Walkabout essays

Walkabout essays In the novel Walkabout, the writer, James Vance Marshall, wants us to understand accepting differences. He shows us this idea through the character of Mary. Throughout this book, Mary overcomes this idea and accepts the culture that is not familiar to her. At the beginning of the book Mary did not appreciate the Bush Boy for helping out Mary and Peter. Mary did whatever she can to avoid the Bush Boy and even tried to get her brother from getting near him. The girls first impulse was to grab Peter and run, but as her eyes swept over the stranger, her fear died away. Mary at first thought the Bush Boy was a threat to her, giving her fear and curiosity on whether she should trust the Bush Boy or not. She gradually became familiar with the Bush Boy and realized that he was not as bad as she thought he was. Still Mary could not become friendly with him like her brother is. The one thing that was blocking their friendship was the nakedness of the Bush Boy. Yet his nakedness still appalled her. She felt guilty every time she looked at him. She told herself that it wasnt his fault he was naked, that his nakedness was due, purely and simply, to his primitive way of life. But this didnt make it, for her, any more acceptable. Altho ugh she could not accept this feature of the Bush Boy, Mary still followed him and trusted in what he did for Peter and Mary. As they continued their voyage Mary still showed no sign of care for the Bush Boy. When Peter told Mary that the Bush Boy is going to die, Mary said that it was just a cold and that it would go away. I think hes sick, Mary. He looks O.K to me. Hes got a cold, Pete. Like you had. Nothing to bother about. Mary never really cared about the Bush Boy as much her brother, Peter did. Mary went on throughout the journey without really caring about the Bush Boys health. Later in the book, the Bu...

Has Social Media Killed Live Blogging

Has Social Media Killed Live Blogging Hasnt Twitter and Storify – pretty much any social media – killed live blogging? Well, no. Live blogging is not dead, not exactly. The reports of its death are greatly exaggerated. Granted, live blogging has certainly changed in recent years, becoming a mix of blogging and social feeds on the blogs and websites of those who use this technique, but it is still very much alive. Why Live Blogging Still Matters Live blogging is when you create single post or page that you update continuously throughout an event. Its a powerful tool, but surprisingly, most bloggers dont use live blogging much. It seems relegated to newspapers and news organizations to cover breaking news. Live blogging used to be the go-to method for live coverage, though its popularity is in decline while interest in live tweeting is increasing. You can see that interest in live blogging has declined since 2011. Information from Google Trends. Despite the decline in interest, its a shame bloggers dont use live blogging anymore.  Even with social media, there are reasons why live blogging still has a place in any bloggers repertoire. Live blogging is easy to promote. A live blog has all the immediacy, but just one link to share. You can promote that post or page on social media, and let people know you are live blogging. With a tool like (that connects directly to your blog), you can easily send out regular social messages alerting your audience to your live blogging. You can publish the landing page or post with information on when the event will unfold ahead of time, noting that youll be live blogging there at that time. This makes it easy to promote before the event begins, giving you a single link and plenty of blog real estate to prepare your audience for what youll be live blogging. Live blogging makes it easy to promote your coverage before, during, and after an event.Live blogging can save your Twitter followers. A live blog can spare your followers a deluge of tweets. One of the biggest problems that happens when you live tweet events is that you lose followers. Every year I get carried away and live tweet the Super Bowl and by the end of the night I have lost at least 15 followers. At least. What if I were to live blog the event instead? I could share a few times on social media that I was doing so, and keep the commentary on my own blog so interested parties could join in. There are some events that your followers might not care to hear about, and even if you warn them youll be live tweeting something, some will still unfollow and take you out of their feed. Tweeting too much is a real problem. Live blogging instead of live tweeting keeps you from losing followers who arent interested.Live blogging is better for coherent information. Live blogging isnt limited to 140 characters, hashtags, searches, or any of the other limitations that Twitter sets. Just as blogging is similar to journalism, live blogging is more like a reporters notebook. Twitter is more like a succession of information blips, forcing you to end your tweets with 1/5 or something similar to carry on a longer chunk of information. Readers end up with soundbite information, snippets of content that arent placed in context and can be misunderstood. If you need to capture an event as it unfolds with more than 140 characters and have control over the order your content appears, live blogging is where its at. Social media feeds have limitations on how much you can say, the order they will publish it, and how your fans can find it. If you have important information or something you want delivered consistently in an organized manner during an event, live blogging will do that. Live blogging prevents soundbite information that happens on Twitter. It puts an event in context.Live blogging is the best draft training there is. If you are a blogger with perfectionist tendencies who dawdles and dwells on drafts for days on end, struggling to hit publish and take a post live, then live blogging is going to cure you of it quickly. Really quickly. Its blogging, remember, and not tweeting. Its blogging, but youre doing it live. Your audience is seeing it as it happens. You are going to develop a keen sense of hearing, distilling it down to the basic facts, writing, instant proofing, and publish. And then repeat. Live blogging is exciting. Live blogging puts an end to draft anxiety. You learn to blog quickly.Live blogging brings traffic to your site. When you live tweet, you drive traffic toTwitter. Live-blogging is how you drive traffic back to your own site where you may have ads or affiliate links you are using to generate revenue. With proper promotion, you can use your live coverage of an event to increase your email list or any other call to action that your blog relies on. When Live Blogging Fails Sometimes, though, live blogging doesnt cut it. Its too insulated in some situations. There are times when you want to be on social networks for an event, participating with others, instead of on your own property. Social is king for nation/world-wide events. Lets use that Super Bowl example again. If Im live blogging it instead of live tweeting it, Im doing my uninterested Twitter followers a favor, maybe, but Im missing out on a lot of camaraderie (and possible new followers). For example, the 2011 playoff game between the Bears and the Packers was dismal until a surprise near-turnaround in the final quarter. After the Bears starting quarterback and his replacement were out of the game (accompanied by much mockery), little-known third-stringer Caleb Hanie was brought in. The game suddenly got interesting. Twitter exploded. Tweets were pouring in by the thousands, and Hanies Twitter account racked up over 7,000 followers in about 20 minutes. This was when Twitter still had a live stream in Google search, and watching the Caleb Hanie tweets roll in was incredible fun. People were making jokes, predictions, frantic pleas – this looked like a classic underdog story. And even though  the Bears didnt pull it off, it was a great time to be on Twitter and watching the game. I would not have had that community experience live blogging. I picked up a few new NFL-loving followers, and followed a few myself, just from that experience. When an event is stretched across a wide swath of geography and people, social media is where you tap into it, particularly if it isnt your event and you mainly want to ride the wave along with the rest. Live tweeting national and global events makes more sense than live blogging them.Social is easier to set up and use. Social media apps are on your phone and on the go. Youre already using them, almost as second nature. Theyre easier. They are right with you when something happens. Twitter is a simple app on your phone, requiring no special plugins, immediately accessible. Traditional live blogging has been the forte of the laptop, not the simple phone. Live tweeting a breaking news event out in the field makes excellent sense. You have your phone, which is your camera and publishing tool. Live blogging is not as portable (yet). So when it comes down to which is easiest to use during an event, social media is almost always right there and ready to go. When you have a small readership, social gets attention. Be honest. You might not have a big readership on your blog. You could live blog an event and all 40 of your readers would see it, or you could live-tweet an event and have all 600+ of your followers see it. If your social feeds are more active and read than direct readership of your blog, take your coverage to social media if you want it to get seen.

