Smoke-laden Essay Example for Free

Smoke-laden Essay We read the following Sherlock Holmes stories; The adventure of the veiled lodger, The speckled band, The red headed league, The crooked man and The silver blaze. In detail I studied The adventure of the veiled lodger, The speckled band and The silver blaze. In terms of narrative of the characters, the use of language, Structure and the authors view point and then compared them. In The veiled lodger Holmes is passed on a message by a landlord, from a tenant. It said do you wish to find out what really happened to Mr. Render. When Holmes and Watson got to the house they find out that the tenant was Mrs. Render. They also found out that Mr. Render did not die the way they originally thought, which was being attacked by a lion, but it was a murder carried out by Mrs. Render and her lover called Leonardo. They did this because of the way that Mr. Render treated Mrs. Render, he would abuse her when she commented on how he had other women. They made the murder look like it was a lion from the circus attacking him, by using a club with nails attached, to look like claws but the plan went wrong. They managed to attack Mr. Render but when Mrs. Render opened the loins cage to let the lion loose from the cage the smell of blood had sent it wild and it turned on Mrs. Render. The Speckled Band is about a family of two sisters and their step father. The mother had died and left a sum of money in the step fathers possession to keep the whole family going. When the daughters gets married some of the money was to go to them, so that the money in the end will be split three ways between them. When one daughter does get engaged she starts to notice strange occurrences, like a low whistle early in the morning about three am which is not normal. She then dies in mysterious circumstances and the case was never solved. When the second of the daughters got engaged she had to move into her sisters old room as her room was supposedly being decorated, she too started to hear a low whistle early in the morning. She then comes and finds Holmes and explains her situation she asks him to investigate what is happening. Holmes looks at all the evidence and clues only to discovers that the step father is planting a deadly snake in their bed each night and then calls it back after so long using a whistle and milk. The plan was that the snake would bite the daughters and then he could call the snake back before someone could see it. In The silver blaze Holmes is called to investigate the murder of a man and the where abouts of a lost racing horse. When Holmes gets to the site he notices something even before he has left the carriage, he stays sat down quiet for a moment and when he gets up he doesnt say what it was he noticed, which was that some of the sheep seemed to be lame. When the case is closed he then reveals what he found and how he got his conclusion. What actually happened was the victim had drugged the stable boy and taken the horse out in to the moors, where he attempted to take a nick out of a bone of the horse so that would be paralysed . It would therefore lose its next race. He did this because he had a bet on another horse to win. But the plan went wrong when he started to cut the horse, as it kicked him in the head killing him. The horse had wondered off and had been found by the rival horse trainer and then hidden. In these three short stories there are some big similarities, they all contain a murder they are either at the start of the story, end or both. The plots begin very close to the start of the stories this makes the readers intrigued sooner and therefore continue to read the stories. The odd murder is in The veiled lodger where the story is been told as past not present like The Speckled Band and The silver blaze. There are more similarities in The Speckled Band and The silver blaze because of this. For instance both the stories were solved by Holmes instead of Holmes been told the story, this could have a negative effect upon the reader because it is harder for them to become involved in the story as they already know the outcome. The characters in The veiled lodger and The Speckled Band have similarities between them, for example Helen and Mrs. Render both have a dominant male in there lifes who they fear. Helen goes behind Dr. Royllots back to see Holmes and does not confront Dr. Royllot. Mrs. Render also describes Mr. Render as being the devil. But there are still some similarities with The silver blaze, for example the victims wife in The silver blaze and Mrs. Render in The veiled lodger both have men which dont stay faithful to them. In The veiled lodger Mrs. Render is a middle aged widow, she got married young to the circus manager and found out too late it was a wrong decision because he physically abused her. This drove Mrs. Render to her limits and she planned his murder. She did this with Leonardo a lover of hers he was the strong man in the circus. He came up with the killing method but when the plan did go wrong he ran from the scene. When the other people heard Mrs. Render they came to help and Leonardo came to. This shows what judge of character Mrs. Render has, it is clear that she has a poor judge of character.

