Persuasive Research Paper on Abortion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Persuasive Research Paper on Abortion - Essay Example e in favor of one direction over the other, are events such as rape, the certain death of the mother or baby if the pregnancy is allowed to continue and cases of incest. The purpose of this paper is to discuss abortion in both a political, moral and feminist light with respect to all of the educated arguments that currently surround the issue. Let us first discuss the most common reasons for one to decide to have an abortion. Abortion is often an alternative to accidental pregnancies or rather, pregnancies which are not planned. Specifically in the case of teen girls who have engaged in unprotected sex. In many cases, these young teens are not only feeling alone and frightened, but are fearful of the response that their parents may have at the news of their daughter’s pregnancy. In many states, a young girl can procure a legal abortion without the consent or knowledge of her parents. While this does well to illuminate children born into situations where they will not be cared for properly, it also creates the appearance that abortion is simply a contraceptive method no different than condoms or birth control pills. This could not be farther from the truth. While it is unclear even to scientists and doctors, when to accurately say that a human fetus is alive, it is a daring assumption to make that a fetus at any poi nt in development is decidedly not a human being yet and therefore not protected from the act of homicide. Certainly, a woman’s body is her own and that fact is undisputable, period. It is important however, to consider that once a woman knowingly engages in the act of intercourse at which time she can feasible become responsible for another living organism growing inside of her which will one day be a human being, that woman becomes representative of two lives and not just one, her own. In this event, the woman should be subject to laws which actively protect both her and the individual growing within her. This is a very clear course of

Automated Classroom Monitoring System Essay Example for Free

Automated Classroom Monitoring System Essay Every academic institution aims outstanding scholastic performance of each and every student enrolled. Not only the schools but also the parents of these students hope to see their sons and daughters to excel in school with flying colors. In order to achieve so, students must attend their classes regularly so that they will be given the utmost standard learning experience. Class takes it to another level, an automated, secured and efficient attendance checking system. There are certain reasons why schools are encouraged to apply this kind of technology. Teachers nowadays are having problems in taking daily attendance of the students, sometimes they forget to take it or they will just simply give the class a blank paper to let them write their names and sign so it will serve their attendance and then later on who knows if that paper will be misplaced. This system will replace the obsolete swipe card system with finger authentication technology that is more reliable and accurate. With this technology, attendance will be recorded faster to the database with just a touch of the thumb. ____________________ is an automated system located on every classroom, equipped with biometric technology and automated SMS software, interfaced with a computer server where the database is then saved. Statement of the Problem School instructors have responsibilities inside the classroom towards the students. It is their duty to ensure all the students enrolled in that subject must benefit the lesson that the class is taking up at the moment. But sometimes teachers forgot to take class attendance or misplaced them. That’s why parents can not be guaranteed that the students are inside the school premises because the teachers do not have the data that will support the situation. The main objective of conducting this design is to improve the automated attendance monitoring system in academic institutions and to help the parents of the students to be able to monitor their child whether he/she attended school or has been cutting classes. Hypothesis of the Study 1. Ensures that the daily attendance of the class will be taken and a soft copy will be saved on a database and print a hard copy for the instructor’s documentation. 2. To limit the students from loitering in hallways during class hours. 3. Minimize the tardiness of students in attending classes. 4. Avoid altering school documents that are accessible only by the instructor in authority. 5. Provides parents the chance to monitor the attendance of students. 6. Enables the instructor to inform students if he/she is not going to be able to come in class on time or will be absent. 7. To replace the obsolete and inefficient swipe card technology with the finger print authentication biometric technology. 8. Saves class time for discussion instead of the traditional roll-call of the names of each student. Theoretical framework of the study This research is stimulated for the development of the school’s attendance monitoring system, provided with the biometrics technology and automated system. This will help the school authorities to have a permanent and more secured database management in attendance monitoring. A study from Teleron 2000 â€Å"Data Acquisition on Class Hour Attendance of the Faculty in Southwestern University† features the same concept as ____________, but his study is focusing only on school staff. Teleron used Barcodes on the staff’s ID that contains the data and the Bar code reader on the other hand reads the bar codes as the staff swipes the IDs. He recommends the use of biometric technology and further enhancement of his study, which convinced the researchers to push through to work with _______________________. Biometric devices nowadays are preferable than other authentication technologies such as barcodes and magnetic stripe scanners. This kind of technology is difficult to alter or tampered because it needs a unique pattern for authentication. Amazingly, human finger possesses unique ridges and valleys that differ from one human being from another, even identical twins. The first advantage of using this new technology is the uniqueness and it is also the main characteristic which allows biometrics technology to become more and more important in our lives. With uniqueness of biometrics technology, each individuals identification will be single most effective identification for that user. A chance of two users having the same identification in the biometrics security technology system is nearly zero (Tistarelli, 2009). Significance of the Study People who will be benefited by this project design favor those in: TEACHERS This innovated technology will be able to help the teachers to mark and update student class attendance quickly. He/She can easily print hard copies of the attendance in case of necessity. It will lessen wasted time on roll-calls and teacher can immediately proceed into his/her lecture. STUDENTS Our design will be mostly be benefited by the students. PARENTS/GUARDIANS The parents will easily track their sons and daughters’ attendance by simply sending the right keyword to the ____________ through Short Message Service (SMS). They will know at once when the students are really attending the class or cutting classes when the system will reply after they sent the SMS. They can also ask for a hard copy of the attendance, for example: they want the record for the whole month of January; the teacher will look up on the records of that particular student and then print it right away. Scope and Delimitation This design project aims to help the faculty and the entire student body of this institution to promote secure monitoring of the students’ attendance during class hours, and that parents will also be given the chance to know the student’s status first hand with just an SMS away. Researchers designed the biometric device to be located on every classroom only. Since the device is powered by electricity, a sudden loss of power will interrupt the whole system if there is an on-going entry, where it will take a few minutes for the generator to supply electricity temporarily for the system to resume. SMS feature of the system is limited only to the parent’s cellular number given to the administration encoded on the database. Other cellular numbers unknown to the database or not recorded can not be entertained by the system. Incase parents want to add or change phone numbers for the system; they have to submit a new form to the administration for approval and re-entry of data. Definition of Terms Listed below are the terminologies and the conceptual meaning used in the study. BIOMETRICS It is the measurement and analysis of unique physical or behavioral characteristics (as fingerprint or voice patterns) especially as a means of verifying personal identity. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biometrics). FINGERPRINT SCANNER Fingerprint scanning essentially provides an identification of a person based on the acquisition and recognition of those unique patterns and ridges in a fingerprint. The actual fingerprint identification process will change slightly between products and systems. The basis of identification, however, is nearly the same. Standard systems are comprised of a sensor for scanning a fingerprint and a processor which stores the fingerprint database and software which compares and matches the fingerprint to the predefined database. Within the database, a fingerprint is usually matched to a reference number, or PIN number which is then matched to a persons name or account. (http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Computer_Science/2004/fingerprint.asp

Free College Admissions Essays: An Issue of International Concern :: College Admissions Essays

College Admissions: Discuss an issue of international concern and its importance to you It was easy to empathize with Andy Dufresne and the other prisoners in The Shawshank Redemption as they suffered in their prison cells; I suffered while watching the movie. It was not because I disliked the film far from it. But while the prisoners in the movie were serving their sentences in Shawshank Prison, I served my own three-hour sentence for drinking five cups of fruit punch before entering the theatre. When the credits finally began to scroll, I strode quickly to the men's room, opened the door and found, to my dismay, that all seven urinals were already occupied. Well, not exactly. There were only four people using the urinals a person at every other one. Although there was a considerable line of guys eagerly awaiting the opportunity to relieve themselves, the three odd urinals remained unused. I did not dare to use one of the unoccupied urinals. Instead, I waited my turn along with the two dozen other men ahead of me. I reached the urinal a scant few seconds before losing control. Why is it that the middle urinals in men's restrooms remain tacitly forbidden? Whether a set of urinals is in an executive washroom or in the train station's public washroom, no man dares to use a urinal located next to a urinal in use. There seems to be no rational explanation for this, and it bothers me that this issue is given so little attention. Some men claim they "just want a bit of privacy." An understandable reason, to be sure, but it lacks substantiation. In the men's restroom of a particular gym close to my home, there are 3 urinals. As one might expect, the middle urinal remains unused. If privacy is the reason for this, why do the men at the gym shower together? There are no barriers whatsoever in the neither showers, nor are the urinals separated from the shower room. On busy days, all showerheads are used, and these same men who shower together refuse to relieve themselves while standing next to one another. So much for the "privacy" excuse. The issue is even more confounding when one learns that this is an international phenomenon. The every-other-one rule is not limited to developed countries where public restrooms are common; my father grew up in a tiny village in India and told me that Indian men relieve themselves at every other tree, even though there is plenty of distance between adjacent trees.

