Imperfect Competition Essay

In a perfectly competitive market—a market in which there is many buyers and sellers, none of whom represents a large part of the market—firms are price takers. That is, they are sellers of products who believe they can sell as much as they like at the current price but cannot influence the price they receive for their product. For example, a wheat farmer can sell as much wheat as she likes without worrying that if she tries to sell more wheat, she will depress the market price. The reason she need not worry about the effect of her sales on prices is that any individual wheat grower represents only a tiny fraction of the world market. When only a few firms produce a good, however, the situation is different. To take perhaps the most dramatic example, the aircraft manufacturing giant Boeing shares the market for large jet aircraft with only one major rival, the European firm Airbus. As a result, Boeing knows that if it produces more aircraft, it will have a significant effect on the total supply of planes in the world and will therefore significantly drive down the price of airplanes. Or to put it another way, Boeing knows that if it wants to sell more airplanes, it can do so only by significantly reducing its price. In imperfect competition, then, firms are aware that they can influence the prices of their products and that they can sell more only by reducing their price. This situation occurs in one of two ways: when there are only a few major producers of a particular good, or when each firm produces a good that is differentiated from that of rival firms. Monopoly profits rarely go uncontested. A firm making high profits normally attracts competitors. Thus situations of pure monopoly are rare in practice. Instead, the usual market structure in industries characterized by internal economies of scale is one of oligopoly, in which several firms are each large enough to affect prices, but none has an uncontested monopoly. The general analysis of oligopoly is a complex and controversial subject because in oligopolies, the pricing policies of firms are interdependent. Each firm in an oligopoly will, in setting its price, consider not only the responses of consumers but also the expected responses of competitors. In monopolistic competition models, two key assumptions are made to get around the problem of interdependence. First, each firm is assumed to be able to differentiate its product from that of its rivals. That is, because a firm’s customers want to buy that particular firm’s product, they will not rush to buy other firms’ products because of a slight price difference. Product differentiation thus ensures that each firm has a monopoly in its particular product within an industry and is therefore somewhat insulated from competition. Second, each firm is assumed to take the prices charged by its rivals as given—that is, it ignores the impact of its own price on the prices of other firms. As a result, the monopolistic competition model assumes that even though each firm is in reality facing competition from other firms, each firm behaves as if it were a monopolist—hence the model’s name. Reference: http://classof1.com/homework-help/international-economics-homework-help

How Do the Sacred Texts and Beliefs of Islam or Christianity Essay

How do the Sacred Texts and beliefs of Islam OR Christianity, inform a Religion that is relevant to contemporary adherents? In todays society, unlike many years ago religion is not seen as an important part of peoples lives. People are way to busy or so they think to be ‘wasting their time’ with religion, and church. But for those who do believe in a religion, especially those from the Islamic religion, they take part in a religion that was formed hundreds of years ago, still using and believing in the same scared texts and beliefs. Islamic environmental ethics are drawn from the 3 underpinning principle beliefs, that are the 3 central concepts of Islam and the pillars of Islamic environmental ethics. Tawhid a belief brought upon many many years ago, is the belief of Unity. It believes in the Unity and oneness of all created by Allah and that unity is reflected in the created world, thus the Tawhid demands that the integrity of the created world be maintained by balance and harmony. â€Å"The whole earth has been created a place of worship, pure and clean.– Hadith The Khalifa, belief in Stewardship, is the belief that Allah has made humans responsible for all creation and with this involves appropriate use of resources for human needs. â€Å"It is He that has made you custodians; inheritors of the earth. † (Qur’an Surah 6:165) Akrah is the belief of accountability, Muslims believe that they will be judged on how they have acted, and ones treatment of gods created world. The sources of ethic al teachings, and the relationship between humans and the universe is outlined in the Qur’an, Hadith and Shari’a. It is defined in Qur’an as based on meditation of the universe and what it contains, sustainable utilization and development for human benefit, care and nurture extended beyond humans to the benefit of created beings. The Hajj is an obligation which fulfils one of the five pillars of Islam required of a Muslim at least once in a lifetime for those financially and physically able â€Å"those who can make their way there†. It is a faithful submission to the will of Allah. And pilgrimage to the House is incumbent upon men for the sake of Allah† – Surah 3:96. Before embarking on this miraculous journey, pilgrims must redress all wrongs, organise funds for the journey and the family being left behind, and prepare themselves for good conduct during the Hajj. The Journey then goes for 5 full days, starting officially on the 8th day of Dhul-Hijjah. After completing the Hajj with all rites performed, pilgrims have earned the right to be called al-Hajj or al-Hajji. The Hajj expresses the beliefs of Islam through commemorating important religious events. These include Abraham and his son Ishmael built the Ka’ba, and established the rituals of the Hajj to reflect his life, Muhammad’s last sermon on Arafat, Jamra symbolises Abraham throwing stones at Satan who tried to dissuade him from sacrificing Isaac, and Nahr reflects Allah replacing Isaac with a sacrificial lamb. The Hajj reinforces fundamental islamic concepts with the Five Pillars of Faith. Shahada, the declaration of faith that there is no god but Allah and Muhammed is the messenger of Allah is expressed through the Hajj by Talbiya (a prayer that states the pilgrimage is only for the glory of Allah) and through Mount Arafat (the place of Muhammad’s last sermon, where all are closest to Allah) Salat, the 5 daily prayers is expressed through the Hajj as the Hajj is a period where pilgrims are directly communicating with Allah and Muslims are in actual proximity of the Ka’ba. Zakat, Almsgiving is shown through the Hajj as the meat sacrificed or money given for nahr is distributed amongst family, friends and the poor, it also shows the obligation of the wealthy to the poor and Ihram, which means that money and status are not a factor for pilgrims and that all are equal. Sawm, fasting is expressed through the Hajj as it is a time of prayer, meditation and asking for forgiveness, as well as the Sa’y as it re-enacts Hajar’s search for food; empathy for hunger. Al-Akhira is believed to be the world to come, Muslims believe in an afterlife where they will be held accountable for their lives (Akhra), they believe that by participating in the Hajj there is a greater prospect of reward in the afterlife. The Hajj is not only significant to the individual but also to the community. The Hajj is significant to the individual as the Hajj is an opportunity for Muslims to experience spiritual rebirth and develop a sense of consciousness in Allah. It is also opportunity to reassess and confirm their Islamic beliefs. The Hajj provides opportunity for the pilgrim to improve their spirituality through worship, hardship and salat. It focuses the individual on jihad; sacrificing time, skills, money and struggling against external evils. Enables the pilgrim’s renewal through cleansing from sin. â€Å"whoever performs the Hajj†¦ will come home like a newborn†. The Hajj reinforces Allah’s mercy and compassion as it exceeds His anger by forgiving the sins of the sinful creation by declaring an absolute pardon for every pilgrim upon completion of the accepted rituals of Hajj. The individual strengthens their relationship with Allah and gains a greater understanding of Islamic history and has a better prospect of reward in the afterlife. The Hajj is significant to the community as the Hajj is a sign of unity, equality and a sense of pride in the global umma as they pray together and are equal in the ihram garments. It brings together Muslims of all races to from a fellowship for such a significant practice in the Islamic faith, and the hajj acts as a universal reminder of the blessing of Allah on humanity of our diversity and the brotherhood to worship the one Allah. As the Hajj and Environmental ethics apply themselves with todays contemporary society, the beliefs and sacred texts are used to form ideas of how to look after the environment and why it is necessary to participate in the Hajj.

