Strategic Plan on Toyota Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Strategic Plan on Toyota - Essay Example The end of the first quarter of 2012 saw Toyota having 217 associated firms, as well as 511 subsidiaries all over the world. Moreover, while ranked 25th in the world, it is number nine in sales, number 74 in assets, and number 32 in terms of market value (Forbes.com LLC, 2012). Its range of automobile products includes commercial automobiles, which includes trucks, minivans, as well as passenger vehicles. Among its subsidiaries are Daihatsu, specializing in compact cars and min-cars, and Hino, which specializes in buses and trucks. Its main range of passenger cars includes subcompacts, compacts, luxury cars, sports vehicles, SUVs, mid-size vehicles, and recreational cars. In the US, it also has the luxury brand Lexus (Reuters, 2012). The latest stock performance figures give Toyota a market capitalization of $128.9 billion, and a share price of $81.41. This share price figure is down somewhat from year highs of about $88, but up from year lows of about $70. Its current P/E ratio of 17.66 is much higher than competition, the closest being Honda, which is trading at a P/E ratio of 15.44. It leads all automobile players in market capitalization, though it is behind the likes of Volkswagen and Honda in terms of margins and operating metrics. (Google, 2012). Snippets of the corporate strategy of Toyota can be gleaned from news relating to its planned reduction of product output in Japan, by 10 percent from 2012 levels, to around 3.1 million vehicles by 2014. This is to be done with no impact on the employment rolls in the country, with the projected output for 2012 being higher than that 2014 figure, at 3.6 million vehicles (Reuters, 2012b).This is coupled with news relating to planned capacity increases in some subsidiaries, particularly India, where production is slated to expand to 310,000 units per year, an increase of about 50 percent from current production levels. The focus is on sedans and hatchback vehicles

The media’s recent focus Essay Example for Free

The media’s recent focus Essay Every year, the number of obese Americans is increasing dramatically, and it’s spreading all over the nation like an epidemic. But this is old news – this issue has been talked about decades ago, as it spread rapidly across all the states during the 1990s. Despite all the efforts by the government to solve this epidemic, people continue to grow fatter and fatter. What could be the key to solving this problem? Lately, the issue has been given special attention by the media. They’re not only calling for individual initiative to solve obesity, but also for changes in the physical education programs of our country in order to cope with this matter. But can media attention really affect change on this one? Annual national reports on obesity showed that instead of decreasing, adult obesity rates in the country rose in 31 states as of last year. Obesity policies are really failing in the United States right now, despite all the efforts by the government to stop the problem (Gutin, Riggs, Ferguson, Owens, 1999). According to the reports, there has been a major breakthrough in terms of drawing the attention of the people to the obesity epidemic. All eyes and ears were on the issue, yet the mouths continued to feed. What the country need is a breakthrough in terms of policies and results, as the poor nutrition practices and physical inactivity of most Americans are making the case much worse, affecting the people’s health and productivity (Labbe Welsh, 1993). Because of this, the approach shifts from the individual American, towards various groups and institutions like families, communities, schools, employers, food and drinks companies, health professionals, and government at local and national levels. There were some recommendations given in order to solve the problem of Obesity. One is the involvement of the federal government, by developing and implementing a national strategy that would clearly define the roles and responsibilities of the state and of the localities in dealing with these concerns (Hart, 2005). Another is the promotion of a healthy lifestyle by giving Americans the necessary tools for them to achieve the recommended levels of physical activity, like in schools and offices. Additional researches on how to promote these healthy choices are also being encouraged. There are various strategies that could encourage people to make healthier decisions, but more research is needed for it to be effectively promoted (Crawford, 2005). In the heat of the obesity epidemic issue, Physical Education programs is one of the ways that authorities see as a means to solve the problem. The current Physical Education programs in various institutions may be assumed ineffective in curbing the obesity problem. It is expected that these programs would be changed in such a way that it could deal with the problem of obesity. It will be intensified to accommodate the need of the Americans to shed off fats. With a lifestyle such as ours, it is impossible not to grow fat, so the best way to counter this is enough amount physical activities. This is hard to impose on every individual, that’s why the government should effectively plan on how to get every American moving. With the media’s attention focused on the obesity epidemic, we are able to see the real situation that we have in hand. The media served as a mirror to reflect our fat, bulging bodies, and hopefully, it would make us realize that we have to act quickly, or else. The success of any government effort to curb obesity doesn’t lie much on the policy or the policy makers, instead, it is up to the people to decide whether it’s effective or not. References: Crawford, S. A. (2005). Has the decline of intramural sports contributed to the youth obesity epidemic?The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation Dance, Vol. 76(Issue 1), 3p. Gutin, B. , Riggs, S. , Ferguson, M. , Owens, S. (1999). Description and process evaluation of a physical training program for obese children. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 5p. Hart, M. A. (2005). Influence of a physical education methods course on elementary education majors knowledge of fundamental movement skills. Physical Educator, 7p. Labbe, A. E. , Welsh, C. (1993). Children and running: changes in physical fitness, self-efficacy, and health locus of control. Journal of Sport Behavior, Vol. 16(Issue 2), 13p.

