Dominoz Pizza 7 Ps of Service Marketing Essay Example

Dominoz Pizza 7 Ps of Service Marketing Essay Example Dominoz Pizza 7 Ps of Service Marketing Essay Dominoz Pizza 7 Ps of Service Marketing Essay Place Dominos entered India in 1996 through a franchise agreement with Vam Bhartia Corp. The first outlet was opened in Delhi. With the overwhelming success of the first outlet, the company opened another outlet in Delhi. By 2000, Dominos had a presence in all the major cities and towns in India. By March 2000, Dominos opened 37 outlets all over India. Between April 2000 and February 2001, Dominos set up 64 more outlets in India. Delhi had the maximum number of outlets – 17, followed by Mumbai with 13. Dominos had the largest retail network in the fast food segment in India- with 101 outlets across 40 cities. Dominos had a tie-up with a real estate consultant Richard Ellis to help with locations, conduct feasibility studies, and manage the construction. It was also looking at non-traditional outlets like large corporate offices, railway stations, cinema halls and university campuses. In early 2000, Dominos had opened an outlet at Infosys, Bangalore, which was very successful. Product To capture the market, Domino’s had to localize flavors. Thus, Deluxe Chicken with Mustard Sauce and Sardines were confined to the East, Mutton Ghongura and Chicken Chettinad to the South and Chicken Pudina to Mumbai. Butter chicken, Makhani Paneer and the Chatpata Chana Masala were confined to the North. Price Dominos sold a 12 Pizza for Rs 265. Indians are value-, not price-sensitive. We need to offer comeback value to our customer. The high price was attributed to the high quality of ingredients used. For instance, Dominos sourced its Peperoni and Jalapeno needs from Australia and Spain respectively. However, with competition increasing from Pizza Hut, Dominos introduced price cuts,and discounts to attract the customers. In 1998, Dominos introduced the Pizza Mania scheme where it offered a large pizza for Rs. 29/-. ? Promotion Dominos had a tie-up with Discovery Channel under which the channel advertised its pizzas while Dominos put the channels name on its mailers. Dominos conducted Pizza making classes for school students. In 1998, it offered a clock to all its customers who had bought Rs. 15,000 worth of pizzas throughout the year. Database marketing is an important part of our strategy. The y have a special cell analyzing their database to look for repeat and loyal customers. In August 2000, Dominos launched the Hungry Kya? sequence of advertisements on television. Pizza could be a snack; then again, it could also be a complete meal. The only definitive common link between Dominos Pizzas and eating was the hunger platform. The launch of Hungry Kya? campaign coincided with Dominos tie-up with Mahanagar Telephones Nigam Ltd. (MTNL) for the Hunger Helpline. The helpline enabled the customers to dial a toll-free number (1600-111-123) from any place in India. Process The number automatically hunted out the nearest Dominos outlet from the place where the call was made and connected the customer for placing the order. The number also helped Dominos to add the customers name, address and phone number to its database. For the first 4 years in India, Dominos concentrated on its Delivery act. For its delivery promise to work, Dominos followed a 11-minute schedule: one minute for taking down the order, one minute for Pizza-making, six minutes oven-time, and three minute. If you dont eat pizza fresh, it turns cold and soggy. However, Dominos seemed to have overcome this problem through its delivery pack called Dominos Heatwave for packing, People Domino’z has targeted the people who are preferring home delivery as well as the youth. t has opened its outlet at R-world to attract the movie watchers. As in india pizza is more preffered by the professionals and youth it set up its outlet in some bid corporate campuses and colleges. The people who spend their weekends at malls are also targeted , as one of its outlet is at 10 acre mall ahmedabad. Physical evidence. Domino’s pizza is more home d elivery centric, albeit its having good interior too. the waitors and the delivery boys are there. Its staff consists of 5 to 8 members for different activities ranging from taking order to delivering it.

Vietnam War essays

Vietnam War essays The Vietnam War took place from 1959 to 1975. The war involved the North Vietnamese and the National Liberation Front which came into conflict with the United States forces and the South Vietnamese army. Struggling for their independence from France, Vietnam divided into two countries, North and South Vietnam. Being Vietnam was a Communist government, the United States decided to become involved with Vietnam. The United States believed that if all of the country fell under a Communist government, Communism would spread throughout Southeast Asia and beyond. This belief was known as the Domino Theory. Under this belief, the U.S. government supported the South Vietnamese government which led to the rebellion in the South because of the repressive policies, therefore, the National Liberation Front was formed into an opposition group with close ties to North Vietnam. General Westmoreland, the American commander, had a variety of strategies he had conceived. His first strategy was to deploy the American troops to protect the U.S. air and supply bases along the South Vietnamese coast. He then would send units to block any attempt made by the North Vietnamese and Vietcong to sweep across to the sea and slice the country in two. With their vastly superior mobility and fire power, the American forces launched a series of search-and-destroy operations that would grind down the enemy. The American soldiers went to Vietnam with a lot of weight of American industry behind them. With the exception of the nuclear weapon, nearly every piece of equipment in Americas hands was sooner or later used in Vietnam. The skies were full of fighters, bombers, helicopters, and other airplanes. There were high-altitude B-52s referred to as Puff the Magic Dragon, a converted DC-3 transport outfitted with rapid fire machine guns able to pump out eighteen thousand rounds per minute. Being so cluttered in a...

Property Management and Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Property Management and Law - Essay Example Some types of properties that may need property management are; houses, condos, duplexes, town homes, apartments, shopping centers, malls, offices buildings, airports and public transportation buildings, hospitals and many more. Property management is very similar to the role of management in any business. In this coursework the writer will analyze the complaints and problems presented to the property manager of Megadosh Management by their client. To be able to do so we need to define important terms such as landlord, tenant and rent. The writer also presented the roles and rights of each person involve in the business. Property management agreement depends on the service needed by the client. The payment of their service is also mentioned. Upon understanding the role of property management the writer will now present the responses on the letter sent to the property manager. Discussion of each letter and identifying the problem is needed to Landlord - as defined in www.lectlaw.com, is an owner of real property who leases (rents) that property to a tenant under a lease agreement. He is bound to perform certain duties and is entitled to certain rights. To secure to the tenant the quiet enjoyment of the premises leased; but a tenant for years has no remedy against his landlord, if he be ousted by one who has no title, in that case the law leaves him to his remedy against the wrong doer. But the implied covenant for quiet enjoyment may be qualified and enlarged or narrowed according to the particular agreement of the parties and a general covenant for quiet enjoyment does not extend to wrongful evictions or disturbances by a stranger The landlord is bound by his express covenant to repair the premises, but unless he binds himself by express covenant the tenant cannot compel him to repair. His rights are: (www.lectlaw.com) To receive the rent agreed upon and to enforce all the express covenants into which the tenant may have entered To require the lessee to treat the premises demised in such manner that no injury be done to the inheritance and prevent waste To have the possession of the premises after the expiration of the lease. Tenant - as defined in Thesaurus as the one who pays the rent to use or occupy land, a building, or other property owned by another. In law, the one who holds or possesses lands, tenements, or sometimes personal property by any kind of title. (www.landlordzone.co.uk). Tenant's Legal Right and Obligations Commercial Obligation It is the obligation of the tenant to pay the exact amount for rent. It is the obligation of the tenant to pay the rent on time. Commercial Right It is the right of the tenant to have a comfortable property. Residential Right Know the terms of the tenancy. Know the name and address of the landlord (normally included in the agreement) Accommodation which is in a good tenantable state of repair - free from defects. Reasonably quick and effective repairs if you report defects. Safe accommodation, all electrical, gas and other systems and appliances meeting modern safety standards and are subject to regular

