Explain why Perfectly Competitive Industries are Considered to be Essay

Explain why Perfectly Competitive Industries are Considered to be Efficient in the Short and Long-Run - Essay Example There are pros and cons to both yet all reside on one opinion that the key to efficiency is competition. In order to present a concrete conclusion, we have to get into a profound discussion so as to compare pros with cons of perfectly competitive market and also discuss the variance it has with monopoly structure. Perfect Competition and Efficiency: According to Adam Smith perfectly competitive market works under â€Å"invisible hand† in which each individual in society seeks out for the personal interest. However, in order to preach it, he/she has to trade off his belongings with the individual who is willing to get benefited from it. This ultimately leads to benefit of society intentionally or unintentionally. Theoretically; there are many buyers and sellers, identical products, no barriers to entry as well as exit (Thomas E. Woods, 2011). Buyers and sellers both have the perfect information and hence they are the â€Å"price takers† which results in a perfectly elast ic demand curve. This means that if a firm wants to maximize its profit it should sell its product at market price. This means that efficiency is required to keep the cost down and increase the net profit margin. Efficiency is realized when all opportunities to make someone better off without making anyone worse off are exhausted. It is also called ‘Pareto Efficiency’ in most of the global conceptions (Books Llc, 2010). Under ideal conditions in a perfectly competitive market or any other market which is functioning well, the market equilibrium maximizes the difference between the benefits society gets from the good and services and what it costs society to produce. A perfectly competitive market would always focus on the maximum net social benefit. Benefit is not only considered by the monetary return achieved from investments but also the implicit gain realized by the society as a whole. An efficient allotment of resources is accomplished if increment in societyâ€⠄¢s overall level of satisfaction by more of one good and less of another good is not possible. This is why competition is preferred as it mostly leads to favorable outcomes. Competition urges players to perform better than their rival which ultimately leads to better market mechanism. Such efficiency is realized by entities if the price of a good is equal to the marginal cost of the product. An elaboration of the above mechanism is as follows: We know from the above discussion that market supply shows the marginal cost of society of producing the good or service. Moreover, the demand curve is the marginal benefit to society from consuming the good or service. Therefore, the net social benefit would be maximized if the marginal social cost is equal to the marginal social benefit (Tucker, 2010). Considering the cost allocated to society, the market supply is the horizontal sum of each firm’s MC curve or in other words it shows what it costs to produce one additional unit of go od. Economist says that if all the costs are digested by the firms, then supply equals the marginal social cost (Lambert M. Surhone, 2010). On the other hand, economists’ measure benefits in terms of the willingness of consumers to pay therefore, the market demand would be a representation of the total sum of willingness to pay for a unit of good at each level of consumption. The market demand mechanism focuses on maximization of social benefit illustrated below: All consumers whose WTP (willingness to pay) exceeds P will buy a good (or more

Ethics and Corporate Responsibility in the Workplace and the World Essay Example for Free

Ethics and Corporate Responsibility in the Workplace and the World Essay Abstract This paper will examine the ethics of a pharmaceutical company by the name of PharmaCARE. Stakeholders will be discussed, and the treatment of rank and file workers versus executives will be analyzed. Also the proposed firing of three of PharmaCare’s workers will be debated. Additionally obligations, protection, and whistleblowing opportunities will be examined on behalf of Allen a manager for the company. PharmaCARE’s environmental initiatives will be assessed and compared to their efforts to stop environmental laws and regulations. The Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act ( CERCLA) will be reviewed, and all provisions which apply to the PharmaCARE scenario will be discussed. PharmaCARE is one of the world’s most successful pharmaceutical companies. It has a reputation for producing high quality products that saved millions of lives, and enhance the quality of millions of others. The company sponsors a program that offers free and discounted medication to low income customers. PharmaCARE has many stakeholders. Stakeholders being any one or group owning a significant percentage of a company shares, or a person or group not owning shares in an enterprise but affected by or having interest in its operation.(W.Dictionary) Having established the definition of a stakeholder, one can concur that PharmaCARE has plenty. When identifying the company’s stakeholders the first that come to mind are the investors, shareholders and employees, without these people the company would cease to exist. The secondary stakeholders are the customers, suppliers, communities, clinics, hospitals, and doctors’ offices, all of these groups have an interest or wil l be affected by the operations of PharmaCARE. Established in New Jersey, PharmaCARE owns a substantial manufacturing facility in the African nation of Colberia. The natives of the land are extremely poor and maintain the lowest standard of living. PharmaCARE employs the natives, paying them a measly one dollar a day salary to gather plants and carry up to fifty pounds five miles. The company executives that run the facility on the other hand live in a luxury compound provided by the company. PharmaCARE’s practice of paying people to work for a dollar a day is totally utilitarian. They are getting cheap labor and destroying the land of the natives without even trying to provide a structure to help the people out of poverty, or provide equipment or facilities to help them replenish their land. PharmaCARE is morally corrupt, they have no sense of community when it comes to their bottom line. The executive of PharmaCARE are paid sizable salaries and are treated well. They are provided with facilities that contain all the amen ities. The lower ranking employees are treated as expendables. They are expected to work in unsafe conditions without complaint, or risk the chance of being fired. They are in some cases paid a salary so miniscule that it can be interpreted as modern day slavery. On the surface PharmaCARE looks to be an ethically sound company but when closely evaluated it is utilitarianism at its worst. Allen Jones a manager for the company was appointed to lead a new division created by PharmaCARE called CompCARE. The subsidiary was a way for PharmaCARE to avoid FDA scrutiny concerning the reformulation and selling of their top selling diabetes drug. The company quickly established CompCARE and did a low cost renovation to an office located close to headquarter. The new formulation of the drug was successful for treating Alzheimer and the success of CompCARE grew. As production and working hours increased employees began to fall ill. An employee brought to Allen’s attention that there was mold on the air vents, after contacting his supervisor Allen was told to ignore the fact. An EE by the name of Donna who previously had perfect attendance became so ill that she could no longer report to work because of the mold. So she eventually filed for workers compensation. Tom one of Allen’s best supervisor threaten to file a complaint with OSHA about the air quality at the