Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 8

Case Study - Essay Example From that time it has become one of the dominant players among the three big giants of the soft drink industry. It has become the most valuable brand in the world. Not only coke it also manufactures many other flavour of soft drinks like Fanta, Sprite, ready to drink coffee, juices etc. The company has its setup in all over the world with largest distribution system of beverage. There are many legal issues involved with the business of soft drinks and water based beverages. As one of the manufacturer of soft drink Coco Cola also has to maintain the legal issues. The company has to maintain a certain standard for the composition of package water and other beverages, soft drinks etc. Labelling of the drink and the water the mixed in the drink are also included in this standard. The composition of the drinks has to be mentioned on the bottle. The date of manufacture and expiry should be written on the bottle. Nutritional value of the product has to be mentioned on its packet or bottle. Coco Cola has to pay a certain amount of tax to the government of different countries do doing the business. Apart from maintaining these general laws of soft drink industry Coco Cola Company has laws of their own to. Those laws always are related to company policies, shareholder, board of directors, officers, recruitment etc. Date, time & place of the annual meeting of the shar eholders shall be designated by the Board of Directors from time to time. Regular meeting of board of director are to be held. The number of board of director should not be less than 10 and more than 20. Every year in the annual meeting of the company the shareholders elects the board of director. The Officers are selected by the Board of Directors. The Company can have Chief Financial Officer for supervising the financial affairs. He is elected by the Board of Directors. These are some major legal issues involved in Coco Cola. A legislative issue happen with coco cola in US. There Coco

Philosophy Meaning Essay Example for Free

Philosophy Meaning Essay PHILOSOPHY greek meaning â€Å"love of wisdom†, encompassed the love of all wisdom, but only in recent centuries came to refer to a special branch of enquiry, separate from other sciences, such as â€Å"natural philosophy†. * is universally defined as â€Å"the study of the wisdom or knowledge about the general problems, facts, and situations connected with human existence, values, reasons, and general reality. † It seeks reasons, answers, and general explanations to life and its factors. Thus, if we talk about philosophy, we talk about a school of thoughts. â€Å"philosophers† which makes a profession of studying things in their separation from human life and practice. The main branches of Philosophy are Logic, Epistemology, Metaphysics and Ethics. Western philosophy is referred to as the school of thought from Greek philosophy that influenced the greater part of Western civilization. * takes its roots from Rome and Christianity, specifically Judeo-Christianity. * Latin * Rational, Scientific, Logical schools. Western civilization is more individualistic, trying to find the meaning of life here and now with self at the center as it is already given and part of the divine. Eastern philosophy is based mainly in Asia, more specifically the Chinese philosophy. * Confucianism, Mahayana Buddhism, and Taoism. Chinese. Hinduism, Integral Yoga, Islam, Zen * Relationship with religion; Integration Search for absolute truth: * Systemic approach – all events in the universe are interconnected * Searching inside yourself – by becoming a part of the universe through meditation and right living. Eastern philosophy is drawn much more into groups or society or people’s actions and thoughts as one in order to find meaning in life as they try to get rid of the false â€Å"me† concept and find meaning in discovering the true â€Å"me† in relation to everything around them, or as part of a bigger scheme. Summary: * Western philosophy is mainly used in the Western parts of the world, such as in the European countries, while the Eastern philosophy is prevalent in Asian countries. * Both philosophies center on virtues. * West’s Individualism ( and the East’s Collectivism (A human being is an integral part of the universe and the society. People are fundamentally connected. Duty towards all others is a very important matter. Collectivism is stronger. ) * Eastern philosophy takes more of a spiritual approach while Western philosophy is more hands-on. The Ionian Philosophers * comes from Aristotle; first source to attempt systematic exposition of their doctrines. Thales * Prediction of the eclipse, and other astronomical activities. * Prediction of solstices * Mathematical discoveries (geometry ) * Cosmology * Natural phenomena including the heavens could be discussed as processes governed by natural laws. * Believed that the Earth was a large (? at) disk ? oating on an in? nite ocean of water, and that earthquakes resulted from disturbances in this ocean that shook and cracked the Earth. * concept of â€Å"unity underlying diversity† some fundamental principles tying together all the multitude of things we see on Earth * water was the fundamental element from which all things were derived. Anaximander * Zoogony and anthropogony * thought the Universe formed out of an in? nite chaos he called the â€Å"boundless† due to a â€Å"separating out† of opposites (such as hot and cold, wet and dry). * ? rst recorded attempt to model the Universe. (the Earth was a cylinder and that the Sun, Moon and stars were all located on concentric cylinders, or hoops, rotating about the Earth. ) Anaximenes * one ruling material principle is air; imperceptible. * Air was the fundamental material of all things. * ? rst attempt to explain the diversity of the world with qualitative differences in terms of quantitative differences. Babylonians and Egyptians were excellent at mathematics. Greeks began to move away from their mythical view of the world and started to seek explanations of natural phenomena; later called science. * All questioned the origin of the Universe, what was here in the beginning, and what things are made from. They all believed that material substance (rather than some spiritual or supernatural substance; thus the name materialists) made up the Universe. In other words, matter is the only substance, and reality is identical with the actually occurring states of energy and matter. * physicalism. to distance oneself from what seems a historically important but no longer scientifically relevant thesis of materialism.

Wars Between Spain And France :: essays research papers

The wars between England and Spain was a shifting of power in Europe. A cause of the wars was the imprisonment and execution of Mary Stuart Queen of Scots. The Netherlands wanting to break away from Spain was a cause of the war. Elizabeth sending aid and troops to the Netherlands was another cause of the war. Mary Stuart was the direct heir of Scotland. She was a Catholic. Many people in England wanted to see Mary the Queen and make England a Catholic nation. This worried Queen Elizabeth and had Mary put under house arrest for nineteen years. There were many plots made trying to assassinate Queen Elizabeth involving Mary. The final plot called the Babington plot had enough proof to convict Mary and execute her. Queen Elizabeth knew the consequences this would create throughout the Catholic world. And this was the last straw between Spain and England. The Netherlands wanted to abolish the control Spain had over their nation. They wanted to get rid of the Spanish Inquisition. Two-hundred nobles, in the Netherlands, formed a league, and they petitioned King Philip II not to use the Spanish Inquisition. He refused and a revolt broke out. William of Orange led the united seventeen provinces of the Netherlands against Spanish authority. Queen Elizabeth lent aid to the Netherlands in their war with Spain. She sent over 6000 troops in 1585. Don Juan became the general of the Netherlands and planned an invasion. After Don Juan's death the Union of Utrecht was formed breaking the solid front of the 17 provinces of the Netherlands. When Spain tried to invade England they were defeated. The great Spanish Armada was beat by small, quick fleet of English and Dutch ships. English and Dutch pirates raid the Spanish ships also. The weather played a role in the war. A bad storm wiped out many ships of the Armada. England gained a great deal from this battle with Spain.

Nee Bondha

1. ) Hope these KindNotes add sunshine to your day, and show you that you're thought of in a warm and special way! -Unknown 2. ) Let this be a short rest before you embark on your journey to greater challenges. -Unknown 3. ) Hope you'll soon be feeling fine the way you were before because things just won't be the same until you're well once more. -Unknown 4. ) With the warmest of wishes, this just comes to say hope that you're feeling much better today. -Unknown 5. ) As you rest and heal, know that you are thought of warmly and wished a quick recovery. -Unknown 6. May you find comfort in knowing many of us are caring about you and we hope good health will be restored to you soon. -Unknown 7. ) Please know that our thoughts and prayers are with you during your recovery. -Unknown 8. ) We hope you get well soon because you are too special to be sick. -Unknown 9. ) Wishing that each day brings you renewed strength, brighter times, and a healthier, happier you. Get well soon. -Unknown 10. ) You are in our thoughts, and we're all hoping that you will be enjoying better health again soon. -Unknown 11. ) You have places to go, people to see, lots of fun times to be enjoyed.Get well soon. -Unknown 12. ) Whatever you find hardest to do, do with all your heart. -Unknown 13. ) Rise above the storm and you will find the sunshine. 14. ) Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. -Theodore Roosevelt 15. ) Don't frown because you never know who's falling in love with your smile. -Unknown 16. ) Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. -Ralph Waldo Emerson 17. ) What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. -Ralph Waldo Emerson 18. Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. 19. ) Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least. -Goethe 20. ) Hang in there. A lot of good things are co ming your way. 21. ) Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift. -Unknown 22. ) Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless. -Mother Teresa 23. ) Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can read. -Mark Twain 24. ) The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart. Hellen Keller 25. ) It does not matter how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get up. -Vince Lombardi 26. ) Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. -Dr. Seuss 27. ) Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine. -Anthony J. D'Angelo 28. ) Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you will land among the stars. -Les Brown 29. ) Don't let anything slow you down; with will, anything is possible. 30. ) Don't frown because your smile is what lightens up the world. 31. ) Time is the best doctor . -Unknown

