Thursday, August 27, 2020

Descartes Dream Argument Summary free essay sample

Checkering Descartes spends the start of Meditations on First Philosophy by examining his wariness of the faculties. Despite the fact that the whole dream succession in Meditations was not in excess of a couple of pages, it is effectively one of the most talked about subjects of the book. The fantasy contention can be separated into three sections. first is that while I am sleeping and dreaming I frequently feel sensations and observations that I feel when I am wakeful. ND Is that there are no conclusive signs to let me know If I am conscious or dreaming, and this presents the third point which Is that I could be dreaming at this moment and not currently It. The principle issue with the fantasy contention Is that the main way we can frame Images In our fantasies Is from seeing things and encountering things, in actuality, which would take care of our minds.Descartes realizes that his Image of all that he knows Is based on his sense encounters which make them inconsistent so he should tear down all that he knows and start again with the establishments of genuine information. We will compose a custom article test on Descartes Dream Argument Summary or on the other hand any comparable point explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page Descartes understands that he Is frequently persuaded when he Is dreaming that the things he sees are genuine articles. A model could be that I KNOW that I am sitting at a PC composing this paper, yet slope I am dreaming I can dream precisely the same thing and be totally persuaded that is it real.After contemplating this circumstance Descartes understands that however the things we find in dreams are phony, they can be drawn from genuine articles. Despite the fact that we may fantasy about something totally new, Descartes finished up, we can't question straightforward general units and the parts they speak to, for example, time, size, shapes, and so forth. This encourages Descartes to find that we can't question the investigations of straightforward things, (for example, geometry) yet rather can question the investigations of progressively gathered thoughts, for example, medication and cosmology.

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Obesity and Consumerism in American Culture Essay

America’s stoutness and weight the executives issues have tormented wellbeing experts for a considerable length of time. All the more as of late, be that as it may, these equivalent issues have been the subject of much enthusiasm among social researchers who were constrained to take a gander at corpulence as a social and social marvel. Obviously, heftiness among Americans isn't just a medical issue however a â€Å"growing† social and social issue also, influencing around 30 percent of the populace. (Seiders and Petty, 2004) Indeed, bigger waistlines are turning into the omnipresent indications of American culture, alongside fastfood chains that imply undesirable dietary patterns and indulging. In spite of the desperate wellbeing results emerging from more elevated cholesterol levels and expanded hazard to cardiovascular ailments, most of America’s residents continue putting on weight, in what is by all accounts a drive to make corpulence the standard as opposed t o the exemption. Lamentably, the weight marvel is nevertheless an indication of more prominent issues plaguing American culture. Freund and Martin (2005) noticed that the issue is inseparably connected to examples of hyperconsumption and impractical consumerist perspectives. The creators battle that hyperconsumption is chiefly portrayed by the pressure in existence while simultaneously expanding the force in utilization. (p. 4) It along these lines comes without shock that McDonald’s supersized dinner orders have gotten equivalent with American commercialization as the inexpensive food culture supports gorging in spite of existence imperatives for the devouring open. (Ritzer, 2000) Undesirable way of life decisions have along these lines come to characterize the American lifestyle, focused on unfortunate utilization designs, absence of movement and exercise, and overexposure to goliath food companies’ promoting ploys through the broad communications. Many ages of Americans are brought up to become corpulent people, as Pollan (2007) sees that food organizations figure out how to impact the utilization estimations of even small kids through cautious commercial focusing on. It is protected to expect that these qualities and examples of utilization will be established early and have an impact later in these children’s lives. Early molding among offspring of unfortunate, intensely prepared, food decisions nearly protects that these would turn out to be a piece of individual propensity that would be hard to change later on. Plainly, the impacts of corpulence on people as well as on society all in all ought to be a reason for concern. Beside the undeniable wellbeing related dangers that being overweight stances on people, for example, heart and cardiovascular issues, the backhanded expenses as far as budgetary misery and counterproductivity must be represented. In like manner, the impacts of weight the board issues on the psychosocial prosperity and social working of people can't be thought little of. Unexpectedly, expanding heftiness serves to strengthen consumerist mentalities wherein a blossoming thinning industry has showed up by exploiting America’s developing aggregate uncertainty and poor self-perception. Desparate to get more fit, Americans are directed to more utilization, this season of craze abstains from food and thinning pills that guarantee wonders and regularly have genuine symptoms. In this manner, heftiness isn't just suggestive of America’s useless mentality towards utilization. It is a poor reflection on the whole American culture that an expanding lion's share of its individuals are viewed as ailing in charge or having poor dietary patterns and deficient nourishment data inspite of the immense entirety of cash that the legislature spends for wellbeing advancement. Works Cited: Freund, P. and G. Martin (2005). Quick vehicles/quick nourishments: Hyperconsumerism and its wellbeing and ecological outcomes. New Jersey: Montclaire State University. Downloaded on 12/16/07 from www.cnsjournal.org<http://www.cnsjournal.org/archives/cns1fast2.pdf > Seiders, K. and R.D. Trivial (2004). Corpulence and the job of food advertising: An arrangement investigation of issues and cures. Diary of Public Policy and Marketing, 23(2): 153-169. Pollan, Michael. The Way We Live Now: You are What You Grow. The New York Times, April 22, 2007. Ritzer, G. (2000). The McDonaldization of Society. California: Pine Forge. Â

Friday, August 21, 2020

How to Write Argumentative Essay Topics About Global Warming

How to Write Argumentative Essay Topics About Global WarmingThere are several argumentative essay topics about global warming. Environmentalists often argue for the cause of global warming, but some skeptics dismiss it as a hoax. The conservative side of things usually argues against global warming or at least does not focus on it.Global warming is a subject that was discussed in the news this week. Scientists in the United States said they believe global warming is caused by human activities, including the burning of fossil fuels.The argumentative essay topics about global warming will include factual information. The conservative and the liberal sides of the argument will be supported by facts and statistics, in addition to opinions and anecdotes. Each essay topic will discuss facts and arguments.The other argumentative essay topics will cover opinions. Many people may say that there is no connection between global warming and human activities. A topic may say that global warming i s a hoax perpetrated by environmentalists. Another may argue that global warming will help the environment and those who disagree will have a harder time taking care of their lawns.The environmentalists will be supported by facts and statements from scientists. Arguments can come from the evidence and pictures showing evidence of global warming and the damage caused by global warming. The conservative will be backed by opinions and ideas.Students should be encouraged to write multiple topics that cover every aspect of global warming. The essay should explain what makes it so important to us and the impact it will have on our way of life. Students will also be expected to give their own opinion on this topic.Global warming is already happening, and there is little we can do to prevent it. Educatorsshould encourage students to write essays about both sides of the argument and to weigh in with their own. Students can then learn about both sides of the argument, compare and contrast the two and determine what the truth is.Educators should not take sides, but encourage students to speak their minds so they can decide whether or not they believe global warming is real. Arguments should include facts and opinions.

