Heightening Market Competition at Oregon Company Case Study

Heightening Market Competition at Oregon Company - Case Study Example Oregon Company, established in 2000, is in financial crisis and needs an urgent strategic decision from the management. The company is sinking deep in the pit of financial anguish facing the economy and its clients are struggling for their survival. The new CEO, Doug Graves is focused on restoring the Company’s glory days by focusing on the marketing strategies of the firm and expanding its scope of operation by bringing in new income generators. However, differing opinions in the company’s management board concerning what strategies should be adopted present a challenging situation in choosing the best path for the company’s recovery and survival in the future. In the case, the company has a business model that focuses on establishing the long-term relationship with its clients. The company’s customer retention rate is over 93 percent, which is a perfect platform for revenue generation. The higher the rate of customer retention for a company, the higher w ill be the market share and hence the rate of revenue generation (Samanta & IGI Global, 2014; Williams & Curtis, 2008). Unlike its competitors, Oregon Company markets website products to client association, ensuring bulk purchase, thus lower cost of purchasing for customers, $5,000 against competitors’ $20,000 to $100, 000 purchase prices. This boosts the buying power of its clients, assuming competitors do not engage in price wars. Site design assistance to clients also positions the company above its competitors. The company also has an edge over its competitors in identifying clients associations and thus easy market targeting. However, it takes a long time to generate a new website for clients despite the fact that most activities are mechanized. This, in turn, affects customer service efficiency (Verma, 2012).

Stock marketing and the great depression Movie Review - 1

Stock marketing and the great depression - Movie Review Example In this movie, it is revealed that the creators of this model were two Nobel Peace Prize winners in Economics in the year 1997. Through out this documentary, I was impressed by the manner in which the characters sought to highlight and build upon the key themes. For instance, these Nobel Prize winners are noted to have engaged the formula which seemed to have worked well for them until 1 year later when their Long Term Capital Management hedge fund collapsed thus, forcing them to stagger with a debt of $100 billion. In this regard, it is prudent to note that apart from all the speculations that have been aired regarding the same, the collapse was due to a significant leverage in the strategy which they employed. So basically, I noted that the whole concept in this documentary was about the failure of the Long Term Capital Management hedge fund in the year 1998. First, the movie started by describing the stock exchange market at that particular time in relation to the psychological views that were held by different traders of the same market. More particularly, I am impressed at this point by the argument of how traders sell in the market. For instance, the fearful ones are seen as rushing in to sell all their stocks, a clear contrast of the greedy buyers who rush in to buy and accumulate the same stocks for speculation purposes. Thus, this behavior depicts the market as one purely based on irrational emotion. In my view, this notes that should a trader be willing to walk the path of success in the market, he would need to master the public’s psychoanalysis opinion on the nature of the market. Through this, a trader can be able to correctly predict the market movements and benefit from them (Beaudreau 70). However, as the movie progresses, the notion above is greatly contrasted by the views of academicians who perceive the stock market as a random walk with no defined or precise method to predict its

Security Assessment and Recommendations Essay Example for Free

Security Assessment and Recommendations Essay Company Overview Aircraft Solutions (AS) is a recognized leader in the design and fabrication of component products and services for companies in the electronics, commercial, defense, and aerospace industry. Located in Southern California, AS has a dedicated, trained workforce and maintains a large capacity plant and extensive equipment to meet customer requirements. Much of the equipment is automated to increase production while reducing costs. The companys workforce has a large skill base: design engineers, programmers, machinists, and assembly personnel to work its highly-automated production systems. The mission of AS is to provide customer success through machined products and related services, and to meet cost, quality, and schedule requirements. The company strategy is to offer low-cost design and computer-aided modeling packages to customers to reduce their development expenses. AS will help the customer through all phases of new product deployment, from initial prototypes through final large-volume production and assembly. By involving itself in all phases of customer product development, AS hopes to establish long-term relationships and secure repeated follow-on business with its customers. In addition, AS continues to invest heavily in workforce education and training, so as to improve capability to serve its customers. Company Geographic Layout Aircraft Solutions headquarters is in San Diego, California. The Commercial Division (CD) is 40 miles east in San Diego County. The Defense Division (DD) is located in Orange County in the city of Santa Ana, California. These geographic locations are close to intermodal transport hubs that have global reach. Products can be easily shipped anywhere in the world by combined truck, rail, ship, and air transportation methods. The system administrators are members of an information technology (IT) group within the organization. They are responsible for selecting and installing hardware, software and related upgrades, implementing information security measures, and maintaining support to ensure the manufacturing execution system is working properly. They also are heavily involved in training the workforce to use and interact with the information systems. Their duties include planning for and responding to emergency events such as power outages, attempts at cyber-attack, and natural disasters. The users at AS are employees, customers, suppliers, and contractors who need to access the company network. System access by users at different levels of the network is set strictly on a need-to-know basis. Controls are in place to secure confidential and proprietary information from unauthorized access. Users are responsible for entering and processing data and information, such as generating reports to be used for decision-making. Business Process AS uses Business Process Management (BPM) to handle end-to-end processes that span multiple systems and organizations. The BPM system is designed to connect customers, vendors, and suppliers to share information and maintain a timely business dialogue. BPM also aligns internal business operations with IT support to maintain production in support of customer requirements. Business process effectiveness begins with the IT organization. Customer data such as project information, computer-aided design and development models are sorted and stored in designated servers. The Design Engineering department is responsible for reviewing the electronic models, interacting with the customer and making necessary modifications with customer approval, then placing them in an Engineering Release (ER) directory for programming. As soon as these electronic models are released, programmers use them to create production programs. All final programs must be thoroughly verified for accuracy before releasing to the Proof For Production (PFP) directory for manufacturing to make the production first article. From the production floor, machinists download PFP programs directly to their DCNC (Direct Computer Numerical Control) machines for execution. After any further processing, completed products are inspected for verification to customer requirements, then they are moved to the Shipping department for delivery. A continuous improvement and feedback loop system is in used to correct any deficiencies in the production process. The BPM system is capable of handling multiple projects simultaneously across every department of the company. BPM is set up to manage all aspects of business operations, including accounting, human resources, sales and marketing, and compliance activities concurrently. Current IT Architecture The figures shown below depict the current IT architecture and present network infrastructure of Aircraft Solutions. Security Controls in Place The current security controls include independent anti-virus software on every workstation and server, host-based intrusion detection systems on the servers in the corporate office. Security policy requires that all firewalls and router rule sets are evaluated every two years and that all local servers are backed up to network attached storage devices maintained at the server location. Scenario Two Company Overview Quality Web Design (QWD) is an organization that specializes in Web site and Web content design for all types of businesses. QWDs mission is to provide top quality Web design that will increase consumer generated revenue to QWDs customer Web sites. QWDs database contains over 250,000 proprietary images and graphical designs that will enhance most Web sites appeal to a target demographic. Business Processes Quality Web Design has several mission critical business processes. First is the use of the repository of Web site templates, custom written scripts and/or custom applications. This repository is stored in a Microsoft Visual Studio Team Foundation Service (TFS) server. This application is used to monitor the project development lifecycle of custom Visual Studio applications from inception to deployment, including the quality assurance testing phase. Other critical business processes are QWDs accounting, payroll and Marketing operations all of which are supported by IT assets. There are strict technology-based access controls associated with each of these systems to ensure that only authorized personnel can access them. Security Controls There is a published corporate security manual that covers the following security practices. Username standard including having a separate account for any elevated privileges. Password length, complexity, rotation and history requirements. Data classification levels depend upon what type of data each system contains and security group accounts control access to each data classification level. Security training is also describe and required communications quarterly and annual training classes.

