Critical thinking and ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Critical thinking and ethics - Essay Example The Ethical Lens Inventory provides a tool for personal evaluation; the ELI helps students understand values that influence their choices (Fink, 2008). My preferred ethical lens from the ELI is the results lens. I usually listen to my intuition (sensibility) when determining the greatest good for each person (autonomy). My core values are autonomy and sensibility. My primary aim is to protect individual right; I believe that protecting individual rights is the best way of ensuring that every person in the community is treated fairly. These core values are based on the universal rights and duties of human beings. My blind spot is that I strongly believe that my definition of the greatest good is similar to all people; I could be causing pain to other people who believe on different ways of achieving goodness. Personal ethics are the basic principles and values that govern interactions between people. Personal ethics are critical in decision-making process since they positively impact the experiences of other people when used to govern behaviors of individuals in business or social contexts. Decision-making process is required to be founded on moral principles (Fink, 2008); while making decisions, I always ensure that the decisions do not cause harm to others, but cause good to people. As an ethical person, I consider several choices and strive to minimize the consequences to humanity caused to each individual due to adoption of a particular decision. As a branch of philosophy, ethics concentrates on systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong conduct. Ethics is widely applied to both personal and professional responsibilities (Head & Mann, 2005). As an ethical person, I am aware of my responsibilities and I am always striving to achieve the best based on ethical guidelines. Responsibility is one of the values of morality that every ethical

Personality factors that underlie belief in the paranormal

Personality factors that underlie belief in the paranormal Although the term paranormal refers to hypothesized processes that in principle are physically impossible or outside the realm of human capabilities (Thalbourne, 1982; as cited in Irwin, 1993, p. 1), belief in the paranormal seem to be surprisingly common in this modern, technologically sophisticated world. The influence of paranormal phenomena can be observed in the entertaining media as well as in the news, in sports, in business and in peoples everyday lives (Goode, 2000). But why people believe in the paranormal phenomena or what persuade them to do so? Skeptics as well as non-skeptics have interests in investigating the nature of belief in the paranormal, albeit with somewhat different objectives in mind. The majority of previous research examining paranormal belief and personality correlates has taken a skeptical view, which suggests that paranormal believers are psychologically dysfunctional, for example, psychotic, neurotic and depressive. Non-skeptics however, at the same ti me have tried to challenge this hypothesis. The purpose of this study is to support skeptical point of view; firstly, personality factors that may underlie belief in the paranormal phenomena will be described and evaluated. Secondly, the impact of culture and subjective experience on belief in paranormal phenomena will be evaluated. According to Irwin (1993) paranormal beliefs are held because they serve significant psychodynamic needs of the individual and in general this statement is called psychodynamic functions hypothesis (p. 21). According to this hypothesis, skeptics very often consider paranormal believers as psychologically deviant and relate their behaviour with psychopathology. Not without a reason, however. The vast majority of evidence (i.e. Irwin Green, 1998; Hergovich et al., 2008) indicates that people who believe in paranormal phenomena expose schizotypal tendencies. The findings of Irwin and Green (1998) suggest that people who have schizotypal tendencies (schizotypal personality disorder is a condition that resembles a less severe version of schizophrenia, Vyse, 1997) in the cognitive-perceptual area are likely to confirm beliefs in Spiritualism and Precognition as well as in Extraordinary Life Forms and Witchcraft. Hergovichs et al. (2008) findings give a support to the hypothesis that schiz otypy is heavily associated with paranormal belief and approve that belief in Precognition, Psi, Witchcraft and Spiritualism can also be predicted very well by schizotypy. Moreover, previous studies (i.e. Sica et al., 2002) also confirm that a high involvement in superstition seems to play a role in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Although non-skeptics argue that paranormal beliefs and obsessive-complusive disorder or schizotypal personality disorder remain unrelated (Vyse, 1997), evidence suggests that disorders mentioned above do seem to be associated with belief in paranormal phenomena. Additionally, from the objective and scientific point of view, people who endorse beliefs in paranormal phenomena are irrational, even though the irrationality of most believers is mild compared to psychopathological behaviour. And although, such individuals are not disturbed by their experiences and stay psychologically healthy (notion of the happy schizotype, Lawrence Peters, 2004), they are, however similar to people diagnosed with schizophrenia on a number of correlates as well as are at higher risk to experience more severe psychotic-like experiences and to deve lop psychotic disorders (Clardige, 1994). Thus, scientific evidence in this case seems to be pervasive; less pervasive however seem to be evidence relating to extraversion, a measure of the individuals sociability. According to Maltby et al. (2007) individuals who score highly on extraversion are very sociable, energetic, optimistic, friendly and assertive and are labelled extraverts. However, individuals with low scores are labelled introverts, often described as reserved and independent. Some of the evidence does not support a relationship between extraversion and paranormal belief (i.e. Williams et al., 2007); however, a number of studies have found a correlation between extraversion and ESP performance (i.e. Lawrence, 2001). The reason why extraversion is not as obvious predictor of belief in paranormal phenomena may be limited reliability of this psychological trait (Tam Shiah, 2004). Meanwhile, the association of extraversion with belief in paranormal phenomena remain to some extent uncertain; therefore more scientific research has to be conducted. According to Williams et al. (2007), neuroticism is fundamental to individual differences in paranormal belief. Moreover, Thalbourne et al. (1995) has found neuroticism to be significantly correlated with an overall Paranormal Belief Scale score, Traditional Religious Belief, Psi, Witchcraft, as well as with the Australian Sheep-Goat Scale, which addresses belief in and personal experience of ESP, Telepathy, Precognition, and Life After Death. Neuroticism, can be described as the tendency to experience negative emotions, especially anxiety, depression, anger. Therefore neurotic individuals can be characterized as emotionally unstable, irrational personalities with often low self-esteem (Chamorro-Premuzic, 2007). Wiseman Watt (2004) indicate that people who are anxious are more superstitious than those who are not. However, non-skeptics argue that even though a person is more likely to engage in superstitious behaviour while experiencing certain emotions, specifically fear and anxiet y, belief in paranormal is not usually the cause of emotional difficulties (Vyse, 1997). Thus, according to non-skeptical point of view, claiming that superstitious people are more anxious than those who are not superstitious is overlapping. However, the vast majority of scientific evidence suggests this personality dimension to positively correlate with belief in paranormal phenomena. In addition, an association between paranormal belief and a depressive attributional style when using the Attributional Style Questionnaire as an indicator of depression has also been found (Dudley Whisnand, 2000). The results of this study demonstrate significantly higher depressive attributional styles among college students with high scores on paranormal phenomena than college students with low scores. Thus, the vast majority of evidence indicating relationship between belief in paranormal phenomena and neuroticism seem to be more pervasive than non-scientific evidence demonstrated by non-skeptics. Psychoticism has also been found to be associated with belief in paranormal phenomena (Francis et al., 2010). It is claimed that those who score high on the psychoticism scale can be characterised as cold, aggressive, tough-minded, antisocial and impersonal. Francis et al. (2010) study aimed to investigate personality dimensions associated with conventional Christian belief and unconventional paranormal belief. It has been found that conventional Christian belief is associated with lower psychoticism scores, whereas unconventional paranormal belief is associated with higher psychoticism scores. Thus, it may be concluded that paranormal believers behaviour may be more aggressive and antisocial than paranormal non-believers behaviour. According to Irwin and Watt (2007) people who believe in paranormal may be little concerned about the needs or attitudes of other people, may be socially alienated, may display low social interest and have a grandiose sense of their own importance and uniqueness. This description indicates on narcissism, another personality dimension associated with belief in paranormal phenomena. Positive correlation between narcissism dimension and belief in Psi, Precognition, Witchcraft and Spiritualism has been reported, which means that believers in paranormal may be preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited power and success (as cited in Irwin Watt, 2007). Recent studies therefore seem to confirm Tobacyk and Mitchells (1987) findings, where although a small, but significant correlation between narcissism and the paranormal beliefs of Psi and Precognition has been found. Thus, having found correlation between narcissism and belief in paranormal may indicate problems associated with psychological adjustment amongst people who believe in paranormal phenomena (Irwin Watt, 2007). There is also a general trend for paranormal belief to be associated with the locus of control. Locus of control refers to a dimension of personality and to do with whether or not a person perceives their behaviour to be related to outcomes, such as rewards and punishments (Pennington, 2003, p. 253). Individuals who believe personal outcomes are contingent largely on their own behaviour and attributes are said to have an internal locus of. However, people with external locus of control see personal outcomes as chance or luck (Pennington, 2003). It is claimed that people who believe in paranormal phenomena are inclined to maintain that they are especially vulnerable to external forces beyond their control; thus posses external locus of control (Irwin Watt, 2007). This relationship has been well documented, especially in regard to ESP, Witchcraft, Precognition, Spiritualism and Extraordinary Life Forms (as cited in Irwin Watt, 2007). Groth-Mamat and Pegden (1998) also have found external locus of control to be associated with greater overall paranormal belief, although this was not quite significant. This study has provided some support to the claim that those who believe that their life is dependent on external factors are more likely to believe in the paranormal. However, a more external locus of control was significantly related to greater belief in Spirituality and Precognition. Presumably, belief in Spirituality is associated to external locus of control due to a belief that spiritual forces have an impact on peoples lives. Peoples beliefs in Precognition can also be associated with an external locus of control because their lives might be perceived somewhat pre-determined. However, greater belief in superstition was related to a more internal locus of control. The results of this study suggest rather than there being a direct association between paranormal belief in general and an external locus of control, it may be that those who believe in Precognition and Spirituality are more likely to have an external locus of control while those who believe in Superstition are more likely to have an internal locus of control (p. 293). Thus, this study demonstrates that paranormal belief is not only related to external locus of control but the association between internal locus of control and paranormal belief (Superstition in this case) has also been found. Paranormal belief seem to also be correlated positively with measures of creativity, sensation seeking and hypnotic susceptibility what suggest a linkage to a cognitive style of fantasizing (as cited in Irwin Watt, 2007). It is claimed that personality factor of fantasy proneness correlates positively with nearly all dimensions of paranormal belief, such as global paranormal belief, Precognition, Psi, Witchcraft, Extraordinary Life Forms and Spiritualism (Irwin, 1993). It has been established that fantasy prone people fantasize a lot and while fantasizing they are deeply absorbed in or fully experience what is being fantasized. This cognitive style has interested many scientists wanting to investigate the origins of paranormal belief. It has been found that one of the major factors related with the development of this personality dimension may be a history of physical abuse or other trauma during childhood; this may be an important factor in explaining individuals openness to parano rmal. Rabeyron and Watt (2010), for example, found a strong significant correlation between paranormal experiences and traumas. Nevertheless, further research on correlation between paranormal belief and trauma is needed, especially because there are other factors that might need to be taken into account. According to Lynn and Rhue (1988) childrens fantasy proneness can be fostered by parental encouragement, and the development of paranormal belief therefore should be investigated also in relation to these more positive aspects of the family setting than just the level of physical abuse. Nevertheless, the vast majority of evidence indicates fantasy proneness to be strongly correlated with belief in paranormal phenomena. This claim seem to be also accepted by non-skeptics (Vyse, 1997). Recapitulating, it is important to mention that despite of the dispute between skeptics and non-skeptics, personality dimensions seem to have a considerable impact on peoples belief in paranormal phenomena. Some researchers claim that there are other factors that have an impact on peoples belief in paranormal phenomena, such as culture, media, social influence or subjective experience. According to Irwin (1993) the level of paranormal belief in an individual is in part a function of that persons cultural environment. However, it should not be argued that the origin of paranormal beliefs lies in the individuals culture. It is more acceptable to claim that culture is responsible not for paranormal belief, but rather for the specific forms of the beliefs. For instance, people may be members of various cultural groups, whereas this membership will rule the characteristics of paranormal beliefs accepted by the individual. In summary, paranormal beliefs may be modelled on examples provided by parents, friends or other persuasive people. Ridolfo et al. (2010) for example found relatively strong evidence that individuals are more likely to accept paranormal claims as true when they believe such claims have popular support. However, the exact relationship between paranormal beliefs and social-group influences remains uncertain (Markovsky Thye, 2001). Furthermore, even a little exposure to paranormal concepts through the media and social interaction may incline individual to unintentionally interpret personal encounters with anomalous events as paranormal phenomena. Thus, it is assumed that some correlates of individual dimensions of paranormal belief may reflect the operation of cultural and sub-cultural factors (Irwin, 1993, p. 26). However, individual must be intrinsically vulnerable for these cultural impacts to be effective. Therefore, even though paranormal beliefs might have cultural basis, the basis of vulnerability to the beliefs must be investigated in the psychodynamic domain (Schumaker, 1990; as cited in Irwin, 1993). It is also worth noting that the most common reason given for believing in paranormal phenomena is personal experience (Blackmore 1984, as cited in Blackmore, 1997) and strength of paranormal belief is positively correlated with number of subjective paranormal experiences (Glicksohn, 1990). However, Blackmore (1997) indicates that people who believe in the paranormal are more likely to interpret normal events as paranormal as well as are more likely to misinterpret normal events as paranormal what encourages their belief. As mentioned before the term paranormal refers to hypothesized processes that in principle are physically impossible or outside the realm of human capabilities (Thalbourne, 1982; as cited in Irwin, 1993, p. 1). Although scientists very often disagree about the meaning of empirical tests, data, empiricism is a highly valued source of knowledge. There is clearly still much empirical work yet to be done to investigate personality correlates with paranormal beliefs. The popularity of paranormal beliefs in the society and the evident influence of these beliefs on peoples life call for further investigation and verification for providing a better understanding of the functions and origins of paranormal belief. And even though, there is still a lot of uncertainty about which personality factors have an impact on individuals belief in the paranormal phenomena, skeptical point of view, considered as more scientific, seem to be more persuasive than non-skeptical. Word count: 2 396