Family Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Family - Essay Example As an institution for socialization, a family provides the necessary knowledge to the growing individuals in the family to help them to understand their social and physical environments. Other roles of the family are to provide security to the individuals as well as to ensure that they provide the needs of each of its member to enhance their life (Brownfield, 2010). One of the conceptual frameworks for the family assessment is the Neuman’s systems model, which is used as a guide to assessment and intervention of a dysfunctional family and help in streamlining the conditions that are failing in a society and that need attention for proper functioning of the whole unit. This helps to implement a therapy that is focused on all the family members to ensure that the intervention program is successful in the society in curbing an issue that arises at the family level. This model incorporates all the members of the family in the implementation in order to ensure that it achieves the best results in the society to address an occurrence that can be perceived harmful the people (Parker & Smith, 2010). In the society, there are usually community-based services that are aimed at promoting the health of individuals in that particular society and ensure smooth running of the society. Some of these services serve the community by preventing disease and injuries, improving the health status of the society and also they enhance the quality of life of people (Gregitis et al, 2010). These services include such like coordinated school health program which facilitate health for different members of the school as well as the child and adolescent mental health program that help to address issues of children and youth mental health stability (Baggett et al 2010), In US, the Child and adolescent mental health is a popular community-based program that runs in the society and which has helped

HR as a Strategic partner Essay Example for Free

HR as a Strategic partner Essay Human Resources – the one department that is the most important to a company’s bottom-line is also one that is treated with the least respect across all industries. The general consensus is that the HR Department and the rest of the organization are Strange Bedfellows, when in fact they are Strategic Partners who should blend seamlessly to achieve organizational objectives. But what we see is a single-minded dislike for the HR department by most employees of the organization. The reason for this sorry state of affairs can be traced to several widespread myths regarding the function among employees. Two of the most important ones are as follows: Myth No. 1 – Employees feel that â€Å"The HR function is responsible for making employees happy. They should take care of everything, from providing employees good food to ensuring that the AC’s temperature is just right†. When in reality, an HR manager’s job is not to make employees content; it is to make them competent. In simpler words, HR Managers will not provide you a beanbag at work to recline on, but they will strive to increase your competencies that would hold you in good stead for the rest of your life. And that is all that matters in today’s professional and highly competitive world. Myth No. 2 – â€Å"The HR department comprises of a bunch of people who sit around in their ivory tower and make rules according to their whims and fancies†. While actually, HR as a function not only belongs to HR Managers, but to all managers across the organization. Translated, it means that the HR function is highly inclusive and works in tandem with all departments of the company. The criticality of the HR function can be understood by asking a simple question – What is it that makes any organization a success or a failure? Planning, Strategic decisions, Productivity, Sales figures, etc. , are a few things that instantly come to mind. What we forget to acknowledge is the fact that all these factors are a result of the efforts of the â€Å"people† of the organization. And who ensures that the right kinds of people are positioned in the right jobs in the company? The answer to that one is quite obvious. The HR department performs an array of complex activities – From Manpower Planning to Recruitment, Performance Management to Compensation and Benefits, Training and Development to Career Advancement; all of which aim at Organizational as well as individual employee development. And yet they are accused of being a ‘necessary evil’ and a ‘dark bureaucratic force’ by many. The HR function is Necessary, Yes; is it an evil? No! It is a Force, yes; but Dark and Bureaucratic? No and No! So why is HR misunderstood and mistrusted by so many, especially when the function is a benign one? Honestly, the blame lies partly with the HR managers as well for letting things get out of hand. Somewhere in the trade-off between the various roles that they are expected to play, HRs in general have started placing more importance on the roles of the ‘Admin Expert’ ‘Strategic Partner’ and have foregone the roles of the ‘Change Agent’ and ‘Employee Champion’. While they are performing the former two flawlessly, the latter roles are of great importance as well. And this negligence has resulted in widespread manifestation of disregard for the function. And unless we strike a balance between these paradoxical roles, redefining HR as an EmployeeFriendly function would be an uphill task. That said, let’s take a look what other options we have, as future HR personnel to dispel the feeling of general animosity towards the function? The answer quite simply lies in the basics. As with any other relationship, proper communication is the key to mend damages in professional relationships too. The HR person is every employee’s first point of contact before/ immediately after joining an organization. Right from the induction programs, it is the HR who facilitates the transition of a person from an outsider to a member of the organization. And we need to leverage this power for all its worth right from the word go! We need to establish proper communication channels right from the time of entry of the employee into the organization and ensure that this process of communication is a perpetual process and not an intermittent one. Next of course are the all-encompassing and highly coveted employee engagement programs. Ensuring that the HR department is projected not merely as a facilitator but also as the interface that conducts such engagement activities would ensure that employees have a change in perspective regarding HRs in general. Instead of going about this the tried and tested way, HRs can get creative and use several innovative means to achieve this. From videos depicting ‘a day in the life of an HR’ to shadowing programs (which would give employees a real-time feel of the trials and tribulations of an HR person) the possibilities are endless. And most importantly, as stressed upon earlier in this article, HR is not just about performance appraisals and pay cuts. The function is the backbone of any organization, performing an array of critical activities. HR managers need to convince the employees that they are in fact their allies and not their detractors. The new age HR managers need to remember that each action of theirs reflects on the image of the function as a whole. A slight change in our attitudes would go a long way in changing employee perceptions about our function. We as a team honestly believe that it is not a question of ‘If’ this change would happen; rather it is a question of ‘When’ it would happen. And when this happens, the HR function would assume its rightful position of importance in the Organizational structure.

