Chapter 9 The Dark Mark

â€Å"Don't tell your mother you've been gambling,† Mr. Weasley implored Fred and George as they all made their way slowly down the purple-carpeted stairs. â€Å"Don't worry, Dad,† said Fred gleefully, â€Å"we've got big plans for this money. We don't want it confiscated.† Mr. Weasley looked for a moment as though he was going to ask what these big plans were, but seemed to decide, upon reflection, that he didn't want to know. They were soon caught up in the crowds now flooding out of the stadium and back to their campsites. Raucous singing was borne toward them on the night air as they retraced their steps along the lantern-lit path, and leprechauns kept shooting over their heads, cackling and waving their lanterns. When they finally reached the tents, nobody felt like sleeping at all, and given the level of noise around them, Mr. Weasley agreed that they could all have one last cup of cocoa together before turning in. They were soon arguing enjoyably about the match; Mr. Weasley got drawn into a disagreement about cobbing with Charlie, and it was only when Ginny fell asleep right at the tiny table and spilled hot chocolate all over the floor that Mr. Weasley called a halt to the verbal replays and insisted that everyone go to bed. Hermione and Ginny went into the next tent, and Harry and the rest of the Weasleys changed into pajamas and clambered into their bunks. From the other side of the campsite they could still hear much singing and the odd echoing bang. â€Å"Oh I am glad I'm not on duty,† muttered Mr. Weasley sleepily. â€Å"I wouldn't fancy having to go and tell the Irish they've got to stop celebrating.† Harry, who was on a top bunk above Ron, lay staring up at the canvas ceiling of the tent, watching the glow of an occasional leprechaun lantern flying overhead, and picturing again some of Krum's more spectacular moves. He was itching to get back on his own Firebolt and try out the Wronski Feint†¦.Somehow Oliver Wood had never managed to convey with all his wriggling diagrams what that move was supposed to look like†¦.Harry saw himself in robes that had his name on the back, and imagined the sensation of hearing a hundred-thousand-strong crowd roar, as Ludo Bagman's voice echoed throughout the stadium, â€Å"I give you†¦.Potter!† Harry never knew whether or not he had actually dropped off to sleep – his fantasies of flying like Krum might well have slipped into actual dreams – all he knew was that, quite suddenly, Mr. Weasley was shouting. â€Å"Get up! Ron – Harry – come on now, get up, this is urgent!† Harry sat up quickly and the top of his head hit canvas. â€Å"‘S' matter?† he said. Dimly, he could tell that something was wrong. The noises in the campsite had changed. The singing had stopped. He could hear screams, and the sound of people running. He slipped down from the bunk and reached for his clothes, but Mr. Weasley, who had pulled on his jeans over his own pajamas, said, â€Å"No time, Harry – just grab a jacket and get outside – quickly!† Harry did as he was told and hurried out of the tent, Ron at his heels. By the light of the few fires that were still burning, he could see people running away into the woods, fleeing something that was moving across the field toward them, something that was emitting odd flashes of light and noises like gunfire. Loud jeering, roars of laughter, and drunken yells were drifting toward them; then came a burst of strong green light, which illuminated the scene. A crowd of wizards, tightly packed and moving together with wands pointing straight upward, was marching slowly across the field. Harry squinted at them†¦.They didn't seem to have faces†¦.Then he realized that their heads were hooded and their faces masked. High above them, floating along in midair, four struggling figures were being contorted into grotesque shapes. It was as though the masked wizards on the ground were puppeteers, and the people above them were marionettes operated by invisible strings that rose from the wands into the air. Two of the figures were very small. More wizards were joining the marching group, laughing and pointing up at the floating bodies. Tents crumpled and fell as the marching crowd swelled. Once or twice Harry saw one of the marchers blast a tent out of his way with his wand. Several caught fire. The screaming grew louder. The floating people were suddenly illuminated as they passed over a burning tent and Harry recognized one of them: Mr. Roberts, the campsite manager. The other three looked as though they might be his wife and children. One of the marchers below flipped Mrs. Roberts upside down with his wand; her nightdress fell down to reveal voluminous drawers and she struggled to cover herself up as the crowd below her screeched and hooted with glee. â€Å"That's sick,† Ron muttered, watching the smallest Muggle child, who had begun to spin like a top, sixty feet above the ground, his head flopping limply from side to side. â€Å"That is really sick†¦.† Hermione and Ginny came hurrying toward them, pulling coats over their nightdresses, with Mr. Weasley right behind them. At the same moment, Bill, Charlie, and Percy emerged from the boys' tent, fully dressed, with their sleeves rolled up and their wands out. â€Å"We're going to help the Ministry!† Mr. Weasley shouted over all the noise, rolling up his own sleeves. â€Å"You lot – get into the woods, and stick together. I'll come and fetch you when we've sorted this out!† Bill, Charlie, and Percy were already sprinting away toward the oncoming marchers; Mr. Weasley tore after them. Ministry wizards were dashing from every direction toward the source of the trouble. The crowd beneath the Roberts family was coming ever closer. â€Å"C'mon,† said Fred, grabbing Ginny's hand and starting to pull her toward the wood. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and George followed. They all looked back as they reached the trees. The crowd beneath the Roberts family was larger than ever; they could see the Ministry wizards trying to get through it to the hooded wizards in the center, but they were having great difficulty. It looked as though they were scared to perform any spell that might make the Roberts family fall. The colored lanterns that had lit the path to the stadium had been extinguished. Dark figures were blundering through the trees; children were crying; anxious shouts and panicked voices were reverberating around them in the cold night air. Harry felt himself being pushed hither and thither by people whose faces he could not see. Then he heard Ron yell with pain. â€Å"What happened?† said Hermione anxiously, stopping so abruptly that Harry walked into her. â€Å"Ron, where are you? Oh this is stupid – lumos!† She illuminated her wand and directed its narrow beam across the path. Ron was lying sprawled on the ground. â€Å"Tripped over a tree root,† he said angrily, getting to his feet again. â€Å"Well, with feet that size, hard not to,† said a drawling voice from behind them. Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned sharply. Draco Malfoy was standing alone nearby, leaning against a tree, looking utterly relaxed. His arms folded, he seemed to have been watching the scene at the campsite through a gap in the trees. Ron told Malfoy to do something that Harry knew he would never have dared say in front of Mrs. Weasley. â€Å"Language, Weasley,† said Malfoy, his pale eyes glittering. â€Å"Hadn't you better be hurrying along, now? You wouldn't like her spotted, would you?† He nodded at Hermione, and at the same moment, a blast like a bomb sounded from the campsite, and a flash of green light momentarily lit the trees around them. â€Å"What's that supposed to mean?† said Hermione defiantly. â€Å"Granger, they're after Muggles, â€Å"said Malfoy. â€Å"D'you want to be showing off your knickers in midair? Because if you do, hang around†¦.they're moving this way, and it would give us all a laugh.† â€Å"Hermione's a witch,† Harry snarled. â€Å"Have it your own way, Potter,† said Malfoy, grinning maliciously. â€Å"If you think they can't spot a Mudblood, stay where you are.† â€Å"You watch your mouth!† shouted Ron. Everybody present knew that â€Å"Mudblood† was a very offensive term for a witch or wizard of Muggle parentage. â€Å"Never mind, Ron,† said Hermione quickly, seizing Ron's arm to restrain him as he took a step toward Malfoy. There came a bang from the other side of the trees that was louder than anything they had heard. Several people nearby screamed. Malfoy chuckled softly. â€Å"Scare easily, don't they?† he said lazily. â€Å"I suppose your daddy told you all to hide? What's he up to – trying to rescue the Muggles?† â€Å"Where're your parents?† said Harry, his temper rising. â€Å"Out there wearing masks, are they?† Malfoy turned his face to Harry, still smiling. â€Å"Well†¦if they were, I wouldn't be likely to tell you, would I, Potter?† â€Å"Oh come on,† said Hermione, with a disgusted look at Malfoy, â€Å"let's go and find the others.† â€Å"Keep that big bushy head down, Granger,† sneered Malfoy. â€Å"Come on,† Hermione repeated, and she pulled Harry and Ron up the path again. â€Å"I'll bet you anything his dad is one of that masked lot!† said Ron hotly. â€Å"Well, with any luck, the Ministry will catch him!† said Hermione fervently. â€Å"Oh I can't believe this. Where have the others got to?† Fred, George, and Ginny were nowhere to be seen, though the path was packed with plenty of other people, all looking nervously over their shoulders toward the commotion back at the campsite. A huddle of teenagers in pajamas was arguing vociferously a little way along the path. When they saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione, a girl with thick curly hair turned and said quickly, â€Å"O est Madame Maxime? Nous l'avons perdue -â€Å" â€Å"Er – what?† said Ron. â€Å"Oh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The girl who had spoken turned her back on him, and as they walked on they distinctly heard her say, â€Å"‘Ogwarts.† â€Å"Beauxbatons,† muttered Hermione. â€Å"Sorry?† said Harry. â€Å"They must go to Beauxbatons,† said Hermione. â€Å"You know†¦Beauxbatons Academy of Magic†¦.I read about it in An Appraisal of Magical Education in Europe.† â€Å"Oh†¦yeah†¦right,† said Harry. â€Å"Fred and George can't have gone that far,† said Ron, pulling out his wand, lighting it like Hermione's, and squinting up the path. Harry dug in the pockets of his jacket for his own wand – but it wasn't there. The only thing he could find was his Omnioculars. â€Å"Ah, no, I don't believe it†¦I've lost my wand!† â€Å"You're kidding!† Ron and Hermione raised their wands high enough to spread the narrow beams of light farther on the ground; Harry looked all around him, but his wand was nowhere to be seen. â€Å"Maybe it's back in the tent,† said Ron. â€Å"Maybe it fell out of your pocket when we were running?† Hermione suggested anxiously. â€Å"Yeah,† said Harry, â€Å"maybe†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He usually kept his wand with him at all times in the wizarding world, and finding himself without it in the midst of a scene like this made him feel very vulnerable. A rustling noise nearby made all three of them jump. Winky the house-elf was fighting her way out of a clump of bushes nearby. She was moving in a most peculiar fashion, apparently with great difficulty; it was as though someone invisible were trying to hold her back. â€Å"There is bad wizards about!† she squeaked distractedly as she leaned forward and labored to keep running. â€Å"People high – high in the air! Winky is getting out of the way!† And she disappeared into the trees on the other side of the path, panting and squeaking as she fought the force that was restraining her. â€Å"What's up with her?† said Ron, looking curiously after Winky. â€Å"Why can't she run properly?† â€Å"Bet she didn't ask permission to hide,† said Harry. He was thinking of Dobby: Every time he had tried to do something the Malfoys wouldn't like, the house-elf had been forced to start beating himself up. â€Å"You know, house-elves get a very raw deal!† said Hermione indignantly. â€Å"It's slavery, that's what it is! That Mr. Crouch made her go up to the top of the stadium, and she was terrified, and he's got her bewitched so she can't even run when they start trampling tents! Why doesn't anyone do something about it?† â€Å"Well, the elves are happy, aren't they?† Ron said. â€Å"You heard old Winky back at the match†¦'House-elves is not supposed to have fun'†¦that's what she likes, being bossed around†¦.† â€Å"It's people like you, Ron,† Hermione began hotly, â€Å"who prop up rotten and unjust systems, just because they're too lazy to -â€Å" Another loud bang echoed from the edge of the wood. â€Å"Let's just keep moving, shall we?† said Ron, and Harry saw him glance edgily at Hermione. Perhaps there was truth in what Malfoy had said; perhaps Hermione was in more danger than they were. They set off again, Harry still searching his pockets, even though he knew his wand wasn't there. They followed the dark path deeper into the wood, still keeping an eye out for Fred, George, and Ginny. They passed a group of goblins who were cackling over a sack of gold that they had undoubtedly won betting on the match, and who seemed quite unperturbed by the trouble at the campsite. Farther still along the path, they walked into a patch of silvery light, and when they looked through the trees, they saw three tall and beautiful veela standing in a clearing, surrounded by a gaggle of young wizards, all of whom were talking very loudly. â€Å"I pull down about a hundred sacks of Galleons a year!† one of them shouted. â€Å"I'm a dragon killer for the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures.† â€Å"No, you're not!† yelled his friend. â€Å"You're a dishwasher at the Leaky Cauldron†¦but I'm a vampire hunter, I've killed about ninety so far -â€Å" A third young wizard, whose pimples were visible even by the dim, silvery light of the veela, now cut in, â€Å"I'm about to become the youngest ever Minister of Magic, I am.† Harry snorted with laughter. He recognized the pimply wizard: His name was Stan Shunpike, and he was in fact a conductor on the triple-decker Knight Bus. He turned to tell Ron this, but Ron's face had gone oddly slack, and next second Ron was yelling, â€Å"Did I tell you I've invented a broomstick that'll reach Jupiter?