Game Theory Essay

Game theory emerged as a scholarly field of study in the first half of the 20th century. Since that time, it has significantly affected various academic disciplines, such as economics, political science and biology. Although the term â€Å"game theory† may suggest a certain frivolity, the concepts underlying it have many real-world applications and offer a structured and logical method of considering strategic situations. The parallels between competitive games and strategic business situations should be fairly obvious. Consider the game of chess. There are two players, each of whom makes moves in sequence. After observing the move made by the first player, the second player makes a counter move. Then the first player, having observed the first two moves, makes the third move and so on. Compare this to the business situation of gas stations competing for customers through strategic pricing. (The players in this case are station A and station B. ) Suppose, for instance, that station A starts by choosing a new pricing strategy. Given station A’s decision, station B decides how it will set its prices. Given station B’s response, station A can choose to revise its pricing strategy and so on. The objective of each gas station in this â€Å"game† is to maximise its own profit. For each to do so, it must be continually acting and reacting to its competitor in the market as well as anticipating competitive responses when making decisions. What does game theory have to offer? First, game theory provides a framework, or formal procedure, for analysing any competitive situation (or â€Å"game†). Specifically, it forces you to identify the players in a game (consumers, sellers, input providers, governments, foreign organisations, etc. , their possible actions and reactions to the actions of other players, and the payoffs or rewards implicit in the game. Game theory models reduce the world in which businesses operate from a highly complex one to one that is simpler but nevertheless retains some important characteristics of the original. By capturing and clarifying the most significant aspects of competition and interdependence, game theory models make it possible to break down a complex competitive situation into its key components and to analyse the complex dynamics between players. In order for game theory to be truly useful in analysing such complex situations, certain assumptions need to be made. The most significant assumption is that the players in a game are choosing their actions optimally; that is, they are choosing their actions in the hope of maximising their ultimate payoff and they assume that the other players are doing likewise. Without this assumption, game theory cannot successfully model real-world situations. Because game theory can realistically model business situations, it helps businesses to make optimal decisions and choose optimal actions. In other words, by â€Å"solving† a game, a business can identify its optimal actions (assuming, as always, that all the other players are also choosing their actions optimally). This is especially valuable because it helps companies choose the right business strategies when confronted with a complex strategic situation. In what types of business situations can game theory be applied? Click on the linkhere to find out. The nature of the solution(s) in game theory also motivates businesses to analyse how the structure of the game can be altered so that a different (and perhaps a more favourable) game can be played. Because of its systematic approach, game theory allows businesses to examine the consequences of actions that they may not have considered. It is worth noting here that many games involving business are different from games in other fields. For instance, in business, many players can win (and lose) simultaneously, which obviously is not the case with chess. Additionally, because of the interdependent nature of most business relationships, these games are not always ones of direct competition. Consider a game between manufacturer and supplier — both have incentives to do well, but each also has a vested interest in the success of the other. Furthermore, unlike some other games with fixed rules, the rules of business are continuously in flux. They may be formulated by law, by tradition or by accident. Often, however, players have an influence on how rules are decided. How does game theory differ from microeconomics? Because game theory can be used to model almost any economic situation, it might seem redundant to study both microeconomics and game theory. However, microeconomics tends to focus on cases in which there are many buyers and sellers or there is one seller (or buyer) and many buyers (or sellers). Yet here are many instances in which there are a few buyers or sellers. Markets in which more than one but still only a few firms compete are known as â€Å"oligopolies. † Oligopolists are acutely aware of their interdependence. Each firm’s decisions in the market depend on the specific assumptions it makes about how its rivals make pricing and output decisions. In addition, there are other situations in which there is one buyer and one seller. Microeconomics without game theory does not adequately address these matters. Consider a market in which the number of producers is small. In aircraft manufacturing, two firms, Boeing and Airbus, control 100 percent of the world market for commercial aircraft. Each firm recognises that its pricing and production decisions have important implications for its rival’s profitability. As a consequence, each firm attempts to guess which actions its rival will take. But each must also recognise that its rival will also be guessing as to what it will do. Clearly, such interactions are inadequately represented by classic microeconomic models, which assume that the firms are price takers. In some other markets, the number of buyers is small. For instance, the wholesale market for diamonds is dominated by a small group of global firms; therefore, diamond producers may find that implicit (or explicit) collusion between buyers makes it difficult for the diamond producers to exercise market power. Once again, classic microeconomic models may be missing a very important feature of actual markets. Click on each of the links below to read a few real-world examples in which game theory is applicable.

Diversity Training Essay

Diversity training is training intended to increase cultural awareness, knowledge and skills, and increase the inclusion of identity groups. This ultimately is designed to assist an organization promote a more diverse corporate culture, protect against civil rights issues, and promote better teamwork. This is accomplished through training in communications to all levels of an organization, reinforcement of policies and procedures to be more inclusive, design and implementation of strategies that limit the potential problems associated with lower diversity levels or diversity awareness. TYPES: Diversity Training Workshops * Diversity training workshops last about two to three hours, and courses last a minimum of four days. Workshops and courses teach conflict resolution skills, preparation for increases in racial and gender diversity, international work and safeguarding against harassment. Unfortunately, diversity training through workshops or courses produces only short-term positive effects. It seems that the â€Å"afterglow† of this type of training fades fast. Diversity Offices * Having a diversity office provides more training opportunities than a workshop or course does. Diversity offices can offer follow-up sessions in addition to the more extensive three-day to one-week diversity training sessions they conduct. Sojourner Training * Companies that compete in the international marketplace use sojourner training to help employees who will relocate to a foreign country. Once employees go through this type of diversity training prior to managing or working in foreign operations, their effectiveness increases. Sojourner training also provides counselling to help employees readjust to their return home. Ongoing Reinforcement * Rather than simply offering a short-term course or workshop, companies that make a real difference in diversity training are those that practice equality on an ongoing basis. In these companies, diversity is not just an add-on but also a major part of the corporate culture. In other words, to truly achieve diversity in the workplace, a company must practice what it preaches. Examples of ongoing reinforcement are hiring a diverse employee pool, recognition for diversity efforts, allowing minority groups to form support groups and celebrating cultures via special programs. How to Develop a Diversity Training Program Developing a diversity training program for your organization typically involves assessing your team’s needs, designing materials that reflect your training requirements, delivering workshops and reference materials and evaluating your efforts. Companies that implement diversity training programs to advocate workplace diversity tend to have higher employee retention rates, improved morale, reduced lawsuits and improved recruiting. Step 1 Initiate a diversity training program development project by identifying the project sponsors and stakeholders. Interview these people, conduct focus groups or conduct online surveys to gather input about the current environment in your organization and what behaviours need to change. Common topics include managing change, effective communication, cultural awareness, dealing with gender issues and conflict resolution. Step 2 Define objectives for your program. For example, you may want to minimize miscommunication and misinterpretation on the job. You may also want employees to recognize and value differences in age, experience, social customs, sense of time and demeanour. Achieving these types of objectives enables you to manage a culturally diverse and multi-generational workforce and resolve minor incidents before they become bigger problems. Step 3 Design your workshop. Prepare presentation materials to instruct participants about definitions and concepts associated with diversity. Intersperse long periods of instruction with interactive activities such as ice breakers, role-playing exercises and case studies. Ensure your content flows smoothly and covers all the relevant topics. Step 4 Deliver your workshop at team meetings, company events or separate training sessions. Decide how long your session should last, depending on the number of topics you want to cover, the number of participants and the participant’s familiarity with the content. Step 5 Create a quiz to test employees on their knowledge of diversity topics. Step 6 Evaluate your program’s effectiveness by creating an online survey to assess participant satisfaction. Talk with managers several months after your event to see if people have changed their behaviour and become more tolerant of people whose values may differ from their own. The Advantages of Diversity Training Fewer Lawsuits: One of main causes of concern in upper management is lawsuits filed by employees for discrimination, sexual harassment and wrongful dismissal. Diversity training helps all employees in a company to know what the laws are and what the company policies are. With training, people learn what acceptable behaviour is when dealing with a subordinate, peer or someone you feel is different from you in a way such as race, religion, nationality or physical abilities. In many cases, a situation is interpreted differently by the people involved, leading to misunderstandings and charges of wrongdoing. Once the employees have clear guidelines on how they should behave towards one another in the workplace, there are few misunderstandings and, subsequently, fewer lawsuits. Diversity training reinforces the policies that are already in place to protect employees and the company. Increased Job Satisfaction: When diversity training is successful, individuals are happier with their jobs. The training helps them to understand what is expected of them and what they can expect from their peers and supervisors. During diversity training, people get to ask question and discuss their concerns. Along with this knowledge and the feeling of being heard, people have a better understanding of the workplace environment and their role in it. This job satisfaction leads to a higher retention rate. Content employees are less likely to quit and look for new jobs. Employees happy in their jobs are more motivated and are more productive. These improved attitudes help the company as a whole to run more efficiently. More Diverse Workplace: Diversity training points out how alike people are, even if on the surface, they seem different. This knowledge leads to hiring managers and human resources personnel being more open to hiring people from all backgrounds and walks of life. Having a more diverse workplace makes the work place a more interesting environment. The training also unifies people with diverse backgrounds around a common goal. With proper training, a diversified workplace has everyone working together as a team to help the company succeed and grow. Disadvantages of Diversity Training Hiring Manager Authority: In the name of increasing workplace diversity, employers may feel pressured to recruit applicants from diverse groups. Many hiring managers believe that employer edicts concerning increasing diversity require them to overlook more suitably qualified applicants in favor of applicants who bring diversity — not necessarily talent — to the organization. In these circumstances, hiring managers may begin to resent how increasing workplace diversity affects their ability to exercise independent judgment, as well as their authority in making hiring decisions. Workplace Relationships: Employees who realize the company’s goal is to increase diversity may feel they are less important if they don’t represent the typical diverse populations that focus on race, sex, national origin, age and disability. In a workplace where employees don’t belong to diverse populations, these employees may feel undervalued and unappreciated based purely on the fact that they don’t represent diversity. They also might believe that employees from diverse groups have more opportunities for advancement, thus disrupting the working relationships they once had with colleagues and co-workers. Myriad Accommodations: Although the premise of workplace diversity is mutual respect, making accommodations for numerous diverse groups’ demands can become burdensome on employers, making diversity management difficult. Employee requests and work constraints based on religion, national origin, gender and race can become overwhelming if your workplace has so much diversity that it takes a full-time human resources staff member just to keep track of accommodating the needs of diverse groups in the workplace. Examples of accommodating numerous diverse populations include translating materials into multiple languages and having interpreters on hand for meetings with employees, accommodating employee absences due to religious practices or disabilities, as well as adjusting business hours to coincide with preferred schedules for employees with different work styles and personal obligations. Diversity Training at Infosys A global company must reflect the diversity of the world it serves. Their employees represent the widest possible variety of nationalities, cultures, gender identities, employment histories, and levels of physical ability. They recruit employees from global talent pools and provide paths for professional growth to all members of society. Within such a diverse company, people bring to the workplace contrasting opinions and worldviews. As these people interact, they develop new ideas, methods and perspectives. Infosys recognizes and promotes this power of diversity to drive innovation. Infosys actively fosters inclusivity across business units and company offices. They encourage employees to focus on their commonalities and de-emphasize differences. Inclusivity ultimately makes for more informed and sensitive teams that can serve customers better. Infosys was the first Indian IT company to establish an office for diversity and inclusivity. Their workforce comprises people from 89 natio nalities working from 32 countries, with 34.7% women on board and a multi-generational representation. Talent diversity is the key to propel their business growth engines and sustain momentum. Employee resource groups They work towards increasing employee motivation, their ability to collaborate and innovate with internal as well as external stakeholders and to have a positive business impact on their business success through various diversity and inclusivity programs. Creating Common Ground Highlights and educates employees about the values and cultural ethos. The program employs innovative approaches and communication campaigns channelled through live events, their intranet, their corporate TV channel, mailers and posters. Family Matters Family Matters promotes work-life balance among young parents. It also offers family enrichment programs and workshops, networking opportunities to employees for support and information sharing. IGLU Infosys Gay Lesbian employees and You (IGLU) creates a safe and respectful work environment for employees from the LGBT community. Awareness programs and exclusive events are held to create awareness and foster inclusion. Ineffability Ineffability creates a sensitive and inclusive workplace for differently-abled employees. Regular accessibility audits are conducted to ensure that their infrastructure is accessible to differently-abled employees. The World Disability Day is celebrated on all their campuses and policies are enhanced/ changed keeping in mind the special needs of differently-abled employees. IWIN The Infosys Women’s Inclusivity Network (IWIN), works towards creating a gender-sensitive and inclusive work environment for women employees and develop them for managerial and leadership roles. IWIN partners with gender networks and forums across the globe to benchmark. Samaritans Network Volunteers trained in barefoot counselling listen, empathize, support and counsel fellow employees and help them cope with life’s challenges, mostly personal in nature. This initiative is a first-of-its-kind in India and is active on their seven campuses and had positive outcomes for over 638 employees.

