5 Steps to Write a Strong Position Paper

5 Steps to Write a Strong Position Paper In a position paper assignment, your charge is to choose a side on a particular topic, sometimes controversial, and build up a case for your opinion or position. You will use facts, opinion, statistics, and other forms of evidence to convince your reader that your position is the best one. To do this, youll collect research for your position paper and craft an outline in order to create a well-constructed argument. Select a Topic for Your Paper Your position paper centers around a topic that is supported by research. Your topic and position have to hold up when challenged, so its helpful to research a few topics and pick the one you can best argue, even if it may not reflect your personal beliefs. In many cases, the subject matter and your topic are not as important as your ability to make a strong case. Your topic can be simple or complex, but your argument must be sound and logical. Conduct Preliminary Research Preliminary research is necessary to determine whether sufficient evidence is available to back up your stance. You don’t want to get too attached to a topic that falls apart under a challenge. Search a few reputable sites, like education (.edu) sites and government (.gov) sites, to find professional studies and statistics. If you come up with nothing after an hour of searching, or if you find that your position doesn’t stand up to the findings on reputable sites, choose another topic. This could save you from a lot of frustration later. Challenge Your Own Topic You must know the opposite view as well as you know your own stance when you take a position. Take the time to determine all the possible challenges that you might face as you support your view. Your position paper must address the opposing view and chip away at it with counter-evidence. Consider having friends, colleagues, or family debate the topic with you to get alternative points of view that you might not have readily considered yourself. When you find arguments for the other side of your position, you can address them in a fair manner, and then state why they are not sound. Another helpful exercise is to draw a line down the middle of a plain sheet of paper and list your points on one side and list opposing points on the other side. Which argument is really better? If it looks like your opposition might outnumber you with valid points, you should reconsider your topic or your stance on the topic. Continue to Collect Supporting Evidence Once you’ve determined that your position is supportable and the opposite position is (in your opinion) weaker than your own, you are ready to branch out with your research. Go to a library and conduct a search, or ask the reference librarian to help you find more sources. You can, of course, conduct online research as well, but its important to know how to properly vet the validity of the sources you use. Ensure that your articles are written by reputable sources, and be wary of singular sources that differ from the norm, as these are often subjective rather than factual in nature. Try to collect a variety of sources, and include both an expert’s opinion (doctor, lawyer, or professor, for example) and personal experience (from a friend or family member) that can add an emotional appeal to your topic. These statements should support your own position but should read differently than your own words. The point of these is to add depth to your argument or provide anecdotal support. Create an Outline A position paper can be arranged in the following format: 1. Introduce your topic with some basic background information. Build up to your thesis sentence, which asserts your position. Sample points: For decades, the FDA has required that warning labels should be placed on certain products that pose a threat to public health.Fast food restaurants are bad for our health.Fast food packages should contain warning labels. 2. Introduce possible objections to your position. Sample points: Such labels would affect the profits of major corporations.Many people would see this as overreaching government control.Whose job is it to determine which restaurants are bad? Who draws the line?The program would be costly. 3. Support and acknowledge the opposing points. Just be sure you arent discrediting your own views. Sample points: It would be difficult and expensive for any entity to determine which restaurants should adhere to the policy.Nobody wants to see the government overstepping its boundaries.Funding would fall on the shoulders of taxpayers. 4. Explain that your position is still the best one, despite the strength of counter-arguments. This is where you can work to discredit some of the counter-arguments and support your own. Sample points: The cost would be countered by the improvement of public health.Restaurants might improve the standards of food if warning labels were put into place.One role of the government is to keep citizens safe.The government already does this with drugs and cigarettes. 5. Summarize your argument and restate your position. End your paper focusing on your argument and avoid the counter-arguments. You want your audience to walk away with your view on the topic being one that resonates with them. When you write a position paper, write with confidence and state your opinion with authority. After all, your goal is to demonstrate that your position is the correct one.

Has the level of protection for victims of domestic violence being Essay

Has the level of protection for victims of domestic violence being improved by the law - Essay Example This left the victim with the only solution of going back through the courts to request a power of arrest be attached to the injunction3. The 2004 Act has been extended to cover non married partners as well as married couples. The Act repealed s62(3) of the Family Law Act 1996 which laid down a requisite that the courts should take into account the non married status of cohabitants when making decisions regarding domestic violence incidents4. The new legislation also covers anyone who has lived in the same residence as part of a family. This encompasses same sex couples as well as parent and child relationships where either the parents are being attacked by their children or vice versa. Traditionally very few cases of domestic violence ever get prosecuted at court and there seems to be a consensus of opinion within society that most couples will be reunited before the case gets before the courts5. In an attempt to address this problem the criminal justice system has created a new fast track system for domestic violence cases. It has become a countrywide policy for most police forces to adopt the new fast track system with the effect that most cases are heard at court within 14 days of the incident occurring. It was felt by doing this that the courts could help support the victims better and to prevent the abuser from being able to convince their partner to discontinue the case against them. A further approach that has been adopted by the police is to proceed with prosecutions even when the victim has contacted the police to try to discontinue the case. When victims have retracted their original complaint the courts have declared them as a hostile witness and where necessary have subpoenaed them to attend court. It has been suggested that domestic violence victims often change their minds because of dissatisfaction with the way in which the police and the courts treat them as victims. There is a tendency within the police and the court system to

