Does a condiment belong in a magazine? Essay

A magazine aims to attract a certain type of reader or a reader with a certain interest. Garden and Gun Magazine is about southern culture; our food, our manners, our hospitality, our hobbies, our way of life in general. I do not recommend â€Å"The Guiltless Pleasure† for our magazine because it does not have the same purpose as the other food articles; Rick Braggs is misleading throughout the piece, and strays from the overall purpose of the article. When a reader turns to the food section of our magazine, they anticipate finding delicious recipes resembling those that southerners used to make and recipes that have been handed down through generations. Which is why â€Å"The Guiltless Pleasure† would be out of place if published in our magazine. In â€Å" The Guiltless Pleasure†, the closest thing to a recipe is instruction to add a dollop of mayonnaise to certain foods, like mashed potatoes, to make them taste better. Although Braggs does draw attention to the myth of all southerners liking mayonnaise, the article does not have enough information on how to incorporate this â€Å"southern condiment† into different foods. Braggs segregates people into two classifications, which are mayonnaise people and mustard people. He talks a great deal about mayonnaise people but talks about mustard people just as much and talks very highly of mustard people. â€Å"The Guiltless Pleasure† was misleading in my opinion because Braggs seems to talk negatively about both mayonnaise and mustard people but mentions some pretty positive things about mustard people despite his unconditional love of mayonnaise. According to Braggs, mustard people do things like wear a certain type of athletic clothing, eat well, and have overall better health than the rest of us. He compares mayonnaise people by making them seem lazy with comments like, â€Å"We like L.L. Bean catalogs, too, but only because they offer most of their clothes in XXL, and we like their running shoes, which we wear to Popeye’s, and the mailbox-if it is not too far.† He also mentions how mayonnaise people like to vacation in cities like New Orleans because of the local foods which are loaded down with calories. He makes mustard people seem genuinely happier and healthier than mayonnaise people despite the rest of his article that is trying to make mayonnaise seem like a condiment that makes everything taste tremendously better. This is misleading because if mayonnaise really is as wonderful as he makes it out to be, it wouldn’t be associated with a negative, unhealthy lifestyle. Not only should this article not be published in Garden and Gun Magazine because it is misleading, but because it strays from topic on numerous occasions. Although the stories in the article about Braggs â€Å"dictator wife†, the origins of mayonnaise, the mayonnaise isle description, and Elvis liking mayonnaise may be entertaining, they do not belong in Garden and Gun Magazine or in â€Å"The Guiltless Pleasure†. They distract from his main point, which seems to be that mayonnaise is absolutely amazing. Braggs tells stories about his wife limiting the amount of mayonnaise he uses, the type of mayonnaise he uses, but allows him to eat however much mustard he pleases. He mentions other things in his article that distract from this point too; for example the long, drawn out comparison of mustard people and mayonnaise people. If he had incorporated more information about foods mayonnaise improves or elaborated on the ones he did mention and left out the â€Å"fluff† the article would be a wonderful addition to our magazine. In order for this article to go well in Garden and Gun it would have to have more useful tips on using mayonnaise to make foods taste better and less stories that are not directly linked to the main point of mayonnaise being a wonderful condiment. As well as having more positive things about mayonnaise and the people who like it throughout the article. Despite the drawn-out comparison between mayonnaise and mustard people, the contradicting statements, and the off-topic stories I found this article very entertaining. I would recommend this article as it is for a magazine focused solely on entertainment or as a blog on the Internet.

