Avoid These 5 Mistakes When NetworkingÂÂ

Avoid These 5 Mistakes When Networking   We all know how daunting networking can be. It’s often the last thing we want to do: going out to â€Å"socialize† when we could be on the couch with take-out and Netflix, having to sell ourselves in every conversation, having to get in front of the right people to make the right impression. But, it has to be done. And it should be done right. Here are 5 common networking pitfalls and how to avoid them.1. Don’t get caught with your pants downEven if you make a last-minute decision to attend, make sure you’re prepared. Don’t forget your business cards. Don’t go up to anyone uninformed. Spend 15 minutes before you hit the party making a game plan- who you’d like to introduce yourself to, what specifically you’d like to accomplish, etc. Do some research into the people and companies you’re likely to run into; this will make for better conversations and you’ll come across as intelligent and on top of your game. Pick yo ur marks and take accurate, appropriate shots.2. Don’t be unprofessionalYou don’t need to  make a special hair appointment or show up in a cocktail dress to a casual after-work event, but you also shouldn’t dress like a slob. Go no lower than business casual, and when in doubt, take your cues from coworkers or other contacts you know are also attending.Once you’re there, act like a professional human. Don’t dismiss people just because they don’t look important. Don’t go around collecting business cards as if you were trick-or-treating. Don’t lie- you’ll always get caught. And make sure to have your elevator pitch practiced and ready to go. There’s nothing worse than being asked what you’re looking for and having to reply â€Å"Uh†¦. Um†¦. Work and stuff?†3. Don’t be naà ¯veAct like you’ve been to a networking event before. Don’t expect a job from every decision-maker you happen to shake hands with. And make sure not to ask for too much from everyone you meet. This is where a little strategic planning can really come in handy. Plan your big asks before you go. Once you’ve made them, try to  relax, act normally, and enjoy yourself. People are just people, after all.4. Don’t be selfishNobody likes a party hog. Don’t be the kind of networker who talks only about herself, thinks only about her needs, barges into conversations uninvited, and otherwise monopolizes everything and everyone. That goes for the shrimp puffs, too.5. Don’t forget to follow upThis is perhaps the most important. If you’ve made good contact with anyone, make sure to send a polite follow-up email the following day. Or even a phone call, depending on your level of connection! And if anyone does you any favors- i.e. puts you in touch with someone or agrees to circulate your resume- make sure to send a gracious thank you ASAP.

Understanding Kuznets Curve

Understanding Kuznets Curve The Kuznets curve is a hypothetical curve that graphs economic inequality against income per capita over the course of economic development (which was presumed to correlate with time). This curve is meant to illustrate economist Simon Kuznets’ (1901-1985) hypothesis about the behavior and relationship of these two variables as an economy develops from a primarily rural agricultural society to an industrialized urban economy. Kuznets’ Hypothesis In the 1950s and 1960s, Simon Kuznets hypothesized that as an economy develops, market forces first increase then decrease the overall economic inequality of the society, which is illustrated by the inverted U-shape of the Kuznets curve. For instance, the hypothesis holds that in the early development of an economy, new investment opportunities increase for those who already have the capital to invest. These new investment opportunities mean that those who already hold the wealth have the opportunity to increase that wealth. Conversely, the influx of inexpensive rural labor to the cities keeps wages down for the working class thus widening the income gap and escalating economic inequality. The Kuznets curve implies that as a society industrializes, the center of the economy shifts from rural areas to the cities as rural laborers, such as farmers,  begin to migrate seeking better-paying jobs. This migration, however, results in a large rural-urban income gap and rural populations decrease as urban populations increase. But according to Kuznets’ hypothesis, that same economic inequality is expected to decrease when a certain level of average income is reached and the processes associated with industrialization, such as democratization and the development of a welfare state, take hold. It is at this point in economic development that society is meant to benefit from trickle-down effect and an increase in per-capita income that effectively decreases economic inequality.   Graph The inverted U-shape of Kuznets curve illustrates the basic elements of the Kuznets’ hypothesis with income per capita graphed on the horizontal x-axis and economic inequality on the vertical y-axis. The graph shows income inequality following the curve, first increasing before decreasing after hitting a peak as per-capita income increases over the course of economic development. Criticism Kuznets’ curve has not survived without its share of critics. In fact, Kuznets himself emphasized the â€Å"fragility of [his] data† among other caveats in his paper. The primary argument of critics of Kuznets’ hypothesis and its resulting graphical representation is based on the countries used in Kuznets’ data set. Critics say that the Kuznets curve does not reflect an average progression of economic development for an individual country, but rather it is a representation of historical differences in economic development and inequality between countries in the dataset. The middle-income countries used in the data set are used as evidence for this claim as Kuznets primarily used countries in Latin America, which have had histories of high levels of economic inequality as compared to their counterparts in terms of similar economic development. The critics hold that when controlling for this variable, the inverted U-shape of the Kuznets curve begins to dimin ish. Other criticisms have come to light over time as more economists have developed hypotheses with more dimensions and more countries had undergone rapid economic growth that did not necessarily follow Kuznets’ hypothesized pattern. Today, the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC)- a variation on the Kuznets curve- has become standard in environmental policy and technical literature.

