Business Plan for a New Firm in the Music Industry Essay

Business Plan for a New Firm in the Music Industry - Essay Example The proliferation of technological advances in the current world market had facilitated numerous changes in the way business is done. The music industry has been revolutionized by changes in technology that ushered the internet which in turn spurred the introduction of peer to peer architecture and music file sharing. The digitization of music is also apparent in the advent of CDs, VCDs, MP3s, and the most recent advancement which is called streaming technologies. It is irrefutable that a new music industry has evolved, a sector, which began to take advantage of the benefits offered by these revolutions [1]. The utilization of new business models and strategies are essential in order for a business entity to efficiently compete in the current market environment. The new trend in the music industry posted radical changes in the overall industry value chain. It has streamlined the value chain by effectively lessening or fully eradicating some of the previously important players [2]. The most significant of these is the obvious displacement of traditional marketing channels by more technologically advanced ones. Brick and mortar distribution channels are now being complemented or fully replaced by online distribution systems [3]. These new trend necessitate the conceptualization and implementation of innovative business strategies to become profitable, capture a sizeable market share, maximize shareholder value, and compete head-on with other industry leaders. This paper will serve as a platform of a business, which will take advantage the advancement of technology in order to effectively compete in the new music industry. The creation of the company will show the responsiveness of a business entity to the new trend and changes in its environment. The Company The new changes in the music industry will give rise to the conceptualization of a company which will be known as eMusic Company. Business Operation The firm will be involved in the promotion and distribution of music of various artists of music labels and independent ones. Utilizing the present technologies available, eMusic will be employing an online distribution system of music in physical and digital format by establishing and building its own website where consumers can access their products and services. The website will offer a user-friendly interface where music lovers can find the songs that they want with the most convenience and speed possible. Realizing the new trend within the music industry, specifically the streamlining of the value chain, the company will try to bring artists with music fans directly. This will be done by adding a system where artists can directly upload their tracks and albums online to be viewed and heard by anyone online. Market Scope The evolution of a global market through the rapid spread and utilization of the internet technology will allow the company to service anyone in the world. The market scope therefore is a broad and as diverse as the total number of music lovers who have access to the world wide web. This eliminates the ageing population, as they are not usually familiar with the new technology. The most particular market segment to be serviced therefore, is mostly the young and middle-aged population. I. Competitive Environment (current) Figure 1 shows the recording industry's distribution chain. Since eMusic will be involved not only in the distribution but also promotion of music by various artists, it will be competing both with music producers (labels) and distributors. Production Production of music is currently undertaken by record labels which can be neatly classified in four major categories-major labels, independent labels, microlabels, and vanity labels [4]. 1. Major Labels Major labels are comprised of recording companies with over 100 artists. The labels' large number of artists implies a broad array of musical styles. Having huge financial muscle, these usually have national or international distribution

Thought Experiment Essay Example for Free

Thought Experiment Essay The fear of death is natural for all human beings regardless of race or culture and perhaps the only thing that separates the fear among different cultures are the vast array of concepts and views pertaining to it. After the concept of a higher being, death is perhaps the second most philosophically debated topic and rightly so, because as the text supplied to us said â€Å"we can and must postulate, as reasonably as possible, what our end has in store for us. †   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Historically speaking, the fear of death itself has been a hotly debated topic and has even been used for ulterior motives such as the case of the Catholic Church and their concept of plenary indulgence. In more recent times the fear of death has even been used as an incentive, fundamentalist Muslims have turned the fear into something that should be welcomed and coupled with the promise of seventy-seven virgins in the afterlife, has itself been used to persuade impressionable people into wearing vest bombs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Fear is indeed a great motivator and yes, few things can compete with the fear of death but I beg to differ about it and I’ll even go so far as to say that not only should you not fear death but you should in all sense of the word, welcome that fear and turn it into something positive.