The Disadvantages of Smoking

10/12/2012 How many times have you said this to yourself? I must stop smoking. This essay will detail the disadvantages holding you back while you continue to smoke, as well as the benefits of quitting. Darrael Robinson How many times have you said this to yourself? I must stop smoking. This essay will detail the disadvantages holding you back while you continue to smoke, as well as the benefits of quitting. Darrael Robinson The Disadvantages of Smoking Cigarettes and the Advantages of Quitting The Disadvantages of Smoking Cigarettes and the Advantages of QuittingOne of the largest health disputes right now and for a prolonged period of time, has been smoking. No one seems to be doing much about the issue and the people who don’t care the most and should, are the smokers. The smokers are the ones who need to know how bad it really is. It seems the non-smokers are the people who oppose against this topic because they are affected by it too. Everyday 3,000 children start smoking , most them between the ages of 10 and 18. These kids account for 90 percent of all new smokers.In fact, 90 percent of all adult smokers said that they first started smoking as teenagers. These statistics clearly show that young people are the prime target in the tobacco wars. (Smoking Facts, 2012) The dangers of smoking are many, but still cigarettes have become common; every third person, smokes these days. As elders smoke, young people also learn that there is no harm by smoking, so they do it at a very early age, which is called underage smoking. And it becomes a tradition parents do it, so children also do it.Apart from getting this habit from elders, some people smoke just because they want to show off or they just want to show that they are grown enough to do anything. (Maddox, 2011) Besides tradition and showing off, people smoke to release tension, but it’s useless as inhaling carbon dioxide cannot release tension. Science has also proved that smoking cause’s lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and tongue cancer just to name a few. These types of diseases do not occur in a day or two, but it requires smoking for many years. People who engage in underage smoking; would end up with diseases ery early in life and would have a very short life. Smoking for women is most harmful when they are pregnant the child takes the oxygen, and the child who is not born yet starts breathing carbon dioxide. It also slows the flow of blood which in return slows nutrients to a baby. Smoking not only damages lungs but it also causes breathing problems which remain permanent. (Admin, 2007) Tobacco use; remains the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, causing more than 400,000 deaths each year and resulting in an annual cost of more than $50 billion dollars.Passive smoke, or second hand smoke, affects the non-smokers too. Tobacco smoke contains about 4,000 chemicals, including 200 known poisons. Every time someone smokes, poisons such as be nzene, formaldehyde, and carbon monoxide are released into the air, which means that not only is the smoker inhaling them but so is everyone else around him. Many studies now show that this secondhand smoke can have harmful effects on nonsmokers and even cause them to develop diseases such as lung cancer and heart disease. Secondhand smoke has an especially bad effect on infants and children whose parents smoke.A number of studies show that in their first two years of life, babies of parents who smoke at home have a much higher rate of lung diseases such as bronchitis and pneumonia than babies with nonsmoking parents. (Smoking Facts, 2012) Now we have electronic cigarettes, better known as E-Cigarettes which contains three essential components: A plastic cartridge that serves as a mouthpiece and a reservoir for liquid; an â€Å"atomizer† that vaporizes the liquid and a battery. It’s supposedly healthier then smoking a regular cigarette.However E-Cigarettes also carries the same risk as smoking a regular nicotine cigarette. The FDA did some research on the E-Cigarette and found that: * E-Cigarettes can increase nicotine addiction among young people and may lead kids to try other tobacco products, including conventional cigarettes, which are known to cause disease and lead to premature death * The products may contain ingredients that are known to be toxic to humans (FDA, 2010) Despite these statements, the advantages and disadvantages are very easy to compare.Some of the purported advantages include a sense of calm and relaxation during and immediately after smoking a cigarette. Smokers also frequently receive a number of short breaks throughout the work day to indulge their habit. Some argue that smoking cigarettes makes one look cool, sexy and mature. Finally, many smokers find that smoking cigarettes gives them something to do with their hands. (Wikipedia, 2012) However the disadvantages fairly outweigh the advantages. There are health disadvan tages which links the connection between smoking and early death is irrefutable and well documented.There is an increased risk of a number of cancers, including cancers of the lungs, mouth, throat, cervix, kidneys, stomach, bladder and uterus, as well as leukemia. In addition, smoking increases the risk of emphysema, heart disease and peripheral vascular disease. The last of these causes complications such as gangrene and tissue loss. Even if you don't develop any of these diseases, you will suffer from shortness of breath. Some men even suffer from impotence due to smoking. There are social disadvantages; one being, smoking has become increasingly unpopular in American society, so smokers face social difficulties.People seek to avoid smokers due to the health risks posed by secondhand smoke. Further, smokers often have to leave social situations to go outside to feed their habit, interrupting social interactions. Some people, wishing to avoid secondhand smoke and its attendant heal th risks, may choose not to go to your house if you smoke indoors. Finally there are financial disadvantages; one being smoking is an expensive habit. The website CostOfSmoking. com estimates that the average cost of a smoker's habit in 2010 is $1,500 a year. This is money that could be spent on healthy habits or even hobbies.Instead, smokers literally pay this much money every year for an early death. There are a number of other indirect costs, such as higher cost of health, homeowner's and life insurance. Smokers also earn between 4 and 11 percent less than nonsmokers, according to the same website. Smokers also on average pay more for the following: * Life Insurance * Health Insurance * Health Care * Home Owner's Insurance * Value of the House * Earn Less Money * Less Social Security / Pension Benefits * Cost of Cleaning * Dental Care (Savingadvice. com, 2012)One of the advantages of quitting is the physical benefits. After 20 minutes of not smoking, your blood pressure returns t o normal. After 48 hours, nerve endings regrow and smell and taste start to become enhanced. The long term benefit include: Five years after quitting, your chances of dying from lung cancer decrease by almost half. After 15 years, your risk of getting heart disease is the same as that of a non-smoker. (Smoking Facts, 2012) As you can see, many peoples’ bodies become damaged by their addiction to cigarettes, but most people smoke indirectly.The passive smokers receive damage by people who smoke next to them. In many cases passive smokers have many diseases’ produced by smokers. Smokers suffer financial hardships every day. Smoking is not only a bad habit, but it will most likely end in certain death. Smoking is like a slow death, which can take a hard toll on one’s family so if you are smoker, you are at risk, you are dying, so be careful with that. Bibliography Admin. (2007). Can smoking relieve tensions. Ygoy. Retrieved October 10, 2012, from http://smoking. yg oy. com/can-smoking-relieve-tension FDA, U.D. (2010). E-Cigarettes: Questions and Answers. http://www. fda. gov/NewsEvents/PublicHealthFocus/ucm172906. htm. Maddox, N. (2011). Smoking Peer Pressure Facts. http://www. livestrong. com/article/245384-smoking-peer-pressure-facts. Savingadvice. com. (2012). The Cost of Smoking. http://www. savingadvice. com/articles/2005/11/17/10182_the-cost-of-smoking. html. Smoking Facts. (2012). Smoking Facts. http://www. smoking-facts. net/Teen-Smoking-Facts. html. Wikipedia. (2012). Smoking. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Tobacco_smoking.