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Essay

1. Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or â€Å"burn-out† has always been and issue for paramedics and other emergency responders, but it wasn’t recognized or even considered to be a significant problem. The causes of PTSD range from a major life-threatening incident (e.g. war, act of violence, accident and disaster) to a prolonged series of events (e.g. bullying, harassment, abuse, living with a violent partner). PTSD was introduced in the 1980s, before then it has been known by many names including shell shock, war neurosis, soldier’s heart, gross stress reaction, transient situation disturbance, combat stress, combat fatigue, battle fatigue, stress breakdown, traumatic neurosis. The following is a list of PTSD symptoms that I have gathered from various sources, but mostly from psychology courses that I have taken in the paramedic program: *sleep problems, nightmares and waking early *flashbacks and replays which the victim can’t switch off *impaired memory, forgetfulness, inability to recall names, facts and dates that are well known to you *impaired concentration *poor memory and inability to concentrate *exaggerated startle response *irritability, sudden intense anger, occasional violent outbursts *panic attacks *hypersensitivity, whereby every remark is perceived as critical 1 *obsessive – the experience takes over your life, you can’t get it out of your mind *joint and muscle pains which have no obvious cause *feelings of nervousness, anxiety *reactive depression *excessive levels of shame, embarrassment *survivor guilt for having survived when others perished *a feeling of having been given a second chance at life *undue fear *low self-esteem and shattered self-confidence *emotional numbness, inability to feel love or joy *feelings of detachment *avoidance of anything that reminds you of the experience *physical and mental paralysis at any reminder of the experience So what types of experiences are most likely to cause PTSD? Is PTSD more prevalent in highly populated areas or is it just as likely in less populated regions? I’m most interested in PTSD rates of paramedics because I’m a paramedic student just starting to participate in ambulance ride outs. So in three days I start getting exposed to the same situations as real paramedics. For  someone who will be entering the service next year I want to avoid PTSD myself so I can have a long and healthy career as a paramedic. 2 When I first became interested in becoming a paramedic I heard from friends and others in the emergency services that a lot of paramedics quit and go on to other jobs because of the stress. This sounded logical to me but of coarse I couldn’t be sure till I either experienced it or researched the matter. I will be alternating my ride-outs between two ambulance bases. One that has a low call volume and the other has a high call volume. Here are a few facts from the Mosby’s Paramedic Text that is probably the most widely used in North America: – â€Å"About 30% of men and women who spent time in war zones experience this disorder.† (Sanders, 2001, p.1152) -â€Å"Posttraumatic Syndrome frequently occurs after†¦natural or human disasters; and accidents.† (Sanders, 2001, p.1152) -â€Å"Depression, alcohol or other substance abuse†¦often accompanies posttraumatic syndrome.† (Sanders, 2001, p.1152) -â€Å"About 5.2 million people in the United States have posttraumatic syndrome  during the course of a given year† (Sanders, 2001, p.1152). I think the cognitive perspective is the most appropriate for dealing with and answering this question. The cognitive perspective shows â€Å"how we encode, process, store, and retrieve information† (Myers, 2001, p.6). Paramedics are right in there during high stress emergency calls, how they encode and process this information at the scene  and after the call during a debriefing is important. How they store and retrieve the information is crucial. It can be affected by there own actions or the actions of others at the scene or even how they perceive the call went. 2. Students who are in-class may have the benefit of the instructor being available constantly for questions and clarification but I believe distance learning students have the will to learn. Distance students can schedule their own study time for when there ready and focused on the work. In-class students have to conform to a given schedule and may not be totally focused having to conform to a schedule. The students enrolled in a distance learning course will learn more about psychology. I would choose the descriptive method to observe and record the student through surveys and testing. Observations of assignment scores, surprise surveys throughout the course that evaluate the students progress through the course. Research into past courses may be helpful also. How did distance students and in-class students perform in the past? Natural observations will be the biggest indicator, just sit back and watch the students learn and how they progress on assignments and exams. Surveys where the students report there take on the benefits of whichever way there taking the class (distance/in-class). 4 The independent variable is the information the students are exposed too. The teacher’s lectures, comments and insights in the classroom setting compared to the prewritten notes that are sent to distance education students. Dependent variables are how well the students learn in the classroom atmosphere, and how the other students learn with prewritten notes. As for measuring, the mean is more valuable here. I’ll want to know which  class had the better average. Of course the data may be affected by those who are registered for interest only and aren’t concerned with grades. That would also affect the range. I could knock off grades that obviously aren’t common in a psychology course, those who score abnormally low or high compared to the grades of past courses. Standard deviation would show me better the difference in scores compared to the mean The participants could easily be the students who register for distance learning and those for an in class course. Some background research would need to be done to eliminate those who may have a background in psychology. The idea participants have no psychology experience at all. The experimental group would be the distance learning students. Can they succeed with the information that is provided? The control group is the students in traditionally taught class. 5 Students in distance learning will provide a broader variety of answers on assignments, tests and surveys. This is because distance learning students can stop in the middle of the reading the course notes and use other sources for clarification or to expand on an unfamiliar topic. Students in class will most likely regurgitate information provided in class. Research strength would be the natural progression of the students which should be comparable to past course that where taught through distance learning and in class. A weakness would be that the teacher may unknowingly emphasize or provide more information on certain topics that assignments and exams will focus on. Since the distance students only have prewritten notes they can only go with what is provided. Some students enrolled in distance learning maybe only taking the course for interest and may consider the final grade unimportant compared to a full-time student who needs to achieve good grades to graduate.

On Being Black and Middle Class by Shelley Steele Essay Example

On Being Black and Middle Class by Shelley Steele Essay Example On Being Black and Middle Class by Shelley Steele Paper On Being Black and Middle Class by Shelley Steele Paper Shelby Steeles On Being Black and Middle Class, discusses the concept of victimization. Steele believes that the use of victimization is the greatest encumbrance for African Americans. In Steeles perception, white Americans see blacks as victims to ease their guilty conscience, while African Americans attempt to turn their status as victims into a kind of currency that will purchase nothing of authentic or continual value. Hence, Steele firms that blacks must seize buying into this zero sum game by adopting a culture of excellence and achievement without relying on set asides and entitlements. By victimization, Steele is referring to the fact that humanity transforms their historical experiences of injustice into the centerpiece of cultural and group identity, for example blacks today are freer than at any other point in history, yet the identity is more acquainted with victimization than ever before. Steeles usage of the term affects his argument through his thoughts of why black middle-class Americans are unintentionally expected to celebrate the black underclass as the purest representation of African American identity. Steele presumes that the mistake that grew out of Americas desire to fix the racial problem was that it inadvertently made victimization itself a kind of currency of power. Victimization now brings certain benefits, preferences, and entitlements. Steele claims that by rewarding victimization, the human population encourages blacks to think of themselves as victims. Other terms that could be used to counter Steeles argument would be every group thats seeking atonement from society Hispanics, Asians, African Americans, even women. The victim mindset causes these groups fall farther and farther behind in American mainstream. The tragedy of victimization clutches much power.

Signs of Teacher Bullying

Signs of Teacher Bullying The majority of teachers genuinely care about their students. Although they may have the occasional bad day, they are kind, fair, and supportive. However, almost everyone who has been a student in a public or private school classroom has experienced mean teachers. In some cases, the alleged mean behavior is merely a personality conflict between the teacher and student. In other cases, a teacher’s irritability may result from burnout, personal or work-related stress, or a mismatch between his teaching and the students learning style. However, there are cases where the mean behavior crosses the line, and the teacher becomes the classroom bully. What Is Teacher Bullying? In an anonymous survey whose results were published in 2006, psychologist Stuart Twemlow noted that 45% of the teachers surveyed admitted to having bullied a student. The survey defined teacher bullying as: â€Å"...a teacher who uses his/her power to punish, manipulate or disparage a student beyond what would be a reasonable disciplinary procedure.† Teachers may bully students for several reasons. One is a lack of training in proper discipline techniques. Failure to arm teachers with an arsenal of appropriate, effective disciplinary strategies may result in feelings of frustration and helplessness. These feelings can cause teachers to resort to intimidation tactics. Teachers who feel bullied in the classroom by students may be more likely to bully in retaliation. Finally, teachers who experienced childhood bullying may turn to those tactics in the classroom. Parents or school administrators usually address physical altercations between students and teachers. However, behaviors such as verbal, mental, or psychological abuse may be less likely to be reported by the victim or fellow students and teachers. Conduct that may cross the line and be considered bullying include: Belittling or intimidating a studentSingling out one student for punishment or ridiculeHumiliating or shaming students in front of classmatesYelling at a student or group of studentsUsing racial or religious slurs or other forms of belittling a student based on gender, race, religion, or sexual orientationSarcastic comments or jokes about a studentPublic criticism of a childs workConsistently assigning poor grades to one student on objective assignments or projects If your child complains about any of these behaviors, look for other signs of teacher bullying. Signs to Watch For Many children won’t report abuse to parents or other teachers due to embarrassment, fear of retaliation, or concern that no one will believe them. Minority or special needs children may be more likely to fall victim to teacher bullying. Surprisingly, high-performing students may be at increased risk of harassment by insecure teachers who feel intimidated. Because children may not report teacher bullying, it’s important to pay attention to clues that it may be happening. Look for these signs that your childs teacher is a bully: Unexplainable ailments. One telling clue is a child who used to enjoy school suddenly making excuses to stay home. He may complain of stomach aches, headaches, or other vague ailments to avoid going to school. Complaints about the teacher. Some children may complain about a teacher being mean. Often, this complaint is nothing more than a personality conflict or a teacher who is more strict or demanding than your child would like. However, ask questions and look for subtle clues that may indicate a more severe situation. Ask your child to explain how the teacher is mean or give specific examples. Inquire if other kids feel the same. Pay particular attention if the complaints about the teacher being mean include him or her yelling at, humiliating, or belittling  your child (or others). Changes in your child’s behavior. Look for changes in behavior. Victims of teacher bullying may have angry outbursts at home or temper tantrums before or after school. They may appear withdrawn, moody, or clingy. Negativity toward self or schoolwork. Pay attention to self-deprecating comments or  excessively critical  statements about the quality of their schoolwork. If your child is usually a good student and suddenly starts complaining that he can’t do the work or his best efforts aren’t good enough, this could be a tell-tale sign of classroom bullying. Take note if your child’s grades start dropping. What to Do If You Suspect a Teacher Is Bullying Your Child Parents may be somewhat reluctant to report bullying behaviors. They often fear making the situation worse for their child. However, if a teacher is bullying your child, it is vital that you take action. Support your child. First, talk to and support your child, but do so calmly. Angry, threatening, explosive behavior may frighten your child even though you’re not mad at her.  Let her know that you believe her.  Normalize the situation and assure your child that  you will take action to stop the bullying behavior.  Ã‚   Document all incidents. Keep detailed written records of all bullying incidents. List the time and date of the incident. Describe exactly what happened or what was said and who was involved. List the names of any other teachers, students, or parents who witnessed the encounter. Understand what legally constitutes bullying in your state. Check bullying laws by state  so that you understand what actions are considered bullying. Investigate how the school is expected to address such conflicts.  Many states bullying laws are focused on students bullying other students, rather than teachers bullying students, but the information you uncover may be useful in your situation. Meet with the teacher. Depending on the severity of the bullying, schedule a meeting with your child’s  teacher. Speak to him or her  calmly and respectfully. Give her the opportunity to explain  her perspective. There may be  reasons that she appears to be singling out your student and coming across as mean or angry. Perhaps there are  behavioral issues or personality conflicts that you, your child, and his teacher can discuss and resolve.   Ask around. Ask other parents if their children have similar complaints about the teacher. Ask other teachers if they know of any problems with your child and his teacher or have concerns about the teachers behavior in general. Follow the  chain of command. If you are still concerned about the actions of your child’s teacher after speaking with her  and other parents and teachers, follow the chain of command until the situation is addressed and satisfactorily resolved. First, talk to the principal. If the issue remains unresolved, contact the school superintendent or the school board. Consider your options. Sometimes, the best action is to request a transfer for your child to a different classroom. In extreme cases, if the school administration is not adequately addressing bullying situation, you may want to consider  transferring your child to a different public school, moving to private school, homeschooling  (even if homeschooling isn’t a long-term solution), or online schooling.