Effects of humor in advertising

Effects of humor in advertising Humor in advertising is like a gun in the hands of a child. You have to know how to use it. Otherwise, it can blow up on you. (Miller, 1992) According to Marc G. Weinberger and Charles S. Gulas (1992), Humor is by no means a guarantee of better ads, but its effect can be enhanced with careful consideration of the objectives According to Fugate D. (1998), Advertising humor refers primarily to the ability of audiences to respond positively when one or others are portrayed in a playful manner. Employ of humor in advertising propose that as much as 30.2% of prime time television advertising is planned to be humorous (Weinberger and Spotts 1989). Numorous researches conducted by others has also indicated similar high (or still higher) levels of practice of humor in television ads (Kelly and Solomon 1975; Markiewicz 1972; Speck 1987) and in radio (Weinberger and Campbell 1991).whereas the use of humor is high, the effectiveness of humor as a interactions device remains doubtful. In attempts to describe its impact, humor has confirmed to be extremely indefinable. This lack of information has led advertising managers and researchers similar to both honor and criticize the usefulness of humor in advertising as explained in the opening quotes. The truth is that humor is a difficult theme that has been experimentally deliberate by advertisers in numerous dozen studies over the past few years. Humor is a diverse idea that is affected by a wide range of factors. As an outcome of the many contingencies forced by preferred aim, style of humor, medium, placement and viewers , generalizations about the effect of humor are filled with pitfalls (Stewart-Hunter 1985). However the open question of humors usefulness in advertising is unanswerable, we can bring together the accounts of humor research in the perspective of suitable constraints to increase insights about its belongings. For that reason, the more suitable questions to ask are: 1) What communications objectives are mainly expected to be accomplished through the utilization of humor?; 2) What communication factors are likely to influence the result?; 3) For what audience is humor most suitable?; and 4) What product factors advise the use or non-use of a humorous approach? The intention of this paper then is to analytically observe the research that has been conducted to increase insight into the belongings of humor with respect to these questions.The extensive use of humor, attached with the unsettled questi ons regarding it, has drawn the attention of several communication researchers. In a commonly cited analysis of the early literature in the field, Sternthal and Craig (1973) drew some uncertain conclusions about the use of humor on a number of communications objectives. These conclusions must be viewed as uncertain because, although based on a thorough analysis of the existing literature in 1973, this literature base was fairly small and consisted about completely of non-advertising studies as there was merely slight previous work in advertising to review. In the years since the Sternthal and Craig work, humor has established widespread extra analysis in over 30 studies that have appeared in the marketing literature, and a vast many more studies that have appeared in the literature streams of education, communication and psychology. This paper has the relevant aspects of this literature in order to modernize and broaden on the Sternthal and Craig work. Thus, the design to be followe d will be to observe the result of humor as it applies to a variety of communications objectives and then to broaden on this work by including implementation, placement, audience, and product factors that have come to light in the past few years. The nature of the communication objective plays a main role in the suitability of the use of humor. Sternthal and Craig (1973) scheduled advertising objectives and the impact of humor on each of these objectives. Revisited after few years of prevailing research some of these conclusions remain logical, while others come out to be in need of modifications. Humor and Attention Studies have revealed that 94% of advertising practitioners see humor as an useful way to increase attention. Moreover, 55% of advertising research executives find humor to be better to non-humor in gaining attention (Madden and Weinberger 1984). Whereas the special views of advertising executives should not be equated with accurate hypothesis testing, these views do mirror a knowledge base built on years of day to day understanding with proper research outcome. Furthermore in the case of attention, these practitioner views find to be well supported by the available experimental proof. inside studies of real magazine ads (Madden and Weinberger 1982), television ads (Stewart and Furse 1986), and radio ads (Weinberger and Campbell 1991) in average industry ad testing situations, humor has been found to have a positive effect on attention . Likewise, this attention effect has also been verified in the