The Pictures from Iraq essays

The Pictures from Iraq essays There are no excuses for what some of our soliders have done; a life is a life no matter who these people are. I ponder. The circumstances leading up the Iraqi war were are unexcusable, but as Americans we are suppose to be more dignified. What comes to mind are the natives in a colony who run around bludgning everyone for the sheer thrill like riding a roller coaster over and over for that rush. Many lives have been taken on both sides. What are the significants for our soldiers to cause such an uproar with the prisoners and think it could be hidden from anyone on either side? In my opinion, this war is nothing but another Vietnam. There will be no victory for wither side. Death is not something we can ever celebrate. By now we as Americans should be satisfied with the Iraqi Commanders we have wither killed or captured and having Saddam in custody. The greed of our government to press on even at the expense of more lives will never be enough. It should nor be left up the the White House, nor the COngress or whomever, to make that decision for us. The pictures that have been released to the media are inexcuseable. This war should not be a trade, a life for a life. It was suppose to be to detoure terrorism from ever striking our country again. Now it has become a car and mouse game for which there will be no winners. Who will be the persons to hand our the punishment to these soldiers for the travisty they have inflicted on our country? I feel it will never be the punishment they deserve. Life is not a game nor a gamble that we should leave in the hands of others without having a voice. Americans should be allowed to decide whether we go to war and not our government even though we are the ones who elected them into office, but that should not be the end of our voices. At this time, we look like bigger fools then the Iraqis thought we were before. Our government will never be able to live this down. ...

Exigir Conjugation in Spanish, Translation, and Examples

Exigir Conjugation in Spanish, Translation, and Examples The Spanish verb exigir means to demand or to require. It is a regular -ir verb, so it is conjugated like the verbs vivir and subir. In this article you can find exigir conjugations in the present, past and future indicative, the present and past subjunctive, the imperative, and other verb forms. When conjugating exigir, you must be careful with a spelling change that occurs whenever the g would be followed by an o or an a. The g in exigir makes a soft sound (like the English h sound), but in front of the vowels o, a or u it makes a hard g sound (like the English g in gate). Therefore, to maintain the soft g sound, the letter g changes to a j. For example, conjugations like exijo and exija use the letter j instead of g. Exigir Present Indicative In the present indicative tense, the spelling change g to j occurs only in the first person singular conjugation (yo). Yo exijo I demand Yo exijo respeto. Tà º exiges You demand Tà º exiges mucho de tus hijos. Usted/à ©l/ella exige You/he/she demands Ella exige muchas cosas de su novio. Nosotros exigimos We demand Nosotros exigimos libertad de expresià ³n. Vosotros exigà ­s You demand Vosotros exigà ­s muchas horas de trabajo. Ustedes/ellos/ellas exigen You/they demand Ellos exigen la renuncia del presidente. Exigir Preterite Indicative In the preterite tense there is no spelling change. The preterit is one of two past tenses in Spanish, and it is used to talk about completed actions in the past. Yo exigà ­ I demanded Yo exigà ­ respeto. Tà º exigiste You demanded Tà º exigiste mucho de tus hijos. Usted/à ©l/ella exigià ³ You/he/she demanded Ella exigià ³ muchas cosas de su novio. Nosotros exigimos We demanded Nosotros exigimos libertad de expresià ³n. Vosotros exigisteis You demanded Vosotros exigisteis muchas horas de trabajo. Ustedes/ellos/ellas exigieron You/they demanded Ellos exigieron la renuncia del presidente. Exigir Imperfect Indicative The imperfect tense is used to talk about habitual or ongoing actions in the past. It is conjugated using the stem exig- plus the imperfect ending for -er verbs (à ­a, à ­as, à ­a, à ­amos, à ­ais, à ­an). The imperfect can be translated as was demanding or used to demand. Yo exigà ­a I used to demand Yo exigà ­a respeto. Tà º exigà ­as You used to demand Tà º exigà ­as mucho de tus hijos. Usted/à ©l/ella exigà ­a You/he/she used to demand Ella exigà ­a muchas cosas de su novio. Nosotros exigà ­amos We used to demand Nosotros exigà ­amos libertad de expresià ³n. Vosotros exigà ­ais You used to demand Vosotros exigà ­ais muchas horas de trabajo. Ustedes/ellos/ellas exigà ­an You/they used to demand Ellos exigà ­an la renuncia del presidente. Exigir Future Indicative The future tense is conjugated by using the infinitive form exigir, and adding the future tense endings (à ©, s, , emos, à ©is, n). Yo exigirà © I will demand Yo exigirà ©respeto. Tà º exigirs You will demand Tà º exigirs mucho de tus hijos. Usted/à ©l/ella exigir You/he/she will demand Ella exigir muchas cosas de su novio. Nosotros exigiremos We will demand Nosotros exigiremoslibertad de expresià ³n. Vosotros exigirà ©is You will demand Vosotros exigirà ©is muchas horas de trabajo. Ustedes/ellos/ellas exigirn You/they will demand Ellos exigirn la renuncia del presidente. Exigir PeriphrasticFuture Indicative To form the periphrastic future you need the present indicative conjugation of the verb ir (to go), the preposition a, and the infinitive exigir. Yo voy a exigir I am going to demand Yo voya exigir respeto. Tà º vasa exigir You aregoing todemand Tà º vasa exigir mucho de tus hijos. Usted/à ©l/ella vaa exigir You/he/she isgoing todemand Ella vaa exigir muchas cosas de su novio. Nosotros vamosa exigir We aregoing todemand Nosotros vamosa exigir libertad de expresià ³n. Vosotros vaisa exigir You aregoing todemand Vosotros vaisa exigir muchas horas de trabajo. Ustedes/ellos/ellas vana exigir You/they aregoing todemand Ellos vana exigir la renuncia del presidente. Exigir Present Progressive/Gerund Form The gerund or present participle in Spanish is formed with the ending -ando (for -ar verbs) or -iendo (for -er and -ir verbs). Present Progressive of Exigir est exigiendo Is demanding Ella est exigiendo muchas cosas de su novio. Exigir Past Participle The past participle for regular ir verbs is formed with the ending -ido. It can be used as an adjective or to form compound tenses such as the present perfect. Present Perfect of Exigir ha exigido Has demanded Ella ha exigido muchas cosas de su novio. Exigir Conditional Indicative The conditional tense is used to talk about possibilities. In English it is usually expressed as would verb. Yo exigirà ­a I would demand Yo exigirà ­arespeto. Tà º exigirà ­as You would demand Tà º exigirà ­as mucho de tus hijos. Usted/à ©l/ella exigirà ­a You/he/she would demand Ella exigirà ­a muchas cosas de su novio. Nosotros exigirà ­amos We would demand Nosotros exigirà ­amoslibertad de expresià ³n. Vosotros exigirà ­ais You would demand Vosotros exigirà ­ais muchas horas de trabajo. Ustedes/ellos/ellas exigirà ­an You/they would demand Ellos exigirà ­an la renuncia del presidente. Exigir Present Subjunctive In the present subjunctive, the spelling change g to j occurs in all of the conjugations, since the endings of this verb tense contain the vowel a. Que yo exija That I demand Mam espera que yo exija respeto. Que tà º exijas That you demand El abuelo quiere que tà º exijas mucho de tus hijos. Que usted/à ©l/ella exija That you/he/she demand La amiga sugiere que ella exija muchas cosas de su novio. Que nosotros exijamos That we demand El periodista pide que nosotros exijamos libertad de expresià ³n. Que vosotros exijis That you demand El jefe sugiere que vosotros exijis muchas horas de trabajo. Que ustedes/ellos/ellas exijan That you/they demand La gente espera que ellos exijan la renuncia del presidente. Exigir Imperfect Subjunctive To conjugate the imperfect subjunctive you need to start with the third person plural conjugation (ellos, ellas, ustedes), in the preterite tense (exigieron) remove the on, and then add the appropriate ending (a, as, a, amos, ais, an). There are two options for conjugating the imperfect subjunctive. Option 1 Que yo exigiera That I demanded Mam esperaba que yo exigiera respeto. Que tà º exigieras That you demanded El abuelo querà ­a que tà º exigieras mucho de tus hijos. Que usted/à ©l/ella exigiera That you/he/she demanded La amiga sugerà ­a que ella exigiera muchas cosas de su novio. Que nosotros exigià ©ramos That we demanded El periodista pedà ­a que nosotros exigià ©ramos libertad de expresià ³n. Que vosotros exigierais That you demanded El jefe sugerà ­a que vosotros exigierais muchas horas de trabajo. Que ustedes/ellos/ellas exigieran That you/they demanded La gente esperaba que ellos exigieran la renuncia del presidente. Option 2 Que yo exigiese That I demanded Mam esperaba que yo exigiese respeto. Que tà º exigieses That you demanded El abuelo querà ­a que tà º exigieses mucho de tus hijos. Que usted/à ©l/ella exigiese That you/he/she demanded La amiga sugerà ­a que ella exigiese muchas cosas de su novio. Que nosotros exigià ©semos That we demanded El periodista pedà ­a que nosotros exigià ©semos libertad de expresià ³n. Que vosotros exigieseis That you demanded El jefe sugerà ­a que vosotros exigieseis muchas horas de trabajo. Que ustedes/ellos/ellas exigiesen That you/they demanded La gente esperaba que ellos exigiesen la renuncia del presidente. Exigir Imperative The imperative mood is used to give direct orders or commands. In the tables below you can see both the positive and negative commands. Several of these conjugations have the spelling change g to j. Positive Commands Tà º exige Demand!  ¡Exige mucho de tus hijos! Usted exija Demand!  ¡Exija muchas cosas de su novio! Nosotros exijamos Let's demand!  ¡Exijamos libertad de expresià ³n! Vosotros exigid Demand!  ¡Exigid muchas horas de trabajo! Ustedes exijan Demand!  ¡Exijan la renuncia del presidente! Negative Commands Tà º no exijas Don't demand!  ¡No exijas mucho de tus hijos! Usted no exija Don't demand!  ¡No exija muchas cosas de su novio! Nosotros no exijamos Let's not demand!  ¡No exijamos libertad de expresià ³n! Vosotros no exijis Don't demand!  ¡No exijis muchas horas de trabajo! Ustedes no exijan Don't demand!  ¡No exijan la renuncia del presidente!