Art History Midterm Essay Example for Free

Art History Midterm Essay The tomb painters were more of artisans than they were artists in ancient Egypt. The reason for this is they didn’t typically come up with the ideas for what they were painting in the tombs; they were told what to paint and painted it. Artists would have had free range on what to paint rather than being told what to paint exactly. Artisans are more the people who can actually paint someone’s idea who might not be able to design or paint the idea given. One rationale reason for cave paintings in prehistoric times, that I have heard and agree with is that they painted these things on the walls in hope that the creatures would come so they would have food among other things. One particular example would be all the paintings in the Las Caux cave in France; it is a cave entirely full of images of bulls. Bulls or bison were a source of not only food but probably clothing and they could use other parts of the body for various things. These animals were extremely important for their culture to survive. I believe they painted them on the walls not only to honor the creatures for all they did to help their people but also as wishful thinking. It’s the whole â€Å"if you build it they will come† idea, if the people painted these animals maybe something miraculously would help their hunting season better. This theory helps show how they believed in gods and looked for help from a higher being just like we do now. 3. During ancient times goddess statues were extremely popular all over the then world. One of the most famous goddess statues is the Venus of Willendorf. She is the very first goddess statue that has been found and dates back to 24,000 bce. She is a very small pudgy statue with and large female areas; her face is not there and is replaces with grooves. The statue has no feet and cannot stand on its own. The way that the statue was created shows the importance of fertility and women by not only the enlarged breast but the wide hips that would be of assistance when it comes to giving birth. They most likely used this little statue to wish new couples luck when it comes to reproducing and it was a fertility statue. Modern day has a much different view on our â€Å"goddess† culture. People nowadays look up to Barbie dolls and stick thin models and celebrities. So much has changed since then. The prehistoric times and even up until more recent times believed that fuller women were beautiful and even that it showed wealth. I think that our culture looks up to the wrong people when it comes to our versions of a â€Å"goddess culture†. One Mesopotamian civilization that I like is Babylon. It was a land in the Fertile Crescent between the rivers like most civilizations in that time period. They had one of the most influential and important leaders, Hammurabi, who came up with one of the most well known set of laws or Hammurabi’s code. Babylon also was the home of one of the Seven Wonders of the World the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Babylon was a very well set up society and really changed the way people governed their civilizations. They were one of the first cultures to write down their set of rules and stick by them through thick and thin and that was entirely new. Question 1: When it comes to restoring artwork it is a tricky subject. I think that they should restore art but not add anything to it because it makes it a different then it was originally portrayed. I think restoring the art so it is in full form is ideally good because we want future generations to see the pieces of art the way they were meant to be viewed. I mean yes, it is using a lot of time and a lot of hours to be fixing something that is broken and old, but it’s our history. If these artifacts were not there we would have no look into our past and how people lived. People should fix up old paintings, statues and buildings because not only is it part of history but it’s incredible to see how people could build such magnificent things without the technology we have today. It makes people appreciate what they have now and all the advances we have gone through. When it is 300,000 years from now and out pictures and buildings are slowly falling apart we would want someone to take their time and interest to fix up something that we once held as a huge part of our lives and our society. If the paintings, statues and buildings were built and built so beautifully they were made that way for a reason. Art is art and I think we should do everything humanly possible to keep this world as beautiful through the decades as it was meant to be when they first were displayed. Art History Midterm. (2018, Oct 30).

Background to Desired Work Area (Disaster Management and Charity Essay

Background to Desired Work Area (Disaster Management and Charity Organizations) - Essay Example 13 of 2005 passed by the Parliament of Sri Lanka† (Ministry of Disaster Management, 2011). Most often than not, disaster management organizations are more focused on disaster prevention rather than reducing the harm when disasters strike. This is because as it is said, prevention is better than cure. Charity organizations work in much the same way as disaster management organizations and their duties are actually interrelated. This means that charity organizations need disaster management organizations and disaster management organizations need charity organizations in the jurisdictions of their responsibilities. It is worth noting that disaster management and charity organizations may be handled by non-governmental organization and in most cases, these organizations are non-profit making. Works therefore work as volunteers. On the there hand, there are some organizations that employee staff and pay them duly (Inland Revenue Department, 2011). Because of this, the staffs are al ways required to meet certain basic qualifications. The latter scenario is what applies in this personal development plan. Why I desire chosen recruiters There is a notion that people seek employment for financial gains. But seeking employment should not be all about financial gains. It is very important that a person has a lot of passion for the desired job he or she seeks. With such passion, one is able to develop a lot love and commitment towards work and by extension help in increasing productivity. The development of passion for a particular job offer does not also come unaided. With my personal experience, apart from the fact that my academic area of study relates to disaster management, I have a lot of passion for disaster management and charity organization because I regard the act of helping others as a social responsibility. I have a philosophy that we all are each person’s keep and so in my own little way, I have to take up a career or job that will in itself help me to offer help and assistance to other people. Even more, I am highly for the concept that prevention is better than cure. For this reason, I want to be part of a team that will be tasked with finding ways of helping in the reduction of disaster risks in society. Overall Tasks and Responsibilities The specific recruiters in question are Deloitte & Touche LLP's ("Deloitte & Touche's") Audit and Enterprise Risk Services. The specific position being offered is Senior Manager: Business Continuity Management & Disaster Recovery. The potential candidate is supposed to meet certain skills and knowledge requirements. These skills and knowledge requirements have been summed into the overall tasks and responsibilities of the potential candidate. Highlighted areas of tasks and responsibilities are given as Identification and evaluation of business and technology risks. This task requires the senior manager to have insightful knowledge and skill in the use and operation of modern technology a nd risk assessment techniques. Assisting with the selection and tailoring of approaches, methods and tools to support service offering or industry projects. This call for the skill and knowledge in visionary planning that will help in the institutionalization of methods and approaches that are directed towards the overall growth of the

Nursing Scholarship for 2011-12 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Nursing for 2011-12 - Scholarship Essay Example However, despite my interest in studying nursing and thereby gain a good career, I also have some serious financial insufficiency which is required to realize mu long cherished dream. Hence I am applying for this scholarship and have also provided the proof of my parent’s income which is low and would not suffice for pursuing my studies. Given their condition, I do not want to place an extra burden on them with regard to my study fees. As my parents, I have always wanted to provide for them as much as possible from my end and not tax them. Hence obtaining a scholarship will help me to alleviate my financial problems and help me realize my goals. I ensure that I would do my best and be committed and sincere in my studies. I am basically a hardworking person and with the goals that I have set for my future, I would only increase my hard work and my capability to deliver the best in my studies. Hence, I kindly request you to grant me the scholarship and enable me to complete my s tudies in the nursing field.

Issues Surrounding the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor Research Paper

Issues Surrounding the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor - Research Paper Example This paper explores the issues surrounding the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor was to deprive America of its naval strength so that Japan could easily expand into China and the Dutch East Indies. The nature of attack When the interests of a country are threatened, its government and military forces can go to any lengths to take measures to neutralize those threats. Same happened with Japan whose expansion in China was threatened by the placement of the oil embargo upon her by America. The US Military essentially served as a threat for Japan’s interests, and so Japan acted to neutralize them. History provides evidence that America herself has acted in similar ways to expand. For example, the Mexican people and the indigenous people of America were eradicated from the land so that the Americans could achieve their manifest destiny. Although the assassination of the American servicemen in the Pearl Harbor attack is tragic, yet the Pearl Harb or attack by Japan seems justified from an impartial standpoint. Lack of war declaration One argument that is consistently raised against Japan on the Pearl Harbor attack is that the attack was undeclared. Japan made a sneak attack rather than declaring a war formally simply because she wanted to win. It was not a kind of war in which Japan wanted to show its power or uplift its ego that she would feel the need to challenge America upfront. Instead, all Japan wanted was to oust a country that was intruding into her plans of expansion, and Japan would choose any way to achieve that because accomplishment of her plans mattered the most. Saying that the attack was illegal does not make sense because law and war are two terms that do not go with each other. Anticipation of war Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor was meant directed at the neutralization of the US Pacific Fleet, so that Japan’s advancement into the Dutch East Indies and Malaya that would provide Japan with access to a range of natural resources including rubber and oil could be ensured. Both America and Japan were aware of the possibility of war because of the growing tensions between the two countries since 1920s, though the invasion of Manchuria by Japan in 1931 marked the beginning of the most complicated terms between America and Japan. â€Å"The U.S. did not want to take military action in China, but it attempted to influence the foreign powers to take a strong stand against Japan† (Perkins, 1997, p. 111). During the 1930s, Japan’s continued expansion into China led to the commencement of war between Japan and China in 1937. The attack Nanking Massacre caused by Japan and her attack on the USS Panay increased the fear of Japanese expansion in the West and sharply turned the people of the West against Japan. As a result of the growing pressure from the people, the UK, France, and America resolved to provide China with loan assistance for the supply contracts related to war . In 1940, Japan tried to control the supplies that reached China by invading French Indochina (Gin, 2004, p. 651), but the shipment of machine tools, airplanes, aviation gasoline, and parts were halted by America. Japan understandably thought of it as an unfriendly act by America. However, to dilute the perceived unfriendliness by Japan, America continued to export oil to Japan. This was done, in part, because stopping oil export was perceived as an extreme step in Washington and was enough to provoke Japan. The ideological affinity between Britain and America was unquestionable in 1939, but large swathes of the American media and public were

Point of Sale System Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Point of Sale System - Research Paper Example The United States and other countries which have a lot of international activities thus receive many visitors from the world over have the highest number of sale transactions. As a result of the increased usage of point of sale system in almost every retail store, fraudsters have come up with technologies to skim customer cards, produce replica cards and defraud users of their money. This has forced major car producing and regulating companies Visa and MasterCard to move from magnetic strip cards to EM which is more secure as it requires the use of a pin code and has a chip. Compared to other countries such as the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, the UK and other parts of the world card fraud in USA has been significantly low. But as this other markets migrate to EMV their fraud rates have seen tremendous reduction while the United States’ have been going upwards due delays in migration from magnetic strip. The American card market heavily relies on the magnetic strip cards and this could behind the rising fraud rates; fraud has risen by 70% since the year 2004 with 2010 representing the first year in time when fraud rates on cards issued in the United States was higher compared to cards issued in the UK (King, 2012). In conclusion therefore the use of point of sale systems has become popular the America and the whole world. Fraud has evolved and targeted plastic money necessitating the change of technology to EMV. The United States has been slow in moving to EMV due to high presence of signature verification cards and mag strips. Migrating from magnetic strip cards will therefore be a huge milestone in curbing card counterfeiting in

Furniture piece (I WILL DO IT)in the Aesthetic movement, U.S Assignment

Furniture piece (I WILL DO IT)in the Aesthetic movement, U.S. (1890-1915) - Assignment Example birth of various skillful craftspeople who have flourished because of the artistic outlet they achieved through hand making of the most durable and beautiful goods ever. Based on this, there has emerged a group of extremely talented artisans termed as Roycroft Renaissance Artisans, who have continuously carried on with the tradition of producing high quality goods. It is a modern day edition of Arts & Crafts movement, and serves towards preservation and protection of the quality and vision of the American Arts & Crafts (Koon, 2004).   The Roycroft designs have indeed brought in a lot of significance towards the growth and establishment of America’s aesthetic value and designs. This is because in America at large, the aesthetic Movement has come up to be the first paradigm of the ultimate phenomenon that can now be termed as a ‘Lifestyle’. This is due to the fact that Aesthetic ideal not only applied to the aspects of painting, portraiture, and sculpture, but also to the entire furniture designs courtesy of Roycroft furniture models (Koon, 2004).   In fact, it appears that Roycroft designs has borrowed much from the aesthetic in coming out with completely new models that appear exciting to most customers. The aesthetic ideal is thus one of its kinds in the organization. It generally gave a proposal that being artistic was a significant touchstone of enlightened

The Importance of One Individual Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Importance of One Individual - Assignment Example The group development or team formation goes through many processes. The first step in this regard is called form. In this step, the team’s members are being selected and they are explained about the upcoming challenges and chances, and they are also explained in depth about the motives and goals of the team. Likewise, we were told about the difficulties in maintaining a friendly environment in the team as we were from different communities and we had different views on different topics. In the starting, the members of the group try their finest to give the best possible performance so that they can be noticed by the coaches. Likewise, I and other group members were trying to seek the attention of the coach by giving our best. But we had an aim to achieve the goals we had thought of as an individual. We were not only struggling for the benefit of our team but for our own benefits too. Experienced team members and the leaders began to teach us about the importance of collaborat ion and suitable manners even at this early stage of formation. The team leaders were very directive at this stage. The forming phase of a team is of paramount importance, as it provides the chance to the team members of knowing and understanding each other. This is besides an excellent chance to observe in what manner every member of the group moves as an individual and how they counter to pressure. After the forming phase, our team entered in the phase of ‘Storming’. In this stage, the team addressed about the problems which really needed to be solved, our way to proceed individually and as a group and about the performance criterion of our team. All team members gave their suggestions and ideas and listened to each other. We also tackled with the conflicting views of other team members.