Monday, May 25, 2020

Today’s Soldier Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Essay

We usually think of war injuries as being physical, although one of the most common war injuries is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and the effects can be devastating. PTSD is an emotional illness classified as an anxiety disorder and usually develops because of a terribly frightening, life-threatening, or otherwise highly unsafe event, often experienced in combat. Although this condition has likely existed since humans have endured trauma, PTSD has only been recognized as a formal diagnosis since 1980 and statistics regarding this illness indicate that approximately 7%-8% of people in the United States will likely develop PTSD in their lifetime, with the lifetime occurrence in combat veterans ranging from 10% to as high as 30%.†¦show more content†¦The more severe or chronic symptoms of PTSD can include but are not limited to; flashbacks were they relive the traumatic event for minutes or even days at a time, reacting as though the events were still occurring. Have a n increased tendency and reaction to being startled, and a disproportionate suspicion to threat along with shame or guilt and irritability or anger. They may also suffer the inability to experience pleasure, feel emotionally numb, and a reduced interest in activities they once enjoyed. Have poor concentration, difficulty remembering things, and experience hearing or seeing things that are not there. Furthermore, it is common for them to develop poor self-esteem, have poor relationships, self-destructive behavior, hopelessness about the future, substance abuse, and anti social behavior along with depression. Soldiers with PTSD may tend to avoid people, places, and things that remind them of the event. They often avoid thinking or talking about the traumatic event, seek isolation, and are highly sensitive to normal life experiences. Chief complaints in patients diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder include two major symptoms: anxiety, which causes an abnormal reaction to loud noises and difficulty sleeping due to repeated nightmares. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders causes and effects can be vastly different for female soldiers than male soldiers. Female soldiers suffering from PSTD often do not get proper medicalShow MoreRelatedPost-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Causes Symptoms and Effects Essay1382 Words   |  6 Pagestwenty one. This is the number of soldiers wounded or killed in action, received an amputation, or suffered from a Traumatic Brain Injury during Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom. What this number does not include are the 39,365 cases of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (more commonly known as PTSD). (Department 2009) Although we usually think of war injuries as being physical, one of the most common war injuries is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and the effects can be devastatingRead MoreStress and Health1544 Words   |  7 PagesStress and Health Psychology Andrew Arnold March 25, 2010 Ever wonder about how stress affects our bodies and our health? This word stress is thrown around by the media so much it’s losing its meaning but have you ever wondered how they define stress? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines stress as a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation. Our text book defines stress as the term used to describe the physicalRead MorePost Traumatic Stress Disorder ( Ptsd )1780 Words   |  8 Pagesmental illnesses. One such illness is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental illness that affects a person’s sympathetic nervous system response. A more common name for this response is the fight or flight response. In a person not affected by post-traumatic stress disorder this response activates only in times of great stress or life threatening situations. â€Å"If the fight or flight is successful, the traumatic stress will usually be released or dissipatedRead MorePost Traumatic Stress Disorder ( Ptsd )2585 Words   |  11 PagesKaylen Balthazar-Chang August 14, 2014 ANTH 362 Final Paper Post Traumatic Stress Disorder War, tragedy, and trauma; life altering situations such as these may cause someone to feel unsafe for the rest of their life. A symptom that may come about from these types of situations is something known as PTSD. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a symptom that may occur after an individual is subjected to a traumatic event in which they were exposed to physical harm or the threat of harm. PTSDRead MoreThe Impact of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) on Soldiers1613 Words   |  7 PagesThe armed forces are for you. Join the armed forces. Fight for your country. These are the slogans that todays youth hear and see all over the media. They hear nothing but the positive aspects of the armed forces. They never stop to think what kind of life that soldier lives when he/she returns home after their time served. American soldiers or soldiers in general are considered to be heroes. They put their lives on the line to help protect their country. However what few people seemRead MoreThe Psychological State of Peacekeeping Soldiers1351 Words   |  5 Pageshistory peacekeeping soldiers were known to cope reasonably well with the demands, responsibilities, and stressors of their position. It was commonly thought that their major difficulties were boredom and isolation (Harris, Rothburg, Segal, Segal, 1993). However, soldiers were frequently frustrated with their seemingly inactive role, and often thought they were less important than other units of operation (Mortensen, 1990). Historically, peacekeeping missions involved soldiers serving simply as impartialRead MorePost Traumatic Stress Disorder1149 Words   |  5 PagesPTSD was first taken seriously when the Vietnam veterans returned from the war. Combat experience is the most commonly linked to this disorder. However, studies have shown t hat there are many different causes. These studies were applied to a wide variety of traumas that people have experienced in various horrific events. According to The National Institute of Mental Health, â€Å"about 4% of American adults ages 18-54 suffers from PTSD in a given year. These people have served in wars, have been rapedRead MorePreventing Ptsd And Depression And Reducing Health Care986 Words   |  4 Pageswords: Preventing PTSD Description: This case study presents data from a Post Deployment Health Assessment (PDHA) questionnaire that completed by Soldiers after returning to the States from being deployed to Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) from April 2009 to February 2013. Summary: This study examines how well psychological resilience protects against the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, Comorbid PTSD and depression; and estimates the percentRead MorePtsd : The Soldier s Curse1301 Words   |  6 Pagesmore so, some men carry those moral injuries back home with them in the form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Nevertheless, if someone is truly eager to comprehend Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, it is absolutely essential that they understand its history, statistics and available treatments. First off, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, referred to as PTSD, is characterized by the failure to cope with a traumatic experience (Smith 1). With that being said, PTSD creeps into the souls of veteransRead MoreAbnormal Psych and Disorders1460 Words   |  6 Pagespressure from the stressors of life on earth, resulting in a variety of psychological disorders. One such disorder is post-traumatic stress disorder. According to the Encyclopedia of Psychology, post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, occurs after an individual experiences a particularly traumatic event, usually one where there is physical harm or an extreme threat of physical harm (Kazdin, 2000). The disorder was formally recognized for the first time in 1980 when the American Psychology Association

Friday, May 15, 2020

Maternal love Free Essay Example, 1250 words

There is no other so special and such a beautiful relationship in the world than of a mom with her child. Maternal love forms in a woman even before pregnancy, when she is impregnated. She gets the good news of becoming a mother and she is elevated to the highest rank in this universe. Maternal bonding between her and her child develops and grows throughout the nine months that she bears the child. The feeling of her child moving inside her awes her and makes her the happiest person in the world. The first ultrasound, the first sight of the tiny little embryo inside her, the first time she listens to the child’s heartbeat and then after a few months a grown up humanly figure inside her wriggling and yawning away all fills her with motherly love, care and attachment with the unborn child. As the baby grows, he or she may become responsive to the mother. It is still unknown what trickles the motherly emotions and instincts in a woman. Without seeing the child, an unseen, irrevo cable love is born for the child. We will write a custom essay sample on Maternal love or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now This maternal love is sealed after the woman gives birth to her child. (Motherhood) It is impossible to recover from the pain of birth for both the child and mother if the love factor does not come in between. It is for love that both are able to overcome the pain and stress of birth and parenting. Because of the infinite love for the baby, a new mother is able to take care of her baby in a proper way. Though breast feeding is so painful yet mothers are willing to bear this pain for the sake of their baby’s good health. The bonding between them becomes strong and irreplaceable as each second passes. It is proven that a baby is only able to develop properly when he is under the care, love and protection of his mother. A baby tends to grow weak if for any reason he is deprived of his mother. Indeed, a weak and helpless newborn needs a mother who cares for him without any greed and without any personal reasons. As George Washington quotes, â€Å"All I am I owe to my mother†. (Quotes on Mothers) Indeed, the position and status of our mothers in our lives is very high as for her we are here where we are, without her help, patience, love, care and attention we had been nothing but a squirming worm in a the gutters of the city. Mothers play a very vital role in our lives and she has been given special dignities by God, Himself. It is witnessed and it is instinctive to a living being’s nature whether it is a human’s or an animal’s baby, in times of danger, illness or fear the child always calls upon his mother and clings to her for protection and safety.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

An Analysis of I Heard a Fly Buzz- When I Died and Jilting...

In the article â€Å"Human Salvation in an Evolutionary World: An Exploration in Christian Naturalism† by Karl Peters, Peters states salvations is â€Å"not primarily to a future life after death but a transformation in this life of both ourselves and this world† (Peters, 845). Salvation is not only something that can be found after death; people can finds salvation at any point by deciding to make a transformation in their lives to better themselves as well as the world around them. However, most humans seek salvation to find solace in the critical moment of their death; individuals find comfort in the belief of life after death or an eternal sole. Several people find salvation through religious means. In Christianity, salvation is reached through†¦show more content†¦I must have told you that a thousand times’† (Porter, 81). No one around her grasps the intellect behind her thoughts; it is as if she is stuck in her own head. Porter’s use o f dialogue aids her usage of the stream of consciousness technique. Many times granny will think she is saying something aloud, but she is not, â€Å"She thought she spoke up loudly but no one answered† (Porter, 83). This emphasizes the importance of reality vs thought; what is really going on vs what is going on in Granny’s head. Another style technique Porter uses is irony. Granny is upset because God has â€Å"taken [her] by surprise† (Porter, 85). This is ironic because that morning Granny decided to â€Å"Let [death] take care of itself† (Porter, 81). Another example of irony, as stated by Barbra Laman in â€Å"Porter’s The Jilting of Granny Weatherall†, is Granny’s â€Å"Futile contest with an absent male god† (Laman, 281). Granny has never gotten over being jilted by George, even though she wants to tell him she â€Å"was given back everything he took away and more† (Porter, 83) she is still hurt and embarrassed b y what he did to her. She knows that thinking of George is a bad thing because, thinking of him plants â€Å"her soul in the deep pit of hell† (Porter, 82). Granny is unable to forgive George for jilting her and ironically is jilted again by God as a result. Granny’s inability to see God in the physical form leads her to act drastically,

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Impact of Social Media on Education-Free-Samples for Students

