Flowering Tree Guide for Plants in the Los Angles Area Essay -- tree, f

Jacaranda In Los Angeles and throughout Southern California, blooming jacaranda trees announce the coming of spring. This visually stunning tree can grow up to 100 feet tall, but most top out between 25 and 50 feet. Early growth is fast, but mature trees grow more slowly. Although some jacarandas exhibit an upright pattern, usually the branches are long and spreading, creating a wide and open crown. The bark is silvery gray to almost black and the lacy, fern-like foliage is bright green and abundant, providing plenty of filtered shade. In the spring, the jacaranda produces masses of pale blue to lavender flowers that transform the crown into a pastel cloud of blossoms. Despite its delicate appearance, the jacaranda is a sturdy tree. Jacarandas grow quickly in almost any well-drained soil. They are drought resistant once established, and although they thrive in summer sun they also tolerate isolated periods of cold weather or an occasional frost. Young trees may need selective pruning to develop a strong central trunk. Jacarandas show better color when amended with organic mulch, but keep mulch away from the trunk to prevent rotting. Jacarandas are most often planted in rows as street trees, where the crowns grow together to create colorful canopies, or in parks or large open areas where they have plenty of room to spread. The fallen blossoms are slightly sticky and sometimes considered a nuisance, especially when they drop on parked cars below. To avoid this problem, plant the jacaranda as a shade tree in an open lawn. Magnolia On paper at least, magnolias look like the wrong tree for Los Angeles. A native of the Southeastern US, this woodland tree is fond of rich, organic soils and cool, shady glades. Yet,... ...ing is needed to create a strong central trunk and regularly thereafter to remove hanging branches that may interfere with pedestrian or street traffic. This tree prefers full sun but will grow in scattered shade. Somewhat tender to cold temperatures, the Hong Kong orchid does well in sheltered locations and will not thrive in mountain or high desert settings. Unlike other varieties of orchid tree, the Hong Kong doesn’t produce masses of huge seed pods, making litter less of a problem with this tree. Drought resistant once established, the Hong Kong orchid tree will also accept moderate levels of aerosol salt. An outstanding specimen tree, the Hong Kong orchid is approved for street use in many Southern California communities. Use it in among smaller tropicals or shrubs to create a focal point or lawn island, or as the flamboyant centerpiece in a tropical garden.

