Compare and contrast the yellow wallpaper and the ones who walk away Essay

Look into the yellow backdrop and the ones who leave omelas - Essay Example In any case, this impossible to miss work has gotten acknowledgment and won the Hugo, as the most lofty sci-fi grant; in this manner, having a continuous collection both in standard humanities and sci-fi. Then again, the story â€Å"the yellow wallpaper† is really a prestigious short story. It is intriguing to take note of that it was simply reviewed from the insensibility (Costello and Tucker 475). Charlotte Perkins Gilman composed this short story. The realities behind its unique creation and its cutting edge or current rediscovery merit describing. Also, the â€Å"the yellow wallpaper† is a genuine story dependent on the author’s individual educational encounters. Strikingly, the story is intentionally founded on her incapacitating and gloom impacts of her ailments and ensuing treatment (Costello and Tucker 474). The story â€Å"the yellow wallpaper† cases to â€Å"save individuals from being driven crazy.† similarly, the story â€Å"The Ones Who Walked Away From Omelas† claims human advancements for the general public it is tending to. Be that as it may, a reviewer of the Atlantic Monthly turned the story down guaranteeing that it containe d a beginning and agitating substance. For this situation, the two stories share a typical negative exposure, in that, the arrangement of â€Å"The Ones Who Walked Away From Omelas† end up being a test, and therefore, on account of â€Å"the yellow wallpaper†, there is a case that the story is a beginning that has disrupting content. Also, the story got a feeling that it was â€Å"too awfully acceptable to be printed.† However, following arrangement of occasions on a similar story, particularly its conversation on the title â€Å"the Madwoman in the Attic,† prompted its wide acknowledgment and ensuing conversations inside the American writing (Costello and Tucker 478). The story â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† has various readings and understandings; be that as it may, it clearly welcomes pundits who may request a women's activist methodology in talking about the story.

Poca Snack Free Essays

POCA SNACK †PEPSI CO Pepsi Co, set up around 100 years back, is the proprietor of the Poca brand and perhaps the biggest organization on the planet, having a critical assortment of carbonated, non-carbonated drinks, salty sweet and increase based bite and other food which are accessible in excess of 200 nations. PepsiCo Vietnam was set up in 1991 (IBC) under the type of a joint-adventure organization, and became claimed entirely by remote businesspeople in 2000, with a large number of ventures and supports from PepsiCo Global. Alongside the achievement of Lay’s nibble brand name everywhere throughout the world, PepsiCo is headed to construct another tidbit brand, Poca, with the end goal of getting famously perceived in Vietnam as well as abroad markets over the long haul. We will compose a custom article test on Poca Snack or on the other hand any comparable subject just for you Request Now In spite of the fact that Poca brand has been set up in Vietnam almost for a long time, it is positioning now in the best three driving bite organizations (The Market Newspaper 2008). As of not long ago, Poca has 20 flavors with different bundle sizes from 10 to 60g. In spite of the fact that Poca brand is currently famous and has had an enormous piece of the overall industry in the market for nibble they despite everything have a few confinements. Right off the bat, similar to a nearly new participant with as of late propelled items, Poca needs to contend with an extraordinary number of large and long-standing notable rivals, for example, Oishi, Pringles, Kinh Do. Practically Vietnamese clients are utilized to those popular brands so they couldn't care less much about Pepsi Co nibble †Poca. Besides, the vast majority believe that bite is undesirable food. In this way, numerous guardians don't permit their youngster to eat snacks. In addition, Poca additionally contain modest quantities of cholesterol, creature fat, sodium which are notable as unfortunate substances. To wrap things up, regular factors, for example, water, soil or climate assume a significant job in developing potatoes and wheat, so if there are a few changes on one of them, it could impact to the profitability of the entire business. Also, every year Vietnam regularly face with numerous calamities, for example, tempests or storms. In this way, Poca once in a while faces lack of principle crude material and it prompts enormous measure of overabundances. There are a few proposals to manage Poca brand’s impediments. Poca brand ought to escalate the characteristic sustenance, for example, mitigating, omega 3, aliphatic corrosive, and oleocanthal and limit the undesirable fixings like cholesterol, creature fat, sodium and fake substances. Moreover, they can change the pressing materials from plastics into Bio-Plastics bundles †which consequently deteriorate into carbon dioxide, water, and organic substances under the characteristic condition. It will urge individuals to purchase Poca rather than other bite brand to ensure nature. Additionally, the entire business must know about the climate in Vietnam so as to keep away from lack of primary crude material. They should have cautious arranging and well climate expectation. Besides, there ought to be more advancements to pull in the clients. For instance, the organization once in a while holds gatherings or shows with the exhibition of the brand’s delegates †renowned stars, they can give out some markdown projects to pull in more shoppers. Also, the organization should build more flavors for ongoing items. They should give out the studies among their objective clients to decide the most loved flavors for the up and coming items. As Poca grows new serious and special flavors, it can contend with different well known contenders, for example, Kinh Do Barkery or Bibica. Presentation . Saigon Cosmetics Corporation (SCC) is formally settled in 01/01/1987 and turned into an offer holding organization in 01/01/2000. The organization represents considerable authority in assembling and appropriating scent. In addition, the organization additionally creates cleanser, shower gel and cleanser. Prior to 1990, the market of SCC is just neighborhood. In 1990, the primary remote markets were the Soviet Union and the Eastern European Bloc nations. From that point forward, the business has grown significantly, and now been it is focusing on universal markets, for example, the US and UK. Also, the organization finished and put into utilization another industrial facility of 18ha zone at Cat Lai Industry zone, District 2, HCMC in 2004. , Miss Saigon Elegance is a great result of the organization which has a one of a kind state of a Vietnamese young lady wearing a â€Å"Ao dai† and a funnel shaped cap. Since the year 2007, SCC has begun putting resources into new stores to sell its items. At present, SCC has 13 stores in all over Vietnam. A significant number of the stores are situated in large retail chains/markets in Ho Chi Minh City †the most evolved city of Vietnam. Also, there is a showroom in Phu My Hung †another and rich area in HCMC. In addition, SCC items are additionally sold at other general retail shops. * The organization plans to incorporate its image with a universally serious one, make it to the world-class level. This will look with huge challenges as there are top brands on the planet that has fragrance item; e. g: Calvin Klein, Chanel, Cartier, Hugo Boss, Giorgio Armani, and so forth. Items at medium expense may make the client wonder about the nature of the items as contrasting with different brands of scent. Vietnamese clients are in favor with outside brands instead of the nearby brands. Scent by and large is extravagance item, which are typically sold at significant expense. * To furnish clients with great items, the organization imports materials from French. Besides, the organization is in partner with Liz Claiborne makeup for assembling innovation and quality confirmation directing. A large portion of the materials for the items are imported. This outcomes in import assessment and transportation cost that cut down on the company’s benefit. Access to crude materials is restricted There are fake results of Miss Saigon Elegance fragrance that have been found in some South East Asian nations. This takes steps to assume control over piece of the company’s benefit and mischief the customers’ wellbeing and subsequently, harm the brand picture. Enroll talented representatives to ensure that items have great quality. Partner with other notable brand, for example, Ponds to make a heap of fragrance and body care to draw in more clients. ST procedures * Mass put resources into advancement to get customers’ consideration and increment deals. * Build up a decent framework to speak with clients to keep them and draw in new clients too. | WT systems * Diversify items to set various costs for various objective clients. Attempt to advance the items in more territories with alluring promotions. | SO procedures * Develop the company’s site for clients to have the option to purchase item on the web. * Research the market in Vietnam just as remote markets to improve the nature of the items to meet customers’ fulfillment. | WO techniques * Recruit talented workers to ensure that items have great quality. * Associate with other notable brand, for example, Ponds to make a heap of aroma and body care to pull in more clients. * Invest more in advancement for our items and attempt to have more clients from the market in Vietnam as well as in different nations. * Maintain the relationship with the clients by building a decent enrollment framework which permits markdown to clients who have silver and gold participation card. * Product Mix Pricing Strategies: SCC has numerous sorts of items which has di stinctive fitting costs for the clients. The items go from normal quality item to top notch item. This implies the organization is utilizing product offering estimating to set various costs dependent on the distinctive nature of the items * Price-Adjustment Strategies: * Psychological Pricing: since clients will in general appointed authority a product’s quality dependent on the cost †more significant expense implies better quality †so we set a genuinely significant expense that is perfect with the estimation of the items. * Product-pack estimating: the product offering of Miss Saigon Elegance contains two sorts of aroma: N1 and N2. When purchasing the two aromas, rather than paying 500,000VND, clients should pay 450,000 in particular. We propose different packs, for instance, when purchasing a container of Miss Saigon Elegance (250,000VND) and Miss Vietnam (180,000VND), clients just need to pay 399,000VND rather than 430,000VND. * the organization ought to have sales reps to promote its items to the clients. With this system, informal exchange can be fantastic in helping individuals perceive and recollect the items just as the organization. * On events like Christmas Eve, Women’s Day, New Year, Company birthday and so forth clients can have a little extra 5ml container of Cindy scent when purchasing a 75ml Miss Saigon Elegance or 20% rebate on all item. Step by step instructions to refer to Poca Snack, Essay models

