Family and Culture - 1010 Words

â€Å"Family culture is a unique way that a family forms itself in terms of rules, roles, habits, activities, beliefs, and other areas† (â€Å"What is family culture?†, 2002). The perception of family is an aspect of family culture; this includes the interactions within the family and with others. Some of these perceptions can be defined as myths. A myth is a belief about someone or something that is believed to be true, but it is false, made-up, or exaggerated (S. Yu, Lecture). There are both positive and negative aspects of believing myths. Believing myths could be very dysfunctional; they can result in negative consequences that disrupt a family and they may also divert our attention away from widespread social problems that affect families. On†¦show more content†¦So, most families turn to financial aid for help. This doesn’t make the family a â€Å"bad family†. One more myth, the myth of the perfect marriage and the perfect family declares that after the â€Å"perfect wedding the perfect couple will have the perfect life†. Although families have always been view as always a good thing with all these happy people living in â€Å"one big happy family†, it has always been filled with conflict and tension. Difficulties in families are common. Arguments between spouses range from how the children should be raised to how the family finances should be budgeted. Husband and wives also often struggle with the lack of passion in their relationship beyond the first few years of their marriage, so they must maintain a relationship based on something other than passionate love. Parent-child conflicts often play a big role as well; parents attempt to assert their authority, while their children attempt to assert their independence, making conflict inevitable. Society places unrealistic expectations upon families. In reality, families arenâ €™t always perfect and blissful, since they can also be filled with conflict along with the rest of society. Stress and conflicts could be destructive to families, especially when it gets out of hand. They are often under constant stress, being pushed and pulled in many directions, often without the supportShow MoreRelatedFamily Culture : Family And Culture1262 Words   |  6 Pages Family and Culture I traveled to Germany last summer to visit my friend Janine I noticed many different behaviors in family life that differed from the culture home and family life.The family I stayed with seemed so connected compared to my own. The ways the families in Germany treat their guest is very different and far more hospitable than here in America. I was also surprised by how welcoming everyone I met from Janine s family. The biggest cultural shock thatRead MoreThe Culture Of The Family983 Words   |  4 PagesEvery family has a different culture. Whether the culture is about religion, or within the immediate family, every family has a different outlook. Laney and her family have discussed what their culture is. Culture includes what the family does on a daily basis and traditions. On a daily basis Laney keeps in touch with her family. She calls her parents daily to talk about what has happened in her life, and her parents also call her to catch up. Laney has 1 sister who she was very close with growingRead MoreFamily Culture1764 Words   |  8 PagesOften times when we hear the word culture, we think of the differences of different countries. That statement may be true; however, there are different cultures within the same country, even within the same city. No matter what culture we call our own, there are distinct differences between that of other cultures around us. One of the major differences occurs in the realm of family; family affection to be more specific. When talking about family affection, we should consider many different aspectsRead MoreInfluence Of Family Culture And Their Influence On Family, Culture, And Environment873 Words   |  4 PagesResearch has shown that a person is shaped by the influence of their family, their culture, and their environment. As far as I could remember my parents have always been there for me, always by my side cheering me on. I am lucky to have such wonderful parents because if it weren’t for their influence, I would not be the person that I am today. My father had a rough childhood growing up in New York. His family was poor and my grandmother was not very supportive, yet despite his living conditionsRead More family culture Essay1736 Words   |  7 Pages Often times when we hear the word culture, we think of the differences of different countries. That statement may be true; however, there are different cultures within the same country, even within the same city. No matter what culture we call our own, there are distinct differences between that of other cultures around us. One of the major differences occurs in the realm of family; family affection to be more specific. When talking about family affection, we should consider many different aspectsRead MoreThe Family Of Hmong Culture886 Words   |  4 PagesWith the centrality of the family in Hmong culture, having sons or a son is very important as they are the ones who will take on the last name and lead the future generation of the family (Cha, 2010). Cha states, â€Å"The clannish nature of Hmong society favors a son. A family that does not have a son is viewed as a burden to the clan and community, because such a family will not contribute much to the community,† (p. 24). In the culture, the son(s) will take care of the parents as the daughter willRead MoreCulture, Socialization, And The Family923 Words   |  4 Pagespeople especially young generation doesn’t have a choice, they have to learn how to interact with millions of cultures that is the