The fashion clothing industry Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

The fashion clothing industry - Case Study Example Primark operates in 167 in UK, Spain and Ireland with one-third of its stores in Ireland and two-thirds in UK. Since September 2006, 23 new stores have opened to give 4.4 million sq ft of retail selling space. First established in 1969 as Penneys in Mary St (Dublin), Primark Stores Ltd., is a subsidiary of Associated British Foods Plc (ABF) a publicly quoted company. Primark is the leading player in UK's no-frills fashion retailers. Primark is a fast fashion trend setter for the consumers of age below 30. . Primark's profits rose 30% in 2005 off the back of a 17% sales increase (sales were worth over 1bn).( The Guardian) In 1997, the combined wholesale sales revenue of the UK fashion design companies was about 600m, over half from overseas sales. The fashion clothing sales revenues have grown from just 185m in 1990, an increase of 225% over seven years giving a compound annual rate of growth of more than 18%. (Designer Fashion) The UK industry, though experiencing strong growth, is still small by comparison with France (whose industry, including revenue from perfume, accessories etc, is worth 900m), Italy (1.5bn) and the US (5.2bn). Led by Paul Smith, and international experience suggests that there is room for growth in this sector. Overall, it is reasonable to project that the fashion industry will continue to grow at around a rate of 5% per year in nominal terms. ((Designer Fashion) Ac SWOT Analysis: While understanding the business strategy of any organization, the initial step to consider the SWOT analysis of the company. According to Chuck Williams, co-author Managing Organizations, "Strength and weakness are considered internal to the company while opportunities and threats are seen in the environment external to the company. (Williams, C. et al) Strengths: Cost Leadership: Primark's core strength lies in low price offer to the clothing consumer. This can be studied as cost advantage of the firm in the following sections. The company also exhibits Cost leadership strategy. Primark has a tactful strategy in offering speedy markets sales that replicate the hot trends of the fashion show within less time for cheap prices. The clothing is highly admired by teenage girls, mothers and young lads. Speed to market: The primark release the new fashion into the market in a rapid manner. While that fashion item is still in demand and hot in the market, it appears in the stores of primark. Value for money. Primark gives value to consumer's money. In primark's view, value to money is equal to quality compared to price. So, consumers are fully satisfied with the quality of clothes in primark and about prices. Efficient distribution: Having maximum hype is not enough to sustain in retailing market, delivering in time to retailers is also most important for business. This is possible through the efficient channel partners for distribution to primark. Delivering the products in time is the factor of success. Segmentation & Targeting: Primark's focus strategy is it targeted the fashion conscious in young people only under the age of 35, by offering high quality. Fashion basics at value for money prices. Primark is proud on its loyal customer base.

Cybercrimes Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cybercrimes - Research Paper Example 9). Balkin and Information Society Project (2007) in their book wrote that â€Å"cyber crime has the basic characteristics of traditional crime, but it is not territorially based† (p. 218). Unlike crime, cyber crime can easily transcend to national boundaries. The laws governing cyber crimes in several countries are unenforceable due to the lack of a means of protection that businesses and governments are able to rely on, in place they have relied on technical measures to protect themselves from those criminals who would deny access of specific information, steal or even destroy information that is valuable. Cyber crimes come in three categories: cyber crimes against a person, property or a government. Cyber crimes committed against a person include crimes like harassing an individual via email, posting, distributing or disseminating materials such as pornography, and having indecent exposure. This type of crime possesses a serious threat to the younger generation and may cause scars that are irreparable to the young if it is not prevented. While crimes such as vandalism of computers and transmission of programs that are harmful like viruses, fall under cyber crimes against property. Cyber crimes against properties often take place in organizations. For instance, an engineering company may decide to steal another company’s database by using a spy. The other is the cyber crimes against governments come about when an individual or even a group for people threatens international government by terrorist its citizens. An example of his type of crime is when an individual cracks a webs ite containing important government information. Cracking is also a cyber crime that has become common; it gives a person a dreadful feeling knowing that someone broke into your computer without the owner’s knowledge. People and the government must understand cyber

Bromination of (E)-Stilbene

Bromination of (E)-Stilbene Kaisha Butz Abstract: The purpose of this experiment was to synthesize the second intermediate (meso-stilbene dibromide) in the E-Stilbene reaction by Bromination. It was hypothesized that if the reaction was heated at 120 °C for five minutes the reaction between E-stilbene and the pyridium bromide perbromide would occur, and meso-stilbene would be created. After the reaction occurred the results were analyzed by IR and by an ignition test. The hypothesis was supported by the employed methods. Introduction: This experiment was performed to show how bromination of alkenes reacts, and to be able to successfully synthesize meso-stilbene dibromide. The reaction of bromine with alkenes is an addition reaction where the nucleophilic double bond attacks the electrophilic bromine (Mayo, et. al, 2013). Bromine only becomes electrophilic because of induction due to its ability to be polarizable (Mayo, et. al, 2013). Induction occurs when there is a transmission of charge (Bruice, 2014). Bromine as it approaches the (E)-stilbene’s double bond becomes polarized and takes on a slightly positive charge (Mayo, et. al, 2013). This allows it to form a cyclic bond (cyclic bromonium ion) with both sp2, now sp3, carbons. The cyclic bromonium ion takes on a positive charge and by anti-addition the second bromine (negatively charged) attacks from the back of the cyclic compound and bonds to either carbon on the opposite side of the other bromine. This creates a meso-stilbene which is 100% formed. Ther e are no stereoisomers formed (Mayo, et. al, 2013). It was hypothesized that (E)-stilbene, in a solution of glacial acetic acid reacted with pyridium bromide perbromide heated to 120 °C and cooled in an ice bath, would result in the formation of meso-stilbene. It was expected that only meso-stilbene dibromide would be formed, and that its formation could be tested by using IR. The Bromination reaction was also tested by an ignition test. Structures/Mechanisms: Material and Methods: Please refer to pgs. 444-449 of Microscale Organic Laboratory with Multistep and Multiscale Synthesis by Mayo, Pike, and Forbes. Deviations: Procedure was done in microscale: 230mg of (E)-stilbene was used instead of 600mg. 2.2ml of glacial acetic acid was used instead of 6ml. A 10ml round-bottom flask was used instead of a 50ml flask. The magnetic spin bar was a baby magnetic spin bar. 450mg of pyridium bromide perbromide was used instead of 1.2g. 2ml of glacial acetic acid was used to wash down the perbromide instead of 6ml. 4.5 ml of distilled water was used instead of 12ml. Acetone and distilled water were added drop-wise to the crystals instead of three 2ml of distilled water and two 2ml of acetone. Results: IR spectroscopy (E)-Stilbene attached to back IR spectroscopy meso-stilbene attached to back Table 1: Table 2: Table 3: Table 4: Calculations: Crystals: .2451g .1045g = .1406g Limiting Reagent: (E)-Stilbene .230g (E)-Stilbene * (1 mole / 180.25g MW) = 0.0013 moles .450g Pyridium Bromide Perbromide * (1 mole / 319.83g MW) = 0.0014 moles Theoretical Yield: 0.0013 moles * 340.05g MW = .4421g Percent Yield: (.1406g/.4421g) * 100 = 31.8% Discussion: It was found that after bromination of (E)-stilbene into meso-stilbene dibromide that the IR spectroscopy of both were relatively similar in the fingerprint region (à Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ 500-1000cm-1). This should be the case. The only difference in the spectroscopy was the lack of the carbon-carbon double bond in the meso-stilbene dibromide. The IR spectroscopy in the lab does not have the ability to measure the wavelength of carbon-bromine bonds because it is not within the range of the machine. Therefore, the two IR spectroscopies of the two substances were very similar because they both contained aromatic rings with similar wave numbers (cm-1) (Table 1, Table 2). It was expected that (E)-stilbene after undergoing bromination in a solution of acetic acid would produce crystals of meso-stilbene. That was the case! Success! Although the percent yield was low the experiment did produce meso-stilbene dibromide. This was supported by an ignition test. A part of the product was burned, and the flames were green. Green flames were indicative of bromide. Because carbon-bromide bonds were not seen in the IR spectroscopy, the flame test was necessary to show that the (E)-stilbene had, in fact, reacted with the pyridium bromide dibromide and created meso-stilbene dibromide. The percent yield could have been better. One mistake was that the (E)-stilbene was heated and dissolved at 85 ºC instead of 120 ºC. The experiment continued regardless, and the pyridium bromide dibromide was also heated and dissolved at 85 ºC. Once the temperature was noted to be too low the solution was placed back into the heat until the temperature reached 120 ºC. The improper temperatures were most likely the main cause for the low percent yield. The temperature was too low for the reaction to occur completely and effectively. According to Table 1 the primary peaks were all in the fingerprinting zone and were as follows: at wave number 961.39cm-1 (indicated a C=C bond), 762.29cm-1 and 690.00cm-1 (indicated aromatic ring structures). According to Table 2 the primary peaks were also all in the fingerprinting region and were as follows: 761.88cm-1, 688.59cm-1, and 626.87cm-1 (all of which indicated aromatic ring structures). The hypothesis was proven because meso-stilbene was synthesized even with the incorrect temperature at first. The (E)-stilbene reacted with the pyridium bromide dibromide to create meso-stilbene. Conclusion: It was found that (E)-stilbene could be brominated in order to synthesize the second intermediate in a line of reactions so that meso-stilbene could be obtained. The percent yield was poor yet present. The experiment could have gone more smoothly if the temperature had been monitored better, and the mixture not placed on the heat until it was sufficiently hot. That would have allowed for a higher percent yield then previously achieved. Bibliography Bruice, Paula. Organic Chemistry. 7th ed. Pearson, 2014. 1337. Print. Mayo, Dana, Ranold Pike, and David Forbes. Microscale Organic Laboratory with Multistep and Multiscale Synthesis. 5th ed. John Wiley and Sons, 2011. 751. Print.

Sports and Race in Washington, DC Essay -- Essays Papers

Sports and Race in Washington, DC In 1947, Jackie Robinson broke Major League baseball’s color barrier. He went on to become a symbol of positive change in the United States, an early indicator of the impending civil rights movement. During the 1940s, ‘50s, and ‘60s African-Americans were gradually hired into each of the major professional sports leagues. In fact, the sports arena was one of the first places where blacks were accepted on a national scale. However, not all professional sports teams welcomed black athletes with open arms. Unfortunately, segregation in professional sports occurred right here in the District long after Jackie Robinson played his first game for the Dodgers. The National Football League’s Washington Redskins, who played their home games in the District of Columbia, were still segregated in 1961. Not only were the Redskins still segregated, they were the only team in the NFL who had not yet signed a black player. The owner of the Redskins, George Preston Marshall, was a pompous racist, unwilling to curb his prejudices. Marshall’s only concerns were making money and staying loyal to stodgy and bigoted politicians in power at the time. Marshall paralleled the governmental institutions of the early 1960s. He conducted business and made money at the expense of African-Americans and ignored their needs, just as the government often ignored the needs of African-Americans of Washington. In fact, the Redskins’ target audience until the mid-sixties was primarily not Washington, DC, but the south. America’s south, like the District of Columbia, had a large African-American population that had been abused for hundreds of years with the institutions of slavery, and segregation. African-Ameri... ... though unintentionally, the move will be in the direction of a constituency they cultivated for a good deal of their existence† (Denlinger M4). The â€Å"constituency† that Denlinger is speaking of is the south. For years, Marshall marketed his team to a white southern audience with radio and television contracts. At the time of Marshall’s ownership the south was an area of the United States that was home to rampant racism. To George Marshall, the southern audience was key; it seemed to enjoy the all white Redskins in the 1950s, and supported the team. Building the team a stadium outside of the city would simply bring the team back into the shadow of George Marshall. Marshall catered to a southern audience during his time as owner, just as Cooke wished to cater to suburbanites with his stadium plan. In both cases, the fan base of the District appears to be ignored.

