Unit 5 Biology - 1810 Words

39) Name the specific type of plant tissue or cell that performs the following functions: a) waterproofing the surface layer Endodermos b) rapidly dividing into new cells Mitosis c) transporting sugars throughout the plant Phloem 40)Maple syrup is produces from the sap moving in the xylem of maple trees in the early spring. How would taking too much sap in the spring harm the maple tree? That sap is an energy store to give it a strong start in spring. If you take too much, that is less energy for the tree to use. 41) A number of plants are currently being stydies for use in cleaning up land sites contanining toxic substances. a)name the technique of using plants for this purpose Phytoremediation†¦show more content†¦b)self-pollination Would always result in the same type of plant, but higher chance of survival because it can reproduce by itself rather than having to have other plants around. 50) 51) A botanist wanted to see if a new strain of corn could germinate in soil that was too salty for regular corn. She conducted a study on the germination success of seeds from the new strain that were exposed to various levels of salty soil, from zero to normal (100mg/L) to high (200 mg/L) to very high (400 mg/L) to normally lethal (800 mg/L) a) Write a formal hypothesis for this study. b) Does her data support or reject the hypothesis? Explain. If the answer is love then corn definitely doesnt love normally lethal concentrations :). On a more serious note: Lets say a valid hypothesis will be: The new strain of corn is able to germinate successfully and tolerate salt concentrations which are normally lethal for regular corn plants. Now, in order to actually measure this hypothesis, you would need results for salt tolerance of regular corn as well because only with these results you dont have anything to compare it against. 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Rhythmic Gymnastics - A Combination of Athleticism and Grace

Rhythmic Gymnastics - A Combination of Athleticism and Grace If, in six years time, I were to become a successful Hollywood screenwriter and was commissioned to write a screenplay about women in sports, I would have a hard time deciding what to write about. There are currently so many sports that women participate in that I cannot image what will be available in the future. Out of all the athletic activities in which women participate, I feel that gymnastics has been overlooked by Hollywood; therefore, I would most likely make a film based on that. I happen to be a fan of rhythmic gymnastics, and would like to see it gain more popularity in the United States. Rhythmic gymnastics is an amazing combination of athleticism and grace.†¦show more content†¦While this elegant sport is embraced across Europe and into Asia, the United States has shown little enthusiasm for rhythmic gymnastics. In my screenplay, I would choose to follow a rhythmic gymnastics team composed of high school girls. High school girls are the ones who would be competing in championships, and this movie would hopefully cause attendance of said meets to increase. I would write the script so that the movie would not get anything higher than a PG-13 rating. This would ensure that the majority of the population could go see the movie, and could bring their young children to enjoy it as well. Allowing young children to view the movie could increase interest in the sport from a younger age (as most rhythmic gymnasts start when they are very young). Out of the entire cast of women, I would pick a single protagonist to focus on. For the sake of the movie, she would most likely be the team captain – someone who is more experienced and has a better chance of winning in competition. People like to watch movies with successful conclusions, therefore the team that the movie followed needs to be able to win at the end. Therefore, it makes sense that the main character be of the top athletes. As for the issues that the movie would address, a few of the more prominent ones would be: women as competitive athletes, body image issues, athletic events

Frankenstein By Mary Shelley Story Essay Example For Students

Frankenstein By Mary Shelley Story Essay In the story Frankenstein, written by the author Mary Shelley, VictorFrankenstein decided that wanted to create a being out of people that werealready dead. He believed that he could bring people back from the grave. Playing with nature in such a way would make him play the role of God. WithVictor Frankenstein feeling that he had no true friends, the only relief he hadof expressing his feeling was through letters to Elizabeth. Elizabeth was notVictors true sister but he loved her very dearly, making sure to always writeher when ever he had the chance. Yet, when Victor left something strange cameover him. Already being interested in subjects such as natural philosophy andchemistry, he fall upon the question of how to bring someone back to life. Hebecame very involved in this project and worked on it for days on end. Theproject had to do with defying the laws of nature. Victor believe wholeheartedlythat he could bring the dead back to life. He felt that the dead were not readyto die and they were just resting. Victor became so self absorbed into hisproject that he seem to forget all that was important to him. He even disengagedhimself from all the people he loved in his life. People like his father ,Elizabeth, and other loved ones. Victor began to write less and less. Yet, itwas not until Elizabeth got a discouraged letter from Victor, did his love onesstart to wary about him. Though, the letter was full of words, it gave no reliefto Elizabeth, because the words meant nothing to her. However, they meant a lotto Victor, because he felt the project in which he was working on was soimportant to him, in his own delirious world. He felt that with bring peopleback to life he would not only better man kind, but also establish a name forhimself. With this type of attitude, he did not even take into considerationthat he might make the world a worse place. This part in the story shows theirony. The irony being that Victor Frankenstein feels he is doing something goodfor the world, but we later find out just how bad this creation could be. ThoughElizabeth wanted to pull Victor away from his project, he was unwilling to leaveuntil it is complete. After Victor found how to bring his creati on to life, healso found out just how evil his invention could be. His creation was strong andevil. With the escape of the monster, Victor Frankenstein had to come torealization of what his creation might do and the consequences thatFrankenstein, himself would have to deal with. With the murder of his brotherweighing the guilt on his shoulders, Frankenstein know he had to do something. So he went looking for the monster. Upon their meeting each other, the monsterconfessed that when he found out that William as Victors brother he killedhim. He then proceeded to tell him that he killed his brother due to the factthat he was trying to get back at his creator for bringing him to life andallowing him to be an out cast in society. This killing prove to Victor that themonster did not know right from wrong or how to cope with his anger. Thisaggression made Frankensteins creation violent. While talking with the monster,the monster demanded from Frankenstein to create a partner that he could be ableto live with away for society. At first, agreeing to the demand, but laterrealized that if his first creation came out to be a killer so could the secondone. With this in mind Frankenstein revoked his agreement and decided againstcreating another monster. Though, knowing that this decision could be dangerousto him and his loved ones. Yet, he had to think of what was truly best for mankind. Bringing the dead to life or saving the lives of the living. Another peaceof irony in this story is, just like Victor Frankenstein who had no friends andwas different from the rest of society so was the monster. Also, whenFrankenstein decided to play God and bring the dead to life, his creation tookon the same role when he decided to take away some ones life. All in all, bothFrankenstein and his creation had some of the same behaviors and both were goingto die themselves and be lonely meanwhile. .uc2a68bea9a66fd49724c7d99abe32346 , .uc2a68bea9a66fd49724c7d99abe32346 .postImageUrl , .uc2a68bea9a66fd49724c7d99abe32346 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uc2a68bea9a66fd49724c7d99abe32346 , .uc2a68bea9a66fd49724c7d99abe32346:hover , .uc2a68bea9a66fd49724c7d99abe32346:visited , .uc2a68bea9a66fd49724c7d99abe32346:active { border:0!important; } .uc2a68bea9a66fd49724c7d99abe32346 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uc2a68bea9a66fd49724c7d99abe32346 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uc2a68bea9a66fd49724c7d99abe32346:active , .uc2a68bea9a66fd49724c7d99abe32346:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uc2a68bea9a66fd49724c7d99abe32346 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uc2a68bea9a66fd49724c7d99abe32346 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uc2a68bea9a66fd49724c7d99abe32346 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uc2a68bea9a66fd49724c7d99abe32346 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uc2a68bea9a66fd49724c7d99abe32346:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uc2a68bea9a66fd49724c7d99abe32346 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uc2a68bea9a66fd49724c7d99abe32346 .uc2a68bea9a66fd49724c7d99abe32346-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uc2a68bea9a66fd49724c7d99abe32346:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Identify And Discuss The Elements Of Romanticism As Given Expression I EssayBook Reports

Teenagers Lifestyle free essay sample

Teenagers prefer to spend free time in front of a computer rather than to walk, play football or go to a swimming pool. Moreover, games transfer them into the world which doesn’t exist. It is very exciting for the youth. They meet with friends in such places as McDonalds. Teens eat there unhealthy food. They eat too much fast food. Every teenager needs a balanced diet, appropriate personal hygiene and physical activities in the fresh air, for example, playing a ball, going running, swimming, driving on the bicycle, playing in tennis or walking. This should be for them more interesting than sitting for hours in front of a computer or TV because such a mode of life leads to the improvement of mood, health and physical shape.. Young people choose less healthy kinds of entertainment than sport, putting away bicycles in the corner. They eat too much fast, unhealthy food, which is very fatty and drink too many sugary drinks. We will write a custom essay sample on Teenagers Lifestyle or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This leads to obesity. However, nowadays young people, especially girls, allow themselves to grow fat, or torture themselves with diets, which leads to various diseases with physical basis like anorexia and bulimia. Young people must not give up food, especially breakfasts because skipping breakfast is a frequent cause of fainting which can cause frequent complications and even leads to death. It is crucial to limit the amount they eat, but only in a reasonable way, if at all possible after the consultation with the dietician. Young people have to remember, that a healthy lifestyle requires appropriate nourishment, but they also must not forget about personal hygiene. Personal hygiene plays a very important role in healthy lifestyle. It should be an indispensable element in the life of every young man. Its task is the maintenance and strengthening of health. Notable part of young people think that taking a shower once a week, wearing sweaty clothes and splashing over them with a deodorant is proper, but it is not. For example, before a young man goes to bed, he should develop a habit of not being able to fall asleep without having a bath first. Everyday toilet will prevent skin diseases as complexion of every person requires systematic nurturing: washing in soft water, abrasion, creaming and protecting before diseases. Therefore personal hygiene institutes an important part of healthy lifestyle and it cannot be skipped, just like physical activity. Physical activity has a large influence on young people lifestyle. Physical activity improves health condition in various ways. It helps the organism to utilize the calories better, which helps to maintain a desirable weight. Physical activity reduces the appetite and helps in the reduction of the fatty mass of the body. The beneficial influence of physical activity on health mood does not raise any doubts any more. The research reveals that regular training among the youth( and not only, but also by people at any age) is an important factor improving the health. However, too little popularity of psychical activities among the young people is a huge problem. It is a frequent and more and more general problem and causes various diseases such as: heart failure, lungs deficiency, spine problems etc. Here is a list of advantages of physical activity: †¢ reduces the risk of heart diseases †¢ protects before the osteoporosis, †¢ burning the calorie intensifies, †¢ favours the masses of the body to lowering and maintenance of the desirable weight, †¢ leads to the growth of the basic transformation of the matter, †¢ reduces the appetite †¢ helps in the reduction of the fatty mass of the body. Thanks to these useful tips, we can easily build the whole strategy of the healthy lifestyle in order to effectively fight with overweight and obesity. To get rid the excess of fat, we can cultivate different kinds of the sport, depending for age, sex or interests. However you should remember about warning of several principles so that our effort brings desirable results and does not harm our health. Another aspect worth mentioning is communication via the Internet, especially instant messaging, has become an essential feature of teens’ social lives. Teenagers say, that this can be very helpful to communicate, learn and can be fun. Through the Internet they can download music and other files and play on-line games, for example, with their real or virtual friends. What is more, cellulars are very popular among teenagers and can be used to do a lot of things: we can communicate with friends using them, have a nice time playing games, listen to music and also watch films. For a lot of young people mobile phones are indispensable and they simply cannot imagine life without them. Teenagers’ clothes in the twenty-first century have also changed a lot. The clothes they wear depend on current trends since it is important to follow fashion. School uniforms aren’t so popular today like in the past. Girls more often wear jeans than skirts, boys wear wide sweatshirts and trousers. The fact is that nowadays teens get dressed in clothes which are comfortable for them. All in all, it can be stated that the lifestyle of teenagers depends on many factors. It is connected with the constant development which is taking place and as a result is different from the lifestyle of young people in the past. Every young man should lead a healthy lifestyle independently of age or interests. This should be one of the things that you do every single day. According to many scholars that is the liability of every man, and everyone should try to take the advantage of this life the best he or she can. Young people should be aware of positive influence of healthy lifestyle on health and mood. This in effect would give them better results in studying and what is more important they would be pleased with good health much longer.

