Tall Ships Festival in 2014 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Tall Ships Festival in 2014 - Essay Example I may not know all the different types of ships present but I can identify a few ships that look like the battleships I have watched in some action movies and simply seeing them is an awesome experience. The number of people on the port is uncountable as they are into their thousands. Women are dressed in short shorts and halter tops all complete with sandals and wide-brimmed hats to prevent the scorching sun. The men, on the other hand, are also dressed in shorts and male sandals and t-shirts. The same goes for the children. It is not surprising that there are no animals as they are not allowed but the large crowds make up for the lack of animal sounds. Not everyone is entering the ships for the competition but some people are left behind mostly for fear of water or simply to watch over the children scared of the tall humongous ships. The air is filled with different noises from laughter to shouts and screams to even sounds of crying children and of course of the water being disturbed by the ships and the sound is soothing and good music to the ears of those relaxing in the shaded areas and benches. The place is protected from accidents by use of fences. Car traffic is heavy as people are entering the port but there are numerous parking attendants pointing to the large parking spaces. Those on foot are carried using the shuttles to the port from the two entry points but since the shuttles are not many, the first priority is being given to those in wheelchairs and crutches, pregnant women as well as those with small children which is very interesting. The port is littered with tons of vendor booths selling refreshments and snacks and what is also interesting is the fact that there are hundreds of litter bins in anticipation of the amount of trash. T

Earning a Quality Award Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Earning a Quality Award - Research Paper Example The first step that led to winning the award was the fact that the company had been consistent in offering quality services to its customers. This was in line with the requirements of the of the Malcolm Baldrige standards. Secondly, despite the company not winning the award for many years since it’s founding, they went ahead to make use of quality feedbacks received over the years from the award winners to improve their standards. Mike Frihart, a director at the company, was determined to complete applications for the award winning for several years and therefore highlighting the company’s willingness to continuously advance by regularly reviewing their performance standards. In the third step, the management adopted employee motivation schemes to encourage them to participate optimally to yield high quality products. They were rewarded with financial incentives proportionate to the company’s success, which enabled the company to retain and employ workers with sufficient skills leading to the manufacture of the best possible products. Winning an award is appreciated the world over. Winners of any kind of award get a boost and are branded as achievers in their dealings. In this context, awards have been accompanied by the following benefits: Companies that have won awards realize increase in the sales of their products because the awards act to prove validity of their products and reassure customers that the goods they consume are worthy. New customers also get influenced by this confirmation and in the long run demand for their products increases thereby improving sales. An award confirms good quality of goods/services by an organization. Through this, products/services are proved to be of required standards and the customers always feel satisfied to consuming safe goods. This is comparable to soccer scenarios. For instance, Barcelona FC has satisfied fans world over since they win awards every year. Fans,

The History Of Asian Indian Immigrants History Essay

The History Of Asian Indian Immigrants History Essay As immigration historians have established, the history of Asian Indian immigrants consisted of three major significant waves. The first wave began at about the middle of the nineteenth century when the first Asian Indians arrived in America. In fact, by the end of the nineteenth century, about 7300 Indian immigrants mostly settled in California and the Pacific Northwest of the United States (Leonard, 1992, p. 232). According to Bhatia and Takaki, the first wave immigrants were mostly farmers and laborers. Most of these immigrants were Sikhs from the Punjab region in India. However, after immigrating to the U.S., initially, many of these immigrants were employed as railroad workers on the Western Pacific Railroad and helped to construct the Three-Mile Spring Garden Tunnel. Sometimes they also replaced Italian railroad workers who were on strike in Tacoma, Washington (Bhatia, 2007, p. 82; Takaki, 1989, p. 302). Later these immigrants moved to California to work with the Southern Pacif ic Railroad where they found employment in agriculture. After a while these immigrants settled throughout the Sacramento Valley in northern California and found work on the fruit and rice farms of Marysville, Tudor, Willows, and Chico. These Punjabi immigrants also spread to the San Joaquin Valley, and joined the work in grape and celery fields. Further, Asian Indians moved to the Imperial Valley, where they used to gather cantaloupes and picked cotton (Takaki, 1989, p. 302-303). These Punjabi farm laborers organized themselves into teams of workers ranging from three to fifty people. Each group had a leader who was more highly educated and could communicate in English and keep the group working efficiently. They used to grow crops that were familiar to them in India. Skilled in cultivating and harvesting, most of these Punjabis were exceptional farmers, hard workers who were willing to work in any circumstance (Takaki, 1989, p. 306). Despite working from ten to fourteen hours per day Indian immigrants were paid from twenty-five to fifty cents less per day than Japanese laborers (Takaki, 1989, p. 303). As the main objective of the first wave immigrants was to explore economic opportunity, the main identifying characteristic of these immigrants was their need to survive and have financial stability. Opportunities in the United States provided an economic solution to their problems. For example, salaries in India ranged from 5 to 8 cents per day, and in the United States from 75 cents to 2 dollars per day (Wherry, 1907, p. 918-919). Therefore emigration to the United States offered relief from poverty and hope for financial stability. In the first wave, most of the immigrants were male. These immigrants were not allowed to bring their family with them. Most of them were habituated to live alone and lost most of the contacts with their family and home country. One immigrant named Saint Nihal Singh in his essay, which was published in the magazine Out West, argued that One of the chief points of difference between the immigrant from India and those hailing from Europe lies in the fact that the European brings along with him his family (La Brack, 1982, p. 60). The immigrants economic status, lack of rapid inter-continental communication or travel, as well as restrictive immigration and citizenship laws made it difficult for them to visit India. At the same time, due to another by-product of immigration laws, they were not allowed to bring their family which explains the shortage of Indian immigrant women. Along with the lack of Indian women, their exclusion from social interaction with American dominated society, which was reinforced by anti-miscegenation laws, led this immigrant cohort to marry Mexican American women (Leonard, 1992, p. 131-132; Takaki, 1989, p. 309-310). This fact becomes clear when comparing the percentage of Mexican wives among Indian immigrants in California between 1913 and 1947. In northern California, where there is a relatively small population of Indian immigrants, only 47 percent of wives are Mexican, but in southern California, where the immigrant population is much higher, almost 92 percent of wives came from M exico. As a result, another identifying characteristic of the first wave Indian immigrants was their willingness to mix with other races in the absence of Indian women, further cutting ties with their Indian culture and heritage. This mixing led to a blend of the cultural traditions of Asian Indians and Mexicans and sometimes to a dominant Spanish culture in their home life. For example, their progeny spoke Spanish not Punjabi, celebrated Christian rather than Sikh holidays, they replaced