Dog Whistle Politics Of The 1960s - 2333 Words

Jacob Garbison Professor Sean Trundle History 355 4 December 2014 Dog Whistle Politics of the 1960s On July 2, after signing the 1964 Civil Rights Act, President Lyndon B. Johnson reportedly said to his staff, â€Å"I think we just gave the South to the Republicans for your lifetime and mine.† (Perlstein 365) He was wrong. Although he never lived to see it, Jimmy Carter won a Democratic South in 1976 - but it was for the last time. Nonetheless, the party which had dominated the South for almost a century had put it up for grabs with the stroke of a pen. The impact of racism on presidential politics during the ‘60s is difficult to overstate. Race and racially coded language in particular played a profound role in the GOPs success at winning†¦show more content†¦Here, Wallace did something new. Gone were the overt references to white supremacy, segregation, or even race. Instead, he positioned himself as a defender of the constitution against tyrannical government overreach: â€Å"I stand here today, as Governor of this sovereign State, and refuse to willingly submit to illegal usurpation of power by the Central Government.† [1] Wallace went on, giving voice to the politics of the South in language that was palpable, even agreeable, to the North. The dramatic â€Å"Stand in the Door† was all for show of course. Wallace stood aside, allowing three black students to register for classes later that day, but the effects of the speech would have wide repercussions. Wallace received nearly 100,000 telegrams in response to his speech from all across the country, an almost unheard of number for a lowly Southern governor. More shocking still was that nearly all of them, about 95%, were praising his bravery. (Lopez, 15) â€Å"They all hate black people, all of them.† Wallace reportedly exclaimed, â€Å"They’re all afraid, all of them Great God! That’s it! They’re all Southern. The whole US is Southern!† (Lopez, 15) Wallace had discovered the dog whistle, a way to communicate racial animosity without using explicit racism. This is a distinctly modern expression of racism which, as Ian Haney Lopez says, â€Å"[stimulates] the intended audience without overtly

Essay on Opportunity Cost And The Free Market - 1736 Words

OPPORTUNITY COST THE FREE MARKET Scarcity is one of the most basic and crucial points to understand in microeconomics.1Scarcity means that we cannot have all the needs and wants to satisfy our desires. Scarcity can be applied to almost anything. Due to the scarcity of products we must make a choice of what we want. We must choose whether to do one thing or another by what we value to be most important to us. This, therefore, leads to us opportunity cost. Usually when one has to make a decision over what to do, buy, or build, it is narrowed down to two things. We might choose what satisfies our desires, what is more economical, or what is needed more. The choice that we do not take is our opportunity cost, the choice that we value†¦show more content†¦As shown on the diagram below if the government only builds schools then they are at point A, which means they are not building libraries, therefore not allocating resources. If they concentrate only on building libraries, and not schools, then they are at po int E. In order to build both they would need to place themselves at points B, C, and D. At point B there is a bigger production of schools and a small production of libraries. At point D, there is a larger production of libraries and a smaller production of schools. The most effective point would be C because they would concentrate all their efforts on both schools and libraries and therefore have the best allocation of resources and have no opportunity cost. All these factors combined are essential to making better economical decisions for any society. The production possibility curve helps deicide more efficient ways to distribute resources. Businesses and government have to find all the different possibilities, study them, and make the best decision on what is best to produce and what would bring in more profit. Opportunity cost can also help us understand what products a consumer might choose to buy and the best price for the product. This can also help companies decide on bett er ways to proceed with sales. The free market is a well-advanced state of economy in a society. Through this marketShow MoreRelatedChallenges Faced By International Businesses Essay1506 Words   |  7 PagesInternational Businesses to seek for opportunity and chance to expand their business to a wider marketplace. There are many ways for international businesses to seek those opportunities, such as through exporting goods and services, starting a joint venture with a company, opening a branch for distributing goods, and giving license to produce goods. From these ways to seek opportunities, there are basically three major motives, such as resource seeking, market seeking, and efficiency seeking, whereRead MoreThe Cost Of Opportunity Cost1108 Words   |  5 PagesOpportunity cost can be defined as the price of a substitute that might be forgone in order to pursue an assured action. The forgone cost. Opportunity cost can also be defined as the best forgone alternative in a scenari o where a decision had to be made between some many mutually exclusive or inclusive alternatives (Mankiw, 2009). Simply put opportunity cost is what one is missing out when they make a choice. I could be watching a game of European Soccer or watching a rerun episode of Game of ThronesRead MoreThe Market1000 Words   |  4 PagesThe Market 1. Explain the concepts of Comparative and Absolute Advantage. Having absolute advantage is the way to go; this is a win, win situation. For a country or company to have absolute advantage is a dream made in heaven. 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The cross elasticity of demand measures how quantity demanded of one good (albums) responds to a change in the price for anotherRead MoreRent Control Is An Interesting Topic Within Economics960 Words   |  4 PagesRent control has the ability to exponentially benefit or destroy cities. Rent control is a government enacted set of policies set in place in order to essentially make housing affordable for people incapable of paying the high free market price. In this essay, I will discuss the long and short term consequences of rent control; whom rent controls affect, how it affects these people and I will discuss the rent control in Ontario. Rent control is an interesting topic within economics. According toRead MoreThe Effects Of Free Trade On Economic And Social Human Rights1371 Words   |  6 PagesFree trade can be defined as the abolition of trade barriers and trade restrictions, and the encouragement of international trade. Free trade gives countries the ability to trade with markets that would have previously been unavailable, thus integrating and diversifying economies (Borghard, 2006, pg. 161). Free trade in practice, has negative and positive consequences for workers as well as consumers. While free trade agreements stimulate and build economies, this is often done at the expense ofRead MoreGlobalization Of The Marketplace Has Brought About Costs And Benefits For All Countries And Industries1247 Words   |  5 PagesRegionalism Briefing Introduction The globalization of the marketplace has brought about costs and benefits for all countries and industries. A main benefit of globalization for producers, like the those of us in the manufacturing industry is access to more customers however, competition also increases which decreases the potential for sales. Economic integrations are a part of global business that look to increase the efficiency of resources. Economic integrations and trading blocs are institutedRead MoreCase Report for Midland Energy Resources, Inc: Cost of Capital1187 Words   |  5 Pagesdoes Mortensen estimate Midlands cost of capital? What would be the potential consequences of a too high estimate compared to the firms â€Å"true† cost of capital? What about a too low estimate? The purpose is that the cost capital will be used for capital budgeting, financial accounting, performance assessment, stock repurchases estimations. Also the cost of capital is a necessary basis for the expected growth and forecasted demand. The too high estimated cost of capital means that Midland may miss

Group Dynamics For Teams Sage Publications â€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Group Dynamics For Teams Sage Publications? Answer: Introduction In todays competitive world, teamwork or group in the workplace has become an important and common activity. Working in groups is challenging because different individuals have different personalities and opinions. The companies are fostering team work because it creates a healthy working environment and people are inspired to work and contribute more in their work. I am working as a team leader of a global IT company. There three different teams in my company. As the company is a start-up venture, the employees has to give their innovative ideas and work dedicatedly for the development of the company. The group in which I am involved consists of 12 members. There is an assistant team leader in every group who assist the members. The members in my group are every co-operative and they always support the team in difficult times. Though the team has emerged recently with 12 new joinees but the employees are very friendly and support each other in their work. Meetings are held in differ ent teams from time to time to discuss the different issues which are faced in the team. The employees also give their required feedbacks and opinion which will help to develop and improve the group (Silk et al., 2014). Communication and interaction pattern Whenever people are together in a group, they communicate and share their ideas. This communication may be helpful as well as harmful to the group. I communicate with my team members on a regular basis and this helps me to understand their problems and solve their problems. This also helps me in maintaining proper relationships with my team members. Proper communication and interaction pattern has also helped me to present a unified image in the group. The best way which I adopt is to observe, assess and understand my team members. Proper communication and interaction is vital so as to understand the goals of the group. It also helps in enhancing proper relationship among the group members. As I am the team leader of a small group, communication makes it easier for me to co-ordinate their efforts. Moreover, the other members who have joined the team recently also feel motivated and satisfied of working in the group. It also becomes easier to share information for me if all the member s communicate properly in the group. I can also analyze the personal contribution of the employees and understand their problems through proper communication. If there are more than 12 members in my group, it will be difficult for me to manage the entire team as I cannot personally interact with the team members. I will have no time to appreciate or motivate them. Thus, the relationship will get distorted if there is no proper communication and interaction among the employees (Schnzel Smith, 2014). Group cohesion Cohesion includes the degree to which the individuals in a group will work to achieve the goals. The members in a group must have a common goals and visions. They must also have common interest. The members must have constant touch with each other and there must be effective interpersonal communication within the group members. It is also important that the members interact with each other in a group. In may team, it can be said that we had close relation with each other. It was not only my duty to understand the problems of the team members but there were senior members who also helped the junior team members. We always tried to work towards the common goals and aims of the company. This has helped and motivated us and thus helped my team members to perform better(Mulvey, Rizzo Killen, 2016). Social integration and influence Social integration is the status, role and norm of group dynamics that helps the members to stay fit and be accepted in the group. These norms, rules and status helps to avoid personal conflict between the members in the group. The group cannot function effectively and fairly if there is no proper social integration within the team members. Moreover, social influence may have both normative and informational influence. Normative influence helps in fulfilling the desired requirements of the team members whereas informational influence is accepting and persuasion of the information which is provided by other members in the group. If there is too much compliance and conformity within the team, it results in strong social influence in the hierarchies and roles and thus affects group work. This can also have negative influence on the team members because the members cannot contribute their ideas and creativity for the development of the team(Kolstad, Pires Wiig, 2017). There is also cert ain accounting of predictability, compliances and conformity which is necessary to help the members to understand their desired goals and objectives. In case of my team, it can be said that there is proper social integration among the members. The senior members with the assistance of the team leader and the assistant team leaders influence other members and help them to achieve their desired goals. As the team leader of the group, I personally interact with each member and try to handle their queries and problems. I also take care that there is no individual conflict between the team members so that their work life does not get affected. There should be a competitive spirit in the team which will motivate other members to perform better. Moreover, the company in which I work develop the norms which help the team members to be comfortable in their job role. The employees must feel that their perception and ideas are valued and this will motivate them for further group interaction (L evi, 2015). Group Culture Culture in a group is defined as the customs, beliefs and traditions. It is also the preferred way of doing business in the group in such a way so that the aims and goals in the business are commonly understood. The interpersonal styles of the individuals, values and preferences that come from different cultures and groups must be blended in such a way so that the group develops further (Jackson et al., 2017). It is also important to value each member in the group and thus it involves facilitating and exploring the ideas of the group members. In case of my team, it can be said that all the members in the team adhere to the common goals and objectives of the group. There are certain other organisations that have provided sponsorship to our company and thus it has helped our company to expand further. Moreover, proper interaction within the team members also facilitated group work. Multicultural differences also play an important role in group culture. As the members in the team come f rom different cultural background, it is necessary to respect their ideologies and thus help them to attain their specific goals (Hou et al., 2013). Factors which contributed to the development of both the healthy and the unhealthy aspects of group dynamics There are certain important factors which are affecting group dynamics and it is essential to understand them for the development of the team. Leadership is a vital factor which is playing an important role in group dynamics. It is often seen that the members in a group imitate the team members. In case of my team, it can be said that leadership plays an important role. The team members try to imitate the ideologies which we follow and thus contribute accordingly in the group (Dunlop, Falk Beauchamp, 2013). In certain cases, it can be said that communication plays an important role in group dynamics. In order to understand the problems of team members in the group, it is necessary to communicate and respect their ideologies so that they will feel motivated and work for the business development of the team. Moreover, as a team leader it is vital that I do not misuse my power to dominate the team. However, I must try to understand their problems and try to solve it so that they do not feel disappointed or distressed. They must be inspired so that they can contribute for the development and betterment of the company (Beauchamp Eys, 2014). Suggestions to improve group dynamics To improve the strength to team dynamics, there are certain strategies and steps which must be followed. It is important to stay focused and pay more attention to communication. Moreover, to hold a responsible position, it is necessary to define the roles and responsibilities so that the team members can follow them accordingly. It is also necessary that the team leader respects the ideologies of the members so as that they do not feel disappointed or distracted. It must also be checked that the competition among the different team does not get too serious or else it will affect the team members. Competition must be healthy and the leaders must not disrupt the competition. Moreover, loyalty also plays an important role in group dynamics and this helps the team to develop. It is also important that the personal efforts of the team members get recognition so that they will be motivated and work for the development of the team (Hogg Terry, 2014).. Reference List Beauchamp, M. R., Eys, M. A. (Eds.). (2014).Group dynamics in exercise and sport psychology. Routledge. Dunlop, W. L., Falk, C. F., Beauchamp, M. R. (2013). How dynamic are exercise group dynamics? Examining changes in cohesion within class-based exercise programs.Health Psychology,32(12), 1240. Hogg, M. A., Terry, D. J. (Eds.). (2014).Social identity processes in organizational contexts. Psychology Press. Hou, A., Parker, L. C., Balogh, M. L., McGee, S. L., Wilman, D. J., Connelly, J. L., ... Finoguenov, A. (2013). Do group dynamics play a role in the evolution of member galaxies?.Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,435(2), 1715-1726. Jackson, J. C., Bilkey, D., Jong, J., Rossignac-Milon, M., Halberstadt, J. (2017). Strangers in a Stadium: Studying Group Dynamics With In Vivo Behavioral Tracking.Social Psychological and Personality Science, 1948550617709112. Kolstad, I., Pires, A. J. G., Wiig, A. (2017). Within-group heterogeneity and group dynamics: Analyzing exit of microcredit groups in Angola.Oxford Development Studies,45(3), 338-351. Levi, D. (2015).Group dynamics for teams. Management. Mulvey, K. L., Rizzo, M. T., Killen, M. (2016). Challenging gender stereotypes: Theory of mind and peer group dynamics.Developmental science,19(6), 999-1010. Schnzel, H. A., Smith, K. A. (2014). The socialization of families away from home: Group dynamics and family functioning on holiday.Leisure Sciences,36(2), 126-143. Silk, M. J., Croft, D. P., Tregenza, T., Bearhop, S. (2014). The importance of fissionfusion social group dynamics in birds.Ibis,156(4), 701-715.

