Music Censorship - 1092 Words

Although is clearly states in the first amendment that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances, censorship in America still exists in a big way. Music censorship is the term used to describe the act of editing, altering, or preventing the listener from hearing the music as the artist created it in order to either deny certain information or to act as a moral gatekeeper of potentially harmful material (http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~barndollar/courses/spring98/students/fabfive/index.html). The Censorship of†¦show more content†¦Consequently, approximately 1,400 stores dropped the album. Many major retailers such as Woolworths and K-mart will not purchase, and therefore not display, an album with any kind of parental advisory sticker on it. While it is true that legally these labels do not prohibit sales to anyone, the labels amount to an elegant form of censorship, elegant because it is censorship made to look like consumer information. (1) As controversial as records like Ice T and other artists who use either swears or sexually explicit material are, artistic pieces no matter what kink of message they send, or however unpopular they may be, are still protected by the first amendment to the constitution. The people who vote for and pass the laws prohibiting free speech are taking it upon themselves what they think is moral and right for the rest of the country. I feel I can make up my own mind about what type of music I listen to, how about you? One organization claiming to protect the children is the Parents Music Resource Center. At the center of the music labeling controversy, the P.M.R.C., feels that current levels of violence, racism, brutality towards women, drug and alcohol glamorization in music, lyrics, videos and stag e shows need to be addressed through public discussion and debate(Hull 23). The P.M.R.C. hopes to prohibit the sale of records to minors that contain lyrics about sex, drugs and alcohol, murder or suicide(Weinfeld 46). If that were the case, even the bible may beShow MoreRelatedCensorship And Censorship Of Music1544 Words   |  7 PagesThroughout the years, music has evolved and transformed in many ways. However, there are restrictions in today’s music, otherwise known as, censorships. A crisis has emerged concerning the issue of censorship. This argument consists of two possible stances: one, supporting the continuation of censorship, and two, eliminating the status quo of censorships in the music industry. There have been countless debates and arguments regarding the issues of censorship ever since the U.S. Congress passed theRead MoreEssay on Music Censorship1049 Words   |  5 PagesMusic Censorship   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Today, in the 1990s, citizens in our society are being bombarded with obscene material from every direction. From the hate lyrics of Guns N Roses to the satanic lyrics of Montley Crue and Marilyn Manson to the sexually explicit graphical content of todays movies, the issue is how much society is going to permit and where we, as a society, should we draw the line. The freedom of speech has always been considered a right, but that doesnt mean that you can shout, FireRead MoreCensorship in Music Essays1076 Words   |  5 PagesCensorship in Music Censorship in music has been a major problem plaguing America since the early nineteen forties. It came to a head during the nineteen sixties with the Vietnam War and the hippie movement. During the nineteen seventies and eighties heavy metal and hard rock were getting the brunt of the censorship heat. Now in the nineteen nineties the major focus of censorship is rap; primarily gangster rap. Some of the main factors of music in general that cause legal ramifications are sexualRead MoreThe Problem Of Music Censorship1280 Words   |  6 PagesAttention Getter: Imagine yourselves listening to music at a party, you’re jumping around yelling, screaming, and majority of the time singing or rapping along to whatever song is playing. Now imagine every other word, or whole verses in the song getting bleeped out frequently because of the message it presents even though you have the right to listen to whatever you so desire. This is the problem of music censorship we all face today. B. Relevance: BeingRead MoreMusic Censorship Essay625 Words   |  3 PagesMusic Censorship Since the being of time people have been making and listening to music. Music has been considered the best way to express ourselves. The Bible even talks about how music was used to praise God. Music has been used for all type of things ranging from to getting a girl to notice guy, trying to get over a broken heart, or maybe losing a love one. Now society says that music has become too violent and sexually oriented. Many people have different point of view on this topic someRead More Music Censorship Essay640 Words   |  3 Pagesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Why is it that when a person that listens to music that may promote violence and contains â€Å"objectionable† lyrics does a bad thing, families are quick to point out that it was external materials such as the music that influenced the person to do it? nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;This is the controversy over music censorship. Music censorship is the attempt or action taken by any agency to limit or hold back anything in music that a community may find offensive to its beliefs or valuesRead MoreEssay on Censorship of Music1406 Words   |  6 PagesCensorship of Music In todays society, all types of music artists are expressing their views, opinions and feelings in their songs about what they see and what they know. This is on of the great things about this country, the freedom to express yourself. It is not fair, nor is it constitutional that music should be censored in anyway. It is not only rap music trying to be censored it is in all types of music. They are taking away their rights and it isnt fair. As reported in the New York TimesRead More Music Censorship Essay3364 Words   |  14 Pagesfuss about? Censorship, Government officials, and raving mad protesters alike have been trying to stop the expressive creativity in everything from rap music to Mark Twain. Censorship in music is a topic that has brought about much controversy in the past two decades. There have been many different arguments on the topic, however the question still remains as if it should be censored or it should not be censored. In Paul Blanshard’s book The Right To Read: The Battle Against Censorship, he speaksRead MoreMusic Censorship Essay2897 Words   |  12 PagesCensorship in Music When listening to the radio, most people come across a song that has been changed from its original version, whether certain words are beeped out, or a string of lyrics are replaced altogether. This is censorship, and it is very common on the radio. It is also very controversial. People don’t agree what should be censored or if anything should be censored at all. However, we believe that censorship is a good thing. Censorship allows offensive music to be altered so that it isRead More Music Censorship Essay2636 Words   |  11 Pageslyrics. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Since the dawn of musical expression, there have been people trying to stop or hinder the constitutional right to listen and enjoy music of all forms. There were ordinary, everyday people during the infancy of Rock N’ Roll in the 1960’s who made it their mission in life to stop so-called â€Å"obscene† music like the Beatles song â€Å"Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds,† from polluting our airwaves and minds. These groups succeeded in banning some songs from the radio, but most

A Poll Conducted By The Aspca Revealed That 94% Of Americans

A poll conducted by the ASPCA revealed that 94% of Americans believe that production animals, specifically those raised for food, deserve to live a comfortable life free of cruelty and neglect. Despite this belief, many factory farm animals are abused and neglected in such ways that, if witnessed by consumers, would not be accepted. Over 99% of the United State’s farm animals live on factory farms that use them for means of profit, many of them violating the Animal Welfare Act and other laws put in place to protect the humane treatment of animals (ASPCA). This abuse is not limited to any specific type of farm animal. Although different animals are used for different purposes, they all share a common suffering and a need for humane care.†¦show more content†¦Chickens used for egg production typically live in one of many battery cages crammed into a long windowless shed. Ten or more of these hens are packed together in a cage that is about the size of a drawer in a fi ling cabinet. This causes frustration and fighting between the hens. To keep this from happening, farmers often cut or burn part of their beaks off without medicine to dull the pain. Hens who become sick are usually not given proper veterinary care and are left to die slowly and painfully. Some of the eggs laid by the hens are hatched by another industry to supply more chickens for egg production. Since the hatched male chicks cannot lay eggs, they are often killed by grinding or suffocation. When the hens grow old and stop producing as many eggs, many farmers will deny them proper nutrition to try and â€Å"shock† their bodies into laying eggs one last time. Then they are slaughtered and their bodies are used for food scraps. Most of the pigs raised in the U.S. live on large scale factory farms where they are overcrowded and treated inhumanely. At an extremely young age, piglets are stolen from their mothers and placed in crowded, windowless pens. Due to being jampacked, the piglets do not have much range of motion and are constantly laying in their own waste material. This can cause extreme irritation so they begin biting each others tails, causing farmers to rip off their tails and teeth without a sedative to ease the pain. Most sows in the U.S.

Customer Contributions and Roles in Service Delivery free essay sample

Considerable research in marketing and management has examined customer satisfaction with service experiences (e. g. Arnold and Price, 1993; Bitner, Booms and Mohr, 1994; Bitner, Booms and Tetreault, 1990; Keaveney, 1995; Ostrom and Iacobucci, 1995; Surprenant and Solomon, 1987; Zeithaml, Parasuraman and Berry, 1990). Predominantly, the research has focused on the roles of service processes, employees and tangibles in creating quality service experiences for customers. However, in many services customers themselves have vital roles to play in creating service outcomes and ultimately enhancing or detracting from their own satisfaction and the value received. This is true whether the customer is an end consumer (for example, consumers of health care, education, personal care, or legal services) or a business (for example, organizations purchasing maintenance, insurance, computer consulting or training services). In all of these examples, customers themselves participate at some level in creating the service and ensuring their own satisfaction. This manuscript focuses specifically on the roles of customers in creating quality and productivity in service experiences. We will write a custom essay sample on Customer Contributions and Roles in Service Delivery or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Drawing on previous (primarily conceptual) research, two frameworks are first presented to aid managerial decision making and guide potential research related to customer participation in service[1]. The first framework examines different levels of participation required of customers across a variety of service contexts while the second framework presents three major roles played by customers in service delivery. This paper is adapted from â€Å"Quality and productivity in service experiences: customers’ roles†, presented at the QUIS 5 conference in June 1996 and is reproduced by permission of The McGrawHill Companies. International Journal of Service Industry Management, Vol. 8 No. 3, 1997, pp. 193-205.  © MCB University Press, 0956-4233 IJSIM 8,3 The paper then summarizes the results of two empirical studies that illustrate the role of customer participation and the effects on satisfaction with the service (Faranda, 1994; Hubbert, 1995). Levels of customer participation The level of customer participation required in a service experience varies across services as shown in Table I. In some cases, all that is required is the customer’s physical presence (low level of participation), with the employees of the firm doing all of the service production work, as in the case of a symphony concert. Symphony-goers must be present to receive the entertainment service, but little else is required once they are seated. In a business-to-business context, examples of services that require little participation are less common. One example shown in Table I is that of providing plant and flower interior landscaping services. Once the service has been ordered, little is required from the organization other than to open its doors or provide access to the service provider to move plants in and out. 194 Low: Customer presence required during service delivery Products are standardized Moderate: Customer inputs required for service creation High: Customer co-creates the service product Active client participation guides the customized service Service cannot be created apart from the customer’s purchase active participation Customer inputs are mandatory and co-create the outcome Client inputs customize a standard service Service is provided Provision of service requires regardless of any individual customer purchase purchase Payment may be the only Customer inputs (information, required customer input materials) are necessary for an adequate outcome, but the service firm provides the service Examples: End consumer Airline travel Hair cut Motel stay Annual physical exam Fast-food restaurant Full service restaurant Business-to-business customer Uniform cleaning service Pest control Interior greenery maintenance service Marriage counselling Personal training Weight-reduction programme Table I. Levels of customer participation across different services Agency-created advertising campaign Payroll service Independent freight transportation Management consulting Executive management seminar Install wide area network (WAN) Source: Adapted from Hubbert (1995) In other cases, consumer inputs are required to aid the service organization in creating the service (moderate level of participation).

