Environmental Management Case Study of AkzoNobel

Environmental Management Case Study of AkzoNobel Abstract In modern business, sustainability has become of great importance when determining a companys strategy.   AkzoNobel, a company that produces chemicals, paint, paper and pulp, is well aware of this evolution and has built its business model around it. This case study aimed to analyze and review AkzoNobels environmental- and sustainability performance by exploring the companys webpage as well as other critical resources. The management of the company was analyzed, along with the tools, methods and metrics that are used to reach set objectives. Furthermore, the environmental- and sustainability policy was related to the ISO14001 requirements. It was determined that, although AkzoNobel puts in significant effort to include environmental aspects in its long term goals, it is clear that their sustainability agenda is a tool for boosting their reputation to outcompete their competitors. Table of Content Abstract 2 Table of Content 3 Introduction 4 Environmental Management 4 Executive body 5 Driving forces 5 Objectives/Comparison with Sweden 5 Environmental Policy 7 Sustainable systems 7 Tools, methods metrics 8 Eco-premium products 8 Environmental Assessment Tools 9 Safety 9 Product stewardship 9 Managing scarce resources 9 ISO14001 and AkzoNobel 9 Suppliers sustainability 11 Supplier visit 11 Vendor compliance letter 12 Key supplier management program 12 Sustainability focus areas 12 Climate change AKZO Nobel 12 Position 12 Achievements 13 The Future 13 Discussion 14 Conclusion 15 References 16 Introduction AkzoNobel is the largest global paint and coating manufacturer in the world and a leading producer of specialty chemicals, pulp and paper. It is a company of about 57,000 employees that are situated in more than 80 countries. The companys slogan is Tomorrows answer today. In other words, their strategy is to produce products that are far more advanced compared to their competition. With todays concern about environmental issues, this competitive edge comes with producing products that are deemed sustainable. Therefore, the forefront of AkzoNobels agenda, it can be said that sustainability is the key word in AkzoNobels business. The aim of this report is to review the environmental and sustainability management performance of AkzoNobel. The objectives of this report are to: Give a short description of AkzoNobels activities and to investigate their executive body; Analyze the driving forces behind the environmental management performance of the company; Define the most significant environmental aspects of AkzoNobel and relate them to Swedens Environmental Objectives; Critically analyze the environmental/sustainability policy; Identify and analyze the different environmental and sustainability management tools, methods and metrics; Provide AkzoNobels position on global warming; Describe AkzoNobels supplier and vendor policy; Examine their business strategy in relation to business opportunity; Judge their actual sustainability performance; and Comment on outside criticism of the company. Environmental Management When a company sets its goals towards sustainability, it is often necessary to completely rework the way in which the company is managed. In order to successfully improve negative social and environmental impacts, it is essential for the company to integrate these factors into every day decision making (Epstein, 2008). AkzoNobels management team has claimed to have done this by the appointing a management team that has sustainability at its utmost priority. Executive body AkzoNobel has established an executive committee (ExCo) which is composed of five members of the board of management and four leaders with functional expertise. This arrangement allows business and function to be taken equally into account while managing the company. The functions that are now representing the ExCo are: HR Organizational Development, Research, Development Innovation, Legal  and Supply Chain/Sourcing. The ExCO shares powers and responsibility for managing the company under the chairmanship of the CEO, Hans Wijer. (AkzoNobel, 2011c) AkzoNobel also has a special Sustainable Development Group. This team is composed of 13 individuals with background studies ranging from chemistry to economics and from environmental sciences to policy and management. (AkzoNobel, 2011g) Driving forces In 2008, AkzoNobel put in place a strategy with a sustainable agenda. Their specific sustainability objectives were to: Remain in the top three in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes; Reduce the total reportable rate of injuries to 2.0 per million working hours by 2015; and Deliver a step change in people development, in part through substantially improving the diversity in the company. (AkzoNobel, 2011e) The first point connects the companys business side and its environmental objectives together. Investors are increasingly focusing on investing in companies that set industry-wide best practices with regard to sustainability. Sustainability has become attractive to investors because it aims to increase long-term shareholder value. Sustainability leaders are increasingly expected to show superior performance and favorable risk/return profile (Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes, 2011). Consequently, a company with a sustainable agenda is considered a good investment. AkzoNobel is well aware of this as can be seen in their business principles when they state: We need to make sustainable profits if our business is to thrive (AkzoNobel, Business Principles, 2011a). The companys sustainable agenda also mentioned that they aim to reduce the reportable rate of injuries. AkzoNobel is a company that works with substances and chemicals that have high environmental and health risks. Companies fear having a reputation for a high number of injured employees or for causing environmental damage. Because AkzoNobel handles these types of substances it is consequently under the microscope. In order to avoid pressure from environmental advocacy groups such as Greenpeace or to avoid bad media, it is of strong interest to account for environmental aspects as well as the safety and health of its employees. Objectives/Comparison with Sweden According to the companys website, AkzoNobel set its targets on the following objectives towards sustainability: Improving safety performance; Increasing turnover from eco-premium products  which are both eco-efficient and attract a premium; Developing sustainable water management   at all sites; Reducing carbon emissions from cradle to gate; Adherence to and training in the companies Code of Conduct ; Strengthening the diversity of the companys workforce; and Implementing leading people development programs (AkzoNobel, 2011b). From these targets it is clear that AkzoNobel considers a well trained and ambitious workforce an important step towards sustainability. It can also be seen that there is an emphasis on the responsibility of the workforce. It is important for the company that its personnel are aware of the sustainable targets and that the employees take part in reaching them. In comparison, Swedens Environmental Objectives are the following: Reduced Climate Impact Clean Air Natural Acidification Only A Non-Toxic Environment A Protective Ozone Layer A Safe Radiation Environment Zero Eutrophication Flourishing Lakes and Streams Good-Quality Groundwater A Balanced Marine Environment, Flourishing Coastal Areas and Archipelagos Thriving Wetlands Sustainable Forests A Varied Agricultural Landscape A Magnificent Mountain Landscape A Good Built Environment A Rich Diversity of Plant and Animal Life (Government offices of Sweden, 2011) The management of AkzoNobel is in line with most of Swedens environmental objectives. They are aware of the need to reduce carbon emissions and employ sustainable water management. Furthermore, the production of eco-efficient products is a step towards a non-toxic environment. Eka Chemical is AkzoNobels daughter company that specializes in specialty chemicals, pulp and paper. Their goal is to have pulp and paper products that are made from sustainably sourced fibers (i.e. sustainable forestry), while using energy from renewable sources and discharge only of water that is cleaned after production (AkzoNobel, 2011d). Taking into concern its environmental aspects, AkzoNobel has a clear aim towards one of Swedens Environmental Objectives, which is A Good Built Environment. Environmental Policy Within a company, the principles of environmental policy are the foundation for implementing a sustainable system. Usually full support at the top management level is needed to make such a system work and to gain the attention of all employees inside the organization (ISO 14001,2010). The term Environmental Policy can be defined as: any [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] action deliberately taken [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] to manage human activities with a view to prevent, reduce, or mitigate harmful effects on nature and natural resources, and ensuring that man-made changes to the environment do not have harmful effects on humans. (Fairbridge Technologies, 2009). As mentioned previously, AkzoNobel really takes care of its reputation for being a sustainable company. This, again, is mentioned in their Vendor Policy. The slogan Tomorrows Answer today shows that this topic is omnipresent and AkzoNobel not only explains that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦sustainability is at the heart of everything we do but also that they have integrated sustainability into every area of their business. (AkzoNobel, 2011a) Sustainable systems Sustainable systems are considered ones that take into account not only environmental aspects but also social and economic ones. The main goal of an Environmental Management System is to improve all three aspects simultaneously without losing performance in one. AkzoNobel uses a sustainability framework which is part of the managing our values ideal. Former key points such as integrity, governance and compliance are now being replaced with new topics such as value creation through process excellence, innovation and talent development. More specifically, AkzoNobels sustainability framework focuses on three concepts: Improve: continue to comply with environmental and social regulations to ensure a license to operate. This point is considered to be the core element of how AkzoNobel, as a company, operates. Manage: include sustainability in all aspects of the value chain. Invent: integrate sustainable value propositions to develop a long-term strategic value. (AkzoNobel, 2009) Tools, methods metrics The global strategy of AkzoNobel is to integrate sustainability in all aspects of the value chain, to decrease their carbon footprint and to make profits from these standardized systems. It starts in the early stage of market research across sales and ends in cooperation with stakeholders. Furthermore, AkzoNobel highlights the essential aspect of long-term opportunities for their business which should be reached by these tools, methods and metrics. In the following theres a detailed list of the sustainability actions in the company. Eco-premium products AkzoNobel analyzes all of their products by quantitative or qualitative measurements every time they bring a new product on the market. In order to be deemed an eco-premium product, the product must score significantly better than a currently available product in at least one of the following categories: Toxicity Energy Efficiency Use of Natural Resources and Raw Materials Emissions Waste Land use and risk (AkzoNobel, 2009) Environmental Assessment Tools As mentioned previously, AkzoNobel quantitatively and qualitatively measures the sustainability of all products before they are considered suitable for sales. In order to conduct these assessments, the company implements the use environmental assessment tools such as life cycle analysis, environmental impacts analysis, carbon footprint analysis, eco footprint analysis and eco efficiency assessment. Environmental tools, such as the ones mentioned, are essential for turning data into environmental business strategies. Data for each of the tools is gathered from in house personnel, measurements, authorities, etc. and the conclusions from each report are used for negotiations, reducing costs, meeting permit requirements, improving efficiency, meeting customer demand and setting sustainability targets. (AkzoNobel, 2010b) Safety The establishment of a behavior-based safety program and a new Safety Leadership Program for head management is an efficient method of improving the injury rate for employees and contractors. This figure is also influenced by the integration of standards for process safety and occupational health and the, so called, Health, Safety, Environment and Security (HSES) audit process. The aim is to share good practice all over the company with corporate HSES audits to analyze progress. (AkzoNobel, 2009) Product stewardship To guarantee that AkzoNobel fulfills all legal and ethical requirements for their products (according to REACH, GHS etc.), a Global Product Stewardship and Regulatory Affairs Council has been established. Their tasks are to integrate good practice from the company into a product stewardship framework and to ensure that supplies, training and audits are optimized step by step. (AkzoNobel, 2009) Managing scarce resources AkzoNobel puts in a significant amount of effort in reducing the carbon footprint of their products and creating more value for the customer at the same time. Sourcing managers have been installed to identify focus areas for improvement and develop a carbon management plan in a dialogue with suppliers. In the future, AkzoNobel wants to learn more about customer applications to become more efficient in their environmental management. (AkzoNobel, 2009) ISO14001 and AkzoNobel The ISO 14000 family of environmental management standards can be used to implement a successful environmental management system. Specifically, ISO 14001 can be considered the most important framework for organizations around the world to reach their environmental goals and keep an effective environmental system running. The cyclical process of plan, do, act and check are similar to the ISO 9000 family (Quality Management) but focused on environmental issues. Nevertheless, it is possible to combine the two because it is voluntary for companies to implement these systems. Therefore, every organization regardless of size or sector has the ability to implement ISO 14001. Two