Friday, December 27, 2019

Multicultural Education And Counseling Through The Arts...

I conducted this project based on the multicultural education and counseling through the arts program also known as MECA. A community program that is currently â€Å"Creating a brighter future for Houston since 1977† (â€Å"Homepage-MECA†, 2015). MECA is a community-based non-profit organization committed to the healthy development of underserved youth and adults through arts and cultural programming, academic excellence, support services, and community building (â€Å"Homepage-MECA†, 2015). MECA serves thousands of students and their families each year by providing quality arts education, and support services such as; tutoring, mentoring, and counseling. I chose MECA as my organization because it shares the same values that I have. MECA’s believes in quality instruction because it will help build the lives of kids, provide children with opportunities to grow strong, and demonstrate that they can make a real difference in the world. Alongside I noticed tha t the most dedicated and passionate educators and volunteers help teach children at MECA lessons that will serve them well for the rest of their lives. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine how do art education intervention programs affect children s success in school? By providing my perspectives based on my observations and research. To begin with, MECA is an organization that emphasizes creativity to nurture artistic growth and expression to imply diversity within the community. This philosophy was put to a test onShow MoreRelatedPrinciples of Mental Health1258 Words   |  5 Pagesof mental health to the promotion of mental well-being, the prevention of mental disorders and the treatment of mental disorders and the rehabilitation of those afflicted with these disorders (WHO). The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Programs or CACREP (2012) lists and describes the five principles of mental health as follows: Principle of Prevention consists of the knowledge of the causes, diagnostic processes and names, treatment, referral and prevention of mental and emotionalRead MoreHuman Services And The Legal Justice System Essay1671 Words   |  7 Pagesformal systems such as government welfare programs, education, mental retardation services, mental health organizations, child care programs, physical health care establishments, and the correctional services of the legal justice system. The definition of a human service worker is: Anyone who is trained or educated in helping activities. A person who does not have traditional professional academic credentials but who, through experience, training, or education, provides helping services. When this projectRead MoreReflection On Multicultural Reflection1213 Words   |  5 Pages CED 603: Multicultural Reflection Assignment Leah Lazo Becker National University I am currently working on an internship credential as a high school counselor at Carlsbad High School which is a large public comprehensive high school in Carlsbad, California. In the 2015- 2016 academic school year Carlsbad High School had a total enrollment of 2,459 students in the 9th-12th grade. 21% of students are socioeconomically disadvantaged, 3% are English Language Learners and 10.2 % are students withRead MoreA Curriculum For A Psycho Education Group For Adolescents988 Words   |  4 PagesPurpose Statement The purpose of this project is to develop and fund a curriculum for a psycho-education group for adolescents to provide them with education on healthy relationships. Ultimately, the goal is to empower adolescents to seek help if or when they encounter a violent relationship and to provide them with resources to cope with, handle, and resolve the situation. Definition Terms: Dating Violence: Intimate partner violence can occur between two people. It can be physical, emotionalRead MoreRacial, Ethnic And Economic Isolation Through Curriculum Based Programming Essay1559 Words   |  7 PagesThe most common effort to reduce racial, ethnic and economic isolation through curriculum-based programming involved efforts to promote tolerance and respect. Twenty-nine hyper-segregated elementary schools described character development programming designed to eliminate bullying and mean behavior. The following excerpt from the narrative provided by Farmingville Elementary School in Ridgefield, Connecticut is a representative sample of this type of programming: Farmingville students participateRead MoreCreating A Program Outcome For Baccalaureate Program1069 Words   |  5 Pages Creating a Program Outcome for Baccalaureate Program Introduction: The mission for a Baccalaureate program provides leadership to improve health care and advance the discipline through nursing education, scholarship, and services. Baccalaureate program provides nurses with an innovative education grounded in nursing and related science, humanities, and leadership. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2008), students in the Baccalaureate Nursing Program are better in inter-professionalRead MoreThe Effect of Comprehensive School Reform On Middle School Achievement1562 Words   |  7 Pagesthe high dropout rates, school reform programs were initiated by federal, local, state governments and many independent organizations. School reform programs were a means to improve student performance in the classroom and show a measured increase in student achievement (Brandlow, 2001) (Erb, 2006) (National Middle School Association, 2003). This Research looks at brief amount of data related to Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) and its ef fects in a multicultural environment on middle school achievementRead MoreCultural Awareness For Multicultural Education1920 Words   |  8 Pagesinsightful teaching in learning partnership. Though there are some drawbacks in promoting multicultural education. Mainly cultural gaps between the students and teachers is conflicted. This paper explores both the fundamental settings in implementing cultural awareness in classrooms and the drawbacks thats hindered with it. Introduction to Multicultural Education Multicultural education relates to education and instruction which is intended for the cultures of different races in the educational systemRead MoreThe Professional School Counselor Is Responsible For Delivering A Well Organize School Counseling Program2238 Words   |  9 Pagescounselors concentrated on providing guidance to students solely for the purpose of graduation preparation and course selection. The professional school counselor is responsible for delivering a well-organize school counseling program that aims at helping students reach successes. The program is held accountable for managing the needs and concerns for all students. The school counselor is seen as a leader and therefore, parents, school staff, community members and administrators rely on them to provideRead MoreCareer Counseling Over the Lifespan Essay3622 Words   |  15 PagesAbstract Career counseling over the lifespan has more than an occupational focus, it deals with the person’s entire being with a vision that includes one’s lifespan. Career counseling takes into consideration character development, character skills, life roles, individual life and work history, goals, and obstacles. A career counselor not only assists a client with a career plan, but also with a life plan. This paper focuses on two categories of career counseling. The first focus is the history

Thursday, December 19, 2019

The 1920s Essay - 795 Words

The 1920’s The 1920s were a decade of enjoyment, employment, and for some disappointment. It was a decade classified as the quot;roaring twenties.quot; Men returning from World War I had to deal with unemployment, wheat farmers and oil companies were striking it rich, new modern conveniences were being thought up, and fashion was a major issue among the rich. During the twenties the economy had a definite impact on the society. It benefited some, but hurt others. The people that benefited were the prairie farmers and the oil companies. The people who didn’t benefit were American soldiers returning from WW1. Around the middle of the twenties, a wheat farmer was the person to be. Business was booming for all the wheat farmers, places†¦show more content†¦Unemployment was something that white men had very seldomly dealt with before. During the twenties another discovery led to a rising economy for America. The oil industry struck it rich in Turner Valley Alberta, where a huge oil discovery took place. Eventually this industry would create new jobs and more money for the economy. America did have its good and bad times in the twenties, but most people benefited from the good times because of more job increases, and because of new industries such as wheat and oil. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Entertainment in the Twenties consisted of many famous people, it was in the twenties when a man by the name of Charlie Chaplain who was known for his quot;trampquot; look, dominated the silent movie business. He was considered one of the most talented actors of the 20’s. Also during the 20’s radio was the popular for of listening to music and listening to the news. In the later 1920’s the television was created which now aloud people to see a picture in their home for entertainment, but the television did not surpass the radio entertainment wise, because most people were unable to afford it. The 1920’s were filled with signs of raging new fashions. The loosening of fit and gradual downward movement of the waistline. In the twenties women could say and do what they please so in no timeShow MoreRelatedThe 1920s - Research2133 Words   |  9 Pagesfashion, and the radio. Also notorious for being a reckless, irresponsible, and materialistic era, the 1920s also had some infamous problems; Prohibition, gangsters, and the start of the great Depression. Many new things arose in this era. The new technologies that became available had a great effect on the culture. Many fads came and went and included different fashions, terms, and ways of life. The 1920s were a great time period in the world of technology. Many new advancements made work easier andRead More The 1920s Essay1832 Words   |  8 Pages The 1920’s The 1920’s where a time of conservatism, it was a time of great social change. From the world of fashion to the world to politics, forces clashed to produce the most explosive decade of the century. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The eighteenth Amendment was passed in 1920, which made alcohol illegal. It was called the Prohibition Amendment. This was known as the â€Å"Noble Experiment†. All importing, exporting, selling, manufacturing and transporting of alcohol were illegal. The older peopleRead MoreWomen in the 1920s802 Words   |  4 PagesWomen In The 1920s The lifestyle of women changed drastically in the 1920s. They gained liberties in all aspects such as marriage, politics, jobs and even self expression, along with various other features. Still limited, the liberties gained outweighed the restrictions that still occurred. This gave women the freedom needed and ability to show that they were independent and could stand on their own, making their own decisions. It started with a group of rebellious women known as flappers.Read MoreThe Flappers Of The 1920s1294 Words   |  6 Pages â€Å"The Flappers in the 1920s† How did flappers change the role of women? I will tell you what a flapper is. The lifestyle of a flapper. How they dresses and how did they wear their makeup.And how they change the role of women during the 1920s. The Gibson Girl’s fashionable clothing testified her profession; to be her husband’s ability to support her. â€Å" For the Gibson Girl, grooming itself was her profession; to be her husband’s prized possession was her career.† The Gibson Girl took her cues inRead MoreThe Era Of The 1920s2434 Words   |  10 PagesThe 1920s was a pivotal era in women’s fashion—an era that saw Prohibition, Jazz and celebration of war’s end. Gone was the hourglass figure of the 19th Century, swept away by the World War I, and replaced by the figure of a modern, independent woman. This book covers fashions from 1920 to 1924, an often overlooked period of fashion which was a time of transition between the draped and layered fashions of the post World War I era and the free and easy gowns of the jazz age flapper.â€Æ' Before the RoaringRead MoreThe Women Of The 1920 S1125 Words   |  5 Pageswas jam packed with cultural and economic changes. Specifically the women of the 1920’s created the most discussion. They made great strides in women’s suffrage, they became a mass culture, and there was a cultural civil war between the generations. There is more to the ‘20’s woman than just being a flapper. She is free, she is outgoing, and she is rebellious. The flapper woman is just one kind of woman in the 1920’s and in this paper I hope to educate you a little bit more about her as a wholeRead MoreEssay on 1920s Dbq823 Words   |  4 PagesDevin Nishizaki Period 2 3/11/10 1920’s DBQ Beginning in the early 1920’s, America found itself in a frenzy of revolutionary movements that would shift the everyday lives of American citizens and pave the way to the modern era. A struggle between old ideas of conservatism and new liberal movements surfaced during the â€Å"roaring twenties†. The new movements that began rearing their heads during this time period consisted of liberal political ideas, the advancements of rightsRead MoreThe Great Gatsby And The 1920s1358 Words   |  6 Pagesthe future of America. Most of the time when people speak about the 1920s they describe them as roaring. They have mental pictures that reflect women in flappers dancing with wine glasses filled to the brim in one hand and a lite cigarette in the other hand. They imagine men in expensive tuxedos buying lavish and luxury items such as cars and mansions. They think of works of literature such as The Great Gatsby that depict the 1920s as a place where people were free to do what they wanted when theyRead MoreAmerica in the 1920s729 Words   |  3 PagesAmerica in the 1920s, also known as the Roaring 20s or New Era, was a time of great changes and huge growth. America was being a more modern nation, and a return to normalcy was being seen after the Progressive Movement and First World War. Politically, the American government was seemingly conservative, but experimented with different approaches to public policy and foreign diplomatic policy. Economically, it was a time of tremendous growth and new forms of organization. Socially, the American popularRead MoreEssay on Theater in the 1920s475 Words   |  2 PagesIn the 1920s, the theater was considered the scene of a curious conflict between realism and a freer form of theatricality. (MacGowen, viii) There were many famous playwrights of the era. Among these were Thornton Wilder and, probably the most prominent playwright, Eugene ONeill. These two authors used many of the same themes in their writing; r omanticism was a popular one. However, they each also used themes and styles of writing that set them apart from other writers. The values that

