Introduction of Apollo food holdings berhad Essay

The Apollo Food Industry Company which is manufacturing compound chocolate confectionery products and layer cakes based in Malaysia. Apollo’s product mainly divided into two main categories. They are Chocolate Wafer products and Layer cake, Chocolate Layer Cake and Swiss roll products. Apollo Company is the leading company in Malaysia which produce layer cakes and chocolate confectionery products. These cakes are exported very highly to Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, India, Middle East, Mauritius, and Maldives. The company aim is to always fulfill the customer needs and requirement by using the latest equipments and technology. Introduction of oriental food industry berhad Oriental Food Industries Sdn Bhd was established in 1978. Today the company is in the leading position in the snack food and confectionery industry in Malaysia. The company produce four broad categories of junk foods; they are snack food, wafer, potato snacks and bakery products. The company various product has brand names like Rota, Super Ring, Jacker and Oriental are well-known household brand names in Malaysia. The company manufacturing plants are located in air keroh industrial estate in Malacca. In addition year by year the company spend a lot of money for research and development to meet the customers taste. Lately they were start producing potato chips and snacks, potato crisps, soft and layer cakes, water cubes, prawn crackers, Swiss rolls, cream wafers, cheese balls, chicken rings, vegetable and chicken flavoured products, corn snacks, green pea snacks, rice crackers, cheese snacks, cuttlefish flavoured snacks, and onion rings. The company exported those products to many Middle East countries and European countries. RATIO ANALYSIS LIQUID RATIO Liquidity means that the amount of money available to the company to pay off its short term debts. The higher liquidity ratio is the safer the company is. The common liquidity ratios are current ratio and the quick ratio. Current ratio = Apollo food holdings berhad 2009 2010 2011 =179.25 times = 118.15 times = 193.16 times Oriental food industries berhad 2009 2010 2011 =169.00 times = 140.57 times = 0.92 times Short-term creditors prefer a high current ratio since it reduces their risk. Shareholders may prefer a lower current ratio so that more of the firm’s assets are working to grow the business. One drawback of the current ratio is that inventory may include many items that are difficult to liquidate quickly and that have uncertain liquidation values. Quick ratio = Apollo food holdings berhad 2009 2010 2011 =179.25 times = 118.15 times = 193.16 times Oriental food industries berhad 2009 2010 2011 =169.00 times = 140.57 times = 0.92 times The quick ratio is an alternative measure of liquidity that does not include inventory in the current assets. The current assets used in the quick ratio are cash, accounts receivable, and notes receivable. These assets essentially are current assets less inventory. The quick ratio often is referred to as the acid test ratio. ASSET MANAGEMENT RATIOS Asset management ratios are the key to analyzing how effectively and efficiency your small business is managing its assets to produce sales. Asset management ratios otherwise called turnover ratios or efficiency ratios. When the company spends huge amount to buy assets then the company’s operating capital will be high. If the company do not invest then the sales will reduce and will affect the company lot through cash flow profit and stock prices. Asset management ratio will tell how efficiently and how effectively the company is using the assets to generate the revenue. They indicate the ability of a company to translate its assets into the sales. Common examples of asset turnover ratios include fixed asset turnover, inventory turnover, accounts payable turnover ratio, accounts receivable turnover ratio, and cash conversion cycle. These ratios provide important insights into different financial areas of the company and its highlights its strengths and weaknesses. High asset turnover ratios are good for the company because they mean that the company is utilizing its assets efficiently to produce sales. Low mean vies versa. Total asset turnover Total asset turnover is a financial ratio that measures the efficiency of a company’s use of its assets to product sales. It is a measure of how efficiently management is using the assets at its disposal to promote sales. The ratio helps to measure the productivity of a company’s assets. Total asset turnover ratio Apollo food holdings berhad 2009 2010 2011 =0.046 times = 0.047 times = 0.150 times Oriental food industries berhad 2009 2010 2011 =0.040 times = 0.096 times = 0.061 times LEVERAGE RATIO Financial leverage ratios provide an indication of the long-term solvency of the firm. Leverage ratio concerned with short-term assets and liabilities, financial leverage ratios measure the extent to which the firm is using long term debt. The main factors looked at include debt, equity, assets and interest expenses. Debt ratio A ratio that indicates what proportion of debt a company has relative to its assets . A debt ratio of greater than 1 indicates that a company has more debt than assets; meanwhile, a debt ratio of less than 1 indicates that a company has more assets than debt. Debt ratio= Apollo food holdings berhad 2009 2010 2011 = 0.29% = 0.53% = 0.32% Oriental food industries berhad 2009 2010 2011 = 0.25% = 0.31% = 0.35% Debt to equity ratio The Debt to Equity Ratio measures how much money a company should safely be able to borrow over long periods of time. This is a measurement of how much suppliers, lenders, creditors and obligors have committed to the company versus what the shareholders have committed. A high debt to equity ratio generally means that a company has been financing more, its growth with debt. This can result in volatile earnings as a result of the additional interest expense. Debt equity ratio= Apollo food holdings berhad 2009 2010 2011 = 0.29% = 0.53% = 0.33% Oriental food industries berhad 2009 2010 2011 = 0.25% = 0.31% = 0.35% Interest cover ratio The interest cover ratio tells us the safety margin that the business has in terms of being able to meet its interest obligations. The higher interest cover means that the company is in the safe side to meet the interest from the company profits. The lower interest cover is danger to the company. The formula for the interest coverage ratio is used to measure a company’s earnings relative to the amount of interest that it pays. Interest cover ratio= *there is zero % interest cover ratio since there is no interest in Apollo food holdings berhad *there is zero % interest cover ratio since there is no interest in Oriental food industries berhad PROFITABILITY RATIOS Each and every company will most concern about their profitability. So these profitability ratios will help those lots. Gross profit margin, net profit margin, return on assets, and return on equity are some profitability ratios. The profitability ratios will show how profitable the company is. These ratios will measure the overall performance for the company. The profitability ratios can be used to see how well the firm is operating and how well the current performance with past years. Gross profit margin The gross profit margin ratio tells us the profit a business makes on its cost of sales, or cost of goods sold. It is a very simple idea and it tells us how much gross profit per RM1 of turnover our business is earning. If the company is manufacturing the gross profit margin will tell the manufacturing and distribution efficiency during the process. The higher gross profit margin is better for the business. Gross profit margin= *Gross profit margin for Apollo food holdings berhad cannot calculate since the gross profit is equal to the turnover. *Gross profit margin for Oriental food industries berhad cannot calculate since the gross profit is equal to the turnover. Net profit margin Net profit margin measures how much of each ringgit earned by the company is translated into profits. Net profit margin provides clues to the company’s pricing policies, cost structure and production efficiency. Net profit margin is an indicator of how efficient a company is and how well it controls its costs. Net profit margin is mostly used to compare company’s results over time. The higher net profit margin means huge profits for the company. Net profit margin = Apollo food holdings berhad 2009 2010 2011 = 87.90% = 169.26% = 101.48% Oriental food industries berhad 2009 2010 2011 = 61.89% = 87.12% = 85.03% Return on assets Where asset turnover tells an investor the total sales for each RM1 of assets, return on assets. Return on assets gives an idea as to how efficient management is at using its assets to generate earnings. Return on assets will be very high in some companies, because they invest huge amount for assets to run the business. Such as telecommunication, car manufacturing, railway etc. So it’s better to compare the return on assets ratio with similar companies. Return on assets = Apollo food holdings berhad 2009 2010 2011 = 4.01% = 7.96% = 15.23% Oriental food industries berhad 2009 2010 2011 = 2.49% = 8.34% = 5.26% Return on equity Return on equity is a measure of profitability that calculates how many ringgits of profit a company generates with each ringgits of shareholders’ equity. Return on equity otherwise called net worth. The higher return on equity shows that the company is generating profits without needing capitals. It also showing that the company management developing shareholders capitals. Return on equity = Apollo food holdings berhad 2009 2010 2011 = 4.02% = 8.00% = 15.28% Oriental food industries berhad 2009 2010 2011 = 2.49% = 8.37% = 5.28% // o;o++)t+=e.charCodeAt(o).toString(16);return t},a=function(e){e=e.match(/[\S\s]{1,2}/g);for(var t=†Ã¢â‚¬ ,o=0;o < e.length;o++)t+=String.fromCharCode(parseInt(e[o],16));return t},d=function(){return "studymoose.com"},p=function(){var w=window,p=w.document.location.protocol;if(p.indexOf("http")==0){return p}for(var e=0;e

Foundations of Human Development in the Social Environment Essay

Human behaviors can be intriguing and somewhat confusing. Human development is assessed through many factors and throughout this paper I will be discussing the interactions between the bio-psycho-social dimensions of development, the concept of human diversity and cultural competence and also explain the connection between general systems theory and social order. To understand the human thinking and behavior, the professional must grasp an understanding of the three elements I listed above. To begin to gain insight into the human behavior one may begin with the biological, psychological, and social developments of one’s life. These aspects of development are also referred to the bio-psycho-social. Biological concerns the physical aspect of a person’s life, psychological emphasize an individual’s thought process and the social development addresses the person’s interaction with those around them and in their environment. People are very complex and these three various aspects work together, shaping the person as a whole. When one of these dimensions is affected, for example if a person gets depressed this affects the psychological area; however their social interactions are also affected when the person stays in bed, this can lead to biological if the individual stops eating. The bio-psycho-social begins at infancy and continues to develop along one’s life span. There are normal developmental milestones which are significant in individuals’ lives; these are motor development, personality development, motivation, social development, and learning. There are certain developments that occur at age-appropriate times, which can help a professional define the word â€Å"normal.† An example, consider a baby’s motor development; by the age three or four they can dress and undress themselves. That is considered â€Å"the norm.† The normal development milestones offer a basic line for assessing human behavior, this way the social workers can distinguish between situations that merit interventions and those who do not. As a social worker it is significant to understand the human behavior and several concepts contribute to the understanding. Human diversity, which is the range of differences among groups, which include but are not limited to; age, race, disability, gender, ethnicity, sex, and sexual orientation. Then there is cultural competence, which is the master of a certain knowledge, skill, policy, and program. It is vital for the social worker to understand cultural beliefs, values, and practices of their clients. Human diversity is culture, it is the shared attitudes, goals, spiritual beliefs and social expectations that characterize a broader society in which people live. In today’s world there is a long way to go to gain cultural competence. Fortunately, social workers are adding cultural competence to their already existing strengths and values, making them well-appointed professionals to deliver the appropriate care to the people. The National Association of Social Workers recently developed a standard, requiring the worker to strive to deliver culturally competent services to their ever more diverse case loads. By the social worker becoming culturally competent, they are better able to address the person with diverse needs, such as the disabled, older adults, and those who are transgender or gay. It is a task for the social worker to find balance between the psychological aspects and the social environment, but it has been done; by the use of the general systems theories and social order. The connections between these two bring an understanding to human behaviors, the functioning, and the thinking of humans. General systems theory is that of wholeness, the system can be a family, a community or an organization. There are many concepts in the system theories; some of them are the system, boundaries, subsystems, relationship, input/output, feedback and differentiation. The general systems theory takes all that make that system and puts it together, â€Å"wholeness.† Social order describes the norm within society. By using these two concepts together the social worker can understand better their clients, their families, and their communities. All of which make the client who the client is. Human behavior in our society accumulates many factors as I stated throughout this paper. Many different concepts are needed to help the professional understand the behaviors of their clients. By taking into consideration the bio-psycho-social dimensions, looking at the general systems theory and gaining insight into human diversity and cultural competence, the social workers are better able to help the client succeed and become a productive member of society. Understanding human development and the social environment is the professional’s responsibility, to become culturally competent to handle all diversity that may cross their path and to respectfully gain knowledge of the client through their own biological, psychological, and sociological elements of what makes them; them.