Real Estate Markets and Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Real Estate Markets and Finance - Essay Example As outlined in the DCLG report, the role of the organizations involved in the delivery of affordable housing, decisions about the amount and types of affordable housing to be provided in individual proposals should reflect local housing need and individual site suitability, and be a matter for agreement between the parties. Local planning authorities and developers should be reasonably flexible in deciding the types of affordable housing most appropriate to a particular site. The objective should be to ensure that the affordable housing secured will contribute to satisfying local housing needs as demonstrated by a rigorous assessment. The policy on planning and affordable housing is set out in more detail in DETR Circular 6/98: Planning and Affordable Housing. Where a local planning authority has decided that an element of affordable housing should be provided in development of a site, there is a presumption that such housing should be provided as part of the proposed development of the site. Failure to apply this policy could justify the refusal of planning permission. A recent report commissioned by the Department for Communities and Local Government stated that: 'It is not hard to make a strong argument for social housing at sub-market rents' (LSE report, 'Ends and Means', 2007).Affordable Housing means housing that has a sales price or rental amount that is within the means of a household that may occupy, middle-, moderate-, or low income housing. In simple words it is "decent quality" housing that low-income households (those whose income is below the poverty level or below 50 percent of the median income for their area) can afford to occupy without spending more than 30 percent of their income or those households with slightly higher incomes (50 to 80 percent of the median income) can similarly afford (Jeffrey & William, 2005).In the case for dwelling units for sale, housing that is affordable means housing in which mortgage, amortization, taxes, insurance and condominium or association fees, if any, constitute no more than [28] percent of su ch gross annual household income for a household of the size which may occupy the unit in question