Missouri Nonprofit Offers St. Louis Payday Loans Alternative - OppLoans

Missouri Nonprofit Offers St. Louis Payday Loans Alternative - OppLoans Missouri Nonprofit Offers St. Louis Payday Loans AlternativeInside Subprime:  May 6, 2019By Lindsay FrankelPeople working in St. Louis County and St. Louis City may find financial relief from unexpected hardships without needing to take out a payday loan, thanks to a program provided through a community action agency. Participating business can provide small, affordable loans to their employees through the program.Payday loans are short-term, small-dollar loans with exorbitantly high interest rates and fees. They are typically appealing to people who have poor or no credit and lack access to loans from traditional financial institutions. In 8.5 percent of Missouri households, no one holds a bank account, according to the FDIC. Those who turn to payday loans for quick cash find this method of borrowing is extremely expensive. Payday loans in Missouri cost borrowers an average of 455 percent APR, according to data from Pew Charitable Trusts.Unfortunately, payday lenders prey on the mos t vulnerable Missourians who often lack the means to pay back their loans on time. This leads to re-borrowing, creating a cycle of debt that can be difficult to overcome. The average income of Missourians using payday loans was just under $25,000, according to a study conducted by the Missouri Division of Finance in 2007. That same year, 12 percent of all payday loans were made to people who were on disability or Supplemental Security Income. Payday lenders are also known to target low-income minorities and military service-members.Some cities  such as Springfield, have considered establishing local rules governing payday loans. Councilman Matthew Simpson called payday loans “obscene and predatory” and said he hopes the state would consider tightening regulations.Learn more about payday loans, scams, and cash advances, and check out our city and state financial guides, including Missouri, Columbia, Independence, Jefferson City, Joplin, Kansas City, Springfield, St. Louis, Illino is, Chicago, Texas and more.Visit  OppLoans  on  YouTube  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  LinkedIn

Public Available Information And Stock Information In Taiwan Finance Essay - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 9 Words: 2569 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Narrative essay Did you like this example? Public investors usually make their investment decisions according to some or all information that is available to them, such sources including newspaper, TV news, stock brokers, financial websites or even rumour. Some experts encouraged investors to pay more attention to understand their investment portfolio by studying relevant information (e.g. industrial news and financial reports). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Public Available Information And Stock Information In Taiwan Finance Essay" essay for you Create order They believed that by studying past information, investors could improve the process of decision making or even predict the future trends of stocks. In the same time, a classical financial theory also told us that in a market with semi-strong or strong form efficiency, the prices have already reflected all publicly available information. That is to say, investors might be unable to make a profit by analysing all past information they could access. However, some cases always could be found to challenge this theory. This situation confuses many investors when they found the imperfection of financial markets. This proposed research is trying to establish a model to access whether a relationship exists between publicly available information and stock information for any given financial markets and give investors a clear result by using a proven quantitative analysis. Literature review The question of whether financial markets can be predicted has been studied by many researchers. Some believed that the behaviour of financial markets are random and unpredictable while some believed that by using information, it is possible to beat the markets and make excessive profits. One famous theory, efficient market hypothesis, is usually mentioned when people discussed this topic. Efficient market hypothesis asserts that while investors purchase stocks, they will use any available information efficiently. All known factors which affect the price of stock have been reflected in the price of the stock (Dimson and Mussavian, 1998). According to EMH theory, investors cannot outperform the market consistently by just using the past, public information. In 1970, Fama (1970) proposed three types of efficient market form in his research: weak form efficiency, semi-strong form efficiency and strong form efficiency. These three forms are different in the extent of how the market reflects the information. In a market with weak form efficiency, the current stock price has reflected all information provided by past stock price. So, investors cannot predict the future stock price by analysing the past stock price. Based on the random work hypothesis (Malkiel Burton, 1973), it has implied that the future information (future price) will come to us randomly so that investors have no chance to gain excessive profits through past price information (Fama, 1965). In a market with semi-strong weak form efficiency, the current stock price has reflected all publicly available information. Investors relying on the financial reports, economic situations, political circumstances, etc. cannot predict the future stock price or gain excessive profits (Chance, 1985). In a market with strong form efficiency, the current stock price has reflected all publicly available information and all non-publicly information (insider knowledge). Although non-publicly information doesnt relea se to public, some investors can still obtain these information by their own channels or connections. In this situation, investors also cannot make excessive profits through inside trading (Rozeff and Zaman, 1988; Finnerty, 1976). However, there has been a dispute over the efficient market hypothesis between researchers, because many evidences reflect the imperfection in financial markets and their inefficiency. Some behavioural economists asserted that cognitive biases factors such as confidence, reaction, and information bias result in the inefficient financial markets. This also implied that investors are not always rational (Stout, 2002; Fama, 1998; Rosenberg et al., 1985; Givoly and Lakonishok, 1979; Jensen et al., 1978). Although researchers realized the fact that there are many factors affecting the efficiency of financial markets, it was still less helpful for investors to make decisions. Investors would like to know whether the markets in which they are interesting are e fficient and according to the different characteristics of markets, they can adopt different investment strategies. Some researchers tended to pay attention on financial indices such as dividend and financial ratios and use them to assess the target market. An early study of the efficiency of the UK stock market by Marsh (1979) found that the UK stock market has a semi-strong form efficiency by observing the relationship between the timing of rights issue announcement and share prices(Marsh, 1979). For assessing the efficiency of 15 emerging capital markets, Karemera et al.(1999) evaluated the stochastic properties of local currency and US dollar-based returns. The result showed that most of these emerging markets seemed to be weak form efficient (Karemera et al., 1999). Busse and Clifton Green (2002) described an unique evidence about NYSEs market efficiency. They noticed that when CNBC TV broadcasted an positive news about a individual stock, the stock price reflected the news wit hin seconds and traders who took action to purchase the stock within 15 seconds have obvious chance to make significant profits (Busse and Clifton Green, 2002). Their evidence showed that to some extent the NYSE fits the semi-strong form efficiency. Research Question and Aims This research question of this dissertation will be to provide a systematic approach to explore the relationship between public available information and stocks attributes that especially refer to price and volume. As mentioned previously, many literatures proposed their theories and observation to explain the concept of market efficiency. However, most of the evidence which highly depended on few specific financial indicators such as past prices and static financial figures seems to only support that the most of markets are at least weak form efficient. It seems likely that this question cannot be easily answered by just using a single theory and few particular cases to judge to what extent a financial market is semi-strong efficient. Because if one would like to evaluate the semi-strong market efficiency, the problem of handling the numerous publicly information would be the biggest challenge the researchers have to dealt with. Through using information retrieval technology, t he proposed research is aiming to establish a quantitative model that could assess the semi-strong market efficiency of any given financial markets, but due to the time constrain we will only choose Taiwans stock exchange as the instance. Firstly, the model should help us to judge whether a correlation exists between the publicly available information and the stock price or volume. Secondly, if a correlation exists, it should give us a more detailed picture about the patterns between them. The most important difference between this proposed research and other studies is that it would not focus on particular figures as others did but analyze all related information on varied media. Proposed Methodology It is apparent that the intention of the proposed research is to assess the hypothesis of the relationship. Lancaster (2005) stated that Deductive research develops theories or hypothesis and then test out these theories or hypothesis through empirical observation. Using a deductive approach seems reasonable. A research methodology which is more objective and based on facts was the preference for researchers to conduct this proposed research. Owing to the proposed researchs ontological and epistemological orientation (Garner et al., 2009), a quantitative methodology (strategy) with statistical and mathematical techniques should be our choice. Proposed Method According to the characteristics of the proposed research, the longitudinal design should be the framework by which researchers conducted it. Using the definition of Bryman and Bell, a longitudinal design is a research: on a sample on more than one occasion,ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¦ÃƒÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¦or may involve content analysis of documents relating to different time periodsÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¦ÃƒÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¦(Bryman and Bell, 2007:71) The proposed research would like to find out whether a relationship exists between publicly available information and stock information, so it needs to collect quantitative data from secondary data through newspapers or other official sources. This longitudinal design is suitable for analysing the variation and the relationship between several different attributes. Under the context of this proposed research, it is appropriate for achieving our aims. One of the advantages of the longitudinal d esign is that it collects multi-attribute data in a large amount, so it is more likely to be accepted to carry out a research which makes a general conclusion in broad contexts. Combined with quantitative techniques, the advantage would be more obvious. These following sections are very critical for conducting this research with a quantitative strategy (Singh, 2007). Data Collecting and Handling The data information required by this proposed research consists of the public available information and the transaction data of stock markets. The public available information may come from many sources. Firstly, we have to set up the criteria in order to filter out unwanted sources. OReilly III (1982) noted that a direct relationship exists between the quality and accessibility of information and the decision making performance. For ensuring the performance of analysis result, we have to be careful what should be included in the criteria. The following criteria may be useful: for quality authority, coverage, structure, dependency, consistency and relationship; for accessibility availability and stability. One of the major information sources is daily news. For covering the majority of investors, we would survey what news sources are investors favourites and choose several top newspapers according to the percentage of their population coverage. Another consideration is whethe r contents of news are stored digitally and could be accessed through Internet. Paper-based information would increase the difficulty of dealing with it. Other key sources include corporations announcement and their financial information (reports). To comply with the requirement of governments regulation, any public company in Taiwan has to release it financial reports regularly and announce significant information as soon as possible after important events happen. Transaction data of Taiwan stocks could be gathered from the Taiwan Stock Exchange Corp.s official site (TWSE, 2010) for free. However, the TWSE does not provide real-time connection to transaction data. If we would like to analyse the data on the fly, some securities companies, like Polaris (Polaris, 2010), could provide the real-time connection service. Technically, in early stage, the stock transaction information also could be transmitted into spreadsheet software for initial analysis. Expect for stock transa ction information, other information usually exists in an unstructured or semi-structured form. Paring and encoding these unstructured information are critical challenges for this stage (Ferrucci and Lally, 2004). We will solve this problem by utilising information technology. All above information would be downloaded and stored into the dedicated database for further use. Data Analysis In order to explore the relationship between the publicly available information and stock transaction information, at least two categories of quantitative analyses would be used(Wisniewski, 2006; Bierman et al., 1991). The first category is statistics. The useful statistical techniques for the proposed research may include correlation coefficient for correlation, time series for trends, logistic regression for model, and factor analysis for focusing on critical attributes (Anderson et al., 2008). The detailed parameters and calculation need to be decided after. The second category is data mining. Considering the requirement of the proposed research, classification/decision tree mining is suitable to train a model and to predict the possible future stock outcome (Apte and Weiss, 1997). The ethical issues in the proposed research seem relatively minor. The major reason is that all needed information and data would be gathered from those sources that are available to public. So, it is not necessary for researchers to co-operate with any gatekeepers for access to information sources (Bruckman, 2002). However, if this research progress successfully, the findings of this research may challenge some investors perception of financial markets. Whether it would induce psychological stress or anxiety is still uncertain at the moment (Smock, 1955). Another ethical issue we could consider is the standard of scoring information. Although the way how to judge the information seems not to be harmful to any individual, it would still pass judgment on the performance of corporate entities, which are comprised of people . Some corporations may not be willing to be judged publicly even though it is totally legal. The only thing we could do is to ensure to score the information in an impartial manner as much as possible (Carse, 1998). So far the proposed research focuses on the assessment of semi-strong form efficiency so that the only needed information are freely obtai ned from public sources. Nonetheless, in the long term, if we consider evaluating the strong form efficiency of markets, the insider knowledge would be one of the biggest ethical issues. The leakages of insider knowledge are strictly prohibited among most of countries around the world (Beams et al., 2003). The difficulty of gathering insider information may also explain the reason why few studies have been conducted in this area. Limitations and Contingency Plans First of all, there are a large number of types of information sources available to investors, but it is unlikely to collect and analyze all these information in the period of conducting the research. Under the situation of limited resources, we would be likely to consider only major mainstream media having large coverage in Taiwan. It may lose correctness to some extent, but maintain its feasibility. The second limitation would be the interval between publishing information and quoting prices. If the interval of the most likely available data is one day, the phenomena which could be observed may be limited to a daily, larger scale. The information of patterns of relationship within a small scale, one day, might lose. For example, it will be more difficult to analyze the behaviour of day traders, who trade their stocks in a relatively very short period. However, this limitation should not make any obvious difference on the model. Once the real-time sources are available, this li mitation will not exist anymore. The third limitation is that because most of available information exist or are provided in an unstructured or semi-structured from, it would be a challenge to transform the information into the structured data, which could be efficiently dealt with through quantitative methods. Perhaps, the most important limitation is that the result of analysis would be highly affected by the individual difference of perception of the information. The standard of scoring the information depends on the subjective judgment, and in some cases, it may not be consistent for each company if we score the information manually. Considering the balance between the time of preparing the data and the quality of the data, we might decrease the number of the companies chosen to be analyzed. This contingency plan would not influence the validity and the reliability of the result. The critical mission of this research should be to establish a reliable model rather than to c over all companies as many as possible. Further and Future As I mentioned in the limitation section, constrained by limited resource, the research is very likely to adopt a manual approach to score the information. However, it would be helpful for practical usage if some automatic scoring mechanisms can be established. The further improvement should rely on the progress of information theory in cross-areas instead of pure financial area. The outcome of this research would not only reveal the efficiency of specific markets (e.g. Taiwan stock market) or specific stocks but also develop a system that could be applied to other markets from which information would be imported. In the design phase, the architecture and framework would be designed carefully for its expandability and scalability in order to be possible for other researchers to build their own information scoring algorithm or information indices and plug into the model the proposed research will build. Moreover, after a strict verification, the model could also be integrated int o other statistics systems and financial programming transaction systems as indicators. It may raise the possibility of economic value in the future.