† â€Å"Honestly!† said Hermione, and she and Harry grabbed Ron firmly by the arms, wheeled him around, and marched him away. By the time the sounds of the veela and their admirers had faded completely, they were in the very heart of the wood. They seemed to be alone now; everything was much quieter. Harry looked around. â€Å"I reckon we can just wait here, you know. We'll hear anyone coming a mile off.† The words were hardly out of his mouth, when Ludo Bagman emerged from behind a tree right ahead of them. Even by the feeble light of the two wands, Harry could see that a great change had come over Bagman. He no longer looked buoyant and rosy-faced; there was no more spring in his step. He looked very white and strained. â€Å"Who's that?† he said, blinking down at them, trying to make out their faces. â€Å"What are you doing in here, all alone?† They looked at one another, surprised. â€Å"Well – there's a sort of riot going on,† said Ron. Bagman stared at him. â€Å"What?† â€Å"At the campsite†¦some people have got hold of a family of Muggles†¦.† Bagman swore loudly. â€Å"Damn them!† he said, looking quite distracted, and without another word, he Disapparated with a small pop! â€Å"Not exactly on top of things, Mr. Bagman, is he?† said Hermione, frowning. â€Å"He was a great Beater, though,† said Ron, leading the way off the path into a small clearing, and sitting down on a patch of dry grass at the foot of a tree. â€Å"The Wimbourne Wasps won the league three times in a row while he was with them.† He took his small figure of Krum out of his pocket, set it down on the ground, and watched it walk around. Like the real Krum, the model was slightly duck-footed and round-shouldered, much less impressive on his splayed feet than on his broomstick. Harry was listening for noise from the campsite. Everything seemed much quieter; perhaps the riot was over. â€Å"I hope the others are okay,† said Hermione after a while. â€Å"They'll be fine,† said Ron. â€Å"Imagine if your dad catches Lucius Malfoy,† said Harry, sitting down next to Ron and watching the small figure of Krum slouching over the fallen leaves. â€Å"He's always said he'd like to get something on him.† â€Å"That'd wipe the smirk off old Draco's face, all right,† said Ron. â€Å"Those poor Muggles, though,† said Hermione nervously. â€Å"What if they can't get them down?† â€Å"They will,† said Ron reassuringly. â€Å"They'll find a way.† â€Å"Mad, though, to do something like that when the whole Ministry of Magic's out here tonight!† said Hermione. â€Å"I mean, how do they expect to get away with it? Do you think they've been drinking, or are they just -â€Å" But she broke off abruptly and looked over her shoulder. Harry and Ron looked quickly around too. It sounded as though someone was staggering toward their clearing. They waited, listening to the sounds of the uneven steps behind the dark trees. But the footsteps came to a sudden halt. â€Å"Hello?† called Harry. There was silence. Harry got to his feet and peered around the tree. It was too dark to see very far, but he could sense somebody standing just beyond the range of his vision. â€Å"Who's there?† he said. And then, without warning, the silence was rent by a voice unlike any they had heard in the wood; and it uttered, not a panicked shout, but what sounded like a spell. â€Å"MORSMORDRE!† And something vast, green, and glittering erupted from the patch of darkness Harry's eyes had been struggling to penetrate; it flew up over the treetops and into the sky. â€Å"What the -?† gasped Ron as he sprang to his feet again, staring up at the thing that had appeared. For a split second, Harry thought it was another leprechaun formation. Then he realized that it was a colossal skull, comprised of what looked like emerald stars, with a serpent protruding from its mouth like a tongue. As they watched, it rose higher and higher, blazing in a haze of greenish smoke, etched against the black sky like a new constellation. Suddenly, the wood all around them erupted with screams. Harry didn't understand why, but the only possible cause was the sudden appearance of the skull, which had now risen high enough to illuminate the entire wood like some grisly neon sign. He scanned the darkness for the person who had conjured the skull, but he couldn't see anyone. â€Å"Who's there?† he called again. â€Å"Harry, come on, move!† Hermione had seized the collar of his jacket and was tugging him backward. â€Å"What's the matter?† Harry said, startled to see her face so white and terrified. â€Å"It's the Dark Mark, Harry!† Hermione moaned, pulling him as hard as she could. â€Å"You-Know-Who's sign!† â€Å"Voldemort's – ?† â€Å"Harry, come on!† Harry turned – Ron was hurriedly scooping up his miniature Krum – the three of them started across the clearing – but before they had taken a few hurried steps, a series of popping noises announced the arrival of twenty wizards, appearing from thin air, surrounding them. Harry whirled around, and in an instant, he registered one fact: Each of these wizards had his wand out, and every wand was pointing right at himself, Ron, and Hermione. Without pausing to think, he yelled, â€Å"DUCK!† He seized the other two and pulled them down onto the ground. â€Å"STUPEFY!† roared twenty voices – there was a blinding series of flashes and Harry felt the hair on his head ripple as though a powerful wind had swept the clearing. Raising his head a fraction of an inch he saw jets of fiery red light flying over them from the wizards' wands, crossing one another, bouncing off tree trunks, rebounding into the darkness – â€Å"Stop!† yelled a voice he recognized. â€Å"STOP! That's my son!† Harry's hair stopped blowing about. He raised his head a little higher. The wizard in front of him had lowered his wand. He rolled over and saw Mr. Weasley striding toward them, looking terrified. â€Å"Ron – Harry† – his voice sounded shaky – â€Å"Hermione – are you all right?† â€Å"Out of the way, Arthur,† said a cold, curt voice. It was Mr. Crouch. He and the other Ministry wizards were closing in on them. Harry got to his feet to face them. Mr. Crouch's face was taut with rage. â€Å"Which of you did it?† he snapped, his sharp eyes darting between them. â€Å"Which of you conjured the Dark Mark?† â€Å"We didn't do that!† said Harry, gesturing up at the skull. â€Å"We didn't do anything!† said Ron, who was rubbing his elbow and looking indignantly at his father. â€Å"What did you want to attack us for?† â€Å"Do not lie, sir!† shouted Mr. Crouch. His wand was still pointing directly at Ron, and his eyes were popping – he looked slightly mad. â€Å"You have been discovered at the scene of the crime!† â€Å"Barty,† whispered a witch in a long woolen dressing gown, â€Å"they're kids, Barty, they'd never have been able to -â€Å" â€Å"Where did the Mark come from, you three?† said Mr. Weasley quickly. â€Å"Over there,† said Hermione shakily, pointing at the place where they had heard the voice. â€Å"There was someone behind the trees†¦they shouted words – an incantation -â€Å" â€Å"Oh, stood over there, did they?† said Mr. Crouch, turning his popping eyes on Hermione now, disbelief etched all over his face. â€Å"Said an incantation, did they? You seem very well informed about how that Mark is summoned, missy -â€Å" But none of the Ministry wizards apart from Mr. Crouch seemed to think it remotely likely that Harry, Ron, or Hermione had conjured the skull; on the contrary, at Hermione's words, they had all raised their wands again and were pointing in the direction she had indicated, squinting through the dark trees. â€Å"We're too late,† said the witch in the woolen dressing gown, shaking her head. â€Å"They'll have Disapparated.† â€Å"I don't think so,† said a wizard with a scrubby brown beard. It was Amos Diggory, Cedric's father. â€Å"Our Stunners went right through those trees†¦.There's a good chance we got them†¦.† â€Å"Amos, be careful!† said a few of the wizards warningly as Mr. Diggory squared his shoulders, raised his wand, marched across the clearing, and disappeared into the darkness. Hermione watched him vanish with her hands over her mouth. A few seconds later, they heard Mr. Diggory shout. â€Å"Yes! We got them! There's someone here! Unconscious! It's – but – blimey†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You've got someone?† shouted Mr. Crouch, sounding highly disbelieving. â€Å"Who? Who is it?† They heard snapping twigs, the rustling of leaves, and then crunching footsteps as Mr. Diggory reemerged from behind the trees. He was carrying a tiny, limp figure in his arms. Harry recognized the tea towel at once. It was Winky. Mr. Crouch did not move or speak as Mr. Diggory deposited his elf on the ground at his feet. The other Ministry wizards were all staring at Mr. Crouch. For a few seconds Crouch remained transfixed, his eyes blazing in his white face as he stared down at Winky. Then he appeared to come to life again. â€Å"This – cannot – be,† he said jerkily. â€Å"No -â€Å" He moved quickly around Mr. Diggory and strode off toward the place where he had found Winky. â€Å"No point, Mr. Crouch,† Mr. Diggory called after him. â€Å"There's no one else there.† But Mr. Crouch did not seem prepared to take his word for it. They could hear him moving around and the rustling of leaves as he pushed the bushes aside, searching. â€Å"Bit embarrassing,† Mr. Diggory said grimly, looking down at Winky's unconscious form. â€Å"Barty Crouch's house-elf†¦.I mean to say†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Come off it, Amos,† said Mr. Weasley quietly, â€Å"you don't seriously think it was the elf? The Dark Mark's a wizard's sign. It requires a wand.† â€Å"Yeah,† said Mr. Diggory, â€Å"and she had a wand.† â€Å"What?† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"Here, look.† Mr. Diggory held up a wand and showed it to Mr. Weasley. â€Å"Had it in her hand. So that's clause three of the Code of Wand Use broken, for a start. No non-human creature is permitted to carry or use a wand.† Just then there was another pop, and Ludo Bagman Apparated right next to Mr. Weasley. Looking breathless and disorientated, he spun on the spot, goggling upward at the emerald-green skull. â€Å"The Dark Mark!† he panted, almost trampling Winky as he turned inquiringly to his colleagues. â€Å"Who did it? Did you get them? Barry! What's going on?† Mr. Crouch had returned empty-handed. His face was still ghostly white, and his hands and his toothbrush mustache were both twitching. â€Å"Where have you been, Barty?† said Bagman. â€Å"Why weren't you at the match? Your elf was saving you a seat too – gulping gargoyles!† Bagman had just noticed Winky lying at his feet. â€Å"What happened to her?† â€Å"I have been busy, Ludo,† said Mr. Crouch, still talking in the same jerky fashion, barely moving his lips. â€Å"And my elf has been stunned.† â€Å"Stunned? By you lot, you mean? But why -?† Comprehension dawned suddenly on Bagman's round, shiny face; he looked up at the skull, down at Winky, and then at Mr. Crouch. â€Å"No!† he said. â€Å"Winky? Conjure the Dark Mark? She wouldn't know how! She'd need a wand, for a start!† â€Å"And she had one,† said Mr. Diggory. â€Å"I found her holding one, Ludo. If it's all right with you, Mr. Crouch, I think we should hear what she's got to say for herself.† Crouch gave no sign that he had heard Mr. Diggory, but Mr. Diggory seemed to take his silence for assent. He raised his own wand, pointed it at Winky, and said, â€Å"Ennervate!† Winky stirred feebly. Her great brown eyes opened and she blinked several times in a bemused sort of way. Watched by the silent wizards, she raised herself shakily into a sitting position. She caught sight of Mr. Diggory's feet, and slowly, tremulously, raised her eyes to stare up into his face; then, more slowly still, she looked up into the sky. Harry could see the floating skull reflected twice in her enormous, glassy eyes. She gave a gasp, looked wildly around the crowded clearing, and burst into terrified sobs. â€Å"Elf!† said Mr. Diggory sternly. â€Å"Do you know who I am? I'm a member of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures!† Winky began to rock backward and forward on the ground, her breath coming in sharp bursts. Harry was reminded forcibly of Dobby in his moments of terrified disobedience. â€Å"As you see, elf, the Dark Mark was conjured here a short while ago,† said Mr. Diggory. â€Å"And you were discovered moments later, right beneath it! An explanation, if you please!† â€Å"I – I – I is not doing it, sir!† Winky gasped. â€Å"I is not knowing how, sir!† â€Å"You were found with a wand in your hand!† barked Mr. Diggory, brandishing it in front of her. And as the wand caught the green light that was filling the clearing from the skull above, Harry recognized it â€Å"Hey – that's mine!† he said Everyone in the clearing looked at him. â€Å"Excuse me?† said Mr. Diggory, incredulously. â€Å"That's my wand!† said Harry. â€Å"I dropped it!† â€Å"You dropped it?† repeated Mr. Diggory in disbelief. â€Å"Is this a confession? You threw it aside after you conjured the Mark?† â€Å"Amos, think who you're talking to!† said Mr. Weasley, very angrily. â€Å"Is Harry Potter likely to conjure the Dark Mark?† â€Å"Er – of course not,† mumbled Mr. Diggory. â€Å"Sorry†¦carried away†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I didn't drop it there, anyway,† said Harry, jerking his thumb toward the trees beneath the skull. â€Å"I missed it right after we got into the wood.† â€Å"So,† said Mr. Diggory, his eyes hardening as he turned to look at Winky again, cowering at his feet. â€Å"You found this wand, eh, elf? And you picked it up and thought you'd have some fun with it, did you?† â€Å"I is not doing magic with it, sir!† squealed Winky, tears streaming down the sides of her squashed and bulbous nose. â€Å"I is†¦I is†¦I is just picking it up, sir! I is not making the Dark Mark, sir, I is not knowing how!† â€Å"It wasn't her!† said Hermione. She looked very nervous, speaking up in front of all these Ministry wizards, yet determined all the same. â€Å"Winky's got a squeaky little voice, and the voice we heard doing the incantation was much deeper!† She looked around at Harry and Ron, appealing for their support. â€Å"It didn't sound anything like Winky, did it?† â€Å"No,† said Harry, shaking his head. â€Å"It definitely didn't sound like an elf.