The Twilight Saga 3: Eclipse Chapter 7. REPETITION

I WASN'T SURE WHAT THE HELL I WAS DOING HERE Was I trying to push myself back into the zombie stupor? Had I turned masochisticdeveloped a taste for torture? I should have gone straight down to La Push I felt much, much healthier around Jacob This was not a healthy thing to do. But I continued to drive slowly down the overgrown lane, twisting through the trees that arched over me like a green, living tunnel My hands were shaking, so I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. I knew that part of the reason I did this was the nightmare, now that I was really awake, the nothingness of the dream gnawed on my nerves, a dog worrying a bone. There was something to search for. Unattainable and impossible, uncaring and distracted but he was out there, somewhere. I had to believe that. The other part was the strange sense of repetition I'd felt at school today, the coincidence of the date. The feeling that I was starting overperhaps the way my first day would have gone if I'd really been the most unusual person in the cafeteria that afternoon. The words ran through my head, tonelessly, like I was reading them rather than hearing them spoken: It will be as if I'd never existed. I was lying to myself by splitting my reason for coming here into just two parts. I didn't want to admit the strongest motivation. Because it was mentally unsound. The truth was that I wanted to hear his voice again, like I had in the strange delusion Friday night. For that brief moment, when his voice came from some other part of me than my conscious memory, when his voice was perfect and honey smooth rather than the pale echo my memories usually produced, I was able to remember without pain. It hadn't lasted; the pain had caught up with me, as I was sure it would for this fool's errand. But those precious moments when I could hear him again were an irresistible lure. I had to find some way to repeat the experience or maybe the better word was episode. I was hoping that dj vu was the key. So I was going to his home, a place I hadn't been since my ill-fated birthday party, so many months ago. The thick, almost jungle-like growth crawled slowly past my windows. The drive wound on and on. I started to go faster, getting edgy. How long had I been driving? Shouldn't I have reached the house yet? The lane was so overgrown that it did not look familiar. What if I couldn't find it? I shivered. What if there was no tangible proof at all? Then there was the break in the trees that I was looking for, only it was not so pronounced as before. The flora here did not wait long to reclaim any land that was left unguarded. The tall ferns had infiltrated the meadow around the house, crowding against the trunks of the cedars, even the wide porch. It was like the lawn had been floodedwaist-highwith green, feathery waves. And the house was there, but it was not the same. Though nothing had changed on the outside, the emptiness screamed from the blank windows. It was creepy. For the first time since I'd seen the beautiful house, it looked like a fitting haunt for vampires. I hit the brakes, looking away. I was afraid to go farther. But nothing happened. No voice in my head. So I left the engine running and jumped out into the fern sea. Maybe, like Friday night, if I walked forward I approached the barren, vacant face slowly, my truck rumbling out a comforting roar behind me. I stopped when I got to the porch stairs, because there was nothing here. No lingering sense of their presence of his presence. The house was solidly here, but it meant little. Its concrete reality would not counteract the nothingness of the nightmares. I didn't go any closer. I didn't want to look in the windows. I wasn't sure which would be harder to see. If the rooms were bare, echoing empty from floor to ceiling, that would certainly hurt. Like my grandmother's funeral, when my mother had insisted that I stay outside during the viewing. She had said that I didn't need to see Gran that way, to remember her that way, rather than alive. But wouldn't it be worse if there were no change? If the couches sat just as I'd last seen them, the paintings on the wallsworse still, the piano on its low platform? It would be second only to the house disappearing all together, to see that there was no physical possession that tied them in anyway. That everything remained, untouched and forgotten, behind them. Just like me. I turned my back on the gaping emptiness and hurried to my truck. I nearly ran. I was anxious to be gone, to get back to the human world. I felt hideously empty, and I wanted to see Jacob. Maybe I was developing a new kind of sickness, another addiction, like the numbness before. I didn't care. I pushed my truck as fast as it would go as I barreled toward my fix. Jacob was waiting for me. My chest seemed to relax as soon as I saw him, making it easier to breathe. â€Å"Hey, Bella,† he called. I smiled in relief. â€Å"Hey, Jacob,† I waved at Billy, who was looking out the window. â€Å"Let's get to work,† Jacob said in a low but eager voice. I was somehow able to laugh. â€Å"You seriously aren't sick of me yet?† I wondered. He must be starting to ask himself how desperate I was for company. Jacob led the way around the house to his garage. â€Å"Nope. Not yet.† â€Å"Please let me know when I start getting on your nerves. I don't want to be a pain.† â€Å"Okay.† He laughed, a throaty sound. â€Å"I wouldn't hold your breath for that, though.† When I walked into the garage, I was shocked to see the red bike standing up, looking like a motorcycle rather than a pile of jagged metal. â€Å"Jake, you're amazing,† I breathed. He laughed again. â€Å"I get obsessive when I have a project.† He shrugged. â€Å"If I had any brains I'd drag it out a little bit.† â€Å"Why?† He looked down, pausing for so long that I wondered if he hadn't heard my question. Finally, he asked me, â€Å"Bella, if I told you that I couldn't fix these bikes, what would you say?† I didn't answer right away, either, and he glanced up to check my expression. â€Å"I would say that's too bad, but I'll bet we could figure out something else to do. If we got really desperate, we could even do homework.† Jacob smiled, and his shoulders relaxed. He sat down next to the bike and picked up a wrench. â€Å"So you think you'll still come over when I'm done, then?† â€Å"Is that what you meant?† I shook my head. â€Å"I guess I am taking advantage of your very underpriced mechanical skills. But as long as you let me come over, I'll be here.† â€Å"Hoping to see Quil again?† he teased. â€Å"You caught me.† He chuckled. â€Å"You really like spending time with me?† he asked, marveling. â€Å"Very, very much. And I'll prove it. I have to work tomorrow, but Wednesday we'll do something nonmechanical.† â€Å"Like what?† â€Å"I have no idea. We can go to my place so you won't be tempted to be obsessive. You could bring your schoolworkyou have to be getting behind, because I know I am.† â€Å"Homework might be a good idea.† He made a face, and I wondered how much he was leaving undone to be with me. â€Å"Yes,† I agreed. â€Å"We'll have to start being responsible occasionally, or Billy and Charlie aren't going to be so easygoing about this.† I made a gesture indicating the two of us as a single entity. He liked thathe beamed. â€Å"Homework once a week?† he proposed. â€Å"Maybe we'd better go with twice,† I suggested, thinking of the pile I'd just been assigned today. He sighed a heavy sigh. Then he reached over his toolbox to a paper grocery sack. He pulled out two cans of soda, cracking one open and handing it to me. He opened the second, and held it up ceremoniously. â€Å"Here's to responsibility,† he toasted. â€Å"Twice a week.† â€Å"And recklessness every day in between,† I emphasized. He grinned and touched his can to mine. I got home later than I'd planned and found Charlie had ordered a pizza rather than wait for me. He wouldn't let me apologize. â€Å"I don't mind,† he assured me. â€Å"You deserve a break from all the cooking, anyway.† I knew he was just relieved that I was still acting like a normal person, and he was not about to rock the boat. I checked my e-mail before I started on my homework, and there was a long one from Renee. She gushed over every detail I'd provided her with, so I sent back another exhaustive description of my day. Everything but the motorcycles. Even happy-go-lucky Renee was likely to be alarmed by that. School Tuesday had its ups and downs. Angela and Mike seemed ready to welcome me back with open armsto kindly overlook my few months of aberrant behavior. Jess was more resistant. I wondered if she needed a formal written apology for the Port Angeles incident. Mike was animated and chatty at work. It was like he'd stored up the semester's worth of talk, and it was all spilling out now. I found that I was able to smile and laugh with him, though it wasn't as effortless as it was with Jacob. It seemed harmless enough, until quitting time. Mike put the closed sign in the window while I folded my vest and shoved it under the counter. â€Å"This was fun tonight,† Mike said happily. â€Å"Yeah,† I agreed, though I'd much rather have spent the afternoon in the garage. â€Å"It's too bad that you had to leave the movie early last week.† I was a little confused by his train of thought. I shrugged. â€Å"I'm just a wimp, I guess.† â€Å"What I mean is, you should go to a better movie, something you'd enjoy,† he explained. â€Å"Oh,† I muttered, still confused. â€Å"Like maybe this Friday. With me. We could go see something that isn't scary at all.† I bit my lip. I didn't want to screw things up with Mike, not when he was one of the only people ready to forgive me for being crazy. But this, again, felt far too familiar. Like the last year had never happened. I wished I had Jess as an excuse this time. â€Å"Like a date?† I asked. Honesty was probably the best policy at this point. Get it over with. He processed the tone of my voice â€Å"If you want. But it doesn't have to be like that.† â€Å"I don't date,† I said slowly, realizing how true that was. That whole world seemed impossibly distant. â€Å"Just as friends?† he suggested. His clear blue eyes were not as eager now. I hoped he really meant that we could be friends anyway. â€Å"That would be fun. But I actually have plans already this Friday, so maybe next week?† â€Å"What are you doing?† he asked, less casually than I think he wanted to sound. â€Å"Homework. I have a study session planned with a friend.† â€Å"Oh. Okay. Maybe next week.† He walked me to my car, less exuberant than before. It reminded me so clearly of my first months in Forks. I'd come full circle, and now everything felt like an echoan empty echo, devoid of the interest it used to have. The next night, Charlie didn't seem the smallest bit surprised to find Jacob and me sprawled across the living room floor with our books scattered around us, so I guessed that he and Billy were talking behind our backs. â€Å"Hey, kids,† he said, his eyes straying to the kitchen. The smell of the lasagna I'd spent the afternoon makingwhile Jacob watched and occasionally sampledwafted down the hall; I was being good, trying to atone for all the pizza. Jacob stayed for dinner, and took a plate home for Billy. He grudgingly added another year to my negotiable age for being a good cook. Friday was the garage, and Saturday, after my shift at Newton's, was homework again. Charlie felt secure enough in my sanity to spend the day fishing with Harry. When he got back, we were all donefeeling very sensible and mature about it, tooand watching Monster Garage on the Discovery Channel. â€Å"I probably ought to go.† Jacob sighed. â€Å"It's later than I thought.† â€Å"Okay, fine,† I grumbled. â€Å"I'll take you home.† He laughed at my unwilling expressionit seemed to please him. â€Å"Tomorrow, back to work,† I said as soon as we were safe in the truck. â€Å"What time do you want me to come up?† There was an unexplained excitement in his answering smile. â€Å"I'll call you first, okay?† â€Å"Sure.† I frowned to myself, wondering what was up. His smile widened. I cleaned the house the next morningwaiting for Jacob to call and trying to shake off the Litest nightmare. The scenery had changed. Last night I'd wandered in a wide sea of ferns interspersed with huge hemlock trees. There was nothing else there, and I was lost, wandering aimless and alone, searching for nothing. I wanted to kick myself for the stupid field trip last week. I shoved the dream out of my conscious mind, hoping it would stay locked up somewhere and not escape again. Charlie was outside washing the cruiser, so when the phone rang, I dropped the toilet brush and ran downstairs to answer it. â€Å"Hello?† I asked breathlessly. â€Å"Bella,† Jacob said, a strange, formal tone to his voice. â€Å"Hey, Jake.† â€Å"I believe that we have a date† he said, his tone thick with implications. It took me a second before I got it. â€Å"They're done? I can't believe it!† What perfect timing. I needed something to distract me from nightmares and nothingness. â€Å"Yeah, they run and everything.† â€Å"Jacob, you are absolutely, without a doubt, the most talented and wonderful person I know. You get ten years for this one.† â€Å"Cool! I'm middle-aged now.† I laughed. â€Å"I'm on my way up!† I threw the cleaning supplies under the bathroom counter and grabbed my jacket. â€Å"Headed to see Jake,† Charlie said when I ran past him. It wasn't really a question. â€Å"Yep,† I replied as I jumped in my truck. â€Å"I'll be at the station later,† Charlie called after me. â€Å"Okay,† I yelled back, turning the key. Charlie said something else, but I couldn't hear him clearly over the roar of the engine. It sounded sort of like, â€Å"Where's the fire?† I parked my truck off to the side of the Blacks' house, close to the trees, to make it easier for us to sneak the bikes out. When I got out, a splash of color caught my eyetwo shiny motorcycles, one red, one black, were hidden under a spruce, invisible from the house. Jacob was prepared. There was a piece of blue ribbon tied in a small bow around each of the handlebars. I was laughing at that when Jacob ran out of the house. â€Å"Ready?† he asked in a low voice, his eyes sparkling. I glanced over his shoulder, and there was no sign of Billy. â€Å"Yeah,† I said, but I didn't feel quite as excited as before; I was trying to imagine myself actually on the motorcycle. Jacob loaded the bikes into the bed of the truck with ease, laying them carefully on their sides so they didn't show. â€Å"Let's go,† he said, his voice higher than usual with excitement. â€Å"I know the perfect spotno one will catch us there.