Discussion board reply Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Discussion board reply - Coursework Example Process control ensures maintenance of a loyal customer base through the quality of products and services that are offered by a company. Process control involves adhering strictly to rules that a company uses in production enabling the company to prevent potential costly mistakes (Shinskey, 2008). When a company fails to address a possible mistake in the production process, the burden is transferred to other processes such as marketing of the products. Process control ensures that a company does not divert from the objectives that it has in production (Albertson, 2007). The importance of the process control can also be seen in the effect that a mistake in the production process can cause to the image of a business. When there is no proper process control in the production process, poor quality goods are produced and this reduces the confidence that the consumers have in the company and the products that the company offers (Sen, 2008). All these factors as also brought out by the classmate’s post can be avoided through the application of process control. Process control mainly involves monitoring all the activities that are carried out in the company to ensure each activity is in done in accordance to set rules and regulations (Sen,

Hollywood Farmers Market Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Hollywood Farmers Market - Assignment Example I noticed that the produce are clearly marked and can be classified into non-organic, certified organic, unofficial organic and no spray produce. The market also provides resources and information about organic farming and foods; this gives consumer’s knowledge on decision making on whether to purchase organic or non-organic foods. A number of certified organic products in the market had the USDA logo, and they were clearly classified and arranged in different stalls from the rest of organic products which enabled the customers to choose wisely. Enquiring on regulations, I found out that some of the farmers and vendors who had a gross turnover of 5000 were exempted from the certification process but they faced regulations and inspections by the government. In the market organic produce included a number of fruits, oranges, tomatoes, mangoes and vegetables which included spinach, kales and herbs. There were also some free range chickens, with some natural eggs which were certif ied organic produce. Some of non-organic products included vegetables, herbs and fruits that were produced using genetically engineered seeds, chemicals, radiations, chemically based fertilizers and pesticides. I got a unique experience from the live chickens in the nooks and crannies of the store display counters (Clark, 1). I figured out that it was great fun carrying out open air shopping and having meals in the restaurants around the farmers market. A number of un-official products like omega XL a natural supplement, natural wine CSA and other minerals like Fulvic ionic were present in the market. After enquiring from one of the vendors, I realized that there are 100% organic product which contained certified contents. Examples of such products included fruits, vegetables, milk, orange, juice, cheese, eggs, chicken and beef. Upon talking to a number of farmers and vendors, it came to my realization that a number of farmers in Hollywood market have complied with a number of organ ic restrictions but they have not taken or given any certification with some arguing that the cost of getting the certification is high and if one is acquired the burden can be passed to the consumers. After walking around the market, I interviewed some farmers and vendors regarding their products, their farming methods and the justification for using the methods that they do. On the methods that are used to produce particular vegetables which are mainly organic, majority of their responses was that the vegetables were purely grown using manure through compost or droppings from a number of animals. Most of the people I interviewed said that they used artificial fertilizers. They further said that the vegetables were exposed to harsh environment and were not covered or housed in any greenhouse. They also used natural ways of preventing pests such as mixing farming with plants like pyrethrum which repel pests away. The farmers also gave me some perceptions that are used in organic far ming, majority of their fields are planted with grains such as corns, oats, soya beans, wheat and cover crops so as to build soil fertility. Other farmers outlined the guidelines used to get organic certification in their farms, which included a number of aspects like land requirements, pesticides used, seed selected and growing practices (Clark, 1). On their farming methods the farmers argued that some conventional methods are used to raise cattle where they are fed with diets

Jean Piaget Essay Example for Free

Jean Piaget Essay Jean Piaget was born in 1896 in the French-speaking Swiss city of Neuchatel to an â€Å"agnostic medievalist† and a religious mother with â€Å"socialist leanings†. He became a professional in mollusk classification and was published in specialized journals. After a doctoral thesis on the taxonomy of Alpine mollusks, in 1918, and studies in psychology and philosophy in Zurich and Paris, he joined the Jean-Jacques Rousseau Institute of Geneva, in 1921. The Jean-Jacques Rousseau Institute was a center for research on child development and education. He later taught experimental and developmental psychology, sociology, and history and philosophy of science, mostly at the University of Geneva. From 1929-1967, Piaget directed the International Bureau of Education, originally established to coordinate educational information and research, and to promote peace and international understanding through education. In 1955, with support from the Rockefeller Foundation, he created the interdisciplinary International Center for Genetic Epistemology (which closed in 1984). After his discovery in 1912 of Creative Evolution, by the French philosopher Henri Bergson, Piaget became interested in the nature of life and evolution, although he rejected the Darwinian theory of natural selection and adopted the basic postulate of his later thought: the idea that the theory of knowledge and the theory of life are inseparable. One of Piagets earlier writings, from 1918, was called, Recherche, was an autobiographical novel and philosophical essay. In Recherche, Piaget sketched a theory of organic, philosophical , and social phenomena based on the idea of equilibrium between parts and wholes. Real-life dis-equilibria (within a society, for example, between individual and collective interests) tend toward an ideal equilibrium that preserves the integrity of parts and wholes alike. Piaget studied the growth of intelligence, by which term he meant chiefly the capacities, structures, and notions that make scientific thought possible. He described development as a sequence of stages from birth through adolescence. The stages appear at variable ages in different cultures and settings, but their order is invariable. This stage theory is one of the best known stage theories that describes four qualitatively different stages of cognitive development. These four stages are: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal. As the stages progress, the thinking of the child changes in ways that involve more than the addition of knowledge and skills. â€Å"According to Piagets stage theory, all the explanation and practice in the world will not help a child functioning at one stage to understand the ways of thinking at a higher stage. Piagets stage theory model describes how humans make sense of their world by gathering and organizing information. According to Piaget, â€Å"certain ways of thinking that are quite simple for an adult, are not so simple for a child†. In the early 1920s, Piaget came up with a â€Å"clinical method† that combined the use of items from intelligence tests, new problem-solving situations, and open-ended conversations with school-age children. He studied the childs language, reasoning, conceptions of the world, theories of causality, and moral judgment. Piaget considered the development of intelligence as a process of â€Å"socialization of thought†, and he attributed great developmental import to social interactions among peers and between children and adults. Piaget found that children at are at first â€Å"egocentric† (ie, experienced difficulty to take another persons point of view) and attached to concrete appearances but the children gradually moved away from egocentrism and became capable of thinking abstractly and logically. Earlier studies of children done by Piaget, studied mainly the content of the childs mind and took into account age-related behaviors. These studies that Piaget conducted concentrated on the main features of the childs â€Å"mentality† in doing these tasks. Piaget saw a different role for interaction. He believed that interaction encouraged development by creating disequilibrium – that cognitive conflict helped to motivate change. He believed that the most helpful interactions were those between peers, because peers are on an equal basis and can challenge each others thinking. As Piaget said, â€Å"to go beyond his current state and strike out in new directions†. In Piagets writing, The Construction of Reality (1937), he describes how basic forms of intentionality and the categories of object, space, causality, and time evolve, during the sensorimotor period, between the newborns reflex activities and the development of language at about 18 months. Piaget defined human intelligence as a form of adaptation that â€Å"prolongs organic adaptation and functions according to the same mechanisms, â€Å"assimilation† and â€Å"accommodation†. Piaget later termed his approach constructivist because he assumes that the concepts and structures of intelligence are successively constructed and reconstructed by means of the physical and mental activities which an organism uses to adapt to the external world. In Piagets later work, he created the idea or concept of mental development and the history of science as a process of â€Å"equilibration toward an increasingly larger capacity for assimilating the world†. Piagets work encouraged the belief that instruction must adapt to the childs developmental level, had direct impact on moral and science education, and also helped to inspire remedial procedures. Piaget continues to remain a major reference in developmental psychology, especially in educational psychology. It was Piagets research techniques, formulation of new problems, insightful observations, and his emphasis on the development of cognitive capacities that helped contribute in fundamental ways to shape the contemporary child and cognitive psychology. There are many ways that Piaget s theory of cognitive development and learning can be useful within the classroom setting. For students who are in the Preoperational stage (2-7 years of age), you should make instructions short-not too many steps all at once. As a teacher, it is also important to demonstrate actions and instructions out for students to also be able to visualize. At this stage, it is also important to have plenty of hands-on practice with skills such as cutting out letters of the alphabet so that the students can see the shape of them, and also use the letters to help form words. For students who are in the Concrete-Operational stage (7-11 years of age), it is still important to use visual aids and props when teaching. One good way to do this is with three-dimensional models that work and show movement ideas. Another good way to help teach students in this stage would be to read a story or book to the class and have the students personalize the story by asking them open-ended questions that would help to stimulate their thinking, as well as, help to stimulate their logical and analytical thinking skills For students who are in the Formal Operations stage (11years of age-adult), you want to continue to use concrete-operational teaching strategies such as charts, illustrations, more sophisticated graphs and diagrams. A good way to challenge and encourage students in this stage would be to give them opportunities to solve problems and reason scientifically by having classroom debates where there are two different positions on a subject. Another way to encourage thinking skills in this stage would be to have the students compare the experiences of characters in stories and movies to their own experiences in life.

