Professional and Academic Goals Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Professional and Academic Goals - Coursework Example e process of handling these diseases requires networking and information exchange among medical practitioners, characterized by provision of orders and directions from experienced medical experts. Therefore, it would be inappropriate for the author/writer of the post to claim that his/her intention to study pathphysiology and its treatment is a means of being autonomous, without being instructed by doctors. The writer to this post seems to have been driven by passion towards being a professional nurse. He says that his experience as a nurse has made him learn more; it has also given him the desire to seek more knowledge on how to handle issues ascribed to human life. This is an appropriate strategy towards selecting a course or a college that offers a specific course. The nursing field is characterized by both physical and mental challenges especially among the nurses. This means that the nurses have to persevere some conditions in order to save human’s life; therefore they must be not only be driven by the desire to access the physical benefits associated with being a nurse, but also the passion to work in this complex disciplinary to save human’s

Gender Discrimination Essay Example for Free

Gender Discrimination Essay How can you balance work and having a life? Balancing work and life you have to build downtime into your schedule. Make a point to spend time with family and friends. Set up activities that everyone can do and you can combine the two. Set goals, plan and organize what should come first. Having your goals set is much easier than to just go day to day. Work/Life balance is all about flexibility, but to have flexibility you need a support system around you. Both at work and at home. If you dont have the support its harder to deal. Having structure is important because it brings certainty into your world. Without structure life is a bit more chaotic. You then find that you use both physical and emotional energy to bring meaning and clarity to different situations. A good way to improve on your skills is to write things down. It may help you balance out your day, week, or even a whole month. Manage is a world which comes from experience. There are people who took things as they come and manage them accordingly. It is a will power and self-confidence which play a dice game here. Considering women are good managers when they balanced office and home life. Women have a lot going on when it comes to life period. In a large majority of families with children, both parents work, and women now hold half of all jobs. Majority of the time women do more of home caregiving then men. Some men think longs as they bring home the bacon thats all they need to do. Not at all, women work 40 hours a week, have to get kids ready for school, cook, clean, ECT. In my case school to for the adult and Im a single parent. Its so many issues and that alone can cause tension in your  relationship. Many women assume that the men in their lives pick up signals and hints about stuff like needing help at the house, and many men (not all, but honestly most that Ive had any kind of close relationship with) just arent good with those signals. I suppose its a classic issue within genders as well; it seems like many people assume that theyre sending out all kinds of signals to their boss that they want to move up, or have too big a workload, or whatever, those signals arent getting picked up on their end, and then we just get more and more frustrated! This should help people get a better understanding of working out your life and work life so that they both can balance. Everyones situation is different but itll all come together if you prioritize your life balance. Many people are able to accommodate work and home. You can solve your work life problem if your home life is up to par. Pat Katepoo, Founder, WorkOptions.com http://www.womensconference.org/a-flexible-work-life/ Year Published: 2008 Melanie Hawks is the Learning and Development Coordinator at the J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah.

The changing face of UK Fashion retailing market

The changing face of UK Fashion retailing market The clothing retail industry has been and is undergoing significant changes resulting from processes of globalisation, changes in consumer demand as well as changing corporate activities in terms of strategic marketing decisions. The UK clothing retail industry has experienced significant growth which has focused attention on studies in the field with this sector being considered as the one of the most competitive markets in Europe. This is primarily as a result of the concentrated power of larger retailers such as Marks Spencer. One prime issue as a result of globalisation is that there are more and more retailers sourcing globally aiming to provide competitive prices and quality products in the market. Marks Spencer as such then is challenged by this trend particularly from rival discount and supermarket competitors. Research Method The basis of the primary research conducted in this brief was delivering a questionnaire based survey delivered at four retail outlets two of which were Asda and two of which were Marks and Spencer. Opportunistic sampling was used in that customers were approached in the store as they entered and left the premises and asked would they participate. A target of 100 questionnaires to be completed at each store was decided on to achieve a healthy sample size yielding useful results for the analysis. The questionnaire had four sections. The first of these sought general demographic information such as age and sex, the second section sought information related to the frequency of shopping at the stores as well as frequency of shopping elsewhere. The third section sought altitudinal information related to reasons for purchasing in the respective stores while the fourth section and the fourth section sought information on preferences in terms of shopping specifically related to the variables of quality, price and the retail environment. Data was entered into SPSS and analysed according to the objectives of the study. Permission to conduct the questionnaires were sought be local managers in the first instance though for two of the stores further permission had to be sought be regional managers. All respondents were advised of the anonymity of participating in the research and the results of the research were also offered to the managers involved in order to increase the chances of successfully gaining permission to conduct the research. Surveying was conducted during a weekday and at a weekend time in order to enhance the representativeness of the sample in terms of people working and varying their shopping times. Comparison of marketing mix in George at Asda and Marks Spencer Overall 412 questionnaires were completed but 12 of these were discarded due to incomplete or incorrect completed parts. Of the 400 68% were female and 32% male. The age breakdown of the sample showed that some 38% of the total was between the ages of 26-32 or over although in the case of Marks and Spencer shopper the proportion of shoppers in this age group was higher being 49%. Also Asda had a higher proportion of shoppers between the ages of 18-21 than Marks and Spencer the figures being 19% and 9% respectively. Over 90% of the total sample had shopped more than once in each of the stores within the previous month with 45% shopping at least twice a week in either Asda or Marks and Spencer. Of interest was the result that 40% of Marks and Spencer customers indicated that they would shop there regularly (at least once a week) while the figure for Asda was 29%. This may be an indicator of stronger brand loyalty for Marks and Spencer in some respects but given further results examined below may be under threat given attitudinal results related to price and quality. Product The UK clothing retail industry has grown in recent years and reached a value of $38.7 billion in 2004 which represented an increase of 3.7% over the previous year. Womens wear was one of the fastest growing areas in the sector (Datamonitor, 2005). However it is claimed that the growth in revenues within this industrial sector will slow down mainly due to the impact of discount and value adding retailers offering clothing goods at lower prices forcing prices down overall within the industry. Clear indications of this trend can be seen in this case study in that George at Asda and its range achieved significant growth and success compared to overall declining profitability within Marks and Spencer. Since the introduction of clothing ranges by the supermarket in 1990 its product categories have expanded to include womens wear, mens wear and infants-wear. Marks Spencer has operated in the marketplace for decades and offers similar product ranges. While 49% respondents indicated a preference for shopping in Asda for womens clothes 51.2% of customers chose Marks Spencers to purchase womens products. It is obvious that there is slight difference in the choice of product range yet the results also suggest that there a significant percentage (60%) of customers chose George at Asda primarily to buy childrens clothes and in particular to buy items such as school uniforms. One of the main reasons for this arguably can be explained by the lower price yet reasonable quality design of the Georges range. Especially for younger children where school uniforms would be discarded in a relatively short time due to the children growing the price of products offered by Asda can be said to be a significant attractive featuring influencing purchasing decisions. It has been reported that the childrens wear sector in the UK grew by 3% and reached a value of $4.7 billion in 2004. This phenomenon is perhaps attributable to the success of discount stores and supermarket operators who are able to provide cheaper childrens wear at reasonable quality levels (Datamonitor, 2005). From a macro perspective however the decline of birth rates in Britain has resulted in the expectation of a future decline in childrens wear sales. Hence arguably over the longer term it may be the case that with possible future declining sales that this sector will become even more competitive and quite feasibly the number of operators will be reduced in retailing childrens wear. Evidence from this case study suggested that childrens wear product ranges represented 27% of customers purchases in Asdas compared to 10% in MS. Additionally supermarket as generally a daily shopping preference for food provided a relatively convenient shopping environment for women and in particular working women to purchase childrens clothes. This was indicated by some 59% of respondents at the Asda stores stating they had or were intending to purchase items other than clothes as well. It is reasonable to say that as a result of changing roles for women in both social and economic contexts there is increasing pressure such as reduced times available for shopping for women as discussed in literature review. These new consumer behavioural characteristics have resulted in changing retailing forms in the clothing industry to which new entrants such as supermarkets like Asda have capitalised on and responded to quickly as they emerge. In addition more men have become involved in clothing buying behaviour illustrated by the mens wear sector growing 5% in 2004 (Datamonitor, 2005). It was interesting to examine the results of this case study in the comparison of consumer preferences towards mens wear at Asda and MS. In this research 46% chose MS when purchasing mens wear as opposed to 33% in Asda. It is useful to look at this trend in understanding the changing features of the UK clothing retail market bearing in mind major impacts on consumer behaviour within the sector. Firstly Mark Spencer have exploited a branding strategy which established a reputation for high quality goods for a considerable period of time. As a result of price wars between supermarkets and value adding discount stores MS has aimed to focus on quality in order to differentiate it from rivals and position the store further in terms of exclusive designs as well as quality products. However its advertising campaign with the tagline ‘exclusively for everyone’ which was launched five years ago has been demonstrated to have mostly failed with customers turning away from the retailer because of its high prices to lower cost offerings in other retailers (Gardner, 2004). The high figure though mentioned above for MS respondents relating to whether they would shop in the future in the stores perhaps indicates that MS still retains a sizable customer base from which it could build on. However the validity of this assumption can be challenged given the size of the sample of this research and would need further investigation on a larger sample to confirm or deny. As such while MS seems to have failed in maintaining competitive advantage through emphasising quality its supermarket rival Asda has also introduced designer ranges and positioned itself in terms of good design as well as lower price offerings. It is fair to argue then perhaps that MS will not improve its performance by challenging its supermarket rival on pricing and volume. Hence one response has seen MS switching to a branding strategy. Secondly as outlined in the literature review purchasing clothing products should not be seen as indicative of normal commodity buying behaviour because it is to a large extent it is linked with extrinsic factors such as culture and social status which in turn makes the value of brand names an essential element of clothing goods (Entwistle, 2000). Davies (1998) claims that the marketing of own brands is a feature of modern multiple retailing which can also be seen in this case study. Retailers such as Marks Spencer have created brand images by advertising their own products and in the meantime transferred this brand equity into the physical products in their stores. The costs of branding to the retailer are lower than that of marketing other manufacturers brands. This contributes to an understanding and explanation of attitudes towards mens wear purchasing behaviour which in this case saw the brand name of Marks Spencer as a quality clothing producer helping the retailer maintain a critical market share in the mens wear sector. It perhaps also demonstrates that men are less sensitive about price in purchasing clothing goods than female consumers in that brand name and perceptions of quality influence their decision making processes. Jobber (2001) argues that price is often used as an important indicator by customers during the decision making process hence it is useful for fashion retailers who exploit pricing tools to create impacts on customers at the perception and evaluation stages of the purchasing process. As Britains biggest clothing retailer Marks Spencer has established its brand image traditionally on the basis of providing quality clothing goods reflected in higher pricing justified as being good value for money given the quality of the product. In contrast competition at the discount and value adding clothing segment of the market has generated significant threats to MS not only from discount retailers such as Primark but more importantly from new supermarket operators. In this case study George at Asda was chosen in order to provide a useful point of view in understanding the changing environmental contexts of clothing retailing. With a turnover of  £8301.5 Marks Spencers is one of the major clothing retailers occupying a commanding position in the middle market level (FAME, 2005). It is reported though that Marks Spencer has continuously lost market share due to intense competition in the UK clothing retail industry as well as from threats posed by new entrants such as George at Asda which has proven to be a highly successful entrant with the company reporting revenues of $26 billion by the end of January 2005 a significant increase of 19.8% compared to 2004 (Datamonitor, 2005). In contrast to George at Asda, Marks Spencer saw a decrease of 2.6% in revenues with operating profits falling to $1.3 billion in 2005 (Datamonitor, 2005). According to this research customers switched from Marks Spencer to cheaper retailers where quality levels were perceived as being relatively high with George at Asda being for 61% their first choice. The extremely low price of designer products helped Asda penetrate the clo thing retail sector successfully and effectively. It is fair to say that international sourcing and effective supply chain management contributed to a significant degree to the competitive prices in its clothing sector in the same manner as its grocery section. It is also interesting to note that although more than 40% of customers believed that Marks Spencer maintained a better quality level for clothing product ranges based on its reputation and effective quality control programs only 31% respondents considered clothing products at MS as good value for money. As such then the price war between supermarkets and discount stores have driven down the market price for clothing products while improvement of quality in both retailing sectors has become essential in the overall value adding process. As a result as one of the main middle market players Marks Spencer has been threatened both at price and quality levels. A strong financial background enabled Asda to achieve economies of scale and benefits from its integrated supply chain. The power of Asda as a retailing giant helped it negotiate with global suppliers for lower costs which as a result lowered final prices for consumers. Particularly in recent strategies by employing designers the creation of brand name and image of George at Asda contributed to its competitive capabilities. This point of view corresponded to earlier research discussed on consumer behaviour towards clothing buying which suggested that customers are particularly sensitive to price regardless of brand names yet in considering any extra value perceived in a brand name with the purchase customers became less sensitive to this element. This is able to help explain the strategic decision for Asda in building the brand name George at the initial stages of entering this very competitive market. Reflecting this it has been reported that MS had lost its place as the UK’s biggest clothes retailer to its supermarket rival Asda. with MS’s volume share of the clothing and footwear market remaining static at 9.1% while Asda’s George label increased its share from 7.3% to 9.4% in 2004 (Barnes, 2004). As a result the supermarket has grown to be Britain’s biggest clothing retailer after figures produced by Taylor Nelson Sofres which pointed to the volume of the George range at Asda rising to 9.4% compared with MS’s share which was static at 9.1%. However in terms of sales by value MS is still the market leader beating the Wal Mart-owned supermarket by  £3 billion pound (Gardner, 2004). It is thus expected this represents a significant change in the retailing market particularly in consideration of the middle to value adding discount clothing market. This corresponds closely to arguments reviewed in the literature section which suggests that further casualties in the Mid-market and Value Clothing sector are expected driven by increasing competitive levels (Collins, 2005). Supply Chain Management: franchising, merchandising and distribution Since the mid 1990s there has been an evolution in the UK clothing retail industry which has seen increases in both offshore sourcing and international expansion (Jones, 2002). In terms of local apparel manufacturers sales are focused on a few large buyers and Lustgarten (1975) has found that concentration ratios of major buyers have a significant impact on profit margins in the industry. In the case of Marks Spencer its strong position in the supply chain gave them strong negotiation abilities in the sourcing process but the trends of offshore production and overseas sourcing by other retailers has created crucial threats and challenges. The fast fashion strategy introduced by George at Asda in 1990 depends on effective supply chain management especially in the management of sourcing abroad to reduce production costs. Additionally the Wal-Mart owned supermarket enjoys economies of scale from its large number of suppliers globally and as a result good design and fast fashion goods c ould be transported to supermarkets rapidly as with its grocery products. However for Marks Spencer as one of the UK’s leading retailers the franchising group acts in a revolutionary capacity in seeking to respond to these trends effectively (Whitehead, 1991). Marks Spencer has attempted to reduce stock hold by improving the efficiency of its logistics management in terms of lead times through promotional sales for stock goods (Benady, 2005). However the results here were disappointing particularly in relation to womens wear. Market share fell by 5% and UK retail sales fell by 1.7% (Benady, 2005). The problematic aspect of this can be found in the supply chain where too complex a design in the production process and inefficient management strategies resulted in the decrease. Results in this research shows that respondents believed merchandise in the basic sales floor in MS was characterised by a lack of a clear marketing image and that the product ranges were too complex. The retailer has sought to cut down on its sub-brands and volume of stock held in order to introduce fashionable products at competitive prices in a shorter time. However it has been a point of concern that the management of its supply chain relied on management consulta nts rather than sales figures and marketing research on customer preferences. Consequently while UK womens wear sales grew by 4.9% Marks Spencer suffered decreases in terms of market share and operating revenues leading to reduced profitability. Due to the changing nature of the UK clothing retail industry there are revolutionary changes occurring in the supply chain sector. The most important element here can be seen as the increasing amount of sourcing activities from cheaper overseas suppliers such as Eastern European countries as well as far Eastern regions. Additionally bearing in mind the key features of clothing products the principle of shortened response is an integral element of the sector. This is to say lead times in terms of design, production, transportation as well as merchandising have become shorter. In turn benefiting from significant declines in stock holding numbers as well as risks linked with mark down sales clothing retailers are able to provide new ranges products within several weeks with maintained profit margins. As Porter (1980) suggests industrial performance is largely influenced by levels of competition and this is the case for the UK clothing retail sector. The position of Marks Spencer is no t only challenged by competitors within the same market level such as Next but also from rivals in the value adding discount marketplace including Primark, New Look. Entrants such as Asda into this industry have likewise created evolutionary changes in terms of marketing strategies as well as revolutionary supply chain management changes. The existing retail environment in which 72.5% clothiong sales went through larger retailers since 1998 is expected to continue however the battle for market share and sales among large retailers has become more intensive (Retail Intelligence, 1999). The tables below suggest that while the price of clothing is approximately the same in considering inflation prices of clothing have decreased. The speed element linked with purchasing has also decreased dramatically. This reflects both the new characteristics of modern consumers who have less time for shopping but who are also more demanding in terms of price, quality and style and the strategic choice by retailers in introducing fast fashion and effective supply chain management in order to meet this new demand.