Effects of Bullying

Bullying is defined as a behavior used by a person to deride or ostracize another person, but bullying is far more complex than this simple definition. Bullying, as perceived by many teachers and administrators in the school systems, only exists in the physical form, but bullying takes many forms and does not stop at physical violence. Other forms in which bullying appears are verbal, emotional, and cyber. Verbal bullying uses words and other verbal tactics to tear down the victim’s self-esteem. Emotional bullying is more traumatic than verbal and focuses on making the victim feel like he or she is isolated and an outcast. Cyber bullying targets victims through social networking and text messaging; bullying victims through the cyber world causes more damage because it gives the victim no escape from their tormentors, even when they are not face to face. No matter the tactic, the severity, or the cause, bullying hurts, and the effects are considerable. Although different people will handle being bullied in different ways, there are three main effects to being bullied: the development of depression, anxiety, or other mental disorders, a decline in academic achievement, and a stunt in social development. One study showed that victims of bullying have more anxiety, sadness, sleep difficulties, low self-esteem, headaches, stomach pain, and general tension than other classmates who are not experiencing bullying (â€Å"Consequences of Bullying†). Bullying leads to the development of anxiety and other mental disorders because it plays on the mind and mental health of the victim by downgrading them and making them believe that they are worthless. When a student goes to school every day and gets pushed, shoved, made fun of, and laughed at, they develop a feeling of being an outcast, or a freak. This view that they develop of themselves causes them to shut down mentally. They can no longer think logically, because their view of logic is disrupted by the taunts and actions of the bully. Evidence indicates that the anxiety the victim develops will escalate into much more severe anxiety disorders such as depression, separation anxiety, and panic disorders (â€Å"Consequences of Bullying†). The disorders that the victim develops will not go away when he or she gets out of school, but they will follow the victim into adulthood. One study conducted by Dr. William Copeland analyzed the mental disorders in adults that were bullied as children. He analyzed these adults when they were children as well, before and after the bullying occurred. Since childhood mental health was evaluated and any preexisting mental disorders could be ruled out, the study showed that the adults’ mental disorders were a long lasting effect of being bullied as children (Pappas). Other side effects of the mental disorders associated with bullying include: suicidal thoughts, harmful actions, and paranoia. Bullying is mentally exhausting on its victims, and they will eventually break down emotionally, physically, and mentally. A major effect of bullying is an overall decline in academic achievement. The victim will start to miss days of school either in fear of the physical harm threatened to them by a bully, or to avoid the verbal humiliation. One study concluded that eight percent of eighth graders in the United States miss at least one day of school per month for fear of bullies (â€Å"Consequences of Bullying†). As they become stressed and paranoid by the bullying, their focus on their classes deteriorates. This nonchalant attitude towards academics results in poor grades and academic performance, which will lead to even more anxiety and embarrassment, and give the victim’s tormentors yet another thing to pick on him or her about (â€Å"Consequences of Bullying†). They will also start avoiding certain parts of the school that are prime areas for bullying such as cafeterias, bathrooms, and even certain hallways if possible. Bullying can affect a student to the point of dropping out of school altogether. They will feel like a lost cause because they are outcasts, their grades are poor, and they are scared to walk through the school doors in the morning. The victim will get out of bed every morning and dread going to school because they will be wondering what will happen to them on that day. Academics will take a backseat to the stress and anxiety of being bullied, because it is all the victim will think about. Academic achievement not only declines for the victim, however. The bully will at times be more focused on bullying another student rather than doing a homework assignment, and even bystanders will become too intrigued in the ossip and stories to pay attention in class. As the bullying gets worse, so does the overall academic performance of bullied, the bully, and the bystander. Social development during and after bullying is almost nonexistent. Victims of bullying often have very few friends and sometimes none at all. Since they possess such high anxiety levels from being bull ied, and have very low self-esteem, they have a hard time making friends because they do not contain the confidence to walk up to someone and start a conversation. They view themselves as an outcast or a freak, and believe that no one wants to be friends with them. They have feelings of isolation and believe that they are not worthy of having friends (â€Å"Consequences of Bullying†). Other kids or students may want to become friends with the victim, but they refrain from making any efforts to reach him or her in fear of being bullied themselves. Other students may also fear disapproval by their group of friends or clique if they were to reach out to a bullied victim. The victim becomes reclusive and socially awkward. This social awkwardness will continue to affect the victim long into adulthood and make job opportunities scarce and dealing with the public a stressful and awkward situation. Bullying is an aggressive behavior that affects the lives of more than twenty five percent of the United States’ children. Whether it is physical, verbal, emotional, or through the virtual world, bullying and its many forms are damaging. It can cause a straight â€Å"A† student to drop out of high school. It can cause a small town girl with a dream to commit suicide. Being bullied changes the victim. The mental trauma he or she goes through will cause anxiety and other mental disorders that will last well into adulthood. Emotionally, the victim takes so much pain until they cannot even feel anymore. They become like stone. Academic performance and achievement will decline, as well as participation in any school related function. Socially, the victim becomes a recluse or an outcast. Making friends becomes close to impossible, and they lose their self-worth. Bullying is more than a behavior; to the victim, it is a prison, and he or she will spend their whole lives trying to break free from the effects of this condemnation.

Corporate Law- Promoter Essay

Rolly approached Molly and Polly and asked them to be shareholders to form a company. Then Rolly acquired a shop lot worth RM350,000 in order to prepare for the company in future. She bought this shop lot below the market price as the vendor was looking urgently to sell it. After the company is formed, she sold the shop lot to Jiggles Sdn. Bhd. at market price. Thus, she gained a lucrative profit of RM200,000 without the knowledge of any other party. Definition of promoter Section 4(1) of the Companies Act 1965 defined promoter is a person preparing prospectus. (not limited to this definition alone) According to Cockburn CJ in Twycross v Grant (1877), a promoter is a â€Å"person who undertakes to form a company with reference to a given object and set it going and takes the necessary steps to accomplish the purpose†. (Company Law in Malaysia, pg42) A promoter may be a natural person for example when the sole proprietor promotes a company to take over his business. (Company Law in Malaysia, pg42) The promotion process includes negotiations, registration of the company, obtaining directors and shareholders and preparing the paper work. In this case, Rolly is the promoter of Jiggles Sdn. Bhd as she meets the definition of promoters. She is a sole proprietor who selling cupcakes, promoted the company to take over her business. Besides, she also obtained shareholders by approaching Molly and Polly. Promoters’ duties Thus, Rolly is under a fiduciary relationship with the company. She has an obligation to act in good faith for the best interest of the company and must avoid conflict of interest which will affect her behavior. Under the duty of promoter, promoter should not make secret profit, defraud the company by active concealment, disclose confidential information, hides any personal interest. On the other hand, they should make a true and honest account to the company for his dealing on behalf of the company and make full and frank disclosure to shareholders and directors. In this case, Rolly had breached her fiduciary duty. She had made a secret profit of RM200,000. She did not make full and frank disclosure of her interest to the shareholders and directors of the company. She had hide her personal interest. Thus, where Rolly fails to declare her interest in the contract with the company she is promoting, the contract is voidable at the company’s  option as in the case of Erlanger v New Sombrero Phosphate Co (1878). Remedies of breach of duty As in the case of Erlanger v New Sombrero Phosphate Co (1878), the contract is voidable at the company’s option. Thus, the company may avail itself of the following remedies. The company may rescind the contract, claim for damages or recovery of secret profit. Rescind the contract-The company may choose to put an end to the contract. If the company terminates the contract, both parties are to return the benefits received. Thus, the company has to return the shop lot and Rolly has to return the purchase price received. Damages- The court may order Rolly to pay damages to the company for loss incurred when rescission is not possible, as in the case of Re Leeds and Handley Treatres of Variety. Recovery of secret profits- When rescission is not possible or the company does not want to rescind the contract, the company can recover the secret profit made by Rolly.

What Romeo and Juliet Laws Mean for Teens

What Romeo and Juliet Laws Mean for Teens When Shakespeare brought Romeo and Juliet to life, he was intentional in choosing two young characters as his protagonists. Then as now, two teenagers having consensual sex is perfectly understandable. On the other hand, an adult molesting a child is reprehensible. The difference between the two situations would seem obvious. But in many states across America, from a legal standpoint, there’s little distinction between Romeo and Juliets mutual decision and the abusive actions of a child molester. An older teen who has sex with his younger girlfriend can be arrested, prosecuted, and jailed for the act. Even worse, they may carry the stigma of being labeled a sex offender for the rest of their life. The problem typically arises when the male is 18 or 19, the female is between 14 and 16, and the parent of the younger teen presses charges. (Even Romeo would be labeled a sex offender today, as he was believed to be 16 and Juliet 13 when their relationship began.) Consent and Advice Though the age of consent (i.e. the age at which an individual can legally agree to have sex) varies from state to state- and often splits along gender lines- it is definitive in one aspect: it refers to sexual acts between heterosexuals. In over half the states, sex between homosexuals is either not addressed by existing laws or is considered a crime. Recent changes in the laws governing consensual sex between minors or an adult 18 years of age and a minor 14-16 years of age have acknowledged that this intimacy is not the same as molestation. The new laws, named â€Å"Romeo and Juliet laws† after Shakespeare’s tragic teenage lovers, attempt to correct overly harsh penalties and prison terms meted out over the years. In 2007, these laws went into effect in Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, and Texas. Several other states have followed, with about half the states currently having some form of Romeo and Juliet law. Accidental Sex Offender In Florida, a 28-year-old man who’d been placed on the state’s sex offender registry was able to remove his name after the passage of Florida’s Romeo and Juliet law in July 2007. At age 17, Anthony Croce began having sex with his 15-year-old girlfriend; when he turned 18, the girl’s disapproving mother pressed charges and Croce pleaded no contest. He was then legally compelled to register as a sex offender. Florida’s new law still regards underage sex as a crime, but a judge may now determine whether to strike the sex offender designation from those previously convicted. Cases that may lead to an overturned designation would involve a victim who is age 14–17 and has agreed to consensual sex; the offender would have to be no more than four years older than the victim and have no other sex crimes on their record. Gay Bias in Rulings For teenagers who are gay or lesbian and engage in consensual sex, the laws are much tougher. A 2004 case heard by the Kansas Supreme Court had civil libertarians and gay rights groups protesting the existence of a double standard. Matthew Limon was a mentally disabled 17-year-old when he had consensual sex with a 14-year-old boy. Under the Romeo and Juliet law enacted in Kansas in 1999, Limon would have been sentenced to 15 months in prison if the boy had been a girl. But because the law states that partners must be members of the opposite sex, ​Limon was given a 17-year sentence. California state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, introduced a bill in 2019 to add same-sex relationships to the states Romeo and Juliet law. The law seeks only to bring equality to gay and lesbian offenders and still would bring sex-offender status for adults to have sex with underage teens of the same sex or for a teen to have sex with anyone of the same sex under 14. Papa Dont Preach and Dont Press Charges The Romeo and Juliet laws are frequently enforced unfairly says Mark Chaffin, a researcher with the University of Oklahoma-based National Center on the Sexual Behavior of Youth. In many cases, they are enforced largely by how angry the parents of the younger party are. 2-Year Difference 10-Year Sentence One well-publicized case demonstrating the need for Romeo and Juliet legislation is that of Genarlow Wilson, a 17-year-old who was imprisoned for having consensual oral sex with a 15-year-old female. An athlete and honor student, Wilson was videotaped at a New Year’s Eve celebration engaging in oral sex and was sentenced to 10 years for aggravated child molestation. After serving jail time from 2003–07, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that Wilson should be released; and this decision was followed by a change in state law that reduced consensual sex between teenagers to a misdemeanor with a maximum sentence of one year. Sources Man shed sex offender status under new Romeo and Juliet law. Associated Press. Aug. 6, 2007.New Laws Take Romeo Into Account https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2007/07/16/new-laws-take-romeo-into-accountReynolds, Dave. Court to Decide on Discriminatory ‘Sodomy’ Law. The New Standard. Sept. 1, 2004.Why Is Gay Underage Sex Criminalized When Straight Sex Is Not? https://www.advocate.com/crime/2019/1/23/why-gay-underage-sex-criminalized-when-straight-sex-not