Review of The Devil Behind The Mirror Essay -- Dominican Culture

Steven Gregory’s book entitled The Devil Behind The Mirror is an ethnographical study of the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic is in the Caribbean, it occupies the Western half of an island, while Haiti makes up the Eastern portion. Gregory attempts to study and analyze the political, social and cultural aspects of this nation by interviewing and observing both the tourists and locals of two towns Boca Chica and Andres. Gregory’s research centers on globalization and the transnational processes which affect the political and socio-economics of the Dominican Republic. He focuses on the social culture, gender roles, economy, individual and nation identity, also authority and power relations. Several of the major relevant issues facing Dominican society include racism, sexism, and discrimination, economy of resort tourism, sex tourism and the informal economy. The objective of Gregory’s ethnographic research is to decipher exclusionary practices incorporat ed by resort tourism, how it has affected locals by division of class, gender, and race, increasing poverty and reliance on an informal economy. During Gregory’s ethnographic research in the Dominican Republic, he encounters many individuals, some tourists, others expatriates, as well as citizens native to the island. One individual by the name of Minaya, discusses changes in the sugar cane industry. In 1988 he became a worker at a sugar mill that his uncle owned, but claimed that the industry became â€Å"Capitalized† (Gregory 2007: 15). He explains this capitalization as the industry being leased out to private corporations, which incurred poor working conditions and minimal wages upon the laborers. Minaya also expresses the fact he has no formal education, a big factor... ... as the Dominican Republic. Works Cited Ferguson, James. The Anti-Politics Machine: â€Å"Development†, Depoliticization, and Bureaucratic Power in Lesotho. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1997. Print. Freeman, Carla. â€Å"Designing Women: Corporate Discipline and Barbados's Off-Shore Pink-Collar Sector.† Cultural Anthropology 8.2 (1993) 169-186. Web. 12 Nov 2010. http://www.jstor.org/stable/656469 Gregory, Steven. The Devil Behind The Mirror: Globalization and Politics in the Dominican Republic. California: University of California Press, 2007. Print. Kearney, M. â€Å"The Local and the Global: The Anthropology of Globalization and Transnationalism.† Annual Review of Anthropology 24, 1995: 547-565. Meier, V. â€Å"Cut-flower production in Colombia—a major development success story for women?† Environment and Planning 31, 1999: 273-289.

Unilever Org Structure

?Unilever has undergone various organizational structure changes since its inception. It initially started with a decentralized structure from 1950- 1980. Decentralization gave the company an advantage as they had the flexibility to change according to local consumer demand. They appointed managers who were local to that place so that the company had a good understanding of local market. The local managers were responsible for everything from marketing, sales and distribution.But Decentralization led Unilever to not have any common corporate culture or vision. It also led them to duplication of products, resulting in high costs. Moreover, they had less focus on globalization and couldn’t create global brands. In 1990 the company changed its structure based on business groups. The company became more centralized. They streamlined their operations so that they could get the products onto the market quickly. This structure too failed as they were no coordination between head offi ce, regional and national groups.The decisions were made by regional heads and local managers had no power to change them to suit to local markets. Finding a right balance between centralization and decentralization was their major problem. In 1999, Unilever decided to adopt a â€Å"Path to Growth Strategy†. They realized that they had a broad range of products and never had any focus on ones in which they were one among the top in market. So they switched to a structure based on global product divisions. Unilever was split into two separate global units namely Food and HPC headed by two executive directors.But they still had problems as the company had 2 separate chairmens in different countries which led them to operate as separate entities (Unilever NV and Unilever PLC. ). In 2005 as part of â€Å"one Unilever† Programme they scrapped this management structure by naming Patrick Cescau as single chief executive of Unilever. The company started to operate with matrix structure with multiple lines of authority based on product, regional and functional divisions. The company currently has 4 product divisions namely Foods, Personal Care, Home care and Refreshments headed by 4 different people.They have got 8 leads based on regional splits heading North America, Europe, North Asia, South East Asia and Australasia, South Asia, Latin America, Africa (Central Africa and South Africa) and Russia/North Africa and Middle East. In terms of functional division there is a finance, marketing, R&D and HR departments. This simplified management structure has given all the Unilever top managements greater accountability and better leadership. It has helped them to eliminate duplication, take faster decisions, target on specific products and capture the global and local market. Unilever Org Structure Unilever has undergone various organizational structure changes since its inception. It initially started with a decentralized structure from 1950- 1980. Decentralization gave the company an advantage as they had the flexibility to change according to local consumer demand. They appointed managers who were local to that place so that the company had a good understanding of local market. The local managers were responsible for everything from marketing, sales and distribution.But Decentralization led Unilever to not have any common corporate culture or vision. It also led them to duplication of products, resulting in high costs. Moreover, they had less focus on globalization and couldn’t create global brands. In 1990 the company changed its structure based on business groups. The company became more centralized. They streamlined their operations so that they could get the products onto the market quickly. This structure too failed as they were no coordination between head offic e, regional and national groups.The decisions were made by regional heads and local managers had no power to change them to suit to local markets. Finding a right balance between centralization and decentralization was their major problem. In 1999, Unilever decided to adopt a â€Å"Path to Growth Strategy†. They realized that they had a broad range of products and never had any focus on ones in which they were one among the top in market. So they switched to a structure based on global product divisions. Unilever was split into two separate global units namely Food and HPC headed by two executive directors.But they still had problems as the company had 2 separate chairmens in different countries which led them to operate as separate entities (Unilever NV and Unilever PLC. ). In 2005 as part of â€Å"one Unilever† Programme they scrapped this management structure by naming Patrick Cescau as single chief executive of Unilever. The company started to operate with matrix s tructure with multiple lines of authority based on product, regional and functional divisions. The company currently has 4 product divisions namely Foods, Personal Care, Home care and Refreshments headed by 4 different people.They have got 8 leads based on regional splits heading North America, Europe, North Asia, South East Asia and Australasia, South Asia, Latin America, Africa (Central Africa and South Africa) and Russia/North Africa and Middle East. In terms of functional division there is a finance, marketing, R&D and HR departments. This simplified management structure has given all the Unilever top managements greater accountability and better leadership. It has helped them to eliminate duplication, take faster decisions, target on specific products and capture the global and local market.