Issue Guide Summary Terrorism - 1073 Words

Issue Guide Summary: Terrorism In the beginning of issue guide it summarizes the Terrorist attacks of September 11th. How it set off of a chain of events and questionable efforts to deal with what occurred that day. The article explains after the attacks on the world trade center, our nation lost comfort in thinking our state of security was actually secure, that we were vulnerable. The government gave false impression to citizens that to overcome what happened that day was to come together, to show the strength and our allegiance to the U.S. This wasn’t an approach to deal with the issue but a distraction to what was really going on. Further into article are three approaches in which each one describes basically an approach to deal with global terrorism. Approach one suggest that with Terrorist threats, â€Å"We must use every means at our disposal and every necessary weapon of war to defeat the global terror network†. The reasoning behind this approach is that U.S. may have made a much bigger threat to its own country by not recognizing the dangers of terrorism from groups such Al Qaeda and its leaders like Bin laden, and never taking action. The U.S. government persuades aggressively of how much of a threat we face and the capabilities of terror groups. That we must take violent actions in order to â€Å"resolve† and protect ourselves by using any disposable weapon and military. The second approach describes an approach to increase our national security. That we should increaseShow MoreRelatedEssay On The European Union923 Words   |  4 Pageslegislative body of the EU and therefore does not negotiate or adopt EU laws. Alternatively, the European Council defines the EU’s policy agenda, traditionally by espousing â€Å"conclusions† during European Council meetings. These conclusions identify issues of concern and recommend actions to take in order to resolve any crises. 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Theodore Roosevelt s Influence On Latin America - 1290 Words

Theodore Roosevelt was a President known for a very dynamic and progressive administration, and his foreign policy in Latin America was no exception. His policies in Latin America were beneficial for the rapidly growing United States, but left an impact on Latin America that was both positive and negative. President Roosevelt took past policies of the United States, such as the unenforced Monroe Doctrine of 1823, and amended them to have the backing of the Navy in the early 1900s. One particular amendment was called the Platt Amendment of 1901, and opened the door to United States expansionism under President Roosevelt. It was under this amendment that Cuba quickly became the foundation for the new Latin American policies of the United States. The Roosevelt Corollary was another important part of Roosevelt s Latin American foreign policy. Roosevelt believed that Latin America was quite vulnerable to European expansionism, and added his Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine which sta ted that should the Europeans attack, and should any Latin American nation engage in â€Å"chronic wrongdoing† such as outstanding debt, then the United States would intervene on their behalf. In essence, Europe would remain where it was, while the United States controlled the entire Western Hemisphere. The opportunity came for Roosevelt to implement this policy during the invasion of the Dominican Republic by European debt collectors, and Venezuelan Crisis. Lastly, Theodore Roosevelt had aShow MoreRelatedTheodore Roosevelt And William Howard Taft1501 Words   |  7 PagesWhen thinking about the numerous, dynamic leaders that America has had over the course of the nation’s history, it can become troublesome to fairly compare these respective heads of state. Though each American president has unquestionably left their own unique legacy from their time in office, when comparing leaders from similar times, certain consistencies can present themselves. While the Presi dency is of course beholden to constructs of political normativity subjective to the era they presidedRead MorePresident Theodore Roosevelt s Military Power1468 Words   |  6 Pages Although some believe that president Theodore Roosevelt abused his executive power, he did not. He was a very successful president who used his powers as president expertly during his presidency. Roosevelt used his diplomatic power wisely in the Dominican Republic and when he mediated the Russo-Japanese war. He used his legislative power effectively to influence reform policies. Roosevelt used his military power strongly to suppress Columbia and free Panama while asserting America’s militaryRead MoreSpeak Softly and Carry a Big Stick†. Theodore Roosevelt was a man of legacy, he truly redefined1700 Words   |  7 PagesSpeak Softly and Carry a Big Stick†. Theodore Roosevelt was a man of legacy, he truly redefined the American Nation. Teddy Roosevelt was forty-three years old when he took the office of Presidency, making him the youngest president in U.S. History. To many, he was the first modern day president. Roosevelt truly expanded the power of the preside ncy dramatically with his Square Deal, and Foreign Policy. Theodore Roosevelt Jr. was born on October 27, 1858 in New York City to an affluent family. DueRead MoreThe Monroe Doctrine And The United States Of America880 Words   |  4 PagesSince the early 1800’s the history of the world has been greatly influenced by the young nation of the United States of America. One of the earliest forms of this influence came on Dec. 2, 1823 in President James Monroe’s annual message to congress. In his address, he outlined his beliefs on keeping European powers out of Latin America for the good of the US. This section of his speech became known as The Monroe Doctrine. About 80 years later, President Theodore Roosevelt built on top of the ideasRead MoreThe Policies Of The United States During The Period912 Words   |  4 Pagespolicies of the United States during the period 1898-1936 regarding latin america can be broadly covered in phases; the first phase: Big Stick Diplomacy 1898- 1909, the second phase known as Dollar Diplomacy f rom 1909- 1913, the third phase called missionary diplomacy from 1913- 1921 and finally the fourth phase known and the good neighbor policy 1933- 1936. These four policies had a great impact on not only the landscape of latin america but on the future of the United States in the region. StartingRead MoreHistory Of The Monroe Doctrine Of 1823 Essay1076 Words   |  5 PagesI will explain how this document helped the Mexican President Juarez in successfully revolting against the Emperor Maximillian of the French. I will also cover how the British affected the document and also how President Roosevelt wanted to extend the Doctrine with his â€Å"Roosevelt Corollary.† This document all began with the 5th president of the United States, James Madison. He tried to come up with some ideas to prevent Spain from repossessing the Western Hemisphere. So he went to former presidentsRead MoreThe United States And Foreign Policies870 Words   |  4 Pagespolicy rather than domestic. Wilson s predecessors, including McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, and Taft, had viewed the United States as an emerging power that needed to extend its influence throughout the world in order to serve national interests. This imperialist policy was justified by the commonly held belief that it was America s duty as a Christian republic to spread democracy throughout the world. These three Presidents significantly expanded America s influence abroad with the annexation of coloniesRead More US-Latin America Essay1400 Words   |  6 Pagesconceded to the United States their right of any intervention in the Western Hemisphere and allowed the United States to do whatever they wanted. The United States took this newly bestowed power and abused it. The United States intervened in many Latin American countries and imposed their policies on to these countries against their will. A perfect example of this aggression is what occurred in the Dominican Republic in 1904. The United States intervened in this sovereign nation and took controlRead MoreAmerica s New Sense Of World Power758 Words   |  4 PagesAfter the years of the American Civil War, America embarked on a manifest destiny, 2.0. America decided they wanted to expand their territory across the waters. There were many approaches that were suggested by previous presidents, all with the same goal: World Dominance. The Big Stick idea was brought to light from President Theodore Roosevelt. The plan reflected many of the same impulses that were motivating domestic reforms that were taking place in America. He wanted to expand that reform to CubaRead MoreThe War Of 1905 And The United States863 Words   |  4 Pagesmight not be repaid. Theodore Roosevelt divided the world into civilized and uncivilized nations. Roosevelt became extremely active in international diplomacy, more so than his predecessors. For example, he helped to negotiate a settlement of the Russo-Japanese War of 1905, for this he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Roosevelt declared that the Untied States did not have the slightest desire to expand territory, however, he engaged an intervention in Central America. His first major action

