Industrial Relations Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Industrial Relations Law - Essay Example A central problem in attempts to test empirically generalized models of an industrial relations system mirrors those encountered in the application of generalized theories of the capitalist state. The process of particularization sustains structural mechanisms within an industrial relations system that reproduce limitations in the institutional structure of a particular state. Hence, patterns of regulation legitimize the centralized power of the capitalist class yet are likely to operate in potentially contradictory manner. Partial access to the state through a voluntary system of industrial relations has, in the UK, sustained the historically embedded yet short-term interest of many employers. However, collective laissez-faire and voluntarism have positioned trade unions and collective bargaining as easy targets in proximate explanations of poor post-war economic performance. Collective laissez-faire appeared functional – it helped secured post-war recovery - yet contradictor y; in the context of full employment, it appeared inflationary. More significantly, collective laissez-faire is functional because it is an institutional an embodiment of the process of particularization in the UK state.The extent of industrial action: In the UK, official statistics on the use of industrial sanctions relate only to strikes. They measure three dimension of strike activity – their number (how frequent they are), their size (number of workers involved) and their duration (the number of working days lost). ... state. Hence, patterns of regulation legitimize the centralized power of the capitalist class yet are likely to operate in potentially contradictory manner. Partial access to the state through a voluntary system of industrial relations has, in the UK, sustained the historically embedded yet short-term interest of many employers. However, collective laissez faire and voluntarism has positioned trade unions and collective bargaining as easy targets in proximate explanations of poor post-war economic performance. Collective laissez faire appeared functional - it helped secured post-war recovery - yet contradictory; in the context of full employment it appeared inflationary. More significantly, collective laissez faire is functional because it is an institutional embodiment of the process of particularization in the UK state. The extent of industrial action: In the UK, official statistics on the use of industrial sanctions relate only to strikes. They measure three dimension of strike activity - their number (how frequent they are), their size (number of workers involved) and their duration (the number of working days lost). This last measure is often distorted by a few big strikes. For example, in 1979 an engineering industry- wide strike accounted for 55 percent of the 29.5 million working days lost in that year. In 2000 the number of working days lost in the UK was 499,00. However, disputes still happen - for example, the series of one day stoppages in 2002 on the railways over the widening of pay differentials between drivers, who were in short supply, and other railway employees. The dearth of drivers meant that the

Guilt and Punishment Essay Example for Free

Guilt and Punishment Essay Creon’s actions and judgment in the play Antigone were questionable, but I don’t think he deserved the punishment he received at the conclusion of the play. My philosophy of life probably influenced my decision because I believe that everyone deserves a second chance. Creon was arrogant and did not listen to anyone’s advice, including Tiresias, a prophet who has never told him a lie. However, in the end he realized what had happened and accepted his fate. Creon was just recently appointed king so I guess he was trying to set a good example by sentencing Antigone to death. He didn’t’ want the people to think he was a person who made exceptions to their own ruling. A part of me did not want to forgive Creon, because what he did was rotten. He turned against his own family. I could never send a family member to jail or even worse, death. Creon’s punishment was quite harsh. All of the people close to him died. His son and daughter died and that was when he realized what kind of mistake he had made. He went against the morals of the people, ignored advice from his family members as well as a prophet who has never been wrong. His obstinate decision led him towards his downfall. In the end Creon knew that it was his fault that every one around him died. It was too late to regret now, so he accepted his punishment. I don’t think that the punishment was suitable because it was too extreme. Image if everyone in your family died because you made a poor decision. No one is perfect, that is why they put erasers on top of your pencils. I believe everyone should deserve a second chance, even if that someone is Creon.