Positive Psychology Essay

Martin Seligman is considered the father of positive psychology (Friedman & Schustack, 2012). Positive psychology pertains to helping people live happier and healthier lives (Friedman & Schustack, 2012). Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi states that â€Å"positive psychology at the subjective level is about valued [sic] subjective experiences,† such as â€Å"well-being, contentment, satisfaction (in the past), hope and optimism (for the future) and flow and happiness (in the present)† (McNulty & Fincham, 2011, p. 101). Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi are also states that the â€Å"individual level is about positive individual traits† and the capability â€Å"for love and vocation, courage, interpersonal skill, aesthetic sensibility, perseverance, forgiveness, originality, future mindedness, spirituality, high talent and wisdom† (McNulty & Fincham, 2011, p. 101). Finally, Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi state that positive psychology â€Å"at the group level is ab out the civic virtue’s† and† the institutions that move† individual’s â€Å"toward better citizenship† and the â€Å"responsibility, nurturance, altruism, civility, moderation, tolerance and work ethic† (McNulty & Fincham, 2011, p. 101). The chosen article states that the â€Å"field of positive psychology† believes that people have specific â€Å"psychology traits† that are inherited of the individual’s positive mental health (McNulty & Fincham, 2011, p. 101). Studies show that â€Å"forgiveness, optimistic, positive thoughts and kindness† can â€Å"benefit or harm† individuals (McNulty & Fincham, 2011, p. 101). The researchers state that the psychologist should move forward and examine the individual’s traits that may support well-being. The researchers show three approaches to search for a better understanding to positive psychology. First, psychologist need to examine the process of happiness and factors (McNulty & Fincham, 2011). Second, psychologist need to understand, prevent, relieve and understand people who suffer (McNulty & Fincham, 2011). And finally, to study shows that â€Å"short term† and â€Å"long term† effects of psychological traits character istics (McNulty & Fincham, 2011, p. 107). References Friedman, H. S., & Schustack, M. W. (2012). Personality Classic theories and modern research (5th ed.). [Vital source ebook]. Retrieved from Vital Book file McNulty, J. K., & Fincham, F. D. (2011). Beyond positive psychology? Toward a contextual view of psychological processes and well-being. American Psychologist, 67(2), 101-110. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0024572

The Use of Sexual Themes in Advertising

The Use of Sexual Themes in Advertising Introduction Marketers employ various advertising techniques to change the attitudes of their consumers especially when consumer motivation, opportunity, and ability are low. In so doing, the marketers enable their customers to expend minimal efforts particularly in terms of processing information, engaging in behavioral change relative to product consumption, and making decisions. Normally, most studies show that consumers are bound to develop attitudes towards something unconsciously (Hoyer and Macinnis 160).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Use of Sexual Themes in Advertising specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As a result, these attitudes are also influenced by limited judgment and bodily responses. Again, when the consumers base their attitudes on cognitive processes of the mind, the message delivered by the marketer should be able to influence customer beliefs, which are certainly formed through assumptions, in ferences, heuristics, and ascriptions (Hoyer and Macinnis 165). Moreover, most marketers do influence the favorability and strength of customer beliefs through the use of credible sources of advertising, consistent sources of information, message arguments, and repetition in advertising. Here, sexual themes have been employed in advertising whereby two major forms of sex: sexual suggestiveness and partial or complete nudity, are used to evoke a positive consumer response to a particular product or brand (Hoyer and Macinnis 166). Consequently, the use of sexual themes in adverts is effective because the classical conditioning theory states that consumer attitudes and behavior are bound to change as a result of repeatedly pairing a message together with a stimulus that generates positive emotional feedbacks in the consumers (Hoyer and Macinnis 167). Therefore, this essay looks at Calvin Klein’s advertising techniques through comparing two adverts, the first one involving a man and the other a woman. In the long run, it is certain that the advert involving the CK woman is more effective compared to the CK man. Advert Details The first advert involves a young man in the age of 17-26 years wearing a blue CK jeans overcoat, CK underwear, white boots, and a pair of brown socks. In this advert, it is certain that the marketer is interested in selling the jeans overcoat and the underwear as opposed to the shoes and socks because the latter are not so much exposed in the picture. Furthermore, the model’s skin tone is not the center of this advert because the picture contrast is low. Conversely, the ad targets young men in the age of 17-26 years. Moreover, the ad utilizes sexual suggestiveness, partial nudity, sexual model positioning, and overt sexualization techniques to deliver the message to the intended groups.Advertising Looking for essay on advertising? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More On the other hand, the second advert involves a sexy young woman in the age of 16-24 years wearing a white CK singlet, a blue CK jeans skirt, and white CK underwear. The woman is positioned in a way that reflects sexual suggestiveness and partial nudity to the viewer. Furthermore, in this advert, the marketer intends to advertise the blue skirt, the white singlet, and the underwear because all the products can be noticed at first glance. Moreover, the model’s skin tone is also to be noticed because in this picture, the contrast is high. Accordingly, the advert is intended for young women in the age of 16-24 years who would wish to look like the model in the picture. Therefore, this advert utilizes sexual suggestiveness, partial nudity, source attractiveness and likability, and sexual model positioning techniques to deliver the message. Advert Similarities Charging from the contents of the adverts described in the foregoing discussions, it obvious that the two ads look alike in that they both use young attractive models positioned in sexual suggestive positions that deliver the intended message without disgusting the viewer. Furthermore, the two ads utilize almost the same advertising techniques such as source attractiveness because the two models are both very attractive to the viewers. In addition, the two ads employ partial nudity by ensuring that the models’ sensitive body parts are not completely exposed to the viewer as this may disgust some classes of consumers. Differences between the Ads On the other hand, major differences are notable in the way the two ads are presented to the viewers. First, it is obvious that the first advert involves a woman and the second one involves a man. Secondly, the first advert utilizes a low picture contrast to suggest that the intended audience may not pay much attention to the skin color or tone of the model as they will attend to the products and model positioning. On the other hand, the second advert ut ilizes a high picture contrast to suggest that besides the marketer intending to advertise the products, the marketer would also wish for the consumers to pay attention to the model’s attractiveness. Conversely, differences between the two ads can also be noted in the way the camera has positioned the models. For instance, in the first advert, the camera has focused on the upper body and part of the lower body while cutting out a considerable portion of the feet and shoes. And in the second ad, the camera has positioned the model in such as way that the whole body is fitted into the picture. In addition, all the products in the second picture are noticeable by the viewer.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Use of Sexual Themes in Advertising specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Advert Critique It is no doubt that the two ads are very attractive and effective in delivering the intended message to the audience. Ho wever, it is certain that the second ad is more effective because at first glance, the model can capture the consumer’s attention since she is so attractive and strategically positioned. Secondly, the ad generates emotional responses such as sexual arousal, lust, and enthusiasm, which are bound to influence ones’ mood and attitude towards the products being advertised. Conclusions The essay looks at the art of using sexual themes in advertising by looking at two CK adverts involving a man and a woman. From the foregoing discussions, it is certain that the use of sexual themes in advertising influences consumer attitudes and mood, and thus, they can achieve to attract the customer’s attention towards particular brands and products. Furthermore, it is notable that marketers employ various techniques such as source attractiveness and likability, partial or complete nudity, sexual suggestiveness, and sexual model positioning to gain the attention of their audience. Work Cited Hoyer, Wayne D. and Macinnis, Deborah J. Consumer behavior. USA: Cengage Learning, 2009. Print.

10 Useful Apps You’re Not Using That You Need to Download

10 Useful Apps You’re Not Using That You Need to Download You’re already tethered to your smartphone, why not start making the best of it? You might think you know everything there is to know about your phone, and possibly that it knows everything it needs to know about you, but there are still plenty of ways it can surprise you- and even help to make your work and play run that much more smoothly. Here are a few amazing apps you may have overlooked. Check out some of these hidden gems to unlock even more potential in your person-to-smartphone relationship.1. ClipsFree! Like the idea of Snapchat sometimes, but can’t commit? Apple’s Clips lets you shoot still and video shots with wacky filters. Add in Live Titles, which are subtitles you create simply by speaking, and you’re in business. It’s Snapchat for grown-ups and the terminally ironic.2. ProshotWant to improve your photography skills? No matter your skill level, this app can help you unlock advanced features in your device to help you take higher qual ity photos with better focus and light.3. GoodlookNever know what to wear? Keep up with the trends with daily looks and useful fashion and beauty tips. Figure out what to shop for and how to combine the clothing you already have to stay on trend.4. Remote MouseTurn your phone into a remote for your computer. Say your keyboard is low on battery, but you want to watch a movie or give a presentation? No problem!5. App DetoxWe all have that app- or those 10  apps- that eat up all of our time. Android users, you’re in luck. This app helps you distance yourself from your smart phone by blocking access to certain apps for a time period of your choosing. Very useful when you need to study or work and can’t be checking Twitter every five minutes.6. Moleskine TimepageLove having everything on your device, but miss the stylish days of your old Moleskine planner? Now you can have it all. A smart calendar/planner that is as stylish as it is functional and sexier than its counterp arts. Works with existing calendars like iCloud, Facebook, and Google.7. Just Press RecordNot impressed with Voice Memos anymore? Try this one-tap recording app that works across Apple products and even boasts built-in transcription for note taking- in multiple languages. You can even search your recordings for specific terms. You’re welcome.8. PatronusA personal security app named after a spell in Harry Potter? Yes please. With mobile 911 service (much more accurate than cell tower locations!) and location sharing, plus an â€Å"On My Way† feature that lets you share your location, destination, and progress with your contacts. It takes a village!9. SignalMove to fully encrypted communication in this scary world. WhatsApp is a bit behind the ball on this, so go straight to the source with Signal. It’s free all-in-one messaging with voice call functionality. You can even send media with the same protections. This one is very easy to use and is open source.10. Cla p! Phone FinderLose your phone a lot, only to find it by your toaster where you left it? This combines the find-your-phone technology with the old clap-on-clap-off satisfaction. Simply clap your hands to activate your phone to produce a customizable sound. Bonus? This app consumes very low amounts of battery power, so it won’t drain you while it runs.

