If Money doesn’t Make You Happy; Then Your Not Spending It Right Critique Essay

The belief that money lead to ultimate happiness was circulated among mankind and perceived as the essence of life, this can be seen in the quote: â€Å"Money makes the world go round†. Upon reading this quote , one begins to think that money is the everlasting physical material that brings happiness. However, Money is only tangible and can disappear overnight. William Durant, founder of GM and Chevrolet, said â€Å"Money is only leaned to a man. He comes into the world with nothing and leaves with nothing†. This indicates how one spends this tangible curse to pursue the thought of happiness. Throughout Dunn’s writing, the thought that spending money in a diverse manner brings happiness appears in numerous positions and to emphasis this stand it firstly appears in the title , â€Å"If Money Doesn’t Make You Happy, Then You Probably Aren’t Spending It Right†. Happiness-according to Dunn- through money, can be decanted through 8 different â€Å"Principles†: 1) Buy more experiences and fewer material goods. (2) Use ones money to benefit others rather themselves (3) Buy many small pleasures rather than fewer large ones (4) Eschew extended warranties and other forms of overpriced insurance (5)Delay consumption (6) Consider how peripheral features of their purchases may affect their day-to-day lives (7) Beware of comparison shopping (8) Pay close attention to the happiness of others. These are semi accurate ways spending money the right way and I agree with most of them; yet, some of these point I find quite contradicting. Because the nature of mankind does not agree with such perfect attributes and that one must obtain to have a more enjoyable life. Principle 1: Buy more experiences and fewer material goods. This is the utmost correct statement ever known to man when they want to spend money. The point directs us to a human natural instinct: boredom. Once a human is bored or tired of something, then that person will get rid of that object. For example; a plasma TV was bought , and it is an enjoyable device to a certain point. The TV owner would want to replace that TV with something productive and more efficient. This principle is showing that instead of buying something tangible and replaceable, one should consider something more everlasting like a memory of going to the lake fishing. Memories are not forgotten; they riddle and disintegrate over time but immortal as long as one keeps up with these  memories. Principle 2: Use ones money to benefit others rather themselves. In my opinion, this is only achieved with a perfect world containing angles as its citizens. The reality is that money isn’t spent due human nature † greed†. There are still some saints in the world that are willing to give their wealth to the unfortunate but At the end of the day one must put into consideration that bills must be paid at the end of the month and food must be placed on the table at the end of the night. According to CNN Money Network statistics, 28% of all Americans have emergency savings – savings that will last for 6 months. which means when 72% of the population lose their jobs living necessary will be excluded with if they don’t find another job in less than a month. viewing it from a different perspective ; 72% of Americans live from paycheck to paycheck. With whatever there is leftover it is either going to the person or children’s saving account or for a trip for themselves or family. The author indicated the feeling and satisfaction one gets when helping someone for example donating to others as a warm or irreplaceable feeling. Principle 3: Buy many small pleasures rather than fewer large ones . Understanding this means that smaller pleasures last longer or become more embedded into our mines and life styles; due to the fact that, these small pleasures are more frequent and enjoyable. For instance, one might go out with a colleague for coffee every morning just about every day-supposing that one has an innocent crush on the other; it is better than going to that person out of the blue and asking the other for dinner. first, you have made a common ground with that natural frequency of $5 a day for two cups of coffee- so that means that you are less likely to be rejected completely. second, it is cheaper than one impressive dinner that might be in the $80-$90 dollar range. This is true to a certain point; if you have a family trip every year to the most casual tourist traps could be a lot more cheaper than one big one every two years to some where exotic and fun. I have personally performed interviews with people from the upper, middle , and lower classes. surprisingly the upper and lower class citizens both have the same mentality; which was frequent but cheap trips. The reasoning behind this -in my opinion- is to break the cycle of work, and sleep. Even though the middle class is known to everyone of being the hard working class . looking at the middle class, they prefer one big trip every once a year. this  shows that they first must insure themselves and their family before performing any drastic moves. Principle 4: Eschew extended warranties and other forms of overpriced insurance. People must have some kind of insurance to back the citizens up against any miscellanies accidents from heart attacks to explosions. the problem lies within the citizens themselves. as we hear through the media that almost 20% of Americans don’t have insurance; for instance if a family member had a bad illness then all of the member in that family would suffer the consequences of the medical bill. Due to medical prices nowadays, if you’re not insured than get prepared for the worst once an accident happens. Principle 5: Delay consumption. The very straight translation of this is in one quote: â€Å"don’t spend what you don’t have†. Marketing is a technique to lure the innocent and naive to falling prey to these falls advertising from the big monopolies. this point is the second most important point that humans do not realize. debt is something no one should endure and struggle through; it might be a grace if done once or twice for example: car loans, mortgage, credit cards. however, it will be the inferno once a standard Joe does not keep up with his bills because then all of those payments plus the interest on them will engulf that person till he/she is worn out or dead. Principle 6: Consider how peripheral features of their purchases may affect their day-to-day lives Third most important principle -in my opinion; finding the effects of irresponsible spending on someone’s life. this shows that one must know what they’re going to buy before and the effects of that purchase. There is a local quote: â€Å"Do not shop at a grocery store when you’re hungry†. the meaning behind this quote links most of these principles together; if you shop when you’re, most likely:1) you’re going to buy a lot (2) once you buy a lot then you do not know how much your spending, (3) most of that food you bought you will eat but some will be thrown away. Principle 7: Beware of comparison shopping. this principle shows how one of the fallacies come into place: ad hominem. online shopping lets you compare products from different manufactures and compare them together. wondering how ad hominem comes to place; let’s take this example: Joe wants to buy a car but he does not know what to look for; so he goes to an online website that can compare cars together. The first car he looks at is awesome but it has a leading competitor so the car manufactures put the flaws in that leading competitor car, and vice versa.  they both attack each other than using the positive attributes of each car are. it is a psychological brain attraction; by altering the context of the paragraph -by choosing the right words- the customer is in their grasps. Principle 8: Pay close attention to the happiness of others. this simply means that one must consider other people’s opinions before buying a product or service. this is also considered to be an ad hominem and moral equivalence; the reason is because we rely on hearsay not actual facts. it is a way of marketing to discredit an institution of whatever and whomever it is. The essay shows how spending money in certain ways can be effective to one’s life style; bringing about more happiness according to Dunn through 8 Principles. the problem with that is that human nature most of the time cannot be predictable; so generalizing how one should spend their money to achieve happiness is not the way to going about; more like it is how can one achieve happiness at minimal spending.

Commercialisation of Health Care Essay

2. Commercialization 3. Commercialization of HealthCare:ïÆ'ËœCommercialization means goods hospital withhaving better facilities, nursing care andtechnology, provide better accessible, for people.ïÆ'ËœIt means private owned hospitals. 4. Why Commercialization?ï  ¶Life is very precious.ï  ¶WHO reports show that most of the civilhospitals/government hospitals in the countrydo not have proper equipment and facilitiesand the ratio of number of beds to populationof that city is very low for each of them.Increased accessibility is the major benefit ofCommercialization. 5. Every Coin has twosides 6. Advantages OfCommercialization:ï‚ §Commercialization of Health care canmake health facilities more accessible.ï‚ §It can improve quality of service.ï‚ §Commercialization is good because ofgood infrastructure, update technology, better nursing facilities, qualifieddoctors etc. 7. Advantages OfCommercialization:ï‚ §It will improve our health services.ï‚ §Awareness.ï‚ §Quickness in treatment.ï‚ §Family care.ï‚ §Rules and Regulations.ï‚ §Easily data available. 8. Disadvantages OfCommercialization:ï‚ §Povertyï‚ §High Costï‚ §Exploitationï‚ §Monopoly Marketï‚ §Boon for rich people, and curse forpoor people. 9. What Commercialization willbring?Commercialization words itself showsthe inability or incompetence of ourGovernment.So what it will bring is, the mostimportant and ist point is that It willremove our government’s inabilityand incompetence 10. What Commercialization willbring?ï  ± Better health servicesï  ±Better Infrastructureï  ±Fast health servicesï  ±New Technologyï  ±Punctualityï  ±Disciplineï  ±Innovationï  ±Qualified and Dedicated staff. 11. Commercialization words itselfshows the inability orincompetence of ourGovernmentSo what it will bring is, the mostimportant point is that It willremove our government’sinability and incompetence. 12. What Government can do in order toprevent exploitation of poor people?ï‚ §Bond with private hospitalsï‚ §Strict rulesï‚ §Subsidies to poor peopleï‚ §Health Insurance of poor peopleï‚ §Control over corruptionï‚ §Structure improvement by tie upwith private hospitals. 13. Some moral values thathospitals must keep in mind:ïÆ' ¼Treat Patients with humanity.ïÆ' ¼Cure patients with love, care & +vebehavior.ïÆ' ¼They should also provide emotional supportto patient’s family members.ïÆ' ¼ Their  motive should be welfare of peoplenot the profit oriented.ïÆ' ¼Concession for poor people.ïÆ' ¼Partiality should be avoided.ïÆ' ¼Hospitalization is a service and notbusiness. 14. Conclusion: I conclude that commercial of health is necessarybut it should be kept in mind that we all want to live.Minimum, keeping all the treatment within the rangeof middle-lower class highly commercialization isrequired for the better health of our nation becauseHEALTH IS THE MOST VALUABLE than everythingin life.So, if all above factors should be kept in mind i.e.range of middle-lower class etc., then what I feel isthat commercialization will be good for us as well asfor our Nation.