Scheduling System

Scheduling is the process of deciding how to commit resources between a variety of possible tasks. Time can be specified (scheduling a flight to leave at 8:00) or floating as part of a sequence of events. The word may also refer to: * I/O scheduling, the order in which I/O requests are submitted to a block device in Computer Operating Systems * Scheduling (broadcasting), the minute planning of the content of a radio or television broadcast channel * Scheduling algorithm Scheduling (computing), the way various processes are assigned in multitasking and multiprocessing operating system design * Scheduling (production processes), the planning of the production or the operation * Schedule (workplace), ensuring that an organization has sufficient staffing levels at all times * Job scheduler, an enterprise software application in charge of unattended background executions. * Job Shop Scheduling, an optimization problem in computer science. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Scheduling chedulin g computing Scheduling is a key concept in computer multitasking, multiprocessing operating system and real-time operating system designs. Scheduling refers to the way processes are assigned to run on the available CPUs, since there are typically many more processes running than there are available CPUs. This assignment is carried out by softwares known as a scheduler and dispatcher. The scheduler is concerned mainly with: * Throughput – number of processes that complete their execution per time unit. Latency, specifically: * Turnaround – total time between submission of a process and its completion. * Response time – amount of time it takes from when a request was submitted until the first response is produced. * Fairness – Equal CPU time to each process (or more generally appropriate times according to each process' priority). In practice, these goals often conflict (e. g. throughput versus latency), thus a scheduler will implement a suitable compromise . In real-time environments, such as mobile devices for automatic control in industry (for example robotics), the scheduler also must ensure that processes can meet deadlines; this is crucial for keeping the system stable. Scheduled tasks are sent to mobile devices and managed through an administrative back end. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Scheduling_%28computing%29 SYSTEM-(from Latin systema, in turn from Greek systema, â€Å"whole compounded of several parts or members, system†, literary â€Å"composition†[1]) is a set of interacting or interdependent system components forming an integrated whole. The concept of an â€Å"integrated whole† can also be stated in terms of a system embodying a set of relationships which are differentiated from relationships of the set to other elements, and from relationships between an element of the set and elements not a part of the relational regime. The scientific research field which is engaged in the study of the general properties of systems include systems theory, cybernetics, dynamical systems, thermodynamics and complex systems. They investigate the abstract properties of the matter and organization, searching concepts and principles which are independent of the specific domain, substance, type, or temporal scales of existence. Most systems share common characteristics, including: * Systems have structure, defined by components and their composition; * Systems have behavior, which involves inputs, processing and outputs of material, energy, information, or data; * Systems have interconnectivity: the various parts of a system have functional as well as structural relationships between each other. Systems may have some functions or groups of functions http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/System scheduling 1. Assigning an appropriate number of workers to the jobs during each day of work. 2. Determining when an activity should start or end, depending on its (1) duration, (2) predecessor activity (or activities), (3) predecessor relationships, (4) resource availability, and (5) target completion date of the project. ht tp://www. businessdictionary. com/definition/scheduling. html http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Scheduling- scheduling taken from wikipedia http://en. wikipedia. rg/wiki/Scheduling_%28computing%29- scheduling taken from Wikipedia (computing) Scheduling Definition The process of converting a general or outline plan for a project into a time-based graphic presentation given information on available resources and time constraints http://www. maxwideman. com/issacons3/iac1302/tsld002. htm sched ·ule ? ? /? sk? d? ul, -? l, -u? l; Brit. dyul, d? ul/ Show Spelled [skej-ool, -ool, -oo-uhl; Brit. shed-yool, shej-ool] Show IPA noun, verb, -uled, -ul ·ing. –noun 1. a plan of procedure, usually written, for a proposed objective, esp. ith reference to the sequence of and time allotted for each item or operation necessary to its completion: The schedule allows three weeks for this stage. 2. a series of things to be done or of events to occur at or during a particular time or period: He always has a full schedule. 3. a timetable. 4. a written or printed statement of details, often in classified or tabular form, esp. one forming an appendix or explanatory addition to another document. 5. Obsolete . a written paper. –verb (used with object) 6. to make a schedule of or enter in a schedule. 7. to plan for a certain date: to schedule publication for June. Use schedule in a Sentence See images of schedule Search schedule on the Web Origin: 1350–1400;   ; LL schedula,   equiv. to L sched ( a ) leaf of paper + -ula -ule;   r. ME cedule, sedule   ; MF ; LL, as above http://dictionary. reference. com/browse/schedule manual system-A manual system usually means done by hand. That could be typing all your information into Notepad. http://answers. yahoo. com/question/index? qid=20080902103751AAPQHyr system-(1) A group of interdependent items that interact regularly to perform a task. (2) An established or organized procedure; a method. 3) A computer system refers to the hardware and software components that run a computer or computers. (4) An information system is a system that collects and stores data. (5) On Macintoshes, System is short for System file, an essential program that runs whenever you start up a Macintosh. The System provides information to all other applications that run on a Macintosh. The System and Finder progr ams together make up the Mac OS. (6) System often simply refers to the operating system. http://www. webopedia. com/TERM/S/system. html SYSTEM: (1) A group of interdependent items that interact regularly to perform a task. 2) An established or organized procedure; a method. (3) A computer system refers to the hardware and software components that run a computer or computers. (4) An information system is a system that collects and stores data. (5) On Macintoshes, System is short for System file, an essential program that runs whenever you start up a Macintosh. The System provides information to all other applications that run on a Macintosh. The System and Finder programs together make up the Mac OS. (http://www. webopedia. com/TERM/S/system. html) Effective Scheduling Planning to Make the Best Use of Your Time iStockphoto/vasiliki So far in this section of Mind Tools, we have looked at your priorities and your goals – these define what you aspire to do with your time. Schedul ing is where these aspirations meet the reality of the time you have available. Scheduling is the process by which you look at the time available to you, and plan how you will use it to achieve the goals you have identified. By using a schedule properly, you can: * Understand what you can realisticaly achieve with your time. * Plan to make the best use of the time available. * Leave enough time for things you absolutely must do. Preserve contingency time to handle ‘the unexpected'. * Minimize stress by avoiding over-commitment to yourself and others. How to Use the Tool: There are many good scheduling tools available, including diaries, calendars, paper-based organizers, PDAs and integrated software suites like MS Outlook or GoalPro 6. The scheduling tool that is best for you depends on your situation, the current structure of your job, your taste and your budget: The key things are to be able to enter data easily, and to be able to view an appropriate span of time in the corr ect level of detail. Scheduling is best done on a regular basis, for example at the start of every week or month. Go through the following steps in preparing your schedule: 1. Start by identifying the time you want to make available for your work. This will depend on the design of your job and on your personal goals in life. 2. Next, block in the actions you absolutely must take to do a good job. These will often be the things you are assessed against. 3. For example, if you manage people, then you must make time available for dealing with issues that arise, coaching, and supervision. Similarly, you must allow time to communicate with your boss and key people around you. While people may let you get away with ‘neglecting them' in the short-term, your best time management efforts will surely be derailed if you do not set aside time for those who are important in your life. 4. Review your To Do List, and schedule in the high-priority urgent activities, as well as the essential maintenance tasks that cannot be delegated and cannot be avoided. 5. Next, block in appropriate contingency time. You will learn how much of this you need by experience. Normally, the more unpredictable your job, the more contingency time you need. The reality of many people's work is of constant interruption: Studies show some managers getting an average of as little as six minutes uninterrupted work done at a time. 6. Obviously, you cannot tell when interruptions will occur. However, by leaving space in your schedule, you give yourself the flexibility to rearrange your schedule to react effectively to issues as they arise. 7. What you now have left is your â€Å"discretionary time†: the time available to deliver your priorities and achieve your goals. Review your Prioritized To Do List and personal goals, evaluate the time needed to achieve these actions, and schedule these in. By the time you reach step 5, you may find that you have little or no discretionary time available. If this is the case, then revisit the assumptions you used in the first four steps. Question whether things are absolutely necessary, whether they can be delegated, or whether they can be done in an abbreviated way. Remember that one of the most important ways people learn to achieve success is by maximizing the ‘leverage' they can achieve with their time. They increase the amount of work they can manage by delegating work to other people, spend money outsourcing key tasks, or use technology to automate as much of their work as possible. This frees them up to achieve their goals. Also, use this as an opportunity to review your To Do List and Personal Goals. Have you set goals that just aren't achievable with the time you have available? Are you taking on too many additional duties? Or are you treating things as being more important than they really are? If your discretionary time is still limited, then you may need to renegotiate your workload. With a well-thought through schedule as evidence, you may find this surprisingly easy. Key Points: Scheduling is the process by which you plan your use of time. By scheduling effectively, you can both reduce stress and maximize your effectiveness. Before you can schedule efficiently, you need an effective scheduling system. This can be a diary, calendar, paper-based organizer, PDA or a software package like MS Outlook or GoalPro 6. The best solution depends entirely on your circumstances. Scheduling is then a five-step process: 1. Identify the time you have available. . Block in the essential tasks you must carry out to succeed in your job. 3. Schedule in high priority urgent tasks and vital â€Å"house-keeping† activities. 4. Block in appropriate contingency time to handle unpredictable interruptions. 5. In the time that remains, schedule the activities that address your priorities and personal goals. If you have little or no discretionary time left by the time you reach step five, then revisit the assumptions you have made in steps one to four. (http://www. mindtools. com/pages/article/newHTE_07. htm) Scheduling System Scheduling is the process of deciding how to commit resources between a variety of possible tasks. Time can be specified (scheduling a flight to leave at 8:00) or floating as part of a sequence of events. The word may also refer to: * I/O scheduling, the order in which I/O requests are submitted to a block device in Computer Operating Systems * Scheduling (broadcasting), the minute planning of the content of a radio or television broadcast channel * Scheduling algorithm Scheduling (computing), the way various processes are assigned in multitasking and multiprocessing operating system design * Scheduling (production processes), the planning of the production or the operation * Schedule (workplace), ensuring that an organization has sufficient staffing levels at all times * Job scheduler, an enterprise software application in charge of unattended background executions. * Job Shop Scheduling, an optimization problem in computer science. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Scheduling chedulin g computing Scheduling is a key concept in computer multitasking, multiprocessing operating system and real-time operating system designs. Scheduling refers to the way processes are assigned to run on the available CPUs, since there are typically many more processes running than there are available CPUs. This assignment is carried out by softwares known as a scheduler and dispatcher. The scheduler is concerned mainly with: * Throughput – number of processes that complete their execution per time unit. Latency, specifically: * Turnaround – total time between submission of a process and its completion. * Response time – amount of time it takes from when a request was submitted until the first response is produced. * Fairness – Equal CPU time to each process (or more generally appropriate times according to each process' priority). In practice, these goals often conflict (e. g. throughput versus latency), thus a scheduler will implement a suitable compromise . In real-time environments, such as mobile devices for automatic control in industry (for example robotics), the scheduler also must ensure that processes can meet deadlines; this is crucial for keeping the system stable. Scheduled tasks are sent to mobile devices and managed through an administrative back end. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Scheduling_%28computing%29 SYSTEM-(from Latin systema, in turn from Greek systema, â€Å"whole compounded of several parts or members, system†, literary â€Å"composition†[1]) is a set of interacting or interdependent system components forming an integrated whole. The concept of an â€Å"integrated whole† can also be stated in terms of a system embodying a set of relationships which are differentiated from relationships of the set to other elements, and from relationships between an element of the set and elements not a part of the relational regime. The scientific research field which is engaged in the study of the general properties of systems include systems theory, cybernetics, dynamical systems, thermodynamics and complex systems. They investigate the abstract properties of the matter and organization, searching concepts and principles which are independent of the specific domain, substance, type, or temporal scales of existence. Most systems share common characteristics, including: * Systems have structure, defined by components and their composition; * Systems have behavior, which involves inputs, processing and outputs of material, energy, information, or data; * Systems have interconnectivity: the various parts of a system have functional as well as structural relationships between each other. Systems may have some functions or groups of functions http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/System scheduling 1. Assigning an appropriate number of workers to the jobs during each day of work. 2. Determining when an activity should start or end, depending on its (1) duration, (2) predecessor activity (or activities), (3) predecessor relationships, (4) resource availability, and (5) target completion date of the project. ht tp://www. businessdictionary. com/definition/scheduling. html http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Scheduling- scheduling taken from wikipedia http://en. wikipedia. rg/wiki/Scheduling_%28computing%29- scheduling taken from Wikipedia (computing) Scheduling Definition The process of converting a general or outline plan for a project into a time-based graphic presentation given information on available resources and time constraints http://www. maxwideman. com/issacons3/iac1302/tsld002. htm sched ·ule ? ? /? sk? d? ul, -? l, -u? l; Brit. dyul, d? ul/ Show Spelled [skej-ool, -ool, -oo-uhl; Brit. shed-yool, shej-ool] Show IPA noun, verb, -uled, -ul ·ing. –noun 1. a plan of procedure, usually written, for a proposed objective, esp. ith reference to the sequence of and time allotted for each item or operation necessary to its completion: The schedule allows three weeks for this stage. 2. a series of things to be done or of events to occur at or during a particular time or period: He always has a full schedule. 3. a timetable. 4. a written or printed statement of details, often in classified or tabular form, esp. one forming an appendix or explanatory addition to another document. 5. Obsolete . a written paper. –verb (used with object) 6. to make a schedule of or enter in a schedule. 7. to plan for a certain date: to schedule publication for June. Use schedule in a Sentence See images of schedule Search schedule on the Web Origin: 1350–1400;   ; LL schedula,   equiv. to L sched ( a ) leaf of paper + -ula -ule;   r. ME cedule, sedule   ; MF ; LL, as above http://dictionary. reference. com/browse/schedule manual system-A manual system usually means done by hand. That could be typing all your information into Notepad. http://answers. yahoo. com/question/index? qid=20080902103751AAPQHyr system-(1) A group of interdependent items that interact regularly to perform a task. (2) An established or organized procedure; a method. 3) A computer system refers to the hardware and software components that run a computer or computers. (4) An information system is a system that collects and stores data. (5) On Macintoshes, System is short for System file, an essential program that runs whenever you start up a Macintosh. The System provides information to all other applications that run on a Macintosh. The System and Finder progr ams together make up the Mac OS. (6) System often simply refers to the operating system. http://www. webopedia. com/TERM/S/system. html SYSTEM: (1) A group of interdependent items that interact regularly to perform a task. 2) An established or organized procedure; a method. (3) A computer system refers to the hardware and software components that run a computer or computers. (4) An information system is a system that collects and stores data. (5) On Macintoshes, System is short for System file, an essential program that runs whenever you start up a Macintosh. The System provides information to all other applications that run on a Macintosh. The System and Finder programs together make up the Mac OS. (http://www. webopedia. com/TERM/S/system. html) Effective Scheduling Planning to Make the Best Use of Your Time iStockphoto/vasiliki So far in this section of Mind Tools, we have looked at your priorities and your goals – these define what you aspire to do with your time. Schedul ing is where these aspirations meet the reality of the time you have available. Scheduling is the process by which you look at the time available to you, and plan how you will use it to achieve the goals you have identified. By using a schedule properly, you can: * Understand what you can realisticaly achieve with your time. * Plan to make the best use of the time available. * Leave enough time for things you absolutely must do. Preserve contingency time to handle ‘the unexpected'. * Minimize stress by avoiding over-commitment to yourself and others. How to Use the Tool: There are many good scheduling tools available, including diaries, calendars, paper-based organizers, PDAs and integrated software suites like MS Outlook or GoalPro 6. The scheduling tool that is best for you depends on your situation, the current structure of your job, your taste and your budget: The key things are to be able to enter data easily, and to be able to view an appropriate span of time in the corr ect level of detail. Scheduling is best done on a regular basis, for example at the start of every week or month. Go through the following steps in preparing your schedule: 1. Start by identifying the time you want to make available for your work. This will depend on the design of your job and on your personal goals in life. 2. Next, block in the actions you absolutely must take to do a good job. These will often be the things you are assessed against. 3. For example, if you manage people, then you must make time available for dealing with issues that arise, coaching, and supervision. Similarly, you must allow time to communicate with your boss and key people around you. While people may let you get away with ‘neglecting them' in the short-term, your best time management efforts will surely be derailed if you do not set aside time for those who are important in your life. 4. Review your To Do List, and schedule in the high-priority urgent activities, as well as the essential maintenance tasks that cannot be delegated and cannot be avoided. 5. Next, block in appropriate contingency time. You will learn how much of this you need by experience. Normally, the more unpredictable your job, the more contingency time you need. The reality of many people's work is of constant interruption: Studies show some managers getting an average of as little as six minutes uninterrupted work done at a time. 6. Obviously, you cannot tell when interruptions will occur. However, by leaving space in your schedule, you give yourself the flexibility to rearrange your schedule to react effectively to issues as they arise. 7. What you now have left is your â€Å"discretionary time†: the time available to deliver your priorities and achieve your goals. Review your Prioritized To Do List and personal goals, evaluate the time needed to achieve these actions, and schedule these in. By the time you reach step 5, you may find that you have little or no discretionary time available. If this is the case, then revisit the assumptions you used in the first four steps. Question whether things are absolutely necessary, whether they can be delegated, or whether they can be done in an abbreviated way. Remember that one of the most important ways people learn to achieve success is by maximizing the ‘leverage' they can achieve with their time. They increase the amount of work they can manage by delegating work to other people, spend money outsourcing key tasks, or use technology to automate as much of their work as possible. This frees them up to achieve their goals. Also, use this as an opportunity to review your To Do List and Personal Goals. Have you set goals that just aren't achievable with the time you have available? Are you taking on too many additional duties? Or are you treating things as being more important than they really are? If your discretionary time is still limited, then you may need to renegotiate your workload. With a well-thought through schedule as evidence, you may find this surprisingly easy. Key Points: Scheduling is the process by which you plan your use of time. By scheduling effectively, you can both reduce stress and maximize your effectiveness. Before you can schedule efficiently, you need an effective scheduling system. This can be a diary, calendar, paper-based organizer, PDA or a software package like MS Outlook or GoalPro 6. The best solution depends entirely on your circumstances. Scheduling is then a five-step process: 1. Identify the time you have available. . Block in the essential tasks you must carry out to succeed in your job. 3. Schedule in high priority urgent tasks and vital â€Å"house-keeping† activities. 4. Block in appropriate contingency time to handle unpredictable interruptions. 5. In the time that remains, schedule the activities that address your priorities and personal goals. If you have little or no discretionary time left by the time you reach step five, then revisit the assumptions you have made in steps one to four. (http://www. mindtools. com/pages/article/newHTE_07. htm)