laboratory. In a detailed test of attention effects in the adverti sing field, Speck (1987) compared humorous ads with non-humorous controls on four attention measures: early attention, constant attention, predictable attention and on the whole attention. He found humorous ads to do better than non-humorous ads on each of the attention measures. The attention attracting capability of humor has also been verified in education research (Powell and Andresen 1985; Zillmann et al. 1980). In a review of the education literature, Bryant and Zillmann (1989) conclude that humor has a positive effect on attention, the advisory attitude taken by Bryant and Zillmann is suitable for all the humor attention studies. While the outcome seem to point out a positive impact on attention, and in common the past few years of research mainly supports the conclusion drawn by Sternthal and Craig (1973) , future researchers should be attentive that all humor is not shaped equal. Associated humor, that is, humor directly associated to the product or problem being promoted, appears to be more thriving than unassociated humor (Duncan 1979; Lull 1940; Madden 1982). In detail, controlling for the associated factor makes the result of the investigational studies in advertising undeniable in their support for a positive effect of humor on attention. This explains that the mere inclusion of canned humor into a given ad is not likely to have the same impact on attention as the use of a more incorporated humor cure. Humor and Understanding The literature is assorted on the outcome that humor has on understanding. In a study of 1000 broadcast commercials, Stewart and Furse (1986) found humorous substance to enhance the understanding of an ad. Other studies have found alike positive outcomes (Duncan, Nelson and Frontczak 1984; Weinberger and Campbell 1991; Zhang and Zinkhan 1991). On the other hand, these studies distinguish sharply with the outcomes of other advertising researchers who have found a negative association between humor and understanding (Cantor and Venus 1980; Gelb and Zinkhan 1986; Lammers et al. 1983; Sutherland and Middleton 1983). This negative outlook of the effect of humor on understanding is shared by the group of research executives (64%) at U.S. ad agencies. While findings indeed fail to determine the true effect of humor on understanding, they do call into question the reality of a global negative effect hypothesized by Sternthal and Craig (1973). It is important to look f or factors that may sort out these findings. To this extent, it appears that some other factors seem to explain much of the lack of conformity in the studies. First, there is a lack of a reliable definition of understanding among studies. Depending on the exact measure used, recall may be an signal of understanding or it may merely draw attention. More significantly, the measures engaged may have an impact on the outcomes found. Those studies that use several measures of understanding (Speck 1987; Weinberger and Campbell 1991) are more expected to discover positive or mixed positive effects on understanding than those studies that utilize solitary measures (Cantor and Venus 1980; Lammers et al. 1983), representing that a positive understanding effect may be missed by comparatively narrow measures. Further confirmation of the significance of measures is found in the work of Murphy and his colleagues (Murphy, Cunningham and Wilcox 1979). Their study of framework effects demonstrates t hat diverse measures of recall may create different recall outcomes. Secondly, humor styles may be an important determinant in understanding effects. In one study which directly compared the effects of various humor styles on understanding, Speck (1987) found major differences due to styles. His findings point out that some humorous ads do better, and some do worse than non-humorous ads on expressive and message understanding and that this differential act was attributable to humor styles. Comic wit was found to under perform non-humorous treatments while all other humor styles(i.e., satire, full comedy, sentimental humor and sentimental comedy) out performed the non-humor treatment. Lastly, the nature of product advertised appears to play a vital role in the impact of humor on understanding. This product factor is collected of two dichotomies, high involvement vs low involvement products. Those studies employing high involvement products (Speck 1987; Stewart and Furse 1986; Weinber ger and Campbell 1991; Zhang and Zinkhan 1991) in general indicate a positive effect of humor on understanding. On the other hand, studies employing low involvement products (Cantor and Venus 1980; Gelb and Zinkhan 1986) have found a negative effect of humor on understanding. we believe that these studies do present a thorough test of the association between humor and understanding that can present insight into the impact that humor may have on advertising understanding. An study of the related non-advertising studies shows eight studies that report a positive effect of humor on