Advertisments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Advertisments - Essay Example Advertising often requires the employment of wit and creativity in the part of the marketer. In order to do these, advertisements are embedded with a subtext, a n underlying which is not stated directly. Looking at the current style of marketers, the subtext is often implied or suggested through the use of symbols, characters, words, images, music, and special effects to complement or even contrast the underlying message. In order to understand how business organizations do this, I will examine the ad for Chanel eyeglasses which featured Eugenia Volodina. The rationale for the choice of the advertisement is fairly simple— my passion for sunglasses and my strong preference for Chanel products. The simple ad which features a blown up image of the beautiful and captivating Eugenia Volodina wearing the new sparkling glasses of Chanel exudes sophistication and elegance. Simple as it is, I find the ad very striking. From its establishment in the early 1910s, Chanel has become an icon of elegance with the brand being synonymous to elegance, wealth, and elitism. Chanel became the ultimate sign of high French class, catering to the needs of elite women. The global popularity of the brand has now made it a top choice for elegant women with very high purchasing power. Thus, the appearance of the ad in Vogue which is recognized as one of the most influential force in shaping fashion and culture is warranted by Chanel’s quest of capturing the elite niche. It should be noted that Vogue caters to the same intellectually sophisticated and fashionable females that Chanel are also targeting. In order to persuade its customers in buying the sunglasses, Chanel employed persuasive methods which can be classified into three modes—pathos, ethos, and logos. Ethos tries to convince buyers by appealing to their character or personality while pathos is geared in engaging their emotions. On the other hand, logos appeals to the reason or

Kelley School of Business Essay Example for Free

Kelley School of Business Essay I. I strongly believe that my education at the Kelley School of Business will help me achieve my goals. To begin with, it has been my short-term goal to obtain as much information about Finance to be an efficient Fund Manager of an investment company. This position requires me to maximize the profits of the company as well as the clients. An MBA degree will contribute a lot to pursuing this goal. As the program says, the MBA education at Kelley teaches leadership first and foremost, and when leadership has been laid all the other principles of Finance is given. This is what I wanted to acquire, for I know this is going to be useful for me in my career path and plans. I also learned many values in my four years with Jaesung Jinheung in South Korea as a Quality Controller. Most of my leadership and social skills were shaped by my stay there, and it also allowed me to learn how to treat others working for my department under me. My experiences in CB Richard Ellis Korea during my internship also exposed me to different financial situations that helped me apply what I learned from my Bachelor’s Degree in Business. Translating English documents into Korean, the internship gave me a heads up on the financial world and trained me with all aspects of business while refreshing all that I have learned. These work experiences give me the edge in my chosen profession. With experience and values, I am confident that I can achieve my career potential to the fullest. But this short-term goal is not my only motivation to pursue an MBA degree. It is also my goal to be a Chartered Financial Analyst or a CFA. To qualify for this title, I need a minimum of four years experience in the financial investment industry. I hope to have this requirement through the Fund Manager position that I want to serve. Apart from this, I also need to learn more to be able to pass the three examinations required of aspiring Chartered Financial Analysts. Backed with an MBA degree from Kelley and the work experiences that I had, I know that becoming a CFA is not very hard. I have designed my goals to complement each other. I felt that it will be easy to achieve something if it has been planned out in accordance to how the processes of planning have been. This is why I wanted to tackle Fund Management; I know I leads to my ultimate goal of becoming a CFA. Considering these goals, I am motivated with the MBA degree knowing that it will do so much for my advancement. My work experiences in Korea are likewise a big help. Work allowed me to apply theoretical knowledge into practical settings. It took my knowledge from my books into my hands, so to speak. From work I learned leadership, sociability, patience, problem-solving skills, and perseverance. Given these work and educational foundations, I am confident that my short and long term goals will not be too hard to achieve. II. If I have to choose three persons to ride with me in a cross-country trip, I will have to choose those who have been efficient in their roles in their respective fields. I will also consider the feasibility of the trip, and the comfort of traveling with those three people. This way, I can be sure that I will be learning a lot and will be able to get something from them that I can use with my own educational and career path. Of course, when business is the topic, many names come to mind. Still, one can single out people who will be beneficial to learning about life and work among others. I would like to have J.P. Morgan in the backseat. We will most probably talk about how he saved the Wall Street and figure out how important this financier’s role is to history. I hope to learn from him how to manage incoming and outgoing finances, and how to delegate allocations properly in a way that the value of finances is maximized. I will be asking a lot of questions, including business problems he has encountered and how he was able to see himself through them, for I know that the bigger a businessman the bigger his problems too. Most of the questions will focus on money and investment management. I will have clients in mind when speaking with Morgan, putting a future client’s possible case and asking Morgan about his opinion on it. Beside J.P. Morgan will be Richard Branson. I like the idea that he can call for air help when something happens to us or to the car. Yet more seriously, I would also like to know how he managed to grow the Virgin Group to what it is now. I also hope to learn from him how he manages to grow the business while facing detractors and competition. I feel that Branson is the best person to ask about growing a business through rolling investment. Given my interest in investment management, this will be a lot of help for me and my career. Lastly, John D. Rockefeller is another person I want to drive with, and he will be staying in the front passenger’s seat. I hope to learn from him how he managed to make binding ties and affiliations with large companies that eventually cut costs for his trade and offered cheaper end-products for consumers. If there is anything that I would like to have from Rockefeller, it is his ability to communicate in a way that prospective business partners agree to him, and competitors sell out to him. Speaking with Morgan, Branson, and Rockefeller will earn me a lot of business insights. They will also give me a lot of information about businessman mindset, something I need to know more about to enable me to learn more about my future clients and how I can better help them with their finances. I am sure that the trip will be fruitful, and that it will enlighten me with my career path. Indeed, speaking with experienced individuals in a refreshing new environment will organize my thoughts and allow me to better serve my goals.

The Primal Scattering of Languages: Philosophies, Myths and Genders :: Philosophy Philosophical Papers

The Primal Scattering of Languages: Philosophies, Myths and Genders ABSTRACT: In After Babel, George Steiner recounts ‘two main conjectures’ in mythology which explain ‘the mystery of many tongues on which a view of translation hinges.’ One such mythic tale is the tower of Babel, which not only Steiner, but also Jacques Derrida after him, take as their starting point to approach the question of translation; the other conjecture tells of 'some awful error [which] was committed, an accidental release of linguistic chaos, in the mode of Pandora’s Box' (Steiner). This paper will take this other conjecture, the myth of Pandora, first woman of the Greek creation myth, as its point of departure, not only to offer a feminized version of the primal scattering of languages, but to rewrite in a positive light and therefore also toreverse the negative and misogynist association of Pandora with "man’s" fall. But, rather than exposing the entrenched patriarchal bias in mythographers’ interpretations of Pandora, my for emost aim is to pose, through her figure, questions about language and woman, and, by extension, the mother tongue and female sexuality. In After Babel George Steiner recounts "two main conjectures" in mythology which explain "the mystery of many tongues on which a view of translation hinges". One such mythic tale is the tower of Babel, which not only Steiner, but also Jacques Derrida after him, take as their starting point to approach the question of translation; the other conjecture tells of "some awful error [which] was committed, an accidental release of linguistic chaos, in the mode of Pandora's Box" (Steiner 1975:57). This paper will take this other conjecture, the myth of Pandora, first woman of the Greek creation myth, as its point of departure, not only to offer a feminized version of the primal scattering of languages, but to rewrite in a positive light and therefore also reverse the negative and misogynist association of Pandora with man's fall. Rather than adopting the patrilinear account Derrida or Steiner give as regards the origin of translation, I will use the figure of Pandora to combine, and rewrite, aspects both of the Babel myth and the Oedipus myth. This is because, whilst Babel is associated with loss, the loss of one tongue, and Oedipus is associated with lack, man's castration anxiety, Pandora's box has been associated with both: the threat of linguistic chaos, i.e. the loss of understanding, and the threat of woman's sexuality, i.