This is a music review of Arjonas song free essay sample

In 1996, Argon wrote the song CICS el Norte Fear el Sure (If the North were the South), In which he expresses a subjective, yet truthful point of view of what the North American culture Is; and how It could change If we exchange places with the South. In this song, Argon uses many illiterately techniques such as irony and analogies; Argon also adds a type of hardcore rock and an interesting use of the electric guitar. There are many literally elements that this song has, but the main element is the plot or theme of the song, which is pretty straight and to the point.OSI el Norte Fear el Sure (If the North were the South);s main plot is a story of how the North could experience all the social struggles that the South Americans countries have to deal with, if as the songs]s title suggest D. OSI el Norte Fear el Sure (If the North were the South). We will write a custom essay sample on This is a music review of Arjonas song or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The main plot is divided into three stages; the first stage is the introduction, in which Argon gives a subjective opinion of what the North really is all about.Then, he moves to the second stage or the body of the song; during this stage Argon mentions a series of well known North American personages and situations that help him establish his exchange of geography. Finally, the third stage or conclusion is when Argon really say what the bottom line of all this is; the fact that nothing will really change. Richard Argon is well known for the rich content of literally elements in his lyrics, especially for the touch of irony and analogies. ;Con 18 Ares UN nine Para UN dragon en algal bar, peer way Ares dodo UN hombre pa la guard y pa mater. (With 18, you are only a boy for a drink In some bar, but you are already a man to go toward and to kill), this is a perfect example of an irony of living in the united States, in which at the age of 18 you cannot legally drink, yet you are allow to receive combat training to kill someone. In the songs chorus, Argon says Deal dibble la Georgia SE cabaret lass orangeroots (The hell with geography, there arent any borders left), the truth Is that borders soul exist, but he wasnt]t talking about a literally border: Ar]non used this analogy to tell us that we are the same and that our geographic position doesnt mean anything.Richard Argon with his unique style and use of musical Instrument; he has put a type of hardcore rock rhythm, which is use to make an impression in his listener. In 1 OFF back. The rhythm started slow tempo, but strong as if he was upset with the ironies in the North. Then, the tempo began to run faster; the drums and the trumpet were rot of creating an atmosphere of excitement, it makes you feel as if you were a protestant of social inequalities.