Object-Oriented Database Management Systems Essays -

Object-Oriented Database Management Systems The construction of Object-Oriented Database Management Systems started in the middle 80's, at a prototype building level, and at the beginning of the 90's the first commercial systems appeared. The interest for the development of such systems stems from the need to cover the modeling deficiencies of their predecessors, that is the relational database management systems. They were intended to be used by applications that have to handle big and complex data such as Computer Aided Engineering, Computer Aided Design, and Office Information Systems. The area of the OODBMSs is characterized by three things. First, it lacks a common data model. There is no common data model although many proposals can be found in the literature. This is a more general problem of all the object-oriented systems not only the database management systems. Since the data model determines the database language of the system, which in turn determines the implementation of the system, we can understand that the differences between the various systems with different data models can be big and substantial. Second is the common theoretical framework. Although there is no standard object-oriented model, most object-oriented database systems that are operational or under development today share a set of fundamental object-oriented concepts. Therefore the implementation issues in OODBMSs that arise due to these concepts are universal. The third characteristic is that of experimental activity. Plenty of prototypes have been implemented and some ! of them became commercial products. There is really a need for applications to handle very complex data and that is why the interest of people in building such systems is so strong. Although there is no consensus on what an OODBMS is and which are the features that differentiate it from other systems, there has been a lot of effort for an agreement on defining the formal characteristics that can stand as the set of specification requirements for the construction of such a system. These should also be used as the set of features that one has to check in order to find out if a system is really an OODBMS. The features of the OODBMS can be divided as follows: * mandatory features: these are the features that one system should have in order to deserve the title OODBMS. * optional features: these are the features that if one system has, should be considered better than another that does not have them, provided that both have all the mandatory features. * open choices: these are features that a designer of a system can choose if and how to implement. They represent the degrees of freedom left to the system designers. An OODBMS should be a database management system and at the same time an object oriented system. The first characteristic is translated to the following features: persistence, concurrency, recovery, secondary storage management, and ad hoc query mechanisms. The second characteristic is translated to the following: composite objects, object-identity, encapsulation, inheritance overriding and late binding, extensibility, and computational completeness of the database language used. Composite objects can be built recursively from simpler ones by applying constructors to them. These simpler objects can be integers, characters, strings, booleans, and in general objects of types that all the programming languages possess. There are various constructors such as list, set, bag, array, tuple, etc. The minimal set of constructors that a system must have is: set (to represent unordered collections of real world objects), list (to represent ordered collections of real world objects), tuple (to represent properties of real world objects). A system that supports composite objects and therefore constructors for their building, should also support operators for the retrieval, insertion, and deletion of their component objects. That means that the database language should be extended in a way that these operators will be included. The identity of an object is what makes it different from all the other objects. This allows the objects to be independent of their values. Therefore the notion of identical objects is introduced: two objects are equal if they have the same values, but are identical if they have the same object identity. The fact that each object possesses an identity facilitates the handling of composite objects since it makes the common use of objects possible and it protects the consistency of the database. If a component object is changed, this change affects all the composite objects that reference it. Due to the object identity, there is no need for replicates, and that is how the consistency of the database is protected. The mechanism of encapsulation allows the hiding of the internal