some Indian foods with similar Mexican foods such as tortillas for rotis and Jalapeno peppers for Punjabi chili peppers. Also the Catholic religion was adopted and the first names of children were most often Spanish (Takaki, 1989, p. 311). Over time, the traces of Indian heritage became thinner and thinner which also brought cultural differences and conflicts and led to more divorces among these couples (Takaki, 1989, p. 310). In the 1890s America attracted more Indian immigrants; however, as these immigrants were getting more in number than required, they became labor competitors with white workers and were often victimized by white working-class antagonism and violence. In response to exclusionist pressures, immigration officials targets Asian Indians seeking admission to the United States and denied many Indians between 1908 and 1920, on the grounds that they would likely become public charges (Takaki, 1989, p. 297).The growth of the Punjabi community was cut short by the 1917 Immigration Act, which prohibited further immigrants from India (Leonard, 1992, p. 32; Bankston, 2006, p. 68). However, a few decades later Indian immigrants of this first wave had become a part of the society and some were actively involved in social affairs and gained higher positions. For example, Dalip Saund in 1957 became the first Asian Indian senator from California when he was elected to Congress after it had passed a bill allowing naturalization for Indians in July 1946. Like many early Indian immigrants, Saund had come to the United States from Punjab and had worked initially in the fields and farms of California. Then, he had earned a doctorate at the University of California, Berkeley (Dasgupta, 2006, p. 139). 2.1.2. Second Wave of Indian American Immigrants In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed a bill that has dramatically changed the method by which immigrants are admitted to America (Kutler, 2003, p. 230; Bankston, 2006, p. 320). The significance of this bill was that future immigrants were to be welcomed because of their professional skills, but not based on their country of origin. After the passing of this bill, significantly larger numbers of Asian Indian immigrants started migrating to the U.S. leading to the second wave. Between 1965 and 1974, Indian immigrants to the U.S. increased at a rate greater than those from any other country (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). This was mainly because of their fluency in English, high professional skills and level of education. Bhatia has stated that the second wave of immigrants was very different from the first wave of Indian immigrants in terms of their economic, educational and social status (Bhatia, 2007, p. 14). Takaki also claims that the first and second waves of Indian immigrants were worlds apart. In a published interview by Barkan, Dr. S. Patel who was a second wave immigrant, agreed with Takaki, describing the difference of the first and second waves: It is a class thing. They came from the farming, the lower class. We came from the educated middle class. We spoke English. We went to college. We were already assimilated in India, before we came here (Barkan, 1983, p. 48). The immigrants who emigrated after 1965 were overwhelmingly urban, professional, highly educated and quickly engaged in gainful employment in many U.S. cities. Many had prior exposure to Western society and education which led to a relatively smooth transition to the United States. In between 1966 and 1977, 83 percent of Indians who entered the U.S. under the occupational category of professional and technical workers; the entrants of this time included many scientists, doctors, and engineers (Prashad, 2000, p. 75). In addition, Bhatia states that most of this group of Asian Indians was trained as medical doctors, engineers, scientists, university professors, and doctoral and postdoctoral students in mostly science-related disciplines like chemistry, biochemistry, mathematics, physics and biology (Bhatia, 2007, p. 14). However, both waves of immigrants from India shared a desire for a better life in America with greater opportunities for economic growth and independence (Takaki, 1989, p. 445). The second wave of immigrants enjoyed greater success with the greater economic opportunities in America because of their education. They could possibly make their life in India, but they also saw more opportunity in America. Unlike the first wave of immigrants, the second wave of immigrants defined themselves differently in relation to the U.S. and their home country. They were more educated, professional, and socially stable as they were allowed to bring their families. Though the search for economic opportunities brought both waves to the United States, the second wave of immigrants was able to earn more money and have improved standard of living than first wave immigrants. Also they maintained their ties with their culture and heritage through their families. Unlike the first wave immigrants, who were mainly male, the second wave immigrants were both male and female. Some Indian immigrant women used to work out of their home, contrary to traditional Indian American norms as well as to those in the first wave of Asian Indian immigrants. As a result, they participated in the mainstream of America and adapted to US culture faster and became more bicultural than those Indian immigrant women who adopted more traditional roles (Nandan, 2007, p. 395). Contrary to the first wave of immigrants from India, the second wave had the means to frequently visit their homeland to visit friends, attend important events and care for their parents. The second wave of immigrants had the means to own property such as houses which was not so easy for the first wave immigrants due to their low earnings and restrictions. Due to this reason some Indian immigrants in this wave moved to the suburbs which made them isolated from the many Indian families living in the city. Therefore, they often felt loneliness and did not felt comfortable in developing close bonds with the neighborhood too. This made them to maintain some of the Indian food and religious customs within their homes (Nandan, 2007, p. 396). 2.1.3. Third Wave of Indian American Immigrants The third wave of immigrants was marked by important shifts in the legal and sociopolitical environment, resulting in new patterns and dynamics in Indian American immigration. Due to Family Reunification Act which was passed in 1990, a large proportion of Indian Americans entered in to the US. This led to a third wave (from 1990 to the present time) of new arrivals of Indian American immigrants, which included both highly skilled professionals and a working and lower middle class population (Landale, 1997, p. 283). As a part of the Reunification Act, some of the third wave of Indian immigrants came specifically to join their family. Most of them are either siblings (sometimes they are very poor or uneducated) or aged parents (who are old and/or retired) of the highly skilled professionals unlike the second wave (Ross-Sheriff, 2004, p. 150). Therefore, economic stability or opportunity meant very little to this group in comparison with the previous waves of immigrants and also the highly skilled professionals. However this group of people tried to find work or started small businesses or worked in small businesses such as motels, gift shops, grocery/convenience stores or gas stations. In addition, many of these newcomers could not become financially independent, but rather stayed closely tied to their children or siblings (Bankston, 2006, p. 69; Ross-Sheriff, 2004, p. 150). According to Prashads statistics, 9,910 Indians, 1,694 Pakistanis, and 711 Bangladeshis came to the U.S. as highly skilled laborers in 1996. In comparison to the figures for those who came under the family reunification scheme are far higher, that is 34,291 Indians, 9,122 Pakistanis, and 8,221 Bangladeshis (Prashad, 2000, p. 79). With this shift in mode of entry, the education and socioeconomic profile of Indian Americans has become more diverse, complex and heterogeneous than the previous wave of immigrants. The second wave of immigrants who were already settled, invited their family members when the reunification act passed, allowing them to hold on more tightly to their culture. As a result, the third wave failed to assimilate into their new culture, choosing to live according to their own customs. Because of the arrival of the extended families, their culture and heritage could be maintained through the large number of Asian Indians living together in one area. As a result, small Indian communities were established allowing the third wave of immigrants to avoid the American culture. They could wear their own clothes; they could eat their food; they could speak their own language, and they could practice their own religion (Khandelwal, 2002, p. 164). Following the 2001 terrorist attacks against the U.S. on 9/11, the legal and political context of South Asian immigration once again shifted in some important ways. Thus, South Asian immigrants, especially men from the majority Muslim countries of Bangladesh and Pakistan, have been subject to a variety of surveillance measures instituted by the United States. It is not yet clear how these new measures will affect immigration from South Asia. As a result, there are some signs of decline in the rates of South Asian immigration, especially from Bangladesh and Pakistan. Reports in 2003 suggested those from Bangladesh and Pakistan are moving to more receptive countries like Canada (Sachs, 2003, p. A1). 