Marketing Strategy of Mcdonalds Essay Example

Marketing Strategy of Mcdonalds Paper Introduction: McDonalds is one of the biggest fast food companies in the market share today. It has been running in over 119 countries, as well as they have acquired over 31,000 restaurants in the world now. McDonald’s brand mission is to be customers’ favourite place and way to eat, they are aligned around a global strategy called the ‘Plan to Win’, they also committed to continuously improving their operations and enhancing their customers’ experience. As we all know that McDonald’s had successfully achieved their goal through out the years. (aboutmcdonald’s, 2012) Apart from this, as McDonald’s is a worldwide company, they also had the social responsibility to return the community; therefore, the ‘Ronald McDonald House Charities’ was established to build up their social image. Unfortunately, the market share is not only for McDonalds because there are still a lot other competitors in the market, like KFC and Burger King. So, McDonalds need a good marketing strategy to conquer other enemies and retain their position because the competition in the market is hypercompetitive. As all we know, the successful marketing strategy for McDonalds is based on their innovative and creative promotion and great marketing research in order to keep consumer’s loyalty. Eventually, this project will examine the success through three main sessions, which are marketing research, the marketing mix and the competitor strategies. Marketing Research: We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing Strategy of Mcdonalds specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing Strategy of Mcdonalds specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing Strategy of Mcdonalds specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Every marketing strategy starts with the marketing research. In the fast food market, McDonald’s confronts competition form other businesses, in order to maintain the market share, McDonald’s needs to identify the needs and wants of customers, and creating the right marketing mix in order to keep customers’ loyalty so as to build up a long term relationship with their customers. Marketing research helps identifying the change of customers’ wills and anticipates how the changes will affect the sales figure. 1. Research method Market researches done by McDonald’s consider everything that affect buying decisions. (The times 100, 2012) The buying decisions could be affected by a wide range of factors, including psychological factors, like ‘what image does the product give’ or ‘how the consumer feels when purchasing’. Next, the economy changes could also affect the buying decisions, for example, the rising living standards. According to Salvam (2009), McDonald’s used both qualitative and quantitative data are developed in the research activities. After McDonald’s had collect the data, they will identify how appropriate the company’s products are for the future; the quality of employees and how well trained they are to offer the best services to customer and the financial resources that available for marketing etc. 2. Customer satisfaction The number of customers in the market is limited; it is essential to retain people once they have become customers to build long-term and successful business. The marketing research helps McDonald’s to indentify the types of customers and determine the type of products and services offered, price range, promotion strategies and even where the restaurants located. The ‘Happy Meal’ is one of the famous product line McDonald’s had produced, which targeted to young customers, the Happy Meal is served with food and a toy, McDonald’s ally with Hollywood studios such as Walt Disney, consequently, the Happy meal had become one of the most successful children’s cultural icons on the globe (Hong, 2009) and brings about a huge income to McDonald’s every single year. Apart from this, to respond the global criticism and the negative effect of the documentary ‘Super Size Me’ on McDonald’s are selling junk food, McDonald’s had introduce the more healthy food, such as salad and fruits to their menu, so as to associate their brand image with healthier food. This is one of the examples that shows how McDonald’s consider the social factor. These are all the examples of what McDonald’s done to achieve the needs and wants of customers. How McDonald’s influences their customers – The marketing mix It is known that McDonald’s used both polycentric and geocentric approach in creating their marketing mix. 1. Product It is known that most products go through a ‘product life cycle’, which sees all kinds of product will eventually go to the ‘decline’ stage. The marketing research discussed in the pervious part is vitally important to understand the changing wants and needs of customers. McDonalds constantly works to satisfy customers by developing new products to appeal them. For example, McDonalds introduced a variety of salads to appeal to the healthier conscious customers (Yahoo! Contributor Network, 2005), and recently, McDonald’s added a new product line named ‘great taste of America’ so as to attract young customers. (UK McDonald’s, 2012) 2. Price As we all know that customers draw their own mental picture of what a product is worth, therefore, it is important for McDonald’s to know the customer’s perception of value. (Brassington and Pettitt, 2006) McDonald’s will change their product price time to time based on the result of the marketing research, and offer the most reasonable price for the customers. 3. Promotions Every company has their own way to promote their products; McDonald’s is no different. The promotion strategy of McDonald’s could be classified into two aspects, which are the advertising promotion and sales promotion. 3. 1 Advertisement Advertisement is conducted on TV, radio, website, poster site, and all kinds of media that around our daily life. It is known that positive emotion can be very effective in creating memorable and persuasive messages (Brassington and Pettitt, 2006), this is also why the cheerful senses are always used in McDonalds’ commercials. Apart from this, customer-oriented appeals are also used in McDonalds’ advertisement. To advertise different types of customers, McDonald’s had different strategies, for example, they had co-operate with Walt Disney to produce toys that can attract children. Toy giveaways are a major promotion weapon in McDonald’s battle in the fast-food market share. McDonald’s have long put toys in kid’s meal to build traffic and encourage repeat visit from families. 3. 2 Sales Promotion McDonald’s had developed numerous of effective promotional campaign to attract more customers, and sales promotion is an aspect that they heavily rely on. It is believed that by adding extra value to the product, over and above the normal product offering, thus creating an extra inducement to consumers to buy or try them. (Brassington and Pettitt, 2006) McDonald’s strategy is to offer quality food quickly to customers at a good value. The pricing structure for McDonald’s over years has supported this message, McDonald’s has ran many promotions to increase product sales. For instance, they offer student offer, which gives out free hamburger, cheeseburger or ‘McFlurry Original’ with the customers purchase an ‘Extra Value Meal’ with a valid student ID card. Furthermore, McDonald’s also offer different types of coupons frequently in order to stimulate the demand and increase customers’ interest and desire to purchase their products. (McDonald’s, 2012) 4. Place Place, is about the physical location and the distribution points for products. McDonald’s had their special menu in different shops all over the world. For instance, Maharaja McBurger is a vegetarian burger marketed in India; Prosperity Burger is popular in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore; McDonalds offers Halal food in Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Indonesia, Malaysia etc. Competitor Strategies: Nowadays, many fast food shops are building up in the market, which means the market share for fast food shop is becoming more competitive. As we all know, no company can be successful without a good competitor strategy. McDonald’s has become one of the well-known and famous fast food companies today because they have had an innovated and effective competitor strategy to conquer their enemies The major competitors of McDonald’s included Burger King, Doctor’s Associates and Yumburger. RQ Admit Company, 2012) Among all of the competitors strategies McDonald’s had applied, there are three main obvious ideas, which can help them establishing a good reputation and popularity in the market. New Production Strategy: As McDonalds had expanded internationally, in order to keep consumer’s loyalty and attract people’s attention, McDonald’s designs creative productions regularly which are both special and delicious, such as ‘shake shake chips’ and new version of burger. Clark, 2012) Furthermore, in order to spread further their market, they provided vegetarian food, which allowed customers that are vegetarian to purchase their product. Apart from this, McDonald’s has already established a great reputation in the market; therefore, they will be always exploiting their brand’s reputation and consumer’s desire to promote the new product. This is one of the effective ways, which could assist customers to gain their popularity and promote their new production. Healthy Food strategy: In this new generation, a new demand in the market has appeared. People are now craving for a healthy life and are more willing to purchase healthier food. Thus, on purpose of reaching customers’ new demand, McDonald’s had change their products from the traditional high-fat and oily food to food that contained lower calories and fat, as well as they had begun to provide some new choices of food, which are much healthier and more palatable, such as snack size fruit, walnut salad and yogurt parfait. (HubPages, 2012) Charity strategy: Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMDH) is one of the independent and egistered charities, whose mission is to provide comfort and safety place and environment for poor family and some ill or injured children. (McDonalds, 2012) There are some reasons why they built a charity. First of all, it is one of the unique strategies, which can make people feel that they have associated with the donation of the charity, after they purchased the food. Therefore, their reputation and population will increase in the mar ket and this will help McDonald creating a more positive image and change people’s rooted negative thought on fast food industry. Furthermore, RMDH can build up their brand name with co-operating with some charities to organize some activities. This is because it is one of the essential ways to let more people to be interested in McDonald’s. Thus, they can keep being one of the huge groups in the marketing share. Conclusion There is no doubt that McDonald’s is a successful company. The success of McDonald’s could be seen in the comprehensive and effective marketing research, the purposeful marketing mix created that satisfied customers needs and wants and the overwhelming competitor strategies, which helped McDonald’s to keep their market share. Reference: 1. Brassington, F. and Pettitt, S. , 2006. Principles of Marketing. England: Person Education Limited. 2. Clark, W. , 2012. Product Development Strategy for McDonald’s[online]. United Stated: Hearst Communications Inc.. Available from: http://smallbusiness. chron. com/product-development-strategy-mcdonalds-12207. html [Accessed 27 April 2012] 3. Hong, J. W. , 2009. Power of McDonald’s ‘Happy Meal’: Globalization of American Culture and Value. The Global Studies Journal. 2(2), pp. 143-154 4. Hubpages, 2012. Low Calorie and Healthy Choices at McDonald’s[online]. United State: HubPages Inc.. Available from: http://pbdietitian. hubpages. com/hub/low-calorie-and-healthy-choices-at-McDonalds [Accessed 22 April 2012] 5. McDonald’s, 2012. Ronald McDonald House Charities[online]. United Kingdom: McDonald’s. Available from: http://www. mcdonalds. co. uk/ukhome/Ourworld/Ronald-McDonald-House-Charities. html [Accessed 25 April 2012] 6. McDonald’s, 2012. Mission and Value[online]. United Kingdom: McDonald’s. Available from: http://www. aboutmcdonalds. com/mcd/our_company/mission_and_values. html [Accessed 23 April 2012] Yahoo! Contributor Network. , 2005. McDonald’s Strategic Marketing Mix. [online] http://voices. ahoo. com/mcdonalds-strategic-marketing-mix-372441. html? cat=4 7. R Q Amit Company, 2010. Marketing – McDonalds’ Style[online]. United State: R Q Amit Company. Available from: http://essayexpert. qapacity. com/financial-sucess/4604/marketing-mcdonalds-style/ [Accessed 25 April 2012]. 8. Salvam, P. , 2009. Expansion of M cDonald’s to regional markets. Management committee, 1, pp,1-10 9. The times 100. , 2012. The marketing process – A McDonald’s Restaurants case study. [online] http://businesscasestudies. co. uk/mcdonalds-restaurants/the-marketing-process/the-marketing-mix-and-market-research. html Marketing Strategy of Mcdonalds Essay Example Marketing Strategy of Mcdonalds Essay Introduction: McDonalds is one of the biggest fast food companies in the market share today. It has been running in over 119 countries, as well as they have acquired over 31,000 restaurants in the world now. McDonald’s brand mission is to be customers’ favourite place and way to eat, they are aligned around a global strategy called the ‘Plan to Win’, they also committed to continuously improving their operations and enhancing their customers’ experience. As we all know that McDonald’s had successfully achieved their goal through out the years. (aboutmcdonald’s, 2012) Apart from this, as McDonald’s is a worldwide company, they also had the social responsibility to return the community; therefore, the ‘Ronald McDonald House Charities’ was established to build up their social image. Unfortunately, the market share is not only for McDonalds because there are still a lot other competitors in the market, like KFC and Burger King. So, McDonalds need a good marketing strategy to conquer other enemies and retain their position because the competition in the market is hypercompetitive. As all we know, the successful marketing strategy for McDonalds is based on their innovative and creative promotion and great marketing research in order to keep consumer’s loyalty. Eventually, this project will examine the success through three main sessions, which are marketing research, the marketing mix and the competitor strategies. Marketing Research: We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing Strategy of Mcdonalds specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing Strategy of Mcdonalds specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing Strategy of Mcdonalds specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Every marketing strategy starts with the marketing research. In the fast food market, McDonald’s confronts competition form other businesses, in order to maintain the market share, McDonald’s needs to identify the needs and wants of customers, and creating the right marketing mix in order to keep customers’ loyalty so as to build up a long term relationship with their customers. Marketing research helps identifying the change of customers’ wills and anticipates how the changes will affect the sales figure. 1. Research method Market researches done by McDonald’s consider everything that affect buying decisions. (The times 100, 2012) The buying decisions could be affected by a wide range of factors, including psychological factors, like ‘what image does the product give’ or ‘how the consumer feels when purchasing’. Next, the economy changes could also affect the buying decisions, for example, the rising living standards. According to Salvam (2009), McDonald’s used both qualitative and quantitative data are developed in the research activities. After McDonald’s had collect the data, they will identify how appropriate the company’s products are for the future; the quality of employees and how well trained they are to offer the best services to customer and the financial resources that available for marketing etc. 2. Customer satisfaction The number of customers in the market is limited; it is essential to retain people once they have become customers to build long-term and successful business. The marketing research helps McDonald’s to indentify the types of customers and determine the type of products and services offered, price range, promotion strategies and even where the restaurants located. The ‘Happy Meal’ is one of the famous product line McDonald’s had produced, which targeted to young customers, the Happy Meal is served with food and a toy, McDonald’s ally with Hollywood studios such as Walt Disney, consequently, the Happy meal had become one of the most successful children’s cultural icons on the globe (Hong, 2009) and brings about a huge income to McDonald’s every single year. Apart from this, to respond the global criticism and the negative effect of the documentary ‘Super Size Me’ on McDonald’s are selling junk food, McDonald’s had introduce the more healthy food, such as salad and fruits to their menu, so as to associate their brand image with healthier food. This is one of the examples that shows how McDonald’s consider the social factor. These are all the examples of what McDonald’s done to achieve the needs and wants of customers. How McDonald’s influences their customers – The marketing mix It is known that McDonald’s used both polycentric and geocentric approach in creating their marketing mix. 1. Product It is known that most products go through a ‘product life cycle’, which sees all kinds of product will eventually go to the ‘decline’ stage. The marketing research discussed in the pervious part is vitally important to understand the changing wants and needs of customers. McDonalds constantly works to satisfy customers by developing new products to appeal them. For example, McDonalds introduced a variety of salads to appeal to the healthier conscious customers (Yahoo! Contributor Network, 2005), and recently, McDonald’s added a new product line named ‘great taste of America’ so as to attract young customers. (UK McDonald’s, 2012) 2. Price As we all know that customers draw their own mental picture of what a product is worth, therefore, it is important for McDonald’s to know the customer’s perception of value. (Brassington and Pettitt, 2006) McDonald’s will change their product price time to time based on the result of the marketing research, and offer the most reasonable price for the customers. 3. Promotions Every company has their own way to promote their products; McDonald’s is no different. The promotion strategy of McDonald’s could be classified into two aspects, which are the advertising promotion and sales promotion. 3. 1 Advertisement Advertisement is conducted on TV, radio, website, poster site, and all kinds of media that around our daily life. It is known that positive emotion can be very effective in creating memorable and persuasive messages (Brassington and Pettitt, 2006), this is also why the cheerful senses are always used in McDonalds’ commercials. Apart from this, customer-oriented appeals are also used in McDonalds’ advertisement. To advertise different types of customers, McDonald’s had different strategies, for example, they had co-operate with Walt Disney to produce toys that can attract children. Toy giveaways are a major promotion weapon in McDonald’s battle in the fast-food market share. McDonald’s have long put toys in kid’s meal to build traffic and encourage repeat visit from families. 3. 2 Sales Promotion McDonald’s had developed numerous of effective promotional campaign to attract more customers, and sales promotion is an aspect that they heavily rely on. It is believed that by adding extra value to the product, over and above the normal product offering, thus creating an extra inducement to consumers to buy or try them. (Brassington and Pettitt, 2006) McDonald’s strategy is to offer quality food quickly to customers at a good value. The pricing structure for McDonald’s over years has supported this message, McDonald’s has ran many promotions to increase product sales. For instance, they offer student offer, which gives out free hamburger, cheeseburger or ‘McFlurry Original’ with the customers purchase an ‘Extra Value Meal’ with a valid student ID card. Furthermore, McDonald’s also offer different types of coupons frequently in order to stimulate the demand and increase customers’ interest and desire to purchase their products. (McDonald’s, 2012) 4. Place Place, is about the physical location and the distribution points for products. McDonald’s had their special menu in different shops all over the world. For instance, Maharaja McBurger is a vegetarian burger marketed in India; Prosperity Burger is popular in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore; McDonalds offers Halal food in Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Indonesia, Malaysia etc. Competitor Strategies: Nowadays, many fast food shops are building up in the market, which means the market share for fast food shop is becoming more competitive. As we all know, no company can be successful without a good competitor strategy. McDonald’s has become one of the well-known and famous fast food companies today because they have had an innovated and effective competitor strategy to conquer their enemies The major competitors of McDonald’s included Burger King, Doctor’s Associates and Yumburger. RQ Admit Company, 2012) Among all of the competitors strategies McDonald’s had applied, there are three main obvious ideas, which can help them establishing a good reputation and popularity in the market. New Production Strategy: As McDonalds had expanded internationally, in order to keep consumer’s loyalty and attract people’s attention, McDonald’s designs creative productions regularly which are both special and delicious, such as ‘shake shake chips’ and new version of burger. Clark, 2012) Furthermore, in order to spread further their market, they provided vegetarian food, which allowed customers that are vegetarian to purchase their product. Apart from this, McDonald’s has already established a great reputation in the market; therefore, they will be always exploiting their brand’s reputation and consumer’s desire to promote the new product. This is one of the effective ways, which could assist customers to gain their popularity and promote their new production. Healthy Food strategy: In this new generation, a new demand in the market has appeared. People are now craving for a healthy life and are more willing to purchase healthier food. Thus, on purpose of reaching customers’ new demand, McDonald’s had change their products from the traditional high-fat and oily food to food that contained lower calories and fat, as well as they had begun to provide some new choices of food, which are much healthier and more palatable, such as snack size fruit, walnut salad and yogurt parfait. (HubPages, 2012) Charity strategy: Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMDH) is one of the independent and egistered charities, whose mission is to provide comfort and safety place and environment for poor family and some ill or injured children. (McDonalds, 2012) There are some reasons why they built a charity. First of all, it is one of the unique strategies, which can make people feel that they have associated with the donation of the charity, after they purchased the food. Therefore, their reputation and population will increase in the mar ket and this will help McDonald creating a more positive image and change people’s rooted negative thought on fast food industry. Furthermore, RMDH can build up their brand name with co-operating with some charities to organize some activities. This is because it is one of the essential ways to let more people to be interested in McDonald’s. Thus, they can keep being one of the huge groups in the marketing share. Conclusion There is no doubt that McDonald’s is a successful company. The success of McDonald’s could be seen in the comprehensive and effective marketing research, the purposeful marketing mix created that satisfied customers needs and wants and the overwhelming competitor strategies, which helped McDonald’s to keep their market share. Reference: 1. Brassington, F. and Pettitt, S. , 2006. Principles of Marketing. England: Person Education Limited. 2. Clark, W. , 2012. Product Development Strategy for McDonald’s[online]. United Stated: Hearst Communications Inc.. Available from: http://smallbusiness. chron. com/product-development-strategy-mcdonalds-12207. html [Accessed 27 April 2012] 3. Hong, J. W. , 2009. Power of McDonald’s ‘Happy Meal’: Globalization of American Culture and Value. The Global Studies Journal. 2(2), pp. 143-154 4. Hubpages, 2012. Low Calorie and Healthy Choices at McDonald’s[online]. United State: HubPages Inc.. Available from: http://pbdietitian. hubpages. com/hub/low-calorie-and-healthy-choices-at-McDonalds [Accessed 22 April 2012] 5. McDonald’s, 2012. Ronald McDonald House Charities[online]. United Kingdom: McDonald’s. Available from: http://www. mcdonalds. co. uk/ukhome/Ourworld/Ronald-McDonald-House-Charities. html [Accessed 25 April 2012] 6. McDonald’s, 2012. Mission and Value[online]. United Kingdom: McDonald’s. Available from: http://www. aboutmcdonalds. com/mcd/our_company/mission_and_values. html [Accessed 23 April 2012] Yahoo! Contributor Network. , 2005. McDonald’s Strategic Marketing Mix. [online] http://voices. ahoo. com/mcdonalds-strategic-marketing-mix-372441. html? cat=4 7. R Q Amit Company, 2010. Marketing – McDonalds’ Style[online]. United State: R Q Amit Company. Available from: http://essayexpert. qapacity. com/financial-sucess/4604/marketing-mcdonalds-style/ [Accessed 25 April 2012]. 8. Salvam, P. , 2009. Expansion of M cDonald’s to regional markets. Management committee, 1, pp,1-10 9. The times 100. , 2012. The marketing process – A McDonald’s Restaurants case study. [online] http://businesscasestudies. co. uk/mcdonalds-restaurants/the-marketing-process/the-marketing-mix-and-market-research. html

