Ethical Brand Management Strategies for Fashion Industry

Ethical Brand Management Strategies for Fashion Industry Though brand management is not limited to the apparels and accessories it is very evident that fashion industry has given the word a turnaround over the years. From brand fanaticism to Brand loyalty Fashion Brands have the tendency to create a strong Brand identity amongst the minds of the consumers. Many of their brand management strategies have been successful. The global fashion industry is a giant in terms of the impact it has on economy, trade and commerce of many countries, the reach and importance of its products and the strength of its employment. Over the century, growth of the industry has been astonishing in terms of technology and revenue. The innovations had been rapid and growth exponential. Though origin of branding dates back to historical times, fashion industry is one of the industries which capitalized the most of a Brands strength. Fashion industry has a strong affinity to brand management, and most successful brand strategies like retailers Zara, Mark Spencer and Luxury designer brands like Louis Vuitton, Armani, Dior and YSL. The Brand strategy of most fashion brands revolve around the concept of differentiation of products, target customer group and building brand-consumer relationship from which is derived a Brand Personality and Identity of each brand. This identity carves a niche for the brand in the market. But there arise a few questions about this glamorous industries brand management strategy. Does a successful brand management strategy mean ethical Brand strategy? Does having a good turnover a year make a brand strategy successful? Can Ethics be inculcated in a brand strategy in an effective way? In the recent years a new concern has developed for the industries worldwide, the Ethics of business. The London fashion week, 2008 states that the fashion Industry has been caught on the issue of ethical and environmental clothing. Though researches have been made widely on Ethics and Business in most of the fields and industries very few initiatives had been made for the same in terms of brand management ethics and in particular context of Fashion and Apparel Industry. This Proposal aims in studying this less frequented topic of research yet growing concern of ethical consumerism in fashion industry, the requirements and processes involved for a brand to identify itself as a Holistic and authentic ethical brand. Scope of the Study Research Objectives, Questions and Hypotheses Research Objectives To study the brand management strategy of successful and powerful brands To understand the importance of Ethics as a critical factor for any brand strategy To analyze the effects of integrating ethics into the brand strategy and the implications of the relationship Research Questions What is a Brand strategy management? What are the successful brand strategies? What is business ethics? What is the need of Ethical Brand strategy? What are the implications of integrating ethical business and brand strategic management? Research Hypotheses Hypotheses 1 Strategic management is significant for a successful Brand Hypotheses 2 Business ethics has become an essential factor for competitive advantage of a brand Hypotheses 3 The relationship between brand management and business ethics can form an authentic ethical brand Literature Review of the Project This chapter aims to analyze the theory of the research project which is basically categorized into three broader topics of the research, namely Fashion Industry Brand Management strategy Business Ethics FASHION INDUSTRY Definition and History While fashion can be defined as the style or custom prevalent at a particular period of time adopted by the vast population in terms of clothing or behavior, it has been around from the time when people begun clothing. From 10,000 BC when men discovered a needle and loom to cloth themselves, through the Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilization where clothing got a religious meaning through the roman and Greek civilization where clothing was given an symbolization of beauty through the evolution of modern Elizabethan and Victorian era and finally to the era of influence of designers like Dior, Chanel to arrive at the Great Fashion era of today, Fashion has been ever evolving. Evolution But technically an industry for the same flourished only with the mark of Ready-to-wear invention around the beginning of 20th century. Till then tailors made cloths specific to a person, until when they found similarities of body forms of people they developed patterns which would fit more than one individual. Thus came in the Ready-to-wear garments. With the mark of 20th century the tailor shops were being turned into workshops to factories, where pattern drafting, bulk fabric cutting and sewing began. Industrial engineering and quality assurance were introduced as in other industries to yield greater quality and quantity of goods. During the era of industrial revolution the industry flourished. Thus evolved a billion dollar industry. With market being flooded with apparel products, the industry learnt the means of survival is differentiation. That is when the fashion industry started to adopt branding strategy for differentiation and creating particular identity of products that could be held in the minds of the consumers which would make them to buy the products repeatedly. Thus evolved fashion brand management strategy. Successful Fashion brands and brand philosophies Nike Just Do It The brand philosophy portrays grit, determination and passion. The products of Nike send the statement of a detached, determined, unsentimental attitude. Nike is synonymous with Cool LV Symbol of sophistication and style LV brand philosophy is tradition in combination with modernity LV products are Elegant, Practical, Prestige, Luxurious, Desirable, Stylish, Value-for-money, High-quality and Ever-lasting LV signifies Pride, Luxury and elegance Giorgio Armani Epitome of Luxury Fashion The brand founded and owned by the designer Giorgio Armani is a luxury line created by the designer catering top-notch clients with exemplary designs, style and materials that differentiates it from the regular luxury brands. The Brand Philosophy of Armani brands are based solely upon the founders personality and idea since the unique selling point of the brand is that it is Armanis! BRAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY Brand Definition According to the American Marketing Association (AMA), A brand is a name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers. But in a more generic definition it could be a means of differentiation a company has over their competitors who produce similar goods. For Example: Procter and Gamble produces dental tooth paste and so do Unilever. They both have to differentiate and offer some product for their customer base that would make them loyal to the company. Thus PG created Crest and Colgate brands of toothpaste and Unilever created the Pepsodent. The name is not the brand. But the logo, symbol, the product offering, the values on the whole is the brand a company creates. brands enable a buyer to easily identify the offerings of a particular company. Psychological perspective of brand From the psychological perspective a Brand is a perception held in the minds of the consumers. Perceptions are the psychological experience of humans. Hence a brand is actually the psychological experience or view a human has about what it has to offer to them. As Scott Bedbury, a leading branding consultant in his book titled, A Brand New World rightly states Brand has become psychological concepts held in the minds of the public, where they may stay forever Brand Strategic Management Strategic management in a Brand arena is the structured analysis, decisions and actions the brand takes in order to conjure the brand identity and value which gives the sustainable competitive advantage over its competitors. Decision Analysis Action Brand strategy is the foundation laid for the creation of the brand Identity which signifies the brand promise the customer expects. A brand strategy encompasses systematic planning at each stage of branding process. Right from Realizing the mission and vision of the company, Researching and defining the target customer segment, Zeroing on the Unique Selling Proposition of the company, Differentiating from competitors Giving a personality to the brand, developing brand values, Communicating the Brand values and brand promise to the customer Until Sustaining the Brand the strategic planning, decision making is termed as the brand strategy Management. The Zara Strategic Management Definition A firm to sustain in the current competitive market scenario should formulate and implement a value creating strategy, in order to achieve strategic competitiveness. Strategy is an integrated and coordinated set of commitments and actions designed to exploit core competencies and gain a competitive advantage. Strategic management process is the full set of commitments, decisions, and actions required for a firm to achieve strategic competitiveness and earn above-average returns. Zara has adopted what is termed as the integrated cost leadership and differentiation strategy. This strategy involves engaging in primary and support activities that allow a firm to simultaneous pursue low cost and differentiation. The Strategic Process Today a consumer has high expectations while purchasing a good or service. They demand low-priced yet differentiated products to suit their needs. To address these demands organizations engage in primary and support activities which will equip them to capitalize on both lower cost and differentiation. The objective of this strategy is to produce products of differentiated value efficiently. Efficient production provides cost leadership and the differentiation of products add unique value to it. The firms thus become strong in networking amongst the primary and secondary activities becoming competent. Zaras Strategic Process Zara has successfully adopted this strategy