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Following the arguments from the texts given to us, the first thing we should consider is the question of whether it is rational to fear death. Of course, death being unable to exist at the same time and place as you can therefore not harm you and should not be feared. The fear of death is irrational in all respects according to this argument and rightly so. Unfortunately, there are such things as irrational fears and I suspect that the fear of death has enough magnitude to trump rationality –at least most of the time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is a given fact that we do indeed fear death regardless of whether it is rational or irrational to do so. In that regard, what other choices are there? Death being a fact of life means that we can do nothing else about it but to simply accept it. We can of course at this point minimize the fear of death by proving that it is not death itself that should be feared but rather a life unlived.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The â€Å"badness† of death can actually depend on what would have happened to a person if that person’s death had not taken place. Suppose then that some very old and unhappy person dies and considering that further life would inevitably only lead to more pain for this person, then dying is not so bad for him (Feldman 140). Some may even see death for this person as a blessing and arguably, this is where one should start looking as death as more than something to fear but as something that could be a motivation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Death should not be feared, it should be seen as a reminder that a person may have a greater purpose in his life and should do all he can to strive for it. It is a reminder that regardless of whether there is an afterlife or not, this life matters and one does not have a lot of time to MAKE it matter. Yes, the fear of death is irrational, but more than that, is it not more irrational to make nothing of death and simply accept it?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At this point it seems that I arrived at a different conclusion than the author of the given text. It just seems to me that the author is so focused on death as an end rather than as an opportunity. Yes, death is an end but is it not also an opportunity to be reminded that there are things you could achieve and people you can touch before that end ultimately comes?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At the end of the day, I do concede that we have no doubt proven the irrationality of death but I also argue that not only have we proven that but we may have also given a solution regarding it. By considering the rationality of death, I’m was hard pressed not to consider the rationality of life itself and now I’ll have to conclude that the only solution to the fear of death is simply acceptance and doing what you can to make sure that when the proverbial clock ends, you will be able to look the reaper in the eye and say that you have no regrets. Works Cited Feldman, Fred. Confrontations with the Reaper. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.

Progress and Development of ASEAN :: International Economics, Trade Agreement

1.0 OVERVIEW OF (ASEAN) 1.1 The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Bangkok, Thailand with the signing of the (ASEAN) declaration, by the founding fathers of (ASEAN), namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand was establish on 8 August 1967. On 7 January 1984, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam on 28 July 1995, Myanmar on 23 July 1997 and Cambodia on 30 April 1999 then joined. Nowadays, (ASEAN) have ten member states. The aims and purpose as set of (ASEAN) are first, to accelerate the economic growth, social progress, and culture development in the region through joint endeavors in the spirit of equality and partnership in order to strengthen the foundation for a prosperous and peaceful community of Southeast Asian nations. Second, to promote active collaboration and mutual assistance on matters of common interest in the economic, social cultural, technical, scientific and administrative fields. Third, to promote Southeast Asian studies and to maintain close and beneficial cooperati on with existing international and regional organization with similar aims and purpose and explore all avenues for even closer cooperation among themselves. (ASEAN) focus for three (3) communities to achieve. First, political. To build on what has been construed over the years in the field of political and security cooperation. The (ASEAN) political – security community (APSS). The aim, to ensure that countries in the religion live at peace with one another and with the world in a just democrat and harmonious environment. The APSS blueprint envisages (ASEAN) to be a rules based community to shared values an norms, a cohesive, peaceful, stable and resilient region with shred responsibility for comprehensive security, also (APSS) blueprint is guide by the (ASEAN) charter and the principle and purpose contained was adapter by the (ASEAN) leaders at the 1984 (ASEAN) summit on 1 march 2009 in Cha – am / Hua-Lin Thailand. Second, Asian economic community (AEC), the goal of religion economic integration by 2015, envisages the following key characteristic, a single market production base. A highly competitive development region and a region of equitable economic development also a region fully integrated in the global economy. Thirdly, (ASEAN) socio – cultural. The aims for this communities, to contribute to raising an (ASEAN) community that is people oriented and socially responsible with a view to achieving enduring solidarity and unity among the peoples and member states of (ASEAN). Focus on nurturing the human, cultural and natural resources for sustained development in harmonious also people of (ASEAN).

