Night World : Huntress Chapter 2

The skinhead's face was contorted, his eyes huge. He stared at her, breathing hard like a hurt animal. â€Å"I know,† Jez said. â€Å"You ran fast. You can't figure out how I ran faster.† â€Å"You're-not-human,† the skinhead panted. Except that he threw in a lot of other words, the kind humans liked to use when they were upset. â€Å"You guessed,† Jez said cheerfully, ignoring the obscenities. â€Å"You're not as dumb as you look.† â€Å"What-the hell-are you?† â€Å"Death.† Jez smiled at him. â€Å"Are you going to fight? I hope so.† He fumbled the gun up again. His hands were shaking so hard he could scarcely aim it. â€Å"I think you're out of ammo,† Jez said. â€Å"But anyway a branch would be better. You want me to break one off for you?† He pulled the trigger. The gun just clicked. He looked at it. Jez smiled at him, showing her teeth. She could feel them grow as she went into feeding mode. Her canines lengthening and curving until they were as sharp and delicate and translucent as a cat's. She liked the feel of them lightly indenting her lower lip as she half-opened her mouth. That wasn't the only change. She knew that her eyes were turning to liquid silver and her lips were getting redder and fuller as blood flowed into them in anticipation of feeding. Her whole body was taking on an indefinable charge of energy. The skinhead watched as she became more and more beautiful, more and more inhuman. And then he seemed to fold in on himself. With his back against a tree, he slid down until he was sitting on the ground in the middle of some pale brown oyster fungus. He was staring straight ahead. Jez's gaze was drawn to the double lightning bolt tattooed on his neck. Right. . . there, she thought. The skin seemed reasonably clean, and the smell of blood was enticing. It was running there, rich with adrenaline, in blue veins just under the surface. She was almost intoxicated just thinking about tapping it. Fear was good; it added that extra spice to the taste. Like Sweetarts. This was going to be good†¦. Then she heard a soft broken sound. The skinhead was crying. Not loud bawling. Not blubbering and begging. Just crying like a kid, slow tears trickling down his cheeks as he shook. â€Å"I thought better of you,† Jez said. She shook her hair out, tossed it in contempt. But something inside her seemed to tighten. He didn't say anything. He just stared at her- no, through her-and cried. Jez knew what he was seeing. His own death. â€Å"Oh, come on,† Jez said. â€Å"So you don't want to die. Who does? But you've killed people before. Your gang killed that guy Juan last week. You can dish it out, but you can't take it.† He still didn't say anything. He wasn't pointing the gun at her anymore; he was clutching it with both hands to his chest as if it were a teddy bear or something. Or maybe as if he were going to kill himself to get away from her. The muzzle of the gun was under his chin. The thing inside Jez tightened more. Tightened and twisted until she couldn't breathe. What was wrong with her? He was just a human, and a human of the worst kind. He deserved to die, and not just because she was hungry. But the sound of that crying †¦ It seemed to pull at her. She had a feeling almost of deja vu, as if this had all happened before-but it hadn't. She knew it hadn't. The skinhead spoke at last. â€Å"Do it quick,† he whispered. And Jez's mind was thrown into chaos. With just those words she was suddenly not in the forest anymore. She was falling into nothingness, whirling and spinning, with nothing to grab hold of. She saw pictures in bright, disjointed flashes. Nothing made sense; she was plunging in darkness with scenes unreeling before her helpless eyes. â€Å"Do it quickly,† somebody whispered. A flash and Jez saw who: a woman with dark red hair and delicate, bony shoulders. She had a face like a medieval princess. â€Å"I won't fight you,† the woman said. â€Å"Kill me. But let my daughter live.† Mother†¦ These were her memories. She wanted to see more of her mother-she didn't have any conscious memory of the woman who'd given birth to her. But instead there was another flash. A little girl was huddled in a corner, shaking. The child had flame-bright hair and eyes that were neither silver nor blue. And she was so frightened †¦ Another flash. A tall man running to the child. Turning around, standing in front of her. â€Å"Leave her alone! It's not her fault. She doesn't have to die!† Daddy. Her parents, who'd been killed when she was four. Executed by vampire hunters†¦. Another flash and she saw fighting. Blood. Dark figures struggling with her mother and father. And screaming that wouldn't quite resolve into words. And then one of the dark figures picked up the little girl in the corner and held her up high†¦ and Jez saw that he had fangs. He wasn't a vampire hunter; he was a vampire. And the little girl, whose mouth was open in a wail, had none. All at once, Jez could understand the screaming. â€Å"Kill her! Kill the human! Kill the freak!