of cost leadership and differentiation to provide consumers with desirable fashion goods at relatively low prices. The sophisticated design team, effective managing of costs, flexible production system and total quality of management are the capabilities of Zara which gives it an strategic advantage over competitors ETHICS Definition While the world is facing the strength of business and commerce flourishing despite the economic slowdown, there is a silent movement amongst both the consumers and the organizations arousing concern for Ethical Business. Business ethics has now become the much debated topic not only because of its growing importance but also the complexity and difficulty in understanding and implementing them in a business. Human Beings have the power and ability to think and make a decision which other creations dont possess. This ability also comes with choices. And these choices require rational thinking. The humans thus should make the choice of which is right over wrong, using their knowledge, views and analytical skills. But the right and wrong are not explicit and requires tough decisions as the ethical decisions are not easy to make and demands more than what the individual or organization is ready to give. But such decisions are vital for the greater good of the organization, people and environment Evolution of Ethics Ethics is one of the few terms with no one fixed definition. It is an evolutionary concept. Its meaning and purpose is evolving as does the business. The following are the few views on ethics, The Initial definition for ethics was simple. Ethics was about doing right thing in context to morals, values and culture. This works for an individual who has personal instinct and acts according to that instinct. When it comes to an organizations perspective, defining what is the Right thing and whom or what should be the primary concern for ethical decisions the company, the shareholders, the stake holders or the whole society, ample questions arise. But inevitably men are greedy and as time progressed since 1960s various ethical issues arouse in business. From the Employee-employer relationship tensions, bribery, financial frauds and mis-management, human rights, transparency issues, environmental issues to the Intellectual property stealth and cyber crimes every issue has led onto a newer perspective and need for ethics in business. These needs were supported by various laws and codes passed on by the authoritative organizations. The developments include the earlier code of conduct and values established by companies, to the formation of ethics resource centre and corporate social responsibility movements and until the Sarbanes -Oxley Act of 2002 business ethics have fallen under strict scrutinization of these regulations. Need for Ethics Business ethics in text definition is The Principles, standards or rules that guide the organization and the organizers together in the business arena. The standards are the judging criterions for what is right or wrong and what is acceptable and unacceptable by the society at large. But various studies suggest that ethics is ever evolving phenomenon. From being Just doing the right thing to the standards and laws of judging the right thing now ethics has evolved to Business beyond profits and laws. Now Business ethics is about the Triple Bottom Line. Financial Social Environmental Ethics is now beyond just doing business without harming the society and environment. It is about doing business and also contributing to the society and environment from where they take resources for doing the business and also sell the end product or service. Thus the expectation is that while the business has growth there should also be the societal and environmental growth. This evolution of ethics gave rise to a new field in business namely the Corporate Social Responsibility. CSR is about an organization going beyond what is legal and makes most profit for the company to contributing and achieving societal benefits with interest of all stakeholders. ETHICAL BRAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY The New Concept While the business ethics is much debated and though complex organizations are trying to interpret and implement them in business. Research and studies are conducted in this field of business ethics. But unfortunately Brand management and integration of ethics into the foundation of branding still remains unobserved. The reason for the same could be many including the major misconception that branding is all about the powerful logo and name that enables organizations to sell products and rake profits. But that is only one part of the branding. The product branding is much regarded with importance that organization branding is overlooked. This study is to understand the importance of integrating ethics into organization branding and the strategic implementation of the same. Brands today have a powerful position in the minds of the consumer. The consumers associate themselves with the brand and studies claim that bran is a Personality in the minds of the consumer. This phenomenon leads to brand loyalty or in severe case to brand fanaticism. When brand has such importance amongst its consumers and has direct impact with its activities in society and environment, there is growing demand for Ethical brands. Case study: Apple Considering the Case of one of worlds powerful brand, Apple: Apple has a perceived personality of sophistication and uniqueness in the minds of its customers and the society. But a recently one of Apples supplier manufacturer have been found guilty for chemical poisoning of 49 employees and another supplier reported to have used child labor. Though Steve jobs of Apple claim that Apple is not responsible for the same, these reports highlight lack in ethical concerns in area of production of worlds popular devices. This might pose as a threat for the brand Image Apple has created over the years and its sustainability becomes questionable. Consumers have the access to information to realize Apples sophisticated product is an end result of unacceptable work environment and child labor. Then the Brand Personality in their minds might take a change. Thus to avoid such a situation it is not an option but a necessity for Ethical brand Management Strategies. The Ethical Approach Ethical brand is perceived as an oxymoronic term by business community at large. They are regarded as two contradictory terms put together. But the real sense in perceiving them is as two complementary words working in synchronization with each other. Both is of no use when the other is insignificant. While a typical Brand Strategy aims to Establish the brand values amongst customers Create Brand Identity and market position differentiating from competitors Create and sustain brand loyal customers To maximize profit by increased sales and expansion of brand These aims are basic and essential for any organization trying to establish and sustain a brand and make the organization profitable. But as the brand grows in size, power and financially, these aims are testified for their ethical commitments and that is when they flatter undoubtedly. The Ethical approach to the same brand strategy aims would possibly be, Establish the brand values amongst customers By not just stating the values but integrating those values at each and every stage of the organization. Brand values are promise made by the organization. Create Brand Identity and market position differentiating from competitors By competing fairly, without trying to override competition unethically at any means Create and sustain brand loyal customers Without fake promises, with transparency and sustainable brand practices. To maximize profit by increased sales and expansion of brand Without bringing about any harm to the environment, society and stake holders, and also contributing to the society and environment responsibly. The table does not follow any standard code of ethics but just a perspective in which the same aims can be redesigned for an ethical brand. ETHICAL FASHION BRANDS Fashion industry is undoubtedly ever flourishing industry not only because of its size and buzz but also since it produces one of the basic commodity for which there is a ever increasing demand: Clothing. Fashion Industry is characterized by Labor intensive, customer centric, fast changing trends, extensive raw material usage, and tedious manufacturing and marketing processes. Consumers of fashion brands are loyal followers of their brands. Be it high end fashion designer brands like Dior and Armani to the mass marketing fashion brand like Zara and MS, brand followers have very high expectation of their brands. From product quality to service these brands have to live upto their brand promise. With Globalization, a brands customers have access to informations of all forms. And the rising concern of the fashion consumer is not only about how cost efficient their clothes are but also how ethical are the clothes they wear? It has to be mentioned here that the same consumers who question about ethical status of the brands also demand lower costs of quality products. As discussed earlier in ethics there are always choices, whether to provide higher ethical products and the higher cost that accompanies it to make sustainable profits whether to give lower cost, lower ethical products and still make larger profit Unfortunately most fashion brands seem to have chosen the latter option which could be viewed as the immediate best solution for the brand and customers. But is the solution sustainable is the issue of the hour. Case of Ethical Brand Failure HM Originated in Sweden in the year 1947, HM now holds 2000 stores across the world. The brand has its own base of customers and promise them fashion and quality at the best price. The corporate social responsibility of HM as stated in their sustainability report which states style and substance encompasses most of the ethical issues of fashion industry. Their sustainability vision as stated is that they follow a strategy for the business operations which ensures financial, social and