Analysis of “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan: DRAFT Essay

Mother Tongue is about the authors struggles with her linguistic identity, her mothers â€Å"fractured† or â€Å"broken† variation of english and the relationship with her mother. At the beginning of the piece we are told about the different types of english she would speak with her mother and with everyone else; we are then told how english wasn’t Amy’s strongest subject and later on we are told about the difficulties her mother experienced because of the way she spoke english and the prejudice she faced. In the text Tan uses a variety of stylistic devices to express herself, tans use of parallel structures is used frequently throughout the piece, for example she starts the first paragraph with the phrase â€Å"i am not a scholar of english† and the second with â€Å"i am a writer†; this contrast implies to the audience that you don’t have to know everything about english to be a writer. She also uses personification in the second paragraph when she says † language is the tool of my trade†. This might suggest that the use of language through writing is the way she expresses herself or gets her point across. She then goes onto saying † And i use them all- all the Englishes i grew up with† and in the next paragraph she says â€Å"Recently, i was made keenly aware of the different Englishes i do use.† She uses repetition in this instance to emphasize how, in her opinion, there is no right way or one way of speaking english there are different variations, in this instance the English with her mother is very different from how she speaks english to her teachers or classmates, this can refer back to the title of the text â€Å"mother tongue†. Mother tongue is usually reffered to the first language a person is taught, however i think Tans use of the word mother tongue is much more intimate in a sense that she feels that her english or her mother tongue is unique to her, and that the variation of english she speaks to her mother is her mother tongue. Moreover she also uses repition when she uses the words â€Å"broken†, â€Å"fractured† and â€Å"limited† as it is shown numerous times throughout the text, these words suggest what other people may view of her mothers english, however Tans use of an antithesis when she uses the phrase â€Å"impeccable broken english† really grasps the readers attention, as the concept of something being broken but yet impeccable is very strange. This phrase may imply that although Tans mothers english might be â€Å"limited†, but  in her opinion it does not strike her as being wrong as so many would think; she clearly states this when she says â€Å"Some say they understand none of it, as if she were speaking pure Chinese. But to me, my mothers English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural†. Moreover She uses personification again to emphasize the variation of English she speaks when she says â€Å"the intersection of memory upon imagination†. Towards the fifth paragraph Amy uses many anecdotes or personal experiences to give the audience a bit more of an insight with the troubles she faced when she was younger with her mother and the prejudice she faced. Furthermore Amys use of dialogue throughout the text lets the audience experience her mother tongue. I think that the main purpose of this article is to show people that there is no right type of english, and that english comes in many forms therefore there should be no prejudice. She shows this by putting emphasis on the word â€Å"English† and â€Å"Englishes† throughout the text. Tan implies that many people have very narrow minded and misconceived views of people from a different culture or language background, she uses the example of her personal experience and mother to show this, for example people would take her mother seriously due to her â€Å"broken† english, as it suggests that her mother might be uneducated. However Tan also mentions how her mother â€Å"reads the Forbes repot, listens to Wall Street Week, converses daily with her stockbroker and reads all of Shirley MacLaine books with ease- all kind of things i can’t begin to understand†, most of the audience might be quite surprised with this, as it seems very unusual for a women fr om China and who has â€Å"watered-down† english to understand things of such complexity. This in itself proves Tans point of society’s misconception and generalisation of people with different language backgrounds. In this text we notice that Tan uses very simple and easy to read english, however at the same time we are able to understand the complexity of her argument. The last paragraph emphasis how Tan is more concerned about her audience rather than the approval of critics and she doesn’t need to write like a professor to get her point across. Moreover throughout the text has a pattern of using a personal experience then expanding on it.

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1000 words APA format - Article Example The authors utilize this particular case as a means of drawing attention to an industrially developed society that exhibits a larger than average overall life expectancy as a means of focusing upon the aforementioned determinants of COPD. Accordingly, the forthcoming analysis will serve as a brief review and synthesis of the main findings that this particular article was able to exhibit and the overall inference that can be drawn based upon these findings in terms of proposed future research and a greater understanding of COPD as it relates to individuals beyond the age of 65. Firstly, the article presents the broader understanding that COPD is oftentimes represented an old age as a direct result of environmental hazards and/4 prior activities such as smoking which might have contributed to the prevalence of this particular disease as old age is experienced. Within this particular dynamic, the article encourages healthcare professionals to be keenly aware of the fact that COPD, although having very similar symptoms and effects upon the individual who suffers from it regardless of age, has distinctly different impacts upon individuals that are over the age of 65 and potentially experience other health complications and issues alongside this. Yet, rather than providing a mere definition of COPD, symptoms, and its potential treatments, the article establishes a research methodology that will assess stakeholders and more effectively understanding and defining COPD in terms of future treatments. Accordingly, a cross-sectional study was conducted between March 2007 to January 2008; during this period, 406 primary family caregivers of COPD patients were recruited as a means of answering a questionnaire. Essentially, this study sought to categorize, classify, and ultimately understand the differentials in approach that caregivers had towards individual suffering from COPD based

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Information Tech. and the Canadian Economy - Essay Example The people who were providing labor force in Canada are retiring while there are no new people to fill up their positions. The number of hours per capita from the senior citizens does not help the economy. The young men and women should, therefore, get an education. They should also have the desire for change to be able to achieve the required amount of labor force to move Canada’s economy (Miner, 2013). Immigration is one of the ways to improve the labor force. There has been a debate on the type of training and preparation the next generation should go through to ensure there are enough people for the jobs in future. In order to prepare the next generation for the labor force, the level of education attainment in the country should be increased (Clever, 2012). The level of education for the young men and women should go beyond high school. It should be through to getting diplomas, degrees, apprenticeship, industry qualification, certificate, etc. The different institutions b eyond high school help the young people acquire skills and education for different parts of the labor force. There has been major progress since 2010 as the number of high schools graduations have gone up every year. The high school graduations increase means the rise in enrollment to post-secondary education. The progress has reduced the estimates for the needed labor force in the country. It is both good and bad news for the young men and women in Canada. The reduction of the need for labor force is right in that the shortage of workers in Canada reduces significantly. It is bad in that it slows down the economic recovery and growth with Ontario, New Brunswick, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and PEI being the ones to take most of the pain. The cities named above economies suffered the most when the economy of Canada went down (Miner, 2013). The labor force in the above locations relatively went down because of its population consisting mainly of senior citizens who

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Tesco Assignment - Case Study Example In this regard, frameworks of strategic management like, PESTLE, Porter’s competitive forces and value chain analysis, has been employed. The first part of the report discusses macro environmental issues, which affects the U.K. food retail industry. This is followed by analysis of Porter’s competitive forces to evaluate parameters that affect competitiveness of the business. The section of the report containing the internal strategic analysis deals with financial appraisal, resource appraisal and value chain analysis. The penultimate section of the report comprises ethical practices that have been adopted by the Tesco. The last section presents the recommendations that can be adopted by Tesco so as to overcome current issues that are being faced by the company and maintain its position as the market leader. The findings from the report indicate that weak economic conditions in Europe can dampen future growth of the business. The first recommendation for the company is to introduce lower costs and discounts in the future in order to retain market share. The changing pattern of food consumption in U.K. and rising popularity of organic food will be essential determining factors for growth of the food retail industry. So, the second recommendation focuses on increasing availability of cheap organic food. The analysis from the report has shown that sale in U.K. has dropped for Tesco. This paper suggests that increasing promotional measures can raise the sales. Owing to increasing concern of the government regarding environmental issues, this paper recommends that further sustainability can be attained by adopting energy saving practices. Finally, the analysis has also revealed that dialogue with the customers have weakened, which is hindering business growth. The final recommendation of the report is that engagement with the customers must be strengthened in way of modifying existing practices or adopting new ones. In any modern industry,

Advertising to Children Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 9500 words

Advertising to Children - Coursework Example I would like to thank my interviewees for giving up their valuable time to speak to me during their hectic schedules. I also appreciate all the support and guidance offered by my tutor and lecturers. This help has been invaluable to me. My dissertation aims to explore the current problems pertaining to marketing trends involved with advertising aimed at the young audiences and small children. It is reported that Food companies alone spend a whooping $10 billion annually on advertising aimed at young children and this is alleged to have caused the American children to consume almost a third of their daily calories from junk food. The problem of advertising to children is not just restricted to television advertising but extends to the increased use of Internet games, product placements, character licensing and an increased use of word of mouth campaigns to increase sales of products to the young consumer base.The Food,Toy and gadget industry is adamant to defend itself upon any accusation of irresponsible advertising to little children with the likes of themes like parental responsibility and First Amendment rights. The Paper discusses whether or not it is the sole responsibility of these corporate giants to act agai nst self-interest or that the Government should regulate such advertising more seriously. The Dissertation aims to balance these villainous notions of the modern advertisers which have been assigned to modern marketers and whether it is time parents took responsibility for their own actions rather than laying the blame on advertising. Essentially the aim is to question the models of childhood which the are assumed in this debate by policy makers and marketers alike in order to explore the way forward for regulation and the burden of responsibility to the advertisers or the parents. I would like to clarify at the outset that my methodology in this dissertation is largely based on a literature review of contemporary sociological perspectives on childhood and the debates that have because a part of the controversy of advertising to children. The methodology then analyses a two interviews to reconcile the findings of the literature review. The Dissertation restricts itself to the UK discourse on children and advertising and is aimed at contributing to a greater understanding the debate and policy on advertising and children, and to encourage the further practical research in this area armed with these new perspectives. Thus this paper is an exploration into the empirical and polemical literature yet it neutrally considers both sides of the argument and ontology of advertising to children. Tongue-in-cheek social skeptics have often subscribed to the term "adults-in-waiting" or "pre-adults" when describing the modern technologically aware child (James et al., 1998). At the same time the modern marketer knows that the modern child in "independent" and a potential customer which means that certain strategies will be built by marketers and marketing researchers to capture and compete on capturing this segment of the consumer base.(Kline, 1993).The modern marketer thus knows that small children in particular form their future preferences in their early formative stages but the older they grow the more difficult they are to convince.(Lowden, 1999). There are so many industries depending on their bread and butter for effectively capturing the children's consumer base and therefore whether its Mc Donalds or Toys r' Us ,KFC or Disney Land. These exclusively child-oriented industries have come under recent fire from media, sociologists and the political community alike and a heated debate as to their ethical premise has followed which has raised an outcry