The Covenant, the Sword and the Arm of the Lord Essay -- CSA Identity

The Covenant, the Sword and the Arm of the Lord What does the word "terrorist" bring to mind? Without even seeing the accused, most people in this country automatically assume this person is Middle-Eastern and Muslim. Although Stern's Terror in the Name of God focuses mainly on Islamic terrorists, it begins by addressing terrorist acts of a more homegrown variety. Stern interviews American terrorists here in the United States. The Covenant, the Sword and the Arm of the Lord or CSA, a group of radical Christians, became one of the "most violent white supremacist centers of the 1980s" (Phelps). Members lived communally on a 250-acre compound near the Arkansas-Missouri border (Barkun 428). The group "came to accept the teachings of Identity Christianity," which, according to Stern, means seeing "Anglo-Saxons as the 'true Israel,' America as a sacred land, and the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution as a God-inspired, Christian inheritance" (17). Followers of Identity Christianity also expect to be present for doomsday (Stern 17). In fact, the members of the CSA believed the Apocalypse was imminent (The Covenant, the Sword and the Arm of the Lord). As Kerry Noble (minister and second in command of the CSA explains, "we are Christian survivalists who believe in preparing for the ultimate holocaust" (Paranoia as Patriotism). And that is exactly what they did. The organization set up an "Endtime Overcomer Survival Training School," which offered a course in military tactics, "Christian martial arts" and urban warfare (Paranoia as Patriotism). All male members of the group trained in every aspect of military action (The Covenant, the Sword and the Arm of the Lord) and each was issued full military gear,... ...right." The Village Voice [New York] 25 Mar. 1997,36-38. Alt-Press Watch (APW). ProQuest. W.E.B. DuBois Library, Amherst, MA. 11 Oct. 2007 . Stern, Jessica. Terror in the Name of God. New York: HarperCollins, 2003. Van Boven, Sarah, and Seibert, Sam. "Prep work." Newsweek 126.7 (14 Aug. 1995): 4. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. W.E.B. Du Bois Library, Amherst, MA. 10 October 2007. silk.library.umass.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=9508147623&site=eh ost-live&scope=site>. Wheeler, Tim. "McVeigh could tell some tales." People's Weekly World [New York] 26 May 2001, National Edition: 13. Alt-Press Watch (APW). ProQuest. W.E.B. DuBois Library, Amherst, MA. 11 Oct. 2007 . The Covenant, the Sword and the Arm of the Lord Essay -- CSA Identity The Covenant, the Sword and the Arm of the Lord What does the word "terrorist" bring to mind? Without even seeing the accused, most people in this country automatically assume this person is Middle-Eastern and Muslim. Although Stern's Terror in the Name of God focuses mainly on Islamic terrorists, it begins by addressing terrorist acts of a more homegrown variety. Stern interviews American terrorists here in the United States. The Covenant, the Sword and the Arm of the Lord or CSA, a group of radical Christians, became one of the "most violent white supremacist centers of the 1980s" (Phelps). Members lived communally on a 250-acre compound near the Arkansas-Missouri border (Barkun 428). The group "came to accept the teachings of Identity Christianity," which, according to Stern, means seeing "Anglo-Saxons as the 'true Israel,' America as a sacred land, and the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution as a God-inspired, Christian inheritance" (17). Followers of Identity Christianity also expect to be present for doomsday (Stern 17). In fact, the members of the CSA believed the Apocalypse was imminent (The Covenant, the Sword and the Arm of the Lord). As Kerry Noble (minister and second in command of the CSA explains, "we are Christian survivalists who believe in preparing for the ultimate holocaust" (Paranoia as Patriotism). And that is exactly what they did. The organization set up an "Endtime Overcomer Survival Training School," which offered a course in military tactics, "Christian martial arts" and urban warfare (Paranoia as Patriotism). All male members of the group trained in every aspect of military action (The Covenant, the Sword and the Arm of the Lord) and each was issued full military gear,... ...right." The Village Voice [New York] 25 Mar. 1997,36-38. Alt-Press Watch (APW). ProQuest. W.E.B. DuBois Library, Amherst, MA. 11 Oct. 2007 . Stern, Jessica. Terror in the Name of God. New York: HarperCollins, 2003. Van Boven, Sarah, and Seibert, Sam. "Prep work." Newsweek 126.7 (14 Aug. 1995): 4. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. W.E.B. Du Bois Library, Amherst, MA. 10 October 2007. silk.library.umass.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=9508147623&site=eh ost-live&scope=site>. Wheeler, Tim. "McVeigh could tell some tales." People's Weekly World [New York] 26 May 2001, National Edition: 13. Alt-Press Watch (APW). ProQuest. W.E.B. DuBois Library, Amherst, MA. 11 Oct. 2007 .