Jean Jacques Audubon :: Expository Essays

Jean Jacques Audubon Realizing that the natural environment requires protection from the wiles of the human race, individuals have organized societies that work to support the protection of species around the globe. I have always loved and supported those that support the environment. So, when I would hear of the National Audubon Society, I instinctively pictured Audubon as a wildlife conservationist and someone I liked very much. I heard about Jean Jacques Audubon before, and at least I thought I knew him very well. But my perception of Audubon always stemmed from his association to the society named after him, not from the writings of the man himself. Needless to say, I liked him very much when I knew less about him. Or so I thought†¦ Never have my feelings toward an individual fluctuated as much as they have in the past two weeks. Upon reading excerpts from Audubon’s journals, I could not help but dislike certain aspects of the individual. How could any society uphold the name of a man who would shoot birds by the dozen and stick wire through them to paint them? Artists are supposed to appreciate the natural world, not destroy it. At the same time, how could he depict reality, if his specimens were manipulated into specific positions, positions that met the painter’s eye and not reality at all? These thoughts and many more spiraled through my mind as my stomach squirmed in indignation of Audubon’s atrocities. I was livid at the fact that the plentitude of living species he described are no longer plentiful today. I could not believe that a naturalist was among the first to contribute to the decline of the species of my home state. Even the name of his pilot, Egan, sent chills through me wh en Audubon wrote that Egan was the ‘professional hunter of Sea Cows or Manatees for the Havana market’. I could not believe my eyes and cringed at the idea of reading any more about the famous Audubon expedition. In my mind, Audubon registered, not as a painter, but as a hunter, who was hell-bent on getting his studies done in time to meet the expectation of his American and European patrons. Dollar signs, not the sun, glittered in his eyes. I found myself rooting for one hundred and seventy-two year old birds, hoping that they would hear me and fly away before Audubon arrived. Jean Jacques Audubon :: Expository Essays Jean Jacques Audubon Realizing that the natural environment requires protection from the wiles of the human race, individuals have organized societies that work to support the protection of species around the globe. I have always loved and supported those that support the environment. So, when I would hear of the National Audubon Society, I instinctively pictured Audubon as a wildlife conservationist and someone I liked very much. I heard about Jean Jacques Audubon before, and at least I thought I knew him very well. But my perception of Audubon always stemmed from his association to the society named after him, not from the writings of the man himself. Needless to say, I liked him very much when I knew less about him. Or so I thought†¦ Never have my feelings toward an individual fluctuated as much as they have in the past two weeks. Upon reading excerpts from Audubon’s journals, I could not help but dislike certain aspects of the individual. How could any society uphold the name of a man who would shoot birds by the dozen and stick wire through them to paint them? Artists are supposed to appreciate the natural world, not destroy it. At the same time, how could he depict reality, if his specimens were manipulated into specific positions, positions that met the painter’s eye and not reality at all? These thoughts and many more spiraled through my mind as my stomach squirmed in indignation of Audubon’s atrocities. I was livid at the fact that the plentitude of living species he described are no longer plentiful today. I could not believe that a naturalist was among the first to contribute to the decline of the species of my home state. Even the name of his pilot, Egan, sent chills through me wh en Audubon wrote that Egan was the ‘professional hunter of Sea Cows or Manatees for the Havana market’. I could not believe my eyes and cringed at the idea of reading any more about the famous Audubon expedition. In my mind, Audubon registered, not as a painter, but as a hunter, who was hell-bent on getting his studies done in time to meet the expectation of his American and European patrons. Dollar signs, not the sun, glittered in his eyes. I found myself rooting for one hundred and seventy-two year old birds, hoping that they would hear me and fly away before Audubon arrived.

