The Role of French Architecture in French Culture - 524 Words

French architectures plays an important role in its culture. The Arena of Nà ®mes is a Gallo-Roman style architecture located in the city of Nà ®mes. It was built around 70 AD and remodeled in 1863 to serve as a bullring. Nowadays, bullfights are banned due to its cruelness. Notre Dame de Paris is a Gothic style Catholic cathedral in Paris. It is widely considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture and among the largest and most well-known church buildings in the world. The Palace of Versailles is a baroque style royal Chà ¢teau. Versailles is famous not only as a building, but as a symbol of the system of absolute monarchy of the Ancien Rà ©gime. The Louvre Palace is a former royal palace located in Paris. The present-day Louvre Palace is a vast complex of wings and pavilions on four main levels which is the result of many phases of building, modification, destruction and restoration. As a result, it has a mixed style of Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Neo-Classicism and modernism. French architectures is the witness of its long history. French paintings is often closely related to history. Liberty Leading the People is a painting by Eugà ¨ne Delacroix. Delacroix shows a smoking battlefield scene. A woman personifying Liberty leads the people forward over the dead bodies, holding the flag of the tricolor flag in one hand and a musket with the other. This painting commemorates the July Revolution of 1830, which toppled King Charles X ofShow MoreRelatedThe Classical Style Of The Ancient Greece And The United States1141 Words   |  5 PagesNeo- Classicism in France and the United States The classical style of the ancient Athens, derived from Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome in the 15th century, has had a universal impact on many cultures during previous time periods. The classical period reflected traditional forms focused on symmetry and elegance; it flourished during the time of the Renaissance through artist such as Michelangelo, Raphael, and Leonardo De Vinci. The artists’ main goal was to attain the absolute beauty in their artRead MoreThe French Revolution And Neo Classical Era1585 Words   |  7 Pageswell as the nobility. Lumià ¨res is the title of our exhibition, which translates to â€Å"Enlightenment† in French, which we found to be most appropriate for this era. This show title would instantly grab the audience’s attention as it effectively communicates the meaning behind the exhibit. 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Location - Most people associate French culture with Paris, which is a center of fashion, cuisine, art and architecture, but life outside of the City of Lights is very different and varies by region. Historically, the French culture was influenced by Celtic and Gallo-Roman cultures as well as the Franks, a Germanic tribe. France was initially defined as the western area of Germany known as Rhineland but it later came to refer to a territory that was knownRead MoreThe Architecture Of Happiness By Alain De Botton1525 Words   |  7 PagesTjibaou Cultural Centre In ‘The architecture of happiness’ by Alain de Botton says, â€Å"If our interest for buildings and objects truly is being defined by how they appear to us and in which way they perform their material existence, it would be praiseworthy to sedulously examine the quaint process, according to which, the structures made from stone, steel, concrete, wood and glass are able to communicate; yet in infrequent occasions they give the impression of talking to us about important and emotiveRead MoreAnalysis Of The Limbourg Brothers Herman, Paul And Jean De Limbourg1576 Words   |  7 PagesBrothers Herman, Paul and Jean de Limbourg were the sons of a wood-craver who unfortunately died when they were 10 years of age. Due to the lost, their mother sent them with his brother called Jean Malouel who was the most important painter for the French and Burgundian Court. While living in France, Herman and John were apprenticed by a goldsmith in Paris. Reluctant to loose touch with their cultural Netherlandish roots, they were going back to Nijmegen to visit their mother but they were capturedRead MoreForeign Trade with China1207 Words   |  5 Pagesof Foreign Factories,† which hangs inside the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. Designed by Chinese artist Sun Qua, the picture depicts not only the emerging assimilation of economies, but also the spread of architecture, technology, and the integration of foreign culture into Chinese life. For centuries, China conducted its foreign affairs through an imperial tributary system, believing that they were culturally superior to their neighboring states. This method of exacting obedience andRead MoreEssay about McDonalds Unhealthy Food Spreading Internationally1710 Words   |  7 Pagessuccessful in the United States, McDonald’s expanded. The company swelled abroad in 1969 with McDonald’s International (Fishwick, 1995). By 2001 there were over 28,700 restaurants in 120 countries (DeBres, 2005). McDonald’s put a lot of effort into architecture at atmosphere of International establishments. Den Fujita opened McDonald’s in Japan. He founded a few main rules which are now used globally. Build in the heart of the city using local builders. Tout the three mainstays: hamburgers, milkshakesRead MoreThe Chapel of Vence: Art and Enlightenment1008 Words   |  5 PagesFrance, is a small, minimalist building. The amalgamation of modern art and the sacred creates a unique spiritual experience in that it welcomes Christians and non-Christians alike to appreciate the artist’s religious symbolism. The elegantly simple architecture of the chapel, the use of light in the space, and the binary of colors on opposite walls have a calming, cleansing, and transformative effect that is undeniable. Matisse’s design takes a new turn into the modern technique, with clean lines andRead MoreEuropean Nations that Were Formed Due to Nationalist Ideas1643 Words   |  7 PagesAlthough the idea of the creation of the nation state began with the advent of the French Revolution but it took more than a century for the ideas of nationalism to become concrete enough to form the independent national state of France. the concept of Nationalism spread throughout Europe and slowly led to the creation of the modern democratic systems that we see around the world today, in the early 20th century. After the French revolution, feudalism and liberalism fell away paving the way for nationalism

Why Do We Have The Minimum Wage - 860 Words

In general, people always think increase minimum wage would help some of people in poverty. Of course, when the poor can earn more money, they will have more money to spent on the their daily expenditure. Is it necessary to increase just several dollars to help the poor? I don’t agree with this piece of so-called benefit policy or law. Why do we have some of people in the poverty? There are so many reasons why people are in bad situation. However, according to textbook, there are two main deficiencies. First of all, people are in struggle in their life because of their inner problems including neither biological or culture problems influences. Another idea summarized by textbook is that social structural problems. Those problems†¦show more content†¦And the more he is worth to employers, the more he will be paid. Real wages come out of production, not out of government decrees.† The problem is that when minimum wages are raised, workers actually don’t produce what they are supposed to. Workers can earn extra money and do not equal to their contribution. Where is the extra money coming from? Neither the companies squeeze their profit or someone else pay for it to make a balance. When companies don’t have enough money to invest and invent new technologies. The cost of products won’ t eventually decrease. The standard of living won’t have essential decrease. In the long run, people’s life won’t improve. Our society stops moving forward. On the other hand, generally in the society, everyone works so hard to earn what he or she should produce. No one has responsibility to take care of those who don’t earn basic life necessaries. No one has to share limited payment to other people. In a word, everyone in the society has the equal right to live and is capable to pursuit what they really want. Like Chris Rock said: â€Å" I used to work at McDonald’s making minimum wages. You know what that means when someone pays minimum wage? You know your boss was trying to say? It’s like, â€Å"Hey if I could pay you less, I would, but it’s against the law.† For the poor, they didn’t earn enough respect by seizing what they are supposed to have. The whole society also should respect every single one no matter where

