Newton Weights Essay

As it is known, different materials have different properties. They act differently under different circumstances. There are a number of properties of matter which can be explained in terms of molecular behaviour. Among these properties is elasticity. Intermolecular forces: these are electromagnetic forces between molecules. The strength and direction of these forces differ in accordance to the separation of the molecules. Materials are often subjected to different forces. Forces can be distorting, that is they can alter the shape of a body. Two distorting forces I shall look at are tension and compression. Tension/tensile stress, more generally referred to as stretch, happens when external forces (larger red arrows) act on a body so that different parts of that body are pulled to go in different directions. In most materials, the intermolecular force (smaller aqua arrows) of attraction shows resistance to these external forces, so that once the external forces have abated, the body resumes its original shape/length. Compression/compressive stress, more generally referred to as squashing, happens when external forces act on a body of material so that different parts of that body are pushed in towards the centre of the body. In most materials, the intermolecular force of repulsion acts against these external forces, so that when the distorting force is removed, the molecules return to their original arrangement and spacing. Materials that do this are known to have the property of elasticity. In short, elasticity is the ability of a material to return to its original shape and size after distorting forces (i.e. tension and/or compression) have been removed. Materials which have this ability are elastic; those which do not have this ability are considered plastic. This always happens when the distorting force is below a certain size (which is different for each material). This point where the body will no longer return to its original shape/size (due to the distorting force becoming too large) is known as the elastic limit (which differs from material to material). As long as the distorting force is below this size, the body that is under the external forces will always return to its original shape. As the body is put under more and more stress (distorting force), the body strains (deforms, extends) more and more. Right up to the elastic limit, the body will continue straining, in accordance to the size of the stress. This is where Hooke’s Law comes in. Hooke’s Law states that, when a distorting force is applied to an object, the strain is proportional to the stress. For example, if the load/stress is doubled, then the extension/strain would also double. However, there is a limit of proportionality (which is often also the elastic limit), only up to which Hooke’s Law is true. Since the strain is proportional to the stress for different materials where Hooke’s Law is true, then there should be a fixed ratio of stress to strain for a given elastic material. This ratio is known as its Young’s Modulus. Young’s Modulus can be calculated from the stress and the strain of an object under tensile/compressive stress. e = change in length/extension of object, in cm p = original length of object, in cm a = cross-sectional area of object, in cm2 f = size of force applied, in newtons For example, the Young’s Modulus of Mild Steel = 2 x 1011 N m-2 Copper = 11 x 1010 N m-2 Hooke’s Law and Young’s Modulus apply to most elastic materials, with the exceptions. A special shape which material can be bent into to in order to optimize use of the elasticity of a material is a spring. Springs are used by us everywhere: in seats, mattresses, cars, toys, and all other sorts of necessary objects and items we encounter in our daily lives. They are normally made from metal, though they can come from plastics, rubber or even glass. When compressive stress is applied to a spring, the spring noticeably ‘shortens’, though the actual length of the body material shortens very little. It is due to this special shape of springs that let it do this. The same occurs when tensile stress is applied. When a spring is being extended or pulled on, it may seem the spring is changing length dramatically, but in actual fact the spring’s body material relatively doesn’t change shape at all, but rather the shape of the body is more spaced out. AIM My objective in this experiment is to find out how a spring varies in length with added load. I also want to witness Hooke’s Law in action, and I want to observe the behaviour of the spring/s even after the load added causes the stress in the spring to exceed the elastic limit. PLAN My experiment is fairly straight forward to set up and carry out. In my experiment the data that I intend to assemble is the extension of the spring each time new/extra load is added to it. It is necessary that I use the most appropriate equipment for my experiment, hence I have chosen to use a retort stand which will hold up the spring and its weights up, a second retort stand from which a meter rule will be suspended. The metre rule will be right up against the spring, so as to ensure an accurate reading. There is no evidence that I can take before hand, other than the material of the spring. This entire experiment has to be as accurate, fair, precise and reliable as can practically be, but it is only possible to make it so to a certain extent. For instance, I cannot be absolutely sure that that all Newton weights weigh exactly 1000 grams, nor is it practical to find a ruler that is absolutely accurate. Hence I am forced to settle for the metre rule, which is accurate to about 1 millimetre, and I will be aware that the Newton weights will be within an accuracy of about i 20 grams. These factors will not really be in my control; however I can reasonably account for them when I construct a graph from my table by using error bars for each point plotted. Another measure I am taking is that I shall not be the only one to take readings from the metre rule; I shall have two other peers who will also be reading off the same metre rule. From these 3 readings I shall draw up averages of level of weight applied to the spring. To be practical and observing at the same time, I must choose an appropriate extent and range, as well as appropriate integers, for the data that I intend to collect. I will be going to take the first measurement as the length of the spring when there is no mass attached to it. The last measurement shall be right up to when the spring can no longer hold on to the weights. I have a rough idea of the spring that I shall use, and I am assuming now that the spring shouldn’t be able to hold much more than 13 kg. I shall be adding the weights one at a time (one Newton/kilogram at a time), and I shall be taking measurements at each of these intervals. The measurements that I shall take of the length of the spring will be in millimetres. So basically, once I have set up the entire apparatus, I shall start off taking the measurement of the spring when it is free of load, then let my peers take theirs. Then I shall add a Newton weight one at a time, taking measurements with my helpers each time I add one. Of course we’ll be wearing our goggles, because I don’t want to take any risks. 1) Collect equipment. 2) Prepare apparatus as shown in diagram. 3) Record the length of the spring when it is load-free, to cm, in the prepared table for results. 4) Add a weight/mass of 1 kg or 1 N, and then take the new length of the spring. Record in the prepared table for results. 5) Continue adding on weights/masses of 1 kg, recording the length of the spring each time in the prepared table for results. This should be carried on until the weights can no longer be attached to the hanging spring. APPARATUS. The apparatus that I shall need set up for my experiment consist of the following items: 1. Retort Stands (x 2) 2. Boss and Clamps (x 2) 3. Metre Rule 4. Spring (length: 50 mm) 5. Newton Weights (x 15 approximately) Other items I shall need are three pairs of goggles. SAFETY I must consider my safety when working in the laboratory. It is common when this type of experiment is carried out that when a weight or anything for that matter is suspended from something as unstable as a hanging spring, the item in being suspended is prone to fall.

Neil Harbisson’s Eyeborg

Neil Harbisson's Eyeborg Maria Marrero Palm Beach State College Abstract This paper explores the new technological advances for people with Achromatopsia from research conducted mostly online. All of the research conducted explains the device on how it is used and what it is used for. It also shows how the sounds are conducted so the people using the eyeborg can understand it. Neil Harbisson's Eyeborg Barcelona based artist, Neil Harbisson was born with a condition called Achromatopsia which means that he was born color-blind.He has described himself as a cyborgist and colorologist. With the help of a new technological device that is attached to the back of his skull can translate color to sound. Harbisson can hear the color of sound through audible frequencies through this device in which he calls an â€Å"eyeborg†. Harbisson has used the term sonochromatism (or sonochromatopsia) to define his new condition. He explains that â€Å"achromatopsia can no longer define his condi tion because achromatopsics cannot perceive nor distinguish colors.He also explains that synesthesia does not define his condition accurately because the relation between color and sound varies depending on each person, whereas sonochromatopsia is an extra sense that relates color to sound objectively and equally to everyone† (Harbisson, 2012). The idea for the device came about when he was attending Dartmouth College of Arts in England, where Harbisson met Adam Montandon   who was giving a lecture on cybernetics and they [came together] to start developing the eyeborg project (Disaster, 2012).The device, called an eyeborg, comes out of the back of his head and hangs in front of his eyebrow. Jennifer Lee, writing for the New York Times, says: Mr. Harbisson’s current eyeborg is pressed against the base of his head with extremely high pressure, which allows the sounds to reverberate along his skull to his eardrums. But his new eyeborg, to be implanted in September, will be connected to his body through three screws in his head — two to support the antenna and electronic chip, and a third for the sound to be passed into his skull, which will vibrate with the sound.He expects it will take about two months for the bone to heal around the implant. (Lee, 2012) According to Jordan Chittley, he states that a chip that is implanted in Harbisson's skull and then converts the light waves into sounds and he hears it through his bone. â€Å"The eyeborg works with a head mounted camera that picks up the colors directly in front of a person, and converts them in real-time into sound waves† (Neil, 2012). C on the scale represents blue, F represents red, A represents green and so on (Chittley, 2012).Harbisson can see up to a total of 360 colors, which is more than the naked eye can see. The first eyeborg had a computer component [which was] the size of a laptop and Harbisson [carried it] around in a back pack (Molinsky, 2011). â€Å"We are using te chnology constantly. Every single day we wear technology in our pockets, we sleep with technology beside our beds — we never separate from technology. The simple next step is to attach all this to our body† (Molinsky, 2011). Harbisson uses his eyeborg to help him paint in color.Harbisson states that the â€Å"eyeborg looks like an antenna that comes out from my head and goes up to the front of my face. At the back of my head there's a chip which transforms the light waves into sound, and I hear the colors, not through my ears but through my bone† (Harbisson, 2012). The spreading of the cyborg devices are being realized particularly with vision. Earlier this year in Britain, surgeons [have] implanted chips in the eyes of patients with retinitis pigmentosa, [which is] a disease that causes gradual blindness, in order to [stop] and reverse their condition (Lee, 2012).When he spoke with the hospital bioethics committee, Mr. Harbisson argued that this surgical techniq ue could be used on other people (Lee, 2012). He said, in particular, that a more [refined, classier] versions of the sensor could be used for reading, [like for example] the need for Braille (Lee, 2012). According to Eric Molinsky, Harbisson uses [his] eyeborg to help him paint in color. He also states that Harbisson create[d] sound portraits by scanning people's faces and turning the resulting tones into short musical compositions (Molinsky, 2011).Some of his subjects are [his] friends and family, while others are celebrities he had met [previously] (Molinsky, 2011). Harbisson believes that the eyeborg and [other] devices like [itself] should not only be used for people with disabilities. In his opinion, no one should be restricted to the senses that us humans have developed (Molinsky, 2011). Jennifer Lee states that Harbisson wants to see more improvements to his eyeborg, focusing mainly on the electricity source (Lee, 2012).He has to change the antenna through a USB port at the back of his head (Lee, 2012). He does not want to depend on electricity. . References Chittley, J. (2012, February 20). Eyeborg neil harbisson hears colour with head-mounted camera. Retrieved from http://ca. news. yahoo. com/blogs/daily-buzz/eyeborg-neil-harbisson-hears-colour-head-mounted-camera-193727166. html Disaster. (2012, September 19). I listen to color: How sound is bringing neil harbisson one step closer to cyborg status. Retrieved from http://shocklee. om/2012/09/i-listen-to-color-how-sound-is-bringing-neil-harbisson-one-step-closer-to-cyborg-status/ Harbisson, N. (2012, February 12). The man who hears color. BBC News Magazine, Retrieved from http://www. bbc. co. uk/news/magazine-16681630 Harbisson, N. (2012, February 24). Neil harbisson: The eyeborg. Retrieved from http://reset-blog. com/2012/02/24/neil-harbisson-the-eyeborg/ Lee, J. (2012, July 2). A surgical implant for seeing colors through sound. New York Times, Retrieved from

