Bitter Competition The Holland Sweetener Company Versus NutraSweet Essay

Harsh Competition The Holland Sweetener Company Versus NutraSweet. Harvard Business School 9794079 Rev November 13, 2000 - Essay Example The organization may likewise utilize its solid image value to battle dangers of rivalry. Despite the fact that it increased a name in the shopper showcase, NutraSweet's income still to a great extent originate from different business associations like Coke and Pepsi. Because of the passage of contenders, the organization is required to additionally fashioned more grounded associations with them by giving them exceptional limits or by diminishing its costs through and through. With the previously mentioned conversation, it a value war is bound to occur among NutraSweet and Holland Sweetener Company (HSC). In contending in the market, HSC will underwrite in its creation proficiency which will empower it to value all the more seriously. Truth be told, what HSC truly wants is the lower the value level of aspartame in the market. With this move, it is normal that NutraSweet will react seriously by bringing down its costs particularly in the modern area. Nonetheless, in the customer fragment, NutraSweet will keep up its costs and further separate its items from the contribution of other industry participants.

Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information Essay

Overseeing Communications, Knowledge and Information - Essay Example Information the board and data streams inside associations structure a basic connect to its efficiency and execution. Be that as it may, successful information the board rehearses stay a particular test for associations through distinguishing the key data needs of the association and creating compelling frameworks for channelising the data stream across offices and specialty units. How does an association characterize the requirement for information and aptitudes among its representatives and what are the measures that it takes to outfit the workforce with the ideal abilities? By what means can key arranging in recognizing data needs inside every division or operational procedures in the business and in what manner would this be able to help in meeting the authoritative objectives and goals? These are a portion of the relevant inquiries confronting associations and this paper centers around giving an understanding into procedures that can be received by an association to meet its dat a needs and by and large business targets. The paper investigations the data needs and information the executives techniques taken by Apple to meet one of its business targets. On 22 August 2008, Apple propelled the I-telephone in India. The reaction they got from shoppers was not true to form as barely any purchasers appeared. This was somewhat frustrating when contrasted with the dispatches in different nations where there were a large number of shoppers remaining outside the stores to get their I-telephones. It was recognized that the absence of showcasing prompted not having enough shoppers at the dispatch date. (Iphone in India, 2011) The chart underneath shows the Mac piece of the pie of Apple: Market portion of Apple by geographic divisions (Source: OSXDaily, 2011) By taking a gander at the above diagram, we can see that the piece of the pie in Asia is 1.61%, out of which about half is China and the rest is India. Considering the populace size, it may not appear as low yet when contrasted with different landmasses, it is extensively low. With

Sample Essays For Your Subject

Sample Essays For Your SubjectThere are many of these student essay writing samples out there to choose from. Do you have the skills and interest to write a good essay? Some teachers may think that writing papers is a piece of cake for some students, but for others it requires talent, attention to detail and patience. The same goes with student essay writing samples.If you are going to prepare for a class on essay writing, do not forget to prepare a sample for your students. Good student essay samples will not only look impressive but also be easy to understand how to write well. It's like if you want to get to know someone, ask them for an introduction. If they are not sure what to say, or they do not know how to start off, they may hesitate at the door and you might not get the chance to talk with them. But by showing them your sample, they can be convinced that they can write well as well.For students to start writing their essay, there are certain facts that they should be famili ar with. They should also learn how to compose a sentence in order to make a precise statement or even to make a question. For example, a college student needs to write an essay on the best treatment for any medical condition. In order to achieve this, they need to know how to find the right word or sentence which contains the essential facts needed to express their thoughts on the subject of treatment.Student writing samples have to contain the essential information that is needed for the purposes of a good essay. An example would be if they are writing an essay on how to save the environment and find out if there is enough recycling of plastic bags. They need to know the types of plastic bags and how they can recycle them. Moreover, they also need to know what type of paper they should use for recycling paper as well as what time and how to recycle it.Student essay writing samples also require that you identify the main point of the essay. This should be expressed clearly and conc isely. This is why you need to make sure that the key facts and information are included in the sample.If you are writing an essay on positive statements, you should know what to make positive statements and how to make positive statements that are effective. Students who read these sample essays tend to learn their tips on how to write positive statements and how to incorporate these into their writing. This is how they can differentiate themselves from the rest of the students in class.These writing samples are important in any kind of educational course, especially when it comes to essays. In fact, they are considered the best essays to give to a student. It will help the student to identify the facts and establish a specific topic.When it comes to student essay writing samples, you may choose to get the materials through the Internet. You will be able to compare different samples to find out which one is best for your purpose.

Should They Stay or Should They Go A Look at...

Who hasn’t heard of the Columbine shooting, where in the spring of 1999 in Littleton, Colorado over a dozen people where killed and many others were wounded at the hands of two students? Or even more recently, who does not know about the Virginia Tech massacre where a single student killed thirty-two people and wounded over twenty more? University of Texas, California State University, San Diego State University, the list of school violence is long and heart-breaking. Students and teachers have lost their lives by the dozens to gunmen that carried a grudge for some reason or another. These are extreme cases, for sure, and there is without a doubt a need for discipline in schools every where. However, zero-tolerance policies are not the†¦show more content†¦Other examples from the public school crime blotter: A 6-year-old boy in York, Pa., was suspended for carrying a pair of nail clippers to school. A second-grader in Columbus, Ohio, was suspended for drawing a paper gun, cutting it out and pointing it at classmates. . . . A 12-year-old Florida boy was handcuffed and jailed after he stomped in a puddle, splashing classmates. A 13-year-old boy in Manassas, Va., who accepted a Certs breath mint from a classmate was suspended and required to attend drug-awareness classes. Jewish youths in several schools were suspended for wearing the Star of David, sometimes used as a symbol of gang membership. Zero-tolerance policies punish all offenses severely, no matter how minor. School systems began adopting the tough codes after Congress passed the 1994 Gun-Free Schools Act, which required one-year expulsions for any child bringing a firearm or bomb to school. But zero-tolerance rules in many states also cover fighting, drug or alcohol use and gang activity, as well as relatively minor offenses like possessing over-the-counter medications, disrespect of authority, sexual harassment, threats and vandalism. More than 90 percent of U.S. public schools had zero-tolerance policies for firearms or other weapons in 1997, and more than 85 percent had the policies for drugs and alcohol. . . . In some jurisdictions, carrying cough drops, wearing blackShow MoreRelatedThe Importance Of A Pre Service Teacher Education Program Essay1512 Words   |  7 Pagesunderstand and appreciate diversity (Moore, 2015). They should be exposed to students who have different learning styles and disabilities. Teachers must also become comfortable with change and learn early in their preparation to be flexible and creative especially when solving problems (Moore, 2015). Understanding the importance of collaboration is key to being successful in an inclusive classroom as it helps teachers overcome obstacles and stay fresh (Whitworth, 1999). â€Å"Collaborative planning forRead MoreEssay about Changing the Drinking Age to 181228 Words   |  5 Pages Another step that should be made in order for this law to be taken is to increase the amount of drinking and driving laws. Drunk driving should not be tolerated of any kind. Punishment should be increased and the current zero tolerance policy should remain if not made harsher. This would make anti drinking organizations such as M.A.D.D. and S.A.D.D. happy for the drinking and driving aspect. Defensive driving courses would also be made readily available in high schools throughout the countryRead MoreBullying Argumentative essay970 Words   |  4 PagesUnfortunately nine out of every ten students have experienced bullying in school or online. Many people believe that bullying is a part of growing up and kids do not know any better. Bullies are intentionally causing mental and or physical damage to their victims, which will affect them for the rest of their lives. Bullying has shown that it can cause self inflicted injuries and even suicide in America today, and there should be no doubt that we need to protect our youth today. We need to enforce aRead MoreWhy High Schools Need To Provide Sex/Contraceptive Classes Essay864 Words   |  4 PagesThere has always been a lot of controversy over the education of contraceptives and sex being included in the high school curriculum. However, as parents, mentors, and leaders that these children look up to we have an obligation to these children. Providing a contraceptive/sex education class to high schoo students would be so beneficial. It would ensure that they are being educated correctly and not by other kids their same age. The United States has one of the highest rates when it comesRead MoreChildren s Rights Or Discipline?2120 Words   |  9 PagesChildren’s Rights or Discipline? It is a Monday morning and a bit chaotic in your house as your children and yourself rush to get ready to leave for work and school. On reaching the school, there are students gathered in groups outside the school and you wonder what is wrong. Upon inquiring from your children what is going on, they say students are protesting about the principal being too harsh on them. Shaking your head in disbelief, they say their goodbyes and leave. All the way to work, your mindsRead MoreZero Tolerance Policies And School Discipline10009 Words   |  41 PagesResearch suggests that policies and practices have created a dilemma that has plagued our education system, as well as our society as a whole, that funnels millions of students from school into the juvenile justice system (Robinson, 2013). This dilemma, known as the school-to-prison pipeline is garnering much attention in Virginia due to the states continued issues in overcoming the phenomenon. This study explores zero tolerance policies and school discipline to better understand its effect in toRead More Homeschool Essay1593 Words   |  7 Pagesnation’s school system (Bielick, Chandler, Broughman, 2001). Side by side with public education’s terrible results, home schooling has become a realistic idea to a lot of families. The home schooling movement in the United States has become the fastest growing segment of education over the past decade. While there are many reasons parents choose to home school their children, the primary reasons seem to be the rise of crime and violence and their dissatisfaction with the public school curriculumRead MoreBullying Is A Major Issue Of The United States And Around The World2122 Words   |  9 PagesBullying must be taken seriously, because it results in negative effects on its victims and may drive students to commit horrific actions. Lawmakers should draft anti-bullying legislation, students should stand up for one another, and society should work out what can be done to combat this problem. Bullying occurs at a young age and it is mostly dealt at school or on the bus. Many people hear horrific stories about students being bullied and what comes to their mind is why no one stand up for them or whyRead MoreBullying in the National Spotlight2365 Words   |  10 Pagesin middle school and continued throughout junior high and high school. Given a small frame and statue, classmates would often create pranks targeting me. The pranks didn’t the start out as f bulling; name calling started early on my school career. Names such as four eyes, studderbox, nerd, mute, Steve Urkel, were just some of the many names I endured while in school. Entering high school as a freshmen was one of the most enjoyable and traumatic times as a young man. Going into high school with a newRead MoreCrime Prevention And The Criminal Justice System1776 Words   |  8 PagesThis essay will first define the different forms of crime prevention using evidence to back them up and then will go on to discuss whether crime prevention is primarily achieved through the criminal justice system or beyond the system, discussing the involvement of the police and whether crime is better controlled through crime prevention techniques or if other methods enforced by the criminal justice system are more efficient in achieving the goal of lower crime rates. Crime prevention is enforced

