McDonald s Rebirth Through a Low Growth Strategy Essay

For several decades McDonald’s experienced uninterrupted growth in sales, profits, and number of stores opened. When the company seemed to reach maturity in life cycle, one CEO’s decision for a low-growth strategy started the rebirth of McDonald’s. In its early years, McDonald’s success was founded on principles of high quality standards and service. However, as time passed, their standards and controls slipped and same store sales began a downward trend. Some insisted that the dip in same store sales was evidence of market saturation. However, McDonald’s executives disagreed. With strong support, one McDonald’s CEO went on a new-store binge. As McDonalds continued its unprecedented expansion, relations with franchisees deteriorated because corporate owned outlets were cannibalizing franchisee’s profits. Another CEO began to acquire other fast-food restaurants, but that model failed as it proved a drain on profits. McDonald’s was struggling to keep its growth mode. Then James Cantalupo took the reigns and began a low-growth strategy that turned the company’s fortunes around as he slashed capital expenditures by 40% by closing poorer performing restaurants and adding fewer new restaurants. Eighteen months into Cantalupo’s stint as CEO, McDonald’s stock price rose from eighteen dollars per share to just over twenty-four dollars per share. Just as McDonald’s fortunes seemed to turn, James Cantalupo died suddenly of a heart attack. SWOT Analysis Internal Strengths & Weaknesses: Among McDonald’s greatest strengths are its brand recognition, strong advertising, and market share. It was the most valuable fast food brand worldwide in 2013 with an estimated brand value of eighty-five billion dollars, three times its closest competitor, Starbucks [see appendix 1.1]. McDonald’s strength of brand recognition can primarily be attributed to its strong advertising and market share. This is evidenced by a 1970’s survey which revealed that ninety-six percent of children identified with Ronald McDonald, ranking him second only to Santa Clause. Furthermore, McDonald’s uses high-profile sponsorships and major advertising campaigns to maintain awareness and promote new launches (e.g. 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2014 Winter  Olympics). In 2013, its advertising expenditure in the United States alone was 1.43 billion dollars [for details see appendix 1.2]. McDonald’s has won its market share via strong marketing/advertising efforts and providing convenience for its customers. When McDonald’s accelerated growth period ended, it had approximately 13,000 domestic restaurants. The belief was practical; the more stores in a city, the more per-capita transactions would result. As of 2013, McDonald’s had 35,429 restaurants worldwide- 14,276 of which are domestic (Statista, 2015). McDonald’s other internal strengths include: partnerships with big brands (e.g. Disney), international presence, localized food menus, and revenue. Now that we have examined McDonald’s internal strengths, lets examine the company’s internal weaknesses. Among McDonald’s greatest internal weaknesses are its negative publicity, low presence of corporate social responsibility, high employee turnover, and low strategy differentiation. McDonald’s is heavily criticized for offering unhealthy foods to its customers, further exacerbating the obesity problem in America. The documentary film â€Å"Super Size Me†, which explores the health consequences of a diet based solely of McDonald’s, is one example of the negative publicity surrounding McDonald’s. Environmental groups often criticize McDonald’s for a lack of sustainable sourcing of beef products (USA Today, 2014). This reflects poorly on McDonald’s for having a weak presence of corporate social responsibility. Furthermore, McDonald’s has a high employee turnover as it offers low paying and low skilled jobs. These jobs are often seen negatively by employees and usually result in high employee turnover. This is an internal weakness because it increases training costs and adds to McDonald’s overall costs. Lastly, McDonald’s has low strategy differentiation. It has become incredibly difficult for McDonald’s to differentiate itself from other fast food restaurants; thus, forcing McDonald’s to compete on price rather than features. This is an internal weakness because price wars reduce a company’s gross margin, which results in deteriorating profits. McDonald’s other internal weaknesses include: Declining market share, disgruntled franchisees, quality and taste of products, slowed revenue and income growth. External Opportunities & Threats: McDonald’s is in the unique position to rebrand itself by offering healthier menu options and increasing its corporate social responsibility. In 2006, McDonald’s newly redesigned logo and restaurant layout are being credited for 8-9% sales growth. Furthermore, McDonald’s has the unique opportunity to be the first fast food restaurant to source 100% of its ingredients from sustainable production. Younger generations are very conscientious of the impact their purchasing habits have on the environment. The aforementioned opportunities can be done still pursuing a low growth strategy. But, McDonald’s still has opportunities for growth. Economic research suggest that China’s middle class is on pace to grow from six percent of its population to fifty percent of its population by 2020 (Business Insider, 2014). McDonald’s has historically targeted middle class families, so there is plenty of opportunity for growth in China. If McDonald’s is able to make a more localized menu and provide an atmosphere that can strike the right accord with the Chinese culture then McDonald’s has the opportunity to flourish in China. Among McDonald’s greatest threats are the growing segment of health conscience consumers and the strength of competition. The health conscience consumer, a growing segment of society, poses both a threat and opportunity for McDonalds. The change in customer’s habits represents new needs that must be met by McDonald’s. In an attempt to cater to this market, McDonald’s has added salads, fruit, and oatmeal to their menu. Additionally, they have eliminated trans-fat oil- a product blamed for the nations obesity. Other areas of concern are the threat posed by Starbucks, which plans to offer a breakfast and lunch menu. McDonald’s strongest competitor remains Yum! Brands- owner of popular fast food chains: Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC, and Wing Street [see appendix: 1.1. Other external threats include: saturated market, macroeconomic factors. Recommendations The central strategic decision that needs to be addressed is whether McDonald’s will commit to rebranding itself so that it is seen not only as an economical food destination, but as an appealing high quality one as  well. The societal shift to a more health conscience consumer provides McDonald’s such an opportunity. Alternatives to Strategic Decision Making McDonald’s has three viable options for continued success. The first two, allow McDonald’s to continue it’s low growth strategy. First, McDonald’s can create and promote an attractive menu that that will grab the attention of health conscience consumers. Second, it can focus on the stronghold it’s gained in the coffee space, as this could be an interesting new endeavor to follow (i.e. a new SBU). The third option would be to pursue a growth strategy for Asia, especially China. However, it must be noted that the growth strategy may burden the company with debt to pay for capital-intensive expenditures, but should it be successful McDonald’s revenues and profits could reach new ceilings. It would behoove McDonald’s to fill the need of the health conscience consumer by adopting and promoting a healthier menu. This can be done without abandoning their staples (e.g. Fries, Big Mac, Happy Meal, and Egg McMuffin). If McDonald’s is able to meet the changes in customer’s needs and habits, there is no reason why they shouldn’t continue to experience growth in sales. I believe that this is the best option because it is not capital intensive, yet it could allow McDonald’s access to a new segment of the market. Furthermore, McDonald’s number of locations provides the health conscience consumer with convenience. Implementation Evaluation and Control The following steps are keys to a successful implementation of a strategic marketing plan: 1. Who are we? Who are our customers? What do our customers want? 2. Set strategic marketing goals: Assess internal strengths and weaknesses then compare your vision/mission to the reality of your external environment. Once you have identified the areas of need, choose specific goals to address those areas. 3. Establish strategic marketing activities/plan of actions: Once specific goals have been set, identify various activities to utilize resources and choose the best course of action to implement. 4. Establish timeline to execute goals and plan of actions: By having a clear understanding of your strategic marketing goals then you  can establish common understanding of when such action plans can be reasonably accomplished. 5. Review and re-evaluate progress: By consistently reviewing and re-evaluating progress in implementing or instituting plan of actions, you can take a proactive approach in making adjustments due to changing business climate, environment, external threats and opportunities that may arise in everyday business decisions. References Brumley, James. (April 23, 2014). McDonald’s Is About To Tap Into A Huge Growth Opportunity. Retrieved from: http://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-expanding-international-2014-4 Horovitz, Bruce. (April 30, 2014). McDonald’s sets 2020 sustainable goals. Retrieved from: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/04/30/mcdonalds-sustainability-fast-food-social-responsibility-restaurants/8513245/ Statista. (February, 2015). Retrieved from: http://0-www.statista.com.leopac.ulv.edu/topics/1444/mcdonalds/

