Mango Medley Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Mango Medley - Essay Example According to Mango Medley’s official website, the business operates between 5:00 P.M. to 12:00A.M weekdays and 12:30 P.M to 12 A.M on weekends. However, it is important to note that the restaurant specializes in Asian cuisine and desserts with much attention in mango delights (Mango Medley). The prices of their dishes vary between $4 and $8 for deserts and $10 to $28 for cuisines. It has been successful in bringing in customers who are keen on their products, and who have less time to socialize during the day but can only find time at late night. Mango Medley has established a standard in the restaurant business in Sun set area owing to the quality of products it serves to its customers through its diverse menu items. The main area of concern of the business is to provide Hong Kong style dessert to local customers living in the surrounding neighborhood especially the young Asian customers, and other customers who may be interested in the cuisines and late night deserts. It purposes to turn the Chinese habitual tradition of gathering around late night to partake their desert into their advantage by opening late into the night. This is not the only target going by the decision to include a diverse menu which takes care of other locals living in the area. Sunset area of San Francisco has a population that has kept on swelling with Asian population more than other races. This explains the reasons why the leadership of the area is being steered by Asians, example being the present mayor. The 2013 estimate report on the census shows that Asians comprises over 33% of the Sun set population translating to over 837,442 people in San Francisco area alone (USCB, 2013,Areavibes & J, 2013). This group’s population is reported to be growing faster relative to other races in the area hence the need to focus on their favorite dish. Other groups are also targeted but not majorly. Chinese especially those coming from Hong Kong, Chengdu or Southern China have a

Winston Churchills Role in World War 2 Essay Example for Free

Winston Churchills Role in World War 2 Essay Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, shortly known as Winston Churchill was born on the 30th of November 1874 to parents Lord and Lady Randolph Churchill. He was born into the aristocratic family of the Duke of Marlborough in a bedroom in Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, two months prematurely. Winston is best known for his leadership during World War 2. He is regarded as one of the best war time leaders in the 20th century and served as Prime Minister to the United Kingdom twice, between 1940-45 and 1951-55. Winston Churchill was well known for being a statesman and orator but was also an officer in the British Army, a historian, a writer and an artist. He is the only British Prime Minister to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature and was the first person to be made an Honorary Citizen of the United States. Churchill gained fame as a war correspondent and wrote books about his campaigns. Churchill was important to Britain in World War 2 for many different reasons, mainly because he was just such a good leader and because of the choices he made whilst in power. One of the main reasons was that he gave the British public belief, belief that they would win the war and by making optimistic speeches he inspired them and told them what they needed to hear. But as well as being this inspirational figure he was also quite harsh. He basically harassed the military commanders in the Middle East and North Africa for action and he gave them hell when they did not achieve the results he wanted. Field Marshall Alan Brooke spent most of the war fighting Churchill, although they actually got on really well! It was his job to ensure that none of Churchill’s ideas ‘saw the light of day’ and he tried to shield the military from him. One of the major things that Churchill did, between 1940-41 was gain the support of the United States. This was vital as Britain were essentially alone at resisting the Germans. It wasn’t until then that he actually formed a war strategy. Churchill adopted two goals: to defeat the Germans, and avoid unnecessary carnage. His grand strategy was to weaken Germany by attacking its more vulnerable borders, opening up new fronts in distant sites. He wanted to make new allies like France and Russia to make the Triple Entente while forcing Germany and other central powers to rearrange their military and economic resources to their western defenses. He thought that an action that brought a new ally to the cause could be as important as an action that won a battle. Churchill believed this would allow a coordinated offensive that would overwhelm German defenses and break the stalemate of trench warfare and ultimately, end the war. Attacking the Germans on multiple fronts would weaken the ir most decisive one. On 15th of January 1965, Churchill suffered a severe stroke that left him gravely ill. He died at his London home nine days later, at the age of 90 on the morning of Sunday 24th of January exactly 70 years after his father’s death. His funeral was the largest state funeral in world history up to that point in time, with representatives from 112 nations. Only Ireland did not broadcast the service live on television in Europe, where 350 million people watching including 25 million in Britain. By the command of Queen Elizabeth II, his body lay in state for three days and a state funeral service was held at St Paul’s Cathedral on the 30th of January, 1965.

Software Requirement Specifications Essay -- essays research papers

Software Requirements Specification 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Introduction 1.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Purpose This document is a definition of software requirements to develop an automated night class enrolment system and flexible query database required by St.John’s Central College. This document will present the functional, non-functional, and design constraint requirements for the system to be developed. Use case models and descriptions are included along with class diagrams to help model and specify the functional requirements and specifications of the system. 1.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Scope The software application that this SRS applies to a night class automated enrolment system and flexible query database required by St.John’s Central College. This document is to be used as basis for the analysis and design of the system and test cases for the system that is to be built. 1.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Definitions, Acronyms and Abbreviations DES: Department of Education and Science   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  SRS: Software Requirement Specification 1.4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  References [This subsection should provide a complete list of all documents referenced elsewhere in the SRS. Each document should be identified by title, report number (if applicable), date, and publishing organization. Specify the sources from which the references can be obtained. This information may be provided by reference to an appendix or to another document.] 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Overall Description 2.1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  User characteristics 2.1.1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Student- an individual filling out Enrolment Form with the purpose of becoming a night class student 2.1.2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Administrator- a person closely interacting with the Night class enrolment system 2.1.3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Director Of Adult Education – a person who creates DES returns report at the end of an academic year 2.2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  User environment 2.2.1. The traditional system platform for the database is Apache server. I am using mySQL database and PHP scripting language 2.3. Assumptions and dependencies 2.3.1. It’s assumed that all the office staff of St.John’s Central College will get at least 2 hours training prior to the using of the database 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Specific Re... ... enforcement requirements or other usage restriction requirements that are to be exhibited by the software.] 3.10  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Legal, Copyright, and Other Notices [This section describes any necessary legal disclaimers, warranties, copyright notices, patent notice, wordmark, trademark, or logo compliance issues for the software.] 3.11  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Applicable Standards [This section describes by reference any applicable standard and the specific sections of any such standards which apply to the system being described. For example, this could include legal, quality and regulatory standards, industry standards for usability, interoperability, internationalization, operating system compliance, etc.] 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Supporting Information [The supporting information makes the SRS easier to use. It includes: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Table of contents †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Index †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Appendices These may include use-case storyboards or user-interface prototypes. When appendices are included, the SRS should explicitly state whether or not the appendices are to be considered part of the requirements.]

What Is Demorphin and How Does It Work?

Dermorphin By Kimberly French They are about two to three inches long, bask in the sun by day and track down insects by night. They walk rather than hopping and are native to the dry prairie of Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay. Known scientifically as phyllomedusa sauvagii, the waxy monkey leaf frog or painted belly leaf frog is often kept as a pet and although these frogs have a careful, calm demeanor, they produce a substance called dermorphin, which is a painkiller 40 times the strength of morphine, and has been responsible for a rash of recent positive drug tests in Quarter Horse and lower-level Thoroughbred races.The waxy monkey leaf frog and its secretion have enough notoriety to be mentioned in a Paul Simon song, Senorita With A Necklace of Tears. â€Å"A frog in South America whose venom is the cure for all the suffering mankind must endure,† he sang. â€Å"More powerful than morphine and soothing as the rain. A frog in South American has the antidote for pain . † As mentioned earlier, dermorphin is extremely potent but does not seem to be as addictive as morphine and is classified by Racing Commissioners International as a Class One drug. It has no therapeutic value whatsoever. Craig W.Stevens, a professor of pharmacology at Oklahoma State University who has studied dermorphin, told the New York Times on June 19 the substance makes animals â€Å"hyper. † â€Å"For a racehorse it would be beneficial,† he said. â€Å"The animal wouldn’t feel pain and it would have feelings of excitation and euphoria. † Located in Denver, Colorado, Industrial Laboratories was the first lab to definitively ascertain dermorphin in postrace testing after clients passed along information from racetrack workers that the frog secretion was being used and some materials confiscated on the backstretch were actually demorphin. We identified dermorphin,† Petra Hartmann, director of direct testing services for Industrial Laborat ories told the New York Times. â€Å"We knew it was out there. There is no resting in this business. You are always chasing something trying to determine what’s rumor, what’s real. † In Hartmann’s opinion dermorphin use is not all over the backside. â€Å"The vast majority of horsemen would never subject their horse to this kind of chemical experimentation,† she said. â€Å"This is a tough issue,† Ed Martin, president of Racing Commissioners International told the New York Times. It’s a cat and mouse game. As soon as you call out dermorphin, they will try something else. That is the daily battle that goes on. † To date more than 30 horses from three states, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Louisiana, have tested positive for the drug. On July 31, the Louisiana State Racing Commission will meet and discuss pending dermorphin cases against nine trainers. These include Quarter Horse trainers Alonzo Loya, Gonzalo Gonzales, Alvin Smith, Jr. , Darell Soileau, Steve Garrison and Thoroughbred trainers Keith Charles, Kyi Lormand and Anthony Agilar.Also on the list is prominent Quarter Horse trainer Heath Taylor, who won the 2008 All American Futurity with the sport’s leading money earner Stoli’s Winner. â€Å"This whole thing has really taken us by surprise,† Charles Gardiner III, executive director of the Louisiana Racing Commission told the New York Times. â€Å"It couldn’t have come at a worse time. We’re fighting back federal intervention. We’re under attack and losing our fan base. Fans believe that the sport is dirty, that there is cheating. And here we have an obvious attempt to cheat. I’m sure there are more positives across the country.It’s not unusual that something isn’t being detected. † â€Å"We hear about some pretty exotic stuff,† Dr. Steven Barker, who directs the testing laboratory at Louisiana State  University, told the New Yo rk Times. â€Å"Frog juice — this is exotic. † Barker also told the Times 15 horses had tested positive in Oklahoma. On May 25, eight of the 25 qualifying victors for the Grade I Ruidoso Futurity at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico, tested positive for dermorphin, a third place trial finisher also tested positive for the same drug. Two of the winning horses also tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol.The trainers in question include Carl Draper and Carlos Sedillo, who at this time are in the top 10 Quarter Horse trainers in the U. S. in money won, two-time All American Futurity winner John H. Bassett, and J. Heath Reed, whose family has figured prominently in the sport. Two of the horses conditioned by Draper are co-owned by Lola Willis, wife of the New Mexico Racing Commissioner Ray Willis. Willis has been a Quarter horse owner and breeder for nearly three decades and was a member of the New Mexico Racing Commission’s Medication Committee for four years .None of the cases have been prosecuted and no charges filed as the trainers all requested split sample testing and are waiting on the results. Kentucky joined the short list of states that have begun to test for dermorphin and no traces of the drug were found in the system of any of the participants in this year’s Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks. Five of the Derby horses were tested and four Oaks fillies. The test was recently developed by Rick Sams, director of the HFL Sports Lab in Lexington and comes out shortly after the Bluegrass State became the first in the nation to ban the use of Lasix or Salix on raceday. We have not received any intelligence suggesting it has been or is being used in Kentucky,† Dr. Mary Scollay, the equine medical director for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. â€Å"However, the detection of dermorphin in other racing jurisdictions post-race samples means that Kentucky needs to be testing for it. † On June 19 the Racing Medicatio n and Testing Consortium sent a notice to state racing regulators to be on the seeking out this drug which it called a â€Å"threat to racing integrity† and also explained dermorphin can be produced synthetically. There’s a lot out there and that would be an awful lot of frogs that would have to be squeezed,† Barker told the New York Times. â€Å"There are a lot of unemployed chemists out there. † To date, there have been no positives in Standardbred or higher end Thoroughbred races. â€Å"It’s kind of like the rules and regulations that apply to driving in different states,† Martin said. â€Å"People know they aren’t supposed to drive drunk or speed, but there are always people that don’t follow the rules. Racing is no different. The cheaters always find a way to cheat or come up with some new drug, but they almost always get caught in the end. † 2 3 4 5