English: Official Language Essay

â€Å"If language is not correct, then what is said is not what is meant; if what is said is not what is meant, then what must be done remains undone; if this remains undone, morals and art will deteriorate; if justice goes astray, the people will stand about in helpless confusion. Hence there must be no arbitrariness in what is said. This matters above everything. † — Confucius All of us are created individually because we have our differences to one another. We must obtain the fact that we are not made to use same knowledge in one aspect of context. Based on our personal perspectives, we have our own ideologies and culture that we need to preserve for it was the source of our identity. Language is one of our cultural differences to one another. By way of taking our mother tongue just to obtain new knowledge of English language was not a fair solution to globalization. That is why we must have our own guts to differ the policy stating that English language should the only language spoken and written in the world. From the time of language policy conception until today, the debate between whether to use English as the only language or not continued to more sensitive issues and arguments. Many organizations and individuals who are against with this concept are making their own way to inform the public about the limitations of the policy. Despite of promulgating this policy to many schools and companies, many people are still undecided to take this action because it was not a reasonable thinking. According to Leonard Kniffel in his article, â€Å"English only is English Lonely†, â€Å"we understood in those days that English was the key to success and acceptance. Kids like us embraced into exclusion of any language or custom that made as back as if we were just off the boat† (3). The main targets of the institutions behind the promulgation of English language policy are the children for they could not render opposition to what the academe or the social law would impose to them. Children could be feed any information without asking why and how things happened. Therefore, by using children as the primary way to make English as the official language, success will come into a wide variety of situation. According to Rebecca Weber in her article â€Å"Something to Talk About†, â€Å"English-only advocates say that assimilation and mastering English are crucial to success in school, the workforce, and society. But children who can speak English on playground can’t necessarily comprehend grade-level academic content in English† (25). This statement shows that by feeding a child the orientation to speak English language is a terrible problem because even if in his or her daily activities should make him or her use the Standard English language. Therefore, problem may arise within this issue because limitation of a child’s activity because of English language will be done without any good reasoning or justification. On the other way around, according to Loreta Medina in her article entitled â€Å"English Immersion has not been proven to Raise Test Scores†, Contrary to popular wisdom, systematic evaluations show bilingual education to be superior to English-only approaches on promoting English reading. But that advantage is fairly small if it is not combined with other costly efforts to improve the school leadership and instructional approaches that go far beyond the tired refrain of the language of instruction. (2) This statement shows that English is not the solution to global problem because there are more things to discuss rather than limiting people to use only one language. By promoting this policy, people will be engaged to a dictatorial situation wherein they could not use their mother tongue, which they could more express their selves rather than using English language. As a whole, policy on using English language as the only language used in the world especially in the society of America should not be promulgated because it promotes discrimination and inequality especially to different immigrants who could not obtain English language very well. English language will always be the second language of many immigrants from other countries but it should not be the reason to deploy them because we must know that they are striving hard to learn the language even if it was already in the sense of stupidity.