The eNotes Blog How to UseCommas

How to UseCommas This is part one  in our original grammar series. Today, we discuss the comma. It has rules attached to it that are easy to forget, and often hard to understand. Which of these sentences is correctly punctuated? A) Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart,† describes the crazy narrator’s murder of the old man he lives with. B) Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is as enjoyable as it is educational. C) Herman Melville’s novel, Moby-Dick, is as enjoyable as it is educational. A) Anne Sullivan, Helen Keller’s teacher is clearly a saint. B) Anne Sullivan, Helen Keller’s teacher, is clearly a saint. A) She is a lost little girl. B) She is a lost, little girl. A) That’s not my sister’s porcupine, however, it does have a certain resemblance. B) That’s not my sister’s porcupine; despite its resemblance. C) That’s not my sister’s porcupine; however, it does have a certain resemblance. Original text: â€Å"Faulkner’s run-on sentences reflect his modernist genius; they also drive me nuts.† A) â€Å"Faulkner’s run-on sentences reflect his modernist genius,† the editor opined. B) â€Å"Faulkner’s run-on sentences reflect his modernist genius;† the editor opined. C) â€Å"Faulkner’s run-on sentences reflect his modernist genius†, the editor opined. Answers: 1. b 2. b 3. a 4. c 5. a If you got any answers wrong, read on for our five simple comma rules: 1. Commas and the titles of literary works It is tempting to write an opening sentence like this: Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart,† describes the crazy narrator’s murder of the old man he lives with. The problem is that by surrounding the title of Poe’s works with commas, you are implying that Poe only wrote one short story. The commas here denote a non-restrictive modifier (that is, information that isn’t necessary for someone to understand the sentence). So while it’s perfectly acceptable (or it will be until July) to write Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is as enjoyable as it is educational, it’s rather confusing if one writes Herman Melville’s novel, Moby-Dick, is as enjoyable as it is educational (and not only because it definitely isn’t). The difference is that Harper Lee has only written one novel, while Herman Melville has written many. The appropriate way to write the second sentence is Herman Melville’s n ovel Moby-Dick is as enjoyable as it is educational. 2. Commas used like parentheses (more nonrestrictive modifiers) As long as we’re talking about restrictive and nonrestrictive modifiers (repress your collective groan), let’s discuss the oft-neglected second comma. You know it goes there. Anne Sullivan, Helen Keller’s teacher is clearly a saint would look a lot better to your poor editors if it read Anne Sullivan, Helen Keller’s teacher, is clearly a saint. â€Å"Helen Keller’s teacher† isn’t necessary for you to figure out who the subject of the sentence is, and therefore is a nonrestrictive modifier (and must have two commas- count ‘em, two). 3. Commas between adjectives Nobody ever satisfactorily explained this to me- they used big obsolete words and dizzying grammatical terms. And then someone taught me one easy trick. If you’re debating whether to put a comma between your adjectives, ask yourself if you would stick the word â€Å"and† in between them. If you wouldn’t, then there’s a good chance no comma is needed. Lost and little girl? Nope. Lost little girl it is. 4. Semicolons are not commas They sound like commas in that they mark a pause, but they are devious and easy to misuse. The thing to remember is that on both sides of a semicolon must be two independent clauses- so sometimes they can go where a comma would, but other times they can’t. For example, this one is just fine; it demonstrates excellent semicolon usage. But this one; sadly, isn’t. 5. Commas and quotations Your commas generally go inside the final quotation mark, unless you are citing something in the text and using parentheses, â€Å"in which case it goes after the parenthesis† (citation), like that. Semicolons and colons, however, are relegated to the outside of the final quotation mark.

Advanced research methods - Smart Custom Writing Samples

Advanced research methods - Smart Custom Writing Functions of fleet managementThe function of fleet management is to enable organizations which depend on transportation in their operations to discard or reduce perils associated with motor investment, improving competency, productivity and minimize the long run expenses, and offering policies which are 100% government friendly among others (Crainic, p 10). Fleet management involves vehicles such as Lorries, tractors, cars, containers among others. It comes with a wide range of functions which includes maintenance, tracking and health management. A system of tracking, GPS (global positioning system), can be used to perform all these functions (Broida, p11). A recent study indicates that, commercially, the numbers of fleet units which are in offing in Europe are over one million (Crainic, p 12). This article attempts to define the possible on-going functions in fleet management. It will highlight the differences between the initial activities from on going functions in fleet managemen t. Finally, it will explain why the ongoing functions are needed (Crainic, p 13). The major function of fleet management it motor tracking system. Basically, this system uses global positioning system (Broida, p11). This particular system is so efficient that it can track a car in any place in different languages. This is one of the on going functions. Initially this was difficult because the GPS facility was not in the offing (Broida, p11). Another ongoing function is getting information by linking the motor with the global positioning system to get information for the user. When this is done, it assists in getting rate of fuel consumption and readings on the mileage. Initially, this was only possible physically and not through the computer (Dolce, p32). Fleet management has played a big role in getting information how the drivers are carrying themselves around. This has been made possible by integrating information from the tracking device and the computer. This is yet another on-going function by fleet management which initially was not possible (Dolce, p35). Another important function is the security. The security covers the car while at rest or while moving and it carefully disconnects the car while on the move. Through this, the fleet management has made it possible to recover any stolen car. The security is yet another development which was not there initially. This service is needed because it helps in reducing losses as far as the number of vehicles stolen is concerned (Broida, p23). Ship management is control of the ship while in water. This basically is done so as the fleet management can provide competent staff, offer maintenance and manage the daily operations. By doing this, the owner is given an opportunity to go book cargo. Initially, the whole responsibility was left in the hands of the owner. This type of arrangement is needed so as to ensure quality services are offered by the ships (Broida, p25). The device that disconnects vehicles using a remote is yet another function of fleet management. This facility does not allow the engine to work and therefore the car does not move (Crainic, p 22). The system is even able to alert the one driving the car that the disconnection is almost happening. The same system of disconnecting remote can be merged with danger remote so that in case of an urgent thing the driver can easily communicate thus the situation is addressed immediately (Crainic, p 22). Initially the remote had only the key responsibility of disconnecting the engine but it has been discovered it can be used to alert I case of emergency. This is needed because it can be used to reduce accidents on the road and in water (Crainic, p 23). In conclusion, fleet management has experienced what can be said to be a milestone if compared with its functions initially. The advancement of technology has made it possible for global positioning system to be discovered. This has seen the fleet management grow. Works cited: Crainic, T.G., Crainic, G. Fleet management and logistics New York: Springer, 1998 2-56 Dolce, J. Fleet management New York: McGraw-Hill, 1984 3-46 Broida, R. How to do everything with your GPS New York: McGraw-Hill Professional, 2003 4-78

Department of Agriculture Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Department of Agriculture - Research Paper Example This rule proposes changing the marketing agreements that are established between packers and suppliers through the changing of judicial precedent. Ultimately this would make it easier for suppliers to sue in the Packers & Stockyards Act Lawsuit. Furthermore, this act would make it less likely that a packers union to utilize such an agreement. In the end, it was postulated that most, Cattle, Pig & Poultry producers as well as meat & poultry processors oppose this regulatory change. In the past, these marketing agreements help livestock producers manage volatile changes in prices through the establishment of long term contracts. In many respects it has been argued that these long term agreements only benefit large packing concerns and by banning these agreements it becomes easier for smaller packers to compete and ultimately create more bidding pressure on cattle, pig & poultry producers. Although this sounds great on paper the experience in reality may not be the same. Many producers favor long term agreements owing to a great deal of uncertainty in the price of livestock. The paper demonstrated that the price of livestock is 500% more volatile than the price of meat. ... This (Theoretically) would lead to a decreased demand for meat. The cascading effect may not only lead to overall drop in demand for meat and meat byproducts but could also lead to a decline in the quantity of jobs in the industry. If producers would not be allowed to enter into long term marketing agreements, ultimately there would be a 500% more volatile would translate to higher uncertainty in the market and make it difficult to guarantee long-term stable employment. Currently there are more than 14 million people looking for employment in the United States and this regulatory change would theoretically remove approximately 21,000 stable jobs from the worker pool. The implications from this would be a strongly negative effect on the American economy. Moreover one could postulate that these changes would also have a negative effect on the long term prospects of stable employment for retailers as well. With increased prices of meat products this may reduce the overall profitability of meat products at the retail level. Lastly this uncertainty would lead to a difficulty in the production of quality production products such as raising U.S. Prime or top end U.S. Choice. Without a guarantee that top quality livestock will receive a profitable price, than it may be the case that many ranchers will focus their efforts away from breeding higher quality cattle and move towards more generic cattle. In terms of trickle down effect one can expect some negative consequences for suppliers to the cattle, pork and poultry industries. As there is less incentive to produce high quality livestock one can expect a negative consequence for growers of

The Role of Government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Role of Government - Essay Example mited by the government, Democracy a government where power is held by the people, Dictatorship a government where the ruler holds all the power, Monarchy where power is inherited and passed on to the ruler’s heir and many more there are governments within the world that adopted hybrid systems of government that are a combination of a number of types of governments, examples are modern Iran whose hybrid government is a combination of theocratic institutions and democracy and the Netherlands whose government is a combination of democracy and monarchy (Adler, 1996). A government’s fundamental role is to maintain basic security and social order within its framework. In the words of the philosopher Thomas Hobbes people tend to prefer submission to a government dominated by a sovereign rather than a system where there is no government, a system also known as anarchy therefore people in a community will submit to a government to create for themselves a system security and social order. We can see that states or nations whose populations live under a state of anarchy there is a distinct condition of turmoil and confusion amongst them since each and every one of them has to fend for themselves and there is no provision of basic social amenities by a defined body hence it is important to have a central governing body be it political, religious or hierarchical and which is charged through its machinery to uphold the rule of law and ensure that every member of society under its governance is able to access the basic social amenities that is education, affordable health care and a shelter to live in (Schulze, 1994). It’s the role of the government to protect its citizens from its neighbors or potential non neighbors from any threat that they may pose from outside the countrys borders. This necessitates the need of a military through which defense can be enhanced. In the medieval times families relied on strong family members to protect them, their crops in the

Informative Speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Informative Speech - Essay Example Sometimes we pass the things that should affect our lives, directly or not. When did people become familiar with this term: Politics of global warming? May be it is a whole Era that we are entering right now, those who will live for the next century only in concerns of climate change. Simply speaking, I think depending on what angle the global warming takes; it will affect our generation by our country’s policy, international position, and plan of actions. How politicians decide what affects global warming, will determine how we will be living tomorrow. Politicians and republicans are starting to take some actions toward the climate change issue and thats to enable them to gain the publics voice to win the elections. The people also are starting to take some step towards having a better climate "In January 2012, just before South Carolina’s Republican presidential primary, the Charleston-based Christian Coalition of America, one of the most influential advocacy groups in conservative politics, flew Emanuel down to meet with the GOP presidential candidates. Perhaps an unlikely prophet of doom where global warming is concerned, the coalition has begun to push Republicans to take action on climate change. In sum, people should give real facts about global warming rather than using the subject for their political

Article summary Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Summary - Article Example ost common type of cardiovascular disease among aboriginal people is the coronary heart disease whose cause although largely unknown, several risk factors have been found to increase its chance of occurrence. These include high levels of cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes mellitus smoking and high density of lipoproteins; these risk factors are attributed to the lifestyles and the socio-economic status of the aboriginal people. For the last couple of decades, the aboriginal people have adopted a western lifestyle including their nutritional patterns and behaviour, which include eating foods rich in calories and adopting inactive lifestyles; this has led to increase in cardiovascular diseases. Type 2 diabetes, which is the most common among the aboriginal people is usually characterised by resistance to insulin, high blood glucose levels and reduction in insulin levels. This type of diabetes is most often found in adults and its risk is increased by obesity, lack of physical activity, stress, depression and poor nutritional habits. Since diabetes and severe obesity have been found to be linked, mainly through the adipose tissue, which has been found to trigger insulin resistance in sells, the appearance of obesity will in most cases lead to diabetes. For the last 50 years, prevalence of type 2 diabetes has been increasing among aboriginal populations with about 17.9 percent of all adult being diagnosed with the disease, the figure rises to 35 per cent among individuals 55 years or older. In some communities in northwestern Ontario, the prevalence has been found to be as high as 80 per cent among women between 50 and 64 years of age. However, this trend has not spared people much younger among the first nation communities with studies showing that 53 per cent of those living with diabetes are below 41 years of age and 65 per cent are below 45 years. This type of diabetes, although not observed in youths, it has been found in young children between 5 and 8 years in