Night World : Dark Angel Chapter 12

Yes,† Gillian said simply. Her heart rate had picked up a little, but with anticipation rather than fear. Angel was looking very mysterious. He struck a looking-into-the-distance pose, then said, â€Å"Have you ever had the feeling that you don't really know reality?† â€Å"Frequently,† Gillian said dryly. â€Å"Ever since I met you.† He grinned. â€Å"I mean even before that. Someone wrote about the ‘inconsolable secret' that's in each of us. The desire for our own far-off country, for something we've never actually experienced. About how we all long ‘to bridge some chasm that yawns between us and reality †¦ to be reunited with something in the universe from which we now feel cut off†¦' â€Å" Gillian sat bolt upright. â€Å"Yes. I never heard anybody say it that well before. About the chasm- you always feel that there's something else, somewhere, and that you're being left out. I thought it was something the popular people would be in on-but it hasn't got anything to do with them at all.† â€Å"As if the world has some secret, if you could only get on the inside.† â€Å"Yes. Yes.† She looked at him in fascination. â€Å"This is about being a witch, isn't it? You're saying that I've always felt that way because it's true. Because for me there is a different reality†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Nah.† Angel grimaced. â€Å"Actually everybody feels exactly the same. Doesn't mean a thing.† Gillian collapsed. â€Å"What?† â€Å"For them. For them, there is no secret place. As for you†¦ well, it's not what you're thinking; it's not some higher reality of astral planes or anything. It's as real as those socks. As real as that girl, Melusine, in the store in Woodbridge. And it's where you were meant to be. A place where you'll be welcomed into the heart of things.† Gillian's heart was racing wildly. â€Å"Where is it?† â€Å"It's called the Night World.† Gray-blue shadows were gliding up the hills. Gillian drove in the twilight, heading toward the darkness in the east. â€Å"Explain again,† she said, and she said it out loud, even though she couldn't see Angel. There was a slight disturbance of air above the seat to her right, a hint of mist, but that was all. â€Å"You're saying it's not just witches.† â€Å"Not by a long shot. Witches are just one race; there are all sorts of other creatures of the night. All the sorts that you've been taught to think are legends.† â€Å"And they're real. And they're just living alongside normal humans. And they always have been.† â€Å"Yes. But it's easy, you see. They look like humans, at least at first glance. As much as you look like a human.† â€Å"But I am a human. I mean, mostly, right? My great-grandma was a witch, but she married a human and so did my grandma and my mom. So I'm all †¦ diluted.† â€Å"It doesn't matter to them. You can claim witch blood. And your powers are beyond dispute. Trust me, they'll welcome you.† â€Å"Besides, I've got you,† Gillian said cheerfully. â€Å"I mean, ordinary humans don't have their own invisible guardians, do they?† â€Å"Well.† Angel seemed to coalesce dimly beside her. From what she could see of his face, he was frowning. â€Å"You can't actually tell them about me. Don't ask why; I'm not allowed to explain. But I'll be with you, the way I always am. I'll help you out with what to say. Don't worry; you'll do fine.† Gillian wasn't worried. She felt steeped in mystery and a sort of forbidden excitement. The whole world seemed magical and unfamiliar. Even the snow looked different, blue and almost phosphorescent. As Gillian drove through rolling farmlands, a glow appeared above the eastern hills, and then the full moon rose, huge and throbbing with light. Deeper and deeper, she thought. She seemed to have left everything ordinary behind and to be sliding more and more quickly into an enchanted place where anything-anything at all-could happen. She wouldn't have been surprised if Angel had directed her to pull off into some snowy clearing and look for a fairy ring. But when he said, â€Å"Turn here,† it was at a main road that led to the straggling outskirts of a town. â€Å"Where are we?† â€Å"Sterback. Little hole-in-the-wall place-except for where we're going. Stop here.† â€Å"Here† was a nondescript building, which looked as if it had originally been Victorian. It wasn't in very good repair. Gillian got out and looked at the moon shining on the windows. The building might have been a lodge. It was set apart from the rest of the dark and silent town. A wind had started up and she shivered. (Uh, it doesn't look like anybody's in there.) (Go to the door.) Angel's voice in her mind was comforting, as always. There was no sign at the door, nothing to indicate that this was a public building. But the stained glass window above the door was faintly illuminated from the inside. The pattern seemed to be a flower. A black iris. (The Black Iris is the name of this place. It's a dub-) Angel was interrupted by a sudden explosion. That was Gillian's impression. For the first instant she had no idea what it was-just a dark shape flying at her and a violent noise-and she almost fell off the porch. Then she realized that the noise was barking. A chained dog was yammering and foaming, trying to get at her. (I'll take care of it.) Angel sounded grim, and an instant later Gillian felt something like a wave in the air. The dog dropped flat as if it had been shot. It rolled its eyes. The porch was dead silent again. Everything was silent. Gillian stood and breathed, feeling adrenaline run through her. But before she could say anything, the door opened behind her. A face looked out of the dimness inside the house. Gillian couldn't make out the features, but she could see the gleam of eyes. â€Å"Who're you?† The voice was slow and flat, not friendly. â€Å"What do you want?† Gillian followed Angel's whispered words. â€Å"I'm Gillian of the Harman clan, and I want in. It's cold out here.† â€Å"A Harman?† â€Å"I'm a Hearth-Woman, a daughter of Hellewise, and if you don't let me in, you stupid werewolf, I'm going to do to you what I did to your cousin there.† She stuck out a gloved finger toward the cringing dog. (Werewolf? Angel, there are real werewolves?) (I told you. All the legendary creatures.) Gillian felt an odd sinking. She had no idea why, and she continued to do just as Angel said. But somehow her stomach was knotting tighter and tighter. The door opened slowly. Gillian stepped into a dim hall and the door slammed shut again with a curiously final sound. â€Å"Didn't recognize you,† the figure beside her said. â€Å"Thought you might be vermin.† â€Å"I forgive you,† Gillian said, and pulled off her gloves at Angel's direction. â€Å"Downstairs?† He nodded and she followed him to a door which led to a stairway. As soon as the door opened, Gillian heard music. She descended, feeling extremely†¦ subterranean. The basement was deeper than most basements. And bigger. It was like a whole new world down there. It wasn't much brighter than upstairs, and there were no windows. It seemed like an old place; there was a shuffleboard pattern on the cold tile floor and a faint smell of mildew and moisture. But it was alive with people. There were figures sitting on chairs dumped around the borders of the room and more gathered around a pool table at one end. There were figures in front of a couple of ancient looking pinball machines and figures clustered at what looked like a home bar. Gillian headed for the bar. She could feel eyes on her every step of the way. She felt too small and too young as she perched precariously on one of the bar stools. She rested her elbows on the counter and tried to slow her heart down. The figure behind the bar turned toward her. It was a guy, maybe in his twenties. He stepped forward and Gillian saw his face. Shock rippled through her. There was something†¦ wrong with him. Not that he was hideously ugly or that he would have caused a commotion if he got on a bus. Maybe it was something Gillian sensed through her new powers and not through her eyes at all. But the impression she got was that his face looked wrong. Tainted by cold dark thoughts that made Tanya's scheming mind look like a sunlit garden. Gillian couldn't help her recoil. And the bar guy saw it. â€Å"You're new,† he said. The dark and cold seemed to grow in him and she realized he was enjoying her fear. â€Å"Where are you from?