Culture, Social Status and Identity in Viramontes' The Months and Essay

Culture, Social Status and Identity in Viramontes' The Months and Tan's Rules of the Game - Essay Example These stories are the same because they depict the cultural and social status of their characters, and the main protagonists want to mold identities that conflict with their society’s beliefs about womanhood, but they are different, because they discover dissimilar sanctuaries, where they can be, who they are, without being judged. These short stories are the same, because they portray the cultural and social status of the characters. The beliefs and practices of the protagonist in â€Å"The Moths† demonstrate that she comes from a conservative and patriarchal society. This society demands their women to be submissive and skilled in feminine tasks and values, such as crocheting. Her father, who she calls Apa, often gets angry with her, because she dislikes going to church. As part of their conservative and religious culture, they are expected to go to mass every Sundays, especially decent girls and women. But she does not does not like the church, because its â€Å"vas tness† makes her feel alone (Viramontes). Likewise, in â€Å"Rules of the Game,† Waverly’s Chinese is culture is very conservative, where hierarchies exist. On top of the family hierarchy are parents, who children will and should never disobey. When Waverly’s mother says this, she embodies the â€Å"strong wind† in her daughter’s life: â€Å"Strongest wind cannot be seen† (Tan). She cannot see her mother, who is always at her back, watching and commenting on her every move, not only in chess, but in real life. The social status of the characters is also evident in the settings of the story. The protagonist in â€Å"The Moths† lives in a place where superstitions are respected. Her grandmother mixes dried moth wings with Vicks to soothe her â€Å"bull hands† and shrink them back to normal size (Viramontes). Her grandmother also has stomach cancer, but they do not have money to pay for expensive therapies. Similarly, Waverl y lives in a poor community, although she is not aware that she is poor. They live on a â€Å"†¦two-bedroom flat that sat above a small Chinese bakery† (Tan). It signifies living in a cramped and controlled space, where Waverly cannot expect to express her freedoms. These stories are also the same, because the female protagonists challenge their cultures, in order to form their identities. The protagonist in â€Å"The Moths† does not believe in following cultural norms about womanhood. Instead of learning how to crochet, she learns how to plant with her grandmother. Her â€Å"bull hand† signifies that she does not fit with her society, because her personality, preferences, and beliefs oppose female stereotypes and Christian norms. When she smells the chile, she cries not only because of the chile’s spice on her eyes, but also because of herself. She is like a chile that hurts the feelings of her family, who wants her to be someone she is not. She is also compared to the â€Å"defiant† sun, because they both resist changing for others (Tan). When the sun meets the land during sunset, the union depicts that â€Å"endings† are windows to â€Å"rebirths† (Tan). But if she will be reborn, she will be the same pertinent and critical daughter that makes Apa angry and disappointed. Also, Waverly defies her culture, by becoming a great chess player and toppling every other man or boy she plays with. Moreover,

Support for teaching of science practices in school Research Paper

Support for teaching of science practices in school - Research Paper Example Support for teaching of science practices in school Decreasing populations and tax bases in rural areas reduce the fiscal resources available to the schools. One school district also faced enormous fiscal challenges when a tornado destroyed almost all buildings in the downtown area in 2003. In addition, high prices for gasoline and diesel fuel can devastate school district budgets where transporting students for long distances is the norm (DeYoung, 1991). Government- based support Currently, state finance of learning has attained erosion because of challenging economy. In response to the worsening world economy, state and learning policymakers have reacted to strict fiscal constraints by transforming a bigger share of the financial load from taxpayers to learner rather than by deep evaluation and decrease of costs and/or enhancing efficiency. As learning continues to develop and expand, several major elements of federal policies, regulations, and rules may need to be revisited in order to enable many to continue enrolling for distance education courses. Financing education is a broad and intricate issue. It is intricate in part of because of different basis of revenue, output, or products that are associated to these distinct sources of revenue. In addition, these expenditures and revenue pattern differ significantly by the kind of institution (four year college, university or two year college), means of governance (private or public), and the state. (Pearl & Singh, 1999). In the private sector, the pattern of pricing, price discounting and expenditure levels vary significantly according to the wealth of the institution, demographics, and the affluence of the family of the applicant pool. In the public domain, these patterns also differ according to tuition laws, enrolment limits, and state funding levels that are determined by the government or public education governing body or board. The issue of financing education is large because capital underlies the themes of quality and efficiency. In terms of efficienc y, there is need for cost effective association between revenues from taxpayers, parents and learner and products or outputs when measured in rates of graduation, student learning and enrolments (Hampel, 2010). Within the wide themes of higher finance underlies institutional and public policy questions that are creative or informed, if not tackled, by financial and economic perspectives. For instance, the familiar question regarding education finance concerns how much it can cost taxpayers and the relevant ratios of learners to administrative and professional staff at different types of institutions (Honderich, 1995). Learning is identified as the major driver of economic growth and as the main determinant of a person’s status and remuneration. Distance learning is essential in maintaining the growth of the economy in the rapidly increasing world economy. This is because it most high and well paying jobs and remuneration will depend on the level of education and in this case, a person with an advanced or higher degree is set to benefit more than a person with a college degree (Holmberg, 1995). Financing education in the twenty first century has a unique salience because of the 2008 financial crisis, which has caused serious economies to economies of countries in the world. However, in most countries, revenues remain strained. Since the current public universities and colleges