E-commerce Data Privacy and Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

E-commerce Data Privacy and Security - Essay Example However, there are different domains that may portray a negative impact of using e-commerce based services. In this report, we have prioritized issues related to privacy of e-commerce and social networking based websites. As far as website developer is concerned, there are five points that are taken in to consideration in the context of a e-commerce based website privacy policy i.e. What information will be collected?, method of collecting this information, utilizing this information, what level of access does the customer and how to secure this personal information (States 2010). Moreover, we have also highlighted issues related to teenagers publishing every activity on a social network, as these sites are also illustrating negative impact in terms of incomplete and doubtful privacy policies. On the other hand, online buying experience is decreasing due to issues related to misuse of personal information and online hacking that is also referred as cyber-crimes. Furthermore, we have also evaluated several business-to-consumer websites, in order to demonstrate factors focusing on bad or good practices of privacy policy etc. In the end, we have concluded our findings along with the solution to these highlighted issues in the context of online privacy, which has become a major threat. Chapter 1 E-Commerce Overview 1 Introduction The Internet continues to modernize the world’s economy. It is apparently changing the way people live, study, work, participate, and devour. At the hub, of this rebellion is technology. Technology has moved from the "back office" to the leading edge. Namely, the interface between the customer and the organization has changed spectacularly. Increasingly, technology is shifting the organization’s associations with its customers from a... The Internet continues to modernize the world’s economy. It is apparently changing the way people live, study, work, participate, and devour. At the hub, of this rebellion is technology. Technology has moved from the "back office" to the leading edge. Namely, the interface between the customer and the organization has changed spectacularly. Increasingly, technology is shifting the organization’s associations with its customers from a "face-to-face" to a "screen-to-face" communication. The Internet is not an innovation that concerns only one or two sectors of the economy. Because it revolutionizes the way businesses should prudently systematize their activities and go to market, the Internet affects all economic commotions. The business that operates on the Internet is termed as ‘Electronic Commerce’, which has a remarkable history. The continuous research and development have enabled corporate organizations to reconstruct their business strategies. The inte gration of electronic commerce applications lays the foundation for the organization’s digital business process. Marketers around the globe, have experimented a lot on digital marketing in order to generate sales and customer loyalty. Unfortunately, most of them did not succeed. Likewise, the online customers espouse digital technology to be the preferred one for making purchasing decisions. Organizations, keeping this in mind, construct their marketing strategies by re-evaluating their budgets, processes, skills, and priorities.