A Study on Othello’s Character

William Shakespeare wrote another tragedy about a Moor of Venice named, â€Å"Othello. † The story started when Othello appointed Cassio to be his lieutenant. This made Iago very angry. At that time, Othello was seeing a beautiful woman named, Desdemona, the daughter of senator Brabantio. This gave an opportunity for Iago to get back at Othello for not appointing him as lieutenant. Iago then convinced Rodrigo, who has a deep desire for Desdemona, to tell Brabantio about her relationship with Othello. At first, Brabantio didn't believe them, but was convinced at last. Enraged, he ordered Othello arrested, but Othello was summoned by the Duke of Venice on â€Å"urgent matters. † Brabantio ended up accusing Othello of using â€Å"spells and potions† to win Desdemona in front of the Duke. Othello, of course, denied bewitching his daughter. So Brabantio blessed their marriage. Desdemona loved Othello very much that she offered to go with him when the Duke ordered Othello to defend Cypress from the coming Turkish fleets. This made Rodrigo very jealous, but still hoped to win her one day, wishing that Othello too, will eventually get tired of her. Iago advised Rodrigo to make money by â€Å"selling his lands and fighting in wars,† to be able to impress Desdemona. Fortunately, a tempest wrecked the Turkish fleet, â€Å"eliminating the threat† and people rejoiced. While rejoicing, Iago told Rodrigo how Desdemona was â€Å"flirting† with Cassio. Iago then advised him to provoke a fight with Cassio to get him in â€Å"trouble† with local authorities. In reality, all Iago wanted to do was to make Othello jealous of Cassio and Rodrigo. To make this happen, Iago made Cassio drunk, and therefore being drunk, he had a fight with Rodrigo. Othello then dismissed Cassio from his post as lieutenant. Iago then advised Cassio to meet secretly with Desdemona, to help him convince Othello to reappoint him as lieutenant. Knowing that Cassio will heed his advice, Iago, one day, brought Othello with him so Othello could witness the â€Å"secret meeting. † This helped spark Othello's jealousy and suspicion. Iago had continuously worked on Othello's jealousy, and he even used his wife, Emilia, to his advantage. He asked Emilia to steal the beloved â€Å"handkerchief† Othello gave to Desdemona as a gift. He placed the handkerchief in Cassio's room, and told Othello that he'd seen Cassio use it. This totally enraged Othello, so he appointed Iago to be the new lieutenant, and told him to kill Cassio, but the Duke already appointed Cassio to be in charge. (Jalic Inc. ). With his rage, he was able to strike Desdemona: Othello: I am glad to see you mad. Desdemona: Why, sweet Othello†¦ Othello: [Striking her] Devil! Desdemona: I have not deserved this. Lodovico: My lord, this would not be believed in Venice, Though I should swear I saw't: 'tis very much: Make her amends; she weeps. Othello: O devil, devil! If that the earth could teem with woman's tears, Each drop she falls would prove a crocodile. Out of my sight! Desdemona: I will not stay to offend you. Lodovico: Truly, an obedient lady: I do beseech your lordship, call her back. (Shakespeare, Act IV, Scene I). Confused and hurt, Desdemona tried to understand her husband. Iago then led Rodrigo to kill Cassio, but Cassio lived and Rodrigo was killed instead. Othello, on the other hand, killed Desdemona. Brabantio killed himself upon knowing what happened to his daughter. In the end, Bianca and Emilia told the truth, and Iago â€Å"killed Emilia† for revealing it. Due to despair, Othello eventually killed himself. Iago was left under â€Å"Cassio’s hands† to be punished. (Jalic Inc. ). Othello started as a strong character. He is the â€Å"Moor† of Venice, a very handsome Berber-Arab, and Muslim origin. The evil character, Iago, first tried Othello by making his relationship with Desdemona known to Brabantio, but Othello won since he eventually married her. The Duke of Venice even appointed him to defend Venice from invaders. However, he has one great weakness: his jealousy. He loved his wife so much that jealousy attacked him enough to believe his right-hand man, Cassio, was really involved with his wife. The greatest problem here is the lack of communication between Othello and Desdemona. Othello got mislead by the malicious taunting of Iago. The sad part is, his character entirely changed that he became so hostile towards his â€Å"beloved† wife. His very weak character leads him to be defeated when he killed his own wife. He even became more pathetic when he killed himself. In reality, are we like Othello, easily defeated by rumors? There were a lot of ways to prove somebody’s innocence and Othello didn’t do it. There were a lot of couldas, wouldas, shouldas that Othello might have done, but he let jealousy overcome his being. We can learn a lot of things from this tragedy, as these tragedies are real experiences of the past, too.

Notes on arrays

To signify absence of information oid fo // function fo does not return a value void *pv; // pointer to object of unknown type enumeration (enum): To represent specific set of values. Named integer constants can be defined as members of an enumeration. enum keyword {ASM, AUTO, BREAK}; keyword key; 2 Derived Data Types Address Types References Pointers Powerful, but difficult to master Simulate pass-by-reference Close relationship with arrays and strings Aggregate Types Arrays and strings Structures and Unions 3Reference is another name (alias) for a variable It is a pointer but a constant one – once declared it cannot be made alias of another variable A reference declaration must have initialization and it can be initialized toa variable, not a literal constant. A variable can have several references (aliases) – all references hold the same address Reference is not a separate variable like a pointer – it does not occupy space in memory 4 ? References All operatio ns supposedly performed on he alias (i. . , the reference) are actually performed on the original variable Example int count = int &cRef = count; Increments count through alias cRef 5 ? References (example) // Reference Types: Example // References must be initialized. #include using std::cout; using std::endl; 7 8 9 int main() intx=3; Creating a reference as an alias to another variable in the function.

Ida Tarbell - Taking on the Trust essays

Ida Tarbell - Taking on the Trust essays Although John D. Rockefeller and Ida B. Tarbell had seemingly little in common, their paths epically crossed over time. John Rockefeller, co-founder of Standard Oil, and Ida Tarbell, investigative journalist, became intertwined in a conflict not only involving Standard Oil, but also the financial well-being of citizens and businesses in America. Through Idas writing, John D., and many other American citizens, realized that journalism plays an exceptionally important role in politics and government. Ida used her passion for journalism and the truth to uncover the deceptive and unlawful business tactics used by John D. Rockefellers company, Standard Oil. Ida B. Tarbell, daughter of Franklin and Esther Tarbell, was born on November 5, 1857 in Eerie County, Pennsylvania. Ida Tarbell attended school to the college level, despite the wide-spread racial inequality of that era. During the 1850s, the presence of women in any workplace was unusual. Ida Tarbell went against the odds, as she did not depend on a man for income, or submit to virtually any of societys norms. Ida Tarbell had a passion for learning, which eventually contributed to her great success as an investigative journalist. Ida did not let the desires or stereotypes of society stop her from publishing what she saw fit to share with the general public. As Ida B. Tarbell grew up in Pennsylvania, she became increasingly exposed to the effects the discovery and usage of oil had on Americans. Although her father, Franklin Tarbell, found work in this field, Ida was well aware of the dangers it held. Oils hazardous nature caused explosions, killing people by the dozens. Idas adolescence was greatly hindered by her close proximity to an oil well. Living in an oil boomtown held little joy for curious children; just about everything interesting seemed to be off limits because of the potential danger (Weinburg, 57). Her mother, Esther Ta...

200 Powerful Marketing Interview Questions to Hire the Best Team

200 Powerful Marketing Interview Questions to Hire the Best Team Building a strong marketing team isn’t easy. There are tons of companies competing for top talent, and it’s tough to find (and retain) the best fits for your organization. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the industry is projected to experience 10% hiring growth by 2026  (which is faster than average). Plus, the cost of mis-hiring can be high; according to MP Squared, â€Å"a mis-hire costs more than 5 times the candidate’s salary.† Those kinds of stakes are not a joke. From recruiting to interviewing to onboarding, getting the right people onto the right spots in your marketing department  is a long process. A key part of sorting out marketing candidates starts with asking the right interview questions. In this post, you’ll find a total of 165 things to ask interviewees across all different types of roles, to help you figure out what makes a candidate tick and determine whether they’re right for your business. This is useful stuff for the following folks: Marketing Managers: Especially if you’re new to hiring and team-building. HR Professionals: If you’re not marketing savvy, use this guide to move past generic interview questions. Job Hunters: Consider this guide a cheat sheet to what you might encounter. It’s time to get started. Table of Contents: Keeping Organized With Bonus Questions + Interview Scorecard Interviewing Tips General Marketing Interview Questions Marketing Manager / Director Questions Marketing Intern Questions Entry Level Interview Questions Copywriter Interview Questions Product Marketing Interview Questions PR Interview Questions Graphic Designer Interview Questions Social Media Marketing Interview Questions Content Strategist Interview Questions Marketing Analyst Interview Questions SEO Interview Questions Assessing an Interviees Responses

How to Grow Baking Soda Crystals

How to Grow Baking Soda Crystals Baking soda or sodium bicarbonate crystals tend to be small and white. Sometimes they can look a little like frost or icing when grown on a string. Heres how you grow baking soda crystals yourself: Materials Baking sodaWaterClean jar or glassStringWeight (e.g., paperclip)Pencil or butter knife (to hold the string over the glass) Prepare the Container You want to hang the string in the glass or jar so that it doesnt touch the sides or bottom of the container. Tie the string to the pencil or knife, weight it so it will hang straight, and adjust the length of the string so that it doesnt touch the bottom of the container. Prepare the Solution Mix as much baking soda as you can into just-boiled water. For 1 cup of water, this is approximately 7 teaspoons of baking soda. Add the baking soda a little at a time, stirring between additions, because carbon dioxide gas will be evolved, causing the solution to bubble initially. Alternatively, heat baking soda and cool water until it is near-boiling. Allow the solution to sit undisturbed for a few moments to allow any undissolved baking soda to sink to the bottom of the cup. Grow Baking Soda Crystals Pour the baking soda solution into the container. Avoid getting undissolved baking soda in the glass.You may wish to cover the container with a coffee filter or paper towel to keep the solution clean while permitting evaporation.Allow the crystals to grow as long as you like. If you start to see a lot of crystal growth on the sides of the container rather than on your string, pour the remaining solution into a new container. Transfer your string to the new container to get better growth.When you are satisfied with your crystals, you can remove them from the solution and allow them to dry.

