Cognitive Psychology And Mental Processes †Final Essay

Cognitive Psychology And Mental Processes – Final Essay Free Online Research Papers Cognitive Psychology And Mental Processes Final Essay Cognitive psychology deals with the mental processes like memory and problem solving. It is also concerned with internal processes such as attention, perception, thinking, reasoning and language. However in the past these processes were studied by means of laboratory tasks, however it has become clear that the cognitive approach is very useful when understanding developmental issues, social functioning and treatment of many mental disorders. Biological psychology however brings together biology and psychology to understand behaviour and thought it also looks at the link between biology and psychological events such as how information travels throughout our bodies. The roots of cognitive psychology has existed for the last 2,000 years Neisser (1967) (cognitive psychologist) published the ‘cognitive psychology’ as Neisser states cognition begins with sensory input, he says that our cognitive processes are most useful in responding to information that is present in the world and that is capable in being picked up by our sensory apparatus. However more recent studies show that Cognitive psychologists have made many contributions in order to help us understand the processes and structures involved in perception, attention and performance. All these contributions have taken various forms leading Eysenck and keane to identify three main strands in the cognitive psychology field. (1) Experimental cognitive psychology: this approach mainly relies on lab based studies of cognition in normal individuals (2) Cognition science: this approach involves producing computer programs to mimic the processes and outputs of the human brain. (3) Cognitive neuropsychological: this approach involves studying cognitive process in brain-damaged patients to understand the workings of the cognitive system. (E.g. some brain damaged patients can understand language but cannot speak or write it properly. Some cognitive psychologist suggests that this may be because different language functions are based in different parts of the brain. The main method used in cognitive psychology to help us understand the working of the human mind are lab experiments these attempt to help determine the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. The main aim is to isolate a particular component of the cognitive process for the study. Such experiments can take on may forms such as control of groups, for the experiment to be successful it has to be proven against the hypotheses. Lab experiments however usually lack ecological validity this means the tasks being studied fails to include the influences of the natural environment. To try and understand humans cognitive psychologist use different kinds of strategies. firstly: (1) they identify the problem and form a hypothetical relation among the variables. (2) design and execute the experiment (3) examine the data from the experiment (4) communicate the results. so in a case of users of a word processor learn faster when they are given feedback they then put these into context in realation to humans, so they break the hypotheseis into two variables, like i mentioned before the independent and dependent variable and the experimental hypothesies predicts that the word processor affects the feedback, at the same time as meeting the hypthosies the null hypthosies is formulated that predicts that the feedback will not be affected by the word processor. this leaves the experiment open and can be seen from two different angles. many cognitive psychologits also use self report,case studies and obersavation techniques, these techingues are used to support the findings from lab experiments cognitive psychologhits use these techniques beacuse it gives them a good idea of the interaction between humans and the enviroment, however the results vary depending on the enviroment. observation in psychological terms requires collecting alot of data in a systematic and recordable manner. the psychologits may observe by taking part and participating with the subjects this helps them obtain a deeper understanding,however the downside to this approach is that psychologits may become too involved and may be unable to make relevant recordings. however case studies focus on single case , they allow psychologits to investiagte something in more detail then if they were dealing with more subjects. biopsychology however is linked to understanding human behaviour from the biological perspective. this approach involes studying processes within our bodies. it looks at the detailed function of our brain. biological psychology is relevant to psycholoy in three ways: (1) comparative method: this is when different studies of animals and speices are compared, this can also help understand human behaviour. (2) physiology : this shows how the nervous system and how the hormones work, how the brain functions and how changes in structre and how afficient the fuction of behaviour is. (3)investigation of inheritance: mechinisisms of inheritance (what an animale inherits from its parents). biological psychologits use many methods to carry out experiments they use contrast X-ray,standard x-ray,to take an X-ray photograph of an object, a beam of X-rays is passed through it onto a photographic plate any part of the object that absorbs X-rays differently will be distinguishable researchers also use other equpiment to monitor brain activity during certain mental tasks. these methods are taken from neuroscience and can be put into experiments. firstly there are two nureoscience techniques, the electroencephalogram (EEG) this measures the change in voltage generated by large numbers of neurons under an electrode placed on a scalp.secondaly there is positron emission topography (PET) this scans radio active isotopes, which is introduced to the subject as a small dose of water in the blood this then flows around the brain, this sort of scans usually show brain activity in the anterior cingulate. biological psychologits also use cat scans CAT SCANS during this process the individual lies on a table with their head in the middle of a doughnut shaped ring. an X-ray beam then goes through the individuals head from front to back.CAT SCANS are very useful for detecting tumors,blood clots and other brain abnormalities however at the same time they also have their limitations as they do not show the precise location of the brain damage. MIR SCANS however are similar to CAT scans in many ways but they produce cleaerer and more detailed pictures. in the MIR SCAN procudure radio waves are used to excite atoms in the brain, compared to CAT SCANS MIR scsns can be obtained in a horizontal plane. the limitations however are similar to those of the CAT SCANS as MIR scans tell us about the structure of the brain rather then the function.PET SCANS is one the biological approach that has attracted the media the most, the technique is based on poitrons which are the atomic particales emitted by radioactive substances.PET SCANS show the brain in action so therefore they are more advanced then CAT and MIR scans but the downfall of PER SCANS is that they tell us which area of the brain in active but fail to identify the areas of precision.what PET SCANS do do is that they indicate the activity levels in different areas of the brain over a period of 60 seconds electric stimulation of the brain simply involves applying a week electric current to the brain through very small electrodes. if it is done very carfully then the brain appears to respond to the current as if it were an actual nerve impulse. language and speech are a very key factor when looking at biological psychology, psychologitst say that for right handed people language is based mainly in the left-hemisphere and for left-handed people language is based in the left-hemisphere. Overall both biological and cognitive psychology have very different approches and look at different aspects of the human brain and body. the biological aspect of psychology looks at the brain,nervous system and techniques such as. split brain studies,invasive techniques, and X-rays. cognitive psychology however looks at the mind and how we as indivuals behaive BIBLIOGRAPHY Michael W.Eysenck PYSCHOLOGY A STUDENTS HANDBOOK Neil R. Carlson physiological psychology (fourth edition) www.scism.sbu.ac.uk/inmandw/tutorials/memory/qul.htm Research Papers on Cognitive Psychology And Mental Processes - Final EssayThree Concepts of PsychodynamicEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfResearch Process Part OneOpen Architechture a white paperThe Project Managment Office SystemGenetic EngineeringRiordan Manufacturing Production Plan

How to Do a Webinar The Effective Way [Free Planner]