Meaning and Uses of Decompilation

Meaning and Uses of Decompilation Simply speaking, decompilation is the inverse of compilation: translating an executable file into a higher level language. Suppose you lose your Delphi projects source and you only have the executable file: reverse engineering (decompilation) is useful if the original sources are not available. Hm, sources not available, does this mean that we can decompile other peoples Delphi projects? Well, yes and no... Is True Decompilation Possible? No, of course not. Fully automated decompilation is not possible - no decompiler could exactly reproduce the original source code. When a Delphi project is compiled and linked to produce a standalone executable file, most of the names used in the program are converted to addresses. This loss of names means that a decompiler would have to create unique names for all the constants, variables, functions, and procedures. Even if a certain degree of success is achieved, the generated source code lacks meaningful variable and function names.Obviously, source language syntax no longer exists in the executable. It would be very difficult for a decompiler to interpret the series of machine language instructions (ASM) that exist in an executable file and decide what the original source instruction was. Why and When to Use Decompilation Reverse engineering can be used for a several reasons, some of which are: Recovery of lost source codeMigration of applications to a new hardware platformDetermination of the existence of viruses or malicious code in the programError correction when the owner of the application is not available to make the correction.Recovery of someone elses source code (to determine an algorithm for example). Is This Legal? Reverse engineering is NOT cracking, although it is sometimes difficult to draw the fine line between those two. Computer programs are protected by copyright and trademark laws. Different countries have different exceptions to the copyright owners rights. The most common ones state that it is ok to decompile: for the purposes of interpretability where the interface specification has not been made available, for the purposes of error correction where the owner of the copyright is not available to make the correction, to determine parts of the program that are not protected by copyright. Of course you should be very careful / contact your lawyer if you are in doubt whether you are permitted to disassemble some programs exe file. Note: if you are looking for Delphi cracks, key generators or just serial numbers: you are on the wrong site. Please bear in mind that everything you find here is written/presented for exploration / educational purposes only. For the moment, Borland does not offer any product capable of decompiling an executable (.exe) file or the Delphi compiled unit (.dcu) back to the original source code (.pas). Delphi Compiled Unit (DCU) When a Delphi project is compiled or run a compiled unit (.pas) file is created. By default the compiled version of each unit is stored in a separate binary-format file with the same name as the unit file, but with the extension .DCU. For example unit1.dcu contains the code and data declared in the unit1.pas file. This means that if you have someones, for example, component compiled source all you have to do is to reverse it and get the code. Wrong. The DCU file format is undocumented (proprietary format) and may change from version to version. After the Compiler: Delphi Reverse Engineering If you would like to try to decompile a Delphi executable file, these are some of the things you should know: Delphi programs source files are usually stored in two file types: ASCII code files (.pas, .dpr), and resource files (.res, .rc, .dfm, .dcr). Dfm files contain the details (properties) of the objects contained in a form. When creating an exe, Delphi copies information in .dfm files into the finished .exe code file. Form files describe each component in your form, including the values of all persistent properties. Every time we change a forms position, a buttons caption or assign an event procedure to a component, Delphi writes those modifications in a DFM file (not the code of the event procedure - this is stored in the pas/dcu file). In order to get the dfm from the executable file we need to understand what type of resources are stored inside a Win32 executable. All programs compiled by Delphi have the following sections : CODE, DATA, BSS, .idata, tls, .rdata, .rsrc. The most important from decompiling point of view are the CODE and .rsrc sections. In the Adding functionality to a Delphi program article some interesting facts about Delphi executables format, class info and DFM resources are shown: how to reassign events to be handled by other event handlers defined in the same form. Even more: how to add your own event handler, adding the code to the executable, that will change the caption of a button. Among many types of resources that are stored in an exe file, the RT_RCDATA or the Application-defined resource (raw data) holds the information that were in the DFM file before the compilation. In order to extract the DFM data from an exe file we can call the EnumResourceNames API function... For more information on extracting DFM from an executable go see: Coding a Delphi DFM explorer article. The art of reverse engineering has traditionally been the land of technical wizards, familiar with assembly language and debuggers. Several Delphi decompilers have appeared that allow anybody, even with limited technical knowledge, to reverse engineer most Delphi executable files. If you are interested in reverse engineering Delphi programs I suggest you to take a look at the following few decompilers: IDR (Interactive Delphi Reconstructor) A decompiler of executable files (EXE) and dynamic libraries (DLL), written in Delphi and executed in Windows32 environment. Final project goal is development of the program capable to restore the most part of initial Delphi source codes from the compiled file but IDR, as well as others Delphi decompilers, cannot do it yet. Nevertheless, IDR is in a status considerably to facilitate such process. In comparison with other well known Delphi decompilers the result of IDR analysis has the greatest completeness and reliability. Revendepro Revendepro finds almost all structures (classes, types, procedures, etc) in the program, and generates the pascal representation, procedures will be written in assembler. Due to some limitation in assembler the generated output can not be recompiled. The source to this decompiler is freely available. Unfortunately this is the only one decompiler I was not able to use - it prompts with an exception when you try to decompile some Delphi executable file. EMS Source Rescuer EMS Source Rescuer is an easy-to-use wizard application which can help you to restore your lost source code. If you lose your Delphi or CBuilder project sources, but have an executable file, then this tool can rescue part of lost sources. Rescuer produces all project forms and data modules with all assigned properties and events. Produced event procedures dont have a body (it is not a decompiler), but have an address of code in executable file. In most cases Rescuer saves 50-90% of your time to project restoration. DeDe DeDe is a very fast program that can analyze executables compiled with Delphi. After decompilation DeDe gives you the following: All dfm files of the target. You will be able to open and edit them with Delphi.All published methods in well commented ASM code with references to strings, imported function calls, classes methods calls, components in the unit, Try-Except and Try-Finally blocks. By default DeDe retrieves only the published methods sources, but you may also process another procedure in a executable if you know the RVA offset using the Tools|Disassemble Proc menu.A lot of additional information.You can create a Delphi project folder with all dfm, pas, dpr files. Note: pas files contains the mentioned above well commented ASM code. They can not be recompiled!

Why is it unhealthy for children to grow up spending their time on Essay

Why is it unhealthy for children to grow up spending their time on electronics - Essay Example Social interaction is an important part of a child’s development, and spending too much time with electronics can cause this to be missed. The problem is that kids often play video games or watch television by themselves, which ultimately causes such problems as social isolation. In addition to this, too much time spent on electronics can cause obesity, insomnia, and bad grades at school. If kids are spending hours and hours on multimedia then they are missing out on other important activities. School is important for anyone, let alone young children, so it is important that their priorities are set straight. This is where a parent or caregiver needs to take responsibility for their child and set strict guidelines for electronics use. As mentioned above, excessive television or video gaming use can result in increased weight or a lack of sleep. As children are spending all their time playing games and not exercising, it’s only natural that they will put on more weight s imply by sitting on a couch all day. Also, sleep can reduce as too many late nights spent watching television can contribute to irregular sleeping

Aspects of mental health promotion (part 1 and 2) Literature review

Aspects of mental health promotion (part 1 and 2) - Literature review Example In general, health promotion is all about being able to positively enhance health and prevent illnesses through the use of health educational intervention which can help people prevent diseases. In line with this, mental health promotion is all about health promotion that is more directed on the mental aspect of a person. Often times, mental health promotion aims to further improve the mental well-being of people and carers. Started sometime in 1975, health promotion in UK was focused on preventing the spread of diseases caused by either behavioural, environmental, physical, or lifestyle factors (i.e. alcohol consumption during pregnancy, obesity prevention, health eating and smoking cessation, etc.) (Nick, 2009, p. 78). In 2008, the European Commission together with the World Health Organization acknowledged mental health illnesses as 5 out of 10 major causes of disability all over the world. To improve mental health strategies between 2013 to 2020, a new resolution known as the WHA65.4 was developed to create comprehensive strategies and policies based on the responses coming from social and health sectors (World Health Organization, 2013). Mental health promotion is all about creating public awareness in terms of preventing mental health problems. For this reason, mental health promotion is considered important topic in public health. In general, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, alcoholism and obsessive-compulsive disorder among others can increase the risks for untimely deaths caused by accidents on top of having higher risks for more physical illnesses (Nick, 2009, p. 80). For these reasons, mental health problems are considered as one of the most serious and most important topic in public health (Katz and Pandya, 2013, p. 363). In UK, the Mental Health Foundation (2014) reported that 1 in 4 people tend to experience mental health problem each year. Specifically the prevalence rate of depression in UK is 1 in 5 older people (Mental Health

The Economic situation of a given Country Research Paper

The Economic situation of a given Country - Research Paper Example The country is made up of 63 Islands, the main island being referred to as Singapore inclusive. The connection to Malaysia is man-made which are Johor Causeway to the North and Tuas to west. The current reclamation of land has increased the country to 716.1 square kilometres from 581.5 square kilometres in the 1960s (Teo, Peggy, Chang & Ho, 54). There is an anticipation that the country will grow by 100 square kilometres by the year 2030. Some parts of the country’s land have been donated for parks, reserves, nature ways tree lines, roads and nature ways among other natural areas. Climatically Singapore, is characterized by a tropical rainforest climate without any seasons, temperatures and pressure are consistent, high humidity and very high level of rainfall (Teo, Peggy, Chang & Ho 66). Temperatures vary from 22 to 35 degree centigrade while humidity is 79% before noon and 73% thereafter. The country, as in the year 2012, had a population of about 5.3 million people which consisted of 3.3 million, accounting for about 62% of the citizens while the remaining 38% represented foreigners (Chiu, Stephen, Kong-Chong Ho & Dale Lü, 298). About 23% of the citizens are not citizens by birth, but are born in foreign lands as there were about half a million permanent residents. 37 is the median age of its population having an average household size of about 3.5 persons. The major problem in Singapore is limited land which has led to large populations living in subsidized, high rise, public housing apartments (Teo, Peggy, Chang & Ho 145). There are very high numbers of domestic helpers in the country. The estimate, as per 2013, on fertility rate assumed to be around 0.79 per woman. This represents the lowest fertility rate in the world (Teo, Peggy, Chang & Ho, 198). This has been a major problem in Singapore and to solve this problem the

The Immigration Reform Bill of 2013 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Immigration Reform Bill of 2013 - Coursework Example The entire process of deportation is another factor that sends back another major chunk of young people who have grown up and studied in American colleges, thereby sending away a huge chunk of the talent within these colleges. While authorities stay strict, the government is bearing the brunt of the corporate and banking sectors who are forced to undertake industrialization due to the outflow of such talent from their companies. The Immigration Reform Bill sought to address issues from both the government and people’s point of views. And whether it succeeds or not depends upon the election of the minister who is most vehement and active in getting the House to agree to this Bill. The play designed in this article uses five theatrical techniques to highlight the range of events that occur in this politician’s life, till the final verdict of the election, in which he gets to know if he is elected or not. The first act (Act I) has three scenes. The first scene is a congregational meeting held at a Church service, to commemorate the death of the younger brother of this politician. Key characters in the play, like the rival politicians and business magnets who influence them, are introduced in this meeting. The political leader although in silence is aware of the brewing political tension in the minds of these guests attending the congregation. The scene uses thought tracking (Mackey & Cooper, 2000, 50) done by another key character of the play Adam Xavier, who is himself a 40-year-old high profile journalist familiar with the power players of this game. His observations and dialogues familiarize the audience with the real tension that is present in the thoughts of the characters of the play.  