Effects of Breach of Contract

Effects of a Breach of Contract There are various types of contract with in the world of law such as civil law which deals with relations between individual citizens where as private law focuses on the relations between ordinary people on a day to day basis, both types of law include the law of contract. A contract is an agreement that is legally enforceable and therefore can be settled within a court of law, however how can we distinguish between a contract and any other form of non-legally enforced statement.If I promised to wash someone’s car yet I don’t in fact wash the car can I be held to a contract? In this case I can not simply because a promise is not a contract although there is no rule stating that all contracts must be in writing in fact a contract can very easily be done verbally or by action of which are known as parol or simple contracts. A statement is only a statement when it holds all four elements these being 1. Offer 2. Acceptance 3. Intention to cre ate legal relations 4.Consideration. Within a contract there are also what are known as clauses which simply express what both parties to the contract have agreed to. An example of a clause would be a car dealer selling his old car and we’d agreed on the price of the car in the process the car dealer says he will fill the car with petrol and I agree to only buy the car as long as there is no more than 15,000 miles on the dial and as long as the car had not been involved in any accidents.When I receive the car the tank is empty however that statement was a representation rather than a term as it did not hold a great deal of importance, however I find out that in fact the car had been involved in a car crash and had more than 15,000 on the dial and therefore the car dealer has breached the contract, therefore legal action can be taken. It is key to note the four tests that are carried out to figure out whether something is a term or representation these are 1.The importance of the statement 2. The time between making the statement and making the contract 3. An oral statement before a written contract 4. One party to the contract has special skills or knowledge. There are 3 types of terms 1. Conditions 2. Warranties 3. Innominate Terms. A condition is a basic but a fundamental part of the contract if breached the other party can end the contract, refuse to perform their part of the contract or continue with the contract but then sue for damages when completed.A warranty on the other had is not a vital part of a contract and if breached the other party must continue with the contract however they can then sue for damages at the end. An example of breaching a condition would be if a contract might specify that ABC Corp sells XYZ Corp 500 umbrellas for ? 5,000 on the condition that the umbrellas are inspected by XYZ Corp. for defects and their quality approved by the company. If the 500 umbrellas are inspected by XYZ Corp and found by that company to be defec tive, the contract becomes void.ABC Corp is not required to deliver the umbrellas, and XYZ Corp is not required to pay for the umbrellas. An example of breaching a warranty would be if a warranty reads â€Å"this umbrella is guaranteed to not tear, rip or break for two years from the date of its purchase. † This is known as an express warranty, because it is very clearly stated. Another type of warranty is known as an implied warranty. Implied warranties are created by state law and essentially guarantee that a product will satisfy its intended purpose.When a warranty on a contract for sale of goods is breached, the party protected by the warranty, or the party purchasing the goods, is entitled to damages. Those damages may be specifically stated in an express warranty. For example, a product may guarantee that a product will last seven years or the purchaser is entitled to her money back. An innominate term can be either a condition or a warranty depending upon how serious h e breach of contract actually is in a court of law if they feel the breach was serious they will consider it as a condition where as if the breach is less serious it will classified as a warranty.Within a contract there is also what is known as implied terms of which are no stated expressly by the parties involved but are still very much regarded as being a term within the contract. Three ways in which an implied term becomes a part of a contract are 1) Implied by statue an example would be the Sale of Goods Act 1979 so if a contract is made regarding food and quality isn’t expressly mentioned within the contract then automatically the Sale of Goods Act 1979 applies therefore making the quality of goods mandatory. ) Implied by custom an example of which would be if a farmer employs a worker within the agreed contact the farmer agrees to provide a place to liv however within the contract itself it does not state which individual will pay for gay, electricity and the use of the telephone. If this case was then taken to court the worker could easily argue that although it was not stated in the contract that it is custom for the farmer to pay for the gas and electricity and that any calls made the worker would then pay for. 3) Implied by court in simple terms is the court changing a contract only if it makes good business sense to do.Within a contract there are also exclusion clauses which are clauses that are written down stating if something was to go wrong that one party can avoid or at the very least limit liability for the breach of contract. For an exclusion clause to actually be properly included within a contract it first must be legal also the clause can not be added after the contract has been made as well as this if there is not an actually signed contract printed documents or sign posts that clearly indicate the terms can also be included within the contract so long as they are brought to the attention of both parties before making the contract. An example would be taking a parking ticket from a ticket machine the individual is only bound by the terms brought to the individual’s attention before taking the actual ticket, simply because a contract is only formed when you take the ticket itself. Therefore a car park owner can not rely upon an exclusion clause that may be printed on the back of the ticket as nothing was done before the ticket was collected to make the individual aware of any exclusion clauses.If the car is then damaged whilst in the car park due to lack of security or care then the car parking company is liable despite the exclusion clause. [Thornton v Shoe Lane Parking Ltd. (1971)]. Innominate Terms The definition of an innominate term is a contractual term that may turn out to be either a condition which is vitally important to a contract or a warranty which has less importance within contract this is dependent upon the effects and damages towards the innocent party.It was first established in the cas e of Hong Kong Fir Shipping v Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha and has been heavily criticised as it sacrifices certainty an example of when an Innominate term has been used is Schuler were manufacturers of certain tools and Wickman were a sales company granted the sole right to sell certain tools manufactured by Schuler. A term of the contract between the parties was described in the contract as being a condition and provided that Wickman would send a sales person to each named company once a week to solicit sales.This imposed an obligation to make 1,400 visits in total. Wickman failed to make some of the visits and Schuler terminated the contract for breach of condition. Despite the fact the contract had expressly stated the term was a condition, the House of Lords held that it was only a warranty. [Schuler v Wickman Tools  [1974] AC 235  House of Lords]. My own personal view is that there is a place for innominate terms in contract law, even though there are flaws it allows for a court of law to look into a contract that may be very much one sided to one party and level the playing fields.Many terminations in a contract are used as a condition even though the stated terms are not vitally important and are simply there to have an edge over the other party involved. Therefore I strongly believe that a court being able to look over a contract and even the situation when one party is clearly taking full advantage of the other is a reasonable and sound procedure. SOURCES Google http://www. keepyourcopyrights. org/contracts/clauses/ Keenan & Riches http://www. nolo. om/legal-encyclopedia/free-books/small-claims-book/chapter2-3. html http://www. lawhandbook. org. au/handbook/ch12s01s03. php http://www. goldsmithibs. com/resources/free/Breach-of-Contract/notes/Breach-of-Contract-Remedies. pdf http://www. lawhandbook. sa. gov. au/ch08s02s06. php http://www. businessdictionary. com/definition/innominate-term. html http://www. scribd. com/doc/54786010/14/Innominate-Terms Uni versity of Worcester – Blackboard Oxford Dictionary Thesaurus WORD COUNT – 1,556

An Unfor Gottable Event in My Life

The last trip was a very long and interesting one, it was a trip to the United States of America. The first thing to be said about is the choice of the country. It wasn’t that the United States was a country of my dreams like it is for some people. There were a lot of countries which I wanted to see more than America, but I was given an opportunity to work there for some time and this is how I went overseas. I worked there and traveled as well. During this trip I had visited a lot of places, but I decided to write only about one city which impressed me the most. It is the New York. City. When I first arrived to this city I had never seen anything like that before. When you come from such a small country like Lithuania you are shocked how big the city is. It left a great impression to me, I just loved the buildings of it: new ones, old ones, small ones and especially big ones. There is so much of everything: huge and tiny shops, restaurants, cafes, night clubs, museums, galleries, etc. It seems that it would take at least few years to see everything only in one city, not mentioning the whole country. Another interesting and important thing about New York, as well as the whole United states, is a mixture of cultures. I met so many people from so many different countries. I think America is the only country which has so many cultures mixed with that of their own. This is a very interesting and at the same time strange thing to discover for someone who is not familiar with such thing. The last words which I want to say about this trip, it taught me a lot of things about life and people. In the States people are very different but one thing is common to the majority of them, it is money. Visiting this country I discovered how great the power of money is, how it changes the world, people and their lives. I guess it was the only disappointing thing about this country because the rest of it was very exciting. To conclude, I would like to say that it is quite hard to write everything on one sheet of paper as there is so much of interesting to say, but it takes a lot of space. Summing up, I could say that this trip, in some way, changed my life and outlook to the world, that is why I have chosen it on the most memorable event in my life. An Unfor Gottable Event in My Life The last trip was a very long and interesting one, it was a trip to the United States of America. The first thing to be said about is the choice of the country. It wasn’t that the United States was a country of my dreams like it is for some people. There were a lot of countries which I wanted to see more than America, but I was given an opportunity to work there for some time and this is how I went overseas. I worked there and traveled as well. During this trip I had visited a lot of places, but I decided to write only about one city which impressed me the most. It is the New York. City. When I first arrived to this city I had never seen anything like that before. When you come from such a small country like Lithuania you are shocked how big the city is. It left a great impression to me, I just loved the buildings of it: new ones, old ones, small ones and especially big ones. There is so much of everything: huge and tiny shops, restaurants, cafes, night clubs, museums, galleries, etc. It seems that it would take at least few years to see everything only in one city, not mentioning the whole country. Another interesting and important thing about New York, as well as the whole United states, is a mixture of cultures. I met so many people from so many different countries. I think America is the only country which has so many cultures mixed with that of their own. This is a very interesting and at the same time strange thing to discover for someone who is not familiar with such thing. The last words which I want to say about this trip, it taught me a lot of things about life and people. In the States people are very different but one thing is common to the majority of them, it is money. Visiting this country I discovered how great the power of money is, how it changes the world, people and their lives. I guess it was the only disappointing thing about this country because the rest of it was very exciting. To conclude, I would like to say that it is quite hard to write everything on one sheet of paper as there is so much of interesting to say, but it takes a lot of space. Summing up, I could say that this trip, in some way, changed my life and outlook to the world, that is why I have chosen it on the most memorable event in my life.

Medical ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Medical ethics - Essay Example All these will be considered in line with the Hippocratic Oath, which declares that doctors should not harm in a bid to preserve human dignity. The two medical cases considered in this study exhibit advanced level of medication, which begins with experimentation. In the case of Mario, who suffers from mental illness and having undergone over 40 medical examinations and pharmacologist practices, he is left with only one option of advanced medical experimentation. Slater (235) quotes that â€Å"He wanted a shot at the ordinary, a lawn he might mow just once a week†. This was the neural implant. From the outset, the medical implant Mario was ready to undergo appears to be risky and unethical due to the nature of the operation and the uncertainty attributed to the whole process. This tells it all that, it is an experiment whose results are unpredictable. Mario puts a tattoo of a baby on the bicep; this implies that, the experiment was too risky that the probability is almost one. If this is the case then the Hippocratic Oath that declares that the doctors should not harm the patients is contravened upon the taking place of this operation. It is ethically wrong for the humans to be used as tools for experiment. In the event that, humans are used for experimentation purposes, the aspect of sanctity of life is disrespected. In essence, the advanced medical procedures like the one Mario underwent, despite its success, undermines the ethical challenges relative to the sanctity of life. We consider the procedure for in-depth understanding. The procedure that saw Mario gain his normal psychiatric state involved drilling through the bone to make two burr holes on both sides of the skull. Then followed by the placement of the implant with a threaded precision of two 1.27 millimetre wire, through which the iridium electrodes were strung. Slater (238) quotes that â€Å"As it is impossible to use animal testing to gauge whether or not

Planner R US Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Planner R US - Case Study Example This leisurely event is created for the entertainment of the targeted audience which includes the music fans of the region, local residents and students. A meeting was made with the officials of city and the school for planning and organization of the event and the activities about the administration, operations, marketing and risk management of the project were discussed in length. The framework provided by EMBOK which is quite close to the Event Management International Competency Standard is given in Appendix 1. (Silvers, 2003) To manage this project there are four very important facets which are expected to be well understood. The first aspect is the Phases which highlight the significance of time for the sequential nature of managing event. The Phases aspect begins with the initiation of the project, followed by its planning. Once the plan is finalized, the Implementation phase begins which ultimately leads to the event. The last phase for the management is the closure of the ev ent. The rate and rhythm of the work is determined by the time as illustrated in Figure 1. (Silvers, 2003) Figure 1: Phases The second important aspect is the Processes which are required for the success of the event. These processes are sequential as well as iterative and are applied according to the progress and occurrence of changes. First process is that of assessment followed by selection. It includes people, materials and many other resources needed for implementation of the project. Once selection is made the third process is that of monitoring the plan whether it is followed according to the specifications prescribed. The fourth process is that of communication amongst the workers, audience and the market. The last of the process is documentation. All these widely-accepted five process systems begin with Communication, iterate through Assessment, Selection and Monitoring and ends up with the Documentation as illustrated in Figure 2 (Silvers, 2003) Figure 2: Processes The thi rd important aspect is the Core Values which are the rules that must be followed in each and every decision making and infused in all the phases and processes. As illustrated in Figure 3, aim for continuous improvement, creativity in the work, understanding and practising ethics, unity of work through integration amongst all the sections and thinking strategically are fundamental values for the management of the event. All these values are equally important. (Silvers, 2003) Figure 3: Core Values The fourth important aspect is the Domain which defines the region and scope of required functions and activities for managing the event. It also describes the responsibilities and organizational structure needed to manage the project. Administration is one of the domains, designing is another domain. Marketing of the event, its operations and the potential hazards or risk are the other three domains. All the five domains as illustrated in Figure 4 are equally important and none of them have any implied hierarchy. Figure 4: Domains Section II – Work Breakdown Structure There are twelve activities that were drafted out from the meeting with the school and city officials. The work breakdown for each one of these activities is produced below:- A. Contract Negotiation with selected music group 1. Defining of event goals and objectives to the music group 2. Finalizing pricing structure of hiring music group 3. Finalizing benefits like accommodation, transport and travel

The Stages of Dissertation Writing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Stages of Dissertation Writing - Assignment Example This week, for example, I took another look at my problem statement. In my opinion, this is one of the most critical sections of chapter one, so I do want to work hard that my writing is succinct, clearly worded, and directs the overall research project in the direction that I intended was I first set out on this endeavor. As I have done this, I have found that by rewording a few sentences in that section has clarity of purpose and a stronger vision to the overall project that I feel will enable me to continue the revision process in coming weeks. I am using this course to work hard on Chapters 1-3, hoping to make a timely submission to the IRB. This week I spent some time going through Chapter two once again. While I have a good number of sources in that chapter already, I wanted to make sure that each cited source directly related back to the topic of the study. In particular, I looked back at my research questions to ensure that my literature review contained a focused and directed effort at answering each of my three stated questions and that all sources were properly cited. In doing this, I was also looking at my APA structure. It seems that I should be going back to each section as I write it to make sure my formatting is correct. I have noticed that the more involved, and longer, that paper gets, the more important this task is. If I wait until the paper is finished in nine months time to correct formatting issues, I might find that the task becomes overwhelming. While it might seem a bit early to conduct this ‘formatting review’, I actually think it is going to save myself a lot of time and effort in the end. In addition, this week I combed through our readings to refresh myself of some of the finer mechanics of conducting a qualitative study. As I prepare to submit my IRB application here shortly, I want to make sure that I have covered all of my bases.  