Essay --

Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras had similarities in the fact that all three of their father’s died, but were very different in how they avenged their father’s deaths. All three of the men valued their families greatly. Many people considered Hamlet a play about revenge, but it was also about family and the saying that blood is thicker than water was true in this story, except the blood spilled out everywhere in the end. Hamlet dwelled on things in his mind before taking actions or trying to move on with his life. After the death of his father, Hamlet became very depressed and enraged that his mother moved on so fast and married his uncle Claudius. Claudius led Hamlet to believe that his father died of natural causes. Hamlet learned that his father’s death was not natural when his father’s ghost came to visit him. When Hamlet learns the truth about his father, he became furious and said â€Å"Haste me to know't, that I, with wings as swift as meditation or the thoughts of love, may sweep to my revenge.† (Shakespeare 31). Hamlet’s father’s ghost did not seem reliable to Hamlet and he contemplated if he was going insane and wondered about what he should do about the situation. Hamlet started to consider avenging his father’s death and cautiously plotted against Claudius but had to wait for the right moment. He decided to show Claudius a play about the similar p erformance of King Hamlet’s death. In the play, the quote that got Claudius to rise â€Å"He poisons him i’ th’ garden for his estate, His name’s Gonzago. The story is extant and written in very choice Italian. You shall see anon how the murderer gets the love of Gonzago’s wife.† (Shakespeare 81). Other than the play, Hamlet was very private about his father’s death. His mourning happen... ...er to regain land lost by his deceased father. All three of these men were affected by their father’s deaths and wanted to find a solution. Many people would say that these three men had daddy issues. Both Hamlet and Fortinbras were dealing with the issue of why are their uncles are Kings when they were the rightful heir. Hamlet compared himself to Fortinbras when he passed Fortinbras's armies in the fields and he saw Fortinbras as a model for how he should behave and Hamlet said, â€Å"To be great / is not to stir without great argument / but greatly to find quarrel in a straw / when honor's at the stake† (4.4.52-55). No question that Hamlet was really complex and a fascinating character in literary history. Shakespeare made a hero whose thoughts and difficulties controlled the audience’s experience. Literature has not been the same since and it will probably never be.

Symbolism in William Golding’s ‘Lord of the Flies’

Symbolism in William Golding’s ‘Lord of the Flies’ Definition: A symbol is something that is itself as well as something else. In literature it means literal or objective sense coupled with abstract meaning. Symbolism refers to serious and extensive use of symbols in a work of literature. Symbolism in Lord of the Flies: The novel is rich in symbolism. A host of different interpretations of the novel’s symbolism – political, psychological and religious – exists. We will look at some of the prominent symbols employed by Golding and try harmonizing the different interpretations. Since symbolism is an evocative device to communicate the theme of a literary piece, we must first agree on the theme of Lord of the Flies. Theme: Evil inherent in man seems to be the central idea of the novel. It may recall the Christian notion of the ‘original sin’ or the idea of the failure of civilization as seen during the Nazi Holocaust or a general pessimistic view of human nature. It may be all the three combined. A group of boys aged 6 to 12 find themselves alone on an island, without adult supervision. At first they try to organize themselves on the pattern of the civilized world they have known. The attempt fails and most of them regress into savagery and animal existence. The novel was deliberately patterned on the children’s classic ‘The Coral Island’ by R. M. Ballantyne. Only, it turns Ballantyne’s theme on its head. Whereas Ballantyne made the children’s isolation on the island a pleasant interlude in a continued life of civilized existence, Golding shows how thin the veneer of civilization really is and how the animal nature of man breaks through in just a few weeks. It is not so much moral judgment as recognition of the essential tragedy of mankind – its intellectual and spiritual nature losing out to its animal nature again and again. Important Symbols: 1. The Scar: The novel starts with the mention of a scar in the jungle. We learn (or rather, surmise) later that it is a swath cut by the falling ‘passenger tube’ in which the children were travelling. The word scar appears in the text without this preliminary information and serves to create atmosphere. The metaphor prepares us for the horrible things to come. In itself it is also the symbol of man’s disruptive influence on his world. 2. The Conch: It makes its appearance as an accidental find of Ralph and Piggy on the beach. It soon assumes importance as Ralph, on Piggy’s advice, blows it to gather the survivors. Ralph is elected leader of the group mainly because he was the one in possession of the conch. From here onwards the conch becomes a symbol of law and order. At meetings the speaker has to hold it in his hands. It gives him the privilege of being heard uninterrupted. Order starts breaking down in the fifth chapter when Jack speaks without holding it. Later, breakdown of order is signalled by Jack snatching it from Ralph in the eighth chapter. In the tenth chapter Jack raids the shelter occupied by Ralph and Piggy to rob Piggy of his glasses. But he does not bother to take the conch away. It is no longer important. In the eleventh chapter the conch is destroyed, symbolizing the complete rout of order at the hands of chaos. 3. The Man with the Megaphone (Grown-ups): When Piggy meets Ralph, his first question is, â€Å"Where is the man with the megaphone? A few pages later the question is repeated by Jack, â€Å"Where is the man with the trumpet? † This, we can assume, was the man in charge of the boys in the aeroplane He stands for authority and control which has suddenly been removed by the crash. A grown-up appears again only at the end in the form of the naval officer who saves the life of Ralph without realizing the fact and brings an e nd to the chaos. But conversely, the adult is the cause of the boys being there in the first place. The war raging outside is nothing but the conflict on the island on a much grander scale. The appearance of the naval officer at close suggests that civilization has been given another chance, despite the bleak outlook. 4. Beast from Air: In the sixth chapter another adult appears on the scene – a dead parachutist. He has apparently evacuated himself from a warplane that has been hit. The man crashes to his death at the top of the hill on the island. He, with his parachute, is taken to be a mysterious supernatural beast by the boys among whom the talk of a snake-like beast of the jungle is already rampant. The dead parachutist is not, however, just an extension of the ghost metaphor. He also represents the historical past intruding on the scene and influencing it in a profound manner. For the boys the historical past is the war they left behind. For humanity it would be the past of man as an insidious influence in his present. 5. The Beast – Lord of the Flies: The title of the novel is itself symbolic. The phrase is a literal translation of the Hebrew ‘Beelzebub’, one of the demons named after a philistine god. Later the term was often used in Christianity as a name for the Devil. The metaphor is one of regression (in its original sense of paganism) and evil (in its later meaning of the Devil). In the novel one of the younger boys, who is referred to as ‘the boy with the birthmark on his face’, tells the others about having seen a snake-like beast on the trees. Though Ralph tries to allay their fears as unfounded, the belief in the beast persists. It is strengthened by the unexplained disappearance of the boy with the birthmark. It is reinforced by the ‘beast from air’ mentioned above, so mush so that even Ralph and Piggy start entertaining the possibility of a beast. Jack, half believing himself, uses the fear cleverly to keep his followers under control. He makes the ritual sacrifice of a wild sow to the beast and lets the head of the animal hang on a stick, ostensibly to appease the beast. Only Simon does not believe in the existence of a beast. In his wanderings in the forest he comes across the head of the sow and the entrails of the animal which have attracted a lot of flies by now. He has a hallucination in which the head appears to him as lord of the flies and speaks to him. The symbolism of the beast is also stated in this imaginary conversation in so many words, as follows: â€Å"You knew, didn’t you? I am part of you?†¦ I am the reason why it’s no go? Why things are what they are? † The beast is within man, not without. It is the darkness in men’s hearts. It is their primitive nature, hidden behind a thin layer of civilization. 6. The Signal Fire and the Shelters on the Beach: The signal fire and the shelters symbolize ordered society, civilization and hope. They are contrasted with the barbaric and blood-thirsty hunts. The signal fire is Ralph’s idea. He believes that the children will be rescued soon and therefore there should be a smoke signal going all the time for a passing ship to spot. Piggy, who is more of a realist, realizes that those who were expected to know about the children are all dead and it may be a long time before rescue comes. So he suggests the building of shelters. Though both symbols together stand for civilization against barbarism, there is this subtle difference between them, arising as they do from their originators’ differing perceptions of the situation. 7. The Hunts and Mock Hunts: Together with painted faces and long hair the hunts and mock hunts symbolize regression into primitive savagery. The hunters not only seem to have lost all hope of returning to civilization, but they seem to actually enjoy the prospect and neglect to keep the signal fire burning. The hunts can be interpreted as symbolizing the boys' primal urges or even anarchy. Soon after the hunts start, they cease to be a necessary activity aimed at gathering food. The lust for blood becomes more important. Ceremonies and chants invented by the hunters similarly denote regression. The mock hunts of Chapters 4 and 7 are manifestations of regression too. The mock hunts serve another purpose. In Chapter 4 the mock hunt is a mild affair, performed largely for fun. In the seventh chapter it turns into a violent affair in which the boy playing the hunted animal suffers injuries. Thus the mock hunts define the regression of the hunters as civilized humans. The scene in Chapter 7 also shows the good and sensible Ralph feeling the excitement of the mock hunt, thus showing how evil can take hold of any human, unless resisted. 8. Painted Faces and Long Hair: This is the heading of Chapter 4. The degeneration of the boys' way of life is symbolized by clay-and- charcoal masks and long hair. When concealed by masks, the hunters, especially Ralph, seem to have new personalities as they forget the taboos of society that once restrained them from giving in to their natural urges. When Jack first paints his face to his satisfaction, he suddenly becomes a new, savage person. â€Å"He began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling. He capered toward Bill, and the mask was a thing of its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness†. The feeling of liberation that results from wearing the masks allows many of the boys to participate in the barbaric pig hunts, the savage ceremonies and the mock hunts. 9. The Island: Those who incline towards a religious interpretation of the novel’s symbolism maintain that the island is the symbol for the Garden of Eden, which is touched by original sin on contact with the human race. This interpretation may have some merit. But the symbolism can be equally validly interpreted as the state of nature to which the civilized children have been returned. It provides the setting for the opening up of their fundamental urges. 10. The Characters: The principal characters – Ralph, Piggy, Simon, Jack and Roger – symbolize certain attitudes and qualities. Ralph and Piggy are on the side pf law and order. Jack and Roger represent primitive urges and tyranny. Simon is a mystic who has clearer view of reality than the intellectual Piggy, the sensible Jack or the manipulative Jack. But we have to be careful not to over-emphasize the point. Otherwise the realistic and believable quality of the characters will be compromised. The symbolism lies more in how the characters grow or regress rather than in their basic make-up. Jack’s character is the most significant from this point of view. From the leader of a choir group he regresses into the leader of a violent and primitive group which calls itself a ‘tribe’. The above list of symbols is by no means exhaustive. The novel is replete with metaphors and symbols. Lord of the Flies is called a twentieth century allegory. It is also one of the most carefully crafted novels of the century. In consequence the careful reader can find a symbol on almost every page. s