Effects of the second war Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Effects of the second war - Research Paper Example Such a policy revealed ?an eagerness, a desire, not to hinder the ag- gressors in their nefarious work.? The western powers allowed Germany to have Austria, ?despite the undertaking to defend her independence; they let her have the Sudeten region; they abandoned Czechoslovakia to her fate.? Finally, Stalin enunciated Soviet policy towards its neighbors: We stand for peaceful, close and friendly relations with all neighboring countries which have common frontiers with the U.S.S.R. That is our position; and we shall adhere to this position as long as these countries maintain like relations with the Soviet Union, and as long as they make no attempt to trespass, directly or indirectly, on the integrity and inviola- bility of the frontiers of the Soviet state. He concluded with a warning to the Party ?to be cautious and not to allow our country to be drawn into conflicts by war- mongers who are accustomed to have others pull the chestnuts out of the fire for them.?11 Was Stalin's statemen t a revolution in Soviet foreign policy or was he restating an old hope, agreement with Germany over Eastern Europe? He was probably attempting to warn Britain and France not to leave the Soviet Union to face Germany alone. From Berlin there was silence. Although Ribbentrop brought the speech to Hitler's attention suggesting that he be authorized to learn more about Stalin's intentions, Hitler was uninterested. Alexei Merekalov, the Soviet ambassador, brought a message from the Kremlin to the German Foreign Ministry on April 17. Ostensibly the reason for his visit was the matter of Soviet con- tracts with the Skoda works in Czechoslovakia for war materi- als. However, Merekalov proceeded to lead Ernst von Weizsaecker, the state secretary, into a discussion of German-Polish relations and finally came around to the subject of Russo-German affairs. At last Merekalov got to the point: ideological differences, he suggested, need not be a ?stumbling block? to friendly relations. ?Russia h ad not exploited the present friction between Germany and the western democracies against us [Germany], nor did she wish to do that.?12 There was no reason for Russia and Germany not to enjoy normal relations. In contrast to Weizsaecker's account, according to Soviet doc- uments released in 1990 and 1992, the meeting was not the occasion of a Soviet hint at a possible rapprochement. The signal of detente was coming from the Germans. Merekalov was merely following instructions in presenting Soviet complaints concern- ing Germany's failure to fulfill contracts of the former Czecho- slovak Skoda factories. Merekalov made no plea for improved Russo-German relations. It is quite possible that Weizsaecker's account is the more accurate. Meanwhile, Britain and France embarked on tortuous nego- tiations with the Soviet government. On April 14, the British gov- ernment pressed the Soviet Union to make a public declaration promising to assist any European neighbor of the Soviet Union who resi sted aggression if such assistance was desired. Britain would not be involved in this declaration. France, however, made a different proposal involving France going to war against Germany if Poland or Romania were to be attacked. France would aid the Soviet Union if it were at war as a result of aid- ing Poland or Romania. Litvinov replied on April 17 with a proposal for a triple al- liance in which Britain, France, and the Soviet Union would aid each other in case of aggression against

Genetically modified food Essay Example for Free

Genetically modified food Essay GMO foods are such an embedded part of our food system these days, but it’s not difficult to think back to a time when food was simpler and healthier. How did we get to the point that genetically modified organisms infiltrate so much of what we eat? Genetically modified foods (or GM foods) are foods produced from organisms that have had specific changes introduced into their DNA using the methods of genetic engineering. These techniques have allowed for the introduction of new crop traits as well as a far greater control over a foods genetic structure. The introduction of genetically modified food has created both benefits and conflicts among people. The idea of producing food with desirable qualities paved the way for the development of genetically modified food worldwide. Scientists were able to isolate genes with favourable traits and insert them in crops to produce food that can resist drought, insects, pesticides and even is more nutritious. It started by developing a tomato with a longer shelf life in 1994 called Flavr Savr. But then, it was found that consumption of this engineered tomato caused stomach lesions in rats, thus, raising issues about the safety of genetically modified food in general. Since then, the debate raise on the disadvantages of consumption of genetically modified food. Below are just some examples of the long list of disadvantages of such practice; 1. The safety of such products is not verified yet, in fact, we are the lab rats to test the safety of such technology. This is sad but true. In fact, genetically engineered food is being consumed daily with no thorough research of its potential threats on human health. 2. Genetically modified ingredients can cause cancer. A consultant histopathologest at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Dr Stanley Ewen, raised the concern that food and water contaminated with genetically engineered material could increase the growth of malignant tumours upon contact with humans. Later, other studies suggested a link between engineered food and cancer.

cold war Essay -- essays research papers

World War II divided Korea into a Communist, northern half and an American-occupied southern half, divided at the 38th parallel. The Korean War began when the North Korean Communist army crossed invaded non-Communist South Korea. As North Korean army, armed with Soviet tanks, quickly overran South Korea, the United States came to South Korea's aid. General Douglas MacArthur, who had been overseeing the post World War II affair of Japan, sent the US forces, which began to hold off the North Koreans at Pusan, at the southernmost tip of Korea. Although Korea was not strategically important to the United States, the political environment at this stage of the Cold War was such that policymakers did not want to appear soft on Communism. The US step in as part of a "police action" run by a UN international peace- keeping force. With the US, UN, and South Korean forces pinned against the sea at Pusan, MacArthur orchestrated a daring amphibious attack on Inchon a port on the western coast of Korea. Having made this landing, MacArthur defeated the North Korean army and recaptured Seoul, the capital of South Korea. Instead of being satisfied with his defeat of South Korea, MacArthur crossed the 38TH Parallel and pursued the North Korean army all the way to the northernmost provinces of North Korea. Afraid that the US was interested in taking North Korea as a base for operations against Manchuria, the People's Republic of China secretly sent an army across the Yalu River. This Chinese army attacked the US/UN/ROK forces. Only after the appointment of Lt. General Matthew Ridgway as commander of ground forces did American the motivation begin to swing against the Chinese Communists. Although President Truman hoped to end the war quickly and pressed MacArthur to be more tactful, the brilliant strategist went against presidential orders and continued spouting incendiary lines about his hopes to reunify Korea. After gaining the support of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Truman relieved MacArthur of command. The move was extremely unpopular in America MacArthur was perceived as a popular war hero. Only the support of the Joint Chiefs of Staff saved Truman from impeachment after the firing. Ridgway took MacArthur's command and held off the Communists with strong forts and entrenchment’s just north of the 38TH Parallel, sending occasional offensives against the Iron Tria... ... terms. Although the United States attempted to keep the war on a very small scale, it quickly snowballed out of proportion, involving China, at times seeming as if it might become a World War III. Looked at another way, though, the Korean War can be considered a success: although the war did at times get out of hand, the US and the USSR were able to avoid direct confrontation, especially since the USSR fought mainly by proxy. Perhaps most importantly of all, though it was fought just five years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed, the Korean War was not an atomic war, avoiding both the possibility of immediate nuclear and setting a pattern that would continue throughout the Cold War. The Korean War had a huge effect on the US government. One of the main reasons that the war was fought was to stop communism from taking over the world. The war strengthened our relationship with Britain. This war also let the US avoid a confrontation with the USSR, which would have hurt the economy drastically. If this war would not have happen I believe that the world would have been conquered by communism. Instead of living our lavish US life I believe that we would be living like Russia.

Alone on a Desert Island

If I were alone on a deserted island, the first thing I would wish I had brought with me would be my two boys because they would give me the strength to get through each day. Although, my children are not â€Å"things† without them I wouldn’t want or need anything else nor would I have the strength to fight for survival. Having my boys would prevent me from becoming lonely they would offer me a lifetime of entertainment (considering how comical they both are), and also help prevent me from losing my sanity. My boys and I would not be able to maintain healthy diets if we ate only fish, therefore, the second thing I wish I would have brought are seeds. We would plant the seeds to grow our favorite fruits and vegetables. We would be able to enjoy eating healthy, as well as, heighten our survival rate. The third thing I wish I would have brought, if I am able to count it as one item, would be a full size, solar powered house boat. My house boat would be fully equipped with furniture, appliances, linens, and a water purification system. It would also be stocked with our daily living essentials: to maintain our hygiene and stay in good health we would have anti-bacterial soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and clothing; to help us hunt, prepare, cook, and eat our food we would have pots and pans, eating and cooking utensils, plants and bowls, a set of sharp knifes, etc. ; to keep ourselves and each other entertained we would have our favorite board games, books to read, sketch paper, and pencils. If I had my boys, seeds to plant, and my wonderful over exaggerating houseboat I would live comfortably on a deserted island for a long time.

