Political Views on FDI Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Political Views on FDI - Essay Example Because of this, the MNE serves as a tool for exploiting the host countries to the exclusive benefits of capitalist and imperialist home countries. The free market view is attributed to Adam Smith and David Ricardo, and holds that international production is to be distributed among countries, in respect to the theory of comparative advantage (Gary, 2002). According to McKay and Seale (2000), MNE is therefore an instrument for dispersing the production of productions to the globe’s most efficient locations. Pragmatic nationalism has it that FDI hosts both costs and benefits. For instance, some of the benefits for the host country include the realization and accumulation of capital, technology, skills and jobs. According to pragmatic nationalism [the chosen perspective], the benefits to a host country are [increases in] capital, skills, technology and jobs. The drawbacks that a home country may incur are competition to local industries and a waning demand for local

The Confederate State Essay Example for Free

The Confederate State Essay If our founding fathers were here today, they would perhaps weep for the country they bled for. The history of the American people is a history of certain individuals giving up what they had for what they believed in – struggle for independence, justice, equality, freedom and personal responsibility. It is the tale of the common man’s determination to take charge of his life and to build a nation where their children will live in a free nation (Finkelman, 1996). It was to be a nation where justice prevails, where the everyman can live and move freely without being beleaguered or harassed by his fellow man. Considering the principles on which this nation was founded and the current state of things, one cannot be blind to the disparity that exist. We the people of America have deviated from the principles that â€Å"ought† to govern this nation. We have lost sight of the important things that should guide our daily lives and have been carried away by the irrelevancies. The question here is how have we deviated from these principles? The draftsmen of the American constitution saw a nation where the principles of justice, domestic peace, individual liberty and freedom prevail (Bernstein, 1987). This is expressly written in the preamble of the constitution and this constitution was written to guide the running of the nation. In this essay, I would be making a comparison of what ought to be the case in our country as against the present situation of things in America. As mentioned above, one of the major principles on which this country was founded upon is the principle of individual liberty. I will define liberty as the â€Å"state of affairs, within important limits, in which law-abiding citizens can live according to their own choices rather than those of someone else† (Yates, 2001). Although this does not mean that people are free to do just anything which might result to anarchy but the state where people are free from external restrains to do what they want to do in as much as they are not tampering with the rights of their fellow man. However, the America we know today is a country where people are indirectly restrained to do certain things. Hiding under the guise of the greater good, some fundamental human rights are being infringed. I fail to see fairness in the fact that an individual can not choose to spend the money earned from his hard work without the government poking its nose into it. This, to me, is a deviation from the principle of individual freedom. Furthermore, the people of America now sleep with an eye closed. It is not a new thing for people to be harassed or told wear national ID cards. Citizens of this nation are being subjected to massive searches of their private property by federal agents all in the name of feeling secure (Yates, 2001). This violates the principle of freedom which is core to the establishment of the nation called America. In addition to this, all men and women alike should be treated alike if we are to fulfill the principle of equality. It is sorry to note that it was not until early this year that it was enforced that women can collect the same wage for doing the same job that a man does. Apart from this, the idea that some people are entitled to medical care than others is against the principle of equality. With these problems encroaching on us and aggravating every day, we the people must make a move to fulfill the hopes and aspirations of our founding fathers. We must go back to the drawing board and seek to redress our priorities – creating a nation where justice prevails and where people are not afraid to move freely. A nation that is one and is indivisible under God. Reference: †¢ Yates, S. (2001). Exploring America’s Founding Principles: The Need Has Never Been Greater. Retrieved from http://www. lewrockwell. com/yates/yates41. html on April 16, 2009 †¢ Bernstein, B. (1987). Are We to Be a Nation? The Making of the Constitution. Harvard University Press. †¢ Finkelman, P. (1996) Slavery and the Founders: Race and Slavery in the Age of Jefferson (M. E. Sharpe, 1996)

Where there is no William Shakespeare :: Biography Biographies Essays

Where there is no Shakespeare "You can be a genius and still be an ordinary man," remarks literary critique and historian A.L. Rowse, debating on the true originator of Shakespeare's work. It has been questioned whether Shakespeare- undoubtedly one of the most remarkable and acclaimed playwrights that the world has ever known, was the actual originator of his work. Although much is not confirmed about Shakespeare's work and life, there are many assumptions that lead scholars to question Shakespeare's identity due to his limited background, lack of original manuscripts, and his undocumented birth and death. Historians assume that Shakespeare was educated at Stratford Grammar School where he learned Latin and possibly Greek. Shakespeare was uneducated; he never attended any college, and in fact, there is no real evidence that he attended the Stratford Grammar School. The plays, however, were obviously written by a well-educated man, with an excellent knowledge of classical literature and mythology. Shakespeare did not attend a university- this questions how Shakespeare learned the French, Italian, Latin and Greek that provided the material for the plays. If he had attended the village school, he would have learned only small Latin and possibly Greek. Never having attended university, it draws many doubts on how the man from Stratford gain the knowledge the plays reveal of the law and medicine. Never having been at sea, it is unclear how Shakespeare gained the knowledge the plays reveal of navigation. It has been questioned how Shakespeare- a hick, uses the language of kin gs and countrymen. The plays show that their author was well acquainted with the activities and attitudes of the aristocrats, was sympathetic to those attitudes, and was well acquainted with court life and scheming. This strongly suggests that the author was himself an aristocrat. However, Shakespeare was a commoner, and had no direct knowledge of court life. Another fact that questions Shakespeare's work is that there is no document showing that the man from Stratford did write these works. There should be a record: his manuscripts, his letters, the letters sent to him, the letters about him between others, and printed stories and pamphlets about him. The only works related to Shakespeare's works are reviews and comments on the plays and poems.

Electronic Case (Corporate Finance) Essay

1. Tom believes the company should use the extra cash to pay a special one-time dividend. How will this proposal affect the stock price? How will it affect the value of the company? Electronic Timing, Inc. (ETI) needs to be careful on how it dispenses the extra cash as a dividend. Issuing the extra cash as a dividend would mean that the shareholders collectively will probably drop by the same amount because of the transfer of wealth from the company to the shareholders individually. Hence, the economic value of the company will also decrease. 2. Jessica believes that the company should use the extra cash to pay debt and upgrade and expand it existing manufacturing capability. How would Jessica’s proposals affect the company? Jessica’s proposal will support an expansionary policy for the company which can result to a higher growth rate for ETI. As to the company’s dividend policy, not issuing the extra cash as a dividend signals to the market that there are still better and more efficient uses of the cash than using it for dividends. 3. Nolan is in favor of a share repurchase. He argues will increase the company’s P/E ratio, return on assets, and return on equity. Are his arguments correct? How will a share repurchase affect the value of the company? A share repurchase if done correctly should be equivalent to the issuance of a cash dividend with the same amount as regards to effects on shareholders’ wealth. The way the share repurchases should be done in a way that it does not diminish or create shareholder wealth. Hence, Nolan’s argument that the company’s return and assets and return on equity will increase is not correct. However, the P/E ratio might go upwards for a time until the market corrects it. 4. Another option discussed by Tom, Jessica and Nolan would be to begin a regular dividend payment to shareholders. How would you evaluate this proposal? A plan to issue a regular dividend to shareholders is a start in establishing a dividend payout policy. A dividend policy signals to the market that the company is making a commitment to its shareholders and hence the company strategies will have to be aligned with that commitment. Therefore I would evaluate the proposal as regards the company’s ability to stick to it. For example, it adopts a stable dividend policy – will it be able to have cash to honor such policy year on, year off? Another factor would be does a regular dividend matter to ETI’s shareholders? Or do they prefer a different method of transferring wealth to them aside from a cash dividend? 5. One way to value a share of stock is the dividend growth, or growing perpetuity, model. Consider the following: The dividend payout ratio is 1 minus b, where b is the â€Å"retention† or â€Å"plowback† ratio. So, the dividend next year will be the earnings next year, E1, times 1 minus the retention ratio. The most commonly used equation to calculate the sustainable growth rate is the return on equity times the retention ratio. Substituting these relationships into the dividend growth model, we get the following equation to calculate the price of a share of stock today: What are the implications of this result in terms of whether the company should pay a dividend or upgrade and expand its manufacturing capability? Explain. The substituted dividend growth model is Dt=Dt-1(1+rb). This equation implies that the future dividends of the company are directly related to the amount of earnings it retains and the rate of return if makes from its investments. However, in order to attain the company’s targeted rate of return it also needs to retain more of its earnings in the company for upgrading or expanding its manufacturing plant rather than using it for cash dividends. In the expansionary phase, the company has to make trade offs – lower dividends for higher growth. 6. Does the question of whether the company should pay a dividend depend on whether the company is organized as a corporation or an LLC? No, an LLC can distribute earnings to its owners; however that distribution is not called a dividend, but rather distribution of cash or property to the partners. It is still a dividend in a different name.