Titus Andronicus Questions, Civility vs Barbarity Assignment

Titus Andronicus Questions, Civility vs Barbarity - Assignment Example en intervenes in an argument between Saturninus and Bassianus which he saw would lead to violence saying that that was not the way the Romans should behave. Titus also murders Tamora’s son despite her pleadings and this is a show of barbarism. He also shows civility by pleading with Titus to allow Mutius be buried within the family grave . This all happens before Tamora is married by Titus to become the queen. Tamora has all along planned to have her revenge on Titus. In the forest, Aaron and Tamora discuss of the revenge they were plotting of killing Bassianus and raping his bride Lavinia who was Titus most treasured daughter. After this act, lavinia is mutilated in the arms and tongue so that she cannot report the people who had raped her. When Titus finds his daughter in this state, he murders her because she had been raped which is quite uncivilized. This happens during the feast. This act is again followed by a series of other murders where Titus kills Tamora and is killed by Saturninus. Lucia then kills Saturninus to avenge the death of his father. At this point Lucia becomes the emperor asking for Saturninus to be given a state burial, Tamora body is thrown to be fed by the Beast and Aeron is buried alive. All these events are a revelation of the barbarism that exists in Rome despite their claim of being a civil

Changing Climates Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Changing Climates - Essay Example This increase has been caused by an increase in the greenhouse gases as humans continue to burn more fossil fuel. The other impact is an increase in the number of asthma related cases especially for the younger generations. The main reason behind this is the smog that results from emission of carbon dioxide gases. With respect to the State of Maine, the most probable impact that would affect the people living in this region is rise in ocean water. Since this nation is in close proximity to the sea, an increase in its level would have devastating effects both to the people and to the economic performance of the nation. Additionally, being an industrialized nation, the people living in Maine could be at a higher risk of experiencing increased asthma cases. This is because the developed countries have high levels of carbon dioxide emissions, which are in turn responsible for creation of smog that causes an increase in the number of asthma cases in

Criminal Procedures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Criminal Procedures - Essay Example At first blush, it may seem that the plain view doctrine is applicable in this case. The essence of the plain view doctrine is that it allows law enforcement officers to effect warrantless seizures when the evidence/contraband is in plain view. The officer may not disturb other objects to obtain a better view. In this case, the purse was hidden under a seat and was clearly not in plain view. The correct exception to the Fourth Amendment that would make the motion fail is the â€Å"search incident to a lawful arrest† exception. The Court extended the reach of a search incident to a lawful arrest from a search within the â€Å"immediate reach† of the arrested individual to a â€Å"protective sweep†, so as for better to retrieve weapons or contraband that the accused could have hidden. In the case of New York v. Belton, the Court established the doctrine that â€Å"when a police officer has made a lawful custodial arrest of an occupant of an automobile, the Fourth Amendment allows the officer to search the passenger compartment of that vehicle as a contemporaneous incident of arrest.† The situation of Deft falls squarely within the exception. Thus, he cannot invoke the Fourth amendment to exclude the purse as evidence. One of the fundamental rights enshrined in this Amendment is the so-called Miranda Rights, created by virtue of Miranda v. Arizona, which essentially confers on policemen the duty to inform the accused of his right to remain silent and to be assisted by counsel.

HIV1-Infection Drug Resistance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

HIV1-Infection Drug Resistance - Essay Example Antiretroviral therapy is the only existing response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The disease has already and continues to kill so many people in the world. The virus mutates to thrive in antiretroviral conquered environments. This is an obstacle as it will make scientists stop focusing on coming up with a cure and start thinking of fighting this resistance. There is the need, therefore, to understand why the virus mutates and consider the strength of second-line regimens treatments as an alternative. The middle-income countries face the most challenges in trying to solve the virus’ resistance to ART. There is need for independent organizations from developed countries to carry out researches to explain these Assumptions The paper makes the general assumption that, in all low and middle-income countries, the resistance and rate of spread are the same. The opportunistic infections are the same in the people living with the disease in the low and middle-income countries. In additio n to that, the assumption in this paper is that the resistance to antiretroviral therapy is due to mutation of the virus, and no other factors result in the case. Limitations The paper is limited in explaining the factors that contribute to the resistance observed in emerging cases. The reason or reasons as to why the virus mutates once it gets in new environments are not explained. Preview and Methodology The literature review in this paper looks at three different reports analyzing the emergence of the virus and its resistance nature.

Religion question Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Religion question - Assignment Example In addition to this, this god had a child with one of his wives, thus, Jesus was born. After the birth of Jesus, Satan was born which places him as the brother of Christ. This belief definitely contradicts the Christian theology that recognizes Satan as a fallen angel who rebelled against God. In this context, the Jesus Christ that Christians recognize is not the same Jesus that the Mormons know of. Their teachings created another theology of Jesus. Lastly, Christians recognize the authority of the Bible and its message, considering it perfect. Nothing should be added or subtracted from its message. In Mormonism, they have expressed the limitations of the Bible through the 8th article of faith from the Mormon Church states, "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly."Â  Thus, Mormons can interpret the Bible according to their perspective. In conclusion, Mormons are not considered Christians since their theology contradicts the essential doctrine of Christianity, more so, they do not fully recognize the Bible as the unerring word of

Men and women have equal pay. Discuss Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Men and women have equal pay. Discuss - Essay Example Recognising the biased nature of the wage situation, several attempts have been made on the part of the UK government and other equal-rights organisations to remove the inequality, but limited progress has been made until now. Rather, the situation persists despite the fact that laws have been passed to discourage this practice1. Theories for the existence and persistence of this problem are many. Some blame the lower level of education or other kind of training possessed by women; others to the willingness of women to accept initial wage offers. Still others attribute the wage gap to problems in the labour market or to the alternate responsibilities of women as mothers or child-carers. Whatever the reason: occupational segregation, sex discrimination, or other; it is evident that even today the labour market is constructed in a way that allows women to be poorly paid for a job that they do as well as the men who work alongside them. One study describes wage discrimination as stemming from the â€Å"crowding [of] women into a limited range of occupations† (Walby and Olsen, 2002, p. 41). This is also known as occupational segregation. Women have made great strides in the working world since their general entrance into the workforce, which occurred only recently. However, they still have much to do in order to be considered on the same level as men. In the British Virgin Islands, poverty â€Å"has been especially associated with female headed households because of the concentration of women in lower paying jobs† (Status of Women, 2005). This type of â€Å"crowding† is typical all over the United Kingdom. Women are forced into menial or low-skilled jobs, largely because many do not possess the education or skill to fill higher positions. This is especially true of older women, who lived in a generation where women were much less likely to attain higher levels of education. As a result, women fi nd themselves in general receiving less money than

English Composition Phase 4 Essay Example for Free

English Composition Phase 4 Essay The essay is â€Å"formatted on a paper which is 8. 5 x 11 inches in size† (Driscoll, 2007). The margin on top, bottom, left, and right is set to one inch (Driscoll, 2007). It should have a title page which consists of the following: â€Å"a running head for publication, title, byline, as well as, affiliation† (Driscoll, 2007). The page numbers are â€Å"written in the upper right-hand corner of each page† (Driscoll, 2007). Abstracts, headings, and visuals should be made available as well (Driscoll, 2007). Components of an APA Paper  The following are the components of an APA paper: â€Å"1) name of author; 2) date of publication; 3) title; and 4) publication information† (Minnesota School of Business, 2006). With regards to that name of the author, the last name is written first followed by a comma and the initials of the first and middle name (if middle name is provided), but if the work has no author indicated in it, place the title instead and then the date, and if authors indicated are more than three, state the first author’s name and followed by this: â€Å"et. l. † (Minnesota School of Business, 2006). Moreover, with regards to the date of publication, specify the year; however, if there is no date indicated, just place â€Å"n. d. † (Minnesota School of Business, 2006). Furthermore, with regards to the title, just write it as is whether it is a book, journal, or a magazine (Minnesota School of Business, 2006). Finally, with regards to the â€Å"publication information†: if the reference is a book, then the place of publication, as well as, the publisher should be included; if it is a periodical then include the place of publication, the publisher, the volume number, the issue number, as well as, the pages; and if it is a website then indicate the website address (Minnesota School of Business, 2006).

