Home work assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Home work assignment - Essay Example The authors establish why the alibi in Bancroft’s favour could well be the basis to suspect him. The truth, especially with regard to history, is bound to be vague, because even the best historical detection has more to do with probabilities than with certainties. 1 I am convinced that Sack’s method of investigation works better with Susan Hamelin / Hamilton than the one used by the two journalists who interviewed her. This is because Sack’s method is primarily based on building rapport at first with the person with whom he wishes to interact. This, to a great extent, prevents the possibility of the person being interviewed hiding or distorting facts. 2 Even as a group, Sack’s personalistic method is to be preferred to the historians’ method, because the latter, with their impersonal attitude, tend to regard the person being interviewed as an object of study whereas in Sack’s method, the person being interviewed will be touched by the apparent genuineness of the interviewer’s concern. This creates the platform for an honest exchange of ideas and information. If Sack’s method yields good results with people who are challenged, it is quite reasonable to believe that the method will work much better with people who are sane and fit. 3 If I were to pick a patient from ‘An Anthropologist on Mars’, I would choose Temple Grandin. When I try to know more about her, I would make an effort to gain an understanding of her self and identity. In this scientific investigation must go hand in hand with an emotional concern. The purpose of this understanding is to be able to suggest ways to them how the quality of life can be improved within the limitations and to explore what adaptations are possible in this direction. The devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the use of nuclear bombs continues to be acknowledged in history as the most destructive man-made tragedy in the human history and must also continue to haunt the

Boston Beer Essay Example for Free

Boston Beer Essay Boston Beer Company is the maker of Samuel Adams brand beer and the beer industry’s leading craft brewer. On the year of 1995, the Boston Beer filed a registration statement with the U. S. SEC for an initial public stock. Now let’s start from the strategy direction of Boston Beer for analyzing the company. Strategies of Boston Beer Company in its beginning stage of the business were 1) outsourcing beer production facilities instead of building new facilities which requires approximately 10 million capital investment 2) marketing customers by appealing customer’s sense of patriotism in order to attack the imported beers. Boston Beer Company’s competitive advantages can be signified by sources of beer industries and its competitors. The re-reemergence of the craft breweries segment in 1990s had affected the decline of mass-produced beer companies. An increase of health and safety consciousness of beer consumers caused the market for distinctive and flavorful beers. Because of the new trend and customer needs in beer industry, Boston Beer Company was able to grow rapidly. Exhibit 1 shows the tremendous growth of U. S.craft brewing industry barrels and Boston Beer Company is a beneficiary and one of the leading companies that take the lead of the craft brewing market growth. Furthermore, Boston Beer Company’s outsourcing facilities in its early stage of the production and marketing approach to its customers lead the company to have the strategic advantage over its rival entities within competitive beer industry. Boston Beer Company’s income statement and balance sheet (Exhibit 3, 4) show the company has been growing rapidly with a significant growth of revenue and income. Notable competitors’ public stock offering transaction also strengthen the idea that set range of the stock price (10 to 15 dollars) of the company’s bankers can be adjusted to the level of its competitors (17 to 16 dollars per share) because of the growth rate of the company and its healthy financial situation. Currently, Boston Beer using dual-class structure, Class A and Class B, for its equities part. The company’s Class A Common Stock is not entitled to any voting rights, except for the right as a class to approve certain mergers and charter and by-law amendments and to elect a minority of the directors of the company. The Class B Common Stock has full voting rights. As of today, C. James Koch was the sole holder of record of all the company’s issued and outstanding Class B Common Stock. Boston Beer chosen a dual-class structure for its IPO because it would like to ensure that the firms founders and top executives maintained control. Thus, dual-class shares satisfy owners who dont want to give up control, but do want the public equity market to provide financing. In some cases, company performance may benefit from the existence of dual-class shares. Founders often have a longer term vision than investors focused on the most recent quarterly figures. Since stock that provides extra voting rights often cannot be traded, it ensures the company will have a set of loyal investors during rough patches. On the other hand, it can be seen as downright unfair. It creates an inferior class of shareholders and hand over power to a select few, who are then allowed to pass the financial risk onto others. Normally, the existence of dual class shares would be a problem if an investor believed the disproportionate voting rights were allowing inferior management to remain in place in spite of the best interests of shareholders. For outside investors, they should always research the details of a companys share classes if they are considering investing in a firm with more than one class. Due to the sole holder of company’s Class B common stock, it means that The Class B shareholder has significant influence over the company. Mr. Koch is able to exercise substantial influence over all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the composition of the board of directors and approval of equity-based and other executive compensation and other significant corporate matters. This could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control of the Company and will make most transactions difficult or impossible to accomplish without the support of Mr. Koch. The risk of investing in the Boston Beer Company first is located on the competitive pressures of the beer industry. With this situation, the profit margins will be declining due to competition on prices and higher production costs on specialty beers. Since the flavor is important for customer’s choices and the eruption of competition in the craft beer industry had increased the pressure to introduce new beers to maintain and grow market share, the research and development facility investment for new product development is increasing each year, together with the increased advertising, promotional and selling expenses. With the expansion of scale and size of the company, Boston Beer also invested more and more on capital expenditures, in 1995 Boston Beer invested $4. 5 million on capital expenditures increase and in 1996 invested another $13 million for related technology equipment at its contract brewing facilities. The large investment on asset-based financing arrangements could take large amount of cash flow and newer technology will raise the dilemma of more investment on updating for new equipment, which can cause the broken of normal cash flow operation. From Exhibit 5 we can see that the capital raised form initial Public Stock Offerings from 1993 to 1995 can vary a lot from $34 million in 1993 drop to about $19. 8 million in 1994, the wave of raised capital can have large effect on decision making process. There was always the potential that the IPO could be under-subscribed and therefore pulled from the market. Then the company would thus miss an opportunity to raise much-needed capital. Before the IPO, Boston Beer was organized as a limited partnership which would be dissolved in November 1995. And at the time of dissolution, the company would distribute $12. 5 million to its existing partners, The IPO proceeds would be used to immediately repay the debt incurred in dissolving the original partnership. Also, the company was planning to use $7 million of the proceeds to fund capital expenditures in 1996, while the remaining proceeds were to be used to fund working capital expenses or invested in investment grade securities. Talking about the over-capitalization, this is a situation when total of owned and borrowed capital exceed its fixed and current assets. An over capitalized company can be like a very fat person who cannot carry his weight properly, which is, in great troubles. There are many causes of over capitalization. First is the idle fund, money may be living idle in banks or in the form of low yield investments. Second is the over-valuation, some fixed assets, especially goodwill, may be over-valued. Third, the fall in value can let some inventories have much higher book value than the real economic value, according to the wave of price of inventories. And the forth, the inadequate depreciation provision can also be the reason for over-capitalization. For the fair value of stocks based on two different valuation methods; the discount cash flow model and the free cash flow model. First we use the discount cash flow method to value the Boston Beer Company’s fair value. (Please see the analyze process in Exhibit 1) First, we use the income before tax from the exhibit 3 in the year 1995. Because the case did not offer the depreciation fee, we assume the depreciation to be 0. Even though the tax rate changes slightly every year, we use the tax rate in the year 1995. From the form above, we can see the change in net working capital and capital expenditure is very small in the year 1995. But from the case we know that after the company raises money from the IPO, the company was planning to use $7 million of the proceeds to fund capital expenditures in 1996. And the remaining proceeds were to be used to fund working capital expenses or invested in investment grade securities. Because we are valuing the firm before IPO and do not know the exact number the firm will spend on the working capital and capital expenditure. We assume the firm will increase stable. We calculate the free cash flow of year 1995 using income before tax*(1-tax rate)-change in net working capital-capital expenditure. Then we use the growth rate from 1996 to 2000 to calculate each year’s estimate free cash flow. We use the discount rate 10%, the perpetuity growth rate 5% and the free cash flow of year 2000 to calculate the terminal value. Terminal value= free cash flow in 2000*(1+growth rate) / (discount rate- growth rate). Then use the discount rate, all the free cash flow and the terminal value to calculate the fair value of the company. The value of the Boston Beer Company is around 244 million. From the exhibit 3 in the case, we know the shares outstanding in year 1995 are 18273000. The case said that a total of 3984215 shares were to be offered in Boston Beer’s IPO, of which the company would issue 2540379 shares to raise capital for expansion. In addition, existing partners would sell 1443836 shares. Therefore, the new issued share would be 2540379. After add the new issued share to the original shares, we can calculate the stock price using the fair value. So the stock price=fair value/ total shares outstanding. The stock price we estimate is around 11. 74 dollar/share. The second method is for the free cash flow model in evaluating the company’s value. The first assumption is to assume that Boston Beer will pay dividend so that we can use the dividend discount model to find a fair value. The growth rates are 40% in 1996-1997 and 30% in 1998-1999 and 5 thereafter. We assumed that ROE will be constant at 47. 39% and EPS in 1995 is 0. 35 (both figures was given in the case’s exhibit 3 but should use the annualized number). Retention ratio comes from growth/ROE. All assumptions are listed in the table below. Based on these assumptions, we find that the fair value of stock at the time in the case should be $15. 42. (Please see the exhibit 2) According to the statistic and analyze, we come to summarize the opinion on the short-term and long-term current outlook for America’s brewing industry, especially with respect to its international competitors. Brewers Association announced the fact that 2,075 US craft breweries operated and 2,126 total breweries operated as of July, 2012, the highest total since the 1880s. Overall U. S. beer sales were down an estimated 1. 3% by volume in 2011, 1. 2% in 2010. Imported beer sales were up 1% in 2011 and up 5% in 2010. However, craft brewers sold an estimated 11,468,152 barrels of beer in 2011, up from 10,133,571 in 2010. These statistics suggest that imports and craft beers are in growth, while sales of main players in US beer market, such as AB InBev and MillerCoors , are declining. I assume this situation is going to last for a few years. Imports will keep increasing because a significant number of people, especially young drinks having been enjoy drinking quality beers. Craft beers are popular because the hallmark of craft beer and craft brewers is innovation and craft brewers have distinctive, individualistic approaches to connecting with their customers. In the long term, US beer companies may increase their sales by brewing imported beers in US. AB InBev began brewing Beck’s-previously imported- at St Louis brewery earlier last year. Also, though almost all craft brewers are operation at or near their full capacity, many craft brewers cannot meet growing demand. Some brewers have increased their sales by outsourcing some of production. With more craft brewers increasing investment and production, we can predict that sales of craft beers will go up more in the future. (See Exhibit 3and 4) Exhibit 1 Discount cash flow method Exhibit 2 Free cash flow method Exhibit 3US Breweries Operating as of July 1, 2012| | | Brewpubs| 1072| | Microbreweries| 922| | Regional Craft Breweries| 81| | Total US Craft Breweries| 2075| | Large Non-Craft Breweries| 22| | Other Non-Craft Breweries| 29| | Total US Breweries| 2126| | Exhibit 4.