African American Inventors - Patent Holders Index P

African American Inventors - Patent Holders Index P Black history inventors are listed alphabetically: use the A to Z index bar to navigate and select or just browse the many listings. Each listing has the name of the black inventor followed by the patent number(s) which is the unique number assigned to an invention when a patent is issued, the date the patent was issued, and a description of the invention as written by the inventor. If available, links are provided to in-depth articles, biographies, illustrations and photos on each individual inventor or patent. How to submit to the database. O Pace to Pickett, Pinn to Purvis Q Harold Pace #5712899, 1/27/1998, Mobile location reporting apparatus and methods Lionel F Page #2,170,032, 8/22/1939, Auxiliary circulating device for automobile heaters Alice H Parker #1,325,905, 12/23/1919, Heating furnace John Percial Parker #304,552, 9/2/1884, Follower-screw for tobacco presses#318,285, 5/19/1885, Portable screw-press James A Parsons Jr. #1,728,360, 9/17/1929, Iron alloy#1,819,479, 8/13/1931, Method of making silicon iron compounds#1,972,103, 9/4/1934, Process for treating silicon alloy castings#2,200,208, 5/7/1940, Corrosion-resisting ferrous alloy Moses Payne #394,388, 12/11/1888, Horseshoe Robert A Pelham #807,685, 12/19/1905, Pasting device#NA, 1913, Tallying machine John Perry Jr. #3,284,239, 11/8/1966, Biochemical fuel cell (co-inventor Herbert F Hunger) Frank R Perryman #468,038, 2/2/1892, Caterers tray table Charles A Peterson #3,391,903, 7/9/1968, Power generating apparatus Henry Peterson #402,189, 2/30/1889, Attachment for lawn mowers William Henry Phelps #579,242, 3/23/1897, Apparatus for washing vehicles Anthony Phills #5,136,787, 10/3/1991, Ruler template for computer keyboard John F Pickering #643,975, 2/20/1900, Air ship Henry Pickett #152,511, 7/30/1874, Improvement in scaffolds O Pace to Pickett, Pinn to Purvis, Q Traverse B Pinn #231,355, 8/17/1880, File holder William D Polite #1,218,458, 3/6/1917, Gun Austin J Polk #558,103, 4/14/1896, Bicycle support Jessie T Pope #2,409,791, 10/22/1946, Croquignole iron James Hall Porter #3,534,528, 10/20/1970, Gas well sulfur removal by diffusion through polymeric membranes Alfred G B Prather #3,715,011, 2/6/1973, Gravity escape means Frank Rodger Prince #3,637,743, 1/25/1972, Production of 2-pyrrolidones Abraham Pugsley #433,306, 7/29/1890, Blind stop#433,819, 8/5/1890, Shutter worker Samuel Pugsley #357,787, 2/15/1887, Gate latch John E Purdy #405,117, 6/11/1889, Folding chair, (co-inventor Daniel A. Sadgwar) #570,337, 10/27/1896, Device for sharpening edged tools#609,367, 8/16/1898, Device for sharpening edged tools#630,106, 8/1/1899, Device for sharpening edged tools William H Purdy #D 24,228, 4/23/1895, Spoon design (co-inventor Leonard C. Peters) Willam B Purvis #256,856, 4/25/1882, Fastener for bag#273,149, 2/27/1883, Hand stamp#293,353, 2/12/1884, Paper bag machine#419,065, 1/7/1890, Fountain pen#420,099, 1/28/1890, Paper bag machine#519,291, 5/1/1894, Electric railway#539,542, 5/21/1895, Magnetic car balancing device#588,176, 8/17/1897, Electrical railway system Continue black history database Q

Advertisements Based on Fear Mongering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Advertisements Based on Fear Mongering - Essay Example Recently advertisers have also started using ‘fear’ for selling products. Fear is an emotion that led people to make emotional choices. For instance, disinfectant advertisements showing the harmful effects bacteria may cause to humans (Tyagi & Kumar, 2004). The fear phenomenon works wonders. People get afraid of some things, or conditions get easily directed to buy the advertised products instead of getting inspired by the qualities only. Such advertising is also known as ‘shockvertising’ (Wells et al., 2011). On the other hand, the other method of advertising is by using ‘flattery’. Sometimes advertisers flatter the viewers by appreciating their choices, thoughts and notions on particular matters and then introduce the products that complement the viewers and provoke them for buying the advertised products (Armstrong, 2010). Either fear or flattery, both has found to be very effective depending on the type of the product and theme of the advert isement. In order to present the products or services to the audiences the advertisers select a suitable theme and based on it a narrative is written. The advertisement is filmed by using techniques of mise-en-scene, sound and editing to focus on highlighting the product feature to appeal maximum customers and meet the ultimate goal that is to raise the sales of the product. In this paper the Coca-Cola recent advertisement ‘Holidays are Coming’ will be analyzed based on the techniques (mise en scene, sound, editing and narrative) used in the advertisement (Coca-Cola Company, 2014). Coca-Cola rejoiced its customers by launching its classic ‘Holidays are Coming’ TV advertisement in order to celebrate Christmas (Coca Cola, 2014). The advertisement shows how seeing the huge sparkling Coca-Cola truck on the streets of their towns excites people. The commercial created hype for people of all ages including children, youth and adults as they would be a part of the campaign  when the truck would come to their towns and cities. The marketing director of Coca-Cola (UK) Zoe Howorth described the advertisement strategy as, â€Å"Coca-Cola has been spreading happiness in people on the Christmas event since long through its vibrant campaigns and Holidays are coming to the advertisement.  