Areas of Specialization in Psychology

Areas of Specialization Number |Subjects of study in psychology |Areas of specialization in |Definition and key points of this |Rationale (reason why you matched |Possible research method of | | | |psychology (match with below |specialization (be sure to use |this subject of study with this |study (experimental, | | | |options) |professional sources) |specialization in psychology) |correlational, observational, | | | | | | |case study, interview) and why | | | | | | |this one may fit the best | |1 |Studying the causes of aggression in |Social |Study of how people behave in |Social Psychology would help |I would say experimental, | | |reaction to others in their environment. | |social environments, study how |explain why someone would become |because it is a preferred way to| | | | |friendships develop, what causes |aggressive in their environment. |study behavior. | | | | |aggression and how prejudices are | | | | | | |formed. Argosy University, 2013) | | | |2 |Studying the pe riod when a newborn child |Developmental |Study of human development. |When a child recognizes their |Naturalistic method because | | |recognizes his or her parent. | |Study factors that shape human |parent would be considered a |really the only way to see when | | | | |behavior from birth to |developmental behavior. |a newborn recognizes their | | | | |death. (Argosy University, 2013) | |parent is to observe them. |3 |Sharing some research about the best |Industrial and organizational |Study of factors that affect |Work place stress would affect |Questionnaire because it can | | |strategies to manage work place stress. | |people in organizations. Identify |performance at the work place, |handle and works well for any | | | | |factors that affect performance. |which would fall under this |large group of people. | | | | |Development of employee skills. |category. | | | | |Job analysis. (Argosy University, | | | | | | |2013) | | | |4 |Determining which chemical or |Neuropsycholo gy |Attempt to study the human brain |Seeing what neurotransmitter |Experimental will help show | | |neurotransmitter might be activated when | |and its impact on human behavior. coffee would affect would have to |cause and effect between | | |people use coffee as a memory or | |Would try to figure out what |do with studying the brain and the|variables | | |performance â€Å"enhancer†. | |chemicals or neurotransmitters |effects of certain chemicals on | | | | | |were responsible for our emotions |chemicals or neurotransmitters | | | | | |or something like anxiety. (Argosy | | | | | |University, 2013) | | | |5 |Reviewing the thought process of someone |Cognitive |Study and work with how each |Seeing how someone has come to |Experimental because it can show| | |who has difficulties remembering things | |individual stores, transforms, |have difficulties long-term would |the cause and effect which may | | |long-term. | |uses and communicates information. |fall under the catego ry of |be beneficial. | | | | |Works with how we remember things |communicating or storing | | | | | |, and how we decide(Argosy |information. | | | | |University, 2013) | | | |6 |Methods to gain possible diagnoses in |Clinical |Work on diagnosis, understanding, |In order to understand and help |Case study because one could | | |efforts to understand emotional problems. | |and treatment of severe emotional |diagnose emotional problems one |gather a lot of information on a| | | | |problems, mental problems, and |would need to study emotional |case to case basis that would | | | | |behavioral problems but have no |problems. aid in understanding emotional | | | | |medical degree. Don’t rely on | |problems based on people’s | | | | |medicine. | |individual experiences | Use these as the possible specializations to use in the above chart: Clinical psychology or Clinical Psychologists Health psychology Biological psychology or Neuropsychologists Developmental psycholo gy Social and personality Cognitive psychology

Benchmarking Sustainability Practices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Benchmarking Sustainability Practices - Essay Example Benchmarking sustainability practices is an important area for all businesses to focus on strongly. Sustainability issues maintain the level of success and profitability for the organization and allow them to reap further rewards and benefits from the business that they are conducting. The use of benchmarking practices can be successful for all organization in implying those business practices that can derive the optimum level of successful results. The economic benefits, the environmental benefits and the growth of the tourism business can allow it to measure its success with the sustainability benchmarking practice. Tourism business is a very versatile business and to maintain its success level its sustainability elements need to be worked upon closely and made sure that the best benchmarking practices are implemented. The other businesses in which sustainability benchmarking practices can be used are the pharmaceutical sectors. The pharmaceutical business needs to be constantly making sustainable improvements and maintain their level of products. Sustainable benchmarking practices are extremely important to practice in the pharmaceutical industry. The housing sector business can also use the sustainability benchmarking practices for making their business successful and profitable in the industry. The housing sector may be faced with constant change in demands from the customers and therefore they need to maintain their level of quality and price. Sustainability benchmarking practices can be used widely in the housing sector business.

Narrative Critical Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Narrative Critical Analysis - Essay Example Patricia Hampl has done a brilliant job in explaining how memoir is a picture of reality and imagination and hence, an attempt by a writer to find his hidden ‘self’. Through her essay, Hampl proves that a memoir is not just a life story but also a medium of self discovery as it helps the writer not only in understanding the hidden self, but also in harmonizing the images and emotions stored in the memory, and in attaining the most desired inner peace. Analysis From my experience of writing a memory narrative, I have learnt that the event in the past reveals a lot more than what I have thought it to be. It has made me realize that events that leave an emotional impact on us are the ones that leave more impact on the memory. It has shown me that most of the times, it is not the event but the interpretations we make about them that makes it more or less important. Also, one single event can be seen differently by different people as they see it through their own personal an gle. This fact has been explored in a clear manner in the essay ‘Memory and Imagination,’ by Patricia Hampl. Memoir is an account of true events in life and hence, it is not fiction. Fiction is completely imaginative while memoir is real life story told by people. However, according to Hampl, memoir also has touch of imagination to it. Hence, it has shades of fiction. This is the reason Hampl also says that the first draft of the memoir is important. Hampl says that the first draft is like a fresh look and revelation of the truth. It is written without the barriers of the conscious mind and hence, has a deep meaning to it. The first draft is the real thing as it is not written with careful observation or restrain. When the writing flows without any carefulness, then it brings the hidden feelings, interpretations and emotions of the writer. This brings the deep hidden emotions and thoughts to the surface. This helps the writer in discovering his own self which is usually hidden in the unconscious mind. Hence, Hampl also says that if the first draft is written with careful attitude, then it is a failure. By this she means that carefully written first draft does not bring the hidden feelings in the unconscious and fails to help the writer discover his own self. Hence, Hampl also says that heart is the boss of writing. According to Hampl, the conscious and rational mind takes a back seat while writing. Memoir is written with the aid of memories of past. However, memory is not static or frozen aspects of life. They are molded into shapes and colors which are added to it through person’s eyes and mental opinion. When a person writes, his intuition, his wishes and his dreams are fulfilled. The memoir is written without the pressure of being completely truthful. Hence, a writer tries to fulfill his unfulfilled wishes and desires in the past by showing them as fulfilled in his memoir. Moreover, when a person writes a memoir, his rational mind is ove rpowered by his irrational and imaginative mind. Moreover, the fears, disappointments, weaknesses and sadness, which is guarded by the rational mind, are given an outlet through the memoir. This shows that the mind loses its grip on a writer when he is writing and his heart takes the control. Hence, Hampl says that heart is the boss when writing. Hampl is right when she says that heart is the boss of writing. I have experienced that when I am writing about my life, I tend to be more open, unburdened and relaxed about my experiences and descriptions.

