The Half Brothers Essay Example for Free

The Half Brothers Essay The storytellers message is that no one ought to ever wed anybody out of their social class. She needs the peruser to know about this by demonstrating the peruser through the contrary consequence of this conflict. The short story The Half Brothers is a case of Elizabeth Gaskells solid good sense and enthusiasm for the challenges looked by conventional individuals and how they need to discover the solidarity to live their every day lives. In this story, Elizabeth communicates her anxiety for destitution and languishing. This story included a great deal of contentions all through and is told from the perspective of one of the siblings. He recounts to this anecdote about the disaster which caused the demise of his sibling. From the earliest starting point we discover that the storytellers mother had not carried on with a lovely life, she was twice hitched and wasnt content with her first husband, She never talked about her first spouse, and it is just from others that I have realized what little I think about him. The initial two occasions in the story are the passing of her first husband and afterward the demise of her little child. The child young ladies passing had such an incredible effect of distress and torment that she couldnt even cry or drop a tear yet felt as though her heart had been destroyed. The storytellers mother chooses to wed William Preston, plainly not for affection, however for a matter of endurance, as William Prestons spouse, she could never need to do anything. During the Victorian time frame, ladies were seen as feeble without men since they had no status and without a man to help the family unit or give them that status. The Victorian Period wasnt an ideal chance to live in. Life wasnt simple contrasted with how it is these days, particularly for a solitary parent being a woman. William Preston turned out to be desirous after he understood his significant other loves her child more than him, he took a positive aversion to Gregory. His better half passed on not long after bringing forth her second son(the storyteller). Not long before she passed on, she advises Gregory and her new child to pay special mind to each other. As the two stage siblings grew up, we can see that they were two totally different individuals. We see that the storyteller was the dear, the softly darling, and the youthful ace. Interestingly, Gregory was portrayed as clumsy and oafish, unbalanced and awkward. The storyteller is given all that he needs including great training while Gregory is compelled to fill in as a Sheppard. The storyteller concedes that he additionally rewarded Gregory gravely, following his dads model, he feels remorseful, I am embarrassed my heart is sore my poor vagrant stepbrother. At some point, the storyteller goes on a task and loses all sense of direction in a blizzard. Gregory discovers him and they are both lost and needed to spend the entire night in the freezing cold. Gregory gave the storyteller his jacket and holds him to keep him warm. When they are found, Gregory had kicked the bucket from sparing his sibling. This causes William Preston to feel terribly liable. At the point when he in the end kicks the bucket he wanted that he may lie at the foot of the grave, in which, by his longing, poor Gregory had been laid with our mom. In correlation, the contentions in these three stories are brought about by comparable occasions which prompted struggle. It was the cash issues which were the principle root to these contentions, as a result of cash, it was basic for ladies in those days to wed to a man who can accommodate her. In To Please his Wife, clashes are demonstrated to be generally engaged with Joanna and Shadrachs marriage. The relationships have not worked on the grounds that Joanna basically didn't wed Shadrach for affection yet simply over envy. This prompted her persistent contempt of her old closest companion, Emily as after she wedded Shadrach, Emilys riches was expanding contrasted with her. The marriage in The Half-Brothers was a money related arrangement, it was basic that Helen remarries to a man who could accommodate herself and her child, hence the family was not reinforced by affection as is feeble. This shows ladies of that time didn't have a lot of opportunity as social and financial weights made it difficult for them to pick a solitary life. Like the couple in To Please his Wife, the pair in this story don't wed for adoration either. In contrast to the next two stories, in The Parvenue, the storyteller in this story really weds for adoration, my heart pulsated with energy, as I believed that he clearly cherished me. In spite of the fact that she and her significant other were profoundly infatuated, the marriage didn't keep going some time before it prompted struggle inside the family. The marriage went poorly on account of the contrast between their societal position. The storyteller was poor and was brought up in a common laborers family though Lord Reginald is a rich affluent man. During the Victorian time frame, ladies would be viewed as feeble without men since they had no status without a man to help the family to give them the name. The essayist of The Parvenue shows a conflict of class between the two principle characters, the storyteller and her significant other with her unappreciative family. The author empowers the peruser to find in the situation of the storyteller by composing the short story in a first individual view; thusly it permits the peruser to encounter and recognize the particular issues that confronted the couple. It is appeared in the story that the storyteller wasnt happy with having hitched a more extravagant man of higher social class as she herself had been raised in a lower class than her significant other. Since she and her family were poor, they didn't have a clue how to deal with the cash, as her better half, being in the higher class didnt get her, this prompted strife.

Huggies Mamy Poko Company Backgorund Essay Example for Free

Huggies Mamy Poko Company Backgorund Essay Kimberly Clark is established in 1872 at Neenah, Wisconsin and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas. It is enthusiastic about furnishing individuals with basics for a superior life by adding accommodation to day by day schedules with a portion of the world’s most perceived items. Kimberly Clark has roughly 58,000 representatives worldwide and tasks in 36 nations. Its deals have expanded to $21.1 billion out of 2012. Kimberly Clark has numerous worldwide brands and one of them is Huggies. Huggies diapers were first presented by Kimberly Clark in 1978, and they’ve been improved almost consistently since. Refastenable diapers, breathable diapers and stretchy diapers are all Huggies firsts. At the controls of the Huggies development motor are ordinary purchasers. The craft of comprehension and envisioning buyer needs †now and again before customers do themselves †has driven not exclusively to item progresses however the formation of entirely different classifications, organizations that didn’t exist previously. In 1985, Huggies took administration of the classification just because, and has been the main selling diaper in America since 1993. Today, Huggies brand presents an obviously better item consistently, and the basic to develop reaches out a long ways past the Huggies diaper establishment. It’s no mishap that Kimberly Clark offers buyers the main or number two brand in 80 nations. Unicharm Corporation, MamyPoko Unicharm Corporation is a Japan-based organization for the most part occupied with the made and offer of child care items, female consideration items and pet consideration items. Unicharm is built up on February 10, 1961. The organization works in three business portions. The individual consideration portion gives child care related items, such paper diapers; ladylike consideration related items, for example, sterile things, just as social insurance related items, including incontinence articles for grown-ups and powder puffs. The pet consideration section gives pet food items and pet toiletry items. The others portion is occupied with the gravure printing, preparing and deals business, just as money related business. As of March 31, 2012, the organization claimed 40 solidified auxiliaries and two related organizations. MamyPoko is a brand of the organization Unicharm that centers around gasp style diapers for babies. MamyPoko began producing infant diapers since 1981. MamyPoko pants at present are sold in 14 Asian nations. MamyPoko pants accompany a center that has greatest permeable and dampness locking limit. MamyPoko diapers come in the accompanying 3 sorts, MamyPoko tape diapers, extra delicate fit and simple fit jeans. Aside from assembling diapers, the brand additionally delivers infant wipes, both in fragrant and non-fragrant assortments.

Get Your Students Up and Moving the First Weeks of School

Get Your Students Up and Moving the First Weeks of School All summer long your students have been running around the neighborhood, swimming in the pool, and playing with their friends. The school year starts, and all of a sudden, they’re expected to sit still for long periods of time. Ease your students’ transition back to school with these activities to get them up and moving the first week of school. 1. Brain Breaks The beginning of the year is the perfect time to introduce your class to brain breaks. A minute or two of getting up and moving gives them an opportunity to work off some energy. My favorite brain breaks are from Go Noodle. I choose a student each day to pick our brain break. They love looking through all the options and selecting one for the class. 2. Back to School Unlock the Box Mystery My students absolutely love Unlock the Box Mysteries! They work together to solve four clues. Then, they use the answer to the last clue to open a locked box and get a surprise. The Back to School Unlock the Box Mystery is perfect for the first day of school. It will help your students get to know each other and your classroom. Plus, they will be up and moving around as they look for clues and problem solve. 3. Math Relays Get to know your students’ math skills with some fun relay races. I use questions from the second grade math program to see what they remember about money, geometry, fractions, and basic operations. I divide my class into 4 or 5 teams. Then, I pose a problem, and one member from each team runs to the board and solves the problem. The first person with the correct answer earns a point for the team. This is a fun way to get up and moving while reviewing important skills. 4. Chart Writing My students love using my fun markers to add to charts that are posted around the room. You could use this for many different activities. I’ve done it for character traits in reading, research in social studies, and writing word problems in math. On the first day of school, I write our four school rules on charts and post them around the room. The rules are really general, like “Be Kind.” I divide my students into groups and send each group to a poster. Their job is to talk about what that rule looks like in the classroom. They have three minutes to add examples of ways to follow that rule to the chart. Then, they move to the next one. By the time we’re done, each chart is full of great ideas. 5. STEM Activities If you want your students to collaborate and problem solve, STEM activities are just what you need. At the beginning of the year, I always do a marshmallow bridge STEM challenge. My students have to find a way to use toothpicks and marshmallows to build a bridge that will hold weight. The students are moving the whole time they are working on this challenge. When time runs out, we add pennies to each bridge to see how many it can hold. The bridge that holds the most weight wins. Your students will really appreciate the opportunity to move when you add these activities to your lesson plans for the first week of school. I try not to make them sit for more than 15 minutes at a time. That helps to make the transition back to school easier for everyone. Want more from this author? Check out Tara's tips for managing a chatty class, getting free or cheap books for your classroom library, and her money-saving ideas for teachers. Author Bio: Tara Dusko is a 3rd-grade teacher and mom of two. She blogs about ways to have a fun, low-stress year as a teacher at Teach Without Tears and about time and money-saving tips for moms at Flavors, Fashion, and Fun.