IP Internetworking Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

IP Internetworking - Assignment Example It also concerns with ensuring that the wide area network at Houston is in a position of accommodating the traffic in the entire network. Whereas using static addresses has its advantages, the biggest downside is high administrative demands even when minor changes occur in the network. To cater for this, the new phase will use dynamic addressing system so that the hosts acquire Internet protocol automatically. As a result, this lowers the administrative overhead. The virtual local area network is from the departments available in XUM. Consequently, the VLANs are sales vlan2, finance vlan3, human resources vlan4, research and development vlan5, default vlan1 and management vlan6. The creation of the VLAN at XUM results from the departments available. Therefore, there are four data VLANs namely sales VLAN2, finance VLAN3, human resource VLAN4, Research, and development VLAN5. In addition, a native VLAN is the default VLAN1. Furthermore, there is a management VLAN VLAN6 that gets IP addresses to enable the management to manage the switch. It has been possible with remote control tools that allow management to ssh or telnet the switch through the management VLAN. To allow for communication of personal computers on similar VLANs but separated by a switch or a number of switches, a trunk link now exists between the switches. The manager sets the range of virtual local area networks that can communicate via the trunk link (Ahmad, 2002). Trunking is the best method. It was in comparison to creating physical relationships of various VLANs among the switches. In this case, between one switch and another there would have been six links, which would have wasted twelve ports. Further, it means that each of the individual links has different port numbers that make their management extremely difficult in case the network expands to accommodate twice or more the number of VLANS already existing. Use of dynamic trunking protocol has enabled

Introduction healthcare Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Introduction healthcare - Research Paper Example They have both seen a great deal of change throughout their history. The largest impact on change within these organizations has been the constantly advancing technology; it has expanded services tremendously. The greatest challenge they both face now is the continuance of funding and personnel support in order to be able to continue their outreach services. The American National Red Cross The American National Red Cross is a branch of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. It was founded in May, 1881, by Clara Barton, a pioneer in American nursing. It is a neutral, independent organization to promote life, peace, and communication in order to alleviate human suffering worldwide. It is a health care and humanitarian organization that today still serves Americans nationwide with particular emphasis on disaster relief and service to military families. Its blood drives supply more than half of the nation’s needed blood supply. Their overall aim is to feed, shelter , and provide comfort and emotional support as well as access to health care during times of disaster and crisis. (American National Red Cross, 2011) The original vision for the American National Red Cross was to provide quick and accurate communication of information during emergencies, as well as service for ill and wounded military personnel and their families.

Tipi Tales Analysis

Tipi Tales Analysis Mahealani Subad As children grow, we try to teach them certain values that will help them later in life to become good human beings. Some of the teachings can be taught from children shows as they show scenarios of life lessons, such as honesty, through characters that children attach themselves too. In the children show Tipi Tales (Oswald 2002), it presents children with life lessons and stories that based upon Indigenous culture through puppeteer work. With the children show ended in 2007, it taught lessons, specifically Ojibwe teachings, and converting some of the values from those teachings into characters to make the show relatable to younger audiences (Ojibwe Teachings The 7 Grandfathers). The show was seen as a way to present Indigenous culture to Canadian children in a way to connect the indigenous community with prime-time television as it was mainly shown on the popular television station Treehouse (Course Entertainment 2002). Within the show, Tipi Tales (Oswald 2002) follows four cousins of Indigenous descent who visit their great-grandparents where they are taught life lessons from various characters who resemble Ojibwe teachings. In the childrens show, there are seven animal characters, in which, each of the animal characters correspond with the Ojibwe teaching of the Seven Grandfather Teachings (Ojibwe Teachings The 7 Grandfathers). The Seven Grandfather Teachings are the ethical values of the Ojibwe people, which consists of humility, bravery, honesty, wisdom, truth, respect and love (Ojibwe Teachings The 7 Grandfathers).ÂÂ   These values that the Ojibwe had set was apart of their oral traditions that have been passed down by elders within the community (Verbos and Humphries 2013). The values were told through story that conveyed the meaning of how human beings should behave whether if it is towards each other or the Earth (Verbos and Humphries 2013). An example of the values and the relation i t has with human beings and the Earth would be respect as it attaches itself to all creations such as nature, creatures and people (Verbos and Humphries 2013). In indigenous culture, nature is not seen as an object, but as a living thing, in which, indigenous people believe that the Earth should not be treated or be exploited by human beings at the expense of other forms of life (Verbos and Humphries 2013). The way Tipi Tales portray these values sets them in an understanding that children can comprehend the meaning of each lesson taught within each episode of the show. However, when analyzing the show, I did not comprehend the Indigenous origins of the values that were being portrayed within the show. Although the show involved an indigenous family and had undertones of Indigenous music during the title sequence, I had to look further into learning about the 7 Grandfather teachings to truly understand the indigenous origins behind the show. Nonetheless, with the exclusion of the extensive research to understand the origin of values taught within Tipi Tales, it does create a cultural outreach to Canadian audiences as there are not many children shows that present an indigenous culture or identity on prime-time television. As mentioned before, Tipi Tales was one of the two shows, along side The Mole Sisters, to present the rich and oral traditions of Canadas Aboriginal community and our strong literary traditions on Canadian prime-time television (Course Entertainment 2002). By making the decision of adding a children show based upon Indigenous teachings, it can be seen as respectable allowing diversity into younger audiences entertainment as the show is shares the values of the Seven Grandfather Teachings of the Ojibwe people. The show can be a starting point into introducing Indigenous culture to children as there are aspects of the culture that everyone can learn from, especially as an adult as life can be construed fr om the mistreatment and exploitation that we see often that effects the Earth or our everyday lives. Upon researching the children show, Tipi Tales, I had only heard of the show and watched some of the episode as a child not putting any thought into the show as it seemed like any other children show that taught life lessons of how to be kind and to treat others the way they wanted to be treated. However, with taking another look at the show, it presents a deeper meaning as the show introduces life lessons in the perspective of Indigenous culture where the whole show is based upon the Seven Grandfather Teachings of love, honesty, bravery, wisdom, humility, truth, and respect. All values a child must learn and with the extent that the values can be applied to nature as it is seen as animated. Bibliography Ojibwe Teachings The 7 Grandfathers. Anishinabek Bumadizone:An Ojibwe Peoples Resource. Accessed March 18, 2017. http://ojibweresources.weebly.com/ojibwe-teachingsthe-7-grandfathers.html. Tipi Tales. Directed by Lesley Oswald. By Nancy Trites Botkin. Performed by Herbie Barnes, Jane Skene, Rebecca Gibson, Ryan Rajendra Black, Michelle St. John, and Jules Desjarlais. 2002. Treehouse TV Brings Canadas Literary and Aboriginal Oral Traditions to Television for Young Viewers. Corus Entertainment. 2002. Accessed March 20, 2017. http://www.corusent.com/news/treehouse-tv-brings-canadas-literary-and-aboriginal-oral-traditions-to-televison-for-young-viewers/. Verbos, Amy Klemm, and Maria Humphries. A Native American Relational Ethic: An Indigenous Perspective on Teaching Human Responsibility. Journal of Business Ethics 123, no. 1 (2013): 1-9. doi:10.1007/s10551-013-1790-3.

Essay --

The Rise of the Seahawks Section 1: Pre-game The Seattle Seahawks located in Seattle Washington, is one of the top teams in the NFL. The Seahawks were founded in 1976 and are owned by Paul Allen. The Seattle Seahawks haven't had it easy, it's been rough ride throughout the years. There have been many coaches and many players have passed through the Seattle team. There are some very special people that the Seahawks truly treasure that aren’t players or coaches out on the field. They treasure the 12th man. This allusive 12th man isnt a player out on the field, it's the fans. Even though the 12th man spirit didn't start in Seattle they are loud and proud about it. Seattle has some of the loudest fans in the league. They are so loud that they get earthquake readings at Century Link Stadium, they call the earthquake reading "Beast Mode." This season(2013-2014) they have a very tough lineup, they have "Beast Mode"aka Marshawn Lynch, Richard Sherman, Russell Wilson, Golden Tate and the amazing coach Pete Carroll. The Seattle Seahawks have been a very successful team in the 2013-2014 season. The Seahawks have a strong defense which has been a key part in their success this year. The Seahawk’s offense hasn’t been bad this year either. They have some very strong player that contribute to their success. Their offense includes: #3 quarterback Russell Wilson, #24 running back â€Å"beast mode† Marshawn Lynch, #89 wide reciever 1 Doug Baldwin and #81 wide reciever 2 Golden â€Å"Showtime† Tate. Without this strong offense and strong defense the Seahawks wouldn’t be where they are today. There are many questions I would like to answer throughout the paper. How has Seattle recently become so successful in the past year?. Is it their ... ...hquake readings. The magnitude of the earthquakes are ranging in the 1-2 range. When fans can get that loud to have earthquake readings you know that they are truly dedicated to be a Seahawks fan. I have learned so much about football in general and the Seahawks from doing this paper. Its amazing on when I pick a topic that I really like on how I can into the paper and make it the best that I can. While I was doing my research I really started to understand the game better. When you understand the game the more fun it is to watch the game and more intense the game is. I really enjoyed getting to research such a cool topic that has been in the news a lot recently for winning the super bowl. But it was kinda hard trying to find the rich history from when the team started. It was still awesome to be able to write about this topic while they won their first Super Bowl!

Advantages and Disadvantages of Jungle Trekking Essay

INTRODUCTION OF TOURIST ATTRACTION Our group has been providing information about the place we want it to be commercialized. The place we choose is Kampung Suba Buan,Bau. It takes about one and half hour from town city. This place is suitable for tourist that love about the nature and likes the relaxing places for keep their mind free. At this place is not just one activity that can we do, the other activity is we can do is jungle tracking go through the forest to enjoy the natural flora and fauna. The residents of the village is majority is Bidayuh. This race is still maintaining their culture, customs and their daily routine from generation to generation since time immemorial. This village can also be used for a camping site activities at the weekend. Besides, the tourist can enjoy the tradisional food at Kampung Suba Buan village. PICTURE Picture 1 : Bau’s pit stop These is our first pit stop before we reach to the destination. It was located km from the town city. Picture 2 : Petrol station is nearest the Bau’s town. Before we reach Kampung Suba Buan there’s one petrol station at the town. TOURISM PRODUCT OFFERED In each country nor state the tourism product is important for our tourist to know about the interesting thing in each places. In addition,tourism product also known as an experience that a tourists participates when visiting a place and refers to tourism activity that is offered in a tourism destination. For our tourism product offered is :- Gastronomic Tourism -Ayam pansuh -Midin vegetables -Kersem (fermented pork) -Tepui (alcoholic made of sugarcane juice) Adventure Tourism -Jungle tracking -Mountain climbing CONCLUSION We hope that this place can make more attraction for tourism destination and hope that this place will be the same level as the other tourist attraction destination. This place will give them a great memory because this place is so magnificient. They can also do a lot of activities with friends and family.

Sometime, Sometimes, and Some Time

Sometime, Sometimes, and Some Time Sometime, Sometimes, and Some Time Sometime, Sometimes, and Some Time By Maeve Maddox A reader questions a friend’s use of sometimes: She will say â€Å"I hope we get to see you sometimes.† Is there supposed to be a plural for sometime? There is an s form of sometime, but it is not a plural. Adverbs don’t have plural forms. The morphemes some and time occur in three combinations: sometime, sometimes, and some time. Written as one word, sometime is an adverb implying a vague time in the future: I hope we get to see you sometime.† Sometimes, also an adverb, denotes the sense of occasionally: Sometimes I see a deer in my backyard. One-word sometime can be used as an adjective meaning occasional or former: [John M. Robertson] worked throughout his life primarily as a writer, a  sometime  journalist, and a sometime politician, having been elected to Parliament in 1906.   Hamlet laments the betrayal by his sometime friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.   Written as two words, some time has different meanings. Some time can mean â€Å"quite a while†: It has been some time since the school district had a competent administrator. Some may simply be an adjective qualifying time: Margaret said she needed some time to think about her relationship with Charles. The following sentence illustrates all these forms: Sometimes I spend some time wishing I could see the sometime friends I haven’t seen for some time. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Writing a Reference Letter (With Examples)The Four Sounds of the Spelling OUAppropriate vs. Apropos vs. Apt

Avian Influenza and Humans H5N1 Essay Example

Avian Influenza and Humans H5N1 Essay Example Avian Influenza and Humans H5N1 Paper Avian Influenza and Humans H5N1 Paper Abstract   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are three types of influenza virus: A, B, and C. Type A strains are broken down further into low pathogenic (LPAI) and highly pathogenic (HPAI).   Some HPAI viruses, such as H5N1, resulted in mild human infections and in some cases, have been fatal.   An â€Å"H5N1† virus has an HA 5 protein and a NA 1 protein.   There are sixteen known HA subtypes and nine known NA subtypes.   There are many combinations of HA and NA proteins that are possible. Only influenza A viruses and all its known subtypes infect birds.   Influenza A H5 affects both human and birds.   There are nine, potential subtypes of H5 known.   â€Å"H5 infections, such as HPAI H5N1 viruses currently circulating in Asia and Europe, have been documented among humans and sometimes cause severe illness or death† (CDC, 2).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In 2006, a new strain of H5N1 bird flu appeared in China.   It affected three times as many Chinese poultry than it did the previous year.   Researchers say that it is a new â€Å"Fujian-like† strain of virus that came from a duck in Fujian, China in 2005 (MacKenzie, 1).   The rate of poultry infections jumped from 3 percent in 2005 to 95 percent by 2006.   Vaccine-induced antibodies did not recognize this new Fujian virus.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In 2008, a new strain of H5N1 was detected in Nigeria for the first time.   It was found to be different from the strains that were circulating in 2006 and 2007 (Stackyard, 1).   The new strain was similar to the strains identified in Italy, Afghanistan, and Iran in 2007.   â€Å"Influenza viruses constantly mutate, however, and vaccines are most effective against the highly specific strains that they are made from† (Bardi, 1).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A team of scientist at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which is a part of the National Institute of Health (NIH), report that it is possible to prepare vaccines and therapeutics to target a future mutant strain of H5N1. â€Å"This advance was made possible by creating mutations in the regions of the H5N1 hemagglutinin (HA) protein that directs the virus to bird or human cells and eliciting antibodies to it† (Bardi, 1).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   New strains appear and replace older strains.   When a new strain of virus emerges, antibody protection that may have developed after infection or vaccination with an older strain may not provide protection against the new strain.   For this reason, the influenza vaccine must be updated yearly. References Bardi, Jason Socrates.   NIH Scientists Target Future Pandemic Strains of H5N1 Avian Influenza. Retrieved March 12, 2009 from nih.gov/news/pr/aug2007/niaid-09.htm. Centers for Disease Control. Influenza Viruses. Retrieved March 12, 2009 from cdc.gov. MacKenzie, Debora. New Strain of H5N1 Bird Flu Emerges in China. Retrieved March 12, 2009 from newscientist.com. Stackyard, Via.   Nigeria:   A New Strain of H5N1.   Retrieved March 12, 2009 from http://crofblogs.typepad.com.