Effect Of Explicit And Implicit Vocabulary Instruction English Language Essay

Effect Of Explicit And Implicit Vocabulary Instruction English Language Essay It is true that vocabulary is central to a language and is of paramount importance to a language learner as Ellis (1994) claims that the cornerstone of L2 is its vocabulary. Instruction is an important contributor in the development of vocabulary knowledge. Implicit vocabulary teaching and learning method involves indirect, or incidental whereas the explicit method involves direct, or intentional. This thesis attempts to find out and compare the effects of the two vocabulary teaching methods on 60 students studying in a Tonekabon University. Control Group (explicit vocabulary teaching) and Experimental group (implicit vocabulary teaching), each group was given a different modes of instruction. During the lessons different explicit vocabulary presentation techniques used including mind-mapping, Persian equivalents and English synonyms and definitions. Subsequently, the teacher utilized an inferred method for teaching vocabulary implicitly which means students were supposed to guess th e words from the passages by using context clues. The researcher used the, the Independent T-Test, Analysis of covariance. The T-tests compared the means of the pretest and posttest scores of each group. ANCOVA was used to identify the progress level from the pretest to the posttest in the groups. The results obtained by the implicit group shows students gained new vocabulary moderately better. And also findings of study in the explicit vocabulary teaching method revealed that in terms of students short term recall of word meanings and the students did well in word retention. The results of this study have important implications for the classroom and make a strong case for implicit and explicit vocabulary instruction. Key Words: Word knowledge, Vocabulary Learning Strategy, Implicit Vocabulary Instruction, Explicit Vocabulary Instruction 1. Background of the Study Vocabulary teaching is one of the most important components of any language classes which help learners to understand languages and express their meanings. If language structures make up the skeleton of language, then it is vocabulary that provides the vital organs and the flesh (Harmer 1993.153). This study provides the view toward students knowledge of words by the influence of different modes of teaching vocabulary in which students are weak in words retention. My interest in vocabulary learning strategies was first aroused when I was an English teacher in Institutes. Year after year, many students complained about the difficulty of memorizing new words. They had realized that their small vocabulary size, which seemed difficult to enlarge, had hampered their English learning. It seemed that they had not found an appropriate way to learn vocabulary. We have not been taught the majority of words which we know. Beyond a certain level of proficiency in learning a language, vocabulary development is more likely be mainly intentional or incidental. In vocabulary acquisition studies, one key research direction is to explore the points at which implicit vocabulary learning is more efficient than explicit vocabulary learning, to ask what are the most effective strategies of implicit learning, and to consider the implications of research results for classroom vocabulary teaching(Carter and Nunan, 2002).Traditional vocabulary instruction for many teachers involves having students look words up in a dictionary, memorize them in word lists, find the nearest equivalent which are often used in order to help students learn new words. But these methods provide what research and theory tell us about word learning and sound vocabulary instruction. 2. Statement of the Problem All instructors through classroom activities usually use different methods and techniques in order to teach vocabulary in the class in which students participate actively. Moreover, the way of teaching is significant in vocabulary learning classes. Among researchers, vocabulary has been concerned the core of learning a language and reading comprehension. Students usually are assumed to learn or memorize the lists of vocabulary in order to increase the knowledge of vocabulary and apply it in understanding passages. Most students suffer from understanding the passages which consist of words that play as a hinder in their perceiving, so teachers should help students out by some principal instruction to make them easy to recognize the meaning of unknown words. Students who are learning English as a foreign language lack the vocabulary necessary to understand the reading material in literature and in the content areas. Many of these students do not have success in reading and listening du e to a deficiency in vocabulary. Unknown words hinder students understanding not only on the reading comprehension portions of these tests, but on understanding of questions on content portions of tests as well. Therefore, it is necessary that successful strategies be found to help these students attain proficiency in the classroom. It has long been a debate as to whether or not explicit instruction increases the acquisition of a second language (Chaudron, 1988). Improvements in reading comprehension in English language learners after explicit vocabulary instruction would provide useful strategies for not only EFL instructors, but for mainstream teachers of classrooms with EFL students. The problem for this study is to investigate the merits. Thus, the purpose of this study is to explore the effect of explicit and implicit instruction on a development of EFL learners vocabulary learning. 3. Literature review According to Celce-Murcia (2001) knowledge can be gained and represented either implicitly or explicitly and both contribute to language learning. There exists a central debate emerging from the studies dealt with whether effective vocabulary learning should give attention to explicit implicit vocabulary learning. In implicit vocabulary, learning students engage in activities that focus attention on vocabulary. Incidental vocabulary is learning that occurs when the mind is focused elsewhere, i.e. learning without conscious attention or awareness; such as on understanding a text or using language for communicative purposes. From a pedagogically- oriented perspective, the goal of explicit teaching is to lead learners attention, whereas the aim of an implicit focus on form is to draw learners attention. Moreover, individual tasks can be located along an explicit or implicit continuum, and complex tasks may combine both explicit and implicit subtasks. Most researchers recognized that a well-structured vocabulary program needs a balanced approach that includes explicit teaching together with activities providing appropriate contexts for incidental learning. Much discussion in the literature on whether vocabulary is best learned through direct study or incidentally through reading. Schmitt (2000) suggests that learners are able to learn large quantities of vocabulary explicitly, for example, by using word lists and the depth of processing hypothesis suggests that it is more likely for a piece of information to be retained in memory if it is manipulated with more mental effort. On the other hand, Hulstijn (1997) notes that it is difficult to learn everything we need to know, through explicit learning, about the more frequent words but extensive reading can serve this purpose. There is, in fact, evidence that both the explicit and implicit approach can be effective. In light of the drawbacks and benefits of both the explicit and implicit vocabulary learning methods, some linguists have suggested that both methods be used together to supplement each other. The experimental design for this study was a quantitative design. Specifically, the design was a quasi-experimental. This research used two groups, control group and experimental group with no treatment (explicit instruction) and a treatment (implicit instruction). The two methods of instruction were compared. Pretest-posttest experimental design was used to investigate the effectiveness of using implicit and explicit modes of introduction to enhance vocabulary knowledge. In scoring the items on the test, for the vocabulary-recognition portion, the items were multiple choices. Scoring was objective; one point for each correct answer. Scores ranged from 0 to 20 on this portion. On the second section of the test, the vocabulary production portion, the items were fill-in-blank. In order to earn the maximum score of one point for each item, the response had to be grammatically correct and spelled correctly. Scores ranged from 0 to 20 on the production portion of the test. For the vocabulary acquisition portion of the test, the total measures ranged from 0 to 20. For the vocabulary acquisition measures, participants took pre-tests to identify whether or not they had any existing knowledge about the vocabulary that was the focus for the particular unit. For this study, it was important to be able to identify the number of vocabulary words that were gained (pre- versus post- scores) as opposed to identifying only the number of vocabulary words that were known at the end of the unit (post-test only). By administering pre-and post-tests, the researcher was able to remove any influence of prior knowledge of these vocabulary words by the participants. By obtaining several values for each participant and alternating the methods of instruction, the researcher was able to help overcome the small sample size and the possibility of maturation of the participants. This also helped to decrease the effect for a particularly interesting unit or particularly uninteresting unit. The final analysis of the data was approximately three months. Table 2 illustrate s the timeline of the experiment with reference to the pre-tests and the units of instruction. To collect data for this study, three instruments were utilized 🙠 1) OPT test t; (2) pretest (i.e. a TOEFL Vocabulary test; (3) posttest (i.e. A TOEFL proficiency test) Vocabulary Levels Tests (Nation, 1990), which is among the best known vocabulary measurement tools to date, will be selected to determine the size of the participants vocabulary. A comparison of the mean scores of test obtained by the two groups shows that, very obviously, performance was a bit higher when the target words were taught through an implicit vocabulary instruction technique of inferred passage than when target words were associated with mid-mapping technique and synonyms and definitions in the passages. The students who participated in this study were sixty students enrolled in university in one semester. The test scores for all sixty students were collected and listed with a numerical reference rather than by name. (Refer to Appendix B) In this study, participants took part in six vocabulary units. These units were a part of 400 must-have words for the TOEFL about the same length, and on various topics. Within this program, there were also teacher-reviewed vocabulary lists and classroom tested strategies for implicit and explicit vocabulary teaching. Each part was on the same vocabulary level and the units were designed to be of similar length. There were two different modes of instruction. In one mode of instruction, implicit instruction, the teacher utilized a inferred method for teaching a vocabulary unit. Moreover, students were supposed to guess the words from the passages by using context clues. In the other mode of instruction, explicit instruction, the teacher utilized specific strategies for (mind-mapping technique, synonyms and definitions). Table 2 outlines the daily schedule for each unit. It distinguishes the implicit instruction strategies from the explicit instruction strategies. The independent variable for this study was the mode of instruction implicit classroom instruction versus explicit vocabulary instruction. These modes were applied to the same group of students, but alternated on the basis of the vocabulary unit. The dependent variables for this study were the vocabulary gained and scores-both of which were collected on the basis of each vocabulary unit (approximately every week). For the vocabulary scores, the lowest possible score was 0 and the highest possible score was 20. Since the focus of this study was to compare conditions with and without explicit vocabulary instruction, the number of words gained for each unit was used. Research Questions: 1-Does explicit teaching of vocabulary affect Iranian EFL learners knowledge of vocabulary? 2-Does implicit teaching of vocabulary affect Iranian EFL learners knowledge of vocabulary? 3-Does the experimental groups (implicit) of the study show progress from the pre-test to post-test? 4-Does the control group (explicit) of the study show progress from pre-test to the post-test study? The hypotheses used for this analysis are as follows: 4. Research Hypotheses H1: Explicit teaching of vocabulary does not affect Iranian EFL learners knowledge of vocabulary. H2: Implicit teaching of vocabulary affects Iranian EFL learners knowledge of vocabulary. H3: The experimental(implicit) of the study shows progress from the pre-test to post-test of study. H4: The control group (explicit) of study does not show progress from pre-test to the post-test study. 4.1 Participants The research participants for the study included the researcher as the classroom teacher and two groups of students. The total of 60 undergraduate students were (40 males and 20 females) of English as a Foreign Language in the Islamic Azad University of Tonekabon, Iran. Their age ranges from 19 and 23. Informed consent was obtained from all students verbally. These students were chosen in the diversity of the group including characteristics such as gender, age, and years of learning English as a Foreign Language. Some 30 students majoring in English were chosen. As previously discussed in the rationale for this research, this kind of situation often places high stress on students as well as teachers and leads to a classroom instructional focus geared toward rote memorization (explicit) rather than higher level thinking (implicit). It was within this context that this researcher sought answers to the questions guiding this study. Two sets of test scores of a single group of sixty students were analyzed to determine if a statistically significant gain existed. The independent t-test was used to determine if the mean gains of the two groups of scores were significantly different from one another. The t-test was chosen because it adjusts for the distribution of the small sample size.(Gay Airasian, 2003). The test was run first for the vocabulary acquisition variable (refer to Hypothesis 1) and then again for the vocabulary knowledge variable (refer to Hypothesis 2). Statistically significant gains in the means of the groups of scores (control group) would indicate that explicit vocabulary instruction does have an effect in EFL words retention. A positive difference would be an indication of additional benefits (more vocabulary acquired and/or higher retention) derived from the implicit instruction. In examining the overall classroom performance, a higher average on units taught using explicit vocabulary instruc tion would indicate an overall benefit for using explicit vocabulary instruction in the classroom. The OPT test and pretest were administered one week apart, with the second test administered the day prior to implementation of the program. The posttest was administered immediately upon the conclusion of the study. All data were collected during the students regularly scheduled vocabulary class by the researcher who had no relationship with classroom participants .It could be one of the limitations of the study. Students in both study conditions received the same pretest and posttest. Test directions instruct students in order to receive full credit; all work must be shown, regardless of how they arrive at their answer. Students were allowed and required to utilize some techniques to answer questions on the test. For this research study, the modes of instruction were the independent variable because it was hypothesized to impact the vocabulary knowledge on the posttest. The dependent variable was the vocabulary knowledge measured by the posttest scores after the treatment. The analysis would use two methods to data analysis in order to answer the research questions: the independent T-Test and ANCOVA. Independent T-tests were used to answer the first and second research question. ANCOVA was used to answer the third and fourth research questions. 5. Results This research study aimed to investigate the effects of vocabulary modes of instruction on word knowledge for an experimental group (N=30) of college students at the Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon, Iran. In order to compare the improvement from the pretest to the posttest of the study, the researcher used the, the Independent T-Test, Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The T-tests compared the means of the pretest and posttest scores of each group and, therefore to answer the first research question and second question. ANCOVA was used to identify the progress level from the pretest to the posttest in the groups, and therefore to answer the third and fourth research questions. In this section the results of the study based on the participants scores on the pretests and posttests in both groups will be presented. H1: Explicit teaching of vocabulary does not affect Iranian EFL learners knowledge of vocabulary. As viewed in Figure 4.1, the histogram forms a symmetric shape confirming that the scores are normal. For answering question one, two sets of test scores of two group students were analyzed to determine if a statistically significant gain existed. The independent t-test was used to determine if the mean gains of the two groups of scores were significantly different from one another. According to (Table 4.2), observed t value equals 2.343. A comparison made between this t value and the critical t value in the table (Table 4.4) adopted from Hatch and Farhady (1981, p. 272) shows that the critical t value equals 2.In other words the observed t is higher than the critical t value. Therefore, the null hypothesis derived from the first research question is rejected and it can be indicated that the research independent variable explicit teaching of vocabulary has effect learners knowledge of vo cabulary. Table 4.2 Independent Samples Test Levenes Test for Equality of Variances t-test for Equality of Means F Sig. t df Sig. (2-tailed) Mean Difference Std. Error Difference 95% Confidence Interval of the Difference Lower Posttest Score Equal variances assumed .016 .901 2.343 58 .023 1.633 .697 .238 Equal variances not assumed 2.343 57.931 .023 1.633 .697 .238 Table 4.1 implicit and explicit posttest score Treatment N Mean Std. Deviation Posttest Score Implicit 30 14.83 2.653 Explicit 30 13.20 2.747 Table 4.3 pretest and posttest of experimental group Mean N Std. Deviation Pair 1 Pretest Score 11.26 30 1.375 Posttest Score 14.74 30 2.782 As Table 4.3 displays, the results of the descriptive analysis showed how the participants performed on the pretest and the posttest as well as the dispersion of the scores on the two tests. The mean scores of the pretest and the posttest in the Experimental Group were M = 11.26 (N = 30, SD =1.375) and M = 14.74 (N = 30, SD = 2.782) respectively. The significant difference between the two mean scores and the standard deviation indicated the group performed heterogeneously before and after the treatment. Having calculated the descriptive statistics based on the students scores on the pretest and the posttest, the researcher conducted a T-test to determine if the means significantly different. Table 4.4 Descriptive Statistics of the Overall Comparison between Pretest and Posttest in the CG Mean N Std. Deviation Pair 1 Pretest Score 11.52 30 2.327 Posttest Score 13.19 30 2.815 Table 4.4 shows comparisons between the pretest and the posttest mean scores for the experimental group. The purpose of this comparison is to find out whether the participants in the EG made changes in their vocabulary knowledge performance after the treatment. There is a statistically significant difference between the pretest and posttest performance of the groups (p>.05). There was no statistical evidence found to reject the second null hypothesis. H2: Implicit teaching of vocabulary affects Iranian EFL learners knowledge of vocabulary. Tables 4.4 shows comparisons between the pretest and the posttest mean scores for the control groups. The purpose of this comparison is to find out whether the participants in CG made changes in vocabulary knowledge after treatment. There is not a statistically significant difference between the pretest and posttest performance of the group (p>.05). This means the EG did significantly improve their vocabulary knowledge after the treatment. We can come to a conclusion that both the explicit vocabulary teaching technique (mind-mapping) and the implicit vocabulary teaching approach (inferred passage) brought lexical gains to the students in both groups. This finding is in line with the viewpoint of Carter and Nation (2001), who suggest that both the explicit and implicit methods can be effective. Nevertheless, in comparison, when word meanings were explicitly taught to the subjects through mind-mapping, semantic and short term recall of the target words were better than when the word meanings had to be inferred from the passages. This finding ran to Krashrens argument that competence in and vocabulary is most efficiently attained by comprehensible input in the form of reading (Krashen 1989, p.440). Krashen maintains that according to his Comprehensible Input Hypothesis which assumes that we acquire language by understanding messages (p.440), comprehensible input is the essential to language acquisition and vocabulary and spelling are acquired in the same way the rest of language is acquired (p.440). H3: The experimental(implicit) of the study shows progress from the pre-test to post-test of study. Before answering this question and presenting the descriptive results based on the experimental groups scores on the pretest and posttest of the study, the issue of whether or not scores follow a normal distribution should be investigated. Figure 4.5 is the histogram of the scores with a symmetrical shape showing the normality of the distribution. On the basis of the table (4.7), that the F value in the treatment row equal is 18.635 above shows that there is a significant different between the two research groups (EG, CG). In addition the sig. value (.000) in the same row shows that it is above the p-value (p>0.5). Hence it is stated that different between the mean scores is not haphazard or accidental and the third hypothesis supported and fourth null hypothesis is rejected. In order to answer this question, ANCOVA was conducted for finding any significant differences in the level of progress achieved by the control group. In all of these analyses the significant level was set at p H4: The control group (explicit) of study does not show progress from pre-test to the post-test study. In order to answer this question, ANCOVA was conducted for finding any significant differences in the level of progress achieved by the control group. In all of these analyses the significant level was set at p Summary It is true that vocabulary is central to a language and is of paramount importance to a language learner as Ellis (1999) claims that the cornerstone of L2 is its vocabulary. Instruction is an important contributor in the development of vocabulary knowledge. Implicit vocabulary teaching and learning method involves indirect, or incidental whereas the explicit method involves direct, or intentional. This paper attempts to find out and compare the effects of the two vocabulary teaching methods on 60 students studying in a Tonekabon University. Control Group (explicit vocabulary teaching) and Experimental group (implicit vocabulary teaching), each group was given a different modes of instruction. During the lessons different explicit vocabulary presentation techniques used including mind-mapping, Persian equivalents and English synonyms and definitions. Subsequently, the teacher utilized an inferred method for teaching vocabulary implicitly which means students were supposed to guess the words from the passages by using context clues. The researcher used the, the Independent T-Test, Analysis of covariance. The T-tests compared the means of the pretest and posttest scores of each group. ANCOVA was used to identify the progress level from the pretest to the posttest in the groups. The results obtained by the implicit group shows students gained new vocabulary moderately better. And also findings of study in the explicit vocabulary teaching method revealed that in terms of students short term recall of word meanings and the students did well in word retention. The results of this study have important implications for the classroom and make a strong case for implicit and explicit vocabulary instruction.