Domestic Policies from Two U.S. Presidents Essay

Domestic Policies from Two U.S. Presidents - Essay Example President Bush’s position was ambiguous and did not ban nor reformed the â€Å"Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell† policy. (Domestic policy of the George W. Bush administration, Wikipedia.org)   According to the writer, none of these policies are entirely correct, since the desire to serve the country should not be discriminative based upon the sexual orientation.   Also, none of them were brave enough to overcome the criticism and openly state their opinions on the matter.  President George Bush has set to double the budget of the National Science Foundation over a period of five years, but after three the budget had increase only by fourteen percent.   His administration is also highly criticized for ignoring the scientific advice. (Domestic policy of the George W. Bush administration, Wikipedia.org)   On the other hand, Bill Clinton’s Administration launched the first White House Website and ordered the usage of Federal Information Technology in ord er to provide more information to the public. (Clinton Administration, Wikipedia.org)   In the writer’s opinion, the world is advancing at large steps, technology wise, in order to maintain the pace it is necessary to continue modernizing the administration.   Bill Clinton’s policy to open information to the public and to modernize the White House was asserted, necessary and perceivable.   On the other hand, President Bush’s initiative to increase the budget of the National Science Foundation was also asserted but only when the initiative becomes a reality.(Wikipedia.org) Bill Clinton signed the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993, â€Å"which raised taxes on the wealthiest 1.2% of taxpayers, while cutting taxes on 15 million low-income families and making tax cuts available to 90 percent of small businesses.† (Clinton Administration, Wikipedia.org) President Bush sought three major tax cuts, which

The History Subjects For Students Kindergarten Through Grade 12 Essay

The History Subjects For Students Kindergarten Through Grade 12 . African-Americans in Historic Perspective - Essay Example The idea of National Standards seemed to offer a way of composing a coherent narrative of American development and of establishing clear expectations of the historical knowledge to be acquired by students."1 The idea of developing standards in all subjects of K-12 grade picked up pace in 1990 when the then Bush administration launched the National Education Goals aimed at inter alia, "a new standard for an educated citizenry, one suitable for the next century.America can meet this challenge if our society is dedicated to a renaissance in education."2 These goals were determined in realization of the findings that the standard of education in the United States was not at par with other nations where students coming out of universities were more knowledgeable, better trained and creative. The National Education Goals initiative gave itself a time period of ten years, that is, by year 2000 when students in America will deal with their subjects in a more competent manner in that they will be more creative and better able to apply their mind to learning. The subjects students would learn with this new approach included English, mathematics, science, geography and more importantly history. The reasons behind setting these goals was nothing but preparing students for responsible citizenship, further learning, and productive employment in a modern economy. The 1983 report, A Nation at Risk also warned of a rapid decline in American students' academic achievements. But the truth, says Kevin Kosar in his new book Failing Grades, is that mediocrity "is not rising: it has been high for at least three decades."3 This chapter will look into the process of setting standards for the history subjects for students Kindergarten through Grade 12 and the notion of inclusion (and exclusion) in the American story with particular reference to the African-Americans. While the philosophy of what can safely be called rewriting the American history is that it does not necessarily have to be a narrative of extraordinary people and events but the ordinary people and ordinary events were as much important.Although the National History Standards initiative had bipartisan support and the process a dopted a participatory approach, the right-wing decided to take a snipe at the mention of certain people and events such as the Ku Klux Klan and McCarthyism and inclusion of African-Americans. The objection was also on presenting America's African heritage at the cost of down-grading the European heritage. The National Centre for History at the University of California Los Angeles was mandated with the task for formulating the National History Standards under the guidance of the National Council for History Standard

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) - Research Paper Example In itself, ASD is already difficult to manage in society because of the wide spectrum of symptoms that it encompasses. It may manifest readily after birth or later on in the patient’s childhood. It is thus possible that the treatment procedure varies from one patient to the other (National Institute of Mental Health, 2009). Because the illness affects the social facets of the patient, house members suffer as much as the patients do. ASD patients seldom seek comfort, and prefer being alone. Some ASD patients remain mute throughout their lives. Ironically, some find it difficult to control emotional outbursts and aggressiveness. Because they cannot use nor understand other components of communication such as tone of voice or facial expressions, it is difficult to let others know what they need. ASD and Other Health Concerns A significant number of pediatric patients with ASD also have an associated medical condition. Because an estimated 3.4 of 1000 children, ages 3-10 years, ar e afflicted with ASD, whether or not the special health care needs of these patients can be provided by the state is a valid concern. Different researches have described ASD as neurobehavioral difficulties associated with 1 or more co morbidity such as epilepsy, gastrointestinal problems, depression, anxiety, and sleeping disorders. Based on the findings of the 2005-2006 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs, 5.6% (n=2, 088)of children with special health care needs (n = 535, 000), aged 3-17 years, are autistic. In 2003-2004, autistic children have significantly higher prevalence of depression or anxiety problems, and behavioral or conduct problems. Systemic problems such as respiratory ailments, skin and food allergies were also reported (Gurney et al., 2006). The same is yet to be stated in the 2005-2006 survey. Because ASD affects behavior and social interaction, it is understandable why it is often associated with brain problems. Results of ASD studies using postmortem and MRI analyses show that ASD affects the cerebellum, cerebral cortex, limbic system, corpus callosum, basal ganglia, and brain stem. The occurrence of seizures among ASD patients have been noted in the studies of. If not controlled, it will lead to. More serious neurological abnormalities prevalent among ASD patients are fragile X syndrome and tuberous sclerosis, from which 1 out of 4 ASD patients suffer (National Institute of Mental Health, 2009). On the other hand, autism did not seem to increase the risk for diabetes or asthma (Gurney et al., 2006). A much more valid concern is that, as Kogan et al. (2008) found out, autistic children with special health care needs (SCHN) are significantly more likely to have less access on health care. According to the survey, factors that contribute to this poor management of autism-SHCN include sex, with autism-SCHCN occurring more likely in boys than in girls, and poverty. The medical condition is thus not alleviated in such cas es because the affected households cannot afford special health care such as medical homes and specialty care. These households have large out-of-pocket expenses, and they always encounter problems on caring for their ASD-SHCN house member. Sometimes, it becomes difficult to make ends meet because, as much as they need to work to carry the financial demands of caring for an ASD patient, parental involvement in the treatment is usually the key to a treatment’s success (National Institute of Mental Health, 2009) Objectives of the Study Based on the findings of previous researches, it is thus the hypothesis of this study that autistic children are more vulnerable to other illnesses. To prove this,

A Flavorful Vegetarian Experience Essay Example for Free

A Flavorful Vegetarian Experience Essay Consuming a full-on vegetarian meal might not sound appetizing for some of us meat-lovers, but a visit to this all vegetarian restaurant might change your outlook on healthy, humane choices of eating. This essay is based on a restaurant called â€Å"Udupi Palace†. It is indeed an Indian cuisine that serves strictly vegetarian dishes and is located in San Francisco. They serve a wide variety of dishes ranging from curries, soups, rice plates, appetizers and a handful of different desserts at affordable prices. It might seem sketchy at first to attempt to enjoy a meal at an all vegan restaurant, but if you keep an open mind and give it a chance, you might find that it is just as delicious as any meat entrees, anywhere. If you are looking to broaden your horizon to vegan food choices, this particular restaurant should be at the top of your checklist. The overall look of the restaurant is quite clean and crisp and the dà ©cor is plain yet tasteful. As you are walking in, you can smell the delicious aroma of different spices. Each table is decorated with a vase of flowers which makes the restaurant feel a bit more than just your casual, every day joint. There are a number of tasteful paintings on the wall which is interesting, and it gives the restaurant a more vibrant and polished feel. As for the surroundings, there is a variety of different genre of music playing in the background; it is faint, but clear. Although the overall look and feel of the atmosphere is pleasant and uplifting, the environment is not appropriate if you are looking to enjoy a quiet evening, but the sounds of the restaurant are yet bearable. The service is impeccable, thus your experience will be wonderful. The menu can be a bit overwhelming if you don’t have much knowledge about Indian food, but that won’t be a problem since the servers are tremendously helpful and informative. As for my experience, my server came with a warming, welcoming smile on his face and answered all the questions that were asked about the dis hes on the menu with much patience. The servers are attentive and extremely accommodating so expect your water glass to be filled frequently with water that tastes of citrus, in which shows they take time and effort to satisfy their customers. The food is served on a metal platter and plates which give an authentic Indian cuisine feel, as opposed to regular tableware I see in a lot of other Indian restaurants. A dish I would recommend is the Rava Masala Dosa; it is served with an array of different chutneys (dips). If you don’t know what Rava Masala Dosa is, it is basically a crepe stuffed with potatoes, onions and spices. It is crispy on the outside and warm and savory on the inside with just the right amount of spiciness and tartness. I would also recommend the Special Vegetable Curry which is made of fresh vegetables cooked in spicy curry sauce and coconut sauce. It has a distinctive taste, but is quite exquisite in my opinion. The taste of coconut is not too overpowering like other coconut based curry dishes form other places. The quality, presentation, and the taste of the food are a well-deserved five stars. In this economy, paying a high price for lunch or dinner is much hesitated but at â€Å"Udupi Palace† that won’t be a problem. Because of their affordable prices, you won’t have to give up quality for affordability. If you are looking to stretch your dollar, â€Å"Udupi Place† is the right place to go to because the portions are generous and in addition to that, the average price of the dishes is at a low cost under $10. Vegetarian food is a healthier, and a humane choice of eating. Studies show that vegetarians are much healthier and live longer due to the decrease in intake of toxins and drugs ingested by farm animals. It is better for your body because it lowers your cholesterol intake, thus reduces the risk for heart diseases such as heart attack or stroke due to excessive meat. It is also better for the environment because meat production is very resource consuming and also inhumane. This restaurant demonstrates that eating humane is possible without giving up flavor and succulence you get from eating meat. The food, the service and the price is impeccable. If you have doubts on whether you would enjoy a vegetarian meal, giving this vegan restaurant a try will make all your doubts go away. I would recommend this place to everybody, not just to the vegetarians, but also the folks that love to eat meat. I encourage the people that are hesitant about trying vegan food to give this place a chance. It might change your outlook on the possibility of going vegan or at least cutting down on meat. I would say, after giving this restaurant a try myself, I feel it is more possible for myself to convert to becoming a vegetarian.