Throughput Accounting and Optimization Part II Assignment

Throughput Accounting and Optimization Part II - Assignment Example One of the ways to do this is to focus on motivation and training. Once these are in place, employees will be better positioned to be productive. As noted by Corbett (2006), strategic financing must always look into inputs as much as it looks at output. Motivation and training will therefore become ways of investing in the employees to be productive. I appreciate the concern you have raised on reasons you believe your company made the right decision by not making the purchase. In fact, your entire post is very insightful and thought provoking. I must state however that in the analysis, you put so much emphasis on what was going outside the company, as compared to what would come in if you made the purchase. Even though it is admitted that your company is a not for profit company, it is still important to know the value that such acquisition could make in the public domain. For example, it would have reinforced the commitment of the company among stakeholders and donors on the need for the company to support even more people. This would have increased chances of getting more donations and support. As suggested by Corbett (2006), it is always to look at investment as a means to an end. This is one thing that I think you failed to

Treasure of the Sierra Madre Book versus Film Essay

Treasure of the Sierra Madre Book versus Film - Essay Example This makes the storyline more interesting as it captures the viewers’ attention more. Many screen adaptations and ancillary elements are also culled for the movie (Huston). The elements which are regarded as the factors which led to the oppression of the native Mexicans, establishes and provides a persuasive and unifying theme that is more intense than it is in the novel. This gives an interesting and enriching counterpoint to the story of the main and central characters. The novel depicts a more forceful, unpretentious and sophisticated political awareness than the film. This is because the film mainly focuses on the adventures and forgets about the finer details of the situation. The novel is also easier and more interesting because of Traven’s writing style. He is very straight forward and keen on giving details. This makes the novel to be more convincing and moving than the movie. The detailed portrayal of the Mexican society seemed to be accurate in the novel than in the movie. The parallel between the Mexican oil field workers and the gold prospectors gets shown more clearly in the book. Also in the book one gets an understanding how they came to exist. In the movie’s train robbery scene, the bandits led by Hat, attack the train but they were fought off by the passengers including Howard, Curtin and Dobbs. In the book, Howard, Dobbs and Curtin never met Hat until where he said, â€Å"I don’t have to show you any badges† (Traven 205). When McCormick cheated Curtin and Dobbs of their wages they confronted him. In the novel he pays them without a fight after he discovered that they had intentions to beat him up if he failed to pay up. In the movie they attacked and beat him up before taking the amount of money that he owed them (Huston). This proved that they were honest men as they could have taken whole the money that McCormick had. This scene was the one that made the movie more eventful and interesting.