understanding and eleven studies that indicate a null or mixed effect. None of the non-advertising studies reports a negative effect of humor on understanding, which again challenges the conclusion drawn in 1973 by Sternthal and Craig. Of the education literature, possibly the strongest support for a positive relationship between humor and understanding appears in work conducted by Ziv (1988). This study ind icates that humor can drastically improve learning. Humor and influence Sternthal and Craig (1973) concluded that the interruption effect of humor may lead to influence. However, they note that the influential effect of humor is at paramount no superior than that of serious appeals. These conclusions seem to agree with the opinions of U.S. ad executives. Madden and Weinberger (1984) found that only 26% of these practitioners approved with a statement claiming humor to be more influential than non-humor. whereas U.S. advertising executives mainly agree with the conclusion of Sternthal and Craig (1973), this opinion is in sharp distinction to that of their British counterparts, 62% of whom found humor as more influential than non-humor and only 7% of whom were found to conflict with this claim (Weinberger and Spotts 1989). Audience Factors The majority of practitioners consider that humorous ads are best appropriate to a target audience composed of better educated younger males (Madden and Weinberger 1984). The advertising literature usually supports this faith. Quite a few studies have indicated an communication between gender and humor efficacy (Gorham and Christophel 1990; Lammers et al. 1983; Madden and Weinberger 1982; Stewart- Hunter 1985; Whipple and Courtney 1980,1981). The effect of gender may be moderately explained by obvious differences in humor admiration. In a review of the literature, Whipple and Courtney (1981) conclude that men appear to enjoy aggressive and sexual humor more than women do, and women emerge to have a better admiration for nonsensical humor. However, they warning that the results are not convincing and that these preferences may be shifting as society changes. Additional, the perception of the initiator of the humor may be an key mediator, as will be discussed. Contrary to the hold of the findings in marketing, research in education generally has not found major gender effects on humor response. Both in an broad educational experiment discussed earlier (Ziv 1988), and in other experiments (Davies and Apter 1980; Weaver, Zillmann and Bryant 1988; Zillmann et al. 1980), the positive effect of humor on learning was not found to be different by gender. The dichotomy of outcome of gender effects on humor raises some attention-grabbing issues. Humor is very closely attached into the culture, experiences, and points of suggestion that are shared between the humor creator and the humor receiver. For instance, research has recommended that the gender response to sexual humor is reversed when the creator of the humor is female (Gallivan 1991), and the individuality of the joke may persuade which audiences discover the joke funny (Gruner 1991). If this is certainly the case, then much of the distinction based on gender, and maybe race and age as well, may be explained by different perspectives of the creator of the humorous treatment and the receiver of that treatment. Thus, the shared point of view between the initiator of a humorous ad and the target of the ad is a potentially significant dominant variable in humor effectiveness. This problem has been largely ignored by researchers. In addition to gender, race, and age, other audience factors may impact the competence of humor and are worthy of thought. Humor is a common human practice exhibited by people of all cultures and throughout all of recorded history (Alden, Hoyer and Lee 1993). Though, the research that has examined humor in advertising cross-culturally indicates degree of difference in use of humor among countries, equally in humor types employed and in supreme levels of humor used (e.g. Alden, Hoyer and Lee 1993; Weinberger and Spotts 1989). Moreover, experimental proof indicates that people of diverse cultural backgrounds respond to humor in a different way. In an experi ment that compared Israeli Jews of Eastern and Western descent, Weller and his colleagues found significant differences in the admiration for ridiculous jokes between the two groups (Weller, Amitsour, and Pazzi 1976). They conceive that these differences are due to habits of thought and mental attitudes ingrained in cultural backgrounds. These findings entail that even when language differences are uninvolved, jokes may not be easily exchangeable among cultures. An additional audience factor of note includes audience and product relations such as prior brand attitude. Chattopadhyay and Basu (1989) indicate that humor has better positive effect, with regard to influence, for those audience members with a prior positive brand attitude. These and other audience factors should be reserved in mind in the blueprint of humorous ads and upcoming humor study.