‘Deadly Unna?’ By Phillip Gwynne Essay

‘Deadly Unna?’ was the first novel of the famous Australian author, Phillip Gwynne, published in 1998. The fascinating drama novel expresses the inter-racial friendship between two teenage boys, Gary â€Å"Blacky† Black and â€Å"Dumby† Red. The book focuses on many complications the adolescence face, for example racism, favouritism, relationships, families, exclusion and more. ‘Deadly Unna?’ is set in the Port and Peninsula of South Australia, the ‘Goonyas’ (white Australians) are based in the Port and the ‘Nungas’ (the Aboriginals) are located on the Peninsula. The reason for this separation is to emphasise the racial tension between the white Australians and the Aboriginals that the author is trying to present. The story is told from the perspective of the main character, ‘Blacky’. As the story is being told by a white Australian you would be led to believe that it is going to be a very biased story but in this case it is quite the opposite situation. Gary Black is one of the few, if not the only, characters from the Port that truly understands the similarity that the two races acquire which enables the readr to see Aboriginals in a different light from the generalised/sterotypical image common in Australia. Gary â€Å"Blacky† Black is the major character in this novel, as the basis of the book revolves around him and his experiences and complications he faces in his youthful life. Blacky is more academic then he is sport orientated, though saying this he does play football. Blacky has a rather large family consisting of eight children, a stay-at-home mother and a hindering father. Blacky gets along with his siblings though they do have the occasional conflict, he is proud of his mother but unfortunately has a weak relationship with his father because of a previous controversy. Though Dumby Red did not physically appear very often throughout the book,  one particular incident involving Dumby Red arose great racial contention. Dumby Red was a very enthusiastic, optimistic and extremely self-assertive character. He was responsible for Blacky’s change of mind towards the Aboriginals, he was the one the made Blacky see the Aboriginals for who they really are, not who they are said to be. ‘Pickles’ is Blacky’s best friend, he in highly intolerable with his disgusting habits and his lack of general hygiene and know one will ever know why Blacky’s relationship with him is so strong. ‘Arks’ is Blacky’s over enthusiastic and encouraging football coach, he was a great influence on Blacky’s football performance in the grand final. Clarence is Dumby Red’s sister, at one point in the novel Blacky was rather fond of her though he was warned by Darcy that he must be careful who he associates himself with. Darcy is Blackys next door neighbour, the elderly man is very king to young Blacky and is always full of good advice, Blacky enjoys spending time with him and hearing about his fascinating life. The book is separated into two sections, winter and summer. Winter being the football season and summer the off season. The beginning of the novel focuses on football and Blacky’s attempt to be the hero of his team. It briefly touches on relationship and racial difficulties though the real complications reach their climax towards summer. Horrific crimes occur making the plot very interesting, people are being blamed, hearts are being broken and choices are having to be made. The Port’s football team make the grand final, disaster occurs on a boat, family relationships are tested, there is dispute at the football awards, the death of a well loved character provokes outrage throughout the community, true friendship is being questioned and Blacky follows his heart to do what is right. The purpose/aim of ‘Deadly Unna?’ is to highlight the seriousness of racism that takes place in the country we live in, as well as focusing on many concerns that adolescences face today. This is very effective as the book is intended for young adults meaning they are able to relate and compare their  lives to the ones created in the book. The use of Australian ‘slang’ (for example youse, ya and g’day) in the novel was also very powerful as it strengthened the realism of the characters. Many people nowadays do speak with ‘slang’ and it is the stereotypical way the true Australians communicate. A definite strength of the book is that it is written in first person, the use of Blacky’s thoughts and feelings throughout allows insight into the life he lives during the dramas that occur. The fact that Blacky was not bias in his feeling towards the Aborigines also assisted in allowing the reader to understand both sides of the racial conflict. The only minor weaknesses in the novel were the friendship between Blacky and Dumby Red. Though is does discus how good of ‘mates’ they were, it did not go into great detail of the complexities they face because of their inter-racial relationship. The other flaw in the novel was the misleading blurb, the blurb deceives the reader to think that the story line will be revolved around Blacky and Dumby Red facing the community whereas it focus on the much broader community facing the truth about the Aborigines. Overall the book was thoroughly enjoyable and should be recommended to other teenagers. The humour the novel possesses mixed in with the moving theme of racism made the book a worthwhile read. As James Bryce, a diplomat, historian and politician, said â€Å"The worth of the book is measured by what you can carry away from it†.

Compare and Contrast: ‘Always a Motive’ and ‘Gentlemen, Your Verdict’ Essay

Recently I’ve read two very good short stories: Always a Motive (by Dan Ross) and Gentlemen, Your Verdict (by Michael Bruce). Always a Motive is about a young man, named Joe Manetti, who is accused of kidnapping. Gentlemen, Your Verdict is about five men who are questioned about the murder of sixteen crewmembers. While both Always a Motive and Gentlemen, Your Verdict are written in third person and pull at the readers emotions, Always a Motives theme is how people tend to see things only from one perspective and things can change in an instant while Gentlemen, Your Verdicts theme focuses on the justification of murder in certain circumstances. Gentlemen, Your Verdict is a story that teaches us that sometimes in life we have to kill, or let someone die to ensure the survival of others. In this story Lieutenant-Commander Oram (who’s in charge of the submarine) is forced to play god when his submarine goes down. There is only enough air for two days and rescue won’t come until five days after their oxygen supply will run out. Lieutenant-Commander Oram would rather let some of his crew survive than have them all die. But he has a hard choice to make: who will be the ones to survive, which I believe is also a part of the theme. He makes a solemn choice to kill sixteen men, including himself, to save the lives of the five married men on-board; because they have a wife and possibly even children that would live sorrowfully if their father was gone. This statement is turned around in Always a Motive, where a father loses his son and wife and is forced to live a miserable life alone. Joe Manetti was a father to a little boy and a happy husband, but tragedy struck when his son was ran over and killed by a truck. After that Joe’s life fell apart; his wife left him, he doesn’t work anymore, he barely eats, and he runs away from his problems by driving , driving for however long until he feels okay. One day during one of his driving ‘spells’ he comes back from getting groceries and finds a baby on his backseat. He finds a note on the baby saying he belonged to the Millers. Joe takes care of the babe and brings him home to a worried father; but he suddenly finds himself getting questioned about kidnapping the Miller boy. Now, the inspector who questions him finds out Joe’s story and he feels for Joe; but he knows that when there’s â€Å"[people] like [Joe] involved† (Tigers of the Snow p109), people who  have lost their children, they usually are the culprits. Abruptly an expressway toll station worker comes bearing an alibi for Joe, saying that at the time the Miller boy was kidnapped Joe was at the toll. This reveals the themes of the story: how people tend to see things only from one perspective and things can change in an instant. The inspector only saw the side of Joe that made him a kidnapper and suddenly Joe is an unsuitable kidnapper. But there is one thing that lacks from Joe’s story, his motive for returning the Miller boy without the help of the police. But the man who lost his boy only wanted to see the man who found his. The moment that Joe says this is one of the most heartbreaking pieces of literature that I have read. Both Always a Motive and Gentlemen, Your Verdict have their moments where, as a reader, you feel for the characters. However different these stories are, they both pull at the readers heartstrings.