Nuclear Energy

As the need for electricity increases through time, it's important to find options for future complications. Nuclear power has both negative and positive attributes in producing electrical energy. Despite the negative, I believe it's a good choice to make for when we can no longer depend on other sources such as natural gas because it is cheaper and more â€Å"green†. Of course, there are other sources that could also be considered such as wind power, solar power, or coal. In my opinion, these are not as superior as nuclear power for several reasons. As global warming becomes a bigger concern, options such as natural gas and coal are eliminated because of environmental hazards. This leaves wind power, solar power, and nuclear power. Wind power and solar power are not bad options. In fact, they are probably the smartest and most â€Å"green† inventions for producing electricity. Like most things, however, they have a few flaws. For example, in a CNBC news article, â€Å"Primer: Nuclear Power† it stated that wind power and solar power produces the least amount of energy for the highest price. Another article, â€Å"Nuclear Power is Nuclear† said wind power is not only expensive but also dangerous to birds. The article said a proximately 75,000- 250,000 birds die each year by crashing into the spinning generator! With knowing that both wind power and solar power are cost-defective and knowing that coal and natural gas is harmful to the environment, what makes nuclear energy so great? Well, from an economic standpoint, nuclear energy is the cheapest to produce and produces the most. Nuclear plants now produce electricity for 1. 76 cents per kilowatt-hour, compared to 2. 47 cents for coal or 6. 78 cents for natural gas. † (Primer: Nuclear Power). As for the environment and people, it is a very safe process (in most cases) and does not produce global warming. Some people, like me, might have corresponded nuclear weapons to nuclear energy, which might have put you to look at nuclear energy from a negative perspective. But knowing and understanding how it works, shows that it is safer then you may expect. However, if an accident would occur it wouldn't be very good because of radiation poisoning that could spread and can cause a lot of cancers and other defects and diseases. Although the chances of this happening are very small and hopefully through time safety will progress. With these facts and statistics, nuclear power shows a cleaner and cheaper way for producing electricity in the future. With nuclear energy only being 20% of our power, hopefully nuclear plants would increase as well as their safety. Nuclear Energy Nuclear Energy is defined as the energy  that is released  when atomic nuclei either split or fuse. After a careful consideration of the amount of conventional fuels available and their consumption, it becomes very clear that nuclear energy will be used predominantly in the future. Moreover, it offers an attractive alternative to the conventional fuels that generally contribute to global warming.  In comparison to fossil fuels and hydroelectric power, nuclear energy provides a safer and cleaner option. Moreover, the quantity of uranium, which is used as nuclear fuel, is much more abundant than fossil fuels (Miller, 2004).Another advantage in using nuclear energy is that it is comparatively cheaper and environmentally safe, because the waste matter from such fuel is safely stored. In the United States of America, each and every nuclear power plant is controlled by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Moreover, these nuclear facilities have to strictly adhere to the safety standard s set by this regulatory body (Cabreza).A very important benefit of nuclear energy lies in the fact that it drastically reduces dependence on oil imports. Furthermore, this source of energy requires a lot of personnel, which helps to decrease unemployment. Nuclear energy is not only very efficient but also cost-effective, due to the minimal variance in the price of uranium, the optimal performance and frequent modernization of nuclear power plants. At present, a fifth of the total electricity needs of the U.S are catered to by nuclear (Cabreza).In comparison to nuclear energy, coal the conventional source of energy is much more dangerous. Coal releases a number of pollutants and carcinogens when burned. Further, the annual casualties amongst coal miners, due to accidents, are around a hundred. Nuclear power is far safer in comparison to coal or hydropower (Miller, 2004).  