2.2. Development of Asian Indian Immigrants This section describes briefly the facts and figures about Indian Americans in terms of population numbers, growth rate, education, language, etc. The growth of the population of Indian Americans has changed dramatically over the past few decades. According to the records the first wave consisted of 2000 immigrants. Between 1948 and 1965, 6,474 Asian Indians entered the United States as immigrants (Bankston, 2006, p. 68). During the 1980s the number of immigrants increased exponentially. According to the 1990 US Census about 570,000 Indians immigrated to America. Table 1 shows that the growth rate of Indian American immigrants from 1980 to 1990 increased significantly by about 35%. This growth rate continued from the 1980s to the 1990s. The growth rate from 1990-2000 is 14.42%. Even though the growth rate is lower compared to the previous growth rate, the population of Indian Americans in 2000 crossed the number of 1.5 million. The US Census 2000 shows that among all Asian ethnic groups the Indian Americans are the third largest ethnic group consisting of about 1,678,765 people (Table 2). Over 50 percent of foreign-born Asian Indians entered the U.S. between 1990 and 2000, compared with a rate of about 18% who entered before 1980. In 2007 over 2 million Indian Americans are listed in the data (U.S. Census Bureau). This is due to the land of opportunities with a good amount of perks and salary. In addition, globalization and multiculturalism is also playing a major role to attract immigrants. Most of the Indian Americans settled in populated states such as New York, California, New Jersey, Maryland, Texas and Illinois as well as large cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago. This is largely due to the availability of jobs in larger cities as well as the personal preference of being a part of an urban and ethnically diverse environment. Yet, there are sizeable Asian Indian communities in suburban areas also such as Silver Springs in Maryland, San Jose and Fremont in California, Queens in New York and etc. (Bankston, 2006, p. 69-72). Education and career success are more highly valued among Indian immigrants as compared to other Asian groups. The 1990 US census report shows that 52 % of adult Asian Indians were college graduates which is considerably higher than the 35% rate among all adult Asian Americans. Their academic achievements were bolstered by their fluency in English. In addition, in 1990 over 80 percent of Indian male immigrants held a college degree and five percent of all Indian American doctors received their primary education in India. Due to the high educational status of Indian Americans, 65 percent of them worked as managers, or in the professional/technical industry (Helweg, 1990, p. 61). Many graduates from elite engineering institutions like IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) came to America for higher education at various educational institutions. Most of such graduates after finishing their higher studies from US universities used their new degrees to obtain positions with lucrative salaries, which in turn led them to work and settle in the United States. Very few of them returned to India immediately after finishing their higher education. In 2000, about 87% of Asian Indians had at least a High School Diploma and 70% had a Bachelors Degree or higher, and they were proficient in English. Of the general population, 33.6% were in management, professional, and related positions. Among the Asian Indian population, 59.9 % were in those types of position, which was more than any other Asian group. This was mainly because Indian Americans in fact were well-educated, hard-working, and proficient in the English language. Indian Americans had the highest labor force participation rate of about 79% as compared to all Asian Americans, who participated in the labor force at a rate of about 71%. Besides this, male Indian immigrants had median yearly earnings of $51,904, which was also more than any other Asian American group. As a result Asian Indians had a lower poverty rate than that of the total population (9.8% versus 12.4%). Moreover, statistics showed that Indians had a larger percentage (71.4) of the populace between the ages of 16 and 64 than any other Asian group, except immigrants from Thailand (82.2%) (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). Accordingly, Indian Americans remain one of the most socio-economically successful groups of all immigrants or ethnicities in the U.S. and are often presented as a model from which other ethnic/immigrant groups could learn. As Wadhwa reports on Bloomberg Businessweek in 2006: Not only are they leaving their mark in the field of technology, but also in real estate, journalism, literature, and entertainment. They run some of the most successful small businesses and lead a few of the largest corporations. Valuable lessons can be learned from their various successes (Wadhwa, 2006, Bloomberg Business Week). This article also cites twelve main factors that account for the success of Indian Americans such as education, upbringing, hard work, entrepreneurial spirit, social networks, integration into the U.S. society, etc. These statistics show and prove that Indian immigrants tend to have high levels of education and English proficiency, which gives them an advantage over other Asian communities. However, along with the advantages, there are also issues such as assimilation, religious beliefs, traditions and race which are also challenging. 2.3 Generational Change After many years these immigrants over time settled and became permanent citizens, who are treated as first-generation of Asian Indian Americans. This led to multiple generations of Indian Americans. The children of the first-generation, unlike their parents, grew up with an Indian culture and an American culture. Due to this different background, historians distinguish between first, second, and third-generations of Asian Indian Americans who differ in terms of their values, customs and traditions. First-generation Indian Americans from the Indian subcontinent are more familiar with the culture of India as well as the culture of America. They tend to be more traditional than later generations. Attempting to preserve their religious and cultural heritage, these first-generation Indian Americans built temples and formed local organizations representative of the subcultures (Sindi, Gujarati, Tamil, and Bengali) from which they came. Parents exposed their children to those subcultures through functions hosted by these organizations and within their home (Bankston, 2006, p. 73). In the case of second-generation of the Indian Americans, most of their traditional and cultural values were slowly changed. They grow up in American culture and learn more about American culture and at the same time they used to face Indian traditions in their homes. Following this dual culture lead to understand and search their identity in the society. As cultural historians have suggested, they find themselves at a place in-between the Indian and the American cultures due to the adoption of American culture as well as compromise of some Indian traditions. Third-generation Asian Indian Americans, who strongly adhere to the U.S. cultural values, but do not endorse any traditional Asian Indian values, could be said to be highly acculturated but not enculturated (Tewari, 2009, p. 105). They are naturalized citizens of America and they do not fit India. However, physically they are always tied to India because of their appearance. Those immigrants who succeed in business can shed the label of immigrant, while those who are poor continue to be viewed as immigrants, even though their family has been in the U.S. for three generations.

