The Two-Dimensional Character of Virginia Woolfs To The Lighthouse :: To The Lighthouse Essays

To the Lighthouse  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Two-Dimensional Character   In the novel, To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf illustrates the character of Mr. Ramsay, a husband and father of eight children.   As a husband, he degrades and mentally abuses his wife, Mrs. Ramsay, and as a father, he disparages and psychologically injures his children.   Yet, Mr. Ramsay has another side -- a second dimension.   He carries the traits of a very compassionate and loving husband and a securing and nurturing father. Although Woolf depicts Mr. Ramsay as crude, brusque, and insensitive, he, nonetheless, desires happiness and welfare for his family.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Even though Mr. Ramsay frequently scolds and denounces Mrs. Ramsay, he still seeks happiness and comfort for his wife.   For example, after Mrs. Ramsay lies to James about the next day's weather, "He [Mr. Ramsay] stamped his foot on the stone step. 'Damn you,' he said." (31) Mr. Ramsay devastates his wife's emotions.   Because of a little lie, the temperamental Mr. Ramsay hurts, if not kills, Mrs. Ramsay's emotions.   Still, right after the incident, Mr. Ramsay self-reflects and   "[he was] ashamed of that petulance [that he brought to his wife]." (32) Mr. Ramsay understands and regrets the sorrow he brought on Mrs. Ramsay.   He sympathizes with her and is "ashamed" for what he had done.   Mr. Ramsay wants to appease his wife and make her happy as a result of the torment that he inflicted on her.   Next, Woolf again illustrates Mr. Ramsay's insensitive dimension when Mr. Ramsay makes Mrs. Ramsay "bend her head as if to let the pelt of jagged hail, the drench of dirty water, bespatter her unrebuked." (32) Mr. Ramsay is heartless to his wife's feelings; it is as if he enjoys "drenching" Mrs. Ramsay and enjoys seeing her in mental anguish.   However, Woolf later contrasts the callous Mr. Ramsay with a more sensitive and caring Mr. Ramsay:   So stiffened and composed the lines of her face in a habit of sternness that when her husband passed†¦ he could not help noting, the sternness at the heart of her beauty.   It saddened him, and her remoteness pained him. (64)      Therefore, here Mr. Ramsay is portrayed as a sympathetic and caring husband that is "pained" by the expression of sorrow on his wife's face.   Mr. Ramsay is sensitive to his wife's feelings and desires her well-being.

Julius Caesar :: essays research papers

Who’s The Noblest of the Main Characters in Julius Caesar?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When attempting to get a read on all the characters of the play Julius Caesar and which one has the smallest flaws you need to look at each character and evaluate them individually. You have to consider if Aristotle would consider them noble or not. You have to decipher if the characters are being noble for the right reasons. You have to also look at which characters exhibit positive virtues and which ones don’t. Aristotle says, â€Å"virtue or excellence is a characteristic involving choice, and that it consists in observing the mean relative to us, a mean which is defined by a rationale principal, such as a man of practical wisdom would use to determine it. It is the mean by reference to the two vices: the once of excess and the other of deficiency. It is, moreover, a mean because some vices exceed and fall short of what is required in emotion and in action, whereas virtue finds and chooses a median. Hence in respect of it’s essence and definition of its essential nature virtue is a mean, but in regard to goodness and excellence it is an extreme†(Aristotle 1107a, 1-8). None of the main characters are truly noble or virtuous but no one really is. Of all the main characters I find that Brutus has the least amount of flaws. But he too is not deficient of flaws. In order to prove my point I will give reasons why some of the other characters cannot be considered the noblest of them all.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The almighty, egotistical and borderline arrogant Julius Caesar had his flaws. Caesar proved to be deficient in fear while also exhibiting excessive courage. In attempting to prove how courageous he was, Caesar wanted to prove a point to Cassuis by jumping into the flooded Tiber river. Caesar said to Cassuis, â€Å"Dar’st thou, Cassuis, now Leap in with me into this angry flood, And swim to yonder point(Shakespeare, 1.2-102-104)? After they jumped into the water a dismayed Cassius describes what happens next, â€Å"Upon the word, Accout’red as I was, I plunged in And bode him follow: so indeed he did. The torrent roared, and we did buffet it with lusty sinews, throwing it aside And stemming it with hearts of controversy. But eve we could arrive the. point proposed, Caesar cried â€Å"Help me Cassuis or I sink(Shakespeare 1.2, 104-111)! Cassius then saved his life. Caesars whole point of jumping into the raging flood was to prove how courageous he was, but he was nearly killed for his reckless behavior.

