Response Paper 1 - Enacted Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Response Paper 1 - Enacted Environment - Essay Example They succeed in some ways and fall short in others. However, even more than falling short of explaining themselves adequately, their arguments simply only apply in some cases but not all. It is my belief that their ideas are very helpful in cases in which they are applicable, but there are many cases in which these ideas do not apply. There are reasons why the traditional practices of strategic management have been used for as long as they have by so many businesses, and there is something to be said for using them, so I can see this argument from both sides. What the authors are saying offers a new and useful perspective that can certainly be helpful when it applies, and their view is something that most managers fail to even acknowledge and can benefit from recognizing. However, I do not think it should be presented as the only possible view that applies, as traditional strategic management views really are the most useful in some situations. Yes, managers must look at themselves a nd their situations objectively, but external trends and consumer patterns cannot be ignored. It is true, as the authors of this article claim, that it is important for managers to look within themselves and their organizations when attempting to solve problems, but managers also need TEXAS SOUTHERN judge judy to observe what is going on in the market and in the minds of consumers, because their opinions and misconceptions are very real. Ultimately, it definitely makes sense to unlearn debilitating concepts and to take risks that others refuse to take, but it does not make sense to do this instead of looking at the environment. Why not do both? In my opinion, their refusal to consider the other methods is just as dangerous as the idea of using only the other methods exclusively. In terms of whether or not the authors convinced me, the answer is â€Å"somewhat†. While their analogies were helpful, none of the examples really proved an instance in which their perspectives worke d better than others; the only examples given listed failures of the other models to work and how these failures could have been prevented or corrected using their model, instead. Understandably, their model has probably not been used by many companies yet, and if so, it probably has not been studied in practice, so these examples were likely difficult to find. Ultimately, my conclusion is that the authors are correct that it is dangerous for a person to become confined by his or her own beliefs to the extent that that person has created an environment in which things can only be done a certain way, and he or she will not consider stepping outside of the box. However, whether accurate or not, consumers do have very real beliefs and behavioral patterns that should not be denied or overlooked for the sake of self-analysis. With regard to what difference this article’s ideas will make to the way I view or practice management, the authors do a good job of emphasizing the importan ce of looking inward first, before blaming outside factors for influence or failure, so this is something I would change or implement. One example of an external environmental factor that came to mind as I was reading this article is the way that â€Å"the economy† has sort of become the buzz word for consumers these days. Everyone uses â€Å"the economy† as the reason for everything, whether or not it has personally affected them. Consumers use

Cross-Cultural Ministry Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cross-Cultural Ministry - Assignment Example Changing such a relationship to a positive one may be difficult due to the corrupted or dependency mentality created in the minds of the poor. It is thus necessary to build healthy relationship from the very start. A relationship of the giver on one hand and the recipient on the other hand is bound to fail. Such a relationship is unhealthy, unsustainable, and fails to empower the poor. Over-dependency on the giver harms the poor in the long-run. The people in the Third World country have been made to believe that they are meant to be poor. This is a wrong mentality that harms their confidence level as well as development. Such mentality needs to be banished if at all Third World countries have to believe in their own economic empowerment. Developmental progress calls for the mutual collaboration of all the parties. It is not possible to develop by simply depending on the support of others. Instead, both the giver and the recipient must come together and chart away forth for the development

