Comparitive politics Democracy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Comparitive politics Democracy - Assignment Example This is during the cold war era that was a conflict between the US and the Soviet Union. The economy of Soviet Union was closed, and it was not democratic. Statistics reveals that in the periods of 1950s, in every four countries, one was a democracy (Peter Mair, 80). However, with the passage of time, most countries began to adopt democratic styles of governance. An example is Portugal, when it sought to introduce democracy in the year 1974. The period beginning 1974 is referred to as the Third Wave democracy. This period saw an increase in democratic transitions in Latin America, Europe, and the Asian Pacific countries like Taiwan and South Korea. Eastern European countries also began to introduce democracy and this is after Soviet Union collapsed. By the period of 1990s, there were approximately 100 democratic countries in the world. This brings us to the query, what is democracy? Democracy refers to a form of government whereby all eligible citizens of a state, are allowed to participate in its political process (Peter Mair, 82). The participation of citizens in this political process could either be direct or indirect. Most democratic states in the world have an indirect participation of their citizens. This involves a situation where their citizens elect a representative to either the parliament, or an institution of governance. This system is popular in Europe, with countries such as United Kingdom and France having a parliament, comprising of elected officials. The United States also has this type of system, with its senate and congress comprising of elected officials. Democracy is therefore a term used to denote a concept referred to as the rule of the people (Peter Mair, 82). Theoretically, democracy is a term that refers to the majority rule, in practice, this notion is false. An example is the Athenian traditional society, whereby only a selected group of people could participate in the political process. This is while

International Marketing Research Essay Example for Free

International Marketing Research Essay 1. Identification of Case Issues Base your issues on theoretical international ethics concepts. As the international marketing manager, what are the ethical issues to be considered in this case? Use journals to help give your response depth The report aims at launching the new fair trade chocolate brand Mars, and analysing the current ethical understanding of the Japanese marketing environment. The business viewed the ethical issue which child slavery has created an unethical comparative advantage, and the current market for chocolate lies in the ethical ruin (Nicolas and Gittens, 2010). The result of the influence of fair-trade foods among Japanese shows that the participants in Japan do the ethical purchasing in observable condition much more than the anonymous condition (Kimura et al., 2012; Swaidan, 2012). The ethical purchasing of observable condition is about that about making products in an environment where there is no child abuse or child labour, that is environmentally conscious and where there is a value placed on workers and their safety (Nicholls and Opal, 2005; Impact of adverse economic shocks on the Indian child labour market and the schooling of children of poor households, 2012). Furthermore, the report claimed that is not only the purchasers’ participation of ethical â€Å"fair deal†, but also the corporation participations impact on fair trade as well; especially under the effect of the global economic recession, businesses have great potential to benefit or threaten at the market (Lynch, 2012; McCall-Rosenbluth and Thies,2011; Reed, 2009). According to the report of Swaidan (2012), Japan has suffered painful economic recession and a series of corporate misconducts and scandals over the last decade. In the meantime, peoples interests in business ethics and corporate social responsibility have remarkably increased (Tsalikis and Seaton, 2011). There are many similarities exist between Japanese and American managers which including the respective views on corporate social responsibility and unethical business practices (Tae and Nakano, 2008). Thus the marketing strategy should to consider the nation’s business ethical understandings. Furthermore, according to a personal perspective, the correct ethical behaviour differs, which includes the relativist, utilitarian, and Universalist perspectives and based on socio-economic status (Fletcher and Crawford, 2011; Lynch, 2012). It states a market where corruption is an issue as Japan ranked eighteenth on the Corruption Perception Index of major emerging