Thomas Becket :: Biography Biographies Essays

Thomas Becket    Thomas Becket during his life was a man of both honor and dishonor.   His decisions, principles, and character made certain aspects of his life honorable, and others dishonorable.   However, it is also extremely important to realize who Becket was honoring.   The three most relevant people he would honor during his life was himself, King Henry II, and God.      Ã‚  Ã‚   Many times during his life, Becket acted without honor.   For instance, when King Henry separated the church and state by making his power superior to the church's, Becket became his right-hand by becoming the Chancellor of England.   While Henry's moves were political and economic, Becket decision to join the king was based purely on allegiance and fidelity to the king.   Becket did not consider the consequences of what a split would do nor did he question and challenge the sanctimonious motives of the king.   Becket also showed a great dishonor to both God and the king when he wore both the Chancellor and Archbishop ring.   He could not possibly honor both, since the King's agenda did not coalesce with the will of God.   Thus he had a false honor to both.   Eventually, Becket made a choice to serve the honor of God above the king.      Ã‚  Ã‚   Becket was also a man of great honor.   He showed reverence to his king by being loyal and keeping his word when he had to give up the woman he loved to the king.   At this moment, he also honored himself by showing integrity and principle over emotional values.   While chancellor, he served faithfully by understanding his duty to the king and code of honor.   The one thing that proved Becket to be a man of true honor was when he humbled himself before the cross and God and vowed his loyalty to the one and only true leader.   After this point, Becket no longer acts to serve the king's honor, but God's because he realizes it is more righteous and rewarding.   Through this decision he chose how he would live for the remainder of his life.   He accepted his obligations as Archbishop of Canterbury and understood how he would inevitably be forced to oppose the king.   He sacrificed his own life by defending the kingdom of God and boldly chose to pursue God's w ill.   This occurs when he repudiates the king's order to renege on his excommunication decision.

The Return: Nightfall Chapter 4

With the signed contract safely tucked in Bonnie's purse, they pulled up to the boardinghouse in which Stefan had taken up residence again. They looked for Mrs. Flowers but couldn't find her, as usual. So they walked up the narrowing steps with the worn carpet and splintering balustrade, hallooing as they came. â€Å"Stefan! Elena! It's us!† The door at the very top opened and Stefan's head came out. He looked – different somehow. â€Å"Happier,† Bonnie whispered wisely to Meredith. â€Å"Is he?† â€Å"Of course.†Bonnie was shocked. â€Å"He's got Elena back.† â€Å"Yes, he does. Just the way she was when they met, I bet. You saw her in the woods.† Meredith's voice was heavy with significance. â€Å"But†¦that's†¦oh, no! She'shuman again!† Matt looked down the stairs and hissed, â€Å"Will you two quit it? They're gonna hear us.† Bonnie was confused. Of course Stefan could hear them, but if you were going to worry about what Stefan heard you'd have to worry about what youthought , too – Stefan could always catch the shape of what you were thinking, if not the actual words. â€Å"Boys!† hissed Bonnie. â€Å"I mean I know they're totally necessary and all, but sometimes they Just Don't Get It.† â€Å"Just wait till you try men,† whispered Meredith, and Bonnie thought of Alaric Saltzman, the college student that Meredith was more or less engaged to. â€Å"I could tell you a thing or two,† Caroline added, examining her long, manicured nails with a world-weary look. â€Å"But Bonnie doesn't need to know even one yet. She has plenty of time to learn,† Meredith said, firmly in mothering mode. â€Å"Let's go inside.† â€Å"Sit down, sit down,† Stefan was encouraging them as they entered, the perfect host. But nobody could sit down. All eyes were fixed on Elena. She was sitting in lotus position in front of the room's only open window, with the fresh wind making her white nightgown billow. Her hair was true gold again, not the perilous white-gold it had become when Stefan had unintentionally turned into a vampire. She looked exactly the way Bonnie remembered her. Except that she was floating three feet off the floor. Stefan saw them all gawking. â€Å"It's just something she does,† he said almost apologetically. â€Å"She woke up the day after our fight with Klaus and started floating. I think gravity hasn't quite got a hold on her yet.† He turned back to Elena. â€Å"Look who's come to see you,† he said enticingly. Elena was looking. Her gold-flecked blue eyes were curious, and she was smiling, but there was no recognition as she looked from one visitor to another. Bonnie had been holding her arms out. â€Å"Elena?