Succubus on Top CHAPTER 22

The waiter brought me another gimlet just as I finished my last one. Good man, I thought. He deserved an ample tip. Four days after the Emerald Lit Fest, I sat in the Cellar with Jerome, Carter, Hugh, Peter, Cody, and Bastien. The usual suspects. It was the first time I'd seen any of them in days. I'd been keeping a low profile, essentially only leaving my home to go to work and back. I hadn't seen or heard from Seth in that time either. None of us spoke. We just sat there in the dark, nursing drinks. Other people in the pub moved around and laughed, but we were a corner of silence. I could have sliced and diced the awkward tension among us. Finally, unable to take it anymore, I sighed. â€Å"All right,† I snapped. â€Å"You can stop pretending. I know you've all seen the video.† It was like letting the air out of a balloon. An opening of the floodgates. Hugh spoke first, admiration shining in his eyes. â€Å"Jesus Christ, that was the absolute best thing I've ever seen.† â€Å"I've seen it, like, ten times,† added Peter. â€Å"And it doesn't get old.† Cody's delighted look spoke for itself. I took down half of my drink in one gulp. â€Å"Sometimes I look around, and I can't believe this is my life. â€Å" Bastien had done an Oscar-worthy job of capturing my romantic escapade with Dana on film. She had never noticed the disembodied camera floating around; only the incubus had actually been invisible. Of course, Dana had been too preoccupied to really notice much. I'd made sure of that, and while I felt a certain amount of glee over my powers of pleasure and distraction, my post-ambrosia self still didn't like having that prowess put on display any more than I'd liked Seth's story being linked to me. At least no one knew who Tabitha Hunter was. † Fleur ,I swear you did things I didn't even know about,† teased Bastien. â€Å"Oh, be quiet,† I told him, knowing he lied. â€Å"This whole thing is embarrassing enough. I can't believe you had it all over the Internet in a matter of hours.† He shrugged. â€Å"Good news is hard to keep to yourself.† Jerome's eyes gleamed with subdued satisfaction. â€Å"No need to be embarrassed. What you did is laurel-worthy, Georgie. You'll be Succubus of the Year now.† â€Å"Great,† I said. â€Å"Maybe that comes with coupons that haven't expired.† â€Å"Joke all you want,† continued the demon, â€Å"but you've caused havoc in a powerful religious group. That is definitely worth celebrating.† So much so that Bastien was probably off the hook. True, he hadn't been in the spotlight, but I'd made sure that Jerome played up his role in the official written report. I think the demon knew I'd gone a little overboard in crediting Bastien for his assistance in this caper, but he hadn't dwelt on the technicalities. Regardless of what the paperwork said, the diabolical community knew it was Jerome's succubus in the extremely popular video. My boss's reputation had gone through the roof. As for the CPFV†¦well, yes, it was most definitely in chaos. Dana had resigned as soon as the scandal went public. Suddenly missing their strong leader, the group had collapsed into confusion, flailing about with no clear direction. Poor Bill. In addition to the embarrassment of a philandering wife, he now had to do damage control and still maintain his strong stance on family values for the sake of his political career. Reelections were next year; no one knew how he'd fare. I had mixed feelings about the whole matter. Sure, I hated the CPFV's horrible actions and was glad to see them go down. But Dana, despite her many flaws, had cared about Tabitha. It might not have been love, but the emotions were genuine. She'd opened herself up to me, and I'd made a mockery of it. Even if she managed to wade out of this mess, she'd probably never accept her sexual inclinations again. She'd bury them, continuing a campaign of homosexual intolerance. That bothered me, for the sake of both her personal and her political lives. â€Å"And when not taking down conservative bitches,† noted Hugh, â€Å"she destroys gods in her free time. Did you really beat up that kid too? You're, like, a size four.† â€Å"Don't forget about the Emerald Lit Fest.† Cody grinned mischievously. â€Å"Man, I can't believe I missed that.† â€Å"Is there anything you don't do, Georgina?† marveled Peter. â€Å"You haven't been learning to cook souffl? ¦s behind my back, have you?† I rolled my eyes and turned to the greater immortals, ignoring my friends' over-the-top praise. â€Å"Are you finally going to tell me the whole story on Sol, or whoever he was? You guys have been terribly laissez-faire about me killing a god.† â€Å"You know most of the details,† Carter told me. â€Å"And you didn't technically kill him,† added Jerome. I started. â€Å"I didn't? But†¦he exploded. There was blood everywhere. That seems kind of, I don't know, final. â€Å" â€Å"You destroyed his human manifestation,† explained the angel in an almost bored way. â€Å"The body he used to walk the mortal world. Sol – or Soma as he's accurately called – still very much exists.† â€Å"Soma's another name for ambrosia†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I began slowly. â€Å"Yes,† Carter agreed. â€Å"In Hindu spirituality, the god Soma is the divine embodiment of the drug. It runs in his veins and is then distributed to mortals.† I remembered his bleeding wrist and how his blood had dried. â€Å"His blood forms the crystals that make the ambrosia. That's what everyone was drinking. That's what I drank!† I shuddered. â€Å"You also drank it in its pure form,† noted Jerome, watching for my reaction, â€Å"straight from the source.† â€Å"Oh Lord,† I realized. â€Å"The goblet. I thought it was some sort of date-rape drug.† â€Å"In some ways it was,† Carter told me gently. â€Å"His blood, in its crystal form, serves as a self-enhancement that can be tolerated by mortals – and immortals – because it's diluted. In its concentrated form, it's too much to handle. It's disorienting. It goes beyond amplification of skills. It overloads the system, making you feel insanely good and susceptible to physical touch and strong emotion. â€Å" Hence my reaction to his advances – and subsequent attack on Alec. Of course, I was still so mad at the former drummer that I half believed my actions wouldn't have been any different sans ambrosia. â€Å"That's so disgusting,† I muttered. â€Å"I drank blood. Gross.† Cody and Peter exchanged glances. They grinned. â€Å"What was the deal with that dart thing?† asked Hugh. â€Å"The thing she impaled him with.† â€Å"Mistletoe. It guards the gateway between worlds. The Norse always said it grew on the Tree of Life – the tree that holds the world.† I frowned. â€Å"So, if he's just lost his physical body, then he's not really gone.† â€Å"He's never gone,† said Carter. â€Å"The Food of the Gods is always around – or at least some concept of it. Mortals always have and will continue to believe and pray for some magical cure-all that will change their lives. That's why he still has so much power, despite most not knowing who he is. People don't always have to know what they're worshipping or believing in to still grant it power. â€Å" â€Å"But, when he pops back down to this plane next time, he'll probably hole up somewhere else,† said Jerome more practically. â€Å"If Carter or I had done anything, it would have been an open declaration of war. Innocent Georgie's desperate defense sent a charming get-the-fuck-out message that didn't get any of us in trouble. It only required a small report.† He made a face; the demon hated paperwork. I sighed. â€Å"Okay then. One last question. Why the sex? Why go to all that trouble to get Alex to procure victims?† â€Å"Who doesn't want sex?† asked Hugh. â€Å"The stories do resound with his lechery, actually,† said Carter. â€Å"One myth even talks about him carrying off some god's wife because he just wanted her that badly. When you're a being of euphoria and ultimate physical prowess, I guess sex sort of goes with it. So I've heard, anyway.† I scowled. â€Å"And he was too lazy to even get the victims himself. What a bastard.† â€Å"He's a god,† said Carter, as though there were nothing more to add. I turned to the angel, thinking about what he'd said. â€Å"You've been a veritable wealth of knowledge today. But doesn't it bother anyone else that we're openly discussing and accepting, what, three different spiritual systems here? Hindu and Norse – plus ours. Which I always thought was the true one, by the way.† Jerome looked genuinely delighted. â€Å"Come now, you've rubbed shoulders with immortals from all sorts of ‘spiritual systems' since the beginning of your succubus existence.