† â€Å"Yeah, it was a human voice,† said Ron. â€Å"Well, we'll soon see,† growled Mr. Diggory, looking unimpressed. â€Å"There's a simple way of discovering the last spell a wand performed, elf, did you know that?† Winky trembled and shook her head frantically, her ears flapping, as Mr. Diggory raised his own wand again and placed it tip to tip with Harry's. â€Å"Prior Incantato!† roared Mr. Diggory. Harry heard Hermione gasp, horrified, as a gigantic serpent-tongued skull erupted from the point where the two wands met, but it was a mere shadow of the green skull high above them; it looked as though it were made of thick gray smoke: the ghost of a spell. â€Å"Deletrius!† Mr. Diggory shouted, and the smoky skull vanished in a wisp of smoke. â€Å"So,† said Mr. Diggory with a kind of savage triumph, looking down upon Winky, who was still shaking convulsively. â€Å"I is not doing it!† she squealed, her eyes rolling in terror. â€Å"I is not, I is not, I is not knowing how! I is a good elf, I isn't using wands, I isn't knowing how!† â€Å"You've been caught red-handed, elf!† Mr. Diggory roared. â€Å"Caught with the guilty wand in your hand!† â€Å"Amos,† said Mr. Weasley loudly, â€Å"think about it†¦precious few wizards know how to do that spell†¦.Where would she have learned it?† â€Å"Perhaps Amos is suggesting,† said Mr. Crouch, cold anger in every syllable, â€Å"that I routinely teach my servants to conjure the Dark Mark?† There was a deeply unpleasant silence. Amos Diggory looked horrified. â€Å"Mr. Crouch†¦not†¦not at all. â€Å"You have now come very close to accusing the two people in this clearing who are least likely to conjure that Mark!† barked Mr. Crouch. â€Å"Harry Potter – and myself. I suppose you are familiar with the boy's story, Amos?† â€Å"Of course – everyone knows -† muttered Mr. Diggory, looking highly discomforted. â€Å"And I trust you remember the many proofs I have given, over a long career, that I despise and detest the Dark Arts and those who practice them?† Mr. Crouch shouted, his eyes bulging again. â€Å"Mr. Crouch, I – I never suggested you had anything to do with it!† Amos Diggory muttered again, now reddening behind his scrubby brown beard. â€Å"If you accuse my elf, you accuse me, Diggory!† shouted Mr. Crouch. â€Å"Where else would she have learned to conjure it?† â€Å"She – she might've picked it up anywhere -â€Å" â€Å"Precisely, Amos,† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"She might have picked it up anywhere†¦.Winky?† he said kindly, turning to the elf, but she flinched as though he too was shouting at her. â€Å"Where exactly did you find Harry's wand?† Winky was twisting the hem of her tea towel so violently that it was fraying beneath her fingers. â€Å"I – I is finding it†¦finding it there, sir†¦Ã¢â‚¬  she whispered, â€Å"there†¦in the trees, sir. â€Å"You see, Amos?† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"Whoever conjured the Mark could have Disapparated right after they'd done it, leaving Harry's wand behind. A clever thing to do, not using their own wand, which could have betrayed them. And Winky here had the misfortune to come across the wand moments later and pick it up.† â€Å"But then, she'd have been only a few feet away from the real culprit!† said Mr. Diggory impatiently. â€Å"Elf? Did you see anyone?† Winky began to tremble worse than ever. Her giant eyes flickered from Mr. Diggory, to Ludo Bagman, and onto Mr. Crouch. Then she gulped and said, â€Å"I is seeing no one, sir†¦no one†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Amos,† said Mr. Crouch curtly, â€Å"I am fully aware that, in the ordinary course of events, you would want to take Winky into your department for questioning. I ask you, however, to allow me to deal with her.† Mr. Diggory looked as though he didn't think much of this suggestion at all, but it was clear to Harry that Mr. Crouch was such an important member of the Ministry that he did not dare refuse him. â€Å"You may rest assured that she will be punished,† Mr. Crouch added coldly. â€Å"M-m-master†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Winky stammered, looking up at Mr. Crouch, her eyes brimming with tears. â€Å"M-m-master, p-p-please†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Mr. Crouch stared back, his face somehow sharpened, each line upon it more deeply etched. There was no pity in his gaze. â€Å"Winky has behaved tonight in a manner I would not have believed possible,† he said slowly. â€Å"I told her to remain in the tent. I told her to stay there while I went to sort out the trouble. And I find that she disobeyed me. This means clothes.† â€Å"No!† shrieked Winky, prostrating herself at Mr. Crouch's feet. â€Å"No, master! Not clothes, not clothes!† Harry knew that the only way to turn a house-elf free was to present it with proper garments. It was pitiful to see the way Winky clutched at her tea towel as she sobbed over Mr. Crouch's feet. â€Å"But she was frightened!† Hermione burst out angrily, glaring at Mr. Crouch. â€Å"Your elf's scared of heights, and those wizards in masks were levitating people! You can't blame her for wanting to get out of their way!† Mr. Crouch took a step backward, freeing himself from contact with the elf, whom he was surveying as though she were something filthy and rotten that was contaminating his over-shined shoes. â€Å"I have no use for a house-elf who disobeys me,† he said coldly, looking over at Hermione. â€Å"I have no use for a servant who forgets what is due to her master, and to her master's reputation.† Winky was crying so hard that her sobs echoed around the clearing. There was a very nasty silence, which was ended by Mr. Weasley, who said quietly, â€Å"Well, I think I'll take my lot back to the tent, if nobody's got any objections. Amos, that wand's told us all it can – if Harry could have it back, please -â€Å" Mr. Diggory handed Harry his wand and Harry pocketed it. â€Å"Come on, you three,† Mr. Weasley said quietly. But Hermione didn't seem to want to move; her eyes were still upon the sobbing elf. â€Å"Hermione!† Mr. Weasley said, more urgently. She turned and followed Harry and Ron out of the clearing and off through the trees. â€Å"What's going to happen to Winky?† said Hermione, the moment they had left the clearing. â€Å"I don't know,† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"The way they were treating her!† said Hermione furiously. â€Å"Mr. Diggory, calling her ‘elf' all the time†¦and Mr. Crouch! He knows she didn't do it and he's still going to sack her! He didn't care how frightened she'd been, or how upset she was – it was like she wasn't even human!† â€Å"Well, she's not,† said Ron. Hermione rounded on him. â€Å"That doesn't mean she hasn't got feelings, Ron. It's disgusting the way -â€Å" â€Å"Hermione, I agree with you,† said Mr. Weasley quickly, beckoning her on, â€Å"but now is not the time to discuss elf rights. I want to get back to the tent as fast as we can. What happened to the others?† â€Å"We lost them in the dark,† said Ron. â€Å"Dad, why was everyone so uptight about that skull thing?† â€Å"I'll explain everything back at the tent,† said Mr. Weasley tensely. But when they reached the edge of the wood, their progress was impeded. A large crowd of frightened-looking witches and wizards was congregated there, and when they saw Mr. Weasley coming toward them, many of them surged forward. â€Å"What's going on in there?† â€Å"Who conjured it?† â€Å"Arthur – it's not – Him?† â€Å"Of course it's not Him,† said Mr. Weasley impatiently. â€Å"We don't know who it was; it looks like they Disapparated. Now excuse me, please, I want to get to bed.† He led Harry, Ron, and Hermione through the crowd and back into the campsite. All was quiet now; there was no sign of the masked wizards, though several ruined tents were still smoking. Charlie's head was poking out of the boys' tent. â€Å"Dad, what's going on?† he called through the dark. â€Å"Fred, George, and Ginny got back okay, but the others -â€Å" â€Å"I've got them here,† said Mr. Weasley, bending down and entering the tent. Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered after him. Bill was sitting at the small kitchen table, holding a bedsheet to his arm, which was bleeding profusely. Charlie had a large rip in his shirt, and Percy was sporting a bloody nose. Fred, George, and Ginny looked unhurt, though shaken. â€Å"Did you get them, Dad?† said Bill sharply. â€Å"The person who conjured the Mark?† â€Å"No,† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"We found Barry Crouch's elf holding Harry's wand, but we're none the wiser about who actually conured the Mark.† â€Å"What?† said Bill, Charlie, and Percy together. â€Å"Harry's wand?† said Fred. â€Å"Mr. Crouch's elf?† said Percy, sounding thunderstruck. With some assistance from Harry, Ron, and Hermione, Mr. Weasley explained what had happened in the woods. When they had finished their story, Percy swelled indignantly. â€Å"Well, Mr. Crouch is quite right to get rid of an elf like that!† he said. â€Å"Running away when he'd expressly told her not to†¦embarrassing him in front of the whole Ministry†¦how would that have looked, if she'd been brought up in front of the Department for the Regulation and Control -â€Å" â€Å"She didn't do anything – she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time!† Hermione snapped at Percy, who looked very taken aback. Hermione had always got on fairly well with Percy – better, indeed, than any of the others. â€Å"Hermione, a wizard in Mr. Crouch's position can't afford a house-elf who's going to run amok with a wand!† said Percy pompously, recovering himself. â€Å"She didn't run amok!† shouted Hermione. â€Å"She just picked it up off the ground!† â€Å"Look, can someone just explain what that skull thing was?† said Ron impatiently. â€Å"It wasn't hurting anyone†¦.Why's it such a big deal?† â€Å"I told you, it's You-Know-Who's symbol, Ron,† said Hermione, before anyone else could answer. â€Å"I read about it in The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts.† â€Å"And it hasn't been seen for thirteen years,† said Mr. Weasley quietly. â€Å"Of course people panicked†¦it was almost like seeing You-Know-Who back again.† â€Å"I don't get it,† said Ron, frowning. â€Å"I mean†¦it's still only a shape in the sky†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Ron, You-Know-Who and his followers sent the Dark Mark into the air whenever they killed,† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"The terror it inspired†¦you have no idea, you're too young. Just picture coming home and finding the Dark Mark hovering over your house, and knowing what you're about to find inside†¦.† Mr. Weasley winced. â€Å"Everyone's worst fear†¦the very worst†¦Ã¢â‚¬  There was silence for a moment. Then Bill, removing the sheet from his arm to check on his cut, said, â€Å"Well, it didn't help us tonight, whoever conjured it. It scared the Death Eaters away the moment they saw it. They all Disapparated before we'd got near enough to unmask any of them. We caught the Robertses before they hit the ground, though. They're having their memories modified right now.† â€Å"Death Eaters?† said Harry. â€Å"What are Death Eaters?† â€Å"It's what You-Know-Who's supporters called themselves,† said Bill. â€Å"I think we saw what's left of them tonight – the ones who managed to keep themselves out of Azkaban, anyway.† â€Å"We can't prove it was them, Bill,† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"Though it probably was,† he added hopelessly. â€Å"Yeah, I bet it was!† said Ron suddenly . â€Å"Dad, we met Draco Malfoy in the woods, and he as good as told us his dad was one of those nutters in masks! And we all know the Malfoys were right in with You-Know-Who!† â€Å"But what were Voldemort's supporters -† Harry began. Everybody flinched – like most of the wizarding world, the Weasleys always avoided saying Voldemort's name. â€Å"Sorry,† said Harry quickly. â€Å"What were You-Know-Who's supporters up to, levitating Muggles? I mean, what was the point?† â€Å"The point?† said Mr. Weasley with a hollow laugh. â€Å"Harry, that's their idea of fun. Half the Muggle killings back when You-Know-Who was in power were done for fun. I suppose they had a few drinks tonight and couldn't resist reminding us all that lots of them are still at large. A nice little reunion for them,† he finished disgustedly. â€Å"But if they were the Death Eaters, why did they Disapparate when they saw the Dark Mark?† said Ron. â€Å"They'd have been pleased to see it, wouldn't they?† â€Å"Use your brains, Ron,† said Bill. â€Å"If they really were Death Eaters, they worked very hard to keep out of Azkaban when You-Know-Who lost power, and told all sorts of lies about him forcing them to kill and torture people. I bet they'd be even more frightened than the rest of us to see him come back. They denied they'd ever been involved with him when he lost his powers, and went back to their daily lives†¦.I don't reckon he'd be over-pleased with them, do you?† â€Å"So†¦whoever conjured the Dark Mark†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Hermione slowly, â€Å"were they doing it to show support for the Death Eaters, or to scare them away?† â€Å"Your guess is as good as ours, Hermione,† said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"But I'll tell you this†¦it was only the Death Eaters who ever knew how to conjure it. I'd be very surprised if the person who did it hadn't been a Death Eater once, even if they're not now†¦.Listen, it's very late, and if your mother hears what's happened she'll be worried sick. We'll get a few more hours sleep and then try and get an early Portkey out of here.† Harry got back into his bunk with his head buzzing. He knew he ought to feel exhausted: It was nearly three in the morning, but he felt wide-awake – wide-awake, and worried. Three days ago – it felt like much longer, but it had only been three days – he had awoken with his scar burning. And tonight, for the first time in thirteen years, Lord Voldemort's mark had appeared in the sky. What did these things mean? He thought of the letter he had written to Sirius before leaving Privet Drive. Would Sirius have gotten it yet? When would he reply? Harry lay looking up at the canvas, but no flying fantasies came to him now to ease him to sleep, and it was a long time after Charlie's snores filled the tent that Harry finally dozed off.

