The Bloody Chamber Notes

The Bloody Chamber Quotes – ‘like an extraordinarily precious slit throat’ – ‘bright as arterial blood’ – ‘faery solitude’ – ‘so many mirrors’ – ‘as if he were stripping the leaves off an artichoke’ – ‘instruments of mutilation’ – ‘the walls†¦gleamed as if they were sweating with fright’ – ‘an armful of the same lilies with which he had filled my bedroom’ – ‘the trumpets of the angels of death’ Characters – Heroine – ‘seventeen and knew nothing of the world’ – ‘the white-faced girl from Paris’ – ‘I was only a baby’ – Marquis – ‘dark leonine shape of his head’ – ‘opulent male scent’ – ‘dark mane’ – ‘waxen face’ Mother – ‘indomitable mother ’ – ‘wild thing’ AO2 – language, form and structure and how they shape meaning – Language – Juxtaposition – ‘lascivious tenderness’ – Metaphor – the Marquis as a beast, or as God – ‘the eye of God – his eye’ – ‘Subterranean privacy’ of the chamber – likening bloody chamber to Hell – Form – Castle is a Gothic reinterpretation of the fairytale template – Reworked fairy tales – Carter called them ‘new stories’ not ‘versions’ – Short stories maximise the impact of Carter’s messages – Novelette – the slow pace of which mirrors the brief lifestyle of the heroine in her new life Structure – Long descriptive paragraphs followed by very short sentences e. g. ‘Dead as his wives. ’ – isolated simile – Longer sentences with commas increase the sus pense, short sentences create a sense of fear – Ellipsis also used AO3 – connections between texts and different interpretations – Child like language – ‘Baby mustn’t play with grownups’ toys’ (see EK, COW) – Fairy tale motifs – ‘All the better to see you’ – links to fairy-tale form (see EK, LOTHOL) – References to the modern world – ‘shrilling of the telephone’ (see COML) – Aggressive male language – ‘pistons ceaselessly thrusting’ (see EK)Gothic Features – Weather/setting – Castle is isolated, heroine sees its ‘faery solitude’ – how she chooses to view it, away from reality – Walls of the chamber ‘sweating with fright’ – as if guilty themselves – Marquis calls bloody chamber his ‘enfer’ – French word for Hell, ‘subterranean privacy’, ‘ like the door of Hell’ – Carter contrasts light and dark – ‘Lights! More lights! ’ – Foreshadowing – ‘the necklace that prefigures your end’, ‘bright as arterial blood’, ‘like an extraordinarily precious slit throat’ – all foreshadow the heroine’s decapitation Heroine escapes her fate – makes her an even stronger character – Dominant males – Marquis likened to God and a lion/animal – Passive females – Heroine accepts her fate quickly – Religion – Marquis is placed in the role of God – Refers to the heroine as ‘my little nun’, pornography referred to as ‘prayer-books’ shows Marquis’ lack of religion – Bloody chamber as Hell – see setting – Supernatural – ‘as if the key itself were hurt, the bloody token stuck’ AO4 – contextual factors and how they af fect the text – Angela Carter was a feminist – Published in 1979 – after the sexual revolution of the 1960s ‘Carter flirts with elements of the Gothic in many of the tales’ – S. Roberts – Same for all texts The Courtship of Mr Lyon Quotes – ‘one white, perfect rose’ – ‘there was no living person in the hall’ – ‘a lion is a lion and a man is a man’ – ‘there was an air of exhaustion†¦ in the house’ – ‘her own image reflected there’ (in the Beast’s eyes) – ‘Fast as you can’ – ‘an attic, with a sloping roof’ – ‘the roses†¦were all dead’ – ‘as if, curious reversal, she frightened him’ Characters – Beauty – ‘looked as if she had been carved out of a single pearl’ ‘she smiled at herself with satisfaction’ â₠¬â€œ ‘Miss Lamb, spotless, sacrificial’ – Beast – ‘some kind of sadness in his agate eyes’ – ‘a man with an unkempt mane of hair’ – ‘he was so different from herself’ AO2 – language, form and structure and how they shape meaning – Language – Extensive imagery of snow symbolises Beauty’s purity – ‘white and unmarked as†¦ bridal satin’ – Personification of the house – ‘the chandelier tinkled†¦ as if emitting a pleased chuckle’ – ‘Pearl’ – pure, beautiful, valuable – Form – Reworked fairy tales – Carter called them ‘new stories’ not ‘versions’ Carter extracts ‘latent content’ – Short stories maximise the impact of Carter’s messages – Beauty and The Beast – both characters change, not just the Beast – rol e reversal of princess in the tower – Structure – ‘I hope he’ll be safe’ – no speech marks, highlighting Beauty’s lack of a voice AO3 – connections between texts and different interpretations – References to the modern world – ‘the snow brought down all the telephone wires’ (see BC, LOTHOL) – Fairy tale references – she reads ‘elegant French fairy tales’, ‘Fast as you can’ (see BC, EK, LOTHOL) Gothic Features – Weather/setting ‘Palladian house that seemed to hide itself shyly’ = ‘he forced himself to master his shyness’ – ‘Thin ghost of light on the verge of extinction’ – no signs of Spring at the Beast’s house – reflects what has happened to him – Bloody chamber = Beast’s attic – he is trapped and dying, claustrophobic setting – Roses die as the beast dies: â₠¬ËœThe roses†¦were all dead’ – Countryside = place of purity and femininity, town = masculine place of corruption – Foreshadowing – ‘she smiled at herself in mirrors a little too often’ – pride comes before a fall – Dominant males – no longer dominant ‘a cracked whisper of his former purr’ – ‘I am sick and I must die’ – Passive females – Objectification of women – she is called ‘Beauty’ but gets an identity at the end – ‘Mrs Lyon’ – Supernatural – Magic of the house – her father can call the garage even though the phone lines are down – ‘All the natural laws of the world were held in suspension here’ The Tiger’s Bride Quotes – ‘my father lost me to The Beast in cards’ – ‘I have lost my pearl’ – ‘the lamb must learn to run with the t igers’ Characters – Heroine – ‘always the pretty one’ – ‘Christmas rose’ – ‘no more than a king’s ransom’AO2 – language, form and structure and how they shape meaning – Language – description of â€Å"glossy, nut-brown curls† and â€Å"rosy cheeks† is repeated to highlight the similarities between the narrator and her â€Å"clockwork twin – Structure – Heroine is given a voice unlike Beauty in COML – objectification of women in a different way – Written in the past tense but changes occasionally to the present to suggest continuity The Erl King Quotes – ‘Erl-King will do you grievous harm’ – ‘the wood swallows you up’ – ‘the stark elders have an anorexic look’ – ‘everything in the wood is exactly as it seems’ ‘easy to lose yourself’ – ‘ What big eyes you have’ Characters – Erl-King – ‘an excellent housewife’ – ‘came alive from the desire of the woods’ – ‘tender butcher’ – ‘skin the rabbit, he says! ’ – ‘Eyes green as apples. Green as dead sea fruit’ AO2 – language, form and structure and how they shape meaning – Language – Oxymorons such as â€Å"the tender butcher† and â€Å"appalling succulence† highlight the narrator’s conflict – Isolated similes such as â€Å"green as dead sea fruit† add emphasis to the comparisons – Metaphor is used to link sex to drowning e. g. his ‘dress of water’ that ‘drenches’ her Structure – ‘Erl-King will do you grievous harm’ – one line paragraph to emphasise significance – Switches between tenses and points of view in order to disorient the reader, cre ating a Gothic sense of uncertainty, and reflecting the feelings of the protagonist AO3 – connections between texts and different interpretations – Fairy tale references – ‘What big eyes you have’ (see BC, EK) – Superstition – ‘he says the Devil spits on them at Michaelmas’ (see W, COW) – Aggressive language – ‘he could thrust me into the seed-bed’ (see BC) Gothic Features – Weather/setting Wood is personified and isolated – ‘the wood swallows you up’ – More fairy-tale than Gothic – Bloody Chamber = Erl-King’s dwelling – Idea of confinement – ‘vertical bars of a brass-coloured distillation of light’ look like bars of a prison/cage – Erl-King can tie ‘up the winds in his handkerchief’ – Dominant males – childlike, less predatory – Romantic hero, she falls in love with him – Pa ssive females – none, she is mature and purposeful – Supernatural – ‘magic lasso of inhuman music’ – He has a ‘bird call’ – Religion – ‘he says the Devil spits on them at Michaelmas’ The Snow ChildQuotes – ‘midwinter – ‘invincible, immaculate’ – ‘the Countess hated her’ – ‘a feather†¦a bloodstain†¦and the rose’ – ‘It bites! ’ – ‘the whole world was white’ – ‘a masculine fantasy’ – Cristina Bacchilega Characters – Snow Child – ‘as white as snow’ – ‘as black as that bird’s feather’ – ‘as red as blood’ – ‘the child of his desire’ – ‘high, black, shining boots with scarlet heels’ AO2 – language, form and structure and how they shape meaning – Language – Alliteration of ‘invicible, immaculate’ exaggerates the extremity of the weather – Rose is a symbol of femininity or the vagina Snow Child bleeds, symbolising menstruation – Bite symbolises the suffering that accompanies being female – childbirth, hymen breaking, menstruation – Form – Vignette – a small, literary sketch – Structure – Written in the 3rd person but from the perspective of the Count – ‘So the girl picks a rose; pricks her finger on the thorn; bleeds; screams; falls. ’ – isolated paragraph, one sentence, uses idea of ‘three’ AO3 – connections between texts and different interpretations Gothic Features – Weather/setting – Bloody Chamber = Snow Child’s vagina – ‘White’ setting and snow symbolises purity and virginity, Dominant males – Masculine control of female identity – Coun t = Marquis from BC – Creates both women – Countess cannot exist without a Count – Passive females – Countess belongs to Count – she is only a Countess because of him – Price of being the Countess – subservience and a loss of identity – Neither female can exist without the Count – he gives them their power – One must die for the other to survive – Literal objectification of women – Count undresses and dresses Countess as he pleases, creates Snow Child – Incestuous rape – she was not expected to receive pleasure in having sex, she was his sexual objectThe Lady of the House of Love Quotes – ‘Vous serez ma proie’ – ‘Too many roses’ – ‘Now you are at the place of annihilation’ – ‘Fee fie fo fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman’ – ‘A single kiss woke up the Sleeping Beauty in the Wood’ â₠¬â€œ ‘wisdom, death, dissolution’ – ‘chinoiserie escritoire’ – ‘this ornate and rotting place’ – ‘Can a bird†¦learn a new song? ’ – ‘the bicycle is the product of pure reason applied to motion’ Characters – Countess – ‘her beauty is an abnormality’ – ‘hunger always overcomes her’ – ‘white lace negligee stained a little with blood’ ‘the fangs and talons of a beast of prey’ – ‘a cave full of echoes’ – ‘the fragility of the skeleton of a moth’ – Soldier – ‘pentacle of his virginity’ – ‘youth, strength and blonde beauty’ – ‘symbol of rationality’ (bicycle) – ‘the trenches of France’ AO2 – language, form and structure and how they shape meaning – Language – Foreign wo rds are slipped into the narrative – allows reader to enter Countess’s bilingual mind e. g. ‘chinoiserie escritoire’ meaning Chinese-style desk/cabinet – Form – Reworked fairy tales – Carter called them ‘new stories’ not ‘versions’ Short stories maximise the impact of Carter’s messages – Structure – Broken up by inset couplets of thoughts, either fairy tale villains’ famous lines, or menacing French phrases, which suggest this is the inner voice of her predatory nature – increase ambiguity – Story is divided in two – first half is present tense, second half is past tense – more fairy-tale like AO3 – connections between texts and different interpretations – References to the modern world – ‘the trenches of France’ (see BC) – Humour – ‘you will be led by hand to the Countess’s larder’ (see PIB, COW) Gothic Features Weather/setting – ‘cracked mirrors’ – the Countess does not bear a reflection – ‘Too many roses’ – roses are beautiful and dangerous like her – Bird in the cage symbolises her entrapment in her vampiric body – ‘she likes to hear it announce how it cannot escape’ – Predatory females – ‘the fangs and talons of a beast of prey’ yet she evokes sympathy as she tries to change her fate – ‘Fee Fie Fo Fum’ places her in the role of the villain, ‘Sleeping Beauty’ places her in the role of the victim – Supernatural – Soldier does not believe in supernatural: ‘this lack of imagination gives heroism to the hero’ Foreshadowing – The Tarot cards change for the first time ever The Werewolf Quotes – ‘they have cold weather, they have cold hearts’ – ‘supernumerary nippl e’ – ‘Harsh, brief, poor lives. ’ – ‘she prospered’ – ‘they stone her to death’ Characters – Child – ‘good child’ – ‘coat of sheepskin’ – Wolf – ‘grizzled chops’ – ‘less brave than they seem’ AO2 – language, form and structure and how they shape meaning – Language – Very unemotional in places – ‘they stone her to death’, ‘she prospered’ – detached narrator – Tricolons emphasise repetition and simplicity of their lives – ‘harsh, brief, poor lives’ Extensive description of superstitions highlights their importance – also seen in Company of Wolves – Pathetic fallacy – ‘cold weather†¦ cold hearts’ – setting mirrors personalities of inhabitants – Very simple language – fairy tale lang uage, childlike, simple to understand – Structure – Isolated paragraph with one sentence – ‘Winter and cold weather. ’ AO3 – connections between texts and different interpretations – Superstition – ‘wreaths of garlic on the doors’ (see COW, EK, LOHOL) Gothic Features – Weather/setting – Pathetic fallacy – Supernatural – Superstitions – wolves, witches, devil – Foreshadowing Descriptions of superstitions at the beginning The Company of Wolves Quotes – ‘you are always in danger in the forest’ – ‘a man who vanished clear away on her wedding night’ – ‘the forest closed upon her like a pair of jaws’ – ‘they are grey as famine’ – ‘you will suffer’ – ‘we try and try’ – ‘blood on snow’ – ‘Quack, quack! went the duck’ Characte rs – Heroine – ‘she is an unbroken egg’ – ‘she knew she was nobody’s meat’ – ‘she has just started her woman’s bleeding’ – ‘so pretty’ – Wolf – ‘the tender wolf’ – ‘fear and flee the wolf’ AO2 – language, form and structure and how they shape meaning Language – Narrator addresses the reader – ‘you are always in danger’, ‘you will suffer’, ‘we try and try’ – Written as if to recreate the oral tradition of fairytales – ‘Quack, quack! went the duck’ – ‘hurl your Bible at him’, ‘call on Christ†¦but it won’t do you any good’, It is Christmas Day, the werewolves' birthday’, ‘canticles of the wolves’ – undermining religion (canticle = short song/hymn) – ‘The forest closed on her like a pair of jaws’ – isolated simile, only sentence in paragraph, highlight isolated setting – typically Gothic (see ‘Dead as his wives’ simile in BC = isolated) Fairytale – ‘What big eyes you have’, ‘All the better to see you with’ (‘All the better to see you’ = BC) – Metaphor – ‘night and forest has come into the kitchen’ – Structure – Lengthy introduction highlights importance of superstitions and wolves in the lives of the people – Opens reader’s mind to the supernatural – it is common here – No speech marks increase the strangeness of the story – also, there would be no speech marks in oral tradition AO3 – connections between texts and different interpretations – Fairy tale motifs (see BC, EK, LOTHOL) – Personification of the woods (see EK) Gothic Features Religion – ‘you must run as i f the Devil were after you’ – Weather/setting – Personification of the forest ‘like a pair of jaws’, also simile, similar to EK – Night time setting – typically Gothic, increases ambiguity – Dominant male – wolf – Non-passive female – she laughs at him, ‘she knew she was nobody’s meat’ Wolf Alice Quotes – ‘the corners of his bloody chamber’ – room of clothes where Duke’s prey live – ‘it showed us what we could have been’ – ‘her pace is not our pace’ – ‘the wise child who leads them all’ Characters – Duke – ‘his eyes see only appetite’ – ‘he is white as leprosy’ Wolf Alice – ‘not wolf or woman’ AO2 – language, form and structure and how they shape meaning – Language – Carter quickly allies herself with the read er and separates Wolf-Alice – ‘her pace is not our pace’ – Religious reference to Garden of Eden – ‘wise child who leads them all’ – Duke is ‘cast into the role of the corpse-eater’ – not the whole truth? – ‘She could not put her finger on’ – finger in italics, reminds us she is human AO3 – connections between texts and different interpretations Gothic Features – Weather/setting – Duke’s castle – Gothic reinterpretation of the fairytale castle ‘Moony metamorphic weather’ – setting mirrors Duke – Presence of the moon – time, menstruation, Gothic night time, when the Duke is awake – Graveyard settings – Dominant males – Duke – not a real man, doesn’t cast a reflection, doesn’t have a soul, does have physical strength, doesn’t talk to her – ‘separate solitud es’ – Passive females – Wolf-Alice is a strong female, physically, and becomes intellectually stronger throughout the story – Supernatural – Duke is a werewolf/vampire – Superstition/religion – ‘Young husband’ fills a church with silver bullets, holy water, ‘bells, books and candles’