† â€Å"Yeah, I know†¦but I never thought about the logistics too hard. I thought we were all disparate – remember? They do their thing, we do ours? Now you're mixing it up like†¦like†¦we're all doing the same thing. â€Å" â€Å"Yeah,† said Cody. â€Å"Which one's right?† Angel and demon shared smirks. † ‘What is truth?' Pilate asked.† Carter just couldn't stay away from his quotes. His eyes held barely contained laughter. I sighed again, knowing we'd get no better answer from either of them. As our evening get-together wound down, Bastien unhappily declared he had to leave for Detroit. He made his farewells to the others, and then I walked him out. We stood outside the pub, wrapped in our own thoughts as locals and tourists alike moved through Pioneer Square. Finally, at the same time, we spoke. † Fleur – â€Å" â€Å"Bastien – â€Å" â€Å"No, let me go first,† he said adamantly. I nodded for him to go on. â€Å"What I did at the hotel wasn't right. I shouldn't have led you into that – especially when you told me right off not to. And what I said to Seth at your place†¦that was unforgivable. Yeah, I was pretty sloshed, but that's no excuse. Not by a long shot.† I shook my head. â€Å"God knows I've done a lot of stupid things while drunk. And people, for that matter. But don't beat yourself up too bad – at least not over what happened†¦uh, between us. You were right. I wasn't a victim; I went along with that. I made my own choices, choices that I have to deal with.† â€Å"It doesn't matter. You shouldn't forgive me. Especially after you saved me on the Dana thing. You figured out what I'd been too blind to see. No, I'm definitely beyond forgiveness.† â€Å"Maybe. But I'm going to forgive you anyway.† I gave him a playful punch. â€Å"And you can't stop me.† â€Å"Only a fool would stand in your way,† he said gallantly. â€Å"But I still don't think I deserve it.† â€Å"Bas,I've seen people come and go for over a thousand years. Hell, I've seen civilizations come and go. I don't have many constants in my life. None of us do. I don't want to write off one of the best ones I've got. â€Å" He opened his arms for me, and I rested my head against his chest, sad that he'd be going away again. We stood like that for a long time, and then he broke away so that he could look at me. â€Å"Confession time: I didn't have sex with you for altruism. You were right about that. And I didn't do it just because I could either. I did it because I wanted you. Because I wanted to be closer to you.† He touched my cheek and winked. â€Å"You're worth ten Alessandras. You would be worth going to Guam for.† â€Å"What about Omaha?† â€Å"No one's worth going to Omaha for.† I laughed. â€Å"You're going to miss your flight.† â€Å"Yeah.† He hugged me again, then hesitated before speaking. â€Å"There's one more thing you need to know. The day after my, uh, idiotic drunken outburst, Seth came to see me.† â€Å"What?† I racked my brain. That would have been during the time I was preparing for the Fest. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"He wanted to know what happened. Between us. All the details.† â€Å"What'd you tell him?† â€Å"The truth.† I stared off at nothing. â€Å"That guy's crazy about you,† Bastien said after a moment's silence. â€Å"Love like that†¦well, hell itself has trouble standing against love like that, I think. I don't know if a succubus and a human can really make things work, but if it can happen, he'll be the one it happens with.† He hesitated. â€Å"I think, no, I know I was a little jealous of that†¦both that he had your love and you had someone who loved you like that.† He gave me a bittersweet smile. â€Å"Anyway. Good luck. I'm always here if you need me.† â€Å"Thank you,† I said, hugging him again. â€Å"Keep in touch. Maybe we'll get assigned together again some day.† The roguish look, long absent during our solemn conversation, flashed to his face. â€Å"Oh, the trouble we could cause. The world isn't ready for us again.† He pressed a soft, sweet kiss against my lips, and then he was gone. A minute later, I felt Carter's presence behind me. â€Å"Parting is such sweet sorrow.† â€Å"That it is,† I agreed sadly. â€Å"But that's life, mortal or immortal.† â€Å"How's your high-wire act with Seth going?† I turned to him, almost having forgotten that reference. â€Å"Bad.† â€Å"Did you look down?† â€Å"Worse than that. I fell off. I fell off and hit bottom.† The angel regarded me with his steady gaze. â€Å"Then you'd better get back on.† I choked on a bitter laugh. â€Å"Is that possible?† â€Å"Sure,† he said. â€Å"As long as the wire hasn't snapped, you can always climb back on.† I left him and walked a few blocks to catch a bus back to Queen Anne. While I was waiting, I blinked and did a double take as Jody walked by. I hadn't talked to her in ages. After the Dana scandal, Mitch and Tabitha Hunter had dropped off the face of the Earth. I left the bus stop and ducked into a dark doorway §?laSuperman. A moment later, I hurried to catch up with her as Tabitha. â€Å"Jody!† She stopped and turned around. Her brown eyes widened when she recognized me. â€Å"Tabitha,† she said uncertainly, waiting for me to get to her. â€Å"It's good to see you.† â€Å"You too. How are things?† â€Å"Okay.† We stood there awkwardly. â€Å"How are you? I mean, after everything†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Her cheeks crimsoned. â€Å"You don't have to avoid the topic. I can deal with it,† I told her gently. â€Å"It happened. Nothing to be done about it now.† She looked down at her feet, clearly troubled. â€Å"I've been wanting to tell you something. It wasn't†¦it wasn't just you, you know.† She looked back up, embarrassed. â€Å"She sort of, you know, approached me too, and we did some things†¦things I didn't really want to do. But I couldn't say no either. Not to her. It was a rough time in my life†¦Ã¢â‚¬  So. I wasn't Dana's first taste of forbidden fruit. The notion that she had forced Jody appalled me, more so than Dana throwing herself into rallies that denied her own nature. Suddenly, I didn't feel so sorry for her anymore. â€Å"Then she got what she deserved,† I declared icily. â€Å"Maybe,† said Jody, still looking upset. â€Å"It's been a disaster for their family. I feel the worst for Reese. And then there's the CPFV†¦they're a disaster too.† â€Å"Maybe it's for the best,† I said neutrally. She gave me a sad half-smile. â€Å"I know you don't believe in them, but they do have potential to do good. I'm actually on my way to a meeting right now. We're going to decide the fate of the group. I don't think we'll disband†¦but I don't know what direction we'll go in either. There are some people who think just like Dana. They're not a majority, but they're loud. Louder than people like me.† I remembered our gardening conversation. â€Å"And you still want some of the things you talked to me about? Helping those who need help now?† â€Å"Yes. I wish I could walk right in there and speak up. If I could get enough people's attention, I think we could really go in a new direction. A better direction that might actually affect change instead of just censuring and calling people names.† â€Å"Then you should do exactly that.† â€Å"I can't. I don't have the skill to talk to people like that. I'm not that brave.† â€Å"You have the passion.† â€Å"Yeah, but is that enough if I can't get it out?† Suddenly, I had to fight a giddy smile from taking over my face. â€Å"I've got something for you,† I told her, reaching into my purse. â€Å"Here. Take this.† I handed her the last packet of ambrosia. It was dangerous, perhaps, to give it to a mortal, but one dose wouldn't hit her too badly, and she'd never be able to get more. Besides, taking the temptation away from me was probably for the best. â€Å"What is this?† â€Å"It's a, um, herbal supplement. Like an energy blend. Haven't you seen those?† She frowned. â€Å"Like ginseng or kava or whatever?† â€Å"Yeah. I mean, it won't change your life, of course, but it always sort of gives me a kick. You just mix it in a drink and go from there.† â€Å"Well, I was about to buy coffee†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"That's perfect. And it can't hurt or anything.† Smiling, I squeezed her arm. â€Å"Do it for me, so I'll feel like I've given you a good-luck charm.† â€Å"Okay. Sure. I'll take it as soon as I get the coffee.† She glanced at her watch. â€Å"I've got to take off now if I want to be on time. You take care of yourself, okay?† â€Å"I will. Thanks. Good luck tonight.† To my surprise, she gave me a quick hug and then disappeared into the crowd of pedestrians. As I rode the bus home, I found I felt better about myself than I had in days. I'd sort of wanted to save the ambrosia for next year's Emerald Lit Fest, but I supposed I wouldn't need it so long as I actually allowed myself two days instead of one. After all, a little leeway never hurt.

