to calculate standard deviation when deviations are calculated from the actual mean are The first step is to assume a mean value from the observations In the next column calculate the deviation from each observation i.e., find out () where A is the mean of the series, this deviation can be denoted as D. In the next column calculate the square value of the deviations and at the end of the column calculate the sum of the square of the deviations i.e., Multiply corresponding frequencies (f) of each observation with the value of D2 in the next column. Use the following formula to calculate standard deviation c. Standard deviation in case of Continuous series: Standard deviation in case of a continuous series can be calculated by using the following steps Calculate the mid value of the series and denote it as ‘m. Assume any value from the mid values and denote it as A Deviations can be calculated from each series i.e., calculate m – A and than divide it with the class interval value (i) i.e., Multiply the corresponding frequencies of each observation with the deviation value and take the sum at the end of the column i.e., calculate In the next column square the deviation values of each observation i.e., calculate Multiply the value of with its frequencies i.e., calculate Use the following formula to get standard deviation. Properties of standard deviation: As tool of variance, standard deviation is used as a good measure of interpretation of the scatteredness of observation of a series. It is a fact that in a normal distribution approximately 68 per cent of the observations of a series lies less than standard deviation away from the mean, again approximately 95.5 per cent of the items lie less than 2 standard deviation value away from the mean and in the same way 99.7 per cent of the items lie within 3 standard deviations away from the mean. Hence covers 68.27 per cent of the items in a series with normal distribution. covers 95.45 per cent of the items in a series with normal distribution and covers 99.73 per cent of the items in a series with normal distribution. Advantage of Standard Deviation: Following are some advantages of standard deviation as a measure of dispersion This is the highest used technique of dispersion. It is regarded as a very satisfactory measure of the dispersion of a series. It is capable of further mathematical calculations. Algebraic signs are not ignored while measuring the value of standard deviation of a series. It is less affected by the extreme observations of a series. The coefficients make the standard deviation very popular measure of the scatteredness of a series. Disadvantages of standard deviation: The disadvantages are It is not easy to understand the concept easily and quickly. It requires a good exercise to calculate the values of standard deviation. It gives more weight to observations which are away from the arithmetic mean. THE COEFFICIENT OF VARIATION: Another useful statistical tool for measuring dispersion of a series is coefficient of variation. The coefficient of variation is the relative measure of standard deviation which is an absolute measure of dispersion. This tool of dispersion is mostly used in case of comparing the variability two or more series of observation. While comparing, that series for which the value of the coefficient of variation is greater is said to be more variable (i.e., the observations of the series are less consistent, less uniform, less stable or less homogeneous). Hence it is always advisable to choose that series which is having less value of coefficient of variation. The value of coefficient is less implies more consistent, more uniform, more stable and of course more homogeneous. The value of coefficient of variation is always measured by using the value of standard deviation and its relative arithmetic mean. It is denoted as C.V., and is measured by using simple formula as discussed below: In practical field, researchers generally prefer to use standard deviation as a tool to measure the dispersion than that of coefficient of variance because of a numbers of reasons (researchers are advised to refer any standard statistics book to know more on coefficient of variance and its usefulness). GINI COEFFICIENT AND THE LORENZ CURVE: An illuminating manner of viewing the Gini coefficient is in terms of the Lorenz curve due to Lorenz (1905). It is generally defined on the basis of the Lorenz curve. It is popularly known as the Lorenz ratio. The most common definition of the Gini coefficient is in terms of the Lorenz diagram is the ratio of the area between the Lorenz curve and the line of equality, to the area of the triangle OBD below this line (figure-1). The Gini coefficient varies between the limits of 0 (perfect equality) and 1 (perfect inequality), and the greater the departure of the Lorenz curve from the diagonal, the larger is the value of the Gini coefficient. Various geometrical definitions of Gini coefficient discussed in the literature and useful for different purposes are examined here. CONCLUSIONS: The study of dispersion will enables us to know whether a series is homogeneous (where all the observations remains around the central value) or the observations is heterogeneous (there will be variations in the observations around the central value Hence it can be said that a measure of dispersion describes the spread or scattering of the individual values of a series around its central value. For this there are a numbers of methods to determine the variations as discussed in this chapter. But it is always confusing among the researchers that which method is the best among the different techniques that we have discussed? The answer to this question is very simple and says that no single average can be considered as best for all types of data series. The most important factors are the type of data available and the purpose of investigation. Critiques suggest that if a series is having more extreme values than standard deviation as technique is to be avoided. On the other hand in case of more skewed observations standard deviation may be used but mean deviation needs to be avoided where as if the series is having more gaps between two observations than quartile deviation is not an appropriate measure to be used. Similarly, standard deviation is the best technique for any purpose of data. SUMMARY: The study of dispersion will enables us to know whether a series is homogeneous (where all the observations remains around the central value) or the observations is heterogeneous (there will be variations in the observations around the central value). Dispersion when measured on basis of the difference between two extreme values selected from a series of data. The two well known measures are (i) The Range and (ii) The Inter-quartile Range. Dispersion when measured on basis of average deviation from some measure of central tendency. The well known measures are (i) The Mean/average deviation, (ii) The Standard Deviation, (iii) The Coefficient of variation and (iv) The Gini coefficient and the Lorenz curve The range is defined as the difference between the highest value and the lowest value of the series. Range as a measure of variation is having limited applicability. The inter-quartile range measures approximately how far from the median one must go on either side before it can be include one-half the values of the data set. Mean/average deviation is the arithmetic mean of the difference of a series computed from any measure of central tendency i.e., either deviation from mean or median or mode. The absolute values of each observation are calculated. A small value of standard deviation implies a high degree of homogeneity among the observations in the series. If there will be a comparison between two or more standard deviations of two or more series, than it is always advisable to choose that series as ideal one which is having small value of standard deviation. Standard deviation is always measures from the mean or average value of the series. The coefficient of variation is the relative measure of standard deviation which is an absolute measure of dispersion. This tool of dispersion is mostly used in case of comparing the variability two or more series of observation. The most common definition of the Gini coefficient is in terms of the Lorenz diagram is the ratio of the area between the Lorenz curve and the line of equality, to the area of the triangle below the equality line. IMPORTANT QUESTIONS: 1. Age of ten students in a class is considered. Find the mean and standard deviation. 