Of Mice and Men and Lord of the Flies Analysis - 1477 Words

danskeLaura Valentiner-Bohse ‘An exploration of friendship in Lord of the Flies and of Mice and Men’ In both Lord of the Flies by William Golding and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck evident components of friendship are persuaded throughout the storyline, particularly in Lennie and George’s friendship in Of Mice and Men and Ralph and Piggy’s friendship in Lord of the Flies. In both books the authors focus on the natural dependence human beings have on each other. Of particular importance is the bond the characters share being outsiders, the dependence they have on one another, the respect they share, the theme of survival, the sacrifice that comes with love and the contrast in their personalities. The two books show the unique†¦show more content†¦In Of Mice and Men the respect is more one-sided as Lennie psychologically is not up to George’s level of thinking therefore resulting in George having to take care of Lennie. ‘Lennie, who had been watching, imitated George exactly. He pushed himself back, drew up his knees, embraced them, looked over to George to see whether he had it just right’. The fact that Lennie does this mimicry when it is just George and himself shows that he truly admires George. At the same time George is aware of Lennie’s physical capabilities and he states that Lennie is ‘strong as a bull’ Lennie physically has the capability to do hard labour, which benefits George when travelling from job to job thus gives him so level of respect for Lennie. Throughout the two books different and varying kinds of love are shown between the characters and with love comes sacrifice. In both books readers observe the characters take great measures for their companion these acts being genuine and selfless as they can be. In Lord of the Flies although Ralph’s behaviour towards Piggy may be perceived as being quite blunt, Ralph proves his sincere respect and love for piggy when he marches over to Jack and demands Piggy’s glasses back. This shows that Ralph is willing to put himself in danger in order to get his friends glasses back, which is an act of kindness and of love. In of Mice and Men George and Lennie demonstrates aShow MoreRelatedThe Freedom Writers And Romeo And Juliet905 Words   |  4 Pageswhich was the Hunger Games and wrote an essay on. We read many short stories and even wrote one ourselves. For english we read Lord Of the Flies and Of Mice and Men among other books were we would always have an easy question foll owed by an essay. In both of these classes helped me develop structure called tieac which stands for topic, intro to evidence, evidence, analysis, and conclusion. Both my freshmen teachers helped me develop this structure for my essays. Our essays had to be typed in 12 inchRead More Censorship in the Classroom Essay2774 Words   |  12 PagesPenthouse or Playboy, or even in hard-core porn on the internet. Yet according to Ken Donelson, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings has gotten the second highest number of complaints in the last ten years, with twenty-three. Only Steinbecks Of Mice and Men had more, with twenty-nine (Donelson, 1997). Other complaints against I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings called the novel graphic and said that it raised sexual issues without moral resolution (Foerstel, 1994).    This is an exampleRead MoreHow To Write Literary Analysis4174 Words   |  17 PagesHow To Write Literary Analysis The Literary Essay: A Step-by-Step Guide When you read for pleasure, your only goal is enjoyment. You might find yourself reading to get caught up in an exciting story, to learn about an interesting time or place, or just to pass time. Maybe you’re looking for inspiration, guidance, or a reflection of your own life. There are as many different, valid ways of reading a book as there are books in the world. When you read a work of literature in an English classRead MoreEnglish Proverbs3961 Words   |  16 Pagesa considerable role in distributing proverbs across Europe, although almost every culture has examples of its own. Examples ââ€" ª Haste makes waste ââ€" ª A stitch in time saves nine. ââ€" ª Ignorance is bliss ââ€" ª Mustnt cry over spilt milk. ââ€" ª You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar. ââ€" ª You can lead a horse to water, but you cant make him drink. ââ€" ª Those who live in glass houses shouldnt throw stones. ââ€" ª A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. ââ€" ª Well begun is half done. ââ€" ª A little learningRead MoreA Picatrix Miscellany52019 Words   |  209 Pagesused in conjunction with the correct constellations, this chapter is devoted to the latter. The author gives a descriptive list of the twenty-eight mansions of the moon, according to the â€Å"Indian† system, and assigns to each its correct talisman. Analysis of the passage shows that it is a compound of â€Å"Indian† doctrines, the tenets of Dorotheus of Sidon (both attested by Ibn abi ‘l-Rijà ¢l) and elements from a list ascribed to Hermes (attested by the Ihwà ¢n al-Safà ¢Ã¢â‚¬â„¢) (pp.14-21). At the beginning of theRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesModel 23 An Overview 23 †¢ Inputs 24 †¢ Processes 25 †¢ Outcomes 25 Summary and Implications for Managers 30 S A L Self-Assessment Library How Much Do I Know About Organizational Behavior? 4 Myth or Science? â€Å"Most Acts of Workplace Bullying Are Men Attacking Women† 12 An Ethical Choice Can You Learn from Failure? 24 glOBalization! Does National Culture Affect Organizational Practices? 30 Point/Counterpoint Lost in Translation? 31 Questions for Review 32 Experiential Exercise Workforce DiversityRead MoreFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words   |  1056 PagesHRM 28 PART 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 THE LEGAL AND ETHICAL CONTEXT OF HRM Equal Employment Opportunity 56 Employee Rights and Discipline 84 PART 3 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 STAFFING THE ORGANIZATION Human Resource Planning and Job Analysis 110 Recruiting 132 Foundations of Selection 154 PART 4 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT Socializing, Orienting, and Developing Employees 182 Managing Careers 208 PART 5 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 MAINTAINING