The nuclear fuel used in nuclear reactors is Uranium-235 and the mechanism by which nuclear fission energy is released is given by the equation:  10n + 235 92U —> 9236Kr + 14156 Ba +200 MeV+ 3 1 0n (3-3: Nuclear Fission).Uranium-235 releases 3.7 million times the amount of energy that coal can release. Due to the use of nuclear energy, two and a half billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions are not released into the atmosphere every year (Why use Nuclear Power?, 2006).In view of the above facts, it is imperative for the world to adopt nuclear energy for all their energy requirements. Nuclear power is clean, cost-effective, reliable and safe power. No major nuclear accidents have taken place in the U.S.   In its entire history, only a single accident took place in 1979. In that incident there was a partial reactor core meltdown at Three Mile Island (Accident of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant).However, this accident served to illustrate the effectiveness of the various safety measures that had been adopted in nuclear power plants. Radiation from the core of the reactor could not come out of the reactor due to the highly effective walls and no member of the public or personnel of the facility sustained even an injury.  Moreover, with the amount of subsequent research that was conducted after this accident, the possibility of the recurrence of such an incident is very remote. Considerable attention has been paid to recycling spent fuel and thereby reducing the amount of nuclear waste. In view of these facts the day is not far off when nuclear fuel will completely replace fossil fuels.ReferencesWhy use Nuclear Power? (2006, October 22). Retrieved May 3, 2007, from The Virtual Nuclear Tourist: http://www.nucleartourist.com/basics/reasons1.htm Nuclear Energy As the need for electricity increases through time, it's important to find options for future complications. Nuclear power has both negative and positive attributes in producing electrical energy. Despite the negative, I believe it's a good choice to make for when we can no longer depend on other sources such as natural gas because it is cheaper and more â€Å"green†. Of course, there are other sources that could also be considered such as wind power, solar power, or coal. In my opinion, these are not as superior as nuclear power for several reasons. As global warming becomes a bigger concern, options such as natural gas and coal are eliminated because of environmental hazards. This leaves wind power, solar power, and nuclear power. Wind power and solar power are not bad options. In fact, they are probably the smartest and most â€Å"green† inventions for producing electricity. Like most things, however, they have a few flaws. For example, in a CNBC news article, â€Å"Primer: Nuclear Power† it stated that wind power and solar power produces the least amount of energy for the highest price. Another article, â€Å"Nuclear Power is Nuclear† said wind power is not only expensive but also dangerous to birds. The article said a proximately 75,000- 250,000 birds die each year by crashing into the spinning generator! With knowing that both wind power and solar power are cost-defective and knowing that coal and natural gas is harmful to the environment, what makes nuclear energy so great? Well, from an economic standpoint, nuclear energy is the cheapest to produce and produces the most. Nuclear plants now produce electricity for 1. 76 cents per kilowatt-hour, compared to 2. 47 cents for coal or 6. 78 cents for natural gas. † (Primer: Nuclear Power). As for the environment and people, it is a very safe process (in most cases) and does not produce global warming. Some people, like me, might have corresponded nuclear weapons to nuclear energy, which might have put you to look at nuclear energy from a negative perspective. But knowing and understanding how it works, shows that it is safer then you may expect. However, if an accident would occur it wouldn't be very good because of radiation poisoning that could spread and can cause a lot of cancers and other defects and diseases. Although the chances of this happening are very small and hopefully through time safety will progress. With these facts and statistics, nuclear power shows a cleaner and cheaper way for producing electricity in the future. With nuclear energy only being 20% of our power, hopefully nuclear plants would increase as well as their safety.