Is marriage an outdated tradition Essay

Is Marriage an Outdated Tradition? In this essay I will be explaining whether marriage Is an outdated tradition along with my opinion and the ones of Christians. In my oplnlon I believe that No, marriage Is the same strong, important connection it was 100 years ago. The difference is the people who enter into it, and the way society no longer supports the couples who choose it. We’ve become a â€Å"need It now† society and are ready to discard whatever doesn’t give us Instant happiness. Divorce has become so acceptable that couples go Into arriage with the plan to divorce If they aren’t satisfied (prenup) as compared to the people in our past who believed marriage was forever and were motivated to keep working at the relationship and to make it work. Today couples are ready to give up as soon as it’s not fun or the sex becomes dull. The other part of the problem Is society’s lack of support for marriage. The UK benefit system Is too lenient towards those who choose to have children without being married therefore helping them with housing, childcare, schooling and food. The rest f the family before would be providing emotional support and pressure for the couple to work at the relationship, now it’s more looked at it as being only their problem and not a problem for the people around them. Today we’re more concerned about an individual’s right to personal happiness than to supporting responsible or ethical behaviour-I believe a person’s happiness Is extremely Important but people’s morals and ethics are what make them happy. I also believe the idea that something that’s worth having is worth fighting for, having omething a long time, the pride of working at something, at pushing through the hard stuff to be able to stand back and look with pride at having made something great, is gone. The Christians of the Catholic Church teach prohibition of premarital sex along with the rejection of homosexual marriage, abortion and contraception but also the acceptance of everyone and equality but while all those are very Important none is what makes the bond of marriage stick. It happens when two people who are free to marry and are physically and emotionally capable of marriage give themselves o each other, understanding that marriage means being open to life and commitment and to faithful love till death.

Hrm 590 Compendstion Decisions

HRM590: Compensation Decisions Your job now is to pull together all the information you’ve completed so far in class and make salary decisions for your team. You have completed Cathy’s evaluation and received assignment feedback. This is the first year that you’ve made salary decisions for this team. Be sure to carefully review the information provided. You may simply type in the cells as the text will automatically wrap. You are required to: 1. Enter Cathy’s appraisal rating (she is last on the list); 2.Within your budget dollars, make your salary decisions based on performance for your team taking into consideration their Salary Grade and the Pay Ranges identified for the Salary Grades (fill in the Salary Decision Column); 3. Within your budget dollars award bonus money (fill in the Bonus Dollars Column); 4. In the green line areas, provide your substantiation and risk analysis for the salary decisions made; and 5. Identify any items from this scenario i n whole you may want to address. Evaluation ratings are 1 = Needs Improvement to 5 = Exceeds Expectations Salary Budget: $9,000Bonus Budget: $5,000 Company Designated Salary Pay Ranges A2 = $12,750 – 17,000 A3 = 16,500 – 22,000 A4 = 21,000 – 28,000 |Employee Information |Salary |Current Salary |% at Pay Scale* |Appraisal Rating |Salary Decision |Bonus Dollars | | |Grade | | | | | | |Substantiation and Risk Analysis: John is a major asset to the company and the appraisal rating justifies that.His skills and experience may be hard to replace if he decides to retire early. He was given the | |highest salary decision of 8% which exceeds the company designed salary pay range. It would be a loss to the company to lose such a valuable employee. His bonus was also outstanding based on his appraisal rating | |given. | |Alice is a Hispanic female, 42YO with 17 years’ service. Alice is a good worker. She has a lot of |A4 |$22,500 |80. 4% |3 |3% |600 | |potential, wh ich netted her the higher rating.She needs some more skills and experience at this level| | | | |$675 | | |though. | | | | | | | |Substantiation and Risk Analysis: Alice has been with the company for 17 years and does a good job, however, she has much to learn at this level and still may need more training to improve in her skills and | |experience.Her appraisal rating was average but still enough to earn the lowest salary increase of 3% and a bonus. | |Calvin, 28YO black male with 9 months service. Calvin is a real go getter. He hasn’t been with the |A4 |$26,500 |94. 6% |4 |3. 75% |600 | |company long enough to earn a higher rating, but his work is outstanding, high skill set and is looking| | | | |$994 | | |to stay with our company for a career. | | | | | | |Substantiation and Risk Analysis: Calvin is an outstanding worker and will be a major asset to the company. Even though he has not worked with us for too long, we were able to give him at 4 rating which shows that he| | is doing exceptional job in his position. Normally, employees with ratings of 4 would earn a 5% salary raise, but since Calvin has only worked for us for 9mths, we pro-rated his bonus and percentage to 3. 75%. | |Jane is a 32YO white female with 12 years’ service.Jane joined the company as an A3. Her work is |A3 |$19,100 |86. 8% |3 |3% |400 | |satisfactory, nothing to brag about, but she’s been with the company awhile and can be dependable. | | | | |$573 | | |Substantiation and Risk Analysis: Jane does get her job done but has not shown any more exceptional work. She is reliable and dependable in her work and there has been no complaints or issues.She earned a 3 rating| |which is average; this gave her a 3% raise and a small bonus. | |Beth is a 64YO Asian female with 41 years’ service. Beth stated she would probably retire this year, |A3 |$19,700 |89. 5% |3 |3% |400 | |but has yet to turn in her paperwork. She’s had a history of higher ratings, but her ra tings have | | | | |$591 | | |slipped over the last 6 years. | | | | | | |Substantiation and Risk Analysis: Beth has been an outstanding worker but in the last 6 years, her ratings have dropped. She meets expectations of her job which gave her a ranking of 3. She was able to get the lowest| |raise of 3% and a small bonus. | |Ben is a 47YO white male with 27 years’ service. He’s a good worker, been with your group for a couple|A3 |21,000 |95. 5% |4 |5% |600 | |years.Hasn’t yet expanded his skills, which you thought he’d do even though hired for a specific job. | | | | |$1050 | | |What he does, he does outstandingly. | | | | | | | |Substantiation and Risk Analysis: Ben proves to provide excellent work when performing a specific job, but still has not stepped out to expand new skills. He earns a 4 rating which gives him a 5% raise and a $700 | |bonus. |Alex is a 30YO white male with 9 years’ service. He’s quite a guy, performs well at his job. Started |A2 |$15,800 |92. 9% |5 |8% |600 | |as an occupational worker and has worked his way into management. | | | | |$1264 | | |Substantiation and Risk Analysis: Alex has work his way up to earn what he does now in management. He has shown work that proves that he produce his job well in the manager level.He has earned the highest salary | |raise of 8% based on this appraisal rating with a bonus. | |Ken is a 20YO Hispanic male with 1 year service. Ken is young and fresh. You think he should have |A2 |$17,000 |100% |4 |6% |400 | |been hired at a higher level because his skills are so good. You don’t want to lose him because he | | | | |$1020 | | |adds value to the business.You’ll probably jump him to an A4 position soon. | | | | | | | |Substantiation and Risk Analysis: Ken should have been hired at a higher salary grade and does outstanding work for the skills that he has. He is currently paid 100% of his the salary pay scale but will most likely | |be moved to the A4 salary grade soon. To keep him within the company, we are offering him 1% more than the offered increase for the rating of 4 (which is 5%).He would be a great addition to the company and we may | |not want to lose him since we plan on moving him up. | |Cathy is your 19YO (ethnicity unknown) femaleHR Receptionist. She has been with the company for 1 |A2 |$12,000 |70. 6% |3 |3% |200 | |year. You recently completed her performance evaluation. | | | | |$360 | | |Substantiation and Risk Analysis: Cathy has been with our company for 1 year and does average work.She still has areas that she needs to focus on but also has areas of work that she completely exceeds. She does | |need much improvement in certain areas for a new hire. She was rated 3 since she meets work performance which gives her a 3% raise and a small bonus. | *This shows the pay scale range for each employee by percentage. Formula is current salary ? top salary range. This percentage range should be between 75% – 100 %. Overall Comments: The salary decision was decided based on the appraisal rating.Ratings of 5 earned an 8% salary raise, ratings of 4 earned a 5% raise, and ratings of 3 earned a 3% raise. Anyone with a rating of 2 or 1 did not earn a raise, which no employee was rated that this year. These salary raise percentages were also considered based on the salary budget given of $9,000 which $8,729 was the expected salary raises overall. The decision was made to give any employee with a 3 rating earning or higher a raise because they did met, highly met, or exceed expectations.Employees that ranked 2 or lower in the appraisal rating needed some improvement or needs lots of improvement, therefore would not earn a raise or a bonus. There was 1 employee, Calvin, that we pro-rated his salary and bonus since he has only been with the company for 9 months. The bonus decision was decided by appraisal ratings and the salary grade the employee was in. Employees in A4 salary received a higher bonus and the lower salary grade received a lower bonus. Also, amounts were distributed based on the bonus budget of $5,000.See chart below. Estimated Bonus Given Based on Salary grade and appraisal rating Appraisal Ratings | |5 |4 |3 | |A4 |1000 |800 |600 | |A3 |800 |600 |400 | |A2 |600 |400 |200 | Salary grade Actual Bonus Given Based on salary grade and appraisal ratingAppraisal Ratings | |5 |4 |3 |Total | |A4 |1000 |600* |600 |2200 | |A3 |0 |600 |800 |1400 | | | | |(2 employees x 400) | | |A2 |600 |400 |200 |1200 | |Total |1600 |1600 |1600 |4800 |Salary grade We were able to keep the bonus within budget of $4800. The amounts estimated happened to work with the bonus budget given. If bonus budget were a different amount, amounts estimated would change also. There were possibilities that not all employees, even if they have a rating of 3 or above, would have gotten a bonus, however, for this year, it worked out that all employees were able to earn a bonus. The remaining amount of $200 not used in the bonus budget was the pro-rated amount from employee, Calvin, which has only worked for us for 9 months.