† They were screaming it about her. Jez came back to herself. She was in Muir Woods, kneeling in the ferns and moss, with the skinhead cowering in front of her. Everything was the same†¦ but everything was different. She felt dazed and terrified. What did it mean? It was just some bizarre hallucination. It had to be. She knew how her parents had died. Her mother had been murdered outright by the vampire hunters. Her father had been mortally wounded, but he'd managed to carry the four-year-old Jez to his brother's house before he died. Uncle Bracken had raised her, and he'd told her the story over and over. But that screaming†¦ It didn't mean anything. It couldn't. She was Jez Redfern, more of a vampire than anyone, even Morgead. Of all the lamia, the vampires who could have children, her family was the most important. Her uncle Bracken was a vampire, and so was his father, and his father's father, all the way back to Hunter Redfern. But her mother†¦ What did she know about her mother's family? Nothing. Uncle Bracken always just said that they'd come from the East Coast. Something inside Jez was trembling. She didn't want to frame the next question, but the words came into her mind anyway, blunt and inescapable. What if her mother had been human? That would make Jez†¦ No. It wasn't possible. It wasn't just that Night World law forbade vampires to fall in love with humans. It was that there was no such thing as a vampire-human hybrid. It couldn't be done; it had never been done in twenty thousand years. Anybody like that would be a freak†¦. The trembling inside her was getting worse. She stood up slowly and only vaguely noticed when the skinhead made a sound of fear. She couldn't focus on him. She was staring between the redwood trees. If it were true †¦ it couldn't be true, but if it were true†¦ she would have to leave everything. Uncle Bracken. The gang. And Morgead. She'd have to leave Morgead. For some reason that made her throat close convulsively. And she would go †¦ where? What kind of a place was there for a half-human half-vampire freak? Nowhere in the Night World. That was certain. The Night People would have to kill any creature like that. The skinhead made another sound, a little whimper. Jez bunked and looked at him. It couldn't be true, but all of a sudden she didn't care about killing him anymore. In fact, she had a feeling like slow horror creeping over her, as if something in her brain was tallying up all the humans she'd hurt and killed over the years. Something was taking over her legs, making her knees rubbery. Something was crushing her chest, making her feel as if she were going to be sick. â€Å"Get out of here,† she whispered to the skinhead. He shut his eyes. When he spoke it was in a kind of moan. â€Å"You'll just chase me.† â€Å"No.† But she understood his fear. She was a huntress. She'd chased so many people. So many humans †¦ Jez shuddered violently and shut her eyes. It was as if she had suddenly seen herself in a mirror and the image was unbearable. It wasn't Jez the proud and fierce and beautiful. It was Jez the murderer. I have to stop the others. The telepathic call she sent out was almost a scream. Everybody! This is Jez. Come to me, right now! Drop what you're doing and come! She knew they'd obey-they were her gang, after all. But none of them except Morgead had enough telepathic power to answer across the distance. What's wrong? he said. Jez stood very still. She couldn't tell him the truth. Morgead hated humans. If he even knew what she suspected†¦ the way he would look at her†¦ He would be sickened. Not to mention that he'd undoubtedly have to kill her. I'll explain later, she told him, feeling numb. I just found out-that it's not safe to feed here. Then she cut the telepathic link short. She was afraid he'd sense too much of what was going on inside her. She stood with her arms wrapped around herself, staring between the trees. Then she glanced at the skinhead, who was still huddled in the sword fern. There was one last thing she had to do with him. Ignoring his wild flinching, she stretched out her hand. Touched him, once, on the forehead with an extended finger. A gentle, precise contact. â€Å"Remember†¦ nothing,† she said. â€Å"Now go.† She felt the power flow out of her, wrapping itself around the skinhead's brain, changing its chemistry, rearranging his thoughts. It was something she was very good at. The skinhead's eyes went blank. Jez didn't watch him as he began to crawl away. All she could think of now was getting to Uncle Bracken. He would answer her questions; he would explain. He would prove to her that none of it was true. He'd make everything all right.