Psychological Impact Of Disability On The Family

Psychological Impact Of Disability On The Family The birth of a child is usually anticipated with so much expectations and excitement of a very happy and successful future not only for the child but also for the family at large. However, this excited might be muted by the birth of an infant with any kind of disability. It does not matter whether the handicap is retardation, blindness or physical abnormality. Families with members with disabilities cannot live a similar style of life like that enjoyed by other families that have got normal individuals. In most cases these parents are more sensitive to the needs of the disabled individuals. According to Gillam (1999) caring for people with disabilities is not always an easy job because these are normally considered to be delicate people who need extra care. For this reason disability could have various physical and psychological impacts on the family. This paper provided a discussion of various psychological effects of disability on families. Some background information will first be provided to give an overview of what disability is all about. Background Information According to Marinelli Orto (1999) the rate of disabilities in families has relatively reduced compared to the situation 50 years ago. The introduction of immunizations and improved medical care has also helped a great deal. However, statistics has it that in regions such as the UK, a child is diagnosed with some kind of disability every 25 minutes. Over 95% of those diagnosed with disabilities either live with their family members of their children. Another country that faces the same problem is Australia. A persons body is a very important part of their identity and self perception and even extends to the identity of the family. In most of the time, a family with a disabled individual will always receive similar perceptions from the society like the ones given to the disabled person. The disability is therefore normally considered in terms of the larger family. Although some people could be borne normal but later become disabled either through sickness or accidents, most of the disabilities are normally realized at birth. Family members of disabled individuals normally have an extra burden of not only taking care of their individual needs but also for the needs of the disabled in the family (Gillam, 1999). Most people in such situation would tell you that it is not as easy as most people might think. It requires sacrifice and determination. Discussion Giving birth to a handicapped child and taking care of him to grow into adulthood is one of the most stressful things a family could endure. The first reaction by parents on realization that their child is disabled tells it all. According to Strnadova (2006) most parents are normally in shock and wish that they could reverse the whole process. It also creates a confused situation of guilt, anger, sadness, depression all in one that some parents begin lamenting to God what wrong they might have done. Depending on the conditions of the parents, they handle these issues differently and could stay in different stages of depression longer than others. Some parents feel like the handicapped children are their extension and may feel ashamed, ridicule, embarrassment or social rejection. The reactions by parents might be affected by economic status, marital stability and personality traits. Generally, the initial reaction of any parent would therefore be of psychological or emotional disintegration (Marinelli Orto, 1999). In instances where an individual was living normally and later becomes disabled, denial is normally the first psychological impact in the family. Some members refuse to accept that things have changed and their loved one is now disabled. This is very difficult especially when the person is the first one in the family to suffer from such a disability or when he is the sole bread winner and the family cannot comprehend how it will survive the next day. In situations where the family does not know much about the illness, they could also become very pessimistic about the future and act like the illness has control of their entire destiny. Although no one really checks on the parents to find out whether they get enough sleep or spent most of their time at night checking on their disabled children, research has it that families with disabled members also suffer from exhaustion and anguish. After denial there is usually a gradual acceptance of the fact that the family member is truly disabled. The family then tries to come up with better ways of dealing with the issue because there is nothing else they could do. The acceptance stage could taking varying durations does not necessarily lead to the acceptance of the disability. Marinelli Orto (1999) explains that sometimes members could just decide to minimize the psychological balance to an achievable degree and deal with the person. In cases where parents completely fail to accept this fact, they could even abandon the individual or give them for adoption. This is the reason why there have been cases of parents throwing their children in pits or abandoning them on the road side as demonstrated in some developing countries. There is the realization stage is where parents or family members fully accept the disability of their loved ones regardless of its consequences. However, not every family reaches this stage. Strnadova (2006) argues that many families consider taking care of an individual with disability in terms of the cost they will have to incur throughout the existence of the disabled individual. This process could sometimes be costly that if a family is not well prepared it could lead to debts and loans. For instance, if a family member suffers from down-syndrome or Cerebral Palsy, he will definitely require some medication, counseling, therapy, physiotherapy or rehabilitation. All these services need money which is not always easy to come around. This could therefore lead to the family making use of every single cent they have just to see their own survive. Some could even end up borrowing from family members or asking for loans from their banks but there is always a limit to where you can source money from. If a family faces the dilemma of not knowing where next to turn to and ask for money, its normally very frustrating and hurting to know that you could make life more comfortable to a family member if only you had the money but the reality is that you have none. Having gone through many dead ends to find assistance for their loved ones, family members often become worn out and might be discouraged to look for a different approach for assistance because they might be scared of facing yet another failure (Strnadova, 2006). This might create a feeling of hopelessness in the family in that they feel like they can no longer take care of their loved one and could even abandon him or offer him for adoption. Stress in families with disabled individuals normally starts way back even before the disability is diagnosed. In most occasions, parents would suspect that there might be something wrong with the life of their child or family member. This normally appears in cases where the family members become disabled later in life after leading a normal life. For this reason members would request for examination from a psychologist to fully understand what might be wrong. Sometimes families with disabled members are isolated from the society like and this makes them feel like they are less equal. This could also make some of parents to feel like it is their fault that they gave birth to disabled children. What parents also fear most is the likelihood of the heredity of the disability to their future siblings. According to Power Orto (2004) some might even get scared and feel like they do not want to have other children in future. They may also fear that they might have grand children with simil ar disabilities. They are also worried of what the future holds for their child with disability. The feeling of helplessness due to the fact that there is very little they can do to change the childs disability makes them hate themselves. The anxiety in family members stems from an attempt to strike a balance between their own life and that of the disabled individuals. A number of parents have talked of pain and anguish in their lives and their desire and hope to improve the lives of their loved ones even though sometimes it never possible. Single and unmarried mothers face more psychological problems than others. Considering that individuals with disabilities need extra care, it becomes cumbersome for one individual to keep watch of him and do his/her own duties. Disabled individuals could also be a huge burden to their own siblings especially because of the fact they require extra care (Power Orto, 2004). This means that their siblings will have to forgo some activities and duties in order to take care of them. Unlike other children who might go playing up and down, they will be forced to offer extra care to their disabled brother or sister. One thing most people dont understand is that its nobodys fault that they have disabled individuals in their families. However, most family members might not know how to react around such individuals and might decide to stay away. Sometimes the families might be reluctant to discuss with others about their members disability because they do really know how others would react. Fear of stigmatization from the society could make some families to hide these conditions for a long time (Warner, 2006). However, this is not always the best option because it implies that one is ashamed of a family member. A result of stigma is that the family ends up being withdrawn from the society because they are afraid of being hurt by comments or reaction from other people. Shaw (2009) laments that sad as it might be, most people with disability are still socially unacceptable. Its common to here whispers from all corners about families with disabled members as well as judgments being made behind closed door about how a disabled member might be behaving. Some even make comments that insinuate that the family is unable to take of their own blood and flesh. Some of these comments even come from close friends. Considering that every person might have his own opinion on how a family deals with the disability, its never an easy thing for a family that is trying so hard to remains brave and accept their member with his disability. When on outings, families with disabled individuals normally have to deal with stares, unpleasant gapes from both adults and kids. These annoying stares can inhibit the ability of family members especially the kids to freely interact disabled family members. Sometimes family members especially parents have to deal with feeling of jealously from other siblings. For instance, you here of a child wishing that he was sick like his sister so that he could also receive preferential treatment from the parents. This feeling also disturbs parents psychologically and makes them feel like they are discriminating their children. Of course as you would expect there is always a good side of disability where one is treated differently and carefully more than others (Shaw, 2009). If not carefully done, it could also lead to misunderstandings in the family that could add to psychological problems. Warner (2006) explains that some families with disabled children face so many difficulties that they even end up separating. In such a situation, kids are either split each of their parents or their custody could be awarded to one parent. Sometimes one parent in most cases the dad could run from the vicinity and disappear completely leaving the child in the hands of the other parent. Recommendations Families with disabled members need love and support from close friends and relatives. It is never their wish to give birth to disabled individuals. Its God will that everyone is the way he is and we should accept that and live with it. As the saying goes, disability is not inability. There are families whose brain winners are people with disabilities. As Gillam (1999) puts it these people could still be very useful to the family and the society at large unlike what people might expect. It is therefore important that families with disabilities are accepted as any other family so as to give them the moral to take care of their disabled members rather than isolating them. It is also advisable that families with healthy and normal kids should teach their children on how to deal with other members of the society that might be living with disabilities. This will make everyone grow up with a good attitude and caring feeling for unfortunate members of the society. With increase in technology and innovation, disabled members could still survive and lead a normal life like others. Children should therefore not abandon their loved ones just because of their disability. We should all be thankful to God to whatever child he gives unto us because there are so many parents would wish to have a child but they cant.