Hotel Case Study Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hotel Case Study Project - Essay Example For this reason, private and institutional investors still favor the hotel sector in the United Kingdom. The demand for housing in the city is still high making the demand for hotels in central London also high. Development outside the capital is virtually at a standstill and those seeking to develop hotels are faced with many economic challenges. The investment products in the market are also unrealistically priced with the banks being the main regulators of the hotel industry. The Olympic Games were indeed a success story for London and realized a 41% growth in ADR in various pockets that were within the territory including Manchester. Bedroom supply has increased tremendously over the last ten years with the annual growth rate reaching 15.5%. To date, a total of 1,622 new bedrooms have entered the market but with the current economic crisis, this may be detrimental. The long term occupancy for a room outside London is about 65%. Â  In future, it is expected that 3,800 new bedroom s will come into stream by 2016, an expected 70% increase in supply. It is expected that the current market weakness will take a turn and create a demand which will catch up with the new supply. How to Position the Hotel in Terms of Possible Customer Groups and Hence Prices GreenCo will be set up in a place with several target groups in order to increase their customer base. It will have visitors from Manchester Business School who may be coming in briefly to either view the school or give lectures. The Oxford Railway Station will also provide customers in the form of visitors coming in who may need a place to stay. It will also engage in the development of offices that will seek to target business owners who may set international offices and in addition, require accommodation. It will target the business hotel user and as such, pricing should be carefully evaluated to ensure that it provides the lowest possible rates for rooms in the area. What the Likely Turnover of the Proposed H otel Is, and Drawing on Other Hotel Operators’ Financial Performance, an Indication Of Likely Profits UK Hoteliers are faced with widespread difficulties that have predicted a fall in occupancy and extra work for regional owners despite continued investor interest. The hotel team at PWC has predicted a 70% drop in occupancy in the regions, 79% drop in London as well as 1.2% drops in the average daily room rates (ADR). This is expected to have ADR in the provinces at $58 and $137 in the capital. Because of increased supply and greater competition, hotel revenue per available room (RevPAR) will drop by 1.4% in the regions and 3.2% in London. This will leave RevPAR at $108 in the capital and $41 elsewhere. Despite this gloomy outlook, after the Eurozone crisis is felt and further new room supply enters the market further pushing down the prices, tour operators who previously avoided the capital are expected to return to the capital. With these estimations in mind, an estimated, the projected sales in 2012 for Holiday Inn in Stanstead Airport of 5 million with an occupancy rate of 73.5%. This is expected because this hotel is located near the capital as compared to GreenCo which is located in the province. Gold which also operates in an area similar to GreenCo expects annual revenue of 2 million. Drawing on the operation of other hotels, GreenCo is likely to receive profits of about 3 million. Any Additional Ideas on Marketing would be Welcome

Improving Study Habits Essay Example for Free

Improving Study Habits Essay â€Å"The greatest time saver is being organized. Establish routines that go like clockwork.† Maximizing time makes an individual productive. Personal time management is organizing and managing according to personal priorities, to get where one wants to go. Those who use this technique are the highest achievers in all walks of life. The interesting and essential step in beginning to manage time more effectively is to identify how time is being spent, because only through examining, one can begin to set priorities, eliminate time barriers and aids to better time management. In the course of Bachelor of Science in Psychology, students need to learn many skills that are needed in practicing the actual profession. Psychology students have so many academic requirements to prioritize, but they also have extra-curricular that are important as well, and they always need to cope with time pressure. College is an entirely different situation than high school. Classes consist of far fewer grades, but they are worth it when you are done. Do not tell yourself, Ill read the assignment later, because often times you merely end up cramming right before the test; research indicates that cramming is not the best (nor is it the worst) method of studying. At first, different factors can affect the academic performance of a students in order to achieve success, going through the steps are necessary. It should provide time for students to review activities and prevent too many errors that results to unaccomplished tasks or tasks that are accomplished, but after several attempts to do so. It reduces avoidance and welcomes other opportunities that could help in preparing for other tasks. This study will contribute to the perception of the future psychology students in prioritizing the academic activities and requirements in terms of importance and urgency. The researchers conducted a survey regarding the said topic at Centro Escolar University among the second year psychology students. The purpose of this study is to identify the factors affecting the study habits and the effects to academic performance on psychology students’ particularly in the second year level. Habits (or wonts) are routines of behavior that are repeated regularly and tend to occur subconsciously or A habit, from the standpoint of psychology, is a more or less fixed way of thinking, willing, or feeling acquired through previous repetition of a mental experience. As behaviors are repeated in a consistent context, there is an incremental increase in the link between the context and the action. This increases the automaticity of the behavior in that context. Features of an automatic behavior are all or some of: efficiency, lack of awareness, unintentionally, and uncontrollability. And a bad habit is an undesirable behavior pattern. Anyone interested in getting better results, becoming more productive and ultimately more successful should probably take an honest look at the problem of procrastination. Most people think procrastination is just an issue that involves putting things off that can be done later without much of a penalty. But if procrastination will become your habit especially in your study what would be the effect of it in your academic performances? Statement of the problem. 1. What are the bad habits/behavior/attitude toward the respondent’s subjects? Ans. Gagawin pa yang sentence. Lack of interest in the subject area, Unable to set priorities (extra curricular activities, entertainment, etc.), Lack of prerequisites for success in the current subject area, Unstable home life ability to concentrate, lack of interest or motivation to succeed, procrastinating, habitual lateness, overextension, Inability to Prioritize, Negative Mindset and Fear of Failure 2. Does the negative attitudes and habits of psychology students affect their academic performances? 3. The reasons why they act/behave that way. Gagamitan naten to ng theories ha :†) at d pa to tapos. Lack of Focus, Family problems, social lives (including texting, IMing, etc.), outside distractions (phone, music, TV),