In what Ways Can Political Risk Impact on the Operations of an Essay

In what Ways Can Political Risk Impact on the Operations of an International Company - Essay Example As in its context, political risk is described as ‘the risk of loss of assets, earning power or managerial control due to politically based events or actions by host governments’ (Daft 116). From a similar view, Sharan (2011) notes that political risk is a term used in order to show the response of international companies to ‘political scenarios developed in host countries’ (Sharan 229). The aspects of political risk that international companies are likely to face are presented and analyzed in this paper. Reference is made to a specific company, Shell, which is well established in the global market. The political risk that Shell faces in Nigeria is used as an example in order to show that the specific type of risk is inevitable for firms operating around the world. Moreover, under certain terms this risk can severely threaten organizational activities in the host country, unless appropriate measures are developed in advance. 2. Political risk as a factor inf luencing the operations of international companies The political environment of a particular country can highly affect business operations in all its industries. Foreign firms operating in this country are also likely to be influenced by changes or turbulences in the local political environment. ... Moreover, there are countries, which are most likely to face such problems, compared to others where political instability is rather low. For example, in ‘Indonesia and Sri Lanka’ (Daft and Marcic 88) social conflicts are quite common, increasing the political risk for foreign firms operating in these countries. Moreover, Aswathappa (2010) notes that political risk can affect business activities ‘in different ways’ (Aswathappa 131). For example, in the context of political risk, an international firm may have to face the following problems: ‘a) expropriation of its assets, b) barriers to repatriation of profits, c) loss of technology, d) campaigns against foreign goods’ (Aswathappa 131). The above risks are described as macro – risks, being differentiated from micro – political risks, such as: a) ‘the kidnappings of employees, the increase of taxation or terrorism’ (Aswathappa 131). Moreover, Aswathappa (2010) notes th at political risk can affect business activities ‘in different ways’ (Aswathappa 131). For example, in the context of political risk, an international firm may have to face the following problems: ‘a) expropriation of its assets, b) barriers to repatriation of profits, c) loss of technology, d) campaigns against foreign goods’ (Aswathappa 131). The above risks are described as macro – risks, being differentiated from micro – political risks, such as: a) ‘the kidnappings of employees, the increase of taxation or terrorism’ (Aswathappa 131). On the other hand, Mckellar (2010) notes that important information on the political environment of a particular country can be retrieved through the international organizations, usually non-for-profit organizations, operating within this country. In any case, political risk

Influence of human surroundings on buildings Essay

Influence of human surroundings on buildings - Essay Example In older styles, such as Gothic, Romanesque or Renaissance, these are more evident of times gone by, periods of architecture which are no longer built. Yet some of these influences are reflected in the current-day buildings and consequently, are considered vernacular. Therefore, it is easy to claim that vernacular is a combination of styles, without the influence of any one particular architect or stylist (Arboleda 2006). Vernacular architecture is considered to be crafted by the builder, according to the desires of the owner who may also be the builder too. Over time, buildings such as these, when created through trial and error in first processes, become perfected and then reflect the style of the society or environment within which it resides. Rather than pursuing the aesthetic quality or some egotistical vision of a particular artist/architect, vernacular building is more about accomplishing the factors of function and ecological assimilation and also providing comfort of living at the same time (Ladd 2003). Local materials are used as well as local workers and this also provides a sense of the place having grown from the ‘roots’ of the local social environment. Vernacular building can also be representative of local observances such as a church and its flock of worshipers and provide remembrance of the religion through how it is built, according to the belief structure of those who will use it. The local populace in older times, were craftsmen who utilized functional skills in preparing materials and in the creation of infrastructure which was to provide a functional, well-built building, created to withstand much of nature’s harsh storms and other events, commiserate with that local population and environment (Ladd 2003). In America, log cabins are considered to be the early American style, consistent with the early settlers who built their homes using the trees around them. Today’s pre-packaged version in whatever wood choice y ou want, represents that stereo-typed tradition of the early days without the hassle of having to cut it down yourself. Of course, you could do it that way if you own the land you plan to build on and have the physical energy to do so. While vernacular building was representative of times gone by, including historical references, today’s version is more about sustainability, technological advances in building processes, and referencing the social and natural environment around the location (Arboleda 2006). The vernacular building is created to provide the necessities of life such as shelter, warmth and a place to cook and eat food. It is created to suit the owner and to also meld within the local social infrastructure. Apartment buildings are a type of vernacular building in that they are built, not necessarily with a particular style, but to suit the basic needs of anyone renting an apartment there. The basics include a main room, bedroom(s), bathroom(s) and the kitchen. In some cases, specifically-intentioned dining rooms are also included in those costing a little more. This is

In what Ways Can Political Risk Impact on the Operations of an Essay

In what Ways Can Political Risk Impact on the Operations of an International Company - Essay Example As in its context, political risk is described as ‘the risk of loss of assets, earning power or managerial control due to politically based events or actions by host governments’ (Daft 116). From a similar view, Sharan (2011) notes that political risk is a term used in order to show the response of international companies to ‘political scenarios developed in host countries’ (Sharan 229). The aspects of political risk that international companies are likely to face are presented and analyzed in this paper. Reference is made to a specific company, Shell, which is well established in the global market. The political risk that Shell faces in Nigeria is used as an example in order to show that the specific type of risk is inevitable for firms operating around the world. Moreover, under certain terms this risk can severely threaten organizational activities in the host country, unless appropriate measures are developed in advance. 2. Political risk as a factor inf luencing the operations of international companies The political environment of a particular country can highly affect business operations in all its industries. Foreign firms operating in this country are also likely to be influenced by changes or turbulences in the local political environment. ... Moreover, there are countries, which are most likely to face such problems, compared to others where political instability is rather low. For example, in ‘Indonesia and Sri Lanka’ (Daft and Marcic 88) social conflicts are quite common, increasing the political risk for foreign firms operating in these countries. Moreover, Aswathappa (2010) notes that political risk can affect business activities ‘in different ways’ (Aswathappa 131). For example, in the context of political risk, an international firm may have to face the following problems: ‘a) expropriation of its assets, b) barriers to repatriation of profits, c) loss of technology, d) campaigns against foreign goods’ (Aswathappa 131). The above risks are described as macro – risks, being differentiated from micro – political risks, such as: a) ‘the kidnappings of employees, the increase of taxation or terrorism’ (Aswathappa 131). Moreover, Aswathappa (2010) notes th at political risk can affect business activities ‘in different ways’ (Aswathappa 131). For example, in the context of political risk, an international firm may have to face the following problems: ‘a) expropriation of its assets, b) barriers to repatriation of profits, c) loss of technology, d) campaigns against foreign goods’ (Aswathappa 131). The above risks are described as macro – risks, being differentiated from micro – political risks, such as: a) ‘the kidnappings of employees, the increase of taxation or terrorism’ (Aswathappa 131). On the other hand, Mckellar (2010) notes that important information on the political environment of a particular country can be retrieved through the international organizations, usually non-for-profit organizations, operating within this country. In any case, political risk

Sample Company’s Challenge Essay Example for Free

Sample Company’s Challenge Essay Sample Company has offices in Sacramento, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas and is currently working on a IPv4 infrastructure which poses a problem with future business operations. By the end of 2011, there will be no more IPv4 addresses. New customers and Internet traffic will be using the next-generation protocol: IPv6. The accelerating growth of the Internet presents powerful opportunities to transform the way we work, live, play, and learn. † (The Internet is in Transition, 2011). Do you want to be on the cutting edge of Internet possibilities or still working on the old IPv4 platform? ABC, Inc. s Solution: To successfully convert your company from an IPv4 to IPv6 platform. This business proposal will explain the advantages of a TCP/IP IPv6 infrastructure and how it will help to improve business operations. Now is the time to plan for this critical transition! Below, I will explain the numerous advantages of IPv6 over IPv4. In analyzing your company’s size and sales figures, I have noticed that there are 3,586 companies in the USA within your same industry and you operate smaller than average in annual business sales, number of employees, and revenue per employee but rank average for the amount of years in business. So you ask, why bother transitioning to IPv6 when we are a much smaller business than the average business in this industry? Do we really need to? The answer is yes and the reasons why are explained below. IPv6 Provides More Addresses: Most industries rely on the Internet and have seen significant gains in production and operations from this technology. Suppliers, customers, vendors, etc. use the Internet for orders, supply tracking, etc. The internet now plays a crucial role in most companies operations. While IPv4 has worked well for us for many years, the problem now lies in space exhaustion. It is estimated that IPv4 can only address 4 billion IP addresses. IPv4 is the protocol that provides these IP addresses which are like phone numbers or a home address that describes the physical location of the node or computer so that they may communicate with the Internet. The advantage of IPv6 is that it will use 128 bit addresses instead of the 32 bit addresses that IPv4 currently uses which caps us at the roughly 4 billion maximum addresses available. This means, there will virtually be enough addresses on IPv6 to address almost every device the particular network is utilizing. Therefore, when IPv6 increases the size and range of devices connected to the Internet, the benefit of the network effect will increase as well. â€Å"To provide equal opportunities worldwide, the Internet architecture must cope with rapid growth in consumer interest and usage. The forecast for growth leads to a new perspective on the demand for IP address space. Even without taking into consideration expected address allocation inefficiencies, IPv4’s 32-bit address space is inadequate to support a plethora of connected devices owned by one-third of Earth’s population. (Grossetete, Popoviciu, Wettling, 2008). IPv6 Security Advantages: Another advantage of IPv6 over IPv4 is security. IPv4 offers an optional IP security where IPv6 has it already built in. â€Å"IPv6 ensures that there are end-to-end security mechanisms that will provide authentication and encryption abilities to all applications and thereby eliminates the need for applications themselves to have integrated support for such abilities. The added benefit of using the same security mechanisms for all applications is that setting up and administering security policies becomes a lot simpler. IPv6 allows for complete end-to-end security thereby allowing for a new set of personalized services to be deployed such as mobile e-commerce services that rely on secure transactions. TCP/IP networks that are utilizing IPv4 are dealing with a host of issues encompassing security† (Das, K. 2011). In today’s Internet world, IPv4 platform security issues exist like connection hijacking, IP spoofing, and packet sniffing. There are not always solutions to these problems and if attempted solutions exist, they are usually at the Application level which creates a problem because they re not always operational between different applications or networks. While IPv6 is not a solution to all possible attacks and situations, it does address many lower level attacks which accounts for the majority of attacks on the average network. IPv6 and WANs: Your company has offices all over the nation which means you are utilizing a WAN or wide area network. IPv6 will work even better with WAN’s because â€Å"The expansion of the Internet is also tied to the rapid development and market penetration of enabling technologies such as high-speed broadband and wireless access. Many enterprises have shifted from point-to-point, ATM, and Frame Relay infrastructures to IP-based local- and wide-area networks (LAN and WAN) for basic business operations. Traditional voice carriers are migrating their voice network to IP-based transport to reduce or eliminate future capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operational expenditure (OPEX) related to redundant parallel network infrastructures. These IP-based technologies modify an application’s landscape by changing the use of the Internet from a client/server model to a more distributed model or peer-to-peer model. Very rapid and successful adoption of distributed applications such as Voice over Internet (VoIP), instant messaging, content sharing, and Internet gaming leads people with â€Å"always-on† and â€Å"always best† access to the Internet to be content producers as well as consumers. An expanded IP address space is necessary to support this paradigm change in the way the Internet is used† (Grossetete, Popoviciu, Wettling, 2008). IPV6 and VPN’s: Another advantage of IPv6 over IPv4 is the benefits it offers associated with VPN’s or virtual private networks. If you plan to implement a VPN or are currently running one, IPv6 will present new advantages. For example, in IPv6 it will be easier to implement a VPN because of the headers. IPv4 does not allow for multiple headers which creates a problem of compatibility within the firewalls of different vendors. IPv6 allows for multiple headers and eliminates this problem. Simply stated, this leads to faster routing. IPv6 and Networking: IPv6 creates a new platform that the Internet can operate on makes for the atmosphere of growth. One of the biggest advantages is the change from peer to peer networking to end to end networking. Peer to peer networking examples are VOiP, online video gaming, online video-conferencing etc. End to end networking allows for a group of computers to talk to each other without the need for process through a server first. That is a huge advantage! IPv6 and Better Node Configurations: Next, IPv6 trumps IPv4 because of node configurations. Every piece of equipment attached to a network must be configured properly and now it will be easier than ever with IPv6. This is because IPv6 offers automatic configuration versus the stateful configuration needed for IPv4. What does this mean you ask? It means that, â€Å"In stateless auto configuration, a host can automatically configure its own IPv6 address and does not need any assistance from a stateful address server. Entire IPv6 prefixes rather than just an address are delivered to a device. This particular feature enables routers to easily auto configure their interfaces and can be used very effectively in broadband access networks to dynamically provide customer gateways† (www. IPv6. com, 2011). IPv6 and the ease of administration: Another great advantage of IPv6 over IPv4 is the ease of administration. In IPV4, any new addressing must be done manually whenever there is a change to the network. With IPv6, you can now have numbering done automatically which makes for easier transitions in network changes of any sort. As you can see, the advantages of IPv6 over IPv4 are numerous. While there is much skepticism on how the transition with be costly and burdensome, it has actually been implemented already in various parts of the world. The earlier you start, the better off you will be should there be any kinds to iron out. This has to be a thoroughly planned event and takes time to changeover. IPv6 creates a new world of internet functionality and growth. Your business can flourish with the advantages of IPv6. As with any new technology, the price is typically higher in the beginning but the long run, you save money because your company is more efficient thus more profitable! â€Å"The improvement in network reliability would build the confidence of both enterprise and individual users in the integrity of network transactions. That would certainly yield high returns. † (IPv6: Its time, 2003).

