buy custom Employment Law essay

buy custom Employment Law essay Employment law also referred to as labor law governs the relationship between an employer and employee or unions and employers. It usually states the rights of the employee embedded in the employment contract. Employment law is integral in social and economic development in any country. It is instrumental in determining the wage, working hours, benefits, safety and health, anti-discrimination and employment termination conditions. Employment Contract The similarity of the employment contract in any country is that it states rights and obligations of the worker and the employer. At the time of hiring, the employee should be provided with a written document of the essential terms, of which he must give consent. The contract states the minimum wage that the worker will be paid per hour. The worker will consent to the wages if they are enough for him. Minimum wages vary from one country to another and also from one job to another (Courtney 2007). The employers cannot pay the employees a wage less than the minimum wage in a country, but he can pay him an amount more than it according to the tasks performed at the work place. Minimum wage laws are usually a result of bargaining between the unions and employers and are usually at par with the economic development and living costs in a country. Another issue governed by the employment contract; is working hours. The terms and conditions of the contract will state the working hours of the employee. In the modern world, where different issues require the attention of the employee some organizations have embraced flextime. Flextime is that the employee can work at times he is comfortable. The working hours will be stated, and other issues like overtime addressed in the employment contract. The employee will be paid for all the overtime he works. During the industrial revolution days, working days had about 16-15 hours a day. Legislation has reduced it to 14 hours and today the working day is normally between 8 to 9 hours a day. After the normal working hours are finished, the extra hours worked by the employee are considered overtime and the employer must compensate him accordingly. It also governs the health and safety of the worker at the working place. The employer should make the working place as safe as possible. The act states the standards to which the employer must adhere to ensuring the safety of the worker. Employeesalso have a right to be insured against harm to him in the course of work. The factory safety act requires employers to make the working environment as safe as possible. He should also ensure proper ventilation, proper fire exits and fire fighting equipments, clean environment and access to facilities at the work place. Various legislations to ensure proper health of the workers, and safetyin theirwork places such as in mines and the general work environment have been initiated to protect the worker. It also states the leaves from work that the employee will have. The contract states the number of times the employee can access the leaves in a year. The worker may take a maternity leave of which will last for the time agreed with the employer. Other workers may access the leaves once or twice a year as embedded in the employment contract. The types of leaves the employee may access include paternity leave, annual leave, sick leave and public holidays of the country. The worker may be given full pay during the leave or paid according to the agreed conditions. Maternity leave to the worker is also an issue in the employment law. The period and number of times the worker can access this leave is set by the employer. Racial or sexist discrimination policies are addressed in the employment contract. Discrimination of any sort is illegal at the work place. It is also morally unacceptable to subject employees to discrimination of any kind. In the terms and conditions of the employment contract, the employee must be assured of a discrimination free working environment. Mechanisms should be put in place to ensure those in authority do not discriminate against the employees, either racially or through sexual orientation. Promotion and allocation of tasks should be allocated fairly to ensure the satisfaction of every worker. Other issues addressed in the employment contract include contract termination conditions. It states the procedure for laying off workers. Employees should be paid severance pay for a stated number of days after termination of his contract. Termination may be due to completion of the contract or laying off by the firm to meet its objectives of cutting costs or any other objective. The ease with which an employer can fire and hire employees is determined by the employment contract. Other issues addressed is child labour, right of workers to join trade unions, join strikes and boycotts, workplaace involvement and other issues relating to the employee and employer relationship. It also governs the behavior of the employee in the course of his work. He must perform his work to a standard required to the employer. Employers are not allowed to hire people under the age of 18. They should also grant employees the right to join unions and sometimes allow them join strikes. The duties of the employee should be clearly stated to avoid conflicts at the work place. The types of employment contracts are the permanent employment contract and the fixed term employment contract. They are similar only that the fixed term employment contract states the starting date and ending date of the contract. They may choose to renew the contract or not. The other features are similar in that the employer offers the prospective employee the contract, and he signs it if the terms and conditions are favorable to him. Permanent employment contract can only be terminated if the worker does not suit the needs of the business anymore, or the firm wants to cut costs or any other reason. The worker has the right to severance pay for a number of days that differ from one country to another. Since the industrial revolution, various legislative authorities have attempted to streamline the sector. Various acts touching on issues as employee safety and health, working hours, child labor, minimum wages and other labor issues have been put in place. One such act is the employment rights act of 1996 in the United Kingdom and the New Zealand employment relations act 2000. Every country strives to regulate the relationship between the worker and the employer by using the legislative tools. From time to time legislation is needed to govern the terms between the employer and employee as circumstances keep on changing. In relation to these changes in circumstances and situation, the legislative bodies should devise strategies to keep the employment laws up to date. Conclusion The employment contract is an important document governing the relationship between the employee and employer. It determines the input of the worker at work while ensuring him a safe working environment. Employment law in any country is crucial as it governs the interests of both parties, who are, the worker and employer. Continuous revision on the employment terms and conditions should be done to ensure it is up to date to economic conditions in a country. Buy custom Employment Law essay