Bermuda Triangle as a Mythical Geographic Area Essay -- Bermuda Triang

Bermuda Triangle as a Mythical Geographic Area The Bermuda triangle is a mythical geographic area. It is believed to extend from the tip of Florida to Bermuda and to Puerto Rico. Over 100 planes and ships have disappeared in the last century. There are many theories about what might cause the disappearances of theses ships and planes. Scientist have come to believe that the most possible theory has something to do with the climate change such as tsunamis, hurricanes or waterspouts. The other theory is that the compasses point to the True North and not the Magnetic North. There are other less likely theories but it depends on whether a person believes or not. There is also the theory that Atlantis might have sunk where the Bermuda Triangle is located and that the Atlanteans technology is so advanced that they are disintegrating our ships and planes. People think that the aliens have chosen certain spots to abduct people and do experiments on. Scientist also believe that the Bermuda Triangle might be something like a black hole whi ch takes people to a different dimension or a time warp. Scientist have come to believe that when the ships and airplanes fly through the triangle that a hurricane, tsunami or a waterspout might have swallowed the ships. There have been a few times where empty and intact ships have washed ashore but the only thing found was either a dog or cat, but no humans whatsoever. Waterspouts might spin up to a speed of 150 MPH but they usually won’t last longer than 10 minutes. Yet these waterspouts have the power rip ships in half and destroy airplanes. Tsunamis can reach speeds of 600 MPH and reach heights of 100 feet. The possibility of a tsunami being responsible for the disappearances is low because tsunamis are usually visible on land. Hurricanes can swallow a ship but it’s not usual for it to swallow an airplane. A ship being swallowed possible but the problem is if they in fact really do get destroyed what happens to the remains of the ships and the people? This leaves many scientist puzzled if climate changes are responsible f or the disappearances then why haven’t any remains been found. The next theory is that when the compasses are in a certain place on earth such as the Bermuda Triangle they point to the truth north instead of the magnetic north like normal. This causes many ships and airplanes to go many miles away from wher... ... a time warp and cannot get out, or they might have entered another dimension. If this is what is happening to the people in ships and planes maybe that’s why there are no remains they might have moved to another unknown dimension or might be stuck in a time warp. In Conclusion I believe that the best explanation is that these airplanes and ships are being misdirected because of the true north versus the magnetic north theory. Maybe the ships and planes become deviated because of their compass that they become lost and the weather just is not easy to survive in so they are never found. They other possibility is that they go so deep into the ocean that its hard for them to go anywhere because their compasses do not work. This is what I think because of the research that I have done. Bibliography Berlitz, Charles (1974) The Bermuda Triangle an Incredible Saga of Unexplained Disappearances. New York: Doubleday & Company Inc. Gaffron, Norma (1988) The Bermuda Triangle Great Mysteries Opposing Viewpoints. Minnesota: Greenhaven Press Inc. Kusche, Lawrence David. (1975) The Bermuda Triangle Mystery Solved. New York: Harper & Row Publishers Inc. www.bermuda-triangle.org

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts :: essays research papers

Krispy Kreme Donuts, Inc. Since Krispy Kreme was founded in 1937, it has grown into a leading branded specialty retailer, producing more than 5 million doughnuts a day and over 1.8 billion a year. In addition to Krispy Kreme stores, their premium quality doughnuts are sold in supermarkets, convenience stores and other retail outlets throughout the country. Best known for their fresh, glazed, yeast-raised doughnuts, known as "Hot Original Glazed†, Krispy Kreme also make more than a dozen other varieties of yeast-raised and cake doughnuts. But the company is currently going through financial turmoil along with possible earnings management. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts recently announced that they are slashing 125-130 jobs, the vast majority in Winston-Salem. The company is eliminating one-fourth of their staff in order to cut costs. Also, they recently sold their corporate jet to a Wilmington company for $30.5 million. It is evident that the donut empire is suffering from liquidity and cash flow problems. Some investor argue that they didn’t see this coming because the once highly profitable, ever expanding company, seemed incapable of fiscal failure. The layoff shows that they have experienced a major downturn in the past year. Less than two years ago, Krispy Kreme’s shares sold for $50 and are currently selling for $7.21. The bottom line is that Krispy Kreme must revamp sales in order to increase cash flow or they will not make it. Their board of directors said that the downsizing would create an annual pretax savings of about $7.4 million; they will take a restructuring charge in their fiscal first quarter to pay for the work force reduction. The company also stated that selling the jet will result in annual pretax savings of $3 million; but it will have to take a $300,000 charge in its current fiscal first quarter because of the deal. Also in January, Krispy Kreme's long-term debt lenders contracted to extend for two months to March 25, 2005, the date on which the company would be in default on its $150 million credit agreement. This agreement restricts the company from borrowing any money until repaid. Kripsy Kreme is witnessing the results of a low-carbohydrate phase combined with expanding too fast; plunging profit, crumbling stock price, its accounting is under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission (because they have yet to file quarterly reports that were due February 1,2 005), and it is the subject of various

Unit 1 Cache Level 3 in Childcare and Education

E1/E2 – Three different types of settings which provide care and education for children in the Birmingham area Primary School A primary school is a statutory sector which is funded by the government through payment of taxes. By law, this service must be made available to young children in the UK. The targeted age of children that attend Primary school ranges from 5 to 11 years of age. A Primary school is a structured environment which helps support young children to develop and perfect basic skills needed in life; some of which are: reading, writing, and social skills.Primary School starts at 9am and ends at 3:30pm depending on a breakfast or after school clubs. Like any other organization, there is an organizational structure by which each school must have. Within a Primary School, one will find a Head Teacher, Class Teachers, Dinner Ladies, Care Takers, Cleaners, Cooks, a Chef and also Teacher Assistants whom help to keep order and maintain a class room in a Teacher’s absence. Teachers within a Primary School are obligated by law to teach from the National Curriculum which is distributed to every Primary School. The ratio of teachers to children is twenty-eight to thirty.A primary school also helps support parents and families, for example; while the parents are at work their child and/or children are at school in a safe environment whilst gaining an education parents can work and provide a better quality of life for their families. Play group A play group is a voluntary sector. A voluntary sector is a service provided by organisations such as charities where some or all of their funding come from donations the practitioners here often give their time freely but must be trained to level 3 in childcare and education or working towards it.The age range of children in a play group is two to three years old and children have to be dry throughout the day (being potty trained). Play groups are free and are two hours a day twice a week and can be done anytime throughout the day. Staffs at play groups are voluntary. All the staff at a playgroup is trained to a Level 3 in Childcare and Education and is required to have a Criminal Record Bureau Check. With the play groups, parents have to stay and allowed to help but must have a Criminal Record Bureau Check also.This setting supports families in the community if they are feeling isolated mums can socialise and chat about problems that other mums may be experiencing too. A variety of activities are done in a play group (e. g. painting, story time, colouring time) helping children with their social skills which helps them in moving into educational nursery at 3 to 4 years old. Play groups are supportive for parents because they help Moms and Dads to share problems with other people with rather similar or same experiences, have a cup of tea or just talk with other parents.Private Day Nursery A private day nursery is a private sector which is a profit making service. A private day nurse ry opens from 7am and closes at about 6:30pm parents