Fluorides Essay -- Health, Dental Access

Fluoridation: The Big Debate The issue of fluoridation has always raised big questions regarding its effectiveness, safety and usage. Some of the main pros and cons of fluoridation shall therefore be explored. Pros: Large Reach: All members of the community would have access to regular fluorides doses, regardless of income, education or dental access. It many be particularly beneficial to children, as studies have shown that they do not brush as regularly as they should. Therefore, the omission of this administration fluoride can be compensated through water fluoridation, which all children should and would drink. Advantageous for the Elderly: As you get older, one’s saliva flow would generally decrease. This would mean that the elderly have less salivary fluorides that could access, remineralise and strengthen tooth surfaces. Moreover, the elderly have decreased manual dexterity to brush effectively and reach all surfaces. Therefore, all of these issues increase the risk of root surface decay for the elderly, but fluorides would help prevent this from occurring. Evidence: Many studies have been carried out to show that fluoridation of water does have a positive impact on oral hygiene and helping to prevent dental decay. Support: The fluoridation of water is supported by large health bodies such as: The British Dental Association; The World Health Organisation; The British Medical Association; and the British Fluoridation Society. Cost Effective: The use of fluorides reduces the risk of dental caries, and so potentially saves money for a patient who otherwise would have had to have payed for fillings. Reduces the Risk of Dental Caries: A recent study has concluded that adding fluoride... ... consuming hot or cold substances.[45] 5 things required for remineralisation of tooth enamel[36] The correct minerals (containing Ca2+, PO43- and Fl- ions) must be present in one’s saliva. Carbonic acid must then be produced (naturally produced from carbon dioxide and water) and close to the minerals, so it reacts with and dissociate them into their constituent ions. This process must take place near the tooth area affected. The affected demineralised area of hydroxyapatite must be clean and accessible. Complementary shaped ions formed from the minerals can then attract to oppositely charged ions within the hydroxyapatite lattice. Carbonic acid must then reform carbon dioxide and water, which precipitates the complementary ions that were dissolved in it into the area of demineralised enamel. In this way, remineralisation of the tooth enamel has occurred.

English Transformation Practice Essay Essay

Composers often use different methods to portray similar ideas to their audience. How have the two texts you have studied reflect the same ideas in different ways?  Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew and Jill Junge’s 10 Things I Hate about You are examples of where composers have used different methods to portray similar ideas to their audience. This essay will compare the three common themes the texts share, including marriage and dating, deception and disguise and the role and hierarchy of women in society. By comparing the dramatic and film techniques used in each of these respective texts, the common themes are expressed in their individual ways which ultimately are able to engage their audiences. Traditionally, economics and financial gain have been the more important aspect in relationships, especially marriage, as opposed to love. The marriage and dating customs of society have remained relatively similar overtime. In Taming of the Shrew, the audience is given an exclusive view into what marriage meant to society and individuals of the Elizabethan period. William Shakespeare conveyed how marriage as a financial gain was specifically applied to peoples during his era in Taming of the Shrew, where in Act 1 Scene 2, Petruchio and his servant Grumio visit Hortensio’s house. Petruchio boldly announces his quest to wed a rich wife. â€Å"†¦I come to wive it wealthily in Padua, if wealthily then happily in Padua.† Such a blunt statement clearly shows Petruchio’s ‘gold digger’ of a personality and his values when it comes to marriage, most likely influenced by the society he lives in. When Hortensio refers Petruchio to Katherina as part of a devious scheme for Bianca, the dramatic irony only further enhances how when it comes to women, men of Petruchio’s standard prioritize marriage as a financial transaction first, then their own feelings or even the feelings of the intended and that the view of the female is not taken into account. In this way, Shakespeare is able to demonstrate the value of marriage and by comparing this to 10 Things I Hate about you, it is evident that the same values still apply. The modern day teenage filmic text is still able to portray marriage and dating mostly as a profitable process through a different setting. When Joey asked Patrick to take out Kat, again, for his own warped benefit, including the punchline that if Patrick were to make Kat his own problem, a generous compensation would be rewarded, Patrick immediately becomes interested. â€Å"†¦you’re going to pay me to take out some chick? How much?†. This question highlights Patrick’s cleverly concealed interest in this deal because it ultimately involves money. Throughout this scene, Joey is seen mostly cast in sunlight, which suggests an almost innocent like motive to his request, where as Patrick is seemingly more of the selfish, sullen and nasty party in his business deal, because it is all for money, and he is completely disregarding or holding no respect for what Kat’s opinion and emotions might be on this matter if she heard of it. Jill Junge also makes effective use of medium shots, where the surly facial expressions of Patrick and arrogant body language of Joey and Patrick can be observed in more detail during their conversation. It also shows the reactions and emotions of them both whilst finalizing their business deal. The camera works and techniques of Jill Junge in this scene evidently express the monetary benefits of marriage and dating throughout time, from Shakespeare’s time well into the modern day. Deception and disguise in the two set texts involves harmlessly deceiving one, or multitudes of people by impersonating someone, or good at something they’re in actual fact not, the result of which is gaining something in personal value. Shakespeare expresses his interpretation of deception and disguise through Act I Scene II where upon arrival in Padua Lucentio and Tranio swap identities with each other as part of the plan to capture Bianca’s heart. Tranio assures â€Å"†¦when I am alone, why then I am Tranio, but in all places else, your master Lucentio.† Master and servant are well disguised as someone they’re not, and the chess pieces are set. Furthermore, Baptista, Bianca, Petruchio and the others of the story are deceived by the role swapping of Lucentio and Tranio. Again, the use of dramatic irony further increases the ‘masquerade’ atmosphere developing in this scene, thus supporting the theme of deception and disguise, for masquerades often involve not knowing the identity of anyone as their face is so effectively shielded with masks. Shakespeare cleverly inserts the concept of deception and disguise within his play that it becomes an important and crucial element to the plot, and when compared back to 10 Things I Hate about You, deception and disguise is another important and crucial element to the plot.

Magazines play in women’s lives Essay

The woman’s magazine came into existence in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century (Margaret Beetham, 1996 pg 6). They were generally aimed at the upper and middle class ladies, as these were the only women who had spare leisure time and the disposable income to purchase luxuries such as weekly magazines. During 1949-74 there were two extremely dominant themes in women’s magazines. First there was the overwhelming star billing given to love and marriage- and the family. Second there was the heavy emphasis placed upon the Self, and the responsibility ethic laid upon every woman to be the self staring, self finishing producer of herself (Marjorie Ferguson 1983 pg 44). It is clear from the beginning that women’s magazines promoted a picture of a ‘perfect woman’, which still exists today. One could argue the continued success of women’s magazines is due to the development of the magazine as a commodity. They have also become a crucial site for the advertising and sale of other commodities, whether nightgowns or convenience foods (Margaret Beetham 1996 pg 2). Women’s magazines play a vital role in many reader’s lives. But do they wrongly portray a perfect woman? Many women struggle to maintain a perfect home, their children and a happy marriage. One could argue women’s magazines both add to this pressure, and act as a form of advice to women unable to cope with what is expected from them according to the media and gender stereotyping. In the early years of women’s magazines the emphasis was put upon providing entertainment and practical advice. In this case the magazine fulfilled a role of a reference text, which women could refer to for recipes and other advice. The entertainment factor meant the magazines were viewed as a bit of light relief for women with busy lives. Janice Winship portrayed the role of women’s magazines in the eyes of the existing culture extremely differently. Men do not have or need magazines for ‘A Man’s World’; it is their world, out there, beyond the shelves: the culture of the workplace, of politics and public life, the world of business, property and technology, there they are all ‘boys’ together. Women have no culture and world out there other than the one which is controlled and mediated by men (Janice Winship 1987 pg 6). In this respect women’s magazines provide an insight into the ‘Woman’s world. ‘ The ‘woman’s world’ which women’s magazines represent is created precisely because it does not exist outside their pages (Janice Winship 1987 pg 7). Therefore the role which magazines play in this respect is of high importance to women. It acts as an escape into ‘their own world’ which suggests why women’s magazines have been so popular in the past and continue to be as successful today. Marjorie Ferguson argued that women’s magazines collectively comprise a social institution which serves to foster and maintain a cult of femininity (Marjorie Ferguson 1983 pg 184). She puts forward a much more positive view of women’s magazines and feels that the magazines purely identify their target market and then aim to provide their readers with ‘encouragement and entertainment to do with the business of being a woman (Marjorie Ferguson 1983 pg 184). ‘ It is clear from the above that in the past when women had little rights the role of the women’s magazines had a great importance to women. It enabled them to have a world of their own almost, a world which was not purely occupied with males. In today’s society where women have equal rights to men (supposedly! ) the role of their magazine is not nearly as important in their lives. It does continue to provide the same features although there is a world out there not purely controlled by men, therefore the role of women’s magazines is slightly less important in the day to day activities of women. One could claim it acts as light relief although the images portrayed in these magazines can lead to this portrayal of the ‘perfect woman. ‘ In today’s society, it is difficult not to examine one’s body and feel a sense of discontent if it doesn’t mirror the lanky images one sees in not only fashion magazines, but also all areas of advertising (Annie Doig 1998). Women are increasingly faced with images of ‘the perfect woman. ‘ The portrayal of women in women’s magazines all follow the same pattern, they have a well-groomed appearance and a slim body image. Media such as television, movies, and magazines are considered to be among the most influential promoters of the thin standard, given their popularity and accessibility to the people (Anne Marlowe1998). As women’s magazines have a massive influence on women’s self-concept many women quickly become dissatisfied with their body even at an early age. Ironically the ideal of feminine beauty which is being promoted is impossible for the average woman to achieve. This level of unhappiness can lead to an eating disorder in an attempt to conform with the publicised ‘norms. ‘ Between 1970 and 1990, there was an overall increased emphasis on weight loss and body shape in the content of a popular women’s magazine (Anne Marlowe 1998). This concludes that the roles of women’s magazines changed from traditional and entertaining values into portraying women as consumers and directly targeting women’s own anxieties to make money. Interestingly there is evidence to suggest that eating disorders, especially anorexia and bulimia, are most prominently seen in white women (Molloy 1998). One could claim a high proportion of women’s magazines are aimed at white females. They are not directly discriminative but you rarely see a black cover girl with features on how to cope with African hair types for example. This example outlines the impact these magazines have upon women’s self-perception. Males are also less likely to suffer with an eating disorder. This can be directly linked with the fact that male magazines are primarily concerned with leisure, pleasure and activities, in contrast as discussed women’s magazines focus on beauty, dieting and domesticity. Women are under massive pressure to conform to these unrealistic pictures of beauty. That in turn results in many women in narcissistic absorption with oneself- with ones physical appearance (‘The image of femininity in women’s magazines’ 1998).