The main purpose of the National Rifle Association (NRA)

The main purpose of the National Rifle Association (NRA)[1] is to â€Å"promote and encourage rifle shooting on a scientific basis†.[2]   Along with this key initiative, the NRA has other promoting sights that harbor the same motto such as the Institute for Legislative Action[3], and the NRA Foundation[4] (Source Watch, December 2005). The goals of the NRA may be considered conservative because it is an organization priding itself on the proper use of gun control, and it repeatedly goes back to the second admendemnt that allows citizenry to bear arms.   The goals tend to be more on the conservative side since the point of the organization is for citizenry to keep and use firearms and hold a militia in case of infringing governemnt control.   The side that counteracts any deceitful government with military action as the second amendment states[5], The Second Amendment guarantees: â€Å"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.† This guarantees a citizen's right to keep and bear arms for personal defense. The revolutionary experience caused our forebears to address a second concern — the ability of Americans to maintain a citizen militia. The Founding Fathers trusted an armed citizenry as the best safeguard against the possibility of a tyrannical government. The NRA then is a conservative organization.   This is true because the NRA is only for law-abiding citizens having guns while a liberal stance would be for no one having a gun.   That is the main difference.   Conservatives then believe that guns are used for self-defense.   The main base of the NRA is shooting according to a scientific basis, and therefore gun control is not ideal for an NRA member.   They believe that gun control laws are not applicable in today’s society although there are staggering statistics that prove that gun control does work because per capita countries with gun control laws have less gun related incidents and death[6].   In all the NRA is a very conservative organization. One of the main politicians that oppose the gun control issue is former congressman John Thune[7].   The politician that is for gun control is Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle.   Their views are very much strictly conservative opposing fundamental liberalism.   In areas such a gun control and the laws arising in the senate for or against these laws both politicians have adamantly stood in contrast to the other, as the NRA website states in Cox’s article, Since 1986, Daschle has cast literally dozens of anti-gun votes in the U.S. Senate. He voted for the Clinton gun ban in 1994 and again earlier this year. He voted for prohibitions that would have shut down gun shows across America†¦ And as the leader of his party in the U.S. Senate, Daschle carries far more clout and control over fellow Democrats than you might think. And time after time, he has chosen to use that raw power against gun owners. In contrast, Daschle’s challenger, former Congressman John Thune, has been a committed defender of Second Amendment freedom since his first vote in Congress. During his tenure in the House, John Thune voted to prohibit the federal government from keeping computerized records of gun purchases and to protect the American tradition of weekend gun shows. These two politicians are polar opposites with issues concerning guns.   Of course on of the biggest debates on gun issues arose in the 2004 elections with John Kerry being obdurately opposed to guns and even wanted to ban them while Bush of course took the other stance and advocated guns and by extension the NRA. In the NRA’s goals of liberty, equality, and democracy hold true to the idea of freedom.   That is why the Second Amendment is so vital to the NRA’s standing infrastructure; it allows citizens to hold onto freedom with militia and guns in case of the inception of an autocratic government or despot scenario.   In this belief the NRA has a foundation dedicated to education about freedom and guns. The goal again of the NRA is to â€Å"promote and encourage rifle shooting on a scientific basis†.  Ã‚   The ideal of democracy is a nation for the people and the NRA seeks to uphold that goal.   In order to do so, and the maintain liberty, and equality the NRA foundation is a modicum that allows for people to exerise their right of bearing arms, as the website states, Established in 1990, The NRA Foundation, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that raises tax-deductible contributions in support of a wide range of firearm related public interest activities of the National Rifle Association of America and other organizations that defend and foster the Second Amendment rights of all law-abiding Americans. These activities are designed to promote firearms and hunting safety, to enhance marksmanship skills of those participating in the shooting sports, and to educate the general public about firearms in their historic, technological and artistic context. The Foundation is about protection; protecting freedom through use of guns.   In all, the goals of the NRA in direct accord with their view of liberty, equality and democracy. There are however interest groups that exist that oppose the NRA and their beliefs.   Some of these groups are affiliated with animal protection.   Though the NRA does hunt animals they do so with proper licensure.   The animal rights groups (FETA, National Humane Society of America) oppose the use of trapping, baiting, and hunting with dogs.   The opposition stems from the NRA believing every animal should be hunted without restriction to the animal rights groups wanting to limit hunting on specific species (bear, dove, etc) because of endangerment and other issues. In other instances the NRA helps to control a rising population of animal through hunting, as the website further states, Animal â€Å"rights† extremists from The Humane Society of the United States and other groups came out in strong support of a bill to stop the bear hunt in Maryland. Maryland DNR opposes the legislation and maintains this is needed to properly manage the bear population. The opposition to guns and by extension to the NRA is that they do not regulate their hunting but instead say that hunting a citizen’s right.   On the other hand, the NRA helps to maintain population control by hunting.   If hunters (or NRA active supporters) did not hunt then the population might get out of control and that animal would invading the space of humans, and in the case of the white-tailed deer their numbers would increase steadily and more people would get into wrecks because their population wasn’t checked through the use of fire-arms.   Also, in the view of an NRA member, hunting is a legitimate means by which to supply their family with food; so not only is hunting good for society but it is also good for the family. The NRA also has volunteer positions in its organization.   