Research approach Essay

This chapter will present the research approach, chosen research method, sampling selection, materials, procedure, and method of data analysis of the current research. The present study adopts a quantitative approach through the use of surveys. It also is empirical and deductive, in the sense that it has gone through primary data gathering before making conclusions about the subject at hand (Sekaran 2000). Moreover, the study is also descriptive-correlational in nature. By descriptive, it has ascertained the levels of importance and actual performance of Body Shop along these factors which affect the buying choice of cosmetics among young females in the United Kingdom. It is likewise correlational in nature because it has aimed to establish if there are significant relationships among patronage of Body Shop because its products are environmentally friendly; belief that Body Shop is a socially responsible company; general patronage of products and companies that espouse care for the environment; and overall satisfaction of Body Shop Products The study made use of survey research to be able to gather primary data. A survey is beneficial for several reasons. First, it is able to gather a representative measure of a trait or characteristic, given a well-sampled group of respondents (Bryman 1992). Surveys are an effective means of data gathering given the constraints on finances and time. They are capable of describing charateristics of the sample of respondents who have accomplished it, and allow generalisations about the sample from which they were culled. Moreover, it is also effectual in gaining insights about the individual perceptions or assessments of the respondents on a given set of questions or statements. These lend themselves to statistical analysis (Bryman 1992; Malhotra & Birks 1999). Telephone surveys were used. Ritchie & Goeldner (1994), a telephone survey is carried out where respondents answer through the telephone as medium in contrast with personal administration. He further asserts that this medium even has advantages as opposed to personal survey deployment. They permit contact with individuals who are difficult to reach and may even make respondents more comfortable and candid with answering the questions. Moreover, it obviously allows savings in both time and cost. However, when not conducted effectively, it may come out as too impersonal and the researcher will also not see the body language of the respondent, which may sometimes be important. Information may be for straightforward questions only and may not be effective for highly sensitive research topics (Ritchie & Goeldner 1994). In the current research a survey was deployed to be able to ascertain the perceptions of the female respondents on factors that affect their purchase choice of cosmetics. These perceptions came in the form of the degree of importance attached to these factors and the actual performance of Body Shop on the same factors. There were also general statements that have to do with environmentalism, patronage of CSR-centric companies and overall satisfaction with a cosmetic product. 3. 1 Sampling Selection There was a total of 150 female respondents who participated in the study. This sample size was deemed adequate for the purposes of the study. However, to be able to qualify as respondent, the following inclusion criteria have to be met: The respondent should 1) be female; 2) have purchased a Body Shop product within the last 12 months; 3) be willing to participate in a telephone survey for 10 minutes. Thus, the researcher made use of purposive sampling (Salkind 2000). The researcher began only with 20 acquaintances who have then given referrals to be able to complete the sample size. This size will allow the use and computation of powerful parametric stastics. 3. 2 Materials The instrument that was used for the current research was self-constructed. The researcher went about designing the questions after an extensive review of related literature. From these were gathered insights on the factors which affect cosmetic purchase. After the initial design, the researcher showed the questionnaire to a subject matter expert to ascertain both face validity and content validity. Face validity suggests that the instrtument ‘looks’ valid, while content validity ensures that it measures what it intends to measure (Chisnall 1997). The evential aim for the instrument is to be able to provide a detailed way of presenting the questions while not incurring survey fatigue. Moreover, the researcher was careful about including only questions which were pertinent to the construct being measured, or they will be regarded as irrelevant (Oppenheim, 1992). This also suggests that the questions must allow the researcher to address all the objectives put forth in the research (Ghauri et al 2002). The questionnaire may either be sent through email or anwered personally by the respondents or through phone. In this case, the researcher opted to do telephone interviews, while marking the responses on the survey sheet. She has read each question loudly and asked the respondent to verbally express her rating on the statement. Questionnaires either describe or measure individual/group characteristics such as values, attitudes, opinions, etc. and contain four types of questions: demographics, behaviour, knowledge and attitude. Finally, they can be classified according to the type of response required, or the type of questionnaire administered (Chisnall, 1997). The first part of the questionnaire inquired about their gender and age, and whether they have purchased a Body Shop product in the past 12 months. The next two portions of the study inquired about the degree of importance they placed on the following factors:qality of the products; having a globally renowned brand name; competitive price of the product; tendiness or fashion sense represented by the product; the degree to which the product is environment-friendly; the customer service of the store personnel; the variety of product offerings in the store; the convenience of going to the store location; the sales promotions used for the product; recommendations or positive feedback I garner from my friends, family and acquaintances; media advertisements of the product; information on the product’s label; atractiveness of the packaging; the degree to which the product espouses â€Å"natural† rather than artificial; and the values espoused by the company who sells the product. These were all answered by ticking the box of their response (or expressing it directly in the case of a phone interview) within a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. The last part of the survey presents the following statements, which also requires them to indicate their level of agreement on the same 5-point Likert scale: I patronise Body Shop because its products are environmentally friendly. I believe Body Shop is a socially responsible company. I generally patronise products and companies that espouse care for the environment. Your overall satisfaction of Body Shop Products Once approved as face and content valid, the researcher went about with the pilot testing of the questionnaire. This ensured that the questions were easily understandable and do not cause confusion. This required 5 respondents, from which no major changes were made on the instrument. 3. 3 Procedure The research entailed the gathering of both secondary and primary data. Secondary data came in the form of books, journals, and online sources which the researcher consulted to be able to draft Chapter 2 of the paper. Primary data, on the other and, entails the gathering of first-hand data through observations, surveys, interviews, and the like (Bryman 1992). To be able to gather primary data for the study, the researcher designed a questionnaire. The latter are usually the most feasible means of encompassing a large number of individuals that allows for valid and generalisable statistical results. With a well-designed instrument that is both reliable and valid, much substantive conclusions may be drawn. This is precisely the reason why the researcher has used this method in gathering primary data for the current research (Chisnall, 1997). After the design of the survey instrument, the researcher went about with the pilot study, which allowed him to check on the clarity of the questions (Chisnall 1997), through the suggestions of the 5 respondents who undertook it. They were requested to listen carefully to, answer the questions, and comment freely about each one. Moreover, this phase also allowed the researcher to estimate that each telephone interview will not last more than 10 minutes. The survey proper then followed, entailing gathering the respondents for the sample. This meant contacting acquaintances who were patrons of Body Shop and enlisting them onto the sample if they met the inclusion criteria (these are further discussed in the sampling section). Their responses were collated and statistically analysed. Substantive conclusions were drawn from the statistical results.