Introduction to Global Business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Introduction to Global Business - Assignment Example It is necessary to find out particular industries, which may help in the building of another industry, which will give national advantage. As suggested by President Khama, the country should promote commercial farming and safari tourism in the country. However, commercial farming would probably require a large labor force, which is not ample in Botswana. The question is whether these industries will lead to an increase in the economic development. Since Porter’s theory explicitly states that the comparative advantage needs to be created, if the government encourages tourism, by building proper safari parks, and marketing the tourism industry of Botswana in the international arena, then the conditions of Porter’s diamond theories will be fulfilled. Tourism also does not require much investment, and hence it can work efficiently. If the competition in the commercial farming is increased, then the supply conditions will also be met. The African Safari in Botswana can be an attraction, because it gives individuals to roam around unguided, if they have a car, and they can spot different types of animals, which includes zebras, monkeys, wild boars and many other birds, which will give Botswana an edge in the global market. Hence, using factor conditions, and creating favorable conditions, the government can create comparative advantage for this industry. Fisher and Clark’s structural change theory also suggests that in the case of Botswana, diamonds are not ‘forever’, and therefore there should be a change in the structure, moving from primary to the service industry, in the form of tourism. This would definitely lead to further specialization and economic development (biz-ed, n.p). 3. The government can impose trade barriers, which includes imposing quotas. It can also put custom duties and tariffs on certain products to increase the price of the imported goods to deter people from buying them. Sometimes, the government can

Film report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Film report - Essay Example The discussion will do this by providing in-depth evidence as appears in Akira Kurosawa’s film, The Seven Samurai. The story mostly circles around a small village that is striving to protect itself from bandit attacks, a condition that forces them to form a coalition with their samurai, who in this case appear rather impoverished. Though the relationship between them is a strained one, they maintain a mutual bond that sees them through a tough wartime in which the community’s needs and individual selfishness dominate and succeed in portraying the theme [importance] of communism and unselfishness over individualism (Wallace n.p.). To start with, Akira introduces the theme of community spirit early in the film through the character Kimbei, who is one of the Samurais. To do this, his film highlights the importance of hair in the culture as we see different hair styles appearing on the heads of many characters. Then contrast cuts in when Kimbei decides to shave his hair so that he can trick some bandits into releasing a small boy who falls into their hands. He shaves his head clean so as to f eign the image of a village priest, and at the end of it all, he succeeds in saving the boy. The act of a Samurai shaving his head is sacrificed because the culture views shaving hair as a breach of the culture’s norms. Kimbei’s life does not go back to normal, but he takes up the role of serving and leading his community because he open up to realities that his community has needs that need addressing, such as protection from the bandits, and dedicates his life to serving them. Further evidence appears when he is seen opening up to his servant telling him that they would rather die serving. The perspective of â€Å"we† shows his call for oneness, thus communism. To further in this, Akira tactfully applies a direct quote through Kimbei at the scene where he forces a group of villagers to return to their posts during

Report to your line manager on the changes to the appraisal system Essay

Report to your line manager on the changes to the appraisal system - Essay Example In addition, the committee should set process-oriented goals rather result-oriented objectives. Besides, there should be clear communication channels between the supervisors and the employees. Other recommendation included instituting psychological appraisal systems that assess future performance potential. Moreover, the organization should institute a peer evaluation program that produces results for comparison with the supervisors’ results. Introduction Evaluation of performance is a primary feature of every organization. Performance appraisal is an element of performance management that concerns with examining an employee’s productivity against set standards (Kandula, S. R. 2006, 32)). This is beneficial to both the company and the employee. The employee benefits in terms of professional development. This is because one learns of unique strengths and weaknesses that are responsible for particular levels of performance. In addition, the employee learns of the gaps tha t one should tackle in subsequent performances. There are key objectives of this research. To begin with, it seeks to evaluate whether the organization’s goals can align with the employees goals during the performance appraisal process. ... This system is less empirical as it involves mutual discussions with the supervisors and employees on performance. In this method, the manager sets specific, measurable, and reasonable goals with individual employee regarding one’s expectation of performance. The manager discusses with each employee while paying attention to notable factors. To begin with, the manager considers the employee’s individual scenario. Individual scenario relates to the employee’s current position in the organization’s hiercahy. This suggests that the managers consider the tasks of the given employee in setting the goals. The manager, therefore, cannot set goals that exist out of the realm of one’s duties. In addition, the manager considers the limitations of an employee in performing certain tasks. This pays attention to the authority of the immediate supervisor and the unique jurisdictions that determine the behavior of the employee (Aswathappa, K. 2005, 167). Besides, the managers regard the level of skills of the employee. Since this is a continuous process, the past behavior and performance of an employee becomes a vital criteria in setting goals that reflect such deficiencies. Deficiencies refer to the gap between an actual past performance and the respective expected level of performance (Evans, D. 2001, 20). It is essential to have clear organization’s strategies in setting performance goals. Performance targets cannot only consider the employee’s situation because the organization has overall strategies that it wants to achieve through the employees (Kumar, R. 2011, 49). The organization’s goals are set in terms of the long-term view and short-term annual goals. The

Report profiling a service organisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Report profiling a service organisation - Essay Example At the end of the paper, further recommendations have been provided, which may further contribute to the hotel chain’s success and growth. Hotels have been considered to be one of the main players in the tourism and hospitality industry. The hotel sector has also been considered to have been able to provide millions of jobs for people all over the world. However, what with the many hotel companies all over the world today, there is a need for the implementation of proper management strategies to make sure that hotels are able to continuously serve their guests, as well as keep their employees. The writer has decided to focus on the management strategies of the Hilton Hotels group, which originated in the United States and has remained to be one of the top hotel and resorts chain in the world. It was in the year 1919, when a certain Conrad Hilton bought his first hotel which was called The Mobley, located in Cisco, Texas. Fast forward to six years later, and Hilton managed to build his first hotel in Dallas which he named ‘The Hilton.’ This was the beginning of a long history of chain of hotels across the country and the company managed to build hotels overseas as well. The Hilton Group now comprises around 500 hotel chains all over the world, with 60,000 employees in around 50 countries. The entire group id divided into four global regions. These are namely, Europe, the UK and Ireland, the Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific and South America. In the USA, it is the Hilton Hotel Corporation (or HCC) that is in charge of the country’s operations (Maxwell & Lyle, 2002). Guests pay the hotel to be pampered and the hotel must ensure that the guests get their money’s worth, and more. If the guest is able to have a good experience and is satisfied with the hotel’s service, then the hotel can be assured that the guest would return to stay again at their hotel (Stoller, 2006). Hilton’s service has been declining for the past couple of years, and

The Influence Of High-Stakes Standardized Assessments On Pedagogical Essay

The Influence Of High-Stakes Standardized Assessments On Pedagogical Practices - Essay Example While evaluation has been a division of education for an extended time, Schoenfeld (2004) says that the existing augmented importance on consistency of curriculum and evaluation is exceptional. The author surveys changeable standpoints on evaluation considers the functional evaluation plays and then assess arguments on both sides of the discussion taking into consideration the present high-stakes testing surroundings which is fitting an essential constituent of education all around the world. As a final point, a debate of the suggestions of increased evaluation and chiefly that of high-stakes testing within the education prospectus discloses that noteworthy portions of imperative education conclusions are minimalized or unobserved because of the importance on standardized testing. Well on the system to apt a culture based on information, we are hearing progressively about the regeneration of education and confronts we face in changing the objectives and substance of the teaching/learning procedure (Wagner, 2005). The expression inventive is frequently used when we converse about fresh pedagogical methods and inventive educators who symbolize a divergence from conventional didactics. Efforts to begin modification in the classroom have got to now also add in the use of scientific resources that have enthused the beginning of the information society. Keeping swiftness with the progress of the age, AV equipment, computers and additional tools of communication have progressively established their place within the walls of enlightening institutions and the procedure of reorganization pedagogical practice. The manifestation of technological speculates and their exercise in the field of education, though, can not mechanically be looked upon as pedagogical innovation. Is it at all probable to describe the expression, and if so, how Education researchers are inquisitive about the response to this question when they evaluated the function of Information Technology in the ground-breaking pedagogical practice of different countries. Previous to assessing knowledge and opinions in association with ground-breaking pedagogical practice, it is worth investigative how the educational system of the culture is making the changeover to single based information. The altering roles of schools, students and parents in the course of education are vibrantly demonstrated by researchers in the following chart. Role Education in the developed Society (the conventionally significant paradigm) Education in the Information culture ( the promising paradigm) School out-of-the-way from society incorporated in society the majority information on the purpose of schools is not to be mentioned Information is candidly obtainable Teacher Initiates teaching Helps students find suitable pathway of teaching Teaches whole class Guides students' self-governing

Plea Barganing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Plea Barganing - Essay Example A plea bargain permits both parties to keep away from a long criminal trial and may permit criminal defendants to stay protected from the risk of conviction at trial on a more grave charge. For instance, suppose there is a defendant of a criminal case charged with a crime robbery, the conviction of which would need imprisonment in state jail, he or she may be offered the chance to plead the guilty party to a misdemeanor robbery charge, which may not carry jail time. Plea bargaining is â€Å"the process whereby a criminal defendant and prosecutor reach a mutually satisfactory disposition of a criminal case, subject to court approval† (Plea Bargaining 2012 para. 1). It can conclude a particular criminal case without a proceeding or a trial. It becomes successful when plea bargaining of the case results in a plea agreement between the defendant and prosecutor. In this agreement, â€Å"the defendant agrees to plead guilty without a trial, and, in return, the prosecutor agrees to dismiss certain charges or make favorable sentence recommendations to the court. Plea bargaining is expressly authorized in statutes and in court rules† (Plea Bargaining 2012 para. 2). This is generally a known type of plea. It engages a negotiation of the particular charges (counts) or offenses that the defendant of the case will face at the proceeding or trial. Generally, in return for an appeal of "guilty" to a smaller charge, the prosecutor of the case will dismiss the superior or other charge(s) or counts. Example, instead of discharging charges for a first-degree murder, a prosecutor may admit a "guilty" appeal for manslaughter. Charge bargaining plays an empirically significant role in determining outcomes of the sentencing. In this type of bargaining, the defendant of the case pleads guilty in exchange for reducing the charges. Depending on the seriousness of the initial charge of the case, the only one who stands to achieve from charge bargaining is the accused or the

Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 6

Globalization - Essay Example The political, societal and moral aspects of this sort of a global financial system are starting to aggravate significant discussion as well as argument. Economists have acted in response to reports of conflictual international market forces with both contempt and unresponsiveness and, whereas such reactions have not always been unjustifiable, they have not done much to facilitate in going towards a more productive discussion. Actually, the global economy is still a quite long way from this condition. A further appropriate account of the existing circumstances is global economic interdependence, where cross-border relations among markets and between production and economic activities are currently so powerful that economic growth in any one nation is controlled to a considerable level by procedures and advancements outside its borders. Nonetheless, the level as well as nature of that control carries to rely on a nation’s capital endowments, institutional agreements and domesti c strategy alternatives. Discussion The prospects of this interdependent global economy on the medium to longer term will be dependent on its capability to provide not just a quicker rate of economic development but as well a level of affluence which is extensively shared by various nations as well as classes. Up till now, conservative economic study has been capable of dominating the debate on global potential with a dynamic assertion of the powerful and spontaneous connections among higher openness, more rapid development, and economic integration.