These positions include duties such as protecting freedom for gun owners.   Volunteers answer calls for the organization, and are called EVC (Election Volunteer Coordinators).   These volunteers as the NRA website states, †¦all EVCs serve on a voluntary basis, and ARE NOT employed by NRA. Rather, like you, they are NRA Members and volunteers who have stepped forward to help organize fellow Second Amendment supporters in an effort to protect our freedoms. If you are able to give ANY time to assist with volunteer activities in support of local pro-gun candidates, please contact the EVC in your area. The point of becoming a volunteer is to be actively involved in the protection of the Second Amendment in one’s own community.   A volunteer makes their surrounding community aware of the NRA and its issues through town-hall meetings, writing letters, writing newspaper articles, and in other ways during election years so that the citizenry is aware of the gun issues at hand are better equipped with gun knowledge.   There are also volunteer organizations involved with promoting the ideas of the NRA, one of which is the Firearms Coalition of Colorado and as the NRA website states, Formed 14 years ago to fight the City of Denver`s attempts to ban numerous semi-auto firearms, the Firearms Coalition of Colorado (FCC) exemplifies just what it means to be a â€Å"volunteer organization.† During the last 14 years, working side-by-side with NRA-ILA, FCC has steadfastly continued its efforts to thwart countless attacks by anti-gun politicians at the local and state levels. These are the ladies and gentlemen that you commonly find working at 3:00 a.m. if that is what it takes to get the job done. The purpose of volunteers and volunteer organizations is to promote gun awareness and to advocate the Second Amendment. The NRA is an organization dedicated to fire arms and the proper use of such firearms.   It is a strong advocate of the Second Amendment and is proud to take control of guns and the rights of the citizenry to use those guns for personal purpose without the interference of the government.   As their website states, and this paper reiterates, the NRA was Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the â€Å"lobbying† arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is committed to preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It is therefore an organization priding itself on protecting an individual’s freedom, equality and democracy.   To achieve this, volunteers work during elections to ensure everyone is aware of gun issues and how to ensure that guns are not banned from the country.   The right to bear arms is important to the NRA because it ensures that an autocratic government does not take control of the nation, and guns are an important decipherer in that equation of freedom. Work Cited Friends of NRA.   ;http://www.nrafoundation.org/; NRA Organization.   ;http://www.nraila.org/index.aspx; Source Watch.   (December, 2005).   National Rifle Association.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ;http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=National_Rifle_Association; [1] A foundation founded in 1871 ( [2] This quote can be found on the NRA website at, http://www.nra.org/ [3] This is the NRA’s lobbying arm, which means it is a group of legislatures promoting the cause of the NRA with politicians and other public officials. [4] a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, which provides â€Å"a means to raise millions of dollars to fund gun safety and educational projects of benefit to the general public.† (NRA website). [5] This quote is found on the NRA website and it furthers to explain the cause of the organization in regards to its fundamental motto and the fact that the NRA is trying to protect and legislate a citizens right to weapons in case of a tyrannical government. [6] There is a list of other conservative related issues pertaining to the NRA that are: conservatives believe that background checks are not necessary for owning a gun, it is unlawful to license gun owners, again there is the Second Amendment for the bearing of arms to protect individual rights, the NRA also holds true that it is wrong for individuals to sue gun companies. [7] Of South Dakota

Buddhist protestant

At first glance, the Protestant and Buddhist religions do not appear to have much in common. However, some of the rituals observed in one have parallel rituals observed in the other. At the structural level, there are more comparisons than contrasts to be made. If the view is expanded to include the followers of each religion, however, many more contrasts than comparisons can be observed. It is the people, the Protestants and the Buddhists, that make the religions different, due to teachings that cannot necessarily be observed.The customs of each religion will be detailed, and the similarities and differences made clear, in the essay that follows. This particular Sunday morning Protestant service begins at nine o’ clock, though the schedule is far from rigid. Members of the congregation are milling happily about, most wearing smiles that are wide and bright. Some of them spot me as a newcomer as soon as I step through the doorway, and they rush to shake my hand and introduce t hemselves. (One of these is Tobias Scouten, who agrees to be interviewed for this essay.) Protestants in this particular church, and this may be the same everywhere, are always welcoming new members. This is evidenced almost immediately after the service begins. The room, which Scouten calls â€Å"the sanctuary,† is dimly lit, except for the stage. Three spotlights illuminate the entire stage. There are candles burning on either side, but the dominant aromas are carpet cleaner and the various mingled odors of the people filling the room. After a few songs, which are sung with great enthusiasm by the entire congregation, the preacher takes the stage.His smile is perhaps brightest of all, and he makes a point of welcoming any visitors who might be in the audience. (There are no pews in this sanctuary; the worshippers are seated in cushioned chairs, which are arranged in long rows. ) He then offers up the microphone to anyone who has a â€Å"testimony† to share. Testimoni es, in this context, means a story in which congregation members spread the letter or the spirit of the message. Examples shared this morning include a few bags of groceries purchased for a needy family, an invitation extended to a despairing nonbeliever, and a night spent in prayer over a friend’s sick father.The congregation encourages these stories with calls of â€Å"Amen† and â€Å"Praise Jesus. † In this way, individual church members are rewarded, if with nothing more than the acclaim of their peers, for helping the Protestant faith as a whole to grow. The testimonies are followed