Short Biography Tupac Amaru Shakur free essay sample

Muar Shaker immersed In the culture of the African American urban class at an early age surrounded by economic struggle, political influence and Incarceration. Outpace was born In 1971 and raised In poor Inner-city neighborhoods In New York. Tapes parents Affine Shaker and Billy Garland were prominent members of the Black Panther party. Affine was acquitted on more than 150 charges of conspiracy against the U. S. Overspent but later became addicted to crack cocaine. His godfather was a high ranking Black Panther who was convicted of murder during a robbery and his stepfather spent four years at large on the Bis Ten Misted Wanted sit for having helped his sister escape from a New Jersey penitentiary. Tubas mother encouraged him to develop his creative and expressive capableness by enrolling him in drama school at the age of twelve.Thus, from early on Outpace was taught to succeed in two different worlds by learning the language of the hood, its religiosity, and its culture of survival and struggle along with the intellect verse from formal schooling in the creative arts and print poetry which were the norms. We will write a custom essay sample on Short Biography: Tupac Amaru Shakur or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In 1985, his mother moved him to Baltimore, Maryland to escape the poverty and difficulties f New York and enrolled him In the Baltimore School for the Performing Arts, where he continued the performance education he began In New York.Tubas outlook was affected by the increasing hopelessness and worsening conditions in Americas inner cities and learned to believe that racism and economic discrimination against the blacks contributed to the poverty. He learned to blame the white race along with the police for these conditions thus developing a leading voice for the urban poor with concerns such as gang violence and challenges single mothers face. He later Ovid to California and articulated these strong feelings and emotions Into words of poetry and black protest music Impacting rap music. IP-hop and black culture A high school dropout, Shaker was an avid reader, familiarizing himself with the work of many social theorists, surprising many who knew him only as a rapper. In the early asss, Shaker became self-destructive and was arrested a number of times for assault and various shootings. On the evening before Shaker was convicted of sexual abuse, he was shot in the lobby In a recording studio in Manhattan blaming it on east coast recording artist Biggie Smalls believing that he had prior knowledge of the shooting and didnt warn him.Following the shooting, Shaker was released from prison early after an appeal financed by record l abel Death Row Records in exchange to release three albums under that label helped spark the East Coast-West Coast rivalry. Six months later Smalls was shot and killed. White and black Americans viewed Shaker differently. Some whites as any people viewed him as a thug gangster due to his legal issues along with some of his lyrics displaying his hate toward white people and the killing of white people. However, these lyrics were directed to racist white people.Half his fans were white and he loved them because he knew that they were not racists. All blacks loved him because he was all about empowerment and recognition for black people. Outpace hated anyone who disliked blacks because he was fighting for equality. He loved every race as long as they were respectful of each other. Outpace Shaker was not a victim of society. He turned himself into a thug . He choose and the consequences for the wrong choices. Your life is what you make of it. Wouldnt we all like to use that excuse? Could Outpace Shakers death have been prevented? I am uncertain that he is in fact dead.It is possible as many have asked that he faked his own death such as the Witness Protection Program would do for his safety after several attempts made on his life. For example, he had no life insurance policies as possibly not to engage in insurance fraud and no will. He had the connections through his mothers political influences to receive plastic surgeries. . In addition, Shaker replaced words in his writings with symbols. He always rapped about dying and being reincarnated as a bigger and better improvement. Maybe he really is reborn again right now among us unrecognizable as Outpace?

Why Customers Are Key To Skyrocketing Conversion Rates with Talia Wolf

Why Customers Are Key To Skyrocketing Conversion Rates with Talia Wolf What does marketing look like today? Well, it’s a blend of art and science. It brings together creative visuals and copy with marketing research and analytics. Marketers are now creative creators dressed in lab coats. And, conversion rate optimization (CRO) a system that increases the percentage of visitors to a Website that are converted into customers is a perfect example. Today, we’re talking to Talia Wolf of GetUplift, which offers businesses and entrepreneurs training on how to increase conversions. Talia tells the truth and dispels myths about CRO. She also explains why CRO needs to be more customer centric and what it’s like when done right. CRO is not just about changing elements on a page and hoping for the best; it’s about solving people’s problems and improving the customer’s journey Talia gets into people’s heads because they buy on emotion and then rationalize with different reasons; she focuses on people behind the screen rather than data Emotional Targeting Process: Identifying emotions and getting to know customers better Utilize customer surveys/interviews and competitor analysis; talk to people, ask the right questions, and analyze answers Conversion Psychology: You’re not buying a product, but higher self-esteem and better versions of yourself People browse and search for solutions via Google, then hit Command and open a bunch of tabs; 3 seconds to grab their attention and understand their pain Do groundwork and run meaningful tests on strategies, concepts, or hypothesis Color Psychology: People are influenced by colors in different ways due to their culture, emotions, experience, and more factors Links: GetUplift GetUplift Blog Joanna Wiebe Claire Suellentrop Tiffany daSilva Color Psychology in Marketing Write and send a review to receive a care package If you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The Actionable Content Marketing Podcast! The podcast is also available on SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Quotes by Talia Wolf: â€Å"My entire goal is driven towards understanding my client’s customers. Getting into their heads, and then creating a better funnel for them, so that they enjoy converting, and you make more money.† â€Å"My take on conversion optimization is it’s not about changing elements on the page, it’s about solving people’s problems.† â€Å"Everything might change on the page, but everything will be working together to make people feel a certain thing to answer a certain question.† â€Å"Without doing the real groundwork, you’re never actually going to achieve those record-breaking results that you’re after.†

Advanced French Verb Conjugation

Advanced French Verb Conjugation Conjugation refers to the five possible inflections of a verb: Person, Number, Mood, Tense, and Voice. Once youve made a choice from each of these five, you have a conjugation or inflection. For example:Verb - parlerPerson - first personNumber - singularMood - indicativeTense - presentVoice - active je parleVerb - allerPerson - third personNumber - pluralMood - subjunctiveTense - presentVoice - active quils aillentWhen conjugating a French verb, the first things to figure out are the tense and mood, which work hand-in-hand. All moods have at least two tenses (present and past) out of the possible 8 (only the indicative has all 8). The verb timeline lists moods horizontally and tenses vertically.The indicative is the most common mood and is normally not stated. When you talk about the passà © composà ©, the imperfect, or the present tense, for example, you mean of the indicative mood. Its only with other moods like subjunctive and conditional that the mood is stated explicitly.All m oods have a present tense, which is again not made explicit except in the indicative and participle (parentheses indicate what normally goes unsaid): present (indicative)(present) conditional(present) subjunctive(present) imperative(present) infinitivepresent participle So for example, the imperfect (indicative) and the imperfect subjunctive are two different moods of the same tense. On the other hand, the (present) conditional and the past conditional are two different tenses of the same mood. The verb timeline can help you understand this, because it lines up moods and tenses so that you can see how they all fit together. X axis Y axis verb form and basis of individual conjugations. Voil - now that you understand the basics of French verb conjugation, study the lessons on individual tenses and moods (linked from the verb timeline) to learn more, or visit my French grammar glossary. Tricky Subjects When you understand subject pronouns, tenses, moods, and how to conjugate  French verbs, youre in great shape. There are however some grammatical subjects which make conjugation a bit more difficult. Multiple Subjects When you have more than one subject, you have to figure out which  subject pronouns  would replace that group and then conjugate the verb accordingly. For example,  toi et moi  would be replaced by  nous, as would  David et moi.  Toi et lui  and  Michel et toi  would be replaced by  vous.  Lui et elle  or  Marc et Anne  would be replaced by  ils. The trick is to make this replacement in your head without actually saying it out loud, as denoted by the (parentheses):  Ã‚  Ã‚  Toi et moi (nous) pouvons le faire  Ã‚  Ã‚  You and I can do it  Ã‚  Ã‚  Paul, Marie et moi (nous) mangeons  Ã‚  Ã‚  Paul, Marie, and I are eating  Ã‚  Ã‚  Toi et elle (vous) à ªtes en retard  Ã‚  Ã‚  You and she are late  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sophie et toi (vous) devez partir  Ã‚  Ã‚  You and Sophie have to leave  Ã‚  Ã‚  Luc et sa femme (ils) sont arrivà ©s  Ã‚  Ã‚  Luc and his wife have arrived  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lui et elle (ils) lisent beaucoup  Ã‚  Ã‚  He and she read a lot Subject +Object Pronoun In a construction with an  object pronoun, usually  nous  or  vous, there is sometimes a tendency to conjugate the verb according to it, rather than to the  subject pronoun, because the object directly precedes the verb. Though this tends to be a careless mistake made orally rather than a lack of understanding, its included here just as a little reminder.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Je vous ai donnà © la liste  Ã‚  Ã‚  I gave you the list  Ã‚  Ã‚  xx Je vous avez donnà © la liste xx  Ã‚  Ã‚  Vous nous avez menti  Ã‚  Ã‚  You lied to us  Ã‚  Ã‚  xx Vous nous avons menti xx Cest... qui The construction  cest  Ã‚  stressed pronoun  Ã‚  qui  makes many people - including at times native French speakers - want to use the third person singular verb conjugation because of  qui. But this is incorrect; in fact, the conjugation has to agree with the pronoun.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cest moi qui ai gagnà ©Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Its me that won  Ã‚  Ã‚  xx Cest moi qui a gagnà © xx  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cest vous qui avez tort  Ã‚  Ã‚  Youre the one whos wrong  Ã‚  Ã‚  xx Cest vous qui a tort xx  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cest nous qui allons le faire  Ã‚  Ã‚  Were the ones who are going to do it  Ã‚  Ã‚  xx Cest nous qui va le faire xx Pronoun + Qui Similar to the  cest... qui  construction is a subject or  demonstrative pronoun  Ã‚  qui. Again, the  qui  makes people want to use the third person singular, but once again the conjugation has to agree with the pronoun.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Vous qui avez mangà © pouvez partir  Ã‚  Ã‚  Those of you who have eaten may leave  Ã‚  Ã‚  xx Vous qui a mangà © pouvez partir xx  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ceux qui veulent aider doivent me voir  Ã‚  Ã‚  Those who want to help need to see me  Ã‚  Ã‚  xx Ceux qui veut aider doivent me voir xx  Ã‚  Ã‚  Je cherche celles qui à ©tudient  Ã‚  Ã‚  Im looking for the ones who are studying  Ã‚  Ã‚  xx Je cherche celles qui à ©tudie xx Collective Subjects Collective subjects can take the third person singular or plural:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Un tas de fleurs sont mortes / Un tas de fleurs est mort  Ã‚  Ã‚  A bunch of flowers died  Ã‚  Ã‚  Un grand nombre de livres ont disparu / Un grand nombre de livres a disparu  Ã‚  Ã‚  A large number of books disappeared Adverbs of Quantity Adverbs of quantity  take the third person singular or plural, depending on the number of the noun that follows:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Beaucoup dà ©tudiants sont arrivà ©s  Ã‚  Ã‚  A lot of students have arrived  Ã‚  Ã‚  Peu de pluie est tombà ©e  Ã‚  Ã‚  Little rain fell  Ã‚  Ã‚  Combien de livres y a-t-il  ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  How many books are there?Also see ...dentre... below. Indefinite Pronouns Indefinite pronouns  always take a third person conjugation (either singular or plural, depending on the number of the pronoun).  Ã‚  Ã‚  La plupart a dà ©cidà ©Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most have decided  Ã‚  Ã‚  Plusieurs sont perdus  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many are lost  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tout le monde est l  Ã‚  Ã‚  Everyone is thereAlso see ...dentre... ...dentre... When an  adverb of quantity  or  indefinite pronoun  is followed by  entre  Ã‚  personal pronoun, many non-native French speakers (including myself) want to conjugate the verb according to the personal pronoun. But this is incorrect - in this construction, the verb has to be conjugated to agree with what comes before  entre, not what comes after.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Certains dentre vous ont oublià ©Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some of you forgot  Ã‚  Ã‚  xx Certains dentre vous avez oublià © xx  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beaucoup dentre nous sont en retard  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many of us are late  Ã‚  Ã‚  xx Beaucoup dentre nous sommes en retard xx  Ã‚  Ã‚  Chacun dentre vous peut le faire  Ã‚  Ã‚  Each one of you can do it  Ã‚  Ã‚  xx Chacun dentre vous pouvez le faire xx