How to Do a Webinar The Effective Way [Free Planner] There are so many amazing ways of connecting content with your audience: video shows, podcasts, epic list posts, free resources, and yes, webinars. But when your workload is already full (and whose isn’t?), how do you add another marketing channel into the mix? In this post, I’m going to show you how to do a webinar the smart way when you already have heaps of work on your plate. But before you invest more time reading this, answer two questions (especially if you lead a marketing team): â€Å"Will webinars really increase sales and should my team invest in them?† I can’t answer that for you. But I can present a few stats to help you decide if they’re a worthy investment. How To Do A Webinar The Effective Way (Free Planner)Webinar Statistics Highlights According to a 2016 study  that analyzed 12,780 webinars: Webinars attract  an average of 233 attendees. Webinar viewers watch an average of 50 minutes. Watchtime has increased by 31.5 percent since 2010. â€Å"Question and answer† time is the most popular- and expected- form of interactivity. Of global attendees, 20 percent downloaded content, 7 percent submitted questions, and 31 percent responded to polls. Those numbers are a virtual all-you-can-eat buffet for marketers†¦ Naturally, we want in. Whether this is your first, or fiftieth, webinar, you’ll find value in the path-of-smartest  resistance we’re about to travel. Here’s what’s ahead. You’re going to: Learn how to host a webinar like a seasoned pro. Choose the best webinar software and tools for you. Learn how to record a webinar and promote the replay. Obliterate the technical barriers with step-by-step instructions + visuals. Get our free Webinar Planner  + Webinar Talking-Points Template + Email Follow-Up Template so you can work our proven process for hosting efficient, effective, and engaging webinars. Grab your free planner and templates so you can follow along. We’ll be using them throughout the post. Now, let’s crank out a crazy-good webinar, shall we? Use The MVP Approach To Knockout Your Next Webinar Our approach is dead simple; and we’ve written about it before. It’s called the â€Å"minimum viable project† (MVP) approach. It’s a play on the famed â€Å"minimum viable product† of The Lean Startup  fame. An MVP’s goal is to get you through a loop of â€Å"idea → ship → analyze† as quickly as possible. Our own Nathan Ellering  says it like this: â€Å"The idea behind a minimum viable project is to eliminate risk by helping you: Create and publish quickly, Measure your success, Learn to improve.† Our aim is to make your webinar an MVP. It’s to find the baseline that will produce the largest return from the  smallest amount of effort. Sounds nice, right? To do this, you’re going to do one of two things: Repurpose a piece of high-performing content  you already have; Or, repurpose a piece of content you’re going to create. For our purposes, we’re going to repurpose an existing piece of content. But if you’re going to opt for path number two and create something fresh, check out this post so you know exactly what your audience is dying to know  from you (it’s called your â€Å"content core†). Now, if you don’t know your top-performing pieces of content, you should start there. To snoop out your winners, you can of course use Google Analytics. One of my favorite ways, though, is using the analytics dashboard right inside of .   It’s a quick way to run a report of what content has performed the best on social media. To generate this report, start by logging into your calendar. Then, click on the â€Å"Analytics† icon on the left sidebar: From here you can run one of three reports. In this case, we’ll run the â€Å"Top Content† report: After our digital elves crunch your numbers, it will generate a report like the one below. In this case, you can see that our post, â€Å"How to Write Emotional Headlines That Get More Shares† has resonated well: Now, after 15 seconds of clicking, I have an incredible candidate for an MVP webinar topic. My audience is interested in this content. And even better, they believe their  audiences are interested too. I know this because they shared it with them. To further corroborate this, I can check out this post’s 30-day traffic in Google Analytics: Now, with just a few more seconds, I see that this post got 2,084 page views in the last 30 days and 1,126 unique visits- not bad for a post that’s over 6 months old. After 30 seconds of clicking around, I’m sold! (I know, easy sell right?) However, I’m really confident this topic will play well because not only do I have the traffic data on my site- but I see the social side as well. As you narrow down your webinar topic, I urge taking social stats into account alongside traffic to your article or blog post. Recommended Reading: The Best 30-Minute Content Marketing Brainstorming Process How To Do A Webinar: Our 4-Stage Approach Once you’ve landed on a subject, the rest is a matter of process. So we’re going to walk through the 4-stage approach we use for webinars at . We’ll cover each in detail, below. The stages are: Adaptation:  Adapt your top-performing content into a webinar. Promotion:  Get the word out so you have as many registrants as possible. Delivery:  It’s showtime- smile big, use the right tools, and have fun! Nurture:  Follow up, thank your new friends, give them gifts, and use their feedback to optimize for next time. Notice that this is exactly how your free MVP Webinar Planner  is organized. So make sure you download it and follow along! Stage 1: Adaptation There are five steps to adapting your content for a webinar: Decide what content you will repurpose as your MVP. Choose a webinar format. Adapt your content into a script. Create beautiful visuals. Craft a giveaway resource as an incentive to stick around, come back for more, and put your ideas to work. We can already cross step one off the list! We’re going to host a webinar on writing emotional headlines that people want to share. Boom. Step One: âÅ"… Format Now, we need to decide which format will work best for this webinar. Chances are you’ve attended a webinar or twelve and already have an idea. Search Engine Journal  has a nice roundup of webinar formats and explanations: Presentation:  This is one of the most common formats where a presenter shares a PowerPoint presentation and gives a rehearsed speech. It’s easy to create, but is also less engaging. Interview:  You can interview an expert either together on-screen, over the phone, or with a screen share. This format is engaging, but make sure you’re familiar with the guest in case they go off-script. QA:  This is similar to an interview, except the questions are coming from the audience, which will boost engagement. You can have guests submit questions beforehand so there’s enough content to fill the allotted time scheduled for the webinar. Panel:  Just like a live a panel, this is where you have several speakers discuss a certain topic. Panels are great for offering different perspectives and opinions from experts. Just make sure the panel members get along. Product demo:  If you have a product or service, this is a great format to increase leads and reach customers who are interested in making a purchase since you’re showcasing your product. In our case, a presentation or interview makes the most sense. Also, we can add QA breaks throughout and at the end. So, I could either interview the original author, our CEO Garrett Moon, or have him present. Alternatively, I can adapt his content into a presentation of my own. To keep things (and schedules) simple, I’ll take the risk of being a bore and prep a webinar where I present the content myself. To keep things engaging, I will also have opportunities for QA with my attendees. Otherwise... Step Two: âÅ"… Script Next, it’s time to adapt the actual content into my script, or talking points. The key here is to pull the main points and simply bullet-point them. You’re not creating a manuscript to read from. You’re creating an outline to talk from. In this case, it’s also worth revisiting the social media stats for insight into what people loved most about it. This post got CRAZY love on Pinterest- which is of course all about pics. As I read through the post to begin writing my script, I see some beautifully designed + highly informative images. Especially this one, with 180+ power words for writing emotional headlines (which you should share/download and start using in your work immediately!): I know that this needs to be a centerpiece to my presentation and will certainly become a part of my slide deck (more on that in the next step). Here’s where the â€Å"MVP Webinar Talking Points Template† comes in: This template is setup to map your existing content straight into a presentation webinar format. When you open it up, you’ll notice introductory content, and then five sections for each slide. We like to layout our content color coded like this: [Purple] = slide title [Black] = talking points [Blue] = links to copy/paste into webinar chat window [Green] = reminder to pause for questions (this can be every few slides) [Red] = transition statement so you can move seamlessly from one slide to the next From here, simply open up the template and use its structure to map your content into talking points, links to pertinent resources you want to mention, and transition statements. A great way to adapt your post into a script is to think about structure. For instance, the post I’m adapting  in this example breaks down into this structure: Hook:  After analyzing 5,556,914 headlines, we found the secret to writing headlines that spread like wildfire. The common denominator of the top-performing headlines was surprising. But numbers never lie: it’s all about a nerdy metric called the Emotional Marketing Value (EMV) score. â€Å"What’s in it for me?