The Tragedy Of Medieval Society - 2295 Words

Medieval society was a society bound by personal relations with an authority based on the twin pillars: classical antiquity and Christianity. Between 1300 and 1800 European society underwent a gradual cultural deconstruction, through the religious reformation, scientific revolution, and development in social relations which broke down the authority of these twin pillars and redefined European society. This was a radical break that marked the 18th century as a critical moment of change in European history. Life in pre-enlightenment Europe centred around the divine, which answered questions that couldn’t be answered by accepted knowledge. Everyday thinking was influenced by the religious linear historical progression that was distinct and†¦show more content†¦People found comfort and commonality between each other in the church, and thus a common, unified cultural and religious identity was shared there. There was also apprehension about their survival, both in everyday life and eternal Salvation, and thus found comfort in the sacred. Thus, the Church was important not just as a place of worship but also as a form of identity and comfort. Community was not only experienced through the church, and the Early Modern period can be characterised as a period of development from â€Å"Space† to â€Å"place† – creating places with meaning for the community. Rural society was a topographical patchwork wherein rich and poor were bound by the harvest quality each year. Only 10 – 20 percent of Early Modern Europeans lived in towns. Towns were the local political, economic, administrative and cultural centres, however the extent of urbanisation differed between states and were dependant on several factors including economic shifts, political forces, and socio-economic diversity. Thus, urban society experienced, accommodated, and influenced social, economic, and cultural change in this period, as towns were the forefront of the major trends. The development of universitas in the 12-13th centuries is crucial in the creation of intellectual culture, and the concept of community in Early Modern Europe. People grouped together for protection, as many were

Benefits of Artificial Reefs Essay - 885 Words

Thesis: When an artificial reef is made many just see trash going into the sea, however there are positive benefits that come from the making of the reef. Perhaps the most obvious benefit of an artificial reef is the creation of a new community for aquatic creatures to live. It is like a developer going out to sea and making a new subdivision out there for fish. This creation of an artificial reef is the most natural way to protect the marine habitat, by providing shelter, a source of food, and an area for mating and reproduction for a numerous amount of creatures. The reason this is so important is because a given area of water can only support so many marine creatures, none of these creatures can live in mid-water where there is†¦show more content†¦The majority of this revenue is created by the tourism that these reefs create. If you don’t know much about diving here is a figure that will help you, a large percentage of all the tourism industries revenue is from these people diving. When these sites are created this is exactly what they have in mind, attracting thousands of divers to these easily accessible sites. These divers come to see these reefs because the sites are known locations and the organisms growing on and the ecosystem around it is a beautiful site that is a joy to partake in. As a matter of fact the view is so spectacular that today the sale of underwater cameras far exceeds the sale of spear guns, which creates even more revenue for local dive shops. This is why divers travel around the world to get a look at these sites. When these divers come into town this is where the revenue comes in from anything such as boat tours/charters, hotel stays, food consumption, and equipment. Many companies have keyed into this market and have started making their own natural reefs. These companies have used them for everything from submarine tours to burial sites for the deceased ashes. Don’t forget about the fishermen, whom are also getting wealthy due to the reefs. The fish swarm to these areas now, so the fishermen know exactly where to fish and fill their boats up. All of these re asons can bring in anywhere from fifty to ninetyShow MoreRelatedCase Study Of Brazil : The World s Largest Estuary Of Their Ocean Fishier Yields From The Southernmost Subtropical1655 Words   |  7 Pagesbiodiversity is the current fishing practices (Brandini, 2013). The coastal marine ecosystems off of Parana, Brazil consists of almost 99.9% of sandy-bottom communities (Brandini, 2013). This area lacks many hard substrates and has few natural, submerged reefs. The lack of the varied submerged surfaces results in a relatively unvaried ecosystem. This case study investigates the implementation of various fishing practices and new structures that will encourage the biodiversity and bottom heterogeneity ofRead MoreEnvironmental and Social Impacts of Offshore Wind Farms in Botany Bay770 Words   |  4 Pagesplanning offshore wind farms the following impacts are studied to make sure the purposed project has a net benefit environmentally. Steps can then be taken to manage any negative impact resulting from the construction of the wind farms. Environmental Impact: Botany Bay has a diverse marine life the impact of the wind turbines on the environment; have surprisingly shown to produce artificial reefs. A recent study; â€Å"Effect of the Horns Rev 1 Offshore Wind Farm on Fish Communities†(Leonhard, StenbergRead MoreModern