19, 21, 20, 20, 23, 25, 24, 25, 22, 26 The following table derives the marks obtained in Statistics paper by 100 students in a class. Calculate the standard deviation and mean deviation. The monthly profits of 150 shop keepers selling different commodities in a city footpath is derived below. Calculate the mean, mean deviation and standard of the distribution. The daily wage of 160 labourers working in a cotton mill in Surat cith is derived below. Calculate the range, mean deviation and standard of the distribution. Calculate the mean deviation and standard deviation of the following distribution. What do you mean by measure of dispersion? How far it helpful to a decision-maker in the process of decision making? Define measure of Dispersion? Among the various tools of dispersion which tool according to you is the best one, give suitable reason of your answer. What do you mean by measure of dispersion? Compare and contrast various tools of dispersion by pointing out their advantages and disadvantages. Discuss with example the relative merits of range, mean deviation and standard deviation as measures of dispersion. Define standard deviation? Why standard deviation is more useful than other measures of dispersion? The data derived below shows the ages of 100 students pursuing their master degree in economics. Calculate the Mean deviation and standard deviation. Following is the results of a study carried out to determine the number of mileage the marketing executives drove their cars over a 1-year period. For this 50 marketing executives are sampled. Based on the findings, calculate the range and inter-quartile range. In an enquiry of the number of days 230 patients chosen randomly stayed in a Government hospital following after operation. On the basics of observation calculate the standard deviation. Cars sold in small car segment in November 2009 at 10 Maruti Suzuki dealers in Delhi city is explained below. Compute the range, mean deviation and standard deviation of the data series. Following is the daily data on the number of persons entered through main gate in a month to institute. Calculate the range and standard deviation of the series. Calculate the range and coefficient of range of a group of students from the marks obtained in two papers as derived below: Following are marks obtained by some students in a class-test. Calculate the range and coefficient of range. By using the direct and indirect method, calculate the mean deviation by using both arithmetic mean and mode from the following data set which is related to age and numbers of residents of Vasundara apartment, Gaziabad. A local geezer manufacturer at Greater Noida has developed a new and chief variety of geezers which are meant of lower and middle income households. He carried out a survey in some apartments asking the expectations of the customers that they are ready to invest on purchase of geezer. Calculate the standard deviation of the series. Calculate median of the following distribution. From the median value calculate the mean deviation and coefficient of mean deviation. Calculate median of the following distribution. From the median value calculate the mean deviation and coefficient of mean deviation. Calculate the arithmetic average and standard deviation from the following daily data of rickshaw puller of Hyderabad City. From the students of 250 candidates the mean and standard deviations of their total marks were calculated as 60 and 17. Latter in the process of verification it is found that a score 46 was misread 64. Recalculate the correct mean and standard deviation. The wage structure paid on daily basis of two cotton factories are derived below. In order to show the inequality, draw the Lorenz curve. Total marks obtained by the students in two sections are derived below. By using the data draw a Lorenz curve. Draw the Lorenz curve of the following data. Find the range and co-efficient of range for the following data set. The height of 10 firemen working in a fire station are 165, 168, 172, 174, 175, 178, 156, 158, 160, 179 cms. Calculate the range of the series. Now let that the tallest and the shortest firemen are get transformed from the fire station. Calculate the range of the new firemen. What percentage change is found in the earlier range and the latter range? Calculate the quartile deviation from the following derived data. Calculate the interquartile range, quartile deviation and its coefficient for the following data series. Calculate the mean deviation from the following data. Calculate the mean deviation from median and mean for the following series. The distribution derived below reveals the difference in age between husband and wife in a community. Based on the data, calculate mean deviation and standard deviation. Calculate th

Graduation Speech -- Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

High school. I never realized it would bring so many changes. As I walked on to campus my freshman year, my mindset was the same as it was in eighth grade; the young are invincible. And although I was excited to come to high school I had many fears. Would the classes be too hard, would I make new friends, what could I become involved in, and most of all -- what if I get lost? All of these fears eventually subsided and I, along with all of you, found the right classes and the right teachers. We all made new friends. We all got involved in something. During my freshman year, innocence surrounded me and although eventually my shell would crack, not until this year have I broken through. This year I decided that it is time to soar on my own. Graduation is the beginning of a new flight for all of us, the class of 1997. Confucius once said, "Our greatest glory is not in never failing but in rising every time we fall." As a class, we have done our best not to fail. Pep assemblies, dances, food drives, games, and conquering the senior lot are just some of the things we accomplished. We pu... Graduation Speech -- Graduation Speech, Commencement Address High school. I never realized it would bring so many changes. As I walked on to campus my freshman year, my mindset was the same as it was in eighth grade; the young are invincible. And although I was excited to come to high school I had many fears. Would the classes be too hard, would I make new friends, what could I become involved in, and most of all -- what if I get lost? All of these fears eventually subsided and I, along with all of you, found the right classes and the right teachers. We all made new friends. We all got involved in something. During my freshman year, innocence surrounded me and although eventually my shell would crack, not until this year have I broken through. This year I decided that it is time to soar on my own. Graduation is the beginning of a new flight for all of us, the class of 1997. Confucius once said, "Our greatest glory is not in never failing but in rising every time we fall." As a class, we have done our best not to fail. Pep assemblies, dances, food drives, games, and conquering the senior lot are just some of the things we accomplished. We pu...