Explore a primary source concerning William Z. Foster Essay

Explore a primary source concerning William Z. Foster - Essay Example urely relevant to the knowledge base on Foster’s life and work, but it must also be realize that the author is somewhat biased, as he appears to be sympathetic to the communist movement in the United States and does not wish to see it end. What this means is that when reading this book, the reader must be aware that it is more political science than history, which takes away from the book’s historical significance. While Barrett is a well known historian, this book shows that he is prone to allowing his own opinions to creep into his historical facts and should be remember whenever reading one of his texts. Barrett begins this book by telling about Foster’s early days earning his living in the slums, while believing that there must be a better manner of doing this. Barrett then follows Foster as he begins organizing unions in order to improve the position of the working class in society. As time moves on, Foster helped to form the American Federation of Labor and, later on, the Trade Union Educational League, which was a much more radical organization. These radical ideas caused Foster to turn to socialism and eventually communism, which is how he became a such a high ranking official in the Communist Party of the United States. In telling the story of Foster’s life, Barrett is able to show the reader the ideological basis for communism’s existence in the United States, as he tells of how â€Å"Foster, Earl Browder, and Jack Johnstone played crucial roles in organizing basic industry in the United States and later building the Communist Party† (Barrett 69). People like Foster believed that it could be used as a method of equalizing society and, therefore, allowing for the poor to be on par with the rest of society. Foster did not believe that communism had to be oppressive, but rather could be used as a tool for making society a better place to live and Barrett is sympathetic to this cause. The relevance of this text is somewhat in question, however, as

Critical Response of the Jordanian Government Published a Code of Essay

Critical Response of the Jordanian Government Published a Code of Conduct Regulating Relations between the Media and the Governm - Essay Example If the spirit of text is to be followed, it clearly makes a demarcation between media and the government so that the media is guaranteed with a freedom of expression as stipulated in the Constitution of Jordan. It even went into details as to prohibit government in providing â€Å"the provision of financial incentives or in-kind designed to influence the journalists or the media and work on the subject of any practice inconsistent with the laws and the Charter of the press approved by the JPA†. This meant that government and its agencies are prohibited to give bribes to media in any form or kind that will influence its function as a press agency out of fear of black mail or to pursue its own popularity by influencing media through incentives. The text also circumscribed the state’s power of the purse to ensure that it does not influence media by the leverage of its ad placement. To prevent this, it directs its â€Å"departments and institutions through a direct purchas e from the market† to ensure that it will not meddle with the media that would compromise its independence. Meaning, government and its agencies will buy its subscriptions from the market and not through the free subscription given by the media. The guideline also prohibits government institution from employing any entity from the media to prevent it from having a close relation with the press which might induce it to influence the press. It ensures the objectivity of the media by guaranteeing, through the guidelines, that the media as an institution is separate and apart from the government and thus independent. Again, if the spirit of these guidelines is to be strictly followed, it can be considered as revolutionary in terms of upholding press freedom in Jordan because government is distancing itself from the media to ensure its independence and objectivity that can be likened to the code of regulations that govern the press in non-Arab countries. The text might have been th e original draft of the National Agenda Committee which was a response of the government to prevent any similar uprising in Jordan that happened in its neighbouring countries. It is important to note that in March 7, 2011 hundreds of Jordanian journalists emboldened by the wave of Arab uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia demanded an end to government’s curtailment of media freedom in Jordan (al-Khalidi 2011). There is a big probability that the draft was just a political move of the government to quell a possible uprising in Jordan and did not necessarily mean it. The draft was obviously not final because a month after the publication of such guidelines, Daoud Kuttab, a prominent journalist from Al Arabiya was called by the National Agenda Committee headed by Marwan Muasher in April of 2011 to consult his opinion in the government’s initiative â€Å"to design a strategic media plan† (Kuttab a 2011). Series of meetings happened after the initial meeting where a sugges tion to adopt a media council and ending the mandatory membership in journalist association were adopted. â€Å"The new strategy also recommended revision of a dozen or so laws related to the media† (Kuttab a 2011). The progressive initiative to uphold media independence and freedom was however temporary as a draft of Press and Publications Law was also forced through the Cabinet in parallel to the strategic media plan. The draft of the Press and Publica

E-government problems Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

E-government problems - Research Paper Example Past literature illustrates the application of e-governance within federal offices (Groznik, Kovacic & Trkman, 2008). This includes communication through information systems and the internet among federal offices. Researchers demonstrate that such communication is the prerequisite to the ability of government offices to have effective relations (DG Information Society and Media, 2007). It is in this regard therefore that e-governments have been said to employ technology in ensuring that all of its offices work towards a common goal of providing efficient and effective services to the public (Chee-Wee & Benbasat, 2009). It is however notable through a review of past literature on e-governments, that scholars have not reached specific definitions for all aspects of e-governance. This is demonstrated by the different understandings and descriptions of issues in e-governance such as effectiveness, applicability, user friendliness and the various applications that are used in the implemen tation of e-government across all platforms of government operations (Ong, Katerattanakul & Seok Jeong, 2008). Past research literature agrees that e-government and its design are aimed at benefiting citizens (Sarantis, Smithson, Charalabidis & Askounis, 2010). This includes workers across a nation that implements e-governance, ordinary citizens, practitioners and researchers (Kazemikaitiene & Bileviciene, 2008). The definition of e-government reveals how citizens benefit from its applications. For example most of past literature on the topic reports that e-government is a set of technological tools and applications which are designed with an aim of facilitating communication and interaction between citizens and the government (Teo, Srivastava & Jiang, 2008). More notable is the fact that past literature agrees that the satisfaction of citizens on e-governance is less satisfactory in most states (Svard, 2010). This is attributed to the challenges or problems that are faced by e-gove rnments as described in the following sections of the literature review. Failures in E-Government Leadership The process of acquisition, design, installation and implementation technology within government institutions, agencies and offices requires that proper monitoring and control is guaranteed for success (BBC, 2012). Even though past literature presents the various processes of developing e-governments differently, it is evident that proper leadership is vital for successful development of information systems within all levels of governance (Hakan & Karl, 2009). It is in this regard that researchers have focused at an evaluation of the leadership processes within government agencies that employ technology. Researchers report that several failures characterize the leadership of government agencies and departments in regard to the development of e-government applications (Groznik, Kovacic & Trkman, 2008). Among the most notable failures in leadership include poor control and mana gement of the initiation stage of e-government development and poor control of the implementation

Interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Interview - Essay Example People seeking legal advice from the lawyers will feel secure since civility was being portrayed by the lawyers (Robinson, 2004). What are the opportunities to exercise civility in your daily life, such as at work or at home? The way we treat each other is what matters to determine civility. Civility is accompanied first politeness, this is a manner in which carries himself in the occasion that he or she is seeking for assistance. For instance, assuming one is the receptionist, a client approaches him or her to seek for guidance on a certain issue. The first thing one should do is greeting the client making him or her feel that at home, the client may annoy in the sense that he or she may be abusive or nagging, but remember the receptionist should understand and maintain high levels of politeness thus sending a positive signal, and marketing the institution as one which deals with clients in a polite manner (Robinson, 2004). The other aspect of civility is etiquette, this applies in working environment and a in home set up. One should learn to apologize if he or she has wronged, the simple worlds of am sorry and I apologize may mean a lot in this situation. In the working environment etiquette may be inform of dressing, work ethics treating of clients and facial expression. The first issue will be all about dressing, it should reflect ones character in that being well groomed will show ones seriousness in dealing with matters in hand. Also about work ethics, one should know the set procedures, for instance gossiping while a client is waiting to be served is unacceptable. One should keep in mind that working hours are different from resting hours. The word civility is used by different organization so as to enhance client confident. the all issue of one being civil is a matter of public relation in that how you deal with clients in a more friendly and professional way. The last one is all about facial expressions in that ones look portrays ones character, a smil e may hide a lot, you may be having a rough day with you boss or disagreed with a college at work, this should remain in a matter of the company , if a client approaches you for assistance you should not portray what you have been through rather show high levels of professionalism . In a home set up civility is all about being apologetic and respecting each other. A family that is built on the grounds of civility is bound to last. Respect entails both the parents and the children in that it should be mutual. Issues arising and family disputes should be dealt with in a civil manner. This entails calling for a family meeting in which the matter in hand will be resolved. Matters to do with the adults, that is the parents should be dealt with in secrete rather than in front of the children (Robinson, 2004). If there is one thing that defines a person who is civil, what would it be? Respect is what defines a person who is civil. If at one learns to show respect in all aspect then civilit y will be a daily occurrence. This means that respecting ones duties, if one is assigned certain duties they should be performed heartedly. This will ensure one conducts him or her self performed according the laid down procedure which are laid on the basis of civility. Also if one respect the other person he should be polite to him which is an aspect in civility. I a family set up; respect ensures the family stays at bay. This is respect brushes out the issue of conflict and quarrels, the domestic