A quick simple guide to becoming healthier and happier at work

A quick simple guide to becoming healthier and happier at work We spend almost 8 hours at work every day  and about 6 of those hours we are sitting at a desk with little to no activity. Sitting at a desk for long periods of time is not healthy for our bodies and it is not recommended. We need to get our blood flowing and while sitting in a bad posture and eating unhealthy foods does not help; we do have healthy alternatives. With little changes such as standing desks, 5 minutes of activity, and swapping sugary drinks for more water, we can help our bodies stay healthy. Being happy and healthy at work increases productivity and your overall mood at work. Healthy employees are happy employees! Here are some great tips for becoming healthier and happier at work.Source [ Ultimate Mats ]

Reading questions Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reading questions - Case Study Example This strategy is effective when marketing a strong brand, which faces competition from other brands (Simonson, 72). Consumers make decisions after analyzing the choices on offer. Introducing a product that is inferior to the current product in the market would increase the sales of the superior product. Marketers use this strategy of introducing inferior products to increase the market share of superior products. For instance, designing a new model that has new features and pricing it at the same price as the old model would increase the sales of the new model. Most firms in the automobile industry use this strategy to increase the sales of their products (Simonson, 70). The manager at the local grocery stores can use alternative descriptions to influence the sales of the grocery’s products. Framing of product descriptions can help increase the sales of that particular product. The manager may also increase the sales of the grocery by offering a mix of products like onions and tomatoes. The sequence effect relates to the main points of an event. People will always consider the sequence in which a series of events took place. People consider events basing on the high and low points as well as the ending of the sequence of events (Chase & Dasu, 80). For instance, individuals donating blood will remember the long queues they had to follow, the stages they had to go through and the ending of the whole experience. One might improve this consumer situation by increasing the personnel to reduce the long queues. There is also need to reduce the stages through which a consumer has to pass before the end of the event (Chase & Dasu, 81). Finally, there is need for offering a meal to those who go through the blood donation experience. People’s perception of time is subjective. Increasing the segments of an activity lengthens its perceived duration (Chase & Dasu,

Resistance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Resistance - Essay Example Here, the connection between gender and violence can be established if gender relations is understood as a discourse â€Å"signifying relationships of power† (Jacobs, Jacobson and Marchbank, 2000, p.3). In both cases of violence and gender disparity, thus an exercise of power is involved. On the contrary, resistance is â€Å"a reflection of the potential for subversion and contestation† within the premises â€Å"of established order† (Jacobs, Jacobson and Marchbank, 2000, p.3). This is to suggest that resistance is more concerned with opposing the undemocratic exercise of power, which is often part of the establishment, rather than the simple or violent exercise of power. War has been the greatest exercise of power in human history. As the ethics of war has changed from protecting civilians to deliberately targeting them, the most vulnerable groups, which have lost their â€Å"personal security† are women, children and the ethnic minorities (Jacobs, Jacobs on and Marchbank, 2000, p.5). There is a continuation of this situation in non-war conditions as well in the form of domestic violence, as far as women are concerned. On the other hand, it has also been argued, â€Å"women have been central in democratizing processes† (Jacobs, Jacobson and Marchbank, 2000, p.9).