Henrik Ibsen :: essays research papers

	Henrik Ibsen was born in the Stockman Building in Skien, Norway. He spent part of his childhood on Venstøp Farm after his father went bankrupt. In 1843, he was apprenticed to a chemist in Grimstad. That was when he began writing satire and elegant poems in the style of the time. He wrote his first play in 1849, a five-act tragedy in verse, Catiline, which was published in 1850 under the pseudonym Brynjolf Bjarme. The Warrior's Barrow was written and performed in 1850, as the first of Ibsen's plays to reach the stage. However, it was not published until much later. Ibsen lived in Christiania (now Oslo) from 1850 to 1851 to complete his upper secondary education. From 1851 to 1857, Ibsen was playwright in residence and director of the theatre in Bergen. 	While there, he wrote St. John’s Night (written in 1852), Lady Inger of Osteraad (written in 1854, published in 1857), The Feast at Solhaug (written in 1855, published in 1856), and Olaf Liljekrans (written in 1856). All these plays were inspired by folk songs, folklore or history, all of which are leitmotifs that run through Ibsen’s works. Ibsen became creative director of The Norwegian Theater in Christiania in 1858. The next year, he wrote the historical play The Vikings at Helgeland. The Pretenders was written in 1863. Beside Bjornstjerne Bjornson’s Sigurd Slembe, The Pretenders is considered the main work of historical fiction produced during this era. Henrik Ibsen married Suzannah Thoresen (1836-1914) in 1858. Soon after, he wrote the poem "On the Heights"(1859) and the play Love’s Comedy (1863). The years in Christiania were difficult for Ibsen. He was given a means of escape when a group of his friends, headed by Bjornstjerne Bjor nson, collected enoughmoney for him to move to Italy in 1864. Shortly after moving, Ibsen began a major drama about Julian, but he did not complete the work until 1873, when it was published as Emperor and Galilean. The Epic Brand, a major epic-lyric poem, led to the lyric drama Brand (1866), Ibsen’s first real success as a writer. His next major work followed close on the heels of this success when he penned Peer Gynt in 1867. 	Ibsen moved to Dresden in 1868, then to Munich in 1875. In 1869, he wrote the comedy The League of Youth. The realistic style used to stage the drama Pillars of Society (1877) focused on various problems of the day.

Options for implementing a leadership change Essay

Gene One is a biotech company that has seen steady growth since entering the biotech industry in 1996. It was founded by the late Don Ruiz and four other directors. During the last eight years, Gene One has grown to become a $400 million dollar company. Gene One wants to continue this growth, and has decided to gain additional growth and funds by issuing an Initial Public Offering (IPO). This is in order to remain competitive in the market, since it needs more capital for new development, advertisement, and marketing if it is to remain successful.   In order for the IPO to be successful, Gene One needs a solid foundation to build upon. Gene One can take an in-depth look at key concepts such as effective teamwork through cooperation, trust, and cohesiveness, sources of conflict in organizations, knowledge management, elements of organizational structure, and assess the influence of organizational structure on power and politics (Scenario, 2006). Gene One is a growing company with many opportunities for further growth in the future. With this change, Gene One needs to revaluate all areas of the company and find solutions to problems within the organization. The company has many opportunities for changes, which will enable them to reach the goals needed. The key project is to find the best solution that will enable Gene One to reach their goals, and become better than its competitors. It will need to review the solutions that they have come up with, and the additional alternative solutions that have not even been reviewed (Holmstrom, 1994). Team analysis After the death of Don Ruiz, there is a big leadership gap left in the management of Gene One. The team is therefore incomplete without him, which is undesirable for effective management. Team building is both challenging and rewarding. Effective teams achieve results far beyond what individuals could accomplish on their own. However, team building is much more than putting a group of people together and hoping for the best. Teambuilding is an art that overcomes differences in style, personality, and other potential areas of conflict, but even when a team functions in total harmony, it may not achieve its goals (Brickley, 1987). As Don’s siblings, we have found ourselves having to take part in leadership at Gene One. Each family member was assigned one member of the remaining four members of the executive. In order to assess the remaining team’s likelihood of success, I gathered information about one team member and did an analysis on it. During my analysis, I found my subject to have the following desirable attributes: –  He can take charge, is assertive and can take control of a situation. – He is   outgoing, people-oriented and extroverted – He is concerned with accuracy, details and exactness – He is competitive, has   a great   desire to win and is aggressive – He is   easy going and casual, and   takes things as they come – He likes identifying and analyzing problems – He is concerned with timely results and is quick to take action – He is good team player who works well with others – he is concerned with standards and high quality work Attributes not well represented Despite all the good attributes, I found my subject with a few negative attributes. They include: – he has a negative attitude regarding people and outcomes – He is highly emotional and easily loses his temper – He gets impatient with the subordinate staff Recommendation With a few changes to the leadership structure of Gene One, I recommend my subject for a further role in management of Gene One. His attributes are impressive and can steer the company to great heights. However, he should help take the company through a transition to usher in a structure that separates ownership from management. Leadership style Gene One needs to develop a leadership style that involves the leader including one or more employees in the decision making process.   However, the leader maintains the final decision making authority. Using this style is not a sign of weakness; rather it is a sign of strength that your employees will respect. This is normally used when you have part of the information, and your employees have other parts. Note that a leader is not expected to know everything-this is why you employ knowledgeable and skillful employees. Using this style is of mutual benefit it allows them to become part of the team and allows you to make better decisions (Tannenbaum & Schmidt, 1958). Leadership structure The leadership structure at Gene One should change such that the titles of CEO and chairman of the board are separate entities. This will help separate management from leadership.   This is the best leadership structure for large corporations or others hoping to enter that league. Most large corporations are not managed by their owners or shareholders. Instead, they are managed by a leader-CEO or President- and a team of officers. The CEO or president is usually a professional trained in a particular field with the necessary experience. The CEO is accountable to the stockholders through their elected representative, the board of directors. Gene One should not have a dual CEO where the CEO functions simultaneously as the chair of the board. A non-dual CEO would be the best option for Gene One. Research has shown that CEO duality threatens Board independence, and can erode the essential oversight responsibilities of the Board (Daily and Dalton, 1994). Negative leadership should be avoided at all costs. Negative leaders act domineering and superior with people. They believe the only way to get things done is through penalties, such as loss of job, days off without pay, reprimand employees in front of others, etc. They believe their authority is increased by frightening everyone into higher lever of productivity. Yet what always happens when this approach is used wrongly is that morale falls; which of course leads to lower productivity.

Person Centred approaches Essay

Understand the application of person centred approaches in health and social care. Person centred values must influence all aspects of health and social care, to maintain their individual rights, to give them choice, promote their independence and to keep their dignity and respect. When we are planning a care plan it should reflect the needs and wishes of the client keeping and maintaining their independence and maintain their rights and choices remembering that their needs and wishes change from time to time. Never make assumptions about a person, find out their likes and dislikes. Each person is entitled to make their own choice to have their say and a right to respect and dignity. Outcome 3 Be able to establish consent when providing care or support 3.1 Analyse factors that influence the capacity of an individual to express consent Our mental capacity is the ability to think and reason, to be able to understand how our choices affect what can happen. There fore a person who has had a stroke can not always understand the simplest of questions, someone who has dementia or has mental health problems may not be make the right choices for themselves. Evan someone who has poor communication skills with English not being their first language can lead to misunderstanding. 3.3 Explain what steps to take if consent cannot be readily established If consent cannot be gained you need to inform your line manager and record that consent could be achieved in their notes. Your line manager can consult with other professionals to help. In some circumstances people are assessed as being unable to give consent. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 outlines the circumstances in which another person can make decisions on behalf to the person who lacks capacity. In many circumstances it is useful to ask family members about the person’s preferences and wishes Outcome 4 Be able to implement and promote active participation 1.1 Describe different ways of applying active participation to meet individual needs Active participation is a way of working with a person that recognises the person’s rights to participate in activities of everyday life as independently as possible it focuses on their wishes and abilities designed to maintain their impendence making them an active partner in their care or support. By working this way we are involving the person in all aspects of their care and needs meeting their wishes and giving them choice e.g. what clothes would they like to wear, would they like a shower or a wash, what would they like for their lunch. The person then feels more valued and involved with their care it also helps to build the persons confidence. Outcome 5 Be able to support the individuals’ right to make choices 5.4 Describe how to support an individual to question or challenge decisions concerning them that are made by others People have a right to challenge a decision that has been made about them. First make sure that the person fully understands what has been decided and by whom and what will happen making sure they fully understand what affect it will have on them. If the person doses not agree with this decision I would advise them on what steps to take to complain. Outcome 6 Be able to promote individuals well-being 6.1 Explain the links between identity, self image and self esteem Self image is the way we look at ourselves – Fat, thin, smart, untidy Self-esteem is about having confidence in ourselves Identity, self-image, self-esteem are all closely linked good self-esteem means a positive out look on life with good self imagine and good confidence in ourselves, having goals which are realistic to obtain. Someone who has low self-esteem will struggle with their sense of identity. Our identity, self-esteem and self-image are influenced by family up bring our friends, life experiences and feed back we get from others. Someone who was abused as a child will grow up with very little self-image can lead to behaviour pattern which leads to self destruct. Having a good level of education, a job involved in a relationship increases someone’s self value. 6.2 Analyse factors that contribute to the well being of individuals A lack of self-worth will lower motivation and reduce the person’s ability to full fill their potential. Always praise the person no matter how small their achievement is as this will improve their confidence and promote their self-worth. Approach everything with a positive aptitude, encourage them, listen to them be non judgemental show understanding and consideration this will boost the persons well being. Outcome 7 Understand the role of the risk assessment in enabling a person centred approach Risk assessments are used for various reasons. They can be used to assess the risk of the environment, risk of the action, risk to the client or member so staff, risk of a new piece of equipment, risk of dangers to others. Risks are a part of daily living for everyone it is part of the job to  minimise the risk to the client and to ourselves, this is why risk assements are carried out and revised regularly. Clients change they go down hill therefore the risks are constantly changing they become greater to the client and the carer so more actions need to be t to take implemented to protect the client and the carer.