Anti Jerk Control Of Hybrid Electric Vehicle Engineering Essay

Anti Jerk Control Of Hybrid Electric Vehicle Engineering Essay The report details the review done in the area of anti-jerk control of vehicles. It explains the phenomenon of driveline oscillations excited due to torsion of driveline at high engine torques causing unwanted longitudinal oscillations in vehicle body. Report starts with a broad introduction to the topic and lays down the aims and objectives of the research project. The aims and objectives of the project are to design an active feedback control for an electric motor of a hybrid electric vehicle to damp these undesirable oscillations. A summary review of previous research work done in this area is presented which defines the starting point of the project. Different techniques used for anti-jerk control in conventional vehicle are discussed. Basic approach to model based control design is presented in the report. An introduction to hybrid electric vehicle driveline and description of its components different from conventional vehicle is shown. The report also lays down the procedure o f the work to be followed for the research project with a project plan. INTRODUCTION The increasing pressure of protecting the natural environment and to decrease the dependence on non-renewable sources of energy has encouraged vehicle manufacturers to develop more clean and efficient power systems. As a result Hybrid vehicles are hot topic for research among vehicle manufacturers. Efforts are being made to make the vehicles more fuel efficient with high performance and minimum CO2 emissions. Diesel hybrids are considered as next big thing among ecological designs since diesel engines are 20 % – 30% more fuel efficient than their petrol counterparts. Nowadays noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) issues have become more important for a customer such that there are very stringent requirements for noise or vibration in a vehicle. Driveability of a vehicle is majorly impacted by NVH problems and is strongly felt as vehicle’s performance during various manoeuvres such as ac celeration, braking, gear change etc. Thus vehicle manufacturers and OEM’s have realized the importance of NVH issues and target to identify the root cause of vibration and incorporate the correcting measures at early stages of manufacturing with a main goal to refine the ride and driveability of a vehicle. These days’ efforts are being made to increase the performance of vehicles and to make them more fuel efficient by using different techniques and one of the techniques is electrification of various systems in a vehicle. Electronic power assist steering system, electric active roll control, electronic differential, brake by wire are some of the examples of electrification of vehicle systems. This kind of methodology becomes more evident in case of hybrid electric vehicles where electric power components including power electronics are integral part of the powertrain. It has been observed that using these electrification techniques not only helps in increasing the per formance of the vehicle but also makes them more fuel efficient. Thus the electrification in a diesel hybrid powertrain to improve the driveability of vehicle forms the main platform for this research project. Problem Statement One of the major NVH issues in automobiles is torsional vibrations of driveline. The torsion of drivetrain at high engine torques causes oscillations in driveline. These oscillations are generally excited by various sources such as rapid or sudden load/torque change, gear change and unevenness of road surface. These oscillations cause longitudinal acceleration in vehicle structure and passenger compartment of the vehicle, which reduces the comfort and driveability of the vehicle and are experienced as unwanted jerking by the driver and passengers. These type of driveline oscillations are termed as Jerking, which is the main focus of this research.