markets (Tae and Nakano, 2008; Tsalikis and Seaton, 2011). In Japan, the primarily views business ethics are through relativist and utilitarian perspectives (Fletcher and Crawford, 2011; McCall-Rosenbluth and Thies, 2011; Nicolas and Gittens, 2010). It will evoke the previous ethical perspectives when business markets a fair trade product to the Japanese. The ethical behaviour differs across nations, influenced by popular attachments to governments, popular customs, level of economic development, relative size of public sector, low income for public servants, obscure legal and political environments, high level of government control and state ownership (Kimura et al., 2012; McCall-Rosenbluth and Thies, 2011; Swaidan, 2012). Moreover, according to Hofstede’s four cultural dimensions, Japan outranks all other countries in the measure of masculinity (Fletcher and Crawford, 2011). Hence, the marketing strategy must cater to the nation’s business ethical behaviours, and cultural dimensions facing fair trade products. 2. Formulation of alternatives or possible solutions with respect As the International marketing manager what are some alternative solutions, based on an ethical platform? Use journals to support your alternatives. Mars’ first entered the Asian market with a marketing strategy of sponsoring and becoming the official snack food of the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing (McElhatton, 2012). In addition, it claims that Mars has a legacy for aggressive instincts in international expansion, entering the Eastern European markets after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 (Allen, 2010). These movements lead to factories being opened in the Asian markets to better understand the domestic environments, and it is the solid foundation for Mars to target and market the Japanese market which it was successful in combining investment with community activities to relay positive company behaviour in the political environment (McElhatton, 2012). Additionally, it proved that a link exists in successful brands between company ethical and social requirements, and the company’s commitment to protecting consumer rights and interests (Castaldo, Perrini, Misani and Tencati, 2011; Fletcher and Crawford, 2011; McCall-Rosenbluth and Thies, 2011). Thus, Mars must show it is not only has corporate social responsibility but its interest in the rights of its consumers, in order to market a new fair trade brand of chocolate in Japan (Nicolas and Gittens, 2010). Further, the right for Mars’ consumers to have access to chocolate is fair trade that gives added value and competitive price (Allen, 2011). From the perspective of economies, fair trade marketing may be successful if it is existed that consumers whose additional willingness to pay for fair trade products are greater than the additional marginal costs (Lynch, 2012). However, the consumers who felt greatly affected by the global recession yet want to consume ethically, marketers must deliver value without compromising these social values (Castaldo, Perrini, Misani and Tencati, 2011). The report confirmed that the Japanese expect companies to stand behind their product well after a sale is made. They are not particularly price conscious, but rather rely on trust (McCall-Rosenbluth and Thies, 2011; McElhatton, 2012). Moreover, there are restraining forces in the market such as political systems, legal requirements, cultural norms and economic development, that hinder the free flow of fair trade in the market (Fletcher and Crawford, 2011). In Japan, it is not simply enough to support the goods, but marketing mix is more important to the Japanese consumers who demand the after-sale services on financial resources, and the weakness of service is not tolerated in the Japanese market (Slavery involved in food production, 2008; Swaidan, 2012; Tsalikis and Seaton, 2011). On the other hand, the benefits of lowering 20 percent tariff of chocolate imports in Japan which is almost three times of the USA levy on imported candy (McCall-Rosenbluth and Thies, 2011; Reed, 2007). The chocolate potential market for Mars grows as the high tariff is getting lowered, and allowing a new fair trade chocolate brand greater entry. If Japan is a significant leader in the Asian region drops its tariff, Korea as the other major potential market may follow (Allen, 2011; Tae and Nakano, 2008). Japanese have their own take on Valentines Day which is a big chocolate buying frenzy (Tsalikis and Seaton, 2011). Gifts of chocolate from women to men on St Valentines Day have become a subtle key to gender empowerment in Japan. In Japan, women nationwide buy chocolates for their male co-workers rather than husbands and loved ones (Lewis, 1995). With this custom, women have successfully monopolized the means of socially defining chocolate, which is a large promoter for the industry. Being a custom based on culture, chocolate sales in Japan on Valentine’s Day continue to increase as cocoa prices soar. It means that the duty is expanding, which could offer the new opportunities for an ethical fair trade choice in the region (Allen, 2011; Fletcher and Crawford, 2011). Thus, marketing to the Japanese based on custom rather than the individual consumer is advised. 