The Role That Corporate Advertising Plays In Marketing

The Role That Corporate Advertising Plays In Marketing In recent years, a number of internal and external forces have urged companies to pay increased attention to the role that corporate advertising plays in marketing communications strategy. Despite this increased importance, a comprehensive view of current corporate advertising practices does not exist. In spite of the increased importance given to the role of corporate advertising, little has been done to provide management with an integrative view of the current corporate advertising practices. The objective of this study is three fold: 1) to find out key issues related with corporate advertising 2) importance of the usage of corporate advertising in an organization in the context of Singer 3) Critical review of the core message to be used for Singer and mixed media approach to perform corporate advertising. What Is Corporate Advertising? However, with the advent of modern corporations with multiple product and/or service offerings, a different type of advertising has appeared, the primary purpose being to promote the corporation. Corporate, institutional, or corporate image advertising has been defined with some very basic consistency since the 1950s but has broadened to include advocacy and issue advertising (Ewing 1982; Heath and Douglas 1986; Heath and Nelson 1985) and the current hybrid ads (Winkleman 1985), which blend product and company promotion. Corporate advertising may also influence consumers knowledge about products marketed by the corporation (Hartigan and Finch 1986;Winkleman 1985). Main Types of corporate advertising can be categorised as follows: Advocacy advertising Image or Institutional advertising Recruitment advertising Key Issues in Corporate Advertising There are many functions that corporate advertising can perform and most of the companies spend millions of money. Technically majority of companies dont know how to do advertising since they are being getting low results from corporate advertising. Some practices remain far behind their potential since marketing and advertising are used incorrectly. Extremely Expensive to Do a Better Job In the present situation carrying out a successful corporate advertising campaign can be very costly because it has many inbuilt components such as production, designing, etc. It is an additional large investment for the company which will not give proper results as the organization expects. e.g.- In the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup, most of the Indian companies, many corporate pitched on the expected success of the Indian cricket team which involved extremely expensive endorsements, production costs and fowrad bookings in channels and match broadcasts. Indias early elimination at the quarter final stage, rendered many of the adverts unbroadcastable due to the anger that was built up against the team. On the otherhand, these monies, if channelled to consumer and trade promotions, would have had a far higher level impact on generation of sales. Credibility Large reach enable the organization to reap the benefits of corporate advertising. As an example a TV add might not reach the target segment since currently people avoid advertisements and they dont pay attention towards ads. Only one out of five consumers has a positive attitude towards advertising (InfoTrends, 2010). Also if the product distribution system is not in line with the advertisement (e.g, products are not available in those areas) itll be a huge cash outlay for the organization. This process must be statistical and focused if a company wants to become successful in corporate advertising. This can happen due to the following reasons: Organizations havent looked at their advertisements from consumers point of view and didnt share their unique selling proposition. Lack of consideration when selecting media which means organizations assume what consumer read, watch, or listen to is what their prospects enjoy as well. Opportunity cost is high when compared to other mediums such as social media and personnel selling which have large reach and better targeting abilities. Contrary to mass scale advertising, social meadia llows people to choose the adverts that are of interest to them and view / explore if it is of interest to them. This also drives search for more information and sharing with others, even if no action in terms of purchase is generated. Social media has been growing at a fast pace and it cannot be ignored by organizations. With Web 2.0 individuals get the opportunity to interact with each other about their personal experiences, buying preferences etc. The organization can convey the message to many target groups using social media at a lower cost and in a widely expanded way and this medium is very useful and easy to measure their advertising efficiency. Figure 1: Social Networking Growth by Worldwide Region Source: www.compete.com, 2009 Difficult to Measure the Efficiency Corporate advertising is a pull medium where organization cannot always expect it to translate into sales. Because cost per contact has been an issue for many organizations because the amount they spent hasnt effectively resulted in sales. There is difficulty in ascertain where the adverts pulled in customers vs those who would be attracted by the brand it self. Uncertainty of the Situation Corporate advertising will either be helpful to increase the corporate reputation or be misunderstood by the consumer which will lead to damage their image. This can happen due to miss interpretation by consumers about the company such as ethical issues. In such situations company has to bear a huge cost due to add withdrawal. Not Exciting, Not Addressing the Consumer Most ads are made on a one size fits all thus turning some viewers off. Corporate advertising can be very creative and give a nice, warm feeling but sometime it will make little or no effort to address the readers needs. Sometimes it will build the reputation but not result in purchasing. Organizations should stamp and convey their current or desired position in advertisements without stating the obvious. Importance of Corporate Advertising for Organizations and Singer According to research carried out it is evident that most of the companies havent identified the core essence of corporate advertising because they are entrapped with product advertising. Corporate advertising should brand a company the way that product advertising brands a product. Benefits of Corporate Advertising in General Corporate advertising is more efficient in building recall for a company name than product advertising and creation of a good citizen image through consistent dedicated effort. Frequent corporate advertisers rated better on virtually all attitude measures than those with low corporate ad budgets Reducing the Perceived Risk, Prompt Buying: From the past most of the reputed companies branded themselves due to usage of very strong advertisement slogans. Those slogans have been designed to influence consumer habits. These types of corporate advertisements are powerful than the visual product presentations as consumers are more likely to recollect the popular brand messages due to constant media exposure. e.g., In Britain, Glaxo Wellcome filled television screens in 1996 with the slogan, Man has no greater enemy than disease has no greater enemy than Glaxo Wellcome. (The Economist, 1998) Get Rid of Negative Perceptions: If a company is unpopular with or misunderstood by opinion-formers to an extent that it harms its business, that can be diminished through proper usage of corporate advertising. Articulate the Strength/Power of the Company A good proportion of spending on advertising may also signal to potential customers and competitors that a company is rich and important. e.g., Honeywell, another American giant, has borrowed GEs theme and is about to launch a more modest $4.5m campaign, showing how its mundane range of thermostats and controls touch peoples lives. (The Economist, 1998) Ability to Generate Corporate Contacts Corporate advertising will help to acquire more business consumer due to the popularity and reputation of the company. Business customers are more likely to be wooed by price, product range and personal relationships. Increase the Trustworthiness Corporate advertising, says its target audience is much broader than for normal consumer goods advertising. It is aimed at three specific constituencies: business customers; opinion-formers (investors, politicians, activists, media) who can influence share prices or strategy, and employees. Cherish subsidiaries and Enter New Markets Not only to enhance the parent company image, corporate advertising can be used to permit or encourage subsidiaries. Particularly where they are engaged in manufacturing operations-to identify themselves to their own customers, prospects and other important, local publics. Also this will enable the company to enter into new business/markets under the same name. Umbrella Covering By performing corporate advertising it covers all the products and services associated with the company and its strategy which always aligns with the mission and vision. e.g., General Electric spends 40% of its $100m advertising budget on this kind of corporate advertising. Its we bring good things to life campaign has been running for almost 20 years. (The Economist, 1998) Enhance the Goodwill: Corporate ads can be used to express their philanthropic, CSR and community idea which will be capable of improving their goodwill. e.g., New York Toyota launched a new corporate advertising campaign, highlighting the companys economic impact, environmental commitment, and social responsibility. Built around the question Why Not?, the campaign will include print and online ads, as well as a new television commercial directed by an Academy-award winning cinematographer. (The