† We drove south out of town. The dirt road wove in and out of the forestsometimes there was nothing but trees, and then there would suddenly be a breathtaking glimpse of the Pacific Ocean, reaching to the horizon, dark gray under the clouds. We were above the shore, on top of the cliffs that bordered the beach here and the view seemed to stretch on forever. I was driving slowly, so that I could safely stare out across the ocean now and then, as the road wound closer to the sea cliffs. Jacob was talking about finishing the bikes, but his descriptions were getting technical, so I wasn't paying close attention. That was when I noticed four figures standing on a rocky ledge, much too close to the precipice. I couldn't tell from the distance how old they were, but I assumed they were men. Despite the chill in the air today, they seemed to be wearing only shorts. As I watched, the tallest person stepped closer to the brink. I slowed automatically, my foot hesitating over the brake pedal. And then he threw himself off the edge. â€Å"No!† I shouted, stomping down on the brake. â€Å"What's wrong?† Jacob shouted back, alarmed. â€Å"That guyhe just jumped off the cliff! Why didn't they stop him? We've got to call an ambulance!† I threw open my door and started to get out, which made no sense at all. The fastest way to a phone was to drive back to Billy's. But I couldn't believe what I'd just seen. Maybe, subconsciously, I hoped I would see something different without the glass of the windshield in the way. Jacob laughed, and I spun to stare at him wildly. How could he be so calloused, so cold-blooded? â€Å"They're just cliff diving, Bella. Recreation. La Push doesn't have a mall, you know.† He was teasing, but there was a strange note of irritation in his voice. â€Å"Cliff diving?† I repeated, dazed. I stared in disbelief as a second figure stepped to the edge, paused, and then very gracefully leaped into space. He fell for what seemed like an eternity to me, finally cutting smoothly into the dark gray waves below. â€Å"Wow. It's so high.† I slid back into my seat, still staring wide-eyed at the two remaining divers. â€Å"It must be a hundred feet.† â€Å"Well, yeah, most of us jump from lower down, that rock that juts out from the cliff about halfway.† He pointed out his window. The place he indicated did seem much more reasonable. â€Å"Those guys are insane. Probably showing off how tough they are. I mean, really, it's freezing today. That water can't feel good.† He made a disgruntled face, as if the stunt personally offended him. It surprised me a little. I would have thought Jacob was nearly impossible to upset. â€Å"You jump off the cliff?† I hadn't missed the â€Å"us.† â€Å"Sure, sure.† He shrugged and grinned. â€Å"It's fun. A little scary, kind of a rush.† I looked back at the cliffs, where the third figure was pacing the edge. I'd never witnessed anything so reckless in all my life. My eyes widened, and I smiled. â€Å"Jake, you have to take me cliff diving.† He frowned back at me, his face disapproving. â€Å"Bella, you just wanted to call an ambulance for Sam,† he reminded me. I was surprised that he could tell who it was from this distance. â€Å"I want to try,† I insisted, start ing to get out of the car again. Jacob grabbed my wrist. â€Å"Not today, all right? Can we at least wait for a warmer day?† â€Å"Okay, fine,† I agreed. With the door open, the glacial breeze was raising goose bumps on my arm. â€Å"But I want to go soon.† â€Å"Soon.† He rolled his eyes. â€Å"Sometimes you're a little strange, Bella. Do you know that?† I sighed. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"And we're not jumping off the top.† I watched, fascinated, as the third boy made a running start and flung himself farther into the empty air than the other two. He twisted and cartwheeled through space as he fell, like he was skydiving. He looked absolutely freeunthinking and utterly irresponsible. â€Å"Fine,† I agreed. â€Å"Not the first time, anyway.† Now Jacob sighed. â€Å"Are we going to try out the bikes or not?† he demanded. â€Å"Okay, okay,† I said, tearing my eyes away from the last person waiting on the cliff. I put my seat belt back on and closed the door. The engine was still running, roaring as it idled. We started down the road again. â€Å"So who were those guysthe crazy ones?† I wondered. He made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat. â€Å"The La Push gang.† â€Å"You have a gang?† I asked. I realized that I sounded impressed. He laughed once at my reaction. â€Å"Not like that. I swear, they're like hall monitors gone bad. They don't start fights, they keep the peace.† He snorted. â€Å"There was this guy from up somewhere by the Makah rez, big guy too, scary-looking. Well, word got around that he was selling meth to kids, and Sam Uley and his disciples ran him off our land. They're all about our land, and tribe pride it's getting ridiculous. The worst part is that the council takes them seriously. Embry said that the council actually meets with Sam.† He shook his head, face full of resentment. â€Å"Embry also heard from Leah Clearwater that they call themselves ‘protectors' or something like that.† Jacob's hands were clenched into fists, as if he'd like to hit something. I'd never seen this side of him. I was surprised to hear Sam Uley's name. I didn't want it to bring back the images from my nightmare, so I made a quick observation to distract myself. â€Å"You don't like them very much.† â€Å"Does it show?† he asked sarcastically. â€Å"Well It doesn't sound like they're doing anything bad.† I tried to soothe him, to make him cheerful again. â€Å"Just sort of annoyingly goody-two-shoes for a gang.† â€Å"Yeah. Annoying is a good word. They're always showing offlike the cliff thing. They act like like, I don't know. Like tough guys. I was hanging out at the store with Embry and Quil once, last semester, and Sam came by with his followers, Jared and Paul. Quil said something, you know how he's got a big mouth, and it pissed Paul off. His eyes got all dark, and he sort of smiledno, he showed his teeth but he didn't smileand it was like he was so mad he was shaking or something. But Sam put his hand against Paul's chest and shook his head. Paul looked at him for a minute and calmed down. Honestly, it was like Sam was holding him backlike Paul was going to tear us up if Sam didn't stop him.† He groaned. â€Å"Like a bad western. You know, Sam's a pretty big guy, he's twenty. But Paul's just sixteen, too, shorter than me and not as beefy as Quil. I think any one of us could take him.† â€Å"Tough guys,† I agreed. I could see it in my head as he described it, and it reminded me of something a trio of tall, dark men standing very still and close together in my father's living room. The picture was sideways, because my head was lying against the couch while Dr. Gerandy and Charlie leaned over me Had that been Sam's gang? I spoke quickly again to divert myself from the bleak memories. â€Å"Isn't Sam a little too old for this kind of thing?† â€Å"Yeah. He was supposed to go to college, but he stayed. And no one gave him any crap about it, either. The whole council pitched a fit when my sister turned down a partial scholarship and got married. But, oh no, Sam Uley can do no wrong.† His face was set in unfamiliar lines of outrageoutrage and something else I didn't recognize at first. â€Å"It all sounds really annoying and strange. But I don't get why you're taking it so personally.† I peeked over at his face, hoping I hadn't offended him. He was suddenly calm, staring out the side window. â€Å"You just missed the turn,† he said in an even voice. I executed a very wide U-turn, nearly hitting a tree as my circle ran the truck halfway off the road. â€Å"Thanks for the heads-up,† I muttered as I started up the side road. â€Å"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention.† It was quiet for a brief minute. â€Å"You can stop anywhere along here,† he said softly. I pulled over and cut the engine. My ears rang in the silence that followed. We both got out, and Jacob headed around to the back to get the bikes. I tried to read his expression. Something more was bothering him. I'd hit a nerve. He smiled halfheartedly as he pushed the red bike to my side. â€Å"Happy late birthday. Are you ready for this?† â€Å"I think so.† The bike suddenly looked intimidating, frightening, as I realized I would soon be astride it. â€Å"We'll take it slow,† he promised. I gingerly leaned the motorcycle against the truck's fender while he went to get his. â€Å"Jake†I hesitated as he came back around the truck. â€Å"Yeah?† â€Å"What's really bothering you? About the Sam thing, I mean? Is there something else?† I watched his face. He grimaced, but he didn't seem angry. He looked at the dirt and kicked his shoe against the front tire of his bike again and again, like he was keeping time. He sighed. â€Å"It's just the way they treat me. It creeps me out.† The words started to rush out now. â€Å"You know, the council is supposed to be made up of equals, but if there was a leader, it would be my dad. I've never been able to figure out why people treat him the way they do. Why his opinion counts the most. It's got something to do with his father and his father's father. My great-grandpa, Ephraim Black, was sort of the last chief we had, and they still listen to Billy, maybe because of that. â€Å"But I'm just like everyone else. Nobody treats me special until now.† That caught me off guard. â€Å"Sam treats you special?† â€Å"Yeah,† he agreed, looking up at me with troubled eyes. â€Å"He looks at me like he's waiting for something like I'm going to join his stupid gang someday. He pays more attention to me than any of the other guys. I hate it.† â€Å"You don't have to join anything.† My voice was angry. This was really upsetting Jacob, and that infuriated me. Who did these â€Å"protectors† think they were? â€Å"Yeah.† His foot kept up its rhythm against the tire. â€Å"What?† I could tell there was more. He frowned, his eyebrows pulling up in a way that looked sad and worried rather than angry. â€Å"It's Embry. He's been avoiding me lately.† The thoughts didn't seem connected, but I wondered if I was to blame for the problems with his friend. â€Å"You've been hanging out with me a lot,† I reminded him, feeling selfish. I'd been monopolizing him. â€Å"No, that's not it. It's not just meit's Quil, too, and everyone. Embry missed a week of school, but he was never home when we tried to see him. And when he came back, he looked he looked freaked out. Terrified. Quil and I both tried to get him to tell us what was wrong, but he wouldn't talk to either one of us.† I stared at Jacob, biting my lip anxiouslyhe was really frightened. But he didn't look at me. He watched his own foot kicking the rubber as if it belonged to someone else. The tempo increased. â€Å"Then this week, out of nowhere, Embry's hanging out with Sam and the rest of them. He was out on the cliffs today.† His voice was low and tense. He finally looked at me. â€Å"Bella, they bugged him even more than they bother me. He didn't want anything to do with them. And now Embry's following Sam around like he's joined a cult. â€Å"And that's the way it was with Paul. Just exactly the same. He wasn't friends with Sam at all. Then he stopped coming to school for a few weeks, and, when he came back, suddenly Sam owned him. I don't know what it means. I can't figure it out, and I feel like I have to, because Embry's my friend and Sam's looking at me funny . . and† He trailed off. â€Å"Have you talked to Billy about this?† I asked. His horror was spreading to me. I had chills running on the back of my neck. Now there was anger on his face. â€Å"Yes,† he snorted. â€Å"That was helpful.† â€Å"What did he say?† Jacob's expression was sarcastic, and when he spoke, his voice mocked the deep tones of his father's voice. â€Å"It's nothing you need to worry about now, Jacob. In a few years, if you don't well, I'll explain later.† And then his voice was his own. â€Å"What am I supposed to get from that? Is he trying to say it's some stupid puberty, coming-of-age thing? This is something else. Something wrong.† He was biting his lower lip and clenching his hands. He looked like he was about to cry. I threw my arms around him instinctively, wrapping them around his waist and pressing my face against his chest. He was so big, I felt like I was a child hugging a grown-up. â€Å"Oh, Jake, it'll be okay!† I promised. â€Å"If it gets worse you can come live with me and Charlie. Don't be scared, we'll think of something!† He was frozen for a second, and then his long arms wrapped hesitantly around me. â€Å"Thanks, Bella.† His voice was huskier than usual. We stood like that for a moment, and it didn't upset me; in fact, I felt comforted by the contact. This didn't feel anything like the last time someone had embraced me this way. This was friendship. And Jacob was very warm. It was strange for me, being this closeemotionally rather than physically, though the physical was strange for me, tooto another human being. It wasn't my usual style. I didn't normally relate to people so easily, on such a basic level. Not human beings. â€Å"If this is how you're going to react, I'll freak out more often.† Jacob's voice was light, normal again, and his laughter rumbled against my ear. His fingers touched my hair, soft and tentative. Well, it was friendship for me. I pulled away quickly, laughing with him, but determined to put things back in perspective at once. â€Å"It's hard to believe I'm two years older than you,† I said, emphasizing the word older. â€Å"You make me feel like a dwarf.† Standing this close to him, I really had to crane my neck to see his face. â€Å"You're forgetting I'm in my forties, of course.† â€Å"Oh, that's right.† He patted my head. â€Å"You're like a little doll,† he teased. â€Å"A porcelain doll.† I rolled my eyes, taking another step away. â€Å"Let's not start with the albino cracks.† â€Å"Seriously, Bella, are you sure you're not?† He stretched his russet arm out next to mine. The difference wasn't flattering. â€Å"I've never seen anyone paler than you well, except for† He broke off, and I looked away, trying to not understand what he had been about to say. â€Å"So are we going to ride or what?† â€Å"Let's do it,† I agreed, more enthusiastic than I would have been half a minute ago. His unfinished sentence reminded me of why I was here.