different companies can run two completely different environmental management systems but both according to the framework in ISO 14001. The basic principle which distinguishes ISO 14001 from all other strategies is the Concept of Continual Improvement Process (CIP). This concept ensures that products are continually being monitored and improved to adhere to environmental and safety regulations. (Envirocip, 2011; Environmental Management System, 2011; ISO, 2009) ISO 14001 consists of four basic points (figure 1). They are similar to traditional generalized strategic planning and are following: Plan Do Check Act (ISO, 2009) Figure 1: ISO 14001(Jonsson, L. 2011) An explanation of each step and its connection with AkzoNobels business policy is as follows. Plan: Environmental management system implementation In the first step of the PDCA-cycle, environmental goals are defined and strategic processes are created to reach them. Ideally those targets are measurable so it also gives a framework for a control system. AkzoNobel installed sourcing managers to take care of their carbon management plan and to find new focus areas for improvement and development together with suppliers. (AkzoNobel 2009; ISO, 2009; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2008) Do: Conduct life cycle assessment and manage environmental aspects During this step, the company begins the life cycle assessment process and determines how to manage environmental aspects. This step requires that documentation be taken throughout the entire assessment, control systems are run, employees are educated and emergency plans are established. One example of how AkzoNobel deals with this step in the ISO 14001 process is the implementation of the EUs REACH-Project in 2007. This program involved changing the requirements and rules for suppliers which how AkzoNobel educated their contractors to manage environmental aspects differently. (AkzoNobel ,2007a) Check: Conduct audits and evaluate environmental performance The check step in the ISO 14001 involves screening, measuring and controlling all processes and products controlled by internal audits etc. AkzoNobel is very proud of its Eco-Premium Products. They give this label to new products after positive analyses of their carbon footprint. (AkzoNobel 2009; ISO, 2009; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2008). Act: Communicate and use environmental declarations and claims During this stage, companies determine whether their goals and targets within their Environmental Management System were fulfilled. In AkzoNobel, a Product Stewardship System controls and improves all activities from cradle until gate. An effective way to follow this step of the ISO-framework is to check the current situation, and go back and find a better solution in a continuous process. (AkzoNobel 2009; ISO, 2009; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2008) Suppliers sustainability As mentioned previously, AkzoNobel claims to have implemented sustainability into every area of their business. As per this initiative, part of their long-term strategic goal is to build relationships and work with partners that help the company increase its sustainability. Currently, AkzoNobel requires suppliers of raw materials to adhere to certain restrictions with regards to social and environmental standards. This is laid out by the AkzoNobel Vendor Policy- a document that formulates the conditions that suppliers are legally bound to. The conditions that vendors must comply to have been broken down into four categories: supplier visits, vendor compliance letter, key management program, and sustainability focus areas. (AkzoNobel, 2011h) Supplier visit AkzoNobel regularly conducts support visits with their vendors. The purposes of these visits are to not only ensure that AkzoNobels restrictions are being met but also to provide sustainability counseling. AkzoNobels personnel give suggestions and act as environmental consultants to their suppliers. Continual regular visits ensure that the suppliers have implemented the sustainability measures and have maintained their new strategies. This process is laid out in the Vendor Relationship Management Framework. (AkzoNobel, 2011h; AkzoNobel, 2011j) Vendor compliance letter As part of the legal obligation for vendors to adhere to AkzoNobels business principles, vendors are required to sign the Vendor Compliance Letter. This document contains AkzoNobels core values as well as a framework for labor, environmental, safety, and business relations guidelines. (AkzoNobel, 2011i) Key supplier management program This program aims to work with suppliers to increase and improve Eco-premium solutions for their customers. Regular meetings are conducted where suppliers and AkzoNobel agree upon new products that will continue success not only in economic terms, but also environmental sustainability terms. (AkzoNobel, 2011h) Sustainability focus areas AkzoNobel has developed sustainability focus areas (SFA) in order to source products and services that give the company the opportunity to significantly reduce their ecological footprint. These areas include: Logistics Travel Waste Management Packaging Carbon Management Renewable Raw Materials IT Lease Cars (AkzoNobel, 2011h) Climate change AKZO Nobel Position AkzoNobels position on climate change is laid out in the document AkzoNobels Position Statement. This document states that AkzoNobel recognizes climate change as a man-made global issue of great importance and, therefore, it is necessary to mitigate CO2 emissions. In an effort to reduce their carbon footprint, AkzoNobel monitors, measures and studies all CO2 emissions related to industrial or production activities. Yearly, this data is compiled into reports that are in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and provide an analysis of direct, indirect, and total CO2 emissions. From these reports, reduction goals and mitigation objectives are developed that the company aims to achieve by the following year. The 2015 target is to reduce carbon emissions by 10% (based on 2009 emissions) per ton of product and the 2020 target is to reduce carbon emissions by 20-25% (based on 2009 emissions). (AkzoNobel, 2008) Achievements AkzoNobel has been recognized as the global leader in sustainability in the chemicals industry. From 2006 to 2007 AkzoNobel has managed to decrease their carbon dioxide emissions from 5.2 (Million T c) to 3.3 (Million T c). From 2007 to 2008, AkzoNobel decreased their carbon dioxide emissions 1 percent per ton of production. Because AkzoNobel aims to significantly reduce their ecological footprint, they have set up a strategy to help reduce carbon-intensive processes and improve energy efficiency. Thus far, they have achieved the following: 73% of worldwide power consumption is based on zero and low carbon sources 37% of electricity in the production process is based on hydropower Considered in the top ten percent for energy efficiency in manufacturing salt-chlorine-PVC loop- on our their most energy intensive processes Use low carbon energy sources to produce their other two most energy intensive chemicals- sodium chlorate and hydrogen peroxide Trying to replace fossil fuels with renewable resources such as wood chips Assessed the eco-efficiency/carbon footprint of key products Developed several carbon efficient solutions for our customers Include energy efficiency and carbon footprint criteria in their investment decisions (AkzoNobel, 2008) Additionally, Scandinavias pulp and paper industry and Hollands base chemical production are AkzoNobels most energy intensive production plants. These two industries combined are responsible for 82% of AkzoNobels total energy use and 73% of their CO2 emissions. Recently, the pulp and paper chemicals production plant shifted 58% of its energy to hydropower. Also, the base chemicals plants were retrofitted with highly energy efficient, gas fired cogeneration units that produce steam and power. (AkzoNobel, 2007b) The Future AkzoNobel has made plans to invest in creating a system that produces steam from waste and biofuels. AkzoNobel also supports implementing a cap and trade system that encourages plants to become sustainable while punishing the unsustainable ones. Their position states that they support the development and implementation of the most energy efficient technologies worldwide. For the future, AkzoNobel is revising their 2008 Carbon Strategy to build new sustainability goals. This strategy will include plans to reduce carbon emissions in the area of manufacturing. (AkzoNobel, 2007b) Discussion After reviewing AkzoNobels business strategy, it is clear that AkzoNobel looks at high environmental/sustainability performance as a business opportunity. The company specifically aims to produce products that are economically as well as environmentally rewarding. Currently, sustainability and climate change issues are at the forefront of the global agenda. If AkzoNobel chose to disregard these issues and continued with business as usual their reputation would lack the high integrity which has been a key element to their success. Because this company has managed to significantly reduce their ecological footprint, they have received several awards, media attention, and PR. This attention does not go unrecognized as consumers are attracted to companies that hold such a high esteem. Additionally, it is well known amongst the general population that chemical production as well as pulp and paper production are two notoriously environmentally harmful industries. As the general population b ecomes increasingly involved and aware of environmental issues, AkzoNobels business and purchasing decisions begin to reflect it. It is, thus, in AkzoNobels best interest to address the companys sustainability and remain at the forefront of the global sustainability arena. If AkzoNobel chose to disregard sustainability issues it would, in the long-term, cause AkzoNobel to not be able to compete with its competitors in the market. This is in line with AkzoNobels philosophy of environmental stewardship and their understanding of customer demand as can be seen by the following AkzoNobel quotation: [Sustainable innovation process] SIP is driven by the need for better product performance but its always connected to sustainability and environmental performance. We cant bring a product to market that is less environmentally friendly than its predecessor and expect it to succeed. Equally, a new eco-product will only do well if it also offers real competitive advantage. (AkzoNobel, 2010a) Regardless of the companys attempt to address environmental/sustainability issues, AkzoNobel is nonetheless environmentally harmful. Producing chemicals, paint, paper, and pulp products is never done without an ecological price. However, AkzoNobel has made a significant effort to increase the companys environmental sustainability as much as possible. This has been done by developing strategies, goals, and plans through rigorous sustainability planning and the success of the activities have been monitored via environmental testing. Because reductions in VOCs, CO2, SO2, and NOx emissions have been proven, the business activities of the company are in correlation to the environmental planning. As mentioned, companies in modern business are aware of the importance of being green. Unfortunately some of them fail to act green even though they present themselves as such. Greenpeace has set up a campaign to stop this so called Greenwashing and ask companies to: Clean up your act, NOT your image (Greenpeace, 2011). While surfing AkzoNobels webpage, it was clear that AkzoNobel was extremely proud of all its positive achievements but hardly mentioned when it didnt succeed or have a bad performance. However did SOMO (Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations) make a report in 2009 about AkzoNobel to provide additional information that AkzoNobel itself might not have reported, focusing on the 2008 annual report. In this report it was stated that in 2008 the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) of the University of Massachusetts had ranked AkzoNobel in the 85th place on the Toxic 100 Index. This index indicates the top 100 air polluters in the U.S. on the basis of tota l human health hazards resulting from air toxics emissions at their facilities. (Knottnerus, 2009). It was also noted that in 2008, AkzoNobel had not fulfilled requirements about the usage and purchase of renewable energy. Knuttnerus mentioned more cases that were not environmentally friendly, though many were old, some even stationed back in the 1980s. Sustainability first became a fundamental principle in AkzoNobels business in 2004. The company had a quick success and already in 2008 it was in 2nd place on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes. (Knottnerus, 2009). The company has succeeded a lot in a short time and its understandable that some things cant happen over a night. From our point of view AkzoNobel could think about taking part in the Chemical Leasing program coordinated by UNIDO to mitigate their environmental pollution. The idea of ChL is to establish a service-oriented business model and to guide customers away from buying and using too much chemicals for the purpose of the environment. The producer mainly sells the functions performed by the chemical and functional units are the main basis for payment. (UNIDO, 2010) Conclusion After analysis of AkzoNobels environmental/sustainability management performance, it is clear that the company has a strong sustainable agenda that is supported by all levels of management- an essential aspect for successful implementation of business strategies. To execute this plan, AkzoNobel established an Executive Committee and a special Sustainable Development group that focuses on these matters. The main driving force for the development of this strategy is to increase long-term share holder value. The company monitors and develops both their internal production as well suppliers through the use of several sustainability tools. It was determined that AkzoNobel uses this sustainability strategy as a business opportunity as well as a means of boosting their public image. Since it was difficult to find figures or statistics that showed negative environmental performance, it is unclear whether the company adheres to Greenpeaces campaign slogan Clean up your act, NOT your image. Ei ther way, it is important that modern day companies are transparent and do not forget to report their bad performance. Transparency and honesty in business is the best way to be trusted and to avoid being classified as a Greenwashing company.

