Hebrew and Islamic Mythology Essay Example for Free

Hebrew and Islamic Mythology Essay While science and religion are notorious for their contentious and often violently contrasting relationship, they bear much in common in their agenda. Both set out to provide explanations for the world’s mysteries. And as such, they also share a large hand of unanswered questions. Perhaps chief among them, the question of the earth’s creation, and by extension, man’s ascension to awareness, is one with very few empirical explanations. And in an absence of any conclusive evidence, theories abound from all camps. A common thread in history’s chapters, myths regarding the Earth’s conception provide insight into the lives and cultures of their respective societies. In western society, the Judeo-Christian anecdote is easily the most well-known. This story is the primary creationist mythology for many monotheistic sects. Herein, God creates the earth in six days, with man arriving on the last. On the seventh day, the omnipotent rests and thus, delivers man the Sabbath. However, in the centuries that preceded the inflection point where monotheism began to take popular hold, polytheistic idolaters provided the most commonly held ideas about the earth’s origin. One of the earliest examples of the literate and elaborated nature that these myths could take on comes from the rich tapestry of Greek mythology. The Greeks were idol-worshippers who had developed a complex and extremely colorful cast of gods. Though not omnipotent like the Judeo-Christian almighty, these gods were believed to possess real and considerable power over the lives of their human subjects. The Greek myth of creation is an exposition of that relationship. It was believed that, prior to earth, there was nothing but darkness. And amid this darkness, the only object was a black-winged bird called Nyx. This bird, alone in the void, was impregnated by the wind. (Note the parallel to the immaculate conception of Christ. ). As a result of this cosmic union, she yielded a golden egg, which she proceeded to roost upon for many thousands of years. Eventually, this egg hatched and the god of love, Eros, sprang forth. Just as Eros was born, so too were his siblings, whom he was given the honor of naming. They were the upper and lower halves of his shell, which rose to the air and sank to the ground respectively. They became the sky and the earth. Eros called them Uranus and Gaia and blessed them with love. This love resulted in children and grandchildren who would blossom into twisted, war-bent gods whose better judgment would be often blinded by a hopeless quest for power. A first-generation child of Gaia and Uranus, Kronus took a wife in Rhea and produced many children, whom he grew to fear immensely. Kronus, a problem-solver by nature, swallowed his children while they were still infants, thus preventing what he considered to be the inevitable threat of usurpation. The youngest of his sons, however, was also the most beloved to Rhea so she deceived her husband into consuming a rock in the child’s place. This youngest child, Zeus, would grow strong in manhood and ultimately bring to realization Kronus’ greatest fear. Zeus liberated his brothers and sisters from his father’s malicious and all-consuming grasp. Then he led them to revolution, waging a war against the tyrannical god. In their victory, they turned their benevolent attention to the great creations of Nyx. The gods began to populate Uranus with the stars thus creating space. They began to furnish Gaia with life, thus birthing nature. After creating the appropriate backdrop, the gods recognized that the earth was correct excepting its want for animals and humans. Zeus set to the task his sons Prometheus and Epimetheus, whose names translate literally to mean forethought and afterthought. This provides some interesting insight, perhaps, into the Greek perspective about man’s intellectual capacity and eventual self-awareness. In addition, it offers literal details about the unique abilities and idiosyncrasies that mark the species which populate the earth. When assigned to the job of designing creatures, the brothers were given a variety of gifts to offer their creations. While Epimetheus set upon the task of creating the animals and awarding them all with gifts, Prometheus carefully sculpted man to be in the image of the gods. (Again, man’s definition as being in the image of god holds much in common with Judeo-Christian creationism). When he completed his task, he found that Epimetheus had given away all the gifts, leaving humankind with the shaft. Prometheus sought to rectify the matter by stealing a trace of fire from the setting sun and giving it to man. When Zeus awoke to find man in possession of that which was to belong only to the gods, he was furious. He punished Prometheus to an eternity stapled to a tree, having his liver chewed on by vultures. But the damage was done. Man had been created and given the power of fire. There is a great deal more to Greek mythology, as with the bible. The role of the gods takes on a wide array of purposes, gradually divining all of man’s vices and virtues. But in the story of the earth’s creation alone, there is much illumination. The Greek legend begins to tell part of the story of Greek culture insofar as it offers some true self-examination. In this story of violence, deception and a natural tendency toward roguishness, the Greeks provide a piercing look into a psyche long since perished from the world. Surviving with far greater ideological intensity are those creation myths driving modern faith. The traditional structure of the dominant monotheistic faiths incorporates a narrative regarding the creation of earth and man into its formative doctrines. Herein is typically contained an originating explanation for the relationship between god, man, heaven and earth that provides grounding for the entirety of the faith’s sacred text. This is a fundamental commonality between the texts of the Hebrew Bible and the Holy Qur’an, both of which dedicate significant portions of their second chapters to delineating the story of the first man. It is striking to compare the passages concerning the creation of the first man as they appear in the two texts. Though today Judaism and Islam function almost as antecedents to one another, with their practitioners often viewing their respective texts as placing them into diametric and practical opposition of one another, these passages provide evidence of their common derivation. The creation myths of the two religions suggest that their political, social and cultural differences today may stem from the nuances therein, which had the effect of placing their interests in close confines with one another while arming them with divergent perspectives on how best to achieve said interests. The details surrounding God’s deliverance of Adam to the Garden are essentially the same according to the two texts, but the wording of each calls for closer speculation. In Genesis, the first book of the Hebrew Bible, God follows his work of creating the heaven and the earth by creating man: â€Å"Then the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.. † (Gen. 2:7) From here is taken a substantial assumption in the Judeo-Christian faith which proceeds from it, that man is created in the image and likeness of God. The breath of God, this passage indicates, circulates in the body of every man, suggesting a responsibility to godliness for all of us. The Qur’an, in its recognition of the same deliverance to the Garden, paints a different image in acknowledgment of God’s endowment of life. In keeping with a prominent thematic impulse of the Qur’an, convicting its readers to note the distinction in fates for believers and nonbelievers, the phrase depicting Adam’s creation is posed with a similar connotation: â€Å"How do you deny Allah and you were dead and He gave you life? Again He will cause you to die and again bring you to life, then you shall be brought back to Him. † (Koran, 2:28) This is a passage which demands not just belief in the creationist role of Allah but also a devotion to eradicating or combating non-belief. More explicitly and ideologically pertinent though, it carries with it a description of the process of reincarnation. Man, in this passage, is described as an entity being fully at the mercy of God within the bonds of the creator-to-created relationship. And where the berth into God’s image, held in the Hebrew Bible, ultimately predisposed man to divine immortality, this infinitude is represented differently in Islam. The overtones of reincarnation here suggest that man is not considered to be made in the image of God, nor even an element of the earth as also implied by Genesis 2:7, but is a soul perpetually disposed to take forms according to the will of Allah. This does not necessarily indicate a fundamental difference in the dispositions of the gods in question, Yahweh and Allah in the bible and Qur’an respectively. In Genesis, there is an articulated statement regarding God’s willingness and right, as creator, to snuff out his subject for transgression of his law. At the time, this law was constituted summarily of one directive in which â€Å"the LORD God commanded the man, saying: Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. †(Gen. 2:16-17) These foreboding words are those which assured our mortality on an