Hypertext and Spatial-Temporal Dimensions :: Internet Essays Writing

Hypertext and Spatial-Temporal Dimensions missing works cited Hypertext affords the user the ability to make decisions based on where he or she intends or needs to go, and to decide what information or images to process and what to disregard as opposed to what the author intends. The user is free to move around from link to link while constantly making decisions about what he wants to explore and what he deems unnecessary in his search; there is no correct path, rather all paths are relative to each individual user to what his preferences are. The electronic reader is encouraged to think of the text as a collection of interrelated units floating in a space of at least two dimensions. Her movement among units does not require flipping pages or consulting the table of contents; instead, she passes instantly and effortlessly from one place to another (Bolter 175.) With hypertext, as opposed to traditional methods of publishing such as books or magazines, information is presented in a space rather than in a physical object. Electronic readers move around a space with expandable dimensions, the reader is more or less in a small world in which he can explore things not confined by a physical book but opened in a room where everything is next to everything else, which is to say that there is nothing that really separates information apart from other information, each item is accessible through links from another item. I visited a hypertext website, an online journal called Kairos dealing primarily with rhetoric, technology, and issues in hypertext, without motive beyond curiosity browsing the list of immediately available articles when one caught my attention. An article by Janice R. Walker entitled, gThe Third Wave: Yes, But Can They Write?h seemed interesting, and having no idea what the Third Wave is or who gtheyh are, I opened the article and immediately went to the Third Wave link. I wanted to read her conclusions and ultimately whether gtheyh could write. Instant gratification. (As it turns out gtheyh are students, and Walker is unresolved as to whether they can write.) It was not until after I had found the information that I sought that I returned to the Letfs Begin Here link and explored the article to

Control Mechanisms: The Walt Disney Company Essay

Introduction Organizations use control mechanisms to help regulate guidelines and procedures which contribute toward effectively achieving organizational goals. The Walt Disney Company is a well known entertainment organization that has become tremendously successful both nationally and internationally over the past 70 years or so partly through successful implementation of control mechanisms throughout every aspect of the organization. The purpose of this paper is to explore four types of control mechanisms used by the Walt Disney Company: (1) budgetary, (2) financial, (3) management audit, and (4) bureaucratic through compare and contrast to determine the effectiveness of each by examining the positive and negative reactions to these control mechanisms in order to explain how the different control mechanisms impact the four functions of management throughout the organization. Budgetary Controls Budgetary controls are a well known and frequently used control measure throughout corporate America and the international business market system. Budgetary controls are used to align the various company operating costs with the company’s strategic goals and to either verify goal attainment or to plan corrective action. Throughout its existence, Walt Disney has implemented many different budgetary controls reaching across numerous and diverse product lines. With the motion picture production division, production budgets were used to limit expenses for the cost of materials and equipment, talented actors, various support staff, and the marketing and placement of movies into circulation. As Walt Disney expanded its business to include multiple elaborate theme parks, a capital budget was created to establish a threshold on the cost of real estate, buildings and equipment, and the operating and maintenance costs. When the company decided to venture into the production of toys and clothing, the management designed and implemented a sales budget to manage the increased cost of entering a new market. With the budgetary controls in place, Walt Disney has managed to keep operating costs at an acceptable level and experienced remarkable success in the entertainment industry. These budgetary controls have given the company the ability to venture into new markets, cross international borders, and bring family entertainment to the world. â€Å"Its filmed entertainment units have been riding high on a string of box office successes and its theme parks continue to draw millions of visitors each year.† (The Walt Disney Company, 2008). Along with the use of budgets, companies universally use various financial statements to put into practice financial controls. Financial Controls The Walt Disney Company’s main financial objective is to be able to generate revenue through growth and long-term shareholder values. The segments of which the Disney Company is categorized are studio entertainment, parks and resorts, media networks and consumer products. Each segment generates a different percent of the organizations profit. 42% of Disney’s income is through media networking and expends 55% operating the resource. 30% is earned from parks and resorts, while it takes 22% to operate the resource. Studio and entertainment earn 21% of Walt Disney’s revenue; however, 15% is used to operate this resource and lastly 7% is earned form consumer products and 8% is used to control this expense (Disney, 2008). The Disney Company resources are very effective to maintaining and operation of the business; however, some of the resources are costing more to operate than producing income. Therefore, the decision to keep maintaining the resources that are costing more to operate are costly for business. Planning for the future of the Walt Disney Company is a continuous process; the company strives to be the leader of the entertainment world through imaginative entertainment. Disney’s financial success is due to their efficient leaders who also employ talented individuals to help increase profitability through the company’s mission, values and goal planning. Management Audit Controls Overseeing The Walt Disney Organization is a major responsibility for Disney’s Board of Directors. Responsibilities are extensive, including the overseeing of the company’s systems of internal control, including compliance of financial reports, implementing policy and  procedures, along with adhering to the applicable laws. According to the Disney (2007)†¦ The Committee shall have responsibility for overseeing that management has implemented an effective system of internal control to promote the reliability of financial and operating information and compliance, including those related to risk management, ethics and conflicts of interest. The Committee plans periodical evaluations to discuss with management any audit findings, including management recommendations for improvement in a