† statement:  The findings of our research allows you to predict the success of your headline before you ever hit publish. After implementing our findings, you can have complete confidence your headlines will get attention amidst the flurry of content online. You can be sure of this because we built a free tool called the Headline Analyzer  that scores your headlines and helps you improve them via empirical data. Thesis:  The key to effective headlines is in their emotional resonance- a metric called the Emotional Marketing Value (EMV) score. Body: Our findings:  We know this is true because we crunched the numbers and learned that posts with higher EMV get more shares every time. Why we trust our findings: We calculate a headline’s EMV based on accepted research dating back to the ‘60s and ‘70s- research corroborated across multiple languages. How the measurement works: There are three layers of emotional resonance: intellectual, empathetic, and spiritual. How to write better headlines: To start, use our free tool that will break your headlines down and show you exactly where to improve them. How sentiment impacts performance: You’ll notice positive headlines consistently outperform negative ones. Examples (before/after): Seven examples of poor headlines, how to rewrite them for optimal performance, and why. A process for writing emotional headlines: Write 25 headlines Calculate the EMV for each Cull the poor performers Amp up the emotion Publish, test your work, and evaluate to optimize Conclusion: An overview of what we covered. A succinct explanation of how it will help you. A clear call-to-action so the audience understands their next step. From this outline I can add bullet-points below each item to explain it. Those become my talking points and, as you’ll see in the next step, each point becomes a slide. Easy as pie because the hard work has already been done. ^That’s why this qualifies as an MVP project :) Your content will then drive the slide deck you design. And when you move through the process this way, your slide deck will be much easier because you’ll know exactly how many slides you need and what’s going to be on them. Recommended Reading: How to Repurpose Content And Make the Most of Your Marketing Step Three: âÅ"… Design Slide Deck Next, we like to actually sit down with Ashton, our designer, and walk through the outline with her. This is also a frictionless process because she’s the one who designed the post graphics. Now, we simply need to cover the content that needs to be on each slide and the presentation’s flow. If you don’t have the benefit of a professional designer, though, no problem! It’ll take a bit longer, but you can still use excellent tools like services like Slidesmash  or Canva  for free Powerpoint, Keynote, or Google Slides  templates, or Graphic River  for paid templates. If you’re doing this yourself, make sure to work through a guide like Canva’s â€Å"Presentation Design 101.† This article is an excellent primer on things like how much info to include per slide, how to choose great fonts, color palette choices, and more. This article walks through ten principles with an example slide presentation to illustrate each. Another helpful article is â€Å"The Know It All Guide To Color Psychology In Marketing.† This post walks you through the nuts-and-bolts of which colors go well together and why it matters. Step Four: âÅ"… Create A Free Giveaway Finally, it’s time to create a free giveaway for your webinar viewers. You can get pretty wild here- however, remember the reason behind this step. Your giveaway simply needs to help your viewers put what you taught them into action. Obviously, the format of your giveaway resource is largely dependent upon your content. In my example post, I would create a 3-part giveaway bundle like this. First, I’d include the â€Å"180+ Power Words For Writing Emotional Headlines† graphic I embedded above. It’s incredibly actionable and  easy to reference. So it will add value to anyone who wants to write shareable headlines. Second, I’d create a headline writing template in either Excel  or Google Sheets. The most helpful way to do this would be to take the five steps to writing emotional headlines (listed in the talking-points outline above) and give the viewers a place to work through each. It could look something like this: It covers the five steps working from left-to-right. This way, it gives the user an option of either using our tool (notice the link at the top of the sheet) or of working the process manually. Either way, it eliminates any additional prep work on their part. This allows them to simply fill in the blanks following a proven formula for success. When you create resources, the sure-fire way to make sure they’re helpful is to ask this question: â€Å"How can I help my audience implement the advice I’ve given?† Your giveaway resources should answer that question. Notice also that this example resource also serves a business purpose for . It offers them a simpler way to accomplish the task- using our tool- without forcing them to use it. They can get the same results using this resource, but it helps them see how much legwork our tool saves them. Now that my giveaway resources are finished, I can drop them into a file and then compress them into a .zip file. To do this, I simply right click on the desktop file and choose â€Å"Compress† (Mac) or â€Å"Send to Compressed† (Windows): Voila. I now have a solid 2-piece giveaway resource for my webinar viewers. And because it’s compressed, it’s ready to be emailed out or easily downloaded via a link. Step Five:   Ã¢Å"… Stage 2: Promotion Now that we’ve adapted existing content into a webinar format, it’s time to make sure we get people to register! Your strategy on this is highly dependent upon three factors: What size audience do you currently have? What segment of your current (or prospective) audience do you want to register? What budget can you allocate toward advertising your webinar? To get eyeballs on the screen, this stage has three steps: Create a landing page. Setup the webinar in your chosen software. Write and schedule your promotional emails (or messages). For our example, we’ll look at promoting to an existing audience. However, here’s a quick note on whether or not to invest in advertising your webinar. To decide if spending money on advertising, you obviously need to forecast what kind of return to expect- also called â€Å"Return on Ad Spend† (ROAS). ROAS is straightforward. To calculate it, simply divide the gross revenue your ad campaign generated by what it cost. So, if your campaign generated $5,000 in gross revenue and you invested $1,000 in ad spend, your ROAS = $5. [] This could also be expressed as 500 percent or a 5:1 ratio. You can also calculate this as revenue minus spend divided by spend. (e.g. $5,000-$1,000 = $4,000 → $4,000/$1,000 = $4 or 4:1.) Of course, if this is your first webinar, you don’t have the benefit of past metrics! As a guideline, when we test advertising on a new channel at , we set a budget of about $20 per day. Then we measure impressions, CTR, and ROAS before investing more heavily. Create A Landing Page Creating landing pages has become something of an art. But their core function is simply to act as a clear signpost and vehicle for conversions. For an in-depth strategy behind creating landing pages, check out this article  we published. For our purposes in this post, we’re going to cover how to set one up using a service like Unbounce  (though there are plenty others to choose from, including Leadpages  or Launchrock). The first thing to understand is that a landing page must include three basic elements: Headline Body Call-to-action Create an Unbounce account, then sign in. Once you’re in, it’s time to click on â€Å"Create New Page† to launch your first landing page: Next, you can opt to design a landing page from scratch- or easier- work from a template. In this case, Unbounce has magical templates designed specifically for webinar promotion. Choose â€Å"Webinar† in the templates column: Next, you’ll find a few pre-designed templates. Click on the one you like (I just went with the first one) from the selection. Then, enter the name of your landing page on the right-hand column of the interface. Then click â€Å"Start With This Template.† Now we’re into the fun stage- designing your page and writing your copy! Unbounce uses a standard WYSIWYG  interface that’s pretty straightforward. You can go as wild as you want here†¦Ã‚  But the bones are adding your headline, your body copy, and creating your CTA. Your flow will depend on your copywriting style. Maybe like you’re like the folks at Copyhackers  and believe you should start with the button  and write backwards from there†¦ Or dive headlong into writing an appetizing headline  like the Copyblogger  team suggests. Whatever your cup-o-tea, knock out your landing page content, then move onto the geeky integrations stuff so your CTA button has a place to send form info. Next, you can integrate your email service with Unbounce. Here are the directions for integrating with four major providers: Campaign Monitor Mailchimp Infusionsoft Constant Contact Now, everyone who opts-in via your landing page can be neatly organized into an email list ready to receive more info about the upcoming show! (If you can also go further in your analytical snooping with a Google Analytics integration  if you want more insight into your visitors.) Step One: âÅ"… Webinar Setup At this stage, we have our webinar content ready to roll. We have a sweet slide deck and a killer landing page hooked into our email service. Now it’s time to setup the webinar itself so you can officially begin promotion. However, this is where people often get hung up. Why? Because there are so many webinar platforms to choose from! In this example, I’ll be using Zoom, the platform we at use. Though there are plenty of solid choices like Livestorm  that you can test run for free. The big deal here is to stick to your basic needs and then jump into the tool. When you’re hosting a webinar, the main technical considerations you need to make are: How many viewers do I need to make room for? Will I be sharing my screen + a webcam feed of myself/presenters? Do I want the ability to record and replay the webinar? Will my viewers want the opportunity to chat, ask questions, and follow links? There are a bunch of other details to think through, but these are the main questions you need to answer so you adequately prep for showtime! Let’s walk through setting up a webinar in Zoom. To start, make sure to grab yourself an account by clicking on the â€Å"Sign up† button in the upper-right. Once you’re in, click â€Å"My Webinars† in the column at left, then the â€Å"Schedule a Webinar† tab at the top of the dashboard. From here, enter the deets like the webinar title, description, date/time, duration, timezone, whether you require viewers to register, and your video settings (these control whether or not viewers can see you and/or your co-hosts). When you scroll down, you’ll see more settings. Select your preferred audio and whether or not your viewers need a password to view (we like to let ‘em view as easily as possible). Also, notice you can choose to have the webinar start recording automatically- this is a really good idea so you don’t accidentally forget to record it. If it’s your first go ‘round, you’ll be surprised at how easy this is to do because you’re focused on so many different things at once. So make it easy on yourself and tick this radio button. And now, polish it off by choosing â€Å"Schedule.† Once scheduled, you’ll see your webinar’s rap sheet. This dashboard displays the info you input as well as your webinar ID (which you’ll want to keep handy for sharing and organization). Additionally, if you plan to reuse these settings, go ahead and select â€Å"Save this Webinar as a Template† for efficiency’s sake. Step Two: âÅ"… Sending Promotional Messages Next, there are two more essential tabs: â€Å"Invite Attendees† and â€Å"Email Settings.† And these bring us into the next step†¦ Sending those promo messages! The important item in the invitation tab is the â€Å"Registration URL.