Biometrics

Biometrics are automated methods of recognizing a person based on a physiological or behavioral characteristic. Among the features measured are face, fingerprints, hand geometry, handwriting, iris, retinal, vein, and voice. Biometric data are separate and distinct from personal information. Biometric templates cannot be reverse- engineered to recreate personal information and they cannot be stolen and used to access personal information. Using a unique, physical attribute of your body, such as your fingerprint or iris, to effortlessly identify and verify that you are who you claim to e, is the best and easiest solution in the market today.That is the simple truth and power of Biometrics Technology today. Although biometric technology has been around for many years, modern advances in this emerging technology, coupled with big reductions in cost, now make biometrics readily available and affordable to consumers, small business owner, larger corporations and public sector agencies alik e. How Does a Fingerprint Optical Scanner Work? A fingerprint scanner system has two basic Jobs it needs to get an image of your inger, and it needs to determine whether the pattern of ridges and valleys in this image matches the pattern of ridges and valleys in pre-scanned images.Only specific characteristics, which are unique to every fingerprint, are filtered and saved as an encrypted biometric key or mathematical representation. No image of a fingerprint is ever saved, only a series of numbers (a binary code), which is used for verification. The algorithm cannot be reconverted to an image, so no one can duplicate your fingerprints. Employees Privacy and Cleanliness Concerns? It is important to note that Easy Clockings biometric time clocks do not actually collect and store fingerprints.Instead, it saves a mathematical representation of the employee's biometric data. When the biometric time clock scans a hand or finger during a supervised enrollment process, only an encrypted mat hematical representation of the fingerprint is stored. As a result, it's virtually impossible to duplicate the original image from that mathematical representation. Additionally, if employees question cleanliness, this concern should not be dismissed. Instead, you should assure employees that the time clocks finger zone is not a hot zone for germs.In fact, it will be touched far less frequently than restroom door handles, water cooler spigots, or chairs in the break room. Top Advantages of Fingerprint Authentication There are several ways an electronic time clock system can verity that somebody is who they say they are. Most systems are looking for one or more of the following: What you have What you know Who you are To get past a â€Å"what you have† system, you need some sort of â€Å"token,† such as an dentity card with a magnetic strip.A â€Å"what you know† system requires you to enter a password or PIN number. A â€Å"who you are† system is actually looking for physical evidence that you are who you say you are a specific fingerprint pattern. â€Å"Who you are† systems like Easy Clocking Fingerprint Time Clocks have a number of advantages over other systems. To name few: Fingerprints are much harder to fake than identity cards. You cant guess a fingerprint pattern like you can guess a password. You can't misplace your fingerprint, like you can misplace an access card. You can't forget your fingerprints like you can forget a password. Conclusion on Biometric & Workforce Management Biometrics has been used effectively for more than a decade for time and attendance and workforce management. Despite widespread use, confusion and misconceptions about the technology and its capabilities persist.These concerns are easily dispelled when the facts about biometrics are established. Biometrics offers unparalleled ability to quickly and accurately capture real-time, labor data and provide a nonrepudiated audit trail. Biometrics has undergone intense scrutiny and the results are in – when properly deployed, biometrics work well and are safe, secure, and accurate. Biometrics offers organizations a broader range of direct and indirect time, cost, and operational benefits than alternative time and attendance methods. Today over one hundred thousand thriving organizations rely on Easy Clockings time & attendance systems to automate their employee attendance and as a result they are seeing a significant reduction in direct and indirect labor costs. Biometrics Biometrics are automated methods of recognizing a person based on a physiological or behavioral characteristic. Among the features measured are face, fingerprints, hand geometry, handwriting, iris, retinal, vein, and voice. Biometric data are separate and distinct from personal information. Biometric templates cannot be reverse- engineered to recreate personal information and they cannot be stolen and used to access personal information. Using a unique, physical attribute of your body, such as your fingerprint or iris, to effortlessly identify and verify that you are who you claim to e, is the best and easiest solution in the market today.That is the simple truth and power of Biometrics Technology today. Although biometric technology has been around for many years, modern advances in this emerging technology, coupled with big reductions in cost, now make biometrics readily available and affordable to consumers, small business owner, larger corporations and public sector agencies alik e. How Does a Fingerprint Optical Scanner Work? A fingerprint scanner system has two basic Jobs it needs to get an image of your inger, and it needs to determine whether the pattern of ridges and valleys in this image matches the pattern of ridges and valleys in pre-scanned images.Only specific characteristics, which are unique to every fingerprint, are filtered and saved as an encrypted biometric key or mathematical representation. No image of a fingerprint is ever saved, only a series of numbers (a binary code), which is used for verification. The algorithm cannot be reconverted to an image, so no one can duplicate your fingerprints. Employees Privacy and Cleanliness Concerns? It is important to note that Easy Clockings biometric time clocks do not actually collect and store fingerprints.Instead, it saves a mathematical representation of the employee's biometric data. When the biometric time clock scans a hand or finger during a supervised enrollment process, only an encrypted mat hematical representation of the fingerprint is stored. As a result, it's virtually impossible to duplicate the original image from that mathematical representation. Additionally, if employees question cleanliness, this concern should not be dismissed. Instead, you should assure employees that the time clocks finger zone is not a hot zone for germs.In fact, it will be touched far less frequently than restroom door handles, water cooler spigots, or chairs in the break room. Top Advantages of Fingerprint Authentication There are several ways an electronic time clock system can verity that somebody is who they say they are. Most systems are looking for one or more of the following: What you have What you know Who you are To get past a â€Å"what you have† system, you need some sort of â€Å"token,† such as an dentity card with a magnetic strip.A â€Å"what you know† system requires you to enter a password or PIN number. A â€Å"who you are† system is actually looking for physical evidence that you are who you say you are a specific fingerprint pattern. â€Å"Who you are† systems like Easy Clocking Fingerprint Time Clocks have a number of advantages over other systems. To name few: Fingerprints are much harder to fake than identity cards. You cant guess a fingerprint pattern like you can guess a password. You can't misplace your fingerprint, like you can misplace an access card. You can't forget your fingerprints like you can forget a password. Conclusion on Biometric & Workforce Management Biometrics has been used effectively for more than a decade for time and attendance and workforce management. Despite widespread use, confusion and misconceptions about the technology and its capabilities persist.These concerns are easily dispelled when the facts about biometrics are established. Biometrics offers unparalleled ability to quickly and accurately capture real-time, labor data and provide a nonrepudiated audit trail. Biometrics has undergone intense scrutiny and the results are in – when properly deployed, biometrics work well and are safe, secure, and accurate. Biometrics offers organizations a broader range of direct and indirect time, cost, and operational benefits than alternative time and attendance methods. Today over one hundred thousand thriving organizations rely on Easy Clockings time & attendance systems to automate their employee attendance and as a result they are seeing a significant reduction in direct and indirect labor costs.