Advertising media industry Essay

I am student in a work placement agency called STG Media Corporation, a company which dedicates their mission and vision in providing accountable advertising solutions. In my 7 week placement here in the corporation, I learned a lot and discovered that nothing beats on-hand experience in working. Week One (provide date) It was a week of anticipation, stress and learning. How does one person deal with work placement? The first day was dedicated with meeting the executive staff, the working staff, and introduction to what the company is. STG Media Corp. is an interesting work placement agency. I learned about the company through one of my friends and I thought that working for a media company will be so great; little did I know that it is a lot difficult. The first thing that came up in my mind when STG Media Corp. was mentioned is that it is just an advertising company. But it is different. The company details their service in the concept of accountable advertising, in which they refine print advertising media in context of the 21st century need. As a communication student, this was beginning to worry me. After the primary day of introduction, I get to know more about the company and the thought that it is not the conventional type of advertising agency made me overwhelmed with the job and the condition in the work place. This week, I was designated to the Print Media Research, print Media Planning and Market Analysis of one of the company’s client. The company of a branded sports drink is asking STG Media Corp. to help them with the advertising promotion in one of the new products they will launch in about 5 months time. The first thing I did was to interview the sports drink company representative about the nature of their company. I went to their office was so anxious to do the interview that I forgot to bring my recorder, which is considered as one of the great mistakes before doing an interview, coming unprepared. But the good thing is, I did the interview well. I was given the set questions of STG Media Corp., questions that are required to be asked to the client, and throughout the interview, I inserted some of the questions I thought myself to be able to get a good amount of fact for the company. As inexperienced as I am in working for the company, one of the greatest skill I learned is to communicate effectively and luckily I am able to do that with this interview. During the week, one of the great challenges I faced was inputting the vital information of the company’s client to their database called the Print Media Buying System. The PMBS which is the company’s own database generates detailed market research, analysis reports accounting for all aspects such as demographic information, buying trends and other print media recommendations. I really asked for help this time as since I was not acquainted with the kind of technology they used in the particular system. But later I got the hang of it and was commended for a job well done in collecting information from the client. Week 2 (provide date) Before the work placement began, I was told that I will be working full time in one of the company’s venture with a famous sports drink brand. I thought that would be easy since I don’t have to do all the other work, but the challenged I soon found out during the second week is that the process of STG Media Corp. as an advertising consultant is a process to which many steps are taken. This week I am part of the Creative Team designated by the company to help the sports drink brand. Although I must be clear that I was just a part of the team, doing menial job that the professionals are tasked to do. I learned one great thing about the print media industry, 75% of advertisement fail because of weak creative and non-compelling ad copy. It’s true that one of the strengths of a great brand is not just with its quality, but through rigorous and effective advertising that they create. Before working here, I thought that companies only advertise for the sake of advertising, but companies do take this strategy very seriously. On the third day of this week, I was asked to look at one print ad for five seconds during one of the meetings of the Creative Team. They asked me questions rigorously, whether it be based on the appearance or the content. I answered them frankly and mention the things that I would personally think about the ad if I was just a normal consumer looking at the advertisement. Several times, the Team will press and argue their points with me, but all was attributed to presenting a better advertisement for the client. During this week, as unprofessional to assume the role of being a advertiser consultant, I was placed in the position of the consumer, the Team’s viewpoint on the things they realize about the brand and how they can effectively approach working for the client. I really felt like my ideas were respected and included to the Creative Team’s analysis of the product. This week, I also was comfortable with the workplace. I am familiar with the different employees and get to have small talks with them through several breaks. Its interesting how some of them had assumed I am part of the Creative Team when in fact; I am just a student on work placement.

Analyze the debate over states' rights versus national supremacy from Research Paper

Analyze the debate over states' rights versus national supremacy from the founding of our nation up until today. how has this debate changed over time - Research Paper Example As noted, it is not all the states that regard the death penalty as legal. The federal government is permitted to enforce the death penalty for various crimes. Statistics indicate that between the years 1967 and 1997, only one execution was undertaken out of every 1,600 crimes involving murder. They also go on to indicate that, out of every 8,000 convictions, less than 120 are charged with the death sentence (Rogers, 2008). Federal crimes are used to enact the death penalty by the federal government. Federal crimes include; espionage, treason, drug trafficking, just to name but a few. Similarly to what happened in the states, the federal government did not enact the death penalty for ten years, 1967-1977. It was during a time when the Supreme Court was deliberating on the legality of the death penalty. In 1988, the death penalty was re-enacted and only 3 executions have been undertaken since then. Just like the governors have the authority to grant clemency in death penalty cases, so does the president. In spite of the uniformity in the federal death penalty, states differ in their enactment of the penalty. For example, the Supreme Court in Nebraska nullified the utilization of the electric chair as a means of execution in the year 2008. The New York Supreme Court also nullified the death penalty in the year 2004. Hence, these states in reality have no death penalty (Rogers,

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Human sexuality - Essay Example The ancient Greeks are notorious for their fixation on the male genitalia, making it the focal point of various types of art and pageantry (â€Å"History of Sex†, 2004). This has led many to believe that they were primarily a race of homosexuals, who only copulated with their wives when necessary for the purpose of procreation. To a certain extent, especially as it applies to the life of the wife, this is quite true. When the wives are thought of at all, it’s typically in the context of, â€Å"gee, I wonder why those women put up with their men out partying with their guy friends all the time?† Very little consideration is ever given to the concept of a sex life for the women of ancient Greece. â€Å"The male idea of female sexuality was that Greek men believed that women envied their penises† (â€Å"History of Sex†, 2004). Despite this rather skewed view of female sexuality, there is a wide body of information regarding the rather formalized viewpo ints this society held regarding their women as they became sexual beings. Basically, these women were relegated to two very distinct general categories – they were either wives or they were prostitutes (Thompson, 2005). It was in the role of a prostitute that a woman had the greatest societal flexibility, but this did not mean they were able to live better lives than the wives, who were essentially ignored other than to have children (Thompson, 2005).

Ummary of the New Testament Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ummary of the New Testament - Term Paper Example Love, which is the focal message of the Bible is widely discussed by the different authors and explicated in various ways. Warnings are given to the audiences about the end of the world, the second life and the doom of evil men in the gospels and discuss at large the kingdom of heaven or the famous millennial reign of Jesus in the book of Revelation written by John the beloved or the apostle. The gospels written by Matthew and Luke narrate the immaculate conception of Jesus through the virgin maiden named Mary, who was at that time engaged to be married to Joseph. Thoughts of breaking away from her silently because of the shame the circumstance could bring them were not implemented by Joseph because of his vision of an angel who explained to him that the baby Mary bore was from the Holy Spirit so instead he married her. Isaiah 7:14 gives this prophecy and was reiterated in Matthew 1:23. As popularly depicted during Christmas season, Mary and Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem for the census ordered by Caesar Augustus for the entire Roman world (Luke 2:1-7). This is referred as the fulfillment of the prophecy in Micah 5:2 as echoed by Matthew in chapter 2 verse 6 saying, â€Å"But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a ruler who will shepherd My people Israel†. The baby was borne and was named Jesus whose last record of his childhood was when he was found at the temple questioning and sharing with the teachers the word of God. While the aforementioned gospels started their narration from the birth of Jesus, Mark and John the apostle meet up with them in the start of Jesus’ ministry only giving a few lines to trace back the objective of the Savior’s coming to the world with the introduction of John the Baptist. After Jesus was baptized, He was led to the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1-10, Mark 1:9-13, Luke 4:1-13) and when he successfully overcame the t emptations, He went back to His town and started performing miracles, the turning of water to wine being the first of them (John 2:1-11). Other miracles which have been discussed as well in the four books like the healing of the sick, driving out of demons from possessed people, raising of the dead and feeding of many people. The most famous of which is the feeding of the five thousand from the lunch box of a young boy which contained two fishes and five loaves of bread, found in all the gospels (Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:31-44, Luke 9:10-17, John 6:5-15). The most important objective of the four gospels is the reason why Jesus came to this earth, that is, to die on the cross so that the sins of men will be forgiven. After calling his twelve disciples and training them, performing many miracles, teaching and preaching the word of God for three years, Jesus was condemned to die by the teachers of the law, accusing him of blasphemy, claiming to be God because He claimed to be the Son o f God. Judas, one of His disciples betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and sent the soldiers to the Mount of Olives for His arrest. Jesus was then brought to Caesar for his conviction and was sentenced to death which started His sufferings

U4 Discussion Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

U4 Discussion - Coursework Example In the case of accessing files shared, a user maybe unable to access files that they ought to access when logged on locally. This may be due to permissions which are assigned to the user or to the group of which the user is a member. The permissions given (both share permissions and file permissions) should be checked to see if there is an exception to the rule (Microsoft Support, 2006). The exception includes an explicit deny permission to a certain file or folder. Deny permissions assist in enumerating the certain tasks that can be performed by users. Sometimes it is necessary to restrict access, more so to printers. In companies it is necessary to know what is being printed on the printer network. For example in the accounts department, the settings of the printer are configured to prevent every domain user from using it. It also allows tracking of the legitimate checks that have been printed. Other situations includes when a company wants to restrict printers which use expensive supplies. In healthcare the privacy and confidentiality of information is a virtue, thus restriction to what is printed and who can print comes in handy. Printer administration can be simplified by use of printer pooling. This is a standard feature of windows 2000, XP and NT that allows an administrator to spread out printed output to several printers (pool). It enables the server to have good management of multiple printers using a single printer instance, this provides some sort of load balance and it is important for administrative purposes. 3. Although your textbook does not talk at length about printer priorities (involving multiple print queues or objects), do some research on this topic and tell how it differs from printer pooling. Under what circumstances would you want to implement printing priorities? This is different from printer priority which involves setting different virtual

Platos Republic Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Platos Republic - Article Example The sun symbolizes an intelligent realm, and once its existence is acknowledged, then people can seek the paths to their upper states of mind (Para. 3).   The requirements to pass each stage are preset and definite. I feel that this educates readers to learn and think like the guardians, something that bars them from investigating Plato’s ideas with their personal different theories and experiences. Therefore, Republic education primarily teaches readers to become enlightened philosophers. In my opinion, I feel that Republic education should also allow readers to investigate and comprehend Plato’s system from their personal philosophical thoughts and experiences, and develop new philosophy system to become agents of socio-political change.  Plato’s Republic educates readers to become enlightened philosophers, but not agents of socio-political change. Plato’s ideal city suggests that guardians, who are talented people, should use their skills and knowle dge to enlighten people who are still held in the cave.           