Facilities And Rational Essay Example for Free

Facilities And Rational Essay For a multinational hotel chain, there is need to maintain quality standards for organization to live- up to their brand equity and customers expectations. However, as hotel proposed to be a 3- star hotel, we need to take care of the costs and need not go overboard in promising amenities and services. Moreover, as per recent report (1), occupancy in London hotels has come down form 80% to 75% with respect to other European cities in 2001 to 2002 period. East end of London is right place to open a new hotel as next four- five years going to have lots of business activities prior to 2012 Olympics. During Olympics spectators load going to create havoc on cities infrastructure and demand from visitors would result is substantial shortfall of rooms. As costing and other business case related evaluations are done separately, below is the detailing of key elements of hotel facilities, infrastructure and amenities for a three- star hotel for business clientele Features of rooms: In a 200- room hotel, there is need for gradation of quality of rooms to cater to spectrum of customer profile. Rooms need to be premier and ordinary quality, however, allocation in the categories to follow pyramid structure of the target segment. Plan for maximum number of ordinary room, with 80% (160 units) coverage, 15% (30 units) of executive suites and 5% (10 units) of presidential suites. Suites can be on higher floor which can give better view of the city/ upcoming stadium/ river. Hotel room is most critical interface of the hotel with the customer in building impression and to ensure ‘recall’ and ‘re- visit’. Below are the key aspects of the room amenities. †¢ Decent size (6 ft* 7ft) bed with access from both sides, ample number of cushions/ pillows (hypo allergic), reading lamp attached from behind wall. †¢ Study table made of good quality wood. Chair with arm rest and robust cushioned back support for prolonged working. Table to have lamp and stationery. A detailed road map of London and transportation network would be great help to travelers. †¢ Comfortable couch to stretch legs after days work, centre table to place office bags etc, soothing paintings on the wall, cupboard with ample hangers, shoe- shine etc. †¢ LCD Interactive TV/ Entertainment system with access to business channels, individually controlled AC, internet connectivity, business papers and magazines, phone facility, safe deposits box, tea/ coffee making unit and complimentary mini bar. †¢ Bathroom: 24 hour hot/ cold running water, fitted with overhead shower, bath tub, WC. Along with other toiletries, shaving kit for business traveler, dryer, magnifying mirror, bathrobes, in- room slippers, 24- hr laundry service. Fire alarm: Each room required to be equipped with fire alarm, which is moral responsibility of hotel owner, moreover, it is statutory requirement. Alarm need be quite sensitive to smoke, and alarm must be audible to authorities and residents to take up proper cover. ‘Water sprinkler’ is option worth trying depending on the budget. Sprinkler would help in containing fire before it grows. All room to have instructions at bedside outlining what to do in case of fire. Exit signs must be visible from all corners of the corridor. As proposed hotel is to cater to business clientele, there would be large gathering of delegates to conduct meetings and conferences. Location of such facilities is important. Conference rooms neither should be at basement and nor at the top floor. All exits, pathways should be unobstructed for emergency evacuations. Air conditioning: Central air cooling and heating is hygiene level need for a 3- star hotel. To take care of customers/ guests during extreme temperatures in summers and winter effective air conditioning is required. Each room would have louver/ air- vent to release hot/ cool air draft. From each room, air duct to be connected with the central air compressor. Air conditioning systems are the greatest guzzler of electrical energy in hotels. A detailed assessment of energy efficiency is required to optimize costs. It is always preferred for each room to have individual control panel to regulate the temperature. Health facilities: †¢ To unwind after hectic day of work, business travelers look forward to Spa/ Swimming Pool (covered, temperature controlled) / Gym with treadmill, weights and trainer support. †¢ Doctor must be available on call, 24/ 7. For emergency a reference book with important telephone number s and contact person names to be provided in each room. Utilities: †¢ 24 hr water supply, with purification plant, captive to the hotel. East- End being not very advanced in life standards, it would be important to give comfort to customers on hygiene issues like pure water, unpolluted air and cleanliness. †¢ Uninterrupted power supply at steady voltage with no fluctuations. Any volatility in current would affect laptop kinds of gadgets of customers. Hotel must be equipped with power back- up in form of generator in event of electricity failure. †¢ Currency exchange facility, with tie up with international bank. Single window facility to take care of financial needs of customer would reduce unwanted hassles for the customers, avoiding unnecessary trip to the city. †¢ Fleet of cars for airport pick up/ drop. Or tie with car rental for availability of cars during peak hours. Economics to be seen. Under London congestion charging scheme, use of car in the city is becoming expensive, so for group transfers, use of coach would be time saving and cost effective. †¢ Speed elevators with proper signage and space. Separate service elevator for staff and service. Restaurant: †¢ Restaurant to offer complimentary buffet breakfast. Continental breakfast is recommended for all days. A variety of spread (boiled vegetables to cakes) would help in charging the customer for the big day ahead. †¢ 24- hour coffee shop for executives reaching at odd hours from office/ airports. This facility must have laptop/ mobile charging electrical points for executive to carry out work along with the much needed coffee break. †¢ Multi-cuisine restaurant to take care of varying taste buds of plethora of businessman travelling in and out of London. †¢ Bar cum live music: To tap business and tourist traveler both, a bar with live music is important differentiator. Features characteristics of the building a) Facade: For 200- rooms, and assuming space to be constrained in east- end, hotel need to be 12- 15 storey structure, with parking in basement. Reception, business centre, conference halls and restaurants at first and second floor level. Most of the room must be front facing. Room windows/ balconies to be of uniform size, glass and light fixtures, to give consistent view of the hotel. Two- lane space in front of main gate smooth flow of cars. b) Branding: Signage of hotel brand/ name to be positioned for it to be visible from the approach roads. Hoarding on the roads emerging out of airport, with toll- free number would help in generating enquiries from prospective customers. c) Business centre: Fax facility, desktops with high speed internet, small meeting room (for 4- 6 person), small library with latest business books/ journals. d) Conference rooms: Equipped with good quality overhead projector, 50- 100 chairs, round tables, chord less mikes, quality speakers with proper acoustics and white board etc. These halls must be suited for seminars, conventions, conferences, training programs etc. Important element for better ROI (return on investment) from conference rooms is to have partition arrangement. In event of small group size (20- 40), same hall can be partitioned into two for couple of parallel small sessions. e) Shopping arcade: If local artifacts, business and ethic garments and books on exotic topics etc is provided within hotel, customers may have another reason to avoid congested city markets. Moreover, this bazaar/ series of shops can be another string of revenues for the hotel. f) Car parking: Parking space must be available for 80- 100 cars, with valet parking facility. PA (public announcement) system to facilitate quick access to cars and faster movement from the main porch. 2012 Olympics: For summer Olympics just four years away, economic activities would start building up from now (2008). There would be pick- up in lots of construction and infrastructure work for facilities for Olympic stadium, athletes’ complex and spectators. Various suppliers of machineries, services and equipments would visit often the city and the area. During Olympics spectators from around the world would result is substantial shortfall of hotel facilities. As East End going to see lots of business activities and media focus in next few years, it is most opportune time for hotel industry to capitalize on top line and bottom line growth. From Olympics perspective, this multinational hotel chain must toy with the idea of taking a quality hotel property on lease for 5 years. Logistics: It is important to have proper connectivity with key points of London city like Airport at Newham. As per Regional Planning Guidance3 (RPG3) hotels are encouraged to develop facilities in underdeveloped boroughs (1) to overcome traffic snarls and make stay of customer comfortable. A proper commuting network is required to be developed, using coaches and cars for the customers who would be staying in the hotel. Conclusion: A well equipped hotel by a well known brand in a demand- supply gap scenario is a favorable business proposition. To have first- mover advantage, and to gear up to tap the potential in a 3- star hotel with aforementioned facilities is a compelling business case to be taken forward by the organization. Reference: (1) PriceWaterhouseCooper’s 2002 report to Greater London Authority on ‘Demand and capacity for Hotels and Conference centre in London’