Urban Neighbourhood Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Urban Neighbourhood Study - Essay Example environmental quality, social interaction, positive identity, cultural life) of existing residents, who are engaged in the enhancement and functioning of the place. It contributes to sustainable development of wider urban environment. Existing neighborhoods represent a huge potential in terms of livability and sustainable way of life. (Sustainable neighborhoods, Page 8) The neighborhood that we are going to discuss here is the East York community in Toronto. East York was home to 52,430 people and consisted of 21,390 households in 2006. It is 9 square kilometers in size .The population of East York fell by 6.8% between 2001 and 2006. 36% of occupied private dwellings were in single-detached houses, 33% were in high-rise apartments and 15% were in low-rise apartments in 2006. Tough 56% of the population is English speaking; there are ethnic minorities who speak languages like Greek, Chinese, Italian and Urdu. The population is a mixture of Canadian Chinese and East Indian groups, with a mix of other minority groups like, Filipino, Irish, Bangladeshis and Italian. The visible minority population includes Latin American, Koreans and Japanese migrants (Page 3) Most of the dwellings are owned, but 47%, which is quite large are rented dwellings. Of these the popular form of dwellings is single detached houses and apartments which are 5 plus storied. (Page 7)Education is an area where improvement can be done. The percentage of population with a bachelor’s degree of higher education is 22%. A total of 31% has been to the university. Most of the population is employed and the majority is into business, finance and administration. Sales and service come next. About 12% are into management jobs and the rest into education, art, trade and transport and government services. 65% of the employed are the labor forces, which are engaged in Manufacturing retail trade, technical services, and health care. While a minority are employed in mining, agriculture, fishing, arts and

Cultural Tradition and Saudi Female Leadership Assignment

Cultural Tradition and Saudi Female Leadership - Assignment Example Depending on the situation, women reporting a crime or incident might not feel comfortable relaying the information to a man. According to Saudi male officials, there are many reasons why women should not partake in leadership roles. One specific reason has to do with the cultural norms of Saudi society. Women have taken the role as caregiver to their children and because of this roles, it is very difficult for them to advance their careers. Also, according to according to the Islamic religion, women must be submissive to there husband: the husband is the leader or head of the household. Thus, because of this thought, it is difficult for the society to change their views on how women should participate within the community. In fact one of the most significance reasons is the embodied cultural tradition, which is against women’s educational leadership (Ghanim, 2009). The women in Saudi Arabia face many hardships. There are so many hidden cultural rules that when broken by Saudi Arabian women the punishment is always harsh. Thus, women cannot gain the necessary respect needed to achieve or take on a leadership role. According to Saudi traditions, everything related to women should be excluded from men (Chaney and Martin, 2007). Leadership and to be a leader within Saudi Arabia is of great concern to citizens. For this reason, men believe it is best if women do not participate in these leadership roles. Thus, women are not empowered or given a voice. Such a perception and gender stereotypes are still major obstacles to women’s absolute access to leadership positions. Taleb (2010) added that good leadership qualities are not gender-specific. She declared the difference between men and women leadership roles is their authority. What is meant by this is that civil laws in Saudi society do not give women enough rights to be independent and or l ead. Women are also at a disadvantage because they are not allowed to drive and cannot travel without their

Televisions Grip on the Mind of America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Televisions Grip on the Mind of America - Essay Example Neil Postman rightly identifies the iron grip that the television has on minds throughout American society. Perhaps the fundamental reason for television's power is the way in which it has given "an exquisite and dangerous perfection" to the "epistemological biases of the telegraph and instancy." The telegraph brought bits of information directly to the consumer, without giving that information any sort of context, any sort of reason why that information was significant. The significance was in the novelty, or in the entertainment value. The instancy of the photograph relieves the mind of having to imagine, or even having to pay a lot of attention. An idea can be summarized, remembered, ingrained in the form of a picture. Combining the two, making a slogan with a picture, simultaneously places an idea an image in the mind. This increases the power of the idea, and gives a visual source of memory associated with that idea for the mind to clutch tightly. Another characteristic of television concomitant to this simultaneity of thought and vision is the power of speed. The telegraph took the "line-by-line, sequential, continuous form of the printed page" and reduced it to a "world of fragments and discontinuities." The photograph takes a reality that can present ideas to the mind and reduces them down to particular examples.

Strong Interest Inventory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Strong Interest Inventory - Essay Example s which matches the interests as well as the personal styles in relation to issues such as leadership qualities and risk taking abilities of the individuals is very important for the students as there is a strong relationship between the interests, preferences and personality. The school counselor also interacts with the students who are experiencing social or personal problems, and after identifying the issues aids them by providing counseling for achieving their academic and career goals. Due to legislative compulsions, the schools are required to update their testing programs and design new assessment methods. There are standardized tests developed by the test publishers. In the recent years new editions of the Tests of Achievement and Proficiency Batteries have been released by the reputed test publishers. They also publish interest inventory tests which broadly measure the students’ vocational or academic interests. Attitude and personality scales used for measurement cover various parameters. For example the results of the  Myers-Briggs Type Indicator  (MBTI) assessment (CPP Inc., 2004) include: Scores on the level of interest on each of the six  Holland Codes  or General Occupational Themes.  Holland Code Themes  include – Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. Standardization: A standardized test conducted under standard conditions and vigilance, with specified time limits and scores are either norm or criterion referenced, and interpreted as per standards consistently. The standardized tests are useful in the assessment of academic success or achievement, and could also be effectively used for diagnostic testing in counseling for identifying weaknesses such as reading and writing skills as well. ACT, SATII, GRE, MAT, GMAT, MCAT and LSAT are some of the good examples of standardized tests. Norming: Norm refers to average level of achievement or performance in relation to a group. Norm-referenced tests

Self-Evaluation and Pay Discrimination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Self-Evaluation and Pay Discrimination - Essay Example However, the employer may be asked to make some modification in his self evaluation program incase it does not meet the general standards. The third step is that OFCCP reviews the documents that the contractor keeps to undertake the self-evaluation program. After the review of the documents, a technical team is employed by OFCCP to determine whether the contractor self-evaluation program complies with the general standards as speculated by the voluntary guidelines provided by OFCCP (Rosen 19). This is followed by treating the information provided by the contractor as confidential. This implies that the information cannot be released to the public as long as the contractor is in the business. To ensure that the contractors self-evaluation program is effective, OFCCP allows the contractor to certify the compliance of his program with 41 CFR 60-2.17(b) (3) in order to avoid legal disputes. However, this is undertaken when the contractor produces the results of the self evaluation progra m to OFCCP. To conduct an evaluation, our company must maintain documents that indicate justification of its decisions with respect to Similarly Situated Employee Groupings (SSEGs). Additionally, statistical data that depicts the results of the two years statistical analyses must be provided to OFCCP. In case of disparities, the company must retain the documents that were used in any follow-up investigation. Such documents must be retained for two years. For an effective self evaluation program, the company should form a SSEGs that involves 30 employees with extra 5 members representing non-minority/ minority or male or female. With an all inclusive employees groupings, Rosen 26 argues that an employer will effectively undertake a self evaluation program that will ensure adoption of motivation factors focused at improving the performance of the

Kant Categorical Imperative Essay Example for Free

Kant Categorical Imperative Essay Kant’s Categorical Imperative is made up of two formulations, Formula of Universal Law and The Formula of the End in Itself. The first formulation is best described by the following statement, â€Å"Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law without contradiction. † (Kant, 1785, 1993). What does this mean? A maxim is the fundamental rule of conduct or your moral belief upon which you chose to act. A universal law is a law that everyone must follow regardless of the outcome. How do we determine if the maxim can become universal? One of the first things to do is to ask yourself if it would be acceptable that everyone do the same thing that you are considering doing in that situation. We were given several examples in The Elements of Moral Philosophy and the one that made the most impact was â€Å"suppose a man needs money, but no one will lend it to him unless he promises to pay it back-which he knows he won’t be able to do. Should he make a false promises to get the loan? † (Rachels, 2012). If this happened the maxim or universal rule would be anytime you need a loan tell a lie that you will repay it and you will get the loan. This is not something that everyone would be willing to do because you will no longer believe others when they tell you this statement and no one would be willing to make the loans. The second thing you should do to determine if the maxim can become universal is look at your answer to the first question. Did you say â€Å"yes, I think that everyone will do it? †. If so, then ask yourself if it makes rational sense to want everyone in the same situation to do what you are contemplating doing. If your answer was no to either question then your maxim cannot become universal law because it is not considered moral. Overall, based on Kant, an act is morally right only if the primary rule of behavior, which is how you decide to act morally, can constantly and universally relate to you and others. The second formulation is best described by the following statement, â€Å"Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never merely as a means to an end, but always at the same time as an end. † (Kant, 1785, 1993). Basically, this means that morality consists of doing your duty to treat people, including yourself, and an end, never as a means to an end. Kant combined the second formulation with the first because we have a perfect duty to not use the humanity of ourselves or others merely as a means to some other end. Most ends are somewhat subjective because they need only be pursued if they are in line with some particular hypothetical imperative that a person may choose to adopt. (Categorical Imperative Explained, 2012). The second formulation also leads to the imperfect duty to further the ends of ourselves and others. If any person desires perfection in themselves or others, it would be their moral duty to pursue that end for all people equally, so long as that end does not contradict perfect duty. The question of whether or not Kant adequately addresses the problems evident in comparison of the two formulations cannot be summed up with a simple yes or no answer. He makes a good argument for both sides just as he opposes both sides. The difference is whether or not we have the right moral sense to determine why and how our decisions affect ourselves and others. Kant shows that you have struggles when rationality and practicality are conveyed to cover the same matter. So after all this we ask the question, â€Å"How plausible is the theory? † I think that it is a logical theory that clearly assists in making decisions. It provides a plausible account of morality because you can look at others and have a tendency to complete your actions based on those of others. Kantianism is a more consistent theory because it can be universally applied to all. It is more believable because even if the penalties of carrying out an action aren’t necessarily the best, the individual is still obligated to perform the action because it is their duty to do so. Kant’s theory focuses on the motivation of actions and has a clear and distinctive set of universal rules, and is morally sound. Consequently, ethically and morally they are doing the right thing. Bibliography Categorical Imperative Explained. (2012, April 12). Retrieved from Everything Explained: http://everything. explained. at/categorical_imperative/ (1993). In J. W. Ellington, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals (p. 30). Hackett. Kant, I. (1785, 1993). Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals 3rd ed.. . In J. W. Wllington. Hackett. Rachels, J. (2012). The Elements of Moral Philosophy. McGraw-Hill. Reason Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Reason Chicago: Reason Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Reason (accessed April 17, 2012). The Elements of Moral Philosophy. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://jamesrachels. org/78improvedsentences. htm Chicago: The Elements of Moral Philosophy, http://jamesrachels. org/78improvedsentences. htm (accessed April 17, 2012).