Investigating circuit city comany Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Investigating circuit city comany - Article Example The company was one of the largest consumer-electronics retailers and was also one of the pioneers in the industry, having been founded by Samuel S. Wurtzel as a television store in 1949 (Hartung, 2010) Circuit City achieved tremendous growth from its inception through to the early 1990s. This growth was highlighted by the company’s stock increasing at an annual average rate of 50.5 percent in the decade after going public in 1983, beating all industry peers and placing it at the top of the Fortune 500 service companies' rankings for having the highest return to investors. (Gilligan, 2008) Emerging competitors like Best Buy and Wal-Mart, did not stand a chance of dethroning Circuit City as the dominant force in the consumer-electronics retail market during this period. However, before long, the scenario changed. The grasp that Circuit City held on the market steadily loosened following a string of decisions made in the 1990s. This began when the company tested new ventures tha t distracted its executives from the core business. Circuit City intended to keep up its rapid growth rate by exploring a variety of businesses. It created CarMax in 1993 and followed that by entering the home-security business, which it eventually sold. Later on it was to test the installation and repair of home air-conditioning and heating systems, which it discontinued. The chain even considered opening large furniture stores but scrubbed that plan. (Gilligan, 2008) After all this, the company still invested more than $200 million into creating and selling Divx, a digital video disc rental system. This was to be a massive failure as the system’s viability was questioned by Hollywood studios and other retailers, forcing the company to pull the plug on the project. Circuit City had a lot going on as its executives tried to figure what business to explore, all along straying further from its core business - consumer-electronic retailing. Why over-invest in unknown businesses with low growth rates, rather than invest in known markets with high growth rates? (Hartung, 2010) These experiments allowed Best Buy to gain considerable advantage over Circuit City. Circuit City was complacent in addressing the obvious growing threat from its most formidable competitor, Best Buy - a fatal mistake in the fiercely competitive and fast-evolving retail-electronics industry. Best Buy was a Minneapolis-based retailer that was half the size of Circuit City by sales and number of stores in the early 1990s. Circuit City did not take Best Buy seriously enough since they were not making as much revenue as they did, so why question a successful model they thought. Best Buy on the other hand did not want to emulate Circuit City; it was rather a question of how to be better and different from Circuit City. The intensity of Best Buy’s growth was so significant that by the late 1990s it had a commanding lead over Circuit City in sales per store and unseating Circuit City a s the top consumer-electronics retailer by revenue. From then on, Circuit City was always playing catch up. Due to the expansion of the business into new markets, Circuit City set up many of its new stores in areas with low market growth. These inferior locations opposed to high growth areas where its competitors set up shop, was later a real cause of concern since the new stores had lower returns. Circuit City di

English and Spanish New World Colonies Essay Example for Free

English and Spanish New World Colonies Essay Most of the powerful Western European Nations became involved in exploration of the Americas. Spain started the trend with the exploration of Columbus. Observers realized that Columbus had not discovered Spice Islands south of China, but a whole new world to the Europeans. Expeditions of exploration in search of wealth were the first action of the explorers of the new land. Immediate metal wealth was not found in the Caribbean Islands, but it was found later on the Americas mainland. England was then enticed to claim land for itself, and claimed the lands of North America and benefited from early trading posts. Spain and England both participated in the exploration and colonization of the Americas, but their ambitions were different based upon the surrounding environment. Spain focused its exploration on the lands surrounding the Gulf of Mexico, and the Pacific link on the Western coast of South America. Like the English, the indigenous people of the acted friendly towards the Spanish explorers, then resisted after unjust massacres occurred. This common reaction comes with the part of human nature that accepts others, and rejects them after they have participated in undesirable actions. Similar to the English, the Spanish also colonized the lands of the new world and developed large cities, which served as political and economic centers. The geography of Central and South America contributed greatly to the amount of metals and valuable resources that were extracted from the ground and from the artifacts of the natives. Unlike the English, the Spanish employed Viceroys, or officials to rule the new world to keep order. These Viceroys reported directly to the king, and could be removed from office by a court of lawyers. These rulers were essential to the vast, spread out landmass that the Spanish conquered. Encompassing many different cultures such as the Aztec and the Inca, it was essential for the Spanish to have powerful political figures to run the government in the place of a king. The English however, relied on direct ties to the royalty of England to run their colonies. The English explored the colder, less metal rich region of North America. Although North America lacked in valuable metals, it was the source of furs that would revolutionize the European economy. The English were similar in  their economic views of establishing permanent colonies after the wealth of the trapping of beavers was extracted. Located within North America were greatly diffused native populations of different tribes. This did not lend well to missionary work, or laborers. Unlike the Spanish, the English did not breed with the indigenous people, and they received slaves from Africa to satisfy their labor needs. But similarly to the Spanish, the English contributed a large amount of their revenue created in the Americas to add wealth to their kings, and to expand the size and power of their armies. Overall, the Spanish and English shared many economic goals in expansion and exploration. However, their political structure and social organization differed from the environmental conditions and the personal cultural views. The establishment in political, social, and economic centers of power was a parallel evolution between these two countrys colonies, as is the enrichment of their countrys treasury and power.

Technology and Health Care Paper Essay Example for Free

Technology and Health Care Paper Essay Abstract In the todays global world, technology has grown rapidly and there seems to be no signs of it ever slowing down soon. Computer softwares have provided technological advancements in the health care industry. Consultants have become synonymous within the medical practices and community to provide a wide range of innovative ideas that is geared to making any organization thrive. ABC Consultants is a large prestigious organization hired by the Lady of Merced Care home to help develop an innovative approach using their current computer software and technology. This paper will describe the software product recommended by the author. This paper will discuss the impact of this product to the operation and patient care service provided by the care facility. In the end, a discussion regarding the social, ethical, and economic impact of your product, service, or application to the organization will be enumerate in this paper. Technology and Health Care Paper It is hard to imagine a world without computer devices, electronic data transfer of real-time information and high-tech software programs geared for any aspect of any business market. Throughout the years the technology becomes a major part of health industry. Health care has been one of the successful benefactors of these emerging technologies. Terry, N. (2012) made mentioned in his article that, Todays impact on health care is noted in the use of health care beyond the clinic or hospital setting. The Health  Information Technology (IT) has improved medical outcomes and has transformed healthcare delivery. As the demand for technological advancement heightens the competitiveness within the care home facilities become evident. Now days, case workers and potential residents are looking for facilities willing to provide not just great care but just in time collaboration efforts between the care team. Residential care facilities, case managers and patients are aware of the availability of special software used to create and maintain paperless medical records which can allow immediate access to the patients medical history. For the care home facility office this special software can assists in keeping track of the stock of medicines, purchases and sales, billing, charts, and staff information and much more. Storing data collected and medical reports of patients is easier with computers, and with both privacy and environmental concerns being a part of todays world, maintaining the data in computers is a more eco-friendly way of storing this information. Lady of Merced is a residential care facility licensed to care for 15-20 mentally disabled young adults. The facility is licensed and is a vendor of the Regional Center of The East Bay under the jurisdiction of the Department of Health. This highly regulated branch of the health care industry serves to protect not only these disabled individuals patient right as well as their dignity and independence. In order to maintain funding by these entities, data collection regarding various points must be collected and stored. These datas range from consumers individual living skills, training, behavioral episodes and activities to name a few. State compliance records such as fire drills, continuing educations; personnel, payroll and tax information to name a few must also be recorded and kept. Having been in business for over 10 years, Lady of Merced has barely managed to pass the annual compliance audits and even risked having their license revoked on several occasions. This year, the administrator has vowed to ensure that the facility does not get any sanction from the auditors thus Lady of Merced seeked the assistance of the ABC Consulting firm. After an in depth analysis of the situation, ABC consulting firm highly  recommended that Lady of Merced acquire a new software system called NEXT GEN. Next Gen is made by reputable medical software company and is used by facilities and providers in the area. This will ensure that access not only to the internal documents can be achieved but also any outside information can be interfaced with proper authorization and linkage. In the health care field a person who handles the software is called the Administrative information systems support tech. They will be able to manage all financial, demographic information, payroll, financial, client management and human resources easily. Without this software the business may not appear organized and competitive with other care home providers. Technology is vital to the health care industries, but the administrative component is what makes technology work. Without technology it would be hard to visualize the impact of the data gathered by the care givers and providers. There are care home operators owning more than 2 facilities and managing them successful in the midst of the current placement shortages. Their success seems to be attributed to the efficiency and effectiveness of their operation. The successful integration of data collected and status reminders helps build awareness and demand for follow thru. This is important, because it gives care givers more time to focus on the consumers and not the business aspect of the job. Having to remember and hand write all the info rather than using a click of a button can be time consuming and inefficient. This technology gives the medical organization the ability to become paperless by using the Electronic Health Systems or EHS. The paperless technology helps secure patients privacy by making their information less accessible to those who are not privileged into that system. The biggest benefit of this technology is of course money such that pens, paper, and ink cartridges usage will be minimized. This technology can help reduce mistakes by having fewer errors in missed read hard written notes and misspelled prescriptions. Medical records are also easier to get with this technology. This system will help reduce mistakes by making patients notes understandable and also identify the patient easier. Another thing the EHS system implements on being Green. This technology not only helps the facility become more effective, but it helps to depend on less things that damages the world by using hardly any paper. The usage of technology for the human resources department can streamline the hiring, payroll and other labor related compliance required by all the different regulatory agencies. In the past Lady of Merced spent a lot of money due to the high staffing turn-over ratio and outsourcing fees. The management of any workers compensation and labor cost can now become more automated. Now with technology on hand the facility can now see all the recruiting, training, performance evaluations, and staffing planning within reach. There are many care home facilities which uses basic technology, but more and more are upgrading to the next level to become more appealing to a prospective resident. In doing so, program effectiveness is inevitable and increase in revenue can be achieved. As Shi, l. (2012) states Todays medical centers and integrated delivery organizations are among the most complex organizations to manage. Leaders in health care delivery face some unique challenges, including changes in financing and payment structures, as well as having to work with reduced levels of reimbursement. As any technological advancement, one must consider the social, ethical and economical impact this technology would pose. Next Gens economic impact will certainly be felt in the beginning as the organization must invest in the acquisition, training, and maintenance of this new program. There may also be delays with any current billing cycle due to the transition phase. The social and ethical implication this software can bring would certainly be assurance that patient care is not compromised at any cost. Ethically we have an obligation to not only protect but advocate for a normalcy of life for these consumers. We can only ensure that through the knowledge that all data a re submitted and results are achieved through this accurate info. In conclusion, many health care organizations even specialized small facilities such as Lady of Merced Care home are investing in the latest technology in order to keep up with demands of todays competitive globalized industry. This move not only creates but also maintains the competitive edge of the facility by catering the needs of their consumers. Technology strategy does cost, but it does pay when you offer services that  no other medical organization offers. This paper described the software product recommended by the author. This paper discussed the impact of this product to the operation and patient care service provided by the care facility. In the end, a discussion regarding the social, ethical, and economic impact of your product, service, or application to the organization was enumerate in this paper. REFERENCES: Shi, L. (2012). Delivering health care in American: A systems approach. (5th Ed.). Boston, MA: Jones Bartlett. Terry, N (2012), Information Technologys Failure to Disrupt Healthcare. Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law Research Paper No. 2012-16. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2118653 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2118653