Discussion 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussion 1 - Assignment Example Personally, I find it amusing how people then had to use art as a way of communication, while not everybody has the talent of drawing. Some people cannot even draw a tree leave alone a smiling face. Although the discovery of art must have made life easy and simpler, the fact that most of the people could not take part in the emotional communication, as they did not have the skills to draw and express themselves just like their counterparts. Culture, as I would define it in relation to the world cultures cyber journeys is the differences in the way of people’s lives, and their believes on the various things that they practice in their daily lives. Through the daily practices and people’s interactions, a group of people unknowingly expresses their cultural practices. Thus, the normal things people either express subconsciously or consciously in writing or in other ways such as define the culture of that particular group. Cultures can either differ or compare with one another. Despite people having different cultural background, they exhibit some of similarities in their cultural practices. The differences and similarities of the western and eastern culture revel this. Both the western and the eastern people share in a number of ways. Their religious beliefs, share a common direction. Both the western and the eastern people believe in a supernatural figure. The two cultures believe in the existence of some form of power beyond their ability. However, the dwelling places of their supernatural powers differ. On the other hand, they believe in leaders, chosen among them. The main difference however is that while in the west the leader has an equal status with the people, in east, the leader is supreme and has overwhelming power. Culture regards the west as more advanced than the east. Especially in the manner through which

The Human Experience and Communication in Movie Assignment - 1

The Human Experience and Communication in Movie - Assignment Example b) Relational needs; the younger brother expresses dissatisfaction about his relationship with the father and reveals that they have not talked for the last ten years. They later meet in an intensely emotional scene at the end of the film after the older brother arranges for a meeting with the father. c) Identity; to find a personal identity, the brothers try to relate with the less fortunate like the lost children in Peru and the lepers in Ghana. They try to find their purpose in life by helping the less fortunate stigmatized groups of people 2 a) Self-awareness; the journey makes the brothers more aware of themselves when they find out the privileges they have in life. They also find their main purpose in life is to be of use to others by helping them for example by helping the AIDS victims in Ghana and hospitalizing the abandoned disabled children in Peru. b)Adaptability; the brothers learn to adapt to different situations, places and to different people they come across. They have to adapt to the situation in New Yorks cold streets by asking for food and building a cardboard shelter. They adapt to the situation of the lepers in Ghana and the homeless in Peru c) Empathy; throughout the film the brothers show empathy to people in different kinds of situations, they empathize with the homeless in the streets of New York by putting themselves in their shoes, then with the abandoned disabled children in Peru who they take to clinic for treatment and with the AIDS victims and lepers in Ghana. d) A person’s cognitive complexity is their ability to analyze a situation from different angles. The brothers analyze life from different perspectives from the problems in the first world in New York and Peru and the third world problems in Africa. They also explore interpersonal relationship  problems between father and son and try to solve all these problems e) Ethics; the brothers are improving their social ethics by practicing their social responsibility towards the society. They have decided to abandon an attitude of apathy and chosen to be concerned with what is going on in the society around them.

Cash Flow Statement Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cash Flow Statement - Coursework Example On the other hand, UKFI has adopted debtors’ management approach by adopting a credit policy that is attractive to its customers. In the year 2011, UKFI registered an increase in its trade receivables of 193,000 pounds and in 2012 a decrease of 66,000 pounds indicating that it was able to receive more funds from its debtors. On the trade payables, there was an increase of 175,000 pounds indicated that it paid less of its debts. RBS has registered a steady increase in its receivables over the two years implying that its debtors have been prompt in paying their debts. However it has registered a decrease in its payables meaning that it has increased that amount owed to its creditors. This is considered to be more risky to the firm due to its inability to maintain a low creditor’s ratio. Both firms have also adopted short term financing methods such as factoring in addition to the already existing methods to ensure that the firm does not fail to meet its short term financial obligations by relying solely on the internally generated funds. The short term financing methods allows the firms to minimize debts by transferring the risk to other firms (Plewa, 1995, 011). Both firms have been able to meet their loan payments with UKFI being the leading in the amount that it pays each year and this indicates a more prudent approach on their part. RBS has relied heavily on issue of its ordinary shares to finance its projects for the years. However in 2012, it mainly raised funds from the issue of its subordinated liabilities as well as proceeds from non-controlling interests issued. Non-controlling interest refers to that portion of a subsidiary corporations stock that is not owned by the parent corporation. It allows the firm to make its financial decision without having to consult the holders of the non-controlling interests making its holding more advantageous for the

Application for scholarship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Application for scholarship - Essay Example Features of mathematics and its ‘divine’ principles have always haunted my leisure times. Some specific conundrums that I find appealing include phi constant and the magic squares. Based on my love for math I have selected an Associate Degree in Math, and later Masters in Statistics as a worthwhile course to study, as it alone can quench my thirst to break into the fields of math. In reality Statistics is a course which lures many into its realms, but only a few diligent personalities in the end, can climb the stairs to reach the top of the building of success, a dream which I have been looking forward to fulfill since the last five years. All work and no play make (writer) a dull boy. Certainly, but this is not true in my case as for me sports is the medium through which I release my enthusiasm and stored energy. Perhaps one would say how someone interested in math, a subject involving hard, strenuous exercises, be equally interested in sports. My answer to that is the sensational Barclays Premier League, which I have been following since 2001. If we notice, as I have mentioned earlier, everything is related to math. Little do we notice that with 20 teams, each to play the other twice the selection for total number of matches is 20P2/2 or 20C2*2.

Compose a letter promoting as aspect of Atlantic Cape Community Research Paper

Compose a letter promoting as aspect of Atlantic Cape Community College to a relative, co-worker, or friend - Research Paper Example A few months back, I came across a piece of information put out by a wonderful kind of community college. This small-town community college is big on its promises and they certainly lived up to the expectations of their students, including me, of course. I was fortunate enough to be guided into their Academy of Culinary Arts (ACA) at the Atlantic Cape Community College located in nearby Atlantic and Cape May counties in New Jersey. This community college has a student population of about 6,500 both in transfer and academic degree programs. They offer outstanding courses but what I am raving about is its nationally-recognized Academy of Culinary Arts, from which I graduated from a few months ago and instrumental in landing me a fine, well-paying job at a prestigious five-star hotel here in New York City as an assistant chef. You have an abiding interest for food and cooking as shown many, many times when we and our close-knit group had sleep-overs and we did our own cooking. This might sound quite tough but a career shift on your part will surely do wonders as it had done to me when I decided to pursue an entirely different and new career – in culinary arts! At the Atlantic Cape Community College, I found their secret formula for success, in food. All people will always have to eat, in good times or bad times, no matter in what shape the economy is in. In this regard, I strongly suggest you give their ACA a try so as to greatly improve your chances of getting gainfully employed in a full-time job. Getting employed as a chef or head cook is quite easy, even in a tough economy and a further inducement is the high median salary of approximately $40,000 per year. You can get employed in upscale restaurants and get to know and meet famous people, in a big casino, a famous hotel or even in a world-class holiday cruise liner. Hows that for combining both the passion of cooking with a great adventure and a high-paying job!? Employment

Application for scholarship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Application for scholarship - Essay Example Features of mathematics and its ‘divine’ principles have always haunted my leisure times. Some specific conundrums that I find appealing include phi constant and the magic squares. Based on my love for math I have selected an Associate Degree in Math, and later Masters in Statistics as a worthwhile course to study, as it alone can quench my thirst to break into the fields of math. In reality Statistics is a course which lures many into its realms, but only a few diligent personalities in the end, can climb the stairs to reach the top of the building of success, a dream which I have been looking forward to fulfill since the last five years. All work and no play make (writer) a dull boy. Certainly, but this is not true in my case as for me sports is the medium through which I release my enthusiasm and stored energy. Perhaps one would say how someone interested in math, a subject involving hard, strenuous exercises, be equally interested in sports. My answer to that is the sensational Barclays Premier League, which I have been following since 2001. If we notice, as I have mentioned earlier, everything is related to math. Little do we notice that with 20 teams, each to play the other twice the selection for total number of matches is 20P2/2 or 20C2*2.

Answer question youtube video Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Answer question youtube video - Essay Example Buddhism connects with science through the impartial investigation of nature that the religion aptly covers in its doctrines and teachings. Dhamma-Vicaya is defined to be the natural process of identifying one. According Jill, full meditation without destruction helped her reach that point to make decisions that come along with peace. The left lobe of her brain aided in recovering her past and future life. The right one helped her in coordinating the lessons she learned with language that she would understand. The meditation of Jill relates to the ways through which Buddhists extracted their teachings, and there Jill’s meditation is synonymous to Buddhism. Scientifically, the human brain works in coordination, as left side transmits the neuro-impulses to the right lobe and the reverse. Dr. Jill was able to reach vipassana through meditation and coordination of the neuron messages in her two sides of the brain. She was able to prove that there is a link between Buddhism and science through the contemplation process. She was able to link herself while dead while brain neurons transmitted into her impulses of life. After this, she was freed and came back to life feeling peace within her, something that Buddhist experienced while trying to connect nirvana with vipassana within their doctrines and

Observational Learning Essay Example for Free

Observational Learning Essay During this course we studied that behaviors can be learned through our own experiences or observing others. Learning is the knowledge obtained in life through education, interacting with people, experiences and practice. There are three types of learning: Classical Conditioning, operant conditioning, and observational learning. There are many topics that grabbed my interest during this course, but observational learning made me think about my personal life and reminded me of many experiences that I went through in life. Observational learning means that we learn through watching others and then imitating them, this can happen through observing our family, neighbors, friends or TV. I remember when I was a child, I used to watch my mother cooking and then I go back to my room and pretend that am cooking as well. Even though, I grew up and became a very bad cooker. Albert Bandura suggested in his theory The social learning theory that children tend to imitated adults by observing them. He supported his theory in his famous experiment Bobo doll, which shows an adult acting aggressively toward a Bobo doll, and after that when they allowed the children to play with the doll they acted in the same aggressive way. I remember last year I was with my aunt and her 7 years old son in the car going to a restaurant. My aunt is a smoker, so she took out a cigarette and started smoking. After sometimes, her son told her: When I grow up I will smoke cigarettes, she told him: No, you are not allowed to smoke its bad for health, he replayed: But you smoke, I want to be cool like you and when we reached to the restaurant, her son took a straw and started acting as if he is smoking. In addition, Banduaras study showed that people also learn through imitating others who receive punishments and rewards. It means that when a child sees his older siblings getting punished for doing something wrong, the child is more likely to avoid doing it so he/she wont get punished. On the other hand, if a child noticed that one of his siblings are rewarded for behaving in a certain way or doing something good, the child will do the same to get a reward. When I was 9 years old, my parents bought a new toy for my older brother because he got a full mark on one of his subjects at school, I was very jealous that day and decided to study hard to get a full mark so my parents can get me a gift. Learning can be either positive or negative. Positive observational learning is when a person learn a good behavior from someone. When I was young, every time we go to a mall there were these small charity cabinets were you can donate money. I used to see my mother donating money like every time we go to a mall, and now I do the same thing. In contrast, negative observational learning is when a person learn a bad behavior from someone else. It is true that people can learn negative behavior from their siblings, family, friends or neighbors, however; I believe that TV and media content is more dangerous and have more powerful impact on people. For example, my small cousin began to act violently since he started watching WWE (a wrestling show) and he even memorized all the wrestle moves. Everyone in the family and school is complaining that he beats other children so hard. For him, he finds it cool and believe that in this way more people will like him as they like these wrestlers. Finally, I believe that observational learning is an effective way. Children have the right to explore their own world and determine the wrong action from the right one. Of course, parents should act in a proper way in front of their children and be careful of what they are watching, and advice them to do the right thing when the make a mistake.