by a musical performance. A young man and a young woman take the stage, the former holding a cordless microphone and the latter wearing an acoustic guitar. While they sing, the congregation sits back and listens, though a few scattered â€Å"Amen† calls can be heard at crucial moments in the lyrics. When the pastor returns to the stage, he reads from the Bible.He pauses d uring this reading to clarify certain points, bringing the ancient writing into more current context. After the reading, he relates an family anecdote, which in the end returns to the theme (this week, the church is focusing on â€Å"forgiveness†) discussed in the Bible passage. This is the only time during the service that everyone in the audience is quiet. All eyes are on the pastor as he walks up and down the stage, speaking through a headset microphone. His pacing is matched to the tone of his voice; when his volume increases, so does the length of his stride.Upon speaking the final words of his sermon, he allows full silence to descend on the congregation for a full five seconds before requesting everyone bow their heads in prayer. There is another song, again sung by the entire congregation, and the service comes to a close. No one appears to be in much of a hurry to leave the sanctuary. Many of the worshippers turn to each other and recommence the mingling in which the y had been indulging before the service began. At this point, Tobias Scouten escorts me out of the sanctuary and into what he terms â€Å"the fellowship hall† for coffee and cookies.We seat ourselves at one of the many tables, and he fills in the blanks for me. The information Mr. Scouten provides will be put to use when the Protestant practice is compared with the Buddhist practice, following the explanation of the latter. A small group of people, â€Å"fifty or so, on a good day,† according to Abbot Bai Tue, comes together at nine o’ clock on Saturday mornings for an English-language Zen service. The temple is a modest building, which consists of one large meeting room—called the â€Å"Zendo†Ã¢â‚¬â€and a few smaller rooms.Among these lesser chambers, the Abbot has an office, a bathroom, and a kitchenette. Upon entering the building, it is required that I remove my shoes. In a coatroom just inside the front door, every pair of shoes is stowed in a separate cubby. Not many of the cubbies are used, either because the temple does not attract a large group of regulars or because more people choose to attend the Sunday morning Japanese-language service. As it is, I am joined with less than twenty people in the temple. These people are dressed casually, in comfortable clothes, to make seated meditation more peaceful.As I will be told later, it is requested that people wear clothes that will not make much noise when the wearer moves, as this might be distracting during the meditation period. The dominant aroma here is one of incense, though the exact scent is unknown. Behind where the Abbot sits, a display consisting of a small Boddhisatva statue, a cup of incense sticks, and several burning sticks which are poking out of the base of the statue. The Zendo itself looks to be all natural wood, without much—if any—paint on the walls or ceiling.As the Abbot will tell me later, the sight of natural wood calms those who co me to the temple to meditate; it â€Å"allows them to feel surrounded by nature,† even while they are inside the building. No one says a word while they set up for the service. Cushions are retrieved from a closet off the main room for everyone to sit on, for there are no chairs. â€Å"Silence,† the Abbot will tell me, â€Å"is required in the Zendo. † The temple’s attendance might be small, but this matters little to those who do come regularly. They do not come to meet with the other members of the â€Å"Sangha†Ã¢â‚¬â€meaning the group—they come to experience something within themselves.The service begins with the ringing of a smell bell and a chanting ritual, alternating between the Abbot and the Sangha. The nature of this chanting is the offering up of the mind and the prostration of the body to something higher. This higher ideal is not a being, but rather a state of being: enlightenment. It is a myth that Buddhists worship Buddha. The y look to him as a leader, more of an example than a personification of judgment and the resulting punishment or reward. Following the chants, there is a type of sermon made by the Abbot, though the Sangha are encouraged to â€Å"turn inward† while listening.The words are not to be taken at face value, but to be seen as portals beyond which greater meaning can be found. The Sangha meditates during this time, and after a short period the Abbot falls silent. Within the Zendo, not a sound can be heard. The remote location of the temple becomes a notable positive at this point, as the only noise from outside is the rather soothing rush of the wind in the trees. The meditation lasts almost an hour and a half, after which Abbot Bai Tue invites anyone with questions related to the temple in particular or the Buddhist practice in general to stay and talk.Though I am not the only person to remain once the meditation is over, it quickly becomes clear that I am the only visitor to the t emple this morning. The Abbot is more than willing to provide answers for me, though he does not lead me in my interview at all. Even now, the search is a personal one. He speaks only when a question is posed, and his responses are concise and to-the-point. As stated in the introduction, the comparisons to be made between the religions are mostly structural. Both Protestants and Buddhists come together to practice.They begin with acts of participation, with songs in the Protestant church and chants in the Buddhist temple. Then a leader takes control of the service and gives the congregation or the Sangha what they cannot receive anywhere else. But even in these similarities, there are intrinsic differences. Mr. Scouten tells me he sings in order to show his â€Å"gratitude and love for the Lord. † According to Abbot Bai Tue, the chants have a different purpose; they â€Å"prepare the mind for meditation. † It would seem that the Protestant songs are sung for God, while the Buddhist chants are done for personal preparations.When the sermon begins, the Protestants are listening closely to each word spoken, and vocal responses are encouraged. In the Buddhist temple, the sermon is meant only to set the stage, and such responses are discouraged. These differences point to a fundamental contrast between the two religions. The Protestant faith is founded on the concept of propagation, and the practitioners of the faith take great pride in aiding that propagation. Diametrically, the Buddhist faith is about looking inward and finding peace within oneself. Bibliography Scouten, Tobias. Personal Interview. 18 February 2007. Tue, Bai. Personal Interview. 24 February 2007.