pay a weekly or monthly fee. The age range of children in a private day nursery is three months to five years old. The staff at a private day nursery â€Å"Nursery Officers† has to be trained in Level 3 Childcare and Education. Children within a private day nursery are split into four different age ranges.Three months to five months are in Baby Room where there is allowed one staff member to three babies. Twelve months to twenty-four months are in Toddle Room, two to three years old are in Tweenies and three to five years old are in Pre-School. A private day nursery help supports parents because it is more family orientated and the setting is very much like what parents do at home with their child or children (e. g. caring, bottle feeding, changing nappies).A private nursery also supports professional parents who can afford to pay to take their child to a day nursery and don’t have to give up their work (e. g. doctor s, entrepreneurs, nurses) to start a young family. E3- Describe the main legislation in your country that supports the rights of children. There are four main Legislation that deal with children’s welfare within the Birmingham City that supports the rights of children and these Legislations are: Children Act 1989- (Partnership with parents is crucial)The Children Act 1989 introduced â€Å"parental responsibility† not just parental rights so therefore statutory services like schools and nurseries must include â€Å"Partnership with Parents† Within my setting and by the Children Act 1989 that came in to force in England and Wales in 1991 it is important for the practitioner to be in partnership with parents. This is to ensure that the needs, interest and decisions of the child comes first and are being met. Also, it is by law that parents be responsible and knows everything about their child when they are away from them or home.This can be done by having a two way relationship with parents for example parent’s evenings, this is when staff discusses children’s progress open days so parents can come in be welcomed and look around their child’s school or nursery. There can be coffee mornings, sharing information or just giving feedback to parents when they pick their child up from school at the end of the day. The welfare of the child is paramount and that is why partnership with parents is crucial.Many schools and nurseries also have bi-lingual staff for children who do not speak English fluently so that the parents are fully aware of what is going on in a school at all times this helps to meet the Equal Opportunity policy of the setting. Children Act 2004- (Stay Safe) The five outcomes of Every Child Matters are the central focus of the Children Act 2004. This Act is the amendment of the Children Act 1989 which came about because of the death of Victoria Climbie who was tortured and murdered in 2000 by her great Aunt and even though lots of professionals dealt with the case it still led to her death.The Lord Laming Inquiry made changes in schools because he felt that organisations were not working together to support young venerable children in the setting. The Children Act 2004 was made to ensure that services for children and young people worked together to make sure children are safe and their well-being is adhere to. For example one of the outcomes is â€Å"Stay Safe† in Every Child Matters and is of utmost importance. Within my setting as a practitioner you are to make sure that children within the setting are safe by following the Health and Safety policies.For example, knowing what allergies as a practitioner that a children or children may have within your setting or making sure that the right person â€Å"Parental Responsibility† picks them up from school at the end of the day. Childcare Act 2006- (Local authorities must improve the outcomes for all children under (5) five. Th ey must take the lead role to meet the needs of working parents, in particular those on low incomes and disabled children). The Childcare Act 2006 came into force from Autumn 2007. The main part of this Act is the establishment of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights.The (EYFS) Early Years Foundation Stage came out of the Childcare Act 2006. The main reasons why the Childcare Act 2006 came into force were: To ensure that local authorities improve the outcomes for children and young people under (5) five years and this must be available despite the area in which they live. This affected the curriculum taking into account children’s rights and backgrounds for example the EYFS is taken into account and reformed simplified children and early year’s regulations farceur to reduce bureaucracy and focus on raising equality.Schools made sure children were heard their cultures celebrated for example displays were bi-lingual Sure Start centres supported families that were in deprived areas whilst mum was in the setting learning English for example a child could go to the playgroup at the same time. If a mum could learn English she could gain employment and this seemed to be the idea to help and support the whole family. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child – (Enough Food and clean water for their needs) UN Convention on the Rights of the Child 1991The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child grants all children and young people (aged 17 and under) a complete set of rights. This legislation was authorized on the 16th December 1991 and it came into force in the UK on 15 January 1992. This legislation ensures that the children and young people’s rights are upheld, giving them the rights to: protection and assistance, access to educational and health services, to develop their personalities and abilities to their fullest potential, live in a happy environment with love and care and understand their rights.This helps pre vent children from being miss treated, abused and neglected from their basic needs and rights, therefore providing them with the support and opportunities that each child/young person should rightfully have. Article 28 â€Å"A child’s right to education with access to equal opportunities. † So as with other children’s laws, schools must take into account culture, different religions, and language barriers so that all children regardless of their ability can be fully included in their setting. http://www. dcsf. gov. uk/everychildmatters/strategy/strategyandgovernance/uncrc/unitednationsconventionontherightsofthechild/ (accessed on)E4- Describe the recognise principles and values that underpin working with children. Two recognised principles and values that underpin working with children are: The CACHE Statements of values to reflect the early year’s sector’s standards of conduct. The CACHE values are important as they represent the professional way of how professionals and practitioner should work with children, young people and their families. A CACHE value that underpins working with children is, ‘Honour the confidentiality of information relating to the child and their family, unless its disclosure is required by law or is in the best interest of the child. It is by law that the practitioner and professionals follow and sign the Data Protection Act 1998. This is to ensure the protection of personal information and the information stored on a person must not be given out without that person saying so. Also, nor should it be kept for longer than necessary. Whatever is said within a setting stays in a setting in doing so, practitioners must be aware of the information you give out too. For example all documents are kept under lock and key in the staff office and only looked at on a â€Å"need to know† basis for example in a case where a child is at risk of abuse.Keeping the child’s information confidential is to ensure the safety of that child but also, some information for the child must be given to ensure the child’s health is not at risk for example, if that child has an allergy to certain foods or is an asthmatic this information needs to be shared with staff that deal with that child so they can support the child if they have an attack. Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) – ‘A Unique Child’ As a practitioner it is your duty and responsibility to treat each all children in the setting as individuals therefore a ‘Unique Child’.Children are all different and have different religions, backgrounds, race, and personalities and celebrate different events. The diversity of persons and communities is highly valued and respected. Neither child nor family should be discriminated against. Within many settings there are children who have Special Educational Needs (SEN) and English as an Additional Language (EAL). It is then there when you as a practitio ner to ensure that Equality and Diversity is shown. Throughout the setting and ensure that children regardless of ability enjoy a full educational life which will help them take part in society and develop as an individual.You as a practitioner must also encourage children to recognise their own unique qualities and their characteristics and share them with others. In return, this can help the setting and the children within the setting understand and accept the differences of others and respect them. Also within the schools they are to ensure that children’s needs are being met, by bringing in other professionals to help with the child. Within my setting, a speech and language therapist came in to work with one of the children within my setting because the child has dyspraxia and in doing so she comes every other week.Being the student practitioner the placement supervisor in my setting let me set one day and observe and learn about what she does with the child so that when she isn’t there I can help and work with her that the child to help them with Specific Mind imperilment, Building Language Develop and Speech Work with Vowels Sounds, using big mouth pictures and other activities. E5- (throughout) E6 – Describe three (3) professional skills that will support your work with children. Member of a team Practitioners must work as a member of a team. Practitioners who work well together make it happy, organised and easy going.Where team members work together well it is important to ensure that the individuality of children’s needs is being met. Practitioners know the procedure and routines that are to be done within the setting for example, if a staff member is ill or just feeling very poorly, other staff can easily fill in or cover for her knowing the procedures to be taken place. As a practitioner being an effective member of a team is important to make it easy going, share knowledge and information but not only that, but to show a nd set an example to children of working as a team and making a positive contribution to your setting as good role models.Communication Skills There are three types of communication verbal non-verbal and written. Practitioners speak to parents with respect no use of jargon or rudeness they may not know childcare as detailed as staff members. If there is any kind of language barriers then an interpreter will be supporting the parent as everyone must be included within the setting. Also, nonverbal communication is gestures for example a smile to greet a parent or child in the morning is important as is the Dress code wearing a uniform to look professional gives a good impression to everyone.Written communication will be in the forms of letters again these should be bi-lingual and represent all the children’s languages that attend the setting. Communication skills are also relevant to ensure that the children’s safety and security are maintained within their homes and at school. Having the skill to put the child’s needs first It is important that a child’s needs are recognised and prioritised early. Practitioners should be able to empathise with the child in order for the situation to be resolved as it provides understanding and recognition of individual needs of a child.If a child had a new baby in their family for example and their behaviour changed this could be resolved in the setting if the practitioner used play, in the role play area the child could play with the baby dolls discuss their feelings one to one with the practitioner and the practitioner could encourage the parents to help the child by asking the child to help with changing baby for example to make the child feel important and raise their self-esteem. Also an ethical issue which should be abided with at all times when working with children is confidentiality.Staff should never gossip about children in front of others information should be kept under â€Å"lock and k ey† in the setting and only available to staff on a â€Å"Need to know† basis for example if there was a concern over a child in the practitioners care. Children have many different backgrounds therefore to feel their needs are first the setting should welcome their culture, background and religion and celebrate it. A child who has their background in the setting e. g. Cultural Displays or books that are bi-lingual for children for whom English is an additional language will feel very much valued by the practitioners in the setting.Interpersonal Skills As a practitioner interpersonal skills is an everyday life skill that we are to use to interact with parents, other practitioners and other professionals. This skill not only includes communicating, but also helps with our self-confidence and the ability to listen and understand. Problem solving, making decisions and personal stress management are also deliberated as interpersonal skills. Being aware of your interpersonal skills can help you improve and develop being more perceived as calm, confident and charismatic. These qualities are often appealing to others.E7- Three Study Skills that can support you’re learning during training. Time Management As a practitioner it is essential to have good time management skills. In order to be punctual, be a positive role model, meet assignment deadlines, and prepare for an exam or to plan, one must have good time management skills. Developing time management skills is a journey and needs practice and guidance along the way. Time management skills help student practitioners to become aware of how they use their time wisely for example in organizing, prioritizing and succeeding in their studies.In the setting for example the staff need the trainee students to arrive on time so that they can set them routines or prepare the setting for the children to arrive this gives a good impression to parents, children and colleagues. Research Skills While on placem ent as a student or practitioner, it is important to have good research skills. In order to do so, you must be able to find good solution or sources needed to find any relevant information. Some sources of information are internet websites, leaflets and journals, libraries, magazines and newspapers, books and museums.By looking at these forms of information the trainee practitioner can then find out current information on childcare issues especially for assignments. Learning Styles As a practitioner and student, it is important to know that everyone processes information differently and learns individually too. It is important that you notice the way in which you learn and study. These traits are referred to as learning styles. Knowing your learning style can support you when revising or learning for tests. There are three types of learning tyles often used or talked about which are: †¢Auditory – learn by listening. †¢Kinaesthetic- learns by moving or doing †¢V isual- learns by watching As kinaesthetic learner, I process information and knowledge easily by physical sensations and communicate using body languages and gestures. I like to show people how to do something than telling them and enjoys feeling and touching things. D1 – Explain why the practitioner should develop and maintain appropriate relationships with parents and other professionals.As a practitioner maintaining appropriate relationships with parents, students and other professionals is important. One of the most relevant skills is learning how to stay professional while being friendly. Children Maintaining appropriate relationships with children is crucial often practitioners will get down to a child’s level have eye contact and are approachable. The practitioner needs to build up a close bond with the child but not take over or try to be a parent. The reasons practitioners build a relationship are to build trust and raise a child’s confidence.It is impo rtant to bond with a child so they can discuss anything that is bothering them e. g. not being able to complete work or worrying about a home situation. If the practitioner knows the child is falling behind in their work they can get support from other professionals if needs be such as a child psychologist to ensure that the child reaches their full potential. Ultimately a child needs to be happy in their setting and want to be there so the practitioner should be caring and supportive at all times. Parents Having appropriate relationships with parents is very important.The term ‘friendly but not friends’, is often used when having professional relationships with parents. â€Å"Partnership with parents† is crucial and that is why appropriate relationships are needed to meet the Every Child Matters outcomes/Children Act 2004 by law. Practitioners need to include parents so if they are worried they can discuss issues with the practitioner parents need to feel practi tioners consider their needs for example if parents wish their child to be vegetarian due to religious views the setting must make sure this is in place.Trust is important so staff follows the confidentiality policy and signs this when they start at the setting, if staff â€Å"gossip† about parents then trust would not be formed and parents would not share vital information with the practitioners. Often there are coffee mornings open days and parents at the setting who come in to support the children all must have a CRB. Other Professionals Having an appropriate relationship with other professionals is not only by law of the Children Act 2004, but to help the practitioner ensure of the safety policies for children within the setting.There are many other professionals that help to ensure that children reach their full potential which are translators, speech therapist, psychologist and much more as practitioners are not trained in every area of childcare. Other practitioners co me with a range of skills to support children with differing needs