Contradicting Notions of the Public Sphere Essay Example for Free

Contradicting Notions of the Public Sphere Essay The notion of Public Sphere by Jurgen Habermas is representative of the social realities of his country. In the same way, Nancy Fraser’s comment on Habermas’s Public Sphere reflects the society she is in. Therefore, their notions of Public Sphere contradict due to their different backgrounds. Considering this idea, readers should consider the backgrounds of the two authors in analyzing their concepts. In analyzing the notion of Public Sphere in the view of Habermas, let us consider the economic situation of Germany. On the one hand, we can say that Habermas’s notion of public is comprised of individuals who have enough food, shelter, clothing, education, employment, or other means of living.   Germany is a stable country, considering its GNP, and small population. On the other hand, the United States is resided by people of different backgrounds, from the poor, the average, up to the rich and wealthy, the Whites, the Blacks, and other migrants, etc. These people who comprise the population of America dictate to Fraser her notion of the public sphere. Considerably, Habermas’s concept of Public Sphere is very ideal. Its idealism actually makes it delimiting of the public it addresses. We can say that the public Habermas portrays or uses to conceptualize his thoughts is basically European. It does not consider the marginalized, the oppressed, or simply those who are experiencing sufferings and demarcation, such as the women, the uneducated, the unemployed or the multicultural population. In conceiving the public sphere as private people coming together as a public, debating over some publicly relevant topics, Habermas was thinking of unity and understanding among the sectors of the public. As such, there is nothing wrong with his ideas of voicing out public opinion within the Public Sphere; in fact it would be beneficial to both the government and the people. Habermas gives an account of the elements necessary to form a democratic country. He addresses this as the bourgeois Public Sphere, which has four primary elements. This sphere, he claims, entirely disregards status, and gives opportunity for everyone to share in the discussion. In other words, he proposes an inclusive Public sphere. Additionally, the discussion within the Public Sphere should address socio -political problems that need to be solved. Habermas considers the evolution of the public sphere he conceptualizes. It started with the bourgeois discussing in coffee shops, salons, and other familiar places. It later comprised the media, as the bourgeois in the 18th century established printing press, news companies, etc. Further consideration of this point suggests the use of media resources for gaining and expressing public opinion, which later limited the said public sphere to those in power. On the contrary, Fraser considers the notion of having the Public Sphere comprised of individuals from all walks of life. She claims that what Habermas proposes is not inclusive, but rather exclusive of those who are educated, and well-to-do. It therefore marginalizes the poor from the rich, and discriminates, in a way, the women and the multicultural individuals. She further argues that it is impossible to claim inclusiveness as marginalized groups are not considered part of the universal public. They themselves formed their own public spheres, which the author termed as counterpublics. She further offers a modern conception of the hegemonic public sphere, which opens up the political realm to everyone. She states that rather than ruling by power, there is now rule by the majority. To deal with the hegemonic domination, repressed groups form into Subaltern counterpublics to represent those who share their ideologies. The marginalized have learned to express themselves, and are working together toward a certain goal. Both authors have their good notions of the Public Sphere. Each works for the common good of the people. In Habermas, we can see that the Public Sphere he proposes is a way to resolve problems in the government and economy of a certain country. In addition, he proposes a body that watches over the public, an organized group of individuals who aim for an honest and successful governance. In her paper, Fraser shares the view that people have formed a Public Sphere that recognizes and represents every individual. She formulates that this sphere would be more representative of the people as it listens and learns from the marginalized sector in society. She disagrees with Habermas that regarding forming a public sphere of the knowledgeable, the more privileged.   In evaluating these two views, we must remember to consider the perspective of the authors. As mentioned above, Habermas who came from Germany may have only considered the society he was exposed to, in coming up with his own notion of Public Sphere. In contrast, Fraser who was exposed to multiculturalism in America may have applied her views in the Public Sphere she proposed. As such, the two authors came up with contradicting beliefs, since they had conflicting societies. Works Cited Habermas, Jà ¼rgen. The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Inquiry into a Category of Bourgeois Society. (English Translation). Cambridge Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 1989. Alterity. 13 February 2005. Retrieved 25 March 2008 http://www.zephoria.org/alterity/archives/2005/02/nancy_fraser_re.html. Fraser, Nancy. Rethinking the Public Sphere: A Contribution to the Critique of Actually Existing Democracy. Social Text 25 (26): 56-80. Duke University Press, 1990.

Marketing Essays International Advertising

Marketing Essays International Advertising International Advertising International marketing advertising in this case can be taken to mean the dissemination of commercial messages to the target group globally. It involves the communication of a newly or even an existing products in a particular producing country so that it can reach the potential consumers all over the world. This is because you tend to find that the target audience for a particular product will tend to differ from one country to another. This is because of the many believes and attitudes which are possessed by so many people all over the world. It is due to this that international marketing has proved to be quite effective in that it will involve communicating of new produced products to many countries. You also find that the way people perceive or interpret stimuli or even symbols, the way people tend to respond to emotional or humour appeals plus their many levels of languages and literacy will require international marketing advertising so that the product can reach the potential consumer. There are so many ways by which international marketing advertising can take place so that the target audience can be in a position to access these products. Through the paper, I will try to analyze how international advertising takes place with reference to the tusker brewing company in Kenya. (Douglas, 2001) International advertising by Tusker Brewing Company You find that for international marketing to take place, the firms producing these products should be organized in a way which will make this advertising to be quite effective. For example the multinational firms need to centralize their advertising decisions plus budgeting this mode of advertising since its bit expensive as when compared to other modes of advertising. They need to have a number of agencies in such countries so that they can advertise their many products. So for the case of the tusker brewing company in Kenya, you find that they have agencies in other countries like it has agencies in Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi whereby the work of these agencies is to market the tusker products in to these countries. It’s through this advertising that most of the potential consumers are in a position to access this beer hence leading to increased profits in the company. You find that its budgets are usually decentralized and also placed in the hands of its local subs idiaries resulting in the greater use of the local advertising agencies. So these agencies usually move from one country to another advertising these products to the potential consumers and hence its through this international advertising that many potential customers from all corners of the world will get the type of beer they want which will satisfy them fully while at the same time increasing the companies profits hence leading to economic development. Since many people tend to differ in their consumption pattern, you will find that a particular country can have a high consumption of the tusker beer more than the producing country and this is one of the factors which have led to the international advertising. (Rijkens, 2000) Developing an international advertising strategy will prove very much important since an advertising strategy will develop a regional or even a global advertising campaign. For example you will find that if the advertising in this case is to develop a strong corporate or even a global image, in this case you will find that a uniform global campaign strategy will be most effective. So with the tusker brewing company, it has developed a global advertising campaign whereby it needs to reach as many customers as possible. So it sends its agencies to different countries whereby campaigns are usually carried advertising the particular produced beer in the market. This global campaign in this case has several advantages unlike the local campaigns in that when tusker brewing company advertises its new products globally, then it will be in a position to get more customers worldwide who will buy its beer hence leading to increased profits to the company. So the global campaigns in this case ar e so much beneficial as far as the tusker company is concerned. Alden, D 2001 There are so many world advertising industries which operate in almost all countries so it is the role of the company to use such agencies if it does not want to employ its own agencies to market its products to these countries. But with the case of the Tusker brewing company, it has its own marketers who go advertising its products in to these countries. (Albers-Miller, 2001) Due to the rise of the new technology, you find that the globalization process has come up with so many technologies which have made advertising of alcohol products to be effective. Advertising of the products in this case can take through the internet whereby most of the potential consumers in this case can be in a position to have access to such products. So the new technology has made advertising of the products to be quite effective since you will find that the consumers need only to access such products through the internet hence be in a position to know the new products which have been introduced in the market. There are so many websites which have come up with the new technology hence you find that most of the alcohol companies which produce such beers can market their new brands through the internet meaning that people from all corners of the world can be in a position to access the newly produced beer in the market. Internet advertising is one of the ways by which most of th e alcohol companies have been in a position to differentiate their many products from their competitors. This is because you find that there are so many brewing companies all over the world and the only way most of the alcohol producers can try to compete effectively in the competitive world is to try and differentiate their many brew products. So you will find that most of the new brands of alcohol which are produced care advertised through the internet. I will give the example of the Tusker Company in Kenya which has used the internet to advertise its many products through the internet. It is due to this that the tusker company in Kenya has been in a position to compete effectively with the other companies say the Coca-Cola company among other companies in Kenya. Differentiation of products is very much important for any company which needs to grow. This is because if the tusker company differentiates its products through the provision of new brand names and then advertises them t o the potential consumers, then you will find that this company will be in a position to increased profits. (Albers-Miller, 2001) The brand name which is used by the manufacturer in this case will very much matter. The content of the brand name will have an impact to the potential consumers hence in this case, branding of products is very much important so that the consumers can be in a position top know the type of beer they are taking and the several ingredients which were used to make such beer. This is according to a research which was done of the significance of branding in to a particular newly produced product in the market. A certain brand of beer was produced and then put in unbranded bottle and another beer was also produced and put in a branded bottle and research was done on the two beers where market research was done. The tow bottles were taken in to the market and results were that the branded beer had so many customers unlike the unbranded bottle. It was found that most of the potential consumers of tusker could not purchase the new produced beer simply because it did not have any contents which could show the type of beer which was been sold in the market. So this particular research tells us that when marketing or even advertising our newly produced products in the market, you will find that it is quite essential to ensure that the alcohol products are branded so that the consumers in this case can be in a position to know the type of beer which is been sold in the market. The brand name will matter a lot since most of the consumers will go with the brand name which answers their many problems. A good example to explain this is that most of the alcoholics want the beer which will make them stay high for quite along time. So if the content of your beer does not convince the consumers to buy it, then you will find that your particular products in this case will not get many customers hence leading to the closure of your business. So international marketing in this case will mean that the type of brand which is used in your products will tend to convince so many people to b uy and should go with the demands of the consumers. International advertising has its advantages and disadvantages as far as the operation of the tusker brewing company is concerned. Let’s try to analyze some of the advantages of the international advertising by the Tusker brewing company in Kenya. (Albers-Miller, 2001) Advantages International marketing advertising has so many advantages as when compared to its disadvantages. First you will find that international advertising will mean communication the products in to so many customers hence meaning that the company will have build a strong coherent global image for its products worldwide. In this case most of the potential consumers from different countries of the world will tend to have access of the newly produced product in the market hence meaning that the company will eventually have increased profits. This is because it will have accrued so many customers to buy the beer. You also find that the use of same images in many countries whereby the new brand of beer is advertised will tend to build a familiarity and also try to generate more synergies across the world market. Here, you will find that the continuous advertising in these countries will make the product to be more familiar to the target audience hence meaning that the consumers in this case will have known the product for quite enough periods. This is because you find that most of the consumers are clever today since most of the greedy marketers who advertise bad products advertise it once and after selling it completely they disappear from the market completely. So with the continuous advertising of the products in to these countries you will that the consumers will be familiar with the product hence leading to huge profits by the company. (Albers-Miller, 2001) Disadvantages Despite the advantages tusker brewing company has had with the international marketing advertising, it has experienced some disadvantages. One is that international advertising is an expensive mode of advertising since it needs a heavy budget for it can start such campaigns. So when employing these agencies, these people need to be paid a lot of money since they are trying to market the product on your behalf. So a lot of money is required to pay such agencies who go marketing your product in to the many countries in which they visit. Also, it will involve internet advertising which is an expensive method to use by the producers of the tusker beer. So in this case you will find that since most of the consumers do not have access to the internet especially those people at the rural areas, then it will become a bit hard to communicate the product to them. The issue of a language barrier can occur when advertising hence meaning that if the marketers differ in their languages, then it wi ll be difficult for the international marketing to take place. (Grey, 2004) Conclusion International advertising can act as an integrating force across the national boundaries whereby the advertising of the new product tend to go beyond the bounders of the producing countries so that the product can be communicated to the target audience. This is because of the many consumption differences by so many people since people tend to differ in the consumption of such products. Reference Douglas, P 2001, International marketing strategy, McGraw Hill, New York. Grein, A 2004, International advertising management, Bacon and Allyn, Boston Rijkens, G 2000, Advertising strategies, Cassell, London Albers-Miller, N 2001, designing cross cultural advertising research: A closer look at paired comparisons. Journal of international marketing review Vol. 13(5) Alden, D 2001, Identifying global and culture specific dimensions in humour in advertising A multinational analysis, Journal of marketing. Grey, A 2004, â€Å"every market needs a different message†, IABC Communication World.