We Are What We Trade by David Sirota Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

We Are What We Trade by David Sirota - Essay Example Organizations and nations can ship their companies to locations or destinations that one can consider less expensive. In the end, it makes it easy for companies and nations to benefit from free trade and the element of globalization (Sirota). Even though globalization seems to bring benefits, there are several disadvantages that it captures. For instance, the author rightly put it by capturing an instance where the concept of free trade seems to water down the aspects of job creation. The author seeks to study the effects and the role that free trade presents to the global society. People and, in this case, parties concerned in the trade need to understand the impact of globalization and how it defines our nature. Sirota mentions the roles of lobbyists and crusaders who are out to promote free trade and globalization as parties who are carrying out a boring job. The author shares the notion that the work presented by these lobbyists as dishonest. It is not clear what the lobbyists and crusaders are vouching for on this matter (Sirota). It seems that while they continue talking about the positives of globalization, the negative keep on playing out. It is quite clear that the author assumes the responsibility to share these insights to place the society in a better position when it comes to making choices in the society. Sirota’s article plays three major roles in writing. First, it seeks to inform the readers about the effects of free trade and globalization. It is quite clear that the article leaves the reader in a better position to comment on the society and their role in dealing or addressing issues. Secondly, the author seems to criticize some of the roles, tasks and aspects that the lobbyists are making about globalization. Thirdly, the author is persuading the readers not to be passive when it comes to passing bills and policies that affect them whether directly or indirectly. It is

GMO the Necessary Evil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

GMO the Necessary Evil - Essay Example There have been many mixed reactions due to GM foods because of the rampant debate surrounding GMO technology. Today, the process of genetic modification is rapidly advancing throughout the planet. In 2004, 8.25 million farmers in 17 nations grew the crops (Ahmed 30). The production and marketing of GM foods are due to the superficial benefits they hold either to the producer or to consumption of these genetic foods. When it was first introduced, GM seeds developers needed their products to be accepted by producers and focus on innovations that have direct benefits to the farmers and the food industry at large. For example, the International Rice Research Institute located in the Philippines manufactured the GM golden rice to help people in South East Asia that were lacking food. Research has shown that GMO presents significant threats because of inconclusive research on their safety and their effects on the environment. However, I believe GMO is a necessary evil that the human race must contend with because it faces an imminent food crisis. GMO is the necessary evil that will solve the world food problem (Specter 34). GMO foods are unavoidable, and we cannot live without them. The World Health Organization (WHO), the Food, Drug Administration, and other scientific bodies in the world have strongly advocated for the use of GM foods, since they do not predispose the human health to any harm. Additionally, research shows that the risks to human health that may be brought about by the consumption of GM foods are the same as those that are produced by the consumption of non-GM foods. Moreover, GM foods are safe to use as they tested for food safety and passed the safety assessment. Some people believe that GM foods should be eliminated due to the risks they have like the health issues. It is a fact that people have eaten some of the GM foods unknowingly, but no complains of serious concerns (Ahmed 18). By 2040, the world’s population is predicted to increase