Anxiety, Mood, and Dissociative Disorders

Anxiety, Mood, and Dissociative Disorders Matrix template   DSM IV disorder   Definition Symptoms   Criteria Additional information Anxiety Disorders: Panic attack Agoraphobia Social phobia Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) A sudden onset of severe apprehension, terror, or fearfulness, often associated with a feeling of imminent doom. Anxiety about, or avoidance of, places or circumstances from which escape may be challenging or embarrassing or in which rescue is inevitable in the incident of Panic attack or Panic-like symptoms. Critical anxiety induced by experience of certain types of social or performance circumstance, often culminating to avoidance behavior. Describe an obsession and/or compulsions. Implies a repeated traumatic experience characterized by elevated arousal and unresponsiveness towards stimuli. A minimum of six months of persistent and severe anxiety and worry. Fear worry Feelings of dread/apprehension Problem concentra ting Eeling nervous jumpy Anticipation Irritability Restlessness Feeling of mind blankness Six months duration of symptoms for GAD Obsession compulsion taking more than one hour   a day for OCD Fear of social or performance situation (Social Phobia) There are other forms of anxiety disorders besides these. Mood disorders Major Depressive Disorders, Dysthymic Disorder Bipolar I Disorders Bipolar II Disorders A minimum of 2 weeks of withdrawal or depressed mood coupled with a minimum of four extra symptoms of depression A minimum of 2 years of depressed mood, in addition to depressive symptoms that do not satisfy criteria for a Major Depressive Episode One or more Mixed or Manic Episodes, in conjunction with Major Depressive Episode One or more Major Depressive Episodes coupled by a minimum of one Hypomanic Episode Personality change Depression Agitation Aggression Depressed mood or drastic diminished interest or enjoyment in almost all activities   Scient ist has categorized Mood disorders into three major groups; Depressive Disorders, Bipolar Disorders, two disorders based on etiology. Dissociative Disorders Dissociative amnesia Dissociative Fugue Dissociative identity Disorder Depersonalization Disorder A patient presents problem with remembering some critical personal details, which does not pass for normal forgetfulness. A sudden journey away from home or own regular place of job combined with an inability to remember own past and confusion about individual identity or the assumption of novice identity. An expression of two or more unique identities or personality conditions that recurrently control the individual’s behavior in conjunction with an inability to remember critical personal information and that is too complicated to be explained with usual forgetfulness. It signifies a recurrent or persistent sense of being detached from own mental functions or body coupling the intact reality assessment.   Memor y loss Switching to alternate identities Developing physical distance from true identity An abrupt sense of being outside oneself A patient experiences an inability to remember personal details for once or more than once. A patient indicates presence of two or more unique identities, with a minimum of two of them recurrently taking control of the person’s behavior. A sudden predominant disturbance, unexpected journey away from home or workplace accompanied with inability to recall own past. Persistent experience of depersonalization and are not linked to any other mental disorder and cause extreme distress. The important element in the Dissociative Disorders is interference in normal the normal integrate function of perception, identity, memory, or consciousness. Causes of anxiety, mood and dissociative disorders Biological components Anxiety, Mood and Dissociative disorder involves malfunction in various physiological elements including:Advertising We will w rite a custom essay sample on Anxiety, Mood, and Dissociative Disorders specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The Autonomic Nervous System The sympathetic division stimulates survival responses to perceived threats by signaling the adrenal glands to produce adrenaline and noradrenaline, which induces the heart to beat faster, increase breathing rate and intensity, dilate the pupils, and tense the muscle. An animal flees or attacks upon sensing danger because of extreme arousal of the sympathetic nervous division. The parasympathetic system reverses the activity of the sympathetic system when the danger passes, and restores the body to its resting, pre-anxiety state. Panic attacks arise due to stimulation of the fight-or-flight response that happens inappropriately even without any actual threat. Individuals with history of panic attacks often tend to develop an intense panic attacks whereas individual without history of the attacks will not. This trend implies previous experience of threat have been encoded in the brain. Neurotransmission Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) functions as an inhibitor in the central nervous system to suppress neurological activity. GABA induces calm in the limbic system after it gets overexcited (Hansell Damour, 2008, p.35). Seemingly, GABA does not work effectively in the brains of individual afflicted with extreme chronic anxiety, as is the case in GAD. Norepinephrine is the major neurotransmitter in locus coeruleus, which is associated with sympathetic nervous system. Under-activation of locus coeruleus results in inattentiveness and drowsiness, while over-activation results in distractedness and disorganization. The locus coeruleus becomes hypersensitive when conditioned to fear response, so that it fires even with slight stimulation. Scientists attribute Panic attacks to hypersensitivity of the locus coeruleus to Norepinephrine. Chronic experience of extreme stress may raise the sensitivity of norepinephrine brain receptors (Hansell Damour, 2008, p. 36). The hypersensitivity translates to overstimulation of the sympathetic nervous system and subsequently the fight-or-flight response. Serotonin can elicit anxiogenic and anxiolytic effects based on the region of the brain of its release or the type of receptor it stimulates. Serotonin hypoactivity exposes the fight-or-flight system to slight stimulation leading to recurrent panic attack. Autoimmune Disorders Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections [PANDAS] is a disease in which children who suffer from strep throat infection develop symptoms of OCD. Researchers speculated that antibodies that emanate from immune response to streptococcal infection interact with basal ganglia and caudate nucleus, leading to OCD. Genetic factors Genetic material underlies the physiology of the system of an organism. Genetic factors account for 30 to 50% people vulnerability to suffer an a nxiety disorder. Nevertheless, the magnitude of genetic impact varies remarkably among the DSM-IV-TR disorders. Panic disorders seem to be especially heritable; lifetime frequencies of panic disorders in first-degree relatives of individual indicated with the disorder ranges from 7.7 to 17.3% against a range of 0.8 to 4.2% in first-degree relatives of people without panic disorders (Hansell Damour, 2008, p.36). A specific genetic anomaly that contributes to disturbances in neurotransmission of glutamic acid may be responsible for an early onset of OCD. Cognitive component Cognitive component of mood disorders include  rumination and hopelessness. Rumination means a continual obsessive thinking about something, while hopelessness means a sense of lack of control about the future and that there is nothing optimistic in the future.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Anxiety pa tients tend to misjudge events in couple of ways viz. they preoccupy on perceived threats and dangers, they overestimate the seriousness of the perceived threat or danger, and they overly underestimate their capacity to adjust to the dangers and threats they anticipate. Maladaptive assumptions and ideas influence the sufferer’s thinking and lead them to misconceive events. This can lead to self-stereotyping such as â€Å"Unless I do things perfectly, people will think I’m an idiot† (Hansell Damour, 2008, p.47). Maladaptive ideas are pessimistic expectations concerning the relationship between behaviors and repercussions. Emotional component (The Limbic System) The Limbic System forms the basis for emotional responses (including anxiety), learning, inspiration, and some aspects of memory. It comprises of three division including amygdala, hippocampus, and hypothalamus. The amygdala measures the emotional significance of impulses it receives from the brain cortex , and the encoding of memories seem to involve alterations in the neural course of the amygdala and the Hippocampus (Hansell Damour, 2008, p.34). The amygdala relays information to the hypothalamus, which is supposed to be responsible for encoding conditioned emotional responses. For instance, when a person with a snake phobia sees a snake, the amygdala process the visual input in conjunction with the hippocampus to decode the emotional impact of the snake, and then relay a warning signal to the hypothalamus to activate emergency response (fight-or-flight response). Behavioral component Scientists have based behavioral component of disorders into classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and modeling theories. Based on classical conditioning, a phobia can be developed when a neutral stimulus that does not normally elicit fear occur during an intense fear response to a terrifying stimulus.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Anxiety, Mood, and Dissociative Disorders specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Based on operant conditioning, once individuals develop a phobic response, they express avoidance of what they fear. The operant conditioning theory posits that people negatively reinforce such avoidance behavior because it removes them from feared unpleasant circumstances (Hansell Damour, 2008, p.33). Finaly, prepared conditioning hypothesis that people may express genetic predisposition to fear stimulus inherited from their ancestors. References List American Psychiatry Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of  Mental disorders: DSM-IV-TR (4th Ed.). Arlington: American Psychiatry Association. Hansell, J., Damour, L. (2008). Abnormal Psychology (2nd Ed.). New York: John Wiley Sons Inc.

And Here I Thought Teens Were Rebellious essays

And Here I Thought Teens Were Rebellious essays Have you ever played that game, where someone tells you a word and you say the first thing that comes to mind? This may seem silly for teens but, lets play that now. Ill play too. What do you think of when you hear the word, peanut butter? Many would say jelly, I would say pancakes-you should try it, it tastes really good. Ok, another. What do you think of when you hear the word, phobia? Most may think arachnophobia, like the movie. Whereas I think sesquipedalophobia-fear of long words, go figure. One more, what do you think of when you hear the word, propaganda? A great number of you would say billboards or maybe television. But I would say mind control. You see, there are many different types of propaganda, used by a lot of different people or organizations, in a number ways. All used to convey several different ideas. And for all you know, youre buying into every single one. The best place to start-I always say-is at the beginning. So, what is propaganda anyway? Different definitions can be obtained depending on the source used. My favorite definition comes from Merriam-Websters online dictionary. Propaganda is defined as 1: the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person.2: ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one's cause or to damage an opposing cause. 3: committee of cardinals-a committee of Roman Catholic cardinals, the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, in charge of supervising foreign missions and educating priests to serve in them. I like to refer to it as the manipulation of the public mind set. Okay, so who se doing the manipulation? Are you ready for this...Everyone. A propagandist seeks to change the way people understand an issue or situation, for the purpose of changing their actions and expectations in ways that are desirable to the interest group.(Propagandacritic.com) In o...

Womenrsquo;s Rights Essay

Womenrsquo;s Rights Essay Womens Rights Essay Feminism and Womens Rights EssayFeminism emerged at the moment women realized having equal rights to men. The formal acceptance of feminist appeared 200 years ago, approximately at the same time when the bourgeois revolution stated in France and when the American states started their struggle for independence from the British domination. Since that time, more and more women have been fighting for the equality with men.If you have to write womens rights essay, you cannot avoid writing about feminist and gender discrimination. This article will help you in the process of womens rights essay writing. Womens Rights Essay: Discrimination IssueA womens rights essay is focused on gender discrimination. You may talk about any of these topics: Patriarchy and matriarchy: benefits and shortcomings.Is gender discrimination a common problem today? Feministic movements in the United States and in Europe, are there any differences?Womens rights in underdeveloped countriesDomestic violence and w omen as victims of abusive relationshipsWomens right to vote: the insight into the historyWhy the majority of servants are women? Is this a sign of discrimination? Men as the master of women and children: the overview of different opinions.Social position of women in different countriesIslamic feminism: does it exist in any form? How does it differ from traditional movement? Steps for Writing a Womens Rights EssayProblem. Think about the real problem to touch upon in your womens right essay. If there is no problem, there is no point in essay writing. Topic. Based on the chosen problem, you need to define a clear topic for further research and investigation. Topic should be narrow enough. Information. You need to gather supporting evidence for your womens rights essay writing; do not forget to cite data properly and fully. Outline. Outline is the backbone of the whole essay. Each point should be related to the key point. Do not forget about thesis statement. Draft. Draft is the first version of your written essay. You will have to produce several drafts until you come up with the best version. Revising. You need to revise and edit your essay several times until you are fully satisfied with the final written essay. Proper format is a must! Custom Essay Paper Writing ServicesIf you have no time or no desire to work on your womens rights essay, do not panic and do not be upset as there is an effective solution: custom essay paper writing services! We can write you a good essay for you! Moreover, we guarantee original essay writing from scratch! Plagiarism is excluded!