Heroification and Its Damaging Effects :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Heroification and Its Damaging Effects In the Disney movie Life-Size, actress Tyra Banks plays the role of Eve, a Barbie-like doll, who is "perfect in every way," come to life. Later in the movie, the once-very popular Eve doll's sales decrease dramatically, and the company stops the production of the Eve doll not realizing what they are doing wrong. Distressed, Banks, the "life-size" Eve doll, turns to her owner Casey and learns two valuable lessons—that perfection is boring and unrealistic, and it is okay to make mistakes. Casey tells the life-size Eve that the Eve doll is too "goody-goody" to be real, and girls need more realistic role models—heroes—with personality, inner struggles, and mistakes. Almost everyone likes heroes from Spiderman to firefighters to Dad who inspire the young and keep them motivated; however when the heroes' lives and beliefs are fabricated to fit a stereotype, these humans regress into nothing more than a boring ideal. Heroification with cognitive disson ance blind students to the reality of this world and limit their ability to view controversies objectively. Heroification is the process where details—both important and trivial—are left out or changed to fit the archetypical mold of the flawless, inhuman "heroes." This "degenerative process" makes "flesh-and-blood individuals into pious, perfect creatures without conflicts, pain, credibility, or human interest (Loewen 19)." For example, many people know of Helen Keller only as the blind, deaf girl who despite her handicaps learned to read, write, and to speak, but this is only the first twenty years of her life. Whatever happened to Keller for the next sixty-four years of her life? Keller was, in fact, a radical socialist in Massachusetts starting in the early 1900s, and was one of the most passionate and famous woman during that time rallying for the new communist nation. Keller's love for socialism did not stem from a vacuum but was rooted deep within her experiences as a disabled person, and she sympathized with other handicaps and learned that social cl ass controls not only people's opportunity but also their disabilities. But during the heroification process, the schools and the mass media omitted Keller's lifelong goal and passion to bring about radical social change because we would rather teach our young to "remain uncontroversial and one-dimensional" than to have a room full of leftists (Loewen 35).