† she said. â€Å"It'sme , Bonnie, remember? I was there when you came back.I'm sure glad to see you .† Stefan tried again. â€Å"Elena, remember? These are your friends, your good friends. This tall, dark-haired beauty is Meredith, and this fiery little pixie is Bonnie, and this guy with the all-American looks is Matt.† Something flickered in Elena's face, and Stefan repeated, â€Å"Matt.† â€Å"And what about me? Or am I invisible?† Caroline said from the doorway. She sounded good-humored enough, but Bonnie knew that it made Caroline grind her teeth just to see Stefan and Elena together and out of danger. â€Å"You're right. I'm sorry,† Stefan said, and he did something that no ordinary eighteen-year-old could have pulled off without looking like an idiot. He took Caroline's hand and kissed it as gracefully and unthinkingly as if he were some count from nearly half a millennium ago. Which, of course, was pretty much what he was, Bonnie thought. Caroline looked slightly smug – Stefan had taken his time with the hand kiss. Now he said, â€Å"And last but not least, this tanned beauty here is Caroline.† Then, very gently, in a voice that Bonnie had heard him use only a few times since she'd known him, he said, â€Å"Don't you remember them, love? They nearly died for you – and for me.† Elena was floating easily, in a standing position now, bobbing like a swimmer trying to keep still. â€Å"We did it because we care,† Bonnie said, and she put her arms out again for a hug. â€Å"But we never expected to get you back, Elena.† Her eyes filled. â€Å"You came back to us. Don't youknow us?† Elena floated down until she was directly in front of Bonnie. There was still no sign of recognition on her face, but there was something else. There was a kind of limitless benediction and tranquility. Elena radiated a calming peace and an unconditional love that made Bonnie breathe in deeply and shut her eyes. She could feel it like sunshine on her face, like the ocean in her ears. After a moment Bonnie realized she was in danger of crying at the sheer feeling ofgoodness – a word that was almost never used these days. Some things still could be simply, untouchablygood . Elenawas good. And then, with a gentle touch on Bonnie's shoulder, Elena floated toward Caroline. She held out her arms. Caroline looked flustered. A wave of scarlet swept up her neck. Bonnie saw it, but didn't understand it. They'd all had a chance to pick up on Elena's vibes. And Caroline and Elenahad been close friends – until Stefan, their rivalry had been friendly. It wasgood of Elena to pick Caroline to hug first. And then Elena went into the circle of Caroline's hastily raised arms and just as Caroline began to say â€Å"I've – † she kissed her full on the mouth. It wasn't just a peck, either. Elena wrapped her arms around Caroline's neck and hung on. For long moments Caroline stood deathly still as if in shock. Then she reared back and struggled, at first feebly, and then so violently that Elena was catapulted backward in the air, her eyes wide. Stefan caught her like an infielder going for a pop fly. â€Å"What thehell – ?† Caroline was scrubbing at her mouth. â€Å"Caroline!† Stefan's voice was filled with fierce protectiveness. â€Å"It doesn't mean anything like what you're thinking. It's got nothing to do with sex at all. She's just identifying you, learning who you are. She can do that now that she's come back to us.† â€Å"Prairie dogs,† Meredith said in the cool, slightly distant voice she often used to bring down the temperature of a room. â€Å"Prairie dogs kiss when they meet. It does exactly what you said, Stefan, helps them identify specific individuals†¦.† Caroline was far beyond Meredith's abilities to cool down, however. Scrubbing her mouth had been a bad idea; she had smeared scarlet lipstick all around it, so that she looked like something out of aBride of Dracula movie. â€Å"Are you crazy? What do you think I am? Because some hamsters do it, that makes it okay?† She had flushed a mottled red, from her throat to the roots of her hair. â€Å"Prairie dogs. Not hamsters.