Implementing Supply Chain Information Systems †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Implementing Supply Chain Information Systems. Answer: Introduction Business process management is aimed at ensuring that there is continuous improvement of the organization through the use of quality systems and processes to manage production. The processes are aimed at providing quality products and services at a lower cost to achieve the long-term goals of production. This provides the procedures and plans that staff is required to follow in ensuring that there is the achievement of set long-term business operation. The external business environment is highly dynamic, requiring plans to provide sustainable business process management. The employees have the insight on which task to perform to achieve the set organizational objectives. Business management requires goal setting in ensuring that the vision of the business is well known by the employees when performing their activities. Employees are required to have an insight on the short term and long term objectives to accomplish the targeted market share. Competitive advantage in an organization makes it possible for an organization to have a sustainable performance in the market. Business Process Modeling as a Critical Success Factor in Implementing an ERP System by Mojca Indihar Stemberger, Vesna Bosilj Vuksic, and Andrej Kovacic indicates the need for an organization having business process management in improving efficiency and productivity. Organizations have been using enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems to improve their productivity to acquire a competitive edge in the market. The system is used by organizations from different industries due to its features to manage the cash flow of an organization properly. The productivity is facilitated by the ERP system as the process is faster in dealing with employees and consumers. The information in the systems is highly reliable in deciding by an organization. An ERP system makes it possible to integrate various functions that are performance of an organization to achieve the set long-term goals of production The Enterprise Resource Planning system has integrated software which makes it possible to analyze critical success factors of an organization before developing a project and propose a framework for implementation of the project (Stemberger et al., 2009). The systems are aimed at ensuring that there is smooth of vital functions such as human resource management, sales, accounting, distribution, marketing, and supply chain in the organization. The potential benefits of the organization are an increased profitability due to efficiency during the production process. Therefore, it is evident from the journal article that business process management is essential in achieving a competitive edge in the set targeted market. Ram, Wu and Tagg 2014 in the article Competitive advantage from ERP projects: Examining the role of key implementation drivers supports that ERP system use in ensuring that there is a competitive edge in the market (Ram et al. 2014). The resources of an organization are properly managed to ensure that there is a production of quality products to the consumers. The ERP makes it possible to increase the information in the organization where the needed data is stored in the system. There is a better understanding of the organization when the organization implements ERP systems in various functions during production. The consumer needs to be required to be identified in ensuring that the organization can offer quality products and services to the consumers. Flexibility and adaptability of the system benefit an organization to handle the dynamic external environment for an increase in the competitive edge in the market. It provides a long time increase in production levels through the value addition of processes in the organization. Proper coordination of processes in the business makes it possible to handle the challenges in the market and work towards the achievement of a competitive edge. An organization is required to perform analysis of critical success factor to ensure that there is a proper implementation of the EPR system. This is where teamwork and the corporation are essential in providing a continuous increase in production from the use of the EPR system. It is essential for the management to develop a proper business model that will improve the sales volume of an organization. After the analysis of the business model, the management is supposed to come up with a decision if there is a need for change. It is important to have cultural and organizational readiness when implementing the ERP system to make it possible for the employee to adapt to the system(Stemberger et al., 2009). The analysis of critical success factors provides the management with the areas which required great focus during production. The organizational culture is the behavior of employee towards a particular decision of the management. The employees are required to have a positive organizat ional culture towards the implementation of the ERP system to ensure that there is a proper integration of the system in various functions of the business. Denolf, Trienekens, Wognum, van der Vorst and Omta (2015) support the need to consider critical success factors in effectively using the ERP system. It is important for a business to integrate various activities to ensure that there is an improved performance from business production. The use of advanced systems makes it possible for an organization to achieve set objectives and handle complex issues in the organization. The ERP system is required to consider the workforce performance and consumers interest in increased productivity from the application of the system in an organization. The ERP system is required to offer required data to the organization at a lower cost to maximize profit (Denolf et al., 2015). Redesign of the systems in an organization requires focusing on the consumer and employee feedback. This makes it possi ble to come up with a decision that will improve the performance of the organization through a continuous advanced of business process management. Identification of the critical success factors provides the required financial information required in coming to a successful budget. The implementation of the ERP system is required to be proper in ensuring that there is value addiction from the use of the system. Cost and revenue required to be properly evaluated by the management before using the ERP System. This makes it possible to forecast the effect of using the system in production where the organization is required to achieve a higher market share by implementing the system. It is important to identify the business needs and ERP system capabilities when coming up with a decision to use the system in the organization (Stemberger et al., 2009). Proper business process management provides an analysis of the cost incurred to integrate the system in production and the expected rate of return from using the system. The ERP systems are highly effective as they are integrated into all departments of an organization, thus reducing multiple uses of software in business process management. The systems used by an organization require meeting the extensive needs of bus iness production for a continuous progress of operation considering the needs of the organization. There is various ERP system to choose from requiring the management to have adequate knowledge about the system to ensure that the implemented is the most effective in increasing the production of the company. The ERP modules provide required information about the system which the management is required to evaluate when implementing the system in the various process of production. The ERP systems are vital in maintaining a stable information system in an organization through integration and dissemination of information (Kilic et al., 2015). An organizational size determines the ERP system to be implemented for the achievement of maximum profits from production. The cost of the system is a vital component that is required to be evaluated by the management when coming up with a proper system. There are different ERP systems suitable for SMEs, Medium business, and MNCs. Therefore the inve stment decision is required to identify the business need in coming up with an effective system to manage the information about the business. ERP systems are essential in re-engineering the performance of an organization through a continuous improvement of production. The use of technology in business processes makes it possible for an organization to achieve set objectives. Technology provides easy and fast techniques to deal with issues facing the organization. Business is required to implement advanced systems to ensure that there is a long survival of the business from the production of products and services. The system is required to provide end to end processing for a stable performance in the long run operations of the business. The business gap is identified by the management in ensuring that the system is properly designed to meet the various needs of the organization through securing of the important data of the business. The business and IT require integrating so that the organization can be able to have a continuous increase in production considering the changes in the technology (Stemberger et al., 2009). The ERP system is highly diversified to ensure that it satisfies the needs of a different business. The internal nod external business processes require evaluation to ensure that there is a successful ERP project in the organization. Ekman, Thilenius, and Windahl (2014) explain the need for considering the portfolio of an organization when coming up with an ERP system project. The system is required to come up with strategies that will improve the consumer and supplier relationship. This makes it possible to increase the performance of the business through a strong relationship between the relevant stakeholders of the organization using the ERP system (Ekman et al., 2014). It is important to engage the suppliers and consumers of the company in ensuring that there is a stable performance of the business using the latest version of ERP system. Supply chain management is improved by the system to improve the effectiveness of the distribution of products to the consumers. The IT experts are required to be involved in the implementation of the ERP system projects. This is where the experts provide the required communication about the system to ensure that the end users have the knowledge to use the systems (Stemberger et al., 2009). This reduces cases of conflicts in an organization as staffs have the knowledge and skills to improve the integration of information business processes. It is essential to have proper communication about the project to ensure that there is a change in organizational culture for a successful implementation of the project. The ERP is made successful when the management and staff work together in ensuring that there is a change in the business processes. The change in the organizational structure requires the human resource management to perform training and development programs that will make the system successful in business production. Communication in each stage of implementing the system provides the required ideas to dea l with unacceptable behaviors in the business through increased coordination of departments. ERP systems increase the sharing and distribution of information in the organization for a smooth flow of business processes. It is important to perform extensive training in ensuring that there is an achievement of business solution through the use of ERP software (Chang, 2016). Proper strategies are required to be formulated by the top management to ensure that the ERP system handles various business problems for an increase in a competitive edge. The ERP provides business solutions through effective communication in the organization which is vital in managing the operation of all departments. An ERP system provides the management with the required information about the business process, making it possible to control operations of the organization for the achievement of set goals. Conclusion From the review, it is clear that ERP systems provide an increase in business process management. This is through proper information systems which make it possible to handle various issues facing the organization. There is an improvement of efficiency and coordination through the use of the system in different departments of the organization. The information in the system assists the management in making decisions that will improve the performance of the business, thus acquiring a competitive edge in the targeted market. The ERP system is cost-effective in business process management as it can be integrated into all departments of an organization. Bibliography Chang, J., 2016. Business process management systems: strategy and implementation. CRC Press. Denolf, J. et al., 2015. Towards a framework of critical success factors for implementing supply chain information systems. Computers in Industry, pp.16-26. Ekman, P., Thilenius, P. Windahl, T., 2014. Extending the ERP system: considering the business relationship portfolio. Business Process Management Journal, pp.480-501. Kilic, H.S., Zaim, S. Delen, D., 2015. Selecting "The Best" ERP system for SMEs using a combination of ANP and PROMETHEE methods. Expert Systems with Applications, pp. 2343-2352. Ram, J., Wu, M.-L. Tagg, R., 2014. Competitive advantage from ERP projects: Examining the role of key implementation drivers. International Journal of Project Management, pp. 663-675. Stemberger, M.I., Vuksic, V.B. Kovacic, A., 2009. Business process modeling as a critical success factor in implementing an ERP system. South East European Journal of Economics and Business, pp.89-96.

Process Management Ikea free essay sample

Furnishing In order to compete in today’s challenging environment, the organization needs well-designed and well-executed work processes and understand of the importance of continuously improving as well as the customer needs and expectations. Economic growth has increased that led to the improvement in the lives of people so that it requires the products and services are given out with the better quality to meet the customer requirements. However, the service quality of the organization does not come from just the quality criteria that it comes up with. It is dependent on the level of satisfying the expectations of the customer and smarter designs and more effective process that lower cost and ultimately raise profits. Thus, like three other departments, furnishing department is also designed with its own characteristics and layout strategies aiming to satisfy the customer needs and strive for excellence in performance. In order to do that, the process management of furnishing department focuses on conformance to customers’ expectations. We will write a custom essay sample on Process Management Ikea or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In fact, customers today are the judge of quality because they are very intelligent to recognize the quality issues of a business. Therefore, understanding and fulfilling the needs and expectations of customers is the key to success for the business. It means that the business needs to identify what the customer expects relating to its products and services. From the understanding of the customer expectations, the business converts them into the requirements. Based on these requirements, the business comes up with the right improvements on its product and services through the right process management that is depicted as follows: Resources Process Customer Product expectations Service Quality = Conformance o expectations Customer expectations According to Evans J. R (2008), most managers agree that the main reason to pursue quality is to satisfy customers. To do that, the organization needs to understand customers. From that, it can anticipate and monitor their needs and expectations and respond sensitively and appropriately to those ever-changing needs and expectations. For customers, a product or a service is c onsidered to have good quality as that product or service meets their requirements and expectations. That is absolutely true in almost all service industry. However, in today’s highly competitive market, satisfying customers’ expectations is not enough to achieve success. To beat the competition, the organization must exceed customer expectations. Understanding the importance of customer-driven quality, furnishing department has determined the customer expectations for its products and services. Based on its target market including middle-income earners of the age 25 – 40, the customers expect furniture that can meet criteria as follows: * well-designed * functional * convenient * especially affordable Well-designed: the first impression of the customer about the product is designed. The eye-catching product is often easy to attract the customer’s attention, especially the customers who are in the age of 25 – 40. For the home-furnishing products, well-designed factor plays the crucial role in their decision-making because furniture in the house is used to evaluate the host’s aesthetic sense and personality. Functional: In modern living, the customer always considers carefully the functional factor of the home-furnishing products that they intend to buy. Convenient: The customers often expect home-furnishing products to have the high convenience. With such high convenience, they can utilize all functions of the products thoroughly. Hence, the products must be designed to foldable, easily movable and suitable for all spaces. Affordable: the furnishing department mainly focuses on the middle-income earners and wishes to create a better everyday life for many people. Therefore, the furnishing department always strives for giving out the high quality home-furnishing products at a low cost Process management Processes that drive the creation of products and services are critical to customer satisfaction and have a large impact on the strategic goals of an organization (Evans J. R. , 2008). Applying the principles of Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in the process management of furnishing department Satisfaction and dissatisfaction information are important because understanding them leads to the right improvements that can create satisfied customers who reward the company with loyalty, repeat business, and positive referrals. Understanding customer needs, both current and future, and keeping pace with changing markets requires effective strategies for listening to and learning from customers, measuring their satisfaction relative to competitors, and building relationships. Customer needs – particularly differences among key customer groups – must be linked closely to an organization’s strategic planning, product design, process improvement, and workforce training activities. Satisfaction and dissatisfaction information are important because understanding them leads to the right improvements that can create satisfied customers who reward the company with loyalty, repeat business, and positive referrals. Creating satisfied customers includes prompt and effective response and solution to their needs and desires as well as building and maintaining good relationships. Customer opinion surveys and focus groups can help companies understand customer requirements and values IKEA have a user-friendly website from which you can view products and prices from shelving to candle sticks. Its customer service section offering a store locator, tips and ideas for organizing and decorating and even a virtual style guide You can also order a color photographic catalogue depicting all the products from the website to flip through at your leisure So you choose your items from the website or catalogue and go and pick them up from the warehouse, in some ountries they even deliver. The warehouse are laid out in a simple functional style with a bit of appropriate quirkiness, like a big clear plastic tank filled with bold solid colored balls for kids to play in Function is subservient to experience and style to the individual Quality is part of our heritage, one of our core values A process is how work creates value for customers Improvements in the work processes may lead to major reductions in scrap and defects and hence to lower costs. This is why an understanding of quality is still vital to every employee in every organization The results achieved by companies that have embraced quality and performance excellence as basis business principles Firms implementing effective quality and performance excellence approaches improve their business results on measures of income, sales growth, cost control, and growth in employment and total assets Customer-driven quality is fundamental to high-performing organizations. Quality excellence derives from well-designed and well-executed work processes and administrative systems that stress prevention. Customer-driven firms measure the factors that drive customer satisfaction. A company close to its customer knows what the customer wants how the customer uses its products and anticipates needs that the customer may not even be able to express.