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Production and Operations Analysis †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Production and Operations Analysis. Answer: Introduction The project management is the process of initiating, planning and executing a particular project for the purpose of accomplishing the specified goal (Cleland and Ireland, 2006). It can be related to any particular problem of the corporate world which is resolved with the help of structured procedure (Turner, 2008). The present essay is the case study of Latino Engineering company that has issues related to poor designing and development of equipment, non-responsive customer service team and wrong packaging etc. Owing to this, project management techniques are being applied to resolve the issue and increase customer satisfaction of the business. This assists corporation to create the goodwill in the marketplace and meet the expectations of all related stakeholders. For this purpose, effective tools like Total Quality Management, Six Sigma are applied. Along with that, techniques such as critical path method and Gantt chart an in order to complete different project activities in the ri ght manner. According to the case study, Latino Engineering is unable to meet the expectations of customers as they are not happy with the quality of services delivered and the packaging of the product. The company was sold by Dominic Latino who is the founder of the same and during his time reputation of the firm was good and customers were highly satisfied. tends the employees were retained at the time of purchasing the business, still, management faced complaints in term of; defecting engineering equipment, poor development and design of the product and non-responsiveness of the customers along with the ineffective packaging as well as delivery of the products and services. a , necessary action must be taken by the management so as to address the issue effectively and provide the necessary remedy for the business. It would be effective to cater the requirement of customers and build the image of the business in the marketplace. However, the overall scenario reflects that the issue is with the management only. This is because the company was well-performed at the time of Dominic Latino who was handling each and every activity in the right manner. Therefore, the root cause is related to the management. For this purpose, two techniques such as Total Quality Management (TQM) and Six Sigma are applied for reaching to the root cause of the issue (Kerzner, 2013). Six Sigma technique consists of two methods; DMADV and DMAIC for addressing the issue along with the implementation of the suitable strategy (Burke, 2013; Kwak and Anbari, 2006). According to the case study, Latino Engineering is facing issue related to product quality and development, owing to this, DMADV methodology can be applied. This methodology targets to improve the existing product development phase by proposing the new approach for the development (Snee, 2004). It would be effective to initiate newness in the company so as to grab the attention of customers by offering them new product as per their requirement (Meredith and Mantel Jr, 2011). On the other hand, DMAIC is the data-driven quality strategy which aids to improve the existing procedure for the purpose of maintaining good quality (Winter and et. al., 2006). This indicates that application of DMAIC approach is more suitable for Latino Engineering. The first step of the selected methodology is defining wherein customers are defined in the context of their quality issues and core business involved (Stevenson and Hojati, 2007). As per the current situation of the business, it has that customers require the quick response for the service quality, packaging and delivery aspect of the engineering equipment produced in the firm. Also, they want easy delivery and other effective procedure which facilitates to meet their requirement zero-defect. In this context, business will ensure that requirement of the customers is met effectively by offering the right kind of product and services on the given time span (De Mast and Lokkerbol, 2012). The second step of the selected methodology is the measurement in which data will be collected from the management/ customers of Latino Engineering. For example, information will be collected from the customers that what exactly is not going in the business. For example, the survey will be conducted regarding the quality, delivery and other related aspects of the engineering product with the purpose or goal of maintaining the good quality, increased customer satisfaction and retaining them for longer time span by providing them quick response (Antony and et. al., 2012). With the collected data, it has been found that there exists the gap between the expectation and actual performance of the business. Owing to this, appropriate action must be taken to improve the current situation. At this juncture, derived results will be compared with the actual situation of the business. It is helpful to bring out the suitable solution so as to determine the smooth flow of information and ensure th e betterment of the business for longer time span. In addition to this, analysis of the entire situation proves to be effective in identifying the root cause of the entire situation. The variation was identified that Latino Engineering is not able to meet the expectations of customers because the employees are not motivated. However, it is the fact that if employees are motivated then they tend to deliver good quality of services and ensure to accomplish the aims and objectives of the business (Frings and Grant, 2005). At this juncture, the major issue was related to the low level of motivation among employees. In this regard, a situation will be improved with the creation of an innovative solution that workforce will be provided monetary reward for their better performance. It will be assessed on the basis of monthly evaluation of their performance. However, the reward will be based on their contribution to increasing the customer satisfaction and providing quick response to them. Yet, the problem was related to production and packaging department so the quality department will be set that will provide the standard for the respective issues. At last, control will be done in accord with the continuous monitoring of the internal situation of the business. Total Quality Management (TQM) is another approach which is based on the customer-focused, total employee involvement and process-centred. Along with that, integrated system, continual improvement and fact-based decision-making are included which facilitates in bringing desired improvement (Kaynak, 2003). As per the situation of the Latino Engineering, employees are involved in the decision-making process who can provide their valuable suggestions to improve the service quality. On the other hand, a manufactured product will be based on the expectation of the customers. Also, the packaging department is monitored as per the set standard guidelines (Palo and Padhi, 2003). However, the continuous improvement will be brought through the training of employees in accordance with the issues which are being faced in the organization. (Sadikoglu and Zehir, 2010) With the application of Six Sigma and TQM approach, it has been found that major issue is related to the quality of product and services (Andersson, Eriksson and Torstensson, 2006). Furthermore, the crucial issue was related to lack of motivation among employees and poor supervision of the packing and production department. Owing to this, appropriate plan related to continuous improvement has been implemented in which root cause of the problem will be reduced to a great extent. At the same time, resources requirement will be assessed whereby corporation can effectively create its competitive edge in the marketplace through retention of personnel for longer time span. The plan has been proposed that first of all current situation of the Latino Engineering will be assessed and accordingly causes are identified. It has been found that employees should be provided training and continuous monitoring should be done for the quality department in the context of packing and manufacturing (Isa ksson, 2006). It is estimated that both of the mentioned activities require 12 days and it will be started at the end of the September month and end up in the first week of the October month. The overall analysis derived varied objective of the project plan; improving the service quality, customer satisfaction, zero defect products and higher quality of products and services. For this purpose, strategies such as continuous training, setting separate quality department which looks over the packing and manufacturing department as well as customer issue (Nahmias and Cheng, 2009). All the activities of this particular department will be reported to the head or management at the end of each working day. It will help management to assess the performance of the business. The strategy related to training, the quality department set up will be done as per the allotted time. At this juncture, monitoring will be done on the right time so the obstacles can be overcome. The project team will communicate the improvement efforts by conducting the weekly or daily meeting so that each one can get to know about the structured process associated with the plan. Apart from this, 5whys (refer appendix figure 3) will also be applied to understand the issues which are taking place in the company. For this purpose, first of management asses the abnormal conditions are prevailing in the company as the quality is declining. It is followed by the reason that management issues took place. In this regard, appropriate action should be taken to improve the quality. For example, necessary training and development activities of the employees and setting the quality culture in the business (Velaction Continous improvement, 2016). The project manager set the deadline for all task and employees according to their proficiency and in the same manner, monitoring will be done (Borkar, 2005). The issues identified during the monitoring process will be taken into account to modify the project. Lastly, management of the Latino Engineering will bear in mind regarding the exact practices to be followed to the lifetime of the organization. At this juncture, customers' survey will be conducted and continuous development of employees will be ensured. This facilitates to manufacture the zero-defect product and enable employees to work with integration. A project cannot be completed without employing necessary resources. The major resources are human resources, physical and financial that aid to complete all the project activities in an effectual manner. The financial resources are needed in conducting the training and setting the quality department. On the other hand, physical resources such as laptop, stationary and training hall are required which will be provided by either Latino Engineering or project management team (Kolisch and Hartmann, 2006). These physical resources play the crucial role as all the strategies are implemented by using these resources only. In addition to this, human resources such as entire project team, executive staff of Latino Engineering and its employees are crucial in accomplishing the targets in the right manner. Therefore, it is important for the business to employ all these resources for implementing the project plan and meeting the organizational requirement in the right manner. At the same time, continuous improvement will be brought into the plan whereby it will be possible for the business to retain the customers for longer time span. Further, extra resources will be employed to meet the contingency situation of the business. Developing a continuous improvement plan to ensure the problems and issues are not repeated According to the current study and aforementioned analysis, Latino Engineering will go through the continuous improvement plan. The activity table and Gantt chart of the plan are presented in the appendix which reflects that 51 days are needed for the completion of the project activities. The Gantt chart is prepared through which project manager can easily assign the task as per the deadline and resources can also be arranged in the same manner. The initiation of a project has been done at the end of the September month that will be last until December of the financial year 2017. In this manner, the overall situation of the business has been assessed that why the issue and occurring and what remedies can be provided for the effective solution of the same (Meyringer and Sap Aktiengesellschaft, 2006). The first two activities end up with the collection of data that management related issues should be resolved as it is the root cause of the problem and it will be followed by the stateme nt of the objectives. The standard objective of the project is reduced the customer dissatisfaction to a great level and meet their expectations by manufacturing zero defect product. In this regard, total 4 days were decided to set time frame for the bringing the suitable solution of the problem which is being occurred in the business. Furthermore, total 20 days are consumed in setting the strategies and implementing the same for addressing the issue. For example, training sessions were conducted with the manufacturing and packaging department along with the communication of the standard practices (Kumar, 2005). They were informed that quality department will pass on the guidelines and they have to abide by the same. It is not possible that all plans are completed in the successful manner as certain obstacles are faced in the management of the project. In this regard, project manager applied strategies to integrate personnel and provide them monetary and non-monetary rewards. This will help business in providing the right solution for the corporation and integrating all necessary resources so as to reach to the optimal solution (Fortune and White, 2006). However, communication is considered as the strongest tool for the successful completion of any project. For this purpose, daily or weekly meeting have been conducted to assess the progress of the project and let the employee know the potential issues. Therefore, varied activities are communicated to the management. The critical path method technique has been applied in the project so as to reduce the time taken in the project and cost involved in the same. The critical path method displayed in the appendix shows that major activities covered in the project are 1+2+3+4+5+7+9+11+12+13=31 days. It reflects that duration of the project is reduced by 20 days with the application of this method. It aids to complete the project in relatively less because two or more than two activities are completed simultaneously (Achanga and et. al., 2006). However, application of such kind of activities might require additional resources but time will be reduced to a great extent. This facilitates to improve the performance of the business on the right time. Therefore, critical path method helps project management team to accomplish the project before the same time and provide the overall benefit for the organization to create its competitive edge in the marketplace. Conclusion The aforementioned report concludes that application of suitable software tend to reduce the time taken in the completion of the project. For this purpose, critical path method and Gantt chart are effective which support management in completing the business activities in the right manner and deliver good quality of services to client. The continuous improvement plan of the Latino Engineering generates huge cost but the overall quality of services will be improved as each and every aspect is supervised under the plan of continuous development. Here, the important part of continuous development is employees involved n the product and service department of the business. However, it is important for management of Latino Engineering to conduct the audit skills of employees and assess the training need among employees. This will helpful for the workforce to understand the standards set by the business and works upon the same to derive the quality outcome. Furthermore, employees should be reward who achieves the quality standard. This will assist business to implement the continuous development plan in the organization. References Achanga, P., Shehab, E., Roy, R. and Nelder, G., 2006. Critical success factors for lean implementation within SMEs.Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management,17(4), pp.460-471. Andersson, R., Eriksson, H. and Torstensson, H., 2006. Similarities and differences between TQM, six sigma and lean.The TQM magazine,18(3), pp.282-296. Antony, J., Singh Bhuller, A., Kumar, M., Mendibil, K. and Montgomery, D.C., 2012. Application of Six Sigma DMAIC methodology in a transactional environment.International Journal of Quality Reliability Management,29(1), pp.31-53. Borkar, S., 2005. Designing reliable systems from unreliable components: the challenges of transistor variability and degradation.Ieee Micro,25(6), pp.10-16. Burke, R., 2013. Project management: planning and control techniques.New Jersey, USA. Cleland, D.L. and Ireland, L.R., 2006.Project management. McGraw-Hill Professional. De Mast, J. and Lokkerbol, J., 2012. An analysis of the Six Sigma DMAIC method from the perspective of problem solving.International Journal of Production Economics,139(2), pp.604-614. Fortune, J. and White, D., 2006. Framing of project critical success factors by a systems model.International Journal of Project Management,24(1), pp.53-65. Frings, G.W. and Grant, L., 2005. Who moved my Sigma effective implementation of the Six Sigma methodology to hospitals.Quality and Reliability Engineering International,21(3), pp.311-328. Isaksson, R., 2006. Total quality management for sustainable development: Process based system models.Business Process Management Journal,12(5), pp.632-645. Kaynak, H., 2003. The relationship between total quality management practices and their effects on firm performance.Journal of operations management,21(4), pp.405-435. Kerzner, H., 2013.Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley Sons. Kolisch, R. and Hartmann, S., 2006. Experimental investigation of heuristics for resource-constrained project scheduling: An update.European journal of operational research,174(1), pp.23-37. Kumar, P.P., 2005. Effective use of Gantt chart for managing large scale projects.Cost engineering,47(7), pp.14-21. Kwak, Y.H. and Anbari, F.T., 2006. Benefits, obstacles, and future of six sigma approach.Technovation,26(5), pp.708-715. Meredith, J.R. and Mantel Jr, S.J., 2011.Project management: a managerial approach. John Wiley Sons. Meyringer, M. and Sap Aktiengesellschaft, 2006.Interactive and web-based Gantt Chart. U.S. Patent 7,050,056. Nahmias, S. and Cheng, Y., 2009.Production and operations analysis(Vol. 4). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Palo, S. and Padhi, N., 2003. Measuring effectiveness of TQM training: an Indian study.International Journal of Training and Development,7(3), pp.203-216. Sadikoglu, E. and Zehir, C., 2010. Investigating the effects of innovation and employee performance on the relationship between total quality management practices and firm performance: An empirical study of Turkish firms.International journal of production economics,127(1), pp.13-26. Snee, R.D., 2004. SixSigma: the evolution of 100 years of business improvement methodology.International Journal of Six Sigma and Competitive Advantage,1(1), pp.4-20. Stevenson, W.J. and Hojati, M., 2007.Operations management(Vol. 8). Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Turner, J.R., 2008.Handbook of project-based management. McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing. Winter, M., Smith, C., Morris, P. and Cicmil, S., 2006. Directions for future research in project management: The main findings of a UK government-funded research network.International journal of project management,24(8), pp.638-649.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Part 2 Essays - British Poetry, Sonnet 29, Sonnet 23,