How Does Your Current School Meet the Holistic Needs of a Child?

Critically evaluate how the principles and approaches of your school meet the holistic needs of every child This assignment will look to critically evaluate how a school in which I am currently on placement meets the holistic needs of the children in their care. In order to protect the schools identity they will be known as School A. I will look to evaluate how the schools ethos is put into practice in everyday teaching and learning, and how this benefits/disadvantages the pupils.Due to the limited allotted word count for this assignment I am unable to describe in depth how the school meets the holistic needs of every child in attendance, therefore I will look at one group of children in particular who will be known as Group X. I am also unable to look in depth at all of the holistic needs and instead will focus on the intellectual and social needs.I will analyse the practice of Every Child Matters (2002)-(ECM)- this government initiative for England and Wales looked to help schools to meet what the government believed to be the basic needs of every child, these being: – Be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic well-being. Even though ECM is not current legislation, its themes still underpin the ethos of the majority of schools in England and Wales.I shall also look at current legislation and recent reports regarding education including: The Cambridge Primary Review (2009) and The Rose Review (2009) to examine how the government look to support and develop learning. I will look to debate the ideas of three major theorists – Jean Piaget (1932), Lev Vygotsky (1978) and Abraham Maslow (1943), to describe the practice that I have observed in School A. When looking at the holistic needs of a child we are really looking at the whole child, what they need in order to develop to their full potential. Feature Article  Country School  Allen CurnowThese needs are defined as the need for physical, emotional, intellectual, social and creative fulfilment. In order to meet the physical needs of a child we must endeavour to provide them with the basic provisions of air, food, water, sleep and exercise. Emotionally children need praise, love, trust, security, and a feeling of self-fulfilment. As teachers, it was often perceived in the past by people outside of the profession that we are solely responsible for the intellectual needs of a child, these being the need for challenging thoughts, reading, learning something new, and mind stimulation.In order to develop fully children need social interaction through companionship and friendship. Creativity is the need to express ones self in an imaginative way. This can include the arts, dancing, acting, and writing. Holistic education is the idea that every child finds identity, meaning, and purpose in life through connections to the communi ty, to the natural world, and to spiritual values such as compassion and peace. This can be achieved, not through an academic â€Å"curriculum†, but through contact with the outside environment.Montessori, for example, spoke of â€Å"cosmic† education: â€Å"Help the person feel part of the wholeness of the universe, and learning will naturally be enchanted and inviting. † Montessori (1912) It can be said that there is not one effective way to accomplish this goal, as there are many ways of learning and many types of learner and the holistic educator values them all; what is appropriate for some children, in some situations, may not be best for others. School A has been judged to be outstanding in two consecutive Ofsted reports.Behaviour is exemplary and pupils feel safe, confident and capable of, as they put it, ‘reaching our potential'. Ofsted, (2004) This is an example of many praising quotes from the schools 2008 Ofsted report. From this report it can be seen that Ofsted viewed the school to be meeting the holistic needs of the children. It is without question that the school provides excellent provisions to meet the children’s physical needs. There is a breakfast club, where children can have a healthy breakfast giving them a good start to the day.Hot meals are provided at lunchtimes for those who do not wish to bring packed lunches from home, and fresh fruit is provided free of charge at both morning and afternoon playtimes. The school are clearly still working under the guise of ECM- Be Healthy, hence why these provisions are in place. Socially, children are encouraged to form strong friendships and there is certainly a â€Å"family† spirit around the school. Parents are encouraged to take part in and support their child’s learning experience both in and out of school.Rewards assemblies are held every Friday morning, in which children from each class are reward for both their academic (writer & mathematici an of the week) and their social achievements (helpful & well mannered and effort stars of the week). Parents are invited to attend these assemblies to share in the celebration of their child’s achievement. There are an abundance of opportunities for the children to engage in creative activities, there are extra curricular clubs run almost every day after school including Yoga, Dance, Zumba and Art clubs.Creativity is also included within the classroom, most activities are concluded with an element of art or design to make the children’s work appear more attractive, which seems to help certain children (especially those who are visual learners) to embed their learning. Group X is small group of six children with some behavioural issues and some delayed intellectual development, they try hard but often become frustrated that they are unable to accomplish certain tasks, which then causes them to misbehave.These children are often sent to work with a Higher Level Teaching Assistant- (HLTA) who helps them to work at a slower pace in order for them to not feel inadequate in a whole class setting. In mathematics, for example, the HLTA will work with the children using a variety of apparatus such as cubes, coins and counters, to help them to use a tangible object in order to provide them with a context for their learning. She poses open ended questions in order for the children to show their method and understanding of the information.This is a clear example of Piaget’s theory being put into practice. The teaching is being matched to the needs of the individual and this kind of teaching is helping to trigger assimilation and accommodation for the child (Pound 2005, pg. 38). This theory is supported by a number of theorists, in particular Margaret Donaldson who believes that children’s errors or misunderstanding occurred as they are not responding to what was asked of them but were also seeking to understand the meaning of the task or reque st (Pound, 2005 pg. 0), hence by the HLTA using money to aid with the learning of mathematics she was demonstrating to the children why they needed to know this information. Theorist and writers, who believe in inclusion, would however argue that by separating these children from their peer group the school are not demonstrating inclusive practice. Len Barton for example argued that: Inclusive education is about the participation of all children and young people and the removal of all forms of exclusionary practice Barton (1998 cited in Clough and Corbett, 2000,pg. 85).By accepting both arguments benefits and disadvantages of this type of practice can easily be seen. The children are obtaining the knowledge and understanding they require at their own level and speed, however they are being removed from their peer group which may cause discomfort and embarrassment as it could be viewed that they are being highlighted as the individuals with special needs. It can also be argued that t hey are not being given the same opportunities as other children within the class as although the work has been planned by the class teacher the majority of their teaching is being conducted by a HLTA not a qualified teacher.However, by working in a small group and not being completely isolated or immersed in a whole class setting, the children have more opportunity to speak, listen and question what they are being taught. Vygotsky’s theory would be in support of this as he believed that language played a significant role in abstract thought and helped a child develop awareness for a particular way of thinking and interpreting their own ideas. This is in contrast to Piaget’s view, who believed that the use of relevant language follows the development of a concept. Bee and Boyd, 2007) Sir Jim Rose is in agreement with Vygotsky and outlined his findings in his final report. Good primary teaching involves far more than waiting for children to develop by following their ev ery whim. It deliberately deepens and widens children’s understanding by firing their imagination and interest and paving the way to higher achievement through ‘scaffolding’ learning in a community of learners. (Rose Review, 2009 pg. 56) School A are clearly meeting the expectations of the current government by helping children of all abilities to develop their language skills in a variety of ways in order to progress their learning.The children in Group X seem to be very sociable. Having observed them in the playground I have found that they interact well with each other; however tend to distance themselves from other children in their peer group. This could be due to the limited amount of time they spend in the classroom and therefore the stronger bonds they have forged with each other. Due to some of the behavioural problems these children possess, conflict with other children can sometimes lead to violence. The school manage these problems well and ensure tha t parents and the schools behaviour support worker are involved in resolving these issues.School A are clearly trying to help their pupils to â€Å"Make a Positive Contribution† (ECM, 2002) by encouraging them to develop positive relationships and not discriminate or bully. Many Children in attendance at School A are from impoverished backgrounds, the number of children eligible for free school meals are above the national average. It is clear that the school are striving to make this a non-issue in terms of the children’s attainment; however it is widely acknowledged that children from poor backgrounds can be disadvantaged due to a lack of resources, space, overcrowding and poor diet (Curtis and O’Hagan 2003 pg. 7) Abraham Maslow spoke of deficiency needs, these being the need for esteem, friendship and love, security, and physical needs (Maslow, 1954). I have observed during my time spent in the school that it is clear that the children feel a sense of belongi ng and safety, have forged solid friendships and are physically well and able to learn, in short the school are meeting the core needs of its pupils, as outlined by Maslow. The Cambridge Review found that there is a â€Å"pervasive anxiety† about the pressure on pupils at school, and this concern often overshadow and conceal the fact that poverty is the single biggest threat to children's lives.In this same report it is discussed that children like those at School A lack the massively compensating advantages of financial wealth, emotional harmony and a home life which is linguistically, intellectually, culturally and spiritually rich (Curtis, 2009, p. 6) The school is located in an impoverished area and the school are doing all they can in order to provide their children with a stable environment, which they may not experience at home. School A’s philosophy on achievement, attainment and children’s well-being is outlined in its prospectus (See Appendix A) and is clearly implemented in the teaching and learning.They have a child centred curriculum, which is broad balanced and differentiated to meet the needs of all children including those with special educational needs. The children clearly progress throughout their time at School A with attainment targets regularly being met and exceeded. In short the school meet all of their own targets, whilst encompassing the key themes of ECM. I believe that the short time I have spent in School A, has already helped me to begin to forge my own teaching philosophy. The school has the best interest of all children at its core.Even though ECM is no longer current legislation its themes are still at the heart of what makes a good teacher and a good school and School A encompasses these whole heartedly. For my future professional development, I believe that I will endeavour to encompass all of the points raised by ECM as I believe these things are the key to becoming not just an adequate but an outstandin g teacher. Vygotsky and Piaget both present theories which are not just useful but essential for the modern education professional to be everything they need to be. In conclusion, School A is an outstanding school.They are practicing the key points raised in recent legislation and reports and are demonstrating the theories of Vygotsky, Piaget and a variety of other theorists. The children’s intellectual and emotional well being is at the heart of its ethos and this is reflected in the everyday teaching at the school. References Curtis, P. (2009) ‘The Cambridge primary review's key findings’, TheGuardian, 16 October, p. 6 Department for Education and Skills (2002) Every Child Matters: Presented to Parliament by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury byCommand of Her Majesty, September 2003, Cm 5860, London: Stationery Office. Alexander, R. (ed) (2010) Children, Their World, Their Education: Final Reportand Recommendations of the Cambridge Primary Review. London:Routl edge Rose, Sir J. (2006) Independent Review of the Teaching of Early Reading:final report. [Online] Nottingham, DfES Publications. Available from:http://www. education. gov. uk/publications/standard/publicationdetail/page1/DFES-0201-2006 [Accessed 7th October 2012]. Montessori, M. (1948) The Absorbant Mind. In: Chattin-McNichols, J. (ed. The Absorbant Mind. New York: Henry Holt and Company Pound, L. (2005) How Children Learn. London: Step Forward PublishingLimited Clough,P. and Corbett, J. (2000) Theories of Inclusive education: a Student Guide. London: Paul Chapman Publishing Boyd, D. and Bee, H. (2007) The Developing Child. 11th edition. Boston:Pearson Education, Inc Curtis, A. and O’Hagan, M. (2003) Care and Education in Early Childhood. London: RoutledgeFalmer Maslow, A. (1970) Motivation and Personality. 3rd edition. New York: Harper &Row Ofsted (2008) School A Appendix 1

ANALYSIS ON THE EUROPEAN UNION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

ANALYSIS ON THE EUROPEAN UNION - Essay Example A Commissioner can be responsible for policy areas that belong to different DGs. Cabinet portfolios are basically function-based. National officials are invited by the Commission to participate on expert and advisory committees in the preparatory stages of a policy process. They attend as area experts, and do not formally represent their governments (Docksey and Williams, 1997, p. 141). Interest group participation is functionally based. The geographical principle is apparent in several respects. At the apex of the organization, the College of Commissioners is comprised of persons proposed by the member governments. They are served by personal secretariats that are composed of compatriots of the respective commissioners. For the Commission services, the recruitment of officials is drawn from national quotas but merit criteria is also applied. The EU has 27 member countries. ... (since 2004-05-01), Lithuania (since 2004-05-01), Luxembourg (EUR), Malta (since 2004-05-01) (EUR: 2008-01-01), the Netherlands (EUR), Poland (since 2004-05-01),Portugal (EUR), Romania (since 2007-01-01),Slovakia (since 2004-05-01) (EUR: 2009-01-01), Slovenia (since 2004-05-01) (EUR) , Spain (EUR), Sweden (since 1995-01-01) and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. III. Economic Total Value of Trade The EU has a tremendous trading partnership with various countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP). The total value of EU trade with the ACP countries reached approximately 80 billion for 2007. The breakdown of trade transactions reflected figures of EU importation worth 40.2 billion and EU export figures of 39.7 billion. For the African countries, the EU is their largest trading partner.In terms of trade composition, the profile of key products which are currently traded are as follows: the ACP countries export petroleum (42% of total exports), cocoa beans, (5%) and diamonds (5%). The EU exports machinery (22%), oil (11%), vehicles (7%), boats (7%), and medicines (3%). The EU also poured considerable foreign direct investment to the ACP countries which had increased from 1,922 million in 1996 to 4,319 million in 2002. This value of investment represents approximately 3.3% share out of the total investment outflows of the EU.In terms of foreign direct investment breakdown, foreign dirext investment flows to ACP Africa peaked from 1,532 million in 1995 to 2,799 million in 2002. Hence, the ACP has increasingly become a destination for investment by the EU.According to EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson (2008), the continued prosperity of Europe hinges on business certainty, tariff predictability,