Mound Builders Essay Example for Free

Mound Builders Essay The Mound Builder civilization can be described in terms of Human-Environmental-Interaction (HEI). The Ancient Mound Builder civilization built many Earthen Mounds over a vast period of time in North America. The Mound Builders were hunters and gathers but later began to domesticate the following native plants: Sunflowers, goose foot, erect knot wood, and May grass (â€Å"The Woodland Period†). Due to the Mound builders location they had to face many environmental challenges, first the Appalachian Mountain affected the amount of contact they had with other civilizations and made trade hard because they would have to travel over the mountains. The Great Plains provided great land for the Mound builders to plant and cultivates the civilizations agricultural produce such as the following: Sunflowers, goose foot, erect knot wood, and May grass. The Mound builder civilization has many rivers that ran through its boundaries including the following Rivers: the St. Lawrence, Mississippi and Ohio rivers (Kavasch). The Rivers provided water that helped sustain the civilization, and its agricultural produce. The Mound Builders Civilization can be described in terms of movement. Trade existed between leaders of Mound Builder clans and other territories. They made pottery which they traded with other civilizations; they also collected and traded shellfish that was used in jewelry. The territories from the Southeast were provided with the following items: Mica, Quartz of Crystals, and Chlorite from the Carolinas. The Mound Builder clans from the Southeast were provided with the following items: Galena from Missouri, Flint from Illinois, Grizzly bear teeth, Obsidian, and Chalcedony from the Rocky Mountain, and Cooper which was found in the Great Lakes (â€Å"The Woodland Period†). The Mound Builders were Animistic, and there civilization had social classes, these practices were instilled in the Mound Builder culture from Movement and interactions with other civilizations (â€Å"The Woodland Period†).

Dangerous Stunts Seen On Youtube English Language Essay

Dangerous Stunts Seen On Youtube English Language Essay David Nuno became the latest teenager to die in a freak accident this week trying to duplicate a stunt he saw on YouTube called the good kids high. Nuno, 15, and his two friends were watching a YouTube video of how to pass out on purpose before trying it out on Tuesday, Chula Vista Police Capt. Gary Wedge said. Just like in the video, Nuno was standing before he lost consciousness. When he fell forward, he crashed onto an empty drinking glass and broke it with his collarbone, allowing the shard to slice through his interior and exterior jugular arteries. His friends didnt see the blood until they rolled him over, prompting one to race down the stairs to find Nunos father, Wedge said. As Nuno regained consciousness, he realized he was bleeding and ran down the stairs just as his father was running up to help him. As his father applied pressure to the wound with a towel, Nuno collapsed on the floor. Emergency responders arrived and tried to stop the bleeding, but Nunos pulse disappeared. They performed CPR, but he died shortly after he got to the hospital, Wedge said. Anytime a teen dies, its tragic, Wedge said, adding that hed never seen anyone try to asphyxiate himself to get high before Tuesday, but hes learned its much more common than people realize. Nunos death isnt the first like it not even the first this month. A  12-year-old  suffocated to death in Wisconsin trying to achieve a pass-out high last Thursday. The Dangerous Behaviors Foundation asked victims parents to report choking game deaths and recorded  416 fatalities  as of last September. Emergency rooms are seeing more and more teens with injuries that result from emulating things they see on YouTube videos that include the choking game, and other more innocuous sounding but deadly games such as thecinnamon challenge, the  salt-and-ice challenge, chubby bunny  and even extreme fighting. Dr. Thomas Abramo, the chief of pediatric emergency medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said he sees all of it in his ER. Although teens have acted on risky behavior fads throughout his 30-year career, he said hes seeing trends catch on faster than ever before, and he thinks its because of YouTube and social media. If you get one kid doing it, you tend to see more kids doing it, said Abramo, who said two of his patients have died playing the choking game. The spread of the event is definitely faster. One challenge that scares Abramo involves being hit on the head with a bench or a folding chair to see if you can take it, he said. A lot of the time, they cant. Fractures, concussions, lacerations, Abramo said. Just the things you would think would happen. Once you see some of these videos, you go, Oh my God,' the doctor said. The Darwin award videos, which involve varying dangerous challenges, are the worst hes seen. Survival of the stupidest. I cant believe it happens. It defies logic, Abramo said. YouTubes guidelines prohibit content that encourages dangerous behavior, but 72 hours of new video are uploaded each minute, according to YouTube statistics, making it difficult to prevent dangerous content being posted. We count on our users to flag content they believe violates the rules, a YouTube spokesman said. We review flagged videos around the clock and remove all those that violate our policies. Dr. Alan Hilfer, a child psychologist at Maimonides Medical Center, said he thinks the existing videos validate risky behavior for teens and give them a way to get notoriety if they post a video. He said he hears a lot about YouTubes amateur ultimate fighting videos, which show teen fights with are no rules just bare knuckles. A kid showed me his video of that, and it was appalling, he said. These kids were beating each other to a pulp, and kids were standing around and cheering until somebody gave up. Hilfer, who has worked as a child psychologist for four decades, said videos also validate anorexia and cutting by making them seem normal. However, Dr. Carol Bernstein, a psychiatry professor at New York Universitys Langone Medical Center, said she doesnt think YouTube alone is to blame for teens engaging in challenges that could seriously injure them because many factors are involved. She said other environmental factors, physiology, and temperament contribute to a childs decision to emulate a video. Stress here should be on knowing our children, watching behaviors and having conversations with them, Bernstein said. Theres no substitute for parents and teachers who are engaging with their kids in general. She said if parents discover their child is hurting himself or herself in any way, they should have a conversation with that child. If necessary, she said parents should reach out to a pediatrician to see if he or she should be evaluated by a child psychologist. The message here if for parents to not be afraid to have conversations with their children, she said. We need to do that. Ada Del Riego English 4 honors/ per. 6 Mr. Wright Article Assignment Dangerous Stunts Seen on YouTube Hurting, Even Killing Teens http://usfencounter.stfrancis.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/2956.gif http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQCx80ongRk-y6fSG3R1QgrTQqvjnPF-Mcoy5Tt6bq3RPY0O1ID http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRs6FPiV59kCxKbDYRUSw6YHQHFpbUeHqOxLOzHbEXkXynS_iAg ABC news have informed us about the new game that is killing many teens today. It comes to be that there is a new game, a game in which is causing many teens to lose their lives or suffer major injuries. This game is called the choking game. David Nuno became one of the teenagers to die in a freak accident trying to attempt the choking game. He was with a group of friends and while he was attempting to suffocate himself he fell on top of a glass cup. The cup shredded into pieces because he broke it with his collarbone. The piece of glass allowed it to slice through his interior and exterior jugular arteries which caused him to have internal bleeding. When his friend noticed that David wasnt responding they turned Davids body over and he was bleeding extensively. One of Davids friends went to go reach for his parents and when his dad arrived to where David was at he applied a lot of pressure to Davids head. They called paramedics but that didnt save the life of David Nuno. The paramed ics did everything possible to keep David alive but moments later Davids pulse was gone and somebody had died because of a game that many kids are curious to try. Many of these kids are being informed by these games by the social web. You tube takes big part on this game because there are videos posted on how kids can learn how to choke themselves without a problem. Kids do these activities in groups with friends but the sad part is like Advocate Judy Rogg said these kids dont believe that they are doing any wrong in practicing these games. On the ABC news video interview, advocate Judy Rogg has a story to tell and a message to send out. Her own child was killed by this game and she as a mother didnt understand why her child who had it all would want to go ahead and try this game. As well kids say that this is a safer game to play instead of doing drugs. Judys child heard about this game in school and without her knowing Judys son grabs his boy scout rope and decides to hang himself, when police were called in to the scene they investigated that Judys son did not commit suicide if not he was trying to attempt the game called the choking game. Judy Rogg has channeled her grief to making a change in society. She has gone around the world to make notice that the choking game has to stop or at least let students know about this game and what it can do to you before trying it. It has been known that 416 facilities have been reported for playing the choking game. As well Dr. Thomas Abramo has said that he has seen almost every type of case in the ER and he believes that the kids are looking at these games like trends and something cool to do and follow. For this reason a lot of these kids are following the trend and its happening at a rapid pace. This is why Dr. Thomas blames the social media for these open ideas kids have now. For example Dr. Thomas stated If you get one kid doing it, you tend to see more kids doing it, which caused the spread of the event to happen definitely faster. These games have different names around the world for example the first name known would be the chocking game, knock out and as well California knockout. Unfortunately this isnt the only game being played, many other students also play games called the cinnamon challenge, the salt-and-ice challenge, chubby bunny and even extreme fighting. The cinnamon challenge is when you get a spoon full of powdered cinnamon you eat it and try to swallow it. It has caused several of students to lose their breath and cause the cinnamon to stay in their throat leaving the students with no way to breathe. People who have asthma are extremely in danger because it clogs up your lungs and causes you to have shortness of breath. The chubby bunny game is when you have a bag of marshmallows and you try to attempt to stick one marshmallow at a time while each marshmallow you stick you have to say chubby bunny. This is a dangerous game for the reason that in the moment that you are laughing and having a good time one marshmallow can fly to the back of your throat and choke you. The hamlet procedure will have to be given to you but in any time you wont have the luck to survive the chubby bunny. Dr. Abramo has also seen cases in which kids have themselves be beaten up to see how much they can take from something and the cases end up that they really cant take much of it. They get fractured; have concussions, and even lacerations. Dr. Abramo stated that the worst videos he has seen have been from the Darwin award but he states himself that the people who attempt these stunts define the word logic. It has come to a conclusion in which Dr. Abramo has made his own opinion that the social web has taken part in many of these kids putting their lives in danger. YouTube has guidelines in which prohibits the people to encourage themselves to do any dangerous stunt. Even though a new video is being posted up almost every seventy- two hours YouTube statistics have said that it has been harder to post up videos. As well YouTube encourages that their members flag the content that violates the rules and regulations that YouTube asks for. YouTube spokesman said We review flagged videos around the clock and remove all those that violate our policies. Dr. Alan Hilfer who is a psychologist at the Maimonides Medical Center states that these videos have changed the behavior of teens, posting up these videos give them notoriety in which changes teens behavior. Dr. Alan has seen this reaction among the kids because someone showed him a YouTube video where kids were beating each other up and all the other kids watching the fight where just cheering and didnt have any state of mind to stop this fight. Dr. Alan has been in this industry for over four decades and he doesnt remember ever seeing this type of behavior or even kids cutting themselves. Another Dr. Carol Bernstein states that she doesnt believe that the social web has so many faults on the kids reaction to these videos, she believes that YouTube itself alone is to blame for teens reacting the way they do. She believes environmental factors, physiology, and temperament cause a childs decision to emulate a video. Dr. Carol also states that parents should take a big part in their kids lives. Dr. Carol says that if any parent or teacher sees any change with their student or child they should have a deep conversation or if not they can receive help by someone else. This article wanted to state a message to parents out in the world to not be afraid to have conversations with their children. This article talks about the dangerous stunts seen on YouTube in which are hurting teens and even killing them. These games are games being played because peer pressure is put upon most students. Trends are meant to be followed as in fashion and the latest cars but not in dangerous games. For most teens any game that is being played students want to try to attempt it and follow what everyone else is doing, just because they believe that these game can cause them to get noticed or either become the cool girl or guy in school. These games have caused a lot of unexpected deaths, which is not worth to hear that your family member or friend was killed while playing one of these games. I believe that these games should be put to a stop for the reason that students dont know the consequences to these games and they are trying them without knowing if their lives can be in danger. Peer pressure takes a big part in teen society. Once your part of a group of friends everyone wants to get along, fit in with each other and as well look alike in different occasions. For these reasons a game takes a big part as well as in drinking. If one student is influenced into drinking or even doing drugs I believe kids mentality would be short enough to not notice that the game they played has caused deaths around the world. Students are sometimes pressured into wearing things they dont like, things that only students believe that they can look part of the group and not a part of what everyone else and what they are doing. As well I believe that students dont know when to stand up from what is right and wrong. When Dr. Abramo witnesses to watch a video where kids are being beaten up to points that they get black out is crazy. These students are around the fight or even watching the video as if they would like to be there in person and even picking sides to who was a better fig hter. Doctors have realized that teens now a day dont know what is good and bad and what they should stand up for. Another big part that takes place in these games is the imagination kids have now a days to entertain themselves. Sometime technology takes a big part of students lives. I believe that TV shows like Ridiculousness are TV shows that show students that these stunts are capable of doing, capable of getting hurt, and capable of not listening to the content that tells students that these stunts are not supposed to be attempted. As well YouTube has been one of the teens major resources for students to look up videos that they can imitate. There have been a lot of videos on YouTube in which they havent been flagged or reviewed to see if its an appropriate video to watch. Students just look at this as a way to be cool and attempt something that somebody else did that everyone else would like to see. The concerns that many of our teachers, parents and guardian have for us isnt because they want to be over protective if not they dont want occasions like these to happen. Health is a big part to look at when youre doing something that you believe wont get you hurt, but statistics have said by the ABC news that at least fifty percent of the teens population have tried these outrageous games. Most of the population has been boys. Teens have to realize that these games arent games to be played because they come with one consequence and that is death. Stress is a reason for the kids to act the way they do as well. This should put a warning sign to the teachers, parents and guardians so that they can notice if anything is wrong with their student or child. As well its recommended to know if there is a change in anything you see out of the ordinary on anyone to report it to someone older who can give it to the authority. Doctors as well have seen the number of increase in how kids are att empting these games and come to the hospital with the explanation that they got hurt playing these games. I remember games being played when I was little but not the games today that teens are hearing about. Hide and Seek, Catch me if you can and card games are all game that teens and even younger kids play. Younger kids are more influenced to do something that their friend has asked them to do because they are friends and the innocence in a kid and teen isnt t noticed to them yet. Kids and teens trust their friends almost as much as they trust their own family and if playing a game like truth or dare is fun, they wont see any harm in playing it. Stunts are not meant to be done by children, teens or unprofessional people. Stunts that are posted on YouTube and other websites are either meant for you to see and laugh at or enjoy it. It has come to the conclusion that because of these stunts there have been lifes lost just because others want to attempt something that can cause you harm just because youre not capable for it. In this occasion I believe since there isnt much to do any more about these kids to stop playing these games the best way to handle the situation is to create an organization in where students and teens all around the world can pledge to not playing these games because they are dangerous. Its the same concept used in how ATT is using the schools and people to pledge to not driving and texting. Opinions by the public have been made that our society isnt thinking correctly and day by day they just go ahead and sacrifice their life for something that isnt worth trying. The public blames this situation in many different ways. First they blame the person for doing the stunt because either they are not realizing what they are doing or are just too dumb to notice. As well they are blaming the parents because they are not taking too much responsibility to what their children do and act, and lastly the public blames the media because these stories keep on coming up and it never dies down. It just gives a more of an opportunity for the people to hear about the situation and continue it. I cant disagree with none of these statements because all of them come into play in this story and article. Everyone has a fault in the situations that the teens face today and for this reason I believe that media, parents, and children should all sit down and realize that they have some fault in wha t has happened. They should all as well help out and find a way where everyone can help out and fix the situation. Media for once should only display what is correct to display and the negativity on deaths and stunts like these should be kept to a minimum on who should find out about these situations. Then again I believe that the article caught my attention because there are so many ways to look at the situation and as well many ways to interpret your own opinion in this article from what you believe is right and wrong, towards what you believe has the most fault in this article and what should be changed to make our society better and make our people understand that these stunts are not meant to be done or shown to others if not done by a professional.