environmental sustainability. But recent reports claim otherwise, Financial Times has reported that HM clothings organic cotton claims are deceptive as a test conducted on these so called organic cotton fabrics reveal a outrageous amount of genetically modified cotton, (DNA modified cotton for better productivity and anti-pest properties). It is well known that there is worldwide outrage against genetically modified crops as their ill-effects surpass the benefits they possess. Many countries have banned the cultivation and use of genetically modified cotton as they possess unforeseen threats to the consumers health, environment and the society. Here is the case of HMs failed promise. Their sustainability vision has lost its application as they committed financial, social and environmental sustainability but the reports claim the opposite. GAP Gap, claiming to be the worlds largest specialty retailer, was founded by Doris and Don Fisher in the year 1969 with San Francisco as the base. They include array of brands namely Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta. Gap now operates 3100 stores worldwide. Interestingly GAP has dedicated a separate website for the cause of the Brands social responsibility and ethical practices. The Statements and claims are powerful and brings a positive aura about the brand. Gap states that they believe not only in the basics of ethical business practices but also to embrace a broader, deeper responsibility to people and the planet. The statement states that the brand stands up to care for the stakeholders, society and the environment at large and they make choices which bring no harm to them. They also ensure the GAP customer that every time a Gap product is purchased the consumer acknowledges a Brand which cares about people and planet. But the true depth of these statements becomes questionable when GAP is now caught in the middle of quality of the work environment GAP suppliers are subjecting their workers to. The Telegraph reports about child-labor in factories in India sewing GAP garments. The Saipan Islands of the pacific, Officially under US has a legal system for setting their own immigration system which facilitated garment manufacturers to bring in cheap labor from china and use labels stating Made in USA. The large Chinese owned garment factories bring in young female workers from china and mostly south-east Asia with assurance of good salary and work environment but contrastingly with sweat shop work environment. A critical analysis of what GAP has stated as their ethical policy is strikingly in contrast with these reports. If the ethics is as integrated into Gaps vision as they claim what could be possibly be the cause of these situations in factories supplying GAP clothing? The Need for Authentic Ethical Brand The cases of GAP and HM are just examples of ethical failures in Fashion Brand management. There are many other big brands associated with ethics failure the list including Nike, Abercrombie Fitch, Calvin Klein, Wal-Mart and more. These cases plainly illustrates these companies didnt lack a vision for sustainability. They had well-structured vision and mission for sustainable ethical strategy, but what they lacked was the implementation and monitoring of the same. It is also essential to begin this process right from the basics. That is ethics and brand strategy should integrate from the fundamental and progress upwards through all processes of the brand development. Research Methods This research proposal aims in laying the foundation for the detailed dissertation to follow on developing an ethical brand strategy framework for the fashion industry. The proposal aims in locating the problems of existing ethical strategies and their implementation and monitoring systems. RESEARCH FRAMEWORK Trend Analysis Design process Sampling DESIGN MERCHANDISE Ethical check point Ethical issue Ethical Solution Approved Rejected Scheduling resource allocation Supplier Analysis Raw material procurement Sampling PLAN SOURCE Ethical check point Ethical issue Ethical Solution Approved Rejected Garment Sewing Management Fiber to fabric monitoring Marketing Ads Management Sampling PRODUCE AND MARKET Ethical check point Ethical issue Ethical Solution Approved Rejected DISTRIBUTE Warehouse management Inventory Management Transportation to showrooms Ethical check point Ethical issue Ethical Solution Approved Rejected Floor planning VM Sales feedback Sales Trend analysis SALES, ANALYSE AFTER SALES Ethical check point Ethical issue Ethical Solution Approved Rejected Research Development Human Resource Management Administration SUPPORT ACTIVITIES Ethical check point Ethical issue Ethical Solution Approved Rejected PRODUCT OF AN AUTHENTIC ETHICAL BRAND The idea of the research framework Fig is to ensure the brand can be known to be practicing an ethical strategy if and only if code of ethics is integrated at each level of process flow of product development. Description of the framework The framework is structured to highlight six vital process categories for a brand to produce the end product. The categories include Design merchandise The design and merchandising is the first stage in a fashion brand process flow, as this where the product is conceptualized and given form. The trend analysis, feasibility of design, material selection, sampling and all merchandising coordination processes takes place at this stage. This is the mind work part of the fashion product development. Plan source Planning includes the pre-production scheduling, resource allocation, backward planning and ensuring commitments. Sourcing includes procurement of raw materials for the production process. This stage requires large supplier and buyer co-ordination and resource planning. Produce and market The apparel manufacturing is the most labor intensive of all levels of product development. However automated, the actual cut, sew and pack requires ample workforce management. Marketing is where the brand transports its values to the customers and involves PR Distribute The distribution is the most important of the supply chain activities, inventory and warehouse management of finished goods, allocation planning and transportation to the showroom. Sales, analyze after sales This is where the product is made into revenue through sales. The showroom management, floor planning, visual merchandising all enable shoppers trafficking the showroom while the sales analysts analyze the sales patterns and suggest on replenishment. The after-sales services and waste management of the Brands products are areas of concern. Support Activities The support activities form the backbone of the brand process flow, which includes the essential human resource management generating, training and maintaining workforce, research development bringing about new innovations for the brands portfolio and the general administrative department taking care of the overall functioning of the brand from conceptualization to customer care. The Ethical Checkpoint The research aims in finding the feasibility of having an ethical checkpoint at every stage of product development of an apparel brand. The purpose and functionality of the ethical checkpoint could be Aim To ensure only ethically sustainable products pass through different levels of brands production process. Process Each brand should define their own ethical standards and code of ethics to be followed at each level of the Brands product development. This code of ethics should be in compliance with both global and local ethics standards in accordance to the brands demography. The function of the ethical checkpoint is to ensure that at each level of process flow the ethical standards are met and if any ethical issues arise the suitable ethical solutions are arrived at before the product pass on to the next level of the process flow. In this way the product at each level is ensured to be sustainable. Thus the brand self-monitors itself for ensuring the sustainability promise it has made to its consumers End Result The end product is not just name sake ethical but holistically ethical made by ethical standards from the scratch to the finished goods stage. Positive Impact By adopting this strategy the brand not only ensures it stays committed to the people, planet and product but also they promote positive consumerism amongst their consumers. This is one of the possible frameworks of authentic ethical brand management strategy for the fashion industry. A descriptive framework for the ethical check point could be Ethical check point Ethical issue Ethical Solution Approved Rejected

Math And Owning A Restaraunt Essay -- essays research papers

Math is an essential asset in the business world. Without mathematics businesses wouldn’t be able to operate effectively. In order to run a restaurant math plays an important role in a lot of different areas. For instance the items on the menu may change due to the way it sells. Bookkeeping and math allow you to both figures out what items are profitable and what items are selling. The business world revolves around math, from profit and loss statements, to graphs, to taxes. Everything in business requires mathematics. Owning a restaurant is no different then any other field of business when it comes to math. The simplest things in a restaurant could not happen without math such as paying for your meal. Math is used to add up the total cost of a person’s bill as well as adding in the sales tax. More advanced math is used in the restaurant business as well. Using equations to determine what your business can afford to buy as well as the difference in the cost of the product and the profit it turns over is all determined by math. Jobs you might not even think require math do, such as portioning products or prepping food. When you are preparing food you need to measure amounts of ingredients and measurements are a form of mathematics. Wheatley-2 Keeping your books up to date requires math as well. When keeping records of your restaurant’s sales you can keep track of your busy periods to know when you are required to order more food or alcohol. Equations are ...