they often share skills and knowledge and are able with meetings to discuss and plan for a child with special needs not only with students but with other professionals. Tassoni etal ( 2007 pg. 1) â€Å" â€Å"With many services coming together in a multi-agency approach, it is essential that everyone working with children and their families communicates well and understands their roles and responsibilities. † Respect should be part of this relationship as both the other professional and the practitioner need to work well to meet the needs of the child. The child needs support to be fully included in a setting and their parents are supported to in a â€Å"multi-professional† approach to care.For parents and children to get the best resources and support for aids in the home benefits, or activities within the setting the relationship between the practitioners must be excellent. For example if the practit ioner is supported this will give them job satisfaction knowing they can support a child. D2 – Discuss the characteristics of working in a multi-agency team. The term ‘multi-agency’ is when if a child who attends the setting has a disability they may need support this could be numerous professionals may be involved in the supporting of children and their families.With this type of approach used as support for children and their families, there are lots of benefits. Multi agency meets the needs of and supports individual children to be fully included in their nursery or school work or to support a parent in a stressful family circumstance. Many parents may feel isolated with a child who has special needs. Tassoni etal ( 2007 pg 11) â€Å" In practice, this may mean that parents may be able to leave their children in a nursery while in the same building or nearby they attend a parenting class or take a younger baby to the health clinic. In the setting a parent can have specialist training such as learning English as an additional language while their child is at the setting in the playgroup this then gives parents the chance to seek employment with their new skills. The ‘multi-agency approach’ having another professional is useful to the practitioner in helping children reach their full potential. For example if a speech and language therapist came into the setting they would support a child and the practitioner could pick up ideas to support the child within the setting.It also helps professionals and practitioners are aware of each other’s role, in supporting families giving job satisfaction communication is important by getting regular meetings or phoning parents to attend this would help support everyone. B – Explain why it is important that practitioners understand the limits and boundaries of their role when working with young children. Two reasons why it is important that practitioners understand the limits and boundaries of their role when working with young children are: Follow Policies and ProceduresWithin my setting practitioners should follow policies and procedures to ensure the safety or children because children are vulnerable and their safety is mandatory and conforming to legislation. Not only is it law to ensure the safety of the children but of the staff as well. To ensure the safety of children the â€Å"Every Child Matters† outcomes are also necessary to ensure a child’s safety. Some Policies and Procedure that the setting should follow are; †¢Health and Safety Policy †¢Equal Opportunities Policy †¢Safeguarding PoliciesTo ensure Health and Safety within my setting, at my placement, if a child has bumped their head, the practitioner goes directly and attends to the head bump, apply a cold compress to the head bump, write the accident into the medical or accident book, send a letter home to parents letting them know that their child has had a he ad bump today and tell the child’s parent to observe the child closely for 48 hours to see if the head bump has changed or worsen. Also if the bump is serious the child must be taken to casualty immediately by a designated staff member.Also, to ensure equal opportunity in my setting and at my placement, a practitioner should not treat children like they are all the same. They should treat children as a â€Å"unique child† and individuals. Therefore the setting will support children regardless of their background ability or culture and celebrate Diversity in displays in activities for example if there is a language barrier an interpreter would be needed for the child to translate no child should be disadvantaged because of their language. Conforming to Legislation Every setting should follow all childcare legislation including policies and procedures.When every member of staff starts at the setting they need to be made aware of the codes of practice. Within the setting, there is a code of practice that is a document with professional standards that the employee should meet which are: †¢keeping confidentiality †¢Dress code †¢arriving on time †¢Health and safety e. g. washing hands –being a good role model. When I started at my setting, I had to find out about a number of policies and procedure like health and safety, equal opportunities, and safe guarding so I knew what I had to do if anything happened.At my placement, to ensure safe guarding, if anything has happened to the child that is deemed the child is at risk, the safe guarding person should be contacted immediately. Also, for persons coming within my setting to work with children they should have a CRB Check, doors codes and most importantly practitioners should know who picks a child up at the end of the day for example who has â€Å"Parental Responsibility† Children Act 1989 /2004. Schools should know which parent has parental rights or parental responsib ility to ensure the child’s safety.If someone else is picking up a child the parents must inform the setting of this and state who is coming and they have a code to collect the child. This is part of safeguarding the child and makes sure no child is put at risk. Tassoni etal (2007 pg 100) â€Å"Every setting will have a child protection policy. You will need to find out whether you need to wear a badge, how to sign in and also in what situations you may work with children. † C – Explain why the early year’s practitioner should listen to children’s views and value their opinions. Self EsteemOnce a child has established what they think they are like, they then consider whether they are happy with the result. Having a high self-esteem is being happy about your where as having a low self-esteem one can feel as if they are not measuring up. As a practitioner you should always encourage and promote high self-esteem. Ways in which you can do so are by giv ing a child one to one help, praising them and most importantly listening to a child who isn’t happy and also, take time to support them. We can also do this by taking a child into another room, using a persona doll or just doing special activities with everyone in the class.Trust Children and young people must feel as if they can trust you as a practitioner. For young people, trust means knowing that someone believes you and is also approachable. As a practitioner children often need to build a close bonding relationship with you so the child can express their feelings and concerns with you so that the practitioner can help to or make them feel better. Culture It is relevant that not only are a child’s needs are met, but that their customs and wishes are fit of the parents. As a practitioner you are to be aware of that all children come from different backgrounds.The celebrating of different religions and events from different backgrounds should be celebrated within y our setting to promote equality and diversity. As a result, children will have different views and opinions and needs within the setting for example, in a Muslim’s religion, they don’t eat pork. As a practitioner you will need to make sure that they don’t eat pork but offer an alternative menu. Involving a child’s culture or religion within the setting with doing certain activities a child will feel the practitioner valuing their parent’s culture or religion and they will feel valued too because of this. Child ProtectionWithin every setting there is a child protection policy. As a practitioner it is relevant to be aware of how to keep children within the setting safe. By law (Children Act 1989) practitioners should work with partnership with other professionals and parents to keep children safe and ensure that they achieve their full potential. In keeping child safe, you would have to keep them from abuse. Children within the setting often tell pra ctitioners things that may raise concerns and you may have to relate it back to the Safe-guarding officer at the school but to ensure that you keep the children aware of what is going on.As a practitioner you are not allowed at some setting to be alone in a setting with a child for not only are you protecting the child, but you are protecting yourself as well. Some ways in which we can protect children within the setting are: * Having visitors sign in and out of the setting * Avoid physical contact with children * Looking around the placement before break time for any dangers within the setting * Knowing who picks up the child at the end of the day.