fac ility because it was so bad. Lastly an EE named Ayesha filed an EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) complaint  inferring that she had been looked over for a promotion because she was Muslim. Allen discussed the EE issues with his boss and was told to fire them all. Firing the EEs would not be the best decision for Allen, he has to consider the legal ramifications of his actions. Legally, Allen cannot fire Donna for filing for workers compensation, an EE is protected by law from retaliation for filing a claim. Donna had excellent work evaluations prior to her illness, Allen would have to provide sufficient evidence that firing her was not due to the filing of a workers comp claim. Firing Donna would surely bring an employment discrimination lawsuit against PharmaCARE, it would be wise for Allen to convince his boss to take care of the mold problem in the facility it would save the company money in the long run. Terminating Tom would also bring litigations against PharmaCARE, Tom could allege that he was wrongfully discharged, because he complained about his unsafe working conditions and threaten to inform OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Commission). Under the Wrongful Discharge from Employment Act one cannot be terminated for reporting a violation of public policy or not for good cause once a probationary period is completed. Tom was Allen’s best supervisor, terminating him would be illegal. Allen needs to persuade his boss to remedy the mold problem at the facility, he needs to explain to him that it is in the best interest of the company. Lastly Allen could legally fire Ayesha, not because of her filing a complaint with EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunities Commission) but for not being able to substantiate the claim. Under the Employment-at- Will Act he can terminate her unless some type of contractual terms are stated or implied in the employer’s handbook. Allen’s managerial status puts him in a unique position, he has direct contact with the executives and daily interactions with the lower level EE. Allen is faced with legal and ethical issues, Allen has been told to allow workers to remain in a hazardous work environment. The air quality of the workplace is dangerous to the health of any one working in the environment. As a manager he has an ethical and legal duty to report the conditions of his jobsite to first his superiors, then to OSHA if no measures are taken to correct the problem. Allen’s boss has made it clear that nothing will be done about the air pollution, so reporting this problem to OSHA would  benefit Allen legally. As a manager Allen was made aware of the problem by an employee, if the employee decides to contact OSHA and inform them that they reported this problem to him he may be fired later for not taking steps to remedy the problem. Once you submit a complaint to OSHA your company cannot retaliate against you, this will protect Allen from getting fired and having legal action taken against him. Allen reporting to OSHA is his best option, his job will be protected and he would have done the right thing for the employees. PharmaCARE had recently announced its â€Å"We Care about Your World† initiative. They started recycling, and made packaging changes, these steps made them seem community friendly. Even as they took on these green initiatives, they lobbied to block environmental efforts that would benefit the greater good of the people. Also they entered poor villages and exploited the people and the land to their benefit with no moral gauge. It seems that PharmaCARE is promoting an image of environmental stewardship when they are actually ethically corrupt. They are misleading the community with their behind the scenes practices. If PharmaCARE is going to portray themselves as an environmentally friendly company than they should assume the responsibility of initiating a green program in all aspects of their productions within reason. Communities will support a company that they believe to care about the interest of the greater good and not just profit. PharmaCARE is jeopardizing their image w ith these unethical practices and if made public the company could possibly suffer an economic loss. Comprehensive Environment Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) also known as Superfund, was enacted by Congress in 1980. This law created a tax on the chemical and petroleum industries and provided broad Federal authority to respond directly to releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances that may endanger public health or the environment. The law authorized the EPA to identify companies or individuals responsible for hazardous waste contamination and require them to clean it up. If no party could be found responsible for the contamination then money from the superfund would be used for the cleanup. On October 17, 1986 CERCLA was amended to include more detailed provisions to better the process of  enforcing maintaining and cleaning contamination sites. They include increasing State involvement in every phase of the Superfund program, requiring Superfund actions to consider the standards and requirements found in other State and Federal environmental laws and regulations, and stressing the importance of permanent remedies and innovative treatment technologies in cleaning up hazardous waste sites. There are eleven provisions in all, they were added to give the states more authority in the matters of environmental protection, and bring awareness to the actual dangers to human health from hazardous waste. Provisions relating to PharmaCARE are the right to have safe and toxic free working conditions and the power of the state to enforce clean up, also the random site inspections. References Stakeholders. (n.d.) Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved August 11, 2013, from Dictionary.com website OSHA: complying with workplace health and safety laws. (2013). Retrieved from www.nolo.com SARA Overview. (2013). Retrieved from www.epa.gov/superfund/policy Halbert, T., Ingulli, E. (2012). The duty of loyalty. In M. Staudt M. Stranz (Eds.), Laws and ethics in the business environment (7th ed.). Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning

Two Means Of Mass Communication Media Essay

Two Means Of Mass Communication Media Essay Is print either superior or inferior to video? How would one decide such a matter? When superficially comparing two means of communication largely used nowadays, namely print and video, one could venture stating that the latter is better just by looking at the audience rates for each medium. However, the issue of deciding which type of medium is better is far more complex, starting even from establishing what better means. Being in no position to offer a clear-cut answer to the essay question, in the following lines I will draw some theoretical guiding lines and then outline and discuss some of the important advantages and disadvantages of using print and video as message conveyers, guided by the idea that each medium has its characteristics and each person has to decide which one better suits him or her. The focus points in comparing the two media will be related to the audience rates for each medium and their possible causes, the characteristics of the two media and of the media pr oduct on offer and, lastly, to the impact on the two types of media consumers. Marshall McLuhans famous phrase the medium is the message (1964: 7) represents a suitable starting point in comparing print and video. It indicates that the medium through which a message is conveyed has high importance in the reception of the meanings of the text. Moreover, it implies that each medium shapes the messages it transmits to the audiences according to different factors which I will later present. In discussing these two media in this essay I will mainly refer to newspapers as being