American Central Banking Impact

American Central Banking Impact Free Online Research Papers American Central Banking and Oil and the Impact of their Visual Depictions By: Teodor Serbanescu Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of The Humanities Arts Requirement Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, Massachusetts This Seminar in the History of Science and Technology and the History of Scientific and Technical Illustration is the culmination of my five Humanities and Arts courses at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Every class, in some way, related to the theme of the seminar, and helped maximize my final product. For example, HI 2314 set up a foundation of basic American history for me to build upon. HI1312 discussed American social history, which taught me about public opinions and behaviors through time. EN2211 helped improve my writing skills, which was crucial to my success in the seminar. Also, HI2331 and HI2332 taught me the history behind science and technology over a period of two centuries. The subject of the actual seminar was more focused on the technical images throughout the history of science, which required me to do some research that I have not done previously. The paper that I wrote was about American central banking and oil and the impact of their technical depictions. It ti es into the theme of the seminar because central banking and oil companies were, in a way, a type of science, and the images related to them and impacted them in a strong way. Introduction Since the nineteenth century, central banking and the oil industry have been areas of importance in regard to the shaping of American politics and society. Central banking and the Federal Reserve System have played a significant role in the country’s finances, but have also been scowled at by a number of people, especially during its early years. The oil business has affected our country in a variety of ways as well, and also has been frowned open at times. During this time, artists have drawn images in newspapers and magazines that portray what is happened in the country. Additionally, these images are drawn mainly to provide a theme of controversy, such as the one that banking and oil have provided. Central banking and the oil industry have been scrutinized with visual imagery throughout history, often times to depict their true nature to the public. Central Banking America’s first bank was founded by Alexander Hamilton in 1871. It was modeled after the Bank of England. Unlike today’s banks, it did not hold all of America’s money supply, rather only about 20%. The Bank was opposed by some, most notably Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, who thought that the system would lead to corruption, manipulation, and misuse. Five years later, a second bank was created to improve the first. The second bank, like the first, did not have an official name. It was structured mostly the same as the first bank, except it expanded across the US and was allowed to hold more money. However, the bank’s downfall was due to President Andrew Jackson, who denounced the bank in 1830 and claimed it to be a source of corruption. The image above is a political cartoon published in an 1832 newspaper. This drawing was inspired by Andrew Jackson’s battle with the second bank of the United States; Jackson vetoed the bank in 1832, saying that it served mainly to make the rich richer. Jackson told his vice president, Martin Van Buren, â€Å"The bank is trying to kill me, but I will kill it!† These words are portrayed in the above cartoon quite literally. While analyzing this picture, a few things are obvious: the main characters are Andrew Jackson, a young man, and the green monster, and it takes place in a bedroom at night. The bedroom belongs to Andrew, the young man is Andrew’s butler, and the green monster is the portrayal of the bank; I can only assume this through logic reasoning. Andrew Jackson is holding a sword and trying to attack the monster ‘bank’, while his butler is holding him back, and the monster is in an offensive position as well. The implications and themes of t his picture are as follows: Andrew Jackson is a small old man with a brave heart (a characteristic that is generally favored among people), because he is trying to fight a huge monster. The young butler is trying to hold Andrew back from this monster (this adds a comical affect). And the monster ‘bank’ is trying to attack Jackson (monsters are generally un-favored among people). When putting these three generalizations together, people during that time, and even today, will get the idea that the bank is evil and Jackson is brave and noble, which is exactly what the artist most likely intended. It turned out that Jackson was in fact favored by the majority of people, and succeeded in his battle with the bank; whether or not this newspaper cartoon had an impact on that is a question that cannot be answered, but I believe the answer is yes. After the downfall of the second bank, the Free Banking Era emerged. It lasted from 1837 to 1862. Each state was allowed to govern their own interest rates, loans, and other finances. Nevertheless, banks still existed, but only locally. In 1863, the National Banking Act was passed and a national currency was introduced. The system had certain flaws, such as the inability to back up their money with treasuries. This lead to the Panic of 1907, in which the government came to the conclusion that separate national banks were insufficient, and a main central bank was needed. The picture above is another political cartoon, published in 1908 by the Pioneer Press. It reads, â€Å"Uncle Sam’s Need Of An Elastic Currency // President Roosevelt: â€Å"You see, those galluses ought to have rubber in them, so that when Uncle Same stoops to move the sheaf there won’t be much strain on the buttons.†Ã¢â‚¬ 1 Galluses is an old way of saying a pair of suspenders for trousers, and sheaf is another way of saying a pile.2 What Roosevelt is implying is that the US government needs an elastic money supply in order to move the money to different locations. He is personifying the US bank as Uncle Sam, the ‘galluses’ as the money supply, the ‘sheaf’ as the portion of the money to be moved, and the buttons as the finance center. In this picture, the artist portrays Roosevelt’s analogy in a clever way. He drew Uncle Same about to ‘move the sheaf’, as Roosevelt had mentioned, and even drew out some of the impl ications that he made. For example, Uncle Sam’s ‘Galluses’ are drawn out and labeled ‘US Currency’, the buttons are labeled â€Å"Finance Center†, and the ‘sheaf’ is labeled ‘The Crops’, which is another term for the goods or money to be moved. The artist also added two gentlemen watching and Uncle Sam with a pondered look upon their faces; one of the men has ‘Congress’ written on his hat, implying that congress is overseeing this process and looking for ways to improve it. The humor is that Roosevelt took the serious idea of an elastic money supply, and created this witty scenario that we have above. The effects that this image had on the public, other than being funny, was to inform them about this new idea and raise their support towards it through amusement. After the Free Banking Era, in 1913, the Federal Reserve System came to power. This system was not exactly part of the government, but too far away from it either. It was responsible for holding money and deposits from other banks, i.e. reserving it, also called the ‘banker’s bank’. Since then, the Fed has gone through a number changes and provisions. Today, the Fed employs a monetary policy, which gives it the power to change prices, taxes, and credits to ensure positive economic growth in the country. It is responsible for controlling our national finance and debt. This cartoon was drawn by Greg Strid in 2007 and named ‘Uncle Sam’s Credit Brothel’. It portrays the Federal Reserve as sort of vacuum machine, sucking up the money coming from the window of the store. The store, labeled ‘Uncle Sam’s Brothel’ is in flames. Also, the man is driving the machine, with a hat labeled ‘Ben’, he has an unhappy look on his face. You can tell that the setting is during the early 1900s, because the automobile and store is made of wood. There is also a sign on the other side of the building saying ‘Moral Majority Entrance’.1 The implication of ‘Uncle Sam’s Credit Brothel’ is to represent an ordinary bank during that time, and brothel is used to represent the money and credits, not actual prostitutes, as the word actually means. The message that the artist is trying to send here is that the Federal Reserve is destroying small town banks by coming through the back entrance, i.e. using politics to destroy them, not actual force. The driver, named Ben, has a sad expression on his face because he is portrayed as an average working citizen. Oil Industry Oil has been around for thousands of years, but until the 1800s, oil was used for other purposes than fuel. It was used for disinfectants, vermin killers, hair oil, and boot grease. The oil industry in the US began in the mid 1800s when gas powered automobiles were invented.1 Soon after, a man named John D. Rockefeller took control of the oil industry by driving his competitors into bankruptcy and then buying them out. In 1870, he formed the Standard Oil Company, which took control of the entire oil industry in the US. This all ended in 1911, when the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the Standard Oil Company was using illegal monopoly practices. Congress then divided the oil industry into 34 new companies. The image above is a political cartoon drawn by Udo J. Keppler in 1904. It appeared in a magazine, during that time, called ‘Puck’. The picture shows an octopus monster, labeled ‘Standard Oil’, devouring a manufacturing site and wrapping its tentacles around some buildings and people. The octopus is representing J.D. Rockefellers oil industry monopoly. The other figures in this picture are the steel, copper, and shipping industries, which are being crushed under the octopus. Also, the state house and U.S. Capitol located the left and right of the monster are being grabbed. The octopus is reaching towards the White House.1 The four people being attacked seem to be the owners of the other industries, whom are disgruntled by their defeat. This picture’s setting is on top of the globe, which emphasizes the power and strength of the standard oil octopus. The main theme of this drawing is to show how powerful the standard oil company is becoming, how aggres sive and scary it is, and how close it is to grabbing the white house and gaining full control of the country. Could this have played a role in the eventual downfall of Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company? Up until World War II, the true value of oil was not entirely known to the US. After WWII, the government quickly realized the full extent of oil value, and started playing a vast role in the oil business. In 1933, the government paid $275,000 to Saudi Arabias King for an oil concession, and this was just the first of many transactions that the government would make with foreign countries. Since then, the value of oil has increased. Today, oil prices are rising drastically, and causing much controversy in public opinion. The problem is that US does not have enough oil supply to fulfill its demand. Due to this, the Bush and Cheney Administration stated that they would focus their attention more on the Middle East for future oil supply. Once the September 11th terrorist attacks occurred, the administration decided to engage Iraq. Many believe that the main reason for this was oil, although, President Bush says that the main reason was because they believed Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. Recently, Bush stated that the forces cannot leave Iraq because terrorists will use the oil refineries against us. This cartoon was drawn by S Greenberg and published in the Ventura County Star newspaper in 2003. It shows George W Bush in a blue business suit and army helmet, talking about reasons to go to Iraq. In white quote bubbles, he firsts asks why we must go to Iraq, then in the other bubble, he gives four reasons. These reasons are the same as the ones that he publicly states all the time, such as Saddam’s threat to the US and the threat weapons of mass destruction.1 The humor is how the artist bolded and capitalized the letters ‘O I L’, in the words ‘toil recoil boil and soil’. So if a person reads only the bold letters, they will read ‘oil, oil, oil, oil’ where Bush is explaining the reasons to go to Iraq. Also, Bush’s facial expression and posture show that he is trying to preach something, which adds more of a comical affect. Most citizens know that oil has a large role in the reason why we are in Iraq, even though Bush won’t admit it; cartoons like this one help emphasize that point. Conclusion A lot of times, when organizations, such as the Central Bank and Oil Industries of the US, try to do something immoral or unjust, an artist, somewhere, ends up drawing something about it. These depictions are seen in newspapers, magazines, and now, the Internet. Unfortunately for the organizations, public opinion matters, and visual images can change public opinion from the way they depict the organizations. To conclude, visual imagery can affect the way a country is run in an indirect way. References 1) Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. A History of Central Banking in the United States. Minneapolis, Minnesota. April 25, 2008. minneapolisfed.org/centralbankhistory/bank.cfm Apr 23, 2008. 2) Random House Unabridged Dictionary. Dictionary. Random House, Inc 1997. http://dictionary.infoplease.com. Apr 25, 2008. 3) Andrew Jackson, U.S. President. www.answers.com/topic/andrew-jackson, Apr 25, 2008 4) Mukhtar Amin, Joshua Berkowitz, Suzanne Bremer, Kevin Gallagher, Julie A. Nelson, Brian Roach. Macroeconomics in Context. Global Development And Environment Institute Tufts University, Medford , MA. 5) Strid, Greg. Uncle Sam’s Credit Brothel. splendidmarbles.com/category/cartoonscultural, Apr 23, 2008. 6) Sjuggerud, Steve. History of Oil: The Single Greatest Prize in All History. The Oxford Club, 1999. investmentu.com/IUEL/2004/20040811.html. Apr 27, 2008. 7) Picture History. 1997. www.picturehistory.com/product/id/17529. Apr 27, 2008. 8) Duroy, Quentin. John Davison Rockefeller. Spring 1999. bgsu.edu/departments/acs/1890s/rockefeller/bio1.htm 9) Loven, Jennifer. Bush gives new reason for Iraq war. Associated Press, August 31, 2005. boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/08/31/bush_gives_new_reason _for_iraq_war/. Apr 27, 2008. 10) Bush’s New Benchmark. http://marjorieanndrake.blogspot.com/2007/08/bushs- benchmark-oil- privitazation-mucho.html. Apr 28, 2008. Research Papers on American Central Banking and OilThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationTwilight of the UAWWhere Wild and West MeetHip-Hop is Art19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraThree Concepts of PsychodynamicBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseDefinition of Export QuotasInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married Males

Analysis of The Military Strategies of The Campaign of Mantinea essays

Analysis of The Military Strategies of The Campaign of Mantinea essays Analysis Of The Military Strategies Of The Campaign Of Mantinea The Peloponnesian War spanned many, many years in which two main factions, the Spartans and the Athenians, were warring for the domination of Greece along with the many surrounding villages; many with their own agendas. I will be doing an analysis of one particular campaign; the campaign of Mantinea fought in the year 362 B.C.E. To do this I first must bring to light some of the key players in this campaign, especially Epaminondas. Epaminondas, a Theban general, was charged with the task to make the Peloponnese as weak as possible so they may overtake it with the least resistance. To do this the Thebans must play both sides of the war. The Thebans were supposedly allied with the Spartans but in those times that mattered little, treaties were broke and regained on a daily basis. Epaminondas had with him all the Boeotians, the Euboeans and many of the Thessalians; and while the Phocians were bound by treaty to assist the Thebans they found no reasoning in the treaty to justify them assisting with a foreign invasion. This was of little concern to Epaminondas seeing as once they were in the Peloponesse they had the help of the Argives, Messenians, the Tegeans, the Megalopolitans, the Aseans, and the Pallantians. (Xenophon. 396-397) Knowing he had the support of many factions, Epaminondas sped away into Peloponnese. He made it as far as Nemea and decided that this was the only way the Athenian army could come to invade Peloponnese. He assumed any loss to the Athenians would ultimately benefit Thebes and rally his allies and discourage those of the Athenians. Unbeknownst to him the forces opposing Thebes were gathering at Mantinea. Epaminondas' choice to use Nemea, as a striking point to wound the Athenians, was well justified but his intelligence was slow. The Athenians had decided instead of marching to Peloponnese they would sail into the gulf of Argolis...