“The Latest from the Feminist “Front” by Rush Limbaugh Essay Essays

â€Å"The Latest from the Feminist â€Å"Front† by Rush Limbaugh Essay Essays â€Å"The Latest from the Feminist â€Å"Front† by Rush Limbaugh Essay Paper â€Å"The Latest from the Feminist â€Å"Front† by Rush Limbaugh Essay Paper â€Å"The Latest from the Feminist â€Å"Front† by Rush Limbaugh statement is that how male’s chase females. The title â€Å"Feminist Front is the first grounds that the author usage to qualify feminist make a frontage. The author claims his positions on the feminist motion is unsmooth. insensitive. cruel. and provocative. The author is unsmooth on feminist with is why there is common land. The extract has several logical false beliefs which is some type of counter statement that weakens an statement ( Writer’s np ) . There are tonss of articles that are published in newspapers. advertizements. and other beginnings that have these logical false beliefs. It is non easy to cognize if an statement is unsound. The statement might be really weak to really strong. The author makes the first logical false belief called ruddy herring. A ruddy herring is when during the statement. the debater changes the subject by raising a side issue that distr acts the audience. The ruddy herring false belief in the first paragraph reads. â€Å"Few of my â€Å"Thirty-five Undeniable Truths of Life† have stirred as much contention and indignation as Number Twenty-four: â€Å"Feminism was established so that unattractive adult females could hold easier entree to the mainstream of society. † Rush does non explicate this truth about unattractive adult females. This is because he is Rush. a wireless personality. which talks harshly and loud to rock people to believe his point of view. Now. he is usually incorrect in my point of view like this extract. Rush gets paid to construct contention. Let’s expression at his statement about â€Å"unattractive† adult females. The writer’s implied warrant statement about the unattractive feminism is his definition for an vocal adult female. His first sub-claim implies that some feminist leaders are anti-male. because they speak out when work forces unsuitably flirt or make inappropriate remarks. This is one side of the issue which is called stacked grounds ( Woods 222 ) . The audience is supposed to hold with Rush. merely because. he repeats â€Å"it’s the truth† which is imploring the inquiry ( Wood 221 ) . Then he writes â€Å"that any look of involvement by a adult male in a adult female is harassment† is headlong generalisation. He generalize the term by take downing the value of a woman’s feelings. Subsequently. these extremist â€Å"would do work forces fearful of nearing women† . he writes in paragraph 7 shows headlong generalisation. Rush is connoting the all work forces would be fearful to near a adult females because the actions of a few work forces. He writes â€Å"people are labeling every twenty-four hours. normal. male-female behavior as harassment† non existent co lza. First-come-first-serve uses slippery incline as an emotional false belief by doing adult females afraid to describe torment. Slippery incline is a scare maneuver. when one thing happens it will instantly do catastrophe. The 2nd sub-claim is â€Å"that adult females have more power than most of them realize† in paragraph 9 ( Wood 233 ) . The explicit warrant province â€Å"the power to state yes or no – lies with the women† he erratically gives adult females power. The author does non value a woman’s word throughout the paper. but now. Rush validates the power of a adult female. Then he reverts back to his norm stating work forces should non be arrested for doing a wolf whistling at a becoming adult female in paragraph 13. In decision the author feels feminist adult females misuse the term torment and colza. Because adult females do non digest inappropriate progresss from married work forces they are feminist. He grounds that a adult female word is powerful. In fact he feels adult females are excessively sensitive. This will do work forces to halt chat uping with adult females. Rush could hold used statistics for the figure of colza instances that were really harassment instances. In add-on. he should hold debated a female to acquire the woman’s point of view. I’ve listened to Rush on the wireless and like the extract he exaggerates the issue in a loud voice. He does non utilize statistic. or a professional to back up his claims. Plants Cited Miller. James. and Wood. Nancy. â€Å"Perspectives on Argument. † New Jersey: Upper Saddle River. Pearson Education. Inc. . 2012. Print. â€Å"Linking Words. † English Language Smart Words 6 Aug. 2014: 10. Print. â€Å"The Writing Center. † The Writing Center. 1 Aug. 2014. Web. 11 Aug. 2014. .

How to Stay Organized in College

How to Stay Organized in College You might have had grand plans about getting organized in college. And yet, despite your best intentions, your plans for organization seemed to slip through your fingers. So how can you stay organized for the long road ahead? Fortunately, although there are a zillion things to manage between your first day of classes and your last, staying organized in college is a lot easier than you might think. With a little advanced planning and the right skill set, staying organized can become more of your routine instead of just your ideal. Try Various Time Management Systems If you were wholly dedicated to making some fancy schmancy new calendaring app work for you this semester, but it ended up not working at all, dont be too hard on yourself. That means a particular system didnt work for you, not that youre bad at time management. Keep trying (and trying and trying) new time management systems until you find one that clicks. And if that means using a good, old-fashioned paper calendaring system, so be it. Having some calendar is the most important part of staying organized through the chaos that is college. Keep Your Dorm Room Clean When you lived at home, you had to keep your room relatively clean. But now that youre in college, you can keep your dorm room as messy as you want, right? Wrong! As silly as it sounds, a messy dorm room can represent a messy college life. Keeping your living space clean can help with everything from preventing you from losing your keys (again) to being able to mentally focus when you need to since you wont be visually distracted by all the junk on your desk. Additionally, keeping your space clean doesnt have to take a lot of time and will lead to all those little things that make you feel like youre in control of your own life: having clean clothes to choose from in the morning, knowing where that FAFSA form went, always having your cell phone charged. If keeping your dorm room clean seems like a waste of time, spend one-week tracking how much time you spend maintaining it clean and another week tracking how much time you spend looking for stuff or trying to recover from things youve lost (like that FAFSA form). You might surprise yourself. Stay on Top of Your Responsibilities When you are faced with anything that connects with your college life responsibilities - from a cell phone bill to an email from your mom about when youre coming home for Thanksgiving - make yourself do one of four things: Do it Schedule it Toss itFile it As an example, spending the next month arguing with your mom over when youll fly home will take ten times as much time as it will for you to just give her some dates when she brings it up. And if you arent sure yet, figure out a day by which you will be sure - and then put it into your calendaring system. Your mom will leave you alone, youll knock something off your to-do list, and you wont have to spend time telling yourself Oh shoot, I need to figure out Thanksgiving a million times a day between now and then. Spend Time Each Week Reorganizing Youre in college because youve got a great brain. So put it to use on all you have to do outside of the classroom! Just like a finely tuned athlete, your mind is learning, expanding, and strengthening each week; youre in school. Consequently, what organizing systems worked for you a month or two ago might not work any longer. Spend a few moments looking at what you got done, what youre doing, and what youll need to do over the next few weeks. While it may seem like a waste of time, those precious minutes can save you a lot of lost time - and a lot of disorganization - in the future. Plan Ahead to Stay Ahead Everyone knows that student who always says, Oh, I cant do something then, Ill be up all night cramming for my midterm. Really? Because that is just planning to be disorganized! Plan for everything you have to do. If you have a significant event youre planning, make sure your homework is done ahead of time so you can focus on your event when the time comes. If you know you have a major paper due, plan to work on it - and finish it - a few days in advance. Since its on your calendar and in your master plan, youll stay organized and on top of your tasks without even having to think about it. Take Care of Your Physical, Emotional, and Mental Health Being in college is hard - and not just academically. If youre not eating healthy, getting enough sleep, finding time to exercise, and overall treating yourself kindly, it will catch up with you sooner or later. And its impossible to get and stay organized if you dont have the physical, emotional, and mental energy to function. So give yourself a little TLC and remember that taking care of your health is an integral part of reaching your college goals.