† â€Å"Oh, who gives a – † Caroline broke off, frantically fumbling in her purse until Stefan offered her a box of tissues. He had already dabbed the scarlet smears off Elena's mouth. Caroline rushed into the small bathroom attached to Stefan's attic bedroom and slammed the door hard. Bonnie and Meredith caught each other's eye and let out their breaths simultaneously, convulsing with laughter. Bonnie did a lightning-quick imitation of Caroline's expression and frantic scrubbing, miming someone using handful after handful of tissues. Meredith gave a reproving shake of her head, but she and Stefan and Matt all had a case of themustn't-laugh snickers. A lot of it was simply the release of tension – they had seen Elena alive again, after six long months without her – but they couldn't stop laughing. Or at least they couldn't until a tissue box sailed out of the bathroom, nearly hitting Bonnie in the head – and they all realized that the slammed door had rebounded – and that there was a mirror in the bathroom. Bonnie caught Caroline's expression in the mirror and then met her full-on glare. Yep, she'd seen them laughing at her. The door closed again – this time, as if it had been kicked. Bonnie ducked her head and clutched at her short strawberry curls, wishing the floor would open up and swallow her. â€Å"I'll apologize,† she said after a gulp, trying to be adult about the situation. Then she looked up and realized that everyone else was more concerned about Elena, who was clearly upset by this rejection. It's a good thing we made Caroline sign that oath in blood, Bonnie thought. And it's a good thing that you-know-who signed it, too. If there was one thing Damon would know about, it was consequences. Even as she was thinking this, she joined the huddle around Elena. Stefan was trying to hold Elena; Elena was trying to go after Caroline; and Matt and Meredith were helping Stefan and telling Elena that it was okay. When Bonnie joined them, Elena gave up trying to get to the bathroom. Her face was distressed, her blue eyes swimming with tears. Elena's serenity had been broken by hurt and regret – and underneath that, a surprisingly deep apprehension. Bonnie's intuition gave a twinge. But she patted Elena's elbow, the only part of her that she could reach, and added her voice to the chorus: â€Å"You didn't know she'd get so upset. You didn't hurt her.† Crystal tears spilled down Elena's cheeks, and Stefan caught them with a tissue as if each one was priceless. â€Å"She thinks that Carolineis hurt,† Stefan said, â€Å"and she's worried about her – for some reason I don't get.† Bonnie realized that Elena could communicate after all – by mind-link. â€Å"I felt that, too,† she said. â€Å"The hurt. But tell her – I mean – Elena, Ipromise I'll apologize. I'll grovel.† â€Å"It may take some groveling from all of us,† Meredith said. â€Å"But meanwhile I want to make sure that this  ¡Ã‚ ®angel unaware' recognizesme .† With an expression of tranquil sophistication, she took Elena out of Stefan's arms and into her own, and then she kissed her. Unfortunately, this coincided with Caroline stalking out of the bathroom. The bottom of her face was paler than the top, having been denuded of all makeup: lipstick, bronzer, blush, the works. She stopped dead and stared. â€Å"I don't believe it,† she said in scathing tones. â€Å"You'restill doing it! It's dis – â€Å" â€Å"Caroline.† Stefan's voice was a warning. â€Å"I came here to see Elena.† Caroline – beautiful, lithe, bronze-limbed Caroline – was twisting her hands together as if in terrible conflict. â€Å"Theold Elena. And what do I see? She's like a baby – she can't talk. She's like some smirking guru floating in the air. And now she's like some kind of perverted – â€Å" â€Å"Don't finish that,† Stefan said quietly but firmly. â€Å"I told you, she ought to be over the first symptoms in just a few days, to judge by her progress so far,† he added. And hewas different, somehow, Bonnie thought. Not just happier to have gotten Elena back. He was†¦stronger somehow at the core of himself. Stefan had always been quiet inside; her powers sensed him as a pool of clear water. Now she saw that same clear water built up like a tsunami. What could have changed Stefan so much? The answer came to her immediately, although in the form of a wondering question. Elena was still part spirit – Bonnie's intuition told her that. What did it do if you drank the blood of someone who was in that state? â€Å"Caroline, let's just drop it,† she said. â€Å"I'm sorry, I'm really, really sorry for – you know. I was wrong, and I'm sorry.† â€Å"Oh, you'resorry . Oh, that makes everything all right then, doesn't it?† Caroline's voice was pure acid, and she turned her back on Bonnie with finality. Bonnie was surprised to feel the sting of tears behind her eyes. Elena and Meredith still had their arms around each other, their cheeks wet with the other's tears. They were looking at each other and Elena was beaming. â€Å"Now she'll know you anywhere,† Stefan told Meredith. â€Å"Not just your face, but – well, the inside of you, too, or the shape of it, at least. I should have mentioned that before this started, but I'm the only one she's ;;met,' and I didn't realize – â€Å" â€Å"You should have realized!† Caroline was pacing like a tiger. â€Å"So you kissed a girl, sowhat ?† Bonnie exploded. â€Å"What do you think, you're going to grow a beard now?