Stefan’s Diaries: The Craving Chapter 14

On Friday Winfield took Damon and me to get fitted for a custom suit. A visit to Pinotto's Tailoring might have been fun at some other point in my life – as it had been the night I went shopping with Lexi in New Orleans. Pasquale Pinotto was a master of his craft, descended from a long line of tailors to kings and queens of Europe. With his pince-nez glasses and chalk and measuring tape around his neck, he could have been someone out of a fairy tale. I enjoyed trying to speak the few words of Italian I knew to him; he took pleasure in it as well, though he corrected my accent. Damon, of course, pretended that he only wanted to speak English now that he was in America – which is how he got around the tailor's delight at meeting a fellow countryman. â€Å"Look at this.† Damon held up a bolt of scarlet red silk to his face. â€Å"We could have our jackets lined with it. Doesn't it just bring out the color in my lips? Or†¦ Lydia's neck?† He moved it to the side, just about where the fang wounds would have been on him. Winfield looked confused. â€Å"She has taken to wearing scarves around her neck, lately. Is that what you mean? It's dashed peculiar – she never used to.† Damon flicked him a quick look, a flash of surprise and annoyance so fast only I caught it. It was interesting that Mr. Sutherland noticed the subtle changes occurring around him, even if he was ultimately powerless against Damon's compulsion. Although any safety the rich old man had was in staying completely ignorant of my brother's schemes. I leaned against the wall for support, tension exhausting me. I felt claustrophobic among all the rolls of expensive fabric and labyrinthine rooms of mirrors and sewing machines, as trapped in that room as I was in my life. Mr. Sutherland made his way to a chair to rest his ponderous bulk. He seemed a touch fidgety – he kept reaching for his cigar, but he was not allowed to smoke one of his famous cigars in the atelier, as the smoke would ruin the fabric. â€Å"Now here is some cloth I am thinking you will like,† Signor Pinotto said, presenting us with black wool crepe so fine and soft it might have been silk. â€Å"I get it from a tiny village in Switzerland. They work†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Leave the cloth to me,† Winfield said, twirling an unlit cigar in his hand. â€Å"I know the business. Let the young men pick out whatever style they want.† Damon started looking through the jackets, pulling one out and holding it against him to see how it fit. â€Å"In this morning coat and that black crepe, we'll look like real creatures of the night,† Damon observed. â€Å"Don't you think so, Stefan?† â€Å"Yes, yes we will,† I agreed stonily. â€Å"Here, try this on.† Damon tossed me a smaller version of the jacket. Dutifully, I took off my own and put it on. The jacket fit me well except for being too big in the shoulders and chest. Damon was distracted by the tailor and Winfield, discussing patterns and linings and buttons. It occurred to me in that moment that I could leap out the window and run away. Would my brother actually carry through on all of his threats? Would he really kill the Sutherlands – or worse? But then I thought of the message in blood and realized I would never let the world find out the answer to that question. I wanted no more deaths on my conscience. â€Å"Is that the sort of thing young men prance around town in these days?† Winfield asked, frowning at my jacket. â€Å"I've never really been a – what did you call it? – ‘creature of the night.'† Damon gave him a cold smile. â€Å"Never say never.† And then Damon was suddenly standing next to me in front of the mirror, buttoning up his jacket and fluffing out the tails. Very assiduously he fixed mine as well. â€Å"Well, would you look at that,† he said to our reflections, putting an arm around my shoulders. â€Å"We could almost be brothers.† â€Å"We were brothers at one time,† I hissed so quietly that only Damon's highly tuned ears could hear. â€Å"Though you are now as alien to me as the devil himself.† â€Å"Eh?† Winfield looked up. â€Å"You do resemble each other a little. The†¦ hair. And the†¦ face.† He waved a hand vaguely at us. Then he smiled widely. â€Å"I'll have a whole set of matching grandchildren! Dozens of them, dandling on my knees.† Damon grinned. â€Å"Absolutely. I plan on having a large family, Mr. Sutherland. It's important that my bloodline goes on.† â€Å"You're really pushing it,† I said. â€Å"I haven't even started,† he whispered, smiling. â€Å"Oh really? Then what was that message you left for me in blood?† I said. Damon's forehead crinkled. â€Å"Message?† â€Å"Actually, I rather like the scarlet.† Winfield held a bolt of the fabric in his hands, and didn't seem to notice the tension in the air. â€Å"It's perfect. Damon DeSangue – bloodred, or of blood, right?† Damon looked surprised. I was taken off guard, too. â€Å"I speak four languages, boys,† Winfield said with a bit of a growl in his grin. â€Å"And can read another four. I-tal-ian is just one.† So Sutherland wasn't quite the buffoon he appeared to be. There were layers in him, and of course there had to be for such a successful businessman. â€Å"And speaking of languages, ho bisogno di vino, something to wet my throat. I brought something from my own cellar, a fantastic amontillado. Care to join me?† â€Å"I really could drain a good Sutherland dry just about now,† Damon said gamely, clapping me on the shoulder like our future father-in-law did. I slumped in despair. When we'd first become vampires, I'd wanted nothing more than to spend eternity with my brother. But now I couldn't wait to be rid of him.