representative for the print medium and to television for video. Moreover, the media products which will be addressed will be non-fictional, i.e. not movies or literature. However, it should be noted that print is actually referring in general to the written messages, no matter which is the medium through which we gain access to them (P. David Marshall, 2004). Each medium, nevertheless, inscribes different characteristics on the message it conveys, as I shall attempt to demonstrate in this ess ay. Firstly, I will cast my attention on the audience rates of the two media and on how these could be explained. As stated in the introduction, one could fall into the trap of considering video better than print only because of the number of media consumers each medium has. Indeed, the number of audiences is relevant when studying a medium, especially the effects it can have on people, an aspect which could help one decide which medium is better. The data presented by McQueen indicates that British people spend an average of over 25 hours watching television a week, with, on a typical day, 80 per cent of the population tuning into television (Cultural Trends, 1997, quoted in Glastier, 1997) (1998: 3). Barwise and Ehrenberg draw a more generalised conclusion: people in many countries spend between a third and a half of their free time with television, more time than we spend on anything else except sleep and work (1988: 12). Moreover, the specific example Bourdieu (1998) gives about Fren ch TV viewing being more popular than all newspapers is eloquent. Bourdieu also draws the attention on the possible dangers of the large number of audiences: television poses no less of a threat to political life and to democracy itself (1998: 10). Not only does television manipulates through its nature (Hall, 1996), but it also alienates its audiences, according to the data presented. Audience rates reflect the particularities of print and video consumers. The difference in audience rates is due mainly to the fact that television does not require the audiences to be literate in order to become television consumers: television offers viewers a variety of subject matter, requires minimal skills to comprehend it, and is largely aimed at emotional gratification (Postman, 1987: 88-9). Moreover, the two media have different target consumers. Newspaper reading is similar to other intellectual activities: it is habituated in the youth and then it becomes a custom (Putnam, 2000), the readers choosing certain newspapers due to their clearly defined policy with which its readers can identify themselves [†¦] [because newspapers] express the feelings and hopes, often unexpressed, of its millions of readers (Hornby, 1965: 102). Even if television viewing creates dependence, TV viewers are more flexible than newspaper readers, surfing the TV channels in search for suitable programmes which will attract them, as well as new television viewers. Furthermore, print has always been addressed to older, educated people, to the literate (Putnam, 2000), whereas by its nature the video medium creates the illusion of reality (Hall, 1996) and thus appeals to all people, disregarding their social status, sex, age or race. Extensive research shows that people consider watching TV mainly as a time-passing, relaxing activity, as Barwise and Ehrenberg note: television is so popular because it provides large amounts of distraction and relaxation at a trivial cost with minimum effort to the viewer (1988: 19). By contrast with printed material, video media products have the advantage of being more entertaining. If newspapers have the aim of informing their readers more than other media (Monaco, 1978), TV producers have to create entertaining programmes that can attract audiences and keep them tuned in. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to have access to multiple resources, including equipment, a setting, money, a team etc. In this respect, print is more cost-effective, less constrained than the video medium and more at the disposal of media consumers. Nevertheless, newspapers are not the only form of print, the contents of some magazines and tabloids being more similar to TV programmes than any other print medium, because they have the same role: to entertain their public. If different in audience rates, the two media, print and video, are also dissimilar in what concern the social effects they determine. Putnam (2000) argues that TV viewing alienates the media consumers in different respects, such as determining them to be passive and encouraging less social communication in all its forms written, oral, or electronic (2000: 231). Whereas texts conveyed by print engage their audiences in a one-to-one process, video media facilitates social interactions indoors, in front of the TV, as McCullagh argues: [t]elevision may, for example, facilitate family communication and talk, but the content of the talk and conversation often has little relationship to what is on the screen (2002: 169). Nevertheless, McCullagh pursues his line of argument by stating that the increased time spent in front of television must reduce the time that is available for other forms of social activity, especially those outside the home (2002: 172), while newspapers can be read ever ywhere, at any time. After having discussed a few important social issues regarding the two media which could balance the weight in favour of one of them when judging which is better, I can now look at other characteristics of both media. According to Postman, televisions conversations promote incoherence and triviality (1987: 81), while print is seen by him as a serious, coherent place, capable of management by reason, and of improvement by logical and relevant criticism (1987: 63). His line of thought is developed by Fiske and Hartley: The written word (and particularly the printed word) works through and so promotes consistency, narrative development from cause to effect, universality and abstraction, clarity, and a single tone of voice. Television, on the other hand, is ephemeral, episodic, specific, concrete and dramatic in mode (Fiske and Hartley, 1978, cited in Abercrombie, 1996: 9). Moreover, print texts offer the readers the possibility to have much more control: skipping, pausing, re-reading, and so on (Barwise and Ehrenberg: 1988: 129), unlike video which is an ephemeral medium. This does not imply, however, that television is inferior in all respects to print. One of the matters concerning each medium is related to the amount of time it takes to transmit information to the public and between the occurrence of an event and the moment when the public is informed. In what concerns the video medium, information is transmitted faster to the audience, even if it is usually presented more briefly. Due to the technological characteristics of broadcasting which permit transmitting live footage 24-hours a day, television can deal with todays news, or even news as it breaks, unlike most daily papers which can report only yesterdays events (McQueen, 1998: 100). Another aspect of transmitting news through the video medium compensates this advantage: [f]acts push other facts into and then out of consciousness at speeds that neither permit nor require evaluation (Postman, 1987: 71). There is the risk of loosing the complexity of a news story because of being constraint by time, similar to the lack of space for newspaper news: a television script (e.g. fo r the news) can be more succinct, using fewer adjectives and adverbs because the pictures convey much of the detail (Barwise and Ehrenberg: 1988: 128-9). However, the effect of this simplification of news is that we are presented not only with fragmented news but news without context, without consequences, without value, and therefore without essential seriousness; that is to say, news as pure entertainment (Postman, 1987: 102). Postman further argues that the