Social creatures Essay Example for Free

Social creatures Essay We human being are social creatures. We love to inter act with other people just so we can talk to them and be acquainted with them. It is physically impossible for us to stay detach for other people. We also need to feel that we belong to a certain circle of friends as a teenager and I high school. Hey I can was young once and I also felt these things. But looking back I had an outstanding relationship I have that would be very good at this point, so let me start. The first relationship that I want to talk about is a relationship I have with one of a family member. She is my father’s younger sister and a neurosurgeon at that. She is the youngest one in my father’s family, so as many would think since she is the youngest she is spoiled. Yeah, that fact is true, she was a spoiled brat, because according to my grandmother she was a sickly baby. But this didn’t bother me at all because I was her favorite. She and I always were close. Now come to think of it, if I had to choose which of the communication theories apply to our relationship, it will be the Uses and Gratifications Theory, I know that this mainly use for the media and that it is hard to fathom that a family member can make use of another family member but it happens on some occasion. As for me, since I was a first grandchild I too was very spoiled to the point of becoming a brat. My grandmother would describe me as intelligent but foolish and with a good conscience. But I have this temper which is extremities. See when I like you I remain very nice to you and loyal, but once you have already betrayed me you have just raised your own personal hell. I don’t forgive very easily. How did I come to this conclusion? It was when she got married to the husband to whom she was divorced now. Let’s take a look at it now, it was 8 years last May 19 of this year when my problems with her first started. I think it was a before that my grandmother had found out that she was pregnant with a guy five year younger than her. For some reason my grandmother really didn’t approve of the guy and kicked her out of the house. So My aunt went to live in with the guy, and I visited her once in a while to bring her some food that my grandmother cooked for her. Sometimes I would even stay over night at her place, especially when my parents and I have an argument. As I spent more time with her in the man’s house I began to understand why my grandmother hated the guy. Yes, he was an ophthalmologist, but he was a lazy bum. When he would get home from work he would sit in his computer and play and chat with other people on line. I on the other hand would help my aunt fix dinner and all. I did not claim to be a martyr nor an angel at that point I was far from it even up to the present time. I also had to deal with my things, my parents breaking up, I started to drink and go with all the wrong people. But when I was there with my aunt I would pull my weight. I would give their dogs a bath and help out in any way I could. When the month of May finally arrived my aunt gave birth to their first child a baby boy. I was the one who went to their house and got the things needed for her. When I went to the house, this lady called looking for my aunt’s husband and so I told her that my aunt gave birth. I watched my aunt in the hospital while the husband was at home tinkering with his computer. There was a visitor that came and I offered that visitors some pastries that were brought for the visitor. The visitor commented of on how great that I was taking care of my aunt and all. But she commented that I was taking care of her so that I could just eat. That comment began our Uses and Gratifications Theory of Communications. How can I say this? Easy because it’s true, another example would be when she returned to my grandmother’s house. She told me to go with her so that she could buy some clothes for me and a mobile phone. So I went with her, in the car she told me that we were going to have lunch with her husband and that I should not tell my grandmother. I had lunch with them and then went to buy the clothes and mobile phone. My aunt the dropped me off at the corner heading to our compound saying that people might start asking questions if they see me with her that day. So I went down to walk to my house and told my mom what my aunt brought for me. Hey who was I to question her. Then she got pregnant with her second child again, and it all repeated once again. She got kicked out; I had to take care of her with a lot of freebies on the side. But the final straw was drawn when that husband had the audacity to hit my aunt. She called me to tell my grandmother to pick her up along with her children. Now she is a neurologist and still staying with my grand mother. When my birthday came she took me and one of my cousins out for some breakfast, and who was waiting for us at country waffle was the husband. It’s just she told us that her children needed a father to so we helped her out by covering up for her. What really made me realize that she was just using us is when she accused my cousin of stealing her mobile phone. But it was her helper all along that stole the phone. You see my younger cousin’s family stays with my grandmother. So in order to save face my cousin and his family left. Till now that feud is still on going. I could have just let it go, but the made turned her ugly head towards me. She would call mobile phones and use my name to charge it to the land line. It was a good think that one of my aunts checked and it was made to a driver that the maid was flirting with. She also took money and let others take the blame for it. I ended my relationship with my aunt when I started my kennel business. I got tired of being use and using my aunt is return. But what really ended it was when I fought with her helper because her helper told me to put all my dogs in the pound. So I told our house boy that that help was flirting with to just give her what she wanted and have sex with her. That message got to the maid and she slapped me, so I broke her face with my fist. The left and cooled off with my father. The last straw was when it was my grandmother who called my attention about lying about going with her to the hospital at a late night call. So she called me when I was in a party to asked me to go with her to the hospital. Then she lied and told me I was not with her. She even bribed the driver to tell my grandmother that I was not with her. That’s when I all decided to stop this relationship. It was taking its toll on me and I had to live and let live. See I have learned that the communication theory of Uses and Gratifications will only benefit one person. That other person in that relationship will find it gratifying for a while but it will not last. I have learned that the hard way, and got hurt and burned the same way. I also learned that having a relationship whether it be family or love communications should be constant and no one should get hurt. Source: http://www. mhhe. com/mayfieldpub/westturner/student_resources/theories. htm