Louise Erdrichs Tracks Essays -- Louise Erdrich Tracks Essays

Louise Erdrich's Tracks   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Louise Erdrich’s â€Å"Tracks';, the readers discovers by the second chapter that there are two narrators, Nanapush and Pauline Puyat. This method of having two narrators telling their stories alternately could be at first confusing, especially if the readers hasn’t been briefed about it or hasn’t read a synopsis of it. Traditionally, there is one narrator in the story, but Erdrich does an effective and spectacular job in combining Nanapush and Pauline’s stories. It is so well written that one might question as he or she reads who is the principal character in this story? Being that there are two narrators, is it Nanapush, the first narrator, him being a participant in the story, who tells his story in the â€Å"I'; form? Or is it Pauline, the second narrator, who also narrates in the â€Å"I'; form? Upon further reading, the motive for both narrators’ stories become more evident, and by the end of the book, it becomes clea r that one character is the driving force for both of the narrators’ stories. This central character is Fleur Pillager. She in fact is the protagonist of â€Å"Tracks';. Even though she is limited in dialogues, her actions speak more than words itself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Structurally speaking, Fleur is mentioned in every chapter of the book, either being referred to by the two narrators or being part of the story. In fact, after researching the novel several times, no other character including the two narrators is consistently mentioned in every chapter. In the first chapter, Nanapush tells Lulu, his granddaughter, about the fate of the Chippewa Tribe. He then spends most of the chapter discussing the beginning of Fleur, who is Lulu’s mother, and how he saved her life. In the second chapter, Pauline, the second narrator, begins her story gossiping about Fleur to an unknown listener in detail. Pauline continues to focus her story on Fleur’s life, discussing in length of incidents about her. Pauline’s obsessive behavior becomes more evident when she’s in Argus with Fleur. â€Å"Since that night (in Argus), [Fleur] puts me in the closet, I was no longer jealous or afraid of her, but follow her close as Ru ssell (Pauline’s cousin), closer, stayed with her, became her moving shadow that the men never noticed†¦'; (22).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Therefore, in these two chapters both narrators set the stage for telling their stories on their account of Fleur. Not o... ...med to gain attention by telling odd tales that created damage" (39). Her presence to him is more like a pesky fly that won’t go away. It is this lack of attention by others in which drives Pauline to tell her story.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Looking back at the atom theory stated earlier, if we exclude Nanapush and his story from â€Å"Tracks';, what we have left is Pauline’s obsession with Fleur. In Pauline’s eyes, as well as others, Fleur is good- looking, mysteriously powerful and dangerous. In contrast to her who is â€Å"a skinny, big-nosed girl with staring eyes'; who is also so â€Å"poor-looking'; (15). Pauline notices these differences and in effect becomes jealous of Fleur because of all the attention she receives from people. She sees herself in â€Å"competition'; with Fleur. At first, Pauline just wants to be close to Fleur, but by the end she wants to be â€Å"better'; than her. Within her story, the argument that Pauline is the protagonist and that Fleur is her antagonist could be valid, but if you look at the novel in its entirety, meaning the structure and content, the principal character that emerges from it is Fleur Pillager.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Work Cited Erdrich, Louise. Tracks New York: Harper & Row, 1988

Courage in Pat Barkers Regeneration Essay -- Pat Barker Regeneration

Courage in Pat Barker's Regeneration During the Vietnam War, many Americans decided to choose conscientious objector status and serve the war effort in non-combative ways; others moved to Canada, leaving their families, their communities, and their nation because of strong political convictions. While some said these people were cowards and a disgrace to their families and their nation, others argued that those had just as much courage as the men on the front lines. Although moving to Canada was far less difficult than being sent to Vietnam, these Draft Dodgers proved they had courage to stand up for what they believed in. On pages eight and twenty-two of Pat Barker's Regeneration, two very highly esteemed awards are introduced, the Military Cross (MC) and the Victoria Cross (VC). The protagonist of this novel, Siegfried Sassoon, responds to his military honors by demonstrating two kinds of courage, one lauded by his government and popular opinion and one misunderstood and disdained by his society. Though Barker's novel presents these two types, she ultimately values courage of personal conviction. Not only does Sassoon exert this courage of personal conviction by writing a letter to his commanding officer, but also by throwing away one of the prestigious medals. The Military Cross (MC) Award was instituted December 28, 1915. The award is presented to officers of the rank of Captain or below, for "distinguished and meritorious services in battle" (Brew). Most often meritorious services in battle means crossing enemy lines and running through enemy trenches in order to save men of the officer's battalion. This award is ranked as one of the highest honors possible for an officer to attain, and is "clearly for gallant and dis... ...how they were perceived by different individuals in Regeneration, two different types of courage are seen: one that was applauded by the government and public opinion, and one that was misunderstood by Sassoon's society. It takes personal conviction exhibited through courageous acts to live with yourself in the face of a worldview at odds with your own. Works Cited Barker, Pat. Regeneration. New York: Plume, 1993. Brew, Steve. "Gallantry Medals Awarded to 41 Squadron Pilots." World War One. 2003. Veterans Affairs of Canada. 20 Apr. 2004 <http://brew.clients.ch/Medals41.htm>. Chapman, Mike. "Victoria Cross Facts." British Gallantry Awards. 1981. PE Abbott, JMA Tamplin. 19 Apr. 2004 <http://www.victoriacross.net/medal.asp>. Duffy, Michael. "Military Cross." First World War.Com. 2000-2004. 19 Apr. 2004 <http://www.firstworldwar.com/atoz/mc.htm>.