short length of TV news reports has the role not to let the viewers engage too much with a particular subject, because if they do, they can lose the entertaining sense of the news programme. Spending approximately a day a week viewing TV, people happen to find out more on a particular topic without necessary having in plan to; hence, watching video materials doesnt always involve a voluntary engagement with the subject of the broadcast. Therefore, TV audiences are more likely to be passive because of the longer periods of time in contact with this means of communication, unlike the limited interaction with written texts, which is more likely to be a voluntary action, being more personal as well: the mood of reading is quieter and more reflective (Hornby, 1965: 32). Due to the limited number of pages and the one-to-one character of reading a written text, the reader is more of an active media consumer while a TV viewer could engage in other activities while the TV is on. Moreover, as Monaco argues, in order to read a text, one has to be willing, to invest a more intense intellectual effort because he has to supply his own images [and sound] (1978: 6), whilst to hear or se e something on television does not need such a mental effort. Hence, a written media text is more likely to be read in an active manner than a TV broadcast. This does not imply, however, as McCullagh (2002) argues, that newspapers cannot be read in a distraught way. Related to the issue of active/passive audiences is also the creativity of the media consumer. Print texts encourage people to be creative more than when viewing video materials, in which case the media consumer is a mere spectator, not the essential constitutive element of forming the mental image suggested by the text. News broadcasts comprise reading previously written news (news scripts), (motion) pictures, sounds and testimonies. By contrast with reading texts, where one has to imagine what he reads, the synchronisation voice-over with images [†¦] makes it appear as if the images speak for themselves declare their own transparent meaning, without exterior intervention (Brunsdon and Morely, 1996: 14-5). Ellis notes the characteristics of the video medium, which makes use of images as its main support: it helps communication by providing more redundancy, and provides emphasis by doubling information in both sound and image (2000: 97). Hence, the technologies the video medium is using can bear advantages over the print medium, making the former as popular as it is. The human resources for what is conveyed through a medium are an important part in offering a qualitative product. With regard to print, written texts have authors who express their opinions, their own views, and state their knowledge about different subjects in order to inform the readers. Hence, the articles are more personal than video media products which usually have a team to produce them. If an article is signed by its creator, the news are presented in an impersonal, but not necessarily objective, manner; this is the case of news broadcasts presented by anchors, not of broadcasters whose TV shows are associated with the style, manner and personality of their presenters (Hall, 1996: 9). The video broadcasts are varied in the way they are presented, in the way information not witnessed by the audiences is mediated to the public. This aspect could also influence the viewers due to the complexity of the stimuli conveyed through video. Apart from the statistics on audience rates and the features of the two media there is a great concern with the effects of media on audiences, which mainly derive from the technological characteristics of the medium. Unsuitable material presented on TV is more damaging than in the case of printed texts because, unlike print, video offers a more convincing image of reality. Thus, the impact on audiences is higher over a short period, which, however, cannot challenge the place of the newspaper as the medium that daily records in some detail, life in all its aspects (Hornby, 1965: 98). In print, words and a limited number of images cannot present an exact picture of an event because all is filtered through the mind of the journalist; thereby, the reader receives second-hand information. The video medium offers a more exact image of the world, due to the images, comments and interviews presented. However, both perceptions of the world are biased because they are presented by people. There could be said much more about print and video, two different types of media, which, I would agree with Putnam, are complements, not substitutes (2000: 219). Therefore, it is hard to decide which one is better. Each media is good at responding to the expectations of its target audience and each of them has its advantages and disadvantages, some of which I have discussed in this essay. To conclude, I will emphasise once again the role of the two media: print mainly informs, whilst the video media mainly entertains. It rests with each person to decide which one is more suitable for them and if they can cope with the negative aspects of the specific medium. Student No: 0831496 Module: Media Sociology Word count: 2375 Mark: 65 (Mid Upper 2nd) Date of submission: 28.04.2009

Emily Brontes Wuthering Heights Essay -- Emily Bronte Wuthering Heigh

Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights The female writer Emily Bronte wrote the novel 'Wuthering Heights' in 1847. Bronte's father had influenced Emily with his well-known poetry and imagination. Bronte's childhood could have also played a part in writing her novel as she used to live in the moors herself before her mother died. The North Yorkshire moors where 'Wuthering Heights' is set is a bleak, desolate and solitary place. The area was very inaccessible and it would have taken days to get to neighbouring small towns as the only method of transport was by horseback or by horse and cart. As the moor was so remote there was a limited social life and close friendships were only usually between other family members. The women of those times were expected to be married at an early age and also bear children soon after marriage. However, many women died during or soon after childbirth as the medical knowledge was very poor. Death at an early age was also not uncommon. If a mother died then it was normal for an unmarried female relative to look after the children and take the late mother's place in the home. The social classes were separate at the time the novel was set and marriage was usually within a social class. It would have been considered degrading for a rich person to marry someone with little or no inheritance and of a lower class. This class distinction meant servants were treated badly and often had to live separate to the family they worked for, sometimes out with the animals. This class separation was also in place in Santiago, Chile, at the time James Watson wrote 'Talking in Whispers'. Watson's novel was based on real events and some of the characters were meant to reflect real people.... ...next one to be killed and the risk of losing your family. The type of psychological brutality in "Wuthering Heights" is different. The brutality in this novel is more to do with social status than fear. It is apparent when Heathcliff's "father" dies and Hindley makes Heathcliff live as a servant. Hindley could not accept him as an equal he was seen as a "gypsy". This type of verbal insult, a long with when Cathy said, "It would degrade me to marry him", hurts people's minds rather than their body. Yet, "Wuthering Heights" also shows physical brutality such as when Hindley fought with Heathcliff when they were young and when Heathcliff beats his wife. Also, his treatment of Hareton is not very kind. In conclusion, both novels contain brutality but both concentrate on different aspects, and because of the setting, the reasons and effects are different.