Alexander The Great Essay -- essays research papers fc

Alexander the Great and His Achievements Alexander the Great was the king of Macedon. Alexander of Macedon, or ancient Mecadonia, deserves to be called the Great. Alexander the Great was considered one of the greatest military geniuses of all times. He was an excellent king, general, and conqueror. During his thirteen-year rule he conquered almost all the then known world and gave a new direction to history. He had established an empire after he died. His new empire helped many people live their lives. He improved the way of life in his empire in many ways. Conquering other lands spread the Greek traditions and language. Alexander the Great was born in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedon (Martin 192). He was the son of Philip II and Olympias. Philip II was the king of Macedonia and Olympias was the princess of Epirus (Stewart 18). Alexander had many interests in military strategies (Stewart 20). Once when Alexander was about seven years old, a group of Persian diplomats came to Ma cedon to see Philip. Philip was with his army fighting neighboring tribes so the diplomats stayed and talked with Alexander. They didn't except Alexander to ask questions about the size of the Persian army and the length of the journey to Susa (an important city in Persia). This shows one of Alexander's early interests (Stewart 21). Philip decided to buy Alexander a racehorse when Alexander was ten or eleven years old. The horse was named Bucephalas. Bucephalas' behavior did not please Philip. Philip ordered the horse's owner to take the horse away but Alexander declared that he could tame the horse (Stewart 21). Everyone applauded when they saw Alexander ride the horse. The rest of the company broke into applause, writes Plutarch, while his father, we are told, wept for joy, and when Alexander had dismounted he kissed him and said, 'My boy, you must find a kingdom big enough for your ambitions. Macedon is too small for you' (Stewart 22). Alexander needed more than horsemanship and self-confidence to be a good king. He needed discipline. Philip worried that Olympias spoiled the boy too much. For Alexander to learn those things, Philip hires a stern and a tough tutor to teach Alexander. His name is Leonidas. He monitored Alexander's meals and exercises. Leonidas didn't trust Olympias. He suspected she tried to smuggle extra food in Alexander's marching gear. The man [Leonidas] him... ...f his empire. Antigonus took over in Macedonia and Greece, Seleucus took over Persia, and Ptolemy took over Egypt. The richest, most powerful, and longest lasting of these kingdoms was Ptolemy's (Stewart 113). Ptolemy established the world's first scholarly research institute. Its massive library had the goal of collecting all the books (that is, manuscripts) in the world (Martin 210). Alexandria produced many achievements. Alexandria had museums and libraries. They built many royal palaces. An enormous stone lighthouse called the Pharos was a tomb that contained Alexander 's coffin. Hellenistic sculpture was very famous. People purchased many statues. The largest Hellenistic statue is the Colossus of Rhodes (Martin 211). Although Alexander created a new empire, he wasn't around to see it flourish. Alexander won many respects of many people and other kings. He was a great ruler and general. He had conquered most of the land explored in a short number of years. The Hellenistic Age was an important age after Alexander's reign. Alexander's empire improved ways of life in Greece in many ways. Alexander created one of the best empires ever built. Bibliography Self Made Words: 1403