Impact of Sensory Marketing

Impact of Sensory Marketing Existing research studies on sensory marketing efforts focus on the broad influence of sensory stimuli on consumer reactions to different brands. This research study narrows down the focus of sensory elements to olfactory and auditory stimuli and tries to analyze the effect of these stimuli on consumer emotions. Further the relationship between emotions generated out of these sensory stimuli and consumer purchase decision is being established. INTRODUCTION With ever increasing clutter in the advertising space as multiple brands vie for consumers attention simultaneously, capturing the consumers attention has become more challenging than ever for marketers today. Marketers realize the need for an alternative mechanism to capture consumer mind share in order to enhance brand awareness. Research shows that 99% of all marketing communication is based on what consumers see and hear. Scientific studies have proved that as human beings, 75% of our emotions are connected to what we smell rather than what we see and hear. Marketing in general seems to have neglected this very important sense, given the fact that branding is all about building emotional relationships between a product and the consumer. AN OVERVIEW OF THE SENSORY MARKETING APPROACH Marketers are finding new ways to build stronger connections to their customers and drive preference for their brands by employing scent, sound and material textures in immersive customer experiences. Sensory marketing is an emerging business discipline that applies analytical techniques to amalgamate the use of sensory stimuli such as scent, sound and texture in order to develop strong brands that are more memorable for customers than conventional visual branding techniques alone. Brands develop strong memories in consumers through content and communication cleverly packaged to appeal to our five senses. This results in stronger bonds between consumers and brands. The table below (a result of a survey by Brand sense) shows the importance of consumer emotions with respect to each of the five senses and the percentage marketing spend of Fortune 500 companies with respect to each of these senses. Figure 1: Perceived importance of senses versus marketing spend by Fortune 500 companies Sense % identifying each sense as very or somewhat important % spend against the senses by Fortune 500 companies Sight 58% 84% Sound 41% 12% Smell 45% 2% Touch 25% 1% Taste 31% 1% Source: Brand sense Sensory marketing applications Marketers from varied industries from automobile to food and leisure to entertainment have leveraged sensory branding in the last few years. One of the first movers to employ sensory branding is the Singapore Airlines, with its patented fragrance Stefan Floridian Waters, becoming its trademark and a standard company scent. The hot towels served to the customers perfume worn by flight attendants is standardized to this aroma to create an enthralling memorable in-flight experience. Cinemas have traditionally uses the aroma of popcorn to arouse the unique feeling of being in a movie hall. The breakfast cereal company, Kelloggs has patented a crunchy sound and feel of eating cornflakes that is unique in its own way. Mercedes-Benz had set up a division to work on the sound of its car doors to increase the perception of high quality among its consumers. Similarly many companies have tried to subtly exploit the impact of sensory perceptions in building their brands and ensuring better consumer loyalty. Purpose and scope of the study The purpose of this study would be to analyze at a basic level what impact sensory branding has on the purchase behaviour of consumers. Hulten, Bertin (2012) aims to depict shoppers touching behaviour in relation to the introduction of visual and olfactory sensory cues at point-of-purchase in a retail setting. The findings demonstrate that sensory cues exert a positive impact on consumers desire to touch.ÂÂ  Sensory cues frame consumers affective responses and decision making through involving the sense of touch. This study will aim to see to what extent and how multi-sensory marketing efforts have a positive impact on the consumer during his purchase decision making process. It would also look at cases of how marketers have leveraged sensory branding to positively influence consumer behaviour and present what are the key takeaways that marketers in particular can act on in order to increase brand awareness and induce trials. IMPACT OF SENSORY MARKETING ON PURCHASE BEHAVIOUR: EXISTING RESEARCH Academic research has shown that different sensory impressions impact consumer behaviour and perceptions of goods and services. The sense of sight is the most powerful one for discovering changes and differences in the environment and is the most common sense in perceiving goods or services. Impressions of sound have been analyzed empirically by Garlin and Owen (2006), Sweeney and Wyber (2002). The sense of sound is linked to emotions and feelings and the sense impacts brand experiences and interpretations. The sense of smell is related to pleasure and well-being and is closely connected to emotions and memories. The sense of taste is the most distinct emotional sense and often interacts with other senses. The sense of touch is the tactile one, related to information and feelings about a product through physical and psychological interactions. A multi-sensory brand-experience takes place when more than one of the five senses contributes to the perception of sensory experiences (Hulten, 2009). The author defines multi-sensory brand experience as follows: a multi-sensory brand-experience supports individual value creation and refers to how individuals react when a firm interacts, and supports their purchase and consumption processes through the involvement of the five human senses in generating customer value, experiences, and brand as image. Sensory marketing model Sensorial strategies In relation to the five human senses Sensors Scent sensors Sound sensors Sight sensors Taste sensors Touch sensors Sensations Atmos-pheric Auditory Visual Gastro-nomic Tactile Sensory expressions The multi-sensory brand experience Customer equity Figure 2: A model for sensory marketing Source: Hulten, Bertin (2009) A sensory marketing model takes its point of departure in the human mind and senses, where mental flows, processes and psychological reactions take place and result in a multi-sensory brand-experience. An individuals personal and subjective interpretation and understanding of a multi-sensory brand-experience is referred to here as experiential logic. This means that, for each individual, the logic contributes to forming behavioural, emotional, cognitive, sensory, or symbolic values. According to Hulten, Bertin (2009), this consumer experience becomes an image, forming the mental conceptions and perceptions of interactions and inputs in the service process, which constitutes the final outcome of the multi-sensory experience within a brand perspective. This perspective is defined here as an individuals beliefs, feelings, thoughts, and opinions about a brand, based on the overall experience. Sensors aim at communicating sensations and sensory expressions that reinforce the multi-sensory brand experience for the customer. Sensations aim at expressing a brands identity and values as something distinctive and sensorial, in facilitating the multi-sensory brand experience. Influence of olfactory stimulation Hyojung Ho et al (2010) show that consumers understand the relation between specific product and smell by experiencing and learning. By this biological responses and the principle of classical conditioning that build through repetition, olfactory stimulation influences peoples attitude directly. And also, information from organ of smell can have an influence on peoples behaviour unconsciously by hypothalamus which controls an autonomic nerve and the endocrine system. The author shows that fragrance can create various kinds of positive emotion but the positive emotion cannot directly influence on willingness to buy in other product types. However, fragrance can be used for motivating to purchase. In addition, fragrance results in a wide variety of positive emotion on fashion goods. Fragrance can be used on marketing strategy as each products concept. Moreover, in the case of high technology product, satisfaction was the highest. And also, Consumers feel pleased and impressed from products with fragrance regardless of its product type. Auditory stimuli and consumer behaviour Park and Young (1986) examined the effect of music (present, absent) and three types of involvement (low involvement, cognitive involvement, affective involvement) on the formation of attitudes toward a brand in the context of TV commercials. Music increased the brand attitude for subjects in the low involvement condition but had a distracting effect for those in the cognitive involvement condition. Its effect for those in the affective involvement condition was not clear. They argue that music acted as a peripheral persuasion cue. The relationship between the fit of the mood induced music (happy or sad) and the purchase occasion (happy or sad) and its effect on purchase was studied by Alpert, Alpert, and Maltz (2005). While mood induced by music did not exhibit a main effect on purchase intentions, its interaction with fit was significant. The authors conclude that when music is used to evoke emotions congruent with the symbolic meaning of the product, the likelihood of purchase is increased. Haptics as a sensory marketing tool Terry and Childers (2003) show how haptic information influences emotions and consumer purchase behaviour. Haptic information, or information attained through touch by the hands, is important for the evaluation of products that vary in terms of material properties related to texture, hardness, temperature, and weight. The authors develop and propose a conceptual framework to illustrate that salience of haptic information differs significantly across products, consumers, and situations. The authors use two experiments to assess how these factors interact to impair or enhance the acquisition and use of haptic information. Barriers to touch, such as a retail display case, can inhibit the use of haptic information and consequently decrease confidence in product evaluations and increase the frustration level of consumers who are more motivated to touch products. In addition, written descriptions and visual depictions of products can partially enhance acquisition of certain types of touch information. The authors synthesize the results of these studies and discuss implications for the effect of haptic information for Internet and other non-store retailing as well as for traditional retailers. Analysis of literature with respect to impact on consumer behaviour The research studies analyze show that consumers are heavily using their senses in order to perceive the quality of the product and associate it with positive emotions. The perception of different marketing stimuli consists of emotional and cognitive processes, which take place within the consumer. According to the findings of these studies, sensory stimuli deriving mainly from the product and the packaging such as colors, modern style, pleasant smell, velvety texture and closure packaging sound, influence brand perception positively leading to a stronger (rational and emotional) bond between the brand and the consumer. Marketers need to pay attention, apart from the traditional means of the marketing mix (advertising, public relations, personal selling, sales promotion), to other very important sensory means, such as product scent and texture, store atmosphere (including store music), sounds deriving by their products. Sensory marketing is a relative new concept, which involves the creative synergy between marketing, psychology, neuroscience and neuropsychology. If marketers clearly understand this new concept and try to utilize the knowledge of similar to this study researches, then they can offer a unique buying experience to their consumers, significantly increasing the probability of selling their products. IMPACT OF SENSORY MARKETING ANALYSIS OF FACTORS INVOLVED Sensory marketing framework Sensory marketing is an application of the understanding of sensation and perception to the field of marketing -to consumer perception, cognition, emotion, learning, preference, choice, or evaluation. (Aradhna Krishna, 2011). A framework can be constructed which conceptually explains the process of sensory marketing: Figure 3: A conceptual framework of sensory marketing Sensory Perception Product Stimulus Emotion Behavior Attitude Learning Cognition Source: Krishna, Aradhana (2011) It is to be noted that sensation and perception are stages of processing involved in sensory marketing. Sensation happens when the stimulus has an impact on the receptor cells of a sensory organ-this part is neurological in nature. Perception is the awareness or understanding of sensory information. Analysis of sensory