Wajdan

It will took some time and need some sacrifice from the public in the shape of tax paying. The observation of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar is right that the economy of previous year was running itself. His enthusiasm to put the agenda of PMLN programme of his party as Laptops, Ashiana and other housing schemes, Nandipur Power Project, M-4, 8 and 9, Karachi Circular Railway, Prime Minister's Youth Training Programme, Prime Minister's Youth Skills Development Programme, Small Business Loans Scheme, Fee Reimbursement Scheme for Less Developed Areas, Prime Minister's Micro FinanceScheme, continued provision of funds for parliamentarians under a favoured name and the Ramazan Package. With all this, the development budget goes up by as much as 50 per cent. A big issue of Budget the not increasing the salaries of Government employees also resolved. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar today announced a 10% increase in the salaries of government employees. The newly formed government had earlier decided against increasing the salaries of government servants for the first time in nearly three decades.Now, The federal government's decision affects up to 650,000 federal employees and more than two million provincial government mployees. The finance minister said that the new government has taken tough decisions because the aim is to move in the right direction from the very beginning. He said the government needs to ensure that GDP grows enough to support the swelling population. The Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said the government will save Rs40 billion because of the cuts in expenditure and austerity measures taken in the latest budget.The PML- N government announced it will not keep more than 40 ministries in order to curb expenses. Dar, in his speech, also announced that all discretionary funds previously vailable to federal and state ministers will be abolished. Moreover, the PML-N government has also decided to abolish the Peoples Works Programme-II – the head used for the premier's discretionary spending. According to Dar, however, Peoples Works Programme-I, which allots discretionary funds to all members of Parliament, has been retained.The cuts in current expenditure still leave a revenue deficit of 1. 2 per cent of GDP. With the addition of the proposed Jump in the development budget, the PML-N government will be the first in the history of the country to start with a working fiscal eficit of 6. 3 per cent, financed by costly domestic borrowing. It is likely to end up with a much higher deficit, given the piecemeal nature of the tax measures announced.Reliance on withholding taxes has been increased and specific and discretionary measures have been proposed rather than reforming the tax regime. In our tax culture, reducing the corporate tax rate and increasing the maximum rate for non-corporate businesses may not encourage corporatisation, but it will certainly closing at another record high, driven by blue chip stocks. Investors welcomed the ew budget where the government announced a cut in corporate taxes by a percentage point and pledged resolution of the circular debt issue in 60 days.The suspense over the timing of a government request for an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout finally ended when Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said a new package will be negotiated but on Pakistan's terms. Pakistan does not need to rush to the International Monetary Fund. The issue is to convert the present net outflow of resources into a net inflow. In parallel with austerity imposed on the current budget, nothing except the higher taxation of luxury ehicles has been announced on the import side.Privatisation and access to international capital market have also been mentioned. I think concerted effort can end circular debt in the short term. The main thing is underlying causes to see a permanent end of this deficit. Reforms announced to improve the performance of the mismanaged public enterprises, especially railways, require politic al will for implementation. Much more needs to be done than granting autonomy and placing the right man or woman on the right Job. If these steps will taken sincerely this nation will get finally releife in some years.