Financial performance of microfinance institutions

Financial performance of microfinance institutions Financial Performance of Microfinance Institutions Abstract The paper investigates the financial attractiveness of microfinance institutions (MFIs). With the use of CAMEL methodology is the performance of MFIs analyzed. A comparison with G10 commercial banks shows†¦. Secondly, the systematic risk factors of MFIs are identified. The study * VU University Amsterdam, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV Amsterdam Comments are welcome at: [emailprotected] Introduction This paper investigates the financial performance of microfinance institutions (MFIs) from the perspective of a foreign investor. Microfinance institutions offer a broad amount of financial products and services to people who lack access to traditional banking services, also called; ‘the unbankable. Starting from social driven performance measures, the microfinance industry has been arguably effective in reducing poverty worldwide. In the last decades the microfinance industry has developed into an alternative investment class. The sector is characterized by attractive returns, low default rates and an explosive growth. Nevertheless, there is only a small scientific basis about the promises microfinance offers as a financial investment class. The financial attractiveness of MFIs for investors is questioned within this paper. Through analyzing the performance of MFI with CAMEL ratings and identifying the systematic risk factors, enriches this paper the academic field of finance. The study starts from the findings of Krauss Walter (2008). Their empirical results show that MFIs have a low or non exposure with international commercial markets from developed nations. Microfinance investments are for investors thus useful for portfolio diversification. Besides the social benefit that social oriented investors gain, the question arises what is the potential financial gain for a foreign investor? Nonacademic sources present microfinance as a interesting alternative investment class for solely return oriented investors. Institutions as the Consultative Group to Assists the Poor (CGAP) are reporting profits twice as high as their local peers and returns on investments in some parts of the world between 117 and 847 percent (Little field Holtman, 2005). Gonzales Rosenberg (2006) presented evidence of MFIs that outperform commercial banks on the return on assets. The returns are combined with a repayment rate of loans of almost 100 percent. Group liability repayment systems realize the low default rates. The repayment schemes are typical for the microfinance industry since clients lack collateral for the provided loans. The numbers indicate a save investment with a high return for investors. Nevertheless, investors seem to be skeptic about investing in MFIs. As Krauss Walter (2008, p.6) righteously mention: â€Å" Investors appear to perceive microfinance as excessively risky relative to the returns it generates, partially due to a lack of viable foreign exchange hedges, absence of a solid track record, poor reporting standards, heterogeneous products and inadequate liquidity.† The Microfinance Exchange (MIX) tracks the performance of MFIs since 1998. The MIX is a platform which gathers and publishes financial and communal oriented (outreach) numbers of MFIs. The institutions deliver the data voluntary to the MIX. Of the approximately 10.000 MFIs worldwide, only a small percentage (around 8 percent) send reports to independent platforms as the Microfinance Exchange. The incentive to offer data is to attract more funds from investors (Hartarska Nadolnuak, 2008). The attraction of more funds leads to a higher amount of accessible capital for the low-income clients. A high return on investment is promised by MFIs to investors. In combination with the support to poor people, seems microfinance to be the commercial solution for worldwide poverty. In practice, this promise is only rarely fulfilled by the institutions, due to the high operating cost per client and the lack of knowledge and transparency within the institutions. Academic research is necessary to cl assify the sources of growth in microfinance institutions, thereby establishing a valid basis to assess the performance and risk of MFIs. The paper aims to increase the transparency and rationale behind the data of microfinance. Transparency is increased by presenting measures of performance of the institutions in relation with their domestic environment. MFIs are considered as emerging banks in developing countries. A comparison with commercial banks using adjusted performance methods is used as a starting point. Identifying the systematic risk factors within the domestic environment results in a valid basis to assess the performance of MFIs. The financial statements of the MFIs are downloaded from the MIX website. A drawback in microfinance related research is the low quality of the data. Although the MIX offers the best available set of data and puts serious efforts to increase the quality is the dataset relative young. The dataset contains annual data and is subject to subjectivity due to the voluntary basis and a lack of legislation and authorization in the nations were MFIs are effective. To deal with the low quality of the data this paper first checks till which extent the data makes sense. CAMEL ratings as an efficiency parameter are used SYSTAMTIC RISK The rest of the paper is organized as follows: section 1 reviews the literature of the microfinance industry and the recent developments. Section 2 describes the bank performance methodologies to assess the performance of banks. Section 3 describes a comparison of banking ratios between commercial banks and MFIs. Section 4 discusses the results on the performance drivers of MFIs as a result of the systematic risk of emerging nations. Section 5 concludes the paper with a discussion of the main findings found in this paper The Microfinance Promise The success of the book ‘Creating a world without poverty of Muhammed Yunus (founder of the Grameen bank in 1970 Nobel Prize Winner for the Peace in 2006), increased the awareness and popularity in microfinance. Microfinance refers to the financial products as savings, insurance, transfer services, microcredit loans and other products targeted at low-income clients. From origin is microcredit the key product of MFIs. Loans are used to develop local economies to banish poverty from the low-income communities. The difference between traditional banking and microfinance is the level of creditworthiness of clients. Low-income clients in microfinance lack collateral, structural employment and/or a verifiable credit history almost by definition. This disables them to meet the minimum creditworthiness requirements to gain access to traditional finance products and services. Microfinance clients are therefore often referred as: ‘the unbankable. The lending activities of MFIs are characterized as follows: 1) loans are solely available to members of the MFI; 2) loans are relatively small and generally unsecured; 3) assets and liabilities of the MFI are owned jointly by the members (the clients are the owners), 4) internal monitoring and social sanctions (group liability) are used to enforce the loan contracts (Skees Barnet, 2006). Microfinance institutions thus use group lending methods to guarantee repayment of the financial services which is a substitute for the lack of collateral. This innovative and reversed perspective on banking enables MFIs to provide financial support to the poorest people of the world. This considers 1 billion people worldwide or a potential of 1 billion clients. Reducing poverty worldwide is incorporated in the G8 millennium development goals. Microfinance is considered to be a proven way to realize this millennium goal. Judged against the profit maximization ideology of commercial banks in developed countries have MFIs a dual mis sion; reducing poverty worldwide while being financial sustainable (Drake Rhyne, 2002). The success of microfinance increased the interest of developed nations and the mainstream finance industry. Commercial organizations support initiatives in microfinance as an act of corporate social responsibility. For investors and financials is microfinance attractive for its low correlation with commercial markets. Real life examples are the diversification possibilities that pension and insurance funds find in microfinance (Krauss Walter, 2008). The balance between social and financial returns was studied by the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) in February 2008. The CGAP identifies a stream of private investors investing in microfinance with no particular interest in the social objective of MFIs since 2006. The entry of private investors in microfinance is seen as one the most important development since institutional investors noticed microfinance in the beginning of 2000. Before this period mainly governments, NGOs and charity funds invested and supported MFIs. In 2006 seventeen billion dollar of loans represented 10% of the potential microfinance market (Swanson, 2007). The money market return in that year was 5.8% in dollars and 3.2% in euros (Reille Foster, 2008). Although multiple sources report extreme returns on equity in microfinance, is investing in microfinance far from riskless. MicroPlace is the first online platform to trade in MFIs developed by Ebay. The average yield on a investment is 3% which matures in 3 years. In order to realize high net return on equity should organizations keep the operational cost low. Especially in the case of MFIs are operating cost high. Still lack of control and transparency makes investing in MFIs risky. Difficulty to comply with regulation standards, if any regulation framework is available MFIs act like banks, by collecting any in developed nations and from local communities and invest them in the area. Criticism is about the lack of transparency and knowledge in the sector. Databases consist of low quality accounting numbers and the absence of legislation, authorization in emerging economies aInsights in this industry will thus not only benefit the poor of the world, but also investors of the world as well as the lessons for the financial systems worldwide. The promise that microfinance offers is a reduction of poverty worldwide, with without any means of charity or subsidy (Cull, Demirguà §-Kunt Morduch, 2007). The poverty line is defined as having less than 2 dollar to spend on a daily basis. Group liability schemes are the response of MFIs to avoid the lack of traceable credibility and liquidity of clients. The group structure of loan repayment proves to secure high rates of repayment. Even with the lack of collateral or means of liquidity of the clients (Cull, Demirguà §-Kunt Morduch, 2007). The backside of this concept is that the industry is characterized by a high amount of transactional and operational cost due to monitoring cost. Also the high geographical distances and spread of clients, without technology standards or infrastructure to bridge these distance, increases the operational costs. A stereotype client of an MFI would be a woman (approximately 97% of all microfinance clients are woman), with a low level or non education. The idea that most clients are entrepreneurs is a biased view. Since microfinance believes in the strength and flexibility of people new entrepreneurial business arise, but everyone with a spendable income of less than 2 dollar a day, could be a client of an MFI. Grootte markt Although the loans and services provided are relative low is the amount of clients enormous. Ownership and governance (Call for legislation and authorization) Technology influences (Mobile phones) Microfinance for investors (brug naar bank performance en systematic risk) Portfolio diversification Return oriented (non academic article) not more than a T bill) Null hypothesis 3: MFIs dont generate excess returns more over equity indices. How to sustain credibility High fixed cost to monitor clients No collateral as a backup in case of default, so MFIs have to define risk management methods in order to control potential default rates. Bank performance From NGO to Commercial bank Null hypothesis 1: MFIs have the same banking ratios compared with commercial banks from G10 nations. Systematic risk of MFIs Impact of macroeconomic indicators on MFIs and visa versa Null Hypothesis 2: MFIs and macroeconomic indicators are not related. Microfinance business and investors MFIs have a different business model than traditional banks. This affects capital structure of the institution. The expectations of investors are also higher. A return hurdle is identified in †¦. Which state that investors expect return on equity of MFIs between 20-25 percent due to additional risk of the underdeveloped markets. Transaction costs are high for investors. Since most MFIs are not publicly tradable investors have to spend relative more time and effort to find, retrieve and monitor funds of MFIs. Exchange rates and effort to buy forgein shares in MFIs The lack of transparency creates information asymmetry Asymmetric information contributes to high transaction costs associated with underwriting, monitoring, and loss adjustment. The very same asymmetric information and transaction costs problems also plague financial markets in rural areas of low-income countries, contributing to high market interest rates. Market interest rates are also affected