Question: Discuss about the Impact of Social Media On Education. Answer: Introduction The social media like the Facebook, Twitter and YouTube helps the students to study course materials online over the Internet sitting at the time. They can learn and study according to their convenience via e-learning programs. The students who do a job and the students who are shy and introvert can be largely benefitted by the e-learning programs. The students can even get the opportunity to communicate with the teachers, can even get the opportunity to communicate with the peer group over the social media all throughout day and night. The social media can enhance the education more in coming future (Gikas Grant, 2013). The institutions have started to offer certificate programs recently and more and more students are showing interests in pursuing the study course via social media websites. It is hoped that the course study offered over the social media platform will come up with some advanced and profitable features in future and the courses will be supported worldwide. All the as pects of social media on education has been highlighted in the report. Thesis Statement: The trend of using social media is increasing every day and this approach is facilitating both the students and the teachers. They are now able to communicate and share information in quick times. This approach can enhance the productivity, can help them to work in collaboration or in groups. The social media can help in conducting researches as well. Body Influence of social media network on student academic performance The Social Media can be helpful in acquiring knowledge about a particular subject, about a particular study course, the Twitter, Facebook and YouTube can help in. The communication between the people was previously restricted due to the long distance range. However, with the advent of the Internet and advent of the social media sites like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter have come up as the giant contributor in the social world (Tess, 2013). They a contribute immense benefits to the education and have a greater impact on the lives of the students. The advantage lies within is that the students in schools and colleges can use the social media for their benefits like they can open a Google account and browse the video course on YouTube. The lecturers from various reputed college and universities upload their lectures and the students of those universities can view those lectures and learn the content course. The students can pause the video, can repeat the video and play video at any time , can learn the contents any time sitting at home. The approach is basically helpful for the students. The students who take up the online video course and the distance learning program can be largely benefitted from this approach (Cheston, Flickinger Chisolm, 2013). The students can learn the course materials sitting at home at any time and along with that, the students can get time to do any job. Massachusetts Institute of Technology has made various courses for the students and published those on YouTube. The students all over the world can access those quality materials and can learn the course materials. The shy introvert students who hesitate to interact with the professors and any other friends can join a community and can learn many kinds of stuff (Strasburger et al., 2013). Also building a group or community students can learn important lessons, course materials. The StackOverflow is one of the platforms where coders from every corner of the world can join and talk about the code. In this platform, they can also solve issues and can prescribe solutions. The coders can be greatly benefitted by this approach. The Facebook page can help the students to learn course materials as well. The video quality is far better and rich in contents (Au Lam, 2015). Thus the students can learn the best stuff. This can help the students to perform well and get good marks in the exam. Contribution of social media and how it contributes the achievements of educational goals The details of the contribution of social media to education can be stated as The students by working on the computers and surfing web browsers daily can get well versed with the computers or similar other electronic devices. With the help of technology usage in business and education, the students can learn new skills that can give them immense benefits (Davis et al., 2015). The students who are good at coding can showcas4e their talents online and can get recognition and hence can get better job opportunities. The students can inform common people with their if they face any kind of issues and problems (Tess, 2013). The social media can bring awareness and can solve problems of the students if possible The talents like anyone good in music, anyone good in dance can be recognized by their talent showcase on the social media sites. The students having expertise on photography can take pictures, snapshots and can share those snapshots over the Internet and the social media sites like Facebook, Google+ and lots more (Buckingham Willett, 2013). This approach can help them to get feedback and based on that the students can hone their talents and enhance their career growth. The students can communicate online over the social media sites with their teachers and the teachers can solve their issues or queries online sitting at home. The instructors and the teachers and the lecturers often underestimate the usage of social media and the mobile technology (Cheston, Flickinger Chisolm, 2013). However, with the advent of the smartphone and the Internet technology, the students can learn the course materials by simply installing an android app or iOS app. There are various benefits YouTube offers to the students. The students from all over the world can learn the course materials with ease. The students can learn the materials at their own pace. The students can get access to best materials. The students can earn certificates and credentials from specific sites like Udemy, Coursera and this can give them benefits to grow and enhance their career Challenges and difficulties students face in using it Besides the benefits but the students face challenges using it, there are also many negative aspects of the social media. The social media has many disadvantages and they are as follows- All the students are not equipped with the computer system, not equipped with the software and the internet so they sometimes feel uneasy to use the computer system. The students may face difficulties while following the lectures, but do not get the opportunity to communicate with their lecturers or the teachers (Cheston, Flickinger Chisolm, 2013). Sometimes students want to feel the school environment, want to feel the college environment and the students prefer the school or college environment to the online video course. The students may get distracted by any other images, videos, music and jokes not related to the academic course thus their academic work can get disrupted (Attai et al., 2015). Thus the usage of Facebook, YouTube, Twitter can have adverse effects on the students academic performance. That is why students prefer schools or colleges. The students nowadays spent more time on the social networking site rather than spending time socializing with the persons (Tess, 2013). The students sometimes get depressed and lost energy in studies. Students want to play and study and learn and thus avoid study from the social media sites. Because of the social media, the social interactions are getting lost, the face-to-face communication is becoming vague, this can lead to havoc and the students can face communication problems or can feel uncomfortable while communicating with others. Many students do not have social media accounts and they do not want to indulge in the social media. Thus it is a serious challenge for the social media usage. Sometimes students want to separate the online social life and the academic life and so this is a challenge. In the year 2015, ECAR conducted a survey and found that the students want to separate the social media and the academic lives, the percentage has increased from 43.5% in 2012 to 65.1% in 2015. Thus ECAR survey can conclude that the social media can be a challenge for students. The negative impact of the social media can be traced by the effect of the Facebook site. Many students or the teenagers commit suicide due to the leak of private information on the website. On Facebook, it has been found the students get engaged in an illicit relationship which results in loss of students lives (Au Lam, 2015). Because of Facebook, the students get distracted from studies and thus the academic performance gets suffered due to this approach. Conclusion It can be concluded from the above discourse that the social media has become an integral part of the students lives and this cannot be restricted. The social media can help them to complete the project, can help the researchers to carry out research incorrect and effective manner. The social media can assist the students to communicate with the teachers, it also helps the students to participate in the community group and this approach can benefit the introvert students. The students can get immense benefits from the distance learning programs conducted over the social media. The social media sites besides having positive aspects have some negative aspects. Therefore, the students must be careful and should use the social media cautiously. All these aspects have been discussed in the report. References Attai, D. J., Cowher, M. S., Al-Hamadani, M., Schoger, J. M., Staley, A. C., Landercasper, J. (2015). Twitter social media is an effective tool for breast cancer patient education and support: patient-reported outcomes by survey.Journal of medical Internet research,17(7). Au, M., Lam, J. (2015). Social media education: Barriers and critical issues. InTechnology in education. Transforming educational practices with technology(pp. 199-205). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. Buckingham, D., Willett, R. (Eds.). (2013).Digital generations: Children, young people, and the new media. Routledge. Cheston, C. C., Flickinger, T. E., Chisolm, M. S. (2013). Social media use in medical education: a systematic review.Academic Medicine,88(6), 893-901. Davis III, C. H., Deil-Amen, R., Rios-Aguilar, C., Gonzlez Canch, M. S. (2015). Social media, higher education, and community colleges: A research synthesis and implications for the study of two-year institutions.Community College Journal of Research and Practice,39(5), 409-422. Gikas, J., Grant, M. M. (2013). Mobile computing devices in higher education: Student perspectives on learning with cellphones, smartphones social media.The Internet and Higher Education,19, 18-26. Strasburger, V. C., Hogan, M. J., Mulligan, D. A., Ameenuddin, N., Christakis, D. A., Cross, C., ... Moreno, M. A. (2013). Children, adolescents, and the media.Pediatrics,132(5), 958-961. Tess, P. A. (2013). The role of social media in higher education classes (real and virtual)A literature review.Computers in Human Behavior,29(5), A60-A68.

Sunday, April 12, 2020

John Keats And Bob Dylan Essays - Value, Social Philosophy

John Keats And Bob Dylan Why Judgments Matter, gives many examples of why value judgments are important in our lives. I feel that value judgments are as equally important and it should be evident why after briefly explaining Frith's examples and my own as well. In his first example, Mr. Frith gives insight to David Hare's comment, "In the end, Keats was just better than Bob Dylan". The media, without delay, misjudged the true meaning of Hare's statement and transposed it into a debate of value. Although Mr. Frith did not agree with the media's tactics, he did agree with the ?value' debate. Mr. Frith Feels that value judgments"organize social relations" in our life, and he further proves this point using an example from popular music. Mr. Frith focuses on views in music studies. Judgments about musicians are generally made in two ways. Firstly, is the elevation of excitement with ?community'(joining of performers and their audience). Secondly, aesthetic and ethical sub-tones during community. This value placed upon the musicians is very important, this is possibly the deciding factor in the performer's career. If more fans come to a concert, then the performer becomes more popular or valuable. The same goes for the messages sent out by the performer during a performance. A message that is widely accepted and adorned will attract more fans. I find that the critical analysis of value judgments in our lives is of equal importance. I agree with Mr. Frith's findings and find them to be true in other life settings as well. As individuals we use value judgments to prioritize important characteristics in our life, which shape us into cultural individuals. We place a high judgment on the social aspect of our culture. Some examples of this include; friendships, personal appearances, and material items. In friendships, we place value judgment on moral attributes set by others. It is these attributes that we judge to be worthy or unworthy of our friendship. Those of similar moral values tend to find each other in companionship. In personal appearances, we place value on what we represent ourselves to be. Higher income families tend to pay more attention to this value for it is a language in which is unspoken. Financial value of one's appearance and the personal value (self esteem) of one's self tend to run parallel. People place different values on the material items they posses. Two families may bring the same income into a household, and posses some of the similar materials. However, it is the value they place on their material items that make them different. It is this difference that brings out the subjective individuality. "Evaluation is a key cultural activity", according to Frith. Without evaluation we would not be able to set some separation between each other as individuals, eventually becoming numb to culture as we know it. I feel it is imperative that we evaluate every aspect of our lives, in turn ensuring the greatest personal happiness. How does one attain a favorite? Not by suggestion of a higher authority, but by evaluation. Putting value on things and making value judgments is what enables us to label what we like and what makes us happy. Without it, we would not be happy.