Learning a Second Language Essay Example

Learning a Second Language Essay Example Learning a Second Language Essay Learning a Second Language Essay Christie Butler November 11, 2011 CP150 Unit 15 Paper We as American students should learn a second language. The students would have a better chance of getting into a good school. The student should take up on another language if it is mandatory. Therefore, learning a second language could help students in future careers, students would get paid more if they know a second language, and students would be encouraged to learn more about the culture of that language. Students should learn another language because it could help in their future careers. In learning a second language students are set with tools and common sense to exceed in future careers (Rao, 2011). Students will benefit from using a second language in any type of career they choose. They also will be able to communicate that particular language in the work place. Also students will be able to use the language in everyday life. Students would likely get paid more if they know a second language. If students know the language of there choice they most likely be in a better position of getting hired. Students would have a better chance at higher pay if they know two languages. Knowing two languages may get into higher positions at their jobs. Lastly, students would be encouraged to learn more about the culture of that language. â€Å"Students are clearly recognizing the importance of learning other languages as we become a more global society† (Marklein, 2003). Students may have family members that speak a different language. Also they could use that language to their advantage and travel the world for career opportunities. Then students would feel more confident and they’ll know how important it is to learn languages. In conclusion, students would make better career choices, being able to get promotions if they know a second language, and having that confidence to be able to speak a second language makes learning it a bit easier. I also studied Spanish in my high school years which I’m glad that I took, because it was not only a part of my culture, I was able to communicate to those that don’t know English. References Marklein, M. B. (2003, November 5). Students taking strides in foreign languages. Retrieved November 8, 2011, from www. usatoday. com: usatoday. com/news/education/2003-11-05-foreign-language-usat_x. htm Rao, A. (2011, March 17). Learning second language, study abroad helps students get advantage in job market. Retrieved November 8, 2011, from www. kstatecollegian. com: kstatecollegian. com/opinion/learning-second-language-study-abroad-helps-students-get-advantage-in-job-market-1. 2515777#. Trmn8HJ8uSo

Napoleon The Russian Conflict Essays - Russia, Free Essays

Napoleon The Russian Conflict Essays - Russia, Free Essays Napoleon "The Russian Conflict" Napoleon was one of the greatest military leaders of all time. By 1812 Napoleon had expanded the territory of France all over Europe including Spain, Italy, Holland, and Switzerland. The countries that Napoleon did not directly control, he was usually allied with. The turning point of Napoleon's career also came in 1812 when war broke out between France and Russia because of Alexander I's refusal to enforce the continental $ Even the French nation could not provide all the manpower and supplies needed to carry out the Emperor's grandiose plan for subduing Russia. Throughout 1811, he worked to mobilize the entire continent against Russia. He not only levied the vassal kingdoms in Spain, Italy, and Germany but also summoned Austria and Prussia to furnish their share of men and goods. Altogether, Napoleon could count on nearly 700,000 men of 20 nationalities of whom more than 600,000 crossed the border. Grown far beyond its original intended size, the army was difficult to assemble and hard to feed. Between Tilsit and Moscow, there lay over 600 miles of hostile barren countryside. Because of lack of supplies and the difficulty to feed the large army, Napoleon's plan was simple: bring about a battle, defeat the Russian army, and dictate a settlement. Apparently neither he nor his soldiers, who cheerfully began crossing the Nieman River, thought beyond the immediate goal. Already 300 miles into Russia, Napoleon had not yet found a way to exploit his advantage. In the Emperor's programming the resources necessary to achieve his objective, he had anticipated fighting a battle within a month after crossing the Nieman. Toward the end of that month Napoleon began to realize that events were disproving the validity of his estimates. Dying horses littered the roads and the advanced guard found little forage as Russians everywhere abandoned their homes. Napoleon knew that he needed to fight. At Smolensk, he set up for a battle and waited but the Russians, afraid of a trap steadily withdrew their troops from Smolensk and continued to retreat deeper into Russia. The only major battle in the Russian campaign proved that something was definitely lacking in Napoleon's judgment. Borodino was a battle of legendary proportions. Before the battle Napoleon proclaimed, "Soldiers, here is the battle you have so long desired!" However, the fight was inconclusive. At its end, Napoleon found himself the possessor, not of a victory, but of a barren hillside and an increasingly compelling commitment to advance further into the east. Well into the battle, the French had almost cracked the left side of the Russian Army. Several French generals had requested that Napoleon would commit the guard infantry into battle. This would create the final blow and insure the Russian defeat. After 14 hours of intense combat, the fighting died out at nightfall, and Mikhail Illarionovich Kutusov, the Russian general, gratefully began to retreat his troops. The guard infantry had remained unused. After the Battle of Borodino, in which losses on both sides totaled ! over 70,000 men, Napoleon had 100,000 effectives remaining, while Kutusov probably had no more than 55,000. Both sides claimed a victory, whereas actually, both sides had lost. While the Russian army filed disconsolately toward Moscow, the Emperor of the French rationalized his indecision at Borodino by contenting himself with the capture of the city. On September 14, Napoleon rode into Moscow at the head of a fraction of the Empire's military strength. Meanwhile, Napoleon's opponent had made a decision that was to shape the remainder of the campaign. Kutusov made up his mind not to fight another battle in defense of Moscow. Kutusov ordered the city's population out into the countryside, released all inmates from the city jails, and destroyed the city firefighting equipment. Napoleon and his army of 100,000 arrived only to find a handful of the original inhabitants and several hundred criminals and lunatics freely roaming and plundering the streets. That night, fires sprang up all over the city. Fire swept through the city for several days and by morning it was apparent that most of the city had been consumed by the flames. Left with no choice, Napoleon sent peace proposals to Alexander, but Alexander refused to even discuss the concept

Babylon Essay Research Paper In what today

Babylon Essay, Research Paper In what today is Iraq, there one time was a great civilisation known as Babylon, which at one clip could hold ruled the universe and was home to the 2nd admiration of the universe, the Hanging Gardens. Babylon was located in an ancient part surrounded by the Tigris and Euphrates River called the Mesopotamia country ( now southern Iraq near the terminal of the Fertile Crescent ) . This great civilisation foremost initiated around 3500 BC and began to crumple after the twelvemonth 323 BC. The Babylon civilization was successful because of the advanced citizens, cultural metropoliss, their engineering, and both political and legal systems. The capital of the Babylon Empire was a big metropolis in Babylon, which were place to 10,000 to 40,000 Sumerians and Semites ( names of Babylonians ) . The metropolis was discreet by a big wall to guard off any aggressors. Inside the walls there were several brilliant castles and temples utilized for mundane worship. The remainder of the metropolis had typical houses that had a cardinal courtyard established in every room. Narrow and writhing streets outside the wall at gaps located the houses where open-air markets at the bizarre took topographic point. Many people arising from two major civilisations populated Babylon: the mobile Sumerians and the cryptic Semitic. The Sumerians were the first people to settle in Babylon, after go forthing their fatherland in Sumeria, but bit by bit united with the Semitic. The Sumerians made the land into a great country to farm, rise farm animal, construct swamps, and irrigate canals. These lessons taught by the Sumerians instituted themselves in to Babylonian life. The Babylonians understood the proficient accomplishments of the Sumerians in irrigation and agribusiness. Keeping the system of canals butchs, weirs, and reservoirs exercised by their predecessors required considerable technology cognition and accomplishment. All of the tools and readyings the Sumerians used were inaugurated into Babylonian history. Due to Babylon? s location, agriculture was a methodical business necessitating great foresight, diligence, and skill. As in The Ancient Babylonian ( Davis: 4 ) , a papers written in Sumerian, but used as a text edition in the Babylon schools is a regular husbandman # 8217 ; s farmers calendar. It records a series of instructions and waies to steer farm activities from the lacrimation of the Fieldss, to the sifting of the harvested harvests. Babylon? s civilization is rather amazing. Law and justness were indispensable constructs in the Babylon manner of life. At the caput of the political construction was the male monarch, a more or less absolute sovereign who exercised legislative and judicial every bit good as executive powers. Justice was upheld by the tribunals, each of which consisted of from one to four Judgess. Often the seniors of a town constituted a court. The Judgess could non change by reversal their determinations for any ground, but entreaties from their finding of facts could be made to the male monarch. Evidence! either of statements from informants or of written paperss. Babylonian legal constructs have been inherited, in one signifier or another, by many civilisations around the universe. Babylonian art and arch itecture continues to astonish modern-day historiographers. To guarantee that their legal, administrative, and economic establishments operated efficaciously, the Babylonns used the cuneiform system of composing developed by their Sumerian predecessors. To develop their Scribes, secretaries, archivists, and other administrative forces, they used the Sumerian system of formal instruction, under which secular schools employed as the cultural centres of the land. Throughout Babylon? s history, it stayed as an independent state. However, near its terminal, others began to occupy and suppress this great civilisation. Babylon was portion of the Persian imperium from 539 B.C. until 331 B.C. when Alexander the Great took over the imperium. Alexander the Great loved Babylon so much he was able to do Babylon the capital of his imperium, but he? expired? in 323 BC and after that point the Babylon imperium began to crumple everlastingly. For case, Babylonian influence is permeant throughout the Bible and in the plants of such Grecian poets as Homer and Hesiod, in the geometry of the Grecian mathematician Euclid, in uranology, in star divination, and in heraldry. More than 1200 old ages had elapsed from the glorious reign of Hammurabi to the subjection of Babylonia by the Persians. During this long span of clip the Babylonian societal construction, economic organisation, humanistic disciplines and trades, scientific discipline and literature, judicial system, and spiritual beliefs underwent considerable alteration, but by and large merely in inside informations, non in kernel. Grounded about entirely on the civilization of Sumer, Babylonian cultural accomplishments left a deep feeling on the full antediluvian universe, and peculiarly on the Hebrews and the Greeks. Even contemporary civilisation is indebted culturally to Babylonian civilisation to some extent. On the other manus the Babylonn imperium has left us with many great promotion in many Fieldss and besides made their imperium sucessful. In decision the Babylonn imperium was one of the greatest civilisations of all time on this planet. 1.Breasted, James 1959 Development of Religion and Thought in Ancient Babylon Harper and Row, New York 2.Budge, E.A. Wallis 1973 Babylon Civilization Dover Publications, Inc. , New York 3.Budge, E.A. Wallis 1976 Babylonian Ideas of the Future Life Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner A ; Co. , London 4.Davis, A. Rosalie 1982 The Ancient Babylonian Routledge A ; Kegan Paul, London 5.Davis, Charles H.S. 1894 The Babylonian G.P. Putnam? s Sons, New York 6.Jaynes, Julian 1976 The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston 7.Wenke, Robert J. 1990 Patterns in Prehistory Oxford University Press, New York 8.Jantzen, Steven L. and Kringer and Neill. 1990. World History: Positions of the Past Houghton Mifflin Company, Canada. 9.Boersma, Jay 1998 Exploring Ancient World Cultures hypertext transfer protocol: //www.watson.org/rivendell/historyBabylon.html 10.Michael Smith and Sandeep Aggarwal, 1993 Ancient Civilizations hypertext transfer protocol: //home.echo-on.net/~smithda/