earth characterized as the forum for exile from the Garden. The air which god breathed into us through Adam’s nostrils would, as God promised, be the price paid for partaking of the fruit. This fall from the grace of godly immortality would define the nature of man’s life-cycle, and by extension, theoretical concepts such as time and space and spiritual assumptions about death and the afterlife. God’s proposition to Allah as depicted in the Qur’an is not endowed with the same consequence, perhaps a product of the initial divergence between the two texts with regard to the fundamental construct of man in relation to his god: â€Å"And We said: O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in the garden and eat from it a plenteous (food) wherever you wish and do not approach this tree, for then you will be of the unjust. † (Koran, 2:35) The fall from grace is described quite differently here, with man incurring no such threat as explicit as a certain death. This is a condition already possessed of man in the passage concerning his formation. It is not a punishment but a state of being given grounded in man’s relationship to Allah. Original sin is still a common element to the doctrines of the two faiths, but its consequences appear as quite different actually. In the Hebrew Bible, the serpent is a creature which plays the role of deceiver and, by metaphorical extension, the antithetical and fundamentally evil counterpart to God’s unchanging benevolence. This is contrasted by the Qur’an’s direct address of a Satan figure, a development affirming its composition as having occurred at a far later date than that of Genesis: â€Å"But the Shaitan made them both fall from it, and caused them to depart from that (state) in which they were; and We said: Get forth, some of you being the enemies of others, and there is for you in the earth an abode and a provision for a time. † (Koran, 2:36) A punishment dealt herein concerns man’s occupation of earth as a home, with God endowing it only a finite capacity to host mortal life. Again, the contrast between the implications to man’s punishment for Original Sin in the two texts can be traced to the contrast in man’s assumed composition. In the Hebrew Bible, God punished Eve and her offspring to a perpetuity of painful childbearing â€Å"and unto Adam He said: Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying: Thou shalt not eat of it; cursed is the ground for thy sake; in toil shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. † (Gen. 3:17) In this passage, a fundamental difference in perspective is illuminated, that man’s lot, to toil on the land, is a punishment profoundly connected to his violation of God’s will and his organic relationship to the soil. Where the Garden of Eden was a sanctuary at Adam’s disposal, the Earth would be his responsibility and his shackles. His mortality would be profoundly chained to his capacity to manage the earth. Where Islam casts its subjects as inhabitants of a land inevitably bound to eventually leave them to resource-deprived oblivion, Judaism confines its followers to a eternity of suffering knowledge of the earth’s hard reality. God tells Adam of this fate as being a mixed blessing, with the knowledge equally capable of delivering him to pain and pleasure, â€Å" for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil. † (Gen. 3:5) In a way, this is a complete fulfillment of man’s emulation of the creator-image just as it is the downfall from godliness. Indeed, the serpent cavorts Eve by telling her that she and Adam will be endowed with knowledge and fortitude, and be gods themselves. In exchange for this transgression, god casts man without guidance into the desert abyss. This is contrasted by the denouement of original sin in the Qur’an, where Allah casts his children out but does so under the auspices of mercy: â€Å"We said: Go forth from this (state) all; so surely there will come to you a guidance from Me, then whoever follows My guidance, no fear shall come upon them, nor shall they grieve. † (Koran, 2:38) Here, God reaffirms his commitment to man even in his failing, offering him an unconditional love as sanctuary for the pain and suffering of the land. The intricacies that differentiate the two texts offer a useful set of variations on a creation story that is highly associated with the evolution of monotheism. Particularly, the mutual centrality of the texts on man’s role and purpose in the earth’s creation and the heaven’s sanctity illustrates the capacity of each to elucidate its pursuant culture’s views on God’s divine plan for humanity. Bibliography: Fahs, Sophia Lyon, Spoerl, Dorothy T. Beginnings: Earth, Sky, Life, Death. Beacon Press. Boston. 1965. Freund, Philip. Myths of Creation. Washington Square Press, Inc. New York City. 1965. Koran Text. (1997 edition). The Holy Qur’an. University of Virginia: Online Book Initiative. Online at http://etext. virginia. edu/etcbin/toccer-new2? id=HolKora. sgmimages=images/modengdata=/texts/english/modeng/parsedtag=publicpart=teiHeader Masoretic Text. (JPS 1917 Edition). A Hebrew-English Bible. Mechon Mamre. Online at http://www. mechon-mamre. org/p/pt/pt0. htm

Delivery Methods for Treatment of Tuberculosis

Delivery Methods for Treatment of Tuberculosis INTRODUCTION The Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a rod-shaped bacillus bacterium which is responsible for an infectious disease tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is chronic bacterial, air borne, contagious disease, which commonly affects lungs and spreads from person to person when active TB patient expels bacteria by coughing or sneezing.(Villemagne et al., 2012). After HIV, Tuberculosis claims world’s second deadliest disease caused by single infectious agent.(Moualeu et al., 2015). In worlds population, one third of individuals are infected with dormant infection, but only 10% of infected people will be symptomatic.(Villemagne et al., 2012). As mentioned in WHO data, yearly global tuberculosis report 2014, it is estimated that 9 million people were symptomatic and develop active TB and out of them, 1.5 million people were died in 2013. Probability of occurrence of TB in HIV patients is high because 360000 out of the 1.5 million deaths were HIV positive. Most of TB cases occur in poorest countrie s like South-East Asia and West Pacific and African regions. It also affects countries like India and China to some extent. Tuberculosis is a preventable and curable disease with effective diagnosis and treatment because 37 million lives were saved between 2000 and 2013.(WHO,2014). The effective treatment of tuberculosis follows multi drug regimens, in which first-line therapy includes four drugs (isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol, pyrazinamide) administered during initial intensive stage for two months and followed by continuous phase with rifampicin and isoniazid for four months.(Sosnik et al., 2010). When first-line drugs are mismanaged, therapeutic failure occurs, which leads to multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) which is difficult to treat. Then second line agents such as flouroquinolones and aminoglycosides are given, which are more expensive, more toxicity and less potent. Next stage follows extensively drug resistant TB(XDR-TB) which occurs when second line agents are misused, and disease becomes severe.(Kaur and Singh, 2014). Rifampicin is one of the potent and effective antibiotic and is first drug of choice for long term continuous therapy (six months) and it is having severe side effects as acute renal failure, hepatotoxicity.(Son and McConville, 2011). Chemical name of rifampicin is 3-[[(4-methyl-1-piperazynl)imino]-methyl]-rifamycin.(Argekar et al., 1996). It shows bactericidal activity by binding to ÃŽ ²-subunit of the DNA dependent RNA polymerase and inhibits the bacterial RNA synthesis. Rifampicin facing severe toxicity problems can be solved by reducing the frequency of administration and maintaining a controlled release which is possible by lipid based nanoparticles.(Labuschagne et al., 2014). It is classified as BCS class Ó Ãƒâ€œÃ‚  drug (low solubility and high permeability) and due to poor aqueous solubility and poor bioavailability, this drug is best suitable for lipid based nanocarriers which shows good lipid solubility.(Moretton et al., 2010). Cubosomes are lipid based sub-micron, discrete nanoparticles of liquid crystalline phase with cubic crystallographic symmetry.(Achouri et al., 2014). When amphiphilic lipid is made contact with excess water then it forms a self-assembled liquid crystalline structure of bicontinuous cubic phase and inverse hexagonal phases.(Nguyen et al., 2011). Cubosomes are composed of a lipid and surfactant, first lipid (monoolein) due to its amphiphilic nature it has an ability to solubilize both hydrophilic, hydrophobic and amphiphilic molecules. It is non-toxic, biodegradable and biocompatible material, which is approved by FDA inactive ingredients. Second hydrophilic non-ionic surfactant (poloxamer 407), it is triblock copolymer two hydrophilic blocks of polyethylene oxide (PEO) and hydrophobic block of polypropylene oxide (PPO) that is (PEO-PPO-PEO).(Achouri et al., 2014). Cubosomes are best suitable for poorly water soluble drugs, and they increase solubilisation of drug and m aintain controlled release.