Threats And Coral Reefs1696 Words   |  7 PagesModern Threats to Coral Reefs and the Efforts to Restore and Rehabilitate Them Anthony Hernandez OCE4930 12/2/2015 Abstract Worldwide, coral reefs are suffering due to both natural and human induced causes. Nature will take its course, but humans must do all they can to help restore and rehabilitate coral reefs to a healthy state. Between invasive species, temperature change, and overfishing, it has become evident that if we do not do something, all coral reefs will be destroyed. This study focusesRead MoreCoral Reefs : A Study From National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration983 Words   |  4 Pagessome, diverse, and colorful reefs add beauty to the ocean and to the fish. Others see coral reefs as peaceful beds on the ocean s floor. Creatures, on the other hand, see a shelter and protection from people or bigger larger that lurk for their prey. Coral reefs aren’t made for their scenery, but as ecosystems for many plants and animals. They do not only help the animals, but serve as important sources of income, food, protection, and new medicines for mankind. Coral reefs are less than one percen tRead MoreCoral Reefs : A Study From National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration923 Words   |  4 Pagesbeautiful, diverse, colorful reef that adds beauty to the ocean and to the fishes. Others see a peaceful bed for the oceans floor. Creature on the other hand see a shelter, and protection from people or bigger animals that lurk for their pray. Coral reefs aren’t made for its scenery, but as an ecosystem for many plants and animals. They do not only help the animals but serve to people as important sources of income, food, protection, and new medicines of mankind. Coral reefs are less than 1 percent ofRead MoreThe Use Of Cyanide On The Reefs890 Words   |  4 Pageschance to recover these reefs is now. One example of it already being too late is in Hong Kong, Singapore, Manila. All these locations had thriving beautiful reefs a long time ago, but human impact has destroyed the infrastructure of the reefs and there is just a barren wasteland except for select hardy fis h that live off of what is left. When I say human impact, an example of this is the sale of coral skeletons. The residents of China and surrounding areas would go out into the reef with dynamite. TheRead MoreEssay on Aquatic Ecosystems: Coral Reefs1178 Words   |  5 PagesCoral reefs, for example, may seem insignificant to the majority of people who don’t live near the coast of any continent, but provide so much to us that we need to focus more closely on how any change may impact them and, in turn, all of mankind. For over two million years the ocean’s coral reefs have been the root for many aquatic ecosystems (Hoegh-Guldberg, 1999). Many people may think of coral as rock formations and never fully realize that coral are living creatures. The coral reefs beginRead MoreArtificial Reefs Used as Fisheries2386 Words   |  10 PagesThe main objective of our study is to determine if artificial reefs can be used as a fisheries enhancement or conservation tool in Narragansett Bay. Using a variety of research techniques, we will attempt to answer the following questions: (1) do artificial reefs increase the abundance (and biomass) of important species of demersal sport fish? Or (2) do reefs attract existing numbers of fish to the reef and increase the rate of exploitation, thus potentially decreasing localized populations (or communities)Read MoreThe Reefs And Its Effects On The Coral Reefs1608 Words   |  7 Pagesthere are many coral reefs. This island I chose to look at, is called Desech eo Island or Isla de Desecheo. It s just of the coast of Puerto Rico. The coral reefs in the island are continental reefs according to geomorphologists( people who study physical features of the Earth’s surface). It is a fringing reef around the coast of the island and a shelf reef beyond that. In the fringing reef, the depth of the reef is mixed between shallow and deep. When it gets near the shelf reef areas, the depth getsRead MoreMarine Conservation Essay1450 Words   |  6 PagesWikipedia, the free encyclopedia Coral reefs have a great amount of biodiversity. Marine conservation, also known as marine resources conservation, is the protection and preservation of ecosystems in oceans and seas. Marine conservation focuses on limiting human-caused damage to marine ecosystems, and on restoring damaged marine ecosystems. Marine conservation also focuses on preserving vulnerable marine species. Contents 1 Overview 2 Coral reefs 3 Human impact 4 Techniques

The Secret Circle The Captive Chapter Ten Free Essays

â€Å"Yuck,† Deborah said, as they peered out the parlor window again. This delivery guy was skinny, with lank hair and acne. Faye was already moving to the front door. We will write a custom essay sample on The Secret Circle: The Captive Chapter Ten or any similar topic only for you Order Now â€Å"Pizza? We didn’t order any pizza. I don’t care who you called to confirm it, we don’t want it.† She shut the door in his face, and after a few minutes of hanging around the porch he went away. As his delivery van was pulling out, another one pulled in. The tall, blond guy with the cardboard box kept looking behind him at the receding rival van as he walked to the door. â€Å"Now this is more like it,† Faye said. When they brought the blond delivery guy into the den, Suzan and the muscular one were entangled on the couch. The pair disengaged themselves, the boy still looking foggy, and Faye poured the new guest a drink. Within the next hour, the doorbell rang four more times and they collected two more delivery boys. Suzan divided her attention between the muscular one and a new one with high cheekbones who said he was part Native American. The other new one, who looked younger than the others and had soft-brown eyes, sat nervously next to Cassie. â€Å"This is weird,† he said, looking around the room, and taking another gulp from his glass. â€Å"This is so weird †¦ I don’t know what I’m doing. I’ve got deliveries to make†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Then he said, â€Å"Gee, you’re pretty.