Race and power in the US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Race and power in the US - Essay Example Tule Lake!!! I had to stop making your father’s supper. I have only heard that name in my nightmares for the past thirty years. I know you children have always assumed that during World War II I was in Europe with your father. I was not. My wartime experiences are a matter of deep shame. To start with, all I have told you about your grandmother is true. My mother was born in Tokyo to poor parents. Upon marrying my father, they both dreamed of coming to America. My parents believed that if one worked hard enough in America, one could achieve greatness. They both worked to save the money for the ocean voyage. Upon my mother’s realization that she was pregnant, both my parents made a difficult choice. They had saved enough money for one. My father decided to send my mother ahead to America. They wanted their child born on American soil. My mother arrived in 1924, a few months before I was born. After we arrived in San Francisco, my mother worked as a dishwasher to support both of us. Mother saved every spare penny to bring father to America, but by the time they had saved the money, the restrictions on immigration had tightened. My mother and father were still going through the red tape when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. The tensions in Japan had been rising before. I remember as a teenager, the headlines of Japan invading China. I was afraid for the father I had never met. Father’s letters started coming few and far between, then after Pearl Harbor stopped all together. Mother was frantic. Oddly enough, when the flyers calling for â€Å"Japanese Americans† to relocate my mother and I were not too concerned. I do not know if my mother thought we would be returned to Japan or not. She did think we would be reunited with father upon the completion of the war, one way or another. We lived in an apartment away from our Japanese friends in an all white neighborhood. Our landlord pressured us out of

E-learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

E-learning - Essay Example The acquisition of learning techniques and styles by students depends on the personal characteristics of the student, the subject of study, and the student’s level of understanding of the subject. Research confirms that different people prefer different approaches to learning. No one approach or strategy of e-learning is optimal for all students. The methods and technologies used for e-learning in the United Arabs Emirates include the use of web-based education techniques, podcasting, internet video conferencing, social networking software, and computer-assisted instructions, among others. The styles of e-learning are especially gaining popularity in the higher education sector where most of the students are distant learners. This paper discusses how the learning preferences of an individual influence the extent to which e-learning can be an effective learning tool, especially in the United Arabs Emirates. E-learning allows the adoption of the education content to suit the learning styles of individual students. It may entail the incorporation of digital media, digitized materials, graphics, web-based interactions, interactive videos, among others. The adoption of different learning styles and methods impact on the effectiveness of e-learning in the higher education sector. Some researchers have supported the adoption of e-learning with the argument that it allows for the adjustment of educational content to suit the learning needs of the students. However, majority of studies in this field have been confined to the use of standard conventional learning styles in the e-learning systems (Brown, Zoghi, Williams, Jaberzadeh, Roller, Palermo, & Holt, 2009, p.4). This includes tutorial, lecture, problem-based learning, and written text. The relationship between the styles of e-learning and the effectiveness of the e-learning system, as well as the attitude of students towards e-learning, h as been discussed in

Case Study Module 3 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Module 3 - Case Study Example Dr. MacIntyre finds that the drug Valium in the Avery Clinic was unaccounted. Despite this, her outdated records management system is unable to affirm if the drugs were physically missing. The next problem is the increasing absenteeism of her associate Stephen Saltzman. With Mr. Saltzman not working full time, the sales figures at the Avery clinic are negatively impacted. He is also not available as often as he is expected to be thus disappointing many clients. Mr. Saltzman also seems to have a poor work ethic. Dr.MacIntyre by analyzing the amount spent on tests at the Avery clinic concludes that he may not be taking the time to diagnose properly. These issues point to a bigger problem which is the poor monitoring of the Avery clinic. It is evident from the case that Dr. MacIntyre is closely involved with the Johnsonville clinic where she puts up but not so with the Avery clinic. A new branch or venture always needs close attention to be paid. (Kishel & Kishel, 2005) Leaving the Avery clinic to its own devices seems to cause of all the problems the business is facing. A cause of immediate concern is the few hours been put in Avery and poor work ethic by Mr. Saltzman at Avery. This is because the two directly influence income and customer satisfaction. The hours Mr. Saltzman is not attending to clients are all hours not spent billing. Not taking enough time to diagnose animals is poor service delivery and leads to unhappy clients. Neglecting client’s needs ruins the reputation of the business. (Scott, 1991) As a result of the problems mentioned above, other areas of the business suffer. Profitability has gone down in the Avery clinic because as a direct result of the absenteeism of Stephen Saltzman. It has gone down in Johnsonville as Dr. MacIntyre had to reduce her hours of working to travel to and from Avery to assist with the workload there. Strategic direction for the company also suffers as the lack of sufficient

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Free Essay on Study Plan Essay 1. Do my best to finish all the three tasks in English course 2. Enlarge my vocabulary 3. Improve my writing and speaking skills Long-term goals Have TOEIC and OPlc test in next year’s winter vacation and get the level at least 900 Action plan For short-term goals 1. I need to spend enough time on doing the tasks and e-portfolio of the English course. And do my best to work with my partner or group member to complete the tasks. 2. I have some problem about vocabulary which influences other aspects of my English study. So I think it is really important to enlarge my vocabulary. The first way is making a study group in Academy. I have done one and a half of them and find it really helpful because there are some tasks we can do to use the words so that we can remember the words. Reading the English Articles and watching the English Movies are also good ways. Another thing I can do is using the word cards and reviewing them frequently. 3. To improve my writing skill, write the passage in English frequently and try to prevent the grammar mistakes. To improve my speaking skills, actually there are a lot of opportunities. I can speak English everyday by using telephone English to enhance my pronunciation. And I also need to speak more in class or just chat with exchange students and local students.

Computers in Drug Research and Development :: Essays Papers

Computers in Drug Research and Development As the computer becomes more and more powerful, its uses and abilities grow. Scientists have been able to harness this power in to assist them in their goals of researching and developing drugs for human use. Computers can be found in nearly every drug research laboratory and development center in the world. In the process of developing a drug, thousands upon thousands of chemical compounds are tested to be used in laboratory tests and animal tests. Generally, over 5000 compounds are chosen for such testing. Of 5000 chosen compounds, around five will be acceptable for use on humans in testing. Computers play a huge role in the testing and narrowing down of such chemical compounds used in drugs. Models of chemicals and reactions can be computer simulated to rule out compounds that would not be acceptable. Using computers in such a way greatly reduces the time spent on lengthy animal testing, and also ensures that the drugs that do pass will be safe for human testing. Home computers are now being used to aid scientists in drug research as well. One web site, www.FightAidsAtHome.org offers a downloadable program that uses your home computers idle processes to perform complex computations that aid in AIDS drug research. The results are automatically sent back to the researchers who use them in their developmental process. Such a program would have been insignificant ten years ago, when very few people owned computers powerful enough to perform the operations needed by researchers today. However, because the internet is so widespread and because home computers are becoming so powerful, such a program works and works well. One specific use of computers in drug development is a program developed by Art Olson called AutoDock. This program is used to simulate the interactions of proteins in molecules as they meet. Because of the extreme power of today’s computers, the program creates extremely accurate results, even though there are thousands of factors that determine the final result. Using these simulations, scientists are able to more easily understand how two different molecules will interact, which helps greatly in the drug development process. Many programs similar to AutoDock are used by scientists. Each of these programs are used to determine the outcomes of specific interactions between molecules, chemical compounds and other biological and chemical interactions.

Reading Autobiography Essay

Although I do not have many vivid memories of my childhood the few things I do recall from my early years mostly seem to focus around school and my academics and interactions with children my own age. It is nearly impossible to pinpoint when exactly it was that I began to read but it must have been somewhere around the end of kindergarten and the beginning of first grade. I didn’t attend preschool so up until kindergarten my primary interaction with others was in my first language, Spanish. I can recall learning the alphabet and the sounds of all letters and I started to make out certain words like ‘see’ and ‘my’. The most influential person in the process of acquiring the skills I needed to read must have been an instructional assistant, Mr. Torres who would help me and other bilingual students regularly in the classroom. Of course the instruction by my teacher set the basis for my learning but the one on one help that he provided helped me make connections to my learning in Spanish and that made me feel very comfortable. The first books I began to read must have been simple stories that I came to memorize. Stories like The Gingerbread Man or Brown Bear that had repetitive lines were probably how I started to make connections with words, sounds and pronunciation of those words and sounds. Learning to read made me feel empowered and I remember wanting to read â€Å"big kids† books once I felt I was capable. Among my favorite types of books were scary chapter books like the series of Goosebumps as well as biographies of famous athletes. Among my least favorite must have been nonfiction and folktale because they never really managed to pull me in and I was always very skeptical about such fantasy. Unfortunately, this thrive to read did not last very long because I started to drift away from the constant practice of reading around the fifth grade and started seeing it more as an obligation rather than a choice. As a whole the literacy environment in my household was actually a very positive one and ever since I can recall my mom has always been a big reader and has many books and magazines throughout the house. All of her reading though was done in Spanish when I was growing up because as I was learning how to read my mom was learning the English language. My dad on the other hand has never been a big reader. Actually I can’t recall a time when I have seen him sit down and read something simply for leisure. I also had an older sister who was just a grade ahead of me in school and she has always been a bit of a bookworm and was constantly going through different books as we grew up. Even with all these things I think the language barrier influenced my detachment from reading. In my household we rarely spoke English, maybe if my mom and dad knew the language or were more comfortable with it they might have pushed me to read more or took the time to sit down and read to me. Come to think of it my mom would read to me but she would do it in Spanish and it was a bit boring for me. She would read common stories that I had already heard like the three little pigs or something of that sort and all I would gain out of this was amusement because the way things translated to me was funny. My mom did take us to the city Library and I remember going to story time or to some sort of show based on books. I remember seeing a magician and also petting a snake. As for having materials to read and write, there was always plenty throughout my house. My mom kept a full stock of pencil and paper as well as of books it was just a matter of me doing the actual work. She constantly asked me to explain to her what I was reading or writing for school but I always seemed to find a way to not spend too much time with it because all I wanted to do was play with the neighborhood kids or run off to soccer practice. In school the literacy environment was very positive as well and I remember how much time and dedication the faculty would place on reading and the development of reading skills. I can’t remember who formally taught me how to read but it must have been either Mrs. Diamond or Miss Falgot my first and second grade teachers, because by third grade I remember being able to read fluently. They used several different types of methods but I remember being read to very often by Miss Falgot. I do recall being placed in groups and having partners whom you read to and vice versa. I believe both Mrs. Diamond and Miss Falgot were key role players in my acquisition of reading skills and although I don’t recall specifics they did their job because by third grade I was at the top of my class. I do remember a particular case that had a bit of a negative effect on me in terms of reading. I remember being in either fourth or fifth grade reading as a class and the teacher called on me to read a paragraph. I don’t remember what I was thinking but I was not listening and wasn’t even on the right page, once I located it I got nervous and couldn’t even read. Luckily the teacher called on someone else but I felt horrible. As a class throughout elementary I remember visiting the library and running to the sport books section. The Library was so calm and always cool and I remembering going in there on hot summer days to get away and read a good book. The librarian I remember was always very sweet and she was very patient with all the students. As for literacy events the only thing that is clear in my mind is the book fairs that occurred maybe twice or three times a year. They were very fun and I remember they made even the boring books seem interesting. They set up all kinds of posters and it was something that I always looked forward to. As an adult I began to pick up old habits especially after I came into college. I can’t say I read a lot but I do find time to fit in a book every once in a while. I am still a big fan of autobiographies and I have recently developed a liking for books in Spanish. I usually read on the weekends when I am well rested and have slept in. I also like to go to parks and sit in the shade and enjoy a good book or story or even an interesting article. I think reading is very important and not only to help us expand our vocabulary or help us academically but when you read a good book you get a chance to escape your everyday and it gives you an insight into a story or a character in the way a TV or radio cannot. It captivates you and manages to get all of your attention but at the same time relaxes you. I think reading is something that should be taught to students but not just in order to help them academically but educators should also focus on showing the importance of literature in our lives and the positive way it influences our lives down the road something the media of today cannot manage to do. Writing equally should be not only taught for the purpose of education but in a way those students value it and continue to practice it even without a teacher pushing them to do so.