The Hunters: Moonsong Chapter Forty-One

It seemed like he and Bonnie had been waiting forever in the tiny back office of the library, Matt thought. They had strained to catch a sound, to try and learn anything at al about what was happening down there. Bonnie paced, wringing her hands and biting her lips, and he leaned against the wal , head lowered, and kept a good grip on Samantha's stave. Just in case. He knew about al the doors and passages and tunnels down there, many of which he had no idea where they led, but he didn't realize the soundproofing was so good. They hadn't heard a thing. Then suddenly the trapdoor was pushing up, and Matt tensed, raising the stave, until he saw Elena's face. Meredith, Elena, Stefan, and Damon climbed out, covered in blood, but basical y fine, if the eager way Elena and Meredith were tel ing Bonnie what happened, their words tumbling over each other, was any indication. â€Å"Ethan's dead,† Stefan told Matt. â€Å"There were some other Vitales down there in the fight, but none of the pledges. He'd sent them out to hunt.† Matt felt sick and weirdly happy at the same time. He'd pictured them dead at Damon and Stefan's hands, Chloe, al his friends from pledging. But they weren't. Not dead, not real y. But transformed, vampires now. â€Å"You're going to hunt them,† he said, aiming his words at Stefan and Damon, and at Meredith, too. She nodded, her face resolved, and Damon looked away. â€Å"We have to,† Stefan told him. â€Å"You know that.† Matt stared hard at his shoes. â€Å"Yeah,† he said, â€Å"I know. But, if you get a chance, maybe talk to some of them? If you can, if they're reasonable and no one's in danger? Maybe they could learn to live without kil ing people. If you showed them how, Stefan.† He rubbed at the back of his neck. â€Å"Chloe was †¦ special. And the other pledges, they were good people. They didn't know what they were getting into. They deserve a chance.† Everyone was silent, and, after a moment, Matt looked up to find Stefan regarding him, his eyes dark green with sympathy, his mouth pul ed taut in lines of pain. â€Å"I'l do my best,† he said kindly. â€Å"I can promise you that. But new vampires – vampires in general, real y – can be unpredictable. We might not be able to save any of them, and our priority has to be the innocent. We will try, though.† Matt nodded. His mouth tasted sour and his eyes burned. He was beginning to realize just how tired he was. â€Å"That's about the best I can expect,† he said roughly. â€Å"Thank you.† â€Å"So there's a whole room ful of dead vampires down there?† Bonnie asked, wrinkling her nose in disgust. â€Å"Pretty much,† said Elena. â€Å"We chained the doors closed again, but I wish we could close the chamber off more permanently. Someone's going to go down there eventual y, and the last thing this campus needs is another murder investigation, or another gruesome legend.† â€Å"Ta-da!† Bonnie said, grinning brightly and pul ing a little bag out of her pocket. â€Å"Final y something I can do.† She held the bag up. â€Å"Remember al the hours Mrs. Flowers made me spend studying herbs? Well, I know spel s for locking and warding, and I've got the herbs to use right here. I thought they might come in handy, as soon as Matt told us we were going to a secret underground chamber.† She looked so pleased with herself that Matt had to smile a little despite the heaviness inside him at the thought of Chloe and the others somewhere out in the night. â€Å"They might not work for more than a day or two,† she added modestly, â€Å"but they'l definitely discourage people from investigating the trapdoor for that long.† â€Å"You're a wonder, Bonnie,† Elena said, and spontaneously hugged her. Stefan nodded. â€Å"We can get rid of the bodies tomorrow,† he said. â€Å"It's too close to dawn to do it now.† Bonnie got right to work, sprinkling dried plants across the trapdoor. â€Å"Hyssop, Solomon's seal, and damiana leaves,† she said when she saw Matt watching her. â€Å"They're for strengthening of locks, protection from evil, and general protection. Mrs. Flowers dril ed me on this stuff so much I final y got them al down. It's too bad I didn't have her helping me with my homework in high school. Maybe I would have learned some of those French verbs.† Damon was watching them, his eyes half hooded. â€Å"We should look for the new vampires, too,† he said. â€Å"You know vampires aren't pack animals. They won't hunt together for long. Once they split up, we can pick them off,† he told Stefan. â€Å"I'm coming, too,† Meredith said. She looked at Damon chal engingly. â€Å"I'l just walk Matt home and then meet up with you both.† Damon smiled, a peculiarly warm smile that Matt had never seen him direct at Meredith before. â€Å"I was talking to you, too, hunter,† he said. â€Å"You've gotten better.† After a second, she smiled back, a humorous twist of her lips, and Matt thought he saw something that might be the beginnings of friendship flickering between them. â€Å"So the Vitales were definitely behind al the murders and disappearances?† Matt asked Stefan, feeling sick. How could he have spent so much time with Ethan and not suspected that he was a murderer? Bonnie's face went so white that her few freckles showed like little dark dots on plain paper. And then her color came flooding back, her cheeks and ears turning a bright pink. She climbed unsteadily to her feet. â€Å"I should go see Zander,† she said. â€Å"Hey,† Matt said, alarmed, and moved to block the door. â€Å"There's stil a whole bunch of vampires outside, Bonnie. Wait for somebody to walk you over.† â€Å"Not to mention that you have other commitments,† Damon said dryly, looking meaningful y at the herbs scattered across the trapdoor. â€Å"After you work your witchy mojo, then you can go see your pet.