The Indigo Spell Chapter Sixteen

I GAVE MS. TERWILLIGER a full report on our trip to the inn the next morning. We met at Spencer's, and in a rare show of early rising, Adrian joined us. â€Å"I've got a study group meeting soon,† he explained. His mood was a lot better, with no mention of yesterday's . . . indiscretion. Even though there wasn't much to tell, lines of worry creased her face as she heard our story. The true panic came when I mentioned my dream. Ms. Terwilliger's eyes went wide, and she gripped her coffee cup so tightly, I thought it would break. â€Å"She found out,† she murmured. â€Å"Whether it was that Alicia girl or some other way, Veronica found out about you. I should never have sent you. I thought you'd slip underneath her radar if the other girls were charmed, but I was wrong. I was selfish and naive. It would've been better if she knew I was on to her from the very beginning. You're sure you were masking Sydney's appearance?† That was to Adrian. â€Å"Positive,† he said. â€Å"Everyone we talked to, all the girls and even Alicia . . . none of them would have a clear idea of what Sydney looks like.† â€Å"Maybe she's been spying on you,† I suggested. â€Å"And saw us together. I haven't been in disguise around here.† â€Å"Maybe,† Ms. Terwilliger conceded. â€Å"But we also know she was active in Los Angeles. She would have to spend considerable time stalking her victims, which wouldn't give her the chance to come here and watch me extensively. Even with her powers, she can't teleport.† Her expression hardened with resolve. â€Å"Well, there's nothing to be done now but damage control. She doesn't seem to know exactly where you are yet or that you're even connected to me. I'll make you another charm to try to boost this one, but it may not work if she's found a way to reach out to you. And in the meantime, don't worry about offense anymore. You need to focus on defense – particularly invisibility spells. Your best protection against Veronica at this point is for her simply not to find you if she comes looking around Palm Springs.† I'd continued reading the advanced offense spells, despite her warnings. With this new development, though, I knew she was right about defense being more important. Still, I couldn't shake the worry that Veronica had discovered me by watching Ms. Terwilliger, which in turn made me fear for my teacher's safety. â€Å"You keep saying she's not after you . . . but are you really sure?† â€Å"She'll avoid me if she can,† said Ms. Terwilliger, sounding confident. â€Å"I have the power but not the youth and beauty she's after. And even she would draw the line at taking on her sister. It's the only remnant of human decency she has left.† â€Å"Will she still have that attitude when you confront her?† asked Adrian. Ms. Terwilliger shook her head. â€Å"No. Then anything goes. I'd like to meet with you tonight to practice a couple other defensive tactics.† I eyed her carefully. â€Å"Are you up for that? No offense, ma'am, but you already look exhausted.† â€Å"I'll be fine. Meet me at the park again around ten. I'll get Weathers to let you go. We must keep you safe.† She stared off into space for several moments and then focused on me again. â€Å"In light of this development . . . it wouldn't be a bad idea for you to find some, ah, more basic means of defense as well.† â€Å"Basic?† I asked, puzzled. â€Å"She means like a gun or a knife,† supplied Adrian, catching on to what I hadn't. Ms. Terwilliger nodded. â€Å"If you ever confront Veronica, it'll most likely come down to magic fighting magic . . . but, well, one can never say. Having something else for backup might prove invaluable.† I wasn't a fan of this idea. â€Å"I have no clue how to knife fight. And I don't like guns.† â€Å"Do you like being put into a coma and aging before your time?† asked Adrian. I shot him a glare, surprised he'd be on board with this. â€Å"Of course not. But where would we even get one on such short notice?† From the look on his face, he knew I had a point. Suddenly, he became enthusiastic again. â€Å"I think I know.† â€Å"I'm sure you two will figure it out,† said Ms. Terwilliger, her mind already moving to something else. She glanced at her watch. â€Å"Almost time for classes.† We all stood up, preparing to go our own ways, but I held Adrian back. I couldn't imagine how in the world he would know where to get a gun on no notice. He wouldn't elaborate and simply said he'd meet me after school. Before he left, I remembered something I'd wanted to ask. â€Å"Adrian, did you keep my cross?† â€Å"Your – oh.† Looking into his eyes, I could practically see yesterday's events playing through his mind – including us rolling around on the bed. â€Å"I dropped it when – ah, well, before we left. Yo u didn't pick it up?† I shook my head, and his face fell. â€Å"Shit, I'm sorry, Sage.† â€Å"It's okay,† I said automatically. â€Å"It's not okay, and it's my fault. I know how much it means to you.† It did mean a lot to me, but I almost blamed myself as much as him. I should've thought of it before we left, but I'd been a little preoccupied. â€Å"It's just a necklace,† I told him. This didn't comfort him. He looked so dejected when we parted ways that I hoped he wouldn't forget about us meeting up later to visit his mysterious gun source. There was nothing to worry about, though. When classes ended, he was outside my dorm in the Mustang and looked much more upbeat, with no more mention of the necklace. When he told me his gun plan, I was shocked, but after a few moments of thought, I realized he might be on to something. And so, a little less than an hour later, we found ourselves far outside the city, driving up to a forlorn-looking home on a large, barren piece of land. We had reached the Wolfe School of Defense. â€Å"I never thought we'd be here again,† I remarked. Wolfe's house had no windows, and there were no cars in sight as we walked up to the door. â€Å"He may not even be home,† I murmured to Adrian. â€Å"We probably should have called first.† â€Å"Wolfe never struck me as a guy who leaves the house very much,† said Adrian. He knocked on the door, and almost instantly, we heard a flurry of barking and scampering feet. I grimaced. Wolfe, for reasons I would never be able to understand, kept a herd of Chihuahuas in his house. He'd once told us that they could kill a man upon a single command. We waited a few minutes, but the barking was the only sign that there was any sort of life inside. Adrian knocked one more time (driving the dogs into an even greater frenzy) and then shrugged. â€Å"I guess you were – â€Å" The door suddenly opened – just a slit – and one gray eye peered out at us from underneath a chain. â€Å"Oh,† came a grizzled voice. â€Å"It's you two.† The door closed, and I heard the chain being unlocked. A moment later, Wolfe slipped outside, careful not to let any of the dogs out. He had a patch over his left eye, which was probably just as well since his other eye alone seemed to peer straight through me. â€Å"You should've called,† he said. â€Å"I nearly turned the dogs on you.† Wolfe was dressed in his favorite pair of Bermuda shorts as well as a T-shirt showing a bald eagle riding on a monster truck. The eagle held an American flag in one set of talons and a samurai sword in the other. That seemed a weird weapon choice for such a patriotic shirt, but we'd long since learned not to question his wardrobe. That had come after he'd kicked a woman out of our class who'd dared to ask if he only had one pair of shorts or several identical ones. â€Å"What do you kids need?