† You’ll want to grab this to share with your email list, on your website, and on your social channels. (And remember, if you selected the setting that requires individuals to register, they’ll need to visit this link to gain access.) The next tab to note is â€Å"Email Settings.† Here you can set reminder emails for everyone who registers. (Or, if you’ve added them to a segmented list via your email tool- like we do- make sure to schedule them now!) This is a great idea because it takes one more detail off your plate- and an important detail at that. So choose your settings using the â€Å"Edit† text to the right of each option. Once your webinar is set up and scheduled, it’s time to roll out the digital red carpet and promote it. Because your webinar may be outside of the norm for your content, I recommend approaching it as its own marketing project. If you’re a r, here’s how to painlessly setup and automate the entire thing! Recommended Reading: The Complete 16-Step Marketing Project Management Process (If you’re not a user, snag a free 14-day trial  to promote the heck out of your webinar and get as many eyeballs on the screen as possible 👀) Now, the promotional channels we use aren’t surprising: Landing page, Website, Email, Social media, Ads, And webinar partners. Landing page: We covered how to set up your landing page- now it’s time to make sure your registration link or email opt-in is correct. This is important because you’ll be sending all of your traffic here to convert traffic into an audience with your stellar CTA! Website: This is one of those, â€Å"Duh†¦ Of course we’ll post about it on our site†¦Ã¢â‚¬  line items. However, in the flurry of promotion, it can be easy to forget about this one until the last minute instead of posting ahead of time. Email: Get the word out through your email list- and get even more effective by listening to our conversation on getting bigger email marketing results  with Kim Courvoisier  from Campaign Monitor. Social media: As with all social media marketing, if you marry solid strategy  with awesome content, you can expect results. Our two favorite tools to make sure we get this right every time are: The free social message optimizer, which optimizes your messages for engagement and traffic. And the best time scheduling  feature, which uses a data-based algorithm to share pre-written social messages at peak-traffic times customized for every network. Ads: If you anticipate your webinar will drive business (which if you’re investing the time, I hope you do!)- test some ads on Google Adwords  or Facebook. Or whichever channel you get the most traction on. If you’re torn on where to allocate budget, here’s a nice breakdown of the difference between Adwords and Facebook ads. Webinar partners: Finally, if you’re co-hosting a webinar with an industry influencer, make sure to give them all relevant details so they can promote it on their channels as well. Also, if you play your cards right, you can use guest blogging  as a promo strategy. Alright, now that you’ve promoted your webinar like a pro, it’s time to execute. Recommended Reading: How to Promote Your Blog With 107 Content Promotion Tactics Step Three: âÅ"… Stage 3: Delivery As with any skill, practice makes perfect. To deliver the best webinar you can, it’s important to rehearse and prepare. To help you prepare well, this stage has five steps: Perform a dry run with your chosen webinar software. Account for show details. Show up early to say hello + press record. Invite questions and prioritize answering them. Log all feedback or unique questions for future use. There are a million articles  and tips  to become a great presenter  out there†¦ However, my favorite thing to do when I want to sharpen my presentation skills (which is always) is to watch phenomenal presenters and learn by example. For example, here’s one of my favorite Seth Godin  talks: Dry Run Once you’re sufficiently inspired, it’s time to login and test out your webinar tool. We’ll continue with Zoom. I suggest creating a test webinar using the steps outlined above. This way you have a pressure-free opportunity to test all of the buttons, features, and potential kinks. When your webinar window launches, you’ll see an interface like this (except with your face instead of mine): Here’s a quick rundown of the controls: Record toggle: This is the button you can select to start, pause, or stop your webinar recording. Mute mic:  This icon will mute your selected audio input- meaning viewers can see you, but they can’t hear you. Video stream control:  If you stop sharing video, a profile picture will be displayed and your audience can still hear you. Essentially, this is like â€Å"muting† video for an audio-only stream. Participant count:  This is the total number of viewers and panelists. (This number includes hosts and co-hosts.) QA box:  The question and answer function allows viewers to ask questions privately, outside of public chat. You then have the option to answer the question â€Å"on air† or privately via â€Å"text.† After the webinar is finished, you can download a log of these questions- which can be super helpful for analyzing how things went! Share screen:  This feature allows you to share your screen rather than your webcam. Remember, this means your audience sees exactly what you see. So ensure any private information like passwords or proprietary information isn’t open. Webinar chat:  This is the public chat available to everyone on the webinar. Additional options:  You will find additional options by clicking on the â€Å"More† icon. These include streaming live on Facebook or YouTube, and sending individual invitations to the webinar-in-progress. Once you’re comfortable with the interface, hit record and run through your presentation. This will allow you to practice your talking points, switch from being on-camera to narrating your slide deck, and then ending the webinar with style. (If you’re really hard core, record your run through and watch it back to make improvements or notes of sticky spots.) Step One: âÅ"… Account For Show Details Now that you’re comfortable in the tool, spend a few minutes double-checking the details. These may include: Recruiting help for chat and QA moderation during the webinar. Setting up your gear in a quiet and well-lit room. Exhibit A: li Have your earbuds or headphones handy to avoid an echo on the webinar audio. Mute your phone and onscreen computer notifications to avoid interruptions. Have your mic ready and plugged in. (You can use the built-in mic or upgrade to something a little nicer like a Samson C01U  like we use at .) If you decide to opt for an external mic, simply select the â€Å"Caret† icon next to â€Å"Mute† and choose your preference beneath the â€Å"Select a Microphone† title. Congrats- you’re ready to webinar with the best of them! PS: Don’t forget hair and makeup 🠤 ¡ Are you ready to webinar with the best of 'em? Get started here:Step Two: âÅ"… Show Up Early + Press Record Our rule of thumb is to log on 15 to 20 minutes early- especially when we’re co-hosting with multiple panelists. This gives us all the ability to ask final questions and ensure everyone’s equipment is working. Then, we take the webinar live about 5 minutes early for some banter with the early comers! This is where you can ask classic webinar questions like: â€Å"Where’s everyone from?† â€Å"How’s the weather where you’re at?† â€Å"What are you hoping to learn today?† â€Å"Can everyone see/hear us okay?† â€Å"What is the meaning of life?† ^ You know, to keep it light. This helps you warm up and connect with your audience while also giving you a final technical check to make sure all systems are go. Just don’t forget to press â€Å"Record† when you officially kick off the webinar. Now, it’ll be (mostly) smooth sailing to the end! Step Three: âÅ"… Invite Questions And Prioritize Answering Them When you’re live in a webinar, you naturally want to watch the clock and make sure you’re getting through your content quickly enough. However, as noted in the talking points template, make sure to give your viewers every chance to ask questions as you can. It’s tempting to plow through your content- especially if you’re running behind. However, webinars give you a unique opportunity to connect directly with your audience. So take it. If people are asking you relevant questions, answer them! (The QA pauses are color coded in green.) Our webinars are untraditional because we’ll even jump out of the deck to answer questions- especially when they're about our product. Never be afraid to rock an impromptu product demo when it makes sense and directly answers your viewers’ questions! Sometimes off-script moments are the best! A framework we use to present content is to always begin with the content our audience most wants to talk about →  then move to the intersection between our desires and theirs →  and finish with what we want to talk about. This way, if you’re going to do a product demo (whether planned or impromptu), it can act as the bridge. This way, you can show how to apply your advice using your product. So your talking points move from left to right over the course of the webinar. This way, you don’t end with a product demo- which often sends drop-off rates through the roof! Pro Tip: If you’re simply overwhelmed with questions and out of time, share your Twitter handle or email address and direct further questions there. In the case of Twitter, you can also have questioners use a unique hashtag (e.g. â€Å"#[webinarname]?†) so everyone interested can search for and find the questions. Step Four: âÅ"… Log Feedback Finally, webinars are a great way to gather feedback for specific content. You can use viewers’ questions and comments for this. And you can also use the â€Å"Poll† feature. This is also a nice way to encourage interactivity midway through your presentation. To use it, click on the â€Å"Poll† icon at the bottom of your presentation window. This will launch a dialog box that allows you to add questions on-the-fly, or select from a pre-made poll. Once you click on â€Å"Add Questions,† a poll-creation page will load in your browser. You can name your poll, write questions, select single or multiple-choice formats, and craft answers for your audience to select from. Once you’re finished, choose â€Å"Save.† Your poll will now be available in your webinar window. And when you’re ready to use it, simply click â€Å"Launch Poll† to collect the data. Anytime you have the chance to gain real-time feedback from your audience, take it. The more insight you have on your audience’s problems, thought processes, and buying motives, the better you can help them- and in turn, position your product or service. Step Five: âÅ"… Way to go! You just knocked out your first (or fiftieth) webinar! Now, do a little dance to celebrate before wrapping up this MVP ðŸ’Æ'🠏 ½Ã°Å¸â€¢ ºÃ°Å¸  ¾ Stage 4: Nurture The final stage of your MVP webinar is short and sweet. It’s all about three things: Following up with a recap email + THANK YOU! Publishing + promoting your webinar replay. Leveraging fresh ideas into new content, projects, and features.

