We Are Blessed to Have Trees & Plants

This poem is written by Ruskin Bond. In this poem the poet shares the thoughts of his grandmother who was of the opinion that the house that has trees around is blessed. For this purpose the poet planted a tree which is six months old and is growing fast. He believes that in six years time the tree would grow and give shade so that his house will also be blessed. I think the world and its inhabitants are blessed to have trees and plants. Trees are important, valuable and necessary to our very existence. It's not too hard to believe that, without trees we humans would not exist on this beautiful planet. In fact, some claim can be made that our mother's and father's ancestors climbed trees – another debate for another site. Still, trees are essential to life as we know it and are the ground troops on an environmental frontline. Our existing forest and the trees we plant work in tandem to make a better world. Below are the reasons why trees are important for us. Trees Produce Oxygen Let's face it; we could not exist as we do if there were no trees. A mature leafy tree produces as much oxygen in a season as 10 people inhale in a year. What many people don't realize is the forest also acts as a giant filter that cleans the air we breathe. Trees Clean the Soil The term phytoremediation is a fancy word for the absorption of dangerous chemicals and other pollutants that have entered the soil. Trees can either store harmful pollutants or actually change the pollutant into less harmful forms. Trees filter sewage and farm chemicals, reduce the effects of animal wastes, clean roadside spills and clean water runoff into streams. Trees Control Noise Pollution Trees muffle urban noise almost as effectively as stone walls. Trees, planted at strategic points in a neighborhood or around your house, can abate major noises from freeways and airports. Trees Slow Storm Water Runoff Flash flooding can be dramatically reduced by a forest or by planting trees. One Colorado blue spruce, either planted or growing wild, can intercept more than 1000 gallons of water annually when fully grown. Underground water-holding aquifers are recharged with this slowing down of water runoff. Trees Are Carbon Sinks To produce its food, a tree absorbs and locks away carbon dioxide in the wood, roots and leaves. Carbon dioxide is a global warming suspect. A forest is a carbon storage area or a â€Å"sink† that can lock up as much carbon as it produces. This locking-up process â€Å"stores† carbon as wood and not as an available â€Å"greenhouse† gas. Trees Clean the Air Trees help cleanse the air by intercepting airborne particles, reducing heat, and absorbing such pollutants as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide. Trees remove this air pollution by lowering air temperature, through respiration, and by retaining particulates. Trees Shade and Cool Shade resulting in cooling is what a tree is best known for. Shade from trees reduces the need for air conditioning in summer. In winter, trees break the force of winter winds, lowering heating costs. Studies have shown that parts of cities without cooling shade from trees can literally be â€Å"heat islands† with temperatures as much as 12 degrees Fahrenheit higher than surrounding areas. Trees Act as Windbreaks During windy and cold seasons, trees located on the windward side act as windbreaks. A windbreak can lower home heating bills up to 30% and have a significant effect on reducing snow drifts. A reduction in wind can also reduce the drying effect on soil and vegetation behind the windbreak and help keep precious topsoil in place. Trees Fight Soil Erosion Erosion control has always started with tree and grass planting projects. Tree roots bind the soil and their leaves break the force of wind and rain on soil. Trees fight soil erosion, conserve rainwater and reduce water runoff and sediment deposit after storms.