Process Of Encoding And Decoding English Language Essay

Process Of Encoding And Decoding English Language Essay The main purpose of any classroom teaching in English is to improve the communicative abilities of the learners. To improve the communicative abilities, the classroom teaching has to be necessarily skill oriented. English language is widely used for communication purposes and so competence in language skills has become necessary to improve the communicative abilities specially listening, speaking, reading and writing (LSRW). Among these four skills, both listening and reading are called as receptive skills or passive skills and the other two skills, namely speaking and writing are called as productive skills or active skills. It is important to note that these skills are interconnected in order to achieve the overall objectives of communication. Every thing takes place and develops within the linguistic, cultural and social boundaries of the concerned society in which the particular language is spoken. It is the curriculum, syllabus; text book, teaching methodologies under the efficient functioning of the teacher in the classroom, those students are shaped in communicative competence. 2.4.1 Listening Skills Listening is the capacity to process information coming from an aural source. Such information is first filtered by the perceptual processes of the listener and absorbed into the short-term memory. Selected information is then stored into the long-term memory for retrieval at a later stage, if and when required. Listening is the first and foremost language mode that children acquire which provides the basis for the other language arts (Lundsteen, 1979). The activity of listening plays an important role in the process of acquiring/learning language whether it is first or second language. The linguistic items like phonemes, morphemes, lexical items, grammatical items, syntax and semantics are taught to listen in order to develop other modes of language viz; speaking, reading and writing. Listening is a conscious act. It is a complex, multi step process by which spoken language is converted into meaning in the mind (Lundsteen, 1979.1) Wolvin and Coakly (1985) have identified three steps in the process of listening which are receiving, attending and assigning meaning. In the first step, listeners receive the aural stimuli or the combined aural and visual stimuli presented by the speaker. In the second step, listeners focus on or attend to select stimuli while ignoring other distracting stimuli in the classroom. In the third step, listeners assign meaning to or understand the speakers message. The Process of Encoding and Decoding An act of communication requires encoder- the speaker and decoder- the listener. The speaker encodes the concept or message through a set of code. The listener decodes the concept or message from the set of code used by the speaker. That is, on the one hand, the act of encoding involves hearing the sounds into words, words into sentences, sentences into discourses. On the other hand, the act of decoding involves identifying the sounds, understanding the utterances and their meanings, and recognizing the prosodic features like tone, intonation, pitch, stress etc. used by the speaker. Listening comprehensive process Richards (1990) draws two way process of listening comprehension; top-down and bottom-up processing. In top-down processing, the listener gets an overall or general view of the text. This is facilitated in the listeners schemata allow him/her to have appropriate expectations of what he/she is going to come across. In bottom-up processing, on the other hand the listener focuses on individual words and phrases and achieves understanding by putting the detailed elements together to build up a whole (Harmer 2001). According to Harmer it is useful to see acts of listening texts as interactions between top-down and bottom-up processing. The Speaker-Listener Polarity For the effective exchange of information, both the speaker and the listener are expected to be equipped with the competence of the language which is used. That is, the same level of competence is expected from the listener and the speaker as well. Any short- coming in the linguistic competence of the listener or the speaker would affect the communication. So, both the polarities should be more or less equally equipped with the linguistic competence of that language for effective and efficient communication. Types of Listening Cralvin (1985) (as cited by Chidambaram, (2005) has identified eight categories of listening with due general purpose. Translational listening-learning new information (speeches, debates, political conventions). International listening-recognizing personal component of message (new pieces of speech, report). Critical listening- evaluating reasoning and evidence (news broadcast). Recreational listening- approaching random or integrated aspects or event. Listening for appreciation- information, making critical discriminations or selection. Selective listening- Selecting certain features at a time (phonetic features) Intensive listening- for details (vocabulary, grammar) Extensive listening- (general idea stories, rhymes, songs). Relationship between Speaking and Listening Speaking and listening are interdependent processes. The activity of speaking requires at least a listener, an individual or an audience. The speaker speaks keeping certain objectives in his or her mind. That is, speaking involves conveying meaning using a code and listening involves understanding the meaning with the help of code the speaker used. If it is a transaction, one way listening, the speaker does not receive feedback, but if it is interaction, two- way listening the speaker receives feedback for the listener. In transactional or conversational discourse, sending-receiving and receiving-sending are alternative phenomena. Purpose of Listening While listening to various texts, one applies different skills to process the text, depending on the purposes for which one is listening. Listening is the only medium through which one access the sounds of a language and all the supra segmental features of the language, such as tone, pitch, stress, pause, etc. Hence, listening is a pre-requisite for speaking and at a later stage, for reading. Without knowing how a language sounds, one cannot engage confidently in speaking in the language, and without knowing how the sound patterns of the language function, reading its graphics serves little purpose. Teaching discriminative listening helps the learner to comprehend the language. Listening can be a major source of pleasure and relaxation. Listening to the sounds in nature can be very soothing. Listening to someone reading stories aloud or poem is a pleasurable activity. Listening is also an important social skill. People listen to allow a speaker to talk through a problem. Children, as well as adults, serve as a systematic listener for friends and family members. Sub-Skills of Listening Each skill of language comprises a large number of sub skills, whose value and relevance vary from one situation to another. Rosts (1990) has distinguished two kinds of clusters of micro skills of listening. Enabling skills (those employed in order to perceive what the speaker is saying and to interpret what they intended to mean) and Enacting skills (those employed to respond appropriately to the message). Enabling Skills Perception Recognizing prominence within utterances, including: Discriminating sounds in words, especially phonemic contrasts. Discriminating strong and weak forms, phonetic change at word boundaries. Identifying use of stress and pitch (information units, emphasis, etc). Interpretation Formulating content sense of utterance, including: Deducing the meaning of unfamiliar words. Inferring implicit information. Inferring links between propositions. Enacting Skills Making an appropriate response including: Transcoding information into written form. Identifying which points need classification. Integrating information with other sources. Providing appropriate feedback to the speaker (Adapted from Rost, 1990. 152 153). (As cited by Chidambaram, 2005). Difficult Factors in Listening There are five major factors that researchers believe affect listening comprehension. Text characteristics (Variation in a listening passage / text or associated visual support. Interlocutor characteristics (Variation in the speakers personal characteristics. Task Characteristics (Variation in the purpose for listening and associated response). Listener Characteristics (Variation in the listeners cognitive activities and in the nature of the interaction between speaker and listener). Teaching Listening Comprehension Listening comprehension involves a number of language skills, though the listening may be the specific focus. Teaching listening can be categorized into two modes. The first one is teaching linguistic nuances like phonemic variations, discrimination of similar sounds in words, recognizing word boundaries, recognizing morphemes, distinguishing grammatical and lexical items in a sentence, etc. The second one is teaching how to listen to a context, how to deduce meaning for an unfamiliar word, how to recognize them over a discourse. These two modes are important and inseparable for teaching of listening comprehension. If any shortcoming is found in teaching of either of this mode, its consequences will be seen in other skills of language. Testing listening skills Listening tasks should aim at helping students arrive at the meaning of words and provoking an examination of the given material. The test items include: Dialogue, news, railway announcement, sentence, words, word pairs, numbers, telephone numbers, years, days were used to test listening comprehension of the students understudy. These test items aim at evaluating the ability and skills of listening such as: predicting text based on information, deducing meaning of unfamiliar words, recognizing prominence with in utterance including: Discriminating sounds in words especially phonemic contrasts, phonetic changes, deducing the meaning of unfamiliar words, recognizing grammatical errors in sentences, recognizing word boundaries, etc,. Conclusion Here, the emphasis is on the importance of addressing the differences between spoken and written texts in the teaching of listening skills. It is only when learners are aware of the unique characteristics of authentic listening input that they can be equipped with the skills to handle real life communication. 2.4.2 Speaking Skills Language is the basic form of communication between human beings and in a society. As human beings, they always need communication to express their ideas to do everything; whats more as students or learners they have to speak to express their ideas to their teacher as long as learning process takes place. Speech is the first and foremost form of communication. It occupies a predominant position in enlightening the minds of the people. Information is understood and processed easily through speech rather than writing. Speech is biologically endowed behaviour of human beings. Spoken language has wider range of functions to perform than the written language. They start from casual spontaneous conversations ending with formal speeches and so on. Written language tends to serve rather specialized functions at the formal level. In the process of learning spoken mode of second language, learner encounters difficulties because of inter and intra-lingual factors, language shock, cultural shock and so on. However, difficulties and problems are inevitable in the process of learning spoken or written mode of the L2. Process of Communication Communication is a process of exchanging verbal and non-verbal messages. It is continuous process. This process can be termed as human communication or oral communication. The activities of the communication maintain eco-balance, co-operation, and tolerance and bring the people in a common line. The complete communication process is the hierarchical arrangement of the various components of communication. They are as follows: Intended message Encoder Signals Decoder The received message Feedback Message is the key idea that the sender wants to communicate. Messages can be abstract ideas and feelings of speaker who wishes to communicate. Encoder is a person who sends the message in the form of words and gestures. Signal is a means used to exchange or transmit the message in the form of the mechanical impulse. Channel is the medium through which a signal travels. Decoder is a person for whom the message is intended/aimed. Decoder receives communication signals into meaning and ideas. Received message is the result of decoding communication signals. Feedback helps the sender in confirming the correct interpretation of message by the decoder. Psychologically speaking after receiving the message, the nervous system of the receiver is activated and subsequently interpreted and appropriate meanings are assigned to the received codes to make the communication process complete. Communicative Competence The term communicative competence is coined by the anthropological linguist Dell Hymes (1967, 1972). Light (1997. 63 ) has described communicative competence as Being able to meet the changing demands and to fulfill ones communication goals across the life span. Communicative competence is the ability to send messages which promote attainment of goals while maintaining social acceptability. The term all modes of communication'(Hymes, 1962) can further be explained as the language competence that has total comprehension, and total verbal exposition in all modes of society, which includes group interactions inter-personal interaction involving different dialectal areas. As it is evident from the above, one thinks of two different types of competence, namely grammatical competence and communicative competence. Grammatical competence is the ability to recognize and to produce distinctive grammatical structures of a language and to use them effectively in communication. Whereas, the communicative competence can be achieved by exposing oneself both to the structure of the language as well as the social behaviour which pivots around certain conventional rules as put forth by the society. Teaching/Learning Speaking Effective communication depends on ones ability to express oneself in speech clearly, accurately and fluently. The development of spoken language involves the development of pragmatic usage in addition to the development of pronunciation, constructing words, phrases, sentences and discourses. Discourse in learning of second language plays a vital role. The stages of learning the speaking skills of L2 are same as learning of speaking L1. The problems encountered by the learners in the process of learning subtle, and detailed knowledge, show the gradual development of spoken language. The purpose of learning the second language fulfills when the learners use language with the real people for real purpose. Communication Strategy Zheng (2004) suggests that communication strategies are feasible and to some extent inevitable for language learners to use in their oral communication. These strategies can enhance language learners confidence, flexibility and effectiveness in oral communication. Tarone (1980. 420; 1983.65) defines communication strategies as a mutual attempt of two interlocutors to agree on a meaning in situations where requisite meaning structures do not seem to be shared. In addition, Canale (1983) and Bygate (2000) argue that communication strategies are used not only to cope with any language related problems of which the speaker is aware during the course of communication, but also to enhance the effectiveness of communication even if there is no problem or difficulty involved in an oral communication. Thus, it can be said that communication strategies are commonly used not only to bridge the gaps between the linguistic and sociolinguistic knowledge of the second language learners and those of the interlocutors in any communication situation but also to keep their talk flowing within their available linguistic knowledge, and eventually manage their oral communication. And also the learners adopt the strategies wherever they encounter problems at all the levels of language like phonological, morphological, syntactical and discourse. Cook (2001) says communication strategy of L2 learners will enhance the learning; and the learners strategy indicates that the learners are encountering the linguistic problems in the process of learning. The learners knowingly or unknowingly use the intra and inter lingual strategies to convey their message to others. By using the strategy they get satisfaction, assuring that they have conveyed the meaning completely to the questions by the researcher. Learning Strategy Learning strategies are defined by Oxford and Crookall as Steps taken by the learners to aid the acquisition, storage and retrieval of information (404). Strategic competence is the way learners manipulate language in order to meet communicative goals (Brown, 1994, 228). It is the ability to compensate for imperfect knowledge of linguistic, sociolinguistic, and discourse rules (Berns, 1990). With reference to speaking, strategic competence refers to the ability to know when and how to take the floor, how to keep a conversation going, how to terminate the conversation, and how to clear up communication breakdown as well as comprehension problems. The strategy of learning differs from learner to learner. However Oà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ²malley and Chamot (1990) have defined three types of strategy used by L2 students: Meta cognitive strategies which involve planning and thinking about learning, such as planning ones learning, monitoring ones own speech or writing and evaluating how well one has done. Cognitive strategies which involve conscious ways of tackling learning, such as note taking, resourcing (using dictionaries and other resources) and elaboration (relating new information to old). Social strategies mean learning by interacting with others. Such as working with fellow students or asking the teachers help. Strategy process Language processing involves the retrieval of words and phrases from memory and their assembly into syntactically and propositionally appropriate sequences. Effective speakers need to be able to process language in their heads and put in coherent order so that it comes out in forms that are comprehensible and convey intended meaning. Process being used with reference to the systematic series of steps by which the learner arrives at the same usage overtime. Bialy Stock (1978) distinguishes process from strategies by the criteria obligatory/optional. Similar criteria are used by Fravefelder and Porqurer (1979) who classify process as universal, strategies as optional mechanism employed by individual L2 learners. Other researchers also defined process as continuing development involving a number of changes. Testing Speaking In second language research, a great deal of attention has been paid to related area of communicative behaviour. So, this part of the chapter concentrates on communication strategies of the L2 learners. Here, it is a tactic followed by the learners to conceal a gap in their communication. Hence, it is a test given to identify when and how the learners make use of such strategies in speech.