Residential Law Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Residential Law - Case Study Example The Council had instructed its employee, Sam, to carry out this work. (Although not specifically mentioned in the judgment, it was assumed that Hazel Khan was expected to pay for this report in the charges made to him by the Southwark Council.) The report to be prepared by Sam should diligently disclose the presence of any settlement cracks between the flat and later extension, which might reduce the value of the flat. Any devaluation in price of flat can be claimed by Hazel Khan. Sam has to declare the current solvability status of the Southwark Council. The Council's professional indemnity insurance has to be valid at all times for any future insurance claim. The Mortgage report to be supplied to Hazel Khan must be in a form which should include all references to Southwalk Council, although Hazel knew that the report had been prepared by a hired and independent valuer. Hazel Khan has the option to rely on this report or may arrange for another independent survey of the property if he chooses to do so. Hazel Khan has the right to criticize any breached a duty of care which the Council owed him in his personal capacity. Sam should accept that Hazel would place reliance upon his report. In order to hold Hazel personally liable in anyway, Hazel had to show that he had assumed responsibility towards the report in his personal capacity. Sam has to bear allegiance that his duty was not to Hazel, but to the Council which employed him and it was on the Council alone that Hazel had relied. It was the Council that had assumed responsibility to Hazel, not he. The report should be cited similar with the case of Yianni v. Edwin Evans & Sons [1982] QB 438, where a firm of valuers and surveyors, engaged by a building society to value a property for mortgage purposes, had been held liable to the purchasers in negligence, despite the purchasers ignoring a recommendation in the mortgage application form that they arrange an independent survey. Another case to cite is in the combined cases of Smith v. Bush and Harris v. Wyre Forest District Council [1990] 1 AC 831. The only real distinction between the present case [Harris] and the case of Yianni is that the valuation was carried out by an in-house valuer. This valuer is discharging the duties of a professional man whether he is employed by the mortgagee or acting on his own account or is employed by a firm of independent surveyors. The essence of the case against him is that he as a professional man realised that the purchaser was relying on him to exercise proper skill and judgment in his profe ssion and that it was reasonable and fair that the purchaser should do so. Sam has to owe a consistent duty of care and Hazel to rely on professional valuer just as in Yianni and Harris where the plaintiffs never even saw the valuation report. But they are to be taken to have relied on the professional skill and care of the individual person who carried it out. It is made clear that a professionally qualified person giving advice may owe a duty of care to an effective recipient of that advice in addition to the duty owed to their employers. This has to be confined strictly to those who may be termed professionally qualified people as in the case of Sam and Hazel, because it would depend on the full circumstances in which advice was given, rather than to any label appropriate to the adviser. In any

Economic Policy Recommendarion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Economic Policy Recommendarion - Research Paper Example Relative poverty on the other hand, refers to the economic inequality that is experienced in a particular society. In the early times, poverty was a common social problem not only for the developing countries but also for the currently developed nations. The increased poverty level was not only due to insufficient and inadequate methods but also it was largely caused by the low demand of the products thus causing low production in the factories. Absolute and relative poverty are measured in different ways. According to the World Bank, $1.25 per day is the threshold for measuring absolute poverty. However, the threshold has been controversial based on the various thresholds used by some countries. For example, in 2010, the US maintained its threshold at $15.15 per day while China placed its threshold for absolute poverty at $ 0.55 per day (Banerjee and Esther, 2011). During the same year, India maintained that its threshold was standing at US$ 1.0 per day. On its part, relative povert y is depicted by the level of income inequality. It is measured by the percentage of individuals with income that is less than the median income. This paper seeks to discuss the impact of poverty and give policy recommendation on how this social problem can be solved using an economic policy. Impacts of poverty to society Poverty affects a society in different ways. One of the key effects is hunger. Due to lack of adequate funds to purchase food produce as well as lack of sufficient factors of production that includes land, labor, entrepreneurship and capital as a result of poverty, members of the society experience reduced food. The problem of hunger especially in some African countries results to illnesses that are caused by lack of vital nutrients for body growth. Another impact of poverty is unemployment. Despite the increase in population, poor countries have not adequate financial resources to initiate investment that acts as major sources of employment. As a result, high perc entage of the members of the society remains jobless thus leading to low households income and low purchasing power (Babb, 2009). Similarly, due to low income that the poor families are get either monthly or annually, they do not see the need for education. They in most cases use their low income to purchase cheap food products. As a result of lack of adequate education, and vital skills, the poor members of the society are not eligible to be employed thus raising the level of unemployment in a country. Poverty causes discrimination within a society. For example, due to their strong financial position, high income earners segregates their poor counterparts both in schools, hospitals and even in making decisions that affects the entire society. On their part, the poor individuals experiences low self esteem and inferior aspects that deteriorates their condition (Kerbo, 2006). Based on the increased cases of illnesses among the poor countries, the governments incur high costs in the f orm of low productivity and high financial expenditure on health care. Ultimately, such governments have to seek for grants from other countries or by increasing domestic taxes thus exerting more pressure on their economy. An economic policy solution to the poverty problem Based on the negative implications of poverty to the society and to a country as a whole, it is fundamental for

Enrollment System Essay Example for Free

Enrollment System Essay This chapter contains discussions on the methods and procedures that will be used in conducting the study. It will describe the respondents’ profile, the population and sampling techniques, the data gathering procedure to be employed, the statistical treatment to be used in treating data gathered. Research Design This study will make use of the descriptive method of research employing quantitative and qualitative approaches. Quantitatively, it will seek to describe the respondents’ reason for the stay of faculty members in private institution and hypothesized the significant differences based on variables identified in the study such as salary, benefits, working environment, supervision and work itself. In addition, the study will qualitatively describe the experiences and reasons why faculty members stay long in the institution to supplement the answers given in the survey questionnaires. This is done through interview using the guide question formulated prior to the conduct of the interview. Population and Sampling There are about 114 instructor/faculty members and they will all be taken as respondents for the quantitative part of the study. For the qualitative part of the study at least 10 instructors of the subject private institution will be interviewed as co-researchers or informants. Research Locale PATTS College of Aeronautics has been in existence for 42 years. It is reputedly the country’s Number One Aeronautical College today. It was founded in 1969 then known as the Philippine Air Transport and Training Services a joint venture of Filipino and American pioneers in aviation. The primary aim was to establish a manufacturing and assembly plant for training aircrafts. The secondary aim was to put up an aeronautical school to meet the needs of the air transportation industry, domestic or international. The unfavorable investment climate then prevailing at that time constrained  the founders to drop the first objective and proceed to the second which is to organize and operate an aeronautical school intended to provide the best professional and technical training to its clients. Thus the PATTS School of Aeronautics was conformably born. The school started with One-Year Airframe Mechanic, Two-Year Airframe Mechanic, and One year Power Plant Mechanic and Two-Year Power Plant Mechanic Courses. In its second year of operation the Communication Technician Course ( Avionics) and the four-year Aeronautical Engineering Course were added. Under the excellent stewardship of the Board of Directors, the school rose to higher levels of credit and standard when its BS Aeronautical Engineering graduates continuous topped the PRC’s Licensure Board Examination for Aeronautical Engineers since its inception in 1983. Thus the tradition of excellence continued. Indeed, successful school operation had its fruits. In 1989, the school attained college status. PATTS School metamorphosed into a bigger educational institution known as PATTS College of Aeronautics, adapting as its slogan â€Å"Fly high, your future is in the skies† In 2005 the greatest transformation coincided with PATTS 36th Foundation Anniversary. This refers to the transfer of PATTS College of Aeronautics from its old site Domestic Airport Road, Pasay City to its new home at Lombos Avenue, San Isidro, Paraá ¿â€ aque City.

My Thoughts on Writing Essays -- Writing Education School Essays

My Thoughts on Writing The only thing I care about; the only thing I hope to get from this course, is some improvement in my ability to write what I think -- explain ideas and feelings to other people. I don't give a damn about anything else, and so far I haven't been disappointed. At the beginning of the course I was informed that we were going to be discussing exposition, which isn't so much a kind of writing as a purpose or attitude behind it. This purpose is to explore, unfold, or develop an idea or issue. And the sense I've gotten from our discussion is that the attitude is one of intellectual honesty, of dedication to learning something and reporting what's there , instead of protecting preconceived notions or projecting agendas or otherwise following some kind of "safe" path. "Themewriting" is what we've been calling everything which does the latter. The first example paper we read, the "3 E-Z steps to achieve success" one, is a perfect example of what I've come to consider themewriting. It takes on "success," which it acknowledges in the first paragraph is a complex and abstract concept open to many interpretations. It then says that whatever it is, success is something we can easily achieve by following a simple formula. The elements of the formula itself -- "set goals," "set achievable goals," and "achieve your achievable goals" -- are things we've all heard from self-help videos, counselors, and tea tins. So, cliche -- reliance on stuff the writer already knows and thinks is so True nobody can dispute it -- is a hallmark of themewriting. These reams of term papers are written in response to all sorts of assignments. I wrote one last year for meteorology about weather control which I constructed entirely as ... ...s absolutely necessary. In other words, they have little or no personal commitment to their writing. And why would they? This isn't a piece of writing which boiled up from inside them, driven by some artistic imperative. I got VERY good at the method I was taught in high school, and I've suffered for it. I am acutely aware of a "lost" feeling when faced with the need or desire to succinctly put my own thoughts down on paper -- in a personal letter, in a letter to the editor of the hometown newspaper, or one to a politician to tell him what a weenie he is -- or to write this paper expressing my ideas about writing. I find I have to concentrate hard to write what I want to say without resorting to cliches, bluffing assertions of alleged facts, and the printed equivalent of mumbling-and-hoping-people-get-it, but at least that means I'm learning what to watch for.