Essay on A Christmas Carol - 2313 Words

A Christmas Carol Stave 1: Scrooge’s character is established early in stave 1. Dickens shows his popularity by showing us his relationships with people in his surroundings. We can tell scrooge is unpopular as the narrator portrays him as a â€Å"Tight fisted hand at the grindstone.† Scrooges name give us a similarity between the word scrounge what is to be tight with money and every opportunity to make money, this automatically helps us launch an understanding that he is tight with his money, what is necessary to associate him as nasty old man. When the narrator is describing Scrooge he uses words that help us negotiate an opinion that Scrooge is an aggressive and is detested by person. It helps us find out that scrooge is a†¦show more content†¦Scrooge shows no affection towards him by declining his invitation to dinner on Christmas day. Scrooge does all that he can to turn his nephew ideas on Christmas. Scrooge’s argument on Christmas is that they have â€Å"no right to be merry as you are poor enough.† And he said he lives in his word of fools. We can tell he wants to be alone by telling him to â€Å"keep Christmas in his own way† literally telling him to leave him alone. Scrooge’s relation towards the two gentlemen collec ting money for a charity is that he instantly finds a defense of why he shouldn’t give money. He says that he shouldn’t give money because there are actually places for the homeless people to go scrooge feels â€Å"it’s none of my business† and he feels that â€Å"it’s enough for a man to understand his own business and not to interfere in others.† This also gives us ways of proving how cold hearted he is. Scrooge’s relationship with his employee Bob Cratchit is one where he mistreats poor bob. Scrooge neglects Bob and he thinks that he has to get his moneys worth for his work. The ways that Scrooge mistreats Bob Cratchit is by not allow him to put another coal on his fire he is told to â€Å"poke the ashes.† This shows his wicked and cruel side but Cratchit puts up with his evil ways because he believes it is because Scrooge is lonely. Scrooge is adamant about bobs time of work he finds a defense about why should he not work, hisShow MoreRelatedA Christmas Carol854 Words   |  4 PagesA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. In this extract we are presented with Scrooge. From the beginning Scrooge is presented as a miser. In the extract we find out that he is an old, rude and ignorant man that doesn’t appreciate others around him. Dickens uses different language techniques to describe Scrooges appearance as clear as possible. In the opening paragraph Dickens uses imagery to create a vivid impression of Scrooge. He is described as ‘a tight-fisted hand at the grind-stone’, and thisRead MoreA Christmas Carol Essay1304 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Each ghost marks an important step in Scrooge’s journey towards being a better person. Explain In Dickens five stave novella each ghost in A Christmas Carol contributes to the final redemption of his journey to becoming a better person. The ghosts take Scrooge on a journey, physically, taking him to visit important aspects of his past, present and future and these journeys metaphorically empathy enlightenment that he needs to change into a more humane person. The five staves outline how he growsRead MoreScrooge in A Christmas Carol2375 Words   |  10 Pages In a time in which the significance of Christmas gradually started to change, Charles Dickens, in accordance with these changes, wrote a Christmas tale: A Christmas Carol. The novella was published six days in advance of the Christmas celebrations of 1843; it was sold out three days later. Although a socially engaged narrative, Dickens’ work is not occupied with trivialities such as the introduction of Christmas cards; instead A Christmas Carol focuses on the transforming beliefs and valuesRead MoreThe Case Of A Christmas Carol1339 Words   |  6 Pagesmarriage and gender roles. In the case of A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens wants readers to see how living a life that radiates love and promotes happiness is better than being selfish and living a miserable life, and how past circumstances heavily influence who we are as people. The two messages both authors want readers to take away from the story, although different, achieve the takeaway through the utilization first person narration. Furthermore, the narration in these stories also consistsRead MoreThe Symbols Of A Christmas Lessol : A Christmas Carol1818 Words   |  8 PagesA Christmas Carol was published relatively early in his career, appearing in 1843 when Dickens was 31. The tale is one of a series of short stories on a subject that had long preoccupied its author: the importance of celebrating Christmas. One of Dickenss earliest published works was a defense of this holiday against its enemies, both religious, and irreligious. The former objected to the pagan unseemliness of feasting and frolicking in celebration of the birth of Christ. The latter objected toRead MoreA Christmas Carol Essay1010 Words   |  5 PagesA Christmas Carol was written by Charles Dickens in 1843. Life for the lower class during this time was extremely hard because of enormous amounts of illnesses, young children worked and no education. A Christmas Carol was set in mid 19th century, during this time people had a really bad time ; most of the people was unemployed and the people who were employed were paid deficiently, others were seasonal or casual, which meant they were when work was available so most of the families lived in povertyRead MoreChristmas Carol Analysis679 Words   |  3 PagesCesar Granda E.G 121 When reading A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens you realize that Scrooge’s childhood has a huge impact on his adult life, his adult self is a mirror image of his child self, both in his emotions and relationships. This becomes apparent when the ghost of Christmas past appears and takes Scrooge on a journey back into his childhood days. His childhood really molds Scrooge into the person he becomes later in life. Scrooge was a lonely and withdrawn child becauseRead MoreThe Music Of A Christmas Carol1333 Words   |  6 Pageswhen Hester claims that she thought it was her playing the organ (Gaskell 18). Being that Miss Furnivall is deaf, and is therefore an unlikely musician, this insinuates that Miss Furnivall is connected to this problem. However similar to â€Å"A Christmas Carol†, the music is suggested to be derived from ghostly means, because the organ is found to be broken inside, therefore unable to be played normally (Gaskell 18). This thought is later underlined when the child, Rosamond, goes missing, and ghostsRead More A Christmas Carol Essay2141 Words   |  9 PagesA Christmas Carol Lots of people take great pleasure in listening or telling ghost stories. People enjoy this because it gives them a chance to tell people maybe some of their own experiences, stories or their ideas. Some of these may be very scary and some may only be mildly scary. It is also a good way of socialising as you are talking to people and sharing experiences that people may find extremely interesting, resulting in them thinking you are very intellectual, as telling storiesRead More Christmas Carol Essay744 Words   |  3 PagesChristmas Carol How does Charles Dickens convey the character of scrooge in the early pages of a Christmas Carol? Charles Dickens, is best known for his host of distinctively cruel, repugnant characters. His father was sent to a Debtors prison taken his son Charles with him maybe this is where some of the ideas for characters came from. After a few years, Dickens left the prison to work in a blacking factory. Dickens started writing in prosperous Victorian England, where only the

The Beauty Of Dystopia By Aldous Huxley - 1197 Words

The beauty of dystopia is that it lets us vicariously experience future worlds - but we still have the power to change our own. (Ally Condie). Dystopian Literature is intriguing as it exposes the reader to sometimes unconventional concepts and can also serve as a warning to what may become of society if the wrong path is chosen. In literary works of Brave New World, there are many warnings that the author Aldous Huxley establishes through events that take place in the civilized world. In this dystopian society we can observe that science is the thriving fragment that holds society together but it seems to demoralize and mitigate human morals and values. It is also apparent that love and family are non existent in this society as sex is meaningless and having a baby is considered a big shame. Some literature such as the works of Shakespeare and holy books are banned in society in order eliminate outbursts from people who become too curious and possess a threat to social stability. Science is important and beneficial to any thriving society. In this dystopian society science is what keeps it together and functioning the way that the world controllers would would like it to be. Science is used in a way that mitigates what a human should be through its oppressive powers. People are oppressed through the taking of soma which is a mass produced, government approved hallucinogen that relaxes the person and gives them the sense of happiness when it is not truly there.Show MoreRelatedA Brave New World by Aldous Huxley1684 Words   |  7 Pagesfiction. Aldous Huxley was an English writer who lived during a time when war and chaos were engulfing the world. His works reflect his view and thoughts on a dystopia, which is a false utopia, and describes what could occur in possible governments of the world. The ability to understand and dive into the thoughts of the author is what makes world literature such an important aspect in literature. Aldous Huxley, author of Brave New World, depicts the horrors of a futuristic dystopia based on hisRead MoreThe World State Conditioning Effect On People1343 Words   |  6 PagesEnglish 105 Essay First Draft Due: Week 8 By: Ha Linh Quan (ID: QUAHD1403) The World State Conditioning Effect on People Reading Brave New World written by Aldous Huxley, readers are led to a dystopia in which the World State takes control over everything including reproduction, consumption and the most important of all†conditioning. Although Lenina and Linda are not the main characters that bring the story to its climax, they play significant roles in the story as they represent the people beingRead MoreAldous Huxley s Brave New World1904 Words   |  8 PagesAldous Huxley’s Brave New World, published in 1932, is a masterpiece of science fiction. His imagined, dystopian state creatively employs facts and theories of science, as well as his very own thinly-veiled commentary on the future of society. His family background and social status, in addition to molding Huxley himself and his perspective, no doubt made impact on his writing and contributed to the scientific accuracy of his presentation. However, Huxley certainly qualifies as a social commenterRead MoreAldous Huxley s Brave New W orld1564 Words   |  7 Pageswhere everybody is happy, there is no sorrow or suffering, no fear of death, no misery, everything is pleasant, and the government doles out happy pills, known as Soma. Aldous Huxley’s novel â€Å"Brave New World† describes this world. Is everyone truly happy, and what do the citizens sacrifice in exchange for living in this utopia? Huxley helped shape the modern mind with provocative theories about humankind s destiny, and he was concerned with the possible social and moral implications that advances inRead More A Dystopian Future in Brave New World Essay examples4100 Words   |  17 Pagesdrug that removes all psychological pain, the pursuit of carnal pleasures, and the replacement of identity and soul with idol worship of a Henry Ford type savior serve to create a dystopia that is frightening as well as the path already being forged in society when he wrote the work in the early 1930s. Yet when Huxley published the book in 1932, the concepts most frightening in the novel (babies conceived in the laboratory, gene splicing and reproduction, and pharmaceutical wonder drugs to relieveRead MoreAnalysis Of Aldous Huxley s Brave New World 3236 Words   |  13 Pagesordered community. The perfect society would hold a more ordered community, obviously. However, perhaps this utopian dream could carry a society that hides malicious motives in order to keep up appearances. Aldous Huxley illustrates this idea in his timeless work of science-fiction, Brave New World. Huxley illuminates a malicious government that hides its true motives from an unsuspecting society by using materialistic distractions, the illusion of happiness and productivity, and the idea of perfect equalityRead MoreEssay on The Representation of the Body in Blade Runner2251 Words   |  10 PagesThis essay will discuss the representation of the body in Blade Runner because in discussing the effects of somet hing yet to happen which is the dystopia presented by Blade Runner, in the present tense i.e. in assuming that it has already happened, we gain a greater insight and understanding of the consequences of our actions as a society now. Dystopic films and novels such as Blade Runner, Nineteen Eighty Four and Brave New World are invaluable as texts which have tied together philosophical, political