Architectural Branding Essay Example for Free

Architectural Branding Essay The 4P’s have been extended to 7P’s namely: Price, Place, Promotion, People, Physical Evidence and Process. Architectural Branding is an important element of Physical Evidence very strongly prevailing in International Brands e. g. Calvin Klein, Nike town, DG, Prada etc. With the changing Indian Market scenario and customer awareness Indian Brands have now realised to incorporate the culture of Architectural Branding as an important brand element. Possibly Brands like Colour Plus, Wills Lifestyle, Sepia also are trying to incorporate the concept of Architectural Banding. Therefore through an exploratory research on the related topics of branding it was felt that architectural branding will help us in the long run in the industry and would widen our horizon of knowledge. Down the line I felt that this concept would be taught to us in our course curriculum of Fashion Management. Through this topic of Architectural Branding we would get to learn about basics of Architecture, Interior Design and Design Space and relating these subjects to the Market Research and Consumer Behaviour. Information Needed ? Introduction to Architectural Branding Concepts of Architecture †¢ Material †¢ Types of Structure ? Architecture in Retail †¢ Exteriors †¢ Interior Design †¢ Store Layout, Design

The United States Relations With Pakistan And India Politics Essay

The United States Relations With Pakistan And India Politics Essay Realism has made the United States building its policies toward South Asia. Since the end of Cold War, the United States and India actively improving relations with each other, meanwhile the importance of Pakistan and the United States declined. Since the Kashmir incidence between India and Pakistan, both countries remain in tension and conflict. When the United States administrations decided to focus its partnership toward India, it resulted on the growing distance relationship between the United States with Pakistan, but the September 11 attacks suddenly restored Pakistan strategic importance to Washington. With the new strategies, the United States has to balance its policies toward India and Pakistan. ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK Realism has been the dominant theory of foreign affairs since the concept of international relations theory.  [1]  The universal goals of realism are security and power, with the key concept of power and interest. Realism assumes that its key concept of interest defined as power is an objective category which is universally valid, but it does not endow that concept with a meaning that is fixed once and for all. The idea of interest is indeed of the essence of politics and is unaffected by the circumstances of time and place.  [2]   The United States realists would focus on strengthening security ties in Asia and work to establish clearer threshold with the growing power Chinas leadership. The United States administration has moved in this direction, as represented by the strategic partnership with India and the recent pivot to Asia.  [3]  Realists stated that there is no eternal friend or eternal enemy, only eternal national interest. The U.S. eternal interest is to preclude a hostile power from dominating Europe or Asia. In order to maintain that interest the United States built a global alliance system to contain the Soviet Union during the Cold War era, and wanted India, the dominant state in South Asia to join it.  [4]   THE UNITED STATES RELATIONS WITH PAKISTAN AND INDIA In a security alliance since 2004 and strategic partners since 2006, the United States and Pakistan for decades experienced major shifts in the nature and tone of their relations. In the post-9/11 period, assisting in the creation of a more stable, democratic, and prosperous Pakistan actively combating religious militancy has been among the most important U.S. foreign policy efforts. Vital U.S. interests are seen to be at stake in its engagement with Pakistan related to regional and global terrorism; efforts to stabilize neighboring Afghanistan; nuclear weapons proliferation; links between Pakistan and indigenous American terrorism; Pakistan-India tensions and conflict; democratization and human rights protection; and economic development. As a haven for numerous terrorist groups, and as the worlds most rapid proliferator of nuclear weapons, Pakistan presents a combination that places it at the top of many governments international security agendas.  [5]   India, the regions dominant actor with more than one billion citizens, is often characterized as a major power and partner of the United States and counterbalance for Chinas growing power. Washington and New Delhi have since 2004 been pursuing a strategic partnership based on shared values such as democracy, pluralism, and rule of law. Numerous economic, security, and global initiatives, including plans for full civilian nuclear energy cooperation is underway. This latter initiative, launched by President Bush in July 2005 and provisionally endorsed by the 109th Congress in 2006 (P.L. 109-401, the Hyde Act), would reverse three decades of U.S. nonproliferation policy. It requires, among other steps, a Joint Resolution of Approval by Congress. Also in 2005, the United States and India signed a ten-year defense framework agreement that calls for expanding bilateral security cooperation. Since 2002, the two countries have engaged in numerous combined military exercises. Major U.S. arms sales to India are planned.  [6]   Further U.S. interest in South Asia focuses on ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan rooted in unfinished business from the 1947 Partition, competing claims to the Kashmir region, and, in more recent years, cross-border terrorism in both Kashmir and major Indian cities. In the interests of regional stability, the United States strongly encourages an ongoing India-Pakistan peace initiative and remains concerned about the potential for conflict over Kashmir sovereignty to cause open hostilities between these two nuclear-armed countries. Both India and Pakistan have resisted external pressure to sign the major nonproliferation nuclear weapon treaties. In 1998, the two countries conducted nuclear tests that evoked international condemnation. Proliferation-related restrictions on U.S. aid were triggered, and then later lifted through congressional-executive cooperation from 1998 to 2000. Remaining sanctions on India and Pakistan were removed in late 2001.  [7]   THE UNITED STATES POLICIES TOWARD PAKISTAN Most of the United States policies in Pakistan emphasize a security-oriented approach that could risk derailing trends by eliciting even stronger anti-American nationalism among the Pakistani people.  [8]  The policies are as follows: Pressure counterterrorism on Pakistan. In May 2012, The Security of State Clinton requested more Pakistan efforts to clear its territory of terrorist sanctuaries. U.S. officials remained acutely concerned about the apparent impunity with which Pakistan-based extremist and militant groups are able to act.  [9]   Weaken U.S. Pakistan relationship to strengthen U.S. India relationship. This issue made Pakistan more reliant on its partnership with China, also in response to this issue, Pakistan actively improved its nuclear weapons. Leahy amendment provisions by withholding train and equip funding for several Pakistani army units.  [10]   According to the U.S. Department of State, the overall human rights situation in Pakistan remains poor, and that lack of government accountability remains a pervasive problem; abuses often go unpunished, fostering a culture of impunity.  [11]   Foreign assistance and coalition support reimbursement.  [12]   Pakistan is among the leading recipients of U.S. aid in the post-9/11 period, having been appropriated about $24 billion in assistance and military reimbursements since 2001. By the end of 2011, the U.S. Congress had appropriated more than $8.3 billion in development and humanitarian aid, and nearly $7 billion for security-related programs over ten years.  [13]   THE UNITED STATES POLICIES TOWARD INDIA The United States experienced challenges in maintaining its relations with India to manage disagreements on five potentially divisive strategic issues: Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy, China policy, arms control, climate change, and high-technology cooperation. The Obamas administration policies adopted to solve the issues listed as follows: Deploy 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan should reassure those Indians who view the fight there as a test of U.S. staying power in South Asia.  [14]   Devote increasing time and energy to cultivate the U.S.-Chinese relationship. Indians are asking whether Washington envisions a role for India in maintaining a balance of power in Asia, or whether the Obama administration views India as tangential to U.S. priorities there.  [15]   Renew U.S. efforts to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). If China wants to do so, too, India will be pressured to follow suit, even it is unlikely.  [16]   India is the worlds fourth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases. Both Washington and New Delhi support investment in green technologies, but internationally mandated and monitored emissions reductions are political problem in India, where they are often seen as a drag on growth and an affront to Indian sovereignty.  [17]   The United States emphasis on national security export controls and intellectual property protection has excessively restricted licenses and transfers.  [18]   India remained on the U.S. Special 301 Priority Watch List in 2011 for failing to provide an adequate level of IPR protection or enforcement, or market access for persons relying on intellectual property protection.  [19]  Moreover, since 1998, a number of Indian entities have been subjected to case-by-case licensing requirements and appear on the U.S. export control Entity List of foreign end users involved in weapons proliferation activities.  [20]   RECOMMENDATION The U.S. military aid has done little to stem Islamist militancy in Pakistan and may even hinder that countrys economic and political development. For that reason, Indonesia should voice its disagreement to this policy. The United States policy should have been targeting effective nonmilitary aid, perhaps especially that which would strengthen Pakistans civil society such as nonproliferation, governance, economic growth, and also support Pakistan initiatives that could promote its regional stability. The United States and India share important interests: both seek to restore global growth, protect the global commons, enhance global energy security, and ensure a balance of power in Asia. Indonesia administration could recommend enhancing the level of transparency in their relationship. Closer cooperation such as on counterterrorism would mean closer coordination on developments regarding Pakistan as well. They must therefore increase the scope, quality, and intensity of their cooperation at every level. Some of other United States policies in the South Asia are based on Washington strategic interest, but if Obamas policies able to ease the tension between India and Pakistan; Indonesia administration might support them, having acknowledge that the war can lead to nuclear war. CONCLUSION History shows that the relations between The United States with India and Pakistan have been based strictly on military and economic support.  [21]  Strategic interest has been the most important factor for U.S. policy toward South Asia. The policy has been a part of a U.S strategy to prevent external power from dominating Asia. From the U.S. perspective, the Soviet Union was that power in the Cold War era, and China emerges as the most likely candidate for the power in the post-Cold War era. The United States failed to change India and Pakistan nuclear policy and decided to lift part of the sanctions. President George Bush administration at first treated India as a focus of relations in South Asia, but the September 11th attacks restored Pakistans importance to the United States. In order to win the support of India and Pakistan for anti-terrorism, the United States lifted all the sanctions against them, provided Pakistan with loans and strengthened military cooperation with Pakistan. Due to terrorist actions in India, tensions between India and Pakistan repeatedly flared up. The United States had to step in, to evade the escalations that might become war, or even more nuclear war. But the United States is unable to help solve the Kashmir dispute. As long as the United States still see China as the threat to its global power, they will treat India as its partner in South Asia. As long as the anti-terrorist campaign continues and the Afghanistans conditions established, the United States will need Pakistans cooperation; hence the United States will try to maintain its current policies toward India and Pakistan.