† Angel was shouting instructions at her. â€Å"I'm a Harman,† Gillian said as steadily as she could. â€Å"And-you're right. I'm new.† (Good, kid. Don't let him bully you! Now you're going to explain to them just exactly who you are-) (In a minute, Angel. Just let me get-settled.) The truth was that Gillian was completely unsettled. The sense of dread that had been growing ever since she walked in was reaching an unbearable pitch. This place was†¦ she groped for adjectives. Unwholesome. Corrupt. Scary. And then she realized something else. Up until now she hadn't been able to make out the faces of the other figures properly. Only eyes and the occasional flash of teeth. But now-they were moving in around her. It reminded her of sharks, swimming almost aimlessly but ending up in a purposeful gathering. There were people directly behind her-she could feel that with the back of her neck-and there were people on either side of her. When she looked, she could see their faces. Cold-dark-wrong. Not just wrong, but almost diabolic. These were people who might do anything and enjoy it. Their eyes glittered at her. More than glittered. Some of the eyes were shining†¦ like an animal's at night†¦ and now they were smiling and she could see teeth. Long delicate canine teeth that came to a point. Fangs†¦ All the legendary creatures†¦ Sheer panic surged through her. And at the same instant, she felt strong hands on her elbows. â€Å"Why don't you come outside with me?† a voice behind her said. Then things were confused. Angel was yelling again, but Gillian couldn't really hear him over the pounding of her own heart. The hands were exerting pressure, forcing her away from the bar. And the figures with their diabolical faces were settling back, most of them wearing conspiratorial grins. â€Å"Have fun,† somebody called. Gillian was being hurried up the stairs, whisked through the dim building. A blast of cold air hit her as the door opened and she suddenly felt dearer. She tried to break out of the iron grip that was holding her. It didn't do any good. She was out in the snow, leaving the house behind. The street was completely deserted. â€Å"Is that your car?† The hands on her arms eased their pressure. Gillian gave one desperate wrench and turned around. Moonlight was shining on the snow around her, giving it the texture of white satin. Every shadow was like an indigo stain on the sparkling coverlet. The person who'd been holding her was a boy a few years older than Gillian. He was lanky and elegant, with ash-blond hair and slightly tilted eyes. Something about the way he held himself made her think of lazy predatory animals. But his face wasn't wrong, the way the other faces had been. It was set and grim, maybe even a little scary, but it wasn't evil. â€Å"Now, look,† he said, and his voice wasn't evil, either, just rapid and short. â€Å"I don't know who you are, or how you managed to get in there, but you'd better turn around and go home right now. Because whatever you are, you're not a Harman.† â€Å"How do you know?† Gillian blurted before Angel could tell her what to say. â€Å"Because I'm related to the Harmans. I'm Ash Redfern. You don't even know what that means, do you? If you were a Harman you'd know that our families are kin.† (You are a Harman, and you are a witch!) Angel was actually raging. (Tell him! Tell him!) But the ash-blond boy was going on. â€Å"They'll eat you alive in there if they find out for sure. They're not as-tolerant-of humans as I am. So my advice is, get in your car, drive away, and never come back. And never mention this place to anybody else.† (You're a lost witch! You're not a human. Tell him!) â€Å"How come you're so tolerant?† Gillian was staring at the boy. His eyes†¦ she'd thought they were amber colored originally, like Steffi's, but now they were emerald green. He gave her an odd look. Then he smiled. It was a lazy smile, but with something heart-wrenching behind it. â€Å"I met a human girl last summer,† he said quietly, and that seemed to explain everything. Then he nodded at her car. â€Å"Get out of here. Never come back. I'm just passing through; I won't be around to save you again.† (Don't get in the car. Don't go. Tell him. You're a witch; you belong to Circle Midnight. Don't go!) For the first time, Gillian deliberately disobeyed an order of Angel's. She unlocked the car with shaky hands. As she got in, she looked back at the boy. Ash. â€Å"Thank you,† she said. â€Å"Bye.† He wiggled his fingers. He watched as she drove away. (Go back there right now! You belong there, just as much as any of them. You're one of them. They can't keep you out. Turn around and go back!) â€Å"Angel, stop it!† She said it out loud. â€Å"I can't! Don't you see that? I can't. They were horrible. They were-evil.† Now that she was alone, reaction was setting in. Her whole body began to shake. She was suddenly blind with tears, her breath catching in her throat. â€Å"Not evil!† Angel shimmered into the seat beside her. He had never sounded so agitated. â€Å"Just powerful-â€Å" â€Å"They were evil. They wanted to hurt me. I saw their eyes!† She was lapsing into hysteria. â€Å"Why did you take me there? When you wouldn't even let me talk to Melusine? Melusine wasn't like them.† A violent shiver overtook her. The car veered and she struggled with it, barely getting control. All at once everything seemed alien and terrifying; she was out on a long and lonely road, and it was night, and there was an uncanny being in the seat beside her. She didn't know who he was anymore. All she knew was that he wasn't any kind of an angel. The logical alternative sprang immediately to her mind. She was alone in the middle of nowhere with a demon†¦ â€Å"Gillian, stop it!† â€Å"Who are you? What are you, really? Who are you?† â€Å"What do you mean? You know who I am.† â€Å"No, I don't!† She was screaming it. â€Å"I don't know anything about you! Why did you take me there? Why did you want them to hurt me? Why?† â€Å"Gillian, stop the car. Stop. The. Car.† His voice was so commanding, so urgent and imperative, that she actually obeyed. She was sobbing anyway. She couldn't drive or see. She felt, literally and honestly, that she was losing her mind at that exact moment. â€Å"Now look at me. Wipe your face off and look at me.† After a moment she managed. He was shining. Light seemed to radiate from every inch, of him, from the gold filaments of his hair, to his classic features, to the lines of his perfect body. And he'd calmed down. His expression was rapt and uplifted, the serenity only marred by what looked like concern for her. â€Å"Now,† he said. â€Å"I'm sorry if all this scared you. New things are like that sometimes-they seem repulsive just because they're different. But we won't talk about that now,† he added, as Gillian caught a shuddering breath. â€Å"The important thing is that I wasn't trying to hurt you.† His eyes seemed to grow even more intense, pure violet flame. Gillian hiccupped. â€Å"But-you-â€Å" â€Å"I could never hurt you, Gillian. Because, you see, we're soulmates.† He said it with the weight of a monumental revelation. And although Gillian had no idea what it meant, she felt an odd quiver inside, almost of recognition. â€Å"What's that?† â€Å"It's something that happens with people who belong to the Night World. It means that there's only one love for everyone who exists. And when you meet that love, you know them. You know you were meant to be together, and nothing can keep you apart.† It was true. Every word seemed to resonate inside Gillian, touching off ancient, hidden memories. This was something her ancestors had known. Her cheeks had dried. Her hysteria was gone. But she felt very tired and very bewildered. â€Å"But †¦ if that's true†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She couldn't put the thought together. â€Å"Don't worry about it right now.† Angel's voice was soothing. â€Å"We'll talk about it later. I'll explain what it all means. I just wanted you to know that I would never hurt you. I love you, Gillian. Don't you realize that?† â€Å"Yes,† Gillian whispered. Everything was very foggy. She didn't want to think, didn't want to consider the implications of what Angel was saying. She just wanted to get home. â€Å"Relax and I'll help you drive,† Angel said. â€Å"Don't worry about anything. It's all going to be all right.†