Chapter 9 The Dark Mark

â€Å"Don't tell your mother you've been gambling,† Mr. Weasley implored Fred and George as they all made their way slowly down the purple-carpeted stairs. â€Å"Don't worry, Dad,† said Fred gleefully, â€Å"we've got big plans for this money. We don't want it confiscated.† Mr. Weasley looked for a moment as though he was going to ask what these big plans were, but seemed to decide, upon reflection, that he didn't want to know. They were soon caught up in the crowds now flooding out of the stadium and back to their campsites. Raucous singing was borne toward them on the night air as they retraced their steps along the lantern-lit path, and leprechauns kept shooting over their heads, cackling and waving their lanterns. When they finally reached the tents, nobody felt like sleeping at all, and given the level of noise around them, Mr. Weasley agreed that they could all have one last cup of cocoa together before turning in. They were soon arguing enjoyably about the match; Mr. Weasley got drawn into a disagreement about cobbing with Charlie, and it was only when Ginny fell asleep right at the tiny table and spilled hot chocolate all over the floor that Mr. Weasley called a halt to the verbal replays and insisted that everyone go to bed. Hermione and Ginny went into the next tent, and Harry and the rest of the Weasleys changed into pajamas and clambered into their bunks. From the other side of the campsite they could still hear much singing and the odd echoing bang. â€Å"Oh I am glad I'm not on duty,† muttered Mr. Weasley sleepily. â€Å"I wouldn't fancy having to go and tell the Irish they've got to stop celebrating.† Harry, who was on a top bunk above Ron, lay staring up at the canvas ceiling of the tent, watching the glow of an occasional leprechaun lantern flying overhead, and picturing again some of Krum's more spectacular moves. He was itching to get back on his own Firebolt and try out the Wronski Feint†¦.Somehow Oliver Wood had never managed to convey with all his wriggling diagrams what that move was supposed to look like†¦.Harry saw himself in robes that had his name on the back, and imagined the sensation of hearing a hundred-thousand-strong crowd roar, as Ludo Bagman's voice echoed throughout the stadium, â€Å"I give you†¦.Potter!† Harry never knew whether or not he had actually dropped off to sleep – his fantasies of flying like Krum might well have slipped into actual dreams – all he knew was that, quite suddenly, Mr. Weasley was shouting. â€Å"Get up! Ron – Harry – come on now, get up, this is urgent!† Harry sat up quickly and the top of his head hit canvas. â€Å"‘S' matter?† he said. Dimly, he could tell that something was wrong. The noises in the campsite had changed. The singing had stopped. He could hear screams, and the sound of people running. He slipped down from the bunk and reached for his clothes, but Mr. Weasley, who had pulled on his jeans over his own pajamas, said, â€Å"No time, Harry – just grab a jacket and get outside – quickly!† Harry did as he was told and hurried out of the tent, Ron at his heels. By the light of the few fires that were still burning, he could see people running away into the woods, fleeing something that was moving across the field toward them, something that was emitting odd flashes of light and noises like gunfire. Loud jeering, roars of laughter, and drunken yells were drifting toward them; then came a burst of strong green light, which illuminated the scene. A crowd of wizards, tightly packed and moving together with wands pointing straight upward, was marching slowly across the field. Harry squinted at them†¦.They didn't seem to have faces†¦.Then he realized that their heads were hooded and their faces masked. High above them, floating along in midair, four struggling figures were being contorted into grotesque shapes. It was as though the masked wizards on the ground were puppeteers, and the people above them were marionettes operated by invisible strings that rose from the wands into the air. Two of the figures were very small. More wizards were joining the marching group, laughing and pointing up at the floating bodies. Tents crumpled and fell as the marching crowd swelled. Once or twice Harry saw one of the marchers blast a tent out of his way with his wand. Several caught fire. The screaming grew louder. The floating people were suddenly illuminated as they passed over a burning tent and Harry recognized one of them: Mr. Roberts, the campsite manager. The other three looked as though they might be his wife and children. One of the marchers below flipped Mrs. Roberts upside down with his wand; her nightdress fell down to reveal voluminous drawers and she struggled to cover herself up as the crowd below her screeched and hooted with glee. â€Å"That's sick,† Ron muttered, watching the smallest Muggle child, who had begun to spin like a top, sixty feet above the ground, his head flopping limply from side to side. â€Å"That is really sick†¦.† Hermione and Ginny came hurrying toward them, pulling coats over their nightdresses, with Mr. Weasley right behind them. At the same moment, Bill, Charlie, and Percy emerged from the boys' tent, fully dressed, with their sleeves rolled up and their wands out. â€Å"We're going to help the Ministry!† Mr. Weasley shouted over all the noise, rolling up his own sleeves. â€Å"You lot – get into the woods, and stick together. I'll come and fetch you when we've sorted this out!† Bill, Charlie, and Percy were already sprinting away toward the oncoming marchers; Mr. Weasley tore after them. Ministry wizards were dashing from every direction toward the source of the trouble. The crowd beneath the Roberts family was coming ever closer. â€Å"C'mon,† said Fred, grabbing Ginny's hand and starting to pull her toward the wood. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and George followed. They all looked back as they reached the trees. The crowd beneath the Roberts family was larger than ever; they could see the Ministry wizards trying to get through it to the hooded wizards in the center, but they were having great difficulty. It looked as though they were scared to perform any spell that might make the Roberts family fall. The colored lanterns that had lit the path to the stadium had been extinguished. Dark figures were blundering through the trees; children were crying; anxious shouts and panicked voices were reverberating around them in the cold night air. Harry felt himself being pushed hither and thither by people whose faces he could not see. Then he heard Ron yell with pain. â€Å"What happened?† said Hermione anxiously, stopping so abruptly that Harry walked into her. â€Å"Ron, where are you? Oh this is stupid – lumos!† She illuminated her wand and directed its narrow beam across the path. Ron was lying sprawled on the ground. â€Å"Tripped over a tree root,† he said angrily, getting to his feet again. â€Å"Well, with feet that size, hard not to,† said a drawling voice from behind them. Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned sharply. Draco Malfoy was standing alone nearby, leaning against a tree, looking utterly relaxed. His arms folded, he seemed to have been watching the scene at the campsite through a gap in the trees. Ron told Malfoy to do something that Harry knew he would never have dared say in front of Mrs. Weasley. â€Å"Language, Weasley,† said Malfoy, his pale eyes glittering. â€Å"Hadn't you better be hurrying along, now? You wouldn't like her spotted, would you?† He nodded at Hermione, and at the same moment, a blast like a bomb sounded from the campsite, and a flash of green light momentarily lit the trees around them. â€Å"What's that supposed to mean?† said Hermione defiantly. â€Å"Granger, they're after Muggles, â€Å"said Malfoy. â€Å"D'you want to be showing off your knickers in midair? Because if you do, hang around†¦.they're moving this way, and it would give us all a laugh.† â€Å"Hermione's a witch,† Harry snarled. â€Å"Have it your own way, Potter,† said Malfoy, grinning maliciously. â€Å"If you think they can't spot a Mudblood, stay where you are.† â€Å"You watch your mouth!† shouted Ron. Everybody present knew that â€Å"Mudblood† was a very offensive term for a witch or wizard of Muggle parentage. â€Å"Never mind, Ron,† said Hermione quickly, seizing Ron's arm to restrain him as he took a step toward Malfoy. There came a bang from the other side of the trees that was louder than anything they had heard. Several people nearby screamed. Malfoy chuckled softly. â€Å"Scare easily, don't they?† he said lazily. â€Å"I suppose your daddy told you all to hide? What's he up to – trying to rescue the Muggles?† â€Å"Where're your parents?† said Harry, his temper rising. â€Å"Out there wearing masks, are they?† Malfoy turned his face to Harry, still smiling. â€Å"Well†¦if they were, I wouldn't be likely to tell you, would I, Potter?† â€Å"Oh come on,† said Hermione, with a disgusted look at Malfoy, â€Å"let's go and find the others.† â€Å"Keep that big bushy head down, Granger,† sneered Malfoy. â€Å"Come on,† Hermione repeated, and she pulled Harry and Ron up the path again. â€Å"I'll bet you anything his dad is one of that masked lot!† said Ron hotly. â€Å"Well, with any luck, the Ministry will catch him!† said Hermione fervently. â€Å"Oh I can't believe this. Where have the others got to?† Fred, George, and Ginny were nowhere to be seen, though the path was packed with plenty of other people, all looking nervously over their shoulders toward the commotion back at the campsite. A huddle of teenagers in pajamas was arguing vociferously a little way along the path. When they saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione, a girl with thick curly hair turned and said quickly, â€Å"O est Madame Maxime? Nous l'avons perdue -â€Å" â€Å"Er – what?† said Ron. â€Å"Oh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The girl who had spoken turned her back on him, and as they walked on they distinctly heard her say, â€Å"‘Ogwarts.† â€Å"Beauxbatons,† muttered Hermione. â€Å"Sorry?† said Harry. â€Å"They must go to Beauxbatons,† said Hermione. â€Å"You know†¦Beauxbatons Academy of Magic†¦.I read about it in An Appraisal of Magical Education in Europe.† â€Å"Oh†¦yeah†¦right,† said Harry. â€Å"Fred and George can't have gone that far,† said Ron, pulling out his wand, lighting it like Hermione's, and squinting up the path. Harry dug in the pockets of his jacket for his own wand – but it wasn't there. The only thing he could find was his Omnioculars. â€Å"Ah, no, I don't believe it†¦I've lost my wand!† â€Å"You're kidding!† Ron and Hermione raised their wands high enough to spread the narrow beams of light farther on the ground; Harry looked all around him, but his wand was nowhere to be seen. â€Å"Maybe it's back in the tent,† said Ron. â€Å"Maybe it fell out of your pocket when we were running?† Hermione suggested anxiously. â€Å"Yeah,† said Harry, â€Å"maybe†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He usually kept his wand with him at all times in the wizarding world, and finding himself without it in the midst of a scene like this made him feel very vulnerable. A rustling noise nearby made all three of them jump. Winky the house-elf was fighting her way out of a clump of bushes nearby. She was moving in a most peculiar fashion, apparently with great difficulty; it was as though someone invisible were trying to hold her back. â€Å"There is bad wizards about!† she squeaked distractedly as she leaned forward and labored to keep running. â€Å"People high – high in the air! Winky is getting out of the way!† And she disappeared into the trees on the other side of the path, panting and squeaking as she fought the force that was restraining her. â€Å"What's up with her?† said Ron, looking curiously after Winky. â€Å"Why can't she run properly?† â€Å"Bet she didn't ask permission to hide,† said Harry. He was thinking of Dobby: Every time he had tried to do something the Malfoys wouldn't like, the house-elf had been forced to start beating himself up. â€Å"You know, house-elves get a very raw deal!† said Hermione indignantly. â€Å"It's slavery, that's what it is! That Mr. Crouch made her go up to the top of the stadium, and she was terrified, and he's got her bewitched so she can't even run when they start trampling tents! Why doesn't anyone do something about it?† â€Å"Well, the elves are happy, aren't they?† Ron said. â€Å"You heard old Winky back at the match†¦'House-elves is not supposed to have fun'†¦that's what she likes, being bossed around†¦.† â€Å"It's people like you, Ron,† Hermione began hotly, â€Å"who prop up rotten and unjust systems, just because they're too lazy to -â€Å" Another loud bang echoed from the edge of the wood. â€Å"Let's just keep moving, shall we?† said Ron, and Harry saw him glance edgily at Hermione. Perhaps there was truth in what Malfoy had said; perhaps Hermione was in more danger than they were. They set off again, Harry still searching his pockets, even though he knew his wand wasn't there. They followed the dark path deeper into the wood, still keeping an eye out for Fred, George, and Ginny. They passed a group of goblins who were cackling over a sack of gold that they had undoubtedly won betting on the match, and who seemed quite unperturbed by the trouble at the campsite. Farther still along the path, they walked into a patch of silvery light, and when they looked through the trees, they saw three tall and beautiful veela standing in a clearing, surrounded by a gaggle of young wizards, all of whom were talking very loudly. â€Å"I pull down about a hundred sacks of Galleons a year!† one of them shouted. â€Å"I'm a dragon killer for the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures.† â€Å"No, you're not!† yelled his friend. â€Å"You're a dishwasher at the Leaky Cauldron†¦but I'm a vampire hunter, I've killed about ninety so far -â€Å" A third young wizard, whose pimples were visible even by the dim, silvery light of the veela, now cut in, â€Å"I'm about to become the youngest ever Minister of Magic, I am.† Harry snorted with laughter. He recognized the pimply wizard: His name was Stan Shunpike, and he was in fact a conductor on the triple-decker Knight Bus. He turned to tell Ron this, but Ron's face had gone oddly slack, and next second Ron was yelling, â€Å"Did I tell you I've invented a broomstick that'll reach Jupiter?