Deception Point Page 81

â€Å"As you know,† the CIA director went on, his tone sharpening, â€Å"all U.S. government entities who deal with sensitive intelligence information are governed by strict rules of secrecy-military, CIA, NSA, NRO-all of them must abide by stringent laws regarding the concealment of the data they glean and the technologies they develop. I ask you all, yet again, why NASA-the agency currently producing the largest portion of cutting-edge aerospace, imaging, flight, software, reconnaissance, and telecom technologies used by the military and intelligence community-exists outside this umbrella of secrecy.† The President heaved a weighty sigh. The proposal was clear. Restructure NASA to become part of the U.S. military intelligence community. Although similar restructurings had happened with other agencies in the past, Herney refused to entertain the idea of placing NASA under the auspices of the Pentagon, the CIA, the NRO, or any other military directive. The National Security Council was starting to splinter on the issue, many siding with the intelligence community. Lawrence Ekstrom never looked pleased at these meetings, and this was no exception. He shot an acrimonious glare toward the CIA director. â€Å"At the risk of repeating myself, sir, the technologies NASA develops are for nonmilitary, academic applications. If your intelligence community wants to turn one of our space telescopes around and look at China, that's your choice.† The CIA director looked like he was about to boil over. Pickering caught his eye and stepped in. â€Å"Larry,† he said, careful to keep an even tone, â€Å"every year NASA kneels before Congress and begs for money. You're running operations with too little funding, and you're paying the price in failed missions. If we incorporate NASA into the intelligence community, NASA will no longer need to ask Congress for help. You would be funded by the black budget at significantly higher levels. It's a win-win. NASA will have the money it needs to run itself properly, and the intelligence community will have peace of mind that NASA technologies are protected.† Ekstrom shook his head. â€Å"On principle, I cannot endorse painting NASA with that brush. NASA is about space science; we have nothing to do with national security.† The CIA director stood up, something never done when the President was seated. Nobody stopped him. He glared down at the administrator of NASA. â€Å"Are you telling me you think science has nothing to do with national security? Larry, they are synonymous, for God's sake! It is only this country's scientific and technological edge that keeps us secure, and whether we like it or not, NASA is playing a bigger and bigger part in developing those technologies. Unfortunately, your agency leaks like a sieve and has proven time and again that its security is a liability!† The room fell silent. Now the administrator of NASA stood up and locked eyes with his attacker. â€Å"So you suggest locking twenty thousand NASA scientists in airtight military labs and making them work for you? Do you really think NASA's newest space telescopes would have been conceived had it not been for our scientists' personal desire to see deeper into space? NASA makes astonishing breakthroughs for one reason only-our employees want to understand the cosmos more deeply. They are a community of dreamers who grew up staring at starry skies and asking themselves what was up there. Passion and curiosity are what drive NASA's innovation, not the promise of military superiority.† Pickering cleared his throat, speaking softly, trying to lower the temperatures around the table. â€Å"Larry, I'm certain the director is not talking about recruiting NASA scientists to build military satellites. Your NASA mission statement would not change. NASA would carry on business as usual, except you would have increased funding and increased security.† Pickering turned now to the President. â€Å"Security is expensive. Everyone in this room certainly realizes that NASA's security leaks are a result of underfunding. NASA has to toot its own horn, cut corners on security measures, run joint projects with other countries so they can share the price tag. I am proposing that NASA remain the superb, scientific, nonmilitary entity it currently is, but with a bigger budget, and some discretion.† Several members of the security council nodded in quiet agreement. President Herney stood slowly, staring directly at William Pickering, clearly not at all amused with the way Pickering had just taken over. â€Å"Bill, let me ask you this: NASA is hoping to go to Mars in the next decade. How will the intelligence community feel about spending a hefty portion of the black budget running a mission to Mars-a mission that has no immediate national security benefits?† â€Å"NASA will be able to do as they please.† â€Å"Bullshit,† Herney replied flatly. Everyone's eyes shot up. President Herney seldom used profanity. â€Å"If there is one thing I've learned as president,† Herney declared, â€Å"it's that those who control the dollars control the direction. I refuse to put NASA's purse strings in the hands of those who do not share the objectives for which the agency was founded. I can only imagine how much pure science would get done with the military deciding which NASA missions are viable.† Herney's eyes scanned the room. Slowly, purposefully, he returned his rigid gaze to William Pickering. â€Å"Bill,† Herney sighed, â€Å"your displeasure that NASA is engaged in joint projects with foreign space agencies is painfully shortsighted. At least someone is working constructively with the Chinese and Russians. Peace on this planet will not be forged by military strength. It will be forged by those who come together despite their governments' differences. If you ask me, NASA's joint missions do more to promote national security than any billion-dollar spy satellite, and with a hell of a lot better hope for the future.† Pickering felt an anger welling deep within him. How dare a politician talk down to me this way! Herney's idealism played fine in a boardroom, but in the real world, it got people killed. â€Å"Bill,† Marjorie Tench interrupted, as if sensing Pickering was about to explode, â€Å"we know you lost a child. We know this is a personal issue for you.† Pickering heard nothing but condescension in her tone. â€Å"But please remember,† Tench said, â€Å"that the White House is currently holding back a floodgate of investors who want us to open space to the private sector. If you ask me, for all its mistakes, NASA has been one hell of a friend to the intel community. You all might just want to count your blessings.† A rumble strip on the shoulder of the highway jolted Pickering's mind back to the present. His exit was coming up. As he approached the exit for D.C., he passed a bloody deer lying dead by the side of the road. He felt an odd hesitation†¦ but he kept driving. He had a rendezvous to keep. 96 The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial is one of the largest memorials in the nation. With a park, waterfalls, statuary, alcoves, and basin, the memorial is divided into four outdoor galleries, one for each of FDR's terms in office. A mile from the memorial, a lone Kiowa Warrior coasted in, high over the city, its running lights dimmed. In a town boasting as many VIPs and media crews as D.C., helicopters in the skies were as common as birds flying south. Delta-One knew that as long as he stayed well outside what was known as â€Å"the dome†-a bubble of protected airspace around the White House-he should draw little attention. They would not be here long. The Kiowa was at twenty-one hundred feet when it slowed adjacent to, but not directly over, the darkened FDR Memorial. Delta-One hovered, checking his position. He looked to his left, where Delta-Two was manning the night vision telescopic viewing system. The video feed showed a greenish image of the entry drive of the memorial. The area was deserted.