The Return: Midnight Chapter 3

Damon leaped. Somewhere in the middle of the leap Elena felt herself left to the whims of gravity. She tried to curl into a bal to take the impact on one buttock. What happened was strange – almost miraculous. She came down, right side up, on the opposite side of the couch from the plate of steak tartar. The plate did a little leap of its own, three or four inches, perhaps, and then settled back where it had been. Elena was also lucky enough to get a perfect view of the end of the heroic rescue – which involved Damon diving for the floor and grabbing the bottle of precious Black Magic wine just before it hit the ground and smashed. He might not have the kind of lightning-fast reflexes he had when he was a vampire, but he was stil far, far faster than an ordinary human. Leap holding girl, drop girl onto something soft, turn leap into dive, and at last instant grab bottle, just before it would hit. Amazing. But there was another way that Damon wasn't like a vampire anymore – he wasn't invincible to fal ing onto hard surfaces. Elena only realized this when she heard him gasp, trying to breathe and not being able to. She scrambled wildly in her mind for al the accidents she could remember with jocks, and – yes, recal ed one when Matt had had the wind completely knocked out of him. The coach had seized him by the col ar and thumped him on the back. Elena ran to Damon and grabbed him under the arms, rol ing him onto his back. She put al her strength into hauling him into a sitting position. Then she made a club of her hands. Pretending she was Meredith, who had been on the basebal team at Robert E. Lee High and had a .225 ERA, she swung as hard as she could at Damon, slamming her fists into his back. And it worked! Suddenly Damon was wheezing, and then breathing again. A born straightener of ties, Elena knelt and tried to rearrange his clothes. As soon as he could breathe properly, his limbs stopped being pliant under her fingers. He gently curled her hands into each other. Elena wondered if possibly they'd gone so far beyond words that they would never find them again. How had it al happened? Damon had picked her up perhaps because her leg was burned, or perhaps because he had decided Mrs. Flowers was the one with the star bal . She herself had said, â€Å"Damon, what are you doing?†Perfectly straightforward. And then halfway through the sentence she had heard for herself the â€Å"darling†and – but who would ever believe her? – it hadn't been connected with anything they had been doing earlier at al . It had been an accident, a slip of the tongue. But she'd said it in front of Bonnie, the one person most likely to take it seriously and personal y. And then Bonnie had been gone before she could even explain. Darling! When they had just started fighting again. It real y was a joke. Because he had been serious about just taking the star bal . She had seen it in his eyes. To cal Damon â€Å"darling†seriously, you would have to be – have to be†¦hopelessly†¦helplessly†¦desperately in†¦ Oh, God†¦ Tears began to run down Elena's cheeks. But these were tears of revelation. Elena knew she wasn't in her best form today. No real sleep for going on three days – too many conflicting emotions – too much genuine terror right now. Stil, she was terrified to find that something fundamental had changed inside her. It wasn't anything she had asked for. Al she had asked was that the two brothers stop feuding. And she had been born to love Stefan; she knew that! Once, he'd been wil ing to marry her. Wel , since then she'd been a vampire, a spirit, and a new incarnation dropped from the sky, and she could hope that one day he would be wil ing to marry the new Elena, too. But the new Elena was bewildered, what with her strange new blood that to vampires was like rocket fuel compared to the gasoline most girls carried about in their veins. With her Wings Powers, such as Wings of Redemption, most of which she didn't understand and none of which she could control. Although lately she had seen the beginning of a stance, and she knew it was for Wings of Destruction. That, she thought grimly, might be quite useful someday. Of course a number of them had already been helpful to Damon, who was no longer simply an al y, but an enemy-al y again. Who wanted to steal something that her whole town needed. Elena hadn't asked to fal in love with Damon – but, oh God, what if she already had? What if she couldn't make the feelings stop? What could she do? Silently, she sat crying, knowing that she could never say any of these things to Damon. He had a gift of farseeing and a level head in times of emotion, but not, as she knew al too wel , about this particular issue. If she told him what was in her heart, before she knew it, he would kidnap her. He would believe she had forgotten Stefan for good, as she had forgotten him briefly tonight. â€Å"Stefan,†she whispered. â€Å"I'm sorry†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She could never let Stefan know about it either – and Stefan was her heart. â€Å"We've got to get rid of Shinichi and Misao fast,†Matt was saying moodily. â€Å"I mean, I real y need to get into condition soon or Kent State's gonna send me back stamped ‘Reject.'†He and Meredith were sitting in Mrs. Flowers's warm kitchen nibbling on gingersnap cookies and watching her as she diligently worked at making beef carpaccio – the second of the two raw beef recipes in the antique cookbook she owned. â€Å"Stefan's doing so wel that in a couple of days we could even be tossing around the old pigskin,†he added, sarcasm edging his voice, â€Å"if everybody in town would just stop being crazy possessed. Oh, yeah, and if the cops would stop coming after me for assaulting Caroline.† At the mention of Stefan's name, Mrs. Flowers peeked into a cauldron that had been bubbling away on the stove for so long, and was now emitting such a fearsome odor that Matt didn't know who to pity more: the guy getting the huge pile of raw meat or the one who'd soon be trying to choke down whatever was in that cooking pot. â€Å"So – assuming you're alive – you're going to be glad to leave Fel ‘s Church when the time comes?†Meredith asked him quietly. Matt felt as if she had just slapped him. â€Å"You're joking, right?†he said, petting Saber with one tanned, bare foot. The huge beast was making a sort of growly purring sound. â€Å"I mean, before that, it's going to be great to throw a couple of passes to Stefan again – he's the best tight end I've ever seen – â€Å" â€Å"Or ever wil see,†Meredith reminded him. â€Å"I don't think many vampires go in for footbal , Matt, so don't even think of suggesting that he and Elena fol ow you to Kent State. Besides, I'l be right beside you, trying to get them to come to Harvard with me. And worse, we're both checkmated by Bonnie, because that junior col ege – whatever – is much closer to Fel ‘s Church and al the things around here they love.