Classical Conditioning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Classical Conditioning - Essay Example He developed a phobia not only for the mouse, but for all white things (CR). He developed a generalization phobia of all things white. This was because Little Albert had not reached the correct form of thinking that is hypothesized by developmental psychologists such as Piaget. Therefore, he began to fear everything that was white. The one fundamental concept about classical conditioning is the idea behind repetition and reinforcement. If the relationship between response and stimulus is not maintained, then extinction occurs. When extinction occurs, the relationship between the stimulus and response is lost. In this case, Little Albert would not associate the loud noise and fear with things that were white. This research study could not be done today due to ethical concerns. This is because it is causing psychological harm to the individual. Especially at a young age, there are rules that the APA, American Psychological Association, has in place which prohibit experimentation on chi ldren without parental consent as well as a wide variety of other restrictions. The only way in which this experiment could possibly be replicated is if there was therapy and techniques given at the debriefing of the experiment, which would ease or get rid of any/all effects from the experiment.

What parts of Catholicism did Martin Luther keep after the Reformation Essay

What parts of Catholicism did Martin Luther keep after the Reformation - Essay Example The Catholics and those who protested mutually demanded reforms; however, the manner that they struggled for the reforms differed in a great manner. The reformation commenced at the end of October in the year 1517, when Martin Luther who was a German monk inadvertently ignited an uprising (McGrath 11). With the aid of the Ignatius, Metto and associates of the Trent Council, the Catholic Church established a rather flourishing response. Nevertheless, the splitting up of the entire Catholic Church would be the definitive hardship that the original Catholics had to tolerate because of this development of novel ideas. The scuffle to dominate populace’s values and belief’s would generate a civilization of religious pluralism, as it is currently recognized (Ferguson 57). The protestant way was centered at diminishing the Catholic religion economically, opinionated and publicly, while pressure from those protesting made the Catholics into frequent fights to boost their own acc usations and develop their corrupt nature. Faith and trust are the means of grace and god himself is the Supreme Being who awards this to human beings. The Lutheran Church and the Catholic Church have similarities that are the basis of both religions. The conventional Catholic Church was selling lenience for the aim of getting money, corrupt funds that were employed to perform endeavors that interested them (Baker, Robert and John 199). For instance, they sold Jubilee lenience just next to the Witten burg Castle with the aim of generating money for Saint Peter’s situated in Rome. Martin Luther became perplexed and angry at the Church’s activity of selling the indulgences. Thus, he retorted to his individual loathing of this observation by posting a directory of complaints opposing the Catholic Church. The list of complaints was termed as The Ninety-Five Theses (Luther and Stephen 47). Therefore, he began a religious upheaval that was later recognized as the

Baha'i - distinct, universal religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Baha'i - distinct, universal religion - Essay Example In accordance to Bahaullah, God had set historical forces which were collapsing conventional and customary barricade of ethnic group, rank, article of faith and nation which would help to give rise to universal civilization. The main challenge confronted by the humanity is to recognize and acknowledge unification and to assist in its promotion. Bahaullah gave particular emphasis on the issue of bias and partiality. The heart of his message was to call for communal harmony and companionship among different and diverse states, cultures and people (Perkins & Hainworth, 30). Three primary teachings constitute the foundations for Bahai teaching and doctrine which are the oneness of God, unification of religion and unification of entire humanity. God’s message is revived and revitalized in humanity through the use of several people. These people have the wisdom and guidance to improve the morality of human beings. Religion is an evolutionary process according to the Bahai faith as the requirements of the different ages stress the need for moral schemes. The Bahai faith describes God as beyond understanding and considered to be a great entity. The Creator is Greatest and the creation cannot know about Him because there is something that surpasses the grasp of human mind. To assist human beings so that they learn about God’s nature, manifestations are sent to them (Miller, 65). The Bahai faith incorporates the belief that God send these manifestations to instruct and alert humanity. The Bahai writings in particular recognize Abraham, Moses, Muhammad, Zoroaster, Buddha, etc as manifestations (Miller, 84). Bahai Faith claims that God is the creator of the world and everything present within it is His reflection and attribution. The Bahai scriptures define the human soul as eternal and have characteristics of all God’s qualities but these qualities live only potentially until and unless they are developed.

American women's rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American women's rights - Essay Example "The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man towards woman". The middle class elites felt ashamed of themselves of the social conditions of the poor and thus taken the social duty strongly from their long traditions for the progressives to be made in the sense of the poor. The impulse spread from farmers to politicians to put the effort to reform. Therefore Roosevelt became the first president to support the labor and assigned the government a direct role and duty to all the people. The new women’s colleges were opened and there the female reformers were educated. These females who were white middle class young women handled the â€Å"problem â€Å" of Immigrant, who constituted â€Å"dark skinned† Italians, peasant Jews and immigrants from southeastern Europe. The middle class women were barred to possess the professional educational qualifications pursue Consumer’s League, and â€Å"Americanizing† centers known as settlement houses. These organizations targeted to wipe off the corruption and vice bred by the men their career. So, the women formed into groups and had built themselves as associations to take active part in the public life. Some of the associations are Women’s Trade Union League, the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, and the National. Referred as â€Å"women of achievement†.The women succeeded in their campaign to get the right to vote. But their battle of suffrage lasted for as long as from 1848 to 1920, in the year 1920 nineteenth amendment granted 26 million women, half of the nations population, the right to vote. ... The Civil Rights Law of the 1960s was stepping stone for those who fought for America's promise of equal rights for all. "The making of the English working class and the rise of respectful society". "The Virginia Declaration of Rights was a document proclaiming that individual natural rights are inherent, and calling for American independence from Britain"5. The movement of women, for suffrage began at Seneca Falls. The American Society challenged severely the efforts of women that they cannot cross the threshold of men. But as the situation prolonged, the women got educated, and their movement turned out to be a respectable one. By 1910, the movement developed into a mass movement. In England too it was the same condition, the women were aggressive to sweep out their miseries and were carrying their movement for fundamental rights. In both the nations, by 1919, the Amendment Act was passed for women granting their right to vote. "Black history has been overshadowed by white interpretation for a very long time, even in locations where the majority population was black. Visit a Southern plantation and you will learn about the lifestyle of the owners, but very little about the slaves who made that lifestyle possible"6 Detroit, the city was known as the "arsenal of Democracy" during the Second World War. The city of Detroit required a large number of labors who came from Africa. They were not given accommodation and like this the riots erupted which turned to be the bloodiest in the history of he nation. This racial conflict has begun very long past in 1863 and lasted till 1941. The racial riots have a long history in Detroit.

Analyze the production of M.Butterfly Research Paper

Analyze the production of M.Butterfly - Research Paper Example David Hwang’s M Butterfly is one of the literary works that best speaks of the Asian nation and culture. It showcases the actual traits of Asian people giving birth to a new perception of their capacity in opposed to the world’s stereotyping. David Henry Hwang’s M. Butterfly is a fictional play that is based on historical account of a French diplomat that had an affair with a Chinese opera singer, who is after all a man. The play had its premiere at Eugene O’Neill Theatre on Broadway in the year 1988. The play garnered several Tony Awards. It is contextually rich and is considered as a spectacular, intriguing, and shocking tale that moves audiences not just from the East but also the population of the West. A close examination of this literary work creates an impact to the viewer’s perspective about gender, identity, cultural race, concepts of self and the issues of pervasive implications of stereotyping gender and race. The play is illuminating and shocking, portraying a different perspective to the audience about the grotesque clash of illusion with reality in the complex web of stereotypes. The play of M. Butterfly is set in a present day prison in Paris, France. Points in the history are revealed through flashbacks, dreams and memories. It started with Monsieur Rene Gallimard’s narration about his life at the cell. He dreams of a woman Song Liling, dancing to a love duet. Gallimard continues his hallucination of the events in the opera imagining himself as Pinkerton, a masculine figure. He thought to himself that the events in his past are similar with what happened in the opera, with him as the sensitive one. Scenes of Gallimard’s childhood are shown revealing his deep insecurity with the girls. There is a hint of identity crises in Gallimard based on the flashback scenes in the play. Liling Song, the opera singer, who plays the Madame Butterfly in the play, was

Baha'i - distinct, universal religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Baha'i - distinct, universal religion - Essay Example In accordance to Bahaullah, God had set historical forces which were collapsing conventional and customary barricade of ethnic group, rank, article of faith and nation which would help to give rise to universal civilization. The main challenge confronted by the humanity is to recognize and acknowledge unification and to assist in its promotion. Bahaullah gave particular emphasis on the issue of bias and partiality. The heart of his message was to call for communal harmony and companionship among different and diverse states, cultures and people (Perkins & Hainworth, 30). Three primary teachings constitute the foundations for Bahai teaching and doctrine which are the oneness of God, unification of religion and unification of entire humanity. God’s message is revived and revitalized in humanity through the use of several people. These people have the wisdom and guidance to improve the morality of human beings. Religion is an evolutionary process according to the Bahai faith as the requirements of the different ages stress the need for moral schemes. The Bahai faith describes God as beyond understanding and considered to be a great entity. The Creator is Greatest and the creation cannot know about Him because there is something that surpasses the grasp of human mind. To assist human beings so that they learn about God’s nature, manifestations are sent to them (Miller, 65). The Bahai faith incorporates the belief that God send these manifestations to instruct and alert humanity. The Bahai writings in particular recognize Abraham, Moses, Muhammad, Zoroaster, Buddha, etc as manifestations (Miller, 84). Bahai Faith claims that God is the creator of the world and everything present within it is His reflection and attribution. The Bahai scriptures define the human soul as eternal and have characteristics of all God’s qualities but these qualities live only potentially until and unless they are developed.