The Electronic Electrical Engineering Engineering Essay

The Electronic Electrical Engineering Engineering Essay Electronic electrical engineering incorporated with mechanical system has a big impact in a variety of field, such as biomedical, underwater vehicle, safety and security, space and etc. Before we actually start discussing the benefits and advantages that electronic and electrical engineering gives us in our everyday life, lets have some insights of the history of electronic engineering. Electronic engineering as a profession sprang from technological improvements in the  telegraph  industry in the late 1800s and the  radio  and the  telephone  industries in the early 1900s. People were attracted to radio by the technical fascination it inspired, first in receiving and then in transmitting. Many who went into broadcasting in the 1920s were only amateurs in the period before  World War I. The modern discipline of electronic engineering was to a large extent born out of telephone, radio, and  television  equipment development and the large amount of electronic systems development during  World War II  of  radar,  sonar, communication systems, and advanced munitions and weapon systems. In the interwar years, the subject was known as  radio engineering  and it was only in the late 1950s that the term  electronic engineering  started to emerge. In underwater, electronic and electrical engineering is doing a paramount job in the development of underwater vehicle technology, such as submarine, remotely operated underwater vehicle, and more significantly, automated underwater vehicle. An Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) is a robotic device that is driven through the water by a propulsion system, controlled and piloted by an onboard computer, and maneuverable in three dimensions. This level of control, under most environmental conditions, permits the vehicle to follow precise preprogrammed trajectories wherever and whenever required. Sensors on board the AUV sample the ocean as the AUV moves through it, providing the ability to make both spatial and time series measurements. Sensor data collected by an AUV is automatically geospatially and temporally referenced and normally of superior quality. Multiple vehicle surveys increase productivity, can insure adequate temporal and spatial sampling, and provide a means of investigat ing the coherence of the ocean in time and space. The fact that an AUV is normally moving does not prevent it from also serving as a Lagrangian, or quasi Eulerian, platform. This mode of operation may be achieved by programming the vehicle to stop thrusting and float passively at a specific depth or density layer in the sea, or to actively loiter near a desired location. AUVs may also be programmed to swim at a constant pressure or altitude or to vary their depth and/or heading as they move through the water, so that undulating sea saw survey patterns covering both vertical and/or horizontal swaths may be formed. AUVs are also well suited to perform long linear transects, sea sawing through the water as they go, or traveling at a constant pressure. They also provide a highly productive means of performing seafloor surveys using acoustic or optical imaging systems. When compared to other Lagrangian platforms, AUVs become the tools of choice as the need for control and sensor power increases. The AUVs advantage in this area is achieved at the expense of endurance, which for an AUV is typically on the order of 8- 50 hours. Most vehicles can vary their velocity between 0.5 and 2.5 m/s. The optimum speed and the corresponding greatest range of the vehicle occur when its hotel load (all required power except propulsion) is twice the propulsive load. For most vehicles, this occurs at a velocity near 1.5 m/s. The degree of autonomy of the robot presents an interesting dichotomy. Total autonomy does not provide the user with any feedback on the vehicles progress or health, nor does it provide a means of controlling or redirecting the vehicle during a mission. It does, however, free the user to perform other tasks, thereby greatly reducing operational costs, as long as the vehicle and the operator meet at their duly appointed times at the end of the mission. For some missions, total autonomy may be the only choice; in other cases when the vehicle is performing a routine mission, it may be the preferable mode of operation. Bidirectional acoustic, radio frequency, and satellite based communications systems offer the capability to monitor and redirect AUV missions worldwide from a ship or from land. For this reason, semi-autonomous operations offer distinct advantages over fully autonomous operations. In the outset of development of AUV, AUVs have been used for a limited number of tasks dictated by the technology available. With the development of more advanced processing capabilities and high yield power supplies, AUVs are now being used for more and more tasks with roles and missions constantly evolving. Its application covers a variety of field, such as in commercial, military, research, as well as hobby. In the commercial side, the oil and gas industry employs AUVs to sketch out detailed maps of the seafloor before they start building subsea infrastructure; pipelines and subsea completions can be installed in the most cost effective manner with minimum disruption to the environment. The AUV allows survey companies to conduct precise surveys or areas where traditional bathymetric surveys would be less effective or too costly. Also, post-lay pipe surveys are now possible. Whereas in the military field, AUV does play an important role as a typical military mission for an AUV is t o map an area to determine if there are any mines, or to monitor a protected area (such as a harbor) for new unidentified objects. AUVs are also employed in anti-submarine warfare, to aid in the detection of manned submarines. Apart from that, scientists use AUVs to study lakes, the ocean, and the ocean floor. A variety of sensors can be affixed to AUVs to measure the concentration of various elements or compounds, the absorption or reflection of light, and the presence of microscopic life. Sensors, the primarily oceanographic tools, AUVs carry sensors to navigate autonomously and map features of the ocean. Typical sensors used by AUV include  compasses, depth sensor, side scan and other sonar, magnetometers,  thermistors  and conductivity probes.  One of the most conspicuous contributions of electrical and electronic engineering incorporated with mechanical system is the navigation of AUV. AUVs can navigate using an  underwater acoustic positioning system. An  Underwater Acoustic Positioning System  is a system for the tracking and navigation of underwater vehicles or divers by means of acoustic distance and/or direction measurements, and subsequent position triangulation. Underwater Acoustic Positioning Systems are commonly used in a wide variety of underwater work, including oil and gas exploration,  ocean sciences, salvage operations,  marine archeology, law enforcement and military activities. Basically, there are three broad types or classes that can be categorized in underwater acoustic positioning system. The first one is Long Baseline (LBL) Systems:  Long baseline systems, use a sea-floor baseline transponder network. The transponders are typically mounted in the corners of the operations site. LBL systems yield very high accuracy of generally better than 1 m and sometimes as good as 0.01m along with very robust positions. This is due to the fact that the transponders are installed in the reference frame of the work site itself (i.e. on the sea floor), the wide transponder spacing results in an ideal geometry for position computations, and the LBL system operates without an acoustic path to the (potentially distant) sea surface. Acoustic positioning systems measure positions relative to a framework of  baseline stations, which must be deployed prior to operations. In the case of a  long baseline (LBL)  system, a set of three or more baseline transponders are de ployed on the sea floor. The location of the baseline transponders either  relative to each other  or in global  must then be measured precisely. Some systems assist this task with an automated  acoustic self-survey, and in other cases  GPS  is used to establish the position of each baseline transponder as it is deployed or after deployment. When a surface reference such as a support ship is available,  ultra-short baseline  (USBL) or  short-baseline (SBL)  positioning is used to calculate where the subsea vehicle is relative to the known (GPS) position of the surface craft by means of acoustic range and bearing measurements. USBL systems and the related super short baseline (SSBL) systems rely on a small (ex. 230  mm across), tightly which is installed either on the side or in some cases on the bottom of a surface vessel. Unlike LBL and SBL systems, which determine position by measuring multiple distances, the USBL transducer array is used to measure the target  distance  from the transducer pole by using signal run time, and the target  direction  by measuring the  phase shift  of the reply signal as seen by the individual elements of the transducer array. The combination of distance and direction fixes the position of the tracked target relative to the surface vessel. Additional sensors including GPS, a gyro or electronic compass and a vertical reference unit are then used to compensate for the changing position and orientation (pitch, roll, and bearing) of the surface vessel and its transducer pole. USBL systems offer the advantage of not requiring a sea floor transponder array. The disadvantage is that positioning accuracy and robustness is not as good as for LBL systems. The reason is that the fixed angle resolved by a USBL system translates to a larger position error at greater distance. Also, the multiple sensors needed for the USBL transducer pole position and orientation compensation each introduce additional errors. Finally, the non-uniformity of the underwater acoustic environment cause signal refractions and reflections that have a greater impact on USBL positioning than is the case for the LBL geometry integrated transducer array that is typically mounted on the bottom end of a strong, rigid transducer pole. In the other hand short baseline systems use a baseline consisting of three or more individual sonar transducers that are connected by wire to a central control box. Accuracy depends on transducer spacing and mounting method. When a wider spacing is employed as when working from a large working barge or when operating from a dock or other fixed platform, the performance can be similar to LBL systems. When operating from a small boat where transducer spacing is tight, accuracy is reduced. Like USBL systems, SBL systems are frequently mounted on boats and ships, but specialized modes of deployment are common too. For example, the  Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution  uses a SBL system to position the  Jason  deep-ocean ROV relative to its associated MEDEA depressor weight with a reported accuracy of 9  cm. Besides, GPS Intelligent Buoys (GIB) is also employed in AUV navigation; the systems are inverted LBL devices where the transducers are replaced by floating buoys, self-po sitioned by GPS. The tracked position is calculated in real time at the surface from the Time-Of-Arrival (TOAs) of the acoustic signals sent by the underwater device, and acquired by the buoys. Such configuration allows fast, calibration-free deployment with accuracy similar to LBL systems. At the opposite of LBL, SBL or USBL systems, GIB systems use one-way acoustic signals from the emitter to the buoys, making it less sensible to surface or wall reflections. GIB systems are used to track AUVs, torpedoes, or divers, may be used to localize airplanes black-boxes, and may be used to determine the impact coordinates of inert or live weapons for weapon testing and training purposes. In recent years, several trends in underwater acoustic positioning have emerged. One is the introduction of compound systems such the combination of LBL and USBL in a so-called LUSBL configuration to enhance performance. These systems are generally used in the offshore oil gas sector and other high-end applications. Another trend is the introduction of compact, task optimized systems for a variety of specialized purposes. For example the California Department of Fish and Game  commissioned a system, which continually measures the opening area and geometry of a fish sampling net during a trawl. That information helps the department improve the accuracy of their fish stock assessments in the  Sacramento River Delta. Hundreds of different AUVs have been designed over the past 50 or so years, but only a few companies sell vehicles in any significant numbers. Vehicles range in size from man portable lightweight AUVs to large diameter vehicles of over 10 meters length. Once popular amongst the military and commercial sectors, the smaller vehicles are now losing popularity. It has been widely accepted by commercial organizations that to achieve the ranges and endurances required to optimize the efficiencies of operating AUVs a larger vehicle is required. However, smaller, lightweight and less expensive AUVs are still common as a budget option for universities. Some manufacturers have benefited from domestic government sponsorship including Bluefin and Kongsberg. The market is effectively split into three areas: scientific (including universities and research agencies), commercial offshore (oil and gas etc.) and military application (mine countermeasures, battle space preparation). The majority of these roles utilizes a similar design and operates in a cruise mode. They collect data while following a preplanned route at speeds between 1 and 4 knots. Commercially available AUVs include various designs such as the small REMUS 100 AUV developed by  Wood Holes Oceanographic Institution in the US. Most AUVs follow the traditional torpedo shape as this is seen as the best compromise between size, usable volume, hydrodynamic efficiency and ease of handling. There are some vehicles that make use of a modular design, enabling components to be changed easily by the operators.   The market is evolving and designs are now following commercial requirements rather than being purely developmental. The next stage is likely to be a hybrid AUV/ROV that is capable of surveys and light intervention tasks. This requires more control and the ability to hover. Again, the market will be driven by financial requirements and the aim to save money and expensive ship time. Today, while most AUVs are capable of unsupervised missions most operators remain within range of acoustic telemetry systems in order to maintain a close watch on their investment. This is not always possible. For example, Canada has recently taken delivery of two AUVs (ISE Explorers) to survey the sea floor underneath the Arctic ice in support of their claim under Article 76 of the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea. Also, ultra-low-power, long-range variants such as  underwater gliders  are becoming capable of operating unattended for weeks or months in littoral and open ocean areas, per iodically relaying data by satellite to shore, before returning to be picked up.

Terri Schiavo :: essays research papers

The end of life is inevitable. For most it is for seen and understood what ones final wishes are. Living wills provide those issues in question with answers. What if an individual does not have a living will? Who would be in charge in making final decisions for someone who cannot physically make those decisions? The story of Terri Schiavo brings about many questions that represents moral, ethical, and legal issues. Terri Schiavo collapsed in her home on February 25, 1990. She suffered cardiac arrest and anoxic brain damage. The lack of oxygen to the brain caused major brain damage. The cerebral cortex had been completely destroyed and replaced by cerebrospinal fluid. Her upper brain was estimated to be about 80 percent destroyed. However her brainstem, which is responsible for breathing and heartbeat, was still functioning properly. This allowed Schiavo to survive with the assistance of a feeding tube. Terri Schiavo was diagnosed to be in a Persistent Vegetative State (P.V.S). At the time of Terri Schiavo’s collapse, she was married to Michael Schiavo. Under Florida law, this made Michael Terri’s legal guardian. Terri also had the support of her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler. Michael Schiavo believed that his wife Terri would have never wanted to live life as a vegetable. Since Terri never had a living will, wishing to refuse medical treatment. Michael Schiavo is drawing his conclusion on conversations with his wife before the accident. After three years of ineffective therapy. Michael Schiavo petitioned to discontinue the life support for Terri. Her parents did not agree with Schiavo’s wishes. Bob and Mary Schindler have been battling with Michael Schiavo for over 10 years.

Some Writing from Nancy Tucker :: Literature Papers

Some Writing from Nancy Tucker This page contains three pieces, Advice to Young Poets and Writers, Driving,and The Big Five- O. Advice to Young Poets and Writers Life is not easy. Write. Because you can, you must. Remember your roots, your pain. Use them. But roots and pain are not enough--move on from your own past. Look outward--use your eyes to see both what other people do not see and what other people see but do not talk about. Write. Learn to listen to the crickets, the dogs, the squeak of bicycles and to other people's stories. Ask questions. Wait for answers. Write. Look inward--test truth on your own pulses. Writing is both art and craft Use your skill, your talent to tell the truth--that's the point of being a writer. Write. Avoid self-righteousness--other people have truths, too. Laugh. And cry. In the same sentence, if you can do it well. Be afraid. Write anyway. Always, always, always do what your teachers say cannot be done. And when you teach, if you teach, remember you too are a learner: respect your students' truths even as you nudge them toward growth. Write. Begin now. Nancy Tucker April, 1997 Return to 313-2000 Return to 313work Return to 840 work Return to Nancy Tucker's homepage Driving It’s 6:30 and I drag my briefcase to my car, pull out of the parking lot and join the snake of cars heading home. The white line becomes my guide as darkness slips down behind me. I’m on the road again, Willie. Drivin’ my life away, Eddie. I eat flattened fruit ‘n’ pastry bars from a side pocket in my purse and wish for pasta in alfredo sauce or a thick burger and a beer. But I’m still driving, driving, driving, so there’s no hope of that. nt ? March, 2000 THE BIG FIVE-0H by Nancy Tucker I have a book on my nightstand called Aging Gracefully. Someone bought it for me, hoping it would give me hope and courage, I guess. It's next to another gift book, Women Turning 50. Oh yeah, you guessed it. In a few days. The Big 5-0. Half-a-century. Yeah, it boggles my mind, too- I'm gonna be 50. While I'm pleased that people think of me and care enough to give me books, I really believe that 50 is something that happens to someone else.