Hip Hop Music: East Coast, West Coast, Dirty South, and Midwest Rap Ess

The beauty of hip hop is that it is malleable. It is not defined by strict boundaries but by multiple characteristics. Young artist J. Cole (2013) explains this best by stating in an interview, â€Å"I think there’s no rules [in rap]. You can say what you want. That’s your poetic license: to test people’s boundaries.† (p.1) The results of such malleability and the need to experiment within the unwritten boundaries of hip hop are the birth of different styles and sectors/scenes in America. These sectors are represented by the geographic location of the artists and the distinctive sounds and styles that the artists utilize. For years the genre of hip hop was found primarily in the United States in these particular scenes. In the past few years, however, Toronto has been making waves and slowly making a name for itself in the rap game due to the native artists gaining popularity and critical acclaim across the globe. As a result, it had come to question wheth er the Canadian city can be defined as its scene due to styles the artists from the city are using or whether or not the artists are simply mocking styles from other distinct hip hop scenes in America. When the genre of hip hop music was starting to emerge to mainstream America it was not classified into distinctive groups based on the type of rapping. Instead, artists were labeled based on the geographic location they were hailing from. Until the mid-1980’s, the majority of the rappers were hailing from the Big Apple. However with the introduction of new artists such as Ice-T and N.W.A., California would offer competition for the East Coast dominated genre. In the coming years, talented artists would emerge from all corners of the country. As a result, four distinctive scenes can b... ...so much?'. The Guardian. Web. 15 May 2015. http://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/mar/29/drake-why-hate-me-so-much Markit. (2013, October 1). 5 up and coming hip hop artists in Toronto. blogTO RSS. Web. 1 May 2015. http://www.blogto.com/music/2013/10/5_up_and_coming_hip_hop_artists_in_toronto/ One, D. (2001, December 1). The Geography Of Hip Hop. VICE. Web. 12 May 2015. http://www.vice.com/read/the-geography-v8n10 Walters, B. (2012, August 22). Frank Ocean, Miguel, and Holy Other Usher in PBR&B 2.0. SPIN. Web. 9 May 2015. http://www.spin.com/articles/frank-ocean-miguel-and-holy-other-usher-in-pbrb-20/ Wheeler, B. (2013, April 26). The Toronto rappers who really started from the bottomAdd to .... The Globe and Mail. Web. 6 May 2015. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/the-toronto-rappers-who-really-started-from-the-bottom/article11581851/

John Stewarat Mills On Liberty and the Subjection of Women Essay

John Stewarat Mill's On Liberty and the Subjection of Women Born in 1806, John Stewart Mill was an English philosopher who highly prized the Utilitarian belief system, or the doctrine of seeking the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people. Among his various political treatises, On Liberty and The Subjection of Women are excellent applications of his convictions in individualism and negative government. Though the subjects of each work differ to an extent, both are written in a dialogue format, and the general principles postulated in On Liberty can be easily applied to the second work. Essentially, Mill seeks to assert the importance of certain personal rights and freedoms, moral beliefs, and the integrity of the individual. The Subjection of Women incorporates concepts from On Liberty and defines them via concrete application to a real social problem. The crucial idea supported throughout On Liberty is stated by Mill in Chapter 1: â€Å"That the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not a sufficient warrant† (9). This statement encapsulates Mill’s view that government should serve a negative role, or rather, interfere in the lives of the people only for the prevention of harm. Further, this assumes to an extent that the individual has some degree of common sense, morality, or knowledge of how to care for one ’s self. In The Subjection of Woman, Mill stretches this ideal to women to explain the irrationality behind the government’s relegation of women to second-class citizens against their will. Mill’s opponents assert that women are known to be inferior, both ... ...shment of friendship through deliberation, so too will the inclusion of women into intellectual society color and expand the depth of knowledge. â€Å"Women’s thoughts are thus as useful in giving reality to those of thinking men, as men’s thoughts in giving width and largess to those of women† (Women 63). In essence, Mill asserts that â€Å"true wisdom† only comes from those who â€Å"hear what can be said about [a subject] by persons of every opinion, and study all modes in which it can be looked at by every character of mind† (On Liberty 19). Therefore, The Subjection of Women expounds this notion by explaining the fallacy and potential dangers of ignoring the feminine potential. Throughout both works, his views are consistent toward preserving the individual, encouraging free thinking, and progressing society to a point past social prejudices and negative presuppositions.