marketing variables Based on the framework above, its possible to identify the variables that can be used to study sensory marketing. Stimuli created through any one or any combination of the five senses (touch, auditory, olfactory, vision, taste) can be identified as the antecedent variables. Sensory stimuli Touch If the hedonic aspects of touch can increase persuasion, the use of touch in marketing may be more broadly applicable than previously believed (Joann Peck Jennifer Wiggins, 2006). It is widely believed that the role of touch is limited to providing information to the customer about the physical attributes of the product; however this kind of touch can be used effectively only in contexts in which customers are able to physically evaluate the product. But the use of touch as a hedonic tool has the potential to be applied to a broad set of products and even services and in a wide variety of contexts which include but are not limited to package design, print advertising, direct mail advertising, and point-of-purchase displays. Sensory stimuli Olfactory There have been studies which have dealt with the relationship between ambient scent and memory. Morrin and Ratneshwar (2003) showed that ambient scent increased recall and recognition of brands seen. Earlier studies on this topic also suggested that ambient odors result in memories and affect elaboration on product information and choice. According to Bosmans (2006), ambient scent can lead to emotion-based semantic connections with memories (e.g., roses and babies) and result in improving product evaluation. Stimuli auditory There have been various studies on the effect of auditory stimuli on marketing programs. A lot of marketing communication is auditory in nature for e.g. radio and television advertising messages, jingles and songs. There is also prevalence of ambient music in retail spaces, hotels, restaurants and airplanes. Also marketers create and deploy signature sounds for products for unique identification for their brand such as the sound for the Windows OS that one hears each time we boot a PC. Ismail M. El Sayed, Dalia A. Farrag, Russell W. Belk (2006) concluded that the type of background music played in malls had a distinct effect on the shopping behaviour of the visitors. They used the Stimulus-Organism-Response paradigm to ascertain the impact of auditory stimuli on purchase behaviour. Stimuli through vision and taste AydinoÄÅ ¸lu and Krishna (2011) demonstrate that size labels adopted by food vendors can have a major impact on consumers size judgments and consumption (actual and perceived), since consumers integrate the actual size information from the stimuli, with the semantic cue from the size label. The consequent variables identified are enhanced customer awareness about the brand, increase in brand recall, better brand recognition and customer purchase behavior whether the stimuli actually leads to the customer purchasing the product. Customer awareness As a result of stimuli through any of the senses, the awareness of a product/brand can be enhanced in the customers minds. Brand recognition (learning) Sensory stimuli is more often deployed by marketers in their products in order to ease the process of recognizing a brand for a customer. Auditory and visual stimuli in the form of packaging are more often used to enable a customer to recognize a brand with a higher level of ease and convenience. Brand recall (memory) Marketers also use sensory stimuli as a tool to facilitate a high level of brand recall among the customers. A typical example is that of the Intel Pentium processor sound or even the Britannias jingle in the Indian market. Purchase behavior Though sensory stimuli can help in awareness and recall, it is ultimately the conversion into a purchase that is the ultimate goal of marketers of any product. Barry J. Davies, Dion Kooijman and Philippa Ward (2003) show a model of how environmental stimuli in the form of ambient scent can affect the shopping behaviour of consumers in a retail set up. Figure 4: Model of the Influence of Ambient Scent on Consumer Responses Moderators Approach avoidance reactions Affective response Perceived ambient scent Objective ambient scent Source: Barry J. Davies, Dion Kooijman and Philippa Ward (2003) Variables for study The variables chosen for this study would be auditory and olfactory stimuli on the antecedent side and customer purchase behavior on the consequent side. Antecedents Consequences Kind of stimuli Vision Brand awareness Taste Brand recognition Purchase behavior Auditory Brand recall Olfactory The scope of research would be to identify how marketers have deployed the use of auditory and olfactory stimuli in products, services or environments (shopping malls, etc) to influence the customer purchase behavior. The study will also analyze the two major intermediate variables involved in the process perception of the stimuli and emotions and cognition happening at the customers mind. ANALYSIS OF IMPACT OF AUDITORY AND OLFACTORY STIMULI ON PURCHASE DECISION Research proposition This paper proposes that olfactory or auditory stimuli deployed by marketers in products or retail environments actually lead to positive emotions and cognitive reactions about the brand for the consumer. Further these cognitive and affective beliefs lead the consumer to the actual purchase decision. To analyze the validity of the above proposition, we examine the case in two different stages: Influence of olfactory and auditory stimuli in creating positive emotions/affective beliefs in consumers Influence of positive emotions on actual decision to purchase Relationship between olfactory stimuli and affective reactions in the consumer The sense of smell is considered to be the most closely related to emotional reactions. The olfactory bulb is directly connected to the limbic system in the brain, which is the system related to immediate emotion in humans (Wilkie 1995). 75% of emotions are generated by smell (Bell and Bell 2007). Consequently, smell represents a direct line to feelings of happiness and hunger and is a sensory bandwidth that cannot be turned off (Wilkie 1995; Vlahos 2007). Thus, from a marketers perspective, smell has an instantaneous good or bad effect on our emotional state which, as some research has shown, ultimately affects our shopping and spending behavior. Figure 5: How Objective Ambient Scents Interact with the Perceptual Process Organizing Assimilation Covert objective Objective Conscious level of awareness scent Sensing Attention Reacting Response Reacting Response Sensing Attention Ambient scent Organizing Assimilation Source: Bradford and Desrochers (2009) The neurological substrates of olfaction are especially geared for associative learning and emotional processing. Marketers can link a scent with an unconditioned stimulus eliciting the desired response and eventually prompting a conditioned response from consumers (Herz 2002). Further, since the olfactory bulbs are part of the limbic system and directly connect to the structures that process emotion (the amygdala) they also strongly related to associative learning (the hippocampus) (Herz 2002). No other sensory system has this type of intimate link between emotion and associative learning (Herz 2002). Relationship between auditory stimuli and affective reactions in the consumer Ambient sound, such as music heard in hotels, restaurants, retail stores, and supermarkets, can influence consumer mood, actual time spent in a location, perception of time spent, and actual spending. For instance, stereotypically French versus German music has been shown to affect the choice of wine-shoppers bought more French (German) wine when French (German) music was played (North, Hargreaves, McKendrick, 1999); classical music has been shown to enhance pleasure, whereas pop-style music to increase arousal (Kellaris Kent, 1993). Music in a store also influences shopping pace-slower music produces slower shopping and results in more purchases since customers progress at a slower pace as they move through the store (Milliman, 1982). When consumers enjoy the background music, they feel they have spent less time shopping relative to the actual amount of time they have spent in the store; if they dislike it, despite the short amount of time they have actually spent in the store, they claim to have been there for much longer (Yalch Spangenberg, 2000; but, see also Kellaris Kent, 1992). Influence of positive emotions on consumer purchase decision The relationship between pleasant emotions and purchasing behaviors is relatively well supported in the retail literature (Donovan and Rossiter, 1994). In particular, the Mehrabian-Russell model (1974), which explains the relationship between environments, intervening variables, and behaviors relevant to retail setting using a Stimulus-Organism-Response paradigm, has received the widest usage to explain shopping emotions in consumer research. According to the Mehrabian-Russell model, three emotional responses of pleasure-displeasure, arousal-non arousal, and dominance-submissiveness mediate peoples approach or avoidance reactions to environments. (Lee and Yi, 2008). APPLICATIONS OF OLFACTORY MARKETING TO STIMULATE PURCHASE Sensory analysis is a scientific discipline which is now employed by all the leading brands and also companies who are trying to enhance their brand identity. Because, Consumers perception is as good as reality (Lindstrom, Martin (2010):p106), added (non-edible) aromas prove to the scientists that buyer behaviour is absolutely influenced. Nestle, coca-cola, Carlsberg add aroma to the packaging on their products. Exposed, unwrapped foods are how leading supermarkets and shops entice their consumers, an example of this would be the in store environment at Wholefoods. More specific examples include; the Florida hospital which has a seaside centre in which they use scent machines to circulate the smell of sea, coconut and vanilla, with the notion that patients will be soothed and not cancel their appointments. (Hulten, Bertil, Niklas Broweus Marcus van Dijk, 2009) The Hyatt hotel chain in Paris used their French history of great perfumers and combined that with detailed sensory brand analysis to create their own signature scent. Their scent brand was developed by French perfumer Blaise Mautin for the Park Hyatt Vendome hotel in 2002 and it incorporated eighteen ingredients. It was ultimately described as fresh cement poured over raw oak plank, plus fresh, ever-so-slightly cinnamony pastry dough with the olfactory texture of thick, rich tan silk (Hulten, Bertil, Niklas Broweus Marcus van Dijk (2009):p64). Such detailed descriptions are there to serve our need for developed language around olfaction, due to the fact that our confidence and communication around scent is still developing. That said, olfactory memory is not semantic but episodic and customers only come into contact with the experience not the description. APPLICATIONS OF AUDITORY MARKETING TO STIMULATE PURCHASE Much of marketing communication is auditory in nature-one hears radio and television advertising messages, jingles and songs; one also hears ambient music in retail spaces, hotels, restaurants and airplanes; then, there are signature sounds from products such as the sound for the Intel Pentium chip that one hears each time one starts a computer or the sounds for Motorola or Verizon cellphones. Importantly, even when one reads a word, one hears the word as well-if the language is phonetic in nature, then the words that one reads enter a phontactic loop before being encoded in the mind, similar to spoken words. CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH Conclusion The findings from the research point to the fact that there is a positive relationship between olfactory and auditory stimuli deployed by marketers in products or retail environments and the emotions that the customers go through in the purchase situation. Also the different studies analyzed show that positive emotions generated by sensory experiences lead to a higher probability of actual purchase decision by the customer. Thus, it can be concluded that sensory marketing efforts do have a direct impact on the purchase decision of the customers. Limitations and future research This research is only limited to analyzing the effect of sensory marketing efforts on consumer purchase behaviour. However there are other variables on which sensory stimuli could have different positive or negative effects on brand recognition (especially in the case of auditory stimuli used for sonic branding), brand recall (mostly achieved through rich visual stimuli) or just consumer perception of the brand. Future research can focus on the effect of each of the individual sensory stimuli independently on these different consequent variables. Also this research has largely focused on conscious sensory approaches to marketing. However this study can be extended to the increasingly prevalent subliminal approaches taken by marketers to reinforce the brands subconsciously in the minds of consumers.