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

General Electric Appliances

General Electric Appliances The supply chain Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on General Electric Appliances specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Special skills required of salesperson A salesperson selling GE Appliances must have knowledge about the different products offered by the company. There is a different variety of GE products. A salesperson must have skills in selling electrical appliances, because most of the products of the company are of this nature. A salesperson of GE Appliances requires having the skills of selling products in different countries because the company operates in many countries globally. In addition, a salesperson of the products should have the skills of working with corporate and individual customers. The company works with corporate and individual customers. Compensating salespeople General Electric provides basic salary plus commission to sales people. The salespersons are compensated with salaries and they are paid commission for all products sold. The company provides different wages to different employees at different levels. On average, senior employees of the company earn $80,000 annually (Lamb, Hair and McDaniel. P. 552). The prospective buyers of GE appliances The prospective buyers of this company are retail companies. For example, Sears, Wal-Mart and other retail companies dealing in electrical appliances. Salespeople of GE Appliances should contact the purchasing departments of the business customers. For instance, at Sears, the GE salespeople should contact the purchasing manager. In addition, the salesperson should contact the CEO of Sears so as to get permission to deliver goods to that company. The average sales cycle time for the product The average sales cycle time for GE appliances depends on the location of a customer. It takes less than 9 days to complete a transaction in the US. In other countries, there are sales representatives of the company, who link all customers to the company. The contacts that are necessary should be made to the sales and marketing department to complete any sales deal. The sales manager instructs the processing of orders; products are packed and delivered. The purchasing department from the customer’s side then receives the products after delivery. There is a need for multiple meetings with the buyer over the course of sales cycle to ensure that the goods are delivered (Geasset Manager, p. 1).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The customer profile for GE Appliances GE Company deals with corporate customers. Therefore, the customer profile for GE appliances is b2b. B2b is a system where a company deals directly with another company. There is no direct relationship between companies using b2b system with the end consumers (Rushton, p. 517). Important information to a buyer considering making a purchase for the first time A buyer considering making a purchase for GE appliances for the first time will require information about the quality of the products, the price, and the distribution centres. The buyer will also require knowing about the brand loyalty and the good image of the products of the company in the market. Since the company sells to retailers, the salesperson will require assuring the buyer that the products have a high demand in the global markets. Objections A salesperson might experience objections about the unwillingness of the end consumers to buy products from company. Buyers of GE appliances may object about the prices of products in comparison to other products in the market. Criteria of dividing the sales territories A sales manager of GE appliances should divide up the sales territories according to the company size. The customers of the company are companies, and sales managers should categorize the companies according to size. This allows the sales manager to id entify large companies, medium-size companies and small companies. Major competitors Major Competitors in the industry are: Citigroup, Inc., Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV., and Siemens AG. The GE brand has a high level of customer loyalty. The company has a good image, and the products of the company are readily accepted by customers globally. This places the brand of the company at a high position in the market. Geasset Manager. GE Advantage, 2012. Web. Lamb, Charles W, Joseph F. Hair, and Carl D. McDaniel. Marketing. Mason, OH: Thomson/South-Western, 2008. Print.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on General Electric Appliances specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Rushton, Alan. The Handbook of Logistics and Distribution Management. London: Kogan Page, 2010. Print.

Sunday, February 23, 2020

It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight Essay

It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog - Essay Example Her father was a radio announcer for years and of course his name was used on air. McClusky did not have trouble with her McFest name until she applied for patent for the continuing concerts. That is, of course, when McDonalds got involved. Knowing you have been served from a company like McDonalds (the big dog) would make most regular people give up (the little dog) but not McClusky, This paper will introduce the fight this little dog plans on winning. McDonlads, it would seem has a McFamily of names that cannot be used by others. Those include McWatchy, McDouble, McJobs, McShirt, McPool, McShades, McFree, McRuler, McLight and even just Mc. So McClusky has the wrong last name. There were no objections from the big dog when McClusky raised $30,000 in charity for the Special Olympics last year. Could it be because McDonlads also supports Special Olympics and it was seemingly free advertising for them. Now, $5,000 of that money has gone to pay lawyers to support the little dogs point of view (fight). McClusky says she cant understand when one company can infringe on the rights ones sir name gives them and will continue this fight in the courts, however, she wants this money to go to charity and not to lawyers. McDonalds says they have the legal mandate to protect their trademark and that trademark means anything that starts with Mc. Well, how can that be, McClusky says does that mean because her name is a Mc name that she does not ne ed a separate trademark as she is already part of the Mc names? Surely they cannot force her to change her sir name and this is her chartable business. McDonalds contends that they will continue this fight and that there will be no use of the Mc trademark and McClusky responds with the fact that she cannot change the name of a concert series that has already been functioning for two years. People expect to see that name and that it is a charitable concert raising money for one of several charities. In fact,

Friday, February 7, 2020

Commerce paper essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Commerce paper - Essay Example In addition, the CEO needs to encourage employees to openly express their views and suggestions regarding the ethical culture of the organization so as to ensure a comprehensive ethical framework. The essential elements needed for the establishment of an effective ethical framework may vary from culture to culture as ethics is related to perceptions of people. Therefore, the CEO must acquire thorough knowledge regarding different cultural aspects of the region in which his company operates. For this, the CEO has to directly or indirectly analyze the traditional beliefs and practices and living standards of people who reside in the company’s target business territory. Before setting the ethical standards of an organization, the CEO should evaluate what his competitors do and to what extent they are effective. It is clear that finance is an essential component in the design and implementation of proposed ethical standards. Here, the CEO has the responsibility to find potential s ources of finance and distribute them among different divisions of the organization. Hence, the CEO needs to choose appropriate means of market survey to understand what people expect from the company. Similarly, the CEO has to convince personnel about the significance of ethical culture since effective employee participation is inevitable for the successful implementation of the designed ethical standards. Therefore, the CEO must also ensure that the proposed ethical framework does not hurt the employees’ worksite interests. In order for setting up ethical standards effectively, upward and downward flow of communication is necessary at various management levels. Ethical standards and practices would not benefit an organization if bad behavior of managerial persons or other employees goes unreported. Hence, the CEO must design a well structured reporting system by focusing on various departmental divisions. Furthermore, the CEO has to remember the fact that generational diffe rences can raise ethical changes and hence he should not focus too much on traditional ethical practices of the organization. Gable highlights the point that people with different work styles can demonstrate same commitment and work efficacy. Hence, individuality of people has to be admired while framing ethical standards of an organization. In other words, the ethical standards must make the employees feel that the company is loyal to them. In sum, the CEO must ensure that the proposed ethical standards are authentic and not too liberal. 2. In macroeconomics and management, vertical integration is a process through which several phases in production and/or distribution of a product/service are owned and operated by a single company in order to increase business territory and market power. A vertical integration strategy has the following advantages and disadvantages; Advantages Improved supply chain coordination is the most notable benefit of a vertical integration strategy as this feature assists an organization to increase its operational efficiency and thereby profitability. In most times, it seems that a vertical integration results in closer geographic proximity and it is beneficial for the integrated firm to take advantages of reduced transportation costs. Economists opine that vertical amalgamation is useful for

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Surgical quality improvement Essay Example for Free

Surgical quality improvement Essay Through a review of blood utilization in the surgical units, the administrative manager of clinical operations for a large hospital noted what she believed to be a significant variation in the number of transfusion orders being placed per surgical case among the surgeons on staff. She brought the question to the surgical quality improvement committee, and the committee initiated a review of current standard practice for ordering transfusions within the surgical units of the hospital and also a review of best practices as supported by current research evidence. They discovered that the evidence from transfusion research revealed that transfusion therapy can result in a variety of adverse patient outcomes, including the transmission of infection diseases and allergic reactions. As a result, the hospital medical staff moved to adopt as its general â€Å"best practice† for transfusion ordering: a minimum hemoglobin concentration of 7g/dL (21% hematocrit) as an indication for red cell transfusions and a 10g/dL hemoglobin concentration (30% hematocrit) as a level at which transfusion therapy usually is unnecessary. After the approved â€Å"best practice† guideline was introduced to the medical staff, a blood utilization dashboard was developed that helps responsible clinical managers identify at the physician level when transfusion orders are placed contrary to the guideline. Having this information available enables the clinical manager to address the issue on a unit or with the individual physician involved. Use of this dashboard has resulted in significant reduction in the variation in transfusion ordering practices among the medical staff and a significant reduction in blood utilization, which equates to a significant reduction in costs of maintaining the blood supply, and an improvement in patient outcomes. Questions: 1. What data elements must be accessed from the clinical data repository to drive the blood utilization dashboard? Explain. 2. What clinical data systems might this data come from? Explain. Support your answers from the text, supplemental readings, and any other applicable resources. APA Page Setup: Pages should be set with 1-inch margins. Font should be 12-point Times New Roman. Lines should be doubled-spaced throughout the document, without extra spaces at the top or bottom of the page or between paragraphs or sections. A complete document includes a title page, an abstract (if the instructor requires it), the body of the paper, a reference list, and appendices (if indicated). The paper should be 1 to 2 pages in length, not including cover page. Latour, K. M., Maki, S. E., Oachs, P. A. (2013). Health information management: Concepts, principles, and practice (4th ed.). Chicago: AHIMA Press.

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Michael Jordan :: essays research papers

Michael Jordan is the Chicago Bulls superstar who beat Charles Barkley and Akeem Olajuwon for Rookie of the Year Honors in 1985. Perhaps, he is the greatest player to ever play the game....he even has six championship rings to back up his claim, including 3 straight from 1991-1993, and 3 more in 1996-1998. Michael was named the NBA Finals MVP in all of those titles. He's won them all with Scottie Pippen. In 1991, Jordan's Bulls finally overcame the greatest impediment to their team's success, Isiah Thomas' Detroit Pistons, who had regularly eliminated the Bulls from the playoffs. In 1993 he averaged 41.0 ppg in the finals, for a record. This 6-6 superstar guard is a perennial NBA first teamer (10 times from 1987-1993 and 1996 and again as a unanimous selection in 1997 and 1998). He was once again an All-NBA First Team member in 1996 after making his return from baseball. You can always pencil Mike in as the starting guard for the all-star game (13 appearances in 1985 and from 1987-1 993, 1997-1998 and again in 2002). He started for the ninth time in 1997, as the first player EVER to receive more that 2 million votes. In the 1997 Game he became the first player ever to record a triple double in the all-star game with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 11 asssists. Jordan was not named MVP that year (Glen Rice received that honor), but he did win the Game's MVP award in 1988 after scoring 40 points and again in 1996. Jordan was once again elected to start (10th time in 12 appearances) in 1998 after leading the eastern conference in voting. After coming out of retirement, Jordan was elected to start again for the eastern all-stars in 2002. Jordan holds the record for most career scoring titles with eight, including 7 straight, also a record. He scores so many points that it is almost unfair to compare him with other players. On November 6, 1996 Michael scored 50 points for the 36th time in his career! Jordan eclipsed the 25,000 career points total, and he continues to dominate in that statistical category. He was the tenth player to score that many points, accomplishing the feat against San Antonio on November 30, 1996, with his 35th point of the game. On January 4, 2001 Michael Jordan scored his 30,000 career point, becoming the fourth player in NBA history to reach the 30,000 point milestone.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Chapter 18 The Weighing of the Wands