Succubus on Top CHAPTER 17

â€Å"Should I put up Lorelei Biljan's posters now? Or wait until after E. J. Putnam's gone?† I looked up from the invoices on my desk. I'd just reread the same line of numbers about five times without comprehending any of it, and I was having only a little better luck parsing Tammi's question. I rubbed my eyes. â€Å"Why†¦would we wait?† She shrugged. â€Å"Dunno. Just seems kind of rude to be advertising one author during another one's signing.† My mind moved slowly, probably because only 5 percent of it was actually here at the bookstore. The rest of my brainpower attempted to muddle through the disaster that was my life. â€Å"Um†¦no, it doesn't matter. Put them both up. They're only a week apart, and we want Biljan to get a fair shot at publicity too. Besides, I don't think authors really get worked up over competition like that. They're pretty low-key.† Tammi ran a hand through her short red hair. â€Å"I don't know. They're famous and artistic. Seems like that's a bad combination. Temperamental and stuff. Not all writers can be like Seth. In fact, I bet when he gets angry enough about something, he could really let someone have it.† â€Å"Anything else?† I asked, a sharp note of dismissal in my voice. â€Å"Otherwise, just put up all the posters, okay?† She gave me a startled look and left the office. When the door closed, I put my head down on the desk and groaned. Tammi, in her blissful adolescent na §?te, had no idea how close to home she had hit. Like her, I too believed Seth could display a lot of anger if given enough cause. Like, say, his girlfriend cheating on him. True, Bastien had been right in saying Seth and I had loose definitions of â€Å"cheating,† but even I knew what did and did not qualify. There was no gray area here. No mutability. I had fucked up hard-core. I'd known it too, lying there in that unholy union with Bastien. After my sleepless night, I'd left him around dawn and took a cab back to Queen Anne, my body still aching. I hadn't wanted to talk to him. He'd slept so heavily, he hadn't heard me leave. No guilt weighed him down. But me? My cup of guilt was runnething over. Not only that, I still had to make the next decision in this mess: to tell or not to tell? That was what had really bothered me all day at work. The past was over; I could only worry about it for so long. My attention now focused on how to proceed with the future. Fortunately, Seth had worked from home today, which helped a little. He and I eventually had plans to meet up in the evening, but until that happened, I still had time to come up with something. Anything. Yet when I walked home at the end of my shift, I was no closer to an answer than I had been at the beginning of the day. Miserable, I pulled up a chair at my kitchen table and sat down with pen and paper. Aubrey jumped up on the table's flat surface and lay down to watch me, half of her sprawling on the page. I slid her off and made the following list: DONT TELL SETH Pros: status quo resumes, he won't be upset Cons: my own gnawing guilt, totally blowing the honesty thing I considered the list for a moment, surprised that neither the pro nor con side had more items. It was just that simple. Moving farther down the paper, I wrote up the reciprocal list. TELL SETH Pros: right thing to do Cons: admitting I'm an idiot, painfully emotional blowout, inevitable breakup, a literal eternity of heart-wrenching sorrow and regret I held the pen and looked back and forth between both lists. â€Å"This isn't really clearing things up, Aubrey.† In an effort to relieve my frustration, I hurled the pen somewhere into my living room. She watched it sail off with interest and then darted off to confirm the kill. â€Å"What do you need to tell Seth?† â€Å"Jesus!† I yelled, practically jumping ten feet in the air. Carter had appeared out of nowhere and now stood beside the table, looking casual and laconic. He wore a black T-shirt over a gray thermal shirt and the same jeans I swear he'd had on for the last couple decades. â€Å"Don't do that, okay? Knocking isn't a lost art.† â€Å"Sorry.† He pulled a chair out and straddled it, so his long arms draped lazily over the back. Flipping his stringy blond hair out of the way, he gestured toward my list. â€Å"Didn't mean to interrupt.† â€Å"You're not,† I muttered, crumpling up the paper. I tossed that into the living room too, so Aubrey could have more to hunt. â€Å"Anything you want to talk about?† he offered. I hesitated. Of all the people I knew, only Carter had been a steadfast believer in Seth and me having a serious relationship. He was the only one who hadn't treated it as a joke. In some ways, that might have made him a good confidante, yet it also disqualified him. I could not confess to the one person who had believed in me just how seriously I had messed things up in a weak moment. â€Å"No,† I said brusquely. â€Å"But I assume you have something to talk about.† He eyed me a moment, like he might push me on what I clearly held back, but then he let the matter go. â€Å"I have something for you.† He extended a balled fist. When he opened it, I found a small pouch lying on his palm. I picked it up and stroked the material. I had no idea what it was, but the cloth's smooth texture felt like a flower petal. I started to open it. â€Å"Don't,† he warned. His commanding tone instantly made me stop. â€Å"You'll break the spell.† â€Å"What spell?† â€Å"The one that masks what's inside the pouch. And the one that masks your immortal signature. â€Å" I nodded with understanding. I might not know what to do with my own love life, but immortal conspiracies I could follow. â€Å"To hide me and this from Alec's supplier.† The angel nodded in return. I held up the pouch and waggled it at him. â€Å"So do I get to know what's in there?† â€Å"It's a†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He paused, not from a reluctance to tell me but to search for the right word. â€Å"It's a dart, I guess. Or maybe†¦like, an arrowhead. But that sounds weird. Nah, let's call it a dart. It's only about an inch long. A dart that looks like a small wooden arrowhead.† â€Å"Um. Okay. Got it. And what do I do with this darting arrowhead thing?† â€Å"You pierce the other immortal's heart with it.† â€Å"Whoa. Like†¦staking a vampire?† â€Å"Uh, not entirely. You'll sort of have to see when the time comes. The key is to move fast. As soon as you open the pouch, he'll know what you are and what's in there. You don't want to give him time to react because it won't be pretty if he does. Act fast, and don't second-guess yourself.† â€Å"How is a small piece of wood going to solve all our problems?† â€Å"It's special wood,† he replied with a grin. â€Å"Oh, yeah, that explains everything.† â€Å"Are you close to meeting him?† â€Å"Terribly close, actually. I probably could have met him yesterday if I'd wanted. Alec was very keen on introducing us.† Carter frowned, turning this over in his mind. â€Å"Hmm. Odd.† â€Å"Should I be worried?† â€Å"No more worried than you already should be at the thought of attacking an immortal.† â€Å"But I'll be fine if I just act fast and don't overthink it, huh?† â€Å"Right. I imagine that's pretty common for you anyway.† â€Å"Anything else I should know?† â€Å"Well†¦let's see. Yeah. One thing. Don't actually do it until there's provocation.† â€Å"What?† I stared. â€Å"Being a bastard who pushes addictive substances that destroy mortals isn't provocation enough?† â€Å"Oddly, no. You have to be threatened in some way.† Annoyed, I tossed the pouch onto the table. This was so typical of Carter and Jerome. A bizarrely complex scheme with ridiculous nuances and loopholes. â€Å"Threatened? How can he threaten me? He can't unless†¦wait, he's not an immortal who could kill me, is he?† â€Å"No, of course not. But he could make things very†¦uncomfortable for you. Anyway, there's a lot of ways to threaten a person. If he hurts you†¦or you feel vulnerable†¦like he could abuse his power over you, then that'll work. He's a stronger immortal than you. Preying on you – especially when you belong to Jerome, so to speak – is a big no-no. You would be justified in protecting yourself. But, if you attack wantonly, you'll get in trouble from the powers that be for targeting other immortals. You'll also get us in trouble for arming you.† â€Å"This sounds kind of like entrapment.† â€Å"That's an ugly word. Let's just keep it in terms of self-defense.† â€Å"So, you think things are going to get rough enough that I'll actually need self-defense?† He hesitated. â€Å"I don't know. I just don't know.† â€Å"Yeah, but then, if this guy's perfectly nice and just sells me a stash of ambrosia, I can't do anything? We've wasted the trip?† â€Å"Like I said, I don't know. Really. But honestly†¦if they're making it this easy to find him, I have to think something weird is going on. Just be careful, okay?† His face was all seriousness now. â€Å"You're smart. You can pull this off.† â€Å"And I don't suppose, at any point in this, you're going to tell me who this guy actually is?† â€Å"I believe ignorance is bliss.† I threw my hands up, not knowing what else to say. Carter traded a few more jokes with me and then rose to go. Hesitating, he gave me a curious look. â€Å"You sure you don't want to talk? You've obviously got something bugging you. â€Å" â€Å"I do. But I've got to deal with it on my own.† â€Å"Fair enough. See ya.† An eyeblink later, the angel disappeared. Seth showed up about an hour later, a little blue paint smudged on his face. â€Å"Terry and Andrea are painting the kitchen now.† I smiled at him, swallowing all the churning emotions within me. â€Å"How can you get so messy when you don't even do the painting?† I found a washcloth and dabbed at his face in a fruitless effort to clean him up. Standing so close, I suddenly had a flashback to last night. His hands stroking my breasts. Feeling him inside of me, filling me up. Our bodies moving together. His lips parting slightly when he came. â€Å"It won't come off,† I said abruptly, jerking away. â€Å"Oh. Okay.† I stayed moody and silent for the rest of the night, stiff and distant at any sort of touching. Seth picked up on the vibe right away and let me have my space. We walked a few blocks down the street to a theater that only showed Oscar nominees and artsy, independent films. We saw one of the latter, and I have to admit, it did take my mind off my love life, if only for two hours. Sitting at an Italian restaurant afterward, I let him draw me into a discussion of the film's merits. It amazed me that my mouth could keep up with the conversation while the rest of me was in an entirely different world. Over and over, I replayed what had happened last night – and not just the sex part. I analyzed everything, the events that had led up to it. Why had I done it? What had made me give in? Had it really been an altruistic attempt to fix Seth and me by removing the temptation? Had it been an aching desire to take comfort in Bastien? Or, most likely, had it been something selfish on my part? A burning desire to touch what I wasn't supposed to have – not because it might help our relationship, but because I just wanted to do it. I had wanted that pleasure. I had craved his body and simply gave in to the hedonism I longed for. I was a creature of hell, after all. I had observed before that we weren't exactly known for our self-control. Yet none of that changed the fact that it had happened. It had happened, and I had to do something about it. Or†¦did I? Seth sat across from me, looking happy and content as we talked. Ignorance really is bliss sometimes. I thought back to the lists. If he never found out, the truth couldn't hurt him. We could go on as we had. The only problem would be that I knew the truth. I had to live with this betrayal, not only of our physical relationship but also of our attempts at honesty and openness. One more entry on the list of dark and nasty secrets I already kept. â€Å"You with me, Thetis?† he asked suddenly. â€Å"Huh?† He gave me a small, sweet smile and moved his hand over to hold mine. I squeezed it back. â€Å"You look like you're miles away. â€Å" I gave him a half-smile in return. Apparently I wasn't as subtle as I thought. I looked at him, studying those beloved features, and shook my head. I couldn't do it. I couldn't tell him. Not yet. â€Å"Just tired,† I lied. We shared a dish of gelato and then returned to my apartment. We had just set up the Scrabble board when I felt immortal signatures approaching. I groaned, not wanting to deal with this. â€Å"Hail, hail, the gang's all here.† Seth looked puzzled until we heard the knock at the door. I opened it, letting in Hugh, Peter, Cody, and Bastien. â€Å"You are alive,† said Peter cheerfully, smothering me in a hug. â€Å"We tried calling you tonight.† â€Å"And I've been trying to get a hold of you all day,† added Bastien pointedly. I was perfectly aware that he had called me many times. I had purposely not answered my phone. â€Å"Sorry,† I said to all of them. â€Å"Hey, Seth,† said Cody, clapping the writer on the back. The vampire and the rest of the immortals spread themselves out around my living room like they lived there. I gave their giggling and careless behavior a withering glance. â€Å"You guys been barhopping?† â€Å"Yup,† said Hugh with pride. â€Å"You – both of you – could have joined us.† â€Å"Fortunately, the night is still young,† declared Bastien. He strolled around the living room, arching an appalled eyebrow at the Scrabble board. â€Å"When you didn't answer, we decided to come issue an invitation in person.† â€Å"We're going to go shoot pool,† explained Cody happily. â€Å"Over at that place in Belltown. You guys should come along.† He gave Seth a conspiratorial grin. â€Å"Georgina's a wicked pool player.† â€Å"Thetis is good at everything,† Seth murmured automatically. I could tell by his body language he wasn't comfortable with a bunch of drunken immortals in the room. I also knew he didn't want to go out. â€Å"Sorry, guys,† I told them. â€Å"We've already been out. We're staying in.† This earned snide remarks and groans of disapproval. â€Å"Oh come on,† begged Hugh, trying to get Aubrey's attention with a cat toy on a string. She didn't fall for it and hissed at him instead. â€Å"We always get better service when you go with us.† â€Å"Besides,† said Bastien nastily. â€Å"It doesn't look you're doing anything else exciting. You should be grateful we came along. We're giving you something. Something you couldn't otherwise get.† I remained calm, but I think the others picked up on the sudden tension in the air. â€Å"Sorry,† I repeated. â€Å"We're staying in. You guys can hang out for a little bit, but then I've got to kick you out. We're doing our own thing. â€Å" â€Å"I wasn't aware you guys did anything at all,† muttered Bastien in a voice only I heard. Maybe the vampires too, with their superhuman hearing. â€Å"You got anything to drink?† asked Peter, gently nudging me toward being a good hostess. I was still locked in a battle of wills and eye contact with the incubus. â€Å"Yeah, I just bought a six-pack of Smirnoff Ice.† â€Å"Oh,† said Cody. â€Å"Score.† He and Hugh raided my refrigerator, passing out bottles of prissy malted beverage to everyone except Seth and me. We abstained. Lounging around, conversation on silly topics soon ensued, although Bastien, Seth, and I did not participate. Seth stayed quiet because he always stayed quiet in such settings. Bastien and I stayed quiet because we were pissed off at each other. I excused myself for the restroom and found Bastien waiting outside the door for me when I finished. â€Å"Alcohol runs right through you, huh?† I asked, pushing past him. He blocked my way, backing me up against the wall. â€Å"What the hell's wrong with you?† he demanded in a low voice. â€Å"Nothing. Let me go.† â€Å"Bullshit. I left you like a hundred messages. You're avoiding me.† â€Å"So? It's my prerogative. Just like that song.† He snorted. â€Å"Let me guess. You're having some sort of melodramatic moral crisis over what happened last night. That's so typical of you lately.† â€Å"Don't talk to me about last night. You shouldn't have done what you did.† â€Å"Is houldn't have? My God, Fleur ,don't act like you're the victim here. Nobody forced you. You more than consented. In fact, I daresay you enjoyed it.† â€Å"It was a mistake.† â€Å"And so avoiding me is going to fix it? Don't delude yourself. It wasn't a mistake. It was good for you. I helped you. I gave you something you would have never gotten otherwise. You'll remember it for the rest of your life.† â€Å"Gee,† I said, dripping sarcasm. â€Å"How kind of you. Because that's really all there was to it, wasn't there? You only did it to help me. Nothing more. You certainly didn't do it just because you could. Because I was ‘beautiful and I was wonderful and you wanted me.' â€Å" â€Å"Listen to me – â€Å" â€Å"No. You listen to me. If I want to avoid you, let me avoid you. Don't show up at my house drunk and try to force your way into a dialogue. It makes you more of an asshole than you'd be otherwise. I don't want to talk to you. Not anytime soon. Maybe not ever.† â€Å"Forever's a long time.† He leaned closer, one hand on my arm. â€Å"Don't you think you're overreacting to one fuck? Besides, you can't cut me off. You've got to help me with Dana.† â€Å"No,† I declared icily. â€Å"I do not. You're on your own with that. And if you get sent to Guam, then it's your own fucking fault. Maybe it'll give you some time to think about your relations with women outside of business.† â€Å"Damn it – â€Å" â€Å"Georgina?† We both turned and saw Seth standing in the hallway. Bastien and I were close – too close – but not romantically close. Anyone with half a brain could tell we were locked in a dispute. Our postures radiated it, as did our expressions. The grip Bastien held on my arm was not friendly. â€Å"Are you okay?† Seth asked carefully. His words came out low and measured, but I saw something unfamiliar in his expression. Not anger, but something else kindling in his eyes. He had told me once he chose his battles carefully, and I wondered then what he would do if he thought the incubus was a real threat to me. â€Å"We're fine,† I said. I broke from Bastien's grasp, and he didn't fight it. â€Å"Yes,† he agreed with a cold smile. â€Å"We're fine.† He walked past me but stopped when he was even with Seth. â€Å"You should be flattered,† Bastien told him. â€Å"Most women invoke God during sex, but Fleur yells your name. One would have thought you were a deity, considering how many times she paid homage to you last night.† He continued on to the living room, and I didn't even stick around to see Seth's reaction. I stormed after Bastien. â€Å"Get out,† I told him. I looked over at the other immortals. â€Å"All of you, get out now.† Peter, Cody, and Hugh stared at me in astonishment. I'd kicked them out a number of times, but none of them had ever heard me use this voice on them. Consequently, they heeded it. They scrambled out the door in under a minute, Bastien shooting me a dark glance as he left. When they were gone, I took a deep breath and turned to Seth. Anger and despair boiled inside of me. â€Å"Let me guess. You want to know what he meant.† His face was unreadable. â€Å"Honestly, I don't know.† He suddenly sounded tired. â€Å"I don't know if I want to.† â€Å"Yeah, well, I'll tell you anyway.† The words tore at me while coming out, but I really didn't want to hold onto the secret anymore. Not only because Bastien had given it away but also because I knew I wasn't going to be able to stand having it fester inside of me. It hurt too much. Talking to the incubus had made me realize that. So while I didn't mention the pictures, I told Seth everything else. Everything. When I finished, he didn't say anything. He stared at some nonexistent spot in the air, face blank once more. After a couple of minutes of aching silence, he finally turned back to me. â€Å"So. How was I?†