Media Ethics Case Study

Media Ethics Case Study The author of the case study discusses a popular television series Beavis and Butthead. In particular, the writer examines the possible influence of this behavior of children and adolescents. For instance, one can mention that this show has affected the language of many Americans because it gave rise many new words that can be viewed as obscene or at least very vulgar.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Media Ethics specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Secondly, the creators of this cartoon have often been accused of promoting deviant behavior among adolescents. For example, media reporters have found connection between this television series and the dangerous actions of some underage viewers such as Aaron Messner who set his family’s trailer on fire. It is believed that his behavior is directly influenced by this animation series. Moreover, reporters believe that there are other violent incidents that can also be at tributed to Beavis and Butthead. This is why the cartoon was criticized by the press. Currently, this show continues to be aired on MTV; however, it is no longer broadcast at 7 p. m. Moreover, MTV is obliged to warn viewers that the behavior of Beavis and Butthead should not be emulated in any way. Overall, this case raises several ethical questions that are related to the education of children as well as the role of media in the modern society. The most important issue is the responsibility of the mass media and those people who work in this area. Certainly, it is not possible to prove that Beavis and Butthead should be blamed for every form of misconduct among children or adolescents. However, this show may promote deviancy and it can make dangerous behavior more acceptable. Thus, one has to determine whether the activities of mass media should be regulated in any way. The second issue that can be even more important is the responsibility of parents who often accuse mass media of corrupting their children, but very often they do not do anything to minimize the negative influence of such cartoons as Beavis and Butthead. For instance, Aaron Messner could be watching MTV alone and one can reasonably ask why parents did not ask what he had been watching. There are other questions that can be strongly connected to the case. One of them is the role that media and art play in the modern community. Very often, films, cartoons and video clips are aimed at highlighting the negative aspects of the society, but the creators can unwillingly glorify violence, especially when viewers cannot see the irony that of the film-makers.Advertising Looking for essay on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Finally, some attention should be paid to the role of government that should be more concerned with moral and intellectual education of the new generation. These are the main issues that one can i dentify in this case study. The issues mentioned in the case study called for some actions. First of all, one can that mass media companies were declared to be responsible for the misbehavior of children or teenagers. Therefore, these organizations had to address these issues. As it has been said before, MTV changed the time when the controversial cartoon was aired. Moreover, this organization issued a disclaimer according to which Beavis and Butthead had to be viewed only as a parody, and the main characters should not be regarded as role models. Overall, one can say that MTV took this decision in order to avoid public criticism, but they did not fully acknowledge the link between violence and the cartoon Beavis and Butthead. This approach to the moral education of children has several limitations. In particular, little attention is paid to the role of parents who are responsible for the education of children. Certainly, it is possible to move Beavis and Butthead from 7.00 p.m. to 11 p.m. but it does not mean that children will not be able to view the show. They can easily watch this cartoon on the Internet. So, the negative effects of this show cannot be reduced if parents do not take any action. One can overlook the role of teachers who must raise parents’ awareness about the influence of television or Internet on underage people. This is why it is not permissible to blame only mass media. It is possible to offer several recommendations to people who have to deal with the problems described in the case. First of all, teachers should inform parents about the consequences of watching television series like Beavis and Butthead or South Park. These shows are parodies of the contemporary society, but they will be misinterpreted by underage people. Finally, parents should monitor what their children watch and learn more about these programs, films, or television series. In some cases, parents may limit their children’s access to television or Intern et and explain why some of the television series are not appropriate at a certain age.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Media Ethics specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It seems that such a solution is quite ethical. Again, it is necessary to stress the point that one should not accuse television or Internet for every problem that modern society faces.

How to Teach the Present Continuous to ESL Students

How to Teach the Present Continuous to ESL Students Teaching the present continuous usually takes place after the present, past, and future simple forms have been introduced. However, many books and curricula choose to introduce the present continuous immediately after the  present simple. This order can be confusing as students may have difficulties understanding the subtlety of something that happens as a routine and an  action that takes places at the moment of speaking. No matter when you introduce this tense,  its important to provide as much context as possible by using appropriate time expressions, such as now, at the moment, currently, etc.   How to Introduce the Present Continuous Start by Modeling the Present Continuous Begin teaching the present continuous by speaking about what is happening in the classroom at the moment of introduction. Once students recognize  this usage, extend to other things you know are happening now. This can include simple facts such as The sun is shining at the moment. Were learning English at the moment. etc. Make sure to mix it up by using a number of different subjects. Im teaching the present continuous right now.My wife is working in her office at the moment.Those boys are playing tennis over there.etc. Choose a magazine or web page with lots of activity, go through a number of pages, and ask students questions based on the photo. What are they doing now?What is she holding in her hand?Which sport are they playing?etc. To teach the negative form, use the magazine or web pages to ask yes or no questions focusing on eliciting a negative response. You may want to model a few examples before asking students. Is she playing tennis? - No, she isnt playing tennis. Shes playing golf.Is he wearing shoes? - No, hes wearing boots.(Asking students) Are they eating lunch?Is she driving a car?etc. Once students have practiced a few rounds of questions, distribute magazines or other pictures around the classroom and ask students to grill each other on what is happening at the moment. How to Practice the Present Continuous Explaining the Present Continuous on the Board Use a present continuous timeline to illustrate the fact that the present continuous is used to express what is happening at the moment. If you feel comfortable with  the level of the class, introduce the idea that the present continuous can be used to speak about what is happening around the present moment in time. Its a good idea at this point to contrast the present continuous auxiliary verb to be with other auxiliary verbs, pointing out that ing must be added to the verb in the present continuous form. Comprehension Activities Comprehension activities such as using photos in magazines will help with the present continuous. Present continuous dialogues can also help illustrate the form. Present continuous worksheets will help tie in the form with appropriate time expressions. Review quizzes contrasting present simple with the present continuous will also help. Continued Activity Practice Its a good idea to compare and contrast the present continuous with the present simple form once students have understood the difference. Using the present continuous for other purposes such as discussing present projects at work or speaking about future scheduled meetings will help students become familiar with other uses of the present continuous form. Challenges with the Present Continuous The greatest challenge with present continuous is understanding the difference between a routine action (present simple) and an activity occurring at the moment. Its quite common for students to use the present continuous to speak about daily habits once theyve learned the form, so comparing the two forms early on will help students understand the differences. The use of the present continuous to express  future scheduled events  is best left for intermediate level classes.  Finally, students might also have difficulties understanding that stative verbs may not be used with continuous forms. Present Continuous Lesson Plan Example Greet the class and talk about what is happening at the moment in class. Make sure to pepper your sentences with appropriate time expressions such as at the moment and now.Ask students what they are doing at the moment to help them begin using the form. At this point in the lesson, keep things simple by not diving into the grammar. Try to get students to provide correct answers in a relaxed conversational manner.Use a magazine or find pictures online and discuss what is happening in the picture.  As you discuss what he/she or they are doing in photos, begin to differentiate by asking questions with you and we.  At the end of this discussion, write up a few example sentences on the whiteboard. Make sure to use different subjects and ask students to identify the differences between each sentence or question.  Point out the helping verb be changes, but note that the main verb (playing, eating, watching, etc.) remains the same.Begin contrasting the present continuous with the prese nt simple by alternating questions. For example:  What is your friend doing at the moment?  and  Where does your friend live?   Get student input on the differences between the two forms. Help students understand as necessary. Make sure to point out differences in time expression use between the two forms.  Ask students to write out ten questions, five with the present continuous and five with the present simple. Move around the room helping students with any difficulties.  Have students interview each other using the ten questions.  For homework, ask students to write a short paragraph contrasting what a friend or family member does every day and what they are doing at the moment. Model a few sentences on the board so that students clearly understand the homework assignment.