(Boyd, 2003) Rifampicin is the only lipophilic drug in all anti-TB first-line drugs. This drug delivery system enhances drug solubility and bioavailability and reduces toxicity and maintains controlled release at the target site. In this study, we prepared rifampicin loaded cubosomes by hot melt method. The main objective of the study to reduce the dose and maintain controlled release, and it is also capable of increasing solubility and bioavailability of the drug. The optimized formulation ratio was fixed by the results obtained by varying dependent and independent variables using response surface methodology (RSM) with a 3 ² full factorial design. Materials Methods Rifampicin was obtained as a free sample from Lupin (Lupin pharmaceuticals, Pune), Peceol was purchased from and poloxamer 407 was purchased from and millipore water was used for all experiments. Preparation of rifampicin loaded cubosomes Rifampicin loaded cubosomes are prepared by using hot melt method.(Boyd, 2003). In this method, Peceol, poloxamer 407 and drug were taken as organic phase and mixed until the drug is completely entrapped in the dispersed phase. And then organic phase and aqueous phase (water) were heated at 70 ºC and aqueous phase was added slowly to organic phase under stirring. Then bulk cubic gel was fragmented by high speed homogenisation (Ultraturrax, 12000rpm) for 10 minutes and ultrasonication for 5minutes. The final dispersion was stored at room temperature. Experimental design References Achouri, D., Sergent, M., Tonetto, A., Piccerelle, P., Andrieu, V., Hornebecq, V., 2014. Self-assembled liquid crystalline nanoparticles as an ophthalmic drug delivery system. Part II: optimization of formulation variables using experimental design. Drug Dev. Ind. Pharm. 9045, 1–9. doi:10.3109/03639045.2014.884113 Argekar, A.P., Kunjir, S.S., Purandare, K.S., 1996. Simultaneous determination of rifampicin , isoniazid and pyrazinamid by high performance thin layer chromatography 14, 1645–1650. Boyd, B., 2003. Characterisation of drug release from cubosomes using the pressure ultrafiltration method. Int. J. Pharm. 260, 239–247. doi:10.1016/S0378-5173(03)00262-X Kaur, I.P., Singh, H., 2014. Nanostructured drug delivery for better management of tuberculosis. J. Control. Release 184, 36–50. doi:10.1016/j.jconrel.2014.04.009 Labuschagne, P.W., Adami, R., Liparoti, S., Naidoo, S., Swai, H., Reverchon, E., 2014. Preparation of rifampicin/poly(d,l-lactice) nanoparticles for sustained release by supercritical assisted atomization technique. J. Supercrit. Fluids 95, 106–117. doi:10.1016/j.supflu.2014.08.004 Moretton, M. a, Glisoni, R.J., Chiappetta, D. a, Sosnik, A., 2010. Molecular implications in the nanoencapsulation of the anti-tuberculosis drug rifampicin within flower-like polymeric micelles. Colloids Surf. B. Biointerfaces 79, 467–79. doi:10.1016/j.colsurfb.2010.05.016 Moualeu, D.P., Weiser, M., Ehrig, R., Deuflhard, P., 2015. Optimal control for a tuberculosis model with undetected cases in Cameroon. Commun. Nonlinear Sci. Numer. Simul. 20, 986–1003. doi:10.1016/j.cnsns.2014.06.037 Nguyen, T.-H., Hanley, T., Porter, C.J.H., Boyd, B.J., 2011. Nanostructured liquid crystalline particles provide long duration sustained-release effect for a poorly water soluble drug after oral administration. J. Control. Release 153, 180–6. doi:10.1016/j.jconrel.2011.03.033 Son, Y.-J., McConville, J.T., 2011. A new respirable form of rifampicin. Eur. J. Pharm. Biopharm. 78, 366–76. doi:10.1016/j.ejpb.2011.02.004 Sosnik, A., Carcaboso, A.M., Glisoni, R.J., Moretton, M. a, Chiappetta, D. a, 2010. New old challenges in tuberculosis: potentially effective nanotechnologies in drug delivery. Adv. Drug Deliv. Rev. 62, 547–59. doi:10.1016/j.addr.2009.11.023 Villemagne, B., Crauste, C., Flipo, M., Baulard, A.R., Dà ©prez, B., Willand, N., 2012. Tuberculosis: the drug development pipeline at a glance. Eur. J. Med. Chem. 51, 1–16. doi:10.1016/j.ejmech.2012.02.033 WHO 2014, n.d.

The Environmental Impacts Of Transportation Environmental Sciences Essay

The Environmental Impacts Of Transportation Environmental Sciences Essay Over the years, the development of road networks across the world has undoubtedly contributed significantly to the changing of the landscape. Clearly those involved in all aspects of the design and construction of roads will be very aware of the, often emotive, issues that surround this highly visible intrusion into the natural environment. According to Alo (2008) Central to any functional urban settlement is the level and extent of its transportation network. Road, rail and water systems constitute the modes of transport that have been fully exploited by major urban cities around the globe to facilitate the complete integration of the various segments of their economy thus stimulating development. Since these systems are not isolated, interaction between them and the environment often lead to not too beneficial consequences. Although, cities play key roles in the development processes, they are, in general, productive places that make more than a proportionate contribution to nation al economic growth. However, the very process of urban growth often brings with it deterioration in surrounding environmental conditions. As a locus for population growth, commercial and industrial activity, cities concentrate energy and resource use and waste generation to the point that both man-made and natural systems are overloaded and the capacities to manage these systems are overwhelmed. This situation is exacerbated with rapid urban population growth. (James, 2009) Urban systems and services (e.g., water supply, sanitation, public transport and roads) are increasingly congested due to population, commercial and industrial growth coupled with poor urban management. Natural resources (water, air, forests, minerals, land) vital to the cities economic development and to future generations are lost or misused through inappropriate urban policies. The radius of impact of cities on resources lying far beyond their boundaries is steadily increasing. Furthermore, urban areas are inu ndated in their own wastes and choked on their own emissions as a result of inadequate pollution control and waste management policies and practices. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers (2005), the degradation of transportation networks due to poor maintenance, natural disasters, deterioration over time, in addition to unforeseen attacks, leads to estimates of $94 billion in the United States of needed repairs for roads alone. Moreover, in a new era of climate change, it is expected, as documented in numerous studies (cf. National Assessment Team (2001), US Department of Transportation (2002), Smith and Levasseur (2002), Zimmerman (2003), Arkell and Darch (2006), Schulz (2007)), that the degradation of critical infrastructure, including transportation networks, can be expected to increase. At the same time, emissions generated through transportation are some of the biggest contributors to climate change and global warming. In Nigeria, the most developed of systems is road transportation with the roads mainly prominent in the various state capitals and inter-state highways. Projects limited to road rehabilitation, maintenance, minor construction, as well as to traffic management and regulation unlike new road construction, generally involve lesser environmental concerns. The roads are often constructed with no provision whatsoever to address problems such as the runoff quality vehicle emissions and other probable consequences of the road users activities. (Alo, 2008) Thus it is not unusual to find highways of mainly flushed shoulder passing through residential hubs, industrial estates and farmlands and since roads and highway surfaces are impervious, they serve as temporary sinks for various types of pollutants which are washed off during rainfall as runoff them to the proximate environment. Pollution from non-point sources such as highway runoff has therefore continued to be a major source of concern f or environmental regulatory bodies and other stakeholders the world over as they contribute to the pollutant load of the receiving environment, in most cases the water bodies and farmlands. This according to James (2009), results to a gradual degradation of the receiving water quality and an eventual impairment of the beneficial uses of such receiving environment. It is against these backdrops that this research work strives to investigate and explore the assessment of the environmental impact of the degradation of transportation network infrastructure in the form of roads. The research study therefore focuses on selected parks in Ilorin East local government. 1.2 Statement of the problem Vehicles serve as a direct and an indirect source of pollutants on the highways through normal operation and wear and via the deposition of solid materials picked up from the inner roads onto the highway surfaces respectively. Consequently, increased traffic volume tends to lead to increase in the amount of pollutants around the highway environment. (Alo, 2008) Thus busy spots on the highway have been observed to be characterized by poor runoff qualities; pollutant enriched roadside soil and obnoxious atmosphere. The resulting environmental damages or costs threaten the continued productivity of cities and the health and quality of life of its citizens. Cities have become major environmental hot spots that urgently require special attention in regional and in all environmental planning and management at the metropolitan regional scale. The Nigerian situation is further exacerbated by the reality of increasing large-scale importation of old/fairly used vehicles for use on the Nigerian highways. An Urban centre such as Ilorin has a wide network of roads which mostly bridges it numerous canals and the lagoon. Thus the need to identify, quantify and mitigate potential pollutants as a result of the transportation activities on these roads and highways is most necessary. This is why a research like this becomes fundamentally imperative for the sake of inhabitants of Ilorin metropolitan cities. 