by default risk. Financial regulations can protect the interests of consumers by reducing information asymmetries. So Camel But for MFIs instead of commercial banks it is very difficult to diversify risk. Since most lenders have a business in agricultural oparetions a nature disaster or a change of policy within the domestic border affects almost the compete loan portfolio. For this reason it is important to understand the underlying sustamtic risk of an MFI with a nation. Bank Performance Measurement Measurement of the financial performance of banks increases the transparency of the banking sector in various ways. First, the performance indicators are warning signals for troubled banks. This increases the safety of the banking system. Secondly the indicators are useful tools for allocation decisions for investors. Especially in the case of MFIs, investors lack perfect information. Compared with developed nations the information asymmetry is greater, since commercial banks from industrialized countries have easy accessible and reliable performance indicators. Monitoring MFI performance decreases the information asymmetry gap for investors, which helps MFIs to attract more funds and increase their performances. A performance model assesses the efficiency of the organization. Efficiency is the ratio of the effective or useful output to the total input of a system. Different methods are available to measure the efficiency of banks. Statistical and intelligent techniques to model bank performance models are extensively reviewed by Kumar Ravi (2009). The most common approaches are data envelopment analysis (DEA) (Liu, 2009) and CAMEL analysis (Cole Gunther, 2008). DEA is a non parametric method which uses linear programming to measure multiple in- and outputs of business units. The business units are compared through creating an efficient frontier of best performing business units. DEA is mainly used to asses the internal efficiency of a bank. On-site examinations are the most precise way to monitor the performance of a bank. In developed nations are banks assessed between every 12-18 months. The ratings are known to CAMELS ratings according to their functional areas: capital adequacy, asset quality, management quality, earnings strength and liquidity. The performance of each area is rated on a 5 point scale (1 strong performance, 2 satisfactory performance, 3 performance that is flawed to some degree, 4 marginal performance that is significantly below average, 5 unsatisfactory performance that is critically deficient and in need of immediate action). From the 5 areas is a composite overall rating constructed. The Commercial Bank Examination Manual produced by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System qualifies an institution consequently as; 1 an institution that is basically sound in every respect, 2 an institution that is fundamentally sound but has modest weaknesses, 3 an institution with financial, operatio nal, or compliance weaknesses that give cause for supervisory concern, 4 an institution with serious financial weaknesses that could impair future viability, 5 an institution with critical financial weaknesses that render the probability of failure extremely high in the near term. Although the CAMEL approach is widely used, Cole Gunther (2008) point out that the reliability of the ratings decays rapidly once published. To deal with the diminishing value of CAMEL ratings, they offer a method to create CAMEL rating based on accounting data. The off-site examination of the CAMEL rating performs better after two quarters since the last on site assessment. The CAMEL approach is a suitable starting point to asses MFI performance, since MFI data is only published annually. The rating enables to benchmark multiple MFIs and filter credible and well performing institutions from the dataset. CAMEL offers thereby the possibility to incorporate the social objective of MFIs within the performance model. Besides CAMEL are seven approaches established to measure MFI performance. The Global Development Research center describes all approaches which find their origin from private and commercial initiatives to rank MFIs. The ACCION Camel approach is comparable to the measuremen t as suggested above. An overview of the systems: PEARLS rating system. This is a rating system developed for credit unions by the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU). ACCION Camel. The evaluation guideline for MFIs developed by ACCION International. Girafe rating system. Developed by PlaNetFinance. MicroRate. Developed by Damian von Stauffenberg of MicroRate. MicroBanking Bulletin/ MicroBanking Standards Project. Funded by the Consultative Group to Assist the Poorest (CGAP). The Philippine Coalition for Micro-finance Standards.Developed a set of performance standards to serve as guidelines or benchmarks to assess the operations of NGOs involved in microfinance. Institutional Performance Standards and PlansDeveloped by the Committee of Donor Agencies for Small Enterprise Development and United Nations Capital Development Fund. CAMEL is suggested as most suitable for investors. The reliance on qualitative measurement through interviews with the MFIs management is a drawback of the above mentioned methods. Although interviews are useful to assess the performance of an institution, it does not allow investors to asses the institution based on free available information (for example from MIX markets). The CAMEL approach offers an objective evaluation method to assess the performance on quantitative measures. CAMEL is thereby widely recognized as a well performance rating method of financial institutions. The areas of the CAMEL approach are defined, but the indicators to generate the rating of the areas vary per organization or study. Microfinance has a different banking perspective compared with traditional banking. To adjust for this basic principle the set of accounting indicators for the CAMEL model is different, compared with models of traditional banks. ACCION is a rating agency which uses CAMEL to measure the performance of MFIs. A combination of qualitative (interviews) and quantitative (accounting data) analysis is used to rate the institutions. The present study solely uses quantitative measures to assess MFI performance. The indicators are adjusted to the amount of the gross loan portfolio to adjust for company size. Capital adequacy is measured by the amount of total equity and the amount of leverage within the organizations. A higher amount of equity reduces the probability of the occurrence of insolvency. A higher reliance on debt increases the financial pressure on the institution. Leverage reduces therefore the overall CAMEL score. Asset quality indicates the quality of the loans. The write of ratio of the loans and the not winnable loans in 30 days, reduces the quality of the assets. The ACCION model and the model of Cole Gunther (2008) do not include a quantitative measure of management. The current study measures the way the management uses the financial resources efficiently to provide as many loans with the same resources. Better management should be able to reach more clients (possibly with a higher amount of an average loan). Operational self-sufficiency is a measure of overall financial performance of the management. The ratio of operational expenses and loan portfolio presents how effective the management distributes loans to clients. This serves as a proxy for the objective of MFIs to reduce poverty. Secondly is the amount of active borrowers an absolute measure of how many clients the management reaches compared to the financial resources. The average loan balance divided by the GNI of the domestic nation indicates how much a MFI offers to clients within the local context. Earnings strength is the most important for return oriented investors. Return on assets and equity are a widely accepted measures of financial performance. Profit margin is included as a profitability measure of the services offered by the institution. Liquidity is a measure of how well an institution deals with short term cash flows and needs. Unfortunately the database only provides annual information of balance sheets. Specific (short term) cash flow information is not available. Liquidity represents the ability of an institution to meet obligations as they come due. In order to create a proxy for liquidity, data is gathered to determine till which extent institutions can meet loan requests of clients. Two ratios are calculated. The first represents the growth of the assets compared with the growth in the total loan portfolio. The second ratio focuses on the growth of equity compared with the growth in the total loan portfolio. If the ratios are above one, institutions are able to meet the obligations of new loans on a short term basis. An overview of the indicators used in the present study is given in table X, together with the expected effect on the overall CAMEL score. BEKIJK CLEAM Winker Tank, 2008 Exponential weighting is used to include past performances of institutions into the model. Other CAMEL models do not incorporate the time dimension, but past performances are a reliable proxy for future performance. Capital adequacy is for example calculated as: CA1 and CA2 are the camel scores on the indicators as discussed above, is the weight of the indicator within the specified CAMEL area. This will be normally equally distributed over the amount of parameters. The is the degree to which the past years taken into the equation. N is the amount of years of available data of MFI performance. The overall CAMEL score is constructed by an equal or adjusted weighting of the five performance areas. The sums of the weights of the indicators have a maximum of 1. Regarding the social objectives of MFIs a distinction is made between solely return oriented investors and more social oriented investors. A customized CAMEL rating on the preferences of an investor is created by shifting the weights of the areas, yielding the CAMEL rating which reflects the preferences of the investor. Within this study we will use an equal weight distributing, a distribution which stresses the financial performance (ES) and a rating which focuses on the social objectives (MQ). Two words of caution have to be made with the use of the current model. The comparability of the ratings is not straight forward when investors adjust weights to their preferences. Traditional CAMEL models use always an equal weighting over the areas, to grant comparability. Secondly, in line with Cole Gunther (2008) the CAMEL ratings are a not interchangeable with the CAMEL based on on-site visits. For investors the model designed for MFIs provides a reasonable indicator to determine the quality of MFIs on various aspects and should be seen complementary with the on site visits. Summarizing, CAMEL is used as a starting point to measures the financial performance of MFIs. Specific indicators are chosen to adjust for the special case of a microfinance institution. The ACCION CAMEL model provided a first start for the current model. The solely quantitative model incorporates proposes a measure for effective management of an MFI, as a reflection of the social objective of MFIs. Secondly the model also considers past performance of MFIs with the use of exponential weighting. Thirdly the model enables to provide weights according to the investor preferences. For MFIs the model presents indicators which could be embedded in the MFIs performance goals. This way MFIs could attract more funds necessary through establishing a better rating and so, become more attractive for investors. In the appendix are the CAMEL rating for the indicators specified. Systematic risk in microfinance Sentivity to market risk as a extension of the CAMEL model. Descriptive statics are used to compare the performance of MFIs with commercial banks. Banking ratios of commercial banks of the G10 are used as a benchmark. The comparison of banking ratios provides a glance of the performance of the MFIs. The return on assets (RoA) and on equity (RoE) is compared to give an indication of the profitability of MFIs. The outstanding loan portfolios and write off ratios, provide a view of the riskiness MFIs, since micro credit represents the largest product class with microfinance. Leverage is used as an additional proxy for the riskiness of the organizations. Operational costs are compared to get a feeling for the efficiency of MFIs. According to Krauss Walter (2008) is the performance of MFIs mainly driven by macroeconomic factors within the domestic borders. The drivers of the financial performance of MFIs are studied with the use of the arbitrage pricing model (APT). The asset pricing model is used to determine the risk premiums of the macro economic factors of MFIs within the nation. Roll Ross (1995) find that the return on assets or equity consists of a system of risk factors. The systematic risk factors are macroeconomic factors. The expected return on a portfolio of assets is given by The betas on the factors represent a risk premium for a systematic risk factor. The alpha, as a residual idiosyncratic factor is canceling out in large portfolios. By using the linear multi factor model an indication of the impact of the macroeconomic factors is revealed on the performance of MFIs. The factors incorporated in the model are the growth of GDP, GNI, inflation and the penetration of the financial sector within the nation. In line with the