Portrayal Of Lucy Westenra And Mina Murray English Literature Essay

Portrayal Of Lucy Westenra And Mina Murray English Literature Essay Dracula, the 1897 novel by Bram Stoker, is a tale composed against a background of social concerns and anxieties of Victorian England in a rapidly changing world. One of the most important upheavals in this time of turmoil concerned feminism and the role of women in Victorian society, with the terrifying spectre of the  ¿Ã‚ ½New Woman ¿Ã‚ ½ solidifying rapidly into a real threat. In Victorian England, gender roles were distinct, with women being expected to confine themselves to the domestic realm and become  ¿Ã‚ ½the Angel in the House, ¿Ã‚ ½ responsible for setting a moral example for her children and being of complete service to her husband. In examining how the female characters  ¿Ã‚ ½ Lucy Westenra and Mina Murray/Harker  ¿Ã‚ ½ are dealt with in Dracula, a greater insight will be gained into the degree of transformation undertaken by the women from a Victorian woman to a New Woman in the face of Dracula ¿Ã‚ ½s seductive power. Lucy Westenra is initially depicted as innocent, beautiful, and virtuous ¿Ã‚ ½not at all the sexual suspect or foreigner that would seem to indicate a susceptibility to vampirism. Despite this appearance of her character, however, the behaviour of Lucy, even before she succumbed to vampirism, would have been questionable to a Victorian audience. Most notably, she takes a sort of gloating pleasure in having been proposed to three times in one day (Stoker 86). Even more disturbing to a Victorian reader, Lucy muses,  ¿Ã‚ ½Why can ¿Ã‚ ½t they let a girl marry three men, or as many as want her ¿Ã‚ ½? ¿Ã‚ ½ (Stoker 90). Although she immediately dismisses the idea as blasphemy, the reader gets the sense that she was serious. This reluctance to confine herself to one man is not her only sign of questionable sexuality. Lucy sleepwalks,  ¿Ã‚ ½a habit traditionally associated with sexual looseness ¿Ã‚ ½ in Victorian England (Spencer 210). Despite Lucy ¿Ã‚ ½s seeming virtue, there are indications that her sexuality is on the verge of asserting its appetites throughout the early portions of the novel. This blooming sexuality is what makes her susceptible to vampiric attack. As Lucy succumbs to Dracula ¿Ã‚ ½s advances, she comes to resemble the vampire women encountered by Harker. Her sexuality becomes more blatant as her vampirism progresses. When she is dying, she speaks to Arthur in a  ¿Ã‚ ½soft, voluptuous voice, ¿Ã‚ ½ a phrase which recalls the voluptuousness of the three female vampires in Castle Dracula (Stoker 237). Her initiation into the vampire group becomes complete when Van Helsing notes that the two bite marks on her neck have completely disappeared (Stoker 235). Later, Stoker describes vampiric Lucy as moving with a  ¿Ã‚ ½voluptuous grace ¿Ã‚ ½ and having a  ¿Ã‚ ½wanton smile ¿Ã‚ ½ (Stoker 310). She has become the aggressive female through contact with Dracula. Lucy is now fully endowed with masculine appetites and, like the fanged women Harker encountered, she is acting as a dominant presence over males. She has become monstrous and unnatural, which is in keeping with the Victorian idea of  ¿Ã‚ ½the sexualization of woman as deformation ¿Ã‚ ½ (Craft 120). This unnaturalness is also emphatically underscored by her rejection of the mother role typically associated with women during this time period. Instead of nursing the child  ¿Ã‚ ½clutched strenuously to her breast, ¿Ã‚ ½ she feeds from it, slowly killing it (Stoker 310). Dracula is to blame for Lucy ¿Ã‚ ½s metamorphosis into a monstrosity,  ¿Ã‚ ½for he is the ultimate social adulterer, whose purpose is nothing if it is not to turn good Englishwomen like Lucyaway from their own kind and customs ¿Ã‚ ½ (Stevenson 140). However horrifying Lucy ¿Ã‚ ½s transformation might have been to a Victorian audience, Mina Harker ¿Ã‚ ½s aborted metamorphosis would have been even more horrible. As Van Helsing says,  ¿Ã‚ ½she is one of God ¿Ã‚ ½s women, fashioned by His own hand ¿Ã‚ ½ (Stoker 277). Mina seems to fit the ideal of the Victorian Woman, as a virtuous, devout, almost asexual individual. While she sometimes acts as the quiet organiser of the men, she is generally meek and servile to their wishes, for example, she learns typing and short-hand with the main motive of being of use to her future husband Jonathan. Stoker never reveals anything detailed about Mina ¿Ã‚ ½s physical appearance, and she seems to be an object of adulation rather than desire. Mina acts as more of a mother figure to Jonathan,  ¿Ã‚ ½nursing him through his illness. ¿Ã‚ ½ The motherly-wife and nurtured husband were considered the ideal spouses in Victorian England (Spencer 216). Mina is quite literally the Angel in the House, or the ideal Woman embodied. Yet even the ideal demonstrates vulnerability when forced into an overtly sexual situation. Mina, through no fault of her own, becomes subject to Dracula ¿Ã‚ ½s advances, yet seems to take some enjoyment in them despite her horror. During her last encounter with the Count, as he drank from her neck, she admitted that she  ¿Ã‚ ½did not want to hinder him ¿Ã‚ ½ (Stoker 425). This desire for the Count would have been damnable to a Victorian audience, who saw sexual desire rather than sexual activity [as] ¿Ã‚ ½the true source of danger ¿Ã‚ ½ (Spencer 217). Although Mina never makes the full transformation into the aggressive, sexualized female vampire, there are aspects of her character that bend gender expectations a bit. Specifically, Dr. Van Helsing remarks upon her level of intelligence numerous times as being abnormal for a young woman. When Mina tells Van Helsing that she can inform him all about what happened to Lucy, he remarks,  ¿Ã‚ ½Ah, then you have a good memory for facts, for details? It is not always so with young ladies ¿Ã‚ ½ (Stoker 269). He also repeatedly calls her,  ¿Ã‚ ½you so clever woman ¿Ã‚ ½ (Stoker 269). If a learned man such as Van Helsing compliments Mina ¿Ã‚ ½s intelligence, then it might be safe to assume that men did not expected to encounter a woman with such common sense during the Victorian era. As Van Helsing puts it,  ¿Ã‚ ½[Mina] has a man ¿Ã‚ ½s brain ¿Ã‚ ½a brain that a man should have were he much gifted ¿Ã‚ ½ (Stoker 345). To a certain extent, Mina is becoming a modern woman by demonstrating her intelligence and therefore somewhat defying the gender stereotype of women being inferior to men. However, she doesn ¿Ã‚ ½t pose any really threat to the dominant male as she uses her intelligence to help others on a divine mission rather than furthering her own interests, a Victorian audience could perhaps accept this inversion of gender roles. Like Lucy, Mina become contaminated by Dracula and slowly becomes deracinated, growing more like a vampire and less like an Englishwoman. However, before her transformation is complete, Dracula is killed and Mina is re-assimilated into English society with little difficulty, providing a happy ending for the Victorian audience. Both Lucy and Mina are introduced in the novel as embodiments of the Victorian woman ideal, a role of purity and femininity. However, when the women begin to transform into vampires, they are seen to take on traditional male roles, which undoubtedly horrified the Victorian reader. However, neither of these two women are allowed any agency; even through their  ¿Ã‚ ½infidelities ¿Ã‚ ½, they play the passive role, Lucy asleep while blood is pumped from each man into her, and Mina ¿Ã‚ ½s seduction described in terms of  ¿Ã‚ ½forcing a kitten ¿Ã‚ ½s nose into a saucer of milk to compel it to drink ¿Ã‚ ½. It is Dracula, the monstrous, foreign creature that is blamed for the corruption of Lucy and Mina. The role of the Victorian man is clear here, as the vampire hunters act out what they feel is their duty  ¿Ã‚ ½ to rescue their women from the clutches of Dracula and vampirism and return them to holiness. They return their women to their rightful place and re-establish proper roles, by a violent  ¿Ã‚ ½staking ¿Ã‚ ½ Lucy. This metaphorical rape, repeated by Van Helsing with the three Transylvanian vampires,  ¿Ã‚ ½re-establishes normative models of both gender and history ¿Ã‚ ½, imposing male reason on female sexuality, with the women  ¿Ã‚ ½grat eful and passive toward their brave male deliverer ¿Ã‚ ½. In Carmilla, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu takes the tradition male power role and gives it to the women, while Stoker, in Dracula, repossesses the female body for pleasure and exchange and puts the power back in the hands of men. In Carmilla we meet a woman who bears angelic features in her outward appearance only. At first, she seems to be the ideal companion for Laura fulfilling all Victorian claims. The homosocial bond between women served patriarchy to keep women whom they treated rather as objects than as individual beings with a will of their own out of the so-called male business. As the idea of the new woman with their social, political, and sexual freedom was feared in society, Carmilla is feared by Laura ¿Ã‚ ½s father as soon as he notices her dangerous potential. The role of the female vampire identifies and challenges gender roles of women in the Victorian age, as well as symbolise New Women. Carmilla, goes even further in its defiance of the male/female heterosexual norm by featuring a lesbian relationship between its two main characters, only made possibly through the vampirism and supernatural nature of the story. It is through Carmilla and Laura ¿Ã‚ ½s homosexual relationship that they are able to gain freedom from male dominance and a patriarchal society. Besides marriage, becoming a vampire is one of the only ways that female sexuality is licensed in the Victorian era. While Bram Stoker ¿Ã‚ ½s Dracula has laid the foundations for the horror genre of film and literature, it also provides some interesting social commentary about Victorian England. In particular, the female characters and their relationships to the issues of sexuality, gender roles, and nationality are very revealing about the anxieties of the times. In their full and partial transformation into vampires, Lucy and Mina lose their feminine passivity and innocence and are expected to become like the highly sexualised and immoral succubi trio. They go from being sweet and pure Victorian women (female victims) to being  ¿Ã‚ ½languorous[ly] voluptuous ¿Ã‚ ½ and  ¿Ã‚ ½carnal and unspiritual ¿Ã‚ ½ New Women (female vampires). This is precisely the perceived danger represented by the New Woman. However, because Mina is never fully transformed and manages to be restored to her role as a Victorian woman, it can be concluded that Lucy better represents the New Woman archetype as she completes the transition to vampire and in doing so gains sexual and social freedom from the constraints on women in Victorian society.

Opposing the Death Penalty Essay -- Against Capital Punishment Essays

Opposing the Death Penalty Capital punishment is the infliction of the death penalty on a person convicted of a crime. Executing convicted felons has been one of the most widely practiced forms of criminal punishment in the United States. However, this highly controversial form of punishment is not carried out in all of the states in the nation. Currently, the states that do not practice the death penalty are: Alaska, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Dakota, Rhode Island, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Even for the states that do enforce the death penalty, it has been a topic of debate for many years. In this paper, I will review the major issues related to capital punishment with an emphasis on opposition to it. There are two groups who argue over the decision to take a person's life as a punishment for a crime. There are many points of discussion including whether or not it is a fitting and reasonable punishment, whether or not it acts as a deterrent to crime and whether or not it is morally neutral or morally wrong. These two classes of people can be grouped together as the 'retentionists', and the 'abolitionists' (Americana 596). For the retentionists, the main reasons they are in support of the death penalty are to take revenge and to punish. Their main worry is the protection of society from dangerous criminals. The retentionists have some good ideas, but they are still very wrong. The abolitionists view the death penalty as morally and legally wrong. Further, they argue that it does not act as a deterrent for crime, it is irreversible and could be used on an innocent person, it is more expensive than imprisonment, and that those who are con... ...iego: Greenhaven Press, Inc., 1997 ?Capital Punishment.? Encyclopedia Americana. 1990 ed. Draper, Thomas. Capital Punishment. New York: H.W. Wilson, 1985. Gibeaut, John. ?Death penalty a lively issue.? Aug 2002: 70-74. Criminal Justice Periodicals Proquest. Roesch Library, Dayton. 18 October 2002. Leone, Bruno. ?Does Capital Punishment Deter Crime San Diego: Greenhaven Press, Inc., 1998 McMillon, Rhonda. ?Seeking a fair penalty.? Sep 2002: 70-72. Criminal Justice Periodicals Proquest. Roesch Library, Dayton. 18 October 2002. Mitchell, Hayley. The Death Penalty. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, Inc., 2001 Nathanson, Stephen. An Eye For and Eye? Oxford: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2001 Pohier, Jacques. ?The Death Penalty and Torture.? New York:Seabury Press, 1979