Love in the Time of Cholera Essay -- essays research papers

As the title suggests, the novel Love in the Time of Cholera by Garcia Marquez deals with practical and nostalgic love. The author has the ability of portraying excellent determination in his eagerness to develop his stylistic range. Supporting almost a mythical quality grounded with an air of daily gossip, the novel includes descriptions of love which drift between unearthly beauty and terror. Love in the Time of Cholera is a mixture of two contrasting factors: the purity of love, and the way love is personified in everyday life. Love in the Time of Cholera is seen almost as an anatomy of love. The novel's most original descriptions, both in an anatomical and a creative sense, could be compared to the development from seed to flower in the progression of love out of disrespectful neighborhoods of "convenience.'' Most of the meaningless attacks of day to day life, shared by two people who have bonded with each other - all the repulsive smells, undignified tasks and boring routines; all the unspoken bitterness; all the gloomy emphasis on unlived possibilities - are unmercifully described. Love's strength to grow in such dark circumstances, to rise above life's evil forces and still remain slightly unharmed, and to even stay sacred, is perhaps the most expertly portrayed theme in the novel. Just as the superior power of spiritual love may overcome the seriousness of level-headedness, so too it may overwhelm passionate strength, transforming Florentino's nostalgia of love ...

Overcoming Fear in Frank O’Connor’s First Confession Essay -- First Co

Overcoming Fear in Frank O’Connor’s â€Å"First Confession† Word Count includes detailed outline David W. Madden believes several of Frank O’Connor’s stories reflect his personal life and goals. Jackie, the young protagonist, in the â€Å"First Confession,† loves his mother as equally as O’Connor loved his mother. Madden also believes O’Connor should have selected a religious calling because the priests mentioned in his stories incorporate the instrumental impact on the â€Å"laity’s lives† (3227). Understanding women, contributed by his mother’s influence, frequently are displayed in O’Connor’s writings. Madden feels that some of O’Connor’s stories focus on â€Å"naà ¯ve, sensitive figures who struggle with what seems to them the insoluble mysteries of existence,† such as children’s journey through life (3227-28). The story reinforces the theme that a child overcoming a fear of the unknown can enhance his sense of confidence. The plot of â€Å"First Confession† is about a young boy, Jackie, trying to conquer the terror of telling his first confession. Jackie’s problems begin when his grandmother comes to live at the house. He detests her for being an alcoholic, slovenly ill-mannered woman. Most of all, Jackie is upset that he is excluded from the penny allowance that his sister, Nora, gets. Because his sister and grandmother side against him, Jackie’s life becomes intolerable. Jackie is preparing to receive his First Penance and First Holy Communion. Mrs. Ryan, the religion education teacher, projects a negative image to Jackie about confessing his sins. She is a woman who only spoke of Hell and mentioned Heaven only by accident. Jackie feels she is a lady where â€Å"Hell had the first place in her heart† (176). Mrs. Ryan entices the children with money to stick their finger in the flame of a candle. She associates this with burning in Hell. An example is a horrid story about a man who makes a bad confession. The man wakes a priest in the middle of the night insisting he make a confession. After the priest is dressed, the man is gone only to leave behind his handprints burned into the sheets. Jackie is forced to go to confession with his wicked sister, Nora. When it is Jackie’s turn to go into the confessional, he is so nervous that he kneels on the armrest. Consequently, he slips and plunges out the door. Nora is embarrassed and begins to s mack him. As soon as the priest sees... ...3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mrs. Ryan is trying to teach the children to live a faithful life, not to be afraid of confessing. VIII.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To defeat the terror of the unknown increases one’s self- assurance Works Cited Bowden, Curtis. â€Å"Synopses and Quick Critiques.† Frank O’Connor: New Perspectives. Eds. Robert C. Evans and Richard Harp. West Cornwall, CT.: Locust Hill, 1988. 297-350. Denio, Megan L. â€Å"The Child In, Around and of Father Fogarty.† Frank O’Connor: New Perspectives. Eds. Robert C. Evans and Richard Harp. West Cornwall, CT.: Locust Hill, 1988. 139-147. Evans, Robert C. and Katie Magaw. â€Å"Irony and Paradox in Frank O’Connor’s Style.† Frank O’Connor: New Perspectives. Eds. Robert C. Evans and Richard Harp. West Cornwall, CT.: Locust Hill, 1988. 149-155. Madden, David W. â€Å"First Confession/ O’Connor.† Masterplots II 8. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Pasadena, CA.: Salem Press, 1996. 3226-3228. O’Connor, Frank. â€Å"First Confession.† Frank O’Connor: Collected Stories. New York: Vintage Books, 1982. 175-182. Werber, Owene. â€Å"A Woman’s Voice Speaking.† Frank O’Connor: New Perspectives. Eds. Robert C. Evans and Richard Harp. West Cornwall, CT.: Locust Hill, 1988. 121-350.

The company’s clothing and shoe designs typically feature Essay

Adidas was founded in 1948 by Adolf Dassler, following the split of Gebrà ¼der Dassler Schuhfabrik between him and his older brother Rudolf. Rudolf later established Puma, which was the early rival of Adidas. Registered in 1949, Adidas is currently based in Herzogenaurach, Germany. Puma is also based in Herzogenaurach. The company’s clothing and shoe designs typically feature three parallel bars, and the same motif is incorporated into Adidas’s current official logo.The company revenue for 2012 was listed at â‚ ¬14.48 billion. History Gebrà ¼der Dassler Schuhfabrik Christoph Von Wilhelm Dassler was a worker in a shoe factory, while his wife Pauline ran a small laundry in the Bavarian town of Herzogenaurach, 20 km (12.4 mi) from the city of Nuremberg. After leaving school, their son, Rudolf â€Å"Rudi† Dassler, joined his father at the shoe factory. When he returned from fighting in World War I, Rudolf received a management position at a porcelain factory, and later in a leather wholesale business in Nuremberg. Adolf â€Å"Adi† Dassler started to produce his own sports shoes in his mother’s wash kitchen in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria after his return from World War I. In July 1924, his brother Rudolf returned to Herzogenaurach to join his younger brother’s business, which became Gebrà ¼der Dassler Schuhfabrik (Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory) and prospered. The pair started the venture in their mother’s laundry,[6]:5 but, at the time, electricity supplies in the town were unreliable, and the brothers sometimes had to use pedal power from a stationary bicycle to run their equipment. By the 1936 Summer Olympics, Adi Dassler drove from Bavaria on one of the world’s first motorways to the Olympic village with a suitcase full of spikes and persuaded U.S. sprinter Jesse Owens to use them, the first sponsorship for an African American. Following Owens’s haul of four gold medals, his success cemented the good reputation of Dassler shoes among the world’s most famous sportsmen. Letters from around the world landed on the brothers’ desks, and the trainers of other national teams were all interested in their shoes. Business boomed and the Dasslers were selling 200,000 pairs of shoes each year before World War II. World War II and company split Both brothers joined the Nazi Party, but Rudolf was slightly closer to the party than Adolf. During the war, a growing rift between the pair reached a breaking point after an Allied bomb attack in 1943, when Adi and his wife climbed into a bomb shelter that Rudolf and his family were already in: â€Å"The dirty bastards are back again†, Adi said, referring to the Allied war planes, but Rudolf was convinced his brother meant him and his family.[9] After Rudolf was later picked up by American soldiers and accused of being a member of the Waffen SS, he was convinced that his brother had turned him in. The Dassler factory, used for production of anti-tank weapons during the war, was nearly destroyed by US forces in April 1945, but was spared when Adi Dassler’s wife, Kà ¤the, convinced the GIs that the company and its employees were only interested in manufacturing sports shoes. American occupying forces subsequently became major buyers of the Dassler brothers’ shoes. The brothers split up in 1947, with Rudi forming a new firm that he called Ruda – from Rudolf Dassler, later rebranded Puma, and Adi forming a company formally registered as Adidas AG from Adi Dassler on 18 August 1949. Although it is popularly claimed that the name is an acronym for All Day I Dream About Soccer, that phrase is a backronym; the name is actually a portmanteau formed from â€Å"Adi† (a nickname for Adolf) and â€Å"Das† (from â€Å"Dassler†). Early years and rivalry with Puma Puma and Adidas entered a fierce and bitter rivalry after the split. The town of Herzogenaurach was divided on the issue, leading to the nickname â€Å"the town of bent necks†Ã¢â‚¬â€people looked down to see which shoes strangers wore. Even the town’s two football clubs were divided: ASV Herzogenaurach club supported Adidas, while 1 FC Herzogenaurach endorsed Rudolf’s footwear. When handymen were called to Rudolf’s home, they would deliberately wear Adidas shoes. Rudolf would tell them to go to the basement and pick out a pair of free Pumas.The two brothers never reconciled, and although both are buried in the same cemetery, they are spaced apart as far as possible.[citation needed] In 1948, the first football match after World War II, several members of the West German national football team wore Puma boots, including the scorer of West Germany’s first post-war goal, Herbert Burdenski. Four years later, at the 1952 Summer Olympics, 1500 metres runner Josy Barthel of Luxembourg won Puma’s first Olympic gold in Helsinki, Finland. The original Adidas logo until 1997, it is now used on Adidas Originals At the 1960 Summer Olympics Puma paid German sprinter Armin Hary to wear Pumas in the 100 metre sprint final. Hary had worn Adidas before and asked Adolf for payment, but Adidas rejected this request. The German won gold in Pumas, but then laced up Adidas for the medals ceremony, to the shock of the two Dassler brothers. Hary hoped to cash in from both, but Adi was so enraged he banned the Olympic champion.