Mega Rex :: English Literature Essays

Mega Rex A man crawled down a sewer main ladder. He swam in the sewer water until he came to what seemed to be a warehouse. He got behind a large box and called to someone. "Colonel, its Snake. I'm inside the warehouse," said the man. "Great. There's an elevator in the back. Wait for it to come down and go to the ground level. Make sure none sees you. If you have a question contact me by codec. To do this, push the button on your wrist and select the frequency you want. My frequency is 140.85," said the Colonel. Snake waited patiently for the elevator to come down. When it finally came down slowly crawled out from behind the box and quickly went up the elevator unnoticed. Snake called the Colonel on codec. "Snake, what took so long?" said the Colonel. "That suit is hard to move in," said Snake. "Its purpose is to prevent hypothermia not to be comfortable. This is Alaska, you know," said a woman. "I know, Naomi," said Snake. "Snake, this operation is being run by Fox Hound and Russian terrorists. There are currently 6 members of Fox Hound. They are the best soldiers in the world," said Naomi. "I know, I was in Fox Hound," said Snake. "Oh, yeah," said Naomi. "Call Naomi if you have any questions about Fox Hound, Snake," said Colonel. "I would like to introduce you to Mei Ling, she designed you codec and radar," said the Colonel. "It is an honor to meet a legendary military hero like you," said Mei Ling. "Thanks," said Snake. "Your radar gets jammed easily, I'm afraid, because of the signals the terrorists use. You need to find the DARPA Chief (Defense Advanced Research Projects), Kenneth Baker. He will be a green dot on your radar. When you use your codec talk into your wrist.. No one but you can hear your codec because it directly vibrates the bones of your ear," said Mei Ling. "Snake, find the DARPA Chief. Hurry, you only have 18 hours left. By the way, we made a diversion. We sent an F-18 so it would go into the terrorist's radar and then back to Washington Airforce Base. That is your chance to sneak in unnoticed, said Colonel. There should be a vent on the first and second floor. Go in the second floor vent. "There's a Russian H-4 leaving now," said Snake. Mega Rex :: English Literature Essays Mega Rex A man crawled down a sewer main ladder. He swam in the sewer water until he came to what seemed to be a warehouse. He got behind a large box and called to someone. "Colonel, its Snake. I'm inside the warehouse," said the man. "Great. There's an elevator in the back. Wait for it to come down and go to the ground level. Make sure none sees you. If you have a question contact me by codec. To do this, push the button on your wrist and select the frequency you want. My frequency is 140.85," said the Colonel. Snake waited patiently for the elevator to come down. When it finally came down slowly crawled out from behind the box and quickly went up the elevator unnoticed. Snake called the Colonel on codec. "Snake, what took so long?" said the Colonel. "That suit is hard to move in," said Snake. "Its purpose is to prevent hypothermia not to be comfortable. This is Alaska, you know," said a woman. "I know, Naomi," said Snake. "Snake, this operation is being run by Fox Hound and Russian terrorists. There are currently 6 members of Fox Hound. They are the best soldiers in the world," said Naomi. "I know, I was in Fox Hound," said Snake. "Oh, yeah," said Naomi. "Call Naomi if you have any questions about Fox Hound, Snake," said Colonel. "I would like to introduce you to Mei Ling, she designed you codec and radar," said the Colonel. "It is an honor to meet a legendary military hero like you," said Mei Ling. "Thanks," said Snake. "Your radar gets jammed easily, I'm afraid, because of the signals the terrorists use. You need to find the DARPA Chief (Defense Advanced Research Projects), Kenneth Baker. He will be a green dot on your radar. When you use your codec talk into your wrist.. No one but you can hear your codec because it directly vibrates the bones of your ear," said Mei Ling. "Snake, find the DARPA Chief. Hurry, you only have 18 hours left. By the way, we made a diversion. We sent an F-18 so it would go into the terrorist's radar and then back to Washington Airforce Base. That is your chance to sneak in unnoticed, said Colonel. There should be a vent on the first and second floor. Go in the second floor vent. "There's a Russian H-4 leaving now," said Snake.