The Auteur Theory Film Studies Essay

The Auteur Theory Film Studies Essay -The auteur theory, if defined as the ultimate foundation for a filmmakers vision, can be a rather unstable remark for one to give. Who in the beginning of film history declared that a director must adhere to a specific genre with a specific style? It seems, like anything else, that the reasoning behind this theory is for a person to find a way to make sense of it all. However, one could argue that a filmmaker has reasoning behind why they have chosen their career path in the first place, or what kind of themes they want to express to the public. No matter what the genre or screenplay, a filmmaker can become a true auteur if they exhibit the same thematic preoccupations, the same recurring motifs and incidents, and the same visual style and tempo (Wollen 73).   In this essay, I will argue that Andrew Sarriss definition of film auteurism, along with Jim Kitses and Peter Wollen redefinition of its traditional and structuralist conceptions, are displayed in M. Night Shyamalans The Happening (along with his other films) as an example of the filmmakers auteurism. Andrew Sarris assesses a filmmakers auteurism under three pieces of criteria: technical competence, personality evident through oeuvre (director as stylist), and beauty of interior meanings of films. Technical competence, as a notion of value, surfaces the idea that a badly directed or undirected film has no importance in a critical scale of values, but one can make interesting conversation about the subject, the script, the acting, the color, the photography, the editing, the music, the costumes, etc (Sarris 69). In an interview with CNN, Shyamalan insists that The Happening is the best B movie you will ever see, thats it. Thats what this is. With this information, Shyamalan lays out the foundation of the films technical competence in relation to his past films. The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs, The Village, and Lady in the Water were assumingly created to the best of Shyamalans artistic abilities. Shyamalan premeditated The Happening with the notion that it would not be displayed as one of his ideal aesthetic pieces of cinema. It has been widely known that Shyamalan has had direct influences from science-fiction shows like The Twilight Zone, therefore audiences should be able to suspend moments of realism because, premeditatedly, bizarre and unexplained scenes are going to occur. Its going to test your patience, imagination, and social pressure, meaning that it almost dares you to laugh at inexplicable moments of dialogue and scenarios, and while it would be easy to write them off as bad filmmaking, if more effort is put into discover whats really happening or whats trying to be displayed (Shyamalans B-movie approach) , the stronger the payoff will be. For example, the scene where Mark Wahlberg is talking to a plastic plant, pretty funny right? Sure, if you look at it from the standpoint that its just Mark Wahlberg talking to a plastic plant. But if you think about it abstractly, the scene is completely appropriate to the films narrative. After evacuating New York City, being dropped off in a random town in Pennsylvania, then running from an attacking environmental force thats never fully explained, isnt it crazy enough to think that after all this, a person might begin to lose a sense of normalcy? Why not talk to the plant? It cant hurt to try new approaches to a specific scenario in order to figure out what could be happening, no matter how crazy it makes you look from an outside perspective. Sarriss film auteur definition extends even further, to the filmmakers personality and its visible evidence throughout oeuvre (director as stylist). A director must exhibit certain recurring characteristics of style which serve as his signature. The way a film looks and moves should have some relationship to the way a director thinks and feels (Sarris 69). With The Happening, there is clear evidence of Shyamalans personality. Since The Sixth Sense, he has been become known as the master of suspense. He never sells himself out to violence. Instead, he uses it as a tool to build towards a much more apocalyptic fear. The Happening is never explored from a large-scale angle like War of the Worlds, but rather the larger event that is taking place simultaneously merely peeks from the corners of the screen. Any filmmaker can physically blow things up so long as they have a decent budget. Instead, Shyamalan blows up our imagination. According to Sarris, the auteur theory must have a director with a specific style. Going along with Sarriss quote, the way Shyamalan uses violence in the film fits his personal and socially known filmmaking vision. For example, the scene where multiple bodies hang from hoses on trees is incredibly and meaningfully staged. As a passing car witnesses this, could you imagine sitting in that car and be thinking: What in the hell happened here that caused people to end up like this? Its so much scarier with scenes like this to leave the actual act of violence to the imagination because the imagination has no limits. Thats what makes this all the more horrifying. Shyamalan could have taken the lazy way out by going all Saw on us, producing over the top gore that has no purpose to the story. Theres a difference between horror and violence, and instead, Shyamalan seems to grasp this concept and use violence to enhance the story. He has shown this in every single one of his movies, even with The Happenings limitless R-rating. Sarriss third and final piece of criteria for assessing a directors auteurism is the beauty of the interior meaning behind a film. Sometimes a great deal of corn must be husked to yield a few kernels of internal meaning (Sarris 71). The post 9/11 atmosphere in our society still looms in the back of everyones mind. Shyamalan, instead of abusing this fear, induces it into interpersonal paranoia. The strangeness of each scene allows multiple scenarios of fear. The vibes coming off each character suggests that the events in The Happening are terrorist attacks. Why? Because its the first thing that enters everyones mind. The media has us so convinced that an act of terrorism is the only possible explanation of an attack on American soil that it has become the epitome of mass cultural fear. The standardization of mass culture (in this case, the media of mass culture) dictates the audiences reactions, telling them how to think and feel. Clement Greenberg, an American art critic of the 20th century argues that the Kitsch (German word meaning mass culture) associated in filmmaking has become extremely easy to notice. For example, a clichà ©d horror scene consists of objects jumping onto the screen after moments of eerie noises or silence (The Prom Night example). Formulaically, its the feeling that someone is going to jump out and scream a standardized horror clichà ©d line like boo! or gotcha! Shyamalan on the other hand, takes this persona and reverses it. Instead of forcing the audience into feeling a specific reaction, he allows them to think for themselves. Jim Kitses and Peter Wollen redefine the traditionalists and structuralist conceptions of auteurism in a simplistic manner that remains to this day, arguably, as an odyssey. Kitses claims that genre is to filmmaker as language is to speaker. The very foundation of meaning for an artist to work with is the roots in which they display the most comfort. Kitses explains that the meanings, characters, stories, and imagery come from the structure of the genre and the present culture in which the filmmaker is working within. Applying this to Shyamalans personal authorship, both Kitses and Wollen express their theories: In my view the term (auteur theory) describes a basic principle and a method, no more and no less (Kitses 89) and exhibit the same thematic preoccupations, the same recurring motifs and incidents, and the same visual style and tempo (Wollen 73). Shyamalan, in almost all of his films tackles big social themes, being mostly end of the world scenarios (Signs, The Happening) and/or socially known fears (The Village, The Sixth Sense). In Signs, Shyamalan takes a basic principle (an alien invasion towards planet earth) and applies his own basic method to it (the event is seen through the eyes of an American family trying to survive it). By adding his own layers of substance to Kitsess basic principle and method, Shyamalan ultimately creates his own personal authorship. Signs has the same basic principle as Steven Spielbergs War of the Worlds, but each director has their own vision towards it. Both Signs and War of the Worlds are about an alien invasion towards planet earth in which an American family tries to survive it, but unlike Spielberg, Shyamalan doesnt physically blow up the world, he enforces the imagination on the viewer and only implies physical destruction. Roger Eberts review of Signs furthers this argument: I will not even say whether aliens appear in the movie, because whether they do or not is beside the point. The purpose of the film is to evoke pure emotion through the use of skilled acting and direction, and particularly through the soundtrack. It is not just what we hear that is frightening. It is the way Shyamalan has us listening intensely when there is nothing to be heard. I cannot think of a movie where silence is scarier, and inaction is more disturbing (Roger Ebert). Kitses and Wollen have very similar opinions in the basic elements of the auteur. Kitses expresses that it involves a basic principle and a method, where Wollen argues that it exhibits the same thematic preoccupations. However, the process of getting the film to a concrete medium is where the two differ. Kitses compares genre to filmmaker as language is to speaker. When a speaker speaks a language, they may say it on their own terms, with different tones, dialects, expressions, emotions, speed, etc. therefore in translation to cinema, a filmmaker may express a genre their own way without the interference of an outside medium. While that it very much the case in many situations, the auteur must also face several realities, most evidently the wants and desires of the films financier (in other words, the studio) and the potential incidents that could destroy a films credibility. The director does not have full control of his work. This explains why the auteur theory involves a kind of decipherment, decryptment. A great many features of films analysed have to be dismissed as indecipherable because of noise from the producer, the cameraman or even the actors (Wollen 77). Audiences and critics can become subconsciously superstitious if one is not careful to consider the fact that films undergo realistic challenges like anything else. Shyamalan has experienced these heartaches just like any other filmmaker. In The Sixth Sense, his favorite scene (an alternate ending with an extended version of Bruce Williss wedding video speech) was cut from the film due to a studio decision. In Signs, Shyamalan was disappointed with his cinematographers (Tak Fujimoto) visual representation of the aliens. Furthermore, one must insist that Kitses wrote his analysis on the auteur theory before the Internet world affected the cinema. For example, the definitive twist in Shyamalans The Village was leaked online before its theatrical release date, ultimately allowing the entire world to access the films signature plot twist. This not only directly contributed to the films box-office disappointment, but also its initial critical failure, which discouraged the meaning of Shyamalans message. One could argue that The Sixth Sense would have suffered the same fate of The Village had the Internet been a primary resource and if the films ending was leaked online before its theatrical release in 1999. The structure of a movie is premeditated by an auteur, but a films outcome may have an end that does not justify the means. In a perfect filmmaking world, Kitsess theory would reign supreme on the idea that genre is to filmmaker as language is to speaker, but Wollen understands that things can happen beyond the control of an auteur. It simply means that it is inaccessible to criticism. We can merely record our momentary and subjective impressions (Wollen 77). Perhaps this is why Shyamalans films are becoming more appreciated as time goes on. One example of this is Unbreakable, which was initially a critical and box-office disappointment (in relation to The Sixth Sense) upon its release date in August of 2000, but over the years a cult following on DVD and VHS has sparked rumors of a potential sequel. Sarris, Kitses, and Wollens theories are visible in todays mainstream discussions. Shyamalans statement in the CNN interview stating, The Happening is the best B-movie ever is filled with Sarriss ideas of technical competence in the criteria for a films auteurism. Wollen is seen in Roger Eberts reviews on both Shyamalans Signs and The Happening. Ebert states in his Signs review that in a time when Hollywood mistakes volume for action, Shyamalan makes quiet films. In a time when incessant action is a style, he persuades us to play close attention to the smallest nuances (Roger Ebert). Every Shyamalan film since The Sixth Sense has had a summer release date. The filmmaker has an off-rhythmic beat in a year of Hollywood releases. M. Night Shyamalans The Happening is a movie that I find oddly touching. It is no doubt too thoughtful for the summer action season, but I appreciate the quietly realistic way Shyamalan finds to tell a story about the possible death of man (Roger Ebert). Personal taste aside, a theatrical release of a Shyamalan movie is always a movie event. In many ways, we know what to expect from his films. First and foremost (in accordance to mainstream logic), his box-office numbers are usually very successful (Lady in the Water is his only film that failed to produce a profit in its theatrical run). A Time Magazine interview has Shyamalan defending his financial success. Except for Pixar, I have made the four most successful original movies in a row of all time (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs, and The Village). If youre not betting on me, then nobody should get money. Ive made profit a mathematical certainty. Im the safest bet you got. Behind his films financial successes are their other obvious components. The science-fiction genre is a must, his release dates are similar (theyve ranged no further in the summer season than June through August), and his characters all embody the struggles of interpersonal and emotional growth.   Through this mainstream discussion, an auteur (in this case, Shyamalan) exhibits the same thematic preoccupations, the same recurring motifs and incidents, and the same visual style and tempo (Wollen 73). Shyamalan, whether or not many believe he has lost his touch, is still a prime example of film auteurism. When watching one of his films, you always know you are watching a Shyamalan movie. It is clear with his setting (every one of his films is set in Philadelphia,) his vision (large scale events shown through a small-scale,) and his themes (the power of love, the fear of violence, and the importance of the imagination). His technical competence, personal evident throughout oeuvre, and internal meeting are all elements in his personal authorship in American cinema. Like anything else, only time has any real ability to create an understanding, in this case behind the man who was once called The Next Spielberg, the elements of his film auteurism, and the theorists who have timelessly argued the notion of the terms infinitely interpreted foundation.