Concepts and Features of Game Engines

Concepts and Features of Game Engines Introduction This report will cover almost everything consumers and entry level developers may need to know or be interested to know about game engines, how they work and what theyre used for. This report will cover topics such as the history of game engines, different forms of engines (across multiple platforms), how game engines can be used by the community to create interesting things such as mods, plugins and standalone games. Not only that but I will cover the purposes of using a game engine, the various components involved in the game engine, how they are used and how they have evolved over the past 2-3 decades into what they are today. I will also look at what the future of game engines with technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and Graphics Rendering. The history of game engines 1989 Space Rogue Origin Systems The Space Rogue engine, created by Origin Systems, was released in 1989. This was a 3D engine and featured Texture Mapping. An addition that makes surfaces look more realistic or 3D, surfaces that would otherwise be flat, undetailed and dull. 1993 Doom ID Tech The Doom engine was created by ID Tech in 1993. This engine features a hybrid world which consists of 2D sprites in a 3D world. 2D sprites are characters in the game that are 2D and look the same regardless of what angle you are looking at them from. If you walk around them to what should be the back, the characters will rotate to face you. 1994 Storm Keep Storm Keep The Storm Keep engine was created by Storm Keep in 1994. This is a 3D engine in which the key feature was Motion Capture. This is where a person in real life wears a special suit which is hooked up to a computer which tracks movements and then applies them to a 3D model which can then be added to a game. This was used in Storm Keep, but not very well. Since the technologys appearance in Storm Keep, it has been vastly improved and better versions of this can be found in newer games such as FIFA. 1995 Quake Engine ID Tech The Quake Engine was created by ID Tech in 1995. This 3D engine featured multiple important features which can be found in most of the games developed today. These include advanced lighting, for example, shadows and Culling. Culling is the way a game engine only renders whats in sight. For example, if you have a large wall in front of you and behind the wall is some mountains provided the mountains are covered up by this wall, the character would not be able to see the mountains behind the wall. If the wall was removed and nothing else was blocking the view of the mountains, the mountains would be rendered. 1997 Renderware Epic Game The Renderware engine was created by Epic Game and released in 1997. This 3D engine was used in the development of hundreds of PS2 games and could be used across multiple platforms. 1998 Unreal Unreal The Unreal engine was created by Unreal and released in 1998. The first game to be released on this engine was Unreal, followed by Unreal Tournament. This engine was designed for the development of first person shooters, but was later used to develop roleplaying games. This engine also features a map editor. 2001 Cryengine Crytek The Cryengine was created by Crytek and released in 2001. This 3D engine featured pixel shaders, instead of vertex shaders. Pixel shaders result in more detailed textures because instead of taking relatively big portions of a texture and applying colours, like with vertex shaders, pixel shaders split these vertexes into individual pixels and texture each of them individually. As a result of the extra detail pixel shaders provide over vertex shaders, games that run the Cryengine require the user to have an insanely powerful PC to render the world and for the game to be playable. 2006 Frostbite Electronic Arts The Frostbite engine was created by Electronic Arts (or EA) in 2006. This 3D game engine was used in making the Battlefield games and Dragon Age. One of the key features of this engine is the destructible environment. This means that developers have to tools to give players the ability to use explosives or rocket launchers to blow holes in walls which they can then walk through, or collapse buildings with tanks like in Battlefield 4. 2D engines The purpose of a 2D game engine is to quickly and easily enable a developer to make a 2D engine without having to recode the core elements along the way. Examples include: Scripting languages; Artificial intelligence, or bots; Controls; Physics; Among others. Features of 2D game engines include: Scripting languages flash; Visual script dragging and dropping; Artificial intelligence; Physics; Sounds; Automatic scrolling; Built-in controls. Examples of 2D game engines include: Gamemaker; Construct 2D; Unity 2D; Scratch. 2D engines are designed for the development of simple games with basic features such as sprites. This is different to a 3D or mobile game engine as a 2D engine is not being designed with the idea of having the most advanced and capable features or with the idea of developing a simple and portable game which is optimised for smartphones and tablets. In a similar way to certain platforms not being suitable for certain games, certain game engines are not suitable for the development of certain games. For example, it is very easy for a developer to make a 2D game on Gamemaker (2D engine), but the same game would be very difficult to make on UDK (3D engine). However, it is easy to make a 3D game on UDK (3D engine), but it would be difficult to make the same game on Gamemaker (2D engine). 3D engines The purpose of a 3D engine is to quickly and easily enable a developer to make a 3D game without having to recode the core elements along the way. Examples include: Scripting languages; Artificial intelligence, or bots; Controls; Physics; Auto scrolling; XYZ coordinates; Among others. Features of 3D engines include: Scripting languages flash; Visual script dragging and dropping; Artificial intelligence; Physics; Sounds; Automatic Scrolling; Controls; XYZ coordinates; Mesh (i.e. trees, bushes, etc). Examples of 3D game engines include: Rockstar Advanced Game Engine (RAGE); Unreal Development Kit (UDK); Quake Engine; Space Rogue; Renderware; Storm Keep Frostbite; Source; Unity; Doom. My favourite game engine of all of them is the Frostbite engine. This is the engine that powers the Battlefield series. I love the way that the destruction component is carried out in this engine. I love the fact that you can collapse buildings with your handheld rocket launcher or hop into a tank and destroy the support beams of a skyscraper. Its also great when youre looking for the edge in a first person shooter, you can grab your explosives and blow a massive hole in a wall which you could then use to snipe out of. I think the destructible environment is definitely one of my favourite features. A 3D game engine is designed to develop a game which has advanced features, one which requires 3D models, terrain, enhanced realism and increasingly a number of other things; such as, artificial intelligence, destruction, physics and sound. 3D engines are different to 2D and mobile engines as a 3D engine is not being designed to be lightweight, simple or portable. 3D engines are designed for developing games which require powerful hardware to run its games. Games developed using a 3D game engine are likely unsuitable for devices such as laptops, smartphones and tablets as they have insufficient graphics cards and inadequate cooling solutions. Mobile engines The purpose of a mobile engine is to quickly and easily enable a developer to make a mobile game without having to recode the core elements along the way. Examples include: Scripting languages; Artificial intelligence, or npcs/bots; Physics; Controls; Automatic scrolling. Features of a mobile game engine include: Scripting languages; Artificial intelligence, or npcs/bots; Physics; Controls; Automatic Scrolling; Sounds; Meshes. Examples of mobile game engines include: All Binary Platform Engine; Android Box 2D. Mobile engines are designed for making games which are lightweight, portable and dont require a large amount of processing power to run smoothly. This game engine is designed to make games for platforms such as smartphones and tablets. This type of mobile engine is not suitable for developing 2D or 3D games. This is because these types of games require an engine designed with more features, better optimisations, in some cases, a level editor and more powerful computers. For this reason it would be very difficult for a developer to make a 2D or 3D game using this engine. Similarly, it would be very difficult for a developer to make a mobile game on a more powerful and unsuitable game engine such as Gamemaker (2D engine) and UDK (3D engine). Game mods A game mod is a way in which a 3rd party developer can modify a game. This may be by removing, modifying or adding features or gameplay elements. This is usually done with the hope of enhancing a game, making it more fun or easier to play. Notable examples of game mods include: Garys Mod Garys Mod is a popular sandbox physics game built on the Source engine, originally designed as a game mod for the Valve game, Half Life 2. In 2006, due to the popularity of Garys Mod it was then developed into its own standalone game which is available to download today on Steam. Garys Mod has no objectives, but gives the player a sandbox where players can do as they wish, free of restrictions. DayZ Mod The DayZ Mod was originally developed as a free extension to the popular game Arma 2. The DayZ Mod was a massively multiplayer online post-apocalyptic zombie game. The idea behind it was that players must survive the harsh original world by gathering supplies, ranging from food and clothing, to military equipment such as assault rifles and bullet proof vests. These supplies could then be used to fend off against zombies or other threats to life. The mod was so popular that in 2013, the developers released a full standalone version which was better optimised and used a new game engine altogether. The Stanley Parable The Stanley Parable is a game mod built on the Source engine. The mod was designed as an interactive story modification. The mod features no combat or action-based sequences, but instead the player is able to guide Stanley through a dreamlike environment. The Stanley Parable is available to buy on Steam. Due to the success of game modifications, such as The Stanley Parable, game developers have begun sponsoring teams of game modders in order to promote the development of standalone game modifications for their games. Purposes of game engines A game engine is the core developer tool used in developing computer games. This software is used to more quickly and efficiently enable a developer to create a game for individual or multiple platforms without having to recode core elements and game functionality. For example, the physics component of a game engine is responsible for providing the developer with the tools, or in other words, a reference library of game code which is used to implement physics and other components into their game. So, if the developer wanted to implement a gravity effect after a player jumps and reaches certain height pulling the player back down, the developer could make reference to a chunk of code in the reference library with a single line of code, in a similar way to how a developer would use an API; therefore allowing the developer to implement the physics element without having to unnecessarily recode, in this case, gravity and jumping. Game engines make game development much faster and more efficient as less code is required to carry out a particular function and less time is spent retyping the same code repeatedly. Utilising a game engine can also result in improved game performance on users PCs, as less processing power, memory and hard drive space is required to download, install and run the game code. Game engines are often wrongly confused for being the computer game itself. Game engines are used to make games development easier for programmers and to be adaptable to suit the needs of the developer and the game being developed. A simple explanation of a game engine would be to imagine the setup of a car and its engine. The car body is what you can physically see and the engine is what enables it the car to drive. In this analogy, the computer game is a cars body and the game engine is a cars engine. In a game, the game engine is responsible for driving many of the games core components, such as rendering what you see on screen and implementing other technologies including physics, collision detection and artificial intelligence the most important component being the rendering facility in 2D and 3D engines. A developer will use the design of the game engine (the car engine) to build up the body of the car around it (the game outputted to a display). Car engines can be moved and adapted to suit different car bodies, in a similar way to game engines. There are good examples of game engines, but there are also bad ones. Game engines which are well designed can be truly impressive those who fail to impress, can be quite pathetic. An example of a good and modern game engine would be the Frostbite engine, the Source engine or the RAGE engine. Examples of how poor quality game engines were used to make poor quality games are clearly present in the games, Big Rigs and Sonic Generations. In the Frostbite, Source and RAGE engine, many of the top tier games available to buy in 2015 and beyond, have been and will be developed using these engines; including, Battlefield 4, Left 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress 2 and Grand Theft Auto 5. Components including graphics rendering, physics, destruction, artificial intelligence and collision detection were properly implemented which has resulted in these games being hugely popular and fun to play. In Big Rigs and Sonic Generations, the gameplay experience was, for the most part, less than satisfactory. Collision detection and physics being some of the notable examples of where the worst these games have to offer are put on show. Things such as trucks driving up an almost 90 degree mountain and trucks being able to drive through lamp posts and fences (as if they arent there) or Sonic (the hedgehog) swimming through walls, windows and doors. This is a screenshot of bad collision detection in Sonic Generations. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faoPYBN5Gc4. 14/10/15. Sonic can be clearly seen swimming through a window and if you continue to watch the video you will see he is able to walk through walls w/o the game doing anything at all to stop this. This is a screenshot of a truck driving up a cliff face (90 degree angle) very easily and at speed. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6DtVHqyYts. 14/10/15. What can be seen in the video and this screenshot of Big Rigs is completely unrealistic and would not happen in real life. This is an example of poorly designed physics and collision detection in an engine. Components featured the game engine, Frostbite 3, include: Controls; Physics; Sound; Collision detection; Artificial Intelligence; Destruction; Graphics Rendering; Animation; Cinematics; Visual Effects; Scripting languages dragging and dropping; Culling; And more. I would use this game engine in relation to the components listed above as they provide me, the developer, with the ability to create a destructible environment; in which I could use a rocket launcher to blast a whole into a wall which mine and other characters could then walk through. Not only that, but I would also be able to create an environment that looks stunning one with immersive cinematic and visual effects, which are complemented by the impressive sound options offered by this game engine. The development of game engines over the years has aided the development of games significantly. Early developments of the game engine component, Destruction, that can be seen in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loDmdpi0q3g are made to look rubbish in comparison to the incredible destructible environment depicted in this video of Battlefield 4 gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTLRZOcAPnw This is a screenshot of the destruction component from the videos above in Red Faction: This is example of the destruction component from the videos above in Battlefield 4: The first picture, which depicts an early form of the now very well developed game engine component destruction, shows a player with a rocket launcher firing rockets at a wall and blowing a clean whole in the wall with almost no debris left after the explosion. Now, look at the screenshot of the Battlefield 4 gameplay. This shows a tower which has just been hit from the back with a missile collapsing entirely and falling over before smashing into many large pieces of debris. The improvements overtime of how destruction actually works in games is a clear example of how game engines have developed overtime and more specifically the destruction components, to the clear advantage of 2D, 3D and mobile games, such as above. Graphics rendering Graphics rendering is the way in which a game engine loads the environment around you. It does this by taking a wire-frame model and applying different components to the individual vertexes. Textures which have had these components applied to them are known as 3D models. These components include: Shade; Colour; Texture; Reflection; Shadow; And more. We can make a wire frame model 3D using software such as Blender, Cinema 4D and Autodesk Maya. We can then import them into game engines like UDK and import them into a game. This software is very expensive, but there are good deals available, if youre a student. Graphics rendering is used in almost every (good) game available today. There are good examples of graphics rendering, but there are also bad ones. Examples of good and bad include Batman Arkam Knight and Sonic Generations, respectively. This is a screenshot of Batmans cape in the game, Batman Arkam Knight: Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsjmLNZtvxk. 14/10/15. This is a screenshot of Sonic in the game, Sonic Generations: Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN_nnwlmjws. 14/10/15. The graphics rendering that takes place in Batman Arkam Knight is on a whole new level in comparison to the rendering that takes place in Sonic Generations. The screenshot of Batman Arkam Knight shows Batmans cape. This cape is made up of approximately 20 thousand vertexes, in which graphics rendering components are applied to every pixel individually a technology known as pixel shaders. This game is also known to run at a buttery-smooth 60 frames per second. This is incredible considering the immense amount of graphics performance required to render 20 thousand vertexes and then each of the pixels individually, 60 times per second. Most likely, one of the only reasons this is practical to run is because of the optimisation for certain hardware the game developers will have performed. Sonic, on the other hand, is made up of approximately 200 vertexes and runs at a significantly less smooth 30 frames per second. This means that the game which is already significantly less detailed, only runs at 30 frames per second. That means that the graphics processor only has to render 200 vertexes, 30 times a second. In truth, this may sound like a lot, but in comparison to Batman Arkam Knight it doesnt even scratch the surface. One of the reasons it is so complicated designed a game and optimising it to run with computer hardware properly at reasonable frame rates is because, most of the time, especially in sandbox games you dont know what the player is going to do until they do it. So the game has constantly got to render what is in the players view and nothing else. If the game rendered everything all at once, most computers would not be able to run it due to the immense amount of processing power required and if they could, it most likely wouldnt be a very enjoyable or playable experience. Collision detection Collision detection is the component of a game engine which recognises two objects have interacted with each other when they collide and, in most cases, providing a response. An example of this is a player in a first person short being shot in the head which causes the player to die. In some instances, the corpse will have a ragdoll effect (the body will flop to the ground in a random way. Another good example of collision detection is a player that is underwater only having 10 seconds from the time they entered until they drown. In summary, collision detection is interaction and response. This is a screenshot of bad collision detection in Sonic Generations. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faoPYBN5Gc4. 14/10/15. In the screenshot, Sonic can be clearly seen swimming through a window and if you continue to watch the video you will see he is able to walk through walls w/o the game doing anything at all to stop this. This is an example of bad collision detection. This is a screenshot of good collision detection in Fifa 16. Source: http://www.balls.ie/football/the-5-most-significant-changes-to-fifa-16-review. 15/10/15. The screenshot above shows a Football player in Fifa 16 who is about to kick a ball. This is an example of good collision detection. This is because as soon as the players foot makes contact with the ball, the foot doesnt go through the ball it stops on the surface and the ball goes flying across the pitch. This is how collision detection should and does work in Fifa 16. This is, however, not the case in Sonic Generations. When Sonic walks hit the building in Sonic Generations, he should hit the wall and have a sore face not go swimming through as he can be seen doing in the screenshot and videos above. Poor collision detection not only makes the game look broken and unfinished but it can sometimes make the game almost impossible to play. A simple example of collision detection would be to consider the game, Operation. This is when you have to extract bones from the character on your operating table without touching the sides of his insides which would result in a buzzer sound. Artificial intelligence (AI) Artificial intelligence is the component of a game engine which enables developers to make non-playable characters mimic real-life humans or animals in a game. This can be done by using scripting languages and artificial intelligence components of a game engine to implement pathfinders. A pathfinder is the way an npc is made to go from point A to point B, walk back and so on. In Metal Gear Solid 5, artificial intelligence is used to make npcs follow predefined paths and mimic real life humans. The npcs continuously follow their paths on repeat until they detect the presence of a character that should be there. An interesting thing players can do to disguise themselves (and trick the npcs) is by wearing a cardboard box with a picture of a saluting soldier on the side of it and lie still whilst the npcs looking or investigating them. The npc then sees the image of the solider on the side of the box and is made to believe the picture to be a real soldier in the game, before returning to the pathfinder its been set. If the npc does investigate and find that the player is there when they shouldnt be, the npc will engage in combat with the player, usually until the player or npc is dead. This screenshot shows a soldier on a cardboard box being used as a disguise as the enemy. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czS6MZI2ib8. 15/10/15. Other examples of ways the npcs can be tricked is by putting a picture of a naked lady on the side of the box. This causes the npc to come running towards the box believing that the picture is a real lady. At which point, the player can then sneak past or kill the soldier whilst he is distracted. This an example of good collision detection in a game. This screenshot shows a naked lady on the side of a cardboard box being used as a distraction. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czS6MZI2ib8. 15/10/15. An example of bad artificial intelligence is in Mario Kart 64. When you are in a race, once your character is a certain distance ahead of bots youre playing against, they automatically get a speed boost to catch up with you. This doesnt make sense, it is unfair and is a clear example of how artificial intelligence can be very poorly implemented and not very well thought out in games This screenshot shows a Mario Kart game where the player is playing against bots and is in first place. He has just completed a full lap around the bots and as soon as he reaches them, they get a speed boost and suddenly they are all travelling much faster him. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JV-kMYLYCo. 15/10/15. When you compare artificial intelligence in Mario Kart 64 and Metal Gear Solid 5. Metal Gear Solids artificial intelligence is on a completely different level to Mario Karts. In Metal Gear Solid, the AI is well thought out, it makes sense and it performs as advertised. In Mario Kart 64, as soon as youre winning the race by so much the game compensates for the poor driving performance of the bots and gives them a completely unrealistic and quite frankly, ridiculous speed boost advantage. An early example of artificial intelligence and collision detection is Pacman. In Pacman, the ghosts move around in random directions. If the ghosts go within a collision detection box with pacman inside it, the ghosts are then able to see Pacman and then head towards him for a meal. The screenshot below shows a pacman being chased by a ghost in Pacman. Source: https://www.google.com/doodles/30th-anniversary-of-pac-man. 15/10/15. The future of artificial intelligence in game engines is coming to be a reality very fast. Developments of

Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman Essays -- Death of a Salesman Arth

Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman was written after the second World War while the American economy was booming. Society was becoming very materialistic, and the idea that anyone could â€Å"make it† in America was popular. These societal beliefs play a large part in Death of a Salesman, a play in which the main character, Willy Loman, spends a lifetime chasing after the American Dream. Willy was sold on the wrong dream. He was enamored with a myth of American ideals and chose to put aside his real talents in pursuit of a fantasy. In several instances of the play, we see that Willy is a skilled carpenter. He wants to redo the front step just to show off to his brother, and he is constantly fixing things around the house. However, he doesn’t see carpentry as an acceptable occupation. It entails hard work and there isn’t any glory in it. Instead, he chooses to follow the dream of being a successful salesman. The problem is that Willy doesn’t seem to have any of the skills needed to be a salesman. He deludes himself into thinking that he is â€Å"vital in New England† but we find out during his meeting with Howard that even during his good years he wasn’t doing as well as he thought he was. He has convinced himself that he averages one hundred and seventy dollars a week in commission, but Howard tells him otherwise. This is a sh ock to Willy; he’s not used to having reality forced upon him. Willy sees being a salesman as a worthy profession; he apparently puts a lot of effort into his sales pitches. His ideal fate is the same as Dave Singleman’s; to be so â€Å"well-liked† that he can make sales over the phone and to have hundred of people attend his funeral. Willy is blind to the... ... he tries to tell Happy that Willy didn’t know himself. Unfortunately, Happy is still living in a world of illusions, and he becomes angry with Biff and says â€Å"He had a good dream. It’s the only dream you can have – to come out number one man. He fought it out here, and this is where I’m gonna win it for him.† Ironically, Willy killed himself so that Biff could carry out his dreams of success, but Happy is the one who actually believed in Willy’s dream and vows to â€Å"win it for him†. As Linda looks over Willy’s grave, she tells us that the house has finally been paid off; that they are finally out of debt. If only Willy had been willing to take a job from Charley, they could have been living an easy life. But, Willy’s illusions of being a good salesman and his pride in false beliefs would not allow him to. Willy has died chasing the illusion of the American Dream.

Imagery and Irony in Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter Essays -- Scarlet

Imagery and Irony  in The Scarlet Letter  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of The Scarlet Letter, uses a variety of literary techniques in order to produce energy and invoke the interest of the reader.   He creates the mood and the climax of the novel by using the techniques of imagery and irony.   Yet, it is his use of symbolism that truly carries the novel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An abundance of symbolism appears in many different forms, adding interest to the novel.   For instance, Hawthorne uses his characters, such as Pearl, as symbols; â€Å"It was the scarlet letter in another form, the scarlet letter endowed with life.† (Ch. VII pg. 103)   Pearl is a symbol of the sin of Hester and Dimmesdale.   She serves as a constant punishment and living conscience.   In addition, Hawthorne uses natural occurrences such as light and darkness as symbols by having Dimmesdale stand upon the scaffold only at night.   Darkness, therefore, is a symbol of the concealment of sin, and light becomes a symbol of truth and acceptance of guilt.   The use of light and dark occurs many times throughout the novel to place emphasis on the underlying morals.   Furthermore, Hawthorne uses everyday objects, such as the brook in the forest, to serve as a symbol.   Pearl refused to cross the brook and join her mother on the other side, making the brook a symbol of the boundary between the two worlds of truth and deception.   This natural setting is one of the most striking in the novel.   By using symbolism in these three forms (characters, natural occurrence, and simple objects) Ha... ...tter it were so, than to hide a guilty heart through life.   What can thy silence do for him, except it tempt him-yea, compel him, as it were-to add hypocrisy to sin.†Ã‚   (Ch. III pg. 73)   One of the strengths in Hawthorne’s novel is his use of dramatic irony.   To the townspeople, this passage appears to be a breathtaking speech that would make any sinner confess, when in truth, Dimmesdale is pleading with Hester to reveal his sin.  Ã‚   The irony in the novel establishes the strife and dismay of the climax.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hawthorne’s use of the three literary techniques of symbolism, imagery, and irony are what make his novel a masterpiece.   By using these three techniques, he allows the reader to find inspiration and morality, visualize the plot, and become absorbed in the work itself.

The Power of Money in Campaign Finance Essay -- American Politics, Pre

It may seem that with the Buckley decision, soft money and PACs the hope for reform has been lost, however there is still hope. The Supreme Court upheld the voluntary public financing of presidential election, which was considered a great step forward because taking public funds requires the candidate to limit their spending on the federal level. There is also the â€Å"hard money† in political campaigns, which is strictly regulated by law through the Federal Election Commission. Hard money is the contrast to soft money meaning that it is the contributions made by a person or PAC that gives to a federal campaign or political party for the use in federal elections. But of course with one step forward there is always two steps back. Because of the way soft money has forged it way into being one of the primary sources of federal campaigns, it has made a mockery of public financing at the federal level. Soft money and all its allied forms of legal cheating and finance loopholes ha ve almost completely stopped any effort or control to regulate and disclose federal campaign funding. From the 1980s to 2002 Congress played an active part in helping the parties and candidates through loopholes (arguably Congress is still presently helping). James Bopp (1999) believes the explosion of soft money in political campaigns in part came from the 1996 elections when national and state party committees would use soft money to pay for advertisements that featured their respective nominees, but were not subject to the spending limitations of publicly funded candidates. These advertisements are referred to as issue ads, which would clearly promote the victory or defeat of candidates, but because they did not use the words â€Å"vote for†, â€Å"elect†, or â€Å"defeat† ... ...nders in congress are willing to go to stretch the line of the laws and legal cheat just to keep their seat and the money flowing into their pockets. In present society politics is at its dirtiest and most cynical, evenly chipping away what our constitution stands for and our democratic values. I cannot in any way say what the future will hold for this uphill battle for disclosure and regulations on campaign finance. But I do know that the time for action is slowly passing by and if something is not done soon I fear the U.S. government may be lost to all and any forms of revival. Our government would basically have to start a new throwing everything off balance. Our government is standing on thin ice not only with its own citizens but also with foreign relations, it only takes waiting a day to long until the ice finally breaks and the American government sinks.