Use Of Power In Organizations

Use Of Power In Organizations Personal power is power that resides with an individual, regardless of his or her position in the organization. Someone usually exercise personal power through rational persuasion or by playing of followers identifications with him or her. An individual with personal power often can inspire greater loyalty and dedication in followers than someone who has only position power. The stronger influence from the fact that the followers are acting more from choice than from necessity and thus will respond more readily to request and appeals. Of course the influence of a leader who relies only on personal power is limited, because followers may freely decided not to accept his or her directives or orders. The distinctions between formal and informal leaders are also related to position and personal power .A formal leader will have , at minimum, position power. And an informal leader will similarly have some degree of personal power. Just as a person may be both a formal and an informal leader, he or she can have both position and personal power simultaneously. Indeed such a combination usually has the greatest potential influence on the action of others. An individual with both personal and position power will have the strongest overall power. Likewise , an individual with neither personal nor position power will have the weakest overall power. Finally when either personal or position power is high but the other is low, the individual will have a moderate level or overall power. The Uses of Power in Organizations Power can be used in many ways in an organization. But because of the potential for its misuse and the concerns that it may engender, it is important that the mangers fully understand the dynamics of using power. In using expert power, managers aware of their education, experience, and accomplishments as they apply to current circumstances. But to maintain credibility , a leader should not pretend to know things that he or she really does not know. A leader whose pretension are exposed will rapidly lose expert power. A confident and decisive leader demonstrate a firm grasp of situations and takes charge when circumstances. Managers should also keep themselves informed about development related to tasks that are valuable to the organization and relevant to their expertise. A leader who recognizes employee concerns works to understand the underlying nature of these issues and takes appropriate steps to reassure subordinates. For e.g. , if employees feel threatened by rumors that they will lose office space after the next move, the leader might ask them about this concern and then find out just how much office space there will be and tell the subordinates, a leader should be careful not to flaunt expertise or behave like a he know everything. Suppose a manager has asked subordinates to spend his day finishing an important report. Later, while the manager is out of the office, the manager boss comes and ask the subordinates to drop that project and work on something else. The subordinates will then be in the akward position of having to choose which of two higher-ranking individuals to obey. Exercising authority regularly wil reinforce its presence in the eyes of subordinates. Verifying compliances simply means that leaders should find out whether subordinates have carried out their request before giving rewards otherwise subordinates may not recognize the linkage between their performance and subsequent reward. The request that is to be rewarded must be both reasonable and feasible, of course, because even the promise of a reward will not motivate a subordinates who thinks a request should not or cannot be carried out. The same can be said for a request that seems improper or unethical. Among other things, the follower may see a reward linked to an improper or ethical request. Finally if the leader promises a reward that subordinates know she or he cannot actually deliver , or if they have little use for a reward the manager can deliver, they will not be motivated to carry out the request. Further , they may grow sceptical of the leaders ability to deliver rewards that are worth something to them. Bases of Power Leaders are not automatically endowed an unlimited amount of power over subordinates . leaders also differ in terms of the sources of bases upon which power over subordinates can be exerted. There are five different powers that affect leadership which include expert power, referent power, legitimate power, reward power and coercive power. The first base of power is labelled coercive power. The basis of the influence is the fact that one person can punish another. Thus , a subordinates may do what a leader request because the leader has the power to fire the subordinates. Although the threat of punishment may give a leader considerable power over subordinates ,coercive power generally is not a very efficient base of power. The second power base described by French and Raven is labelled reward power. This is essentially the opposite of coercive power. That is subordinates do what the leader wants because the leader has the ability to reward them in some way. For example, a subordinates may comply with a leader request that he or she work overtime because the leader has the power to grant this employee a larger pay increase when raised are given out. The Third power base is labelled legimate power. This power emanates from the position that one holds in an organization. In most organization settings, the fact that one employees is another employee is another employees supervisor means that the supervisor has a legimate right to make request of the other person. Note that this legitimate right is independent of the person holding the position. The Fourth power base is expert power. This is power based on the fact that an individual is perceived as an expert on something to ask a group of subordinates to work on a weekend may bring the group before making the request. When exchange is used as an influence tactics, the leader offers subordinates something in return for complying with the request, or perhaps offers them a share of the benefits that accrue when a task iis accomplished. The fifth is Pressure. This involves the use of demands ,threats ,or persistent monitoring to make subordinates comply with a request . Suppose a supervisor wants to make sure a subordinates is on time every morning. One way to do this would be check the persons desk to see if he or she is present by the required time. Although pressure may at times get leader the behaviour they desire, this almost always comes in the form of compliance on the part of the employee. Leadership Good leaders are gifted, everyone cant lead it . If you have the desire and willpower, you can become an effective leader. Good leaders develop through a never ending process, of self-study, education, training, and experience. To inspire the workers to a higher levels of teamwork, there are certain things to, know, . It do not come naturally, but when we acquired through continual work and study. Good leaders practices are continually works and studying to improve their leadership skills. Before we get started, lets define leadership. Leadership is a process by which a person influences others, the objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent. The most popular definitions is that leadership is a quality of the persons possess that allows them to rule, and lead other people. That quality consists of a persons charisma, power of thought, intellectual potential, organizational talents, and sense of responsibility. Other leadership essays examples give a different definition: leadership is concrete knowledge of psychology and social interaction, anyone can certainly develop the ability to be a leader. We have seen someone ordinary leading a company or an organization. We have seen someone who is leading a country, but has no charisma, no special skills. There is little doubt youll answer no. We can give the example of Hitler whenever he gives the speech everyone claps he was just a amazing person but the secret is whenever he comes in the stage he used to practice in front of mirror .Unfortunately, there are so many people in our world who are in the top positions, who have influence and power, although nobody really sees a real leader in them. Perhaps being a leader simply means being in a position over other people. Of course, their are some strategy to lead someone is to have the skills to make someone undertake what you want. Although it does not signify that this someone has no other solution. A real leader is someone who is respected by other people and due to this respect is followed by them. Being a leader demands something distinctive should be there in a person something that makes him or her special, something stronger, and probably better than others so he compete with others. Thats why its not correct to think its virtually anyone can easily be a leader but not the perfect. Of course, to be a good one, we should improve our self, gain more and more practical knowledge as well as the experience, although with effort the leadership potential we can become a good leader. The Power of Leadership What is leadership? What is power? We define the two as a cornerstone of any successful team, organization, or for any successful country. If there to analyze the U.S. we could see this very clearly. The U.S. is the leader and one of the most dominating countries in the world, hence being called world power. What we estimate that leadership compliments from power, and power compliments leadership. When these two qualities are used in a responsible manner success soon and follows the right path . If we refer to the history books, we can come to the conclusion that wars are won by good leadership and a responsible use of power. Whenever we mention the word Power most of the people will think that power is evil, corrupt, self-serving, manipulative and hurtful. When we used power is in an ethical and in purposeful way, there is nothing evil about it. Leadership is interpersonal influence, exercised in a situation, and directed, through communication process ,and it is an attainment of a specified goal or goals. If we would delegate responsibility to someone, we need to analyse that person with the power as well. Managers and leaders always commit the mistake of giving people responsibility, and not giving them the actual power so that they can execute their responsibilities well. How many people have we met that they are frustrated with their jobs simply because they had job responsibilities that they did not have much power to fulfil. They try their very best, but they gave resigned or frustrated because they realize they simply do not have the better resources; decision making power; time to fulfill it. In other words, they were given a task, but they were not given the resources to complete that task. Leadership, power and influence is a theme within management or the organization that is constantly developing. Leaders are now a days developing new and innovative ways to empower themselves and the followers in order to get the best out of them they follow the leaders to become like him or her the advantage is that the work is done properly and the followers. We have decided to look at the assumption that what leadership is based on,and the different types of relationships between the people, rather than the skills and abilities of just one person. We know this theory allows for a large network of interaction of people from all walks of life, they have the ability to shape these people through the influence and power of the leader. So the objective was to examine the forms of power and the relationships of different power. There are five sources of power that are commonly referred to when describing leadership. The different approaches with supporting evidence gathered from successful leaders. They demonstrated the challenges experienced it face the reality and how they have overcome from the situation ,these obstacles through the use of leadership, power and influence. Different leadership patterns are applicable to different genders, while these behavioral strategies note above present unique solutions for men and women. It is believed that females as a rule would have softer leadership styles related to care, nurture and sensuality rather than to ruthless and aggressive search for the implementation of the corporate objectives. Females as a rule stress the importance of relationship while men stress the importance of a task. Still, there are many examples of task oriented females and caring males. Also it is believed that females in the organizations are likely to gain authority only if the company deals with people and relations rather than with some dry figures and statistics. Leadership, as one can say involves the following four things Motivating other people. Some leaders and some must be followers. The leaders comes front in time when needed or crisis and present innovative solution. Leaders know what they want, to achieve and what is their ambition. The behavioural theory of leadership was created after the followers of the trait leadership theory could not find enough traits to explain why some people choose good leaders and why some could only be followers. The reason is the most logical way was to explore how the leaders behaved in their daily activities and especially towards their followers. The leadership would makes group of different behavioural patterns and activities together and then put a label on them calling them in styles. Concern for task. This behaviour of leaders is represented by tangible and calculable achievement linked which improved productivity of the organization of labor and motivation the personnel. Concern for people. This behaviour of leaders is represented by the tangible concern for people who works in the organization and have desire to establish proper relations rather than to treat them as units of production and corporate overhead. In this manner the leader establishes the group called the old boy club where each worker would become very much comfortable. Thus, if needed, each worker will give their best to do even more to make other friends happy. Directive leadership. This behavioural leadership style is represented by the leaders taking continuously and takes the decisions for other, and expecting the others rather to follow the instructions. Participative leadership. This behavioural leadership style is represented by the leaders goals to engage people make them busy to the task and increase their commitment by allowing them to make decisions for the company they work for. As a rule the leadership would use any two of the four general leadership styles shown above, they redesign them or rename them, plot them on some graph and then establish mixed strategy. Many others leadership would use other combinations and plot other leadership styles and schemes based on the leadership behaviour. Speaking about some practical situation, it is believed that those leaders engaged in participative and people-oriented leadership, they can enjoy better employee motivation and satisfaction leadership styles. Conclusion The power and bases of leadership is the day to day needs of human beings, and what i found while doing these assignment is Leader didnt came in the earth by god gifted. They make them self to become a good leader the one who have desire to become a leader he or she should work on it, give effort, gain knowledge, and practically do some research so that he or she could lead others. The leader should have the quality to motivate others make himself the brand image so people follow him or her.It is not the easy task to lead a country or a followers the courage should be build on him/her so that he/she could utilize the power of the leader. He/she should have decision making abilities and he/she should take the decision which will give them fame .Finally i would like to conclude by saying that everything is possible if you have the goals.