The Magna Carta by Stephen Langton

The Magna Carta by Stephen Langton Introduction The Magna Carta has become known as the first successful attempt on limiting the powers of a ruling authority by citizens under the authority. The document, signed by King John of England in the presence of witnesses, gave more freedom for the people of England in later years.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Magna Carta by Stephen Langton specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The documents in the Magna Carta set course for development of human rights and empowered parliament in the making of decisions. In the US, the founding fathers used the Magna Carta as a reference point when formulating the American constitution. This article entails a brief history on the source of the Magna Carta and details on its influence in American Law. Background The Magna Carta was first drafted by Stephen Langton, an Archbishop who was perceived as one of the most influential Barons in England. The document was pre viously known as the â€Å"articles of the Barons’, as it was drawn to reflect the discontent of Barons in light of King John’s rule (Clanchy 141). The document has also been referred to as the Great Charter or Magna Charter. The charter aimed to award more freedom to the non-serf community in the country, and thereby reduce the arbitrary powers of the king. It could be viewed as the first step to establish a constitution within a country. King John was reluctant to sign the charter into law since his powers would be reduced. The charter also set a foundation for the establishment of parliament. Several events led to the signing of the Magna Carta. In the year 1205, King John of England had a disagreement with Pope Innocent III on who would be the next Archbishop of Canterbury, whereby the king swore that the pope’s candidate would never be allowed into England (Holt 107). As a result, Pope Innocent III excommunicated the king and banned church services in Engl and. King John also levied high taxes on the citizens of the land, whenever such money was required. The Magna Carta came into effect in the year 1215, and was reissued with a shorter version in 1227 by King Henry III (Danziger and Gillingham 278). Influence on past and current American law The statute held in the Great Charter of 1297 set the pace for the development of citizen rights in England. Due to the close connections between England and America, documents citing English liberties would also influence American liberties. Article 21 of the United States Constitution states, That no freeman ought to be taken, or imprisoned, or disseized of his freehold, liberties, or privileges, or outlawed, or exiled, or in any manner destroyed, or deprived of his life, liberty, or property, but by the judgment of his peers, or by the law of the land. As such, the US constitution has become the supreme law of the land.Advertising Looking for research paper on constitutional law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The most important aspect of the Magna Carta is that it placed everybody under the rule of the law, or as stated in the document, the rue of the land. This enabled greater justice and fairness in the country since the law would be effected for all members if society, thererby abolishing the norm of the class system. The Magna Carta contained elements of English common law and a few other new laws, which were used by Americans when designing their own constitution. In its scope, the Magna Carta later developed to recognize all English in its statement of â€Å"any freemen†, the same way as the American constitution applies to all Americans in the phrase â€Å"we the people†. Certain provisions in the Magna Carta required for the preservation of the rights awarded to citizens. In this case, the Magna Carta specified that subsequent alterations of the law should not cancel out rights of the English citizens. America uses such provisions from the Magna Carta in the formulation of laws by ensuring that new laws do not negatively affect the rights of the citizens. This fact is entrenched in the Ninth amendment to the constitution, stating, â€Å"The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.† The Magna Carta limited the slightest of changes in its wording, just as the American constitution requires that only a majority vote can amend a previous law. Another key influence of the Magna Carta is evidenced in the Bill of Rights, for instance in the Fifth Amendment (the Suspension Clause), which states, â€Å"No person shallbe deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.† The Magna Carta had previously declared,†No freeman shall be taken, imprisonedor in any other way destroyedexcept by the lawful judgment of his peers, or by the law of the land. T o no one will we sell, to none will we deny or delay, right or justice.† This was therefore the reference point of the Fifth Amendment. Although the Magna Carta was not intended to be universally democratic by the barons who designed it, the document became an integral part of the British constitution, and later the American constitution. By limiting the power of the king to raise taxes, the founding fathers adopted this idea when developing a revenue system that would suit the country. The president of the United States of America is not allowed to arbitrarily raise taxes or spend money at his discretion. The President has to explain to congress why the government should implement certain policies while congress votes on the proposed policy.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Magna Carta by Stephen Langton specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The Magna Carta set a foundation for an appropriate legal sys tem. Just as the king of England was under the rule of the land, the American president would also be under the rule of the new constitution. The Magna Carta imposed that crime offenders be fined according to their capacity to pay such fines, and that no one should be condemned without through judgment of peers and law. The American constitution requires that suspects be tried in a court of law before they are declared guilty or otherwise, in the presence of a group of peers, or trial by jury as interpreted from the Magna Carta. The American revolt against the British was as a result for what the Americans believed was an infringement of the rights awarded to them by the Magna Carta. An interpretation by Sir Edward Coke argued that the Magna Carta provided the same rights for all Englishmen, whether in England or in America (Linebaugh 113-114). Another justification for the rebellion was as an argument against the taxes imposed by parliament in England, to which the Americans argued that it was taxation policy without representation. Americans believed that they should be free to rule themselves, just as the Magna Carta had enabled then formation of parliament in Britain, thereby allowing for self governance. Significance of the Magna Carta The Magna Carta was the first written document citing the laws of the land and their application. Governments around the world have established written constitutions which specify the governing and application of law n their jurisdictions. The Magna Carta also gave way for the development of the basic human rights as championed by organizations such as the United Nations and the United States (Flood 31). The notion of a speedy and unbiased trial, as stipulated by the Magna Carta, called for an effective judicial system. Another great contribution of the Magna Carta was the idea of majority rule. This has allowed for good governance of the United States by allowing citizens to vote their leaders and the elected leader will b e the one with majority votes. This concept also dominates the Congress in the development of new laws. The Magna Carta made a couple of significant contributions to the United States constitution. As noted, the chapter on the Bill of Rights draws heavily from the Magna Carta by emphasizing on the equality of the citizens (Turner 39-40). All Americans, including the President are liable under law for breach of the constitution.Advertising Looking for research paper on constitutional law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The American constitution is the Supreme Law of the land. While individual states within the United States of America may enforce their own laws, such laws should not contravene provisions in the United States of America Constitution. The Magna Carta was the source of English law, and later American law (Thompson 9-10). It also provided protection of the citizens from adverse policies formulated by people in authority while its legacy lies in the empowering of individuals by its protection of human rights. The provision of â€Å"due process† of law was previously aimed at providing checks on powers of the king, while the same currently implies checks within the government system. The supremacy clause, embedded in the constitution, provides that there is a higher law that applies to everyone in the country, including the executive and the legislature, just as the king could be liable for breach of common law as implied by the Magna Carta. The bill of rights and other provision s that are based on the Magna Carta are enforced by the Supreme Court. Clanchy, Micheal. A History Of England: Early Medieval England. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons, 1997. Print Danziger, Danny and John Gillingham. 1215: The Year of Magna Carta. New York: Simon Schuster, 2004. Print Flood, Patrick James. The effectiveness of UN human rights institutions. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group. 1998. Print Holt, James Clarke. The Northerners: A Study in the Reign of King John. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992.Print Linebaugh, Peter. The Magna Carta Manifesto: Liberties and Commons for All. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2008. Print Thompson, Faith. Magna Carta – Its Role in the Making of the English Constitution. 1300–1629. New York: Read Books, 2008. Print Turner, Ralph V. Magna Carta: through the ages. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2003. Print.

Revised paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Revised paper - Essay Example The lessons are, therefore, well planned to help the students identify with the complex situations in life, to enhance their reading capabilities. The students are taken through advanced multicultural recipes to enable them to be familiar with the delicacies of the world. At the same time, this enables those who are familiar with the recipes to feel part and parcel of the class. The lesson plans are plans are designed to enable them to enhance their listening then reading skills. The teacher will read aloud; this helps the students remember and store the pronunciation in their brains. This helps them to read and say the words correctly the next time they are in the position to speak this words. The teacher will also aim at improving the conversation skills of the students by asking them to assume scenarios in life and talk to one another in reference to these scenarios. This will develop the ability of the students to talk and ask for things in real life. The lessons are also planned to improve the students’ ability to sieve out the relevant information from excerpts. This will enable them to be able to pick out clues from passages, and they can apply this when faced with examination questions, or other critical analysis situations, whereby they need to write what is important and leave out the less important material. Goals:Develop students’ confidence in speaking through conversation with peers and reading aloud thus helping them remember this words in future. The conversation is aimed to help them understand the contexts of their readingso they could appreciate the practical use of the language and encourage them to frequently speak English. Teacher willdivide the students into four groups and give each group a recipe card, then let them converse and read the content freely.Worksheets will be distributed to each student, but they cannot answer the questions right away, and notes must be written at the back of the worksheets.

Managing People For A Competitive Advantage Essay

Managing People For A Competitive Advantage - Essay Example The strategies and the philosophies developed by the HR department drives an organization in the right path. Placing the right person, at the right place, at the right time, is always beneficial to the organization. HRM has two important functions; one with respect to the organizational needs and the other related to the employee needs. In other words, HR department acts as the bridge between the organization and the employees. Since the needs of the organization and the needs of the employees are mostly different, conflicts between the organization and the employees can take place any time. Under such circumstances, the HRM department is responsible for find out amicable solutions without sacrificing the needs of the organization or the employees. â€Å"Without inspiration the best powers of the mind remain dormant, they is a fuel in us which needs to be ignited with sparks† (Von Herder). Motivation is accepted as the driving force behind every human action and the basic func tion of every first line supervisors or managers is to motivate the workforce properly to accomplish the organizational goals. ... Cooperation between these departments is necessary for achieving the final goal. It is the duty of the first line supervisors to control the functions properly so that the organizational interests will never be sacrificed. Planning is another major function of the first line supervisors. Whatever the schedule given to a particular department should be completed in time and for that purpose the first line supervisors need to plan the work. The HR managers are responsible for ensuring that all the HR policies and practices are implemented within the organization. The HR policies and strategies are normally formulated by the top management team. Once all these policies are formulated it is the responsibility of the HR managers to ensure that these policies were implemented correctly. For example, the top management team normally makes policies with respect to employee annual leave, sick leave, casual leave etc. The top management will decide how many leaves can be given to the employees in a particular year. Once all the norms about the leave were fixed, it the duty of the HR managers to ensure that these norms were implemented successfully. Many parameters can affect the employee performances in an organization. The work culture, motivation, management style, remuneration etc are some of the major factors which may affect the employee performances. However, the mangers and the HR department have major roles in deriving maximum productivity out of the workers. HR department should appoint right people at the right place at the right time. It is difficult to anticipate better performance from an employee, if the HR department ask him to complete a job which is out of his expertise. For example, it is difficult for a software specialist to

Statistics on Aging Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Statistics on Aging - Essay Example The other statistics indicate that the population of the older generation continues and will continue to increase for both male and female even though the females are at a higher percentage than the males (Administration on Aging, 1900-2050). The increase in the number of older generation in the years to come mean that there should also be an increase in the number of nurses involved in population-based nursing. This is important because the old people will need attention and the work will be more hence requiring more nursing assistance. More nurses need to be recruited in this program before it is too late. The other health statistic implies that the population-based nursing is already yielding fruits on the older generation aged over 60 years as they are paying more attention to their health and they care about primary rather than tertiary prevention and treatment. Whatever advice the population-based nurses are giving this older generation should continue because it is working (Curley and Vitale,

Business Strategy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Business Strategy - Assignment Example The business performance of 2007 has shown positive development to the satisfaction of the company. Yet they have to be very vigilant to sustain the up trend in the coming years also. The company needs innovative planning and strategies to sustain the gain of last year to enable them to keep floating always ahead. Coco Cola is an old and established brand worldwide backed by a strong team of manpower. Internally they are very stable and strong to provide strong pillars to the edifice of marketing. They enjoy 94% brand recognition and more than 60% market share in the world. They need to be vigilant all the times to keep on appraising the performance and finding the underperformance if any at any level. With the type of expertise and skill they have it is sure to overcome the weakness that might creep in by active communication and crackdown. Coco Cola is spread to a large domain all over the world market, which is full of complexities. Different people with different tastes, culture, psychology, different lifestyles live in different countries. This is always a challenge to the marketers to satisfy everyone. In India the company faced challenge from the very start and also when Coca Cola entered into this country second time. After Coco Cola had established its foothold in India the change in government gave a fatal blow to the company when the changed government ordered it to wind up and leave India on the ground that the country could not permit an ordinary product which is not high tech and which the country could produce itself. Second time when Coco Cola entered India again with a new government the local brand ‘Thumbs Up’ was thriving in the market that was favourite brand for the local countrymen (Basu, 2006). Coca Cola had to take over that brand and nourish it to claim the large market share it had enjoyed. Even today the brand holds command and contributes sizeable market share to the parent company. The