Chapter 10 The Marauder’s Map

Madam Pomfrey insisted on keeping Harry in the hospital wing for the rest of the weekend. He didn't argue or complain, but he wouldn't let her throw away the shattered remnants of his Nimbus Two Thousand. He knew he was being stupid, knew that the Nimbus was beyond repair, but Harry couldn't help it; he felt as though he'd lost one of his best friends. He had a stream of visitors, all intent on cheering him up. Hagrid sent him a bunch of earwiggy flowers that looked like yellow cabbages, and Ginny Weasley, blushing furiously, turned up with a get-well card she had made herself, which sang shrilly unless Harry kept it shut under his bowl of fruit. The Gryffindor team visited again on Sunday morning, this time accompanied by Wood, who told Harry (in a hollow, dead sort of voice) that he didn't blame him in the slightest. Ron and Hermione left Harry's bedside only at night. But nothing anyone said or did could make Harry feel any better, because they knew only half of what was troubling him. He hadn't told anyone about the Grim, not even Ron and Hermione, because he knew Ron would panic and Hermione would scoff. The fact remained, however, that it had now appeared twice, and both appearances had been followed by near-fatal accidents; the first time, he had nearly been run over by the Knight Bus; the second, fallen fifty feet from his broomstick. Was the Grim going to haunt him until he actually died? Was he going to spend the rest of his life looking over his shoulder for the beast? And then there were the Dementors. Harry felt sick and humiliated every time he thought of them. Everyone said the Dementors were horrible, but no one else collapsed every time they went near one. No one else heard echoes in their head of their dying parents. Because Harry knew who that screaming voice belonged to now. He had heard her words, heard them over and over again during the night hours in the hospital wing while he lay awake, staring at the strips of moonlight on the ceiling. When the Dementors approached him, he heard the last moments of his mother's life, her attempts to protect him, Harry, from Lord Voldemort, and Voldemort's laughter before he murdered her†¦Harry dozed fitfully, sinking into dreams full of clammy, rotted hands and petrified pleading, jerking awake to dwell again on his mother's voice. It was a relief to return to the noise and bustle of the main school on Monday, where he was forced to think about other things, even if he had to endure Draco Malfoy's taunting. Malfoy was almost beside himself with glee at Gryffindor's defeat. He had finally taken off his bandages, and celebrated having the full use of both arms again by doing spirited imitations of Harry falling off his broom. Malfoy spent much of their next Potions class doing Dementor imitations across the dungeon; Ron finally cracked and flung a large, slippery crocodile heart at Malfoy, which hit him in the face and caused Snape to take fifty points from Gryffindor. â€Å"If Snape's teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts again, I'm skiving off,† said Ron as they headed toward Lupin's classroom after lunch. â€Å"Check who's in there, Hermione.† Hermione peered around the classroom door. â€Å"It's okay!† Professor Lupin was back at work. It certainly looked as though he had been ill. His old robes were hanging more loosely on him and there were dark shadows beneath his eyes; nevertheless, he smiled at the class as they took their seats, and they burst at once into an explosion of complaints about Snape's behavior while Lupin had been ill. â€Å"It's not fair, he was only filling in, why should he give us homework?† â€Å"We don't know anything about werewolves –â€Å" â€Å"– two rolls of parchment!† â€Å"Did you tell Professor Snape we haven't covered them yet?† Lupin asked, frowning slightly. The babble broke out again. â€Å"Yes, but he said we were really behind –â€Å" â€Å"– he wouldn't listen –â€Å" â€Å"– two rolls of parchment!† Professor Lupin smiled at the look of indignation on every face. â€Å"Don't worry. I'll speak to Professor Snape. You don't have to do the essay.† â€Å"Oh no,† said Hermione, looking very disappointed. â€Å"I've already finished it!† They had a very enjoyable lesson. Professor Lupin had brought along a glass box containing a Hinkypunk, a little one-legged creature who looked as though he were made of wisps of smoke, rather frail and harmless looking. â€Å"Lures travelers into bogs,† said Professor Lupin as they took notes. â€Å"You notice the lantern dangling from his hand? Hops ahead — people follow the light — then –â€Å" The Hinkypunk made a horrible squelching noise against the glass. When the bell rang, everyone gathered up their things and headed for the door, Harry among them, but — â€Å"Wait a moment, Harry,† Lupin called. â€Å"I'd like a word.† Harry doubled back and watched Professor Lupin covering the Hinkypunk's box with a cloth. â€Å"I heard about the match,† said Lupin, turning back to his desk and starting to pile books into his briefcase, â€Å"and I'm sorry about your broomstick. Is there any chance of fixing it?† â€Å"No,† said Harry. â€Å"The tree smashed it to bits.† Lupin sighed. â€Å"They planted the Whomping Willow the same year that I arrived at Hogwarts. People used to play a game, trying to get near enough to touch the trunk. In the end, a boy called Davey Gudgeon nearly lost an eye, and we were forbidden to go near it. No broomstick would have a chance.† â€Å"Did you hear about the Dementors too?† said Harry with difficulty. Lupin looked at him quickly. â€Å"Yes, I did. I don't think any of us have seen Professor Dumbledore that angry. They have been growing restless for some time†¦furious at his refusal to let them inside the grounds†¦I suppose they were the reason you fell?† â€Å"Yes,† said Harry. He hesitated, and then the question he had to ask burst from him before he could stop himself. â€Å"Why? Why do they affect me like that? Am I just –?† â€Å"It has nothing to do with weakness,† said Professor Lupin sharply, as though he had read Harry's mind. â€Å"The Dementors affect you worse than the others because there are horrors in your past that the others don't have.† A ray of wintry sunlight fell across the classroom, illuminating Lupin's gray hairs and the lines on his young face. â€Å"Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them. Even Muggles feel their presence, though they can't see them. Get too near a Dementor and every good feeling, every happy memory will be sucked out of you. If it can, the Dementor will feed on you long enough to reduce you to something like itself — soul-less and evil. You'll be left with nothing but the worst experiences of your life. And the worst that happened to you, Harry, is enough to make anyone fall off their broom. You have nothing to feel ashamed of.† â€Å"When they get near me –† Harry stared at Lupin's desk, his throat tight. â€Å"I can hear Voldemort murdering my mum.† Lupin made a sudden motion with his arm as though to grip Harry's shoulder, but thought better of it. There was a moment's silence, then — â€Å"Why did they have to come to the match?† said Harry bitterly. â€Å"They're getting hungry,† said Lupin coolly, shutting his briefcase with a snap. â€Å"Dumbledore won't let them into the school, so their supply of human prey has dried up†¦I don't think they could resist the large crowd around the Quidditch field. All that excitement†¦emotions running high†¦it was their idea of a feast.† â€Å"Azkaban must be terrible,† Harry muttered. Lupin nodded grimly. â€Å"The fortress is set on a tiny island, way out to sea, but they don't need walls and water to keep the prisoners in, not when they're all trapped inside their own heads, incapable of a single cheery thought. Most of them go mad within weeks.† â€Å"But Sirius Black escaped from them,† Harry said slowly. â€Å"He got away†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Lupin's briefcase slipped from the desk; he had to stoop quickly to catch it. â€Å"Yes,† he said, straightening up, â€Å"Black must have found a way to fight them. I wouldn't have believed it possible†¦Dementors are supposed to drain a wizard of his powers if he is left with them too long†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You made that Dementor on the train back off,† said Harry suddenly. â€Å"There are — certain defenses one can use,† said Lupin. â€Å"But there was only one Dementor on the train. The more there are, the more difficult it becomes to resist.† â€Å"What defenses?† said Harry at once. â€Å"Can you teach me?† â€Å"I don't pretend to be an expert at fighting Dementors, Harry — quite the contrary†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"But if the Dementors come to another Quidditch match, I need to be able to fight them –â€Å" Lupin looked into Harry's determined face, hesitated, then said, â€Å"Well†¦all right. I'll try and help. But it'll have to wait until next term, I'm afraid. I have a lot to do before the holidays. I chose a very inconvenient time to fall ill.† ****** What with the promise of anti-Dementor lessons from Lupin, the thought that he might never have to hear his mother's death again, and the fact that Ravenclaw flattened Hufflepuff in their Quidditch match at the end of November, Harry's mood took a definite upturn. Gryffindor were not out of the running after all, although they could not afford to lose another match. Wood became repossessed of his manic energy, and worked his team as hard as ever in the chilly haze of rain that persisted into December. Harry saw no hint of a Dementor within the grounds. Dumbledore's anger seemed to be keeping them at their stations at the entrances. Two weeks before the end of the term, the sky lightened suddenly to a dazzling, opaline white and the muddy grounds were revealed one morning covered in glittering frost. Inside the castle, there was a buzz of Christmas in the air. Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, had already decorated his classroom with shimmering lights that turned out to be real, fluttering fairies. The students were all happily discussing their plans for the holidays. Both Ron and Hermione had decided to remain at Hogwarts, and though Ron said it was because he couldn't stand two weeks with Percy, and Hermione insisted she needed to use the library, Harry wasn't fooled; they were doing it to keep him company, and he was very grateful. To everyone's delight except Harry's, there was to be another Hogsmeade trip on the very last weekend of the term. â€Å"We can do all our Christmas shopping there!† said Hermione. â€Å"Mum and Dad would really love those Toothflossing Stringmints from Honeydukes!† Resigned to the fact that he would be the only third year staying behind again, Harry borrowed a copy of Which Broomstick from Wood, and decided to spend the day reading up on the different makes. He had been riding one of the school brooms at team practice, an ancient Shooting Star, which was very slow and jerky; he definitely needed a new broom of his own. On the Saturday morning of the Hogsmeade trip, Harry bid good-bye to Ron and Hermione, who were wrapped in cloaks and scarves, then turned up the marble staircase alone, and headed back toward Gryffindor Tower. Snow had started to fall outside the windows, and the castle was very still and quiet. â€Å"Psst — Harry!† He turned, halfway along the third-floor corridor, to see Fred and George peering out at him from behind a statue of a humpbacked, one-eyed witch. â€Å"What are you doing?† said Harry curiously. â€Å"How come you're not going to Hogsmeade?† â€Å"We've come to give you a bit of festive cheer before we go,† said Fred, with a mysterious wink. â€Å"Come in here†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He nodded toward an empty classroom to the left of the one-eyed statue. Harry followed Fred and George inside. George closed the door quietly and then turned, beaming, to look at Harry. â€Å"Early Christmas present for you, Harry,† he said. Fred pulled something from inside his cloak with a flourish and laid it on one of the desks. It was a large, square, very worn piece of parchment with nothing written on it. Harry, suspecting one of Fred and George's jokes, stared at it. â€Å"What's that supposed to be?† â€Å"This, Harry, is the secret of our success,† said George, patting the parchment fondly. â€Å"It's a wrench, giving it to you,† said Fred, â€Å"but we decided last night, your need's greater than ours.† â€Å"Anyway, we know it by heart,† said George. â€Å"We bequeath it to you. We don't really need it anymore.† â€Å"And what do I need with a bit of old parchment?† said Harry. â€Å"A bit of old parchment!† said Fred, closing his eyes with a grimace as though Harry had mortally offended him. â€Å"Explain, George.† â€Å"Well†¦when we were in our first year, Harry — young, carefree, and innocent –â€Å" Harry snorted. He doubted whether Fred and George had ever been innocent. â€Å"?C well, more innocent than we are now — we got into a spot of bother with Filch.† â€Å"We let off a Dungbomb in the corridor and it upset him for some reason –â€Å" â€Å"So he hauled us off to his office and started threatening us with the usual –â€Å" â€Å"– detention –â€Å" â€Å"– disembowelment –â€Å" â€Å"– and we couldn't help noticing a drawer in one of his filing cabinets marked Confiscated and Highly Dangerous.† â€Å"Don't tell me –† said Harry, starting to grin. â€Å"Well, what would you've done?† said Fred. â€Å"George caused a diversion by dropping another Dungbomb, I whipped the drawer open, and grabbed — this.† â€Å"It's not as bad as it sounds, you know,† said George. â€Å"We don't reckon Filch ever found out how to work it. He probably suspected what it was, though, or he wouldn't have confiscated it.† â€Å"And you know how to work it?† â€Å"Oh yes,† said Fred, smirking. â€Å"This little beauty's taught us more than all the teachers in this school.† â€Å"You're winding me up,† said Harry, looking at the ragged old bit of parchment. â€Å"Oh, are we?