Funding Sources within Upcoming Entrepreneurs Research Paper

Funding Sources within Upcoming Entrepreneurs - Research Paper Example This is the scenario where there emerge various businesspersons who are willing to start their own businesses for the purpose of providing better services to the people, which in the process results to better profit realization. Consequently, in the process of starting a new business organization, entrepreneurs should make sure they consider and meet various factors such as capital, labor and better management in order to avoid the collapse of the organization at its early stages. Moreover, the emergence of these business organizations are helpful as they results to the creation of job opportunities within the given environment, therefore, they should be encouraged. Thesis Based on the development of new businesses, this paper provides the three types of funding sources that an entrepreneur should considers during capital generation, some of the merits of the provided funding sources and their disadvantages. It also provides some of the factors that the lender should consider in the borrower and some of the ways in which the information need to be presented to the lender. The research paper also provides some of the procedures that need to be followed in future in during the process of entrepreneurial endeavor and some of the ways in which entrepreneurs may manage to start their own businesses. ... Question 1: Types of Funding Sources to Entrepreneurs During the process of coming up with a business organization, there are various factors that an entrepreneur should consider for the success of the business to be achieved. One of the main factors to be looked at is the capital for starting the proposed business. Therefore, there are three main types of funding sources that an entrepreneur should consider in the process of generating capital for starting a business. These include: Debt Financing Through the process of debt financing, an entrepreneur is required to apply for loans from various financial institutions such as banks and non-government institutions. Therefore, before an organization decide to borrow money from these institutions, the need to consider the lending process, interest provided and the period in which the organization is required to settle all their debts. If the information provided by the banks complies with the situation of the business, the entrepreneur needs to apply for the loans (Viramgami 178). On the other hand, for the bank organization to strike the deal with the organization they need to consider the cash flow of the organization and the security that the proposed organization provides against the loan provided. Grants This is the process whereby various entrepreneurs become part of some of the government agencies within their respective countries. For instance, in the United States, most of their new entrepreneurs who are willing to start small businesses become members of the Small Business Administration, which is part of the Small Business Innovation Research programs (Talloo, 78). Therefore, in the process of becoming part of these government organizations, these people are in the position of getting help

Nutrition in School-Aged Children Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Nutrition in School-Aged Children - Assignment Example Some of the children do not have enough to eat each day because they come from poor families. Childhood is a critical time of growth where proper nutrition is necessary. Children with poor diets are prone to illness. The children are at a higher risk for mental, obesity and emotional health problems. They might also fail to thrive academically. Research shows that children with poor nutrition are likely to miss days of school and hence repeat classes. When a school-aged child does not get enough vitamins and minerals, it could lead to lethargy. Research shows that there is an association between child nutrition and the level of IQ of the child. Poor nutrition leads to a lower IQ. Failure to thrive socially and academically due to improper diet can have impacts that last throughout the person’s lifetime (Kelleher, Ireland & National University of Ireland, 2003). In addition, school going children who do not access proper nutrition, are prone to psychological disorders such as l earning disabilities and anxiety. These children are likely to require mental health counseling. Some nutrition habits such as skipping of meals are linked to depression, In conclusion, issues such as nutrition in school-aged children should be addressed. In dealing with this issue illness, injury and death in the children will be prevented. Those in power should affect these questions to help the children. Kelleher, C., Ireland. & the National University of Ireland, Galway. (2003). The national health & lifestyle surveys: Survey of Lifestyle, Attitudes and Nutrition (SLAÃŒ N) & the Irish Health Behavior in School-Aged Children Survey (HBSC).  