Economist, 1998) Exert a pull for New Hires Boost both employee management relation employee morale enabling all members of the internal public to discover a new vitality. Perhaps the best reason for corporate advertising is to reach employees. It can be a good way to attract bright new recruits. Essential Benefits of Corporate Advertising for Singer As explained above Singer will be able to obtain many more advantages by perusing corporate advertising in a meaningful way. One of the most important things that Singer needs to remember is that they need to follow the best practises if they want to improve corporate reputation through corporate advertising. Following are the key benefits they can achieve through corporate advertising-: Go after Singers target audience: Since Singers product advertising couldnt reach their target segments, corporate advertising can be the most effective way to convey the organization purpose of existence and values which will help to grab the attention of Singers potential customers. Highlight Singers competitive advantage: One of the keys to all corporate advertising is to emphasize the strengths of the company, those factors that give Singer to gain a competitive edge. Too many ads might be witty but fail to sell the benefits of the corporation unlike product advertising. Establish an image: As explained in the previous chapters Singer lacks the corporate reputation due to quality concerns and negative perception. But performing good corporate advertising with measure objectives will open a way to increase customer image, awareness and trust. Suggest you expand this area a bit more. Critical Review of Singers Tagline and Media Approach Singer has conducted few corporate advertising but, has spent millions for that purpose with product advertising. Singer sells their own consumer electronic products and global brands like JVC, Phillips, Panasonic, and Samsung etc. Since they are doing many businesses, corporate advertising is the best option available for advertising. As explained in the previous section about personality, Singer has been aiming higher end customers since they have less belief in the Singer products quality. Inconsistent slogans and lack of intelligent advertising has led to this situation which has in turn caused poor performance in some of the product ranges. If a powerful tagline can address a key issue, that would boost their reputation and image. (e.g, Adidas introduced its mainstream marketing slogan Impossible is nothing in the year 2004 with the intention to capture the essence of the Adidas brand.). In order to become successful in the future, Singer needs to deliver a simple, catchy core message in a consistent way using corporate advertising. The proposed tagline for corporate advertising is as follows Trusted Excellence Singer has been using this as a slogan but not for corporate advertising or product advertising. Since the tagline is very strong changing the context of the usage will add more value to the organization. Which means the way they have used should be changed. This tagline is very simple and most importantly it reminds the history of Singers long journey of 135 years. This core message communicates the benefits of customers who create intrigue, interest and attention and therefore it will be able to persuade consumers. This tagline shows the consumers can trust the company since they have been in the industry for such a long-time with consistent quality products and to draw their attention on a specific product which results in buying. Higher social class people who had negative ideas about Singer products will be persuaded by this message. Being a cost leader has harmed the Singer corporate image but proper usage of this message will help them to overcome it. With this tagline people will start to associate the communicated characteristics in the slogan with the products such as quality and olden gait. It will be highly successful in rejuvenating Singers image in the public and will also earn numerous awards. Singer as a whole will become a cult and can be the re-emergence of the company as an important player in the electronic appliances industry in decades to come. Recommended Mixed Media Approach for Singer Corporate Advertising is no longer simply about visual appeal. Particularly in this web 2.0 has become a vital ingredient of an organizations branding strategy, developing the right media mix holds the key to building powerful brand equity. Traditional Media TV, News paper, and Radio advertisements can be used in a corporate advertising campaign at a high level where they can express their idea in a more epic way but the cost might be really high. TV advertisements are one of the easiest ways to communicate the message more emotionally and visually. TV advertisements can be expensive but it can bring out the message what Singer wants to convey visually which will be evaluated below. Radio advertisements could also be done to spread the message to the mass population in a cheaper way. According to InfoTrend researches print medium ads are significantly doing better than other mediums. Figure 2: Global Ratings of Different Advertising Media Source: InfoTrends, 2010 Advertising through newspapers and magazines can be a very cheap option and it also can target the rural population as well as the high class people. Social Media Online Advertising Singers corporate advertisements should be posted on sites such as Cricinfo, Wow and social networking sites such as Face book, Linkedin, Online newspapers, Hit add online magazines etc. as these are the most visited sites by an individual in Sri Lanka. Source: www.compete.com, 2009 Source: www. Alexa.com, 2009 Figure 3: Top 10 Social Networks Figure 4: Top Sites in Sri Lanka Use of social and internet media is very emerging which has been discussed above. The progress and the efficiency of their advertising can be monitored very easily (e.g., daily hit rate on the website). The segments which cannot be reached by the traditional ways can be targeted. Outdoor Advertising Singer competitors have been very active in these areas where Sony, Panasonic, Samsung are being doing many outdoor advertising campaigns. To increase the corporate reputation and build the brand equity this strong tagline can be communicated very broadly using this medium. Singer has to spend money carefully even if those mediums are cheap such as hoardings, road shows, participations in business fairs, exhibitions, etc. Strategic Films and Corporate Video Production This is been a latest and more important process in corporate advertising. Usually these kinds of media approach cannot be seen in product advertising. This has become necessary elements of road shows, exhibitions and other promotional campaigns and also corporate video production is a very important tool for branding an organizations corporate identity. E-Mail Campaigns E-mails can be used to spread their corporate advertising core message to consumers easily and cheaply. The graphically designed corporate advertisement can be placed on an e-mail and it can be sent to various people which might prompt an interest within the viewer of the e-mail. Significant growth in email and internet would enable to convey the message to a broad geographical crowd. Source: TRC (www.trc.gov.lk), 2009 Figure 5: Email internet growth (1995-2009 December) How they Deliver the Message Using the Recommended Media Mix The key issue here would be the upliftment of the image of singer SL in to that of a brand that sells quality electrponics vs cheap, meant fr lower income segments. The campoaign should address High quality, modernity and technology advancement affordable to all (not cheap) Thus the folliwng message is proposed to be carried out in key media. A well known super star like Lasith Malinga (Famous Cricketer) who has a good charisma within the country can be used to promote their corporate brand where people will start believing him and change their perceptions and result in buying products. For this purpose Singer can run a TV advertisement that features Malinga who is looking to his parents to get an advice to purchase a LED 3D TV, where his father reminds of the Old Singer TV at home, which is still working well. This advert if placed well, will drive that Singer products are not inferior in quality and they are highly trustable on performance with latest technology (Innovativeness). Social media such as Facebook and Youtube should be used and advertisement videos should be uploaded where people will be able to watch and give their feedback instantly. Also Singer can publish the reviews of popular people who are using Singer products in those websites with eye-catching images. Financial and Political Constraints of Recommendations In this section the only highly possible political (organization) and financial barrier which obstruct the successful implementation of corporate advertising would be discussed: Singer has not conducted much of corporate advertising which is a new concept for them. Processing developments will require change in terms of learning regarding corporate advertising. Due to proposed web 2.0 involvements the technological skills of the employees need to be improved to get the potential of the emerge of social media. Training and development should be provided to the employees for improving their creative and innovative thinking skills which will be helpful to corporate advertising. Singer carries out product advertising and conducting corporate advertising would demand more expenses which can be an additional expense. Physical resources such as vehicles might be needed additionally to carryout corporate advertising. Hiring a celebrity for advertising is an expensive affair since the person maybe well known and hence higher charges are applicable. There would be extra expenses inspite of product advertising been conducted in parallel.