American History X Essay -- Film Movies Sociology

American History X American History X is clearly a film dealing with the social topic of racism. The interesting thing about this film is the way in which the subject is presented. First of all, it is obvious that, though racism is always a difficult subject to deal with, American History X presents it without any reservations or dummying down. Second, the film's figurehead for racism, Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton), is not an unintelligent redneck racist as films often portray them, but is in fact well-spoken, charismatic and bright, although he clearly holds ideals that are terribly wrong. Finally, the film shows that it is not only the white, neo-nazi racists who are fools for being involved in this, but all those who hold hatred in their hearts. Through these methods, the film instills this idea upon the viewer, in an extremely convincingly way, that hatred and racism will destroy a person and those closest to them. It is immediately revealed to the audience at the onset of this movie that there will be no holds barred and no playing down the realism of this intense racial hatred. When the film flashes back to the reason for Derek's incarceration, we see Danny, awoken by the sound of breaking glass, rush to wake up his brother and alert him that some black guys are trying to steal or wreck his truck. At hearing this, Derek immediately jumps out of bed, grabs a gun, and shoots one of them, wounds another, and fires at the third as he drives away. Then, in one of the most brutal scenes in film history, Derek forces the remaining, wounded man to put his face on the curb and Derek kicks the back of his head, smashing in the man's skull. This scene is a perfect example of cumulative causation, for it depicts the endless circl... ...ferred to comes at the end of the film, when a black student Danny had previously encountered and angered shoots him repeatedly. Derek, making a visit to the school, runs in to find that his worst nightmare had come true. His brother was dead, due to racist actions, and his life and the lives of his family will be changed forever for it. For an explanation unknown to anyone, some people are inclined to hating others. Motives may perhaps be because they are insecure of who they are, feel threatened by someone, or an explanation which no one has. This movie explains that a major reason why people hate is because they want to blame someone else for their misfortunes. It is always nice to put the responsibility on somebody else's shoulders. Hopefully in a near future people can begin to comprehend how foolish it is to hate all the time, and then start to love.

Age and Youth by William Shakespeare Essay

The poem â€Å"age and youth†, by William Shakespeare (born April 26th 1564 ? died April 23rd 1616) is one of his profound poems which was published in 1588. It is apart of a collection of numerous poems in â€Å"The Passionate Pilgrim†, ? Age and Youth being numeral XII. These various poems centre on the ideas of the early and late stages in life. More notably however his one sided perception on the two topics. â€Å"Youth† is cast as being the more favourable and several lines throughout the poem display this bias. â€Å"Youth is hot and bold, age is weak and cold†. â€Å"Youth like summer brave, age like winter bare† In fact the whole poem centers around the aforementioned topic (youth) being the more beautiful and aesthetically pleasing than barren and cold â€Å"old age†. Shakespeare’s themes in this particular poem are not unlike many of the others in â€Å"The passionate pilgrim†, the set of poems from which â€Å"age and youth† originates, with conventional themes such as love and beauty and the related motifs of time and mutability. Being a â€Å"continuation† of the previous poems in â€Å"The Passionate Pilgrim† it connects with his theme of addressing love and praise not to a woman but instead to a young man full of youth and vitality. â€Å"Venus, with young Adonis sitting by her Under a myrtle shade, began to woo him† The passionate pilgrim XI â€Å"My better angel is a man right fair† The passionate pilgrim II However â€Å"youth and age† is focused primarily on the topics previously stated (youth and age) but with respect to the young man in the previous poems of â€Å"The Passionate Pilgrim†. In effect the young man is immortalised by the poem thereby defying the destructiveness of time. This is one of the reasons behind this poem, to show how time destroys youth and beauty. â€Å"Youth is full of sport, age’s breath is short†. A number of poetic devices such as the juxtaposition of two complete opposites, the repetition of themes, the explicit imagery, metaphoric language and similes, just to name a few, have been used to convey these themes. â€Å"Youth like summer morne, age like winter weather†. A good example of the juxtaposition of age and youth as summer and winter, used intentionally to create an imagery of youth as being fertile, full of life and pleasant (as we would picture summer) and age being cold, dark and associated with death. Shakespeare has used this as though he is describing the lifecycle from birth (summer, youth) to death (winter, old age). In addition similes have been used as another technique showing the similarities between summer and youth and old age and winter. â€Å"Youth is nimble, age is lame†. Once again shows the simplicity of the poem and the theme Shakespeare is conveying to the reader. Metaphoric language is used here to define youth and age, it gives it an almost human quality as though youth and age can be imagined as two different people (i. e. personification). It is a very effective way of providing imagery for the reader. Other lines follow a similar pattern, â€Å"Youth is full of sport, age’s breath is short† again showing the vitality of youth and the frailty and finality of old age. The use of hyperbole as a technique is evident throughout the poem. Most of the lines have some form of hyperbole by using to greatly exaggerated extremes. â€Å"hot and cold†, â€Å"wild and tame,† â€Å"summer and winter,† â€Å"age and youth cannot live together†. All of these quotes exaggerate the characteristics of both age and youth and are important so there are no ambiguities between the two. They are as opposite as â€Å"hot and cold†. The use of masculine rhyme is present in the poem however it is not consistent throughout the whole poem. â€Å"Youth is full of sport, Ages breath is short, Youth is nimble, Age is lame Youth is hot and bold, Age is weake and cold. Youth is wild, and Age I s tame. † The repetition of youth and age gives it flowing rhythm and therefore rhyme is not necessary. Alliteration is used sparingly and not a strong technique in the poem. It is only used as a play on words, to humorously emphasise the initial consonants of the lines being read. â€Å"Age, I do abhor thee; youth, I do adore thee†. It is uplifting and gives the mood a somewhat flavour due to the alliteration being used. In brief the most focal and constant theme in the poem is the unwillingness to become old and the negative aspects of old age. â€Å"Age, I do abhor thee; youth, I do adore thee†. Youth is so vibrant and lively, a stark comparison to old age, an idea which Shakespeare stubbornly holds on to. â€Å"Age, I do defy thee: O, sweet shepherd, hie thee†. The melancholic mood of the poem expresses Shakespeare’s thoughtful sadness on growing old and the inevitability life and death. The poetic techniques effectively contrast how wonderful youth is and how lackluster and bleak we become as we get older. â€Å"Youth† is consistently depicted as being that of a young person with â€Å"age† being that of an old â€Å"lame† nearly dying man,† ages breath is short†.