Edward P. Jones’ “The First Day” Essay

Edward P. Jones’ â€Å"The First Day† is the recollection of a young girl’s first day of school. Her memory of this particular day is incredible; she remembers each and every event in meticulous detail. Having come from a poverty stricken and uneducated household, this was the most important day of her short five year old life. On this day she began to realize her mother’s resilience and fortitude was all in hopes of giving her the education she deserved and the opportunity to live a better life. The girl’s first day of school is her coming of age in life in which she begins to understand that her education, which her mother has so desperately fought for, will eventually be the separation in their relationship. Her mother made sure to dress her in nice clothes, with perfectly braided hair, and brand new black patent leather shoes to impress the school teachers. She wanted to show that her daughter deserved to be in school and was worthy of receiving a proper education. Upon arriving at school she begins to notice the differences between her mother and the administrative women outside the building. She notices luxuries about the women that she knew her mother could never afford, â€Å"The woman has pearls thick as jumbo marbles that come down to her naval†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Jones 287). After being informed that she cannot attend Seaton Elementary School because of the neighborhood she lives in, the young girl assumes she will not be attending school after all. But her mom does not hesitate to start off towards yet another local elementary school. At this point she begins to realize her mother’s determination. After arriving at Walker-Jones a new rush of feelings begins to sweep over her. As her mother fumbled to find the registration paperwork she notices a young girl who is clearly better off than she is. Her anger is apparent. She doesn’t understand why this process looks so easy for the girl and why it has been so difficult for her. She senses her mother’s frustration with the forms†¦