The Return: Midnight Chapter 9

Damon dropped his hand. He simply couldn't make himself do it. Bonnie was weak, light-headed, a liability in combat, easy to confuse – That's it, he thought. I'l use that! She's so naive – â€Å"Let go for a second,†he coaxed. â€Å"So I can get the stave – â€Å" â€Å"No! You'l jump if I do! What's a stave?†Bonnie said, al in one breath. – and stubborn, and impractical – Was the bril iant light beginning to flicker? â€Å"Bonnie,†he said in a low voice, â€Å"I am deadly serious here. If you don't let go, I'l make you – and you won't like that, I promise.† â€Å"Do what he says,†Meredith pleaded from somewhere quite close. â€Å"Bonnie, he's going into the Dark Dimension! But you're going to end up going with him – and you'l both be human slaves this time! Take my hand!† â€Å"Take her hand!†Damon roared, as the light definitely flickered, for an instant becoming less blinding. He could feel Bonnie shifting and trying to see where Meredith was, and then he heard her say, â€Å"I can't – â€Å" And then they were fal ing. The last time they had traveled through a Gate they had been total y enclosed in an elevator-like box. This time they were simply flying. There was the light, and there were the two of them, and they were so blinded that somehow speaking didn't seem possible. There was only the bril iant, fluctuating, beautiful light – And then they were standing in an al ey, so narrow that it just barely al owed the two of them to face each other, and between buildings so high that there was almost no light down where they were. No – that wasn't the reason, Damon thought. He remembered that blood-red perpetual light. It wasn't coming directly from either side of the narrow slit of al ey, which meant that they were basical y in deep burgundy twilight. â€Å"Do you realize where we are?†Damon demanded in a furious whisper. Bonnie nodded, seeming happy about having figured that out already. â€Å"We're basical y in deep burgundy – â€Å" â€Å"Crap!† Bonnie looked around. â€Å"I don't smel anything,†she offered cautiously, and examined the soles of her feet. â€Å"We are,†Damon said slowly and quietly, as if he needed to calm himself between every word, â€Å"in a world where we can be flogged, flayed, and decapitated just for stepping on the ground.† Bonnie tried a little hop and then a jump in place, as if diminishing her ground-interaction time might help them in some manner. She looked at him for further instructions. Quite suddenly, Damon picked her up and stared at her hard, as revelation dawned. â€Å"You're drunk!†he final y whispered. â€Å"You're not even awake! Al this while I've been trying to get you to see sense, and you're a drunken sleepwalker!† â€Å"I am not!†Bonnie said. â€Å"And†¦just in case I am, you ought to be nicer to me. You made me this way.† Some distant part of Damon agreed that this was true. He was the one who'd gotten the girl drunk and then drugged her with truth serum and sleeping medicine. But that was simply a fact, and had nothing to do with how he felt about it. How he felt was that there was no possible way for him to proceed with this al -too-gentle creature along. Of course, the sensible thing would be to get away from her very quickly, and let the city, this huge metropolis of evil, swal ow her in its great, black-fanged maw, as it would most certainly do if she walked a dozen steps on its streets without him. But, as before, something inside him simply wouldn't let him do it. And, he realized, the sooner he admitted that, the sooner he could find a place to put her and begin taking care of his own affairs. â€Å"What's that?†he said, taking one of her hands. â€Å"My opal ring,†Bonnie said proudly. â€Å"See, it goes with everything, because it's al colors. I always wear it; it's casual or dress-up.†She happily let Damon take it off and examine it. â€Å"These are real diamonds on the sides?† â€Å"Flawless, pure white,†Bonnie said, stil proudly. â€Å"Lady Ulma's fianceLucen made it so that if we ever needed to take the stones out and sel them – â€Å"She came up short. â€Å"You're going to take the stones out and sel them! No! No no no no no!† â€Å"Yes! I have to, if you're going to have any chance of surviving,†Damon said. â€Å"And if you say one more word or fail to do exactly as I tel you, I am going to leave you alone here. And then you wil die. â€Å"He turned narrowed, menacing eyes on her. Bonnie abruptly turned into a frightened bird. â€Å"Al right,†she whispered, tears gathering on her eyelashes. â€Å"What's it for?