Analyze the production of M.Butterfly Research Paper

Analyze the production of M.Butterfly - Research Paper Example David Hwang’s M Butterfly is one of the literary works that best speaks of the Asian nation and culture. It showcases the actual traits of Asian people giving birth to a new perception of their capacity in opposed to the world’s stereotyping. David Henry Hwang’s M. Butterfly is a fictional play that is based on historical account of a French diplomat that had an affair with a Chinese opera singer, who is after all a man. The play had its premiere at Eugene O’Neill Theatre on Broadway in the year 1988. The play garnered several Tony Awards. It is contextually rich and is considered as a spectacular, intriguing, and shocking tale that moves audiences not just from the East but also the population of the West. A close examination of this literary work creates an impact to the viewer’s perspective about gender, identity, cultural race, concepts of self and the issues of pervasive implications of stereotyping gender and race. The play is illuminating and shocking, portraying a different perspective to the audience about the grotesque clash of illusion with reality in the complex web of stereotypes. The play of M. Butterfly is set in a present day prison in Paris, France. Points in the history are revealed through flashbacks, dreams and memories. It started with Monsieur Rene Gallimard’s narration about his life at the cell. He dreams of a woman Song Liling, dancing to a love duet. Gallimard continues his hallucination of the events in the opera imagining himself as Pinkerton, a masculine figure. He thought to himself that the events in his past are similar with what happened in the opera, with him as the sensitive one. Scenes of Gallimard’s childhood are shown revealing his deep insecurity with the girls. There is a hint of identity crises in Gallimard based on the flashback scenes in the play. Liling Song, the opera singer, who plays the Madame Butterfly in the play, was

Fast food industry Essay Example for Free

Fast food industry Essay Fast food industry has been in existence for the past years. The growing popularity of the industry gave way for many businessmen to put up many branches or chains in different parts of the country. This leads to the birth of fast food chains, by which Jollibee, McDonalds, KFC, Mang Inasal, Chowking, WOK Express and Greenwich are few examples. People prefer to go into fast food chains not just because of their food preference but because they serve their customer in a quick manner. Since their products are in demand to the customers, they need to maintain a specific level of inventory in order to respond to the needs of their customers. Because of the unpredictable demand of customers, management of fast food chains is struck in a dilemma of ordering the right level of their raw materials for production. That is why it is important that fast food chains know the policies in determining their inventory level or size. The size of inventory stocked by fast food chains depends on forecasted requirements and product popularity as demanded. Inventory shortage or erratic delivery of ingredients for production can prevent the manufacturer from completion of its finished products. The importance of the study includes knowing if low or high level of inventory will have great effects on production of fast food industry. Studying the inventory levels of fast food chains and their effects on production will allow the researchers to venture more into the depth of the inventory process of each business.

Courage In Little Women And Treasure Island

Courage In Little Women And Treasure Island Little Women was written in the 19th Century in the time of the American Civil War. Many men were away fighting the war or supporting their cause, so women were often left to await their return and run their lives without the support of their husbands and fathers. Treasure Island was written in Britain nearly 20 years later, at a time when the British Empire was at its zenith and British citizens felt invincible. In both books the children are affected by financial issues and it is this that ultimately brings out the courage in the children. Courage is defined as the quality that makes a person able to meet dangers without fear†¦.Bravery. I do not believe that any of the children faced their lives without fear, but they managed to control it to allow them to cope with their own dangers. In this context we must look at how they meet dangers, deal with consequences of their actions and face adversity. We must also look at how their courage, or lack thereof, affects the outcomes in certain scenarios. Courage can be shown both physically and psychologically, but it is the mind that drives a person to show courage; for instance people who show acts of physical bravery are only able to carry the act out with a strength of mind and in turn a psychological courage. The first book I will look at is that of Little Women. The four March sisters, Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy, are left in the care of their mother Marmee when their father goes off to the American Civil War, after losing the majority of their wealth, Mr March lost his property in trying to help an unfortunate friend. Each of the sisters has a different personality and this is no less apparent in the way in which their individual courage is portrayed in the story. The story is set in a difficult period in American history and the author bases the book on her own childhood. The story touches on the fight for independence amongst women at the time and portrays a story that captures courage, love and adversity. It is also very much written for girls as it appeals to the sort of life girls would have recognised in the mid-nineteenth century. The sisters show solidarity through the adversity and one word that crops up frequently, when the author describes the girls change in lifestyle, is Pilgrim. This is an example of courage; the fact that they are prepared to try to make changes in their personalities in time for their fathers return in one year. They face challenges to rid themselves of their flaws and although this is not always a complete success, they show great resolve and strength of mind not to be beaten. This form of courage may not be as colourful as the more obvious, physical courage that is shown in Treasure Island but it has many qualities and gives the readers a belief that they can improve their own lives. Courage is an inspiring trait and it is what makes great leaders; it is the reason that the readers can become engrossed in and involved with the main characters of both the books we are looking at. Courage for the girls is of enduring, of patience and conquering their fears for their father and overcoming their own personality defects. Fetterley suggests that the girls take on this model of womanhood not from choice or out of virtue, but from necessity. This is certainly true of Jo, who longs to break the mould and become a writer, but she knows it is her fathers wish that his little women will do their duty faithfully, fight their bosom enemies bravely and conquer themselves beautifully. She remains true to herself, although her task is to control her temper and try to overcome her dislike of housework. She gets into dreadful scrapes, but has a wonderful enthusiasm for life, which is viewed by the others in varying degrees of disapproval or wistfulness. Alcott gives Jo a steadfast friend and admirer in the shy and retiring Beth. All their striving to improve is worthwhile when Beth gets better and their father returns safely to them. Meg finds love and a future husband, Beth has her health and her father and Jo and Amy are satisfied with their lot. Jo has Laurie, which the reader hopes will blossom successfully in another book. At the last it is Jo who we feel has the courage to step out of the system Jo lounged in her favourite low seat , with the grave, quiet look which best became her. She offers us the most promise for the future, she has the most courage. It is courageous to live in society as a poor relation, to follow their mothers strong moral code in the style of John Bunyons Pilgrims Progress. It is not exciting courage, where the enemy is an evil person, but it is the mundane courage to improve and strive to be good. Marmee allows the girls to make their own mistakes. When they are given 3 months vacation, they ask if they can take their break following their own desires. Marmee agrees to this, but wisely says You may try your experiment for a week and see if you like it. I think by Saturday night you will find that all play and no work is as bad as all work and no play. Of course Marmee is quite right and the girls realise what a peculiar and uncomfortable state of things was produced by the resting and revelling process. The narrative utilised in each of the books is also a determinant of how the various areas of courage are shown and paint different pictures from the simplistic view of what courage is. In Treasure Island Jims narrative of his heroic acts is valuable because he records them modestly, giving us an insider view of heroism that is not very glamorous. Jim is not arrogant, but instead is humbled by his mistakes and successes. He takes full responsibility for his errors rather than finding excuses for them, and he confesses to moments of panic, indecision, and regret rather than bragging exclusively of his successes. Jims remarkable honesty and sincerity often make the heroic or noble claims of the grown-ups, pirates and honourable citizens alike, seem like empty bluster. Jims inclusion of both his follies and his fortunes make his narrative seem more genuine and the adventure more real. If we look back at what defines courage and in particular at the statement that acts of bravery are wit hout fear, we can see that everyone experiences fear even if their ultimate act is one of courage and heroism, it is how ones mind deals with the fear, that creates the courage, as is depicted in the quote from Treasure Island; My curiosity, in a sense, was stronger than my fear we can understand a little of his personality and how he overcomes his natural instinct to be afraid. Although he is courageous, Jims impetuous individualism reminds us that he is still a youth. His tendency to act on his whims and his growing self-awareness also shows that he is caught between two worlds-between childhood and adulthood, and between the lawful, rational world and the lawless pirate world. Jims story is therefore not merely a fanciful adventure tale but also a narrative about growing up. The fact that it is written in the first person allows the reader to enter the world of Jim Hawkins and allow themselves to become the character, incorporating their personalities and in turn understanding th eir strengths and weaknesses fully. Both books look at the growth of the individuals, in Little Women each of the girls sets out to better herself, by losing her least endearing traits and growing into a finer woman because of this. In Treasure Island Jim starts out life as a scared boy who is frightened easily and runs to his mother when he is. As the story continues after the death of his father, Jim becomes more assertive and courageous. In both stories, it is the courage of their convictions that allows them to mature and become what they desire. They all possess strong will-power and a strong understanding of what is wrong and right. In order that they live their lives in this way they must each possess courage. The role that the courage plays in each of the books is creating a hero and keeping the reader interested. Jims physical bravery and heroic acts were aimed at inspiring the boys of that generation. The book was written in a time when men were expected to be brave and courageous and the story of Jim Hawkins taps into the mind of boys who were going through an unsure stage in their lives. The fact that Stevenson made Jim a timid, frightened boy at the beginning of the book and then took him trough a journey of growth and maturity, shows that he was understanding of how many boys of that age were feeling and was hoping that this would inspire and show them the way to become a man. It is believed that Stevenson based the story about his own feelings as he grew up; his 12 year old son was also a major influence on how Jim should be portrayed. In Little women we see a similar influence that the role of courage has on the reader. The book was aimed at young teenage girls who were growing up in a time of expectation. The expectation that you must marry well, not be outspoken, and be a devoted wife. Little women breaks this mould and shows girls in a different light. Jos courage to be outspoken and wilful showed the reader that life didnt have to mean conforming and Beths bravery through illness would show them that courage through times of adversity is a positive attribute. It gave teenage girls in this time another outlook on life and the courage shown by the little women could be related to their own lives in some way. Both books show various forms of courage in children and the historical element plays a large part in the authors choice of character. War affected countries and traditional values made for hard times for many children of the era. The authors were able to free the children from their normal lives and enter into lives of children they could relate to and if they chose to, emulate. Although Treasure Island is a fantasy tale, it again incorporates realistic virtues and traits, it interests the children of the time and is understood by many boys of the era, who lost their fathers . Although the death of Jims father is not a major part of the story, it is the turning point for Jim as he begins to find his courage and maturity. Books are often written to give children role models and the most successful have characters that they can relate. This is still true of todays writing and character inspiration for many of todays leading childrens novels has come from the realisation that the need for a courageous, brave main character is paramount to encouraging children and young teenagers to read so they can live their own lives through these people and take on their qualities. I believe that the role of courage of the children in both Little Women and Treasure Island is the overriding reason for the success of the books. As has been mentioned above, the historical reasons, the need for children to read about their peers acting in a courageous way and the inspiration that the characters produce for the reader are all reasons for the success of the books. The courage and bravery of the children has been so powerful that it has led to future authors trying to reproduce the characters in their stories. They may be extremely different characters, but if you look at how Pullman created Lyra or Rowling created Harry Potter they all share one trait in particular, courage.