† â€Å"Al the things around here Elena loves,†Matt couldn't help correcting. â€Å"Al Stefan wants is to be with Elena.† â€Å"Now, now,†Mrs. Flowers said. â€Å"Let's just take things as they come, shal we, my dears? Ma ma says that we need to keep up our strength. She sounds worried to me – you know, she can't foresee everything that happens.† Matt nodded, but he had to swal ow hard before saying to Meredith, â€Å"So, you're eager to be off for the Ivied Wal s, I'm sure?† â€Å"If it wasn't Harvard – if I could just put it off for a year and keep my scholarship†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Meredith's voice trailed off, but the yearning in it was unmistakable. Mrs. Flowers patted Meredith's shoulder, and then said, â€Å"I wonder about dear Stefan and Elena. After al , with everyone thinking that she's dead, Elena can't live here and be seen.† â€Å"I think they've given up on the idea of going somewhere far, far away,†Matt said. â€Å"I'l bet that now they think of themselves as Fel ‘s Church's guardians. They'l get by somehow. Elena can shave her head.†Matt was trying for a light tone, but the words sank like lead bal oons as they left his mouth. â€Å"Mrs. Flowers was talking about college,†Meredith said in a tone just as heavy. â€Å"Are they going to be super-heroes at night and just veg out the rest of the time? If they want to go somewhere even next year, they need to be thinking about it now.† â€Å"Oh†¦wel , I guess there's Dalcrest.† â€Å"Where?† â€Å"You know, that little campus in Dyer. It's smal but the footbal team there is real y – wel , I guess Stefan wouldn't care how good they are. But it's only half an hour away.† â€Å"Oh, that place. Wel , the sports may be fantastic but it's sure not an Ivy, much less Harvard.†Meredith – unsentimental, enigmatic Meredith – sounded as if she had a stuffed-up nose. â€Å"Yeah,†Matt said – and just for a second took Meredith's slim, cold hand and squeezed it. He was even more surprised when she linked her chil ed fingers up with his, holding his hand. â€Å"Ma ma says whatever is fated to happen wil happen soon,†Mrs. Flowers said serenely. â€Å"The main thing, as I see it, is to save the dear, dear old town. As wel as the people.† â€Å"Of course it is,†Matt said. â€Å"We're going to do our best. Thank God we have somebody in town who understands Japanese demons.† â€Å"Orime Saitou,†Mrs. Flowers said with a little smile. â€Å"Bless her for her amulets.† â€Å"Yeah, both of them,†Matt said, thinking of the grandmother and mother who shared the name. â€Å"I think we're going to need a lot of those amulets they make,†he added grimly. Mrs. Flowers opened her mouth, but Meredith spoke, stil focused on thoughts of her own. â€Å"You know, Stefan and Elena may not have given up on their far, far away thing after al ,†she said sadly. â€Å"And since at this point none of us may even live to make it to our own col eges†¦Ã¢â‚¬ She shrugged. Matt was stil squeezing her hand when Bonnie dashed in the front door, keening. She tried to speed through the foyer toward the stairs, avoiding the kitchen, but Matt released Meredith and they both dashed up to block her. Instantly, everyone was in combat mode. Meredith grasped Bonnie's arm tightly. Mrs. Flowers came into the foyer, wiping her hands on a dish towel. â€Å"Bonnie, what happened? Is it Shinichi and Misao? Are we being attacked?†Meredith asked quietly but with the intensity to cut through hysteria. Something shot like a bolt of ice through Matt's body. No one real y knew where Shinichi and Misao were right now. Perhaps in the thicket that was al that was left of the Old Woods – perhaps right here at the boardinghouse. â€Å"Elena!†he shouted. â€Å"Oh, God, she and Damon are both out there! Are they hurt? Did Shinichi get them?† Bonnie shut her eyes and shook her head. â€Å"Bonnie, stay with me. Stay calm. Is it Shinichi? Is it the police?†Meredith asked. And to Matt: â€Å"You'd better check through the curtains there.†But Bonnie was stil shaking her head. Matt saw no police lights through the curtains. Nor did he see any sign of Shinichi and Misao attacking. â€Å"If we're not being attacked,†Matt could hear Meredith saying to Bonnie, â€Å"then what is happening?† Maddeningly, Bonnie just shook her head. Matt and Meredith looked at each other over Bonnie's strawberry curls. â€Å"The star bal ,†Meredith said softly, just as Matt growled, â€Å"That bastard.† â€Å"Elena won't tel him anything but the story,†Meredith said. And Matt nodded, trying to keep from his mind a picture of Damon casual y waving and Elena convulsing in agony. â€Å"Maybe it's the possessed kids – the ones who walk around hurting themselves or acting insane,†Meredith said, with a side glance at Bonnie, and squeezing Matt's hand very hard. Matt was bewildered and fumbled the cue. He said, â€Å"If that S.O.B. is trying to get the star bal , Bonnie wouldn't have run away. She's bravest when she's scared. And unless he's kil ed Elena she shouldn't be like this – â€Å" Which left Meredith the grim job of saying, â€Å"Talk to us, Bonnie,†in her most comforting big-sister voice. â€Å"Something must have happened to get you in this state. Just breathe slowly and tel me what you saw.† And then, in a torrent, words began to spil from Bonnie's lips. â€Å"She – she was cal ing him darling,†Bonnie said, gripping Meredith's other hand with both of hers. â€Å"And there was blood smeared al around on her neck. And – oh, I dropped it! The bottle of Black Magic!† â€Å"Oh, wel ,†Mrs. Flowers said gently. â€Å"No use crying over spil ed wine. We'l just have to – â€Å" â€Å"No, you don't understand,†Bonnie gasped. â€Å"I heard them talking as I came up – I had to go slow because it's so hard not to trip. They were talking about the star bal ! At first I thought they were arguing, but – she had her arms around Damon's neck. And al that stuff about him not being a vampire anymore? She had blood al over her throat and he had it on his mouth! As soon as I got there he picked her up and threw her so I couldn't see but he wasn't fast enough. She must have given the star bal to him! And she still was calling him ‘darling'!† Matt's eyes met Meredith's and they both flushed and looked away quickly. If Damon was a vampire again – if he had somehow gotten the star bal from its hiding place – and if Elena had been â€Å"taking food†to him just to give him blood†¦ Meredith was stil looking for a way out. â€Å"Bonnie – aren't you making too much of this? Anyway, what happened to Mrs. Flowers's tray of food?† â€Å"It was – al over the place. They'd just tossed it away! But he was was holding her with one hand under her knees and one under her neck, and her head was way back so that her hair was fal ing al over his shoulder!† There was a silence as everyone tried to imagine various positions that might correspond to Bonnie's last words. â€Å"You mean he was holding her up to steady her?†Meredith asked, her voice suddenly almost a whisper. Matt caught her meaning. Stefan was probably asleep upstairs, and Meredith wanted to keep it that way. â€Å"No! They – they were looking at each other,†Bonnie cried. â€Å"Looking. Into each other's eyes.