China And Democracy Essays - Chinese Communists, Marxist Theorists

China And Democracy During the 1980's, China came under the rule of a new man. His name was Deng Xiaoping. China's culture and views on trade were greatly influenced by Deng, yet he failed in establishing a democratic China. Contrary to many people's beliefs, Deng did not create any democracy in China. The event that occurred at Tiennamen Square shows how much that Deng would rather give in to the people of China. June 5th, 1989 is a day that will live in infamy and shame for many Chinese. Many citizens of China gathered in Tiennamen Square to protest communism and promote the acceptance of democracy. The freedom found in democracy was a dream that many Chinese had because they lived in communism for all of their lives. Many of the teachers and students at the rally had actually experienced the wonders of democracy first hand on visits to America. The protestors were determined to get their point across to the government and the Chinese public that did not know that they could live in freedom. Along with a 30 foot statue dubbed the "Goddess of Democracy", the protestors brought along radios that played the speeches of their democratic heroes. The protestors held their meetings at a local Kentucky Fried Chicken. Since the protestors refused to leave the squared, the government sent armed men and tanks to help with the negotiations. Just as 17 tanks lined up to get ready to execute the protestors, a man stepped in front of the line of tanks and refused to move. This courageous man's name was believed to be Wang Weilin. As the tanks tried to move around Wang, he proceeded to step in from of them, stopping their ability to move forward and hurt the other protestors. Wang then did something that shocked everyone, especially the Chinese Government. He jumped up onto the lead tank and peeked inside and said something to the driver of the tank that made the driver stop trying to move ahead. This outraged the Chinese government so much that they had everyone in the square killed. This massacre proved that freedom should definitely not be taken for granted because people give up their lives so that their descendants can live without the worries of communism. Now, in Tiennamen Square, a large statue of Mao Tse Tung stands, and it is a very popular statue, not only because it represents China's most influential leader, it shows that China is so ignorant as to wash away the blood at Tiennamen Square and try to cleanse it with a symbol of China's lack of freedom. A small step towards democracy has taken place in China's lowest government. Village officials are now elected by the citizens of the village. Although the officials are elected, the candidates have to be chosen by the local communist party. This, in many ways, is just a false sense of freedom given by the government. Deng Xiaoping predicted that China's highest form of government would not see free election for at least 50 years. But there is new action being taken by Jaing, China's new leader. Jaing is currently working with the United States to bring China closer to democracy.

The Influence of Teachers Words and Actions

The Influence of Teachers' Words and Actions Teachers can have a huge influence on their students.  This goes much deeper than the lessons they teach. You only have to reflect on your own time in school to realize how positive or negative experiences can stick with you for the rest of your life. Educators need to remember that they hold great power over students in their hands. Words Can Uplift By encouraging a struggling student and explaining how she can be successful, a teacher  can change that student’s career. A perfect example of this happened to my niece. She had moved recently and began attending a new school in ninth grade. She struggled through most of her first semester, earning D’s and F’s. However, she had one teacher who saw that she was smart and just needed some extra help. Amazingly, this teacher spoke to her only once. He explained that the difference between earning an F or a C would require just a bit of extra effort on her part. He promised that if she spent just 15 minutes a day on homework, she would see a huge improvement. Most importantly, he told her that he knew she could do it. The effect was like flicking a switch. She became a straight-A student and to this day loves learning and reading. Words Can Harm By contrast, teachers can make subtle comments intended to be positive but are actually hurtful. For example, one of my best friends in school took  AP classes. She always earned B’s and never stood out in class. However, when she took her AP English test, she scored a 5, the highest possible mark. She also earned 4’s on two other AP exams. When she returned to school after the summer break, one of her teachers saw her in the hall and told her that she was shocked that my friend had earned such a high score. The teacher even told my friend that she had underestimated her. While at first my friend was delighted with the praise, she said that after some reflection, she was annoyed that her teacher didn’t see how hard she had worked or that she excelled in AP English. Years later, my friend now an adult says she still feels hurt when she thinks about the incident. This teacher likely only meant to praise my friend, but this faint praise led to hurt feelings decades after this brief hallway discussion. The Donkey Something as simple as role-playing can bruise a students ego, sometimes for life. For example, one of my students spoke of a former teacher she really liked and admired. Yet, she recalled a lesson he presented that really upset her. The class was discussing the barter system. The teacher gave each student a role: One student was a farmer and the other was the farmer’s wheat. The farmer then traded his wheat to another farmer in exchange for a donkey. My students role was to be the farmer’s donkey. She knew that the teacher simply picked kids at random and assigned them roles. Yet, she said that for years after the lesson, she always felt that the teacher had picked her as a donkey because she was overweight and ugly. Words Stick With Students The example illustrates that a teachers words can really stick with students for their entire lives. I know that I have tried to be more careful with what I tell students each day. I’m not perfect, but I hope that I am more thoughtful and less damaging to my students in the long run.

Integrated Marketing Communication Plan For Prada Essay

Integrated Marketing Communication Plan For Prada - Essay Example Prada’s daughter took over the leadership of the company in 1978 and with the help of Patrizio Bertelli, they transformed the image of Prada. Prada began to design classic handbags and by the 1980’s, the Prada’s designed outstanding fabrics that revolutionised the runway. This enhanced the company’s image in the market and in the 1990s, Prada became a force in the fashion industry (Prada Group, 2012). Prada invested in innovations for her designs throughout the 1990s and experimented with different fabrics to reach more customers. Prada has been expanding the range of products and expanding to different countries across world. Prada runs many boutiques across the globe and has expanded its products to include perfumes and the LG Prada mobile phone. Prada’s shoes and handbags have gained much popularity across the globe. Prada holds regular runway shows as well. One of Prada’s expansion strategies has been taking over other companies such as H elmut Lang, Fendi, Church Shoes and Jil Sander (Prada Group, 2012). Target market An organisation’s target market determines the most appropriates medium of communicating its marketing messages. Segmenting this target market enables an organisation to identify the most profitable category of potential and existing consumers (Smith & Taylor, 2004, p. 37). Each segment of the target market has its own unique consumption patterns and needs. An effective marketing plan integrates these needs and consumptions. Segmenting the target market helps an organisation to allocate its resources efficiently and derive maximum benefits from each segment (Smith & Zook, 2011, p. 229). Prada designs high fashion clothes, handbags and accessories. The company’s designs are displayed in major fashion shows and runways across the globe. Thus, the target market for Prada’s designs includes professionals, business men and women, and celebrities. This target market can afford to buy Pra da’s products. Demographic segmentation Demographic segmentation involves categorising the target market based on the demographic characteristics of consumers such as their social status, age, family size, occupation, level of income, education, nationality, religion and gender among others (Botha, Strydom, & Brink, 2005, p.66). Prada can segment its target market on gender and develop different marketing messages for men and women. Most of its designs are for women and thus, most of Prada’s marketing resources should be geared towards women. Prada’s customers can also be categorised based on their social status. Marketing messages should target individuals with high social status because they can afford Prada’s fashion designs. The company’s marketing communication plan targets customers from all nationalities. This is because the company has stores in different cities and countries and part of the communication will be online. Prada will target i ndividuals between 20-50 years. Psychographic segmentation Psychographic segmentation involves dividing customers based on the lifestyles habits, interests, activities, opinions towards an organisation and its products and daily activities among others (Lamb, Hair, McDaniel, 2008, p. 242). Prada will focus its marketing messages to impulse buyers, celebrities, and successful individuals. These categories of consumers are likely to purchase Prada’s designs for their elegance and social status associated with the designs. Behavioural Segmentation Behavioural segmentation invo

CRM (Customer Relationship Management) for the 21st Century Essay

CRM (Customer Relationship Management) for the 21st Century - Essay Example Because of the availability of the digital delivery channels and the opt-out options available to the customers, there has been a shift in the complexity of the customers and their needs (Alterian, 2009). The customer has to be at the centre of the marketing process. Customers have to be engaged at every step of the life cycle. This is facilitated by the data that is available online and off line. Today the banking services are virtually available to the customers 24x7 and if responses do not happen in real time, there is every chance of losing the customer. As per a report in Business Wire (2008) companies and brands with engaged customers outperformed those with disengaged customers. This has been measured through standard financial metrics of gross margin, earnings per share growth, and return on equity. An outcome of the web2.0 technology, customers can be engaged in different ways. Since web2.0 has no walled gardens, information can flow freely in and our of the web services (James, 2007). Having engaged and loyal customers is important to banks especially during this time when customers are concerned about their financial position (Bielski, 2008). Through customer engagement it would be possible to get the customers attached emotionally to the brand. This can be possible through an interactive website and with added features such as customers’ blog where members exchange views and opinions on products, features and benefits. The web2.0 space has led to the evolution of three distinct areas – user-generated content sites, social media applications and true online communities (Young, 2007). User-generated content is reflection of the expansion of media production through new technologies like digital video, blogging, podcasting, mobile phone photography and wikis. However, for the purpose of a bank, blogging