Marketing Design and Innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing Design and Innovation - Essay Example The success of international marketing strategies strongly relates to the ways in which companies design and promote their products. Any errors in designing products to meet customer requirements and evolving market trends can lead to failure in capturing market shares and loss in revenues for the companies. The international environment provides the organization with the scope of marketing products to both local and foreign markets. Multiple strategies are adopted by companies to promote their products to these markets either through standardization of products launched in both local and foreign markets or through adaptation in design and features to match the tastes of the foreign consumers (Hill & Allen, 2007). While standardization in design and features provide the customers with a uniform image that is attached with the product, it may fail to satisfy their needs that are influenced by local environment and cultural factors. Hence localization or adaptation to local tastes and preferences is considered a feasible solution by marketers for promoting market shares and growth (Lamb, Fair & McDaniel, 2009). McDonalds – the global brand McDonalds is one of the largest chains of fast food restaurants selling burgers, French fries and host of savories since 1940. The business started with the opening of a fast food outlet in California in the year 1940 and since then the company has grown to become a household name with its presence across different countries (Roth, 2010). The success of the brand is largely attributed to its flexibility in product design and innovation in tastes that has ensured a satisfied customer walking out of its outlets. â€Å"In Germany, McDonalds serves beer with meals. In Israel, the first kosher McDonalds opened in Jerusalem in 1995. In Arab countries, the chain used Halal menus† (Paul, 2008). The respect for local tastes and cultures have earned the company its reputation and contributed to its success in global market expansion strategies. The company operates through a number of franchisees across different market regions. Innovation in product design and marketing mix are key det erminants of the success behind McDonalds. The fast food service chain gained customer loyalty and trust through its creativity in offering new range of products and flavors. McDonalds recognizes the fact that different cultures support varying customer needs and tastes. It is important to identify the distinctiveness in tastes and adapt its flavors to suit the local customer choice and preference. Market demand and competitive advantage The market demand for any product in any region is influenced by the consumer demographics of the region, industry competition, pricing, quality, and service efficiency of the companies. The competitive environment is one of the key aspects influencing market demand for any product. â€Å"Moving from a product and sales philosophy to a holistic marketing philosophy however, gives them a better chance of outperforming competition. And the cornerstone of a well-conceived marketing orientation is strong customer relationships† (Kotler, 1972). Mc Donalds operates in a highly competitive

The Causes and Effects of Water Pollution in Lake Huron Essay

The Causes and Effects of Water Pollution in Lake Huron - Essay Example Lake Huron suffers from a number of water pollutants that have greatly affected its flora and fauna as well as the freshness of its water. The lake endures point source pollution from industrial wastes and non-point pollution from fertilizer and pesticide runoff from surrounding farms. These pollutants result in adverse effects that contaminate soils, reduce the quality of its water and damage its ecosystem. The damage from pollution in this lake has harmful repercussions on the wildlife, fishes and human beings that depend on water from this lake. Point-source pollution This refers to the direct source of contamination in Lake Huron. This is often done when pipes or vessels direct their toxic wastes directly into the lake. Initially, paper and pulp industries located around the lake believed that water could dissolve anything and, thus, neutralize the toxicity of their wastes (Shear, 2006). This resulted in the companies dumping most of their wastes such as mercury into the lake. Ot her industries dump their wastes that contain harmful chemicals, heavy metals, organic toxins and oil by products into Lake Huron. In the recent past, fecal matter has been observed in the lake. This means that sewerage companies are directing wastes into the lake as well. This has resulted in the increase of harmful and disease causing bacteria in the lake. At the same time, the sewerage and other inorganic and organic wastes disposed off in the lake have resulted in a decline in the quality of Lake Huron’s water. Non-point source pollution This is pollution that does not come from a specific location. The most prevalent non-point source of pollution in Lake Huron is pesticide and fertilizer runoff. There are a number of farms surrounding Lake Huron. These farms depend on the lake for water that is vital for irrigation of the vast horticultural farms due to its constant and never-ending supply. These farms make use of a number of fertilizers and pesticides that are used to e nhance crop growth. However, the chemicals used in making these fertilizers and pesticides are often washed down from the crops by rain or irrigation water. These chemicals find their way into the lake through rivers and stream that empty their waters in the lake (Shear, 2006). This often results in the influx of harmful chemicals that greatly affects the lake’s ecosystem as evidenced by the large number of sea birds that are found dead along the lake’s shoreline. The fishes caught from this lake also have a lot of harmful chemicals in them. Residential waste Household waste has become one of the greatest Lake Huron pollutants. Residential wastes that contain organic or inorganic waste and detergents are major contributors to the lake’s water pollution. Organic waste is one which can be decomposed by bacteria such as fruit and vegetable remains. Inorganic waste includes wastes such as leather, plastic, paper, glass, fabric, metals and wood among other wastes whi ch do not decompose. These wastes cannot be broken down through the help of bacteria and is often referred to as non-biodegradable (Shear, 2006). Detergents are also not broken down easily by bacteria. This means that they remain active for prolonged periods after getting into the fresh water lake. This leaves the water polluted and results in the poising of aquatic organisms such as fish, birds and plants that reside in Lake Huron. Human and animal wastes

Labor Laws and Unionization Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Labor Laws and Unionization - Assignment Example It greatly facilitates implementation of policies that are directed at general welfare of employees rather than segregated for the benefits of few. Â  Unionization has significantly helped reduce exploitation of organized labor and provided them with a critical platform to bargain for their rights. The Davis-Bacon Act of 1931 is important legislation that significantly curtailed the right of a single employee to work for reduced wages which were used to ensure that workers of government-sponsored construction projects were paid locally approved wages or wages as determined by the local unions of construction workers (Reynolds, 1987). Moreover, the clause of ‘in good faith’ is the essential paradigm that supports the union and asks that employers’ bargain be in good faith while coming to satisfactory conclusions with the union leaders. Thus, labor laws encourage unionization. Â  Yes, teaching assistants should be considered bona fide employees as they are contracted under defined terms and conditions as approved by the management. Moreover, under criteria set forth in 29 CFR Part 520.201, the teaching assistants are employees with rights, including that of joining unions and the rights to be eligible for the minimum as prescribed within the defined labor law. They are a vital part of academia and take on the responsibilities of assisting teachers. They help students on an individual basis and even take up teaching when required and therefore constitute an important part of academia. Â  Teaching assistants also provide the teaching staff with much mental and physical relief by relieving them of the stress of dealing with students who may require more personal coaching. Assistant teachers are playing vital roles in all types of schools, including higher education. They contribute considerably to the improvement of education and serve as a critical resource for the schools and academia in general (Kerry, 2001).