† â€Å"We're sorry, Bonnie,† Meredith said, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to another. â€Å"We should have trusted you to know a good guy when you saw one.† â€Å"Right! Al is forgiven,† Bonnie said brightly, and plopped down in front of the trapdoor again. â€Å"I just need to say the spel .† She ran her hands through the herbs. â€Å"Existo signum,† she muttered. â€Å"Servo quis est intus.† As she scooped some of the herbs back into her bag, Bonnie kept smiling, and stopping, and staring into space, and then bouncing a little. Matt smiled at her tiredly. Good for Bonnie. Someone ought to have a happy ending. He felt a strong, thin hand take his and turned to see Meredith beside him. She smiled sympathetical y at him. Nearby, Elena laid her hand tentatively on Stefan's arm, and they both had their eyes on Bonnie. Damon stood stil , watching them al with an almost fond expression. Matt leaned against Meredith, comforted. No matter what happened, at least they were together. His true friends were with him; he had come home to them at last. The sun was low in the east when Bonnie climbed up the fire escape, her feet clanging on each step. As she came over the side of the building, she saw Zander sitting with his back against the rough concrete wal at the edge of the roof. He turned to stare at her as she came toward him. â€Å"Hi,† she said. She'd been so excited to see him on her way over here, enough so that Elena and Meredith got over their guilt and started to laugh at her, but now she felt weird and uncomfortable, like her head was too big. It was, she realized, total y possible that he wouldn't want to talk to her. After al , she'd accused him of being a murderer, which was a pretty big mistake for a girlfriend to make. â€Å"Hi,† he said slowly. There was a long pause, and then he patted the concrete next to him. â€Å"Want to sit down?† he asked. â€Å"I'm just watching the sky.† He hesitated. â€Å"Ful moon in a couple of days.† Mentioning the ful moon felt like a chal enge, and Bonnie settled next to him, then squeezed her hands together and jumped right in. â€Å"I'm sorry I cal ed you a kil er,† she said. â€Å"I know now that I was wrong to accuse you of being responsible for the deaths on campus. I should have trusted you more. Please accept my apology,† she finished in a little rush. â€Å"Because I miss you.† â€Å"I miss you, too,† Zander said. â€Å"And I understand it was a shock.† â€Å"Seriously, though, Zander,† Bonnie said, and shoved him a little with her hip. â€Å"You just tel me you're a werewolf? Did you get bitten when you were a kid or something? Because I know getting bitten is the only way to become a werewolf without kil ing someone. And, okay, I know you're not the kil er now, but Meredith saw you with a girl who'd just been attacked. And †¦ and you had bruises, real y bad bruises everywhere. I think I had every right to think something was hinky with you.† â€Å"Hinky?† Zander laughed a little, but there was an edge of sadness to it, Bonnie thought. â€Å"I guess it's kind of hinky, if you want to put it that way.† â€Å"Can you explain?† Bonnie asked. â€Å"Okay, I'l try,† Zander said thoughtful y. He reached down and took her hand, turning it over in his and playing with her fingers, pul ing them lightly. â€Å"As you apparently know, most werewolves are created either by being bitten, or by having the werewolf virus in their family and activating it by kil ing someone in a special ritual. So, either a terrible attack, which usual y screws the victim up, or a deliberate act of evil to grab the power of the wolf.† He grimaced. â€Å"It kind of explains why werewolves have such a bad reputation. But there's another kind of werewolf.† He glanced at Bonnie with a sort of shy pride. â€Å"I come from the Original pack of werewolves.† Original. Bonnie's mind raced. Immortal, she thought, and remembered Klaus, who had never been a human. â€Å"So†¦ you're real y old, then?† she asked hesitantly. It was fine, she guessed, for Elena to date guys who had seen centuries go by. Romantic, even. Sort of. Despite the crush she'd had on Damon, though, Bonnie always pictured dating someone close to her own age. Even Meredith's cute, smart Alaric seemed kind of old to her, and he was only in his twenties. Zander snorted with sudden laughter and squeezed her hand tight. â€Å"No!† he said. â€Å"I just turned twenty last month! Werewolves aren't like that – we're alive. We live, we die. We're like everybody else, we just†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Turn into superstrong, superfast wolves,† Bonnie said tartly. â€Å"Yeah, fine,† Zander said. â€Å"Point taken. Anyway, the Original pack is like, the original family of werewolves. Most werewolves are infected by some kind of mystical virus. It can be passed down, but it's dormant. The Original pack is descended from the very first werewolves, the ones that were cavemen except during the ful moon. It's in our genes. We're different from regular werewolves. We can stop ourselves from changing if we need to. We can learn to change when the moon's not ful , too, although it's difficult.† â€Å"If you can stop yourself from changing, do some of you stop being werewolves?† Bonnie asked. Zander pul ed her closer. â€Å"We would never stop being werewolves, even if we never changed at al . It's who we are. And it hurts to not change when the moon is ful . It's like it sings to us, and the song gets louder and clearer the closer it gets to being ful . We're aching to change by the time it happens.† â€Å"Wow,† said Bonnie. Then her eyes widened. â€Å"So, al your friends are members of the Original pack, too? Like, you're al related?† â€Å"Um,† Zander said. â€Å"I guess. But the relationship can go back pretty far – it's not like we're al first cousins or anything.† â€Å"Weird,† Bonnie said. â€Å"Okay, Original pack, got it.