Pro Legalization of Marijuana in the United States Essay -- essays res

With all of the complex issues facing the nation today, it seems as if the legalization of marijuana is being set on the back burner of legislation. There are so many opinions, sides, and overall arguments for and against it that many vote seeking politicians and policy makers have put up a strong resistance to this issue. In this paper I will illustrate the reasons why I think marijuana should indeed be legalized and also the arguments from people who disagree and feel that it should stay an illegal drug. Marijuana has been around for centuries. It comes from the species of plant Cannabis Sativa, and is used for things other that its renowned drug form, such as rope, clothing, medicines, and oils. Other common names for it include weed, pot, grass, reefer, and bud. The drug was actually not outlawed in the United States until the passage of the Marijuana Tax Act in 1937, which made the possession and sale of the plant illegal. A large part of the original fear and misrepresentation was due to ethnic and racial concerns of the southwestern U.S. Large immigrant populations moved into the area and introduced pot as a recreational drug, similar to the use of alcohol or tobacco. The xenophobic reaction caused the initial rejection of the drug and led to its outlaw in 1937. Since that time, government and society’s ignorance have kept the drug illegal. In a nutshell, there are many substantial reasons why the use of marijuana should be made a legal drug. Some of the reasons I will be discussing to support my argument are crime reduction, government benefits, medicinal benefits, lack of evidence to support harm, and constitutional rights. First and foremost is the issue of one’s constitutional right. Even if a drug is shown to be ha... ...here have been no recorded deaths as a result of marijuana use, unlike alcohol or tobacco, and most doctors will agree it is safer to use. Its recreational use would not stimulate more crime as some would try to argue. Marijuana being illegal essentially has no validity at all. So, because of all the positive aspects, marijuana should definitely be legalized in the U.S. Bibliography 1. Bonnie, Richard & Whitehead II, Charles H. â€Å"Marijuana Conviction: History of Marijuana Prohibition†. New York: Open Society Institute, 1999. 2. Bender, David. â€Å"Drug Abuse: Opposing Viewpoints†. New York: Green Press, 1994. 3. Goldberg, Raymond. â€Å"Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Drugs & Society†. New York: The Dushkin Publishing Group, Inc., 1993. 4. Randall, Robert. â€Å"Marijuana Rx: The Patients’ Fight for Medicinal Pot†. Thundermouth Press, 1998.

French Revolution Essay -- essays research papers

ON 9th JULY 1797 the statesman and the philosopher Edmund Burke died, after having contracted stomach cancer. He was buried in Beaconsfield Church near his Buckinghamshire home. Burke had been a distinguished Member of Parliament but never attained high office. His political career must be judged a failure. However, Edmund Burke's true legacy was contained in his extensive writings. In letters,pamphlets and books he expounded a coherent system of ideas about human nature;the organic state; the benefits of prejudice;the dangers of government by secret consensus and the role of political parties. Two hundred years on, most scholars would agree that Burke had a gift for deep analysis conveyed in stylish English prose.Yet the content of his work though remains controversial. Supporters included the poet William Wordsworth, who called Burke: "the most sagacious politician of his age". Karl Marx, on the other hand, complained in Das Kapital that Burke was a bourgeois stooge of the English ruling class. Marxists took particular offence at Burke's critique of egalitarianism, perhaps realising the radical threat which this presented to their own vision of a future society. Modern liberals and conservatives still acclaim some of Burke's ideas, but their interest is largely rhetorical. Burke's liberal tendencies would almost certainly not go far enough for today's liberals. His support for the abolition of slavery was only gradualist, his religious toleration did not extend to atheists (whom he saw as dangerous criminals) and, whilst in favour of curbing royal patronage, Burke supported monarchy and aristocracy. Meanwhile, his conservative defence of Parliament, the nation and the Anglican Church would presumably be a sheer embarrassment to today's Conservative Party, which has embraced European Union and a secular, free market ideology. This two-part article will outline some of Edmund Burke's key ideas and assess their relevance to nationalism. His contribution is an important one. Sadly, Burke's clarity and complete lack of political correctness must limit his appeal in the modern age. In 1997 and beyond Burke seems destined to become a forgotten prophet except to those who challenge the prevailing orthodoxy. 1.THE NATURE OF MAN All societies are based on a particular view of human nature. Today's view, springing from Enlightenment philosophy, is that peo... ...ng nature is unworkable, equality is "a monstrous fiction" (7). At worst, ambitious elites use equality as a pretext to reallocate resources to themselves. At best,well-intentioned people see equality as no more than a benign aspiration. They think it would be just in theory but of course not when applied to themselves in practice, lest this endanger their own privileges. This is perhaps the greater error. "Abstract principles,however appealing, cannot be applied directly to solve real political problems. Any attempt to do so will have futile or harmful results. There is no such thing as a political principle which is good in itself, but not practicable. If it is not practicable then it is not good. In Part II of `Edmund Burke's Legacy' the focus will be on other pertinent aspects of Burke's thought. These include his views on:prejudice as being a form of wisdom; "human rights" as being rooted in a specific culture rather than inherited by all people; the dangers of a dual system of government (open and secret) and Burke's belief that political parties should be ideological and that their ideologies should involved "pursuing the national interest'.