From dependence to independence Essay

â€Å"A Taste Of Honey† is a twentieth century play set in the 1950s. It is known as a â€Å"kitchen-sink† drama and was written by Shelagh Delaney at the age of 18 and was first performed in May 1958. A â€Å"kitchen-sink† drama originated in the literature in the 1950s and 1960s. Its aim is to create a true picture of the hard life and troubles of the working class life. In â€Å"A Taste Of Honey† the two main characters are always falling out with each other and the people around them. The conditions they live in are cramped and poor in bedsits or flats. An example of a â€Å"kitchen-sink† drama is in â€Å"Look Back In Anger† by John Osborne and â€Å"Saturday Night And Sunday Morning† by Alan Sillitoe. Plays and dramas in the fifties were performed for the middle and upper classes but then came the debut â€Å"kitchen-sink† drama; â€Å"Look Back In Anger†, which was aimed at the working class. A â€Å"kitchen-sink† drama play uses everyday common language to reflect the lives of the working class people portrayed. â€Å"A Taste Of Honey† is set in Salford, Manchester. It is about the life and relationship between a young girl, Jo, and her mother, Helen. They move around a lot, and have just moved into a shabby one-bedroomed flat in Salford. Helen is a semi-whore who lives off money which has been given to her by her men friends. Helen also drinks a lot. Jo is fifteen years old and she is very talented in an artistic way and enjoys drawing, but she blames her mother, who she refers to as Helen, for disrupting her education. Helen and Jo move into a shabby rented flat in Salford and it’s very cramped and small. Jo isn’t happy but Helen doesn’t mind. Jo tries to make the flat look and feel more liveable in by deciding to plant some bulbs. Helen’s not bothered though, and is happy that at least they have a roof over their heads. She has a â€Å"what you see is what you get† attitude towards life and lives by a day-to-day basis. Helen also uses a lot of sarcasm, for example, when Jo is complaining about the flat, Helen replies, â€Å"Everything in it is falling apart, it’s true, and we’ve no heating- but there’s a lovely view of the gasworks.† Helen is a single parent and there’s no mention of any relatives throughout the play. Single parent families were not accepted in the 1950s and if a couple wasn’t married, it was seen as â€Å"living in sin† and frowned upon. â€Å"A Taste Of Honey† is aimed at adults and older teenagers as there is a lot of crude and rude humour and bad language, reflecting their working class lives for example, Helen: â€Å"Take your bloody money and get out.† Peter: â€Å"Thank you.† Helen: â€Å"You dirty bastard.† Also, teenage pregnancies, race and sexuality were big issues in the fifties. Homosexuality was a criminal offence, even if the couple were of a consent age. Many homosexuals were locked up, and underage sex was strongly frowned upon, and abortions were very difficult to obtain. Women had to resort to back-street abortions, which were very dangerous and could be fatal, so that’s why there were a lot of teenage pregnancies. In the fifties, there were very few black people and they were given low paid jobs in the service industries and hospitals. These three issues are all part of the story. Jo has a teenage pregnancy, Jimmie is black, and Geof is homosexual. There were no equal opportunities, for example, men got paid more than women in exactly the same jobs. Housing conditions in Salford were poor. Most houses were small, cramped and dirty. Many rented bedsits or flats often shared amenities like bathrooms and toilets, and this is the case in â€Å"A Taste Of Honey†. â€Å"We share a bathroom with the community and this wallpaper’s contemporary. What more do you want?† In â€Å"A Taste Of Honey†, Jo doesn’t call her mother â€Å"mother†. She calls her Helen. This shows that she doesn’t have much respect for her mother and wishes to live her own life, and not to be ruled over by someone who is not a good mother figure. I think Jo is lonely, as she hasn’t settled down in a school yet so she hasn’t had the chance to make any friends. Helen also treats Jo as if she is just something that’s there. She refers to Jo as â€Å"she† and â€Å"her†. â€Å"Wouldn’t she get on your nerves?† Helen also drinks a lot, and even though Jo isn’t treated as a real person, she still wishes her mother would stop. â€Å"Drink, drink, drink, that’s all you’re fit for.† With Jo wanting Helen to stop drinking, I think this shows that Jo is scared, that if the drinking carries on and Helen gets ill or something happens to her, then Jo will be alone. Helen’s favourite past-times, which Jo disapproves of, are her drinking habits and sleeping around. Helen is not a good mother and she knows this herself, â€Å"Have I ever laid claim to being a proper mother?† Helen hardly knows her daughter. This is made obvious when Jo decides to have a bath in the morning because it’s dark outside, and Helen replies, â€Å"Are you afraid of the dark?† whereas in any normal family, the parent would know if their child was afraid of anything with living with them for fifteen years. Jo hates school. She has been moved from school to school and never settled in any of them, so she can’t be bothered with it, but she is very talented in drawing. When Helen finds some of Jo’s drawings, her only reply is, â€Å"I thought you weren’t good at anything.† Helen starts to encourage Jo by saying it’s very good, but then her sarcasm returns when she says, â€Å"I think I’ll hang this on the wall somewhere. Now, where will it be least noticeable?† When we meet Peter, he enters with a cigar in his mouth. He seems very â€Å"cocky† and seems the sort of person who doesn’t really care for other people, as he is self-centred. He keeps telling Jo to go away, and tells Helen to â€Å"get rid of her†, because he just wants Helen for sex. Jo doesn’t want to leave the two alone, and keeps interrupting because she is afraid that Peter will get the attention off Helen that Jo has always wanted. Also, Jo knows that Helen will abandon her and go off with new men she meets, as she has done it before. When Helen goes out the room and Jo is left alone with Peter, she starts to question him. Jo sees some photographs in Peter’s wallet and demands to know who they are of. â€Å"Can I see the other photos?† She then starts to ask why he’s marrying Helen and asks if he fancies her. â€Å"Do you fancy me?† I think she asks this because she knows that her mother is beautiful, and she gets lots of attention off men, so Jo wants to see if she could be just like her. Helen is somewhat an â€Å"idol† to Jo, because she always asks people if they think Helen is beautiful, and she wants to be just like her†¦ always getting attention from men. Jo, in a way, is jealous of Helen. I think Jo is fairly independent for her age, as she is certain about what she wants to do. She wants to leave school and start working as soon as she can. This shows that she acts older than she really is and is mature for her age. In scene 2, we are introduced to Jo’s boyfriend. In this part of the play, we know him as â€Å"Boy†, but later on we find out his name is Jimmie. He is a black sailor in the navy and he asks Jo to marry him. Boy is twenty-two, and Jo lies about her age and tells him she is eighteen. He questions her about what Helen will think about him because he’s a coloured boy. Boy: â€Å"She hasn’t seen me.† Jo: â€Å"And when she does?† Boy: â€Å"She’ll see a coloured boy.† I think Boy is worried about meeting Jo’s mother, as racial prejudice was a big issue in the fifties. Jo tells him, though, that her mother is not prejudice and will not mind, but at the end of the play when Helen finds out that the baby will be black, she starts to get mad. When she finds out, she says, â€Å"Oh don’t be silly Jo. You’ll be giving yourself nightmares.† She thinks Jo is pulling her leg but she is serious. When she finally realises that it is true, she doesn’t care what people will think of Jo, but what people will think of herself. â€Å"Can you see me wheeling a pram with a†¦ Oh my God, I’ll have to have a drink.† Boy has to go away for six months, and he reassures her he’ll be back. I think Jo ‘thinks’ she loves Boy, but doesn’t expect him to return, because when he says he is going, Jo says her â€Å"Heart’s broke†. Boy offers comfort by saying; â€Å"You can lie in bed at night and hear my ship passing down the old canal.† But when Boy starts to flirt with her in a naughty way, she says, â€Å"I may as well be naughty while I’ve got the chance. I’ll probably never see you again. I know it.† I don’t think that it’s true love between Jo and Boy, as Jo is young and every time they say they love each other, their replies to one another is always â€Å"how†, and â€Å"why.† Boy: â€Å"I love you.† Jo: â€Å"How do you know?† Whereas if they really did love each other, they wouldn’t ask for reasons why. Jo’s friend Geof, is very considerate and caring. We meet Geof in Act 2, Scene 1 after him and Jo have been to the fairground. Geof is a homosexual and he has been kicked out of his flat by the landlady because of this, so he’s been spending time at Jo’s. By this time, it is summer and Jo’s pregnancy is obvious. Helen has moved out after marrying Peter and left Jo alone. Geof comes into Jo’s flat after the fair and is about to go but Jo literally begs him to stay. â€Å"Geof, don’t go. Don’t go. Geof!† I think Jo is scared to be alone, that she doesn’t know what she would do alone with the birth getting nearer. Geof starts looking through Jo’s drawings and criticises them by saying he doesn’t like charcoal and that the drawings are exactly like Jo, with â€Å"no design, rhythm or purpose.† When Geof starts telling Jo that a lot of money will be needed for the baby, she tries to ignore the fact that she’s pregnant and tells Geof to â€Å"shut up†, but Geof isn’t saying this to worry her, but to get her prepared and face reality. He cares for her and because Helen doesn’t know about the pregnancy, Geof thinks she has a right to know that she’s going to be a grandmother but Jo objects. Jo’s relationship with Geof is a love similar to that of a brother and sister, as he is more into looking after her. I think Jo really cares for him too, as she begs him to stay over and she has a laugh with him as well as being flirty at the same time. Jo: â€Å"Do you like beer?† Geof: â€Å"Yes.† Jo: â€Å"Gin?† Geof: â€Å"Yes. Have you got some?† Jo: â€Å"No, but if I had, I’d give it all to you. I’d give everything I had to you.† When Jo and Geof go to bed, Geof questions Jo about Jimmie. Geof: â€Å"A black boy?† Jo: â€Å"From darkest Africa! A Prince.† She exaggerates as though it was a dream, or a fairytale. Just before they go to bed, Jo laughs and tells Geof, â€Å"You’re just like a big sister to me.† A few months later, Jo and Geof are getting ready for the arrival of the baby and Geof’s making a baby gown while Jo wanders about the room. It is not something that the audience would expect a man or brother to be doing. It would more likely be a sister. I think Jo is nervous because the birth is very near and she is restless. She is very excited when the baby kicks, and tells Geof. Jo always seems to flirt with Geof, playfully putting her arms around him, but when Geof is serious about him and Jo, she backs off. Geof: â€Å"Let me kiss you.† Jo: â€Å"Let go of me. Leave me alone.† I think this is where Jo becomes more mature and independent, as she knows what she wants. â€Å"I think I’ve had enough. I’m sick of love.† But then Jo realises that she can’t really cope, that the baby is perhaps more than she can handle and her hormones are getting the better of her. â€Å"I’ll bash its brains out. I’ll kill it. I don’t want this baby, Geof. I don’t want to be a mother.† She realises that she wants Jimmie back, she misses him so much, and she wants the real father to her baby. â€Å"Every Christmas Helen used to go off with some boyfriend or other and leave me all on my own in some sordid digs, but last Christmas I had him.† Geof thinks he is only welcome in Jo’s flat until she finds her next â€Å"Prince† and in my opinion, Geof is hurt. When Helen comes to see Jo with Peter, Peter is prejudiced against Geof and calls him a â€Å"fruit cake parcel.† He is drunk and wants to go to the pub with Helen, and so he starts making his own fun by calling the flat Jo lives in, and calling Jo a â€Å"slut.† Jo’s attitude towards Geof towards the end of the play changes for the better. From the way they both talk to each other you can see they have both grown up. Jo is more open to Geof about her relationship with Helen. â€Å"You know I used to try and hold my mothers hands but she always used to pull them away from me. She had so much love for everyone else but none for me.† When Jo says that, it actually makes the audience feel sorry for her, and disgusted with Helen, because Jo didn’t have a genuine mother figure. She also tells Geof about how Helen got pregnant with her. She tells him about how she was married to a Puritan, but wanted some fun so she had a â€Å"frolic in a hay loft† one afternoon with a â€Å"daft† man. This shows that she feels secure with Geof and more confident with him as she tells him everything that happened and wants him to feel sorry for her and to understand her because she didn’t have a good childhood. Jo starts to value Geof, as she realises he cares more than Helen. At the end of the play, Helen tries to hint that she wants Geof to leave so she can move back in. she thinks she could look after Jo better than Geof, even after the months she has missed. â€Å"There wouldn’t be much room for two of us on the couch, would there?† The only hint of love from Helen for Jo throughout the play is when Jo is having contractions and Helen strokes her hair, saying everything will be all right. This is the only time in the play when Helen is shown to be supportive of Jo. It shows Jo is independent and has matured, because when Helen doesn’t know how to use the stove, Jo tells her, whereas this time last year, it was the other way around. When Geof leaves, and Helen finds out about the baby being black, she says she’s going for a drink. This part reflects the beginning, when Helen abandons Jo at Christmas. Unfortunately just when Jo needs her mother the most, she leaves her yet again. When she’s out the door, Jo leans against the doorpost, remembering the good times with Geof and smiling to herself, as she recites a rhyme that Geof taught her. This shows that she is now dependant on herself, and knows she can cope by herself, because she was left alone the year before, and knows she can do it again. Jo’s â€Å"Taste Of Honey† was when she met Jimmie, but in my opinion, I think her â€Å"Taste Of Honey† was the time she spent with Geof, because he taught her a lot of things in life, and throughout the play you can see how she has matured, and adopted a more serious attitude towards life.