Automobile †Opel Essay

Introduction – A museum is an institution that cares for (conserves) a collection of artefacts and other objects of scienti$c, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Museums have varying aims, ranging from serving researchers and specialists to serving the general public. Purpose of study – ?A car represents status. A car is symbol of power. There are many car enthusiast’s in our country. ?There are many rich people that own a antique or a latest high technology car. ? And on other had there are many people who cannot a/ord such an expensive car but have a great interest in them. ?Most of the car museums we see holds only the vintage cars. ?Thus there is a need felt to provide a new building typology which can o/er a range of cars to view, from vintage to the modern, for all the car enthusiast’s to look out. SOURABH SHALGAR FOURTH YEAR (CM) ROLL NO:27 1 An Automobile Museum – Same as an ordinary museum, an Automobile museum is a museum where a range to cars are for display for the people to view. Purpose of an Automobile Museum – ?The main purpose is to provide a stage where people can display there cars. ?Giving people an opportunity to see a wide range of cars under one roof. ?Along with that providing ancillary activities such as a track for drag racing , where various events can be performed. ?Helping the car companies to display there cars which can help them advertising there brand, and giving a chance to people to compare between to companies. ?Along with that to provide all the amenities to ensure the comfort of the visitor. ?To make the Museum a tourist attraction so that it will be a revenue generation place for the city. Aim – ?Attract people to visit the museum. SOURABH SHALGAR FOURTH YEAR (CM) ROLL NO:27 2? To provide display for a variety of cars and companies. ?To knowledge people about history of the car companies. ?To make the museum a tourist attraction point. ?To entertain the visitors. Design Strategies – To achieve the aims , the components which can be used in design are ; ?Granduarness should be created by the structure which can act as the landmark of that place. ?Ambience should be created such that visitors should enjoy. ?Display areas created should keep the Status and luxury of the car companies. ?Metal Innovative Architecture must be used to give the structure the iconic look. SOURABH SHALGAR FOURTH YEAR (CM) ROLL NO:27 3.

Review article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 20

Review - Article Example The control phenomenon is attributed to a gating system of cell division within the eukaryotic organisms. Consequently, the purpose of the research was to ascertain whether prokaryotes would also manifest circadian control in the period of cell division timing. In order to achieve this, the authors measured cultures of DNA content, cell division rate, gene expression and cell size. This measurements were carried out on the prokaryotic cyanobacterium Synnechococcus PCC 7942. The results indicated that populations were rapidly dividing at 10h periods of circadian gating of cell division. The experiment proved Synechococuss cells, with extensive circadian rhythms of gene expression and cell division, exhibited double growth rate that were significantly greater than once per 24h. Another new an important finding by the research article showed that Synechococcus cells had the ability to simultaneously sustain double circuits timings that exhibited different timing periods. Mori, Tetsuya, Brian Binder, and Carl H. Johnson. "Circadian Gating of Cell Division in Cyanobacteria Growing with Average Doubling Times of Less Than 24 hours."  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America  93 (1996): 10183-10188.

Critique of the play See how they run by Philip King Movie Review

Critique of the play See how they run by Philip King - Movie Review Example The play is not all about slapstick but also has great dialogues incorporated into it. Without the backing of the dialogues, slapstick alone could not have made an impact. And more importantly, the characters in the play are all well created. Each character is given importance and each character has it share in being stupid at one time and witty in another. This combination is what differentiates the play from being mediocre to a classic comedy. The actors have done a good job but it could have been even better. The actors could have been more innovative and induced specific character traits. The need here was to have crisp and quick dialogues. Even though the dialogues are good, setting up of the dialogues was little off. At some places in the play it the punch line becomes elongated. The punch line has to be quick in order to make a better impact. Actors should have made intelligent and intentional choices to differentiate their characters. Another important aspect that can be improved is the stage setup and the use of it by the artists. As the play includes outrageous situations, intelligent use of the stage is vital. At some places, it feels like the actors are moving around just to fill out space on the stage. This takes out the authenticity out of the play. â€Å"See how they run† is a fantastic and very funny play. But the overall success of a play not just depends on the script but also on the various other elements. Even though there were some places that can be improved, I completely enjoyed the play.