Politics of George Clooney, Actor and Liberal Activist

Politics of George Clooney, Actor and Liberal Activist American actor George Clooney is a liberal, a strong supporter of liberal causes and charities, and an outspoken critic of conservative politics and warmongering. Clooney supported John Kerry for President in 2004; Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, and Hilary Clinton in 2016. Among other causes, he actively supports gay rights. Im a liberal. Im confused when that became a bad word. Its interesting. I think what happened over a period of time, probably in the late 80s when it became sort of a political tool.... [T]he liberal movement morally, you know, has stood on the right side of an awful lot of issues. We thought that blacks should be allowed to sit at the front of the bus and women should be able to vote, McCarthy was wrong, Vietnam was a mistake.  George Clooney to CNNs Larry King on February 16, 2006. Actor, Director, Producer George Clooney is best-known as having been a television and film actor since early 1980s, and as a director and film producer since 2002s Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. Most Americans first noticed him as the handsome Dr. Doug Ross on the popular television program ER from 1994 to 1999. Clooney regularly appeared in five other television shows prior to ER. Clooneys acting credits range from the goofy Return of the Killer Tomatoes (1988) to the seriocomic O Brother Where Art Thou, the Coen brothers 2000 take on Homers The Odyssey. His writing, producing, and directing credits include political-commentary films such as Syriana (2005) and The American (2010), as well as historically-themed films such as The Monuments Men (2014) and Good Night, and Good Luck (2006). The Clooney Family George Clooney was born in 1961 near Lexington, Kentucky to Nick Clooney, a regional newscaster and well-liked TV personality, and Nina Warren Clooney, local city council member, and former Kentucky beauty queen. Hes also the nephew of the singer Rosemary Clooney and cousin of actor Miguel Ferrer. One 2003 article dubs the Clooney clan the Kennedys of Kentucky for their formidable liberal influence in the conservative northern part of that state. By all reports, the Clooneys are a close-knit, Irish-Catholic family, and George is fiercely loyal to his father. When Nick Clooney ran for Congress in 2004, George raised over $600,000 from fellow celebrity-activists for his fathers unsuccessful campaign and made personal appearances on behalf of his father. Charity Causes In the charity world, Clooney is known for his work with numerous disaster relief efforts, including America: A Tribute to Heroes in 2001 for victims of 9/11; Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope, to benefit victims of the late-2004 Indian Ocean tsunami; and the Hope for Haiti Now for the victims of the 2010 earthquake. Clooney donated $1 million in September 2005 to the United Way Hurricane Katrina Response Fund to help out the victims of the hurricane. Clooney is a member of the United Way Board of Trustees. Said Clooney when he made the donation, Today our neighbors need food, shelter, and health care, but the very near future is when the difficult part of rebuilding lives and homes and cities starts. Were all in this one together. In March 2006, Clooney donated his Oscar gift-bag (Value: about $100,000) to the United Way, to be auctioned off to benefit that humanitarian organizations programs. Preventing Mass Atrocities Clooney has also contributed money and time to the recognition, prevention, and cessation of genocides and mass atrocities. He was instrumental in the creation of Journey to Darfur, a program on the ongoing conflict in Darfur; the recognition of the Armenian Genocide; the Satellite Sentinel Project reporting on the civil war between Sudan and South Sudan; and the Aurora Prize, which awards people who risk their lives to present genocides and atrocities. In 2006, Clooneys longtime liberal activism and unabashed political views also rose to headline-attracting public prominence. After a 5-day visit to Darfur, Clooney spoke out against genocide in that country and urged greater US and NATO involvement. In September 2006, Clooney testified before the UN Security Council, urging that UN peacekeepers enter Darfur. Clooney and the Conservative Media Clooney has been the focus of attacks from conservative media outlets. In September 2001, Clooney was a primary organizer on a telethon to raise money for victims of 9/11. The program, America: A Tribute to Heroes raised US $129 million which was donated to The United Way. Conservative political commentator Bill OReilly took Clooney and his associates to task for not appearing on The OReilly Factor program to respond to scattered news reports that the money was not, in fact, going to the victims. Infuriated, Clooney responded in an angry letter to OReilly on November 6, 2001, in which he scolded, The fund is not only the most successful single fundraiser ever, it is doing exactly what it is designed to do. Responsibly. The money is going out to the right people... In 2014, the British tabloid The Daily Mail reported that the family of his then-fiancee, Amal Alamuddin, opposed their marriage on religious grounds, saying that some of her relatives had joked about killing the bride if she disobeyed her parents. Clooney wrote an open letter in the USA Today calling the paper a laughable tabloid that crossed into the arena of inciting violence. A Few Political Films Over his career, Clooney has appeared in and had some creative control over the production of several films with political content. Here are a few of the best known. Three Kings (1999)- At the Gulf Wars end, four US soldiers come across a potential jackpot: a rolled up treasure map to Saddam Husseins stashes of confiscated gold hidden bewteen the buttocks of a captured soldier. While pursuing selfish gain, the men collide with Iraqi civilians and experience a different side of the war.Confessions of a Dangerous Mind  (2002)- Based on the life of Chuck Barris, who claimed dual careers as loony game-show host and CIA operative for the US government. Also directed by Clooney.Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)- Taking place during the early days of broadcast journalism in 1950s America, this film chronicles the real-life conflict between newsman Edward R. Murrow and Senator Joseph McCarthy and his House Un-American Activities Committee. In a political climate of fear and reprisal, the CBS news crew persists. McCarthy is brought before the Senate and made powerless as his lies and bullying tactics are finally uncovered. Clooney was nominated for a Bes t Director Oscar for this film. Syriana (2005)- In this political thriller that unfolds against the intrigue of the global oil industry, Clooney plays the role of career CIA operative who disturbing truths about the work to which he has devoted his life. He won the 2006 Best Supporting Oscar and a Golden Globe for this role.The Ides of March (2011)- Clooney directed and co-wrote the screenplay for this take on modern-day dirty politics,Money Monster (2016)- A financial TV hose and his producer are taken hostage by an irate investor who is convinced there is a conspiracy driving fluctuations in global high tech markets. Summing Up Liberalism When asked in 2005 by the German magazine Brigitte, why conservatives continually vilify liberals, Clooney succinctly summed up liberalism.... Its quite amazing that liberal nowadays has become a swear word as in the history of our country it always meant to be on the side of justice. It started with the witchhunt in Salem, the conservatives point of view was: Burn them at the stake, and the liberals point of view was: There are no witches. And thats how it continued with the civil rights movement and womens suffrage. The liberals were always right in the end. Sources: Carr. 2005. A ringside seat for Murrow versus McCarthy. The New York Times, 18 September 2005.Cieply M. 2010. Within days, a global benefit takes shape. The New York Times 21 January 2010. Gibson, C. 2017. George Clooney takes aim at powerhourse D.C. lobbying firm over its ties to the Sudanese government. The Washington Post 7 July 2017.Somaiya R and Haughney C. 2014. Heard the News on George Clooney? This Much Is True: He’s Livid. The New York Times, 11 July 2014.Internet Movie Database (IMDb). 2017 George Clooney. Downloaded 24 November 2017

See the istructions below Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

See the istructions below - Essay Example Net revenues from their company operated retail as well as from their speciality has been $6.36 billion up from $5.29 billion last year (Starbucks, Annual report, 16th Dec 2005). In 1996, Starbucks went international. The first overseas location was Japan. Currently apart from the United States which is the home market for the company, they also operate in 34 international locations both through direct company operated stores as well as joint ventures and licensed locations. In the United States, they have 4666 company-operated coffeehouses and 2222 licensed locations. Outside the US they have 1049 company-operated stores and 1734 joint venture and licensed locations. The company was listed in Fortunes best hundred places to work in 2005 (www.starbucks.com, 2006) India has been in the process since 1991 of opening up its markets to international competition and in general is taking steps towards loosening of control and gunning towards becoming a free market. Being a democracy in which (especially in recent times) coalition governments are the order of the day, the ruling party has to contend with partners which have left leanings. An issue which is the centre of a political debate is Foreign Direct Investment in retail. The left opposes it fearing that local small retailers will be hurt. But pundits agree that it is a matter of time before the government opens up the ceiling for FDI in retail beyond the 49% level and eventually it is expected to open up completely. Following the process of economic reforms India has seen an extremely healthy GDP growth in recent years. This growth has maintained a rate of 7% to 8% making India one of the fastest growing economies of the world. The middle class in India is itself more than the entire population of the United States making it a huge market. A survey of executives by a global consulting firm AT Kearney shows that India was ranked as

Designing a Receptive Skills Lesson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Designing a Receptive Skills Lesson - Essay Example One of the main ways of ensuring that the students are interested in what is being taught is to make the lesson more interesting, in a more personal manner if possible. One of the ways to achieve the latter is to use prediction in that before indulging in the topic, the students get the chance to brainstorm on what the topic is all about so that they can get the chance to express their ideologies as well as their understandings. The reason for the emphasis on the personal learning is due to the sense that people get to learn more when they are â€Å"involved personally in the topic† (Barone, 2011, p 38). The reason for the latter is on the basis that when students are involved in the topic, they are able to use their personal knowledge on the topic, which makes it one of the best ways of learning because people learn what is personally relevant to them. The material to be used as per this receptive skill lesson is the influence of micro blog on the movie attendance as obtained from http://www.enread.com/science/94834.html. The activities as per this lesson have been designed to suit an upper intermediate class in the C1 CEFR level. Aims of the lesson The aims of this lesson are stated in their level of importance. The first aim for the students is based on their basic reading skills. To enhance their basic reading skills, detailed reading will be conducted. In addition, the students will receive information through the technique of finding words as well as phrases in the texts. The second part is aimed at the improvement of the students’ gist reading, listening and reading skills . To achieve this, the students will receive a skimming practice for the gist through the selection of the relevant summaries provided to them. The last language skills that the students are going to learn are the speaking skills. The reason for this is so that the students are able ‘to improve their expertise of discussions’ through the use of groups, which can help them deliberate their human experiences with each other. This is mainly for the purpose of improving their speaking skills (Thompson, 2007, p 48). Tasks overviews Since the main theme that is persistent in the source text is that of the influence of micro blog on the movie attendance, as a start to the lesson, the first thing will be to get the students to be deeply involved in the material that is being taught (Appendix 1). To get them to be interested in the subject matter mentioned in the latter, I will at first tell them to find the main idea sentence and read it aloud to help them improve on their reading skills. Secondly, I will give the students some time to ensure that they get the chance to understand the topic as well as understand what it is all about - this is for the purpose of improving their listening skills. The next thing is to get them to discuss on how they would answer why the micro blog is so influential to a person who does not have a clue about what t he topic states. The reason why this question is important as per this lesson is because it will get their imagination to work, since they will have to think of some of the most basic concepts that are related to what they have read and find the right words to express themselves and using the speaking skills that they have gained; they will be able to express themselves properly. The group engagements will also enable the students to think of

Diversity Boing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Diversity Boing - Essay Example Moreover, systemic changes to the way in which the Boeing culture existed and the way in which it currently exists were also required. As a means of tracking these changes and making key observations concerning them, the following analysis will engage the reader with a level of understanding concerning the way in which diversity was motivated and the ways in which it was implemented within Boeing. Further, a brief summary and reflective statement will be provided at the end of this assignment as a means of classifying and categorizing the utility that working as a part of the group dynamic was able to have with regards to better understanding the case study and the many factors associated with it. As Boeing’s upper management and senior stakeholders began to realize that their firm’s hope of long-term success hinged upon the ability to integrate with the outside world, a brief internal audit revealed the fact that diversity within the firm’s design and production elements was ultimately extraordinarily low (Mecham, 2002). As such, in order to appeal to a more broad demographic and come more in line with the globalized nature of an increasingly diverse society and world, Boeing saw the immediate need to seek to diversify its staff. Whereas many firms realize this particular need and slowly make moves to see this happen over time, Boeing initiated an aggressive diversity strategy that hinged upon seeking out the most qualified applicants while keeping in mind the unique levels of diversity that the firm required. This two-pronged approach was effective in the fact that it did not place either ability or diversity as the prime goal for the firm. In such a way, the expertise and focus of the firm was able to be maintained while a subtle yet decisive change to company culture was initiated. Moreover, even a cursory level of analysis with regards to the way in which diversity takes place indicates the fact that sudden rapid changes with regards t o diversity and/or diversity implementation within a culture can oftentimes be negatively received by the stakeholders. Realizing this, Boeing set out to engage a slower and more gradual approach that would seek to replace outgoing talent with a more diverse workforce; while at the same time reinforcing the mores and norms of diversity appreciation within the culture of the firm. This nuanced approach proved to be highly effective as the company was not only able to continue to operate in a profitable manner domestically; it was also able to continue the march towards global success by providing its international clients with the products and services they required. This is a testament to the success of Boeing’s diversity is the fact that the firm championed this goal alongside the vision and mission statements that had already proven to be so effective in helping to garner profitability to the Boeing firm (Holmes, 2003). Without inherently changing the scope of activities an d/or the expertise that it had already accrued over the years of successful business implementation, Boeing was able to chart a somewhat distinct approach to the future. Looking all the way into the present era, it can be noted that Boeing exhibits a very high degree of diversity within an aerospace company that