Kmart and Sears Merger Essay

Kmart had been established in 1962 by its parent company S. S. Kresge as a discount department store offering the most variety of goods at the lowest prices. Un- like Sears, the company chose not to locate in large shopping malls but to establish its discount stores in highly visible corner locations. During the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s, Kmart prospered. Retail formats in operation Kmart – is a chain of discount stores that are usually free standing or located in a strip malls. Big Kmart – signals a different kind of Kmart. These stores are bigger, brighter and offer big savings, big value, big selection and big convenience. Big Kmart stores are designed to increase store sales by increasing the frequency of customer visits. The format focuses on three distinct businesses – home fashions, children’s apparel and consumables – and features an expanded food area known as the â€Å"Pantry†. Kmart Super Center – is a chain of hypermarkets that carry everything a regular Kmart carries, but also have a full grocery section with meat and poultry, baked goods, a delicatessen, garden produce, and fresh seafood. Most Kmart Super Centers operate 24-hours a day and offer special services. In 1999 Kmart began offering a dial-up internet service called BlueLight, which was eventually spun off as an independent company. BlueLight was initially free and supported by banner ads. BlueLight dropped the free service in February 2001 and was reacquired by Kmart in July 2001. In 2002 United Online, which also owns NetZero and Juno, bought the BlueLight service after Kmart filed for bankruptcy. In August 2006, Bluelight dropped the banners. As of August 2006, the service costs $14. 95 a month and has around 165,000 subscribers. Promotional Pricing model Promotional pricing had always been the forte at Kmart. Offering a lower price temporarily in order to enhance the effectiveness of product sales efforts to cost sensitive consumer. In 1990, Wal-Mart overtook Kmart in sales, they tried to wean the company away from this strategy. Kmart cut process on 38,000 items and promoted the with expensive television commercials, which failed to lure younger shoppers. Then Wal-Mart countered by using its greater efficiency and economies of scale to fight back on pricing. The outcome was 1% drop in Kmart’s sales in December and 8% increase in those of Wal-Mart. Financial Analysis Prior to 2001, company was making continues losses, in order to understand scenario; we first analyze the period from 1995 to 1998. Here, Kmart started making some profit. And the second part from the year 1998 to 2002, where they actually went bankrupts. In 1995, the firm suffered a huge loss of $571 million. This was because of the non-performance of 127 international stores. It was in the same year that COGS as a percentage of sales were too high as 78%. Operating expenses as a percentage was in proportion to that of the industry. However due to the low performance of the international stores, stores outside t United States, Kmart had a bad financial year in 1995. It was the same year that the management decided to do away with the non preforming stores and thereby closed all its international stores and started four new stores in the home market. The list of stores by Kmart during the period can be seen as under: In 1999, COGS was 78% of sales as compared to 72 % of sales in the year 1998. Also, COGS increased drastically compared to increase in sales. Sales in 1999 increased by 6. 26%, however COGS increased by 12. 23%. Thus, there was a major decrease in the grow profit from 27% of sales to 21% of sales. This was the beginning of the downfall of Kmart. From here on, COGS kept on increasing. In 2002 COG reached 85%, thus gross margin reduced from 21% in 1999 to 14% in 2002. During the same time, Kmart’s operational efficiency too decreased and it increased from 18% in the year 1999 to 21% in 2002. Thus, increase in the COGS, lowering of the gross margin and increase in the operational costs, all contributes to the fall of Kmart. Competitors within the industry Its primary competitors were Wal-Mart, Sears, Target, Kohl’s, and J.  C. Penney, with secondary competitors in certain categories. Wal-Mart Wal-Mart followed the lower cost competitive strategy of cost leadership. According to our textbook cost leadership aims at the broad mass market and requires efficient scale facilities, cost reductions, cost and overhead control; avoids marginal customers, cost minimization in R&D, service, sales force and advertising. Therefore Wal-Mart could get following benefits: this strategy provided defense against competitors, provides a barrier to entry for new competitors and generate increased market share. Wal-Mart managed to maintain â€Å"everyday low prices† and achieve highest sales in the industry. It should be noted that Wal-Mart’s 2005 revenues exceeded that of the next ? ve U. S. retailers combined: these are Home Depot, Kroger, Sears Holding Company (which includes Sears and Kmart), Costco, and Target. Wal-Mart’s technological edge is in its logistics, distribution, and inventory control helped it reduce cost and offer customers product cheaper than its competitors. Moreover it could benefit from economies of scale. Wal-Mart also used differentiation focus strategy by creating a product and service unique to customers, according to ReferenceForBusiness. com. It could be argued that this feature is not real and just in the mind of the customer; customers believed they were being offered something special. Wal-Mart achieved this strategy by offering unique warranties and brand images. Wal-Mart customers believed they were being provided with something that they cannot find at any of the store’s competitors. Wall-mart’s value chain worked in following way: Vendors, Wal-Mart’s suppliers delivered products to Wal-Mart’s distribution center or directly to one of the stores. Wal-Mart was able to bargain for the lowest possible price because of the high volume of sales. Therefore, Wal-Mart could pass this savings to its customers. After that once the products were delivered to the distribution center, they were sorted and placed on trucks to be delivered to stores. This allows for less than 48 hour deliveries to stores and increased efficiency on trucks with backhauls. After products were delivered to the stores, they were placed on the appropriate shelf location for customers to view. Store locations were located throughout the U. S. in rural and urban towns. Moreover customers could purchase products at very low prices and have the ability to return any item. These were the key elements of Wal-Mart value chain. Overall Wal-Mart’s competitive advantage over its competitors was efficient supply chain management and lower prices achieved through maintaining low costs. Sears Sears, with the second-highest annual sales, had a strong position in hard goods, such as home appliances and tools. Around 40% of all major home appliance sales continued to be controlled by Sears. Nevertheless, Sears was struggling with slumping sales as customers turned from Sears mall stores to stand-alone, big-box retailers, such as Lowe’s and Home Depot, to buy their hard goods. Sears main competitive disadvantage was its store locations. Sears has been too slow to expand away from mall locations, industry analysts said. As Sears Chairman Alan Lacy said: â€Å"Our service and products are as good as our competitors but they’re not where our customers are. † Target Target was third in sales but second in profits, behind Wal-Mart. It used differentiation strategy and tried to offer customers quality products and had distinguished itself as a merchandiser of stylish upscale products. Targets mission statement focused on great guest service, clean stores and speedy checkouts. Along with Wal-Mart, Target had flourished to such an extent that Dayton-Hudson, its parent company, had changed its corporate name to Target. Its main focus was statically higher income consumers and early internet adopters. Target’s main competitive advantage was good customer service and quality product. This is where it creates value for its customers. Kohl’s, and J. C. Penney Both Kohl’s and J. C. Penney emphasized on soft goods, such as clothing and related items. They both chose differentiation strategy. Kohl’s concentrated on selling both private and exclusive brands which were â€Å"only at Kohl’s† as well as national brands like Nike, Adidas, Lee, Levi’s, Jockey, Van Heusen. Private and exclusive brands contributed a lot more to the gross margin as Kohl’s has significant control over the production, manufacturing and marketing expense of these brands. Keeping this in mind, Kohl’s has shifted its merchandise gradually towards this section of merchandise. In 2004, Kohl’s carried 25% in Private and Exclusive Brands, and this figure rose to 50% in 2011. Moreover it tried to provide â€Å"convenience† promise to customers – an easy and satisfying shopping experience. Kohl’s organized departments by lifestyle, added signage and graphics depicting key trends, and presented merchandise to suggest how customers can create new looks. They also continued to improve inventory management to deliver more new product more often, to differentiate line mixes according to geographic preferences, and to assure a â€Å"shelf never empty† of products the consumer desires. J. C Penney targeted moderate income customs, mainly women who as company executive said that were with, â€Å"too little time, too little money, and two little kids. † Kmart versus Competitors Kmart’s main problem was that it did not have clearly defined competitive strategy. In 2001, Kmart proclaimed a new retailing strategy that included less advertising, fewer advertised specials, and lower daily prices on many items. In short, Kmart tried to challenge Wal-Mart as the everyday low-price leader. Wal-Mart responded to the Kmart challenge with still lower prices. These new initiatives further weakened the ? nancial position of Kmart Corporation. The Kmart assault on the Wal-Mart image as the low-price leader failed, and Kmart was left with huge volumes of unsold merchandise (Turner 2003, 71–72). Kmart forgot to take into consideration that its capacity to lower prices was limited because of its poor supply chain management, often popular products would be out of stock, in some cases stored in trailors outside of the stores. Kmart was not successful in using differentiation competitive strategy either. While Wal-Mart reigned supreme as the low cost leader, Target was perceived as being a â€Å"higher quality† retailer. There was basically nothing left for Kmart. In attempt to pursue differentiation strategy Kmart updated and enlarged the stores, added name brands, however this was not successful either, acquisitions all performed poorly posting minimal net income or losses and distracted management from core business. Kmart’s main competitive disadvantages were problems in value proposition, poor supply chain/inventory management and poor customer service. It needed to choose competitive strategy suitable for it and concentrate on it.

Liberalism And Conservatism Essays - Political Ideologies

Liberalism And Conservatism Essays - Political Ideologies Liberalism And Conservatism Barry Whiteside Professor Whiteclay English 101 6:30 3 October 2000 Liberalism and Conservatism Liberalism and conservatism have been political ideas and thoughts from the very birth of our democracy. Their views and points of the governments role in a democratic society have changed over the years, but the basic ideas and principles have remained the same. There are many different degrees of liberalism and conservatism as almost anyone can be labeled. Some individuals are radical and extreme while others stand on more of a neutral territory, but the debates between the understood ideas of each group have continued throughout the history of the United States. We will take liberalisms Gary Doore and conservatisms Irving Kristol as modern day examples and compare and contrast the political ways of thinking of each individual. Conservatism is comprised of religion, nationalism, and economic growth. Among these, Irving Kristol believes religion is most important (18). Why? Obviously, religion doesnt teach people to do wrong. In fact, as most of us know, religion sternly instills good values and morals in a person at an early age. These ideas are what tell people right from wrong, good from bad. Religion motivates people to succeed in life not in materialistic aspects, but in law abiding, respectful aspects. Respect for God, life and other human beings. So how can this be bad for a society? It cant and thats why conservatives think it is most important in the function of a government (18-19) If America could live up to the religious standard, crime would be nonexistent. Of course, this is impossible, but it is the idea that drives conservative thinkers. Kristol points out that recent liberal attempts to slow down and decrease the crime rate have not worked (20). Additionally with each liberal programs failure, more and more American people discredit and distrust the government. Overall, the common conservative consensus is that religious ideals should replace big business-like government and the spending that comes with it. (20-21) Liberty, rights, justice and equality are ideals liberalists such as Gary Doore view as the most important aspects in the democracy of America (24). They also feel America has recently drawn away from these ideals and is therefore not as democratic as it once was or can be in the future. Doore believes there is especially room for democratization in the workplace (28). In fact, he points out that it is the lack of freedom of expression and the restrictive environment of the workplace that has led to this situation. More ideas and innovations would come from corporations if they would allow more freedom to its employees. Not only would workers benefit, but the company they work for would also. (28) Another cause for the break down of democracy in America stems from the administrations of Ronald Reagan and George Bush (Doore 26). Because of the Cold War era and the insecurities it brought to the American people, the administrations thought it was necessary to tighten down and take control. To do this they called for more powers to the executive branch. As a result, Doore and other liberals began to see more of an authoritarian government take shape, and the term imperial presidency was created. The situations went as far as banning newspapers and magazines from Cuba, North Vietnam, and Albania (27). These limits, as well as the restrictive environment of the workplace are what liberals feel are most responsible for the decay of democracy that has taken place over the past few decades. Both Doore and Kristol bring up interesting arguments, but they go too far. Kristol was quick to point out that liberal programs have not slowed down the crime rate at all, but the recent attempts by Clinton and his liberal programs have done just that, so their numbers claim. And how about the deficit? Also, a large turnaround. Who or what is responsible for that though? Clinton definitely takes credit for more than he deserves. Doore states that the administrations of Reagan and Bush created somewhat of an authoritarian government. It did go too far, but some of the actions they took were necessary to control the insecurities the Cold War brought forth. It also helped in ending that period. When Doore wrote