Life Cycle Costing Finding

In management accounting, there are various costing methods applicable to use in practice. Some of practitioners are familiar with Job order costing, process costing and activity based costing. The key idea is to apply the right costing method in the right situation. Life cycle costing (LCC) offers another choice to the user. It is usually found in manufacturing, construction, software companies and product development. As we know, consumer and manager need to make decision on the cost of acquisition and cost of ongoing use of many different assets like equipment, motor vehicle, plant and other.As it seems, the key factor to influence the decision of acquisition on assets is the initial capital cost. In addition, the unrealized cost such as ongoing operation and maintenance cost should be considered before the decision making is made. Life cycle Costing is a process to determine the sum of all the costs related with an asset throughout its life which include acquisition, installation , operations, maintenance, renovation and disposal costs.For example, if the managers want to buy the motor vehicle for the purpose of company. They are needed to consider the whole life cycle costing such as their maintenance, their peration, their initial acquisition, and other factor which can give more information to decision maker to make the better decision. This report sets out to address what LCC, why LCC, when LCC, how LCC use on the manufacturing industry. The aim is to provide a clear understanding toward life cycle costing in theory and practise.FINDINGS 1 Life Cycle Costing Life cycle costing is estimates and accumulated costs over a product's entire life cycle in order to determine whether the profits earned during the manufacturing phase will cover the cost incurred during during the pre- (upstream) and post- (downstream) stage. By understand on how to identifying the cost incurred during the different stage of product life cycle, it might help the manager to manage t he total costs incurred throughout its life cycle.In addition, life cycle costing is also helps managements deeply understanding the cost consequences of developing and making a product and to identify area in which may cost reduction effective. The process of Live Cycle Costing involves: l. Assessing costs arising from an asset over its life cycle. Asset life cycle consist of various phase which are planning, acquisition, managing, distribution, and disposition. Though the asset life cycle, all the cost arising from each phase must be estimated at the earlier stage to facilitate in the cost reduction.The acquirer should consider all relevant cost because it is not only about the initial investment and acquisition cost, but all cost occurred over the anticipated life cycle of the assets. II. Evaluating alternative that have an effect on the cost of ownership. The comparisons of asset alternative whether it is at the concept or detailed design level should be evaluate in order to ach ieve better outcomes from the assets. Each alternative may have different pros and cons. Selecting unfriendly alternative may affect all the cost incurred during the period of ownership.Therefore, a thorough evaluation shall be made to avoid unwanted circumstances. For example, the mobile phone industry such as Nokia, Samsung, HTC and other is a fast moving product. Life cycles are short, mobile phone manufacturers spent lots of money on R;D and they have to recover these costs in a short period of time. This explains why newly released mobile phones are sold at such high prices. 1. 2) Reason for use Life Cycle Costing l. Comparison of asset alternatives to achieve better outcome from asset. Each asset lternatives should be evaluated so that it will assess the risk and benefit on every alternatives.A strategize development and implementation of plans and programs for the assets should be done to ensure that the assets operational objectives are achieved at optimum cost. II. Essentia l in determination of cost in the asset management process. It is important to identifying the cost in the asset management process whether the asset should be acquired, upgraded, maintained, or disposed of. It will serve a framework on how the asset will be acquired; planning for the upgrade and maintenance and disposal process will be managed. Ill. As managers' tools in asset.An effective asset manager' tools will help in delivering company objective effectively and efficiently. In addition, the manager's tools will be helps by systematic tools like economic appraisal, financial appraisal, value management, risk management and demand management in weighing up the costs and benefits, risks, objective, revenues and expenditures. ‘V. Enables the decision maker to balance the performance, reliability, maintain abilities and other goals against life cycle costs. In order to achieve the outcomes that reflect performance, reliability and ability, the proper planning, allocation of ogether. . 3) It can be used in three stages Life cycle costing should be applied when there are three stages: l. The conceptual stage: This is the stage when the initial proposal for investments is being considered. It is to estimate the future cost and provision to be made over the life of the assets. For example, the different type and designs of machine to increase the sales production for the manufacturing industry. II. The acquisition stage. This is the stage where the supplier for the assets is being assessed. It is to assist in the selection of the most cost-effective option. Ill. The service stage.The stage of decision making on whether to maintain, improve or dispose of the assets. It is to improve the cost effectiveness of the production as well as to improve the specification of future assets. For example, when automotive manufacturing products their car product, they are improving their quality of car. So that to ensure the customer still keeps loyalty to buy their car for future. 1. 4) Estimate Life Cycle Costing The formula to calculate the life cycle costing: Life Cycle Costing = Capital Cost + Life Time Operating Cost + Life Time Maintenance Costs + Disposal Cost – Residual Value Product Life Cycle PhasesFigure 1 illustrates the relationship between costs committed and costs incurred in the life cycle costing. It involves three stages of a product's life cycle, the planning and design stage, the manufacturing stage and the service and distribution stage. Committed or locked-in costs are costs have not been incurred currently but that will be incurred in the future after the decision basis has been made. Costs are incurred when a resource is sacrificed or used. A system of costing is the record cost only had been done when they have been incurred.Furthermore, the costs that have been committed are difficult to be alter. The pattern of cost commitment and incurrence will vary based on the industry and specific product introduced. During t he planning and design stage, the cost management can be most effectively exercised compared to the manufacturing stage when the product design and processes have already identified and costs have been committed. At the post sales service and distribution phase, its focus more on cost containment than cost management. 