Green Energy Essay

This is a serious issue in many countries and is harmful to humans’ and animals’ health, the environment and also increases pollution (Veziroglu 2007). Now, it is the time to face these problems by using clean energy such as solar, wind and water. Wagner & Mathur (2011) state that hydropower is the most efficient renewable energy, while Veziroglu (2007) claims that hydrogen is the key to the solution in the 21st century. Therefore, this essay will focus on energy sources water and hydrogen. The first part will analyse how to use water to produce a large amount of power in several ways. The second will discuss the effect of hydro energy. The third point will explain where hydrogen comes from and how to use it. The last section will describe the reason why many researchers and industrialists are interested in using hydrogen power. It is argued that using hydro power and hydrogen energy in many countries can decrease CO2 emissions that are the main cause of climate change and create an amount of clean energy, although these sources of energy have some negative impact and requires high investment costs. Hydro is a large natural resource that can be used to generate power in different ways. Hydro means water which is a significant power source to generate electricity. Destouni & Frank (2010) state that hydro-electric is a large resource, and it is more stable and reliable than other resources when they are compared. Additionally, the electric can be produced from water by using generator in many ways. Wagner & Mathur (2011) reveal that there are three ways which are river power plant, storage power plant and oceanic power plant. Firstly, they state that river power plants create power by the flowing and dropping of elevation of water. For storage power plants, they reveal that they generate electricity when the reservoir allows water to fall from natural resources such as Mountain Lake and artificial resources such as dam. For example, they point out that the biggest storage energy stations is the Three Gorges Dam in China which creates over 25 times more electricity than a coal-fired energy station on the basis of capacity. Secondly, another power plant uses water from the ocean such as wave, tide and the different temperatures of the sea to produce energy. Furthermore, hydro-energy is the main source of electricity in some countries. For instance, the percentage of using hydropower in Norway, Brazil and Canada are 99, 84 and 58, respectively (Wagner & Mathur 2011). In the future, the global product of hydro-electricity tends to be growth. Destouni and Frank (2010) suggest that it will increase around 20 percent by 2050 for decreasing the using of fossil fuel and carbon emission. Hydro energy has negative and positive sides that affect human lives. Firstly, all hydro power plants require a great amount of capital. Secondly, river plants produce small amounts of energy compared with other hydropower plants because this type does not use the full flow of the river, so the energy is not sufficient for many households. Thirdly, large dams could lead to floods in the cities which are situated lower than the dams because of overload caused by heavy rain or damage caused by earthquakes (Wagner & Mathur 2011). Moreover, hydro plants could impact on environment. For example, large dams can interrupt fish’s lives when fish try to swim upstream and deplete natural animal habitat for birds and ducks that have to move to another area as shown in the O’Shaughnessy Dam in the United State which destroyed some parts of Yosemite National Park. Moreover, over one million people were forced to move out their villages when China built the Three Gorges Dam project (National Geographic 2012). On the other hand, there are many advantages of hydro power plants. Wagner & Mathur (2011) indicate that storage power plants can generate large amount of energy, and when well managed can avoid flooding, and can provide water for farmers whenever they demand because the dams collect water all year. In addition, dams have the efficiency of controlling the water that can begin, stop and generate power immediately. Furthermore, the average cost to invest in this power is lower than the other sources, and it can be used longer than 50 years. For example, the plant in Darjeeling in India is installed in 1897 (Wagner & Mathur 2011). According to National Geographic (2012), hydropower is sustainable and clean source because of water cycle that water transforms to steam and come back to water again, and no greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide which pollute into the air so that it decreases impact on environment and reduce the causes of global warming. Another widespread renewable energy is hydrogen which is a basic source which can be produced from natural and artificial resources and can use in many kinds of industries for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Hydrogen is made from primary sources such as solar, nuclear, water and fossil fuel (Fig. 1). Edwards, Kuznetsov & David (2007) point out that a fuel cell is a device for generating electricity and recharging power by oxidation between hydrogen and oxygen from the air though electrodes and this process will continue until no fuel and air (Fig. 2). Therefore, many countries select hydrogen energy to solve climate change problems that are caused by the use of fossil fuel. For example, some countries which are interested in using hydrogen power are the United States and Japan who spend a lot of money investing in hydrogen energy projects both to decrease carbon emissions, and as an alternative power resource (European Commission 2003). Hydrogen energy and fuel cell have some pros and cons for decision to use in society such as vehicles, aerosol and stationary. The advantages of hydrogen power and fuel cell are cycling of water, low or zero carbon emission, high efficiency and power quality, and low noise. As a result, these advantages will reduce pollution and eliminate greenhouse gases which cause ozone layer depletion. Moreover, these systems are used in wide range such as hospitals, transport, and IT centres (Edwards, Kuznetsov & David 2007 and Veziroglu 2007). In transport, hydrogen energy has been used in transport because it provides good performance and high convenience such as smoothing and low noise, and also it is used for silent power of airspace and producing high levels of power for advanced soldier uniforms in military program. Furthermore, technology such as computers, telephone and radios also use hydrogen and fuel cell in recent year because it can provide long life batteries. However, it cost a great amount of money to hydrogen project and sometimes it can use in short time just thousands hours (European Commission 2003). In addition, Veziroglu (2007) reports that some process will produce other gases not only hydrogen such as nitrogen oxide group can cause global warming. In conclusion, the advantage of hydropower is providing the amount of energy that is sufficient for the requirements of every household, and the advantage of hydrogen energy is that it can be used in many industries such as cars and airplanes. Moreover, both of them, which are clean and sustainable energy systems, reduce carbon emissions. Furthermore, the cost of these kinds of energy will decrease as these systems become more prominent and will be used more widely in the future. Therefore, hydropower and hydrogen energy are likely to be used in the future to decrease the causes of climate change. Reference List Destouni, G & Frank, H 2010, ‘Renewable energy’, Ambio,  vol. 39, no. 1, pp. 18-21, viewed 1 December 2012, . Edwards, PP, Kuznetsov, VL & David, WIF 2007, ‘Hydrogen energy’, Philosophical Transactions: Mathematical, Physical, and Engineering Sciences, vol. 365, no. 1853, pp. 1043-1056, viewed 1 December 2012, . European commission 2003, Hydrogen energy and fuel cells: a vision of our future, European Communities, Luxembourg, viewed 28 November 2012, . National Geographic 2012, Hydroelectric energy, National Geographic Society, Washington, D. C. , viewed 28 November 2012, . Veziroglu, TN 2007, ‘21st century’s energy: hydrogen energy system’, in JW Sheffield ;  C Sheffield (eds), Assessment of hydrogen energy for sustainable development, Springer Netherlands, Dordrecht, pp. 9-31, viewed 23 November 2012, . Wagner, H ; Mathur, J 2011,  Introduction to hydro energy systems,  Springer, Dordrecht.