A study of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Essay

Of the five Sherlock Holmes stories we have read, I will be writing about â€Å"The Silver Blaze†, â€Å"The Speckled Band† and â€Å"The Man With The Twisted Lip†. Sherlock Holmes, of 221 Baker Street is one of the most remarkable and remembered detectives of his time. Holmes is unlike any other fictional detective, as he seems almost too clever at times. Holmes is famous for his powers of observation and deduction. Holmes is able to change his age and gender in order to help solve a case but the image that sticks in most peoples head’s is of him in a ear-flapped traveling cap and with a pipe in his mouth Arthur Conan Doyle began writing the stories 100 years ago, he chose set them in the past times, although to him the stories were set in the present tence. I can tell the stories are set 100 years ago because of the language, clothing and transport. In each story Holmes is required to travel up and down the country in order to solve the cases. He often travels by 1st class carriage, this shows he is of the upper class and will appeal to the readers, as they too were probably upper class when the stories were first wrote. In â€Å"The Speckled Band† Holmes and Watson travel by Pony Trap, this is another type of old fashioned transport. Cars were not around at the time the stories were written, however if they were used this would spoil the story as it would ruin the setting. The old fashioned language also plays a key part in the setting, some of the words and phrases Holmes uses are no longer used in modern day society such as â€Å"Pray continue your narrative† and â€Å"alas† that are used â€Å"The Speckled Band†. In the Silver Blaze Holmes says â€Å"Helloa† not only is this old fashioned language but also is it slightly unorthodox for Holmes as his grammar is of a high standard. I think the setting appeals to the readers as there are no other old fashioned fictional detectives. In the modern day detective stories the detectives are not able to appear as clever as Holmes as they can solve their cases by taking D. N. A samples and matching them up with the suspects, leaving the hard work to science. As this sort of technology had not been invented while Holmes was alive, he had to solve the cases using only his intelligence and powers of observation. Each story is started in Holmes’s rooms, this too shows that Holmes was well off as houses in London were not cheap at the time. Another piece of evidence to show that Holmes was of the upper class is that he had his own maid that cooks and cleans, although Holmes is never seen eating. Although Holmes does not charge for his services, all of his clients are wealthy people. In â€Å"The Speckled Band†, Holmes’ client Mrs Hudson, lives in a large house in the country. The fact that all Holmes’ clients are wealthy and important shows that Holmes too is important and wealthy. If Holmes dealt with poor less important people or less challenging cases it would ruin his reputation and the story as it takes a complex case to make a good story. Of the three stories we have read, each has followed the same basic structure, the structure plays a key part in all of the stories, as it is the same throughout all of the stories it allows the reader to understand what is happening and to feel more involved as they know what will happen next. Each story starts with a brief comment from Watson, he will always try to make this case seem better than the previous one by saying things like â€Å"Of all these varied cases I cannot recall any which presented more singular features†. Here Doyle is trying to hook the reader into reading the rest of the story by making them believe that this story will be better than the last. The case will then begin with a troubled client finding Holmes, never the other way round, as Doyle does not want to make Holmes appear desperate by looking for clients. The client explains their case before leaving it for Holmes to solve. Although Holmes does not advertise his services in any way, his clients always find him, this is often because someone has recommended him. â€Å"I have heard of you from Mrs.  Farintosh, whom you helped in the hours of here sore need. † The fact that the client always finds Holmes largely adds to his reputation. There is one main difference in the opening of the stories, this is in â€Å"The Man with the Twisted lip† where start of the story is set at Watson’s house. The main difference here is that the client has not come to Holmes or Watson but to Watson’s wife, â€Å"Folk who were in grief came to my wife like birds to a light house† this also gives Watson a chance to explain the case to the audience before explaining it to Holmes. Conan Doyle has started the story like this mainly to give Watson a chance to shine and show that there are some differences in the structure of his stories. Although Watson is portrayed as being quite stupid, this is only because he is out shone by Holmes’ intelligence, Watson is in fact a doctor and although he does not solve any cases he does come to some significant conclusion. The next part of the story will involve Holmes and Watson traveling to the scene of the crime, which is a crucial part of the story. During their journey Holmes will often become â€Å"buried in the deepest thought†, here Holmes is already beginning to think of what may have happened before he has any real evidence. Although Holmes tries to distance himself from the police force his methods are exactly the same as that of the police. Each time Holmes visits the scene of the crime he is able to deduce more than anyone with him, often Watson. Holmes will then drop a red herring by offering a false conclusion, e. g.in â€Å"The Speckled Band† we are lead to believe that the gypsies are responsible for the murder as Holmes thinks this, at the end of the story we learn that the gypsies had nothing to do with the murder and that they were the red herring. The red herring is often the same conclusion that the readers and Watson had come too. In each story red herring is designed to throw the audience off the right trail. It offers a too-easy conclusion to the case, tempting us to take the bait and making fools of us if we do, although after reading a few stories we know that Holmes first conclusion will be a red herring therefore prompting us to discard it.

Clinical Trial On Piriformis Anaesthetic Health And Social Care Essay

The purpose of this clinical test is to compare the patients of pure piriformis syndrome treated with local anesthetic alone or a combination of local anesthetic and methylprednisolone. Thirty-one patients diagnosed with piriformis syndrome who received a fluoroscopy guided piriformis musculus injection. There were no signii ¬?cant differences in average baseline VAS scores between the two groups of the survey. There were a signii ¬?cant differences between average baseline and average VAS tonss obtained during telephone interview for both groups.Pain VAS had improved by a agencies of 5.13 and 6.06 compared to the baseline degree in the local anesthetic and steroid groups, severally. It was concluded that no extra benefit from utilizing corticoid was identified after piriformis musculus injection and both bupivacaine entirely and in combination with methylprednisolone have a important consequence in alleviating chronic hurting of pure piriformis syndrome. Piriformis syndrome is an uncommon and frequently underdiagnosed cause of hurting in the cheek part and referred hurting in the lower dorsum and leg. Intolerance to sitting, dyspareunia in females, and sciatica are some of the common symptoms attributed to this syndrome. It is the true diagnosing in 6 % to 8 % of patients with back hurting and sciatica. Mechanism normally accepted is an inflamed or spastic piriformis musculus that compresses the sciatic nervus against the bony pelvic girdle. Trauma, hypertrophy and anatomic fluctuations of musculus and sciatic nervus, infections, myositis ossificans are common cause of piriformis syndrome. Priformis syndrome may be treated by curative stretch, massage, ultrasound, use and non steroidal antiinflammatory drugs. Caudal steroid injection, injection of piriformis musculus with local anesthetics and steroids or botulinus toxins, and surgical resection of the musculus have been reported as effectual intervention options. Injections may be performed blindly, with musculus electromyography, fluoroscopy, ultrasound, or with computed tomographic or MRI counsel. Nerve stimulators may besides be used to place the sciatic nervus. Local anesthetics interrupt the pain-spasm rhythm and resounding nociceptor transmittal, whereas corticoids have anti-inflammatory belongingss related to suppression of prostaglandin synthesis, decreases in regional degrees of inflammatory go-betweens and by doing a reversible local anesthetic consequence. Eventhough their antiinflammatory belongingss corticoids have been hypothesized to be of benei ¬?t for nervus root infiltration. The emerging grounds besides implies that the durable curative consequence may be obtained with local anesthetics with or without steroids. Tachihara et Al. illustrated that no extra benefit from utilizing corticoid was identified after nervus root infiltration. Therefore, it is suggested that corticoids may be unneeded for nervus root blocks. There are besides inauspicious reactions in response to the disposal of man-made corticoids such as dermatologic conditions, osteonecrosis, peptic ulcer formation, weight addition, hyperglycaemia, Cushing ‘s syndrome and psychiatric symptoms changing from mild temper alterations to wholly developed psychosis. In the present survey, the purpose was to measure the patients of pure piriformis syndrome treated with local anesthetic alone or a combination of local anesthetic and methylprednisolone.MethodsThis survey conducted on retrospective rating of 31 patients diagnosed with piriformis syndrome, at the University of Inonu, School of Medicine, Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Pain Clinic, Malatya, Turkey between 2007 to 2009, who received a fluoroscopy guided piriformis musculus injection. All the patients were given elaborate information on the process and informed written consent was obtained from all of them. The present survey was approved by Local Ethics Committee. Piriformis syndrome was diagnosed from the followers: clinical history, physical scrutiny, EMG findings and by excepting other pathological conditions of the lumbar, sacral, sacroiliac and hep joint countries by physical scrutiny and magnetic resonance imagination or computed imaging if needed. Piriformis syndrome was suggested by hurting on tactual exploration of the sciatic notch and reproduction of hurting with manoeuvres that stretch or contract the piriformis musculus over the sciatic nervus such as forceful internal rotary motion of extended thigh ( Freiberg ‘s Maneuver ) and active hip flexure, abduction or adduction and internal rotary motion by the patient lying with the painful side up, the painful leg flexed and articulatio genus resting on the tabular array ( Beatty ‘s manoeuvre ) . All patients were examined by a individual hurting specializer and non referred by any other doctor. Exclusion standards included patients known allergic reactions to local anesthe tic and bleeding diathesis. Piriformis injections were carried out by a individual hurting specializer. The patients were placed prone on a fluoroscopy tabular array. In a unfertile manner, the cheek country on the affected side was widely prepped and draped. AP position of the hemi-pelvis and cotyloid part was obtained and so a metal marker is placed on 1/3 of sidelong facet of fanciful line between the greater trochanter and sacrum. Local infiltration with 0.5 % prilocaine was used for local anesthesia. Two milliliter of radiographic contrast stuff ( iohexol ) was injected to obtain a satisfactory myogram ( Figure 1 ) . A syringe was prepared with 10 milliliters of 0.5 % bupivacaine in local anesthetic group or 9 milliliter of 0.5 % bupivacaine + 40 milligram methylprednisolone ( 10 milliliters entire ) in steroid group and injected into the piriformis musculus after negative aspiration for blood. Following the process patients should observe alleviation of their usual hurting. All patients were responded good to a individual injection. The patients that were stubborn to local anesthetic and/or steroid medicine were non considered as a exclusive piriformis syndrome and non included to the survey. After the process, the patients were transferred to the recovery room for 1 hr and until any leg numbness subsides. If hurting persisted a 2nd injection was carried out with same manner. The primary result parametric quantity of the survey was hurting assessed by VAS, analgetic usage, hurting on motion and patient satisfaction. Follow-up scrutinies were conducted by telephone interview 6 months after local injection. Analysiss were performed utilizing SPSS 16.0 version ( SPSS Inc. , Chicago, IL ) . The Kolmogorov-Smirnov trial was used to find whether the informations deviated from the normal distribution. Nonparametric informations were evaluated with the Mann-Whitney U trial. Proportions were compared utilizing the Chi-square trial. P & A ; lt ; 0.05 was considered as important.ConsequencesMedical records of 68 patients with piriformis syndrome were evaluated. Thirty-one patients fuli ¬?lled the inclusion standards. The patient ‘s features including age, sex, weight, tallness, involved side and history of hurting until injection were comparable between groups ( Table 1 ) . No signii ¬?cant differences were noted sing first diagnosing before acknowledging hurting clinic, and conventional used intervention ( Table 2 ) . Three patient from local anesthetic group and two patients from steroid group needed to reiterate injection ( Table 2 ) . The injections for these 5 patients were repeated in a twosome of yearss. The other patients did non hold a repetition injection. There were no important differences between average baseline VAS scores between the two groups of the survey. There were important differences between average baseline and average VAS tonss obtained during telephone interview for both groups ( P & A ; lt ; 0.041 ) . Pain VAS had improved by a agencies of 5.1 and 6.1 compared to the baseline degree in the local anesthetic and steroid groups, severally. Adverse effects were seen by 27 % of the steroid and 6 % of the placebo patients. These included sleepiness in 2 steroid group patients, and 1 local anesthetic group patient, hypotension lasted in two yearss in 1 and temper alterations in 1 steroid group patients. There were no other inauspicious effects such as fluctuations of glucose degree, gastro-intestinal hemorrhage, osteonecrosis, infection, or demand of extra medical intervention attributed to the investigational medicines.DiscussionPiriformis syndrome is non to the full understood clinical syndrome and typically characterized by stray sciatic hurting limited to the cheek with radiation down the thigh, without centripetal shortages or neurogenic cause. Robinson described six diagnostic characteristics of piriformis syndrome which were: ( I ) a history of injury to the sacroiliac and gluteal parts ; ( II ) hurting in the part of the sacroiliac articulation, greater sciatic notch, and piriformis musculus that normally extends d own the limb and causes trouble with walking ; ( III ) acute aggravation of hurting caused by crouching or raising ; ( IV ) a tangible allantoid mass, stamp to tactual exploration, over the piriformis musculus on the affected side ; ( V ) a positive Las & A ; egrave ; gue mark ; and ( VI ) gluteal wasting, depending on the continuance of the status. There is no dependable nonsubjective trial to place the piriformis musculus syndrome and this is leads in many instances to great seeking for the beginning of the intractable sciatica among the lumbar pathologies. Many writers have considered injury in the gluteal country as the major cause of piriformis syndrome. Jawish et Al. believed that piriformis syndrome could be related to exacerbated rotators activity as it was observed in patients with difficult physical activity, Walkers, sports and football player or with insistent injury of nervus in patients with drawn-out sitting place. Regardless of the physiopathologic beginning of the c omplex upset, physical scrutiny and imaging surveies should be combined to corroborate the diagnosing. As, piriformis syndrome is a diagnosing of exclusion, although the patients had radicular symptoms were exluded from the survey, other imagination or correlativity to except were more common causes of sciatic hurting, such as lumbar phonograph record herniation, posterior aspect syndromes or spinal stricture, had been obtained from our included patients. The intervention end is directed ab initio toward diminishing ini ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ammation, associated hurting, and cramp as hurting originates due to the entrapment of the nervus root or to one of its subdivisions, taking to the development of myofascial trigger point. This hurting may besides be due to energy crisis produced from a loss of O and alimentary supply in the presence of an increased metabolic demand. This leads to the release of neuroactive biochemicals that sensitize nearby nervousnesss that in bend initiate the motor and sensory of myofascial trigger point via the cardinal nervous system ensuing in mechanical hypersensitivity. Injection of the 10 milliliter local anesthetic into the abdomen of the musculus as we used in our survey may rinse up such biochemicals. This injection may ensue in musculus relaxation and release of the entrapped nervus. To our cognition, our survey is the i ¬?rst clinical test comparing the effectivity of local anesthetic and methylprednisolone added to the local anesthetic. Naja et Al. compared bupivacaine ( 9 mL 0.5 % bupivacaine in a entire volume of 10 milliliter ) and bupivacaine plus clonidine ( 9 mL 0.5 % bupivacaine and 1 milliliter 150 milligram Catapres ) in a randomised double-blind test included 80 patients with piriformis syndrome who received a nervus stimulator guided piriformis injection. The average VAS tonss obtained after 6 months follow up were 4.5, 3.5 and 3.3 on walking, sitting and lying down, severally. Better consequences with Catapres had been obtained. Benzon et Al. retrospectively reviewed the charts of 19 patients who had received piriformis musculus injections and described a technique for piriformis injection. After 80-100 milligram methyl Pediapred or Aristocort injection to the schiatic nervus and piriformis musculus, 18 of the 19 patients responded to the injectio n, with betterments runing from a few hours to 3 months. The three patients with pure piriformis syndrome had 70-90 % response to piriformis injection for 1-3 months. In Fishman et al.5 survey all participants received an injection of 1.5 milliliter of 2 % Lidocaine and 0.5 milliliter ( 20 milligram ) of Aristocort and improved an norm of 71.1 % , proposing the efi ¬?cacy of corticoid and lidocaine injection combined with physical therapy in handling piriformis syndrome. Filler et Al. reported 162 patients with pure piriformis syndrome given 10 milliliter of bupivacaine and 1 milliliter of celestone: 14.9 % had sustained hurting alleviation runing from 8 months to 6 old ages without return, 7.5 % had 2 to 4 months of alleviation but required a 2nd injection, 36.6 % had 2 to 4 months of alleviation but experienced return after a 2nd injection, 25.4 % of these patients benefited for merely 2 hebdomads, and 15.7 % received no benefit. The consequence of this retrospective survey pointed out that both bupivacaine entirely and in combination with methylprednisolone have a important consequence in alleviating chronic hurting of pure piriformis syndrome and it was concluded that no extra benefit from utilizing corticoid was identified after piriformis musculus injection. Competing involvement: No external support and no viing involvements declared