Marketing and Fitness Center Essay

Our fitness is located in Cockeysville, Maryland, and provides fitness services to people of all age, level, and expertise. The main purpose of â€Å"Our Fitness† is to promote healthy lifestyles by providing knowledge on nutrition and exercising habits. â€Å"Our Fitness† is well known for it’s excellent services and aims to extend the business by providing two additional services. First, we will start fitness classes for people above 55 years old. These fitness classes are conducted to provide a comfortable environment for people above 55 to promote exercising habits and healthy lifestyles. Second, our fitness center will have our own restaurant next to the fitness center specifically designed for the members. Our fitness center’s restaurant will provide low fat, low calorie, and high protein and fiber food specially designed for promoting healthy eating habits. Strategically, Our fitness’s primary market target will consist of people over 55 and mostly retirees. Our secondary target market includes college and high school students. a. Three ways that determined these products and/or services would be the most feasible and potentially profitable for the company to add are: 1. Placement 2. Trends 3. IS the profit margin large enough to make money but small enough for your â€Å"target audience† to afford? Placement Placement or location is one of the most important factors in attracting and retaining customers. Everybody prefers easier and more convenient way to purchase products or services. Therefore, â€Å"Our Fitness† uses the placement approach to connect the products and services with the customer by making services and products more convenient and more accessible to the customers. Our fitness is located in the business area as well as densely populated  residential area with three different universities and one community college. On the other hand, there are only two fitness centers in the area with very expensive membership and maintenance service fees. Overall, this fitness center will be in the center of public places. At the same time, Our fitness center’s restaurant will be only one diet concerned restaurant in the area. Therefore, using competitive advantage through the introduction of two new services will help to retain old members as well as to attract new members in the area. 2. Trends People want to live longer and look good following healthy habits. It is very important to identify the market trends to assess the market potential. Understanding the market trends helps to respond according to customer behaviors as well as to develop sustainability. On the other hand, it also helps to analyze our competition and market potential. Different fitness centers are using different approaches to attract new members as well as to retain existing members. We have to understand that new members want new services. It is not possible to satisfy the consumers without understanding their needs. There is a fierce competition in the market to increase customer satisfaction by introducing new products/services. At the same time, there are many unsatisfied consumers who always change producers or owners because of unsatisfactory service or products. In our case, we even lost many members because of same services since last couple of years. So, we introduce our products/services as a result of customer survey and market research. Our market research and survey strategy will play a vital role to grow our target market in the future. 3.Is the profit margin large enough to make money but small enough for your â€Å"target audience† to afford? The profit margin is large enough to make money because we have young people who spend a great amount of money on food. You also have the retirees who spend a huge amount of money on good health. Also, these days people are more health conscious and follow healthy habits. Exercising and healthy eating are the main priorities of many people. The target audience will be able to afford it because it is a comfortable environment that promotes exercising habits and a healthy lifestyle which allows positive energy to follow. b. Competitive advantage is created through the understanding of your competitors and their products and services. One of the competitive advantages of Our Fitness is fitness classes especially designed for people over 55 as well as restaurant service for members with unique menus and special price. All fitness centers provide classes and specialty training but many do not have classes that target an older age audience. We want our members to feel more comfortable working out and training with people of the same experience level. On the other hand, people over 55 are the ones who spend more money on healthcare, and we aim to reduce their healthcare costs by engaging them with age specific and specialty classes. Our on site restaurant will provide nutrition rich health foods and diet services to members as well as other guests. It will be restricted to members only after one or two years, because we are using the restaurant as advertising to increase membership. A2. I will focus on newspapers for advertising, which reach a broad, geographically-targeted market. These ads will be focused to attract people who are 55 or older because they rely heavily on newspapers. Newspaper advertising is low-cost and involves short timelines. At the same time, this type of marketing channel will reach the total circulation, even if only a portion fits our prospective