Procurement and Performance Management Coursework

Procurement and Performance Management - Coursework Example The orders are made on the schedule of production. Subsequently, it is essential that suppliers are connected with production schedule. The producer may not delay production for supplier’s lead time (SBANC, 2007). Model of Procurement Cycle Source: (University of Exeter, 2011). The figure mentioned above depicts the stages of procurement cycle. In the first stage, the producers recognise the requirements, and they analyse the suppliers and the related price. Supplier appraisal is generally identified as a risk management related tool to identify the viability of purchasing from a particular supplier or firm (Erridge & Et. Al., 2001). Then, the suppliers forward a quotation to the producers. After that, the producers negotiate for price and they formulate a deal for the purchase at estimated value and suppliers are requested to despatch the product within a particular period of time. Next, the producers have to develop a healthy relationship with the suppliers for delivering th e orders at earliest. After a satisfactory delivery is made, the contract is closed (University of Exeter, 2011). Dove House Engineering Plc (DHE) operates in ‘Make to Customer Order’ mode. The consultants appointed by the management of DHE have identified certain problems related with the deficiencies of finished products in warehouse. DHE management should look into this matter because they have no warehouse at all. The sole warehouse is far away from production site and there is lack of adequate rooms for filling up the inventories. DHE had not launched computerised production planning and control system yet, there production planning is still done manually. DHE is miles away from its competitors because of several deficiencies in managing their operations affluently. They do not even concentrate on the quality of the products. The procurement process still depends on conventional way. It also hampers the strategies for production process. They frequently change thei r suppliers that have a strong influence on the procurement cycle (Case Study, n.d.). At present, the market is highly competitive and customers look for immediate delivery and quality products in affordable rates. Thus, DHE have to enhance its capacity in warehouse so that the production as well as the delivery does not get affected. They have to build long-term relationship with the suppliers so that suppliers feel motivated to supply the necessary materials in short period of time. They should upgrade their systems for managing the production planning. DHE should fulfil all the requirements of employees as well as customers. They should encourage suppliers to supply quality materials so that they can produce quality products as per customer requirements. They are facing challenges due to scarcity of stock in inventory. They have to concentrate on fluent supply of materials needed for production so that production does not get hampered due to lack of primary materials. They have t o obtain customer feedback with regard to quality and set up further strategies. They are confused regarding the production facilities; they have to select one of the production facilities which are feasible and cost-effective for them. They should establish a new warehouse closer to production site. They have to reshuffle their organisational structure. By implementing the recommendations, DHE can regain their position and sustain in the competitive business world. 2. Role of Procurement Staffs and

Post traumatic stress Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Post traumatic stress - Essay Example The current state of literature suggests that numerous events and factors can trigger posttraumatic stress in children, from a minor physical injury to earthquakes and wars. Psychological treatment has a potential to reduce the symptoms and complications of posttraumatic stress in children. The current state of empirical literature suggests that a whole range of factors and events can trigger the development of posttraumatic stress experiences in children. Dozens of studies confirm that children are particularly vulnerable to the risks of PTSD. Aaron, Zaglul and Emery (1999) explored posttraumatic stress in children after acute physical injury. The researchers interviewed forty children 8-17 years old and concluded that many children hospitalized with physical injuries met diagnostic criteria for PTSD (Aaron et al, 1999). In a similar vein, Thabet and Vostanis (1999) analyzed posttraumatic symptoms investigating Palestinian children who suffered the emotional effects of war. War was found to heavily contribute to the development of posttraumatic experiences in Palestinian children: 72.8% of children in the sample reported posttraumatic reactions to war traumas (Thabet & Vostanis, 1999).