Night World : Huntress Chapter 11

Hey, Morgead!† the voice was shouting even as the door went slamming and crashing open, sticking every few inches because it was old and warped and didn't fit the frame anymore. Jez had jerked around at the first noise. The connection between her and Morgead was disrupted, although she could feel faint echoes of the silver thread, like a guitar string vibrating after it was strummed. â€Å"Hey, Morgead-â€Å" â€Å"Hey, you still asleep-?† Several laughing, raucous people were crowding into the room. But the yelling stopped abruptly as they caught sight of Jez. There was a gasp, and then silence. Jez stood up to face them. She couldn't afford to feel tired anymore; every muscle was lightly tensed, every sense alert She knew the danger she was in. Just like Morgead, they were the flotsam and jetsam of the San Francisco streets. The orphans, the ones who lived with indifferent relatives, the ones nobody in the Night World really wanted. The forgotten ones. Her gang. They were out of school and ready to rumble. Jez had always thought, from the day she and Morgead began picking these kids up, that the Night World was making a mistake in treating them like garbage. They might be young; they might not have families, but they had power. Every one of them had the strength to be a formidable opponent. And right now they were looking at her like a group of wolves looking at dinner. If they all decided to go for her at once, she would be in trouble. Somebody would end up getting killed. She faced them squarely, outwardly calm, as a quiet voice finally broke the silence. â€Å"It's really you, Jez.† And then another voice, from beside Jez. â€Å"Yeah, she came back,† Morgead said carelessly. â€Å"She joined the gang again.† Jez shot him the briefest of sideways glances. She hadn't expected him to help. He returned the look with an unreadable expression. â€Å". . . she came back?† somebody said blankly. Jez felt a twinge of amused sympathy. â€Å"That's right,† she said, keeping her face grave. â€Å"I had to go away for a while, and I can't tell you where, but now I'm back. I just fought my way back in-and I beat Morgead for the leadership.† She figured she might as well get it all over with at once. She had no idea how they were going to react to the idea of her as leader. There was another long moment of silence, and then a whoop. A sound that resembled a war cry. At the same instant there was a violent rush toward Jez-four people all throwing themselves at her. For a heartbeat she stood frozen, ready to fend off a four-fold attack. Then arms wrapped around her waist. â€Å"Jez! I missed you!† Someone slapped her on the back almost hard enough to knock her down. â€Å"You bad girl! You beat him again?† People were trying to hug her and punch her and pat her all at once. Jez had to struggle not to show she was overwhelmed. She hadn't expected this of them. â€Å"It's good to see you guys again,† she said. Her voice was very slightly unsteady. And it was the truth. Raven Mandril said, â€Å"You scared us when you disappeared, you know.† Raven was the tall, willowy one with the marble-pale skin. Her black hair was short in back and long in front, falling over one eye and obscuring it. The other eye, midnight blue, gleamed at Jez. Jez allowed herself to gleam back, just a bit. She had always liked Raven, who was the most mature of the group. â€Å"Sorry, girl.† â€Å"I wasn't scared.† That was Thistle, still hugging Jez's waist. Thistle Galena was the delicate one who had stopped her aging when she reached ten. She was as old as the others, but tiny and almost weightless. She had feathery blond hair, amethyst eyes, and little glistening white teeth. Her specialty was playing the lost child and then attacking any humans who tried to help her. â€Å"You're never scared,† Jez told her, squeezing back. â€Å"She means she knew you were all right, wherever you were. I did, too,† Pierce Holt said. Pierce was the slender, cold boy, the one with the aristocratic face and the artist's hands. He had dark blond hair and deep-set eyes and he seemed to carry his own windchill factor with him. But just now he was looking at Jez with cool approval. â€Å"I'm glad somebody thought so,† Jez said, with a glance at Morgead, who just looked condescending. â€Å"Yeah, well, some people were going crazy. They thought you were dead,† Valerian Stillman put in, following Jez's look. Val was the big, heroic one, with deep russet hair, gray-flecked eyes, and the build of a linebacker. He was usually either laughing or yelling with impatience. â€Å"Morgead had us scouring the streets for you from Daly City to the Golden Gate Bridge-â€Å" â€Å"Because I was hoping a few of you would fall off,† Morgead said without emotion. â€Å"But I had no such luck. Now shut up, Val. We don't have time for all this class-reunion stuff. We've got something important to do.† Thistle's face lit up as she stepped back from Jez. â€Å"You mean a hunt?† â€Å"He means the Wild Power,† Raven said. Her one visible eye was fixed on Jez. â€Å"He's told you already, hasn't he?† â€Å"I didn't need to tell her,† Morgead said. â€Å"She already knew. She came back because Hunter Red-fern wants to make a deal with us. The Wild Power for a place with him after the millennium.† He got a reaction-the one Jez knew he expected. Thistle squeaked with pleasure, Raven laughed huskily, Pierce gave one of his cold smiles, and Val roared. â€Å"He knows we've got the real thing! He doesn't wanna mess with us!† he shouted. â€Å"That's right, Val; I'm sure he's quaking in his boots,† Morgead said. He glanced at Jez and rolled his eyes. Jez couldn't help but grin. This really was like old times: she and Morgead trading secret looks about Val. There was a strange warmth sweeping through her-not the scary tingling heat she'd experienced with Morgead alone, but something simpler. A feeling of being with people who liked her and knew her. A feeling of belonging. She never felt that at her human school. She'd seen things that would drive her human classmates insane even to imagine. None of them had any idea of what the real world was like-or what Jez was like, for that matter. But now she was surrounded by people who understood her. And it felt so good that it was alarming. She hadn't expected this, that she would slip back into the gang like a hand in a glove. Or that something inside her would look around and sigh and say, â€Å"We're home.† Because I am not home, she told herself sternly. These are not my people. They don't really know me, either†¦. But they don't have to, the little sigh returned. You don't ever need to tell them you're human. There's no reason for them to find out. Jez shoved the thought away, scrunched down hard on the sighing part of her mind. And hoped it would stay scrunched. She tried to focus on what the others were saying. Thistle was talking to Morgead, showing all her small teeth as she smiled. â€Å"So if you've got the terms settled, does that mean we get to do it now? We get to pick the little girl up?† â€Å"Today? Yeah, I guess we could.† Morgead looked at Jez. â€Å"We know her name and everything. It's Iona Skelton, and she's living just a couple buildings down from where the fire was. Thistle made friends with her earlier this week.† Jez was startled, although she kept her expression relaxed. She hadn't expected things to move this fast. But it might all work out for the best, she realized, her mind turning over possibilities quickly. If she could snatch the kid and take her back to Hugh, this whole masquerade could be over by tomorrow. She might even live through it. â€Å"Don't get too excited,† she warned Thistle, combing some bits of grass out of the smaller girl's silk-floss hair. â€Å"Hunter wants the Wild Power alive and unharmed. He's got plans for her.† â€Å"Plus, before we take her, we've got to test her,† Morgead said. Jez controlled an urge to swallow, went on combing Thistle's hair with her fingers. â€Å"What do you mean, test her?† Td think that would be obvious. We can't take the chance of sending Hunter a dud. We have to make sure she is the Wild Power.† Jez raised an eyebrow. â€Å"I thought you were sure,† she said, but of course she knew Morgead was right. She herself would have insisted Hugh find a way to test the little girl before doing anything else with her. The problem was that Morgead's testing was likely to be †¦ unpleasant. â€Å"I'm sure, but I still want to test her!† Morgead snapped. â€Å"Do you have a problem with that?