Funny Ads Free Essays

â€Å"Humour certainly succeeds in getting people’s attention and is the most effective advertising strategy of our time. † Advertisement is one of the important things for a company’s marketing. It can say that in today’s modern life advertisement plays a key role in order for any company or product to succeed the advertisement must deliver a powerful message which attracts the consumer’s attention (Creativenerds 2010). We will write a custom essay sample on Funny Ads or any similar topic only for you Order Now That is because â€Å"advertising can achieve communications object such as informing people about brands, it can create awareness and it can move people closer to choosing one brand rather than another. (Blithe 2009) Humour has become a mainstay of advertising campaigns and has proven to be one of the most effective methods ever devised for selling products and creating a positive brand image (Clayton n. d. ). That is because Funny advertisements are a way to make sure they provide something different to the eyes of customers to stand out in the crowd of products of services (SloDive n. d. ). Advertising is defined as a paid insertion of a message in a medium, and it is probably the most prominent of all marketing activities. Non-marketers often think that advertising is all that marketers do, which is of course not case the definition specifically excludes anything that is not paid for, or anything that does not pass through a medium, or anything that does not convey a message (Blithe 2009). However, it is true that using humour in advertisement can get people’s attention but it is not the most effective advertising strategy of our time. This essay will firstly show the disadvantages of using humour in advertising with some examples, and secondly, it also mentions some benefits of funny advertisement together with an example. The last thing is the recommendation about an advertising strategy. It is clear that the most obvious advantage of funny advertisement is that it does get more attention from consumers and is better like. That is because humour is not only one of the best ways to captivate your audience’s attention but it also makes a product or service easier to recall or remember. People will probably love to  remember things  that make them smile or laugh and making people recognize a product is the most important thing for company’s marketing. The quote from presidiacreative is the good example. Humor is the best medicine, and this holds true in advertising as well, humor is one of the best ways to captivate your audience’s attention. Whether the humor is blatantly obvious, or a subtle joke, funny advertisements are always appreciated by the public, which is why so much effort goes into Superbowl ads. † (presidiacreative 2011) Furthermore, funny advertisement can ge t more attention because most people like funny things and it put them in a good mood. People love to be entertained that is why laughter has an enormous power when it comes to  advertisements. If asking some people about any advertisement that they seem to remember up to this day, more than 80 percents of them will think about  advertisements  that made them smile or laugh. They will relax and pay more attention when they know that advertisement has a sense of humor. Also, it create a more comfortable atmosphere and positive image for the company as Mr. Daboll, CEO of Ace Metrix, said â€Å"If you’re equal on relevance and information, almost always funny will win over unfunny ads because it drives the other scores like likability and attention. (Neff 2012) Another advantage of using humour in advertising is that it can persuade people to buy products. Many people decide to buy the product because they like the advertisement. That is why the advertisement has a lot influence on circulation. According to Bhatti’s survey (2012), more than 50% of the current Vodafone customer is the result of effective funny advertisement created. Moreover, for advertisemen t, creativity is most important, and funniness is an extra added bonus for success. The Huggies advertisement is the very good example. It was successful funny advertisement because it conveys the message that a kid with a serious bladder problem can be contained. † (Hollis 2011). From two reason mentioned above it can understand that the advantages of using humour in advertisement are that people tend to enjoy it more, remember it, talk about it and then ultimately purchase a product. If a brand manager or a marketer always remembers that as long as people smile, they will surely buy. On the other hand, trying to use some serious approach in advertisement can make people find it boring and they will skip your advertisement (Sterling 2012). Although funny advertising has some advantages, it also has a lot disadvantages. The first one is that it can make consumers laugh but do not make them buy and the worst thing that could happen, and does happen, is for people to notice the advertisement and remember the joke, but not the business (Theselfemployed n. d. ). It is true that funny advertisements are useful for entertaining viewers, but are not the most effective way for advertisers to convince those viewers to buy the product. There was a report about this point from Ace Metrix. It presented that â€Å"Funniness had little correlation with effectiveness in a scoring system that incorporates watchability, likability and persuasion among other factors. In fact, funny ads were slightly less likely to increase desire or purchase intent than unfunny ones. † (Neff 2012) These means that perfect ad is one that is appealing and memorable and effective all in the same breath (Pride et al. 2007). As Mr. Peter Daboll, CEO of Ace Metrix, said â€Å"Just being funny doesn’t make an ad better, but being funny, relevant and informative are the things that really make an ad work† (Neff 2012). Secondly, some viewers cannot understand what those ads want to advertise. That is because there are a lot of jokes, slangs and spoken language in funny ads, so some people can understand but some people cannot. Nigel Hollis (2011), chief global analyst at Millward Brown, a global market research company, said that â€Å"Humor is culturally specific. Subtle references and puns tend to travel badly. † This is the example of one of the viewers’ opinion on the incomprehensible funny advertisement. I’m confused by the latest TV commercial for Adidas running shoes. The one that has the guy running through the city, and everything gets disrupted when he runs by it. Waterbeds explode, tractor trailer tires blow out, balloon floats deflate, a kid gets knocked off a pogo stick. At first I thought it was because the guy’s feet smelled so bad he was causing all of this to happen, but the commercial is for a running shoe, so they wouldn’t do that. † (Sass one 2005) This will make the company lose the group of people who cannot understand he advertisement. A lot of people simply do not have a sense of humours, so if they think that the advertisement is not fun or they do not understand it, the company will lose these people immediately, and the potential size of the market will shrinks (Professional Advertising n. d. ). Thirdly, not all ads can be funny. It is believed that advertisement is a representative of company so if companies use funny things in ads that should not be funny, it will provide bad effect to companies’ images. In addition, advertising humor can backfire. If companies make a joke at the expense of any one group, they will surely alienate them. For example, many years ago, in Thailand, there was disrespectful act toward Buddha in one restaurant’s poster to make people fun. As a result, a lot of Thai people blamed on that restaurant and were banned it. This is because Buddhists who see a Buddha image placed in an improper place will feel very unhappy and may become subject to conflict arising from such situations. (Knowingbuddha n. d. ). Finally, some people cannot get any information from funny advertisement while some get bored with the same jokes. As the Professional Advertising said â€Å"The first time we see it we may laugh out loud. But after a while, although we still may smile at the joke, it’s not so funny anymore. Funny ads need to be replaced periodically. † (Professional Advertising n. d. ) Generally, when someone got the jokes, those jokes are not funny anymore. In the same ways as a funny advertisement, the first time people see the advertisement they will feel fun and interested, but they will find it not funny anymore when they see it again and again. Additionally, some advertisements have a lot of funny things but less information. In fact, giving information about a product is the most important of advertising and using humor is a supplement. Although funny advertisements drive the great advertising attributes such as attention and likeability, low information and relevance on many funny ads results in creating lower desire for the advertised products than non-funny advertisements (Tuttle 2012). This is the same concept as Michael Curran, Resource Manager at Capgemini, that â€Å"If an ad is merely funny and does nothing to bolster the featured product’s attributes, however, it’s probably a failure, no matter how funny the ad is. † (Tuttle 2012) In conclusion, Funny advertisement can get attention from viewers but it not always makes them buy a product. Besides, some people cannot understand what the ad wants to advertise and they sometimes cannot get anything about the product but fun. Also, not all ads can be funny. As a result, using humour in advertisement is one advertising strategy but it cannot be used with all advertisements and it is not the best way. It is recommended that companies should take care in considering what’s best for their brand. Don’t just jump on the funny band wagon because everyone is doing it. Every product must have its own proper way to advertise, so if a company can find that proper way, it will succeed in advertising. Some products are suited for funny advertisement but some are not, so companies should think carefully before advertising their product. Word count: 1670 How to cite Funny Ads, Essay examples

Generation Me Response Essay Sample free essay sample

It is really evident that today’s coevals has changed greatly since coevals of the â€Å"baby boomers† . Children in the current coevals are coming into a wholly different universe than it was merely 30 old ages ago. From about every child having a cell phone. telecastings being level. and societal networking. it is obvious this isn’t the same universe that our grandparents. and even our parents were raised in. Looking back at the coevals of the â€Å"baby boomers† . it’s difficult to even conceive of what life would hold been like. The â€Å"boomers† grew up in a clip of where war was an occurring thing. from World War I. World War II. and even the war in Vietnam. They grew up in the clip of the great depression. where bread lines and soup kitchens were a portion of many families’ lives. Even engineering was far from what it is today. Families were lucky to hold one telecasting in their house. people really used land-line telephones. and a individual holding a cell phone was improbable. The book Generation Me does a great occupation of indicating out any difference between the â€Å"boomer† coevals. and coevals â€Å"me† . From the manner childs are taught in school. the manner childs treat other people. and even the attitude about one’s ego has wholly changed. The writer. Jean M. Twenge. Ph. D. . notices every minor alteration that has occurred between the two coevalss. and comprised a book that will hold you noticing things about yourself that you may hold neer noticed before. The book starts out with the impression that kids these yearss are taught to be their egos and non care what others think. Parents of the coevals me kids teach their childs to make whatever makes them happy. and giving them the thought that â€Å"your manner is the right way† . Besides a chief focal point that parents and instructors both focus on is learning the kids to love themselves for who they are and have a high self-pride. Generation me childs took these thought and ran with it. Kids these yearss are more individualistic than any other coevals in the past. From babies. kids are taught to do their ain determinations. and even have an influence on the determinations made by their household. Toddlers. and even babies. are asked what outfit they would wish to have on for the twenty-four hours. even before they can even get down to explicate any type of words or sentences. alternatively of their parents taking their outfits for them. Parents and wise mans of the kids want t hem to show their egos in any manner they want to and be whatever they want to be. They believe that as long their kid is expresses themselves as they want. and acquire what they want. than that will raise the child’s self-pride. But with kids holding a higher self-pride. non utilize to hearing â€Å"no† and them holding an influence in any determination that could affect them. when kids enter school it causes some struggles between the kids and instructors. Schools have about wholly changed the manner that childs are taught. With the major focal point on self-pride. instruction had been modified non to allow the childs down. Schooling has about given the kids in the coevals â€Å"me† the thought that classs are â€Å"given† and non â€Å"earned† . With kids doing more and more determinations for themselves. acquiring a kid to desire to make prep is difficult. Parents don’t want to implement any will upon their kid because they are afraid of it aching their self-pride. With parents and instructors non forcing the kids to make their school work and concentrating so much on non aching the kid’s self-pride. instructors are about forced to give the kids a good class even if the kid deserves to neglect. The book states the thought that instructor would instead concentrate on self-pride. than giving the kids a good instruction and fixing them for the rough world of the outside universe. â€Å"Children shouldn’t be challenged to seek things that others in the category are non ready for. since that would advance competition. and competition is bad for self-esteem† as stated in the book. Throughout Generation Me. it is apparent that self-esteem. and individualism plays a really strong portion in the manner we were raised. and the manner we act. An thought from the book that seemed really true was that kids in the coevals â€Å"me† are set up for failure in life and for their dreams to be crushed. Turning up. children’s caputs are drilled with phrase â€Å"you can be anything that would desire to be† . Traveling through schooling. and neer holding much resistant from any authorization. and invariably being re-assured that no affair how they do. whether it’s ; base on balls. fail. win. or loose. they ever did a great occupation and did their best is far from the rough world of â€Å"life. † When childs are told that they can be anything they want. and do whatever they want. they believe that they truly can be the following â€Å"Bill Gates† or the following â€Å"Michael Jordan† . or even acquire into any college they want to. They believe this until real property work stoppages. Childs are neer told that there are 1000s of childs with the same dream as they have. or that some Ivy League schools accept less than 15 % of all of their appliers. many valedictory speakers. and pupils in the top of their category. Children are neer taught to be competitory in life. They are merely handed what they want and when come ining the on the job universe full of â€Å"boomers† . everything alterations. This alteration can even be damaging to their self-esteem. The mean degree of instruction has even changed since the â€Å"baby boomer† coevals. It was wholly normal for members of the â€Å"boomers† to halt instruction after high school. and expect to do a nice life. Today. in order to acquire a well-paying occupation. most occupations require a college grade. and even a master’s grade. Since the cost of life has increased dramatically. this puts a batch of emphasis on childs to travel to college so that they will possibly be able to afford a house and back up a household. Generation Me has besides pointed out that households are a batch different than they were in the â€Å"boomer† coevals. â€Å"Boomers† believed in settling down early and get downing a household. That’s non the same position that coevals â€Å"me† members see themselves making. With individualism and self-esteem playing a large function. grownups in their 20â€℠¢s believe that alternatively of settling down so fast and doing a household like the â€Å"boomers† did. they should research and day of the month around to happen precisely what they are looking for in a individual. After all. members in the â€Å"me† coevals are taught to hold precisely what they want. This means that that mean age for people settling down and get downing households had gone up. Even the sum of single people has gone up. The book gives a few accounts as to why this could be go oning. from emphasis of acquiring a good instruction. happening a well-paying occupation that would back up themselves. allow entirely a whole household. Another ground could be that possibly since â€Å"me’ers† are taught to happen and travel after what they want. they neer find the individual that they connect with. This is a major alteration from the â€Å"baby boomer generation† and those with spiritual backgrounds where matrimony and holding a spouse we about necessary and sometimes even arranged by parents. Although the people coevals â€Å"me† have been so focused on holding a high self-pride. and making what makes them happy. there has been a perceptibly drastic alteration in how people feel about themselves. One points made in the book is that the people in the coevals â€Å"me† are a batch more down. hold more anxiousness. and are a batch more diffident about their hereafter. This could be due to many factors in the manner they were brought up. and the universe they were brought up in. As stated earlier in the book. people acquiring out of high school and come ining college. or the on the job universe face many nerve-racking state of affairss such as acquiring accepted into the school they want. happening a occupation. and viing with the other â€Å"well-qualified† â€Å"me’ers† . The members of this coevals have a batch of built up anxiousness when waiting for that missive stating they got accepted to the college they want. and even do it worse wh en believing about a missive stating they didn’t acquire accepted. When raising the coevals â€Å"me† . parents neer thought that learning their kids to hold such a high self-pride would do jobs such as depression and anxiousness. but in world it was merely that that caused such a down-turn in the manner the â€Å"me’ers† saw themselves. Another drastic alteration that the members in coevals me have bared informant excessively is equality amongst everyone. Unlike the â€Å"baby boomers† . who saw unintegrated schools. and were taught that adult females were to remain at place to cook. clean. and raise kids. coevals â€Å"me† is all about equality. We now have an Afro-american president. many chief executive officer and high-level places are held by adult females. and there is non a individual unintegrated school. This is a far alteration from any past coevals. and could likely be one of the most good alterations that has come from this new coevals. Generation Me does a great occupation at detecting the good. the bad. and the ugly alterations that has occurred since the past coevals. This book has helped me even notice things about myself that I neer took the clip to believe about. and all the points that the writer. Jean M. Twenge. Ph. D. . makes are valid points. and obvious alterations since past coevalss. I wholly agree with every point that the writer has made. and can personally associate to this book.