† Gee? thought Cassie. Gosh. Golly. Oh, my God. â€Å"Thanks,† she said weakly, and glanced around the room for help. None was forthcoming. Faye, looking sultry and exuding sensuality, was running one long crimson fingernail up and down the blond guy’s sleeve. Suzan was sunk deep in the couch with an admirer on either side. Deborah was sitting on the arm of an overstuffed chair, eyes slitted and rather scornful. â€Å"Can I put my arm around you?† the brown-eyed boy was asking hesitantly. Boys aren’t toys, Cassie thought. Even if this one did look like a teddy bear. Faye had brought these guys here to play with, and that was wrong†¦ wasn’t it? They didn’t know what they were doing; they didn’t have any choice. â€Å"I just moved up here last summer from South Carolina,† the boy was going on. â€Å"I had a girl back there†¦ but now I’m so lonely †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Cassie knew the feeling. This was a nice guy, her age, and his brown eyes, though a little glassy, were appealing. She didn’t scream when he put his arm around her, where it rested warmly and a little awkwardly around her shoulders. She felt light-headed. Something about the incense †¦ or the crystals, she thought. The music seemed to be pulsing inside her. She should be embarrassed by what was going on in this room-she was embarrassed-but there was something exciting about it too. Some of the candles had gone out, making it darker. The warmth around Cassie’s shoulders was nice. She thought of yesterday night, when she’d wanted so much for someone to comfort her, to hold her. To make her feel not alone. â€Å"I don’t know why, but I really like you,† the brown-eyed boy was saying. â€Å"I never felt like this before.† Why not do it? She was already-bad. And she wanted to be close to somebody. , . . The brown-eyed boy leaned in to kiss her. That was when Cassie knew it was wrong. Not the way kissing Adam was wrong, but wrong for her. She didn’t want to kiss him. Every individual cell in her body was protesting, panicking. She wiggled out from under him like an eel and jumped up. Faye and the blond guy were also on their feet, heading out of the room. So were Suzan and her unmatched pair. â€Å"We’re just going upstairs,† Faye said in her husky voice. â€Å"There’s more room up there. Lots of rooms, in fact.† â€Å"No,† Cassie said. A hint of a frown creased Faye’s forehead, then she smiled and went over to Cassie, speaking in low tones. â€Å"Cassie, I’m disappointed in you,† she said. â€Å"After your performance at the dance, I really thought you were one of us. And it’s not nearly as wicked as some other things you’ve done. You can do anything you want with these guys, and they’ll like it.† â€Å"No,† Cassie said again. â€Å"You told me to come over and I did. But I don’t want to stay.† Her eyes were smarting and she had trouble keeping her voice steady. Faye looked exasperated. â€Å"Oh, all right. If you don’t want to have fun, I can’t make you. Go.† Relief washed over Cassie. With one glance back at the brown-eyed boy, she hurried to the door. After last night’s dream, she’d been so frightened†¦ she hadn’t been sure what Faye would do to her. But she was getting away. Faye’s voice caught her at the door, and she waited until she had Cassie’s full attention before speaking. â€Å"Maybe next time,† she said. Cassie’s entire skin was tingling as she hurried away from Faye’s house. She just wanted to get home, to be safe†¦. â€Å"Hey, wait a minute,† Deborah called after her. Reluctantly, Cassie turned and waited. She was braced as if for a blow. Deborah came up quickly, her step light and controlled as always. Her dark hair was tumbling in waves around her small face and falling into her eyes. Her chin was slightly out-thrust as usual, but her expression wasn’t hostile. â€Å"I’m leaving too. You want a ride?† she said. Instantly memories of the last â€Å"ride† she’d accepted flashed through Cassie’s mind. But she didn’t exactly like to refuse Deborah. After Faye’s parting words, Cassie was feeling small and soft and vulnerable-like something that could be easily squashed. And besides†¦ well, it wasn’t often Deborah made a gesture like this. â€Å"Okay, thanks,† Cassie said after only a moment’s hesitation. She didn’t ask if they should be wearing helmets. She didn’t think Deborah would appreciate the question. Cassie had never been on a motorcycle before. It seemed bigger when she was trying to get on it than it had looked just standing there. Once she was on, though, it felt surprisingly stable. She wasn’t afraid of falling off. â€Å"Hang on to me,† Deborah said. And then, with an incredibly loud noise, they were moving. It was the most exhilarating feeling-flying through the air. Like witches on broomsticks, Cassie thought. Wind roared in Cassie’s face, whipped her hair back. It whipped Deborah’s hair into Cassie’s eyes so she couldn’t see. As Deborah accelerated, it became terrifying. Cassie was sure she’d never gone this fast before. The wind felt icy cold. They were racing forward into darkness, far too fast for safety on a rural road. The houses on Crowhaven were far behind. Cassie couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak. Everything was the wind and the road and the feeling of speed. I’m going to die, Cassie thought. She almost didn’t care. Something this electrifying was worth dying for. She was sure Deborah couldn’t take this next corner. â€Å"Relax!