How To Publish More Consistent Content To Grow A Blog

How To Publish More Consistent Content To Grow A Blog Are you one of the 86% of bloggers who plan to publish more content in 2015? Yeah. Were planning to publish more content, too. While creating and publishing consistent content may seem a bit tough at first,  itll really help you build reader loyalty and grow your audience. And that will ultimately increase your traffic, social media shares, and search engine rankings. It did for us at . How To Publish More  Consistent #Content That Will Help You Grow A Successful #BlogSo, how can  you actually create more consistent content? It boils down to a few things: Understand why youd actually like to create more content. Plan  your publishing momentum. Execute the plan. Simple, right? Heres exactly how to create consistent content that will help you grow a successful blog. Take A Step Back: Why Do You Want To Publish More Content? If you want to publish more, you probably have your reasons. But publishing more itself shouldn't be your goal. For example, you may decide  to focus on something like increasing your pageviews, social media shares, email signup conversions, and even product or service signups. Publishing more #content shouldn't be your #blogging goal. Here's why.It's really not complex, I promise! You just need to know the goal you want to reach and how an average blog post contributes to that goal right now. Then you can  use  this algorithm to do it  yourself: Divide your metric's goal by what an average blog post currently contributes to that goal. That should give you a rough estimate of how many posts you need to write. Example: Let's say you want 8,000 pageviews a month. If an average blog post receives 1,000 pageviews, you'd have to write 8 blog posts to reach your goal. You can see this algorithm would work  for  pageviews, social media shares, email signups, product signups, or whatever you're measuring. From there, you can look at how consistently you create content today compared to how much content you  need to create to hit your goals: Simply subtract the number  of posts you need to write from  the amount you're currently publishing. The result is the number of posts  you need to write to reach your marketing goals. Example:  You need to write 8 blog posts to reach your monthly goal. If  you only currently write 4 posts, you need to write 4 more posts to reach your goal. While these algorithms aren't a  perfect solution, they're super helpful for gauging how much content you need to publish to hit your marketing goals. And once you know about how many posts you want to create, you can make a plan to create consistent content. This post has some super helpful algorithms for nerdy #bloggers who want to publish more #content.Creating Consistent Content Is Like Running A Marathon Alright! So you're going to publish a ton of new content, right!? Might as well just publish a bajillion posts right away. Or not. Creating consistent content is like preparing for a marathon. It's not a sprint. And you're not going to be able to run it your first day. You need to build up your tolerance- and practice your approach- and eventually, you'll be able to run a ton of miles in a relatively short amount of time. Did you know that at for a while, we published three posts a week, and then we cut back to two? We jumped the gun and published more content than we could handle. After we cut back, our content became longer. We  actually grew our subscribers. And we had time to plan how we could publish  three posts a week. That's a true story about how consistent and quality content can build a loyal audience (we love you guys!) while building momentum for a successful blog. Now we're back to consistently publishing three blog posts of awesomeness every  week. From here, you need to figure out the pace that's right for you. Creating consistent #content is like preparing for a marathon. You can't run it your first day.How To Build Up Your Momentum To Publish Consistent Content There are a few  things you need to do to prepare for your blogging marathon. 1.  Consist-a-tize the content you're already creating. First, let's get the content  you're already writing publishing consistent. Choose the specific days and times you'll commit to publishing. According to your goals, there is research to help you choose the best times to publish your blog posts. Choose a day and time that should help you achieve your marketing goals. Plan any posts you're already working on in your content marketing editorial calendar  for that specific day and time for the next month at least. Remember that example from earlier? It looks like  publishing your blog posts Mondays at 11 a.m.  EST gets you the most traffic. If your goal is pageviews,  publishing your content consistently at this time should help you accomplish just that. 2. Commit to creating consistent content. Before you add more content to your editorial calendar, get what you're already doing under control. If you'll need help with anything to create the content, figure out how you'll overcome those challenges. Struggling for content ideas? Figure out where you'll find your blog ideas. If you need graphics, know how you'll create your visuals. Planning the details ahead of time- maybe with a workflow- and getting everyone on board from the get-go is the best way to create consistent content. Even if you're a solo blogger, a workflow with a set of to-do lists can help you stay on track. Here's an example of the workflow we use at from beginning to end to make sure everything is done at just the right time: Gather ideas: 21 days before post. Target a keyword: 14 days before post. Find a great  headline: 14 days before post. Write the draft: 7 days before post. Create graphics: 6 days before post. Edit and prep the post to publish: 3 day before post. Schedule  social media messages: 1 day before post. Publish post.Nail your #blogging process now  so publishing  more consistent content will be easier later on.3. Plan how you'll add in more consistent content. Once the stuff you're already creating is publishing consistently, you're ready to add in more. Like you did before, choose the next  best days and times to publish your content. Then  add one new post at a time to  your editorial calendar. This is really where you should take your time to build up your publishing tolerance. Creating more content isn't better. Creating more content that is better is better. So... maybe try an editorial calendar  that looks something like this for your first 6 months: Though this example is a bit specific, you can apply this same theory to your content creation process. 3 Ways To  Actually Plan, Create, And Publish Consistent Content There are 3 big ways you can plan consistent  content and commit to your editorial calendar. 1. Plan ahead to save a ton of time. Plan ahead. The number 1 thing you can do to actually create content consistently is planning ahead.  There is no better tool than an editorial calendar to help you do this. Be selfish with your time. Use your time for what matters. We all get swamped in our workloads, but that's why you have to prioritize. I read a book a couple years ago called Vital Factors: The Secret To Transforming Your Business- And Your Life. The book  had a very simple concept: Focus on the vital few projects that will actually make a difference rather than the trivial many that overwhelm your life. Make it a point to stick with consistent content creation as part of your vital few.  And actively tell yourself to let go of what doesn't matter.

The career corruption by mediation and cronyism Essay

The career corruption by mediation and cronyism - Essay Example Fairness obliges one to be totally objective and unbiased, exercising guidelines and policies fairly, and evaluating or appraising everybody by the same criteria. Almost nothing weakens employee motivation and confidence more rapidly than cronyism. The field of ethics mainly encourages people to be just or fair. As proposed by Aristotle: â€Å"Equals should be treated equally and unequals unequally† (Gertrude, 1987, 256). But the widespread practice of cronyism hinders equality and fairness because it awards too much advantage to a person who does not truly deserve this benefit. Cronyism, whether practiced in the public or private sector, effectively weaken organizations. When a person is hired or promoted because of connections instead of experience, skill, or expertise, the contribution that person provides to the organization could be substandard. Moreover, according to Reilly and colleagues (2012), because cronyism is usually hidden, this practice damages the transparency that is ought to be practiced in the process of hiring and contracting. The Qur’an is clear in its position regarding cronyism, or concerning the enduring conflict between justice or fairness and self-interest (Baig, 2013, para 5): â€Å"Be just, even if it is against your narrowly defined self-interest or of those very close to you. Ignorant people think they are protecting their self-interest by being unjust to others. Their decision to be just or unjust may be based on a cold calculation of self-interest. But real faith in Allah elevates one beyond that narrow-mindedness.† This statement shows that the justice or fairness upheld by the Islamic law allows no cronyism or favoritism in general. Whether cronyism is practiced in the form of giving advantages or favors for certain individuals or conferring preferential treatment, cronyism definitely implies that some individuals are in some way more equal than others. Preventing even the indication of cronyism is particul arly vital in hiring someone or in awarding a promotion. While the person carrying out the selection process may have a personal favorite, s/he will be cautious to base the hiring process on objective standards as professional history, expertise, and experience, building what is at times called â€Å"a level playing field† (Storti, 2004, 56). In several organizations, especially those in the public sector, the names of job candidates are erased from the application during the preliminary assessment phase to facilitate a supposedly ‘blind’ assessment of each candidate’s qualifications (Cascarino, 2012). The ethics of fairness goes beyond employees to accept how people generally are to be handled or approached, such as contractors or clients. The central premise here is that organizations must treat everybody they interact with equally, implementing policies and guidelines objectively, irrespective of an individual’s ‘connections’, social standing, personal affiliation with the employer, or any other conditions that may be considered biased, discriminatory, or subjective. According to Langan-Fox and colleagues (2007), people, who attempt to take advantage of their social status, expecting preferential treatment because of their ‘rank’, are lowly regarded, and employees who yield to such demands will usually not be recognized. Definition of Cronyism in Career Corruption One of the most typical descriptions of corruption is the exploitation of public position for personal interests. In almost all societies,

David Christopher, Orthopedic Surgeon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

David Christopher, Orthopedic Surgeon - Essay Example e second to most in demand whereas surgeon B takes as long as 60 minutes for the most required and the second to most required surgery that he executes. In addition, surgeon B is more skilled as he does surgeries of a greater variety as compared to the surgeon A. Keeping these facts into consideration, one way for Dr. Christopher to increase the patient throughput and accordingly the revenues without compromising upon the quality of care is to add a surgeon who is skilled in the surgeries of ACL ligament repair, Achilles tendon repair, and knee replacement since these are the surgeries with a lot of demand. The second approach can be to use the surgeons A and B only for the surgeries that are more in demand and stop doing surgeries in areas that have no demand. The record shows that no patient has been scheduled for the surgeries of big toe replacement and fractured hip, so the changeover time of 45 minutes consumed by surgeon A and B in these surgeries can be utilized more efficiently by doing more surgeries of ACL ligament repair that, though Dr. Christopher needs to train surgeon A to perform this surgery. Dr. Christopher can also increase the revenues without compromising upon the quality of service by better management of time. Presently, the surgeries are done only from 7:00 am to 12:00 noon whereas in the time thereafter, patients are seen either in the hospital or the clinic. After noon till break-off, there is plenty of time that can be availed in actually performing surgeries rather than just checking patients. At least, this time can be used to perform the surgeries that take equal to or less than 1 hour to perform and are high in demand like the ACL ligament repair surgery, the Achilles tendon repair surgery or the rotator cuff repair surgery. Yet another way is to keep the number of surgeons the same but divide the surgeries between before noon and after noon time depending upon the time they take. For example, Dr. Christopher should make the

Sears Auto Center Scandal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sears Auto Center Scandal - Research Paper Example This forced the administrators to begin to apply massive expense cuts throughout the company. Â  Many of the expense cuts directly impacted how work was performed by the auto service center at Sears locations. The salesmen and auto mechanics received a decrease in fixed wages and were instead offered a commission-based wage system that provided additional payment for specific types of parts sold and installed, as well as demanding a specific amount of these parts sold during a working shift. Employees began to concentrate on ways to make the most money instead of concentrating on the best quality for the customer. As consumers began to file formal complaints, a California audit and inspection was performed on Sears chains to discern the work involved. It was determined by government officials that the quality of work was below approved standards and the company’s employees were purposely misleading the consumers. Â  While the CEO of Sears issued statements contradicting these inspections results, the company issued changes in wage programs and earnings for the salespersons at Sears but did not change the commissions-system for auto mechanics. Chuck Fabbri, a Sears auto mechanic, wrote a letter to the U.S. Senate telling the truth about Sears’ wages program for auto mechanics and the dangers that it creates for consumers. These actions were performed by upper-level management at Sears to increase overall profits for the company as well as to provide increased earnings to company shareholders. The community was negatively impacted by these decisions because consumers were taken advantage of and misled. The government placed a 3-year probation on Sears and the company settled on nation-wide class-action cases amounting to multi-billion dollars worth. Â  