Action Research Reflection Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Action Reflection - Research Paper Example It is important to do careful planning before starting with action research. This prevents the group to divulge from what needs to be done, saves time and prevents giving rise to any disappointments and dissatisfactions. While researching for a problem, it should be made sure that the problem is both to the point and meaningful (Donna Kalmbach Phillips, 2009). In the data collection phase, the data should be organized in such a way that it becomes easy to deduce trends from it. Based on the data interpretation, a plan for change should be developed. It is important to implement one action at a time. But several actions are implemented simultaneously, it will be difficult to assess which action was responsible for the outcome and hence, the reflection will become difficult.Action research process has two main goals: Stimulating Learning and Making a difference. Action research as a process is both collaborative as well as participative and hence it is often called â€Å"Collaborative Enquiry†. This process can be adopted across all levels of education. Because of the flexibility this process offers, it can also be adopted in work setting. This process helped me reflect on what I did and also improved team communication. This process leads to empowering of all the team members. With the help of action research process, I discovered that being participative; open to change, and being a good communicator as three essential skill sets which can help me grow not even personally but professionally as well.

Network Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

Network Security - Essay Example 2007). It is the twentieth century where improved communication technologies are inventing one after another. Internet has become a powerful and interactive delivery service providing extensive activities and web services. Organisations expand their resources with the help of Internet. Websites are created, for informational purposes, advertisement, online shopping etc. In the modernized countries, Internet is utilized for business: Education purposes Online shopping (Comet, EBay, etc) Blogs (Bloggers, Word Press, etc) Social-Networking (Facebook, Myspace, etc) Information (Advertising) Even today, where every technology interrelated to Information technology involves the ‘.com’ phenomenon; Internet is relatively an evolving field, which is constantly changing. Extensive use of computing technology has aid different scale organisations to achieve targets. Information technology evolution has introduced innovations for business processes and communication. Moreover, infor mation technology has rendered a new approach for conducting business on new channels, and is proceeding further to add numerous benefits and modernization due to its global reach around the globe. However, the expandable adoptability has provided new loopholes for threats and vulnerabilities. Organizations are more apprehensive about the security of the network rather that adding functionality. Moreover, massive funds are allocated for network security along with advanced security hardware devices including Hardware Security Modules (HSM), which are deployed to secure mission critical data. However, frequent updates are required, for firmware and hardware, to keep them updated for potential threats that may disrupt data or perform any security breach. From time to time, the hackers and cyber criminals develop new threats. Even the updated security hardware is not sufficient for securing the network , because there is always a probability of a new threat, which may bypass the securi ty mechanism anytime. Moreover, hackers and cyber criminals also conduct research on security products in order to develop a threat, which may intrude and sidestep the security of these products. The main objectives of a cyber criminal includes, bank account hacking, credit card hacking to achieve money. The uprising of Information Technology has created new trends of doing business and communication. Furthermore, technology has provided a new approach of operating businesses during the past several years, and continues to provide numerous benefits as it spreads all over the world. However, with its extensive adoption, threats and vulnerabilities are also growing. Organisations spent vast funds to secure their confidential data and network environment. In addition, hardware security modules are taken into consideration for securing mission-critical data. However, these modules need frequent updates for virus definitions and new threats, which may disturb the network. Every now and t hen, new threats are designed and developed by hackers and cyber criminals. In spite of securing the networks and data centers, with the most updated and advanced security modules, there is still a probability of a new threat to break into the network. In addition, hackers and cyber criminals are exploring efficient codes day by day to advance the hacking tools, in order to breach in to classified information, banks and

Criminology research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Criminology - Research Paper Example This is a worrying trend that should not only be left to the society and the law enforcers alone (Walsh, Anthony, and Craig Hemmens 57). According to recent research that was conducted, the results showed that high school male and female comprise of almost a quarter of crime arrests which is indeed an astonishing alarming rate. The research further shows that the rate of arrests of high female is nearly half the juvenile arrests as compared to two years ago when the rate was negligible to notice. Thus, more high school females are joining the gangs in order to commit criminal activities. It is also evident that more high school male and female are committing crime at an early age in their high school years which was not the trend before where the number was higher as the high school male and female graduated to upper classes. This shows that currently, the number is shockingly increasing with the majority being from the lower classes in the high system (Siegel, 114). The development of the juvenile justice system began more than a century ago where previously; the traditional English Common law was applicable. Initially, people who committed crime were confined in the same correction facility regardless of their ages. Thus, the old and the young were handled as adult criminals. The society including the families were fully responsible of disciplinary measures for the children but if the young adults committed crime that was viewed as above the norm, they were arrested and treated in a similar manner as an adult criminal. However, this system became abolished since the young adults instead of rehabilitating themselves they came out of the correctional facilities being hardcore criminals who had been hardened due to the influence on them by the adult criminals (Siegel, Larry and Brandon, 43). There was therefore the need to

Contemporary Culture and Its Effects Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Contemporary Culture and Its Effects - Essay Example Adopting contemporary culture has affected lives both in a positive as well as negative manner. It has made our lives fast and more technology oriented but if specifically seen from the view of creative industry, it has not given what it should. The following essay is based on the stance that contemporary culture has not given what it should, and this stance is supported by the evidences of different researches. This paper makes a conclusion that different researchers analyse the affect of contemporary culture on music industry. Gilbert is one of those authors who have discussed music with respect to modern culture. According to Gilbert, only a few studies emerged on the subject of music itself. There were lots of researches on relationship of youth with media but less work on the understanding of music. The dance culture and music culture have also changed. Contemporary culture has posed problems for both dance culture. The music is also no longer a source of sensory pleasure because of excessive modernization. There is more focus on production of more music without understanding the true essence. Cultural theory has an assumption that it is the consumption pattern which determines production and not the other way round. It means that the lifestyle of consumers is very important and it shapes the pattern of production. In other words, identity of a person is more important than the work lif e a person has. A person has to sell himself in society to be acceptable and starts earning.

Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 10

Personal Statement Example Plato expected that the ruling class should use its knowledge to make the society better. My consciousness of these basic aspects of education has inspired and directed how I percieve and use my talents and qualities, for personal development and to have a positive impact on my immediate society. At the college level is when I became conscious of the role played by education in my personal and professional developed. I developed a wide readership in philosophy of education with the aim of answering the question of why I was pursuing education apart from the fact that it promised me a comfortable future. As a result of exposure on various theories within philosophy of education, I realized that I could use my interests and abilities as guidance in pursuing education. I have always been conscious of trade offs and opportunity cost whenever I am faced with a situation that requires choice between multiple alternatives. For instance, faced with the dilemma to choose athletics or chess as an extracurricualr I opted for atheltics. I did not just choose atheltics haphazardly, but I realized that school was already too demanding and I needed physcial fitness for my personal health. Athletics could give me the relief from the stresses and pressure of academic work, I could meet perso ns with different interests and I would also boost my health. I have since been a dedicated member of the sprint team. Athletics is very demandind and requires discpline and team work spirit. I have been able to nurture these qualities and am certain that I have made significant progress. I also decided to join the Economics club because it creates the forum for students to disucss not only to expound on issues disucssed in class but also to invite professionals in the Economic field for motivation and advice. The Economics club has allowed me to discover the connection between theory and practice. Through the forums, I have benefitted in undertsanding the economics dynamics at

Unilever AxeDove controversy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Unilever AxeDove controversy - Case Study Example Unilever AxeDove controversy The company has a large work force of more than 180,000 people in the world with revenue of more that US$58 billion. The company was established from Roternd and London companies which also act as the mother companies for all other branches in the world. Recently the company has been engulfed in one of the most heated controversy in the history of business world arising from its advertisement. The company has been engaged in a various criticisms before but the recent one seems to have attracted the attention of unlikely quarters from politicians to the human reign activists. It has become a subject to social conversation all over the world due to its mode of advertisement. There have been many blogs in the internet that have been used against the company and its advertisement strategy especially the recent one Axe/dove advertisement which has attracted most criticism even before they make their impact on the market. The market of the two brands Axe and Dove have attracted the advocacy groups who have been campaigning for the need to have commercial-free childhood advertisements. The dove product advertisement has been used as a marketing strategy that is said to be promoting real beauty. In the advertisement there is a dove that is promising the girls a good care if they use the products. In this regard no one can understand how a dove can promise the girl a good care. The company has however described the advertisement as showing the need to have real beauty rather than acting as an advisement to encourage girls to use the products and has therefore started a campaign that is aimed at funning projects for girl child. But this is contradicted by another advertisement of its products Axe deodorant which has been described as having an effect of 'epitomizing the sexist and degrading making that has been undermining girls'. This has been shone to be a potential harm to the health development of grid as contradicted to the other advertisement of the Dove which promotes health self-image for all women. (Newman, 2007) The company has been on the defense saying that the Dove brand is meant to show women the need of feel beautiful always which has been expressed by wide way in the today's stereotyping of beauty and it is meant to inspire women to be taking car of them. For this reason the company has created Dove Self-Esteem Fund that is meant to educate and act as inspiration to girls. On the other hand the Axe campaign shows 'the mating game' and expressed the desire of men to get noticed by women. (High, 2007) The above advertisement has been casusign a lot of criticisms for the company not only from the civil activists but also from political arena. It has been descried as the higher hypocrisy in marketing and there have been threat of taking of civil action by not allowing the Dove Fund to take seminars to school unless the Axe advertisement is changed. Let us analyze the effect of the advertisemen