Reading Comment and Question on The History of Communication Media by Assignment

Reading Comment and Question on The History of Communication Media by Friedrich Kittler - Assignment Example The main guideline to technological advancement in media is reduction and elimination of the need to meet in order to communicate (Kittler, n.d). Communication in the past was based on the capability to read and inscribe but with the latest technologies it relies on the application of computer skills  (Kittler, n.d). The quality of communication today is guided by the ability to employ the latest technologies in communication correctly. Advancements such as the move from the olden pictographs that were done on clay tablets to the current broadband communication clearly show the great improvement in media technology. All media tools have improved in terms of information collected, Storage capability and speed of transmission. Technology has made places connect, and the limitations of time and distance have been wiped out. Despite having landmark positive changes, the latest media are exposed to the threat of a limited shelf life due to its fragility. Pictographs that were produced over 5000 years ago remain intact while newspapers that were manufactured just a year ago have already crumbled (Winthrop-Young, 2011, p.77). Information stored in DVDs and cassettes is easily lost due to the vulnerability of such media tools. Despite offering many solutions, the latest technologies in media, therefore, pose a risk of destroying cultural heritage. Digital technologies produce information for instant, but one time use as opposed to olden methods that produced information to be used over

The sports facility in Stratford-Upon-Avon Essay

The sports facility in Stratford-Upon-Avon - Essay Example Marketing programmes within the organization should reflect a commitment to meeting the needs of the members of the community in which the organization will serve. Therefore, analysis, both internal and external, should include members of the community, as stakeholders. It should also include the current position of the organization, available resources and identification of the organization’s core competencies or strengths.By assessing the organization’s strengths and weaknesses, the marketing team can develop a marketing programme that focuses on matching the organization’s strengths with needs of stakeholders. The sports facility is currently facing a recent loss of revenue, due to decreased sales of membership. To combat this phenomenon, the marketing strategy has made the decision to offer an all inclusive family membership, which can be used by any and all members of the family. The stakeholder analysis and market segmentation activities suggest that busine sses in Stratford-Upon-Avon should consider the entire family, in this family-oriented community. The goal of the marketing plan align is to align organizational strategy with the marketing strategy, in order to reach the target markets, with a cohesive message that speaks to target segments. Target segments need to understand how the sports centre can benefit them. Situation Analysis The sports facility that once offered individual memberships is not as profitable as it once was. Membership has decreased, likely due to financial concerns and the current state of the UK and global economy.

Reading Comment and Question on The History of Communication Media by Assignment

Reading Comment and Question on The History of Communication Media by Friedrich Kittler - Assignment Example The main guideline to technological advancement in media is reduction and elimination of the need to meet in order to communicate (Kittler, n.d). Communication in the past was based on the capability to read and inscribe but with the latest technologies it relies on the application of computer skills  (Kittler, n.d). The quality of communication today is guided by the ability to employ the latest technologies in communication correctly. Advancements such as the move from the olden pictographs that were done on clay tablets to the current broadband communication clearly show the great improvement in media technology. All media tools have improved in terms of information collected, Storage capability and speed of transmission. Technology has made places connect, and the limitations of time and distance have been wiped out. Despite having landmark positive changes, the latest media are exposed to the threat of a limited shelf life due to its fragility. Pictographs that were produced over 5000 years ago remain intact while newspapers that were manufactured just a year ago have already crumbled (Winthrop-Young, 2011, p.77). Information stored in DVDs and cassettes is easily lost due to the vulnerability of such media tools. Despite offering many solutions, the latest technologies in media, therefore, pose a risk of destroying cultural heritage. Digital technologies produce information for instant, but one time use as opposed to olden methods that produced information to be used over

Javier Lopez Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Javier Lopez - Essay Example This was when he got to play for the school team, amid his primary interest to join the FBI. It did not take him long to realize that his talent and personal drive was geared towards baseball. Before long, the FBI interest and desire was overtaken by his athletic personality that had by then become a significant part of his life. Following several successes in his newly realized dream, Javier Lopez has successfully become an icon player in baseball. Playing in national teams has placed him at the forefront of athletic responsibility; to win. My personal thoughts about Javier Lopez are broad in scope and dynamic over time. Following his life from when he was born in the year 1977 to date shows that he follows his drive to live. Although his personal dream was to join the FBI, that did not have to be the case. He acknowledges that things change that dreams do not always come true. Sometimes people dream, but their dreams do not necessarily come true. In this respect, his dream to work with the FBI did not lock out alternative opportunities that would actually make his life a success. Javier Lopez goes for what he believes is better for him. Being open-minded comes in handy for an individual to realize this. Personal success is not one-way-oriented. Success can be realized from failures. This does not mean that I think Javier Lopez was nor is a loser, but that he stood strong grounds to understand his strengths and weaknesses, and then designed a functional mechanism to enhance his strengths and counter his weaknesses. I think he is analytical and that he made a critical evaluation of the side of his life that would successfully work out best for him. Being in the super leagues that Javier Lopez has played in has placed him at a better position to influence masses in relation to the benefits of sports, games, and physical exercises. Personally, I regard Javier Lopez as an ambassador of good health.

Different types of peripheral devices for computers

Different types of peripheral devices for computers Define and describe different types of peripheral devices from all the components with examples. The examples should not include only one type of components only. 1.1 Desktop personal computers 1.1.1 Printer In the computer, printers is a computer peripheral device that produces a hard copy (permanent human-readable text and/or graphics on paper) from data stored in a computer connected to it printers is used to print anything that user want, like pictures, documents or data. A lot of printers are primarily used as local peripherals, and are attached by a printer cable, in largely new printers, a USB cable to computer which serves as a file source. A quantity of printers, normally known as network printers, can serve as a hardcopy device for any user on the network and have built-in network interfaces (characteristically Ethernet and/or wireless). Person printers are often designed to support both network and local connected users at same time. Besides, the minority modern printers can directly interface to electronic media such as flash drive or flash memory cards, or to image capture devices such as digital cameras, scanners; a quantity of printers are combined with a scanners and/or fax machines in a single unit, and can function as photocopiers. Printers that include non-printing features are sometimes called All-In-One (AIO) printers, Multi-Function Devices (MFD), or Multifunction printers (MFP). Most MFPs include printing, scanning, and copying in the middle of their features. 1.1.1.1 The 4 printer qualities of mainly interest to most users are: 1. Resolution Resolutions are generally measured in DPI (dots per inch). Most economical printers provide enough resolution for most purposes at 300 600 dpi. 2. Color Most color printer use 2 ink cartridges (1 black ink and 1 color ink) that after a certain number of pages, then need to replace. The color printer is more expensive to operate. 3. Memory Printer memory (RAM) is built in to the printer and come with a small amount of memory (e.g. 1024kilobyte) that the user can be expanded. 4. Speed Economical printers print speed only about maximum 6 sheets per second. Color printer printing is slower; more expensive printer is much faster. Table 1.1: printer qualities 1.1.1.2Advantages and disadvantages Advantages Disadvantages  · Users can see everything on hard copy whatever users see incomputer monitor.  · The running costs are low and the purchase cost is low.  · Printing is slower; therefore inkjets are not designed for high volume printing.  · If the printer runs out of ink users will have to pay to refill or buy it. Table 1.2: printer advantage and disadvantage 1.1.2 Monitor In computers, monitor is a device similar to a television screen (below 24 inch) that receives video signals from the computer and displays the information for users. The types of monitor have: Cathode-Ray Tube (CRT) and Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). The CRT monitor is the oldest form of display for computer systems.The feature of CRT monitor that pixels are illuminated by an electron beam that passes back and forth across the screen very quickly. The LCD monitor that uses LCDtechnologies quite than the oldCRT technologies used by nearly all desktop computer monitors. The feature of LCD that liquid crystal is sandwiched between two transparent layers to form image. When electric current passes through the liquid crystal solution, the crystals move around, either letting the light shine through or blocking the fluorescent light. 1.1.2.1 The 3 monitor qualities Screen size The diagonal measurement of the screen surface in inches (18.5, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24) Resolution The sharpness of the image or graphic determined by the number of horizontal and pixels (vertical dots) that the screen can display (800 x 600, 1024 x 768, 1600 x 1200). Refresh rate The speed at which the screen is redrawn (refreshed) and measured in Hertz (60, 75Hz) Table 1.3: printer qualities 1.2 Mobile computes 1.2.1 Memory card In computers, the memory card that sometime called flash memory card and storage card. The memory card is a small storage capacity medium to uses to store data such as text, image, music and video, for uses on small, portable or remote computing devices and the memory card can be erased and rewritten with new data. Besides, although other technologies are being developed, most of the current product uses flash memory. There are type of memory card on the market, including the Secure DigitalCard (SD Card), Multi Media Card (MMC), Smart Media Card, Compact FlashCard (CF Card) and Memory stick. Any types of memory card have a differing size and the memory card storage capacity has from 128 MB up to 32GB. 1.2.2 Flash drive In computers, the flash drive (sometime called jump or pen drive) is a small and portable UniversalSerialBus (USB) drive that can be used to rapidly transfer audio, video, image and data files from thehard driveof onecomputerto another. The flash drive storage capacity has from 128 MB up to 64 GB.The flash drive is very easy to use, most recent flash drive is plug_and_play, is not need using anything CD or download any software to install the driver. 1.3 Mobile phone 1.3.1 Headset In computers, the headset is a pair of headphones with a microphone attached. While headphones can only be used as a listening device, the headset can be used as a listening and a recording device through recording through its microphone. As far as listening is concerned, headsets can have all the same functionalities and features as mobile phone, since they are mobile phone, only with the adding of microphone. As far as recording is concerned, headsets usually have a microphone boom attached to one of the speaker ear cups. This boom is designed to be extended to the front of a user is mouth for the user to speak into it, generally at about an inchs distance. This is usually how recording is done with standard headsets. Nevertheless, most new technology is arising in which headsets no longer need microphone booms to record sound. These headsets are called boom less headsets. Nonetheless, the vast majority of headsets use microphone booms. Question 2 Storage is where you save or keep data, instructions, and information for future use. Home users use storage to save data documents, music, etc. Office or business users use storage to keep, their transaction and other office related records. Discuss the various types of storing devices which are available. 2.1 Home users 2.1.1 Flash drive This small device has enough storage capacity to easily manage and transfer large digital files. The flash drive several kinds of storage capacity have 256 MB up to 64GB. Therefore home users need the storage capacity of how much is enough? A 4 GB flash drive is usually enough for sharing some audio files, video and picture. These drive with the storage capacity of 1 or 2 GB will help you store a fair number of audio and video files whereas a 4 GB will let you store too many files. Most of these drives are compatible with all the versions of Windows, the 8.6 and above version of Mac OS and 2.4 and above of Max Kernel without the need of a driver but a few of these need drivers. 2.1.2 Memory card There are type of memory card on the market, including the Secure DigitalCard (SD Card), Multi Media Card (MMC), Smart Media Card, Compact FlashCard (CF Card) and Memory stick. Any types of memory card have a differing size and the memory card storage capacity has from 128 MB up to 32GB. Therefore, home users need the storage capacity of how is enough? A 4 GB memory card is usually enough for storing and sharing some video files, music and picture. As most memory card is use by phone and camera, phone and camera files is not very large, so 4GB storage capacity is enough for home user. When you purchase it, consider the space you will require for sharing files. Use Internet to search different pen drives and compare the prices at various online stores. You should check out the reviews of different drives on various websites which will give you a fair idea of whats good and whats not. 2.1.3 CD-R The CD-R full name is Compact Disc-Recordable. The CD-R is optical storage that store data as tiny pits burned into a disk by laser. The CD-R disks that can be read and written to, but the CD-R disks can only be written for â€Å"once† and drives that are capable of reading and writing data are needed. In side CD-R disks storage capacity is very small, normally each disks only have 700MB storage capacity. Most of use by storing music, picture or movie. 2.1.4 CD-RW The CD-RW full name is Compact Disc-ReWritable. The CD-RW same like CD-R also is optical storage. The different between CD-RW and CD-R is CD-RW is erasable, CD-RW can be written too many times and drives that are capable of reading, writing and erasing data are needed. The CD-RW storage capacity is same with CD-R, most of 700 MB capacity only. 2.1.5 DVD+R/DVD-R DVD+R or DVD-R full name is Digital Video Disk Recordable. They are same, but incompatible with. The disk that is a format for optical data storage. They use technology similar to CD-R. They are capable of storing up to 17 GB of data. Normally 4.7GB storage capacity is enough for home users to storing and sharing some movie video files. Besides, their data transfer rate is comparable to that of hard disk drives and they are compatible with CD-ROM disks. 2.2 Office or business users 2.2.1 External hard disk drive Hard disk drives that storage capacity is up to 1.5 terabytes (TB), is a very big storage capacity storage devices. The Office or business users need to use large storage capacity to keep, their transaction and other office related records. So that External hard disk can provide enough storage capacity for office or business users. Besides, the hard disk drive access time is the fastest among all permanent storage devices. Furthermore the hard disk drive data transfer rate (MB per second) is much faster than other storage devices and spindle speed is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm). 2.2.2 Flash drive This small device has enough storage capacity to easily manage and transfer large digital files. The flash drives that storage capacity is up to 64GB. Therefore, a 64 GB flash drives is usually enough for office or business users use storage to keep, their transaction and other office related records. Besides, Most of flash drives are compatible with all the versions of Windows. Some of flash drives come with the option of password protection so users can have an additional advantage of protecting some of the files that users think need security. Flash drives are more likely to get viruses when these are exposed to the computers that might not be protected. Flash drives are dozens of anti virus software that detect viruses. Users must scan their flash drive every time users are using it. 2.2.3 DVD-R/DVD+R DVD+R or DVD-R full name is Digital Video Disk Recordable. They are same, but incompatible with and the older DVD-R standard. The disk that is a format for optical data storage. The DVD-/+R formal similar CD-R and they are compatible with CD-ROM disks. Besides, their data transfer rate is comparable to that of hard disk drives and they are capable of storing up to 17 GB of data. Therefore, they can support to office or business users use storage to keep, their transaction and other office related records. 2.2.4 DVD+RW The DVD+RW disks short for DVD+ReWritable. The DVD+RW formal similar CD+RW and same are an optical storage. Most of feature same with DVD-/+R, the different is DVD+RW disks allow users to read, write and erase DVDs many time. 2.2.5 Zip disk drive The Zip drive is a magnetic disk. Magnetic disk is a machine thatreadsdatafrom andwritesdata onto adisk. A disk drive rotates the disk very fast and has one or more heads that read and write data. The Zip drive is an earlier 3.5 removable disk drive from Iomega. Zip disks came in 100MB, 250MB and 750MB varieties, with the latter introduced in 2002 using USB and FireWire interfaces. The 250MB drives introduced in 1998, also can read and wrote 100MB disks. The 750MB drives read all, but cannot wrote 100MB disks. The 7050MB drives is only can wrote 250MB and 750MB disks Although the Zip drive storage capacity is very small, the Zip drive is cheaper than other type of storage devices. Nowadays, most of Bank Company still uses the Zip drive to storing, sharing and transfer pure text or document files. Conclusion As conclusion, Computer is important in the modern world reason been is that it helps to simplifies life. If it was not for computer there would still be a lot of hidden information, people would not get to communicate so easy, fast and efficiently, however it is not like that because of computer we now get privilege of all these things. When I finished my assignment, I would like sad I learned a lot from this assignment about types of peripheral devices from the entire component and the various types of storing devices which are available. Besides, I really thank you to Olympia College Johor Bahru, because they give me a chance to study at their college. I also want to thanks my Introduction to Information Technology lecturer: Ms Zali, because she is teaching and guiding me to do the assignment, when I confuse to how to do this assignment. Thanks a lot for her. I am learning more of thing about computer and Information Technology. I will hard working and get a good results.