Biography of Jim Thorpe, Native American Olympian

Biography of Jim Thorpe, Native American Olympian Jim Thorpe (May 28, 1888–March 28, 1953) is remembered as one of the greatest athletes of all time and one of the most celebrated Native Americans in modern times. At the 1912 Olympics, Jim Thorpe accomplished the unprecedented feat of winning gold medals in both the pentathlon and the decathlon. Although he was stripped of his medals due to a violation of his amateur status prior to the Olympics, Thorpe went on to play both professional baseball and football and was an especially gifted football player. Fast Facts: Jim Thorpe Known For: Jim Thorpe was a native American athlete known for his Olympic gold medals in the pentathlon and the decathlon.Also Known As: James Francis Thorpe, Wa-tho-huk (Native American name meaning Bright Path), and The Worlds Greatest AthleteBorn: May 28, 1888 in Prague, OklahomaParents: Hiram Thorpe and Charlotte VieuxDied: March 28, 1953 in Lomita, CaliforniaEducation: Carlisle Indian Industrial School, Haskell Indian Junior CollegeAwards and Honors: Gold medals in the pentathlon and decathlon (later stripped because of amateur status violation)Spouse(s): Iva Miller, Freeda Kirkpatrick, Patricia AskewChildren: 8Notable Quote: I am no more proud of my career as an athlete than I am of the fact that I am a direct descendant of that noble warrior [Chief Black Hawk]. Early Life Jim Thorpe and his twin brother Charlie were born on May 28, 1888, in Prague, Oklahoma to Hiram Thorpe and Charlotte Vieux. Both parents were of mixed Native American and European heritage. Hiram and Charlotte had a total of 11 children, six of whom died in early childhood. On his fathers side, Jim Thorpe was related to the great warrior Black Hawk, whose people (the Sac and Fox tribe) had originally come from the Lake Michigan region. (They were forced by the United States government to resettle in the Oklahoma Indian Territory in 1869.) The Thorpes lived in a log farmhouse on the Sac and Fox reservation, where they grew crops and raised livestock. Although most members of their tribe wore traditional native clothing and spoke the Sac and Fox language, the Thorpes adopted many customs of white people. They wore standard American clothing and spoke English at home. (English was the only language Jims parents had in common.) Charlotte, who was part French and part Potawatomi Indian, insisted that her children be raised as Roman Catholics. The twins did everything together, including fishing, hunting, wrestling, and horseback riding. At the age of 6, Jim and Charlie were sent to the reservation school, a boarding school run by the federal government 20 miles away. Following the prevailing racist ideas of the times- that whites were superior to Native Americans- students were taught to live in the manner of white people and forbidden to speak their native language. Although the twins were different in temperament (Charlie was studious, whereas Jim preferred sports), they were very close. Sadly, when the boys were 8, an epidemic swept through their school and Charlie fell sick and died in late 1896. Jim was devastated. He lost interest in school and sports and repeatedly ran away from school. A Troubled Youth Hiram sent Jim to Haskell Indian Junior College in 1898 in an effort to discourage him from running away. The government-run school, located 300 miles away in Lawrence, Kansas, operated on a military system, with students wearing uniforms and following a strict set of regulations. Although he chafed at the idea of being told what to do, Thorpe made an attempt to fit in at Haskell. After watching the varsity football team at Haskell, Thorpe was inspired to organize football games with other boys at the school. Leaving School Thorpes adherence to his fathers wishes didnt last. In the summer of 1901, Thorpe heard his father had been seriously hurt in a hunting accident and, in a hurry to get home, left Haskell without permission. At first, Thorpe hopped on a train, but it was unfortunately headed in the wrong direction. After getting off the train, he walked most of the way home, hitching rides occasionally. After his two-week trek, Thorpe arrived home only to discover that his father was recovered yet very angry about what his son had done. Despite his father’s fury, Thorpe chose to stay on his fathers farm and help out instead of returning to Haskell. Only a few months later, Thorpes mother died from blood poisoning following childbirth (the infant died as well). Thorpe and his entire family were devastated. After his mother’s death, tensions within the family grew. After an especially bad argument- followed by a beating from his father- Thorpe left home and headed to Texas. There, at the age of 13, Thorpe found work taming wild horses. He loved the work and managed to support himself for a year. Upon his return home, Thorpe discovered that he had earned his fathers respect. This time, Thorpe agreed to enroll in a nearby public school, where he participated in baseball and track and field. With seemingly little effort, Thorpe excelled at whatever sport he attempted. The Carlisle Indian School In 1904, a representative from the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania came to the Oklahoma Territory looking for candidates for the trade school. (Carlisle had been founded by an army officer in 1879 as a vocational boarding school for young Native Americans.) Thorpes father convinced Jim to enroll at Carlisle, knowing there were few opportunities available for him in Oklahoma. Thorpe entered the Carlisle School in June 1904 at age 16. He had hoped to become an electrician, but because Carlisle didnt offer that course of study, Thorpe opted to become a tailor. Not long after hed begun his studies, Thorpe received staggering news. His father had died of blood poisoning, the same illness that had taken his mothers life. Thorpe coped with his loss by immersing himself in the Carlisle tradition known as outing, in which students were sent to live with (and work for) white families in order to learn white customs. Thorpe went on three such ventures, spending several months at a time working in roles such as a gardener and farm worker. School Sports Thorpe returned to school from his last outing in 1907, having grown taller and more muscular. He joined an intramural football team, where his impressive performance gained the attention of coaches in both football and track and field. Thorpe joined the varsity track team in 1907 and later the football team. Both sports were coached by football coaching legend Glenn Pop Warner. In track and field, Thorpe excelled in every event and often broke records at meets. Thorpe also led his small school to football victories over larger, more famous colleges, including Harvard and West Point. Among the opposing players he met on the field was future president Dwight D. Eisenhower of West Point. The 1912 Olympics In 1910, Thorpe decided to take a break from school and find a way to earn money. During two consecutive summers (1910 and 1911), Thorpe accepted an offer to play minor league baseball in North Carolina. It was a decision he would come to regret deeply. In the fall of 1911, Pop Warner convinced