When Harry woke up on Sunday morning, it took him a moment to remember why he felt so miserable and worried. Then the memory of the previous night rolled over him. He sat up and ripped back the curtains of his own four-poster, intending to talk to Ron, to force Ron to believe him – only to find that Ron's bed was empty; he had obviously gone down to breakfast. Harry dressed and went down the spiral staircase into the common room. The moment he appeared, the people who had already finished breakfast broke into applause again. The prospect of going down into the Great Hall and facing the rest of the Gryffindors, all treating him like some sort of hero, was not inviting; it was that, however, or stay here and allow himself to be cornered by the Creevey brothers, who were both beckoning frantically to him to join them. He walked resolutely over to the portrait hole, pushed it open, climbed out of it, and found himself face-to-face with Hermione. â€Å"Hello,† she said, holding up a stack of toast, which she was carrying in a napkin. â€Å"I brought you this†¦.Want to go for a walk?† â€Å"Good idea,† said Harry gratefully. They went downstairs, crossed the entrance hall quickly without looking in at the Great Hall, and were soon striding across the lawn toward the lake, where the Durmstrang ship was moored, reflected blackly in the water. It was a chilly morning, and they kept moving, munching their toast, as Harry told Hermione exactly what had happened after he had left the Gryffindor table the night before. To his immense relief, Hermione accepted his story without question. â€Å"Well, of course I knew you hadn't entered yourself,† she said when he'd finished telling her about the scene in the chamber off the Hall. â€Å"The look on your face when Dumbledore read out your name! But the question is, who did put it in? Because Moody's right, Harry†¦I don't think any student could have done it†¦they'd never be able to fool the Goblet, or get over Dumbledore's -â€Å" â€Å"Have you seen Ron?† Harry interrupted. Hermione hesitated. â€Å"Erm†¦yes†¦he was at breakfast,† she said. â€Å"Does he still think I entered myself?† â€Å"Well†¦no, I don't think so†¦not really,† said Hermione awkwardly. â€Å"What's that supposed to mean, ‘not really'?† â€Å"Oh Harry, isn't it obvious?† Hermione said despairingly. â€Å"He's jealous!† â€Å"Jealous?† Harry said incredulously. â€Å"Jealous of what? He wants to make a prat of himself in front of the whole school, does he?† â€Å"Look,† said Hermione patiently, â€Å"it's always you who gets all the attention, you know it is. I know it's not your fault,† she added quickly, seeing Harry open his mouth furiously. â€Å"I know you don't ask for it†¦but – well – you know, Ron's got all those brothers to compete against at home, and you're his best friend, and you're really famous – he's always shunted to one side whenever people see you, and he puts up with it, and he never mentions it, but I suppose this is just one time too many†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Great,† said Harry bitterly. â€Å"Really great. Tell him from me I'll swap any time he wants. Tell him from me he's welcome to it†¦.People gawping at my forehead everywhere I go†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I'm not teiling him anything,† Hermione said shortly. â€Å"Tell him yourself. It's the only way to sort this out.† â€Å"I'm not running around after him trying to make him grow up!† Harry said, so loudly that several owls in a nearby tree took flight in alarm. â€Å"Maybe he'll believe I'm not enjoying myself once I've got my neck broken or -â€Å" â€Å"That's not funny,† said Hermione quietly. â€Å"That's not funny at all.† She looked extremely anxious. â€Å"Harry, I've been thinking – you know what we've got to do, don't you? Straight away, the moment we get back to the castle?† â€Å"Yeah, give Ron a good kick up the -â€Å" â€Å"Write to Sirius. You've got to tell him what's happened. He asked you to keep him posted on everything that's going on at Hogwarts†¦.It's almost as if he expected something like this to happen. I brought some parchment and a quill out with me -â€Å" â€Å"Come off it,† said Harry, looking around to check that they couldn't be overheard, but the grounds were quite deserted. â€Å"He came back to the country just because my scar twinged. He'll probably come bursting right into the castle if I tell him someone's entered me in the Triwizard Tournament -â€Å" â€Å"He'd want you to tell him,† said Hermione sternly. â€Å"He's going to find out anyway.† â€Å"How?† â€Å"Harry, this isn't going to be kept quiet,† said Hermione, very seriously. â€Å"This tournament's famous, and you're famous. I'll be really surprised if there isn't anything in the Daily Prophet about you competing†¦.You're already in half the books about You-Know-Who, you know†¦and Sirius would rather hear it from you, I know he would.† â€Å"Okay, okay, I'll write to him,† said Harry, throwing his last piece of toast into the lake. They both stood and watched it floating there for a moment, before a large tentacle rose out of the water and scooped it beneath the surface. Then they returned to the castle. â€Å"Whose owl am I going to use?† Harry said as they climbed the stairs. â€Å"He told me not to use Hedwig again.† â€Å"Ask Ron if you can borrow -â€Å" â€Å"I'm not asking Ron for anything,† Harry said flatly. â€Å"Well, borrow one of the school owls, then, anyone can use them,† said Hermione. They went up to the Owlery. Hermione gave Harry a piece of parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink, then strolled around the long lines of perches, looking at all the different owls, while Harry sat down against a wall and wrote his letter. Dear Sirius, You told me to keep you posted on what's happening at Hogwarts, so here goes – I don't know if you've heard, but the Triwizard Tournament's happening this year and on Saturday night I got picked as a fourth champion. I don't who put my name in the Goblet of Fire, because I didn't. The other Hogwarts champion is Cedric Diggory, from Hufflepuff. He paused at this point, thinking. He had an urge to say something about the large weight of anxiety that seemed to have settled inside his chest since last night, but he couldn't think how to translate this into words, so he simply dipped his quill back into the ink bottle and wrote, Hope you're okay, and Buckbeak – Harry â€Å"Finished,† he told Hermione, getting to his feet and brushing straw off his robes. At this, Hedwig fluttered down onto his shoulder and held out her leg. â€Å"I can't use you,† Harry told her, looking around for the school owls. â€Å"I've got to use one of these.† Hedwig gave a very loud hoot and took off so suddenly that her talons cut into his shoulder. She kept her back to Harry all the time he was tying his letter to the leg of a large barn owl. When the barn owl had flown off, Harry reached out to stroke Hedwig, but she clicked her beak furiously and soared up into the rafters out of reach. â€Å"First Ron, then you,† Harry said angrily. â€Å"This isn't my fault.† If Harry had thought that matters would improve once everyone got used to the idea of him being champion, the following day showed him how mistaken he was. He could no longer avoid the rest of the school once he was back at lessons – and it was clear that the rest of the school, just like the Gryffindors, thought Harry had entered himself for the tournament. Unlike the Gryffindors, however, they did not seem impressed. The Hufflepuffs, who were usually on excellent terms with the Gryffindors, had turned remarkably cold toward the whole lot of them. One Herbology lesson was enough to demonstrate this. It was plain that the Hufflepuffs felt that Harry had stolen their champion's glory; a feeling exacerbated, perhaps, by the fact that Hufflepuff House very rarely got any glory, and that Cedric was one of the few who had ever given them any, having beaten Gryffindor once at Quidditch. Ernie Macmillan and Justin FinchFletchley, with whom Harry normally got on very well, did not talk to him even though they were repotting Bouncing Bulbs at the same tray – though they did laugh rather unpleasantly when one of the Bouncing Bulbs wriggled free from Harry's grip and smacked him hard in the face. Ron wasn't talking to Harry either. Hermione sat between them, making very forced conversation, but though both answered her normally, they avoided making eye contact with each other. Harry thought even Profes sor Sprout seemed distant with him – but then, she was Head of Hufflepuff House. He would have been looking forward to seeing Hagrid under normal circumstances, but Care of Magical Creatures meant seeing the Slytherins too – the first time he would come face-to-face with them since becoming champion. Predictably, Malfoy arrived at Hagrid's cabin with his familiar sneer firmly in place. â€Å"Ah, look, boys, it's the champion,† he said to Crabbe and Goyle the moment he got within earshot of Harry. â€Å"Got your autograph books? Better get a signature now, because I doubt he's going to be around much longer†¦.Half the Triwizard champions have died†¦how long d'you reckon you're going to last, Potter? Ten minutes into the first task's my bet.† Crabbe and Goyle guffawed sycophantically, but Malfoy had to stop there, because Hagrid emerged from the back of his cabin balancing a teetering tower of crates, each containing a very large Blast-Ended Skrewt. To the class's horror, Hagrid proceeded to explain that the reason the skrewts had been killing one another was an excess of pent-up energy, and that the solution would be for each student to fix a leash on a skrewt and take it for a short walk. The only good thing about this plan was that it distracted Malfoy completely. â€Å"Take this thing for a walk?† he repeated in disgust, staring into one of the boxes. â€Å"And where exactly are we supposed to fix the leash? Around the sting, the blasting end, or the sucker?† â€Å"Roun' the middle,† said Hagrid, demonstrating. â€Å"Er – yeh might want ter put on yer dragon-hide gloves, jus' as an extra precaution, like. Harry – you come here an' help me with this big one†¦.† Hagrid's real intention, however, was totalk to Harry away from the rest of the class. He waited until everyone else had set off with their skrewts, then turned to Harry and said, very seriously, â€Å"So – yer competin', Harry. In the tournament. School champion.† â€Å"One of the champions,† Harry corrected him. Hagrid's beetle-black eyes looked very anxious under his wild eyebrows. â€Å"No idea who put yeh in fer it, Harry?† â€Å"You believe I didn't do it, then?† said Harry, concealing with difficulty the rush of gratitude he felt at Hagrid's words. â€Å"Course I do,† Hagrid grunted. â€Å"Yeh say it wasn' you, an' I believe yeh – an' Dumbledore believes yer, an' all.† â€Å"Wish I knew who did do it,† said Harry bitterly. The pair of them looked out over the lawn; the class was widely scattered now, and all in great difficulty. The skrewts were now over three feet long, and extremely powerful. No longer shell-less and colorless, they had developed a kind of thick, grayish, shiny armor. They looked like a cross between giant scorpions and elongated crabs- but still without recognizable heads or eyes. They had become immensely strong and very hard to control. â€Å"Look like they're havin' fun, don' they?† Hagrid said happily. Harry assumed he was talking about the skrewts, because his classmates certainly weren't; every now and then, with an alarming bang, one of the skrewts' ends would explode, causing it to shoot forward several yards, and more than one person was being dragged along on their stomach, trying desperately to get back on their feet. â€Å"Ah, I don' know, Harry,† Hagrid sighed suddenly, looking back down at him with a worried expression on his face. â€Å"School champion†¦everythin' seems ter happen ter you, doesn' it?