Social Networking Sites Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Social Networking Sites - Essay Example Face to face meetings, especially for the first time, are usually exciting events. One gets to scrutinize a new acquaintance physically and gauge his or her intelligence through conversations. Almost immediately, one can form an impression of the other, and this may remain unless proven otherwise in the next meetings. A lot depends on the spontaneity of a person – how quick his or her wit is, how personable he or she is, and how one’s sense of humor clicks with another’s. Glimpses of one’s personality shines through except for people who have put up a lot of defensive walls around themselves. For these people, it may be more challenging to see through their real selves. Getting into a social networking site such as Tagged to meet new people online offers a different scenario. One creates his or her own profile, putting in information he chooses to share, lay it out in a design he or she prefers, and adds a profile picture, or more for his or her picture gallery. Then a choice to set this profile in private or to be seen publicly is made by the user. The profile picture is available for public viewing, and becomes a choice in a buffet of new prospects to be chosen as contacts or â€Å"friends† by other members. If someone likes to include another in his friends’ list, then he makes an effort to ask that person if he or she can be added as â€Å"friend†, and upon acceptance, they become part of each other’s online contact list. It is up to them to maintain communication either by sending messages, picture tags or add comments (either text or picture or video) in one’s profile. They may also opt to communicate outsid e the site by exchanging contact details or chatting in another messaging system like Yahoo Messenger or MSN Instant Messaging. Here, they may restrict their communication to online chat or see each other by webcam or actually meet in person. It is really up to the individuals how they want

Change Management Plan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Change Management Plan - Research Paper Example In 1987, the management of Samsung separated it into four major business groups, namely; the Hansol group, the CJ group, Shinsegae group, and the Samsung group. Ever the periods of 1990s, Samsung has increasingly diversified its business operations, particularly in the electronics sector (Bernstein Black Book, 2012). Samsung is one of the leading manufacturers of cell phones that operate under the brand name of Samsung. Samsung does not only produce cell phones, it also produces other electronics such as lap tops, and television sets. By 2012, Samsung was the leading information technology in the world, in terms of its revenues (Bernstein Black Book, 2012). In terms of the market, Samsung electronics is the fourth largest company, in terms of the market that the company controls. For Samsung to be one of the leading businesses in the electronics market, it has a policy of always taking care of the needs and interests of its employees. By doing this, Samsung believes that its employee s will be motivated to act in a manner that is beneficial to the company under consideration. For example, Samsung has a policy of always training its members of staff, on the various skills needed to carry out their duties (Bernstein Black Book, 2012). ... Samsung designed this system to analyze and monitor the performance and the capability of its employees in meeting the objectives of the company. It also analyzes the possibilities of growth for the employee under consideration. On this basis, this evaluation system is designed to gather data on the capabilities of an employee. However, in my own opinion, this evaluation system has a number of flaws, which the company needs to change, for purposes of improving the work performance of its various employees. For example, this evaluation system only takes place once in a year. This is very unacceptable, and it is because there is always a need to evaluate an employee on a constant basis (Mejia and Blankin, 2012). That is either weekly or monthly as this will motivate them in working hard and hence meeting the objectives of the company. Another flaw in this evaluation system is that it is the supervisors who are engaged in the evaluation process of an employee or their juniors. In my own opinion, this is unacceptable, and it is because senior employees might provide biased reports concerning a particular employee. To change on this, the management needs to develop an evaluation system that will incorporate all the employees in evaluating one another. For example, if the organization allows the colleagues of an employee to evaluate him, then they might provide some necessary information which might be useful to the organization in determining the capability of an employee. Bias is avoided by using this method, since managers will judge on the consistency of information presented the supervisor of an employee, the employee himself, and his colleagues at the work place. On this basis, the evaluation report will be reliable

Conflict Negotiation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Conflict Negotiation - Case Study Example Knowing what each other party wanted was key to knowing the best way forward to attaining what was best for the city of Tamarack. Our first reward was that we as the City Council of Tamarack do not have to incur high costs of maintaining our roads or reducing the environmental pollution that has already taken place. The cost sharing agreement reached at the end of the negotiations ensures that the mining company takes upon itself the responsibility of ensuring that the damaged roads are repaired and that at the end of the day there is little, if any environmental pollution. We were also able to keep the company in the city, hence, retaining the revenue that we get from its operations. We were able to provide a serene environment for the tourists who visit the city. This was made possible by the fact that Twin Lakes Mining Company ensured that all roads are in good condition. Reducing air pollution in the city is also a way of attracting tourists. The fact that the already exhausted mining sites will be shutdown means that our surroundings will be beautiful enough to warrant tourist attraction (Role Information for City Tamarack). Most importantly, the relationship between the government and the mining company was improved as both parties gained from the negotiations. The most rewarding thing about the negotiations is the fact that we will be able to keep our city in a good condition. Firstly, we shall from today henceforth have cleaner air in the city. The mining company has accepted the responsibility of ensuring that its operations do not pollute the air as much as before. This is beneficial to us; not only in the present life, but also in future. Clean air means that future generations in Tamarack City will live a healthy life and they will not have to worry about respiratory diseases that are related to unclean air. Both parties have also taken up the responsibility of maintaining the roads. Of course, this means better infrastructure,

Self reflection Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Self reflection - Coursework Example As part of my strengths, I find myself focused towards the ultimate goal of the change process. Having the future in mind from the start, and relating this to my ability to influence others in making decisions and having a positive attitude towards change makes my change leading a success. My influence on others has made me capable of initiating, maintaining and sustaining the change process. This is an important strength that coupled with proper change teamwork helps in making change a success. However, I have always found it difficult to deal effectively with change resistance. In most instances, I face a challenge in making people believe that the norm is not satisfactory and that a new scheme or program is essential. With such a problem, it becomes difficult to make change a success unless enough time and resources are invested into the change process to influence acceptance. At one time, I was forced to use more than the allocated budget in a change process. Change is not always about making decisions to move away from the norm. Leading change requires that the leader be a team player and capable of making positive influence with the team and leading the change towards the desired

Business Intelligence Solutions for chosen organisation Essay

Business Intelligence Solutions for chosen organisation - Essay Example In 1987, there was a public issue of 720 million shares offered to 1.2 million shareholders and its shares are now listed with London, Toronto and New York stock exchanges. The public issue was a great success as BAs shares were oversubscribed more than 11times and its share price increased by 68% on the first day of trading. Today, BA is the number-one of the globe’s major premium airlines. Now, BA has flight operations to more than four hundred destinations globally. During the year 2013, BA reported a revenue of  £ 11,421 million as compared to  £ 10,827 million, which is an increase of 5.5%. Likewise, BAs profit after tax has also soared significantly in 2013 as it reported  £ 284 million as compared to  £ 114 million in the year 2012 which is an increase of 149.1%. Business Intelligence (BI) is one of the very few provinces in the IT sector to have stayed resilient even during the recent economic downturn, as business organisations like BA has employ the BI technology, mainly to minimise their costs and to optimise their flight operations. Thus, even during the phases of economic meltdown, BA has started to employ business intelligence tools to assist it to confront the economic turbulence. For instance, by using 3D visualisation, BA can recognise and remedy its inefficiencies. Further, BI helps BA to match its own data with that of external sources such as credit checks. During the current economic crisis , as a cost cut initiative , BA has reduced its spending on IT by a third in 2009 but its BI was one area, which was not touched upon and this shows the priority to BI by BA (Binning 2009). There is a compelling need on the part of BA to introduce BI technology to sort out the issues such as cut-throat competition , poor employee relations as represented by a number of flash cabin crew strikes , to address how to improve its cargo revenue as it fell by6. 5% due to prolonged weak cargo market in 2013 and is witnessing the impact due to both interest