To what extent was the Enlightenment socially inclusive Essay

To what extent was the Enlightenment socially inclusive - Essay Example Scholars such as Robert Darnton associated enlightenment with the conventional enlightenment philosophy. As observed by modern scholars, to understand the extent in which enlightenment was socially inclusive, systematic evaluation on intellectual progress that took place to both intellectuals and other people from different social status is vital (Hof 1994, p. 91). Initially, enlightenment involved both low and high enlightenment process in Europe at different levels. The essay will therefore focus on the extent in which enlightenment was socially inclusive. The extent to which enlightenment was socially inclusive in the European continent in the 18th century can best be evaluated by systematically analysing two enlightenments, the low enlightenment and the high enlightenment. The high enlightenment is the intellectual progress among the intelligent people of the 18th century who included professional elites and nobles. These elites and other intellectuals in the society were also in a position of accessing, reading, and writing publications such as encyclopaedia (Israel 2001, p. 127). In addition, high enlightenment received impetus from natural philosophical writings and publications. The works and publications of natural philosophers as well as the role of academic institutions increased the popularity and intellectual curiosity of the high enlightenment. Moreover, the elites and professionals in the 18th century came up with â€Å"Republic of Letters† that were read by people from different states in Europe (Chukwudi Eze 1996, P. 256). Professionals and social elites who did not take part in writing publications participated in reading and debating the enlightenment ideas and teaching either in their social gathering or in salon centres. Social and political leaders and advisors also showed endless interests in opinions, teachings, and ideas that were contained in the â€Å"Republic Of Letters†. Religious leaders including Frederick the great also confirmed that, the ideas and contents that were contained in the â€Å"Republic of Letters† demonstrated religious tolerance in the treatment of Huguenots, Jesuits and Jews (Muthu, 2003, p. 137). Despite being apparent, the definition and the explanation of the ideas that are contained in high enlightenment has proved to be complicated. Example of the existing contradictions in the understanding and definition of the contents contained in enlightenment is found in â€Å"Essay on Miracle† composed by David Hume’s in 1748. The essay questions the existence of miracle as stated in the publications that talk about enlightenment. Thomas Sherlock’s â€Å"Trial of the Witness of the Resurrection of Jesus† (1729) confirms the existence of miracle in the society. Currently, there is no specific party charter that can be used by scholars to understand the enlightenment principles (Rousseau and Porter 1990, P. 147). Despite insufficient information rega rding enlightenment principles, scholars have made several generalisations on the principles of enlightenment. Enlightenment talked about the significance and relevance of intellectual curiosity. Enlightenment also emphasised the importance of pursuing practical ideas that could improve human life. In addition, scholars also taught the significance of independent mind and debate as well as the need for revaluation of the entire bodies of knowledge (Black 1990, p. 91). Low

Historical analysis of football contracts Essay

Historical analysis of football contracts - Essay Example The relationship between players and clubs changed fundamentally through the years. Contemporary football is caught between two very powerful concepts: the freedom of movement of players on the one side and contractual stability on the other. The international governing body FIFA attempts to provide a universal guideline on how to deal with contractual stability and international mobility. A it was shown in this research project, freedom of movement is the consequence of many social, cultural and, not at last, political developments which have caused an increase in international mobility of players in the recent past. The focus of this article centered on playing contract conditions, analysis of power determinants in the football labor market. The football labor market, as this paper will demonstrate, is a site for power contestation between football authorities and players and the ‘transformation of circumstances’ with regard to playing contract conditions throughout the history of the game is central to this paper. The paper uses agency-structure as a framework and consequently adopts the view that football players perform their labor in an occupational workplace that is governed by football’s authorities (that is, the game’s rules, governing bodies, regulating authorities and clubs). In this sense, the players are considered to be the individual agents (agency)while the football authorities are the structure whilst the power battle between the players and authorities – as part of agency-structure – regarding playing contract conditions over time is the f ocal point of this paper.

Factors in Asian Urban Growth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Factors in Asian Urban Growth - Essay Example In relation to population and size, Asia is the world’s largest and most populous continent. Its gross domestic product is the third highest in the world. With the rise of globalization, world economies had structural adjustments which influenced production, resource utilization and wealth creation (Clark, 2003). Asian economies experienced high development in the manufacturing industry supplemented by the availability of cheap labor. According to Keiner, Schretzenmayr and Schmid (2005), urbanization in Asia has occurred at some of the fastest rates in history with a rise in large urban agglomerates. The urban growth is expected to increase more as time goes by, especially within the least developed, low income economies in Asia. This fast rate of urban growth in Asia has been linked with the population dynamics, economic markets and socio-political conditions of the region. Population growth has always been a factor in economic development. The Malthusian theory on population is that a high population can lead to a crash in the economy by leading it to acute poverty while trying to sustain the population’s needs. There are better views to population in that a large population means the availability of a large labour force and domestic market. An increase in population also encourages technological advancement and innovation in a bid to meet the rising need for certain goods and services according to Clark (2003). Asian population levels have been high over time even before this burst of urbanization. The population has a big role in the urbanization and development since they occupy the urban cities and engage in economic activities that sustain the rise of urban centers. Likewise the socio -political environment is also important to the urban growth. Success in economic development depends greatly on the political and administrative officials. These government officials also influence infrastructural development in the urban centers and rural ar eas of a country. Asia is a politically, economically socially and culturally diverse region. With globalization, countries in the region have been able to integrate especially to facilitate trade and economic activities. The rate of infrastructure growth in many Asian cities has been inevitable given the rising population. Roads, hospitals, schools and housing facilities in the urban centers had to be expanded in order to accommodate this population. The other factor related to urbanization is the economic markets. Compared to the other two factors the effects of the economy in the development of cities are more pronounced. Most Asian economic markets are characterized by free trade, booming capital markets, reduced regulations economic freedom, and security of property rights. In addition to this, economic integration in the region and with other economies of the world has led to a further increase in economic activity in the region (Landau, 2001). Economic integration led to conn ectivity among cities in the Asian region in order to facilitate the flow of goods and services, people, investments and communication between them. Free trade in the area has been encouraged by the formation of trade blocs. They include Asian pacific cooperation (APEC), whose aim is to promote free trade and economic cooperation the Asia pacific region. The Asia- Europe meeting (ASEM) works towards security of economy by deepening relations between Asia and Europe at all levels. The major trade bloc in the are which is the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) has its main objectives to have a free trade area , with common external preferential tariff

He impact of IT in branding for the teenage market Research Paper

He impact of IT in branding for the teenage market - Research Paper Example Branding is considered as one of the hottest topics in the business field as its overall attraction and significance has become more important in the recent past. With the rise of the web and other I.T. technologies, the need to have effective branding strategy has became more significant because of the speed with which information is provided to the consumers. Over the period of time, organizations have used branding as one of the important strategic tools to improve and consolidate their relationships with the customers. However, more importantly, branding has provided the organizations a strong chance to further penetrate into their chosen target markets. The strategic use of branding therefore is considered as one of the key strategic variables for organizations to manage and control effectively. Organizations which are better at managing and executing a well crafted branding strategy are more successful as compared to the firms which fail to realize their true potential and positively use the power of their brands for achieving the competitive advantage. The emergence of globalization and the spread of Western values and culture over the different geographical regions therefore suggest that the branding can be effectively used to achieve the necessary competitive advantage in really fluid global market. One of the important and emerging themes regarding the impact of IT in branding is the ease with which marketers can actually communicate with their customers. The advent of the different digital media and the spread of internet have allowed brand managers to improve the coordination between the customers and the organization itself and hence the brands are getting better exposure to the same.( Davey, 2010). Some studies suggested that the use of information technology in the product marketing and branding has resulted into the savings of time as well as reduction in the error.

Available and Interested Potential Investors in the Energy Drink Research Paper

Available and Interested Potential Investors in the Energy Drink Industry - Research Paper Example For the energy drink, the net profit value as a percentage of sales is estimated at between 12% to 18%. That the fixed cost will be estimated as the difference of the gross profit and the net profit figures That the direct costs; both for materials and labor is estimated at between 22% to 27% of the sales figure. 2. Assuming the drink being produced is of the 250ml packet in a bottle type of packaging. Assuming the number of units of the drink produced is 6000 units, the variable cost per unit is provided as follows: - direct materials $2, direct labor $4, variable manufacturing overhead $1, variable selling and administration expenses $3. The fixed costs of the product per annum are estimated as follows; fixed manufacturing overhead $30,000 and fixed selling and administration is $10,000. The selling price per unit produced is estimated at $15. The marginal costing statement will appear as follows: Product cost per unit Direct materials $2 Direct labor $4 Variable manufacturing over head $1 Product cost per unit $7 The variable costs for the production of the drink for the 6000 units will be 6000*$7 = $42000. The costs for the production of the drink for the whole year will, therefore, be as follows: Total variable costs $42000 Fixed manufacturing overhead $30000 Fixed selling and administration $10000 Total costs $82000 The total cost per unit for the drink per month will be $82000/12 = $6833.3. The $30000 fixed manufacturing overhead will be is charged off in total against the income as a period expense. The same applies to the selling and administration expense. Under this form of costing system, all the variable costs of production are included in the product cost.  

He impact of IT in branding for the teenage market Research Paper

He impact of IT in branding for the teenage market - Research Paper Example Branding is considered as one of the hottest topics in the business field as its overall attraction and significance has become more important in the recent past. With the rise of the web and other I.T. technologies, the need to have effective branding strategy has became more significant because of the speed with which information is provided to the consumers. Over the period of time, organizations have used branding as one of the important strategic tools to improve and consolidate their relationships with the customers. However, more importantly, branding has provided the organizations a strong chance to further penetrate into their chosen target markets. The strategic use of branding therefore is considered as one of the key strategic variables for organizations to manage and control effectively. Organizations which are better at managing and executing a well crafted branding strategy are more successful as compared to the firms which fail to realize their true potential and positively use the power of their brands for achieving the competitive advantage. The emergence of globalization and the spread of Western values and culture over the different geographical regions therefore suggest that the branding can be effectively used to achieve the necessary competitive advantage in really fluid global market. One of the important and emerging themes regarding the impact of IT in branding is the ease with which marketers can actually communicate with their customers. The advent of the different digital media and the spread of internet have allowed brand managers to improve the coordination between the customers and the organization itself and hence the brands are getting better exposure to the same.( Davey, 2010). Some studies suggested that the use of information technology in the product marketing and branding has resulted into the savings of time as well as reduction in the error.