Why The United States Has Only Two Major Political Parties

Final Exam Essays Essay Prompt 1: Discuss why the United States has only two major political parties. The United States government is commonly referred to as a â€Å"Duopoly†, which means that there are two established political parties, Democratic and Republic, and that these two parties share the vast majority of the political power in the country. This is because the United States follows a winner-takes-all voting system, utilizing a â€Å"single-member district plurality†. The â€Å"single-member district† portion means that for each geographic area or district, there is only one elected official, and the â€Å"plurality† portion means that in United States elections, the representative or politician who receives the most number of votes, wins the given election, even if it’s less than half the percentage of votes. According to Duverger’s law, a Political Science principle, plurality voting procedures correlationally support the emergence of only two political parties, in contrast to a multiparty democracy. This is largely because there have only been two parties for so long, and these two parties have made it such a point to make their separation of ideals and beliefs blatant, so the vast majority of the voters have for the most part picked a definitive â€Å"side†, so to speak, and have registered as a member of the corresponding political party, that caters the most to their individual ideals. Because of this, it has made it very hard for any smaller parties to gain enough support toShow MoreRelatedTwo Party System802 Words   |  4 PagesWhy the United States has a Two-Party System Beginning in its infant stage, the United States has consistently maintained two dominant political parties that initially included the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists who debated the ratification of the Constitution. Although the Federalists and the Ant-Federalists eventually gave way to the Republicans and Democrats, they set a precedent for the continued dominance of the two-party system that remains in effect. There are several reasons supportingRead MoreThe Democratic Party And The Republican Party1238 Words   |  5 Pages Two political parties have dominated the United States: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The term â€Å"Third party† is used in the United States to describe any political party besides the well-known Republican and Democratic parties. Examples of third parties include the Libertarian Party, The Green Party, and the Constitutional Party. Unfortunately, these third parties have a hard time gaining political representation at the fe deral level. The historic route Democrats and RepublicansRead MoreThe Causes And Cons Of The United States Congress?711 Words   |  3 PagesThe United States Congress has been on a downward spiral in the past decade, in 2009 their approval rating was at 37% compared to a mere 13% as of this week. This begs the question of whether our electoral laws for Congress are truly working in our current political climate. The house of representatives currently divided at 240 Republicans to 194 Democrats and 1 independent. This clear divide has been seen in the inability to pass legislation and the clear lack of partisanship within the house. Read MoreClassical Liberalism Vs. Modern Liberalism Essay1534 Words   |  7 Pagesonce said â€Å"I believe in the equality of man†, equality is a progressive ideology that humanity has struggled long and arduously to fully achieve. (PP classical liberalism) According to the Bond textbook, â€Å"Ideology is a consistent set of values, attitude s, and beliefs about the appropriate role of government in society.† (Textbook, page 22) The movement that spanned during the creation of the United States was called classical liberalism. What is liberalism? Classical Liberalism could be defined asRead MoreThe Beginning of the Two-Party System in the U.S.1030 Words   |  4 PagesU.S. did not have a two-party system. The two-party system is rooted in the beginnings of the nation itself. The Framers of the Constitution were opposed to political parties. The ratification of the Constitution saw the birth of Americas first two parties: the federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, and the Anti-Federalists, who followed Thomas Jefferson. The nation had only had George Washington, who was President without a party at that time. During George Washington’s two terms, a conflict developedRead MoreThe American Two Party System1709 Words   |  7 PagesThe American two-party system is the result of the way elections are structur ed in the United States. Representatives in the Congress and in state legislatures are elected to in single-member districts where the individual with the most votes wins. Seeing that only one party s candidate can win in each district, there is a strong motivation for political candidates to organize themselves into two competing parties. By doing so, party members and candidates maximize their chances of winning electionsRead MoreThe United States Federal Government1162 Words   |  5 Pageselect the leaders who will mold the future of the society. This is the reason why elections entitle an ordinary resident; it allows people to influence the future policies of the government, and people’s future. The United States relies on a complex system of government, where the national government is central but state and local governments utilize control over affairs that are not meant for the federal government. State and local governments have varying degrees of independence in h ow the organizeRead MoreThe Peace Prize By The Tunisian National Dialogue1610 Words   |  7 PagesThird, in 2015, this political transition was crowned by receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. The successful political dialogue held by the Tunisian national Dialogue Quartet that included the Tunisian General Labor Union, Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts, The Tunisian Human Rights League, and The Tunisian Order of Lawyers. That dialogue was held due to the conflict between the protests that asked the government to step down after the second political assassination in 2013 andRead MoreThe Political Party Of The United States Of America1590 Words   |  7 PagesThe nature of the political party system in the United States of America, the oldest democracy in existence, is that the majority party rules. In essence, of the two major contemporary political parties that has a preponderance of votes wins the majority seat or as it is called â€Å"the winner takes all s ystem† and the party that loses takes the minority seat and gets little to no power in the political arena. As a result, there is no representation for any other political party as long as the DemocratsRead MorePolitical Parties Of The United States : The Democratic And Republic Parties915 Words   |  4 Pages There are two main political parties that dominate politics in the in the United States: The Democratic and Republic Parties. It turns out that these two political parties are opposed to each other on a wide range of issues that affect American public life. Unfortunately, many Americans are unaware of these differences between the two parties and tend to vote their officials into office in an uneducated manner. This often results in the political gridlock that often characterize government business

Marketing Management Branding

Questions: 1. Discuss about Brand and Branding? and also write about Explain the strategic power of branding across the marketing mix. Use an example to illustrate.2. Select a brand that you think has high levels of brand equity. Research and discuss what have they done to achieve this.3.Identify a product that you have been brand loyal for a long time and now no longer. Why is this so? What went wrong? What can they do better?4. How do marketing efforts change as a product moves through the four stages of the Product Life Cycle (PLC)? Cite with examples.5.Can packaging be used as a strategic tool? Discuss using an example to illustrate this. Answers: 1. The brand of a company signifies the impression of the brands in front of the customers and the clients (Jones Bonevac, 2013). The brand comprises of the main work of the company and the other elements such as visual components, language and the related aesthetic components. The branding term is used to define the process of strategizing the goals of a brand and the implementation of the components which would help the company to achieve its goals (Jones Bonevac, 2013). The branding is an important component of the marketing mix as it helps the company to increase its long as well as short term sales. It helps in making the product eligible for sale. For example, Coca Cola has used its branding to increase the sales as well as distribution of the products. 2. Pepsi is an organization which has successfully created the brand equity. The brand concentrated on the cross class generalization which was taken at the brand level. This allowed the brand to make correlations with strong competitors such as Coca Cola and other areas such as McDonalds. The brand considers good customer relationship as the main crux for achieving a high degree of brand equity. It also connected with a wide range of audiences all around the world. 3. I was loyal with Lakme brand for a long time. However, I have switched to Lotus recently. This was because of the fact that this brand contains chemicals which damage my skin. I assume that Lakme contain certain chemical composition which may affect my skin after prolonged use. Hence, I decided to switch over to more herbal brand such as Lotus. Lakme should try to incorporate more herbal ingredients so that the health-conscious customers would accept it. 4. The product is promoted more in the introduction stage when there is a need to create great brand awareness (Sharma, 2013). In the growth stage, Pepsi create more market share by increasing brand visibility. The maturity stage is characterized by maximizing the profit. The company changes their marketing strategy according to the product life cycle stage. 5. The packaging can be used as a strategic tool as it helps the marketers to highlight qualifiers, product attributes and images of branding (Raheem, Vishnu Ahmed, 2014). For example, Cadbury uses several layers of packaging to not only make their products attractive but also make them safe. The extra packaging layers make insects away from the chocolate and hence make the product safe. Hence, the packaging increases the brand value of a product and the company can use it for strategic purpose. References Jones, C., Bonevac, D. (2013). An evolved definition of the term brand: Why branding has a branding problem.Journal of Brand Strategy,2(2), 112-120. Raheem, A. R., Vishnu, P., Ahmed, A. M. (2014). Impact of product packaging on consumers buying behavior.European Journal of Scientific Research,120(2), 145-157. Sharma, N. (2013). Marketing Strategy on different stages PLC and its marketing implications on FMCG products.International Journal of Marketing, Financial Services Management Research,2(3), 121-136.