main reason why I decided to choose this three ressources:Culture,Socialization,and The family First of all, talking about culture, it can be define as the totality of learned, socially transmitted customs, knowledge, material objects, and behavior. In fact, culture is very important and I love it because it influences an individual s life in a variety of ways, includingRead MoreFamily Roles : Sioux And Their Culture Family 1430 Words   |  6 PagesSioux and their Culture Family Roles -Who’s in charge? Child independence? †¢ The family life of Native Americans today is defined as a nuclear family. This consists of the mother, father, and offspring. The parents are the leaders of the household and work together in making all major decisions. This leaves both the mother and father equally in charge especially when it comes to their offspring. As the child is growing up the parents take primary responsibility in directing their child’s life. WhenRead MoreFamily Of Origin And Our Family Culture Essay1681 Words   |  7 PagesThe term Family of Origin refers to the family that you grew up in - your parents and siblings, your original family. It may also include grandparents, other relatives, or other individuals who lived with you during part of your childhood. From our family we learn how to communicate, deal with our emotions, and get our needs met. We also learn many of our values and beliefs from our families. We often develop our sense of self in the context of our family of origin. Our f amily of origin or ourRead MoreA Mexican Culture Family975 Words   |  4 PagesI was born into a Mexican culture family where I was born and raised in Fort Worth. Both my parents are American citizens but something important to know about my background is my mother is from America and my father is from Mexico, which also means I have family who have come over from Mexico. I feel like a lot of where I come from defines me a lot in where I stand politically. I’ve taken many tests to see where I stand and in some I’m an independent, others I’m slightly democrat and others I’m

The Twilight Saga 4 Breaking Dawn 16. Too-Much-Information Alert Free Essays

string(67) " when the Cullens were gone___ want to stay with you, she told me\." 16. Too-Much-Information Alert I took off early, long before sunrise was due. I’d gotten just a little bit of uneasy sleep leaning against the side of the sofa. We will write a custom essay sample on The Twilight Saga 4: Breaking Dawn 16. Too-Much-Information Alert or any similar topic only for you Order Now Edward woke me when Bella’s face was flushed, and he took my spot to cool her back down. I stretched and decided I was rested enough to get some work done. â€Å"Thank you,† Edward said quietly, seeing my plans. â€Å"If the route is clear, they’ll go today.† Tillet you know.† It felt good to get back to my animal self. I was stiff from sitting still for so long. I extended my stride, working out the kinks. Morning, Jacob,Leah greeted me. Good, you’re up. How long’s Seth been out? Not out yet,Seth thought sleepily. Almost there. What do you need? You think you got another hour in you? Sure thing. No problem.Seth got to his feet right away, shaking out his fur. Let’s make the deep run,Itold Leah. Seth, take the perimeter. Gotcha.Seth broke into an easy jog. Off on another vampire errand,Leah grumbled. You got a problem with that? Of course not. I just love to coddle those darling leeches. Good. Let’s see how fast we can run. Okay, I’m definitely up forthat Leah was on the far western rim of the perimeter. Rather than cut close to the Cullens’ house, she stuck to the circle as she raced around to meet me. I sprinted off straight east, knowing that even with the head start, she’d be passing me soon if I took it easy for even a second. Nose to the ground, Leah. This isn’t a race, it’s a reconnaissance mission. I can do both and still kick your butt I gave her that one. know. She laughed. We took a winding path through the eastern mountains. It wasa familiar route. We’d run these mountains when the vampires had left a year ago, making it part of our patrol route to better protect the people here. Then we’d pulled back the lines when the Cullens returned. This was their treaty land. But that fact would probably mean nothing to Sam now. The treaty was dead. The question today was how thin he was willing to spread his force. Was he looking for stray Cullens to poach on their land or not? Had Jared spoken the truth or taken advantage of the silence between us? We got deeper and deeper into the mountains without finding any trace of the pack. Fading vampire trails were everywhere, but the scents were familiar now. I was breathing them in all day long. I founda heavy, somewhat recent concentration on one particular trail – all of them coming and going here except for Edward. Some reason for gathering that must have been forgotten when Edward brought his dying pregnant wife home. I gritted my teeth. Whatever it was, it had nothing to do with me. Leah didn’t push herself past me, though she could have now. I was paying more attention to each new scent than I was to the speed contest. She kept to my right side, running with me rather than racing against me. Were getting pretty far out here,she commented. Yeah. If Sam was hunting strays, we should have crossed his trail by now. Makes more sense right now for him to bunker down in La Push,Leah thought. He knows we’re giving the bloodsuckers three extra sets of eyes and legs. He’s not going to be able to surprise them. This was just a precaution, really. Wouldn’t want our precious parasites taking unnecessary chances. Nope,I agreed, ignoring the sarcasm. You’ve changed so much, Jacob. Talk about one-eighties. You’re not exactly