Managing Church Conflict

Managing Church Conflict Conflict within Churches continues to be a problem (Tony Cartledge 2001), and it shows little sign of abating. In fact, the opposite could be much closer to the truth. Perhaps this is why so many in the ministry turn to the writings of Hugh Halverstgadt (2002), a ministry professor from Chicago. In the introduction to his book â€Å"Managing Church Conflicts†, Halverstgadt analyzes the personal and congregational reasons that provide the root causes, which can lead from minor disagreements to outright conflict. His book develops the theme that, as in many areas of life, to sensibly address these problems, ministries and churches globally need to institute a system of conflict management. Leading the reader through a step-by-step conflict management strategy, covering a wide range of typical scenarios, Halverstgadt leads us to his image of peace in churches based upon the notion of Shalom, which promotes the â€Å"right harmonious relationships to other human beings,† (Nicholas Wolterstorff, 1983).   The real question is whether the views held, and the solutions that Halverstgadt promotes to resolve conflict, address the situation. Halverstgadt’s preface asks the question â€Å"can Church conflict be Christian?† and argues that where it degenerates into a â€Å"dirty fighting† scenario, which is not uncommon, this is perhaps not the case. To address this he suggests that ways of turning such disputes into a â€Å"fair† Christian fight need to be found. However, he accepts that there is no need for the Church to fear conflict, provided it is engaged in a manner of fairness. He provides an insight into the reasons conflicts, identifying that essentially the foundation for all conflict is power and that power turns to conflict once its balance is disturbed. Such disturbances can one sector seeks to promote its power in a way that other may perceive would result in a weakening, and therefore limiting or reducing, the power that they think they should enjoy. As, in the case of the Church, most conflicts are deemed centered round power battles within the congregation itself, the book promotes the theory that it falls to the pastor or minister to take on the mantle of conflict manager. It suggests that to successfully take on and execute the role, the manager will needs to reassess their own ideas and beliefs in terms of conflict and their reactions to a situation that arises. In effect, Halverstgadt is looking to the conflict managers to retrain themselves into this new role so that their approach will lead to a solution to the issue that will be acceptable to all of the parties concerned. He acknowledges that the force nature of such a role may be alien to the person, but counsels that as long as they approach it from a position of self-worth, a knowledge that one is a loved member of God’s and the communities family, others will respond positively to them. Part two of â€Å"Managing Church Conflicts† concentrates on the understanding of the issues that have given rise to the conflict, and analyzing these issues and the parties involved into their component parts. One of the first steps advocated is to set rules for the discussion of the conflict, which may mean reorganizing the current ways that existing systems of debates within the Church and its congregation are managed. Often, in conflict situations, both the root causes and indeed the participants in the dispute are not easily identifiable. Therefore, the book suggests that there is a need for the conflict manager to move between the disputing parties and draw them together in conversation that is open and productive. One of the first, and most important, steps in this process includes ensuring that the disagreements move from a â€Å"dirty fighting† stance, which is characterized by its personal direction and content, to an open discussion based upon the foundation of Christian ethics. Haverstadt suggests that it is only once all of these issues have been addressed that the ministry or pastor can move onto the next step, which is the task of managing the conflict and bringing about a resolution that is just, fair and brings about unity once again. Haverstadt further recognizes that managing a conflict situation is no easy task, even for the most experienced conflict manager, and that is has certain limitations. Therefore, in the second part of his book, he sets out a straightforward systematic process for the church mediator to follow.   How they can avoid damaging exchanges between the parties, partially by using the interpretations of faith on the issues, and seeking calmer methods of controlling the discussions. He further discusses ways in which this process should not be limited to just the main protagonists as this could bring about the arising of new conflicts, but include the Church community, so that everyone understands where the process is heading. Furthermore, recognizing that there are issues within the individuals involved that might be better served in private, he suggests that the using of a mentor, or coach, may be beneficial. This gives the individuals the opportunity to discuss those feelings on a personal basis, and to receive comfort and counseling from those appointed to assist them. The desire is that this will lead to a situation where parties can put forward the basis of their strategies and arguments in a positive and clearly defined manner. In the relative calmness of discussion that these moves are hoped to produce, Haverstadt’s book then attempts to deal with the subject of resolution itself, outlining the strengths and weakness of the possibility of trying to reunite the differences or achieving a negotiated settlement acceptable to all. The whole focus or aim of the procedures that Haverstadt’s book promotes is the perception that, by following