† he asked. â€Å"Next classes don't start until after New Year's.† Adrian and I exchanged glances. â€Å"We, um, need a gun,† I said. â€Å"I mean, just to borrow.† Wolfe scratched his beard. â€Å"I don't lend them out to students who haven't taken my gun class. Safety first.† I found it promising, however, that he lent out guns at all. It was a sign of his character that he didn't even bother asking why we wanted one. â€Å"I've already had training,† I said. That was true. It was mandatory for all Alchemists. I'd done well in it, but as I'd mentioned to Adrian, I really didn't like guns at all. At least a knife had other uses. But a gun? It was only there to injure or kill. Wolfe arched an eyebrow, the one over his good eye. Clearly, he didn't believe me. â€Å"Can you back that up?† â€Å"Do you have a shooting range?† I returned coolly. He almost looked offended. â€Å"Of course I do.† He led us to a building beyond the garage we'd trained in. I'd never been inside this building before, but like his house, it had no windows. The door was covered in enough locks to meet with Alchemist security standards. He let us inside, and I gaped when I saw not only a practice range but also a wall covered in various types of guns. Wolfe gave the small holding space a once-over. â€Å"Earmuffs must be in the house. Be right back.† I continued staring at the wall, knowing my eyes were wide. â€Å"There's no way those are all legal.† Adrian's response was unexpected. â€Å"Did you notice his eye patch?† I dragged my gaze from the arsenal. â€Å"Um, yes. From the day we first met him.† â€Å"No, no. I mean, I swear it was on his other eye last time.† â€Å"It was not,† I said immediately. â€Å"Are you sure?† asked Adrian. I wasn't, I realized. Words and numbers were easy for me to memorize. But other details, like clothing or hair – or eye patches – were sometimes easy for me to miss. â€Å"That doesn't make any sense,† I finally said. â€Å"Why would he do that?† â€Å"He's Malachi Wolfe,† said Adrian. â€Å"Why wouldn't he do that?† I couldn't argue against that. Wolfe returned with ear protection. After examining his wall, he selected a small handgun and then unlocked a cabinet containing ammunition. At least he didn't leave a bunch of loaded guns around. â€Å"I'll do that,† I told him. I took the gun from him and effortlessly loaded it. He made a small grunt of approval. He gestured toward the far end of the range, to a large paper cutout showing a human silhouette with various targets marked on it. â€Å"Now then,† he said. â€Å"Don't worry about hitting the – â€Å" I fired, perfectly emptying the clip into the most difficult targets. I handed the gun to him. He handed it back. Behind him, I could see Adrian staring at me with enormous eyes. â€Å"Keep it,† said Wolfe. â€Å"You passed. You've gotta buy your own ammunition, but as long as you fill out the rental agreement, you're good to go.† As it turned out, the â€Å"rental agreement† was a piece of paper where he wrote the gun type on one side and I put my initials on the other. â€Å"Really?† I asked. â€Å"That's all I need to do? I mean, I'm glad, but . . .† I didn't really know what else to say. Wolfe waved off my protests. â€Å"You're a good kid. If you say you need a gun, I believe you. Someone giving you trouble?† I slipped the gun into my messenger bag. â€Å"Something like that.† Wolfe glanced over at Adrian. â€Å"What about you? You need a gun too?† â€Å"I'm good,† said Adrian. â€Å"Besides, I haven't had the training. Safety first.† Wolfe opened up the ammunition cabinet again and produced a long wooden tube and a sandwich bag of what looked like small darts. â€Å"You want to borrow my blowgun? Not much of a learning curve on this. I mean, you'll never be able to match the skill and cunning of the Amazonian warriors that I stole this from, but it can get you out of a pinch.† â€Å"Thanks, but I'll take my chances,† Adrian said after several long moments. He almost sounded as though he'd considered it. I was still hung up on Wolfe's other words, not sure I believed what I'd heard. â€Å"You were in the Amazon?† This time, Wolfe arched the eyebrow above his eye patch. â€Å"You don't believe me?† â€Å"No, no, of course I do,† I said quickly. â€Å"It's just, you've never mentioned it before.† Wolfe gazed off beyond us. â€Å"I've been trying for years to forget my time there. But some things, you just can't escape.† A very long and very uncomfortable silence followed. At last, I cleared my throat. â€Å"Well, thank you, sir. We should get going. Hopefully I won't need the gun for very long.† â€Å"Keep it as long as you need,† he said. â€Å"If I want it back, I'll find you.† And on that disturbing note, Adrian and I left. Although I understood Ms. Terwilliger's reasons for â€Å"old-fashioned† defense, I was in no way comfortable having a gun around. I'd have to keep it in my car in case school authorities ever did a search of my room and discovered it. My Alchemist and magical kits were already a liability. I was pretty sure there'd be no talking my way out of a gun. Adrian returned me to Amberwood. I started to open the door and then paused to glance over at him. â€Å"Thanks,† I said. â€Å"For everything. Going to the inn. Suggesting we see Wolfe.† â€Å"Hey, that was worth it just to know Wolfe owns a blowgun.† I laughed. â€Å"Actually, I'd be more surprised if he didn't. See you later.† Adrian nodded. â€Å"Sooner than you think.† â€Å"What's that mean?† I asked, suspicion rearing up in me. He dodged the question and reached underneath his seat. â€Å"I called Alicia,† he told me, producing a small box. â€Å"She couldn't find your cross. Her housekeeping service had already gone through and cleaned the room, but she says she'll check to see if it got caught up in the bedding. Oh, and I also asked about Veronica. She hasn't been back.† That was disheartening news, but I was touched he'd called. â€Å"Thanks for trying.† He opened the box and pulled out a necklace with a tiny wooden cross on it. â€Å"I got you a replacement. I mean, I know there's no real substitute, but I wanted to get you something. And don't start about not being able to accept some fancy gift,† he said, guessing the protest I was about to make. â€Å"It cost me five dollars from a street vendor, and I'm pretty sure the chain is brass.† I bit off my words and took the necklace from him. The cross barely weighed anything. Studying it more closely, I could see a tiny pattern of silver flowers painted on its surface. â€Å"The vendor didn't do that. That's your handiwork.† â€Å"Well . . . I know you're into simple stuff, but I've always got to have some embellishment.† I ran my finger over the cross's surface. â€Å"Why'd you choose morning glories?† â€Å"Because I'm not the biggest fan of lilies.† I smiled at that. When I returned to my dorm room, I laid the necklace out on my dresser. I gave it one last fond look and then tried to decide how best to spend the rest of my day. Our trip to Wolfe actually hadn't taken that long, so I had plenty of time to catch dinner and make sure I was up to date on my homework. I actually ate with Kristin and Julia for a change, which was kind of a nice break from the drama of my other friends. Of course, most of the meal consisted of Julia gushing about â€Å"Dave.