Outline the main factors explaining news definitions of gender and Essay

Outline the main factors explaining news definitions of gender and assess the evidence that journalism contributes towards the a - Essay Example Moreover, stereotypes of a litany of different origins are likely to pervade the media’s representation of any given topic; and have been proven to exist for as long as the modern media has been in existence (Munoz et al., 2012, p. 385). As a means of understanding this unique dynamic, this particular analysis will consider some of the main reasons why the current, and past media, have marginalized and alienated women and how this impact has in fact worked to compound women’s issues within the context of greater degrees of freedom and societal shift that may have otherwise occurred had the pervasive agenda of the media not been in place. In order to begin to discuss such a topic, it is necessary for the reader to come to a firm and complete understanding of what defines the media and to what extent and for what reasons it remains a dynamic and powerful force in formulating the ideas of society. In order to achieve this goal, the first section of this piece will discuss the role and evolution of the media on the lives of those within Western civilization. So powerful has been the effect of the media on the way in which the world has grown and developed that key historians and social scientists in the 19th century collectively dubbed it the â€Å"Fourth Estate†; an homage to the medieval representation of the three estates of society – the clergy, the nobility, and the commoners. As a means of defining the power that the media holds over society in such a way, the reader comes to the powerful understanding that such a high level of influence is given to this entity that it in and of itself can be counted as a determinant entity within the â€Å"estates† of modern society. Likewise, by limiting the analysis to Western civilization it will be possible to provide a level of focus upon the same media that affected the nations that comprised the early women’s liberation movement of the 1960s and onwards. One such factor that m akes the media of the recent past as well as the present unique is the surprising level of standardization and singular ownership which defines it. Whether one considers the newsprint media, television media, radio media, or media of other forms, a few solitary players control the lion’s share of these forms of media. As such, the range of diversity and the level to which archetypes have been constructed and accepted has reached endemic proportions. For purposes of analysis, the media which will be analyzed involves print, television, radio, and various other types of less popular yet still visible forms of advertising and media that impact on the lives of individuals on a daily basis. With the growth and widespread popularity of television in the years following the Second World War, media saw a sudden shift in the means by which it could interact with the average individual within the developed world (Ferguson, 2012, p. 890). Rather than relying on selling newspapers, magaz ines, journals, books etc, the media now had a cheap and effective way of allowing the advertising budgets of their sponsors to defray the cost that would otherwise be passed on to the consumer and

Criminalistics 40656300 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Criminalistics 40656300 - Essay Example Evidence is the most important feature in solving a crime. Then the evidence should be matched with the crime process. A sound knowledge, investigative ability and facilitating materials are required to solve crime. Internet helps in several ways to solve crimes. The purpose of this research is to explore the internet to identify the uses of internet to solve crimes. The use of internet to solve crimes Crime mapping Crime mapping is the illustration of geographical patterns of crimes. It plots the distribution of different types of crimes and with the time periods. It uses high technologies like GIS and information from census. By looking at the crime pattern plotted in a particular area and the surroundings such as banks, schools, shops etc. underline cause can be determined. Even protective steps can be taken to minimize the potential harm to other people. Crimemapping.com, www.mapnimbus.com are examples of such web sites. A typical map uses color icons to indicate distribution of crimes as well as the type of the crime (i.e. Homicide, gun fire, stabbing, etc.) These maps are frequently used by the law enforcement agencies as well as the criminal investigators. Past crimes/Crime libraries Internet provides complete details of solved crimes. In this sources method of crime, evidence, forensic identifications, special tests, court details and verdict are extensively discussed. A large number of such crimes can be found in the internet. When a similar crime is occurs the facts in the solve crimes can be taken in to consideration. This is greatly help to identify the criminal behavior and may be helpful to protect others from the unidentified criminals. Sometimes evidence are inadequate to convict a criminal although everyone knows he is the criminal, in such a situations special tests or court decisions of early solved crimes can be used to fill the gap. Crimelibrary.com is another example which provides comprehensive details on large number of notable crimes an d court decisions. Wilipedea.org also contain complete details on many notable crimes such as â€Å"parker-hulme† murder and Sarah Marie Johnson  an  Idaho  woman who was sentenced for killing both parents (Wikipedia, 2011) Forensic technology Like any other technology, forensic technology is also upgraded frequently with much reliable detection methods. However not all the criminal investigators know all the methods use in forensic science. The internet is a source of huge amount of such methods. These sites not only provide the details of new forensic technology but also open a path to contact the relevant experts, or institutes probably online and even facilitate application. As an example, the ForensicTechnology.com provides technological details on the comprehensive bullet and cartridge case analysis. They introduce MATCHPOINT+ an advance ballistic technology for bullet matching and provide access to service and training online (Forensic Technology, 2011) Several f ingerprint comparison software packages currently available in the web. Moreover the investigators get a chance to know about the locally unavailable crime detection technologies sometimes overseas. Fingerprint comparison The web offers access to several fingerprint data bases of world wide criminals as well as some non criminals. The FBI has introduced the Integrated Automated  Fingerprint

Outline the main factors explaining news definitions of gender and Essay

Outline the main factors explaining news definitions of gender and assess the evidence that journalism contributes towards the a - Essay Example Moreover, stereotypes of a litany of different origins are likely to pervade the media’s representation of any given topic; and have been proven to exist for as long as the modern media has been in existence (Munoz et al., 2012, p. 385). As a means of understanding this unique dynamic, this particular analysis will consider some of the main reasons why the current, and past media, have marginalized and alienated women and how this impact has in fact worked to compound women’s issues within the context of greater degrees of freedom and societal shift that may have otherwise occurred had the pervasive agenda of the media not been in place. In order to begin to discuss such a topic, it is necessary for the reader to come to a firm and complete understanding of what defines the media and to what extent and for what reasons it remains a dynamic and powerful force in formulating the ideas of society. In order to achieve this goal, the first section of this piece will discuss the role and evolution of the media on the lives of those within Western civilization. So powerful has been the effect of the media on the way in which the world has grown and developed that key historians and social scientists in the 19th century collectively dubbed it the â€Å"Fourth Estate†; an homage to the medieval representation of the three estates of society – the clergy, the nobility, and the commoners. As a means of defining the power that the media holds over society in such a way, the reader comes to the powerful understanding that such a high level of influence is given to this entity that it in and of itself can be counted as a determinant entity within the â€Å"estates† of modern society. Likewise, by limiting the analysis to Western civilization it will be possible to provide a level of focus upon the same media that affected the nations that comprised the early women’s liberation movement of the 1960s and onwards. One such factor that m akes the media of the recent past as well as the present unique is the surprising level of standardization and singular ownership which defines it. Whether one considers the newsprint media, television media, radio media, or media of other forms, a few solitary players control the lion’s share of these forms of media. As such, the range of diversity and the level to which archetypes have been constructed and accepted has reached endemic proportions. For purposes of analysis, the media which will be analyzed involves print, television, radio, and various other types of less popular yet still visible forms of advertising and media that impact on the lives of individuals on a daily basis. With the growth and widespread popularity of television in the years following the Second World War, media saw a sudden shift in the means by which it could interact with the average individual within the developed world (Ferguson, 2012, p. 890). Rather than relying on selling newspapers, magaz ines, journals, books etc, the media now had a cheap and effective way of allowing the advertising budgets of their sponsors to defray the cost that would otherwise be passed on to the consumer and

Emotional and Behavioral disorders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Emotional and Behavioral disorders - Essay Example me of the common EBD conditions include affective disorders, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, conduct and attention disorder, and adjustment disorders (Lehr, 2005). In general for the management of students with EBD in a classroom setting may not really be effective (Keller, 2002). The approaches that are chosen should be evidence-based and proven through empirical literature. The level of support provided to the students should be classified into 3 levels, namely, primary, secondary and tertiary prevention. At the primary level, problems are prevented from developing, and in general all the students are targeted through teaching appropriate behavior. Secondary prevention includes decreasing the severity of the problems and lowering the risks that may be present to the students. At the tertiary level, established problems are reviewed and appropriate interventions are implemented. Besides, the severity and duration of the negative outcomes are reduced using various measures (Lehr, 2005). Children with EBD may need placement for at least some duration of time in special classrooms that provide a structured environment for development. The outcomes in such an environment are more controlled and predictable. Students in such a program would be rewarded for appropriate behavior (Hewett, 2002). The teacher would constantly assess the needs of the classroom and demonstrate systematic teaching through several modes including discussion, presentation, modeling, etc. Behavior modifications may be required though behavior therapies such as positive reinforcement, contracting, etc. Supportive therapies in the form of music, art and exercise therapies may be needed to increase a self-understanding and self-esteem of the child (Council for Exceptional Children, 2011). One of the key elements in managing stress that may be required by teachers teaching children with EBD is self-awareness. Through self-awareness, the teacher is better able to understand the