1. 4. 2) Life Cycle Costing Model The information should be obtained before selecting a model.This is to ensure that the analysis can be made. Evaluation should be made in considering the applicability f all cost factors, empirical relationship, constants, elements and variables. Life cycle costing model should: l. Represent the characteristic of the asset being analyzed. It includes the intended use environment, maintenance concept, operating and maintenance support scenarios and any constraints and limitations. II. Comprehensive to include and highlight the relevant factors to the Life Cycle Costing asset. Ill.Easy to understand in order to permit timely decision mak ing, future updates and ‘V. Evaluate the specific Life Cycle Costing elements independently of other costing elements. 1. 4. ) Life Cycle Costing Breakdown into Asset Cost Some element need to be identified in Life Cycle Costing. This is because it requires the breakdown of the asset into its part of cost elements over time. The elements that should be considered are: l. Significant amount of cost that generate components of activity. II. Time in the life cycle when conducting the activity. Ill.Resources cost categories that relevant such as material, labor, overhead, transportation and others. 1. 4. 4) Benefits of Life Cycle Costing The benefits the manager can gain from Life cycle costing are: I. Planning and analysis of alternative solutions. It is to serve a framework to document and compare the alternatives to achieve significant cost benefits. Life cycle costing concept will give earlier actions to produce revenue or to lower costs. II. Selection of preferred alternative s. The decision maker can use the information for the selection process with the life cycle costing analysis.Better decision should follow from more realistic and accurate assessment of cost and revenue. Ill. Securing funding. The comparison between the alternatives that have different cash flow patterns over time is important. This is because there are corporate cash lows issues that need to be considered. Life cycle costing analyses provide a basis for projecting cash requirements. ‘V. Review. The life cycle costing can serve confirmation of the reliability of the life cycle costing model. Besides, the credibility of future life cycle costing plans can be achieved. . 4. 5) Life Cycle Costing Process Life cycle costing involves six stages which are: Stage 1: Plan Life Cycle Costing The documentation of the plan needs to be done at the beginning to serve a framework of life cycle costing. This plan must be review to ensure the plan has been interpret correctly and address clea rly. Stage 2: Select or Develop Life Cycle Costing Model All relevant categories of cost that will happen in phases of life cycle should be identified. Select a method for estimating the associated cost and develop the estimates.Stage 3: Apply Life Cycle Costing Model Life cycle costing model need to be validated and obtain the model results from each relevant combinations and support scenarios defined in the analysis plan. Stage 4 : Document and Review Life Cycle Costing Results The documentation of the results should be done to ensure the users understand clearly the results and affects of the analysis along with the constraints and Stage 5 : Prepare Life Cycle Costing Analysis Life cost analysis used to control and manage the ongoing costs of assets or part thereof.It involves review and development of the life cycle costing model asa cost control mechanism. Stage 6 : Implement and Monitor Life Cycle Costing Analysis Life cycle costing should have a continuous monitoring of the a ctual performance of an asset during its operations and maintenance and to provide feedback for future reference. 1. 4. 6) Application to industry For pharmaceutical products, the product life cycle is becoming shorter and shorter s new products keep being developed for the market demand purposes.It is not surprising that new drugs are being sold at very high prices. For example, drugs which are used to fght cancer in targeted therapy can cost a patient on average RM 20,000 to RM 200,000 per month. Again, the life cycle is short (or uncertain), and pharmaceutical companies need to pay back the initial costs in R&D in a short period making high prices necessary. You can imagine how much the companies need to pay for a team of top tier scientists who have been working in the laboratory day and night for many years while developing the drug.Finally, as a short revision on life cycle costing, suppose a new cancer curing drug XXX is expected to have sales of 100,000,000 units in the comi ng 10 years. The selling price is targeted at RM 1,000 per unit. R&D is RM 10,000,000,000, design cost is RM manufacturing cost RM marketing RM distribution costs another RM 100,000,000 and finally customer service RM 50,000,000. Find the life cycle profit for XXX as follow: RM Millions Sales Design Manufacturing Distribution Marketing Customer service Life cycle profit 1 oo,ooo (10,000) (500) (1000) (100) (50) 88,250 The life cycle profit is RM 88,250 million (or RM 88,250,000,000).It is for 10 years and thus on average every year the profit is RM 8,825 million which is quite normal for leading pharmaceutical companies. It can be seen that the total life cycle cost is RM 11,750 million and RM 10,000 million (or 85. 1%) spent on R&D. Life Cycle Costing can be conclude as key asset management tool which takes into account the whole of life implication on the asset starting from the cost planning, acquiring, operation maintaining and disposing. It assist in analyse not only the cost o f acquiring an asset but also the costs over an asset's life like long-term operational nd maintenance costs.In addition, it will be the guidance on how long term strategic planning process, analysis, evaluation and decision making process towards the asset managements. The best expected outcome can be managed if all the relevant cost and benefits over life span of an asset is taking into account. Lastly to overall cost involve in owning, operating and maintaining an asset from the initial planning up till disposal. Thus, selecting the best alternative in order to minimize the possible cost incurred and maximizes the potential savings that can be made.