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells - Essay Example mstance, the development of fuel cells helps in reducing dependence on fossil fuels hence reducing the levels of toxic and poisonous emissions to the atmosphere. However, this form of energy exemplified by proton exchange membrane fuel cells has to compete with reliability, cost and energy efficiency with established energy sources. The commercialization of the proton exchange membrane fuel cells are closely related to vital materials considerations including performance, durability and cost. The major setback is to find a combination of materials that will give a valid outcome on the basis of the above three mentioned factors. The proton exchange membrane fuel cell is also referred to as the polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell. This is so because the name variant depends on the type of electrolyte employed in the model. When the membrane is conveniently hydrated, the fuel cell is referred to as the polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell. In this case, there is high conductivity of protons across the polymeric membrane. Various state of the art proton exchange membrane fuel cells have been developed. Exemplified by thinner membranes of less than 40 micrometers and smaller Pt/C electrodes, some fuel cells have been devised for cost reduction. However, these models have demonstrated significantly less operating time of close to 15, 000 hours. This called for the invention of an ion-conductive polymeric membrane as a gas electron barrier. This idea was first coined by William T. Grubb of the General Electric Company in 1955. Currently, the most widely employed membrane electrolyte is DuPont’s Nafion . This is because it possesses good chemical and mechanical stability in the challenging proton exchange membrane fuel cell environment. Basically, the physical structure of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell comprises of seven components. These are feeding channels, diffusion layers, catalytic layer in the anode, membrane; catalytic layer, diffusion layer and

Business Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Business Communications - Essay Example RasGas offers a broad range of benefits to the potential applicants that include but are not limited to attractive salary package, free accommodation, and different kinds of insurances. EMAAR introduces itself as a company that exposes its multinational employees belonging to 43 different nationalities (â€Å"Careers†) to new challenges that serve to enhance their own skills and facilitate their professional growth. EMAAR emphasizes upon recruiting only the very best employees from all over the world, as the company’s performance fundamentally relies upon the skills and competencies of its workforce. EMAAR presents its employees as individuals with exceptional skills and customer service abilities. EMAAR offers its employees training and development opportunities. From the comparison of the two companies, it can be concluded that both companies encourage diversity in the workforce and provide them with training and development opportunities. However, RasGas expresses the benefits it offers its employees more overtly and explicitly as compared to EMAAR. One also gets to see the pictures of the employees of RasGas which are not available on the website of EMAAR. Overall, RasGas offers a clearer insight into the company for the potential applicants than

Labour Law Group Project ( ADCO ) + WorkSheet + Case Study Assignment

Labour Law Group Project ( ADCO ) + WorkSheet + Case Study - Assignment Example ployment contract with no ‘Probation Period’ but 30 days annual leave, monthly salary of aed 35,000 Free Accommodation and Annual Tickets for Bob, his wife and 2 kids. First of all, ASCONCO must deal with the immigration authorities and ensure that they secure a valid permit for Bob to stay and work in the UAE. After that, the contract ought to be in writing and it must show the commencement date of Bob’s employment and termination date, which will be 3 years from the current period. The wages payable, which is AED 35,000 and other benefits including accommodation and ticket must be stated on the face of the contract. The nature of contract, which is a fixed contract must be disclosed. This will also include the nature of work to be carried out by Bob, the duration and location of employment. This should be signed by Bob and a representative of ASCONCO, which could be Abulaziz or a person in a sufficiently high position and lodged with the labour office at the Ministry. They could fill out a standard form which will be in English or Arabic which is available at the Ministry. However, if they draft their own agreement which has terms they have prescribed, (1) the terms must not be contrary to UAE laws, particularly the Labour Law and it must be in Arabic only before being filed at the labour office. Once this is done, the contract between ASCONCO and Bob is valid. Abulaziz will not need to make an immigration application in the name of ASCONCO for Bob. He will also not need to put the employment contract in writing. This means that he can orally tell Noura that she is hired and there will be a valid employment contract. In terms of enforceability, forms of employment that are not written ought to be in a form that can be proven. Therefore, Noura will need to show evidence of her employment and all the relevant features including remuneration and other terms of the employment. However, the key difference is that it could be unwritten whilst Bob’s contract