The eNotes Blog Buried Under Papers 5 Grading SurvivalTips

Buried Under Papers 5 Grading SurvivalTips It’s that time again. Actually, if you are an English teacher, it’s always that time. You feverishly comment on 45 drafts, hand them back to students†¦and receive 50 more. In the meantime, 3rd period’s pop quizzes are getting moldy, six student presentations need to be assessed, your two sections of American Literature need tests corrected, there’s a handful of letters of recommendation that need to be written, and three (or four, or more) classes need to be planned- all by Friday. Sound familiar? I don’t have the answers, but I do have sympathy and a few tips that have helped me weather a storm of essays for a decade and a half. 1. Reward yourself. No, seriously. The school isn’t going to pay you more, so pay yourself. Maybe a piece of chocolate after every five essays? A quick round of Word Crack between stacks of tests? Whatever your currency is, use it. Liberally. When I’m buried (which, as I mentioned, is always), I set a goal. AP Papers: treat or break after every four.   Tests?   These are faster so I hold off until I get through a class set.   That, you might think, could lead to a lot of chocolate consumption. Don’t worry. You’ll burn it off pacing in front of your students. 2. Go somewhere else. Even when I didn’t have three children clambering on me, I was more efficient working away from home. If you are an English teacher, you know that only half your job happens at school. At home, there are temptations and chores: Netflix and laundry, a good novel and vacuuming.   But if you go somewhere else, you are trapped with your work.   I like to combine this tip with Number 1, and head to a coffee shop where I can reward my (perpetual) overtime with a latte. 3. Chip away. Let’s face it.   A stack of 50 research papers is daunting.   It seems to require hours of uninterrupted time.   I’ve found through the years that I can ninja-grade.   Dart in for a sneak attack, knock off one or two, then zip away before you’ve even realized you’re grading.   A paper or two at your kid’s baseball practice, another while you wait for the department meeting to start, yet another in a spare ten minutes before class.   Suddenly, you have four papers done, and you barely even noticed it.   Do this several days in a row, and your stack of papers will shrink like magic. 4. Set a timer. It’s so easy to want to say everything.   My AP students actually read every comment and want desperately to improve.   I could regularly spend 30-45 minutes per paper, but that’s not sustainable.   I’ve found that setting a timer for ten minutes (fifteen for a more complex assignment) has helped me manage my comments and be efficient with my time. *Check out some great online timers here. 5. Know your magic number. Mine is four.   Sometimes five.   This is the number of consecutive papers you can read without spacing out and daydreaming.   After you hit the magic number, you will start spending more time than necessary on each essay as your brain frantically searches for something- anything- else to think about other than student writing.   Grade only the magic number and then switch to another task. 6. Buy better pens. Really.   And change up the colors.   Don’t suffer with ballpoints. Good luck.   Grading papers can be soul-sucking (I have 40 papers to turn around in four days!).   It’s never fast, rarely fun, but it can be managed.   And, unless you teach in a year-round school, there’s always summer†¦ This is a guest post from one of our Educators, Tiffany Joseph. Tiffany  is a current high school English teacher and former college instructor.   She writes, reads, and paints as often as life allows.   If youre interested in contributing to the   blog, go here.

Atheists, Agnostics, and Apostates

Atheists, Agnostics, and Apostates Atheists, Agnostics, and Apostates Atheists, Agnostics, and Apostates By Mark Nichol What’s the difference between an atheist and an agnostic? As with most words, the answer lies in the etymological origins of the words. Atheist stems, through atheism, from the French word athà ©isme, which pertains to a lack of belief in God, or in any deity. (Here, the antonymic a- is linked to theism, which means â€Å"belief in God† or â€Å"belief in gods.†) An agnostic, by contrast, is one who does not know, and perhaps believes it is impossible to know, whether God or gods exist. (Here, the antonymic a- is linked to gnostic, meaning â€Å"one who knows,† ultimately from the Greek term gignÃ… skein, meaning â€Å"to know.†) Agnostic has also developed a nonreligious sense of â€Å"nonspecific† or â€Å"nonaligned,† as when referring to software that operates regardless of which platform of hardware on which it is installed. The central element in atheist is also seen in theology (â€Å"study of religion†) and theocracy (â€Å"rule by religion†) and is the basis of the name Theodore, which means â€Å"god-given,† and the root of agnostic is also seen in gnostic (which refers, when capitalized, to a school of philosophy) and diagnosis and prognosis. A related term is apostate, which denotes someone who renounces a belief; the term can also refer to defection from or abandonment of a political or social group; the origin of the term is the Greek word aphistasthai, which means â€Å"revolt.† (The condition of being an apostate is called apostasy.) Other words pertaining to a lack of belief (or of the â€Å"correct† belief) include gentile, heathen, and pagan. Gentile stems from the Latin root gens, meaning â€Å"nation,† and refers to someone not of the Jewish faith, a non-Mormon, or a nonbeliever in general. (Gentile is cognate with gentle, which literally means â€Å"civilized.†) Heathen, likely ultimately from Gothic, in English came to mean someone living outside of civilization (from heath, meaning â€Å"uncultivated land†) and therefore outside the religion of the civilization, with a connotation of inferiority. Pagan is popularly thought to have derived from the same sense (from the Latin term paganus, meaning â€Å"rustic (person)†), but it probably stems from another meaning of the term, Roman military slang for civilians and clumsy recruits equivalent to the nautical slur landlubber. (An obsolete cognate is paynim, used by Christians during the Crusades in Europe to refer to a follower of Islam.) Then there is infidel, which specifically refers to one who holds religious beliefs different from what is regarded as the true religion (the term, from Latin, means â€Å"unfaithful†- or, more accurately, â€Å"not of the faithful†- and is related to fidelity) and the term giaour, rarely used in English, which is ultimately from Persian by way of French and refers to one who is not Islamic. An idolater, meanwhile, is one who worships idols (or the â€Å"wrong† idols); the word is also used in a secular sense to refer to someone who uncritically reveres a person undeserving of the adulation. (The practice of an idolater is idolatry, and the adjectival form is idolatrous.) Check out our latest YouTube video: Masters Degree or Master’s Degree? Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Computer Terms You Should Know10 Types of TransitionsThe 7 Types of Possessive Case

Sucess and Misery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sucess and Misery - Essay Example These challenges include becoming a success or failure in terms of academic achievements or the ability of a child to become strongly involved in sports activities. (pp. 16 – 17) When a child becomes unsuccessful in either school or sports activities, they tend to develop a self-inferiority complex as they grow old even if they have very supportive parents (p. 16). There are also cases wherein some children may not experience financial problems because their parents are able to financially support his/her material needs. However, not all of these children are able to enjoy a good family life since their parents need to spend more time on career rather than spending time on them. On the contrary, some children can experience having supportive parents but failed to enjoy the benefit of having excessive monetary wealth. The childhood experience of each person has something to do with their ability to balance having a good career and a family life. Normally, children who had experienced having a good childhood and family life are the ones with a greater chance of being able to maintain a successful family life when they get married. Some people are unsuccessful when it comes to balancing a successful career and a good family life. As a result of staying focus on career growth, some people could be experiencing enormous success with his or her professional life but remains empty in terms of being able to maintain a good relationship with a special someone or build a long-term happy family (p. 3). It is not a very bad thing to become successful in business or having a stable profession. However, the consequences of spending too much time on career development is so great that we tend to lose our relationship and attachment with our love ones. As an end result, a married man can have uncontrollable family and relationship problems which may have started from the absence of regular communication and quality time with the wife and children. Eventually, a successful

Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 8

Terrorism - Essay Example In an attempt to understand terrorism and integrate the protection against terrorism in the laws, different governments and agencies have come up with the definition of terrorism to help in designing intervention against the vise. This paper will analyze some of the definitions of terrorism and provide a critique to the definitions in an attempt to ensure the definitions are in conformity with the current socio-economic changes and the dynamics in technological advancements. Even before the 9/11 attack, there had been debates concerning extremism, however, following the 9/11 attack, the aftermath propelled the definition of terrorism into the forefront of the contemporary consciousness. Nevertheless, despite the public spotlight on the actions of terrorists, there has not been a concrete and a universally accepted definition of terrorism, thus the definition of terrorism varies from one state to another and between different law enforcement agencies. In the current world, national security is of paramount importance; hence, the political and the legal systems need to have a universal way of definition of terrorism to help in designing effective counter-terrorism strategies. Due to lack of a universally accepted way of defining terrorism, the international community cannot strengthen their cooperation in the fight against the vise since different definitions results to different priorities in the fight against terrorism (Sandler, 2011). Terrorism can be viewed from three parameters; the cause, the means of attack and the perpetrators. Focusing on a single parameter is not adequate to the definition of terrorism since terrorism is multidimensional, fluid and complex. The diversity in the three parameters used in the definition of terrorism makes it difficult to formulate a universally accepted definition. Some of the reasons why the application of the three parameters has

Healthcare Workers and Patient Expectations of Death Essay

Healthcare Workers and Patient Expectations of Death - Essay Example Focus is on information gathered from a chaplain of the Sisters of Charity Hospice for the elderly and terminally ill. Interview with the Chaplain Fr. R.J. is a 30 year-old Roman Catholic priest, on study leave abroad from his chaplaincy with the Sisters of Charity Hospice for the Aged in Manila, Philippines. He explained that the Hospice was set up in the 1980s, and it provides healthcare services for sick and dying elders. The Sisters of Charity can be traced to the charismatic Mother Teresa of India, who spread her Christian humanitarian mission in peasant countries of the world. Asked about his perceptions of the work of the Sisters of Charity in Manila, Fr. R.J. said they provide medical and humanitarian care to elders who have been abandoned by their poverty-stricken families. As to his knowledge about the expectations of death among the patients, Fr. R.J. stressed his spiritual role in hearing confessions and counselling. He added to say that foremost among the apprehensions o f the elders were their fear of the unknown in passing awayfrom life, feeling of loss and isolation from their family, and the final pain of dying added to the continuing pain caused by terminal ailment.