The poems Half-past Two, Reports and Dear Mr. Lee Essay Example for Free

The poems Half-past Two, Reports and Dear Mr. Lee Essay Look again at the poems Half-past Two, Reports and Dear Mr. Lee. How does UA Fanthorpe create a sense of character in each poem and what does the reader learn about her view of the education system as presented in these three poems? The three poems analysed in this essay are Half-past Two, Dear Mr Lee and Reports all of which are written by UA Fanthorpe. The poems are linked to each other as they refer to the education system. The order of the poems are the least critical of the education system to the most critical. In the first poem I have selected to compare is Half-past Two. The poem follows the thoughts of a small boy, waiting in a classroom for his teacher to arrive at half-past two. The only problem is that he is unable to tell the time and so is unable to judge at what time he must leave the classroom. The minutes he waits in the classroom for his teacher to arrive, feel like eternity to the boy as hes lost in time. The poem shows the young pupils routine being broken, as he dreams of being lost in a world of confusion. The beginning of Half-past Two begins like a fairytale: Once upon in a child-like tone. The main character in the poem is the little boy. The boy is left to stay behind in the classroom as hed done Something Very Wrong. The capitilisation and repetition of the line two lines later, indicates to the reader the teachers angry tone and she was cross show the reader the feelings of the pupil being ashamed. Yet it doesnt go into detail what hed done: (I forget what it was). From the beginning of the poem it is obvious to the reader that it is written by the pupil as an adult remembering back a childhood memory, as the brackets throughout the poem show the adult perspective. As a pupil at the time he hadnt done anything serious as it had not played a significant part in his life. The use of vocabulary such as Grantime indicates to the reader its a small child. Due to the fact the little boys illiterate the spoken words sound like a single unit: Gettinguptime, timeyouwereofftime. This is represented by words being merged together as one. The little boy understands time in terms of actions or events that happened at these times and knows a lot of time for a small child: All the important times he knew. But not half-past two. The boy hadnt been taught time by his teacher, but he was too scared of being wicked to remind her. The little boy is innocent, scared and sad for what hed done and hasnt done anything serious, thus becoming the object of the readers sympathy. The clock face seems real and alive to the boy: the little eyestwo long legs for walking. As he stares at the clock the little boy thinks the clock is talking to him, as UA Fanthorpe uses onomatopoeia: But he couldnt click its language The personification of the clock symbolises how the childs imgagination starts to develop the only interesting and important object in the room indicating the boy feels very mundane: So he waited, beyond onceupona. The boy then starts to fall into a dream world like a fairytale due to the boredom he suffers, which reminds him of bedtime going to a world beyond onceupona. The boys daily routine has been broken, as there are no adults around to tell him when its time to do something. As he falls into a daze: Into the smell of old chrysanthemumsInto the air outside the window, into ever the repetition of the word into suggests the timelessness and the environment around the boy is changing and drifting as he becomes aware of every minute smells as his senses become alert. The other characters in the poem Half-past Two is the little boys teacher. The teacher comes to the little boys rescue. As when she enter there is a dramatic effect, and shes shocked when she see the little boy still in the classroom: And then, My goodness, she said The teachers disorganized, disorientated and forgetful as she scuttled about, panicking about the boy. The teacher is so busy, she cant remember what she has taught her pupils. The reader gets the impression that the teacher is young and doesnt have a lot of teaching experience being new to the field. Its ironic as she says Run along or youll be late as he doesnt know what time is. UA Fanthorpes presentation of the education system as presented in Half-past Two shows the reader how imperative time is in order to function and survive in modern day society. In the poem the importance of time is when the detention ends not when a particular event occurs. The message UA Fanthorpe is getting across to the reader about the education system is that time is crucial and that it must be taught earlier on in the school syllabus rather then a later stage in life, as a young childs sense in life is determined by routine events. The second poem is called Dear Mr Lee also written by UA Fanthorpe. The poem is written in form of a letter, by an English student expressing their love for a piece of literature by Laurie Lee. The student is writing a letter of apology, as they think they have failed an English exam yet may be proved wrong as the student seems pessimistic. The reader learns about why the student is writing the letter and the feelings and emotions of the student about failing an English exam. The beginning of the poem Dear Mr Lee is one long continuous stanza by the student whereas in Half-past Two the poem is written in short verses. The poems are both similar as in Half-past Two the short verses represent the childs short disjointed thoughts as also in Dear Mr Lee the structure of the poem follows the students thoughts like a stream of chaotic consciousness by using enjambment. The reader gets the feeling that the student is three dimensional, as even though the character is pessimistic, yet they are positive about Cider with Rosy. The student is very sarcastic about her English teacher, Mr Smart but shows maturity as she doesnt pass the blame for her failing exam. In contrast to Dear Mr Lee the vocabulary used in Half-past Two is very simple and the made-up words represent a young childs language. The reader learns that the main character in the book is an English student expressing their passion for their favourite author, Laurie Lee. The student addresses Mr. Lee is a sign of the students respect and admiration for him. The student refers to Mr. Lee as Laurie Lee as they see him as a friend: Its rude to call you Laurie, but thats how I think of you. The letter is friendly and informal yet trying to be formal in order to show respect. Other characters mentioned in the poem in Dear Mr Lee is also a teacher just like in Half-past Two. The student describes her English teacher Mr Smart as cynical and uninspiring, indicating to the reader he isnt a supporting and helpful teacher. The name Mr Smart may be an ironic nickname given by the student, yet the reader never finds out. Mr Smart is a direct contrast to Laurie Lee who is his dynamic opposite. He doesnt seem to motivate his students, which is due to the lack of enthusiasm shown by the student towards his English classes. In Half-past Two the teacher didnt mean to leave him in the classroom for that long a period of time to cruel. The teacher had genuinely forgot that she had left the poor little boy in the classroom and did everything she could to slot him back into his usual routine. Mr Smart is harsh and critical as he says to the student that anyone with her punctuation to consider poetry as a career is enough to make the angels weep. Mr Smart is only intereste d in exam results and not the subject. The presentation of the education system in Dear Mr Lee criticizes the education system, as it doesnt credit the students enthusiasm and passion for literature and English. From UA Fanthorpes poem, it indicates to the reader that education is interested in good exam results from pupils and wants a restrictive and analytical approach, which discourages a personal and intimate response from students. The student didnt enjoy studying Shakespeare, as she didnt understand what was being taught. The one book that the student was able to understand and love was the book Cider with Rosy yet when it came to the exam the student didnt much like the questions about social welfare in the rural community and the seasons as perceived by an adolescent. The exam doesnt credit the students enthusiasm and passion for the book, and so the student failed the exam. Unlike Dear Mr Lee the poem Half-past Two is less critical, as it only emphasis the necessity of time. While in Dear Mr Lee is very critical towards the education syllabus, and how the syllabus is being taught. The poems are both similar as the teacher plays a major role in the students view and thoughts. Mr. Smarts attitude towards one of his students has an affect on their motivation towards English. As a teacher Mr. Smart lacked to offer the support and passion the student required in order to appreciate and take leisure in English. The last poem I will analyse is Reports which is also written by UA Fanthorpe. The poem Reports is written from a teachers point of view unlike in Half-past Two and Dear Mr Lee which are written from the point of view of students. Out of all the poems Reports is the most critical, as the teacher shows his or her frustration towards the education system. The teacher is trying to write reports for their students yet in order to justify the truth about the students they must be politically correct. This leaves the teacher stranded and unable to write an accurate, truthful and fair report for the pupils. Due to not writing accurate reports, it leaves the teacher annoyed, as there is no more truth in the education system, which has become corrupt. The poem Reports is the most negative of the three poems, this is due to the fact there isnt one single positive comment made by the teacher. The beginning of Reports has the use of italics in order to indicate to the reader what the teacher is thinking of what to write unlike in Half-past Two where italics represent speech: Has made a sound beginning This is written in typical report style phraseology. The tone of the poem is formal from the start to the end, similar to the poem Dear Mr Lee except Reports is formal through out. The poem is written in stanzas just like in Half-past Two except they are longer showing the thoughts of the teacher are more sophisticated and more developed than the little boy in the poem Half-past Two. Using Pronouns are dangerous as the teacher doesnt want to be personal and indirect which may be considered rude. When the teacher uses the word dangerous they are using a mocking sarcastic tone, as the teacher will be in trouble for breaking a school policy. This proves to the reader that teacher and pupil relationships arent close as shown in Dear Mr Lee where teachers dont want to get personal with their students. The teacher has a very cynical view of reports, as they feel they are obligated to write what people want to hear. The teachers negativity is sensed in Dear Mr Lee as seen by the character M r. Smart. The teacher must constantly remind themself to: Be on your guard The teacher feels the report says something about the teacher and not just the pupil. The teacher must keep on thinking about what the officials want to hear yet something that will be easily understood as the teacher wants something that Should satisfy them. Near the end of the poem Reports the teacher is reminding themself why they wanted to teach in the first place. Like the teacher in Half-past Two the teacher from Reports used to think education was the most important thing in the world. Then after a few years teaching like in the poem Dear Mr Lee teachers were no longer idealistic and think they could change the world. This leads to the failure of pupils due to education. Other characters that are mentioned in Reports are Parent, child, head. In contrast to Half-past Two and Dear Mr Lee the characters mentioned in Reports arent direct and dont speak. The teacher thinks about who will read the reports and they are seen as evil as they will look for mistakes made by the teacher: Unholy trinity, will read Your scripture backwards The holy group of three becomes unholy. Through out the poem the Parent, child, head are mention by the teacher as them. Like evil, the devil will read backwards and three is seen as a magical number. The teacher doesnt want to set them any riddles which will be difficult to understand and interperate. The presentation of the education system in Reports by UA Fanthorpe compared to the other two poems is similar to the moral of Dear Mr Lee is that education is dieing because its becoming controlled and narrow. Pupils are failing because the education system is failing them similar to Reports when the student fails their exam. Yet, in Reports unlike in Half-past Two and Dear Mr Lee it indicates to the reader from the poem that people are no longer able to tell the truth and pupils have no more enthusiasm towards education like in Dear Mr Lee. The education system leads to disillusionment for both pupils, teachers and officials. The future of education will only be grave stones as death is the ultimate teacher ending with an epitaph saying: Rest in peace. From studying all three of the poems written by UA Fanthorpe it becomes obvious to the reader UA Fanthorpe doesnt agree the way education is being run through schools. The message comes across to the reader as UA Fanthorpe criticizes the education system as being corrupt and unjustified. As shown through the poem Reports UA Fanthorpe express her frustration through the teacher. UA Fanthorpe is saying that there is no longer truth and that the education system must be politically correct. My personal response to the poem is that education has become more restricted in the modern day society we are living in today. The education system syllabus concentrates more on getting the grades than getting a pleasurable response from the students. I think for students to be motivated further its imperative they get the inspiration to learn. Obviously this is no longer happening in the education syllabus. As mention in Dear Mr Lee the students passion for Laurie Lees literature, wasnt ever credited by their teacher at the time Mr Smart. The student wasnt enthusiastic about learning, so how is a student meant to progress? I felt there does need to be honesty in the education system in order for it to succeed and be efficient, Reports addressed my attention to this matter. I feel UA Fanthorpe is raising awareness about what the education system is becoming and make us aware of the issue and decide for ourselves.

The Characters of Tom and Daisy of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald :: F. Scott Fitzgerald

The characters' search of their own identities and the struggle that ensues is the most suffusive theme throughout The Great Gatsby . The fact that we never really know the characters, and the corrupt immoral things they do, directly represent the 20's high society lifestyle. The characters continued to cheat on their spouses, let money become their obsession, and debated the American dream for the hopes of one day obtaining happiness. But the fact remains that they have no true morals or ideals of themselves as individuals. These are a group of people who --no matter how cocky and self- confident they seem-- have absolutely no idea of what they are doing (as many men and women of the 20's do not). Tom and Daisy are two examples. Â   Daisy is a hospitable character who had a love for parties and tended to lose herself in them and the drinking. Daisy once said, "What'll we do with ourselves this afternoon, and the day after that, and the next thirty years?" This quote not only means she lives for one day at a time never thinking of the future, but that she truly has no idea of what to do with herself. She is like loose change floating around wandering from party to party, man to man, friend to friend, in a big house in East Egg with no sense of purpose. She once attempted to plan something when she first reunited with Nick. She said, "What'll we plan? What do people plan?" meaning she has never had to make decisions nor has she had much responsibility. Not only does she have no purpose, she has no morals. She literally killed a woman and went home to eat cold chicken. What more, her lover was killed and she left on a trip missing his funeral. Show me a woman who has no morals or goals and I'll show you a woman who is searching for her own identity. Â   Tom Buchanan is a small man hiding in a big house with an equally large ego. In fact, he once remarked that women run around too much and meet the wrong kind of people. This statement is both arrogant and ironic because he runs around with the wrong people, and women run around with him- he being the wrong people. Also, when stating this he was most likely referring to his wife, and subtly putting her down for her relationship with Gatsby in a most conceited way.

Als Reflective Thinking Essay

Reflective Thanking Essay I am a good leader. One who takes initiative in getting the tasks completed while keeping the morale tempo up and making it a good experience to all. I’m one who will take criticism and can listen even though I may not like what I’m hearing, but in turn apply those criticisms and make a better me. Simply being said, I like to take charge, inspire those around me, complete the mission and wait for the next challenge.Thank my mother for who I am, she inspired the person I am today. I was raised in a very strict environment where there were expectations. Rules, responsibilities, honesty and involvement were all considered necessities. I was introduced to community service when I was 5 years old when I was a Girl Scout. Then later when my late father and I would participate in an annual cancer awareness marathon it was a beginning point for me.So from then on there the feeling of accomplishment to help others inspired me. I’m one who wants p eople to come to be with their troubles so I can help, I’m the one who wants to reach out and touch others and just inspire. It’s easy for me to say that I’m a participative leader. I want to get involved with my fellow wingmen and know they’re comfortable coming to me with any issue they may have. I’m one who strives towards a positive workplace.I like to work next to my fellow crew chiefs and solve problems. I treat others with mutual respect on the job. I am open-minded to my fellow airmen and respect their thoughts and opinions, but understand that the final decision rest in my hands on any given situation. Based on the decision making process, I feel the type of NCO (non-commissioned officer), I’ll become will be similar to the image I uphold now will make people work for the correct answer or the right thing to do.Though I understand that this technique will not work with all, but it’s a starting point for me to evaluate an indi vidual. One of my strengths is that I’m very smart. I’m very accepting to challenges. Another one of my better traits is that I’m a very good listener. I can influence new views on issues and provide help to a better outcome when the issue is good or even bad. I just put myself is their position and think â€Å"what would Melissa do? †

Of Mice and Men Film/Book Comparison

The lack of interaction between the Weak' ones of the ranch in the film version of Of Mice and Men results in the obscuring of the theme of handicaps that is present throughout the novel. In the film, the scene begins with Leonie approaching Crooks as the rest of the men are in the nearby town. They discuss Lien's desire to tend rabbits and later on, Leonie makes it clear his intention for George and he to be together till the end. George comes in, escorts Leonie out of the room where they encounter Curlers wife as she complains of her unhappy marriage and runs away.The book varies in the way that Curlers wife and Candy are both in the room as they all talk. As Candy, Leonie, and Crooks discuss the promise of a brighter future, Curlers wife is quick to crush their dreams with the reality of each of their situations. After she humiliates them, they are defeated and their harsh circumstances sink in. It is important to notice in the novel that each character has their own handicap, whe ther it is age, gender, race, mental capability, or physical capability; although they show strength even with their weak descriptions, the purpose of the theme is to convey the low tolerance their society has of handicaps.For example, Crooks, even being a bitter man, latches onto their dream of the little house for the promise of companionship, but because of his race and the prejudice during the time period, Curlers wife makes sure he knows that he will never be accepted. Although the handicaps are physically portrayed In the film, they are not reinforced well enough because there isn't as big of a power difference between Leonie and Crooks as there is between them and Curlers wife. Curlers wife may be handicapped as her loneliness makes her desperate, but she has the ability to take away any hope they eave.Also, in the novel, Curlers wife mentions that the men left the three Weak' ones at home. This comment serves to further describe the time period as there Is never enough prote ction for the weak from the strong. The theme of handicaps Is essential to the comprehension of the novel as It grasps the concept of Inequality; without the theme's distinction, there Is no closure, positive or negative, that Is needed for the reader to comprehend the negative Impact the fictional world has on a group of people that are not as strong as society requires them to be.