1.3 Objectives of the study The overall purpose of this research work is to investigate the environmental impacts of transportation in Ilorin metropolitan city. The study therefore is undertaken with the following specific objectives; To examine the extent to which transportation system of activities can impact on the atmospheric condition. To identify factors resulting from urban transportation activities capable of environmental pollution and degradation in the area under study. To come up with meaningful recommendation on how to improve environmental health through Transportation Projects that are environmentally-friendly 1.4 Research Questions In a bid to achieve the above stated objectives this research work will be designed to provide answers to the following questions To what extent can transportation systems or activities significantly impact on the atmospheric condition of the studied environment? In environmental education, how educated are drivers, trader in the studied parks? Do location of motor parks has anything to do with noise pollution in the society? Are there facilities for good management of transportation in the studied park? In what significant way can we improve on our environmental health through and reduce hazards that come from transportation activities? 1.5 Research Hypotheses For the purpose of this proposed research work, the following research hypothesis (Null) are formulated for statistical testing H0; 1 There is no significant relationship between transportation and environmental health in Ilorin East. H0; 2 Transportation activities do not negatively affect the atmospheric conditions of the natural environment. H0; 3 There is no significant ways through which environmental hazards can be prevented in Ilorin metropolitan city. 1.6 Significance of the Study The benefit to be derived in determining the environmental impacts of transportation in our society are immeasurable. Its benefits in enhancing public health and reduction of environmental hazards will be monumental. An important justification for this proposed study is that it will help establish the link between transportation activities and the state of human environment in Ilorin, Kwara State. It will also show us the degree to which the former can affect the latter in Nigeria. Apart from these, a study like this will serve as a book of reference to students/scholars, commercial bus companies, transport workers, politicians and road managers, who might want to further study and understand environmental impact of transportation in Nigeria. Furthermore, conclusion reached in this proposed research work will serve as a crystal guide to Government, political policy makers, ministers for road and transportation and motor park chair persons in Nigeria to identify which elements of policy area need urgent modification and which is not. This proposed study is also justified on the ground that it will serve as a frontier of knowledge to upcoming researchers who are willing to carry out similar research work. 1.7 Scope of the Study The scope of this research work will limit to examining the environmental impacts of transportation in Ilorin, Kwara State. The study therefore focuses on Ilorin East Local government are of Kwara State. The choice of Ilorin East Local Government is attributable to the convenience it promises in the conduct of the field work and fact that the local government is a metropolitan city which tend to have more operating motor parks than others in Ilorin. These include; ABC motor park XYZ motor park 123 park, and KKK park The study will focus on this area because it is an academic endeavour that is time bound. 1.8 Definition of Terms In a bid to ensure clarity, simplicity as well as avoiding ambiguity in this research work, the following major terms used in this project work are briefly defined for easy understanding. Transportation Environment Degradation Pollution Public health Please try to define the above terms, please make your definition brief and concise, you can use dictionary meaning if you want but please make the definition relevant to two things: first, your field of study (i.e., public health), 2nd it has to be define in the manner in which they are used in this project. I hope you understand?

The Physics of Car Collisions Essay -- Physics

Basic Concepts Issac Newton was the first to state the concepts that are necessary to understanding the physics of collisions. His three laws are used again and again in all the fields of physics: Newton's 1st Law In the absence of external forces, an object at rest remains at rest and an object in motion remains in motion with a constant velocity. This law can be best observed in space, far from the gravity of a star or planet, where there is no friction or air resistance. If, in the middle of deep space, you give a rock a little push, it will continue with the direction and velocity you gave it forever. The only way to stop it is to apply a force in the opposite direction. This law is not intuitive because we are surrounded by air and gravity - if we give a rock a little push on the surface of the earth, it won't travel far. Newton's 2nd Law The acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass. This boils down to force equals mass times acceleration, F = ma. This little equation turns out to be immensely useful, again and again. If you add together all the forces acting on an object, they equal the mass of the object (in kg) times the acceleration of the object (in m/sec^2). Force is measured in newtons. One newton is the force required to accelerate a 1-kg mass to 1 m/sec^2. Newton’s 3rd Law The force exerted by object 1 onto object 2 is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the force exerted by object 2 onto object 1. This law appears to make little sense and can be difficult to grasp. If you push on a brick wall, the wall is pushing back on you with an equal force. If the wall was not pushing back, then your hand wou... ... hammer hitting a concrete wall is about 3,600,000. Sources: Barr, L.C. Safety Report. 1996. University of New Hampshire. 26, Nov. 2002. Borges, Danny. The Physics in Car Collisions. 22, Nov. 2002. Braking Distance. 2002. University of Idaho. 26, Nov. 2002. Safety Fact Sheet. 1999. Airbag Testing Technology, Inc. 26, Nov. 2002. Serway, Raymond A., and Robert J. Beichner. Physics for Scientists and Engineers, Fifth edition. Thomson Learning Inc. U.S.A., 2000. Toor, Amrit, Michael Araszewski and Ravinder Johal. Technical Assessment of Seatbelt Usage and Effectiveness. 2000. Intech. 26, Nov. 2002.

Epic of Gilgamesh :: essays research papers

The Change in Gilgamesh   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ever since the beginning of time, man has learned to mature by trials and tribulations. In the beginning of The Epic of Gilgamesh, the protagonist Gilgamesh appears to be an arrogant person who only cares about himself. He abuses all his powers and takes advantage of people with his physical abilities. Basically in the beginning he thinks that no one on earth is better than him. However, just like all epic poems, the protagonist encounters many challenges that make him a better person. So as the story progresses Gilgamesh slowly starts to change his personality. Various events help transform this tyrant to a humble person.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the beginning of the book, Gilgamesh appears to be selfish. Gilgamesh’s â€Å"arrogance has no bounds by day or night† (62). Even though he is created by the Gods to be perfect, he misuses his powers and gifts for his own earthly pleasure. He has sexual intercourse with all the virgins of his city even if they are already engaged. Through all Gilgamesh’s imperfections and faults, he learns to change his amoral personality. The friendship of Enkidu helped to change his ways, for only Enkidu, who â€Å"is the strongest of wild creatures,† (66) is a match for Gilgamesh. Through this companionship with Enkidu, Gilgamesh starts to realize his incapabilities and need for his friend. When they fight Humbaba, they both give moral support to each other when the other is scared. Another event that changes Gilgamesh’s character is the death of Enkidu. When Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh goes through the suffering of losing a loved one. Gilgamesh experiences a pain, which no worldly pleasure can ease. By this experience Gilgamesh starts to understand his vulnerability toward death and pain. Losing his best friend causes Gilgamesh to be melancholic. At this point Gilgamesh is humbled by the fact that even he could not escape the wrath of death. Gilgamesh goes from this arrogant king to a lonely grieving person with fear of death in his heart.