Alternate Options for Feeding the Animal Herd Assignment

Alternate Options for Feeding the Animal Herd - Assignment Example Flood damage, extreme humidity at harvest time as well as reduced hay yields have left lots of low beef manufacturers having to face shortage of forage for the forthcoming winter. Moreover, the drought in a lot of countries have positioned huge payments on scavenges that are obtainable to purchase. However, this paper consists of how animals should be nourished properly according to their body weight every day. The amount of food provided to them should be used to be based on the quality of the fiber plus the addition of grain to the diet. Additionally, animal's physiological states roughages, by explanation, are feeds that are high in fiber are also discussed in the thesis. This paper consists of various research and techniques to increase hay supplies. Alternate Options for Feeding the Animal Herd When Hay Supplies are Short 2 Chapter 1 1. Introduction Throughout the years of tough climate circumstances, for instance, delayed frosts and reduced yields can consequence in increased hassle for herd owners. Distressing about what they will provide for cows all through the winter or increase production expenses as hay marketplaces are far above the ground. There are quite a few methods that can help in dropping the feed requirements and will be discussed in the paper. Alternate ways, for example, usage of straw, in drought years are also mentioned in the paper to converse how hay supplies might be stretched. Nearly all cattle's in the U.S. are spring calving. As a result, manufacture and nutrient requirements are lowest throughout this time structure with supplies growing all through the late development. However, in late 2005 and throughout the majority of 2006, United States got...Additionally, animal's physiological states roughages, by explanation, are feeds that are high in fiber are also discussed in the thesis. This paper consists of various research and techniques to increase hay supplies. Throughout the years of tough climate circumstances, for instance, delayed frosts and reduced yields can consequence in increased hassle for herd owners. Distressing about what they will provide for cows all through the winter or increase production expenses as hay marketplaces are far above the ground. There are quite a few methods that can help in dropping the feed requirements and will be discussed in the paper. Alternate ways, for example, usage of straw, in drought years are also mentioned in the paper to converse how hay supplies might be stretched. Nearly all cattle's in the U.S. are spring calving. As a result, manufacture and nutrient requirements are lowest throughout this time structure with supplies growing all through the late development. However, in late 2005 and throughout the majority of 2006, United States got familiar with the third concession hay yield in less than a decade.

Application of the Scientific Method Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Application of the Scientific Method - Assignment Example Which is the best detergent to use when cleaning dirty clothes? Many detergents exist all for the purpose of cleaning. Some have the best advertisements and are thus popular; others have the chemicals that clean clothes without much effort, while others have negative effects on the user’s skin when frequently used. Some detergents are also used not only because of the effectiveness in cleaning but because they have fair prices and are cheaply available to many. Liquid detergent cleans clothes faster and more thorough than powder detergent. To prove this hypothesis, both types of detergents have to be used on the same type of cloth containing an equal amount of dirt or stains and under the same environmental conditions in terms of temperature of water used and also the type of the water itself, whether soft or hard. Such conditions ensure that the detergents are tested on fairgrounds and that the results obtained can be reliable when it comes to making conclusions on the best detergent. Testing this hypothesis is important in making comprehensive conclusions. To test the hypothesis, a piece of clothing of a reasonable size, say one square meter, could be dirtied with mud, oil, food spills and colored fluids. These should be evenly distributed on the piece of clothing to ensure that every part gets an equal share of dirt. The clothing could then be cut into two pieces, each of equal size. Water from the same source should be put in two different buckets. The powder detergent could be dissolved in one bucket and the liquid detergent in the other. The two dirty pieces of cloth should be soaked into the two buckets for the same amount of time. The amount of dirt removed from the pieces of cloth by soaking should be compared. The pieces of cloth could then be hand washed in the detergent and the amount of time and effort taken to clean each noted.

Choose a global business and critically analyse the organisational Assignment

Choose a global business and critically analyse the organisational structure adopted by the company since 2008. Investigate the - Assignment Example Be it television or radio or video recorder or walkman. Sony Corporation is headquartered in Tokyo. It is a global player and has extended in many countries serving millions of customers across the globe. It is the leading manufacturer and the marketer of audio, communications, video and information technology for the customers and for the professional market all over the world. They have also diversified in the financial sector by giving financial services like insurance and banking to their customers. It always gave emphasis on the strategy that they are implementing for the success of their business. The success of Sony was possible through an exceptional vision â€Å"To experience the joy of advancing and applying technology for the benefit of the public" (Hill, 2011). Sony saw its success globally due to the influence that it had on the Japanese habits and culture and penetrated the global market by operating in â€Å"the Japanese way†. 2. Sony Corporation In 1946, the J apanese electrical engineers Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita created their company Sony Corporation with only 20 employees in Tokyo. Now in 2013 the number of employees has gone up to 1,68,300. The figure makes it clear that even a small company can have its first product placed successfully in the Japanese market. The sale of electronic goods then heated up the market and thus Sony started to expand its business globally after their success in Japanese market (Hill C., 2010). The two founders in 1953 went for a three months long business tour to Europe and America where they signed agreement with the US companies and European companies and thus they penetrated into the American and European market. Later it has expanded its business to Africa and India. Sony has served both the market with their expanding business units and their products (Sony Corporation, 2013c). 3. Sony going Global Sony expanded globally with the following aim and strategies: a) Visionary Leadership: They expanded internationally with the aim to lead one vision and make a group which is flexible and efficient enough to capture the global market by learning their local customers. b) Organizational process: They wanted to spread the awareness of their products through the Global Information Systems and Communication. They even set the Research and Development Team for their long term survival so that they can develop their products as the market requires. c) Organizational Culture: Sony formed a multicultural organisation and thus it made it easy for the employees to work in such a friendly environment with no pressure for the following a particular culture. They standardized their products uniquely. d) Customized products: They even customized the products according to the customer need and this unique strategy gave them a bigger platform in the bigger market. Example: Sony laptop keyboards contain the currency signs which are different for the different countries. 3.1. Strategies undertaken by Sony Strategies that are taken in the global context are the plan of the company to position their products positively in the markets so that they stay ahead of their competitors. Sony Corporation thus made different strategies for the different markets so that they can position their products to the customers. Their corporate strategy is to lead as the global provider of electronics and entertainment. In 2008 the company came up with new strategies whose main aim was to refresh their

Application of the Scientific Method Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Application of the Scientific Method - Assignment Example Which is the best detergent to use when cleaning dirty clothes? Many detergents exist all for the purpose of cleaning. Some have the best advertisements and are thus popular; others have the chemicals that clean clothes without much effort, while others have negative effects on the user’s skin when frequently used. Some detergents are also used not only because of the effectiveness in cleaning but because they have fair prices and are cheaply available to many. Liquid detergent cleans clothes faster and more thorough than powder detergent. To prove this hypothesis, both types of detergents have to be used on the same type of cloth containing an equal amount of dirt or stains and under the same environmental conditions in terms of temperature of water used and also the type of the water itself, whether soft or hard. Such conditions ensure that the detergents are tested on fairgrounds and that the results obtained can be reliable when it comes to making conclusions on the best detergent. Testing this hypothesis is important in making comprehensive conclusions. To test the hypothesis, a piece of clothing of a reasonable size, say one square meter, could be dirtied with mud, oil, food spills and colored fluids. These should be evenly distributed on the piece of clothing to ensure that every part gets an equal share of dirt. The clothing could then be cut into two pieces, each of equal size. Water from the same source should be put in two different buckets. The powder detergent could be dissolved in one bucket and the liquid detergent in the other. The two dirty pieces of cloth should be soaked into the two buckets for the same amount of time. The amount of dirt removed from the pieces of cloth by soaking should be compared. The pieces of cloth could then be hand washed in the detergent and the amount of time and effort taken to clean each noted.

The Theory of Intelligent Design (ID) Research Paper

The Theory of Intelligent Design (ID) - Research Paper Example Scientists seek to find objects which have the same types of informational properties portraying the work of one creator, the intelligent designer. Intelligent design relies on these scientific methods to detect design in irreducibly complex biological structures by examining the complex and specified information contained in DNA. The theory of Intelligent Design argues that life and everything of nature in the universe was designed by an anonymous intelligent mind (House 17). However, proponents of this theory have been unable to disclose or prove the existence of the purported intelligent mind, leaving the burden of proof to scientists and theologians. According to House (17), evidence that the proponents of ID theory display is derived from their understanding of cosmology and Molecular Biology. As part of the argument, ID theorists used kidney as an example by claiming that the organ was intelligently designed to perform its functions and that it exhibits irreducible complexity. The proponents of the theory further direct their arguments to the bacterium flagellum, which they purport to have been intelligently designed to an extent that any detachment can lead to entire mechanical failure. House (58) demonstrates that the oddly shaped stone discovered by archeologists was an intelligent design that should have been used as a tool for digging. In order to strengthen the ID theory, Behe, a proponent of the theory employed the use of a mousetrap as an example of irreducible complexity, which he proved dysfunctional when any part would be removed. Furthermore, Rael (6) a news editor then a messenger provides a much stable debating ground for the proponents of the ID theory. According to Rael (6), there are some supernatural unique beings believed to have created life on earth. However, every step of creation was a correlative product of science and religion. Rael (7) points out that the creators of the world were capable of communicating to the human beings thr ough telepathy. The designers of life on the earth were scientists who emanated from a far planet with a keen interested in creating a cloned human being (Rael 11). It is claimed that the government of the imagined planet disliked the idea of cloned human beings for fear that the creatures might exhibit superior mental capacities and powers, which can cause troubles to the pre-existing beings (Rael 15). This compelled the scientist to conduct reconnaissance on the earth to establish its viability for human cloning. Rael (11) confirms that at the time of reconnaissance the earth was completely covered with water and dense mist. When on the earth’s atmosphere, the designers investigated the sun’s cosmic rays and realized that they were harmless to life. The scientists then trenched soil from the seabed and pilled to form a dry land. Thereafter, plants and vegetables were created from chemicals and designed to survive particular climatic conditions of different regions (R ael 13). The scientists worked for hand in hand with artists who decorated every creature with various colors. According to Rael (13), the initial creation of fish was in the form of plankton then small fish and finally large fish. Rael (14) exemplifies that the process of creation involved stiff competition from different creation groups, an act that led to the formation of frightful animals and monsters.  

Critque essay Essay Example for Free

Critque essay Essay In the story â€Å"The Operation,† by Pensri Kiengsiri , a story that has a third persons’ point of view. The reader learns that Kamjorn, the father of the kid, don’t have much affection to Danu because Danu is a victim of polio which made Danu a crippled kid. Its conspiracy leads the reader into having a feeling of sympathy for the boy. And the story’s setting, contributes well to the growing sympathy of the readers to Danu, as Kiengsiri’s treatment of timing cause the readers to anticipate a shocking things that’s to unfold. The time at which â€Å"The Operation† is set introduces an element of tension between the parents. Kamjorn informed the readers that when he taught about going to Bangkok he first wanted to see his best friend, rather to go to the hospital which is his main reason of going to Bangkok; it is â€Å"his mind strayed to other days in Bangkok, student days and to the old school mates, he would have a chance to look up. † As the reader already knows that Kamjorn intends to catch up with his old friends, the very mention of â€Å"strayed to other days† evokes the sense of a plan that will certainly make sadness to the boy’s feelings. The added suggestion of â€Å"chance to look up† introduces an atmosphere of uncertainty: that planted to the reader’s mind is the notion that all is not normal and right to the world. The sense of uncertainty to Kamjorn that he will not go to his son and doesn’t show to his son it is a big factor to his son operation. Just as the time in which â€Å"The Operation† is set infuses the story with an atmosphere of sadness, so do the physical surrounding in which the bulk of plot unfolds. â€Å"When Kamjorn reached Bangkok, he went to meet his friend and to actually catch up with them. When his daughter haven’t seen any sign that either one of their parents arrived, she was worried and called to their house and somehow convinced her mother to travel. † Both things added to the reader’s sense that there’s something is not right and that something imminent is about to occur. This atmosphere of imminence increases as their mother went to the train and hasn’t heard anything from her until the operation is almost finished â€Å"an accident on an express train†¦fatalities†Ã‚  that’s the only words Kamjorn’s mind ever digested before he fainted. For it is only in the final conversation of the story. The imminence that happened to Kamjorn’s wife that caused him to faint. It has successfully concealed the true sense of Kamjorn tears last before he fainted. Hence, the manner Kiengsiri described the time and setting of â€Å"The Operation† serves to greatly enhance the effect of this tale upon the reader. In accompanying the story’s characters into a world thet grows steadily more gruesome at every turn, the reader’s feeling of sadness and foreboding increases, the reader is doubly troubled the disturbing revelation made in the story’s final conversation. Kiengsiri’s use of setting and timing in this story mirrors the special effects employed in dramatic movies-effects that have the viewers wiping their tears, totally absorbed in plot and atmosphere. It is good that a 6 page short story can evoke with words the same response that movie makers use millions of dollars, efforts and truckloads of technology to create.