particular area in order to promote internal control. Having an effective internal control is extremely important in any organization, especially The Walt Disney Organization, because of the magnitude of its organization. Internal control of management audits are designed to provide reasonable assurance that goals are being achieved in all organizational areas, including effectiveness and efficiencies of operations, reliable and accurate financial reporting, and that all laws are in compliance. Bureaucratic Controls Bureaucratic control is a necessary tool used by large corporations. The Walt Disney Company is not an exception to when it comes to using bureaucracy to control the corporation. Bateman and Snell (2007) define bureaucratic control as â€Å"the use of rules, regulations, and authority to guide performance. When a person thinks of Walt Disney, the first things that may come to mind are creativity and risk taking. Walt Disney has released groundbreaking movies that are time consuming to make and have large budgets. A risk is taken every time a movie is created. The risk is that there may not be a market for the product. Walt Disney uses bureaucratic control to insure that all business units are working towards performance standards set by the leaders of the corporation. Bureaucratic control can have a stifling effect on the creativity of the persons working under the system. Robert A. Iger is President and Chief Executive Officer of Walt Disney. According to Chaffin and Waters (2006) when Mr. Iger became the CEO of Walt Disney he removed the corporation’s strategic planning committee. The move was made to loosen up the bureaucratic control that the committee had over  the corporation’s business units. The loosening of the bureaucratic control could allow for new ideas to be explored without the fear of the idea being lost in an overbearing bureaucratic system. Not going through the old system of control will also allow innovations to be quickly applied. Quickly applying innovation will help Walt Disney gain a larger market share. Free thinking and risk taking must be balanced with bureaucratic control in order for Walt Disney to remain a successful corporation. Conclusion Based on the research presented through compare and contrast one can conclude that the four control mechanisms selected: (1) budgetary, (2) financial, (3) management audit, and (4) bureaucratic each has had a profound and positive impact on the Walt Disney Company’s success from different aspects of the organization. Each of the four selected control mechanisms has impacted the four functions of management to different degrees. Planning was impacted mainly by ever changing budget, finance and management audit controls depending on the cost of production materials, equipment, staff and so forth. Organizing was impacted by each of the four controls based on the initial planning process for each division; hence, when strategic plans were altered by these control mechanisms organizing was altered accordingly. Leading was mainly impacted by management audit and bureaucratic controls through the company’s internal and external evaluations when leadership decisions lead the company in a different and more productive direction. Lastly, controlling was impacted by each of the four control mechanisms based on internal and external evaluations that lead to the implementation of each control mechanism. References Bateman T., and Snell S., (2007), Management: Leading & Collaborating in a Competitive World (7th Ed.), McGraw-Hill/Irwin, New York, NY. Chaffin, J., and Waters, R., (2006). Drawing on Jobs’ judgment but harnessing talents of Pixar chief could be challenge even for Bob Iger, says Richard Waters. The Financial Times, p.29. Retrieved July 10, 2008, from General OneFile via Gale: http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS Disney. (2007). Committee Charters- Audit. Retrieved July 12, 2008, from http://Corporate.disney.go.com/corporate/charters_audit.html Disney. (2008). The Walt Disney Company Reports Record Earnings for Fiscal Year 2007. Retrieved July 9, 2008, from http://amedia.disney.go.com/investorrelations/quarterly_earnings/2007_q4.pdf The Walt Disney Company. (2008). Austin, Texas: Hoovers Company Inc. Retrieved July 9, 2008, from ProQuest Central database. (Document ID: 168155651).

The Twilight Saga 3: Eclipse Chapter 14. DECLARATION

â€Å"YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS,† I SAID WEDNESDAY AFTERnoon. â€Å"You've completely lost your mind!† â€Å"Say whatever you like about me,† Alice answered. â€Å"The party is still on.† I stared at her, my eyes so wide with disbelief it felt like they might fall out and land on my lunch tray. â€Å"Oh, calm down, Bella! There's no reason not to go through with it. Besides, the invitations are already sent.† â€Å"But . . . the . . . you . . . I . . . insane!† I spluttered. â€Å"You've already bought my present,† she reminded me. â€Å"You don't have to do anything but show up.† I made an effort to calm myself. â€Å"With everything that is going on right now, a party is hardly appropriate.† â€Å"Graduation is what's going on right now, and a party is so appropriate it's almost pass.† â€Å"Alice!† She sighed, and tried to be serious. â€Å"There are a few things we need to get in order now, and that's going to take a little time. As long as we're sitting here waiting, we might as well commemorate the good stuff. You're only going to graduate from high school – for the first time – once. You don't get to be human again, Bella. This is a once-in-a-lifetime shot.† Edward, silent through our little argument, flashed her a warning look. She stuck out her tongue at him. She was right – her soft voice would never carry over the babble of the cafeteria. And no one would understand the meaning behind her words in any case. â€Å"What few things do we need to get in order?† I asked, refusing to be sidetracked. Edward answered in a low voice. â€Å"Jasper thinks we could use some help. Tanya's family isn't the only choice we have. Carlisle's trying to track down a few old friends, and Jasper is looking up Peter and Charlotte. He's considering talking to Maria . . . but no one really wants to involve the southerners.† Alice shuddered delicately. â€Å"It shouldn't be too hard to convince them to help,† he continued. â€Å"Nobody wants a visit from Italy.† â€Å"But these friends – they're not going to be . . . vegetarians, right?† I protested, using the Cullens' tongue-in-cheek nickname for themselves. â€Å"No,† Edward answered, suddenly expressionless. â€Å"Here? In Forks?† â€Å"They're friends,† Alice reassured me. â€Å"Everything's going to be fine. Don't worry. And then, Jasper has to teach us a few courses on newborn elimination. . . .† Edward's eyes brightened at that, and a brief smile flashed across his face. My stomach suddenly felt like it was full of sharp little splinters of ice. â€Å"When are you going?† I asked in a hollow voice. I couldn't stand this – the idea that someone might not come back. What if it was Emmett, so brave and thoughtless that he was never the least bit cautious? Or Esme, so sweet and motherly that I couldn't even imagine her in a fight? Or Alice, so tiny, so fragile-looking? Or . . . but I couldn't even think the name, consider the possibility. â€Å"A week,† Edward said casually. â€Å"That ought to give us enough time.