the same Leah I’ve always known and loved, either. True. Am I less annoying than Paul now? Amazingly†¦ yes. Ah, sweet success. Congrats. We ran in silence again then. It was probably time to turn around, but neither of us wanted to. It felt nice to run like this. We’d been staring at the same small circle of atrail for too long. It felt good to stretch our muscles and take the rugged terrain. We weren’t in a huge hurry, so I thought maybe we should hunt on the way back. Leah was pretty hungry. Yum, yum,she thought sourly. It’s all in your head,I told her. That’s the way wolves eat. It’s natural. It tastes fine. If you didn’t think about it from a human perspective – Forget the pep talk, Jacob. I’ll hunt I don’t have to like it Sure, sure,I agreed easily. It wasn’t my business if she wanted to make things harder for herself. She didn’t add anything for a few minutes; I started thinking about turning back. Thank you,Leah suddenly told me in a much different tone. For? For letting me be. For letting me stay. You’ve been nicer than I had any right to expect, Jacob. Er, no problem. Actually, I mean that. I don’t mind having you here like I thought I would. She snorted, but it was a playful sound. What a glowing commendation! Don’t let it go to your head. Okay – if you don’t let this go to yours.She paused for a second. think you make a good Alpha. Not in the same way Sam does, but in your own way. You’re worth following, Jacob. My mind went blank with surprise. It took me a second to recover enough to respond. Er, thanks. Not totally sure I’ll be able to stop that one from going to my head, though. Where did that come from? She didn’t answer right away, and I followed the wordless direction of her thoughts. She was thinking about the future – about what I’d said to Jared the other morning. About how the time would be up soon, and then I’d go back to the forest. About how I’d promised that she and Seth would return to the pack when the Cullens were gone___ want to stay with you, she told me. The shock shot through my legs, locking my joints. She blew past me and then put on the brakes. Slowly, she walked back to where I was frozen in place. won’t be a pain, I swear. I won’t follow you around. You can go wherever you want, and I’ll go where I want. You’ll only have to put up with me when we’re both wolves. She paced back and forth in front of me, swishing her long gray tail nervously. And, as I’m planning on quitting as soon as I can manage it†¦ maybe that won’t be so often. I didn’t know what to say. I’m happier now, as a part of your pack, than I have been in years. I want to stay, too,Seth thought quietly. I hadn’t realized he’d been paying much attention to us as he ran the perimeter. like this pack. Hey, now! Seth, this isn’t going to be a pack much longer.I tried to put my thoughts together so they would convince him. We’ve got a purpose now, but when†¦ after that’s over, I’m just going to go wolf. Seth, you need a purpose. You’re a good kid. You’re the kind of person who always has a crusade. And there’s no way you’re leaving La Push now. You’re going to graduate from high school and do something with your life. You’re going to take care of Sue. My issues are not going to mess up your future. But – Jacob is rightLeah seconded. You’re agreeing with me? Of course. But none of that applies tome. was on my way out anyway. I’ll get a job somewhere away from La Push. Maybe take some courses at a community college. Get into yoga and meditation to work on my temper issues†¦. And stay a part of this pack for the sake of my mental well-being. Jacob – you can see how that makes sense, right? I won’t bother you, you won’t bother me, everyone is happy. I turned back and started loping slowly toward the west. This is a bit much to deal with, Leah. Let me think about it, ‘kay? Sure. Take your time. It took us longer to make the run back. I wasn’t trying for speed. I was just trying to concentrate enough that I wouldn’t plow headfirst into a tree. Seth was grumbling a little bit in the back of my head, but I was able to ignore him. He knew I was right. He wasn’t going to abandon his mom. He would go back to La Push and protect the tribe like he should. But I couldn’t see Leah doing that. And that was just plain scary. A pack of the two of us? No matter the physical distance, I couldn’t imagine the†¦ the intimacy of that situation. I wondered if she’d really thought it through, or if she was just desperate to stay free. Leah didn’t say anything as I chewed it over. It was like she was trying to prove how easy it would be if it was just us. We ran into a herd of black-tailed deer just as the sun was coming up, brightening the clouds a little bit behind us. Leah sighed internally but didn’t hesitate. Her lunge was clean and efficient – graceful, even. She took down the largest one, the buck, before the startled animal fully understood the danger. Not to be outdone, I swooped down on the next largest deer, snapping her neck between my jaws quickly, so she wouldn’t feel unnecessary pain. I could feel Leah’s disgust warring with her hunger, and I tried to make it easier for her by letting the wolf in me have my head. I’d lived all-wolf for long enough that I knew how to be the animal completely, to see his way and think his way. I let the practical instincts take over, letting her feel that, too. She hesitated for a second, but then, tentatively, she seemed to reach out with her mind and try to see my way. It felt very strange – our minds were more closely linked than they had ever been before, because we both were trying to think together. Strange, but it helped her. Her teeth cut through the fur and skin of her kill’s shoulder, tearing away a thick slab of streaming flesh. Rather than