John Brown: Past and Present :: essays research papers

John Brown: Past and Present Host: â€Å"Looking into the crystal ball, I wonder who our guest will be. As the fog lifts from the orb, a picture of a man that has had an enormous impact on our socially accepted views begins to appear. Who is this man? Well, he is known as both a martyr and a psychopathic killer. He has been called a blatant liar as well as a man of strong convictions, all in the same breath. But his most notable contribution to our country is undoubtedly his involvement in the antislavery movement. The man I am referring to is John Brown. While we talk with him today, we will compare the consequences of past actions with the consequences of today’s actions. So, let’s give a warm round of applause as we welcome John Brown to the hot seat. To begin with, why don’t you give the audience a little bit of back ground about yourself. Tell us where you were born and something about your childhood.† John Brown: â€Å"I was born on May ninth in the year of our Lord 1800. To understand my story, I must first tell you about my father, Owen. As a child during the Revolution, his father, John Brown, was away fighting in the Revolution and Owen found himself handling a lot of the responsibilities around the home. During the day he worked in the fields alongside a slave, from Guinea, named Sam. Sam used to carry my father on his back and my father grew to love him. When Sam died, it was to be the first funeral my dad had ever attended. Because Owen’s dad was gone during the Revolution and Sam stood in as a caring father figure, Sam ended up being the seed of my father’s views about slavery. My dad saw Sam as a mentor and not as a slave or a man of color. After Sam’s death, my father turned to religion for comfort. This was during the same time as the Great Awakening and my father started attending the revivals. During one such revival, my father heard a sermon by the late Reverend Jonathan Edwards where he stated that slavery was a cardinal sin against God. After hearing this sermon, his attitude towards slavery was cemented. The final incident that caused my father to become active in the antislavery movement then occurred. A preacher by the name of Mr. John Brown: Past and Present :: essays research papers John Brown: Past and Present Host: â€Å"Looking into the crystal ball, I wonder who our guest will be. As the fog lifts from the orb, a picture of a man that has had an enormous impact on our socially accepted views begins to appear. Who is this man? Well, he is known as both a martyr and a psychopathic killer. He has been called a blatant liar as well as a man of strong convictions, all in the same breath. But his most notable contribution to our country is undoubtedly his involvement in the antislavery movement. The man I am referring to is John Brown. While we talk with him today, we will compare the consequences of past actions with the consequences of today’s actions. So, let’s give a warm round of applause as we welcome John Brown to the hot seat. To begin with, why don’t you give the audience a little bit of back ground about yourself. Tell us where you were born and something about your childhood.† John Brown: â€Å"I was born on May ninth in the year of our Lord 1800. To understand my story, I must first tell you about my father, Owen. As a child during the Revolution, his father, John Brown, was away fighting in the Revolution and Owen found himself handling a lot of the responsibilities around the home. During the day he worked in the fields alongside a slave, from Guinea, named Sam. Sam used to carry my father on his back and my father grew to love him. When Sam died, it was to be the first funeral my dad had ever attended. Because Owen’s dad was gone during the Revolution and Sam stood in as a caring father figure, Sam ended up being the seed of my father’s views about slavery. My dad saw Sam as a mentor and not as a slave or a man of color. After Sam’s death, my father turned to religion for comfort. This was during the same time as the Great Awakening and my father started attending the revivals. During one such revival, my father heard a sermon by the late Reverend Jonathan Edwards where he stated that slavery was a cardinal sin against God. After hearing this sermon, his attitude towards slavery was cemented. The final incident that caused my father to become active in the antislavery movement then occurred. A preacher by the name of Mr.

Graduation Speech -- Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

I did not get to know many of you. So, I cannot be certain of how you feel, but, as for me, this year has been, by far, the most enjoyable and eye opening one of my high school career. Enjoyable because of the new, interesting friends I've made and of the fun times I've had, and eye opening because of my being forced to look towards the future. Not just day dreaming and imagining about the rest of my life, but finally having to sit down and make some definite decisions concerning it. For me and many of you, colleges have had to be applied for and decided on and scholarships filled out. Some of you have been looking into vocational schools or the military, while others will be going straight into the work force. Whatever your case may be, we've all had one thing in common in that we've been planning for our futures. Since the decisions we make now or soon will impact the rest of our lives, I'd like to take this time to share some advice with you all. The most important advice I believe I can share is to do what you want to do. Don't be pressured into some life career because it's the most respectable or because it would make your family the proudest. Happiness is the greatest goal in life and is self-contained. The happiness of others will not satisfy you in the long run. If your fondest wish is to become an Atlantic Puffin breeder in northern Maine, then go for it. Don't allow anyone or anything to stop you. Also, many of you must fully realize how much time of your life a job will take up. Not just working, but preparing for it and the thought that will go towards it daily. In fact, for most of you, your life will revolve around your job. Where you live, who you see everyday, will mostly be dependent upon the job you choose... ... So, don't think that just because you're not starting college right away or not going to college at all, that you're bound to not get what you want out of life. It takes work, but, if you're determined enough, you can usually achieve your goals. Though you cannot expect to achieve all the goals you set for yourself, don't ever be afraid to at least try. Failure is one of the greatest ways to learn in that although you have failed, the new experiences you have gained while trying to achieve your goal will make you aware of new possibilities and allow you to form new goals for yourself. So remember, don't conform into exactly what society wants you to be. Do what you want to do. And if you don't know what that is already, find out. Don't be afraid to try different things. Be a risk taker. Live your lives for all they're worth because they won't last forever!

Regulatory Competition Among Accounting Standards Within and Across International Boundaries