Overconfidence and Arrogance in To Build a Fire by Jack London Essay

Overconfidence and Arrogance in To Build a Fire by Jack London Overconfidence and arrogance led to the death of the man in Jack London's "To Build a Fire." This overconfidence in his own abilities led to him making poor decisions and scorning the advice of those who know what they are talking about. Instead, he laughs at the old man after he tells him "a man should travel with a partner" (1769) and goes out into the frigid weather anyway. He knew that it was 75 degrees below zero and that his body was numb but he didn't care because he thought he could handle it. Even when he was about to die he thought, "freezing to death is not as bad as people thought it was"(1772) and "when he got back to the states he could tell the folks what real cold was."(1772) Obviously the man did not take the situation seriously. Instead of dying with dignity he thought about himself "running around like a chicken with its head cut off." (1772) He time and again snubs the warnings that he is receiving from nature. He encountered many warnings that it was too cold to be outside. First...

Succubus Dreams CHAPTER 6

I hadn't realized how late it was until I showed up at Seth's around two. He actually wasn't writing for a change, and I found him sprawled on the couch, flipping through late night television programming. â€Å"Hey,† I said, dropping my coat and purse near the door. He glanced up from the TV. Its light cast ghostly shadows on his face in the darkness. â€Å"Sorry it's so late. Something came up.† â€Å"Yeah,† he said, voice still flat. â€Å"I can tell.† Immediately, I caught his meaning. It was a sign of how well he'd come to know me and recognize subtle succubus signals. I was wreathed in Jude's life energy. Immortals would actually perceive it as a literal glow. Mortals couldn't see it, but they could sense something insanely alluring and attractive about me. Usually, they just wrote it off as a sign of my beauty. Seth knew better. When he sensed it around me, he knew what I'd been doing. I hated for him to see me like this, but it was inevitable. â€Å"Sorry. It's what I do. You know that.† â€Å"Yeah,† he agreed, sounding tired – mentally tired, not physically tired. He straightened up. â€Å"But did you have to do it tonight? You trying to punish me for standing you up?† I sat down in the armchair across from him. The energy from Jude burned through me and made me feel alive. I didn't want a fight with Seth to ruin my good mood, particularly after I'd been so annoyed for most of the evening. â€Å"I did it to survive. I wasn't trying to get back at you.† He sighed and stared off into a dark corner. â€Å"It's so hard sometimes.† I moved over to the couch, scooting up beside him. â€Å"I know.† He slid his arm around my shoulders and regarded me with a look both tender and exasperated. Leaning down, he brushed his lips against my neck. The small touch made my blood burn. â€Å"God, you're beautiful. I just wish it wasn't the result of some other guy.† â€Å"Yeah,† I said. â€Å"Me too.† â€Å"Sorry I blew up.† â€Å"You call that blowing up?† I asked. â€Å"That was nothing.† â€Å"And I'm sorry I stood you up. That wasn't right.† Seth had moved up my neck and now nibbled my ear. I closed my eyes and tilted my head back. â€Å"It's okay,† I assured him. â€Å"Really.† â€Å"You're awfully forgiving.† â€Å"Hey, what can I say? Christmas love and kindness, right?† He laughed and ran his fingers through my hair. â€Å"For someone allegedly so evil, you sure are good.† â€Å"Well,† I said, pressing into him. â€Å"I'm not that good. I'm thinking some very bad thoughts right now.† â€Å"Yeah. Me too. If our thoughts condemn us, I think I'm headed straight for Hell.† â€Å"No, you aren't. Hugh says your soul's like a supernova. You're going straight to the pearly gates.† Warm love and desire enfolded us, supplanting the cold tension. Yet as we curled up and chatted about light topics, I couldn't help but morosely think this was a common scene between us. Fight. Brood. Apologize. Snuggle. In all the fantasies of a stable relationship that I'd harbored over the last millennium, this pattern had never been a part of them. After a while, we sort of surpassed snuggling and moved onto something of a more adult nature. At least I did. Sometimes Seth could be coaxed into sating his lust, though it always made him incredibly self-conscious. Me, I loved watching him come. He was always so damnably blas? ¦ that seeing him lose control in an orgasm almost did more for me than my own climax. He apparently had the same feelings toward me and was content to simply watch me touch myself tonight. After not getting off with Jude, I was more than happy to take things into my own hands. When I finished, languid and content afterward, he lay down on the couch beside me, lacing his fingers with mine. â€Å"I don't think I'll ever get tired of that,† he sighed. â€Å"You should finish yourself off.† â€Å"I'm okay.† â€Å"You sure?† He smiled. â€Å"Self-control, Thetis. Self-control. Besides, I have a good imagination. Sometimes it's enough to pretend I'm the one doing that to you.† I shivered as an image of Seth played in my mind, his body inside of me while I came, muscles clenching around him as I cried out his name and dug my nails into his back. â€Å"Jesus,† I said softly, closing my eyes. â€Å"Yeah.† We realized then that it was really late and started getting ready for bed. When I emerged from the bathroom after brushing my teeth, I found him waiting for me in the bedroom with a small box. He handed it over. â€Å"I told you I had an early present.