wince away as her human thoughts wanted to, she let her wolf-self react instinctively. It was kind of a numbing thing, a thoughtless thing. It let her eat in peace. It was easy for me to do the same. And I was glad I hadn’t forgotten this. This would be my life again soon. Was Leah going to be a part of that life? A week ago, I wouldve found that idea beyond horrifying. I wouldn’t’ve been able to stand it. But I knew her better now. And, relieved from the constant pain, she wasn’t the same wolf. Not the same girl. We ate together until we both were full. Thanks,she told me later as she was cleaning her muzzle and paws against the wet grass. I didn’t bother; it had just started to drizzle and we had to swim the river again on our way back. I’d get clean enough. That wasn’t so bad, thinking your way. You’re welcome. Seth was dragging when we hit the perimeter. I told him to get some sleep; Leah and I would take over the patrol. Seth’s mind faded into unconsciousness just seconds later. You headed back to the bloodsuckers?Leah asked. Maybe. It’s hard for you to be there, but hard to stay away, too. I know how that feels. You know, Leah, you might want to think a little bit about the future, about what you really want to do. My head is not going to be the happiest place on earth. And you’ll have to suffer right along with me. She thought about how to answer me. Wow, this is going to sound bad. But, honestly, it will be easier to deal with your pain than face mine. Fair enough. I know it’s going to be bad for you, Jacob. I understand that – maybe better than you think. I don’t like her, but†¦ she’s your Sam. She’s everything you want and everything you can’t have. I couldn’t answer. know it’s worse for you. At least Sam is happy. At least he’s alive and well. I love him enough that I want that. I want him to have what’s best for him. She sighed. I just don’t want to stick around to watch. Do we need to talk about this? I think we do. Because I want you to know that I won’t make it worse for you. Hell, maybe I’ll even help. I wasn’tborn a compassionless shrew. I used to be sort of nice, you know. My memory doesn’t go that far back. We both laughed once. I’m sorry about this, Jacob. I’m sorry you’re in pain. I’m sorry it’s getting worse and not better Thanks, Leah. She thought about the things that were worse, the black pictures in my head, while I tried to tune her out without much success. She was able to look at them with some distance, some perspective, and I had to admit that this was helpful. I could imagine that maybe I would be able to see it that way, too, in a few years. She saw the funny side of the daily irritations that came from hanging out around vampires. She liked my ragging on Rosalie, chuckling internally and even running through a few blonde jokes in her mind that I might be able to work in. But then her thoughts turned serious, lingering on Rosalie’s face in a way that confused me. You know what’s crazy?she asked. Well, almost everything is crazy right now. But what do you mean? That blond vampire you hate so much – totally get her perspective. For a second I thought she was making a joke that was in very poor taste. And then, when I realized she was serious, the fury that ripped through me was hard to control. It was a good thing we’d spread out to run our watch. If she’d been within biting distance†¦ Hold up! Let me explain! Don’t want to hear it I’m outta here. Wait! Wait!she pleaded as I tried to calm myself enough to phase back. C’mon, Jake! Leah, this isn’t really the best way to convince me that I want to spend more time with you in the future. Yeesh! What an overreaction. You don’t even know what I’m talking about So whatare you talking about? And then she was suddenly the pain-hardened Leah from before. I’m talking about being a genetic dead end, Jacob. The vicious edge to her words left me floundering. I hadn’t expected to have my anger trumped. I don’t understand. Youwould, if you weren’t just like the rest of them. If my â€Å"female sfu/T – she thought the words with a hard, sarcastic tone – didn’t send you running for cover just like any stupid male, so you could actually pay attention to what it all means. Oh. Yeah, so none of us like to think about that stuff with her. Who would? Of course I remembered Leah’s panic that first month after she joined the pack – and I remembered cringing away from it just like everyone else. Because she couldn’t be pregnant – not unless there was some really freaky religious immaculate crap going on. She hadn’t been with anyone since Sam. And then, when the weeks dragged on and nothing turned into more nothing, she’d realized that her body wasn’t following the normal patterns anymore. The horror – what was she now? Had her body changed because she’d become a werewolf? Or had she become a werewolf because her body was wrong? The only female werewolf in the history of forever. Was that because she wasn’t as female as she should be? None of us had wanted to deal with that breakdown. Obviously, it wasn’t like we could empathize. You know why Sam thinks we imprint,she thought, calmer now. Sure. To carry on the line. Right. To make a bunch of new little werewolves. Survival of the species, genetic override. You’re drawn to the person who gives you the best chance to pass on the wolf gene. I waited for her to tell me where she was qoinq with this. If I was any good for that, Sam would have been drawn tome. Her pain was enough that I broke stride under it. But I’m not There’s something wrong with me. I don’t have the ability to pass on the gene, apparently, despite my stellar bloodlines. So I become a freak – the girlie-wolf – good for nothing else. I’m a genetic dead end and we both know it. We do not,I argued