† Thirty minutes later, she was in prison; or as good as. Damon had instal ed her in a second-story apartment with one window covered by rol er blinds, and strict instructions about keeping them down. He had pawned the opal and a diamond successful y, and paid a sour, humorless-looking landlady to bring Bonnie two meals a day, escort her to the toilet when necessary, and otherwise forget about her existence. â€Å"Listen,†he said to Bonnie, who was stil crying silently after the landlady had left them, â€Å"I'l try to get back to see you within three days. If I don't come within a week it'l mean I'm dead. Then you – don't cry! Listen! – then you need to use these jewels and this money to try to get al the way from here to here; where Lady Ulma wil stil be – we hope.† He gave her a map and a little moneybag ful of coins and gems left over from the cost of her bread and board. â€Å"If that happens – and I can pretty wel promise it won't, your best chance is to try walking in the daytime when things are busy; keep your eyes down, your aura smal , and don't talk to anyone. Wear this sacking smock, and carry this bag of food. Pray that nobody asks you anything, but try to look as if you're on an errand for your master. Oh, yes.†Damon reached into his jacket pocket and pul ed out two smal iron slave bracelets, bought when he had gotten the map. â€Å"Never take them off, not when you're sleeping, not when you're eating – never.† He looked at her darkly, but Bonnie was already on the threshold of a panic attack. She was trembling and crying, but too frightened to say a word. Ever since entering the Dark Dimension she'd been keeping her aura as smal as possible, her psychic defenses high; she didn't need to be told to do that. She was in danger. She knew it. Damon finished somewhat more leniently. â€Å"I know it sounds difficult, but I can tel you that I personal y have no intention whatsoever of dying. I'l try to visit you, but getting across the borders of the various sectors is dangerous, and that's what I may have to do to come here. Just be patient, and you'l be al right. Remember, time passes differently here than back on Earth. We can be here for weeks and we'l get back practical y the instant we set out. And, look† – Damon gestured around the room – â€Å"dozens of star bal s! You can watch al of them.† These were the more common kind of star bal , the kind that had, not Power in them, but memories, stories, or lessons. When you held one to your temple, you were immersed in whatever material had been imprinted on the bal . â€Å"Better than TV,†Damon said. â€Å"Much.† Bonnie nodded slightly. She was stil crushed, and she was so smal , so slight, her skin so pale and fine, her hair such a flame of bril iance in the dim crimson light that seeped through the blinds, that as always Damon found himself melting slightly. â€Å"Do you have any questions?†he asked her final y. Bonnie said slowly, â€Å"And – you're going to be†¦?† â€Å"Out getting the vampire versions of Who's Who and the Book of Peers,†Damon said. â€Å"I'm looking for a lady of quality.† After Damon had left, Bonnie looked around the room. It was horrible. Dark brown and just horrible! She had been trying to save Damon from going back into the Dark Dimension because she remembered the terrible way that slaves – who were mostly humans – were treated. But did he appreciate that? Did he? Not in the slightest! And then when she'd been fal ing through the light with him, she'd thought that at least they would be going to Lady Ulma's, the Cinderel a-story woman whom Elena had rescued and who had then regained her wealth and status and had designed beautiful dresses so that the girls could go to fancy parties. There would have been big beds with satin sheets and maids who brought strawberries and clotted cream for breakfast. There would have been sweet Lakshmi to talk to, and gruff Dr. Meggar, and†¦ Bonnie looked around the brown room and the plain rush-fil ed pal et with its single blanket. She picked up a star bal listlessly, and then let it drop from her fingers. Suddenly, a great sleepiness fil ed her, making her head swim. It was like a fog rol ing in. There was absolutely no question of fighting it. Bonnie stumbled toward the bed, fel onto it, and was asleep almost before she had settled under the blanket. â€Å"It's my fault far more than yours,†Stefan was saying to Meredith. â€Å"Elena and I were – deeply asleep – or he'd never have managed any part of it. I'd have noticed him talking with Bonnie. I'd have realized he was taking you hostage. Please don't blame yourself, Meredith.