The Economic Reality of Hybrid Vehicles Essay Example for Free

The Economic Reality of Hybrid Vehicles Essay The high price of gas at the pump has many Americans looking for alternates to their gas powered vehicles. One of the most popular option right now is a hybrid vehicle. The question that comes to mind is, are hybrid vehicles worth it? With record high gas prices due to the price of oil, most car owners out there have major concerns over their gas usage. Over the past ten years, the cost of gasoline has grown 250%! The price of oil has doubled since January of this year. The high prices of oil and gas is the driving factor for most of the people to trade their gas powered vehicles for hybrid vehicles. These vehicles promise to give consumers more mileage per gallon, the truth is that only a few vehicles currently in the market actually make any sort of financial sense. There are quite a few issues with buying hybrid vehicles, even with gas prices at more than $4 a gallon. First, these vehicles are much higher in price than their gas powered counter part so, the premiums attached to their price tags do not justify extra mileage that you get. In some cases car dealers are selling popular vehicles at much higher prices than MSRP. Second, there are no laws and regulations controlling the technology, price, and the mileage per gallon required out of these vehicles. Currently, there are hybrid vehicles in the market that offer an improvement of 3MPG to 18 MPG over their gas powered counterpart. This is a huge range that needs to be controlled. Third, the demand of these vehicles is driving the prices of the vehicles even higher, if people knew that it would take many years for fuel savings to pay back the hybrid premium on many models, the demand on these models would be much lower, driving the prices down. The solutions that I would like to propose is the government to work with auto manufacturers to develop a standard for hybrid vehicles. This standard should control the minimum mileage offered per gallon, and control the premium allowed to be charged by the manufacturers. There are vehicles in the market that offer only a marginal benefit over the gas powered vehicles and yet the manufacturers charge thousands of dollars premium. Background: Today people all around the world are facing unusually high oil price hikes. Oil has become so very expensive that people are trying all kinds of extreme measures to lower the price. The hike in price has affected every nation; the entire world is trying to find a way out of the soaring prices. Thanks to the oil prices, travel expenses have increased, not just flying being expensive, driving your own car is very expensive. The chart below shows a trend in oil prices since 1990 with some of the major events leading to this increase. Note that since January of 2007 the oil prices have increase by 162%. With high gas prices, hybrid cars are a more affordable option than ever in terms of gas mileage, but only a handful of hybrid cars make solid financial sense, and only for some consumers, according to a new study by NADAguides. com, a vehicle pricing and information website. Using current gas prices for ten major metropolitan areas, the company studied the number of miles needed to recoup the extra cost of buying a hybrid car over its gasoline-only counterpart. The study showed, for example, that a driver in Los Angeles, the city with the highest gas prices in the study, will break even about 18 percent faster than a driver in Houston, the city with the lowest gas prices, assuming both are driving the same miles. The study found that, even at todays high gas prices, only a handful of hybrid cars make financial sense for a consumer who buys a new car every five years or less and drives an average number of miles per year. Even at Los Angeles-area gas prices, there are only five hybrid cars that would allow consumers to recoup their additional investment before they sold the car, assuming they drive an average of 15,000 miles per year. In order of shortest time to break even, they are: 1. Toyota Camry Hybrid 2. Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid 3. Nissan Altima Hybrid 4. Toyota Prius 5. Honda Civic Hybrid Following is a chart of the top five hybrid cars with the greatest return on investment and the number of miles to break even in 10 major metropolitan areas at current gas prices. Issue: Even with gas prices at more than $4 per gallon, there are quite a few issues with buying hybrid vehicles. Issue 1: High Prices Hybrid vehicle prices are higher than their gas powered counterpart. The demand for these vehicles in the last year has increased a lot, increasing the prices even further. In some areas people are actually paying premium over MSRP and waiting for more than two years to get some vehicles. The price premium attached to the hybrid vehicles are just too great to be considered a cost savings relative to purchasing their gasoline counterpart. If people knew how long it would take them to pay off the increased premium the demand for the hybrid would be lower than what it is now, decreasing the prices. Issue 2: High Prices The second issue with the hybrid vehicles is that there are no laws and regulations controlling the technology, price, and the mileage per gallon required out of these vehicles. Currently, there are hybrid vehicles in the market that offer an improvement of just a few miles per gallon over their gas powered counterpart, yet the manufacturers are charging thousands more for the premium for a so called hybrid technology. The table shows the amount of time it would take a buyer to offset the hybrid premium by fuel savings. The table also shows the miles per gallon and annual gas savings. These numbers clearly show the need to have some regulations to control the miles per gallon offered and the amount of premium that is charged by the manufacturers. Let’s look at some vehicles: Starting with the worst of the bunch, the Lexus LS600H. The premium charges on this vehicle is about $19,000, yet it only offers about 20 to 22 miles per gallon. It would take almost a century to break even. The next worst seems to be the Saturn Aura which only offers an annual gas savings of $171. The best one seems to Toyota Prius, but this car is so popular these days that in some areas there is a wait list of two years. In areas where it’s available, the dealers are charging more than $5,000 over MSRP. Solution: ?Better education to customers about the ownership costs of a hybrid vehicle ? Government should offer incentives like tax break to buy hybrid vehicles ? Have a standard to develop hybrid vehicle to encourage mass production, bringing the vehicle prices to even less than current gas-powered vehicles ? Force auto makers to sell hybrid vehicles at no more than, about 10%, premium to the customers Conclusion: Reference: Web Site: Bespoke Investing Group http://bespokeinvest. typepad. com/bespoke/.

Articles of confederation Essay -- essays research papers

Articles of Confederation vs. Constitution   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Articles of Confederation and the Constitution, although vastly different in their philosophies of governing the nation, both played a big role in setting the stage for America’s economy in the upcoming nineteenth century. A few years after the Articles of Confederation were drafted many politicians and economists, such as Alexander Hamilton, began to see problems with the decentralized form of government that was created by this document. These advocates of a more centralized government were referred to as federalists, and although they were not in favor of a dictatorship, like that of England’s, they saw the need for a central governing system to reside over the individual states.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the Federalists’ opinion some of the detrimental consequences of the confederate system were the lack of an organized treasury, military or government system. Furthermore, the nation suffered from poor commerce; a result of insecure financial transactions, non-regulated interstate trade, and poorly enforced tax laws. They believed that instead of ridding the country of oppression by a superior government, the Articles of Confederation creates conflict between the states and hinders economic prosperity. The emergence of these difficulties early in the life of our nation indicated, to those in favor of the constitution, the fundamental imperfections and the dire need for reform. Hamilton a...

Evaluation/Analysis on Alice Walker: Everyday Use Essay

Alice Walker, an African American author and activist born in Eatonton, Georgia in 1944 (p. 69). Walker was like most African Americans in her time raised by hard-working underpaid parents, this is reflected in her writing. Alice Walker and her now removed husband were the first interracial couple in Mississippi. Once a poet, Walker worked with other influential authors including Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes. Everyday Use tells the reader about the life experiences and struggles of heritage and acceptance through the eyes of African Americans. Sociology books do not explore the relationship of Americanized African American heritage vs. that of those that never left the motherland. Kate Chopin was apart of the revolutionary African American era, which is not prevalent today. This cultural aspect is reflected in her story Everyday Use when her character fails to see the family heritage symbolized in varies items in her house. You can relate to the story no matter what your nationality because everyone has culture and heritage of some sort. This story is very engaging, and the reader is able to see many points of view. Summary Everyday Use is centered on the homecoming of Dee. Anticipating her arrival, mother and her youngest daughter Maggie â€Å"wait for her in the front yard† which for them is an extension of the living room (p.69, 1). Maggie is intimidated by her sister and is very nervous about the home coming of her more assertive sister. While the mother is waiting she has a vision of her and Dee being reunited in the same way that â€Å"a child who has made it is confronted, as a surprise by her mother and father who are backstage† (p.70, 3). She is knocked back to reality when she realized that she could never, unlike her daughter â€Å"look a white man in the eye† (p.70, 6). Maggie is nervous about the whole ordeal and when Dee finally arrives she â€Å"attempts to make a dash for the house,† but her mother held her by her side (p.72,  19). When Dee and her boyfriend get out of the car, they greet Mother and Maggie in Arabic â€Å"Asalamalakin† meaning peace be with you (pg.72, 22). Dee advised her mother and sister of her name change, which symbolizes the death her â€Å"slave name† and the rebirth of a more culturally aware woman (p.70, 4). Dee takes pictures of her surroundings, and begins to see the items of â€Å"everyday use† as cultural decoration for her house. Eventually she asked her mother if she could have the old quilts (p. 75, 55). She told her mother that she wanted to hang them, but her mother has already promised the quilts to Maggie when she got married. Dee did not get the quilts that she felt Maggie would not appreciate. She left the house advising her loved ones to explore their heritage, and to Maggie â€Å"make something of [herself]† (p. 76. 80). . Analysis In the short story â€Å"Everyday Use† the main conflict is over which daughter will get the quilt. This is not just an ordinary quilt; it has been in the family for years. The quilt was made from â€Å"pieces of dresses Grandma used to wear, and â€Å"she did all the stitching by hand† (p.75, 60). Dee wanted the quilts so that she could hang them up, but her mother had already promised the quilts to her younger sister Maggie. The quilt is a symbol of the mother’s love and acceptance of her child and the value that is placed on the relationship. In the story there are two daughters, Dee is very intelligent, and went off to college and has become successful. Her mother is proud of her and often brags on her accomplishments. Maggie on the other hand was shy and simple. She was burned as a child and has scars on her arms and legs. She lives with her mother, and is very nervous about Dee coming home. The quilt is a symbol of the families’ heritage in Dee’s eyes, but most importantly it is a symbol of materialism. The use of the phrase â€Å"everyday use calls attention to the two daughter’s different views of the quilt and other family heirlooms. Dee wanted the quilt to take home and protect it, where as Maggie would, â€Å"put them on the bed and in five years they’d be rags (p. 75, 66). Dee acts superior to her family, she believes that her education has been eye opening and she is living and seeing life through open eyes. She pities her mother an sister for â€Å"choosing† to live the simple life. What Dee has failed to realize it that her mother and  sister have a deeper connection to heritage because they understand their own personal heritage and not just the overall heritage of a group of people.