with her. That’s just Sam’s theory. Imprinting happens, but we don’t know why. Billy thinks it’s something else. I know, I know. He thinks you’re imprinting to makestronger wolves. Because you and Sam are such humongous monsters – bigger than our fathers. But either way, I’m still not a candidate. I’m†¦ I’m menopausal. I’m twenty years old and I’m menopausal. Ugh. I so didn’t want to have this conversation. You don’t know that, Leah. It’s probably just the whole frozen-in-time thing. When you quit your wolf and start getting older again, I’m sure things will†¦ er†¦ pick right back up. might think that – except that no one’s imprinting onme, notwithstanding my impressive pedigree. You know, she added thoughtfully, if you weren’t around, Seth would probably have the best claim to being Alpha – through his blood, at least. Of course, no one would ever consider me†¦. You reallywant to imprint, or be imprinted on, or whichever? I demanded. What’s wrong with going out and falling in love like a normal person, Leah? Imprinting is just another way of getting your choices taken away from you. Sam, Jared, Paul, Quit†¦ they don’t seem to mind. None of themhave a mind of their own. You don’t want to imprint? Hell, no! That’s just because you’re already in love withher. That would go away, you know, if you imprinted. You wouldn’t have to hurt over her anymore. Do you want to forget the way you feel about Sam? She deliberated for a moment. think I do. I sighed. She was in a healthier place than I was. But back to my original point, Jacob. I understand why your blond vampire is so cold – in the figurative sense. She’s focused. She’s got her eyes on the prize, right? Because you always want the very most what you can never, ever have. You would act like Rosalie? You would murder someone – because that’s what she’s doing, making sure no one interferes with Bella’s death – you would do that to have a baby? Since when are you a breeder? I just want the options I don’t have, Jacob. Maybe, if there was nothing wrong with me, I would never give it a thought. You would kill for that?I demanded, not letting her escape my question. That’s not what she’s doing. I think it’s more like she’s living vicariously. And†¦ if Bella askedme to help her with this†¦She paused, considering. Even though I don’t think too much of her, I’d probably do the same as the bloodsucker. A loud snarl ripped through my teeth. Because, if it was turned around, I’d want Bella to do that for me. And so would Rosalie. We’d both do it her way. Ugh! You’re as bad as they are! That’s the funny thing about knowing you can’t have something. It makes you desperate. And.. . that’s my limit Right there. This conversation is over. Fine. It wasn’t enough that she’d agreed to stop. I wanted a stronger termination than that. I was only about a mile from where I’d left my clothes, so I phased back to human and walked. I didn’t think about our conversation. Not because there wasn’t anything to think about, but because I couldn’t stand it. I would not see it that way – but it was harder to keep from doing that when Leah had put the thoughts and emotions straight into my head. Yeah, I wasn’t running with her when this was finished. She could go be miserable in La Push. One little Alpha command before I left for good wasn’t going to kill anybody. It was real early when I got to the house. Bella was probably still asleep. I figured I’d poke my head in, see what was going on, give ’em the green light to go hunting, and then find a patch of grass soft enough to sleep on while human. I wasn’t phasing back until Leah was asleep. But there was a lot of low mumbling going on inside the house, so maybe Bella wasn’t sleeping. And then I heard the machinery sound from upstairs again – the X-ray? Great. It looked like day four on the countdown was starting off with a bang. Alice opened the door for me before I could walk in. She nodded. â€Å"Hey, wolf.† â€Å"Hey, shortie. What’s going on upstairs?† The big room was empty – all the murmurs were on the second floor. She shrugged her pointy little shoulders. â€Å"Maybe another break.† She tried to say the words casually, but I could see the flames in the very back of her eyes. Edward and I weren’t the only ones who were burning over this. Alice loved Bella, too. â€Å"Another rib?† I asked hoarsely. â€Å"No. Pelvis this time.† Funny how it kept hitting me, like each new thing was a surprise. When was I going to stop being surprised? Each new disaster seemed kinda obvious in hindsight. Alice was staring at my hands, watching them tremble. Then we were listening to Rosalie’s voice upstairs. â€Å"See, I told you I didn’t hear a crack. You need your ears checked, Edward.† There was no answer. Alice made a face. â€Å"Edward’s going to end up ripping Rose into small pieces, I think. I’m surprised she doesn’t see that. Or maybe she thinks Emmett will be able to stop him.† â€Å"I’ll take Emmett,† I offered. â€Å"You can help Edward with the ripping part.† Alice half-smiled. The procession came down the stairs then – Edward had Bella this time. She was gripping her cup of blood in both hands, and her face was white. I could see that, though he compensated for every tiny movement of his body to keep from jostling her, she was hurting. â€Å"Jake,† she whispered, and she smiled through the pain. I stared at her, saying nothing. Edward placed Bella carefully on her couch and sat on the floor by her head. I wondered briefly why they didn’t leave her upstairs, and then decided at once that it must be Bella’s idea. She’d want to act like things were normal, avoid the hospital setup. And he was humoring her. Naturally. Carlisle came down slowly, the last one, his face creased with worry. It made him look old enough to be a doctor for once. â€Å"Carlisle,† I said. â€Å"We went halfway to Seattle. There’s no sign of the pack. You’re good to go.