The Twilight Saga 5: Midnight Sun 20. Tracker

Each vampire strode out of the forest with a wild expression on their face while their brilliant bright red eyes glittered. The three of them came closer together once they saw how many of us there were. The female had long red curly hair and a catlike appearance. The two males were both tall and built. As they came closer to my family I could understand their chaotic thoughts – our family was large for our kind and civilized compared to most other nomads. I knew what these kind of vampires looked like already, so their torn clothes, disheveled hair and bare feet were not something that would take me off guard. All of their thoughts were thinking in sync with each other. How many vampires are there? They were all shocked as they made their way towards us. Our numbers were an unpleasant surprise to them. They drifted ever closer to us with extreme caution. Carlisle, Emmett and Jasper walked toward the approaching vampires to greet them, leaving only a short distance between us. I stationed myself securely in front of Bella. The visitors were cautiously looking around, mentally tabulating their chances of winning if a fight were to ensue. Once they began closing ranks with my family I began to listen carefully to their thoughts, making sure none of them sensed Bella for what she was ?C a human. Their eyes aren't red†¦ but†¦ How weird. The vampire named Laurent thought. As they descended upon us I had already figured out their names. Each one of them was thinking about the other in turn. The vampire named Victoria was looking anxiously between Laurent and the other male vampire, James. She didn't like the idea that James had to put Laurent in the front ?C to seem the leader of their coven but she was also grateful that he did because if there was an attack Laurent would be killed first and not her precious James. Her eyes darted in our direction. Why are they huddled around that one girl? Victoria thought. As she continued to look in our direction I concentrated on her thoughts alone. She was unknowingly absorbing the signs of the subtle differences between our kind and Bella's. Bella was the only human in a sea of vampires. The scent had not hit her yet. I began concentrating on the others thoughts also. James was a particularly vicious vampire. He was constantly gloating about how superior he was in his mind. James had caught sight of the many scars on Jaspers skin. Look at all of those battle scars. I'll keep my eye on him. He is the real danger of this coven. James was thinking strategy. I just don't understand why so many would gather together like this. Laurent thought. My family and the visitors finally met. â€Å"We thought we heard a game,† Laurent said lazily. â€Å"I'm Laurent, these are Victoria and James.† He gestured toward the others. Carlisle looked completely at ease as he spoke. â€Å"I'm Carlisle,† he began in a hollow voice. â€Å"This is my family, Emmett and Jasper, Rosalie, Esme and Alice, Edward and Bella.† He pointed to each grouping as he spoke. The new comers still hadn't caught scent of Bella but James was peering around me to her. He was noticing that her cheeks were tinged lightly with a pinkish glow and how her eyes were a dark chocolate brown. He stepped closer, unintentionally, to get a better look. â€Å"Do you have room for a few more players?† Laurent asked cordially. â€Å"Actually, we were just finishing up. But we'd certainly be interested another time. Are you planning to stay in the area for long?† Carlisle said in faux enthusiasm, though Laurent hadn't noticed. How long do they plan to be in the area? It's doubtful they would be able to stay here for long. Victoria looked at us incredulously. â€Å"We're headed north, in fact, but we were curious to see who was in the neighborhood. We haven't run into any company in a long time.† Laurent replied amicably. There is something about the dark haired girl. James continued to look at her. His eyes wondered to mine as he continued to think strategically. He doesn't seem like too much for a threat. He thought scathingly. I didn't let my expression change ?C the less he knew about me and my ability, the better. Jasper could feel the extreme hostility emitting from James so he used his gift to calm him down, along with sending waves of calm to the other vampires. James' thoughts returned to the conversation once he heard Carlisle's response. â€Å"No, this region is usually empty except for us and the occasional visitor, like yourselves.† Carlisle explained. Except for them? All three thought simultaneously. Jasper was truly talented. His continuous calm had changed the atmosphere into a more controllable situation. â€Å"What's your hunting range?† Laurent inquired. â€Å"The Olympic Range here, up and down the Coast Ranges on occasion. We keep a permanent residence nearby. There's another permanent settlement like ours up near Denali.† Carlisle explained. A permanent residence? They all thought together. They never leave? How is that possible? Laurent thought in astonishment before voicing his question. â€Å"Permanent? How do you manage that?† he asked, intrigued. This could be our opportunity to get Bella away from here. Be ready to move her away from them. Carlisle directed his thoughts to me. â€Å"Why don't you come back to our home with us and we can talk comfortably?† Carlisle invited. â€Å"It's a rather long story,† he explained. Home? Victoria and James thought together and then exchanged incredulous looks. â€Å"That sounds very interesting, and welcome.† Laurent smiled while choosing his words carefully. â€Å"We've been on the hunt all the way down from Ontario, and we haven't had the chance to clean up in a while.† I wonder what it is like to be so clean and dressed so nicely all the time, Laurent wondered. â€Å"Please don't take offense, but we'd appreciate it if you'd refrain from hunting in this immediate area. We have to stay inconspicuous, you understand.† Carlisle asked politely. â€Å"Of course,† Laurent nodded. â€Å"We certainly won't encroach on your territory. We just ate outside of Seattle, anyway,† he laughed while picturing his last prey and the kill. What? You idiot! Why would you agree to that? James roared in apparent displeasure. I could feel Bella shaking and I tried to hide her obvious human tendencies from the visitors. The constant deluge of thoughts had me struggling trying to keep up with everything. I focused on the threat and Carlisle. Get ready to get her out of here! Carlisle ordered me. â€Å"We'll show you the way if you'd like to run with us ?C Emmett and Alice, you can go with Edward and Bella to get the Jeep,† Carlisle said as casually as possible while inconspicuously directing Emmett and Alice of what to do. I could hear the wind from a mile away before it hit us. Alice looked at me frantically for a fraction of a second as she realized this, too, and her vision of us escaping unscathed shifted abruptly. I saw it flash and in that second I realized what was going to happen. The wind was only a second away and I was prepared. Suddenly the wind blew Bella's hair off her neck and sent her fragrance soaring towards the other vampires. James turned to face her as many thoughts went running through his head. I was preparing to protect Bella. Her scent had been punctuated by the moisture in the air, just like always. A howling rush of anxious thoughts came flowing out of my families minds as they realized the danger. Ummm†¦what a delicious scent, he thought hungrily. His nostrils flared to bring her scent deeper into his lungs, he crouched down, preparing to spring. His eyes narrowed while coming closer to Bella. I was a step ahead of him and so was my family because they had caught her scent strongly on the wind before he did. He was not going to lay a single finger on Bella. My protective side took over and a ferocious snarl ripped up my throat menacingly towards James. I met his gaze unflinchingly and he was suddenly very still like a dog who's hunting a rabbit, ready to attack. â€Å"What's this?† Laurent exclaimed in surprise. Why are they protecting her? She is just a human and an exceptionally frail one at that! This is going to be harder than my last hunt. James thought in a sinister way, determined to seize her at the first opportunity. His thoughts continued on a visual basis as I saw that he would pick victims who were harder to catch and track them down – delighting in the hunt. He continued to dwell on his satisfying memories of his obsession. The harder the kill, the more thrilling he found it. A sickening jolt ran through my stomach as I realized that if we didn't kill him now that he would continue to hunt Bella until she was dead. I shifted simultaneously with each movement he was planning to make. â€Å"She's with us,† Carlisle claimed quickly, almost in a threat. The scent didn't register with Laurent or Victoria for a few seconds longer. When it finally registered with them the scent was obviously not as strong to them as it was to James. â€Å"You brought a snack?† Laurent had a smile spread across his face as he took a step forward, ignoring everyone's protective stance. He was resisting the temptation much easier than James. A small horrified gasp exited Bella's lips. Another growl ripped up my throat, harsher than before. My teeth were showing and it sent a jolt of unease down Laurent's spine. He stepped back. â€Å"I said she's with us,† Carlisle looked tense and protective. â€Å"But she's human,† Laurent protested with a quizzical look on his face, slightly taken aback. Maybe this is how they stay inconspicuous†¦keeping a human as a pet? â€Å"Yes,† Emmett replied while stepping towards James. Laurent knew better than to become aggressive when there were so many vampires protecting Bella. He caught sight of Jasper who had his hands clenched so tightly that his scars shown pearly white. He looked quickly away and towards James while giving him a dark look. What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to get us killed? He thought. James slowly pulled out of his crouch but his thoughts and eyes were still on Bella. No matter what happened now, he was going to hunt her. Tonight ?C she will be mine, James thought excitedly. This should make for a much more interesting sport, he continued and it was obvious that our presence made the hunt considerably more interesting. I refused to move from my protective stance, remaining forcibly in his way. Jasper's waves of calm were working on the other two vampires but not on James. He seemed completely unaffected, like his body overrode it for the mere thought of a hunt as intriguing as this one would be. This one should be fun; I bet James is already making plans. Victoria thought while failing extravagantly to hide the excitement of the hunt on her face. â€Å"It appears we have a lot to learn about each other,† Laurent spoke smoothly, trying to placate the situation. â€Å"Indeed,† Carlisle's voice was relatively calm. I don't understand the fascination. â€Å"But we'd like to accept your invitation.† Laurent's eyes darted toward Bella and me and then quickly away. Good†¦Good, keep talking. This should help me out, James thought while his face lit up with a feverous fanatical glow. â€Å"And, of course, we will not harm the human girl. We won't hunt in your range, as I said.† Laurent added. James threw him a disgruntled look. Well that doesn't help me out at all, he thought angrily. Or†¦maybe this will bring them into a false sense of security and they will let their guard down, James continued to plan in his head. Carlisle studied Laurent's expression for several seconds. He seems to be handling this relatively well. I don't think inviting them over will hurt anything, Carlisle contemplated. â€Å"We'll show you the way. Jasper, Rosalie, Esme?† he called. All three of them moved forward blocking Bella from their view. Alice bounded up next to Bella while Emmett walked backwards to us, never letting James out of his sight, knowing that I could see everything he saw. I'm coming with you, Edward. I won't let anything happen to Bella, Emmett thought protectively. We need to leave now, Alice thought urgently. â€Å"Let's go, Bella.† I commanded. Bella didn't move; her eyes were wide in terror and shock. I grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her towards the jeep. Emmett and Alice stayed behind me, protecting both of us from any form of attack they might try to come at us with, all of us working as a seamless team. We don't have much time, Edward. James will be after Bella shortly. Carlisle won't be able to stall them for long. Alice looked upset. My impatience of her slow human pace was unbearable so by the time we reached the forest edge I threw Bella on my back as gentle as I could without slowing down and then I ran for it. Emmett and Alice were struggling to keep up with me; I was flying through the forest in a fury trying to get Bella away from the danger. I knew that this whole experience was jarring for Bella but the most important thing right now was for her to be safe. When we arrived next to the jeep I opened the door to the backseat and practically threw her in as the rest of us hurried into the Jeep. The key was protruding from the ignition already and I turned it quickly while the engine roared to life. â€Å"Strap her in,† I ordered Emmett who was already in the backseat. We have to go ?C now! Alice shouted from her head. She was already sitting in the passenger's seat looking extremely anxious. Her thoughts were unnecessary because I was already spinning the Jeep around to face the mountain road. Hurry, he's close. Alice's eyes were wide with terror for Bella. I was muttering ferociously while several profanities come through my lips, words that I would never use in front of a lady. Emmett and Alice were on full alert, constantly updating me in their thoughts at what was going on around us. I can't hear or see anything. Emmett informed me urgently. He lost Bella's scent once we took off in the Jeep, she explained to me, relaxing slightly. I watched Bella in the review mirror and through Emmett's eyes. She was bouncing up and down on the seat, her eyes wide. I suddenly wished Jasper had come along with us to keep her calm. Go south, they will split up but the prospects of them finding us are slim. Oh, she paused in thought, looks like they aren't planning to leave so quickly after everything after all. I wonder what they are going to do, Alice tried to look further in the future but there were too many decisions that hadn't been decided yet. I turned south on the main road. â€Å"Where are we going?† Bella finally spoke with a squeak. No one answered her. Just tell her, Alice commanded. I shook my head slightly. Emmett realized we were having one of our private conversations and understood what I was answering. â€Å"Dammit, Edward! Where are you taking me?† Bella shouted this time, looking horrified. I looked in the review mirror at her slightly crest fallen face and it broke my resolve. â€Å"We have to get you away from here ?C far away ?C now.† I said hastily. I pressed the accelerator down harder at my words while the Jeep's speed reached a hundred and five miles an hour. â€Å"Turn around! You have to take me home!† she vehemently exclaimed. This is exactly why I didn't want to tell her where we were going because I knew that she would demand what I couldn't give her. I looked in the review mirror again to see her face. She was fighting with the harness, tearing at the straps with tears welling up in her eyes. â€Å"Emmett,† I called. Emmett looked down at her while she was angrily grasping at the straps. Jeez, she is in a fury. Emmett thought. He brought his hands to her wrists and held them tightly in his grasp. Bella looked in the review mirror with pure anguish in her eyes. â€Å"No! Edward! No, you can't do this,† she cried out. When she begged and pleaded with me like this it broke my heart. I returned her gaze in the mirror. â€Å"I have to, Bella, now please be quiet.† I implored. She was stubborn, as always. â€Å"I won't! You have to take me back ?C Charlie will call the FBI! They'll be all over your family ?C Carlisle and Esme! They'll have to leave, to hide forever!† She shouted with a tragic expression displayed on her face. Of course Bella was being selfless. It was just in her nature to care about everyone else when her life was in danger. This was nothing to our family – the FBI ?C it's happened before with Jasper and Emmett. â€Å"Calm down, Bella.† I commanded. â€Å"We've been there before,† I was almost crying with exasperation. â€Å"Not over me, you don't! You're not ruining everything over me!