Cottle Taylor: Expanding the Oral Care Group in India Essay

In 2009, the director of the oral-care marketing for the India division of Cottle- Taylor, Brinda Patel, thought of the brilliant idea to expand the oral care system in India. At this time 50% of the Indian population was very uninterested in curing their dental problems and did not see the need to obtain dental hygiene like toothbrushes and toothpaste. However, this did not stop Patel. She still believed that her plan would have a 20% increase in toothbrush unit sales. Her plan was to reward regions that met or exceed sales objectives and to reorganize those that underperformed. Patel’s boss gave her two days to revise a marketing plan that came close to 30% unit sales growth. Patel was determined and confident in doing so. In 2009, India was not doing so great as a country. They has about 37% of their population living below the poverty line ($1.25 U.S dollars per day) and about 78% lived in rural towns and villages. Many Indians cleaned their teeth with Neem twigs and didn’t associate with dental healthcare at all. The Indians who live in rural towns were more likely to refrain to these oral care products. A lot of the problem was that there were not dental technicians readily available to the Indian population at all. The dental professionals would move out of India for a higher pay. This caused the problem of not even being aware about the importance of the modern health care. Cottle-Taylor in 2009 needed to bring three different marketing strategies to India to become successful and increase sales in the oral care group: segmentation, targeting and positioning. These were three very important things to consider when making this expansion into India. Segmentation is the act of dividing the ta rget market into subsets of consumers who have the common needs and priorities and then implementing the strategies to target them. This was very important to India’s dental care because 50% of the population was not interested in changing their dental habits at all. With segmentation, Cottle-Taylor’s Company can easily assess which of their products they should market to those who have never used a toothbrush before, those who use them but not as frequently and those  who have been using toothbrushes in the past. The company can also separate it within demographics. They can market the product to those with low incomes, those with middle incomes and products for those with higher incomes. This would help the consumers know what it is that they want and know that there is something that they can also afford. With this marketing strategy, you can get the most profit since more people will buy what they can afford. Targeting is another great marketing strategy that would be very beneficial to Cottle India’s products. Targeting is to strategically place advertising to reach consumers based on demographics, income, behaviors etc. India needs different target audiences based on the type of product that needs to be sold to a specific re gion or people group. If you adapt your products to satisfy the people who are buying them, they would more likely want to buy them. With toothbrushes, if you target them to the population of Indians that are more likely to buy them, or target this new invention to those who never used them, the different targeting ploys will definitely help gain profit. What Patel thought would be most successful was to target more towards those who have never been exposed and those who don’t use them as frequently in India, and then eventually once they see and understand the importance they can upgrade to the battery powered toothbrush. I believe that was the most lucrative plan for the company as well. The people who already are using toothbrushes do not need as much advertising as they have already been a part of the toothbrush selling market. Positioning is the last one and it is the most important. You need to be very strategic in where to place your product to where it would be the most profitable. These strategies are exactly what was a part of Brinda Patel’s plan. She devised three different marketing/advertising plans to help increase the demand of these products. The first was to persuade consumers to brush for the first time. These advertisements would be placed and targeted in the rural regions where they were using the tw ig methods of dental car This type of advertising would be low income, using the 12mm budget for advertising. Secondly she wanted to increase the incidence of brushing. It was shown that the people in India who were brushing their teeth did it very infrequently. This would be more for people who have been exposed in middle incomes. This type of marketing would be used more heavily. The last was to persuade consumers to upgrade to mid-range or  premium products. This would be targeted to people in the urban areas that had more money than those in the rural regions. Brinda Patel’s plan is planned out very well and is very reasonable to succeed if produced correctly. She is thinking more long term, which would benefit the company in the long run. The marketing and advertising will definitely get customers to want to buy and see the importance of the toothbrush and as they become more exposed to the possibilities they will upgrade. As Shown in Exhibit 8, India is slowly but surely working there way to improving dental health care. In 2009, 87% were buying low-end manual brushes, 12.5% were buying mid-range manual and .5% were buying battery-operated. This means that they are increasing to some extent their product usage. Exhibit 9 also shows the percentage income statement from toothbrushes. Cottle India i n 2009 made an 18% profit from their operations. This is definitely raising and increasing drastically. It just depends on how you market the importance of the products that you are selling and targeting them to the right people. Even though they are not making as much money in India as they are in other regions, this start is definitely something that they can work on expanding. Income Statement for 2010: Revenues Net Income $0 Cost of Goods Sold (1000*$1.00)+(50000*2.00)= $101,000 (low income) (middle) Expenses Cost of toothbrush (10000*.50)+(50000*1.00)= 50,500 Advertising 3,000+ 9,000= 12,000 Net Income Before Tax = 38,500 With the plan of Brenda’s using only the low and middle income if they sell the amount of toothbrushes within that one year in India then they would make a massive profits. Selling 1,000 low income toothbrushes and 50,000 of the middle income they would sell 101,000 dollars and adding in the costs of the toothbrushes and advertising they would make 38.5 thousand dollars their first year. Patel is curious to increasing by 3% in ad dollars lead to higher revenues and profitability. I definitely believe so. With the rate of expansion throughout India showing the importance of dental care, and the rate that it is currently rising at, I believe that with a 3% increase, advertisers would still buy this to continue to rise and the expansion of dental health care. In conclusion, this was a very smart deal for Cottle-Taylor Company to market towards the lower incomes. With earning the majority of dental sales in India, this partnership was a great marketing and strategic management move for their company. Because they were the first and most reliable at the country, consumers will keep relying on Cottle to go to for their dental care products. The only thing that the company needs to expand on is the amount of people who are interested in this product. If they get a more steady consumer basis, their profits will rise exponentially.

Human Traffic into the United States Research Proposal

Human Traffic into the United States - Research Proposal Example Background of the Study Human trafficking has been a lucrative trade with an estimated income of over $30 billion per year in the international trade despite the efforts of several human rights bodies and government to stop the trade and other human rights violations. The United States government has been on the frontline to fight human smuggling and trafficking as a crime against humanity and state due to violation of immigration laws. Treaties and conventions against human trafficking and modern slavery have proved fruitless to curb the vice regionally and in internationally, necessitating the need to study and evaluate alternative means of curbing this menace. Criminal justice studies suggest the need for an alternative approach to addressing the various perspectives of international laws on human rights (Kara, 2009) and this needs to be addressed and further studies conducted if the respect of human rights and freedom has to be fully exercised. Problem Statement Despite the effor ts of Non-Governmental Organizations and the United States government efforts to stop human trafficking and smuggling, the exercise has been on the rise and a study to investigate the core factors that necessitate the transfer and smuggling of individuals in to the United States will be paramount. The rise of these activities reflects continued violation of human rights and state’s immigration laws, prospects that have led to a rise in the number of illegal migrants in to the United States majority of whom indulge in criminal activities. Criminal Justice Question: Why has the number of human trafficking incidences been on the rise in United States and what can be done to curb the vice? Research Questions: What accounts for the increase in cases of human trafficking in to the United States? What factors from the victim’s point of view or what promises do the traffickers give the victims that necessitated easy transfer and harboring? What is the major motive of these hum an trafficking activities into the United States, are they socially or economically motivated? What factors have necessitated free and uncontrolled border entry and how do traffickers manage to conduct their businesses unnoticed? What measures has the government and other security arms taken to mitigate these activities within the United States’ territory? What alternative measures have been taken by Non-Governmental Organizations and other lobby groups in addressing the rise considering their initial strategies have somehow proved unfruitful? Hypothesis: There is a relationship between poverty and globalization which has led to weakening of political and social/cultural institutions promoting decay in social and economic norms and mores. Significance of the Study By understanding factors that have led to the increase of human trafficking, the government and immigration departments will take the necessary measures to curb the vice in subsequent years. Unearthing the motives o f trafficking and smuggling will help social and economic institutions to strengthen their policies that promote equal human treatment and those that will enhance human rights and freedom watch. By evaluating the borders activities and/or the relationship of border officers with the traffickers will assist the government and relevant ministries to revise immigration laws and policies to further curb unrestricted entry. As a