† â€Å"Thank you, Jacob. This is good timing. There’s much that we need.† His black eyes flickered to the cup that Bella was holding so tight. â€Å"Honestly, I think you’re safe to take more than three. I’m pretty positive that Sam is concentrating on La Push.† Carlisle nodded in agreement. It surprised me how willingly he took my advice. â€Å"If you think so. Alice, Esme, Jasper, and I will go. Then Alice can take Emmett and Rosa – â€Å" â€Å"Not a chance,† Rosalie hissed. â€Å"Emmett can go with you now.† â€Å"You should hunt,† Carlisle said in a gentle voice. His tone didn’t soften hers. â€Å"I’ll hunt when he does,† she growled, jerking her head toward Edward and then flipping her hair back. Carlisle sighed. Jasper and Emmett were down the stairs in a flash, and Alice joined them by the glass back door in the same second. Esme flitted to Alice’s side. Carlisle put his hand on my arm. The icy touch did not feel good, but I didn’t jerk away. I held still, half in surprise, and half because I didn’t want to hurt his feelings. â€Å"Thank you,† he said again, and then he darted out the door with the other four. My eyes followed them as they flew across the lawn and then disappeared before I took another breath. Their needs must have been more urgent than I’d imagined. There was no sound for a minute. I could feel someone glaring at me, and I knew who it would be. I’d been planning to take off and get some Z’s, but the chance to ruin Rosalie’s morning seemed too good to pass up. So I sauntered over to the armchair next to the one Rosalie had and settled in, sprawling out so that my head was tilted toward Bella and my left foot was near Rosalie’s face. â€Å"Ew. Someone put the dog out,† she murmured, wrinkling her nose. â€Å"Have you heard this one, Psycho? How do a blonde’s brain cells die?† She didn’t say anything. â€Å"Well?† I asked. â€Å"Do you know the punch line or not?† She looked pointedly at the TV and ignored me. â€Å"Has she heard it?† I asked Edward. There was no humor on his tense face – he didn’t move his eyes from Bella. But he said, â€Å"No.† â€Å"Awesome. So you’ll enjoy this, bloodsucker – a blonde’s brain cells die alone.† Rosalie still didn’t look at me. â€Å"I have killed a hundred times more often than you have, you disgusting beast. Don’t forget that.† â€Å"Someday, Beauty Queen, you’re going to get tired of just threatening me. I’m really looking forward to that.† â€Å"Enough, Jacob,† Bella said. I looked down, and she was scowling at me. It looked like yesterday’s good mood was long gone. Well, I didn’t want to bug her. â€Å"You want me to take off?† I offered. Before I could hope – or fear – that she’d finally gotten tired of me, she blinked, and her frown disappeared. She seemed totally shocked that I would come to that conclusion. â€Å"No! Of course not.† I sighed, and I heard Edward sigh very quietly, too. I knew he wished she’d get over me, too. Too bad he’d never ask her to do anything that might make her unhappy. â€Å"You look tired,† Bella commented. â€Å"Dead beat,† I admitted. I’dlike to beat you dead,† Rosalie muttered, too low for Bella to hear. I just slumped deeper into the chair, getting comfortable. My bare foot dangled closer to Rosalie, and she stiffened. After a few minutes Bella asked Rosalie for a refill. I felt the wind as Rosalie blew upstairs to get her some more blood. It was really quiet. Might as well take a nap, I figured. And then Edward said, â€Å"Did you say something?† in a puzzled tone. Strange. Because no one had said anything, and because Edward’s hearing was as good as mine, and he should have known that. He was staring at Bella, and she was staring back. They both looked confused. â€Å"Me?† she asked after a second. â€Å"I didn’t say anything.† He moved onto his knees, leaning forward over her, his expression suddenly intense in a whole different way. His black eyes focused on her face. â€Å"What are you thinking about right now?† She stared at him blankly. â€Å"Nothing. What’s going on?† â€Å"What were you thinking about a minute ago?† he asked. â€Å"Just†¦ Esme’s island. And feathers.† Sounded like total gibberish to me, but then she blushed, and I figured I was better off not knowing. â€Å"Say something else,† he whispered. Tike what? Edward, what’s going on?† His face changed again, and he did something that made my mouth fall open with a pop. I heard a gasp behind me, and I knew that Rosalie was back, and just as flabbergasted as I was. Edward, very lightly, put both of his hands against her huge, round stomach. ‘The f – † He swallowed. â€Å"It†¦ the baby likes the sound of your voice.† There was one short beat of total silence. I could not move a muscle, even to blink. Then – â€Å"Holy crow, you can hear him!†Bella shouted. In the next second, she winced. Edward’s hand moved to the top peak of her belly and gently rubbed the spot where it must have kicked her. â€Å"Shh,† he murmured. â€Å"You startled it†¦ him.† Her eyes got all wide and full of wonder. She patted the side of her stomach. â€Å"Sorry, baby.† Edward was listening hard, his head tilted toward the bulge. â€Å"What’s he thinking now?† she demanded eagerly. â€Å"It†¦ he or she, is †¦Ã¢â‚¬  He paused and looked up into her eyes. His eyes were filled with a similar awe – only his were more careful and grudging. â€Å"He’s happy† Edward said in an incredulous voice. Her breath caught, and it was impossible not to see the fanatical gleam in her eyes. The adoration and the devotion. Big, fat tears overflowed her eyes and ran silently down her face and over her smiling lips. As he stared at her, his face was not frightened or angry or burning or any of the other expressions he’d worn since their return. He was marveling with her. â€Å"Of course you’re happy, pretty baby, of course you are,† she crooned, rubbing her stomach while the tears washed her cheeks. â€Å"How could you not be, all safe and warm and loved? I love you so much, little EJ, of course you’re happy.