† Deborah shouted, her voice snatched away by the wind. â€Å"Relax! Don’t fight the way I’m leaning.† How can you relax when you’re plunging at practically a hundred miles an hour into darkness? Cassie thought. But then she found out how: you give yourself up to it. Cassie resigned herself to her fate, and let the speed and the wind take her. And, magically, everything was all right. She was aware, eventually, that they were heading back up Crowhaven Road, past Diana’s house, past the others. They overshot Cassie’s house and stormed around the vacant lot at the point of the headland. Dust sprayed up on either side. Cassie saw the cliff whip by and buried her head in Deborah’s shoulder. Then they were leaning, they were slowing, they were spiraling to a stop. â€Å"So,† said Deborah, when the world was still again, â€Å"what’d you think?† Cassie lifted her head and made her fingers stop clutching. Every inch of her was as icy as if she’d been standing in a freezer. Her hair was matted and her lips and ears and nose were numb. . â€Å"It was wonderful,† she gasped. â€Å"Like flying.† Deborah burst into laughter, jumped off, and slapped Cassie on the back. Then she helped Cassie off. Cassie couldn’t stop shivering. â€Å"Look over here,† Deborah said, stepping over to the edge of the cliff. Cassie looked. Far below, the dark water crashed and foamed around the rocks. It was a long way down. But there was something beautiful, too. Over the vast gray curve of ocean, an almost half-full moon hung. It cast a long wavering trail of light along the water, pure silver on the darkness. â€Å"It looks like a road,† Cassie said softly, through chattering teeth. â€Å"Like you could ride on it.† She looked at Deborah quickly, not sure how the biker girl would take to such a fancy. But Deborah gave a short nod, her narrowed eyes still on the silver path. â€Å"That would be the ultimate. Just ride till you fly straight off the edge. I guess that was what the old-time witches wanted,† she said. Cassie felt a warmth even through her shivering. Deborah felt what she herself had felt. And now Cassie understood why Deborah rode a motorcycle. â€Å"We better go,† Deborah said abruptly. On the way back to the motorcycle Cassie stumbled, falling to one knee. She looked back and saw that she had tripped on a piece of brick or stone. â€Å"I forgot to tell you; there used to be a house here,† Deborah said. â€Å"It got torn down a long time ago, but there’re some pieces of foundation left.† â€Å"I think I just found one,† Cassie said. Rubbing her knee, she was starting to get up when she noticed something beside the brick. It was darker than the soil it was resting on and yet it shone faintly in the moonlight. She picked it up and found that it was smooth and surprisingly heavy. And it did shine; it reflected the moonlight like a black mirror. â€Å"It’s hematite,† said Deborah, who’d come back to look. â€Å"It’s a powerful stone-for iron-strength, Melanie says.† She knelt down suddenly beside Cassie, tossing tangled hair out of her eyes. â€Å"Cassie! It’s your working crystal.† A thrill which seemed to come from the stone rippled through Cassie. Holding the smooth piece of hematite was like holding an ice cube, but all the things that Melanie had said would happen when she found her own personal crystal were happening now. It fit her hand, it felt natural there. She liked the weight of it. It was hers. Elated, she lifted her head to smile up at Deborah, and in the chilly moonlight Deborah smiled fiercely back. It was when she was dropping Cassie off at Number Twelve that she said, â€Å"I heard you came to see Nick yesterday.† â€Å"Oh-um,† Cassie said. That meeting with Nick in the garage seemed like centuries ago, not yesterday. â€Å"Uh, I didn’t come to see him,† she stammered. â€Å"I was just walking by†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Deborah shrugged. â€Å"Anyway, I thought I’d tell you-he gets in bad moods sometimes. But that doesn’t mean you should give up. Other times he’s okay.† Cassie floundered, completely amazed. â€Å"Uh-well-I didn’t mean-I mean, thanks, but I wasn’t really†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She couldn’t find a way to finish, and Deborah wasn’t waiting anyway. â€Å"Whatever. See you later. And don’t lose that stone!† Dark hair flying, the biker girl zoomed off. Up in her room, Cassie’s legs felt weak from tension, and she was tired. But she lay in bed for a while and held the hematite on her palm, tilting it back and forth to watch the light slide over it. For iron-strength, she thought. It wasn’t like the chalcedony rose; it gave her no feeling of warmth and comfort. But then the chalcedony rose was all mixed up in her mind with Adam and his blue-gray eyes. Diana had the rose now, and Diana had Adam. And Cassie had a stone which brought a strange coolness to her thoughts, a coolness that seemed to extend to her heart. For iron-strength, she thought again. She liked that. â€Å"And so that’s what Cassie believes, that each of the deaths-even Kori’s-is connected to the skull, and to Puritan ways of killing people,† Diana said. She looked around the circle of faces. â€Å"Now it’s up to us to do something about it.