Night World : Dark Angel Chapter 6

Your hair!† Amy screamed. â€Å"Gillian, your hair! What did you do to it?† Amy's own hair was short, cropped close in back and full in front. She had large, limpid blue eyes that always looked as if she were about to cry, because she was nearsighted but couldn't wear contacts and wouldn't wear glasses. Her face was sweet and usually anxious; just now it looked more anxious than normal. Gillian put a self-conscious hand to her head. â€Å"Don't you like it?† â€Å"I don't know! It's gone!† â€Å"This is true.† â€Å"But why?† â€Å"Calm down, Amy.† (If this is the way everybody's going to react, I think I'm in trouble.) Gillian had discovered that she could talk to Angel without moving her lips and that he could answer in her head. It was convenient. (Tell her you cut it because it froze. That ought to flip her guilt circuits.) Angel's voice sounded the same as it did when she could see him. Soft, wry, distinctly his. It seemed to be located just behind her left ear. â€Å"I had to cut it because it was frozen,† Gillian said. â€Å"It broke off,† she added brightly, inspired. Amy's blue eyes got even wider with horror. She looked stricken. â€Å"Oh, my God, Gillian-† Then she cocked her head and frowned. â€Å"Actually, I don't think that's possible,† she said. â€Å"I think it'd stay pliable even frozen. Unless, like, you dipped it in liquid nitrogen. †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Whatever,† Gillian said grimly. â€Å"I did it. Listen, I've got it slicked back behind my ears right now, but the ends are sort of uneven. Can you smooth them out a little?† â€Å"I can try,† Amy said doubtfully. Gillian sat down, pulling together the neck of the rose-colored bathrobe she was wearing over her clothes. She handed Amy the scissors. â€Å"Got a comb?† â€Å"Yes. Oh, Gillian, I was trying to tell you. I'm so sorry about yesterday. I just forgot-but it's all my fault-and you almost died!† The comb quivered against the back of Gillian's neck. â€Å"Wait a minute. How did you find out about that?† â€Å"Eugeneheard it from Steffi Lockhart's little brother, and I think Steffi heard it from David Blackburn. Did he really save you? That's so incredibly romantic.† â€Å"Yeah, sort of.† (Uh, what do I tell people about that? What do I tell them about the whole thing?) (The truth. Up to a point. Just leave me and the near-death stuff out.) â€Å"I've been thinking all morning,† Amy was saying, â€Å"and I realized that I've been an absolute pig this last week. I don't deserve to be called a best friend. And I want you to know that I'm sorry, and that things are going to be different now. I came to pick you up first, and then we're going to getEugene .† (Oh, joy.) (Be nice, dragonfly. She's trying. Say thank you.) Gillian shrugged. It didn't seem to matter much what Amy did, now that she had Angel. But she said, â€Å"Thanks, Amy,† and held still as the cold scissors went snip behind her ear. â€Å"You're so sweet,† Amy murmured. â€Å"I thought you'd be all mad. But you're such a good person. I felt so terrible, thinking about you alone out there, freezing, and being so brave, trying to save a little kid-â€Å" â€Å"Did they find a kid?† Gillian interrupted. â€Å"Huh? No, I don't think so. Nobody was talking about anything like that last night. And I haven't heard about any kid being missing, either.† (Told you, dragonfly. Are you satisfied now?) (Yes, I am. Sorry.) â€Å"But it was still brave,† Amy said. â€Å"Your mom thinks so, too.† â€Å"My mom's up?† â€Å"She went to the store. She said she'd be back in a few minutes.† Amy stepped back and looked at Gillian, scissors held in the air. â€Å"You know, I'm not sure I should be doing this†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Before Gillian could summon up a reply, she heard the sound of the front door opening and the rustling of paper bags. Then her mother appeared, her cheeks red with cold. She had two grocery bags in her arms. â€Å"Hi, girls,† she began, and broke off. She focused on Gillian's hair. Her mouth fell open. â€Å"Don't drop the bags,† Gillian said. She tried to sound careless, but her stomach was clenched like a fist. Her neck felt stiff and unnatural as she held very still. â€Å"Do you like it?† â€Å"I-I-† Gillian's mother put the bags on the counter. â€Å"Amy †¦ did you have to cut it all?† â€Å"Amy didn't do it. I did it last night. I just got tired of it long-† (And getting all wet and icy) â€Å"-and getting all wet and icy. So I cut it. So do you like it, or not?† â€Å"I don't know,† her mother said slowly. â€Å"You look so much older. Like a Parisian model.† Gillian glowed. â€Å"Well.† Her mother shook her head slightly. â€Å"Now that it's done–here, let me shape it a little. Just touch up the ends.† She took the scissors from Amy. (I'm going to be bald when this is finished!) (No, you're not, kid. She knows what she's doing.) And, strangely, there was something comforting about feeling her mother gently wield the scissors. About her mother's scent, which was fresh like lavender soap, without any hint of the terrible alcohol smell. It reminded Gillian of the old days, when her mom taught at the junior college and was up every morning and never had uncombed hair or bloodshot eyes. Before the fights started, before her mom had to go to the hospital. Her mother seemed to feel it, too. She gave Gillian's shoulder a pat as she whisked a bit of cut hair away. â€Å"I got fresh bread. I'll make cinnamon toast and hot chocolate.† Another pat, and then she spoke with careful calm. â€Å"Are you sure you're all right? You must have been†¦ pretty cold last night. We can call Dr. Kaczmarek if you want; it wouldn't take a minute.† â€Å"No, I'm fine. Really. But where's Daddy? Did he already go to work?† There was a pause, then her mother said, still calmly, â€Å"Your father left last night.† â€Å"Dad left?† (Dad left?) (It happened last night while you were asleep.) (A lot seems to have happened last night while I was asleep.) (The world's kind of that way, dragonfly. It keeps on going even when you're not paying attention.) â€Å"Anyway, we'll talk about it later,† her mother said. A final pat. â€Å"There, that's perfect. You're beautiful, even if you don't look like my little girl anymore. You'd better bundle up, though; it's pretty cold out this morning.† â€Å"I'm already dressed.† The moment had come, and Gillian didn't really care if she shocked her mother now or not. Her father had left again- and if that wasn't unusual, it was still upsetting. The closeness with her mother had been spoiled, and she didn't want cinnamon toast anymore. Gillian stepped to the middle of the kitchen and shrugged off the pink bathrobe. She was wearing black hipsters and a black camisole. Over it was a sheer black shirt, worn loose. She had on flat black boots and a black watch, and that was all she had on. â€Å"Gillian.† Amy and her mother were staring. Gillian stood defiantly. â€Å"But you never wear black,† her mother said weakly. Gillian knew. It had taken a long time to cull these things from the forgotten hinterlands of her closet. The camisole was from Great-grandma Elspeth, two Christmases ago, and had still had the price tag attached. â€Å"Didn't you sort of forget to put on a sweater on top?† Amy suggested. (Stand your ground, kid. You look terrific.) â€Å"No, I didn't forget. I'm going to wear a coat outside, of course. How do I look?† Amy swallowed. â€Å"Well-great. Extremely hot. But kind of scary.† Gillian's mother lifted her hands and dropped them. â€Å"I don't really know you anymore.† (Hooray!) (Yup, kid. Perfect.) Gillian was happy enough to give her mother a flying kiss. â€Å"Come on, Amy! We'd better get moving if we're going to pick upEugene .† She dragged the other girl behind her like the tail of a comet. Her mother followed, calling worriedly about breakfast. â€Å"Give us something to take with us. Where's that old black coat I never wore? The fancy one you got me for church. Never mind, I found it.† In three minutes she and Amy were on the porch. â€Å"Wait,† Gillian said. She fished through the black canvas bag she was carrying in place of a backpack and came up with a small compact and a tube of lipstick. â€Å"I almost forgot.† She put on the lipstick. It was red, not orange-red or blue-red, but red red, the color of holly berries or Christmas ribbon. That shiny, too. It made her lips look fuller, somehow, almost pouty. Gillian pursed her lips, considered her image, then kissed the compact mirror lightly and snapped it shut. Amy was staring again. â€Å"Gillian†¦ what is going on? What's happened to you?† â€Å"Come on, we're going to be late.† ‘The outfit just makes you look like you're going out to burgle something, but that lipstick makes you look†¦ bad. Like a girl with a reputation.† â€Å"Good.† â€Å"Gillian! You're scaring me. There's something-† She caught Gillian's arm and peered into her eyes. â€Å"Something about you-around you- oh, I don't know what I'm talking about! But it's different and it's dark and it's not good.† She was so genuinely shaken that for a moment Gillian was frightened herself. A quick stab of fear like the flick of a knife in her stomach. Amy was neurotic, sure, but she wasn't the type to hallucinate. What if- (Angel-) A horn honked. Startled, Gillian turned. Right at the edge of the driveway, behind Amy's Geo, was a somewhat battered but still proud tan Mustang. A dark head was sticking out the window. â€Å"Standing me up?† David Blackburn called. â€Å"What-is-that?† Amy breathed. Gillian waved to David-after a sharp nudge from Angel. â€Å"I think it's called a car,† she said to Amy. â€Å"I forgot. He said he'd drive me to school. So-I guess I should go with him. See you!† It only made sense to go with David; after all, he had asked first. Besides, Amy's driving was life threatening; she sped like a maniac and wove all over the road because she couldn't see without her glasses. It should have been satisfying. After all, yesterday Amy had stood her up for a guy-and a guy like Eugene Elfred. But right this moment Gillian was too scared to be smug. This was it. David was going to see her new self. And it was all happening too fast. (Angel, what if I faint? What if I throw up? That's going to make a great first impression, isn't it?) (Keep breathing, kid. Breathe. Breathe. Not that fast. Now smile.) Gillian couldn't quite manage a smile as she opened the car door. Suddenly she felt exposed. What if David thought she was cheap or even freakish? Like a little girl dressed up in her mom's clothes? And her hair-all at once she remembered how David had touched it yesterday. What if he hated it? Trying to breathe, she slipped into the car. Her coat came open as she sat down. She could hardly make herself look toward the driver's seat. But when she did, her breath stopped completely. David was wearing a look that she'd never seen on any guy's face before, at least not directed toward her. She'd seen it, occasionally, when guys were looking at other girls, girls at school like Steffi Lockhart or J.Z. Oberlin. A stricken gaze, a compulsive movement of the throat, an expression that almost made you sorry for them. An â€Å"I'm lying down and I don't care if you walk on me, babe,† expression. David was looking at her that way. Immediately all her fear, including the little stab induced by Amy, was swept away. Her heart was still pounding and little waves of adrenaline were still going through her, but now what it felt like was excitement. Heady, buoyant anticipation. As if she had started on the roller coaster ride of her life. David actually had to shake himself before he remembered to put the car in gear. And then he kept sneaking glances at her out of the side of his eye. â€Å"You did something to your†¦ and your†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He made a vague motion near his own head. Gillian's gaze was caught by his hand, which was strong, brown, long-fingered, and handsome. â€Å"Yeah, I cut my hair,† she said. She meant to sound careless and sophisticated, but it came out shaky, with a little laugh at the end. She tried again. â€Å"I figured I didn't want to look too young.† â€Å"Ouch.† He made a face. â€Å"That's my fault, isn't it? You overheard that stuff yesterday. What Tanya and I said.† (Tell him you've been thinking of doing it for a while.) â€Å"Yeah, but I've been thinking of doing it for a while now,† Gillian said. â€Å"It's no big deal.† David glanced at her as if to say he disagreed with that. But it wasn't a disapproving glance. It was more like electrified awe†¦ and a sort of discovery that seemed to grow every time he looked at her. â€Å"And I never saw you at school?† he muttered. â€Å"I must've been blind.† â€Å"Sorry?† â€Å"No, nothing. I'm sorry.† He drove in silence for a while. Gillian forced herself to stare out the window and realized they were onHillcrest Road . Strange how different the landscape looked today. Yesterday it had been lonely and desolate; this morning it seemed harmless, and the snow looked soft and comfortable, like old cushions. â€Å"Listen,† David said abruptly. He broke off and shook his head. And then he did something that absolutely amazed Gillian. He pulled the car to the side of the road-or at least as far to the side as he could get it-they were still in the flow of traffic-and parked it. â€Å"There's something I have to say.† Gillian's heart now seemed to be beating everywhere, in her throat and her fingertips and her ears. She had a dreamlike sensation that her body wasn't solid anymore, that she was just a floating mass of heartbeat. Her vision shimmered. She was†¦ waiting. But what David said was unexpected. â€Å"Do you remember the first time we met?† â€Å"I-yes.† Of course she did. Four years ago; she'd been twelve and tiny for her age. She'd been lying on the ground beside her house, making snow angels. Kind of childish, sure, but in those days a stretch of new snow had affected her that way. And while she was lying on her back, arms out, making the imprint of the angel's wings, a tree branch above her decided to shrug off its load of snow. Suddenly her face was covered in damp, closely packed coldness and she couldn't breathe. She came up spluttering and gasping. And found herself steadied. Something was holding her, wiping her face gently. The first thing she saw when she got her vision back was a brown hand and a lean brown wrist. Then a face came into focus: high strong bones and dark, mischievous eyes. â€Å"I'm David Blackburn. I just moved in over there,† the boy said. He was wiping her face with his fingers. â€Å"You'd better be careful, snow princess. Next time I might not be around.† Looking up at him, Gillian had felt her heart explode and leak out of her chest. And she'd walked away on air, even though he'd patted her head after releasing her. She was in love. â€Å"Well, back then, I sort of got the wrong impression,† David was saying. â€Å"I thought you were a lot younger and more-well, more fragile than you are.† There was a pause, and then he said wonder-ingly, not quite looking at her, â€Å"But, it's like, there's so much more to you. I started realizing that yesterday.† Gillian understood. David didn't have a reputation for being wild for nothing. He liked girls who were bold, dashing, out there. If he were a knight, he wouldn't fall in love with the pampered princess back at the castle. He'd fall in love with a female knight, or maybe a robber, somebody who could share the Adventure with him, who'd be just as tough as he-was. Of course he had a strong protective streak. That was why he rescued maidens in distress. But he didn't go for the maidens who needed rescuing. â€Å"And now,† David was saying, â€Å"Now, I mean, you're †¦Ã¢â‚¬  He held his hands up in a whoa motion. He wasn't looking at her at all. In a moment of perfect bliss, Gillian thought, I'm cool. â€Å"You're kind of incredible,† David said. â€Å"And I feel really stupid for not noticing that before.† Gillian couldn't breathe. There was something between her and David-a kind of quivering electricity. The air was so thick with it that she felt pressure all over her. She had never been so awake before, but at the same time she felt as if most of the world was insubstantial. Only she and David were real. And the voice in her head seemed very far away. (Uh, dragonfly, we've got company. Incoming.) Gillian couldn't move. A car drove by, swerving to avoid the Mustang. Gillian couldn't see well through the Mustang's steamed-up windows, but she thought faces were looking at her. David didn't seem to notice the car at all. He was still staring at the gearshift, and when he spoke his voice was very quiet. â€Å"So I guess what I'm saying is, I'm sorry if anything I said hurt your feelings. And-I see you now.† He raised his head. And Gillian suddenly realized he was going to kiss her.