Part 2 General Review of the Sex Situation We know that the speaker of the poem is Dorothy Parker herself. Knowing that Dorothy is a woman that got the reputation of being hard to please, you can almost assume that it is going to be a very negative poem. As you read the poem you know right away that it is a woman telling us about the "sex situation." The tone she writes in is a very negative one to that of the opposite gender. She does not know that this is the way every man feels. She might have been writing about past experiences in her own love life, and wants to let it all out because her experiences were negative ones. The audience she was writing for was obviously for females, because she does not talk kindly of the male gender. The theme of the poem is the contrasts of both man and woman. The first two lines talk about how woman wants marriage with but one person at a time, and man is always looking for something new or unusual. Right away she makes the assumption that all men are the same along with all women being the same. At the end she says, "what earthy good can come of it?" Here she means if both genders are so much different how can they become one with another. Do they have to put up with one another? Do they have to acknowledge that they both are different and what something different? These are the questions that she brings up assuming that this is true for all men and women. I disagree with everything she said because once one finds another they become attached and the men don't want something new, a different for of fun, and certainly don't get bored with what she offers. The structure of this poem is an AA BB rhythmic pattern. This meaning that the ending words of the first two lines rhyme, the ending words of the third and forth line rhyme, and their after. There are two stanzas each consisting of four lines. The words she uses to describe how each one feels give a good clear picture of what she is trying to say. I don't like the way she used the word gist in the second to last line. This word gives too much emphasis to the ending of the poem. How to eat alone The speaker of this poem is a voice imitating any individual looking to get in touch with him or herself. The speaker goes into to much detail on the inconsequential aspects of the poem. He or she does not need all this detail to get their point across to the audience. This is a poem where the audience could be anyone that wants to hear what the speaker is trying to say. The speaker is making a single point that everyone should experience, so the audience is anyone that wants to take advantage of what he has to say. The theme or major point that the speaker is trying to get across is that sometimes the best company is that of your own. You know your own self, so you know what you like, which makes for the best times because you can alter your own feelings. This is probably why there is so much detail in the poem. The speaker was trying to set the perfect night just the way he wanted and being by himself would allow him to do so. There is no rhyme pattern going on which makes it a blank verse poem. The poem is not set up in any form because there is only one point to get across to the audience. The speaker tries to make it as simple as possible for the audience to get a clear picture of what he is saying. The choice of words he uses is the same as the structure, simple. This is again to get the reader to understand completely what he is trying to say. Part 3 Early in the morning, Late at night. Two dead boys, Got up to fight. Back to back, They faced each other. Drew their swords, And shoot each other. A deaf policeman, Heard the noise. Came

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Barth Syndrome essays

Barth Syndrome essays Barth Syndrome is a genetic disorder that only effect males. It is an X-linked ressive genetic condition. A mother that carries the genetic code for Barth Syndrome will never show signs or symptoms of it. She will always pass it to her daughters, and will have a fifty- percent chance of passing it to her sons. The daughters will never show any signs or symptoms either. Barth Syndrome only effects only the males. If a male does inherit Barth Syndrome from his mother, he only has a 30% chance of living through his first few years. Of the 30% that are diagnosed, those who seek treatment have an 85% - 90% chance of living in to their fifties. Barth Syndrome had many effects on the male body. An effected male will be far below average in weight and height. The lack of growth in the boys is often looked at as evidence of poor nutrition or some other effects of an illness, the termed used for this is failure to thrive. The effected person will have muscle fatigue. This includes all muscles, even the heart. They have a cellular deficiency that effects their ability to produce energy, causing activities that require strength or stamina, extremely difficult. Activities like walking to growing to writing. The boys also experience Neutropenia. It is a weakness of the immune system. Specifically its a reduction in the number of neutrophils. A neutrophil is a white blood cell, whose responsibility is to fight bacterial infections. Neutropenia places the Barth boys at an increased risk of acquiring serious infections. These infections may include bacterial pneumonia and skin abscesses. Treatment of Barth Syndrome can be tricky. A doctor was troubled with the case of a 3-week-old male baby admitted for congestive heart failure. The doctor did an electrocardiogram that revealed an unusual camels hump of the T waves and progressive thickening of the left ventricular wall with increa ...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