The Destruction of Our World :: essays research papers

The Destruction of Our World „à  The world is so unbalanced. We ¡Ã‚ ¦re killing it. Everyone is killing it, but especially us in the U.S. who see our nation as advanced and powerful.  ¡Ã‚ §If car ownership and oil consumption per person in China were to reach U.S. levels, then China would consume eighty million barrels of oil per day. Yet, in 1996, the entire world produced only sixty-four million barrels per day. ¡Ã‚ ¨ Other nations can ¡Ã‚ ¦t live the way we do because the world can ¡Ã‚ ¦t supply enough.  ¡Ã‚ §The U.S. selling half the weapons in the world and buying one quarter of the oil. ¡Ã‚ ¨ „à   ¡Ã‚ §We know that in these end times, everything ¡Ã‚ ¦s the opposite of what it seems.  ¡Ã‚ ¥Red-blooded male, ¡Ã‚ ¦ for example. He thinks he gains his power from consuming red meat, so he eats more and more of it. He bulks up in order to meet the challenge of a hostile universe. Apparent meaning: his strength and aggressiveness make him impregnable ¡K Actual meaning: because he also gobbles down vast amounts of sugar and starch, because he drinks alcohol, yeast and fungus bore holes in his distended gut. Over the years undigested animal protein passes through the holes into his blood stream. Becoming an agent of toxicity ¡K Yeast and fungus, agents of decay. Precursors of mold and rot. End times within, end times without ¡K Forests of entire nations converted to rangeland to feed the craving for beef. Which itself slowly enervates the very master race that craves it. ¡Ã‚ ¨ „à   ¡Ã‚ §Calories of fossil fuel expended to produce one calorie of protein from beef: seventy-eight. ¡Ã‚ ¨ „à   ¡Ã‚ §Number of people who could be fed using the land, water, and energy that would be freed up from growing livestock if Americans reduced their intake of meat by ten percent: ten million. ¡Ã‚ ¨ „à  How can all these statistics be even relatively true and our world not only continue to function this way, but think it is flourishing? I always hear about how

Serialization in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens :: Charles Dickens

In Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, serialization is an important and effective tool that divides the literary work into episodes, creating a suspenseful plot. In addition, serialization also creates a "soap opera" effect on the novel's readers, leaving them with a cliff-hanger scenario at the end of each episode. A major effect of serialization is the change it renders in character development. Sydney Carton would be a prime example. In the novel's beginning, he is portrayed as a drunk, a loser with no purpose to his life. However, as the readers go on, they find that Carton is, indeed, not what he seems to be. Ultimately, our reprobate saves Charles Darnay's life from certain death and is instrumental in having him escape to England with his beloved Lucie, their daughter, and his father-in-law, Dr. Manette. Charles Dickens uses an unusual method of serialization that resembles that used by daytime soaps. After covering several plot developments of several characters, usually primary ones, he switches to a series of subplots involving other characters, usually secondary ones. For example, after Dickens covers the adventure of the Marquis St. Evremonde, he jumps back to Darnay. The effect is a narrative hook that encourages the readers to go on. This leads to suspense and, of course, a successful tale. A final, and obvious, effect of serialization is the steady advancement of plot development. As the novel is divided into thematic parts, it gives the readers a definite feeling for the plot and causes them to think about possible outcomes.

Children Youth and Environments Journal Essay

The Role of the Youth in Establishing Unity in a Diversified Multicultural Society Years passed, adults have tried to control youth because they represent the future. Young people often fight back, trying to create their own world that is separate from their parents. At the end of World War II they were finally given a name: â€Å"teen-agers,† an ideal of young people as consumers. That model for youth spread around the world, and still exists today. Throughout history, young people have played an active role in shaping major social and political advancements. Today’s growing globalization and cross-border movements create an environment, which is increasingly diverse in terms of culture and religion. Young people’s contribution to understanding the impact of this diversity on everyday life as well as politics is now more crucial than ever. Moreover, as they constitute the largest segment of population in many regions, the role of youth in shaping their country’s response to cultural and religious diversity is vital. We clearly see youth as an essential asset – a crucial pool of talent, ideas and energy – that plays a critical role in addressing the challenges related to global and local instability. We must get control of this. We must motivate our youth. We must teach responsibility and goal setting. I fear if we do not we will soon be supporting an entire generation of homeless and needlessly on welfare families. Things have to change, with our schools, with the older generation being good role models, with the older generation being mentors, and with the youth who are right now doing nothing. We believe that it is important to recognize young people’s own contribution to promoting respect and understanding and fostering dialogue among people of different backgrounds. With teenage unemployment soaring, young people can no longer influence the world with their wallets. As student protests began exploding across the globe this fall, we felt compelled to†¦ [continues]