Indigenous Tribes of Latin America Essay Example for Free

Indigenous Tribes of Latin America Essay Throughout the world, when new lands were conquered, old customs would be lost. However, in Latin America, a great deal of their indigenous tribes not only survived being conquered, they are still around today. Different regions of Latin America are home to different peoples and many tribes are part of ancient full-fledged kingdoms. Some of these kingdoms are among the most well-known in the world. The Meso-American native peoples make Latin America famous. These peoples include the Aztecs and Mayans. The Aztecs are most famous for their mathematical prowess and their calendars are exceptionally accurate. Meanwhile, the Mayans are known for creating a fully-written language and making amazing advancements in the fields or mathematics, astronomy, art and architecture. Their calendar is also well-known. The development of the Aztec language, or Nahuatl played an important role in their civilization. Pictographs were used to represent their written language. The language, both written and spoken, was important in completing business arrangements and in keeping track of family and cultural histories. The Aztec language was also used to create beautiful poetry used in rituals and ceremonies. Many Aztec customs relied on the use of their language, as did the passing down of their legends and beliefs from one generation to the next. Maya culture developed in three regions in Mesoamerica. By far the most important and most complete urban development occurred in the lowlands in the central region of southern Guatemala. The southernmost Mayan city was Copan in northern Honduras. The other major region of Mayan development was the Yucatan peninsula making up the southern and eastern portions of modern-day Mexico. The principal food of the Mayas was maize and maize production was the central economic activity. The people indigenous to the Caribbean include a few groups. These groups include the Taino people, who live in what is now known as Puerto Rico. The Taino were seafaring people whose largest towns contained around 3,000 people each which were considered immense in those times. The Arawak people of South America began migrating northward along the many scattered islands located between South and North America, an area we now refer to as the Caribbean. For a thousand years their population grew and the people lived in harmony. The people covered all the islands of the Caribbean, the major ones as they are now known: Cuba, Puerto Rico and Hispaniola as well as all the smaller ones: the Bahamas, Bimini, Jamaica etc. Certain groups of island people identified themselves as Lokono, Lucayan, Carib, Ciboney, Arawak, but most islands were primarily inhabited by people who called themselves Taino, which stood for the good people in their language. The different groups intermarried extensively to strengthen ties amongst themselves. They were aware of a Divine presence that they called Yocahu, and to worship and give thanks was a major part of their lives. They had a social order that provided the leaders and guidelines by which they all lived. They hunted, fished, cultivated crops and ate the abundant fruits provided by nature. They were clever and ingenious and had everything they needed to survive. They had beautiful ceremonies that were held at various times birth, death, marriage, harvest, naming and coming of age, to name a few. They had special reverence for the Earth Mother and had respect for all living things knowing that all living things are connected. There was little need for clothing due to the tropic heat, but upon reaching puberty both males and females would wear a small woven loincloth. Puberty was also the time at which they were considered old enough to be married. The population estimates for the Taino people at the height of their culture are as high as 8,000,000. That was in 1492. The Indigenous people of the Andes include many different ethnic groups and were among the first groups discovered by Christopher Columbus who called them â€Å"indios. † However, the most famous tribe in the Andes is the Incan tribe. Their language, Quechua is still in use today. The Incas of Cusco originally represented one of these small and relatively minor ethnic groups, the Quechuas. Gradually, as early as the thirteenth century, they began to expand and incorporate their neighbors. Inca expansion was slow until about the middle of the fifteenth century. The Inca were warriors with a strong and powerful army. Because of the fierceness of their army and their hierarchical organization, they became the largest Native American society. Quechua is the most widely spoken language and was the language of the Inca Empire. Tropical rainforests have long been home to indigenous peoples who have shaped civilizations and cultures based on the environment in which they live. Great civilizations like the Mayas, Incas, and Aztecs developed complex societies and made great contributions to science. Living from nature and lacking the technology to dominate their environment, native peoples have learned to watch their surroundings and understand the intricacies of the rainforest. Over generations these people have learned the importance of living within their environment and have come to rely on the countless renewable benefits that forests can provide. In Peru, it is estimated that there are at least 15 uncontacted tribes living in remote areas of the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest. These include the Tagaeri, Taromenane, uncontacted Matses, Cabellos Largos, Cashibo-Cacataibo, Isconahua, Murunahua, Mashco-Piro, Kugapakori, Nahua, Matsigenka, Mastanahua, Nanti and Yora tribes. Of an estimated 100 uncontacted tribes worldwide, about half of these people living in isolation from the rest of the world are thought to live in Peru and neighboring Brazil. After Brazil, Peru has the largest number of uncontacted tribes and people living in isolation in the world. There are nine principal areas in Peru where indigenous people are thought to be living in isolation. Most of these uncontacted indigenous Amazonians are believed to live in the remote border region of Peru with Brazil. Recently, the Brazilian government released photographic evidence that uncontacted Amazonian natives still exist in the area of the Peruvian border with Brazil. These natives with long hair are called the Cabellos Largos. The Matses tribe has many hunting camps scattered in and around their lands in Peru and Brazil in the Javari River Valley. These hunting camps are only occupied for several months out of the year and usually have huts and cultivated gardens with indigenous crops such as plantains and cassava. Recently, the Matses have reported several encounters of long-haired uncontacted natives who have been harvesting some of the Matses gardens at these isolated hunting camps in the southernmost range of their territory in Peru. None of the males of previously contacted tribes in the Javari Valley sport long hair. In fact, tribes such as the Matses, Matis, Korubos and Marubos are renowned for having very short hair. Hence, the Matses referring to this uncontacted tribe as the Cabellos Largos, or the â€Å"Long-Haired People. † Uncontacted natives, related to the Cashibo-Cacataibo tribe, are thought to live in the area north of Tingo Maria in the foothills of the Andes Mountains. The Cashibo-Cacataibos speak a language in the Pano linguistic family and the word Cashibo means bat. A group of the Cashibo-Cacataibos has chosen to live apart from the outside world by voluntarily isolating themselves. They live in the headwaters of the Aguaytia, Pisqui and San Alejandro Rivers in and around the Cordillera Azul National Park. These indigenous Amazonians are sometimes referred to as the Cacataibos in isolation or the Camanos. Cashibo-Cacataibo natives in isolation know about the outside world and have chosen to live apart from it voluntarily. Many indigenous tribes in South America have survived to this day, and most of their cultures are still intact. Their languages are still spoken and their customs are still practiced and passed down to their children and it’s even easy to find people from these tribes living very close to modern cities. They live without most modern conveniences and annoying hassles like criminal background checks and embrace their roots. ? References: The Aztecs – Introduction to the Aztec Civilization and Cultures. Retrieved on October 3, 2010 from http://www. aztec-indians. com/ The Taino Indians – Native Americans of the Caribbean. Retrieved on October 2, 2010 from http://www. healing-arts. org/spider/tainoindians. htm Baniwa-Curripaco-Wakuenai – History and Cultural Relations. Retrieved on October 3, 2010 from http://www. everyculture. com/South-America/Baniwa-Curripaco-Wakuenai-History-and-Cultural-Relations. html Central and Southern Andes. Retrieved on October 1, 2010 from http://www. metmuseum. org/toah/ht/?period=08 ®ion=sanc#/Overview Minnesota State University. Inca. Retrieved on October 3, 2010 from http://www. mnsu. edu/emuseum/prehistory/latinamerica/south/cultures/inca. html Pantone, Dan James. Welcome to Amazon-Indians. Retrieved on October 4, 2010 from http://www. amazon-indians. org Mariqueo, Reynaldo Calbucura, Jorge. The Mapuche Nation. Retrieved October 2, 2010 http://www. mapuche-nation. org/english/main/feature/m_nation. htm USA People Search. Native Peoples of Latin America. Retrieved October 4, 2010 http://www. usa-people-search. com/content-native-peoples-of-latin-america. aspx.

The Buck Stops (and Starts) at Business Schools Essay Example for Free

The Buck Stops (and Starts) at Business Schools Essay Case analysis on The buck stops (and starts) at business school It’s really strange that on one hand, most people who were laid off in 2009 after the crisis went into the business schools. On the other hand, medias were seriously criticizing the damage business school graduate brought to the financial crisis. Does business schools need to change? Or they’re just the scapegoats? In Joel Podolny’s view, business schools definitely should be blamed and should be reinvented. He believed that historically, business schools have largely ignored the teaching of values and ethics because those aren’t subjects of inquiry for traditional business school academic disciplines. Also, those leadership and ethics courses that are taught are flawed since attention to detail and taking responsibilities were not emphasized. Furthermore, case teaching method alone doesn’t enable students to learn that being consistent in various situations and continually paying the right amount of attention to detail are among the most challenging aspects of leadership. Podolny also put forward several suggestions about how business schools can change to win back the trust from the society. I think foster greater integration and encourage qualitative makes most sense among the five recommendations. I vote for these two because I simply think the other three just don’t work. In Fisher, we are doing â€Å"appointing teaching teams† right now. But as a student, or the subject of this way of teaching, my feeling is that we don’t like this way. When we see the ethics teachers come in, we naturally feel a kind of reluctance since no one subconsciously or consciously admits that their ethic need to be â€Å"taught†. We either think we’re really good people or we think it’s all BS and making money is always the most important thing. But I feel the most compelling lesson of ethics I learned was actually from an International Business class professor who almost â€Å"unwarily† lead the discussion about a manage r facing whether or not firing a disabled worker who has contributed a lot to the success of the company in one case. It’s so natural that the class did not even take it as an â€Å"ethics class† but really took a great lesson unguardedly through the extremely heated discussion and the concluding succinct but thought provoking words from the professor. That will be my own suggestion for teaching ethics. Stop competing on ranking is a dream. To me it’s just like asking companies to stop competing on net income and EPS. That will never happen though companies can pay more attention to social benefits. Similarly, we can expect business schools to pay more attention or at least act like they pay more attention to candidate’s moral aspect. Withdraw degrees for violating codes of conduct sounds powerful but it’s just so hard to really enforce. Just look at doctors and lawyers in our society now and one can see if it really works. Ethics is still a huge issue in many of the hospitals and courts. What’s more, withdraw the degree for lawyer and doctors can forbid them to continue work as a doctor or lawyer, but in the business world, as long as you have a pretty good experience in your resume, you can always find a job regardless of the degree. Business schools might really need to transform but another question is, should they be responsible for the recent financial crisis as all those business graduates are selling CDS and telling ignorant people to leverage more on mortgages? I don’t think Business schools are largely culpable for the global economic crisis of 2008-2012, at least not largely. First of all, my understanding of the 2008 financial crisis is that we call it sub-prime crisis but sub-prime is just the blasting fuse of it. On one hand, most people are so accustomed to living on credit with zero savings or little savings. On the other hand, Greenspan has planted the seed for all this in his monetary policy and the burst of the bubble is more of an inevitable result of the false prosperous real estate market than wicked business school students cheating people around. It’s very easy to treat innocent civilians as victims and find someone making money on that as chief criminals. But don’t forget that it’s the illusion that one can live a pretty good life without working hard and enjoy your life today as much as possible that really destroyed many of the families. The strong dollar and the world’s trust in dollar had brought US people so much benefits that most people just took that for granted and dreamed that could last forever. The repeated cycles of financial crisis or the ups and downs of economy itself is a manifestation of uncontrollable greed insides human beings that has nothing to do whether one has graduated from a business school or not. To put it another way, if Wall Street does not hire a single business school graduate, the situation will be roughly the same. So attributing the bane of financial crisis mostly to the business schools is more of finding a scapegoat in my view. That said, does that mean business schools had no wrong doings? Definitely no. The pressure from the job market really puts the business schools at a place that they have to pay much more attention to the placement after graduation. Rankings, whether you care about it or not, are out there closely starred at by most of the applicants. These seem to be perfect excuses why business schools pay extreme little attention to ethics and responsibilities. But as a school, it should always take the essence of education as the guideline, which is to teach people to become better people, not to become better financial modeling makers. We can have various training classes that teach the sophisticated technics of Excel but we can never learn about how to make the world better in business skill training classes. So business schools should be blamed for not having planted the seeds of ethics and responsibilities in students. Can business schools teach more about ethics and how to make a better world? Well, it depends. It depends not because the schools can or cannot set up more ethics course and have more ethics teachers. I say it depends because I believe ethics and responsibilities are not taught by ethics teachers but by every single teacher in the classroom even if he teaches financial modeling. I believe ethics are best taught and accepted when the students really feel the leadership inside the professor and genuinely want to follow him or her instead of through simulation case discussions. Do most of the professors in most schools have such leadership and such deep embedded understanding of ethics and responsibility? I seriously doubt about it.