Reading response 4 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reading response 4 - Assignment Example However, when a learner is giving a speech, then errors in using language forms can lead to confusion. The authors have also pointed that â€Å"the identity of the researcher has an impact on the speech of second language learners† (Bayley and Tarone, 2013, p.43). For instance, a L2 learner uses more native accent in their second language speech when interviewed by their native people than by foreigners. It has also been stated that people living in a community have the same style of variations in their language. This theory is not clear since each individual may have difference in variation degrees. The authors have also used Liu’s longitudinal study of L2 variation on a five year old Chinese immigrant â€Å"Bob† to Australia (Bayley and Tarone, 2013, p.46). It was observed that in his developmental stage of learning English, Bob used more complex sentences when conversing with friends and peers, and simpler sentences when conversing with teachers. It proved tha t Bob’s L2 acquisition is faster in informal environment. In the fourth chapter which is on sociocultural theory (SCT), the author Lantolf has said that â€Å"although SCT is a general theory of human mental development, it has been productively extended to include the investigation of second language development† (Lantolf, 2013, p.57). The basic concept of this theory, according to the author, is how a speaker masters â€Å"narrative performance through private speech† (Lantolf, 2013, p.57). Therefore, it can be observed that the level of second language acquisition does not depend only on internal ability of the learner, but also the external interactions that have a major impact on the learner’s ability to learn. The major question explored in this chapter is the extent to which an individual uses his second language for cognitive thinking. It has been found from various

Victorias Secret and Womens Sexuality In-store Essay

Victorias Secret and Womens Sexuality In-store - Essay Example While essentialism states that men and women are inherently different and that women’s different physical form make them suitable for certain functions, constructivism counters this by claiming that sexuality arises out of the beliefs and attitudes governing religion and culture (Houston). Although the biological differences between the genders are present, social constructivism has a great role to play in how women are ‘perceived’ as sex objects as suggested by Victoria’s Secret’s use of space. This perception is reflected in the company’s store design and layout. The design team’s rejection of the conventional candy box color scheme of pink and gold colors was based on the premise that the company’s dominant color (pink) was being overused. The use of the ‘pink’ theme across its store is dominant which reasserts the stereotypical association of this color with women. Nevertheless, the need to tone down the pink col or is apparent by the use of black and cream colors with the use of flashing pink lighting in-store displays. Therefore, the overwhelming use of the pink color has been made subtle by the use of black and cream colors. This is not because the company attempts to divulge from its primary market of women. The color scheme has been altered to include black and cream to make the already pink merchandise â€Å"pop out†. GENDER SOCIALIZATION suggests how humans learn appropriate behavior with respect to their gender (Shaw and Lee). This follows that women are expected to maintain their physical beauty to remain acceptable in society. Women’s worth in society is often reflected in how ‘beautiful’ they are perceived by society, unlike men whose worth does not depend on their beauty (Shaw and Lee). This is often referred to as DOUBLE STANDARDS. This concept has been used by Victoria’s Secret which uses glamorous images of women throughout its store so that w omen feel they will look like those idealized images after wearing those products. A small fraction of women who are physically attractive are used throughout in-store photography which reflects the stereotypical belief that a woman’s worth is through her body and attractiveness. This is linked to the OBJECTIFICATION of women whereby their bodies are considered separate from the context (Shaw and Lee). This, in turn, is closely tied to the fragmentation of women when their bodies are separated from their personalities and are thought to represent the woman. The way in which specific body parts are highlighted in the photography reflects how the woman as a whole is discarded and how women are considered as objects that can be touched, â€Å"ogled† or even bought. The focus on specific parts such as breasts and other genital organs in these ads is reflective of the SURGERIES including VAGINAL SURGERIES that women undergo in the name of beauty. Only younger models are use d in stores which suggest that as women grow old they lose their sexuality and beauty and can, therefore, be discarded.

Business Strategy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Business Strategy - Assignment Example The business performance of 2007 has shown positive development to the satisfaction of the company. Yet they have to be very vigilant to sustain the up trend in the coming years also. The company needs innovative planning and strategies to sustain the gain of last year to enable them to keep floating always ahead. Coco Cola is an old and established brand worldwide backed by a strong team of manpower. Internally they are very stable and strong to provide strong pillars to the edifice of marketing. They enjoy 94% brand recognition and more than 60% market share in the world. They need to be vigilant all the times to keep on appraising the performance and finding the underperformance if any at any level. With the type of expertise and skill they have it is sure to overcome the weakness that might creep in by active communication and crackdown. Coco Cola is spread to a large domain all over the world market, which is full of complexities. Different people with different tastes, culture, psychology, different lifestyles live in different countries. This is always a challenge to the marketers to satisfy everyone. In India the company faced challenge from the very start and also when Coca Cola entered into this country second time. After Coco Cola had established its foothold in India the change in government gave a fatal blow to the company when the changed government ordered it to wind up and leave India on the ground that the country could not permit an ordinary product which is not high tech and which the country could produce itself. Second time when Coco Cola entered India again with a new government the local brand ‘Thumbs Up’ was thriving in the market that was favourite brand for the local countrymen (Basu, 2006). Coca Cola had to take over that brand and nourish it to claim the large market share it had enjoyed. Even today the brand holds command and contributes sizeable market share to the parent company. The

Victorias Secret and Womens Sexuality In-store Essay

Victorias Secret and Womens Sexuality In-store - Essay Example While essentialism states that men and women are inherently different and that women’s different physical form make them suitable for certain functions, constructivism counters this by claiming that sexuality arises out of the beliefs and attitudes governing religion and culture (Houston). Although the biological differences between the genders are present, social constructivism has a great role to play in how women are ‘perceived’ as sex objects as suggested by Victoria’s Secret’s use of space. This perception is reflected in the company’s store design and layout. The design team’s rejection of the conventional candy box color scheme of pink and gold colors was based on the premise that the company’s dominant color (pink) was being overused. The use of the ‘pink’ theme across its store is dominant which reasserts the stereotypical association of this color with women. Nevertheless, the need to tone down the pink col or is apparent by the use of black and cream colors with the use of flashing pink lighting in-store displays. Therefore, the overwhelming use of the pink color has been made subtle by the use of black and cream colors. This is not because the company attempts to divulge from its primary market of women. The color scheme has been altered to include black and cream to make the already pink merchandise â€Å"pop out†. GENDER SOCIALIZATION suggests how humans learn appropriate behavior with respect to their gender (Shaw and Lee). This follows that women are expected to maintain their physical beauty to remain acceptable in society. Women’s worth in society is often reflected in how ‘beautiful’ they are perceived by society, unlike men whose worth does not depend on their beauty (Shaw and Lee). This is often referred to as DOUBLE STANDARDS. This concept has been used by Victoria’s Secret which uses glamorous images of women throughout its store so that w omen feel they will look like those idealized images after wearing those products. A small fraction of women who are physically attractive are used throughout in-store photography which reflects the stereotypical belief that a woman’s worth is through her body and attractiveness. This is linked to the OBJECTIFICATION of women whereby their bodies are considered separate from the context (Shaw and Lee). This, in turn, is closely tied to the fragmentation of women when their bodies are separated from their personalities and are thought to represent the woman. The way in which specific body parts are highlighted in the photography reflects how the woman as a whole is discarded and how women are considered as objects that can be touched, â€Å"ogled† or even bought. The focus on specific parts such as breasts and other genital organs in these ads is reflective of the SURGERIES including VAGINAL SURGERIES that women undergo in the name of beauty. Only younger models are use d in stores which suggest that as women grow old they lose their sexuality and beauty and can, therefore, be discarded.

Software Engineering Essay Example for Free

Software Engineering Essay Like most of the things, quality attracts the person it signifies the performance and appearance of the product. It matters a lot of the standards in a business for the outcome of the products. Just like this, Software has also good quality requirements and better ways to ensure its outcome. The following are the measurement methods and acceptance criteria for assessing the characteristics of the software: 1. Software Engineering Culture and Ethics Ethics can play a significant role in software quality, the culture, and the attitudes of software engineers. 2. Value and Costs of Quality The notion of â€Å"quality† is not as simple as it may seem. The customer will have some maximum cost in mind, in return for which it is expected that the basic purpose of the software will be fulfilled. 3. Models and Quality Characteristics [Boe78; McC77] ISO/IEC has definedthree related models of software product quality (internal quality, external quality, and quality in use) (ISO9126-01) and a set of related parts (ISO14598-98). Software Quality Management Processes defines processes, process owners, and requirements for those processes, measurements of the process and its outputs, and feedback channels. It involves: (1) Defining the required product in terms of its quality characteristics. (2) Planning the processes to achieve the required product. Through this we can assure Software Quality, this means ensuring that the problem is clearly and adequately stated and that the solution’s requirements are properly defined and expressed. And then we can verify and validate for assessing the intermediate products. For purposes of brevity, reviews and audits are treated as a single topic in this Guide. Five types of reviews or audits are presented in the IEEE1028-97 standard: 1. Management reviews 2. Technical reviews 3. Inspections 4. Walk-throughs 5. Audits Of course the management also has to review the software, the purpose it is to monitor progress, determine the status of plans and schedules, confirm requirements and their system allocation, or evaluate the effectiveness of management approaches used to achieve fitness for purpose. After this is the technical review to evaluate a software product to determine its suitability for its intended use. During the technical review the management should also inspect to detect and identify software product anomalies. The audit is to provide an independent evaluation of the conformance of software and processes to applicable regulations, standards, guidelines, plans, and procedures. The definition of Software Engineering is broad, so it needs to discuss its disciplines which it shares common boundary. These are two Related Disciplines: 1. An informative definition (when feasible) 2. A list of knowledge areas Related Disciplines Areas: 1. Computer Engineering computer engineering embodies the science and technology of design, construction, implementation and maintenance of software and hardware components of modern computing systems and computer-controlled equipment. 2. Computer Science identifies the following list of knowledge areas (identified as areas in the report) for computer science. 3. Management 4. Mathematics 5. Project Management – is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements. 6. Quality Management is defined in ISO 9000-2000 as â€Å"coordinated activities to direct and control an organization with regard to quality.† 7. Software Ergonomics the field of ergonomics is defined by ISO Technical Committee 159 on Ergonomics as follows: â€Å"Ergonomics or (human factors) is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of the interactions  among human and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance. 8. Systems Engineering is an interdisciplinary approach and means to enable the realization of successful systems.