The key themes of Romeo and Juliet Essay Example for Free

The key themes of Romeo and Juliet Essay Romeo and Juliet is the tragic tale of forbidden love, fate and destiny. The prologue is important as it introduces these key themes and creates dramatic irony. It is introduced by a chorus to give us a commentary and summary of the action. The dramatic irony whets the audiences appetite for the play, and the prologue helps the lower class audience understand the storyline easier. Act 1 Scene 1 grabs the attention of both the higher and lower classes of audience with the use of poetry for the higher classes and the comical influences would draw the lower classes into the play. Modern film adaptations of Romeo and Juliet such as Baz Luhrmanns version appeal to modern audiences because of special effects, lighting and sound. Shakespeare on the other hand used only the language he wrote down and the space on the stage in front of him to create dramatic tension and hold the audiences interest. Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet originated from an English poem, The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet by Arthur Brooke. It was published in 1562 and was written in the popular style of the sonnet. Shakespeares main change to the poem was the duration of the events that took place. Instead of taking three months, the proceedings took a mere five days. This increased dramatic tension in the story by speeding up the pace, showing us that the nature of young love is passionate and impulsive. The audience would have already been familiar with the story as they would have known the original version. The prologue introduces what you are about to see, and brings up the key themes of the play such as fate and death. These are explained with phrases such as star crossd lovers which gives the implication of fate romance and death, as there is a mythology that the stars are symbols of a dead person (in the heavens), and they are romantic symbols. The prologue creates dramatic tension because the audience is told exactly what will happen, and this illustrates that the future is set in stone and cannot be changed. The form of the prologue is a sonnet a love poem about suffering and pain. This again highlights the key themes and creates dramatic irony and suspense, as the story of Romeo and Juliet is about the suffering and pain of young love. The episodic structure of Act 1 Scene 1 creates a fast and exciting pace, involving the audience; never letting them get bored. The fight scene is very quick and exhilarating in pace, and heightens the suspense of the scene. Whereas this is very swift and tense part of the Act, it largely contrasts with Romeos lament. He is very calm and deep talking about his vast emotions of love for Rosaline. The juxtaposition of the characters and events create a lot of dramatic tension as we know that Romeo will eventually be involved in one of these feuds because of his love. The contrast between the sombre and melancholy tone of the prologue and the humorous, vulgar beginning of scene1 is to involve both the lower and upper classes of the audience. The lower and less mentally involved classes of the audience would relate to the humour of the first scene, We will not carry coalsno for then we should be colliers, whilst the higher more intellectual classes of audience would appreciate the more meaningful structure of the prologue, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. The use of the props such as the swords they are carrying and the gesture of biting the thumb I do bite my thumb, sir holds the suspense of the audience and increases dramatic tension with the suggestion of potential death and violence. The biting of the thumb increases the dramatic tension even more because it was used to trigger violence. Humour is used in this banter to appeal to the lower classes, and the light-hearted conversation and joking about the violence between the Montagues and the Capulets suggests that the feud has been going on for so long that it isnt taken seriously any more. The pun collar choler introduces the theme of anger leading to death right from the beginning of the play as collar means the hangmans noose, and choler means anger. Also the pun on the heads of the maidens or their maidenheads shows the attitude towards women in that time was that they were just objects to be used. The male servants joke about how they will rape the women servants and take their virginity. The attitude back then was that women were not valued if they didnt have their virginity.  This again shows the women to be animals or things to be used and discarded. The patriarchal system of the day shows this as Juliet was forced to marry Paris against her will. This also shows the different attitudes of Romeo towards women. He has respect for women and shows this by idealising them. This links in to the key theme of love. Dramatic tension is built through the fight scene and Princes speech through the juxtaposition of characters of different classes, who use language for different purposes. The Princes speech is written in verse, rather than prose and he uses complex sentence structures, showing his higher social status, If ever you disturb our streets again, your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace! and also once again appealing to higher-class members of the audience. The language used during the fight scene contrasts to this as it is prose, and quite comical, Do you quarrel sir? Quarrel sir! No sir. As the Prince appears the tone of the scene sobers and his ideas as well as his language contrasts to that of the servants, as he speaks in verse. His threat to the families on pain of death increases dramatic tension as we already know that two people will die as a result of the information given to us from the prologue. In the Romeo and Benvolio scene, Lady Montagues comment about Romeo right glad I am he was not at this fray proves ironic because we as the audience know he is going to die anyway. When the characters start talking about Romeo, the mood changes from dramatic to calm and the key theme of love becomes predominant. The oxymorons used by Romeo here (loving hate, feather of lead) express his confusion and the inner conflict he has between his family and love. Loving hate shows how he feels about love in that love is also like hate. The metaphors Romeo uses for love increase and create dramatic tension because he describes love as a choking gall. This means poison and we know that he dies from drinking poison. I would describe the language he uses as poetic and meaningful. This shows his tender attitudes towards love, but at the same time there is a darker side to it. He shows that he craves and relies on love. He is in love with the idea of love, rather than love itself, alas that love, whose view is muffled still, should without eyes see pathways to his will! Act 1 scene 1 introduces the audience to the characters and their relationships to portray the situation and inform us of their personalities early on in the play. In the Baz Luhrmann version, lighting sound and special effects are used to greater highlight the key themes and also create dramatic tension. In the fight scene, tension is built by the use of dramatic sound and the characters raising their voices. The louder the music the louder the voices become. The tone and the speed of the action create tension as well. Fire was used to symbolise violence and anger. It shows destruction and therefore creates more dramatic tension. There are clear advantages and disadvantages to filming rather than staging it. Many takes can be shot to get the perfect atmosphere and film can be altered to create a mood whereas on a stage mistakes can be made, and theres the risk that the atmosphere may be lost. In the end, the prologue rings true and Romeo and Juliet die the tragic deaths foretold before. I think it is the most inspiring and beautiful love story ever old and there will never be another one like it; For there never was a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo.

Language teaching methods

Language teaching methods Language teaching methods The debate concerning language teaching methods has a long tradition. Although there is language teaching in all countries, many countries developed their own language pedagogy.   For many years English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers used the same language pedagogy everywhere namely Communicative Language Teaching. CLT is now the ruling, central paradigm in language teaching, which has shaped the thinking of the teachers. Teachers usually use CLT as a language teaching method; however, I think that this is not the only way to learn a language properly. First of all, the CLT method neglects the context in which the language teaching takes place. For example, there was a native speaker of English who travelled to Japan. He did not know anything about the culture and their language pedagogy, but he thought that CLT is the only way to teach a language, so it proved him that the other ways of teaching a language are failing (Bax, 2003). I disagree with him because I think if there is an emphasis laid on context, it leads the teachers to a more effective teaching. Secondly, teachers in the teacher trainings are taught to use methodology and to not to take into account what the context is. A teacher, who did a teacher training course, stated, The context of things was basically up to the teacher to try and apply the methodology to contexts (Bax, 2003, p. 282). It is stated, that methodology is only one factor of the successful language learning (Bax, 2003). If a teacher is taught and encouraged to use only the methodology, he or she reduces the chances of the learner in successful language learning. In my opinion, cultural specificity should not be neglected on the teacher training courses. To summarise, teachers should be taught to take context into account. Thirdly, some people say that methodology is essential to learning a language, but in my opinion the needs of the students are more important. Many people learn a language properly with other methods in those countries where teachers do not use CLT. There is the perfect example of the teacher who teaches in the Czech Republic, where not CLT is the used language pedagogy, and she did not understand how the students were able to learn to speak English quite well without it. However, on the other hand I have to assume that CLT is used world-wide, and it seems to be very successful. As Harmer (2003) points out, Methodology is fundamental to the learning of language classrooms where teachers are working (p. 24). It is true that teachers have to plan their classes, and they cannot only rely on the context in which the teaching takes place. I do not deny the importance of the CLT, but I think that other approaches may be more successful. In conclusion, I have to admit that not only CLT is the best solution when learning a language. Teachers have to take into consideration the context in which the language teaching takes place, and they cannot neglect the students needs and wishes. As I have mentioned, teachers do not really pay attention to the context because they were taught to use methodology. In short, the needs of the students are substantial, but the students also have to play an active role in their own language learning. (553 words) References : Bax, S. (2003). The end of CLT: a context approach to language teaching. ELT Journal, 57(3), 278-287. Harmer, J. (2003). Popular culture, methods, and context. ELT Journal, 57(3), 288-294. Lee, I. (1998). Supporting greater autonomy in language learning. ELT Journal, 52(4), 282-289.