Napster Case Study

Napster & MP3: Redefining The Music Industry Introduction Napster was the first, very innovative music technology application that allowed users to download MP3 from the internet and other peers for free, or at a cost. Napster strongly adapted the word sharing and put it their own terms to avoid any copyright infringement but it ended badly on their part. This disruptive technology was leading the market and had over 60 million users by 2001. Although very similar technologies were soon after developed, Napster was still on top and lead the market.Many users knew exactly what they wanted but getting it seemed to be the difficult part once Napster and the RIAA went into a legal battle. More commonly, the industry has been shaped from Napster and the base product that has been derived. Napster may have been a failure to the industry but it shaped the industry for the future from 2001 until present and for years to come. 1. What is Napster’s business model? Being as though Napste r was the first to market with their music search engine for MP3 files, they successfully managed to set up an online community where users could download these files.Napster had its market segments and was targeting the college and high school demographic, as described in the case study. The main objective was to give users the opportunity to listen to the songs before they wanted to go ahead and purchase them. During the dot. com boom, when Napster was created, it seemed as though the developers only wanted to create the program to attract a client base to increase the value of the company mainly to sell it off to a larger, more valuable company. Once the main database of Napster was created, they started off by seemingly trying to create a membership based business model.They had a free membership to start as a trial run, basic membership for relatively inexpensive that would cost between $2. 95 and $4. 95 per month. This basic membership would have a limit on file transfers. The y also had a premium membership that would cost between $5. 95 and $9. 95 with an unlimited amount of file transfers. Most of these file transfers came from peer-to-peer which was part of the interesting aspect of Napster. Users could upload files from their computer to their Napster desktop and another user could download straight from their computer.Certain users had a better rating than others and so forth. It seems as though their business model was working until the music industry became aware of what was really going on. 2. How have Napster and MP3 changed the music industry? Napster and MP3 were the start to the online music industry databases during the dot. com boom. This was the beginning of the greatest innovations yet to come. Not only did this lead to what we now use as iTunes but it went through multiple transformations with different music download programs and revamped the way artists were selling their music.CDs were most common before Napster and now, the percentag e of CDs compared to online purchases are completely reversed. Many people don’t even own CD players unless they are on their computers and iPod or iPhones are the new use of music play. Without Napster, none of this would even be possible because the whole concept of having the MP3 on a database where you can see each song and download right from the Internet. Now, you have to purchase each song or album and the artists get credit for their work.Back when Napster was the source with MP3, there were possible ways around the memberships and for a very light fee, you could get music for almost nothing where the artists were not getting the compensation that they deserved and worked for. The music industry is completed revamped since Napster and thanks to Napster and MP3, we now have the convenience to purchase a song or album right at the touch of our fingertips or click of a button as opposed to going to a store and buying a CD. 3. Who are the winners and the losers in the ind ustry transformation?Explain why in detail. Within the industry transformation, there are many different aspects to be considered when discussing the winners and the losers. In terms of the artists and musicians, I believe that although they started out as losers, in the end, they ended up winning because for already discovered, well-known singers, they are getting the royalties they are owed and for new, up and coming artists, they are getting their name out there in a much less expensive way than before and still making some sort of money to support their dream.The agents and label companies will become winners as well through the transformations. The larger companies will most likely lose some strength and then gain back once they begin to find new artists and those artists begin to take off. The risk/reward of the digital market here will yield much more reward and their financial strength from the start will help them be a winner here. I feel the biggest loser in throughout the entire industry transformation is the packaging and CD production industry. Because CDs are no longer at an all time high, they will no longer be needed.There is very little need for this and it has almost become a niche market, barely used for music anymore, unless someone is burning their own music onto a CD. Albums being created and sold solely onto a CD has decreased substantially and within the next few years could become something in the past. This is the biggest loser by far through the music industry transformation. Although customers might think they are losing because now they have to pay for songs, they are winners because the quality of the music is better as well as the people creating.The level of effort matters to the customers when creating their next masterpiece of an album and if they weren’t getting the compensation they feel they deserve, it would be hard to justify a very complete, well written album. Customers are winners during the industry transformat ion. As for the biggest winner, I believe digital retail has won in this category. Apple and Microsoft have both done an amazing job with allowing iTunes to properly run on both of their software where it is so extremely easy to access any song, album, artists, video, TV show, movie, you name that a person could possible think of.To have a song on there takes a very small amount of work for Apple and it is one of the most genius programs to every be invented by one of the most powerful companies we will ever come across. At this time, if you were to watch a TV reality singing show, for example, X-factor, and you see a live performance you really enjoy, you can literally go on iTunes the very next day and purchase that specific person singing that very song. The digital retail market is only growing and technology has done something so amazing by growing the concept of Napster into something that can yield such amazing results.This is by far the biggest winner of the music industry t ransformation. 4. From the perspective of the stakeholder who stands to lose, is there anything you can do to change this? From the perspective of the stakeholders in Napster, it seems that they would all end up losing and there really is not much to be done to change this. Even though the concept of Napster really did drive the entire music and social media industry to a new place, it was a highly illegal application where many people lost a ton of money.Because of the money put into this application, stakeholders will end up being the losers when they lose their investment when they expected a return. 5. How will the industry change over the next 5-year period? As difficult as it is to say how the industry will change within the next 5 year period, I believe there will be many more drastic changes between now and then. Technology is rapidly growing and altering while new products are being brought into the market.I believe that iTunes will be around for some time but as they conti nue to update and make it better, faster and stronger, it will only take up more of the market share. As of right now, they have a tool called â€Å"genius† where it searches through the music you already have and suggests new music for you to buy. This tool is extremely helpful and can create thousands of new playlists and songs for a person to listen to. New artists, groups, reality TV shows, YouTube sensations and small town discoveries are being made every single day.The next pop star could be in the local coffee shop one day and on your TV screen the next. The industry is so quickly growing that it is almost impossible to keep up with technology and talent wise. 6. As viewed from the perspective of the record companies, retailers, artists, and Napster, what strategy would you pursue, and how? If I were viewing this situation from the perspective of the record companies, retailers, artists and Napster, I would pursue the strategy of Phase 2.In this day and age, many peopl e try and keep up with the technology that they are given. Napster was first to market with their idea and what they were given but many people were not happy. In Phase 2, it gives Napster the option to still let people play the music that they had already had on their original Napster, but from there forth, purchase the rest of the music and pay where the price is due. Napster was a disruptive technology that absolutely lacked refinement and had some major performance problems whether those were the slow search or the filters.However, this application was proven to be somewhat practical once it was perfected through the years. Apple used Napster’s disruptive technology and built their sustaining technology from the concept and played out the revenue aspect of Phase 2. That being said, I would stick with Phase 2 and continue to grow the industry based of of each song and price because even though many customers would initially complain, this would eventually turn into the nor m, like it has, and will drive the music industry to become a much more organized and beneficial industry.