Sign Symbol Essays - Philosophy Of Language, Semiotics, Advertising

Sign Symbol A sign system is representation through communication which in turn leads to a shared meaning or understanding. We hold mental representations that classify and organise the world (whether fact or fiction), people, objects and events into meaningful categories so that we can meaningfully comprehend the world. The media use sign systems through newspapers, magazines, television,internet, and the radio etc. The conceptual map of meaning and language are the basis of representation. The conceptual map of meaning, are concepts organised, arranged and classified into complex relations to one another. The conceptual map of meaning although allows you to distinguish your own individual interpretation of the world, at the same time as holding similar views to that of other people in your culture. As the meaning is produced and constructed and in turn learned by a particular group of people. Therefore sharing conventions and codes of their language and culture. Signs can only convey meaning if we possess codes which allow us to translate our concepts into language. These codes are the result of social conventions which lead to the shared maps of meaning. These shared meanings are learnt unconsciously as we become members of a culture.If we have a concept of something in our minds we can say we know the meaning of this concept. However we cannot express or communicate this meaning without the second system of representation, language. Language is the only way in which meanings can be effectively exchanged between people, as people within the same culture are able to interpret the sign of language in the same manner. As the meanings become natural through the conditioning of culture. For example the word white in Australia represents a colour of purity, however in China it is the colour of death. Demonstrating that different cultures have not only have different meanings in their shared conceptual maps, but a different language to express it. As meanings change rapidly throughout cultures to really understand another culture you must live there and speak the language for some time. Cultural, social, political, and linguistic conventions are learned over time. The three theories of representation, reflective, intentional and constructionist approaches explain how representations through language work. The reflective approach is where language functions as a ?mirror? of the particular elements perceived meaning. The intentional approach, is where the authors individual views of the world are expressed. Whereas the constructionist approach is where we the audience construct the meaning through our shared conceptual maps and language. The media use these sign symbols so that an association can be made to the object, person, event, or idea etc. With this information of representation and language the media can familiarise people with many things, such as cultural knowledge. As advertising surrounds consumers, concern is often expressed over the impact on society, particularly on values and lifestyle. While a number of factors influence the cultural values, lifestyles, and behaviour of a society, the overwhelming amount of advertising and its prevalence in the mass media suggests that advertising plays a major role in influencing and transmitting social values. In his book Advertising and Social Change, Ronald Berman says; The Institution of the family, religion and education have grown noticeably weaker over each of the past three generations. The world itself seems to have grown more complex. In the absence of traditional authority, advertising has become a kind of social guide. It depicts us in all the myriad situations possible to a life of free choice. It provides ideas about style, morality, and behaviour. While there is general agreement that advertising is an important social influence agent, opinions as to the value of its contribution are often negative. Advertising is criticised for encouraging materialism, manipulating consumers to buy things they do not really need, perpetuating stereotyping, and controlling the media. The media must consider the cultural variables of each country, such as the complexity of learned meanings, norms, language, customs, tastes, attitudes, religion, traditions, education, lifestyle, values, and the ethical/moral standards shared by members of each society. These variables must be learnt by the media as not to offend the group they are portraying. Cultural norms and values offer direction and guidance to members of a society in all aspects of there lives. Every country exhibits cultural traits that influence not just the needs and wants of consumers but how they go about satisfying them. The media must be aware of the connotations of words and symbols used in their messages and understand how advertising copy and slogans are translated. Advertisers can also encounter problems with the connotative meaning of signs and symbols used

Pharmacology Personal Statement †Secret Tips Exposed Essay Example

Pharmacology Personal Statement – Secret Tips Exposed Essay Example Pharmacology Personal Statement – Secret Tips Exposed Essay Pharmacology Personal Statement – Secret Tips Exposed Essay Pharmacology is a particular branch of medicine that studies the uses, effects and numerous actions of drugs. Students who are learning this complex field of medicine are responsible for understanding the side effects of drugs and also why modes of actions of drugs are different for different individuals. Seeking a higher degree in this field has become quite competitive these days. However, you can surpass the competition and get into the University of your Choice by writing winning pharmacology personal statement. A personal statement is an admission essay that demonstrates who you are as a person, why you pursue a particular field and what you hope to accomplish. A personal statement is accompanied by an admission application. Admission officers expect compelling statements from the applicants to see which applicants are best suited for their university. Even if you have not-so-compelling educational background, you can still get into your dream academia by creating an interesting statement. Make a long list of your personal traits or qualities that you think will make you a first-rate pharmacologist and a valuable add in the pharmacology community. For example, a pharmacologist must needs to be a detail-oriented person. Determine what motivated you to study drugs. Remember that the admission department will be very curious to learn more about you. Therefore, you have to clearly define your passion for this field within the capacity of the statement. It is recommended that one should clearly define his/her motivation at the opening of the statement. As it will help the applicant to grab the attention of the admission department right from the introduction. By including motivation or personal stories in the statement your essay will deemed as an authenticate piece, thus attracting more attention of the admission department. Explore the website of the university that you are applying to. Examine the requirements for the admission and go through their curriculum carefully. Analyze the programs or special courses that are offered by them. Different universities offer different courses so examine the website of each university carefully to learn more about them. Customize each statement according to the preferences of each university. Keep editing the draft of the personal statement and see what necessary elements still need to be included in the statement. Keep the length of the statement in line with the given length requirement. Let us take a look at some do’s and don’ts of writing winning personal statement Don’t Use any irrelevant details in the statement such as personal religious or political views. Be tempted to use unnecessary humor. It is suggested that a pharmacology personal statement should avoid any humor. Lie while hoping to impress the reader. Be honest. Use quotes unless if it is very necessary. Hesitate to use pharmacology jargons however keep it to a minimum. Do Make sure that you make a copy of the statement for future reference. Make sure that the personal statement is immaculate.

Women's struggle during the harlem renaissance to modern times Essay

Women's struggle during the harlem renaissance to modern times depicted through literature - Essay Example This identity emerged as a result of mass immigration from the Southern states to the cities of the north such as New York, Chicago and Washington D.C. â€Å"The Great Migration† (Rau, 7) was due to the fact that even after the emancipation of the African-American slaves in 1863, the blacks suffered from segregation. The prevailing of social inequality in the Southern states and the growth of industries in the north were vital in the shifting of the ex-slaves to the New York City. It became the city of dreams, a place to uplift their positions. However for the women whether black or white â€Å"were expected to stay home and care for their families† (McKissack, 5). The situation of black women were worsened as they found it harder to get admission into colleges and had to resort to chores like â€Å"doing laundry, waiting tables, or being a nanny† (McKissack, 6). In this context, the Harlem Renaissance gave women the platform to express themselves. It is said that the â€Å"writers of the Harlem Renaissance occupy a crucial place in the history of the Afro-American Literature for the high artistic qualities† (Bloom, 223) as we find in Jean Toomer’s Cane and Nella Narsen’s Quicksand. In Cane, Toomer has shown the plight of Becky, a white woman who is treated as an outcaste for having two children by a black man but Karintha, a black woman is depicted as a woman admired by all. This novel claims to establish the supremacy of the black women over white. Quicksand is an autobiographical novel. Larsen is a child to a white mother and a black father. Therefore, in this novel she is able to depict the contradictions of living as a black woman in a society dominated by white ideology. It is a discourse on the prejudice of the white sentiment and their allegation to black women who possess inherent lasciviousness. The protagonist, Helga Crane represses her sexual desire as she fears that it may confirm to the stere otype notion about blacks as savage and