Apple Inc and IPhones 4 Market

Introduction Apple Inc. is one company that for a long time has dominated smartphone market due to its exemplary technology and innovation. The company has built a formidable reputation that its competitors find virtually impossible to dislodge or ignore.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Apple Inc and IPhones 4 Market specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Apple Inc., spearheaded by dedicated management team, has remained keen to innovation and technological development, which are the bedrock of the company’s success. Success for Apple Inc. has largely come from a combination of brand development and loyalty, innovative products, superb marketing strategies, and exemplary public relations strategies. Recently, the company launched the innovative iPhones 4 products, which will be the basis of this study analysis. It is perceived that exemplary performance of this product in the market depends on identifying the r ight marketing strategies through carrying out adequate market analysis. Company Overview Apple Inc. was established in 1977 by three friends – Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne. Since its establishment, Apple Inc. has established itself in the market as a company that is involved in the design and production of innovative personal computer (PC) products and also developing its own unique operating systems to run its designs of Mac desktops and laptops (Porter and Norton 2009, p.335). In addition, Apple Inc. boasts of numerous innovative products and services it has introduced in the market over the years. For example, some of popular products innovated by the company include: Mac computers, iPhones, iPod, Apple TV, Xserve, consumer and professional software applications, the Mac OS X and iOS operating systems (Reuters, 2011). Other products and services include third-party digital content such as iTunes stores, and many more accessories, service and support offerin gs, all of which are geared towards satisfying identified market niche (Reuters, 2011). At the same time, Apple Inc. employs different market methods to dispose its products and services. The most notable ones include retail stores, online stores, direct sales, third-party network carriers, wholesalers, retailers, and value-added resellers (Reuters, 2011). The market niche for the company’s products is diverse, but the most identified ones include individual consumers, small and medium sized companies, education fraternity, enterprise organizations, government, and creative markets.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Apple Inc.’s market segmentation has concentrated largely in five market regions that include America, Europe, Japan, Asia-Pacific, and Retail (Reuters, 2011). American market serves both North and South American markets, while the Europe market exte nds its network among Europe countries, Middle East, and Africa regions. On the other hand, Asia-Pacific markets cater for all Asian countries including Australia and New Zealand, but exclude Japan, while the Retail market has big concentration in United States of America and selected international markets. Financial performance of the company remains healthy, and this can be attributed to increasing sales of iPhones units. Since 2007, net income for the company has been on upward trend and by the end of 2010’s fourth quarter, the company posted improved revenues of $28.27 billion with net profit of 6.62 billion (Apple 2011). Market Analysis for iPhone 4 In 2010, Apple Inc designed yet another innovative product in the market (iPhone 4) which immediately became a market ‘hit’, recording massive sales and enquiries. Since the introduction of the first iPhone 4 products, Apple Inc. has continued to improve the product and just a few weeks ago, the company introduce d to the market, an improved version of iPhone 4 known as iPhone 4S (Gallagher, 2011). Within three days after being introduced in the market, iPhone 4S sold 4 million units, surpassing records set by other devices (Gallagher, 2011). PEST Analysis Political China’s political climate remains conducive for local and international business activities. The country enjoys political stability where also, government has been initiating policies that tend to open up the country’s market for outside world, while protecting the home firms through balanced regulation of business activities and contracting requirements for foreign firms (Asian Market Research, 2003). Economic China is a growing economy where social classes are differentiated by economic position. Young people and students tend to have fewer resources to purchase products or satisfy their consumption needs.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Apple Inc and IPhones 4 Market specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As a result, they tend to operate on limited budgets while making purchases for smartphone products. Therefore, they tend to buy products that their budget constraints can afford, yet possessing the desired features and ‘smartness’. Social China’s market is composed of different demographics that differ in consumption characteristics. With a population of over a billion people, China’s smartphone market remains dominated by young people and students who embrace latest technology at faster rate than older people do. However, the young population is limited by financial constraints in their consumption needs of smartphone products. Technology Technology remains the most avenue companies continue to battle especially as taste among different demographics tend to shift regularly and embrace technologically enhanced products. Apple can capitalize on its exemplary technological know-how to respond to co nsumer needs of Asian market. Competitive Analysis for iPhone 4 Competitive market leverage emanates from market segmentation strategies, and this can be possible with Asian market (Sigal, 2010). Different market competitive frameworks can be used to assess Apple’s potential and suitability of penetrating the Asian market (China), which is one of the developing economies; this is in addition to how well the company can introduce the iPhone 4 products in this market. Porter’s Five-force Model In 1980, Michael Porter observed that the profitability potential of an industry depends on five competitive factors, which possess the ability to influence return on investment of any given company (Henry, 2008). The five competitive factors, popularly known as Porter’s five-force model include threat of new entrants, rivalry among competitors, threat of substitutes products, bargaining power of buyers, and bargaining power of suppliers (Henry 2008). Threats of new entrants At the moment, the smartphone market is gradually becoming complicated, given the increasing number of competitors such as Nokia and Samsung. This shows that as potential continue to grow in the sector and entrants’ barriers become loose, it is likely that in near future, there will be flood of new entrants into the market, especially in potential markets like Asia.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Rivalry among competitors Currently, Nokia has established itself in the Asian market more strongly, given its concentration in low-end products; this endeavors the company to many consumers. Other smaller competitors are coming up, as market barriers reduce, and this is likely to complicate the market environment even further for Apple Inc. Threat of substitutes products Asian market, and specifically China, has a number of players producing market moving smartphone products. For instance, Nokia has the Nokia Oyj; Google Inc has numerous Androids, while Samsung also market numerous smartphone products. Therefore, substitutes to Apple’s iPhones are likely to be more as numerous competitors join the market. Bargaining power of buyers The smartphone market in China is highly competitive where many players offer a wide range of smartphone products to different consumer groups. As a result of many providers, consumers have become ‘price shoppers’, as they look for th e best products at reduced price. This has increased consumer bargaining power, especially as constraints on the budget affect consumption needs of many consumers. Bargaining power of suppliers As competition increases and many players enter Asian market, there is tendency for competition among suppliers to source contract from various players (Apple, n.d). This aspect has led to reduced bargaining power of many suppliers in smartphone market, especially with tendency of many companies to reduce costs of operations and production. Behavioral motivation for consumer purchase behavior Consumer culture China’s culture abhors the concept of ‘face’, which is integral in the society. As a result, status consciousness is important to majority of Chinese. Among consumers, achieving greater status and prestige in the society is exhibited in the type of gadget can has and given the p[premium nature of iPhone products, majority of consumers have expressed desire and drive t o purchase iPhones products not only for their usefulness, but also for the status it accord the user (Panzarino, 2011). Consumer lifestyles and psychographics China’s market for smartphone products is largely concentrated among young people and students who, given their trend, flashy and dot.com lifestyle tend to exhibit consumption behaviors for ‘smart’ products that propel their lifestyle. Products that appeal, convenient in nature, perform multiple functions, and still provide the user with fame are most preferred in China’s market (Panzarino, 2011). Consumer attitude Attitude plays great role in consumption behaviors of many people and this is evident in China’s market. For a long time now, China’s social life is intertwined in their consumption behaviors (Chan 2011). A product with negative social approving is likely to get backlash in the market. Social approving for products emanate from the capacity of the product to meet social, eco nomic and cultural benchmarks of the larger China’s society. Smartphone products especially that integrate China social, economic, and cultural aspects tend to have greater acceptance given the overall improved consumer attitudes on such products (Panzarino 2011). Emotional involvement, expressiveness and intelligence Asian markets are characterized by consumer attaching great emotions to products they use. The products become part of the consumer emotion expressiveness. Majority of Chinese students and young people can be described to have great emotion involvement, especially on products that meet their needs and expectations. Smartphone products are used for educational purposes, social life, and all life activities, hence they have become part of emotion expression on part of consumers. Recommended marketing mix for iPhone 4 Product Apple Inc valued products exhibit innovative technologies that integrate consumer needs and wants. Apple’s products are preferred and they have dominated the market, given their ability to remain flexible, unique, and technologically accepted to different demographics. Therefore, to appeal to China’s market that remains front for competitor battle, this will require Apple Inc to design iPhone 4 products that have faster chip, possess higher resolution camera and possess software capabilities to meet customer needs as compared to competitors. In addition, the products should remain innovative, compatibility, easy-of-use, upgradeable and quality in nature (Maxwell, Lee, Suen, Hofmann, 2007). Price China consumers are price conscious especially young people. In addition, presence of Nokia, Samsung, Google Inc, all of which have specialized in designing products for low-end market makes market environment more complicated. Therefore, Apple should embrace penetration price strategy, where the aim should be to design customized iPhone 4 products to specified market demographics – young and students (Itkar 2008). Further, it should still sale with its premium prices to corporate markets after extensive advertisement and promotion. Place Accessing China’s market for Apple’s iPhone 4 products requires the company to strategically position the products to its website and social sites that seem to be popular among China’s consumers. Moreover, the products should be strategically available in Apple’s retail stores in China, while at the same time, the company should increase agent-sales strategy to reach more areas of China. Promotion Apple boasts of heavy advertisement and promotion activities for its products, far above its competitors. Product promotion should be enhanced, while product demonstration should be integrated in promotion activities (Botha, Strydom, and Brink, 2005). Social marketing should also be adopted especially given the nature of China’s market. Further, the company’s website should remain the best front for advertisement, an d this should include product description, features, and benefits of product. Conclusion China’s market offers challenges for Apple Inc.’s iPhone products, given the competition in the market, China’s ‘in-group’ culture, economic challenges, and advancing technology. Therefore, Apple Inc. requires appropriate market analysis of China’s market environment. Marketing mix to be adopted by the company should be premised on consumer behavior theories outlined. This will provide the company with a clear market plan to penetrate China’s market more successful. Reference List Apple. 2011. Apple Press Info: Apple report fourth quarter results. Web. Available at:Â  https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2011/10/18Apple-Reports-Fourth-Quarter-Results/ . Apple. N.d. Apple and procurement. Web. Available at:Â  https://www.apple.com/procurement/ . Asian Market Research. 2003. Asian market research: China country profile. Web. Web. Botha, J., Strydom, J., Brink, A., 2005. Introduction to Marketing. Johannesburg: Juta and Company. Chan, J., 2011. Asian marketing and management: Why China buys from West. Web. Available at:Â  http://www.asiamarketingmanagement.com/whychinabuys.html . Gallagher, D., 2011. Apple says iPhone 4S sales top 4 million. Market Watch-The WallStreet Journal. Web. Available at:Â  https://www.marketwatch.com/story/apple-says-iphone-4s-sales-top-4-million-2011-10-17 . Henry, A., 2008. Understanding strategic management. London: Oxford University Press. Itkar, S., 2008. Pharmaceutical Management. New Delhi: Nirali Prakashan. Maxwell, C., Lee, B., Suen, A., Hofmann, J., 2007. IPhone marketing plan. Web. Web. Panzarino, M., 2011. How Apple has found success in China, and why it’s just beginning. Web. Available at:Â  https://thenextweb.com/apple/2011/09/05/how-apple-has-found-success-in-china-and-why-its-just-the-beginning/ . Porter, G. A., Norton, C. L., 2009. Financial Accounting: The impact on decision m akers, OH: Cengage Learning. Reuters. 2011. Company Profile: Apple Inc. Thomson Reuters. Web. Available at:Â  https://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/companyProfile/AAPL.O . Sigal, M., 2010. Apple’s segmentation strategy, and the folly of convectional wisdom. O’Reilly Radar News and Commentaries. Web. Available at:Â  http://radar.oreilly.com/2010/09/apple-segmentation-strategy-an.html . This report on Apple Inc and IPhones 4 Market was written and submitted by user Jasmin Goodman to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

AITKEN Surname Meaning and Family History

AITKEN Surname Meaning and Family History Found primarily in Scotland, the surname Aitken is a diminutive form of the patronymic name ADAM, meaning man, derived from the Hebrew adama, meaning earth. Surname Origin: Scottish Alternate Surname Spellings:  AITKIN, AIKEN, ATKIN, ATKINS, AITKENE, ADKINS, AITKENS Famous People with the AITKEN  Surname James Macrae Aitken  - Scottish chess player and World War II cryptographerRobert Aitken  -  18th century American bible publisherRobert Grant Aitken  - American astronomerMichael Aitkens - British television writerJacqueline Aitken  - British childrens writer Jacqueline WilsonA. J. Aitken - Scottish lexicographer​ Where is the AITKEN Surname Most Common? According to surname distribution from  Forebears, the Aitken surname is  a  characteristic surname in the central counties of Scotland, found most commonly in West Lothian (ranked 21st),  Peeblesshire (22nd), East Lothian (33rd) and Stirlingshire (41st). It is also fairly common in Midlothian and Lanarkshire. The surname is much less common in England, where it is found in greatest numbers in Cumberland, but fairly widespread through Northern Ireland, especially in County Antrim. WorldNames PublicProfiler  indicates a similar distribution, although it also indicates fairly widespread distribution of the surname in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. It also points to the Aitken surname being found most commonly throughout central Scotland.   Genealogy Resources for the Surname AITKEN Meanings of Common Scottish  SurnamesUncover the meaning of your Scottish  last name with this free guide to the meanings and origins of common Scottish surnames. Aitken  Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Aitken  family crest or coat of arms for the Aitken surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. The Aitken DNA ProjectIndividuals with the Aitken surname or one of its variants (Aitkin, Aitkins) are invited to join this Y-DNA surname project to explore the use of DNA and traditional genealogy research to find family origins. AITKEN  Family Genealogy ForumThis free message board is focused on descendants of Aitken  ancestors around the world. Search the archives for messages about your Aitken family, or join the group and post your own Aitken query. FamilySearch - AITKEN  GenealogyExplore over 3 million  results from digitized  historical records and lineage-linked family trees related to the Aitken surname on this free website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. AITKEN  Surname Mailing ListFree mailing list for researchers of the Aitken  surname and its variations includes subscription details and a searchable archives of past messages. DistantCousin.com - AITKEN  Genealogy Family HistoryExplore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Aitken. GeneaNet - Aitken  RecordsGeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Aitken  surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries. The Aitken  Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the Aitken  surname from the website of Genealogy Today.- References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998. Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997. Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997. Back to  Glossary of Surname Meanings Origins

First Crusade and the Gregorian Reforms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