aad essays

aad essays 1.ÈËÃâ€"ÊÔ ¹ÃƒÅ"à ­Ã‚ ½ÃƒÆ'à ¦Ãƒ ¦Ãƒâ€ÃƒÅ¡ÃƒÅ½ÃƒÅ ÃƒÅ' ¡ 2.Establish a de facto management standard in a market that has resisted standardization for the past 30 years. the truth is that EMC, with its current market position, is uniquely positioned to offer its management framework as a de facto standard. third-party storage platforms such as those from Compaq, Hitachi/HP/Sun, NetApp and IBM. Because of a lack of common standards in the storage industry, which prevented products from different manufacturers from working well together, EMC had a lock on customers once they settled on its proprietary platform. This translated into high prices, which led to lofty profit margins and returns on invested capital exceeding 20%.( ¼Ãƒâ€ºÃ‚ ¸Ãƒ Ãƒâ€Ãƒ  ÃÆ'à ¦Ã‚ µÃƒâ€žIBMà HITÓà Ã‚ ¾Ãƒâ€¢Ãƒ ¹Ãƒâ€œÃƒâ€¦ÃƒÅ Ãƒâ€ ) EMC built its business on superior technology. EMC's economic moat has narrowed, however. IBM IBMand Hitachi HIThave worked hard to close the technological gap, and pricing continues to decline. IBM, for example, can bundle hardware, software, and services and practically give the storage away. And in the current environment, many businesses are willing to forgo a superior product for one that meets their basic needs. Despite lowering prices, cutting expenses, and moving into new markets through partnerships with Dell DELL, EMC's profit margins continue to face pressure.(ÃÆ'à ¦Ãƒâ„¢Ãƒâ€˜Ã‚ ¹) Õ ¸ÃƒÅ½ÃƒÅ ÃƒÅ' µÃƒâ€žÃ‚ ½Ã‚ ¾Ã‚ ½ÃƒÅ Ãƒâ€¡Help is on the way for profits, thanks to the firm's investment in software. EMC now offers software that gives organizations the ability to manage their storage networks regardless of the hardware manufacturer. The software investments have already improved margins and strengthened customer relationships for EMC, and we expect more benefits. Key risks include increased pricing pressure, compe...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Marriage Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marriage Paper - Essay Example The subject of this study is a couple, Grace and Carl who have been married for sixteen years whom I consider to be my friends. I called Carl asking if I could meet them at their house knowing that they are both busy with their jobs and children, and requesting them to spare me at least thirty minutes for the interview to which they gladly agreed to. Carl and Grace are, a common couple who sought out to develop a relationship with each other looking out for attributes they considered important to a relationship. Though circumstances in their jobs brought them together, things did not come to them as a result of the situation but they both purposefully looked out for the things they wanted in a partner. The criteria they used in the development of their relationship are appearance, similarity, complementary, reciprocal attraction and matching hypothesis. These are evident as their answers during the interview will give light to what they think about themselves and their relationship. According to the couple, the primary measure they looked for in finding the right partner was physical appearance. Grace says she wants her partner to be good looking and well-dressed, meaning he is educated and has the means to provide for his personal needs. Carl on the other hand is just like any other man who sought to have a girlfriend with aesthetic qualities not only on the face and shape but on the inside as well. Both claim to have been physically attracted to each other the time they were introduced by mutual friends and they considered and hoped seeing each other again. Carl thought her new found friend might just be the perfect match for him because they are both independent and working on the same level of business so that he made the effort of taking Grace’s phone number to which the lady thankfully responded positively so that the former was able to get in touch with her in the following days. When they first dated, Carl and Grace found out that they have simil ar interests and beliefs. They both were involved in sports; Carl loves to play basketball while Grace plays lawn tennis. They are both active people, not wanting to be bound at home by a partner or any other thing like children and chores, not that they are not willing to do household jobs but they believe their lives would be more exciting and fulfilling if they have a variety of activities. Of course they also have their differences but they look at their distinguishing features on a positive light, finding them to be complementary of what the other lacks (Fitzpatrick). For instance, Carl loves food and loves to cook, which Grace praises so much because she claims not to distinguish a pan from a pot which is of course an understatement to her culinary knowledge. Carl on the other hand is the forgetful type of guy and is always thankful for having a loving wife who patiently finds time to work an extra hour listing her husband’s schedules and needed materials, arranging the m in a fashion that Carl could not just miss to notice. Carl claims to have found the notes placed by Grace in his wallet every now and then, reminding him of their children’s birthdays, schedule of activities and other meetings especially when work calls most of his time for travel, being a businessman. Deciding to get married was such an easy task for the couple at the time they agreed to stay together forever because they were so in love and found each other the right persons. Grace says Carl had all the

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Business Consultants Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Consultants - Assignment Example This is because their skill set in general matches the required skill set of Event Planning in a satisfactory manner. This type of work requires extensive planning and an ability to deal with problems on the spur of the moment. It entails coming up with quick solutions to crises! Most of the team members possess these skills. Team members possess sound negotiation and leadership skills which are mandatory for an event management consultant firm. This is because organizing an event is a multi-faceted task which requires a lot of people working on a project. Without a leader things can get out of hand. Another reason why these members will be appropriate for the above mentioned firm is because their customer orientation and support of others is high in addition to them being assertive as well. In any consultancy firms, customer orientation and regard for customers is essentially required and can never be done without. This is because a touch point between the customer and the company i s the employee. Lastly, this type of work requires creativity and idea generation which most members of the group have. Pharmaceutical Marketing is different from mainstream marketing. Its target market comprises; doctors and medical institutions mainly. Therefore a different skill set is required for such a firm. Since it requires training of sales reps for pharmaceutical companies, an understanding of the sales person's job is required. The team scores high on sales men skills which is therefore fit for the firm. It requires a certain degree of sensitivity to market pharmaceutical goods. Marketers must be sensitive and responsive to the needs of the customer especially in this area because medicines are critical substances, often used in life and death situations. This is also a skill which the team members possess abundantly. Other than that being good with details and attention to details are qualities every consultancy needs. The team members aptly possess these skills. Work Place Etiquette: Work place etiquettes are extremely significant in order to establish ethical guidelines and code of conduct in a company. Consultancies dealing in this area need to have people who are persistent and committed to making things better in the organizational landscape. This is because etiquettes and codes of conduct take time in being implemented in organizations. Therefore; persistence is a key skill, which the team members do have. Also, the ability to be persuasive and to be able to reason with people is essential for this type of firm. This is because people often have conflicting views on work ethics and morals which need to be resolved. The team rates well on this attribute. Lastly, being a problem solver helps in this type of industry. The team members also rank high on this skill and would therefore be highly appropriate for this type of firm. References: 1. (n.d). Business Consultant; Speaker/Trainer/Writer. Retrieved 1st September, 2007 from Job Profiles, Your Guide to Career and Education Website: www.

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Victorian Era Essay Example for Free

Victorian Era Essay There are several differences in the movie comparing to the actual Victorian era and Im going to state three differences. First in the movie it said that prince Albert died of typhoid at the age of 40. In the movie that was the only mentioning of illness and sickness that killed someone. In the actual Victorian era the diseases such as cholera, smallpox, typhoid fever, influenza, and tuberculosis were very common and killed millions of people in the nineteenth century. Child birth was very hazardous and many women died as a result. Second in several scenes in the movie , people were really rude and disrespectful to the queen. Queen Victorias mothers assistant was a individual that was extremely disrespectful to the Queen. He yelled at her and even laid his hands on her and pushed her. In the Victorian era the people in the household were extremely nice and polite. They were basically servants to her. They would hold her hand when she would walk up the stairs and they would always ask if the Queen needed anything at all times. Lastly in the movie , the women wore really short dresses and non collared shirts. In the Victorian era , the wealthy dresses extremely well. Women wore long dresses made of the finest cloth, with high collars to protect their skin from the sun. Unlike today, a tan was a sign that a person worked outdoors and was, therefore, lower class. In conclusion , the movie was different to the actual Victorian era because of the disease , loyalty and the fashion.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Examining The Concept Of Physical Security Information Technology Essay

Examining The Concept Of Physical Security Information Technology Essay INTRODUCTION THE concept of physical security has evolved over time from history to the present day, and has impacted on the tactics used in modern day security. This is evidence in the well defined physical security strategies employed in the military defense structures of the ancient empires and colonies in which the soldiers served as a form of intrusion detection and the access into the city walls were made through the city gates, while the city walls served as perimeter protection and access control. This is also evidence in the nineteenth century fortress and royal castles. Throughout recorded history, man has needed to feel safe and secure. The philosophy of physical security remains the same but the technology varies in application over the years. The security of an organizations resources and sensitive information is very vital to its existence and business continuity. The physical and environmental security domain examines the vulnerabilities, threats, risks and countermeasures that can be taken to physically secure the organization and its assets. In other words, physical security mechanism involves the physical measures designed to protect people, data, infrastructures, equipments, system and information pertaining to an organization. Thesis statement In this term paper, one of the commonly used approaches in physical security program development will be examined. The approach to be examined is known as the crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED). It should be noted that the level of security required in an organization will vary from facility to facility depending on risk assessment and threat analysis of such organization. In essence, it is important for the organization to conduct a detailed risk analysis by understanding the common threat to the facility, identifying the threats and ultimately ensure proper countermeasures are implemented. Body of the term paper Most professionals in the field of information security do not think so much about physical security as they do about computer and network security and associated viruses, hackers, and technology-orientated countermeasures. Therefore the need arise for a security professional to view security from a broad perspective because danger can come from anywhere, taking any shapes and different formats which can result into different level of severity in terms of damage. Physical security has a different set of vulnerabilities, threats, and countermeasures as compared to computer, network or information security. Physical security focuses on protecting all the personnel and assets of the organization and also the enhancement of productivity, the AIC security triad will enhance the availability of company resources, the integrity of the assets and environment and finally the confidentiality of the data and business processes. The objectives of the physical security program largely depend on the desired level of protection required for different assets of the organization, which is also determined by the organizations acceptable risk level. The threat profile of the organization including the laws and regulations with which the organization must comply dictates the acceptable risk level of the organization. In other words, the objectives of physical security should address crime and disruption prevention through deterrence (e.g. the use of fences, security guards), reduction of damage through the use of delay mechanisms (e.g. physical locks, barriers, security personnel), crime or disruption detection gadget (e.g. smoke detectors, CCTV), incident assessment (e.g. response to detected incidents and determination of level of damage) and finally the response procedures (e.g. the emergency response process in place, the fire suppression mechanism in the advent of fire). These objectives form the basics of the layered defense model on which the physical security is implemented. The layers are implemented at the perimeter of the facility and moving towards the primary assets of the organization. In essence, as much as the organization tries to prevent crimes and disruption from occurring, there should also be necessary plans in place to deal with them when they do happen. The major threats that contend with physical security are theft, physical damage, compromised system and environment integrity, interruption to services and unauthorized access. Threats faced by organizations can be classified under different categories namely (i) Natural environmental threats examples include floods, earthquakes, fire and so on. (ii) Supply system threats such as power distribution outrages, communication interruptions and interruption of other natural energy resources, examples include water, steam, gas and so on. (iii) Manmade threat such as vandalism, theft, fraud, unauthorized access, employee errors and accidents, just to mention a few. (iv) Political motivated threats such as strikes, riots, civil disobedience, terrorist attacks and so on Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) remains one of the commonly used physical security approaches. It is described as a multi-disciplinary approach to deterring criminal behavior through environmental design [3]. It is also commonly known as proactive crime prevention environmental design strategy utilized by planners, police services, architects and security professionals. The concept used in CPTED is built upon the effect a proper design of a physical environment can have on human behavior in relation to crime rate in such environment. This approach provides guidance in crime prevention by putting in place proper facility construction and well designed environmental components. The CPTED strategies were developed midway into the twentieth century and have evolved and matured along with our environments and crime rates and types. Overtime, this approach was not only used in corporate organizational security programs but also implemented in large scale development projects such as cities, towns and neighborhoods. An effective design or problem solving environmental design begin by evaluating the purpose of the designated space, how the space is defined and considering how well the physical design support the intended function of the space. In effect, the crux of CPTED is that the physical environment can be manipulated to create behavioral changes that will reduce or eliminate crime and the fear of crime and improve quality of life. It places emphasis on physical environment, productive use of space, and behavior of people to create environments that are void of environmental cues that can result into opportunities for crime to occur [4]. It is can be considered as a social engineering tool that can be used for security, which encompasses the physical, social, psychological needs of the users in different types of environments which can be used to predict behaviors of these users and that of the likely offenders [2]. In other words, CPTED strategies rely upon the ability to influence offender decisions that precede carrying out criminal acts. It brings to mind that if a site is well laid out, the likelihood of it being targeted for a crime may be reduced. There are four major strategies used in CPTED to increase the overall protection include natural access control, natural surveillance, territorial reinforcement and maintenance. Natural Access Control The natural access control serve as a guide for the movement of people in and out of a facility such as placements of doors, fences, lighting and in some cases landscaping to deny admission to a crime target and to create awareness among offenders that there is a risk in selecting the intended target. The use of physical and mechanical means of access control locks, bars and alarms can supplement natural access control if need be. Natural Surveillance The natural surveillance is a concept purposely designed at keeping intruder under observation. It entails the use and placement of physical environment features, personnel walkways and design of activity areas in such a way as to maximize visibility. The physical design of the facility and proper placement of windows, lightings and landscaping increases the ability of those within the vicinity to observe intruders as well as regular users, and thus gives the opportunity to challenge any irregularities or inappropriate behavior [5]. The goal of natural surveillance is to eliminate criminal activities by providing an open and well designed environment and thereby making it uncomfortable for potential criminals to operate. It maximizes the potential to deter crime by providing a good visual connection across the facility. Territorial Reinforcement Territorial reinforcement can be accomplished through the use of walls, lighting, flags, clearly marked addresses and fences. The goal of territorial reinforcement is to create physical designs that emphasize the companys area of influence to give legitimate owners a sense of ownership and a dedicated community, which makes the employees have a sense of belonging and a willingness to defend if required to do so. Maintenance Proper care and maintenance is needed for continuous use of the space for its intended purpose. Deterioration indicates less concern and control by the intended owners (organization) of the site and further indicates tolerance of disorder thereby defeating the purpose of the CPTED. It should however be noted that CPTED is not the same as target hardening. The main focus of target hardening is to deny access through physical or artificial barrier, which in most cases lead to restriction in use, enjoyment and aesthetics of the environment. Most corporate organizations use a mix of both CPTED and target hardening approaches. Conclusion The broad nature of CPTED approach and its implementation in any facility setting enables it to adapt to different physical security design which shows it is an effective approach to prevent crime. Therefore including it from the construction stage will make the facility safer from the onset, rather than wait until crime problems occur before implementing the CPTED approach. For future work, I propose that more research be done on individual components and effects in various business settings. Acknowledgment This paper has written under the kind feedback of Mr. Francis Gichohi. I am thankful to him for his support and dedication to his students.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Electric vs. Gasoline Essay