King Lear and Illigetimacy :: essays papers

King Lear and Illigetimacy Shakespeare’s treatment of illegitimacy in the play King Lear can be interpreted in many ways depending on the audience. The situation of illegitimacy is portrayed through the relationships of the characters the Earl Of Gloucester and his two sons Edgar and Edmund. Edmund is the illegitimate son while Edgar was born within the law. We learn of Edmund’s illegitimacy in the opening scene in the first act where The Earl of Gloucester is holding a conversation with Kent while Edmund is nearby. Gloucester speaks flippantly and lightly of the way his illegitimate son came into the world while introducing him to Kent saying, â€Å" Though this knave came something saucily into the world before he was sent for, yet his mother was fair, there was good sport at his making, and the whoreson must be acknowledged† (Act I, Scene I, Lines 19-24). There are several peculiar things about this dialogue. One of the interesting aspects of Gloucester and Kent’s discuss ion is the readiness of Gloucester to admit he has fathered a child out of wedlock. This may be influenced by the fact that Edmund had obviously grown into a son that a father would be proud to have. At first meeting he seems polite, courteous, and loyal. Perhaps these admirable character traits are cause for Gloucester’s willingness to publicly claim Edmund as his own. Another unusual occurrence in the opening dialogue is that Gloucester calls Edmund a whoreson and a knave while he is close by and probably in hearing distance. This seems odd because Gloucester professes to feel only love for his son and no shame but he seems to almost mock him in this situation. One explanation for this behavior may be that deep down Gloucester still harbors some discomfort about the relationship between himself and his son despite his verbal proclamations of shamelessness. This could be inferred from Gloucester’s statement, â€Å" His breeding, sir, hath been at my charge. I have s o often blushed to acknowledge him that now I am brazed to ‘t.† (Act I, Scene I, Line 9). Again, depending on the audience the attitudes displayed in the play by the characters and Shakespeare himself by his writing can be interpreted in a variety of ways depending on the observer. Originally Shakespeare’s played were viewed by people alive during the Elizabethan era.

The Matrix Essay -- movie film

The Matrix Interweaves much symbolism, mythology, philosophy, and psychology. On the surface, the movie challenges the dominance of technology in our culture and predicts an apocalyptic result from the use of artificial intelligence. Yet, behind the human struggle for survival is a mythical backdrop upon which are backlit some of C.G. Jung's basic ideas regarding the human psyche. These Jungian ideas include the ego-Self relationship and how it relates to the persona, the shadow, individuation, and the transcendent function. The earth has been decimated due to a battle for control of the earth between the AI's and humans; the Matrix camouflages this decimation. Humans are artificially created and sustained by the AI superstructure. Then they are plugged into a computer. A computer program generates a simulated reality called the Matrix. Humans live their lives in this computer-generated reality, but this reality is only in their minds. In fact, humans are kept in mechanical eggs filled with an amniotic-like fluid. The AI infrastructure keeps humans alive to tap the energy they produce. The strangers are a group of humans who have escaped the Matrix. Their leader is named Morpheus. Neo is believed by Morpheus to be the savior, â€Å"The One† (The Matrix). An oracle (also an escaped human) predicted long ago that a savior would come, a sort of second coming, and that he would be able to see through the Matrix and bring it down. The oracle told Morpheus that he would find The One. One question, which threads through the movie, is whether or not Neo is The One. Neo is asleep at his desk at home in one of the first scenes. A computer monitor next to him flashes repeatedly the simple text: â€Å"Wake up Neo† (The Matrix). The message is an instruction from the Self. The sleeping man is in ego mode, a symptom of an egocentric psyche. He is unaware of the possibility that there is something else besides the ego and he has not yet awoken to the possibility that there is another world outside of the persona he lives behind. The theme of Neo as a Jesus Christ figure plays throughout the movie. In Edinger's opinion, Christ was a figure who represented the individuating ego. The image of Christ, and the rich network of symbolism which has gathered around him, provide many parallels to the individuation process. When the Christian myth is examined carefully in the li... ...w people what you don't want them to see. I'm going to show them a world without you. A world without rules and controls, without borders or boundaries. A world where anything is possible. Where we go from here is a choice I leave to you (The Matrix). Neo has become an individuated ego. He negotiated a series of challenging psychic experiences to grow out of his former egocentric attitude. His statement speaks of an awareness of the ego as well as a sense of Self. He even refers to the ego field as scared and seems to be compassionate of the ego's fear. But he wants to live without the rules and control of the ego. Works Cited Chernow, Barbara and Vallasi, George, eds. The Columbia Encyclopedia. 5th Ed. Columbia UP, 1993. Edinger, Edward F. Ego and Archetype. Boston: Shambhala, 1992. Jacobi, Jolande. Complex/Archetype/Symbol in the Psychology of C.G. Jung. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton UP, 1974. Jung, C.G. The Essential Jung. Ed. A. Storr. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton UP, 1983. ---. Memories, Dreams, Reflections. New York: Vintage, 1961. The Matrix. Dir. Larry and Andy Wachowski. Perf. Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne. Warner Brothers, 1999.

Revengeful Justice in William Shakespeares Hamlet :: William Shakespeare Hamlet Revenge Essays

Revengeful Justice in William Shakespeare's Hamlet   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hamlet's motives rally between those of both revenge and justice, and it becomes this internal conflict which sets the pace of events throughout Shakespeare's entire play. Revenge serves Hamlet as his initial goal in the pursuit for vindication of his father's death. Soliloquy later reveals Hamlet's torn sensibility and care for justice, which decelerates his ability to proceed in action against Claudius. Not until Hamlet confronts his own procrastination, does the inaction cease. Hamlet defeats his inner struggle by melding opposing forces and internally justifying revenge.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hamlet does not initially have a strong enough will to act solely on revenge. Even though Hamlet had proclaimed that he would be "swift" and "sweep to my revenge,"In the "rogue and peasant slave" soliloquy, Hamlet admits that he has been "unpregnant of my cause" and wonders whether he is a "coward". Not until Hamlet becomes completely fed up with his own inaction, does he finally examine the guilt of Claudius. However this task is thwarted when Hamlet witnesses Claudius praying. His will is rationalized by the notion that Claudius' soul might escape eternal damnation. Hamlet finally address his "dull revenge" in his climactic soliloquy admitting," I do not know/ Why yet I live to say This thing's to do/ Sith I have cause and will and strength and means/ To do't" Here Hamlet finally swears against his previous inaction "O! From this time forth,/ My thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth"   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hamlet's overly intellectual mind inhibits him from taking decisive action and he concedes this in two very important soliloquies . First in the "To be or not to be" soliloquy, Hamlet concludes, "Thus conscience does make cowards of us all/ And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied over with the pale cast of thought" While being exiled to England, hamlet thinks his procrastination is a result of " some craven scruple/ Of thinking too precisely on the event" His insightful mind examines his problems to such an extent that it creates dilemmas rather than solving them.

Current Issues in United States History Essay

The article, Mentoring Experiences of Women in Graduate Education: Factors that Matter, focuses on women’s relational approaches which are affected by their gender socialization. The said article studies the various subjective experiences a woman encounters when teaching, counseling and mentoring. It also explores the different aspects that contribute to these experiences exclusive to women in graduate school, the costs and benefits of these relationships for women, and the women’s role models in the familial and professional areas. The article takes on a feminist approach as it differentiates the traditional male to male mentoring relationships from that of the women’s. It asserts that in the male to male relationships, there is an acceptance of patriarchal and hierarchal organization. On the contrary, the women employ a more relational approach, which gives value to the emotional factor involved in the female relationships. But presently, the prevailing standard employed by mentoring environments is that of a traditional patriarchal environment. It can therefore be said that women in mentoring fields are currently in struggle with the prevailing norms. The article undertook a study which aimed to investigate factors that affect women’s mentoring gender socialization. The study yielded seven key topics which suggest that female undergraduate students and their faculty members share same views about their respective mentoring experiences as well as views in the mentoring field. They all commonly voiced their desire for an empowering relationship. This, according to the surveyed collegiate students and teachers, is illustrated by the kind assistance, â€Å"CURRENT ISSUES IN UNITED STATES HISTORY† PAGE #2 inspiration, faith, pride, cooperative hand, and personal growth they gain from these student-teacher relationships. Also, the study explores the sense of obligation that both sides feel for each other, the overall mentor’s investment in the student-teacher relationship (personal/emotional, professional development, time/availability, and financial investment), the factors that affect the growth of their relationship towards each other, and their capacity to balance of their own personal and professional life, experiences in the male mentoring domain, and peer mentoring. The study’s results depict the multi-dimensionality of the women mentors’ needs in order to be successful in their personal and professional mentoring careers. The study also showed that these needs did not alter when compared with the past researches on the same subject. Also, this study suggests that women, in general, have corresponding views (and at the same time) distinct desires to their mentoring relationships in contrast to the more traditional, patriarchal setting typified by the male to male mentoring conditions. Generally speaking, the study only focused on the mentoring experiences’ good points. Unfortunately, it did not include the hardships that women encounter with regards to their being women. It did not tackle the prejudice that women are subjected to in the patriarchal education system. If only the study explored that particular downside, the study would be so much useful and practical. But all in all, the study would indeed be important for reflection on our current educational system with regards to the women in a male dominated field. REFERENCE Rayle A. D. , Bordes V. , Zapata A. , Arrendondo P. , Rutter M. , Howard C. (2006, May). Mentoring Experiences of Women in Graduate Education: Factors that Matter. Current Issues in Education [On-line], 9(6). http://cie. ed. asu. edu/volume9/number6/