The Twilight Saga 2: New Moon Chapter 14 FAMILY

I COWERED INTO JACOB'S SIDE, MY EYES SCANNING the forest for the other werewolves. When they appeared, striding out from between the trees, they weren't what I was expecting. I'd gotten the image of the wolves stuck in my head. These were just four really big half-naked boys. Again, they reminded me of brothers, quadruplets. Something about the way they moved almost in synchronization to stand across the road from us, the way they all had the same long, round muscles under the same red-brown skin, the same cropped black hair, and the way their expressions altered at exactly the same moment. They started out curious and cautious. When they saw me there, half-hidden beside Jacob, they all became furious in the same second. Sam was still the biggest, though Jacob was getting close to catching up with him. Sam didn't really count as a boy. His face was oldernot in the sense of lines or signs of aging, but in the matunry, the patience of his expression. â€Å"What have you done, Jacob?† he demanded. One of the others, one I didn't recognizeJared or Paulthrust past Sam and spoke before Jacob could defend himself. â€Å"Why can't you just follow the rules, Jacob?† he yelled, throwing his arms in the air. â€Å"What the hell are you thinking? Is she more important than everythingthan the whole tribe? Than the people getting killed?† â€Å"She can help,† Jacob said quietly. â€Å"Help!† the angry boy shouted. His arms begin to quiver. â€Å"Oh, that's likely! I'm sure the leech-lover is just dying to help us out!† â€Å"Don't talk about her like that!† Jacob shouted back, stung by the boy's criticism. A shudder rippled through the other boy, along his shoulders and down his spine. â€Å"Paul! Relax!† Sam commanded. Paul shook his head back and forth, not in defiance, but as though he were trying to concentrate. â€Å"Jeez, Paul,† one of the other boysprobably Jaredmuttered. â€Å"Get a grip.† Paul twisted his head toward Jared, his lips curling back in irritation. Then he shifted his glare in my direction. Jacob took a step to put himself in front of me. That did it. â€Å"Right, protect her!† Paul roared in outrage. Another shudder, a convulsion, heaved through his body. He threw his head back, a real growl tearing from between his teeth. â€Å"Paul!† Sam and Jacob shouted together. Paul seemed to fall forward, vibrating violently. Halfway to the ground, there was a loud ripping noise, and the boy exploded. Dark silver fur blew out from the boy, coalescing into a shape more than five-times his sizea massive, crouched shape, ready to spring. The wolf's muzzle wrinkled back over his teeth, and another growl rolled through his colossal chest. His dark, enraged eyes focused on me. In the same second, Jacob was running across the road straight for the monster. â€Å"Jacob!† I screamed. Mid-stride, a long tremor shivered down Jacob's spine. He leaped forward, diving headfirst into the empty air. With another sharp tearing sound, Jacob exploded, too. He burst out of his skinshreds of black and white cloth blasted up into the air. It happened so quickly that if I'd blinked, I'd have missed the entire transformation. One second it was Jacob diving into the air, and then it was the gigantic, russet brown wolfso enormous that I couldn't make sense of its mass somehow fitting inside Jacobcharging the crouched silver beast. Jacob met the other werewolf's attack head-on. Their angry snarls echoed like thunder off the trees. The black and white scrapsthe remains of Jacob's clothesfluttered to the ground where he'd disappeared. â€Å"Jacob!† I screamed again, staggering forward. â€Å"Stay where you are, Bella,† Sam ordered. It was hard to hear him over the roar of the fighting wolves. They were snapping and tearing at each other, their sharp teeth flashing toward each other's throats. The Jacob-wolf seemed to have the upper handhe was visibly bigger than the other wolf, and it looked like le was stronger, too. He rammed his shoulder against the gray wolf again and again, knocking him back toward the trees. â€Å"Take her to Emily's,† Sam shouted toward the other boys, who were watching the conflict with rapt expressions. Jacob had successfully shoved the gray wolf off the road, and they were disappearing into the forest, though the sound of their snarls was still loud. Sam ran after them, kicking off his shoes on the way. As he darted into the trees, he was quivering from head to toe. The growling and snapping was fading into the distance. Suddenly, the sound cut off and it was very quiet on the road. One of the boys started laughing. I turned to stare at himmy wide eyes felt frozen, like I couldn't even blink them. The boy seemed to be laughing at my expression. â€Å"Well, there's something you don't see every day,† he snickered. His face was vaguely familiarthinner than the others Embry Call. â€Å"I do,† the other boy, Jared, grumbled. â€Å"Every single day.† â€Å"Aw, Paul doesn't lose his temper every day,† Embry disagreed, still grinning. â€Å"Maybe two out of three.† Jared stopped to pick something white up off the ground. He held it up toward Embry; it dangled in limp strips from his hand. â€Å"Totally shredded,† Jared said. â€Å"Billy said this was the last pair he could affordguess Jacob's going barefoot now.† â€Å"This one survived,† Embry said, holding up a white sneaker. â€Å"Jake can hop,† he added with a laugh. Jared started collecting various pieces of fabric from the dirt. â€Å"Get Sam's shoes, will you? All the rest of this is headed for the trash.† Embry grabbed the shoes and then jogged into the trees where Sam had disappeared. He was back in a few seconds with a pair of cut-off jeans draped over his arm. Jared gathered the torn remnants of Jacob's and Paul's clothes and wadded them into a ball. Suddenly, he seemed to remember me. He looked at me carefully, assessing. â€Å"Hey, you're not going to faint or puke or anything?† he demanded. â€Å"I don't think so,† I gasped. â€Å"You don't look so good. Maybe you should sit down.† â€Å"Okay,† I mumbled. For the second time in one morning, I put my head between my knees. â€Å"Jake should have warned us,† Embry complained. â€Å"He shouldn't have brought his girlfriend into this. What did he expect?† â€Å"Well, the wolf's out of the bag now.† Embry sighed. â€Å"Way to go, Jake.† I raised my head to glare at the two boys who seemed to be taking this all so lightly. â€Å"Aren't you worried about them at all?† I demanded. Embry blinked once in surprise â€Å"Worried? Why?† â€Å"They could hurt each other!† Embry and Jared guffawed. â€Å"I hope Paul gets a mouthful of him,† Jared said. â€Å"Teach him a lesson.† I blanched. â€Å"Yeah, right!† Embry disagreed. â€Å"Did you see Jake? Even Sam couldn't have phased on the fly like that. He saw Paul losing it, and it took him, what, half a second to attack? The boy's got a gift.† â€Å"Paul's been fighting longer. I'll bet you ten bucks he leaves a mark.† â€Å"You're on. Jake's a natural. Paul doesn't have a prayer.† They shook hands, grinning. I tried to comfort myself with their lack of concern, but I couldn't drive the brutal image of the fighting werewolves from my head. My stomach churned, sore and empty, my head ached with worry. â€Å"Let's go see Emily. You know she'll have food waiting.† Embry looked down at me. â€Å"Mind giving us a ride?† â€Å"No problem,† I choked. Jared raised one eyebrow. â€Å"Maybe you'd better drive, Embry. She still looks like she might hurl.† â€Å"Good idea. Where are the keys?† Embry asked me. â€Å"Ignition.† Embry opened the passenger-side door. â€Å"In you go,† he said cheerfully, hauling me up from the ground with one hand and stuffing me into my seat. He appraised the available space. â€Å"You'll have to ride in the back,† he told Jared. â€Å"That's fine. I got a weak stomach. I don't want to be in there when she blows.† â€Å"I bet she's tougher than that. She runs with vampires.† â€Å"Five bucks?† Jared asked. â€Å"Done. I feel guilty, taking your money like this.† Embry got in and started the engine while Jared leapt agilely into the bed. As soon as his door was closed, Embry muttered to me, â€Å"Don't throw up, okay? I've only got a ten, and if Paul got his teeth into Jacob† â€Å"Okay,† I whispered. Embry drove us back toward the village. â€Å"Hey, how did Jake get around the injunction anyway?† â€Å"The what?† â€Å"Er, the order. You know, to not spill the beans. How did he tell you about this?† â€Å"Oh, that,† I said, remembering Jacob trying to choke out the truth to me last night. â€Å"He didn't. I guessed right.† Embry pursed his lips, looking surprised. â€Å"Hmm. S'pose that would work.† â€Å"Where are we going?† I asked. â€Å"Emily's house. She's Sam's girlfriend no, fiancee, now, I guess. They'll meet us back there after Sam gives it to them for what just happened. And after Paul and Jake scrounge up some new clothes, if Paul even has any left.† â€Å"Does Emily know about ?† â€Å"Yeah. And hey, don't stare at her. That bugs Sam.† I frowned at him. â€Å"Why would I stare?† Embry looked uncomfortable. â€Å"Like you saw just now, hanging out around werewolves has its risks.† He changed the subject quickly. â€Å"Hey, are you okay about the whole thing with the black-haired bloodsucker in the meadow? It didn't look like he was a friend of yours, but. .† Embry shrugged. â€Å"No, he wasn't my friend.† â€Å"That's good. We didn't want to start anything, break the treaty, you know.† â€Å"Oh, yeah, Jake told me about the treaty once, a long time ago. Why would killing Laurent break the treaty?† â€Å"Laurent,† he repeated, snorting, like he was amused the vampire had had a name. â€Å"Well, we were technically on Cullen turf. We're not allowed to attack any of them, the Cullens, at least, off our landunless they break the treaty first. We didn't know if the black-haired one was a relative of theirs or something. Looked like you knew him.† â€Å"How would they go about breaking the treaty?† â€Å"If they bite a human. Jake wasn't so keen on the idea of letting it go that far.† â€Å"Oh. Um, thanks. I'm glad you didn't wait.† â€Å"Our pleasure.† He sounded like he meant that in a literal sense. Embry drove past the easternmost house on the highway before turning off onto a narrow dirt road. â€Å"Your truck is slow,† he noted. â€Å"Sorry.† At the end of the lane was a tiny house that had once been gray. There was only one narrow window beside the weathered blue door, but the window box under it was filled with bright orange and yellow marigolds, giving the whole place a cheerful look. Embry opened the truck door and inhaled. â€Å"Mmm, Emily's cooking.† Jared jumped out of the back of the truck and headed for the door, but Embry stopped him with one hand on his chest. He looked at me meaningfully, and cleared his throat. â€Å"I don't have my wallet on me,† Jared said. â€Å"That's okay. I won't forget.† They climbed up the one step and entered the house without knocking. I followed timidly after them. The front room, like Billy's house, was mostly kitchen. A young woman with satiny copper skin and long, straight, crow-black hair was standing at the counter by the sink, popping big muffins out of a tin and placing them on a paper plate. For one second, I thought the reason Embry had told me not to stare was because the girl was so beautiful. And then she asked â€Å"You guys hungry?† in a melodic voice, and she turned to face us full on, a smile on half of her face. The right side of her face was scarred from hairline to chin by three thick, red lines, livid in color though they were long healed. One line pulled down the corner of her dark, almond-shaped right eye, another twisted the right side of her mouth into a permanent grimace. Thankful for Embry's warning, I quickly turned my eyes to the muffins in her hands. They smelled wonderfullike fresh blueberries. â€Å"Oh,† Emily said, surprised. â€Å"Who's this?† I looked up, trying to focus on the left half of her face. â€Å"Bella Swan,† Jared told her, shrugging. Apparently, I'd been a topic of conversation before. â€Å"Who else?† â€Å"Leave it to Jacob to find a way around,† Emily murmured. She stared at me, and neither half of her once-beautiful face was friendly. â€Å"So, you're the vampire girl.† I stiffened. â€Å"Yes. Are you the wolf girl?† She laughed, as did Embry and Jared. The left half of her face warmed. â€Å"I guess I am.† She turned to Jared. â€Å"Where's Sam?† â€Å"Bella, er, surprised Paul this morning.† Emily rolled her good eye. â€Å"Ah, Paul,† she sighed. â€Å"Do you think they'll be long? I was just about to start the eggs.