Evaluating nursing practice through theories and models Essay

Evaluating nursing practice through theories and models - Essay Example Models become necessary when representations of various interactions among different concepts needs to be shown and patterns established. Theories should be able to give nursing practice the foundation it needs in order to develop more knowledge in the area and provide the direction such a nursing professional practice needs to take (Alligood & Tomey, 2002, pp.56-78). The paper looks at these nursing models and theories and in particular addresses the Florence Nightingales Legacy of Caring; Orem Theory and Paplau's Theory and points out their underlying theoretical and evidence base for each of them. The strengths and weakness of each of these theories are also discussed. A case study will be carried out on one of these models and theories to help illustrate its application further. This case study involves how to take care of peripherally inserted central catheter paediatric patients for chemo therapy purpose long term care. The peripheral IV devises are those cannula that are inser ted into a peripheral vein that is small for purposes of therapy in cases where medications, blood products or fluids need to be administered to patients. The peripherally inserted central catheter devices or PICC are usually inserted into brachial veins or basilica or cephalic veins and do get into the large vein or superior vena cava. Little is however known regarding the risk of complications in applying these devices to paediatric patients with cancer who are under chemotherapy (Callaghan, et al., 2002, pp.256-64). This will be further illustrated by taking into account the metaparadigms in nursing application such as infection Control of this condition, relevant education that is needed, health situation, the environmental setting, and the kind of nursing required. A... The objective of this research is to acquire a better insight of nursing models and theories. There are various models that have been put forward in the nursing profession to help in the evidence based practices. Some of these models and theories include, but not limited to, Florence Nightingales Legacy of Caring, Orem’s Theory, Paplau's Theory, Neumans’s Health Care System Model, Myra Estrin Levine’s: The conservation model, and Patricia Benner’s Primacy of caring, among others. Indeed the importance of models and theories in nursing profession cannot be overemphasized because they hold a critical point in the evidence-based nursing practice which cannot be ignored if professional practice is to be upheld. These concepts are very useful in the success of any nursing professional in providing healthcare to his or her patients. The theoretical models discussed above have been used in various medical settings in assisting patients cope and deal with their co nditions. Paediatric patients on chemotherapy need special care. PICCs are a choice for patients who need long-term IV access and many practitioners would choose PICCs due to the fact that they are durable and pose fewer problems when it comes to insertion and their removal after use. There is however a high rate of complication with cancer patients when PICCs are used, especially during chemotherapy. But that aside, the fact that these PICCs do not require a surgical procedure, less pain experienced during insertion, and ease of removing them after use, make PICCs preferred for patients especially paediatric patients under chemotherapy.

Screening of Refractive Errors Models

Screening of Refractive Errors Models Original Article Student Research Communiquà © TITLE: Comparison of two models for screening of Refractive errors in school going children of rural area in Vadodara, Gujarat Abstract:- Introduction Globally there is 18.2% of blindness due to the uncorrected refractory errors. Most of the children with uncorrected refractive error are asymptomatic and hence screening helps in early detection and timely interventions. Aim- To compare validity and reliability of refractory error screening by trained school teacher with trained medical students. Methods- Training was given to the teacher of the standard 5-8 regarding how to diagnose the refractory error among School children by using snellan’s chart. Result reports were collected from teachers. After two week investigator team visited the school and screen for refractory error in the same school children by using snellan’s chart. Results of these screening methods were analyzed and compared. Result- Kappa statistics: 0.4482 indicate the reliability and Sensitivity = 31.25%, Specificity = 96.40% indicate the validity of screening method 1 (screening by school teacher ) compare to method 2 (screening by medical students) Conclusion- screening by school teacher is not useful model for diagnoses of refractory error among school going children. INTRODUCTION:- In the visual impairment both Blindness Low vision included. Worldwide 285 million people are suffering from visual impairment, among these 39 million are blind and 246 million have low vision. Globally, uncorrected refractive errors are the main cause of visual impairment. 43% of visual impairment is due to refractory errors. 80% of all visual impairment can be avoided or cured.1 In India refractory error is the second most leading cause for all age group but it is the first among child age group for visual impairmnet.2 Refractive Error is defined as a state of refraction, when the parallel rays of light coming from infinity are focused either in front of or behind the sensitive layer of retina, in one or both the meridians.3 It is also known as Ametropia. The Ametropia includes Myopia, Hypermetropia and astigmatism. Myopia or Short-sightedness in which parallel rays of light coming from infinity are focused in front of the retina when accommodation is at rest. Hypermetropia or Long-sightedness is the state of the eye wherein parallel rays of light coming from infinity are focused behind the retina with accommodation being at rest so the posterior focal point is behind the retina which therefore receives a blurred image.3 The children aged 5 – 15 are school going students. Refractive error in such age group can harm their learning capicity. So Early diagnosis in schools for refractive error can be useful to stop the increasing number of such disability and qualitative education can be got by the school going students. A simple Eye test and glasses can restore sight to most of affected people. As for WHO, correction of Refractive error is a component of currant global initiative to reduce avoidable or treatable blindness, in Vision 2020 which is considered a current top priority and challenge for all the nations.4 Strategies to address eye health of children in India have focused on school eye health programme. School eye health screening is also part of the national blindness control programme.5 If, we trained the school teachers for identification of refractory errors among school children using vision chart than it will serve as alternative of tradition eye screening programme. Routinely eye screening was done annually but if, school teacher is trained in such procedure they can screen every student systematically using appropriate time and also do such screening twice in a year. So here this study was conducted to find alternative of refractory error screening by health profession. By this way the burden over existing health care system will reduce. Here we compare two screening model and check the validity and reliability of new model (Refractory eye screening by school teacher). METHODOLOGY Study Population:-School going children (Standard 5-8) Design of the study:- Screening study Study Area:- Rural area of Vadodara taluka Sampling:- Random sampling mthods Sample size:- 150 Inclusion criteria:- School going children of standard 5th to 8th Exclusion criteria:- Study participant suffering from refractory error and already diagnosed for refractory error. Participant does not want to participate in study. Methodology:- Before Study started, we obtained the permission from the ethical committee of Sumandeep Vidyapeeth. Then we obtained the list of rural schools in Vadodara taluka from DEO office, Vadodara. We selected randomly one school from the list by lottery method. Selected school was Government school, Amodar. After selecting the school, we also obtained the permission from school principal to conduct this study in their school. We discussed with teacher regarding the various aspects of study. All teachers agreed to volunteer participate in the study. We gave training to the teacher of the standard 5-8 regarding â€Å"how to diagnose the refractory error in School children by using snellan’s chart†. Training of Teacher- Those school teachers, who ready to voluntarily participate in this project, were trained for identification of refractory error by using snellan’s chart. First we gave some basic information about refractory error in understandable local language (Guajarati), then we demonstrated them how to diagnose refractory error by using snellan’s chart. Every teacher had to perform this procedure in front of us to insure that they understand the whole procedure. Those who had doubts and difficulties was discussed, and corrected so every teacher uses this procedure with same standard. We included all the students from class 5th to 8th of selected school in to study. Total 150 students participate volunteer. After obtaining informed consent from students and their parents, visual acuity was measured and recorded by teachers. On another convenient day same children were examined by Investigators (medical students) in absence of teacher using the identical protocol and same vision charts. To avoid bias we masked the teachers results (first screening result) during second screening . Statistical analysis Data collected in individual forms for every student were compiled in Microsoft Excel sheet. Validity and reliability of model 1 â€Å"refractory error screening by school teacher† is compared with model 2 â€Å"refractory error screening by medical students†. Sensitivity and specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value indicate validity and Kappa statistics indicate reliability. RESULTS Figure 1- Sex and Age wise distribution of study participant Figure 1 shows the sex and Standard (Class) wise distribution of the study participant. Table 1- Distribution according to Diagnosis by School teacher and medical students Kappa statistics: 0.4482 Sensitivity = 31.25% Specificity = 96.40% PPV = 50.00% NPV=92.41% Table 1 shows that screening result of two models, kappa statistics is an indicators of reliability. In our study kappa statistics is found 0.4482, it indicates poor reliability it indicate only 44.82% of result has similar results between two screening methods. In our study, validity is determined by sensitivity and specificity. Sensitivity is very low 31.25% while specificity is 96.40%. it shows that Screening model 1 (screening by school teacher) identify only 31.25 % of students suffering from refractory error and missed 68.75% of students suffering from refractory. DISCUSSION Study shows the diagnostic ability of trained school teacher in diagnosis of refractory errors as compared to diagnosis of refractory errors by medical students by using same vision chart. A refractory error is the one of the common ocular morbidity among the school going children.6 School health programme is the only one opportunistic screening where refractory error can be diagnosed in Indian health system. Due to the lack of the health worker, every school student is not screened using standard methods.7 Here we tried to compare another model of refractory error screening (screening by school teacher). This is the cost effective model because training of teachers and vision chart is the only requirement for implementation of such health delivery model. If refractory errors is missed to identify than it will lead to considerable disability to the students so sensitivity must be high enough. But in our study the sensitivity is very poor (31.25%). In the study of Anand sudhan sensitivity was found very good and specificity was very low as opposite to our study result.8 CONCLUSION In our study, we compare the Model 1 (Screening by Teacher) with Model 2 (Screening by Medical student). Screening by teacher has poor sensitivity and reliability compare to screening by medical student. So the model 1 (Refractory error sceening by scholl teacher) is not useful health delivery model because it is unable to identify the student with refractory error by required sensitivity. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We are thanks to the District education officer (Vadodara), Principal (Government school, Amodar) and teachers of Government school, Amodar, without their kind support this project is not possible. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1.http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/ dated on 09/03/2013 2. Park.K, Non Communicable disease, Textbook of preventive and Social medicine, 21th edition, Jabalpur (India), M/s Banarsidas Bhanot Publisher, 2011:335-379. 3. A K Khurna, Refractory Error, Comprehensive Ophthalmology, 5th edition, New age international publisher, 2012, 28-32 4.http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?pid=S004296862001000300013script=sci_arttext dated on 04/09/2013 5. Limburg H, Kansara H. Result of school eye screening of 5.4 million children in India- a five year follows up study. Acta opthalmo scand: 1999; 77: 310-314 6. B.T.Prasanna Kamath, B.S.Guru Prasad, R.Deepthi, C.Muninrayana. Prevalence of ocular morbidity among school going children (6-15years) in rural area of Karnataka, South India. Int J Pharm Biomed Res: 2012, 3(4), 209-212. 7. GVS Murthy. Vision Testing for refractory errors in schools- â€Å"Screening Programmes in Schools† Community Eye Health: 13(33). 3-5 8. A sudhan, A pandey, suresh pandey, P shrivastav et al. Effectiveness of using teachers to screen eyes of school going children in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh, India: Indian J Opthal: 2009; 55: 455-458. Comments: Colored texts are entirely copy pasted Answer: corrected The author has mentioned medical professionals at one place and medical student at another place. There is a scope for ambiguaty. In this type of study where comparision is made between layman and medical man, it would be nice to mention 1st year, 2nd year or degree holder doctor. It will increase the importance of parameters of comparison. Answer:- here we are not compare the laymen with the medical student. here we compare the teacher trained to diagnose refractory error with third year medical students ( already skilled to diagnose refractory error). Under national school health programme teacher has to screen the children for the refractory error. Here we check the validity of this method. Materials and Methods section should be written in paragraph format Answer: corrected The entire texts need a meticulous copy editing. Answer: corrected Reference no. 4 is not opening Answer :- It is not accessed now, but on it 04/09/2013 was accessible. The content may be removed by the website. Overall comment: Comparing the ability to perform a task which concern to medical expertise between a medical man and a layman need more justification. It shall be incorporated in the background and/or Introduction part of the manuscript. In other words, the author has failed to justify the â€Å"need of the study†. Answer: In the last paragraph of introduction it is already mentioned the need and purpose of the study added the some sentences Final comments: 14-08-2014 I believe that the manuscripts send to the reviewers are already checked for pliagarism. Therefore I am not scrutinizing whether the copy pasted portion shown during 1st review are taken care or not. I still believe that the research conducted is not worth publishing for the reason of deficiencies in Justifying the need of the study b. Material and method section (it even does not mention the total no of participants, instead has mentioned all students belonging to stad 5-8). C. Professional scientific writing.

