The Fellowship Of The Rings :: essays research papers

The Fellowship Of The Rings BOOK I J.R.R Tolkien As the story begins we find the lovable Bilbo Baggins having his going away birthday party. He would leave his precious magic ring behind him and leave for Alderaun. 17 years would pass and the ring remains under the safe- keep of Bilbo's nephew, Frodo Baggins. Gandalf Stormcrow has returned and has need of one from the shire. The both discuss the workings and the history of the ring. And conclude that one thing must be done. Frodo and his party must journey to the land of Mordor, where the shadows lie. And destroy the ring by which the very fires from which it was once forged. And so the quest begins, steered by Gandalf and Frodo's party of Sam, Mary, and Pippin. Together they travel the winding roads and through a great blizzard until nightfall. Where warmth and comfort are found in a local tavern. The Hobbits were well to entertain and were taken notice by a man, a warrior by the name of Strider. He took aim on their quest and was reluctant to aid in their cause. Gandalf had departed them to seek the wisdom of another wizard. With Strider and the remaining party they traveled the broad expanse if terrain. Where they would befriend new adventurers along the way. Many a time would they be tempted to misuse the ring. But Frodo's will held strong. Up unto the climax of events, when the ring raids came to take what once belonged to them. In a moment of weakness, Frodo placed the ring on his finger. He vanished from his party's sight. "Take the ring off Frodo!", they yelled. But he was frozen in his steps. Determind to get it they approached him. In a brave attempt to protect the ring, Frodo ran up to them, held the sting high in the air, attempting to strike one of them. But he failed. And instead he took a wound in his side. He then somehow managed to mount back on his horse and ride away across a shallow stream. All that separated them now was the stream. "The ring, the ring..", carried through the crowd of riders. Frodo was weary, he shouted out, "By all the Shire you will have neither I nor the ring! Go back to the

Coffee Industry Trends Essay

Coffee shops are considered to be specialty eateries, which also includes retail outlets that offer bagels, donuts, ice cream and frozen yogurt. In 2011 there were around 20,000 coffee shops in the United States with combined revenues of $10 billion. 70% of the sales are generated by the top 50 coffee shop operators. There are local mom and pop operators competing alongside of Starbucks and other national brands. The number of coffee shops like Starbucks rose in 2004, but leveled off in the recession of 2008. The number of establishments has grown faster than the number of firms. So while there are quite a few startups, those start- ups are starting up more and more shops. International business is becoming more and more important in this industry. Starbucks reported to have 5,500 international locations in 2010. Starbucks is getting ready to open their first shop in Vietnam. Vietnam is a country with strong coffee traditions and many local independent shops. In 2012, the National Coffee Association conducted a study and they found that over 75% of adults living in the US drink coffee and of those, 58% drink it daily. The age group 25-39 went from 44% drinking daily to 54%. Why the increase? Most felt better about their finances. There are still more Americans drinking coffee than tea. There are 183 million coffee drinkers to 173. 5 million tea drinkers. There has been a surge of national quick service and fast food chains entering the market. McDonalds introduced their specialty coffee line, McCafe in 2005, Burger King has BK Joe, Chick-Fil-A has Cafe blends, 7-Eleven has World Roasts, and Dunkin Donuts has lattes and cappuccinos that they introduced in 2003. Because of increased competition, many companies are trying to increase their sales thru whole and ground coffee. Many are selling thru grocery stores, specialty food stores, and also the internet. This helps build brand awareness and also brings people into the coffee shop itself. 85% of coffee drinkers make their coffee at home and now they have more ways to make their own specialty and espresso as well. These companies are actually competing against themselves as they manufacture coffee for the Keurig and Vue machines. The average consumption of coffee has actually fallen slightly in the last 30 years, but is projected to remain stable over the next five years.

Italian Monarchs and Presidents From 1861 to 2015