Discuss the role of emotions in marketing and give some practical Essay

Discuss the role of emotions in marketing and give some practical suggestions on how emotions can help sell a product - Essay Example Positioning of a firm generally depends on the perceived image of a firm or a product in the eyes of the customer. The extent of market competition has led the customer to be perceived as the most important stakeholder of a firm or an organization. Marketers and researchers have often used the term consumer buying behaviour to explain the buying behaviour of the customer. They have tried to analyse the factors that have tried to influence it. Consumer buying behaviour can be defined as the psychological process behind the purchase making decision of a customer1. There are various models that try to define the consumer buying behaviour. The Black Box Model is the one that attempts to provide an insight into the factors that are taken into consideration by a customer while making a purchase decision2. The Black Box model of consumer buying behaviour states that the purchase decision of a customer is defined by certain external as well as internal factors. The external factors constitute aspects like economic factors, media, technologies, politics as well as social factors. Social factors are generally believed to be affected by the influence of peers of the customer as well as the demographic demands of that region. Finally the marketing mix also plays a major role in deciding the purchase act of a customer. These factors are analysed by the internal thought process of the customer which is also referred as the ‘Black Box’. This takes into account the emotional factors of a customer3. As stated by the Black Box model, emotions play a major role in the purchase decision of a customer. Recent studies have indicated that often this aspect is being ignored by the marketers who try to influence the customer by using various aspects of the marketing mix. The importance of emotions in consumer buying behaviour is considered to be very important as most of the elements of

Investment Data Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Investment Data - Essay Example It came into existence as a result of several mergers and acquisitions. Based on the latest Annual Report of the company, it has not issued shares of common stock using investment bankers or a syndicate of investment bankers, or at least there is no mention of any from accessible official documents ; in fact, it has been known to be buying back its shares. The only reference which could give one an inkling of common stocks being handled is this excerpt from its Notes to Financial Statements: â€Å"The merger was accounted for using the purchase method in accordance with SFAS No. 141, and the aggregate transaction value was $6,890 million, consisting of $5,829 million of cash and common stock issued at closing, $973 million of consideration for the shares acquired from . . . .† One major investment bank, Morgan Stanley, has probably handled some negotiations leading to some acquisitions. However, there is no explicit mention of Morgan Stanley anywhere in the companys most recent Annual Report, although the investment company has on several occasions made evaluative comments concerning Verizon. If anything, there seems to be a close relationship between the firm and Morgan Stanley. One of its Directors has had former ties with the investment bank: â€Å"Mr. Nicolaisen, 63, . . . has been a Director since 2005. He is also a director of MGIC Investment Corporation, Morgan Stanley and Zurich Financial Services.† (Annual Report 2007) Investment Dictionary defines Financial Intermediary as an institution that acts as the middleman between investors and firms raising funds. Often referred to as financial institutions. Investopedia states that it can include chartered banks, insurance companies, investment dealers, mutual funds, and pension funds. building societies, credit unions and financial advisers or brokers. Evidently, the investment banker also serves as financial adviser and broker/dealer for