† The icy splinters twisted uncomfortably in my stomach. I was suddenly nauseated. â€Å"You look kind of green, Bella,† Alice commented. Edward put his arm around me and pulled me tightly against his side. â€Å"It's going to be fine, Bella. Trust me.† Sure, I thought to myself. Trust him. He wasn't the one who was going to have to sit behind and wonder whether or not the core of his existence was going to come home. And then it occurred to me. Maybe I didn't need to sit behind. A week was more than enough time. â€Å"You're looking for help,† I said slowly. â€Å"Yes.† Alice's head cocked to the side as she processed the change in my tone. I looked only at her as I answered. My voice was just slightly louder than a whisper. â€Å"I could help.† Edward's body was suddenly rigid, his arm too tight around me. He exhaled, and the sound was a hiss. But it was Alice, still calm, who answered. â€Å"That really wouldn't be helpful.† â€Å"Why not?† I argued; I could hear the desperation in my voice. â€Å"Eight is better than seven. There's more than enough time.† â€Å"There's not enough time to make you helpful, Bella,† she disagreed coolly. â€Å"Do you remember how Jasper described the young ones? You'd be no good in a fight. You wouldn't be able to control your instincts, and that would make you an easy target. And then Edward would get hurt trying to protect you.† She folded her arms across her chest, pleased with her unassailable logic. And I knew she was right, when she put it like that. I slumped in my seat, my sudden hope defeated. Beside me, Edward relaxed. He whispered the reminder in my ear. â€Å"Not because you're afraid.† â€Å"Oh,† Alice said, and a blank look crossed her face. Then her expression became surly. â€Å"I hate last- minute cancellations. So that puts the party attendance list down to sixty-five. . . .† â€Å"Sixty-five!† My eyes bulged again. I didn't have that many friends. Did I even know that many people? â€Å"Who canceled?† Edward wondered, ignoring me. â€Å"Rene.† â€Å"What?† I gasped. â€Å"She was going to surprise you for your graduation, but something went wrong. You'll have a message when you get home.† For a moment, I just let myself enjoy the relief. Whatever it was that went wrong for my mother, I was eternally grateful to it. If she had come to Forks now . . . I didn't want to think about it. My head would explode. The message light was flashing when I got home. My feeling of relief flared again as I listened to my mother describe Phil's accident on the ball field – while demonstrating a slide, he'd tangled up with the catcher and broken his thigh bone; he was entirely dependent on her, and there was no way she could leave him. My mom was still apologizing when the message cut off. â€Å"Well, that's one,† I sighed. â€Å"One what?† Edward asked. â€Å"One person I don't have to worry about getting killed this week.† He rolled his eyes. â€Å"Why won't you and Alice take this seriously?† I demanded. â€Å"This is serious.† He smiled. â€Å"Confidence.† â€Å"Wonderful,† I grumbled. I picked up the phone and dialed Rene's number. I knew it would be a long conversation, but I also knew that I wouldn't have to contribute much. I just listened, and reassured her every time I could get a word in: I wasn't disappointed, I wasn't mad, I wasn't hurt. She should concentrate on helping Phil get better. I passed on my â€Å"get well soon† to Phil, and promised to call her with every single detail from Forks High's generic graduation. Finally, I had to use my desperate need to study for finals to get off the phone. Edward's patience was endless. He waited politely through the whole conversation, just playing with my hair and smiling whenever I looked up. It was probably superficial to notice such things while I had so many more important things to think about, but his smile still knocked the breath out of me. He was so beautiful that it made it hard sometimes to think about anything else, hard to concentrate on Phil's troubles or Rene's apologies or hostile vampire armies. I was only human. As soon as I hung up, I stretched onto my tiptoes to kiss him. He put his hands around my waist and lifted me onto the kitchen counter, so I wouldn't have to reach as far. That worked for me. I locked my arms around his neck and melted against his cold chest. Too soon, as usual, he pulled away. I felt my face slip into a pout. He laughed at my expression as he extricated himself from my arms and legs. He leaned against the counter next to me and put one arm lightly around my shoulders. â€Å"I know you think that I have some kind of perfect, unyielding self-control, but that's not actually the case.† â€Å"I wish,† I sighed. And he sighed, too. â€Å"After school tomorrow,† he said, changing the subject, â€Å"I'm going hunting with Carlisle, Esme, and Rosalie. Just for a few hours – we'll stay close. Alice, Jasper, and Emmett should be able to keep you safe.† â€Å"Ugh,† I grumbled. Tomorrow was the first day of finals, and it was only a half-day. I had Calculus and History – the only two challenges in my line-up – so I'd have almost the whole day without him, and nothing to do but worry. â€Å"I hate being babysat.† â€Å"It's temporary,† he promised. â€Å"Jasper will be bored. Emmett will make fun of me.† â€Å"They'll be on their best behavior.† â€Å"Right,† I grumbled. And then it occurred to me that I did have one option besides babysitters. â€Å"You know . . . I haven't been to La Push since the bonfire.† I watched his face carefully for any change in expression. His eyes tightened the tiniest bit. â€Å"I'd be safe enough there,† I reminded him. He thought about it for a few seconds. â€Å"You're probably right.† His face was calm, but just a little too smooth. I almost asked if he'd rather I stayed here, but then I thought of the ribbing Emmett would no doubt dish out, and I changed the subject. â€Å"Are you thirsty already?† I asked, reaching up to stroke the light shadow beneath his eye. His irises were still a deep gold. â€Å"Not really.† He seemed reluctant to answer, and that surprised me. I waited for an explanation. â€Å"We want to be as strong as possible,† he explained, still reluctant. â€Å"We'll probably hunt again on the way, looking for big game.† â€Å"That makes you stronger?† He searched my face for something, but there was nothing to find but curiosity. â€Å"Yes,† he finally said. â€Å"Human blood makes us the strongest, though only fractionally. Jasper's been thinking about cheating – adverse as he is to the idea, he's nothing if not practical – but he won't suggest it. He knows what Carlisle will say.† â€Å"Would that help?† I asked quietly. â€Å"It doesn't matter. We aren't going to change who we are.† I frowned. If something helped even the odds . . . and then I shuddered, realizing I was willing to have a stranger die to protect him. I was horrified at myself, but not entirely able to deny it, either. He changed the subject again. â€Å"That's why they're so strong, of course. The newborns are full of human blood – their own blood, reacting to the change. It lingers in the tissues and strengthens them. Their bodies use it up slowly, like Jasper said, the strength starting to wane after about a year.