† â€Å"Only if it's dangerous. For us, I mean. After all, she's got some kind of power beyond imagining, right?† â€Å"And she's in elementary school. I hardly think she's gonna be able to take on six vampires.† The others were looking back and forth between Morgead and Jez like fans at a tennis match. â€Å"It's just as if she never left,† Raven said dryly, and Val bellowed laughter while Thistle giggled. â€Å"They always sound so-married,† Pierce observed, with just a tinge of spite to his cold voice. Jez glared at them, aware that Morgead was doing the same. â€Å"I wouldn't marry him if every other guy on earth was dead,† she informed Pierce. â€Å"If it were a choice between her and a human, I'd pick the human,† Morgead put in nastily. Everyone laughed at that. Even Jez. The sun glittered on the water at the Marina. On Jez's left was a wide strip of green grass, where people were flying huge and colorful kites, complicated ones with dozens of rainbow tails. On the sidewalk people were Rollerblading and jogging and walking dogs. Everybody was wearing summer clothing; everybody was happy. It was different on the other side of the street. Everything changed over there. A line of pinky-brown concrete stood like a wall to mark the difference. There was a high school and then rows of a housing project, all the buildings identically square, flat, and ugly. And on the next street beyond them, there was nobody walking at all. Jez let Morgead take the lead on his motorcycle as he headed for those buildings. She always found this place depressing. He pulled into a narrow alley beside a store with a dilapidated sign proclaiming â€Å"Shellfish De Lish.† Val roared in after him, then Jez, then Raven with Thistle riding pillion behind her, and finally Pierce. They all turned off their motors. â€Å"That's where she lives now; across the street,† Morgead said. â€Å"She and her mom are staying with her aunt. Nobody plays in the playground; it's too dangerous. But Thistle might be able to get her to come down the stairs.† â€Å"Of course I can,† Thistle said calmly. She showed her pointed teeth in a grin. â€Å"Then we can grab her and be gone before her mom even notices,† Morgead said. â€Å"We can take her back to my place and do the test where it's private.† Jez breathed once to calm the knot in her stomach. â€Å"Ill grab her,† she said. At least that way she might be able to whisper something comforting to the kid. â€Å"Thistle, you try to get her right out to the sidewalk. Everybody else, stay behind me-if she sees a bunch of motorcycles, she'll probably freak. But be ready to gun it when I pull out and grab her. The noise should help cover up any screams. Raven, you pick up Thistle as soon as I get the kid, and we all go straight back to Morgead's.† Everyone was nodding, looking pleased with the plan-except Morgead. â€Å"I think we should knock her out when we grab her. That way there won't be any screams. Not to mention any blue fire when she figures out she's being kidnapped-â€Å" â€Å"I already said how we're going to do it,† Jez cut in flatly. â€Å"I don't want her knocked out, and I don't think she'll be able to hurt us. Now, everybody get ready. Off you go, Thistle.† As Thistle skipped across the street, Morgead let out a sharp breath. His jaw was tight. â€Å"You never could take advice, Jez.† â€Å"And you never could take orders.† She could see him starting to sizzle, but only out of the corner of her eye. Most of her attention was focused on the housing building. It was such a desolate place. No graffiti-but no grass, either. A couple of dispirited trees in front. And that playground with a blue metal slide and a few motorcycles-on-springs to ride †¦ all looking new and untouched. â€Å"Imagine growing up in a place like this,† she said. Pierce laughed oddly. â€Å"You sound as if you feel sorry for her.† Jez glanced back. There was no sympathy in his deep-set dark eyes-and none in Raven's midnight blue or Val's hazel ones, either. Funny, she didn't remember them being that heartless-but of course she hadn't been sensitive to the issue back in the old days. She would never have stopped to wonder about what they felt for human children. â€Å"It's because it's a kid,† Morgead said brusquely. â€Å"It's hard on any kid growing up in a place like this.† Jez glanced at him, surprised. She saw in his emerald green eyes what she'd missed in the others; a kind of bleak pity. Then he shrugged, and the expression was gone. Partly to change the subject, and partly because she was curious, she said, â€Å"Morgead? Do you know the prophecy with the line about the blind Maiden's vision?† â€Å"What, this one?† He quoted: â€Å"Four to stand between the light and the shadow. Four of blue fire, power in their blood. Born in the year of the blind Maiden's vision; Four less one and darkness triumphs.† â€Å"Yeah. What do you think â€Å"born in the year of the blind Maiden's vision' means?† He looked impatient. â€Å"Well, the Maiden has to be Aradia, right?† â€Å"Who's that?† Val interrupted, his linebacker body quivering with interest. Morgead gave Jez one of his humoring-Val looks. â€Å"The Maiden of the Witches,† he said. â€Å"You know, the blind girl? The Maiden part of the Maiden, Mother, and Crone group that rules all the witches? She's only one of the most important people in the Night World-â€Å" â€Å"Oh, yeah. I remember.† Val settled back. â€Å"I agree,† Jez said. â€Å"The blind Maiden has to be Aradia. But what does the ‘year of her vision' mean? How old is this kid we're snatching?† â€Å"About eight, I think.† â€Å"Did Aradia have some special vision eight years ago?† Morgead was staring across the street, now, his eyebrows together. â€Å"How should I know? She's been having visions since she went blind, right? Which means, like, seventeen years' worth of 'em. Who's supposed to tell which one the poem means?† â€Å"What you mean is that you haven't even tried to figure it out,† Jez said acidly. He threw her an evil glance. â€Å"You're so smart; you do it.† Jez said nothing, but she made up her mind to do just that. For some reason, the poem bothered her. Aradia was eighteen now, and had been having visions since she lost her sight at the age of one. Some particular vision must have been special. Otherwise, why would it be included in the prophecy? It had to be important. And part of Jez's mind was worried about it. Just then she saw movement across the street. A brown metal door was opening and two small figures were coming out. One with feathery blond hair, the other with tiny dark braids. They were hand in hand. Something twisted inside Jez. Just stay calm, stay calm, she told herself. It's no good to think about grabbing her and making a run for the East Bay. They'll just follow you; track you down. Stay cool and you'll be able to get the kid free later. Yeah, after Morgead does his little â€Å"test.† But she stayed cool and didn't move, breathing slowly and evenly as Thistle led the other girl down the stairs. When they reached the sidewalk, Jez pressed the starter button. She didn't say â€Å"Now!† She didn't need to. She just peeled out, knowing the others would follow like a flock of well-trained ducklings. She heard their engines roar to life, sensed them behind her in tight formation, and she headed straight for the sidewalk. The Wild Power kid wasn't dumb. When she saw Jez's motorcycle coming at her, she tried to run. Her mistake was that she tried to save Thistle, too. She tried to pull the little blond girl with her, but Thistle was suddenly strong, grabbing the chain-link fence with a small hand like steel, holding them both in place. Jez swooped in and caught her target neatly around the waist. She swooped the child onto the saddle facing her, felt the small body thud against her, felt hands clutch at her automatically for balance. Then she whipped past a parked car, twisted the throttle to get a surge of speed, and flew out of there. Behind her, she knew Raven was snagging Thistle and the others were all following. There wasn't a scream or even a sound from the housing project. They were roaring down Taylor Street. They were passing the high school. They were making it away clean. â€Å"Hang on to me or you'll fall off and get hurt!† Jez yelled to the child in front of her, making a turn so fast that her knee almost scraped the ground. She wanted to stay far enough ahead of the others that she could talk. â€Å"Take me back home!