† said George. He took out his wand, touched the parchment lightly, and said, â€Å"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.† And at once, thin ink lines began to spread like a spider's web from the point that George's wand had touched. They joined each other, they crisscrossed, they fanned into every corner of the parchment; then words began to blossom across the top, great, curly green words, that proclaimed: Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present THE MARAUDER'S MAP It was a map showing every detail of the Hogwarts castle and grounds. But the truly remarkable thing were the tiny ink dots moving around it, each labeled with a name in minuscule writing. Astounded, Harry bent over it. A labeled dot in the top left corner showed that Professor Dumbledore was pacing his study; the caretaker's cat, Mrs. Norris, was prowling the second floor; and Peeves the Poltergeist was currently bouncing around the trophy room. And as Harry's eyes traveled up and down the familiar corridors, he noticed something else. This map showed a set of passages he had never entered. And many of them seemed to lead — â€Å"Right into Hogsmeade,† said Fred, tracing one of them with his finger. â€Å"There are seven in all. Now, Filch knows about these four† — he pointed them out — â€Å"but we're sure we're the only ones who know about these. Don't bother with the one behind the mirror on the fourth floor. We used it until last winter, but it's caved in — completely blocked. And we don't reckon anyone's ever used this one, because the Whomping Willow's planted right over the entrance. But this one here, this one leads right into the cellar of Honeydukes. We've used it loads of times. And as you might've noticed, the entrance is right outside this room, through that one-eyed old crone's hump.† â€Å"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs,† sighed George, patting the heading of the map. â€Å"We owe them so much.† â€Å"Noble men, working tirelessly to help a new generation of lawbreakers,† said Fred solemnly. â€Å"Right,† said George briskly. â€Å"Don't forget to wipe it after you've used it –â€Å" â€Å"– or anyone can read it,† Fred said warningly. â€Å"Just tap it again and say, â€Å"Mischief managed!† And it'll go blank.† â€Å"So, young Harry,† said Fred, in an uncanny impersonation of Percy, â€Å"mind you behave yourself.† â€Å"See you in Honeydukes,† said George, winking. They left the room, both smirking in a satisfied sort of way. Harry stood there, gazing at the miraculous map. He watched the tiny ink Mrs. Norris turn left and pause to sniff at something on the floor. If Filch really didn't know†¦he wouldn't have to pass the Dementors at all†¦. But even as he stood there, flooded with excitement, something Harry had once heard Mr. Weasley say came floating out of his memory. Never trust anything that can think for itself, if you can't see where it keeps its brain. This map was one of those dangerous magical objects Mr. Weasley had been warning against†¦Aids for Magical Mischief Makers†¦but then, Harry reasoned, he only wanted to use it to get into Hogsmeade, it wasn't as though he wanted to steal anything or attack anyone†¦and Fred and George had been using it for years without anything horrible happening†¦ Harry traced the secret passage to Honeydukes with his finger. Then, quite suddenly, as though following orders, he rolled up the map, stuffed it inside his robes, and hurried to the door of the classroom. He opened it a couple of inches. There was no one outside. Very carefully, he edged out of the room and behind the statue of the one-eyed witch. What did he have to do? He pulled out the map again and saw to his astonishment, that a new ink figure had appeared upon it, labeled ‘Harry Potter'. This figure was standing exactly where the real Harry was standing, about halfway down the third-floor corridor. Harry watched carefully. His little Ink self appeared to be tapping the witch with his minute wand. Harry quickly took out his real wand and tapped the statue. Nothing happened. He looked back at the map. The tiniest speech bubble had appeared next to his figure. The word inside said, ‘Dissendium.' â€Å"Dissendium!† Harry whispered, tapping the stone witch again. At once, the statue's hump opened wide enough to admit a fairly thin person. Harry glanced quickly up and down the corridor, then tucked the map away again, hoisted himself into the hole headfirst, and pushed himself forward. He slid a considerable way down what felt like a stone slide, then landed on cold, damp earth. He stood up, looking around. It was pitch dark. He held up his wand, muttered, â€Å"Lumos!† and saw that he was in a very narrow, low, earthy passageway. He raised the map, tapped it with the tip of his wand, and muttered, â€Å"Mischief managed!† The map went blank at once. He folded it carefully, tucked it inside his robes, then, heart beating fast, both excited and apprehensive, he set off. The passage twisted and turned, more like the burrow of a giant rabbit than anything else. Harry hurried along it, stumbling now and then on the uneven floor, holding his wand out in front of him. It took ages, but Harry had the thought of Honeydukes to sustain him. After what felt like an hour, the passage began to rise. Panting, Harry sped up, his face hot, his feet very cold. Ten minutes later, he came to the foot of some worn stone steps, which rose out of sight above him. Careful not to make any noise, Harry began to climb. A hundred steps, two hundred steps, he lost count as he climbed, watching his feet†¦then, without warning, his head hit something hard. It seemed to be a trapdoor. Harry stood there, massaging the top of his head, listening. He couldn't hear any sounds above him. Very slowly, he pushed the trapdoor open and peered over the edge. He was in a cellar, which was full of wooden crates and boxes. Harry climbed out of the trapdoor and replaced it — it blended so perfectly with the dusty floor that it was impossible to tell it was there. Harry crept slowly toward the wooden staircase that led upstairs. Now he could definitely hear voices, not to mention the tinkle of a bell and the opening and shutting of a door. Wondering what he ought to do, he suddenly heard a door open much closer at hand; somebody was about to come downstairs. â€Å"And get another box of Jelly Slugs, dear, they've nearly cleaned us out –† said a woman's voice. A pair of feet was coming down the staircase. Harry leapt behind an enormous crate and waited for the footsteps to pass. He heard the man shifting boxes against the opposite wall. He might not get another chance — Quickly and silently, Harry dodged out from his hiding place and climbed the stairs; looking back, he saw an enormous backside and shiny bald head, buried in a box. Harry reached the door at the top of the stairs, slipped through it, and found himself behind the counter of Honeydukes — he ducked, crept sideways, and then straightened up. Honeydukes was so crowded with Hogwarts students that no one looked twice at Harry. He edged among them, looking around, and suppressed a laugh as he imagined the look that would spread over Dudley's piggy face if he could see where Harry was now. There were shelves upon shelves of the most succulent-looking sweets imaginable. Creamy chunks of nougat, shimmering pink squares of coconut ice, fat, honey-colored toffees; hundreds of different kinds of chocolate in neat rows; there was a large barrel of Every Flavor Beans, and another of Fizzing Whizbees, the levitating sherbet balls that Ron had mentioned; along yet another wall were ‘Special Effects' — sweets: Droobles Best Blowing Gum (which filled a room with bluebell-colored bubbles that refused to pop for days), the strange, splintery Toothflossing Stringmints, tiny black Pepper Imps (‘breathe fire for your friends!'), Ice Mice (‘hear your teeth chatter and squeak!'), peppermint creams shaped like toads (‘hop realistically in the stomach!'), fragile sugar-spun quills, and exploding bonbons. Harry squeezed himself through a crowd of sixth years and saw a sign hanging in the farthest corner of the shop (UNUSUAL TASTES). Ron and Hermione were standing underneath it, examining a tray of blood-flavored lollipops. Harry sneaked up behind them. â€Å"Ugh, no, Harry won't want one of those, they're for vampires, I expect,† Hermione was saying. â€Å"How about these?† said Ron, shoving a jar of Cockroach Clusters under Hermione's nose. â€Å"Definitely not,† said Harry. Ron nearly dropped the jar. â€Å"Harry!† squealed Hermione. â€Å"What are you doing here? How — how did you –?† â€Å"Wow!† said Ron, looking very impressed, â€Å"you've learned to Apparate!† â€Å"‘Course I haven't,† said Harry. He dropped his voice so that none of the sixth years could hear him and told them all about the Marauder's Map. â€Å"How come Fred and George never gave it to me!† said Ron, outraged. â€Å"I'm their brother!† â€Å"But Harry isn't going to keep it!† said Hermione, as though the idea were ludicrous. â€Å"He's going to hand it in to Professor McGonagall, aren't you, Harry?† â€Å"No, I'm not!† said Harry. â€Å"Are you mad?† said Ron, goggling at Hermione. â€Å"Hand in something that good?† â€Å"If I hand it in, I'll have to say where I got it! Filch would know Fred and George had nicked it!† â€Å"But what about Sirius Black?† Hermione hissed. â€Å"He could be using one of the passages on that map to get into the castle! The teachers have got to know!† â€Å"He can't be getting in through a passage,† said Harry quickly. â€Å"There are seven secret tunnels on the map, right? Fred and George reckon Filch already knows about four of them. And of the other three — one of them's caved in, so no one can get through it. One of them's got the Whomping Willow planted over the entrance, so you can't get out of it. And the one I just came through — well — it's really hard to see the entrance to it down in the cellar — so unless he knew it was there –â€Å" Harry hesitated. What if Black did know the passage was there? Ron, however, cleared his throat significantly, and pointed to a notice pasted on the inside of the sweetshop door. BY ORDER OF THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC Customers are reminded that until further notice, Dementors will be patrolling the streets of Hogsmeade every night after sundown. This measure has been put in place for the safety of Hogsmeade residents and will be lifted upon the recapture of Sirius Black. It is therefore advisable that you complete your shopping well before nightfall. Merry Christmas! â€Å"See?† said Ron quietly. â€Å"I'd like to see Black try and break into Honeydukes with Dementors swarming all over the village. Anyway, Hermione, the Honeydukes owners would hear a break-in, wouldn't they? They live over the shop!† â€Å"Yes, but — but –† Heroine seemed to be struggling to find another problem. â€Å"Look, Harry still shouldn't be coming into Hogsmeade. He hasn't got a signed form! If anyone finds out, he'll be in so much trouble! And it's not nightfall yet — what if Sirius Black turns up today? Now?† â€Å"He'd have a job spotting Harry in this,† said Ron, nodding through the mullioned windows at the thick, swirling snow. â€Å"Come on, Hermione, it's Christmas. Harry deserves a break.† Hermione bit her lip, looking extremely worried. â€Å"Are you going to report me?† Harry asked her, grinning. â€Å"Oh — of course not — but honestly, Harry –â€Å" â€Å"Seen the Fizzing Whizbees, Harry?† said Ron, grabbing him and leading him over to their barrel. â€Å"And the Jelly Slugs? And the Acid Pops? Fred gave me one of those when I was seven — it burnt a hole right through my tongue. I remember Mum walloping him with her broomstick.† Ron stared broodingly into the Acid Pop box. â€Å"Reckon Fred'd take a bite of Cockroach Cluster if I told him they were peanuts?† When Ron and Hermione had paid for all their sweets, the three of them left Honeydukes for the blizzard outside. Hogsmeade looked like a Christmas card; the little thatched cottages and shops were all covered in a layer of crisp snow; there were holly wreaths on the doors and strings of enchanted candles hanging in the trees. Harry shivered; unlike the other two, he didn't have his cloak. They headed up the street, heads bowed against the wind, Ron and Hermione shouting through their scarves. â€Å"That's the post office –â€Å" â€Å"Zonko's is up there –â€Å" â€Å"We could go up to the Shrieking Shack –â€Å" â€Å"Tell you what,† said Ron, his teeth chattering, â€Å"shall we go for a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks?† Harry was more than willing; the wind was fierce and his hands were freezing, so they crossed the road, and in a few minutes were entering the tiny inn. It was extremely crowded, noisy, warm, and smoky. A curvy sort of woman with a pretty face was serving a bunch of rowdy warlocks up at the bar. â€Å"That's Madam Rosmerta,† said Ron. â€Å"I'll get the drinks, shall I?† he added, going slightly red. Harry and Hermione made their way to the back of the room, where there was a small, vacant table between the window and a handsome Christmas tree, which stood next to the fireplace. Ron came back five minutes later, carrying three foaming tankards of hot butterbeer. â€Å"Merry Christmas!† he said happily, raising his tankard. Harry drank deeply. It was the most delicious thing he'd ever tasted and seemed to heat every bit of him from the inside. A sudden breeze ruffled his hair. The door of the Three Broomsticks had opened again. Harry looked over the rim of his tankard and choked. Professors McGonagall and Flitwick had just entered the pub with a flurry of snowflakes, shortly followed by Hagrid, who was deep in conversation with a portly man in a lime-green bowler hat and a pinstriped cloak — Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic. In an instant, Ron and Hermione had both placed hands on the top of Harry's head and forced him off his stool and under the table. Dripping with butterbeer and crouching out of sight, Harry clutched his empty tankard and watched the teachers' and Fudge's feet move toward the bar, pause, then turn and walk right toward him. Somewhere above him, Hermione whispered, â€Å"Mobiliarbus!