You Suck: A Love Story Chapter 4~5

Chapter Four Red and White and Dead all Over Rapoc stuffing and chicken feathers lay in great, fluffy drifts across the room, along with the shreds of their clothing, the futon cover, pieces of a fuzzy, Muppet-skin rug, and the crushed remains of a couple of cheap-ass Pier 1 paper lanterns. Sparks crackled from the bare wires over the breakfast bar, where the pendulum light fixtures used to hang. The loft looked as if someone had thrown a hand grenade into the middle of a teddy-bear orgy and the only survivors had had their fur blown off. â€Å"Well, that was different,† Jody said, still a little breathless. She was lying across the coffee table, looking out the window at a streetlight from an upside-down angle, naked except for one sleeve of her red leather jacket. She was smeared with blood from head to toe, and even as Tommy watched, the scratches and fang marks on her skin were healing over. â€Å"If I'd known,† Tommy said, panting, â€Å"I'd have grown a foreskin a long time ago.† He lay across the room where she had thrown him, sprawled on a pile of books and kindling that had once been a bookshelf, also smeared with blood and covered in scratches – wearing only a sock. As he pulled a pencil-sized splinter of bookcase out of his thigh, Tommy thought that he might have been a little hasty about yelling at Jody for turning him into a vampire. Although he couldn't really remember much of it, he was pretty sure he'd just had the most amazing sex ever. Apparently what he had read about vampire sex being all about drinking the blood and nothing else – it was just another myth like the changing into a bat and the inability to cross running water. â€Å"Did you know that was going to happen?† Tommy asked. â€Å"I had no idea,† Jody said, still on the coffee table, and looking more to Tommy every minute like a murder victim, except that she was talking, and smiling. â€Å"I was going to make you buy me dinner and take me to a movie first.† Tommy chucked the bloody bookcase splinter at her. â€Å"I don't mean did you know we were going to do it, I mean did you know that it was going to be like that?† â€Å"How would I know that?† â€Å"I thought maybe the night you spent with the old vampire†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Jody sat up. â€Å"I didn't do him, Tommy, I just spent the night with him trying to find out about how to be a vampire. And his name is Elijah.† â€Å"Oh, so now you're on a first-name basis.† â€Å"Oh, for the love of God, Tommy, would you stop thinking? You're taking what was an amazing experience and sucking all the life out of it.† Tommy fidgeted on his pile of rubble and started to pout, but winced when he tried to push out his lower lip and it caught on his fangs. She was right. He'd always been like that, always overthinking, overanalyzing. â€Å"Sorry,† he said. â€Å"You have to just be part of the world now,† Jody said softly. â€Å"You can't put everything into categories, separate yourself from experience by putting words on it. Like the song says, let it be.† â€Å"Sorry,† Tommy said again. He tried to push the thoughts out of his head, closed his eyes, and listened to his heartbeat, and Jody's heartbeat coming from across the room. â€Å"It's okay,† Jody said. â€Å"Sex like that does sort of beg for a postmortem.† Tommy smiled, his eyes still closed. â€Å"So to speak.† Jody stood up and crossed the room to where he was sitting. She offered him her hand to help him up. â€Å"Careful, the back of your head is kind of stuck in the dry wall.† Tommy turned his head and heard plaster cracking. â€Å"I'm still starving.† She pulled him to his feet. â€Å"I'm feeling a little drained myself.† â€Å"My bad,† Tommy said. He could remember now, her blood pulsing into him, at the same time that his was pulsing into her. He rubbed a place on his shoulder where the punctures from her fangs hadn't quite healed yet. She kissed the spot he was rubbing. â€Å"You'll heal faster when you've had fresh blood.† Tommy felt an ache, like a sudden cramp in his stomach. â€Å"I really need to eat.† Jody led him into the bedroom, where Chet the huge cat was cowering in the corner, hiding unsuccessfully behind the wicker hamper. â€Å"Wait,† Jody said. She padded back out into the great room and came back a few seconds later wearing what was left of her red leather jacket (really more of a vest now) and her panties, which she had to hold together on one side where they'd been torn off. â€Å"Sorry,† she said, â€Å"I'm not comfortable being naked in front of strangers.† Tommy nodded. â€Å"He's not a stranger, Jody. He's dinner.† â€Å"Uh-huh,† Jody said, nodding and shaking her head at the same time, making her appear like a bloodstained, bobble-head doll. â€Å"You go. You're new.† â€Å"Me? Don't you know some superanimal hypnotism to call him to you?† â€Å"Nope. Go get him. I'll wait.† Tommy looked at her. On top of the blood that streaked and smeared her pale skin, there were gobs of futon stuffing stuck to her here and there, as well as white chicken feathers in her hair from one of the exploded cushions. He had feathers and cat hair stuck to his chest and legs. â€Å"We're going to have to shave him first, you know?† Jody nodded, not looking away from the huge cat. â€Å"Maybe a shower first.† â€Å"Good idea.† Tommy put his arm around her. â€Å"But just washing. No sex!† â€Å"Why, we already lost the cleaning deposit?† â€Å"Those shower doors are glass.† â€Å"Okay. But can I wash your – â€Å" â€Å"No,† she said. She took his hand and dragged him into the bathroom. It turned out that superhuman vampire strength came in handy when shaving a thirty-five-pound cat. After a couple of false starts, which had them chasing Chet the huge shaving-cream-covered cat around the loft, they discovered the value of duct tape as a grooming tool. Because of the tape, they weren't able to shave his feet. When they were finished, Chet looked like a big-eyed, potbellied, protohuman in fur-lined, duct-tape space boots – the feline love child of Golem and Doddy the house elf. â€Å"I'm not sure we needed to shave all of him,† Tommy said, sitting on the bed next to Jody as they considered the bound and shaven Chet on the floor before them. â€Å"He looks creepy.† â€Å"Pretty creepy,† Jody said. â€Å"You'd better drink. Your wounds aren't healing.† All her scratches, bruises, and love bites were completely healed, and except for a fleck of shaving cream here and there in her hair, she was as good as new. â€Å"How?† Tommy asked. â€Å"How do I know where to bite him?† â€Å"Try the neck,† Jody said. â€Å"But sort of feel around for a vein with your tongue before you bite, and don't bite hard.† She was trying to sound confident in her instructions, but she was in unexplored territory as much as he was. She was enjoying teaching Tommy about the particulars of vampirism, just as she enjoyed teaching him how to do grown-up human things like how to get the power and phone turned on in the loft – it made her feel sophisticated and in charge, and after a series of boyfriends for whom she had been little more than an accoutrement, whose lifestyles she had affected, from heavy-metal anarchists to financial-district yuppies, she liked being the pacesetter for a change. Still, when it came to teaching him about feeding on animals, she couldn't have been winging it more if she really could turn into a bat. The only time she'd ever considered drinking animal blood was when Tommy had brought her two large, live snapping turtles from Chinat own. She hadn't been able to bring herself to even try biting into the armored reptiles. Tommy had named them Scott and Zelda, which hadn't helped. Now Zelda was functioning as a lawn ornament in Pacific Heights and Scott was encased in bronze and standing next to the old vampire in the great room. The biker sculptors downstairs had bronzed them, which is what had given Tommy the idea to bronze Jody and the old vampire in the first place. â€Å"Are you sure this is okay?† Tommy said, bending over Chet the huge shaved cat. â€Å"I mean, you said that we were only supposed to hunt the sick and the weak – the black auras. Chet's aura is shiny and pink.† â€Å"It's different with animals.† She had no idea if it was different with animals. She'd eaten a moth once, whole – snatched it out of the air and downed it before she could think about it. She realized now that there were a lot more questions she should have asked Elijah when she had had the chance. â€Å"Besides, you're not going to kill him.† â€Å"Right,† Tommy said. He put his mouth on Chet's kitty neck. â€Å"Like thith?† Jody had to turn away to keep from laughing. â€Å"Yeah, that looks good.† â€Å"He tathes like thaving cream.† â€Å"Just go,† Jody said. † ‘Kay.† Tommy bit and started to moan almost immediately. Not a moan of pleasure, but the moan of someone who has his tongue stuck on the ice-cube tray in the freezer. Chet seemed strangely calm, not even struggling against his kitty bonds. Maybe there was something to the vampire's power over his victims, Jody thought. â€Å"Okay, that's enough,† Jody said. Tommy shook his head while still feeding on the huge shaved cat. â€Å"Tommy, let off. You need to leave some.