† â€Å"How strong will I be?† He grinned. â€Å"Stronger than I am.† â€Å"Stronger than Emmett?† The grin got bigger. â€Å"Yes. Do me a favor and challenge him to an arm-wrestling match. It would be a good experience for him.† I laughed. It sounded so ridiculous. Then I sighed and hopped down from the counter, because I really couldn't put it off any longer. I had to cram, and cram hard. Luckily I had Edward's help, and Edward was an excellent tutor – since he knew absolutely everything. I figured my biggest problem would be just focusing on the tests. If I didn't watch myself, I might end up writing my History essay on the vampire wars of the South. I took a break to call Jacob, and Edward seemed just as comfortable as he had when I was on the phone with Rene. He played with my hair again. Though it was the middle of the afternoon, my call woke Jacob up, and he was grouchy at first. He cheered right up when I asked if I could visit the next day. The Quileute school was already out for the summer, so he told me to come over as early as I could. I was pleased to have an option besides being babysat. There was a tiny bit more dignity in spending the day with Jacob. Some of that dignity was lost when Edward insisted again on delivering me to the border line like a child being exchanged by custodial guardians. â€Å"So how do you feel you did on your exams?† Edward asked on the way, making small talk. â€Å"History was easy, but I don't know about the Calculus. It seemed like it was making sense, so that probably means I failed.† He laughed. â€Å"I'm sure you did fine. Or, if you're really worried, I could bribe Mr. Varner to give you an A.† â€Å"Er, thanks, but no thanks.† He laughed again, but suddenly stopped when we turned the last bend and saw the red car waiting. He frowned in concentration, and then, as he parked the car, he sighed. â€Å"What's wrong?† I asked, my hand on the door. He shook his head. â€Å"Nothing.† His eyes were narrowed as he stared through the windshield toward the other car. I'd seen that look before. â€Å"You're not listening to Jacob, are you?† I accused. â€Å"It's not easy to ignore someone when he's shouting.† â€Å"Oh.† I thought about that for a second. â€Å"What's he shouting?† I whispered. â€Å"I'm absolutely certain he'll mention it himself,† Edward said in a wry tone. I would have pressed the issue, but then Jacob honked his horn – two quick impatient honks. â€Å"That's impolite,† Edward growled. â€Å"That's Jacob,† I sighed, and I hurried out before Jacob did something to really set Edward's teeth on edge. I waved to Edward before I got into the Rabbit and, from that distance, it looked like he was truly upset about the honking thing . . . or whatever Jacob was thinking about. But my eyes were weak and made mistakes all the time. I wanted Edward to come to me. I wanted to make both of them get out of their cars and shake hands and be friends – be Edward and Jacob rather than vampire and werewolf. It was as if I had those two stubborn magnets in my hands again, and I was holding them together, trying to force nature to reverse herself. . . . I sighed, and climbed in Jacob's car. â€Å"Hey, Bells.† Jake's tone was cheerful, but his voice dragged. I examined his face as he started down the road, driving a little faster than I did, but slower than Edward, on his way back to La Push. Jacob looked different, maybe even sick. His eyelids drooped and his face was drawn. His shaggy hair stuck out in random directions; it was almost to his chin in some places. â€Å"Are you all right, Jake?† â€Å"Just tired,† he managed to get out before he was overcome by a massive yawn. When he finished, he asked, â€Å"What do you want to do today?† I eyed him for a moment. â€Å"Let's just hang out at your place for now,† I suggested. He didn't look like he was up for much more than that. â€Å"We can ride our bikes later.† â€Å"Sure, sure,† he said, yawning again. Jacob's house was vacant, and that felt strange. I realized I thought of Billy as a nearly permanent fixture there. â€Å"Where's your dad?† â€Å"Over at the Clearwaters'. He's been hanging out there a lot since Harry died. Sue gets lonely.† Jacob sat down on the old couch that was no bigger than a loveseat and squished himself to the side to make room for me. â€Å"Oh. That's nice. Poor Sue.† â€Å"Yeah . . . she's having some trouble. . . .† He hesitated. â€Å"With her kids.† â€Å"Sure, it's got to be hard on Seth and Leah, losing their dad. . . .† â€Å"Uh-huh,† he agreed, lost in thought. He picked up the remote and flipped on the TV without seeming to think about it. He yawned. â€Å"What's with you, Jake? You're like a zombie.† â€Å"I got about two hours of sleep last night, and four the night before,† he told me. He stretched his long arms slowly, and I could hear the joints crack as he flexed. He settled his left arm along the back of the sofa behind me, and slumped back to rest his head against the wall. â€Å"I'm exhausted.† â€Å"Why aren't you sleeping?† I asked. He made a face. â€Å"Sam's being difficult. He doesn't trust your bloodsuckers. I've been running double shifts for two weeks and nobody's touched me yet, but he still doesn't buy it. So I'm on my own for now.† â€Å"Double shifts? Is this because you're trying to watch out for me? Jake, that's wrong! You need to sleep. I'll be fine.† â€Å"It's no big deal.† His eyes were abruptly more alert. â€Å"Hey, did you ever find out who was in your room? Is there anything new?† I ignored the second question. â€Å"No, we didn't find anything out about my, um, visitor.† â€Å"Then I'll be around,† he said as his eyes slid closed. â€Å"Jake . . . ,† I started to whine. â€Å"Hey, it's the least I can do – I offered eternal servitude, remember. I'm your slave for life.† â€Å"I don't want a slave!† His eyes didn't open. â€Å"What do you want, Bella?† â€Å"I want my friend Jacob – and I don't want him half-dead, hurting himself in some misguided attempt -â€Å" He cut me off. â€Å"Look at it this way – I'm hoping I can track down a vampire I'm allowed to kill, okay?† I didn't answer. He looked at me then, peeking at my reaction. â€Å"Kidding, Bella.† I stared at the TV. â€Å"So, any special plans next week? You're graduating. Wow. That's big.† His voice turned flat, and his face, already drawn, looked downright haggard as his eyes closed again – not in exhaustion this time, but in denial. I realized that graduation still had a horrible significance for him, though my intentions were now disrupted. â€Å"No special plans,† I said carefully, hoping he would hear the reassurance in my words without a more detailed explanation. I didn't want to get into it now. For one thing, he didn't look up for any difficult conversations. For another, I knew he would read too much into my qualms. â€Å"Well, I do have to go to a graduation party. Mine.† I made a disgusted sound. â€Å"Alice loves parties, and she's invited the whole town to her place the night of. It's going to be horrible.† His eyes opened as I spoke, and a relieved smile made his face look less worn. â€Å"I didn't get an invitation. I'm hurt,† he teased. â€Å"Consider yourself invited. It's supposedly my party, so I should be able to ask who I want.