Stereotypes as a Propaganda Tool Essay - 1240 Words

Stereotypes as a Propaganda Tool Stereotypes as a Propaganda Tool As Americans go through a post-traumatic process after the September tragedies, most people are trying to analyze the entire situation to find out who is wrong and who is right. While media, politicians, and military leaders endlessly speak about the Taliban, Bin-Laden, Arabs, and Islam, we are making our conclusions based on what we hear. What an average American might assume by watching television and reading newspapers is that Islamic fundamentalism is some kind of mental illness and every Arabic-looking man is a threat to society. Unintentionally, we are about to make the same mistake by discriminating against people as we did with the Germans during World War II†¦show more content†¦Then, he said, â€Å"We are all just one big family on this flight. So, I want you to get know your neighbors. Ask them their names and their country of origin. Then, you folks just let me know if any of you are worried about the person sitting next to you.† I was dumbfounded! What a way to perpetuate the racial stereotypes and prejudice that grew in the wake of the September 11 attacks. I’ve heard of pilots refusing to take an Arab-American passenger, or passengers getting off the flight with Arab-Americans on board, but I had hoped that kind of discrimination was waning. Such behavior is inappropriate in America. Guess I was wrong. (F.05) We are scared and such inexcusable behavior is just our instincts of anger and fear. We think that it is acceptable to violate someone’s civil rights if it would make us, Americans, feel safer. Every political leader in the country says we are not in a war against Islam, but after the September attacks, there were over 400 hate crimes against Muslims or Muslim-Americans, including nine deaths, 90 physical assaults, and 85 incidents of vandalism. Cases include firebombings of Islamic centers and mosques in Chicago, Cleveland and Seattle (Poe A.10). Many Americans have acquired the stereotype of Muslim people as a symbol of danger. â€Å"The stereotyping of Middle-Eastern-looking people has been known since the Crusades in the Middle Ages,† said Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic RelationsShow MoreRelatedEssay on The Functions of Stereotypes in Propaganda1220 Words   |  5 PagesThe Functions of Stereotypes in Propaganda A leader with no followers is a guy taking a walk. Good leaders whether it be opinion or political, rarely if ever walk by themselves. The information theydisseminate more often than not leaves them with a hoard of followers that conform to their ideas or cause. The circulated information is known as propaganda. The Webster dictionary defines propaganda as, ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further ones cause or to damage an opposingRead More Propaganda and Stereotyping Essay1382 Words   |  6 PagesPropaganda and Stereotyping Propaganda: a word that is commonly underestimated in its power. Confused with advertisement, people tend to take the disasters caused by propaganda lightly. One such disaster is the stereotype – a felicity confused with the truth. In this research paper, a closer attention will be given to the propaganda generation of stereotypes about a specific age group; how easily and believable stereotypes are carried by propaganda tactics on youth will be presented. ThroughoutRead MoreEssay on Media Propaganda and Stereotypes1645 Words   |  7 PagesOur society consists of consumers that buy into stereotypes and the propaganda that is being fed by the government and the media. Stereotypes steer individuals perceptions of a group of people in a certain way, usually negative, and generalize that opinion to all members of the group. Aware of the influence stereotypes have on peoples views, governments use stereotypes already imbedded in society as a propaganda tactic to persuade peoples thoughts, opinions and beliefs in order to benefit theirRead MoreEssay on Propaganda, Stereotypes, and the War on Drugs1371 Words   |  6 PagesPropaganda, Stereotypes, and the War on Drugs The West has constantly been fighting the use of illegal drugs for decades by Propaganda. Propaganda ‘is a form of manipulative communication designed to elicit some predetermined response’ (Inge, 1981, 322). Governments have been using many propagandistic methods to reduce the consumption of illegal drugs such as marginalization or creating stereotypes. By creating a certain stereotype for the drug users and dealers, governments believe that peopleRead MoreEssay about Extreme Political Polarization1041 Words   |  5 Pagesis not the only tactic that has been used to polarize politics in government today. Propaganda is also one of the more widely used tools by todays politicians. Propaganda can take many forms, and often uses every type of media to perpetuate stereotypes, fear mongering, and slant the story, often making the task of finding the truth increasingly difficult. Traditionally used in magazines and print media, propaganda often took the forms of humorous ca rtoons, with symbolic illustrations and memorableRead More Propaganda and Its Effect on America Essay1698 Words   |  7 PagesPropaganda and Its Effect on America Thesis: Propaganda was a tool that leaders used to get people involved in wars of the past. Propaganda, a term that only reminds people of corruption and manipulation. Others, it reminds of advertising and raising American spirit. Well, they are both right. [â€Å"Propaganda† Pg. 1, sec.1]   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Propaganda is a specific type of message presentation aimed at serving an agenda. At its root, propaganda is to propagate (spread around) a certain position orRead More Birth Of A Nation: Art Or Propaganda Essay examples803 Words   |  4 Pages Birth of A Nation: Art or Propaganda nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Mankind, engaging in war, driven by whatever instincts guide him, seeks to keep the defeats and victories of battle in his memory and on his conscience. To accomplish this men have used paint and canvas, ink and paper, or instrument and song in their effort to communicate the tragedy and glory of war. Never, before the career of D.W. Griffith had anyone attempted to bring the subject to film. The result of his efforts, weaknessesRead MoreGovernmental Actions Based On Ideologies During The 1930s And 1950s1697 Words   |  7 PagesMiles at the University of Missouri, the government uses propaganda to persuade the people into believing what they believe in. It creates a biased interpretation from the government so that the citizens remain loyal to their own country’s beliefs, changing their perception toward a certain race. This is important in World War II, that even the Americans â€Å"[dehumanize] the Japanese and instilling fear in the minds of Americans, WWII propaganda [prompts] cultural and racial hatred that [leads] to massiveRead MoreReaching Across the Parting Lines: How Technology Breaks Down Cultural Borders1443 Words   |  6 Pagescontext were Lea 2 often easily misconstrued. When the only images presented of different races were the stereotype created by one person, it was very easy to create a border between the known and the unknown. One example is American soldiers and the graffiti drawn on their bunks of Japanese soldiers during World War II, which further drove a wedge between Western and Eastern culture. The stereotype carried itself over into the states in the form of Japanese internment camps, and it was not uncommonRead More Stereotyping of Arab Muslims in the New York Times for the Past Forty Years3589 Words   |  15 Pagesmedia theorists say that only under extreme conditions will the negative stereotypes reflect the publics opinions of the portrayed minority group. The parallel theory between propaganda and stereotyping by the mass media is examined. Theorists including Thomson, (1977) Myers, (1992), related to mass media effects strongly agree claiming that repetitive and non-contradictive images in the media ar e an effective form of propaganda. The research samples are random article reviews of the New York Times

Psychological Analysis On Ava s Communication Skills

At the end of 8 years of age heading into 9 years of age, I received a psychological analysis on Ava. Based on these results, I think I did well in the areas that involved Ava’s communication skills, language skills, as well as her memory skills. I believe this to be true because Ava’s scores have proven to be average or above average in these particular areas. Ava’s psychological analysis was performed by a highly trained psychologist. Ava took the verbal portion of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. To explain these tests a little further, a score of 7 is one standard deviation above the mean, 10 is the mean, and 13 is one standard deviation above the mean. In information and comprehension Ava scored a 9. Both of these scores are almost the mean score. Ava also scored an 8 in vocabulary and similarities. Then her scores in math concepts, math application problems, and math computation tests were in the average range. Lastly, Ava’s scores on te sts of visual spatial ability (spatial rotation, copying of designs, etc.) were above average. When Ava was younger I took advantage of her natural born talent to read and write by giving her books to read. I would make each book increasingly more challenging for her vocabulary. I would also encourage her to improve her writing by practicing every day. The results in her report reflect this choice benefitted Ava because she is above average in â€Å"†¦word reading, reading fluency, phonological awareness, and spelling†Show MoreRelatedImaginative Play9679 Words   |  39 Pagessocialize, becoming less impulsive, and improving your judgment. But can’t children do all this in adult activities in which they learn how to deal with the world? What is it about the nature of child’s play that facilitates the development of those psychological abilities noted above? Engage kids in productive activities, and they should learn about the world and how to deal with the world. Can’t they develop â€Å"private talk† while learning to ï ¬ x a car, pl ant a garden, add 2 and 2, or sell a washing machineRead More_x000C_Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis355457 Words   |  1422 Pagesto Statistics and Data Analysis This page intentionally left blank Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis Third Edition Roxy Peck California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Chris Olsen George Washington High School, Cedar Rapids, IA Jay Devore California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Australia †¢ Brazil †¢ Canada †¢ Mexico †¢ Singapore †¢ Spain †¢ United Kingdom †¢ United States Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis, Third Edition Roxy Peck

Grit Essay Examples - 903 Words