Job Interviews :: essays research papers

Questions: Wat is th company vision? how would you describe the culture in the business? wat attracted you to the company and how long have u been there? how long do people stay in their roles? wat develeopment opportunities are in the role? 1 I have read the job description, can you expand on the job I will be doing? 2 What type of training is provided? 3 How do you see me in the role? 4 Do you have performance targets? 5 How will I know that I am doing well? 6 What are team members achieving? Ask questions that are focused on embodying your enthusiasm, as well as your willingness and ability: 1 What is the team working on at the moment? 2 Can I meet the team? 3 Can I look around? 4 What are your strategies for growth? 5 How soon do you want an employee in place? 6 If there was one major achievement that you would like to see happen within the role from the outset, what would it be? 7 Can you describe what made the last person successful in this role? 8 What are the immediate improvements or priorities that need to be applied to this role? 9 What changes would you like to see in the way the job is performed? 10 To ensure I would be able to hit the ground running would you be able to supply any procedures, literature or other supporting information in preparation for my first day in the role? "Why do you want to work for us?" Explain why you see the company as an attractive employer. Financial package should never be given as a reason, but think about things like the company culture, training program, company structure, the ability to cross-train into different technologies, or the company's ethic. Obviously these need to be relevant and well-researched. "Where do you see yourself in five years' time?" Think about where you really want to be within a company: in a lead role with a team under you; or a lead consultant; or a director of the company. Be ambitious but realistic and have direction in your answers. "What are your strengths and weaknesses?" Talk specifically about the positive things you've achieved to illustrate your strengths rather than generalising and make them relevant to the role you are going for. Try to show your weaknesses in a positive light and give examples of where you have addressed and overcome your weaknesses. "Why did you apply for this job?" The candidate should be careful not to mention a desire for promotion or money.