† She snuggled her head comfortably against Zander's shoulder. â€Å"Tel me the rest.† â€Å"Okay,† Zander said again. He pushed his hair out of his eyes and wrapped one arm around Bonnie. It was getting a little cold sitting on the concrete, and she nestled grateful y against the warmth of his side. â€Å"So, Dalcrest is on what's sort of a hot spot for paranormal activity. There's these things cal ed ley lines, see†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Already know it,† Bonnie said briskly. â€Å"Go on with your part.† Zander stared at her. â€Å"O †¦ kay,† he said slowly. â€Å"Anyway, the High Wolf Council sends some of us to Dalcrest every year as students. So that we can monitor any dangers. We're kind of like watchdogs, I guess. The original watchdogs.† Bonnie snorted. â€Å"The High Wolf Council.† Zander poked her in the ribs. â€Å"Shut up, it's not funny,† he said. â€Å"They're very important.† Bonnie giggled again, and he elbowed her gently. â€Å"So, with al the disappearances and attacks, things have been bad on campus this year,† he continued, sobering. â€Å"Much worse than they usual y are. We've been investigating. A pack of vampires in a secret society on campus is behind it, and we've been fighting them off and protecting people when we can. But we're not as strong as they are, except at the ful moon, even if we change. And so the bruises. And your friend seeing me guarding a girl who'd just been attacked.† â€Å"Don't worry. We took care of the Vitale Society tonight,† Bonnie said smugly. â€Å"Well, the leader at least, and some of the others,† she amended. â€Å"There's stil a bunch of vampires on campus, but we'l get rid of them.† Zander turned and stared at her for a long moment before he spoke. â€Å"I think,† he said at last in a careful y neutral voice, â€Å"that it's your turn to explain.† Bonnie wasn't actual y that great at properly organized, logical explanations, but she did her best, going back and forth in time, adding side notes and remembering things as she went along. She told him about Stefan and Damon, and how everything had changed when the vampire brothers came to Fel ‘s Church last year and Elena fel in love with them. She told him about Meredith's sacred duty as a vampire hunter, and she told him about her own psychic visions and her training as a witch. She left a lot of stuff out – everything about the Dark Dimension, and Elena's bargain with the Guardians, for instance, because that was real y confusing, and maybe she should tel him about it later so he didn't just overload – but the tel ing stil took a long time. â€Å"Huh,† Zander said when she was finished, and then he laughed. â€Å"What?† Bonnie asked. â€Å"You're a weird girl,† Zander said. â€Å"Pretty heroic, though.† Bonnie pushed her face into his neck, happily breathing in the essential Zander smel of him: fabric softener, worn cotton, and clean guy. â€Å"You're weird,† she said, and then, admiringly, â€Å"and the real hero. You've been fighting off vampire attacks for weeks and weeks, to protect everybody.† â€Å"We're quite a pair,† Zander said. â€Å"Yeah,† Bonnie said. She sat up and faced him, then reached out and ran her hand through his soft pale hair, pul ing his head closer to her. â€Å"Stil ,† she said, just before their lips touched, â€Å"normal is overrated.†

Distribution Plan Essay

The distribution and delivery section of LEAPh Incorporation aims to satisfy and create values for the customers in which the company operates. The distinguishing characteristics of the business will be the combination of management experience, sales and distribution experience, high quality, innovative products and exceptional customer service. In particular, the Leading Philippines Incorporation will do a full service distribution servicing the customers in the market with a fulfilling assistance. In addition, the LEAPh Inc. will have an exclusive contract to distribute a new, groundbreaking product that would enable the company to gain immediate access to a majority of the potential customer base. The LEAPh Inc. intends to become a recognized distributor of one of a kind Digital Single-Lens Reflex Camera (DSLR) in the Philippines and become an internationally known locale brand. Leading Philippines Inc. plans to develop strong relationships with key customers so that the company will be viewed as an indispensable partner, rather than just another manufacturer. The company will work closely with each customer to recommend product assortment unique for their retail base, appropriate stocking levels, pricing and display assortments, as well as promotional ideas and material to increase sales. The LEAPh will seek out and work with the retailers that represent to deliver the most innovative and exciting products possible to the customers that will be served. In order for the products to be received by the customers, the LEAPh will be going to distribute the cameras through sales representatives and through retail stores as well. The company will be using a three level distribution channel. In a three level channel structure, the retailers serve as intermediaries between the consumers and the manufacturer which is the LEAPh. Retailers order products directly from the manufacturer, and then sell those products directly to the consumers. This will enable the company to stay in touch with the retailers up to the end users of the products and understand their tastes, preferences and tendencies. This will also help the company to minimize the total distribution costs for the given products. MANUFACTURER RETAILERS CUSTOMERS Leading Philippines Inc. Department Stores Customers The intermediaries which are the retailer’s outlets provide several benefits to both manufacturers and consumers. It will improve the efficiency of the company; make