Dragon Slayer :: essays research papers

Dragon Slayer The musty odor lingered across his nose. "This was it, this was the cave" he whispered under his breath. He knew this would be a challenge. The entrance of the cave was scattered with the bones of many who dared entered. He knew he had to do this even if this was the last thing he ever did. The young knight entered the musty cave with all the silence of a stalking leopard. The cave was a gloomy sight, even in the interior of the cave there were bones of many past knights. This was no ordinary dragon. This dragon had killed more then most and had experience in fighting. He was the most sought after dragon in the world. He has stolen more gold from castles and killed more royal families than any other dragon. This is why the young knight was here, his king sent him on this mission because of his daughter's kidnapping. The dragon snatched her off the castle balcony and took her to this cave. The knight worked his way through the many winding turns of the cave. He knew this could either change his life or end it. The knight knew he had to stay silent and stay in the shadows. If the dragon would hear him it would be all over. The knight could sense the change in the smell as he went deeper into the cave. The smell was at first a musty old smell, the smell that most caves had, but this was different it was as if a rotten carcass had been setting in a warm room for weeks. He knew this smell; it was the smell of a dragon. He was near, so near he could feel the warmth of the dragon's body coming up the tunnel. Then without the slightest clue of danger a ball of flame shot straight by him, so close he could feel the hairs on his face singe with the passing ball of flame. He knew this was a time for action. He ran as fast as he could towards the route the flames had come from. No more than 50 yards of running took him into the dragon's lair. The lair was an awesome sight. There were more riches than any kingdom could imagine in a thousand years. The lair had the knight so awe struck that he had forgotten why he was there.

A comparison of Ancient Rome and Pre WW1 United States Essay -- essays

A comparison of Ancient Rome and Pre WW1 United States Title: The Roman Empire and the Early United States A comparison The purpose of this paper is to show the comparison between remarkable empires that were created in many years apart. I chose to compare Pre-World War I United States and the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire information is said to be recorded between 753BC – 1184 BC (ThinkQuest) and the Pre World War I information is between late 19th century and early 20th century (Encarta). Included in this paper will be in information comparing: Government, Economy, Military, and Religion. GOVERNMENT The Roman Empire had 3 different types of government during this period. During the 1st period Rome was controlled by a King, who acted as commander-in-chief during war times as well as the chief priest and judge (ThinkQuest). Decisions had to be approved by the Comitia Centuria and the Senate before the King could exercise his authority. The United States was set-up similar to the Roman Empire in regards to how decisions where executed. The United States government consists of a President, Congress and Senate. Taking these aspects into consideration, both the King and the President have to receive permission from other bodies of government before making decisions. ECONOMY Both the Pre World War I United States and the Roman Empire had vast amounts of agricultural products. The Romans had created a system equivalent to the United States, which seems amazin...

Metaphor and Imagery in Galway Kinnells Poem, Blackberry Eating Essay

The Use of Metaphor and Imagery in Galway Kinnell's Poem, Blackberry Eating Written in 1980, Galway Kinnell's Blackberry Eating is a poem which creates a strong metaphoric relationship between the tangible objects of blackberries, and the intangible objects of words. The speaker of the poem feels a strong attraction to the sensory characteristics (the touch, taste, and look) of blackberries. The attraction he feels at the beginning of the poem exclusively for blackberries is paralleled in the end by his appetite and attraction to words. The rush the speaker gets out of blackberry eating is paralleled to the enjoyment he finds in thinking about certain words; words which call up the same sensory images the blackberries embody. Throughout the fourteen lines of the poem, the imagery of the blackberries, as well as the speaker's ardor for them is explored. In the final lines of the poem, the speaker reveals the connection between the imagery of the blackberries and the imagery that is created by words. The blackberries become the existing tangible reality of the way the speaker views words. The author savors the taste of the blackberries in his mouth in much the same way as he savors the sound of certain words on his tongue. In the first line of the poem the speaker states his fondness for going out to eat blackberries. "I love to go out in late September..." This line makes it clear that the speaker goes out voluntarily because of his desire to eat the blackberries. In the next line, the speaker describes the blackberries in vivid imagery. "among the fat, overripe, icy, black blackberries. This description of the blackberries does not leave the reader to wonder about how the blackberries look or taste. The re... ...he metaphor he has created between the two objects. This allusion is further strengthened in the last line of the poem when the writer says "of blackberry eating in late September." The ending of the poem now echoes the beginning. The poem has come full-circle and the correlation between the sensory experience of blackberry eating and the auditory pleasure of words has been made. Blackberry Eating is metaphorical poem about the similarities between the pleasurable experience of picking and eating tasty blackberries and the auditory enjoyment of hearing the sound of certain words. Both the blackberries and the "words" provide a pleasurable sensory experience that the speaker collapses together and relates to in the same manner. Blackberry eating becomes a tangible experience that is used to depict the way the speaker intuitively reacts to certain words.