Economics - Case Study on Costco (2010)

Economics - Case Study on Costco (2010) Costco - let the grocery wars beginAuthor: John RolfeApril 16, 2010THE arrival of retailer Costco in Sydney is going to push down the price of shopping. And you won't even have to be a customer to benefit.As UNSW associate professor and competition expert Frank Zumbo said yesterday: "I have no doubt that once these Costcos are in full swing you will see significant pricing pressure on Coles and Woolworths."Premier Kristina Keneally yesterday confirmed a report in The Daily Telegraph that planning authorities had set aside the objections of Westfield and others, allowing Costco to build its first Sydney store, on Parramatta Rd at Auburn.The store should open next year along with a new intersection to cope with the expected traffic.Ultimately the US giant hopes to have five Sydney sites and maybe one in Canberra. It believes getting the OK for the first store will make it easier to get consent for the rest.costco entranceWestfield and other mall operators strenuously objected to Costc o's $60 million Auburn proposal.Professor Zumbo said Costco "would suck customers into Auburn, away from other shopping centres".The cornerstone tenants of those malls are Woolworths and Coles.In other markets Costco has been able to undercut competitors similar to Woolworths and Coles by as much as 25 per cent.Costco's cost of doing business is about 10 per cent of revenue while Woolworths' is 20 per cent.A price comparison yesterday by The Daily Telegraph showed Costco's first Australian store, at Docklands in Melbourne, was selling Vegemite for nearly 20 per cent less than Coles and 10 per cent cheaper than Woolworths.Coca-Cola was 44 per cent less than at Coles and 32 per cent less than the Fresh Food People.Cold Power laundry powder...

Black Hawk Down Summary essays

Black Hawk Down Summary essays A Black Hawk is a very advanced, expensive and deadly military helicopter and the title of the movie explains what the goal of the plot was. Once the one hundred elite U.S. soldiers dropped into Somalia they were almost instantly fired upon. A rocket was actually shot at one of the black hawks while a soldier was preparing to descend to its target but to dodge the missile the helicopter had to jar itself to the left which caused the soldier to plummet to the ground. The movie was very graphic and the language was pretty harsh but then again the material being covered was very harsh itself. When men (and women) began opening fire on the U.S. soldiers it explained everything. Many soldiers were hurt in this battle, and a total of 19 U.S. soldiers were killed. When the fighting began things looked good for the U.S. They did not have tactical advantage, and they did not have the advantage of having the location they were prepared for even though preparation was intense. They did have the advantage of having a better more advanced, yet smaller artillery and combat training. Leave no U.S. soldier behind! said the general, which helps to better explain the title. The soldiers that were alive had to get to the helicopters that had crashed so they could be seen and evacuated. Through radio contact it would be very difficult to let the rescue team let them know where they were because they couldnt explain where they were due to the fact the aria was new to them. Plus, at the crash sites many Somaliland rebels were looting and ready to fight which only made things more difficult. Rebel ground forces were not the soldiers only problem, the biggest threat they had were the snipers on the roof tops that were taking out ground soldiers and mak ing it near impossible for helicopters to land for evacuation. All in all, I thought this was a very good movie. It may have been a bit too long, ...

Pelagornis - Facts and Figures

Pelagornis - Facts and Figures Name: Pelagornis (Greek for pelagic bird); pronounced PELL-ah-GORE-niss Habitat: Skies worldwide Historical Epoch: Late Miocene (10-5 million years ago) Size and Weight: Wingspan of 15-20 feet and weight of 50-75 pounds Diet: Fish Distinguishing Characteristics: Large size; long, tooth-studded beak About Pelagornis One of the enduring mysteries of natural history is why the flying prehistoric birds of the Cenozoic Era never quite matched the size of the pterosaurs, or flying reptiles, of the preceding Mesozoic. The late Cretaceous Quetzalcoatlus, for example, attained wingspans of up to 35 feet, about the size of a small planeso while the late Miocene Pelagornis, which lived about 55 million years later, was still impressive, its wingspan of only about 15 to 20 feet places it firmly in the runner-up category. Still, theres no overstating the size of Pelagornis compared to modern flying birds. This soaring predator was over twice the size of a modern albatross, and even more intimidating, considering that its long, pointed beak was studded with tooth-like appendageswhich would have made it an easy matter to dive into the ocean at high speed and spear a large, wriggling prehistoric fish, or perhaps even a baby whale. As a testament to this birds evolutionary fitness, various species of Pelagornis have been found all over the world; a new fossil unearthed in Chile is the biggest yet. So why couldnt prehistoric birds match the size of the biggest pterosaurs? For one thing, feathers are fairly heavy, and covering a larger surface area might have made sustained flight a physical impossibility. And for another, bigger birds would have had to nurture their chicks for longer periods of time before their hatchlings achieved maturity, which may have put an evolutionary brake on avian gigantism after Pelagornis and its relatives (such as the comparably sized Osteodontornis) went extinct, probably as a result of global climate change.