Free Raisin in the Sun Essays: Pride and Dignity :: A Raisin in the Sun

Pride and Dignity in A Raisin in the Sun "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry follows a black family's struggle to see their dreams through to fruition. These dreams, and the struggles necessary to attain them, are the focus of the play. As the play begins a husband, Walter, and wife, Ruth, are seen having a fight over Walter's dream to become a 'mover and shaker' in the business world by using an insurance check as a down payment on a business venture. Walter tells his wife that, "I'm trying to talk to you 'bout myself and all you can say is eat them eggs and go to work", which is the first sign of Walter's recurring feelings that if someone in the family would just listen to him and put forth their trust his dreams would come to fruition. Following this argument Walter goes off to his job as a chauffeur which is the job he so longs to be done away with because he would rather "be Mr. Arnold[his employer] than be his chauffeur. This episode illustrates a major conflict throughout the story. As Walter dreams bigger and bigger he seems to leave the 'smaller' things such as his family behind. This movement away from the family is against the furtherance of the values and morals of the family. While his father would have been happy simply working and caring for his family, Walter is more concerned with becoming a 'mover and shaker' without thinking about the resulting consequences for his family. Later in the morning Beneatha, the younger sister of Walter, initiates a conflict by speaking in an unacceptable manner about God – seemingly rejecting values that have been taught to her since childhood. This event shows yet another time in which a family member threatens to ruin the inherent stability of the family structure by trying to build in a manner which is completely incompatible with the rest of the structure. Beneatha, although believing to be bettering herself is leaving an important part of herself and her heritage behind. Beneatha's speech about God is her attempt to show her independence and uniqueness in the world, but when she asserts her self in an area that is extremely sensitive to the family heritage and structure, she threatens to wean herself from the only guaranteed support group in life, the family. Once again, as with Walter, Benetha realizes later in the story that it is the furtherance of long-standing family values and morals which give the foundation upon which to build a wonderful life.