A Swimming Adventure Essay Example for Free

A Swimming Adventure Essay Awaking early, I decided to sit on the screened porch and watch the Florida sun come up. Within a very short time as I sat there, the sun peaked on the horizon as it gradually awakened from its night of slumber. The dew sparkled like diamonds as the suns rays tenderly caressed the grass. Off in the distance, I could hear the world spring to life as the birds began to sing a spectacular melody, growing louder and louder as each bird began to chirp in unison, like a choir singing in church on Sunday morning. A new day had dawned and I remember thinking how magnificent the birds song was and what a wonderful day it was going to be. Returning to my duties as a mom, I started making breakfast for my children, who would wake shortly wanting to eat. Within a few minutes, the wonderful aroma of the pancakes and bacon cooking on the stove gave way to the sound of pitter-pattering little feet as they hit the floor. My children Michael, Laura and Misty were awake and joined me in the kitchen. I seated the children; gave them their breakfast and told them that it was going to be a very hot day and if they ate all of their breakfast and cleaned up the toys, I would take them to the beach to go swimming. The children, bustling with excitement over the news, hurriedly ate their breakfast and started cleaning up their toys while I cleaned the kitchen. Around noon, the temperature was a blistering 95 degrees as we packed a cooler with sandwiches and drinks. We loaded the trunk with our chairs and headed off to the beach. On the way, we saw a black and white cat racing across the street chasing a gray mouse. We played a game called I Spy and sang songs to pass the time. Growing closer to the beach Michael spied a snake lying in the road, and asked, Why is the snake lying in the middle of the road mommy? The snake  was dead and not wanting to upset him, I replied, The snake is basking in the sun so it can get warm. It was not long before we had reached our destination. Anticipation filled the air as we found the perfect spot and unloaded the car. The children helped set up the chairs and then headed off to swim. Deciding to relax a few minutes, I took in the peaceful views that lay before me. The beach was covered with white sand and on each side of the swimming area were large boulders and rocks that had been piled up. There were several covered tables and a bathroom area. Many people were playing in the water while others were lying on their towels and blankets on the sandy beach. A volleyball game was taking place a few yards away and I remember thinking how hot it was as the glaring sun beat down on everyone. Watching the children playing in the surf, the waves from the shore looked fun and almost childlike as they crested and then crashed over one another. I could taste the salt in the air and watched little rainbows glisten through the prisms of the oceans spray. The warm ocean water toward the shore was covered with foam and bubbles from the rumbling waves as my children and other families played in the gritty sand of the Gulf. I watched the seagulls swoop  down as a child threw small pieces of bread up in the air. The sea gulls were white and gray and had a long orange beak. I remember thinking to myself, This is going to be a perfect day. The children are playing and laughing in the ocean and call out Come on mom, come and play. I start towards the water trying not to step on any of the tiny hermit crabs as they emerge from their sandy homes in search of scraps. I reached the water; no crabs injured and plunged head first into a two-foot wave coming to shore, hah! How refreshing. My children and I are swimming and playing together in the cool refreshing water. I lift them one by one tossing them slightly in the air and letting  go, I hear them shriek with delight as they plummet towards the water with a splash! This exciting activity is repeated several times until my arms give out and I am forced to take a break, much to the dismay of my children who are having a wonderful time. I stand there in about three feet of water when my children come up with another exciting game; they start swimming through my legs playing mommy is a bridge. I remember thinking boy! I wish I had their energy. After resting a few minutes I picked them up, placed them one at a time on my back and began to swim; we slowly swam under the blue water and up again and I could hear them giggle with excitement and say Do it again mommy, do it again. A short time later a commotion broke out interrupting our games, I struggled to hear what everyone was shouting about and saw people running to the waters edge and pointing about fifty feet from where the children and I were playing. Looking in the direction they were pointing, a  man with his daughter in tow yells, SHARK! without hesitation, I yelled to my son, Michael, get out of the water! I grabbed Laura and Misty and headed to shore. My adrenalin pumping we reached the shore incredibly fast, like a bolt of lightning streaking across the night sky. Only when we were safely on shore did we look back to see three fins just skimming the surface of the water. I stood there stunned and shocked watching the fins, wondering what kinds of sharks they were and very grateful that everyone was in one piece. A few minutes later, the fins disappeared beneath the surface and everyone was treated to a wondrous sight, there off in the distance, were three dolphins jumping high into the air and making a big splash as they entered the water. The dolphins took turns jumping and playing; sometimes they would jump in unison, as if dancers in a chorus line. As fast as they had appeared, the dolphins slipped beneath the waves and headed out to sea. I wondered if the dolphins laughed to themselves; thinking about how they had scared the two-legged creatures from the water  or if they were just as curious about us as we were of them. With the all clear, we headed back into the water and continued swimming and playing games. A short time later, the children became hungry so we decided to get something to eat and drink. The ham and cheese sandwich tasted good and the Pepsi was refreshing. As we ate, the children began to get goose bumps so I covered their shoulders with a blanket. Hours later, the sun setting, we gathered our belongings, packed up the car and ventured home. The children tired from a full day of fun and games fell asleep quickly. Not wanting to wake the children, I turned off the radio and listened to the hum of the motor as we made our way home. Later as I lay in bed I replayed the days events in my mind, from the stunning sunrise, the splendor of the birds as they sang, the laughter of they children as the played, the show of the dolphins, the beauty of the beach and the setting sun, I thanked God for all the wonderful gifts he had given me. THE END Graded and Corrected A+ paper The teacher wanted us to write an essay about something that happned in our lives. I scored a 94% on this essay due to poor punctuation, which has since been fixed.

Loreals New Product Development Strategy Marketing Essay

Loreals New Product Development Strategy Marketing Essay This report is based on LOreals new product development strategy and the way they have successfully managed to achieve considerable market shares through consistent RD efforts. The case continues with an insight into LOreals innovations that have been a success among the diverse segments of the global market. LOreal has not only followed a comprehensive, long term RD strategy that has resulted in creating innovative break through products like Fructis, but it has also tried to maintain its balance between RD and marketing interface. Company overview LOreal UK is the Groups fourth largest subsidiary in Europe and fifth in the world and has been present in the UK for 75 years. Also A significant player in the UK cosmetics market, turnover in 2006 reached  £626 million and 67% of women in the UK use one or more LOreal product. Approximately 170 million units were produced at the Llantrisant factory in 2006 and nearly 70% of the factory output is exported. overseas Recent investments have included a biological waste water treatment plant and more efficient heating, ventilation and lighting systems.The new distribution centre adjacent to the factory covers an area of over 18,000m2 and can house up to 10 million products and 300 people are employed at the factory. 25% of the permanent staff has worked for LOreal for over 20 years. (www.loreal.co.uk) Introduction Innovation is the most crucial stage for a company and it carries significant risk in the context of product failures that might occur right after their launch in the market. The product failure rate can be as low as 30% and as high as 90% in this regard. (Antil, J.1988). The global market is characterised by different taste patterns of consumers. Therefore in the face of rapidly changing consumer tastes, technology and competition, companies should continuously provide the global market with new products that satisfy all segments of the market. This requires systematic Research Development and innovation by companies in order to create successful products that have a considerable market demand. In the case of LOreal, the company has always tried to be innovating through their RD efforts. The case sites the example of LOreals Feria range that was exclusively innovated for Asian people. Product innovation is a complex task and it requires careful planning by the company based on the above mentioned factors. Today the global market is a fiercely competitive environment in which the important target for companies is to capture increasing returns to scale while minimizing / lowering costs of production with great speed and flexibility (Kotabe, 1990). LOreal as an international chain tries to achieve these targets through its consistent RD innovations in order to create products that are marketable throughout all international market. LOreals RD innovation expends about 20% more for new product development as compared to its competitors such as Procter Gamble and Unilever, occupying number one position in the market. Why is new innovation so important for a company like LOreal LOreal is a well established company in fashion business and in order to maintain its superior standing in the global market, it has to concentrate on the strategies it employs for innovation. The speed at which fashion markets change is very high, with very short product life cycles. Many fashion items have product cycles as short as half a year, or even a few weeks. Consumers preferences depend on the season, on the social and cultural environment and on the effects of previous marketing communication for fashion items or substitute products (Mintel, 2005). Responding in a timely way to these changing demands is vital for success. Moreover, without new products, firms will certainly be at a stand still And Research also highlights that early entry of new products can result in competitive advantage and long term market dominance. The characteristics of the fashion industry require companies to make strategic choices about factors such as quality, speed, technology, price and flexibility: these factors define the positioning of a company (Abell, 1993). Drawing upon the information provided in the case study, it can be suggested that LOreal operates in the top end of the fashion market with clear market positioning. LOreals targeted market segments can be characterised as fashion trend-setters, and these are the customers in the high and medium segments. They demand products with innovative styles, with top-level quality by scientists and designers that have built the reputation of powerful brands. It should be noticed that firms that operate in the mass segment which targets fashion followers tend to imitate the high performing products of top brands like LOreal and therefore the competitive advantage of top brands recedes over time, making product lifecycle short. Given the high quality expected of its products and the short product life cycle prevailing in fashion, LOreal has adopted a vertical integration, which afforded it a full control of quality and operations (Erica Stefania, 2004). Therefore, innovation is a critical and complex process that has a direct impact on the companys prestige, which justifies the importance of such developments. Therefore LOreal has to come up with such innovations that not only appeal to the various segments of the global market, but also enhance the companys position once they penetrate the market. hence LOreal would have to invest heavily in the launch of new products and be confident about the effectiveness, marketability and practicality of these products.. Moreover, successful innovation is likely to earn LOreal a superior market share and turnover, increasing the value of the company. Also, LOreal has been a front line of fashion and in order to keep up with the expectations of its consumers, the company has to lay in line new formulas that are carefully researched and tested for their effectiveness. For e.g. when the Japanese people were tired of having black hair and required an alternative to western hair colours due to their poor results, LOreal came up with an effective new hair formula that first bleached their hair and then dyed them according to their desirable colour. Therefore it is clear that in order for a company like LOreal, operating in a volatile and turbulent fashion industry, to create a sustainable competitive advantage should have a fast innovative product development cycle. Because LOreal tries to grab the maximum market share through the introduction of innovative products that are not only different but also cater to the different segments of the international market. Problems of managing Innovation and has LOreal solved these problems In order to launch new products successfully, companies like LOreal have to spend a great deal of time and energy in research and development. Thinking profitable/effective new ideas and implementing them are the core issues to be addressed and in this regard LOreals RD performs the task of coming up with successful innovations while the implementation lies in the hands of how these innovations are marketed. If LOreal launches a new product that cannot be marketed effectively, the RD efforts would be marked as inefficient and useless. Before launching or marketing any new product locally or internationally, a company has to be sure that its innovation would be differentiated from other products and is based on consumers preferences. Such ideas are most likely initiated by marketing and then RD takes over the task. Once the RD process is complete, the launch of new product requires the companys scientists/engineers to observe the market reality and employ different ways of marketing their product. Any negligence in this context would not only result in product failures once they are launched, but would also harm the companys image. For companies like LOreal which continue to thrive on innovation because good ties between marketing and RD to perform their activities during the process of launching innovative products in the global market. However, reality appears a bit complex because studies have shown that RD and marketing tend to have different perceptions and interpretations of the characteristics of a new product, particularly in terms of its technical innovation and the extent to which it affects the established consumption patterns. In reality, marketing perceives a more critical role of a new product for positioning in a market segment than RD. Also marketing perceives a higher degree of customization of individual products than RD. Wang and von Tunzelmann (1997) However, the need for long-term innovation always exists and the scientists need to be given some independence to design new formulas that are not unveiled unless desired. The different views of innovation-marketing are influenced by their different personality, cultural background, time orientation, ambiguity, tolerance and level of detail of language used (Griffin and Hauser, 1996). Therefore for companies like LOreal the innovation-marketing interface needs to be managed in such a way that it satisfies both the needs of innovation as well as marketing. According to a study conducted by Wang in 1997 the innovation and marketing functions were found to have collaborated in accomplishing tasks in three areas. * Conceptual development, identifying and evaluating relevant information * Strategic development, market positioning and product differentiation * Implementation, Internal and external communication. For LOreal these three functions are an important consideration in the process of innovation without which innovations might involve a high degree of risk, resulting in product failures. Once the concept for new product is developed through thorough research, LOreal focuses on identifying its target market segments for effective market positioning followed by laying a much greater emphasis on differentiating its products from its competitors like Procter Gamble and Unilever. Therefore it has to maintain a careful balance between creative innovation-marketing. An important link also exists between the innovation-marketing management. For instance, a strong mismatch between what is desired by customers and what is developed by LOreal would reduce the companys ability to predict market response to its new product. This would result in a reduced level of confidence on the effectiveness of marketing (Shankar, 1999). Therefore, in this context, a clear understanding of customer needs would be helpful in determining a companys innovation timing. This means that by effective management of innovation and marketing interfaces, firms can come up with better strategies both in terms of resource allocation and entry timing. It has been seen that most companies that spend great deal of time and effort on innovation to come up with new ideas, have created such products that resulted in a technological break-through, captivating a huge market share. In case of LOreal, the company has been spending a lot on its innovation department, (spending about 20% greater than its competitors). LOreal employs 2500 chemists, biologists, pharmacists and the companys RD aims to deliver 2000 new ideas to its marketers in order to launch 2000 new products annually. It not only has to develop successful ideas, but also find a perfect marketing strategy that addresses the target markets for the new products, their positioning, sales, market share and profit goals at initial stages. It therefore tries to maintain the balance between creative innovation marketing. The company not only analyzes the marketability of its new products but also tests its effectiveness through its careful innovation process. For e.g. when the marketers desired a fruit based shampoo for the European market, LOreals RD took over the task and it took the company 10 years to come up with Fructis, which captured LOreal a 28% share in the European market alone. This was, in fact, a result of the long term RD efforts of the company and LOreal tries to follow a three-level strategy for efficient management of innovation to marketing interface. Also the company launched a sun lotion exclusively for children, the Ambre Solaire Childrens Sun Lotion, which took three years for its launch and development. Therefore LOreal has tried to solve most of the problems resulting from an imbalanced innovation-marketing interface and needs to lay a greater emphasis on satisfying the individual needs of innovation and marketing respectively. It needs to continue by having a clear focus of the technological innovations and fashion trends. LOreal takes on the new product development screening task during its innovation phase when the company evaluates ideas generated from its own advanced research and whatever is being done externally (outside the company). LOreal makes sure that in order to boost the excitement of its products among consumers it needs to evaluate the effectiveness of its new formulas and offer a clear benefit to the consumers in order to get it accepted by the masses. It was this new product development screening process that resulted in the launch of Ambre Solaire childrens sun lotion by LOreal after three years of full research, thus, coming up with a formula that offered maximum protection to childrens delicate skin that instilled the confidence of their parents in the new product. LOreal has tried to launch its products which are characterized by these thorough screening processes, and it has succeeded to a considerable extent. However, during the screening process LOreal also needs to make sure that its new product developments are consistent with the companys objectives, that they are feasible in terms of product design and are suitable for the identified target markets. CONCLUSION After analysing this case in great detail, both in terms of marketing literature and practical application, it can be undersood that global companies like LOreal have to keep in line with the technological changes as they bring about marked product or process design transformations. Innovation plays a significant role in this regard, without which any new formula/idea is unable to be processed into a tangible new product. This requires professional scientists/engineers to be hired by companies and LOreal expends a great deal on hiring such professionals who can come up with effective, innovative and marketable ideas. The need to respond quickly to the dynamic global market forces requires companies to integrate rapidly to the perceptions and needs of both product developers and potential consumers Therefore, in todays fierce global competition, it is tough to differentiate. products and companies are required to have sufficient knowledge about their target markets/segments locally as well as internationally. Therefore product screening is another important process that needs to be carried out by companies in order to have a closer look at competitive products and evaluate their own product demand and LOreal seems to stand out in this regard as it employs professionals who carefully monitor competitors products in great detail. All this needs to be synchronized with an effective marketing strategy that is in balance with innovation functions of the company, which eventually builds up new products image in the various targeted segments, hence, boosting the companys prestige. It is not easy to gain customer satisfaction without long term effort.