Jim to return to Carlisle. Thorpe had another stellar football season, earning recognition as a first-team All-American halfback. In the spring of 1912, Thorpe re-joined the track and field team with a new goal in mind: he would begin training for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team in track and field. Pop Warner believed that Thorpes all-around skills would make him an ideal candidate for the decathlon- a grueling competition comprised of 10 events. Thorpe qualified for both the pentathlon and decathlon for the American team. The 24-year-old set sail for Stockholm, Sweden in June 1912. At the Olympics, Thorpes performance surpassed all expectations. He dominated in both the pentathlon and decathlon, winning gold medals in both events. (He remains the only athlete in history to have done so.) His record-breaking scores handily beat all of his rivals and would remain unbroken for three decades. Upon his return to the United States, Thorpe was hailed as a hero and honored with a ticker-tape parade in New York City. Jim Thorpe’s Olympic Scandal At Pop Warners urging, Thorpe returned to Carlisle for the 1912 football season, during which he helped his team achieve 12 wins and only one loss. Thorpe began his last semester at Carlisle in January 1913. He looked forward to a bright future with his fiancà ©e Iva Miller, a fellow student at Carlisle. In late January of that year, a newspaper article surfaced in Worcester, Massachusetts claiming that Thorpe had earned money playing professional baseball and therefore could not be considered an amateur athlete. Because only amateur athletes could participate in the Olympics at that time, the International Olympic Committee stripped Thorpe of his medals and his records were erased from the books. Thorpe readily admitted that he had played in the minor leagues and had been paid a small salary. He also admitted ignorance of the fact that playing baseball would make him ineligible to compete in track and field events at the Olympics. Thorpe later learned that many college athletes played on professional teams during the summer, but they played under assumed names in order to maintain their amateur status in school. Going Pro in Baseball A mere 10 days after losing his Olympic medals, Thorpe turned professional for good, withdrawing from Carlisle and signing a contract to play major league baseball with the New York Giants. Baseball wasnt Thorpes strongest sport, but the Giants knew that his name would sell tickets. After spending some time in the minors improving his skills, Thorpe started the 1914 season with the Giants. Thorpe and Iva Miller married in October 1913. They had their first child, James Jr., in 1915, followed by three daughters over the eight years of their marriage. The Thorpes suffered the loss of James, Jr. to polio in 1918. Thorpe spent three years with the Giants and then played for the Cincinnati Reds and later the Boston Braves. His major league career ended in 1919 in Boston; he played minor league baseball for another nine years, retiring from the game in 1928 at the age of 40. Football Career During his time as a baseball player, Thorpe also played professional football beginning in 1915. Thorpe played halfback for the Canton Bulldogs for six years, leading them to many major victories. A multi-talented player, Thorpe was proficient at running, passing, tackling, and even kicking. Thorpes punts averaged an incredible 60 yards. Thorpe later played for the Oorang Indians (an all-Native American team) and The Rock Island Independents. By 1925, the 37-year-olds athletic skills had begun to decline. Thorpe announced his retirement from pro football in 1925, although he did play occasionally for various teams over the next four years. Life After Sports Thorpe divorced Iva Miller in 1923 and married Freeda Kirkpatrick in October 1925. During their 16-year marriage, they had four sons together. Thorpe and Freeda divorced in 1941. Thorpe struggled to stay employed after leaving professional sports. He moved from state to state, working as a painter, security guard, and ditch digger. Thorpe tried out for some movie roles but was awarded only a few cameos, mainly playing Indian chiefs. Thorpe lived in Los Angeles when the 1932 Olympics came to the city but he did not have enough money to buy a ticket to the Summer Games. When the press reported Thorpes predicament, Vice President Charles Curtis, himself of Native American descent, invited Thorpe to sit with him. When Thorpes presence was announced to the crowd, he was honored with a standing ovation. As public interest in the former Olympian grew, Thorpe began to receive offers for speaking engagements. He earned little money for his appearances but enjoyed giving inspiring speeches to young people. The speaking tour, however, kept Thorpe away from his family for long periods of time. Later Years In 1937, Thorpe returned to Oklahoma to promote the rights of Native Americans. He joined a movement to abolish the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the government entity that oversaw all aspects of life on reservations. The Wheeler Bill, which would allow native peoples to manage their own affairs, failed to pass in the legislature. During World War II, Thorpe worked as a security guard at a Ford auto plant. He suffered a heart attack in 1943 only a year after taking the job, prompting him to resign. In June 1945, Thorpe married Patricia Askew. Soon after the wedding, 57-year-old Jim Thorpe enlisted in the merchant marines and was assigned to a ship that carried ammunition to Allied forces. After the war, Thorpe worked for the Chicago Park Districts recreation department, promoting fitness and teaching track skills to young people. The 1951 Hollywood film Jim Thorpe, All-American starred Burt Lancaster and told Thorpe’s story. Thorpe served as technical advisor for the film, although he made no money from the film itself. Death In September 1952, Thorpe suffered a second, more serious heart attack. He recovered, but the following year he suffered a third, fatal heart attack on March 28, 1953, at the age of 64 in Lomita, California. Thorpe is buried in a mausoleum in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, a town that agreed to change its name in order to win the privilege of housing Thorpes memorial. Legacy In 1950, Thorpe was voted by Associated Press sportswriters as the greatest football player of the half-century. Just months later, he was honored as the best male athlete of the half-century. His competition for the title included sports legends such as Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, and Jesse Owens. Later that same year he was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame. Three decades after Thorpes death, the International Olympic Committee reversed its decision and issued duplicate medals to Jim Thorpes children in 1983. Thorpes achievements have been re-entered into Olympic record books and he is now widely acknowledged as one of the greatest athletes of all time. Sources Birchfield, D. L.  Jim Thorpe, Worlds Greatest Athlete.  Modern Curriculum Press, 1994.Buford, Kate. Native American Son: The Life and Sporting Legend of Jim Thorpe. Knopf,  2010.