Human Genetic Engineering

I will be discussing the controversial topic of human genetic engineering and its pros and cons from a biological and social point of view while also trying to answer the question â€Å"Should human genetic engineering be legal. † Genes control health and disease, as well as human traits and behavior. Researchers are Just beginning to use genetic technology to unravel the secrets to these phenotypes (observable trait caused by a gene). They are also discovering a range of other potential applications for this technology.For instance, ongoing advances make it more and more likely that scientists will soon be able to genetically engineer humans to have certain desired traits (this is already done on mice). Of course, the possibility of human genetic engineering raises a number of ethical and legal questions, although such questions almost never have a clear and straight forward answer. The research of bioethics, sociologists, anthropologists, and other social scientists can tell us about how different citizens, cultures, and religions view the moral boundaries or the uses of human genetic engineering.If human genetic modification Is fully legalized It will be done on the early, early stages of reproduction: from when It Is Just a sperm and an egg to the fetus stage, maybe a slight amount later. At this point of time It Is only legal to perform two types of â€Å"advance reproductive technologies† on humans. The first Is foretelling the egg with sperm In a test tube. This is used to determine the sex and what genes the baby will have, therefore knowing if using a different sperm/egg will be a better choice since one of the genes n the first tested set might be a genetic disease or the parents might prefer a different sex.The second technique is much like the first. Embryos for a genetic disease; only selected embryos are implanted back into the mother's womb. This is called â€Å"Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis. † Now I will discuss what go od can come of legalizing human genetic engineering. Really the most useful application of human genetic engineering is preventing hereditary diseases, disabilities and defects/doodlers. Examples include: Down syndrome, Diabetes, color blindness and even allergies.Stopping these diseases/doodlers before the baby Is even born can help prevent a lot of Issues from happening In the child's future and can possibly save lives. Eventually the disease/disorder will die out because the gene has been removed from the generations making it unable to be passed down. Another application could involve stimulating muscle growth/brain development in turn making the child more athletic or more brainy also changing your child's physical features and traits, such as eye color and hair color.Now for the bad: Although changing your child's physical traits, deciding to make them more muscular or more smart can seem like a good thing to a some people it is also viewed as a bad thing to some people. Thing s like â€Å"a perfect race† could arise from these problems, or â€Å"baby trends,† where it Is trendier that year for your kids to have blonde hair then It Is for them to have black or blue eyes rather than green. This Is generally the topic that Is the most talked amongst the public when discussing human genetic engineering.Other social Issues can be raised such as It Is against â€Å"gods will,† countries creating super human soldiers, countries becoming more like the class system e: people who run business, there is also the issue of the child not having the choice to be genetically modified, the individuality of humans and coasts of genetically modifying also comes into play, such as, can only the rich afford it? From a biological point of view genetic modification could eventually make some genes â€Å"extinct† in a way, where they are no longer needed/deemed useless or maybe they â€Å"go out of fashion.In my opinion, I think that genetic modific ation in humans should be legal, but should only be used for hereditary diseases, disabilities and disorders which help the child but things like letting the parent chose the child's traits do not help the child and he/she also loses their individuality. Also there is the fact that the child doesn't have a choice at what the parents will make them look like. Changing the traits of a child through genetic engineering does not benefit the child and only pleases the parents. InConclusion to this essay, there is a high chance that human genetic engineering will be available soon and when it does it will be a very controversial issue, both on a biological and a social point of view. Most social issues come from a negative stand point and are mainly on the regulation of it (coasts, who can use it, what countries can do with it). There is no straight forward answer to the question of should human genetic modification be legal. Although there is a large amount of health benefits, the negati ve social issues may outweigh them. Word Count: 839 Human Genetic Engineering I will be discussing the controversial topic of human genetic engineering and its pros and cons from a biological and social point of view while also trying to answer the question â€Å"Should human genetic engineering be legal. † Genes control health and disease, as well as human traits and behavior. Researchers are Just beginning to use genetic technology to unravel the secrets to these phenotypes (observable trait caused by a gene). They are also discovering a range of other potential applications for this technology.For instance, ongoing advances make it more and more likely that scientists will soon be able to genetically engineer humans to have certain desired traits (this is already done on mice). Of course, the possibility of human genetic engineering raises a number of ethical and legal questions, although such questions almost never have a clear and straight forward answer. The research of bioethics, sociologists, anthropologists, and other social scientists can tell us about how different citizens, cultures, and religions view the moral boundaries or the uses of human genetic engineering.If human genetic modification Is fully legalized It will be done on the early, early stages of reproduction: from when It Is Just a sperm and an egg to the fetus stage, maybe a slight amount later. At this point of time It Is only legal to perform two types of â€Å"advance reproductive technologies† on humans. The first Is foretelling the egg with sperm In a test tube. This is used to determine the sex and what genes the baby will have, therefore knowing if using a different sperm/egg will be a better choice since one of the genes n the first tested set might be a genetic disease or the parents might prefer a different sex.The second technique is much like the first. Embryos for a genetic disease; only selected embryos are implanted back into the mother's womb. This is called â€Å"Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis. † Now I will discuss what go od can come of legalizing human genetic engineering. Really the most useful application of human genetic engineering is preventing hereditary diseases, disabilities and defects/doodlers. Examples include: Down syndrome, Diabetes, color blindness and even allergies.Stopping these diseases/doodlers before the baby Is even born can help prevent a lot of Issues from happening In the child's future and can possibly save lives. Eventually the disease/disorder will die out because the gene has been removed from the generations making it unable to be passed down. Another application could involve stimulating muscle growth/brain development in turn making the child more athletic or more brainy also changing your child's physical features and traits, such as eye color and hair color.Now for the bad: Although changing your child's physical traits, deciding to make them more muscular or more smart can seem like a good thing to a some people it is also viewed as a bad thing to some people. Thing s like â€Å"a perfect race† could arise from these problems, or â€Å"baby trends,† where it Is trendier that year for your kids to have blonde hair then It Is for them to have black or blue eyes rather than green. This Is generally the topic that Is the most talked amongst the public when discussing human genetic engineering.Other social Issues can be raised such as It Is against â€Å"gods will,† countries creating super human soldiers, countries becoming more like the class system e: people who run business, there is also the issue of the child not having the choice to be genetically modified, the individuality of humans and coasts of genetically modifying also comes into play, such as, can only the rich afford it? From a biological point of view genetic modification could eventually make some genes â€Å"extinct† in a way, where they are no longer needed/deemed useless or maybe they â€Å"go out of fashion.In my opinion, I think that genetic modific ation in humans should be legal, but should only be used for hereditary diseases, disabilities and disorders which help the child but things like letting the parent chose the child's traits do not help the child and he/she also loses their individuality. Also there is the fact that the child doesn't have a choice at what the parents will make them look like. Changing the traits of a child through genetic engineering does not benefit the child and only pleases the parents. InConclusion to this essay, there is a high chance that human genetic engineering will be available soon and when it does it will be a very controversial issue, both on a biological and a social point of view. Most social issues come from a negative stand point and are mainly on the regulation of it (coasts, who can use it, what countries can do with it). There is no straight forward answer to the question of should human genetic modification be legal. Although there is a large amount of health benefits, the negati ve social issues may outweigh them. Word Count: 839