profile. I will also use Facebook as a marketing tool; Facebook is still, far and away, the most popular, with the most evenly-distributed demographics of any social media platform. Facebook is the only social media platform that you need, no matter what field your business is in. The main reason to use Facebook to advertise is the use of Facebook by all age people. In addition to ease of use, Facebook ads and business pages are cost effective, reliable, and very quickly disseminated to all users. Finally, we will rely heavily on word-of-mouth advertising, as personal reviews are often the most trusted form of information. This marketing tool can also be used to reach the secondary market, visiting colleges and advertising our job opportunities as well as membership benefits. A3. Price is the value that you exchange for a product or service. Pricing objectives should align with the company’s goals and can be affected by factors such as competition, consumer reaction, and other regulatory requirements. Generally, other fitness centers charge $59 per month as service fee and $55 per personal training class in the area. So, we need to provide service for lower prices than our competitors. On the other hand, it is very important to understand the demand of product or services before pricing because there is a direct relationship between price and demand. Our main pricing objective is to maximize the revenue and quantity. This objective helps to maximize long-term profits by lowering costs and increasing market share. Penetration pricing will be used to maximize the sales of quantity by means of a low price. First, we will cut the one time member fee for all new members, so that they have to pay monthly fee only, which will be $39.99 per month. At the same time, for new members and existing members, who are 55 years or older, will have to pay only $15 per fitness class. The price may be gradually increased after establishing market share and customer loyalty. We will use cost-plus pricing method because it makes easier to calculate the selling price for our services/products. Since, our production cost per membership per month is $20.00, and $4 per fitness class. Therefore, our profit per person in membership is $20 and $11 in fitness class per person. Our goal is to add 100 new members in the first month and increase to 500 within next six months. Therefore, our revenue will increase by $2000 from membership in the first month. Similarly, we will provide competitively cheaper price for foods and drinks comparing to local restaurants. We will also offer promotional pricing, discounts and coupons for the restaurant and fitness center to attract more customers. Our overall goal will be to maximize the number of consumers to increase the quantity of sale. If we can maximize the number of consumers, then we can maximize the revenue as well as profit. A4. Customer relationship management (CRM) is the combination of technologies, strategies, and practices used by companies to manage customer interactions and improve customer relationship. The main goal of CRM is to improve  business relationships with customers by retaining customer retention and increasing sales growth. Ngai stated that â€Å"the purpose of CRM system is the building of relationships in order to affect the customer acquisition, retention, loyalty and profitability† (Ngai, 2005). I would like to use Salesforce as CRM system. Salesforce is a cloud-based CRM system, and doesn’t need special installation and hardware. This system can be very cost effective by keeping IT cost low. CRM system like Salesforce can track the history of customer interactions and helps to grow our business. The system track includes calls, emails, presentations, meetings, or even the further step to close the deal. Salesforce can also track the deal details including the worth, competitor, and the stage of deal with automatic deal updates at a glance to close the deal. Salesforce can drive the process, productivity, and consistency by using sales app to map the sales and forecasting stages. It is equiped with quoting capabilities to track the quantity, standard and quoted price, product code, and expected sales in a given period. In addition, company’s e-mail, phone or website can be used to track customer inquiries and history of their activities. Salesforce provides customer relationship data with automatic updated instant access of full customer history of all communications. It also helps to create customized pitch documents about consumers and prospects and can focus sales staff’s attention on the right consumers. Cross-selling and up-selling opportunities become clear through better understanding of consumers and increase their satisfaction. Satisfied consumers are likely to become loyal consumers and common referrals. It can also be beneficial to the customer because it can provide email updates, alerts, referrals, discount coupons, and special events and promotions. Overall, Salesforce tracking system will be very useful in controlling and managing the inquiries and sales of products and services. A5. It is not possible to open any new business without incurring risks, and opening a new restaurant with established fitness center is no different. Financial risk is one of the most difficult risks associated with any new business. â€Å"Financial risk has been defined as any risk that has a direct impact on net cash flows† (Cabedo and Tirado, 2004). This includes problems  related to