Decision Matrix Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Decision Matrix - Essay Example Being near to the market makes the new branch accessible to the customer and correspondingly, the high likelihood for it to profit. 2. Near to supplier – the business is a retailer and requires heavy coordination with the retailer. Proximity to supplier will save the business freight cost which is one of its highest overhead. Proximity to supplier also ensures predictability of supplies and shorter delivery period making the company more responsive to the demand of the market. It will also save the company from spoilage and breakage. 4. Convenience of setting up – convenience of setting up includes the availability of building materials, good infrastructure and absence of red tape in the area. These factors could bring unexpected cost to the business and therefore must be absent to make the construction of the new location convenient. The best option among the alternative locations is location 4. It has a total score of 2. It is the best location for the expansion of the new grocery for a variety of reasons. First is its proximity to the customers making the new branch very accessible and therefore ensures volume of grocery shoppers that could translate to sales. Second is its proximity to supplier where it is also the highest at 9. This means that the delivery time is faster at lower cost. In addition, shorter travel time also means less spoilage and breakage translating to less wastage to the company. Set up cost is also reasonable. It is also convenient to construct the business there as regulatory bodies are friendly and materials for construction are readily available. There is also an abundance of highly qualified personnel in the area making Location 4 an ideal place for the expansion of the

How the Black Death Transformed the Role of States Essay

How the Black Death Transformed the Role of States - Essay Example This paper discusses the impact of the Black Death on the role of states. The Response of the State to the Black Death From the 16th century, the state had persuaded the city government, the London Corporation, to take steps to stop the pestilence and other maladies. The frequently recommended solution was a kind of quarantine, where the afflicted were prohibited to leave their homes.ii Theodore de Mayerne, the king’s physician, produced a statement in the 1630s indicating a stricter regulation for food distribution, removal of beggars, and widespread cleansing. Furthermore, he suggested that a public health centre be formed, with power over issues of beggars, cleanliness and sanitation, and health assistance.iii Even though the physician received due respect from the king’s counsellors, his recommendations were immediately overlooked after the plague had stopped. In the period after the 1640s deaths from pestilence were unusual, and the ‘pesthouses’ where the afflicted were confined had been renovated for other functions. A lot of physicians, by 1665, had never observed the typical indications of the epidemic, and London stayed defenceless.iv The Royal College of Physicians, the certifying association for physicians, had been licensed by Henry VIII and had been an esteemed organisation. However, by 1665, its power was greatly diminished due to its historical connection with the state, oppositions from other associations, like the Society of Chemical Physicians, and the reality that only a few Royal College physicians were working in the city, and several doctors could simply be identified as frauds whose certification had been coerced by King Charles on the Royal College.v Yet, when the Black Death stormed, the Royal College suggested medications and public health actions to mitigate the predicament. The Royal College also financially supported medications for the infected people who could not pay for them. Additional pesthouses were hurriedly constructed, and alleged ‘plague nurses’ were assigned to look after the afflicted, even though many thought that their major interest was to speed up their demise so they could steal from them.vi As usual, the state attempted to fight the pestilence by removing beggars and wandering merchants from the streets, shutting down courts, schools, and other establishments, and implementing quarantine on the afflicted and their families. London’s economic being was plunged into pandemonium, and countless animals were exterminated due to suspicions that they carry the virus.vii State-supported exterminators were hired to eradicate cats and dogs and received two pence for each animal as wage. This was a big pay at that time, and Daniel Defoe, who presented a description of the pestilence, assessed that 200,000 cats and 40,000 dogs were killed, and usually the remains were left to rot in the streets, hence worsening the already revolting reek in the city.viii Th ese actions only made the rat population bigger, because nobody knew in during this time that these pests were the main virus-carriers. In September, the state ordered the kindling of flares to expel the epidemic from the air. Countless were dying successively that burying the deceased became a serious hygiene problem. Digging of mass graves was the initial response of the state, but there were very few gravediggers.ix At last, when the October weather chilled, the number of deaths dropped and

Discussion Essay (See Below) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion Essay (See Below) - Assignment Example A teacher can also be a parent, spouse and member of the local church committee. A person’s social identity is complex and multifaceted with each person belonging to any number of broad groups with which they share general characteristics (race, gender, profession etc.) and a few small groups with which they share specific characteristics (local club members, PTA’s etc.) Accordingly a person identifying himself/herself with a particular group automatically assumes the prestige of that group. For example a black female will automatically assume that she is socially disadvantaged, or a white male may assume superiority above females etc. In order to belong to a group individuals assign certain values and traits to different groups. They then identify themselves with the group that has traits similar to their own this is known as the in group. Similarly individuals differentiate themselves from other groups which have different values and traits, these are the out groups. When a person is aware of difference in out group he/she tends to ‘stick together’ or favor the in

How the Black Death Transformed the Role of States Essay

How the Black Death Transformed the Role of States - Essay Example This paper discusses the impact of the Black Death on the role of states. The Response of the State to the Black Death From the 16th century, the state had persuaded the city government, the London Corporation, to take steps to stop the pestilence and other maladies. The frequently recommended solution was a kind of quarantine, where the afflicted were prohibited to leave their homes.ii Theodore de Mayerne, the king’s physician, produced a statement in the 1630s indicating a stricter regulation for food distribution, removal of beggars, and widespread cleansing. Furthermore, he suggested that a public health centre be formed, with power over issues of beggars, cleanliness and sanitation, and health assistance.iii Even though the physician received due respect from the king’s counsellors, his recommendations were immediately overlooked after the plague had stopped. In the period after the 1640s deaths from pestilence were unusual, and the ‘pesthouses’ where the afflicted were confined had been renovated for other functions. A lot of physicians, by 1665, had never observed the typical indications of the epidemic, and London stayed defenceless.iv The Royal College of Physicians, the certifying association for physicians, had been licensed by Henry VIII and had been an esteemed organisation. However, by 1665, its power was greatly diminished due to its historical connection with the state, oppositions from other associations, like the Society of Chemical Physicians, and the reality that only a few Royal College physicians were working in the city, and several doctors could simply be identified as frauds whose certification had been coerced by King Charles on the Royal College.v Yet, when the Black Death stormed, the Royal College suggested medications and public health actions to mitigate the predicament. The Royal College also financially supported medications for the infected people who could not pay for them. Additional pesthouses were hurriedly constructed, and alleged ‘plague nurses’ were assigned to look after the afflicted, even though many thought that their major interest was to speed up their demise so they could steal from them.vi As usual, the state attempted to fight the pestilence by removing beggars and wandering merchants from the streets, shutting down courts, schools, and other establishments, and implementing quarantine on the afflicted and their families. London’s economic being was plunged into pandemonium, and countless animals were exterminated due to suspicions that they carry the virus.vii State-supported exterminators were hired to eradicate cats and dogs and received two pence for each animal as wage. This was a big pay at that time, and Daniel Defoe, who presented a description of the pestilence, assessed that 200,000 cats and 40,000 dogs were killed, and usually the remains were left to rot in the streets, hence worsening the already revolting reek in the city.viii Th ese actions only made the rat population bigger, because nobody knew in during this time that these pests were the main virus-carriers. In September, the state ordered the kindling of flares to expel the epidemic from the air. Countless were dying successively that burying the deceased became a serious hygiene problem. Digging of mass graves was the initial response of the state, but there were very few gravediggers.ix At last, when the October weather chilled, the number of deaths dropped and

Criminal Justice Organizations- Assignment 3 Essay

Criminal Justice Organizations- Assignment 3 - Essay Example The early phases of the operation should remarkably be more challenging, because educating the new recruits of their functions is fundamental move in organizing the new group. Training is necessary, because this is the only way that the entire operation will have to work out. It should be integrated in the training that the new recruits should work undercover, allowing their identities to be a secret even if the operation goes on for good in the future. The knowledge about the training should only be between the new recruits and a contract is necessary, in order to ensure the privacy of the entire operation. This means that prior to the training process the new recruits should have to sign something, signifying some legal actions to be taken against them once the knowledge of their group may prevail in public in the future. Keeping the identities of the new recruits secret is one challenging task of the management. This is therefore a kind of task that requires systematic approach, instead of only training and other relevant preliminary activities prior to the institution and actual operation. The content of the training should remarkably involve the rules, the actual operation and the entire view of what the tasks should be performed. The training should also become a venue for the employee to mature or provide maximum growth. Based on the point of view of quality circle programs, employees are given the opportunity for maximum growth, and at least have the chance for enhancing their ability to improve themselves, professionally and personally (Stojkovic, Kalinich & Klofas, 2012, p.149). The training should therefore provide essential programs that will provide a venue for the newly hired for the position to experience maximum growth and improve their ability to improve themselves both professionally and personally. The new assignment is a