The Maasai essays

The Maasai essays Geographical Location: East Africa, in Kenya and Tanzania Neighboring Tribes: Samburu, Baraguyu (Ilumbma), Wa-Arusha, Njemps. Geographical sections of Maasai land: Ilkinsongo (largest), Ilpurka (2nd largest), Iloitai, Ilmalapato, Iloodokilani, Ilkeekonyokie, Ilkaputiei, Ildamat, Ilsiria, Ilwuasinkishu, Ildalalekutuk and Ilaitayiok. Each section has its own name, territory, dialect, ceremonies, ways of building houses and kraals and leadership authority. Staple food: Milk, ghee, meat, blood of cattle, various herbs and plants. 1) Lengipaata A ceremony boys undertake just before circumcision. 2) Emorta It is the circumcision ceremony. It initiates boys into warrior hood. 3) Eunoto It is the graduation of warriors into elder hood. 4) Olngesherr Confirmation of total elder hood. Four major stages of a Maasais life: 1) Ikera Youth (before circumcision). 2) Emarota Youth (after circumcision). The Maasai are a close-knit society, where every member is just as important as another. Uncircumcised youths (Inkera) are responsible for herding and well fare of the cattle, the most important commodity of the Maasai. Circumcised youths (Emorata), eventually become the warriors (Ilmoran), who are totally responsible for protecting the tribe from rivals and other dangers such as lions. However, the Elders (Ilpayiani) are probably the most important people of all in Maasai society. Highly respected, the respect reserved for them is unsurpassed. They take all major decisions for the clan. Only elders are present for the meetings where decisions are taken. A non-elder is present only if the meeting is about that person. When a senior warrior prepares himself for his new life as an elder, he is told, Now that you are an elder, drop your weapons and use your head and wisdom instead and Master the are the tongue and wisdom of the mind. A new junior...

Warren G. Harding - 29th President of the United States

Warren G. Harding - 29th President of the United States Warren G. Hardings Childhood and Education Warren G. Harding was born on November 2, 1865 in Corsica, Ohio. His father was a doctor but he grew up on a farm. He learned at a small local school. At 15, he attended Ohio Central College and graduated in 1882. Family Ties Harding was the son of two doctor: George Tryon Harding and  Phoebe Elizabeth Dickerson. He had tour sisters and one brother. On  July 8, 1891, Harding married  Florence Mabel Kling DeWolfe. She was divorced with one son. Harding is known to have had two extramarital affairs while married to Florence. He had no legitimate children. However, he did have one daughter through an extramarital affair with Nan Britton. Warren G. Hardings Career Before the Presidency Harding tried being a teacher, an insurance salesman, and a reporter before buying a newspaper called the Marion Star. In 1899, he was elected as an Ohio State Senator. He served until 1903. He then was elected to be lieutenant governor of Ohio. He attempted to run for the governorship but lost in 1910. In 1915, he became a U.S. Senator from Ohio. He served until 1921 when he became president. Becoming the President Harding was nominated to run for president for the Republican Party as a dark horse candidate. His running mate was Calvin Coolidge. He was opposed by Democrat James Cox. Harding won easily with 61% of the vote. Events and Accomplishments of Warren G. Harding’s Presidency President Hardings time in office was marked by some major scandals. The most significant scandal was that of Teapot Dome. Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall secretly sold the right to oil reserves in Teapot Dome, Wyoming to a private company in exchange for $308,000 and some cattle. He also sold the rights to other national oil reserves. He was caught and ended up being sentenced to one year in jail. Other officials under Harding were also implicated or convicted of bribery, fraud, conspiracy, and other forms of wrongdoing. Harding died before the events affected his presidency. Unlike his predecessor, Woodrow Wilson, Harding did not support America joining the League of Nations. His opposition meant that America did not join at all. The body ended in failure without Americas participation. Even though America did not ratify the Treaty of Paris ending World War I, Harding did sign a joint resolution officially ending the state of war between Germany and America. In 1921-22, America agreed to a limit of arms according to a set tonnage ratio between Great Britain, the U.S., Japan, France, and Italy. Further, America entered pacts to respect Pacific property of Great Britain, France, and Japan and to preserve the Open Door Policy in China. During Hardings time, he also spoke out on civil rights and pardoned Socialist Eugene V. Debs who had been convicted of anti-war demonstrations during World War I. On August 2, 1923, Harding died of a heart attack. Historical Significance Harding is seen as one of the worst presidents in American History. Much of this is due to the number of scandals that his appointees were involved in. He was important for keeping America out of the League of Nations while meeting with key nations to attempt to limit arms. He created the Bureau of the Budget as the first formal budgetary body. His early death probably saved him from impeachment over the many scandals of his administration.

External vs. Internal Recruitment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

External vs. Internal Recruitment - Essay Example Recruitment refers to the process of locating potential applicants and encouraging them to apply for the anticipated or existing job openings. In simple words recruitment strategies are adopted with the purpose of creating a group of qualified, experienced and skilled people beforehand so that selection processes becomes easier and effective. In other words, recruitment is all about finding the right people in the right place at the right time with the right price. The entire recruitment process involves five key steps. These are preparing, selecting the recruiter, sourcing the candidates, taking legislative aspects into consideration and selecting the methods to be applied. The preparation process involves deciding on the various alternatives of recruitments. Sourcing of candidates might be done through consultants, the internet, and advertising. Each and every recruitment exercise can be considered as an opportunity of analyzing the job, updating person specification and describing the job. The main objective of any recruitment process is to ensure the presence of adequate and effective staffs in the organization. To guarantee this, appropriate people must be made aware of the existing job opportunities and efforts must be taken to make sure to these vacancies are properly filled. There are internal recruitment and external recruitment. Between the two the one that would be chosen depends on human resource policies, organizational strategies, financial condition and employee morale.

Customized bags Industry for Entrepreneurship class Essay

Customized bags Industry for Entrepreneurship class - Essay Example When shopping for a gift, consumers look for a selection that will make a lasting impression on the minds. Consumers perceive personalized gifts as value for money. In the face of global warming, depleting natural resources and increasing concern among the nature activists, the environment friendly custom bag industry upholds a good opportunity for willing investors and enthusiastic entrepreneurs to venture into. The objective is to start small and gradually scale growth. The method devised to enter the custom made bags industry is to set a web platform whereby customers will login to the website also choose the size and type of bag they want and then choose their favourite design or upload their personal photographs or set the names to be printed on the bag. However the crux of the plan is to provide only eco-friendly bags made from paper, jute and other natural fibres. Customers will also have the option to choose from a range of fashion bags made from post-consumption and industrial waste. Our website works as a bridge between the manufacturers of eco-friendly bags, designers and potential customers. Once an order is processed the bags will be customized using in-house expertise in printing and sewing and thereby delivered at the door step of the customer. To start off with we would cater to the needs and requirements of both retail and corporate clients. Retail customers would comprise today’s fashionable youths who value fashion accessories but at the same time are committed to keep the environment clean. The customized eco-friendly bags apart from serving their generic functionality also add a personal statement to the user. These custom made fashionable bags speak for themselves and gives the user his or her individuality. These bags can also be used as excellent gift items and this is where the corporate clients come into the picture.

TORTS CD 2 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

TORTS CD 2 - Research Paper Example Later on the information of 2 witnesses, police started investigating and tracking the movement of Mr. Holden. According to the 1st witness said that Holden not ever finished selling marijuana later on his before reported arrest, and that he was then dealing both oxycodone and marijuana. The witness furnished extra information about Mr. Holden (Steele, 2012). According to another witness Mr. Holden kept on dealing marijuana, many pounds at particular time period. He further informed the task force about Mr. Holden that he recently dealt marijuana from his home. Later on task force track every movement of Mr. Holden for twenty days or more through the GPS system. In this case the superior court ruled the decision of lower court and passed a decision that the usage of GPS for tracking the movement of people without any warrant is against the right of privacy of people. Anonymous (2011). Delaware Court Rules Against GPS Motorist Tracking.  The Truths About Car. Retrieved  from