Technology Solutions for Human Services Essay Example for Free

Technology Solutions for Human Services Essay There are numerous barriers in every aspect of human service; they vary as much as the clients themselves. These barriers can come in many areas of human service like services, planning, funding, or empowerment. Every human service agent needs to look at each barrier as a personal challenge. This will help the agent find an application that could overcome the barriers. Three main barriers are technology, perceived differences, actual differences, and finances. There are numerous types of barriers that also can be the solution such is the case with technology. If an agency is behind the times their equipment may be slow, not efficient, and not work properly. This can cause loss of information, irritation, or cause client frustrations. â€Å"As resource-strapped human services agencies face countercyclical demand, leaders are exploring emerging technology applications to improve efficiency and capacity. They know they must serve increasingly connected customers who expect immediate, convenient access. They recognize that the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has provided additional resources that, if deployed strategically, can enhance modernization. They know too that they must drive coordination and collaboration to truly integrate human services delivery. Despite these imperatives, technology decisions in human services can be overwhelming. It’s easy to get bogged down in a swirl of concerns — from financing and infrastructure to security and compliance. But in planning an IT agenda, human services agencies should specifically focus on four opportunity areas where the fish are swarming — and all else will follow† (Swaminathan, 2012). The solution could be updating it, but this can cause other barriers like finances, maintaining equipment, parts, accessories needed to make technology work, staff training, staff rejection, resistance, human errors while learning, and the issues of incorporating new techniques. Sometimes it is just adding a small program that can increase accessibility to tools that can make an organization run smoother. Like adding a Microsoft suite package r office package that would cost a smaller amount then rewriting entire programs, but would assist with tools like excel, word, Powerpoint, or adding something like a camera and a free chat service like Skype. †Everyone would like to do more with less. Regardless of the service an agency provides, every organization is looking for faster and more efficient ways to provide that service. In many ways, technological advancements have allowed organizations to increase productivity; however, in human service organizations, technology can impede organizational effectiveness† (Goliday, 2013). Issues in technology can have compounded issues like causing communication problems and service issues as well. So when considering technology an agency needs to realize how much technology can be a barrier if not used correctly. Another barrier can be the infusion of cultures and ethnic backgrounds. Some of the barriers created by this can affect different aspects of both the client and the agent. It can touch services, planning, funding, and empowerment. There can be a different set of beliefs, practices, language skills, communication, and translation issues. There also can be barriers in health beliefs, attitudes, time orientation, and concepts of achievement (Scheppersa, Dongenb, Dekkerc, Geertzend, Dekkere, 2006). â€Å"Everyone has a basic right to health care. This is a principle that all people should share and all nations should strive for. Achieving this goal means working to break down the barriers that prevent people from getting the care they need. Sometimes those barriers have to do with resources, when people can’t afford the treatments they need. Sometime those barriers have to do with geography, for example when people live in rural areas with little access to health care providers. And sometimes those barriers have to do simply with who people are – and that’s what we’re here to talk about today† (Sebelius, 2012). The barriers can extend into areas of respect, hand gestures, and word meaning. Some barriers that come with ethnic and culture groups are values concerning health, illness, perceptions, knowledge of physiology, knowledge of disease, religious practices, personal resources, immigration rules, income/financial means, health insurance, knowledge of services available, perception, health practices, traditional, and self-treatment (Scheppersa, Dongenb, Dekkerc, Geertzend, Dekkere, 2006). Any of these or any combination can cause barriers for the client and the agent. The way to work with these would be raising awareness, educating, learning, and remember that no one view is right. â€Å"The barriers are all tied to the particular situation of the individual patient and subject to constant adjustment. In other words, generalizations should not be made† (Scheppersa, Dongenb, Dekkerc, Geertzend, Dekkere, 2006, Pp. 325-348). These barriers can cause all sorts of new barriers like emotional distancing, client may become removed, depression, fear, communication may break down, and loss of empowerment. This leads to barriers of perceived differences and orientations. Overcoming perceptions can be a huge barrier to health services. An agent’s own beliefs and opinions kind of need to take a backseat to the needs of his or her client. This can sometimes be harder than almost any other barrier because an individual always wants to share his or her opinions. An agent needs to set aside beliefs on age, sexual preference, mental status, criminal activity, and sometimes their opinion on almost every topic, view, opinion, and stereotype because to help a client those personal barriers cannot exist. Another barrier is finances with the economy and all the budget cuts, it makes an agent’s job all the harder. They have to struggle with service cuts and older equipment to help their clients and their clients suffer because of the lack of funds. Agents need to use the tools they have available to find the things he or she needs like using the Internet to find resources or free tools to help out his or her clients and agency. Barriers can overwhelm a person completely and block his or her way, but agents need to remember the struggle is for the people he or she is helping. Some barriers affect small areas and some large. There are barriers that the solution itself creates other barriers. As an agent faces these personal challenges, he or she needs to focus on the needs of his or her clients. As they struggle over each barrier, they need to know that one barrier can lead to another, but there are solutions available they just need to be found.

The Analysis of the Escape by W.S. Maugham Essay Example for Free

The Analysis of the Escape by W.S. Maugham Essay What we call a Chicago accent is actually called the Inland North American dialect. This encompasses the major cities around the Great Lakes. The dialect used to be considered the standard American accent until the region experienced a vowel shift, now called the North Cities Vowel Shift. Who Speaks the Chicago Dialect? Or rather, who doesnt? The answer, of course, is African Americans in the Chicago region, who have their own (and infinitely more interesting) dialect. Though this may be obvious. African Americans are the largest population group in Chicago, and it would be irresponsible to overlook the fact that the Chicago dialect is not used by the largest sector of the citys population. The most salient feature of the Chicago dialect is that it is undergoing the Northern Cities Vowel Shift. This is most noticeable in words with the /ae/ vowel, which gets raised so that its close to /e/. Thus, bad sounds a bit like bed, or, beead. Another notable aspect of this vowel shift is that /o/ is fronted so that it is closer to /ah/. So hot sounds a lttle like hat. As an ongoing change, it is more prevalent and more pronounced among young people, middle-class people, and females, but it is quite widespread. nearly all white Chicagoans exhibit this vowel shift, at least to some extent. A more local vowel development is a monophthongization of /ow/ to /oh/, so that south becomes soth and down becomes don. This is more conservative and less widespread. Also we can notice that when a vowel sound moves into another vowel’s territory, the result may be a merger —as when the sound of caught comes to be pronounced with the tongue in the same region of the mouth as for cot. In a different pattern, the movement of one vowel spurs a reactive movement in a neighboring vowel. As with strangers in an elevator, one vowel shifts to keep its distance when another enters the space. These coordinated movements are heard in the Northern Cities Shift, which affects six different vowels, those appearing in caught, cot, cat, bit, bet and but. In this change, caught takes on a vowel similar to that originally used for cot. The cot vowel also shifts, becoming more like the vowel of cat. The vowel of cat takes a position closer to that ordinarily heard with bit and sometimes sounds like the â€Å"ea† in idea. Words like bit are pronounced with a vowel nearer to bet or even but whereas bet words have a vowel similar to that in cat or but, and the vowel but words comes to sound more like that of caught. When these changes are plotted according to the positioning of the tongue, the connections among them are clear and the shift resembles a clockwise rotation of the vowels in the mouth. The Northern Cities Shift: These guide words are positioned to represent where in the mouth the tongue is placed for those vowel sounds. The arrows indicate the directions of change affecting the sounds. Consonants The stereotype about Chicagoans is that they say dis instead of this, but thats not entirely accurate. The real pronunciation is somewhere in between. To approximate it, first pronounce /th/ the standard way, with the tip of your tongue between your teeth. Then, keeping your teeth apart, move the tip of your tongue to the back of your teeth. Thats the typical Chicago /th/. Contrast it with /d/, which is made with the teeth closed, and the tongue against the roof of the mouth. This is a conservative trait, and is more common among older people, working class people, and males. The unvoiced equivalent, that is, the /th/ of in the word thick is even more conservative. Vocabulary Chicago vocabulary is fairly unremarkable. As a cosmopolitan place, the vocabulary is more generalized than in rural areas, so that Chicagoans are at least familiar with words that were formerly used by dialectologists as markers of Southern dialect or Midland that is, the dialect in between Northern and Southern. Nevertheless, there are a few localisms which are worth mentioning: What other people call rubbernecking, Chicagoans call gaping thus an accident on the side of the road can cause a gapers delay or gapers block. Also, Chicagoans are more likely to use the term gym shoes. Grammar In Chicago, like in other American cities that had lots of German-speaking immigrants, with can be used more frequently as a verbal complement. Thus, while most Americans might say come with, Chicagoans can also say take with and have with. Consider the following bit of dialogue from Chicagoan David Mamets play American Buffalo,: Donny: (Talking about a gun) I dont want it with. Teach: Well, I want it with. In the 1996 film version, Donnys line sounds fine when delivered by Chicagoan Dennis Franz, but Angeleno Dustin Hoffman has trouble making Teachs line sound natural; hes clearly uncomfortable saying it.

