Digital Fortress Chapter 27

On the Crypto floor, the shadows were growing long and faint. Overhead, the automatic lighting gradually increased to compensate. Susan was still at her terminal silently awaiting news from her tracer. It was taking longer than expected. Her mind had been wandering-missing David and willing Greg Hale to go home. Although Hale hadn't budged, thankfully he'd been silent, engrossed in whatever he was doing at his terminal. Susan couldn't care less what Hale was doing, as long as he didn't access the Run-Monitor. He obviously hadn't-sixteen hours would have brought an audible yelp of disbelief. Susan was sipping her third cup of tea when it finally happened-her terminal beeped once. Her pulse quickened. A flashing envelope icon appeared on her monitor announcing the arrival of E-mail. Susan shot a quick glance toward Hale. He was absorbed in his work. She held her breath and double-clicked the envelope. â€Å"North Dakota,† she whispered to herself. â€Å"Let's see who you are.† When the E-mail opened, it was a single line. Susan read it. And then she read it again. DINNER AT ALFREDO'S? 8 PM? Across the room, Hale muffled a chuckle. Susan checked the message header. FROM: [email protected] Susan felt a surge of anger but fought it off. She deleted the message. â€Å"Very mature, Greg.† â€Å"They make a great carpaccio.† Hale smiled. â€Å"What do you say? Afterward we could-â€Å" â€Å"Forget it.† â€Å"Snob.† Hale sighed and turned back to his terminal. That was strike eighty-nine with Susan Fletcher. The brilliant female cryptographer was a constant frustration to him. Hale had often fantasized about having sex with her-pinning her against TRANSLTR's curved hull and taking her right there against the warm black tile. But Susan would have nothing to do with him. In Hale's mind, what made things worse was that she was in love with some university teacher who slaved for hours on end for peanuts. It would be a pity for Susan to dilute her superior gene pool procreating with some geek-particularly when she could have Greg. We'd have perfect children, he thought. â€Å"What are you working on?† Hale asked, trying a different approach. Susan said nothing. â€Å"Some team player you are. Sure I can't have a peek?† Hale stood and started moving around the circle of terminals toward her. Susan sensed that Hale's curiosity had the potential to cause some serious problems today. She made a snap decision. â€Å"It's a diagnostic,† she offered, falling back on the commander's lie. Hale stopped in his tracks. â€Å"Diagnostic?† He sounded doubtful. â€Å"You're spending Saturday running a diagnostic instead of playing with the prof?† â€Å"His name is David.† â€Å"Whatever.† Susan glared at him. â€Å"Haven't you got anything better to do?† â€Å"Are you trying to get rid of me?† Hale pouted. â€Å"Actually, yes.† â€Å"Gee, Sue, I'm hurt.† Susan Fletcher's eyes narrowed. She hated being called Sue. She had nothing against the nickname, but Hale was the only one who'd ever used it. â€Å"Why don't I help you?† Hale offered. He was suddenly circling toward her again. â€Å"I'm great with diagnostics. Besides, I'm dying to see what diagnostic could make the mighty Susan Fletcher come to work on a Saturday.† Susan felt a surge of adrenaline. She glanced down at the tracer on her screen. She knew she couldn't let Hale see it-he'd have too many questions. â€Å"I've got it covered, Greg,† she said. But Hale kept coming. As he circled toward her terminal, Susan knew she had to act fast. Hale was only a few yards away when she made her move. She stood to meet his towering frame, blocking his way. His cologne was overpowering. She looked him straight in the eye. â€Å"I said no.† Hale cocked his head, apparently intrigued by her odd display of secrecy. He playfully stepped closer. Greg Hale was not ready for what happened next. With unwavering cool, Susan pressed a single index finger against his rock-hard chest, stopping his forward motion. Hale halted and stepped back in shock. Apparently Susan Fletcher was serious; she had never touched him before, ever. It wasn't quite what Hale had had in mind for their first contact, but it was a start. He gave her a long puzzled look and slowly returned to his terminal. As he sat back down, one thing became perfectly clear: The lovely Susan Fletcher was working on something important, and it sure as hell wasn't any diagnostic.