Education Essays Innovative Curriculum Students

Education Essays Innovative Curriculum Students Innovative Curriculum Students Introduction Many people argue that it is very much critical to design and also to deliver a good curriculum and it is in this curriculum that should be established to ensure that it has inspired and also at the same times challenged all the students so that they can be in a position to prepare for the 21st century challenges. The innovative curriculum is supposed to equip all students with humble knowledge and it is through this knowledge that the students will be in a position to face the future challenges come the 21st century. There is a going on project by many schools and it is in this project that these schools are participating together to ensure that they have made a good curriculum for the 21st century. (Schneider, 1998). Due to the modern technologies, it is important to come up with an innovative curriculum that is supposed to incorporate all areas of learning to ensure that education has been made easy for the students and are also in a position to succeed in life since it is in this innovative curriculum that students will be in a position to learn in all dimensions including music as a curriculum in most of the schools. Music is one of the subjects whereby intensive innovation has to be established. This is because most of the student’s talents have not been realized since there is no much which has been done in the music world. The many activities which are related to this project have demonstrated how power to innovative can engage many people including leaders who are said to be involved in the development of this curriculum in rethinking the role of education to many learners. (Schneider, 1998). Literature review Music can be defined as the manifestation of the human spirit which is similar to human language. Many people have agreed that there is a clear connection between music and academic achievement. As a result, you find that music is one of the most important curriculums which should be introduced in schools. The 21st century innovative curriculum should incorporate music as a curriculum in most of the schools simply because music has many roles in most of the societies. Music is said to incorporate arts and art can be seen as a language that all people can speak and is said to cut across racial, social, cultural, economic and educational barriers. This innovative curriculum is supposed to encompass music. Many students usually recognize the importance of music although is difficult to generalize the percentage of the students who are participating in music at the higher levels of education. The participation by these students is said to vary on the size of the school. Out of research which was done, it was found that the rate of students who participate in music in the large schools range from 5 percent the total number of students and in the magnate or small schools are thought to range from 35 percentage of the students who register for that course. (Cox, 2000). The required general music programs say in the K-6 is said to be less vibrant than it was at the mid of the 20the century. In the elementary schools, there was a reduction in the curriculum time during the 20th century and one of the said causes for the reduction in the budget curriculum is lack of funds. It is argued that there were no enough funds to support this curriculum in the elementary schools.97% of the public elementary schools are said to offer music instructions to the students. It is out of the 97% schools that offer music instructions that only 75% of them are taught by specialist in these elementary schools and only 8% are taught by classroom teachers only. So, it is out of this concern that an innovative technology has to be established in the 21st century and this technology is supposed to ensure that there has been improved performance by the music students. This is said to help these students to learn widely and also to be taught by specialized. Music plays so many roles in the societies and one of these roles is entertaining. Many people are usually known to spend most of their free times in listening to music. As a result, you find that music is one of the industries whereby many young people have invested so much. The basics of music depend on proper learning at the elementary schools. So you find that if the students are not taught well, then it becomes quite hard for them to succeed in the music world. Music can also be used to educate people. You find that most of the art which people do usually carry with them important information and the audience for this music is said to benefit a lot from it. So, it is out of the many advantages of music that an innovative curriculum is required for the 21st century and this is in order to help the music world to fully develop. The project in this case is innovating on implementing the scoring rubrics which are supposed to assess the performance of these students. (Cox, 2000). Scoring rubrics Scoring rubrics can be defined as a descriptive scoring scheme and are said to be developed by teachers and this has been developed in order to help these evaluators in accessing the student’s efforts. The scoring rubrics are usually employed when a judgment of quality is required and this drive is said to evaluate a broad range of subjects and activities of these students. So, it is with this innovative curriculum that most of the student’s efforts will be in a position to be accessed and hence leading to a greater performance by these students. So, it is through this organized learning that most of the students will be in a position to realize their many goals and aims in life. This is because the learning process will have been made easier for these students. In order to achieve this innovation, the school has to use the scoring rubric since this involves making some of the subjective judgments about the quality of student’s work. This is because so many people are usually uncomfortable when using the subjective judgments and have found that a good set of scoring guidelines can be of great importance to these students when assessing their performance. (Instrumentalism. 2001). A good scoring rubric is said to help in the following: 1) It is argued that it is going to help many teachers to define excellence and also to plan on how to help students in order to achieve it. 2) It will also communicate results and also goals to the parents of these students and also others. 3) It will also communicate to students what actual is said to constitute excellence and also how to evaluate their own work. 4) Help teachers to be more accurate, inconsistent and also unbiased in scoring. 5) To document various procedures which can be used in making important judgments about the students? Several ways for implementing this project For the 21st century innovative curriculum to be successful, there are several strategies which are to be employed to ensure that it has succeeded. Strategies and good plans are to be established to ensure that the established innovative curriculum has been made successful. A question has to be answered when implementing this strategy. How is this innovation being led and who are the leaders to the innovation? This question is very much important when implementing this project. This is because one knows the leaders to this innovation that we will be in a position to implement it. This scoring rubric is said to organize the scoring criteria for the students. (Instrumentalism. 2001). Rationale of the project The innovative curriculum for the 21st century is said to help these students to have improved performances in their studies. It is through this project that the students will be in a position to develop great desires in education and hence improving on their performance. This innovation is also thought to help students to use the modern ways of learning and this is by using the necessary tools which are required for this. (Henderson, 2002). Recommendations for addressing diversity The activities which are related to this project has demonstrated how power to an increased innovation engages leaders who are said to be involved in this curriculum development in rethinking about the education purpose of this curriculum. It is through this innovative technology that many students will be in a position to realize their many hidden talents. This is because their performance in this case can be accessed hence leading to a greater success in life. (Henderson, 2002). Conclusion Innovative curriculum is thought to help many students to succeed in their many goals and objectives. The innovative curriculum is supposed to equip all students with humble knowledge and it is through this knowledge that the students will be in a position to face the future challenges come the 21st century. This project by many schools is said to benefit many schools who use it and it is in this project that these schools are participating together to ensure that they have made a good curriculum for the 21st century. Reference Instrumentalism. 2001. â€Å"2001 Survey of School Music Budgets.† Instrumentalist (August):34–38. Gaff, J. (1999): The General education: The changing agenda. Washington. Association Of American colleges and universities. Schneider, C. (1998): Contemporary understandings of education. Washington. Association of American colleges and universities. Bergeron, K and Philip, V. (1992): Disciplining music. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Cox, R. (2000): Are musical works discovered? The Journal of Aesthetic and art Criticism. Engh, B. (1993): Loving it. Music in Roland Barthes. University of California press. Giles, J. (1990): Theorizing music’s affective power. Toronto: Institute for Canadian Music. Henderson, M. (2002): Music as lifestyle. Journal of American Folklore.

Francis Of Assisi - Brother Son Sister Moon Essay -- essays researc

Francis of Assisi - " Brother Son Sister Moon" Crisis and conversion: While Francis is sick and dreaming, he has images of nature which represent the happiness and peacefulness. He also has images of war which help him understand that it isn't the greatest thing†¦ neither is it the most honorable. Francis has many great conflicts with his father. Francis' father is very materialistic and possessive. Francis' father did not honorably earn the money, he bought the "loot" from the crusades for a small price and sold them to their rightful owners for a much higher price. Father expects a lot of Francis. He expects Francis to be just like him†¦ a so called businessman, who is profitable, but not in an honorable way. Francis' father sends him to war so Francis can get bring his father back a triptych. Francis and his father have different views of life. Francis believes in freedom, believes that a person does not have to be rich to be prosperous, and he would rather be poor like Jesus then be rich, which Jesus was not. He thinks that the rich are misrepresenting Jesus because the rich are placing the poor behind themselves. Francis thinks that Jesus represents the poor as well as the rich†¦ "all men are created equal". Francis can't help but to feel scared of lepers in the beginning. After all, being scared is a normal human trait. Being in a big, bulky, helmet must feel awkward. It feels like your being closed in. Francis also...