The Notebook Essay Example for Free

The Notebook Essay The film The Notebook is a 2004 romantic drama set along the coast line of South Carolina in 1946, directed by Nick Cassavetes. This film is an American love story between two young adults, Ally and Noah, which had fallen for each other over a short summer break and was torn apart due to financial differences that were looked down upon by Allys parents. Noah Calhoun, played by Ryan Gosling, is a rural southerner who had fought in world war two after his beloved Ally had left him after their summer romance had come to an abrupt end. This film is set from Noahs point of view many years later after their love had been rekindled while his Ally is in a nursing home suffering from onset Alzheimer’s which is to whom he is reading this love story too. The reason Noah and Allys summer love comes to an end is because Allys parents are these rich, essentially, stuck up people, who are only in Seabrook for summer vacation. To their dismay their daughter falls for this you man, Noah, who is just a commoner in town with not a dime to his name that they consider trash. This is why they pack themselves up with out a moments notice and leave town the next day. Upon Allys departure Noah writes Ally every day for a year, three hundred and sixty-five letters. Noah does not receive, not even one letter, back from Ally due to the fact that her mother takes every single letter that wrote and puts them aside so that Ally would not receive them. A while after Noah lists to be drafted for World War II where he loses his best friend in action. After returning home from war, to Noahs discovery, his father has sold their home to but an abandoned house in town. This was which was Noahs dream to restore this home for Ally; it was something they had talked about during that summer. After not seeing or hearing from Ally for several years Noah crosses paths with her in Charleston where she witnesses her kissing Lon, her current fiance, in a restaurant. Shattered by this seen this is Noahs drive to finish restoring the house, thinking that once Ally realizes what he has done she will come back to him. Amongst doing so with his father’s help, Noahs father passes, which gives him more drive to finish the home in order to bring back the one and only thing he feels he has left. Once finishing the house a picture of the home and Noah are photographed and place in the newspaper, Noah had tried selling the house but no offer was ever good enough when he thought about Ally. Ally is at a bridal shop when her mother shows her the paper where it had talked about her wedding being the biggest event of the year. It is then that Ally opens the paper and sees Noah standing next to the house when she faints. This is when Ally decides to leave and go back to Seabrook to see Noah and the gorgeous home he has restored, which is the seen I have chosen to analyze. Upon Allys arrival Noah is shocked; they spend a couple of days together making dinner enjoying each other’s company. Noah takes her out on the row boat to a place that is filled with these beautiful white birds that look like swans where Ally feeds them. On the way in it starts pouring rain they make it to the dock and Ally starts to run up to the dock to the house while Noah pulls the boat in and she stops and yells Why didnt you write me? It wasn’t over for me! Why didnt you write? Noah pauses, looks at her and says, I wrote you, three hundred and sixty-five letters. I wrote you every day for a year. Ally, You wrote me? Noah, It wasnt over for me either. It still isn’t over. Noah pulls her into kiss her and picks her up and carries her upstairs where they make love. Here I think the rain symbolizes and adds to the drama and emotion that the script is portraying. It allows the emotion to sink in a little deeper and reach the viewers down deep. Also being tha t this scene is outside in a rain storm, it’s gloomy and hazy. I believe that feelings adds to the confusion between Ally and Noah of her not knowing that Noah had written her and Noah not knowing that Ally had not received his letters. The setting allows you to sympathize for the misunderstanding more. This setting is taken as a full shot which allows you to view the landscape around Ally and Noah as well as their entire figure. It allows you to view their body language from a distance standing in the rain and how it affects their wardrobe. The quick close up as Noah pulls her in to kiss her as he picks her up allows the viewers to witness the emotion and passion that Noah and Ally have for one another. The next morning Allys mother shows up, once hearing she returned to Seabrook, she knew exactly where she would be able to find Ally. Her mother knocks on the door and asks Ally to come with her. She takes her to a factory where man is outside working and points to a man. She tells Ally that was her Noah so to speak when she was younger. She tells Ally’s that she knows how she feels because she loves her father but still has never forgotten or lost feelings for this man. She also tells Ally that this is her choice and that she will now respect any decision she makes but to make sure that the decision she makes is the one that will make her happy. They return back to the house and her mother hands her all of her letters and apologized for keeping them from her. She also advised her that Lon, her fiance, was in town. Noah sees all of her with the letters he wrote her several years ago and asks Ally what she is going to do. Ally states that she doesn’t know. Noah becomes frustrated because he is upset that they are back to that same place where their relationship is unknown after the few wonderful days that they have spent together. He tells Ally that she is scared of not having security, meaning money. Ally storms out to her car and says she has to go. Noah tells her Youre bored and you know it. If there wasnt something missing you wouldnt be here. Will you just stay with me? Ally, Why? Look at us we are already fighting. Noah, Thats what we do we fight. You tell me when I am being an asshole and I tell you when you are being a pain in the ass. Ally, So what? Noah, So its not going to be easy. Its going to be really hard; were going to have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, everyday. You and me, everyday. † Noah tells asks here, Do something for me, just picture your life thirty, forty years from now. If its with him then go, go! I lost you once I think I can do it again if I thought it’s what you really wanted. But don’t you take the easy way out! For myself, I think the script has a lot to do with the way someone is going to react or feel about a film. In this scene, the script it so real and raw that everyone can relate to it and understand the emotion behind the feelings. The emotion behind the script is what engages the viewer to understand and keep them connected to want to watch the film and to continue being engaged. That is essentially one of the main ways of getting someone to connect with something, through emotion. Also in this scene they are outside but the camera view is focused on them, up close, personal. There is also not even a subtle back or outside noise which allows you to focus on the script. This scene also contains mostly an eye-level angle which puts the viewers on an equal footing with the Ally and Noah. This is one of the most commonly used angles in films to allow the viewers to feel more comfortable with the characters in the film. This setting being outside with Ally at her car wanting to leave after this romantic reconnection over the past two days I feel also adds drama, because the viewers at this point are not wanting Ally to leave Noah yet again. I believe that the techniques used in this film create such correlated cinematography. It allows you to create such a connection with the characters on such an emotional level. To do so and keep viewers connected and wanting more is what makes a good film. With these camera angles and shots, with the settings that they were in I feel were completed successfully and would not leave any viewer disconnected or un-oriented.

How Does The Carbon Cycle Work Environmental Sciences Essay

How Does The Carbon Cycle Work Environmental Sciences Essay The carbon cycle can be defined as the continuous biological process through which the carbon is exchanged between the environment and the organisms. It also refers to the thermonuclear reactions which are brought about by nucleus of a carbon -12 atom when it absorbs protons. The sporadic climate changes being experienced in the world today are attributable to the disruption of carbon cycle in one way or the other. Top of the possible causes of this disruption are human activities. Nations are reluctant to accept their share of blame on the whole issue leading to a blame game. Unless the world unites against this common cause, the worst is expected to come. This paper covers the carbon cycle, how it works and how its changing in response to human activities. Carbon is found in the atmosphere in form of the carbon dioxide gas. Other atmosphere gases which contain carbon dioxide include chlorofluorocarbons and methane. The lack or the improper functioning of this cycle can be very dreadful since plants and animals entirely depend on this cycle during their major biological processes. The work of the carbon cycle can be evaluated or assessed in accordance to the different processes that change or move carbon from one form to another. These processes are namely decomposition, photosynthesis, natural weathering of rocks, respiration and the ignition of fossil fuels. During the process of photosynthesis carbon which remains in the atmosphere as the carbon dioxide gas enters into the network of consumers and producers or what is referred to as the ecological food web. After its entry the photosynthetic organisms (algae, plants) absorb the carbon dioxide through the tiny pores found in their leaves. Via photosynthesis the plants can now use the absorbed carbon dioxide and convert it into simple sugars which are essential in the plants growth and reproduction. Plants also pass carbon to the animals especially when the animals feed o the plants since they do not have the ability to make their own food (Ryn and Cowan 87). Respiration process is also found in the carbon cycle but it is unlike photosynthesis because it occurs in the decomposers, plants and animals. The respiration process also produces carbon because the component of oxygen is used in breaking down organic compounds into the carbon dioxide gas and water. Through this process of respiration carbon atoms which start out as the compounds of carbon dioxide are absorbed through the body of human organism and then passed to the atmosphere ready for another recycling. Decomposition happens to be the major process through which carbon is passed to the atmosphere in form of carbon dioxide. This is achieved through the use of decomposers (micro-organisms) which are mainly found in soil and water. These decomposers usually take in dead and waste products which are mainly found in form of rotting remains of animals and plants. At the same time they release carbon dioxide through the process of respiration. As earlier stated, weathering of rocks is the other process through which carbon atoms are released. For example the lime rock (an ocean floor stone formed by marine plankton shells) traps many carbon atoms. These carbon atoms are released sometimes after a million years when the ocean waters recede and the lime rock becomes exposed. Scientifically, its noted that when a lime rock is set out to the natural process of weathering it releases the already trapped atoms becomes a very active part of the carbon cycle once. Human activities/processes also increase the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. One of these activities is the combustion of the fossils fuels. Due to the rapid expansion of industrial revolution many people have been burning the fuels which contain oil and coal to power their engines. The constant production of these fuels has resulted into huge amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Most of the carbon dioxide produced by the combustion of these fuels is however absorbed by plants, oceans and soils thus reducing the increasing effects of global warming (Scienceclarified.com 1). The human activities that influence the carbon cycle Human activities have greatly interfered with the processes involved in the carbon cycle. An example of these human activities is deforestation. Deforestation is the removal of natural occurring forests through cutting and burning of trees in any forested area. People cut trees to use them as fuel, to use the land for pasture, farming and to build settlements. Active deforestation means that there will be no trees which emit oxygen while consuming carbon components (carbon dioxide). This leads to increased carbon dioxide than its consumed thus destroying the carbon cycle. The increase in carbon components in the air results into global warming (excessive heating o the earths and oceans surface). This excessive heating results into dried rivers or decreased volumes of water in the earths surface because the hydrological cycle will be affected by higher rates of precipitation (Miller 217). According to White (1203), the ecologies have greatly been changed by overgrazing, terracing, irrigation and the cutting of trees. For example he says that the Romans used to cut trees to build ships which were used to fight Carthaginians. He also states that the banks on the lower parts of the river Nile are now a human artifact instead of the African jungle which nature could have created instead of man. He also talks of historic ecological change which has been caused by the agricultural invention. Farming prompts deforestation because there must be cutting down of trees to create more space for farming. This ecological change will be contributed by the increase of carbon components in the air since the forest cover is not available. The green house kind of farming is one of the major agricultural contributors to the disruption of the carbon cycle. This is because the green houses emit gases which are not utilized thus bringing about global warming. Some of the gases emitted inclu de the form of carbon referred to as chlorofluorocarbons. It therefore transpires that the amount of the carbon produced is higher than the amounts consumed. Another human activity which has contributed immensely to the disruption of the carbon cycle is the combustion of fuels. This is because of the increased burning of fuels emits huge amounts of carbon components. This will lead to greater volumes of carbon dioxide in the air which will not be consumed thus making the carbon cycle in effective. White (1204) states that by 1925, London had experienced a smog problem which was caused by the continuous burning of soft coal. He also suggests that the current combustion of fossil fuels is high up to the point of threatening to change the worlds atmosphere as a whole. White also suggests that war was another human activity which resulted in to ecological changes including the disruption of the carbon cycle. He asserts that the first cannon were fired in the early 14th century and this affected the ecology because workers were forced to the forests and mountains to scramble for more, sulfur, potash, iron ore and charcoal where by some resulte d into erosion and deforestation. He also warns that a war fought with hydrogen bombs can alter the genetics of life. For example it will affect the processes of the carbon cycle between human beings and plants. According to Mackenzie (1), fishing and whaling activities will affect the global carbon cycle. This is because the continuous removal of the marine biota has resulted into increased atmospheric carbon dioxide. She also suggests that the rise of carbon dioxide or carbon has been caused by progressive fishing which has caused biomass depletion of the worlds ocean. Nowadays, the marine productivity is now relatively lower than it used to be when there was a maintained carbon balance in the ocean-atmosphere. Another form of human activities which have influenced the flow of the carbon cycle is air conditioning and refrigeration. This is because they utilize the carbon available in the air which is in form of chlorofluorocarbon thus inhibiting the continuity of carbon cycle between plants and animals. These human activities are however very important in the world because they reduce the effects of global warming by absorbing the extra carbon available in the air. Another human activity t hat has influenced the carbon cycle is the conversion of wild lands and agricultural lands into settlements. These human settlements are the major contributors to the increased emissions of the global carbon dioxide. They affect the carbon cycle through the direct emissions of the carbon dioxide resulting from combustion of fuels, the alterations of the plant and carbon cycles during the conversion of wild lands to urban and residential land cover and the indirect effects of urban and residential land cover on energy use ecosystem carbon cycling. In human settlements the soil carbon is lost through the soil disturbances caused by the conversion from natural to urban or sub-urban land cover type. The conversion of well settled and managed land cover into human settlements results into higher rates of carbon sequestration and storage due to large inputs of fertilizer, water and organic matter (Pataki et al 1). Works cited Carbon cycle Science clarified. Retrieved on 27th January 2010 from http://www.scienceclarified.com/Ca-Ch/Carbon-Cycle.html Mackenzie, Debbie. THE EFFECTS OF FISHING AND WHALING ACTIVITIES ON THE GLOBAL CARBON CYCLE, 2001. Retrieved on 27th January 2010 from http://www.fisherycrisis.com/strangelove.html Miller Tyler. Living in the Environment: Principles, Connection. Stamford: Cengage Learning, 2008 Pataki, Diane. Human settlements and the North American carbon cycle, 2006. Retrieved on 27th January 2010 from http://www.climate.noaa.gov/ccsp/22_SOCCR_Chapter14.pdf Ryn, Sim, and Cowan, Stuart. Ecological design. Washington: Island press, 1996 White, Lynn. The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis, Vol 155 (number 3767), march 10 1967, pp 1203-1207. Cycle Human Settlements and the North