Addison And Steele Predecessors To Modern Media Media Essay

Addison And Steele Predecessors To Modern Media Media Essay Journalism is generally recognized as, the collection, preparation, and distribution of news and related commentary . . . through such media as pamphlets, newsletters, newspapers and other electronic media.(11, n. pag.) Even though modern journalism focuses mainly on the news and current events, it does not necessarily have to be restricted to this certain subject. Joseph Addison and Sir Richard Steele were 18th century writers and they have employed journalism in many of their writings. (11, n. pag.) The most popular example is The Spectator which was one of the most popular pieces of literature written by them. However, they were not necessarily the first journalists, or to employ journalism in their writings. Although Addison and Steele were not the first journalists they still exemplified qualities and similarities of journalism in their literary work. Joseph Addison (1672-1719) was an English writer and politician. (13, n. pag.) His literary career developed alongside his political career. (1, 15) Despite his political career, [He] preferred to be a man of letters rather than a man of affairs. (3, 46) As a writer Addison wrote many types of literature which included poems, prose and essays which also included many periodical essays. (13, n. pag.) If it were not for his essays, Addisons literary reputation would be insignificant. (3, 46) Addisons character was that he was curious and observant, was affiliated to a virtuous character, a love of his fellow-men, a reverence for antiquity, and a keen sense of humour. (xiii -xiv) He finds human characteristics, conduct, thoughts and feelings to be interesting. (6, xxii) He also found interesting to contrast a, mans infinite capacities of greatness with his infinite capacities of littleness. (6, xxii) This means that he found comparing humans capability to do good and to do wrong interes ting. (6, xxii) What makes Addison such a good writer is that he employs several techniques in addition to his honed writing skills. When he is writing he, unobtrusively avoids hammering away at the same theme, for he would think it both bad taste and bad policy to bore his hearers. (4, 278) He also, is averse from all exaggeration; he uses neither high-sounding phrase nor dramatic gesture; he is readier to praise than to find fault. (4, 278) Addison is also a, master of the art of quickening and holding attention. Once you have started for a stroll with him as your companion, you follow his lead to the end, enchanted by the beauty and variety of the scenes through which he takes you. . . . (4, 273) When he wrote prose one may describe it as, so natural its art, that its occasional lapse into an insouciance reveals a true gentlemanly decorum rather than the frigidly inhuman and geometrical correctness. . . . (7, x) As Addison grew more popular with his writings his audience also grew in size. He u tilized this opportunity, to introduce a large circle of readers to such subjects as the criticism of tragedy, true and false wit, recommendations of ballad simplicity, [and] the morality or immorality of comedy. (3, 49) What also made him a unique author was that, In circumstances of pressing political crisis, when other men were angry and bitter, [he] shows his best qualities; he is extremely amusing, but reasonable and constructive too. (3, 51) As his audience grew he thought that he had an obligation to educate them and to bring some new knowledge into their lives, in which he mentions, Since I have raised to myself so great an audience, I shall spare no pains to make their instruction agreeable, and their diversion useful, for which reasons I shall endeavour, to enliven morality with wit, and to temper wit with morality. . . . (4, 275) He construes this idea because, [he] is deeply alarmed . . . at the relaxation of all moral standards [that] prevail among his fellow-citizens; like them [Addison] believes that this state of affairs cannot continue without danger and dishonor. (4, 275) Addison used all, if not most of these techniques in his writings, which included The Spectator. He joined together with his lifelong friend Sir Richard Steele and they both wrote The Spectator which became the forerunner to the modern day newspaper. (2, 1911) (2, 1912) Sir Richard Steele (1672-1729) was English essayist, journalist, and politician who was born in Ireland. He is best known for his work with Joseph Addison on The Spectator. (14) He actively entered politics from 1707-1710 and began to write periodical essays with Addison, which first included The Tatler and then The Spectator. (14) (2, 1911) Steele, like Addison, had similar goals in his literary works. His works were unique because he, preached in a supple and precise style, that was warm and penetrating. (2, 1912) He, wrote on subjects from describing London and of life in the country to articles on dueling and question of immortality, preached the gospel of reformed gentility and true gentle manliness to oppose the artificial elegance. (2, 1912) Like Addison, Steele tried to reform society by providing new and important information and to people in order to educate them. He, ardently desired to stop all the men and women whom he saw around him from falling into the snares of folly and vice. . . . (8, xii) This was one of the few goals of his literary work, which included The Spectator. The Spectator was a periodical that ran from 1711 to 1712. Even though The Spectator was a periodical and that Addison and Steele were journalists, the writings themselves, show few signs of journalisms interest in news, and indeed on the whole they avoided it. (3, 47) In which Addison confirms the notion by saying that, My paper has not in it a single word of news, a reflection in politics, nor a stroke of party; so on the other, there are no fashionable touches of infidelity, no obscene ideas, no satire upon priesthood, marriages, and the like popular topics of ridicule; no private scandal, nor anything that may tend to the defamation of particular persons, families, or societies. (10, 248) Through his writing of The Spectator, Addison neither insulted nor condemned anyone, whether of Right or Left. He excluded not only party politics from his paper but also partisan and sectarian morality. . . . (4, 277) This idea of Addison and Steele wanting to publish a work of literature with out bias showed that they wanted to have literary work could be applicable to all kinds of people. (4, 277) However, the true purpose of The Spectator was, to bring philosophy out of the closets and libraries, schools and colleges, to dwell in clubs and assemblies, at tea tables and in coffee-houses. (7, xiii) Addison devoted himself to the education of people. (4, 310) In other words, Addison and Steele wanted to bring education to the common people, through their literary work. (7, xiii) The Spectator had no specific audience to which it catered to. Addison and Steele meant its main audience to include all kinds of people, it did not matter whether a person was male or female, or their political stance. (4, 266) Media today has come a long way since the times of Addison and Steele. However, some main aspects are similarly displayed. First of all, the role of the media is to educate people on current events, news and to provide people with entertainment. Addison and Steele also expressed this information in some of their literary works. However, the media today is more focused more on sensationalism, which is the use of, startling or thrilling impressions used to excite an audience and to increase viewership. (15, n. pag.) Addisons and Steeles goals were to educate through their media, not to gain a large audience for the purpose of popularity. (4, 310) Modern media does encourage spectatorship, but maybe not in the way as Addison envisioned it. Today, media encourages spectatorship, but through different means than Addison and Steele had done. For example, media today offers many entertainment shows and programs that are based on reality, that are called reality shows. These shows supposedly focus on the reality of things and offer spectatorship to the viewers. However, these reality shows do not necessarily focus on educating people and some of these shows do not have any intellectual value. They primarily focus on providing entertainment to the masses and are rated on popularity rather than on intellectual merit. Journalism, since the time of Addison and Steele, has also suffered due to this shift in medias priorities. Journalism also encourages spectatorship, but differently than Addison and Steele had done with their journalistic works. Journalism today still does focus on news and current events, but sometimes it focuses more on sensationalism in politics, current events and celebrities in order to gain a larger audience. Some media that focus on the news and current events sometimes tend to show bias. Addison and Steele almost did the opposite of what modern media is doing in the present. They focused on bring information and education to the masses through their journalistic work, and they did not care whether they had a large audience or not, that is why they did not use sensationalism in their work. They also did not include politics in some of their writings to avoid bias. Even though a lot of the modern media has changed, that involves more of the use of sensationalism; it does not represent all mainstream media. There are still some media that stay true to the purpose of media, which Addison and Steele exemplified in their literary work. Journalism primarily provides access to people about the news, current events, and commentary. Its purpose is to educate of the unknown. Addison and Steele through their qualities and their writing styles brought truth to the purpose of journalism. Although they were not the first journalists they still exemplified qualities and similarities of journalism in their literary work. There were many before them that developed the writing styles that they had used. The Spectator is a perfect example of Addisons and Steeles journalistic writing styles. It exemplifies the intent and purpose of journalism and did not discriminate against on whether someone could read it or not, it was a piece of literature that was intended for everybody. Today, modern media does promote spectatorship, but not necessarily in the ways Addison has defined or had intended it to be. It has strayed slightly from its original purpose. The modern media today focuses more so on sensationalistic ideas and events than on providing educational information. It does this in order to gain a large audience and in return receive a bigger financial paycheck. Even though not all media is like this it still makes one question the integrity of media that has progressed and changed throughout the years. This is why we have to reevaluate our system of the media to focus less on sensationalism and more on education like Addison and Steele did.