† â€Å"Thanks,† he said sarcastically, his eyes slipping closed once more. â€Å"I wish you would come,† I said without any hope. â€Å"It would be more fun. For me, I mean.† â€Å"Sure, sure,† he mumbled. â€Å"That would be very . . . wise . . .† His voice trailed off. A few seconds later, he was snoring. Poor Jacob. I studied his dreaming face, and liked what I saw. While he slept, every trace of defensiveness and bitterness disappeared and suddenly he was the boy who had been my very best friend before all the werewolf nonsense had gotten in the way. He looked so much younger. He looked like my Jacob. I nestled into the couch to wait out his nap, hoping he would sleep for a while and make up some of what he'd lost. I flipped through channels, but there wasn't much on. I settled for a cooking show, knowing, as I watched, that I'd never put that much effort into Charlie's dinner. Jacob continued to snore, getting louder. I turned up the TV. I was strangely relaxed, almost sleepy, too. This house felt safer than my own, probably because no one had ever come looking for me here. I curled up on the sofa and thought about taking a nap myself. Maybe I would have, but Jacob's snoring was impossible to tune out. So, instead of sleeping, I let my mind wander. Finals were done, and most of them had been a cakewalk. Calculus, the one exception, was behind me, pass or fail. My high school education was over. And I didn't really know how I felt about that. I couldn't look at it objectively, tied up as it was with my human life being over. I wondered how long Edward planned to use this â€Å"not because you're scared† excuse. I was going to have to put my foot down sometime. If I were thinking practically, I knew it made more sense to ask Carlisle to change me the second I made it through the graduation line. Forks was becoming nearly as dangerous as a war zone. No, Forks was a war zone. Not to mention . . . it would be a good excuse to miss the graduation party. I smiled to myself as I thought of that most trivial of reasons for changing. Silly . . . yet still compelling. But Edward was right – I wasn't quite ready yet. And I didn't want to be practical. I wanted Edward to be the one. It wasn't a rational desire. I was sure that – about two seconds after someone actually bit me and the venom started burning through my veins – I really wouldn't care anymore who had done it. So it shouldn't make a difference. It was hard to define, even to myself, why it mattered. There was just something about him being the one to make the choice – to want to keep me enough that he wouldn't just allow me to be changed, he would act to keep me. It was childish, but I liked the idea that his lips would be the last good thing I would feel. Even more embarrassingly, something I would never say aloud, I wanted his venom to poison my system. It would make me belong to him in a tangible, quantifiable way. But I knew he was going to stick to his marriage scheme like glue – because a delay was what he was clearly after and it was working so far. I tried to imagine telling my parents that I was getting married this summer. Telling Angela and Ben and Mike. I couldn't. I couldn't think of the words to say. It would be easier to tell them I was becoming a vampire. And I was sure that at least my mother – were I to tell her every detail of the truth – would be more strenuously opposed to me getting married than to me a becoming vampire. I grimaced to myself as I imagined her horrified expression. Then, for just a second, I saw that same odd vision of Edward and me on a porch swing, wearing clothes from another kind of world. A world where it would surprise no one if I wore his ring on my finger. A simpler place, where love was defined in simpler ways. One plus one equals two. . . . Jacob snorted and rolled to his side. His arm swung off the back of the couch and pinned me against his body. Holy crow, but he was heavy! And hot. It was sweltering after just a few seconds. I tried to slide out from under his arm without waking him, but I had to shove a little bit, and when his arm fell off me, his eyes snapped open. He jumped to his feet, looking around anxiously. â€Å"What? What?† he asked, disoriented. â€Å"It's just me, Jake. Sorry I woke you.† He turned to look at me, blinking and confused. â€Å"Bella?† â€Å"Hey, sleepy.† â€Å"Oh, man! Did I fall asleep? I'm sorry! How long was I out?† â€Å"A few Emerils. I lost count.† He flopped back on the couch next to me. â€Å"Wow. Sorry about that, really.† I patted his hair, trying to smooth the wild disarray. â€Å"Don't feel bad. I'm glad you got some sleep.† He yawned and stretched. â€Å"I'm useless these days. No wonder Billy's always gone. I'm so boring.† â€Å"You're fine,† I assured him. â€Å"Ugh, let's go outside. I need to walk around or I'll pass out again.† â€Å"Jake, go back to sleep. I'm good. I'll call Edward to come pick me up.† I patted my pockets as I spoke, and realized they were empty. â€Å"Shoot, I'll have to borrow your phone. I think I must have left his in the car.† I started to unfold myself. â€Å"No!† Jacob insisted, grabbing my hand. â€Å"No, stay. You hardly ever make it down. I can't believe I wasted all this time.† He pulled me off the couch as he spoke, and then led the way outside, ducking his head as he passed under the doorframe. It had gotten much cooler while Jacob slept; the air was unseasonably cold – there must be a storm on the way. It felt like February, not May. The wintry air seemed to make Jacob more alert. He paced back and forth in front of the house for a minute, dragging me along with him. â€Å"I'm an idiot,† he muttered to himself. â€Å"What's the matter, Jake? So you fell asleep.† I shrugged. â€Å"I wanted to talk to you. I can't believe this.† â€Å"Talk to me now,† I said. Jacob met my eyes for a second, and then looked away quickly toward the trees. It almost looked like he was blushing, but it was hard to tell with his dark skin. I suddenly remembered what Edward had said when he dropped me off – that Jacob would tell me whatever he was shouting in his head. I started gnawing on my lip. â€Å"Look,† Jacob said. â€Å"I was planning to do this a little bit differently.† He laughed, and it sounded like he was laughing at himself. â€Å"Smoother,† he added. â€Å"I was going to work up to it, but† – and he looked at the clouds, dimmer as the afternoon progressed – â€Å"I'm out of time to work.† He laughed again, nervous. We were still pacing slowly. â€Å"What are you talking about?† I demanded. He took a deep breath. â€Å"I want to tell you something. And you already know it . . . but I think I should say it out loud anyway. Just so there's never any confusion on the subject.† I planted my feet, and he came to a stop. I took my hand away and folded my arms across my chest. I was suddenly sure that I didn't want to know what he was building up to. Jacob's eyebrows pulled down, throwing his deep-set eyes into shadow. They were pitch black as they bored into mine. â€Å"I'm in love with you, Bella,† Jacob said in a strong, sure voice. â€Å"Bella, I love you. And I want you to pick me instead of him. I know you don't feel that way, but I need the truth out there so that you know your options. I wouldn't want a miscommunication to stand in our way.†