Leo’s Barber Shop Essay -- Observation Essays

Leo’s Barber Shop As the glass door opens, the din from Second Street fades from your ears. The clean crisp cut of scissors, the flick of combs through wet hair, the buzz of electric clipping shears, and the occasional blast of air from a blow dryer captivate your sense of sound. Joe, a large, bald man, wearing an aqua T-shirt and blue jeans tied up with an old brown leather belt, gives his customary greeting, â€Å"Howdy there,† to a man who has just entered. The sign above Joe’s mirror reads: â€Å"Hair cuts—ten dollars, Seniors—eight dollars.† It is Saturday morning, and at Leo’s Barber Shop business is brisk. Joe and two other barbers are working at a fast clip, keeping their eyes on the scalps of the customers and periodically throwing quick glances to the line that is forming in the waiting area. Hector, wearing a maroon wind-breaker and baseball cap, is putting an apron on a kid to the right of Joe. Chris is trimming a man’s sideburns, leveling h er green, contact-lens covered eye to the shears. Four chairs near the entrance are occupied by men of various sorts. Some are reading newspapers or magazines, while others sit looking out the front window. One man clad in denim is standing outside the shop with a cigarette held to his mouth. The barbers at Leo’s have their work cut out for them today. Inside, Joe puts the clipping shears to the locks of a slumbering child, whose head is being propped up by his mother’s hands. The child awakens to find his lamb-like curls falling to the checkered floor; his large chocolate brown eyes begin to swell with tears. Fortunately for Joe, the boy’s mother is able to shut off the water works with a few words of reassurance in Spanish. The youngster stoically endures the procedure. Ju... ...s asks. â€Å"That looks good,† the student replies, looking into the mirror. â€Å"Here,† she gives him the comb, â€Å"brush it the way you like to.† Finding the part, he combs it down. Afterwards he compliments her on a job well done. After paying, the student tells Chris that he will see her in another six weeks, and to take care. Before opening the glass door Joe throws the student a wave. â€Å"Hey, when you’re done with that English paper bring us a copy, I’ll put it up on my wall and make yah famous!† he says. Returning his wave, the student walks into the light of the setting sun; the sounds of the barber shop diminish. Looking through the shop window, he sees Hector sweeping up the hair of his last customer. Shouts from the nearby Cantina, interrupted by a blast from a car horn, take the place of the low, metallic murmur of the clipping shears.