Benefits of Developing Solid Government and Contractor Relationships Research Paper - 1

Benefits of Developing Solid Government and Contractor Relationships - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that governments need the help of contractors because governments do not have ample employees to function and also lack the sets of skills required for government operations; the GAO (government accountability office) in the United States of America came up with these findings in a survey in 1991. Now this need to depend on contractors may increase as the government functioning areas are getting wider and so are the skills required in operating those areas, but the number of federal employees possessing such wide range of skills is not increasing; since 1991 to 2004 the OPM (office of personnel management) estimated that the civilian workforce in federal government has decreased by 13 percent. The business relationship that exists between the government and the contractors provides both with a tendency to grow with mutual interests at the core of the business relationship. But it is crucial for Government employees to understand that the na ture of work they do is sensitive and a certain degree of risk is always there when treating the contractual employees as members of their team and should refrain from partiality or preference. Certain rules and guideline must be ensured between the two parties so that a solid and reliable relationship between the two is created; leading to the mutual success of both. The government personnel falls under the law and regulations of the federal government and the employees of the contractor fall under their contractor's contract. A solid working environment between the contractors and government ensures benefit to both. The business relationship between government and contractors allows for a mutual base for achieving shared goals and objectives when subjected to successful planning, and it is necessary for the employees of both the contractor and government to understand these goals and responsibilities. Shared vision and mission are also termed as Partnering.

Marketing Manager Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Marketing Manager - Essay Example Hiring a competent manager may be a difficult task, especially if you are not equipped with relevant interview questions. It is important to plan the interview because in a new company, the qualities of a marketing manager are very vital. Estimable behavioral qualities may comprise self-direction, motivation, high energy, financial ambition, and persuasive communication. At a beginning, the entrepreneur usually needs someone who is like moldable clay, not somebody who has the traits of a steel rod. They want somebody who will go an extra mile because small industries operate differently from big companies. A marketing manager is charged with the responsibility of making important decisions on behalf of the company (Einhorn, 2010). In this case, the questions for the job interview for the marketing manager aim at assessing their interpersonal communication skills, their analytical skills, marketing approach, and background. Any marketing practitioner is supposed to find out and identify what is trending in the market, the demand of products, their competitors, and prospective customers. They also need to define the product design and observe the development of the product. After developing the product’s pricing strategies, they also need to launch the new product. Finally, marketers need to use various marketing tools to sell the product (Smitt & Albaum, 2004). Open-ended questions are preferred in interviewing a marketing manager. As you ask these open-ended questions, listen not only to the content of a candidates response, but also to the voice and manner behind it. The questions to be asked should be narrowed down to professional experience of the interviewee. Sample questions are; These questions enable the candidate to know why the plan they designed failed and what they can learn from the failure. They are meant to scrutinize the

Fashion Designer Term Project Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Fashion Designer Project - Term Paper Example The paper "Fashion Designer Term Project" discovers such designers as Tommy Hilfiger and Kenneth Cole. Fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger born 1951 is an American citizen. He is also the founder of Tommy Hilfiger Corporation which is a first-class lifestyle brand. At 25, Hilfiger set up a shop called the peoples place in New York City. Tommy Hilfiger is considered great because the designer designs clothes for men, women and children. Furthermore, he designs accessories too. On the other hand, Tommy Hilfiger has a positive and powerful reputation internationally because his designs are classic and trendy at the same time. Due to this, majority of his designs are preferred by the elite class. This has made his designs ironically to be very popular since people admire the high quality of his designs. Tommy Hilfiger’s anesthetic characteristic that I like the most is his use of color. Tommy choice of colors is playful but serious at the same time. This is because most of his labels are all in red, blue and white. The store has some contemporary designs that were inspired by these colors and are on display. Most of the color printing done on the shirts and dresses was inspired by Tommy Hilfiger. In some respect, I assume is a representation of his country that he is so proud of, but I think it is a statement decision. The color red is bold, sexy and passionate; a statement which I think Tommy wants the client to feel when purchasing the clothes. The color blue is cool, calm and assuring a feeling.

Behaviorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Behaviorism - Essay Example Alteration of the environment would thus aid in influencing feelings, thought and behavior (Jay Moore, 2013). Behaviorism survived as the core theoretical basis of education and training in the United States due to immediate need for results and performance. Industrial development in this error required employees who could be specialized in performance of a duty without necessarily knowing the intellectual concepts of the duty. Behaviorism theory thus helped in the provision of workers who would perform specific tasks due to conditioning leading to high productivity, thus carving a space as one of the best learning theories during the era. Nevertheless, with the development of technology, learners must acquire intellectual skills for performance of tasks thus rendering behaviorism obsolete (J. Moore, 2011). Positivity philosophy holds that there could be scientific discovery and construction of knowledge. According to this theory, everyone regardless of the topic of pursuit can discover the truth about the world. Positivity philosophy attempts to predict, confirm and investigate patterns of behavior. In relation to behaviorism theory, Positivity philosophy holds that different individuals have a different pace of recognition and identification of scientific patterns of nature. The difference in duration for the discovery of the truth is equally influenced by the environment with which an individual is exposed (Williamson, 2008). In a move that can be intellectually interpreted as support for Positivity philosophy, behaviorism holds that the environment influences the learning process. Through conditioning of an individual to particular environmental factors, the individual learns to understand the environment in a closer aspect that would lead to the discovery of the truth about the surrounding. Discovery of environmental uniqueness would thus form the basis of the

Why does the United States have an inconsistent policy in the middle Essay

Why does the United States have an inconsistent policy in the middle east - Essay Example (1). Since independence in 1776, the United States of America has followed a policy in the Middle East that is marked by its independence from its colonial master in the form of the British, and the other European allied powers, like France. However, it is the American policy in the Middle East that is crucial to the region, because of the strong influence it has in the region, though it has been a late entrant to the happenings in the Middle East. There is strong criticism that the inconsistent policies followed by the Americans, marked by self-interest have had a strong influence on the poor state of affairs in the Middle East. (2) United States Policy in the Middle East since 1776 and its Reasons American policy in the Middle East has been more at loggerheads with the earlier influential colonial powers till around the formation of Israel. The growing economic might of America meant that it would have a strong influence on the course and consequences of the First and Second World Wars. Yet, even though the Americans went to war in Europe in favor of its allies, the then President of USA Woodrow Wilson refused to declare war against their enemy Turkey, despite the genocide that was occurring in Armenia, due to Turkish actions. (3). The Suez Crisis of 1956 is another marked example of the US differing with its European NATO allies on the Middle East. Britain and France believed that Nasser was inimical to the interests of the Western world. While America agreed with this evaluation, it was against any use of force against Nasser to prevent opening the door to the Soviets. America worked against British and French action. (4). America has thus demonstrated its desire for influence in the Middle East, even to the extent of upsetting its European NATO allies. This desire is a reflection of the self-interest that America has in the region. (2). The allurement for the Middle East for America is based on its national interests including control of a region with abun dance of oil. Yet, America has used diplomatic, economic or military power towards this end. In other words, economic appeasements and use of the military might have been the main weapons used by America to appease its national interests in the Middle East. This has led to the charge of inconsistencies in American policy in the Middle East. America has used economic and diplomatic means to draw to it national leaders with whom it believes it can deal with from strength and acted to use economic and military might to overthrow or marginalize national leaders that it does not like. Such inconsistent policy stems from its belief in its moral superiority that came with the â€Å"Pilgrims at Plymouth† and its attraction to an exotic Middle East that it sees as â€Å"the mysterious, menacing Orient†. (1). Israel in the Middle-east has been a fixture in American policy in the Middle East and the reason for its inconsistent policies in the Middle East that runs against its gra in of liberty and justice. The strong pro-Israeli has both political and religious basis. The political basis is reflected in the words of President during the formation of Israel and the strong American backing â€Å"I have to answer to hundreds of thousands who are anxious for the success of Zionism.† (1). This can be construed to mean that at there are many more Jews in America than Muslims from the Middle East. The religious entanglement in American policy in the Middle East comes from missionary zeal in attempting to change the Middle East to mirror its liberal and Christian values, such that the land that it is attracted to changes in its eyes for the better. (1). The political and religious basis of American policy i