Netflix Essay -- Technology, DVD Rentals

Introduction Reed Hastings (co-founded) founded Netflix in 1997. During this time, Netflix offered DVD rentals by mail. As Netflix went public in 2002, shortly a year later their subscription reached the one million mark (Netflix Management, 2011). Recently, Netflix is recognized as one of the 50 most innovative companies, ranking number eight for â€Å"streaming itself into a $9 billion powerhouse (and crushing Blockbuster)† with 20 million subscribers (fastcompany.com, 2011). This success shows how Netflix embraced a business approach where their mission was to take the troublesome experience of everyday consumers and transform them into a business opportunity. Below illustrates how Netflix rank in other categories. Number 1 Number 2 Number 3 Number 4 Film Netflix Double Negative Real D Dreamworks Video YouTube Twitter Netflix FX Web Companies Twitter Google Zynga Netflix Learning Team A will describes and evaluate Netflix’s innovation strategy, the specific products offered to their members, and the benefits that the company brings to its customers and employees. To begin, innovation goes beyond an invention. It captures the opportunity for change, growth, and market leadership that allows leaps within the industry in multiple ways (Pearce & Robinson, 2011, p. 376). Simply stated on Merriam-Webster.com, innovation is â€Å"the introduction to something new; a new idea, method, or device† Netflix’s Innovative Overview The outlook for Netflix has developed a trend of continuous growth with subscribers and providing products with a substantial cost advantage by distributing a wide variety of titles that appeal to different customer groups (Anthony, 2005). The success of Netflix was simply listening to consumer’s feedback regard... ...a remarkable opportunity to grow in the industry and lead as an innovative provider, Netflix has much opportunity to satisfy its customers and maintain their attention with their revolutionary business growth (Martala, 2009). Their success goes beyond their product. As stated, it is a combination of their culture of high performance drivers and fosters the â€Å"freedom and responsibility† mindset (Elliott, 2010). Because of their innovation and gradual entry into the market, Netflix has the competitive advantage to add layers of products for growth for years to come. Currently, Netflix has the competitive advantage to increase price and retain their current customer base. Even more beneficial, is the opportunity to attract additional subscribers with their new features. To end this, combining their products, price, culture, and strategic plan makes Netflix innovative.

Lady Macbeth, the three witches and Macbeth Essay

The play was set in 1040 in Scotland; it deals with the issues in his life that is still relevant today in order to fulfil his emission. Macbeth starts out as a national hero and co leader of the Scottish army, he quickly gains popularity. Until one day he receives a prophecy, which turns him on an evil rampage. Where he sets off in a killing spree to try and become king. However he has doubts and maybe even some regrets about his choices. It seems to mess with hiss head for example after he killed Duncan he keeps seeing what he thinks is his ghost, is he sane? Other characters include Lady Macbeth, the three witches, Banquo, Duncan, Malcolm and Mac duff. In total there are 32 characters. Lady Macbeth is a very strong minded character. She can be very ruthless at times; she is very supportive of her husband but can also push him into things. She has a strong influence on him when committing several murders. She knows what needs to be done to get the job done. This would be very different from the typical Shakespearian woman who would have been very quiet and little power over their husbands her opening soliloquy introduces her as a very strong character that will stand up and fight for what she believes in. If it had not been for lady Macbeth the murder of Duncan may not have went ahead as it was mainly her who put him up to it. She also went back for the daggers that he used to murder him so this stopped him getting caught, this shows that she doesn’t want any harm to come to her husband and she clearly must love him. However what she had turned Macbeth into would be his down fall. She had turned him into something he had never wanted to become, a cold blooded murder. Back in Shakespearian people were very scared and believed fully in the supernatural. They would have heard stories of these sorts of things so when they heard of the three witches telling prophecies they would have been wary. The appearance and strange characteristics of the witches also added an effect. Their clothing added a 3rd dimension to their character, the way they are descried â€Å"the ripped old dirty rags†. Their skinny bodies, cold withered faces add to the disturbing image. All in all not the sort of people you want to meet in a dark alley. When they told Macbeth that he would become king if he killed Duncan, this had a very strong influence on Macbeth. If it had not been for them he would have never thought twice about killing him. The help of the witches soon led to many regrets â€Å"neither man nor woman can harm him† said the witches. The witches may have liked him all along; this is why they told him their predictions. Macbeth’s character changes dramatically through the play, so also do peoples views of him. In the beginning he is introduced as a highly respected general, a hero! Soon becomes easily scared and persuaded into bad things. I think this show how the pursuit for power can destroy your life. Macbeth had a great position and lots of respect but it wasn’t enough. He gave every thing he had to pursue being king and look here it got him, committed terrible deeds and the people just lost all respect for him.