† Harry didn't answer. Yes, everything did seem to happen to him†¦that was more or less what Hermione had said as they had walked around the lake, and that was the reason, according to her, that Ron was no longer talking to him. The next few days were some of Harry's worst at Hogwarts. The closest he had ever come to feeling like this had been during those months, in his second year, when a large part of the school had suspected him of attacking his fellow students. But Ron had been on his side then. He thought he could have coped with the rest of the school's behavior if he could just have had Ron back as a friend, but he wasn't going to try and persuade Ron to talk to him if Ron didn't want to. Nevertheless, it was lonely with dislike pouring in on him from all sides. He could understand the Hufflepuffs' attitude, even if he didn't like it; they had their own champion to support. He expected nothing less than vicious insults from the Slytherins – he was highly unpopular there and always had been, because he had helped Gryffindor beat them so often, both at Quidditch and in the Inter-House Championship. But he had hoped the Ravenclaws might have found it in their hearts to support him as much as Cedric. He was wrong, however. Most Ravenclaws seemed to think that he had been desperate to earn himself a bit more fame by tricking the goblet into accepting his name. Then there was the fact that Cedric looked the part of a champion so much more than he did. Exceptionally handsome, with his straight nose, dark hair, and gray eyes, it was hard to say who was receiving more admiration these days, Cedric or Viktor Krum. Harry actually saw the same sixth-year girls who had been so keen to get Krum's autograph begging Cedric to sign their school bags one lunchtime. Meanwhile there was no reply from Sirius, Hedwig was refusing to come anywhere near him, Professor Trelawney was predicting his death with even more certainty than usual, and he did so badly at Summoning Charms in Professor Flitwick's class that he was given extra homework – the only person to get any, apart from Neville. â€Å"It's really not that difficult, Harry,† Hermione tried to reassure him as they left Flitwick's class – she had been making objects zoom across the room to her all lesson, as though she were some sort of weird magnet for board dusters, wastepaper baskets, and lunascopes. â€Å"You just weren't concentrating properly -â€Å" â€Å"Wonder why that was,† said Harry darkly as Cedric Diggory walked past, surrounded by a large group of simpering girls, all of whom looked at Harry as though he were a particularly large Blast-Ended Skrewt. â€Å"Still – never mind, eh? Double Potions to look forward to this afternoon†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Double Potions was always a horrible experience, but these days it was nothing short of torture. Being shut in a dungeon for an hour and a half with Snape and the Slytherins, all of whom seemed determined to punish Harry as much as possible for daring to become school champion, was about the most unpleasant thing Harry could imagine. He had already struggled through one Friday's worth, with Hermione sitting next to him intoning â€Å"ignore them, ignore them, ignore them† under her breath, and he couldn't see why today should be any better. When he and Hermione arrived at Snape's dungeon after lunch, they found the Slytherins waiting outside, each and every one of them wearing a large badge on the front of his or her robes. For one wild moment Harry thought they were S.P.E.W. badges – then he saw that they all bore the same message, in luminous red letters that burnt brightly in the dimly lit underground passage: SUPPORT CEDRIC DIGGORY- THE REAL HOGWARTS CHAMPION! â€Å"Like them, Potter?† said Malfoy loudly as Harry approached. â€Å"And this isn't all they do – look!† He pressed his badge into his chest, and the message upon it vanished, to be replaced by another one, which glowed green: POTTER STINKS! The Slytherins howled with laughter. Each of them pressed their badges too, until the message POTTER STINKS was shining brightly all around Harry. He felt the heat rise in his face and neck. â€Å"Oh very funny,† Hermione said sarcastically to Pansy Parkinson and her gang of Slytherin girls, who were laughing harder than anyone, â€Å"really witty.† Ron was standing against the wall with Dean and Seamus. He wasn't laughing, but he wasn't sticking up for Harry either. â€Å"Want one, Granger?† said Malfoy, holding out a badge to Hermione. â€Å"I've got loads. But don't touch my hand, now. I've just washed it, you see; don't want a Mudblood sliming it up.† Some of the anger Harry had been feeling for days and days seemed to burst through a dam in his chest. He had reached for his wand before he'd thought what he was doing. People all around them scrambled out of the way, backing down the corridor. â€Å"Harry!† Hermione said warningly. â€Å"Go on, then, Potter,† Malfoy said quietly, drawing out his own wand. â€Å"Moody's not here to look after you now – do it, if you've got the guts -â€Å" For a split second, they looked into each other's eyes, then, at exactly the same time, both acted. â€Å"Funnunculus!† Harry yelled. â€Å"Densaugeo!† screamed Malfoy. Jets of light shot from both wands, hit each other in midair, and ricocheted off at angles – Harry's hit Goyle in the face, and Malfoy's hit Hermione. Goyle bellowed and put his hands to his nose, where great ugly boils were springing up – Hermione, whimpering in panic, was clutching her mouth. â€Å"Hermione!† Ron had hurried forward to see what was wrong with her; Harry turned and saw Ron dragging Hermione's hand away from her face. It wasn't a pretty sight. Hermione's front teeth – already larger than average – were now growing at an alarming rate; she was looking more and more like a beaver as her teeth elongated, past her bottom lip, toward her chin – panic-stricken, she felt them and let out a terrified cry. â€Å"And what is all this noise about?† said a soft, deadly voice. Snape had arrived. The Slytherins clamored to give their explanations; Snape pointed a long yellow finger at Malfoy and said, â€Å"Explain.† â€Å"Potter attacked me, sir -â€Å" â€Å"We attacked each other at the same time!† Harry shouted. â€Å"- and he hit Goyle – look -â€Å" Snape examined Goyle, whose face now resembled something that would have been at home in a book on poisonous fungi. â€Å"Hospital wing, Goyle,† Snape said calmly. â€Å"Malfoy got Hermione!† Ron said. â€Å"Look!† He forced Hermione to show Snape her teeth – she was doing her best to hide them with her hands, though this was difficult as they had now grown down past her collar. Pansy Parkinson and the other Slytherin girls were doubled up with silent giggles, pointing at Hermione from behind Snape's back. Snape looked coldly at Hermione, then said, â€Å"I see no difference.† Hermione let out a whimper; her eyes filled with tears, she turned on her heel and ran, ran all the way up the corridor and out of sight. It was lucky, perhaps, that both Harry and Ron started shouting at Snape at the same time; lucky their voices echoed so much in the stone corridor, for in the confused din, it was impossible for him to hear exactly what they were calling him. He got the gist, however. â€Å"Let's see,† he said, in his silkiest voice. â€Å"Fifty points from Gryffindor and a detention each for Potter and Weasley. Now get inside, or it'll be a week's worth of detentions.† Harry's ears were ringing. The injustice of it made him want to curse Snape into a thousand slimy pieces. He passed Snape, walked with Ron to the back of the dungeon, and slammed his bag down onto the table. Ron was shaking with anger too – for a moment, it felt as though everything was back to normal between them, but then Ron turned and sat down with Dean and Seamus instead, leaving Harry alone at his table. On the other side of the dungeon, Malfoy turned his back on Snape and pressed his badge, smirking. POTTER STINKS flashed once more across the room. Harry sat there staring at Snape as the lesson began, picturing horrific things happening to him†¦.If only he knew how to do the Cruciatus Curse†¦he'd have Snape flat on his back like that spider, jerking and twitching†¦. â€Å"Antidotes!† said Snape, looking around at them all, his cold black eyes glittering unpleasantly. â€Å"You should all have prepared your recipes now. I want you to brew them carefully, and then, we will be selecting someone on whom to test one†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Snape's eyes met Harry's, and Harry knew what was coming. Snape was going to poison him. Harry imagined picking up his cauldron, and sprinting to the front of the class, and bringing it down on Snape's greasy head – And then a knock on the dungeon door burst in on Harry's thoughts. It was Colin Creevey; he edged into the room, beaming at Harry, and walked up to Snape's desk at the front of the room. â€Å"Yes?† said Snape curtly. â€Å"Please, sir, I'm supposed to take Harry Potter upstairs.† Snape stared down his hooked nose at Colin, whose smile faded from his eager face. â€Å"Potter has another hour of Potions to complete,† said Snape coldly. â€Å"He will come upstairs when this class is finished.† Colin went pink. â€Å"Sir – sir, Mr. Bagman wants him,† he said nervously. â€Å"All the champions have got to go, I think they want to take photographs†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry would have given anything he owned to have stopped Colin saying those last few words. He chanced half a glance at Ron, but Ron was staring determinedly at the ceiling. â€Å"Very well, very well,† Snape snapped. â€Å"Potter, leave your things here, I want you back down here later to test your antidote.† â€Å"Please, sir – he's got to take his things with him,† squeaked Cohn. â€Å"All the champions†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Very well!† said Snape. â€Å"Potter – take your bag and get out of my sight!† Harry swung his bag over his shoulder, got up, and headed for the door. As he walked through the Slytherin desks, POTTER STINKS flashed at him from every direction. â€Å"It's amazing, isn't it, Harry?† said Colin, starting to speak the moment Harry had closed the dungeon door behind him. â€Å"Isn't it, though? You being champion?† â€Å"Yeah, really amazing,† said Harry heavily as they set off toward the steps into the entrance hall. â€Å"What do they want photos for, Colin?† â€Å"The Daily Prophet, I think!† â€Å"Great,† said Harry dully. â€Å"Exactly what I need. More publicity.† â€Å"Good luck!† said Colin when they had reached the right room. Harry knocked on the door and entered. He was in a fairly small classroom; most of the desks had been pushed away to the back of the room, leaving a large space in the middle; three of them, however, had been placed end-to-end in front of the blackboard and covered with a long length of velvet. Five chairs had been set behind the velvet-covered desks, and Ludo Bagman was sitting in one of them, talking to a witch Harry had never seen before, who was wearing magenta robes. Viktor Krum was standing moodily in a corner as usual and not talking to anybody. Cedric and Fheur were in conversation. Fheur looked a good deal happier than Harry had seen her so far; she kept throwing back her head so that her long silvery hair caught the light. A paunchy man, holding a large black camera that was smoking slightly, was watching Fleur out of the corner of his eye. Bagman suddenly spotted Harry, got up quickly, and bounded forward. â€Å"Ah, here he is! Champion number four! In you come, Harry, in you come†¦nothing to worry about, it's just the wand weighing ceremony, the rest of the judges will be here in a moment -â€Å" â€Å"Wand weighing?† Harry repeated nervously. â€Å"We have to check that your wands are fully functional, no problems, you know, as they're your most important tools in the tasks ahead,† said Bagman. â€Å"The expert's upstairs now with Dumbledore. And then there's going to be a little photo shoot. This is Rita Skeeter,† he added, gesturing toward the witch in magenta robes. â€Å"She's doing a small piece on the tournament for the Daily Prophet†¦.† â€Å"Maybe not that small, Ludo,† said Rita Skeeter, her eyes on Harry. Her hair was set in elaborate and curiously rigid curls that contrasted oddly with her heavy-jawed face. She wore jeweled spectacles. The thick fingers clutching her crocodile-skin handbag ended in two-inch nails, painted crimson. â€Å"I wonder if I could have a little word with Harry before we start?† she said to Bagman, but still gazing fixedly at Harry. â€Å"The youngest champion, you know†¦to add a bit of color?† â€Å"Certainly!† cried Bagman. â€Å"That is – if Harry has no objection?† â€Å"Er -† said Harry. â€Å"Lovely,† said Rita Skeeter, and in a second, her scarlet-taloned fingers had Harry's upper arm in a surprisingly strong grip, and she was steering him out of the room again and opening a nearby door. â€Å"We don't want to be in there with all that noise,† she said. â€Å"Let's see†¦ah, yes, this is nice and cozy.† It was a broom cupboard. Harry stared at her. â€Å"Come along, dear – that's right – lovely,† said Rita Skeeter again, perching herself precariously upon an upturned bucket, pushing Harry down onto a cardboard box, and closing the door, throwing them into darkness. â€Å"Let's see now†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She unsnapped her crocodile-skin handbag and pulled out a handful of candles, which she lit with a wave of her wand and magicked into midair, so that they could see what they were doing. â€Å"You won't mind, Harry, if I use a Quick-Quotes Quill? It leaves me free to talk to you normally†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"A what?† said Harry. Rita Skeeter's smile widened. Harry counted three gold teeth. She reached again into her crocodile bag and drew out a long acid-green quill and a roll of parchment, which she stretched out between them on a crate of Mrs. Skower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover. She put the tip of the green quill into her mouth, sucked it for a moment with apparent relish, then placed it upright on the parchment, where it stood balanced on its point, quivering slightly. â€Å"Testing†¦my name is Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet reporter.