The Return: Nightfall Chapter 21

â€Å"It actually makes a horrible kind of sense,† Meredith said. They were in Isobel's family room, waiting for Dr. Alpert. Meredith was at a beautiful desk made of some black wood ornamented with designs in gilt, working at a computer that had been left on. â€Å"The Salem girls accused people of hurting them – witches, of course. They said they were pinching them and  ¡Ã‚ ®pricking them with pins.'† â€Å"Like Isobel blaming us,† Bonnie said, nodding. â€Å"And they had seizures and contorted their bodies into  ¡Ã‚ ®impossible positions.'† â€Å"Caroline looked as if she were having seizures in Stefan's room,† said Bonnie. â€Å"And if crawling like a lizard isn't contorting your body into an impossible position†¦here, I'll try it.† She got down on the Saitous' floor and tried to stick her elbows and knees out the way Caroline had. She couldn't do it. â€Å"See?† â€Å"Oh, my God!† It was Jim at the doorway of the kitchen, holding – almost dropping – a tray of food. The smell of miso soup was sharp in the air, and Bonnie wasn't sure if it made her feel hungry or if she was too sick to ever be hungry again. â€Å"It's okay,† she told him hastily, standing up. â€Å"I was just†¦trying something out.† Meredith stood up too. â€Å"Is that for Isobel?† â€Å"No, it's for Obaasan – I mean Isa-chan's grandma – Grandma Saitou – â€Å" â€Å"I told you to call everybody whatever comes out naturally. Obaasan is fine, just like Isa-chan,† Meredith said softly and firmly to him. Jim relaxed a hair. â€Å"I tried to get Isa-chan to eat, but she just throws the trays at the wall. She says that she can't eat; that somebody's choking her.† Meredith glanced significantly at Bonnie. Then she turned back to Jim. â€Å"Why don't you let me take it? You've been through a lot. Where is she?† â€Å"Upstairs, second door on the left. If – if she says anything weird, just ignore it.† â€Å"All right. Stay near Bonnie.† â€Å"Oh, no,† Bonnie said hastily. â€Å"Bonnie is going with.† She didn't know if it was for her own protection or Meredith's, but she was going to stick like glue. Upstairs, Meredith turned the hall light on carefully with her elbow. Then they found the second door on the left, which turned out to have a doll-like old lady in it. She was in the exact center of the room, lying on the exact center of a futon. She sat up and smiled when they came in. The smile turned a wrinkled face almost into the face of a happy child. â€Å"Megumi-chan, Beniko-chan, you came to see me!† she exclaimed, bowing where she sat. â€Å"Yes,† Meredith said carefully. She put the tray down beside the old lady. â€Å"We came to see you – Ms. Saitou.† â€Å"Don't play games with me! It's Inari-chan! Or are you mad at me?† â€Å"All thesechans . I thought ;;Chan' was a Chinese name. Isn't Isobel Japanese?† whispered Bonnie from behind Meredith. One thing, the doll-like old woman was not, was deaf. She burst into laughter, bringing up both hands to cover her mouth girlishly. â€Å"Oh, don't tease me before I eat.Itadakimasu! † She picked up the bowl of miso soup and began to drink it. â€Å"I thinkchan is something you put at the end of someone's name when you're friends, the way Jimmy was sayingIsa-chan ,† Meredith said aloud. â€Å"AndEeta-daki-mass-u is something you say when you start eating. And that'sall I know.† Part of Bonnie's mind noted that the â€Å"friends† Grandma Saitou had just happened to have names starting withM andB . Another part was calculating where this room was with relation to the rooms below it, Isobel's room in particular. It was directly above it. The tiny old woman had stopped eating and was watching her intently. â€Å"No, no, you're not Beniko-chan and Megumi-chan. I know it. But they do visit me sometimes, and so does my dear Nobuhiro. Other things do, too, unpleasant things, but I was raised a shrine maiden – I know how to take care ofthem .† A brief look of knowing satisfaction passed over the innocent old face. â€Å"This house is possessed, you know.† She added,†Kore ni wa kitsune ga karande isou da ne.† â€Å"I'm sorry, Ms. Saitou – what was that?† Meredith asked. â€Å"I said, there's a kitsune involved in this somehow.† â€Å"A kit-su-nay?† Meredith repeated, quiz-zically. â€Å"A fox, silly girl,† the old woman said cheerfully. â€Å"They can turn into anything they like, don't you know? Even humans. Why, one could turn intoyou and your best friend wouldn't know the difference.† â€Å"So – a sort of were-fox, then?† Meredith asked, but Grandma Saitou was rocking back and forth now, her gaze on the wall behind Bonnie. â€Å"We used to play a circle game,† she said. â€Å"All of us in a circle and one in the middle, blindfolded. And we would sing a song.Ushiro no shounen daare? Who is standing behind you? I taught it to my children, but I made up a little song in English to go with it.† And she sang, in the voice of the very old or the very young, with her eyes fixed innocently on Bonnie all the while. â€Å"Fox and turtle Had a race. Who's that far behind you? Whoever came in Second place Who's that near behind you? Would make a nice meal For the winner. Who's that close behind you? Lovely turtle soup For dinner! Who's that right behind you?† Bonnie felt hot breath on her neck. Gasping, she whirled around – and screamed. Andscreamed . Isobel was there, dripping blood onto the mats that covered the floor. She had somehow managed to get past Jim and to sneak into the dim upstairs room without anyone seeing or hearing her. Now she stood there like some distorted goddess of piercing, or the hideous embodiment of every piercer's nightmare. She was wearing only a pair of very brief bikini bottoms. Otherwise she was naked except for the blood and the different kinds of hoops and studs and needles she had put through the holes. She had pierced every area Bonnie had ever heard that youcould pierce, and a few that Bonnie hadn't dreamed of. And every hole was crooked and bleeding. Her breath was warm and fetid and nauseating – like rotten eggs. Isobel flicked her pink tongue. It wasn't pierced. It was worse. With some kind of instrument she had cut the long muscle in two so that it was forked like a snake's. The forked, pink thing licked Bonnie's forehead. Bonnie fainted. Matt drove slowly down the almost invisible lane. There was no street sign to identify it, he noticed. They went up a little hill and then down sharply into a small clearing. â€Å" ¡Ã‚ ®Keep away from faerie circles,'† Elena said softly, as if she were quoting. â€Å" ¡Ã‚ ®And old oaks†¦'† â€Å"What are you talking about?† â€Å"Stop the car.† When he did, Elena stood in the center of the clearing. â€Å"Don't you think it has a faerie sort of feeling?† â€Å"I don't know. Where'd the red thing go?† â€Å"In here somewhere. I saw it!† â€Å"Me, too – and did you see how it was bigger than a fox?† â€Å"Yes, but not as big as a wolf.† Matt let out a sigh of relief. â€Å"Bonnie just won't believe me. And you saw how quickly it moved – â€Å" â€Å"Too quickly to be something natural.† â€Å"You're saying we didn't really see anything?† Matt said almost fiercely. â€Å"I'm saying we saw somethingsuper natural. Like the bug that attacked you. Like the trees, for that matter. Something that doesn't follow the laws of this world.† But search as they would, they couldn't find the animal. The bushes and shrubs between the trees reached from the ground up in a dense circle. But there was no evidence of a hole or a hide or a break in the dense thicket. And the sun was sliding down in the sky. The clearing was beautiful, but there was nothing of interest to them. Matt had just turned to say so to Elena when he saw her stand up quickly, in alarm. â€Å"What's – ?† He followed her gaze and stopped. A yellow Ferrari blocked the way back to the road. They hadn't passed a yellow Ferrari on their way in. There was only room for one car on the one-lane road. Yet there the Ferrari stood. Branches broke behind Matt. He whirled. â€Å"Damon!† â€Å"Whom were you expecting?† The wraparound Ray-Bans concealed Damon's eyes completely. â€Å"We weren't expectinganyone ,† Matt said aggressively. â€Å"We just turned in here.† The last time he'd seen Damon, when Damon had been banished like a whipped dog from Stefan's room, he'd wanted to punch Damon in the mouth very much, Elena knew. She could feel that he wanted it again now. But Damon wasn't the same as he'd been when he'd left that room. Elena could see danger rising off him like heat waves. â€Å"Oh, Isee . This is – yourprivate area for – privateexplorations,† Damon translated, and there was a note of complicity in his voice that Elena disliked. â€Å"No!† Matt snarled. Elena realized she was going to have to keep him under control. It was dangerous to antagonize Damon in this mood. â€Å"How can you even say that?† Matt went on. â€Å"Elena belongs to Stefan.† â€Å"Well – we belong to each other,† Elena temporized. â€Å"Of course you do,† said Damon. â€Å"One body, one heart, one soul.† For a moment there was something there – an expression inside the Ray-Bans, she thought, that was murderous. Instantly, though, Damon's tone changed to an expressionless murmur. â€Å"But then, why areyou two here?† His head, turning to follow Matt's movement, moved like a predator tracking prey. There was something more disquieting than usual about his attitude. â€Å"We saw something red,† Matt said before Elena could stop him. â€Å"Something like what I saw when I had that accident.† Prickles were now running up and down Elena's arms. Somehow she wished Matt hadn't said that. In this dim, quiet clearing in the evergreen grove, she was suddenly very much afraid. Stretching her new senses to their utmost – until she could feel them distending like a gossamer garment pushed thin all around her, she felt the wrongness there, too, and felt it pass out of the reach of her mind. At the same time she felt birds go quiet all that long distance away. What was most disturbing was to turn just then, just as the birdsong stopped, and find Damon turning at the same instant to look at her. The sunglasses kept her from knowing what he was thinking. The rest of his face was a mask. Stefan, she thought helplessly, longingly. How could he have left her – with this? With no warning, no idea of his destination, no way of ever contacting him again†¦It might have made sense to him, with his desperate desire not to make her into something he loathed in himself. But to leave her with Damon in this mood, and all of her previous powers gone – Your own fault, she thought, cutting short the flood of self-pity. You were the one who harped on brotherhood. You were the one who convinced him Damon was to be trusted. Now you deal with the consequences. â€Å"Damon,† she said, â€Å"I've been looking foryou . I wanted to ask you – about Stefan. You do know that he's left me.† â€Å"Of course. I believe the saying goes, for your own good. He left me to be your bodyguard.† â€Å"Then you saw him two nights ago?† â€Å"Of course.† And – of course – you didn't try to stop him. Things couldn't have turned out better for you, Elena thought. She had never wished more for the abilities she'd had as a spirit, not even when she'd realized Stefan was really gone and beyond her all-too-human reach. â€Å"Well, I'm not just letting him leave me,† she said flatly, â€Å"for my own good or for any other reason. I'm going to follow him – but first I need to know where he might have gone.† â€Å"You're askingme ?† â€Å"Yes. Please. Damon, I have to find him. I need him. I – † She was starting to choke up, and she had to be stern with herself. But just then she realized that Matt was whispering very softly to her. â€Å"Elena, stop. I think we're just making him mad. Look at the sky.† Elena felt it herself. The circle of trees seemed to be leaning in all around them, darker than before, menacing. Elena tilted her chin slowly, looking up. Directly above them, gray clouds were pooling, piling in on themselves, cirrus overwhelmed by cumulus, turning to thunderheads – centered exactly over the spot where they stood. On the ground, small whirlwinds began to form, lifting handfuls of pine needles and fresh green summer leaves off saplings. She had never seen anything like it before, and it filled the clearing with a sweet but sensuous smell, redolent of exotic oils and long, dark winter nights. Looking at Damon, then, as the whirlwinds lifted higher and the sweet scent encircled her, resinous and aromatic, closing in until she knew it was soaking into her clothes and being impressed into her very flesh, she knew she had overstepped herself. She couldn't protect Matt. Stefan told me to trust Damon in his note in my diary. Stefan knows more about him than I do, she thought desperately. But we both know what Damon wants, ultimately. What he's always wanted. Me. My blood†¦ â€Å"Damon,† she began softly – and broke off. Without looking at her, he held out a hand with the palm toward her. Wait. â€Å"There's something I have to do,† he murmured. He bent down, every movement as unconsciously and economically graceful as a panther's, and picked up a small broken branch of what looked like ordinary Virginia pine. He waved it slightly, appraisingly, hefting it in his hand as if to feel weight and balance. It looked more like a fan than a branch. Elena was now looking at Matt, trying with her eyes to tell him all the things she was feeling, foremost of which was that she was sorry: sorry that she had gotten him into this; sorry that she'd ever cared for him; sorry that she'd kept him bound into a group of friends who were so intimately intertwined with the supernatural. Now I know a little bit of what Bonnie must have felt this last year, she thought, being able to see and predict things without having the slightest power to stop them. Matt, jerking his head, was already moving stealthily toward the trees. No, Matt.No .No! He didn't understand. Neither did she, except to feel that the trees were only keeping their distance because of Damon's presence here. If she and Matt were to venture into the forest; if they left the clearing or even stayed in it too long†¦Matt could see the fear on her face, and his own face reflected grim understanding. They were trapped. Unless – â€Å"Too late,† Damon said sharply. â€Å"I told you, there's something I have to do.† He had apparently found the stick he was looking for. Now he raised it, shook it slightly, and brought it down in a single motion; slashing sideways as he did. And Matt convulsed in agony. It was a kind of pain he had never dreamed of before: pain that seemed to come frominside himself, but from everywhere, every organ in his body, every muscle, every nerve, every bone, releasing a different type of pain. His muscles ached and cramped as if they were strained to their ultimate flexion, but were being forced to flex farther still. Inside, his organs were on fire. Knives were at work in his belly. His bones felt the way his arm had when he had shattered it once, when he was nine years old and a car had broadsided his dad's. And his nerves – if there was a switch on nerves that could be set from â€Å"pleasure† to â€Å"pain† – his had been set to â€Å"anguish.† The touch of clothes on his skin was unbearable. The currents of air passing were agony. He endured fifteen seconds of it and passed out. â€Å"Matt!† For her part, Elena had been frozen, her muscles locked, unable to move for what seemed like forever. Suddenly released, she ran to Matt, pulled him up into her lap, stared into his face. Then she looked up. â€Å"Damon,why ? Why?† Suddenly she realized that although Matt wasn't conscious, he was still writhing in pain. She had to keep herself from screaming the words, to only speak forcefully. â€Å"Why are youdoing this? Damon!Stop it .† She stared up at the young man dressed all in black: black jeans with a black belt, black boots, black leather jacket, black hair, and those damned Ray-Bans. â€Å"I told you,† Damon said casually. â€Å"It's something I need to do. To watch. Painful death.† â€Å"Death!†Elena stared at Damon in disbelief. And then she began gathering all her Power, in a way that had been so easy and instinctual just days ago while she had been mute and not subject to gravity, and that was so difficult and so foreign right now. With determination, she said, â€Å"If you don't let him go – now – I'll hit you with everything I've got.† He laughed. She'd never seen Damon really laugh before, not like this. â€Å"And you expect that I'll even notice your tiny Power?† â€Å"Notthat tiny.† Elena weighed it grimly. It was no more than the intrinsic Power of any human being – the Power that vampires took from humans along with the blood they drank – but since becoming a spirit, she knew how to use it. How to attack with it. â€Å"I think you'll feel it, Damon. Let him go – NOW!† â€Å"Why do people always assume that volume will succeed when logic won't?† Damon murmured. Elena let him have it. Or at least she prepared to. She took the deep breath necessary, held her inner self still, and imagined herself holding a ball of white fire, and then – Matt was on his feet. He looked as if he'd beendragged to his feet and was being held there like a puppet, and his eyes were involuntarily watering, but it was better than Matt writhing on the ground. â€Å"You owe me,† Damon said to Elena casually. â€Å"I'll collect later.† To Matt he said, in the tones of a fond uncle, with one of those instantaneous smiles that you could never be quite sure you saw, â€Å"Lucky for me that you're a hardy specimen, isn't it?† â€Å"Damon.† Elena had seen Damon in hislet's-play-with-weaker-creatures mood, and it was the one she liked least. But there was something off today; something she couldn't understand. â€Å"Let's get down to it,† she said, while the hairs on her arms and the back of her neck rose again. â€Å"What do youreally want?† But he didn't give the answer she expected. â€Å"I was officially appointed as your caretaker. I'm officially taking care of you. And for one thing, I don't think you should be without my protection and companionship while my little brother is gone.† â€Å"I can handle myself,† Elena said flatly, waving a hand so they could get down to the real issue. â€Å"You're a very pretty girl. Dangerous and† – flash smile – â€Å"unsavory elements could be after you. I insist you have a bodyguard.† â€Å"Damon, right now the thing I need most is to be protected fromyou . You know that. What is this really about?† The clearing was†¦pulsing. Almost as if it were something organic, breathing. Elena had the feeling that beneath her feet – beneath Meredith's old, rugged hiking boots – the ground was moving slightly, like a great sleeping animal, and the trees were like a beating heart. For what? The forest? There was more dead wood than live here. And she could swear that she knew Damon well enough to know that he didn't like trees or woods. It was at times like this that Elena wished she still had wings. Wings and the knowledge – the hand motions, the Words of White Power, the white fire inside her that would allow her to know the truth without trying to figure it out, or to simply blast annoyances back to Stonehenge. It seemed that all she'd been left with was being a greater temptation to vampires than ever, and her wits. Wits had worked up until now. Maybe if she didn't let Damon know how afraid she was, she could win a stay of execution for them. â€Å"Damon, I thank you for being concerned about me. Now would you mind leaving Matt and me for a moment so that I can tell if he's still breathing?† From inside the Ray-Bans, she thought she could discern a single flash of red. â€Å"Somehow I thought you might say that,† Damon said. â€Å"And, of course, it's your right to have consolation after being so treacherously abandoned. Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, for example.† Elena wanted to swear. Carefully, she answered, â€Å"Damon, if Stefan appointed you as my bodyguard, then he hardly  ¡Ã‚ ®treacherously abandoned' me, did he? You can't have it both – â€Å" â€Å"Just indulge me in one thing, all right?† Damon said in the voice of one whose next words are going to beBe careful orDon't do anything I wouldn't do . There was silence. The dust devils had stopped whirling. The smell of sun-warmed pine needles and pine resin in this dim place was making her languid, dizzy. The ground was warm, too, and the pine needles were all aligned, as if the slumbering animal had pine needles for fur. Elena watched dust motes turn and sparkle like opals in the golden sunlight. She knew she wasn't at her best right now; not her sharpest. Finally, when she was sure her voice would be steady, she asked, â€Å"What do you want?† â€Å"A kiss.†