Nowadays, people all over the world do their best to live greener and not contribute to global warming. An invention that is meant to help reduce the amount of toxic waste that is polluting the environment nowadays is that of the electric car. But is electric really so much better than gas? Electric cars are emission free, compact and lightweight, and three times as efficient as gas engines. Compared to gasoline cars, electric car motors are very efficient, converting over 90% of electrical power supplied into motion. Still, there is about a 50% chance in the United States that burning coal, which, in turn, severely harms the environment, generates the electricity that is used to charge the batteries of a plug-in electric vehicle. Another advantage of an electric vehicle, is its durability: except for the fact that it has lower emissions, the electric car is in no need for oil changes or tune-ups, and with regenerative braking, brakes last longer. The gasoline car, on the other hand, has to deal with part failures associated with belts, hoses and cooling systems. The gas-powered car has a fuel tank, which supplies gasoline to the engine. The engine then turns a transmission, which turns the wheels. An electric car functions just a little differently than the gas-powered one: in comparison, it has a set of batteries that provides electricity to an electric motor. The motor then turns a transmission, and the transmission turns the wheels. When it comes to safety, although the weight and the bulk of the batteries make the electric vehicle heavier compared to gasoline vehicles and takes up more interior space, it is proven that the occupants of a heavy vehicle will, on average, suffer fewer and less injuries than the occupants of a lighter vehicle. Yet, although having an electric car has so many advantages, there are, as associated with all things, a few disadvantages that could make the ownership of an electric car somewhat challenging. Electric cars tend to require long recharge times. This means that the car cannot be used while the battery is charging. Also, the electric car has been known to be extremely expensive to purchase – the costs should break down outside the warranty coverage. The battery, too, has to be charged for at least 12 hours (a time which can only be done overnight, if one travels a lot by car), and there are few stations that make it possible to charge, other than your own house. In the end, it is all up to the individual to make the decision: if one is determined to help save and protect the environment, and is willing to take up the costs and time and effort it takes to charge the vehicle . Bibliography: http://truecostblog. com/2009/01/04/electric-vs-gasoline/ http://www. weatherimagery. com/blog/electric-vs-gasoline-vehicle/ http://www. ehow. com/about_5456046_electric-vs-gas-cars. html http://auto. howstuffworks. com/hybrid-car1. htm http://www. articleinspector. com/articles/452/1/Learn-Pros-And-Cons-About-The-All-Electric-Car/Page1. html.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Nostalgia

A Universal Feeling How many times have you reminisced on a certain memory and It almost felt Like you were there again? You could smell, see, and even taste that exact moment. These memories are always triggered by something, but you are not entirely sure what. You are overcome with a longing for that moment in time and the memory is so fond that you can't help but feeling warm inside. Nostalgia is the sentimental longing felt when reminiscing on the past.It is not a feeling of melancholia but more of a bittersweet sentimentality for what once was. Nostalgia has been widely used to describe many notations but has Just recently been modified to describe a positive experience. The word nostalgia was first coined in the 17th century. The term was used to describe the medical conditions of Swiss mercenaries who longed to return home. Nostalgia soon became a name for a disease who's symptoms included fainting, high fever, stomach pain, and even death.By the late 19th century nostalgia wa s discarded as a medical condition and recognized as a form of melancholia and a mentally repressive disorder. Now nostalgia has a positive meaning. It Is classified as the term to describe the exact feeling felt when thinking of past memories. Nostalgia does have a positive effect on an individual. The Oxford English Dictionary defines nostalgia as sentimental longing for a period of the past. Merriam- Webster Dictionary says is it pleasure and sadness that is caused by remembering something from the past and wishing that you could experience it again.The most common synonyms used when referring to nostalgia are sentimentality and yearning. The important things about these definitions are the positive tones they all have. Many people have experienced nostalgia at some point in their life, whether that be a nod memory from childhood or a strong feeling of homesickness. Many of these happy memories even trigger an euphoric feeling that takes you back to that certain place or time. Th ese overall feelings provide a sense of comfort when life gets difficult.Young adults find that reminiscing on past memories has helped them smoothly transition into major life changes such as moving away from home. Nostalgia has been proven to counteract boredom, anxiety, and even loneliness. When things are especially difficult in different aspects of my life I find that I begin to feel lonely. Loneliness has always been a horrible feeling to cope with because there is nothing more helpless than feeling like you don't have anyone. With that loneliness I start to question the continuity of my life.Why am I not friends with that person anymore? What am I supposed to be doing with my life? At this point in my life everything Is changing and there isn't a stable thing that roots me to reality except for my memories. On the days that I feel anxiety or loneliness I always think of a certain memory that brings me back to a happier time. The memory Is always the same, but I can feel It be tter than I remember It. I remember the way the alarm feels a room window and noticing how the sun isn't quite as high as it normally is.I remember the exact smell of the cinnamon candle that my mom starts burning every fall. This memory has no actual significance but somehow it gets rid of all the loneliness I feel and makes me feel continuity and optimism instead. Nostalgia itself does not involve any feelings of melancholia. The literal act of nostalgia is to recall a memory that is fond to you in some way. The purpose of remembering past memories is to relate them to now to provide the sense of nonentity that you need to maintain a comforting balance when life changes..The experience of nostalgia is positive; the aftermath is not. Nostalgia is often confused with unpleasant feelings because of the longing that occurs when remembering a great experience from your past. But that longing is not an overall bad emotion it is just a reminder of all the positive things that once were. The term nostalgia has come a long way since it days of an actual medical condition to its description of a positive emotion. It is important to remember that nostalgia is not only Just a positive emotion but a positive experience.

Friday, November 8, 2019

William Jefferson Clinton essays

William Jefferson Clinton essays Bill Clinton was born on August 19, 1946 in a town called Hope, with the birth name William Jefferson Blythe. His birth father died in a car accident just three months before his birth. When he was born his mother sent him to live with his grandparents, due to the fact that because of the current economy she couldn't possibly support a child by herself. He lived with his grandparents for two years while his mother was away at nursing school in New Orleans trying to advance her career. His grandparents tried to instill in him strong southern Baptist principles and a desire to get a good education. When Bill was four his mother returned to Hope where she met and married Roger Clinton Sr.. A few years later Bill and his family moved to Hot Springs, where despite his Baptist upbringing Bill attended a catholic school. When he was nine years old he changed schools and went to Ramble Elementary. When Bill was ten Roger Clinton Jr. was born, and at age fifteen Bill took his step fat hers last name in hopes of helping his mothers troubled relationship. While Bill was growing up in Hot Springs, the town was plagued by illegal gambling, but Bill had little contact with this part of society despite his parents frequent participation in these illegal practices. As time went by his mothers relationship became more and more unstable with the alcoholic Roger Clinton Sr.. The relationship turned abusive and his parents often separated. In high school Bill was a member of the band, student government, honor society and numerous other organizations. One summer at a political summer camp called Boys State, Bill ran for delegate to Boys Nation. He won this election and was on his way to Washington to meet John F. Kennedy and Senator William Fulbright. Bill said of his victory as delegate to Boys Nation, "I didn't know if I could win a race like that, because when I was a student politician, I was about as controversial as I have been in m...