John Milton Essay

John Milton published the first edition of Paradise Lost in 1667. This epic poem introduces a series of supernatural themes. It is the retelling of the Biblical story of Adam and Eve’s first sin. The basis of the text is Christian theology; specifically, Protestant Christian Theology. What is unique, even controversial, about Milton’s method of proselytizing the Christian message, is not so much the use of the epic poem structure per se, (which is traditionally reserved for classic and pagan subject matter), but that he introduces the archenemy of God as a sympathetic character. This is a repugnant concept for Milton’s Christian audience. In fact, John Dryden (the first literary critic to comment on Paradise Lost) in 1697 criticized the poem for having the villain take center stage and defeat the hero (p. 214). However, it will be argued instead that Milton’s use of this technique is to highlight the cunningness of Satan and our own willingness to accept the tale as probable. This sentiment is echoed by Stanley Fish who claimed that the poem tempts the reader in the same way that Satan tempted Adam and Eve. In the remainder of this essay, Books II and III will be examined to note the ways Milton compares and contrasts, God, Satan, Heaven and Hell to amplify his subversive technique of casting Satan as the tragic hero of Paradise Lost. In Book II of Paradise Lost, Satan is introduced to the reader as a rationale character that is capable of questioning God’s authority and judgment. For example, the debate in Hell is one of the great set pieces of Paradise Lost. In this scene, Satan’s appeal is in his use of classic political rhetoric: he states that both his and that of his fallen Angel’s rebelliousness and pride, are justified: â€Å"†¦with what eyes could we Stand in his presence humble, and receive Strict laws imposed, to celebrate his throne With warbled hyms, and to his Godhead sing Forced hallelujahs, while he lordly sits† Milton constructs this profane polemic by utilizing the heroic epic genre to introduce Satan in a countercultural way. He not only disturbs literary conventions but religious conventions too. Such a representation of a heroic Satan as a tragic Prometheus figure challenges the discourse of traditional Judeo-Christian notions of injustice and subordination. However, Milton lived during the dawn of the Renaissance; a time when science began to question religious dogmas. Satan, therefore, is all the more impressive to the skeptical Seventeenth Century audience, because he too, like the new Renaissance man, uses logic and rationalism to argue against accepted ideas and the status quo. In this way, Milton’ Paradise Lost can be viewed as highly controversial in the way he subverts the literary conventions and religious dogma by transposing a pagan literary technique on Christian revelation. But these techniques are not meant to subvert Christianity. Likewise, Milton is not attempting a ‘Dan Brown’ type revision of Christian theology. Instead, what Milton aims in achieving is to highlight Satan’s imperfect logic (even scholasticism) from God’s omnipotence. Thus, whilst Milton’s Satan is eloquent in speech, he is forever fallen. In contrast, Milton’s God remains highly mysterious and beyond logic; he also reigns triumphant and glorified in Heaven. In the opening of Book II, Satan’s rhetoric reaches a climax in The Council meeting held in Pandemonium (Hell). A debate is being held as to whether or not to attempt recovery of Heaven. Instead, another proposal is accepted. That proposal is to seek revenge against God. And through this revenge, Milton establishes Satan as a forlorn figure, as Satan alone undertakes the voyage to find the prophesized world were he can enact his revenge as a tragic hero. Whilst on his travels, he encounters Sin and Death. They are his offspring and guard the gates of Hell. They also serve as a profane inversion of God’s Trinity: a technique Milton often uses to help facilitate the contrasting and comparing of God and Heaven with Satan and Hell. Arguable, this strategy of parody and subversion is effective in showing the reader that despite all his oratory powers and intelligence, all that Satan is ultimately capable of performing is an imperfect imitation of God and his Kingdom. This comparison serves to accentuate Satan’s tragic status and also his futile pride. Another way Milton recasts Satan as a tragic hero, is through his depiction of Satan as a solitary character. For example, Milton notes that Satan â€Å"[e]xplores his solitary flight† (II. 647) alone to Eden. In contrast, God is supported by his Son in Book III. For example, God sees Satan flying towards this world and foretells the success of his evil mission to tempt man. God explains his purpose of grace and mercy toward man, but mandates that justice must be met nonetheless. His Son, who sits at his right hand, freely offers to sacrifice himself for man’s salvation. This causes the angels to celebrate in songs of praise. In contrast, this imagery accentuates the tragic and solitary nature of Satan’s banishment. A status further highlighted when he passes by the stairs of heaven on his way to earth: â€Å"The stairs were then let down, whether to dare The Fiend by easy ascent, or aggravate His sad exclusion from the doors of bliss† (III. 523 -525). In this way, Milton portrays God as some kind of celestial joker, dangling the stairs of heaven to Satan. This concept is of course an antithesis to the traditional precepts of God as merciful and benevolent. However, this scene does help Milton to engineer a sympathetic response from the reader towards Satan. And thus, Milton’s recasting of Satan as the tragic epic hero is complete. Another way Milton casts Satan as the tragic hero of Paradise Lost is through contrasting the depiction of Hell with Heaven. So, whilst Satan sits â€Å"[h]igh on a throne of Royal State†¦ exalted†¦ †(II. 1-5), Satan’s throne is made of â€Å"Barbaric pearl† (II. 4). God, however, sits on a heavenly throne in Heaven: A place that is immersed with precious stones (like diamonds) and light. Even Heaven’s pearly gates (â€Å"liquid pearl† III. 519) are contrasted to the pearls of Hell (â€Å"Barbaric pearl† II. 4). Nothing in Hell can ultimately compete with God’s creation. Milton continues to compare and contrast God and Satan in Book III. For example, in Book III, the infernal trinity, that is, Satan, Sin and Death are introduced as a perversion of God’s original Trinity. In this way, Milton parallels Book II and Book III of Paradise Lost to show no only that Satan’s dominion is an inversion and parody of Heaven, but more importantly, that imitation is the apex of Satan’s intelligence. So, not only is Hell unlike Heaven as it has flames, ice, whirlwinds, and volcanoes. Hell is deathlike and desolate like a â€Å"Desert Soile† (II. 270)). In contrast, Heaven is a â€Å"living Sapphire† (II. 1050). Moreover, Milton’s grotesque depiction of Hell as a place of death is reiterated by the paradoxical phrase, â€Å"life dies, death lives† (II. 624). Hell, therefore, is a place of contradiction, even moral confusion. Heaven in contrast is adorned with precious stones and metal of diamond and gold. It is a place of rejoicing and a place of light, â€Å"†¦since God is light† (III. 3-5). Through harnessing literary devices (which had been traditionally reserved for ‘virtuous’ pagan characters and by sagacious philosophers of ancient Greece), Milton ingeniously highlights the limitations of Satan and indeed humanity itself to understand God. Thus, the invocation in Book I, that is, ‘to justify the ways of God to Man’, is indeed Milton’s â€Å"inside joke†: For it is not Milton’s role to justify God to humanity, but rather it is the reader’s responsibility to overcome ‘temptation’ and see Satan as the villain described in the Bible. Thus, apart from creating a poem of dramatic appeal, it appears that Milton’s introduction of Satan as a hero in the epic poem format was an attempt to accentuate Satan’s irreparably fallen state (as indeed our own human folly in being susceptible to following humanist rationalism at the expense of Christian theology). In Paradise Lost, Satan is a tragic hero forever lost in spite of his attempts to overthrow God’s creation. According to Milton, Satan’s transgression is to think himself equal to God. And it is this transgression that makes his rhetoric ultimately hollow. References 1. Dryden, John. â€Å"Virgil and the Aeneid. † Dramatic Essays. Ed. William Henry Hudson. London: E. P. Dutton, 1921. 2. Fish, Stanley. How Milton Works. New York: Harvard University Press, 2001. 3. Fish, Stanley. Surprised By Sin. London: St. Martin’s Press, 1967. 4. Greenblatt, Stephen et al. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Eight Edition. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2006 5. Milton, John. Paradise Lost: A Norton Critical Edition. Ed. Gordon Tesky. London: W. W. Norton, 2004.