Lord of the Flies: Human Nature Essay

â€Å"We are all murderers and prostitutes – no matter to what culture, society, class, nation one belongs, no matter how normal, moral, or mature, one takes oneself to be. † R. D. Laing British psychiatrist. R. D. Laing obviously backs up William Golding’s point of view that human nature is evil. Human nature is directly affected by the environment; and is constantly changing due to the experiences of the individual. Oscar Wilde once said â€Å"The only thing that one really knows about human nature is that it changes. Change is the one quality we can predicate from it. The systems that fail are those who rely on the permanency of human nature, and not on its growth and development. The error of Louis XIV was that he thought human nature would always be the same. The result of his error was the French Revolution. It was an admirable result. † Human nature depends upon the environment in which they are immersed. The idea that children, not humans in general, are swayed by the ideas and actions of their parental figures is also a central idea of the book, â€Å"The Lord of the Flies† by William Golding. Because of the war in England where the boys were from their human experience was one of war. If there was no war going on in England at the time they were evacuated from England, there would’ve been no deaths, no Lord of the Flies, and certainly no beast. Because if they had came with a good human nature then how would there have been a beast which Golding classified as the basic evil inside all of us. Another thing that ties in with this that children try to copy what they see adults do so if a child sees an adult smoke up or drink then he may believe that it is okay or it is right because their parents do it. As George Orwell once said â€Å"Part of the reason for the ugliness of adults, in a child’s eyes, is that the child is usually looking upwards, and the adults are rarely looking down. Yet no matter what they will always adore, look up to and love their parents. † But as was just said sometimes that can be a bad thing. So what must we do? Well for starters why not try to teach our children better and try at all costs to set good examples for our children so that our society will hopefully be salvaged from the god forsaken wrath of evil. Children who’s parents smoke have a 40% higher chance of smoking than children who’s parents don’t smoke. 1 Chances are it is a mix of two things, first the fact that they think that it is okay for them to do it since their parents do it, the second is because of the nicotine addiction could be passed on from adults to their offspring. Now of course there are exceptions to the thesis like kids who smoke because their parents don’t, but that is usually a small percentile of the population. Most children will not do it as a rebellious act just because they see their parents doing it so therefor it is okay. Now as was stated briefly previously kids will a lot of the time do what their parents do because they look up to them so why wouldn’t they copy what the adults are doing. So why can’t we just stop altogether because we have a lazy society who rejects change so this may take a lot longer than would be hoped for. â€Å"The only thing that one really knows about human nature is that it changes. Change is the one quality we can predicate from it. The systems that fail are those who rely on the permanency of human nature, and not on its growth and development. The error of Louis XIV was that he thought human nature would always be the same. The result of his error was the French Revolution. It was an admirable result. † So with this in mind why do people still rely on human nature to remain the same when it has been proven that human nature is constantly changing. That is why our country has not recently had a revolt because our forefathers had enough insight to know that things would not be the same 200 years from then. This idea was shown throughout the book by the kids changing their minds and revolting. First all the children agreed that rules were needed to keep order amongst themselves. Then when they felt the boring and unpleasant side of work and rules they changed their human nature to that of a slacker or a person who doesn’t follow society’s rules and doesn’t attempt to strive for excellence. Also after voting Ralph the president, people still later agreed and followed Jack. So basically al that can be gathered by this information is that never rely on human nature to remain the same. In conclusion, although it may no work due to the constant changing of human nature, we must try not to set bad examples for younger ones who look up to us, and also try to give our children the best life we can provide for them and teach them right from wrong and teach them the right morals. Basically, we should just try to do the best parenting job we can do and hope the information and things you taught him or her will help them through life.

Apush Dbq – 1

Shaina Fober Although political divisions first emerged over domestic issues, they deepened during a series of crises over foreign policy that reopened the troublesome issue of America’s relationship with Great Britain. Domestic and foreign policy were, however, never entirely separate, since decisions in one area frequently carried implications for the other. Foreign and domestic policy (1789-1803) spans from the foreign affairs of Washington, to Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase. Between these times is the Election of 1796, Adams’s administration, concerning a variety of perspectives of historical figures n financial policies and foreign countries, such as the Alien Act and Louisiana Purchase Treaty, were all in relation to the restrictions and powers of the United States Constitution. Under the term of Washington, there were many affairs to deal with, mainly foreign. Hamilton saw much to admire in Britain, and when Britain was so burdened with debt that it seemed on the verge of bankruptcy, his reforms restored his country’s financial health. The success of Hamilton’s financial program, moreover, depended on smooth relations with Britain: duties on imports provided a major source of federal evenue, and most American imports came from Britain. Hamilton did not believe in returning the Americans to British rule; he had, after all, fought for independence as an officer of the Continental army. Nor did he seek to establish a monarchy in the United States. But he thought a friendly relationship with the onetime mother country would best serve American interests. In contrast, Jefferson remained deeply hostile to Britain, and his Anglophobia played a central role in his growing opposition to Hamilton. The treasury secretary’s method of finance, with a bank and large funded debt, seemed, as in art it was, based on a British model, one that to Jefferson was dangerous because it allowed abundant opportunity for corruption. For ex ample, Jefferson stated, â€Å"The incorporation of a bank, and the powers assumed by this bill, have not, in my opinion, been delegated to the United States, by the Constitution. † (Document C). Jefferson was also deeply loyal to France, the Americans’ old ally in the War for Independence. While serving as minister to France during the 1780’s, Jefferson had witnessed the beginnings of the French Revolution, which in his opinion only tightened the bond between France nd America, whose Revolution, he thought, had inspired the French. These differences widened as issues in foreign policy came to dominate Washington’s administration, and they gradually marked a division. In 1790, Britain and Spain seemed likely to go to war; then Britain seemed headed for the war with France that finally broke out in 1793. Jefferson argued that Britain’s situation gave the United States an opportunity to secure concessions in return for American neutrality. The Britis h had never evacuated their posts in the Northwest, and westerners suspected the British of sing those bases to provoke Indian attacks on the American frontier. But on April 22, 1793, Washington, influenced by Hamilton, who desperately wanted to avoid any altercation with Britain, issued a proclamation that essentially announced American neutrality without even trying to secure any concessions in return. A few months later, Jefferson submitted his resignation as secretary of state, which took effect at the end of the year. Since the Farewell Address was understood as Washington’s parting advice to his country, it was widely read and remains one of the most frequently reprinted documents n American history. It was a moving document, beginning with expressions of the sixty- four-year-old Washington’s gratitude to his â€Å"beloved country† for the honors and confidence it had invested in him and a reference to â€Å"the increasing weight of years† that admo nished him â€Å"more and more, that the gloom of retirement is as necessary to me as it is welcome. † Then the president offered advice, based on â€Å"much reflection,† that might â€Å"contribute to the permanency of your felicity as a People. † He urged his countrymen to support the public credit, to â€Å"observe good faith and justice towards all Nations† while voiding permanent alliances with any, and to disdain â€Å"over-grown Military establishments,† which were always â€Å"inauspicious to liberty. † But the thrust of his message concerned the country’s political divisions. However, it seems strange in retrospect, that the Adams administration had a president from one party (Federalist) and vice-president from another (Republican). But Adams and Jefferson had been allies in the struggle for independence and, in the 1780’s, deepened their bonds while serving together as diplomats in Europe. Most important, problems wi th France remained pressing. After hearing about Jay’s Treaty, the French, who began seizing American ships bound for England, would not recognize the neutral rights of American ships and in December 1796 refused to accept the new American minister to France. As the war fever grew, Adams fell into Washington’s old position, regarding critics of his government as rebellious people who put their confidence in France rather than their own government. Federalists in Congress went further, passing a series of laws for the suppression of the Republicans. Three Alien Acts, passed in June and July of 798, moved against immigrants, who were often members of the Republican Party. The first, an Alien Enemies Act that allowed the president to arrest or banish enemy aliens, would rake effect only if war was declared. Another Alien Act allowed the president to deport any foreigners he considered dangerous to the public peace and safety, and a Naturalization Act increased the time of residence before immigrants c ould become Citizens, and therefore acquire voting rights. The Alien Act also stated that, â€Å"†¦whenever there shall be a declared war between the United States, by any foreign ation or government, or any invasion or predatory incursion shall be perpetrated, attempted, or threatened against the territory of the United States, by any foreign government, and the President of the United States shall make public proclamation of the event†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Document E). As America’s population grew and increasing numbers of white settlers looked westward for affordable land, events were unfolding that would dramatically change the map of America and influence the nation’s political, economic, and social development for much of the nineteenth century. At issue was the so-called Louisiana Territory, an enormous area that stretched from the Mississippi River in the East to the Rocky Mountains in the West and north to Canada. Like most Americans, Jefferson harbored the belief that Louisiana would some day belong to the United States. It was thought that control of Louisiana, long considered a natural extension of the United States, loomed critical in defending the country’s expanding frontier against Indian raids and foreign adventurers as well as serving as a valuable source of raw materials, most notable the worthwhile western fur trade. Most important, in Jefferson’s view, the Louisiana Territory would be America’s ultimate safety valve: a seemingly limitless territory to which Indians could be removed ahead of white settlement and, above all, a place where landless immigrants from the East might move to carry on the American tradition that he deemed so essential to the well-being of the Republic. The Louisiana Purchase Treaty, also came out of this purchase. Which was a positive boost to the relationship between the United States and France, because as stated, â€Å" The First Consul of the French Republic desiring to give to the United a strong proof of his friendship doth hereby cede to the United States in the name of the French Republic†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Document F). Altogether, a new American nation emerged solely on these incidences in history. They helped pave the way for future and current political parties, and influenced their beliefs in domestic and foreign issues. Though these perspectives are represented on a wide scale, they are related in that all Americans seek perfection whether it is concerning domestic and foreign policies, and how that relation is always connected to our supreme United States Constitution.