Grit is a predictor of academic, professional, and personal success. Grit can be defined as strength of character or the ability to overcome failure and continue to work toward success. People with grit are not always the people with the most natural ability, but their work ethic and ability to overcome obstacles allows them to achieve success. Grit is a very valuable characteristic in almost any venture, as it gives someone an advantage in overcoming the inevitable obstacles they will face. However, grit is much easier adopted when an individual has a growth mindset. The first step to obtaining grit is to correlate both self-control and self-confidence when trying to reach an objective. By doing this, one can focus on the task at hand†¦show more content†¦I had no experience as a runner nor did I have the form. This did not phase me however. That year I promised myself to push through all the six mile runs, sore legs, gnarly blisters, and at times, lack of oxygen. At every meet and speed workout practice I pushed myself further and further. I set a goal every time I kicked off from the starting line and never let myself get discouraged when I failed. By my senior year, I was the fourth fastest runner on varsity. That year our varsity team won the district meet, which qualified us to run in the 2016 state meet in Oregon. The transformation over the years were evident. My determination to accomplish my goal of becoming a faster runner was complete. If I had simply just given up that first day of practice, I wouldnt have ran along side of t he fastest runners in Oregon or have met the multitude of people that are now my closest friends. Having a goal sets one up for a challenge, whether it being physically or mentally, goals keep us active and thinking in more ways than one. Still, if someone has self-control, confidence, and a goal, they are still not complete. Growth mindset is the cone to an ice cream. It is the foundation of what I think a successful person is. Without it one couldn’t use the characteristics mentioned above in more ways than one. Someone with a growth mindset believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work, brains and talent are just the starting point.Show MoreRelatedGrit : Perseverance And Passion For Long Term Goals962 Words   |  4 Pagesarticle, â€Å"Grit: Perseverance and Passion for Long-Term Goals,† by Angela L. Duckworth, Christopher Peterson, Michael D. Matthews, and Dennis R. Kelly, research and studies were conducted to dis play the extent of how grit is a contributing factor in the â€Å"achievement† or â€Å"success† in â€Å"vocational and avocational achievements that were recognized by other people† in comparison to â€Å"those that are primarily subjective value to the individual† (Duckworth,Peterson,Matthews, and Kelly 1087). Grit is definedRead MoreGrit Vs. 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ESOL 40 has helped to me improve in writing essays, grammar skills and also getting closer to My main goal which is to reach the higher classes. Writing an essay in an important aspect of learning English and fortunatelyRead MoreSummary Of Cr?ï ¿ ½vecoeur874 Words   |  4 Pages1780’s a French aristocrat by the name of J. Hector St. John de Crà ¨vecoeur wrote a collection of essays defining his stance on colonial American society and Americans themselves. In this excerpt Crà ¨vecoeur gives his definition of the American man and the â€Å"poor European emigrant† (39). He explains how a man thrives in the new country and how the rise up from the lowest class. As a reader reads the essay, they must note the writer himself, his tone, his sentence structure, and how his words connectRead MoreI Have Learned About My Writing879 Words   |  4 Pagesand instead of making a paragraph too wordy, I should just get to the point and then analyze. I learned that a beneficial writing strategy can be overviewing the topic briefly, stating the argument, and then using supporting details like quotes and examples that back up the original argument. In high school, I took the International Baccalaureate level of English that my school offered a selected amount of students from beginning of my junior year to the end of my senior year. In those two years weRead MoreThe Cold War2159 Words   |  9 Pagestherefore developed the GRIT strategy, which aimed at using small but significant unilateral concessions to build mutual trust between the two powers, so that tensions could be reduced and negotiations could be made in good faith (Osgood, 1962). In the years that followed, there were different attempts made by both powers to use concessions in this way, yet a number of them were viewed with extreme skepticism (Kaiser, 1980). 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Courage – We are unafraid to try new things, even discover and journey where other don’t to deliver our promise to delight. We possess an indomitable spirit, a lot of grit. (JG SUMMIT HOLDINGS,INC., 2017) Marketing Strategy We have accepted the wonderful marketing strategy in which it will provide the products to the customers in inclusive range and adopts the effective and fast distribution channels for the supply of

The Twilight Saga 2 New Moon Chapter 1 PARTY Free Essays

string(29) " over my anxious brown eyes\." I WAS NINETY-NINE POINT NINE PERCENT SURE I WAS dreaming. The reasons I was so certain were that, first, I was standing in a bright shaft of sunlightthe kind of blinding clear sun that never shone on my drizzly new hometown in Forks, Washingtonand second, I was looking at my Grandma Marie. Gran had been dead for six years now, so that was solid evidence toward the dream theory. We will write a custom essay sample on The Twilight Saga 2: New Moon Chapter 1 PARTY or any similar topic only for you Order Now Gran hadn’t changed much; her face looked just the same as I remembered it. The skin was soft and withered, bent into a thousand tiny creases that clung gently to the bone underneath. Like a dried apricot, but with a puff of thick white hair standing out in a cloud around it. Our mouthshers a wizened pickerspread into the same surprised half-smile at just the same time. Apparently, she hadn’t been expecting to see me, either. I was about to ask her a question; I had so manyWhat was she doing here in my cream? What had she been up to in the past six years? Was Pop okay, and had they found each other, wherever they werebut she opened her mouth when I did, so I stopped to let her go first. She paused, too, and then we Goth smiled at the little awkwardness. â€Å"Bella!† It wasn’t Gran who called my name, and we both turned to see the addition to our small reunion. I didn’t have to look to know who it was; this was a voice I would know anywhereknow, and respond to, whether I was awake or asleep or even dead, I’d bet. The voice I’d walk through fire foror, less dramatically, slosh every day through the cold and endless rain for. Edward. Even though I was always thrilled to see himconscious or otherwiseand even though I was almost positive that I was dreaming, I panicked as Edward walked toward us through the glaring sunlight. I panicked because Gran didn’t know that I was in love with a vampirenobody knew thatso how was I supposed to explain the fact that the brilliant sunbeams were shattering off his skin into a thousand rainbow shards like he was made of crystal or diamond? Well, Gran, yon might have noticed that my boyfriend glitters. It’s just something he does in the sun. Don’t worry about it What was he doing? The whole reason he lived in Forks, the rainiest place in the world, was so that he could be outside in the daytime without exposing his family’s secret. Yet here he was, strolling gracefully toward mewith the most beautiful smile on his angel’s faceas if I were the only one here. In that second, I wished that I was not the one exception to his mysterious talent; I usually felt grateful that I was the only person whose thoughts he couldn’t hear just as clearly as if they were spoken aloud. But now I wished he could hear me, too, so that he could hear the warning I was screaming in my head. I shot a panicked glance back at Gran, and saw that it was too late. She was just turning to stare back at me, her eyes as alarmed as mine. Edwardstill smiling so beautifully that my heart felt like it was going to swell up and burst through my chestput his arm around my shoulder and turned to face my grandmother. Gran’s expression surprised me. Instead of looking horrified, she was staring at me sheepishly, as if waiting for a scolding. And she was standing in such a strange positionone arm held awkwardly away from her body, stretched out and then curled around the air. Like she had her arm around someone I couldn’t see, someone invisible Only then, as I looked at the bigger picture, did I notice the huge gilt frame that enclosed my grandmother’s form. Uncomprehending, I raised the hand that wasn’t wrapped around Edward’s waist and reached out to touch her. She mimicked the movement exactly, mirrored it. But where our fingers should have met, there was nothing but cold glass With a dizzying jolt, my dream abruptly became a nightmare. There was no Gran. That was me. Me in a mirror. Meancient, creased, and withered. Edward stood beside me, casting no reflection, excruciatingly lovely and forever seventeen. He pressed his icy, perfect lips against my wasted cheek. â€Å"Happy birthday,† he whispered. I woke with a startmy eyelids popping open wideand gasped. Dull gray light, the familiar light of an overcast morning, took the place of the blinding sun in my dream. Just a dream, I told myself. It was only a dream. I took a deep breath, and then jumped again when my alarm went off. The little calendar in the corner of the clock’s display informed me that today was September thirteenth. Only a dream, but prophetic enough in one way, at least. Today was my birthday. I was officially eighteen years old. I’d been dreading this day for months. All through the perfect summerthe happiest summer I had ever had, the happiest summer anyone anywhere had ever had, and the rainiest summer in the history of the Olympic Peninsulathis bleak date had lurked in ambush, waiting to spring. And now that it had hit, it was even worse than I’d feared it would be. I could feel itI was older. Every day I got older, but this was different, worse, quantifiable. I was eighteen. And Edward never would be. When I went to brush my teeth, I was almost surprised that the face in the mirror hadn’t changed. I stared at myself, looking for some sign of impending wrinkles in my ivory skin. The only creases were the ones on my forehead, though, and I knew that if I could manage to relax, they would disappear. I couldn’t. My eyebrows stayed lodged in a worried line over my anxious brown eyes. You read "The Twilight Saga 2: New Moon Chapter 1 PARTY" in category "Essay examples" It was just a dream, I reminded myself again. Just a dream but also my worst nightmare. I skipped breakfast, in a hurry to get out of the house as quickly as possible. I wasn’t entirely able to avoid my dad, and so I had to spend a few minutes acting cheerful. I honestly tried to be excited about the gifts I’d asked him not to get me, but every time I had to smile, it felt like I might start crying. I struggled to get a grip on myself as I drove to school. The vision of GranI would not think of it as mewas hard to get out of my head. I couldn’t feel anything but despair until I pulled into the familiar parking lot behind Forks High School and spotted Edward leaning motionlessly against his polished silver Volvo, like a marble tribute to some forgotten pagan god of beauty. The dream had not done him justice. And he was waiting there for me, just the same as every other day. Despair momentarily vanished; wonder took its place. Even after half a year with him, I still couldn’t believe that I deserved this degree of good fortune. His sister Alice was standing by his side, waiting for me, too. Of course Edward and Alice weren’t really related (in Forks the story was that all the Cullen siblings were adopted by Dr. Carlisle Culler and his wife, Esme, both plainly too young to have teenage children), but their skin was precisely the same pale shade, their eyes had the same strange golden tint, with the same deep, bruise-like shadows beneath them. Her face, like his, was also startlingly beautiful. To someone in the knowsomeone like methese similarities marked them for what they were. The sight of Alice waiting thereher tawny eyes brilliant with excitement, and a small silver-wrapped square in her handsmade me frown. I’d told Alice I didn’t want anything, anything, not gifts or even attention, for my birthday. Obviously, my wishes were being ignored. I slammed the door of my ’53 Chevy trucka shower of rust specks fluttered down to the wet blacktopand walked slowly toward where they waited. Alice skipped forward to meet me, her pixie face glowing under her spiky black hair. â€Å"Happy birthday, Bella!† â€Å"Shh!† I hissed, glancing around the lot to make sure no one had heard her. The last thing I wanted was some kind of celebration of the black event. She ignored me. â€Å"Do you want to open your present now or later?† she asked eagerly as we made our way to where Edward still waited. â€Å"No presents,† I protested in a mumble. She finally seemed to process my mood. â€Å"Okay later, then. Did you like the scrapbook your mom sent you? And the camera from Charlie?† I sighed. Of course she would know what my birthday presents were. Edward wasn’t the only member of his family with unusual skills. Alice would have â€Å"seen† what my parents were planning as soon as they’d decided that themselves. â€Å"Yeah. They’re great.† â€Å"I think it’s a nice idea. You’re only a senior once. Might as well document the experience.† â€Å"How many times have you been a senior?† â€Å"That’s different.† We reached Edward then, and he held out his hand for mine. I took it eagerly, forgetting, for a moment, my glum mood. His skin was, as always, smooth, hard, and very cold. He gave my fingers a gentle squeeze. I looked into his liquid topa2 eyes, and my heart gave a not-quite-so-gentle squeeze of its own. Hearing the stutter in my heartbeats, he smiled again. He lifted his free hand and traced one cool fingertip around the outside of my lips as he spoke. â€Å"So, as discussed, I am not allowed to wish you a happy birthday, is that correct?† â€Å"Yes. That is correct.† I could never quite mimic the flow of his perfect, formal articulation. It was something that could only be picked up in an earlier century. â€Å"Just checking.