Succubus on Top CHAPTER 24

Seth had chided me for being late, but with five daughters, the Mortensens were always running late. So no one, except Seth, really paid much attention to my tardiness. Likewise, with so much chaos, no one really noticed that he and I didn't talk much. The girls spoke more than enough for all of us, and I took some comfort in their presence. As always, they couldn't get enough of me, crawling all over me and tugging at my sleeve to make sure they had my undivided attention. I enjoyed it all in a bittersweet sort of way. Convinced Seth and I were on the verge of a break-up, I mostly kept thinking that this would be the last time I would hang out with this wonderful family. Andrea provided us with an equally distracting birthday/Thanksgiving meal. Terry and Seth had helped her, it turned out, but I still marveled that they had pulled it off while still managing the little ones. I said as much to Andrea. â€Å"Parenthood makes you the ultimate multitasker,† she informed me. â€Å"You'll see what I mean when you have kids.† I smiled back politely, not bothering to tell her there'd be no kids for me. â€Å"Besides,† Terry said with a grin, â€Å"we understand you're already sort of a superwoman. Seth was telling us about some crazy shindig you threw together at the bookstore?† â€Å"Uncle Seth said it was cool,† added Brandy. â€Å"It was a fest,† I corrected, glancing at Seth in surprise. I couldn't figure out at all what his feelings were for me. He'd invited me over and had apparently been singing my praises. None of that jibed with the fallout I expected from the Bastien incident, nor his initial stunned reaction to it. Seth opened presents after dinner, the bulk of which were books and more contributions to his wacky T-shirt collection. â€Å"Where's your present?† Kendall asked me. â€Å"I left it at home.† We all hung out and talked after that, my apprehension mounting as I wondered where this evening would lead. When the party finally disbanded, Seth asked me if I wanted to go somewhere. I took a deep breath. It was now or never. â€Å"Let's go to my place.† Once back there, we stationed ourselves on my couch – at a proper distance – and talked about everything except our relationship. I told him about my new position and got his congratulations. He told me about some interesting fan comments he'd received at the signing. When this had gone on for nearly thirty minutes, I couldn't take it any more. â€Å"Seth, what's going on?† I demanded. â€Å"With us.† He leaned his head back against the couch. â€Å"I wondered when we'd get to this. Can't avoid it any longer, huh?† â€Å"Well, yeah. This is a big deal. This isn't like a dispute over where to go for dinner†¦this is us. Our future. I mean, I†¦you know. You know what I did.† â€Å"I do.† He studied my ceiling for a moment, then turned his amber brown eyes on me. In that moment, I almost understood why he always seemed to be staring somewhere else. When he turned his eyes directly on you, it was a hard and powerful thing. They were electric. â€Å"Aren't I allowed to forgive you?† â€Å"Er†¦no. Well, I don't know.† This conversation echoed the one I'd had with Bastien earlier. He had said the same thing, and after weighing everything, I'd decided it wasn't worth being mad at him. Was it so easy to forgive the ones you loved? â€Å"I won't lie, Thetis, it hurt. It still does. But, in some ways†¦well, it's only one step away from what you normally do.† â€Å"A big step.† He laughed. â€Å"Whose side are you on? Are you trying to turn me against you?† â€Å"I'm just trying to make sure you stand up for yourself.† â€Å"You're always worried about that. Don't worry. I'm not a complete doormat.† â€Å"I didn't mean that. I just†¦I don't know. I'm not very good at this dating thing.† â€Å"I know that. Neither am I. I've done plenty of stupid things in my past relationships. I deserve a few karmic turnabouts. Of course, that doesn't mean I want this to become an ongoing thing, but one mistake†¦one mistake I can forgive. If I haven't had much practice dating, you've got to be even worse after, what, how many years of casual, uh, flings?† â€Å"A lot,† I replied vaguely. For some reason, I was reluctant to tell Seth my age. He picked up on that, his eyes narrowing ruefully. â€Å"And right there. That's another thing. Almost worse than what happened. You're doing it again.† â€Å"Doing what?† â€Å"You don't tell me things. Things about you. It's like you're afraid to show me who you are. But like I said, that's what love is. You open yourself up. I want to know you. I want to know everything about you. Sometimes I feel like no matter how strongly I feel about you†¦I still don't know you at all.† â€Å"I'm not very good at that part either,† I said softly. Seth pulled me into an embrace, crushing me against him. There was a fierceness in that motion, an unflinching sense of possession that stirred my blood. â€Å"You're my world right now, Georgina, but I can't go on with this†¦not if there's no honesty.† His tone was gentle and loving, but I heard the warning between the lines. I'd had my fuckup. The next time, I would not get such amnesty. This terrified me a little, yet I was proud of him and realized I had a lot more to learn about him too. He had every right to be laying down the law. He was not a doormat. I regretted my mistakes, and while I was glad to be forgiven this time, I didn't want Seth to waste his life on me if I couldn't ever treat him right. My young French lover, Etienne, had never recovered. I'd learned years later that he'd broken his engagement, staying forever single. He'd thrown himself into his painting, earning a small following. Several portraits of me – as a blond Josephine – still hung in private European collections. Etienne had not been able to get me out of his system, and it had made a mess of him. I wanted things to work with Seth so badly. I wanted us to be together and be happy for as long as we could manage it. But if we couldn't, I didn't want him to waste his life on me as that young painter had. â€Å"I love you,† I murmured into Seth's shoulder, astonished when the words just slipped out. And I realized then just how much I meant them. He inhaled deeply and held me even tighter, and I felt the love pouring off of him, even with no spoken declaration. â€Å"I'm pretty sure I don't deserve you.† â€Å"Oh, my Thetis, you deserve a lot of things. And honestly† – he shifted around and studied me – â€Å"as much as it hurts†¦I'm sort of glad that you, you know, had that chance with Bastien.† I frowned. â€Å"That chance to be with a copy of you?† â€Å"Well, no. That's still kind of weird. I mean the chance to have sex and, well, enjoy it. Every time I think about what you do on a regular basis†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He closed his eyes a moment. â€Å"I just envision you being raped over and over. And I hate it. It makes me sick. I'm glad you were with someone you cared about†¦even if it wasn't me. You deserve to have good sex for a change.† â€Å"You do too,† I said, overwhelmed by Seth's nonstop selflessness. â€Å"And you know†¦if you ever wanted to find someone and just, well, have sex for the fun of it†¦well, you could. You know, just to fulfill the physical need. I wouldn't mind.† I didn't think I would, at least. I uneasily recalled my slight jealousy over his correspondence with Maddie. He looked at me seriously. â€Å"I don't have sex just to fulfill a need. Not if I can help it. Sex may not be a requisite part of love, but it is an expression of love. It should at least be with someone you care about.† The answer didn't surprise me. In fact, it suddenly reminded me of something. â€Å"Hey, I've got something for you.† Despite our dire romantic status, I had nonetheless chosen twenty of the best pictures Bastien had taken of me and had Hugh print them this week. I hadn't known until now that I'd actually be able to give them to Seth. I found them in my bedroom, bound with a pink ribbon. â€Å"Your birthday present.† I started to hand the pictures over. â€Å"Wait,† he said. He opened up the messenger bag he carried his laptop around in. A moment later, he offered me several sheets of paper. I gave him the pictures. We sat in silence, each of us studying our respective offerings. For half a second, I thought he was sharing a manuscript after all. A few lines into it, I realized it was addressed to me. It was the writing he'd promised me a while back. The detailed exposition of all the things he wished we could do. Reading it, I sort of lost track of the world around me. What he'd written was exquisite. Some of it was like poetry. A beautifully crafted ode to my beauty and my body and my personality that made my heart swell. Other parts were brazenly explicit. Hot and steamy. They made O'Neill and Genevieve's elevator look like a kindergarten classroom. I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks as I read. When I finished, I looked up at him breathlessly. He was watching me, as the pictures had taken less time to peruse. â€Å"I take it all back,† he told me, holding up one of the shots. It showed me sitting crosswise in a chair, naked. My legs draped over the edge lazily, showing a nice view of my pink painted toenails. A hardbound copy of one of Seth's books sat on my lap. â€Å"Sex might be a requisite part of love after all.† I glanced down at the manifesto. â€Å"Yeah. It just might be.† We sat there a moment, then burst out laughing. He rubbed his eyes. â€Å"Thetis,† he said wearily, â€Å"what are we going to do with ourselves?† â€Å"I don't know. Do the pictures just make things worse?† â€Å"No. They're wonderful. Thank you. They're a good way of having you†¦even if I can't have the real thing.† An idea slowly coalesced in my mind. The pictures just involved looking. Looking was safe. And one didn't just have to look at a two-dimensional image. â€Å"Maybe†¦maybe you can have the real thing.† He gave me a quizzical look, and I hastily amended: â€Å"In a hands-off way. Come on.† â€Å"This seems dangerous,† he said when I led him to the bedroom. Sunset was filling the room with mood lighting. I pointed to a chair in the corner. â€Å"Sit there.† I moved to the opposite corner, hoping it was enough space. â€Å"What are you – Oh.† He bit off his words, swallowing. â€Å"Oh.† I slid my hands slowly up over my hips and breasts, over to the top button of my blouse. Slowly, deliberately, I unfastened the button. Then, just as carefully, I moved down to the next button. And the next. Then I unbound my hair, letting it fall messily over my shoulders. A striptease is all about letting go of self-consciousness. And it's about pacing too, I supposed. Admittedly, doing a show in front of Seth, whom I loved, moved into a realm I felt a little unfamiliar with. Nervous energy twitched inside me, but I didn't show it on the outside. I was on the stage, and I moved through my steps with sultry confidence, watching my own hands sometimes and making eye contact with him at others. This was part of my gift to him. He obviously liked seeing my body, even if, for the moment, he watched like one frozen, eyes wide and face carefully controlled. The blouse eventually fell to the floor, followed by the skirt. I'd had bare legs earlier today but had covertly shape-shifted on thigh-highs while we walked to the bedroom. Left only in those and a cherry-red bra and panty set made of satin, I languidly moved my body in smooth and alluring ways as I played with edges and straps. The stockings came off next, each one rolled down with delicate motions that let my hands slide against my own skin. Left in almost nothing, I savored the shining satin, trailing my fingertips over the bra and panty's surfaces. At last they peeled off too, and I was left in only my skin, left fully exposed and with a surprising heat burning in my lower body. I had turned myself on as much as him. I stood there a moment, like I was taking in applause before an audience, then started to walk across the room. â€Å"No,† he said, voice thick and husky. His fingers dug into the chair's arms. â€Å"You'd better not get too close.† I stopped, laughing softly. â€Å"You don't strike me as the assaulting type, Mortensen.† â€Å"Yeah, well, there's a first time for everything.† â€Å"So you liked?† â€Å"Very much.† His eyes were drinking me in, ravenous and needful. â€Å"That was the best thing I've ever seen.† Pleased, I stretched out my muscles, holding my arms over my head a moment before exhaling and letting my hands fall. As they did, I ran them down over my breasts and thighs in a careless gesture I didn't really even think about. Yet, as I did it, I saw his posture stiffen slightly and that fire in his eyes flare up. A slow, dangerous smile spread over my face. â€Å"What?† he asked. â€Å"I don't think the show's over yet.† I sat back on the bed, then slid myself up so I was propped up against the pillows in full view. Watching him and his every reaction, I moved my hands up to my breasts, feeling them. But these were not the touches that came with a sensual undressing. These were caresses of a different sort. A more urgent sort. I want to see you in the throes of orgasm, Seth had written in his missive. I want to see your whole body writhing, your lips open as you drink in your own pleasure. Only yours, no one else's. Just you, completely given up to ecstasy. I stroked my breasts, cupping them, feeling their softness and curving shape. My fingers moved and stroked my nipples, teasing them further, moving in lazy circles. I ran my thumbs over them, reveling in their sensitivity. When my breasts were finally taut and aching, I let my hands travel down over my smooth and flat stomach, examining and lingering on every part until I reached my thighs. Parting them ever so slightly, I slipped two fingers between the waiting lips so I could stroke that throbbing knot of nerves, moaning without even realizing it. Something about Seth watching aroused me more than I'd expected. I was dripping with wetness, aching and scorching. I slid my fingers over and over that burning, swelling spot, stoking the rapidly growing need. Arching my body, hearing the soft cries escaping from me, all I could think about was Seth's eyes on me. Doing this for him, was in many ways, more genuine than actual sex with Bastien-turned-Seth had been. This was as intimate as he and I could ever be. It wasn't exactly the same as the honest communication we kept talking about, but in a way, I was opening myself to him after all. Exposing myself without inhibition. I kept expecting the succubus energy-need to pick up on this scam, but either the distance or the fact that I was doing this to myself continued to trick it. We'd found a loophole after all. As my fingers continued to rub between my lips, bringing me closer and closer to that crest, I moved my other hand down and thrust a couple of fingers inside of me. This elicited a moan of yearning, and I opened my thighs further, letting Seth get a full view. Faster and harder both sets of fingers worked, touching everything, building and building up that delicious pleasure until I felt like I couldn't take it anymore. Like I was going to burst. And then, I did. Sparks and lightning shot through my body, radiating from my core outward until every part of me tingled with life. I cried out again, loudly, my body writhing against the sheets as spasms racked my muscles. What had started as an ostentatious show had become something more. Doing this for Seth – with Seth – had reawakened something sleeping inside of me. I had lost control; my own body had taken over. When I finally calmed down, I lay back against the covers, my breathing shallow as I recovered myself. I could feel sweat all over me. And with that physical response, an emotional and almost spiritual one radiated through me as well. Like the experience had somehow lit a flame within me. One that hadn't died with the orgasm. One that had nearly gone cold once – long ago – but now shone fiercely. A moment later, I heard Seth stand up. Gingerly, he moved to my side, just barely sitting on the bed. We stared at each other, neither of us speaking, our eyes conveying all we needed to each other. He reached out a hand, like he might stroke my cheek, then pulled back. â€Å"I'm afraid to touch you,† he whispered. â€Å"Yeah. It might†¦might be wise to hold back on that for a little longer. Just in case it kicks in.† â€Å"I take back what I said earlier about the stripping. This was the best thing I've ever seen.† He crooked me a smile. â€Å"No, you're the best thing I've ever seen. Everything about you.† I smiled back. â€Å"We might have found a workaround.† â€Å"For you maybe. As it is, I'm, uh, feeling a little†¦uncomfortable right now. I'm glad you were able to get a release, at least.† I suddenly sat up, energized. â€Å"Well, why can't you?† His smile dropped. â€Å"What? Like in the bathroom?† â€Å"No. Right here.† â€Å"You're joking.† â€Å"No.† I could feel my lips turning into a mischievous smirk. â€Å"Fair is fair. Quid pro quo. I did it for you, now it's your turn.† â€Å"I†¦no. No. I can't do that.† â€Å"Sure you can. There's nothing to it.† â€Å"Yeah, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No buts. You're the one going on about openness and sharing. â€Å" â€Å"Whoa. That's not even the same.† â€Å"It is.† I rolled over so that I was not quite in a pouncing position, but pretty close. I gave him a smoldering look. â€Å"How do you think I was able to do all that? I thought about you. I thought about you being over me while I spread my body for you. I opened up to you. I let you see everything. I wanted you to have that part of me. Nothing held back. And now I want to see the same.† I leaned close, starting to tug his shirt off. â€Å"I want to see you come. I want to see you give in to that desire. I want to see your face when you touch yourself and think about me.† â€Å"And they say I'm good with words.† He closed his eyes for a moment. â€Å"I can't believe you can have this effect on me.† I pulled his Spam shirt over his head. â€Å"I'm waiting.† Seth stared at me, then carefully and hesitantly began taking off his pants. He tossed them on the floor and moved on to his adorable flannel boxers. He paused there, clearly nervous, and then removed them in a quick motion before he could turn back. I looked him over admiringly, seeing him naked for the first time. As my gaze lingered between his legs, I had to work to keep a straight face. Bastien hadn't done him justice. â€Å"This is going to be hard,† he observed. â€Å"It already looks hard to me.† â€Å"Stop making jokes.† â€Å"Sorry. Just relax, that's the key.† I sat back away from him, putting some distance between us once again. â€Å"Drop the self-consciousness. Just give in to how you feel.† He nodded and took a deep breath. â€Å"Thanks, coach. Can you move over to your side – yeah. There. And then, the hand†¦yes, put it right there. Perfect.† He shook his head, an almost comic look of misery and eagerness on his face as his hand slowly moved down. â€Å"I need a good view of you to pull this off, I think, so I can keep my eyes off me. If I pay too much attention to what I'm doing, the absurdity will hit. â€Å" â€Å"Well then,† I said, getting comfortable. â€Å"Don't look down.†