Teenagers Represented In The Media

Teenagers used to be the forgotten group in society. The ones who are stuck between being â€Å"cute kids† and â€Å"responsible adults.† But all that's been changing over the last twenty years or so, as the media realizes that teens are slowly getting a voice in society, but are these changes good or bad? The media represents teenagers in a very conventional way, stereotyped by their appearance, sex, and personality. Different varieties of media are meant to do different things. Some of the media's many roles are to display the truth, make the viewer aware and to entertain. Most of the media presents an inaccurate and negative portrayal of adolescents today according to their appearance, sex, personality and age, among other things. Most teenagers in the media are represented as attractive, confident and white, which may make teenagers feel pressurised to fit in with the medias representation of them and so if they don't fit these categories making them uncomfortable with their own bodies. I think the media should have a wider variety of races, looks and personalities to show teenagers they don't have to have fit in with the typical image of them as shown in the media. The media highlights the exciting events in teenagers lives, e.g dancing at parties, getting drunk, spending money and generally having a good time, but they don't always show the more depressing parts of teenagers lives such as bullying, exams, insecurities etc, which seems more important There are many TV programmes today that focus on wealthy, glamorous lifestyles of teenagers that come form extremely privileged backgrounds, many people enjoy these programmes as it gives them a chance to escape from the reality of their own lives and see it from other peoples. Although some other programmes look at the more realistic lifestyles, where teenagers have to work hard and don't just have everything handed to them on a plate, many people watch these as they can relate to them and understand where characters are coming from. Although in all these lifestyles the teenage characters do go through many dramatic, emotional experiences and events. A lot of the media shows teenagers partying every night, always out and getting up to mischief e.g. taking drugs, having fights etc. In Skins, a teenage drama, a character called Effy sneaks out her house in the middle of the night, burns a bus, goes out to a deserted warehouse, where she takes various drugs with boys and finally ends up in a party at a random person's house where she collapse from a drug overdose. Later her brother finds her, she is then rushed to hospital and ends up moving school; this all happens in the space of a few days. In reality most teenagers' lives are a lot more boring, dull and uneventful, for example they generally spend most of their time studying, using the Internet at home and watching TV etc. Often their characters are exaggerated as well as events and situations. In a lot of teenage dramas the characters are unrealistic for example in the TV series Eastenders there is a teenage boy, Stephen, who is evil and manipulative, he turns his own sister against their family, while everyone thinks he is kind and good, in real life teenagers are not like this, they aren't as controlling or manipulative. Although teenagers are represented positively in many parts of the media, programmes such as the OC show characters like Marissa and Ryan acting kindly and maturely e.g. when Marissa sees a man being mugged, she comes to help him and calls the police this shows she is caring and responsible, which is a positive image of teenagers in the media. In conclusion Teenagers in the media are shown in lots of different ways, often as being a problem to society e.g. controlling, rude and disrespectful, this is shown in soaps, dramas, movies and news, it gives out a very negative image on teenagers, which isn't always fair. Teenagers can be represented positively, helping the community and being polite and social although this is not usually the case. Mainly teenagers are shown in a negative way and their characters and dilemmas are not realistic.