Women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Women - Essay Example The first feature, common for all these women, is their masculinity, interwoven with typically female manner of control. Queen Dido rules Carthage, Margot is a member of the Damned Few, the secret council of the Women's country, and Athena is a deity, a goddess of war, wisdom and knowledge, adored in the Ancient Greece. In order to understand Margot's roles and functions, let's look briefly at the organization of the Women's Country. "Within Women's Country, all the cities are walled and each city has, outside its walls, a garrison of male warriors to protect them from other male warriors protecting other cities" (Tepper, 1988, p.21). In exchange for this defense, the women have to give their male children to his father at the age of five. Warriors are allowed to enter Women's Country under two circumstances. First, they can visit it biannually for 'Carnival', a social event which encourages men and women to have intimate affairs in order to have children. Second, the warriors, who wish to change their life and turn it to more peaceful side, can return to the Women's Country as the servitors, who perform the women's commandments, but enjoy civilized life without any weapon, cruelty and violence. The ordinances and instructions made by the women are directed to day-by-day guidance for the inhabitant s, who want to lead healthy and productive lives. Furthermore, the Damned Few's policy is close-knit with the total abolishment of gender inequality and with making women independent. Margot is one of those who try to improve the lives of the citizens, who really long to construct, not to destruct.In spite of her great power, Margot hasn't become cruel, like many tyrannical political leaders. Margot is an elder and physician in Marthatown (ibid, p.43). Margot is a person, whose life is an example of righteousness in terms of women's country. She has to develop new the values of gender equality (or even of female dominance to some degree) in the Country, so she does not allow herself such trivial things as love while solving problems of great importance, such as problem of violence. Using the power her knowledge and wisdom, she rejects the power of her emotions and brings up her daughter Stavia in a similar way (ibid, p.82).Queen Dido is one of the first female characters of western literature. It is possible to say that she is a female parallel to Aeneas. Queen Dido experiences a loss, when her brother betrays and kills her husband Sychaeus. Nevertheless, she is actually a person who founded a new city, having led her people from the motherland as exiles. She has no intention to fall in love with Aeneas, but Cupid traps her with his arrow. Thus, diving into the love, Dido looses her masculinity and moral stability, and her city begins to weaken.Once Aeneas leaves her, she becomes anxious and gets a fixation on her feeling, and needs a child in order to comfort herself. Having broken her promise of fidelity, given to her husband's soul, and feeling completely desperate, she commits suicide but not without bothering the Trojans and predicting the wars between Rome and Carthage.Dido does not represent the typical woman of classical

How It Affects Economic Growth Essay Example for Free

How It Affects Economic Growth Essay In my opinion, supporting and promoting IT investment is one of the best ways to promote economic growth and stability with minimal side effects such as inflation, and easily overcome hurdles like unequal income distribution. While I don’t think you can really influence people’s personal ownership of computers, I do believe that offering tax incentives for IT investment and development will increase overall GDP, lower unemployment, and ensure an economically stable future. First and foremost, investment towards information technology increases productivity, and makes workers more efficient in what they do. With more resources such as faster word processing, 3D Model Rendering, and instantaneous transfer of data over the internet, laborers in every facet of the economy benefit from technology and enjoy greater productivity as a result. This increase in productivity means more products and services are produced with less time invested, and this means that Gross Domestic Product can go up. Furthermore, GDP is often defined as a function of both Capital and Labor. It is widely acknowledged that GDP growth can be measured by K/L, or Capital divided by Labor. Clearly, then, if each worker is using a higher value of capital (here in the form of fancier computers etc), then GDP is sure to go up. The concern then becomes, â€Å"what about inflation?† Surely, if GDP goes up, inflation will follow, no? Not quite. The accompanying graph gives us a rough idea of why. This increased efficiency will shift the Philips curve inward, meaning that for every unemployment rate, there is less inflation. More IT investment will mean that we will require more service technicians, troubleshooters, software programmers, etc, and we will see unemployment go down. Also, with more children learning about IT, they will also be more likely to get jobs when they grow up. When unemployment goes down, though, we typically see that there are less available â€Å"desperate† workers, and thus workers will have more power to bargain collectively. They will get wage increases, which will be passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices on final goods and services. This is offset by increased efficiency, as it takes less worker hours to make those products and services. As the Philips curve below shows us, the decrease in unemployment WOULD cause higher inflation, but because of increased efficiency, this change in inflation is offset. It is important to note the short run and long run effects of tax incentives on both the macro and micro levels. Here is a graph to get us started: We know that in the short run Demand shifts out as IT becomes more and more necessary. Supply shifts out because manufacturing costs go down, and thus existing firms will produce more at every price. These reductions to cost shift MC and ATC down; we don’t’ know how much each of these shifts is, though. We don’t know what P2 is, but we know that costs go down, so there is abnormal short term profit, and we know that each firm is going to produce more. In the long run, more firms will enter (shifting supply out further) until each player in the market is operating at their lowest cost on the ATC curve, which is the point where long run profits are equal to 0. We know that long run market quantity is greater because there are more firms in the industry, and we know that each firm produces in the long run what it did before all the shifts. Each firm is producing more in the short run than in the long run. Assuming that the government offers tax incentives to BOTH SUPPLIERS AND BUYERS of IT, we can expect to see the same demand shifts and supply shifts as we did in the 90s, when demand shifted out and the cost to produce came down. The tax rebates to suppliers means a reduction of cost (same as in the last example) and the tax rebates to buyers will make the price they have to pay lower, which will increase demand. One of the few drawbacks to the subsequent increased IT spending, of course, is the negative effect on the environment, as computers become obsolete quickly and are usually just thrown out. In my opinion, the environmental effect is definitely a huge drawback to increased IT investment. I believe that the government should give further incentives to companies who donate old or â€Å"B-stock† products to schools (preferably those in bad areas) or charities when they buy new ones . Donating these slightly flawed or last-year-model computers to schools would be an investment in human capital, which would increase GDP in future generations, as children become more tech savvy and productive with computers. Since the government is reducing the cost of production with tax incentives, I think they could get away by contrasting these incentives with slightly stricter environmental regulations as far as waste goes. They should set requirements on the packaging (which is created solely to be thrown out) that comes with IT goods, and should give even more incentives to companies that collect and recycle re-usable components such as circuit boards, plastic cases, and semiconductors – all components that are not biodegradable and are a large part of the junk filling our nation’s landfills. Another set of short and long term effects you must consider is the effect of tax incentives on those already involved in the market: IT workers. Again, we have a graph to help us visualize these effects. For this discussion, because of inflation, we must assume that we are talking in terms of real dollars, and that these wage prices are adjusted for inflation. In the 1980’s (short run), as IT became more important to industry, we see the demand curve for IT work shift outward, causing an increase in price and quantity as more qualified people started doing IT. In the long run, more competitors enter and the number of CS majors doubles; supply shifts outward, but we’re not sure by how much. We know that real wages go back down, but we don’t know if they are above, at, or below the original prices. We just know that they are decreasing, and that the overall quantity is much higher. The last major concern would be the â€Å"Digital Divide† – the concept that low income families do not use computers and thus are isolated from their potential benefits. This â€Å"digital divide† essentially means that poorer families have less access to the computer and tech skills to compete in the modern job industry, such as word processing and online research. They also have less access to online educational resources, and thus have less human capital. This means they are less likely to rise out of poverty, and are at a disadvantage. Those fortunate enough to be able to afford computers internet access will get more educated and richer, and those who are not fortunate enough get poorer. I personally am against racial discrimination in all forms, and I think targeting out minorities and saying â€Å"here, you need a computer† is wrong. I do, believe, however, that there should be some sort of program to give less fortunate children of all ethnicities the IT skills and access to computers that they will need to function in the modern labor market. This is where my idea of offering tax incentives to companies that donate â€Å"last year model† computers to charities or schools in bad neighborhoods could really benefit these people and help them accumulate human capital. I think that offering tax incentives to people who put computers in their home will be too difficult to manage, and I also think that in many cases, people without the means to get a good job (no technical background) will not be able to afford a computer either way – thus, it’s a vicious cycle. Additionally, I think people who can’t afford $40/mo for DSL are in this predicament because they don’t have technical skills, and thus, probably don’t value technology as much as they should. They probably still won’t be interested in broadband. I think the president’s broadband initiative should focus more on getting faster internet and more technical training into schools, so that the next generation, who still has the desire and patience to learn about computers, can do so at an early age. Overall, you can see that there is a long list of benefits, and a short list of easily overcome problems with increased investment. In fact, even the Fed benefits. Normally, increased investment would make the Fed have to increase interest rates to prevent inflation and â€Å"cool off† the economy. IT is unique, however, in that it also provides greater efficiency, thus shifting the curve as discussed earlier. I would argue that it makes the Fed’s job easier – it’s promotes economic growth and employment, without jeopardizing economic stability. All in all, I say that giving tax incentives to producers and suppliers of IT goods and services is a great plan!