Clinton Vs. Lazio Essays - Politics Of The United States

Clinton Vs. Lazio Many of the upcoming November elections this year create much friction and competition between the candidates. The New York State Senate race between Hillary Clinton and Rick Lazio has proved to very close and heated. eEach candidate has strong views on issues and puts up a good debate about each one. Hillary Clinton is the Democrat and Rick Lazio is the Republican in this election. This is a very close race and the winner will determine many of New York's views on future issues. Hillary Clinton, never having a legislative record, has been the First Lady to the President for 8 years. Clinton has been a resident of New York State for only a few months previous to the time she began running for office. Clinton is challenged by her opponent because radio and television ads seem to turn the public against Clinton. This is an example of Lazio criticizing her because of his negatively directed ads towards Clinton. Because Clinton has never been involved in a legislature before, she has no voting record. This could prove to be a disadvantage for Clinton because voters cannot see what she has previously supported. Hillary has an advantage in the election because the New York Times endorsed her. Being the most prominent newspaper in New York, this is a sign of success as the last two politicians endorsed by the NYT have won their elections. Another disadvantage that Clinton has is that she is not a born New York citizen. She has been ?carpetbagging?, or buying propert y in a state just so she can run for office in the state. Hillary takes a firm stand on many of the issues facing New York State and the Congress today. Hillary Clinton's views on abortion are that she supports the Roe vs. Wade ruling. This act was passed in 1973 when the US Supreme Court legalized abortion. She would vote to ban late-term abortion, unless the mother or child was threatened by the birth. Clinton would reject Supreme Court jurors who are opposed to abortion rights. Hillary also agrees with federal funds spent on abortions at military hospitals. Hillary acknowledges the competition between her and Lazio by retaliating to a comment he made by saying, ?My opponent [Lazio] is wrong. I have said many times that I can support a ban on late term abortion including partial-birth abortions, so long as the health and life of the mother is protected?. Clinton states this at a Senate Debate in Manhattan on October 8, 2000. Another issue that Hillary has brought up is her support ing of the death penalty, involved with capital punishment. Clinton also consents counsel and forensics testing for death row defendants. In addition to these issues, Clinton is opposed to a constitutional amendment banning flag desecration, or the burning of flags. Hillary supports a number of other issues, including smaller classrooms, and more federal funds towards the hiring of new teachers and school construction. Clinton supports the importing of cheaper prescription drugs from Canada and the ability to sue HMO's. Also, Hillary's tax plan shows an increasing number of tax dollars going towards high-speed Internet access and high tech research. As stated, Hillary has quite a few views on certain issues facing the nation., Rick Lazio, Clinton's Republican opponent, is putting up a good fight for a NYS Senate position. As Lazio states in the Republican Convention on May 30, 2000 in Buffalo, ?I begin this race with no illusions. I am the underdog in this race. My opponent is better financed and better known?but as I've said before: ?bring ?em on'?I have one advantage she will never have?I am a New Yorker?. Lazio opens his campaign here with brutal honesty about his place in the election. Clinton challenges him with her money and power, but he overcomes this by equalizing himself to her by stating his state of residency, New York. Lazio proclaims his advantages by saying, ?I have a solid, pro-NY voting record. I have a legislative record to stand on- unlike my opponent?. Lazio's former legislative record has not strayed far from the issues he is against and supports in the upcoming election. He steadily remains a Republican through the issues

The 5 Best SAT Prep Games

The 5 Best SAT Prep Games SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You may have heard of a new trend in test prep:games. That’s right- studying for your SAT by playing computer (and even phone) games! If this sounds too good to be true, that’s because it is. Most of the SAT prep games out there are pretty bad.However, there are a few games that may genuinely help you with some aspects of your test prep experience- although they won’t do much other than supplement your more typical studying activities like taking practice tests and doing practice problems. In this article I’ll break down the SAT prep game trend, explain why most prep games won’t help you, describe what makes a good prep game, offer some recommendations for games that will help you, and offer some advice on how to use them. SAT Prep Games: An Overview The past few years have seen a rise in â€Å"gamification,† or the attempt to make regular, tedious life tasks more game-like and thus more fun and exciting. There are apps for gamifying exercise, productivity, household chores, finance, and even shopping. Given the ever-increasing circle of things that have been gamified, it’s no surprise that SAT games have proliferated in the past few years. Lots of test-prep companies have gotten on the train. Kaplan, the Princeton Review, the Idiot’s Guide- they all have created or helped create SAT practice games. The general idea behind SAT games is that if preparing for the testis fun, you will want to do it. If you want to do it, you’ll spend more time preparing. But is this true? And even if it is, is the preparation you get from playing games comparable to that from less fun modes of studying? Can you game your way to SAT success? Why Most SAT Prep Games Are Bad The truth is that there are very few test-prep games that will actually provide substantial help on the SAT. In fact, they may even be detrimental, because you may play them thinking you are getting in some valuable preparation when you really aren’t. The problem with most SAT prep games is that they are mostly just glorified multiple-choice quizzes. However, the questions are generally of low quality and don’t resemble real SAT questions very much. Answers are sometimes truly ambiguous or unclear, and explanations are often lacking or nonexistent.Further limiting the utility of many of these games is that they haven’t been updated for the revised SAT. So you’ll be hit with outdated question styles that aren’t even on the SAT anymore, like Sentence Completion and Sentence Error. If a game just asks you â€Å"SAT-style† multiple choice questions, I advise you to stay away from it unless you can thoroughly vet that the questions actually resemble real SAT questions. You are much better off using genuine College Board SAT practice tests or even ACT tests if you need more sample questions to prep for the SAT. It might be marginally more fun to see yourself get points for correct questions in an app or on a website, but you’ll be much happier in the long run if you spend that time answering well-written sample questions that will actually help you. Also, the College Board has now partnered with Khan Academy to create SAT prep resources online, which has both gamified aspects like earnable badges and College-Board official practice questions. You are better off using Khan Academy than any other multiple-choice-based SAT prep game. There are many SAT games that are very focused on vocab. However, while a diverse vocab is still important for the SAT, the revised test places much less emphasis on knowing arcane words out-of-context. So exclusively â€Å"SAT Vocab† focused games may not have much utility for you. STOP before you play bad SAT games! What Makes a Good SAT Prep Game? There are, in general, three things that make for a good prep game. #1: Targets a Specific SAT Skill or Content Area A game aimed at a specific concept that’s tested on the SAT- trigonometry, modelling, punctuation, etc- will be much more useful than something that just offers half-baked multiple choice questions on vocab words. This means that the best SAT prep games may not even be designed specifically for the SAT! They just need to work on building a skill or reviewing material that is covered on the SAT. #2: Engaging If the game is boring, you might as well just take practice tests. A prep game doesn’t have to be the most fun you’ve ever had, but it should break up your practice routine a little bit. #3: Content Is Accurate This seems like a no-brainer, but it’s very important to make sure that the game is actually presenting content accurately. Otherwise you could be studying incorrect material! I would include in this that multiple-choice questions need to actually resemble real SAT questions. Keep your SAT ducks in a row! Want to learn more about the SAT but tired of reading blog articles? Then you'll love our free, SAT prep livestreams. Designed and led by PrepScholar SAT experts, these live video events are a great resource for students and parents looking to learn more about the SAT and SAT prep. Click on the button below to register for one of our livestreams today! 5 Solid SAT Prep Games If you want to incorporate some academic and SAT-prep games into your studying, there are several sources where you might look for actually useful games. #1:Sheppards Software This site has a variety of simple, educational flash games for pre-K through 12th grade. The math page has games for probability, algebra, geometry, and several other topics that appear the SAT. There are also word games in the Language Arts section that test your skill with punctuation and parts of speech. This is a solid resource if you find yourself getting stuck on a particular concept in math or language arts, and you just need to drill recall in a non-boring way. #2:FreeRice FreeRice is an online game in which you answer questions to fill up your bowl of rice; every correct question answered actually provides rice to someone in need. FreeRice has an SAT prep category, but I don’t advise using it as the questions are based on the old SAT. I think the English grammar mode is much more useful; you’ll pick the grammatically correct sentence and move through progressively harder levels as you keep choosing the right answer. This is good practice for your wrong-answer elimination skills on the Writing portion of the SAT! #3:NYTimes Student Crosswords This page has printable crosswords (and answer keys) in a variety of academic subjects, including several that are relevant to the SAT, like grammar, geometry, and algebra. These could function as a fun review of some key subject-matter concepts for the SAT. #4:Quizlet With a free account on Quizlet, you can access thousands of flashcard sets that others have uploaded to the site, including a variety of SAT prep sets. Of course, you’ll want to check out a set before you use it to study to make sure it actually has useful (and correct) information. What’s even better is that you can make a set yourself with the things you really need to drill down on. Once you make or choose a set, you can play with it in two game modes. There’s a matching game and a game where you prevent asteroids from hitting the planet by typing the correct answer. #5:Daily SAT Practice This is one of the less gamelike options out there, but it is an official College Board app. It offers you an official practice SAT question every day; once you answer the question you can compare how you did with other students. A solid option simply because all of the questions are College Board-approved. Make your SAT prep arsenal a full deck. How to Use SAT Prep Games in Your Own Studies While SAT games won’t replace the majority of your regular, unglamorous studying, they can supplement it in a few key ways. #1: To Target Specific Skills/Concepts SAT prep games can be helpful in targeting specific skills or concepts that you have trouble with. If commas stump you, try a punctuation game; if triangles trouble you, play a trigonometry or geometry game. Games can be a fun way to learn or reinforce an underlying concept you need to know for the SAT. #2: Keep Material Fresh Between Study Sessions A quick SAT game can be a good way to keep things fresh between dedicated preparation sessions. A few grammar questions on FreeRice will help keep your grammar brain fresh when you go a day or two without any serious prep time. #3: As Warm-ups, Breaks, and Rewards SAT practice games are also a great way to warm up your brain at the beginning of a study session, and a good way to re-energize yourself during a quick break. Playing an SAT game you like for a few minutes before you take a practice test will help turn on your brain and get the gears moving before the main event. You can also use prep games as a reward after you finish a study session to help wrap things up on a low-stress note! The judicious use of prep games can help you hit an SAT home run! Key Takeaways Do I think you could do all of your studying with prep games and do well? No, especially because most prep games are just poorly-written SAT quizzes. That said, here’s what does make a solid SAT prep game: It presents skills and content that are tested on the SAT It’s engaging It presents accurate information There are several sources you might look for to find game-like resources for SAT prep: Sheppards Software- Simple flash games for math and English concepts. FreeRice - Has an English grammar mode that’s useful for the Writing section. NYTimes Student Crosswords - A fun way to review fundamental concepts in a subject. Quizlet - Make your own flashcards and then play games with them! Daily SAT Practice - this College Board official app offers a question a day and lets you see how others did. While they won’t replace most of your studying, there are some targeted ways you might deploy SAT prep games as part of your preparation plan: To target specific skills/concept areas you are weak in Keeping material fresh between study sessions Warm-ups, breaks, and rewards during studying With these tips in mind, you’ll be sure to be able to get the most out of your SAT prep games instead of being played by them! What's Next? Looking for more SAT practice resources? Check our list of best SAT prep books.Or see our list of SAT practice tests. Want to score a super high SAT score?Get all the tips and expert advice you need inmy guide to getting a perfect SAT score. Looking for additional SAT prep help?Check out our picks for thetop SAT prep websitesandappsyou should be using in your studies. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We have the industry's leading SAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so you get the most effective prep possible. Check out our 5-day free trial today:

Denial-of-service attack Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Denial-of-service attack - Essay Example There are a number of network activities which people carry out in order to prevent users from working with a particular website or virtual organization effectively. Denial-of-service attacks are not a new phenomenon in the technological industry. These attacks are launched to slowdown or affect the smooth running of a particular website. These attacks are really troublesome for the users who have an immediate need to launch a website and retrieve information or process a transaction online (Morley & Parker 2009, pp. 383-384). Such attacks are, hence, widely discussed by researchers and the debate relating to the causes, effects and prevention of such attacks has been continuously given attention. This paper aims to analyze the causes, effects and reasons behind denial-of-service attacks. Denial-of-attack refers to a situation created by an attacker with an aim to stop or make difficult for the legitimate users from accessing the information they require or using services offered onl ine (Komar et. Al., 2003, p. 99). An attacker may affect the performance of the network or the computer system of the user or the computers and network of the website that the user is trying to get access to (Zhang, Zheng & Ma 2008 p. 588). An attacker may be able to stop users from getting access to the emails, chat databases, websites, online services like banking, online educational websites etc and so on (Vacca 2007 p. 238). It is important to understand the ways in which an attacker manipulates or worsens the situation of the network and its working abilities. The most common method used by attackers of Denial-of-service attack is the use of massive amounts of information to slow down the network. The ‘flood’ of information or massive requests for access to a site for viewing the information uploaded there, prevents a number of legitimate users from gaining access (Das & Gulati 2004, p. 214). Servers are designed to process a limited number of access requests or in formation

Effects of Hurricane Katrina on the gulf coast Essay

Effects of Hurricane Katrina on the gulf coast - Essay Example Effects of Hurricane Katrina on the gulf coast To understand what happened to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast during Katrina, however, one must first understand a bit about hurricanes, tropical storms, and their classifications. Storm occur when there are four specific weather conditions present – low air pressure, warm temperatures, moist ocean air and tropical winds blowing near the equator. Hurricanes begin as a tropical depression, with wind speeds of 23-39 mph, and falling air pressure. Once the wind reaches speeds of 39-73 mph, it upgrades to a hurricane. Category 1 hurricanes have winds from 75-94 mph, which does not cause real damage to structures, only to mobile homes, trees and shrubs, and flooding is kept to a minimum (Brinkley , 2006, p. 17). Category 2 hurricanes have winds from 96-100 mph (Fradin & Fradin, 2010, p. 14). Category 3 is much stronger, with winds from 111-130 mph, which causes some structural damage to small residence, destroys mobile homes, and more flooding (Brinkley, 2006, p. 15). Category 4 hurricanes have winds from 131-155 mph (Fradin & Fradin, 2010, p. 14). Category 5 has winds in excess of 155 mph, which causes â€Å"complete roof failure on many residences and industrial buildings. Some complete building failures with small utility buildings blown over or away. Major damage to lower floors of all structures located less than 15 feet above sea level and within 500 yards of the shoreline. Massive evacuation of residential areas on low ground within five to ten miles of the shoreline may be required†.... Some complete building failures with small utility buildings blown over or away. Major damage to lower floors of all structures located less than 15 feet above sea level and within 500 yards of the shoreline. Massive evacuation of residential areas on low ground within five to ten miles of the shoreline may be required† (Brinkley, 2006, p. 17). Beginning as a tropical depression over the Bahamas on August 23, 2005, then gaining strength while hitting landfall in Florida (Hoffman, 2005, p. 4), Hurricane Katrina began hitting the Gulf Coast as a Category 3 Hurricane, with winds up to 141 mph (DesRoaches, 2006, p. 1). The original reports were that Katrina might only hit the Gulf Coast as a Category 1, which is the lowest grade of Hurricane, but, even while reports were that she was a Category 1, there was apprehensiveness that she would pick up fury and steam before hitting the Gulf region (Reid & Theiss, 2005, p. 4). As Hurricane Katrina hit the mainland of America, in Florida, she was only a Category 1, with wind gusts of 80 MPH, but picked up strength as she passed the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, which put the Gulf states of Mississippi and Louisiana into a state of emergency (Rodger, 2006, p. 11). While the devastation in New Orleans is what attracted the most attention, and is what will give Hurricane Katrina its most notoriety, Hurricane Katrina was a devastating storm all around, as it damaged 45 bridges, destroyed railroad tracks and caused debris to fall into the road which cost $200 million in cleanup costs (Rodger, 2006, p. 1). Of course, Katrina was not the only hurricane during the 2005 hurricane season, although she was easily the most famous of that bunch. 15 hurricanes