† â€Å"What did you call him?† Edward asked curiously. She blushed again. â€Å"I sort of named him. I didn’t think you would want†¦ well, you know.† â€Å"EJ?† â€Å"Your father’s name was Edward, too.† â€Å"Yes, it was. What – ?† He paused and then said, â€Å"Hmm.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"He likes my voice, too.† â€Å"Of course he does.† Her tone was almost gloating now. â€Å"You have the most beautiful voice in the universe. Who wouldn’t love it?† â€Å"Do you have a backup plan?† Rosalie asked then, leaning over the back of the sofa with the same wondering, gloating look on her face that was on Bella’s. â€Å"What if he’s a she?† Bella wiped the back of her hand under her wet eyes. â€Å"I kicked a few things around. Playing with Renee and Esme. I was thinking†¦ Ruh-nez-may.† â€Å"Ruhnezmay?† â€Å"R-e-n-e-s-m-e-e. Too weird?† â€Å"No, I like it,† Rosalie assured her. Their heads were close together, gold and mahogany. â€Å"It’s beautiful. And one of a kind, so that fits† â€Å"I still think he’s an Edward.† Edward was staring off into space, his face blank as he listened. â€Å"What?† Bella asked, her face just glowing away. â€Å"What’s he thinking now?† At first he didn’t answer, and then – shocking all the rest of us again, three distinct and separate gasps – he laid his ear tenderly against her belly. â€Å"He loves you,† Edward whispered, sounding dazed. â€Å"He absolutely adores you.† In that moment, I knew that I was alone. All alone. I wanted to kick myself when I realized how much I’d been counting on that loathsome vampire. How stupid – as if you could ever trust a leech! Of course he would betray me in the end. I’d counted on him to be on my side. I’d counted on him to suffer more than I suffered. And, most of all, I’d counted on him to hate that revolting thing killing Bella more than I hated it. I’d trusted him with that. Yet now they were together, the two of them bent over the budding, invisible monster with their eyes lit up like a happy family. And I was all alone with my hatred and the pain that was so bad it was like being tortured. Like being dragged slowly across a bed of razor blades. Pain so bad you’d take death with a smile just to get away from it. The heat unlocked my frozen muscles, and I was on my feet. All three of their heads snapped up, and I watched my pain ripple across Edward’s face as he trespassed in my head again. â€Å"Ahh,† he choked. I didn’t know what I was doing; I stood there, trembling, ready to bolt for the very first escape that I could think of. Moving like the strike of a snake, Edward darted to a small end table and ripped something from the drawer there. He tossed it at me, and I caught the object reflexively. â€Å"Go, Jacob. Get away from here.† He didn’t say it harshly – he threw the words at me like they were a life preserver. He was helping me find the escape I was dying for. The object in my hand was a set of car keys. How to cite The Twilight Saga 4: Breaking Dawn 16. Too-Much-Information Alert, Essay examples

Starbucks Supply Chain free essay sample

Many of the companys products are seasonal or specific to the locality of the store. Starbucks-brand ice cream and coffee are also offered at grocery stores. From Starbucks founding in later forms in Seattle as a local coffee bean roaster and retailer, the company has expanded rapidly. In the 1990s, Starbucks was opening a new store every workday, a pace that continued into the 2000s. The first store outside the United States or Canada opened in the mid-1990s, and overseas stores now constitute almost one third of Starbucks stores. The company planned to open a net of 900 new stores outside of the United States in 2009, but has announced 300 store closures in the United States since 2008. Buoyed by unprecedented success and focused on rapid expansion in the early 2000s, an efficient supply chain was not a top priority for the world-renowned coffee retailer Starbucks. But then the economic downturn set in, forcing Starbucks to re-engineer its supply chain. In 2010, the company removed more than $700 million (? 428m) from its supply chain costs, and used an innovative set of metrics to achieve remarkable results. Gartner research vice president, Kevin Sterneckert, discovered how it moved from a struggling supply chain to one of the best supply chains in the world. Starbucks began to examine every detail of its supply chain, and found that its organization had become very siloed and divergently independent. Performance metrics and objectives differed by organization within the supply chain. In some cases, this led to competing activities that created unwarranted complexity and performance deficiencies. For example, the organization was scheduling store deliveries without considering its warehouse capacity, so delivery trucks would routinely leave he distribution centre (DC) with less than the full order for a store. Starbucks faced four key issues: 1. It lacked a supply chain strategy focused on delivering enterprise value. 2. It lacked organization calibration of benefits. 3. It lacked focus on the right supply chain metrics. 