† she began struggling under Emmett's hold. Edward, what do you want me to do? I don't want to hurt her but she is going to hurt herself with all of her struggling. Emmett thoughts became worried immediately. â€Å"Edward, pull over,† Alice directed. Bella has a good plan if you will just listen to her. I gave Alice a grave look while pressing the gas down even harder, showing her that I wasn't even going to slow down, let alone pull over. â€Å"Edward, let's just talk this through,† she continued. He's not following us; he actually has no idea where we went. Now pull over, she inclined her head toward the roads shoulder. â€Å"You don't understand,† I yelled in frustration. Alice had no idea that James was a tracker – that when he hunted his prey he never gave up and always conquered. I couldn't bring Bella back to Forks, he would find her and she would be in danger again. If she were to die, I would too. â€Å"He's a tracker, Alice, did you see that? He's a tracker!† I shouted. Crap! Emmett looked grim. â€Å"Pull over, Edward.† Do it now! We have to talk about this now! We are in this together and we all have to make the decisions together. That includes Bella! Alice raised her eyebrows like she was daring me to disagree with her. I looked down at the speedometer as the Jeep had reached one-twenty. â€Å"Do it, Edward,† Alice said to me in a bossy disapproving voice while glaring at me. She needed to understand, I had to explain to her but I didn't want to say this in front of Bella. I didn't want her to be more terrorized than she already was. I looked into the review mirror again as I saw Bella's encouraging eyes telling me to pull over. Her heart was hammering loudly in her chest and her scent was circling all of us in the Jeep, emphasizing her human frailness. I closed my eyes for a fraction of a second, hoping when I opened them again that this would all be over with. I couldn't stop, I must keep going! â€Å"Listen to me, Alice,† I gave her a reproachful look. â€Å"I saw his mind. Tracking is his passion, his obsession ?C and he wants her, Alice ?C her, specifically. He begins the hunt tonight.† â€Å"He doesn't know where ?C† Alice began but I cut her off. â€Å"How long do you think it will take him to cross her scent in town? His plan was already set before the words were out of Laurent's mouth.† I heard a faint gasp come from Bella's lips and I looked quickly in the review mirror to see her lips parted in pure horror. â€Å"Charlie! You can't leave him there! You can't leave him!† she shouted and began thrashing against Emmett and the harness with nothing but pure worry in her expression. â€Å"She's right,† Alice said while she looked to the future and then she looked at me in horror. I quickly dived into her mind, her vision was devastating. Bella! She will be so hurt and broken I don't know if we could fix her if Charlie is killed. We have to stop him ?C now! At the thought of what this could do to her I automatically slowed down. I didn't want her to die, but I could protect her from him†¦ but I couldn't protect her from the agony, the grief that she would have to suffer if her father was killed. It would be torture to see her in such pain or worse, if she finally took the blame off herself and realized it was entirely my fault and refused to let me comfort her. Alice could almost see my brain hard at work. â€Å"Let's just look at our options for a minute,† she said coaxingly, knowing that I was deep in thought about our options. The Jeep slowed as I took my foot off the accelerator slowly and the speedometer showed the Jeep slowing down to ninety miles an hour. In Alice's vision James would give Victoria the first kill ?C Charlie. Victoria was his mate and they were extremely vicious together, feeding off of each other's ruthlessness. She would display Charlie's dead body to try and coax us back ?C and it would work! I slammed the brakes while pulling into the shoulder. I felt horribly powerless. The car behind me screeched to a halt too and honked their horn. I saw Bella slam back into the seat and I was instantly nervous I had done something to hurt her but she looked unscathed. I turned to look at Alice. â€Å"There are no options,† I howled. To bring her back when that monster was hunting her ?C I just couldn't bare it if something were to happen. My brain was in limbo. â€Å"I'm not leaving Charlie!† Bella yelled louder than I had ever heard but I ignored her. â€Å"We have to take her back,† Emmett said quietly. â€Å"No,† I said with authority. â€Å"He's no match for us, Edward. He won't be able to touch her,† Emmett promised. â€Å"He'll wait,† I explained. We'll beat him at his own game then! â€Å"I can wait, too.† Emmett said while grinning widely. â€Å"You didn't see ?C you don't understand. Once he commits to a hunt, he's unshakeable. We'd have to kill him.† I shouted. And this is a problem because? â€Å"That's an option,† he replied unperturbed. I was becoming angrier because I knew I was going to lose this argument. â€Å"And the female. She's with him. If it turns into a fight, the leader will go with them, too.† Three against seven? Please! â€Å"There are enough of us.† â€Å"There's another option,† Alice replied quietly. She saw what Bella was planning in her head and the only way she saw this plan was if it was a possibility. This made me angrier than before. â€Å"There ?C is ?C no ?C other ?C option!† I shouted. I could see the shock on Bella and Emmett's face in the mirror. I turned to look at Alice. She has a good plan and you know it! Alice barked in her head. I continued to stare at her with deepest dislike. If she doesn't convince James that she is no longer in Forks than he will let Victoria kill Charlie. You can't let that happen. What would Carlisle say? I continued to glare at her and her logic. â€Å"Does anyone want to hear my plan?† Bella asked. â€Å"No,† I growled because I already knew her plan and disagreed with it. I've had enough of this! Alice glared at me so menacingly I almost thought she was going to burn holes through me. â€Å"Listen,† Bella pleaded desperately. â€Å"You take me back.† â€Å"No,† I cut in. I turned to look at her and now she was glaring at me. â€Å"You take me back,† she continued anyway. â€Å"I tell my dad I want to go home to Phoenix. I pack my bags. We wait till this tracker is watching, and then we run. He'll follow us and leave Charlie alone. Charlie won't call the FBI on your family. Then you can take me any damned place you want.† Wow! I like her style. She fights dirty! Emmett looked surprised. Just let her do this, Edward. Alice continued to glare at me. â€Å"It's not a bad idea, really.† Emmett allowed. â€Å"It might work ?C and we simply can't leave her father unprotected. You know that,† Alice replied in a I told you so tone. Everyone's eyes were on me. I took in a deep breath. â€Å"It's too dangerous ?C I don't want him within a hundred miles of her.† â€Å"Edward, he's not getting through us,† Emmett said confidently. I wish I were as confident as he was. I looked at Alice because she started flitting through the future again. Ah, yes, the future is getting clearer. I see†¦ â€Å"I don't see him attacking. He'll try to wait for us to leave her alone.† â€Å"It won't take long for him to realize that's not going to happen,† Emmett said. â€Å"I demand that you take me home.† Bella said firmly. My brain was swelling with the onslaught of information ?C the past events, the present and the future. Bringing my fingers to my temples and squeezing my eyes shut while trying to dispel all thoughts was useless but I tried anyway. â€Å"Please,† Bella whispered a cry. I knew I had to do what was best for Bella all around, not what was just best for me. I decided a compromise would be the best I could deal with. â€Å"You're leaving tonight, whether the tracker sees or not. You tell Charlie that you can't stand another minute in Forks. Tell him whatever story works. Pack the first things your hands touch, and then get in your truck. I don't care what he says to you. You have fifteen minutes. Do you hear me? Fifteen minutes from the time you cross the doorstep.† I conceded. The engine roared to life as I turned the key. I whipped the truck around while listening to everyone's thoughts. I knew this was going to happen, Alice thought smugly. Yes! We get to fight! Hell yes! Emmett rejoiced. â€Å"Emmett?† Bella said. I looked in the mirror and she was looking down at her hands. â€Å"Oh, sorry.† Emmett said while letting go of her wrists. This is the most exciting thing since mine and Jasper's trip to Africa. I hope Edward always keeps Bella around, everything is always so interesting! Emmett continued to think happy thoughts the whole way back to Forks. While everyone else was silent I was working plans in my head. â€Å"This is how it's going to happen,† I began to explain our strategy. â€Å"When we get to the house, if the tracker is not there, I will walk her to the door. Then she has fifteen minutes.† I gave Bella a dark look in the mirror to let her know I wasn't going to change my mind on this point. â€Å"Emmett, you take the outside of the house. Alice, you get the truck. I'll be inside as long as she is. After she's out, you two can take the Jeep home and tell Carlisle.† What? No fight! â€Å"No way,† Emmett interrupted. â€Å"I'm with you.† I sighed. â€Å"Think it through, Emmett. I don't know how long I'll be gone.† I explained. You aren't going to ruin this for me. â€Å"Until we know how far this is going to go, I'm with you,† Emmett said with authority. A growl almost escaped my lips. â€Å"If the tracker is there,† I frowned, â€Å"we keep driving.† No worries! â€Å"We're going to make it there before him,† Alice said with confidence. Oh no you don't, Edward, I'm staying with her. She thought when I planned to send her home.†What are we going to do with the Jeep?† Alice asked to provoke me. I gritted my teeth as I spoke. â€Å"You're driving it home.† No way! â€Å"No, I'm not!† she said coolly. Tonight I just couldn't help myself, a stream of profanities come through my lips, but low enough I was sure Bella couldn't hear them. Would she think of me as a gentleman after this? What a dumb thing to be thinking about in such a crucial moment, I thought to myself. â€Å"We can all fit in my truck,† Bella said quietly. I ignored her, she wasn't helping my cause. â€Å"I think you should let me go alone,† Bella said even more quietly, purposely provoking me. I clenched my teeth and breathed through them slowly. â€Å"Bella, please just do this my way, just this once.† â€Å"Listen, Charlie's not an imbecile,† she continued like she hadn't heard me. â€Å"If you're not in town tomorrow, he's going to get suspicious.† Why does she continually worry about me when she should be worried about herself? Beautiful, selfless, warm, trusting human†¦why do you do this to me? I roared internally. â€Å"That's irrelevant. We'll make sure he's safe, and that's all that matters.† I told her. I could see her rebuttal churning in her eyes before she spoke. â€Å"Then what about this tracker? He saw the way you acted tonight. He's going to think you're with me, wherever you are.† Where on earth did this creature come from? Emmett wondered. â€Å"Edward, listen to her,† he urged. â€Å"I think she's right,† Emmett said, positively delighted. Hum, she has a point. â€Å"Yes, she is,† Alice agreed. They already convinced me to come back to Forks and bring her back to the vampire who hunted her and now they expect me to stay behind! â€Å"I can't do that.† I barked. It was true, it was almost physically impossible for me to leave her now. â€Å"Emmett should stay, too. He definitely got an eyeful of Emmett.† She continued. You have got to be kidding me! She's turning on me now! â€Å"What?† Emmett's eyes narrowed in her direction. I'll placate him. Don't worry. â€Å"You'll get a better crack at him if you stay,† Alice suggested. The way they were planning was driving me insane. I had to put my foot down at some point. â€Å"You think I should let her go alone?† I said incredulously. Do you think I'm an idiot? â€Å"Of course not. Jasper and I will take her.† Duh. I felt like I was being beaten down. They were making sense and I knew it, but I just couldn't stand the pain if something was to happen to her and I wasn't there to protect her. â€Å"I can't do that.† I repeated. Bella spoke up, â€Å"Hang out here for a week ?C† I looked at her in the mirror and she could see my I don't think so expression and amended â€Å"- a few days. Let Charlie see you haven't kidnapped me, and lead this James on a wild-goose chase. Make sure he's completely off my trail. Then come and meet me. Take a roundabout route, of course, and then Jasper and Alice can go home.† It will work. Really. Alice thought to me. â€Å"Meet you where?† I conceded, curiosity getting the best of me. â€Å"Phoenix.† She said matter-of-factly. â€Å"No. He'll hear that's where you're going,† I said impatiently. Oh! Great plan†¦Alice thought seeing what Bella would say before she spoke again. â€Å"And you'll make it look like that's a ruse, obviously. He'll know that we'll know that he's listening. He'll never believe I'm actually going where I say I am going.† Interesting, always interesting. â€Å"She's diabolical,† Emmett began to chuckle and I ignored him. â€Å"And if that doesn't work?† I muttered. â€Å"There are several million people in Phoenix,† she informed me like that settled it. How did our conversation end up like this ?C here, in Forks embracing danger? We should be a hundred miles away by now! â€Å"It's not that hard to find a phone book,† I said grimly. â€Å"I won't go home,† she said happily. This is entertaining, really. Emmett thought with another chuckle in his head. I wanted to roll my eyes at her or shake some sense into her. Maybe she had lost her mind with the stress of the ordeal. â€Å"Oh?† I asked, utterly perplexed. â€Å"I'm quite old enough to get my own place,† she smiled at me in the mirror. It won't come to that. Don't worry. â€Å"Edward, we'll be with her,† Alice winked at me. Everyone had lost their minds. A sadistic vampire was hunting Bella and everyone had turned it into a big joke! â€Å"What are you going to do in Phoenix?† I rebuked. If I have time, shop. She thought but pretended that she didn't think that when she looked at me and replied, â€Å"Stay indoors.† I threw her a disgruntled look. With Jasper gone Edward and I can track this James down and kill him! â€Å"I kind of like it.† Emmett grinned stupidly. I glared at him. â€Å"Shut up, Emmett,† I commanded and I meant that for his thoughts too. It didn't stop him. â€Å"Look, if we try to take him down while she's still around, there's a much better chance that someone will get hurt ?C she'll get hurt, or you will, trying to protect her. Now, if we get him alone†¦Ã¢â‚¬  we can hack him up into little pieces and burn him! Emmett finished in his thoughts with another wide grin spreading across his face at the thought. I saw the bright orange streetlights as they grew brighter and larger as Forks loomed into view. We had finally arrived back in town and I was suddenly anxious that our plan won't work. The streets were empty and it felt like it was an ominous sign. Alice could see the grim expression on my face. She'll be fine, Edward, I've seen it. Alice thought calmy. â€Å"Bella,† I began while Alice and Emmett became alert immediately, gazing raptly out the windows. â€Å"If you let anything happen to yourself ?C anything at all ?C I'm holding you personally responsible. Do you understand that?† I said softly. I heard her loud gulp. â€Å"Yes,† she whispered. I looked at Alice who turned back to me. â€Å"Can Jasper handle this?† He cares for Bella, too. â€Å"Give him some credit, Edward. He's been doing very, very well, all things considered.† I raised an eyebrow. â€Å"Can you handle this?† I asked. I have fewer problems handling it then you do. I'd never hurt Bella. How dare you. Alice thought while a growl ripped up her throat and she pulled back her lips to show her gleaming teeth. Coming from Alice, the very tiny Alice, made me smile despite the events of this evening. â€Å"But keep your opinions to yourself,† I said harshly, knowing that the knowledge of her visions would be too much for Bella to handle. You mean the one where I think you should change her into a vampire so she can live with us forever? She thought with great smugness. I grimaced while pulling into Bella's driveway, looking out at the dark grounds surrounding her house. A lump formed in my throat at the thought of what had to happen next.