Analysis of the Black Codes 1865-66 Essay -- Slavery, Inexpensive Labo

The Black Codes were legal statutes and constitutional amendments enacted by the ex Confederate states following the Civil War that sought to restrict the liberties of newly free slaves, to ensure a supply of inexpensive agricultural labor, and maintain a white dominated hierachy. (paragraph 1) In southern states, prior to the Civil War they enacted Slave Codes to regulate the institution of slavery. And northern non-slave holding states enacted laws to limit the black political power and social mobility. (paragraph 2) Black Codes were adopted after the Civil War and borrowed points from the antebellum slave laws as well as laws in the northern states used to regulate free blacks. (paragraph 3) Eventually, the Black Codes were extinguished when Radical Republican Reconstruction efforts began in 1866-67 along with the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment and civil rights legislation. The lives of the Black Codes did not have longevity but were significant. (paragraph 3) Although each ex-Confederate state enacted its own set of codes, all of them shard certain features such as they ...

The Alluring Amontillado Essays -- Literature

The Alluring Amontillado Revenge is the act of retaliation for an offense or injury caused to a person by another. The act of revenge can become an overpowering and consuming emotion that involves every part of someone’s existence. In â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado,† revenge is the theme that runs throughout the story and drives the motive for murder. The character, Montresor, uses revenge as his motive for killing Fortunato. Fortunato is reminiscent of a fatherly character, which elicits painful memories for Montresor. In eliminating Fortunato, Montresor assumes the role that places him closest to the affections of a motherly figure. Edgar Allan Poe’s life is reflective of the motivations of Montresor’s actions and how the Oedipus complex is featured in this short story. Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1809 to parents who were actors at the local theatre. He never knew his father, David Poe, who died in 1810 after abandoning Poe’s mother shortly after Poe was born. His mother, who suffered from consumption, died in Richmond, Virginia in late 1811, orphaning Edgar, his older brother William Henry, and half-sister Rosalie. Soon after their mother’s death, the children were separated and sent to relatives or other families to be raised. Edgar had very little contact with his siblings after their mother’s death. A planter and his wife, who lived in Richmond Virginia, accepted Poe into their family, but never formally adopted him. From the childless wife of Mr. John Allan, Edgar received extensive affection, but it was improbable that she was ever able to give all the affection that he craved from his deceased birth mother. Mr. Allan regarded Edgar with mute affection and mostly offered money in place of any physi... ... who was forever searching for that one elusive person who could give him the validation he so wanted. He appears to have placed so much value on the affections of a mother who would forever be absent. Montresor, in Poe’s fictional story, was successful in committing the revengeful deed he sought. Fortunato, from his grave, forever haunted the lonesome soul of Montresor. Works Cited May, Charles E. Edgar Allan Poe: A Study of the Short Fiction. Boston: Twayne, 1991. Print. Poe, Edgar. â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado.† The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2012. 533-537. Print. Pruette, Lorine. "A Psycho-Analytical Study of Edgar Allan Poe." The American Journal of Psychology 31.4 (1920): 370-402. JSTOR. Web. 31 Mar. 2012. .

i Felt A Funeral, In My Brain :: essays research papers

In my opinion, Emily Dickinson as a transcendentalist used her poetry to describe the process of transcendental meditation, particularly the meditation of death. In this poem she tries to allow us to expierience our true nature by entering directly into our conscious. The poem is a deep seeking of the nature of death, the death that is a process of expansion and transformation from solidarity to a spaciousness. When she says: "I felt a funeral in my brain, and mourners to and fro, kept treading, treading till it seemed that sense was breaking through... " She focuses on the sensation of being in the body, feeling the body's substantiality and solidity, and the heaviness caused by gravity pulling on its very substance. When she says ..."And then I heard them lift a box and creak across my soul, With those same boots of lead, again the space began to toll..." I believe this to be an expression of the awareness a "Light Body" expieriences, seeing , tasting, touching, and the like. The body that is within the heavy or outer body. "As all the heavens were a bell, and being but an ear, and I, and silence, some strange race, wrecked, solitary here" I believe is a reference to the phase where the "Light Body" becomes seperated from the "Heavy Body" and everything floats free. "And then a plank in reason broke, and I dropped down, and down, and hit a world at every plunge, and finished knowing then-" I believe this to be gently and gradually dying and into the light and free of knowing. Thinking that all that comes to mind is old and are just old thoughts, and we do not have to hold to them. Giving a new birth to ourselves, to observe peace, mercy, kindness, and healing the pain we suffer from.

The Twilight Saga 2: New Moon Chapter 1 PARTY

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. 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. 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.