You Suck: A Love Story Chapter 29~30

Chapter Twenty-nine Don't You Hate Running into Your Ex? As soon as she unlocked the new loft's security door from the street, Jody smelled blood, burned flesh, and shampoo. A case of the willies that felt like an electric serpent slithered up her spine. She went up the stairs, light on the balls of her feet, ready. She heard every tick in the apartment, the refrigerator motor, floorboards shifting, the huge cat Chet snoring in the bedroom, and, of course, someone breathing. The lights were off. He was sitting in a canvas sling-back chair, barefoot, in a pair of Tommy's jeans and a T-shirt, drying his hair with a towel. Jody stopped by the kitchen. â€Å"Fledgling,† said the vampire. â€Å"I'm always pleasantly surprised when I am reminded of how lovely you are. Surprises are rare at my age.† â€Å"Must have surprised the fuck out of you to have that Honda toast you, then, huh?† She felt herself tightening down, the electric jangle channeling itself into an awareness, an edge. It wasn't fear anymore, it was readiness. â€Å"An unpleasant one, yes. I assume your little servant is safe for now.† â€Å"Well, you know, she was winded for a few minutes from kicking your ass, but she is just a little girl.† The vampire laughed, and Jody couldn't help but smile. She went to the windows at the front of the loft and opened them. â€Å"Smells like burned meat in here.† â€Å"She'll have to go, you know,† said the vampire, still smiling. â€Å"No, she won't,† Jody turned on her heel. Faced him. â€Å"Of course she will. All of them but you. I'm quite tired of being alone, little one. You can come away with me, just as we planned.† Jody was stunned at his density. â€Å"I was lying to you, Elijah. I never intended to go away with you. I was just pretending to find out how to be a vampire.† â€Å"What were you going to do the next night, then – if your pet hadn't bronzed us, I mean?† â€Å"I thought I'd send you away.† â€Å"No you didn't.† â€Å"I thought I'd let the Animals kill you, like they were going to anyway.† â€Å"No you didn't.† â€Å"I don't know.† The edge was slipping. â€Å"I don't know.† Maybe she was going to go with him. She had felt so alone, so lost. â€Å"Ah, so here we are again. Let's pretend like all this unpleasantness hasn't happened, and it's the next night, and here we are, just the two of us. The only ones of our kind. What will you do, Jody?† â€Å"But we aren't the only ones of our kind.† â€Å"We are the only ones you need worry about. You do know that you are the first new vampire in a hundred years?† Jody tried not to show her surprise. â€Å"How lucky for me,† she said. â€Å"Oh, you're not the only one I've turned. I've turned many. You're the only one who could weather the change with her mind intact. The others had to be, well, decommissioned.† â€Å"You killed them?† â€Å"Yes. But not you. Help me clean up and then we'll leave, together.† â€Å"Clean up?† â€Å"There are certain rules, love. Rules that I set down myself, and the first of them is make no more vampires. Yet you've let loose a storm of fledglings, and they all have to be cleaned up, including your boy pet.† â€Å"Make no more? What about me? You made me.† â€Å"I didn't expect you to survive, love. I thought you would be an amusement, a break in monotony, an interlude, but you distinguished yourself.† â€Å"And now you want me to run off with you.† â€Å"We'll live like royalty. I have resources you couldn't imagine.† â€Å"You're wearing stolen jeans, sugar daddy.† â€Å"Well, yes, I will have to make my way to one of my caches.† â€Å"I have an idea,† Jody said, and this was really the reason she had come here, by herself, knowing that he would be here. Or at least hoping. â€Å"How about I give you enough money to get you out of town and you do that, just like we promised Rivera and Cavuto? You leave me alone, you leave Tommy alone, you just leave.† Elijah stood now, tossed the towel on the chair, and moved to her so quickly that she could barely even see him move. â€Å"Art, music, literature,† said Elijah. â€Å"Desire, passion, power – the best of man and the best of beast. Together. You would say no to that?† He put his hand on her cheek and she let him. â€Å"Love?† Jody said, looking into his eyes – they reflected like drops of mercury in her night vision. â€Å"For fairy tales. We are the stuff from which nightmares are made. Make nightmares with me.† â€Å"Wow, nice offer. Can't imagine why you haven't had any takers for a hundred years.† Jody grabbed his wrist. If he wouldn't leave, she could take him. She was a vampire, too. The vampire had been smiling, but his smile changed aspect, going from pleased to predatory. â€Å"So be it, then.† His hand was at her neck in an instant, she didn't see him move or have a chance to react. Suddenly she couldn't move her arms or legs, and there was an intense pain behind her ear and under her jaw. She screamed, releasing a sound she couldn't imagine coming out of a human, more like something you'd hear from a tortured cat. He clamped his other hand over her mouth. â€Å"I didn't teach you everything in our one night together, love.† She watched helplessly as he tossed his head back and his fangs unsheathed. Troy Lee squared off against Drew at the end of the dog-food aisle, two short fighting swords in hand. â€Å"Bring it, stoner,† Troy Lee said. He spun the swords. Drew fell into a crouch by the dishwashing liquids. â€Å"I'm fast now,† Drew said. â€Å"Uh-huh,† Troy said. He whipped the swords through the air in a deadly fanning motion. He'd been training since he was a child; he wasn't afraid, especially of Drew. â€Å"Hey,† came a woman's voice from right beside him. Troy Lee looked over, lightning quick, just in time to register what looked like a full moon coming at his face. There was a loud clang and Troy was nearly flipped over backwards when the iron skillet hit him in the forehead. Blue let it drop to her side and grinned at Drew. â€Å"I've always wanted to do that.† â€Å"Housewares used to be my aisle,† Drew said. â€Å"Take him,† said Blue. â€Å"Let him drink some of your blood before he dies.† She headed toward a commotion in the can aisle. â€Å"Save some, boys. Mama's got a broken nose that needs to heal.† Jody felt her own fangs extend and her kneecaps quiver as Elijah fed on her, but otherwise she couldn't move. How could she have been so stupid? He was eight hundred years old – of course he hadn't taught her everything. Of course he was stronger than she was – she was stronger than Tommy, and she had only been a vampire a couple of months longer than he had. If she could stay conscious, maybe when he stopped feeding she could make her move. Could he reduce her to dust like a human, or would he have to do something else? Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Why didn't she know all of this? Why wasn't she acting on instinct? Where was the predator mind when you needed it? Her vision started to tunnel down – she was losing consciousness. She could hear rapid footsteps outside, though. First below, then across the street, then below again. Elijah heard them, too, and he loosened his grip for an instant, but before she could twist away, his fingers dug into her neck and jaw again. Then a black blur flew through the window and she heard something thud on the floor over by the kitchen. There was another loud thud and Elijah released her and she fell to the floor. She tried to push herself up, but something was thrown over her and she heard a buzzing sound. She heard screaming and smelled burning flesh, glass breaking, then someone was lifting her, carrying her. She couldn't move or even fight anymore. She let go, let herself float away, but the last thing she heard was a girl's voice saying, â€Å"Did you feed Chet?† The Emperor sat on the dock of the St. Francis Yacht Club, watching the fog wash over the breakwater. He'd gone against the advice of the homicide detectives and had left the grocery store. It was his city, and it was his place to take the battle to its attackers. He had cowered in fear long enough. His wickedly pointed sword lay on the dock at his side. The men, Bummer and Lazarus, were sleeping in a fuzzy pile at his back. â€Å"Ah, gentle warriors, how do we engage in battle when our enemy moves with such elegant stealth? Perhaps we should return to the Safeway and help defend.† Bummer's left ear twitched, and he let out a muffled ruff in his sleep. A thick bank of fog was moving down from the opening in the breakwater and it caught the Emperor's attention because it appeared to be moving across the wind from the west. Yes, it was indeed – the cold breeze was coming straight over the breakwater from the north. The fog bank bubbled thick as it moved, tendrils reached out and then were reabsorbed like the false feet of some crawling creature. The Emperor climbed to his feet and roused the men, snatched Bummer up before the sleepy terrier could get his bearings, and headed toward the clubhouse with Lazarus at his heels. He crouched in a shadow by the entrance to the restrooms, holding the hounds as he watched. The fog bank enveloped the end of the dock, paused, then dissipated as if a fan had been turned on it, and three tall figures stood on the dock, a man and two women. They wore long coats, cashmere, the Emperor thought, but he couldn't for the life of him remember why he might know that. They moved down the dock toward him as if they were floating. The Emperor could see their outlines in the moonlight – jawlines and cheekbones that looked as if they'd been chiseled, square shoulders, and narrow hips. They might have been brother and sisters, except one of the women was of African descent, the other looked like she might be Italian or Greek. The man was a head taller than the women and looked Nordic, perhaps German, with close-cropped white hair. All were as pale as bleached bone. As they passed him the Emperor pulled the hounds closer and Bummer let out a threatening ruff. They stopped. The man turned. â€Å"How long have you been here?† he asked. â€Å"Forever, I think,† said the Emperor. The man smiled and nodded, then turned and was on his way. â€Å"I know how you feel,† he said without looking back. Gustavo and Jeff found Barry hiding in the shelves among the toilet-paper packages. When they got close, Barry burst out of the TP and made a run for the end of the aisle, pulling napkins, aluminum foil, garbage bags, and plastic silverware off the shelves as he went to slow his pursuers. Gustavo went down first, slipping on a package of plastic forks. Jeff high-stepped through the obstacles and was right on Barry's ass until he was almost to the end of the aisle and Lash stepped out holding one of Barry's spearguns. â€Å"Down!† Lash barked, and Barry hit the tile on his chest and slid. There was a pneumatic hiss and the heavy stainless spear thudded into Jeff's sternum and blew him back off his feet. â€Å"Ow, goddammit,† said the power forward, clutching at the spear and trying to pull it out of his chest. Gustavo climbed to his feet, ran to Jeff, and started yanking on the spear. Lash handed Barry a four-foot-long stick with a blunt metal tip on it and fitted another spear into the gun. â€Å"That the last one?† Barry asked. Lash nodded. â€Å"Where's Clint?† Just then the tall blond woman appeared at the far end of the aisle, dragging an unconscious Clint by his collar. A wide bloodstain ran from her chin to her crotch and they could see her fangs even from this distance. â€Å"Bad boys. Leaving your born-again lying on the floor where people can trip over him.† She dropped Clint on his face, and headed up the aisle toward them, in long, slow strides. Lash bolted, Barry right behind them, through the canvas doors into the back room, and into the walk-in dairy cooler. It was like a long hallway with plastic milk boxes stacked on one side and the glass dairy cases on the other. They pushed stacks of heavy one-gallon milk boxes in front of the door, then leaned with their backs against the back of the cooler, watching the store through the clear cooler doors in the dairy case, over the cartons of yogurt and cottage cheese. â€Å"What's that she's carrying?† Barry asked. â€Å"A frying pan,† Lash said. â€Å"Oh,† Barry said â€Å"Sorry I let her in. She was almost naked.† â€Å"How could you have known?† â€Å"Well, when she claimed she had a nooky-gram for my birthday, I should have figured something was up.† â€Å"Your birthday's like in March, isn't it?† â€Å"Yeah.† Lash slapped Barry hard once on his bare scalp, then re-aimed the speargun over the yogurts. â€Å"I deserved that,† Barry said. â€Å"Think that spear hit Jeff's heart?† â€Å"Had to. It's a foot through his sternum.† â€Å"He doesn't seem dead.