Cluster Analysis in Marketing Research

Cluster Analysis in Marketing Research Q5. Describe cluster analysis with 2 examples related to marketing research? Ans: Cluster Analysis: It is the task of grouping a set of objects in such a way that objects in the same group are more similar to each other than to those in other groups. Example 1: Type of customers choose the restaurant Family, Entertainers, Singles etc Example 2: Type of customers that choose the restaurant based on their food choice. Vegetarian/Non vegetarian Mexican, Indian, South Indian, Fast food etc What are three characteristics of a good quality clustering analysis? Ans: The reason for asking question â€Å"Q: Type of customers that choose the restaurant based on their food choice. (Vegetarian/Non vegetarian)† Collection process of data objects. It helps me to understand the of customer’s food choice. Analysis of similarities between data objects Based on the data we can analyze which type of customers on their food choice â€Å"veg/non veg†. Veg is one group and non-veg is another. Can come up with good implementation of analysis (e.g. problem solving) Answer to the Survey can help us to understand the market demand and we can provide the similar food at the restaurant based on data gathered. Example: Q6. Describe Qualitative and quantitative research methods with one advantage and disadvantage of each. Ans: Qualitative research: The information gathered is non-numerical and might include responses to an open ended survey question, dialogue from a focus group, the answer to an essay question, a term paper, or ideas brainstormed by a group. Qualitative data is not limited to words, however, and could include the contents of an art or design portfolio. Qualitative research uses observation as the data collection method. Observation is the selection and recording of behaviors of people in their environment. Observation is useful for generating in-depth descriptions of organizations or events, for obtaining information that is otherwise inaccessible, and for conducting research when other methods are inadequate. Example: Why you like our restaurant, describe? Advantage of Qualitative research: Respondents are free to answer any way they would like comment/answer. One advantage of the qualitative approach is that contextual information is gathered when the data is collected. In other words, â€Å"why† is automatically answered/provided in the data. Qualitative research is useful on early stage when we are not sure about what to study. Disadvantage of Qualitative research: It is expensive and time consuming. It can take a long time to collect and analyze the data. For Interviews it would take 10+ hours to have hour long interviews with around 10 people and that does not include the time needed to schedule the interviews. Time taken for 1 interview = time taken for interview + time taken to schedule interview + time to analyze data (recordings and notes etc). Quantitative research All of the data collected would be counted or quantified. Example: Someone’s age, income, height or weight would be quantitative data Number of hits on a website The number of correct responses on a driving test The number of minutes per week Car fuel efficiency in KM. Advantage of Quantitative research: It is less expensive and an efficient method for gathering information especially for large groups of people. Online surveys are easy way to collect data from large groups of people. In restaurant we have large database of users through data collection. It is easy and cost effective to send and collect feedback through online surveys. The USA government collects Census information every 10 years. The government doesn’t try to interview everyone in the USA instead they mail out surveys to be completed a very efficient form of data collection. Disadvantage of Quantitative research It generally does not include an explanation of ‘why.’ For example, respondents are asked to â€Å"Rate the quality of staff services at the restaurant† using the following scale: â€Å"Excellent† , â€Å"Good† ,†Fine†, â€Å"Fair† ,or â€Å"Poor.† That question would generate quantitative data because we could count the number of people who selected each of the four response options. But knowing how many people found a quality of staff as â€Å"Excellent† does not provide any insights into why it is excellent. Also respondents are limited to set of options to respond and they may not feel that any of the options best describes their experience. Q7: Qualitative research. a) Depth Interview: Interviewing is a method ofqualitative researchin which the researcher asks open-ended questions orally and records the respondent’s answers. Example: Face to face / telephonic Job Interviews can be depth interviews. Interviewer starts with greeting by asking familiar set of general questions to create comfort level for interviewee/respondent. Q: How are you? Q: Where are you from? Q: Can you please describe yourself? Advantage: Accurate results. Better rapport. More productive asCompared with non-response among focus group members Flexible and continuous Disadvantage: It is costly and time consuming. Less structured. b) Focus Groups: Itis a form ofqualitative researchin which a group of people are asked about their perceptions, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes towards a product, service, concept, advertisement, idea, or packaging. One focus group watches another focus group and discusses the observed interactions and conclusion. Example: It is useful in marketing as important tool to acquiringfeedback regarding product/services. In social science it helps Interviewers to study people in a more natural conversation pattern than typically occurs in a one-to-one interview. Advantage: The face to face involvement of a moderator can ensure things on track. As everybody is under observation, so it is easy to make everybody fully engage even during free time. Disadvantage: Can be Biased [discussion can be dominated by a few people.] Group discussions can be difficult to steer and control. c) Projective Techniques: Originally developed to use in psychology. The use of vague, ambiguous, unstructured stimulus objects or situations in which the subject â€Å"projects† his or her personality, attitude, opinions and self-concept to give the situation some structure. Example: A personality test. Photo language Test. (using pictures). Advantage: Personality test is cost effective. (Only use paper and can be scored by hand or using a machine, can be taken home and returned later) Personality test is Objectivity (questions are mostly true/false) . Disadvantages: à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · Sheer length. Untruth (e.g: With personality test objective, there is always possibility that test taker never tell the truth.) d) Random probability sampling: Example: Advantage: Disadvantage: Q8: Quantitative research. a) Face to Face interview: In person interaction between two or more persons. Face to face interviews are characterised by synchronous communication in time and place. Example: Surveys of product and services. Job Interviews are mostly face to face. Interviewer starts with greeting and then asks familiar set of general questions to create comfort level for interviewee/respondent. [Sample set of questions for survey] Q: hi Mam/Sir, How are you? [Greeting question] Q: Where are you from? [Greeting question] Q: How do you like our restaurant food? [Aimed Question] Advantage: High responsive, there is no significant time delay between question and answerà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’the interviewer and interviewee can directly react on what the other says or does. The answer of the interviewee/respondent is more spontaneous. Interviewer can formulate questions depending upon response from interviewee. Recorded, can be used later if required. Disadvantage: Time Consuming. Expensive. Difficult to locate respondent. b) Telephone interview: Telephonic interviews are characterised by asynchronous communication for place. Example: Surveys Job Interviews. Telephone interviewsare often conducted by employers in the initial interview round of thehiring process. Starts with greeting then main set of questions related to product/service etc. [Sample set of questions for survey] Q: Am I speaking to Ajit? Q: Is it right time to talk? Q: I have few questions about Chawala’s Indian restaurant? Q: How do you like our restaurant staff? Advantage: It is a cost-effective. Saves time. Extendedaccess to participants The telephone interview allows both interviewee/respondent and interviewer to be in a morerelaxed state as compared with face to face. Wide geographical access. It enables researchers to contact populations that might be difficult to work with on an face to face basis for example mothers at home with small children, shift workers, computer addicts and people with disabilities. Disadvantage: Difficult to locate person. Difficult to see the reaction of the interviewee/respondent. No view on the situation in which the interviewee is situated. Disconnection due to technology issues. c) Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing: It is an interviewing technique in which the respondent or interviewer uses a computer to answer the questions. Example: Job interviews. Psychometric tests. [Sample set of questions for survey] Q: What is your age? Q: Male or female? Q: Rate of restaurant staff services? [Rate from 1[lower] to 5[higher]] Advantage: Cost effective and time saving. Respondents are able to fill in the questionnaires themselves Attractinga worldwide audience. Disadvantage: Surveysare only for computer savvy people. (Potential bias to the survey) Quality is missing (a question that should be interpreted in a particular way, but could also be interpreted differently) People don’t know or dislike typing. [Leave subjective questions unanswered] d) Web based Questionnaire: AWeb-based surveyis the collection of data through a self administered electronic set of questions on the Web Example: Many companies use survey monkey to get feedback for their product. Survey monkey is one of the sites which help in creating web based questionnaire. (https://www.surveymonkey.com/) [Sample set of questions for survey] Q: How old are you? Q: Are you male or female? Q: Do you like our restaurant? Advantage: It is cost effective and time saving. Large set of responses can be handled easily. Easy to create/manage (sites are self explanatory, eg: survery monkey). Disadvantage: Resources may not be available to everybody (computer, mobile, internet etc) Not everybody is aware of technology. People don’t know or dislike typing. [Leave subjective questions unanswered] Formulation of questions required lot of time, expertise and knowledge. Q1: How would you apply measurement method to this situation? A variable measured on a nominal scale is a variable that does not really have any evaluative distinction. Example: Would you like to recommend the restaurant to your friends? Yes/No The answer to the question has no evaluative distinction. How would you apply scaling methods to this situation? By using ordinal measurement scaling method to scale the situation. Ordinal: The ordinal scale has the property of both identity and magnitude Example: How would you rate the quality/taste of our food and drinks? (Rate from 1 – 5) 1 (Really Bad) 2 (Poor) 3 (Average) 4 (Good) 5 (Excellent) By asking this question I would be able to know the quality of the food provided at the restaurant. Q3: Primary Scales of measurement that that are used in Statistical analysis Nominal Ordinal Interval Ratio scales Nominal: The nominal scale of measurement only satisfies the identity property of measurement Example: What is your country of citizenship? The Country that someone was born in has no inherent order so it can only be a nominal scale. Ordinal: The ordinal scale has the property of both identity and magnitude. Example: Identify the scale of measurement for the following: Information Technology Company Organisation Titles – (1) CEO, (2) Manager, (3) Project Lead and (4) Team Lead. The scale is ordinal. There is an inherent ordering in that a CEO is higher than a Manager, which is higher than a Project Lead, which is higher than Team Lead. CEO > Manager > Project Lead > Team Lead Designation has Rank orders. Interval: The interval scale of measurement has the properties of identity, magnitude, and equal intervals. Example: Question: Time of the day. The difference between 4 and 5is equal to the difference between 18 and 19. Ratio Scales: The ratio scale of measurement satisfies all four of the properties of measurement: identity, magnitude, equal intervals, and a minimum value of zero. Example: What is Income earned last year? It has equal intervals weekly, biweekly and monthly etc. Salary can be zero. (For unemployed) Q4:Difference between comparative scaling and not comparative scaling techniques in the marketing research. Comparative Scaling: The items are directly compared with each other. Paired comparison: It is sometimes the case that marketing researchers wish to find out which are the most important factors in determining the demand for a product Example: Which restaurant/Food do you prefer? Dominos or Pizza hut Italian pizza or Cheese Pizza By asking this question first I would be able to analyze the choice of user. First the type of restaurant than the type of pizza. By asking this able to analyze the demand of product. Dollar Metric Comparisons This type of scale is an extension of the paired comparison method in that it requires respondents to indicate both their preference and how much they are willing to pay for their preference The Unity-sum-gain technique A common problem with launching new products is one of reaching a decision as to what options, and how many options one offers Example: Rate the mobile products (from 1 to 5): (1 is lower and 5 is higher) Apple Samsung Nokia LG Motorola By this I would be able to know which company is most preferred by the user and at what lever and help us is launching new product. Non Comparative scaling techniques: Each item is scaled independently of the others. Continuous rating scales: The respondents are asked to give a rating by placing a mark at the appropriate position on a continuous line. How would be rate our staff services? 1 (Really Bad) 2 (Poor) 3 (Average) 4 (Good) 5 (Excellent) By asking this question I would be able to understand get the rating on quality from 1 to 5. 1 is lower and 5 is higher. Line marking scale Itemised rating scales : With an itemised scale, respondents are provided with a scale having numbers and/or brief descriptions associated with each category and are asked to select one of the limited number of categories, ordered in terms of scale position, that best describes the product, brand, company or product attribute being studied. Example: How would you rate the price of food items in the menu ? Very Expensive Expensive Very good Good Cheap By asking this question to customer of the restaurant I would be able to analyze the rate of food listed in the menu.