First Crusade and the Gregorian Reforms - Essay Example Yet for those interested in the late eleventh century but with limited facility in Latin, access to Urban is difficult, for almost nothing from his councils and correspondence is translated. What have been available are recreations of the famous sermon from the Council of Clermont which sparked the First Crusade, none of which is likely to offer a reliable account of what the pope said (Somerville & Kuttner, 1996, p. 38). Under such vague descriptions, Gregorian Reforms cannot be predicted in the light of Pope Gregory alone. Gregorian Revolution initiated in the eleventh century as 'peace movement' but these reforms had never been encouraged by Gregory VII and the Gregorian revolution. Today through various literatures analysis it has been discovered that Gregorian historiography never supported the first crusaders. It is also evident from the revolution that shows the clash of Gregory VII and Henry IV amalgamated the transformations of this period. It has long been held that the eleventh century was a pivotal era, on account of its social upheaval, its move from a gift to a profit economy, and, most especially perhaps, on account of the enormity of the urban advance. Historians write that it is due to the result of the first crusade that Gregory never favoured, European civilizations along with other small crusader states were created. It was a time which was characterized by a process of definition and distinction in all sectors and aspects of human existence. Kingdom of Jerusalem was created as an ou tcome to the first crusade which Gregory opposed. Gregory VII being a close ally of Matilda of Tuscany while acknowledging a deeper deficiency in the reformers' attempted at defining a new constitution for the Church and Christian society, explicitly articulated an appropriate mechanism by which a new code of behaviour was established. Gregory served to demonstrate and concern the despicable status of Rome and its bishop before reform began in earnest. Rome was already considered blessed in that era where the ultimate source of spiritual power were the tombs of Peter and Paul, the relics of the blessed martyrs: figures who actively worked on behalf of petitioners. Under the guidance of Gregory, the Amalfitan merchants in the eleventh century (1070) built hospitals or perhaps even further back to the establishment by Abbot Probus of a pilgrims' hospice for Latins in AD 603 which monks of St. Mary's ran. Just before the first Crusader rule the Armenian community in Jerusalem had earlier been located in different parts of the city. By the Crusader period it seems that the areas outside the city walls were no longer occupied by them, but they retained their quarter in the south-west of the city. That was the epoch which was papacy dependant as adequate fighting men were supposed to take authorisation by the church. History tells us that Urban II was not the first pope to help the eastern Christians against the Turks (Boas, 2001, p. 39). When Pope Gregory in 1074 showed keen interest in leading the first crusade, he did this by communicating in person with the Michael of Rome and Constantinople. He wrote three letters which did not reveal any response to the Byzantine VII in

Love Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Love - Essay Example This is because the generation and interpretation of the various chemicals substances signaling our feeling and understanding of love takes place in the brain. I will be analytically illuminating the different kinds of love as defined by the oxford dictionary. The oxford dictionary defines four different kinds of love which expressed by humans i.e. agape, philia, storge/affection and Eros. Affection is used in reference to the strong feeling of affection towards someone or something. This kind of love is usually expressed among members of the same family; it is the love felt and shown by parents towards their own children, the feelings of love expressed among children and towards their parents. This is also the kind of love felt between friends and sometimes it culminates into romantic relationships in which the couples become best friends. This type of love is usually unconditional, sacrificial and drives people at forgiveness hence assuring them of comfort and safety. Eros or romantic love on the other hand is defined as referring to the strong feeling of affection towards someone you are sexually attracted to. it is characterized by intense feelings of passion which arouse romance and makes one use the phrase â€Å"I love You.† in other words it is the love that culminates in sex and love making between the partners and unless moved to a higher notch it may fade with time since it centers mostly on the self. In case the person expressing the love for some reason stops feeling good about the relationship then they may stop showing their emotions to the partners. This is the kind of love that culminates into marriage between the two people if the emotions are taken beyond sexual satisfaction to seek companionship. Agape refers to a kind of unconditional love which looks past the surface and accommodates the other person as they are regardless of their shortcomings and flaws. It is what we all strive to have and show

An Overview Of The The Indian Film Industry Media Essay

An Overview Of The The Indian Film Industry Media Essay Every year, 1000 films are released in India, which are watched by 3 billion movie goers. India is the worlds largest film producer, volume-wise. However, factors such as poorly developed revenue stream, excessive reliance on domestic box office collections and inefficiencies prevalent across the value chain, have resulted in poor revenue collection for the industry. As a result, the Indian Film Industry accounts for only 1% of global film industry revenues. However, in the past 3-4 years, the industry has undergone major alterations bringing positive results. Due to the availability of organized funding, advent of multiplexes and increasing overseas collections, the film industry now stands at a better position. The provision of 100% foreign direct investment has made the Indian film market attractive for foreign enterprises such as  20th Century Fox,  Sony Pictures, and  Warner Bros. (1) Over the past years the business of film making has changed due to corporatization, increasing production costs, spiraling actor fees and high acquisition costs for content. With the recent economic showdown, the film industry is witnessing earlier some of the earlier excesses being brought down to a more realistic level playing field. (1) Components of the Indian film industry The 20th century saw commercialization of the business of film making. The Indian, Chinese and American film industries became global enterprises. Our film industry found markets in over 90 countries. If we bifurcate the Indian Film Industry, we have various Regional Film Industries. The most prominent and popular amongst them at is the Hindi Film Industry, which is based in Mumbai. Other industries are Marathi, Punjabi, Urdu, Bhojapuri, Telugu, Bengali, Oriya, Kannada, Malayalam and Tamil. These industries enjoy monopoly in their respective regions. For example, Keralites will prefer Malayalam movies over Kannada movies. Regional choices greatly influence the marketing strategy for the promotion of a film or a product. The cultural variety that the Indian Film Industry offers is what that makes it unique from every other film industry in the world. Its varying range is its identity. Citation FICCI-KPMG Media Entertainment Industry Report-2009 http://www.scribd.com/doc/24474505/FICCI-KPMG-Media-Entertainment-Industry-Report-2009 Total Number of Films censored in 2009 by CBFC: 1288 *Source: Central Board for Film Certification Bollywood In 2009, out of the 1288 films released in India, 235 were Hindi films. This means 19% of the films released in India in 2009 were Hindi films. Hindi film industry is the largest producer of films in India, of which Bollywood is a major part. In fact, Bollywood is referred as the Hindi Film Industry. Out of the 200-plus Hindi films made in India each year, around 150 are made in Bollywood. Bollywood films are the only films in India that enjoy a national audience. Along with that, they also enjoy overseas audience. (2) Since Bollywood films enjoy maximum viewership, they also account for over 40 percent of the total revenues of the overall Indian film industry. The total revenue that Bollywood earned in 2008 was Rs 10,900 crore with an overseas collection of Rs 977 crore. Bollywood today is one of the biggest money making industries in India which provides employment to over 6 million people. (3) Citation 2. Central Board for Film Certification, Annual report 2009 http://cbfcindia.gov.in/html/uniquepage.aspx?unique_page_id=30 3. The Viewspaper, voice of the youth, www.wordpress.com http://theviewspaper.net/brand-bollywood/ Regional Films The Southern film industry is the major regional film industry followed by Bengali and Punjabi. The market size of the Tamil and Telugu segment is ` 7.7 billion, the Malayalam segment is ` 1.4 billion and the Kannada segment is worth ` 0.5 billion. Percentage wise, Telugu and Tamil account for 45% revenue each, Malayalam accounts for 8%, whereas Kannada accounts for 2% revenue of the southern film industry. However the regional market is under tapped, the non-theatrical revenue is lesser as compared to the Hindi film industry and the southern film industry is poorly propagated amongst the international sector. (4) Application of the concept of 4ps to the Film Industry of India The 4Ps: 1) Product 2) Place 3) Price 4) Promotion Product Citation: 4. Indian Entertainment Down South: From Script to Screen, 2009, Report, FICCI Ernst YoungA product is an article or substance that has been manufactured and refined for sale. In this case a film is a product. This product has major components. If we take Bollywood into consideration, itll be safe to call it a highly competitive zone. For the producers, movie making is like a business, where they are selling their product, ie the movie. So in order to make that product the talk of the town, their aim would be to get maximum visibility for their product. Every movie has its own target audience. There are many factors on the basis of which the audience choose to watch a particular movie. They could be ranging from the talent (film stars), genre (comedy, drama, action, thriller, romance), storyline, music and the presentation of a movie. For example, the movie Aisha scored big amongst young girls, teenagers and women (Aged 15-35 years), while it was highly criticized by men. The women chose Aisha because its packaging was in feminine colours like pink and orange, the story was based on a Jane Austen novel Emma about a young girl who likes match making, and primarily, the movie revolved around beauty, women and fashion. According to the oxford dictionary a film is defined as a    story or event recorded by a camera as a set of moving images and shown in a cinema or on television. A movie product on the other hand is the intellectual property of various individuals who are involved in it and is distributed in the form of theatrical exhibits, non-theatrical exhibits, CDs DVDs, film or tape, internet and television broadcasting through cable or sometimes without cable. Place After making a product which is worth selling, comes the time to find a place where this product will be sold. In this case a place can be anything ranging from cinema halls, multiplexes, broadcast media centres like radio and television, homes, internet, mobile phones (caller tunes, my song), games and news. Distribution takes place through theatres, rental stores; sell-through stores, catalogues, non-theatrical groups, the Internet, cell phones etc. However one of the biggest challenges that our industry is facing is Piracy. According to industry sources piracy is a 20 billion market and its share of the total video market is increasing day by day. (1) Price If we take a birds view of the industry, it appears to be uniformly priced, but the reality is something else. Currently India has 1000 multiplex screens which are supposed to become 1800 by the end of 2010 (1). The advent of the multiplex audience has definitely resulted in revenue hike for the producers, but it is important to realise that single screen movie halls are still in a majority and as compared to multiplexes, tickets are priced keeping in mind the average Indian. For example: A PVR cinemas ticket costs somewhere around `150- 300 depending upon the location, day and time, whereas a balcony seat i.e the most expensive seat in a single screen theatre like Vishal Cinemas (In Rajouri Garden, West Delhi) costs `90. A distribution contract can be structured in many ways that result in very different returns for the producer, the key creative talent, and even the distributor. Elements that are negotiated include Movie Release Date ex: Releasing a movie around Diwali is more profitable than releasing it on a normal day. Territories and market segments ex: A crossover film like Bend it Like Beckham will only do well in metros and not in tier-II and tier -III cities. Splitting of the profit, means of payment and percentages Final budget for promotion (digital, grassroot, print, outdoor The spending capacity of people has increased in the last few years. According to the PWC report, the Indian film industry is projected to grow by 11.5% in the next five years, reaching 184.7 billion in 2018 from 107 billion in 2008. Domestic box office segment is expected to grow at a cumulative rate of 10.2% over the next 5 years to reach an estimate of 132 billion in 2013 from present size of 82 billion. (1) The issue of pricing has become a global issue. Producers are careful to strategize the release of the DVDs at such a time, that it doesnt interfere with the theatrical release of the movie as it is the main source of revenue. However, the piracy industry has created such havoc in the home video market, that the producers are incurring huge losses. In order to curb this nuisance, the producers have come up with cheaply priced DVDs so that the rising phenomenon doesnt become a thorn in their flesh. Promotion Promotion is a powerful marketing tool, not only during the premier of a new product, but throughout its lifecycle. Producers create the end-product for the consumer, but they seldom market that product directly to the consumer. They market their story to investors and distributors. Distributors market to exhibitors, retailers and sub-distributors. The theatre exhibitors, retailers, store clerks, and Internet strategists market to the end consumers. And then, to top off this complex stew, some consumers even market to other consumers their family, friends and co-workers. STATEMENT To study the effectiveness of digital promotion in the box office response of Hindi films Todays Bollywood presents a very different scenario. With over 1000 films releasing in a given year, all of them fighting for a common goal i.e. the box-office success, the multiplex domination it has become a necessity for those involved, to do whatever it takes to enforce that must-watch feeling among the masses in order to win this very competitive rat-race. I want to find out how big a role does the internet play in promotion of a film. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH The internet is increasingly emerging as a profitable medium to create hype and promote a new film. There are approximately 30-40 million internet users in India today. Internet as a medium to promote a film is a viable option as it offers a wide platform of activities like reviews, trailers, bulletin boards, email, and blog for marketing movies which in turn creates a buzz about the film. Industry experts believe that the cost effectiveness of the online medium is one of the reasons for its popularity. An online campaign on the other hand costs only one-tenth of the amount a producer will spend advertising the film in the print medium. A recent survey conducted by the Internet Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) says that close to 90% internet users surf the net for movie related information and 42% of the surfers use the net for this purpose more than once a week. The survey also found that 54% of the net users watched at least one movie per month. Among the first studios to have started off promoting films on the Net was Yashraj Films. Their Mujhse Dosti Karoge went on to win the prestigious ABBY Gold award for its Internet marketing initiative in 2004. To promote Kabhi Alvida Na Kahna, the entire song Wheres the party tonight was featured on MSNs desktop TV. MSN also designed a theme pack on Messenger based on the films characters. RDBs characters wrote interactive blogs; Anthony Kaun Hai ran an online contest with winners meeting the stars. Lage Raho Munnabhais promotion on MSN India consisted of video clips from the film aired on desktop TV airs, and a web link to the official movie website with storyline, information on cast, crew, music, photos and screensavers, trailers, contests and interactive features. Online promotions also enable filmmakers to tap the overseas market. NRIs are also passionate about movies and like to download wallpapers, ring tones and take part in celebrity chats. If we look at our latest internet publicity successes, Ghajini is a very good example. Geetha Arts launched a computer game based on Ghajini, called  Ghajini The Game, developed by Hyderabad-based  FX LABS. Its a3-D PC console game which was built at a cost of Rs 30 million it attracted a lot of fans. UTV  owned Indiagames had also developed five mobile based games on Ghajini which was a huge success Aamir also kept up the internet marketing of Ghajini, with his blog  and the new Ghajini site, which invites journalists to register on the site, upload their photos, and receive personal notes from him. Websites like www.rememberghajini.com; www.findghajini.com and www.wallofsuspects.com  were built to drive curiosity levels around the movie and provide a movie like experience on the Internet. These are just a few examples. There are many more which will follow. Gone are those days when plastering a few posters on the walls and hand-painted Billboard signs were the only means available for a films publicity; Actors barely promoted their films, film-makers never ventured in-front of the camera and our main stream media couldnt care less. However the internet has shaken things up and revolutionized the way movie publicity is done. OBJECTIVES To find out how much of a role does internet play in the promotion of Hindi films. To find out examples where internet played a huge part in a films promotion. Ex: Ghajini To spread awareness of the use of internet among the masses. To make people realise how useful, economic and great is the internet. HYPOTHESIS Internet is emerging as a hotspot for a low cost promotion. The internet is not an effective means for promotion in the box office response of hindi films.