Experiment to Prove Hookes Law

Experiment to Prove Hookes Law Hooke’s Law Aim: -To prove Hooke’s law i.e. the extension of the force is directly proportional to the force applied. To find the spring constant of the spring. Apparatus: Clamp Stand Helical Spring Mass Hanger Pointer Meter Ruler Measuring Balance Method: -Hang a helical spring from a clamp stand. -Attach a mass directly to the bottom of the helical spring and record the position of the bottom of the mass hanger relative to a meter ruler. -Add masses to the spring and record the position of the bottom of the mass hanger. Safety Precautions: Wear safety goggles to prevent any accidents that could occur due to the weights bouncing off the spring. Keep a distance from the apparatus. Be sure that the spring is tightly attached to the clamp. Do not play around with the masses or springs. Data Collection and Processing Uncertainty in a measuring balance =  ±0.1g To covert to kg = 0.1à ·1000 =  ±0.0001kg Uncertainty in a meter ruler =  ±0.05cm To convert to meters = 0.05 à · 100 =  ±0.0005m †¢Formulas Absolute Uncertainty= Limit of readingà ·2 Relative Uncertainty= Absolute Uncertainty à · Measured Value % Uncertainty = Absolute Uncertainty à · Measured Value Ãâ€" 100 Force (Newton’s) = Mass (Kg) Ãâ€" Acceleration (ms- ²) Average Extension (cm) = Extension while loading (m) + Extension while unloading (m) à · 2 Spring Constant, k (Nm- ¹) = Force (Newton’s) à · Extension (m) Elastic Potential Energy (Joules) = 0.5 Ãâ€" Spring Constant Ãâ€" Extension ² Range Of Extension = Extension while loading – Extension while unloading Random Error = Range of extension à · 2 Table 1 Raw Data Table: Trial No. Mass (grams)  ±0.1 Mass (kilograms)  ±0.0001 Force Applied (Newton’s) F=MÃâ€"g  ±0.0001 Extension While Loading(meters)  ±0.0005 Extension While Unloading(meters)  ±0.0005 Average Extension =E1+E2à ·2 (meters)  ±0.001 1 10.2 ±0.1 0.0102 ±0.0001 0.100062 ±0.0001 0.036 ±0.0005 0.037 ±0.0005 0.0365 ±0.001 2 20.4 ±0.1 0.0204 ±0.0001 0.200124 ±0.0001 0.040 ±0.0005 0.039 ±0.0005 0.0395 ±0.001 3 30.6 ±0.1 0.0306 ±0.0001 0.300186 ±0.0001 0.043 ±0.0005 0.042 ±0.0005 0.0425 ±0.001 4 40.8 ±0.1 0.0408 ±0.0001 0.400248 ±0.0001 0.048 ±0.0005 0.046 ±0.0005 0.0470 ±0.001 5 51.0 ±0.1 0.0510 ±0.0001 0.500310 ±0.0001 0.051 ±0.0005 0.050 ±0.0005 0.0505 ±0.001 6 61.2 ±0.1 0.0612 ±0.0001 0.600372 ±0.0001 0.056 ±0.0005 0.057 ±0.0005 0.0565 ±0.001 7 71.4 ±0.1 0.0714 ±0.0001 0.700434 ±0.0001 0.061 ±0.0005 0.060 ±0.0005 0.0605 ±0.001 8 81.6 ±0.1 0.0816 ±0.0001 0.800496 ±0.0001 0.067 ±0.0005 0.067 ±0.0005 0.0670 ±0.001 †¢ Calculations for trial 1 Force (Newton’s) = Mass (kg) Ãâ€" Acceleration (ms- ²) = 10.2 ±0.1 (g) Ãâ€" 9.81 (ms- ²) = 100.062 ±0.1 (g) Covert the g to kg: 100.062 à · 1000 = 0.100062 ±0.0001 (kg) Average Extension = Extension while loading (cm) + Extension while unloading (cm) à · 2 = 3.6 ±0.05 (cm) + 3.7 ±0.05 (cm) = 3.65 ±0.1cm In meters = 3.65 ±0.1cm à · 100 = 0.0365 ±0.001m Table 2 The range of extension and the random error of the experiment: Trial No. Extension While Loading(meters)  ±0.0005 Extension While Unloading(meters)  ±0.0005 Average Extension =E1+E2à ·2 (meters)  ±0.001 Force Applied (Newton’s) F=MÃâ€"g  ±0.0001 Range of Extension (meters)  ±0.0005 Random Error (meters)  ±0.0005 1 0.036 ±0.0005 0.037 ±0.0005 0.0365 ±0.001 0.100062 ±0.0001 0.001 ±0.0005 0.0005 ±0.0005 2 0.040 ±0.0005 0.039 ±0.0005 0.0395 ±0.001 0.200124 ±0.0001 0.001 ±0.0005 0.0005 ±0.0005 3 0.043 ±0.0005 0.042 ±0.0005 0.0425 ±0.001 0.300186 ±0.0001 0.001 ±0.0005 0.0005 ±0.0005 4 0.048 ±0.0005 0.046 ±0.0005 0.0470 ±0.001 0.400248 ±0.0001 0.002 ±0.0005 0.001 ±0.0005 5 0.051 ±0.0005 0.050 ±0.0005 0.0505 ±0.001 0.500310 ±0.0001 0.001 ±0.0005 0.0005 ±0.0005 6 0.056 ±0.0005 0.057 ±0.0005 0.0565 ±0.001 0.600372 ±0.0001 0.001 ±0.0005 0.0005 ±0.0005 7 0.061 ±0.0005 0.060 ±0.0005 0.0605 ±0.001 0.700434 ±0.0001 0.001 ±0.0005 0.0005 ±0.0005 8 0.067 ±0.0005 0.067 ±0.0005 0.0670 ±0.001 0.800496 ±0.0001 0.000 ±0.0005 0.0000 ±0.0005 †¢Calculations for trial 1 Force (Newton’s) = Mass (kg) Ãâ€" Acceleration (ms- ²) = 10.2 ±0.1 (g) Ãâ€" 9.81 (ms- ²) = 100.062 ±0.1 (g) Covert the g to kg: 100.062 à · 1000 = 0.100062 ±0.0001 (kg) Average Extension = Extension while loading (cm) + Extension while unloading (cm) à · 2 = 3.6 ±0.05 (cm) + 3.7 ±0.05 (cm) = 3.65 ±0.1cm In meters = 3.65 ±0.1cm à · 100 = 0.0365 ±0.001m Range Of Extension = Maximum Value – Minimum Value = 0.037 ±0.0005 – 0.036 ±0.0005 = 0.001 ±0.005 (m) Random Error = Range of extension à · 2 = 0.001 ±0.005 à · 2 = 0.0005 ±0.0005 (m) Table 3 Processed Data Table: Trial No. Force Applied (Newton’s) F=MÃâ€"g  ±0.0001 Average Extension =E1+E2à ·2 (meters)  ±0.001 Spring Constant, k (Nm) % Uncertainty Elastic Potential Energy (Joules) % Uncertainty 1 0.100062 ±0.0001 0.0365 ±0.001 2.74 ±2.8% 0.0018251825 ±8.3% 2 0.200124 ±0.0001 0.0395 ±0.001 5.01 ±2.6% 0.0039084263 ±7.7% 3 0.300186 ±0.0001 0.0425 ±0.001 7.06 ±2.4% 0.0063760625 ±7.1% 4 0.400248 ±0.0001 0.0470 ±0.001 8.52 ±2.1% 0.0094103410 ±6.4% 5 0.500310 ±0.0001 0.0505 ±0.001 9.91 ±2.0% 0.0126364880 ±6.0% 6 0.600372 ±0.0001 0.0565 ±0.001 10.6 ±1.8% 0.01721974 ±5.3% 7 0.700434 ±0.0001 0.0605 ±0.001 11.6 ±1.7% 0.02122945 ±5.0% 8 0.800496 ±0.0001 0.0670 ±0.001 11.9 ±1.5% 0.02670955 ±4.5% †¢Calculations for trial 1 Force (Newton’s) = Mass (kg) Ãâ€" Acceleration (ms- ²) = 10.2 ±0.1 (g) Ãâ€" 9.81 (ms- ²) = 100.062 ±0.1 (g) Covert the g to kg: 100.062 à · 1000 = 0.100062 ±0.0001 (kg) Average Extension = Extension while loading (cm) + Extension while unloading (cm) à · 2 = 3.6 ±0.05 (cm) + 3.7 ±0.05 (cm) = 3.65 ±0.1cm In meters = 3.65 ±0.1cm à · 100 = 0.0365 ±0.001m Spring Constant = Force (Newton’s) à · Extension (m) = 0.100062 ±0.0001 (N) à · 0.0365 ±0.001 (m) % Uncertainty for Force = Absolute Uncertainty à · Measured Value Ãâ€" 100 = 0.0001 à · 0.100062 Ãâ€" 100 = 0.1% % Uncertainty for Extension = Absolute Uncertainty à · Measured Value Ãâ€" 100 = 0.001 à · 0.0365 Ãâ€" 100 = 2.7% Spring Constant = 0.100062 ±0.1% (N) à · 0.0365 ±2.7% (m) = 2.74 ±2.8% Nm- ¹ Elastic Potential Energy = 0.5 Ãâ€" Spring Constant Ãâ€" Extension ² = 0.5 Ãâ€" 2.74 ±2.8% Ãâ€" (0.0365 ±0.001)  ² = 0.5 Ãâ€" 2.74 ±2.8% Ãâ€" (0.001332255 ±5.5%) = 0.00183 ±8.3% Conclusion Evaluation Conclusion: In this experiment, I have been quite successful by proving the aim of the experiment which is Hooke’s Law. The results obtained are slightly incorrect due to any errors as part of the experiment. My calculations were all shown for trial one which whereas follows. In relation to the graph, the line does not pass through the origin as there were uncertainties. The line therefore starts a few cm from the origin on the y axis. The slope in the graph indicates the spring constant. It can be seen that the spring constant value in the graph does not match my result for trial no.1 as I have taken the spring constant value in N/cm. If I take the values in N/m and average all the values of the spring constant from my calculations I will end with a result equal to the gradient or slope of the graph that is 0.227. The units taken for every other value is standard and therefore is correct. My results are reliable as they do result in the Force being proportional to the Extension. I feel t hat my data is reliable and the graph does show that the extension of the spring directly proportional to the force that is applied to it. We also found that the spring constant and the elastic potential energy increases due to the extension of the spring being proportional to the force. Evaluation: I have found that the experiment did have many errors which could have been improved. There were both systematic and random errors involved in the experiment. The meter ruler (uncertainty of  ±0.05cm) and the digital balance (uncertainty of  ±0.1g) had uncertainty’s which could have altered the accuracy of the results. The experiment also had a parallax error due to the carelessness of me not observing the pointer and the length in the straight path. My equipment was not very accurate as I was given a meter ruler and not an attached ruler. This could have made it very inaccurate as the ruler was leaning over a wall. I could only take one reading per mass, as time management was an issue, which is not reliable as taking more than two readings and averaging the answer will give a more accurate result. The next time I perform this experiment, I will need to make sure that I have at least three readings per mass and should take the average of the three readings to minimize the errors. I should also make sure that the meter ruler is not leaning on a wall and that it is held on by a clamp or that I have the ruler stuck behind the clamp stand. While repeating the experiment one should also put a pointer on the hook to avoid parallax error and get the measurements even more accurate. Wasif Haque

Narrators in Faulkner’s Barn Burning and The Unvanquished Essay

Narrators in Faulkner’s Barn Burning and The Unvanquished â€Å"Barn Burning† and The Unvanquished present very different ways to tell a story. In â€Å"Barn Burning,† Faulkner uses a third person, limited omniscient point of view that allows him to enter the mind of the story’s protagonist, Colonel Sartoris Snopes. In this point of view, the narrator establishes that the story took place in the past by commenting that â€Å"Later, twenty years later, he was too tell himself, ‘If I had said they wanted only truth, justice, he would have it me again.’ But now he said nothing† (8). The narrator of â€Å"Barn Burning† develops Colonel Sartoris as a child by describing his relationship with his father; no matter how many times Ab Snopes burns a barn or strikes his son, Colonel Sartoris wants to believe in his father’s goodness and potential for change. In the first half of The Unvanquished, Bayard Sartoris’s character often reflects innocence and naivetà ©, but Faulkner develops the character in an entirely different way. Rather than using a third-person limited omniscient narrator to describe Bayar... Narrators in Faulkner’s Barn Burning and The Unvanquished Essay Narrators in Faulkner’s Barn Burning and The Unvanquished â€Å"Barn Burning† and The Unvanquished present very different ways to tell a story. In â€Å"Barn Burning,† Faulkner uses a third person, limited omniscient point of view that allows him to enter the mind of the story’s protagonist, Colonel Sartoris Snopes. In this point of view, the narrator establishes that the story took place in the past by commenting that â€Å"Later, twenty years later, he was too tell himself, ‘If I had said they wanted only truth, justice, he would have it me again.’ But now he said nothing† (8). The narrator of â€Å"Barn Burning† develops Colonel Sartoris as a child by describing his relationship with his father; no matter how many times Ab Snopes burns a barn or strikes his son, Colonel Sartoris wants to believe in his father’s goodness and potential for change. In the first half of The Unvanquished, Bayard Sartoris’s character often reflects innocence and naivetà ©, but Faulkner develops the character in an entirely different way. Rather than using a third-person limited omniscient narrator to describe Bayar...