Indian Fashion And Textiles

Indian Fashion And Textiles Indian fashion is rich in tradition, vibrant in colour and beautiful. Bold colour and metallics created by the inventive drapes of these textile catches the imagination like no other contemporary clothing. Some Indian dress designers combine western trends with an Indian touch, creating garments which are outstanding. (www.wordiq.com) The Indian traditional fashion is vast and influential throughout the world. It is one of the richest cultures. The culture of India is an amalgamation of diverse sub-cultures like languages, textiles, crafts, dance, architects, food and customs. In Textile Surface Decoration, Margo Singer argues that, India has its own ancient tradition of silk weaving and can boast many indigenous silk moths. The country produces several types of silk. India became a major exporter of silk and is still the largest producer of silk after China. It also has a vibrant tradition of block printing (often using indigo), which dates back many centuries. Traditional techniques are still used today. Indian textiles have been exported since the 15th century; today the main textiles centres are Gujarat, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh, where block printing workshops still produce fabrics dyed with vegetable and chemical dyes for clothing, furnishing and fashion exports. British India 15th-16th century As written by Beverly Lemire and Giorgio Riello, the trade of textiles from India to European countries was seen in 12th and 13th century (Ottoman period) where silk was imported from Asian countries like India and China. Emergence of fashion in Europe was visible in the revolutionary commodities painted and printed Indian cotton textiles which came in seen towards the end of the 15th century. These textiles represented the Asian imports into Europe, showed the widespread consumption of Indian textiles and also worked as a source of inspiration for European manufacturers. By the early sixteenth century, imports increased which in turn attracted generations of Europeans due to the unmatched brilliance and fastness of colour and the striking designs of printed Indian cottons. European fashion in this century was not just created through the adoption and use of Indian goods but it was shaped by the Indian culture, motifs and techniques used. Ritu Kumara a famous Indian designer in her book Costumes and Textiles of Royal India stated that in 1601 that British East India company had established centres for trade in India in cities like Madras, Surat, Calcutta and Bombay. In this century British began to develop textiles for their own markets. They expanded and established factories in India and started exporting to other countries. They exported silk ikats, cotton pieces goods, indigo and fine embroideries from cities like Gujarat in western India and Bengal in eastern. According to her, England was not the only European country where Indian textiles were popular ,places like France were also charmed by the widespread heritage of India. (Costumes and Textiles of Royal India by Ritu Kumar,1999 pg.52,53 and 54) 17th-18th century Indian cotton textiles first started to appear in the first decade of the 17th century in the form of Chintz which refers to, any floral printed furnishing fabric, made of cotton or linen, and often glazed. It is often defined as Indian cloth on which a pattern has been produce by hand drawing with a bamboo pen (kalam) and dyeing with mordants and resists. They are originated from the south -east India, in the area that came to be known by European as the Coromandel Coast. Influence of chintz has been in the form of coverlet, quilt, hanging, plates, dress, overdress, petticoat and other form of garments which are present in the Victoria and Albert Museum. (Rosemary Crill,) As Ritu Kumar refers to the history and writes that the demand for Indian textiles had reached such heights in 17th century in the British and French culture which resulted in prohibition of anyone wearing or using any Indian textiles so as to promote their own silk and textiles. But these prohibitions were difficult to impose and failed and the trade continued. She also writes that, by the 18th century dresses made of Indian muslins and the woven shawls which were draped over them became fashionable. The Kashmir shawl was one of the most sought after luxuries in Europe by the end of the 18th century which was very expensive and was exported from northern India. Ritu Kumar stated that Forbes Watson acknowledged, that the intrinsic aesthetic refinement of Indias clothing required an understanding of oriental tastes which according to him would ensure a market in India for the same. His study advocated the sophistication of colour and form of Indias textiles in order that English manufacturers might achieve the sense of rhythm and harmony inherent in them. He explained that British manufacturers followed a rule of exporting or making things with an essence of British culture rather than taking its true Indian form which in turn failed as Indian manufacturers could do it best originally and the products value decreased when it lost its true essence. And thus realising the fact how a charm of an Indian product was with its true colour and not modified. In her book evidences of trade from the east to the west can be seen till the early 20th century in wardrobes of the royal British. (Costumes and Textiles of Royal India by Ritu Kumar,1999 pg.55,62 and 63) 1900-2000 Just like a painting, or a song, fashion also plays a main role in the fusion of different cultures and influences. Eastern and Western cultures engage in an important part in the Fashion trends of today. These two are fused in the fashion industry in many ways, the British borrowing from the Russians, India from the French, Japan and Germany, and the list continues. According to Priyanka Arora, Since 1890 till the present world fashion has seen tremendous influences from the Indian culture in the British fashion resulting from the artists and designers renowned interest in Art Nouveau. She believes that Indian textiles and work can be seen in any store or designer line. Eastern inspired clothing like embroidered tunics, beaded necklines on dresses and shirts, jewelled handbags in Sari fabrics, reminiscing different characteristics from the East have been influencing British designers . Pashminas, for example, are now an everyday basic item for most British women. Around the 1940s the Nehru jacket became a big trend and thanks to The Beatles and it is still an acclaimed collar style in shirts, coats and jackets. Even pagoda sleeves was an eastern trend which was incorporated in western fashion. The most noted designers according to her bidding on exotic eastern style in their creations are: Max Mara, exploring sexy necklines and strong fabrics ,A rmani, Jean Paul Gautier and Versace are only some of the top names reaching out to their masculine lines by including eastern elements to their creations, like pants made with fabrics, necklines, printed belts and sandals with the use of heavy silk. She also argues that the Boho Chic look, on the other hand is a representation of western influence on eastern culture. Thus concluding by saying that its a unique style where one can appreciate the fusion of both worlds with the modern and contemporary side of the western fashion and just a hint of eastern flair in the jewels and beading. Season to season, we see fashion face some radical changes, but the east and west mixture is inescapable, resulting always in a beautiful, artistic and also commercial masterpiece representing a multicultural society of designers and consumers. http://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/11/1032/fashion-fusion-from-east-to-west-and-back-again1.asp Laura Jacob writes and depicts about work of renowned designers from all around the world in the book The Art of Haute Couture(SKREBNESKI) in which Christian Lacroix collection of 1990 shows a gown which has high end Indian embroidery with hand accessories influenced from India. (The Art of Haute Couture(SKREBNESKI)by Laura Jacob) Salvatore Ferragamos famous customers in the late 1930s was Indira Devi, the maharani of Cooch Behar. Ferragamo had designed about 100 shoes for her which were adorned with pearls, rubies, emeralds and diamonds which were sent from India by the maharani. These were reproduced for his collection in the year 2003 for an opening of a new store. As Laura McLean -Ferris has written about KENZO a world famous designer who evolved in 1970s that his designs are a combination of details which have been taken from all around the globe, creating a fusion of folklore styles that vibrate with a blend of fantasy and reality. Which brings out the importance of fusion of a cultures in her view of the designers work. It also talks about how KENZO used both east and west traditions together to create an aesthetic that is globally appealing. (fashioning fabric) 2000 and beyond As Elyssa da Cruz quoted for the Indian based designer Manish Arora who emerged on the London runway in late 2005.His work embodies western modishness and native Indian symbolism, all manifest in a lavish array of textiles. The opulence of his label derives from the textiles revived back in India and crafted into a contemporary western silhouettes. Ashish considered as a lead figure in the new generation of British fashion, his work is a blend of contrast of eastern and western cultures .His use of traditional and contemporary design with high quality textiles and Indian handcrafting techniques has marked its importance in the global fashion.(IC) Jennifer Trak has talked about designers Abujani Sandeep Khosla are synonymous with classic Indian style and elegantly draped silhouettes. Creative use of materials like sequin, pearls against lavish fabrics have made their garments the choice of numerous celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood. Laura Mc Lean-Ferris has quoted about KENZOs 2005 collection which was called An English Garden in India autumn/winter 2005.this collection was inspired by heavy Indian embroideries, Indian silks and taffetas. EDC has shown glimpses of Christian Lacroix autumn/winter 2002 collection which shows multi coloured rustic paisley pattern embroidery which is a very famous Indian motif. Dries Van Noten a Avant garde designer has proven himself to be a visionary couturier whose multi-ethnic inspired designs have always been a hit in the fashion world. He believes in global perspective ,reinterpreting existing themes, motifs, traditional hand-crafting techniques from diverse locales such as northern Africa, India and Japan to create his designs. His work has been highly inspired by Indian textiles which can be seen in his collections of autumn/winter 2006 and 2007. (fashioning fabric) Shikha Chadha Bhatia expands about the Indian fashion and designers and states that India has been one of the developing international markets along with China. She feels with India Fashion happening twice a year, starting in 2003, local designers are recognising the need for collections with more of an international appeal. She unveils the collections and thoughts of Indian Designers as follows: Ravi Bajaj one of the leading fashion designer of India says that, The Indian fashion industry is on the brink of change. Not only are Indian designers increasingly staging catwalk shows abroad but, in an effort to appeal to an international market, they are creating alternatives to themes synonymous with Indian fashion such as heavy embroidery, loud colours and traditional motifs. Taking inspiration from other cultures, Indian designers are increasingly aiming for global appeal. Ritu Kumar, one of Indias most well-respected designers believes that, despite the changes, Indian fashion has kept its signature. For the last two years, embellishments on clothes are changing, silhouettes have an international look, but overall thematically the essence is Indian. She says Indias edge comes from its textile tradition as costly textile processes like stone-washing and tie dye are more affordable in India than in the west. Kumar also points out that textiles are more varied because manufacture is not fully mechanised and so allows for smaller runs and experimentation. Kiran Uttam Ghosh,Indian Designer his spring/summer 2003 collection has been inspired bohemian colour and the exuberance of pattern.it reveals 70s hippie look featuring patchwork, mismatched sleeve lengths and uneven hemlines. Tiered chiffon, hipsters, kaftans and tie dye shirts are key in a rainbow of colours including hot pink, acid yellow, coral, turquoise, blood red, ivory and black. http://www.wgsn.com/content/wgsn-ms/magazine/features/2002/nov/mm2002nov15_005478.html INDIAN HANBAGS GO GLOBAL by Cezca Chanelle Cezca Chanelle states about Indian handbags getting a global recognition in reference to the following designers like, Designer Judith Leiber the luxury American handbag brand collaborated with an Indian renowned designer Suneet Verma in 2008 to design a collection of couture handbags and clutches. Suneet Verma designed Ganesha bags that have been used as art deco pieces which were flaunted by style icons like Sex and the Citys Sarah Jessica Parker and the famous singer Jennifer Lopez on the red carpet. She states about Meera Mahadevia an handbag designer whose metal bags embellished with stones were showcased at the Vendome Luxury Exhibition in Paris earlier this year. Her couture collection retails in luxury stores like Neiman Marcus in the US and Selfridges in London. She also refers to another Mumbai-based handbag designer Nandini Mariwala whose clientele includes Hollywood stars like Lindsay Lohan and Halle Berry as well as international royalty. Her current collection of day bags which is a limited edition are hand-knotted and embroidered which are sold via luxury store Harrods in London. She comments that, Maybe its time Louis Vuitton and Prada took a back seat now. http://luxpresso.com/news-couture/indian-handbags-go-global/2279 Spring 2009 Trend Reports for women fashion by style.com In the Marrakech Express theme based collections of Marc Jacobs, Reem Acra and Tibi influences of Indian silhouettes and work can be clearly seen which depicts the power of Indian fashion. http://www.style.com/trendsshopping/trendreport/011309/slideshow?loop=0HYPERLINK http://www.style.com/trendsshopping/trendreport/011309/slideshow?loop=0iphoto=75play=falsecnt=47HYPERLINK http://www.style.com/trendsshopping/trendreport/011309/slideshow?loop=0iphoto=75play=falsecnt=47iphoto=75HYPERLINK http://www.style.com/trendsshopping/trendreport/011309/slideshow?loop=0iphoto=75play=falsecnt=47HYPERLINK http://www.style.com/trendsshopping/trendreport/011309/slideshow?loop=0iphoto=75play=falsecnt=47play=falseHYPERLINK http://www.style.com/trendsshopping/trendreport/011309/slideshow?loop=0iphoto=75play=falsecnt=47HYPERLINK http://www.style.com/trendsshopping/trendreport/011309/slideshow?loop=0iphoto=75play=falsecnt=47cnt=47 Spring/Summer 2010 trends for interiors by WGSN The trend speaks about the glamour and eccentricity of staged entertainment, revel in a sense of drama and satirical humour. Embrace outrageous and unconventional decorative combinations from the East and West, old and new, to create a surreal, playful environment. The designs being Western but the inspiration of play of colours being Eastern has given this trend and collections an edge to the others. And as quoted by Elsa Schiaparelli, In difficult times fashion is always outrageous. I believe it justifies that different things or cultures can be put together even if one is different from the other to create something that is outrageous. http://www.wgsn.com/content/wgsn-ms/trends-info/features/ti0861/ti086120_index/ti086120_ou.html WGSN has aggressive plans for Indian fashion industry August 06, 2009 (India) WGSN, worlds leading fashion and style forecaster, in 2009 has updated for a partnership with the fast growing fashion retail market in India. They also announced their Global Trends Style Forecast for season 2010-2011.It will be focusing on the Fashion designers, manufacturers and retailers to partner and help them in moving up the value chain to tap opportunities in local and global fashion industry. This shows the importance and development of the Indian fashion market and its influence globally. As Juliet Warkentin, Head Content WGSN said, With a rich and diverse cultural history and huge talent base, we believe India has the potential to play a major role in global fashion Industry. With Indian companies across sectors making a global impact, its now turn for Indian fashion industry. And at WGSN we want to share our knowledge and experience to partner the Indian fashion industry in their quest to be world class players. http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/fashion-news/newsdetails.aspx?news_id=75777 Role of Culture As Michel Klein (designer) quoted in the book Yves Saint Laurent (Forty Years of creation), without looking back to the past, without playing with disguise, he created a contemporary fashion with very cultural inspiration. For YSL the influence of culture in all its aspect is only a source of inspiration. http://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/market-research-industry-reports/the-text-of-indian-text-styles.asp Consumer behaviour Consumer behavior is the study of when, why, how, and where people do or do not buy a product. It blends elements from psychology, sociology, social anthropology and economics. It attempts to understand the buyer decision making process, both individually and in groups. It studies characteristics of individual consumers such as demographics and behavioral variables in an attempt to understand peoples wants. It also tries to assess influences on the consumer from groups such as family, friends, reference groups, and society in general. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_behaviour) As Maria Costantino has explained consumer behaviour provides a number of concepts that help fashion marketers think about and understand their customers, and market research provides techniques for measuring those concepts. Understanding consumer and their buying behaviour draws heavily on psychology and anthropology as well cultural history.