Smile and Smiling Specific Purpose

Preparation Outline: Informative Speech on Smiling Specific Purpose: to inform my speech class about the many things Your Smile can do. Thesis: After listening to my speech, my audience should be informed about how â€Å"Your Smile† can do many things; have an effect on you and others around you, and how it has an effect on your brain. Introduction I. Smiling is something most people enjoy. I’m a happy and very positive person, so I smile a lot. It turns out that when I smile, the world smiles back. In my research about smiling I referred to sources such as cbsnews. com, science. owstuffworks. com, bizzikid. co. uk II. Smiling can affect the way you feel. It feels good to smile and be smiled at. People like to be surrounded by others who are positive and make them feel good. III. A smile is a great way to start any conversation, and makes others more receptive to you. It adds to what you have to offer. Transition: Let’s start with how a smile can affect you and o thers around you. Body I. A smile can affect you and others around you. A. It lifts our mood as well as the moods of those around us. B. It can make us appear more attractive to others. C.It can be contagious. D. Make you look younger E. Help you build rapport F. Helps reassure the other person of your sincerity. Transition: Now that we have talked about how your smile can affect you and others around you, let’s move on to how your smile affects your brain. II. How Your Smile Affects Your Brain A. Each time you smile at a person, their brain coaxes them to return the favor. B. Facial changes involved in smiling have direct effects on certain brain activities associated with happiness. Smiling triggers your feel good chemicals in your brain.C. Just the simple act of smiling releases endorphins from the brain into the blood. In conclusion, today we have discussed how your smile can affect you and others around you. We also talked about how a smile affects your brain. Conclusion I. Smiling is a way to promote happiness within yourself and others. Smiling is a very important part of connecting and getting to know someone. II. Choosing to smile can make a difference in everything you do that day. A smile can brighten your mood, improve your outlook, and lead you to make positive choices.So when you smile not only will you make yourself feel better, you will also attract positive energy into your life. References Makes you look younger. Freeman, D. W. (2011, November 10). Smiling makes people look younger, study shows. . Retrieved from http://www. cbsnews. com/8301-504763_162-57322365-10391704/smiling-makes-people-look-younger-study-shows/ How your smile affects your brain. science. howstuffworks. com Layton, J. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://science. howstuffworks. com/life/smilinghappy1. htm Feel good chemicals. Bizzikid . (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. bizzikid. co. uk/healthwellbeingsmiling. html

Backstroke and Easy Roll

Easy Roll Easy roll is a newly designed Simple Machine that is useful to everyone. It is durable, useful, convenient and helpful! Various things can be put inside the Easy roll like shopping bags, food and beverages for outings, books and notebooks and other things that fit the machine. The company’s main goal in making the machine is to solve our problems. Usually, in rainy seasons, we complain that our things get wet. With the help of their product, our things will be protected because of the covering provided by the machine. Another problem is the weight of what we are carrying.With the use of the Easy roll, what we will be carrying will weigh less and it would be easier to move them to places. There is also a small compartment at the lower part of the inside of Easy roll so that people could separate some objects desired to be separated. It has different parts which has different uses. It is also composed of different simple machines like the wheel and axle, screws, and a wedge. The wheel and axle in Easy roll is the wheels for it to easily be moved from one place to another. The screws are the ones that hold some parts together. The wedge is the zipper because it splits the plastic cover into two.Backstroke HISTORY OF BACKSTROKE Backstroke is an ancient style of swimming, who owes most of what it has to Harry Hebner. It was the second stroke to be swum in competitions after the front crawl. The first Olympic backstroke competition was the 1900 Paris Olympics men's 200 metre. Backstroke has a similar speed to butterfly. Race times for the butterfly are superior to those for the backstroke mostly because the former allows a racing start from poolside and the latter does not. In races beyond 200 meters, backstroke would actually be the faster of the two, though it mainly depends on the stamina of the swimmer.The maximum swimming speed for backstroke is around 1. 89 meter per second. Due to its position on the back, backstroke uses some different muscle s in the upper body than other styles. WHAT IS BACKSTROKE? A swimming stroke performed on one's back, especially one using alternating overarm strokes and a flutter kick For starters, backstroke swimming obviously requires the individual to FLOAT ON HIS BACK, and this is something that most beginners are slightly hesitant to do. The breathing pattern here can be more relaxed, as compared to other swimming strokes, as the persons head will always be above the water Tips for Backstroke SwimmingUse Your Shoulders Your shoulders play a very important role while backstroke swimming, and you need to move them around completely and forcefully. The manner in which your shoulders move should resemble the motion of a person rowing a boat. You must also try to achieve as much distance with your arms as possible while rotating your shoulders. Kicking You need to be constantly kicking down into the water in order to propel yourself forward. In backstroke swimming, your heels are entering the wat er first, so you must ensure that you never stop kicking. If you happen to stop kicking, you will find your lower body heavier to drag and manage.All basic backstroke swimming techniques require rapid and constant movement of the legs. Free Breathing Your head will always be above the surface of the water, so you can breathe as you want. Proper Backstroke Swimming Technique Positioning your Body make the transition from the starting position to swimming as if you are lying flat on your bed (with a pillow underneath your head). Push your stomach out and up toward the ceiling while placing the midriff as flat as you can. Head Movement Once you leap from your starting position, the head will lead the way and support you on the water.Relax your neck as you propel through the water, which will in turn keep the head steady without jerking it too much. A common mistake is that most beginners keep the head too high up from the water. This mistake can occur when your head is too far backward s in hopes of keeping water away from your face. Arms Movement You raise the right arm and guide with the thumb till the arm reaches the same level as the shoulder. Turn the right palm outward so that the little finger guides the entire movement. While the right arm is doing its job, your left hand is extending to your side, leading the way, and helping you balance the entire body.The little finger of your right arm goes in the water first, taking the entire arm inside with it, you will bend the right elbow, flex your left arm's wrist and push your left hand towards the feet. Keep pushing with your left hand till the elbow is straight again and being lifted to mimic what the right arm just did. Follow the same technique as the right arm and begin another stroke Legs and Feet Movement Keep your legs together, as close as possible throughout the entire stroke. Use Flutter Kick Common Backstroke Mistakes Head Position: Tucked Chin A common mistake that you might come across is tucking your chin while swimming backstroke.This forces your head to come high out of the water, creating resistance as you swim. Another problem you might face: Your body always wants to be in alignment. In other words, your feet want to be under your head. If you look forward and tuck your chin, your feet want to drop underneath you to the pool floor. It’s nearly impossible to keep your hips afloat if you tuck your chin. If you look up, though, your feet want to be stretched out behind you. HOW TO FIX? Relax your neck. If you do, your body will straighten out. You’ll notice that your eyes are now looking straight up toward the sky or ceiling.If you have a really bad habit of tucking your chin, try to push your chin up toward the ceiling more. Feel the water start to splash slightly over your forehead Common Backstroke Mistakes Body Position: Flat Torso If you’re like many other backstrokers, your shoulders might stay flat in the water as you swim. This can lead to sho ulder injury. To pull water in this position, you’ll reach behind you and strain your shoulders. Also, you’re not pulling as much water as you can because your arm is at a poor angle to grip the water. Instead, you should have an extensive shoulder rotation.Rotating your shoulders will ease any strain while pulling. It will also make your pull stronger, since you’ll be able to get a better catch. HOW TO FIX? Rotate your hips and shoulders simultaneously. To exaggerate this rotation, try a drill called â€Å"Barrel Roll. † Push off the wall and leave your arms at your sides. As you kick, rotate your body from side-to-side like a barrel floating and rolling in the water. Try to make the transitions are as smooth as possible. Take it slow. As you rotate, tap your shoulder to your chin. This will let you know if you’re rotating as far as you can.Common Backstroke Mistakes Legs: Bent Knees You’ve probably seen someone’s knees breaking the surface of the water while swimming backstroke. Even though it’s easy to see, it hard to feel. Kicking with bent knees is inefficient. Kicking like this creates resistance in the water, creating an inefficient, non-rhythmic stroke. HOW TO FIX? Keep your legs as straight as you can. Kick from your hips. To practice this, grab a board and hold it over your knees. Keep your arms straight so that you can steady the board, and relax it over your legs. Allow the board to float on the surface of the water as you grip it.