3. Recommendation or choice of solution Make a stand. What would you do as the International marketing manager for this company, based on an ethical platform? What are you going to recommend to the board? First of all, Japan is a rapidly growing market where corruption is an issue. The stakeholders should be the focus, and holistic and corporate social responsibility marketing is a strategic consideration (Tae and Nakano, 2008; Tsalikis and Seaton, 2011). The chocolate company Mars is recommended to use value-based labelling in order to increase consumer awareness of the brand. Moreover, individuals’ motivations from extrinsic social factors such as reputation-enhancing opportunities should be moulded around brand appearance and marketing strategy, which is rely on the product add value to the consumer thereby further building and maintaining the loyalty of the consumers (Fletcher and Crawford, 2011; McCall-Rosenbluth and Thies, 2011; Nicolas and Gittens, 2010). Secondly, a market-oriented solution is best for entering and marketing a fair trade chocolate brand in Japan, because Japan is a viable market to launch a brand, currently ranked third in world GDP (McCall-Rosenbluth and Thies, 2011; Tyler, 2012). The chocolate company Mars should consider about the ownership attributes, the location attributes and the internalisation for market entry (McElhatton, 2012). Mars could use the host marketers for the purpose of launching the market strategy from within the domestic environment. Furthermore, Mars could report the ethical practises to consumers which include ethical initiatives such as discontinuing marketing to children under age 12, and it is rely on brand integrity through Mars’ philosophy of â€Å"mutuality of benefits† for all stakeholders (Reed, 2007). It might offset distribution regulations and prevent ethical, legal and cross-cultural misunderstanding in brand marketing and promotion (Fletcher and Crawford, 2011; McCall-Rosenbluth and Thies, 2011). Thirdly, Countries differ greatly in their ethical standards and consumer expectations (Tae and Nakano, 2008). In Japans political system, dominant economic interests caused deep changes, so in the other word, Japan is the very embodiment of stability (Tsalikis and Seaton, 2011). On the other hand, as approximately ten percent of sales are from the Australasian region, Mars success has resulted from a simply philosophy â€Å"go where the consumer economy is growing† and â€Å"the consumer is our boss.† (McElhatton, 2012; Tyler, 2012). Thus, the assessment predicts a minor political could impact of the new product brand and low transaction cost (Fletcher and Crawford, 2011). Last but not least, Japan has greater equality of incomes between higher and lower incomes and market incomes (Kimura et al., 2012). This is ever more present as Japanese consumer social awareness grows and the distance is shortened between company and customer, due to communication advancements (McCall-Rosenbluth and Thies, 2011). The chocolate company Mars could potentially take a large market segment by marketing a CSR strategy in this high-income country via differentiation (Allen, 2011). Besides, the growth of e-commerce has diminished national barriers, thus advertising campaigns directed at the Japanese market can be optimised online (Fletcher and Crawford, 2011; McElhatton, 2012). References Allen, L.L. (2011). Chocolate fortunes: the battle for the hearts, minds, and wallets of Chinese consumers. Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/lib/qut/docDetail.action?doID=10342364 Castaldo, S., Perrini, F., Misani, N., Tencati, A. (2011). The missing link between corporate responsibility and consumer trust: the case of fair trade products. Journal of Business Ethics, 84, 1-15. doi: 10.1007/s10551-008-9669-4 Fletcher, R., Crawford, H. (2011). International marketing: an Asia-Pacific perspective 5th edition. Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Australia. Kimura, A., Mukawa, N., Yamamoto, M., Masuda, T., Yuasa, M., Goto, S., Oka, T., Wada, Y. (2012). The influence of reputational concerns on purchase intention of fair-trade foods among Japanese adults. Food Quality and Preference, 26(2), 204-210.