Is Online High School Right for You 3 Steps to Deciding

Is Online High School Right for You 3 Steps to Deciding SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Have you heard of online high schools and are wondering if they’re a good option for you?Are you unsure whether they’re a flexible way to get a high school diploma or just an internet scam? Read this guide to learn what an online high school is, what the pros and cons of attending one are, and how to decide if enrolling in a virtual high school is the right decision for you. What Is an Online High School? Like the name suggests, an online high school is a school or program where students can earn their high school diploma by taking classes online.Most of these classes are completely online, but some require students to visit a testing center or other location to take certain tests or hand in assignments.Some of these programs are affiliated with traditional brick and mortar schools while others are solely online. If you enroll in a virtual high school, you can either take a few classes to supplement your degree at your regular high school, or you can earn your entire high school diploma online. There are fourtypes of online high schools: Public schools: These are programs that are government funded, usually accredited, and available for free if you are a resident minor in the state or district in which it's offered. They usually follow curricula similar to that of your state's traditional high schools. Public online high schools have to follow strict guidelines in order to receive funding, and because of this they often have fewer course offerings than the other options listed. Charter schools:Online charter schools have many of the same characteristics as online public schools; however, they often have a wider variety of classes and may use more innovative and non-traditional teaching methods. Private schools: This is one of the fastest growing groups of online schools. Because they are not as regulated as the other groups, thequality and costs of private online schools can vary widely. However, they can offer a largevariety of classes and typically don't require students to live in a certain state in order to enroll. There are also specialized online private schools available such as Christian schools, schools that focus on math and science, and others. Schools affiliated with a college or university:Because they are sponsored by a college or university, these online schools often allow students to receive dual high school and college credit for the classes they take. These programs often offerhigh-quality classes, but they can be quite expensive to take. Some popular examples include Stanford University Online High School and Indiana University Virtual High School. Who Attends Online High School? What kind of people decide to pursue high school online?Most online high schools are open to both teenagers andadults returning to school to earn their high school diploma. Some of the people who enroll in high school online include: Teenagers who are unable to attend traditional high school or prefer to take classes online. Home-schooled students looking to supplement their education. Adults taking classes after being out of school for several years. Advanced students looking to take more rigorous classes than those their high school offers. International students who want to take classes offered by the country where they hope to attend college. From this list, it's clear that people decide to pursue virtualhigh school for a variety of reasons. Read on to learn more about the benefits that online schools can offer. What Are the Benefits of Online High School? Benefit #1: Flexible Schedule For many students, the most important benefit of attending high school online is that you don’t need to attend school during regular hours.This can be extremely helpful for students, both teenagers and adults, who are trying to balance completing their high school education with a job or other responsibilities.If you can only take classes and study in the evenings or on certain days, online high schools make that possible. Another benefit of this flexibility is that it allows you to learn at your own pace.This isbeneficialfor students who want to work at a slower pace to make sure they understand the material completely, as well as students who prefer afaster pace and are possibly looking to earn their high school diploma ahead of schedule.Flexible schedules can also benefit students who are ill, travel frequently, or otherwise can’t attend a traditional high school. Benefit #2: More Class Options Many times, online schools will have more class options than traditional onesbecause they are not restricted by a limitednumber of classrooms or teachers like traditional high schools are.This can benefit students looking to take specific classes not offered by their regular high school, including certain advanced or AP classes.Some online schools evenoffer specializations or the opportunity to tailor your courses to subjects that interest you more. This is also an important benefit for home-schooled students and their parents who may be thinking about onlineclasses. Taking an online class can allow you to learn about a subject your parent or homeschool teacher isn't an expert in, such as advanced math classes, so that you can remain home-schooled but also get the benefit of a well-rounded education. Benefit #3: No Traditional School Environment Some people also choose virtualhigh schools because they don’t enjoy or do well in a traditional school.This may be due to difficulties with classmates, trouble learning in a traditional classroom environment, or a different reason. Attending an online high school also often results in fewer distractions. When you are taking classes online, you don’t have to worry about what to wear, if your friends are in the same classes as you, or if you got invited to that party on Friday.When you sit down in front of your computer to work on your classes, you can devote your entire attention to learning and doing well in them. Attendinghigh school online can make it possible to take classes where and when you want. What Are the Drawbacks to Online High School? While virtualhigh schools undoubtedly have benefits, there are drawbacks as well. I’ll discuss four potential drawbacks below, and for each drawback I'll give ways to minimize it or avoid it all together. Drawback #1: Not Always Legitimate Unfortunately, not all online schools will provide you with a quality education, and some are little more than online scams that will award you with a â€Å"diploma† as long as you pay their fee. Attending a school that isn’t high quality can result in you getting a poor education, and this can make future schooling and jobs very challenging because you don’t have the knowledge you were supposed to have learned in high school.It can also result in your diploma not being accepted by most colleges and employers, which means you can spend a lot of time and money on a piece of paper that’s essentially worthless. How to avoid:Make sure to only attend an online high school that is accredited. Schools can only become accredited if they are found to meet a certain level of education quality, and many employers and colleges only accept diplomas from accredited high schools. A school’s website will usually state if they’re accredited, and you can check out our guide to learn more about accreditationand online high schools.and online high schools. Drawback #2: Can Be Expensive While some virtualhigh schools are free, others can cost thousands of dollars, and that can be difficult for many people to afford.Some online high schools cost over $10,000 a year to attend. How to avoid: The cost of an online high school depends on several factors, including your age, whether government funding is available, and what type of high school it is. Research different types of schools to find the best value for you. Public and charter online high schools are government funded and free to resident minors (so you must live in the state where it’s offered and be 18 or younger). Private online schools are typically more expensive. Each state’s department of education has a list of funded online programs, and you can look through these to potentially find an online school you can attend for free. Look on your state’s department of education website to find more information. Drawback #3: Less Social Interaction Another potential drawback of onlineprogramsis that they have much less social interaction than traditional schools. There are no friends sitting next to you in class, no sports teams, no prom, no lunch in the cafeteria. Some people may not mind this, but others find the relationships they form to be one of the most important and enjoyable parts of high school. Not having these experiences may cause you to feel like you’re missing out on an important part of high school, and it may cause you to enjoy your studies less and become less motivated. How to avoid: While you won’t be able to recreate all aspects of a traditional high school experience, you can still form friendships and interact with people. Look for online high schools that offer a chat function and group projects so you can talk with your classmates. You can also join clubs and sports teams in your community so that you can still spend time with others in-person. Why doesn't my laptop ever ask how my day has been? Drawback #4: Requires More Self-Motivation Unlike a traditional school, virtualhigh schools don’t have a classroom you need to be sitting in at a certain time, you won’t have a teacher you’ll see every day, and you won’t have nearby friends working on the same assignments. This means that it will be your responsibility to make sure you are doing the work you need to in order to graduate. For students used to being regularly assigned work, this can be a difficult adjustment. If you struggle with staying motivated, your grades could slip, and you could end up delaying your graduation. How to avoid: Create a study schedule that lists the work you need to accomplish each day and stick to it. You can also look for schools that offer more teacher interaction and have more frequent deadlines to help you stay on track. Should You Attend an Online High School? So, is attending a virtualhigh school the right choice for you? There is no one right answer, but follow the three steps below to help make the best decision for you. Step #1: Think About Why You Want to Attend an Online School The first step is to ask yourself why you want to attend high school online. Is it because it’s the only way you can fit taking high school classes into your schedule? Is it becauseyou need to finish high school early? Whatever the reason, make sure you know exactly why you want to attend an online school so that you can look for schools that give you the benefits you want. Step #2: Research Potential Schools The most important step is researching schools. The number of online high schools is growing rapidly, and trying to find the best one can be overwhelming. Look on your state’s department of education website to get started, and ask yourself the following questions for each school you are interested in: Is it accredited? How much will it cost? How much teacher and classmate interaction is there? How will you be graded? What classes do they offer? How much of a time commitment is required? When will you be able to graduate? You should think about the answers to each of these questions and decide if the school offers what you want. You can also search for online reviews from past students to see what they say about a particular school. It looks like these kids just discovered a great online school. Step #3: Think Honestly About How Much You Would Enjoy Online High School Some people want to attend high school online because they think it will be fun to take classes in their pajamas and be on the computer all day. While this may be true, online school can also be lonely, challenging, and monotonous. Before you decide to take online classes, think carefully about what it would be like to be alone all the time while doing schoolwork, not have a teacher able to explain things in person, have to plan your own study schedules, and not have nearby classmates to work on assignments with. Some people don’t mind this, but for others this environment can make completing high school a miserable and challenging experience. One low-risk way to try out online learning and see if it is for you is to take a massive online open course, often known as a MOOC. While you likely won’t receive any school credit for it, there are a huge number of MOOCs you can take for free. A simple Googlesearch for MOOCs will show you a wide variety of options. Try one class and see how you like online learning, then use that information to help decide if attending a virtual high school is the right decision for you. Bottom Line Online high schools can be a great way for people who need flexible schedules to complete their high school studies, but there is also the risk of enrolling in a disreputable school, feeling isolated, and having to spend thousands of dollars to complete your degree. In order to decide if you should attend an online school, research multiple schools carefully and see if they fit what they are looking for. You should also think carefully about what it would be like to attend school entirely online, and you may want to consider taking a free online course first before you decide to pursue high school online. What's Next? Interested in learning more about accreditation? We have a guide that explains exactly what accreditationis andhow you can make sure an online school is accredited. Trying to figure out your class schedule? Check out our expert guide on which classes you should take in high school. Want an in-depth look at an online school? Read our guide onStanford online high school,including reviews from current and past students. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Nigersaurus - Facts and Figures