† Mrs. Flowers spoke mildly. â€Å"But dear Bonnie – maybe Elena fel down and Damon had to just scoop her up.† Now Bonnie was speaking remorselessly and fluently. â€Å"Only if that's what's just happened to al those women on the covers of those romance books – what-d'you-cal -'ems?† â€Å"Bodice-rippers?†Meredith suggested unhappily when no one else spoke. â€Å"That's right! Bodice-rippers. That's how he was holding her! I mean, we al knew that something was going on with the two of them in the Dark Dimension, but I thought al that would stop when we found Stefan. But it hasn't!† Matt felt sick in the pit of his stomach. â€Å"You mean right now Elena and Damon are in there†¦kissing and stuff?† â€Å"I don't know what I mean!†Bonnie exclaimed. â€Å"They were talking about the star ball! He was holding her like a bride! And she wasn't fighting it!† With a chil of horror, Matt could see trouble, and he could see that Meredith could see it too. Even worse, they were looking in two different directions. Matt was looking upstairs, at the staircase, where Stefan had just appeared. Meredith was looking at the kitchen door, one glance at which showed Matt that Damon was entering the foyer. What was Damon doing in the kitchen? Matt wondered. We were there until a minute ago. And he was, what, eavesdropping from the den side? Matt gave the situation his best shot, anyway. â€Å"Stefan!†he said in a hearty voice that made him wince inwardly. â€Å"You ready for a little athlete's-blood nightcap?† A tiny part of Matt's mind thought: But just look at him. Only three days out of prison and he already looks like himself again. Three nights ago he was a skeleton. Today he just looks – thin. He's even handsome enough to make the girls al go crazy over him again. Stefan smiled faintly at him, leaning on the banister. In his pale face, his eyes were remarkably alive, a vibrant green that made them actual y shine like jewels. He didn't look upset, and that made Matt's heart twist for him. How could they tel him? â€Å"Elena is hurt,†Stefan said, and suddenly there was a pause – an utter silence – as every person froze in place. â€Å"But Damon couldn't help her, so he brought her to Mrs. Flowers.† â€Å"True,†Damon said coldly from behind Matt. â€Å"I couldn't help her. If I were stil a vampire†¦but I'm not. Elena has burns, mainly. Al I could think of was an ice pack or some kind of poultice. Sorry to disprove al your clever theories.† â€Å"Oh my heavens!†cried Mrs. Flowers. â€Å"You mean dear Elena's waiting right now in the kitchen for a poultice?†She hurried out of the foyer toward the kitchen. Stefan was stil coming down the stairs, cal ing, â€Å"Mrs. Flowers, she scalded her arm and leg – she says because Damon didn't recognize her in the dark and jostled her. And that he thought it was an intruder in his room, and nicked her throat with a knife. The rest of us wil be in the parlor if you need help.† Bonnie cried, â€Å"Stefan, maybe she's innocent – but he isn't! Even according to you, he burned her – that's torture – and he put a knife to her throat! Maybe he threatened her to make her tel us what we wanted to hear. Maybe she's stil a hostage right now and we don't know it!† Stefan flushed. â€Å"It's so hard to explain,†he said very softly. â€Å"And I keep trying to tune it out. But so far – some of my Powers have been growing†¦faster than my ability to control them. Most of the time I'm asleep, so it doesn't matter. I was asleep until a few minutes ago. But I woke up and Elena was tel ing Damon that Mrs. Flowers doesn't have the star bal . She was upset, and injured – and I could feel where she'd been injured. And then suddenly I heard you, Bonnie. You're a very strong telepath. Then I heard the rest of you talking about Elena†¦.† Oh my God. How insane, Matt was thinking. His mouth was babbling some â€Å"Sure, sure, our mistake†gibberish, and his feet fol owed Meredith's to the parlor as if they were attached to her Italian sandals. But the blood on Damon's mouth†¦ There had to be some mundane reason for the blood, too. Stefan had said that Damon had nicked Elena with a knife. As to how the blood got smeared around; wel , that actual y didn't sound like vampirism to Matt. He'd been a donor for Stefan at least a dozen times in the last days and the process was always very neat. It was strange, too, he thought, that it had never occurred to any of them that, even from the top of the house, Stefan might be able to hear their thoughts directly. Could he always do that? Matt thought, wondering at the same time whether Stefan was doing it right now. â€Å"I try not to listen to thoughts, unless I'm invited or I have a good reason,†Stefan said. â€Å"But when anybody mentions Elena, especial y if they sound upset – that I can't help. It's like when you're in a noisy place and you can barely hear, but when somebody says your name you hear it instantly.† â€Å"It's cal ed the Cocktail Party Phenomenon,†Meredith said. Her voice was quiet and remorseful as she was trying to calm the mortified Bonnie. Matt felt another tug at his heart. â€Å"Wel , you can cal it whatever you want,†he said, â€Å"but what it means is that you can listen in on our minds any time you like.† â€Å"Not any time,†Stefan said, wincing. â€Å"When I was drinking animal blood I wasn't strong enough unless I real y worked at it. By the way, it may please my friends to know that I'm going back to hunting animals by tomorrow or the next day, depending on what Mrs. Flowers says,†he added with a significant glance around the room. His eyes lingered on Damon, who was lounging against the wal by the window, looking disheveled and very, very dangerous. â€Å"But that doesn't mean I'l forget who saved my life when I was dying. For that I honor and thank them – and, wel , we'l have a party sometime.†He blinked hard and turned away. The two girls melted at once – even Meredith sniffled. Damon heaved an exaggerated sigh. â€Å"Animal blood? Oh, bril iant. Make yourself as weak as you can, little brother, even with three or four wil ing donors around you. Then, when it comes to the final showdown with Shinichi and Misao, you'l be about as effective as a piece of damp tissue paper.† Bonnie started. â€Å"Is there going to be a showdown†¦soon?† â€Å"As soon as Shinichi and Misao can manage it,†Stefan said quietly. â€Å"I think they'd rather not give me time to get wel . The whole town is supposed to go up in fire and ashes, you know. But I can't keep asking you and Meredith and Matt – and Elena – to donate blood. You've already kept me alive the last few days, and I don't know how to repay you for it.† â€Å"Repay us by getting as strong as you can,†Meredith said in her quiet, level voice. â€Å"But, Stefan, can I ask a few questions?† â€Å"Of course,†Stefan said, standing by a chair. He didn't sit himself until Meredith, with Bonnie almost in her lap, had sunk down on the love seat. Then he said, â€Å"Fire.†