Brave New World-A Sterile Society :: essays research papers

â€Å"Cleanliness is next to Fordliness†, was an attitude impressed upon the people of Aldous Huxley’s, Brave New World. A society free of disease and suffering was achieved through a technique of conditioning called hynopaedia. â€Å"Civilization is sterilization†, was a hynopaedic slogan used to achieve the ideal society. This idea was manifested through the anesthetizing people’s emotions, the sterilization of humans and the cleanliness of society. The Brave New World sterilized people of emotions through the elimination of families and the promotion of soma. To eliminate close bonds between two people promiscuity was advocated. This was achieved through hynopaedia during childhood. Through this technique intimate relationships between people were eliminated. People of Brave New World did not know what a family was. At the mention of the words mother and father, during a tour of the London Hatchery, the students became silent and many began to blush. Soma was another devise used by citizens of Brave New World to let them escape and forget their emotions. It was a tranquilizer widely used in Brave New World. It allowed people to go into a trance whenever they wanted to escape their surroundings. This was shown when Lenina Crowne and Bernard Marx were visiting the reservation. During the Warden’s speech to the couple, Lenina Crowne swallowed half a gramme of soma to escape the boredom of the Warden’s speech. The som a allowed her to seemingly be paying attention when in reality she wasn’t listening or thinking of anything. The attitude of civilization is sterilization was also achieved through the sterilization of the female population. Bokanovsky’s Process made it possible for the Brave New World to control the amount of fertile women in society. Even with the advancement of scientific technology human ovaries were still needed for the manufacturing of embryos. Fertile women were encouraged to undergo a hysterectomy. In return for selling their ovaries, women received six months pay. Around seventy percent of the women in Brave New World were infertile. These women were called freemartins. Freemartins were produced through injecting female embryos with a dose of a male sex-hormone. The society of Brave New World believed civilization should be composed of clean and robust people. The nurses in the Neo-Pavlovian Conditioning Rooms were described as, â€Å"trousered and jacketed in the regulation white viscose-linen uniform, their hair aseptically hidden under white caps.† This image expressed how everything was done in a systematic and sterile way.

Interviewing a Criminal Justice Professional

For the past twenty-four years, Deputy Karen J. Miller has work for the Harris County Sherriff’s Department. She worked on the beat for her first six months, than the rest of her career years at the Harris County Sherriff’s Community Store Front. The store front is a place where the deputies provide a safe environment for those who live, work or commute within the precincts.For the last three years, Deputy Miller’s job title has been â€Å"Media Liaison† officer. The role of a police liaison officer is to promote trust and understanding by assisting the community, police and media through the process of reducing and preventing crimes and maintaining community partnerships. She also strives to divert people from entering the criminal justice system. Deputy Miller is responsible for making consistent, periodic contact with assigned groups to stay informed about community concerns and unresolved issues.Her goal is to provide accurate information in a timely m anner utilizing technology to improve communication between the office of the sheriff’s department, the media and the public. Deputy Miller’s daily activity entails sending emails, writing releases and reports to the local area paper (Northeast News). In Deputy Miller’s district reports, she gives information such as mug shots (if permitted), description about the incident, names of the people involved, the location, time and date.Deputy Miller thinks that new technologies, such as the internet are a good tool for law enforcement and the criminal justice system because more avenues have opened up because of the internet. Deputy Miller came from a descent family, but growing up; she was always getting into trouble in school. Her parents had to place her in a catholic school in the fifth grade because of fighting. During her years at the catholic school, Deputy Miller convinced her parents that she was able to behave herself, so they put her back in the public sch ool (Barbara Jordan). She attended Barbara Jordan from the tenth thru the twelfth grade were she graduated.Deputy Miller attended Texas Southern University majoring