The Return: Nightfall Chapter 7

There was a sort of universal gasp. Stefan went white, his compressed lips showing in a tight line. Bonnie felt as if she were choking on words, on explanations, on recriminations about Caroline's own behavior. Elena may have had as many boyfriends as the stars in the sky, but in the end she had given all that up – because she fell in love – not that Caroline would know anything aboutthat . â€Å"Don't have anything to say now?† Caroline was taunting. â€Å"Can't find any cute answer? Bat got your tongue?† She began to laugh, but it was forced, glassy laughter, and then words were spilling out of her almost as if uncontrollably, all words that weren't supposed to be spoken in public. Bonnie had said most of them at one time or another, buthere , andnow , they formed a stream of venomous power. Caroline's words were building up to some kind of crescendo – something was going to happen – this kind of force couldn't be contained – Reverberations, Bonnie thought as the sound waves began building up†¦. Glass,her intuition told her.Get away from glass. Stefan just had time to whirl to Meredith and shout,†Get rid of the lamp.† And Meredith, who was not only quick on the uptake but also a baseball pitcher with a 1.75 ERA, snatched it up and threw it at – no, through – – an explosion as the porcelain lamp shattered – – the open window. There was a similar shattering in the bathroom. The mirror had exploded behind the closed door. Then Caroline slapped Elena across the face. It left a bloody smear, which Elena patted tentatively. It also left a white handprint, turning to red. Elena's expression was one to wring tears from a stone. And then Stefan did what Bonnie considered the most astonishing thing of all. He very gently put Elena down on the floor, kissed her upturned face, and turned to Caroline. He put his hands on her shoulders, not shaking, only holding her still, forcing her to look at him. â€Å"Caroline,† he said, â€Å"stop it.Come back. For the sake of your old friends who care for you, come back. For the sake of the family that loves you, come back. For the sake of your own immortal soul,come back. Come back to us!† Caroline just eyed him belligerently. Stefan half turned aside, toward Meredith, grimacing. â€Å"I'm not really cut out to do this,† he said wryly. â€Å"It's not any vampire's forte.† Then he turned toward Elena, his voice tender. â€Å"Love, can you help? Can you help your old friend again?† Already Elena was trying to help, trying to get to Stefan. She had pulled herself up very shakily, first by the rocking chair and then by Bonnie, who tried to help her under the burden of gravity. Elena was as wobbly as a newborn giraffe in roller skates, and Bonnie – almost half a head shorter – was finding her hard to handle. Stefan made a motion as if to help, but Matt was already there, steadying Elena on the other side. Then Stefan had Caroline turned around, and he was holding her, not letting her dart away, forcing her to face Elena fully. Elena, while being held at the waist so that her hands were free, made some curious motions, seeming to draw designs more and more quickly in the air in front of Caroline's face, at the same time clasping and unclasping her hands with the fingers in different positions. She seemed to know exactly what she was doing. Caroline's eyes followed the movements of Elena's hands as if compelled, but it was clear from her snarling that she hated it. Magic, Bonnie thought, fascinated. White Magic. She's calling on angels, just as surely as Caroline was calling demons. But is she strong enough to pull Caroline out of the darkness? And at last, as if to complete the ceremony, Elena leaned forward and kissed Caroline chastely on the lips. All hell broke loose. Caroline somehow squirmed out of Stefan's grip and tried to claw Elena's face with her nails. Objects in the room went sailing through the air, propelled by no human force. Matt tried to grab Caroline's arm and got a punch in the stomach that doubled him over, followed by a chop to the back of the neck. Stefan let go of Caroline to scoop up Elena and get her and Bonnie out of harm's way. He seemed to assume that Meredith could take care of herself – and he was right. Caroline swung at Meredith, but Meredith was ready. She grabbed Caroline's fist and helped her in the direction of the swing. Caroline landed on the bed, twisted, and then rushed Meredith again, this time getting a grip on her hair. Meredith pulled free, leaving a tuft of hair in Caroline's fingers. Then Meredith got under Caroline's guard and hit her squarely on the jaw. Caroline collapsed. Bonnie cheered and refused to feel guilty about it. Then, for the first time, as Caroline lay still, Bonnie noticed that Caroline's fingernails were all there again – long, strong, curved, and perfect, not one of them chipped or broken. Elena's Power? It must be. What else could have done it? With just a few motions and a kiss, Elena had healed Caroline's hand. Meredith was massaging her own hand. â€Å"I never realized ithurt so much to knock people out,† she said. â€Å"They never show it in movies. Is it the same for guys?† Matt flushed. â€Å"I†¦uh, I've never actually†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"It's the same for everyone, even vampires,† Stefan said briefly. â€Å"Are you all right, Meredith? I mean, Elena could†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No, I'm fine. And Bonnie and I have a job to do.† She nodded at Bonnie, who nodded weakly back. â€Å"Caroline's our responsibility, and we should have realized why shereally had to come back this last time. She doesn't have a car. I'll bet she used that downstairs telephone and tried to get somebody to pick her up, but couldn't, and then she came upstairs again. So now we have to take her home. Stefan, I'm sorry. It hasn't been much of a visit.† Stefan looked grim. â€Å"It's probably as much as Elena could take, anyway,† he said. â€Å"More than I thought she could take, honestly.† Matt said, â€Å"Well, I'm the one with the car, and Caroline is my responsibility, too,† he said. â€Å"I may not be a girl, but I'm a human.† â€Å"Maybe we could come back tomorrow?† Bonnie said. â€Å"Yes, I suppose that would be best,† Stefan said. â€Å"I almost hate to let her go at all,† he added, staring at the unconscious Caroline, his face shadowed. â€Å"I'm afraid for her. Very much afraid.† Bonnie pounced on this. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"I think – well, it may be too early to say, but she seems to be almost possessed by something – but I have no idea what. I think I have to do some serious research.† And there it was again, the ice water dripping down Bonnie's back. The feeling of how close the frigid ocean of fear was, ready to topple down on her and take her on a swift trip to the bottom. Stefan added, â€Å"But what's certain is that she was behaving strangely – even for Caroline. And I don't know whatyou heard when she was cursing, but I heard another voice behind it, prompting her.† He turned to Bonnie. â€Å"Did you?† Bonnie was thinking back. Had there been something – just a whisper – and just a beat before Caroline's voice came? Less than a beat, and just the faintest of sibilant whispers? â€Å"And what happened here may have made it worse. She called on Hell at a moment when this room was saturated with Power. And Fell's Church itself is at the crossing of so many ley lines, it isn't funny. With all that going on – well, I just wish we had a good parapsychologist around.† Bonnie knew they were all thinking of Alaric. â€Å"I'll try to get him to come,† Meredith said. â€Å"But usually he's off in Tibet or Timbuktu doing research these days. It'll take a while even to get a message to him.† â€Å"Thank you.† Stefan looked relieved. â€Å"Like I said, she's our responsibility,† Meredith said quietly. â€Å"We're sorry to have brought her,† Bonnie said loudly, rather hoping that something inside Caroline could hear her. They said their good-byes separately to Elena, not sure of what might happen. But she simply smiled at each of them and touched their hands. By good luck or by the grace of something far beyond their understanding, Caroline woke up. She even seemed mostly rational, if a little fuzzy, when the car reached her driveway. Matt helped her out of the car and walked her to the door on his arm, where Caroline's mother answered the doorbell. She was a mousy, timid, tired-looking woman who did not seem surprised to be receiving her daughter in this state on a late summer afternoon. Matt dropped the girls off at Bonnie's house, where they spent a night in worried speculation. Bonnie fell asleep with the sound of Caroline's curses echoing in her head. Dear Diary, Something is going to happen tonight. I can't talk or write, and I don't remember how to type on a keyboard very well, but I can send thoughts to Stefan and he can write them down. We don't have any secrets from each other. So this is my diary now. And†¦ This morning I woke up again. I woke up again! It was still summer outside, and everything was green. The daffodils in the garden are all in bloom. And I had visitors. I didn't know exactly who they were, but three of them are strong, clear colors. I kissed them so I won't forget them again. The fourth one was different. I could only see a shattered color, laced with black. I had to use strong words of White Power to keep that one from bringing dark things into Stefan's room. I'm getting sleepy. I want to be with Stefan and feel him holding me. I love Stefan. I would give up anything to stay with him. He asks me, Even flying? Even flying, to be with him and keep him safe. Even anything, to keep him safe. Even my life. Now I want to go to him. Elena (And Stefan is sorry about writing in Elena's new diary, but he has to say some things, because someday maybe she will want to read them, to remember. I've written down her thoughts in sentences, but they don't come that way. They come as thought-fragments, I guess. Vampires are used to translating people's everyday thoughts into coherent sentences, but Elena's thoughts need more translation than most. Usually she thinks in bright pictures, with a scattered word or two. The â€Å"fourth one† that she talks about is Caroline Forbes. Elena has known Caroline almost since babyhood, I think. What bewilders me is that today Caroline attacked her in almost every way imaginable, and yet when I search Elena's mind I can't find any feelings of anger or even any pain. It's almost frightening to scan a mind like that. The question I'd really like to answer is: What happened to Caroline during the short time she was kidnapped by Klaus and Tyler? And did she do what she did today of her own free will? Does some remnant of Klaus's hatred still linger like miasma, tainting the air? Or do we have another enemy in Fell's Church? And most importantly, what do we do about it? Stefan, who is being pulled from the compu.