International law of contracts Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International law of contracts - Article Example The bill of lading stipulated that the goods were "received in apparent good order and condition" and compliant with the commercial invoice. The condition of the goods was further confirmed by the certificate of inspection issued on loading. Private international law often varies according to the type of parties involved in the contractual arrangement. Most times, consumers are protected by rules that aim to make sure that the law is applied as far as reasonably possible for the consumer. The location of the parties in the contract is also an element that is often used by international laws. These laws refer to places like the domicile or habitual residence of natural persons, or the principal address or place of business of a given company. A news report in the financial section of the Broadcasting Finance Corporation (BFC) by Chief Economist Roberto Preztono has sparked a rumour that a well established bank in the UK is experiencing severe cash flow problems, and the informed opinion in the finance sector seem to suggest that the bank in question might be Leman Sisters. The Samba Carnival arrived in Southampton at the end of October and on inspection there appeared to be some concerns about the condition of the consignment of steel rods. A significant portion of the consignment was discovered to be rusty and there was some doubt as to whether the goods would match the specifications required under the agreement. Although the ship's manifesto records that the ship encountered a heavy storm during the voyage and water entered into the hold, it is hard to determine the real cause of the damage. A consignment of timber stowed above the steel, was reported as being water logged. It was also reported that there had been a s ignificant breakdown in the communication and management of the ship during the course of the voyage. Apparently 8 of the 16 crew members (including the new trainee cook) were suffering from food poisoning. Of the remaining 8 crew members who did not sample the cook's culinary debut was the First Lieutenant who categorically refused to leave his cabin. It has since transpired that the First Lieutenant was in fact an undercover investigative journalist trying to expose harsh working conditions on merchant ships. It appears that his CV and references were not checked by Amazona Ltd before confirmation of employment. In this instance, a party can be excused from liability to a claim of damages when there is a failure to perform, that can be attributed to an impediment that is beyond the control of the party's, or a third party sub-contractor Such an extraneous event might elsewhere be referred to as force majeure, and frustration of the contract. The place of performance of a contract also plays an important role in some private international law rules. When the performance of the transaction involves some physical contact with a given jurisdiction, e.g. delivery of the goods ordered, the fact that the contract was concluded on line does not as such raise any problems. The problems arise when the contract is not only concluded but