Prejudice Paper Essay

Through our own personal experience, Professor McAuliff would like us to use the topics we discussed throughout the semester to show an understanding of the concepts. Using my experience with prejudice I will be providing how what I learned in the social psychology textbook. Prejudice has been a very relevant topic I have related with throughout my life. In addition to reading and thinking about the concepts covered in the text, an important part of the learning process includes applying these concepts to your own life and experiences. Prejudice is a preconceived negative judgment of a group and its individual members (Myers). Prejudice is an attitude essentially that can be either positive or negative judgments. More than likely the prejudice someone is faced with is negative. Being that it is an attitude you also have to know about the ABC’s of attitudes. A is for the affect or feelings. B is for the behavior tendency or inclination to act. And C is for the cognitions or beliefs. They also help tie into stereotypes and discrimination. Stereotypes is a negative evaluation in which you generalize the personal attributes of a group. Discrimination is an unjustified behavior toward ones group. Whether it is conscious or automatic prejudice is your quick response to associations. â€Å"Although our [conscious] minds are in the right places and we may truly believe we are not prejudiced, our hearts aren’t quite there yet† (John Dovido, Time, 2009). With so many races in the world, it is often easy to see how quickly we are to label one another. Racial prejudice is Sco? 1 prime example of people labeled what a person should be. It goes far beyond enough for racial prejudice within the same groups some identify themselves with. People tend to point out what is wrong in their group before they admit their wrongs. In some groups you have anti- whatever the group is because a hatred developed from society. Prejudice is spread out throughout the world. Not strictly a racial epidemic it can be anything from youth disliking the elderly to genders disliking genders. It affects everyone the same especially from the negative side. When it is automatic your unconscious associations can be influenced by perceptions and reactions you have. Especially for gender prejudice, the gender role norms come into play. People have ideas on how men and women ought to behave. Often prejudice and stereotype do get confused in this area. Stereotypes only support prejudice beliefs and attitudes are separate. With more separation prejudice has social inequalities. They allow for one group to seek dominance over the other. Making groups break off into a particular status. Creating this social hierarchy that can create hostility amongst groups. Status is looked the most in regards to the negative feeling that appear in prejudice socially. Rich versus the poor is the most common social dominance orientation. The fact of the matter is people want to be on top of the hierarchy. Prejudice coming in so many forms is easy to grasp the idea of it being everywhere. Nothing beats facing prejudice for the first time. As an African American male I have been faced with plenty of different forms of prejudice. I can recall being discriminated against just for being not only black but intelligent within my own group of black people. My very own cousin would tease me and call me a â€Å"white boy†, which I am clearly not, because I was interested in school. I was the first of many of my cousins to graduate high school and instead of being proud me they would tell me I was uppity or not black enough for them. It is very hard when your very own Sco? 2 family doesn’t expect you. I wanted some much to conform to what they did but I wasn’t thety pe of person who wanted to live a life. My cousins definitely are your stereotypical black people. I have found myself in a different social class than them just because I have worked harder than they have to be something more than someone running the streets. I can agree with racial prejudice the author discusses in the textbook because it has yet to die out. However racial prejudice in the black community in my opinion is at an all-time high and very prevalent. Though we have changed since the 1940’s the anti-black prejudices haven’t. Social dominance is felt whether if it is whites being above blacks or other blacks be above other blacks. Prime example is how black rappers spend their money on material items instead of investing or saving just to compete with who have more money or more material items than they do. â€Å"†What you want, a Bentley? Fur coat? A diamond chain? All you blacks want all the same things†, a line from Kanye West’s song New Slaves. He plays off of the typical stereotypes imposed on the black community, usually considered as hood dreams. Condescendingly, he uses the term â€Å"blacks† as a euphemism and expands on this idea when he says â€Å"I know that we the new slaves† (rapgenius. com, Kanye West, 2013). Prejudice exists in our unconscious and conscious forms. It is a preconceived negative attitude that can affect some of our beliefs. It can arise in a social sources and lead people to split in groups. â€Å"Unequal status breeds prejudice† (Myers). Whether it is implicit or explicit all prejudice can mirrored from group to group. It may be a subtle action, but the small action that creates the worst problems. References Dovidio, John (2009). Prejudice Researcher. TIME. Sco? 3 Myers, D. G. (2013). Social Psychology (11th Ed. ). New York: McGraw-Hill. RapGenius. com (2013). Kanye West- New Slave Lyrics Sco? 4.

Euthanasia and Early 20th Century

Life is precious and shouldn't be taken for granted. A high percentage of people living in America believe that the taking of someone's life is rather normal in certain ways. Euthanasia is illegal in most of the world, however is permissible in the Netherlands and also in Colombia. In the United States of America, euthanasia is legal only in the state of Oregon. Rendering to a May 2004 Gallup Poll, 53% of all Americans think that euthanasia is ethically acceptable, while 41 % believe it is wrong. During the time of the early 20th century, groups formed supporting uthanasia, and mainly were located in England and America.Throughout World War II, the Nazis in Germany had their own program assisting euthanasia. They assisted people with euthanasia who weren't worthy and who were not in good physical shape enough to live on. They were comprised of primarily children and older people. Euthanasia has its pros and cons, and obviously has its reasons. You're probably wondering, what is eutha nasia? Euthanasia comes from the Greek language and means â€Å"good death†, and is basically a thought of â€Å"mercy killing†. Euthanasia can be divided in to two categories.Two Main Types of Euthanasia There are two types of Euthanasia, active and passive euthanasia. Active euthanasia is an ending of one's life, mainly done by a physician, usually by lethal drug injections. On the other hand, passive euthanasia is when someone stops a patient from receiving his/her medical treatments which eventually causes that person to die. As we can see, euthanasia is related to death in either case. Euthanasia is mainly used at hospitals, where people are in very bad condition, especially individuals who are in comas.There are even times when Euthanasia is practiced by turning off the ife support machines, or not providing enough food and/or water to the patient. In addition, there are cases where prescribed medications like antibiotic, morphine, etc. , are given to patients wh ich can lead to a patient's death. Performing the action of euthanasia, passive or active, is a big problem that needs to be addressed by the government. The main problem lies with the decision maker in determining the sick patient's future.If the decision maker thinks that the patient is suffering exceedingly, he/she will perform the act of euthanasia. However, if the patient is not suffering, the erformer will not proceed to his/her prescribed actions. It's important to note that today, machines, medicines and other technology have saved millions of lives, therefore, making euthanasia a more and widely discussed and controversial matter throughout the world. Sometimes euthanasia can be beneficial when a person is in critical condition and is too sick to benefit from life.It could also be a way to dismiss extreme pain. However, Euthanasia can have a negative aspect. Euthanasia can debase human life or a monetary reason to save loads of money rather than pending it on life support m achines. In conclusion these are the basic pros and cons ot euthanasia. The pros and cons ot the supporting evidence will be discussed in detail below to be understood in its supposed manner. Pros and Reasons Supporting Euthanasia There are many pros for supporting Euthanasia. One would be to help remove extreme suffering from a terminally sick person.Secondly, it another way for ending tremendously high medical bills, knowing that a patient is not going to be cured or knowing that a patient will not live due to the suffering that's being experienced. Lastly, euthanasia can be beneficial when used on a person who has been in a coma for a while to help family members or close friends overcome any thoughts or feelings that they might have towards the person in the coma. Cons and Reasons Opposing Euthanasia There are also negative aspects for supporting Euthanasia.A person shouldn't be killed with the use of euthanasia because it is compared to â€Å"murder†. Secondly, Euthanasi a is another way to stop the high costs of medical bills. This type of thinking is immoral. Lastly, Euthanasia can be influenced by the sick patient's wealth and his/her personal belongings, i. . , acquiring wealth, property, inheritance, etc. As we can see from the above pros and cons mentioned above, the action of Euthanasia is rather opinionated. Some people side with euthanasia while others criticize and oppose it.There seems to be no really right or wrong side, but more of a sense of morals involved. Euthanasia is a large topic and can interfere in many people's lives, and can even interfere in one's religion, which is a whole separate topic. The following will show the thoughts about Euthanasia in both Christianity and Islam. The Christian religion has several beliefs on Euthanasia. One aspect deals with life which concerns the giving and life and the taking away of life is created by God and God only, and therefore people's lives should not be determined by human choice.They also believe that no human being should have the right to take the life from another for any reason possible. The Islamic religion is quite similar to the Christian religion on this topic. In the Islamic religion, Allah SWT once said in the Quran, â€Å"Do not take the life, which Allah made sacred, other than in the course of justice. † The Prophet, PBUH, said: â€Å"Amongst the nations before you there was a man ho got a wound, and growing impatient (due to the pain), he took a knife and cut his hand with it and the blood did not stop till he died.Allah said, ‘My slave hurried to bring death upon himself so I have forbidden him (to enter) Paradise. † Sahih Bukhari. Therefore, a person who takes one's own life away will not enter Paradise. It's not up to individuals to make the determination on when life should end; it only belongs to Carmelite Spirituality and the e 30 May 2 Practice ot Mental Prayer As we can see in the figure above, a very ill patient, Faye, lying down in bed, with n illness which caused her to be both paralyzed and speechless. Faye cannot move any part of her body and cannot communicate with anyone, as well.Faye and her family collaborated together and have decided to use active euthanasia, by the means of using lethal drug injections. In this situation, Faye has agreed to the injections because she feels that she will not gain anything from life due to her terminal conditions. Euthanasia for Faye was an upright choice because it provided an easy death for her and avoided a lot of pain and suffering that she was experiencing. As for Faye's family, it saved them a large debt that included life upport, which would have kept her alive throughout her miserable future.

Your Best Friend and My Lifes Work - Short persuasive essay about Dog Training

Your Best Friend and My Lifes Work - Short persuasive essay about Dog Training Let's face it, most of us love dogs. Getting a dog can be a good decision that leads to a rewarding loving relationship. It is also a lesson in responsibility and patience. Living with a dog can be a daydream, or a nightmare; the experience depends on the choices of the owner.When most people go grocery shopping, they take inventory of what they have, what is still needed, have a budget to stick to, and then they make a list. But when it comes to making the life changing decision of getting a dog, some people will go out shopping and let the dog choose them! Getting the right dog is just as important as planning and preparing to bring home a baby. Becoming a dog owner comes with many responsibilities. It is important to consider all the ramifications of owning an animal, before a commitment is made that will last for years and affect one's future.Two Doberman PinschersAfter all, the dog will become a family member for the rest of it's life.Making the right choice in breed and plannin g is essential for success. For instance, while planning consider these things: lifestyle, time schedule, budget, and the home environment. All dogs have their own special characteristics that define their particular breed. When choosing an animal a person must also consider even one's own personality. A calm independent individual, might not want to get a Chihuahua that will act like a cling-on, bark at every shadow, and vibrate in his/her lap. People who have little time and money to spend on a dog's hygiene, should eliminate the idea of getting a long haired breed that requires heavy brushing every other day and a trip to the groomers once a month. A Doberman might not be a good choice with...

47 of the Best Training Resources to Hone Your Marketing Skills

47 of the Best Training Resources to Hone Your Marketing Skills Marketing teams are constantly busy. There’s barely enough time to get on top of your projects, much less take a couple hours out of the day to do some marketing training. But here’s a thought†¦ What if the training helped your team be more efficient at their jobs? Thus saving time in the long run. Not sure where to turn to find the right training opportunities for your marketing team? No stress. This post contains a comprehensive list of the best free and paid marketing courses to help your team hone their marketing skills. Check out this awesome list of the best free and paid marketing training resources.Help Your Team Develop Agile Marketing Skills Before we dive into all the marketing training opportunities, let’s talk about a much-needed marketing skill†¦ Project management. You know the feeling – The one where you’re drowning in work, chasing endless status updates and barely keeping a handle on all the things your team is working on. We’ve all been there. 😠¬ It doesn’t have to be this way. Check out how implementing an Agile approach to your marketing can change your (work) life. Table of Contents Content Marketing SEO Programming Analytics Social Media PPC Why Training is Important for Marketing Teams There is arguably no department at an organization that should prioritize training more than the marketing department. Hear me out on this one†¦ Can you think of anything within an organization that moves faster than marketing? Marketers are beholden to changing social media rules†¦ Search engine algorithm updates†¦ Email privacy regulations†¦ The list goes on. Marketers need consistant  training to stay in-the-know. Marketers are also often expected to wear multiple hats. How many times have you had to create a quick graphic for social media – even though you’re not a graphic designer? OR†¦ How many times have you had to jump into Google Analytics to check the health of your content marketing efforts, despite your limited analytics knowledge? Quite a few I bet. These are great examples of why marketers can (and should) take a course or two to brush up on skills outside of their expertise. Organizational Benefits of Training and Development Increasing employee motivation and decreasing turnover is something every company strives for. Turns out, a simple way to do this is to offer your employees a great training and development program. Here are all the statistics about the organizational benefits of training and development: Companies have a  218%  higher income per employee than those without formalized training. There’s a 24%  higher profit margin for companies that prioritize training than those who don’t. 40%  of employees who don’t receive training will leave their positions within the first year. 87%  of Millennials say that professional development is significant to them. 70%  of individuals say training and development opportunities influence their decision to stay at a company.