Multiculturalism In Canada :: Immigration, Ethnic Diversity

Multiculturalism In Canada Canada has long been called "The Mosaic", due to the fact that it is made up of a varied mix of races, cultures and ethnicities. As more and more immigrants come to Canada searching for a better life, the population naturally becomes more diverse. This has, in turn, spun a great debate over multiculturalism. Some of the issues under fire are the political state's policies concerning multiculturalism, the attitudes of Canadians around these policies, immigration, the global market, and a central point is the education and how to present the material in a way so as to offend the least amount of people. There are many variations on these themes as will be discussed in this paper. In the 1930's several educators called for programs of cultural diversity that encouraged ethnic and minority students to study their respective heritages. This is not a simple feat due to the fact that there is much diversity within individual cultures. A look at the 1991 Canadian census shows that the population has changed more noticeable in the last ten years than in any other time in the twentieth century, with one out of four Canadians identifying themselves as black, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander, Metis or Native. (Gould 1995: 198)Most people, from educators to philosophers, agree that an important first step in successfully joining multiple cultures is to develop an understanding of each others background. However, the similarities stip there. One problem is defining the tem "multiculturalism". When it is looked at simply as meaning the existence of a culturally integrated society, many people have no problems. However, when you go beyond that and try to suggest a different way of arriving at theat culturally integrated society, everyone seems to have a different opinion on what will work. Since education is at the root of the problem, it might be appropriate to use an example in that context. In 1980, the American school, Stanford University came up with a program - later known as the "Stanford-style multicultural curriculum" which aimed to familiarize students with traditions, philosophy, literature and history of the West. The program consisted of fifteen required books by writers such as Plato, Aristotle, Homer, Aquinas, Marx and Freud. By 1987, a group called the Rainbow Coalition argued the fact that the books were all written by DWEM's or Dead White European Males. They felt that this type of teaching denied student s the knowledge of contributions by people of colour, women, and other oppressed groups.

Do Illegal workers help or hurt the economy Essay

While growing up in Mexico, I heard many stories of people who were going to work in the United States, some illegally, so they could provide a better life for their families. To them, they were going to the land of opportunity, where jobs were plentiful for people who were willing to work hard. They planned to go to the United States and do the work that Americans didn’t want, while getting paid more than they could make in Mexico. Many of them sought work in construction, where their lower pay would mean cheaper homes and buildings for Americans. Although there was the risk of getting arrested and deported, it seemed like a risk worth taking to many people. Now that I live in the United States, I have seen the other side of the story. I have seen the economic difficulties that Americans face in their own country. It is even harder for someone like me, who came here legally, but faces challenges that many Americans don’t. I have met people here who are working illegally, and see their daily struggle to survive. I have also met Americans who were born here and have difficulty finding work. Instead of plenty of jobs for everyone, good jobs are scarce with many people fighting to get them. I see the resentment some people have toward those who are here illegally, and working for lower wages, making it harder for others to complete. These observations have made me wonder; do illegal workers help or hurt the economy? Dr. George Borjas, Professor of Economics and Social Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, found that the earnings of US born workers were reduced by an average of 3.7% by immigrant workers, both legal and illegal. The greatest effect was to US born workers without a high school degree as well as young workers. In his research, published in the paper Increasing the Supply of Labor Through Immigration, Dr. Borjas writes â€Å"The 10 million native-born workers without a high school degree face the most competition from immigrants, as do the eight million younger natives with only a high school education and 12 million younger college graduates.† In the study entitled The Economic Logic of Illegal Immigration by Gordon H. Hanson, Professor of Economics at University of California, Gordon discovered that immigration has a modest impact on the economy, pushing incomes slightly lower for low-skilled native workers, and pushing incomes slightly higher for highly-skilled native workers. However, because legal immigrant workers encounter more restrictions and delays in entering the work force, it is illegal immigrations that provide a fluid, low-skilled workforce that is needed during economic booms. Gordon states â€Å"It (Illegal immigration) provides U.S. businesses with the types of workers they want, when they want them, and where they want them. If policy reform succeeds in making U.S. illegal immigrants more like legal immigrants, in terms of their skills, timing of arrival, and occupational mobility, it is likely to lower rather than raise national welfare.† In June of 2011, the state of Alabama passed the strictest anti-immigration law in the United States, known as HB 56. Alabama is an unlikely state for such a law, since only 120,000 of the country’s 11 million illegal immigrants live in Alabama. However, politicians painted illegal workers as an epidemic, contributing to budget shortfalls and high unemployment. Included in the law, is a requirement for police to validate a person’s immigration status if they have â€Å"reasonable suspicion†. The law penalizes anyone who employs, transports, or rents to an illegal immigrant. As a result of this law, Alabama farmers, who opposed the law from the beginning, saw their workforce disappear. In an article appearing in Mother Jones magazine entitled Help Not Wanted, by Paul Reyes, Alabama farmers expressed their frustration with HB 56. Their problem is that the work they have is difficult and requires experience and training that most native workers don’t have or are unwilling to do. In the article, Jerry Spencer, who runs Grow Alabama, a community-supported agriculture (CSA) project, is quoted. During a single month, Spencer employed 75 Alabamians to work on a farm, picking tomatoes. Of the 75 workers, 15 of them showed up more than once and only 3 lasted for the whole month. Spencer says â€Å"A Mexican can honestly make $300 a day at the height of tomato season, but that’s based on $3 per box. The (Alabamian) workers we took up there couldn’t come close. I’m going to be generous and say $20 a day was average. I actually was proud to see how hard they did work, but they couldn’t live up to the efficiency, and therefore the speed and production, that Mexicans could† An earlier law that prohibited employers from hiring illegal workers was the Immigration Reform and Control Act, which was passed by congress in 1986. This act created penalties for employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants. However, illegal workers have found a way to counter this by obtaining fake Social Security numbers and green cards, which can be purchased easily in most immigrant neighborhoods for a small fee. These false documents allow employers to claim ignorance if caught hiring an illegal worker. This also means that the illegal workers are paid the same way as other workers, along with tax deductions. In an article appearing in Generations magazine entitled Not on the Radar: Illegal Immigrant are Bolstering Social Security, author Eduardo Porter provided the following statistic, â€Å"The estimated seven million or so illegal immigrant workers in the United States are now providing the system with a subsidy of as much as $7 billion a year.† It is important to note with this statistic, that illegal workers are not eligible for Social Security benefits. Their Social Security deductions are being paid to retired legal workers. While illegal workers with false documents are paying taxes and contributing to the Social Security system, illegal immigrant workers also add a financial strain on city and state budgets. For example, in states like California, where one third of foreign born people in the United States live, children of immigrants are affecting public schools. In the book Immigration in a Changing Economy: California’s Experience, authors Kevin F. McCarthy and George Vernez advocate that more education needs be provided in California public schools for English proficiency for immigrant children â€Å"lest they, and California with them, fall behind the rest of the country† warns McCarthy and Vernez. Illegal workers may have dreams of making lots of money while working in the United States, but the truth is that they will face low-level jobs with the likelihood of exploitation. In a study of illegal Mexican workers, which is documented by Francisco L. Rivera-Batiz in the study Undocumented workers in the labor market: An analysis of the earnings of legal and illegal Mexican immigrants in the United States, published in the Journal of Population  Economics, it was found that 93.2% of male illegal workers and 87.4% of female illegal workers worked in service occupations. Furthermore, they made significantly less income than legal workers performing the same functions. Although some of the pay discrepancy is due to their time spent in the United States and English proficiency, it does not explain all of the pay discrepancies. Rivera-Batiz writes, â€Å"The large proportion of the gap in wages between legal and illegal immigrants unexplained by differences in the measured characteristics of these two groups strongly suggests the presence of systematic discrimination against undocumented workers.† After conducting my research, I have been surprised to learn that illegal immigration has a minimal impact on the overall US economy. The most negatively affected are young, low-skilled, less educated native workers, who experience slightly lower wages due to illegal immigrant workers. Highly-skilled native workers actually receive a slightly higher income due to illegal immigrant workers. Illegal workers benefit of course, but they are also easy targets for exploitation, since they are often not paid the same as legal workers performing the same job functions, and do not receive the same benefits that legal workers do. The real winners from illegal immigration are the businesses that knowingly employ illegal workers. They receive a workforce willing to work for minimal wages, and perform jobs that many native workers are unwilling to do. Government agencies also benefit by receiving tax payments from illegal workers, while not having to pay out such benefits as Social Security. For these reasons, I foresee little change in Immigration laws, since the current situation benefits those with the most power and money. Works Cited (1) Borjas, G. J. (2004, May). In Increasing the Supply of Labor Through Immigration: Measuring the Impact on Native-born Workers. Retrieved Mar. 29, 2013, from http:// www.cis.org/articles/2004/back504.html (2) Hanson, G. H. (2007, Apr. 26 ). In The Economic Logic of Illegal Immigration. Retrieved Mar. 29, 2013, from http://www.cfr.org/content/publications (3) McCarthy, Kevin F., Vernez,  George. â€Å"Immigration in a Changing Economy: California’s Experience.† Rand, 1997: 338 EBSCOhost. Anoka Technical College, Anoka, Minnesota. 19 April 2013 http://www.ebsco.com (4) Reyes, Paul. â€Å"Help Not Wanted.† Mother Jones March/April 2012: EBSCOhost. Anoka Technical College, Anoka, Minnesota. 19 April 2013 . (5) Rivera-Batiz, Francisco L. â€Å"Undocumented workers in the labor market: An analysis of the earnings of legal and illegal Mexican immigrants in the United States† Journal of Population Economics (1999) 91-116 EBSCOhost. Anoka Technical College, Anoka, Minnesota. 29 March 2013 . (6) Porter, Eduardo. â€Å"Not on the Radar: Illegal Immigrants Are Bolstering Social Security.† Generations Spring 2005, Vol. 29 Issue 1: 100-102 EBSCOhost. Anoka Technical College, Anoka, Minnesota. 29 March 2013 .