† â€Å"Don't worry,† Embry told her. â€Å"If they're late, we won't let anything go to waste.† Emily chuckled, and then opened the refrigerator. â€Å"No doubt,† she agreed. â€Å"Bella, are you hungry? Go ahead and help yourself to a muffin.† â€Å"Thanks.† I took one from the plate and started nibbling around the edges. It was delicious, and it felt good in my tender stomach. Embry picked up his third and shoved it into his mouth whole. â€Å"Save some for your brothers,† Emily chastised him, hitting him on the head with a wooden spoon. The word surprised me, but the others thought nothing of it. â€Å"Pig,† Jared commented. I leaned against the counter and watched the three of them banter like a family. Emily's kitchen was a friendly place, bright with white cupboards and pale wooden floorboards. On the little round table, a cracked blue-and-white china pitcher was overflowing with wildflowers. Embry and Jared seemed entirely at ease here. Emily was mixing a humongous batch of eggs, several dozen, in a big yellow bowl. She had the sleeves of her lavender shirt pushed up, and I could see that the scars extended all the way down her arm to the back of her right hand. Hanging out with werewolves truly did have its risks, just as Embry had said. The front door opened, and Sam stepped through. â€Å"Emily,† he said, and so much love saturated his voice that I felt embarrassed, intrusive, as I watched him cross the room in one stride and take her face in his wide hands. He leaned down and kissed the dark scars on her right cheek before he kissed her lips. â€Å"Hey, none of that,† Jared complained. â€Å"I'm eating.† â€Å"Then shut up and eat,† Sam suggested, kissing Emily's ruined mouth again. â€Å"Ugh,† Embry groaned. This was worse than any romantic movie; this was so real that it sang out loud with joy and life and true love. I put my muffin down and folded my arms across my empty chest. I stared at the flowers, trying to ignore the utter peace of their moment, and the wretched throbbing of my wounds. I was grateful for the distraction when Jacob and Paul came through the door, and then shocked when I saw that they were laughing. While I watched, Paul punched Jacob on the shoulder and Jacob went for a kidney jab in return. They laughed again. They both appeared to be in one piece. Jacob scanned the room, his eyes stopping when he found me leaning, awkward and out of place, against the counter in the far corner of the kitchen. â€Å"Hey, Bells,† he greeted me cheerfully. He grabbed two muffins as he passed the table and came to stand beside me. â€Å"Sorry about before,† he muttered under his breath. â€Å"How are you holding up.'† â€Å"Don't worry, I'm okay. Good muffins.† I picked mine back up and started nibbhrg again. My chest felt better as soon as Jacob was beside me. â€Å"Oh, man!† Jared wailed, interrupting us. I looked up, and he and Embry were examining a fading pink line on Paul's forearm. Embry was grinning, exultant. â€Å"Fifteen dollars,† he crowed. â€Å"Did you do that?† I whispered to Jacob, remembering the bet. â€Å"I barely touched him. He'll be perfect by sundown.† â€Å"By sundown?† I looked at the line on Paul's arm. Odd, but it looked weeks old. â€Å"Wolf thing,† Jacob whispered. I nodded, trying to not look weirded out. â€Å"You okay?† I asked him under my breath. â€Å"Not a scratch on me.† His expression was smug. â€Å"Hey, guys,† Sam said in a loud voice, interrupting all the conversations going on in the small room. Emily was at the stove, scraping the egg mixture around a big skillet, but Sam still had one hand touching the small of her back, an unconscious gesture. â€Å"Jacob has information for us.† Paul looked unsurprised. Jacob must have explained this to him and Sam already. Or they'd just heard his thoughts. â€Å"I know what the redhead wants.† Jacob directed his words toward Jared and Embry. â€Å"That's what I was trying to tell you before.† He kicked the leg of the chair Paul had settled into. â€Å"And?† Jared asked. Jacob's face got serious. â€Å"She is trying to avenge her mateonly it wasn't the black-haired leech we killed. The Cullens got her mate last year, and she's after Bella now.† This wasn't news to me, but I still shivered. Jared, Embry, and Emily stared at me with open-mouthed surprise. â€Å"She's just a girl,† Embry protested. â€Å"I didn't say it made sense. But that's why the bloodsucker's been trying to get past us. She's been heading for Forks.† They continued to stare at me, mouths still hanging open, for a long moment. I ducked my head. â€Å"Excellent,† Jared finally said, a smile beginning to pull up the corners of his mouth. â€Å"We've got bait.† With stunning speed, Jacob yanked a can opener from the counter and launched it at Jared's head. Jared's hand flicked up faster than I would have thought possible, and he snagged the tool just before it hit his face. â€Å"Bellais not bait.† â€Å"You know what I mean,† Jared said, unabashed. â€Å"So we'll be changing oar patterns,† Sam said, ignoring their squabble. â€Å"We'll try leaving a few holes, and see if she falls for it. We'll have to split up, and I don't like that. But if she's really after Bella, she probably won't try to take advantage of our divided numbers.† â€Å"Quit's got to be close to joining us,† Embry murmured. â€Å"Then we'll be able to split evenly.† Everyone looked down. I glanced at Jacob's face, and it was hopeless, like it had been yesterday afternoon, outside his house. No matter how comfortable they seemed to be with their fate, here in this happy kitchen, none of these werewolves wanted the same fate for their friend. â€Å"Well, we won't count on that,† Sam said in a low voice, and then continued at his regular volume. â€Å"Paul, Jared, and Embry will take the outer perimeter, and Jacob and I will take the inner. We'll collapse in when we've got her trapped.† I noticed that Emily didn't particularly like that Sam would be in the smaller grouping. Her worry had me glancing up at Jacob, worrying, too. Sam caught my eye. â€Å"Jacob thinks it would be best if you spent as much time as possible here in La Push. She won't know where to find you so easily, just in case.† â€Å"What about Charlie?† I demanded. â€Å"March Madness is still going,† Jacob said. â€Å"I think Billy and Harry can manage to keep Charlie down here when he's not at work.† â€Å"Wait,† Sam said, holding one hand up. His glance flickered to Emily and then back to me. â€Å"That's what Jacob thinks is best, but you need to decide for yourself. You should weigh the risks of both options very seriously. You saw this morning how easily things can get dangerous here, how quickly they get out of hand. If you choose to stay with us, I can't make any guarantees about your safety.† â€Å"I won't hurt her,† Jacob mumbled, looking down. Sam acted as if he hadn't heard him speak. â€Å"If there was somewhere else you felt safe† I bit my lip. Where could I go that wouldn't put someone else in danger? I recoiled again from the idea of bringing Renee into thispulling her into the circle of the target I wore â€Å"I don't want to lead Victoria anywhere else,† I whispered. Sam nodded. â€Å"That's true. It's better to have her here, where we can end this.† I flinched. I didn't want Jacob or any of the rest of them trying to end Victoria. I glanced at Jake's face; it was relaxed, almost the same as I remembered it from before the onset of the wolf thing, and utterly unconcerned by the idea of hunting vampires. â€Å"You'll be careful, right?† I asked, an audible lump in my throat. The boys burst into loud hoots of amusement. Everyone laughed at meexcept Emily. She met my eyes, and I could suddenly see the symmetry underlying her deformity. Her face was still beautiful, and alive with a concern even more fierce than mine. I had to look away, before the love behind that concern could start me aching again. â€Å"Food's ready,† she announced then, and the strategic conversation was history. The guys hurried to surround the tablewhich looked tiny and in danger of being crushed by themand devoured the buffet-sized pan of eggs Emily placed in their midst in record time. Emily ate leaning against the counter like meavoiding the bedlam at the tableand watched them with affectionate eyes. Her expression clearly stated that this was her family. All in all, it wasn't exactly what I'd been expecting from a pack of werewolves. I spent the day in La Push, the majority of it in Billy's house. He left a message on Charlie's phone and at the station, and Charlie showed up around dinnertime with two pizzas. It was good he brought two larges; Jacob ate one all by himself. I saw Charlie eyeing the two of us suspiciously all night, especially the much-changed Jacob. He asked about the hair; Jacob shrugged and told him it was just more convenient. I knew that as soon as Charlie and I were headed home, Jacob would take offoff to run around as a wolf, as he had done intermittently through the entire day. He and his brothers of sorts kept up a constant watch, looking for some sign of Victoria's return. But since they'd chased her away from the hot springs last nightchased her halfway to Canada, according to Jacobshe'd yet to make another foray. I had no hope at all that she might just give up. I didn't have that kind of luck. Jacob walked me to my truck after dinner and lingered by the window, waiting for Charlie to drive away first. â€Å"Don't be afraid tonight,† Jacob said, while Charlie pretended to be having trouble with his seat belt. â€Å"We'll be out there, watching.† â€Å"I won't worry about myself,† I promised. â€Å"You're silly. Hunting vampires is fun. It's the best part of this whole mess.† I shook my head. â€Å"If I'm silly, then you're dangerously unbalanced.† He chuckled. â€Å"Get some rest, Bella, honey. You look exhausted.† â€Å"I'lltry.† Charlie honked his horn impatiently. â€Å"See you tomorrow,† Jacob said. â€Å"Come down first thing.† â€Å"Iwill.† Charlie followed me home. I paid scant attention to the lights in my rearview mirror. Instead, I wondered where Sam and Jared and Embry and Paul were, out running in the night. I wondered if Jacob had joined them yet. When we got home, I hurried for the stairs, but Charlie was right behind me. â€Å"What's going on, Bella?† he demanded before I could escape. â€Å"I thought Jacob was part of a gang and you two were fighting.† â€Å"We made up.† â€Å"And the gang?† â€Å"I don't knowwho can understand teenage boys? They're a mystery. But I met Sam Uley and his fiancee, Emily. The seemed pretty nice to me.† I shrugged. â€Å"Must have all been a misunderstanding.† His face changed. â€Å"I hadn't heard that he and Emily had made it official. That's nice. Poor girl.† â€Å"Do you know what happened to her?† â€Å"Mauled by a bear, up north, during salmon spawning seasonhorrible accident It was more than a year ago now. I heard Sam was really messed up over it.† â€Å"That's horrible,† I echoed. More than a year ago. I'd bet that meant it had happened when there was just one werewolf in La Push. I shuddered at the thought of how Sam must have felt every time he looked at Emily's face. That night, I lay awake for a long time trying to sort through the day. I worked my way backward through dinner with Billy, Jacob, and C harlie, to the long afternoon in the Blacks' house, waiting anxiously to hear something from Jacob, to Emily's kitchen, to the horror of the werewolf fight, to talking with Jacob on the beach. I thought about what Jacob had said early this morning, about hypocrisy. I thought about that for a long time. I didn't like to think that I was a hypocrite, only what was the point of lying to myself? I curled into a tight ball. No, Edward wasn't a killer. Even in his darker past, he'd never been a murderer of innocents, at least. But what if he had been? What if, during the time I that I'd known him, he'd been just like any other vampire? What if people had been disappearing from the woods, just like now? Would that have kept me away from him? I shook my head sadly. Love is irrational, I reminded myself. The more you loved someone, the less sense anything made. I rolled over and tried to think of something elseand I thought of Jacob and his brothers, out running in the darkness. I fell asleep imagining the wolves, invisible in the night, guarding me from danger. When I dreamed, I stood in the forest again, but I didn't wander. I was holding Emily's scarred hand as we faced into the shadows and waited anxiously for our werewolves to come home.