Enterprise information systems For Microsoft Assignment

Enterprise information systems For Microsoft - Assignment Example Rolls-Royce is a motor and energy producing company, which resumed its operations in the private sector in 1987. The company grew and acquired new other firms (Rolls-Royce 43). Today the company is global business enterprise offering solutions in power and motor supplies. Economic growth and internationalization of the enterprise’s operations necessitated an installation of ERP. The company chose to use an ERP software package called SAP R/3 (Yusuf, Angappa, and Mark 251). Such a move by the company targeted to internalize its operations and manage data flow for efficient operations. The firm also attained corporate management of its operations and integrated individual functional units in the finance and manufacturing sectors (Yusuf, Angappa, and Mark 252). The business had used more than 1500 systems before it installed the EPR project, most of which the firm developed internally (Yusuf, Angappa, and Mark 255). The initial units were expensive in terms of operations as well as difficult to maintain and improve. The systems did not provide consistent, accurate, and accessible information needed for timely decision-making. The old systems were also not suitable for modern operations in the corporate world. As a result, the business unit sold some of the aging systems and replaced it with a new one. Implementation of the project required an intervention of a team of experts outsourced from EDS. During the process, the team met with a number of challenges, which may fall into three categories. The first was cultural, which meant that the firm was to overhaul the whole old system with a new one considerably because they could not suit each other. Some departments within the company did not find it easy and consequently, they needed training (Yusuf, Angappa, and Mark 256). The next problem related to corporate operations. The new system required a rigid plan of business for a successful working. It means that the workers had to adjust their modes of working to

Slavery Story by Harriet Jacobs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Slavery Story by Harriet Jacobs - Essay Example This clearly establishes Jacobs' own status as a person and to make a case against the dehumanization inherent in slavery. Moreover, these women were denied the right to bond, nurture and care for their babies. Indeed fact, it was not unusual but common for the plantation master to satisfy his desires with his female slaves and force them to bear his offspring. As Linda points out, children from such unions were often sold to protect the honor and dignity of the slaveholder's wife, who would otherwise be forced to face the undeniable evidence of her husband's lust. Notably, in an attempt to further humanize these victims, she addressed the women of the North, desperately trying to show them that unless they spoke out in protest, they were just as guilty as Southern slaveholders of supporting and perpetuating the system of slavery. In short, apathy towards the act of slavery is just as horrendous as the act itself. We immediately see the human calling in this piece because from the beginning, Jacobs identifies herself as a slave girl. She maintains focus on her female gender. Because she refers to herself as "a slave girl," she implies-and later states explicitly-that she is speaking not only for herself, but also for her sisters still in bondage. Truth be told, this is actually a documentary. In furtherance of Jacobs' establishment of her own status as a person and to make a case against the dehumanization inherent in slavery, Linda continues to exist in this tortured world. Linda could have left her master. As the story progresses we learn that Linda actually had many opportunities to escape. Determined, she chooses to give up her freedom and her own life to save her children. This is the natural choice of a mother. Thus despite the continued abuses suffered by Linda, she presented her story not just as a woman but as a mother. Finally, it is apparent that Jacobs was determined to convince the world of the devastating and dehumanizing impact of slavery on women. In so doing, she let us see the impact from several perspectives. We see it as a female, and as a girl growing into a woman. Further adding to the experience, we see her as a mother and as one who has the daily risk of loosing her babies to the plantation owner that raped her. It is sickening that a woman had to fear one of the most important parts of her life, the beauty of being pregnant. Indeed, perhaps Jacobs transcends the human nature, because while many of the children of these poor slave women were the result of involuntary sex, it did not interfere with the immediate maternal instinct. It is all of these moments that bring Jacobs' perspective as a truly human

Lean management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Lean management - Essay Example For instance, the company’s board of directors could seek for crucial information from other board of directors from other companies on their preferred mode of production that has been successful in the other company. Secondly, they can conduct training on all the managers of the company on how to motivate employees and make better decisions affecting the company. Though the manager is not the only one entitled to making such important decisions affecting a company, their input is important. However, it is important for them to consider the input of other employees in the organization since the combined effort can bear better fruits than if a single entity was mandated to make such decisions. After some thorough investigation and gaining ample information on the required mode of production or service delivery, the board of directors, managers, and employees can then schedule a meeting and compare notes on the best alternative. They should ensure that the mode of production they come up with saves on cost but at the same time deliver quality products to customers. In addition, the mode of service delivery should enhance customer satisfaction for them to attract and retain more

Antibiotics for Meringa Oleifera Research Proposal

Antibiotics for Meringa Oleifera - Research Proposal Example Taking antibiotics in their original plant form is still common especially among indigenous communities. This is mostly because some people do not trust pharmaceutical medicines, believing that they have added chemicals that could harm their health Furthermore, pharmaceutical drugs require a lot of procedures, which may be expensive for the average citizen. To minimize such expenses, some people prefer to take the antibiotics in their original plant form. Moringa is among the most commonly used plants. Moringa oleifera is a medicinal plant, belonging to the genus Moringa, and of the family Moringaceae. It is commonly referred to as moringa or drumstick tree. The plant has been significant for its medicinal values whereby almost its entire root, leaves and trunk extracts are used for medicine. It is a common antibiotic used to treat numerous health conditions. However, just like many other antibiotics, it can pose serious health issues to an individual with disseminated intravascular coagulation. Moringa oleifera is a prescription drug yet it is sometimes sold over the counter without a valid prescription. Some people will, therefore, take it in ignorance with the hope of curing their condition only to worsen it. Despite the multitude benefits of Moringa oleifera, there are some conditions of disseminated intravascular coagulation that can be worsened by the injection of the drug. Moringa is a tree plant that has been found to have medicinal value. It can treat several medical conditions as well as provide almost all the nutritional supplements that a person may require in a single serving. Despite its multiple benefits, Moringa may not be safe for use especially if one is suffering from certain conditions. Parts of the roots and leaves of Moringa have been found to have toxins that may damage somebody organs that may lead to paralysis or even death.

Qs (Organizational behavior ) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Qs (Organizational behavior ) - Essay Example This forces such groups to undertake large risks that may result in failures such as the Challenger disaster in 1986. Also, such groups tend to forego warnings collectively since they hold that their group is unquestionably right in its decisions without any real need for an analysis of consequences. Other groups are seen as being controlled by leaders that are enemies of the groupthink group. This promotes a hostile environment since negotiations and other amicable means of settlement are off the table leading to wasted time at defeating the other group. Members who tend to question the stereotypical group environment are pressurised since this is seen as a sign of betrayal from the group’s cohesive environment. 2. Describe, discuss, and give examples of the various stages of group development. Groups develop using four stages that are (1) common recognition (2) communication and taking decisions (3) impetus and output and (4) management and organisation. In the first stage, the group members interact with each other on various issues in order to gauge each other opinions in order to build a common image. In the next stage, group members collectively communicate together in order to make decisions to benefit the group overall. Thirdly, groups are motivated enough to become productive as a whole since group members know their roles and responsibilities and how to deliver in the existing environment. Lastly, groups begin to assign roles and responsibilities on criteria of achieving results and perform corrective measures to enhance productivity. 3. Which types of teams discussed in Chapter 10 could successfully operate as virtual teams? Provide support for your answer. Quality circles, problem solving teams and product development teams could successfully operate as virtual teams. Quality circles need to meet at intervals in order to monitor performance using statistics derived from the physical workplaces. On the other hand, problem solving teams need to come together only when problems arise. Given that the problem may require interaction from various areas, a problem solving team may require by design to be a virtual team. Product development teams are formed at differing horizontal and vertical levels and require constant interaction from various locations such as the manufacturing floor, the corporate head office etc. so using virtual teams is preferable. 4. Discuss and give examples of the opportunities and challenges of communicating across international cultures. Communication across international culture opens up new possibilities for trade, commerce and business as well as providing new learning areas. A business can avail a number of new different opportunities through cross cultural communication to enhance organisational aims and objectives. However, communication between cultures is also problematic since various cultures have different expectations and structures. This presents a large number of problems that must be scaled in order to allow cross cultural communication. Language is the primary barrier followed by expectations on how a business is organised. For example, a Japanese salesman may require input from superiors before making decisions while an American salesman may initiate a sale himself. 5. Describe, discuss, and give examples of the ways that the source and the receiver can improve the communication process. The first and foremost issue of importance is language. The sending and the receiving ends should mutually agree to a language that

American Foreign Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

American Foreign Policy - Essay Example Seeking to explore the effects of the end of the Cold War on the foreign of policy of the United States, this essay will address the changes caused by this tumultuous event on the international geopolitical system. Has American state self-interest changed following the collapse of bipolarity? What motivates US foreign policy in this New World Order? During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union were locked in a bitter confrontation pitting two opposite poles in the international order against one another. In this period of bipolarity, state behavior was mediated by concerns regarding the stability of the international system as well as the state interest and behavior of the other major power. Today, the United States operates in a unipolar world and is the world’s hegemonic state. State behavior is less constrained as it was during the Cold War but US state interest today reflects power conditions and the maintenance of overall system stability which promotes the supreme status of the United States in the international system. Power is a â€Å"hard† issue and a primary concern for survival; so called â€Å"soft issues† like human rights and democracy are far less salient. In the anarchic world of international affairs, hard or core issues always supersede soft issues and are integral to defini ng state interest and behavior. What is the state of the international system following the end of the Cold War? In an article entitled â€Å"Soft Balancing in the Age of U.S. Primacy†, T.V. Paul addressed the issue of hegemonic power and stability in the post-Cold War period and explores the means through which other powers have attempted to counteract the global supremacy of the United States. As the world’s hegemonic power, the United States has, in the Cold War period, resorted to unilateralism and expansive military might. The systemic level response, according to this article has been a variety of soft-power strategies by

Qs (Organizational behavior ) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Qs (Organizational behavior ) - Essay Example This forces such groups to undertake large risks that may result in failures such as the Challenger disaster in 1986. Also, such groups tend to forego warnings collectively since they hold that their group is unquestionably right in its decisions without any real need for an analysis of consequences. Other groups are seen as being controlled by leaders that are enemies of the groupthink group. This promotes a hostile environment since negotiations and other amicable means of settlement are off the table leading to wasted time at defeating the other group. Members who tend to question the stereotypical group environment are pressurised since this is seen as a sign of betrayal from the group’s cohesive environment. 2. Describe, discuss, and give examples of the various stages of group development. Groups develop using four stages that are (1) common recognition (2) communication and taking decisions (3) impetus and output and (4) management and organisation. In the first stage, the group members interact with each other on various issues in order to gauge each other opinions in order to build a common image. In the next stage, group members collectively communicate together in order to make decisions to benefit the group overall. Thirdly, groups are motivated enough to become productive as a whole since group members know their roles and responsibilities and how to deliver in the existing environment. Lastly, groups begin to assign roles and responsibilities on criteria of achieving results and perform corrective measures to enhance productivity. 3. Which types of teams discussed in Chapter 10 could successfully operate as virtual teams? Provide support for your answer. Quality circles, problem solving teams and product development teams could successfully operate as virtual teams. Quality circles need to meet at intervals in order to monitor performance using statistics derived from the physical workplaces. On the other hand, problem solving teams need to come together only when problems arise. Given that the problem may require interaction from various areas, a problem solving team may require by design to be a virtual team. Product development teams are formed at differing horizontal and vertical levels and require constant interaction from various locations such as the manufacturing floor, the corporate head office etc. so using virtual teams is preferable. 4. Discuss and give examples of the opportunities and challenges of communicating across international cultures. Communication across international culture opens up new possibilities for trade, commerce and business as well as providing new learning areas. A business can avail a number of new different opportunities through cross cultural communication to enhance organisational aims and objectives. However, communication between cultures is also problematic since various cultures have different expectations and structures. This presents a large number of problems that must be scaled in order to allow cross cultural communication. Language is the primary barrier followed by expectations on how a business is organised. For example, a Japanese salesman may require input from superiors before making decisions while an American salesman may initiate a sale himself. 5. Describe, discuss, and give examples of the ways that the source and the receiver can improve the communication process. The first and foremost issue of importance is language. The sending and the receiving ends should mutually agree to a language that