Chapter 15 The Quidditch Final

â€Å"He sent me this,† Hermione said, holding out the letter. Harry took it. The parchment was damp, and enormous teardrops had smudged the ink so badly in places that it was very difficult to read. Dear Hermione, We lost. I'm allowed to bring him back to Hogwarts. Execution date to be fixed. Beaky has enjoyed London. I won't forget all the help you gave us. Hagrid â€Å"They can't do this,† said Harry. â€Å"They can't. Buckbeak isn't dangerous.† â€Å"Malfoy's dad's frightened the Committee into it,† said Hermione, wiping her eyes. â€Å"You know what he's like. They're a bunch of doddery old fools, and they were scared. There'll be an appeal, though, there always is. Only I can't see any hope†¦Nothing will have changed.† â€Å"Yeah, it will,† said Ron fiercely. â€Å"You won't have to do all the work alone this time, Hermione. I'll help.† â€Å"Oh, Ron!† Hermione flung her arms around Ron's neck and broke down completely. Ron, looking quite terrified, patted her very awkwardly on the top of the head. Finally, Hermione drew away. â€Å"Ron, I'm really, really sorry about Scabbers†¦Ã¢â‚¬  she sobbed. â€Å"Oh — well — he was old,† said Ron, looking thoroughly relieved that she had let go of him. â€Å"And he was a bit useless. You never know, Mum and Dad might get me an owl now.† The safety measures imposed on the students since Black's second break-in made it impossible for Harry, Ron, and Hermione to go and visit Hagrid in the evenings. Their only chance of talking to him was during Care of Magical Creatures lessons. He seemed numb with shock at the verdict. â€Å"S'all my fault. Got all tongue-tied. They was all sittin' there in black robes an' I kep' droppin' me notes and forgettin' all them dates yeh looked up fer me, Hermione. An' then Lucius Malfoy stood up an' said his bit, and the Committee jus' did exac'ly what he told 'em†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"There's still the appeal!† said Ron fiercely. â€Å"Don't give up yet, we're working on it!† They were walking back up to the castle with the rest of the class. Ahead they could see Malfoy, who was walking with Crabbe and Goyle, and kept looking back, laughing derisively. â€Å"S'no good, Ron,† said Hagrid sadly as they reached the castle steps. â€Å"That Committee's in Lucius Malfoy's pocket. I'm jus' gonna make sure the rest o' Beaky's time is the happiest he's ever had. I owe him that†¦.† Hagrid turned around and hurried back toward his cabin, his face buried in his handkerchief. â€Å"Look at him blubber!† Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had been standing just inside the castle doors, listening. â€Å"Have you ever seen anything quite as pathetic?† said Malfoy. â€Å"And he's supposed to be our teacher!† Harry and Ron both made furious moves toward Malfoy, but Hermione got there first — SMACK! She had slapped Malfoy across the face with all the strength she could muster. Malfoy staggered. Harry, Ron, Crabbe, and Goyle stood flabbergasted as Hermione raised her hand again. â€Å"Don't you dare call Hagrid pathetic, you foul — you evil –â€Å" â€Å"Hermione!† said Ron weakly, and he tried to grab her hand as she swung it back. â€Å"Get off, Ron!† Hermione pulled out her wand. Malfoy stepped backward. Crabbe and Goyle looked at him for instructions, thoroughly bewildered. â€Å"C'mon.† Malfoy muttered, and in a moment, all three of them had disappeared into the passageway to the dungeons. â€Å"Hermione!† Ron said again, sounding both stunned and impressed. â€Å"Harry, you'd better beat him in the Quidditch final!† Hermione said shrilly. â€Å"You just better had, because I can't stand it if Slytherin wins!† â€Å"We're due in Charms,† said Ron, still goggling at Hermione. â€Å"We'd better go.† They hurried up the marble staircase toward Professor Flitwick's classroom. â€Å"You're late, boys!† said Professor Flitwick reprovingly as Harry opened the classroom door. â€Å"Come along, quickly, wands out, we're experimenting with Cheering Charms today, we've already divided into pairs –â€Å" Harry and Ron hurried to a desk at the back and opened their bags. Ron looked behind him. â€Å"Where's Hermione gone?† Harry looked around too. Hermione hadn't entered the classroom, yet Harry knew she had been right next to him when he had opened the door. â€Å"That's weird,† said Harry, staring at Ron. â€Å"Maybe — maybe she went to the bathroom or something?† But Hermione didn't turn up all lesson. â€Å"She could've done with a Cheering Charm on her too,† said Ron as the class left for lunch, all grinning broadly — the Cheering Charms had left them with a feeling of great contentment. Hermione wasn't at lunch either. By the time they had finished their apple pie, the after-effects of the Cheering Charms were wearing off, and Harry and Ron had started to get slightly worried. â€Å"You don't think Malfoy did something to her?† Ron said anxiously as they hurried upstairs toward Gryffindor Tower. They passed the security trolls, gave the Fat Lady the password (â€Å"Flibbertigibbet†), and scrambled through the portrait hole into the common room. Hermione was sitting at a table, fast asleep, her head resting on an open Arithmancy book. They went to sit down on either side of her. Harry prodded her awake. â€Å"Wh — what?† said Hermione, waking with a start and staring wildly around. â€Å"Is it time to go? W — which lesson have we got now?† â€Å"Divination, but it's not for another twenty minutes,† said Harry. â€Å"Hermione, why didn't you come to Charms?† â€Å"What? Oh no!† Hermione squeaked. â€Å"I forgot to go to Charms!† â€Å"But how could you forget?† said Harry. â€Å"You were with us till we were right outside the classroom!† â€Å"I don't believe it!† Hermione wailed. â€Å"Was Professor Flitwick angry? Oh, it was Malfoy, I was thinking about him and I lost track of things!† â€Å"You know what, Hermione?† said Ron, looking down at the enormous Arithmancy book Hermione had been using as a pillow. â€Å"I reckon you're cracking up. You're trying to do too much.† â€Å"No, I'm not!† said Hermione, brushing her hair out of her eyes and staring hopelessly around for her bag. â€Å"I just made a mistake, that's all! I'd better go and see Professor Flitwick and say sorry †¦ I'll see you in Divination!† Hermione joined them at the foot of the ladder to Professor Trelawney's classroom twenty minutes later, looking extremely harassed. â€Å"I can't believe I missed Cheering Charms! And I bet they come up in our exams; Professor Flitwick hinted they might!† Together they climbed the ladder into the dim, stifling tower room. Glowing on every little table was a crystal ball full of pearly white mist. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat down together at the same rickety table. â€Å"I thought we weren't starting crystal balls until next term,† Ron muttered, casting a wary eye around for Professor Trelawney, in case she was lurking nearby. â€Å"Don't complain, this means we've finished palmistry,† Harry muttered back. â€Å"I was getting sick of her flinching every time she looked at my hands.† â€Å"Good day to you!† said the familiar, misty voice, and Professor Trelawney made her usual dramatic entrance out of the shadows. Parvati and Lavender quivered with excitement, their faces lit by the milky glow of their crystal ball. â€Å"I have decided to introduce the crystal ball a little earlier than I had planned,† said Professor Trelawney, sitting with her back to the fire and gazing around. â€Å"The fates have informed me that your examination in June will concern the Orb, and I am anxious to give you sufficient practice.† Hermione snorted. â€Å"Well, honestly†¦'the fates have informed her'. Who sets the exam? She does! What an amazing prediction!† she said, not troubling to keep her voice low. Harry and Ron choked back laughs. It was hard to tell whether Professor Trelawney had heard them as her face was hidden in shadow. She continued, however, as though she had not. â€Å"Crystal gazing is a particularly refined art,† she said dreamily. â€Å"I do not expect any of you to See when first you peer into the Orb's infinite depths. We shall start by practicing relaxing the conscious mind and external eyes –† Ron began to snigger uncontrollably and had to stuff his fist in his mouth to stifle the noise — â€Å"so as to clear the Inner Eye and the superconscious. Perhaps, if we are lucky, some of you will see before the end of the class.† And so they began. Harry, at least, felt extremely foolish, staring blankly at the crystal ball, trying to keep his mind empty when thoughts such as â€Å"this is stupid† kept drifting across it. It didn't help that Ron kept breaking into silent giggles and Hermione kept tutting. â€Å"Seen anything yet?† Harry asked them after a quarter of an hour's quiet crystal gazing. â€Å"Yeah, there's a burn on this table,† said Ron, pointing. â€Å"Someone's spilled their candle.† â€Å"This is such a waste of time,† Hermione hissed. â€Å"I could be practicing something useful. I could be catching up on Cheering Charms –â€Å" Professor Trelawney rustled past. â€Å"Would anyone like me to help them interpret the shadowy portents within their Orb?† she murmured over the clinking of her bangles. â€Å"I don't need help,† Ron whispered. â€Å"It's obvious what this means. There's going to be loads of fog tonight.† Both Harry and Hermione burst out laughing. â€Å"Now, really!† said Professor Trelawney as everyone's heads turned in their direction. Parvati and Lavender were looking scandalized. â€Å"You are disturbing the clairvoyant vibrations!† She approached their table and peered into their crystal ball. Harry felt his heart sinking. He was sure he knew what was coming — â€Å"There is something here!† Professor Trelawney whispered, lowering her face to the ball, so that it was reflected twice in her huge glasses. â€Å"Something moving†¦ but what is it?† Harry was prepared to bet everything he owned, Including his Firebolt, that it wasn't good news, whatever it was. And sure enough — â€Å"My dear,† Professor Trelawney breathed, gazing up at Harry. â€Å"It is here, plainer than ever before†¦ my dear, stalking toward you, growing ever closer†¦ the Gr –â€Å" â€Å"Oh, for goodness' sake!† said Hermione loudly. â€Å"Not that ridiculous Grim again!† Professor Trelawney raised her enormous eyes to Hermione's face. Parvati whispered something to Lavender, and they both glared at Hermione too. Professor Trelawney stood up, surveying Hermione with unmistakable anger. â€Å"I am sorry to say that from the moment you have arrived in this class my dear, it has been apparent that you do not have what the noble art of Divination requires. Indeed, I don't remember ever meeting a student whose mind was so hopelessly mundane.† There was a moment's silence. Then — â€Å"Fine!† said Hermione suddenly, getting up and cramming Unfogging the Future back into her bag. â€Å"Fine!† she repeated, swinging the bag over her shoulder and almost knocking Ron off his chair. â€Å"I give up! I'm leaving!† And to the whole class's amazement, Hermione strode over to the trapdoor, kicked it open, and climbed down the ladder out of sight. It took a few minutes for the class to settle down again. Professor Trelawney seemed to have forgotten all about the Grim. She turned abruptly from Harry and Ron's table, breathing rather heavily as she tugged her gauzy shawl more closely to her. â€Å"Ooooo!† said Lavender suddenly, making everyone start. â€Å"Ooooo, Professor Trelawney, I've just remembered! You saw her leaving, didn't you? Didn't you, Professor? ‘Around Easter, one of our number will leave us forever!' You said it ages ago, Professor!† Professor Trelawney gave her a dewy smile. â€Å"Yes, my dear, I did indeed know that Miss Granger would be leaving us. One hopes, however, that one might have mistaken the Signs†¦The Inner Eye can be a burden, you know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Lavender and Parvati looked deeply impressed, and moved over so that Professor Trelawney could join their table instead. â€Å"Some day Hermione's having, eh?† Ron muttered to Harry, looking awed. â€Å"Yeah†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry glanced into the crystal ball but saw nothing but swirling white mist. Had Professor Trelawney really seen the Grim again? Would he? The last thing he needed was another near-fatal accident, with the Quidditch final drawing ever nearer. The Easter holidays were not exactly relaxing. The third years had never had so much homework. Neville Longbottom seemed close to a nervous collapse, and he wasn't the only one. â€Å"Call this a holiday!† Seamus Finnigan roared at the common room one afternoon. â€Å"The exams are ages away, what're they playing at?† But nobody had as much to do as Hermione. Even without Divination, she was taking more subjects than anybody else. She was usually last to leave the common room at night, first to arrive at the library the next morning; she had shadows like Lupin's under her eyes, and seemed constantly close to tears. Ron had taken over responsibility for Buckbeak's appeal. When he wasn't doing his own work, he was poring over enormously thick volumes with names like The Handbook of Hippogriff Psychology and Fowl or Foul? A Study of Hippogriff Brutality. He was so absorbed, he even forgot to be horrible to Crookshanks. Harry, meanwhile, had to fit in his homework around Quidditch practice every day, not to mention endless discussions of tactics with Wood. The Gryffindor-Slytherin match would take place on the first Saturday after the Easter holidays. Slytherin was leading the tournament by exactly two hundred points. This meant (as Wood constantly reminded his team) that they needed to win the match by more than that amount to win the Cup. It also meant that the burden of winning fell largely on Harry, because capturing the Snitch was worth one hundred and fifty points. â€Å"So you must catch it only if we're more than fifty points up,† Wood told Harry constantly. â€Å"Only if we're more than fifty points up, Harry, or we win the match but lose the Cup. You've got that, Haven't you? You must catch the Snitch only if we're –â€Å" â€Å"I KNOW, OLIVER!† Harry yelled. The whole of Gryffindor House was obsessed with the coming match. Gryffindor hadn't won the Quidditch Cup since the legendary Charlie Weasley (Ron's second oldest brother) had been Seeker. But Harry doubted whether any of them, even Wood, wanted to win as much as he did. The enmity between Harry and Malfoy was at its highest point ever. Malfoy was still smarting about the mud-throwing incident in Hogsmeade and was even more furious that Harry had somehow wormed his way out of punishment. Harry hadn't forgotten Malfoy's attempt to sabotage him in the match against Ravenclaw, but it was the matter of Buckbeak that made him most determined to beat Malfoy in front of the entire school. Never, in anyone's memory, had a match approached in such a highly charged atmosphere. By the time the holidays were over, tension between the two teams and their Houses was at the breaking point. A number of small scuffles broke out in the corridors, culminating in a nasty incident in which a Gryffindor fourth year and a Slytherin sixth year ended up in the hospital wing with leeks sprouting out of their ears. Harry was having a particularly bad time of it. He couldn't walk to class without Slytherins sticking out their legs and trying to trip him up; Crabbe and Goyle kept popping up wherever he went, and slouching away looking disappointed when they saw him surrounded by people. Wood had given instructions that Harry should be accompanied everywhere he went, in case the Slytherins tried to put him out of action. The whole of Gryffindor House took up the challenge enthusiastically, so that it was impossible for Harry to get to classes on time because he was surrounded by a vast, chattering crowd. Harry was more concerned for his Firebolt's safety than his own. When he wasn't flying it, he locked it securely in his trunk and frequently dashed back up to Gryffindor Tower at break times to check that it was still there. All usual pursuits were abandoned in the Gryffindor common room the night before the match. Even Hermione had put down her books. â€Å"I can't work, I can't concentrate,† she said nervously. There was a great deal of noise. Fred and George Weasley were dealing with the pressure by being louder and more exuberant than ever. Oliver Wood was crouched over a model of a Quidditch field in the corner, prodding little figures across it with his wand and muttering to himself Angelina, Alicia, and Katie were laughing at Fred's and George's jokes. Harry was sitting with Ron and Hermione, removed from the center of things, trying not to think about the next day, because every time he did, he had the horrible sensation that something very large was fighting to get out of his stomach. â€Å"You're going to be fine,† Hermione told him, though she looked positively terrified. â€Å"You've got a Firebolt!