† â€Å"Guess that means head shot.† Barry shook his head. â€Å"You want me to try?† â€Å"Nah, if I miss, you have the bang stick.† Lash nodded at the long stick Barry was holding at port arms. Essentially it was a twelve-gauge shotgun shell on the end of a stick, used for killing sharks. You poked them with it and the shotgun shell fired into them at point-blank range. â€Å"I'll bet she doesn't even know what it is.† â€Å"Get it right,† Lash said. â€Å"Blow her fucking brains out.† They looked at each other as they heard the refrigeration compressors and fans wind down. Then the lights went out. â€Å"We're fucked,† Lash said. â€Å"Yep,† Barry agreed. Chapter Thirty Being the Chronicles of Abby Normal: Dark and Mysterious Goddess of Forbidden Love Don't judge me. I have looked death in the face and made him my bitch! I did what I did out of love, and I don't want to sound conceited, but OMG, we are heroes! And when I say we, I mean us. Had I told you before, you would have called me â€Å"losah!† pronounced me perky and cute beyond redemption, but now that I am secure in my own nefarious love lair and whatnot, I can at last confess, that in my naive youth, my favorite literary character was not the tentacled horror Cthulu from Lovecraft as I previously stated in AP English 235, but, in fact, Pippi Longstocking. Before you condemn me for my Pippism, check it out: Pippi drank a lot of coffee. (Because, like me, she was wise.) Pippi had unnaturally red hair (as I, myself have had, upon occasion). Pippi often wore long, stripy socks (as yours truly has been known to do). Pippi had superhuman strength. (It could happen.) Pippi kicked ass. (Not unlike your humble narrator.) Pippi was a kid who lived without parents in her own house. (Go, girl!) With a monkey. (Haven't you always wanted a monkey?) What Longstockings did not have, was the coolest cyber-ninja-sex-magic boyfriend to ever save the world and whatnot. (Props to Pip, but girlfriend needed some yang to rock her yin.) Steve. My darling, my love, My heart is aflame But OMFG, Steve, I grieve, That you're name Is so fucking lame. I call him Foo Dog, because he guards the gate of my temple, if you know what I mean. I'm wearing the jacket he made me right now. I had it on when they came for me, but that's not the thing. The thing is, I didn't save myself, I saved love. So, that night, after I told the Countess how my sweet Foo Dog saved me from the vampyre, the Countess said she was going to go back to the loft to get some money and feed Chet and get the last of William's blood for Lord Flood, for their love is truly eternal. And Jared and I were like, â€Å"We'll go, too,† but the Countess sent us back to liberate the vampyre Flood from Jared's basement and his hideous family. So we were all, â€Å"Well, okay.† But when we got to Jared's house, Flood was totally gone. And then Steve – I mean Foo Dog – called me and he was all, â€Å"I'm getting off work early, I don't want to leave you out there unprotected.† So I told him where we were. Then Lord Flood comes walking out of the dark and he's all, â€Å"What? What? What?† And I'm all, â€Å"The Countess went back to the loft.† And he's all, â€Å"She is in danger. We must away.† And I was like, â€Å"Chill thee thus, for my sweet love-ninja is on the way in his fly ride.† So Flood was like, † ‘Kay.† I see now that my attraction to the vampyre Flood was nothing more than childish infatuation, never to be requited, because he had eyes only for the Countess. So it was a little awkward when Steve showed up and I had to chill the Lord Flood and make him sit in the backseat to show that my real affections were with Foo Dog, who was formerly known as Steve. And when we got to the loft, the windows were open, but there were no lights on. And Flood had us drive a block past, then we got out and he walked back. Then he runs up and he's like, â€Å"Elijah's up there. He's got her.† And I'm all, â€Å"Then go get her.† And Steve is like, â€Å"No, I'll go get her.† And he pulls this long coat out of the trunk. It's all covered with warts or something, and I'm like, â€Å"Nice coat, but you know, vampyre†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And Steve is like, â€Å"They're UV LEDs. Like the lights we burned the vampires with before.† And I'm like, â€Å"Sweet!† So Steve starts to put the coat on and Flood stops him and goes, â€Å"He'll hear you coming up the stairs. I'll go.† And Steve is all, â€Å"You can't. It will burn you, too.† And Flood is all, â€Å"No it won't.† So they are like five minutes behind the car putting together this ber-cool ensem of like an old gas mask, and a hoodie, and full-on gloves and everything, until Flood is totally covered, wearing the long coat with the glass warts all over it, looking like one of the cenobites from Hellraiser. And Steve is like, â€Å"Don't hit the switch until you know she's covered.† And he hands Flood like a black rubber tarp and a baseball bat, which totally sucked the cool right out of the ensem, but I guess was necessary. Then, just when I'm about to ask how he's going to get in without being heard, we hear the Countess scream, and Flood runs across the street and about halfway up the side of the building, then turns and runs down it, then across the street, up the side of his building, and goes through the window feet fucking first. And I'm like, â€Å"Whoa.† And Steve and Jared are like, â€Å"Whoa.† And a second later we hear a thumping, and purple light comes on in the loft windows and the old vampyre comes crashing through the windows on fucking fire, falling like a comet! And he lands on his feet in the middle of the street, hisses once and looks at us, and that's when Steve holds up one of his UV floodlights, and the vampyre fucking scrams down the alley across the street so fast that he was just a blur. Next thing, Flood is coming out of the building carrying the Countess, who is wrapped in the black rubber tarp and is totally roofied like a limp rag. And Steve's all, â€Å"Get her in the car.† And I'm like, â€Å"Did you feed Chet?† And Jared is like, â€Å"Hello, Abby, the other vampyres.† So I'm like, â€Å"Shut up. I know.† So we all piled into Steve's car and we took Flood and the Countess to a hotel off up on Van Ness, which Steve paid for with his Visa, which was generous and mature of him. It was one of those motels where you have your own entrance to the parking lot so they don't see you in the hallway, so Flood carried the Countess up to the room, and we carried some stuff that Steve had packed up in the trunk of his car. It was so sad. Flood just stroked the Countess's cheek and tried to get her to wake up, but she wouldn't. And he was all, â€Å"Abby, she needs to feed. I wouldn't ask, but he's done something to her, she's hurt.† And I would have totally done it, but Steve pulled me back, and he picks up this playmate cooler that he had us bring up, and he pulls out these pouches of blood. And he hands them to Flood and says, â€Å"I took them from the university hospital. They could kick me out of school for this.† And Flood is all, â€Å"Thanks.† And he bites a hole in one of the pouches and squeezes it on the Countess's lips and that's when I started to cry. There were like four pouches, and when he was going for the last one, Steve was like, â€Å"You need to drink that one.† And Flood was like, â€Å"No way, it's for her.† And Steve was like, â€Å"You know you do.† So Flood like nodded and drank the last one himself, and then he just sat there by her, stroking her hair. Then Steve was like, â€Å"Tommy, you know I can reverse your vampirism. I'm pretty sure the process works.† And Flood just looked at him and nodded. It was so sad. And then the Countess started to moan, and she opened her eyes and she saw the vampyre Flood and she was all, â€Å"Hey, baby.† Just like that. And I started crying again like a big wuss and Steve took Jared and me out to the car to give them some space. And Steve was like, â€Å"I made this for you from my jacket.† And he put this leather motorcycle jacket on me that was covered with those glass LED thingies. It was kinda heavy, because there were batteries built into the padding, but cool. And he was all, â€Å"This will keep you safe. The switch is in the snap on the left cuff. Just squeeze it and the lights will come on. They won't hurt you, but you should wear sunglasses to protect your retinas.† Then he put a pair of totally cyber wraparound sunglasses on me and kissed me. And I kissed him back, hard, with major tongue, and finally he pulled away, as gentle as a butterfly. So then I slapped him, so he wouldn't think I was a slut. But so he wouldn't think I was being frigid, I sort of jumped on him and wrapped my legs around him and sort of accidentally rode him to the ground and was accidentally kind of dry-humping him on the pavement when the lights on my jacket came on and people looked out their hotel windows a nd whatnot, so Jared ended our special romantic moment by hitting my light switch and dragging me off. And I was all, â€Å"You are THE MAN, Foo!† And he was all, â€Å"Huh?† Because I hadn't told him yet that his new name was Foo Dog. But then he said he actually had to get home and check in or his parents would freak out. And said to watch the masters until I got back, if I got a chance try to talk them into being converted. So we made out on the hood of the Honda for a while and he drove off into night's cold loneliness like the superhero that he is. (The effect was ruined, kind of, in that Jared caught a ride with him.) So I went back upstairs and sat at the foot of the masters' bed, keeping guard and listening to them. They were talking softly, but I could hear them. The vampyre Flood was all, â€Å"Maybe we should give it a try.† And the Countess was all, â€Å"What, the cure? Tommy, it can't work. You've seen what I can do, you know what you can do. This isn't biology, this is magic.† â€Å"Maybe it's not. Maybe it's science we don't know yet.† â€Å"It doesn't matter. We don't even know if it works.† â€Å"We should try.† â€Å"Why would we try, Tommy? You've only been immortal for a couple of weeks. Do you want to give up the power, the – I don't know – the command over your world?† â€Å"Well – yes.† â€Å"You do?† â€Å"Yeah. I don't like it, Jody. I don't like being afraid all the time. I don't like being alone. I don't like being a killer.† â€Å"That woman was torturing you, Tommy. That's never going to happen again.† â€Å"That's wasn't the problem. I'd get over her. The problem was that I liked it. I liked it.† Then the Countess was quiet for a while, and I thought it might be dawn or something, but I peeked over the edge of the bed and she was just staring into his eyes. She looked over at me. â€Å"Hey, girlie girl,† the Countess said, and she smiled at me and it felt like a gift or something. It was like, real. Then she took her watch off and threw it to me at the end of the bed. â€Å"That has an automatic almanac in it – how about you set the alarm to go off about twenty minutes before sunset, so you don't get caught out again, okay?† And I was going to tell her about the jacket that Foo made for me, but I kind of couldn't talk, so I just nodded and put the watch on and slid back down to the floor. Then I heard the Countess go, â€Å"You aren't alone. I'm here. We can go where no one knows us, no one is chasing us, and I'll always be here for you.† And he goes, â€Å"I know. I mean alone from everyone else. Separate. I want to be human, not some foul dead thing.† â€Å"I thought you wanted to be special.† â€Å"I do, but I want to be human special – because of something I did.† Then it was quiet for a while, and finally the Countess goes, â€Å"I love it, Tommy. I'm not afraid all the time like you; just the opposite. I didn't realize how afraid I used to be until I became like this. I like walking the street knowing that I'm the Alpha animal, hearing and seeing and smelling everything, being part of everything. I like it. I wanted to share that with you.† â€Å"It's okay. You couldn't have known.† â€Å"I don't want to be alone either. That's why I turned you. I love you.† Then the alarm went off on Lord Flood's watch, and he shut it off. Then he's all, â€Å"We can't go back to the way it was, before, I mean? Where I look after you?† â€Å"It's not the same world, Tommy. You know that now. We were in the same room in different worlds.† â€Å"Okay then. I love you, Jody.† â€Å"I love you, too,† goes the Countess. Then they didn't say anything for a long time, and when my new watch showed that the sun was up, I looked, and they were lying there, holding each other, and I could see the red stains on the pillow from their tears. And I was like, â€Å"Oh, hell no!†