† Cassie was watching Faye. She wanted to see the reaction in those hooded golden eyes when Diana explained about the dark energy that had escaped during the skull ceremony, killing Jeffrey. Sure enough, when Diana got to that part, Faye shot a glance at Cassie, but there was nothing apologetic or guilty about it. It was a look of conspiracy. Only you and I know, it said. And I won’t tell if you won’t. I’m not that stupid, Cassie telegraphed back angrily, and Faye smiled. It was Sunday night and they were all sitting on the beach. Diana hadn’t been able to find out much from her own Book of Shadows about dealing with evil objects like the skull, and she was calling for everyone’s help. It was the first full meeting of the Circle in three weeks, since the day after Mr. Fogle had been found dead. Cassie scanned the faces above thick jackets and sweaters-even New Englanders had to bundle up in this weather- and wondered what was going on in each individual witch’s head. Melanie was grave and thoughtful as usual, as if she neither believed nor disbelieved Cassie’s theory, but was willing to test it out scientifically. Laurel just looked appalled. Suzan was examining the stitching on her gloves. Deborah was scowling, unwilling to give up the idea that outsiders had killed Kori. Nick-well, who could tell what Nick thought? Sean was chewing his fingernails. The Henderson brothers were agitated. For a terrible instant Cassie thought they were going to turn their energy on Adam, blame him for Kori’s being killed. But then Doug spoke up. â€Å"So how come we’re still sittin’ around talking? Let me have the skull-I’ll take care of it,† he said, teeth bared. â€Å"Yeah-let Doug have it,† Sean chimed in. â€Å"It can’t be destroyed, Doug,† Melanie said patiently. â€Å"Oh, yeah?† Chris said. â€Å"Put it in with a pipe bomb-â€Å" â€Å"And nothing would happen. Crystal skulls can’t be destroyed, Doug,† Melanie repeated. â€Å"That’s in all the old lore. You wouldn’t even scratch it.† â€Å"And there’s no really safe place to store it,† Diana said. â€Å"I might as well tell you all, I’ve got it buried somewhere, and yesterday I set up a spell to tell me if the place is disturbed. It’s vital that the skull stays buried.† Cassie had a sick feeling in her stomach. Diana was looking around the group, focusing on Deborah, Faye, and the Hendersons. It would never occur to her to look at me, Cassie thought, and somehow this made her feel sicker than ever. â€Å"Why can’t we take it back to the island?† Suzan said, surprisingly, showing she was listening after all. Adam, who had been sitting quietly, his fine, humorous face unusually moody, answered. â€Å"Because the island won’t protect it anymore,† he said. â€Å"Not since I took the skull.† â€Å"Sort of like one of those Egyptian tombs with a curse on it,† said Laurel. â€Å"Once you break in, you can’t undo what you’ve done.† Adam’s lip quirked. â€Å"Right. And we’re not strong enough to cast a new spell of protection that would hold it. This skull is evil,† he said to all of them. â€Å"It’s so evil that burying it in sand won’t do anything but keep it from being activated at the moment. There’s no way to purify it†-he looked at Laurel-â€Å"and no way to destroy it†-he looked at Doug and Chris- â€Å"and no place to keep it safe.† He looked at Suzan. â€Å"Then what do we do?† Deborah demanded, and Sean squeaked, â€Å"What do we do?† â€Å"Forget about it?† Faye suggested with a lazy smile. Adam shot her a dark look. Diana intervened. â€Å"Adam had the idea of searching for the dark energy again with a pendulum, seeing if there are any new trails,† she said. She turned to Cassie. â€Å"What do you think?† Cassie dug her fingernails into her palms. If they traced the dark energy and it led them straight back to Faye’s house, the place where it had most recently escaped†¦ Faye was looking at her sharply, wanting her to veto the suggestion. But Cassie had an idea. â€Å"I think we should do it,† she told Diana evenly. Faye’s stare turned menacing, furious. But there was nothing she could say. Diana nodded. â€Å"All right. We may as well start now. It’s a long walk to the graveyard, so I thought we might try picking up the trail around here. We’ll go out on Crowhaven Road and see if there’s anything to follow.† Cassie could actually feel her chest quivering with the beating of her heart as they walked off the beach. She thrust one hand into her pocket to feel the cold, smooth piece of hematite. Iron-strength, that was what she needed right now. â€Å"Are you crazy?† Faye hissed as they climbed the bluff and headed for the road. She caught Cassie’s arm in a punishing grip, holding her back from the others. â€Å"Do you know where that trail goes?† Cassie shook the arm off. â€Å"Trust me,† she said shortly. â€Å"What?† Cassie whirled on the taller girl. â€Å"I said, trust me! I know what I’m doing-and you don’t.† And with that she began to climb again. Iron-strength, she thought dizzily, impressed with herself. But she still found it hard to breathe when Diana stood out in the middle of Crowhaven Road-near Number Two, Deborah’s house- and held up the peridot crystal. Cassie watched it, feeling the concentration of all the minds around her. She waited for it to spin in circles. It did-in the beginning. The chain twisted first one way and then the other, like a woundup swing on a playground. But then, to Cassie’s horror, it began to seesaw, pointing up and down Crowhaven Road. Down, the way they’d traveled the first time, the way that had eventually led to the cemetery, and up, toward the headland. Toward Faye’s. Cassie’s legs felt as if they were sinking into cotton as she followed the group. Faye had no trouble holding her back now. â€Å"I told you,† she said vehemently out of the side of her mouth. â€Å"Now what, Cassie? If that trail leads to my house, I’m not going down alone.