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

The Ancient Mayan City of Mayapan

The Ancient Mayan City of Mayapan Mayapan was a Maya city which thrived during the Postclassic Period. It’s located in the heart of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, not far to the southeast of the city of Merida. The ruined city is now an archaeological site, open to the public and popular with tourists. The ruins are known for the imposing circular tower of the Observatory and the Castle of Kukulcan, an impressive pyramid. History According to legend Mayapan, was founded by the great ruler Kukulcan in 1250 A.D. following the decline of the mighty city of Chichen Itza. The city rose to prominence in the northern section of the Maya lands after the great city-states in the south (such as Tikal and Calakmul) had gone into steep decline. During the late Postclassic Era (1250-1450 A.D.), Mayapan was the cultural and political center of the waning Maya civilization and had great influence upon the smaller city-states that surrounded it. During the height of its power, the city was home to approximately 12,000 inhabitants. The city was destroyed and abandoned in about 1450 A.D. The Ruins The ruin complex at Mayapan is a sprawling collection of buildings, temples, palaces, and ceremonial centers. There are about 4,000 buildings spread out over an area of about four square kilometers. The architectural influence of Chichen Itza is plainly evident in the impressive buildings and structures at Mayapan. The central plaza is of the greatest interest to historians and visitors: it is home to the Observatory, the Palace of Kukulcan and the Temple of the Painted Niches. The Observatory The most striking building at Mayapan is the circular tower of the observatory. The Maya were talented astronomers. They were particularly obsessed with the movements of Venus and other planets, as they believed they were Gods going back and forth from the Earth to the underworld and the celestial planes. The circular tower is built on a base which was divided into two semi-circular areas. During the citys heyday, these rooms were covered in stucco and painted. The Castle of Kukulcan Known to archaeologists simply as â€Å"structure Q162,† this impressive pyramid dominates Mayapan’s central plaza. It is likely an imitation of the very similar Temple of Kukulcan at Chichen Itza. It has nine tiers and stands about 15 meters (50 feet) tall. Part of the temple collapsed at some point in the past, revealing an older, smaller structure within. At the foot of the Castle is â€Å"Structure Q161,† also known as the Room of the Frescoes. There are several painted murals there: a precious collection, considering those very few examples of painted Mayan art remain. The Temple of Painted Niches Forming a triangle across the main plaza with the Observatory and Kukulcan’s Castle, the Temple of Painted Niches is home to more painted murals. The murals here show five temples, which are painted around five niches. The niches symbolize the entrance to each of the painted temples. Archaeology at Mayapan The first account of foreign visitors to the ruins was the 1841 expedition of John L. Stephens and Frederick Catherwood, who took a cursory look at many ruins including Mayapan. Other early visitors included noted Mayanist Sylvanus Morley. The Carnegie Institution launched an investigation of the site in the late 1930s which resulted in some mapping and excavations. Important work was done in the 1950s under the direction of Harry E.D. Pollock. Current Projects Much work is currently being done at the site: most of it is under the direction of the PEMY (Proyecto Economico de Mayapan) institution, supported by several organizations including the National Geographic Society and SUNY Albany. Mexico’s National Anthropology and History Institute has also done much work there, especially restoring some of the more important structures for tourism. Importance of Mayapan Mayapan was a very important city during the final centuries of the Maya civilization. Founded just as the great city-states of the Maya Classic Era were dying in the south, first Chichen Itza and then Mayapan stepped into the void and became the standard-bearers of the once-mighty Maya Empire. Mayapan was a political, economic and ceremonial hub for the Yucatan. The city of Mayapan is of particular importance to researchers, as it is believed that one or more of the four remaining Maya codices may well have originated there. Visiting the Ruins A visit to the city of Mayapan makes for a great day trip from Merida, which is less than an hour away. Its open daily and theres plenty of parking. A guide is recommended. Sources: Mayapan Archaeology, The University of Albanys Informative Website Mayapan, Yucatan. Arqueologia Mexicana, Edicion Especial 21 (September 2006). McKillop, Heather. The Ancient Maya: New Perspectives. New York: Norton, 2004.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

The Police in the United Arab Emirates and the Justice System Essay

The Police in the United Arab Emirates and the Justice System - Essay Example Additionally, this write-up also analyzes the independence and integrity of the legal system since the above virtues are crucial for any judiciary. The judiciary requires an effective police force in order to execute its mandate properly. Consequently, it is imperative to study the police force (Tammim and Price 25). The constitution of UAE is the ultimate law that grants authority to the courts of that nation. The laws in this country are largely civil and Sheria laws. The Egyptian laws primarily influenced the civil laws. UAE’s law has expanded rapidly due to the increase in Dubai’s commercial activities. The enormous commercial activities have resulted in legislation of laws providing a legal structure for commercial activities. The areas of business captured by the new laws include intellectual property, banking and labour. Enactment of the new laws was imperative and timely since it is crucial to provide legal guidance enabling elimination of malpractices. UAE is a coalition of seven emirates. Understanding the political structure of this nation will make understanding their judicial system easier. The overall judicial authority is the federal judicial authority that oversees the operations of the courts. However, certain emirates of the UAE are self-governing. Such emirates include Dubai that has maintained its own lawyers and judges. Dubai’s system has three different sections in its court system. First, there is the civil section that addresses all the civil suits. Secondly, there is the criminal section that addresses criminal suits. Lastly, there is the Sheria section that addresses family matters that relate to parties that profess the Islamic faith. These sections of the Dubai court have enabled the legal system in this part of UAE to address all the suits that arise. UAE is an Islamic country where the religion influences the law considerably. Additionally, many of the parties in the suits may profess the Islamic faith hence, d emanding that the court follows the Sheria (Tammim and Price 31). Evidently, Dubai has an exceedingly elaborate judicial system. This emirate has property and labour courts. The property courts address all suits that pertain to possessions in Dubai. While the latter addresses suits, pertaining to workers and employers disputes. These courts are critical since Dubai has witnessed massive foreign and internal investment and in such cases, numerous suits have arisen pertaining to labour and property. Globally, judicial precedents are central in the determination of subsequent cases. As such, some judicial precedents have formed the pillar of the current laws. However, in Dubai the judges follow a different trend. Judicial precedents have minimal implications on other related cases hence; the judge is at will not to adhere to the precedents. This is unique since judicial precedents have massive implications on related rulings in most nations. In many courts globally, rulings in courts o f higher jurisdiction bind junior courts. As such, a court with higher jurisdiction can overturn the ruling in a junior court. However, in Dubai, there are not binding but they provide guidance in legal practice (Tammim and Price 42). The above details reveal that Dubai has its own judicial system that does not operate under the Supreme Federal Court (SFC). The SFC evaluates the conduct of all the courts in UAE. However, some emirates are not subject to

Friday, November 1, 2019

Labor Relations Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Labor Relations - Assignment Example Such warning will only be valid for 6months and after completion of 6 months; no disciplinary actions can be taken against W based on such warning. Opinion: there is no witness available for W using inappropriate languages or pushing chair towards L. No corroboration is available that confirming the fact that W had pushed the chair towards legs of L. Due to lack of evidences, no strict action can be taken against W. Answer B: According to Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) Article 15 (Discipline/Discharge Procedures), disciplinary actions can be taken against employees only in two conditions such as incompetence or misconduct (University of South Florida, 2013). Disciplinary actions can be taken against particular employee if his/her behavior hurts legitimate interests of employer. Behavior of W has negatively affected legitimate interests of Alternative Calendar Committee (ACC). According to Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) Article 15 (Discipline/Discharge Procedures), as labor union representative, employee has the right to ask for investigatory questioning for any kind disciplinary actions (University of South Florida, 2013). Upon such investigatory questioning, no witness has been found that confirming the fact that W had used inappropriate languages or pushed chair towards L. Based on above justification, W can be convicted on the ground of minor misconduct. Due to lack of evidence s, harsh disciplinary actions cannot be taken against W. Phrases like â€Å"legitimate interests†, â€Å"incompetence†, â€Å"misconduct† and â€Å"investigatory questioning† has helped me as arbitrator to understand context of the case and justify the award being mentioned in the earlier question. For example, â€Å"legitimate interests† phrase helped this arbitrator to justify the ground on which disciplinary actions can be taken against W. Therefore, it can be said that (CBA) Article 15 (Discipline/Discharge Procedures)

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Foreshadowing in John Steinbecks Of Mice and Men Research Paper

Foreshadowing in John Steinbecks Of Mice and Men - Research Paper Example Steinbeck himself cared deeply about the lives of migrant workers as evidenced by his compassionate tone and creation of complex characters struggling in a competitive society. Steinbeck combined styles of modernism and realism to explore the lives of people living in and traveling through Southern California. Steinbeck’s parents, a Monterey treasurer and a school teacher/stay-at-home mom, taught him a love of literature from an early age. Although he did attend Stanford University for three years, he left without completing his degree. These years, as well as his journalism job, provided the formative substance of his writing career for he worked and traveled throughout California as a short-term hired hand at mills, farms, and larger estates. During these years he came face to face with the resilience with which migrant workers faced their destitute, unstable lives. Throughout the rest of Steinbeck’s career he focused Name 2 on the plight of the underdog within an inc reasingly unfair, capitalistic world. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his monumental novel, The Grapes of Wrath, focused on the dreams and tragedy of the Joad family, and for his combined works he was awarded the 1963 Nobel Prize. All of Steinbeck’s characters face issues equally derived from competitive social forces, the economic downfall known as the Great Depression, and the seasonal nature of the farming economy. The 1930s saw vast technological advances in farm machinery that drastically reduced the number of men needed to operate a farm. In 1900, about 125, 000 workers traveled from Minnesota to Washington searching for work, but by the 1930s the numbers of out-of-work men looking for positions had doubled. Farms were becoming corporate industries with the absent owners living in cities hiring managers to run the farms. Migrant workers, nicknamed â€Å"bindle-stiffs† as they packed up and followed the seasonal harvests, were severely underpaid, had no unio n or legal representation, or stable homes. In the later 1930s, violent strikes broke out in several areas leading to some improvements, yet most farm owners continued to treat their migrant workers as disposable. This lifestyle continued until World War II dramatically altered the lives of all Americans as itinerant workers had the option to enlist and the defense industry expanded to insure food rations for citizens and soldiers. Steinbeck’s social experience of living with migrant workers and journalistic knowledge of the economics of itinerant life greatly influenced his novella Of Mice and Men. The very title indicates the central question considering the value of life as it links the smallest burrowing creature’s life to the hopeful pride found in the positive view of Name 3 American manhood. The novella begins with George and Lennie on the run. They are escaping their recent post at a farm called Weeds where Lennie scared a young woman by inappropriately but inn ocently feeling her dress causing her scream as if she were being physically assaulted. This situation introduces readers to the roving nature of their farm work, Lennie’s inability to control his actions, and the tight protective relationship between these two men. These two protagonists create a symbiotic relationship as they feed each other’s dreams of a owning a farm while making their migrant life bearable. â€Å"