† I turned the package over in my hands, running my fingertips over the edges. It had been wrapped in gold paper and had a red bow. Judging from the sloppy wrapping and misaligned ribbon, I was willing to bet he'd wrapped it himself. I offered up a small grin. â€Å"It's way too early. Presents before Christmas? That's not right. I mean, I'm not that evil.† He sat back on the bed, leaning against the headboard, looking supremely pleased with himself. â€Å"Well, I am. I guess my soul just dimmed a little. Open it.† Sitting down as well, I hesitantly tore the paper. There was no question in my mind that this was a jewelry box. The question was: What kind? Seth occasionally showed a romantic spirit, but he wasn't the type to do anything crazy like propose. At least I didn't think so. Hoping for a tennis bracelet, I instead found a ring. But it wasn't an engagement ring, not in the current way of thinking. It was one of the modern recreations of the Byzantine rings. Only this wasn't one of the ones we'd seen at Erik's, not exactly. It was platinum for one thing, glowing soft and silvery in the dim lighting. The smooth disc on top had a dolphin engraved in it, decorated with a few tiny, embedded sapphires. I stared at it, unsure what to say. â€Å"Do you like it?† Seth asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice. â€Å"I†¦yeah. Yes, I do. Very much.† My words came out haltingly. â€Å"You seemed so sad about losing the other one that I thought maybe this would be a nice substitute.† He looked so rapt and excited that I couldn't bear to tell him that not only had I not lost the original ring, I'd actually hidden it away in the closet so as never to see it again. This one was very different, true, but the similarities were strong enough to dredge up all the dark feelings I tried to keep buried, memories of a sunny day long ago when my husband – the husband I'd eventually betrayed – had slipped the other one onto my finger at our wedding. â€Å"It's beautiful,† I said after a long stretch of silence, needing to reassure him. It had been very kind, after all. Seth didn't know my history or the pain intertwined with it. â€Å"Why a dolphin?† â€Å"Yeah†¦it's kind of cutesy and trendy, but†¦well, none of those Greek letters meant much to me. But I read something about dolphins being important in old religions on Cyprus, so†¦Ã¢â‚¬  That brought a true smile to my face. â€Å"Yeah. They were. Messengers from the sea gods. Good fortune and all that.† Something occurred to me. â€Å"We saw these at Erik's, like, a couple days ago – but not this one. How'd you get it? Did he have more in stock? Or did you go somewhere else?† His eyes crinkled with amusement. â€Å"Hey, I'm learning your powers of persuasion. I got in contact with the artist and commissioned it.† Good lord. Seth had had a custom ring – a platinum custom ring – made right before Christmas. And he'd had it done in a matter of days. The cost must have been through the roof. The queasy feeling in my stomach intensified. Observing my silence, his smile faltered. â€Å"You sure you like it?† â€Å"Yeah, yeah†¦of course. I just†¦I'm sorry, I don't know what to say. It's great.† I slipped it onto my right ring finger. It fit perfectly. Hesitantly, I met his eyes. â€Å"This is a, uh, friendship ring right?† â€Å"Yeah, don't worry. If I propose, you'll know it. For one thing, I'll be hyperventilating.† A sly smile – surprisingly sexy – turned up his lips. â€Å"And it'll be a ruby.† â€Å"Rubies? No diamonds? Too expensive for the old writer's salary, huh?† He made a disparaging grunt at that. â€Å"No, I just think diamonds are common, that's all. If I get married, it'll be because something uncommon is occurring. Besides, you wear a lot of red, right? I know how important it is for your accessories to match.† I snorted at that and let him draw me into the bed. He fell asleep quickly, as always, but I lay there, touching the ring. Its metal had warmed to my skin, and I could trace the dolphin and sapphires with my fingertip. The unpleasant memories the ring stirred up hadn't abated, but somehow, lying in his embrace, they seemed a little less painful. Sleep finally came to me, and I immediately started dreaming – the dream. I was back in the kitchen, surrounded by all the same vivid sights, smells, and sounds as before. My hands in the water. The scent of orange soap. â€Å"Sweet Home Alabama.† It was a repeat of what I'd seen before, my dream-self washing dishes and humming along to the music. She glanced behind her into the other room. This was where the dream had ended last time. Now it kept going. A little girl sat in the living room, about two years old. She was on a blanket on the floor, surrounded by stuffed animals and other toys. She clutched a plush giraffe in her hands. It rattled when she shook it. As though sensing my dream-self's gaze, the little girl looked up. She had plump cheeks that hadn't quite lost their baby fat. Wispy, light brown curls covered her head, and her hazel eyes were large and framed with dark lashes. She was adorable. Behind her on the couch, Aubrey lay curled up in a tight little ball. Another cat – covered in orange-and-brown patches – sprawled nearby. I'd never seen it before. A delighted smile spread over the little girl's face, creating a dimple in one check. A powerful wave of love and joy spread through my dream-self, emotions that my watching self felt. I