IMF & World Bank Regulations versus Domestic Politics Assignment

IMF & World Bank Regulations versus Domestic Politics - Assignment Example zeable member’s quota which it pays an annual quota to the IMF an average of 40 million drawing rights (SDRs) where the quota is paid 75% in Pellian dollars and 25% in SDRs. Thus, Pell meets the operation of the IMF, making it to be able to acquire additional funding. Pell is entitled to borrow capital from IMF in form of Reserve tranche, which totals to one fourth of its (Pell) quota. The quotas play an important part in IMF. (Gavin, 24). Pell was obliged to certain conditions when applying for additional funding from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which included the following: Pell was required to settle up IMF by repurchasing its own local money preserves with global store benefits. The government of Pell has mentioned the possibility of improving its infrastructure in the country, thus the World Bank under International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) will grant Pell some financial assistance which will enable it to continue with the stated projects and also they will provide technical assistance in their projects. Pell was to formulate its money adaptable to US dollars quickly but the course did not happen quickly. In addition, the money pegs were to stay permanent apart from fundamental disequilibrium conditions which were not cautiously distinct. Then Pell was to attach the US dollar or straight to gold. (Mason,

Intelligence Essay Example for Free

Intelligence Essay Intelligence quotient, or IQ, is the defined as the ratio of mental age to chronological age. The movie, I Am Sam, raises an important question; does an individual’s IQ have an affect on whether they can be a good parent? Many theories have been developed to better understand and measure intelligence. The Single Factor Theories, Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory, and Gardner’s Theory, along with Baumbrind’s theory on parenting styles can all be used to analyze the characters in I Am Sam. The movie questions the relevance of IQ score and its impact on the ability to parent. If a person has a high IQ does that mean they are a good parent, and if a person has a low IQ does that mean they are a bad parent? The Single Factor Intelligence Theories determine IQ through standardized tests. The first intelligence test was developed by Binet in 1905, and determined IQ as being a person’s mental age divided by their chronological age multiplied by 100. Over the next few years the test was modified by others. In 1937, the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test was created. This test stated that 2/3 of all children, ages 8-18, score between 85 115. This test claimed that a child that scores 130 or above, is a gifted child, but a score of 70 and below indicates the child is retarded. Later, David Wechsler created a more modern test, and which has become more commonly used today. The Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children (WISC IV) is arranged by ten different areas of problems to be solved, starting with the easiest and working towards the more difficult. It calculates the score with a verbal and non verbal scale. These intelligence tests show a direct correlation between IQ score and school performance. They are designed to measure what you know, but abilities in areas such as reading and creativity can not be separated from known facts, and can provide an incomplete picture of a person’s mental capabilities. Also, these tests can be economically biased and do not take into effect the person’s home environment or stress levels on the day of the test. The character Sam, from I Am Sam, has low intelligence according to the Single Factor Theories. He is in his mid-thirties, but has the IQ of a seven year old child. He also has been deemed mentally retarded as per court records. Sam struggles to raise Lucy, his daughter, after she is abandoned immediately after birth by her mother and left with him. When he first brought Lucy home, Sam did not know he had to feed a baby every few hours, nor did he know how to change her diaper. During Lucy’s first year of school, Sam was able to help her with her homework and reading, but as Lucy grew older, Sam began to struggle. It became more difficult for him because his reading capability is of a low level, so when Lucy brought home reading assignments, he was unable to read at her level eventually. Sam’s low IQ correlates to the fact that he can not help Lucy with her homework past that of first or second grade level. Sam works at Starbucks as a bus boy and is paid not much more than minimum wage, therefore he struggles financially and only can afford to live in a very small one-bedroom apartment. He cannot afford the things Lucy requires for school, such a shoes and clothes. Lucy is taken out of Sam’s care by Child Protective Services because they feel that Sam is unfit parent because of his low IQ and he will hinder Lucy’s learning capabilities. According to the Single Factor Intelligence Theory, Sam is not intelligent. Rita, Sam’s lawyer in the movie, is considered to be intelligent according the Single Factor Theories. To become a lawyer it takes many years of schooling and the ability to speak ‘intelligently’. As a partner in her law firm, it shows years of dedication, hard work, and motivation. She is able to afford to live in a large beautiful home and drive an expensive car. She has been successful life because she has normal intelligence and has a higher IQ. According to Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory of Intelligence, Sam is not intelligent. He lacks componential intelligence, because he is unable to think abstractly as he has difficulty thinking concretely. Sam struggles to interpret information effectively, he scores low on an IQ test and has the IQ of a seven year old. Sam does show some signs of experiential intelligence, but those are quite limited. When Lucy is taken away from Sam, the length he goes to see her shows his creativity. He rents a new apartment close to the neighborhood her foster family resides in, and becomes employed in a dog walking business so he is able to see her. Sam lso flies paper airplanes near her so she is aware that he is nearby and still watching over her. He also has the creative ability to make origami, in which he constructs a wall in his apartment towards the end of the movie. Although Sam has a difficult time expressing his thoughts in his words, he often attempts to give his opinions and insight. Sam tells Rita she must leave her husband, and even though he does not completely tell her why, he clearly sees that Rita’s home life is not good and offers her his insight. His words may be limited but his thoughts are clear. Sam does not however react well to new stimuli. Lucy persuades him to try a different diner for breakfast instead of going to their weekly place of IHOP. When Sam places his order with the waitress, he insists on ordering pancakes French style (the order he places at IHOP each week). When the waitress explains they do not serve that kind of pancakes and attempts to coerce him into ordering something from their menu, Sam refuses and creates a scene. He was reluctant to try the diner to begin with. Sam does not show signs of contextual intelligence. He does not have ‘street smarts’ which is shown when he is solicited by a prostitute, and is completely unaware of her meaning. The police arrest him because they believe him to be trying to buy the prostitute’s services, and he tries to tell the police he did not know in which he truly does not. His lack of street smarts is also evident when Lucy tricks him during one of his supervised visits. She tells Sam that they were given permission to go to the park unsupervised, but this was not true and Lucy was just trying to run away together with Sam. He believes her and keeps Lucy out really late into the night. Sam gets into trouble for taking her and breaking the visitation rules. Based on the three components of Sternberg’s Theory, Rita is intelligent. She is high in componential intelligence. She is a partner in her law firm and has a lot of education. She demonstrates experiential intelligence as she is able to synthesize information. Being a lawyer, she must able to gather information from various areas and put it together to help the case she is presenting. She is able to manipulate the truth with this ability without lying. Her contextual intelligence is high and this is represented in her personal life. She is able to adapt to her environment. Her marriage is falling apart because her husband is never home and is cheating. She avoids the situation by trying to ignore and pay little attention to it. She is able to maximize her strengths by being a powerful lawyer as she minimizes her weakness of being lonely. Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences states that all have multiple intelligences and some have strengths in one area over another. It lists seven different types of intelligence. The first type is Logical / Mathematical intelligence which is the ability in logical problem solving. Next is Musical intelligence, this is the ability to appreciate music. Spatial intelligence is part of the making of and appreciation of various forms of art, such as sculptures or video games. Bodily kinesthetic is the ability to use one’s body in a skillful way. Interpersonal intelligence is the ability to perceive other peoples and understand them, the ability to read people. Intrapersonal intelligence is the understanding of yourself, your emotions and strengths. The last is Naturalist Intelligence, which is the ability to recognize various types of plants and animals, and even understand the weather patterns. According to Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences, Sam is intelligent. Even though Sam does not display intelligences in most of the areas, he does display musical and spatial intelligence. Musical intelligence is shown when he relates life and events to The Beatles. For example, Lucy (Lucy Diamond) is named after The Beatles song â€Å"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds†. He relates many experiences, especially when under stress, to John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and Paul McCartney. Sam’s neighbor in his old apartment building played the piano and he also notes that she plays well and is able to play a little himself. He shows spatial intelligence when he created the room full of origami and stacked them on top of each other to create walls. Rita is also intelligent according to Gardner. She displays logical and interpersonal intelligences. She is a problem solver. She has to think logically about cases and determine what will get her the outcome she desires from the judge or jury. She is able to determine an outcome in advance and know how to manipulate it. She also represents interpersonal intelligence as a lawyer. She has to understand her clients (i. e. Sam), the judge (or jury), and any other individuals involved in her case (i. e. Child Protective Services). She has to be able to read them to figure out what kind of approach and tactic to use in order to win. Diana Baumbrind, in 1972, developed a theory which identified fours aspects of family functioning and parenting styles. The four aspects of family functioning are: warmth or nurturing; clarity and consistency; maturity demands; and communication between parent and child. Baumbrind’s Parenting Style Theory suggests that there are various types of parenting styles and identified four: authoritative; authoritarian; permissive indulgent; and permissive indifferent. Parenting style is a set of attitudes toward the child that a parent transmits to the child to create an emotional climate surrounding parent-child exchanges. Authoritative parents display a warm, accepting attitude toward their children while maintaining firm expectations of and restrictions on childrens behavior. Open communication between parent and child is facilitated within this emotional climate. Long-term outcomes for children and adolescents of authoritative parents are more favorable compared to outcomes for children of authoritarian or permissive parents. The authoritarian parenting style is characterized by a harsh, rigid emotional climate combined with high demands and little communication. Permissive Indulgent parents display warmth and acceptance toward their children but do not place demands or restrictions on childrens behavior. Permissive indifferent parents do not display any warmth or control with little communication, and places low demands on small children but very high demands on older children. According to Baumbrind, Sam is a permissive indulgent parent. He is not mature mentally himself, therefore he has low maturity demands of Lucy. He cannot grasp maturity beyond his own level. Sam is also low in his control over Lucy, because he has little control of himself and his own actions at times. Sam cannot illustrate his thoughts into words and therefore can not clearly communicate rules or expectations. Lucy becomes more of a parent to Sam, than Sam is to Lucy. He is also low in effective communication because he cannot express himself with words effectively, and he is not able to have deep thoughtful conversations when he himself does not understand. Sam is high in his nurturance and warmth. He clearly loves Lucy, and this can be seen with his constant hugging and holding her. He also nightly reads a bedtime story to her, takes her to the park, and goes to any length he can to gain custody of her back. Even though children of permissive indulgent parents can become less independent and take little responsibility, this does not make Sam a bad parent. Rita has an authoritarian style of parenting. She is low in her warmth and communication because she constantly is yelling at her son, Willy, and even when he gets upset and when Lucy hugs Rita, she does not pay any attention to his reaction. Willy also ignores her back when she tells him that it is time for bed, but he continues to ride his scooter around. She is high in her control as she is constantly telling Willy what to do and that he should listen to her. She tells him she hates him at the moment and to get in the car when he will not do as she says. She is high in her maturity demands also, as she expects Willy to be able to handle the fact that both she and his father work a lot and do not spend much time with him. In fact he is still just a child that needs his parents for stability and guidance. Rita is not a good parent according to Baumbrind. Therefore, when looked at collectively, a person does not need to be intelligent to be a good parent. Intelligence may or may not relate to parenting styles. Sam is not considered intelligent according to the Single Factor Theories and Sternberg; however his parenting style is not the most negative as defined by Baumbrind. Rita is intelligent, but is not a good parent. Her parenting style is the most negative. Even with a lower IQ, Sam’s is considered to be the better parent. The movie, I Am Sam, shows the difficulty people have separating intellect from other areas of people’s lives, such as parenting. In retrospect to the movie, we cannot conclude that the two are related, a person does not need to be intelligent to be a good parent, and having a high IQ does not always make a good parent.