† â€Å"Honestly!† said Hermione, and she and Harry grabbed Ron firmly by the arms, wheeled him around, and marched him away. By the time the sounds of the veela and their admirers had faded completely, they were in the very heart of the wood. They seemed to be alone now; everything was much quieter. Harry looked around. â€Å"I reckon we can just wait here, you know. We'll hear anyone coming a mile off.† The words were hardly out of his mouth, when Ludo Bagman emerged from behind a tree right ahead of them. Even by the feeble light of the two wands, Harry could see that a great change had come over Bagman. He no longer looked buoyant and rosy-faced; there was no more spring in his step. He looked very white and strained. â€Å"Who's that?† he said, blinking down at them, trying to make out their faces. â€Å"What are you doing in here, all alone?† They looked at one another, surprised. â€Å"Well – there's a sort of riot going on,† said Ron. Bagman stared at him. â€Å"What?† â€Å"At the campsite†¦some people have got hold of a family of Muggles†¦.† Bagman swore loudly. â€Å"Damn them!† he said, looking quite distracted, and without another word, he Disapparated with a small pop! â€Å"Not exactly on top of things, Mr. Bagman, is he?† said Hermione, frowning. â€Å"He was a great Beater, though,† said Ron, leading the way off the path into a small clearing, and sitting down on a patch of dry grass at the foot of a tree. â€Å"The Wimbourne Wasps won the league three times in a row while he was with them.† He took his small figure of Krum out of his pocket, set it down on the ground, and watched it walk around. Like the real Krum, the model was slightly duck-footed and round-shouldered, much less impressive on his splayed feet than on his broomstick. Harry was listening for noise from the campsite. Everything seemed much quieter; perhaps the riot was over. â€Å"I hope the others are okay,† said Hermione after a while. â€Å"They'll be fine,† said Ron. â€Å"Imagine if your dad catches Lucius Malfoy,† said Harry, sitting down next to Ron and watching the small figure of Krum slouching over the fallen leaves. â€Å"He's always said he'd like to get something on him.† â€Å"That'd wipe the smirk off old Draco's face, all right,† said Ron. â€Å"Those poor Muggles, though,† said Hermione nervously. â€Å"What if they can't get them down?† â€Å"They will,† said Ron reassuringly. â€Å"They'll find a way.† â€Å"Mad, though, to do something like that when the whole Ministry of Magic's out here tonight!† said Hermione. â€Å"I mean, how do they expect to get away with it? Do you think they've been drinking, or are they just -â€Å" But she broke off abruptly and looked over her shoulder. Harry and Ron looked quickly around too. It sounded as though someone was staggering toward their clearing. They waited, listening to the sounds of the uneven steps behind the dark trees. But the footsteps came to a sudden halt. â€Å"Hello?† called Harry. There was silence. Harry got to his feet and peered around the tree. It was too dark to see very far, but he could sense somebody standing just beyond the range of his vision. â€Å"Who's there?† he said. And then, without warning, the silence was rent by a voice unlike any they had heard in the wood; and it uttered, not a panicked shout, but what sounded like a spell. â€Å"MORSMORDRE!† And something vast, green, and glittering erupted from the patch of darkness Harry's eyes had been struggling to penetrate; it flew up over the treetops and into the sky. â€Å"What the -?† gasped Ron as he sprang to his feet again, staring up at the thing that had appeared. For a split second, Harry thought it was another leprechaun formation. Then he realized that it was a colossal skull, comprised of what looked like emerald stars, with a serpent protruding from its mouth like a tongue. As they watched, it rose higher and higher, blazing in a haze of greenish smoke, etched against the black sky like a new constellation. Suddenly, the wood all around them erupted with screams. Harry didn't understand why, but the only possible cause was the sudden appearance of the skull, which had now risen high enough to illuminate the entire wood like some grisly neon sign. He scanned the darkness for the person who had conjured the skull, but he couldn't see anyone. â€Å"Who's there?† he called again. â€Å"Harry, come on, move!† Hermione had seized the collar of his jacket and was tugging him backward. â€Å"What's the matter?† Harry said, startled to see her face so white and terrified. â€Å"It's the Dark Mark, Harry!† Hermione moaned, pulling him as hard as she could. â€Å"You-Know-Who's sign!† â€Å"Voldemort's – ?† â€Å"Harry, come on!† Harry turned – Ron was hurriedly scooping up his miniature Krum – the three of them started across the clearing – but before they had taken a few hurried steps, a series of popping noises announced the arrival of twenty wizards, appearing from thin air, surrounding them. Harry whirled around, and in an instant, he registered one fact: Each of these wizards had his wand out, and every wand was pointing right at himself, Ron, and Hermione. Without pausing to think, he yelled, â€Å"DUCK!† He seized the other two and pulled them down onto the ground. â€Å"STUPEFY!† roared twenty voices – there was a blinding series of flashes and Harry felt the hair on his head ripple as though a powerful wind had swept the clearing. Raising his head a fraction of an inch he saw jets of fiery red light flying over them from the wizards' wands, crossing one another, bouncing off tree trunks, rebounding into the darkness – â€Å"Stop!† yelled a voice he recognized. â€Å"STOP! That's my son!† Harry's hair stopped blowing about. He raised his head a little higher. The wizard in front of him had lowered his wand. He rolled over and saw Mr. Weasley striding toward them, looking terrified. â€Å"Ron – Harry† – his voice sounded shaky – â€Å"Hermione – are you all right?† â€Å"Out of the way, Arthur,† said a cold, curt voice. It was Mr. Crouch. He and the other Ministry wizards were closing in on them. Harry got to his feet to face them. Mr. Crouch's face was taut with rage. â€Å"Which of you did it?† he snapped, his sharp eyes darting between them. â€Å"Which of you conjured the Dark Mark?† â€Å"We didn't do that!† said Harry, gesturing up at the skull. â€Å"We didn't do anything!† said Ron, who was rubbing his elbow and looking indignantly at his father. â€Å"What did you want to attack us for?† â€Å"Do not lie, sir!† shouted Mr. Crouch. His wand was still pointing directly at Ron, and his eyes were popping – he looked slightly mad. â€Å"You have been discovered at the scene of the crime!† â€Å"Barty,† whispered a witch in a long woolen dressing gown, â€Å"they're kids, Barty, they'd never have been able to -â€Å" â€Å"Where did the Mark come from, you three?† said Mr. Weasley quickly. â€Å"Over there,† said Hermione shakily, pointing at the place where they had heard the voice. â€Å"There was someone behind the trees†¦they shouted words – an incantation -â€Å" â€Å"Oh, stood over there, did they?† said Mr. Crouch, turning his popping eyes on Hermione now, disbelief etched all over his face. â€Å"Said an incantation, did they? You seem very well informed about how that Mark is summoned, missy -â€Å" But none of the Ministry wizards apart from Mr. Crouch seemed to think it remotely likely that Harry, Ron, or Hermione had conjured the skull; on the contrary, at Hermione's words, they had all raised their wands again and were pointing in the direction she had indicated, squinting through the dark trees. â€Å"We're too late,† said the witch in the woolen dressing gown, shaking her head. â€Å"They'll have Disapparated.† â€Å"I don't think so,† said a wizard with a scrubby brown beard. It was Amos Diggory, Cedric's father. â€Å"Our Stunners went right through those trees†¦.There's a good chance we got them†¦.† â€Å"Amos, be careful!† said a few of the wizards warningly as Mr. Diggory squared his shoulders, raised his wand, marched across the clearing, and disappeared into the darkness. Hermione watched him vanish with her hands over her mouth. A few seconds later, they heard Mr. Diggory shout. â€Å"Yes! We got them! There's someone here! Unconscious! It's – but – blimey†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You've got someone?† shouted Mr. Crouch, sounding highly disbelieving. â€Å"Who? Who is it?† They heard snapping twigs, the rustling of leaves, and then crunching footsteps as Mr. Diggory reemerged from behind the trees. He was carrying a tiny, limp figure in his arms. Harry recognized the tea towel at once. It was Winky. Mr. Crouch did not move or speak as Mr. Diggory deposited his elf on the ground at his feet. The other Ministry wizards were all staring at Mr. Crouch. For a few seconds Crouch remained transfixed, his eyes blazing in his white face as he stared down at Winky. Then he appeared to come to life again. â€Å"This – cannot – be,† he said jerkily. â€Å"No -â€Å" He moved quickly around Mr. Diggory and strode off toward the place where he had found Winky. â€Å"No point, Mr. Crouch,† Mr. Diggory called after him. â€Å"There's no one else there.† But Mr. Crouch did not seem prepared to take his word for it. They could hear him moving around and the rustling of leaves as he pushed the bushes aside, searching. â€Å"Bit embarrassing,† Mr. Diggory said grimly, looking down at Winky's unconscious form. â€Å"Barty Crouch's house-elf†¦.I mean to say†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Come off it, Amos,† said Mr. Weasley quietly, â€Å"you don't seriously think it was the elf? The Dark Mark's a wizard's sign. It requires a wand.† â€Å"Yeah,† said Mr. Diggory, â€Å"and she had a wand.† â€Å"What?† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"Here, look.† Mr. Diggory held up a wand and showed it to Mr. Weasley. â€Å"Had it in her hand. So that's clause three of the Code of Wand Use broken, for a start. No non-human creature is permitted to carry or use a wand.† Just then there was another pop, and Ludo Bagman Apparated right next to Mr. Weasley. Looking breathless and disorientated, he spun on the spot, goggling upward at the emerald-green skull. â€Å"The Dark Mark!† he panted, almost trampling Winky as he turned inquiringly to his colleagues. â€Å"Who did it? Did you get them? Barry! What's going on?† Mr. Crouch had returned empty-handed. His face was still ghostly white, and his hands and his toothbrush mustache were both twitching. â€Å"Where have you been, Barty?† said Bagman. â€Å"Why weren't you at the match? Your elf was saving you a seat too – gulping gargoyles!† Bagman had just noticed Winky lying at his feet. â€Å"What happened to her?† â€Å"I have been busy, Ludo,† said Mr. Crouch, still talking in the same jerky fashion, barely moving his lips. â€Å"And my elf has been stunned.† â€Å"Stunned? By you lot, you mean? But why -?† Comprehension dawned suddenly on Bagman's round, shiny face; he looked up at the skull, down at Winky, and then at Mr. Crouch. â€Å"No!† he said. â€Å"Winky? Conjure the Dark Mark? She wouldn't know how! She'd need a wand, for a start!† â€Å"And she had one,† said Mr. Diggory. â€Å"I found her holding one, Ludo. If it's all right with you, Mr. Crouch, I think we should hear what she's got to say for herself.† Crouch gave no sign that he had heard Mr. Diggory, but Mr. Diggory seemed to take his silence for assent. He raised his own wand, pointed it at Winky, and said, â€Å"Ennervate!† Winky stirred feebly. Her great brown eyes opened and she blinked several times in a bemused sort of way. Watched by the silent wizards, she raised herself shakily into a sitting position. She caught sight of Mr. Diggory's feet, and slowly, tremulously, raised her eyes to stare up into his face; then, more slowly still, she looked up into the sky. Harry could see the floating skull reflected twice in her enormous, glassy eyes. She gave a gasp, looked wildly around the crowded clearing, and burst into terrified sobs. â€Å"Elf!† said Mr. Diggory sternly. â€Å"Do you know who I am? I'm a member of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures!† Winky began to rock backward and forward on the ground, her breath coming in sharp bursts. Harry was reminded forcibly of Dobby in his moments of terrified disobedience. â€Å"As you see, elf, the Dark Mark was conjured here a short while ago,† said Mr. Diggory. â€Å"And you were discovered moments later, right beneath it! An explanation, if you please!† â€Å"I – I – I is not doing it, sir!† Winky gasped. â€Å"I is not knowing how, sir!† â€Å"You were found with a wand in your hand!† barked Mr. Diggory, brandishing it in front of her. And as the wand caught the green light that was filling the clearing from the skull above, Harry recognized it â€Å"Hey – that's mine!† he said Everyone in the clearing looked at him. â€Å"Excuse me?† said Mr. Diggory, incredulously. â€Å"That's my wand!† said Harry. â€Å"I dropped it!† â€Å"You dropped it?† repeated Mr. Diggory in disbelief. â€Å"Is this a confession? You threw it aside after you conjured the Mark?† â€Å"Amos, think who you're talking to!† said Mr. Weasley, very angrily. â€Å"Is Harry Potter likely to conjure the Dark Mark?† â€Å"Er – of course not,† mumbled Mr. Diggory. â€Å"Sorry†¦carried away†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I didn't drop it there, anyway,† said Harry, jerking his thumb toward the trees beneath the skull. â€Å"I missed it right after we got into the wood.† â€Å"So,† said Mr. Diggory, his eyes hardening as he turned to look at Winky again, cowering at his feet. â€Å"You found this wand, eh, elf? And you picked it up and thought you'd have some fun with it, did you?† â€Å"I is not doing magic with it, sir!† squealed Winky, tears streaming down the sides of her squashed and bulbous nose. â€Å"I is†¦I is†¦I is just picking it up, sir! I is not making the Dark Mark, sir, I is not knowing how!† â€Å"It wasn't her!† said Hermione. She looked very nervous, speaking up in front of all these Ministry wizards, yet determined all the same. â€Å"Winky's got a squeaky little voice, and the voice we heard doing the incantation was much deeper!† She looked around at Harry and Ron, appealing for their support. â€Å"It didn't sound anything like Winky, did it?† â€Å"No,† said Harry, shaking his head. â€Å"It definitely didn't sound like an elf.