Financial statements that are simple and comparable to the general public may not be in the best interest of the managers. Managers like to manipulate ?nancial reports to suit their own interests. Financial reporting would be easy to just report whatever is in the cash till. Despite the fact that financial reporting would be simplistic, it is better to have complex account than a simple financial reporting. There is no perfect standard for any corporations in the world. An ever changing corporate world makes it harder to ascertain for the prefect standard.However, experimentation with alternatives in a competitive regulatory environment generates data to help identify with the most wanted accounting standards. No single set of standards has been shown to be the best suited for all ?rms. The argument for regulatory monopoly in accounting is often based on the assumption that in the absence of such regulation, there will be no standards. Financial reporting standards act as a template to prevent managers from taking advantage of the shareholders cost of capital and fraudulent behaviour or thoughts.Despite being a set of rules, the financial reporting standards still has its leeway from country to country. With a centrally planned accounting standards, standards setters are susceptible to lobbying pressure especially when disagreement arises between varies interest party. On the contrary, with regulatory competition, standards setters can avoid the lobbying pressure. This is because those who do not like the standard can freely choose another one that is suitable. Analysis For the first claim above, I agree that a simple financial report is favourable to the public but not so to the managers.However, this may not always hold true as it may paint a biased picture favourable towards the managers. This is mainly attributed to the manipulations of the financial report for their own interest. In addition, a financial reporting that only reports the cash in the till wou ld eliminate all the complexity of financial reporting. However, I feel that a complex financial report that depicts the true situation of a company is better than a simple financial statement that just only accounts for whatever is in the till.Having guidelines may be easier for financial reporting but it may leave out certain â€Å"hard to count† assets and liabilities which are crucial in preparing an impartial financial report for the public. Therefore, I agree with the author that a complex financial report that may arise from regulatory competition is better and more precise compared to a guided and simple financial report. Secondly, my apprehension with the experimentations of alternatives is that in reality, corporation may not have the time or resources to try out different alternatives.A failed experimentation with an alternative accounting standard may negatively affect the capital that will be invested in the company by investors. However, I do agree with the auth or that experimentation with different standards through regulatory competition will eventually lead to the perfect accounting standard for every corporation. This is due to the ever changing rules selected in accounting standards through regulatory competition. 3 No single standard setter knows the perfect standards for different industries and circumstances.Hence, I believe that in order to have the perfect standards it is for the best to leave it to the market. Like I have mentioned above, accounting rules are always carefully chosen according to different regulatory competition. Just like the laissez faire concept. Hence, with regulatory competition, the market will decide which standards are the best by allowing corporations to experiment with alternatives. Subsequently, the main argument favouring the harmonisation of accounting tandards is the fear of having no standard with competitive regulations. However, better firms can engage the best quality of audit as an attempt to c onvey their quality over to investors. 2 Firms can convey such message by paying a price premium charged by audit ?rms, which are perceived to provide services of higher quality. This further proves that even without regulations there will still be standards; in fact the reports prepared will be better quality as better audit firms are employed.The up side of using accounting standards set by standard setters is that it is prescriptive. I agree with the writer that in this case, by having prescriptive standards are actually positive as it restricts managers from exploiting the cost of capital belonging to the shareholders. In addition, not all standards that are prescriptive lack flexibility which will hinder professional judgement. An example would be the flexibility between UK GAAP, US GAAP as well as International GAAP despite all coming under the same accounting standards.Finally, I disagree with the author to a certain extend that it will lessen the lobbying pressure. I believe that having regulatory competition may provide for more lobbying opportunities as pressure to conform to authorities who are usually the big corporations or political government are futile to resist. 4 Nevertheless, I agree with the author that regulatory competition will not eliminate lobbying pressure but lessen it. With regulatory competition, accounting standards are diversified hence reducing its vulnerability to lobbyist.Critical appreciation Throughout the whole paper, the author has a strong stand on the differentiation of accounting standards by putting more weight on discussing on the advantages of regulatory competition that arises from differentiated accounting standards. Even though there are discussions on the advantages of having standards towards the end of the paper, there is not much emphasis. However, I agree with the author that his arguments for regulatory competition are not for the elimination of accounting standards.I strongly believe in the Pareto efficient solution for setting accounting standards; for every accounting standards set it will not benefit everyone but as long as it benefits the majority it will be a considerably good standard. Overall, I love this article as it opens up my mind regarding the benefits we can get by adopting regulatory competition by having different accounting standards at the same time emphasised about the consequences of just having regulatory competition.

Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats Essay

Thinking palpebras Edward de Bono was born in Malta in 1933. He attended St Edwards College, Malta, during World War II and then the University of Malta where he qualified in medicine. He proceeded, as a Rhodes Scholar, to Christ Church, Oxford, where he gained an honours degree in psychology and physiology and then a D. Phil in medicine. He also holds a Ph. D from Cambridge and an MD from the University of Malta. He has held appointments at the universities of Oxford, London, Cambridge and Harvard. Dr Edward de Bono is one of the actually few slew in account statement who heap be said to keep back had a major impact on the representation we think.In many ways he could be said to be the best known thinker internationally. 6 Thinking chapeaus Six Thinking eyelids is a powerful technique t lid succors you looking at at of the essence(p) decisions from a number of contrary perspectives. It helps you shamble better decisions by thrust you to move outside your habitual ways of intellection. As such, it helps you recognize the full complexity of a decision, and spot issues and opportunities which you might differently not notice. Each Thinking palpebra is a different style of intellection. These are explained below * White HatWith this thinking hat, you focus on the data available. assist at the information you have, and understand what you can learn from it. Look for gaps in your knowledge, and all deform to fill them or don account of them. This is where you analyze past trends, and try to extrapolate from historical data. * Red Hat Wearing the red hat, you look at the decision using intuition, gut reaction, and emotion. alike try to think how other battalion will react emotionally, and try to understand the intuitive responses of people who do not fully know your reasoning. scorch Hat When using black hat thinking, look at things pessimistically, cautiously and defensively. Try to see why ideas and approaches might not work. This is important because it highlights the weak points in a picture or course of action. It allows you to eliminate them, wangle your approach, or prepare mishap plans to income tax return problems that arise. coloured Hat thinking helps to make your plans tougher and more resilient. It can also help you to spot fatal flaws and risks before you transport on a course of action.Black Hat thinking is one of the concrete benefits of this technique, as many successful people get so used to thinking positively that often they cannot see problems in advance, leaving them under-prepared for difficulties. * yellow(a) Hat The scandalmongering hat helps you to think positively. It is the optimistic vantage point that helps you to see all the benefits of the decision and the mensurate in it, and spot the opportunities that arise from it. Yellow Hat thinking helps you to keep passage when everything looks gloomy and difficult. * jet-propelled plane HatThe Green Hat stands for creativi ty. This is where you can develop original solutions to a problem. It is a freewheeling way of thinking, in which there is little upbraiding of ideas. A whole range of creativity tools can help you here. * Blue Hat The Blue Hat stands for process control. This is the hat worn by people chairing meetings. When running into difficulties because ideas are running dry, they may localise activity into Green Hat thinking. When contingency plans are needed, they will ask for Black Hat thinking, and so on.

Legal and Professional Issues – Manager of an IT company

You are a manager with an IT union supplying information management systems to medical pr featices. A follow marketing health-related products (complementary medicines, books on diets and miracle cures of various kinds) has approached you. They hint that you jointly offer indemnifys incentives to accept a feature in your system that pull up stakes print bug give away advertisements for their products on documents for longanimouss and fall guy different categories of patients with mailings.Content Page gentle PageContent Page respectable Issues it raises for* The individuals- doctors, IT manager 4* The groups marketing company, patients 4-5Enquires which may be carried out in shape to ascertain the worry give 5Proposed solution for the chore 5-6Bibliography 7Appendices 8-11Manager of an IT companyEthical Issues it raises forIT Manager* info defense move 1998- sensitive personal selective information within the mould states that his physical or mental health or c ondition1 should non be let on. uplift Appendices.* Human rights act 1998* The act of Bribery, il heavy in the UK.* corporation should lead made a legal binding to the medical pull to right data leakage.* Ethics and randomness Technology. See Bernhard Debatin in Appendices.* In relation to mill around theory- the consequences could lead to higher monitoring of retirement if the activity is break. See Appendices. revivifys* Following the commandment of Mills, a pull ahead, the consequences could be increased monitoring of doctoring practice locally or through the UK.* Data protection act 1998* Human rights act 1998* Unspoken confidentiality agreement with patient (doctor/ patient relationship)* medical exam respectable practices, as position out by the General checkup Council http//www.gmc-uk.org/standards/default.htm.* Breaking position of patient/ doctor authority* Misinforming patients/ disclosing information about a product he/she may turn in little about i.e. no t well-read the side affects and misinforming patients claiming a miracle cure.* Accepting a personal incentive on behalf of patient confidentiality* Viewed as a high profile in society- should set a high respectable example* Potential- under Mills theory, of loosing the Doctor Status, respect and trust of the patients.Marketing ships company* The British Code of Advertising arrange* Marketing ethical practices* Freedom of Information telephone number 2000 could be viewed as ethical for often(prenominal) medical information to be disclosed in Europe.Patients* Unspoken confidentiality agreement with doctor (doctor/ patient relationship)* Date protection Act 1998 as before* Human Rights Act 1998 as before* Doctor- medical craftal, patient- not a medical professional, thusly the acceptance of something neither may no much about would potentially occur* names/ Address/ disabilities and/or illnesses being disclosed private and personal information which could be very sensitive to the individual.Enquires which may be carried out in order to understand the problem betterIt would be practiced to do all the following in order to understand the situation better* Contact the marketing company to gain a comprehensive understanding of the products if not, the manufacturer.* extradite research to find out if the product(s) have been used elsewhere, and if so, what the results were.* Contact the NHS what are the regulations bottom of the inning the marketing of products within medical practises. As the governing body, has research been previously carried out on these products?* Contact the General Medical Council who protect/ guide doctors and patients. With thorough fellowship of ethical guidance procedures for doctors and patients, they claim doctors should on with many other thingso comply and protect confidential information about patientso Respect patients dignity and privacyo Avoid abusing your position as a doctor2* Speak to the doctors, beseech them about the product and for them to speak to their peers in regard to the product- has others heard/used them.Proposed solution for the problemThere are a duette of steps that can be carried out in order to minimise the ethical dilemmas that are concealed within this problem1. The IT Manager myself could give the doctors details obtained from the company marketing health-related products so that they have the pickax as to whether they carry out the advertising- it would then(prenominal) be their responsibility to ensure find protection.2. The idea of disclosing patient information in my view acting as the manager is totally unethical, and entrust not even be interpreted into consideration even with an incentive- it would put my profession as well as the medical practice under legal scrutiny.3. The NHS could be contacted to see if it would be possible for the marketing company to operate through them, ensuring that cipher illegal/unethical is taking place, and thus increasing th e financial position of the NHS, again, expiration the IT company out of the equation

The Secret of Ella and Micha Chapter 8

EllaI realize I have more issues than I thought. As soon as we turn onto the Back Road, a passion combusts inside me. It only flames hotter when we pull up to The Hitch, an old abandoned restaurant stationed at the end of the road.Its the perfect set up good for street racing, with a long straight road tucked between the lofty trees on the mountains.We still should talk Ella! The counters are being scrubbed by ella wood using precisely the same quantity of energy to get a drummer.He pulls the car to the side, maneuvering carefully across the pot holes. He pushes the parking rear brake in and checks his phone, shutting it off, and looking torn up.â€Å"Whats wrong?† I ask. â€Å"You look upset?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Nothings wrong.Umm Caroline needs you to receive ready.