A Brief Guide to the Sociology of Globalization

A Brief Guide to the Sociology of Globalization The sociology of globalization is a subfield within sociology that focuses on understanding the structures, institutions, groups, relationships, ideologies, trends, and patterns that are particular to a globalized world. Sociologists whose research lies within this subfield focus on how the process of globalization has shifted or changed pre-existing elements of society, new elements of society that may have evolved in response to globalization, and the social, economic, political, cultural, and environmental implications of the process. The sociology of globalization contains the study of economic, political, and cultural globalization, and importantly, examines the interplay of all three aspects, as they are all mutually dependent on one another. When sociologists focus on the economic aspects of globalization, they examine how the capitalist economy has evolved from a pre-globalization state. They research legal changes in the regulations of production, finance, and trade that either facilitated or are responses to the globalization of the economy; how the processes and relations of production are different in a globalized economy; how conditions and experiences of labor, and the value of labor, are particular to a globalized economy; how globalization changes patterns of consumption and distribution; and what may or may not be particular to the business enterprises that operate in a global economy. Sociologists have found that the deregulation of the economy that allowed for its globalization have led to a rise in insecure, low-wage, and unsafe work around the world, and that corporations have amassed unprecedented levels of wealth during capitalism’s global epoch. To learn more about economic globalization, see the work of William I. Robinson, Richard P. Appelbaum, Leslie Salzinger, Molly Talcott, Pun Ngai, and Yen Le Espiritu, among others. When studying political globalization, sociologists focus on understanding what has changed or is new about political institutions, actors, forms of government and governance, the practice of popular politics, modes of political engagement, and the relationships between them in a global context. Political globalization is intimately connected to economic globalization, as it is within the political realm that decisions about how to globalize and run the economy were and are made. Sociologists have found that the global era has wrought entirely new forms of governance that are global in scope (the transnational state), made up of organizations of heads of state or high-level representatives from many nations who determine the rules for global society. Some have focused their research on the implications of globalization for popular political movements, and have illuminated the role of digital technology in facilitating globalized political and social movements that reflect shared idea s, values, and goals of people all over the world (like the Occupy movement, for example). Many sociologists carve a distinction between â€Å"globalization from above,† which is globalization determined by the leaders of transnational corporations and the transnational state, versus â€Å"globalization from below,† a democratic form of globalization called for by popular movements. To learn more about political globalization, see the work of Josef I. Conti, Vandana Shiva, William F. Fisher, Thomas Ponniah, and William I. Robinson, among others. Cultural globalization is a phenomenon connected to both economic and political globalization. It refers to the export, import, sharing, repurposing and adapting of values, ideas, norms, common sense, lifestyles, language, behaviors, and practices on a global scale. Sociologists have found that cultural globalization occurs via the global trade in consumer goods, which spreads lifestyle trends, popular media like film, television, music, art, and material shared online; through the implementation of forms of governance borrowed from other regions that reshape everyday life and social patterns; the spread of styles of conducting business and of working; and from the travel of people from place to place. Technological innovation has a great impact on cultural globalization, as recent advances in travel, media production, and communication technology have brought wide-scale cultural shifts across the world. To learn more about cultural globalization, see the work of George Yà ºdice, Mike Featherstone, Pun Ngai, Hung Cam Thai, and Nita Mathur.