† Cassie clenched her teeth and choked out, â€Å"I thought we couldn’t trace it at ground level. That energy came out through your bedroom ceiling on the second floor, and it was going straight up. I thought it would be too high to track.† â€Å"You obviously thought wrong,† Faye hissed. They were passing the vacant house at Number Three. They were passing Melanie’s house. Laurel’s house was in front of them; they were passing it. Faye’s house was just ahead. Cassie thought she actually might faint. She was almost unaware that she was clutching Faye’s arm as hard as Faye was clutching hers. She waited for the peridot to turn aside and lead them all to Faye’s doorstep. But Diana was walking on. Cassie felt a violent surge of relief-and of bewilderment. Where were they going? They were passing Number Seven, another vacant house. Passing the Hendersons’, passing Adam’s, passing Suzan’s. They were passing Sean’s-oh, my God, Cassie thought, we’re not going to my house? But they were passing Number Twelve as well. Diana was following the pendulum’s swing, leading them out onto the point of the headland. And there the crystal began to spin in circles again. â€Å"What’s going on?† Laurel said, looking around in astonishment. â€Å"What are we doing here?† Adam and Diana were looking at each other. Then they both looked at Cassie, who came slowly forward from the rear of the group. Cassie shrugged at them. â€Å"This is the place where Number Thirteen used to be,† Diana said. â€Å"Right, Adam? The house that was torn down.† â€Å"I heard it burned down,† Adam said. â€Å"Before we were born.† â€Å"No, it wasn’t that long ago,† said Melanie. â€Å"It was only about sixteen or seventeen years ago-that’s what I heard. But before that it was vacant for centuries. Literally.† â€Å"How many centuries?† Cassie said, too loudly. For some reason she found her fingers clenched around the piece of hematite in her pocket. The members of the coven turned to her, looking at her with eyes that seemed to shine slightly in the moonlight. â€Å"About three,† Melanie said. â€Å"This was Black John’s house. Nobody ever lived in it after he died in 1696.† The hematite burned against Cassie’s palm with icy fire. How to cite The Secret Circle: The Captive Chapter Ten, Essay examples

Product Development and Supply Chain Risks †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Product Development and Supply Chain Risks. Answer: Introduction Murasaki Aircraft Corporation (MAC) is a Japanese aircraft manufacturer that is relatively new in business. The parent company of MAC is Murasaki Heavy Industries (MHI) with 64% of shares and also has Toyota Motor Corporation (10%) and Mitsubishi Corporation (10%) and Sumitomo Corporation and Mitsui Co with minor shares. The company is currently producing regional jets and Lisanne, the CEO of MAC is now aspiring to expand the business. The next set of business activities would include medium sized passenger jets which would enhance the business operations and activities to another level. Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner are the two international projects in the same field that can impart the required level of management knowledge to Lisanne and her team. There were many correct and incorrect activities that were carried out in these two projects which can act as a good source of reference for the project that will be carried out at MAC. The report includes the positive and negative aspects associated with the two projects and also includes the key learning that may be adapted by MAC. Airbus is a company that was found in the year 1970 with the major objectives as integration of existing European aircraft sites for establishing advanced and modern manufacturing and production capabilities. Currently, there are over 57,000 employees that are engaged with Airbus. Airbus A380 is one of the large scale projects that was undertaken by the company and was initiated in the year 2000. The aim of the project was to design a super-jumbo jet capable of carrying 853 passengers and crew. The launch date of the project was set up in 2002 (Bbc, 2012). At the same time, it was decided that an administrative re-structuring would be carried out at the company which would include the re-location of the top management from different sites at a common site. It was aimed that such a process would result in minimization of conflicts and would lead to adequate and effective management as a result (Rochfort, 2006). In 2005, there were a number of production issues that began to crop up. This led to the inability to meet the delivery deadlines and the French and German production facilities started the blame game instead of the resolution of the issue. In the year 2006, wiring harness produced in Hamburg plant failed to install while the plane was in the assembly stage in the Toulouse plant. CATIA is a software which is commonly used in the aircraft industry and it was found out that an older version of the software was used in the Hamburg plant. However, the latest version was used in the Toulouse plant. This led to the compatibility issues which led to the failure in the installation process. As a result, the deliveries were postponed and it became necessary to design the wiring system. This led to the delay of two years and the cost also exceeded by 6 billion dollars. It is assumed that the primary reason behind the failure was the software compatibility issues. However, there were a number of problems and mistakes that were carried out by the project management team that contributed as the prime reason of failure of the project (Dorfler Baumann, 2014). There are certain project management phases and guidelines that are required to be followed in each of the projects. The relevance of such guidelines and characteristics increases