† â€Å"Nu-ih,† Tommy said. â€Å"Stop sucking the huge cat, Tommy,† Jody said sternly. â€Å"I'm not kidding.† She was kidding, a little bit. Tommy was breathing hard now, and a little color had come into his skin. Jody looked around for something to get his attention. She spotted a vase of flowers on the night-stand. She pulled out the flowers and tossed the water on Tommy and the huge cat. He kept feeding. The cat shuddered but otherwise remained immobile. â€Å"Okay, then,† Jody said. It was a heavy, stoneware vase, something Tommy had picked up to hold some apology flowers he'd brought her from the grocery store where he worked. He'd been good that way, sometimes bringing home apology flowers before he'd even done anything to apologize for. Really, you couldn't ask for more than that from a guy – which is why Jody slowed to half speed as she brought the vase around in a wide arc that ended with it smacking Tommy in the forehead and knocking him back about six feet. Chet the huge shaved cat yowled. Miraculously, the vase did not break. â€Å"Thanks,† Tommy said, wiping the blood from his mouth. There was a crescent-moon-shaped dent in his forehead that was rapidly filling in, healing. â€Å"Sure,† Jody said, staring at the vase. Great vase, she thought. Elegant, fragile porcelain was all well and good for the collector's case or the tea party, but for the girl who finds herself in need of a vessel that can deliver a wallop, Jody was suddenly sold on the sturdy value of stoneware. â€Å"Tastes like cat breath,† Tommy said, pointing to Chet. The punctures from Tommy's fangs had already healed. â€Å"Is it supposed to?† Jody shrugged. â€Å"What's cat breath taste like?† â€Å"Like tuna casserole left out in the sun for a week.† Being from the Midwest, Tommy thought everyone knew what tuna casserole tasted like. Having been born and raised in Carmel, California, Jody knew it only as something eaten by the extinct people on Nick at Nite. â€Å"I think I'm going to pass,† Jody said. She was hungry, but not cat-breath hungry. She wasn't sure what she was going to do about feeding. She couldn't very well try to live off Tommy anymore, and regardless of the rush and the sense that she was serving nature's cause by taking only the weak and the sick, she didn't like the idea of preying on humans – strangers anyway. She needed time to think, to figure out what their new life was going to be like. Things had been happening too quickly since Tommy and his friends had taken down the old vampire. She said, â€Å"We should get Chet back to his owner tonight if we can. You don't want to lose your driver's license – we may need a valid ID to rent a new place.† â€Å"A new place?† â€Å"We have to move, Tommy. I told Inspectors Rivera and Cavuto that I would leave town. You don't think they'll check?† There had been two homicide detectives who had followed the trail of bodies to the old vampire, and ultimately the discovery of Jody's delicate condition. She'd promised them that she'd take the old vampire and leave town if they'd let her go. â€Å"Oh yeah,† Tommy said. â€Å"That means I can't go back to work at the Safeway either?† He wasn't stupid, she knew he wasn't stupid, so why was he so slow to see the obvious? â€Å"No, I don't think that would be a good idea,† Jody said. â€Å"Since you're going to pass out cold at sunrise, just the way I do.† â€Å"Yeah, that'd be embarrassing,† Tommy said. â€Å"Especially when sunlight hits you and you burst into flames.† â€Å"Yeah, there's got to be company policy against that.† Jody screamed in frustration. â€Å"Jeez, kidding,† Tommy said, cringing. She sighed, realizing that he'd been goofing on her. â€Å"Get dressed, cat breath, we don't want to run out of dark. We're going to need some help.† Out in the great room, the vampire Elijah Ben Sapir was trying to figure out exactly what was going on around him. He knew he had been constrained – bound inside a vessel, and whatever held him was immovable. He'd even turned to mist, which relieved his anxiety somewhat – there was an ethereal mind-set that accompanied the form, it took concentration to not let yourself just float off in a daze – but the bronze shell was airtight. He could hear them talking, but their comments told him little except that his fledgling had betrayed him. He smiled to himself. What a foolishly human mistake to let hope triumph over reason. He should have known better. It would be days before the hunger was on him again, and even then, without any movement, he could last indefinitely without blood. He could live a very, very long time constrained like this, he realized – it was his sanity that would suffer. He decided to stay in mist form – drift as in a dream at night, sleep like the dead during the day. This way, he would wait, and when the time came, and it would come (if nothing else, living for eight hundred years had taught him patience), he would make his move. Chapter Five The Emperor of San Francisco Two in the morning. Normally, the Emperor of San Francisco would have been tucked in behind a Dumpster with the royal guard snuggled around him for warmth, snoring like a congested bulldozer, but tonight he had been undone by the generosity of a Starbucks froth slave in Union Square who had donated a bucket-sized Holiday Spice Mochaccino to the cause of royal comfort, thus leaving the Emperor and his two companions jangled, wandering the wee hours on a nearly deserted Market Street, waiting for breakfast time to roll around. â€Å"Like crack with cinnamon,† said the Emperor. He was a great, boiler tank of a man, an ambling meat locomotive in a wool overcoat, his face a firebox of intensity, framed with a gray tempest of hair and beard such as are found only on gods and lunatics. Bummer, the smaller of the troops, a Boston terrier, snorted and tossed his head. He'd lapped up some of the rich coffee broth himself, and felt ready to tear ass out of any rodent or pastrami sandwich that might cross his path. Lazarus, normally the calmer of the two, a golden retriever, pranced and leapt at the Emperor's side as if it might start raining ducks any minute – a recurring nightmare among retrievers. â€Å"Steady, gents,† the Emperor chided. â€Å"Lets us use this inopportune alertness to inspect a less frantic city than we find in the day, and determine where we might be of service.† The Emperor believed that the first duty of any leader was to serve the weakest of his people, and he made an effort to pay attention to the city around him, lest someone fall through the cracks and be lost. Clearly he was a loon. â€Å"Calm, good fellows,† he said. But calm was not coming. The smell of cat was tall in the air and the men were jacked on Java. Lazarus barked once and bolted down the sidewalk, followed closely by his bug-eyed brother-in-arms, the two descending on a dark figure that lay curled up around a cardboard sign on the traffic island at Battery Street, beneath a massive bronze statue that depicted four muscular men working a metal press. It had always looked to the Emperor like four guys molesting a stapler. Bummer and Lazarus sniffed the man beneath the statue, sure that he had to have a cat concealed among his rags somewhere. When a cold nose hit a hand, the Emperor saw the man move, and breathed a sigh of relief. With a closer look, the Emperor recognized him as William with the Huge Cat. They knew each other to nod hello, but because of racial tensions between their respective canine and feline companions, the two had never become friends. The Emperor knelt on the man's cardboard sign and jostled him. â€Å"William, wake up.† William groaned and an empty Johnny Walker Black bottle slid out of his overcoat. â€Å"Dead drunk, perhaps,† said the Emperor, â€Å"but fortunately, not dead.† Bummer whimpered. Where was the cat? The Emperor propped William up against the concrete base of the statue. William groaned. â€Å"He's gone. Gone. Gone. Gone.† The Emperor picked up the empty scotch bottle and sniffed it. Yes, it had recently held scotch. â€Å"William, was this full?† William grabbed the cardboard sign off the sidewalk and propped it in his lap. â€Å"Gone,† he said. The sign read I AM POOR AND SOMEONE STOLE MY HUGE CAT. â€Å"My deepest sympathies,† said the Emperor. He was about to ask William how he had managed to procure a fifth of top-shelf scotch, when he heard a long, feline yowl echo down the street, and looked up to see a huge shaved cat, in a red sweater, heading their way. He managed to catch hold of Bummer and Lazarus's collars before they darted after the cat, and dragged them away from William. The huge cat leapt into William's lap and the two commenced a drunken reunion embrace that involved quantities of purring, baby talk, and drool, enough that the Emperor had to fight down a little nausea at the sight of it. Even the royal hounds had to look away, the two realizing instinctively that a maudlin and shaved, thirty-five-pound cat in a red sweater was clearly above their pay grade. There was just no doggy protocol for it, and presently they began to turn in circles on the sidewalk, as if looking for a good place to feign a nap. â€Å"William, I believe someone has shaved your cat,† said the Emperor. â€Å"That would be me,† said Tommy Flood as he came around the side of the traffic island, scaring the bejeezus out of everyone there. A pale and delicate hand reached out from behind the island, grabbed the collar of Tommy's coat, and snatched him back around the corner as if he were a rag doll. â€Å"Tommy?