Competitors analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Competitors analysis - Research Paper Example Lanvin: It is a product and serviced offering company that specializes in beauty products, perfumes, body lotions, hair dressing, body makeup, and skincare products. Also, it offers services such as body art, plastic surgery, and hair envy. Other products offered by the company include cosmetics, toiletries, weight and health products, and vitamins. GiambattistaValli: It deals in fashion and beauty products such as men and women clothing, handbags, shoes, plus size, accessories, and jewelry. On the other hand, the company sells fragrance, skincare, and makeup products (Kapferer & Bastien, 2009). Given these companies deal along the same line of products, they tend to compete for market dominance. The five companies command sizable market shares in France and globally. In particular, their commands can be tabulated as below: Notably the five companies tend to apply common and similar competitive strategies. Some of these strategies include product differentiation, as well as practicing the first, second, and third degrees of price differentiation. This would be fundamental in ensuring diverse and ever changing customer demands get satisfied accordingly. Given the variations of income among consumers, these players saw it wise to charge different prices for their commodities and services depending on consumers’ wealth endowments (Kapferer & Bastien, 2009). The five companies share a number of elements in common. This can be evidenced by the type of marketing media they apply. In order to reach out to a larger population of their potential clients, they heavily rely on online marketing platforms. In particular, these companies use social media and other online models to promote, advertise, and popularize their products and services. They use their websites and online advertising options such as Google search engines in reaching out to their customers. Also, they apply different forms of print media such as magazines and newsletters,

No topic Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 7

No topic - Coursework Example The video implicitly states that a virtuous individual follows orders that are in enforced often externally. The video also notes that this statement is in conflict with Kant’s ideology about these orders being enforced from inside the virtuous individual. As a result, Kant calls this self-enforced order a categorical imperative. The example of an intruding murderer scheduled by formulating orders for the viewer concerning the most ethical decision one â€Å"ought† to make. Turning the basis of this decision into a universal law is important for a categorical imperative as identified by Kant. These main points built the argument in the video by demonstrating how a single responsibility supersedes another. By demonstrating the possible outcomes of lying to the murderer, the video shows how Absolutism is holistic by denying any exceptions. This argument is sound in the sense that it does not allow any exceptions in any situation. However, when there are no ethical principles to consider exceptions, then there lacks any means of solving ethical predicaments, which are situations involving two or more conflicting ethical