Spirit Bound Chapter Twenty-Four

THE MAN GRINNED. â€Å"YOU MAKE that sound like a bad thing.† I made a face and looked back into the techno-bag with new appreciation. â€Å"What's going on?† â€Å"I'm the messenger. I just run errands for Mr. Mazur.† â€Å"Is that a nice way of saying you spy for him? Find out everyone's dirty secrets so that he can use them against people and keep playing his games?† Abe seemed to know everything about everyone–especially royal politics. How else could he manage it without having eyes and ears everywhere? Say, at Court? For all I knew, he had my room wired with microphones. â€Å"Spying's a harsh word.† I notice the guy didn't deny it. â€Å"Besides, he pays well. And he's a good boss.† He turned from me, job done, but gave one last warning. â€Å"Like I said–it's time sensitive. Read the note as soon as you can.† I had half a mind to throw it at the guy. I was getting used to the idea of being Abe's daughter, but that didn't mean I wanted to get tied up in some wacky scheme of his. A bag of hardware seemed foreboding. Nonetheless, I hauled it back to my suite and emptied the contents onto my bed. There were a few sheets of paper, the top one being a typed cover letter. Rose, I hope Tad was able to get this to you in a timely manner. And I hope you weren't too mean to him. I'm doing this on behalf of someone who wants to speak to you about an urgent matter. However, it's a conversation that no one else must hear. The laptop and satellite modem in this bag will allow you to have a private discussion, so long as you're in a private location. I've included step-by-step instructions on how to configure it. Your meeting will take place at 7 a.m. There was no name at the bottom, but I didn't need one. I set the letter down and stared at the jumble of cords. Seven was less than an hour away. â€Å"Oh, come on, old man,† I exclaimed. To Abe's credit, the accompanying papers did have very basic directions that didn't require a computer engineer's insight. The only problem was, there were a lot of them, detailing where each cord went, what password to log in with, how to configure the modem, and so on. For a moment I considered ignoring it all. Yet when someone like Abe used the word urgent, it made me think maybe I shouldn't be so hasty in my dismissal. So, bracing myself for some technical acrobatics, I set to following his instructions. It took almost the entire time I had, but I managed to hook up the modem and camera and access the secure program that would allow me to video-conference with Abe's mysterious contact. I finished with a few minutes to spare and waited the time out by staring at a black window in the middle of the screen, wondering what I'd gotten myself into. At exactly seven, the window came to life, and a familiar–but unexpected–face appeared. â€Å"Sydney?† I asked in surprise. The video had that same, slightly jerky feel most Internet feeds had, but nonetheless, the face of my (kind of) friend Sydney Sage smiled back at me. Hers was a dry-humored smile, but that was typical of her. â€Å"Good morning,† she said, stifling a yawn. From the state of her chin-length blond hair, it was likely she'd just gotten out of bed. Even in the poor resolution, the golden lily tattoo on her cheek gleamed. All Alchemists had that same tattoo. It consisted of ink and Moroi blood, imparting Moroi good health and longevity to the wearer. It also had a bit of compulsion mixed in to keep the Alchemists' secret society from revealing anything they shouldn't about vampires. â€Å"Evening,† I said. â€Å"Not morning.† â€Å"We can argue your messed-up unholy schedule some other time,† she said. â€Å"That's not what I'm here for.† â€Å"What are you here for?† I asked, still astonished to see her. The Alchemists did their jobs almost reluctantly, and while Sydney liked me better than most Moroi or dhampirs, she wasn't the type to make friendly phone (or video) calls. â€Å"Wait†¦ you can't be in Russia. Not if it's morning†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I tried to remember the time change. Yes, for humans over there, the sun would be down or about to be right now. â€Å"I'm back in my native country,† she said with mock grandeur. â€Å"Got a new post in New Orleans.† â€Å"Whoa, nice.† Sydney had hated being assigned to Russia, but my impression had been she was stuck there until finishing her Alchemist internship. â€Å"How'd you manage that?† Her small smile turned to an expression of discomfort. â€Å"Oh, well. Abe, um, kind of did me a favor. He made it happen.† â€Å"You made a deal with him?† Sydney must have really hated Russia. And Abe's influence must have really been deep if he could affect a human organization. â€Å"What did you give him in return? Your soul?† Making a joke like that to someone as religious as her wasn't very appropriate. Of course, I think she thought Moroi and dhampirs ate souls, so maybe my comment wasn't too out there. â€Å"That's the thing,† she said. â€Å"It was kind of an ‘I'll let you know when I need a favor in the future' arrangement.† â€Å"Sucker,† I said. â€Å"Hey,† she snapped. â€Å"I don't have to be doing this. I'm actually doing you a favor by talking to you.† â€Å"Why are you talking to me exactly?† I wanted to question her more about her open-ended deal with the devil but figured that would get me disconnected. She sighed and brushed some hair out of her face. â€Å"I need to ask you something. And I swear I won't tell on you†¦ I just need to know the truth so that we don't waste our time on something.† â€Å"Okay†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Please don't ask me about Victor, I prayed. â€Å"Have you broken into any place lately?† Damn. I kept my face perfectly neutral. â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"The Alchemists had some records stolen recently,† she explained. She was all business-serious now. â€Å"And everyone's going crazy trying to figure out who did it–and why.† Mentally, I breathed a sigh of relief. Okay. It wasn't about Tarasov. Thank God there was one crime I wasn't guilty of. Then the full meaning of her words hit me. I glared. â€Å"Wait. You guys get robbed, and I'm the one you suspect? I thought I was off your list of evil creatures?† â€Å"No dhampir is off my list of evil creatures,† she said. That half smile of hers had returned, but I couldn't tell if she was joking or not. It faded quickly, showing what a big deal this was for her. â€Å"And believe me, if anyone could break into our records, you could. It's not easy. Practically impossible.† â€Å"Um, thank you?† I wasn't sure if I should feel flattered or not. â€Å"Of course,† she continued scornfully, â€Å"they only stole paper records, which was stupid. Everything's backed up digitally nowadays, so I'm not sure why they'd go digging through dinosaur filing cabinets.† I could give her a lot of reasons why someone would do that, but finding out why I was her number-one suspect was more important. â€Å"That is stupid. So why do you think I'd do it?† â€Å"Because of what was stolen. It was information about a Moroi named Eric Dragomir.† â€Å"I–what?† â€Å"That's your friend, right? His daughter, I mean.† â€Å"Yeah†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I was almost speechless. Almost. â€Å"You have files on Moroi?† â€Å"We have files on everything,† she said proudly. â€Å"But when I tried to think who could commit a crime like this and would be interested in a Dragomir†¦ well, your name popped into my head.† â€Å"I didn't do it. I do a lot of things, but not that. I didn't even know you had those kinds of records.† Sydney regarded me suspiciously. â€Å"It's the truth!† â€Å"Like I said before,† she told me, â€Å"I won't turn you in. Seriously. I just want to know so that I can get people to stop wasting time on certain leads.† Her smugness sobered. â€Å"And, well, if you did do it†¦ I need to keep the attention off you. I promised Abe.† â€Å"Whatever it takes for you to believe me, I didn't do it! But now I want to know who did. What did they steal? Everything on him?† She bit her lip. Owing Abe a favor might mean she'd go behind her own people's backs, but she apparently had limits on how much she'd betray. â€Å"Come on! If you've got digital backup, you have to know what was taken. This is Lissa we're talking about.† An idea came to me. â€Å"Could you send me copies?† â€Å"No,† she said swiftly. â€Å"Absolutely not.† â€Å"Then please†¦ just a hint of what they were about! Lissa's my best friend. I can't let anything happen to her.† I fully braced myself for rejection. Sydney didn't seem very personable. Did she have friends? Could she understand what I felt? â€Å"Mostly bio stuff,† she said at last. â€Å"Some of his history and observations we'd made.† â€Å"Observ–† I let it go, deciding I really didn't want to know more than I had to about Alchemists spying on us. â€Å"Anything else?† â€Å"Financial records.† She frowned. â€Å"Particularly about some large deposits he made to a bank account in Las Vegas. Deposits he went out of his way to cover up.† â€Å"Las Vegas? I was just there†¦.† Not that it was relevant. â€Å"I know,† she said. â€Å"I saw some Witching Hour security tapes of your adventure. The fact that you'd run off like that is part of why I suspected you. It seemed in character.† She hesitated. â€Å"The guy with you†¦ the tall Moroi with dark hair†¦ is that your boyfriend?† â€Å"Er, yeah.† It took a long time and great effort for her to concede the next statement. â€Å"He's cute.† â€Å"For an evil creature of the night?† â€Å"Of course.† She hesitated again. â€Å"Is it true you guys went there to elope?† â€Å"What? No! These stories get to you guys too?† I shook my head, almost laughing at how ridiculous this all was, but knowing I needed to get back to the facts. â€Å"So, Eric had an account in Vegas he was moving money into?† â€Å"It wasn't his. It was some woman's.† â€Å"What woman?† â€Å"No one–well, no one we can track. She was just down as ‘Jane Doe.'† â€Å"Original,† I muttered. â€Å"Why would he be doing that?† â€Å"That we don't know. Or really care about. We just want to know who broke in and stole our stuff.† â€Å"The only thing I know about that is that it wasn't me.† Seeing her scrutinizing look, I threw up my hands. â€Å"Come on! If I wanted to know about him, I'd just ask Lissa. Or steal our own records.† Several moments of silence passed. â€Å"Okay. I believe you,† she said. â€Å"Really?† â€Å"Do you want me to not believe you?† â€Å"No, it was just easier than I thought convincing you.† She sighed. â€Å"I want to know more about these records,† I said fiercely. â€Å"I want to know who Jane Doe is. If you could get me other files–â€Å" Sydney shook her head. â€Å"Nope. This is where I cut you off. You know too much already. Abe wanted me to keep you out of trouble, and I've done that. I've done my part.† â€Å"I don't think Abe's going to let you go so easily. Not if you made an open-ended deal.† She didn't acknowledge that, but the look in her brown eyes made me think she agreed. â€Å"Good night, Rose. Morning. Whatever.† â€Å"Wait, I–â€Å" The screen went black. â€Å"Damn,† I growled, shutting the laptop more forcefully than I should have. Every part of that conversation had been a shock, starting with Sydney and ending with someone stealing Alchemist records about Lissa's father. Why would anyone care about a dead man? And why steal the records at all? To learn something? Or to try to hide information? If that last one was true, then Sydney was right that it had been a failed effort. I replayed it all in my head as I got ready for bed, staring at my reflection while brushing my teeth. Why, why, why? Why do it? And who? I needed no more intrigue in my life, but anything involving Lissa had to be treated seriously. Unfortunately, it soon became clear I wouldn't figure out anything tonight, and I fell asleep with all those questions spinning around in my head. I woke up the next morning feeling a little less overwhelmed–but still short on answers. I debated whether or not to tell Lissa about what I'd learned and finally decided I should. If someone was gathering information on her father, she had a right to know, and besides, this was hardly the same as rumors about his– A thought startled me in the middle of scrubbing shampoo into my hair. I'd been too tired and surprised to string together the pieces last night. That guy at the Witching Hour had said Lissa's dad was there a lot. Now Sydney's records reported that he'd made large deposits into an account in Las Vegas. Coincidence? Maybe. But as time went on, I was starting not to believe in coincidences anymore. Once presentable, I set out toward Lissa's side of Court–but didn't get very far. Adrian was waiting for me down in my building's foyer, slumped back into an armchair. â€Å"It's early for you, isn't it?† I teased, coming to a stop in front of him. I expected a smile in return, but Adrian didn't look particularly cheerful this morning. In fact, he appeared kind of bedraggled. His hair lacked its usual styling care, and his clothing–unusually dressy for this time of day–was wrinkled. The scent of clove cigarettes hung around him. â€Å"Easy to be early when you don't get much sleep,† he responded. â€Å"I was up a lot of the night waiting for someone.† â€Å"Waiting for–oh. God.† The party. I'd totally forgotten the party his mother had invited me to. Abe and Sydney had distracted me. â€Å"Adrian, I'm so sorry.† He shrugged and didn't touch me when I sat down on the arm of his chair. â€Å"Whatever. I probably shouldn't be surprised anymore. I'm starting to realize I've been deluding myself.† â€Å"No, no. I was going to go, but then you won't believe what–â€Å" â€Å"Save it. Please.† His voice was weary, his eyes bloodshot. â€Å"It's not necessary. My mom told me she saw you over at Dimitri's questioning.† I frowned. â€Å"But that's not why I missed the party. There was this guy–â€Å" â€Å"That's not the point, Rose. The point is that you managed to make time for that–and a visit to his cell, if what I heard is true. Yet, you couldn't bother showing up at something you said you'd do with me–or even send a message. That was all you had to do: say you couldn't go. I waited over an hour for you at my parents' house before giving up.† I started to say he could have tried to contact me, but honestly, why should he have? It wasn't his responsibility. I was the one who'd told Daniella I'd meet him there. It was my fault for not showing up. â€Å"Adrian, I'm sorry.† I clasped his hand, but he didn't squeeze back. â€Å"Really, I meant to, but–â€Å" â€Å"No,† he interrupted again. â€Å"Ever since Dimitri came back†¦ no, scratch that. Ever since you became obsessed with changing him, you've been torn over me. No matter what's happened between us, you've never really given yourself over to our relationship. I wanted to believe what you told me. I thought you were ready†¦ but you weren't.