Writing content with clout - Emphasis

Writing content with clout Writing content with clout Ever seen the TV game show Supermarket Sweep? The premise is pretty simple. After answering a series of questions, the contestants are instructed to find certain groceries in the supermarket. Not surprisingly, no-one methodically paces through the aisles. With the clock ticking, they race around frantically searching for visual clues that point to their prized items. Browsing the internet is much the same. Studies have shown that we adopt the same search and seize approach when looking for information online. In fact, only one in six people actually read websites sentence by sentence. Instead, most people scan the text for keywords, bullet points and subheadings. Some studies have even shown that people read only the first two words of headlines before losing interest. And its generally a given that you only have a maximum of 10 seconds to impress your readers before they click to another page or site. The key is to make your writing as direct as possible. As any Twitter fan will know, if you cant say it in 140 characters or less, it simply isnt worth saying. Apply that principle to all your web-based writing and youll be onto a winner. Thats not to say that you cant elaborate on points, make explanations and create coherent arguments. Its just that long rambling sentences are best left to novelists or poets. When it comes to the web, short and sweet is best. Prune through your writing and cut out any meaningless words. And rearrange your sentences so that theyre as punchy as possible. The tips below will help you to create a high-impact writing style A clear focus Know your audience. Ask yourself who youre writing for and what information they want to read. Then focus on one main message per web page. If youre not sure what your main message is, write down the headings who?, what?, where?, when? and why? Then brainstorm your ideas to help clarify your thoughts. Create powerful sentences by speaking directly to the reader. Use words such as you, we, us and our. And use the active voice as much as possible. For instance, we formed the company in 1999 is far more effective than the company was formed in 1999. Ready, aim, fire! Break up the information into digestible chunks and keep your paragraphs short. Use subheads and make sure that, when combined, they tell the story of your article. Bullet points are also a great tool to use when writing for the web. Remember that bullet lists always need an introduction (like this one). They are good for: conveying key information breaking down complex lists summarising main points instructions (especially if numbered). The advantage of using bullet points is that they: make lists clearer, as they are more visual use white space well grab attention help readers scan information reduce word count. Create a call to action By their very nature, websites are interactive. A static site that doesnt involve its readers is like an out-of-date concert poster. Keep inviting your readers to contact you or click other internal links for more information. Try to anticipate your readers needs and then give them what they want. You cant stop them jumping around searching for keywords. But if you give them something of value, you can help them to stick with your website for longer. Remember, be bold with what youre offering and dont be afraid to shout out your content. Give your readers the satisfaction of finding the prized information instantly. The secret is to rig the game so that they win every time. Robert Ashton is the Chief Executive of Emphasis.

Managing People, Finance and Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Managing People, Finance and Marketing - Essay Example There may be organization-wide changes such as mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, leadership changes, and changes in technology. There may be the upsizing, downsizing and resizing that force organizations to change, and in some cases almost daily (Joyce, 2005). There are also changes needed in the culture of organizations or the way they do things. History is replete with many organizations changing for the better and organizations that did not and were doomed to failure in some parts of their history (Waldera, 2002). American Express. American Express, for example, had announced organization and management changes in mid- 2005. The reasons given were that changes were driven by several key developments including: the rapid growth of their Global Network Services (GNS) business in the United States and around the world; the expansion of their worldwide merchant network; the broader long-term relationships they are developing to build business with their merchant partners; and the recent entry of the Travelers Cheque business into the prepaid card arena ("American Express," 2005). Their company, they said, is in an excellent position. They would like to further strengthen their long-term position and propel the new American Express into the ranks of the most successful and most admired companies in the world ("American Express," 2005). IBM Integrated Supply Chain. ... IBM is not unique; its supply chain considerations impact upon many organizations as they attempt to find integrated solutions to complex problems. However, within IBM, this transition, which has affected organizational structure and alignment, process, and IT support, has not been without its problems. The drive to shift from a Functional to a Process control alignment has required a shift in the mindset of the organizations employees (McLaughlin, Paton & Macbeth, 2006). The IBM, as an organization needed to be able to develop flexible end-to-end (E2E) processes that can be "tweaked" and modified to meet changes in customer demand, product availability and overall performance. Performance to them is not simply down to the implementation of elaborate IT systems, but requires the alignment of key personnel in an understanding of the knowledge management aspects relating to the E2E processes. This required management to think about how the business operates from a process, as opposed to a function, perspective (McLaughlin, Paton & Macbeth, 2006). Hewlett Packard. Adizes (1988) postulated that as companies go through various life-cycle stages, their cultures need to change in order to adapt to different business challenges. Rigid adherence to a set of cultural norms can foretell disaster, especially in rapidly changing market conditions (Waldera, 2002) Consider the fate of a non-renewing organization as defined by Waldera (2002). The "HP Way" guided the success and development of this premier technology company since its inception in 1939. However effective the "HP Way" culture was in guiding the company's growth during the first fifty years of its history, it began