The Power Trainings Role In The Sports Football Essay

The Power Trainings Role In The Sports Football - Essay Example The defensive players, which rely on extension strength, need to power train their triceps muscle group (i.e. upper arms); meanwhile, the offensive players, which rely on flexion strength, need to power train their biceps muscle group (Sharkey and Gaskill, Sports Physiology 199). The principle of specificity enables the football players to concentrate their power training on the particular muscle group used, as a defensive or offensive player, on the field. The most common power training program is the lifting program. This program usually consists of â€Å"utilizing barbells, dumbbells, exercise machines and plyometrics† (Arthur and Bailey 10). While the use of weights is common for lifting, plyometrics is considered a more advanced power-building technique. It works by â€Å"rapidly stretching and contracting specific muscles under significant resistance† and improves the speed by which contraction commences in the muscles (McCarthy 160). Thus, it does not suffice to say that there is the power behind those muscle groups; it is also essential to understand the mechanisms that enable football players to fully exploit the power potential built in their muscles. In any sports training, an imperative initiative involves warm-up exercises while overdoing the training is considered unhealthy if not risky. These exercises enable the player to â€Å"establish a strength and endurance base† and avoid joint pains or delayed onset muscle soreness (Sharkey and Gaskill, Fitness and Health 197). In plyometrics, warm-ups include a slow start and then the gradual escalation of repetitions and intensity (Sharkey and Gaskill, Fitness and Health 197). It is very important that players recognize the setbacks and dangers involved in this power training since this will enable everyone to safeguard themselves, their muscles in particular, and optimally perform in the field.

Dividends Policy of Vodafone Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dividends Policy of Vodafone - Assignment Example In addition, Dr. David Grundy aimed at introducing the main issues surrounding dividends, understanding the main concepts of dividend irrelevance and also evaluating the criticisms of M&M proposals. Corporate managers always consider the choice of dividend policy. They believe that firm value and the shareholders wealth may remain affected by decisions made on dividend policies (Baker 2009). Dividend policy is indispensable to investors because it supplies cash to firms with anticipation of eventually receiving money in return. An argument before Miller and Modigliani says that dividends are preferable to capital gains because of future gain uncertainty. Thus investors would rather have the money now than leave it tied up in uncertain investment. However, Miller and Modigliani concluded by saying that dividends are irrelevant in determining the firm value but most of the managers act as if their dividend policy is relevant (Baker, 2009). In spite of dividend policy decisions being concluded to be irrelevant, they play a big role in achieving firm value maximization. It’s true that dividends affect the value of firm shares. Nevertheless, investors prefer dividends since the dividend policy influence the MV of the company. For example, if the company pays low dividends, most probably the investors will sell those shares and buy in a company that will pay more dividends. Thus the share price would go down for the company that did not pay dividends. In short, high dividends may indicate a lack of attractive investments, and thus lower future investments returns. Likewise low dividends may indicate many attractive investments and thus better future prospects. Although market tends to be short-sighted. However, certain investors have preferences based on their income tax position. Income tax is at 10 percent, 23 percent and 40 percent while capital gains are taxed at 35 percent. This leads investors at a

THE SUCCESS OF A COMPANY DEPENDS ON HOW TO WHAT DEGREE EXERCISES ITS Essay

THE SUCCESS OF A COMPANY DEPENDS ON HOW TO WHAT DEGREE EXERCISES ITS MARKETING STRATEGY - Essay Example ether or not LVMH has sound marketing strategy, and whether or not the extent to which the strategies apply, has implications on company’s performance. Literature will be reviewed to seek evidence from published documented articles on marketing strategies. Specifically in this case, literature will be reviewed on marketing strategy-types, theoretical models and other relevant information based on the case study of LVMH. The study will concentrate its arguments on the 4Ps of marketing model: product, price, promotion and placement; it will also seek to explain why some companies are leaders in business market and others followers; or rater, why some companies remain forever successful while other enter the market but have no solid results to show. Business market is rapidly globalizing. As a result, there is increasing competition in the market environment. Large and small businesses are battling in the same markets to ensure profits; only the smartest in this survival-of-the-fittest game can make it. Therefore, it needs companies to have smart business strategies in marketing as it is the core of customer satisfaction. â€Å"A marketing strategy is a summary of your companys products and positions in relation to the competition; your sales and marketing plans are the specific actions youre going to undertake to achieve the goals of your marketing strategy† (Ward, 2011). Therefore, concerning to the defined values, this study will focus on LVMH’s international marketing strategy and how it has turned the company into a leading luxury brand. Marketing ensures that a customer gets to know the products and services a company offers on numerous prices. Therefore a company that has to maintain its competitive edge amidst the stiff competition has to have a smart marketing strategy. A marketing strategy simply ensures that marketing plans are effectively rolled out. In this study, the first chapter will present an overview of marketing strategies as background

Commensal and Parasitic Barnacles Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Commensal and Parasitic Barnacles - Term Paper Example Barnacles are both commensals and parasites. As commensals, barnacles usually benefit from their hosts by having a place to stay, and being carried to nutrient-rich areas of the sea (â€Å"Hitchhiker†). Although the host animal, such as whales, does not benefit from barnacles attached to its body, the host remains unaffected. On the other hand, parasitic barnacles bore through the exoskeleton of the host and moves to the blood and the midgut of the animal until it branches into a mass of harmful tissue, thus killing the animal host (â€Å"Sacculina†). Overall, there are several types of barnacles but only four orders. Order Thoracica or the â€Å"True Barnacles† The first order of barnacles is the order Thoracica, or the â€Å"true barnacles† Newman & Abbott). The Thoracica are the most important because they are more abundant and more conspicuous than the species of the other orders. Although the Thoracica occur most abundantly in the tropical Indo-Pacifi c region of the ocean, they are basically found in all types of marine environments, both in saltwater and freshwater. However, it remains a fact that â€Å"none completes its life cycle in freshwater† (Newman & Abbott). ... ally dependent† on larger animals like shark, corals or worms, especially during the earlier stages of barnacle evolution, and although their symbiosis was only for â€Å"support or protection,† these relationships were still considered parasitic (Newman & Abbott). There are three suborders of Thoracica barnacles: the stalked barnacles or Lepadomorpha, the assymetrical sessile barnacles or the Verrucomorpha, and the symmetrical sessile barnacles or the Balanomorpha. The Lepadomorpha or stalked barnacles usually have a body â€Å"divided into a capitulum with cirri and mouthparts as feeding appendages, and a peduncle or stalk which attaches the animal to the substratum. Occasionally, the capitulum and the peduncle are heavily laden with calcareous plates (Newman & Abbott). Source: http://cccmkc.edu.hk/~kei-kph/Ecology/Stalked%20barnacle_Pollicepes.htm Certain Lepadomorpha barnacles, which act as commensals, are usually found in the teeth of the pygmy killer whale or Fere sa attenuata, the sperm whale or Physeter macrocephalus, the goosebeak whale or Ziphius cavirostris, and the Antillean beaked whale or Mesoplodon europaeus, as well as other cetaceans that thrive the deep marine waters (Mignucci-Giannoni, â€Å"Metazoan Parasites†). One unique Lepadomorpha barnacle is the goose barnacle or Lepas anserifa, which is similar to the Balanomorpha or acorn barnacles because of its protective shell (â€Å"Barnacles†). The buoy barnacle, or Dosima fascicularis, is also closely related to the goose barnacle. Although almost all true barnacles are commensals, based on early research, there is a Lepadomorpha barnacle which is parasitic and that is the Conchoderma virgatum (Williams; Hastings). According to information from Williams, the Conchoderma can parasitize two species of whale

Nation-building Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Nation-building - Research Paper Example he Republic of Philippines (13 00 N, 122 00 E) is located in South Eastern Asia between the South China Sea and the Philippines Sea, in the east of Vietnam. The country has tropical marine climate with mostly mountainous terrain and coastal lowlands. The country is an agglomeration of more than 7100 islands. However, only 11 of them are populated. The capital is Manila. History The Republic of Philippines was a Spanish colony during the 16th Century and was conquered by US in the 20th century. In 1935, following the Spanish-American war, Philippines became a self governed commonwealth. During World War 2, the islands fell under the Japanese. From 1944-45 US and Filipinos joint forces fought collectively; and in 1946 as the Republic of Philippines. The Republic of Philippines (locally known as Pilipinas) is made up of 80 provinces and 120 chartered cities. Since the month of June 2010, Benigno Aquino is the president. Economy The Republic of Philippines was once one of the best econom ies in the Asia Pacific region. However, currently the country’s economy is suffering from high poverty rate which is a result of lack of population control and family planning measures. The republic of Philippines has a total population of 93.6 million as per UN data in the year 2010. The official language is called Filipino and English. Majority of the population are Christians. In Asia, The Republic of Philippines has the highest birth rate leading to a high population growth rate. At this rate, the forecast is that the population will be doubled within just three decades. The economy is also crumbling under government deficits and is heavily dependent on the remittances sent by the Filipinos working abroad. The country’s Gross Domestic Product or GDP grew by 7.3 percent in the year... The researcher states the Republic of Philippines has immense potential in terms of being a tourism giant internationally. Island tourism is increasing at a fast rate and the position of the Philippines islands is also strategically advantageous. Topping it is the language advantage- English being one of the official languages. Besides the unique treasures of the Filipino culture as well as the natural assets of both mountain and sea beach is a key strategic point for marketing the country as an attractive tourist destination. However, for successfully marketing The Republic of Philippines, the advertising agency and the Department of Tourism needs to capture the vibes of tourism marketing. It should concentrate at the fact that only natural resources or geographic diversity is not enough for the country to be positioned as a tourism giant. The essential part is forming an emotional relationship with the target audience, so that they keep coming back. Asia has seen a number of succes sful tourism campaigns like Malaysia- Truly Asia, Seoul- Infinitely Yours and The Incredible India campaign. The department of tourism should take cues from such marketing campaigns and try to create an original brand that is strengthened with its unique brand salience and sense of association. Also in the wake of the global financial crisis, the leading tourism industries have suffered. This global slowdown is also a challenge that the Department of Tourism will encounter. Also the outbreak of influenza virus and H1N1 flu led to further negative trends.