Monday, October 28, 2019

And Sun Also Rises Essay Example for Free

And Sun Also Rises Essay This paper discusses Ernest Hemingway’s novel And Sun Also Rises (1926) and takes an in-depth analysis of the development of the female character Lady Brett Ashley in trying to come up with better understanding of the character’s role in the novel. Hemingway’s And Sun Also Rises is widely regarded as Hemingway’s best novel. It became the overnight Bible of the postwar generation. (Barrett, 724) The novel revolves the theme of damage done to Hemingway’s generation by the violence of World War I. All the main characters of the novel are to certain extent scarred by war. Some of them suffer physical injuries like Jake or Count Mippipopolous and others bear the psychological trauma of â€Å"lost generation† (the phrase belonged to Hemingway’s friend Gertrude Stein and became the novel’s first epigraph). Among those psychologically deteriorated individuals Lady Brett Ashley is a controversial character that evokes different readers’ and critics’ reaction. This paper explores the path by which Lady Ashley’s character develops through the novel. With the first meeting with Brett Ashley her individual female sexual appeal and exceptional general attractiveness is revealed. From the beginning of the book, men find her irresistible. When Jake, as narrator, first introduces Brett, he says, â€Å"Brett was damned good-looking. She wore a slipover jersey sweater and a tweed skirt, and her hair was brushed back like a boy’s. She started all that. She was built with curves like the hull of a racing yacht, and you missed none of it with that wool jersey† (Hemingway, 22). Robert Cohn, too, is immediately captivated by Brett, and a short time later, he says, â€Å"She’s a remarkably attractive woman† (Hemingway, 38). She is a strong and independent woman and probably these are the features that attract men more than her physical beauty. Her real tool is her charisma that strikes the men around her. Every significant male character in the novel, at one time or another, comments on Brett’s female attractiveness. When he is introduced to Brett, Bill Gorton says, â€Å"Beautiful lady† (Hemingway, 74); Mike Campbell says, â€Å"Brett, you are a lovely piece. Don’t you think she’s beautiful? † (Hemingway, 79) These compliments are like a refrain that is reiterated through the rest of the novel. Despite the abounding attention on men’s side Brett rejects to become committed to a single man, at least physically. Neither the affluence of attention nor her independence makes Brett a happy woman. Having first appeared as a careless free woman Brett Ashley turns out to be an unhappy and miserable creature just the same as all those who lived through the war. Brett is often described in the literary criticism as sexually promiscuous, or even a nymphomaniac, which seems extreme given that in the course of the story she has sexual relationships with, at most, three men her fiancee, Mike Campbell; Robert Cohn; and Pedro Romero. Some critics, like Edmund Wilson, assess Brett’s conduct as â€Å"bitch-like†; Wilson interprets Brett Ashley as â€Å"an exclusively destructive force† (p. 238). This interpretation, plausibly, is directly related rely to Brett’s own assertion that she makes to Jake after she leaves Romero: â€Å"You know it makes one feel rather good deciding not to be a bitch† (Hemingway, 245). Nonetheless it is difficult to agree with such interpretation of Brett’s character. First of all it is known that she is one of the â€Å"lost generation†, the people whose youth fell on the post-war period when the relationships and responsibilities were loose and disordered, and so Brett’s behavior merely reflects this time. Furthermore, though Brett never stayed with any man longer than she wanted, she never displayed cruelty in attitude toward men, so she could not destruct them to any degree. And the most important thing which explains Brett’s character is again related to the time of the novel. Brett Ashley belongs to those people whose thoughts are confused being affected by the war. So while looking for her way in life she fails in finding the lull for her psychological disturbances therefore continues her self-abusive conduct. Brett can be profoundly careless of the feelings of others. She scatters cigarette ashes on Jake’s rugs, and when Romero gives her a bull’s severed ear after a successful bullfight, she leaves the gift behind, stuffed in a hotel drawer. Cohn calls her a sadist when she is unmoved by the plight of the horses gored in the bullring. Certainly she uses Jake heartlessly at times, expecting him to introduce her to a man she desires, put up with her affairs, remain steadfast in his devotion to her, and faithfully run to her rescue on short notice when she finds herself at loose ends in another country. Yet she is also deeply unhappy and emotionally fragile. Viewed more sympathetically, she can be seen as a self-destructive woman, traumatized by the ugly and unromantic loss of her first love to dysentery in the war: â€Å"Brett hurts no one in the novel as severely as she hurts herself. Her nymphomania, her alcoholism, her constant fits of depression, and her obsession with bathing are all symptoms of an individual engaged in a consistent pattern of self-abuse† (Whitlow, 56). All in her misery she often complains to Jake, her only true friend, about her aimless existence and unsatisfying life. Her vagrancy from relationship to relationship is assimilated with Jake and company roaming around bars. As the novel unfolds one observes how Lady Ashley transforms from the self-confident independent woman into one who seems extremely awkward being by herself. That is why she is searching for the shelter in more or less stable though platonic relations with Jake. As with the other characters, World War I obviously played the determinative role in the formation Brett Ashley’s character. Having lost her true love during the war she elaborated the pattern of random relations, especially with regard to men. Her skepticism and lost faith in search for true love symbolizes the search of the whole lost generation for their decayed values. Unable to find support in the traditional convictions that imposed certain meaning to her life Brett feels morally lost. Having lost belief in anything Brett together with her friends is trying to escape the reality and fill her empty life with careless wandering from bar to bar, living night life, drinking and entertaining, doing everything that fits into the notion escapist activity. The character of Lady Brett Ashley is developing through the novel from the initial impression of careless but happy woman into the typical representative of post-war generation with aimless way in life. Parties, free love and other kinds of merry-making are only the futile distraction for concealing the sorrow and insecurity that filled her soul.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

The oddyssey in popular culture Essays -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many forms of popular culture today are inspired by themes, characters, and other references in various types of classical literature. John Denver’s song â€Å"Calypso† parallels with a number of the themes in Homer’s the Odyssey. The Odyssey’s themes involving Odysseus’ journey back home and the aid of gods and goddesses directly influence â€Å"Calypso.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first stanza in Calypso is influenced by Odysseus’ journey to back to his homeland. The first couple of lines compare a dream to sailing on the ocean where at times it is crystal clear and calm while other times like riding on the â€Å"crest of a wild raging storm†. Denver uses the dream metaphor as a means to show that a dream can be like a nightmare or a fantasy. This metaphor is influenced by Odysseus’ good and bad times on the sea. There are many instances where Odysseus faces struggles on the ocean. Whether Odysseus has to fight a huge storm like the one that washes him up on Kalypso’s island or he has to elude dangerous monsters such as Skylla and the whirlpool Kharybdis on the sea, the ocean can be a very dangerous place. Odysseus also encounters times where the sea is very forgiving to him. The storm that washes him up to the land of Phaecia, a fairy-tale fantasyland, results in a safe and smooth passage home along with num erous treasures. The next couple of lines refer to working in the service of life and living trying to find the answers of the unknown. Odysseus ...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 36