Communication Learning Portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Communication Learning Portfolio - Essay Example The audience for this particular exercise is a prospective employer. The job description that will be chosen for this exercise involves a specific company, and the talk will be aimed at that company regarding the specific position. My talk will begin with an attention-getter. I will use my vast amount of experience to accomplish this. An introduction of myself, my purpose in getting the job I have chosen, and an overview of the skills I possess will be addressed. Have you ever been asked the following during an interview: 'Tell me about yourself." Response: I gave a brief synopsis of my professional growth and education, trying to leave out details from my personal life or opinions that could be offensive. Good-quality focus statements are simple, bottom-line, easy-to-follow, and extremely focused. They tell recruiters what you want them to know about you, they sell yourself, they offer opportunities for networking, they help you realize who you are and what you can offer a prospective employer, and they help you to sound organized and articulate. The bottom line is that recruiters like it best when someone can sell themselves quickly, honestly, and precisely. There is a formula to the focus statement. ... There is a formula to the focus statement. It tells where you have been (growing up, high school, college, and your major), where you are now (academics, work experience, and industry knowledge), and where you are planning on going (what job, what industry) MBTI Discussion According to the Myers and Briggs Foundation (2009, pg. 1), "The purpose of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality inventory is to make the theory of psychological types described by C. G. Jung understandable and useful in people's lives. The essence of the theory is that much seemingly random variation in the behavior is actually quite orderly and consistent, being due to basic differences in the ways individuals perceive and in how they reach conclusions, then it is only reasonable for them to differ correspondingly in their interests." Brigg's four dichotomies are present in the instrument. These are as follows: Favorite world Information Decisions Structure There are also16 dichotomies or personality types associated with the Myers-Brigg Type Indicator instrument. These are often included in a 'type table' and are as follows: ISTJ, ISTP, ESTP, ESTJ, ISFJ, ISFP, ESFP, ESFJ, INFJ, INFP, ENFP, ENFJ, INTJ, INTP, ENTP, and ENTJ. Resume/Cover Letter The objectives of the cover letter and resume exercise are to develop strategic communication skills, demonstrate audience-analysis skills, and practice creating persuasive messages. The following is the resume that was used: Address 1 Telephone/Message: Address 2 SUMMARY Multimedia / Graphic Arts / 3D Accident Reconstruction Specialist Strengths: Outstanding ability to integrate business and digital design environments seamlessly: MBA in Business and Finance Professional Studies in

Influence of Globalization on Organizational Network Structures Essay

Influence of Globalization on Organizational Network Structures - Essay Example Globalization can be identified as the increased â€Å"mobility of goods, sources of labor, technology and capital† on a worldwide prospect. Considering the impact of globalization on the organizational factors, it can be studied that several new possibilities and opportunities are opening as a result of globalization. Newer ways are cropping up with respect to delivery of different functions. There is an increase in the number of options available to a company and hence greater number of decisions to be taken. Moreover such decisions have to be communicated to all divisions and all levels within an organization. This undoubtedly increases the complexity of an organizational network structure as well. However corporate globalization increases the number of opportunities for an organization; but at the same time it sets up more numbers of interdependencies between a variety of organizations. Learning from a World Class Company: IBM (International Business Machines Corporation): The IBM is â€Å"one of the largest providers of information technology and services†. The primary missions of the company include becoming the leader in creating, developing, and manufacturing superior information technologies and transforming those skills and expertise into â€Å"value† for its customers. Computer systems that include â€Å"software, networking systems, storage devices and microelectronics† are designed, developed and manufactured by IBM. The operations of the company are spread across the world providing work opportunities for more than 200,000 people. The headquarters of the company is in Armonk, New York (Tung, 2001, p.40). A brief history of the company: IBM was first initiated in New York in the year 1911. However the company’s history dated back to 1890s when mass immigrants were entering the United States and an efficient system was required to measure the level of population. Initially although the company had been operating only in New York, but within a short duration of time, its operations expanded worldwide. Under the management of Thomas J. Watson the company’s products and services were even more expanded. â€Å"IBM refers to the decades between 1939 and 1963 as the ‘Era of Innovation’†. The product line of the company appreciably enhanced during this period of time. The company moved towards the advancement of computers during the period of the Second World War (Tung, 2001, pp.40-41). Gradually over the years, the company developed several new products that included â€Å"automatic-sequence-controlled calculator†, â€Å"IBM 701† which was the first large computer manufactured with vacuum tube, â€Å"system/360 computer†, and so on. In the year 1969, the company brought in modifications in its product selling and started selling individual components instead of hardware or software devices. IBM had also introduced â€Å"personal computers for small bus inesses, schools and homes†. The company initiated an establishment for network computing and several facilities of such computers. In the year 1993, Louis V. Gerstner joined the company as the CEO and he highlighted the necessity to

AIG Insurance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

AIG Insurance - Essay Example Though the company had to endure seventeen long years in the wait, the breakthrough came when AIG had already owned twelve subsidiaries in China allowing it to apply for an insurance license. The group had access to the Chinese market through its subsidiaries and by getting licenses to sell various insurance products in multiple cities, AUIG was able to break into the institutional void of the Chinese market. The manner in which AIG tailored its products to suit the Chinese market was another way in which the company ensured that its preciously procured licenses were not wasted away. The institutional void in the Chinese market was filled not only by AIG but later on by the Italian insurance giant too. However, AIG had the benefit of being the first in the market. The framework developed by Khanna regarding strategic policies and planning of an insurance company provides set guidelines that can be adopted by firms entering newer markets. The emphasis of companies should be to develop global policies and strategic standards in homogenous markets. However, the Chinese market was not comparable to any previous market that AIG had operated in - the key was to use Khanna's framework and adopt the insurance products in order to suit the Chinese market. AIG trans... It is obvious that there was no lying on part of AIG, however, the emphasis of the marketing program was to project the life insurance policies as savings schemes so that the Chinese market would pay attention to the products. The FSA's developed by AIG in the markets provided it the advantage that it needed in the Chinese market. It allowed AIG to target the Chinese population and attract it to products that had not been there in the market earlier due to the institutional voids. However, AIG was not able to reap the complete benefits of the first mover's advantage due to the other companies getting licenses for insurance in the Chinese market soon after. This led to a reduction in the effectiveness of the program that AIG had initialized and in spite of the fact that it had invested in training and agents earlier, the company was unable to create a huge mark in its profits due to the benefit is had procured so preciously. Question 4 AIG was able to thrive in the market as the leader for several years because of its operational effectiveness. However, the FSAs developed in the Chinese market shield it from competition. The competition in the market was inevitable for AIG and thus the overtaking of AIG was evident once the Chinese market was open to further foreign insurance companies. The question was always a matter of time: the duration that AIG spent as the market leader was critical for it and was the best time for it to make profits from operations. The Italian invasion of the market proved to be fatal fgor AIG as it never recovered. Profitability was not the central goal of AIG; it needed something beyond that. Its first mover advantage got eroded once the Italians got hold of

World Economy Essay Example for Free

World Economy Essay Having goods transported to Western Europe from Asia was difficult and the Europeans did not have the technology to acquire theses goods themselves therefore the Middle East becomes the middle men which started to become pricey. During the 15th century, a series of technological improvement triggers the Europeans to set out and acquire these good themselves. The Europeans had gain a spark of interest of the Asia after the Crusades. The European’s never had direct trade with south and East Asia but was familiar to Asian good mostly the upper class. Also the people of the west wanted to go out and discover, moving away from the fear of fall of earth’s edge also helped begin these explorations. The western powers wanted more land and they knew more land meant more goods that they can use and as well as export.The only power that the western Europeans faced was the lack of advanced technology to help then succed these goals. The first expeditions were limited because of the lack of proper technology, like small oar-propelled ships that were usually used in Mediterranean trade therefore was not useful when it came top traveling far into the ocean. This factor led to the invasion of a better way to traveling the Atlantic. Deep-draft, round-hulled sailing ships made further exploration possible. The Europeans also began to use the compass that was originally made during the Han China, but the Europeans were starting to improve it as well. Mapmaking and other navigational developments were made as it is mentioned that navigation schools were present and they encouraged exploration. Explosives were another Chinese invention that aided the Europeans with their conquest of land, explosives were adapted into gunnery. Advances in European metalwork which helped to create the first guns and commons. Greed, curiosity and rivalry is triggered the desire the go beyond Europe and discover what the rest of the world had to give. In conclusion, It can be said that technology plays a significant role in making these ideas became reality, technological improvements and new inventions aided an age of Exploration or European global dominance.

Melindas Improvement :: essays research papers

For the past few weeks, we have been reading the book Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson. The book is about a girl named Melinda Sordino, who for the most part refused to speak or interact with others after being raped at a end-of-the-summer party before the start of her freshman year in highschool. Ever since she was raped, she completely changed. However, I think she shows signs of improvement during the second half of the year.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ever since the party, Melinda rarely talked to anybody, including her parents. Nevertheless, I noticed that during the second semester of the year she talked considerably more. â€Å"All right, but you said we had to put emotion into our art. I don’t know what that means. I don’t know what I’m supposed to feel.†(p122). This quote is from the third marking period when Melinda was talking to her art teacher Mr.Freeman. I believe that she wouldn’t have said anything had it been earlier in the year. â€Å"Stinks. It was a mistake to sign up for art. I just couldn’t see myself taking wood shop.†(p.146). This quote is another example of Melinda talking, this time to Ivy in the mall. I think these quotes prove that Melinda starts talking more as the year progresses.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the beginning of the year, I noticed that Melinda wasn’t very active or social. For the most part, she avoided most social activities. She seemed to prefer to be alone inside her closet. But during the second semester, I noticed that this started to change. â€Å"I start on the leaves suffocating the bushes†(p.166). This quote describes Melinda going outside and doing yard work on her own without being asked to, which I don’t think she would have done before. Another example is when she asked her dad to bring her some flower seeds(p.168). There quotes prove that Melinda definitely becomes more active during the second half on the year.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the year started, Melinda did poorly in school. She often used stolen late passes and rarely did homework. By the end of the year this was much different. In the third marking period, Melinda says how she showed up to class every day throughout the semester, did some homework, and didn’t cheat on any tests. I see this as a vast improvement. Melindas Improvement :: essays research papers For the past few weeks, we have been reading the book Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson. The book is about a girl named Melinda Sordino, who for the most part refused to speak or interact with others after being raped at a end-of-the-summer party before the start of her freshman year in highschool. Ever since she was raped, she completely changed. However, I think she shows signs of improvement during the second half of the year.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ever since the party, Melinda rarely talked to anybody, including her parents. Nevertheless, I noticed that during the second semester of the year she talked considerably more. â€Å"All right, but you said we had to put emotion into our art. I don’t know what that means. I don’t know what I’m supposed to feel.†(p122). This quote is from the third marking period when Melinda was talking to her art teacher Mr.Freeman. I believe that she wouldn’t have said anything had it been earlier in the year. â€Å"Stinks. It was a mistake to sign up for art. I just couldn’t see myself taking wood shop.†(p.146). This quote is another example of Melinda talking, this time to Ivy in the mall. I think these quotes prove that Melinda starts talking more as the year progresses.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the beginning of the year, I noticed that Melinda wasn’t very active or social. For the most part, she avoided most social activities. She seemed to prefer to be alone inside her closet. But during the second semester, I noticed that this started to change. â€Å"I start on the leaves suffocating the bushes†(p.166). This quote describes Melinda going outside and doing yard work on her own without being asked to, which I don’t think she would have done before. Another example is when she asked her dad to bring her some flower seeds(p.168). There quotes prove that Melinda definitely becomes more active during the second half on the year.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the year started, Melinda did poorly in school. She often used stolen late passes and rarely did homework. By the end of the year this was much different. In the third marking period, Melinda says how she showed up to class every day throughout the semester, did some homework, and didn’t cheat on any tests. I see this as a vast improvement.