Iron Crowned Chapter 13

The journey back was uneventful, the most notable thing being the afterglow that now burned between Kiyo and me – something I now questioned the wisdom of. My words had been true: I'd never stopped caring about him. But he'd been right too: what had happened between us back in the glade had come from my own outrage and need to get back at Dorian. That wasn't really a good reason to start a relationship. It wasn't even a really good reason for casual sex, and honestly, I wasn't sure what my status was with Kiyo at the moment. Deanna reappeared and followed along so quietly and obediently that I finally broke the silence to reassure her I'd keep my part of the bargain. Her drab face lit up, and I had to give her credit for not pushing the matter until I settled my other business. Kiyo and I went straight to Dorian's, once we'd crossed back into more familiar territory. My plan was to deal with him first and then jump to the human world. I thought it would be safer to have the crown there. Dorian's guards met me with pleased grins, and while they were surprised to see Kiyo, most seemed to know I'd been off on some secret mission. Coming back alive was a good sign. As soon as we entered the castle, I ordered a messenger to go to Katrice and inform her that I now possessed the Iron Crown and that if she wanted to talk surrender, I was all ears. As Dorian's consort, I had the power to order around his staff – but I had a feeling that would end soon. Kiyo and I were admitted into Dorian's exalted presence out in a courtyard, where he was making a long-tormented courtier named Muran play the harp. I knew for a fact that Muran had had exactly one lesson, and Dorian seemed quite amused watching the guy struggle through. This kind of thing was one of Dorian's greatest pastimes, and usually, even though I felt bad for Muran, it provided me with a little amusement. Today I felt none. When we entered the courtyard, Dorian took one look at our faces and promptly ordered everyone away – even his guards. He still wore that small, carefree smile, but I'd seen a subtle shift in the lines of his face. He knew something was up. His astuteness was what made him such a good ruler. â€Å"Well, here you are,† he said, sitting back in the gentry equivalent of a lawn chair. Except, of course, I'd never seen Home Depot sell anything so ornate and gilded. Normally when I arrived, Dorian kissed me, but his wariness must have held him back. â€Å"As beautiful as ever, my dear, if a little beat up around the edges. I suppose this means you either succeeded or just barely escaped with your life?† â€Å"We succeeded,† I said. â€Å"I've got the crown.† Again – that smile didn't change, but an eager light flickered in Dorian's eyes. He leaned forward. â€Å"I knew it. I knew you could do it.† He studied me up and down, his gaze finally resting on the bag over my shoulder. â€Å"May I see it?† â€Å"No,† I said bluntly. â€Å"No one's going to see it. It's going to be hidden away where it can't be used to start eating up people's lands.† Dorian's eyebrows rose, and he began to speak. I could already imagine a hundred variations of what was going to come out of his mouth, something along the lines of, â€Å"Whatever are you talking about, my dear?† I stepped forward, my control snapping as I cut him off. â€Å"Don't start! Don't even start with some sugar-coated denial. You've known all along what the crown could do! You knew it'd scare Katrice because it meant I – and by default you – could take over her kingdom!† Dorian hesitated, and again, I could guess at the thoughts spinning in his head. Denial or backpedaling? He finally went with the latter. â€Å"And what better way to push her into peace?† he said at last. â€Å"The point of a war like this is to eventually march over and subdue someone anyway. Isn't it much simpler and faster to achieve that same end through another way?† â€Å"A way that rips her land from her!† I exclaimed. â€Å"And sticks me with another fucking kingdom!† I stepped forward and had to forcibly keep myself from getting closer. I was so, so angry. So angry that this man I cared about could do this to me. I was almost angrier at him than Katrice at the moment. From her, at least, I expected betrayal. â€Å"And that's what you would have wanted to do – not just scare her. You would have found some way, some justification for taking that drastic step, just like you got me to go after this in the first place.† Much of the humor had faded from Dorian's face now. â€Å"And would you have gone after it if you'd known?† â€Å"No.† He shrugged. â€Å"Well, there you have it.† I was aghast. â€Å"That's it? How the hell can you be so lax about this? How can you act like it's okay to have tricked me from the beginning – you and that hag? How can you claim to love me and lie to me?† â€Å"I do love you,† he said. â€Å"More than you know. I did this for your own good.† â€Å"You did it for your own good,† I snapped. â€Å"I can't believe I fell for it again. You've done this before, and now I'm done. Done with you. Done with all of this. I don't need your help anymore. I'll finish this fucking war on my own.† â€Å"Eugenie,† warned Kiyo softly. He didn't contradict me, not in front of Dorian, but I understood the subtext. It was the point he'd made before: not to spurn Dorian's military help. Dorian scoffed, sharing that sentiment. â€Å"Of course you need me. If you can get past your hurt pride, you'll see that we're in this together. Use the crown however you want, but be reasonable so that the two of us can finally end this war.† My voice was low and dangerous when I spoke. I was furious that he could be so condescending, that he assumed he could just smooth this all over. â€Å"There is no more us.† â€Å"Now you're just overreacting,† he said. â€Å"We need to finish this war together, and we need to be together, period. We're meant to be.† â€Å"No,† I said. â€Å"We're done. It's over.† I could see from his face that he didn't take that seriously either. He didn't get it. His ego wouldn't allow him to. Before he could respond, Kiyo lightly touched my arm. â€Å"Be careful. Look what you're doing.† I glanced around. The wind was rising and falling, making the apple trees sway back and forth. Dark clouds began to gather above. It wasn't uncommon for my emotions to unconsciously affect the weather, but the fact that I could do it in a land under someone else's control was a sign of how much my power had grown. If Dorian had wanted sunny weather, it should have stayed that way. The realization of what I could do was heady. Nonetheless, I pushed back, calming the air and dissipating the storm clouds. But Dorian wasn't concerned about any of that. His attention had snapped to one small gesture: Kiyo's touch on my arm. I'm not sure how Dorian knew – maybe just the way Kiyo and I stood near each other – but in that moment, Dorian realized what had happened between Kiyo and me. And that, more than any of the arguments here, was what finally broke that laid-back attitude. His face turned to stone. â€Å"Oh,† he said to Kiyo, voice completely devoid of emotion. â€Å"I see. It's your turn again.† Outrage filled me at the insinuation that I could be passed around – a sentiment not unlike what Kiyo himself had expressed. Dorian allowed me no chance to counter. â€Å"Well, if that's how it's going to be, then that's how it's going to be. You may be right that there's no us, but we are still in this war together. My armies are too enmeshed, and I can hardly let Katrice think I'm backing down. Dareth!† Dorian's voice rang out, loudly enough that one of the guards behind the glass doors heard. He swiftly opened the doors and stepped outside. â€Å"Your Majesty?† â€Å"Please escort the Thorn Queen and her pet from the premises. They are denied hospitality. Do not admit them again. Should any of her household come, they may be allowed into my presence.† His eyes flicked to me. â€Å"Send Rurik as your proxy for all military matters. He was doing all the work anyway.† Dorian's attention went back to his guard. â€Å"You have your orders.† Dareth had trouble keeping the shock off his face. I had become a fixture around here, treated nearly the same as Dorian. After a few moments, Dareth composed his features, his loyalty to his king overriding any disbelief he might feel. He turned to me, expression formal. He gestured inside. â€Å"Your Majesty.† The respect was there, but the message was clear. I was being thrown out and could see Dareth practically praying I wouldn't resist. I didn't, and while a dozen parting retorts to Dorian filled my head, I shoved them aside. He thrived on that kind of attention. It would only make him feel more important, and I wanted it made clear that I really was done with him – even though the cold reality of what was happening made my heart break. Kiyo and I began to follow Dareth without comment, but then I paused. Reaching toward my neck, I ripped off the necklace I wore, the one with Dorian's ring. I tossed it at his feet, meeting his gaze with a message I hoped he understood. He did. His answered mine with green fury. â€Å"I said get out of here.† I turned away, letting Dareth take us to the castle's front doors. As soon as we were outside, I heard him giving instructions about the revoking of our hospitality. I imagined the other guards shared his shock, but I walked on without looking back. Once Kiyo and I had traveled far enough that the land shifted and put us in Maiwenn's kingdom, he turned to look at me. â€Å"Are you okay?† he asked, worry in those dark eyes. â€Å"Fine,† I said flatly. I was confident my anger was justified †¦ but leaving Dorian still hurt. He'd dismissed me so easily, once he'd realized I'd slept with Kiyo. I'd expected something †¦ something more emotional, I guess. Some sign that I'd meant more to him than a useful consort. I should have known better. â€Å"Let's go back to Tucson.† I'd kept Volusian and Deanna away while we'd met with Dorian but brought them both back now. I told Deanna to come to my home tomorrow and that we'd start working on her problem then. To Volusian, I gave orders to return to the Thorn Land. He would tell Rurik to go to Dorian and then wait until word came back from Katrice. I had no doubt that word of my being banned from Dorian's would spread around quickly enough; I didn't want to see the reactions of my people when that happened. Kiyo and I crossed back to Arizona at a nearby gateway, going to his place instead of mine so that he could redo my stitches. He was as good as any ‘real' doctor, and I didn't want to have to explain my new cuts and bruises to someone else. A slew of cats and dogs greeted me when I entered his apartment, making me feel oddly nostalgic. â€Å"Are you sure you're okay?† Kiyo asked later. I was lying stomach-down on his bed while his needle went to work on the cut. My cheek rested on a pillow, my only view being his dresser as I tried to stay still. â€Å"Fine.† â€Å"You keep saying that, but what went down was pretty serious.† I could imagine the frown on his face. â€Å"I didn't expect him to pull hospitality.† â€Å"He knows we slept together,† I said. â€Å"Guys get upset when their girlfriends do that.