Chevy Volt Essay

Closing Case: Planning for the Chevy Volt 1. What does the Chevy Volt case tell you about the nature of strategic decision making at a large complex organization like GM? From the Chevy Volt case, we can see that GM is a large complex organization and has a lot of processes to make any decision in changing their strategic plan. Moreover, they sticked to the past failure that they had experienced. Therefore, they moved too slow and missed the opportunity to change or adapt themselves to the external trend or a better opportunity. 2. What trends in the external environment favored the pursuit of the Chevy Volt project? Gas price was increasing sharply because of growing demand in developed countries including China and India Global Warming become a significant concern so people trend to use the car which produce less Carbon Dioxide. The cost of Manufacturing lithium ion batteries was falling and new technology make them more powerful Demand for fuel efficient car like Prius (Toyota) that utilize new battery technology 3. What impediments to pursuing this project do you think existed within GM? GM already spent a huge investment in developing fuel cells Many decision makers in GM didn’t want to suddenly switch gears and focus on lithium ion batteries instead Technology in a large lithium ion battery production was difficult Failure in the past was the experience that GM still remembered and was afraid to invest in new project 4. The plan for the Chevy Volt seems to be based partly on the assumption that oil prices would remain high and yet in late 2008, oil prices collapsed in the wake of a sharp global economic slowdown a. What does this tell you about the nature of strategic plans? The nature of strategic plan is effective to the current situation but when the external environment or trend change, strategic plan should be changed and adapt to the external factor as well. b. What do falling oil prices mean for the potential success of the Chevy Volt? If the gas price fall, the Chevy Volt which use lithium battery might not be sold as much as when the gas price is high. c. Do you think oil prices will remain low? No, I think oil price will keep increasing because people in every country consume more energy which use oil to produce energy while the world has limitation of resources including oil. Therefore, when demand is greater than supply, the price will be impossible or difficult to decrease. 5. What will it take for the Chevy Volt to be a successful car? In light of your analysis, how risky do you think this venture is for GM? What are the costs of failure? What are the costs of not pursuing the project? The external factors which let the Chevy Volt to be a successful car is increasing gas price, trend of global warming, falling cost of lithium ion battery manufacturing and higher demand for fuel efficient car. However, if GM invests in the Chevy Volt project, the risk surely occurs if the project isn’t successful as expected. For example; they move slower than their competitors or the competitors can offer the better benefit or performance to the customer perception and preference. While the cost which occurs when GM doesn’t pursue this project will be the opportunity cost that they will miss the opportunity to overcome their competitors as well as being the leading of new venture car.