the guidelines outlined, a position of shalom will be reached. Shalom, in the biblical understanding of the term, a vision which emphasizes the notion of a united, just community bound in pleasant relationships. Although this may seem to exclude discord and diverse viewpoints, as Haverstadt explains, this is not the case. Diversity in the vision of shalom is realized and accepted within an enthusiastic wish to maintain and restore relationships with others using the one abiding link between the congregation, namely their belief in God and the trilogy. Differences in this situation become part of the core strength of the community, rather than the influence that tears the community apart. Result To the extent that the focus of Halverstgadt’s interpretation that the causes of Church conflict are produced by a clashing of power bases, there is little evidence to argue against his findings. If one looks at the development of the Christian Church over the centuries since it’s birth with the death of Christ, the power theory is evidently supported. From a that one focus, Christianity, one has seen it develop into a multi-faceted structure, with the only link, and that somewhat precarious, being the core belief in the trilogy. Catholic, Anglican, Baptist and Methodist, amongst a host of Churches, ostensibly promote the same message, all offering the same vision for the salvation of the human being. Yet, when reflecting about each other, the divisions are obvious, sometimes almost vitriolic in their expression. Historically, it is clearly demonstrated that these divisions resulted from a conflict of power. A typical example is the way in which the King of England separated the Anglican Church from the Church of Rome. Halverstgadt’s promotion of the use of conflict management in an effort to resolve Church conflicts, by providing a calm and common sense vehicle through which issues can be identified and resolved is laudable. Such systems have been used as an integral part of human resource management in business for a number of years, often with much success. However, like all strategies, it has its limitations. Successful conflict management in a community relies upon all the protagonists having the same goals. Business is possibly unique, in that all involved have a tangible focus for conflict management, the business itself. The difference with Church conflicts is that although much of the dispute is about power, it also rests in emotions and non-tangible ideas and beliefs. For example, some of the congregation would promote the idea that the Church should accumulate wealth, so that it can promote its message from a position of strength, others promote the idea that strength of message is better served and more honest from a position of meekness. Conclusion My opinion of this book is that it will serve as a good foundation for dealing with Church conflicts in a number of instances, the main areas to benefit from this good will be concentrated on a parochial basis. At the level where major conflicts occur, as identified in the example of conflict between King of England and the Church of Rome, the power driven differences are too embedded within the psyche of the dominators of the various factions for mediation to be truly successful. In addition, whilst the vision of Shalom is a worthy target for all communities, particularly in Churches, such is the nature of the Human Being that it is unlikely the culmination of this vision will come to fruition. My conclusion therefore is that, whilst the book provides valuable direction from which the Church, its concentration and examples are too localized to make a significant impact upon the area where it is needed most, namely the hierarchy of the various religious sects themselves. References Halverstgadt, Hugh. F. (1992). Managing Church Conflict. Westminster/John Knox Press. U.S. Cartledge, Tony. W.   ed. (2001). Church conflict a common problem. Biblical Recorder. North Carolina. U.S.A. Wolterstorff, Nicholas (1983). Until Justice and Peace Embrace Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. p 70.               

The Host Chapter 23: Confessed

The shadow was huge and misshapen. It loomed everyw reachher(predicate) me, top-heavy, swinging stringentr to my typesetters case.I mean I meant to scream, besides the sound got trap in my throat, and all that came start was a breathless squeak.Shh, its retri scarcelyory me, Jamie susurrati wizd. Something bulky and roundish rolled from his shoulders and plopped softly to the scandalize. When it was g hotshot I could test his true, lithe shadow against the moonlight.I caught a hardly a(prenominal) gasps of air, my collapse clutching at my throat.Sorry, he speak, inductting deal on the edge of the mattress. I guess that was moderately stupid. I was trying non to kindle Doc-I didnt compensate deliberate how I would pall you. You okay? He patted my ankle, which was the part of me juxtaposed to him.Sure, I huffed, mute breathless.Sorry, he muttered again.What atomic number 18 you doing hither, Jamie? Shouldnt you be a snag?Thats why Im here. Uncle Jeb was snorin g like you wouldnt desire. I couldnt stand it any more than.His reply didnt occupy sense to me. Dont you usually residuum with Jeb?Jamie yawned and bent to untie the bulky houseclean come forthroll hed dropped to the floor. no(prenominal) I usually relief with Jargond. He doesnt snore. scarce you k flat that.I did.why dont you relaxation in Jareds room, and then? Are you fair-lipped to sleep alone? I wouldnt gain blamed him for that. It seemed like I was endlessly terrified here.Afraid, he grumbled, gloweringended. No. This is Jareds room. And mine.What? I gasped. Jeb put me in Jareds room?I couldnt believe it. Jared would consume me. No, he would exhaust Jeb first, and then he would kill me.Its my room, similarly. And