† He ran his hand through his tousled bronze hair. â€Å"You might have changed your mind. Most people seem to enjoy things like birthdays and gifts.† Alice laughed, and the sound was all silver, a wind chime. â€Å"Of course you’ll enjoy it. Everyone is supposed to be nice to you today and give you your way, Bella. What’s the worst that could happen?† She meant it as a rhetorical question. â€Å"Getting older,† I answered anyway, and my voice was not as steady as I wanted it to be. Beside me, Edward’s smile tightened into a hard line. â€Å"Eighteen isn’t very old,† Alice said. â€Å"Don’t women usually wait till they’re twenty-nine to get upset over birthdays?† â€Å"It’s older than Edward,† I mumbled. He sighed. â€Å"Technically,† she said, keeping her tone light. â€Å"Just by one little year, though.† And I supposed if I could be sure of the future I wanted, sure that I would get to spend forever with Edward, and Alice and the rest of the Cullens (preferably not as a wrinkled little old lady) then a year or two one direction or the other wouldn’t matter to me so much. But Edward was dead set against any future that changed me. Any future that made me like himthat made me immortal, too. An impasse, he called it. I couldn’t really see Edward’s point, to be honest. What was so great about mortality? Being a vampire didn’t look like such a terrible thingnot the way the Cullens did it, anyway. â€Å"What time will you be at the house?† Alice continued, changing the subject. From her expression, she was up to exactly the kind of thing I’d been hoping to avoid. â€Å"I didn’t know I had plans to be there.† â€Å"Oh, be fair, Bella!† she complained. â€Å"You aren’t going to ruin all our fun like that, are you?† â€Å"I thought my birthday was about what I want.† â€Å"I’ll get her from Charlie’s right after school,† Edward told her, ignoring me altogether. â€Å"I have to work,† I protested. â€Å"You don’t, actually,† Alice told me smugly. â€Å"I already spoke to Mrs. Newton about it. She’s trading your shifts. She said to tell you ‘Happy Birthday.'† â€Å"II still can’t come over,† I stammered, scrambling for an excuse. â€Å"I, well, I haven’t watched Romeo and Juliet yet for English.† Alice snorted. â€Å"You have Romeo and Juliet memorized.† â€Å"But Mr. Berty said we needed to see it performed to fully appreciate itthat’s how Shakespeare intended it to be presented.† Edward rolled his eyes. â€Å"You’ve already seen the movie,† Alice accused. â€Å"But not the nineteen-sixties version. Mr. Berty said it was the best.† Finally, Alice lost the smug smile and glared at me. â€Å"This can be easy, or this can be hard, Bella, but one way or the other† Edward interrupted her threat. â€Å"Relax, Alice. If Bella wants to watch a movie, then she can. It’s her birthday.† â€Å"So there,† I added. â€Å"I’ll bring her over around seven,† he continued. â€Å"That will give you more time to set up.† Alice’s laughter chimed again. â€Å"Sounds good. See you tonight, Bella! It’ll be fun, you’ll see.† She grinnedthe wide smile exposed all her perfect, glistening teeththen pecked me on the cheek and danced off toward her first class before I could respond. â€Å"Edward, please† I started to beg, but he pressed one cool finger to my lips. â€Å"Let’s discuss it later. We’re going to be late for class.† No one bothered to stare at us as we took our usual seats in the back of the classroom (we had almost every class together nowit was amazing the favors Edward could get the female administrators to do for him). Edward and I had been together too long now to be an object of gossip anymore. Even Mike Newton didn’t bother to give me the glum stare that used to make me feel a little guilty. He smiled now instead, and I was glad he seemed to have accepted that we could only be friends. Mike had changed over the summerhis face had lost some of the roundness, making his cheekbones more prominent, and he was wearing his pale blond hair a new way; instead of bristly, it was longer and gelled into a carefully casual disarray. It was easy to see where his inspiration came frombut Edward’s look wasn’t something that could be achieved through imitation. As the day progressed, I considered ways to get out of whatever was going down at the Cullen house tonight. It would be bad enough to have to celebrate when I was in the mood to mourn. But, worse than that, this was sure to involve attention and gifts. Attention is never a good thing, as any other accident-prone klutz would agree. No one wants a spotlight when they’re likely to fall on their face. And I’d very pointedly askedwell, ordered reallythat no one give me any presents this year. It looked like Charlie and Renee weren’t the only ones who had decided to overlook that. I’d never had much money, and that had never bothered me. Renee had raised me on a kindergarten teacher’s salary. Charlie wasn’t getting rich at his job, eitherhe was the police chief here in the tiny town of Forks. My only personal income came from the three days a week I worked at the local sporting goods store. In a town this small, I was lucky to have a job. Every penny I made went into my microscopic college fund. (College was Plan B. I was still hoping for Plan A, but Edward was just so stubborn about leaving me human) Edward had a lot of moneyI didn’t even want to think about how much. Money meant next to nothing to Edward or the rest of the Cullens. It was just something that accumulated when you had unlimited time on your hands and a sister who had an uncanny ability to predict trends in the stock market. Edward didn’t seem to understand why I objected to him spending money on mewhy it made me uncomfortable if he took me to an expensive restaurant in Seattle, why he wasn’t allowed to buy me a car that could reach speeds over fifty-five miles an hour, or why I wouldn’t let him pay my college tuition (he was ridiculously enthusiastic about Plan B). Edward thought I was being unnecessarily difficult. But how could I let him give me things when I had nothing to reciprocate with? He, for some unfathomable reason, wanted to be with me. Anything he gave me on top of that just threw us more out of balance. As the day went on, neither Edward nor Alice brought my birthday up again, and I began to relax a little. We sat at our usual table for lunch. A strange kind of truce existed at that table. The three of usEdward, Alice, and Isat on the extreme southern end of the table. Now that the â€Å"older† and somewhat scarier (in Emmett’s case, certainly) Cullen siblings had graduated, Alice and Edward did not seem quite so intimidating, and we did not sit here alone. My other friends, Mike and Jessica (who were in the awkward post-breakup friendship phase), Angela and Ben (whose relationship had survived the summer), Eric, Conner, Tyler, and Lauren (though that last one didn’t really count in the friend category) all sat at the same table, on the other side of an invisible line. That line dissolved on sunny days when Edward and Alice always skipped school, and then the conversation would swell out effortlessly to include me. Edward and Alice didn’t find this minor ostracism odd or hurtful the way I would have. They barely noticed it. People always felt strangely ill at ease with the Cullens, almost afraid for some reason they couldn’t explain to themselves. I was a rare exception to that rule. Sometimes it bothered Edward how very comfortable I was with being close to him. He thought he was hazardous to my healthan opinion I rejected vehemently whenever he voiced it. The afternoon passed quickly. School ended, and Edward walked me to my truck as he usually did. But this time, he held the passenger door open for me. Alice must have been taking his car home so that he could keep me from making a run for it. I folded my arms and made no move to get out of the rain. â€Å"It’s my birthday, don’t I get to drive?† â€Å"I’m pretending it’s not your birthday, just as you wished.† â€Å"If it’s not my birthday, then I don’t have to go to your house tonight† â€Å"All right.† He shut the passenger door and walked past me to open the driver’s side. â€Å"Happy birthday.† â€Å"Shh,† I shushed him halfheartedly. I climbed in the opened door, wishing he’d taken the other offer. Edward played with the radio while I drove, shaking his head in disapproval. â€Å"Your radio has horrible reception.† I frowned. I didn’t like it when he picked on my truck. The truck was greatit had personality. â€Å"You want a nice stereo? Drive your own car.† I was so nervous about Alice’s plans, on top of my already gloomy mood, that the words came out sharper than I’d meant them. I was hardly ever bad-tempered with Edward, and my tone made him press his lips together to keep from smiling. When I parked in front of Charlie’s house, he reached over to take my face in his hands. He handled me very carefully, pressing just the tips of his fingers softly against my temples, my cheekbones, my jawline. Like I was especially breakable. Which was exactly the casecompared with him, at least. â€Å"You should be in a good mood, today of all days,† he whispered. His sweet breath fanned across my face. â€Å"And if I don’t want to be in a good mood?† I asked, my breathing uneven. His golden eyes smoldered. â€Å"Too bad.† My head was already spinning by the time he leaned closer and pressed his icy lips against mine. As he intended, no doubt, I forgot all about my worries, and concentrated on remembering how to inhale and exhale. His mouth lingered on mine, cold and smooth and gentle, until I wrapped my arms around his neck and threw myself into the kiss with a little too much enthusiasm. I could feel his lips curve upward as he let go of my face and reached back to unlock my grip on him. Edward had drawn many careful lines for our physical relationship, with the intent being to keep me alive. Though I respected the need for maintaining a safe distance between my skin and his razor-sharp, venom-coated teeth, I tended to forget about trivial things like that when he was kissing me. â€Å"Be good, please,† he breathed against my cheek. He pressed his lips gently to mine one more time and then pulled away, folding my arms across my stomach. My pulse was thudding in my ears. I put one hand over my heart. It drummed hyperactively under my palm. â€Å"Do you think I’ll ever get better at this?† I wondered, mostly to myself. â€Å"That my heart might someday stop trying to jump out of my chest whenever you touch me?† â€Å"I really hope not,† he said, a bit smug. I rolled my eyes. â€Å"Let’s go watch the Capulets and Montagues hack each other up, all right?† â€Å"Your wish, my command.† Edward sprawled across the couch while I started the movie, fast-forwarding through the opening credits. When I perched on the edge of the sofa in front of him, he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me against his chest. It wasn’t exactly as comfortable as a sofa cushion would be, what with his chest being hard and coldand perfectas an ice sculpture, but it was definitely preferable. He pulled the old afghan off the back of the couch and draped it over me so I wouldn’t freeze beside his body. â€Å"You know, I’ve never had much patience with Romeo,† he commented as the movie started. â€Å"What’s wrong with Romeo?† I asked, a little offended. Romeo was one of my favorite fictional characters. Until I’d met Edward, I’d sort of had a thing for him. â€Å"Well, first of all, he’s in love with this Rosalinedon’t you think it makes him seem a little fickle? And then, a few minutes after their wedding, he kills Juliet’s cousin. That’s not very brilliant. Mistake after mistake. Could he have destroyed his own happiness any more thoroughly?† I sighed. â€Å"Do you want me to watch this alone?† â€Å"No, I’ll mostly be watching you, anyway.† His fingers traced patterns across the skin of my arm, raising goose bumps. â€Å"Will you cry?† â€Å"Probably,† I admitted, â€Å"if I’m paying attention.† â€Å"I won’t distract you then.† But I felt his lips on my hair, and it was very distracting. The movie eventually captured my interest, thanks in large part to Edward whispering Romeo’s lines in my earhis irresistible, velvet voice made the actor’s voice sound weak and coarse by comparison. And I did cry, to his amusement, when Juliet woke and found her new husband dead. â€Å"I’ll admit, I do sort of envy him here,† Edward said, drying the tears with a lock of my hair. â€Å"She’s very pretty.† He made a disgusted sound. â€Å"I don’t envy him the girljust the ease of the suicide,† he clarified in a teasing tone. â€Å"You humans have it so easy! All you have to do is throw down one tiny vial of plant extracts† â€Å"What?