Ideas and Values Shape Who You Become in Society Essay Example for Free

Ideas and Values Shape Who You Become in Society Essay Most people strive to have a good social standing and the ideas and values they hold on to can often influence their place in society. Society dictates which ideas and values will be accepted and which will be rejected. The values that stick with us the most are usually taught to us as children and help to influence who we become. In Girl and Good People, the characters were raised to have religious values and to behave in a way that will make it easy for them to fit into their society. The main characters in these stories had their values imposed on them at a young age, and helped to shape who theyve become and how they behave in society. Read more: Good people by David Foster Wallace  essay Religion is a cornerstone for the characters in both stories. They are taught what is acceptable in their religion, in this case Christianity, and realize certain actions could alienate them from their social groups. In Girl, the girl is given specific instructions on how to behave, including dont sing benna in Sunday school (Kincaid, 120). She is taught that singing folk music on the Lords day is improper, and even though she doesnt sing benna on Sundays at all and never in Sunday school (120), she is explicitly told a few times not to do it. There, it is important for her to be on her best behavior. On Sundays she is shown she must try to walk like a lady and not the slut you are so bent on becoming (120) because how she is perceived on Sundays can be detrimental to her public image. In Good People Lane A. Dean Jr and his girlfriend Sheris values weigh heavily on their thoughts as they consider their options when making a momentous decision. The two are very religious and theyd prayed on it and talked it through from every different angle (Wallace, 152). They are worried about how their society will perceive them and if they are still good people if they go through with having an abortion and never really mention the word in conversation. Even  on the phone they speak in a kind of half code in case anybody accidentally picked up the extension (153). Neither of them goes to a friend or even religious leaders to talk about their situation, not Pastor Steve or the prayer partners at campus ministries, not his UPS friends or the spiritual counselling available through his parents old church (152) because they are ashamed. Specifically, Lane feels like he knew now why it was a true sin and not just a leftover rule from past society (152). In Girl and Good People, the main characters religious values have an affect on who they are in society, a good person or someone who gets to touch the bread (Kincaid, 121). Even though Lane Dean and Sheri had made the appointment, they were still uncertain of their decision. Lane knew he couldnt make up his girlfriends mind because he knew if he was the salesman of it and forced it upon her that was awful and wrong (Wallace, 152) and he knows it isnt his place to make a decision for her. However, he wishes he could know what Sheri is thinking and get her to open up and say enough back that he could see her and read her heart and know what to say to get her to go through with it (152). Sheri knows Lane Dean is a good person, and that he respects her enough to know he cannot force her to side with him, but he still wishes he could persuade her to have the abortion. Ultimately, it is Sheris decision to have the abortion, or cancel the appointment. Similarly, included in the long list of instructions in Girl is how to make a good medicine to throw away a child before it even becomes a child (Kincaid, 120), so the girl can decide for herself whether or not to have an abortion. Beside how to make medicine, the girl is taught other gender specific lessons that include cooking, sewing, laundry, and grocery shopping. She needs to learn how to sew in order to hem a dress so to prevent yourself from looking like the slut I know you are so bent on becoming (120) and looking indecent in public. All of these instructions are aimed to make it easier for the girl to find a husband by teaching her how you set a table for dinner with an important guest†¦ how to behave in the presence of men who dont know you very well (120). Understanding of gender roles and how to behave around men, or be a wife, are important lessons for the girl to learn in order to survive in her society. Class affiliation plays a role in the upbringing of the girl. She is instructed to wash the white clothes†¦ and put them on the stone heap(119) and when buying cotton to make yourself a nice blouse, be sure that it doesnt have gum on it(119-120) because it doesnt matter which social class she belongs to, she still needs to have clean, well-made clothes. Sewing is a useful skill for her, because she cannot afford clothes that are already made, or even premade fabric. Harsh words and phrases that are repeated throughout the story such as slut and wharf-rat boy accentuate the point that there is a certain way for her to behave in society and that if she acts like a slut or associates with wharf-rat boys, people will view her as being lower than them. Unlike the girl, Lane A. Dean Jr seems to belong to the upper middle class based on his name, and the fact that he attends junior college while living at home with his parents. He was named after his father, and perhaps this close affiliation with the patriarch of his family makes him apprehensive of confiding in his parents about his situation. He is close with his mother as well, and she thinks Sheri is good people†¦she made this evident in little ways (150). Lane is worried their decision and their sins mean they will no longer be viewed as good people to the people in their upper class society and knows Sheri can neither [have an abortion] today nor carry a child alone and shame her family (155). Trying to fit in to society, whether upper or lower class can be an arduous task with many lessons to learn and roles to play. Knowing your place and where you fit in determines your success. The ideas and values imprinted on youth to build character and deter bad behavior allow them to conform to society. Works Cited Mays, Kelly J. ed. _The Norton Introduction to Literature._ Portable 11th ed. New York: Norton, 2013. Print. Kincaid, Jamaica. Girl. Mays 119. Print. Wallace, David Foster. Good People. Mays 149. Print.

What Factors Influence Uk Voting Behaviour Politics Essay

What Factors Influence Uk Voting Behaviour Politics Essay Voting behavior is the Psychological way of saying how people decide to vote in elections. Although voting is an individual act, it does not take place in isolation. Votes are influenced by a host of factors. These factors can be put in to two main groups. There are sociological factors which is called long-term factors looking at how people vote. Also political factors which is called short-term factors which focuses on the way people vote in general elections. psephologists have discovered various of theories to explain the factors that influence voting behavior in general elections. There are evidence which shows fewer people identify with a stronger party compare to 40 years ago. Elections are becoming more volatile. The 1997 General Election was apolitical Earthquake, which swigged of over 10 percent from Conservative to Labour. Long-term factors Class de-alignment plays a significant importance in voting behavior. Class de-alignment have long been the most significant influence on voting behavior in Britain. Historically, Labour always been a working-class party and Conservative was richer and middle-class party. A weakening relationship between social class and party support has been evident for some years now.   The evidence supporting the class de-alignment thesis may be seen in the fall of the majority voting for their natural class. In their classic study Butler and Stokes (1974) showed that between 1945-1970 Conservative regularly gained four-fifth of middle-class vote and Labour three-fifth of working-class vote. After 1970s these margins fell to Conservative three- fifth and Labour one-half. Less than half of the people voted with their party-class compare to second period. Political scientists such as (Crew 1977) have argued that the link between occupational class and party preference at election times has dimini shed. It is also linked to changes in social class itself. People are now less easily identifiable in class terms. According to Heath (1985) there was no evidence that there had been a fall in working-class loyalty to the Labour party. Rather, the overall decline in the Labour vote reflected a reduction of the size of the working-class as a whole. However, Curtice (1997) rejected Heaths study and claimed that survey indicates that increase in Labours support were fairly evenly spread across the different classes. He stated the rise in Labours support compared with 1992 was more or less the same in each social grade. The differences between the social grades were largely the same in 1997 as in 1992. Rather than being accompanied by the emergence of some long-lost relationship between class and vote, Labours 1997 victory appears to have done little to disturb the relationship between class and vote. Ethnicity is seen as a factor in voting behavior.   This is largely because ethnic minorities account for only 5% of votes.   However, even among the Blacks and Asians in the U.Ks, there is an emerging pattern. The 1997 election demonstrated that 70% of Asians and 86% of Blacks voted for Labour compared to the 25% of Asians and 85% of Blacks who voted for the Conservatives. A reason behind this could be that a large number of ethnic minorities are in low paid jobs which back the reasons to why their needs would suit Labours political policies. With regard to age differences in voting, Labour has done particularly well among voters the age of 30, 28 percent lead over the Conservatives in 1945 and 16 percent lead in 1974. Whereas, Conservatives has done well among the middle age (50-65) leading 18 percent in 1950 and 23 percent in 1974. It has been traditionally argued that women were more likely than men to vote Conservative and less likely than men to vote Labour. Party identification or (partisan alignment) party identification is clearly linked with some of the long-term factors connected with voting behavior. People in particular social class will be aligned to the political party which they identify as being the one which has the interests of their class at heart. In recent decades we have seen clear evidence of partisan de-alignments this means that fewer voters are strongly attached to a political party the emotional bond of loyalty between voter and their party is in decline implying that the electorate is becoming more volatile in its voting behaviour and more likely to adopt a judgemental approach before casting a vote. Short-term factors Issues and values it seems altogether that voters should look at issues and values of the political parties they are voting for. Over the last 15 years political issues has clearly grown.   For example, in 1992 the Conservatives were seen to be the strongest party due to their involvement in defense, taxation, prices and inflation issues, ultimately this shows why they won the election.   However, it is evident that in 1997 Labour maintained the highest success rate because their policies were based on the NHS, unemployment, education, taxation and relations with Europe which resulted in Labour gaining power.   Therefore, the evidence suggest that there is a significant link between party policies and voting behavior. Party leader one thing which will influence voters when it comes to vote is the personality of the person who stands for election. There are two aspects of this, first, the personality of the party leader may count as one of the policy issues on which the consumer-voter bases his/her vote at a general elections. People want their country run by someone who is honest, reliable, clever, eloquent, strong and also good at talking to others. Wilson remained more popular than Heath in 1970, but still lost. Callaghan was preferred to Thatcher as prime minister by the margin of 44 percent to 33 percent in 1979, but it was the Conservatives led by Thatcher that decisively won the election. In 1992 Major was perceived to be better than Kinnock and won, while in 1997 Major was perceived to as worse than Blair and lost. This is the evidence to say that this factor in voting behaviour has grown in recent years with the increased media focus on party leaders and the growth of presidentialism. (Lea ch 2006). Party image an image may in some ways be very close to old-fashioned ideology, repackaged for the modern world. The image will consist of a sense of what the party stand for, or which principle lie behind what it aims to achieve in power. Labour was successful under Tony Blair in putting across a clear image. It became New Labour modern and young. It was sober and sensible in economic terms, but also caring and compassionate on the social front. In 1997 and 2001 Conservatives could not shake off a negative image, old fashioned, faintly bigoted, sleazy and obsessive. In 2005 Conservatives were beginning to change their image partly because Labour was developing some of these traits itself. (Holmes 2008)