Internship report

Internship report Introduction My two-month internship in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation was a worthwhile experience as it helped me gain considerable and Professional knowledge about the way Moroccan diplomacy is exercised by carrying out different ministerial tasks and witnessing the way work is done in the ministry from translating documents to writing reports. My interest in International Studies and Political Science as an area of study goes back to my high school when I was keen on studying Philosophy, History and Geography. Although when I went to university I picked English Studies as my major, my growing interest in International Relations was reawaken after my three years of taking English Studies at Hassan II University, when I went to study Political Science at Beloit College under the PLUS Scholarship. The internship that I took in the ministry corresponds to my carrier interests and school major; it was also an opportunity to compare my experience as an intern at the Office of Tammy Baldwin in Beloit, Wisconsin that dated back to 2008 with my current internship in the ministry. My internship report is divided into four main sections; the first one is concerned with giving brief information about the ministry and its missions, the second one is concerned with duties and tasks that I was assigned to do in my internships, the third one is devoted to the knowledge and experience that I learned and finally the fourth section includes my critical assessment of my internship in the ministry by identifying the things that I want to change if I am to work in the ministry and comparing it to my previous internship in the USA. The Ministry Of Foreign Affairs The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation is one of the four ministries in Morocco in which the ministers are directly appointed by the king. It is concerned with the foreign policy of Morocco and managing its diplomatic relations with foreign countries and non-state actors like the UN. The current Foreign Minister is Mr. Taieb Fassi Fihri and his secretary general is Mrs. Latfia Akherbash. The ministry undertakes various operations that can be summarized into six missions: The first one is to drive the diplomatic action of Morocco by representing its interest at the international level, insuring the development of international cooperation and coordinating the foreign relations of Morocco. The second point is to serve as the official representative of the monarchy in front of foreign countries and international and regional organizations, therefore any communication or agreement between a foreign country and Morocco must first go through the ministry before reaching its direct destination in the kingdom. The third mission is to be involved in the preparations of conferences and meetings at the international level and represents the monarchy in those manifestations. The fourth missions are to conduct negotiations of agreements, conventions and treaties that have political and diplomatic character and to coordinate the economical, political and social engagements of Moro cco. Moreover, with the exception of treaties, the ministry has the power to renew or reject any argument if it is deemed to not be in the interest of the kingdom. The fifth mission is to afford the protection of the rights of Moroccans living abroad and foreign citizens taking refugee in the monarchy, in addition to that the ministry also coordinates the activities of the public services situated outside of the country. Finally the ministry has the responsibility to inform regularly the government about the status of Moroccos foreign relations. As far as the structure of the ministry is concerned, it is divided into two main sections: the direction of bilateral relations and the direction of Multilateral relations and global cooperation, the former directions is further divided into five divisions according to geographical locations such as Arab and Islamic Affairs Division , African Affairs Division, and American Affairs Division†¦.while the second direction is concerned with Moroccos relations with non-state actors, international organizations and multilateral cooperation. This direction contains many sub-directions like Protocol, Cultural and Scientific Cooperation Direction†¦My assigned department was the American Affairs Division which is divided into two main services: Political Affairs Service and Bilateral Cooperation Service, I was assigned to the Political Affairs Service practically in the American and Caribbean section. The way the American continent is divided in the ministry is based on linguistic ra ther geographic criteria, where Central and South America speak Spanish and Portuguese while in North America and the Caribbean it is English that dominates as the official language. As a result, two sections exist within the department of American Affairs one concerned with the region of Northern America and the Caribbean and the other concerned with Central and South America. The Political Affairs Service is mostly involved in the political and diplomatic aspects of Moroccos foreign policy in harmony with its relations with the American continent. it was interesting to notice the that Morocco before starting or renewing any relation with a country a huge emphasis is put on the Sahara issue which represent the national cause number one in the ministry. The main tasks of the direction are the diplomatic and political negotiations of bilateral accords and the coordination of the exterior engagements that can be economic, commercial or social. The Tasks That I Accomplished In The Ministry Of Foreign Affairs And Cooperation Mr. Abderrahim Errehali, who is responsible for the political affairs of the Americas, was my supervisor who introduced me to the personnel that work in the division, the most prominent characteristics that I noticed in the American Affairs division is the hierarchical structure that the ministry follows where the director of the American division, Mr. Fouad Yazourh, is at the head of the department followed by chief of the Political Affairs Division, who is my supervisor, and with an equal status is Mrs. Farida Loudaya Who is the chief of the Bilateral Cooperation Service, then followed by Mr. Mostafa Rezzouk. And finally the hierarchy ends with the personnel and the secretaries. The main tasks that I was assigned to do in my internship tend to fall on clerical duties that vary from translating documents to writing reports. One of the most frequent tasks that I was asked to do during my internship in the ministry was to translate documents mainly from English to Arabic or to French and vice versa, the task is of an immense importance to the ministry especially within my department, Since the monarchy has special relations with the US and it is crucial to make its points of view understood in America and vice versa. The documents that I was assigned to render, include official correspondence with various embassies of Northern America and Caribbean countries, conferences reports and the framework of future conferences The translation was a rewarding experience because it did not only make me sharpen my English vocabulary but also my French and Arabic ones, especially in the domain of diplomacy. the internship was also an opportunity to have an experience in mak ing formal translations by paying attention to the salutations and giving each political figure his own respect, a point which has to do with cultural difference between Arabic, French and English that must be carefully considered to avoid any misinterpretations and fatal errors . One of the most frequent tasks that I was assigned to undertake are conducting research and summarizing official documents and reports, the research process was an enriching activity as it was an opportunity me to learn much information about issues that demand thorough understanding in the ministry. I made research about various subjects like the speech that Obama delivered in Cairo in June 4, 2009, the economic crisis and its effects on governance and the new American ambassador Mr. Samuel L. Kaplan in Rabat†¦ It is also very important to be aware and have a critical analysis of the international events that does only have to do with Morocco but also with different countries in the world. For instance, in my department the expulsion of two Canadian diplomats by Russia in and its aftermath was an important event to write a report about and impart it to the director. hence, One of the tasks that are crucial in the ministry is to be updated of any report or article that mention Morocco, mainly from the American think tanks, and during my stay I was asked to prepare summaries about the main points mentioned about the kingdom in the human trafficking report published by the UN, the Economic Freedom Index published by the Heritage Foundation and also about two reports that appeared in the International Crisis Group website: one about the issue of Sahara and the other about the issue of Algerian armament. Furthermore, I was also asked to write congratulatory letters to congratulate particular countries for the celebration of their national days, my colleague in the office introduced me to the way congratulatory letters are written and I drafted three congratulatory letters for Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Saint Kitties. He also showed me other kinds of letters that are usually drafted in the ministry: like a letter to congratulate a particular country upon such events as winning elections or to express condolences for a sad event. In the second half of my internship I asked my supervisor if I can work on a project or an issue that is related to the American Department and he assigned me to do some research about the Free Trade Agreement between Morocco and the USA. In order to get access to the archives my supervisor introduced me to Mrs. Houda Zemmouri, the person responsible for the FTA agreement in the department, who provided me with access to the archives and showed me the summaries of the seminar â€Å"Maximizing Trade with the United States† that was held in Casablanca in 9 and 10 June, 2009. Mrs. Zemmouri advised me to make a general research about the FTA while paying attention to the current performance of the Moroccan economy and contrast it with similar Middle Eastern countries that signed free trade agreements with the USA, particularly Egypt and Jordan. The aim of utilizing comparison is to find Moroccos strong and weak points and culminating it by drawing recommendations in respect of the comparison results so that Morocco would efficiently benefit from the agreement. As far as my research methods are concerned, I relied on the documents from the archives that were provided to me by Mrs. Huda Zemmouri who was very accommodating and ready to lend a hand, I also relied on the internet, mainly the website of the FTA that provided the agreements articles online. In addition to that, the websites of the Moroccan newspapers such as La Vie Economique and L`Economist, were very useful. I began my research by giving a historical perspective of the US-Moroccan relation that dated back to 1978, when Morocco was the first country to recognize the independence of the United States, a fact that was mentioned by President Obama in his Cairo speech. Then I talked about the implementation of the FTA, its rules and how they are meet and my last part was devoted to contrast the performance of Morocco with the ones of Egypt and Jordan upon their signature of Free Trade Agreements and b ased on the comparison I made a conclusion by stating the importance of the FTA for both Morocco to make its economy more competitive and for the USA to take advantage of what Morocco offers and make an example to lead the MAFTA that is schedule to start in 2012. In the end, I presented my finished work to my supervisor who took a look at it and ask me to make some alteration to the final version. The Knowledge I Obtained From My Internship It was very interesting to notice the use of language in the ministry, although the official language in Morocco is Arabic, the language that is still frequently used in the office is French with some differences from one department to another, and what I have noticed is that whenever a letter from the US embassy is sent to the ministry that is concerned with the parliament or the place it is very important to follow the formal correspondence with Arabic equivalent. However, when the letter is directed to some other ministries, like Ministry of Finance, it is very important that a French translation must accompany the letter while the use of Arabic is rare, a thing that I also noticed when I was delving in the archives of the FTA between Morocco and USA where I seldom come across an Arabic document whereas there was a plethora of French files. When I was working on the project I noticed the way conference summaries were executed, mostly in French, with the first page being dedicated to the headings (subject, date) and the center is a summary of the main points that were discussed in the conference while the last page includes the names of the participants and their titles, phones and emails. Working on the project was very valuable because it made research an issue of utmost importance to Morocco and gain knowledge in it. For instance, the project added to my learning that the FTA was signed in 2004 but did enter into force until 2006 due to the issue of Moroccos concern about its economy and society to meet some US standards that are delicate to the kingdom, mainly the copyrights laws (TRIPS) and the consequences of the inflow of US agricultural products on Moroccos economy such as wheat and meeting the WHO SPSS requirements. It is interesting to notice that Morocco is the fourth country to sign an agreement with the US, upon the initiation of the FTA with the USA the volume of bilateral trade exchange between the two countries experienced an increase. The targeted industries in Morocco are textile, leather and agriculture. Furthermore, Morocco signed many free trade agreements countries with 54 countries. In my comparison I noticed that Morocco compared to Jordan and Egypt has higher labor cost in addition to its reliance on European countries to buy fiber in contrast with the geographic proximity of Egypt and Jordan to cheap fiber suppliers such as: India an Turkey. I learned a lot of information by reading various reports that are published by different US think tanks like World Heritage and International Crisis The issue of Sahara is vital to Moroccos foreign policy as it the national cause number one that the morocco is working to solve through diplomatic means by persuading countries to not recognize RASD or to suspend their recognition for countries that already have relation with Polisario. in my internships I went into discussions about the subject and the countries that recognize the Polis Rio while none of the major powers recognize it, of the 46 countries that recognize RASD, most of them come from Africa and Latin America particularly in the Caribbean where the only country that has never recognized RASD there is Bahamas and among those who recognized RASD only Saint Lucia and Dominica canceled their recognition in 1989 and Dominican republic in 2002. In addition to that, of the four 4 countries that does not recognize RASD were in favor three of them voted in favor of the Algerian proposal in 2006 a fact which portray to the need of more diplomatic relations. The fact that Caribbe an countries recognized RASD did not hinder Morocco from establishing political and economic and cultural relations with the Caribbean. For instance, as afar as cultural cooperation is concerned, there is a program that is funded by the ministry that grants scholarships to Caribbean students to study in Al Akhawayn University. However, Morocco did only cut its diplomatic relations with two major countries in the region Cuba in 1980 and Venezuela in 2009 due to their recognition of RASD and establishment of its embassies in their countries. The wide concern in the United States over the rise of the radical left in America particularly in Venezuela and Bolivia was also a shared concern for Morocco, leftist government mainly those forming alliance with Hugo or what is called the populist left in contrast with the center left of Brazil and Chile as they have the potential to support polisario. I gain enormous knowledge of the Caribbean countries during my internship, although the region is geographical small with 17 countries. The most striking point that I learned, apart from the fact of being the highest place that support polisario, is the way it constituted, as many countries in central America and South America are also included in the area. Like Belize, Surinam, cooperative republic of Guyana which are belong to that area fro historical, linguistic and cultural reasons as most of those countries speak English and tend to have a rupture with the Spanish countries in Central and South America. In addition to Venezuela that has strong presence there. The region is untied under one regional organization called CARICOM (Caribbean Community) where only 2 countries are not included: Cuba and the Dominican Republic. The Vienna convention: The two major incidents that marked the Ministry was when Ben abdellah was asked to come to Morocco and the case of Norwegian embassy and its complicity in the abduction of the two children of the former athlete Mr. Sekkah Benefits of Translation the nature of working in public administration particularly in the ministry The way diplomatic relations are conducted: length and time that treaties and agreements take, signing treating between two countries is very demanding process that takes a long time due to the aim of the two countries to avoid any misunderstanding that would jeopardize their agreement, and this is why the process of translation is a huge where the main task is to compare the original document and its translation to see if there are any words that might alter the meaning of the treaty. The courses that helped me in the process: US-Maghreb Relations: FTA, Piracy, The Elements That I Want To Alter In The Ministry My internship in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation was a rewarding; however my experience in the ministry could have been more beneficial and effective if certain conditions were provided. First, the AUI should provide student who are willing to intern in the ministry with contact information of Alumni student working in the ministry so as to make the incoming interns aware of the nature of the work they should be expecting and provide them with sources to answer questions they have about their internship. Second, it would more effective if student know of their assigned department ahead of time so that they will not be surprised by their department on their first day in addition to make them avoid going through the transfer. Third, taking particular classes before doing an internship will be helpful, mainly the courses of Moroccan Foreign Policy and Research Methodology as many of the assigned task are related to doing research and writing reports and summaries. Concerning the nature of work in the ministry I would make a list of think tanks and Particular newspapers to be checked out daily, Preparing some daily work that can be done daily like looking for articles that mention Morocco in newspapers. The personnel should have some seminars of latest innovations in computer and Information technology to keep them updated of what is new in this domain, therefore enhancing their performance. To improve my research and writing report skills Comparison The main points that I noticed in comparing both my internship experience in the USA with the one in Morocco has to do with the extensive of use such tasks as translation while they are quite absent in USA. In both instance I notice the importance of the media and checking it on daily basis to look for article that mention Tammy Baldwin and those that mention morocco Responding to phone calls Writing support letters, organizing the archives, faxing newspaper articles and call sheets, searching for grants and bills The constituent call sheet Emails accounts Clothes and formality Conclusion The internship was a golden opportunity to broaden my experience in diplomacy and moroccos foreign policy by witnessing how diplomacy is exercised in the ministry. I learned valuable information and gained a professional experience that is relevant and directly related to major.