â€Å"What?† shouted Damon over the music, while adding: Run – go! telepathically to Elena. If it had merely been Elena's life, she would have been glad enough to die here with the thunderous beauty of Firebird all around her, rathr than facing those steep, invisible steps alone. But it wasn't just her life. It was Stefan's life, too. Still, the flower maiden didn't look particularly menacing, and Elena couldn't summon up enough adrenaline to try making it down that hidous stairway. Damon, let's both go. We have to search the Great Ballroom outside. Only you're strong enough†¦. A hesitation. Damon would rather fight than face that enormous, impossible green field outside, Elena thought. But Bloddeuwedd, despite her words, was now spinning the room around them again, so that she, at the edge of some invisible walkway, could find the exact orb she wanted. Damon lifted Elena in his arms and said: Shut your eyes. Elena not only shut her eyes, but put her hands over them as well. If Damon was going to drop her, she wasn't going to help matters by shouting â€Å"Look out!† as he did it. The sensations themselves were sickening enough. Damon leaped from step to step like an ibex. He seemed barely to touch the steps in going down and Elena wondered – quite suddenly – if anything were after them. If so, it was information she needed to know. She began to lift her hands and heard Damon whisper-snarl â€Å"Keep them shut!† in a voice that few people liked to argue with. Elena peeked out between her hands, met Damon's exasperated eyes, and saw nothing following them. She clamped her hands back together and prayed. If you were really a slave, you wouldn't last a day here, you know, Damon informed her, taking a final leap into space and then setting her down on invisible – but at least level – ground. I wouldn't want to, Elena sent coldly. I swear, I'd rather die. Be careful what you promise, Damon flashed his splendid smile down at her suddenly. You may end up in other dimensions trying to fulfill your word. Elena didn't even try to one-up him. They were out, free, and racing through the glass house down to the stairs to the lower floor – a little tricky in her state of mind, but bearable – and finally out the door. On the grass of the Great Ballroom they found Meredith and Bonnie†¦and Sage. He was actually in white tie as well, although his jacket strained at his shoulders. In addition, Talon was sitting on one – so the problem might be taken care of fairly soon, as she was ripping the material and drawing blood. Sage didn't seem aware of it. Saber was at his master's side, looking at Elena with eyes too thoughtful to be mere animal eyes, but without malice. â€Å"Thank God you came back!† Bonnie cried, running to them. â€Å"Sage came and he has a marvelous idea.† Even Meredith was excited. â€Å"You remember how Damon said we should have brought a diviner? Well, we have two now.† She turned to Sage. â€Å"Please tell them.† â€Å"As a rule, I don't take these two to parties.† Sage reached down to scratch under Saber's throat. â€Å"But a little bird told me that you might be in trouble.† His hand moved up to stroke Talon, ruffling the falcon's feathers slightly. â€Å"So, dites-moi, please: Just how much have you two been handling the half-key you do possess?† â€Å"I touched it tonight and in the beginning, the night we found it,† said Elena. â€Å"But Lady Ulma handled it and Lucen made a chest for it and we've all handled that.† â€Å"But outside the box?† â€Å"I've held it and looked at it once or twice,† said Damon. â€Å"Eh bien! The kitsune smells should be much stronger on it. And kitsune have very distinctive smells.† â€Å"So you mean that Saber – † Elena's voice gave out for pure faintness. â€Å"Can sniff out anything with the smell of kitsune on it. Meanwhile, Talon has very good eyesight. She can fly overhead and look for the glint of gold in case it's in plain sight somewhere. Now show them what they will be searching for.† Elena obligingly held out the crescent shaped half-key for Saber to sniff. â€Å"Voil! And Talon, now you take a good look.† Sage backed away to what was, Elena supposed, Talon's optimal seeing distance. Then when he came back, he said, † Commen;ons!† and the black dog exploded away, nose to ground, while the falcon took off in grand, high, sweeping circles. â€Å"So you think the kitsune were on this grass?† Elena asked Sage, as Saber began racing back and forth, nose still just above the grass – and then suddenly veered out onto the middle of the marble steps. â€Å"But assuredly, they were here. You see how Saber runs, like a black panther, with his head low, and his tail straight? He has business in hand, him! He is hot on the scent.† I know someone else who gives off the same feeling, Elena thought as she glanced back at Damon, who stood with his arms folded, motionless, coiled like a spring, waiting for whatever news the animals would bring. She happened to glance at Sage at the same moment, and she saw an expression on his face that – well, it was probably the same expression she'd been wearing a minute ago. He glanced at her and she blushed. â€Å"Pardonnez-moi, Monsieur,† she said, looking away quickly. â€Å"Parlez-vous fran;ais, Madame?† â€Å"Un peu,† Elena said humbly – an unusual condition for her. â€Å"I can't really keep up a serious conversation. But I loved going to France.† She was about to say something else, when Saber barked once, sharply, to attract attention and then sat bolt upright at the curb. â€Å"They came or left in a carriage or litter,† Sage translated. â€Å"But what did they do in the house? I need a trail going the other way,† Damon said, looking up at Sage with something like raw desperation. â€Å"All right, all right. Saber! Contremarche!† The black dog instantly turned around, put its nose to the ground as if it afforded him the greatest delight, and began running back and forth across the stairs and the lawn that formed the â€Å"Great Ballroom† – now becoming pitted with holes as people took shovels, pickaxes, and even large spoons to it. â€Å"Kitsune are hard to catch,† Elena murmured into Damon's ear. He nodded, glancing at his watch. â€Å"I hope we are, too,† he murmured back. There was a sharp bark from Saber. Elena's heart leaped in her chest. â€Å"What?† she cried. â€Å"What is it?† Damon passed her, grabbed her hand, and dragged her in his wake. â€Å"What has he found?† Elena gasped as they all reached the same point simultaneously. â€Å"I don't know. It's not part of the Great Ballroom,† replied Meredith. Saber was sitting up proudly in front of a bed of tall, clustering pale lavender (deep violet) hydrangeas. â€Å"They don't look like they're doing too well,† said Bonnie. â€Å"And it's not below any of the upper ballrooms, either,† Meredith said, stooping to get at Saber's height and then look up. â€Å"There's just the library.† â€Å"Well, I know one thing without a question,† Damon said. â€Å"We're going to have to dig up this flower patch and I don't fancy asking Ms. Larkspur-eyes-Now-I-have-to-kill-you for her permission.† â€Å"Oh, did you think they were larkspur, her eyes? Because I thought of bluebells, rahthah,† said a guest behind Bonnie. â€Å"Did she really say she had to kill you? But why?† another guest, nearer to Elena asked nervously. Elena ignored them. â€Å"Well, let's put it this way, she's certainly not going to like it. But it's the only clue we've got.† Except, I suppose, if the kitsune meant to leave it here, but then took off in a coach, she added voicelessly to Damon. â€Å"So that means the show can commence,† cried one of the young vampire fans, stepping toward Elena. â€Å"But I don't have my amulet back,† Damon said flatly, moving in front of Elena like an impenetrable wall. â€Å"But you will in minutes, surely. Look, couldn't some fellows backtrack with the dog to wherever the bad guys came from – came to the estate from, if you get me? And meanwhile we can be getting on with the show?† â€Å"Can Saber do that?† Damon asked. â€Å"Follow a carriage?† â€Å"With a fox in it? But of course. Actually, I could go with them,† Sage said quietly. â€Å"I could make sure that these two enemies are caught if they are on the other end of the trail. Show them to me.† â€Å"These are the only shapes I know.† Damon reached out two fingers and touched Sage's temple. â€Å"But, of course, they'll have more forms, possibly infinite ones.† â€Å"Well, they are not our priority, I assume. The, ah, amulet is.† â€Å"Yes,† Damon said. â€Å"Even if you don't land a blow on them, get the key half and race back.† â€Å"So? Even more important than revenge,† Sage said softly, shaking his head in wonder. Then he added quickly. â€Å"Well, I will wish us good luck. Any adventurous types who want to go with me? Ah, good, four – very well, five, Madame – is enough.† And he was gone. Elena looked at Damon, who was looking back with blank, black eyes. â€Å"You really expect me to do – that – again?† â€Å"All you need to do is stand there. I'll make sure you lose as little blood as possible. And if you ever want to stop we can have a signal.† â€Å"Yes, but now I understand. And I can't handle it.† His face went cold suddenly. Shutting her out. â€Å"You're not required to handle anything. Besides, isn't it enough if I say it's a fair bargain for Stefan?† Stefan! Elena's entire body went through some sort of elemental change. â€Å"Let me share it,† she begged, and knew that she was begging and knew what Damon was going to say. â€Å"Stefan is going to need you when we get out. Just make sure you can handle that.† Stop. Think. Don't bash his head in, Elena's brain told her. He's pushing your buttons. He knows how to do it. Don't let him push your buttons. â€Å"I can handle both,† she said. â€Å"Please, Damon. Don't treat me as if I were – one of your one-nighters, or even your Princess of Darkness. Talk to me as if I were Sage.† â€Å"Sage? Sage is the most frustrating, cunning – â€Å" â€Å"I know. But you talk to him. And you used to talk to me, and now you're not. Listen to me. I can't bear to go through this scenario again. I'll scream.† â€Å"Now you're threatening – â€Å" â€Å"No! I'm telling you what will happen. Unless you gag me, I'll scream. And scream. As I would scream for Stefan. I can't help it. Maybe I'm breaking down†¦.† â€Å"But don't you see?† Suddenly he had whirled around and taken hold of her hands. â€Å"We're almost at the end. You, who've been the strongest all along – you can't break down now.† â€Å"The strongest†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Elena was shaking her head. â€Å"I thought we were right there, on the verge of understanding each other.† â€Å"All right.† His words came as hard chips of marble now. â€Å"What if we do five?† â€Å"Five?† â€Å"Five strokes instead of ten. We'll promise to do the other five when the ‘amulet' is found, but we'll run when we do find it.† â€Å"You would have to break your word.† â€Å"If it takes that – â€Å" â€Å"No,† she said flatly. â€Å"You say nothing. I'll tell them. I'm a liar and a cheat and I've always played with men. We'll see if I can't finally put my talents to good use. And there's no point in trying any of the other girls,† she added, glancing up. â€Å"Bonnie and Meredith are wearing gowns that would fall right off if you slashed them. Only I have a bare back.† She pirouetted in place to show off how her dress met only very high at the neck in a halter and very low in the back in a V. â€Å"Then we're agreed.† Damon had a slave refill his goblet and Elena thought: we're going to be the tipsiest act in history, if nothing else. She couldn't help but shiver. The last time she had felt an inner trembling was from Damon's warm hand on her bare back as they danced. Now, she felt something much icier, just a draft of cold air perhaps. But it drew her mind to the feeling of her own blood running down her sides. Suddenly Bonnie and Meredith were there beside her, forming a barricade between her and the increasingly curious and excited crowd. â€Å"Elena, what's happened? They said a barbarian human girl was to be whipped – † began Meredith. â€Å"And you just knew it had to be me,† completed Elena. â€Å"Well, it's true. I don't see how I can get out of it.† â€Å"But what have you done?† Bonnie asked frantically. â€Å"Been an idiot. Let some fraternity-type vampire boys think that it was a sort of magic act,† Damon put in. His face was still grim. â€Å"That's a little unfair, isn't it?† Meredith asked. â€Å"Elena told us about the first time. It sounded as if they jumped to the conclusion that it was an act all by themselves.† â€Å"We should have denied it then. Now, we're stuck with it,† Damon said flatly. Then, as if he were making an effort, â€Å"Oh, well, maybe we'll get what we came for, anyway.† â€Å"That was how we found out – some idiot came running down the steps yelling about an amulet with two green stones.† â€Å"It was all we could think of,† Elena explained wearily. â€Å"It's worth it for Damon and I to do this if only we can find the other half of the key.† â€Å"You don't have to do it,† Meredith said. â€Å"We can just leave.† Bonnie stared at her. â€Å"Without the fox key?† Elena shook her head. â€Å"We've already been through all that. The unanimous decision was to do it this way. She looked around. â€Å"Now where are the guys that wanted to see it so much?† â€Å"Looking in the field – that used to be a ballroom,† Bonnie replied. â€Å"Or getting shovels – lots of 'em – from Bloddeuwedd's gardening compound. Ow! Why'd you pinch me, Meredith?† â€Å"Oh, my, did that pinch? I meant to do this – â€Å" But Elena was already striding away, as eager now as Damon was to get it over with. Half over with. I just hope he remembers to change into his leather jacket and black jeans, she thought. In white tie – the blood – I won't let there be any blood. The thought was sudden and Elena didn't know where it came from. But in the deepest reaches of her being, she thought: he's been punished enough. He was trembling in the litter. He thought about another person's well-being from minute to minute. It's enough now. Stefan wouldn't want him to be hurt any more. She glanced up to see one of the Dark Dimension's small, misshapen moons moving visibly above her. This time the surrender she made to it was bright red, a feather shining in sullen crimson light. But she gave herself up to it unreservedly, body and soul, and it rested on the hallowed spring of eternal blood that was her womanhood. And then she knew what she had to do. â€Å"Bonnie, Meredith, look: we're a triumvirate. We have to try to share this with Damon.† No one looked enthusiastic. Elena, whose pride had been entirely broken from the moment she first saw Stefan in his cell, knelt down in front of them on the hard marble step. â€Å"I'm begging you – â€Å" â€Å"Elena! Stop that!† Meredith gasped. â€Å"Please get up! Oh, Elena – † Bonnie was a breath away from tears. And so, it was small, softhearted Bonnie who turned the tide. â€Å"I'll try to teach Meredith how. But anyway, we'll at least share it between the three of us.† Hug. Kiss. A murmur into strawberry hair, â€Å"I know what you see in the dark. You're the bravest person I know.† And then, leaving a stunned Bonnie behind, Elena went to collect spectators for her own whipping.