Sherman Alexie Essay -- Biography Biographies Essays

Sherman Alexie The odds were against Sherman Alexie on that day in October 1966. Not only was he born a minority, but he was also hydrocephalic. At the age of 6 months, he had a brain operation, but was not expected to live. Though he pulled through, doctors predicted he would be severely mentally retarded. Fortunately, they were wrong, but he did suffer through seizures and wet his bed throughout his childhood ("What" 1). Rather than being called "Native American," which he feels is a "guilty white liberal term," he prefers to be called Indian. He is a Spokane/Coeur d’Alene Indian, in fact, and grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Wellpinit, Washington. To avoid being picked on by the other reservation kids, he spent most of his time indoors, where he developed a love for reading. But as he grew older, alcoholism, which plagues most reservations, found its way to Alexie, and he suffered this disease for five years until he became sober at 23 ("What" 1). He graduated high school with honors and originally planned to become a doctor until a fainting episode in a Human Anatomy class changed his mind. He attended Gonzaga University on scholarship and graduated in American Studies from Washington State. He then received two consecutive Fellowships in 1991 and 1992, and shortly thereafter wrote six poetry and poem/short story books. Two of these, The Business of Fancy Dancing and The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven, earned him literary awards (What" 1). By 1998, his list of accomplishments grew to include Reservation Blues (1995), which earned him Granta’s Best of Young Novelists, the Before Columbus Foundations Book Award, and the Murray Morgan Prize. Indian Killer (1996), his second novel, was The New Yo... ... reders in and keep them turning pages. He writes so visually that they feel they are actually there with the other characters. But most importantly, his stories make them think, not only about the characters and what is happening to them in the stories, but also about themselves and the world in which they live. His fiction echoes Chinua Achebe’s idea that the strong must listen to the weak. They are stronger in number only, which doesn’t make them right. Those who are outnumbered, the weak so to speak, have something to say. They have a voice that deserves to be heard. Alexie has a powerful voice, and it would do us all good to listen. Works Cited Alexie, Sherman. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. New York: Harper Perennial , 1994. "What it Means to be Sherman Alexie". The Official Sherman Alexie Site. Online. America Online. 8 April 1999.

Killing- the only way to solve problems? Essay

At about two o’clock. The argument between the Montague and the Capulet has once more messed up the whole town. A woman with a baby said: â€Å"It is not safe to walk on the streets with children any more. This is the third time that the two (Montague and Capulet) families have been fighting against each other in open public places. If anything like that happens then it must be those two families. † Sampson who is a servant of the Capulet family, and Abraham who is a servant of the Montague were the main people of these incidents. From a witness’s information, Sampson started the fight. He went up to Abraham and annoyed him by telling him that he is better than him as a servant. Abraham did not care about what he said and walk away. Sampson didn’t get what he wanted, so he kicked the old man who is also a servant of the Montague’s family. Abraham could not stand the rudeness of him. So he asked to draw with that man. As soon as they took out their swords, all the people who are in their families took out their swords as well. They messed up all the markets. It was like a war: Chickens were flying across the streets: vegetables were making to pieces. Women with children were running away trying to protect their children. People were throwing things from the windows†¦ On of the Capulet’s servant said: â€Å"Capulet heard the noises out at the center place. He asked for long sword. And run out to join the ‘war’. When Montague heard about the fight, he wanted to fight as well. Because he knows that it must be the Capulet that they were going to fight with. His wife held him, but that doesn’t do anything. He told his wife to let him go and he went to fight as well as the rest of the family. Why can’t the two families be peace? That is a question that many people have tried to find out. Both families had been against each other since a long time ago. If one does some thing wrong, the other must have some kind of reaction to it. Conflicts and conflicts over and over again. God knows what happens next between the two families. Minutes after the fight started. Some one went up to the bell tower, and ran the bell. Prince Escalus came to the place with his train. As they go pass, all the people were running away from them, because they didn’t want to get arrested by the prince. When the prince arrived at the place where the fight took place, everyone stopped fighting. The prince spoke, and mentioned that the old Capulet and Montague have disturbed the quite of the streets. And if they ever do that again, their lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace. Both Capulet and Montague ended up going back with the prince in the afternoon.

Racial Profiling Essay

Racial profiling is one of the most accurate problems going on in modern society. Racial profiling is caused when there are arrests, frisks, or others based only by the race of the suspect instead of any suspicion of their behavior. Quite a few police officers and people in power feel that racial profiling is a smart choice and continue to do so. Having safety and knowing police officers are arresting criminals is a great thing. However, police officers are only targeting people with dark skin the most. Dan White argues that since Blacks and Hispanics are the two top races shown in arrest statistics and targeting them is a smart business move. Whites assertion that racial profiling is a smart thing to do is unacceptable because some Hispanics and Blacks are being frisked and arrested when they are innocent people, they get judged by their skin color, and police have no right to keep a better watch on these two races than any other race. Racial profiling is wrong because Hispanics and Blacks are getting frisked and arrested when some are innocent and didn’t do anything wrong. According to Ayres, â€Å"†¦They were 42.3% less likely to be found with a weapon after they were frisked† (1). African Americans who have been frisked are less likely to have a weapon. Police officers are doing a poor job by only targeting Blacks because of their skin color. Therefore, police officers are proving that they only frisking innocent people because they have darker skin. Police officers are pulling over Hispanics and Blacks because they are judging them by their skin color. Bob Herbert stated, â€Å"No people of color are safe from this treatment anywhere, regardless of their obedience to the law, their age, they type of care they drive, or their situation in life† (2). People who are dark skinned have no way out of suspicion to police officers no matter if they look wealthy, young, or old. Police would atomically think a Black or Hispanic person will intend to commit a crime instead of a Caucasian person. It’s a shame how this goes on because it’s not right that they have to be judged to be the bad person because they are darker. Racial profiling is violating human rights. Everyone has their basic rights and need to be treated equal, but officers who are racist don’t let that happen. John Kifner mentioned, â€Å"It is so commonplace for Black men to be pulled over in their vehicles that this practice has acquired its own acronym: D.W.B. (Driving While Black)† (2). Black people get pulled over constantly it has its own descriptor as D.W.B. This is ridiculous how it has its own word form. Skin color has become evidence ability to commit crime. Police use this â€Å"evidence† against minority drivers on the road all the time. Police should not be allowed to only keep a good eye out on Hispanics and Blacks. Ayres asserted, â€Å"Stopped Blacks are 76% more likely to be searched, and stopped Latinos are 32% more likely to be searched than stopped whites† (1). African Americans and Latinos are more likely to be searched than white people. Officers are only looking for these two ethnic groups because to them they are officially the â€Å"bad guys†. In their eyes they are the criminals and are asking for trouble. As a result, people with power have proven that they want racial profiling to continue happening. Racial profiling should be unsupportable because these two ethnic groups get frisked and arrested when they are above suspicion, they are getting judged by their skin color, and police shouldn’t only watch them more carefully than any other race. It’s not right for a Black or Hispanic person to get blamed in a serious situation of something they might not been involved with in the first place. Everyone should be treated the same, no one has the right to think lower of a person because they have darker skin. Race and location are the foremost characteristic authorities look at when they are engaging this type of profiling. Police officers need to do their job appropriately and lookout for the people that are actually committing a crime or disobeying a law. Racial profiling has been going on for such a long time and it will always be wrong. People with power could deny the reality of racial profiling but they know that they are being racist and keep on doing it. They could be missing out on genuinely catching a criminal from another race because sadly they have their attention on a Hispanic or Black people.