4. It needed to increase investments in talent enhancement and acqu isition. Starbucks developed a strategic framework that it applied to all aspects of its supply chain strategy. It identifies the areas of focus for each division, as well as the level of maturity expected. Further, the company recognized that enhancements to the way it manages and acquires talent would return significant benefits. The retailer transformed its supply chain strategy to move from a traditional logistics mindset to an organization purpose-built to deliver value. The company wanted its supply chain to accelerate speed to market and enable sales growth. Starbucks management challenged the supply chain organization to compress its cost to serve and elevate its service, while obtaining, training and retaining the best talent in the business. Starbucks initiated a series of changes that aligned business practices with activities, as well as organizational changes that allow for a focus and direction to be placed on each, while avoiding the issues of silos of excellence. Starbucks learned through its transformational process that some metrics mattered. However, the company also learned that not all metrics mattered, nor could all metrics lead to improved decisions that would lead to improved performance A key metric for Starbucks is ‘on time in full’ (OTIF), which the company defines as the state when everything ordered is on time and complete as ordered. This metric fell to a very low score at the apex of Starbucks supply chain issues. Starbucks reports OTIF to be one of the single most important indicators of cumulative success. When this number moves down, a host of additional metrics will point to the source of the supply chains inefficiencies. As the number rises, so do the improvements to COGS. One world, one logistics system The creation of a single, global logistics system was important for Starbucks because of its far-flung supply chain. The company generally brings coffee beans from Latin America, Africa, and Asia to the United States and Europe in ocean containers. From the port of entry, the green (unroasted) beans are trucked to six storage sites, either at a roasting plant or nearby. After the beans are roasted and packaged, the finished product is trucked to regional distribution centers, which range from 200,000 to 300,000 square feet in size. Starbucks runs five regional distribution centers (DCs) in the United States; two are company-owned and the other three are operated by third-party logistics companies (3PLs). It also has two distribution centers in Europe and two in Asia, all of which are managed by 3PLs. Coffee, however, is only one of many products held at these warehouses. They also handle other items required by Starbucks retail outlets—everything from furniture to cappuccino mix. Depending on their location, the stores are supplied by either the large, regional DCs or by smaller warehouses called central distribution centers (CDCs). Starbucks uses 33 such CDCs in the United States, seven in the Asia/Pacific region, five in Canada, and three in Europe; currently, all but one are operated by third-party logistics companies. The CDCs carry dairy products, baked goods, and paper items like cups and napkins. They combine the coffee with these other items to make frequent deliveries via dedicated truck fleets to Starbucks own retail stores and to retail outlets that sell Starbucks-branded products. Because delivery costs and execution are intertwined, Gibbons and his team set about improving both. One of their first steps was to build a global map of Starbucks transportation expenditures—no easy task, because it involved gathering all supply chain costs by region and by customer, Gibbons says. An analysis of those expenditures allowed Starbucks to winnow its transportation carriers, retaining only those that provided the best service. The logistics team also met with its 3PLs and reviewed productivity and contract rates. To aid the review process, the team created weekly scorecards for measuring those vendors. There are very clear service metrics, clear cost metrics, and clear productivity metrics, and those were agreed with our partners, Gibbons notes. Although Starbucks has a raft f metrics for evaluating supply chain performance, it focuses on four high-level categories to create consistency and balance across the global supply chain team: safety in operations, service measured by on-time delivery and order fill rates, total end-to-end supply chain costs, and enterprise savings. This last refers to cost savings that come from areas outside logistics, such as procurement, marketing, or research and development. Earning the companys confidence Since Starbucks began its su pply chain transformation effort, it has curtailed costs worldwide without compromising service delivery. As a company, Gibbons says, we have talked publicly of over $500 million of savings in the last two years, and the supply chain has been a major contributor to that. In Gibbons eyes, the transformation effort has been a success. Today theres a lot of confidence in our supply chain to execute every day, to make 70,000 deliveries a week, to get new products to market, and to manage product transitions, new product introductions, and promotions, he says. Theres a lot of confidence that we now are focused on service and quality to provide what our stores need and what our other business customers need. To sustain that momentum for improvement and to ensure a future flow of talent into the organization, Starbucks recently began an initiative to recruit top graduates of supply chain education programs. Along with its recruiting program, the company plans to provide ongoing training f or its existing employees to help them further develop their supply chain knowledge and skills. The infusion of new recruits will allow Starbucks to stay focused on its supply chain mission of delivering products with a high level of service at the lowest possible cost to its stores in the United States and around the globe. Supply Chain Management For Starbucks