† Harry hooked down quickly at the quill. The moment Rita Skeeter had spoken, the green quill had started to scribble, skidding across the parchment: Attractive blonde Rita Skeeter, forty-three, who's savage quill has punctured many inflated reputations – â€Å"Lovely,† said Rita Skeeter, yet again, and she ripped the top piece of parchment off, crumpled it up, and stuffed it into her handbag. Now she leaned toward Harry and said, â€Å"So, Harry†¦what made you decide to enter the Triwizard Tournament?† â€Å"Er -† said Harry again, but he was distracted by the quill. Even though he wasn't speaking, it was dashing across the parchment, and in its wake he could make out a fresh sentence: An ugly scar, souvenier of a tragic past, disfigures the otherwise charming face of Harry Potter, whose eyes – â€Å"Ignore the quill, Harry,† said Rita Skeeter firmly. Reluctantly Harry looked up at her instead. â€Å"Now – why did you decide to enter the tournament, Harry?† â€Å"I didn't,† said Harry. â€Å"I don't know how my name got into the Goblet of Fire. I didn't put it in there.† Rita Skeeter raised one heavily penciled eyebrow. â€Å"Come now, Harry, there's no need to be scared of getting into trouble. We all know you shouldn't really have entered at all. But don't worry about that. Our readers hove a rebel.† â€Å"But I didn't enter,† Harry repeated. â€Å"I don't know who -â€Å" â€Å"How do you feel about the tasks ahead?† said Rita Skeeter. â€Å"Excited? Nervous?† â€Å"I haven't really thought†¦yeah, nervous, I suppose,† said Harry. His insides squirmed uncomfortably as he spoke. â€Å"Champions have died in the past, haven't they?† said Rita Skeeter briskly. â€Å"Have you thought about that at all?† â€Å"Well†¦they say it's going to be a lot safer this year,† said Harry. The quill whizzed across the parchment between them, back and forward as though it were skating. â€Å"Of course, you've looked death in the face before, haven't you?† said Rita Skeeter, watching him closely. â€Å"How would you say that's affected you?† â€Å"Er,† said Harry, yet again. â€Å"Do you think that the trauma in your past might have made you keen to prove yourself? To live up to your name? Do you think that perhaps you were tempted to enter the Triwizard Tournament because -â€Å" â€Å"I didn't enter,† said Harry, starting to feel irritated. â€Å"Can you remember your parents at all?† said Rita Skeeter, talking over him. â€Å"No,† said Harry. â€Å"How do you think they'd feel if they knew you were competing in the Triwizard Tournament? Proud? Worried? Angry?† Harry was feeling really annoyed now. How on earth was he to know how his parents would feel if they were alive? He could feel Rita Skeeter watching him very intently. Frowning, he avoided her gaze and hooked down at words the quill had just written: Tears fill those startlingly green eyes as our conversation turns to the parents he can barely remember. â€Å"I have NOT got tears in my eyes!† said Harry loudly. Before Rita Skeeter could say a word, the door of the broom cupboard was pulled open. Harry looked around, blinking in the bright light. Albus Dumbledore stood there, looking down at both of them, squashed into the cupboard. â€Å"Dumbledore!† cried Rita Skeeter, with every appearance of delight – but Harry noticed that her quill and the parchment had suddenly vanished from the box of Magical Mess Remover, and Rita's clawed fingers were hastily snapping shut the clasp of her crocodile-skin bag. â€Å"How are you?† she said, standing up and holding out one of her large, mannish hands to Dumbledore. â€Å"I hope you saw my piece over the summer about the International Confederation of Wizards' Conference?† â€Å"Enchantingly nasty,† said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling. â€Å"I particularly enjoyed your description of me as an obsolete dingbat.† Rita Skeeter didn't look remotely abashed. â€Å"I was just making the point that some of your ideas are a little old-fashioned, Dumbhedore, and that many wizards in the street -â€Å" â€Å"I will be delighted to hear the reasoning behind the rudeness, Rita,† said Dumbledore, with a courteous bow and a smile, â€Å"but I'm afraid we will have to discuss the matter later. The Weighing of the Wands is about to start, and it cannot take place if one of our champions is hidden in a broom cupboard.† Very glad to get away from Rita Skeeter, Harry hurried back into the room. The other champions were now sitting in chairs near the door, and he sat down quickly next to Cedric, hooking up at the velvet-covered table, where four of the five judges were now sitting – Professor Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, Mr. Crouch, and Ludo Bagman. Rita Skeeter settled herself down in a corner; Harry saw her slip the parchment out of her bag again, spread it on her knee, suck the end of the Quick-Quotes Quill, and place it once more on the parchment. â€Å"May I introduce Mr. Ollivander?† said Dumbledore, taking his place at the judges' table and talking to the champions. â€Å"He will be checking your wands to ensure that they are in good condition before the tournament.† Harry hooked around, and with a jolt of surprise saw an old wizard with large, pale eyes standing quietly by the window. Harry had met Mr. Ollivander before – he was the wand-maker from whom Harry had bought his own wand over three years ago in Diagon Alley. â€Å"Mademoiselle Delacour, could we have you first, please?† said Mr. Ollivander, stepping into the empty space in the middle of the room. Fleur Delacour swept over to Mr. Olhivander and handed him her wand. â€Å"Hmm†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he said. He twirled the wand between his long fingers like a baton and it emitted a number of pink and gold sparks. Then he held it chose to his eyes and examined it carefully. â€Å"Yes,† he said quietly, â€Å"nine and a half inches†¦inflexible†¦rosewood†¦and containing†¦dear me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"An ‘air from ze ‘ead of a veela,† said Fleur. â€Å"One of my grandmuzzer's.† So Fleur was part veela, thought Harry, making a mental note to tell Ron†¦then he remembered that Ron wasn't speaking to him. â€Å"Yes,† said Mr. Ollivander, â€Å"yes, I've never used veela hair myself, of course. I find it makes for rather temperamental wands†¦however, to each his own, and if this suits you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Mr. Ollivander ran his fingers along the wand, apparently checking for scratches or bumps; then he muttered, â€Å"Orchideous!† and a bunch of flowers burst from the wand tip. â€Å"Very well, very well, it's in fine working order,† said Mr. Ollivander, scooping up the flowers and handing them to Fleur with her wand. â€Å"Mr. Diggory, you next.† Fleur glided back to her seat, smiling at Cedric as he passed her. â€Å"Ah, now, this is one of mine, isn't it?† said Mr. Ollivander, with much more enthusiasm, as Cedric handed over his wand. â€Å"Yes, I remember it well. Containing a single hair from the tail of a particularly fine male unicorn†¦must have been seventeen hands; nearly gored me with his horn after I plucked his tail. Twelve and a quarter inches†¦ash†¦pleasantly springy. It's in fine condition†¦You treat it regularly?† â€Å"Polished it last night,† said Cedric, grinning. Harry hooked down at his own wand. He could see finger marks all over it. He gathered a fistful of robe from his knee and tried to rub it clean surreptitiously. Several gold sparks shot out of the end of it. Fleur Delacour gave him a very patronizing look, and he desisted. Mr. Ollivander sent a stream of silver smoke rings across the room from the tip of Cedric's wand, pronounced himself satisfied, and then said, â€Å"Mr. Krum, if you please.† Viktor Krum got up and slouched, round-shouldered and duck-footed, toward Mr. Ollivander. He thrust out his wand and stood scowling, with his hands in the pockets of his robes. â€Å"Hmm,† said Mr. Olhivander, â€Å"this is a Gregorovitch creation, unless I'm much mistaken? A fine wand-maker, though the styling is never quite what I†¦however†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He lifted the wand and examined it minutely, turning it over and over before his eyes. â€Å"Yes†¦hornbeam and dragon heartstring?† he shot at Krum, who nodded. â€Å"Rather thicker than one usually sees†¦quite rigid†¦ten and a quarter inches†¦Avis!† The hornbeam wand let off a blast hike a gun, and a number of small, twittering birds flew out of the end and through the open window into the watery sunlight. â€Å"Good,† said Mr. Ollivander, handing Krum back his wand. â€Å"Which leaves†¦Mr. Potter.† Harry got to his feet and walked past Krum to Mr. Ollivander. He handed over his wand. â€Å"Aaaah, yes,† said Mr. Ohlivander, his pale eyes suddenly gleaming. â€Å"Yes, yes, yes. How well I remember.† Harry could remember too. He could remember it as though it had happened yesterday†¦. Four summers ago, on his eleventh birthday, he had entered Mr. Ollivander's shop with Hagrid to buy a wand. Mr. Ollivander had taken his measurements and then started handing him wands to try. Harry had waved what felt like every wand in the shop, until at last he had found the one that suited him – this one, which was made of holly, eleven inches long, and contained a single feather from the tail of a phoenix. Mr. Ollivander had been very surprised that Harry had been so compatible with this wand. â€Å"Curious,† he had said, â€Å"curious,† and not until Harry asked what was curious had Mr. Olhivander explained that the phoenix feather in Harry's wand had come from the same bird that had supplied the core of Lord Voldemort's. Harry had never shared this piece of information with anybody. He was very fond of his wand, and as far as he was concerned its relation to Voldemort's wand was something it couldn't help – rather as he couldn't help being related to Aunt Petunia. However, he really hoped that Mr. Ollivander wasn't about to tell the room about it. He had a funny feeling Rita Skeeter's Quick-Quotes Quill might just explode with excitement if he did. Mr. Ollivander spent much longer examining Harry's wand than anyone else's. Eventually, however, he made a fountain of wine shoot out of it, and handed it back to Harry, announcing that it was still in perfect condition. â€Å"Thank you all,† said Dumbledore, standing up at the judges' table. â€Å"You may go back to your lessons now – or perhaps it would be quicker just to go down to dinner, as they are about to end -â€Å" Feeling that at last something had gone right today, Harry got up to leave, but the man with the black camera jumped up and cleared his throat. â€Å"Photos, Dumbledore, photos!† cried Bagman excitedly. â€Å"All the judges and champions, what do you think, Rita?† â€Å"Er – yes, let's do those first,† said Rita Skeeter, whose eyes were upon Harry again. â€Å"And then perhaps some individual shots.† The photographs took a long time. Madame Maxime cast everyone else into shadow wherever she stood, and the photographer couldn't stand far enough back to get her into the frame; eventually she had to sit while everyone else stood around her. Karkaroff kept twirling his goatee around his finger to give it an extra curl; Krum, whom Harry would have thought would have been used to this sort of thing, skulked, half-hidden, at the back of the group. The photographer seemed keenest to get Fleur at the front, but Rita Skeeter kept hurrying forward and dragging Harry into greater prominence. Then she insisted on separate shots of all the champions. At last, they were free to go. Harry went down to dinner. Hermione wasn't there – he supposed she was still in the hospital wing having her teeth fixed. He ate alone at the end of the table, then returned to Gryffindor Tower, thinking of all the extra work on Summoning Charms that he had to do. Up in the dormitory, he came across Ron. â€Å"You've had an owl,† said Ron brusquely the moment he walked in. He was pointing at Harry's pillow. The school barn owl was waiting for him there. â€Å"Oh – right,† said Harry. â€Å"And we've got to do our detentions tomorrow night, Snape's dungeon,† said Ron. He then walked straight out of the room, not looking at Harry. For a moment, Harry considered going after him – he wasn't sure whether he wanted to talk to him or hit him, both seemed quite appealing – but the lure of Sirius's answer was too strong. Harry strode over to the barn owl, took the letter off its leg, and unrolled it. Harry – I can't say everything I would like to in a letter, it's too risky in case the owl is intercepted – we need to talk face-to-face. Can you ensure that you are alone by the fire in Gryffindor Tower at one o'clock in the morning on the 22nd ofNovember? I know better than anyone that you can look after yourself and while you're around Dumbledore and Moody I don't think anyone will be able to hurt you. However, someone seems to be having a good try. Entering you in that tournament would have been very risky, especially right under Dumbkdore's nose. Be on the watch, Harry. I still want to hear about anything unusual. Let me know about the 22nd ofNovember as quickly as you can. Sirius