Electronic Case (Corporate Finance) Essay

1. Tom believes the company should use the extra cash to pay a special one-time dividend. How will this proposal affect the stock price? How will it affect the value of the company? Electronic Timing, Inc. (ETI) needs to be careful on how it dispenses the extra cash as a dividend. Issuing the extra cash as a dividend would mean that the shareholders collectively will probably drop by the same amount because of the transfer of wealth from the company to the shareholders individually. Hence, the economic value of the company will also decrease. 2. Jessica believes that the company should use the extra cash to pay debt and upgrade and expand it existing manufacturing capability. How would Jessica’s proposals affect the company? Jessica’s proposal will support an expansionary policy for the company which can result to a higher growth rate for ETI. As to the company’s dividend policy, not issuing the extra cash as a dividend signals to the market that there are still better and more efficient uses of the cash than using it for dividends. 3. Nolan is in favor of a share repurchase. He argues will increase the company’s P/E ratio, return on assets, and return on equity. Are his arguments correct? How will a share repurchase affect the value of the company? A share repurchase if done correctly should be equivalent to the issuance of a cash dividend with the same amount as regards to effects on shareholders’ wealth. The way the share repurchases should be done in a way that it does not diminish or create shareholder wealth. Hence, Nolan’s argument that the company’s return and assets and return on equity will increase is not correct. However, the P/E ratio might go upwards for a time until the market corrects it. 4. Another option discussed by Tom, Jessica and Nolan would be to begin a regular dividend payment to shareholders. How would you evaluate this proposal? A plan to issue a regular dividend to shareholders is a start in establishing a dividend payout policy. A dividend policy signals to the market that the company is making a commitment to its shareholders and hence the company strategies will have to be aligned with that commitment. Therefore I would evaluate the proposal as regards the company’s ability to stick to it. For example, it adopts a stable dividend policy – will it be able to have cash to honor such policy year on, year off? Another factor would be does a regular dividend matter to ETI’s shareholders? Or do they prefer a different method of transferring wealth to them aside from a cash dividend? 5. One way to value a share of stock is the dividend growth, or growing perpetuity, model. Consider the following: The dividend payout ratio is 1 minus b, where b is the â€Å"retention† or â€Å"plowback† ratio. So, the dividend next year will be the earnings next year, E1, times 1 minus the retention ratio. The most commonly used equation to calculate the sustainable growth rate is the return on equity times the retention ratio. Substituting these relationships into the dividend growth model, we get the following equation to calculate the price of a share of stock today: What are the implications of this result in terms of whether the company should pay a dividend or upgrade and expand its manufacturing capability? Explain. The substituted dividend growth model is Dt=Dt-1(1+rb). This equation implies that the future dividends of the company are directly related to the amount of earnings it retains and the rate of return if makes from its investments. However, in order to attain the company’s targeted rate of return it also needs to retain more of its earnings in the company for upgrading or expanding its manufacturing plant rather than using it for cash dividends. In the expansionary phase, the company has to make trade offs – lower dividends for higher growth. 6. Does the question of whether the company should pay a dividend depend on whether the company is organized as a corporation or an LLC? No, an LLC can distribute earnings to its owners; however that distribution is not called a dividend, but rather distribution of cash or property to the partners. It is still a dividend in a different name.

Online vs. Traditional Education Essay

Have you ever had the opportunity to take online classes? Have you even heard of online classes? If you haven’t, you are missing out on a great opportunity. Online education is rapidly becoming a popular alternative to traditional education. It is offering more flexibility for students and providing individuals with better opportunities for postsecondary education. Even though traditional education has been the only form of education for hundreds of years, online education offers a new and improved style of learning. When people think of education, they think of a classroom filled with desks, paper, books, and other students. After all, this is how humans have been taught for generations. This is an example of traditional education. Traditional education is when students attend a school and are taught in a formal classroom setting. There is an instructor that teaches the class by giving demonstrations or by lecturing. It allows the students to have face-to-face interaction with the instructor or their fellow students. Traditional education has never been very flexible. There are scheduled times for class and working around that schedule can prove to be difficult. Often times, life events can conflict with the class schedule. This can cause students to miss class and fall behind in their work. While traditional education is not very flexible, online education is. Online education is the use of technology to share educational information and to teach students. It often only requires a computer and an Internet connection. The classroom setting of an online education can be anywhere. You can work from the comfort of your own home or while you are at the library. As long as you have access to a computer with Internet, you can go to school. In many situations, you can also complete the school work on your own time. That way if something comes up at the last minute, you still have the ability to complete your school work without losing points. It also allows students to continue to work at their job while taking classes. This is a very nice convenience to have, especially for individuals who have a family or have a job to work around. Online education can also be much cheaper than traditional education. It is not uncommon for tuition at online schools to be lower than that of a traditional school, although this is certainly not true of all online programs. In addition, costs associated with things like commuting, classroom supplies, and housing are not relevant in an online learning environment. Some programs may not require students to purchase textbooks or provide the material online. Usually, students can download all of their materials needed for class, such as assignments or textbooks, straight from their online classroom. The lower costs of an online education are a key factor for its rising popularity. Another large factor to consider when choosing a form of education is the availability of resources. Most traditional schools have a vast amount of resources. They often have at least one library, science labs, computer labs, and other resources that make the learning experience easier. The only problem is that some of these resources have limited access. They are only open during certain hours and may even be closed some days. This reduces a student’s flexibility and may affect their ability to complete work on time. Online education, on the other hand, offers resources that are available 24/7. The resources are all online, so there is no need to have a closing time or open hours. They are at the students’ fingertips and only require the click of a button. They may even offer more resources than you would find at a traditional school. Resources such as a free plagiarism checker or a grammar review are usually not available to students in a traditional classroom setting. These resources can give online students the upper hand in education and will allow them to perform at a higher level. The biggest difference between traditional and online education is the method of communication. In traditional education, everything is face-to-face. The students interact with the teacher directly and the discussion occurs only in the classroom. This face-to-face interaction allows the students to build social skills and form relationships with other classmates. The only downfall there is with this method is that once the class is over, it can be difficult to contact the instructor if a question or problem would arise. In online education, communication is much different. Students can be thousands of miles apart and live in different time zones. Therefore there cannot be any face-to-face interaction. Instead, online education relies on instant messaging through a forum. It is very similar to a chat room. This is where the majority of the communication takes place. Students can communicate with the instructor and with each other by posting messages and waiting for a reply. This makes it very easy to get a hold of other people, no matter the time of day. The downfall with this method is that sometimes it can take a while before you receive a reply. However, online courses require a certain amount of participation so the question will be addressed before too long. Many people question the amount of work that online students do. Some even say that online colleges should not be as credible as traditional universities. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Online education shares many of the same requirements expected by traditional schools. Online students write research papers, have to create projects, and take finals just like any other student. In fact, many online schools have traditional campuses and have the same requirements for both campus and online students. It does not matter which form of education an individual chooses. They will be required to do the same amount of work in order to attain their degree. For years I thought traditional education was the only way to go. I was a firm believer in the traditional ways and never thought that you could get the same education by sitting on a computer. Now that I have experience in both forms of education, I can see why so many people are switching to online programs. The flexibility of online classes and the vast amount of resources make it more user friendly than ever before. The popularity of online education is on the rise and will continue to increase as more people switch from the traditional ways.

Pak mulls removing import duy on Indian Tea Essay

Free trade takes place when there are no barriers and no intrusions to trade put by the authority(government and trade organisations). Free trade allows goods and services to flow freely freely from one country to another. The opposite to free trade is Protectionism. There are many protectionism that the government of a particular country can impose on trade. Main types of protectionism: * Tariffs * Subsidies * Quotas * Embargoes The governement of Pakistan has imposed a trade barrier on the import of Tea from India. India tea is under a 10 percent import duty. Some possible reasons for the imposition of Import duty on Tea are given below. * To prevent over specialisation * To raise government revenue * To remove balance of payment deficits Given below is a graph that shows the effect of imposing import duty on the import of Tea. Due to the imposition of import duty the prices for Tea rises from ‘P-world’ to ‘P- import duty’ because of which the Supply curve shifts from ‘S-world’ to ‘S- world+ import duty’ . Therefore there is an overall consumer loss. Areas ‘a’,’b’,’c’ and ‘d’ shows the consumer loss. Area ‘a’ shows the producers gain. Area ‘b’ shows green loss. It is said to be a ‘Green Loss’ because there is inefficiency that is creeping in this area as inefficient domestic producers are now producing this area at a higher price. Area ‘c’ shows the government revenue due the import duty. Area ‘d’ shows the net loss. ‘d’ is not being produced or demanded due to the rise in prices, this shows the net loss towards the consumer. Tea is an ‘important drink in every Pakistani house’ and Pakistan is the second largest importer of Tea. Therefore the demand curve for Tea in Pakistan is very inelastic. The smuggled tea is sold at a low cost but due to the Inelastic demand for Tea, The change in the price of tea should have a realively low change in the demand. However, the article states that Pakistan imports 140 million kg and 20 million kg is smuggled. This shows that 12.5 % of tea is smuggled, which is a very high rate. This indirectly shows that Tea inspite of being very inelastic in demand, a change in price will have a big effect on the demand. Area ‘d’ in the above graph is consumer loss in Trade between India and Pakistan. However, this area is being demanded and supplied throught smuggling and illegal trade. Therefore, Area ‘d’ can also be observed as the government loss of revenue. India and Kenya are the two main countrys supplying Pakistan with tea. Due to the drought in Kenya the prices have increased tremendously. This puts Pakistan in a very infavourable situation. ‘S-world’ takes into account the imported supply of Tea from India and Kenya. Due to the import duty the price shifts from ‘P world’ to ‘P- import duty’ and the supply shifts from ‘S- world’ to ‘S- world+ import duty’. Again due to the drougth the price shifts from ‘P- import duty’ to ‘P1’ and the supply shifts from ‘S- world+ import duty’ to ‘S- world 2’. Due to the very high prices people will stop consuming Tea and move to other alternatives like coffee. Also smuggling of Tea will increase tremendously. The net effect will have a tremedous loss of revenue for the government.