in Criminal Justice. A friend had informed her about a job posting for the sheriff’s department. She applied and was given the job as a deputy sheriff. After learning from friends about her boyfriend being busted on the news for drugs, she knew being in this profession, she had to pick and choose who she hung around. In other words, change out friends; you have to keep yourself clean; not having a criminal record. They also do not want someone with a lot of debts. Deputy Miller had to pull her weapon, but never used deadly force.In her career, Deputy Miller has seen deputies killed. The effect of seeing her comrades killed sets her back. Deputy Miller stated, â€Å"Being a deputy, you build a close relationship with your partner. You are depending on that person with your life; to have your back†. Deputy Mi ller and her peers motto is what to eat, stay dry and GO HOME. Being in the law enforcement profession, ethics is the core value on the job and off the job. Ethics in the field of law enforcement is very important and significant because ethics is used in this field every day. Law enforcement officers encounter difficult decisions that will involve ethical thinking.They will have to deal with different ethnicities, languages, religions and will have to use ethical thinking to deal with them. The officer will come into contact with a variety of people from different cultures. Situations will also occur often in which morals and ethics need to be taken into consideration. Deputy Miller has also witness corruption in her career. One time, she was ordered to return a patrol car for a DNA check. Turned out, a deputy that used the patrol car before her had forced intercourse with a female in exchange for not writing her a ticket in the back seat of that vehicle.Without leadership and ethi cs, we would not have trustworthy officers on the street. Officers take an oath to protect and serve the people, not to go out and commit a crime against them. Deputy Miller’s career choice had some affect on her family. Her first marriage ended in divorce because her husband could not cope with her chosen profession. Her two daughters’ ages eight and twelve supports her, but do not want to follow in her footsteps. She is now married to her best friend, who is also a deputy, who loves and understands her career and her position. She is planning on retiring, but not for another six to eight years.What Deputy Miller love the most about being a media liaison is working alone and not answering to anyone; the least is â€Å"being misquoted†. Afterthoughts In interviewing Deputy Miller, I learned that a â€Å"media liaison officer† has to work in a high pressure environment while maintaining composure. The officer has to be self-directed, detail-oriented, and a ble to multi-task under time constraints. The officer is also required to have strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills. I also learned that being in this line of profession, may cause a strain in your personal life.It is important to have an understanding partner that can swallow their disappointment when the officer is absent from family functions. In this profession, you will miss important occasions and holidays such as anniversaries, birthdays, Christmas’†¦etc. To put it nicely, criminals do not take the holidays off, neither do those that protects us. What I like the most about Deputy Miller’s career title is the interactions with the media and the community. She gets to write stories from the police point of view so that the public can read about what’s going on in their community.Some offices will even be present at a homeowner’s association meeting, asking a lot of questions and taking detail notes to find out about the co mmunity concerns, crime or quality-of-life issues in the neighborhood. I was very surprised to find out that Deputy Miller never had to use deadly force out of her twenty-four years as a deputy sheriff. A very small percentage of officers have used deadly force. Upbringing has a profound impact on the level of tolerance you have for bad behavior. If you had strict parents, than your tolerance for bad behavior is low. If your arents are liberal, your tolerance is probably much higher. Having a strong sense of morals and ethics can guide you for a lifetime. Being a law enforcement officer, family life, morals, ethics, and culture mold an individual’s ability to make a decision to use deadly force along with having confidence.References Deputy Karen J. Miller (personal interview), (Jan. 29,2010). Liaison Officer Job Description: http://www. ehow. com/facts_5559182_liaison-officer-job-description. html Your Personal Deadly force Policy: Operations & Tactics at Office. com, http:/ /www. officer. com/article/article. jsp? siteSection=3&id=32241.