Coca-Cola Advertisement Essay -- Business Analysis

What could possibly be more American than apple pie, baseball or the anonymous World War II kiss? Coca- Cola, of course! Coke’s strong pathos resonates as a symbol of America’s golden years. The Coke bottle montage adorned in pictures of unforgettable American events, artists and past times embodies what it truly means to be American. To be American means to take pride in your country and represent as a unit, not as an individual. All the components that have compose this montage grasp the concept of American patriotism. One of the most identified brands in the world: Coca-Cola has distinguished itself as a symbol of American pride. Since, its 1886 debut, Coca-Cola has been the world leader in â€Å"Delicious and Refreshing† soft drinks. This timeless classic has captivated and supported audience’s morale for decades. The modern Coca-Cola advertisement conveys the message that effervescent classic never dies. The icons displayed are testament of the longevity of an active human lifestyle as their legacies hold strong. Each one has played an active role in the American dream. This advertisement is designed in a way most recognizable. The importance of the trademark insignia is reminiscent of the times. The Coca- Cola logo present in the advertisement is that from 1969 where the ribbon device Arden Square with Dynamic Ribbon, was introduced (â€Å"Trademark Chronology†). Similar to the American flag the ribbon flows. The Arden Square with Dynamic Ribbon device is still present similar to the memories of the greats (i.e. Elvis) with minor alteration (â€Å"Trademark Chronology†). The advertisement uses pathos to appeal to the audience through collage pictures of various American classics. But before the revolution of Classic Coca-Cola came th... ... ideal projection of the values for this advertisement focuses on the patriotism of America and how it ties in with Coca-Colas image. These ideal include confidence, recouping after a failure as they did with the† New Coke Advertisement†, and a sense of unity for country and fellow man. Works Cited â€Å"Coke Lore: Trademark Chronology.† The Coca-Cola Company, 2006. Web. 15 February 2010. History. â€Å"Coke Lore: The Real Story of New Coke.† The Coca-Cola Company, 2006. Web. 15 February 2010. Simon and Schuster. â€Å"The Beatles: Biography.† Rolling Stones, 2001. Web. 15 February 2010. Barbara Haberman. â€Å"Marilyn Monroe: Biography.† Marilyn Monroe, 1 June 1 2004. Web. 15 February 2010. Raecroy, A. â€Å"Coca-Cola Advertisement†. Advertisement. Toxel.com 2 Aug. 2008 Web. 1 Feb. 2010.

Behavioral Program

Much of real-life behavior is like this: responses are learned because they operate on, or effect the environment. Referred to as an operant conditioning, this kind of learning occurs in human’s species, as well as in lower species. Alone in a crib, a baby may kick and twist and coo spontaneously.When left by itself, a dog may pad back and forth, sniff, or perhaps pick up a ball, drop it, and play with it. In the case study presented, Claire apparently learned that her tantrums had given her the leverage to get what she wants and this definitely is also a picture of operant conditioning in application.Neither organism is responding to the onset or offset of a specific external stimulus. Rather, they are operating on their environment. Once the organism performs a certain behavior, however, the likelihood that the action will be repeated depends on its consequences. The baby will coo more often if each such occurrence is followed by parental attention, just as what happens to C laire, and the dog will pick up the ball more often if petting or a food reward follows this action.If one would think of the baby as having a goal of parental attention, and the dog as having a goal of food, then operant conditioning amounts to learning that a particular behavior leads to attaining a particular goal (Atkinson, 1993). Theoretical framework Instrumental conditioning, in the strict sense, is based on the concept and idea of Burrhus Frederick Skinner or B. F. Skinner. Like John Watson, Skinner insists that psychologists concern themselves only with observable behavior; that is, the psychologist should study behavior as it is and nothing more.Hence, Skinner tried to look for lawful processes in behavior with the use of rats and pigeons (Atkinson, 1993). Operant conditioning may then play a role in attitude formation where parents tend to reward their children for expressing attitudes that coincide with their own and to punish or ignore then for expressing attitudes that deviate from them (Atkinson, 1993). Applications of the theory Applications of operant conditioning to a child focus on the temporal relation between a response and its reinforcer.Laboratory experiments have shown that immediate reinforcement is more effective than delayed; the more time between an operant response and a reinforcer the less is the strength of the response. Many developmental psychologists have noted that the delay of reinforcement is an important factor in dealing with young children. If a child acts kindly towards a pet, the act can best be strengthened by praising (rewarding) the child immediately, rather than waiting until later.Similarly, if a child hits someone without provocation, this aggressive behavior will more likely be eliminated if the child is punished immediately rather than waiting until later (Atkinson, 1993). Allen and Harris (1966) report on a research on the successful elimination of a child’s incessant scratching by first teaching the mo ther the idea behind operant conditioning. Another study though not so related with Claire’s case is the application of instrumental conditioning in motivating oneself to lose weight (Collier, 1969).Reinforcement- is anything that increases the probability that a particular response will increase in frequency. The presentation (positive) or removal (negative) of particular consequences may reinforce responses. Thus, reinforcement may be either positive or negative. Positive reinforcer. Increases the probability that an operant will occur when it is applied, or it increases the likelihood that a particular response will occur.When Claire gets praised whenever she responds in a quiet manner if her wishes were not granted immediately, she is likely to consistently follow this rewarded behavior. This is an example of positive reinforcement. Negative reinforcer. Increases the probability that an operant will occur when it is removed. People often learn to plan ahead so that they n eed not fear that things will go wrong. Fear acts as a negative reinforcer, because removal of fear increases the probability that the behaviors preceding it will be repeated (Rathus, 1990).Putting the Behavioral Program in Motion: Since it is predictable that Claire will put on a tantrum anytime of the day for whatever it may fancy her, the parents must know or be knowledgeable about why it happens. The parents must be thoroughly acquainted with the notion of operant conditioning. Claire obviously has learned in a number of events that whenever she puts on a tantrum her parents cannot help but react according to her wishes instead of according to theirs. They must understand that, 1) Claire’s behavior (e. g.tantrums) will not be changed in an instant or overnight, if that’s to be realistic; 2) that they will probably be tempted to succumb for fear of the unknown or fear of what might happen to their daughter; 3) that they should not give in to their fears or to anger or frustration when the child will not learn immediately. When Claire goes into fits (which is usually the behavioral manifestation of a child in tantrums) like when she demands to have something that should not be hers, both parents must agree never to give in and instead, to leave where the event is happening.If it is happening inside the house, they must leave the area out of sight of the child but close enough to know what’s happening with her but never without her knowing. This must be done repeatedly until she learns to adapt; if inside a store or in a public area, either parent must anticipate these scenarios to happen and must come up with a variety of diversions. Both must be skillful enough that their diversion tactic must not be another venue or channel for Claire to use her manipulative abilities.The goal then is to make her know eventually that the child is not in command. The real goal is that parents must be the one in control in a firm manner and the child mus t come to accept her parents’ superior ability and that her good is their ultimate concern. Measuring the Success of the Behavioral Program The strength of an operant response can be measured by its resistance to extinction; that is, by how long it takes for the behavior to return to its original rate once the pleasant consequent consequence following the behavior no longer occurs.It is thus told that it is generally correct that for an operant response to be strengthened, the response should be rewarded. But reward in ordinary language denotes things such as money, candy, or praise. There would be times, however, that a reward will not always strengthen an operant response. Suppose, in this instance with Claire, that one of the parents or both parents would give Claire a candy or chocolate but if the problem is to withhold food such as these from her then it will be another dilemma that the parents are getting into.Hence, psychologists prefer to speak of reinforcement/s rath er than reward. The withdrawal of a negative reinforcer will also increase the likelihood of a particular behavior. It is clear that it is possible to increase the occurrence of the desired response by presenting or withdrawing a positive or a negative reinforcer, respectively. Note that positive and negative reinforcers do not connote â€Å"good† or â€Å"bad. † Psychologists neither call a positive reinforcer â€Å"good† reinforcer, nor a negative reinforcer a â€Å"bad† reinforcer.To eliminate tantrums then, the parents withhold the reinforcer (the attention), the tantrums should extinguish eventually if the parents can hold long enough. Measuring then the success of the program is through the length of time Claire spends in crying from the first time attention was withheld (probably from an hour to 45 minutes the next time it happens); then the second time; the third time and so on and this can be usually noticeable within only one week or seven days. Reference: Allen, K. E. , & Harris, F. R. (1966).Elimination of a child's excessive scratching by training the mother in reinforcement procedures. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 4, 79-84. Atkinson, R. L. , R. C. Atkinson, E. E. Smith, D. J. Bem, and S, Nolen-Hoeksema. 1993. Introduction to psychology. 13th Ed. New York: Harcourt College Publishers. Collier, G. (1969). Body weight loss as a measure of motivation in hunger and thirst. Annals of the New York Academy of Science, 157, 594-609. Rathus, S. A. 1990. Understanding child development. New York; Holt, Rinehart, and Winston.