† â€Å"I should have tried to warn you. I just never expected Bonnie to come running out and grab him,†Meredith said. Her dark gray eyes shimmered with unshed tears. Elena squeezed her hand, sick in the pit of her stomach herself. â€Å"You certainly couldn't be expected to fight off Damon,†Stefan said flatly. â€Å"Human or vampire – he's trained; he knows moves that you could never counter. You can't blame yourself.† Elena was thinking the same thing. She was worried about Damon's disappearance – and terrified for Bonnie. Yet at another level of her mind she was wondering at the lacerations on Meredith's palm that she was trying to warm. The strangest thing was that the wounds appeared to have been treated – rubbed slick with lotion. But she wasn't going to bother Meredith about it at a time like this. Especial y when it was real y Elena's own fault. She was the one who had enticed Stefan the night before. Oh, they had been deep, al right – deep in each other's minds. â€Å"Anyway, it's Bonnie's fault if it's anyone's,†Stefan said regretful y. â€Å"But now I'm worried about her. Damon's not going to be inclined to watch out for her if he didn't want her to come.† Meredith bowed her head. â€Å"It's my fault if she gets hurt.† Elena chewed her lower lip. There was something wrong. Something about Meredith, that Meredith wasn't tel ing her. Her hands were real y damaged, and Elena couldn't figure out how they could have gotten that way. Almost as if she knew what Elena was thinking, Meredith slipped her hand out of Elena's and looked at it. Looked at both her palms, side by side. They were equal y scratched and torn. Meredith bent her dark head farther, almost doubling over where she sat. Then she straightened, throwing back her head like someone who had made a decision. She said, â€Å"There's something I have to tel you – â€Å" â€Å"Wait,†Stefan whispered, putting a hand on her shoulder. â€Å"Listen. There's a car coming.† Elena listened. In a moment she heard it too. â€Å"They're coming to the boardinghouse,†she said, puzzled. â€Å"It's so early,†Meredith said. â€Å"Which means – â€Å" â€Å"It has to be the police after Matt,†Stefan finished. â€Å"I'd better go in and wake him up. I'l put him in the root cel ar.† Elena quickly corked the star bal with its meager ounces of fluid. â€Å"He can take this with him,†she was beginning, when Meredith suddenly ran to the opposite side of the Gate. She picked up a long, slender object that Elena couldn't recognize, even with Power channeled to her eyes. She saw Stefan blink and stare at it. â€Å"This needs to go in the root cel ar too,†Meredith said. â€Å"And there are probably earth tracks coming out of the cel ar, and blood in the kitchen. Two places.† â€Å"Blood?†Elena began, furious with Damon, but then she shook her head and refocused. In the light of dawn, she could see a police car, cruising like some great white shark toward the house. â€Å"Let's go,†Elena said. â€Å"Go, go, go!† They al dashed back to the boardinghouse, crouching to stay low to the ground as they did it. As they went, Elena hissed, â€Å"Stefan, you've got to Influence them if you can. Meredith, you try to clean up the soil and blood. I'l get Matt; he's less likely to punch me when I tel him he has to hide.† They hastened to their appointed duties. In the middle of it al , Mrs. Flowers appeared, dressed in a flannel nightgown with a fuzzy pink robe over it, and slippers with bunny heads on them. As the first hammering knock on the door sounded, she had her hand on the door handle, and the police officer, who was beginning to shout, â€Å"POLICE! OPEN THE – â€Å"found himself bawling this directly over the head of a little old lady who could not have looked more frail or harmless. He ended almost in a whisper, † – door?† â€Å"It is open,†Mrs. Flowers said sweetly. She opened it to its widest, so that Elena could see two officers, and the officers could see Elena, Stefan, and Meredith, al of whom had just arrived from the kitchen area. â€Å"We want to speak to Matt Honeycutt,†the female officer said. Elena noted that the squad car was from the Ridgemont Sheriff's Department. â€Å"His mother informed us that he was here – after serious questioning.