One Hundred Years of Solitude :: English Literature Essays

One Hundred Years of Solitude One Hundred Years of Solitude narrates the inseparability of the past, present and future in the imaginary town of Macondo, Columbia and the folks who established it, the Buendias. Macondo used to be secluded from the outside world but during a time-span of one hundred years that was joined by births, deaths, marriages and love affairs, the town began to develop its culture and views about life that directed the Buendias in creating ghosts that haunted them as the novel draws its conclusion. Marquez’s style in creating a fictional rural town of Macondo as the setting of the novel is perfect; as a reader, I believe that Marquez used this town to tell the readers that the novel will be about the movement between past, present and future. In the beginning of the story, it is stated that Macondo is isolated but as time passed by, industrializations, revolutions and wars reached the town that led to its destruction that made the town isolated again just like what it was a hundred y ears ago. Marquez did not focus to an individual but he used the Buendia family to become the protagonists of the story. If you’re going to look closely, you will realize that the outside forces are not the antagonists but it’s the past which ended the story. The novel was written in an omniscient third person point of view, which allows the readers to know every feeling and thought that each Buendia has. The theme of the novel is about the reality that can be felt by different people with unique backgrounds not by the way a single person observes it; a reality that conveys the incorporation of the superstition to the real world and Marquez also wants to emphasize that time can be cyclic, it can repeat itself. Marquez used a lot of literary devices such as symbolisms, motifs and foreshadowing. The author used the railroad to symbolize the arrival of the modern world in Macondo. One can say that the names of the members of the Buendias want to signify something. In the span of six generations, the men of the family are named Jose Arcadio or Aureliano that suggests that you can’t simply tell their differences because Marquez wants to tell us that these people are all the same in the sense that they keep on repeating the same mistakes that was done by their ancestors.