How Social Media affects the way we live Assignment

How Social Media affects the way we live - Assignment Example Rhetoric is the way in which we use languages and images to persuade. The media through several endeavors asks the people in many ways to buy something, influence in their own way through several product differentiating strategies and mould the consumers behaviors. Rhetorical analysis of the social media helps the user of the social media to become perfectly informed. At the same time evaluation of the ethical messages can be analyzed in order to test the effect on the common public and the way they affect the society (Bolin Carroll, 2010, p.46). Social media and its features The social media in the present world can be thought to be of a group of online media with the array of primal activities including participation, openness, conversation, and community (Mayfield, 2008, p.5). Participation: The social media social media encourages contributions and feedback from everyone who is interested (Mayfield, 2008, p.5). Openness: The nature of social media basically serves as an open plat form where the feedback and the participation are widely invited. It also helps in the encouragement in the voting, comments and the sharing of information. The barriers of access to the contents present in the social media platform are minimal (Mayfield, 2008, p.5). Conversation: The traditional media is basically concerned with the broadcasting methodology which ensures the content transmission or distribution. But the social media acts as a two-way conversation (Mayfield, 2008, p.5). Community: The social media allows the communities to form quickly and communicate effectively where exchange of information along with the sharing of common interests among the people in topics like photography, any political issues, or it may be any TV shows (Mayfield, 2008, p.5). Connectedness: One of the fundamental agendas of the social media is the emphasis on the connectedness among the people. They try to maintain this connectedness among the public by connecting to the different websites and pertaining links between various people and valuable resources of the society (Mayfield, 2008, p.6). Current forms of the social media There are some well known widely prevalent forms of social media. They are mainly social networking, blogs, wikis, online encyclopedia, podcasts, Forums, content communities, and micro blogging. The social networking allows people to build personal web pages and subsequently maintain connection and sharing content and communication among the people. Some of the popular social networking sites are Face book, My Space, Twitter. The blogs are usually online journals where any news is almost posted at the first instance. The Wikis are those websites which acts as a communal document or database which permits the people to add the contents or edit the information on them. A widely known wikis is the Wikipedia4 which is an online encyclopedia consisting of over 2 million English language articles. The podcasts are audio and video files which can be access ed by people through subscription mechanisms. A widely existing podcast is the Apple iTunes. This creates an indigenous platform for the fusion of several cultures of the globe. The

Little Traditions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Little Traditions - Assignment Example Their liberal tendencies may also be a function of demographics, in that Jews are usually more affluent and better educated than other populations. Thus the great tradition of American Jewry could be described as being untraditional in the devout, orthodox sense. This tradition of skepticism I believe could be linked to their refusal to believe in the divine powers of Jesus. Little Tradition Little traditions in my opinion are those that are not essential to the institutional structure of a society, and which can change without threatening the functioning of the culture, in contrast to great traditions which are required for the effective operation of that particular culture. For example great traditions can include family structure, religious and ethical values, political systems and economic institutions, etc. whereas little traditions can include those that put a â€Å"face† on a culture such as food, clothing, the arts and humor which can evolve without affecting the funda mental structure of a society. An example of a Jewish little tradition is portrayed in the book â€Å"25 Years of Jewish Humor†. (Yuan 2006)This book paints a picture of everyday Jewish life such as human foibles, family friends and dating. Sephardim According to the author (Ray 2008), the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492 created the conditions that eventually gave rise to the origin and development of a Jewish sub ethnic group, namely the Sephardim. The exiled Jews settled in the Mediterranean area and the throughout much of the rest of the world. The Sephardim immigrants were those Jews who did not integrate well in their host nations and felt alienated from them. Instead they identified strongly with where they considered as their homeland, whether that be Spain or Israel. Sephardim people, whether within Israel or elsewhere, could be described as Jewish fundamentalists as they are ultra religious, intolerant of non Jewish religion, very conservative in their values, a nd believe Israel must be a strong monolithic state to defend itself against its’ Arab neighbors. Ashkenazic The Ashkenazic Jewish identity developed as a counterpoint to the Sephardic one, and was facilitated by the 18th century codification of Jewish law, the â€Å"Shulla Arikh(Davis 2002) The coding of law can erase local differences, and serve a universalizing goal such as in the writing of a constitution to unite former separate states into one nation.. While Ashkenazic communities originated in Germany they spread throughout Central and Eastern Europe thereby becoming multi national and multi ethnic. The question then arose whether these immigrant Jews should adopt the customs of their new homeland or retain those of where they came from, and whether Ashkenazim should be defined in terms of residency, lineage, or â€Å"corporation.† †Corporation† in the medieval sense meant a community in which membership was permitted by residents implicitly to othe rs. Eventually the corporation designation prevailed so that the Ashkenazic community was one that self identified as such. Karo and other Jewish scholars felt that although some local variation was acceptable, there should be a base of fundamental law applicable to all Ashkenazic communities, and hence the codification of the â€Å"Shulla Aikh† Aided by the invention of the printing press, this codification was generally accepted in Ashkeazic communities in face

Too Much Medication Essay Example for Free

Too Much Medication Essay One Source Cited: On 9 February 2007 The Boston Globe presented an obvious example of partiality in its presentation of an overdose of psychotropic drugs; leading to the death of 4-year-old Rebecca Riley. Consequently, this sparked debates about whether health officials should press urgently to establish the advantages of treating children with psychotropic drugs, and the safety measures that go along with their use. From top to bottom, the text questions: the dangers of over-medicating children who show signs of potential mental disorders; the age at which children should start the prescribed medication; assessment of children after psychotropic medication treatment; and the responsibility of doctors to evaluate the ability of parents to oversee these potentially fatal drugs (The Boston Globe). For the purposes of this essay, I am forced to agree that ‘health officials should press urgently to determine the advantages of treating children with psychotropic drugs, and the cautions that must accompany their use’. The research I found on this topic appear to support the idea that intense discussion and consideration about pharmacotherapy is vital for future directions of treating children with these medications. According to Hyman (2006) there are far more difficulties in determining the risks and benefits of psychotropic drugs in children. There is also less information known about mental disorders in children than in adults and numerous drugs have not been sufficiently tested in children, particularly because their brains are still developing. In addition, there is even less data about the safety and efficacy of antidepressants in children (Hyman 2006). In actual fact, Hyman (2006) states that these drugs are being used even in the absence of data. That is why I strongly argue in favour of the need for more clinical research involving children, to identify the potential risk-benefits of psychopharmacology. It is the responsibility of caregivers to diagnose; manage and be commited to training in this area. Therefore we need to find out whether the approaches of these drugs are beneficial and safe for children. Furthermore, we have to think about a greater goal and a more practical way to enhance the quality of life for children showing signs of possible mental disorders. What we need to do is patch-up the treatment gaps and incorporate an effective monitoring system which allows health professionals to liaison with schools, other professionals and agencies. In doing so, we may improve diagnostics, treatment and follow-up services and possibly even avoid the recurrence of over-medication? References The Boston Globe: http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2007/02/09/too_much_medication/ Hyman, S.E. (2006). Improving our brains? [Electronic Version]. Biosocieties, 1, 103-111. Retrieved 16 February 2007 from: http://journals.cambridge.org/action/login;jsessionid=36ED98BDE8893D2A30D1BEED7CE0AD3C.tomcat1