Classic gangster Essay Example for Free

Classic gangster Essay The portrait of Tom Powers is described in details because this hero of the classic gangster movie occupies an honorary place in a gallery of movie gangsters. He is the type of a ‘tough guy’ in the American sense of this definition. The issue of his toughness is explored in the episode of Putty Nose’s murder, the episode with his girlfriend Kitty and a grapefruit (he smacks it into her face), the scene where Tom shoots the horse that threw and killed his boss, Sam Nails Nathan, in a riding accident. In the end of the film, when his world is ruined – â€Å"[H]is brother hates him, his mother cannot claim him, his best friend, sticking by him, has been murdered, his ‘love’ has proven unattainable† (Shadoian 2003, p. 57) – the hero turns into an avenger. Tom bursts into the headquarters of a rival gang and kills the most of its members revenging for his friend’s death and the takeover of his empire. The same actor, James Cagney, was paired with Humphrey Bogart to play the ‘tough guys’ Eddie Bartlett and George Hally in The Roaring Twenties, the next movie under analysis. In comparison to The Public Enemy, where the accent was put on the factual details of a gangster’s career, The Roaring Twenties commemorated the portrait of the gangster as â€Å"the stuff of legend more than fact† with the â€Å"qualities, partially mourned, [being] emblematic of a period put behind† (Shadoian 2003, p. 31). Raeburn (1988 p. 53) also admitted that â€Å"the gangster hero [was] becoming a poignant reminder of a morally ambiguous but ultimately heroic past† in the present movie. Raeburn (1988, p. 53) gave a very convincing description of the main character’s â€Å"heroic efforts in the 1920s to create a business empire and to acquire a genteel woman who will top off his business success, a la Gatsby†. That the empire crumbles in the 1929 crash and the woman marries the dull district attorney only increase Eddies poignance. His dreams of success were exactly those of generations of American achievers, and if bootlegging is the only avenue for achievement open to him and the woman is bound by her class prejudice to choose the insipid Lloyd over him, then the fault lies not so much in Eddie as in the meretriciousness of a culture which could only provide such impoverished materials to a man of Eddies extraordinary abilities. The film is interesting for its juxtaposition of different asocial characters: Cagney’s hero as â€Å"the dynamic lead† and Bogart’s character as â€Å"the dishonorable villain as social pathology† (Leitch 2002, p. 30): Unlike Cagney, whose appeal was direct, physical, and extroverted, Bogart, who could suggest depths of worldly disillusionment beneath a crooked shell, was the perfect choice to play gangsters designed to explore the ambiguities of nongangster culture: a stifling societys thirst for cathartic violence; the need to blame intractable social problems on outside agents or to project them onto a comfortably remote history; the recognition that the gangsters power, like the western gunslingers, was for better or worse a reminder of a simpler time long past. Unlike these two representatives of the American classic gangster movies – Public Enemy and The Roaring Twenties – The Long Good Friday [Great Britain] portrays the criminal who is anything else but the object of nostalgia. As Guy Richie, director of Lock, Stock Two Smoking Barrels (1998) said to Tom Charity in the interview for Time Out (12-19 August 1998), â€Å"[P]art of what’s good about The Long Good Friday, you really did buy that these guys were villains† (cited Chibnall and Murphy 1999, p. 1). Harold Shand is a modern British tough criminal with his preference of â€Å"blustering and beleaguered patriarchy† (Chibnall and Murphy 1999, p. 2). The outer circumstances challenge his ability to retain power and balance of responsibilities. Shand has nothing in common with Tom Powers (The Public Enemy) or Eddie Bartlett and George Hally (The Roaring Twenties) except for the collapse pattern of the criminal career and the general structure of the criminal system. Like the bootlegger empire in The Roaring Twenties, Shand’s ‘kingdom’ is defended by his relationships with the corrupt members of the law-abiding clan (the local councillor Harris and the police officer Parky). Shand refers to himself as to â€Å"a businessman with a sense of history† (Hill 1999, p. 163). This dubious remark sends the spectator to his background of the ganglord and his future desire to legalise the criminal business. However, political affairs and his colleagues’ treachery prevent Shand from making his great plans come true. As the action evolves, Harold’s enemies are destroyed with cool blooded violence but, annoyingly, â€Å"pour back like an army of ants† (cited Hill 1999, p. 163). The main hero fails to keep the balance of powers and, thus, follows his American counterparts on the path of disillusionment and collapse. However, the British movie depicted the gangster who was not the relict of the bygone epoch but was familiar for the public of the 1980s from both mass-media and everyday life.

Debromination and Bromination of Cholesterol

Debromination and Bromination of Cholesterol Bromination/debromination which is an important organic reaction that aims in purification of crude cholesterol from impurities which include 3-cholestanol, 7-cholesten-3-ol, and 5,7-chlestadien-3-ol was performed in a laboratory scale for two weeks. Due to steric constraints, only cholesterol reacted with bromine and crystallized from the solution making it possible to be separated (Feiser, and Williamson 63). The dibromocholesterol formed is regenerated by reacting with Zinc dust. In addition, three methods were used to evaluate the effectiveness. These were Sodium Iodide test, Silver Nitrate test, and Sulfuric acid test. NaI test showed a positive response as color changed to yellow. The formation of the precipitate also indicated a positive result. The sodium iodide reagent reacted with 1 ° and 2 ° alkyl halides through an SN2 mechanism.  On the other hand, the silver nitrate reagent reacted with 2 ° and 3 ° alkyl halides through an SN1 mechanism.   Negative results w ere observed for both the commercial cholesterol and 1-chlorobutane (Zubrick 38). Conversely, the t-butyl chloride gave a positive result for the AgNO3  test and a negative result for the NaI test. The synthesized cholesterol was 0.29 gram and the theoretical yield was 1.08 gram. This gave a percent yield of 26.9 gram. Although this was a low yield the TLC analysis confirmed a high purity of the synthesized cholesterol. The melting point of the synthesized cholesterol and commercial cholesterol seems to fall in the same range. This confirms the purity of the synthesized cholesterol. TLC analysis was carried out to confirm the purity of the analysis. The distance traveled by commercial cholesterol was 5.5 whereas that travelled by the synthesized cholesterol was 4.6. The absence of other spots on the TLC plate confirms that there were no contaminations present in the sample. Introduction Cholesterol is an important steroidal compound found in both animals and plants. Despite the fact that cholesterol causes diseases, it plays a vital role in life. For example, cholesterol is the main structural component in cell walls and in myelin sheath formation. It is also a major precursor for most steroid hormones. Crude cholesterol is isolated from natural sources and various methods have been used in its purification. Crude cholesterol contains approximately 3-5% contamination. Some of the contaminants are 3-cholestanol, 7-cholesten-3-ol, and 5,7-chlestadien-3-ol shown below. Some common contaminants of commercial cholesterol The main objective of this experiment was to purify commercial cholesterol using organic reaction chemistry, including the use of the electrophilic addition. For complete purification of cholesterol from the above impurities is achieved by a reaction of bromine with cholesterol to generate dibromocholesterol. Because of the steroid ring structure present in these compounds that causes steric constraints, only cholesterol reacts with bromine to form an insoluble diaxial dibromo compound through electrophilic addition. On the other hand, cholestanal does not react with bromine and the other two contaminants are dehydrogenated by bromine leading to formation of soluble dienes and trienes respectively. The dibromo-cholesterol precipitates as a solid leaving the other impurities in the reaction solvent. A purification step such as solvent washing or crystallization is carried out to separate the solid from the impurities. The solid dibrom o-cholesterol is then reacted with zinc in order to regenerate pure cholesterol. Reaction Scheme for the Bromination/Debromination of Cholesterol To test the effectiveness of this reaction three different chemical tests namely sodium iodide in acetone, silver nitrate in ethanol test, and sulfuric acid test, were performed. Each of these tests is selective for a specific functional group. Dibromocholesterol contains both primary and secondary alkyl halides and reacts with a sodium iodide in acetone and silver nitrate in ethanol to form a precipitate or a cloudy solution. In addition, the presence of double bonds in dibromocholesterol in form of alkene makes it possible for the formation of a fluorescent green sulfuric acid layer and a red chloroform layer when reacted with sulfuric acid (Landgrebe 78). Material and Methods 1g of commercial cholesterol was added to a 25 mL Erlenmeyer flask. 7 mL t-butylmethyl ether was measured with a graduated cylinder and added to the flask containing the cholesterol and a magnetic stir bar. A water bath was then set up on the hotplate in the hood. The Erlenmeyer flask contain the reaction solution was inserted into the water bath and clamped as shown below. The heat and the stirrer were turned on and gently heat until all the cholesterol dissolved in t-butylmethyl ether. The flask was removed from the water bath after all the cholesterol was completely dissolved and allowed to cool to room temperature. After the cholesterol solution was cooled, the flask was clamped to the ring on the hot plate as shown in figure 4 and stirred without heating. A burette was then used to dispense 5 mL of bromine solution into the flask. A precipitate solution formed almost immediately. The water bath was replaced with ice and tap water and the reaction solution stirred intermittently with a glass stir rod for ~ 10 minutes to complete the crystallization of the product. About 20 mL of the t-butylmethyl ether acetic acid solution was then dispensed in a clean 50 mL Erlenmeyer flask which was clamped to a ring stand and allowed to cool in the ice bath. A vacuum filtration was done using a Buchner funnel and filter paper. The solid in the filter was washed using ~10 mL of the cooled solution of t-butylmethyl ether acetic acid and then with ~10 ml of methanol. The solid was then allowed to dry with the vacuum on for about 5 minutes. the dibromocholesterol melting point was measured and recorded. The dry solid was weighted and sealed in a vial and stored for next experiment. To debrominate cholesterol, 20 mL of t-butylmethyl ether, 5 mL of acetic acid and 0.2 g of Zn dust were added into the Erlenmeyer flask containing the dibromocholesterol solid. The mixture was swir led for 5-10 minutes in the hood and sonicated in 5 minutes to allow the reaction to go completion. After sonication the solids present were removed by gravity filtration method into a clean 125 mL Erlenmeyer flask. The filtrate was transferred to a 125 mL separatory funnel in which 20 mL of deionized water was added, shaken and allowed to separate into layers. The two layers formed were then separated as water layers and organic (ether) layers. The ether layer was washed with 20 mL of 10% NaOH and then 20 mL of saturated NaCl solution. 100mg of the drying agent magnesium sulfate was added to the organic layer and the solution swirled until dry. The drying agent was removed by gravity filtration using a glass funnel fluted filter paper and a very dry 50 mL Erlenmeyer flask. The flask was placed in a warm water bath and then ice cooled for 10 minutes until all but 5 mL of the ether remained following a precipitate formation from the solution. The remaining solvent was decanted and th e synthesized cholesterol transferred and allowed to dry in the hood for 20 minutes.The dry solid was weighed and the weight recorded. In addition the melting point was also taken and recorded. To evaluate the effectiveness of the bromination reaction three chemical reactions mentioned above were carried out. NaI in acetone test Five test tubes labeled A, B, C, D and E were used for this test.   About 30 mg of the commercial cholesterol starting material was added to tube A; ~30 mg of dibromocholesterol to tube B; ~30 mg of the synthesized cholesterol product to tube C; ~0.3 mL of 1-chlorobutane to tube D; and ~ 0.3 mL of t-butyl chloride to tube E.   In addition, about 3 mL of acetone was added to each tube to completely dissolve all the compounds.   Solutions A-E was used to do the NaI in acetone test as well as the AgNO3 in ethanol test. Tubes A-C did the TLC as well. The NaI in Acetone and AgNO3 in Ethanol tests were performed by setting up a test tube rack containing ten small test tubes. The test tubes were labeled N1 N5 and A1 A5. 1 mL of NaI in acetone reagent was added to test tubes N1 N5, and 1 mL of AgNO3 in ethanol reagent to test tubes A1 A5. This was followed by adding 5-8 drops of A solution to test tube N1 and tube A1, 5-8 drops of solution B to test tube N2 and tube A2, 5-8 drops of solution C to to test tube N3 and tube A3, 5-8 drops of solution C to test tube N4 and tube A4, and 5-8 drops of solution C to test tube N5 and tube A5. The test tubes were heated for a while and all the observations recorded. The sulfuric acid for alkenes test was performed by additional solutions of cholesterol and dibromocholesterol with five dry-cleaned test tubes 1-5. 10 mg of commercial cholesterol was placed in tube 1, ~10mg of the dibromocholesterol to tube 2 ~10 mg of your synthesized cholesterol to tube 3, ~10 mg of 2-chlorobutane to tube 4, and 10 mg of cyclohexene to tube 5.  About 1 mL of chloroform (CHCl3) was added to each tube and vortex to completely dissolve all solids.   In addition, 0.5 mL of H2SO4 was then added to each tube. The observation for this reaction was recorded in the notebook. The TLC analysis of cholesterol and dibromocholesterol was performed by obtaining a silica gel TLC plate and setting it up to run TLC analysis on solutions A-C above. The plate was spotted with each solution and developed by placing the plate using 30% ethyl acetate: 70% hexane as the mobile phase. The developed plates were viewed under UV lamp and in the I2 chamber and observations recorded. Discussion The yield of the synthesized cholesterol was .29 grams (Table 1). The theoretical yield was 1.08 grams. The actual yield was calculated by taking the difference of the weight of the round bottom flask and the synthesized cholesterol by the synthesized cholesterols weight alone. The percent yield was calculated to be 26.9 percent. The synthesize process was not efficient due to the low yield and percent yield of the synthesized cholesterol. The melting point of the synthesized cholesterol and commercial cholesterol seems to fall in the same range. This confirms the purity of the synthesized cholesterol. NaI test showed a positive response as color changed to yellow. The formation of the precipitate also indicated a positive result. The sodium iodide reagent reacted with 1 ° and 2 ° alkyl halides through an SN2 mechanism.  On the other hand, the silver nitrate reagent reacted with 2o and 3 ° alkyl halides through an SN1 mechanism.   Negative results were observed for both the commercial cholesterol and 1-chlorobutane. Conversely, the t-butyl chloride gave a positive result for the AgNO3  test and a negative result for the NaI test. The stationary phase of the TLC test was the silica gel TLC plate and the mobile phase was 30% Ethyl Acetate/70% Hexane (Table 6). The distance traveled by commercial cholesterol was 5.5, and for the synthesized cholesterol was 4.6. The difference in the distance traveled and the R f values of the samples commercial and synthesized cholesterol were pure. Since there were no other spots visible on the TLC plate was a clear indication that there were no contaminations of other chemical compounds present in the sample.