price, credit, inflation, liquidity, and potential losses due to changes in financial markets and defaulting large scale debtors (Meulbrook, 2000). There are also risks with opening a new restaurant. Our Fitness center require a large amount of capital upon opening, in order to hire additional staff, purchase high-end fitness equipment, and advertise the restaurant to local fitness and healthy food seekers. Personal injury is another significant risk of operating a gym and adding fitness classes especially to people of 55 or older who are more prone to injury. Aside from the legal aspect, injuries in our gym could cause a bad reputation, particularly if they are recurring. It is critical to maintain a good reputation to sell our fitness services and get people into our restaurant. At the same time, improving the quality of our existing services along with adding new specialty services and products is very critical, and is one of the most important aspects of business. Factors such as product contamination, product safety, business integrity, and failure to maintain high standards, may reduce demand for our business. The reputation of the company plays a vital role in our forward progress. Therefore, poor product quality or services may damage our reputation and could limit business activities as well as increase our operating costs. On the other hand, there is always a risk of substitute of products and services in the market. It is very important to study the market and meet consumer needs before launching any new business. A6. The most common risk associated with not launching the new products or services will be the lack of competitive advantage at the Our Fitness center.  Introducing new services and opening a new restaurant will provide the competitive advantage that we seek and will help to expand the business and satisfy existing members. Customer preferences and tastes change with time, it is necessary to meet their needs and tastes to increase the demand for our products/services. Therefore, the new restaurant will aim to compliment our new services/products and satisfy consumer demands. If we are unable to launch the new services/products into the market and meet the consumer needs, then it will not only negatively affect Our Fitness’s financial performance but it may increase by operating costs, and change  consumer perceptions about our existing services Innovation can be a key differentiator between Our Fitness and our rivals. Therefore, if Our Fitness will not launch new services then, it might run the risk of losing ground to competitors, losing key staff, decreased membership, or simply operating inefficiently. As a whole, Our Fitness financial performance could be adversely affected without new products/services, and in the end lead to its closure. References Cabedo, J. D. and Tirado, J. M. (2004), â€Å"The disclosure of risk in financial statements†, Accounting Forum, Vol. 28 No. 2, pp. 181-200. Meulbrook, L. (2000), Total strategies for company-wide risk control, Financial Times, London. Ngai. 2005. Customer relationship management research. Marketing intelligence & planning, 23 (6): 582-605. he Feasibility Study’s Purpose ï‚ · Evaluate the nature, scale and economics of constructing an indoor recreation center within the Area ï‚ · Identify the potential audience/supporting membership of an indoor recreation center within the Area ï‚ · Assess what amenities/programming would be most logical to provide as part of a recreation center ï‚ · Explore the physical characteristics of various sites on which the recreation center could be constructed 1 Evaluate potential funding sources available to support short-term and long-term Recreation Center alternatives

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Essay on the biochemical assessment of a named disease

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Marketing Communication - Essay Example (Pravat, 2003). Modern marketing communications is not just indicators of availability of products and services. Daily experience and our knowledge of marketing principles show that communication in marketing is much more than informing, since one can observe such actions as sponsorship, product repositioning, consumer targeting, image redefinition and brand renewal. (Varey, 2001). Marketing communication is a set of purposive activities, linked and coordinated to some degree. These activities are simply some of the actions that occur in a situation, impart some influence on the situation and are in turn influenced by the context in which they arise. Contexts are not isolated sets of circumstances that are easily identified - rarely do we have full knowledge Video games promote targeted marketing. Targeted marketing, refers to the concentrated marketing of a product to a segment of consumers due to the economic possibilities of the group, in terms of factors such as its size and growth rate. (Cespedes 1993). When marketers promote a product beneficial to a group of consumers, targeted marketing becomes ethical and is well-received by consumers. The soft and subtle targeting of potentially harmful products at vulnerable consumers has received criticism which includes targeting children with R-rated movies and using animal characters to promote cigarettes and alcohol (Wall Street Journal 1997).Consumer vulnerability has been the essence of marketing ethics. In numerous legal cases, the court system in the U.S. has defined vulnerable consumers as a group of people who, due