The Hunters: Moonsong Chapter Thirty-One

Why do they always want to be on top of buildings? Bonnie thought irritably. Inside. Inside is nice. No one falls to their death if they're inside a building. But here we are. Stargazing from the top of the science building while on a date with Zander was romantic. Bonnie would be al for another little nighttime picnic, just the two of them. But partying on a different roof with a bunch of Zander's friends was not romantic, not even slightly. She took a sip of her drink and moved out of the way without even looking as she heard the smack of bodies hitting the ground and the grunts of guys wrestling. After two days of living with Zander, she was beginning to get the names of his friends straight: Tristan and Marcus were the ones rol ing around on the floor with Zander. Jonah, Camden, and Spencer were doing something they cal ed parkour, which mostly seemed to involve running around like idiots and almost fal ing off the roof. Enrique, Jared, Daniel, and Chad were al playing an elaborate drinking game in the corner. There were a few more guys who hung around sometimes, but this was the core group. She liked them, she real y did. Most of the time. They were boisterous, sure, but they were always very nice to her: getting her drinks, immediately handing her their jackets if she was cold, tel ing her that they had no idea what she saw in a loser like Zander, which was clearly their guy way of declaring how much they loved him and that they were happy he had a girlfriend. She looked over at Zander, who was laughing as he held Tristan in a headlock and rubbed his knuckles over the top of Tristan's head. â€Å"Do you give in?† he said, and grunted in surprise as Marcus, whooping joyful y, tackled them both. It would have been easier if there were other girls around that she could get to know. If Marcus (who was very cute in a giant shaggy-haired Sasquatch kind of way) or Spencer (who had the kind of preppy rich-boy elegance that some girls found extremely attractive) had a regular girlfriend, Bonnie would have someone to exchange wry glances with as the guys acted like doofuses. But, even though a girl would occasional y appear clinging to the arm of one of the guys, Bonnie would never see her again after that night. Except for Bonnie, Zander seemed to travel in an almost exclusively masculine world. And, after two days of fol owing the macho parade around town, Bonnie was starting to get sick of it. She missed having girls to talk to. She missed Elena and Meredith, specifical y, even though she was stil mad at them. â€Å"Hey,† she said, making her way over to Zander. â€Å"Want to get out of here for a while?† Zander wrapped his arm around her shoulders. â€Å"Um. Why?† he asked, leaning down to kiss her neck. Bonnie rol ed her eyes. â€Å"It's kind of loud, don't you think? We could go for a nice quiet walk or something.† Zander looked surprised but nodded. â€Å"Sure, whatever you want.† They made their way down the fire escape, fol owed by a few shouts from Zander's friends, who seemed to think he was going on a food run and would shortly return with hot wings and tacos. Once they were a block away from the rooftop party, the noise faded and it was peaceful, except for the distant sound of an occasional car on the roads nearby. Bonnie knew she ought to feel creeped out, walking around at night on campus, but she didn't. Not with Zander's hand in hers. â€Å"This is nice, isn't it?† Bonnie said happily, gazing up at the half moon overhead. â€Å"Yeah,† Zander said, swinging her hand between them. â€Å"You know, I used to go on long walks – runs, real y – with my dad at night. Way out in the country, in the moonlight. I love being outside at night.† â€Å"Aw, that's sweet,† Bonnie said. â€Å"Do you guys stil do that when you're home?† â€Å"No.† Zander hesitated and hunched his shoulders, his hair hanging in his face. Bonnie couldn't read his expression. â€Å"My dad †¦ he died. A while ago.† â€Å"I'm so sorry,† Bonnie said sincerely, squeezing his hand. â€Å"I'm okay,† Zander said, stil staring at his shoes. â€Å"But, y'know, I don't have any brothers or sisters, and the guys have sort of become like a family to me. I know they can be a pain sometimes, but they're real y good guys. And they're important to me.† He glanced at Bonnie out of the corner of his eyes. He looked so apprehensive, Bonnie felt a sharp pang of affection for him. It was sweet that Zander and his friends were so close – that must have been the family stuff he had to deal with the other night. He was loyal, that much she knew. â€Å"Zander,† she said. â€Å"I know they're important to you. I don't want to take you away from your friends, you goof.† She reached up to wrap her arms around his neck and kissed him gently on the mouth. â€Å"Maybe just for an hour or two sometimes, but not for long, I promise.† Zander returned the kiss with enthusiasm, and Bonnie tingled al the way down to her toes. Clinging to each other, they made their way to a bench by the side of the path and sat down to kiss some more. Zander just felt so good under her hands, al sleek muscles and smooth skin, and Bonnie ran her hands across his shoulders, along his arms, down his sides. At her touch, Zander suddenly winced. â€Å"What's the matter?† she said, lifting her head away from his. â€Å"Nothing,† said Zander, reaching for her. â€Å"I was just messing around with the guys, you know. They play rough.† â€Å"Let me see,† Bonnie said, grabbing at the hem of his shirt, half concerned and half wanting to just check out Zander's abs. He had turned out to be surprisingly modest, considering they were sharing a room. Wincing again, he sucked his breath in through his teeth as Bonnie lifted his shirt. She gasped. Zander's whole side was covered with ugly black-and-purple bruises. â€Å"Zander,† Bonnie said horrified, â€Å"these look real y bad. You don't get bruises like that just messing around.† They look like you were fighting for your life – or someone else was, she thought, and pushed away the words. â€Å"They're nothing. Don't worry,† Zander said, tugging his shirt back down. He started to wrap his arms around her again, but Bonnie moved away, feeling vaguely sickened. â€Å"I wish you'd tel me what happened,† she said. â€Å"I did,† Zander said comfortingly. â€Å"You know how crazy those guys get.† It was true, she'd never known guys so rowdy. Zander reached for her again, and this time Bonnie moved closer to him, turning her face up for his kiss. As their lips met, she remembered Zander's saying to her, â€Å"You know me. You see me.† She did know him, Bonnie told herself. She could trust Zander. Across the street, Damon stood in the shadow of a tree, watching Bonnie kiss Zander. He had to admit he felt a little pang, seeing her in the arms of someone else. There was something so sweet about Bonnie, and she was brave and intel igent under that cotton-candy exterior. The witchy angle added a little touch of spice to her, too. He'd always thought of her as his. Then again, didn't the little redbird deserve someone of her own? As much as Damon liked her, he didn't love her, he knew that. Seeing the lanky boy's face light up in response to her smile, he thought maybe this one would. After making out for a few more minutes, Bonnie and Zander stood up and wandered, hand in hand, toward what Damon knew was Zander's dorm. Damon trailed them, keeping to the shadows. He huffed out a breath of self-mocking laughter. I'm getting soft in my old age, he thought. Back in the old days he would have eaten Bonnie without a second thought, and here he was worrying about her love life. Stil , it would be nice if the little redhead could be happy. If her boyfriend wasn't a threat. Damon ful y expected the happy couple to disappear into the dorm together. Instead, Zander kissed Bonnie good-bye and watched as she went inside, then headed back out. Damon fol owed him, keeping hidden, as he went back to the party where they'd been before. A few minutes later, Zander came down again, trailed by his pack of noisy boys. Damon twitched in irritation. God save me from college boys, he thought. They were probably going to gorge themselves on greasy bar food. After a couple of days of watching Zander, he was ready to go back to Elena and report that the boy was guilty of nothing more than being uncouth. Instead of heading toward the nearest bar, though, the boys jogged across campus, quick and determined, as if they had an important destination in mind. Reaching the edge of campus, they headed into the woods. Damon gave them a few seconds and then fol owed. He was good at this, he was a predator, a natural hunter, and so it took him a few minutes of listening, of sending his Power out, of final y just racing through the woods, black branches snapping before him, to realize that Zander and his boys were gone. Final y, Damon stopped and leaned against a tree to catch his breath. The woods were silent except for the innocent sound of various woodland creatures going about their business and his own ragged panting. That pack of noisy, obnoxious children had escaped him, disappearing without the slightest trace. He gritted his teeth and tamped down his anger at being evaded, until it was mostly curiosity about how they'd done it. Poor Bonnie, Damon thought as he fastidiously smoothed and adjusted his clothing. One thing was abundantly clear: Zander and his friends weren't entirely human. Stefan twitched. This was al just kind of strange. He was sitting in a velvet-backed chair in a huge underground room, as col ege students roamed around arranging flowers and candles. The room was impressive, Stefan would give them that: cavernous yet elegant. But the little arrangements of flowers seemed chintzy and false somehow, like a stage set in the Vatican. And the black-masked figures lurking in the back of the room, watching, were giving him the jitters. Matt had cal ed him to tel him about some kind of col ege secret society that he'd joined, and that the leader wanted Stefan to join, too. Stefan agreed to meet him and talk about it. He never was much of a joiner, but he liked Matt, and it was something to do. It would take his mind off Elena, he'd thought. Lurking around campus – and it felt like lurking, when he saw Elena, with the way his eyes were irresistibly drawn to her even as he hurried out of sight – he'd watched her. Sometimes she was with Damon. Stefan's fingernails bit into his palms. Consciously relaxing, he turned his attention back to Ethan, who was sitting across a smal table from him. â€Å"The members of the Vitale Society hold a very special place in the world,† he was saying, leaning forward, smiling. â€Å"Only the best of the best can hope to be tapped, and the qualities we look for I think are very Wellexemplified in you, Stefan.† Stefan nodded politely and let his mind drift again. Secret societies were something he actual y knew a little about. Sir Walter Raleigh's School of Night in Elizabethan England wrestled with what was then forbidden knowledge: science and philosophy the church declared out of bounds. Il Carbonari back home in Italy worked to encourage revolt against the government of the various city-states, aiming for a unification of al of Italy. Damon, Stefan knew, toyed with the members of the Hel fire Club in London for a few months in the 1700s, until he got bored with their posturing and childish blasphemy. Al those secret societies, though, had some kind of purpose. Rebel ing against conventional morality, pursuing truth, revolution. Stefan leaned forward. â€Å"Pardon me,† he said politely, â€Å"but what is the point of the Vitale Society?† Ethan paused midspeech to stare at him, then wet his lips. â€Å"Well,† he said slowly, â€Å"the real secrets and rituals of the Society can't be unveiled to outsiders. None of the pledges know our true practices and purposes, not yet. But I can tel you that there are innumerable benefits to being one of us. Travel, adventure, power.† â€Å"None of the pledges know your real purpose?† Stefan asked. His natural inclination to stay away was becoming more resolute. â€Å"Why don't you wear a mask like the others?† Ethan looked surprised. â€Å"I'm the face of the Vitale for the pledges,† he said simply. â€Å"They'l need someone they know to guide them.† Stefan made up his mind. He didn't want to be guided. â€Å"I apologize, Ethan,† he said formal y, â€Å"but I don't think I would be an appropriate candidate for your organization. I appreciate the invitation.† He started to rise. â€Å"Wait,† said Ethan. His eyes were wide and golden and had a hungry, eager expression in them. â€Å"Wait,† he said, licking his lips again. â€Å"We †¦ we have a copy of Pico del a Mirandola's De hominis dignitate.† He stumbled over the words as if he didn't quite know what they were. â€Å"An old one, from Florence, a first edition. You'd get to read it. You could have it if you wanted.† Stefan stiffened. He had studied Mirandola's work on reason and philosophy with enthusiasm back when he was stil alive, when he was a young man preparing for the university. He had a sudden visceral longing to feel the old leather and parchment, see the blocky type from the first days of the printing press, so much more right somehow than the modern computer-set books. There was no way Ethan should have known to offer him that specific book. His eyes narrowed. â€Å"What makes you think I'd want that?† he hissed, leaning across the table toward Ethan. He could feel Power surging through him, fueled by his rage, but Ethan wouldn't meet his eyes. â€Å"I †¦ you told me you like old books, Stefan,† he said, and gave a little false laugh, gazing down at the tabletop. â€Å"I thought you would be interested.† â€Å"No, thank you,† Stefan said, low and angry. He couldn't force Ethan to look him in the eye, not with al these people around, so after a moment, he stood. â€Å"I refuse your offer,† he told Ethan shortly. â€Å"Good-bye.† He walked to the door without looking back, holding himself straight and tal . He glanced at Matt, who was talking to another student, as he reached the door and, when Matt met his eyes, gave him a shrug and a shake of the head, trying to telegraph an apology. Matt nodded, disappointed but not arguing. No one tried to stop Stefan as he left the room. But he had a nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach. There was something wrong here. He didn't know enough to dissuade Matt from joining, but he decided to keep tabs on the Vitale Society. As he shut the door behind him, he could sense Ethan watching him.