E Banking Is Branch Of E Commerce Information Technology Essay

E Banking Is Branch Of E Commerce Information Technology Essay E-Banking is a branch of E-Commerce that deals with the implementation of Information and Communication Technology in Business Financial Management. E-banking has come a very long way with millions spent on preparation of technological change just to make banking services accessible to their customers from anywhere, at anytime by just a click of the mouse. E-commerce offers a level playing ground for large businesses, as well as small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) to operate in the global market-place; and for regional businesses and communities to participate in social, economic and cultural networks seamlessly across international boundaries (Mary-Anne, 1998) E-banking is a remote delivery channel for banking services ranging from opening an account, transferring funds to more complex form of online transactions like financial product sale, like insurance and brokerage to bill payments and direct debits. Making payments for goods and services in cash or non-cash forms as well as depositing money in financial institutions and managing these resources are an inherent constituent of economic life. Banks serve as important intermediates. In recent years, with the development of technologies and techniques, options for communication with banks are expanding for clients. New services are originating such as home banking, phone banking, internet banking and others. Electronic communication means are particularly coming to the forefront. These are more convenient, faster, and often cheaper for clients. Banking experience shows it is suitable to use combinations of several communication means, depending on individual segments, clients, and types of operations, products and situations. Electronic banking is a service that specifically uses electronic communication forms. Table of Content Introduction Definition E-banking Components Forms of E-banking Automated Teller Machine E-cheque Internet Banking Mail Banking SMS Banking Types of Internet Websites Informational Websites Transactional Websites Benefits of E-Banking Merits to the Customers Merits to the Banking Organisation Merits to the General Economy Global vectors of E-banking E-banking Strategies E-Banking Transactions E-banking Scenario Trends in E-banking Traditional Banking VS Online Banking Merits and Demerits of Online Banking Merits and Demerits of Traditional Banking Problems with Computerization E-Banking in Nigeria: A Case Study Concerns of E-banking In Nigeria Adoption of E-banking In Nigeria Research Design Proposed Model Efforts of the Nigerian Government and the Regulatory Authorities. Conclusion References DEFINATION E-banking can be defined as an electronically automated delivery of modified banking product and services via the use of the internet, World Wide Web, technological devices and interactive communicational channels. E-banking consists of systems that enable financial firm customers, individual and businesses, to transact business; access accounts possess financial product services and information through the internet and the web as a whole. E-Banking can also be referred to as Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) which simply implies the transfer or funds from one account to another. Electronic banking focuses on the use of ICT to enable the external activities and financial relationships of group of individuals and inter-organisational affairs easy. E-Banking enables financial and non-financial organisations link their internal and external finance system more efficiently, flexibly and effectively, to work closely and build more sustainable relation with suppliers, customers and partners as well as satisfy their expectations. Banking customers gain access to e-banking product and services with the aid of an intelligent technological device ranging from Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), Touch Tone Telephone, Smartphone, pocket surfer, Automated teller machine (ATM) to the mostly used personal Computer (PC). There are various use of E-Banking, this includes: Payment checks: checking if a payment is deposited in an account. Fund Withdrawal from account with the use of an ATM machine which requires a mode of authorisation for security reasons. Setting up Direct debit/automatic payment setup for paying a company or a person. Account monitoring: 24/7 monitoring of what goes on in your account. Use your computer and personal finance software to coordinate your total personal financial management process, integrating data and activities related to your income, spending, saving, investing, recordkeeping, bill-paying and taxes, along with basic financial analysis and decision making E-BANKING COMPONENTS The Electronic banking system can remarkably vary in their configuration pending on several factors. Financial institutions should carefully select and choose their electronic banking system configuration without excluding their outsourcing relationships based of four distinctive factors namely: The strategic aim for electronic banking Technological know-how The system complexity, scale and scope, equipments and activities; and The internal control and security requirements. The support of internal electronic banking services may be selected optionally by financial organisation but alternatively, organisations may outsource any aspect of their electronic banking systems to third parties. Firms that could host electronic banking-related services for financial organisations are: ISP (internet Service providers) A managed security service provider An internet banking software processor and a core banking vendor Other financial institution Credit sorting firm and a credit bureau A bill payment service provider These elements work together in harmony to deliver a great achievement in electronic banking services and each element representing a considerable point of control. Through a combination of both internal and external solutions, management has various options when shaping the overall system formation for the various elements of an e-banking system. Nevertheless, putting simplicity into consideration, one or more technology service provider can host the e-banking application and various network components. The organisations ISP hosts the organisations internet banking server, firewall, website and all necessary security detection system. There are some processes e-banking rely on in order to work as expected and some, if not all of the processes can be seen in operation anytime e-banking is in services and operation where each element represent a considerable control point. Some of these processes seen in a typical e-banking system include: Internal network server A core processing system Security management Network Administration Website design and hosting Firewall configuration and management E-business application (e.g. lending, bill/goods payment) FORMS OF E-BANKING: Automated Teller Machine (ATM) A stand-alone electronic machine in an open area for public use which is connected to a data system and components and then operated by a financial organisations customer to withdraw cash and other account balance and services via a very secure mode of communication. Most ATMs in the UK allow interbank use sometimes for free or charged a a fixed amount and the machines offers cash withdrawal, balance enquiry with printed receipt, money transfer between accounts, mobile top-up as well as fund deposit either in cash or cheques. Every customer belonging to a banking organisation is issued a plastic smartcard which has a chip on it and the chip contains the customers account details and a PIN (personal Identification Number) is issued with the smartcard as a mode of security for the user to access the account. The PIN gives the user authorisation into the account but the PIN has to be matched with that in the record of the card before access is granted and if upon three unsuccessful trials, the account is locked and has to be reactivated but the authority of the banking organisation. E-Cheque As the name suggests, its an electronic cheque. Basically, its the electronic version of a paper cheque which possesses the information and framework as its counterpart and functions exactly as the paper cheque works. Internet Banking This enables account users handle various banking activities via the use of the internet on their personal computer. These activities ranges from 24/7 account monitoring, balance checks, funds transfer and paying bills. To gain access to internet banking, the user must have to sign-up for this feature and in return, the banking organisation issues the customer some authorisation and security measures only to be known to the account user. This includes: An account number A password A security question (as an account confirmation if account number and password matches) A security answer. Mail Banking This enables the possibility for customer to communicate with their banks by electronic mail and the most used of this service is sending bank statements to account holders at an agreed period to the clients mailbox. SMS Banking (short message service banking) This feature allows customers to request for information either from their banks department or for their account balance information with the aid of a text message sent from the clients mobile phone which as well, can be used as both passive and active operation similar to the classic telephone baking. Information sent on request is mostly about current interest rate or exchange rate sent by the bank and this feature is convenient by the bank due to its simplicity and less-protection involved but a password is used. TYPES OF INTERNET WEBSITES Before the web as a whole was opened to members of the public, research and educational organisations and government agencies were able to view and gain available information to each other by the use of text-only websites but since the embrace of the World Wide Web, there has been more website than ever. There are various types of websites namely: Personal websites Community Building website Informational Website Online Business Brochure Blogs Photo Sharing Websites Transactional websites But in this course, two primary types of financial websites will be viewed: informational website and transactional website. INFORMATIONAL WEBSITES As the name suggests informational from information provides numerous customers access to information about a financial organisation products and services. These websites are unique because it allows visitors contribution to readymade articles and journals for editing information to be shared or sold. A business could setup a website to list product, specification, instructions and review about a certain item. This will serve as a lead for people to discover assistant and essence and this site can be linked to an e-business site for better customer experience and even expose the usefulness of your sites existence. An example of informational websites includes google.com and Wikipedia.org, the online encyclopaedia. There are certain risk issues that has to be examined and reviewed due to the nature of information stored and retrieved in informational websites which include: There is a potential access to private and confidential financial/customer information if the website isnt isolated from the financial organisations internal network. There is a huge risk in spreading virus and other malicious programming code to computers communicating with the organisations website Potential customer violations and liability for wrong and insufficient information about products and services and price listing presented on the website; and A negative public view if the organisations on-line website services are defaced. TRANSACTIONAL WEBSITES These website provide customers with the ability to process transactions through a financial organisations website by initiating banking transactions or buying products and services. Banking transactions can range from basic retail account balance inquiry to a large intra-business funds transfer. E-banking services can be classified based on the type of customer and services they support. Common e-banking retail and wholesale services mostly offered by financial institutions are listed in the table below. Retail Services Wholesale Services Account Management Account Management Bill payment and Presentment Cash management New account opening Small business loan applications, approvals, or advances Customer Wire transfer Investment/Brokerage Services Commercial wire transfers Loan application and approval Business-to-business payments Account aggregation Employee benefits/pension administration Common E-Banking services Due to the nature of transactional websites which enables the electronic exchange and transfer of sensitive customer information and funds transfer, these website expose the services of financial organisations to higher risk than any other type of website. Wholesale e-banking systems typically expose financial organisations to the highest level of risk during each transaction, since commercial transactions usually involve larger currency amounts. The following issues should be considered when reviewing transactional e-banking services: Liability for unauthorized transactions; Verification of both new and existing customers accessing e-banking services with the process of authentication; Law violations, customer privacy, anti-terrorism, anti-money laundering; Security control for safeguarding customer information; Fraud loss due to disproval of individuals identity or business applying for new accounts; and Customer dissatisfaction, negative public view and potential liability resulting from failure to process third-party payments as directed or unauthorized access to confidential customer information during storage. BENEFITS OF E-BANKING Since the introduction of e-banking, there has been a rapid spread in its daily use either to the financial organisation or for the customers all around the globe. All financial organisations are making greater use of the facilities provided by e-banking to better the services and to have an edge in the competitive market. The following points summarize the merits of e-banking. Merits to customers: Customers generally, have been distinctively affected in a positive way by E-banking. Ordinary tasks have now been replaced automatically which results in comfort and stress free. The merits include: With the use of ATMs, customers have access to their account to withdraw funds at any time of the day at any ATM cash point throughout the country. Transactions can be done at any time of the day, seven days a week by just a mouse click away. Increase in the usage of smartcards in different format which is widely used across the globe i.e. credit cards and debit cards. Online banking made easy to customers with an online account. Services available in a banks local branch can all be accessed in the banks website. The customer hardly needs to visit the local bank branch only if