† I gasped. â€Å"It’s something I had to think about once, and I knew from Carlisle’s experience that it wouldn’t be simple. I’m not even sure how many ways Carlisle tried to kill himself in the beginning after he realized what he’d become† His voice, which had grown serious, turned light again. â€Å"And he’s clearly still in excellent health.† I twisted around so that I could read his face. â€Å"What are you talking about?† I demanded. â€Å"What do you mean, this something you had to think about once?† â€Å"Last spring, when you were nearly killed† He paused to take a deep breath, snuggling to return to his teasing tone. â€Å"Of course I was trying to focus on finding you alive, but part of my mind was making contingency plans. Like I said, it’s not as easy for me as it is for a human.† For one second, the memory of my last trip to Phoenix washed through my head and made me feel dizzy. I could see it all so clearlythe blinding sun, the heat waves coming off the concrete as I ran with desperate haste to find the sadistic vampire who wanted to torture me to death. James, waiting in the mirrored room with my mother as his hostageor so I’d thought. I hadn’t known it was all a ruse. Just as James hadn’t known that Edward was racing to save me; Edward made it in time, but it had been a close one. Unthinkingly, my fingers traced the crescent-shaped scar on my hand that was always just a few degrees cooler than the rest of my skin. I shook my headas if I could shake away the bad memoriesand tried to grasp what Edward meant. My stomach plunged uncomfortably. â€Å"Contingency plans?† I repeated. â€Å"Well, I wasn’t going to live without you.† He rolled his eyes as if that fact were childishly obvious. â€Å"But I wasn’t sure how to do itI knew Emmett and Jasper would never help so I was thinking maybe I would go to Italy and do something to provoke the Volturi.† I didn’t want to believe he was serious, but his golden eyes were brooding, focused on something far away in the distance as he contemplated ways to end his own life. Abruptly, I was furious. â€Å"What is a Volturi?† I demanded. â€Å"The Volturi are a family,† he explained, his eyes still remote. â€Å"A very old, very powerful family of our kind. They are the closest thing our world has to a royal family, I suppose. Carlisle lived with them briefly in his early years, in Italy, before he settled in Americado you remember the story?† â€Å"Of course I remember.† I would never forget the first time I’d gone to his home, the huge white mansion buried deep in the forest beside the river, or the room where CarlisleEdward’s father in so many real wayskept a wall of paintings that illustrated his personal history. The most vivid, most wildly colorful canvas there, the largest, was from Carlisle’s time in Italy. Of course I remembered the calm quartet of men, each with the exquisite face of a seraph, painted into the highest balcony overlooking the swirling mayhem of color. Though the painting was centuries old, Carlislethe blond angelremained unchanged. And I remembered the three others, Carlisle’s early acquaintances. Edward had never used the name Volturi for the beautiful trio, two black-haired, one snow white. He’d called them Aro, Caius, and Marcus, nighttime patrons of the arts â€Å"Anyway, you don’t irritate the Volturi,† Edward went on, interrupting ray reverie. â€Å"Not unless you want to dieor whatever it is we do.† His voice was so calm, it made him sound almost bored by the prospect. My anger turned to horror. I took his marble face between my hands and held it very tightly. â€Å"You must never, never, never think of anything like that again!† I said. â€Å"No matter what might ever happen to me, you are not allowed to hurt yourself!† â€Å"I’ll never put you in danger again, so it’s a moot point.† â€Å"Put me in danger! I thought we’d established that all the bad luck is my fault?† I was getting angrier. â€Å"How dare you even think like that?† The idea of Edward ceasing to exist, even if I were dead, was impossiblypainful. â€Å"What would you do, if the situation were reversed?† he asked. â€Å"That’s not the same thing.† He didn’t seem to understand the difference. He chuckled. â€Å"What if something did happen to you?† I blanched at the thought. â€Å"Would you want me to go off myself?† A trace of pain touched his perfect features. â€Å"I guess I see your point a little,† he admitted. â€Å"But what would I do without you?† â€Å"Whatever you were doing before I came along and complicated your existence.† He sighed. â€Å"You make that sound so easy.† â€Å"It should be. I’m not really that interesting.† He was about to argue, but then he let it go. â€Å"Moot point,† he reminded me. Abruptly, he pulled himself up into a more formal posture, shifting me to the side so that we were no longer touching. â€Å"Charlie?† I guessed. Edward smiled. After a moment, I heard the sound of the police cruiser pulling into the driveway. I reached out and took his hand firmly. My dad could deal with that much. Charlie came in with a pizza box in his hands. â€Å"Hey, kids.† He grinned at me. â€Å"I thought you’d like a break from cooking and washing dishes for your birthday. Hungry?† â€Å"Sure. Thanks, Dad.† Charlie didn’t comment on Edward’s apparent lack of appetite. He was used to Edward passing on dinner. â€Å"Do you mind if I borrow Bella for the evening?† Edward asked when Charlie and I were done. I looked at Charlie hopefully. Maybe he had some concept of birthdays as stay-at-home, family affairsthis was my first birthday with him, the first birthday since my mom, Renee, had remarried and gone to live in Florida, so I didn’t know what he would expect. â€Å"That’s finethe Mariners are playing the Sox tonight,† Charlie explained, and my hope disappeared. â€Å"So I won’t be any kind of company Here.† He scooped up the camera he’d gotten me on Renee’s suggestion (because I would need pictures to fill up my scrap-book), and threw it to me. He ought to know better than thatI’d always been coordinationally challenged. The camera glanced off the tip of my finger, and tumbled toward the floor. Edward snagged it before it could crash onto the linoleum. â€Å"Nice save,† Charlie noted. â€Å"If they’re doing something fun at the Cullens’ tonight, Bella, you should take some pictures. You know how your mother getsshe’ll be wanting to see the pictures faster than you can take them.† â€Å"Good idea, Charlie,† Edward said, handing me the camera. I turned the camera on Edward, and snapped the first picture. â€Å"It works.† â€Å"That’s good. Hey, say hi to Alice for me. She hasn’t been over in a while.† Charlie’s mouth pulled down at one corner. â€Å"It’s been three days, Dad,† I reminded him. Charlie was crazy about Alice. He’d become attached last spring when she’d helped me through my awkward convalescence; Charlie would be fore’ter grateful to her for saving him from the horror of an almost-adult daughter who needed help showering. â€Å"I’ll tell her.† â€Å"Okay. You kids have fun tonight.† It was clearly a dismissal. Charlie was already edging toward the living room and the TV. Edward smiled, triumphant, and took my hand to pull me from the kitchen. When we got to the truck, he opened the passenger door for me again, and this time I didn’t argue. I still had a hard time finding the obscure turnoff to his house in the dark. Edward drove north through Forks, visibly chafing at the speed limit enforced by my prehistoric Chevy. The engine groaned even louder than usual as he pushed it over fifty. â€Å"Take it easy,† I warned him. â€Å"You know what you would love? A nice little Audi coupe. Very quiet, lots of power† â€Å"There’s nothing wrong with my truck. And speaking of expensive nonessentials, if you know what’s good for you, you didn’t spend any money on birthday presents.† â€Å"Not a dime,† he said virtuously. â€Å"Good.† â€Å"Can you do me a favor?† â€Å"That depends on what it is.† He sighed, his lovely face serious. â€Å"Bella, the last real birthday any of us had was Emmett in 1935. Cut us a little slack, and don’t be too difficult tonight. They’re all very excited.† It always startled me a little when he brought up things like that. â€Å"Fine, I’ll behave.† â€Å"I probably should warn you† â€Å"Please do.† â€Å"When I say they’re all excited I do mean all of them.† â€Å"Everyone?† I choked. â€Å"I thought Emmett and Rosalie were in Africa.† The rest of Forks was under the impression that the older Cullens had gone off to college this year, to Dartmouth, but I knew better. â€Å"Emmett wanted to be here.† â€Å"But Rosalie?† â€Å"I know, Bella. Don’t worry, she’ll be on her best behavior.† I didn’t answer. Like I could just not worry, that easy. Unlike Alice, Edward’s other â€Å"adopted† sister, the golden blond and exquisite Rosalie, didn’t like me much. Actually, the feeling was a little bit stronger than just dislike. As far as Rosalie was concerned, I was an unwelcome intruder into her family’s secret life. I felt horribly guilty about the present situation, guessing that Rosalie and Emmett’s prolonged absence was my fault, even as I furtively enjoyed not having to see her Emmett, Edward’s playful bear of a brother, I did miss. He was in many ways just like the big brother I’d always wanted only much, much more terrifying. Edward decided to change the subject. â€Å"So, if you won’t let me get you the Audi, isn’t there anything that you’d like for your birthday?† The words came out in a whisper. â€Å"You know what I want.† A deep frown carved creases into his marble forehead. He obviously wished he’d stuck to the subject of Rosalie. It felt like we’d had this argument a lot today. â€Å"Not tonight, Bella. Please.† â€Å"Well, maybe Alice will give me what I want.† Edward growleda deep, menacing sound. â€Å"This isn’t going to be your last birthday, Bella,† he vowed. â€Å"That’s not fair!† I thought I heard his teeth clench together. We were pulling up to the house now. Bright light shined from every window on the first two floors. A long line of glowing Japanese lanterns hung from the porch eaves, reflecting a soft radiance on the huge cedars that surrounded the house. Big bowls of flowerspink roseslined the wide stairs up to the front doors. I moaned. Edward took a few deep breaths to calm himself. â€Å"This is a party,† he reminded me. â€Å"Try to be a good sport.† â€Å"Sure,† I muttered. He came around to get my door, and offered me his hand. â€Å"I have a question.† He waited warily. â€Å"If I develop this film,† I said, toying with the camera in my hands, â€Å"will you show up in the picture?† Edward started laughing. He helped me out of the car, pulled me up the stairs, and was still laughing as he opened the door for me. They were all waiting in the huge white living room; when I walked through the door, they greeted me with a loud chorus of â€Å"Happy birthday, Bella!† while I blushed and looked down. Alice, I assumed, had covered every flat surface with pink candles and dozens of crystal bowls filled with hundreds of roses. There was a table with a white cloth draped over it next to Edward’s grand piano, holding a pink birthday cake, more roses, a stack of glass plates, and a small pile of silver-wrapped presents. It was a hundred times worse than I’d imagined. Edward, sensing my distress, wrapped an encouraging arm around my waist and kissed the top of my head. Edward’s parents, Carlisle and Esmeimpossibly youthful and lovely as everwere the closest to the door. Esme hugged me carefully, her soft, caramel-colored hair brushing against my cheek as she kissed my forehead, and then Carlisle put his arm around my shoulders. â€Å"Sorry about this, Bella,† he stage-whispered. â€Å"We couldn’t rein Alice in.† Rosalie and Emmett stood behind them. Rosalie didn’t smile, but at least she didn’t glare. Emmett’s face was stretched into a huge grin. It had been months since I’d seen them; I’d forgotten how gloriously beautiful Rosalie wasit almost hurt to look at her. And had Emmett always been so big? â€Å"You haven’t changed at all,† Emmett said with mock disappointment. â€Å"I expected a perceptible difference, but here you are, red-faced just like always.† â€Å"Thanks a lot, Emmett,† I said, blushing deeper. He laughed, â€Å"I have to step out for a second†he paused to wink conspicuously at Alice†Don’t do anything funny while I’m gone.† â€Å"I’lltry.† Alice let go of Jasper’s hand and skipped forward, all her teeth sparkling in the bright light. Jasper smiled, too, but kept his distance. He leaned, long and blond, against the post at the foot of the stairs. During the days we’d had to spend cooped up together in Phoenix, I’d thought he’d gotten over his aversion to me. But he’d gone back to exactly how he’d acted beforeavoiding me as much as possiblethe moment he was free from that temporary obligation to protect me. I knew it wasn’t personal, just a precaution, and I tried not to be overly sensitive about it. Jasper had more trouble sticking to the Cullens’ diet than the rest of them; the scent of human blood was much harder for him to resist than the othershe hadn’t been trying as long. â€Å"Time to open presents,† Alice declared. She put her cool hand under my elbow and towed me to the table with the cake and the shiny packages. I put on my best martyr face. â€Å"Alice, I know I told you I didn’t want anything† â€Å"But I didn’t listen,† she interrupted, smug. â€Å"Open it.