The Vampire Diaries: Dark Reunion Chapter Thirteen

June 19, Friday, 11:45 p.m. Dear Diary, Oh, God, what are we going to do? This has been the longest week of my life. Today was the last day of school and tomorrow Stefan is leaving. He's going to Europe to search for a vampire who got changed by Klaus. He says he doesn't want to leave us unprotected. But he's going to go. We can't find Tyler. His car disappeared from the cemetery, but he hasn't turned up at school. He's missed every final this week. Not that the rest of us are doing much better. I wish Robert E. Lee was like the schools that have all their finals before graduation. I don't know whether I'm writing English or Swahili these days. I hate Klaus. From what I saw he's as crazy as Katherine-and even crueler. What he did to Vickie-but I can't even talk about that or I'll start crying again. He was just playing with us at Caroline's party, like a cat with a mouse. And to do it on Meredith's birthday, too-although I suppose he couldn't have known that. He seems to know a lot, though. He doesn't talk like a foreigner, not like Stefan did when he first came to America, and he knows all about American things, even songs from the fifties. Maybe he's been over here for a while†¦ Bonnie stopped writing. She thought desperately. All this time, they had been thinking of victims in Europe, of vampires. But from the way Klaus talked, he had obviously been in America a long time. He didn't sound foreign at all. And he'd chosen to attack the girls on Meredith's birthday†¦ Bonnie got up, reached for the telephone, and called Meredith's number. A sleepy male voice answered. â€Å"Mr. Sulez, this is Bonnie. Can I speak to Meredith?† â€Å"Bonnie! Don't you know what time it is?† â€Å"Yes.† Bonnie thought quickly. â€Å"But it's about-about a final we had today. Please, I have to talk with her.† There was a long pause, then a heavy sigh. â€Å"Just a minute.† Bonnie tapped her fingers impatiently as she waited. At last there was the click of another phone being picked up. â€Å"Bonnie?† came Meredith's voice. â€Å"What's wrong?† â€Å"Nothing. I mean-† Bonnie was excruciatingly conscious of the open line, of the fact that Meredith's father hadn't hung up. He might be listening. â€Å"It's about-that German problem we've been working on. You remember. The one we couldn't figure out for the final. You know how we've been looking for the one person who can help us solve it? Well, I think I know who it is.† â€Å"No,† Bonnie said, â€Å"it doesn't. It hits a lot closer to home, Meredith. A lot. In fact, you could say it's right in your own backyard, hanging on your family tree.† The line was silent so long Bonnie wondered if Meredith was still there. â€Å"Meredith?† â€Å"I'm thinking. Does this solution have anything to do with coincidence?† â€Å"Nope.† Bonnie relaxed and smiled slightly, grimly. Meredith had it now. â€Å"Not a thing to do with coincidence. It's more a case of history repeating itself. Deliberately repeating itself, if you see what I mean.† â€Å"Yes,† Meredith said. She sounded as if she were recovering from a shock, and no wonder. â€Å"You know, I think you just may be right. But there's still the matter of persuading-this person-to actually help us.† â€Å"You think that may be a problem?† â€Å"I think it could. Sometimes people get very rattled-about a test. Sometimes they even kind of lose their minds.† Bonnie's heart sank. This was something that hadn't occurred to her. What if he couldn't tell them? What if he were that far gone? â€Å"All we can do is try,† she said, making her voice as optimistic as possible. â€Å"Tomorrow we'll have to try.† â€Å"All right. I'll pick you up at noon. Good night, Bonnie.† â€Å"Night, Meredith.† Bonnie added, â€Å"I'm sorry.† â€Å"No, I think it may be for the best. So that history doesn't continue to repeat itself forever. Good-bye.† Bonnie pressed the disconnect button on the handset, clicking it off. Then she just sat for a few minutes, her finger on the button, staring at the wall. Finally she replaced the handset in its cradle and picked up her diary again. She put a period on the last sentence and added a new one. We are going to see Meredith's grandfather tomorrow. â€Å"I'm an idiot,† Stefan said in Meredith's car the next day. They were going to West Virginia, to the institution where Meredith's grandfather was a patient. It was going to be a fairly long drive. â€Å"We're all idiots. Except Bonnie,† Matt said. Even in the midst of her anxiety Bonnie felt a warm glow at that. But Meredith was shaking her head, eyes on the road. â€Å"Stefan, you couldn't have realized, so stop beating up on yourself. You didn't know that Klaus attacked Caroline's party on the anniversary of the attack on my grandfather. And it didn't occur to Matt or me that Klaus could have been in America for so long because we never saw Klaus or heard him speak. We were thinking of people he could have attacked in Europe. Really, Bonnie was the only one who could have put it all together, because she had all the information.† â€Å"I won't; modesty is one of my most charming qualities,† Bonnie replied. Matt snorted, but then he said, â€Å"I still think it was pretty smart,† which started the glow all over again. The institution was a terrible place. Bonnie tried as hard as she could to conceal her horror and disgust, but she knew Meredith could sense it. Meredith's shoulders were stiff with defensive pride as she walked down the halls in front of them. Bonnie, who had known her for so many years, could see the humiliation underneath that pride. Meredith's parents considered her grandfather's condition such a blot that they never allowed him to be mentioned to outsiders. It had been a shadow over the entire family. And now Meredith was showing that secret to strangers for the first time. Bonnie felt a rush of love and admiration for her friend. It was so like Meredith to do it without fuss, with dignity, letting nobody see what it cost her. But the institution was still terrible. It wasn't filthy or filled with raving maniacs or anything like that. The patients looked clean and well cared for. But there was something about the sterile hospital smells and the halls crowded with motionless wheelchairs and blank eyes that made Bonnie want to run. It was like a building full of zombies. Bonnie saw one old woman, her pink scalp showing through thin white hair, slumped with her head on the table next to a naked plastic doll. When Bonnie reached out desperately, she found Matt's hand already reaching for hers. They followed Meredith that way, holding on so hard it hurt. â€Å"This is his room.† Inside was another zombie, this one with white hair that still showed an occasional fleck of black like Meredith's. His face was a mass of wrinkles and lines, the eyes rheumy and rimmed with scarlet. They stared vacantly. â€Å"Granddad,† Meredith said, kneeling in front of his wheelchair, â€Å"Granddad, it's me, Meredith. I've come to visit you. I've got something important to ask you.† The old eyes never flickered. â€Å"Sometimes he knows us,† Meredith said quietly, without emotion. â€Å"But mostly these days he doesn't.† The old man just went on staring. Stefan dropped to his heels. â€Å"Let me try,† he said. Looking into the wrinkled face he began to speak, softly, soothingly, as he had to Vickie. And no matter what Meredith or Stefan did, that was all the response they could elicit. Eventually Bonnie tried, using her psychic powers. She could sense something in the old man, some spark of life trapped in the imprisoning flesh. But she couldn't reach it. â€Å"I'm sorry,† she said, sitting back and pushing hair out of her eyes. â€Å"It's no use. I can't do anything.† â€Å"Maybe we can come another time,† Matt said, but Bonnie knew it wasn't true. Stefan was leaving tomorrow; there would never be another time. And it had seemed like such a good idea†¦ The glow that had warmed her earlier was ashes now, and her heart felt like a lump of lead. She turned away to see Stefan already starting out of the room. Matt put a hand under her elbow to help her up and guide her out. And after standing for a minute with her head bent in discouragement, Bonnie let him. It was hard to summon up enough energy to put one foot in front of the other. She glanced back dully to see whether Meredith was following- And screamed. Meredith was standing in the center of the room, facing the door, discouragement written on her face. But behind her, the figure in the wheelchair had stirred at last. In a silent explosion of movement, it had reared above her, the rheumy old eyes open wide and the mouth open wider. Meredith's grandfather looked as if he had been caught in the act of leaping-arms flung out, mouth forming a silent howl. Bonnie's screams rang from the rafters. Everything happened at once then. Stefan came charging back in, Meredith spun around, Matt grabbed for her. But the old figure didn't leap. He stood towering above all of them, staring over their heads, seeming to see something none of them could. Sounds were coming from his mouth at last, sounds that formed one ululating word. â€Å"Vampire! Vampiire!