Succubus Shadows Chapter 1

I was drunk. I wasn't entirely sure when it had happened, but I suspected it had occurred around the time my friend Doug had bet me I couldn't take down three vodka gimlets faster than he could. He'd promised to take my weekend shift at work if I won, and I was going to do his stock duty for a week if he won. When we'd finished, it looked like I wasn't going to be working next weekend. â€Å"How did you out-drink him?† my friend Hugh wanted to know. â€Å"He's twice your size.† Through the crowd of people crammed into my condo, I peered at the closed bathroom door, behind which Doug had disappeared. â€Å"He had stomach flu this week. I'm guessing that doesn't go so well with vodka.† Hugh raised an eyebrow. â€Å"Why the fuck would anyone take a bet like that after having the flu?† I shrugged. â€Å"Because he's Doug.† Hoping Doug would be okay, I scanned the rest of my party with the pleased air of a queen sizing up her kingdom. I'd moved into this place back in July and had been long overdue for a housewarming party. When Halloween had finally rolled around, combining the two events had seemed like a pretty reasonable solution. Consequently, my guests tonight were clad in an array of costumes, everything from elaborate Renaissance fair quality garb to the slackers who'd simply thrown on a witch's hat. Me, I was dressed as Little Bo Peep – well, that is, I was dressed the way Little Bo Peep would if she was a stripper and/or a shameless strumpet. My frilly blue skirt stopped just above the halfway point on my thighs, and my puff-sleeved white blouse was so low-cut that I had to be careful when leaning over. The crowning achievement – literally – was my curly mane of flaxen blond hair, neatly arranged into two pigtails tied with little blue bows. It looked perfect, absolutely indistinguishable from the real thing because†¦well, it was real. Shape-shifting always came in handy as a succubus, but for Halloween, it was golden. I always had the best costumes because I really could turn into anything I wanted. Of course, I had to keep it within reason. Too much of a change would raise the suspicions of the humans around me. But for a hair change? Yeah. Shape-shifting was pretty convenient. Someone touched my elbow. I turned, and my smug enthusiasm dimmed a little when I saw who it was: Roman, my sociopathic roommate. â€Å"I think someone's getting sick in the bathroom,† he told me. Roman was a nephilim, half-angel and half-human, with soft black hair and sea-green eyes. If not for the fact he occasionally went on immortal killing sprees and had me on his hit list, he would have been a pretty good catch. â€Å"Yeah,† I said. â€Å"It's Doug. He lost a vodka challenge.† Roman grimaced. He wore devil horns and a red cape. The irony wasn't lost on me. â€Å"Hope he's got good aim. I don't want to clean that up.† â€Å"What, you don't do housework either?† asked Hugh. He'd recently learned Roman wasn't paying me rent because he was â€Å"between jobs.† â€Å"Seems like you should pull your weight around here somehow.† Roman gave Hugh a warning look. â€Å"Stay out of this, Spiro Agnew.† â€Å"I'm Calvin Coolidge!† exclaimed Hugh, highly offended. â€Å"This is the same suit he wore at his inauguration.† I sighed. â€Å"Hugh, nobody here remembers that.† That was one of the downsides of being immortal. Our memories became obsolete as more time passed. Hugh, an imp who bought souls for Hell, was much younger than Roman and me, but he had a lot more years than any human here. Slipping away from Roman and Hugh's argument, I headed across the room to mingle with my guests. Some of my coworkers from the bookstore Doug and I worked at were huddled around the punch bowl, and I stopped to chat. Immediately, I was bombarded with compliments. â€Å"Your hair is amazing!† â€Å"Did you dye it?† â€Å"It doesn't even look like a wig!† I assured them it was a very good wig and dealt out praise for them in return. One person, however, earned a rueful head-shake from me. â€Å"You have more creativity than all of us put together, and that's the best you could do?† I asked. Best-selling author Seth Mortensen turned to look at me with one of his trademark, slightly scattered smiles. Even when I was dizzy with vodka, that smile never failed to make my heart speed up. Seth and I had dated for a while, plunging me into the depths of a love I'd never imagined possible. Part of being a succubus was an eternity of seducing men and stealing the energy of their souls – a real relationship had seemed out of the question. And in the end, it had been. Seth and I had broken up – twice – and while I usually accepted that he had moved on, I knew that I would love him forever. For me, forever was a serious matter. â€Å"I can't waste it on a costume,† he said. His amber-brown eyes regarded me fondly. I no longer knew if he loved me too; I only knew for sure that he still cared about me as a friend. I kept trying to portray the same image. â€Å"Gotta save it for the next book.† â€Å"Lame excuse,† I said. His shirt depicted Freddy Krueger, which might have been acceptable if not for the fact I suspected he had owned it long before Halloween. Seth shook his head. â€Å"Nobody cares what guys wear at Halloween anyway. It's all about the women. Look around.† I did and saw that he was right. All the elaborate, sexy costumes were on my female guests. With a few exceptions, the men's dulled by comparison. â€Å"Peter's dressed up,† I pointed out. Seth followed my gaze to another of my immortal friends. Peter was a vampire, a very fastidious and obsessive-compulsive one. He was clad in pre-Revolutionary French garb, complete with brocade coat and a powdered wig over what was normally thin brown hair. â€Å"Peter doesn't count,† said Seth. Recalling how Peter had painstakingly stenciled swans around his bathroom's baseboards last week, I couldn't help but agree. â€Å"Fair point.† â€Å"What's Hugh supposed to be? Jimmy Carter?† â€Å"Calvin Coolidge.† â€Å"How can you tell?† I was saved from answering when Seth's fianc? ¦e – and one of my best friends – Maddie Sato appeared. She was dressed as a fairy, complete with wings and a gauzy dress nowhere near as slutty as mine. Fake flowers wreathed black hair that had been pulled into a bun. Her being with Seth was something else I'd more or less come to accept, though I suspected the sting of it would never leave. Maddie didn't know Seth and I had dated and had no clue about the discomfiture I felt over their whole relationship. I expected her to slip her arm around Seth, but it was me she grabbed hold of and jerked away. I stumbled a bit. Five-inch heels weren't normally a problem for me, but the vodka complicated things a bit. â€Å"Georgina,† she exclaimed, once we were far enough away from Seth. â€Å"I need your help.† Reaching into her purse, she pulled out two pages torn from magazines. â€Å"With wha – oh.† My stomach twisted uncomfortably, and I hoped I wouldn't be joining Doug in the bathroom. The pages showed photos of wedding dresses. â€Å"I've almost narrowed it down,† she explained. â€Å"What do you think?† Grudgingly accepting the man I loved was going to marry one of my best friends was one thing. Helping them plan their wedding was an entirely different matter. I swallowed. â€Å"Oh, gee, Maddie. I'm not very good at this stuff.† Her dark eyes widened. â€Å"Are you kidding? You're the one who taught me how to dress right in the first place.† She apparently hadn't taken the lessons to heart. The dresses, while beautiful on the anorexic models wearing them, would look terrible on Maddie. â€Å"I don't know,† I said lamely, dragging my eyes away. The dresses were conjuring mental images of Maddie and Seth walking down the aisle together. â€Å"Come on,† she entreated. â€Å"I know you have an opinion.† I did. A bad one. And honestly, if I were a good servant of Hell, I would have told her they both looked great. Or I would have endorsed the worst one. What she wore was no concern of mine, and maybe if she showed up at her wedding looking subpar, Seth would realize what he'd lost when we broke up. And yet†¦I couldn't. Even after everything that had happened, I just couldn't let Maddie do it. She'd been a good friend, never suspecting what had occurred between Seth and me before and during their relationship. And as much as that petty, selfish part of me wanted it, I couldn't let her go forward in a bad dress. â€Å"Neither are good,† I said at last. â€Å"The full skirt on that one will make you look short. The flowers on top of that one will make you look fat.† She was taken aback. â€Å"Really? I never†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She studied the pictures, face falling. â€Å"Damn. I thought I had this stuff down now.† I can only assume my next words came from the liquor. â€Å"If you want, I'll go with you to some places this week. You can try some stuff on, and I'll tell you what works.† Maddie lit up. She wasn't gorgeous in the popular, magazine sort of way, but when she smiled, she was beautiful. â€Å"Really? Oh, thank you. And you can look for your dress too.† â€Å"My what?† â€Å"Well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Her smile turned sly. â€Å"You're going to be a bridesmaid, aren't you?† At that moment, I reconsidered my earlier thoughts about nothing being more painful than helping plan her wedding. Being her bridesmaid pretty much blew that out of the water. Those who believed we made our own hells on earth must have had something like this in mind. â€Å"Oh, well, I don't know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You have to! There's no one else I'd rather have.† â€Å"I'm not really the bridesmaid type.† â€Å"Of course you are.† Maddie's eyes suddenly looked at something beyond me. â€Å"Oh, hey. Doug's back. I'm going to go check on him. We'll talk about this later. You'll give in.† Maddie scurried off to her brother, leaving me numb and speechless. I decided then it was worth risking illness to go get another drink. This party had taken a definite U-turn. Yet, when I turned around, it wasn't toward the bar. It was toward my patio. One of the best features of this condo was its expansive balcony, one that looked out over Puget Sound and the Seattle skyline beyond. As I stood there, though, it wasn't the view that captivated me. It was†¦something else. Something I couldn't explain. But it was warm and wonderful and spoke to all my senses. I imagined I could see colored light on my balcony, kind of like the waves of an aurora. I could also hear a type of music that defied all human words and had nothing to do with the Pink Floyd blasting from my stereo. The party faded into the background as I slowly moved toward the balcony. The door was open to air out the hot room, and my two cats, Aubrey and Godiva, lay near it to look outside. I stepped past them, drawn toward that which had no explanation or description. Warm autumn air engulfed me as I groped for what called me. It was all around me and yet out of my reach. It was summoning me, drawing me toward something right on the balcony's edge. I almost considered climbing on the ledge in my heels and looking over. I had to reach that beauty. â€Å"Hey, Georgina.† Peter's voice jerked me out of the trance. I stared around, startled. There was no music, no color, no beckoning embrace. Only the night and the view and the patio furniture on my balcony. I turned around, meeting his eyes. â€Å"We have a problem,† he said. â€Å"We have a lot of problems,† I said, thinking of Maddie's wedding dress and the fact that I'd nearly walked off my own balcony. I shivered. I definitely was not going back for that next drink. Sick was one thing. Hallucinations were another. â€Å"What's wrong?† Peter led me inside and pointed. â€Å"Cody's in love.† I looked over at our friend Cody, another vampire and Peter's apprentice. Cody was a young immortal, optimistic and endearing. He was dressed as an alien, with green antennae sticking out of his shaggy blond hair. The perfection of his silvery space suit made me think Peter had played a role. Right now, Cody was staring across the room, mouth open as he gazed at someone. He looked like I had felt just moments ago. Her name was Gabrielle, and she'd just started working at the bookstore. She was tiny, almost pixie like, and wore black fishnets and a ripped black dress. Her spiky hair was also black, as was her lipstick. Easy coordination. Cody was staring at her like she was the most beautiful creature on earth. â€Å"Huh,† I said. Hugh dated all the time, but I'd never really thought of the vampires – particularly Peter – having any sort of romantic interactions. â€Å"I think he likes that she's dressed as a vampire,† said Peter. I shook my head. â€Å"Actually, that's how she always dresses.† We walked over to Cody, and it took him several moments to notice us. He seemed excited to see me. â€Å"What's her name?† he breathed. I tried to hide my smile. Cody being smitten was one of the cutest things I'd ever seen and a welcome distraction from the other drama tonight. â€Å"Gabrielle. She works at the store.† â€Å"Is she single?† I looked back at her as she laughed at something Maddie had said. â€Å"I don't know. Want me to find out?† Cody blushed – in as much as a pale vampire could. â€Å"No! I mean†¦unless you think it wouldn't be too obvious? I don't want you to go to any trouble.† â€Å"No trouble for me,† I said, just as Doug walked by. â€Å"Hey.† I caught hold of his sleeve. â€Å"Do me a favor, and I'll take my shift back.† Doug, whose Japanese-American skin was normally golden tan, could have also currently passed for an alien with his green hue. â€Å"I'd rather have my stomach back, Kincaid.† â€Å"Go investigate Gabrielle's romantic status. Cody's interested.† â€Å"Georgina!† exclaimed Cody, mortified. Sick or not, Doug couldn't resist a little intrigue. â€Å"Sure thing.† He headed off across the room and pulled Gabrielle to him, leaning down so she could hear. At one point, he glanced over toward us, and Gabrielle looked as well. Cody nearly died. â€Å"Oh God.† Doug returned five minutes later and shook his head. â€Å"Sorry, kid. She's single, but she doesn't think you're her type. She's into the Goth and vampire scene. You're too mainstream for her.† I was sipping a glass of water and nearly choked on it. â€Å"That,† said Peter, as soon as Doug was gone, â€Å"is what we call irony.† â€Å"How is that possible?† exclaimed Cody. â€Å"I am a vampire. I should be exactly what she wants.† â€Å"Yeah, but you don't look like one,† I said. If Gabrielle had been a Trekkie, he might have had a shot tonight. â€Å"I look exactly like a vampire because I am one! What should I dress up as? Count Chocula?† The party continued in force for another couple hours, and finally, people began trickling out. Roman and I, playing good hosts, smiled and bade each of them farewell. By the time everyone left, I was weary and more than happy for it all to be over. I'd refused to drink after the balcony incident and now had a headache as a pleasant reminder of my indulgences. Roman looked as exhausted as me as he scanned the messy condo. â€Å"Funny, huh? You throw a housewarming party to show the place off, and then people trash it.† â€Å"It'll clean up fast,† I said, studying all the bottles and paper plates with remnants of food. Aubrey was licking frosting off a half-eaten cupcake, and I hastily took it away from her. â€Å"But not tonight. Help me take care of the perishables, and we'll do the rest tomorrow.† â€Å"There's no ‘we' in ‘clean,'† Roman said. â€Å"That doesn't even make sense,† I said, covering up some salsa. â€Å"And Peter's right, you know. You really should do more around here.† â€Å"I provide good company. Besides, how can you get rid of me?† â€Å"I'll get Jerome to,† I warned, referring to his demon father, who also happened to be my boss. â€Å"Sure. Run off and tell on me.† Roman stifled a yawn, demonstrating just how worried he was about his father's wrath. The annoying part was, he had a point. I couldn't get rid of him on my own, and I doubted Jerome would really help. Still, I could hardly believe it when Roman did wander off to bed and leave me alone with the cleanup. I hadn't thought he'd go that far. â€Å"Asshole!† I yelled after him, getting only a slammed door in response. He really wasn't that bad of a roommate, but our troubled past often made him want to annoy me. It worked. Fuming, I finished the necessary tidying and dropped into bed a half-hour later. Aubrey and Godiva followed me, lying side by side at the end of the bed. They were a contrast in colors, like some piece of modern art. Aubrey was white with black specks on her head; Godiva was a riot of orange, brown, and black patches. All three of us drifted off to sleep immediately. Sometime later, I woke to the sound of singing†¦or, well, that was the closest I could come to describing it. It was the same thing I'd felt earlier, an alluring, haunting pull that spoke to every part of me. Warm and bright and beautiful. It was everywhere and everything, and I longed to have more of it, to walk toward the light that shone with indescribable colors. It felt so, so good – like something I could melt into, if only I could reach it. I had the impression of an entrance, a door I simply had to push open and step through and – Rough hands gripped my shoulders and jerked me around. â€Å"Wake up!† Like before, the sensory overload vanished. I was left alone in a quiet, empty world. No more siren song. Roman stood in front of me, hands shaking me as his face stared down at me with worry. I looked around. We were in the kitchen. I had no memory of getting there. â€Å"How – what happened?† I stammered. The face that had taunted me earlier was now filled with concern, something that troubled a small part of me. Why should someone who wanted to kill me be worried about me? â€Å"You tell me,† he said, releasing his grip. I rubbed my eyes, willing myself to recall what had happened. â€Å"I†¦I don't know. I must have sleepwalked†¦.† His face was still drawn and anxious. â€Å"No†¦there was something here†¦.† I shook my head. â€Å"No, it was a dream. Or a hallucination. I had it happen earlier†¦. I just drank too much.† â€Å"Didn't you just hear me?† There it was again, fear for me underneath the anger. â€Å"There was something here, some†¦force. I felt it. It woke me up. Don't you remember anything at all?† I stared off, trying to summon up the light and haunting melody. I couldn't. â€Å"It was†¦it was exquisite. I wanted†¦I wanted to go to it†¦to be part of it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  There was a dreamy, wistful note in my voice. Roman's expression grew dark. As a succubus, I was a lesser immortal, one who had once been human. Greater immortals, like angels and demons, had been created at the universe's beginning. Nephilim were born and fell somewhere in the middle. As such, their powers and senses were greater than mine. Roman could detect things I couldn't. â€Å"Don't,† he said. â€Å"You feel it again, you pull away. Don't let it draw you in. Under no circumstances should you go to it.† I looked back at him with a frown. â€Å"Why? Do you know what it is?† â€Å"No,† he said grimly. â€Å"And that's the problem.†