Freedom Of Expression :: essays research papers

COSHE.COM : uncategorized : freedom of expression on the internet freedom of expression on the internet First and foremost, in the United States the freedom of expression is guaranteed in the first Article of Amendment to the American Constitution. It states, "Con Click Here to Search COSHE's Database Again freedom of expression on the internet First and foremost, in the United States the freedom of expression is guaranteed in the first Article of Amendment to the American Constitution. It states, "Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech, or the press..." This is significant beyond its mere primacy in the U.S. Bill of Rights. It does not establish the freedom of expression, but rather, in recognizing its existence, guarantees it. Freedom of expression has been a part of the American way since long before the American Revolution. Alexis de Toqueville, on touring the United States over 150 years ago recognized this, writing in _Democracy in America, "The Anglo-Americans have enjoyed this liberty ever since the foundation of the Colonies..." Americans have always felt free to express their opinion. By guaranteeing both freedoms of speech and press, the American Constitution recognizes both personal and broadcast expression, clearly embracing the advancements and proliferation of communications technology. Unfortunately People leave tracks as they move through electronic networks. Whenever we do business, electronically or otherwise, the other party knows something about our preferences and activities. But when we use the new electronic vending machines and digital cash, the merchants with whom we deal can keep a detailed record that reveals much more, in aggregate,about our activities. Store and forward messaging systems can continue to store after they forward. As we all conduct more and more of our lives on the networks. It is the freedom of expression itself that moderates the impact of radical different opinions. The only fear of Internet freedom is its lack of use by the holders of contrary, yet more mainstream opinions. As the electronic frontier matures, there will be co ntinual conflicts between those who want free access to information and those who want to participate in the networks without automatically giving up all rights to control the flow of the resulting transactional data. Before we treat these conflicts as appropriate matters for a new type of "property" law, however, we should remember that almost everyone will be on both sides of any new "fence." If we approach