Managing the Customer Experience

With the rising affluence and advances in IT in the society, incomes and living standards rose continuously. These contribute to a change in lifestyle and lead to increased demand for products and services. As a result, customer is expecting a good quality customer experience. Customer service plays an important role in an organization’s ability to generate income and revenue. Successful customer service is an on-going process of meeting and exceeding customer expectations. A customer service experience can change the entire perception a customer has of the organization. Through the articles on customer complaints and compliments, I had read and summarized the various points customers consider as important to enjoying quality customer experience. Firstly, body language and communication. Two of the most important parts of positive body language are smiling and eye contact. Customers expect staff to look into their eyes as they are having a communication. This shows that the staff respect them and by listening to them. Also, staff responsiveness will create a bond of trust and a communication comfort level. Secondly, be an information expert. In other words, staffs are to know what products or services they are offering back to front. Whatever the situation may be, staffs are expected not to leave customer with an unanswered question. This is critical because it determines the retention of customers as staffs are the customer only contact to determine how to use the product or service to get the best return on investment. Thirdly, anticipate customer needs. Staffs are encouraged to look for ways to serve their customer more than they expect. For instance, to remain contact with customers by keeping them informed of new events, product updates or even calling to say hello. In doing so, customer will be amazed by the employee who make the effort in going the extra mile to help them. In addition, they will feel that they are well taken care of and this creates a seamless relationship. In conclusion, I had quoted a meaningful quote from the web from the point of view of a customer. â€Å"Quality customer experience refers to the customer journey which makes them feel happy, satisfy, served and cared, with a sense of being respected, according to his or her expectation or standard, start from first contact and through the whole relationship. †

Demonstrative Speech

Ever run out of crafts to do? Want to make a cool gift for someone? Want to get in touch with your creative side? Making a duct tape wallet is the answer. It’s a fun way to make a new project to keep busy while making something for someone else or yourself. For my presentation will be making a duct tape wallet. I will be starting with materials that will be needed, the steps to construct the wallet, and options to add to personalize it. For your reference the shell is referred to the main part of the wallet. The materials that is need 1.A pair scissors 2. Ruler 3. A piece of plastic or clear Scotch tape(optional) 4. Also, you will need 1 solid color and 1 printed duct tape. In this case I am using a solid pink and zebra printed tape. Now the steps 1. Cut 8 strips of the solid pink duct tape. The measurement is 8 ? inches long. 2. Once that’s done lay one strip sticky side up, then line up another strip( color side up) place it a little more than half way on top. There w ill be a little strip of sticky still showing. 3. Now place another strip on top of the sticky part that’s showing.Flip it over and continue to cover the sticky part on the bottom until you use all the strips of tape. You will be flipping it back and forth to complete the shell of the wallet. 4. When done the sticky parts that are left, fold them over. 5. Now clean up the edges. The length of your wallet should be 8 ? inches in length, and it should be 3 ? in width. When that is finished you will have the shell of the wallet. 6. Cut a strip of the printed tape measuring the length your wallet, and cut that piece into 2. 7.Put one of the printed strips on the top of the shell to create a printed border. 8. Cut 2 pieces of 4inch pick tape, to tape the sides of the wallet together. 9. Now it’s time to start the pockets. Cut 6 strips of 4 inch of any color tape besides the color of your actual shell (in this case the printed tape is used). Stick two pieces of tape together , after completion you should have 3 assembled pieces. Measure the 3 pockets to make sure they are exactly the same size 10. Cut small strips to tape down to the shell.Make sure after taping the first pocket down that there is a substantial amount of space so there will be room to put credit cards in. After, place the next on top and tape down and continue until the last one is taped down. 11. To create the secret pocket, cut 3 strips of 4 inches. Place the 2 pieces of tape on top of each other, once that’s done put the last piece on the very top of the pocket and fold it. Secure it with strips of tape on the three sides. 12. Get the other strip of the printed tape you cut earlier and place at the bottom to create the border. 13.Then cut 3 ? inches of the printed tape to finish up the printed border of your wallet. When that is done, you have made your own wallet. Options to add to the wallet * To make the I. D holder you will need a piece of plastic or 2 pieces of scotch tap e. Place over the secret pocket and secure it with small strips of tape and you has an I. D holder. * You could also add Velcro keep the wallet closed. Never knew that having a few pieces of duct tape could turn into something so fun and exciting to do. It’s a good way to be creative and make a craft for someone or yourself.

Performance Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Performance Management - Essay Example er and retailer of specialty coffee, deals with issues of performance management such as setting of standards by the Compensation and Management Development Committee. It has as one of their responsibilities to: â€Å"Annually review and recommend the objective performance measures and the performance targets for executive officers participating in the Executive Management Bonus Plan (whether or not such executive officers are Executive Officers) for approval by the panel of independent directors of the Board and for certifying the performance of such executive officers at the end of each fiscal year.†1 In line with this responsibility, Starbuck came up with an Executive Bonus plan whereby performing executives can make up to 70% of their base salary for meeting performance measures and company’s strategic plan annually. Those concerned with this bonus plane are â€Å"Employees serving in positions of executive vice president and above, as well as certain other senior officers of the Corporation specified by the Compensation Committee†.2 All of this is to meet the mission statement of â€Å"establishing Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining our uncompromising principles as we grow.†3 The mission statement is often followed through meetings of top managers of all Starbuck agencies around the world. One of such follow up meetings was held on March 10th 2008 at Seattle, where the General Manager, Howard Schultz and senior members came up with what is known as â€Å"Howard Schultz Transformation agenda communication number 10†4 in which 7 bold moves to be followed in the coming years; remain the undisputed coffee authority, re-engage into serious business and inspire Starbucks partners, re-ignite company emotional attachment with the customers, expand the company global presence while making each store the heart of the local neighbourhood, remain a leader in ethical sourcing and environmental impact, create innovative

Andy Griffin show vs I love Lufy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Andy Griffin show vs I love Lufy - Essay Example Though Andy Griffith Show was telecasted in the 60s, yet the primary intention of this show came out as attracting the audience of the 60s, by presenting a Utopia that appealed to their sense of nostalgia. The highly fictionalized Mayberry in which the show unraveled, no way affiliated to the predominant social and civil concerns of the 60s. Instead, it represented a fancy locale defined by values like honesty, friendship, loyalty, compassion and kindness, totally antithetical to the unrestrained ambition and individualism marking the postwar America. The world of Mayberry happened to be essentially moralistic, where individual aspirations, contradictions, personality quirks and human foibles eventually aspired to approach a benign harmony and acceptance. Thereby, it would not be wrong to say that Andy Griffith Show unfolded amidst a setting that instead of appealing to the salient norms of the America of the 60s, rather presented an idea of America that most of the Americans happene d to cherish and miss. It presented a setting that happened to be benign, safe, cozy, soft and predictable. In contrast, I Love Lucy accrued attention by presenting a setting that adhered to the altering social and gender norms of the late 50s. New York City, where the show is set, typically stands out as a modern American metropolitan, a home to social and civil upheavals, fast altering moral norms and a quick paced life. It is not a surprise that if on the one side, I Love Lucy, beats conventional gender expectations, on the other side it presented a more racially diverse character profile. If Andy Griffith Show had a predominantly white, middle class character profile, in I Love Lucy one comes across characters like Ricky Ricardo, who is a Cuban American. The other interesting thing about these two shows was that their central characters that are Sheriff Andy Taylor and Lucy Ricardo happened to be totally different and disparate. Andy Taylor in Andy Griffith