Twilight 7. NIGHTMARE

7. NIGHTMARE I told Charlie I had a lot of homework to do, and that I didn't want anything to eat. There was a basketball game on that he was excited about, though of course I had no idea what was special about it, so he wasn't aware of anything unusual in my face or tone. Once in my room, I locked the door. I dug through my desk until I found my old headphones, and I plugged them into my little CD player. I picked up a CD that Phil had given to me for Christmas. It was one of his favorite bands, but they used a little too much bass and shrieking for my tastes. I popped it into place and lay down on my bed. I put on the headphones, hit Play, and turned up the volume until it hurt my ears. I closed my eyes, but the light still intruded, so I added a pillow over the top half of my face. I concentrated very carefully on the music, trying to understand the lyrics, to unravel the complicated drum patterns. By the third time I'd listened through the CD, I knew all the words to the choruses, at least. I was surprised to find that I really did like the band after all, once I got past the blaring noise. I'd have to thank Phil again. And it worked. The shattering beats made it impossible for me to think – which was the whole purpose of the exercise. I listened to the CD again and again, until I was singing along with all the songs, until, finally, I fell asleep. I opened my eyes to a familiar place. Aware in some corner of my consciousness that I was dreaming, I recognized the green light of the forest. I could hear the waves crashing against the rocks somewhere nearby. And I knew that if I found the ocean, I'd be able to see the sun. I was trying to follow the sound, but then Jacob Black was there, tugging on my hand, pulling me back toward the blackest part of the forest. â€Å"Jacob? What's wrong?† I asked. His face was frightened as he yanked with all his strength against my resistance; I didn't want to go into the dark. â€Å"Run, Bella, you have to run!† he whispered, terrified. â€Å"This way, Bella!† I recognized Mike's voice calling out of the gloomy heart of the trees, but I couldn't see him. â€Å"Why?† I asked, still pulling against Jacob's grasp, desperate now to find the sun. But Jacob let go of my hand and yelped, suddenly shaking, falling to the dim forest floor. He twitched on the ground as I watched in horror. â€Å"Jacob!† I screamed. But he was gone. In his place was a large red-brown wolf with black eyes. The wolf faced away from me, pointing toward the shore, the hair on the back of his shoulders bristling, low growls issuing from between his exposed fangs. â€Å"Bella, run!† Mike cried out again from behind me. But I didn't turn. I was watching a light coming toward me from the beach. And then Edward stepped out from the trees, his skin faintly glowing, his eyes black and dangerous. He held up one hand and beckoned me to come to him. The wolf growled at my feet. I took a step forward, toward Edward. He smiled then, and his teeth were sharp, pointed. â€Å"Trust me,† he purred. I took another step. The wolf launched himself across the space between me and the vampire, fangs aiming for the jugular. â€Å"No!† I screamed, wrenching upright out of my bed. My sudden movement caused the headphones to pull the CD player off the bedside table, and it clattered to the wooden floor. My light was still on, and I was sitting fully dressed on the bed, with my shoes on. I glanced, disoriented, at the clock on my dresser. It was five-thirty in the morning. I groaned, fell back, and rolled over onto my face, kicking off my boots. I was too uncomfortable to get anywhere near sleep, though. I rolled back over and unbuttoned my jeans, yanking them off awkwardly as I tried to stay horizontal. I could feel the braid in my hair, an uncomfortable ridge along the back of my skull. I turned onto my side and ripped the rubber band out, quickly combing through the plaits with my fingers. I pulled the pillow back over my eyes. It was all no use, of course. My subconscious had dredged up exactly the images I'd been trying so desperately to avoid. I was going to have to face them now. I sat up, and my head spun for a minute as the blood flowed downward. First things first, I thought to myself, happy to put it off as long as possible. I grabbed my bathroom bag. The shower didn't last nearly as long as I hoped it would, though. Even taking the time to blow-dry my hair, I was soon out of things to do in the bathroom. Wrapped in a towel, I crossed back to my room. I couldn't tell if Charlie was still asleep, or if he had already left. I went to look out my window, and the cruiser was gone. Fishing again. I dressed slowly in my most comfy sweats and then made my bed – something I never did. I couldn't put it off any longer. I went to my desk and switched on my old computer. I hated using the Internet here. My modem was sadly outdated, my free service substandard; just dialing up took so long that I decided to go get myself a bowl of cereal while I waited. I ate slowly, chewing each bite with care. When I was done, I washed the bowl and spoon, dried them, and put them away. My feet dragged as I climbed the stairs. I went to my CD player first, picking it up off the floor and placing it precisely in the center of the table. I pulled out the headphones, and put them away in the desk drawer. Then I turned the same CD on, turning it down to the point where it was background noise. With another sigh, I turned to my computer. Naturally, the screen was covered in pop-up ads. I sat in my hard folding chair and began closing all the little windows. Eventually I made it to my favorite search engine. I shot down a few more pop-ups and then typed in one word. Vampire. It took an infuriatingly long time, of course. When the results came up, there was a lot to sift through – everything from movies and TV shows to role-playing games, underground metal, and gothic cosmetic companies. Then I found a promising site – Vampires A-Z. I waited impatiently for it to load, quickly clicking closed each ad that flashed across the screen. Finally the screen was finished – simple white background with black text, academic-looking. Two quotes greeted me on the home page: Throughout the vast shadowy world of ghosts and demons there is no figure so terrible, no figure so dreaded and abhorred, yet dight with such fearful fascination, as the vampire, who is himself neither ghost nor demon, but yet who partakes the dark natures and possesses the mysterious and terrible qualities of both. – Rev. Montague Summers If there is in this world a well-attested account, it is that of the vampires. Nothing is lacking: official reports, affidavits of well-known people, of surgeons, of priests, of magistrates; the judicial proof is most complete. And with all that, who is there who believes in vampires? – Rousseau The rest of the site was an alphabetized listing of all the different myths of vampires held throughout the world. The first I clicked on, the Danag, was a Filipino vampire supposedly responsible for planting taro on the islands long ago. The myth continued that the Danag worked with humans for many years, but the partnership ended one day when a woman cut her finger and a Danag sucked her wound, enjoying the taste so much that it drained her body completely of blood. I read carefully through the descriptions, looking for anything that sounded familiar, let alone plausible. It seemed that most vampire myths centered around beautiful women as demons and children as victims; they also seemed like constructs created to explain away the high mortality rates for young children, and to give men an excuse for infidelity. Many of the stories involved bodiless spirits and warnings against improper burials. There wasn't much that sounded like the movies I'd seen, and only a very few, like the Hebrew Estrie and the Polish Upier, who were even preoccupied with drinking blood. Only three entries really caught my attention: the Romanian Varacolaci, a powerful undead being who could appear as a beautiful, pale-skinned human, the Slovak Nelapsi, a creature so strong and fast it could massacre an entire village in the single hour after midnight, and one other, the Stregoni benefici. About this last there was only one brief sentence. Stregoni benefici: An Italian vampire, said to be on the side of goodness, and a mortal enemy of all evil vampires. It was a relief, that one small entry, the one myth among hundreds that claimed the existence of good vampires. Overall, though, there was little that coincided with Jacob's stories or my own observations. I'd made a little catalogue in my mind as I'd read and carefully compared it with each myth. Speed, strength, beauty, pale skin, eyes that shift color; and then Jacob's criteria: blood drinkers, enemies of the werewolf, cold-skinned, and immortal. There were very few myths that matched even one factor. And then another problem, one that I'd remembered from the small number of scary movies that I'd seen and was backed up by today's reading – vampires couldn't come out in the daytime, the sun would burn them to a cinder. They slept in coffins all day and came out only at night. Aggravated, I snapped off the computer's main power switch, not waiting to shut things down properly. Through my irritation, I felt overwhelming embarrassment. It was all so stupid. I was sitting in my room, researching vampires. What was wrong with me? I decided that most of the blame belonged on the doorstep of the town of Forks – and the entire sodden Olympic Peninsula, for that matter. I had to get out of the house, but there was nowhere I wanted to go that didn't involve a three-day drive. I pulled on my boots anyway, unclear where I was headed, and went downstairs. I shrugged into my raincoat without checking the weather and stomped out the door. It was overcast, but not raining yet. I ignored my truck and started east on foot, angling across Charlie's yard toward the ever-encroaching forest. It didn't take long till I was deep enough for the house and the road to be invisible, for the only sound to be the squish of the damp earth under my feet and the sudden cries of the jays. There was a thin ribbon of a trail that led through the forest here, or I wouldn't risk wandering on my own like this. My sense of direction was hopeless; I could get lost in much less helpful surroundings. The trail wound deeper and deeper into the forest, mostly east as far as I could tell. It snaked around the Sitka spruces and the hemlocks, the yews and the maples. I only vaguely knew the names of the trees around me, and all I knew was due to Charlie pointing them out to me from the cruiser window in earlier days. There were many I didn't know, and others I couldn't be sure about because they were so covered in green parasites. I followed the trail as long as my anger at myself pushed me forward. As that started to ebb, I slowed. A few drops of moisture trickled down from the canopy above me, but I couldn't be certain if it was beginning to rain or if it was simply pools left over from yesterday, held high in the leaves above me, slowly dripping their way back to the earth. A recently fallen tree – I knew it was recent because it wasn't entirely carpeted in moss – rested against the trunk of one of her sisters, creating a sheltered little bench just a few safe feet off the trail. I stepped over the ferns and sat carefully, making sure my jacket was between the damp seat and my clothes wherever they touched, and leaned my hooded head back against the living tree. This was the wrong place to have come. I should have known, but where else was there to go? The forest was deep green and far too much like the scene in last night's dream to allow for peace of mind. Now that there was no longer the sound of my soggy footsteps, the silence was piercing. The birds were quiet, too, the drops increasing in frequency, so it must be raining above. The ferns stood higher than my head, now that I was seated, and I knew someone could walk by on the path, three feet away, and not see me. Here in the trees it was much easier to believe the absurdities that embarrassed me indoors. Nothing had changed in this forest for thousands of years, and all the myths and legends of a hundred different lands seemed much more likely in this green haze than they had in my clear-cut bedroom. I forced myself to focus on the two most vital questions I had to answer, but I did so unwillingly. First, I had to decide if it was possible that what Jacob had said about the Cullens could be true. Immediately my mind responded with a resounding negative. It was silly and morbid to entertain such ridiculous notions. But what, then? I asked myself. There was no rational explanation for how I was alive at this moment. I listed again in my head the things I'd observed myself: the impossible speed and strength, the eye color shifting from black to gold and back again, the inhuman beauty, the pale, frigid skin. And more – small things that registered slowly – how they never seemed to eat, the disturbing grace with which they moved. And the way be sometimes spoke, with unfamiliar cadences and phrases that better fit the style of a turn-of-the-century novel than that of a twenty-first-century classroom. He had skipped class the day we'd done blood typing. He hadn't said no to the beach trip till he heard where we were going. He seemed to know what everyone around him was thinking†¦ except me. He had told me he was the villain, dangerous†¦ Could the Cullens be vampires? Well, they were something. Something outside the possibility of rational justification was taking place in front of my incredulous eyes. Whether it be Jacob's cold ones or my own superhero theory, Edward Cullen was not†¦ human. He was something more. So then – maybe. That would have to be my answer for now. And then the most important question of all. What was I going to do if it was true? If Edward was a vampire – I could hardly make myself think the words – then what should I do? Involving someone else was definitely out. I couldn't even believe myself; anyone I told would have me committed. Only two options seemed practical. The first was to take his advice: to be smart, to avoid him as much as possible. To cancel our plans, to go back to ignoring him as far as I was able. To pretend there was an impenetrably thick glass wall between us in the one class where we were forced together. To tell him to leave me alone – and mean it this time. I was gripped in a sudden agony of despair as I considered that alternative. My mind rejected the pain, quickly skipping on to the next option. I could do nothing different. After all, if he was something†¦ sinister, he'd done nothing to hurt me so far. In fact, I would be a dent in Tyler's fender if he hadn't acted so quickly. So quickly, I argued with myself, that it might have been sheer reflexes. But if it was a reflex to save lives, how bad could he be? I retorted. My head spun around in answerless circles. There was one thing I was sure of, if I was sure of anything. The dark Edward in my dream last night was a reflection only of my fear of the word Jacob had spoken, and not Edward himself. Even so, when I'd screamed out in terror at the werewolf's lunge, it wasn't fear for the wolf that brought the cry of â€Å"no† to my lips. It was fear that he would be harmed – even as he called to me with sharp-edged fangs, I feared for him. And I knew in that I had my answer. I didn't know if there ever was a choice, really. I was already in too deep. Now that I knew – if I knew – I could do nothing about my frightening secret. Because when I thought of him, of his voice, his hypnotic eyes, the magnetic force of his personality, I wanted nothing more than to be with him right now. Even if†¦ but I couldn't think it. Not here, alone in the darkening forest. Not while the rain made it dim as twilight under the canopy and pattered like footsteps across the matted earthen floor. I shivered and rose quickly from my place of concealment, worried that somehow the path would have disappeared with the rain. But it was there, safe and clear, winding its way out of the dripping green maze. I followed it hastily, my hood pulled close around my face, becoming surprised, as I nearly ran through the trees, at how far I had come. I started to wonder if I was heading out at all, or following the