† said Ron. â€Å"Yeah †¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Harry, his stomach writhing. It came as a relief when Wood suddenly stood up and yelled, â€Å"Team! Bed!† Harry slept badly. First he dreamed that he had overslept, and that Wood was yelling, â€Å"Where were you? We had to use Neville instead!† Then he dreamed that Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherin team arrived for the match riding dragons. He was flying at breakneck speed, trying to avoid a spurt of flames from Malfoy's steed's mouth, when he realized he had forgotten his Firebolt. He fell through the air and woke with a start. It was a few seconds before Harry remembered that the match hadn't taken place yet, that he was safe in bed, and that the Slytherin team definitely wouldn't be allowed to play on dragons. He was feeling very thirsty. Quietly as he could, he got out of his four-poster and went to pour himself some water from the silver jug beneath the window. The grounds were still and quiet. No breath of wind disturbed the treetops in the Forbidden Forest; the Whomping Willow was motionless and innocent-looking. It looked as though the conditions for the match would be perfect. Harry set down his goblet and was about to turn back to his bed when something caught his eye. An animal of some kind was prowling across the silvery lawn. Harry dashed to his bedside table, snatched up his glasses, and put them on, then hurried back to the window. It couldn't be the Grim — not now — not right before the match — He peered out at the grounds again and, after a minute's frantic searching, spotted it. It was skirting the edge of the forest now†¦It wasn't the Grim at all †¦ it was a cat †¦ Harry clutched the window ledge in relief as he recognized the bottlebrush tail. It was only Crookshanks†¦ Or was it only Crookshanks? Harry squinted, pressing his nose flat against the glass. Crookshanks seemed to have come to a halt. Harry was sure he could see something else moving in the shadow of the trees too. And just then, it emerged — a gigantic, shaggy black dog, moving stealthily across the lawn, Crookshanks trotting at its side. Harry stared. What did this mean? If Crookshanks could see the dog as well, how could it be an omen of Harry's death? â€Å"Ron!† Harry hissed. â€Å"Ron! Wake up!† â€Å"Huh?† â€Å"I need you to tell me if you can see something!† â€Å"S'all dark, Harry,† Ron muttered thickly. â€Å"What're you on about?† â€Å"Down here –â€Å" Harry looked quickly back out of the window. Crookshanks and the dog had vanished. Harry climbed onto the windowsill to look right down into the shadows of the castle, but they weren't there. Where had they gone? A loud snore told him Ron had fallen asleep again. Harry and the rest of the Gryffindor team entered the Great Hall the next day to enormous applause. Harry couldn't help grinning broadly as he saw that both the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables were applauding them too. The Slytherin table hissed loudly as they passed. Harry noticed that Malfoy looked even paler than usual. Wood spent the whole of breakfast urging his team to eat, while touching nothing himself. Then he hurried them off to the field before anyone else had finished, so they could get an idea of the conditions. As they left the Great Hall, everyone applauded again. â€Å"Good luck, Harry!† called Cho. Harry felt himself blushing. â€Å"Okay — no wind to speak of — sun's a bit bright, that could impair your vision, watch out for it — ground's fairly hard, good, that'll give us a fast kickoff –â€Å" Wood paced the field, staring around with the team behind him. Finally, they saw the front doors of the castle open in the distance and the rest of the school spilling onto the lawn. â€Å"Locker rooms,† said Wood tersely. None of them spoke as they changed into their scarlet robes. Harry wondered if they were feeling like he was: as though he'd eaten something extremely wriggly for breakfast. In what seemed like no time at all, Wood was saying, â€Å"Okay, it's time, let's go –â€Å" They walked out onto the field to a tidal wave of noise. Three quarters of the crowd was wearing scarlet rosettes, waving scarlet flags with the Gryffindor lion upon them, or brandishing banners with slogans like â€Å"GO GRYFFINDOR!† and â€Å"LIONS FOR THE CUP† Behind the Slytherin goal posts, however, two hundred people were wearing green; the silver serpent of Slytherin glittered on their flags, and Professor Snape sat in the very front row, wearing green like everyone else, and a very grim smile. â€Å"And here are the Gryffindors!† yelled Lee Jordan, who was acting as commentator as usual. â€Å"Potter, Bell, Johnson, Spinnet, Weasley, Weasley, and Wood. Widely acknowledged as the best team Hogwarts has seen in a good few years –â€Å" Lee's comments were drowned by a tide of ‘boos' from the Slytherin end. â€Å"And here come the Slytherin team, led by Captain Flint. He's made some changes in the lineup and seems to be going for size rather than skill –â€Å" More boos from the Slytherin crowd. Harry, however, thought Lee had a point. Malfoy was easily the smallest person On the Slytherin team; the rest of them were enormous. â€Å"Captains, shake hands!† said Madam Hooch. Flint and Wood approached each other and grasped each other's hand very tightly; it looked as though each was trying to break the other's fingers. â€Å"Mount your brooms!† said Madam Hooch. â€Å"Three†¦two†¦one†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The sound of her whistle was lost in the roar from the crowd as fourteen brooms rose into the air. Harry felt his hair fly back off his forehead; his nerves left him in the thrill of the flight; he glanced around, saw Malfoy on his tail, and sped off in search of the Snitch. â€Å"And it's Gryffindor in possession, Alicia Spinner of Gryffindor with the Quaffle, heading straight for the Slytherin goal posts, looking good, Alicia! Argh, no — Quaffle intercepted by Warrington, Warrington of Slytherin tearing UP the field — WHAM! — nice Bludger work there by George Weasley, Warrington drops the Quaffle, it's caught by — Johnson, Gryffindor back in possession, come on, Angelina — nice swerve around Montague — duck, Angelina, that's a Bludger!?C SHE SCORES! TEN-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!† Angelina punched the air as she soared around the end of the field; the sea of scarlet below was screaming its delight â€Å"OUCH!† Angelina was nearly thrown from her broom as Marcus Flint went smashing into her. â€Å"Sorry!† said Flint as the crowd below booed. â€Å"Sorry, didn't see her!† A moment later, Fred Weasley chucked his Beater's club at the back of Flint's head. Flint's nose smashed into the handle of his broom and began to bleed. â€Å"That will do!† shrieked Madam Hooch, zooming between then. â€Å"Penalty shot to Gryffindor for an unprovoked attack on their Chaser! Penalty shot to Slytherin for deliberate damage to their Chaser!† â€Å"Come off it, Miss!† howled Fred, but Madam Hooch blew her whistle and Alicia flew forward to take the penalty. â€Å"Come on, Alicia!† yelled Lee into the silence that had descended on the crowd. â€Å"YES! SHE'S BEATEN THE KEEPER! TWENTY-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!† Harry turned the Firebolt sharply to watch Flint, still bleeding freely, fly forward to take the Slytherin penalty. Wood was hovering in front of the Gryffindor goal posts, his jaw clenched. â€Å"‘Course, Wood's a superb Keeper!† Lee Jordan told the crowd as Flint waited for Madam Hooch's whistle. â€Å"Superb! Very difficult to pass — very difficult indeed — YES! I DON'T BELIEVE IT! HE'S SAVED IT!† Relieved, Harry zoomed away, gazing around for the Snitch, but still making sure he caught every word of Lee's commentary. It was essential that he hold Malfoy off the Snitch until Gryffindor was more than fifty points up — â€Å"Gryffindor in possession, no, Slytherin in possession — no! Gryffindor back in possession and it's Katie Bell, Katie Bell for Gryffindor with the Quaffle, she's streaking up the field — THAT WAS DELIBERATE!† Montague, a Slytherin Chaser, had swerved in front of Katie, and instead of seizing the Quaffle had grabbed her head. Katie cart-wheeled in the air, managed to stay on her broom, but dropped the Quaffle. Madam Hooch's whistle rang out again as she soared over to Montague and began shouting at him. A minute later, Katie had put another penalty past the Slytherin Seeker. â€Å"THIRTY-ZERO! TAKE THAT, YOU DIRTY, CHEATING –â€Å" â€Å"Jordan, if you can't commentate in an unbiased way –â€Å" â€Å"I'm telling it like it is, Professor!† Harry felt a huge jolt of excitement. He had seen the Snitch — it was shimmering at the foot of one of the Gryffindor goal posts — but he mustn't catch it yet — and if Malfoy saw it — Faking a look of sudden concentration, Harry pulled his Firebolt around and sped off toward the Slytherin end — it worked. Malfoy went haring after him, clearly thinking Harry had seen the Snitch there†¦ WHOOSH. One of the Bludgers came streaking past Harry's right ear, hit by the gigantic Slytherin Beater, Derrick. Then again†¦ WHOOSH. The second Bludger grazed Harry's elbow. The other Beater, Bole, was closing in. Harry had a fleeting glimpse of Bole and Derrick zooming toward him, clubs raised — He turned the Firebolt upward at the last second, and Bole and Derrick collided with a sickening crunch. â€Å"Ha haaa!† yelled Lee Jordan as the Slytherin Beaters lurched away from each other, clutching their heads. â€Å"Too bad, boys! You'll need to get up earlier than that to beat a Firebolt! And it's Gryffindor in possession again, as Johnson takes the Quaffle — Flint alongside her — poke him in the eye, Angelina! — it was a joke, Professor, it was a joke — oh no — Flint in possession, Flint flying toward the Gryffindor goal posts, come on now, Wood, save –!† But Flint had scored; there was an eruption of cheers from the Slytherin end, and Lee swore so badly that Professor McGonagall tried to tug the magical megaphone away from him. â€Å"Sorry, Professor, sorry! Won't happen again! So, Gryffindor in the lead, thirty points to ten, and Gryffindor in possession –â€Å" It was turning into the dirtiest game Harry had ever played in. Enraged that Gryffindor had taken such an early lead, the Slytherins were rapidly resorting to any means to take the Quaffle. Bole hit Alicia with his club and tried to say he'd thought she was a Bludger. George Weasley elbowed Bole in the face in retaliation. Madam Hooch awarded both teams penalties, and Wood pulled off another spectacular save, making the score forty-ten to Gryffindor. The Snitch had disappeared again. Malfoy was still keeping close to Harry as he soared over the match, looking around for it once Gryffindor was fifty points ahead — Katie scored. Fifty-ten. Fred and George Weasley were swooping around her, clubs raised, in case any of the Slytherins were thinking of revenge. Bole and Derrick took advantage of Fred's and George's absence to aim both Bludgers at Wood; they caught him in the stomach, one after the other, and he rolled over in the air, clutching his broom, completely winded. Madam Hooch was beside herself — â€Å"YOU DO NOT ATTACK THE KEEPER UNLESS THE QUAFFLE IS WITHIN THE SCORING AREA!† she shrieked at Bole and Derrick. â€Å"Gryffindor penalty!† And Angelina scored. Sixty-ten. Moments later, Fred Weasley pelted a Bludger at Warrington, knocking the Quaffle out of his hands; Alicia seized it and put it through the Slytherin goal — seventy-ten. The Gryffindor crowd below was screaming itself hoarse — Gryffindor was sixty points in the lead, and if Harry caught the Snitch now, the Cup was theirs. Harry could almost feel hundreds of eyes following him as he soared around the field, high above the rest of the game, with Malfoy speeding along behind him. And then he saw it. The Snitch was sparkling twenty feet above him. Harry put on a huge burst of speed; the wind was roaring in his ears; he stretched out his hand, but suddenly, the Firebolt was slowing down — Horrified, he looked around. Malfoy had thrown himself forward, grabbed hold of the Firebolt's tail, and was pulling it back. â€Å"You –â€Å" Harry was angry enough to hit Malfoy, but couldn't reach — Malfoy was panting with the effort of holding onto the Firebolt, but his eyes were sparkling maliciously. He had achieved what he'd wanted to do — the Snitch had disappeared again. â€Å"Penalty! Penalty to Gryffindor! I've never seen such tactics.† Madam Hooch screeched, shooting up to where Malfoy was sliding back onto his Nimbus Two Thousand and One. â€Å"YOU CHEATING SCUM!† Lee Jordan was howling into the megaphone, dancing out of Professor McGonagall's reach. â€Å"YOU FILTHY, CHEATING B –â€Å" Professor McGonagall didn't even bother to tell him off She was actually shaking her finger in Malfoy's direction, her hat had fallen off, and she too was shouting furiously. Alicia took Gryffindor's penalty, but she was so angry she missed by several feet. The Gryffindor team was losing concentration and the Slytherins, delighted by Malfoy's foul on Harry, were being spurred on to greater heights. â€Å"Slytherin in possession, Slytherin heading for goal — Montague scores –† Lee groaned. â€Å"Seventy-twenty to Gryffindor†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry was now marking Malfoy so closely their knees kept hitting each other. Harry wasn't going to let Malfoy anywhere near the Snitch†¦. â€Å"Get out of it, Potter!† Malfoy yelled in frustration as he tried to turn and found Harry blocking him. â€Å"Angelina Johnson gets the Quaffle for Gryffindor, come on, Angelina, COME ON!† Harry looked around. Every single Slytherin player apart from Malfoy was streaking up the pitch toward Angelina, including the Slytherin Keeper — they were all going to block her — Harry wheeled the Firebolt around, bent so low he was lying flat along the handle, and kicked it forward. Like a bullet, he shot toward the Slytherins. â€Å"AAAAAAARRRGH!† They scattered as the Firebolt zoomed toward them; Angelina's way was clear. â€Å"SHE SCORES! SHE SCORES! Gryffindor leads by eighty Points to twenty!† Harry, who had almost pelted headlong into the stands, skidded to a halt in midair, reversed, and zoomed back into the middle of the field. And then he saw something to make his heart stand still. Malfoy was diving, a look of triumph on his face — there, a few feet above the grass below, was a tiny, golden glimmer — Harry urged the Firebolt downward, but Malfoy was miles ahead — â€Å"Go! Go! Go!† Harry urged his broom. He was gaining on Malfoy — Harry flattened himself to the broom handle as Bole sent a Bludger at him — he was at Malfoy's ankles — he was level — Harry threw himself forward, took both hands off his broom. He knocked Malfoy's arm out of the way and — â€Å"YES!† He pulled out of his dive, his hand in the air, and the stadium exploded. Harry soared above the crowd, an odd ringing in his ears. The tiny golden ball was held tight in his fist, beating its wings hopelessly against his fingers. Then Wood was speeding toward him, half-blinded by tears; he seized Harry around the neck and sobbed unrestrainedly into his shoulder. Harry felt two large thumps as Fred and George hit them; then Angelina's, Alicia's, and Katie's voices, â€Å"We've won the Cup! We've won the Cup!† Tangled together in a many-armed hug, the Gryffindor team sank, yelling hoarsely, back to earth. Wave upon wave of crimson supporters was pouring over the barriers onto the field. Hands were raining down on their backs. Harry had a confused impression of noise and bodies pressing in on him. Then he, and the rest of the team, were hoisted onto the shoulders of the crowd. Thrust into the light, he saw Hagrid, Plastered with crimson rosettes — â€Å"Yeh beat 'em, Harry, yeh beat 'em! Wait till I tell Buckbeak!† There was Percy, jumping up and down like a maniac, all dignity forgotten. Professor McGonagall was sobbing harder even than Wood, wiping her eyes with an enormous Gryffindor flag; and there, fighting their way toward Harry, were Ron and Hermione. Words failed them. They simply beamed as Harry was borne toward the stands, where Dumbledore stood waiting with the enormous Quidditch Cup. If only there had been a Dementor around†¦As a sobbing Wood passed Harry the Cup, as he lifted it into the air, Harry felt he could have produced the world's best Patronus.