† I'd broken up with Dorian in my head the instant I found out about the deception, but as far as he was concerned, I'd cheated on him. Maybe I had. But betraying someone who'd deceived you didn't seem like that much of a betrayal. â€Å"Yes,† said Kiyo. â€Å"Yes, they do.† He tied off his thread and re-bandaged it all. â€Å"Please, please do not pull these out again. The fact that this isn't infected is a miracle.† â€Å"I won't,† I said, sitting up and carefully putting my shirt back on. â€Å"I don't plan on getting in any fights for a while. I'm staying out of the Otherworld until they really need me, and investigating Deanna's murder should only involve questions. Actually, I'm hoping to pass it off on someone else.† â€Å"She won't like that,† he said. â€Å"It'll get it done,† I said. â€Å"And she'll like that. Probably even faster than if I did it.† I started to stand, but Kiyo caught hold of my hand and kept me down. His expression turned sly. â€Å"You want to stay for a while?† I shook my head, smiling faintly. â€Å"I've got some things to do. Besides, just because we did what we did doesn't mean †¦ well, it doesn't mean things are the same again.† His mischievous smile faded. â€Å"You're right. A lot kind of got rushed. I suppose we should †¦ I don't know. Do you want to go on a date?† â€Å"A date?† I laughed in spite of myself. It seemed so out of place after what we'd been through these last few days. Too ordinary. â€Å"Dinner and a movie?† â€Å"Something like that. I could pick you up later, after your errands are done. Or tomorrow if you need a little more time.† A little more time? Maybe I needed a lot more time. I really didn't know. I might have jumped into bed – figuratively speaking – right after my relationship with Dorian had crumbled, but as I'd said, that didn't mean I was ready to establish something committed with Kiyo again. I'd had sex with Kiyo in the throes of my anger; I had more to think about now that I'd cooled down – and seen Dorian's face. My head told me we were through, but my heart already missed him. â€Å"Tomorrow,† I said. Kiyo nodded. â€Å"Fair enough. I should probably check in at the clinic anyway.† I honestly didn't understand the terms of Kiyo's employment. With his constant visits to the Otherworld, he didn't seem to have any regular schedule with the emergency vet clinic he worked at. He just seemed to show up whenever he wanted. It was more convenient than my own job for maintaining a dual existence between worlds. Confused feelings or not, I let him kiss me good-bye before I left. There was a part of me that wished I could just stay with him, hiding out in his bed and avoiding the rest of the world. Worlds, even. But I had too much to do. The first thing was to get home and change into clean clothes. I arrived to what initially appeared to be an empty house, but the cars in the driveway tipped me off. Sure enough, a minute or so after I walked inside, I heard Tim's bedroom door open. He emerged, wearing only jeans, his black hair standing in all directions. â€Å"Hey, Eug. Didn't expect to see you back.† â€Å"Apparently not. I take it Lara's in there?† He had the grace to look sheepish. â€Å"Ah, well – â€Å" â€Å"Hi, Eugenie.† Lara appeared in the kitchen beside him, her hair as messed up as his. Her clothes – including Tim's â€Å"West Coast Powwow 2002† T-shirt – showed signs of hasty assembly. She was blushing, but her embarrassment turned to surprise as she eyed my appearance. She still wasn't used to seeing me in real life. â€Å"Rough day?† â€Å"Days,† I said. â€Å"Oh †¦ I don't suppose †¦ I don't suppose you'd be interested in hearing about some job offers?† It was the first time she'd been hesitant to bring up work. I think she was finally starting to understand the grueling nature of my life and that back-to-back jobs weren't as easy as checking items off a list. â€Å"Not really. Not for a few days.† â€Å"A few – † She bit off her protest and meekly nodded. I walked around them, heading for my room. â€Å"I've got things to do,† I called back to them. â€Å"So you can go back to †¦ whatever it is you were doing.† Truthfully, I didn't want to do the task hanging before me. I wanted to find whatever baked goods Tim had squirreled away in the kitchen and then take that nap I'd longed for at Kiyo's. But, no. I'd made a promise to Deanna, one I had to honor, no matter how messed up the rest of my life was. So, after cleaning up and changing, I sat on the edge of my bed and picked up my cell phone. I stared at it for a long time, running my fingers along its edges as I procrastinated. Finally, I dialed a memorized number and waited. There was a good chance that no one would answer. I was calling my mom's cell phone, though, which gave me better odds than if I'd called her house number. I knew Roland had asked her to keep her distance from me, but after seeing me at the hospital, my mom would likely resist any directives like that – if only out of fear that I'd lost a limb or something. â€Å"Hello?† My breath caught, and I almost couldn't speak. Just that one word †¦ the sound of her voice. It sent a flood of emotions through me, and I forced myself to remember my mission here. â€Å"Mom?† â€Å"Genie? Are you okay?† she asked promptly. As suspected, she feared limb loss. â€Å"Yeah, yeah, fine. How are you?† â€Å"Fine. Worried about you – like always.† â€Å"I'm okay,† I said. â€Å"Really. But I need †¦ I, um, need to talk to Roland.† Long silence. â€Å"Eugenie – â€Å" â€Å"I know, I know. But I need his help with something. It won't take long. Just one question. Please.† She sighed. â€Å"Oh, baby. I wish I could, but he's made it clear †¦ You know how he feels about everything†¦.† â€Å"It's a human thing,† I said, only partially lying. â€Å"A job in this world. Please, Mom. Just ask him if he'll talk to me for a minute?† More silence, then another sigh. â€Å"Hang on.† I waited, nervously twisting the fabric of my bed's duvet. What would happen? The two most likely options were that either my mom would relay his refusal or they would simply hang up on me. But, no. It was Roland's voice I heard next. â€Å"Yes?† Cold. Wary. After everything that had just happened to me in the Otherworld, hearing his voice nearly broke me. I wanted to sob and beg him to forgive me. Beg him to love me again. My mom had undoubtedly done a fair share of that already, though. She'd clearly had no luck. I had no reason to believe I'd fare any better, so I made my tone match his as I swallowed back tears. Just business here. â€Å"I need a referral,† I said brusquely. â€Å"To a private investigator. One who isn't going to be freaked out by the stuff we deal with. I figured you must know someone.† â€Å"You need a P.I. to deal with some monster?† he asked harshly. â€Å"No, no. It actually should be pretty mundane – all human stuff. But considering what we do †¦ Well, I thought I should have someone prepared in case things get weird.† I didn't have any reason for Deanna to interact directly with a P.I. – or for me even to mention her – but I wanted to be safe. â€Å"Well,† said Roland. â€Å"Let's make it clear: ‘we' don't do the same kinds of things.† With great effort, I bit off the retorts that wanted to burst out of me. I wanted to explain for the hundredth time that I'd never expected – or wanted – to reach this level of involvement in the Otherworld. Again, I opted for directness. â€Å"Please, Roland,† I said simply. â€Å"This is for a human family. Just forget about me for a minute.† When he didn't respond, I thought for sure the anticipated hang-up would come. â€Å"Enrique Valdez,† he said at last. â€Å"You should be able to look up his number. I'll call too and give him a heads-up.† â€Å"Oh, Roland. Thank you so – â€Å" Click. There it was. I pulled the phone away and held it in front of me again, staring at it as though it were to blame for all my problems. A few moments later, I tossed it on the floor. Anger surged through me, quickly fading into sadness. My eyes fell on my travel pack in the corner, the pack containing the Iron Crown. That – and all it represented – was the source of my problems. I fell back onto my bed, staring up at the glow-in-the-dark stars stuck on my ceiling. Roland, Dorian †¦ I was losing the men in my life. Why, why had Dorian done that? Why had he let me fall in love with him, only to play me? Was that what love meant to him? Was that how all his relationships worked? He'd hurt me, hurt me so terribly, and the petty, dark voice that lived inside me said that if sleeping with Kiyo had hurt Dorian in return, it was no more than he deserved. Kiyo. Kiyo was all I had left now, and I didn't know if I could trust him either. Before I could ruminate very much on that particular woe, a cold presence filled the room. I sat up quickly, putting aside all my self-pity as Volusian materialized before me. â€Å"Mistress,† he said. â€Å"Volusian,† I replied. â€Å"What's going on?† â€Å"I've come with a message, as you requested.† As always, his words were emotionless, yet he somehow conveyed the feeling that he resented every one of them. â€Å"Queen Katrice has responded to your news of the Iron Crown.† That was fast, even for the Otherworld. â€Å"And?† â€Å"And, she has agreed to a temporary truce.† I shot up from the bed. â€Å"You have got to be kidding.† Volusian didn't respond. I'd long since learned that any comment I made about him joking or kidding was treated rhetorically. Volusian did not joke or kid. â€Å"It worked,† I murmured, more to myself than him. â€Å"I can't believe it. Dorian was right.† â€Å"Indeed. But I assume my mistress will not resume carnal relations with him.† I made a face. If there was anyone I hated discussing my sex life with more than Jasmine, it was Volusian. â€Å"No. It doesn't matter if he was right. He lied to me to make it happen. He should have told me the whole story. He used half-truth means to achieve his ends.† Volusian nodded solemnly. â€Å"I told you that long ago, that the Oak King's own agenda will always come first. As will the kitsune's. But, unsurprisingly, my mistress chooses to ignore the only sound advice given to her and instead listens to those who use affection for their own purposes.† The word ‘affection' was spoken with particular venom. â€Å"Kiyo and Dorian don't – Look. Stay out of this, okay? I never asked for your ‘sound' advice. Get back to Katrice. How does this truce work exactly?† â€Å"Hostilities will cease until all parties are able to discuss the current situation. How said discussion proceeds will be settled beforehand by messengers. You and the Oak King may meet with her directly, or you may have representatives do the negotiating.† I tried to picture myself in a room with Dorian and Katrice. Lovely. â€Å"And where would this happen? I'm sure as hell not going to the Rowan Land.† â€Å"That too will be negotiated during this truce,† he said. â€Å"A neutral kingdom is the most likely choice. Shaya would like to discuss that with you at your earliest convenience.† â€Å"I'm sure she would. Go back and tell her I trust her to set up whatever arrangements need to be made. If I have to go myself †¦ well, then I go. I'll check in with her soon, but come back if anything happens in the meantime.† Volusian waited, and I gestured him away. â€Å"Go.† He vanished, and I sank onto my bed. My eyes fell on the concealed Iron Crown once again, and I dared to wonder if maybe some good had come out of this whole mess.