Cold War1 :: essays papers

Cold War1 The Cold War was a major conflict between the U.S. and the Soviets. The U.S. had its own allies and the Soviets had theirs. The Cold War lasted until the end of 1980’s and began in the 1940’s. These two countries were as two titans of great power. It was a fight between the communism of U.S.S.R verses the democracy and capitalism of the United States. This was a fight without an actual warfare. It was more of a competition of who has better weapons and whose government is more stable and appropriate. Every country tried to get its own allies. They did this by helping each other out. For example, the United States helped Korea in the Korean War. The U.S. got involved in the war under the United Nations. The Cold War led to the creation of NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It was created in 1949 to have a twelve-nation mutual defense treaty aimed at the Soviet Union. One major, positive, important event that was created by the Cold War was the formation of the United Nations or the U.N. On April 25, 1945. The U.S formed an alliance or a pact with Great Britain, the Soviet Union France, and China. This showed the Soviet Union that United States wants to keep peace in the world. The Communist government of U.S.S.R gave the United States ideas that their ownership of nuclear energy might lead to a take over. Joseph McCarthy provoked the beginning of the Cold War. He led people to belive that the Communist government would take over and crush democracy and capitalism. The media took McCarthy’s side and gave the American people a message that communism is wrong and harmfull to their freedom. His message was to punish all communists. He kept the American people blind folded for a long time, untill the people started realising that he is just making a big deal out of nothing and without any proof. A spark of the Cold War was when President Truman made a policy of Containment. It was military aid to countries under the threat of Communism. He also established the Marshall Plan, which offered aid to every European country or a recovery program after WWII. The Federal Employee Loyalty Program helped ensure that there was an executive order designed to guard against a possible disloyalty of â€Å"Reds, Phonies, or Parlor Pinks.† He also passed the Berlin Airlift Policy during the Marshall Plan.

Summary Essay

Brett Virkelyst Leanne Rowley WR 095 4/9/2013 â€Å"William Zinsser Simplicity Summary† William Zinsser begins with telling us that we clutter our sentences too often in American Writing. Essentially, we shouldn’t try to put so many extra words into our sentences; we need to get it down to its simplest form, so the reader can understand the sentence clearly and efficiently. Citizens today are spending too much time trying to emphasize their sentences, trying to sound smarter, or they think it will get their point across better.Readers may find the writing very difficult to read, and they usually won’t be able to portray the message that the writer is trying to convey. We ask, what is the real question and how can we solve this? Citizens would love to get rid of this problem, and Zinsser has a few solutions on how we can get rid of cluttered writing forever. Human beings do not want to challenge, nor do they want to go above and beyond of what we think that we are capable of writing wise. Nobody likes reading something and not knowing what they are talking about, it makes for a very unpleasant experience. Also you can read this summary –  Protecting Freedom of Expression on the CampusZinsser says that all we have to do is â€Å"clear our heads of clutter. Clear thinking becomes clear writing: one can’t exist without the other. † Once you have strayed away the reader, there is no hope for them to finish that story, it is game over. Cluttering will more then likely make the reader lose their interest, after a paragraph or two. Articles can end up being so cluttered, that it doesn’t only end up being the dullness that turned the reader away, it may be that they simply couldn’t understand what it meant. Always ask yourself â€Å"what am I trying to say? because some people are not naturally born to be clear headed writers. You have got to make sure to make the material clear and to the point. Make sure words aren’t being used that have the same meaning, also don’t use prior sentences and try to word them differently. Learn to ditch the b ad parts of the material, because not everything will make the final cut. Once you learn this, your message will be able to be conveyed smooth and direct. Work Cited Zinsser, William. â€Å"Simplicity. † Language Awareness: Essays for College Writers. Eds. P. Escholz & A. Rosa. New York: St. Martins, 1997. 50-55. Print.