Macbeth Commentary Essays - Characters In Macbeth, Free Essays

Macbeth Commentary Essays - Characters In Macbeth, Free Essays Macbeth Commentary Macbeth Commentary In Macbeths speech about the witches telling him their prophecies, central and dramatic purpose are given in more than one way. Macbeths aside is mainly an inward conflict in a case of man versus himself. Many times in the passage, Macbeth relays signs of fear but with reward near by. Contained in Macbeths aside are very important elements of dramatic purpose as well as a central purpose that foreshadows the underlying theme of the whole play. Central purpose is achieved through Macbeths arguments with himself and the tone he conveys. He asks himself questions, attempting to work them out in his head, giving the reader a short psychoanalysis of what he is thinking and why. The central purpose in the passage is that of ultimate betrayal. The witches have given him prophecies that he will become Thane of Cawdor and later the King of Scotland and one thinks that will please Macbeth but in actuality it wreaks havoc with his emotions and feelings. If good, why do I yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix my hair and make my seated heart knock at my ribs...? is a question posed by Macbeth to himself. The use of such rhetoric lets the reader realize that there is inevitably something wrong with Macbeth becoming king and that something will have to go down before his success. Showing the reader that there is evil masked among the great success, gives off images of betrayal and also that nothing is ever as it seems. Dramatic purpose is shown in many ways throughout the passage. The main instrument used to advance the drama in the passage are the questions that Macbeth asks himself. The questions reveal that something is wrong and that Macbeth feels insecure about receiving these positions, showing how much evil is rustling beneath the glory. Also boosting the drama is Macbeths repetition of words favoring darkness. If ill...., ...horrid images..., and ...whose murder..., all reemphasize the fact that above all, darkness is ever present in the passage. In the passage from Macbeth, dramatic purpose and central purpose are conveyed to show the ultimate image of darkness and eventual betrayal of Duncan by Macbeth. Although slight, Shakespeare skillfully goes around the point and turns the words into more a foreshadowing image that a tell-all image. The tact in Shakespeares language is essential the reader understanding the complexities of the play.

Presidents Drug Policy essays

Presidents Drug Policy essays The President's National Drug Control Strategy 2004 focuses on three key areas: the prevention of drug use, providing treatment for drug addiction, and damaging the economic basis of the drug trade. In the strategy, the President notes a special role for law enforcement, school and community. In addition, the arrest of drug dealers is an important component of the policy. Despite its many positive points, like a focus on treatment, the President's drug policy has several important flaws. Overall, the President's drug policy will be held to be successful if it holds up to long-term goals like reducing drug use and crime that is associated with the use of illegal drugs. Law enforcement plays an important role in the President's drug policy. Importantly, the policy proposes "close alliances between treatment and law enforcement" as part of a larger alliance between the community and government. As an example, the policy notes the case of Shirley Morgan and the growing drug trade in rural Portland near Mount Hood. She headed a community group that coupled a volunteer coalition that collected intelligence on drug activities with the activities of the local police In addition to the need for community involvement with law enforcement, the policy notes the importance of law enforcement targeting higher ups in the drug trade. As such, the policy notes the efforts of the multi-agency Special Operations Division (SOD), which works to coordinate the action of different federal agencies with state and local agencies, including Columbian and Mexican counterparts. This coordination plays an important role in stopping "trafficking organizations can span dozens of states and hundreds of jurisdictions." School and community are important components of the President's drug policy. As noted earlier, the policy focuses keenly on the cooperation of community groups with ...