Night World : Secret Vampire Chapter 16

â€Å"You have got to be kidding,† Poppy said. Phil just gaped. â€Å"No. I'm perfectly serious. You're witches of thesecond kind. Remember what I told you?† â€Å"There are the kind of witches that know theirheritage and get trained-and the kind that don't.Who just have powers. And humans call that kind-â€Å" â€Å"Psychics!† James chorused with her. â€Å"Telepaths.Clairvoyants,† he went on alone. There was something in his voice between laughing and crying.†Poppy, that's what youare. That's why you picked up on telepathy so quickly. That's why you had clair voyant dreams.† â€Å"And that's why Phil heard me,† Poppy said. â€Å"Oh, no,† Phil said. â€Å"Not me. Come on.† â€Å"Phil, you're twins,† James said. â€Å"You have the same ancestors. Pace it, you're a witch. That's why I couldn't control your mind.†Ã¢â‚¬ Oh, no,†Phil said. â€Å"No.†He flopped back in his seat. â€Å"No,†he said again, but more weakly. â€Å"But whose side do we get it from?† Poppy wondered. â€Å"Dad's. Of course.† The voice from the backseatwas very faint. â€Å"Well, that would seemlogical, but-â€Å" â€Å"It's the truth. Don't you remember how Dad wasalways talking about seeing weird things? Havingdreams about things before they happened? And,Poppy, he heard you yell in yourdream. When you were calling for James. James heard it, and I heardit, and Dad heard it, too.† â€Å"Then that settles it. Oh, and it explains otherthings about all of us-all those times we've had feelingsabout things-hunches, whatever. Even youhave hunches, Phil.† â€Å"I had one that James was creepy, and I wasright.† â€Å"Phill—â€Å" â€Å"And maybe a few others,† Phil said fatalistically.†I knew it was James driving up this afternoon. Ithought I just had a fine ear for car engines.† Poppy was shivering with delight and astonishment, but she couldn't quite understand James.James was absolutely beaming. Filled with unbelieving elation that she could feel like streamers andfireworks in the air. â€Å"What, James?† â€Å"Poppy, don't you see?† James actually pounded the steering wheel in joy. â€Å"It means that even before you became a vampire, youwere a Night Person.Asecret witch. You have every right to know about the Night World. You belong there.† The world turned upside down and Poppy couldn't breathe. At last she whispered. â€Å"Oh . . .† â€Å"And webelong together. Nobody can separate us.We don't have to hide.† â€Å"Oh†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Poppy whispered again. Then she said,†James, pull the car over. I want to kiss you.† When they were in motion once more, Phil said, â€Å"But where are you two going to go now? Poppycan't come home.† â€Å"I know,† Poppy said softly. She had accepted that.There was no going back for her; the old life wasover. Nothing to do but build a new one. â€Å"And you can't just wander around from place toplace,† Phil said, doggedly persistent. â€Å"We won't,† Poppy said calmly. â€Å"We'll go to Dad.† It was perfect. Poppy could feel James think, Ofcourse. They would go to her father, the always-late, always-impractical, always-affectionate parent. Herfather the witch who didn't know he was a witch.Who probably thought he was crazy when his powersacted up. He'd give them a place to stay, and that was all they needed, really. That and each other. The whole Night World would be open to them, whenever theywanted to explore it. Maybe they could come back and visit Thea sometime. Maybe they could dance atone of Thierry's parties. â€Å"If we can findDad, that is,† Poppy said, struck by sudden alarm. â€Å"You can,† Phil said. â€Å"He flew out last night, buthe left an address. For the first time.† â€Å"Maybe somehow he knew,† James said. They rode for a while, and then Phil cleared his throat and said, â€Å"You know, I just had a thought. I don't want any part of the Night World, you understand-I don't carewhat my heritage is. I just wantto live like a human-and I want everybody to bedear on that†¦.† â€Å"We're dear, Phil,† James interrupted. â€Å"Believeme. Nobody in the Night World is going to force youin. You can live like a human all you want as long as you avoid Night People and keep your mouth shut.† â€Å"Okay. Good. But here's my thought. I still don'tapprove of vampires, but it occurs to me that maybethey're not as completely bad as they seem. I mean,vampires don't treat their food any worse than humans do. When you think of what we do to cows †¦at least they don't breed humans in pens.† â€Å"I wouldn't bet on it,† James said, suddenly grim.†I've heard rumors about the olddays†¦.