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Facts about Leonard Peltier - Research Paper Example   In these cities, instead of the promised land they were pledged upon with, they suffered joblessness, poverty, and hopeless despair. Due to this torment, the American Indian Movement was born. The movement was born due to the issues that the people are facing every day, such as police brutality, high unemployment rates and the Federal Government’s policies concerning the American Indians. The group was composed of people who do not fear the government and are willing to lay their lives down for their fellow Indian people. AIM did not only become instrumental in shaping the American Indian’s path across the country but opened the eyes of the world through AIM protests, to the Siege at Wounded Knee. Some of the unforgettable leaders of the society were Dennis Banks, John Trudell, Russell Means, Eddie Benton-Banai and Clyde, and Vernon Bellecourt. They have been envisioned by Leonard Peltier as imperfect people; however, they have the bravery and compassion for their f ellow Native Americans. These people inspired Leonard Peltier, who was 14 years old then. At an early age, he experienced rank racism, political activism, and brutal poverty. He was inspired to attend meetings on the reservation with his father. With this action, he was convinced that we would want to live for the people of Pine Ridge Reservation and be a protector in their disposal. He realized that he can do something worthwhile of his life and for his people. One of his most successful conquests was the 1970 peaceful takeover of abandoned Fort Lawton, outside Seattle Washington, which is originally under the right of the Indian people. Because of this passion, he became the leader of AIM.  Ã‚  

Quality & Supply Chain Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Quality & Supply Chain Management - Assignment Example A sales bill of materials defines products as they are ordered. It can also define products as they are built and this bill is called manufacturing bill of materials. In this case, we will emphasis on manufacturing bill of materials to know how the sandwiches in Delight Sandwich Company are manufactured. This is a company that is based in Tees Valley Area. Its main objective is to provide quality sandwich to its customers in the area and abroad. This objective has made it come up with a more sophisticated sandwich product called chicken deluxe sandwich. This will lead to improved company feat in terms of competitive gain, higher market share, quality and cost advantages and higher revenue with the new product. Bill of materials Bill of materials structure for the new chicken deluxe sandwich NUMBER PART NAME REQ’D MATERIAL DRAWING NUMBER 1 OUTER LAYER 1 WHEAT FLOUR (BREAD) DSC 0001 2 THIN UPPER LAYER 1 BUTTER DSC 0002 3 UPPER SANDWICH 4 COS LETTUCE DSC 0003 4 UPPER MIDDLE SANDW ICH 2 CUCUMBER DSC 0004 5 MIDDLE SANDWICH 3 TOMATOES DSC 0005 6 LOWER MIDDLE SANDWICH 10 FRESH CHICKEN DSC 0006 7 SAND WICH COVER 1 MAYONNAISE DSC 0007 8 THIN LOWER LAYER 1 BUTTER DSC 0002 9 OUTER LAYER 1 WHEAT FLOUR (BREAD) DSC 0001 Drivers and implications of product innovation Product innovation is the leading mode of innovation and aims first and foremost at improving product performance. It leads to improved company feat in terms of competitive gain, higher market share, quality and cost advantages and higher revenue with new products. Succeeding product innovations eventually yield a dominant design where the most favorable product configuration is reached (Curtis , 2010 and Hal, 1987). Innovation process is at first minor in significance and production in early stages is characterized by high labor skills level, small scale and flexibility. As product design continues stabilizing, increasingly automated production methods are used and innovation process to lower costs takes o ver as dominant innovation mode (Mishra and Mishra, 2006). The presence of a variety of threshold levels for net utility and functionality implies that consumers will differ in the level at which a product technology at a given condition is capable of gratifying their requirements. This will result to variation in amount, and type, of development required before the products become relevant to the consumers. The model of diffusion of innovation focuses on the diffusion of fixed innovation as well as demand heterogeneity in elucidating the differences in decision and adoption rates. They fail to consider the interaction between consumers’ adoption to decisions and changes in the innovation that led to further development (Bob, 2011). In mature markets, price and functionality are often confounded as consumers with low or high functionality generally buy less or more expensive products. Nevertheless, price and functionality need to be coupled. With emerging technologies, potent ial consumers with high willingness to pay for products with the same low functionality requirements, play important roles both the adoption of an innovation and the development. In the context of emerging technologies, companies and firms do not have the alternative of positioning their products in the quality price space at will, but to a certain extent need to slot in development to affect uniqueness. While consumers have a minimum threshold for satisfactory performance,