I t obso allowe Jeb you could generate it.Jared will be furious, I whispered.I weed do what I indispensability with my room, Jamie muttered rebelliously, unless then he bit his lip. We wont tell him. He doesnt have to know.I nodded. Good idea.Yo u dont chief if I sleep in here, do you? Uncle Jebs very loud.No, I dont mind. But Jamie, I dont prize you should.He fr makeed, trying to be cowl instead of hurt. wherefore not?Beca single-valued function its not safe. Some seasons people keep abr easterly tone for me at wickedness.His eyeball went wide. They do?Jared constantly had the gun-they went away.Who?I dont know-Kyle sometimes. But there are authorizedly others who are still here.He nodded. All the more reason why I should stay. Doc qualification deprivation help.Jamie -Im not a kid, Wanda. I can presume care of myself.Obviously, list was however going away to make him more stubborn. At least take the bed, I express, surrendering. Ill sleep on the floor. Its your room.Thats not right. Youre the guest.I snorted sedately. Ha. No, the bed is yours.No way. He lay down on the mat, folding his arms tightly across his chest.Again, I saw that arguing was the wrong approach to take with Jamie. Well, this one I could rectify as in brief as he was asleep. Jamie slept so deep it was al almost a coma. Melanie could carry him anywhere once he was stunned.You can practise my rest, he told me, patting the one next to the post where he lay. You dont requisite to sc feed inch up at the bottom there.I sighed but crawled to the top of the bed.Thats right, he said approvingly. Now, could you shove me Jareds?I hesitated, or so to reach for the pil abject under my head he jumped up, leaned oer me, and snatched the other pillow. I sighed again.We lay in calm for a magic spell, listening to the low whistle of the vivifys breathing.Doc has a subtile snore, doesnt he? Jamie whispered.It wont keep you up, I agreed.You old-hat?Yeah.Oh.I waited for him to say something more, but he was quiet.Was there something you wanted? I asked.He didnt answer right away, but I could feel him struggling, so I waited.If I asked you something, would you tell me the truth?It was my turn to hesitate. I dont know ever ything, I hedged.You would know this. When we were locomote me and Jeb he was telling me some things. Things he belief, but I dont know if hes right.Melanie was dead very there in my head.Jamies whisper was hard to key, quieter than my breathing. Uncle Jeb ideate ofs that Melanie might still be live. Inside there with you, I mean.My Jamie. Melanie sighed.I said nothing to either of them.I didnt know that could happen. Does that happen? His give tongue to broke, and I could sample that he was fighting tears. He was not a son to cry, and here Id grieved him this deeply twice in one day. A pain pierced through with(predicate) the general region of my chest.Does it, Wanda?Tell him. enjoy tell him that I love him.Why wont you answer me? Jamie was rightfully crying now but trying to muffle the sound.I crawled off the bed, squeezing into the hard blank pose between the mattress and the mat, and threw my arm everyplace his oscillation chest. I leaned my head against his hair and matte up his tears, warm on my neck.Is Melanie still alive, Wanda? beguile?He was probably a alsol. The old earth could have sent him erect for this Jeb was smart seemly to see how easily Jamie broke through my defenses. It was possible that Jeb was seek confirmation for his theory, and he wasnt against using the boy to line it. What would Jeb do when he was certain(p) of the dangerous truth? How would he use the information? I didnt opine he meant me harm, but could I trust my own judgment? Hu slices were deceitful, treacherous creatures. I couldnt anticipate their drearyer agendas when such things were un weighable to my species.Jamies eubstance shook beside me.Hes suffering, Melanie cried. She battered ineffectually at my control.But I couldnt blame this on Melanie if it saturnine out to be a huge mistake. I knew who was speaking now.She prefigured she would come tush, didnt she? I murmured. Would Melanie break a promise to you?Jamie slid his arms nigh my wai st and clung to me for a yen time. After a few minutes, he whispered, Love you, Mel.She loves you, too. Shes so keen that youre here and safe.He was silent long comme il faut for the tears on my scrape to dry, leaving a fine, salty besprinkle behind.Is everybody like that? Jamie whispered long later I thought hed fallen asleep. Does everybody stay?No, I told him sadly. No. Melanie is special.Shes strong and brave.Very.Do you think He pa apply to sniff. Do you think that maybe Dad is still there, too?I s fenceowed, trying to act the protrusion farther down my throat. It didnt wee-wee. No, Jamie. No, I dont think so. non like Melanie is.Why?Because he brought the Seekers facial expression for you. Well, the soul inside him did. Your get wouldnt have let that happen if he were still there. Your sister never let me see where the cabin was-she didnt even let me know that you existed for the longest time. She didnt bring me here until she was sure that I wouldnt hurt you.It was too much information. single as I finished speaking did I take care that the doctor wasnt snoring anymore. I could try no noise from his breathing. Stupid. I unredeemed myself internally.Wow, Jamie said.I whispered into his ear, so close that there was no way the doctor could possibly oerhear. Yes, shes very strong.Jamie strained to hear me, frowning, and then glanced at the opening to the dark hall. He must have agnise the same thing I had, because he dour his face to my ear and whispered back softer than in the first place. Why would you do that? Not hurt us? Isnt that what you want?No. I dont want to hurt you.Why?Your sister and I have fatigued a lot of time together. She share you with me. And I started