path farther into the confines of the forest. Before I could get too panicky, though, I began to glimpse some open spaces through the webbed branches. And then I could hear a car passing on the street, and I was free, Charlie's lawn stretched out in front of me, the house beckoning me, promising warmth and dry socks. It was just noon when I got back inside. I went upstairs and got dressed for the day, jeans and a t-shirt, since I was staying indoors. It didn't take too much effort to concentrate on my task for the day, a paper on Macbeth that was due Wednesday. I settled into outlining a rough draft contentedly, more serene than I'd felt since†¦ well, since Thursday afternoon, if I was being honest. That had always been my way, though. Making decisions was the painful part for me, the part I agonized over. But once the decision was made, I simply followed through – usually with relief that the choice was made. Sometimes the relief was tainted by despair, like my decision to come to Forks. But it was still better than wrestling with the alternatives. This decision was ridiculously easy to live with. Dangerously easy. And so the day was quiet, productive – I finished my paper before eight. Charlie came home with a large catch, and I made a mental note to pick up a book of recipes for fish while I was in Seattle next week. The chills that flashed up my spine whenever I thought of that trip were no different than the ones I'd felt before I'd taken my walk with Jacob Black. They should be different, I thought. I should be afraid – I knew I should be, but I couldn't feel the right kind of fear. I slept dreamlessly that night, exhausted from beginning my day so early, and sleeping so poorly the night before. I woke, for the second time since arriving in Forks, to the bright yellow light of a sunny day. I skipped to the window, stunned to see that there was hardly a cloud in the sky, and those there were just fleecy little white puffs that couldn't possibly be carrying any rain. I opened the window – surprised when it opened silently, without sticking, not having opened it in who knows how many years – and sucked in the relatively dry air. It was nearly warm and hardly windy at all. My blood was electric in my veins. Charlie was finishing breakfast when I came downstairs, and he picked up on my mood immediately. â€Å"Nice day out,† he commented. â€Å"Yes,† I agreed with a grin. He smiled back, his brown eyes crinkling around the edges. When Charlie smiled, it was easier to see why he and my mother had jumped too quickly into an early marriage. Most of the young romantic he'd been in those days had faded before I'd known him, as the curly brown hair – the same color, if not the same texture, as mine – had dwindled, slowly revealing more and more of the shiny skin of his forehead. But when he smiled I could see a little of the man who had run away with Ren? ¦e when she was just two years older than I was now. I ate breakfast cheerily, watching the dust moats stirring in the sunlight that streamed in the back window. Charlie called out a goodbye, and I heard the cruiser pull away from the house. I hesitated on my way out the door, hand on my rain jacket. It would be tempting fate to leave it home. With a sigh, I folded it over my arm and stepped out into the brightest light I'd seen in months. By dint of much elbow grease, I was able to get both windows in the truck almost completely rolled down. I was one of the first ones to school; I hadn't even checked the clock in my hurry to get outside. I parked and headed toward the seldom-used picnic benches on the south side of the cafeteria. The benches were still a little damp, so I sat on my jacket, glad to have a use for it. My homework was done – the product of a slow social life – but there were a few Trig problems I wasn't sure I had right. I took out my book industriously, but halfway through rechecking the first problem I was daydreaming, watching the sunlight play on the red-barked trees. I sketched inattentively along the margins of my homework. After a few minutes, I suddenly realized I'd drawn five pairs of dark eyes staring out of the page at me. I scrubbed them out with the eraser. â€Å"Bella!† I heard someone call, and it sounded like Mike. I looked around to realize that the school had become populated while I'd been sitting there, absentminded. Everyone was in t-shirts, some even in shorts though the temperature couldn't be over sixty. Mike was coming toward me in khaki shorts and a striped Rugby shirt, waving. â€Å"Hey, Mike,† I called, waving back, unable to be halfhearted on a morning like this. He came to sit by me, the tidy spikes of his hair shining golden in the light, his grin stretching across his face. He was so delighted to see me, I couldn't help but feel gratified. â€Å"I never noticed before – your hair has red in it,† he commented, catching between his fingers a strand that was fluttering in the light breeze. â€Å"Only in the sun.† I became just a little uncomfortable as he tucked the lock behind my ear. â€Å"Great day, isn't it?† â€Å"My kind of day,† I agreed. â€Å"What did you do yesterday?† His tone was just a bit too proprietary. â€Å"I mostly worked on my essay.† I didn't add that I was finished with it – no need to sound smug. He hit his forehead with the heel of his hand. â€Å"Oh yeah – that's due Thursday, right?† â€Å"Um, Wednesday, I think.† â€Å"Wednesday?† He frowned. â€Å"That's not good†¦ What are you writing yours on?† â€Å"Whether Shakespeare's treatment of the female characters is misogynistic.† He stared at me like I'd just spoken in pig Latin. â€Å"I guess I'll have to get to work on that tonight,† he said, deflated. â€Å"I was going to ask if you wanted to go out.† â€Å"Oh.† I was taken off guard. Why couldn't I ever have a pleasant conversation with Mike anymore without it getting awkward? â€Å"Well, we could go to dinner or something†¦ and I could work on it later.† He smiled at me hopefully. â€Å"Mike†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I hated being put on the spot. â€Å"I don't think that would be the best idea.† His face fell. â€Å"Why?† he asked, his eyes guarded. My thoughts flickered to Edward, wondering if that's where his thoughts were as well. â€Å"I think†¦ and if you ever repeat what I'm saying right now I will cheerfully beat you to death,† I threatened, â€Å"but I think that would hurt Jessica's feelings.† He was bewildered, obviously not thinking in that direction at all. â€Å"Jessica?† â€Å"Really, Mike, are you blind?† â€Å"Oh,† he exhaled – clearly dazed. I took advantage of that to make my escape. â€Å"It's time for class, and I can't be late again.† I gathered my books up and stuffed them in my bag. We walked in silence to building three, and his expression was distracted. I hoped whatever thoughts he was immersed in were leading him in the right direction. When I saw Jessica in Trig, she was bubbling with enthusiasm. She, Angela, and Lauren were going to Port Angeles tonight to go dress shopping for the dance, and she wanted me to come, too, even though I didn't need one. I was indecisive. It would be nice to get out of town with some girlfriends, but Lauren would be there. And who knew what I could be doing tonight†¦ But that was definitely the wrong path to let my mind wander down. Of course I was happy about the sunlight. But that wasn't completely responsible for the euphoric mood I was in, not even close. So I gave her a maybe, telling her I'd have to talk with Charlie first. She talked of nothing but the dance on the way to Spanish, continuing as if without an interruption when class finally ended, five minutes late, and we were on our way to lunch. I was far too lost in my own frenzy of anticipation to notice much of what she said. I was painfully eager to see not just him but all the Cullens – to compare them with the new suspicions that plagued my mind. As I crossed the threshold of the cafeteria, I felt the first true tingle of fear slither down my spine and settle in my stomach. Would they be able to know what I was thinking? And then a different feeling jolted through me – would Edward be waiting to sit with me again? As was my routine, I glanced first toward the Cullens' table. A shiver of panic trembled in my stomach as I realized it was empty. With dwindling hope, my eyes scoured the rest of the cafeteria, hoping to find him alone, waiting for me. The place was nearly filled – Spanish had made us late – but there was no sign of Edward or any of his family. Desolation hit me with crippling strength. I shambled along behind Jessica, not bothering to pretend to listen anymore. We were late enough that everyone was already at our table. I avoided the empty chair next to Mike in favor of one by Angela. I vaguely noticed that Mike held the chair out politely for Jessica, and that her face lit up in response. Angela asked a few quiet questions about the Macbeth paper, which I answered as naturally as I could while spiraling downward in misery. She, too, invited me to go with them tonight, and I agreed now, grasping at anything to distract myself. I realized I'd been holding on to a last shred of hope when I entered Biology, saw his empty seat, and felt a new wave of disappointment. The rest of the day passed slowly, dismally. In Gym, we had a lecture on the rules of badminton, the next torture they had lined up for me. But at least it meant I got to sit and listen instead of stumbling around on the court. The best part was the coach didn't finish, so I got another day off tomorrow. Never mind that the day after they would arm me with a racket before unleashing me on the rest of the class. I was glad to leave campus, so I would be free to pout and mope before I went out tonight with Jessica and company. But right after I walked in the door of Charlie's house, Jessica called to cancel our plans. I tried to be happy that Mike had asked her out to dinner – I really was relieved that he finally seemed to be catching on – but my enthusiasm sounded false in my own ears. She rescheduled our shopping trip for tomorrow night. Which left me with little in the way of distractions. I had fish marinating for dinner, with a salad and bread left over from the night before, so there was nothing to do there. I spent a focused half hour on homework, but then I was through with that, too. I checked my e-mail, reading the backlog of letters from my mother, getting snippier as they progressed to the present. I sighed and typed a quick response. Mom, Sorry. I've been out. I went to the beach with some friends. And I had to write a paper. My excuses were fairly pathetic, so I gave up on that. It's sunny outside today – I know, I'm shocked, too – so I'm going to go outside and soak up as much vitamin D as I can. I love you, Bella. I decided to kill an hour with non-school-related reading. I had a small collection of books that came with me to Forks, the shabbiest volume being a compilation of the works of Jane Austen. I selected that one and headed to the backyard, grabbing a ragged old quilt from the linen cupboard at the top of the stairs on my way down. Outside in Charlie's small, square yard, I folded the quilt in half and laid it out of the reach of the trees' shadows on the thick lawn that would always be slightly wet, no matter how long the sun shone. I lay on my stomach, crossing my ankles in the air, flipping through the different novels in the book, trying to decide which would occupy my mind the most thoroughly. My favorites were Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. I'd read the first most recently, so I started into Sense and Sensibility, only to remember after I began three that the hero of the story happened to be named Edward. Angrily, I turned to Mansfield Park, but the hero of that piece was named Edmund, and that was just too close. Weren't there any other names available in the late eighteenth century? I snapped the book shut, annoyed, and rolled over onto my back. I pushed my sleeves up as high as they would go, and closed my eyes. I would think of nothing but the warmth on my skin, I told myself severely. The breeze was still light, but it blew tendrils of my hair around my face, and that tickled a bit. I pulled all my hair over my head, letting it fan out on the quilt above me, and focused again on the heat that touched my eyelids, my cheekbones, my nose, my lips, my forearms, my neck, soaked through my light shirt†¦ The next thing I was conscious of was the sound of Charlie's cruiser turning onto the bricks of the driveway. I sat up in surprise, realizing the light was gone, behind the trees, and I had fallen asleep. I looked around, muddled, with the sudden feeling that I wasn't alone. â€Å"Charlie?† I asked. But I could hear his door slamming in front of the house. I jumped up, foolishly edgy, gathering the now-damp quilt and my book. I ran inside to get some oil heating on the stove, realizing that dinner would be late. Charlie was hanging up his gun belt and stepping out of his boots when I came in. â€Å"Sorry, Dad, dinner's not ready yet – I fell asleep outside.† I stifled a yawn. â€Å"Don't worry about it,† he said. â€Å"I wanted to catch the score on the game, anyway.† I watched TV with Charlie after dinner, for something to do. There wasn't anything on I wanted to watch, but he knew I didn't like baseball, so he turned it to some mindless sitcom that neither of us enjoyed. He seemed happy, though, to be doing something together. And it felt good, despite my depression, to make him happy. â€Å"Dad,† I said during a commercial, â€Å"Jessica and Angela are going to look at dresses for the dance tomorrow night in Port Angeles, and they wanted me to help them choose†¦ do you mind if I go with them?† â€Å"Jessica Stanley?† he asked. â€Å"And Angela Weber.† I sighed as I gave him the details. He was confused. â€Å"But you're not going to the dance, right?† â€Å"No, Dad, but I'm helping them find dresses – you know, giving them constructive criticism.† I wouldn't have to explain this to a woman. â€Å"Well, okay.† He seemed to realize that he was out of his depth with the girlie stuff. â€Å"It's a school night, though.† â€Å"We'll leave right after school, so we can get back early. You'll be okay for dinner, right?† â€Å"Bells, I fed myself for seventeen years before you got here,† he reminded me. â€Å"I don't know how you survived,† I muttered, then added more clearly, â€Å"I'll leave some things for cold-cut sandwiches in the fridge, okay? Right on top.† It was sunny again in the morning. I awakened with renewed hope that I grimly tried to suppress. I dressed for the warmer weather in a deep blue V-neck blouse – something I'd worn in the dead of winter in Phoenix. I had planned my arrival at school so that I barely had time to make it to class. With a sinking heart, I circled the full lot looking for a space, while also searching for the silver Volvo that was clearly not there. I parked in the last row and hurried to English, arriving breathless, but subdued, before the final bell. It was the same as yesterday – I just couldn't keep little sprouts of hope from budding in my mind, only to have them squashed painfully as I searched the lunchroom in vain and sat at my empty Biology table. The Port Angeles scheme was back on again for tonight and made all the more attractive by the fact that Lauren had other obligations. I was anxious to get out of town so I could stop glancing over my shoulder, hoping to see him appearing out of the blue the way he always did. I vowed to myself that I would be in a good mood tonight and not ruin Angela's or Jessica's enjoyment in the dress hunting. Maybe I could do a little clothes shopping as well. I refused to think that I might be shopping alone in Seattle this weekend, no longer interested in the earlier arrangement. Surely he wouldn't cancel without at least telling me. After school, Jessica followed me home in her old white Mercury so that I could ditch my books and truck. I brushed through my hair quickly when I was inside, feeling a slight lift of excitement as I contemplated getting out of Forks. I left a note for Charlie on the table, explaining again where to find dinner, switched my scruffy wallet from my school bag to a purse I rarely used, and ran out to join Jessica. We went to Angela's house next, and she was waiting for us. My excitement increased exponentially as we actually drove out of the town limits.