Coal Industry: Ethical Analysis

Coal Industry: Ethical Analysis The energy industry is more relevant today than ever before. As modern technology thrives, so does energy. It has become a necessity used in many areas of life such as agriculture, transportation, waste collection, information technology and communications. All of which are critical components for most functional societies. The industry is made up of many different entities, which include the petroleum industry, gas industry, electrical power industry, coal industry, nuclear power industry, renewable energy industry, and the traditional energy industry. The oil and gas industry account for most of the market, supplying 60% of total demand. Then there is the coal industry coming in second, accounting for 20% of the industries market share. These industries face continuous debate regarding their production and sales, especially here in the United States. The United States is one of the worlds biggest consumers of energy and the energy industry is the third largest industry within our c ountry (U.S Energy Industry). This has generated a lot of publicity for the industry, due to the increased use and demand for energy as a whole. And since there is more and more emphasis placed on the environment, the media has highlighted the negative aspects that surround the business. In this section we are going to take a closer look at the coal industry, investigating some of the ethical issues facing coal. Ethical Issues Facing Coal Industry Throughout history coal has been a very abundant and essential resource, especially for us in the United States. We most commonly use it for producing our electricity and heat. Today coal generates more than half of our electricity, with there being nearly 600 coal-fueled power plants nationwide. The industry also creates over 550,000 jobs in our country (Take Action). So we should not neglect the fact that coal is a major contributor to our society and almost everyone benefits from its use. But unlike most other industries, coal faces a multitude of ethical issues. These issues can be broken down into three categories, environmental, social, and ethical (sustainability). Coal creates a lot of problems for the environment. The main one has to do with air pollution (carbon emissions). When burned coal emits high levels of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, which is the main greenhouse gas that causes global warming. It also emits other pollutants to the air when burned which include mercury, selenium, and arsenic. As far as waste management goes, coal creates a lot of solid waste product such as fly ash, bottom ash, and flue-gas desulfurization sludge. This waste contains mercury, uranium, thorium, arsenic, and other metals that are all harmful for the environment. Coal also pollutes the water. This occurs mostly during the various extraction processes. The process that gets the most exposure, especially around the Appalachian region, is a form of surface mining called mountaintop removal. This process involves extracting entire coal seams from a mountain, hill, or ridge by removing the land or overburden above the seam (which pollutes the water and dep letes woodland resources). These are just a few examples of the negative environmental impacts of coal (Environmental Impacts of Coal). There are also many social challenges facing the coal industry, but we are just going to focus on the negative health effects and employee safety. Coal can cause a lot of health problems. These problems include respiratory issues (bronchitis, asthma attacks, etc.), black lung, congestive heart failure, and some forms of cancer. Mostly people acquire these sicknesses through the extraction, preparation, combustion, waste storage, and transport of coal, but the general public can also be affected. Employee safety is another social concern that surrounds the coal industry. This type of industry involves the use of heavy equipment, which creates several safety hazards. Fire, explosion, the release of gas and structural failure are some of the other safety risks associated with coal (Fears). Overall, this is a very dangerous job requiring workers to always be alert and aware of their work environment at all times. Finally lets discuss sustainability. There are recent figures that show the coal industry is in decline. This is the result of new government regulations and rules, which are trying to decrease carbon emissions. This creates long-term problems for the coal industry, because recent trends show that society wants to do anything they can to preserve the environment and find a cleaner energy source. Another reason for the decline is the recent influx of cheap natural gas to the United States (Plumer). All in all, the future looks pretty grim for the coal industry. Pressures Facing Coal Industry Energy companies such as the coal industry have created problems such as pollution, global warming, nuclear wastes, oil spillages, etc. Because these problems affect the environment, the public has started to pay attention. Environmental interest groups and government regulations are responsible for bringing pressure to corporations in the energy industry. Because the results of burning coal can damage the environment, many environmentalists and activist organizations have brought pressure to the industry. Groups such as Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, and the Natural Resources Defense Council are some of the more popular environmental activist organizations (Sills). These organizations may pose a threat to the coal industry because they push the use of renewable energy and participate in strikes, protests, complaints to the government, and online video posts to gain public attention against companies in the energy industry that may be a threat to the environment (Tesh). Many of these activist groups have over 1 million members and can potentially create a lot of pressure on the energy industry in the future (Tesh). The environmental group that causes the biggest threat to the coal industry is the Greenpeace group, as they are the largest independent direct-action environmental organization in the world (Greenpeace.org). The primary goals of Greenpeace are to: shut down dirty industries, advocate laws to curb global warming, create a path towards cleaner energy, and publically expose those companies that support the use of dirty energy. Greenpeace has also started an Energy Revolution which includes a blueprint for protecting the environment through investing in renewable energy. Part of the Energy Revolution includes the Quit Coal Campaign which fights to eliminate the use of coal because coal fired power plants are the biggest source of man-made CO2 emissions, making the use of coal energy the greatest threat facing our climate. Over the past couple years, campaigns by the Greenpeace group have resulted in victories of shutting down coal plants around the world (Greenpeace.org). Activist groups against the coal industry can even be found on the Virginia Tech campus. Greenpeace at Virginia Tech and VT Beyond Coal are two major groups on campus that are fighting for a better environment. According to the website of VT Beyond Coal, the campus power plant burns 46,000 tons of coal (VT Beyond Coal). VT Beyond Coal has started a petition that is committed to transitioning VTs coal plant to 100% clean, renewable energy by 2020. This petition to Invent a clean future is part of a movement to bring clean energy to over 60 universities in the United States (VT Beyond Coal). Along with pressures from activist groups, energy and environmental regulations by the United States government are increasing and becoming more complex. According to The Daily Caller magazine of Washington D.C., the Environmental Protection Agency is working with President Obama to tighten regulations on oil, gas, and coal for the next four years (Bastasch). So far, the coal industry has been affected the most by the regulations and has experienced a shutdown of more than 200 coal-fired generators across 25 states. Coal mining companies have also been hurt by these regulations and have seen a loss of 17,000 jobs since May 2012. Also, research from Thomas Pyle, President of the Institute for Energy Research, has determined that energy prices will continue to rise as a result of the environmental policies. Due to the Environmental Protection Agencys oppressive regulations, Pyle also quotes, coal is toast (Bastasch). The pressures from activists groups and the government will push for companies in the coal industry to be more accountable towards societies needs instead of the needs of the shareholders (Tesh). Actions of activists groups may cost companies money and may cause more people to protest against traditional energy sources. Government policies will also be a financial strain to energy companies as they impose fines if regulations are not followed. As a result of these pressures, the coal industry will have to make changes. Corporate Social Responsibility Activities Because there are a number of ethical issues facing the coal industry, companies in this industry have being working at its best to improve the social and environmental impact of their activities. Peabody Energy is known for being the worlds largest private-sector coal company. They are also the global leader for finding alternative clean coal solutions and sustainable mining. It is Peabody Energys mission to be a leading worldwide producer and supplier of sustainable energy solutions that enable economic prosperity and a better quality of life (Peabody).As their corporate responsibility, they have been addressing issues in employee, economic, public, and environmental responsibility. Peabodys Safety Vision is to prevent zero incidents, occupational illnesses, and property damage. Safety improvements remain a priority to Peabody Energy in all of their global coal plants. They have been making efforts to increase a safe workplace environment by using surveys and assessments to gain feedback from its employees. In 2011, Peabody completed the installation of underground communication systems so that miners underground are able to better communicate problems that may arise so that rescue teams are notified to assist workers right away. Peabody has also introduced Safety a Way of Life, which is their training program for employees to transition into the companys safety systems and processes (Peabody). In addition to employee responsibility, Peabody Energy believes in the importance of preserving the environment. The key principle of their mission is to leave the land in a condition equal to or better than we found it (Peabody). In 2011, Peabody restored more than 5,100 acres of mined lands and has been creating rangeland, wildlife habitat, hardwood forests, and wetland. The company encourages regular monitoring so that they meet or exceed compliance standards. Peabody has spent $290 million on just land restoration alone (Peabody). They have also introduced a three year study of global energy and water use to enhance environmental conditions. Peabody is one of the very few coal companies that is advancing in clean coal technologies and pursuing different practices to maximize energy efficiencies so that they can improve the carbon dioxide intensity. Beginning in 2006, Peabody has partnered with the U.S. Geological Survey to undertake methane content in its mines. Peabody has been focusing on their environmental responsibilities as a company through partnerships with other organizations and participating in projects toward zero greenhouse gas emissions, new clean coal technologies, maintaining energy efficiency and emissions intensity, and shaping effective carbon policy . ArchCoal is another coal mining company known for its corporate social responsibility initiatives. Like Peabody Energy, ArchCoal has been focusing on the same responsibilities in safety and environmental conditions. ArchCoals guiding principle is safety. They promote the Perfect Zero principle of zero injuries and zero environmental violations. Like Peabody, ArchCoal has been finding ways to make their working environment safer for its employees. In 2011, they invested $14 million in a two-way communication and tracking systems for mines to prevent accidents underground. Additionally, ArchCoal has been constantly training its employees for preparedness and preventing possible accidents (ArchCoal). ArchCoal is working on various initiatives to reduce air emissions from coal electricity. They have been investing in technology to find ways of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and carbon dioxide emissions. ArchCoal has recently introduced its waste management program where water, oil, and metal are recycled. Coal companies are more active in their corporate social responsibilities that other companies in different industries. Because the industry itself is so dangerous for both employees and the environment, coal companies have been working hard to provide the right environment and resources for employees. Furthermore, because the environment is detrimentally affected by the activities of coal companies, companies are taking more initiative to focus and take responsibility for their actions. Investment Policy Recommendations Virginia Tech needs to take corporate social responsibility and ethical issues of the coal industry into account when determining its investment decisions. Energy from coal is under a lot of scrutiny in the public eye since it is perceived as dirty and old technology. With the future of energy pointing towards clean technology such as solar and wind energy, Virginia Tech needs to be on the forefront. They need to set themselves as a leading academic institution that is moving away from coal and into clean technology. The slogan for the institution is Invent the Future(www.vt.edu), therefore taking the initiative to be ahead of the curve. When investing the schools endowment funds, it is important to take ethical issues into account but at the same time not take a financial loss. The great thing about not investing in coal but other technology is that they are taking ethical issues into account but are also focusing the funds into an area that is growing at an exponential rate and will lead to financial gains rather than losses. As a public institution there is a constant eye on Virginia Techs every move, whether it be policy with students, academic rankings, but most importantly where their endowment decides to invest their money. With that being said, it is acceptable to take a financial loss because you have to take the public views into account. Virginia Tech is closely related to the coal industry, with a coal power plant on campus and being located in SouthWest Virginia where the surrounding areas are heavy in coal, so it is a tough choice to not invest in coal. Therefore there will be both sides arguing over the investment in coal. You will have the local coal areas feeling as though the University is not looking out for them and then you will have the group that is all for clean technology and that has been trying to get the school to find a new source for power. Though, just because we will not be recommending that Virginia Tech invest in coal it doesnt mean that the power plant has to go immediate ly. We are saying that by investing in other technology, they will be putting money into companies that are developing new technology that Virginia Tech can then go and use to harness their own energy for use on campus and in the surrounding areas in the future. As they focus their investments into cleaner energy and choosing ethical reasons over financial technology, the public eye will change and they will see Virginia Tech as a leader in the future. Investment Recommendations When looking back at the state of Virginias long history it is impossible to forget the impact that fossil fuels have had on the region. Fossil fuels and more specifically coal have been some of the biggest employers and revenue generating industry in the state. 2006, the total value of fossil fuels mined in Virginia was about $2.4 billion. Coal accounted for about 72 percent ($1.7 billion) of this total value, while natural gas accounted for about 28 percent ($660.3 million), and oil less than 1 percent ($1.1 million).(Virginia Tech Department of Mines) In recent years the total amount of coal produced in the country has been a little more than one billion tones still a huge number despite the push for new green energy. In Virginia production has been around thirty to forty million tones, mostly in the southwestern coalfields (VEPT). However coal production has decreased in the state to the low 30s consistently. Our group would suggest Virginia Tech to not invest in fossil fuels and specifically coal mining as coal prices have decreased while the costs for obtaining and operating mines have increased. This is due to a number of factors, one of the most important factors is the trend of coal mining moving westward to states like Wyoming where mining is cheaper and easier due to the geological conditions there. One major problem is that almost all coal mines in the Appalachian area are underground mines in contrast to their western counterparts which tend to be surface mines allowing for easier and cheaper extraction. Virginia also has had a long history of coal mining which has led to the depletion of easily obtainable reservoirs forcing mining firms to look for untapped reserves. It is common knowledge that the use of fossil fuels has negative effects on many aspects of our lives, from health concerns including higher rates of asthma in areas with heavy pollution but also the potentially devastating effects of global warming. These are only a few of the ethical concerns facing an industry as controversial as the coal industry. Specifically coal industry creates many issues for the environments that contain coal mines. Coal mines generate large amounts of solid waste especially when considering that several coal mining companies engage in the practice of mountaintop removal. Mountaintop mining uses explosives to expose the coal seams and transform what would have been underground mining to a form of surface mining. This is a common method of mining in the Appalachian Mountains. Studies have shown that mountaintop mining has had very serious consequences for the environment. One of the biggest impacts of this form of mining is the contamination of local watersh eds. This is caused by placing the undesired materials created by exposing the coal seam in valleys or filler holes which inevitably ends up contaminating streams that eventually flow into the watershed. Exposure to these streams have been shown to lead to hospitalization for a verity of health concerns including; Rates of mortality, lung cancer, as well as chronic heart, lung and kidney disease are also increased.(M.A. Palmer et al. Mountaintop Mining Consequences, Science, 8 January 2010, Vol. 327, p. 148) Instead of investing in more untapped reserves our group would instead look towards more renewable resources to cover our energy needs. The energy produced in Virginia accounts for less than half the total energy consumed in the state leading to the obvious conclusion that the state relies on other sources to provide energy. Based on estimates by The U.S. Energy Information Administration Virginia Energy consumption was estimated to be 2,558 trillion Btu while the energy produced as fossil fuels mined in Virginia was about 28% of total consumption. In Virginia Coal-fired power plants remains the largest chunk of electrical power generation in the state with 45%.