Battle of Waterloo Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Battle of Waterloo - Research Paper Example Since the achievement of such an objective is rarely feasible in practicality, although theoretically plausible, the theory of warfare attempts to teach and calculate the moral factors such as the mistakes which the enemy is likely to make; or the impression which can be created to intimidate the enemy forces. Written almost two centuries ago, by a renowned Prussian thinker and theorist, Carl von Cluausewitz, these highly controversial yet oft cited set of principles commonly referred to as the "Principles of War" present a comprehensive summary of the tactics and strategies that can be used during war. These principles have proved to be highly effective over the years, and are adopted by nations worldwide, owing to fact that they encompass all the moral as well as psychological aspects of warfare (Clausewitz, Graham, 2008). This paper on Principles of War: Battle of Waterloo discusses and analyzes the nine principles of war with regard to and as applied in the Battle of Waterloo. Th e Battle of Waterloo: Brief Overview The Battle of Waterloo was fought between the Imperial French army commanded by Emperor Napoleon and the Seventh Coalition - which comprised of an Anglo-allied army commanded by the Duke of Wellington; and the Prussian army commanded by Gebhard von Blucher. It was fought on June 18, 1815 near Waterloo which is in present-day Belgium. Napoleon’s army was defeated by the combined forces i.e. the Seventh Coalition and the Anglo-Allied army, and is considered to be historical since it marked the end of Napoleon’s tyrant rule, and his hundred days of return from exile (BBC History, 2011). The battle was historical since the mighty French emperor and military leader Napoleon’s rule came to an abrupt end after his defeat at the hands of the combined armies led by the British, German, Belgian, Dutch and the Prussians. The principles of war discussed in the following section, aims to discuss, examine, and analyze the various strategie s used by the combined forces against Napoleon’s army, that eventually led to his fall. The nine principles of war: 1. The Principle of Objective: â€Å"No one starts a war—or rather, no one in his senses ought to do so—without first being clear in his mind what he intends to achieve by that war and how he intends to conduct it†. Karl Von Clausewitz (in Mahnken & Maiolo, 2008, pp. 2) The principle of objective refers to the fundamental purpose of the war / military operation, which must be clearly identified, defined and attained in an effective manner. The two parties involved in the battle included Napoleon’s army on one hand, and the allied forces comprising of the British, the Belgians, the Germans, and the Prussians on the other. The basic objective of Napoleon was to continue his accession and dominance, and restore his power after his exile, in the year 1815 and to defeat the allied European forces which had begun to reassemble their armies in a bid to overthrow Napoleon’s rule. Napoleon’s objective was to destroy the efforts of the allied forces, prevent them from gaining more support and expanding their existing coalition, and destroy the British, Prussian, Dutch, and Belgian armies before they could gather more support and assistance from other powers. On the other hand, the basic objective of the allied forces was to stop the emperor’s (Napoleon’s) accession, and overthrow him and thus bring a halt to his reign by defeating him and to end his tyrant rule as the emperor of France. 2. The principle of Offensive: This principle entails the retention, seizing of and exploiting the initiatives of the enemy by launching an offensive

Why do people want to work in Bloomberg Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Why do people want to work in Bloomberg - Essay Example Firstly, as mentioned, due to the fact that Bloomberg is so diverse and represents so many different specializations, there are opportunities for a wide array of individuals that are interested in the many fields in which this firm covers. Rather than merely being a financial analyst’s tool, Bloomberg has a presence in fields as diverse as television and environmental sustainment. In short, Bloomberg has over 427 different publications, its television station reaches more than 310 million people, and the firm tracks over 1.1 million different indices on a daily basis (Bloomberg 1). In this way, it is easy to see how many diverse fields are covered by Bloomberg and how many different types of people with diverse backgrounds in finance, economics, business, investment, law, and an array of other majors. Similarly, as with many large multinational companies, the attraction of working for Bloomberg cannot always be discussed as a function of overall salary. Due to the name recognition and the power and strength that such a position holds with reference to a resume, many individuals are willing to sacrifice an even larger salary at a different firm in order to work for Bloomberg. Although this may seem short-sighted, this ias due to the fact that people often are of the opinion that such a resume builder will be worth it in terms of their overall long-term career

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Marketing - Essay Example 13). Both definitions focused on the term being a philosophy or an orientation designed by management where the important elements for success and profitable financial performance of a firm is anchored in satisfying the needs of the target market or the potential customers – more than competitors do. Analysis of the Concept The marketing concept could be closely evaluated using an organizational example: Coke versus Pepsi. Bhasin (2010) described in his article that â€Å"the marketing concept proposes that the success of the firm depends on the marketing efforts of the company and in delivering a better value proposition as   compared to its competitors in its own target market† (Bhasin, par. 1). Coke’s marketing strategy is to provide customers with a product that has been envisioned to be timeless, not restricted in boundaries, applies to all ages and generations and is able to captivate and satisfy the thirst and refresh its clientele.

System analysis and design (model your life) Article

System analysis and design (model your life) - Article Example Another aspect of human life is the social pillar. Every living human being is part of society and in so need to participate in the agreed upon ways of interaction within the niche that they live within. One should have a valuable network of friends, family, and acquaintances from a wide range of life system. Being social is a very significant pillar in a well-designed life model. The third aspect of life and another important need of a well-modeled life is a cultural pillar. Culture is the way a group or a society perceive or view certain things (International Society for Quality of Life Studies, 2006). One need to be part of a cultural group as it helps shape their lives and provide guidelines to a wholesome life. The cultural pillar includes and not limited to such examples as spiritual, law, governance and other systems that give people purpose and help develop principles. The fourth pillar and the last one in this paper is the knowledge pillar. In order for people to live wholesome life individuals, need to be informed on a wide span of the system they live in. Having information creates knowledge and processed knowledge leads to wisdom, which is very significant (International Society for Quality of Life Studies, 2006). People should not have too much of one pillar and very little of the others. Being very social with very little knowledge is not a very good model of

Grossman's Cardiac Catheterization, Angiography, and Intervention Essay

Grossman's Cardiac Catheterization, Angiography, and Intervention - Essay Example The researcher states that cardiac telemetry helps in diagnosing the yield of arrhythmia and manages therapeutic caused by the consumption of antiarrhythmic drugs. They expected for arrhythmias to occur during post angiogram at approximately two hours. The cardiologists examined the condition of softness particularly on the femoral vein and the neurovascular observations as well as the rate of bleeding on both legs of the patient in every hour of operation. It suggests that Popliteral Femoralie maybe had experienced numbness in his legs which could have resulted from the failure of blood supply through lunar or radial arteries. Since the cardiologists observed on femoral veins, therefore, they mostly focused on lunar artery which is located in the legs. During angioplasty, femoral angiography is more efficient than radial angiography and this case that is why the cardiologists opt to do it on the patients’ legs where the lunar artery is located. Cardiologists seem to have inse rted the catheter through the lunar artery which is mostly associated with a lot of bleeding. Lidocaine is usually injected into patient’s body in either through the arm or the upper leg close to the hip. It numbs the body but does not make the patient to sleep. The catheter is threaded up to the heart through an artery with no pain. An x-ray camera although not mentioned, in this case, can assist in projecting images of the arteries on the screen where cardiologists can intervene about the obstruction in the artery. A contrast is later injected for it to flow up to the heart. If an impasse is found, a guide-wire is usually passed crosswise the narrowed segment which supports in placing a tiny balloon in that region. An inserted balloon catheter is later inflated many times where it flattens lamination inside an artery where the artery may crack, and the blockage is gone.

The Veldt Essay Example for Free

The Veldt Essay After reading the story of â€Å"The Veldt† by Ray Bradbury, I felt shocked. The beginning was all innocent. I thought it would be about how their parents took care of babies in their own nurseries; but after a few paragraphs, I realized that this story was a tragedy. How could chldren even think of killing their own parents? After all, the fact that their parents gave birth to them is the whole reason that they are able to think, act, feel, and talk! When I first read about the lions and how they were feeding, I kind of thought that something really tragic was about to happen. I had no clue, however, that it would include murdering, much less children killing their own parents! The parents have indeed been relying on the machines and technologies too much, and causing their own children to act so too. However, they did buy those machines in order to make sure that their children lived an easy going life, full of adventure. On the other hand, the parents did indeed care for their children. It just seemed that the children did not realize that at all! The children had been spending too much time in that â€Å"nursery† causing them to have a twisted mind. They had replaced the house and the nursery as their family. Even though I do see how the parents care for their children, I do agree that they had not cared for them enough. If the father and mother had cared enough, I do would’ve realized much earlier and found a way to prevent what would later happen to them. Also, the father’s way of solving was way too harsh and abrupt. It had shocked the children too much and because of the father’s unthinking way of solving the situation, the children couldn’t take their frustration. Yet, I felt that the children had no right, absolutely no way to kill their parents. Their parents had given them a life that no other children had. They had things that no others have. They should be thinking of how to pay back in the future, but not how to kill their parents for something as moving! I do understand that sometimes parents are unreasonable, always blaming children, yet don’t give chldren the chance to explain themselves. However, parents always think for their own children. Well, who doesn’t? At times, parents could be harsh, strict, and pushy, but one should also think of the times that their parents did everything for them. A mother or father would do anything for their child.