Character of “Miss Brill” Essay

In the short story, â€Å"Miss Brill† by Katherine Mansfield, the main character, Miss Brill, is developed with the use to symbols and patterns of metaphors. The story is about Miss Brill’s routine on Sundays, and how she is interpreting the world around her, and her role in it. The main metaphors that are used are her fur coat, the old people, and her seat. All these metaphors help show that Miss Brill doesn’t live life, but only views it. Miss Brill’s fur coat is introduced in the first paragraph of the story. She personifies the fur, and projects some of her own personalities and interests into it. â€Å"She had taken it out of its box that afternoon, shaken out the moth powder, given it a good brush, and rubbed the life back into the dim little eyes†(Mansfield p.357). Later, Miss Brill further characterizes the fur coat and states that is a â€Å"little rogue†, which further laments her personification of the fur. Furthermore, she feels that she is attracted to the personified fur, â€Å"She could have taken it off and laid it on her lap and stroked it† (Mansfield p.357). The fur coat is a metaphor for her, or what she sees attractive in herself. She if old, so is the fur coat â€Å"..shaken out the moth powder..†(Mansfield p.357); she likes to dress up and use makeup, just like what she does to the fur coat â€Å"..a little dab of black sealing-wax..† (Mansfield p.357). She views the world around her as it passes by, but never experiencing it for herself, similar to an inanimate object, such as her fur coat. This point is reinforced further at the end of the story, when she has been ridiculed, and is putting away her coat away; â€Å"But when she put the lid on she thought she heard something crying† (Mansfield p.361). The author tells the reader that the fur is crying, but the metaphor shows that it is Miss Brill that is crying. Similarly, â€Å"the old people sat on the bench, still as statues†, is also a metaphor for Miss Brill. She is one of the old people sitting on the benches, watching everyone else. It is ironic, because she seems to dislike these people, but at the same time, she is one of them; â€Å"They were odd, silent, nearly all old† (Mansfield p.358). Miss Brill, like the other old people, is peculiar, quiet, and old. What she sees in these people, is what  the reader sees in her. This metaphor symbolizes what she is in reality and what other people in the story see her as; â€Å"Because of that stupid old thing at the end there..† (Mansfield p.360) is what a young couple says when they see Miss Brill. The old people symbolize the old pathetic nature of Miss Brill’s routine of viewing everyone else’s experiences, but never experiencing herself. Finally, the symbol of her â€Å"special seat† is the most important and drives home the point of Miss Brill never experiencing life. The seat symbolizes her vantage point of the world. The metaphor of a play is also used, but they both symbolize the same thing; they are both her eyepieces to the rest of the world, and this is how she can experience life, instead of doing it herself. â€Å"How she enjoyed it! How she loved sitting here, watching it all! It was like a play† (Mansfield p.359). Furthermore, she feels that she is living life and experiencing everything, because Miss Brill feels that she is apart of the play â€Å"They weren’t only the audience†¦.they were acting† (Mansfield p.359). The author effectively uses the metaphor of her â€Å"special seat† and of a play to symbolize Miss Brill’s character, and how she feels that she is fully living life, but actually, she is only watching. Throughout the short story â€Å"Miss Brill†, by Katherine Mansfield, three important symbols are used to characterize Miss Brill; they are the fur, the old people, and her â€Å"special seat†. All these show that Miss Brill is a watcher, who experience life through watching.