† By the end, both she and Kristin were demanding to know when I'd bring him by again. As the evening pushed on, I began to prepare for my meeting with Ms. Terwilliger. I wasn't sure what kind of magic we'd be practicing outdoors but figured I should be ready for anything. I packed a wide variety of items from my kit and even had the foresight to bring a granola bar for post-magic fuel. Once everything was in order, I headed back downstairs. I was nearly out the dorm door when Mrs. Weathers called out to me. â€Å"Sydney?† I paused to glance back. â€Å"Yes, ma'am?† â€Å"Where are you going? It's nearly curfew.† Frowning, I walked over to her desk. â€Å"I'm doing an assignment for Ms. Terwilliger.† Mrs. Weathers looked troubled. â€Å"Yes, I know you do that a lot for her . . . but I haven't received authorization from her to let you out after hours today.† Her expression turned apologetic. â€Å"I'm sure this is all on the up-and-up, but, well, rules are rules.† â€Å"Of course,† I said. â€Å"But she said she'd let you know. Are you sure you didn't get anything? A note? A phone call?† She shook her head. â€Å"Nothing. I'm sorry.† â€Å"I understand,† I murmured, though I wasn't sure I did. Despite her perpetually scattered nature, Ms. Terwilliger was usually good about this sort of thing. Mrs. Weathers assured me she'd let me go if Ms. Terwilliger gave the okay by phone, so I returned to my room and attempted to call her. I went straight to voice mail, and my text went unanswered. Had something happened to her? Had that magical confrontation I'd been dreading finally gone down? I kicked around my dorm room for the next hour or so, letting all my worries eat at me. Veronica. Marcus. St. Louis. Ms. Terwilliger. The dream. Over and over, I kept imagining the worst outcome for all of them. Just when I thought I'd go crazy, Ms. Terwilliger finally returned my call. â€Å"Why didn't you show up?† she asked as soon as I answered. I felt relieved. She'd gone to the park. That explained the lack of contact since there was no signal out there. â€Å"I tried! Mrs. Weathers wouldn't let me out. You forgot to give me permission.† â€Å"I most certainly didn't. . . .† Her words trailed off uncertainly. â€Å"That is, I thought I did. . . .† â€Å"It's okay† I said. â€Å"You've had a lot on your mind.† â€Å"It's not okay.† She sounded angry but it was at herself, not me. â€Å"I need to be on top of this.† â€Å"Well, you can call Mrs. Weathers now,† I said. â€Å"Too late. I'm already back home. We'll have to attempt this again another time.† â€Å"I'm sorry,† I said. â€Å"I tried.† Ms. Terwilliger sighed. â€Å"I know you did. It's not your fault. It's mine. I'm letting all of this wear me down, and now I'm getting sloppy. I've already taken too many risks at your expense, and it's put Veronica on your trail. I can't let her get any farther.† A chill ran through me as I thought of those comatose girls – and the possibility of me joining them. I'd been able to stay cool and collected while investigating, but last night's dream had driven home the dangers I faced. That image of the girl in the newspaper hovered in my mind as I held the phone and paced my room. I stopped in front of a mirror and tried to picture myself like that, aged before my time. I squeezed my eyes shut and turned away. I couldn't let that happen to me. I just couldn't, and I needed Ms. Terwilliger if I was going to stay safe. Maybe I was a prodigy, but I was nowhere near being able to take on someone like her sister. â€Å"Get some rest, ma'am,† I said at last. â€Å"You sound like you need it.† â€Å"I'll try. And you be careful, Miss Melbourne.† â€Å"I will.† Being careful was the only thing I could do on my own for now. I just hoped it would be enough. When we got off the phone, I didn't want to sleep again. I was afraid to, and it wasn't just because of the sheer terror I'd felt in last night's dream. Ms. Terwilliger had explained there was a type of searching spell that sought people in their sleep, and I worried that if Veronica reached out to me again, she might get a fix on my location. The problem was that after last night's sketchy sleep, I was now even more exhausted. My usual coffee and distraction tricks failed, and before I knew it, I was asleep. I don't know how much time passed before I dreamed. One moment I was lost in the oblivion of sleep. The next, I found myself standing in the room that had hosted Sonya and Mikhail's reception. It looked exactly the same: flowers everywhere, tables covered in white linen and crystal glasses . . . The only difference was that the room was empty and silent. It was eerie, seeing all that richness and glamour with no one to enjoy it. I could've been in a ghost town. I looked down and saw that I wore the same dress from that evening as well. â€Å"I could've made it red, you know. That's a better color for you – not that blue looks bad on you.† Adrian strode toward me, dressed in the same dark blue suit. Understanding hit me. I was in a spirit dream. It was another of that element's incredible feats, the ability for a spirit user to intrude on someone's dreams. No – not intrude. The user was actually able to create the dream itself, controlling every detail. â€Å"It's been a long time since you pulled me into one of these,† I said. â€Å"And look at the progress you've made. Last time you were kicking and screaming.† He held out a hand. â€Å"Want to dance?† â€Å"No music,† I said, not that I had any intention of dancing. He had a point about my reaction, though. I hadn't exactly been kicking and screaming, but I had kind of freaked out. I'd been in full possession of all my fears about vampires and magic, and being surrounded in a world completely constructed of that magic had left me frightened and unhinged. And now? Now I had apparently become so comfortable that my biggest concern was that he'd put me in this dress. I gestured to it. â€Å"Can you change me out of this?† â€Å"You can change yourself out of it,† he said. â€Å"I'm letting go of the control. Just picture yourself the way you are in reality.† I did exactly that, and a moment later, I wore jeans and a pale blue knit top. This obviously disappointed him. â€Å"That's what you sleep in?† â€Å"No.† I laughed. â€Å"I was trying not to sleep at all. It didn't work. Why'd you bring me here?† He strolled around and picked up one of the crystal goblets, nodding in approval as though he were some sort of glassmaking expert. â€Å"Exactly that reason. I saw how much that dream bothered you. I figured if I pulled you into one of these, it'd keep you from one of Veronica's.† I'd never thought of that. Vampire magic was certainly preferable to hers. Looking around, I gained a new appreciation for the room. It became a sanctuary, a place where she couldn't reach me. At least, I hoped not. We really didn't know how her magic would work against Adrian's. For all I knew, she might come walking through the door, carrying Sonya's bouquet. â€Å"Thank you,† I said. I sat down at one of the tables. â€Å"That was nice of you.† It was another one of those incredible moments when Adrian had had the insight to guess my thoughts – or in this case, my fears. â€Å"Well, it was also selfish. I wanted to see you in the dress.