Kesa and Morito

Love or Lust In Akutagawa’s â€Å"Kesa and Morito†, the text suggests notable differences between love and lust. In regards to the underlined symbols of love and lust, the characters identified within the short story may portray the differences between the symbols. Wataru’s character may symbolize the meaning of true love, and will identify the correlation to that of purity and innocence. However, the characteristics of Kesa and Morito may symbolize lust, and the evil and selfishness associated with it. Love may create kind and giving acts, such as the text describes Wataru’s actions toward Kesa.On the other hand, lust may lead to destructive and irrational gestures that are described by Kesa and Morito’s defining actions. According to Morito, Wataru Saemon-no-jo made a valiant effort to win the heart of his wife Mesa. Wataru loves his wife Kesa, and his actions proved such fact. Kesa’s aunt Koromogawa further stated, Wataru â€Å"spared no pain or effort to win Kesa’s heart† (p. 436). He has a reputation of being a prosaic man. With that said, Wataru even took on the burden of learning poetry. Wataru expressed his love for Kesa through the noted examples.The true symbol of love within the text appears to acknowledge Wataru and his efforts to win over Kesa. Wataru has a profound love for his wife. Due to such love, the text implies that Kesa and Morito may have felt sympathetic toward him. In a few circumstances, Kesa and Morito actually consider Wataru’s feeling throughout their encounter. In the beginning of the story, Morito explains how his heart would hurt if he has to kill a man he does not hate. When Morito found out that Wataru and Kesa were married, he burned with jealousy. After the affair with Kesa, Morito mentioned that his jealousy faded away.He actually stated that he has no hatred or spite toward Wataru. In fact, Morito thought kindly of Wataru. One can understand how Morito could bec ome jealous, knowing that the woman of his desire married another. After all, Morito had an association with Kesa three years prior. Without the three year absence, their relationship may have been different. Thus, many reasons can account for Morito to dislike or have hatred toward Wataru. Although the text does not state the exact reason Morito thinks kindly of Wataru, the inference may lead one to suggest.Due to the honorable means Wataru won over the heart of Kesa, Morito could not maintain malice thoughts. Ultimately, Morito acknowledged Wataru’s innocent and pure love for Kesa. Such attribute most likely caused Morito to idolize his character. Lusting after the flesh can be just a mere thought. Once the thought becomes an action, significant ramifications may follow. According to Morito, during the three year separation from Kesa, he dreamed of an intimate encounter with her. He never admits to loving Kesa, therefore an inference may suggest the feeling of superficial d esires.The dream of intimacy can lead one to believe that lust is a factor. As mentioned in the earlier text, Morito once burned with jealousy over the union between Kesa and Wataru. After their affair, the jealousy faded. Such fact may lead one to believe that love could not appear as a factor. Several times after intimacy, Morito questions his own feeling for Kesa. â€Å"But do I really love Kesa†? (p. 437) Morito asks. He thought that he loved her before she married Wataru. After looking into his own heart, he realized several motives may have caused such thought. Morito struggles with the fact that he had not intimately engaged her years prior.Knowing that Morito had never experienced intimacy prior to their absence, his fleshly desire may have been the driving force. His proclaimed love for her may simply unveil nothing more than â€Å"sentimental embellishment of the motive that drove Adam to Eve† (p. 437). The text suggests that within their three year break in association, Morito appeared unsure of his love for Kesa. Morito felt tortured with the fact of not experiencing Kesa’s body. He describes the feeling as regretful. Upon the completion of the Watanabe Bridge, Morito finally connected with Kesa.Morito resorted to all sorts of means to reconnect with the woman of his desires. Once they met, the regrets immediately began to fade. Due to the fact that he broke his virginity, his fleshly desire may have dissipated. As the text progress, Morito describes the diminished beauty of Kesa. He describes his disappointment, because she did not appear how he envisioned her to be. Morito states, that she does not possess the â€Å"statuesque beauty that he had imagined for the past three years† (p. 438). At such time, Morito felt the need to maintain the course and accomplish his past lustful desires.After intercourse, Morito felt an empty feeling. He did not feel an attachment with Kesa. Morito describes how lust dominated him. The unexplainable lust turned into hatred. Like a blink of an eye, Morito despised Mesa. After describing the confusion he felt with the lust and hatred, Morito decided to kill Wataru. As mentioned in the earlier passage, Morito thought kindly of Wataru. However, due to the confusion of lust and hatred, Morito felt no other way to address such iniquities. The gesture of killing Wataru clearly implies an irrational thought process, and could not be explained by Morito.Upon interpreting Kesa’s motive to engage in adultery, it appears that lustful feelings factored in her decision. According to Kesa, she felt ashamed of her actions. She described that she would have to live in shame, and live life like a prostitute. â€Å"In this case I shall carry my regret beyond my grave,† (p. 440) Kesa stated. Uncertain if Morito would kill Wataru, Kesa refers to Morito as selfish. Kesa describes the feeling of hurt, based upon the perception of ugliness within her heart. According to the text, Kesa mentions how she gave her body to a man she did not love.Her lustful behavior appears to summarize her action as a, â€Å"delirious moment† (p. 440). In addition, Kesa refers to Morito as a â€Å"lascivious man who hates and despises me† (p. 440). Although Kesa made it clear that she can not reciprocate her husband’s love, she maintains a deceitful lust for Morito. Kesa made an omission that she had a shameful desire for Morito. Ultimately, Kesa cast blame on Morito for taking her body for, â€Å"his wicked lust† (p. 441). After rationalizing the deadly ending, Kesa ponders about her husband’s feeling, in the event he should find her dead.In the end, her statement was, â€Å"no I won’t think of him† (p. 441). The contrast between love and lust were noted throughout â€Å"Kesa and Morito†. The only person associated with the symbol of love appears pure, genuine, and honorable. Wataru possesses all of those attributes and characteristics. On the other hand, Kesa and Morito were the symbols of lust and fleshly desires. Due to the decision to act upon the lustful desires, the text outlined reactions to such actions. In conclusion, the symbols of lust define the actions of evil and irrational thought processing.