† Protests rose to my lips, but once more, I stopped them. He was right. I'd said I'd give dating him a fair shot. I'd even sunk into the comfortable role of his girlfriend, yet the whole time†¦ the whole time, part of me had been consumed with Dimitri. I'd known it too but had kept living split lives. A weird flashback to my time with Mason popped into my head. I'd led the same double life with him, and he'd died for it. I was a mess. I didn't know my own heart. â€Å"I'm sorry,† I said again. â€Å"I really do want us to have something†¦.† Even to me, the words sounded so lame. Adrian gave me a knowing smile. â€Å"I don't believe that. Neither do you.† He stood up and ran his hand over his hair, not that it did any good. â€Å"If you really want to be with me, then you've got to mean it this time.† I hated seeing him so grim. I especially hated being the reason. I followed him to the door. â€Å"Adrian, wait. Let's talk more.† â€Å"Not now, little dhampir. I need some sleep. I just can't handle playing this game right now.† I could have gone after him. I could have tackled him to the ground. But it wouldn't have been worth it†¦ because I had no answers to give him. He'd been right about everything, and until I could make up my own confused mind, I had no right to force a talk. Besides, considering the state he was in, I doubted any further conversation would have been productive. Yet as he started to step outside, I couldn't help my next words. â€Å"Before you go–and I understand why you have to–there's something I've got to ask you. Something that's not about us. It affects–it affects Lissa.† This slowly brought him to a halt. â€Å"Always a favor.† With a world-weary sigh, he glanced at me over his shoulder. â€Å"Make it fast.† â€Å"Someone broke into the Alchemists' records and stole information about Lissa's dad. Some of it was ordinary life history stuff, but there were some documents about him making secret deposits into a bank account in Las Vegas. Some woman's bank account.† Adrian waited a few moments. â€Å"And?† â€Å"And I'm trying to figure out why someone would do that. I don't want anyone snooping around her family. Do you have any idea what her dad would have been doing?† â€Å"You heard the guy at the casino. Her dad was there a lot. Maybe he had gambling debts and was paying off a loan shark.† â€Å"Lissa's family's always had money,† I pointed out. â€Å"He couldn't have gotten into that much debt. And why would anyone care enough to steal that info?† Adrian threw up his hands. â€Å"I don't know. That's all I've got, at least this early in the morning. I don't have the brain power for intrigue. I can't really picture any of that being a threat to Lissa, though.† I nodded, disappointed. â€Å"Okay. Thanks.† He continued on his way, and I watched him go. Lissa lived near him, but I didn't want him to think I was following him. When he'd put enough distance between us, I stepped outdoors as well and started to head in the same direction. The faint sound of bells brought me to a halt. I hesitated, suddenly unsure where to go. I wanted to talk to Lissa and tell her what Sydney had told me. Lissa was alone for a change; this was the perfect opportunity. And yet†¦ the bells. It was Sunday morning. Mass was about to start at the Court's church. I had a hunch about something, and in spite of everything that had happened–including with Adrian–I had to see if I was right. So I sprinted off toward the church, going in the opposite direction of Lissa's building. The doors were shut when I reached my destination, but a few other latecomers were trying to quietly slip in. I entered with them, pausing to get my bearings. Clouds of incense hung in the air, and my eyes took a moment to adjust from sunlight to candlelight. Since this church dwarfed St. Vladimir's chapel, it was packed with a lot more people than I was used to seeing at mass. Most of the seats were full. But not all of them. My hunch had been right. Dimitri sat in one of the back pews. A few guardians sat near him, of course, but that was it. Even in a crowded church, no one else had joined him on the bench. Reece had asked Dimitri if he'd step inside the church yesterday, and Dimitri had gone one step further, saying he'd even go to Sunday services. The priest had already begun to speak, so I moved down Dimitri's pew as quietly as I could. Silence didn't matter, though, because I still attracted a fair amount of attention from nearby people who were astonished to see me sitting next to the Strigoi-turned-dhampir. Eyes stared and several hushed conversations broke out. The guardians had left some space near Dimitri, and when I sat beside him, the look on his face showed he was both surprised and not surprised by this. â€Å"Don't,† he said in a hushed voice. â€Å"Don't start–not in here.† â€Å"Wouldn't dream of it, comrade,† I murmured back. â€Å"Just came for the good of my soul, that's all.† He didn't need to say a word to convey to me that he doubted I was here for any holy reasons. I stayed quiet throughout the service, though. Even I respected some boundaries. After several minutes, the tension in Dimitri's body eased a little. He'd grown wary when I joined him but must have eventually decided I'd be on good behavior. His attention shifted off of me and focused on the singing and the praying, and I did my best to watch him without being obvious. Dimitri used to go to the school's chapel because it brought him peace. He had always said that even though the killing he did destroyed evil in the world, he still felt the need to come think about his life and seek forgiveness for his sins. Seeing him now, I realized that was truer than ever. His expression was exquisite. I was so used to seeing him hide emotions that it was a bit startling for him to suddenly have a host of them on his face. He was absorbed in the priest's words, his gorgeous face completely focused. And I realized he was taking everything the priest was saying about sin personally. Dimitri was replaying all the awful things he'd done as a Strigoi. From the despair on his face, you'd think that Dimitri himself was responsible for all the sins of the world the priest spoke of. For a moment, I thought I saw hope on Dimitri's face too, just a spark of it mixed in with his guilt and sorrow. No, I realized. Not hope. Hope implies that you think you have a chance at something. What I saw in Dimitri was longing. Wistfulness. Dimitri wished that by being here in this holy place and listening to the messages conveyed, he might find redemption for what he had done. Yet†¦ at the same time, it was clear he didn't believe that was possible. He wanted it but could never have it as far as he was concerned. Seeing that in him hurt me. I didn't know how to react to that kind of bleak attitude. He thought there was no hope for him. Me? I couldn't imagine a world without hope. I also never would have imagined I'd quote back a church lesson, but when the rest of the crowd stood up to take communion, I found myself saying to Dimitri: â€Å"Don't you think that if God can supposedly forgive you, it's kind of egotistical for you not to forgive yourself?† â€Å"How long have you been waiting to use that line on me?† he asked. â€Å"Actually, it just came to me. Pretty good, huh? I bet you thought I wasn't paying attention.† â€Å"You weren't. You never do. You were watching me.† Interesting. To know that I was watching him, would Dimitri have had to have watched me watching him? It boggled the mind. â€Å"You didn't answer my question.† He kept his eyes on the communion line while composing his answer. â€Å"It's irrelevant. I don't have to forgive myself even if God does. And I'm not sure He would.† â€Å"That priest just said God would. He said God forgives everything. Are you calling the priest a liar? That's pretty sacrilegious.† Dimitri groaned. I never thought I'd take joy in tormenting him, but the frustrated look on his face wasn't because of his personal grief. It was because of me being impertinent. I'd seen this expression a hundred times on him, and the familiarity of it warmed me, as crazy as that sounds. â€Å"Rose, you're the one being sacrilegious. You're twisting these people's faith for your own purposes. You've never believed in any of this. You still don't.† â€Å"I believe that the dead can come back to life,† I said seriously. â€Å"The proof is sitting right next to me. If that's true, then I think you forgiving yourself isn't that much more of a leap.† His gaze hardened, and if he was praying for anything right then, it was that the communion process would speed up so that he could get out of here and away from me. We both knew he had to wait this church service out. If he ran out, it would make him look Strigoi. â€Å"You don't know what you're talking about,† he said. â€Å"Don't I?† I hissed, leaning closer. I did it to drive home my point, but all it did (for me, at least) was give me a better view of the way the candlelight shone on his hair and how long and lean his body was. Someone had apparently decided he could be trusted to shave, and his face was smooth, showing its wonderful, perfect lines. â€Å"I know exactly what I'm talking about,† I continued, trying to ignore how his presence affected me. â€Å"I know that you've been through a lot. I know that you did terrible things–I saw them. But it's in the past. It was beyond your control. It's not like you're going to do it again.† A strange, haunted look crossed his face. â€Å"How do you know? Maybe the monster didn't leave. Maybe there's still something Strigoi lurking in me.† â€Å"Then you need to defeat it by moving on with your life! And not just through your chivalrous pledge to protect Lissa. You need to live again. You need to open yourself up to people who love you. No Strigoi would do that. That's how you'll save yourself.† â€Å"I can't have people loving me,† he growled. â€Å"I'm incapable of loving anyone in return.† â€Å"Maybe you should try instead of just feeling sorry for yourself!† â€Å"It's not that easy.† â€Å"Da–† I just barely stopped myself from swearing in a church. â€Å"Nothing we've ever done has been easy! Our life before–before the attack wasn't easy, and we made it through that! We can make it through this too. We can make it through anything together. It doesn't matter if you put your faith in this place. I don't care. What matters is that you put your faith in us.† â€Å"There is no us. I've already told you that.† â€Å"And you know I'm not a very good listener.† We were keeping our voices low, but I think our body language clearly indicated an argument. The other churchgoers were too distracted to notice, but Dimitri's guardians were regarding us carefully. Again, I reminded myself about what Lissa and Mikhail had both said. Getting Dimitri angry in public was not going to do him any favors. The problem was, I had yet to say anything that didn't make him angry. â€Å"I wish you hadn't come here,† he said at last. â€Å"It's really better for us to stay apart.† â€Å"That's funny because I could have sworn you once said we were meant to be together.† â€Å"I want you to stay away from me,† he said, ignoring my comment. â€Å"I don't want you to keep trying to bring back feelings that are gone. That's the past. None of that's going to happen again. Not ever. It's better for us if we act like strangers. It's better for you.† The loving, compassionate feelings he had stirred within me heated up–to fury. â€Å"If you're going to tell me what I can or can't do,† I growled in as low a tone as I could manage, â€Å"then at least have the courage to say it to my face!† He spun around so quickly that he might have indeed still been Strigoi. His face was filled with†¦ what? Not that earlier depression. Not rage either, though there was a bit of anger. There was more, though†¦ a mingling of desperation, frustration, and maybe even fear. Underscoring all of it was pain, like he suffered from terrible, exquisite agony. â€Å"I don't want you here,† he said, eyes blazing. The words hurt, but something about it all thrilled me, just as his earlier agitation at my flippant comments had. This wasn't the cold and calculating Strigoi. This wasn't the defeated man in the cell. This was my old instructor, my lover, who attacked everything in life with intensity and passion. â€Å"How many times do I have to tell you that? You need to stay away from me.† â€Å"But you aren't going to hurt me. I know that.† â€Å"I've already hurt you. Why can't you understand that? How many times do I have to say it?† â€Å"You told me†¦ you told me before you left that you loved me.† My voice trembled. â€Å"How can you let that go?† â€Å"Because it's too late! And it's easier than being reminded of what I did to you!† His control snapped, his voice echoing through the back of the church. The priest and those still taking communion didn't notice, but we'd definitely gotten the attention of those in the back half of the church. A few of the guardians stiffened, and again, I had to repeat the warning to myself. No matter how furious I was at Dimitri, no matter how betrayed I felt that he'd turned away from me†¦ I could not risk others thinking he was dangerous. Dimitri hardly looked like he was going to snap someone's neck, but he was clearly upset, and one might confuse his frustration and pain for something more sinister. I turned from him, trying to calm my churning emotions. When I looked back, our eyes locked, power and electricity burning between us. Dimitri could ignore it all he wanted, but that connection–that deep calling of our souls–was still in there. I wanted to touch him, not just with this brushing of my leg but with everything. I wanted to wrap him in my arms and hold him against me, reassuring him that we could do anything together. Without even realizing it, I reached toward him, needing that touch. He sprang up like I was a snake, and all of his guardians shot forward, braced for what he might do. But he did nothing. Nothing except stare at me with a look that made my blood run cold. Like I was something strange and bad. â€Å"Rose. Please stop. Please stay away.† He was working hard to stay calm. I shot up, now as angry and frustrated as him. I had a feeling if I stayed, we'd both snap. In an undertone, I murmured, â€Å"This isn't over. I won't give up on you.† â€Å"I've given up on you,† he said back, voice also soft. â€Å"Love fades. Mine has.† I stared at him in disbelief. All this time, he'd never phrased it like that. His protests had always been about some greater good, about the remorse he felt over being a monster or how it had scarred him from love. I've given up on you. Love fades. Mine has. I backed up, the sting of those words hitting me as hard as if he'd slapped me. Something shifted in his features, like maybe he knew how much he'd hurt me. I didn't stick around to see. Instead, I pushed my way out of the aisle and ran out the doors in the back, afraid that if I stayed any longer, everyone in the church would see me cry.