† called the Emperor. The big man stalked around the concrete art bunker. Bummer and Lazarus had headed back down the street toward the waterfront, as if they had just seen a particularly fetching porterhouse steak hopping around down there that needed to be investigated. The Emperor found his friend C. Thomas Flood, held tight in the clutches of his girlfriend, Jody Stroud, the vampire, who had her hand pressed tightly over Tommy's mouth and was furiously giving him noogies with the knuckle of her other hand. There was a hollow popping each time she connected, and muted cries from Tommy. â€Å"Jody, I must insist that you unhand the young man,† insisted the Emperor. And she did. Tommy twisted out of her grasp. â€Å"Ow!† Tommy said, rubbing his head. â€Å"Sorry,† Jody said. â€Å"Couldn't be helped.† â€Å"I thought you were going to leave the city with that fiend,† said the Emperor. He had been there, with the royal hounds and Tommy's crew from the Safeway, when they'd done battle with the old vampire at the St. Francis Yacht Club. â€Å"Well, yes, of course. He left already and I'm going to join him,† Jody said. â€Å"Just like I promised Inspector Rivera. But I wanted to make sure that Tommy was going to be all right before I left.† The Emperor liked Jody, and had been a little disappointed when he found that she was a bloodsucking fiend, but she was a pleasant girl nonetheless, and had always been generous with treats for the men, despite Bummer's dropping into yapping fits in her presence. â€Å"Well then, I suppose that will have to do,† said the Emperor. â€Å"It appears that our young writer does require some adult supervision before being set loose on the City.† â€Å"Hey, I do okay,† Tommy said. â€Å"You shaved the cat,† said the Emperor, raising a wild eyebrow that looked like a gray squirrel with a Mohawk. â€Å"I – uh, we were testing him out, to see if I should get a cat to keep me company after Jody leaves.† He looked at Jody, who nodded enthusiastically while trying to look wide-eyed and sincere. â€Å"And†¦ and,† Tommy continued, â€Å"I was chewing some bubble gum, you know, the kind that you can blow really big bubbles with – well, long story short, before I knew it, Chet had lunged at one of my bubbles and was completely covered with bubble gum.† Jody quit nodding and just stared at him. â€Å"So you shaved him,† the Emperor added. Now it was Tommy's turn to nod and look sincere. â€Å"Regrettably.† Jody was nodding again, too. â€Å"Regrettably,† she echoed. â€Å"I see,† said the Emperor. They certainly seemed sincere. â€Å"Well, the sweater was considerate.† â€Å"My idea,† Jody said. â€Å"You know so he doesn't get chilled. It's actually my sweater. Tommy washed it and put it in the dryer, so it's a little too small for me.† â€Å"And don't think it was easy getting a cat that size into a sweater,† Tommy said. â€Å"It was like trying to dress a ball of razor wire. I'm cut to ribbons.† He pushed his sleeves up to expose his forearms, which were distinctly not cut to ribbons. They were, in fact, unmarked, if a little pale. â€Å"Well, good show, then,† the Emperor said, backing away. â€Å"The men and I will be on our way, then.† â€Å"Do you guys need anything, Your Majesty?† Jody asked. â€Å"No, no, we have been most fortunate this evening. Most fortunate indeed.† â€Å"Well, take care, then,† Jody said, even as the Emperor backed around the corner and headed up the street. She can be deceptively pleasant for a blood-drinking agent of evil, the Emperor thought. Bummer and Lazarus were almost out of sight, four blocks ahead. They had known, the rascals. The Emperor was disgusted with himself, leaving William there like that, at the mercy of the fiends. There was no telling what they might do, the two of them, but he felt fear chilling his spine and he couldn't make himself turn around. Perhaps they wouldn't hurt poor William. After all, they had been sweet children in life, both of them. And even in her current state, Jody had shown a certain quality of mercy by waiting until now to turn Tommy. Still, he had a city he was responsible for, and he could not shirk that responsibility. It was a long walk to the Marina Safeway, but he had to reach it before the night crew left. As knavish as they might be, they were the only people in his city who actually had experience hunting vampires. â€Å"Bite him,† Tommy said. He was standing over the huge cat guy, who had passed out again under the statue. Jody shook her head and shuddered. â€Å"He's filthy. Don't tell me you can't smell that.† Since she'd become a vampire, she'd only experienced nausea when she tried to eat real food, but she was nauseated now, despite the hunger grating in her core. â€Å"Here, I'll clean off a spot.† Tommy fished a tissue out of his coat pocket, licked it, and cleaned a spot on William's neck. â€Å"There. Go for it.† â€Å"Yuck.† â€Å"I bit the cat,† Tommy said. â€Å"You said yourself that you were starving.† â€Å"But he's hammered.† Jody said. She was taking little steps in place like a little kid who has to pee. â€Å"Bite him.† â€Å"Quit saying ‘bite him. I don't think of it like that.† â€Å"How do you think of it?† â€Å"I don't really think of it. It's sort of an animal thing.† â€Å"Oh, I see,† Tommy said. â€Å"Bite him before some cops come along and take him away and you miss your chance.† â€Å"Ewww,† Jody said, kneeling beside William. Chet the huge cat looked up at her from William's lap, then put his head down and closed his eyes. (Blood loss had mellowed him.) Jody pushed William's head aside and reared back with her mouth open wide as her fangs extended. She closed her eyes and bit. â€Å"See how easy that was,† Tommy said. Jody glared at him without letting go, her breath rasping through her nose as she fed. She thought, I should have hit him harder when I had the chance. Finally, when she felt she'd taken enough to sustain her, but not enough to hurt the huge cat guy, she pulled away, sat down, and looked up at Tommy. â€Å"You've got a little – † Tommy gestured to the corner of her mouth. She wiped her mouth with her hand, came away with a little lipstick and a little blood. She looked at William's neck. It's was sort of a dirt-gray color, with a white spot rimmed in lipstick. The punctures from her fangs had already healed, but the lipstick sort of stood out like a target. She reached over and wiped the lipstick off with her palm, then wiped her palm off on the huge cat's sweater. Chet purred. William snored. Jody climbed to her feet. â€Å"How was it?† Tommy asked. â€Å"How do you think it was? It was necessary.† â€Å"Well, I mean, when you used to bite me it was kind of a sexual thing.† â€Å"Oh, right,† Jody snapped. â€Å"I planned all this because I wanted to fuck the huge cat guy.† She was feeling a little light-headed for some reason. â€Å"Sorry. We should get him off of Market Street,† Tommy said, â€Å"before he gets robbed or arrested. He's got to have some of the money left. That much alcohol would have killed him.† â€Å"The hell do you care, writer boy? You shaved and ate his cat. Or was that a sexual thing?† She was definitely feeling light-headed. â€Å"That was a mutual – â€Å" â€Å"Oh, bullshit. Bite him. See how sexual it is. Get a taste of that down-home human hemoglobin goodness, Tommy. Don't be a wuss,† Jody said. Well, he was being a wuss. Tommy stepped back. â€Å"You're drunk.† â€Å"And you're being a wuss,† Jody said. â€Å"Wuss, wuss, wuss.† â€Å"Help me. Take his feet. There's a sheltered alcove over by the Federal Reserve building across the street. He can sleep it off there.† Jody bent to take the guy's feet, but they seemed to move as she reached for them, and when she corrected, she missed, and fell forward, catching herself so that she was on all fours with her ass in the air. â€Å"Yeah, that worked,† Tommy said. â€Å"How about you take Chet and I'll carry the huge cat guy?† â€Å"Whadever, Mr. Wussyman,† Jody said. Maybe she was a little tipsy. In the old days, prevampire days, she'd tried to stay away from alcohol, because it turned out that she was sort of an obnoxious drunk. Or that's what her ex-friends had told her. Tommy picked up Chet the huge cat, who squirmed as he held him out to Jody. â€Å"Take him.† â€Å"You are not the head vampire here,† Jody said. â€Å"Fine,† Tommy said. He slung Chet under his arm and, in a single movement, scooped up the huge cat guy and threw him over his shoulder with the other arm. â€Å"Careful crossing the street,† Tommy called back to her as he crossed. â€Å"Ha!† Jody said. â€Å"I am a finely tuned predator. I am a superbeing. I – † And at that point she bounced her forehead off a light pole with a dull twang and was suddenly lying on her back looking at the streetlights above her, which kept going out of focus, the bastards. â€Å"I'll be back to get you,† Tommy called. He's so sweet, Jody thought.