Religious Holidays

Religious Holidays Paper There are various religious holidays that are celebrated worldwide by the many differing religions. Each holiday celebrates a certain prophet, event, or date that is important to their specific belief. Two such religious holidays are the Muslim Eid al-Fitr and the Christian Christmas. Eid-al Fitr is an important Muslim holiday that signifies the end of the month of Ramadan. It is also called The Feast of Breaking Fast, The Sugar Feast and The Sweet Festival. The month of Ramadan is meant to be spent fasting so on Eid al Fitr, Muslims are meant to break this fast.This day also marks the start of the month of Shawwal, which is the time where â€Å"Muslims around the world try to show a common goal of unity† (Eid). This holiday has a specific Islamic prayer called salat that is given in two pieces. Muslims congregate to hear this prayer in a large mosque or gathering hall. They prayer is different depending on which juristic opinion is followed whether it be fard, mustahabb or mandoob. Muslims believe that they are commanded by god to fast until Eid al-Fitr where they give zakat, or a portion of ones wealth as a tax, and fitra, their constitution of being.The holiday of Eid was first started in â€Å"Madinah after the migration of Muhammed from Mecca† (SOS). Muhammed came to the people of Madinah and told them of the two holidays that God has made for them to celebrate. They are an occasion to show gratitude to God and remember him as well as a day of entertainment for Muslims. Some typical food eaten on Eid is Badami Gosht, Badam Phirni, and Nawabi Biryani. These dishes are spicy, and some contain meat while others are all vegetarian. A common saying during Eid is â€Å"Eid Muburak† which means happy Eid.The day starts off with keeping the traditions of the prophet Muhammed. Muslims wake up early, say a pre-sunrise prayer, brush their teeth with a toothbrush, wear their finest clothes, and put on perfume. It is forbid den to fast on Eid so â€Å"Muslims have a feast on this day as well as listen to the Eid prayer in a large group† (SOS). Eid gifts known as Eidi are given on this day to children and relatives. Christmas is an important Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Both Christians and non-Christians all around the world celebrate Christmas on December 25.This day â€Å"marks the beginning of Christmastide, which ends on the 12th day† (Christmas). Christmastide is one of the seasons of the liturgical year of most Christian churches. Christians celebrate Christmas day as the fulfillment of the Messaic Prophecy in the Old Testament. It goes that Jesus was born to the Virgin Mary on December 25 in a manger. The Three Kings that brought â€Å"gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh† visited baby Jesus (Origin). Christians put up special decorations in and around their house.They put up Christmas lights around the borders of their homes as well as various props that light up. Some include snowmen, Santa Clause, or Jesus in the manger. The colors that signify Christmas are red and green. Red represents the blood of Jesus while green represents eternal life. The Christmas tree comes from pagan rituals surrounding the winter solstice involving evergreens. It is now incorporated in the holiday of Christmas. The idea of Santa Clause comes from the man Saint Nicholas. He would check the behavior of children and decide whether they deserved gifts or not.Nicholas would secretly put gifts such as coins in people’s shoes. This began the idea of gift giving on Christmas day. A traditional Christmas meal is had on this day with various dishes including ones specific to Christmas. These include mince pies, fruitcakes, and Christmas pudding. Both Christmas and Eid al-Fitr share some similar qualities. Both can be called many different names. For example Christmas can be called Xmas and Eid can be called The Sugar Feast. T hey both are religious holidays that have been started because of a great prophet or messiah.Both holidays have â€Å"historical significance that relates back to either Muhammed or Jesus† (What). These holidays share the basic principle of happiness and cheer, as well as giving. Feasts along with foods that are specific to the holiday are important parts of both Christmas and Eid al-Fitr. Gifts are given in Christmas and Eid as a sign of good fortune a care. While there are similarities between the two holidays, there are also many differences. Eid marks the end of one month and the start of another in contrast with Christmas, which is only significant to one day.Christmas involves decorating your house while Eid does not. Eid also does not have a figure that is tied to gift giving like Christmas does. A major difference between Christmas and Eid is that â€Å"many non-Christians celebrate the holiday of Christmas† (What). Only Muslims celebrate Eid however and it is not as widely accepted by non-Muslims. The religious holidays of Eid al-Fitr and Christmas are both important days to two different religions. These days share some of the same characteristics while also differing in various aspects that make them unique and important to those that celebrate them.

Imperal Presidentsy essays

Imperal Presidentsy essays War, or even the threat of it, has always seemed to give the president more power. In times of war Americans often readily give more power to the president, but once the crisis is over the public then becomes concerned with whether they have created an office that has become imperial. The office of the president has become increasingly more powerful over the last 50-60 years. Even though the power to declare war and send US troops into war belonged to Congress there have many presidents who have chosen to disregard that point and enter our country into war. Recent history has shown that there have been several occasions when the president has taken upon himself to deploy troops or order attacks, without even as much as consulting Congress. One president was able to trick the Congress into entering into war, and still others have informed Congress after the In 1950, President Harry Truman dispatched troops to South Korea after it had been invaded by Communist North Korea, without a declaration of war from Congress. Facing re-election in 1964, President Lyndon Johnson, wanting to be seen as taking a hard stance on Communism entered a war he never really supported in the first place. In recently released, secretly recorded tapes, Johnson dicussing Viet Nam is heard telling his national security adviser, McGeorge Bundy, It looks to me like were getting into another Korea, I dont see what we can ever hope to get out of there with once were committed....I dont think its worth fighting for and I dont think we can get out, and its just the biggest damn mess. (Scheer) But within three months of his statement, Johnson entered the US into the Viet Nam War. Johnson was able to enter the US into the Viet Nam War by withholding information form Congress. American ships had reported a possible attack by the North Vietnamese. That report tur...

Fagins clothes Essays

Fagins clothes Essays Fagins clothes Paper Fagins clothes Paper Dickens also describes Fagins clothes, what Fagin wears appears to make him look very poor. He was dressed in a greasy flannel gown, with his throat bare. This is meant to make the reader know that Fagin or the Jew is poor and doesnt dress particularly well, because at the time it was considered polite for men to have a covered throat.  Fagin later greets Oliver by saying: We are very glad to see you, Oliver, very. He talks to Oliver in almost a sarcastic tongue, because the Jew is not really pleased to see Oliver, he is only pleased to see Oliver because Oliver could become another pickpocket and ultimately make some money and a living. By doing this Fagin is exploiting Olivers young mind, Oliver wont understand that the Jew is being sarcastic, Oliver will just think the Jew is being nice. This gives the impression that Fagin is a very sneaky character. Fagin then sees that Oliver is looking at his handkerchiefs and is very quick to defend himself on the origins of the handkerchiefs. Ah youre staring at my pocket handkerchiefs! Eh my dear! There are a good many of them aint there? Weve just hung them out; ready for the wash; thats all, Oliver thats all ha! Ha! Ha! Again the way that Dickens wants the sentence to be interpreted is sarcastic, the way that Fagin says that the handkerchiefs are his own is obviously incorrect which makes the reader question Fagin: where did he really get those handkerchiefs from. Dickens wants the reader to immediately know that Fagin is not as nice as he appears to be and is actually a dangerous figure. Also after he says this the young pupils of Fagin all laugh as if the very phrase that Fagin just said was a joke. This again is an attempt by Dickens to give the hint to the reader that what Fagin says is a lie, and the pocket-handkerchiefs are not his at all. : The Jew mixed him a glass of hot gin and water, telling him he must drink it off directly because another gentlemen wanted the tumbler He sunk into a deep sleep. Oliver is made to drink the hot gin and water very quickly and shortly after he falls into a deep sleep; the gin and water obviously contains a sleeping drought. This also is another attempt by Dickens to make the reader think or assume that the Jew is very tricky and sneaky person and is also someone that you cannot trust. Oliver wakes up the next day alone in the house with just Fagin, and sees Fagin looking at jewels and also talking to himself about capital punishment. He sat down and drew form it, a magnificent gold watch sparkling with jewels the way Dickens says that Fagins eyes glistened when he opened the box containing the jewels suggests to the reader that Fagin only really cares about himself and he really only loves money (or things that can get him money; in this case the watch). Later on fagin talks to himself: what a fine thing capital punishment is! Dead men never repent; dead men never bring awkward stories to light. Ah! Its a fine thing for the trade! Five of them strung up in a row, and none left to play booty, or turn white-livered. Dickens made Fagin talk to himself to make the reader think that Fagin himself is a strange weird character and very self-obsessed. Also when Fagin is talking about how good capital punishment is, he means that capital punishment is good for him because the people who get caught by the police and are sent to be hanged are not able to tell the police about Fagin and his dodgy dealings because they are dead. Dickens again used this to tell the reader that Fagin is a criminal and is not a very respectable person, he only cares about himself because he is only happy for capital punishment because it means none of his caught associates turn him in. Fagins attitude very suddenly changes to a snappy aggressive one when he sees that Oliver had just seen everything that he had done and had said. He closed the box with a loud crash; and laying his hand on a bread knife which was on the table, stared furiously up. This shows that Fagin himself is an extremely snappy character in the way he slammed the box and lay his hand over the bread knife; this could also show to the reader that Fagin is violent and aggressive. It could also show to he reader that Fagin was only being nice to Oliver the night before because he didnt want him to run away, he was trying to befriend him for his own selfish misuse. He then threatens Oliver to tell him what he has seen and heard. What have you seen? Speak out boy! Quick! Quick! For your life! This shows to the reader that Fagin Is extremely curious on what Oliver has seen and heard, this is probably because the jewels that he got tout the box before werent his own. Fagins attitude rapidly changes in this section and this tells the reader that Fagin is an extremely snappy aggressive figure, especially when it comes to his possessions, probably because there not really his. Dickens later on describes the Jew when he is going for a meal: He describes the Jew again in an extremely negative view. He describes him using phrases like: Shrivelled body, evil, and villainy, demoniacal a hideous old man. Dickens attitude to the Jew is obviously negative and he describes him in this way because of his attitude. The reader would react to this in a repulsive manner because if they picture Fagin in this instance they dont get a particularly nice picture. Dickens wants the reader to associate Fagin, with criminals and generally nasty, horrible things. After building up Fagin to be a thorough villain he finally gets caught and is imprisoned. While in the prison waiting to be hanged his attitude changes extremely. He goes from a seemingly joyful character, full of himself to a depressed sorrowful character, of which the reader may even feel be slightly sorrowful for him themselves given the circumstances. In reply to the question Are you a man? he says I shant be on for long looking up with a face retaining no human expression but rage and terror. Strike them all-dead! What Right do they have to butcher me? His attitude has already changed dramatically from his old bubberly full of himself attitude, to one full of rage, terror and worry. Fagin has suddenly became aware of the act that he will soon become one in the long line of people to be hung for his crime. He is full of rage and anger because he is next to be hung for his crime and did not believe he was going to get caught. Oliver then come s in and talks to Fagin about their ordeal. Oh! God forgive this wretched man! cried Oliver, this shows that although all of the bad things Fagin has done to Oliver, Oliver is still willing to forgive Fagin. This is a typical Victorian ending in which Fagin gets his just end and Oliver the small boy who was at the end of some of Fagins dealing forgives Fagin. The Victorian reader would be satisfied with this ending because everything ends up for the best.  In conclusion I think Dickens created Fagin in his light because he wanted to show his attitude and the attitude of most Victorians in that time to Jews. In Victorian times most people did agree with Dickens and his vies on social reform and Jews. In Short I think Dickens aired a lot of his views on social reform, what he thought of the laws and Jews in the novel.