Nasal Surgeries and Procedures Types

Nasal Surgeries and Procedures Types Neurocranial restructuring Neurocranial restructuring is the relaxation of neuro tissues to relieve tension and return the skulls structure to its naturally designed appearance. Neurocranial restructuring has been successfully used for many years to relieve a variety of serious conditions as well as being used as a non invasive alternative to cosmetic therapy. The methods of actually engaging in Neurocranial restructuring vary depending on the nature of the condition to be treated as well as the nature of the individual. Typically the procedure will be enacted by a trained natural doctor (ND) who learns the technique used from one of several pioneering doctors who first began to practice the technique in the mid to late nineties. The default technique is to use endonasal balloon therapy to expand nasal cavities and realign the skulls muscular structure. The benefits of this realignment are said to be improved sensory and neurological function; there is anecdotal evidence to suggest that Neurocranial restructuring can improve or cure conditions as varied as chronic migraines, ADD, depression, bi polar personality disorder, back problems, hearing problems, sinus problems, eye sight issues, arthritis, Anxiety and even conditions such as strokes, seizures and sleep apnoea. Neurocranial restructuring has been a life line given to many individuals suffering from these conditions, granting a relief from symptoms and producing lasting affects in prolonged use with chronic condition sufferers. In addition neurocranial restructuring can realign smaller muscles and tissues to realign the ears, straighten the nose, release wrinkles and tension in the face, heighten cheekbones and produce a better symmetrical appearance. In this way a series of cosmetic surgeries can be avoided and serious surgery and surgical alteration to the nasal and sinus structures of the skull can be avoided. The patient can receive benefits after a series of procedures (the number and time taken being different depending on the procedure employed). Nasal specific A nasal specific is a procedure designed to apply pressure to the nasal cavities within the nose. There are six nasal passages within the nose which are arranged in two vertical lines of three. The purpose of this procedure is to apply pressure to the inside of the nasal passage. By doing this it will expand the nasal passage, expand and open up blood vessels and push out any excess mucus. There are many names used for this procedure though all of them refer to the same basic procedure which can be referred to as a bilateral nasal specific (named due to the practice of utilising the laterally adjacent nasal passages in sequence to maintain symmetry) or nasal specific which refers to just the practice in relation to a specific nasal passage or the opening of nasal passages one after another without special precautions to maintain symmetrical balance of the nasal passages. The results of nasal specific procedures vary as with any procedure of this nature with the issue to be affixed and the patient themselves. Typically the procedure will be enacted once and then repeated as required to maintain or improve benefits. The time period between procedures can vary as a result of this but can range from one to six months. The actual nasal specific procedure uses a finger cot affixed to a blood pressure bulb (sphygmomanometer) which is lubricated before being inserted into the nasal cavities and inflated. The aim of Nasal specific procedures being to free up the nasal cavity by expansion, push out any structures blocking the nasal passage such as excess mucus and also realign some of the soft tissues immediately behind the nasal passage to offer some additional aid (anecdotal evidence of balance, sensory perception and hearing improvement has been noted). Bilateral nasal specific A bilateral nasal specific is a procedure which has been utilised and studied since 1995 and proven to have significant benefits to the health of patients. The procedure is a simple one which begins with the examination of the patient and an inspection of their nasal cavities as well as their medical history. In some cases a blood test and screening may be conducted to ensure perfect health and nothing is present which may complicate the matter. Once preliminary work is done the patient is sat back and asked to breath in and out in a relaxing manner whilst the instruments are prepared. Typically the procedure will involve a finger cot of endonasal balloon affixed to a blood pressure bulb. The finger cot is lubricated prior to insertion. Once the patient he is asked to breathe out and hold while the finger cot is inserted. The Patient then breathes in gently and holds his breath while the practitioner slowly inflates the cot and gently pushes it towards the back of the nasal cavity. At this point in the bilateral nasal specific procedure any mucus or blockages are pushed out and into the back of the throat (mucus discharge through coughing etc. is to be expected). The aim here is to enlarge the blood vessels around the cavity as well as the nasal cavity itself to open up the sinuses. As another health benefit of the bilateral nasal specific procedure the finger cot or balloon is pushed out of the back of the nasal cavity and into the back of the throat very gently by the practitioner. This applies gentle pressure to the Sphenoid bone immediately at the back of the nasal cavities and realigns plates in that area by gentle manipulation. Endonasal Balloon therapy Endonasal balloon therapy refers to an alternative practice to bilateral nasal specific therapy. In this case rather than a finger cot a balloon is used and rather than just one two are used at the same time. The basic procedure is similar but the aim is different in that the nasal cavity is not the sole source of attention but the alteration of the Sphenoid bone is the main aim of the therapy to realign the plates surrounding that bone and alter the structure of the skull. Endonasal balloon therapy is the method utilised when engaging in Neurocranial reconstruction procedures to realign the muscular structure and skeletal plates of the skull. As a procedure it can have many benefits but these are dependent on the degree of repair required and the frequency of procedures; which may need to be repeated between one to six months after the previous procedure to maintain or improve benefits to health. The Endonasal balloon therapy first begins with a preliminary inspection and a proper patient history to ensure the patients eligibility much like other procedures of the nature. Once the patient is ensured to be able to undertake the procedure the practitioner will examine the patient’s plate structure and utilise a deep tissue massage to relax the tissue that will require manipulation. Afterwards the practitioner will ask him to lay back and try to breathe in a relaxing and calm manner while he prepares to enact the procedure. Once ready the practitioner will have the patient breathe out prior to inserting the balloon through the nasal cavity and into the back of the throat. This is repeated with a second balloon on the opposite side of the nasal cavity to the first. The practitioner will then conduct the endonasal balloon procedure by manipulating the sphenoid bone and plate structures using the balloons, inflating them to apply pressure and deflating to decrease pressure while asking the patient to breathe in or out and hold accordingly. Nasal cranial release A nasal cranial release is a method similar and derivative of the bilateral nasal specific, in this procedure the objective is to realign the skulls skeletal plates to a more natural position, relieving many of the tensions and cranial dysfunctions which can cause or be an additional influence on many mental and physical conditions. The method is similar and yet different to both Nasal specific and Endonasal balloon therapy in that it utilises the nasal cavity and uses balloon structures. Its effect is similar yet aims for a different region of the skeletal structure. The procedure lasts three to four seconds, where small balloons are inserted through the nasal cavity and inflated to realign structures at the back of the cavities. The Sphenoid bone is the target yet the method is to utilise multiple balloons at once through the nasal cavities allowing the procedure to be conducted in a short amount of time, requiring repetitions of at least four times over seven to ten days much like Neurocranial restructuring. Nasal Cranial release is mainly involved with the release of tension from the skeletal structure of the skull. To understand this you must first understand that the skull is in fact 22 different moving bones (much like tectonic plates), these bones can move and flex in order to absorb shock and tension in the skull but unfortunately this can mean that tension is stored in areas where it can cause issues. The aim of Neurocranial release therapy is to relieve the tension in these bones and by extension to the bones supporting them, the knock on effect can have surprising results for the rest of the bodys structure, especially in the spine, shoulders and chest. The benefits of this procedure involve the improvement of sinus and sensory capability as well as combating chronic migraines, blurred vision and mental conditions such as depression, hyperactivity and ADD.

Ethical Issues in e-Commerce Essay -- Business Ethics

Introduction The Internet has received a great deal of attention in the media lately due to its tremendous growth in usage by both consumers and businesses. The unique capabilities of the Internet has captured the attention of the marketing community. While a growing number of companies have or are interested in developing an Internet presence, there is still a great deal of uncertainty about it and the potential ethical issues associated with its use as a marketing medium. Although many businesses are acknowledging the importance of a Web site, but the potential ethical issues related to marketing on the Internet still having an uncertainty in this situation. Much less attention has been given to the business community's perceptions of the ethicalness of this new medium. The unique interactivity of the Internet has captured the marketing community's interest as a way to develop and enhance customer relationships and establish greater brand identity. Thus, many commercial services have become available on the Internet that allow consumers and organizations to interact electronically. Thes e services include booking airline tickets online, buying books and compact discs, and receiving stock market information. Although the number of consumer users and commercial organizations navigating on this "information superhighway" is growing almost exponentially, the benefits of the Internet are not without drawbacks. Ethical Issues Privacy Privacy is the condition where someone personal information can not be documented and be used by others (Parent, 1983). Privacy has been and continues to be a significant issue of concern for both current and prospective electronic commerce customers. The foll... ...try to ensure Internet security. More practically, marketers must try to target consumer groups more accurately. Minimizing unwanted consumer contacts may reduce the intensity and visibility of some dimensions of privacy issues. Last, marketing researchers must attempt to define privacy operationally. Much has been said and written about consumer privacy, but we still have little understanding of what information consumers consider private, why they consider it private, and whether this set of information changes situationally or in response to other factors. Works Cited Stead, B. A., & Gilbert, J. (2001). Ethical issues in electronic commerce. Journal of Business Ethics, 34, 75-85. Foxman, E. R., & Kilcoyne, P. (n.d.). Information technology, marketing practice, and consumer privacy: ethical issues. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 12(1), 106-119.