The Unsavory History of Nutmeg Spice

The Unsavory History of Nutmeg Spice Today, we sprinkle ground nutmeg on our espresso drinks, add it to eggnog, or mix it into pumpkin pie filling. Most people probably dont particularly wonder about its origins, no doubt - it comes from the spice aisle in the supermarket, right? And fewer still stop to consider the tragic and bloody history behind this spice. Over the centuries, however, tens of thousands of people have died in the pursuit of nutmeg. What Is Nutmeg? Nutmeg comes from the seed of the Myristica frangans tree, a tall evergreen species native to the Banda Islands, which are part of Indonesias Moluccas or Spice Islands. The inner kernel of the nutmeg seed can be ground into nutmeg, while the aril (the outer lacy covering) yields another spice, mace. Nutmeg has long been valued not only as a flavoring for food  but also for its medicinal properties. In fact, when taken in large enough doses nutmeg is a hallucinogen, thanks to a psychoactive chemical called myristicin, which is related to mescaline and amphetamine. People have known about the interesting effects of nutmeg for centuries; the 12th-century abbess Hildegard of Bingen wrote about it, for one. Nutmeg on the Indian Ocean Trade Nutmeg was well-known in the countries bordering the Indian Ocean, where it featured in Indian cooking and traditional Asian medicines. Like other spices, nutmeg had the advantage of being light-weight compared with pottery, jewels, or even silk cloth, so trading ships and camel caravans could easily carry a fortune in nutmeg. For the inhabitants of the Banda Islands, where the nutmeg trees grew, the Indian Ocean trade routes ensured a steady business and allowed them a comfortable living. It was the Arab and Indian traders, however, who got very wealthy from selling the spice all around the rim of the Indian Ocean. Nutmeg in Europe's Middle Ages As mentioned above, by the Middle Ages, wealthy people in Europe knew about nutmeg  and coveted it for its medicinal properties. Nutmeg was considered a hot food according to the theory of humors, taken from ancient Greek medicine, which still guided European physicians at the time. It could balance cold foods like fish and vegetables. Europeans believed that nutmeg had the power to ward off viruses like the common cold; they even thought that it could prevent the bubonic plague. As a result, the spice was worth more than its weight in gold. As much as they treasured nutmeg, however, people in Europe had no clear idea of where it came from. It entered Europe through the port of Venice, carried there by Arab traders who portaged it from the Indian Ocean across the Arabian Peninsula and into the Mediterranean world... but the ultimate source remained a mystery. Portugal Seizes the Spice Islands In 1511, a Portuguese force under Afonso de Albuquerque seized the Molucca Islands. By early the next year, the Portuguese had extracted the knowledge from the locals that the Banda Islands were the source of nutmeg and mace, and three Portuguese ships sought out these fabled Spice Islands. The Portuguese did not have the manpower to physically control the islands, but they were able to break the Arab monopoly on the spice trade. The Portuguese ships filled their holds with nutmeg, mace, and cloves, all purchased for a reasonable price from the local growers. Over the next century, Portugal tried to build a fort on the main Bandanaira Island  but was driven off by the Bandanese. Finally, the Portuguese simply bought their spices from middlemen in Malacca. Dutch Control of Nutmeg Trade The Dutch soon followed the Portuguese to Indonesia, but they proved unwilling to simply join the queue of spice shippers. Traders from the Netherlands provoked the Bandanese by demanding spices in return for useless and unwanted goods, like thick woolen clothing and damask cloth, which was completely unsuitable for tropical climes. Traditionally, Arab, Indian, and Portuguese traders had offered much more practical items: silver, medicines, Chinese porcelain, copper, and steel. Relations between the Dutch and Bandanese started out sour  and quickly went down-hill. In 1609, the Dutch coerced some Bandanese rulers into signing the Eternal Treaty, granting the Dutch East Indies Company a monopoly on spice trade in the Bandas. The Dutch then strengthened their Bandanaira fortress, Fort Nassau. This was the last straw for the Bandanese, who ambushed and killed the Dutch admiral for the East Indies and about forty of his officers. The Dutch also faced a threat from another European power - the British. In 1615, the Dutch invaded Englands only foothold in the Spice Islands, the tiny, nutmeg-producing islands of Run and Ai, about 10 kilometers from the Bandas. The British forces had to retreat from Ai to the even smaller island of Run. Britain counter-attacked the same day, though, killing 200 Dutch soldiers. A year later, the Dutch attacked again  and besieged the British on Ai. When the British defenders ran out of ammunition, the Dutch overran their position and slaughtered them all. The Bandas Massacre In 1621, the Dutch East India Company decided to solidify its hold on the Banda Islands proper. A Dutch force of unknown size landed on Bandaneira, fanned out, and reported numerous violations of the coercive Eternal Treaty signed in 1609. Using these alleged violations as a pretext, the Dutch had forty of the local leaders beheaded. They then went on to perpetrate genocide against the Bandanese. Most historians believe that the population of the Bandas was around 15,000 before 1621. The Dutch brutally massacred all but about 1,000 of them; the survivors were forced to work as slaves in the nutmeg groves. Dutch plantation-owners took control of the spice orchards  and grew wealthy selling their products in Europe at 300 times the production cost. Needing more labor, the Dutch also enslaved and brought in people from Java and other Indonesian islands. Britain and Manhattan At the time of the Second Anglo-Dutch War (1665-67), however, the Dutch monopoly on nutmeg production was not quite complete. The British still had control of little Run Island, on the fringe of the Bandas. In 1667, the Dutch and British came to an agreement, called the Treaty of Breda. Under its terms, the Netherlands relinquished the far-off and generally useless island of Manhattan, also known as New Amsterdam, in return for the British handing over Run. Nutmeg, Nutmeg Everywhere The Dutch settled down to enjoying their nutmeg monopoly for about a century and a half. However, during the Napoleonic Wars (1803-15), Holland became a part of Napoleons empire  and was thus an enemy of England. This gave the British an excellent excuse to invade the Dutch East Indies once again  and try to pry open the Dutch stranglehold on the spice trade. On August 9, 1810, a British armada attacked the Dutch fort on Bandaneira. After just a few hours of fierce fighting, the Dutch surrendered Fort Nassau, and then the rest of the Bandas. The First Treaty of Paris, which ended this phase of the Napoleonic Wars, restored the Spice Islands to Dutch control in 1814. It could not restore the nutmeg monopoly, however - that particular cat was out of the bag. During their occupation of the East Indies, the British took nutmeg seedlings from the Bandas and planted them in various other tropical places under British colonial control. Nutmeg plantations sprang up in Singapore, Ceylon (now called Sri Lanka), Bencoolen (southwest Sumatra), and Penang (now in Malaysia). From there, they spread to Zanzibar, East Africa and the Caribbean islands of Grenada. With the nutmeg monopoly broken, the price of this once-precious commodity began to plummet. Soon middle-class Asians and Europeans could afford to sprinkle the spice on their holiday baked goods and add it to their curries. The bloody era of the Spice Wars came to an end, and nutmeg took its place as an ordinary occupant of the spice-rack in typical homes... an occupant, though, with an unusually dark and bloody history.