How to Keep a Halloween Jack-o-Lantern from Rotting

How to Keep a Halloween Jack-o'-Lantern from Rotting Here is a fun, seasonal science fair project that examines various ways of keeping a carved pumpkin fresh. Can you determine the best way to keep a Halloween jack o lantern from rotting? Purpose The purpose of this project is to see whether or not treating a Halloween jack-o- lantern, or any carved pumpkin, will help keep it from rotting. Hypothesis The hypothesis (because its the easiest to disprove) is that treating a Halloween jack-o-lantern will not keep it from rotting any better than doing nothing at all (the control). Experiment Summary This is a great fall science fair project  since pumpkins are readily available from late summer through winter. You could conduct a similar project during the spring using another variety of produce. Since nothing lasts forever, a good timeframe for collecting data is 2 weeks. If all of your pumpkins rot before then, you may choose to end the data collection phase of this project sooner. Since temperature plays a part in the shelf life of a jack-o-lantern, its possible your pumpkins may last several weeks if kept in cool conditions. If this is the case, your project may run for a month. Keep the time and temperature in mind when planning your science project. Materials The main materials for this project are freshly carved jack-o-lanterns and various pumpkin preservatives. The most commonly applied preservatives are bleach solution, borax solution, petroleum jelly, hairspray, white glue, and commercial pumpkin preservative (if available). You can test any or all of these, plus more  if you can think of other preservatives. You will need pumpkins for every method you test, plus a control pumpkin, which will be carved, but untreated. Experimental Procedure Carve your jack-o-lanterns. It helps if you give them different faces so they are easy to tell apart. Try to scrape as much pumpkin goo as possible from the inside of the jack-o-lanterns so they will be easier to treat with chemicals.Leave your control pumpkin alone. Apply the treatments to the other pumpkins. Either photograph the pumpkins or write down your observations about the appearance of each jack-o-lantern. Pumpkin Treatments Bleach Solution - Mix up enough bleach in water (2 teaspoons bleach per gallon of water) to fill a bucket or tub big enough to submerge your pumpkin. Immediately after carving the pumpkin, soak it in the bleach solution for 8 hours or overnight. Drain the pumpkin and allow it to dry. Each day, spritz the outside and inside of the pumpkin with bleach solution.Borax Solution - Mix up a solution of borax in water (probably 1 teaspoon per gallon) and apply it the same way as you would use the bleach solution.Petroleum Jelly - Smear petroleum jelly (e.g., Vaseline) all over the cut surface of the pumpkin. Reapply once a day if necessary.White Glue - Smear non-toxic white school glue all over the carved pumpkin and allow it to dry.Hairspray - Spray the carved pumpkin, inside and outside, with hairspray. You can reapply the hairspray daily, or not, as you prefer.Commercial Pumpkin Preservative - Follow the instructions on the container.    You can use these methods of applying pumpkin treatments or else you can come up with your own ideas.Each day, take a photo of the pumpkin and describe its appearance. Is mold present or absent? Is there any shriveling? Is the pumpkin getting soft or smelly or showing any other indications of rotting?Continue collecting data until the pumpkins have rotted. Discard the rotten pumpkins. Data The data for this project will be your photographs and observations regarding the appearance of each pumpkin. Results Make a table that shows time in days and whether each pumpkin showed mold, shriveling, or rot. You can indicate the degree of each condition by assigning a numerical value to it, if you like (e.g., 0 no mold, 1 slight mold, 2 moderate mold, 3 totally moldy). Conclusions Was the hypothesis supported? Did the control pumpkin rot at the same time as all of the other pumpkins? Things to Think About If you want a more complex experiment, add temperature as a factor. This will require additional pumpkins. Leave one of each type of pumpkin at room temperature. Refrigerate one of each type of pumpkin or (since that would take a lot of space) leave one of each type of pumpkin in a hot environment.

Secularizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Secularizations - Essay Example The transition from pre-scientific to scientific must have been a supernatural one since the two are very different concept wise. Metaphysical stage, which is the centre stage, must have been inevitable. It acts as the bridge between religion and modernity. Through it, a communal stage where religion and science overlaps is clear hence bringing in the social part of both religion and science. Religion, which was a soft concept socialize with the hard known scientific concepts bringing in the concept of secularization. Religion becomes secular to adopt some scientific concepts while science becomes softer through the interaction. This makes religion to transition from being pre scientific to scientific hence making it fit in the modern world where science thrives. Science on the other hand creates room for the modernized religion hence making the two adopt secularization. It is in the transition therefore where the overlap between religion and science can be evident since the two have to adapt to each

Marketing plan Starbucks Coffee company Term Paper

Marketing plan Starbucks Coffee company - Term Paper Example Their TV and radio marketing mix is unobtrusive: Instead, in-store advertisements will keep people aware of new specials since most people come into Starbucks or have a friend who do. Ansoff's Matrix Current Products New Products Current Market Virtually everywhere: Control almost all US markets and regions, provide coffee Constant innovation for new types of coffee to keep people interested New Market Trying to expand among ethnic populations such as Latina/os, Asians, African-Americans Marketing Warfare Starbucks has an entrenched, defensive position. Although they certainly remain nimble in many ways, keeping ahead of market trends, they are the established power. They can be viewed as a power of light forts. Starbucks losing one, two or even a hundred shops is not a serious threat to its long-term viability. It has low entry and low exit costs since there is no substantial overhead: Office space, baristas and supplies do it. This is an incredibly daunting position for opponents, as Starbucks has both the advantage of mobility and wealth. They can sweep in and stymie opponents by shutting them out of an area and forcing them to compete against multiple Starbucks in the same region. When a competitor does gain an edge, Starbucks can just move its position. Porter's Generic Strategies Starbucks has chosen an overall cost leadership approach. ... , they are using a differentiation strategy: Go to Starbucks and get a simple smoothie alongside your friends who are getting a coffee, or go to Jamba Juice on your own. Their coffees are more expensive than, say, a gas station black, but Starbucks discovered that people are willing to spend about three to five dollars a day on coffee as long as the coffee is markedly better than a ninety nine cent cup of joe, more convenient, more pleasant and with more amenities. It is meaningless to call them â€Å"higher cost† than gas stations because the difference in most consumers' minds between a dollar coffee and a five dollar coffee is minimal: Coffee is a staple, one just gets it. Target Markets Almost everyone above the age of eighteen drinks coffee. Starbucks has market saturation such that they offer their services everywhere from poor inner-city urban areas to poor rural areas to middle-class and rich suburbs. Most food marts, mega-marts and grocery stores have some connection to Starbucks as well. However, Starbucks targets particular demographics clearly in terms of their design. Children. Children don't tend to like coffee, but Starbucks offers hot chocolate and highly syrupy coffee drinks that serve to get children interested in coffee. (This becomes important under both SWOT and PESTLE analysis below). Young urban and suburban professionals. With Wi-Fi offerings, music choices that tend to be of the alternative rock and modern rock varieties, and so forth, they offer good choices to this group. Older professionals. Starbucks offers a lot in terms of quality. An older professional is far more willing than an older blue collar worker to spend three dollars on a cup of coffee provided the cup is better. Starbucks would undoubtedly like to expand among ethnic