The Oklahoma City Bombing, 1995

The Oklahoma City Bombing, 1995 At 9:02 a.m. on April 19, 1995, a 5,000-pound bomb, hidden inside a rented Ryder truck, exploded just outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The explosion caused massive damage to the building and killed 168 people, 19 of whom were children. Those responsible for what became known as the Oklahoma City Bombing were home-grown terrorists, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. This deadly bombing was the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil until the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attack. Why Did McVeigh Plant the Bomb? On April 19, 1993, the standoff between the FBI and the Branch Davidian cult (led by David Koresh) at the Davidian compound in Waco, Texas ended in a fiery tragedy. When the FBI tried to end the standoff by gassing the complex, the entire compound went up in fire, claiming the lives of 75 followers, including many young children. The death toll was high and many people blamed the U.S. government for the tragedy. One such person was Timothy McVeigh. McVeigh, angered by the Waco tragedy, decided to enact retribution to those he felt responsible- the federal government, especially the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). In downtown Oklahoma City, the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building held numerous federal agency offices, including those of the ATF. Preparing for the Attack Planning his revenge for the second anniversary of the Waco disaster, McVeigh enlisted his friend Terry Nichols and several others to help him pull off his plan. In September 1994, McVeigh purchased large amounts of fertilizer (ammonium nitrate) and then stored it in a rented shed in Herington, Kansas. The ammonium nitrate was the main ingredient for the bomb. McVeigh and Nichols stole other supplies needed to complete the bomb from a quarry in Marion, Kansas. On April 17, 1995, McVeigh rented a Ryder truck and then McVeigh and Nichols loaded the Ryder truck with approximately 5,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate fertilizer. On the morning of April 19th, McVeigh drove the Ryder truck to the Murrah Federal Building, lit the bombs fuse, parked in front of the building, left the keys inside the truck and locked the door, then walked across the parking lot to an alley. He then started to jog. The Explosion at the Murrah Federal Building On the morning of April 19, 1995, most employees of the Murrah Federal Building had already arrived at work and children had already been dropped off at the daycare center when the huge explosion tore through the building at 9:02 a.m. Nearly the entire north face of the nine-story building was pulverized into dust and rubble. It took weeks of sorting through debris to find the victims. In all, 168 people were killed in the explosion, which included 19 children. One nurse was also killed during the rescue operation. Capturing Those Responsible Ninety minutes after the explosion, McVeigh was pulled over by a highway patrol officer for driving without a license plate. When the officer discovered that McVeigh had an unregistered gun, the officer arrested McVeigh on a firearms charge. Before McVeigh was released, his ties to the explosion were discovered. Unfortunately for McVeigh, almost all his purchases and rental agreements related to the bombing could be traced back to him after the explosion. On June 3, 1997, McVeigh was convicted of murder and conspiracy and on August 15, 1997, he was sentenced to death by lethal injection. On June 11, 2001, McVeigh was executed. Terry Nichols was brought in for questioning two days after the blast and then arrested for his role in McVeighs plan. On December 24, 1997, a federal jury found Nichols guilty and on June 5, 1998, Nichols was sentenced to life in prison. In March 2004, Nichols went on trial for murder charges by the state of Oklahoma. He was found guilty of 161 counts of murder and sentenced to 161 consecutive life sentences. A third accomplice, Michael Fortier, who testified against McVeigh and Nichols, received a 12-year prison sentence and was fined $200,000 on May 27, 1998, for knowing about the plan but not informing authorities before the explosion. A Memorial What little remained of the Murrah Federal Building was demolished on May 23, 1995. In 2000, a memorial was built on the location to remember the tragedy of the Oklahoma City Bombing.