Night World : Daughters of Darkness Chapter 15

Tiggy. She was running. Throwing the door open. Visionsof kittens impaled by tiny stakes in her mind. It wasn't Tiggy on the front porch. It was Ash. He was lying flat in the purple twilight, little moths fluttering around him. Mary-Lynnette felt a violent wrench in her chest.For a moment everything seemed suspended-and changed. If Ash were dead-if Ash had been killed †¦ Things would never be all right. She would neverbe all right. It would be like the night with the moonand stars gone. Nothing that anybody could do wouldmake up for it. Mary-Lynnette didn't know why-itdidn't make any sense-but she suddenly knew it was true. She couldn't breathe and her arms and legs felt strange. Floaty. Out of her control. Then Ash moved. He lifted his head and pushed up with his arms and looked around. Mary-Lynnette could breathe again, but she still felt dizzy. â€Å"Are you hurt?† she asked stupidly. She didn't dare touch him. In her present state one blast of electricity could fry her circuits forever. She'd meltlike the Wicked Witch of the West. â€Å"I fell in thishole, â€Å"he said. â€Å"What do you think?† That's right, Mary-Lynnette thought; the footsteps hadended with more of a crash than a thud. Not like the footsteps of last night. And that meant something †¦if only she couldfollow the thought to the end†¦ . â€Å"Having problems, Ash?†Kestrel's voice saidsweetly, and then Kestrel herself appeared out of the shadows, looking like an angel with her golden hair and her lovely clean features. Jade was behind her, holding Tiggy in her arms. â€Å"He was up in a tree,† Jade said, kissing the kitten's head. â€Å"I had to talk him down.† Her eyes were emerald in the porch light, and she seemed to float rather than walk. Ash was getting up, shaking himself. Like his sisters, he looked uncannily beautiful after a feeding,with a sort of weird moonlight glow in his eyes. Mary-Lynnette's thought was long gone. â€Å"Come on in,† she said resignedly. â€Å"And help figure out who killed your aunt.† Now that Ash was indisputably all right,she wanted to forget what she'd been feeling a minuteago. Or at least not to think about what it meant. What it means, the little voice inside her head said sweetly, is that you're in big trouble, girl. Ha ha. â€Å"So what's the story?† Kestrel said briskly as they all sat around the kitchen table. â€Å"The story is that there is no story,†MaryLynnette said. She stared at her paper in frustration. â€Å"Look-what if we start at the beginning? We don't know who did it, but we do know some things about them. Right?† Rowan nodded encouragingly. â€Å"Right.† â€Å"First: the goat. Whoever killed the goat had to bestrong, because poking those toothpicks through hidewouldn't have been easy. And whoever killed the goat had to know how your uncle Hodge was killed, because the goat was killed in the same way. And they had to have some reason for putting a black irisin the goat's mouth-either because they knew Ashbelonged to the Black Iris Club, or because they be longed to the Black Iris Club themself.† â€Å"Or because they thought a black iris would represent all lamia, or all Night People,† Ash said. Hisvoice was muffled-he was bent over, rubbing hisankle. â€Å"That's a common mistake Outsiders make.† Very good, Mary-Lynnette thought in spite of herself. She said, â€Å"Okay. And they had access to two different kinds of small stakes-which isn't sayingmuch, because you can buy both kinds in town.† â€Å"And they must have had some reason to hate Mrs. B., or to hate vampires,† Mark said. â€Å"Otherwise, why kill her?† Mary-Lynnette gave him a patient look. â€Å"I hadn't gotten to Mrs. B. yet. But we can do her now. First, whoever killed Mrs. B. obviously knew she was a vampire, because they staked her. And, second †¦ um†¦second . . .† Her voice trailed off. She couldn't think of anything to go second. -240 â€Å"Second, they probably killed her on impulse,† Ash said, in a surprisingly calm and analytical voice.†You said she was stabbed with a picket from the fence, and if they'd been planning on doing it, they'd probably have brought their own stake.† â€Å"Verygood.† This time Mary-Lynnette said it out loud. She couldn't help it. She met Ash's eyes and saw something that startled her. He looked as if itmattered to him that she thought he was smart. Well, she thought. Well, well. Here we are, probably for the first time, justtalking to each other. Not arguing, not being sarcastic, just talking. It's nice. It was surprisingly nice. And the strange thing was, she knew Ash thought so, too. They understood each other. Over the table, Ash gave her a barely perceptible nod. They kept talking. Mary-Lynnette lost track of timeas they sat and argued and brainstormed. Finally she looked up at the clock and realized with a shock that it was near midnight. â€Å"Do wehave to keep thinking?† Mark said pathetically. â€Å"I'm tired.† He was almost lying on the table. So was Jade. I know how you feel, Mary-Lynnette thought. Mybrain is stalled. I feel †¦ extremely stupid. â€Å"Somehow, I don't think we're going to solve the murder tonight,† Kestrel said. Her eyes were closed. She was right. The problem was that MaryLynnette didn't feel like going to bed, either. Shedidn't want to lie down and relax-there was a rest lessness inside her. I want †¦ what do I want? she thought. I want †¦ â€Å"If there weren't a psychopathic goat killer lurkingaround here, I'd go out and look at the stars,† shesaid. Ash said, as if it were the most natural thing inthe world, â€Å"I'll go with you.† Kestrel and Jade looked at their brother in disbelief. Rowan bent her head, not quite hiding a smile. Mary-Lynnette said, â€Å"Um †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Look,† Ash said. â€Å"I don't think the goat killeris lurking out there everyminutelooking for people to skewer. And if anything does happen, I can handle it.† He stopped, looked guilty, then bland. â€Å"I mean we can handle it, because there'll be two of us.† Close but no cigar, buddy, Mary-Lynnette thought. Still, there was a certain basic truth to what he was saying. He was strong and fast, and she had the feeling he knew how to fight dirty. Even if she'd never seen him do it, she thoughtsuddenly. All those times she'd gone after him, shining light in his eyes, kicking him in the shins-and he'd never once tried to retaliate. She didn't think it had even occurred to him. She looked at him and said, â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"Now,† Mark said. â€Å"Look †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"We'll be fine,† Mary-Lynnette told him. â€Å"We won't go far.† Mary-Lynnette drove. She didn't know exactly where she was going, only that she didn't want to go to her hill. Too many weird memories. Despite what she'd told Mark, she found herself taking the car farther and farther. Out to where Hazel Green Creek and Beavercreek almost came together and the land between them was a good imitation of a rain forest. â€Å"Is this the best place to look at – stars?† Ash saiddoubtfully when they got out of the station wagon. â€Å"Well-if you're looking straight up,† MaryLynnette said. She faced eastward and tilted her head far back. â€Å"See the brightest star up there? That's Vega, the queen star of summer.† â€Å"Yeah. She's been higher in the sky every nightthis summer,† Ash said without emphasis. Mary-Lynnette glanced at him. He shrugged. â€Å"When you're out so much at night,you get to recognize the stars,† he said. â€Å"Even if you don't know their names.† Mary-Lynnette looked back up at Vega. She swallowed. â€Å"Can you–can you see something small and bright below her-something ring-shaped?† â€Å"The thing that looks like a ghost doughnut?† Mary-Lynnette smiled, but only with her lips.†That's the Ring Nebula. I can see that with my telescope.† She could feel him looking at her, and she heardhim take a breath as if he were going to say something. But then he let the breath out again and looked back up at the stars. It was the perfect moment for him to mention something about how Vampires See It Better. And if he had, Mary-Lynnette would have turned on him and rejected him with righteous anger. But since hedidn't,she felt a different kind of anger welling up. A spring of contrariness, as if shewere the Mary in the nursery rhyme. What, so you've decided I'm not good enough to be a vampire or something? And what did I really bring you out here for, to the most isolated place I could find? Only for starwatching? I don'tthink so. I don't even know who I am anymore, she remembered with a sort of fatalistic gloom. I have the feeling I'm about to surprise myself. â€Å"Aren't you getting a crick in your neck?† Ashsaid. Mary-Lynnette rolled her head from side to side slightly to limber the muscles. â€Å"Maybe.† â€Å"I could rub it for you?† He made the offer from several feet away. Mary-Lynnette snorted and gave him a look. The moon, a waning crescent, was rising above thecedars to the east. Mary-Lynnette said, â€Å"You want to take a walk?† â€Å"Huh? Sure.† They walked and Mary-Lynnette thought. About how it would be to see the Ring Nebula with herown eyes, or the Veil Nebula without a filter. She could feel a longing for them so strong it was like a cable attached to her chest, pulling her upward. Of course,that was nothing new. She'd felt it lots of times before, and usually she'd ended up buying another book on astronomy, another lens for her telescope. Anything to bring her closer to what she wanted. But now I have a whole new temptation. Something bigger and scarier than I ever imagined. What if I could be-more than I am now? Thesame . person, but with sharper senses? A Mary-Lynnette who couldreally belong to the night? She'd already discovered she wasn't exactly whoshe'd always thought. She was more violent-she'd kicked Ash, hadn't she? Repeatedly. And she'd admired the purity of Kestrel's fierceness. She'd seenthe logic in the kill-or-be-killed philosophy. She'd dreamed about the joy of hunting. What else did it take to be a Night Person? â€Å"There's something I've been wanting to say toyou,† Ash said. â€Å"Hm.†Do I want to encourage him or not? But what Ash said was â€Å"Can we stop fightingnow?† Mary-Lynnette thought and then said seriously, â€Å"Idon't know.† They kept walking. The cedars towered around them like pillars in a giant ruined temple. A dark temple. And underneath, the stillness was so enormous that Mary-Lynnette felt as if she were walkingon the moon. She bent and picked a ghostly wildflower that wasgrowing out of the moss. Death camas. Ash bent and picked up a broken-off yew branch lying at the footof a twisted tree. They didn't look at each other. They walked, with a few feet of space between them. â€Å"You know, somebody told me this would happen,† Ash said, as if carrying on some entirely different conversation they'd been having. â€Å"That you'd come to a hick town and chase agoat killer?† â€Å"That someday I'd care for someone – and itwould hurt.† Mary-Lynnette kept onwalking. She didn't slow or speed up. It was only her heart that was suddenly beating hard-in a mixture of dismay and exhilara tion. Oh, God-whatever was going to happen washappening. â€Å"You're not like anybody I've ever met,† Ash said. â€Å"Well, that feeling is mutual.