knew then – knew in a way I couldn't explain but knew with absolute certainty – that this girl was my daughter. I woke up. Just like last time, morning had arrived with almost no passage of time for me. Sunlight again poured through the windows, and beside me, Seth still slept. Also like last time, my energy was gone. I was drained. But the ache of that missing energy was nothing compared to the ache I felt from being ripped out of the dream, of being stripped of the powerful emotions my dream-self had felt for that little girl. Her daughter. My daughter. No, that was impossible, I scolded myself. Succubi could have no children. I'd left that path behind when I sold my soul. It had felt so real, though. So intense. It was impossible for me to have a child, but in that dream, she had been mine. No doubts. Even now, I felt that maternal tug, and not having her here right now tore at my heart. And again, I told myself that was stupid. Dreams weren't real. That's why they were†¦well, dreams. And I had bigger problems to deal with. Like the missing energy. Beside me, Seth stirred and unconsciously pulled the covers around him, leaving me uncovered. I yanked them back, and he turned toward me, opening sleepy eyes. â€Å"Hey,† he said. â€Å"What gives?† â€Å"Not you, apparently.† â€Å"Not you either, apparently.† â€Å"Hey, I'm the evil one, remember?† We bantered a bit more and continued playing tug-of-war with the covers. I put on a smiling face so I wouldn't have to explain my problems to him. Finally, I slipped away, though part of me wished I could stay in bed for the rest of the day. Dreaming. But Seth had writing to do, and I had an afternoon shift to work. Back home, I found Vincent up and around, making breakfast in the kitchen with Yasmine. They greeted me boisterously, giggling over some conversation that had occurred before my entrance. â€Å"You want some eggs?† he asked me, catching a stick of butter tossed over by Yasmine. Presumably they'd gone grocery shopping since I hadn't had any butter in my kitchen before this. Or any food, really. â€Å"No thanks,† I said, settling myself on a stool. â€Å"I already ate.† â€Å"You're missing out,† she said. â€Å"Vincent makes eggs that are so decadent, they're totally sending him straight to Hell.† Setting a skillet on the stove, he turned on the burner, listening to the clicking sound made while the gas took a moment to ignite. â€Å"Oh, it's the eggs that are going to do it, huh? Last time you told me it was going to be my parking.† The angel's eyes sparkled with mischief. She'd pulled her sleek black hair up into a ponytail, making her look very young. Ironic, considering her age was beyond human or succubus comprehension. â€Å"Oh, geez. Yeah. I forgot about that. Huh. Now there's a toss-up. I'm not sure which is going to send you down below faster. Needing a stick of butter to cook two eggs or parallel parking three feet from the curb.† He jabbed her arm with a wooden spoon. â€Å"Three feet? You know, I've never even seen you drive a car. The only thing you drive is me – crazy.† â€Å"Oh yeah, whatever. You were crazy before I ever came along.† Glancing back and forth between them as they bickered further, I realized they'd forgotten my presence. Feeling intrusive, I discretely backed away, down the hall and to my bedroom. Closing the door, I glanced in astonishment at Aubrey. She sprawled on my bed, warmed by a patch of sunshine. â€Å"Has that been going on all morning, Aub?† Yawning, she blinked at me with green eyes and then curled into a perfect white ball – similar to the position I'd seen her in in the dream. She covered her face with one paw. Um, okay. This was unexpected. I mean, was I crazy? Or had they†¦had Yasmine and Vincent been flirting? I mean, sure she was a friendly angel and everything, but that†¦yes, the more I thought about it, the more I believed they had been flirting. More than flirting. Weirder still, it hadn't been the kind of banter two people toss back and forth during the courtship phase either. It was the familiar teasing of two people who had been together for a long time, two people so utterly comfortable in each other's presence that they could almost finish each other's sentences. It was like the phenomenon Erik had described with Seth and me. â€Å"They're in love,† I told Aubrey disbelievingly. She continued to ignore me. How did that even work? They couldn't be sleeping together. I'd learned a while back that doing that would make an angel fall, and Yasmine was still clearly on the side of truth and justice. So what did that mean? Was it okay if an angel loved a human so long as they stayed physically apart? Something inside of me didn't think so. After seeing how prudish Joel had been, I felt pretty confident even a chaste love affair wouldn't fly with him or the others. So none of them probably knew, not even Carter. And honestly, I didn't know if I wanted to know. I was a sucker for star-crossed lovers, but those relationships never actually ended well. Grabbing some clothes and heading for the shower, I realized I might be witnessing a romance even more fucked up than my own. Who'd have thought that could happen? I guessed with angels, miracles really were possible. I finished showering and drying my hair, still pondering the puzzle of this love affair. I headed back out to the living room, wondering if I'd find more flirtatious behavior. Instead, what I found was a familiar and unwelcome immortal signature. Slimy and musky. Niphon was sitting on my couch.