a better assortment of products, the reutilization of transactions, and easier searching for goods as well as customers. The use of this level of distribution will also aid the search processes of both the buyers and sellers. Producers are searching to determine their customers’ needs, while customers are searching for certain products and services. A degree of uncertainty in both search processes can be reduced by using this channel of distribution. For example, consumers are more likely to find what they are looking for when they shop at retail institutions organized by separate lines of trade, such as grocery, hardware, and clothing store. In addition, producers can make some of their commonly used products more widely available by placing them in many different retail outlets, so that consumers are more likely to find them at the right time. The company will be implementing an individualized customer service which will provide the customers with what they want, when and how they want it with the help of the retailers. This fully integrated program for the customers will help the company to increase its sales through innovations of the products, creating promotions, advertising, custom marketing material and the word of mouth from its customers. In this way, the company has the full control over the distribution of the products as well. Here are the methods that will be used in this level of channel distribution of the products from Leading Philippines Inc.: †¢ Selling of products through the leading retail outlets and department stores nationwide. †¢ Selling the products by the orders that are received by telephone, email and fax which is also known as telemarketing. ( Made possible by advertising the products through websites) This stage of distribution channel will also be use in order for the products to be widely available in all leading department stores and retailer’s shops nationwide. And to optimize the product launch as well. The LEAPh will employ an intensive distribution to the customers so that the products could be distributed from as many department stores and retailers ‘outlets as possible to provide a location convenience for its consumers. It will also increase the sales of the company, and provide wider customer recognition. By communicating and building relationships with the members at each step in the channel, there should be a proper communication throughout the channel and every member in the channel should contribute for a healthy relationship. Transparency should be maintained throughout the channel.

Report Module Topic 7-12 International Business Management Essay

Report Module Topic 7-12 International Business Management - Essay Example International Business Organizational Design 13 4.1 & 4.2 Different types of Organizational Design & Benefits 13 5. International Strategic Control Issues 14 5.1 Control Process of International Business 14 5.2 Control Problems in an International Business 15 Conclusion 16 References 17 Executive Summary The study deals with the implementation of international strategic management process that is undertaken by the firms who are planning to expand its business by entering into foreign market. The report also indicates the problems that are faced by the firms in undertaking the process and the ways to rectify it. It also elaborates the type of entry modes through which the firms penetrate into the foreign markets. The firms are also responsible for undertaking social activities so as to continue their operation ethically. The firms often face problems because of the exporters in such a case they must take few initiatives to improve the situation. The initiatives are elaborated in the r eport. The report will also highlight the risk associated with operational process and planning while the management of a company tries to adopt varied internationalization mode and approaches. The author of the report will focus on the importance of the organizational design and its impact on the organizational outcome. ... Introduction International strategy making is more crucial and complex than the strategies that are made by the domestic companies. The manager of the firm who is entering a new foreign market has to deal with a number of governmental policies of the host country and take care of the conflicting demand between the domestic and the host country factors 1. International Business strategies and CSR 1.1 Steps in International strategic management International strategic management can be defined as the ongoing and comprehensive management planning process that aims at devising and executing strategies, which enables firms to compete internationally (Arnold, 2003). The steps are as follows: Foreign Market Analysis The foreign markets are researched carefully to get the picture of the overall condition of the market. Before entering the foreign market, the cost and benefits of the venture are assessed carefully by the firms. The risk associated with the business is also evaluated in order to safeguard their operation from beforehand. The investment banking corporations analyze the new foreign market before entering. Choose a mode of entry In the next step, the firm decides the mode through which it will enter the foreign market. The entry of the firms can be elaborated by the Dunning’s Eclectic Theory. The theory provides the firms with two modes of entry: FDI related mode and the non-FDI related mode. The theory gives the following advantages: 1) Ownership advantages identify the intangible and tangible resources that are owned by the firm. These resources grant them competitive advantage over their competitors in the industry. 2) Location advantage identifies the non-economic and economic factors that can influence the interest of locating production