Saturday, January 4, 2020

About Organic Food - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 1 Words: 344 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2019/08/08 Category Food Essay Level High school Tags: Organic Food Essay Did you like this example? To a consumer, organic food appears differentiated simply by a logo or claim on its packaging, but in reality, the process to bring this good to market is long and complex. As explained by the USDA, certified organic foodstuff must be grown and processed according to federal guidelines, which regulate pest and weed control, genetic modification, animal raising practices, soil quality, and use of additives (McEvoy, 2012). To receive a certification, no component of the organic good can be genetically modified. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "About Organic Food" essay for you Create order Organic produce must be raised on soil free of prohibited substances including pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, while meat standards require animals to be raised in conditions resembling natural ones without the application of antibiotics or hormones (McEvoy, 2012). Additional regulations apply to ingredients of processed foods, forbidding artificial preservatives and certain colors and flavors (McEvoy, 2012). Three classifications of labeling exist for organic products, with 100% Organic signifying the product to be made with 100% organic ingredients, Organic indicating 95% organic ingredients, and Made with organic ingredients meaning at least 70% of ingredients are organic while 30% are strictly inspected (Frequently Asked Questions, 2018). The process for a farmer to earn an organic certification is lengthy, spanning at least three years before harvest as they convert land, build natural soil fertility, and complete formalities like inspections (Frequently Asked Questions, 2018). The organic food market is rapidly growing (Appendix 1). In the midst of the Great Recession, while American consumers cut their budgets and consequently deprived most consumer product markets of revenue, this niche market demonstrated explosive growth of 5.1% to 24.8 billion (Smith, 2010). Meanwhile, food sales as a whole increased just 1.6%. In fact, organic food sales accounted for more of US total food sales in 2010 than 2000, up from 1.2% to 3.7% (Smith, 2010). More recently, each of these trends has continued on a larger scale, with the organic food market breaking above 47 billion dollars in sales in 2016 and now comprising a market share of 5.4% of total food sales (Organic Trade Association, 2017). The staggering increase in organic sales, even during a financial downturn, represents the high willingness to pay of consumers, which will be greatly expanded upon in this analysis.