Free Essays on Sensoring Pornography On The Internet

Pornography is defined in Webster’s Dictionary as the description of erotic behavior (as in pictures or writings) intended to cause sexual excitement. The porn industry has grown by leaps and bounds over the years, and last year the industry grossed over 9 billion dollars. The majority of American citizens look down upon pornographic videos, books, magazines, and the Internet (the newest medium for pornography). â€Å"As with all other mediums, online draws its energy from the same two timeless topics, radical politics and sexual fantasy† (Van der Leun 36-37). People are going to see porn wherever they look in this world. Every newsstand has pornographic magazines. â€Å"Pornography, racist propaganda and violent computer games are available on the internet, just a mouse-click away from your child’s eyes† (Lloyd 39). The American government is now looking into censoring cyber porn. They feel that children are getting on the net and viewing pornogra phy on every web page that they visit. As any web surfer knows, this is untrue. A person has to look up porn; it won’t come to that person. There is a problem at hand, which is the censoring of the Internet. The Internet is now one of the main communicating tools of the world. Any person can find out how their favorite sports team is doing, check Olympic standings, read an online book, buy a set of golf clubs, or see Cindy Crawford nude. The question ids, should the U.S. government restrict the material on the Internet so young children cannot see those pictures? â€Å"Simply put, there are two opposing views on the issue. First, protectors of the First Amendment claim that any such restrictions would violate the fundamental American right to send and receive information. Many people, however, argue that measures designed to protect children should not be considered a threat to out constitutional rights† (Mertz 51-54). Parents are becoming concerned about the amount of Po... Free Essays on Sensoring Pornography On The Internet Free Essays on Sensoring Pornography On The Internet Pornography is defined in Webster’s Dictionary as the description of erotic behavior (as in pictures or writings) intended to cause sexual excitement. The porn industry has grown by leaps and bounds over the years, and last year the industry grossed over 9 billion dollars. The majority of American citizens look down upon pornographic videos, books, magazines, and the Internet (the newest medium for pornography). â€Å"As with all other mediums, online draws its energy from the same two timeless topics, radical politics and sexual fantasy† (Van der Leun 36-37). People are going to see porn wherever they look in this world. Every newsstand has pornographic magazines. â€Å"Pornography, racist propaganda and violent computer games are available on the internet, just a mouse-click away from your child’s eyes† (Lloyd 39). The American government is now looking into censoring cyber porn. They feel that children are getting on the net and viewing pornogra phy on every web page that they visit. As any web surfer knows, this is untrue. A person has to look up porn; it won’t come to that person. There is a problem at hand, which is the censoring of the Internet. The Internet is now one of the main communicating tools of the world. Any person can find out how their favorite sports team is doing, check Olympic standings, read an online book, buy a set of golf clubs, or see Cindy Crawford nude. The question ids, should the U.S. government restrict the material on the Internet so young children cannot see those pictures? â€Å"Simply put, there are two opposing views on the issue. First, protectors of the First Amendment claim that any such restrictions would violate the fundamental American right to send and receive information. Many people, however, argue that measures designed to protect children should not be considered a threat to out constitutional rights† (Mertz 51-54). Parents are becoming concerned about the amount of Po...