The future Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The future - Essay Example Thus, my analysis of the future will begin with the likely changes and trends that will emerge in the global society. One country cannot be analyzed in isolation of the larger global community. Geographical and political boundaries are being eradicated by the elimination of trade barriers and rapid integration of capital markets. The world is quickly becoming a global village which facilities the entry of products, services, people, and capital in each country. Alongside is the huge advancement in technology. Technological breakthroughs brought products which are important in promoting efficiency in business operations. These advances ripple to households and individuals in the form of luxury and convenience. I believe that these trends will continue in the future. Furthermore, these factors will have the most significant impact in the personal and family life. The rapid integration of markets in the global community will have a huge effect in my personal life specifically in my career. I know that this development, together with companies' increasing preference of having a more diversified workforce will bring me face to face with people having different cultures. The interaction with these individuals will affect me in more ways that I can imagine. It is irrefutable that a person is shaped by his immediate environment.

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

Back To School Night Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Back To School Night - Essay Example followed by a question-answer session. This will give the parents a good understanding of the academic year ahead of the child and the role they have to play to make it a success. â€Å"Unfortunately both the quality and quantity of parental contacts with the school decline as children get older†, say Puma & others (Puma et al., Strong families, strong schools, US DOE, 1994) and point to the sharply contrasting statistics for the first graders and the seventh graders. They go on to add that involved parents help students to perform better academically, stay longer in school, and have better social skills. Teachman et al., also reinforce this view pointing out that, â€Å"†¦parent-child and parent-school interaction†¦Ã¢â‚¬  is related to dropping out of high school. (Teachman et al., Social Capital and the Generation of Human Capital, Social Forces, 1997) A child who routinely expects its parents to visit the school at least during the Back to School Nights, gets used to parents Back to school night is held within the first few days of the school re-opening and is followed by more such meets – each after the successive term examinations are held and the results announced. The second, third and the fourth meetings are indeed open house meetings to take stock of the progress of the child in the school along with discussing and implementing ways to improve performance. Back to school night is an event of the evening and night. This is a time of joy and relaxation coupled with establishing or renewing relationships between the parents and the teachers. The subsequent meetings are for more serious efforts involving in-depth discussions for which sufficient time is to be earmarked to cover all aspects of a child’s progress and for all children. Thus, they are best held commencing from the morning and continued till all the

Divorce Essay Introduction Essay Example for Free

Divorce Essay Introduction Essay When one spouse does not agree with a decision made by the other spouse, then an argument can occur, and result by one or both parties sharing a feeling of resentment against the other. Lack of communication in all areas of the marriage, can cause strain on the relationship. It is common for many couples to subject themselves to the distractions of everyday life, therefore leaving very little time for communication. This can cause marital problems to be over looked, triggering a range of feelings to explode in the marital relationship, and result in divorce. Another common cause of divorce is money. Many people say, â€Å"Money is the root of all evil,† as in a marriage it can be the root of all problems. When one spouse makes all of the financial decisions, and For the last decade, the issue of divorce and increased divorce rates in modern society have been a focus of public attention and discussions in all mass media. As a serious social problem, divorces cause numerous effects on our social life, especially on modern young generation. Students of high schools and colleges are very often asked to write academic essays on divorce and its effects on children as a great opportunity to research the topic, analyze it and do everything possible to prevent this kind of thing happening in their own life. Undoubtedly, divorces cause a lot of negative effects, some of which are short-term and less harmful, but some can be very lasting and very harmful causing serious health problems, development and behavioral problems in children, leading to a lack of academic or other success, as well as inability to feel happy and pleased with this life. According to the latest statistics, children of divorced parents are less likely to finish schools or graduate from colleges with high grades, find a good job and be satisfied with own career or personal life. Parents’ divorce always causes great impact on children, which can in no sense be positive or  inspiring. Start your work with choosing an appropriate topic of your research. If analyzing the general effects of divorce on children in modern society seems to you too broad or too hard to deal with, you can choose a topic like analyzing divorce rates and tendencies in modern inter-race marriages, or analyze the divorce rates among Americ an families of Hispanic origin, etc. You can study the influences of religious beliefs on divorce rates in various society, or research how such factor as the number of children in the family is linked to divorce rates in modern America society. When working on your academic essay on divorce, it is very important to gather a great deal of statistics in order to support your thesis statement and point of view. A great deal of various data related to the topic of divorce can be found online, but it is necessary to use only the most recent statistics taken from official and reputable online sources. It can be great to show the data in the forms of graphs, diagrams, pictures, or use other visual illustrative materials. For all essays on divorce, operating with current divorce rates statistics (with respect to race, gender, type of marriage, time of occurrence, the place where the family resides, etc. etc.) can be of a great help and support for the writer. There is plenty of factors related to divorce which should be discussed when analyzing the topic of divorce effects on children. They should include financial, economic, social, emotional, psychological, behavioral, academic, and all other issues related to child’s development and growth. When working on your essay on divorce, do not forget to follow usual essay structure: starting your essay with a good introduction with a thesis statement, followed by the body and conclusion. Pay proper attention to referencing and formatting your paper, as well as following the chosen writing style. Proofread and spell check your paper before submitting it to your instructor.

African Americans Essay -- History, Slaves, Slaveholders

A slave is an individual entirely subjected to his or her owners' will. Slaves were treated like merchandise. They could be purchased and sold, traded for other items, lent out to, or mortgaged like a form of domestic animal. Slavery differentiates from many types of mistreatment ranging from serfdom, manual labor, or the ranking of women in patriarchal society. In past history the conventional definition of slavery was legal and stated that â€Å"slaves were peoples' property and could be bought, sold, traded, leased, or mortgaged like a form of livestock (Gilder Lehrman, 2009).† Because slaves are under the private control and care of their owner they were often exposed to sexual abuse and cruel unusual punishment. In many cultures, especially the African American culture, slaves were representatively desecrated; for instance, many were branded, tattooed, or required to wear distinctive clothing that could represented a slave. Also, regardless of the place and time period, s ocieties had established certain common stereotypes on the qualification of a slave. They were seen as immoral, childish, lethargic, immature, dim-witted, and incapable of freedom (Gilder Lehrman, 2009). Originally, the English colonists relied on indentured white servants and the late seventeenth century there was a shortage of servants. In response to this, colonists’ progressively resorted to enslaved Africans, leaving the whites to freedom. Due to this there were three distinguishing systems of slavery that emerged in the American civilization. In Maryland and Virginia slavery was mostly used in harvesting the raise of tobacco and corn and worked under the "gang" system (Gilder Lehrman, 2009). â€Å"In the South Carolina and Georgia, slaves raised rice and indigo... ...nt standing would facilitate him to find other avenues should the boycott fail (A&E Television Network, 1996). His powerful speeches inspired many and within a year of protesting and preaching the city busses were desegregated. In today’s society slavery still exists but not in physical labor aspects. Now the largest slavery operation is human trafficking, where by victims are generally forced, defrauded or coerced into sexual or labor utilization. It is among the fastest growing criminal activitie occurring both worldwide and in individual countries. Slavery will always be around in one form or another. People need to make money and unfortunately after all the great strides made during the period of segregation it is not enough. There is still hope that individuals like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. exist in this world and the suffering will stop.