† â€Å"Yeah, it was a human voice,† said Ron. â€Å"Well, we'll soon see,† growled Mr. Diggory, looking unimpressed. â€Å"There's a simple way of discovering the last spell a wand performed, elf, did you know that?† Winky trembled and shook her head frantically, her ears flapping, as Mr. Diggory raised his own wand again and placed it tip to tip with Harry's. â€Å"Prior Incantato!† roared Mr. Diggory. Harry heard Hermione gasp, horrified, as a gigantic serpent-tongued skull erupted from the point where the two wands met, but it was a mere shadow of the green skull high above them; it looked as though it were made of thick gray smoke: the ghost of a spell. â€Å"Deletrius!† Mr. Diggory shouted, and the smoky skull vanished in a wisp of smoke. â€Å"So,† said Mr. Diggory with a kind of savage triumph, looking down upon Winky, who was still shaking convulsively. â€Å"I is not doing it!† she squealed, her eyes rolling in terror. â€Å"I is not, I is not, I is not knowing how! I is a good elf, I isn't using wands, I isn't knowing how!† â€Å"You've been caught red-handed, elf!† Mr. Diggory roared. â€Å"Caught with the guilty wand in your hand!† â€Å"Amos,† said Mr. Weasley loudly, â€Å"think about it†¦precious few wizards know how to do that spell†¦.Where would she have learned it?† â€Å"Perhaps Amos is suggesting,† said Mr. Crouch, cold anger in every syllable, â€Å"that I routinely teach my servants to conjure the Dark Mark?† There was a deeply unpleasant silence. Amos Diggory looked horrified. â€Å"Mr. Crouch†¦not†¦not at all. â€Å"You have now come very close to accusing the two people in this clearing who are least likely to conjure that Mark!† barked Mr. Crouch. â€Å"Harry Potter – and myself. I suppose you are familiar with the boy's story, Amos?† â€Å"Of course – everyone knows -† muttered Mr. Diggory, looking highly discomforted. â€Å"And I trust you remember the many proofs I have given, over a long career, that I despise and detest the Dark Arts and those who practice them?† Mr. Crouch shouted, his eyes bulging again. â€Å"Mr. Crouch, I – I never suggested you had anything to do with it!† Amos Diggory muttered again, now reddening behind his scrubby brown beard. â€Å"If you accuse my elf, you accuse me, Diggory!† shouted Mr. Crouch. â€Å"Where else would she have learned to conjure it?† â€Å"She – she might've picked it up anywhere -â€Å" â€Å"Precisely, Amos,† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"She might have picked it up anywhere†¦.Winky?† he said kindly, turning to the elf, but she flinched as though he too was shouting at her. â€Å"Where exactly did you find Harry's wand?† Winky was twisting the hem of her tea towel so violently that it was fraying beneath her fingers. â€Å"I – I is finding it†¦finding it there, sir†¦Ã¢â‚¬  she whispered, â€Å"there†¦in the trees, sir. â€Å"You see, Amos?† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"Whoever conjured the Mark could have Disapparated right after they'd done it, leaving Harry's wand behind. A clever thing to do, not using their own wand, which could have betrayed them. And Winky here had the misfortune to come across the wand moments later and pick it up.† â€Å"But then, she'd have been only a few feet away from the real culprit!† said Mr. Diggory impatiently. â€Å"Elf? Did you see anyone?† Winky began to tremble worse than ever. Her giant eyes flickered from Mr. Diggory, to Ludo Bagman, and onto Mr. Crouch. Then she gulped and said, â€Å"I is seeing no one, sir†¦no one†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Amos,† said Mr. Crouch curtly, â€Å"I am fully aware that, in the ordinary course of events, you would want to take Winky into your department for questioning. I ask you, however, to allow me to deal with her.† Mr. Diggory looked as though he didn't think much of this suggestion at all, but it was clear to Harry that Mr. Crouch was such an important member of the Ministry that he did not dare refuse him. â€Å"You may rest assured that she will be punished,† Mr. Crouch added coldly. â€Å"M-m-master†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Winky stammered, looking up at Mr. Crouch, her eyes brimming with tears. â€Å"M-m-master, p-p-please†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Mr. Crouch stared back, his face somehow sharpened, each line upon it more deeply etched. There was no pity in his gaze. â€Å"Winky has behaved tonight in a manner I would not have believed possible,† he said slowly. â€Å"I told her to remain in the tent. I told her to stay there while I went to sort out the trouble. And I find that she disobeyed me. This means clothes.† â€Å"No!† shrieked Winky, prostrating herself at Mr. Crouch's feet. â€Å"No, master! Not clothes, not clothes!† Harry knew that the only way to turn a house-elf free was to present it with proper garments. It was pitiful to see the way Winky clutched at her tea towel as she sobbed over Mr. Crouch's feet. â€Å"But she was frightened!† Hermione burst out angrily, glaring at Mr. Crouch. â€Å"Your elf's scared of heights, and those wizards in masks were levitating people! You can't blame her for wanting to get out of their way!† Mr. Crouch took a step backward, freeing himself from contact with the elf, whom he was surveying as though she were something filthy and rotten that was contaminating his over-shined shoes. â€Å"I have no use for a house-elf who disobeys me,† he said coldly, looking over at Hermione. â€Å"I have no use for a servant who forgets what is due to her master, and to her master's reputation.† Winky was crying so hard that her sobs echoed around the clearing. There was a very nasty silence, which was ended by Mr. Weasley, who said quietly, â€Å"Well, I think I'll take my lot back to the tent, if nobody's got any objections. Amos, that wand's told us all it can – if Harry could have it back, please -â€Å" Mr. Diggory handed Harry his wand and Harry pocketed it. â€Å"Come on, you three,† Mr. Weasley said quietly. But Hermione didn't seem to want to move; her eyes were still upon the sobbing elf. â€Å"Hermione!† Mr. Weasley said, more urgently. She turned and followed Harry and Ron out of the clearing and off through the trees. â€Å"What's going to happen to Winky?† said Hermione, the moment they had left the clearing. â€Å"I don't know,† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"The way they were treating her!† said Hermione furiously. â€Å"Mr. Diggory, calling her ‘elf' all the time†¦and Mr. Crouch! He knows she didn't do it and he's still going to sack her! He didn't care how frightened she'd been, or how upset she was – it was like she wasn't even human!† â€Å"Well, she's not,† said Ron. Hermione rounded on him. â€Å"That doesn't mean she hasn't got feelings, Ron. It's disgusting the way -â€Å" â€Å"Hermione, I agree with you,† said Mr. Weasley quickly, beckoning her on, â€Å"but now is not the time to discuss elf rights. I want to get back to the tent as fast as we can. What happened to the others?† â€Å"We lost them in the dark,† said Ron. â€Å"Dad, why was everyone so uptight about that skull thing?† â€Å"I'll explain everything back at the tent,† said Mr. Weasley tensely. But when they reached the edge of the wood, their progress was impeded. A large crowd of frightened-looking witches and wizards was congregated there, and when they saw Mr. Weasley coming toward them, many of them surged forward. â€Å"What's going on in there?† â€Å"Who conjured it?† â€Å"Arthur – it's not – Him?† â€Å"Of course it's not Him,† said Mr. Weasley impatiently. â€Å"We don't know who it was; it looks like they Disapparated. Now excuse me, please, I want to get to bed.† He led Harry, Ron, and Hermione through the crowd and back into the campsite. All was quiet now; there was no sign of the masked wizards, though several ruined tents were still smoking. Charlie's head was poking out of the boys' tent. â€Å"Dad, what's going on?† he called through the dark. â€Å"Fred, George, and Ginny got back okay, but the others -â€Å" â€Å"I've got them here,† said Mr. Weasley, bending down and entering the tent. Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered after him. Bill was sitting at the small kitchen table, holding a bedsheet to his arm, which was bleeding profusely. Charlie had a large rip in his shirt, and Percy was sporting a bloody nose. Fred, George, and Ginny looked unhurt, though shaken. â€Å"Did you get them, Dad?† said Bill sharply. â€Å"The person who conjured the Mark?† â€Å"No,† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"We found Barry Crouch's elf holding Harry's wand, but we're none the wiser about who actually conured the Mark.† â€Å"What?† said Bill, Charlie, and Percy together. â€Å"Harry's wand?† said Fred. â€Å"Mr. Crouch's elf?† said Percy, sounding thunderstruck. With some assistance from Harry, Ron, and Hermione, Mr. Weasley explained what had happened in the woods. When they had finished their story, Percy swelled indignantly. â€Å"Well, Mr. Crouch is quite right to get rid of an elf like that!† he said. â€Å"Running away when he'd expressly told her not to†¦embarrassing him in front of the whole Ministry†¦how would that have looked, if she'd been brought up in front of the Department for the Regulation and Control -â€Å" â€Å"She didn't do anything – she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time!† Hermione snapped at Percy, who looked very taken aback. Hermione had always got on fairly well with Percy – better, indeed, than any of the others. â€Å"Hermione, a wizard in Mr. Crouch's position can't afford a house-elf who's going to run amok with a wand!† said Percy pompously, recovering himself. â€Å"She didn't run amok!† shouted Hermione. â€Å"She just picked it up off the ground!† â€Å"Look, can someone just explain what that skull thing was?† said Ron impatiently. â€Å"It wasn't hurting anyone†¦.Why's it such a big deal?† â€Å"I told you, it's You-Know-Who's symbol, Ron,† said Hermione, before anyone else could answer. â€Å"I read about it in The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts.† â€Å"And it hasn't been seen for thirteen years,† said Mr. Weasley quietly. â€Å"Of course people panicked†¦it was almost like seeing You-Know-Who back again.† â€Å"I don't get it,† said Ron, frowning. â€Å"I mean†¦it's still only a shape in the sky†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Ron, You-Know-Who and his followers sent the Dark Mark into the air whenever they killed,† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"The terror it inspired†¦you have no idea, you're too young. Just picture coming home and finding the Dark Mark hovering over your house, and knowing what you're about to find inside†¦.† Mr. Weasley winced. â€Å"Everyone's worst fear†¦the very worst†¦Ã¢â‚¬  There was silence for a moment. Then Bill, removing the sheet from his arm to check on his cut, said, â€Å"Well, it didn't help us tonight, whoever conjured it. It scared the Death Eaters away the moment they saw it. They all Disapparated before we'd got near enough to unmask any of them. We caught the Robertses before they hit the ground, though. They're having their memories modified right now.† â€Å"Death Eaters?† said Harry. â€Å"What are Death Eaters?† â€Å"It's what You-Know-Who's supporters called themselves,† said Bill. â€Å"I think we saw what's left of them tonight – the ones who managed to keep themselves out of Azkaban, anyway.† â€Å"We can't prove it was them, Bill,† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"Though it probably was,† he added hopelessly. â€Å"Yeah, I bet it was!† said Ron suddenly . â€Å"Dad, we met Draco Malfoy in the woods, and he as good as told us his dad was one of those nutters in masks! And we all know the Malfoys were right in with You-Know-Who!† â€Å"But what were Voldemort's supporters -† Harry began. Everybody flinched – like most of the wizarding world, the Weasleys always avoided saying Voldemort's name. â€Å"Sorry,† said Harry quickly. â€Å"What were You-Know-Who's supporters up to, levitating Muggles? I mean, what was the point?† â€Å"The point?† said Mr. Weasley with a hollow laugh. â€Å"Harry, that's their idea of fun. Half the Muggle killings back when You-Know-Who was in power were done for fun. I suppose they had a few drinks tonight and couldn't resist reminding us all that lots of them are still at large. A nice little reunion for them,† he finished disgustedly. â€Å"But if they were the Death Eaters, why did they Disapparate when they saw the Dark Mark?† said Ron. â€Å"They'd have been pleased to see it, wouldn't they?† â€Å"Use your brains, Ron,† said Bill. â€Å"If they really were Death Eaters, they worked very hard to keep out of Azkaban when You-Know-Who lost power, and told all sorts of lies about him forcing them to kill and torture people. I bet they'd be even more frightened than the rest of us to see him come back. They denied they'd ever been involved with him when he lost his powers, and went back to their daily lives†¦.I don't reckon he'd be over-pleased with them, do you?† â€Å"So†¦whoever conjured the Dark Mark†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Hermione slowly, â€Å"were they doing it to show support for the Death Eaters, or to scare them away?† â€Å"Your guess is as good as ours, Hermione,† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"But I'll tell you this†¦it was only the Death Eaters who ever knew how to conjure it. I'd be very surprised if the person who did it hadn't been a Death Eater once, even if they're not now†¦.Listen, it's very late, and if your mother hears what's happened she'll be worried sick. We'll get a few more hours sleep and then try and get an early Portkey out of here.† Harry got back into his bunk with his head buzzing. He knew he ought to feel exhausted: It was nearly three in the morning, but he felt wide-awake – wide-awake, and worried. Three days ago – it felt like much longer, but it had only been three days – he had awoken with his scar burning. And tonight, for the first time in thirteen years, Lord Voldemort's mark had appeared in the sky. What did these things mean? He thought of the letter he had written to Sirius before leaving Privet Drive. Would Sirius have gotten it yet? When would he reply? Harry lay looking up at the canvas, but no flying fantasies came to him now to ease him to sleep, and it was a long time after Charlie's snores filled the tent that Harry finally dozed off.