Coming of Age in New Jersey by Michael Moffat Essay

Michael Moffat studied the life of college students in a co-ed dormitory living environment at Rutgers University in the late 1970’s and mid 1980’s. His book, Coming of Age in New Jersey: College and American Culture draw on writings of actual students and provide detailed accounts of the sexual histories and activities of both male and female students living in the dorm. He writes what he learned as an actual resident living with the students who understood that he was researching their habits and experiences. He lived with them and studies them as an anthropologist would. The book focuses largely on sexual life of students but also touches upon race, work ethic, gender and community living. It seems that all of these issues are related and Moffat is able to tie much of the actions and attitudes together. A common theme throughout the book is that the life of college students is not quite as wild and sex filled as society in general might assume. In fact, the experience may be less wild that the prospective students themselves expected. This was likely a relief to many of them and in fact, is likely that the family values and morals that they brought to college with them were responsible for the reality of life in the dorms. It seems that new college students do not leave all of their past experiences of knowledge at home when the come to college. They apparently have learned and formed opinions and come with a set of expectation for acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. The book also discusses the difference between expectations of general college living and the actual experience. The societal expectation or assumptions of student life, and what actually occurs is discussed. Relating the sexual activity and romantic relationship to student’s morals and prior learning is interesting. While some of the stories are disturbing, many of them lead one to believe that children actually do listen to and learn from their parents. The morals and beliefs of home follow these students to the college dorm.   Moffat notes the difference between living in a dormitory like environment such as an apartment or even boarding home, and living in a college dorm. In the college dorm there is an expected sense of community and commradery and the university does much to encourage the friendships and support that this living arrangement offers. Adolescents are transitioning from home to the life of an independent adult and the community living is meant to offer a degree of supervision and support. The effects of this arrangement on the actual experiences of students in interesting to the reader. Chapters 5 & 6 are titled â€Å"Sex† and â€Å"Sex in College† respectively. These chapters provide the details on the relationships and sexual experiences and habits of the students. Moffat found that students fell into several groups including those who were involved with more conservative and traditional monogamous, heterosexual relationships that involved love and affection. This was the largest group. Others fell in to the groups of experiments and those having some casual relationships that involved sex. This group, for the most part included those who arrived at college more experienced sexually.   Moffat grouped the students into several distinct types in terms of sexual activity. These included; neotraditional, romantic, experimental, radical, liberal and the nonheterosexual population. He was clear to note however, that every student or pair of students involved with a relationship were different, with their own set of idiosyncrasies. Most however, were interested in committed, consensual, heterosexual relationships. Orgies, no matter what the movies and pop culture may imply, were not at all the norm on the college campus. E also found that for most students, their schedule was o busy and the conflicting schedules of their partner or potential partners made sex a rarity for many. Roommates and social issues of community issue further hampered the free love environment one might have expected. The students that reported experimenting with locations such as outside or in classrooms, the library or on the bus seemed driven as much by the lack of privacy as by the desire to be an exhibitionist. The book note that the 1980’s came with the ability to easily prevent pregnancy with the availability of birth control so sex could be enjoyed more freely than in the past. Still, traditional values and the need for committed relationships held out. The fact that the college dorm was set up like a pseudo family, seems to have resulted in some degree of modesty and restraint. Moffat talks about how students would surely not walk around naked or provocatively in front of each other on the floor openly. Students or dorm mates related to each other to at least some degree, as they would act around siblings and family members in general. Those who did dare to walk to the shower wearing only a towel, for example were made fun of and the comments made were much like the comments one would make to a sibling. These relationship similarity likely resulted n some curbing of the sexual behavior at least among floor mates. Moffat’s book reports the facts and shows data and bell curves and comparisons from the 1970’s to the 1980’s. He does not draw a lot of conclusions or cause and effect relationships. That is left for the reader to do if he wishes. The book does seem to indicate that college students are more focused and serious than movies such as Animal House would have one believe. Unfortunately, this book does not address at all the realities of the effects of drugs and alcohol use on college campuses. Living with the students, Moffat did not want to report on issues of substance abuse as he was concerned about the openness of his subjects if they felt that he was potentially a â€Å"narc†. This dimension however is so important to the living experiences of college students that a glaring hole is the result. Anyone familiar with college living will notice the missing piece of information, particularly for those who lived in college dorms during the 19070’s and 1980’s when drug and alcohol use was so much less regulated than it is today The relationship between substance use and sexual activity would have been interesting to note. The issue of traumatic sexual experiences and events linked to alcohol use would likely have been linked. A study today of sexuality on campus, looking at he issue of substance abuse as well as the increased awareness of sexually transmitted diseases would be very interesting to compare to Moffat’s original study.   One would expect that the outcome would be similar to the original study in terms of understanding the relationships between values, morals, family environments and sexuality.