Iron Crowned Chapter 2

I retreated to my bedroom as soon as etiquette allowed, collapsing onto the bed the moment I entered. Dorian had followed me in, and I tossed an arm over my eyes, groaning. â€Å"Do you think that display helped win us over with Ranelle or scared her off?† I felt Dorian sit on the bed beside me. â€Å"Hard to say. At the very least, I don't think it'll turn her king against us. We're too terrifying and unstable.† I smiled and uncovered my face, looking into those green and gold eyes. â€Å"If only that reputation would spread to everyone else. I heard a rumor the Honeysuckle Land might join with Katrice. Honestly, how anyone could call their kingdom that and keep a straight face is beyond me.† Dorian leaned over me, lightly brushing hair from my face and trailing his fingers along my cheekbone. â€Å"It's quite lovely, actually. Almost tropical. I mean, it's no barren wasteland of a desert kingdom, but it's not half bad.† I was so used to his jibes about my kingdom that there was almost something comforting about them. His fingers ran down to my neck and were soon replaced by his lips. â€Å"Honestly, I'm not worried about this Honeysuckle place. It's other potential allies worrying me. Hey, stop.† His lips had moved down to my collarbone, and his hand was starting to lift my shirt. I wriggled away. â€Å"I don't have time.† He lifted his head, arching an eyebrow in surprise. â€Å"You have some place to be?† â€Å"Yeah, actually.† I sighed. â€Å"I have a job back in Tucson. Besides, I'm filthy.† Dorian was undeterred and returned to trying to get my shirt off. â€Å"I'll help bathe you.† I swatted his hand away but then pulled him over so that I could put my arms around him and hold him against me. I knew he wanted more than cuddling, but I didn't have the energy. Considering his fastidious nature, I was surprised he consented to resting his head on my chest, seeing as how dirty and ragged the shirt was. â€Å"No offense, but I'll take human showers any day over some servant lugging water up to a tub.† â€Å"You can't leave without talking to Ranelle,† he pointed out. â€Å"And you can't see her like this.† I grimaced and ran my hand over his brilliant hair. â€Å"Damn it.† He was right. I was still bad at this queen thing, but I knew enough about gentry customs to know that if I really did want the Linden King's help, I would need to look and sound good. So much to do. Never enough time. All so wearying. Dorian lifted his head and looked back down at me. â€Å"Was it bad?† He was referring to last night's battle. â€Å"It's always bad. I'm still not okay with people fighting and dying for me. Especially over one insult.† The living suffered from this war too. I often had refugees coming to me for food and shelter. â€Å"Their kingdom's at stake,† he said. â€Å"Their homes. And that was more than an insult. Letting it pass would make the Thorn Land look weak – like prey. It would make you open to invasion, which is the same as surrendering to Katrice. Your people don't want that. They have to fight.† â€Å"But why do yours fight?† Dorian looked at me like that was a crazy question. â€Å"Because I tell them to.† I left the conversation at that and called for a servant to fill the bathtub in the chamber adjacent to my bedroom. It was a tedious task I hated making them do, though Dorian would no doubt argue it was their duty to. The magic I'd inherited from my tyrant father gave me control over storm elements, so I could have summoned water straight to the tub, rather than making my servants haul it up one bucket at a time. The Thorn Land was so dry, however, that pulling that much water magically would both dry out the castle's air even more and possibly kill surrounding vegetation. The servants had their own entrance to the bath chamber, and as soon as we heard them hauling and pouring water, Dorian grinned and pulled me back to the bed. â€Å"See?† he said. â€Å"Now we have time.† I stopped protesting. And as our clothes came off and I felt the heat of his lips, I had to admit to myself that I wasn't averse to sex, not really. This war really did put our lives constantly at risk, and he had worried about me. Having me here, merging physically, seemed to reassure him that I truly was all right. And I took comfort in it too, being with this man I'd fallen in love with against all reason. I'd once feared and hated the gentry – and it had taken me a long time to trust Dorian. Sex was surprisingly tame for us this time. Usually, we found ourselves caught up in bad, kinky sex, sex that was a game of power and control I both loved and felt dirty about. Now, I sat on top of him, wrapping my legs around his hips as I drew him inside me. A sigh of bliss escaped his lips, his eyes closing as I began to slowly move my body and ride him. A moment later, his eyes opened and held mine with an expression of such affection and lust that a chill ran through me. It always amazed me that he found me so desirable. I'd seen his past lovers – sexy, voluptuous women with curves and cleavage reminiscent of classic Hollywood starlets. My body's build was lean and athletic from all the activity I did, my breasts pretty nicely shaped – though hardly porn star quality. Yet, since we'd officially become a couple these last few months, he had never looked at another woman. It was me he watched, his gaze hungry even at the most unromantic times. I increased my pace, tilting forward and rocking us so that more of my body rubbed against his, bringing me closer to orgasm. I came shortly thereafter, my lips parting without a sound as a sweet ecstasy wracked my body, and every nerve in my skin seemed to ignite. I leaned forward, kissing him, letting his tongue explore my mouth as his fingers stroked my nipples. The door to the bath chamber suddenly opened, and I jerked my head up as a servant peered in. â€Å"Your Majesty? The bath is ready.† Her words were bland, and she disappeared as quickly as she'd come. My being naked on top of Dorian hadn't seemed like any big deal to her – and probably, it wasn't. The gentry had much looser sexual mores than humans, public displays being very common. It probably would have been weirder for her if she hadn't found her monarchs immediately going at it upon my return. This sexual ease wasn't something I'd picked up, and Dorian knew it. â€Å"No, no,† he said, feeling me slow down in my shock. The hands cupping my breasts moved down to my hips. â€Å"Let's finish this.† Dragging my eyes from the door, I turned my attention back to him and found my arousal returning. He rolled me over, not holding anything back now that I'd come. He pushed his body into mine, thrusting as hard and fast as he could. Moments later, his body shuddered, his fingers digging in where he gripped my arms. I loved watching it happen, loved watching this smug, confident king lose his control between my thighs. When he finished, I gave him another long, lingering kiss and then slid over to lie beside him. He exhaled in contentment, regarding me again with that mix of hunger and love. He wouldn't say it, but I knew he always secretly hoped that somehow, some way, our lovemaking would result in me getting pregnant. I had explained to him a hundred times how birth control pills worked, but the gentry had difficulty with conception, making them obsessed with having children. Dorian claimed he wanted a child just for the sake of having one with me, but the prophecy about my firstborn son conquering humanity had always been alluring. Obviously, I wasn't in favor of that idea – hence my emphasis on contraceptives. Dorian had ostensibly let go of that dream for my sake, but there were days I suspected he wouldn't mind fathering such a conqueror. As it was, our alliance already made us dangerous. He loved me, I was certain, but he also craved power. Our united kingdoms put us in a good position to conquer others, if we chose. It was difficult leaving him, but there was too much to be done. I retreated to the bath, washing both sex and battle off of me. Life and death. The tub was only big enough for one, but Dorian seemed perfectly happy watching me and lounging in the afterglow. He was less excited about my wardrobe choice. As queen, I had a closet filled with elaborate dresses, dresses he loved seeing me in. As a human shaman, I'd also made sure it was stocked with human clothes. He looked at my jeans and tank top with dismay. â€Å"Ranelle would be more impressed with a dress,† he said. â€Å"Especially one that showed your lovely cleavage.† I rolled my eyes. We were back in my bedroom, and I was loading myself up with weapons: charmed jewelry and an iron athame, along with a satchel containing a gun, a wand, and a silver athame. â€Å"You'd be more impressed with that. And anyway, it'd be a waste now.† â€Å"Not true.† He got up from the bed, still naked, and gently pushed me against the wall, cautious of the athame's sharp blade. â€Å"I'm ready again.† I could see that he was, and honestly, I probably could have gone back to bed too. Whether that was from lust or a reluctance to fulfill my impending tasks, it was hard to say. â€Å"Later,† I told him, brushing a kiss against his lips. He regarded me suspiciously. â€Å"Later means a lot of things with you. An hour. A day.† I smiled and kissed him again. â€Å"Not more than a day.† I reconsidered. â€Å"Maybe two.† I laughed at the face this earned me. â€Å"I'll see what I can do. Now get some clothes on before the women around here are driven into a frenzy.† He gave me a mournful look. â€Å"I'm afraid that'll happen with or without clothes, my dear.† When we finally managed to part, I headed off toward Ranelle's room, my post-sex good humor fading. A little air magic left me with only semi-wet hair by the time I reached her. Once admitted, I found her writing a letter at her room's desk. Seeing me, she leapt up and curtsied. â€Å"Your Majesty.† I motioned her down and took a nearby chair. â€Å"No need. I just wanted to have a quick chat before I returned to the human world.† Her face twitched a little at this, but ambassador training quickly moved her past how strange she probably found that. The ease with which I jumped worlds wasn't normal for gentry. â€Å"I'm sorry for the grisly display this morning. And that I haven't been around much during your visit.† â€Å"You're at war, Your Majesty. These things happen. Besides, King Dorian has been quite hospitable in your absence.† I hid a smile. Ranelle was hardly in a frenzy, but it was clear Dorian had charmed her, as he did so many women. â€Å"I'm glad. Were you writing your king?† She nodded. â€Å"I wanted to send him my report right away, although I'll be leaving later today.† Magic filled the Otherworld and the gentry, and there were those among them with the power to expedite messages. A magical e-mail, of sorts. It allowed gossip to spread fast and meant her letter would get back to her homeland before she did. I eyed it on the desk. â€Å"What will you tell him?† She hesitated. â€Å"May I be blunt, Your Majesty?† â€Å"Of course,† I said, smiling. â€Å"I'm human. Er, half human.† â€Å"I empathize with you. I understand your grievance and know King Damos will too.† She was carefully skirting the explicit details of Leith raping me. â€Å"But tragic as your situation is †¦ well, it is your situation. I don't believe it's one we should risk the lives of our people for – begging your pardon, Your Majesty.† Delivering bad news obviously made her uneasy. My father, honorifically referred to as Storm King, had been known for his power and cruelty. I wasn't as ruthless, but I'd had my share of frightening shows of power as well. â€Å"No offense taken,† I assured her. â€Å"But †¦ if I may also be blunt, your king is in a precarious situation. He's growing old. His power will eventually fade. Your kingdom will be open for others to move in on.† Ranelle went perfectly still. The lands of the Otherworld bound themselves to those with enough power to claim them. â€Å"Are you threatening us, Your Majesty?† she asked quietly. â€Å"No. I have no interest in another kingdom – especially one so far away.† Distance was relative in the Otherworld, but the Linden Land did take a bit longer to get to compared to some of the kingdoms nearer to me, like the Rowan Land and Dorian's Oak Land. â€Å"Perhaps not,† she said uncertainly. â€Å"But it's no secret King Dorian has wanted to expand his territory. That's why he took you as a consort, right?† Now I stiffened. â€Å"No. That's not it at all. Neither of us have interest in your land. But your neighbors – or people within the land itself – probably do. From what I've heard, Damos would like his daughter to inherit.† Ranelle nodded slowly. Inheritance was by power here, not by blood – but most monarchs still longed for family succession, if they were lucky enough to have children at all. I gave Ranelle a knowing smile. â€Å"Her control of the land depends on her own power, of course. But if Damos helped us now, we could certainly help later against any †¦ usurpers hoping to claim the Linden Land.† Assassination, outright war. The methods were less important than my meaning. Ranelle stayed silent, no doubt turning this over in her mind. Was a promise like that worth committing their armies to? Unclear. But it was certainly worth bringing to her king. â€Å"And,† I added casually, shifting us from that dangerous topic, â€Å"I'd be happy to negotiate very favorable trade agreements with your king.† By which I meant my staff would negotiate it. I hated economics and the politics of trade. But, my kingdom had literally and figuratively become a hot commodity. My shaping it in Arizona's image had created harsh conditions – but also brought along tons of copper deposits. Copper was the chief metal in a world that couldn't work with iron. Ranelle nodded again. â€Å"I understand. I'll bring this to his attention.† â€Å"Good.† I rose from my chair. â€Å"I'm sorry I have to go now, but definitely let anyone here know if you need anything else. And send my greetings to Damos.† Ranelle told me she would, and I left her, feeling rather pleased with myself. I disliked these sort of diplomatic talks almost as much as economic ones, mostly because I didn't think I was very adept. But that one had gone well, and even if the Linden Land didn't join us, I felt certain Dorian had been right: they wouldn't fight against us either. I was walking toward the castle's exit, intending to go to the nearest gate back to the human world, when I passed a certain hallway. I hesitated, staring down it as I waged a mental war. Then, grimacing, I altered my destination and turned the corner. The room I sought was easy to find because two guards stood outside of it. Both were Dorian's soldiers, chosen because if anyone was going to father the heir to Storm King's legacy, they wanted it to be their own lord. And everyone knew I was the mother he wanted, not the room's occupant. One of the guards knocked and then opened the door slightly. â€Å"The queen is here.† I didn't need permission to enter any room in my own castle but still waited for a response. â€Å"Come in.† I entered and found Jasmine sitting cross-legged on her bed, attempting some kind of embroidery. Seeing me, she irritably tossed it aside. â€Å"This is the stupidest thing ever. I wish the shining ones had more fun things to do. I wish I could go horseback riding.† That last part was spoken with a knowing tone, and I ignored it. Jasmine was under house arrest, and I wasn't about to allow an activity that might let her slip her guards. I picked up the green velvet she'd been working on and studied her stitches. â€Å"Goldfish?† I asked. â€Å"Daffodils!† she exclaimed. I hastily set it down. Really, considering the loose iron chains she wore on her wrists to stunt magic use, it was impressive that she could sew at all. â€Å"I'm going back to Tucson,† I said. â€Å"I wanted to check on you.† She shrugged. â€Å"I'm fine.† Despite her young age, Jasmine had wanted – and still did want, I suspected – to be the mother of Storm King's heir. The prophecy hadn't been specific. It simply said his daughter's first son would be the conqueror. That made it a race between the two of us – except I wasn't playing. Her forced stay here ensured she wasn't either. She'd hated me for this initially but had grown more civil after the war started. She considered Leith's actions an insult to our family. It was bizarre logic, but seeing as it had stopped her temper tantrums, I welcomed it. â€Å"Do you †¦ need anything?† I asked. A stupid question to ask someone who wanted freedom. She pointed to the iPod lying beside her. â€Å"It needs charging again.† It always needed charging. Normal battery life aside, the Otherworld interfered with electronics. â€Å"Books or magazines or something. I'd kill for a TV.† I smiled. That one was out of my reach. â€Å"Sometimes I would too when I'm here.† â€Å"How'd it go with that Linden lady? Is she going to help us beat up Katrice?† Jasmine's moping face suddenly turned fierce. She had powers similar to mine, and while not as strong, they could still cause a lot of damage. If I'd let her loose, Jasmine would probably march right over to the Rowan Land and try to bring the castle down. â€Å"I don't know. I'm not getting my hopes up.† Jasmine's gray eyes turned calculating, making her seem wiser than her fifteen years should be capable of. â€Å"As long as you and Dorian stay together, you're the badasses around here – especially you.† Surprisingly, there was no sneer as she said this. â€Å"But you've gotta make sure Maiwenn doesn't join Katrice. You know she's thinking about it.† Yes, despite her often pouty and childish attitude, Jasmine was smart. â€Å"You're right,† I said. â€Å"But thinking and doing are two different things. You said it yourself: Dorian and I are badasses. I don't think she's going to want to mess with us.† There was something comfortable about being able to have a discussion with someone not using the gentry's formal language construction. â€Å"Probably not. But she's scared to death you're going to have our father's heir.† Jasmine eyed me carefully. â€Å"You haven't changed your mind, have you? You and Dorian certainly do it enough.† â€Å"That's none of your business,† I said, wondering if that servant had already talked about what she'd seen in bed. â€Å"Tell that to Dorian. He brags about it all the time.† I groaned, knowing it was true. â€Å"Well, regardless, I'm not having kids anytime soon.† â€Å"You should,† Jasmine said. â€Å"Or let me. Katrice would totally back off.† â€Å"And then Maiwenn really would come after us.† Maiwenn ruled the Willow Land and was very much against Storm King's prophecy coming true. She also had a few other reasons for not liking my alliance with Dorian – or rather, her associates did. â€Å"Yeah,† said Jasmine. â€Å"But you could still kick her ass.† I rose and scooped up the iPod, putting it in my satchel. â€Å"Let's stick to one ass-kicking at a time.† An awkward silence fell. How odd that we'd just had a civil conversation. I'd grown up an only child, sometimes wishing I had a sister. The one I'd ended up with was hardly what I'd expected, but maybe I should be grateful for even this. â€Å"Well,† I said at last. â€Å"I'll see you soon.† She nodded and picked up the velvet, scowling at it as though it had given her personal offense. I was almost at the door when she suddenly said, â€Å"Eugenie?† I glanced back. â€Å"Yeah?† â€Å"Will you bring me some Twinkies?† I smiled. â€Å"Sure.† She didn't look up from her embroidery, but I was almost certain she smiled too.