Mathematics Assignment final Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mathematics Assignment final - Essay Example (ii). Note that the resultant vector is 145 degrees from the positive x-axis, thus using the Sine Law, After finding the magnitude of the resultant vector, r, then Thus, v = -1.3705i + 0.9596j. (iii). Fore a period of one second, the boat moves 0.9596m upward and 1.3705 westward. Thus, starting from (600, -300). The position of the boat at time t will be (600-1.3705t, -300 + 0.9596t). (iv). When the boat is directly south of the position (200, 100), then its x coordinate must be equal to 200, so Thus, at time 291.8711, the boat is directly south of (200, 100) and its position is (200, -19.92). Therefore it is about (100-(-20)) m away from that position or it is 120m away. Question 2 (a) (i) The length of the arc is equal to rX where X is the radian measure of the angle that intercepted the arc. Hence, the length of the wire can be expressed as Manipulating the equation and solving for l, we will have (ii) Note that the area A can be expressed as the difference between the area of the two sectors with radius 6 and with radius (6-l) both intercepted by angle x. Thus In terms of x only, substituting the value of l, (iv) Notice that the formula for A includes a factor (1-x) in the numerator, if we select a value of x greater than 1, then this factor will become less than 0, so the area becomes less than 0 which is not sensible. Also, if we set x to be less than 0, we are assuming that the angle that intercept the arc PS is less than 0 which also doesn't make sense. (b) The graph of f follows. (ii). Using the trace facility as shown, As seen, the graph of f has its maximum value at (0.62, 5.30). (iii) The solution of the equation f(x)=3 is 0.25 and 0.89. (c) (i) The terms of the recurrence relation are...Also, by this method, at (320, 260), t = 280. Thus, the man can see the boat from time 200 sec to 280 sec or for the duration equal to 80 sec. (i) The graph above shows vb in blue, vc in yellow and the resultant vector v in black. Their magnitudes are given for a one-second span, i.e., vb has magnitude 2, vc has magnitude 0.5. Note that the direction of the line of the boat is N 40 degrees W, or equivalently, it is 130 degrees from the positive x-axis. We want to find the coordinate of the head of the vector, so (iv) Notice that the formula for A includes a factor (1-x) in the numerator, if we select a value of x greater than 1, then this factor will become less than 0, so the area becomes less than 0 which is not sensible. Also, if we set x to be less than 0, we are assuming that the angle that intercept the arc PS is less than 0 which also doesn't make sense. (iv). Note that the maximum of the function is given by the function value when x is --/3, therefore, the maximum value of f is 3.067. However, when x is equal to 2/3, the value of f is not the minimum. If we graph f, we will notice that at x approaches negative infinity, the value of y decreases without bounds, thus f has a minimum when x is equal to -.

Art History Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Art History - Assignment Example Honore Daumier’s â€Å"Third-Class Carriage† was precisely a demonstration of social commentary. It was one thing that he just happened to accomplish with this painting. It was very common of Daumier as a trained lithographer to create paintings that were generally biting social commentary. It is because of his experiences during which the classes were divided. The culture that helped produce this was France because of the chaotic mess in the country that occurred politically, socially and in many other aspects of a French culture. He had the ability to use art to literally do just that. Michaelangelo who did most of his work in Italy was working in the Vatican City, the headquarters of the Catholic people during a time when Protestantism was on the rise. It was a method of providing an elite painting on the dome of a building in ways that had never before been accomplished. It suggests that the Catholic religion is also one of elitism. Girodet was a student of Davidâ⠂¬â„¢s and he went on to create the â€Å"Burial of Atalia,† which was a painting from the Romantic time frame. Another student of his was Antoine Jean Gros who painted â€Å"Napoleon at the Pest House of Jaffa.† During this time in Europe, while using neo-classicism, there was a use of harmony, proportion, and simplicity in order to create the paintings. Romanticism had a slightly different aesthetic theme but both artists were able to use the methods that they had learned under David and transition them to the work that was typical of the Romantic art period.