† He reconsidered. â€Å"Actually, I wanted to see you in that red Halloween dress again, but I figured that would be pushing my luck.† I looked away as an image of that dress returned to me. Lia DiStefano had created the costume for me. She'd loosely based it on an ancient Greek dress and ended up with a gauzy confection of red and gold. That was when Adrian had said I was the most beautiful creature walking the earth. It had happened before he expressed his feelings for me, but even then, his words had undone me. I thought about what he was doing for me now and decided to give him a small compensation. I focused again on my clothes, and the blue dress returned. â€Å"Better?† I asked. His face lit up in a way that made me smile in return. â€Å"Yes.† Hoping I wasn't setting myself up for some suggestive answer, I asked, â€Å"So what are we going to do?† â€Å"You sure you don't want to dance? I can make some music.† My silence spoke for me. â€Å"Fine, fine. I don't know. We could play a game. Monopoly? Life? Battleship? Twister? Whatever we do, I am not playing Scrabble with you.† We warmed up with Battleship – I won – and then moved on to Monopoly. That took a little work to set up because Adrian could only create things that he could imagine. He couldn't remember all the streets and cards, so we made our best attempt to re-create them. Neither of us could remember one of the yellow streets, so he named it Jet Way. We proved surprisingly well matched, and I became engrossed in the game. The power shifted back and forth between us. Just when one of us seemed to have all the control, the other would seize it back. I had no doubts about my ability to win – until I lost. I sat there, dumbstruck, staring at the board. â€Å"Have you ever lost a game before?† he asked. â€Å"I . . . yes, of course . . . I just didn't think . . .† â€Å"That I could beat you?† â€Å"No, I just . . . it doesn't happen very often.† I looked up at him and shook my head. â€Å"Congratulations.† He leaned back in his chair and laughed. â€Å"I think beating you just improved your opinion of me more than anything else I've ever done.† â€Å"I've always had a high opinion of you.† I stretched out, surprised to feel kinks in my body. It was strange how these dreams could have such a realistic physical component. â€Å"How long have we have been here?† â€Å"I don't know. It's not morning yet.† He appeared unconcerned. â€Å"What do you want to play next?† â€Å"We shouldn't play anything,† I said. I stood up. â€Å"It's been hours. I'm asleep, but you aren't. You can't stay up all night.† â€Å"I'm a vampire, Sage. A creature of the night, remember?† â€Å"One who's on a human schedule,† I chastised. He still didn't seem worried. â€Å"Only one class tomorrow. I'll make it up.† â€Å"What about the spirit?† I began to pace restlessly as more of the implications hit me. â€Å"You have to be using a lot of it. That's not good for you.† â€Å"I'll take my chances.† There was an unspoken for you at the end of his sentence. I returned to the table and stood in front of his chair. â€Å"You have to be careful. Between this and the Veronica hunt. . . .† I suddenly felt bad. I hadn't thought twice about asking him to help with that. I'd forgotten the risks. â€Å"Once we've stopped her, you need to lay off the spirit.† â€Å"Don't worry.† He grinned. â€Å"Once we've gotten rid of that bitch, I'll be celebrating so much that I won't be sober for days.† â€Å"Ugh. Not the healthiest way to do it. Have you ever thought about antidepressants?† I knew they helped some spirit users by blocking the magic. His smile vanished. â€Å"I won't touch those things. Lissa took them and hated them. Being cut off from spirit nearly drove her crazy.† I crossed my arms and leaned against the table. â€Å"Yeah, but using it will drive you crazy too.† â€Å"No lectures tonight, Sage. It mars my stunning Monopoly victory.† He was far too casual for such a serious matter, but I knew him well enough to recognize when he wouldn't yield. â€Å"Fine. Then let's end on a high note. Send me back, and get some sleep.† â€Å"You sure you'll be okay?† His concern was so intense. I didn't think anyone had ever worried about me that much. Well, maybe Ms. Terwilliger. â€Å"Probably she gave up for the night.† I really didn't know, but I couldn't let him keep exerting himself. The thought of Veronica reaching out again terrified me . . . but the thought of Adrian endangering himself almost scared me more. He'd risked so much for me. Could I do any less? â€Å"You can check on me tomorrow night, though.† Adrian's face lit up as though I'd just accepted a date. â€Å"It's a deal, then.† And like that, the reception hall dissolved around me. I returned to peaceful sleep and just barely heard him say, â€Å"Sweet dreams, Sage.†

Essay Final Example

Essay Final Example Essay Final – Essay Example Same-Sex Marriage Same-sex marriage is a relationship that involves marriage between a man and a man or between a woman and another woman. Same-sex marriages have been way of life for a long time. However, this issue had not developed an interest until the recent years. In the contemporary society, same-sex marriages have picked noteworthy interest thus creating a platform for discussions worldwide on whether they should be legal or against the law. Same sex marriages are perhaps viewed as having more adverse impacts than affirmative results and consequently they ought to be illegalized. Same-sex marriages weakened the by now relatively weak union foundation and changing its procreative purpose. This is because these forms of marriages only seem to rise an already existing societal problem. With the inability of the same sex to reproduce, thereby same-sex marriages do not assist in advancing the human race. Moreover, same-sex marriages are seemingly selfish since they are more focuse d on interests of adults leaving children out of the picture. People in support of same-sex marriages may argue that adopting children may solve the problem of procreation, as is the way of many same-sex marriages. Same sex marriages are in contrast with cultural practices and beliefs of most religions (Hunter 54).Over the years, many cultures have based the family setting of specialization and division of labor. Each gender is allocated a set of activities that are connected to a particular sex and absence of one sex implies neglecting some of the roles stipulated for the particular gender missing. Despite the arguably few advantages that accompany same-sex marriages, there are other options that can be adopted to amount to the same results. For example, there are increasingly many laws protecting people from all types of discrimination including those relating to marriage. Furthermore, same-sex marriages do not offer the best environment for children development due to the absence of fathers and mothers who both have an important role to play in the children development process. In addition, same-sex marriages are a source of confusion and depletion of cultural and religious beliefs. Therefore, it is in order to conclude that same-sex marriages should be discouraged and illegalized ( Hunter 45).Hunter, Dan. The Future Impact of Same-Sex Marriage: More Questions than Answers. Georgetown University Law Center, 2012.