† Attendants were in the room, crowding Bonnie and the others away, restraining the old man. Their shouts added to the pandemonium. â€Å"Vampire! Vampire!† Meredith's grandfather caterwauled, as if warning the town. Bonnie felt panicked-was he looking at Stefan? Was it an accusation? â€Å"Please, you'll have to leave now. I'm sorry, but you'll have to go,† a nurse was saying. They were being whisked out. Meredith fought as she was forced out into the hall. â€Å"Granddaddy-!† And then: â€Å"White ash wood! Vampire! White ash wood-â€Å" The door slammed shut. Meredith gasped, fighting tears. Bonnie had her nails dug into Matt's arm. Stefan turned to them, green eyes wide with shock. â€Å"I said, you'll have to leave now,† the harassed nurse was repeating impatiently. The four of them ignored her. They were all looking at each other, stunned confusion giving way to realization in their faces. â€Å"Tyler said there was only one kind of wood that could hurt him-† Matt began. â€Å"White ash wood,† said Stefan. â€Å"We'll have to find out where he's hiding,† Stefan said on the way home. He was driving, since Meredith had dropped the keys at the car door. â€Å"That's the first thing. If we rush this, we could warn him off.† His green eyes were shining with a queer mixture of triumph and grim determination, and he spoke in a clipped and rapid voice. They were all on the ragged edge, Bonnie thought, as if they'd been gulping uppers all night. Their nerves were frayed so thin that anything could happen. She had a sense, too, of impending cataclysm. As if everything were coming to a head, all the events since Meredith's birthday party gathering to a conclusion. Tonight, she thought. Tonight it all happens. It seemed strangely appropriate that it should be the eve of the solstice. â€Å"The eve of what?† Matt said. She hadn't even realized she'd spoken aloud. â€Å"The eve of the solstice,† she said. â€Å"That's what today is. The day before the summer solstice.† â€Å"Don't tell me. Druids, right?† â€Å"They celebrated it,† Bonnie confirmed. â€Å"It's a day for magic, for marking the change of the seasons. And†¦Ã¢â‚¬  she hesitated. â€Å"Well, it's like all other feast days, like Halloween or the winter solstice. A day when the line between the visible world and the invisible world is thin. When you can see ghosts, they used to say. When things happen.† â€Å"Things,† Stefan said, turning onto the main highway that headed back toward Fell's Church, â€Å"are going to happen.† None of them realized how soon. Mrs. Flowers was in the back garden. They had driven straight to the boarding house to look for her. She was pruning rosebushes, and the smell of summer surrounded her. â€Å"Slow down, slow down now,† she said, peering at them from under the brim of her straw hat. â€Å"What is it you want? White ash? There's one just down beyond those oak trees in back. Now, wait a minute-† she added as they all scrambled off again. Stefan ringed a branch of the tree with a jack-knife Matt produced from his pocket. I wonder when he started carrying that? Bonnie thought. She also wondered what Mrs. Flowers thought of them as they came back, the two boys carrying the leafy six-foot bough between them on their shoulders. But Mrs. Flowers just looked without saying anything. As they neared the house, though, she called after them, â€Å"A package came for you, boy.† Stefan turned his head, the branch still on his shoulder. â€Å"For me?† â€Å"It had your name on it. A package and a letter. I found them on the front porch this afternoon. I put them upstairs in your room.† Bonnie looked at Meredith, then at Matt and Stefan, meeting their bewildered, suspicious gazes in turn. The anticipation in the air heightened suddenly, almost unbearably. â€Å"But who could it be from? Who could even know you're here-† she began as they climbed the stairs to the attic. And then she stopped, dread fluttering between her ribs. Premonition was buzzing around inside her like a nagging fly, but she pushed it away. Not now, she thought, not now. But there was no way to keep from seeing the package on Stefan's desk. The boys propped the white ash branch against the wall and went to look at it, a longish, flattish parcel wrapped in brown paper, with a creamy envelope on top. On the front, in familiar crazy handwriting, was scrawled Stefan. The handwriting from the mirror. They all stood staring down at the package as if it were a scorpion. â€Å"Watch out,† Meredith said as Stefan slowly reached for it. Bonnie knew what she meant. She felt as if the whole thing might explode or belch poisonous gas or turn into something with teeth and claws. The envelope Stefan picked up was square and sturdy, made of good paper with a fine finish. Like a prince's invitation to the ball, Bonnie thought. But incongruously, there were several dirty fingerprints on the surface and the edges were grimy. Well- Klaus hadn't looked any too clean in the dream. Stefan glanced at front and back and then tore the envelope open. He pulled out a single piece of heavy stationery. The other three crowded around, looking over his shoulder as he unfolded it. Then Matt gave an exclamation. â€Å"What the†¦ it's blank!† It was. On both sides. Stefan turned it over and examined each. His face was tense, shuttered. Everyone else relaxed, though, making noises of disgust. A stupid practical joke. Meredith had reached for the package, which looked flat enough to be empty as well, when Stefan suddenly stiffened, his breath hissing in. Bonnie glanced quickly over and jumped. Meredith's hand froze on the package, and Matt swore. Stefan- Shall we try to solve this like gentlemen? I have the girl. Come to the old farmhouse in the woods after dark and we'll talk, just the two of us. Come alone and I'll let her go. Bring anyone else and she dies. There was no signature, but at the bottom the words appeared This is between you and me. â€Å"What girl?† Matt was demanding, looking from Bonnie to Meredith as if to make sure they were still there. â€Å"What girl?† With a sharp motion, Meredith's elegant fingers tore the package open and pulled out what was inside. A pale green scarf with a pattern of vines and leaves. Bonnie remembered it perfectly, and a vision came to her in a rush. Confetti and birthday presents, orchids and chocolate. â€Å"Caroline,† she whispered, and shut her eyes. These last two weeks had been so strange, so different from ordinary high school life, that she had almost forgotten Caroline existed. Caroline had gone off to an apartment in another town to escape, to be safe-but Meredith had said it to her in the beginning. He can follow you to Heron, I'm sure. â€Å"He was just playing with us again,† Bonnie murmured. â€Å"He let us get this far, even going to see your grandfather, Meredith, and then†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"He must have known,† Meredith agreed. â€Å"He must have known all along we were looking for a victim. And now he's checkmated us. Unless-† Her dark eyes lit with sudden hope. â€Å"Bonnie, you don't think Caroline could have dropped this scarf the night of the party? And that he just picked it up?† â€Å"No.† The premonition was buzzing closer and Bonnie swatted at it, trying to keep it away. She didn't want it, didn't want to know. But she felt certain of one thing: this wasn't a bluff. Klaus had Caroline. â€Å"What are we going to do?† she said softly. â€Å"I know what we're not going to do, and that's listen to him,† Matt said. † ‘Try to solve it like gentlemen'-he's scum, not a gentleman. It's a trap.† â€Å"Of course it's a trap,† Meredith said impatiently. â€Å"He waited until we found out how to hurt him and now he's trying to separate us. But it won't work!† Bonnie had been watching Stefan's face with growing dismay. Because while Matt and Meredith were indignantly talking, he had been quietly folding up the letter and putting it back in its envelope. Now he stood gazing down at it, his face still, untouched by anything that was going on around him. And the look in his green eyes scared Bonnie. â€Å"I think,† said Stefan carefully, concentrating on each word, â€Å"that I am going out to the woods after dark.† Matt nodded, and like the quarterback he was, began to chart out a plan. â€Å"Okay, you go distract him. And meanwhile, the three of us-â€Å" â€Å"The three of you,† Stefan continued just as deliberately, looking right at him, â€Å"are going home. To bed.