to to love you, too.And Jared, too?I gritted my teeth for a second, chagrined that he had made the connection so easily. Of shape I dont want anything to hurt Jared, either.He detests you, Jamie told me, homelyly grieved by the detail.Yes. Everyone does. I sighed. I cant blame them.Jeb doesnt. And I dont.You might, afterward you think about it more.But you werent even here when they took over. You didnt pick my dad or my mammary gland or Melanie. You were in outer space then, right? Yes, but I am what I am, Jamie. I did what souls do. Ive had many hosts forwards Melanie, and nothings halt me from taking lives. Again and again. Its how I live.Does Melanie hate you?I thought for a minute. Not as much as she used to.No. I dont hate you at all. Not anymore.She says she doesnt hate me at all anymore, I murmured almost silently.How how is she?Shes adroit to be here. Shes so happy to see you. She doesnt even care that theyre going to kill us.Jamie stiffened under my arm. They cant Not if Mels still aliveYouve upset him, Melanie complained. You didnt have to say that.It wont be any easier for him if hes unprepared.They wont believe that, Jamie, I whispered. Theyll think Im lying to trick you. Theyll just want to kill me more if you tell them that . Only Seekers lie.The word made him shudder.But youre not lying. I know it, he said after a moment.I shrugged.I wont let them kill her.His voice, though quiet as a breath, was fierce with determination. I was paralyzed at the thought of him turn more involved with this situation, with me. I thought of the barbarians he lived with. Would his age encourage him from them if he tested to protect me? I suspected it. My thoughts scrambled, distinct for some way to dissuade him without triggering his stubbornness.Jamie intercommunicate before I could say anything he was suddenly calm, as if the answer was plain in front of him. Jared will think of something. He always does.Jared wont believe you, either. Hell be the angriest of them all.Even if he doesnt believe it, hell protect her. Just in case.Well see, I muttered. Id breakthrough the perfect words later-the argument that would not sound like an argument.Jamie was quiet, thinking. Eventually, his breathing got slower, and his sp ill fell open. I waited until I was sure he was deeply under, and then I crawled over him and very carefully shifted him from the floor to the bed. He was heavier than before, but I managed. He didnt wake.I put Jareds pillow back where it belonged, and then stretched out on the mat.Well, I thought, I just hurled myself out of the fry pan. But I was too drop to care what this would mean tomorrow. Within seconds, I was unconscious.When I woke, the crevices in the ceiling were blinding with echoed sunlight, and someone was whistling.The whistling stopped.Finally, Jeb muttered when my eyes fluttered.I rolled onto my side so that I could look at him as I moved, Jamies hand slid from my arm. Sometime in the night he must have reached out to me-well, not to me, to his sister.Jeb was leaning against the natural gemstone door frame, his arms folded across his chest. Morning, he said. Get enough sleep?I stretched, decided that I snarl so-so rested, and then nodded.Oh, dont give me the si lent handling again, he complained, scowling.Sorry, I murmured. I slept well, give thanks you.Jamie stirred at the sound of my voice.Wanda? he asked.I was ridiculously touched that it was my goofy nickname that he spoke on the edge of sleep.Yes?Jamie blinked and pulled his tangled hair out of his eyes. Oh, hey, Uncle Jeb.My room not good enough for you, kid?You snore real loud, Jamie said, and then yawned.Havent I taught you anything? Jeb asked him. Since when do you let a guest and a lady sleep on the floor?Jamie sat up suddenly, staring around, disoriented. He frowned.Dont upset him, I told Jeb. He insisted on taking the mat. I moved him when he was asleep.Jamie snorted. Mel always used to do that, too.I widened my eyes approximately at him, trying to convey a warning.Jeb chuckled. I looked up at him, and he had that same pouncing-cat expression hed had yesterday. The solved-puzzle expression. He walked over and kicked the edge of the mattress.Youve already missed your morning time class. Sharons bound to be testy about that, so get a move on.Sharon is always testy, Jamie complained, but he got to his feet quickly.On your way, boy.Jamie looked at me again, then he turned and disappeared into the hall.Now, Jeb said as soon as we were alone. I think all this baby-sitting nonsensicality has gone on long enough. Im a busy man. Everyone is busy here-too busy to sit around playin guard. So today youre going to have to come along with me while I get my chores done.I mat my mouth pop open.He stared at me, no smile.Dont look so terrified, he grumbled. Youll be fine. He patted his gun. My house is no place for babies.I couldnt argue with that. I took cardinal quick, deep breaths, trying to poise my nerves. Blood pulsed so loudly in my ears that his voice seemed quiet in analogy when he spoke again.Cmon, Wanda. Days wasting.He turned and stomped out of the room.I was frozen for a moment, and then I lurched out after him. He wasnt bluffing-he was already invisi ble around the first corner. I raced after him, scare by the thought that I might run into someone else in this apparently inhabited wing. I caught up to him before he reached the gravid intersection of the tunnels. He didnt even look at me as I slowed beside him to match his pace.Bout time that northeast field was planted. Well have to work the defect first. Hope you dont mind acquiring your hands lubricating oily. After were done, Ill see that you get a chance to clean yourself up. You need it. He sniffed pointedly, then laughed.I felt the back of my neck get hot, but I ignored the last part. I dont mind getting my hands dirty, I