Moral Virtue Aquired

How is moral virtue acquired? Alex Koglman Aristotle believes ethics is about moral virtue over intellectual virtue. Moral virtue comes about as a result of habits of human excellence. So in that case nothing that exists by nature can form a habit. For example, when a bunny is born it does not learn to hop it is born to hop. With that being said us humans should try and develop good habits from the beginning of life. By developing good habits this will help you do the right thing without having to think hard about what the outcome is going to be.Good behavior arises from habits which in return can only be acquired by repeating the action and correcting it. First, moral virtues that help construct up a â€Å"happy† human are; justice, wisdom, courage and temperance. Wisdom is a special virtue that is intellectual; however it does guide human choices, while moral virtues are about action. Moral virtues are not acquired by teaching; they are brought on by acting the same way over and over again until it is habitual.So how do people acquire these moral virtues? The best conclusion would be, if a person had parents that acted in this way and were role models of excellence. Otherwise, success only comes from years of practicing, making tough decisions, and learning from your mistakes. Next, how will someone know when they acquire these moral virtues? The persons peers will look up to them and constantly have positive outcomes. People will come to them for help/advice, have 100% faith in them and be a huge role model.In result that person will feel like a million dollars knowing that he/she is in control. Aristotle provides people with both amazing insight and a powerful plan to shape one’s choices and actions in ways that will increase the chance of attaining happiness. By developing the four cardinal virtues, a person can go very far down the path of a whole life, well lived and the rest is up to good fortune. But even if bad luck ruins the chance, a p erson of good character, by possessing the moral virtues, will be far better off than those who don’t.Aristotle concludes that it is not possible to achieve happiness, a whole life well lived, without moral virtue. Moral virtue is a necessity for happiness otherwise people will act out of spite/anger/revenge/unlawful. Acting virtuously, however, is the primary means to becoming virtuous. For, according to Aristotle, â€Å"virtues arise in us neither by nature nor contrary to nature; but by our nature we can receive them and perfect them by habituation†

The Hunters: Moonsong Chapter Six

Cautiously, Matt felt along the path with his foot until he found grass, then inched his way onto it, holding his hands out in front of him until he was touching the rough bark of a tree. There probably weren't too many people hanging around outside the main campus gate, but he'd just as soon have no one see him, blindfolded, dressed in his weddings-and-funerals suit and tie, and looking, he was sure, like an idiot. On the other hand, he did want whoever was coming to get him to be able to spot him. It would be better to look like an idiot out in the open now and become part of the Vitale Society than to hide and spend the rest of the night blindfolded in the bushes. Matt inched his way back toward where he thought the gate must be and stumbled. Waving his hands, he managed to catch his balance again. He suddenly wished he had told someone where he was going. What if somebody other than the Vitale Society had left him the note? What if this was a plan to get him on his own, some kind of trap? Matt ran his finger beneath his sweaty too-tight col ar. After al the weird things that had happened to him in the last year, he couldn't help being paranoid. If he vanished now, his friends would never know what had happened to him. He thought of Elena's laughing blue eyes, her clear, searching gaze. She would miss him if he disappeared, he knew, even if she had never loved him the way he wanted her to. Bonnie's laugh would lose its carefree note if Matt were gone, and Meredith would become more tense and fierce, push herself harder. He mattered to them. The Vitale Society's invitation was clear, though: tel no one. If he wanted to get in the game, he had to play by their rules. Matt understood rules. Without warning, someone – two someones – grabbed his arms, one on each side. Instinctively, Matt struggled, and he heard a grunt of exasperation from the person on his right. â€Å"Fortis aeturnus,† hissed the person on his left like a password, his breath warm on Matt's ear. Matt stopped fighting. That was the slogan on the letter from the Vitale Society, wasn't it? It was Latin, he was pretty sure. He wished he'd taken the time to find out what it meant. He let the people holding his arms guide him across the grass and onto the road. â€Å"Step up,† the one on his left whispered, and Matt moved forward careful y, climbing into what seemed to be the back of a van. Firm hands pushed his head down to keep him from banging it on the van's roof, and Matt was reminded of that terrible time this past summer when he'd been arrested, accused of attacking Caroline. The cops had pushed his head down just like that when they put him handcuffed into the back of the squad car. His stomach sank with remembered dread, but he shook it off. The Guardians had erased everyone's memories of Caroline's false accusations, just as they'd changed everything else. The hands guided him to a seat and strapped a seat belt around him. There seemed to be people sitting on each side of him, and Matt opened his mouth to speak – to say what, he didn't know. â€Å"Be stil ,† the mysterious voice whispered, and Matt closed his mouth obediently. He strained his eyes to see something past the blindfold, even a hint of light and shadow, but everything was dark. Footsteps clattered across the floor of the van; then the doors slammed, and the engine started up. Matt sat back. He tried to keep track of the turns the van took but lost count of the rights and lefts after a few minutes and instead just sat quietly, waiting to see what would happen next. After about fifteen minutes, the van came to a halt. The people on either side of Matt sat up straighter, and he tensed, too. He heard the front doors open and close and then footsteps come around the van before the back doors opened. â€Å"Remain silent,† the voice that spoke to him earlier ordered. â€Å"You wil be guided toward the next stage of your journey.† The person next to Matt brushed against him as he rose, and Matt heard him stumble on what sounded like gravel underfoot as he was led away. He listened alertly, but, once that person had left, Matt heard only the nervous shifting of the other people seated in the van. He jumped when hands took his arms once more. Somehow they'd snuck up on him again; he hadn't heard a thing. The hands helped him out of the van, then guided him across what felt like a sidewalk or courtyard, where his shoes thudded against first gravel, then pavement. His guides continued to lead him up a series of stairs, through some kind of hal way, then back down again. Matt counted three flights down before he was stopped again. â€Å"Wait here,† the voice said, and then his guides stepped away. Matt tried to figure out where he was. He could hear people, probably his companions from the van, shifting quietly, but no one spoke. Judging by the echoes their little motions produced, they were in a large space: a gym? a basement? Probably a basement, after al those stairs down. From behind him came the quiet click of a door closing. â€Å"You may now remove your blindfolds,† a new voice, deep and confident, said. Matt untied his blindfold and looked around, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the light. It was a faint, indirect light, which supported his basement theory, but if this was a basement, it was the fanciest one he'd ever seen. The room was huge, stretching into dimness at its other end, and the floor and wal s were paneled in a dark, heavy wood. Arches and pil ars supported the ceiling at intervals, and there were some kinds of carvings on them: the clever, twisted face of what might be a sprite leered at him from a pil ar; the figure of a running deer spanned one archway. Red-velvet-seated chairs and heavy wooden tables lined the wal s. Matt and the others were facing a great central archway, topped by a large ornate letter V made of different kinds of glittering, highly polished metals elaborately welded together. Below the V ran the same motto that had appeared on the letter: fortis aeturnus. Glancing at the people near him, Matt saw that he wasn't the only one feeling confused and apprehensive. There were maybe fifteen other people standing there, and they seemed like they came from different classes: there was no way that tal , stooping guy with the ful beard was a freshman. A smal , round-faced girl with short ringlets of brown hair caught Matt's eye. She raised her eyebrows at him, widening her mouth in an exaggerated expression of bewilderment. Matt grinned back at her, his spirits lightening. He shifted closer to her and had just opened his mouth to whisper an introduction when he was interrupted. â€Å"Welcome,† said the deep, authoritative voice that had instructed them to take off their blindfolds, and a young man stepped up to the central archway, directly below the huge V. Behind him came a circle of others, seemingly a mix of guys and girls, al clothed in black and wearing masks. The effect ought to have been over the top, Matt thought, but instead the masked figures seemed mysterious and aloof, and he suppressed a shiver. The guy beneath the arch was the only one not wearing a mask. He was a bit shorter than the silent figures around him, with curly dark hair, and he smiled warmly as he stretched out his hands toward Matt and the others. â€Å"Welcome,† he said again, â€Å"to a secret. You may have heard rumors of the Vitale Society, the oldest and most il ustrious organization of Dalcrest. This is a society often spoken of in whispers, but about which no one knows the truth. No one except its members. I am Ethan Crane, the current president of the Vitale Society, and I'm delighted that you have accepted our invitation.† He paused and looked around. â€Å"You have been invited to pledge because you are the best of the best. Each of you has different strengths.† He gestured to the tal , bearded guy Matt had noticed. â€Å"Stuart Covington here is the most bril iant scientific mind of the senior class, perhaps one of the most promising ones in the country. His articles on biogenetics have already been published in numerous journals.† Ethan walked into the crowd and stopped next to Matt. This close up, Matt could see that Ethan's eyes were an almost golden hazel, ful of warmth. â€Å"Matt Honeycutt enters Dalcrest as a starting player on the footbal team after leading his high school to the state championship last year. He could have had his choice of col ege footbal programs, and he chose to come to Dalcrest.† Matt ducked his head modestly, and Ethan squeezed his shoulder before walking on to stop next to the cute round-faced girl. â€Å"Junior Chloe Pascal is, as those of you who attended last year's campus art show know, the most talented artist on campus. Her dynamic, exciting sculptures have won her the Gershner Award for two years running.† He patted Chloe on the arm as she blushed. Ethan went on, passing from one member of their little group to another, listing accomplishments. Matt was only half listening as he looked around at the rapt expressions on the faces of the other candidates, but he got the impression of a wide range of talents, and that this was indeed a gathering of the best of the best, an assembly of campus achievers. He seemed to be the only freshman. He felt like Ethan had lit a glowing candle inside him: he, Matt, who had been the least special of his group of friends, was being singled out. â€Å"As you can see,† Ethan said, circling back to the front of the group, â€Å"each of you has different skil s. Brains, creativity, athleticism, the ability to lead others. These qualities, when brought together, can make you the most elite and powerful group, not only on campus, but throughout life. The Vitale Society is an organization with a long history, and once you are a member of the society, you are one for life. Forever.† He held up one finger in caution, his face serious. â€Å"However, this meeting is but the first step on the road to becoming a Vitale. And it is a difficult road.† He smiled at them again. â€Å"I believe – we believe – that al of you have what it takes to become a Vitale. You would not have been invited to pledge if we did not think you were worthy.† Matt straightened his shoulders and held his head high. Least remarkable member of his group of friends or not, he'd saved the world – or at least his hometown – more than once. Even if he'd just been one of a team then, he was pretty sure he could handle whatever the Vitale Society could throw at him. Ethan smiled directly at him. â€Å"If you are prepared to pledge the Vitale Society, to keep our secrets and earn our trust, step forward now.† Without hesitating, Matt stepped forward. Chloe and the bearded guy – Stuart – stepped with him and, looking around, Matt saw that every one of the pledges had moved forward together. Ethan came toward Matt and took hold of the lapel of his suit. â€Å"There,† he said, quickly pinning something on it and letting Matt go. â€Å"Wear this at al times, but discreetly. You must keep your involvement with the society secret. You wil be contacted. Congratulations.† He gave Matt a brief, genuine smile, and moved on to Chloe, saying the same thing to her. Matt turned his lapel up and looked at the tiny dark blue V that Ethan had pinned to it. He'd never thought much before about fraternities, or secret societies, or any kind of organization that wasn't a sports team. But this, being the only freshman the legendary Vitale Society wanted, was different. They saw something in him, something special.