The Alcoholic Father Revealed in the Film, William Faulkner: A Life on Paper :: Faulkner Moses

The Alcoholic Father Revealed in the Film, William Faulkner: A Life on Paper While listening to William Faulkner’s daughter, Jill, attempt to describe her father’s personality, I recognized the desire to defend and protect the memory of a provider who was ultimately unknowable to her. It seemed as if each phrase was tentatively spoken as a way of avoiding being untruthful. Mostly, I recognized the inability to truly know an alcoholic parent. I repeat the word ‘recognize’ intentionally. I lived with an alcoholic until I was ten. My stepfather had two personalities: Nick and Earl. Earl was the soft-spoken, earnest hard worker. He was a log cutter for a company that supplied East Texas timber to the local Georgia-Pacific Paper Mill. Each weekday morning he would arise before everyone else, load and fire-up the small woodstove in the living room so that we would awaken to a warm house. By the time my mother aroused my brother and me at 6 a.m. for school, Earl was already gone to work. We would arrive home from school before he finished working and anticipate his return. We would listen for the sound of Earl’s work truck pulling into the yard and run to meet him on the porch. Earl would crouch to greet us and sometimes swing me into the air playfully. My brother and I would follow him into the house and compete to tell him about our school day, and when Earl found his spot on the couch, we would help him unlace his work boots. He would pay us each a quarter for our deed. We would retreat to the yard to play or to our bedroom to watch television while Earl took his evening bath and ate the dinner plate my mom had put aside for him. â€Å"Nick† usually emerged shortly after dinner. He drank pints of Canadian Whiskey from the bottle with the casual speed of a chain smoker. Nick spoke often†¦in loud slurred sentences. His tone toward my mother became very disrespectful. Nearly every sentence began with â€Å"bitch† and was invariably decorated with multiple usage forms of â€Å"mother fucker.† He was not physically violent and posed no such threat. When my mother would tire of his barrage of accusations and complaints, she would sternly tell him to â€Å"shut up.† He would then stumble into their bedroom, fall across the bed fully dressed, and sink into a stupor punctuated by his snore.

Choosing the Right Application of Multiple Intelligence Theory Essay

Throughout the last fifty years, educators have debated what methods of teaching are most effective. These methods include many extremes, from the more traditional method of teaching, in which teachers lecture, students listen, and are expected to learn, to experiential education, which usually requires students to take a hands on approach to every lesson. Both of these extreme methods have too specific of an approach. A combination of learning styles, or multiple intelligences, is required to teach successfully. The introduction of the multiple intelligence theory has positively benefitted teaching by encouraging educators to stimulate each student’s learning strength everyday; regardless of the traditional teaching methods more commonly used. The multiple intelligence theory was created by Howard Gardner, and has been summarized nicely by McCain and Weiten (2004). â€Å"He suggests the existence of a number of relatively autonomous human intelligences. To build his list of separate intelligences, Gardner reviewed the evidence on cognitive capacities in normal individuals, people suffering from brain damage, and special populations, such as prodigies and idiot savants. He concluded that humans exhibit eight intelligences: logical-mathematical, linguistic, musical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist† (p. 380). Mr. Gardner has made efforts to prove that every student learns his or her own way. He says that, â€Å"Students learn in ways that are identifiably distinctive. The broad spectrum of students, and perhaps the society as a whole, would be better served if disciplines could be presented in a number of ways and learning could be assessed through a variety of means.† (Gardner, 1991, p.... ...sate for their weaker skills, with their stronger ones. Educators debating whether to use the multiple intelligence theory need to consider that â€Å"it involves creating rich experiences in which students with different intelligence profiles can interact with the materials and ideas using their particular combinations of strengths and weaknesses.† (Moran, Kornhaber, & Gardner, 2006, p. 27). The Key School in Indiana believes that all children should have his or her type of intelligence aroused every day (Gardner, 1991, p. 215). Completing a school day knowing that students will have all had a chance to feel like successful learners must be a goal that educators strive to achieve. This is a belief that would allow all learning pieces in a child’s mind to be stimulated, every day. This also builds students into being the most multi-faceted individuals possible.