† The kid yelled it, but not hysterically. She hadn't shrieked even once. Jez looked down at her. And found herself staring into deep, velvety brown eyes. Solemn eyes. They looked reproachful and unhappy-but not afraid. Jez was startled. She'd expected crying, terror, anger. But she had the feeling that this kid wouldn't even be yelling if it hadn't been the only way to be heard. Maybe I should have been more worried about what she'll do to us. Maybe she can call blue fire down to kill people. Otherwise, how can she be so composed when she's just been kidnapped? But those brown eyes-they weren't the eyes of somebody about to attack. They were-Jez didn't know what they were. But they wrenched her heart. â€Å"Look-Iona, right? That's your name?† The kid nodded. â€Å"Look, Iona, I know this seems weird and scary- having somebody just grab you off the street. And I can't explain everything now. But I promise you, you're not going to get hurt. Nothing's going to hurt you-okay?† â€Å"I want to go home.† Oh, kid, so do I, Jez thought suddenly. She had to blink hard. Tm going to take you home-or at least someplace safe,† she added, as honesty unexpectedly kicked in. There was something about the kid that made her not want to lie. â€Å"But first we've got to go to a friend of mine's house. But, look, no matter how strange all this seems, I want you to remember something. I won't let you get hurt. Okay? Can you believe that?† â€Å"My mom is going to be scared.† Jez took a deep breath and headed onto the freeway. â€Å"I promise I won't let you get hurt,† she said again. And that was all she could say. She felt like a centaur, some creature that was half person and half steel horse, carrying off a human kid at sixty miles an hour. It was pointless to try to make conversation on the freeway, and Iona didn't speak again until they were roaring up to Morgead's building. Then she said simply, â€Å"I don't want to go in there.† â€Å"It's not a bad place,† Jez said, braking front and back. â€Å"We're going up on the roof. There's a little garden there.† A tiny flicker of interest showed in the solemn brown eyes. Four other bikes pulled in beside Jez. â€Å"Yeeehaw! We got her!† Val yelled, pulling off his helmet. â€Å"Yeah, and we'd better take her upstairs before somebody sees us,† Raven said, tossing her dark hair so it fell over one eye again. Thistle was climbing off the back of Raven's motorcycle. Jez felt the small body in front of her stiffen. Thistle looked at Iona and smiled her sharp-toothed smile. Iona just looked back. She didn't say a word, but after a minute Thistle flushed and turned away. â€Å"So now we're going to test her, right? It's time to test her, isn't it, Morgead?† Jez had never heard Thistle's voice so shrill-so disturbed. She glanced down at the child in front of her, but Morgead was speaking. â€Å"Yeah, it's time to test her,† he said, sounding unexpectedly tired for somebody who'd just pulled off such a triumph. Who'd just caught a Wild Power that was going to make his career. â€Å"Let's get it over with.†

Interview of Music Teacher on the Importance of Music Programs

I had the distinct privilege and pleasure of interviewing Ms. ABC, Elementary School Music Teacher at ABC School. This interview is a true testament to the challenges educator’s face in today’s music classrooms. Music teachers are faced with diverse classrooms filled with children who have different learning styles and varying ability levels; therefore, certain issues will arise relative to the diversity. I am extremely grateful to Ms. Liza Smith for supporting me with this interview.Why is music important? When educational cuts are made, music and art are amongst the first subjects to go. Unfortunately, it means that parents, educators and even board members are overlooking each subject`s importance. Music education is more than just introducing students to beats, notes and songs. Instead, it completely transforms a child`s mind and opens up endless possibilities to their learning potential. Why is music education important? Music is a magical gift we must nourish and cultivate in our children, especially now as scientific evidence proves that an education in the arts makes better math and science students, enhances spatial intelligence in newborns, and let's not forget that the arts are a compelling solution to teen violence, certainly not the cause of it! † Is music learning underrated? Music is something with affects the mind, body and spirit, but yet its importance is often underrated, especially when it comes to the educational benefits of which there are many.With the ability to influence behavior, social skills, sensitivity and general achievement, music can have positive effects on many aspects of life. In children, music education is important as it promotes a desire to persevere and succeed, as well as having a whole range of other benefits. There is some evidence to suggest that through involvement with music, children have the opportunity to fine-tune their listening skills and consequently their comprehension. Both skills can b e applied to other academic subjects and can help students with problem-solving and concentration.Music uses both sides of the brain, so any participation will enhance learning and challenge the mind. Should Music and the Arts be used to teach other academic subjects? While studies show positive influences in other academic areas, music and the Fine Arts are an academic discipline that are, as the other academics, an independent way of learning and knowing. Reading, writing, and mathematics are important and all students should be successful in those areas, however none of those academic areas justify their existence on the basis of what is accomplished for another area. Each academic discipline is important for a well-rounded curriculum.Music and Fine Arts are an academic area of study equal to reading, writing, mathematics and science. Should the study of Music and the Fine Arts be available to all students? Where music and Fine Arts programs have been eliminated because of fundin g difficulties, students have been deprived of a significant opportunity of learning and knowing about the world around them. All students should be able to â€Å"elect† to study music and the Fine Arts in depth at the secondary level. All students should have the opportunity to study music at the elementary level in a systematic, meaningful way.If music and the Fine Arts are reserved for only wealthy schools or communities, a cultural â€Å"elite† will be created, which also creates a significant distinction of social class. Music and the Fine Arts should not only be available to those children of wealthy parents who can purchase private tutors or subsidize public schools with donations to sustain public school programs, but also to students of average or low socio-economic areas. How should Music and the Fine Arts fit into the educational curriculum? The school curriculum should be designed to deliver more than a minimal education to students.Music and Art should be taught at every elementary school in a regular and systematic way. Music and all Fine Arts should be considered â€Å"academic electives† in secondary schools and available to all students on a multi-year basis to allow adequate time for skills to develop sufficiently for informed decisions about college programs and career choices. All academic electives, including Music and Fine Arts, should count towards entrance requirements in colleges and universities. All students graduating from public schools should have received at least one credit in Fine Arts.All colleges and universities should require one Fine Arts credit for admission. In closing it is my belief that we as music educators, must take the lead in sharing this information with the people that can make the difference in the future; school boards, administrators, parents, and legislative representatives. We must advocate for the arts. It is vital that we become proactive in our support of the arts. By reviewing the studies involving music we have found that participation in school music has a positive impact on areas considered outside the realm of music.As more people become aware of the research in this area, we should see increased enrollments in arts classes. The use if the arts throughout the curriculum, as a tool for better learning is an area that will expand. With dropout rates being so high, educators need to combine resources and to use the tools available for a more effective method of education. I feel that the arts will play a major roll in the future success of the education system. Don't stand on the sidelines and watch the profession dwindle away. Get involved and help it grow.