Twilight 2. OPEN BOOK

The next day was better†¦ and worse. It was better because it wasn't raining yet, though the clouds were dense and opaque. It was easier because I knew what to expect of my day. Mike came to sit by me in English, and walked me to my next class, with Chess Club Eric glaring at him all the while; that was nattering. People didn't look at me quite as much as they had yesterday. I sat with a big group at lunch that included Mike, Eric, Jessica, and several other people whose names and faces I now remembered. I began to feel like I was treading water, instead of drowning in it. It was worse because I was tired; I still couldn't sleep with the wind echoing around the house. It was worse because Mr. Varner called on me in Trig when my hand wasn't raised and I had the wrong answer. It was miserable because I had to play volleyball, and the one time I didn't cringe out of the way of the ball, I hit my teammate in the head with it. And it was worse because Edward Cullen wasn't in school at all. All morning I was dreading lunch, fearing his bizarre glares. Part of me wanted to confront him and demand to know what his problem was. While I was lying sleepless in my bed, I even imagined what I would say. But I knew myself too well to think I would really have the guts to do it. I made the Cowardly Lion look like the terminator. But when I walked into the cafeteria with Jessica – trying to keep my eyes from sweeping the place for him, and failing entirely – I saw that his four siblings of sorts were sitting together at the same table, and he was not with them. Mike intercepted us and steered us to his table. Jessica seemed elated by the attention, and her friends quickly joined us. But as I tried to listen to their easy chatter, I was terribly uncomfortable, waiting nervously for the moment he would arrive. I hoped that he would simply ignore me when he came, and prove my suspicions false. He didn't come, and as time passed I grew more and more tense. I walked to Biology with more confidence when, by the end of lunch, he still hadn't showed. Mike, who was taking on the qualities of a golden retriever, walked faithfully by my side to class. I held my breath at the door, but Edward Cullen wasn't there, either. I exhaled and went to my seat. Mike followed, talking about an upcoming trip to the beach. He lingered by my desk till the bell rang. Then he smiled at me wistfully and went to sit by a girl with braces and a bad perm. It looked like I was going to have to do something about Mike, and it wouldn't be easy. In a town like this, where everyone lived on top of everyone else, diplomacy was essential. I had never been enormously tactful; I had no practice dealing with overly friendly boys. I was relieved that I had the desk to myself, that Edward was absent. I told myself that repeatedly. But I couldn't get rid of the nagging suspicion that I was the reason he wasn't there. It was ridiculous, and egotistical, to think that I could affect anyone that strongly. It was impossible. And yet I couldn't stop worrying that it was true. When the school day was finally done, and the blush was fading out of my cheeks from the volleyball incident, I changed quickly back into my jeans and navy blue sweater. I hurried from the girls' locker room, pleased to find that I had successfully evaded my retriever friend for the moment. I walked swiftly out to the parking lot. It was crowded now with fleeing students. I got in my truck and dug through my bag to make sure I had what I needed. Last night I'd discovered that Charlie couldn't cook much besides fried eggs and bacon. So I requested that I be assigned kitchen detail for the duration of my stay. He was willing enough to hand over the keys to the banquet hall. I also found out that he had no food in the house. So I had my shopping list and the cash from the jar in the cupboard labeled FOOD, MONEY, and I was on my way to the Thriftway. I gunned my deafening engine to life, ignoring the heads that turned in my direction, and backed carefully into a place in the line of cars that were waiting to exit the parking lot. As I waited, trying to pretend that the earsplitting rumble was coming from someone else's car, I saw the two Cullens and the Hale twins getting into their car. It was the shiny new Volvo. Of course. I hadn't noticed their clothes before – I'd been too mesmerized by their faces. Now that I looked, it was obvious that they were all dressed exceptionally well; simply, but in clothes that subtly hinted at designer origins. With their remarkable good looks, the style with which they carried themselves, they could have worn dishrags and pulled it off. It seemed excessive for them to have both looks and money. But as far as I could tell, life worked that way most of the time. It didn't look as if it bought them any acceptance here. No, I didn't fully believe that. The isolation must be their desire; I couldn't imagine any door that wouldn't be opened by that degree of beauty. They looked at my noisy truck as I passed them, just like everyone else. I kept my eyes straight forward and was relieved when I finally was free of the school grounds. The Thriftway was not far from the school, just a few streets south, off the highway. It was nice to be inside the supermarket; it felt normal. I did the shopping at home, and I fell into the pattern of the familiar task gladly. The store was big enough inside that I couldn't hear the tapping of the rain on the roof to remind me where I was. When I got home, I unloaded all the groceries, stuffing them in wherever I could find an open space. I hoped Charlie wouldn't mind. I wrapped potatoes in foil and stuck them in the oven to bake, covered a steak in marinade and balanced it on top of a carton of eggs in the fridge. When I was finished with that, I took my book bag upstairs. Before starting my homework, I changed into a pair of dry sweats, pulled my damp hair up into a pony-tail, and checked my e-mail for the first time. I had three messages. â€Å"Bella,† my mom wrote†¦ Write me as soon as you get in. Tell me how your flight was. Is it raining? I miss you already. I'm almost finished packing for Florida, but I can't find my pink blouse. Do you know where I put it? Phil says hi. Mom. I sighed and went to the next. It was sent eight hours after the first. â€Å"Bella,† she wrote†¦ Why haven't you e-mailed me yet? What are you waiting for? Mom. The last was from this morning. Isabella, If I haven't heard from you by 5:30 p.m. today I'm calling Charlie. I checked the clock. I still had an hour, but my mom was well known for jumping the gun. Mom, Calm down. I'm writing right now. Don't do anything rash.Bella. I sent that, and began again. Mom, Everything is great. Of course it's raining. I was waiting for something to write about. School isn't bad, just a little repetitive. I met some nice kids who sit by me at lunch. Your blouse is at the dry cleaners – you were supposed to pick it up Friday. Charlie bought me a truck, can you believe it? I love it. It's old, but really sturdy, which is good, you know, for me. I miss you, too. I'll write again soon, but I'm not going to check my e-mail every five minutes. Relax, breathe. I love you. Bella. I had decided to read Wuthering Heights – the novel we were currently studying in English – yet again for the fun of it, and that's what I was doing when Charlie came home. I'd lost track of the time, and I hurried downstairs to take the potatoes out and put the steak in to broil. â€Å"Bella?† my father called out when he heard me on the stairs. Who else? I thought to myself. â€Å"Hey, Dad, welcome home.† â€Å"Thanks.† He hung up his gun belt and stepped out of his boots as I bustled about the kitchen. As far as I was aware, he'd never shot the gun on the job. But he kept it ready. When I came here as a child, he would always remove the bullets as soon as he walked in the door. I guess he considered me old enough now not to shoot myself by accident, and not depressed enough to shoot myself on purpose. â€Å"What's for dinner?† he asked warily. My mother was an imaginative cook, and her experiments weren't always edible. I was surprised, and sad, that he seemed to remember that far back. â€Å"Steak and potatoes,† I answered, and he looked relieved. He seemed to feel awkward standing in the kitchen doing nothing; he lumbered into the living room to watch TV while I worked. We were both more comfortable that way. I made a salad while the steaks cooked, and set the table. I called him in when dinner was ready, and he sniffed appreciatively as he walked into the room. â€Å"Smells good, Bell.† â€Å"Thanks.† We ate in silence for a few minutes. It wasn't uncomfortable. Neither of us was bothered by the quiet. In some ways, we were well suited for living together. â€Å"So, how did you like school? Have you made any friends?† he asked as he was taking seconds. â€Å"Well, I have a few classes with a girl named Jessica. I sit with her friends at lunch. And there's this boy, Mike, who's very friendly.Everybody seems pretty nice.† With one outstanding exception. â€Å"That must be Mike Newton. Nice kid – nice family. His dad owns the sporting goods store just outside of town. He makes a good living off all the backpackers who come through here.† â€Å"Do you know the Cullen family?† I asked hesitantly. â€Å"Dr. Cullen's family? Sure. Dr. Cullen's a great man.† â€Å"They†¦ the kids†¦ are a little different. They don't seem to fit in very well at school.† Charlie surprised me by looking angry. â€Å"People in this town,† he muttered. â€Å"Dr. Cullen is a brilliant surgeon who could probably work in any hospital in the world, make ten times the salary he gets here,† he continued, getting louder. â€Å"We're lucky to have him – lucky that his wife wanted to live in a small town. He's an asset to the community, and all of those kids are well behaved and polite. I had my doubts, when they first moved in, with all those adopted teenagers. I thought we might have some problems with them. But they're all very mature – I haven't had one speck of trouble from any of them. That's more than I can say for the children of some folks who have lived in this town for generations. And they stick together the way a family should – camping trips every other weekend†¦ Just because they're newcomers, people have to talk.† It was the longest speech I'd ever heard Charlie make. He must feel strongly about whatever people were saying. I backpedaled. â€Å"They seemed nice enough to me. I just noticed they kept to themselves. They're all very attractive,† I added, trying to be more complimentary. â€Å"You should see the doctor,† Charlie said, laughing. â€Å"It's a good thing he's happily married. A lot of the nurses at the hospital have a hard time concentrating on their work with him around.† We lapsed back into silence as we finished eating. He cleared the table while I started on the dishes. He went back to the TV, and after I finished washing the dishes by hand – no dishwasher – I went upstairs unwillingly to work on my math homework. I could feel a tradition in the making.That night it was finally quiet. I fell asleep quickly, exhausted. The rest of the week was uneventful. I got used to the routine of my classes. By Friday I was able to recognize, if not name, almost all the students at school. In Gym, the kids on my team learned not to pass me the ball and to step quickly in front of me if the other team tried to take advantage of my weakness. I happily stayed out of their way. Edward Cullen didn't come back to school. Every day, I watched anxiously until the rest of the Cullens entered the cafeteria without him. Then I could relax and join in the lunchtime conversation. Mostly it centered around a trip to the La Push Ocean Park in two weeks that Mike was putting together. I was invited, and I had agreed to go, more out of politeness than desire. Beaches should be hot and dry. By Friday I was perfectly comfortable entering my Biology class, no longer worried that Edward would be there. For all I knew, he had dropped out of school. I tried not to think about him, but I couldn't totally suppress the worry that I was responsible for his continued absence, ridiculous as it seemed. My first weekend in Forks passed without incident. Charlie, unused to spending time in the usually empty house, worked most of the weekend. I cleaned the house, got ahead on my homework, and wrote my mom more bogusly cheerful e-mail. I did drive to the library Saturday, but it was so poorly stocked that I didn't bother to get a card; I would have to make a date to visit Olympia or Seattle soon and find a good bookstore. I wondered idly what kind of gas mileage the truck got†¦ and shuddered at the thought. The rain stayed soft over the weekend, quiet, so I was able to sleep well. People greeted me in the parking lot Monday morning. I didn't know all their names, but I waved back and smiled at everyone. It was colder this morning, but happily not raining. In English, Mike took his accustomed seat by my side. We had a pop quiz on Wuthering Heights. It was straightforward, very easy. All in all, I was feeling a lot more comfortable than I had thought I would feel by this point. More comfortable than I had ever expected to feel here. When we walked out of class, the air was full of swirling bits of white. I could hear people shouting excitedly to each other. The wind bit at my cheeks, my nose. â€Å"Wow,† Mike said. â€Å"It's snowing.† I looked at the little cotton fluffs that were building up along the sidewalk and swirling erratically past my face. â€Å"Ew.† Snow. There went my good day. He looked surprised. â€Å"Don't you like snow?† â€Å"No. That means it's too cold for rain.† Obviously. â€Å"Besides, I thought it was supposed to come down in flakes – you know, each one unique and all that. These just look like the ends of Q-tips.† â€Å"Haven't you ever seen snow fall before?† he asked incredulously. â€Å"Sure I have.† I paused. â€Å"On TV.† Mike laughed. And then a big, squishy ball of dripping snow smacked into the back of his head. We both turned to see where it came from. I had my suspicions about Eric, who was walking away, his back toward us – in the wrong direction for his next class. Mike appatently had the same notion. He bent over and began scraping together a pile of the white mush. â€Å"I'll see you at lunch, okay?† I kept walking as I spoke. â€Å"Once people start throwing wet stuff, I go inside.† He just nodded, his eyes on Eric's retreating figure. Throughout the morning, everyone chattered excitedly about the snow; apparently it was the first snowfall of the new year. I kept my mouth shut. Sure, it was drier than rain – until it melted in your socks. I walked alertly to the cafeteria with Jessica after Spanish. Mush balls were flying everywhere. I kept a binder in my hands, ready to use it as a shield if necessary. Jessica thought I was hilarious, but something in my expression kept her from lobbing a snowball at me herself. Mike caught up to us as we walked in the doors, laughing, with ice melting the spikes in his hair. He and Jessica were talking animatedly about the snow fight as we got in line to buy food. I glanced toward that table in the corner out of habit. And then I froze where I stood. There were five people at the table. Jessica pulled on my arm. â€Å"Hello? Bella? What do you want?† I looked down; my ears were hot. I had no reason to feel self-conscious, I reminded myself. I hadn't done anything wrong. â€Å"What's with Bella?† Mike asked Jessica. â€Å"Nothing,† I answered. â€Å"I'll just get a soda today.† I caught up to the end of the line. â€Å"Aren't you hungry?