Individual Report - Fast Food Case Context Essay

Individual Report - Fast Food Case Context - Essay Example The company has planned to expand its business operations, as well as initiated plans in entering the business market of China. Therefore, the company is concerned with minimising its exposure to different sorts of risks, such as political, as well as economic risks among others, that are associated with the expansion of business activities in international market. (citation) This discussion will stress on the analysing of certain significant aspects that would be conducted by the company in order to ascertain, as well as to acquire valuable information. This information are required to be evaluated with the objective of determining valuable decisions that are required to be initiated for performing business operations of the fast food company in an appropriate manner. Moreover, the company is required to utilise varied strategic tools which include SWOT analysis, Porters five forces model as well as Hofstede five dimensional models among others for determining the suitability of the decisions for entering into the business market of China. ... It also enabled effective flow of investments in the international market due to enhanced deregulation as well as communication among dissimilar countries (European Commission, 2004). The fast food company in the UK is required to adopt globalisation procedure with the motive of expanding its business operations as well as sustain enhanced growth in the international business market. The company needs to perform business operations as a fast food company in the business market of China by providing quality products as well as complying with the requirements or the preferences of the customers particularly of China. All these major initiatives would certainly assist the company in acquiring better customer as well as brand loyalty especially in the market segment of China. For instance, McDonald’s has adopted the globalisation process in order to expand its business operations worldwide (Mujtaba & Patel, 2007). The different strategic tools that will assist the fast food compan y in determining the market conditions of China as well as in formulating helpful strategies for performing effectively in the business market of China have been framed hereunder. (citation) SWOT Analysis The company is required to perform a SWOT analysis before entering into the business market of China in order to determine its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities as well as threats (Ferrell & Hartine, 2010). Strengths One of the major strengths of the company is that it possesses several fast-food restaurants in the UK as well as in other nations that ultimately raises its profitability at large. The other strength of the company is that the management team of the company is quite expert as well as skilful that