with the nature of the project. For instance, in case of Airbus A380, it was an international project with a lot of significance. The following characteristics were required to be maintained in the project which went missing. Member Identity: It is the project management characteristic that makes sure that each member identifies with the roles and responsibilities in the project and places his or her selfish interests at the least priority. However, in the case of Airbus A380, the members failed to identify with the project goals and placed their personal benefits at the top. Unit Integration: There are several units and departments that function in an organization that need to integrate with each other for the success of an organizations venture. However, this characteristics was missing in the case of Airbus A380 (Shore, 2009). Conflict Tolerance: There were a lot many conflicts that were observed at the top management level that were not resolved at the advanced project stages which led to the project failure. Also, the software compatibility issues that were encountered could have been detected earlier in the project execution and project control stages. Software testing is an essential activity that is required to be carried out and the effective monitoring and control from the project managers could have also made sure that the issue was detected in a timely manner. Lessons Learned Boeing 787 Dreamliner Boeing is an American multi-national organization that deals in the designing, manufacturing and production of airplanes, rockers and satellites. The company has over 160,000 employees engaged with it. Boeing began the development of 787 Dreamliner in the year 2003; however, the project suffered from numerous project failures and risks in the areas of schedule and budget overrun. The estimated cost of the project was USD 5 billion which exceeded to over USD 17-23 billion (Elahi, Sheikhzadeh Lamba, 2012). There were numerous reasons that contributed in the failure of the project. The technical experts advised the project team to stick to the traditional methods of manufacturing and design. However, in an attempt to bring down the costs, the company decided to outsource many of the project tasks. This went against the project and led to the budget overrun (Mseitif, 2014). The overall management that was applied in the project was also not adequate. There are primarily two lessons that can be learnt from the case study of Boeing Dreamliner. Project Management is a discipline that is required to be included in the project. There are certain phases and guidelines that have been defined that must be followed so that the decision making processes and abilities are adequate. The significance of project control is extremely high as it assists in the verification and validation of the project tasks and activities. The required project control was missing in the case of Boeing 787 Dreamliner. This is because of the outsourcing of numerous tasks which brings down the level of monitoring and control that can be applied (Tang Zimmerman, 2009). It is necessary to carry out feasibility studies and take into consideration the remarks and comments that are provided by the experts. In the case of Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the management did not take into consideration the advice that was provided by the team of technical experts. This led to the incorrect decision making which ultimately led to project failure. Key Learnings for MACs Growth Ambition Project Project Management is one of the most significant and necessary activities that are required to be carried out in case of project. The significance of adequate project management further increases in international projects and activities. There are five phases that are included in any of the project management methodologies that is applied. These phases are as listed below. Initiation Phase: It is the phase in which the high-level project details are specified and the feasibility studies are carried out on different aspects. Some of these aspects include technical, economical, operational and environmental. The result of the feasibility studies is then analyzed to come up with the decision to proceed with the project activities or not. Planning Phase: This is one of the most important phases of project management in which the project plans are developed and implemented. There are several tasks that are required to be carried out in this phase as project budget estimation, schedule estimation, scope definition, allocation of roles and responsibilities, risk assessment and communication planning (Newton, 2015). Project Execution: This is the phase in which all the plans and strategies are brought in action. The design and development activities are carried out in this phase as per the approach and methodology that is finalized. Project Control: This is the phase in which monitoring and control activities are carried out by the management along with the implementation of the project. The project testing activities along with execution of the reviews and inspection processes in order to validate and verify the correctness of the project tasks and activities are included in this phase. Project Closure: This is the last phase in the project life cycle that includes the development of the closure report, acceptance of the deliverables and sign offs along with the final documentation. The above five phases shall be included by Lisanne and her team in the growth ambition project that will be carried out at MAC. There were a number of pitfalls that were associated with Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner. These pitfalls and