necessary due to the flexibility provided by the online service. Attractive interest rates and many incentives given out when accounts are opened online. Consolidated portfolio Interface for customers managing their debit, credit, mortgages and other financial assets. Merits to banking organisation When the use of ICT is been incorporated into any business, there are advantages engraved in it due to the growth of E-banking infrastructure and these are sighted below: The wide reach and delivery capabilities of computer network such as the internet are better off than any other branch network. Enormous paper work in the banking sector has been reduced due to the implementation of e-banking. Financial organisation has become highly competitive amongst each other as a result of increase in e-banking. E-banking has helped the banks in controlling their overheads and operating cost. Huge data warehouse for documentation, storage and retrieval of records, transactions and customer details has been sorted out by e-banking. Banks save money in the long run by not paying for tellers or managing branches. Efficiency and customer satisfaction is improved. Huge customer attraction due to online services offered (see image below). e-bill effect.png Source: Aspen Analytics, The E-Bill Effect: The Impact on Customer Attrition from Banks that Offer E-Bill, Nov. 2007 Merits to the general economy: The invention of the internet and the World Wide Web has triggered an electronic/automatic revolution in the financial banking sector with its flexibility and dynamic nature aided in balancing numerous services of banking activities. The adoption and delivery of electronic banking products and services is existing partly as a product of customer demand and because of the rise in competition within the banking sector but many few banks have succeeded in deploying effective strategies for fully utilize the services of the internet. GLOBAL VECTORS OF E-BANKING E-banking has widely serviced both the members of the public as well as the financial organisation which created a creation of a better enabling society that supports growth and development, productivity and prosperity. Setting aside its benefits in form of cost reduction, delivery time saving, high efficiency, waste reduction, electronically controlled e-banking and thoroughly environment monitoring discourage many illegal and illegimate conducts associated with banking industry like frauds, money laundering and embezzlements. Customer database been closely monitored by e-banking. E-banking has also helped in documentation of the economic activity of the masses. Global E-banking organisation is covered by four primary sections namely: E-banking Strategies: key strategies that all banks must utilise to achieve peak value through the electronic channel. E-banking Transactions: this sector deals with cross border transactions, mobile payment, B2B transactions and E-billing system. E-banking Scenario: the state, prospects and issues relating to e-banking and the impact of e-banking on the banking organisation structure. Trends in E-banking: this section focuses on the creation of new technologies in banks. E-BANKING STRATEGIES A study revealed that less than 15 percent of banks with transactional website will reap profits directly as a result to those sites. Therefore, financial organisation must acknowledge the seriousness of the challenge ahead and come up with a strategy that will enable leverage chances presented by the World Wide Web. E-banking relies on the development of new business strategies based on networks. The world has become increasingly inter-connected through telecommunication networks and computers. These offer fast, flexible, and cost-effective ways of doing business. There is no set appropriate strategy in E-banking that is suitable for every banking industry but whether they embark on a defensive or an offensive strategy, they still have to be up to date with the business trends and technological evolution of the Web space although, not every business has been e-business understood. Like Wells Fargo, early electronic businesses espouse, who firstly- not only entered the electronic banking sector but showed flexibility to change as the market expands. The level of e-banking should be well considered by the financial organisation that will provide numerous customer segments based on their needs and risk management assessment. An approved strategic e-banking broad should be consulted before reaching an agreement or final decision should be made with considerations to the customer demands, expertise, expense implementation, maintenance cost, competition and capital support. Financial organisations often consider the most appropriate mode of overall business strategy in terms of publishing its products and services on informational websites or transactional websites which can sometimes used to determine organisational success and to ensure the delivery of those product and services; the financial organisation may possess multiple pages within a website for different business functions. E-banking is a remote delivery channel for banking services ranging from opening an account, transferring funds to more complex form of online transactions like financial product sale, like insurance and brokerage to bill payments and direct debits. Although internet banking is still the most influential and most widely used, a new challenge has emerged in the form of mobile banking which is an additional opportunity for banks to offer basic urgent request for their new and existing customers. Mobile banking allows financial organisations extend their customer relationship and personalized information with the use of new technologies to their valued customers. E-BANKING TRANSACTIONS With the increasing cost of banking transactions, providing numerous customers with cost effective services; huge volume of e-banking transactions are been processed everyday and this is becoming increasingly popular as the number and value of e-banking transactions in the country have shown a rather impressive growth in years. This is achieved with the aid of new technologies which transformed traditional banking transactions. The traditional means of banking involves physically going to the bank to execute all banking operations from the simplest to the complex transactions which the banks had to employ several staffs to attend to the customers enquiries. Electronic Fund Transfers got introduced and this minimised the average customer waiting times by allowing customers to carry out banking transactions on their own and at anytime. There are several practical services offered by Electronic fund Transfers and this includes: The use of Automated Teller Machines otherwise known as ATM or 24-hour tellers are electronic terminals that allows banking almost at anytime of the day. These machines enable bank customers to make deposits, withdraw cash, or transfer funds between accounts. To use this service, account holders make use of a plastic card with chip and a PIN (Personal identification Number) to access the account and carry out necessary actions in the account. Unauthorized users are declined and the card can be block to avoid fraud. Some ATMs are free and some charge a little access fee. E-check conversion converts a paper check into an e-payment in a store or when a firm receives check in the mail. Using the e-check in stores, the cashier runs the e-check through an electronic system that captures the banking details and amount details on the check and stores the record. Thereafter, a receipt is issued as a confirmation of acceptance for the customers record. The e-check functions exactly as the paper check and all terms and conditions are applied equally. Direct Debit Transactions allows payment to be made with a bank debit card in the name of the account holder which also can be your ATM card. Payments for purchases can be used in business stores, shopping outlets, online and over the phone. The process is fast and easy to transfer funds and make payments provided the amount in the account covers all purchase necessary. It should be encouraged to read through the cards terms of use and conditions of the banking organisation. Direct deposit enable authorization of specific deposits such as Social Security checks, pay checks to your account on a regular basis. Pre-authorize withdrawals may also be set up so as to pay recurring bills such as insurance premium, mortgages and utility bills, paid automatically. Phone banking allows instant contact with the bank society to authorize certain payment, transfers, account balance request and transactional acknowledgements to be sent to the account holder over the phone. Agreement has to be made with the banking organisations to use this feature and is sometimes charged at a stated fee. ebanking_chart_howmake.jpg Bank account information is very sensitive and hence, special care should be taken into consideration when giving out details of debit card or credit card either on the internet or over the phone. Financial organisations should be contacted about any protections offered for these transactional cards. E-BANKING SCENARIO E-banking is mostly used in the financial sectors across the globe and it tends to be the lead master in E-business but studies revealed that e-banking still has a lot to offer. E-banking is adopted mostly in developed nations as a mode of working ethics through the availability of the internet as an online bank branch while the developing nations make use of the internet as information dissemination. E-banking started in the early 1980s in New York, US. According to Banking and Finance on the Internet, which was edited by Mary J. Cronin, distinctive banks offered home banking services to individuals and small-businesses to maintain e-check book registers, check account balances and fund transfers between accounts. Although e-banking was introduced in the mid-1970s so as to reduce back-office check-processing costs, the banks which embarked on the system failed to attract enough customers to break even and were deserted in 1989. In 2001, over 50 percent of the banks were offering E-banking services in the US but however, small banking organisations had no competitive merit over huge banks in terms of services rendered although internet business strategies was been implemented. In the 1990s, large banks awaken to the vast popularity and opportunities of the internet to advertise their products and services heavily. According to a research carried out by Online Banking Report, at the end of 1999, less than 0.4 percent of households in the U.S. were using online banking. Later in early 2004, some 33 million U.S. households (equivalent to 31% of the market) were using a form of e-banking or another and five years after, according to Gartner Group Survey, 47 percent of the Americans bank online. The FDIC statistics published revealed that only 40 percent of US banks offer e-banking facilities worth mentioning. The others may possess an online presence but dont have website transactions to prove their existence on the internet. Hence, the internet was used as a brochure without physical interaction to the customers. This offered entry and expansion opportunities that small banks traditionally lack. E-banking arrived in the UK almost simultaneously with the US. It was introduces by the Nottingham Building Society in 1983 which introduced UKs first home banking service via a computerised information service owned by British telecom. Approximately 60 percent of the UK financial industry was centralised in e-business in early 2001 and with the anticipated 10-fold surge of the e-business market in 2005 in UK, the share of the financial services will further increase. Some bank customers turn to internet banking due to dismay with normal procedures, policies and practices. The total cut of human intervention tends to appeal to some people and some people switch to internet banking for security reasons and convenience. This arises because of the assurance banks give to safe guard transactions and better security. The internet is accelerating hard to reset the banking organisation into three divisions namely: production, distribution and advice. This is due to the combined effect of internet drive: New technological equipments to reduce transactional cost and physical bank relationship The adoption of new and more focused business models High degree of uncertainty posed by new entrants on business models. ebanking.jpg E-banking in Europe as well as the rest of the world is still at the evolutionary stage, its obvious that a huge impact is been felt on the traditional way of banking. Large banks in parts of the developed world will surely have a competitive advantage over small banks due to the competence to implement new technologies but are still not prepared. Hence, medium-sized and small banks have a significant role on the electronic banking front end if strict measures can be implemented rapidly and effectively. TRENDS IN E-BANKING The trends in e-baking varies from time to time although e-banking is gaining huge ground from banks operating through websites enabling customers not only to request account checks, interest rates but also to explore a whole wide range of transactional product and services. Internet banking data seems to be scarce and definitional differences make comparison difficult in cross-countries. Internet banking has gained muck popularity in Korea, Spain, Austria, and Switzerland, where all banks offers up to 75 percent on internet services. ebanking_chart_onlineusage.jpg According to a research carried out by yStats.com, a research company founded in 2005 for the research of objective, demand-based and up-to-date data on markets and competitors for top managers, made key findings on the global use of online payments. The Quantitative information on different payment methods used in B2C E-Commerce markets worldwide quotes: In the US, Credit Card (67%) was the preferred payment method for holiday online shopping in 2009, followed by Debit Card (36%). While German men use credit cards for more than 40% of online purchases, women continue to use the traditional direct debit method. Sella (31%) was Italys preferred online payment company in 2009, followed by Cartasi (19%) and PayPal (15%). Furthermore, iDeal was the most accepted payment method in the Netherlands in 2009, with 89% of merchants accepting it. Money Transfer (43%) was the preferred payment method of B2C E-Commerce consumers in China in 2009. TRADITIONAL BANKING VS ONLINE BANKING There are several differences between traditional banking and online banking although some people are still sceptical about the safety of sensitive information when using online banking so therefore, they stick with their old way of banking. The distinctive feature between both is that one is physical and the other is virtual but they both offer the same products and services. The major difference lies in the convenience opportune by online banking specifically when it deals to making payments, obtaining