† â€Å"You always have to argue, don't you? But my other thought was that you're part of Nature, and Nature just is what it is. It's not always pretty, but †¦ well, it's Nature, and there it is.† He wound upglumly, â€Å"Maybe that doesn't make any sense.† â€Å"It makes sense to me,† James said, entirely serious. â€Å"And-thanks.† He paused to look back at Philinacknowledgment. Poppy felt a sting behind hereyes. If he admits we're part of Nature, she thought,then he doesn't believe we're unnatural anymore. It meant a lot. She said, â€Å"Well, you know, I'vebeen thinking, too.And it occurs to me that maybe there are otherchoices for feeding besides just jumping on humans when they don't expect it. Like ‘ animals. I mean, isthere any reason their blood won't work?† â€Å"It's not the same as human blood,† James said.†But it's a possibility. I've fed on animals. Deer aregood. Rabbits are okay. Possums stink.† â€Å"And then there must be somepeople who'd bewilling donors. Thea was a donor for me. We could ask other witches.† â€Å"Maybe,† James said. He grinned suddenly. â€Å"Iknew a witch back home who was verywilling. Nameof Gisele. But you couldn't ask them to do it everyday, you know. You'd have to give them time to recover.† â€Å"I know, but maybe we could alternate. Animals one day and witches the next. Hey, maybe even werewolves on weekends!† â€Å"I'd rather bite a possum,† James said. Poppy socked him in the arm. â€Å"The point is, maybewe don't have to be horrible bloodsucking monsters.Maybe we can be decentbloodsucking monsters.† â€Å"Maybe,† James said quietly, almost wistfully. â€Å"Hear, hear,† Phil said very seriously from theback. â€Å"And we can do it together,† Poppy said to James. He took his eyes off the road to smile at her. Andthere was nothing wistful about his gaze. Nothingcool or mysterious or secretive, either. â€Å"Together,† he said out loud. And mentally headded, Ican't wait. With that telepathy of yoursyourealize what we can do, don't you? Poppy stared, then felt an effervescent rush that almost shot her out of the car. Oh, James-do youthink? I'm certain. The only thing that makes exchanging blood so special is that it enhances telepathy. But you don't needany enhancementyou little dreamer. Poppy sat back to try and still her heart. They would be able to join their minds again. Anytime they wanted. She could imagine it, being sweptinto James's mind, feeling him surrender histhoughts to hers. Merging like two drops of water. Together in a waythat humans could never know. I can't wait, either,she told him. Ithink I'm going tolike being a witch. Phil cleared his throat. â€Å"If you guys want someprivacy.. .† â€Å"We can't have any,† James said. â€Å"Not with youaround. Obviously.† â€Å"I can't help it,† Phil said through his teeth.†You're the ones who're yelling.† â€Å"We're not yelling. You're snooping.† â€Å"Both of you give it a rest,† Poppy said. But she felt warm and glowing all over. She couldn't resistadding to Phil, â€Å"So, if you're willing to give us someprivacy, that means you trust James alone withyour sister†¦.† â€Å"I didn't saythat.† â€Å"You didn't have to,† Poppy said. She was happy. It was very late the next day. Almost midnight, infact. The witching hour. Poppy was standing in a place she'd thought she'd never see again, her mother's bedroom. James was waiting outside with a carload of stuff,including one large suitcase of Poppy's CDs, smuggledfor them by Phil. In a few minutes James and Poppywould be heading for the East Coast and Poppy'sfather. But first, there was something Poppy had to do. She glided quietly toward the king-size bed, making no more noise than a shadow, not disturbing either of the sleepers. She stopped by her mother'sstill form. She stood looking down, and then she spoke withher mind. I know you think this is a dream, Mom. I know youdon't believe in spirits. But I had to tell you that I'm allright. I'm all right, and I'm happy, and even if you don'tunderstand, please try to believe. Just this once, be!ieve in what you can't see. She paused, then added, Ilove you, Mom. I alwayswill. When she left the room, her mother was stillasleep—andsmiling. Outside, Phil was standing by the Integra. Poppyhugged him and he hugged back, hard. â€Å"Goodbye,† she whispered. She got into the car.James stuck his hand out the window toward Phil. Phil took it without hesitation. â€Å"Thank you,† James said. â€Å"For everything.† â€Å"No, thank you.†Phil said. His smile and his voicewere both shaky. â€Å"Take care of her. . . and of yourself.† He stepped back, blinking. Poppy blew him a kiss. Then she and James droveoff together into the night.