Effects of Free Trade Agreements on Trade and Growth in US

Effects of Free Trade Agreements on Trade and Growth in US The Effects of Free Trade Agreements on Trade and Growth in American Countries: Evidence from the Gravity Model Approach Trade as a driver of growth and development is a concept that has been addressed from different perspectives or approaches for scholars and policy-makers. However, an integrative path was sealed with the creation of the World Trade Organization as the main tool to promote a more accessible and clear way to commerce between nations and was further strengthened by bilateral and multilateral FTAs, which continue developing and growing. In the current political scenario, the discussion between supporters of globalisation and detractors provides a compelling framework to study the real effects that Free Trade Agreements cause on the economic performance. While the first group affirms that FTAs enhances the markets and therefore, the economic growth and employment, the second group argues that the global market is damaging the small domestic economies. The present paper covers the increasing effects on trade that are expected by countries that engage in Free Trade Agreements, including bilateral or multilateral ones within American countries, in the context of the three central multilateral trade agreements in the continent (NAFTA, MERCOSUR, and The Pacific Alliance) and other relevant bilateral agreements. The main question to be addressed is whether the positive effects predicted by economic theory on trade when countries eliminate fares and other barriers to trade as part of an agreement effectively happen in the current context of the Americas. The hypothesis is that the implementation of Free Trade Agreements has a positive and significant impact on the trade flows between the American countries. Section 2 includes the theoretical framework behind the relation between trade and FTAs, Section 3 presents the model specification, Section 4 shows the estimation of the model and the econometric tests, the limitations of the theoret ical framework and the model specification are discussed in Section 5, and Section 6 concludes. The Gravity Model has its origins on Location Theory, as it was the main model to include the effects of distance on traded quantities. Isard and Peck (1954) acknowledged the importance of considering distance as a variable in trade analysis establishing the ground from which others such as Tinbergen (1962) and Pà ¶yhà ¶nen (1963) would build the Gravity theory to explain trade flows between countries, conducting the first econometric studies based on the gravity equation. The Gravity Model has proven to be extremely successful in ordering the observed variations in economic transactions and movement of factors. It is also distinguished for its representation of economic interaction in a multi-country world, where the distribution of goods and factors is driven by gravity forces that are conditional to the size of economic activities at each location (Anderson, 2010). In this way, trade between countries is positively related to countries sizes and negatively related to distance. Moreover, as a widely used analytical framework, the model can incorporate adjusting variables such as FTA to indicate the existence of Free Trade Agreements between the objective countries (Yang and Martinez-Zarzozo, 2014). Tinbergen (1962) suggests an economically insignificant average treatment effects of FTAs. However, numerous studies, such as Frankel (1997) on MERCOSUR, find a significant positive effect in line with the expected results. These contradictory outcomes emphasise the fragility of the estimation of FTAs treatment effects and are a clear signal that robustness should be tested. One of the central issues to be explored is the exogeneity of FTAs, since the presence of them, if endogenous, can provide seriously biased results. Baier and Bergstrand (2007) provide several important conclusions to be taken into consideration. They observe that using the standard cross-section gravity equation provides a downwards-biased result. Secondly, attributed to this bias, traditional FTAs effects are underestimated by around 75%-85%. Lastly, the authors demonstrate that the best estimates of the effect of FTAs on bilateral trade are achieved from a theoretically framed gravity equation using panel data with bilateral, country and time fixed effects or differenced panel data with country and time effects. As it is suggested by extensive literature, trade flows are better explained by the Gravity Model, which propose the Newtons Gravity concept to explain bilateral trade as an attraction force, influenced positively by the size of the economies involved in trading and negatively with the costs of transaction (Tinbergen, 1962 and PoÃÅ'ˆyhoÃÅ'ˆnen, 1963). As proxy variables of the size of the economy, the model uses GDP and population of both countries; and Distance between the countries as a proxy for transaction costs. Following the Newtons Gravity Equation, the model estimates: Where is the trade flows between a specific country pair, in other words, is the sum of exports from country to country plus exports from country to country . is the gross domestic product in country , is the population of country , is the GDP in country , is the population of country , and is the distance between the capital cities (as major economic centres) of countries and . To avoid spurious effects due to inflation and currency exchange rates, the variables , and are measured in 2010 constant US dollars. Moreover, recent literature has implemented an augmented version of the gravity model to evaluate other variables of interest related to trade flows. In this way, besides to include more time-sections to the analysis, a dummy for implemented FTAs is added to the explanatory variables, taking a value of 1 if there exist a fully in force agreement and 0 otherwise. For the purpose of this paper, an FTA is considered if it establishes 100% free trade, because many cooperation agreements in the Americas consider only certain sectors for free trade, and these are not the focus of this research. Including the dummy variable, transforming the gravity model using Logarithmic function, to accomplish the linearity-in-parameters assumption, and including the time sections, the model to estimate is: However, it is strongly likely that this model has problems of endogeneity and thus, the estimators are biased due to sampling selection and omitted variable bias, how it is suggested by the literature. However, the logic behind this biasedness is different to the literature review. For Baier and Bergstrand (2007), the parameter of interest would have a negative bias because countries will be more interested in implementing an FTA when the benefits of it are greater. Therefore, the authors conclude that a possible omitted variable would be Tariff Barriers. In this scenario, Tariff Barriers are negatively correlated with trade and positively with FTA, generating a negative bias. This is not the case for America. On the contrary, progressive lower barriers and an improving in the diplomatic relationships have finally pushed the creation of Free Trade areas and agreements. That is why, in this case, we suggest that the bias for the sample would be positive, since the possible omitted variables would be lower barriers and good diplomatic relationships, affecting the FTAs and the trade itself positively. To solve this problem, the literature suggests the use of Fixed Effects Panel Data strategy because this model can control for country-specific and invariant-in-time unobservable variables. Therefore, the model to estimate is: Where will be the identifier for the 29 different country-pair units. Since the Fixed Effects model reacts only to variant-in-time variables, the variable Distance is dropped from the model. This estimation allows controlling by characteristics related to the specific country-pair like diplomatic relationships, trade openness, institutions, and so on. However, there could be variables related to unobserved characteristics in time like trade trends and generalised willingness to trade and sign FTAs. For this reason, it is recommended to use time fixed effects to avoid endogeneity, through the next model: Where will be the identifier for the 13 different time sections. Since the scope of this paper is to evaluate the effect of the FTAs on American countries, the three biggest trade agreements in the continent (NAFTA, MERCOSUR, The Pacific Alliance) were taken as a research target, and their members were chosen as the population. The countries included by Trade Agreement are presented in Table 1: Table 1. Multilateral Trade Agreements in America Agreement Country Start Date North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Canada 01/01/94 Mexico 01/01/94 United States 01/01/94 Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) Argentina 15/08/91 Bolivia 28/02/97 Brazil 15/08/91 Paraguay 15/08/91 Uruguay 15/08/91 MERCOSUR Chile Chile 01/10/96 The Pacific Alliance Chile 01/02/12 Colombia 01/02/12 Mexico 01/02/12 Peru 01/02/12 Source: Organization of American States (2016) However, if those countries were incorporated without taking into account other Free Trade Agreements between them or third countries, problems of sample selection bias would be created. For this reason, in addition to the mentioned free trade areas, bilateral FTA are considered, according to Table 2: Table 2. Bilateral Trade Agreements in the sample FTA Start Date Bolivia Mexico 07/06/10 Canada Chile 05/12/96 Canada Colombia 21/11/08 Canada Peru 29/05/08 Chile Mexico 01/08/99 Chile Panama 07/03/08 Chile Peru 01/03/09 Mexico Chile 01/08/99 Mexico Uruguay 15/07/04 Panama Canada 01/04/13 Panama Peru 01/05/12 United States Chile 01/01/04 United States Colombia 15/05/12 United States Panama 31/10/12 United States Peru 01/02/09 Source: Organization of American States (2016) As the model considers only one dummy variable, if a country-pair has two agreements in force (bilateral and trade area), it is considered the oldest one. Besides, it is important to point out that Venezuela (suspended member of MERCOSUR) was dropped from the list due to the lack of reliable information about trade flows. The information about bilateral trade flows was obtained from The World Banks World Integrated Trade Solution, and the other variables were constructed using information from the World Development Indicators. The database used to estimate the model has 29 country-pairs (cross-sectional units) and 13 time-sections since 1990 to 2014. The used database of bilateral trade drops 1996, leaving the database with one time-section less. Since it is one time-section of fourteen and according to our investigation, the missing information is not related to an event influencing trade flows and the time section is dropped for the entire observations, we have a low risk of biased estimators. Table 3 contains the descriptive statistics showed by the Statistical Software STATA ® for the variables in levels: Table 3. Descriptive statistics of relevant variables (in levels) Variable | Mean Std. Dev. Min Max | Observations ID overall | 25.45435 19.18174 1 74 | N = 460 between | 19.36072 1 74 | n = 29 within | 0 25.45435 25.45435 | T-bar = 15.8621 | | Exports overall | 4.55E+10 1.22E+11 1.45E+08 6.13E+11 | N = 460 between | 1.01E+11 4.22E+08 4.75E+11 | n = 29 within | 3.63E+10 -1.67E+11 2.48E+11 | T-bar = 15.8621 | | GDP_Exp overall | 1.02E+12 2.25E+12 9.96E+09 1.62E+13 | N = 460 between | 2.40E+12 1.37E+10 1.30E+13 | n = 29 within | 3.60E+11 -1.94E+12 4.21E+12 | T-bar = 15.8621 | | Pop~Exp overall | 6.71E+07 7.28E+07 2738125 3.19E+08 | N = 460 between | 7.16E+07 3324953 2.86E+08 | n = 29 within | 8255115 3.64E+07 9.97E+07 | T-bar = 15.8621 | | GDP_Imp overall | 6.78E+12 6.55E+12 9.96E+09 1.62E+13 | N = 460 between | 6.28E+12 1.61E+10 1.38E+13 | n = 29 within | 1.50E+12 2.71E+12 1.00E+13 | T-bar = 15.8621 | | Pop~Imp overall | 1.68E+08 1.31E+08 3201604 3.19E+08 | N = 460 between | 1.31E+08 3310046 2.95E+08 | n = 29 within | 1.42E+07 1.31E+08 2.00E+08 | T-bar = 15.8621 | | FTA overall | 0.5043478 0.5005254 0 1 | N = 460 between | 0.4360526 0 1 | n = 29 within | 0.2546286 -0.453985 1.393237 | T-bar = 15.8621 | | Distance overall | 3690.712 2529.406 213.02 8483.39 | N = 460 between | 2533.405 213.02 8483.39 | n = 29 within | 1.55E-12 3690.712 3690.712 | T-bar = 15.8621 However, since the estimations are calculated using a logarithmic transformation of the continuous variables, the descriptive statistics of the variables in natural logarithm are presented in Table 4: Table 4. Descriptive statistics of relevant variables (in logarithm) Variable | Mean Std. Dev. Min Max | Observations FTA overall | 0.5043478 0.5005254 0 1 | N = 460 between | 0.4360526 0 1 | n = 29 within | 0.2546286 -0.4539855 1.393237 | T-bar = 15.8621 | | lexports overall | 2.25E+01 1.84E+00 1.88E+01 27.14178 | N = 460 between | 1.64E+00 1.98E+01 26.85607 | n = 29 within | 5.17E-01 2.10E+01 23.84729 | T-bar = 15.8621 | | lGDP_ex overall | 2.65E+01 1.66E+00 2.30E+01 30.41464 | N = 460 between | 1.69E+00 2.33E+01 30.18564 | n = 29 within | 2.28E-01 2.58E+01 27.04886 | T-bar = 15.8621 | | lGDP_im overall | 2.77E+01 2.795514 2.30E+01 30.41464 | N = 460 between | 2.719438 2.35E+01 30.25019 | n = 29 within | 1.94E-01 2.70E+01 28.17505 | T-bar = 15.8621 | | lPop_ex overall | 1.75E+01 1.11E+00 1.48E+01 19.58041 | N = 460 between | 1.12E+00 1.50E+01 19.47142 | n = 29 within | 8.70E-02 1.72E+01 17.64414 | T-bar = 15.8621 | | lPop_im overall | 1.80E+01 1.821994 1.50E+01 19.58041 | N = 460 between | 1.826536 1.50E+01 19.50204 | n = 29 within | 8.05E-02 1.78E+01 18.19405 | T-bar = 15.8621 | | ldista~e overall | 7.89E+00 9.17E-01 5.36E+00 9.045865 | N = 460 between | 9.10E-01 5.36E+00 9.045865 | n = 29 within | 0.00E+00 7.89E+00 7.891049 | T-bar = 15.8621 Although using pooled OLS with the database will generate problems of endogeneity discussed further below, OLS estimation is made to have the first approach to the gravity model. Table 5 shows the obtained results: Table 5. Gravity Model estimated by OLS lexports | Coef. Std. Err. t P>|t| [95% Conf. Interval] lGDP_exp | 0.6340649 0.0394767 16.06 0 0.5564848 0.7116451 lGDP_imp | 0.4512511 0.0464715 9.71 0 0.3599247 0.5425775 lPop_exp | 0.2196251 0.0606458 3.62 0 0.1004432 0.3388071 lPop_imp | 0.5049373 0.0726212 6.95 0 0.362221 0.6476536 FTA | 0.5136195 0.0689928 7.44 0 0.3780338 0.6492052 ldistance | -0.9256142 0.0407673 -22.7 0 -1.005731 -0.8454978 _cons | -12.68833 0.7146799 -17.75 0 -14.09283 -11.28383 With a , the model behaves according to the literature and all variables are statistically significant using any level of significance. The variables measuring the mass of the economies are positive and distance is negative. Additionally, the variable of interest FTA is positive and statistically relevant, showing tha