to various idiosyncrasies, are sensitive and susceptible to the potential negative effects associated with using a particular product (Morgan, Schuler and Stoltman 1995). Marketing is an exchange between marketers and consumers that aims to satisfy consumer needs and maximize the return on investment for shareholders. There is a persistent tension between marketers' interests and those of consumers (Smith 1995). This conflict forms the basis for different positions on the ethics continuum of marketing practices (Smith 1995, 1993). However, placing consumers' interests against those of marketers on the ethics continuum may be too simplistic, because it may imply that marketing is a zero-sum game and reject the possibility of a win-win outcome (Smith 1995). Both marketers and consumers may form their perceptions of the ethics of specific marketing scenarios according to ethical principles such as rights, justice, fairness, and equity (Dunfee, Smith, and Ross 1999 Based on the website of the American Marketing Association commits itself to promoting the highest standard of professional ethical norms and values for its members. Norms are established standards of conduct that are expected and maintained by society and professional groups. Values represent the collective conception of what people find desirable, important and morally proper. Values serve as the criteria for evaluating the actions of others. Marketing practitioners must recognize that they not only serve their enterprises but also act as stewards of society in creating, facilitating and executing the efficient and effective transactions that are part of the greater economy.Behaviour can be modified when people communicate. This explains how some advertising and word-of-mouth interaction affect

The Art of Film Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Art of Film Making - Essay Example To be specific, these film directors utilized historical contexts, themes/ narrative aspects, and stylistic/visual characteristics to create a virtual real world of heroism. Comparison /contrast: After going through the different elements of the art of filmmaking, it is evident that the elements like historical contexts, themes/ narrative aspects, and stylistic/visual characteristics of the films are examinable for the comparison/ contrast section. 1. Historical (political, cultural, philosophical) context of the films: The historical context of the film Spider-Man is related to the growth and development of Marvel Comics. To be specific, the director made use of the fictional character (Spiderman) from the Marvel Comics as the protagonist. Fowkes opined that â€Å"Upon becoming Spider-Man, Peter assumes a dual persona comprised of opposites: brain vs brawn, nerdy vs cool, weak vs strong, ordinary vs extraordinary† (130). One can see that fictional character of Spiderman deepl y influenced the cultural context of America. For instance, the popular culture in America, especially the children/youngsters is deeply influenced by the heroism of Spiderman. Besides, the climax scene in the film is philosophical because Spiderman’s doubt on his dual identity as a normal individual and as a superhero is revealed through his words. One can argue that comic/fictional characters are related to childhood fantasy. Still, the success of the film as a superhero film proves that heroism is acceptable to all. The scene in the film, in which Peter Parker is bitten by a spider (say, genetically engineered) connects the film with the history of genetic engineering. Besides, the superhero image of the protagonist and his involvement in daily life situations helped the viewers to accept heroism as normal. On the other side, the film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider represents the development of video games and the adaptation of the same to the context of adventure thriller genre of films. The scenes in Egypt and Cambodia prove the film’s relation with history, especially archeology. One can easily identify that the film represent the philosophical quest of human beings to find out the secret of life. At the same time, the film is symbolic of human attempt to explore history by raiding tombs (say, the ancient pyramids). The first scene in the film, in which the heroine explores an ancient pyramid in Egypt, proves that the director provides ample importance to history and discovery of ancient relics. The film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is symbolic of the growth and development of martial arts in China. The scene in which Li Mu Bai explains the history of his sword (say, the Green Destiny) proves the importance of martial arts in China. One can easily identify that the director provides ample importance to the heroism of the main characters (say, Li Mu Bai and Jade Fox). From a different angle of view, the film is symbolic of the development of Wuxi a genre films in Chinese context. The combat scenes in the film, especially between Li Mu Bai and Jade Fox, represent the historical importance of martial arts in China. For instance, the usage of poisoned needles during martial arts performance can be regarded as the portrayal of vengeance in human life. To be specific, the usage of poisoned needles during martial arts performance is against the ultimate aim of martial arts. In short, the films represent heroism in different historical contexts. Still, the philosophical content is same because these films represent the human search to find out the essence