Coca Cola in Belgium

1) How could the Belgium problem have damaged Coca Cola? Coca-Cola had been creating a really strong and successful image, and people had great sympathy for the brand. But because of the Belgian scandal, the credibility of the umbrella brand was being doubted. First of all, customers (mainly from Belgium and France at the beginning) were scared of drinking Coca-Cola products. For example, parents did not want their kids to get contaminated. More so, the brand was not giving a specific reason for these incidents, and by not reacting soon enough the quality of their products was at stake.Because of that, the Belgian government imposed strict hygienic conditions to recover the right to sell their products again. Therefore, the rest of European countries had an â€Å"excuse† to distrust the brand, even if the Belgian authorities reacted a bit extremely due to the former chicken crisis. Suppliers and distributors around Europe were also impacted. Coca-Cola, as a global brand, had h ad to trust its bottlers to follow the quality values the company held, but this scandal challenged the current control of Coca-Cola over its supplier's plants.But these suppliers also were scared of the consequences of their relationship with Coca-Cola in this crisis. Coca-Cola also suffered a financial impact because of this crisis. The withdrawal of their products had a negative impact on the second quarter net income of the year 1999, with a decrease of 21%. Not only that, but the cost of the entire operation escalated to $103 million. All around the world investors were afraid of the money invested in the company, and this affected a decrease of the share value on Wall Street.The competitors saw this crisis as an opportunity, and increased their promotion in order to steal part of Coca-Cola's market share. They took advantage of Coca-Cola's weak image during those days to claim their own high quality. Despite all of this damage during June and July (partly due to the slow react ion of Coca-Cola), by the beginning of August the core users of Coca-Cola brands had regained the same purchasing intent than before the crisis. Hence, we can conclude that even if there was a big impact in the short term, this crisis did not affect the image of the company in the long term. ) Is the problem solely limited to Belgium? Solely to Europe? Or is it a global problem? It is worth mentioning that this was the first crisis of these characteristics that Coca-Cola suffered. Until then, it had been the most famous and successful global company, but a located problem in a relatively small country as Belgium had repercussions in Wall Street. It is true that the center of Europe was the most affected area for this problem: the cases of sickness were reported in Belgium and in France only, but it also affected the rest of the European market (Luxemburg and Dutch, for example.It even made the European Commission involved, which recriminated the company for not giving enough explana tions. However, it was not only the Eurpean market who was affected: they reported a worldwide loss of 1% of sales, and during 10 days they lost a 13% in share value. Therefore, the Atlanta Headquarter had to react, and Douglas Ivester (CEO) had to make a public international apologies. Nevertheless, Coca-Cola is produced locally rather than globally, so they could have reduced this global impact by informing about the production and distribution process.In conclusion, the brand image and reputation of Coca-Cola was affected globally, but especially in Europe, as it is where it had direct impact. Although thanks to Coca-Cola's strength, its global profitability only received a short term impact. 3) Is it feasible for the company to regain its image? In this particular case, we already know that Coca-Cola was able to regain its image. But it is interesting to see what were the reasons of the recovery, and whether they can be used by other companies.First of all, this crisis started a s a phenomenon of mass hysteria, which happen periodically. They tend to have huge impact in the short term, but the long term is barely affected. Most recent example would be the avian flu, which had few casualties but caused a great disturbance. Second, the company had more than enough resources, the know-how and the influence to regain the confidence of its stakeholders through communication. After all, they were highly regarded by most consumers and markets, and recognized as a global, â€Å"caring† brand.Third, we have now (not that much in Coca-Cola's particular case) the example of other global brands that had comparable problems and were able to recover, through both communication and other acts. One very well known problem was that of Nike, and the whole scandal of child labor during the 90's and early 00's. They reacted fast, and instead of trying to cover it up, admitted it and acted in order to end the problem, and convince their stakeholders that they had 4) If y ou had to design an advertising campaign, what objective would you propose? And what actions other than advertising would you undertake?The scandal suffered in Belgium was also a reason for European authorities (and each country's authorities) to expose their doubts about Coca-Cola. Thus it would be advised to have an all-around campaign to prove the company's integrity and its commitment on social responsibility in front of all of the stakeholders, not only the consumers. Some ideas we discussed that could be included in this campaign during the hysteria are the following: * The crisis was directly linked to Coca-Cola cans. Because of that, Coca-Cola should promote bottles rather than cans.Unconsciously the human brain would not link the bottles with the crisis. * The main focus of the campaign should be on emotional arguments, as functional arguments are compromised. * Similar to the first idea, prevent damage over other brands (Fanta, Nestea) by advertising them individually, so the consumers do not link them directly to Coca-Cola. These communications could be supported with PR. If we can convince the media of the commitment on quality, positive comments will help calm down the consumers and minimize the impact of the hysteria.John Emsley's article in The Independent is the perfect example of of how this comments can benefit Coca-Cola. Some ideas we discussed that could be changed in the company after the hysteria are the following: * Redefine the company's mission, to better show commitment with its stakeholders and with social corporate responsibility. * More collaboration with local governments on social projects. * Stronger conditions for suppliers, or stronger control over them, in order to make it harder for these crisis to appear.