Human Kind and Extraterrestrial Life Essay

For centuries ever since man has first looked up at the night sky and wondered what other things existed beyond Earth he has continued to explore the heavens in search for answers. Over a few hundred years the quest for truth has yield substantial amounts of data. It is true that ancient astronomers did nothing more than just attribute mythical and religious meaning to different celestial phenomena. Stars have been given their respective names—a group of them are even linked to gods and mythical figures as constellations, and were used as a timetable for various human activities like navigation and agriculture. However, the improvements in modern astronomy have changed the rules of the game from mere nomenclature to a more profound exploration of space and the myriad possibilities that it brings. The quest for knowing other life outside the planet has never been more exciting and providential as it had been before. Slowly we are beginning to realize that the chances that there are advanced life-forms out there waiting to be discovered are significantly high to support the claim that we are not alone. To say that the entire universe is a big place is to make the biggest scientific understatement. Science has revealed that the universe is so big that there are no mathematical figures to approximate its size. In order to define the known borders of space there is a need to express terms in a special unit called a Light: Or the distance that light travels in one year. Recently, the Hubble Space telescope has pegged the perimeter and edges of the universe to a width of millions and millions of light years (O’Brien, â€Å"Long Live Hubble†). Such distance alone beggars description. Within that given space, there are billions of individual galaxies each with roughly 400 million stars in the system on average. There could be less but there could also be a dozen times more. At any rate, there are an estimated millions of stars with planetary systems like our own. Roughly a fraction of a percent of that number may have planets that host organic elements of life both simple and complex. Some of the complex life-forms may evolve into intelligent life capable of developing competent scientific knowledge and even perhaps communicate with their neighbors using advanced radio technology just like we had been doing at the turn of the last century. Planet Earth appears to be the only planet in the Solar System viable for life. Most planets have noxious environments and harsh atmospheres. Our closest planetary neighbors, Mars and Venus, are either too cold or too hot (Sagan, â€Å"Heaven and Hell†, 76-79). The primordial soup which made life on Earth possible will freeze or dry up anywhere else in the Solar System. Indeed, religion waxes poetic that our world is an astounding and thought-provoking miracle of life. However, evolutionary scientists would say that we are just fortunate that the environment, at one point of our planet’s history, has been conducive to the formation of life and the same has not been interrupted by any outside cause (Dawkins 19). Some planets in other stars may theoretically be as lucky to be able to give rise to life, and theoretically intelligent beings too (21). But just like Mars, Venus and other planets in the Solar System, the chances of life are rare. Even with Earth alone, the statistics reflect how fragile the occurrence of life began millions of years ago. Unless there are kinds of biological species that can withstand even extreme environments and thus would continue to develop despite harsh conditions, then Earth life might just all there is in the universe. Thanks to recent discoveries, however, scientists are inclined to believe that a certain kind of bacterium can live in the highest or lowest temperatures, impervious to both heat and cold, makes it possible that life may still develop or artificially introduced in Mars and Venus or elsewhere regardless of hostile environments (Sagan 9). If that is the case, the chances of life may be higher than previously expected. While scientists are busy in attempting to find life out there, the rest of the world is perpetually fascinated with the idea of the existence of extraterrestrial life. Science fiction and Hollywood movies are in the forefront of providing us with hypothetical images and scenarios of aliens visiting our planet. Alien invasion is one of the most titillating themes that fire up our imagination. H. G. Wells’ War of the Worlds and Steven Spielberg’s Independence Day bespeak both our universal desire to feel that we are not alone and the irrational fear that beings more intelligent than us would destroy the planet. The realm of the unknown viz. extraterrestrial life has never been simultaneously awe-inspiring and scary. In addition, fiction writers and film-makers present extraterrestrial beings as creatures that appear, behave and live entirely different from humans. Similarly, if we are to accept the premise that conditions for life in other planets were vastly peculiar, then it is fair to expect that the aliens would probably have tentacles, communicate through ESP, possess superhuman powers, spit venomous saliva, eat through metal or have human like bodies but with pasty white skin and large, black oval eyes. Although they seem to be portrayed differently, the literature on aliens share the common feature that they are antagonistic creatures out to invade and kill all humans Scientists theorize that if other life-forms were capable of making interstellar travel they must have evolved as a species and as a civilization to eschew violence. Otherwise, if such aliens were warmongers as movies and science fiction stories would suggest, then they would have obliterated themselves way before they have developed complex means of space travel. In fact, alien tourists, if there have been some, would have more reasons to fear us than we would have to fear them. Carl Sagan writes that it is more likely â€Å"that the mere fact that they have survived for so long is because they have learned to live with themselves and others† (258). Similarly, he adds that perhaps our fears reflect our own backward thinking as a civilization, â€Å"an expression of our guilty conscience about our past history: The ravages against civilizations only slightly backward than we† (259). In other words, the conquests done by Western civilization against their contemporaries time and again are so imbedded in our history that we expect advanced life-forms to have the same colonizing tendencies. The fascination for extraterrestrial life grows with such gusto that several years after alien hype has reached feverish pitch, numerous sights Unidentified Flying Objects all over the world have been reported. Likewise, people claim to have been abducted and subjected to strange experiments by our curious alien visitors. The encounters are few and far between but each of them fuels our imagination. Thus far, none of the sightings have been confirmed to be true although we desperately believe that one or two are real (Cook, â€Å"UFO’s: the Secret Evidence†). As several critics of alleged alien encounters rightly observes, the relation between alien encounters and weird and wacky people who report them only proves the fact that these reports are a hoax. Meanwhile, humanity has yet to mature as a civilization before we even begin to welcome other intelligent species. Accordingly, science fiction writers posit the theory of the Fermi paradox stating the reason why aliens have not paid us a visit is because they, â€Å"the advanced alien community has cordoned off the earth in a galactic nursery, until the time that we have reached an adequate stage, ready for contact† (Tee, â€Å"Extraterrestrial Life†). Yet scientists and writers remain optimistic about the existence of intelligent life-form. The famous Drake equation translates the possibility of extraterrestrial life into a mathematical formula where N is the number of advanced civilizations in our Milky Way galaxy. It is the product of values assigned with respect to the number of stars in the galaxy, the fraction of which that have planetary systems, a percent of which are suitable for substantial biological formation, the probability that life arises, the variable pertaining to its evolution, intelligence and further multiplied to the reasonable time that intelligent life is able to survive taking into account the possibility of self-eradication due to wars, environmental changes and the like (Ford, â€Å"What is the Drake Equation? †). The value of N could be any number more than one what with the number of stars and galaxies in the universe. Even if the estimate hovers on an insignificant value of 1 or 3, the prospect, that one or more planetary systems have intelligent life and such have survived and evolved into complex societies, is truly astonishing. The statistical computation of the probability that Extraterrestrial beings exist leaves little to the imagination. Scientists are convinced that life exists in other planets that they have established extravagant methods of getting in touch with them. One of the most ambitious projects of making contact to outer beings to date is the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) program. The name of the project sums up what it sets out to do—to search the heavens for signs of intelligent life. It sends radio signals and broadcasts them to specified points in space, such as candidate stars and planets. 50 years of sending the messages, a reply has yet to be received. Of course, this does not disprove the claim of alien life, what with the distance that the radio signals have to travel to and fro the recipient, but rather, this only inspires other scientists to develop quicker and more effective means of communication (Shostak, â€Å"Finding Them, Finding Us†). In addition, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been continuously sending golden discs into outer-space, ever since it sent the first men into the moon, containing details about human civilization and how far it has progressed (Sagan 264-265). To this day, the discs hurl into the infinite void with the hope of one day crash-landing into a planet with beings capable of deciphering the code. We have long been fixated on our earthly problems and conflicts, and took pride with all our achievements, but the moment that contact is made, the event would change how we look at ourselves and how we appreciate our place in the universal magnitude of things. If before we could not care much about how badly we treat our close neighbors in the planet, we might fare better as an intelligent species by the mere thought that we are not alone. As such, we have to find ways to learn how to live peacefully and progress scientifically if only to survive long enough to meet our interstellar neighbors. Nevertheless, the question whether or not there is extraterrestrial life remains to be answered conclusively, whether we are alone or not: Either conclusion is mind-boggling. Works Cited Cook, Nick. UFO’s: The Secret Evidence. 18 Mar. 2006. BBC Online Documentaries. 1 May 2008 . Dawkins, Richard. The Selfish Gene. London: Oxford University Press, 1990. Ford, Steve. â€Å"What is the Drake Equation? † Aug. 1995. The SETI League. 1 May 2008 < http://www. setileague. org/general/drake. htm>. O’Brien, Miles. â€Å"Long Live Hubble†. 31 Oct. 2006. CNN International. 1 May 2008 < http://edition. cnn. com/2006/TECH/space/10/31/hubble. obrien/index. html>. Sagan, Carl. Cosmos. New York: Ballantine Books, 1980. Shostak, Seth. â€Å"Finding Them, Finding Us†. 28 Feb. 2008. SETI Institute. 1 May 2008 . Tee, Brian. â€Å"Extraterrestrial Life†. The Ten Big Questions. 1 May 2008 < http://www. 123infinity. com/extraterrestrial_life. html>.

The Silver Linings Playbook Chapter 33

Letter #4-November 29, 2006 Dear Pat, Tiffany informs me you are sincere, and from what she has told me about your new personality, it seems as though you are a completely transformed man. Whether this is the result of the accident, therapy, medication, or simply sheer willpower, you are to be congratulated, because this is no small feat. First allow me to say I recommended Huck Finn for your reading enjoyment only. I was not trying to send you a hidden message. Based on everything you have written and what Tiffany has told me – maybe you should read The Catcher in the Rye. It's about a young boy named Holden who has a hard time coping with reality. Holden wants to live in a childhood world for the rest of his life, which makes him a very beautiful and interesting character, but one who has trouble finding his place in the real world. At present, it seems as though you are having a hard time dealing with reality. Part of me thrills at the changes you have made, because your letters really do present a better man. But I also worry that this worldview you have developed is fragile, and may be what kept you in the neural health facility for so many years and is keeping you in your parents' basement for so many months. At some point you are going to have to leave the basement, Pat. You are going to have to get a jo b and earn money again, and then you might not be able to be the person you have been for the last few months. Of course I remember Massachusetts. We were so young, and the memory is beautiful. I'll carry it with me forever. But we WERE CHILDREN, Pat. That was more than a decade ago. I'm not the type of woman who would sleep in an economy motel anymore. Maybe you have again become the type of man who would whisk a woman away to Martha's Vineyard. Maybe you are experiencing some sort of second childhood. I don't know. But I do know you will NOT be experiencing a second childhood with me. I am not a child, Pat. I'm a woman who loves her current husband very much. My aim when I agreed to write you was never to allow you a second chance. My goal was not to allow you to reenter my life. I only wanted to give you a chance to say goodbye – to resolve any unresolved issues. I want to be clear about this. Nikki