Aspects of schooling Essay

Society is regularly called upon to make ethical judgments related to all aspects of schooling. These considerations of right and wrong are made when creating the school curriculum, practicing teaching and learning methods, and budget issues. Education is a vital part of society in which everyone plays a role. It is not only the role of parents and teachers to support a child’s education, but also the role of the whole society to provide a structure of living that supports what is being taught. The purpose of education is to provide a way for others to learn. However, the motive of learning can vary. Some people may learn out of pure interest, whereas others may learn to be able to function in society by getting a job. Education can occur in any environment where there is a will to learn. Furthermore, learning is not dependent on a teacher or any institute but can also occur as self-learning. The best teaching methods are always those that are chosen by the student, not the teacher. Many students prefer learning methods in which they can apply their knowledge practically. Students learn effectively through hands-on experience. Apart from this, any exposure that can be provided to students of their area of study also helps the student learn their role and their future job within the society. Such exposure can be provided through field trips or inviting professionals related to the students’ field of study to address the students. Support can also be provided to studen ts through alumni groups and career counselors. In this way, the purpose of education and method of education depends largely on the learner or student, not the teacher or institute. There are two main roles that schools play. The first role is towards their students. This is the relationship that the school maintains with its students. The other role is towards society. This includes the school’s participation in public activities such as fund-raising, organizing public events, or participation in any public demonstrations. The role of schools towards society also includes how schools prepare their students to be better members of the society. We must realize here that the latter role of schools, namely that of allowing its students to be better members of society, is not the sole responsibility of the schools. It is true that we usually look upon the teacher and other school officials as the educational leader, role model, and decision-maker towards a child’s education. This is an unfortunate fact because teachers can never teach everything to students. Unfortunately, parents often use educational institutes as a way of neglecting their child. Many parents may show love and support for their child by admitting them to an expensive school. However, this has a negative effect when parents think that they can pay others to keep their child happy and educate them properly. Parents and society as a whole must take responsibility by helping students towards being better human beings. Communication and the ability to speak freely are also involved in this area. Teachers, parents and students must be willing to communicate with each other and discuss ways to improve the level of education. The learning community is not just restricted to students, teachers, and school authorities. The student must never feel intimidated of approaching others and speaking freely, whether it is to a teacher, parent, or anyone else they may encounter in their everyday life. The school curriculum should firstly include that material which will be most useful to the student. If the curriculum deviates from what the student wants to learn then the student will quickly lose interest. In general education, the curriculum should be as vast as possible to allow students to learn about different subjects. In contrast, any curriculum of a specific subject or catering to a specific profession such as art, science or business should be more focused and practical in terms of helping the student later in their career. However, all curricula should also provide a basic level of education such as English and other life skills subjects that will help the student function more effectively within society. Learning should occur in an environment that is healthy not just physically but also mentally and socially. Physical conditions do play a role towards how well the students learn. When teaching a large group of students the room must be well ventilated and be large enough to accommodate the students comfortably. These types of situations normally arise during school lectures or assemblies. However, it is absolutely crucial that every student also receives some individual attention. This can be done either by making the classes smaller so there are less students per teacher or arranging a schedule in which each student is allowed to have individual meetings with the teacher. It is the purpose of teachers and institutes to teach relevant material effectively. Everyone learns differently for different reasons. To teach successfully, teachers must first learn about their students. They must assess what interests their student, why the student is attending their class, and how they can help the student learn. Teachers must act as tools of education and be approachable. References: Ballantine, Jeanne H. (1989). Schools And Society. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Karabel, Jerome and A.H. Halsey. (1977). Power And Ideology In Education. New York, NY: Oxford University Press Lazerson, Marvin. (1987). American Education In The Twentieth Century. New York, NY: Teachers College Press Levine, David A. (2002). Building Classroom Communities: Strategies For Developing A Culture Of Caring. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Mayer, Susan E and Paul E. Peterson. (1999). Earning And Learning: How Schools Matter. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press Mendler, Allen N. (2000). Motivating Students Who Don’t Care: Successful Techniques For Educators. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree

The Vampire Diaries: The Struggle Chapter Twelve

A voice spoke as Elena reached for a can on the store shelf. â€Å"Cranberry sauce already?† Elena looked up. â€Å"Hi, Matt. Yes, Aunt Judith likes to do a preview the Sunday before Thanksgiving, remember? If she practices, there's less chance she'll do something terrible.† â€Å"Like forgetting to buy the cranberry sauce until fifteen minutes before dinner?† â€Å"Until five minutes before dinner,† said Elena, consulting her watch, and Matt laughed. It was a good sound, and one Elena hadn't heard for too long. She moved on toward the check-out stand, but after she'd paid for her purchase she hesitated, looking back. Matt was standing by the magazine rack, apparently absorbed, but there was something about the slope of his shoulders that made her want to go to him. She poked a finger at his magazine. â€Å"What areyou doing for dinner?† she said. When he glanced uncertainly toward the front of the store, she added, â€Å"Bonnie's waiting out in the car; she'll be there. Other than that it's just the family. And Robert, of course; he should be there by now.† She meant that Stefan wasn't coming. She still wasn't sure how things were between Matt and Stefan these days. At least they spoke to each other. â€Å"I'm fending for myself tonight; Mom's not feeling so hot,† he said. But then, as if to change the subject, he went on, â€Å"Where's Meredith?† â€Å"With her family, visiting some relatives or something.† Elena was vague because Meredith had been Aunt Judith's cooking?† â€Å"For old times' sake?† â€Å"For oldfriends' sake,† said Elena after a moment's hesitation, and smiled at him. He blinked and looked away. â€Å"How can I refuse an invitation like that?† he said in an oddly muted voice. But when he put the magazine back and followed her out he was smiling, too. Bonnie greeted him cheerfully, and when they got home Aunt Judith looked pleased to see him come into the kitchen. â€Å"Dinner's almost ready,† she said, taking the grocery bag from Elena. â€Å"Robert got here a few minutes ago. Why don't you go straight on back to the dining room? Oh, and get another chair, Elena. Matt makes seven.† â€Å"Six, Aunt Judith,† said Elena, amused. â€Å"You and Robert, me and Margaret, Matt and Bonnie.† â€Å"Yes, dear, but Robert's brought a guest, too. They're already sitting down.† Elena registered the words just as she stepped through the dining room door, but there was an instant's delay before her mind reacted to them. Even so, sheknew; stepping through that door, she somehow knew what was waiting for her. Robert was standing there, fiddling with a bottle of white wine and looking jovial. And sitting at the table, on the far side of the autumn centerpiece and the tall lighted candles, was Damon. Elena realized she'd stopped moving when Bonnie ran into her from behind. Then she forced her legs into action. Her mind wasn't as obedient; it remained frozen. â€Å"Ah, Elena,† Robert said, holding out a hand. â€Å"This is Elena, the girl I was telling you about,† he said to Damon. â€Å"Elena, this is Damon†¦ ah†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Smith,† said Damon. â€Å"Oh, yes. He's from my alma mater, William and Mary, and I just ran into him outside the drugstore. Since he was looking for some place to eat, I invited him along here for a home-cooked meal. Damon, these are some friends of Elena's, Matt and Bonnie.† â€Å"Hi,† said Matt. Bonnie just stared; then, she swung enormous eyes on Elena. Elena was trying to get a grip on herself. She didn't know whether to shriek, march out of the room, or throw the glass of wine Robert was pouring in Damon's face. She was too angry, for the moment, to be frightened. Matt went to bring in a chair from the living room. Elena wondered at his casual acceptance of Damon, and then realized he hadn't been at Alaric's party. He wouldn't know what had happened there between Stefan and the â€Å"visitor from college.† Bonnie, though, looked ready to panic. She was gazing at Elena imploringly. Damon had risen and was Before Elena could come up with a response, she heard Margaret's high little voice in the doorway. â€Å"Matt, do you want to see my kitty? Aunt Judith says I can keep her. I'm going to call her Snowball.† Elena turned, fired with an idea. â€Å"She's cute,† Matt was saying obligingly, bending over the little mound of white fur in Margaret's arms. He looked startled as Elena unceremoniously grabbed the kitten from under his nose. â€Å"Here, Margaret, let's show your kitty to Robert's friend,† she said, and thrust the fluffy bundle into Damon's face, all but throwing it at him. Pandemonium ensued. Snowball swelled to twice her normal size as her fur stood on end. She made a noise like water dropped on a red-hot griddle and then she was a snarling, spitting cyclone that clawed Elena, swiped at Damon, and ricocheted off the walls before tearing out of the room. For an instant, Elena had the satisfaction of seeing Damon's night black eyes slightly wider than usual. Then the lids drooped down, hooding them again, and Elena turned to face the reaction of the other occupants of the room. Margaret was just opening her mouth for a steam engine wail. Robert was trying to forestall it, hustling her off to find the cat. Bonnie had her back pressed flat against the wall, looking desperate. Matt and Aunt Judith, who was peering in from the kitchen, just looked appalled. â€Å"I guess you don't have a way with animals,† she said to Damon, and took her seat at the table. She nodded to Bonnie who reluctantly peeled herself off the wall and scuttled for her own seat before Damon could touch the chair. Bonnie's brown eyes slid around to follow him as he sat down in turn. After a few minutes, Robert reappeared with a tear-stained Margaret and frowned sternly at Elena. Matt pushed his own chair in silently although his eyebrows were in his hair. As Aunt Judith arrived and the meal began, Elena looked up and down the table. A bright haze seemed to lie over everything, and she had a feeling of unreality, but the scene itself looked almost unbelievably wholesome, like something out of a commercial. Just your average family sitting down to eat turkey, she thought. One slightly flustered maiden aunt, worried that the peas will be mushy and the rolls burnt, one comfortable uncle-to-be, one golden-haired teenage niece and her tow-headed baby sister. One blue-eyed boy-next-door type, one spritely girlfriend, one gorgeous vampire passing the candied yams. A typical American household. Bonnie spent the first half of the meal telegraphing â€Å"What do I do?† messages to Elena with her eyes. But when all Elena telegraphed back was â€Å"Nothing,† she apparently decided to abandon herself to her fate. She began to eat. Elena had no idea what to do. To be trapped tike this was an insult, a humiliation, and Damon knew it. He had Aunt Judith and Robert dazzled, though, with compliments about the meal and light chat about William and Mary. Even Margaret was smiling at him now, and soon enough Bonnie would go under. â€Å"Fell's Church is having its Founders' Day celebration next week,† Aunt Judith informed Damon, her thin cheeks faintly pink. â€Å"It would be so nice if you could come back for that.† Aunt Judith looked pleased. â€Å"And this year Elena has a big part in it. She's been chosen to represent the Spirit of Fell's Church.† â€Å"You must be proud of her,† said Damon. â€Å"Oh, we are,† Aunt Judith said. â€Å"So you'll try to come then?† Elena broke in, buttering a roll furiously. â€Å"I've heard some news about Vickie,† she said. â€Å"You remember, the girl who was attacked.† She looked pointedly at Damon. There was a short silence. Then Damon said, â€Å"I'm afraid I don't know her.† â€Å"Oh, I'm sure you do. About my height, brown eyes, light brown hair†¦ anyway, she's getting worse.† â€Å"Oh, dear,† said Aunt Judith. â€Å"Yes, apparently the doctors can't understand it. She just keeps getting worse and worse, as if the attack was still going on.† Elena kept her eyes on Damon's face as she spoke, but he displayed only a courteous interest. â€Å"Have some more stuffing,† she finished, propelling a bowl at him. â€Å"No thank you. I'll have some more of this, though.† He held a spoonful of jellied cranberry sauce up to one of the candles so that light shone through it. â€Å"It's such a tantalizing color.† Bonnie, like the rest of the people at the table, looked up at the candle when he did this. But Elena noticed she didn't look down again. She remained gazing into the dancing flame, and slowly all expression disappeared from her face. Oh,no , thought Elena, as a tingle of apprehension crept through her limbs. She'd seen that look before. She tried to get Bonnie's attention, but the other girl seemed to see nothing but the candle. â€Å"†¦ and then the elementary children put on a pageant about the town's history,† Aunt Judith was saying to Damon. â€Å"But the ending ceremony is done by older students. Elena, how many seniors will be doing the readings this year?† â€Å"Just three of us.† Elena had to turn to address her aunt, and it was while she was looking at Aunt Judith's smiling face that she heard the voice. â€Å"Death.† Aunt Judith gasped. Robert paused with his fork halfway to his mouth. Elena wished, wildly and absolutely hopelessly, for Meredith. â€Å"Death,† said the voice again. â€Å"Death is in this house.† Elena looked around the table and saw that there was no one to help her. They were all staring at Bonnie, motionless as subjects in a photograph. Bonnie herself was staring into the candle flame. Her face was blank, her eyes wide, as they had been before when this voice spoke through her. Now, those sightless eyes turned toward Elena. â€Å"Your death,† shoulders, lifting her. Bonnie's skin had gone bluish-white, her eyes were closed. Aunt Judith fluttered around her, dabbing at her face with a damp napkin. Damon watched with thoughtful, narrowed eyes. â€Å"She's all right,† Robert said, looking up in obvious relief. â€Å"I think she just fainted. It must have been some kind of hysterical attack.† But Elena didn't breathe again until Bonnie opened groggy eyes and asked what everyone was staring at. It put an effective end to the dinner. Robert insisted that Bonnie be taken home at once, and in the activity that followed Elena found time for a whispered word with Damon. â€Å"Get out!† He raised his eyebrows. â€Å"What?† â€Å"I said, get out! Now! Go. Or I'll tell them you're the killer.† He looked reproachful. â€Å"Don't you think a guest deserves a little more consideration?† he said, but at her expression he shrugged and smiled. â€Å"Thank you for having me for dinner,† he said aloud to Aunt Judith, who was walking past carrying a blanket to the car. â€Å"I hope I can return the favor sometime.† To Elena he added, â€Å"Be seeing you.† Well,that was clear enough, Elena thought, as Robert drove away with a somber Matt and a sleepy Bonnie. Aunt Judith was on the phone with Mrs. McCullough. â€Å"I don't know what it is with these girls, either,† she said. â€Å"First Vickie, now Bonnie†¦ and Elena has not been herself lately†¦Ã¢â‚¬  While Aunt Judith talked and Margaret searched for the missing Snowball, Elena paced. She would have to call Stefan. That was all there was to it. She wasn't worried about Bonnie; the other times this had happened hadn't seemed to do permanent damage. And Damon would have better things to do than harass Elena's friends tonight. He was coming here, to collect for the â€Å"favor† he'd done her. She knew without a doubt that that was the meaning of his final words. And it meant she would have to tell Stefan everything, because she needed him tonight, needed his protection. Only, what could Stefan do? Despite all her pleas and arguments last week, he had refused to take her blood. He'd insisted that his Powers would return without it, but Elena knew he was still vulnerable right now. Even if Stefan were here, could he stop Damon? Could he do it without being killed himself? Bonnie's house was no refuge. And Meredith was gone. There was no one to help her, no one she could trust. But the thought of waiting here alone tonight, knowing that Damon was coming, was unbearable. She heard Aunt Judith click down the receiver. Automatically, she moved toward the kitchen, Stefan's She looked at the floor to ceiling windows and at the elaborate fireplace with its beautifully scrolled molding. This room was part of the original house, the one that had almost completely burned in the Civil War. Her own bedroom was just above. A great light was beginning to dawn. Elena looked at the molding around the ceiling, at where it joined the more modern dining room. Then she almost ran toward the stairs, her heart beating fast. â€Å"Aunt Judith?† Her aunt paused on the stairway. â€Å"Aunt Judith, tell me something. Did Damon go into the living room?† â€Å"What!† Aunt Judith blinked at her in distraction. â€Å"Did Robert take Damon into the living room? Please think, Aunt Judith! I need to know.† â€Å"Why, no, I don't think so. No, he didn't. They came in and went straight to the dining room. Elena, what on earth?†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This last as Elena impulsively threw her arms around her and hugged her. â€Å"Sorry, Aunt Judith. I'm just happy,† said Elena. Smiling, she turned to go back down the stairs. â€Å"Well, I'm gladsomeone's happy, after the way dinner turned out. Although that nice boy, Damon, seemed to enjoy himself. Do you know, Elena, he seemed quite taken with you, in spite of the way you were acting.† Elena turned back around. â€Å"So?† â€Å"Well, I just thought you might give him a chance, that's all. I thought he was very pleasant. The kind of young man I like to see around here.† Elena goggled a moment, then swallowed to keep the hysterical laughter from escaping. Her aunt was suggesting that she take up Damon instead of Stefan†¦ because Damon was safer. The kind of nice young man any aunt would like. â€Å"Aunt Judith,† she began, gasping, but then she realized it was useless. She shook her head mutely, throwing her hands up in defeat, and watched her aunt go up the stairs. Usually Elena slept with her door closed. But tonight she left it open and lay on her bed gazing out into the darkened hallway. Every so often she glanced at the luminous numbers of the clock on the nightstand beside her. There was no danger that she would fall asleep. As the minutes crawled by, she almost began to wish she could. Time moved with agonizing slowness. Eleven o'clock†¦ eleven thirty†¦ midnight. Onea.m. One thirty. Two. At 2:10 she heard a sound. She listened, still lying on her bed, to the faint whisper of noise downstairs. She'd known he would find a way to get in if he wanted. If Damon was that determined, no lock would keep him out. The hallway was dark, but her eyes had had a long time to adjust. She could see the darker silhouette making its way up the stairs. When it reached the top she saw the swift, deadly glimmer of his smile. She waited, unsmiling, until he reached her and stood facing her, with only a yard of hardwood floor between them. The house was completely silent. Across the hall Margaret slept; at the end of the passage, Aunt Judith lay wrapped in dreams, unaware of what was going on outside her door. Damon said nothing, but he looked at her, his eyes taking in the long white nightgown with its high, lacy neck. Elena had chosen it because it was the most modest one she owned, but Damon obviously thought it attractive. She forced herself to stand quietly, but her mouth was dry and her heart was thudding dully. Now was the time. In another minute she would know. She backed up, without a word or gesture of invitation, leaving the doorway empty. She saw the quick flare in his bottomless eyes, and watched him come eagerly toward her. And watched him stop. He stood just outside her room, plainly disconcerted. He tried again to step forward but could not. Something seemed to be preventing him from moving any farther. On his face, surprise gave way to puzzlement and then anger. He looked up, his eyes raking over the lintel, scanning the ceiling on either side of the threshold. Then, as the full realization hit him, his lips pulled back from his teeth in an animal snarl. Safe on her side of the doorway, Elena laughed softly. It had worked. â€Å"My room and the living room below are all that's left of the old house,† she said to him. â€Å"And, of course, that was a different dwelling place. One you werenot invited into, and never will be.† His chest was heaving with anger, his nostrils dilated, his eyes wild. Waves of black rage emanated from him. He looked as if he would like to tear the walls down with his hands, which were twitching and clenching with fury. Triumph and relief made Elena giddy. â€Å"You'd better go now,† she said. â€Å"There's nothing for you here.† One minute more those menacing eyes blazed into hers, and then Damon turned around. But he didn't head for the stairway. Instead, he took one step across the hall and laid his hand on the door to Margaret's room. Elena started forward before she knew what she was doing. She stopped in the doorway, grasping the casing trim, her own breath coming hard. His head whipped around and he smiled at her, a slow, cruel smile. He twisted the doorknob slightly without looking at it. His eyes, like pools of liquid ebony, remained on Elena. â€Å"Your choice,† he said. Elena stood very still, feeling as if all of winter was inside her. Margaret was just a baby. He couldn't mean it; no one could be such a monster as to hurt a four-year-old. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. She saw Damon's hand on the doorknob; she saw those merciless eyes. She was walking through the doorway, leaving behind the only safe place she knew. Death was in the house, Bonnie had said. And now Elena had gone to meet Death of her own free will. She bowed her head to conceal the helpless tears that came to her eyes. It was over. Damon had won. She did not look up to see him advance on her. But she felt the air stir around her, making her shiver. And then she was enfolded in soft, endless blackness, which wrapped around her like a great bird's wings.