Itll ruin your whole Im-neutral-and-dont-give-a-shit act.†I opt to remain impartial. â€Å"Who are you planning to race tonight?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"You mean who are we racing?† He smiles alluringly through the full dark cab of the car. â€Å"Well, I thought Id leave that up to you.Ethan slaps the rear of my mind.† I rub my broad forehead with the back of my hand. â€Å"Does he still got that piece of crap 6 cylinder in his Camaro?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Yeah, he does.† Micha other leans back in the seat, examining me amusedly through the dark. â€Å"You think thats who I should go for?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Its the obvious choice.No suspects are arrested.

†Ã¢â‚¬Å"You think I should take on special someone in my own league?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"If you want the win to mean anything, then yeah.†We look at each other, like magnets begging to last get closer. Yet flip one the wrong direction and they will push apart.â€Å"So which one is it, pretty girl?† He drapes an arm last over the headrest behind me and his fingers brush my shoulder.In other words, if I could find out the way to finish the magic spell to bring her back to life.â€Å"Micha, I think we should go back.† I put my seatbelt back on. â€Å"This isnt my thing anymore.†He small presses his lips together firmly.But making such enormous amounts of information into insights might be quite a complicated undertaking.

Was it bad news on that full text you got?†He traces the figure eight tattoo on his forearm. â€Å"Do you remember when I got this?†I absentmindedly touch my lower back. â€Å"How could I forget, since I have the same one on my back?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Do you remember why we got them?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"I cant remember anything about that night.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Exactly, yet youll remember it forever."Micha is an intriguing title.â€Å"Do you want to much talk about it?†He shakes his head, still focused on the tattoo. â€Å"Nah, Im good.†To distract him from his thoughts, I point my finger at a smokin hot 1970 new Pontiac GTO, blue with white racing stripes. â€Å"What about Benny? Does he still have the 455?†Michas eyes are pools of black liquid.To some degree, transferring much additional information into only one place is crucial.

Im not racing unless youre in the car with me. Its tradition.†A starvation inside me emerges. â€Å"Alright, Ill free ride with you, just as long as you do one thing for me?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Say it and its yours,† he says without blinking.Not worth while youre still coherent, anyhow.His face is indecipherable, his breathing fierce, his gaze relentless. â€Å"Okay, then. Lets go win us a race.†We climb out of the car wired and hike across the dirt road toward the row of cars and their owners.Since you dont need to.

†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Well, what do we have here?† Mikey, the owner of the Camaro, strides up to us. Hes got black hair, a kink in his nose, and his thick neck is enclosed with a barb-wire tattoo. â€Å"Is the infamous famous duo back again to get their asses kicked?†I roll my eyes. â€Å"You beat us once and that was by default due to a flat tire.It doesnt mean anything to anybody who matters.†Micha squeezes my shoulder, trying to keep me calm. â€Å"So whos up first? Or has no one decided yet.†Mikey eyes Michas Chevelle and theres a nervous look in his eyes. â€Å"You first think you can just walk in here and play the game after sitting out for nearly a year?†I mouth to Micha, a year?Micha shrugs."Yeah, but it was not a huge thing.

†Mikeys laughter echoes the night. â€Å"You and what army?†I point at Michas Chevelle parked near the road. â€Å"That army right there.†Mikey shakes longer his head and shoos us away.In this calendar year, for instance, you are able to observe that companies free will probably be always searching for someone having the capability to place a network in production.â€Å"As opposed to yours?† I retort, getting into Mikeys face. â€Å"Because that things all looks and no go.†Micha directs me back by the shoulders and a trace of amusement laces his voice. â€Å"Easy there, tiger.Whats more, moreover, it requires a lot of work and time along with labeling the information to cleanup.

Mikey points a finger sharply at me. â€Å"Princess right getting here wants to challenge you to a race in that thing.†Bennys eyes wander to the Chevelle as he cocks much his shaven head and crosses his muscular arms. â€Å"Micha, isnt that your car?†Micha pats my back and winks at me.There were not any military secrets with me.In fact, it might be kinda nice to have a challenge for a change.† Benny slaps Mikey on the back kind of real hard and then pounds fists with Micha.â€Å"Thanks man,† Micha says with a respective nod. â€Å"Are you and I going to line up first then?†Benny bobs his head up and down, nodding as he stares at the road pensively.Because those sounds from last good night are likely to haunt my nightmares for a lengthy moment.

â€Å"Because beating him wont be easy.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Youre my plan.† He opens the passenger next door for me. â€Å"With you in the car, theres no way I wont win, otherwise youll never let me live it down.Probably other people today are beginning to think things.† He slides across the front of the hood and climbs into the drivers seat.â€Å"Youre such a show off,† I remark.He starts up the engine and it thunders to life. â€Å"Thats like the pot calling the kettle black.Her mother was like that lots of occasions.

You were standing on the roof with a snowboard strapped to your feet, telling everyone you could make the jump. I think thats pretty close to showing off.†I make an innocent face. â€Å"But I did make the jump, didnt I?†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Yeah, but not without breaking apply your arm,† he says.You might need to understand that maybe she does not wish to go captured.â€Å"I was there because I wanted to be.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"You missed a first performance because of me.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"I dont care – never have.†My gaze involuntarily flicks to his lips."Alright, youre in need of a workout.

He shoots me a smug look, cocking an eyebrow. â€Å"Now thats showing off.†Shaking my head, I restrain a grin. Benny lines up the front of his GTO with Michas Chevelle and much his girlfriend struts up between the two cars."I didnt need to think about anymore.â€Å"When did they get here?†Micha ignores me, eyeing Benny through his rolled down window. â€Å"To the baseline logical and back?†Bennys arm is resting casually on top of the steering wheel. â€Å"Yeah, man. First one back wins.Im convinced you dont have to hear it.

Go!† Her hands young shoot down and screeches cut the air. A trail of dust engulfs us as we race off. The trees on the side of the road are a blur, and the sky is one big streak of stars. I keep silent as Micha shifts the car over and over again, but something inside me awakens from a very deep sleep.Micha has a thing for flipping the car around, without decreasing the acceleration. Its scary as hell, but it works every time. Besides with the longer body of Bennys GTO it doesnt have quite the turning power.We reach the end and I should probably be nervous.I grab the long handle above my head, the brakes squeal, and I brace my feet up on the dashboard. Its like being on a merry-go-round on crack. Everything spins – the trees, the sky, Micha. For a second, I shut my eyes and it feels such like Im flying.By the time were speeding up the road again, hes a small distance behind us. Micha punches the gas and major shifts the car into a higher gear.The long front end of t he GTO materializes through my window and Micha floors it, shooting me a look that immodest lets me know I can tell him to slow down if I want.I dont.

Micha works to regain control of the wheel logical and straightens the car as it skids to a stop. Everything settles and the dust slowly clears. Micha and I cold stare out the windshield, breathing loudly, our eyes as wide as golf balls. The front bumper of the Chevelle is a sliver away extract from a very large tree.Im an adrenaline junkie. Plain and simple, but I think its how Ive been all along. I just never admitted.Im no longer in control.His hand comes up behind my head and he entices my lips back to his.Something snaps inside me, like a rubber band. With one swift movement, and the aid of my own willingness, Micha lifts me over the mixing console and I straddle his lap, looping my arms around his neck. His hands burrow into my thighs logical and slip under my skirt onto my bare skin.â€Å"Stay here, baby,† he whispers, like he can read my thoughts. â€Å"Trust me, okay? Dont run.†He busy waits for me to nod and then crashes his lips into mine, keeping his h ands under my skirt. I arch my body into him, pressing my chest against his, and my nipples tingle.

It sends a shock through my body and my legs uncontrollably tighten around him, my knees pressing into his sides.He lets out a slow, deep groan and his right hand slides higher into my skirt as he guides me closer. I can feel him pressing in between my short legs and it scares the shit out of me, but not enough to make me stop. Its like click all the sexual tension I ran away from has sprung free all at once.â€Å"Are you two having fun in there?†I jump back and my cheeks start to heat at the sight of Ethan and Lila staring at us through the window. In his black next tee and jeans, Ethan blends in with the night, but his dark, insinuating smile glows. Lilas eyes are magnified and how her jaw is hanging open. Micha does nothing to help the situation.â€Å"So who won the race?† I ask, smoothing the last of the wrinkles out of my skirt.Ethan smirks at me. â€Å"Is that what youre really thinking about at the moment?†I stare at him blankly. â€Å"What else wou ld I be thinking about?†Micha climbs out of the car, stretching his long legs.†Micha interlaces our fingers. â€Å"So the same old, same old.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"You know how these things go.† Ethan pats Michas shoulder sympathetically.

I cant crush him. I need to repaint the lines somehow.â€Å"We should just leave,† Micha says to me. â€Å"Lets not even give how them the benefit of our argument.†I let out a shaky breath and nod. â€Å"That sounds good to me.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"You want to meet up at the house?† he asks Ethan. â€Å"Im sure were going to have to do some tuning up on The Beast after what I just did.†Lila laughs. â€Å"Oh, I get it. Although, I like my name better.†Micha traces his thumb along the palm of my hand.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Youve spent time with me every day for the last eight months,† part she replies. â€Å"I think were good for a few hours.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Ill take care of her.† Ethan chucks the empty bottle of soda across the parking lot and it lands in the back of his truck.