† She took the camera from my hands and replaced it with a big, square silver box. The box was so light that it felt empty. The tag on top said that it was from Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper. Selfconsciously, I tore the paper off and then stared at the box it concealed. It was something electrical, with lots of numbers in the name. I opened the box, hoping for further illumination. But the box was empty. â€Å"Um thanks.† Rosalie actually cracked a smile. Jasper laughed. â€Å"It’s a stereo for your truck,† he explained. â€Å"Emmett’s installing it right now so that you can’t return it.† Alice was always one step ahead of me. â€Å"Thanks, Jasper, Rosalie,† I told them, grinning as I remembered Edward’s complaints about my radio this afternoonall a setup, apparently. â€Å"Thanks, Emmett!† I called more loudly. I heard his booming laugh from my truck, and I couldn’t help laughing, too. â€Å"Open mine and Edward’s next,† Alice said, so excited her voice was a high-pitched trill. She held a small, flat square in her hand. I turned to give Edward a basilisk glare. â€Å"You promised.† Before he could answer, Emmett bounded through the door. â€Å"Just in time!† he crowed. He pushed in behind Jasper, who had also drifted closer than usual to get a good look. â€Å"I didn’t spend a dime,† Edward assured me. He brushed a strand of hair from my face, leaving my skin tingling from his touch. I inhaled deeply and turned to Alice. â€Å"Give it to me,† I sighed. Emmett chuckled with delight. I took the little package, rolling my eyes at Edward while I stuck my finger under the edge of the paper and jerked it under the tape. â€Å"Shoot,† I muttered when the paper sliced my finger; I pulled it out to examine the damage. A single drop of blood oozed from the tiny cut. It all happened very quickly then. â€Å"No!† Edward roared. He threw himself at me, flinging me back across the table. It fell, as I did, scattering the cake and the presents, the flowers and the plates. I landed in the mess of shattered crystal. Jasper slammed into Edward, and the sound was like the crash of boulders in a rock slide. There was another noise, a grisly snarling that seemed to be coming from deep in Jasper’s chest. Jasper tried to shove past Edward, snapping his teeth just inches from Edward’s face. Emmett grabbed Jasper from behind in the next second, locking him into his massive steel grip, but Jasper struggled on, his wild, empty eyes focused only on me. Beyond the shock, there was also pain. I’d tumbled down to the floor by the piano, with my arms thrown out instinctively to catch my fall, into the jagged shards of glass. Only now did I feel the searing, stinging pain that ran from my wrist to the crease inside my elbow. Dazed and disoriented, I looked up from the bright red blood pulsing out of my arminto the fevered eyes of the six suddenly ravenous vampires. How to cite The Twilight Saga 2: New Moon Chapter 1 PARTY, Essay examples

Donald Margulies Essay Example For Students

Donald Margulies Essay I was Miss America. Bess Myerson was Eva Braun, coos an obese, schizophrenic, unstoppable force of nature named Debby, describing a dream to her Holocaust-survivor mother Lola. What a tour de force for Bess! She was positively adorable. We played Bingo together, me and Bess. We won prizes. She won the coveted Oscar and I won the most adorable handbag made of Jewish hair. Welcome to the world of Donald Margulies, where even the days are dream-ravaged and humor is laced with the razor-edge of pain. Best known for his 1991 play Sight Unseen (the fourth most-produced play among the nations resident theatres in 1993-94, and coming soon to a theatre near you), Margulies has for the past 10 years been quietly staking out a claim as a preeminent chronicler of the Holocaust-shadowed lives of American Jews. Debbys fantasy (The last time I visited the concentration camp, they turned it into a bungalow colony, she begins) isnt a sick joke, although it may seem so out of the dramatic context and pain-inflicted ethos of The Model Apartment. Margulies is a profoundly disturbing writer, but the world of which he writes is profoundly disturbed. Dead relatives keep showing up Beginning in 1984 with Found a Peanut, in which adult actors playing children enact the small victories and immense cruelties of childhood, the 40-year-old writer has crafted a series of plays that place family dramas securely in the resonant grasp of history. Joseph Papp, who produced Found a Peanut at the New York Shakespeare Festival, called it one of the most powerful plays about anti-Semitism hed ever read. In The Model Apartment and The Loman Family Picnic, long-dead relatives, victims of the Holocaust, make appearances. (Uncle Izzy! Go into the smorgasbord! You must be starving! gushes proud Doris in The Loman Family Picnic. Boy, theyre really coming out for Stewies bar mitzvah!) Marguliess plays arent only about what it means to be Jewish. In many ways, his families are Every families, populated with vaguely disaffected or rebellious children and frustrated, embittered adults. But the universal appeal of the work is expressed through historical and cultural references that give the pathosladen humor its edge. The success of Sight Unseen, which was commissioned and first produced by Californias South Coast Repertory in 1991 and enjoyed an eight-month run in New York under the auspices of the Manhattan Theatre Club in 1992, surprised even its author. Its perhaps the first time Id written a play with a hook, he says. The art-world aspect of the play really seemed to connect with the media, and I think helped promote the play, but it also gave people the wrong impression. There was a perception of it being a very cerebral play about art, whereas I see it as a play about lost love and lost values, ways of seeing and many other themes. A comparatively gentle play in the Margulies canon, Sight Unseen channels its more obviously Jewish themes (interfaith romance, the Holocaust) through the shifting, tenuous relationship between a successful artist and his former lover. If the characters in the playwrights earlier plays are haunted by the past, Jonathan and Patricia are, to a far greater extent, simply haunted by their own pasts. Margulies reflects this with a time-jumping structure that interlaces past and present, offering a refracted, collagist point of view. The art metaphor is one that Margulies, who was a visual artist before turning to playwriting, offers about his own work. I still do collage, its one of the last remnants of my art school years, he explains. I dont really deal with pragmatic concerns like whose play is this, whose point of view is this. Ive ceased to care about that stuff. Some people are upset by that, but I think it makes for an exciting experience, where youre not quite sure, and you decipher it as you see fit. .ufed5707b7704f68d47f23c269b99b00e , .ufed5707b7704f68d47f23c269b99b00e .postImageUrl , .ufed5707b7704f68d47f23c269b99b00e .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ufed5707b7704f68d47f23c269b99b00e , .ufed5707b7704f68d47f23c269b99b00e:hover , .ufed5707b7704f68d47f23c269b99b00e:visited , .ufed5707b7704f68d47f23c269b99b00e:active { border:0!important; } .ufed5707b7704f68d47f23c269b99b00e .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ufed5707b7704f68d47f23c269b99b00e { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ufed5707b7704f68d47f23c269b99b00e:active , .ufed5707b7704f68d47f23c269b99b00e:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ufed5707b7704f68d47f23c269b99b00e .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ufed5707b7704f68d47f23c269b99b00e .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ufed5707b7704f68d47f23c269b99b00e .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ufed5707b7704f68d47f23c269b99b00e .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ufed5707b7704f68d47f23c269b99b00e:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ufed5707b7704f68d47f23c269b99b00e .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ufed5707b7704f68d47f23c269b99b00e .ufed5707b7704f68d47f23c269b99b00e-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ufed5707b7704f68d47f23c269b99b00e:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: John Kelly: poet on a flying trapeze EssayDirectly or indirectly, Margulies has employed this collagist technique throughout his career. Styles vary widely from scene to scene, even within scenes. Absurdist leaps frame each days march toward another day that is just the same, only worse. Linking everything together are heightened visual images, tangible metaphors for the unspoken yearnings of the characters. Whats Wrong with This Picture?, first produced at the Manhattan Theatre Club in 1985, begins with a family sitting shiva for Shirley, their dead matriarch. Artie, the son, puts on his mothers dress in an attempt to communicate with his inconsolable father. (She wore th is to your bar mitzvah, Artie were not talking schmatte here. She danced in this dress. She shook and shimmered in it. She sweated in this dress. This dress was your mother, Artie.) Their mourning is interrupted when Shirley returns to clean house for her husband and son. What do you do when you get a second chance? Picture is about grief and healing, but Shirleys return offers no easy balm. Unutterable sadness   The Loman Family Picnic, which debuted at MTC in 1988 and recently enjoyed a superlative remounting there, is perhaps Marguliess most audacious play. Like much of the authors work, its set in 1960s Brooklyn and is about a desperately unhappy family. The mother, Doris, cuts up her wedding dress to make a Bride of Frankenstein Halloween costume. The youngest son is writing a musical comedy version of Death of a Salesman: Dads a little weird/Hes in a daze/Could it be hes going nuts?/Or is it just a phase? Once I decided to embrace the fact that I was not the first to write a play about a downtrodden salesman in Brooklyn with two sons, but rather that what Miller did contributed to the culture in which my family grewthat was tremendously liberating and artistically very exciting to me, Margulies says of the work, which began as a more overtly autobiographical play and evolved into a brazenly funny meditation on despair. One of the keynotes of Marguliess work is his use of theatrical fantasy to give voice to otherwise inarticulate characters, and The Loman Family Picnic contains scenes of literally unutterable sadness. Doris and her husband, Herbie, share their fantasies of each others deaths. There are three false endings (synthetic, in which Doris walks out; melodramatic, in which she jumps off the roof; and hackneyed, in which she runs into Herbies arms) before the play finally ends, as it must and as it began, with Doris and Herbie in silence. Margulies tells me about a production in which an unnamed name actress wanted him to switch the order of the endings, so the play could finish on an upbeat note. She just didnt get it. The men in Marguliess plays tend toward defeat and sadness, swallowing their rage until it pours forth in anger and desperation. The women are the life forces, restless and vital. When they cling to their dreams, its in the hope of some future goodsomething bigger and better than the lives in which theyve been trapped. Robin Bartlett, Madeline Kahn, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Florence Stanley and Chloe Webb have premiered roles in Marguliess playsall are actresses who can make you cry with laughter and look damn sexy doing it. They play women who are heart-wrenchingly vulnerable, but with spines of steel. Thanks in no small part to the success of Sight Unseen, The Loman Family Picnic and the rest of Marguliess works are having renewed on-stage lives. Next season, New Yorks Primary Stages will produce The Model Apartmentonly the second production of the play anywhere since its premiere at the Los Angeles Theatre Center in 1988. When hes not at work on a new script, Margulies is writing a movie for Robin Williams based on the autobiography of John Callahan, the politically incorrect quadriplegic cartoonist. But having a chance to revisit The Model Apartmentwhich juxtaposes Auschwitz and Miami, and uses the Holocaust as a metaphor for madness and moral responsibilityis especially gratifying.