† There was a pause that seemed endless to Bonnie's taut nerves. The others just stared at Stefan. At last Meredith said lightly, â€Å"Well, it's going to be hard to catch him while we're in bed unless he's kind enough to come visiting.† That broke the tension and Matt said, drawing a long-suffering breath, â€Å"All right, Stefan, I understand how you feel about this-† But Stefan interrupted. â€Å"I'm dead serious, Matt. Klaus is right; this is between him and me. And he says to come alone or he'll hurt Caroline. So I'm going alone. It's my decision.† â€Å"It's your funeral,† Bonnie blurted out, almost hysterically. â€Å"Stefan, you're crazy. You can't.† â€Å"Watch me.† â€Å"We won't let you-â€Å" â€Å"Do you think,† Stefan said, looking at her, â€Å"that you could stop me if you tried?† This silence was acutely uncomfortable. Staring at him, Bonnie felt as if Stefan had changed somehow before her eyes. His face seemed sharper, his posture different, as if to remind her of the lithe, hard predator's muscles under his clothes. All at once he seemed distant, alien. Frightening. Bonnie looked away. â€Å"Let's be reasonable about this,† Matt was saying, changing tactics. â€Å"Let's just stay calm and talk this over-â€Å" â€Å"There's nothing to talk over. I'm going. You're not.† â€Å"You owe us more than that, Stefan,† Meredith said, and Bonnie felt grateful for her cool voice. â€Å"Okay, so you can tear us all limb from limb; fine, no argument. We get the point. But after all we've been through together, we deserve more of a thorough discussion before you go running off.† â€Å"You said it was the girls' fight too,† Matt added. â€Å"When did you decide it wasn't?† â€Å"No, it isn't!† Bonnie cried. â€Å"Did you make Elena kill Katherine?† â€Å"I made Katherine go back to Klaus! That's how this got started. And I got Caroline involved; if it wasn't for me, she would never have hated Elena, never have gotten in with Tyler. I have a responsibility toward her.† â€Å"You just want to believe that,† Bonnie almost yelled. â€Å"Klaus hates all of us! Do you really think he's going to let you walk out of there? Do you think he plans to leave the rest of us alone?† â€Å"No,† Stefan said, and picked up the branch leaning against the wall. He took Matt's knife out of his own pocket and began to strip the twigs off, making it into a straight white spear. â€Å"Oh, great, you're going off for single combat!† Matt said, furious. â€Å"Don't you see how stupid that is? You're walking right into his trap!† He advanced a step on Stefan. â€Å"You may not think that the three of us can stop you-â€Å" â€Å"No, Matt.† Meredith's low, level voice cut across the room. â€Å"It won't do any good.† Stefan looked at her, the muscles around his eyes hardening, but she just looked back, her face set and calm. â€Å"So you're determined to meet Klaus face to face, Stefan. All right. But before you go, at least be sure you have a fighting chance.† Coolly, she began to unbutton the neck of her tailored blouse. Bonnie felt a jolt, even though she'd offered the same thing only a week earlier. But that had been in private, for God's sake, she thought. Then she shrugged. Public or private, what difference did it make? She looked at Matt, whose face reflected his consternation. Then she saw Matt's brow crease and the beginning of that stubborn, bullheaded expression that used to terrify the coaches of op-posing football teams. His blue eyes turned to hers and she nodded, thrusting out her chin. Without a word, she unzipped the light wind-breaker she was wearing and Matt pulled off his T-shirt. Stefan stared from one to another of the three people grimly disrobing in his room, trying to conceal his own shock. But he shook his head, the white spear in front of him like a weapon. â€Å"No.† â€Å"Don't be a jerk, Stefan,† Matt snapped. Even in the confusion of this terrible moment something inside Bonnie paused to admire his bare chest. â€Å"There's three of us. You should be able to take plenty without hurting any one of us.† â€Å"I said, no! Not for revenge, and not to fight evil with evil! Not for any reason. I thought you would understand that.† Stefan's look at Matt was bitter. â€Å"I understand that you're going to die out there!† Matt shouted. â€Å"He's right!† Bonnie pressed her knuckles against her lips. The premonition was getting through her defenses. She didn't want to let it in, but she didn't have the strength to resist anymore. With a shudder, she felt it stab through and heard the words in her mind. For a moment, just a moment, she thought he might listen to her. Then his face went hard again and he spoke coldly. â€Å"It isn't your problem. Let me worry about it.† â€Å"But if there's no way to win-† Matt began. â€Å"That isn't what Bonnie said!† Stefan replied tersely. â€Å"Yes, it is! What the hell are you talking about?† Matt shouted. It was hard to make Matt lose his temper, but once lost it wasn't easily gotten back. â€Å"Stefan, I've had enough-â€Å" â€Å"And so have I!† Stefan shot back in a roar. In a tone Bonnie had never heard him use before. â€Å"I'm sick of you all, sick of your bickering and your spinelessness-and your premonitions, too! This is my problem.† â€Å"I thought we were a team-† Matt cried. â€Å"We are not a team. You are a bunch of stupid humans! Even with everything that's happened to you, deep down you just want to live your safe little lives in your safe little houses until you go to your safe little graves! I'm nothing like you and I don't want to be! I've put up with you this long because I had to, but this is the end.† He looked at each of them and spoke deliberately, emphasizing each word. â€Å"I don't need any of you. I don't want you with me, and I don't want you following me. You'll only spoil my strategy. Anyone who does follow me, I'll kill.† And with one last smoldering glance, he turned on his heel and walked out.

Paradise Vacation Case

Key Decisions: * Should Leduc agree to Air India’s offer? * What’s the company’s competitive strategy for 2008/2009? * How to respond to FunTours’ expansion and aggressive pricing strategy? SWOT Analysis: Paradise holds strong buyer power which enables it to bargain for lower price and discount. As market leader and Quebec company, Paradise can promote itself through reminding customer about company hisotry to strength their preference and loyalty . The weakness lands at that Quebec is the only market in Canada; the collapse of one location will damage the entire business.The threat mainly lands at pricing competition from FunTours. Competitive Analysis and Consumer Analysis: Because Paradise has its main market in Quebec, Benoix is the main competitor. However, the biggest threat comes from FunTours’ expansion currently. The competitive advantage of FunTours is its low pricing strategy. Travelling is has an elastic demand. With price being the most important determination, FunTours' strategy could drive Paradise out of the market. This strategy targets at mid and base segment of the market. It creates threat to the same segments for Paradise, which represent 90% of the revenue.Nonetheless, Quebec is a brand new market where FunTours does not have supplier connections or customer loyalty yet. FunTours serves no premium market where 10% of the revenue comes from for Paradise. Therefore, Paradise can utilize its bargain power with its suppliers to ask for lower prices, also lower its retail price to keep customers from switching to new brand, and advertise to strengthen brand loyalty. Segment| Focus| Conclusion| Base| Low price| Lower price than FunTours offers| Mid| Best value| Lower price than FunTours offers, and special promotion with higher value. Premium| Luxury service| Lower price to prevent customer from downgrading to Mid segment. Keep agents as partial distributors for better services. | Recommendation : Base and Mid package will be sold through internet solely; Premium package will be sold through both agent and internet by 50/50; at the same time lowering wholesale price by 5%, and asking Benoix Air for 5% discount on the flight. Implementation Plan: Paradise will reject the offer from Air India. We will stay with the original segments of consumers, and lower price to stop FunTours from ntering the market; at the same time, keep the package unchanged to ensure customer experiences; use promotional strategy to re-enforce brand name and loyalty. Product| Travel package provides both service and product. Paradise includes 3 packages targeting at base, mid and premium market. | Price (See Exhibit 4 for detail)| We will be using Value-based pricing strategy. We will set lower retail price to stop FunTours from