† Ash stripped some of the papery purple bark offhis yew stick. â€Å"And, you see, it's difficult becausewhat I've always thought about humans-what I wasalways raised to think †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I know what you've always thought,† MaryLynnette said sharply. Thinking,vermin. â€Å"But,† Ash continued doggedly, â€Å"the thing is andI know this is going to sound strange-that I seem to love you sort of desperately.† He pulled more bark off his stick. Mary-Lynnette didn't look at him. She couldn't speak. â€Å"I've done everything I could to get rid of the feeling, but it just won't go. At first I thought if I left Briar Creek, I'd forget it. But now I know that wasinsane. Wherever I go, it's going with me. I can't kill it off. So I have to think of something else.† Mary-Lynnette suddenly felt extremely contrary. â€Å"Sorry,† she said coldly. â€Å"But I'm afraid it's not very flattering to have somebody tell you that they love you against their will, against their reason, and even-â€Å" â€Å"Against their character,† Ash finished for her, bleakly. â€Å"Yeah, I know.† Mary-Lynnette stopped walking. She stared at him.†You havenot readPrideand Prejudice, † she said flatly. â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"Because Jane Austen was a human.† He looked at her inscrutably and said, â€Å"How do you know?† Good point.Scary point. How could she really knowwho in human history had been human? Whatabout Galileo? Newton? T ycho Brahe? â€Å"Well, Jane Austen was a woman,†shesaid, retreating to safer ground. â€Å"And you're a chauvinist pig-,' â€Å"Yes, well, that I can't argue.† Mary-Lynnette started walking again. He followed.†So now can I tell you how, um, ardently I loveand admire you?† Another quote. â€Å"I thought your sisters said youpartiedall the time.† Ash understood. â€Å"I do,† he said defensively. â€Å"Butthe morning after partying you have to stay in bed. And if you're in bed you might as well read something They walked. â€Å"After all, weare soulmates,† Ash said. â€Å"I can't becompletely stupid or I'd be completely wrong for you.† Mary-Lynnette thought about that. And about thefact that Ash sounded almost-humble. Which he had certainly never sounded before. She said, â€Å"Ash †¦I don't know. I mean-weare wrong for each other. We're just basically incompatible. Even if I were avampire, we'd be basically incompatible.† â€Å"Well.† Ash whacked at something with his yew branch. He spoke as if he half expected to be ignored. â€Å"Well, about that †¦ I think I couldpossibly change your mind.† â€Å"About what?† â€Å"Being incompatible. I think we could be sort offairly compatible if . . .† â€Å"If?† Mary-Lynnette said as the silence dragged on.†Well, if you could bring yourself to kiss me.† â€Å"Kissyou?† â€Å"Yeah, I know it's a radical concept. I was pretty sure you wouldn't go for it.† He whacked at another tree. â€Å"Of course humanshave been doing it for thousands of years.† Watching him sideways, Mary-Lynnette said, â€Å"Would you kiss a three-hundred-pound gorilla?† He blinked twice. â€Å"Oh, thank you.†Ã¢â‚¬ I didn't mean you looked like one.†Ã¢â‚¬ Don't tell me, let me guess. I smell like one?†Mary-Lynnette bit her lip on a grim smile. â€Å"I mean you're that much stronger than I am. Would you kissa female gorilla that could crush you with one squeeze`? When you couldn't do anything about it?†He glanced at her sideways. â€Å"Well, you're notexactly in that position, are you?† Mary-Lynnette said, â€Å"Aren't I? It looks to me as ifI'd have to become a vampire just to deal with youon an equal level.† Ash said, â€Å"Here.† Hewasofferingher theyew branch.Mary Lynnette stared at him. â€Å"You want to give me your stick.† â€Å"It's not a stick, it's the way to deal withme onan equal level.† He put one end of the branch againstthe base of his throat, and Mary-Lynnette saw that it was sharp.She reached out to take the other end and found the stick was surprisingly hard and heavy. Ash was looking straight at her. It was too dark to see what color his eyes were, but his expression was unexpectedly sober. â€Å"One good push would do it,† he said. â€Å"First here and then in the heart. You could eliminate the problem of me from your life.† Mary-Lynnette pushed, but gently. He took a step back. And another. She backed him up against a tree, holding the stick to his neck like a sword. â€Å"I actually meant only if you were really serious,†Ash said as he came up short against the cedar's bare trunk. But he didn't make a move to defend himself.†And the truth is that you don't even need a spear like that. A pencil in the right place would do it.† Mary-Lynnette narrowed her eyes at him, swirlingthe yew stick over his body like a fencer getting the range. Then she removed it. She dropped it to the ground. â€Å"You really have changed,† she said. Ash said simply, â€Å"I've changed so much in the lastfew days that I don't even recognize myself in the mirror.† â€Å"And you didn't kill your aunt.†Ã¢â‚¬ You're just now figuring that out?† â€Å"No. But I always wondered just a bit. All right, I'll kiss you.† It was a little awkward, lining up to get the position right. Mary-Lynnette had never kissed a boy before. But once she started she found it was simple. And†¦ now she saw what the electric feeling ofbeing soulmates was for. All the sensations she'd felt when touching his hand, only intensified. And not unpleasant. It was only unpleasant if you were afraidof it. Afterward, Ash pulled away. â€Å"There. Yousee,†he said shakily. Mary-Lynnette took a few deep breaths. â€Å"I supposethat's what it feels like to fall into a black hole.† â€Å"Oh. Sorry.† â€Å"No, I mean-it was interesting.† Singular, shethought. Different from anything she'd ever felt before. And she had the feeling thatshe would be different from now on, that she could never go back andbe the same person she had been. So who am I now? Somebody fierce, I think.Somebody who'd enjoy running through the dark ness, underneath stars bright as miniature suns, and maybe even hunt deer. Somebody who can laugh atdeath the way the sisters do. I'll discover a supernova and I'll hiss when somebody threatens me. I'll be beautiful and scary and dangerous and of course I'll kiss Ash a lot. She was giddy, almost soaring with exhilaration. I've always loved the night, she thought. And I'll finally belong to it completely. â€Å"Mary-Lynnette?† Ash said hesitantly. â€Å"Did you likeit?† She blinked and looked at him. Focused. â€Å"I want you to turn me into a vampire,† she said. It didn't feel like a jellyfish sting this time. It wasquick and almost pleasant like pressure being released. And then Ash's lips were on her neck, and that wasdefinitely pleasant. Warmth radiated from his mouth. Mary-Lynnette found herself stroking the back of his neck and realized that his hair was soft,as nice to touch as cat's fur. And his mind†¦was every color of the spectrum. Crimson and gold, jade and emerald and deep violetblue. A tangled thorn-forest of iridescent colors that changed from second to second. Mary-Lynnette wasdazzled. And half frightened. There was darkness in among those gemlike colors. Things Ash had done in the past †¦ things she could sense he was ashamed of now. But shame didn't change the acts themselves. I know it doesn't-but I'll make up for them, somehow.You'll see; I'll find away†¦. So that's telepathy, Mary-Lynnette thought. She couldfeel Ash as he said the words, feel that hemeant them with desperate earnestness-and feel that there was a lot to make up for. I don't care. I'm going to be a creature of darkness,too. I'll do what's in my nature, with no regrets. When Ash started to lift his head, she tightened her grip, trying to keep him there. â€Å"Please don't tempt me,† Ash said out loud, hisvoice husky, his breath warm on her neck. â€Å"If I take too much, it will make you seriously weak.I mean it, sweetheart.† She let him go. He picked up the yew stick and made a small cut at the base of his throat, tilting his head back like a guy shaving his chin. Mary-Lynnette realized he'd never done this before. With a feeling that was. almost awe, she put her lips to his neck. I'm drinking blood. I'm a hunter already–sort of. Anyway, I'm drinking blood and liking it-maybe because it doesn'ttastelike blood Not like copper and fear. It tastes weird and magic and old as the stars. When Ash gently detached her, she swayed on her feet. â€Å"We'd better go home,† he said. â€Å"Why? I'm okay.† â€Å"You're going to get dizzier-and weaker. And ifwe're going to finish changingyou into a vampire–â€Å" â€Å"if† â€Å"All right,when. But before we do, we need to talk. I need to explain it all to you; we have to figure out the details. Andyouneed to rest.† Mary-Lynnette knew he was right. She wanted to stay here, alone with Ash in the dark cathedral of the forest-but shedidfeel weak. Languid. Apparently it was hard work becoming a creature of darkness. They headed back the way they had come. Mary-Lynnette could feel the change inside herself-it was stronger than when she'd exchanged blood with the three girls. She felt simultaneously weak and hypersensitive. As if every pore were open. The moonlight seemed much brighter. She couldsee colors dearly-the pale green of drooping cedar boughs, the eerie purple of parrot-beak wildflowersgrowing out of the moss. And the forest wasn't silent anymore. She could hear faint uncanny sounds like the soft seething of needles in the wind, and her own footsteps on moist and fungus-ridden twigs. I can even smell better, she thought. This place smells like incense cedar, and decomposing plants,and something really wild-feral, like something from the zoo. And something hot †¦burny †¦ Mechanical. It stung her nostrils. She stopped and looked at Ash in alarm. â€Å"Whatisthat?† 0He'd stopped, too. â€Å"Smells like rubber and oil†¦.† â€Å"Oh, God, thecar, † Mary-Lynnette said. They looked at each other for a moment, then simultane ously turned, breaking into a run. It was the car. White smoke billowed from under the closed hood. Mary-Lynnette started to go closer, but Ash pulled her back to the side of the road.†I just want to open the hood-† â€Å"No. Look. There.† Mary-Lynnette looked-and gasped. Tiny tongues of flame were darting underneath the smoke. licking out of the engine. â€Å"Claudine always said this would happen,† shesaid grimly as Ash pulled her back farther, â€Å"Only I think she meant it would happen with me in it.† â€Å"We're going to have to walk home,† Ash said.†Unless maybe somebody sees the fire†¦.† â€Å"Not a chance,† Mary-Lynnette said. And that'swhat you get for taking a boy out to the most isolated place in Oregon, her inner voice said triumphantly. â€Å"I don't suppose you could turn into a bat or something and fly back,† she suggested. â€Å"Sorry, I flunked shapeshifting. And I wouldn't leave you here alone anyway.† Mary-Lynnette still felt reckless and dangerous and it made her impatient. â€Å"I can take care of myself,† she said. Andthat was when the club came down and Ash pitched forward unconscious.