† Jessica asked. â€Å"Actually, I feel a little sick,† I said, my eyes still on the floor. I waited for them to get their food, and then followed them to a table, my eyes on my feet. I sipped my soda slowly, my stomach churning. Twice Mike asked, with unnecessary concern, how I was feeling. I told him it was nothing, but I was wondering if I should play it up and escape to the nurse's office for the next hour. Ridiculous. I shouldn't have to run away. I decided to permit myself one glance at the Cullen family's table. If he was glaring at me, I would skip Biology, like the coward I was. I kept my head down and glanced up under my lashes. None of them were looking this way. I lifted my head a little. They were laughing. Edward, Jasper, and Emmett all had their hair entirely saturated with melting snow. Alice and Rosalie were leaning away as Emmett shook his dripping hair toward them. They were enjoying the snowy day, just like everyone else – only they looked more like a scene from a movie than the rest of us. But, aside from the laughter and playfulness, there was something different, and I couldn't quite pinpoint what that difference was. I examined Edward the most carefully. His skin was less pale, I decided – flushed from the snow fight maybe – the circles under his eyes much less noticeable. But there was something more. I pondered, staring, trying to isolate the change. â€Å"Bella, what are you staring at?† Jessica intruded, her eyes following my stare. At that precise moment, his eyes flashed over to meet mine. I dropped my head, letting my hair fall to conceal my face. I was sure, though, in the instant our eyes met, that he didn't look harsh or unfriendly as he had the last time I'd seen him. He looked merely curious again, unsatisfied in some way. â€Å"Edward Cullen is staring at you,† Jessica giggled in my ear. â€Å"He doesn't look angry, does he?† I couldn't help asking. â€Å"No,† she said, sounding confused by my question. â€Å"Should he be?† â€Å"I don't think he likes me,† I confided. I still felt queasy. I put my head down on my arm. â€Å"The Cullens don't like anybody†¦ well, they don't notice anybody enough to like them. But he's still staring at you.† â€Å"Stop looking at him,† I hissed. She snickered, but she looked away. I raised my head enough to make sure that she did, contemplating violence if she resisted. Mike interrupted us then – he was planning an epic battle of the blizzard in the parking lot after school and wanted us to join. Jessica agreed enthusiastically. The way she looked at Mike left little doubt that she would be up for anything he suggested. I kept silent. I would have to hide in the gym until the parking lot cleared. For the rest of the lunch hour I very carefully kept my eyes at my own table. I decided to honor the bargain I'd made with myself. Since he didn't look angry, I would go to Biology. My stomach did frightened little flips at the thought of sitting next to him again. I didn't really want to walk to class with Mike as usual – he seemed to be a popular target for the snowball snipers – but when we went to the door, everyone besides me groaned in unison. It was raining, washing all traces of the snow away in clear, icy ribbons down the side of the walkway. I pulled my hood up, secretly pleased. I would be free to go straight home after Gym. Mike kept up a string of complaints on the way to building four. Once inside the classroom, I saw with relief that my table was still empty. Mr. Banner was walking around the room, distributing one microscope and box of slides to each table. Class didn't start for a few minutes, and the room buzzed with conversation. I kept my eyes away from the door, doodling idly on the cover of my notebook. I heard very clearly when the chair next to me moved, but my eyes stayed carefully focused on the pattern I was drawing. â€Å"Hello,† said a quiet, musical voice. I looked up, stunned that he was speaking to me. He was sitting as far away from me as the desk allowed, but his chair was angled toward me. His hair was dripping wet, disheveled – even so, he looked like he'd just finished shooting a commercial for hair gel. His dazzling face was friendly, open, a slight smile on his flawless lips. But his eyes were careful. â€Å"My name is Edward Cullen,† he continued. â€Å"I didn't have a chance to introduce myself last week. You must be Bella Swan.† My mind was spinning with confusion. Had I made up the whole thing? He was perfectly polite now. I had to speak; he was waiting. But I couldn't think of anything conventional to say. â€Å"H-how do you know my name?† I stammered. He laughed a soft, enchanting laugh. â€Å"Oh, I think everyone knows your name. The whole town's been waiting for you to arrive.† I grimaced. I knew it was something like that. â€Å"No,† I persisted stupidly. â€Å"I meant, why did you call me Bella?† He seemed confused. â€Å"Do you prefer Isabella?† â€Å"No, I like Bella,† I said. â€Å"But I think Charlie – I mean my dad – must call me Isabella behind my back – that's what everyone here seems to know me as,† I tried to explain, feeling like an utter moron. â€Å"Oh.† He let it drop. I looked away awkwardly. Thankfully, Mr. Banner started class at that moment. I tried to concentrate as he explained the lab we would be doing today. The slides in the box were out of order. Working as lab partners, we had to separate the slides of onion root tip cells into the phases of mitosis they represented and label them accordingly. We weren't supposed to use our books. In twenty minutes, he would be coming around to see who had it right. â€Å"Get started,† he commanded. â€Å"Ladies first, partner?† Edward asked. I looked up to see him smiling a crooked smile so beautiful that I could only stare at him like an idiot. â€Å"Or I could start, if you wish.† The smile faded; he was obviously wondering if I was mentally competent. â€Å"No,† I said, flushing. â€Å"I'll go ahead.† I was showing off, just a little. I'd already done this lab, and I knew what I was looking for. It should be easy. I snapped the first slide into place under the microscope and adjusted it quickly to the 40X objective. I studied the slide briefly. My assessment was confident. â€Å"Prophase.† â€Å"Do you mind if I look?† he asked as I began to remove the slide. His hand caught mine, to stop me, as he asked. His fingers were ice-cold, like he'd been holding them in a snowdrift before class. But that wasn't why I jerked my hand away so quickly. When he touched me, it stung my hand as if an electric current had passed through us. â€Å"I'm sorry,† he muttered, pulling his hand back immediately. However, he continued to reach for the microscope. I watched him, still staggered, as he examined the slide for an even shorter time than I had. â€Å"Prophase,† he agreed, writing it neatly in the first space on our worksheet. He swiftly switched out the first slide for the second, and then glanced at it cursorily. â€Å"Anaphase,† he murmured, writing it down as he spoke. I kept my voice indifferent. â€Å"May I?† He smirked and pushed the microscope to me. I looked through the eyepiece eagerly, only to be disappointed. Dang it, he was right. â€Å"Slide three?† I held out my hand without looking at him. He handed it to me; it seemed like he was being careful not to touch my skin again. I took the most fleeting look I could manage. â€Å"Interphase.† I passed him the microscope before he could ask for it. He took a swift peek, and then wrote it down. I would have written it while he looked, but his clear, elegant script intimidated me. I didn't want to spoil the page with my clumsy scrawl. We were finished before anyone else was close. I could see Mike and his partner comparing two slides again and again, and another group had their book open under the table. Which left me with nothing to do but try to not look at him†¦ unsuccessfully. I glanced up, and he was staring at me, that same inexplicable look of frustration in his eyes. Suddenly I identified that subtle difference in his face. â€Å"Did you get contacts?† I blurted out unthinkingly. He seemed puzzled by my unexpected question. â€Å"No.† â€Å"Oh,† I mumbled. â€Å"I thought there was something different about your eyes.† He shrugged, and looked away. In fact, I was sure there was something different. I vividly remembered the flat black color of his eyes the last time he'd glared at me – the color was striking against the background of his pale skin and his auburn hair. Today, his eyes were a completely different color: a strange ocher, darker than butterscotch, but with the same golden tone. I didn't understand how that could be, unless he was lying for some reason about the contacts. Or maybe Forks was making me crazy in the literal sense of the word. I looked down. His hands were clenched into hard fists again. Mr. Banner came to our table then, to see why we weren't working. He looked over our shoulders to glance at the completed lab, and then stared more intently to check the answers. â€Å"So, Edward, didn't you think Isabella should get a chance with the microscope?† Mr. Banner asked. â€Å"Bella,† Edward corrected automatically. â€Å"Actually, she identified three of the five.† Mr. Banner looked at me now; his expression was skeptical. â€Å"Have you done this lab before?† he asked. I smiled sheepishly. â€Å"Not with onion root.† â€Å"Whitefish blastula?† â€Å"Yeah.† Mr. Banner nodded. â€Å"Were you in an advanced placement program in Phoenix?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Well,† he said after a moment, â€Å"I guess it's good you two are lab partners.† He mumbled something else as he walked away. After he left, I began doodling on my notebook again. â€Å"It's too bad about the snow, isn't it?† Edward asked. I had the feeling that he was forcing himself to make small talk with me. Paranoia swept over me again. It was like he had heard my conversation with Jessica at lunch and was trying to prove me wrong. â€Å"Not really,† I answered honestly, instead of pretending to be normal like everyone else. I was still trying to dislodge the stupid feeling of suspicion, and I couldn't concentrate. â€Å"You don't like the cold.† It wasn't a question. â€Å"Or the wet.† â€Å"Forks must be a difficult place for you to live,† he mused. â€Å"You have no idea,† I muttered darkly. He looked fascinated by what I said, for some reason I couldn't imagine. His face was such a distraction that I tried not to look at it any more than courtesy absolutely demanded. â€Å"Why did you come here, then?† No one had asked me that – not straight out like he did, demanding. â€Å"It's†¦ complicated.† â€Å"I think I can keep up,† he pressed. I paused for a long moment, and then made the mistake of meeting his gaze. His dark gold eyes confused me, and I answered without thinking. â€Å"My mother got remarried,† I said. â€Å"That doesn't sound so complex,† he disagreed, but he was suddenly sympathetic. â€Å"When did that happen?† â€Å"Last September.† My voice sounded sad, even to me. â€Å"And you don't like him,† Edward surmised, his tone still kind. â€Å"No, Phil is fine. Too young, maybe, but nice enough.† â€Å"Why didn't you stay with them?† I couldn't fathom his interest, but he continued to stare at me with penetrating eyes, as if my dull life's story was somehow vitally important. â€Å"Phil travels a lot. He plays ball for a living.† I half-smiled. â€Å"Have I heard of him?† he asked, smiling in response. â€Å"Probably not. He doesn't play well. Strictly minor league. He moves around a lot.† â€Å"And your mother sent you here so that she could travel with him.† He said it as an assumption again, not a question. My chin raised a fraction. â€Å"No, she did not send me here. I sent myself.† His eyebrows knit together. â€Å"I don't understand,† he admitted, and he seemed unnecessarily frustrated by that fact. I sighed. Why was I explaining this to him? He continued to stare at me with obvious curiosity. â€Å"She stayed with me at first, but she missed him. It made her unhappy†¦ so I decided it was time to spend some quality time with Charlie.† My voice was glum by the time I finished. â€Å"But now you're unhappy,† he pointed out. â€Å"And?† I challenged. â€Å"That doesn't seem fair.† He shrugged, but his eyes were still intense. I laughed without humor. â€Å"Hasn't anyone ever told you? Life isn't fair.† â€Å"I believe I have heard that somewhere before,† he agreed dryly. â€Å"So that's all,† I insisted, wondering why he was still staring at me that way. His gaze became appraising. â€Å"You put on a good show,† he said slowly. â€Å"But I'd be willing to bet that you're suffering more than you let anyone see.† I grimaced at him, resisting the impulse to stick out my tongue like a five-year-old, and looked away. â€Å"Am I wrong?† I tried to ignore him. â€Å"I didn't think so,† he murmured smugly. â€Å"Why does it matter to you?† I asked, irritated. I kept my eyes away, watching the teacher make his rounds. â€Å"That's a very good question,† he muttered, so quietly that I wondered if he was talking to himself. However, after a few seconds of silence, I decided that was the only answer I was going to get. I sighed, scowling at the blackboard. â€Å"Am I annoying you?† he asked. He sounded amused. I glanced at him without thinking†¦ and told the truth again. â€Å"Not exactly. I'm more annoyed at myself. My face is so easy to read – my mother always calls me her open book.† I frowned. â€Å"On the contrary, I find you very difficult to read.† Despite everything that I'd said and he'd guessed, he sounded like he meant it. â€Å"You must be a good reader then,† I replied. â€Å"Usually.† He smiled widely, flashing a set of perfect, ultrawhite teeth. Mr. Banner called the class to order then, and I turned with relief to listen. I was in disbelief that I'd just explained my dreary life to this bizarre, beautiful boy who may or may not despise me. He'd seemed engrossed in our conversation, but now I could see, from the corner of my eye, that he was leaning away from me again, his hands gripping the edge of the table with unmistakable tension. I tried to appear attentive as Mr. Banner illustrated, with transparencies on the overhead projector, what I had seen without difficulty through the microscope. But my thoughts were unmanageable. When the bell finally rang, Edward rushed as swiftly and as gracefully from the room as he had last Monday. And, like last Monday, I stared after him in amazement. Mike skipped quickly to my side and picked up my books for me. I imagined him with a wagging tail. â€Å"That was awful,† he groaned. â€Å"They all looked exactly the same. You're lucky you had Cullen for a partner.† â€Å"I didn't have any trouble with it,† I said, stung by his assumption. I regretted the snub instantly. â€Å"I've done the lab before, though,† I added before he could get his feelings hurt. â€Å"Cullen seemed friendly enough today,† he commented as we shrugged into our raincoats. He didn't seem pleased about it. I tried to sound indifferent. â€Å"I wonder what was with him last Monday.† I couldn't concentrate on Mike's chatter as we walked to Gym, and RE. didn't do much to hold my attention, either. Mike was on my team today. He chivalrously covered my position as well as his own, so my woolgathering was only interrupted when it was my turn to serve; my team ducked warily out of the way every time I was up. The rain was just a mist as I walked to the parking lot, but I was happier when I was in the dry cab. I got the heater running, for once not caring about the mind-numbing roar of the engine. I unzipped my jacket, put the hood down, and fluffed my damp hair out so the heater could dry it on the way home. I looked around me to make sure it was clear. That's when I noticed the still, white figure. Edward Cullen was leaning against the front door of the Volvo, three cars down from me, and staring intently in my direction. I swiftly looked away and threw the truck into reverse, almost hitting a rusty Toyota Corolla in my haste. Lucky for the Toyota, I stomped on the brake in time. It was just the sort of car that my truck would make scrap metal of. I took a deep breath, still looking out the other side of my car, and cautiously pulled out again, with greater success. I stared straight ahead as I passed the Volvo, but from a peripheral peek, I would swear I saw him laughing.