Men and Women Will Never Be Equal Essay

Men and women will never be equal just like an apple and an orange, both are fruits, but have different taste. In general, men and women are physically, mentally, and emotionally different but does that really mean men and women will never be equal? The word â€Å"equal† means â€Å"the same as†. So, is a woman the same as a man? Study shows that an average women earns a year is lower than what men would earn, men and women both play different roles in the society, both important, but are not equal, for example, women are said to have taken more days off in a year than men; due to maternity leave, but as a mother, they would need to take care of their children as well. Men on the other hand, are known to be stronger; which brings to the idea that they work more than women do. According to research, it is more likely that men are committing more crimes such as thief, murder, rape; more men are being imprisoned than women. Women are sometimes defined as the â€Å"primary victims of war† as they lose their husbands, fathers, and brothers during war. Men and women are convinced they will never be equal, probably as early as human’s earliest days. In further logic, there are more differences between men and women than similarities. In coeducational schools, males and females tend to choose specific options that the other gender does not do, for example, fashion and engineering. Which in general, mainly only have one gender in the class. In general, men are stronger than women; that has convinced the society with the help of each gender’s actions, men would usually appear as bold, strong, and brace while the females are usually shy, polite, and feminine. People are also persuaded that men can carry two bricks at once, while women can carry only one it is not necessarily true, but it is an instant impression that it is true. Men and women will never be equal is a fact that will not really ever change; that doesn’t mean they aren’t the same just not equal. It is a good thing that in this society, although men and women will never be equal, we still get along. Read more:  Men and Women Should Have Equal Rights Essay