Operating Systems Essay

Interfaces that are graphical in nature are known either as Graphical User Interfaces(GUI) or WIMP interfaces (Windows, Icons, Menus and Pointer). Typically, these types of interfaces are available in multi-programming environments or in applications software that involve a considerable degree of complexity. In a GUI, there are: A ‘window’ for each open application. Many windows can be open at the same time but only one window can be active at any one time. There may be some way of indicating which one is active (perhaps by making the bar at the top of the active window blue). Menus and icons. Available functions can be selected in one of two ways, either by using pop-up menus or drop-down menus, or clicking on ‘icons’. An icon is simply a small picture that represents a specific function- clicking on it selects that function.   A pointing device, usually a mouse but in certain circumstances a graphical tablet and pen can be used. These are used to make selections.   The use of the keyboard to navigate through the application is minimized because it is relatively time-consuming way of working.   Natural language. Natural language interfaces are those that allow the user to communicate in their native language, such as English. It allows the user to instruct the computer without need for a particular ‘syntax’. The system needs to be able both to interpret inputs in natural language from the user, and to act upon them, and, also preferably to generate natural language statements in response to user input. Sometimes it is also referred as a conversational interface. The questions are displayed on the VDU and the answers are entered via the keyboard. For example, imagine a user has initiated a ‘save file’ request. The ‘conversation’ might be: COMP:What’s the file name? USER: chapter1. txt COMP:what folder? USER: userguide COMP:File already exists. Overwrite? USER:Yes COMP: Done. This kind of interface can be found on data entry terminals and other types of dumb terminals connected to a network where non-experts users are guided through the complex tasks they need to perform by the computer.   Command line Command based interface is one where the user types a series of commands at the keyboard which tell the computer what their intentions are. It is also known as linguistic manipulation. The characteristics of a command based interface are   the user needs to know what commands are available   the user needs to understand the commands Characteristics of a command based interface 1) The system is very much more open than in the other types of interface. Other interfaces restrict the options that the user has available to them. This can be particularly important for the system manager because different users can only be allowed to have access to specific parts of the system. 2) Command based interfaces can only be used by computer literate people because the user need to understand the commands and their uses. 1. Define what is meant by the term operating system. (2) 2. Give two reasons why an operating system is likely to be stored on backing storage rather than in the memory of the computer. (2) 3. Distinguish between a multi-programming and a multi-access operating system. (2) 4. State what is meant by a distributed system, and give an advantage of this type of multi-access system over a simple network of machines. (2) 5. A computer operator takes phone calls from the public who ring up asking whether a particular item in a catalogue is available. The operator needs to type in a series of responses to questions put to the caller, so that the computer can check the file and determine whether there are any of that item available. Design a screen interface that would be suitable for the operator to use. (4) 6. The technician responsible for maintaining the system in question 5, uses a command line interface. a) Explain what is meant by a command line interface. (2) b) Give two advantages and one disadvantage to the technician of using a command line interface rather than a menu based interface. (3) Answers: 1 A. -A (suite of) programs†¦-which run the basic functions of the computer†¦ -giving an environment in which to run application software. A question which begins with the word define, leaves very little room for manoeuvre because it is asking for a standard answer. This is not an opportunity to show your prowess by making up an answer that is original- there aren’t any. Note, also, the fact that three answers have been given. Always try to give one more answer than seems to be required by the question. If you look at a mark scheme for an examination paper, the mark points are listed as a set of bullet points so there is no reason why you should not do the same. This style of answer helps you to write down your thoughts easily without getting confused by the language. The purpose of this examination is not to test your ability with English, rather to test your knowledge of computing. 2 A. – A full operating system requires a large amount of storage space that is better utilised in the computer memory for applications – Storage of the operating system on backing storage allows for easy upgrading or changing from one system to a different one. Note that the temptation to call the operating system the O. S. has been resisted in the answer. In general, do not use abbreviations in your answers. There are exceptions, where the abbreviation is the accepted form, but your own versions may be ambiguous or, even, not understood by the examiner. If you do need to use an abbreviation, because the term is to be used a number of times, give the term in full with the abbreviation that you want to use in brackets after it. For example, the first time that you use the term operating system write â€Å"†¦ operating system (OS)†¦ † you can then use OS as often as you like in the rest of your answer. 3. A. – A multi-programming operating system is one where the user of the machine is given the impression that they can carry out more than one task at a time. – A multi-access operating system is one where it is possible for more than one user to access the system apparently at the same time. Note that there are a large number of points that could have been made about both of these operating systems, but most of them would not answer the question. It is important when answering a question starting with ‘distinguish’ to choose facts that show a comparison. 4 A. – A distributed system is one which uses many storage locations on different machines to store software and files. – Access to files can be speeded up because more than one file command can be carried out at a time. When an advantage is asked for it is normal to state in the question, either explicitly or implicitly, with what the comparison should be made. Be careful to give an advantage using this comparison and not a more generalised one. 5 A. – Form type interface – Catalogue number – Space for the description of goods which will be filled in by the computer itself – Spaces for computer to produce availability and price – Laid out with spaces for input. What is just as important here are the things that would not be on the screen. The question makes it quite clear that there is no ordering going on, so spaces for name and address, or method of payment, are not only going to score no marks, but will probably be penalised because they demonstrate that the candidate has not understood the question. In this type of question it is important to demonstrate that you have taken the situation into account. 6 A. a)-Series of commands typed at a screen prompt†¦ -which give specific instructions to the computer. b)Advantages: -Entire system is available to the technician -Access to the particular part of the system required is gained more quickly than using other types of interface. Disadvantage: -The technician needs to know the commands that are available -The technician needs to understand the way the system is designed so that it can be navigated efficiently. Note. The language used in this answer is not the sort of language that a candidate will use in an examination. Don’t worry about this. Answers like â€Å"so that you can get around the system† are perfectly acceptable. System Software James Leong Mook Seng.