Internet Censorship Essays - Internet Memes, Free Essays

Internet Censorship Essays - Internet Memes, Free Essays Internet Censorship Mr. Speaker, distinguished members of the house, The opposition concedes that proctecting children and to enable adults to avoid material which offends their personal & community standards should be one of the goals of the government. Having said that, we must find realistic and practical solutions in order to address this issue. Is regulating the internet the answer? Before answering this question, there are many factors to be considered. As the member of the opposition has stated, no single set of standards is appropriate to all users, how can we regulate and deem whats appropriate for one, everyone is different. What one may find offensive on the net, others may not. By restricting the flow of information on the internet, the public will not be able to obtain every possible information which is available to them. Although there will always be certain sites which emits offensive material, it gives us a true balance of our society. By making the internet a perfect world will mislead the publics perception of our true society. Mr. Speaker, the public should have the right to choose which kind of information he or she would like to view. The users should be given the responsibility of private censorship. Like in other cases, adults must provide children with a safe and supportive environment in which to play and learn in. This can be done by subscribing to a filtered Internet Service Provider or by installing a filtering software, it should not be required as the Honorable Prime Minister is proposing. Self-censorship should be decided by the users themselves and not regulated by the government. The Prime Minister has also maintained that there needs to be a rating authority for websites on the internet. Mr. Speaker, although this may seem appropriate, it would be almost impossible to implement. We must remember that unlike print media, one of the advantages of having the internet is to let individuals who have no access or who cannot afford a publisher, the opportunity to be heard. With the amount of information uploaded every second onto the internet, it would be very hard for a rating authority to anaylize these uploads. If a suitable rating must be given before any information is to be displayed on the internet, webmasters would have to wait a considerable amount of time before their work can be viewed over the internet. Mr. Speaker, as my member of opposition as stated, by banning or blocking out certain websites will result in a high social cost, this can be controlled locally, but not on a global scale. The effect would be minimal if not noticeable, and the cost of implementing this would be very high. There are no practical ways of restricting the users, in an era of extreme information fluidity in which every barrier to information can be by passed in several ways will make it very hard for the government to make such a restriction on the internet. Any knowledgeable user can log online and use a different proxy server to by pass these barriers. The Minister of the Crown has expressed there are harmful informations available on the internet which should be regulated. Getting information, such as instructions to build a bomb can certainly cause harm to the public if it is in the wrong hands. However we must realize that by taking such information off the internet will not be the answer. These harmful information can be obtained through many other mediums. Mr. Speaker, information of how to build a bomb can be obtained at your local library, banning certain information on the internet will not be the solution. Stopping and capturing individuals who present harm to the society should be the issue, it would be ignorant to name the Internet as the scapegoat. As for regulating copyright materials on the internet, the government has not proposed any practical and realistic ways to go about this. Problems for the protection of the rights of the different industries, be it music, print and so on, should be addressed. But once again, The Crown presents a false image to the public, regulating the internet to uphold copyright will not solve the problem at hand. Mr. Speaker, the internet presents a minicul porportion of

loss of national soverignty essays

loss of national soverignty essays Noam Chompsky once said: "People don't know what's happening, and they don't even know that they don't know." (Mattern, 1998, p.5) These are very harsh words but they do provide insight about how much the general population of countries involved with globalization knows about the issues that are dominating humanitarian groups around the world. Free trade one of the most controversial issues surrounding globalization has been getting the most attention lately as many treaties are being discussed. Because most of the negotiations for these treaties are being done behind closed doors and the countries negotiating them do not want their discussions to be made public most of the general population has been kept unknowledgeable about the implications of the trade agreements currently being discussed. Because the issues surrounding these treaties are immense, discussion of the issues need to be analyzed through different perspectives. Various International Relations theories come in pl ay when talking about these issues but arguments will be analyzed through the liberal IR theory and institutionalism. Through time, trade between people and nations have become more important as economic specialization enables greater productivity. This leads nations and countries to better produce certain goods and trade with nations that are more efficient at producing other goods. With the advent of the industrial revolution and the mass production of goods, trading became ever more important as increasingly large amounts of goods could be produced in the same area and be exported elsewhere for consumption. In the early days of international exchange, high tariffs and small quotas resulted in the inefficient use of resources. After WWI and WWII with the creation of the League of Nations and latter the United Nations, many international organizations were formed and it is in this period that early forms of the GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and...

5 Parts of the Writing Process Essay Example for Free

5 Parts of the Writing Process Essay ? 1. Pre-Writing – Before you sit down to write something, you need to figure out what you are going to write about. 2. Drafting – Once you have planned out your ideas, the next step is to start drafting, or writing. 3. Revising – When you revise, you are looking at the parts of your document and making sure that each part works together to make a coherent whole. 4. Proofreading – When a person is finished the â€Å"writing† step of the process and have revised your work, then it is up to the writer to take a step back and look at the writing for errors and correct them. 5. Delivering – Delivering in its simplest form refers to a text that is meant to be read to an audience. 5 Resources to Help You Improve Your WritingSkills 1. Writing Clearly: A Self-Teaching Guide by Dawn B. Sova With Writing Clearly: A Self-Teaching Guide, you’ll discover the answers to these questions and many more about the basics of communicating effectively through the written word. Each chapter in this hands-on guide focuses on key steps in the writing process, identifying the shared and differing skills demanded by each type of writing; from a persuasive essay, a business letter, or a scientific report. The straightforward, structured format makes it fully accessible, providing an easy-to-understand overview for everyone from students beginning to build skills, to adults looking to improve their writing, to the experienced writer hoping to further hone skills in a certain area. This book allows you to build gradually on what you have learned at your own pace. Questions and self-tests reinforce the information in each chapter and allow you to skip ahead or focus on specific areas of concern. Packed with useful, up-to-date information, this clear, concise volume is a valuable learning tool and reference source for anyone who wants to develop or improve his or her basic writing skills. 2. Report Writing Skills Training Course by Margaret Greenhall  This book makes report writing a step by step process for you to follow every time you have a report to write. Margaret’s understanding of how people read and remember gives a unique view to the process of report writing. This book brings you her tried and tested training techniques to make the process of writing a report straight forward. 3. The Writer’s Workplace with Readings: Building College Writing Skills by Sandra and John Scarry John Scarry and Sandra Scarry present writing instruction in a clear and manageable form, with step-by-step explanations to help build and maintain students’ confidence in their writing. The result of many years of classroom teaching and research, this comprehensive and time-tested resource reflects the authors’ understanding that every student is unique, with different backgrounds and interests that must be accounted for as they engage in the writing process. This offers instructors the opportunity to customize their own version of the book by including or excluding any sections that they do or do not teach in their course-making this a text that reflects not only the students’ needs and experiences, but their instructor’s as well. 4. Writing With Power: Techniques For Mastering the Writing Process by Peter Elbow A classic handbook for anyone who needs to write. This book speaks to everyone who has wrestled with words while seeking to gain power with them. Here, Peter Elbow emphasizes that the essential activities underlying good writing and the essential exercises promoting it are really not difficult at all. Employing a cookbook approach, Elbow provides the reader (and writer) with various recipes: for getting words down on paper, for revising, for dealing with an audience, for getting feedback on a piece of writing, and still other recipes for approaching the mystery of power in writing. By taking risks and embracing mistakes, Elbow hopes the writer may somehow find a hold on the creative process and be able to heighten two mentalities–the production of writing and the revision of it. From students and teachers to novelists and poets, Writing with Power reminds us that we can celebrate the uses of mystery, chaos, no planning, and magic, while achieving analysis, control, explicitness, and care in whatever it is we set down on paper. 5. Steps to Writing Well by Jean Wyrick  Writing well is just a step away! This book gives the student the ultimate step-by-step guide to writing effective essays. With the author’s clear, practical advice and student-friendly tone, you’ll find it easy to begin, organize, and revise your writing-from choosing a topic to developing your essay to polishing your prose. Interesting readings in a variety of styles offer useful examples of the types of essays you’ll most often be assigned in your composition and other college classes. 5 Parts of the Writing Process. (2017, Jan 26).

Responding to the letter Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Responding to the letter - Assignment Example Along with my background in health promotion, I have carried out extensive research into the matter, which I believe will aid you greatly. The recommendations that I have come up with are not merely based on superfluous assumptions; rather I have assimilated information regarding the various obstacles that are faced in health promotion and have argued the recommendations I proposed with reasons. This letter will cover the various aspects of empowering families living in Boston, USA, with little or no health awareness and equipping them with information regarding the health of their children. This letter will prove to be an instrumental tool in promoting the health of previously hospitalized diabetic children. The content of the letter has been organized such as to facilitate the achievement of your goals. To reiterate, your goals primarily focus on: 1. Provision of health information to families regarding diabetes as a constituent of their social education problem. 2. Involvement of groups and cooking clubs for encouraging families to make healthier meals for the children. Taking these objectives into account, the letter: Highlights the importance of social education and health awareness of families. Provides a comprehensive action plan for educating families living in Riyadh. Recommends the most appropriate location for the delivery of the plan. Explores ways that can be used for the involvement of cooking clubs and related groups. Looks into appropriate and effective marketing tools for promulgating the service. Sheds light into the costs associated with the project. Analyses the possible impediments that can be faced. Reviews the need to evaluate the project in terms of short and long term effects. The first section of the paper briefly considers the directives that have been adopted by the government for health promotion in the general public. Incidence of Diabetes in children and Government directives: In the USA, extensive research into diabetes is being carried out and the disease is not treated lightly. The incidence of diabetes is growing in the country, particularly among the younger population. It has become one of the most common chronic illnesses in children and teenagers in USA. Statistics report that more than 151,000 children and youth aged less than 20 years have been diagnosed with the condition. In 2007, 186,300 under the age of 20 were reported to have diabetes, representing about 0.2% of the youth in this age group (NDEP 2008). Usually children are diagnosed with the type of diabetes that is referred to as diabetes type I or juvenile diabetes. However over the recent years, it has been seen that some children are even developing diabetes type II, which was predominantly considered adult diabetes. In a study carried out between 2002 and 2003, the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth, it was found out that every year in US, an alarming 15,000 children and teenagers are diagnosed with juvenile-onset diabetes. Moreover, the study showed that 3700 youth are diagnosed with adult diabetes each year. Although the occurrence of the disease in children aged less than 10 was low, it was seen that adult type II diabetes becomes increasingly common in children aged 10 years or more, especially in minority populations such as non-Hispanic whites and African Americans (NEDP 2008). Due to the rising incidence of the condition in the country, there are a number of directives that h