Tragedy Will Never Be The Same - 3193 Words

Cory A. Urlacher Dr. Fruhauff English 224 11 May 2015 Tragedy Will Never Be the Same â€Å"Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything† (Shaw). Change is inevitable. Times change and ideas progress. One thing we think to be unacceptable now may very well be acceptable in the future. Look at the use of marijuana and even the homosexual agenda. Society is slowly progressing with its postmodern thinking and statistically speaking, those people are thinking it is more and more acceptable. We might not think that what I just said has anything to do with Theatre, but we need to put in perspective why we now have the theatre we do now. Ancient Greek theatre was not as open to civil human rights†¦show more content†¦First, structure and stage have grown more advanced for understandable reasons. During the Ancient Greek era, plays were usually only performed once a year at the festival of Dionysus. This festival was treated as a competition in which a few different Playwrights faced off for the honor of being the best. At this festival three tribes would compete in many events, one including acting. The plays were held in an open structure that was shaped as a half-moon of sorts. These ancient plays only hosted three actors and the only resources available were masks and different costumes. They would change in something called a â€Å"skene† which was really just a tent that hosted their costumes. As you can tell this made it impossible to host any special visual effects, especially with the lack of characters allowed in the play. The one special quality ancient plays did utilize was the chorus. This chorus would sing melodies throughout the play to set the mood and would act as a supporting cast to those acting. Men played all of the parts in the play. Many would think that this means that female parts did not play a large roles in these plays. Although the women didn’t actually perform, the men would play women. A lot of times this meant dressing up like a woman and at times meant speaking like a woman. What is so interesting about this is that the men would actually get tips from the women and were told, â€Å"When you talk, see to it that you speak preciously and persuasively, like a