Crows, Ravens and Jays - Corvidae - The Animal Encyclopedia

Crows, ravens and jays (Corvidae) are a group of perching birds that also includes jackdaws, rooks, magpies, nutcrackers, choughs and treepies. In total, there are more than 120 species that belong to the crow family. Crows, ravens and jays are medium to large birds. The group includes the largest members of the perching birds. Many crows, ravens and jays have large wingspans. They have a robust body, strong feet and sturdy bills. Their nares (nasal openings) are fringed by bristle-like feathers known as rictal bristles. In temperate areas, most members of the group are partly or entirely black, blue, iridescent blue or iridescent purple. Some species, such as the magpies and jays, are more varied in color. They might have plumage with a mixture of black, white, grey and blue markings. Members of this group of birds are thought to be highly intelligent, not just among birds but among all animals. Crows and rooks have demonstrated tool making abilities while European magpies have exhibited self-awareness in mirror tests. Many members of the crow family establish and protect territories either during the breeding season or throughout the year. When threatened, some corvids can defend their offspring or territories aggressively and are known to attack large animals such as other birds, dogs or cats. Many species of corvids form social groups and hierarchies for foraging and breeding. Many species of corvids have flourished in human environments. But while such species have enjoyed healthy populations, a few corvids have experienced declines. Examples of threatened members of the crow family include the Florida scrub jay, the Mariana crow and the New Zealand raven. Crows and their relatives form strong pair bonds and in some species this association is life-long. In most species, nests are constructed in trees or on rock ledges. Nests are built using twigs, grass and other plant materials. Females lay between 3 and 10 eggs and young fledge after about 10 days. The largest member of the crow family is the common raven which grows to more than 26 inches in length and weighs 3 pounds. The smallest member of the crow family is the dwarf jay which grows to about 8 inches and weighs little more than an ounce. Crows, ravens and jays have a nearly-worldwide distribution. They are absent from only the southern tip of South America and the polar regions. The group is most diverse in tropical regions of Central America, South America, Asia and Europe. Most members of the crow family do not migrate although when food shortages occur, populations do relocate. Classification Animals Chordates Birds Perching Birds Crows, Ravens and Jays The crows, ravens and jays are divided into about a dozen subgroups, some of which include New World jays, grey jays, azure-winged magpies, Holarctic magpies, Stresemanns bushcrow, piapiac, true crows, nutcrackers, Old World jays, Oriental magpies, treepies and choughs. The crow family is thought to have originated in Australia and spread throughout the world. The closest relatives of the crows, ravens and jays are thought to be the birds of paradise and shrikes. There remains considerable ambiguity regarding the exact lineages and their relationships within the crow family. The earliest members of the crow family date back about 17 million years ago to the middle Miocene. Known fossils include Miocorvus, Miocitta, Miopica and Henocitta. Crows, ravens and jays feed a variety of foods including small mammals, birds, invertebrates as well as fruits, seeds and berries. Some members of the crow family feed on insects such as grasshoppers while others feed on carrion.