† The Christmas tree beside their table rose a few inches off the ground, drifted sideways, and landed with a soft thump right in front of their table, hiding them from view. Staring through the dense lower branches, Harry saw four sets of chair legs move back from the table right beside theirs, then heard the grunts and sighs of the teachers and minister as they sat down. Next he saw another pair of feet, wearing sparkly turquoise high heels, and heard a woman's voice. â€Å"A small gillywater –â€Å" â€Å"Mine,† said Professor McGonagall's voice. â€Å"Four pints of mulled mead –â€Å" â€Å"Ta, Rosmerta,† said Hagrid. â€Å"A cherry syrup and soda with ice and umbrella –â€Å" â€Å"Mmm!† said Professor Flitwick, smacking his lips. â€Å"So you'll be the red currant rum, Minister.† â€Å"Thank you, Rosmerta, m'dear,† said Fudge's voice. â€Å"Lovely to see you again, I must say. Have one yourself, won't you? Come and join us†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Well, thank you very much, Minister.† Harry watched the glittering heels march away and back again. His heart was pounding uncomfortably in his throat. Why hadn't it occurred to him that this was the last weekend of term for the teachers too? And how long were they going to sit there? He needed time to sneak back into Honeydukes if he wanted to return to school tonight †¦ Hermione's leg gave a nervous twitch next to him. â€Å"So, what brings you to this neck of the woods, Minister?† came Madam Rosmerta's voice. Harry saw the lower part of Fudge's thick body twist in his chair as though he were checking for eavesdroppers. Then he said in a quiet voice, â€Å"What else, m'dear, but Sirius Black? I daresay you heard what happened up at the school at Halloween?† â€Å"I did hear a rumor,† admitted Madam Rosmerta. â€Å"Did you tell the whole pub, Hagrid?† said Professor McGonagall exasperatedly. â€Å"Do you think Black's still in the area, Minister?† whispered Madam Rosmerta. â€Å"I'm sure of it,† said Fudge shortly. â€Å"You know that the Dementors have searched the whole village twice?† said Madam Rosmerta, a slight edge to her voice. â€Å"Scared all my customers away†¦It's very bad for business, Minister.† â€Å"Rosmerta, dear, I don't like them any more than you do,† said Fudge uncomfortably. â€Å"Necessary precaution†¦ unfortunate, but there you are†¦I've just met some of them. They're in a fury against Dumbledore — he won't let them inside the castle grounds.† â€Å"I should think not,† said Professor McGonagall sharply. â€Å"How are we supposed to teach with those horrors floating around?† â€Å"Hear, hear!† squeaked tiny Professor Flitwick, whose feet were dangling a foot from the ground. â€Å"All the same,† demurred Fudge, â€Å"they are here to protect you all from something much worse†¦We all know what Black's capable of†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Do you know, I still have trouble believing it,† said Madam Rosmerta thoughtfully. â€Å"Of all the people to go over to the Dark Side, Sirius Black was the last I'd have thought†¦I mean, I remember him when he was a boy at Hogwarts. If you'd told me then what he was going to become, I'd have said you'd had too much mead.† â€Å"You don't know the half of it, Rosmerta,† said Fudge gruffly. â€Å"The worst he did isn't widely known.† â€Å"The worst?† said Madam Rosmerta, her voice alive with curiosity. â€Å"Worse than murdering all those poor people, you mean?† â€Å"I certainly do,† said Fudge. â€Å"I can't believe that. What could possibly be worse?† â€Å"You say you remember him at Hogwarts, Rosmerta,† murmured Professor McGonagall. â€Å"Do you remember who his best friend was?† â€Å"Naturally,† said Madam Rosmerta, with a small laugh. â€Å"Never saw one without the other, did you? The number of times I had them in here — ooh, they used to make me laugh. Quite the double act, Sirius Black and James Potter!† Harry dropped his tankard with a loud clunk. Ron kicked him. â€Å"Precisely,† said Professor McGonagall. â€Å"Black and Potter. Ringleaders of their little gang. Both very bright, of course — exceptionally bright, in fact — but I don't think we've ever had such a pair of troublemakers –â€Å" â€Å"I dunno,† chuckled Hagrid. â€Å"Fred and George Weasley could give 'em a run fer their money.† â€Å"You'd have thought Black and Potter were brothers!† chimed in Professor Flitwick. â€Å"Inseparable!† â€Å"Of course they were,† said Fudge. â€Å"Potter trusted Black beyond all his other friends. Nothing changed when they left school. Black was best man when James married Lily. Then they named him godfather to Harry. Harry has no idea, of course. You can imagine how the idea would torment him.† â€Å"Because Black turned out to be in league with You-Know-Who?† whispered Madam Rosmerta. â€Å"Worse even than that, m'dear†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Fudge dropped his voice and proceeded in a sort of low rumble. â€Å"Not many people are aware that the Potters knew You-Know-Who was after them. Dumbledore, who was of course working tirelessly against You-Know-Who, had a number of useful spies. One of them tipped him off, and he alerted James and Lily at once. He advised them to go into hiding. Well, of course, You-Know-Who wasn't an easy person to hide from. Dumbledore told them that their best chance was the Fidelius Charm.† â€Å"How does that work?† said Madam Rosmerta, breathless with interest. Professor Flitwick cleared his throat. â€Å"An immensely complex spell,† he said squeakily, â€Å"involving the magical concealment of a secret inside a single, living soul. The information is hidden inside the chosen person, or Secret-Keeper, and is henceforth impossible to find — unless, of course, the Secret-Keeper chooses to divulge it. As long as the Secret-Keeper refused to speak, You-Know-Who could search the village where Lily and James were staying for years and never find them, not even if he had his nose pressed against their sitting room window!† â€Å"So Black was the Potters' Secret-Keeper?† whispered Madam Rosmerta. â€Å"Naturally,† said Professor McGonagall. â€Å"James Potter told Dumbledore that Black would die rather than tell where they were, that Black was planning to go into hiding himself†¦and yet, Dumbledore remained worried. I remember him offering to be the Potters' Secret-Keeper himself.† â€Å"He suspected Black?† gasped Madam Rosmerta. â€Å"He was sure that somebody close to the Potters had been keeping You-Know-Who informed of their movements,† said Professor McGonagall darkly. â€Å"Indeed, he had suspected for some time that someone on our side had turned traitor and was passing a lot of information to You-Know-Who.† â€Å"But James Potter insisted on using Black?† â€Å"He did,† said Fudge heavily. â€Å"And then, barely a week after the Fidelius Charm had been performed –â€Å" â€Å"Black betrayed them?† breathed Madam Rosmerta. â€Å"He did indeed. Black was tired of his double-agent role, he was ready to declare his support openly for You-Know-Who, and he seems to have planned this for the moment of the Potters' death. But, as we all know, You-Know-Who met his downfall in little Harry Potter. Powers gone, horribly weakened, he fled. And this left Black in a very nasty position indeed. His master had fallen at the very moment when he, Black, had shown his true colors as a traitor. He had no choice but to run for it –â€Å" â€Å"Filthy, stinkin' turncoat!† Hagrid said, so loudly that half the bar went quiet. â€Å"Shh!† said Professor McGonagall. â€Å"I met him!† growled Hagrid. â€Å"I musta bin the last ter see him before he killed all them people! It was me what rescued Harry from Lily an' James's house after they was killed! Jus' got him outta the ruins, poor little thing, with a great slash across his forehead, an' his parents dead†¦an' Sirius Black turns up, on that flyin' motorbike he used ter ride. Never occurred ter me what he was doin' there. I didn' know he'd bin Lily an' James's Secret-Keeper. Thought he'd jus' heard the news o' You-Know-Who's attack an' come ter see what he could do. White an' shakin', he was. An' yeh know what I did? I COMFORTED THE MURDERIN' TRAITOR!† Hagrid roared. â€Å"Hagrid, please!† said Professor McGonagall. â€Å"Keep your voice down!† â€Å"How was I ter know he wasn' upset abou' Lily an' James? It was You-Know-Who he cared abou'! An' then he says, â€Å"Give Harry ter me, Hagrid, I'm his godfather, I'll look after him –† Ha! But I'd had me orders from Dumbledore, an' I told Black no, Dumbledore said Harry was ter go ter his aunt an' uncle's. Black argued, but in the end he gave in. Told me ter take his motorbike ter get Harry there. â€Å"I won't need it anymore,† he says. â€Å"I shoulda known there was somethin' fishy goin' on then. He loved that motorbike, what was he givin' it ter me for? Why wouldn' he need it anymore? Fact was, it was too easy ter trace. Dumbledore knew he'd bin the Potters' Secret-Keeper. Black knew he was goin' ter have ter run fer it that night, knew it was a matter o' hours before the Ministry was after him. â€Å"But what if I'd given Harry to him, eh? I bet he'd've pitched him off the bike halfway out ter sea. His bes' friends' son! But when a wizard goes over ter the Dark Side, there's nothin' and no one that matters to em anymore†¦Ã¢â‚¬  A long silence followed Hagrid's story. Then Madam Rosmerta said with some satisfaction, â€Å"But he didn't manage to disappear, did he? The Ministry of Magic caught up with him next day!† â€Å"Alas, if only we had,† said Fudge bitterly. â€Å"It was not we who found him. It was little Peter Pettigrew — another of the Potters' friends. Maddened by grief, no doubt, and knowing that Black had been the Potters' Secret-Keeper, he went after Black himself.† â€Å"Pettigrew†¦that fat little boy who was always tagging around after them at Hogwarts?† said Madam Rosmerta. â€Å"Hero-worshipped Black and Potter,† said Professor McGonagall. â€Å"Never quite in their league, talent-wise. I was often rather sharp with him. You can imagine how I — how I regret that now†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She sounded as though she had a sudden head cold. â€Å"There, now, Minerva,† said Fudge kindly, â€Å"Pettigrew died a hero's death. Eyewitnesses — Muggles, of course, we wiped their memories later — told us how Pettigrew cornered Black. They say he was sobbing, ‘Lily and James, Sirius! How could you?' And then he went for his wand. Well, of course, Black was quicker. Blew Pettigrew to smithereens†¦.† Professor McGonagall blew her nose and said thickly, â€Å"Stupid boy†¦foolish boy†¦he was always hopeless at dueling†¦should have left it to the Ministry †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I tell yeh, if I'd got ter Black before little Pettigrew did, I wouldn't've messed around with wands — I'd ‘ve ripped him limb — from — limb,† Hagrid growled. â€Å"You don't know what you're talking about, Hagrid,† said Fudge sharply. â€Å"Nobody but trained Hit Wizards from the Magical Law Enforcement Squad would have stood a chance against Black once he was cornered. I was Junior Minister in the Department of Magical Catastrophes at the time, and I was one of the first on the scene after Black murdered all those people. I — I will never forget it. I still dream about it sometimes. A crater in the middle of the street, so deep it had cracked the sewer below. Bodies everywhere. Muggles screaming. And Black standing there laughing, with what was left of Pettigrew in front of him†¦a heap of bloodstained robes and a few — a few fragments –â€Å" Fudge's voice stopped abruptly. There was the sound of five noses being blown. â€Å"Well, there you have it, Rosmerta,† said Fudge thickly. â€Å"Black was taken away by twenty members of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad and Pettigrew received the Order of Merlin, First Class, which I think was some comfort to his poor mother. Black's been in Azkaban ever since.† Madam Rosmerta let out a long sigh. â€Å"Is it true he's mad, Minister?† â€Å"I wish I could say that he was,† said Fudge slowly. â€Å"I certainly believe his master's defeat unhinged him for a while. The murder of Pettigrew and all those Muggles was the action of a cornered and desperate man — cruel†¦ pointless. Yet I met Black on my last inspection of Azkaban. You know, most of the prisoners in there sit muttering to themselves in the dark; there's no sense in them†¦but I was shocked at how normal Black seemed. He spoke quite rationally to me. It was unnerving. You'd have thought he was merely bored — asked if I'd finished with my newspaper, cool as you please, said he missed doing the crossword. Yes, I was astounded at how little effect the Dementors seemed to be having on him — and he was one of the most heavily guarded in the place, you know. Dementors outside his door day and night.† â€Å"But what do you think he's broken out to do?† said Madam Rosmerta. â€Å"Good gracious, Minister, he isn't trying to rejoin You-Know-Who, is he?† â€Å"I daresay that is his — er — eventual plan,† said Fudge evasively. â€Å"But we hope to catch Black long before that. I must say, You-Know-Who alone and friendless is one thing†¦but give him back his most devoted servant, and I shudder to think how quickly he'll rise again†¦Ã¢â‚¬  There was a small chink of glass on wood. Someone had set down their glass. â€Å"You know, Cornelius, if you're dining with the headmaster, we'd better head back up to the castle,† said Professor McGonagall. One by one, the pairs of feet in front of Harry took the weight of their owners once more; hems of cloaks swung into sight, and Madam Rosmerta's glittering heels disappeared behind the bar. The door of the Three Broomsticks opened again, there was another flurry of snow, and the teachers had disappeared. â€Å"Harry?† Ron's and Hermione's faces appeared under the table. They were both staring at him, lost for words.