What’s Under my Bed :: Free Essay Writer

What’s Under my Bed As I cleaned and rearranged my room one day, I slid my bed forward and found my childhood teddy bear. When I first saw him I could not believe I still had him. It looked much different than I remember. It was covered in dirt and grime. It smelled like a dusty, mildew-infested basement. I remembered the bear’s name; his name was Horace. I named him after myself. Horace lay there on my floor; his body stretched out twenty-four inches across my floor. He is wearing my old blue denim Oshkosh overalls. The overalls’ appearance reminds me of pants that had been run through the washer several hundred times. Atop Horace’s head are two half brown, half mocha, orange slice shaped ears. The right ear has an inch slit where a sliver of white thread hangs out. He has a large orange-peach head like a scrap of metal going through the first stages of oxidation. The soft fur on his head is hard and matted on the end where sticky candy used to lie. He has one small half marble, black eye on the right side. On the left side he has a hole where fluffy dirt colored cotton hangs out. The left side also has a dark brown spot; the spot reminds me of a cartoon character with a black eye. Just under the left eye on his puffy, beige-colored cheek he has two dark brown freckles. In between his right eye, and left hole, he has a patch of hair missing, wh ich reveals tightly threaded fish netting holding the stuffing inside. An inch below that is his flat, oval shaped nose. I can see teeth marks made by a teething Child. Horace’s head attaches directly to his torso; there is no neck in between. There is an upside down beige triangle patch of fur top of his chest his chest. His upper body is dark brown, like the patch around his eye. The brown flows out to the outstretched, five-inch arms. It comes to an end at the last two inches of the arms where it changes to an orange-peach color again. His lower section is hidden in the overalls. The left leg of the overalls is cuffed just above the foot.