entering the market, and to provide lowest price for Base segment, best value for Mid, and both luxury service and low price for Premium segment. | Retail| Base: 89| Mid: 134| Premium: 193(Ag ent) 178 (Internet)| | Wholesale| 88| 132| 176| | Tactics| Markdowns| Seasonal discount, coupons. | Markdowns. | Place| Indirect Distribution: -100% of base and mid, 50% of premium package through internet distributor -50% of premium package through travel agents with 10% commission| | Exclusive Distribution: Distribute through good reputation internet distributors only for the purpose of keeping professional brand image, and high-end travel agents to keep Premium customer privileged. Promotion| Objective: To re-enforce the brand image as a local and experienced travel operator who always respond to Quebec travellers' needs beyond expectation. | | Reminder Advertising: TV advertising and internet ad to re-enforce the brand image. Sales promotion: (1)Price promotion is mentioned above at Price section. (2)Loyalty points-collection program to encourage repurchase and creates loyalty; (3)Contests to win trips in order to increase consumer involvements and personal feelings. | Expected Results: See Exhibit 4 – Alternative 5//Recommendation for income statement.Appendixes Decision criteria: * Provide short-term viability * Provide long-term sustainability Alternative Evaluation * Cost cutting through partnership with Benoix and cost structure change to start a price war with FunTours. * Setting pricing strategy as price war and cutting cost through vertical integration. * Sell its packages through Internet distributors exclusively. * Offering packages to more remote and less developed destinations. Base and Mid package will be sold through internet solely; Premium package will be sold through both agent and internet by 50/50; at the same time lowering wholesale price by 5% and asking Benoix Air for 5% discount on the flight. Alternative 1, comparing all other 4, gets the least revenue (32,540,428). Although it is feasible in short-term and might drive FunTour out of the market, it does not concern with the obsolete of travel agents. Giving the negative reve nue for the base segment (see Exhibt 2), it is not long-term sustainable.Moreover, even if the competitor is eventually driven out the market, Paradise will have to raise the price again in order to get back on its previous profitability; Paradise runs into the risk that the customers will feel cheated and uncomfortable with the raising price, and thus shift to other operators. For Alternative 2, although leasing private airline will decrease the variable cost and increase revenue (71,192,907), Paradise runs into the risk of heavy responsibility for flight issues, decrease of flight destination and time flexibility, and high fixed cost, which will eventually be added to the price of the package.In addition to those, same problem with Alternative 1, it does not concern with the obsolete with travel agents. Thus, this alternative is not sustainable in the long-run. For Alternative 3, it addresses the problem of high agent cost, and the obsolete of agent distributor. 5% of revenue is a ssumed from using internet to reach broader customer base with lower retail price. However, the price is still higher for than FunTours’ offer (e. g. $93 vs. $90); therefore provides FunTours the chance to take away market share. It is short-term viable but not sustainable.Alternative 4 increases market variety but turns away from the main market (top 5), which is providing 89% of Paradise’s package sale. It equals to giving up a bigger pie for a tiny one. (Exhibit 2) The recommendation ranks the 3rd place in the 5 alternatives quantitatively. However, it provides both short-term viability and long-term sustainability. Lowering the price from utilizing the buyer power on Benoix Air gives Paradise the ability to win over FunTours price-wise in the short-run, and keep price low in the long-run.Internet distributor addresses the obsolete of travel agents. By offering both agents and internet distributor for premium market helps sustain our competitive advantage on luxury customers. Exhibit 1: Marketing Share, Value and Growth of Canada and Paradise Vacation for 2007 and 2008 Â  | Â  | Â  | Â  | Â  | PR Market Setments| | National| PR Canada | Quebec| PR Quebec | Base| Mid| Premium| Percentage| 100. 00%| 7. 80%| 20. 00%| 39. 00%| 60%| 30%| 10%| 2007| 6,400,000| 499,200| 1,280,000| 499,200| 299,520| 149,760| 49,920| 2008 4. 0% growth| 6,694,400| 522,163| 1,338,880| 522,163| 313,298| 156,649| 52,216| Exhibit 2 – Alternative 4 Market Share, Value and Growth for 2007 and 2008 | National| Paradise Canada| Other destinations other than top5| 8%| 11%| 2007| 512,000,000| 54,912,000| After 25% of expected growth | 640,000,000| 68,640,000| Exhibit 3 – Income Statement for Alternative 1 and 2 (2008) | Alternative 1 i| Alternative 2iv| | Base| Mid| Premium| Base| Mid| Premium|Total Revenue| 313,297,920| 156,648,960| 52,216,320| 313,297,920| 156,648,960| 52,216,320| | Agent| Internet| Agent| Internet| Agent| Internet| Agent| Internet| Agent| In ternet| Agent| Internet| Industry Total Sales| 72%| 28%| 72%| 28%| 72%| 28%| 72%| 28%| 72%| 28%| 72%| 28%| | 225,574,502| 87,723,418| 112,787,251| 43,861,709| 37,595,750| 14,620,570| 225,574,502| 87,723,418| 112,787,251| 43,861,709| 37,595,750| 14,620,570| Retail price| 90. 00ii| 82. 64| 135. 00| 123. 95| 180. 00| 165. 27| 90. 00| 82. 64| 135. 00| 123. 95| 180. 0| 165. 27| Commission| 8. 18iii| 0. 82| 12. 27| 1. 23| 16. 36| 1. 64| 8. 18| 0. 82| 12. 27| 1. 23| 16. 36| 1. 64| Wholesale price| 81. 82| 81. 82| 122. 73| 122. 73| 163. 64| 163. 64| 81. 82| 81. 82| 122. 73| 122. 73| 163. 64| 163. 64| costs of sales| | | | | | | | | | | | | Airline| 40| 40| 40| 40| 40| 40| 30v| 30| 30| 30| 30| 30| Hotel| 40| 40| 50| 50| 60| 60| 40| 40| 50| 50| 60| 60| Contribution| 1. 82| 1. 82| 49. 90| 49. 90| 63. 64| 63. 64| 11. 82| 11. 82| 49. 90| 49. 90| 73. 64| 73. 64| SG&A| 9. 00| 8. 26| 13. 0| 12. 40| 18. 00| 16. 53| 9. 00| 8. 26| 13. 50| 12. 40| 18. 00| 16. 53| EBITDA| (7. 18)| (6. 44)| 36. 40| 37. 5 0| 45. 64| 47. 11| 2. 82| 3. 56| 36. 40| 37. 50| 55. 64| 57. 11| Earning contribution| (8%)| (8%)| 27%| 30%| 25%| 29%| 3. 13%| 4. 30%| 26. 96%| 30. 26%| 30. 91%| 34. 55%| ` Earning| (18,000,390)| (6,840,346)| 30,410,785| 13,271,102| 9,531,852| 4,167,425| 7,063,444| 3,775,013| 30,410,785| 13,271,102| 11,620,505| 5,052,058| Total| 32,540,428| 71,192,907| i. Assume during price war, market share does not changeii.Retail price drops 10% for distributor of agent; wholesale price will shift according to retail price and commission change (Wholesale=Retail/(1+10% commission); internet retail price change according to wholesale and commission (Internet=wholesale*(1+1% commission). iii. Commission for agent will increase to 10%; internet stays the same as 1%. | iv: All assumptions from Alternative 1 holdv: Airline price decreases 25% from$40| Exhibit 4: Income Statement for Alternative 3 and Recommendation (2008) | Alternative 3vi| Alternative 5 – Recommendation ix| | Base| Mid| Premi um| Base| Mid| Premium| 48,271,360vii| 328,962,816| 164,481,408| 54,827,136| 334,445,530| 169,964,122| 43,861,709| | Internet| Internet| Internet| Internet| Internet| Agent| Internet| Segment Percentage| 100%| 100%| 100%| 100%| 100%| 50%| 50%| | 328,962,816| 164,481,408| 54,827,136| 334,445,530| 169,964,122| 21,930,854| 21,930,854| Retail price| 93. 53| 141. 30| 187. 05| 88. 85| 134. 23| 193. 534xi| 177. 70| Wholesale price| 92. 6| 139. 9| 185. 2| 87. 97xii| 132. 905| 175. 94| 175. 94| costs of sales| | | | | | | | Airline| 40| 40| 40| 38| 38| 38| 38| Hotel| 40| 50| 60| 40| 50| 60| 60| Contribution| 12. 6| 49. 9| 85. 2| 9. 7| 49. 9| 77. 94| 77. 94| SG&A| 8. 42| 12. 72| 16. 83| 8. 00| 12. 08| 19. 35| 15. 99| EBITDA| 4. 18| 37. 18| 68. 37| 1. 97| 37. 82| 58. 5866| 61. 95| Earning contribution| 4. 47%| 26. 32%| 36. 55%| 2. 22%| 28. 17%| 30. 27%| 34. 86%| Earning| 14,711,841| 43,283,583| 20,038,677| 7,428,695| 47,885,482| 6,638,907| 7,645,225| Total| 78,034,101| 69,598,308| vi: Because that internet distributor can reach more customer, 5% growth on expected revenue (2008) is assumedvii: Total revenue after 5% assumed growthviii:With internet distributor, SG&A decrease by 10% from before, for agent, it stays the same| ix:. % revenue growth is assumed same from Alternative 3 due to the use of internet distributor. Premium market as luxury will decrease due to the upcoming recession, it is assumed that Premium segment will decrease to 8%, Base and Mid will increase by 1% each. X: From bargaining with Benoix Air, a 5% discount is expected. xi: 10% commission on agent is provided. Xii: Taking 5% off wholesale price|