murmured. As I recalled, the empty northeast field was out of the way. Perhaps we would be able to work alone.Once we got to the big plaza cave, we started passing humans. They all stared, infuriated, as usual. I was beginning to recognize most of them the middle-aged woman with the long salt-and-pepper weave I had seen with the irrigation team ye sterday. The short man with the round belly, thinning sandy hair, and cerise cheeks had been with her. The athletic-looking woman with the caramel brown scratch had been the one bent to tie her raiment the first time Id come out here during the day. Another dark-skinned woman with broad lips and sleepy eyes had been in the kitchen, near the two black-haired children-perhaps she was their get under ones skin? Now we passed Maggie she glowered at Jeb and turned her face away from me. We passed a pale, sick-looking man with white hair whom I was sure Id never seen before. Then we passed Ian.Hey, Jeb, he said cheerfully. Whatcha up to?Turning the soil in the east field, Jeb grunted.Want some help?Ought to make yourself useful, Jeb muttered.Ian took this as an assent and fell into mistreat behind me. It gave me goose bumps, skin senses his eyes on my back.We passed a young man who couldnt have been many years aged(a) than Jamie-his dark hair stood up from his olive-toned brow li ke steel wool.Hey, Wes, Ian greeted him.Wes watched in silence as we passed. Ian laughed at his expression.We passed Doc.Hey, Doc, Ian said.Ian. Doc nodded. In his hands was a big potty of dough. His apparel was covered with dark, coarse flour. Morning, Jeb. Morning, Wanda.Morning, Jeb answered.I nodded uneasily.See you round, Doc said, hurrying off with his burden.Wanda, huh? Ian asked.My idea, Jeb told him. Suits her, I think.Interesting was all Ian said.We at last made it to the northeastern field, where my hopes were dashed. in that location were more people here than there had been in the passageways-five women and nine men. They all stopped what they were doing and scowled, naturally. comprise em no mind, Jeb murmured to me.Jeb proceeded to follow his own advice he went to a jumbled pile of tools against the surrounding(prenominal) wall, shoved his gun through the strap at his waist, and grabbed a pick and two shovels.I felt exposed, having him so far away. Ian was just a step behind me-I could hear him breathing. The others in the room continued to glower, their tools still in their hands. I didnt miss the fact that the picks and hoes that were breaking the earth could easily be used to break a body. It seemed to me, in reading a few of their expressions, that I wasnt the only one with that idea.Jeb came back and reach me a shovel. I gripped the smooth, worn woody handle, feeling its weight. After seeing the bloodlust in the humans eyes, it was hard not to think of it as a weapon. I didnt like the idea. I doubted I could raise it as one, even to block a blow.Jeb gave Ian the pick. The sharp, blackened surface looked deadly in his hands. It took all my will power not to skip out of range.Lets take the back corner.At least Jeb took me to the least crowded spot in the long, joyful cave. He had Ian pulverize the hard-baked dirt ahead of us, while I flipped the clods over and he followed behind, crushing the chunks into usable soil with the edge of his shovel.Watching the sweat run down Ians fair skin-hed removed his shirt after a few seconds in the dry scorch of the mirror light-and sense of hearing Jebs grunted breaths behind me, I could see that I had the easiest job. I wished I had something more cut downd to do, something that would keep me from being distracted by the movements of the other humans. Their every motion had me grovelling and flinching.I couldnt do Ians job-I didnt have the thick arm and back muscles needed to really chew into the hard soil. But I decided to do what I could of Jebs, prechopping the clods into small bits before I moved on. It helped a little bit-kept my eyes busy and timeworn me out so that I had to concentrate on making myself work.Ian brought us piddle now and then. There was a woman-short and fair, Id seen her in the kitchen yesterday-who seemed to have the job of bringing irrigate to the others, but she ignored us. Ian brought enough for three every time. I found his black eye in regard to me unsettling. Was he really no longer intent on my death? Or just looking for an opportunity? The water always tasted homophile(a) here-sulfurous and stale-but now that taste seemed suspicious. I tried to ignore the paranoia as much as possible.I was working hard enough to keep my eyes busy and my mind numb I didnt notice when we hit the end of the last row. I stopped only when Ian did. He stretched, pulling the pick overhead with two hands and soda water his joints. I shied away from the raised pick, but he didnt see. I cognize that everyone else had stopped, too. I looked at the fresh-turned dirt, even across the integral floor, and realized that the field was complete.Good work, Jeb announced in a loud voice to the group. Well seed and water tomorrow.The room was alter with soft chatter and clanks as the tools were piled against the wall once more. Some of the talk was day-by-day some was still tense because of me. Ian held his hand out for my shovel, and I hand ed it to him, feeling my already low mood glide by right to the floor. I had no doubt that I would be included in Jebs we. Tomorrow would be just as hard as today.I looked at Jeb mournfully, and he was smiling in my direction. There was a smugness to his grin that made me believe he knew what I was thinking-not only did he guess my discomfort, but he was enjoying it.He winked at me, my crazy friend. I realized again that this was the best to be judge from human friendship.See you tomorrow, Wanda, Ian called from across the room, and laughed to himself.Everyone stared.