Media Impact on War

Media Impact on War Vivienne Owusu-Ansah MEDIA TRANSFORMATION Can media help win – or lose – a war? Answer through detailed discussion of coverage in one war since 1945 – The Gulf War II. In 2003, America and its allies, U.K., Australia and Poland, well known as the coalition forces invaded Iraq and began a conflict which has come to be known as the Gulf war II or Iraq war and were later joined by several other countries. During the Iraq war, the Allied forces permitted the media to travel with them in their tanks and jets to war fields to cover the war so as to get first hand news to the public. Though the media has been involved in covering previous conflicts, the Iraq war was said to be the war which allowed the media to have extensive coverage and brought first hand news to the public. This allowed the Allied forces to control and manage the information that went out in public Frankly, our job is to win the war. Part of that is information warfare. So we are going to attempt to dominate the information environment. Embedding journalists honorably served that end, said Long[1]† (Kahn, 2004). Some journalists argue that the army used the journalists as a propaganda tool. This can be deemed as true because journalists’ reports were always favourable to the coalition forces. Reporting alongside the soldiers in war made the journalists feel a sense of closeness to troops. Moreover, the soldiers were the very people who were protecting the journalists’ whiles at the war front thus it became difficult if not impossible to report any negative issues about them. Another point to consider is that, because the media was reporting from the war front alongside the troops, they were able to send real time reports indirectly to Saddam Hussein’s government about the heavy artillery being used by the Allied forces. This psychologically weakened Iraq as they realised they could not match the ammunition strength of the coalition forces. Pictures of the military tanks rolling into Iraq were also another factor that helped propagate the Allied forces’ aim. This showed the might of the forces which intimidated the Iraqi forces as well as the Iraqi public. A comment purported to have been made by Chris Hughes, the spokesperson of the U.S. Marines a day before the war highlights this, â€Å"The à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ rst image of this war will deà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ne the conà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ict† (Buncombe 2003 cited in Parry 2010). If the public had initially supported the Iraqi government the pictures of the Allied forces were enough to sway public suppo rt to the powerful side in this case the Allied forces. According to Professor Barbie Zelizer of University of Southern California’s Annenberg school of communication, a picture showing a crowd of Iraqis pulling down Saddam Hussein’s statue was quite influential, this is because it told a story to the public that the government of Saddam Hussein was no longer in power and that the public supported the Allied forces and this was an effective means to winning or losing the war. It showed the crowd as being nationalists thereby triggering the general public to act as nationalists too. During the Iraq war, the army is believed to have had around 600 journalists from various news organisations entrenched with the troops thus there was an overflow of news and all were in favour of the Allied forces. This therefore created a high level of fear amongst the enemies having to always read and listen to the might of the forces on TV, radio and in newspapers. Some journalists argue that the Allied forces had won the war even before any ammunitions were fired and this is because the public had already been scared into fleeing due to the fact that they were made to believe they could be killed by nuclear or chemical weapons, which in effect made it less difficult for the Allied forces to win the war. In the case of the Iraq war, the Allied forces controlled their agenda, creating awareness and used the media to portray a one sided view. Most of the pictures that were circulated were of those showing the might of the forces and in some cases a few Iraqi nationals showing their support to the Allied forces and kept any image of casualties suffered by the Allied forces out of the public eye especially in their respective countries because they wanted the public to continue supporting the war till the end. This adds momentum to the political idea of using photography during war to manipulate the public. Journalism is arguably a powerful tool often used in affecting and changing public opinion on issues. Media institutions usually broadcast what attracts their target audience. Prior to invading Iraq, George Bush – the American President, in a national broadcast which was telecast in Iraq, heard him appealing to the ordinary citizens of Iraq to support America and the coalition forces for their own good and also portrayed the Iraqi president, Saddam Hussein, as an enemy and the cause of all the problems of the Iraqis. He further suggested that the solution to their problem is war to overthrow what the western governments termed as undemocratic regime of Saddam Hussein and urged them to fight for their freedom. His speech was rhetoric and played very well on the public’s emotion as they did not support the Iraq government to fight when they were called to join. Bush used his message to amass public opinion in acknowledging America and its Allied’s military presence in Iraq. According to Samir Khader of Al Jazeera (the most prominent media institution during the invasion), the aim of their station during the war was to educate the world most especially the Arab viewers and to prove to them that in every war there are always civilian casualties. This did not seem to work well initially as their network was not far reached, they were also deemed not to be reliable and as such was a mere propaganda tool used by the Iraqi government and enemy groups who attacked America on September 11. The public in America, United Kingdom and other parts of the world had been persuaded into believing these perceptions by the media though there was no proof. The Arab media did not do much to help its credibility by not reporting human rights abuses against sectarian and ethnic minorities and opposition Iraqi citizens which were perpetuated on a large scale by Saddam Hussein’s government. Although Al Jazeera’s message about war casualties is true, it is worth m entioning that, this is not something new as that is some of the realities of war. There has never been any war fought without any civilian or military casualty and Jack Straw, Britain’s Foreign Secretary during the period of the Iraq war rightly described war in an article in Mail Online as an occurrence that is filled with horror. As pictures and news of war casualties (both civilians and American soldiers) got to the American public their views began to change. The public became angry and began demonstrating against the mission of the government in going to war in Iraq and demanded that troops are withdrawn. This message reflected during some of American president’s foreign visits. In the U.K., President Bush was met by anti war demonstrations in London because of the Iraq war and other cities where he visited also met him with similar demonstrations. During the Iraq war some western media used spin to get specific messages to the international world. An example is a picture showing a crowd chanting and singing which the western media portrayed as Iraqis celebrating Bush but they were rather protesting America’s involvement in the war with chants in Arabic that the troops should be withdrawn from Iraq. A journalist who was reporting for BBC interpreted the story to portray the crowd as singing praises to Bush for getting rid of Saddam Hussein and celebrating their freedom. This helped sway public opinion about the war in the western world. Before the coalition forces marched into any city in Iraq, they used the media to report extensively on how the cities had already been conquered and this plan built fear in the opposing army who showed little resistance, all these stories were however later found to be false but that was after it had served its intended purpose. Most of the coverage by the western media such as CNN and NSBC was deemed as biased to favour the allied forces. This is partly because only a few of the journalists embedded with the troops did get to experience action at the front line. Most of them were stationed at the command centre where information was always received from the military and this played an important role in helping them win the support of the public. The Arab media on the other hand did same, they also used propaganda in getting the Arab world to see the Allied forces as the worst enemy who had no right to be in Iraq with no intention of protecting civilians and alleging the coalition forces rather had their personal interest of getting control of the oil in Iraq. They propagated Arab nationalism to the public. The Allied forces knew the important role played by independent media during war. The public usually believe stories reported by independent journalists at war front as being unbiased. This is not wholly true as they always report from an angle that suits their organisation. The coalition forces used the media to their advantage rather than having the military releasing information to the press which would be seen as biased towards the aim of their mission in Iraq by the general public and not being credible as well. Local media in America had journalists attached to the troops, and most of these media are situated near military bases. The local people who are the main readers in these areas, connected with the media in the neighbourhood during the war through the news items they published, some were messages from the soldiers to their families. The public regarded the news from these newspapers as credible thereby getting them to support the mission of the Allied forces. Studies have shown how media coverage affected public opinion during the war and led to the public supporting the military mainly due to the reason that the public were not made aware of any other options other than going to war to liberate the people of Iraq and the enemy of the coalition forces (the government of Saddam Hussein) coming from the back drop of the September 11, 2001 attacks in America which had attracted massive media coverage thereby the public especially the American public viewed military action in Iraq as the only way. This point is echoed by Berinsky, 2008, â€Å"However, as threats recede, citizens begin to resist encroachments on their basic values. Thus, while the particular circumstances of war may be unique, they influence civil liberties judgements through mechanisms that are familiar from studies of domestic politics† (pg.13). Britain and the other countries that formed the coalition also viewed Iraq as a danger to global peace. Iraq had been portra yed by the coalition forces as a country that had allegedly supported and accommodated the group that attacked America. Another factor worth highlighting is that war casualties were not permitted to be made public by the media and this was strictly enforced by the military at the command centre, any journalist that violated this rule was expelled from the base. In the weeks prior to the invasion of Iraq, the American government saturated the media, especially prime time news programs of major media stations and newspapers in America such as; CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, CBS and New York Times alleging that Iraq was planning to commit atrocities even greater than the September 11 attacks. The American public believed and therefore backed the government’s decision to go to war in Iraq. This situation was no different in U.K. where BBC, Sky and ITN were also used by the then government of Tony Blair to get the public to support the mission. The media which has a duty to present the public with the truth also failed to question these facts presented by the American and British governments but rather circulated the government’s information to the public as being the truth. The media effectively helped the coalition forces by influencing public support and also urged the military to go on to win the war in Iraq. Although certain reports disagree with the fact that the coalition forces had won the war because there were and are still sporadic incidents of fighting taking place in Iraq and also that the coalition forces are yet to completely pull out of the region, it is important to stress that although the war was fought in Iraq, the real war was the one perpetuated by the media through the stories they published which psychologically influenced the public at large and this can be seen as pure propaganda. Without that the coalition forces would not have managed to storm Iraq and win the war within a very short period. According to Jack Straw (Hinsliff 2003 cited in Parry 2010), â€Å"Twenty-four-hour news actually changes the reality of warfare. The media is changing the reality of warfare, it is not just reporting on it†. Given the amount of cov erage the western media managed to achieve in the world at large during the Iraq war, if the media in the Arab world had been able to achieve that on the same scale in the Middle East and other parts of the world, the public may not have supported the war the way they did. This would have led to the morale of the troops being at its lowest and their confidence would also have been down and more importantly America would not have got the support they had from the Allied. [1] Lt. Col. Rick Long was with the U.S. Marine Corps