Succubus Blues CHAPTER 11

Hospitals are creepy places, cold and sterile. A true reminder of the tenuous nature of mortality. The thought of Hugh here made me nauseous, but I squelched the feeling as best I could, sprinting through the halls to the room Samantha had named. When I reached it, I found Hugh lying calmly in a bed, his large body clad in a gown, his skin bruised and bandaged. A blond figure sat next to the bed with him, holding his hand. She turned in surprise when I burst into the room. â€Å"Georgina,† Hugh said, giving me a weak smile. â€Å"Nice of you to stop by.† The blond woman, presumably Samantha, studied me uneasily. Slim and doe-eyed, she tightened her grip on Hugh's hand, and I figured this must be the twenty-year old from work. Her unnatural breasts verified as much. â€Å"It's all right,† he told her reassuringly. â€Å"This is my friend Georgina. Georgina, Samantha.† â€Å"Hi,† I told her, offering my hand. She took it. Hers was cold, and I realized then that her nervousness was not so much at meeting me as general concern over what had happened to Hugh. It was touching. â€Å"Sweetie, would you excuse Georgina and me for a bit? Maybe go get yourself a drink from the cafeteria?† He spoke gently and kindly to her, a tone he rarely used with the rest of us on our pub nights. Samantha turned to Hugh anxiously. â€Å"I don't want to leave you alone.† â€Å"I won't be alone. Georgina and I just need to talk. Besides, she's a, uh, black belt; nothing will happen to me.† I made a face at him behind her back as she considered. â€Å"I suppose that's all right†¦ you'll call my cell if you need me, right? I'll come right back.† â€Å"Of course,† he promised, kissing her hand. â€Å"I'll miss you.† â€Å"I'll miss you more.† She rose, gave me another uncertain look, and retreated out the door. I watched her go a moment before taking her chair beside Hugh. â€Å"Very sweet. I think I'm getting cavities.† â€Å"No need to be bitter. Just because you can't form meaningful attachments with mortals.† His jest hurt a lot more than it probably should have, but then, I still had Roman on the brain. â€Å"Besides,† he continued, â€Å"she's a little upset about what happened today.† â€Å"Yeah, I imagine so. Jesus. Look at you.† I surveyed his wounds in greater detail. Hints of stitches appeared beneath some bandages, and dark blotchy bruises blossomed here and there. â€Å"Could be worse.† â€Å"Could it?† I wondered archly. I'd never seen any immortal sustain so much injury. â€Å"Sure. First, I could be dead, and I'm not. Second, I heal just like you do. You should have seen me this afternoon when they brought me in. The trick now will be to get me out of here before someone notices just how fast I'm recovering.† â€Å"Does Jerome know about this?† â€Å"Of course. I called him earlier, but he'd already felt it. I expect him to show up any time now. Did he call you?† â€Å"Not exactly,† I admitted, hesitant to bring up the note quite yet. â€Å"What happened? When you were attacked?† â€Å"I don't remember a lot of details.† Hugh shrugged slightly, an awkward maneuver for one lying down. I suspected he'd already gone through this story with a number of others. â€Å"I stepped out for coffee. I was the only one in the parking lot, and while coming back to my car, this†¦ person, I guess, just jumped out and attacked me. No warning.† â€Å"You guess?† He frowned. â€Å"I never really got a good look. He was big, though, I could peg that much. And strong – really strong. A lot stronger than I would have thought.† Hugh himself was no weakling. True, he didn't work out or do much with his body, but he had a big frame and a lot of density to fill that frame out. â€Å"Why did he stop?† I asked. â€Å"Did someone find you guys?† â€Å"Nah, I don't know why he quit. It was all beating and slashing one minute; the next, he's gone. Took about fifteen minutes before someone else came along and helped me.† â€Å"You keep saying ‘he.' You think it was a guy?† He attempted another shrug. â€Å"I don't really know. Just an impression I got. Could have been a hot blonde for all I know.† â€Å"Yeah? Should I question Samantha?† â€Å"You shouldn't be questioning anyone, according to Jerome. Did you ever talk to Erik?† â€Å"Yeah†¦ he's looking into some things for me. He also reaffirmed that vampire hunters can't kill you or me, nor has he ever heard of anything that can.† Hugh turned thoughtful. â€Å"This person didn't kill me.† â€Å"Do you think he was trying?† â€Å"He was certainly trying to do something. Seems like if he could have killed me, he would have.† â€Å"But he couldn't,† a voice behind me pointed out, â€Å"because, as I've said, vampire hunters can only inconvenience you, not kill you.† I turned, startled at hearing Jerome's voice. It startled me further to see Carter with him. â€Å"Leave it to Jerome to play devil's advocate,† joked the angel. â€Å"What are you doing here, Georgina?† demanded the demon icily. My mouth gaped, and it took me a moment to speak. â€Å"How†¦ how did you do that?† Carter stood there dressed as disreputably as ever. Whereas Doug and Bruce looked like they were in a grunge band, the angel looked like the band had kicked him out. He gave me a lopsided grin. â€Å"Do what? Come up with a clever pun referencing Jerome's demonic status? The truth is, I usually keep a stash of them on hand and – â€Å" â€Å"No. Not that. I can't feel you†¦ can't sense you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I could see Carter with my eyes, but I could not feel that powerful signature, aura, or whatever, that normally radiated from an immortal. Turning to Jerome suddenly, I realized he was the same. â€Å"Or you. I can't sense either of you. I couldn't the other night either.† Angel and demon exchanged glances over my head. â€Å"We can mask it,† said Carter at last. â€Å"What, like a light switch or something? You can turn it on and off?† â€Å"It's a bit more complicated than that.† â€Å"Well, this is news to me. Can we do it? Hugh and I?† â€Å"No,† both Jerome and Carter answered together. Jerome elaborated, â€Å"Only higher immortals can do it.† Hugh weakly attempted to sit up. â€Å"Why†¦ are you doing it?† â€Å"You never answered my question, Georgie,† Jerome pointed out, obviously avoiding the subject. He glanced at the imp. â€Å"I told you not to contact the others.† â€Å"I didn't. She just came.† Jerome turned his gaze back on me, and I fished the mysterious note out of my purse. I handed it to him, and the demon read it expressionlessly before handing it over to Carter. When the angel finished, he and Jerome looked at each other again in that annoying way of theirs. Jerome deposited the note into an inner pocket of his suit jacket. â€Å"Hey, that's mine.† â€Å"Not anymore.† â€Å"Don't tell me you're going to stick to your party line about this being a vampire hunter,† I shot back. Jerome's dark eyes narrowed shrewdly at me. â€Å"Why wouldn't I? This person mistook Hugh for a vampire, but as you've already observed, Nancy Drew, Hugh could not be killed.† â€Å"I think this person knew Hugh wasn't a vampire.† â€Å"Oh? Why do you say that?† â€Å"The note. The person who wrote it mentions my shape-shifting. He knows I'm a succubus. He probably knows Hugh's an imp.† â€Å"His knowing you're a succubus explains why he didn't attack you. He knew he couldn't kill you. He wasn't sure about Hugh, however, so he took his chances.† â€Å"With a knife.† Again, I remembered: How do you know if a demon is lying? His lips are moving. â€Å"I thought the story was that this was some amateur vampire hunter arbitrarily going after people with a stake because he didn't know any better. Instead, this person somehow knows about me and took on Hugh with a knife.† Carter stifled a yawn and joined in on Jerome's game. â€Å"Maybe this person's learning. You know, expanding their choice of weapons. After all, no one stays an amateur for long. Even new vampire hunters wise up eventually.† I jumped on the one detail here no one had addressed yet. â€Å"And even children know that vampires don't come out in daylight. What time were you attacked, Hugh?† A strange look crossed the imp's face. â€Å"Late this afternoon. When the sun was up.† I looked exultantly at Jerome. â€Å"This person knew Hugh wasn't a vampire.† Jerome leaned against a wall, appearing unfazed as he picked nonexistent pieces of lint from his slacks. He looked more like John Cusack than ever today. â€Å"So? Mortals get delusions of grandeur. He kills one vampire and decides to do his part against the rest of the evil forces inhabiting this city. That changes nothing.† â€Å"I don't think it was a mortal.† Both Jerome and Carter, looking at other things in the room, now snapped their heads toward me. â€Å"Oh?† I swallowed, slightly flustered under that scrutiny. â€Å"I mean†¦ you guys prove higher immortals can go around without being sensed, and no one's been able to sense anything from this guy. Plus, look at Hugh's damage. Erik said mortals can't really do substantial – † I bit off my words, realizing my error. Carter laughed softly. â€Å"Damn it, Georgie.† Jerome straightened like a whip. â€Å"I told you to let us handle this. Who else have you talked to?† Whatever cloaking Jerome had been doing vanished, and I suddenly became aware of the power crackling around him. It reminded me of one of those sci-fi movies when a door opens into outer space, and all the debris gets sucked out as a result of the vacuum. Everything in the room seemed to be drawn into Jerome, toward his swelling power and might. To my immortal perceptions, he became a glowing bonfire of terror and energy. I cringed against Hugh's bed, resisting the urge to shade my eyes. The imp put a hand on my arm, though whether it was for my comfort or his own, I didn't know. â€Å"No one. I swear it, no one else. I just asked Erik some questions†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Carter took a step toward the furious demon, face angelically calm. â€Å"Easy there. You're sending up a beacon to any immortal in a ten-mile radius.† Jerome's eyes stayed fixed on me, and I felt true fear for the first time in centuries in the focus of all that intensity. Then, like the light switch I'd joked about earlier, it all vanished. Just like that, Jerome stood before me completely incognito for all arcane intents and purposes. Like a mortal. He exhaled heavily and rubbed a spot between his eyes. â€Å"Georgina,† he said at last. â€Å"Contrary to whatever you believe, this is not all some elaborate attempt to vex you. Please stop going against me. We're doing what we're doing for a reason. Your best interests really are at heart here.† My catty nature wanted to ask if demons had hearts, but something else struck me as more pressing. â€Å"Why the ‘we' here? I assume you mean him.† I nodded toward Carter. â€Å"What could involve both a demon and an angel and make them skulk around hiding their presence? Are you guys afraid of something?† â€Å"Skulking?† Carter sounded jovially indignant. â€Å"Please, Georgie,† intoned Jerome, patience obviously at a breaking point, â€Å"leave well-enough alone. If you really want to do something useful, you will avoid dangerous situations like I advised before. I can't make you stay in protected company, but if you persist in being a nuisance otherwise, I can find a convenient place to stash you until this all blows over. This is not about anyone's ‘side,' and you only run the risk of muddling up matters you don't understand.† I unconsciously squeezed Hugh's hand for support. I did not want to think about what sort of â€Å"convenient place† Jerome had in mind. â€Å"Do we understand each other?† the demon asked softly. I nodded. â€Å"Good. You will be of most assistance to me by keeping yourself safe. I have too many things to worry about now without adding you to the list.† I nodded again, not trusting myself to speak. His small display had had its intended effect on temporarily cowing me, though some niggling part of me knew I would be unable to â€Å"leave well-enough alone† once I walked out of here. It would be best to keep that knowledge to myself. â€Å"That will be all, Georgie,† Jerome added. I heard the dismissal. â€Å"I'll walk you out,† offered Carter. â€Å"No thanks.† But the angel followed in my wake anyway. â€Å"So how'd it go with Seth Mortensen?† â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"Just okay?† â€Å"Just okay.† â€Å"I hear he's living here now. And spends a lot of time at Emerald City.† I eyed him askance. â€Å"Where'd you hear that?† He only grinned. â€Å"So? Tell me about it.† â€Å"There's nothing to tell,† I snapped, uncertain why I was even discussing this. â€Å"I've talked to him a few times, toured him around. We don't really click. We can't communicate.† â€Å"Why not?† Carter wanted to know. â€Å"He's a hardcore introvert. Doesn't talk much. Just watches. Besides, I don't want to encourage him.† â€Å"So you're increasing his silence.† I shrugged and pushed the button for an elevator. â€Å"I think I know a book that might help you. I'll dig it out and let you borrow it.† â€Å"No thanks.† â€Å"Don't knock it. It'll improve your communication skills with Seth. I saw it on a talk show.† â€Å"Aren't you listening? I don't want to improve things.† â€Å"Ah,† said Carter sagely. â€Å"You don't go for introverts.† â€Å"I – no, that's not it. I don't have a problem with introverts. â€Å" â€Å"Then why don't you like Seth?† â€Å"I do like him! Damn it, stop this.† The angel quirked me a grin. â€Å"It's all right to feel that way. I mean, past evidence shows you tend to go for showy, flirty guys anyway.† â€Å"What's that supposed to mean?† I immediately thought of my attraction to Roman. Carter's eyes flashed mischievously. We were at the hospital's exit now. â€Å"I don't know. You tell me, Letha.† I had nearly walked out the door, but his comment jerked me back. I spun around so fast, my hair whipped around and hit me in the face. â€Å"Where did you hear that name?† â€Å"I have my sources.† A great nebulous emotion swelled up in my chest, something I couldn't entirely identify. It fell somewhere on the continuum of hate and despair, not really subscribing to either one. Hotter and hotter it grew within me, making me want to scream at Carter and that smug, knowing look on his face. I wanted to beat my fists against him or shape-shift into something horrific. I didn't know where he'd learned that name, but it woke up some sort of sleeping monster within me, something that had been tightly coiled up. He continued watching me coolly, undoubtedly reading my thoughts. Slowly, I became aware of my surroundings. The chilly corridors. The anxious visitors. The efficient staff. I calmed my breathing and fixed the angel with a scathing look. â€Å"Don't you ever call me that again. Ever.† He shrugged, still smiling. â€Å"My mistake.† I turned smartly on my heels and left him there. I stormed out to my car and didn't even realize I was driving until I was halfway across the bridge, tears leaking from the corners of my eyes.