Theories of causation of crime Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Theories of causation of crime - Term Paper Example According to this theory, people engage to crime to avoid or end harassment from their friends. In other instances, they may steal so that they can end or reduce financial problems that make them feel embarrassed. In another dimension, such people may commit crime as a way of revenging against those who have done them wrong. Engagement in illegal drug use is also a way of making them feel better especially when they engage in criminal activities. According to Vito & Maahs (2012), different challenges have been found to cause individuals from committing crime. Poor families have different challenges that make them feel disadvantaged in life. Due to lack of finances, poor families end up having different health problems since they cannot afford medication. In some of the developing countries, poor families suffer from malnutrition and other dietary related diseases. Such diseases are preventable especially when people have good meals, but this is different when it comes to people from poor background. They find it difficult to have three meals in a day. In this regard, people from such families try to find ways of placing meals on their tables. Since very little means are available to do so, they end up engaging in criminal activities such as stealing. They may feel that their supremacy is on the ability to steal from rich people. They mostly blame the forces of nature for their misfortunes and believe that since life is all about survival for the fittest, their ability to steal is their strength and they count is as their own adventure or as a means of earning a living. However, Kelso (1994) noted that such people develop a culture of stealing and find it difficult to engage in positive work to make money. They do not engage in any positive development activity as long as they believe they can survive by stealing. Studies have documented that people from poor backgrounds have little

To what extent, and in what ways, has the constant process of Essay

To what extent, and in what ways, has the constant process of enlargement, impacted on the EU politics and policy process - Essay Example The above issue is discussed in this paper; emphasis is given on the value of enlargement as a tool for strengthening the political and economic position of EU; the impact of enlargement on various EU politics and processes is also examined taking into consideration the fact that enlargement is a demanding process requiring a long period of preparation and being related to certain risks – especially because of the different political, social and economic patterns of European countries. It is proved that the enlargement processes developed in the European Union up today have all affected, more or less, the EU politics and processes; however, among them, it is the fifth enlargement process which most influenced EU politics and policies. For the above reason, the fifth enlargement, which developed in two phases, in 2004 and 2007, is extensively discussed in this paper using the literature published in the particular field. When the European Union was first established – in itially, as a European Community – in 1957 (Treaty of Rome), no term was set regarding the development of a Community regional policy (Bache 31). The reference to economic activities, which would be initiated by the entire member states –jointly – could be possibly, regarded as such policy, even not clearly. Through the decades, it was made clear that the achievement of the targets of the Union would be a challenging task. For this reason, the need for its expansion was through to be unavoidable – a practice which was proved particularly helpful towards the development and the strengthening of European Union so that to become a major force in the global market. In its initial form, the European Union had 6 states – today, its members are estimated to 27, as a result of 5 enlargements. The specific processes have been used in order to increase the power of EU within the international community but also in order to promote integration across the Euro pean Union. Among these enlargements the one which is most important is the fifth one developed into two phases: the first phase took place in 2004 and the second in 2007. Through the fifth enlargement – a process that has been characterized as the most important strategic decision of the EU in the 21st century (Europa, Enlargement 2011) – the European Union was significantly expanded acquiring 12 new members (Europa, Enlargement 2011). The criteria and the terms of enlargement – as one of the European Union’s key processes – are included in the ‘article 49 of the Treaty of the European Union’ (Europa, Enlargement 2011). In accordance with the above article, the key priority of the enlargement process is to ensure that the applicant countries are adequately prepared so that to meet their obligations – as stated by the relevant EU rules; of course, the legislative, political and social characteristics of each candidate country ar e taken into consideration when these processes are developed. However, in any case, it needs to be ensured that the candidate countries will be able to respond to their obligations – as members of the Union – and to align their policies/ rules with those of the Union (Europa, Enlargement 2011). At this point, it would be necessary to refer briefly to the history of enlargements