† As if powered by the conflict around her, Elena suddenly took off. All at once she was zipping around the room as if she'd been shot from a cannon; her hair crackled with electricity when she made sudden stops or turns. She soared around the room twice, and as she was silhouetted against the dusty old window, Bonnie thought,Oh, my God! We've got to get her some clothes! She looked at Meredith and saw that Meredith had shared her realization. Yes, they had to get Elena clothes – and most especially underclothes. As Bonnie moved toward Elena, as shyly as if she'd never been kissed before, Caroline exploded. â€Å"You just keep doing it and doing it and doing it!† She was practically screeching by now, Bonnie thought. â€Å"What'swrong with you? Don't you have any morals at all?† This, unfortunately, caused another case of thedon't-laugh-don't-laugh choked giggles in Bonnie and Meredith. Even Stefan turned away sharply, his gallantry toward a guest clearly fighting a losing battle. Not just a guest, Bonnie thought, but a girl he'd gonepret-ty darn far with, as Caroline hadn't been shy about letting people know when she'd gotten her hands on him. About as far as vampirescould go, Bonnie remembered, which was not the whole way. Something about the blood-sharing substituting for – well, for Doing It. But he wasn't the only one Caroline had bragged about. Caroline was infamous. Bonnie glanced at Elena, saw that Elena was watching Caroline with a strange expression. Not as if Elena were afraid of her, but rather as if Elena were deeply worriedabout her. â€Å"Are you all right?† Bonnie whispered. To her surprise, Elena nodded, then looked at Caroline and shook her head. She carefully looked Caroline up and down and her expression was that of a puzzled doctor examining a very sick patient. Then she floated toward Caroline, one hand extended. Caroline shied away, as if she were disgusted to have Elena touch her. No, not disgusted, Bonnie thought, butfrightened. â€Å"How do I know what she'll do next?† Caroline snapped, but Bonnie knew that wasn't the real reason for her fear. What do we have going on here? she wondered. Elena afraidfor Caroline, and Caroline afraidof Elena. What does that equal? Bonnie's psychic senses were giving her gooseflesh. There was somethingwrong with Caroline, she felt, something she'd never encountered before. And the air†¦it was thickening somehow, as if it were building up to a thunderstorm. Caroline made a sharp turn to keep her face averted from Elena's. She moved behind a chair. â€Å"Just keep her freakin'away from me, all right? I won't let her touch me again – † she began, when Meredith changed the whole situation with two quiet words. â€Å"Whatdid you say to me?† Caroline said, staring.

Proverb vs. Adage

Proverb vs. Adage Proverb vs. Adage Proverb vs. Adage By Maeve Maddox English possesses dozens of nouns that mean â€Å"short sayings that encapsulate truth or wisdom passed on from previous generations.† Proverb and adage are two of them. proverb: a short, traditional, and pithy saying; a concise sentence, typically metaphorical or alliterative in form, stating a general truth or piece of advice; an adage. adage: a proverb or short statement expressing a general truth. Efforts are made to draw a distinction between proverb and adage, but in common usage, the words are interchangeable. There may be a sense that adage is a classier word than proverb. Because a saying becomes a proverb or an adage by being repeated from generation to generation, the expression â€Å"old adage† is often criticized for being redundant, but it is very common: According to the famous old adage, all roads lead to Rome. Remember the old adage, A pictures worth a thousand words? He said President Reagans old adage about trust but verify is in need of an update I confirmed with Brenda that what she is trying to convey to her students is the old writing adage â€Å"show, don’t tell.† As that last quotation is from the Grammar Girl herself, Mignon Fogarty, I wouldn’t be too quick to criticize. Numerous lists of proverbs and adages can be found on line, but their compilers don’t always distinguish between actual proverbs and quotations from song lyrics and literature. For example, All you need is love (Beatle song, 1967) ‘Tis better to have loved and lost/Than never to have loved at all. (Tennyson, In Memoriam, 1850) The female of the species is more deadly than the male. (Kipling, â€Å"The Female of the Species,† 1911.) Many proverbs are couched as advice: Dont cross the bridge till you come to it. Dont put all your eggs in one basket. Dont rock the boat. Let sleeping dogs lie. Never let the sun go down on your anger. Never tell tales out of school. Waste not want not. Judging by some of the questions that have stumped recent Jeopardy contestants, the passing on of proverbs seems to be in decline. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Great Similes from Literature to Inspire YouFive Spelling Rules for "Silent Final E"Ulterior and Alterior