The Hunters: Phantom Chapter 30

Stefan drove like a maniac al the way back to the boardinghouse. â€Å"I can't believe I forgot to tel him that his name had been cal ed,† he said for what felt like the hundredth time. â€Å"I can't believe we left him alone.† â€Å"Slow down,† Meredith told him, trying to hold Matt's sleeping body steady in the backseat as Stefan whipped around a corner, tires squealing. â€Å"You're going way too fast.† â€Å"We're in a hurry,† Stefan growled, yanking on the wheel to make a hard right. Alaric turned around in the passenger seat and gave Meredith a panicky look as Stefan narrowly missed a garbage truck. She sighed. She knew he was trying to make up for his mistake, for not tel ing them immediately that Matt's name had appeared in the herb shop, but kil ing them al in a race to get home wasn't exactly the solution. Besides, although they probably would have done things differently if they'd known, it might not have changed the outcome for Matt. It wasn't as if their precautions had saved either Bonnie or Elena. â€Å"At least you've got vampire reflexes,† she said, more to reassure Alaric than out of any particular confidence in Stefan's driving abilities. She'd insisted on being the one sitting in the back with Matt, and now she turned her attention to him. She put a restraining hand on his chest so he wouldn't go tumbling to the floor as the car jerked and swerved. He was so stil . None of the twitching and eye movements that usual y went with sleep, just the steady shal ow rise and fal of his breathing. He wasn't even snoring. And she knew from camping trips as far back as sixth grade that Matt snored like a buzz saw. Always. Meredith never cried. Not even when the worst happened. And she wasn't going to start now, not when her friends needed her calm and focused to try to figure out how to save them. But if she had been the kind of girl who cried, instead of the kind of girl who strategized, she would have been sobbing. And even now, the breath caught in her throat a little painful y, until she schooled herself into impassive calm again. She was the only one left. Of the four old friends who'd gone through school and summers and adolescence and al the horrors the supernatural world could throw at them, she was the only one the phantom hadn't captured. Yet. Meredith clenched her teeth and held Matt steady. Stefan pul ed up and parked in front of the boardinghouse, having somehow avoided causing any damage to other cars or pedestrians along the way. Alaric and Meredith started to inch Matt careful y out of the car, looping his arms around their necks and slowly shifting him forward into a half-standing position. But Stefan simply grabbed Matt away from them and threw him over his shoulder. â€Å"Let's go,† he said, and stalked off toward the boardinghouse, easily balancing Matt's unconscious body with one hand, not looking back. â€Å"He's become kind of a strange guy,† Alaric commented, watching Stefan alertly. The sunshine caught the stubble on Alaric's unshaven chin and it glinted with a touch of gold. He turned toward Meredith and gave her a rueful, disarming grin. â€Å"Once more into the breach†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he said. Meredith took his hand, warm and solid in her own. â€Å"Come on,† she said. Once they were in the boardinghouse, Stefan clomped straight upstairs to deposit Matt with the other bodies – the other sleepers, Meredith reminded herself fiercely. Meredith and Alaric, hand in hand, turned toward the kitchen. As she pushed the door open, Meredith heard Mrs. Flowers's voice. â€Å"Very useful indeed, my dear,† she was saying, a warm note of approval in her voice. â€Å"You've done very wel . I'm so grateful.† Meredith gaped. At the kitchen table with Mrs. Flowers, cool and calm and pretty in a blue linen dress, sat Dr. Celia Conner, sipping tea. â€Å"Hel o, Alaric. Hel o, Meredith,† said Celia. Her dark eyes bored cool y into Meredith's. â€Å"You'l never believe what I've found.† â€Å"What?† said Alaric eagerly, letting go of Meredith's hand. Her heart sank. Celia reached into a tote bag sitting by her chair and pul ed out a thick book bound in ragged brown leather. She smiled triumphantly and announced, â€Å"It's a book on phantoms. Dr. Beltram ended up sending me to Dalcrest Col ege, which actual y has a very comprehensive col ection of texts on the paranormal.† â€Å"I suggest we adjourn to the den,† Mrs. Flowers said, â€Å"where we can be more comfortable, and examine its contents together.† They moved to the den, but Stefan, when he joined them, did not seem any more comfortable. â€Å"Different types of phantoms,† he said, taking the book from Celia and flipping rapidly through the pages. â€Å"The history of phantoms in our dimension. Where is the banishment ritual? Why doesn't this thing have an index?† Celia shrugged. â€Å"It's very old and rare,† she said. â€Å"It was difficult to find, and it's the only book on the subject we're likely to be able to get our hands on, maybe the only one that exists, so we'l have to excuse things like that. These older texts, the authors wanted you to read straight through and real y learn about their subject, to understand what they wanted to tel you, not just to find the page you needed right away. You might try looking near the end, though.† Alaric was watching Stefan whip through the pages with an expression of pain. â€Å"It's a rare book, Stefan,† he said. â€Å"Please be more careful with it. Would you like me to look? I'm used to finding what I need in these kinds of books.† Stefan snarled, literal y snarled at him, and Meredith felt the hairs along the back of her neck rise. â€Å"I'l do it myself, teacher. I'm in a hurry.† He squinted down at the text. â€Å"Why does it have to be in such ornate print?† he complained. â€Å"Don't tel me it's because it's old. I'm older than it is, and I can barely read it. Huh. ‘Phantoms who are feeding like vampires on one choice sensibility, whether it be guilt, or despair, or grudge; or lust for victuals, the demon rum, or fal en women. The stronger be the sensibility, the worse be the outcome of the phantom created.' I think we could have figured that out ourselves.† Mrs. Flowers was standing slightly removed from the rest of the group, eyes fixed on empty air, muttering seemingly to herself as she communed with her mother. â€Å"I know,† she said. â€Å"I'l tel them.† Her eyes focused on the others as they stood around Stefan, peering over his shoulders. â€Å"Mama says that time is getting short,† she warned. Stefan leaped to his feet and exploded. â€Å"I know it's getting short,† he roared, getting right up into Mrs. Flowers's surprised face. â€Å"Can't your mother tel us something useful for once?† Mrs. Flowers staggered away from him, reaching out to steady herself on the back of a chair. Her face was white, and suddenly she looked older and more frail than ever before. Stefan's eyes widened, their color darkening to a stormy sea green, and he held out his hands, his face horrified. â€Å"I'm sorry,† he said. â€Å"Mrs. Flowers, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you. I don't know what came over me†¦ I'm just so worried about Elena and the others.† â€Å"I know, Stefan,† Mrs. Flowers said gravely. She had regained her balance and she looked stronger, calm and wise again. â€Å"We will get them back, you know. You must have faith. Mama does.† Stefan sat down, turning back to the book, his lips pressed together into a straight line. Her skin prickling with apprehension, Meredith gripped her stave more tightly as she watched him. When she had revealed to the others that the members of her family were hereditary vampire hunters and that it was now her turn to take on the duty, she had told Elena and Stefan that she would never turn on Stefan, that she understood that he wasn't like other, evil vampires, that he was good: harmless and benign to humans. She had made no such promises about Damon, and Elena and Stefan hadn't asked her to. They al shared an unspoken understanding that Damon couldn't real y be characterized as harmless, not even when he begrudgingly worked with them, and that Meredith would need to keep her options open when it came to him. But Stefan†¦ she had never thought this would happen, but now Meredith was worried that someday she might not be able to keep her promises about Stefan. She had never seen him acting the way he had been lately: irrational, angry, violent, unpredictable. She knew his behavior was probably caused by the phantom, but was Stefan becoming too dangerous? Could she kil him if she had to? He was her friend. Meredith's heart was racing. She realized that her knuckles had whitened against her fighting stave, and her hand ached. Yes, she realized, she would fight Stefan and try to kil him, if she had to. It was true that he was her friend, but her duty had to come first. She took a deep breath and consciously relaxed her hands. Stay calm, she coached herself. Breathe. Stefan was keeping himself more or less under control. It wasn't a decision she had to make. Not yet, anyway. A few minutes later, Stefan stopped flipping pages. â€Å"Here,† he said. â€Å"I think this is it.† He handed the book to Mrs. Flowers. She scanned the page quickly and nodded. â€Å"That feels like the right ritual,† she said seriously. â€Å"I ought to have everything we need to perform it right here in the house.† Alaric reached for the book. He read the spel , too, frowning. â€Å"Does it have to be a blood spel ?† he asked Mrs. Flowers. â€Å"If it backfires, the phantom might be able to turn it against us.† â€Å"I'm afraid it's going to have to be a blood spel ,† Mrs. Flowers replied. â€Å"We'd need more time to experiment to change the spel , and time is the one thing we don't have. If the phantom is able to use its captives the way we think it can, it's only going to get more powerful.† Alaric began to speak again but was interrupted. â€Å"Wait,† said Celia, a slightly shril note in her usual y husky voice. â€Å"A blood spel ? What does that mean? I don't want to get involved in anything† – she searched for a word – â€Å"unsavory.† She reached for the book, but Stefan slammed his hand down on it. â€Å"Unsavory or not, this is what we're doing,† he said quietly, but with a voice as hard as steel. â€Å"And you're a part of it. It's too late for you to back out now. I won't let you.† Celia gave a convulsive shudder and cringed back in her chair. â€Å"Don't you dare threaten me,† she said, her voice quavering. â€Å"Everybody calm down,† Meredith said sharply. â€Å"Celia, no one is going to make you do anything unless you agree to it. I'l protect you myself if need be.† Her eyes flew quickly to Alaric, who was glancing back and forth between them, looking worried. â€Å"But we need your help. Please. You may have saved us al by finding the spel , and we're grateful, but Stefan's right – you're part of this, too. I don't know if it'l work without you.† She hesitated a beat. â€Å"Or, if it does, it might leave you as the phantom's only target,† she added cunningly. Celia shivered again and wrapped her arms around herself. â€Å"I'm not a coward,† she said miserably. â€Å"I'm a scientist, and this†¦ irrational mysticism worries me. But I'm in. I'l help any way I can.† Meredith, for the first time, felt a flash of sympathy for her. She understood how hard it must be for Celia to continue to think of herself as a logical person while the boundaries of what she'd always accepted as reality col apsed around her. â€Å"Thank you, Celia.† Meredith glanced around the room at the others. â€Å"We've got the ritual. We've got the ingredients. We just need to gather everything together and start casting the spel . Are we ready?† Everyone sat up straighter, their faces taking on expressions of stern resolve. As scary as this was, it was good to final y have a purpose and a plan. Stefan breathed deeply and visibly took hold of himself, his shoulders relaxing and his stance settling into something less predatory. â€Å"Okay, Meredith,† he said. His stormy green eyes met her cool gray ones, in perfect accord. â€Å"Let's do this.†