The Crimes of Brandy Holmes

The Crimes of Brandy Holmes During the early evening hours of January 1, 2003, the Brandy Holmes and her boyfriend, Robert Coleman, forced their way into the rural home of Julian Brandon, a retired minister who was 70 years of age, and his wife Alice, who was 68 years of age. Reverend Brandon was shot at near contact range in the underside of his jaw with a .380 caliber handgun. The bullet separated into two pieces: one fragment entered his brain and the other exited the top of his head. Julian Brandon immediately collapsed. Holmes and Coleman then took Mrs. Brandon to the rear bedroom and demanded her valuables, cash, and credit cards as she begged for her life. Ignoring her pleas, they placed a pillow over the womans face and shot her in the head, and left her for dead.    Over-Kill After shooting Mrs. Brandon, Holmes and Coleman heard Reverend Brandon struggling with his wounds and returned and stabbed and slashed him to death. Concerned Friends Discover the Bodies On January 5, 2003, four days after the attack, Calvin Barrett Hudson, a family friend of the Brandons, became concerned when the couple did not attend church on Sunday and decided to check on them. When he and his wife went to their friends residence, they found Reverend Brandon lying in a pool of his blood on the carpet. Hudson immediately went to a neighbors house and called the sheriffs office. When the police responded to the call, they found Reverend Brandons body. It was not until the authorities checked the house that they discovered Mrs. Brandon was barely alive. Even though Mrs. Brandon received a gunshot wound to the head, she survived the attack, although she was permanently disabled and requires around-the-clock care. Tips Lead Investigators to the Killers Door After the television news reported the crime, the Caddo Parish Sheriffs Office received a tip from persons at an apartment complex near the crime scene. The callers indicated the Holmes had been bragging about killing an elderly couple down the road near a church and that she was trying to sell their jewelry. Detectives then went to the trailer of Brenda Bruce, Holmes mother, which was located near the homicide scene. There they located Holmes, Coleman, her mother, and her 15-year-old brother, Sean George. All four agreed to accompany the officers to the sheriffs office for interviews. Over the next two days Holmes made six recorded and unrecorded statements, implicating herself and others to varying degrees in the homicide and robbery. She also said that two days after murders, she and two of her young nephews bicycled to the Brandons home. The youngest nephew, nine years of age, entered the home with her and she walked to the back of house and heard Mrs. Brandons heavy breathing and turned around and left.   The nine-year-old nephew entered the home with his aunt, where he saw Reverend Brandon lying in a pool of blood and heard Mrs. Brandon screaming from another room in the home. A neighbor witnessed both nephews fleeing from the residence, leaving the Holmes inside the home. Evidence Police recovered considerable circumstantial evidence that proved Holmes involvement in the crime. Although the gun used in the shootings was not recovered, ballistics evidence demonstrated that the weapon used in the Brandon homicide was the same weapon that had belonged to Holmess father and had been stolen from his residence in Tylertown, Mississippi. Holmes admitted she had stolen her fathers gun in one of her statements to the police. In addition, a surveillance video from Hibernia Bank depicted the Holmes and Coleman attempting to use the Brandons credit card at an ATM. A search of the Bruce trailer where the Holmes and Coleman were staying led to the discovery of several items that belonged to Mrs. Brandon. Three fired .380 cartridge casings were found in the rain gutter of the trailer where she lived.   Laboratory analysis revealed that Reverend Brandons DNA was found on one of these casings.   Ã‚   Additionally, forensic analysis matched the .380 projectile recovered from Reverend Brandons brain and the dining room ceiling to a projectile recovered from a tree at the home of Holmes father in Mississippi. Brandy Holmes was found guilty of capital murder and sentenced to death.

Cassandra Database Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Cassandra Database - Research Paper Example As of this writing, the paper will discuss the general information about Cassandra database. Consequently, the paper will further discuss the database based on its data storage, query format, and its query processing Cassandra Database is a wide spread open source NoSQL database. The database is best used to manage large quantity of data across many centers of data and cloud. Cassandra database is characterized as a continuous availability, operational simplicity, and linear scalability across various servers without a single failure. Additionally, the database has a powerful data model mandated to offer a maximum flexibility and a rapid response period. Based on its operation, Cassandra database has an outstanding plan and architecture, meaning that all the nodes are similar. Increasingly, the database offers automatic distribution of data across the nodes participating in a database cluster. The database saves the administrators and developers the coding process in distrusting the data across the cluster since the data are partitioned in a transparent manner across the nodes. Consequently, the database provides a customized replication that stores redundant data across nodes participating the Cassandra ring. Meaning, assuming a node goes down, single, or multiple copies of the data will still be available on other cluster’s machines. Replication undergoes configuration to operate across zones of a single data center, multiple data centers, and many cloud zones. The database can be used in supplying linear scalability, meaning that a capacity can added easily through the addition of new nodes. For instance, two nodes can accommodate 100000 operations in a second, four nodes can accommodate 200000 operations in a second, and eight nodes can handle 400000 operations in a second. The latest version of the database is Cassandra 2.1. The new version has new features such as user-defined types, collection indexes, and improved metrics through metrics-core