Bertrand Surname Meaning and Family History

Bertrand Surname Meaning and Family History A medieval French form of the given name Bertram, the Bertrand surname means bright raven, derived from the elements beraht, meaning bright or intelligent and hramn,  meaning raven. Bertrando is the Italian version of the surname. Bertrand is the 17th most common last name in France. Surname Origin: French Alternate Surname Spellings: BERTRAM, BERTRANDO Famous People with the Surname Bertrand Alexandre Bertrand -  French archaeologistJoseph Bertrand - French mathematicianAlexandre Jacques Franà §ois Bertrand  Ã‚  - French physician and mesmerist; father of Alexandre Bertrand and Joseph BertrandÉmile Bertrand - French mineralogist for whom bertrandite was namedAntoine de Bertrand - French Renaissance composerLouis Jacques Napolà ©on Bertrand (pen name  Aloysius Bertrand)  - French poet Where the Bertrand  Surname Is Most Common According to surname distribution from  Forebears, the Bertrand surname is most prevalent in France, where it ranks as the 21st most common last name in the country. Bertrand is also fairly common in Luxembourg, where it ranks 55th, as well as Belgium (107th) and Canada (252nd). It is almost twice as common today in the United States (ranked 2,667) as it was at the time of the 1880 census (5,258). Surname maps from  WorldNames PublicProfiler  demonstrate that the Bertrand surname is common throughout France, but is found in greatest numbers in the regions of Poitou-Charentes, Languedoc-Roussillon, Champagne-Ardenne, and Lorraine, as well as in nearby Wallonie, Belgium. Within the United States, Bertrand is, as you might expect, most common in Louisiana, while in Canada it is found in the greatest numbers in Quebec and the Northwest Territories. Genealogy Resources for the Surname Bertrand French Surname Meanings and Origins: Does your last name have origins in France? Learn about the various origins of French surnames and explore the meanings of some of the most common French last names.How to Research-French Ancestry: Learn about the various types of genealogical records available for researching ancestors in France and how to access them, plus how to locate where in France your ancestors originated.Bertrand Family Crest - Its Not What You Think: Contrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Bertrand  family crest or coat of arms for the Bertrand surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male-line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted.BERTRAND  Family Genealogy Forum: Search this popular genealogy forum for the Bertrand  surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Bertrand query.FamilySearch - BERTR AND Genealogy: Explore over 500,000  results from digitized  historical records and lineage-linked family trees related to the Bertrand surname on this free website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. DistantCousin.com - BERTRAND  Genealogy Family History: Explore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Bertrand.GeneaNet - Bertrand  Records: GeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Bertrand surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries.The Bertrand Genealogy and Family Tree Page: Browse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the Bertrand  surname from the website of Genealogy Today. References Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998.Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003.Hanks, Patrick, and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997.Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Understanding levers for organizational change the case of AB Ltd Essay

Understanding levers for organizational change the case of AB Ltd - Essay Example Whenever there is a change in the overall organizational strategy for success, it is followed by a significant change in the organization. These changes may be found in the operational management spectrum or in the total organizational culture itself. Such changes are bound to happen just as they happen in the case of any life cycle process. Under those circumstances it becomes the responsibility of the top management of the organisation to perceive the nature and methods of such changes and prepare the organization to meet the challenges of such changes.The changes are due to take place in any organization simply due to the passage of time where the organisation's life is longer and hence it may become necessary to introduce changes in the operating strategies and plans. This necessitates significant strategic practices in all functional areas of management. In order to make the change process successful it is important that the change leaders have a thorough understanding of the co ntext of change. This includes a thorough insight into the basic organizational systems and structures as well as the external environment in which the organisation is operating. Organizational context is created and renewed through tangible and concrete management actions. (Ghosal, S. and Bartlett, C. A. 1994) Unless the changes in the organisation are preceded by an in-depth analysis of the internal and external environments, any endeavour by the management to bring about changes may not produce the desired results. Thus an evaluation of performance of each link in the organization is an essential prerequisite for effecting the organizational change. Another equally important consideration while deciding on the changes in the organization is the impact of the external environmental forces on the effectiveness of the organizational performance. With this background this paper presents a report on the nature and methods of change management in the 2.0 Change Process in AB Limited The following is the change process as evidenced by the senior management in the case of AB Ltd. The process is identified through a series of interviews with the managers and team leaders of Change management in the Company. The description involves a detailed report on the change process being effected by the company. 3.0 Change Process The process of change being a complex in nature must be well planned so that the change process is accomplished without hurdles. The change process involves the following steps: Discovery Process - Making a case for organisational change Commitment from the top management Defining change strategy Alignment of change strategy with the overall business strategy Implementation of the change and Monitoring and refinement (Kaplan Consulting) 3.1 Discovery Process The first step in bringing about any changes in the organisation is to make a strong and airtight case for the introduction of such changes. In this step the change leaders may take the help of tools like (a) Online surveys conducted on various issues that may be the core change aspect (b) High impact interview protocols may also help effectively in the process (c) An analysis of the competitive environment of the business including the analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the competitors (d) Technique of benchmarking will also be one of the useful tools (e) A well defined assessment of the customers and suppliers may also lead to the identification of change areas (f) Gap analysis is another tool that helps in the identification of changes required in the organisation 3.2 Commitment from the Top Management It is vitally important that the top leaders are prepared intellectually and motivationally for the introduction of changes as they are the people, who have to pilot the change process, sell it among other organisational members and arrange for the deployment of the necessary resources. The steps involved in this process are