drawbacks can be avoided by sticking to the best practices and including the following key learning in the project activities that are carried out. Planning will be one of the most significant tasks that will be associated with the project. The planning activities shall be carried out in such a manner that the estimates and approach that are received are adequate (Amalraj, 2007). There shall be realistic expectations that must be set and promised to the project client. These expectations shall be based upon the results of the feasibility studies, project specifications provided by the client along with the project resources. Risk assessment and management is one of the key activities that need to be carried out during the project in the initiation and planning stages only. This activity must make sure that all of the project risks are listed and highlighted and the risk response is also mapped with every risk. There may be a number of different risks that may emerge during MACs growth ambition project in the form of technical risks, security risks, schedule and budget risks, resource risks etc. All of these risks shall be determined and assessed in advance in terms of the response strategy that shall be applied in order to deal with the same. The response strategy shall include risk mitigation, risk acceptance, risk avoidance or risk transfer. Such an activity will keep the project team to deal with any situation during the project life cycle (Shariff, 2013). The project will include a lot many resources in the project team which may bring up the situation of conflicts and disputes. These situations will be required to be managed by making use of adequate strategy and approach. The top management must never fail to execute the monitoring and control processes in the form of reviews, inspections and walkthroughs. These processes must be carried out at regular intervals to determine the project progress and to highlight any of the deviations. Conclusion There can be a number of success and failure reasons that may be associated with the projects. In case of international projects, it becomes essential to make sure that the project success is achieved by sticking to the set of best practices and standards. Also, project management is a discipline that must be followed in the projects to ensure that the success is ensured. Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner are the two international projects in the field of aircrafts that can impart the required level of management knowledge to similar large scale international projects. There were many correct and incorrect activities that were carried out in these two projects which can act as a good source of reference. Murasaki Aircraft Corporation (MAC) is a company that is currently producing regional jets and Lisanne, the CEO of MAC is now aspiring to expand the business. The next set of business activities would include medium sized passenger jets which would enhance the business operations and activities to another level. The project must stick to the five phases of the project management process which include initiation, planning, execution, control and closure phases. Project planning, risk assessment and management, setting up of realistic project expectations, adequate resource selection and allocation along with effective monitoring and control shall be followed in the project. The role of senior management along with the Project Manager also holds a critical importance in the case of such projects. Reference Amalraj, J. (2007). Project Management: Challenges Lessons Learned. Retrieved 30 October 2017, from https://www.beg.utexas.edu/energyecon/ua_2007/AB_Project_Mgt_challenges.pdf Bbc. (2012). Factfile: Airbus A380. BBC News. Retrieved 30 October 2017, from https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-11693164 Dorfler, I., Baumann, O. (2014). Learning from a Drastic Failure: The Case of the Airbus A380 Program. Taylor Francis. Retrieved 30 October 2017, from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13662716.2014.910891 Elahi, E., Sheikhzadeh, M., Lamba, N. (2012). "An Integrated Outsourcing Framework: Analyzing Boeings Outsourcing Program for Dreamliner (B787). Scholarworks.umb.edu. Retrieved 30 October 2017, from https://scholarworks.umb.edu/msis_faculty_pubs/26/ Mseitif, J. (2014). Boeings Behavior in a Liberalized Marketplace: The 787 Dreamliner Project and Impact on Puget Sound Workers. Digital.lib.washington.edu. Retrieved 30 October 2017, from https://digital.lib.washington.edu/researchworks/bitstream/handle/1773/26912/Mseitif_washington_0250O_13381.pdf;sequence=1 Newton, P. (2015). Principles of Project Management. Retrieved 30 October 2017, from https://www.free-management-ebooks.com/dldebk-pdf/fme-project-principles.pdf Rochfort, S. (2006). Delay issues cloud A380 visit - Business - Business - smh.com.au. Smh.com.au. Retrieved 30 October 2017, from https://www.smh.com.au/news/business/delay-issues-cloud-a380-visit/2006/11/28/1164476179330.html Shariff, S. (2013). Assessment of Project Management Skills and Learning Outcomes in Students Projects. Retrieved 30 October 2017, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042813020363/pdf?md5=16f498b0203d44eb0bb95f5b83d90b6fpid=1-s2.0-S1877042813020363-main.pdf Shore, B. (2009). Airbus A380 - Project Failure Lessons Learned. Globalprojectstrategy.com. Retrieved 30 October 2017, from https://globalprojectstrategy.com/lessons/case.php?id=23 Tang, C., Zimmerman, J. (2009). Managing New Product Development and Supply Chain Risks: The Boeing 787 Case. Retrieved 30 October 2017, from https://eng.umd.edu/~austin/ense622.d/lecture-resources/Boeing787-Outsourcing2009.pdf