† They were coming inside, shouldering their way past Mrs. Flowers. Elena glanced at Stefan, who was pale, with tiny beads of sweat visible on his forehead. He was looking intently at the female officer, but she just kept talking. â€Å"His mother says he's been virtual y living at this boardinghouse recently,†she said, while the male officer held up some kind of paperwork. â€Å"We have a warrant to search the premises,†he said flatly. Mrs. Flowers seemed uncertain. She glanced back toward Stefan, but then let her gaze move on to the other teenagers. â€Å"Perhaps it would be best if I made everyone a nice cup of tea?† Stefan was stil looking at the woman, his face looking paler and more drawn than ever. Elena felt a sudden panic clutch at her stomach. Oh, God, even with the gift of her blood tonight, Stefan was weak – far too weak to even use Influence. â€Å"May I ask a question?†Meredith said in her low, calm voice. â€Å"Not about the warrant,†she added, waving the paper away. â€Å"How is it out there in Fel ‘s Church? Do you know what's going on?† She was buying time, Elena thought, and yet everyone stopped to hear the answer. â€Å"Mayhem,†the female sheriff replied after a moment's pause. â€Å"It's like a war zone out there. Worse than that because it's the kids who are – â€Å"She broke off and shook her head. â€Å"That's not our business. Our business is finding a fugitive from justice. But first, as we were driving toward your hotel we saw a very bright column of light. It wasn't from a helicopter. I don't suppose you know anything about what it was?† Just a door through space and time, Elena was thinking, as Meredith answered, stil calmly, â€Å"Maybe a power transmitter blowing up? Or a freak shaft of lightning? Or are you talking about†¦a UFO?†She lowered her already soft voice. â€Å"We don't have time for this,†the male sheriff said, looking disgusted. â€Å"We're here to find this Honeycutt man.† â€Å"You're welcome to look,†Mrs. Flowers said. They were already doing so. Elena felt shocked and nauseated on two fronts. â€Å"This Honeycutt man.†Man, not boy. Matt was over eighteen. Was he stil a juvenile? If not, what would they do to him when they eventual y caught up to him? And then there was Stefan. Stefan had been so certain, so†¦ convincing†¦in his announcements about being wel again. Al that talk about going back to hunting animals – but the truth was that he needed much more blood to recover. Now her mind spun into planning mode, faster and faster. Stefan obviously wasn't going to be able to Influence both of those officers without a very large donation of human blood. And if Elena gave it†¦the sick feeling in her stomach increased and she felt the smal hairs on her body stand up†¦if she gave it, what were the chances that she would become a vampire herself? High, a cool, rational voice in her mind answered. Very high, considering that less than a week ago, she had been exchanging blood with Damon. Frequently. Uninhibitedly. Which left her with the only plan she could think of. These sheriffs wouldn't find Matt, but Meredith and Bonnie had told her the whole story of how another Ridgemont sheriff had come, asking about Matt – and about Stefan's girlfriend. The problem was that she, Elena Gilbert, had â€Å"died†nine months ago. She shouldn't be here – and she had a feeling that these officers would be inquisitive. They needed Stefan's Power. Right now. There was no other way, no other choice. Stefan. Power. Human blood. She moved to Meredith, who had her dark head down and cocked to one side as if listening to the two sheriffs clomping above on the stairs. â€Å"Meredith – â€Å" Meredith turned toward her and Elena almost took a step back in shock. Meredith's normal y olive complexion was gray, and her breath was coming fast and shal owly. Meredith, calm and composed Meredith, already knew what Elena was going to ask of her. Enough blood to leave her out of control as it was being taken. And fast. That terrified her. More than terrified. She can't do it, Elena thought. We're lost.

What are the Differences Between Extroverts and Introverts

What are the Differences Between Extroverts and Introverts The popular belief in society is that extroverts love to talk and introverts are shy. While this might be true for some people, it is not true for all extroverts and introverts. Just like with most things in life, there is a lot of nuance to extroverts and introverts. Take a look at the infographic presented by OfficeVibe  for a better understanding of the differences between extroverts and introverts. Some of these may even apply to you.

Tantra essays

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