Silver Wedding By Vernon Scannell Essays

Silver Wedding By Vernon Scannell Essays Silver Wedding By Vernon Scannell Paper Silver Wedding By Vernon Scannell Paper Essay Topic: Poetry A poem that I feel relates to the topic of Marriage and Birth and Death is Silver Wedding by Vernon Scannell. This poem deals simultaneously with the themes of marriage and death. The poem is about Vernons feelings in the aftermath his Silver Wedding anniversary. He starts with a very dramatic, depressing introduction. The party is over This is meant both literally and metaphorically as it suggests his marriage is over, also the dull, melancholic tone of the introduction emphasizes the death of his marriage. Another line that continues the dull depressing theme is Outside a black wind grieves The personification of the wind also suggests death because it is like the wind mourns for his marriage and also the colour black relates to a funeral and symbolises death. The introduction also has a sarcastic tone because it is supposed to be a joyous time of celebration but the poets words suggest that he is reflecting on his marriage and feeling a sense of regret. And yet I find I have scant knowledge of youths ebullient song this further confirms the sense of regret as it shows he feels that his youth was short lived or even lost through taking on the responsibility of marriage too young. The poets words in stanza 3 emphasize the idea that his marriage dyeing is also affecting his children in a negative way. David, my son, my loved rival suggest that he is competing with his son for the love of his wife, the tone also suggests jealousy because his wife pays more attention to his son than him. And Julia, my tapering daughter this shows that she is Laura McLean rowing up and distancing herself from him, they are gradually getting less close and just like him and his wife their relationship is dyeing. I turn their wine to water. The tone of sarcasm is used here once again because it reverses the well-known phrase water to wine. It shows that he feels he is making their enjoyment tasteless and spoiling their lives and worsening the situation through his relationship with his wife. Another tone adopted by the poet is a cold tone against his wife. And Helen, my partner of all these year, He uses the word partner to show that she is no longer considered a lover. My sack of sighs suggests she is a burden to him, and the alliteration and onomatopoeia used in this sentence emphasizes the fact that she complains all the time but yet she still hurts, I think she loves him still but hurts because their love is fading away. With injured, bovine eyes. Another piece of evidence that he no longer considers her a lover is there must have been passion once this shows that there is no real physical contact anymore, maybe because of an indifference or because they are antagonistic towards one another. But neither she nor I could bear to have its ghost come prowling from its dark and frowsy lair. I think this is an important sentence in the theme of death and marriage because it shows that none of them could stand any physical contact, and he compares their love to a ghost, something rotten, decomposing, dead, buried and gone. I feel that this strongly emphasizes how dead their marriage is because he compares it to a ghost, something that no longer exists in real life. In stanza 6 the poets word choice suggests that they are only still together because of their marriage vows, and because of familiarity. And we, to keep our nuptials warm, still wage sporadic fireside war this shows that they keep their relationship interesting with arguments, but each of their Laura McLean words are like bullets, but the arguments have become that regular they are numb to each others insults. Numb with insult each yet strives to scratch the other raw. The writers violent language paints a picture in words of the strong verbal battle between him and his wife. Also the conversion of the word raw to war in the second and fourth lines this draws attention to the strangeness of the way they keep their relationship going. In the final stanza the writers language confirms that he has never been happy in his marriage. Twenty five yeas weve now survived the word survived shows that it has been a struggle, it has been something that he hasnt enjoyed. Im not sure either why or how here the writer seems surprised, he doesnt quite understand why his marriage lasted so long because he feels it was dead long before their silver wedding anniversary. Finally the last two lines the writer used a ply on words with A wreath of quarrels set he uses the irony here to show a play on the laurel wreath given to victors. In a way he is questioning himself here. Is there a victor? Will anybody win? The final line also shows hat the poet is getting older and more stressed, the relationship has taken its toll on him physically, mentally and emotionally. On my tired and balding brow I think that this poem of reflection is the writer questioning himself on why he is keeping something going that clearly died a long time ago.

Gagadon - Facts and Figures

Gagadon - Facts and Figures If youre announcing a new genus of artiodactyl, it helps to come up with a distinctive name, since even-toed mammals were thick on the ground in early Eocene North America (about 55 to 50 million years ago). Enter Gagadon minimonstrum, aka the Lady Gaga-toothed mini-monster, the lower jaw of which was discovered in Wyoming in 1988, but which wasnt announced to the world until May of 2014- presumably when paleontologists Richard K. Stucky and Herbert H. Covey deemed the roster of high-powered pop stars to be suitably impressive. (See a slideshow of 10 Real-Life Dinosaurs Named After Celebrities) The most notable feature of Gagadon was the unique accessory cusps on its teeth, which was doubtless an adaptation to its preferred grass diet (though presumably Lady Gaga herself enjoys a more varied menu). Described by Stucky and Covey as a dramatic departure from the other ungulates of early Eocene North America, these teeth were clearly a speedy evolutionary development, as early hooved mammals rapidly adapted to the changing conditions on earth a mere 10 million years after the dinosaurs went extinct. In fact, small, inoffensive mammals like Gagadon were fated to evolve, tens of millions of years down the line, into such varied creatures as elks, camels, deers and giraffes- rather the way Lady Gaga herself has spawned countless imitators, idolaters and high-powered pop stars. Name Gagadon  minimonstrum  (the Gaga-toothed mini-monster, after pop star Lady Gaga); pronounced GAH-gah-don  mih-nee-MON-strum Habitat Plains of North America Historical Epoch Early Eocene (55-45 million years ago) Size and Weight Undisclosed, but small Diet Grass Distinguishing Characteristics Petite size; quadrupedal posture; unique tooth structure

Evaluation of James McNeil Whistler's Crepuscule in Flesh Colour and Essay

Evaluation of James McNeil Whistler's Crepuscule in Flesh Colour and Green - Essay Example This means that a perusal of most of Whistler’s work will reveal little else than an artist’s creative impulses gone wild. Tonalism can be seen as a result of these creative impulses of Whistler. Whistler’s 1866 Crepuscule in Flesh Color and Green: Valparaiso (910 x 1080 x 100 mm painting, oil on canvas, London: Tate, N05065) is perhaps one of the earliest works that reflects the artist’s desire for tonalist attitudes. The painting is the first piece in a large number of similar works that followed at the hands of Whistler. This indicates that the Crepuscule in Flesh Color and Green: Valparaiso (Figure 1) cannot be evaluated in isolation from these other related works because they share similar traits and characteristics that eventually came to define tonalism. Another major thing to take note of is the relative unknown nature of Crepuscule in Flesh Color and Green: Valparaiso as not many treatises on art especially art from the tonalist genres have given it much focus1. However if the period immediately before this painting in Whistler’s life is looked at, it will become very clear that it defines a personal rebellion. In turn this personal rebellion from an already Maverick persona resulted in new nuances being painted into the heart of the world of art. The combination of various rebellious attitudes coupled with a distant past in the military gave birth to the Crepuscule in Flesh Color and Green: Valparaiso and its sister works that were all created in Chile and represented similar militaristic scenarios processed through the lens of an artist’s eyes. The sister pieces of the Crepuscule in Flesh Color and Green: Valparaiso include The Morning after the Revolution: Valparaiso, Nocturne in Blue and Gold: Valparaiso Bay (Figure 3) and the sketch for Nocturne in Blue and Gold: Valparaiso Bay (Figure 4). Whistler possessed an uncanny genius for art from an early age2 and this in turn affected his personal choices on life and career. Being a rebel from the start, Whistler was quick to abandon his career with the military at West Point but this in turn left some unfinished desires with Whistler3. As the rebellion in the Spanish colony of Chile took on the shape of a war, Whistler was attracted to revisit the military based part of his persona. Speculation remains to why Whistler went to Chile – some claim he was looking to satisfy his militarism based impulses from West Point4, others think that Whistler considered the rebellion of the Chileans as heroic5 while recent research suggests that he was selling arms to the Chileans. In any case, Whistler was an artist before he went to Chile and artists generally detest war because of its barbaric conduct. However Whistler still chose to go to Chile. Before this point in time Whistler had been rebelling from an ordinary life in order to achieve his life of artistic desire6. Yet his voyage to Chile reveals that now Whistler was rebelling from his art istic life in order to come to terms with a life where you have to work to make some money. This in turn indicates that Whistler was more or less at war with himself at this point in time and his accounts from the ship he travelled on show a Whistler who is disinterested in life and what happens around him. His personal infighting must have kept him well occupied on his journey from Spain to Chile. His first painting in this series of paintings, Crepuscule in Fle

Shall We Dance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Shall We Dance - Essay Example People when exposed to the urban life have to strongly adapt the way the life must go in there. However, just like Sugiyama who lives in the suburb, way far beyond the very demanding city life, he must face the reality, and that is to create a balancing act between varying roles and the desired personal achievements. In this paper, the proponent tries to explicate the very point on how a built environment comes into existence on the basis of the movie film â€Å"Shall we dance?† For this reason, the proponent clearly elaborates the need to understand actual daily life’s activities and the places normally that have to be taken into account by the Japanese together with their existing culture in order to fulfill personal achievements and to go on with life. Substantial idea about the community environment, as a component of planning, is integrated in the discussion, prior to considerable understanding of the actual built atmosphere. Japanese people are known for their positive outlook, to make them move forward to ensure hard work with respect to their personal career and development. As a result, they need to face the demanding and challenging environment of the workplace. This is how they would respond to the way they should take everything. Job could have been so stressful for them, and as just what Sugiyama would want to point up in the film. They need to find something that could help them not to be exhausted by the very taxing nature of their work and working lifestyle conditions. As a result, Japanese people need to go around, not in an unproductive manner, but with full of sense just to release the tautness they must have acquired from work. For this reason, there are many places in Japan, especially somewhere in the urban areas where Japanese would call and find them as sakariba, the â€Å"zone of evaporation between work and home† (Hendry,