The Host Chapter 36: Believed

The congregation relaxed, and a more enthusiastic murmur ran around the half circle. I looked at Jamie. He pursed his lips and shrugged. â€Å"Jeb's just trying to get things back to normal. It's been a bad couple of days. Burying Walter†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I winced. I saw that Jeb was grinning at Jared. After a moment of resistance, Jared sighed and rolled his eyes at the strange old man. He turned and strode quickly from the cave. â€Å"Jared got a new ball?† someone asked. â€Å"Cool,† Wes said beside me. â€Å"Playing games,† Trudy muttered, and shook her head. â€Å"If it eases the tension,† Lily responded quietly, shrugging. Their voices were low, close beside me, but I could also hear other, louder voices. â€Å"Easy on the ball this time,† Aaron said to Kyle. He stood over him, offering his hand. Kyle took the offered hand and got slowly to his feet. When he was standing, his head almost hit the hanging lanterns. â€Å"The last ball was weak,† Kyle said, grinning at the older man. â€Å"Structurally deficient.† â€Å"I nominate Andy for captain,† someone shouted. â€Å"I nominate Lily,† Wes called out, getting to his feet and stretching. â€Å"Andy and Lily.† â€Å"Yeah, Andy and Lily.† â€Å"I want Kyle,† Andy said quickly. â€Å"Then I get Ian,† Lily countered. â€Å"Jared.† â€Å"Brandt.† Jamie got to his feet and stood on his toes, trying to look tall. â€Å"Paige.† â€Å"Heidi.† â€Å"Aaron.† â€Å"Wes.† The roll call continued. Jamie glowed when Lily chose him before half the adults were taken. Even Maggie and Jeb were picked for teams. The numbers were even until Lucina came back with Jared, her two small boys bouncing in excitement. Jared had a shiny new soccer ball in his hand; he held it out, and Isaiah, the older child, jumped up and down trying to knock it from his hand. â€Å"Wanda?† Lily asked. I shook my head and pointed to my leg. â€Å"Right. Sorry.† I'm good at soccer, Mel grumbled. Well, I used to be. I can hardly walk, I reminded her. â€Å"I think I'll sit this one out,† Ian said. â€Å"No,† Wes complained. â€Å"They've got Kyle and Jared. We're dead without you.† â€Å"Play,† I told him. â€Å"I'll†¦ I'll keep score.† He looked at me, his lips pressed into a thin, rigid line. â€Å"I'm not really in the mood for playing a game.† â€Å"They need you.† He snorted. â€Å"C'mon, Ian,† Jamie urged. â€Å"I want to watch,† I said. â€Å"But it will be†¦ boring if one team has too much advantage.† â€Å"Wanda.† Ian sighed. â€Å"You really are the worst liar I've ever met.† But he got up and started stretching with Wes. Paige set up goalposts, four lanterns. I tried to get to my feet-I was right in the middle of the field. Nobody noticed me in the dim light. All around, the atmosphere was upbeat now, charged with anticipation. Jeb had been right. This was something they needed, odd as it seemed to me. I was able to get onto all fours, and then I pulled my good leg forward so I was kneeling on the bad. It hurt. I tried to hop up onto my good leg from there. My balance was all off, thanks to the awkward weight of my sore leg. Strong hands caught me before I could fall on my face. I looked up, a little rueful, to thank Ian. The words caught in my throat when I saw that it was Jared whose arms held me up. â€Å"You could have just asked for help,† he said conversationally. â€Å"I -† I cleared my throat. â€Å"I should have. I didn't want to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Call attention to yourself?† He said the words as if he were truly curious. There was no accusation in them. He helped me hobble toward the cave entrance. I shook my head once. â€Å"I didn't want to†¦ make anyone do anything, out of courtesy, that they didn't want to do.† That didn't explain it exactly right, but he seemed to understand my meaning. â€Å"I don't think Jamie or Ian would begrudge you a helping hand.† I glanced back at them over my shoulder. In the low light, neither had noticed I was gone yet. They were bouncing the ball off their heads, and laughing when Wes caught it in the face. â€Å"But they're having fun. I wouldn't want to interrupt that.† Jared examined my face. I realized I was smiling in affection. â€Å"You care about the kid quite a bit,† he said. â€Å"Yes.† He nodded. â€Å"And the man?† â€Å"Ian is†¦ Ian believes me. He watches over me. He can be so very kind†¦ for a human.† Almost like a soul, I'd wanted to say. But that wouldn't have sounded like the compliment it was to this audience. Jared snorted. â€Å"For a human. A more important distinction than I'd realized.† He lowered me to the lip of the entrance. It made a shallow bench that was more comfortable than the flat floor. â€Å"Thank you,† I told him. â€Å"Jeb did the right thing, you know.† â€Å"I don't agree with that.† Jared's tone was milder than his words. â€Å"Thank you also-for before. You didn't have to defend me.† â€Å"Every word was the truth.† I looked at the floor. â€Å"It's true that I would never do anything to hurt anyone here. Not on purpose. I'm sorry that I hurt you when I came here. And Jamie. So sorry.† He sat down right beside me, his face thoughtful. â€Å"Honestly†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He hesitated. â€Å"The kid is better since you came. I'd sort of forgotten what his laugh sounded like.† We both listened to it now, echoing above the lower pitch of adult laughter. â€Å"Thank you for telling me that. It's been my†¦ biggest worry. I hoped I hadn't damaged anything permanently.† â€Å"Why?† I looked up at him, confused. â€Å"Why do you love him?† he asked, his voice still curious but not intense. I bit my lip. â€Å"You can tell me. I'm†¦ I've†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He couldn't find the words to explain. â€Å"You can tell me,† he repeated. I looked at my feet as I answered. â€Å"In part because Melanie does.† I didn't peek to see if the name made him flinch. â€Å"Remembering him the way she does†¦ that's a powerful thing. And then, when I met him in person†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I shrugged. â€Å"I can't not love him. It's part of my†¦ the very makeup of these cells to love him. I hadn't realized before how much influence a host had on me. Maybe it's just human bodies. Maybe it's just Melanie.† â€Å"She talks to you?† He kept his voice even, but I could hear the strain now. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"How often?† â€Å"When she wants to. When she's interested.† â€Å"How about today?† â€Å"Not much. She's†¦ kind of mad at me.† He barked out a surprised laugh. â€Å"She's mad? Why?† â€Å"Because of†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Was there such a thing as double jeopardy here? â€Å"Nothing.† He heard the lie again and made the connection. â€Å"Oh. Kyle. She wanted him to fry.† He laughed again. â€Å"She would.† â€Å"She can be†¦ violent,† I agreed. I smiled, to soften the insult. It was no insult to him. â€Å"Really? How?† â€Å"She wants me to fight back. But I†¦ I can't do that. I'm not a fighter.† â€Å"I can see that.† He touched my battered face with one fingertip. â€Å"Sorry.† â€Å"No. Anyone would do the same. I know what you must have felt.† â€Å"You wouldn't -† â€Å"If I were human, I would. Besides, I wasn't thinking of that†¦ I was remembering the Seeker.† He stiffened. I smiled again, and he relaxed a little. â€Å"Mel wanted me to throttle her. She really hates that Seeker. And I can't†¦ find it in myself to blame her.† â€Å"She's still searching for you. Looks like she had to return the helicopter, at least.† I closed my eyes, clenched my fists, and concentrated on breathing for several seconds. â€Å"I didn't used to be afraid of her,† I whispered. â€Å"I don't know why she scares me so much now. Where is she?† â€Å"Don't worry. She was just up and down the highway yesterday. She won't find you.† I nodded, willing myself to believe. â€Å"Can you†¦ can you hear Mel now?† he murmured. I kept my eyes closed. â€Å"I'm†¦ aware of her. She's listening very hard.† â€Å"What's she thinking?† His voice was just a whisper. Here's your chance, I told her. What do you want to tell him? She was cautious, for once. The invitation unsettled her. Why? Why does he believe you now? I opened my eyes and found him staring at my face, holding his breath. â€Å"She wants to know what happened to make you†¦ different now. Why do you believe us?† He thought for a moment. â€Å"An†¦ accumulation of things. You were so†¦ kind to Walter. I've never seen anyone but Doc be that compassionate. And you saved Kyle's life, where most of us would have let him fall just to protect ourselves, intended murder aside. And then you're such an appalling liar.† He laughed once. â€Å"I kept trying to see these things as evidence of some grand plot. Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and feel that way again.† Mel and I flinched. â€Å"But when they started attacking you today†¦ well, I snapped. I could see in them everything that shouldn't have been in me. I realized I already did believe, and that I was just being obstinate. Cruel. I think I've believed since†¦ well, a little bit since that first night when you put yourself in front of me to save me from Kyle.† He laughed as if he didn't think Kyle was dangerous. â€Å"But I'm better at lying than you are. I can even lie to myself.† â€Å"She hopes you won't change your mind. She's afraid you will.† He closed his eyes. â€Å"Mel.† My heart thudded faster in my chest. It was her joy that sped it, not mine. He must have guessed how I loved him. After his questions about Jamie, he must have seen that. â€Å"Tell her†¦ that won't happen.† â€Å"She hears you.† â€Å"How†¦ straightforward is the connection?† â€Å"She hears what I hear, sees what I see.† â€Å"Feels what you feel?† â€Å"Yes.† His nose wrinkled. He touched my face again, softly, a caress. â€Å"You don't know how sorry I am.† My skin felt hotter where he had touched it; it was a good heat, but his words burned hotter than his touch. Of course he was sorrier for hurting her. Of course. That shouldn't bother me. â€Å"C'mon, Jared! Let's go!† We looked up. Kyle was calling to Jared. He seemed utterly at ease, as if he had not been on trial for his life today. Maybe he'd known it would go his way. Maybe he was quick to get over anything. He didn't seem to notice me there beside Jared. I realized, for the first time, that others had. Jamie was watching us with a satisfied smile. This probably looked like a good thing to him. Was it? What do you mean? What does he see when he looks at us? His family, put back together? Isn't it? Sort of? With the one unwelcome addition. But better than it was yesterday. I guess†¦ I know, she admitted. I'm glad Jared knows I'm here†¦ but I still don't like him touching you. And I like it too much. My face tingled where Jared's fingers had brushed it. Sorry about that. I don't blame you. Or, at least, I know I shouldn't. Thanks. Jamie wasn't the only one watching. Jeb was curious, that little smile gathering up the corners of his beard. Sharon and Maggie watched with fire in their eyes. Their expressions were so much the same that the youthful skin and bright hair did nothing to make Sharon look younger than her grizzled mother. Ian was worried. His eyes were tight, and he seemed on the verge of coming to protect me again. To make sure Jared wasn't upsetting me. I smiled, to reassure him. He didn't smile back, but he took a deep breath. I don't think that's why he's worried, Mel said. â€Å"Are you listening to her now?† Jared was on his feet but still watching my face. His question distracted me before I could ask her what she meant. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"What's she saying?† â€Å"We're noticing what the others think of your†¦ change of heart.† I nodded toward Melanie's aunt and cousin. They turned their backs on me in synchronization. â€Å"Tough nuts,† he acknowledged. â€Å"Fine, then,† Kyle boomed, turning his body toward the ball that sat under the brightest spot of light. â€Å"We'll win it without you.† â€Å"I'm coming!† Jared threw one wistful glance at me-at us-and ran to get in on the game. I wasn't the best scorekeeper. It was too dark to see the ball from where I sat. It was too dark even to see the players well when they weren't right under the lights. I began counting from Jamie's reactions. His shout of victory when his team scored, his groan when the other team did. The groans outnumbered the shouts. Everyone played. Maggie was the goalie for Andy's team, and Jeb was the goalie for Lily's. They were both surprisingly good. I could see their silhouettes in the light from the goalpost lamps, moving as lithely as if they were decades younger. Jeb was not afraid to hit the floor to stop a goal, but Maggie was more effective without resorting to such extremes. She was like a magnet for the invisible ball. Every time Ian or Wes got off a shot†¦ thunk! It landed in her hands. Trudy and Paige quit after a half hour or so and passed me on their way out, chattering with excitement. It seemed impossible that we'd started the morning with a trial, but I was relieved that things had changed so drastically. The women weren't gone long. They came back with arms full of boxes. Granola bars-the kind with fruit filling. The game came to a halt. Jeb called halftime, and everyone hurried over to eat breakfast. The goods were divvied up at the center line. It was a mob scene at first. â€Å"Here you go, Wanda,† Jamie said, ducking out of the group. He had his hands full of the bars, and water bottles tucked under his arms. â€Å"Thanks. Having fun?† â€Å"Yeah! Wish you could play.† â€Å"Next time,† I said. â€Å"Here you go†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Ian was there, his hands full of granola bars. â€Å"Beat ya,† Jamie told him. â€Å"Oh,† Jared said, appearing on Jamie's other side. He also had too many bars for one. Ian and Jared exchanged a long glance. â€Å"Where's all the food?† Kyle demanded. He stood over an empty box, his head swiveling around the room, looking for the culprit. â€Å"Catch,† Jared said, tossing granola bars one by one, hard, like knives. Kyle plucked them out of the air with ease, then jogged over to see if Jared was holding out on him. â€Å"Here,† Ian said, shoving half of his haul toward his brother without looking at him. â€Å"Now go.† Kyle ignored him. For the first time today, he looked at me, staring down at me where I sat. His irises were black with the light behind him. I couldn't read his expression. I recoiled, and caught my breath when my ribs protested. Jared and Ian closed ranks in front of me like stage curtains. â€Å"You heard him,† Jared said. â€Å"Can I say something first?† Kyle asked. He peered down through the space between them. They didn't respond. â€Å"I'm not sorry,† Kyle told me. â€Å"I still think it was the right thing to do.† Ian shoved his brother. Kyle reeled back but then stepped forward again. â€Å"Hold on, I'm not done.† â€Å"Yeah, you are,† Jared said. His hands were clenched, the skin over his knuckles white. Everyone had noticed now. The room was hushed, all the fun of the game lost. â€Å"No, I'm not.† Kyle held his hands up, a gesture of surrender, and spoke to me again. â€Å"I don't think I was wrong, but you did save my life. I don't know why, but you did. So I figure, a life for a life. I won't kill you. I'll pay the debt that way.† â€Å"You stupid jackass,† Ian said. â€Å"Who's got the crush on a worm, bro? You gonna call me stupid?† Ian lifted his fists, leaning forward. â€Å"I'll tell you why,† I said, making my voice louder than I wanted to. But it had the effect I was after. Ian and Jared and Kyle turned to stare at me, fight forgotten for the moment. It made me nervous. I cleared my throat. â€Å"I didn't let you fall because†¦ because I'm not like you. I'm not saying that I'm not†¦ like humans. Because there are others here who would do the same. There are kind and good people here. People like your brother, and Jeb, and Doc†¦ I'm saying that I'm not like you personally.† Kyle stared at me for a minute and then chuckled. â€Å"Ouch,† he said, still laughing. He turned away from us then, his message given, and walked back to get some water. â€Å"Life for a life,† he called over his shoulder. I wasn't sure I believed him. Not sure at all. Humans were good liars.