Nigersaurus - Facts and Figures Name: Nigersaurus (Greek for Niger lizard); pronounced NYE-jer-SORE-us Habitat: Woodlands of northern Africa Historical Period: Early Cretaceous (110 million years ago) Size and Weight: About 30 feet long and five tons Diet: Plants Distinguishing Characteristics: Relatively short neck; hundreds of teeth in wide jaws About Nigersaurus Yet another Cretaceous feather in the cap of the globetrotting paleontologist Paul Sereno, Nigersaurus was a rather unusual sauropod, possessing a relatively short neck compared to the length of its tail; a flat, vacuum-shaped mouth packed with hundreds of teeth, arranged in about 50 columns; and almost comically wide jaws. Putting together these odd anatomical details, Nigersaurus seems to have been well adapted to low browsing; most likely it swept its neck back and forth parallel to the ground, hoovering up any vegetation within easy reach. (Other sauropods, which had much longer necks, may well have nibbled on the high branches of trees, though even this remains a matter of some dispute.) What many people dont know is that Paul Sereno didnt actually discover this dinosaur; the scattered remains of Nigersaurus (in northern Africas Elrhaz formation, in Niger ) were described by a French paleontologist in the late 1960s, and introduced to the world in a paper published in 1976. Sereno did, however, have the honor of naming this dinosaur (after studying additional fossil specimens) and publicizing it to the world at large. In typically colorful fashion, Sereno described Nigersaurus as a cross between Darth Vader and a vacuum cleaner, and also called it a Mesozoic cow (not an inaccurate description, if you ignore the fact that a full-grown Nigersaurus measured 30 feet from head to tail and weighed up to five tons!) Sereno and his team concluded in 1999 that Nigersaurus was a rebbachisaurid theropod, meaning it belonged to the same general family as the contemporary Rebbachisaurus of South America. Its closest relatives, however, were two intriguingly named fellow sauropods of the middle Cretaceous period: Demandasaurus, named after the Sierra la Demanda formation in Spain, and Tataouinea, named after the same bleak Tunisian province that may (or may not) have inspired George Lucas to invent the Star Wars planet Tatooine. (Yet a third sauropod, the South American Antarctosaurus, may or may not have been a kissing cousin as well.)

European politics and Economy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

European politics and Economy - Assignment Example This has forced political actors in Europe to stake out positions on two fundamental issues: the structure of political authority in Europe, and the role of the state -- at whatever territorial level -- in the economy. To what extent should market activity be regulated at the European level, and to what extent -- if at all -- should the European Union redistribute from rich to poor In short, what form of capitalism do Europeans want The institutional design of current cohesion policy has broad-ranging implications for EU governance. At the meso-level, it promotes a change in governance from public steering of social processes to self-governing networks of public and private actors. Public authorities provide the institutional framework that reduces transaction costs and encourages highly organized social subsystems to mobilize indigenous resources (Kohler-Koch 1996, 1998). The result is that authoritative actors at European, national or subnational level are compelled to collaborate with private actors. At the macro-level, current EU cohesion policy is designed to give shape to a multi-level polity. It opens up intergovernmental bargaining among national governments to other governmental actors, and it upgrades limited collaboration among all these actors to more intensive, and more binding, commitments. This challenges state-centric governance in three ways: European institutions set general rules and co-ordin ate; subnational authorities participate in making decisions; and the three parties are in a relationship of mutual dependency rather than hierarchy (Marks, 1996). From the vantage point of traditional social policy, the objectives of the 1988 reform are modest. For one thing, the reformed EU cohesion policy gives priority to one type of cohesion problem: spatial economic disparities among regions (and to a lesser extent, local areas). Almost no emphasis is put on disparities between social groups and individuals within states, regions or local areas (McAleavey and De Rynck, 1997). Furthermore, the 1988 cohesion policy may actually impede efforts to create EU citizenship, because it supports programmes only to the extent that it helps economic functionality or alleviates particular financial needs, and it does not justify cohesion efforts as a social entitlement (Anderson, 1995; McAleavey and De Rynck, 1997). One might therefore argue that current cohesion policy is merely the least bad solution in an opportunity structure inhospitable to European social policy.[2] However, the purpose of European regulated capitalism has not been to emulate tr aditional social policies at European level, but to formulate a viable alternative to European neoliberalism as well as to ineffective national welfare politics (Hooghe and Marks, 1998). From that perspective, current cohesion policy appears far more effective. The most influential advocate of European regulated capitalism has been former Commission president Jacques Delors (Delors, 1992; Ross, 1995). Most centre-left and, selectively, Christian Democratic parties in Europe have come to support the project, but the coalition also includes trade unionists, environmentalists, local and regional governmental actors, and even certain business representatives at

Contemporary British Film Culture -Critically discuss the role and Essay

Contemporary British Film Culture -Critically discuss the role and importance of social realism to contemporary British film culture. Use research and one or two film examples to illustrate your response - Essay Example While some directors may be focused on producing films that deal with some unrealistic issues and rely on special effects, other find a particular joy in creating films that depict the reality as it is and highlight the problems that real people experience in their daily lives. This paper will analyze two films that might be seen as prominent examples of British realism: This Is England (2006, Shane Meadows) and Kidulthood (2006, Menhaj Huda) exploring different aspects of it is providing that social realism is extremely important to contemporary British film culture. In order to do so, the analysis will include the political and social dimension that the films in question should be seen in, the connection between the issues raised and the British traditional culture, the focus on low and tabooed themes, the function of the films to express important ideas, the brutality of the realism shown as well as the necessity of realistic ethos, the trend of films that are shot for the youth t o show the actual affect of drugs, the rejection of narrative conventions to a certain extent to create a unique impact on the viewers. The first and one of the most important aspects that contribute to the significance of social realism in the contemporary British film culture focuses on the ability of such films to let different parts of the population express their views on the screen. Indeed, generally they are silenced in the social discourse because of various reasons and the public might be close to thinking that they almost do not exist if there is no â€Å"the bringing of hitherto neglected groups, hitherto unsaid truths, hitherto unexpressed attitudes on to the screen†(Murphy, 1992, p. 35). Nevertheless, when directors are courageous enough to let these people articulate their ideas freely, the rest of the population is able to hear this small minority. For