The Twilight Saga 2: New Moon Chapter 20 VOLTERRA

WE BEGAN THE STEEP CLIMB, AND THE ROAD GREW CONGESTED. As we wound higher, the cars became too close together for Alice to weave insanely between them anymore. We slowed to a crawl behind a little tan Peugeot. â€Å"Alice,† I moaned. The clock on the dash seemed to be speeding up. â€Å"It's the only way in,† she tried soothe me. But her voice was too strained to comfort. The cars continued to edge forward, one car length at a time. The sun beamed down brilliantly, seeming already overhead. The cars crept one by one toward the city. As we got closer, I could see cars parked by the side of the road with people getting out to walk the test of the way. At first I thought it was just impatiencesomething I could easily understand. But then we came around a switchback, and I could see the filled parking lot outside the city wall, the crowds of people walking through the gates. No one was being allowed to drive through. â€Å"Alice,† I whispered urgently. â€Å"I know,† she said. Her face was chiseled from ice. Now that I was looking, and we were crawling slowly enough to see, I could tell that it was very windy. The people crowding toward the gate gripped their hats and tugged their hair out of their faces. Their clothes billowed around them. I also noticed that the color red was everywhere. Red shirts, red hats, red flags dripping like long ribbons beside the gate, whipping in the windas I watched, the brilliant crimson scarf one woman had tied around her hair was caught in a sudden gust. It twisted up into the air above her, writhing like it was alive. She reached for it, jumping in the air, but it continued to flutter higher, a patch of bloody color against the dull, ancient walls. â€Å"Bella.† Alice spoke quickly in a fierce, low voice. â€Å"I can't see what the guard here will decide nowif this doesn't work, you're going to have to go in alone. You're going to have to run. Just keep asking for the Palazzo dei Priori, and running in the direction they tell you. Don't get lost.† â€Å"Palazzo dei Priori, Palazzo dei Priori,† I repeated the name over and over again, trying to get it down. â€Å"Or ‘the clock tower,' if they speak English. I'll go around and try to find a secluded spot somewhere behind the city where I can go over the wall.† I nodded. â€Å"Palazzo dei Priori.† â€Å"Edward will be under the clock tower, to the north of the square. There's a narrow alleyway on the right, and he'll be in the shadow there. You have to get his attention before he can move into the sun.† I nodded furiously. Alice was near the front of the line. A man in a navy blue uniform was directing the flow of traffic, turning the cars away from the full lot. They U-turned and headed back to find a place beside the road. Then it was Alice's turn. The uniformed man motioned lazily, not paying attention. Alice accelerated, edging around him and heading for the gate. He shouted something at us, but held his ground, waving frantically to keep the next car from following our bad example. The man at the gate wore a matching uniform. As we approached him, the throngs of tourists passed, crowding the sidewalks, staring curiously at the pushy, flashy Porsche. The guard stepped into the middle of the street. Alice angled the car carefully before she came to a full stop. The sun beat against my window, and she was in shadow. She swiftly reached behind the seat and grabbed something from her bag. The guard came around the car with an irritated expression, and tapped on her window angrily. She rolled the window down halfway, and I watched him do a double take when he saw the face behind the dark glass. â€Å"I'm sorry, only tour buses allowed in the city today, miss,† he said in English, with a heavy accent. He was apologetic, now, as if he wished he had better news for the strikingly beautiful woman. â€Å"It's a private tour,† Alice said, flashing an alluring smile. She reached her hand out cf the window, into the sunlight. I froze, until I realized she was wearing an elbow-length, tan glove. She took his hand, still raised from tapping her window, and pulled it into the car. She put something into his palm, and folded his fingers around it. His face was dazed as he retrieved his hand and stared at the thick roll of money he now held. The outside bill was a thousand dollar bill. â€Å"Is this a joke?† he mumbled. Alice's smile was blinding. â€Å"Only if you think it's funny.† He looked at her, his eyes staring wide. I glanced nervously at the clock on the dash. If Edward stuck to his plan, we had only five minutes left. â€Å"I'm in a wee bit of a hurry,† she hinted, still smiling. The guard blinked twice, and then shoved the money inside his vest. He took a step away from the window and waved us on. None of the passing people seemed to notice the quiet exchange. Alice drove into the city, and we both sighed in relief. The street was very narrow, cobbled with the same color stones as the faded cinnamon brown buildings that darkened the street with their shade. It had the feel of an alleyway. Red flags decorated the walls, spaced only a few yards apart, flapping in the wind that whistled through the narrow lane. It was crowded, and the foot traffic slowed our progress. â€Å"Just a little farther,† Alice encouraged me; I was gripping the door handle, ready to throw myself into the street as soon as she spoke the word. She drove in quick spurts and sudden stops, and the people in the crowd shook their fists at us and said angry words that I was glad I couldn't understand. She turned onto a little path that couldn't have been meant for cars; shocked people had to squeeze into doorways as we scraped by. We found another street at the end. The buildings were taller here; they leaned together overhead so that no sunlight touched the pavementthe thrashing red flags on either side nearly met. The crowd was thicker here than anywhere else. Alice stopped the car. I had the door open before we were at a standstill. She pointed to where the street widened into a patch of bright openness. â€Å"Therewe're at the southern end of the square. Run straight across, to the right of the clock tower. I'll find a way around† Her breath caught suddenly, and when she spoke again, her voice was a hiss. â€Å"They're everywhere?† I froze in place, but she pushed me out of the car. â€Å"Forget about them. You have two minutes. Go, Bella, go!† she shouted, climbing out of the car as she spoke. I didn't pause to watch Alice melt into the shadows. I didn't stop to close my door behind me. I shoved a heavy woman out of my way and ran flat out, head down, paying little attention to anything but the uneven stones beneath my feet. Coming out of the dark lane, I was blinded by the brilliant sunlight beating down into the principal plaza. The wind whooshed into me, flinging my hair into my eyes and blinding me further. It was no wonder that I didn't see the wall of flesh until I'd smacked into it. There was no pathway, no crevice between the close pressed bodies. I pushed against them furiously, fighting the hands that shoved back. I heard exclamations of irritation and even pain as I battled my way through, but none were in a language I understood. The faces were a blur of anger and surprise, surrounded by the ever-present red. A blond woman scowled at me, and the red scarf coiled around her neck looked like a gruesome wound. A child, lifted on a man's shoulders to see over the crowd, grinned down at me, his lips distended over a set of plastic vampire fangs. The throng jostled around me, spinning me the wrong direction. I was glad the clock was so visible, or I'd never keep my course straight. But both hands on the clock pointed up toward the pitiless sun, and, though I shoved viciously against the crowd, I knew I was too late. I wasn't halfway across. I wasn't going to make it. I was stupid and slow and human, and we were all going to die because of it. I hoped Alice would get out. I hoped that she would see me from some dark shadow and know that I had failed, so she could go home to Jasper. I listened, above the angry exclamations, trying to hear the sound of discovery: the gasp, maybe the scream, as Edward came into someone's view. But there was a break in the crowdI could see a bubble of space ahead. I pushed urgently toward it, not realizing till I bruised my shins against the bricks that there was a wide, square fountain set into the center of the plaza. I was nearly crying with relief as I flung my leg over the edge and ran through the knee-deep water. It sprayed all around me as I thrashed my way across the pool. Even in the sun, the wind was glacial, and the wet made the cold actually painful. But the fountain was very wide; it let me cross the center of the square and then some in mere seconds. I didn't pause when I hit the far edgeI used the low wall as a springboard, throwing myself into the crowd. They moved more readily for me now, avoiding the icy water that splattered from my dripping clothes as I ran. I glanced up at the clock again. A deep, booming chime echoed through the square. It throbbed in the stones under my feet. Children cried, covering their ears. And I started screaming as I ran. â€Å"Edward!† I screamed, knowing it was useless. The crowd was too loud, and my voice was breathless with exertion. But I couldn't stop screaming. The clock tolled again. I ran past a child in his mother's armshis hair was almost white in the dazzling sunlight. A circle of tall men, all wearing red blazers, called out warnings as I barreled through them. The clock tolled again. On the other side of the men in blazers, there was a break in the throng, space between the sightseers who milled aimlessly around me. My eyes searched the dark narrow passage to the right of the wide square edifice under the tower. I couldn't see the street levelthere were still too many people in the way. The clock tolled again. It was hard to see now. Without the crowd to break the wind, it whipped at my face and burned my eyes. I couldn't be sure if that was the reason behind my tears, or if I was crying in defeat as the clock tolled again. A little family of four stood nearest to the alley's mouth. The two girls wore crimson dresses, with matching ribbons tying their dark hair back. The father wasn't tall. It seemed like I could see something bright in the shadows, just over his shoulder. I hurtled toward them, trying to see past the stinging tears. The clock tolled, and the littlest girl clamped her hands over her ears. The older girl, just waist high on her mother, hugged her mother's leg and stared into the shadows behind them. As I watched, she tugged on her mother's elbow and pointed toward the darkness. The clock tolled, and I was so close now. I was close enough to hear her high-pitched voice. Her father stared at me in surprise as I bore down on them, rasping out Edward's name over and over again. The older girl giggled and said something to her mother, gesturing toward the shadows again impatiently. I swerved around the fatherhe clutched the baby out of my wayand sprinted for the gloomy breach behind them as the clock tolled over my head. â€Å"Edward, no!† I screamed, but my voice was lost in the roar of the chime. I could see him now. And I could see that he could not see me. It was really him, no hallucination this time. And I realized that my delusions were more flawed than I'd realized; they'd never done him justice. Edward stood, motionless as a statue, just a few feet from the mouth of the alley. His eyes were closed, the rings underneath them deep purple, his arms relaxed at his sides, his palms turned forward. His expression was very peaceful, like he was dreaming pleasant things. The marble skin of his chest was barethere was a small pile of white fabric at his feet. The light reflecting from the pavement of the square gleamed dimly from his skin. I'd never seen anything more beautifuleven as I ran, gasping and screaming, I could appreciate that. And the last seven months meant nothing. And his words in the forest meant nothing. And it did not matter if he did not want me. I would never want anything but him, no matter how long I lived. The clock tolled, and he took a large stride toward the light. â€Å"No!† I screamed. â€Å"Edward, look at me!† He wasn't listening. He smiled very slightly. He raised his foot to take the step that would put him directly in the path of the sun. I slammed into him so hard that the force would have hurled me to the ground if his arms hadn't caught me and held me up. It knocked my breath out of me and snapped my head back. His dark eyes opened slowly as the clock tolled again. He looked down at me with quiet surprise. â€Å"Amazing,† he said, his exquisite voice full of wonder, slightly amused. â€Å"Carlisle was right.† â€Å"Edward,† I tried to gasp, but my voice had no sound. â€Å"You've got to get back into the shadows. You have to move!† He seemed bemused. His hand brushed softly against my cheek. He didn't appear to notice that I was trying to force him back. I could have been pushing against the alley walls for all the progress I was making. The clock tolled, but he didn't react. It was very strange, for I knew we were both in mortal danger. Still, in that instant, I felt well. Whole. I could feel my heart racing in my chest, the blood pulsing hot and fast through my veins again. My lungs filled deep with the sweet scent that came off his skin. It was like there had never been any hole in my chest. I was perfectnot healed, but as if there had been no wound in the first place. â€Å"I can't believe how quick it was. I didn't feel a thingthey're very good,† he mused, closing his eyes again and pressing his lips against my hair. His voice was like honey and velvet. â€Å"Death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath, hath had no power yet upon thy beauty,† he murmured, and I recognized the line spoken by Romeo in the tomb. The clock boomed out its final chime â€Å"You smell just exactly the same as always,† he went on. â€Å"So maybe this is hell. I don't care. I'll take it.† â€Å"I'm not dead,† I interrupted. â€Å"And neither are you! Please Edward, we have to move. They can't be far away!† I struggled in his arms, and his brow furrowed in confusion. â€Å"What was that?† he asked politely. â€Å"We're not dead, not yet! But we have to get out of here before the Volturi† Comprehension flickered on his face as I spoke. Before I could finish, he suddenly yanked me away from the edge of the shadows, spinning me effortlessly so that my back was tight against the brick wall, and his back was to me as he faced away into the alley. His arms spread wide, protectively, in front of me. I peeked under his arm to see two dark shapes detach themselves from the gloom. â€Å"Greetings, gentlemen,† Edward's voice was calm and pleasant, on the surface. â€Å"I don't think I'll be requiring your services today. I would appreciate it very much, however, if you would send my thanks to your masters.† â€Å"Shall we take this conversation to a more appropriate venue?† a smooth voice whispered menacingly. â€Å"I don't believe that will be necessary.† Edward's voice was harder now. â€Å"I know your instructions, Felix. I haven't broken any rules.† â€Å"Felix merely meant to point out the proximity of the sun,† the other shadow said in a soothing tone. They were both concealed within smoky gray cloaks that reached to the ground and undulated in the wind. â€Å"Let us seek better cover.† â€Å"I'll be right behind you,† Edward said dryly. â€Å"Bella, why don't you go back to the square and enjoy the festival?† â€Å"No, bring the girl,† the first shadow said, somehow injecting a leer into his whisper. â€Å"I don't think so.† The pretense of civility disappeared. Edward's voice was flat and icy. His weight shifted infinitesimally, and I could see that he was preparing to fight. â€Å"No.† I mouthed the word. â€Å"Shh,† he murmured, only for me. â€Å"Felix,† the second, more reasonable shadow cautioned. â€Å"Not here.† He turned to Edward. â€Å"Aro would simply like to speak with you again, if you have decided not to force our hand after all.† â€Å"Certainly,† Edward agreed. ‘†But the girl goes free.† â€Å"I'm afraid that's not possible,† the polite shadow said regretfully. â€Å"We do have rules to obey.† â€Å"Then I'm afraid that I'll be unable to accept Aro's invitation, Demetri.† â€Å"That's just fine,† Felix purred. My eyes were adjusting to the deep shade, and I could see that Felix was very big, tall and thick through the shoulders. His size reminded me of Emmett. â€Å"Aro will be disappointed,† Demetri sighed. â€Å"I'm sure he'll survive the letdown,† Edward replied. Felix and Demetri stole closer toward the mouth of the alley, spreading out slightly so they could come at Edward from two sides. They meant to force him deeper into the alley, to avoid a scene. No reflected light found access to their skin; they were safe inside their cloaks. Edward didn't move an inch. He was dooming himself by protecting me. Abruptly, Edward's head whipped around, toward the darkness of the winding alley, and Demetri and Felix did the same, in response to some sound or movement too subtle for my senses. â€Å"Let's behave ourselves, shall we?† a lilting voice suggested. â€Å"There are ladies present.† Alice tripped lightly to Edward's side, her stance casual. There was no hint of any underlying tension. She looked so tiny, so fragile. Her little arms swung like a child's. Yet Demetri and Felix both straightened up, their cloaks swirling slightly as a gust of wind funneled through the alley. Felix's face soured. Apparently, they didn't like even numbers. â€Å"We're not alone,† she reminded them. Demetri glanced over his shoulder. A few yards into the square, the little family, with the girls in their red dresses, was watching us. The mother was speaking urgently to her husband, her eyes on the five of us. She looked away when Demetri met her gaze. The man walked a few steps farther into the plaza, and tapped one of the red-blazered men on the shoulder. Demetri shook his head. â€Å"Please, Edward, let's be reasonable,† he said. â€Å"Let's,† Edward agreed. â€Å"And we'll leave quietly now, with no one the wiser.† Demetri sighed in frustration. â€Å"At least let us discuss this more privately.† Six men in red now joined the family as they watched us with anxious expressions. I was very conscious of Edward's protective stance in front of mesure that this was what caused their alarm. I wanted to scream to them to run. Edward's teeth came together audibly. â€Å"No.† Felix smiled. â€Å"Enough.† The voice was high, reedy, and n came from behind us. I peeked under Edward's other arm to see a small, dark shape coming toward us. By the way the edges billowed, I knew it would be another one of them. Who else? At first I thought it was a young boy. The newcomer was as tiny as Alice, with lank, pale brown hair trimmed short. The body under the cloakwhich was darker, almost blackwas slim and androgynous. But the face was too pretty for a boy. The wide-eyed, full-lipped face would make a Botticelli angel look like a gargoyle. Even allowing for the dull crimson irises. Her size was so insignificant that the reaction to her appearance confused me. Felix and Demetri relaxed immediately, stepping back from their offensive positions to blend again with the shadows of the overhanging walls. Edward dropped his arms and relaxed his position as wellbut in defeat. â€Å"Jane,† he sighed in recognition and resignation. Alice folded her arms across her chest, her expression impassive. â€Å"Follow me,† Jane spoke again, her childish voice a monotone. She turned her back on us and drifted silently into the dark. Felix gestured for us to go first, smirking. Alice walked after the little Jane at once. Edward wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me along beside her. The alley angled slightly downward as it narrowed. I looked up at him with frantic questions in my eyes, but he just shook his head. Though I couldn't hear the others behind us, I was sure they were there. â€Å"Well, Alice,† Edward said conversationally as we walked. â€Å"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised to see you here.† â€Å"It was my mistake,† Alice answered in the same tone. â€Å"It was my job to set it right.† â€Å"What happened?† His voice was polite, as if he were barely interested. I imagined this was due to the listening ears behind us. â€Å"It's a long story.† Alice's eyes flickered toward me and away. â€Å"In summary, she did jump off a cliff, but she wasn't trying to kill herself. Bella's all about the extreme sports these days.† I flushed and turned my eyes straight ahead, looking after the dark shadow that I could no longer see. I could imagine what he was hearing in Alice's thoughts now. Near-drownings, stalking vampires, werewolf friends â€Å"Hm,† Edward said curtly, and the casual tone of his voice was gone. There was a loose curve to the alley, still slanting downward, so I didn't see the squared-off dead end coming until we reached the flat, windowless, brick face. The little one called Jane was nowhere to be seen. Alice didn't hesitate, didn't break pace as she strode toward the wall. Then, with easy grace, she slid down an open hole in the street. It looked like a drain, sunk into the lowest point of the paving. I hadn't noticed it until Alice disappeared, but the grate was halfway pushed aside. The hole was small, and black. I balked. â€Å"It's all right, Bella,† Edward said in a low voice. â€Å"Alice will catch you.† I eyed the hole doubtfully. I imagine he would have gone first, if Demetri and Felix hadn't been waiting, smug and silent, behind us. I crouched down, swinging my legs into the narrow gap. â€Å"Alice?† I whispered, voice trembling. â€Å"I'm right here, Bella,† she reassured me. Her voice came from too far below to make me feel better. Edward took my wristshis hands felt like stones in winterand lowered me into the blackness. â€Å"Ready?† he asked. â€Å"Drop her,† Alice called. I closed my eyes so I couldn't see the darkness, scrunching them together in terror, clamping my mouth shut so I wouldn't scream. Edward let me fall. It was silent and short. The air whipped past me for just half a second, and then, with a huff as I exhaled, Alice's waiting arms caught me. I was going to have bruises; her arms were very hard. She stood me upright. It was dim, but not black at the bottom. The light from the hole above provided a faint glow, reflecting wetly from the stones under my feet. The light vanished for a second, and then Edward was a faint, white radiance beside me. He put his arm around me, holding me close to his side, and began to tow me swiftly forward. I wrapped both arms around his cold waist, and tripped and stumbled my way across the uneven stone surface. The sound of the heavy grate sliding over the drain hole behind us rang with metallicfinality. The dim light from the street was quickly lost in the gloom. The sound of my staggering footsteps echoed through the black space; it sounded very wide, but I couldn't be sure. There were no sounds other than my frantic heartbeat and my feet on the wet stonesexcept for once, when an impatient sigh whispered from behind me. Edward held me tightly. He reached his free hand across his body to hold my face, too, his smooth thumb tracing across my lips. Now and then, I felt his face press into my hair. I realized that this was the only reunion we would get, and I clutched myself closer to him. For now, it felt like he wanted me, and that was enough to offset the horror of the subterranean tunnel and the prowling vampires behind us. It was probably no more than guiltthe same guilt that compelled him to come here to die when he'd believed that it was his fault that I'd killed myself. But I felt his lips press silently against my forehead, and I didn't care what the motivation was. At least I could be with him again before I died. That was better than a long life. I wished I could ask him exactly what was going to happen now. I wanted desperately to know how we were going to dieas if that would somehow make it better, knowing in advance. But I couldn't speak, even in a whisper, surrounded as we were. The others could hear everythingmy every breath, my every heartbeat. The path beneath our feet continued to slant downward, taking us deeper into the ground, and it made me claustrophobic. Only Edward's hand, soothing against my face, kept me from screaming out loud. I couldn't tell where the light was coming from, but it slowly turned dark gray instead of black. We were in a low, arched tunnel. Long trails of ebony moisture seeped down the gray stones, like they were bleeding ink. I was shaking, and I thought it was from fear. It wasn't until my teeth started to chatter together that I realized I was cold. My clothes were still wet, and the temperature underneath the city was wintry. As was Edward's skin. He realized this at the same time I did, and let go of me, keeping only my hand. â€Å"N-n-no,† I chattered, throwing my arms around him. I didn't care if I froze. Who knew how long we had left? His cold hand chafed against my arm, trying to warm me with the friction. We hurried through the tunnel, or it felt like hurrying to me. My slow progress irritated someoneI guessed Felixand I heard him heave a sigh now and then. At the end of the tunnel was a gratethe iron bars were rusting, but thick as my arm. A small door made of thinner, interlaced bars was standing open. Edward ducked through and hurried on to a larger, brighter stone room. The grille slammed shut with a clang, followed by the snap of a lock. I was too afraid to look behind me. On the other side of the long room was a low, heavy wooden door. It was very thickas I could tell because it, too, stood open. We stepped through the door, and I glanced around me in surprise, relaxing automatically. Beside me, Edward tensed, his jaw clenched tight.