Stefan’s Diaries: Bloodlust Chapter 22

I straightened the cuffs on my neatly pressed white shirt and buttoned my overcoat. The shiny brass buttons glinted in the lamplight as I turned the corner onto Laurel Street. I wiped my face, to make sure no blood lingered on my lips. Id visited my barmaid from Miladies, sating my hunger before my evening out on the town with Callie. The barmaids blood had tasted sweet, like lilies dipped in honey. The second the warmth had hit my tongue, my senses had become honed and the world had sharpened around the edges. Now the cicadas shrieked in my ears and the smell of roses assaulted my nose, but my stomach was calm and my veins were sated. I was ready for my date. The park at the end of the street was filled with magnolias and ancient elm trees, and in the center, a marble fountain was topped with a sculpture of a naked woman. Through the burble of the fountain, I could hear the beating of a human heart. â€Å"Hello?† I called. â€Å"Stefan!† Callie stepped out from behind a stone cherub into the weak light of a gas lamp. Her red hair, a flame in the flickering light, hung loose and curly around her shoulders. She wore a simple, cream-colored dress, with a lace bodice and a flouncy skirt that draped over her tiny hips. Blood raced through my body. â€Å"What?† Callie said, reddening as she noticed my stare. â€Å"You look, uh, like a girl,† I said. She looked beautiful. â€Å"Gee, thanks.† Callie rolled her eyes and softly slugged my shoulder. â€Å"Youre just used to seeing me in work clothes.† She gazed at me. â€Å"You look quite handsome.† I cleared my throat and tugged on my collar. Suddenly my clothes felt uncomfortable and constricting, and the night air stuffy. I wondered briefly if the barmaid had something in her blood that hadnt agreed with me. â€Å"Thank you,† I said formally. â€Å"Stefan?† Callie lifted her arm expectantly. â€Å"Oh, of course.† I took her arm in mine. Her freckled hand grazed my palm. I flinched and readjusted so that her hand was resting on the soft fabric of my jacket. â€Å"Where to, Miss Gallagher?† She looked up at me, a smile on her face. â€Å"Bourbon Street, of course.† Callie guided me through cobblestone side streets, where gardenias dripped from balconies. On a whim, I grabbed one and tucked it behind her ear. Back home in Mystic Falls, it was customary to bring flowers or a small token when visiting with a lady. â€Å"Want to know a secret?† Callie whispered. â€Å"What?† I asked, curious. I was already the bearer of too many secrets. But perhaps Callies could lead me to Damon She got up on tiptoe and cupped my ear with her hand. The sound of her blood pumping beneath her skin magnified tenfold. I gritted my teeth, forcing my fangs back down. â€Å"Your shirt has come untucked,† she whispered. â€Å"Oh,† I said, as I self-consciously smoothed down my shirt. â€Å"Thanks.† Callie let out a gleeful laugh. â€Å"You know what I really want to see?† she asked, grabbing my arm. â€Å"What?† I asked, trying to devote all my energy to not listening to the steady thrum of her blood. â€Å"A burlesque show. Madame X has a showeveryone'sbeen talking about,† she said. We walked together through the town, past bustling crowds and wavering street carts, ending up in a well-kept neighborhood in front of a pristine, stately house. A simple placard next to the door readMADAME Xin black script. Soft lamplight shone from all the windows, and carriages pulled up, one after another, to the front gate, releasing their well-dressed passengers into the depths of the club. I momentarily panicked. I didnt have any money. And I was wearing a schoolboys clothes that hadnt been in style since the turn of the century. â€Å"Callie, I think † I began, trying to come up with an alternate idea for our evening when the front door swung open to greet us. â€Å"Good evening. Are you guests of the house?† The mans eyes flicked down my old clothes. I was wildly underdressed for this venue, and I knew it. Callie, however, looked radiant. â€Å"Yes,† Callie jumped in, straightening her shoulders. â€Å"And your names?† From the way Callies lips flattened, I could tell she hadnt realized there was a guest list. I stepped in front of her, suddenly inspired. â€Å"Were the Picards. Remy and his wife, Calliope.† â€Å"One moment, sir.† The man waddled in his slippers over to a podium holding a list that almost certainly did not include Mr. Remy Picards name. He turned a page, then turned it back. â€Å"What are you doing, Stefan?† Callie whispered. â€Å"I have it under control,† I said quietly. â€Å"Just smile and look pretty.† The man returned, looking genuinely distressed. â€Å"Im terribly sorry, sir, but your name is not on our list for tonight.† He glanced around, as if ready to beckon a security guard if we made trouble. I want you to let us in without asking us any more questions, I thought, channeling all my energy. â€Å"Wed really like to come in,† I said aloud, concentrating on looking deep into his eyes, ignoring Callies curious gaze boring into my back. â€Å"Are you sure you didnt see our names on the list?† The mans eyes flickered. Let us in without looking at the list. â€Å"You know, I believe Imighthave seen your names. In fact, Im sure I did. The Picards! Im sorry. It was my confusion. Right this way,† he said, a slightly vacant expression on his face. He led us through large double doors and into a sumptuous parlor. Low crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and the air smelled of jasmine, magnolia, and freesia. â€Å"Enjoy your stay at Madame Xs. And if I can be of any assistance to either of you, dont hesitate to come fetch me,† the man said, turning on his heel. â€Å"Thank you,† I said. Callie simply stood there, looking slack-jawed at me. â€Å"How did you do that?† I shrugged. â€Å"I just made him doubt himself. He wouldnt want to say no to the Picards, whoever they are. Besides, what if our nameswereon the list, and he said no to us, then we complained to the owner?† Secretly, I was thrilled. My Power was strengthening. â€Å"So I take it that this isnt your first time sneaking in where you dont belong?† I glanced at her slyly. â€Å"You of all people should know that to be true.† She laughed, and I gave her an impromptu twirl. People stared at us. Even though a pianist was playing a jaunty tune in the corner, this wasnt a room where people danced. Instead, guests drifted from one conversation to the next as they sucked on cigars and gulped down champagne. â€Å"Do you know anyone here?† I asked as we brushed past couple after couple, all clad in finery. Callie shrugged, the shadow of a frown crossing her face. She glanced around the room. â€Å"They all hate Father. They say hes a Unionist whos taking advantage of New Orleans with his business. And perhaps he is, but at least his show doesnt pretend to be something its not,† she said, jutting her chin. I shifted in my seat. Wasnt that exactly what I was doing? Pretending to be someone I wasnt? I couldnt look at her, in case she could see the depths of my lies in my eyes. A server came by with a tray laden with champagne. I grabbed two glasses. â€Å"Cheers,† I said, handing one to Callie. As we sipped the bubbling liquid, conversations swirled around us, growing louder and more boisterous with every tray of drinks the waiters brought out to serve. Mens movements grew more languid, women laughed more readily. â€Å"Is your father ready for the next show?† I asked, forcing a conversational note to my voice. â€Å"I suppose so.† â€Å"Who will the vampire be fighting?† â€Å"I dont know,† Callie said. â€Å"A crocodile, or maybe a tiger. It depends on what Father can get on such short notice. Why?† I shrugged noncommittally. â€Å"I want to place a bet.† â€Å"Father wants something cheap. Hes worried people wont pony up as much money for another animal fight. It seems the monsters much stronger than a beast.† â€Å"Oh,† I said, trying to process the information. â€Å"But lets not talk about work. Tonight is supposed to be fun! Lord knows we dont have enough of it in our real lives.† Callies voice grew melancholy. â€Å"Speaking of fun,† she said, pointing to a small crowd moving through a set of double doors at the back of the club, â€Å"I think the burlesque show is back there.† â€Å"Shall we?† I asked, offering my arm. The back room, much smaller than the first one, had numerous wooden tables crammed onto the floor. A stage was set up at the front of the room, and the space was dimly lit by candles. Instead of joining the crush toward the front, Callie and I sat back on a low-slung, red velvet bench beneath a large mirror in the back of the room. As soon as everyone settled into seats, a master of ceremonies took to the stage. I was surprised to see that he was a man wearing a dinner suit and cape. Id imagined a burlesque show to be louder, larger than this, with plenty of music and scantily clad women. â€Å"Good evening! As weve all heard, we have a vampire in our midst,† he said dramatically. Audience members tittered nervously. I glanced at Callie out of the corner of my eye. Was this some sort of trap? Did she know what I was? But Callie was leaning forward, as if mesmerized by the mans words. The master of ceremonies smiled, drinking in the suspense. â€Å"Yes, a vampire. Down at that two-bit circus by the lake.† Jeers filled the room. Callie hadnt been exaggerating when shed said her father was infamous in this town. I turned to look at her. Although her cheeks were as red as her hair, she gazed straight ahead, her elbows on her knees. â€Å"And eyewitnesses say Gallagher had to chain his up so it wont run away. But, here at Madame Xs, our vampire has come to visit all on his own.† â€Å"We can go if you want,† I whispered. But Callie shook her head and clasped my hand. It felt warm against my cool skin, but this time I didnt push her away. â€Å"No, I want to stay.† A thin man walked onstage, clad in a black cape. His face was powdered, and thin lines of fake blood were drawn from the corners of his lips. He smiled at the crowd, revealing fake fangs. I shifted in my seat. â€Å"I am a vampire, and you all are my prey! Come to me, my pretties!† he cackled, in an exaggerated voice that made me squirm. The â€Å"vampire† stalked around the stage, his teeth bared and his eyes scanning the audience. A woman in a pearl-embroidered gown stood up from a table in the front and walked toward the stage as if in a trance, emitting a low moan with each step. â€Å"The vampire has special eyes that can see through clothing. And this vampire, ladies and gentlemen, likes what he sees!† The master of ceremonies leered at the audience. At this, the audience applauded enthusiastically. I glanced at Callie again. Had she known this was a show about vampires? â€Å"But, now, the vampire has his hunger awakened. And what hell do to feed the hunger, you wont believe,† the master of ceremonies said as the vampire onstage waved his hands toward the woman, as if conducting an orchestra. As he did that, a trumpet player began playing a slow, mournful tune. The woman began to move her hips, slowly at first, and then more and more quickly until she looked as though she would topple over. â€Å"Maybe Father should give our vampire dance lessons,† Callie whispered, her breath hot on my cheek. Then, suddenly, the vampire stopped waving his arms. The music stopped, and so did the woman. The vampire lurched toward her, took hold of the sleeve of her dress, and tore it off, exposing her milky-white arm. â€Å"Do you feel wicked tonight?† the vampire called to the audience, waggling the fabric toward the crowd. Then he tore off the other sleeve. My stomach turned. â€Å"I ask you, do you feel wicked tonight?† he called again, tossing the fabric into the audience. The crowd cheered as the dancer continued her gyrations, rubbing her back against the â€Å"vampire.† Slowly, she peeled away her clothing, item by item, sending a silk stocking or a slip into the audience until most of her body was on display. As the music picked up speed, she got closer to becoming entirely nude. At last, she sat in a chair on the stage as the master of ceremonies pulled off the last bit of her top, forcing her to cover herself with her hands. â€Å"As he is a beast from hell, the only way to stop a vampire is with a stake to the heart. But they can also be kept away with a crucifix â€Å" At this, the dancer pantomimed a futile search for pockets that might contain a stake or crucifix. I slumped in my chair, thinking of my own attacks. Of Alice, of Lavinia, of the nurse whose name Id never known. There was nothing beautiful or romantic about those attacks. They were quick, bloody, deadly. Id ended their lives without a second thought, with swift violence and a thirst for more. â€Å"Are you okay?† Callie asked. For the first time, I realized how tightly Id been clutching her hand. I loosened my grip, and instantly she snuggled closer to me in my seat. Her blood pumped like sweet music through her body, and the warmth of her body soothed my anger. I relaxed into her, taking in the softness of her voice as she laughed at the play. Callie was warm and soft and so veryalive. I wanted this moment to freeze, to last into eternity, with nothing but me and Callie and her beating heart. There was nothing else I needed in that moment, not blood, not power, not D– My body tensed and I sat straight up. What was I doing? Had I forgotten my brother, what I had done to him, so quickly? I stood up. â€Å"Down in front!† a voice barked a few rows behind me. â€Å"I-Im sorry. I have to go,† I said, stumbling toward the door. â€Å"Stefan, wait!† she called. But I kept going until I was on the street, running from the late-night bustle all the way to the riverbank. As I stared down at my reflection in the swirling water, Percys words echoed in my head: â€Å"Youll either want to kill her or kiss her, and neither scenario will end well for you.† He was right. Because while I truly didnt know whether I wanted to kiss or bite Callie, I knew I wantedher.