Does the Media Encourage Terrorism? Essay -- essays research papers f

DO THE MEDIA ENCOURAGE TERRORISM The news media of American society does not encourage terrorism. The only thing that the media encourages is knowledge of what is going on around the world. Unfortunately, some terrorist organizations use the news media to gain recognition for their groups causes and goals. Most of the time, the media will serve as force to gain citizen support for the government’s actions against a terrorist movement. The only problem with having the freedom of press that the United States enjoys is that everyone has a voice. When it comes down to an American killing an American, the media is not allied with the terrorist. In many cases the television and newspaper crews serve to work directly against the militia organization. Americans do not like to see fellow citizens die at the hands of a terrorist, especially by an American terrorist. Timothy McVeigh, probably unknowingly, helped in decreasing the number of American terrorist (Grosscup, 117). McVeigh’s act, bombing the Murrah building in Oklahoma City, was seen as so repulsive that many law-abiding people attracted to militias simply walked away. The majority of Americans didn’t want to be associated with anything like the killing of 168 Americans, even though McVeigh had only attended a few militia meetings. The media coverage for the bombing in 1995 gave the American public the education needed to assess what was going on in the militant organizations across the United States.   Ã‚  Ã‚  &n...

Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe - The First Fiction :: Defoe Robinson Crusoe Essays

Robinson Crusoe: The First Fiction Daniel Defoe is credited with writing the first long fiction novel in literary history. Drawing from established literary genres such as the guide and providence traditions and the spiritual biography, Defoe endeavored to illustrate the life of a man who "tempted Providence to his ruine (Defoe 13)" and the consequences of such actions. While stranded alone on an island the character of Robinson Crusoe seems to have a religious epiphany about the role of Providence in his life and resolves to live in accordance with God's will. However, Crusoe's internal reflections throughout his narrative and his actions do not correlate, causing the reader to question the validity of this conversion. By examining the plot and the process of psychological change Crusoe undergoes, it becomes apparent that "he experiences and accepts divine control but that control can only be realized in the free context he has himself created (359)." When push comes to shove, Crusoe reverts to human instinct and his own impulses rather than what he perceives to be the will of Providence. Crusoe uses his newfound religion only when convenient and as a means to justify his actions and an acceptable reason for everything unfortunate that happens. When he finally does leave the island and returns to society, Crusoe's faith is tested and fails miserably, with practically no mention of Providence towards the end of the story. At the beginning of the novel, Crusoe introduces himself and establishes that his narrative is a memoir of sorts, and is told while looking through more experienced, wise eyes than when he originally experienced his story. This is important to note, because his discourse is shaded with hindsight and interpreted through a mind that has come to accept Providence's hand in his life. For example, when the Turks capture Crusoe and he is enslaved, he reflects by saying, "now the Hand of Heaven had overtaken me, and I was undone without Redemption. But alas! This was but a Taste of th e Misery I was to go thro' (15)." Because Crusoe is recalling the events from memory, as well as the lack of input from any other characters, his reliability can be questioned as a narrator. An unreliable narrator is one who may be in error in his or her understanding or report of things and who thus leaves readers without the guides needed for making judgements.

Automation in the Field of Law :: Technology Research Papers

Automation in the Field of Law Missing Works Cited The question of what should be automated in our world is one that deserves serious contemplation. In a time when technology seems to race past our population at an incredible rate, the thought of our whole world being automated is not a radical concept. It has been predicted that in the near future, every aspect of our society will contain some sort of automation. But what is automation exactly? A Webster’s Dictionary for college students defines automation as â€Å"the handling and fabrication of materials by automatic machinery, especially when no part of the process is done by hand.†1 The same source gives the definition of automatic as â€Å"operated by self-acting machinery.†2 My idea of automation is a machine taking over a job that a human used to perform in such a way that the machine acts on its own to accomplish the task. Webster seems to aim at automation under the terms of machinery; but in our world today, most of the automation we are conc erned with involves computers. Computers are said to be a billion times faster than human beings and are known for their capability to hold more information than humans ever could. So in a world where automation is beginning to gain more and more ground on a daily basis, most aspects of our society have seen its effects. This is especially true for the field of law. There is an important need in this field to remain organized in order for it to be successful. This task requires that billions of laws be filed in an efficient way so they can be accessed on a daily basis by lawyers and judges in order to formulate case arguments and decisions. Now that computers are an essential part of our business world, it seems obvious that some type of automation such as a software program should be introduced into the field of law to help remain organized. But beyond the simple computer program, what about the thought that the whole system itself could be automated? Believe it or not, this thought is already being discussed, and systems are already being designed for that purpose. In the following paper, I will talk about three different types of automation currently used or proposed for use in the legal system.

Aging and Stress

This study investigated the source of stress among different cultural groups.   Thirty-four participants both men and women from 65 to 100 years old were interviewed.   The participants were from Filipino, Latino, and Jewish senior recreation clubs.A grounded theory approach was used throughout the study.  Ã‚   One core theme emerged; people go to senior centers looking for social connections and do not always find them.   The results were consistent with the research (Cussack, 1993); seniors’ centers present opportunities for older adults to develop meaning roles that contribute to the quality of their own lives.One of the implications for TR practice is RT’s have the ability to create positive and healthy changes in elderly participants.   RTs can be instrumental in finding those needed roles for elders.   RT’s can train recreation professionals in communication techniques and group interaction.I. IntroductionMany older adults are faced with situati ons they perceive as stressful. Researchers have identified causes of stress for seniors to include health concerns, loss of family, loss of friends, loss of finances and loss of independence.Many older adults experience unnecessary stress and become used to living a chaotic and unhappy way of life.   If they understood the source of their stress, older adults could begin to manage their lives with positive results.The researcher is seeking to discover the cause of stress in older adults, and if there is a difference among the cultural groups.   It is known that about thirty-one percent, or 9.9 million, non-institutionalized older people live alone (Administration on Aging, 1999).II. BackgroundThere is limited research on coping and stress management for older adults with a comparative analysis by culture and gender.   This study compared sources of stress among elders in the following immigrant groups: Filipino, Latino, and Jewish elders. The Filipino group was selected becau se it is the largest group of Asian elders in the county where the research was conducted.The Latino elders comprise the largest minority group in the county, and the Jewish elders were chosen because many were immigrants who came to America seeking freedom from persecution and the terror of Western Europe in the 1940s and may be perceived to have higher levels of stress than the other two groups.A goal of the researcher, was to provide information for those designing programs for older adults, to assist them in the reduction of stress, and to insure the programs are not only   appropriate to the needs of seniors, but their cultural needs as well.   â€Å"While each group of immigrant elders may have their own unique attributes and circumstances, recreation and leisure activities can help to expedite identity in the new community, (Ward, 2000).†III. MethodThe researcher gave a presentation and offered a warm-up activity on stress before interviewing the subjects.   Each subject was interviewed individually and asked four questions please see table 1.   The grounded theory methodology (Strauss & Corbin, 1994), a form of qualitative research was selected for this study because of the usefulness in categorizing empirically collected data to build a general theory to fit the data.The primary research question was: what is the source of stress among Filipino, Latino and Jewish elders?   The sampling strategy used was snowball or chain sampling.IV. ParticipantsThe subjects for this study included males and females.   The groups were comprised of:twelve Jewish females, ten Latina females, and eleven Filipino females’ ages 60 to 100 years old.   The male subjects consisted of six Jewish males, eight Latino males, and nine Filipino males, ages 60 to 85 years old.See table 2.   The sample was drawn from three recreational clubs; one multipurpose center with a variety of cultural clubs and groups with one serving primarily Jewish elders.   In the study, one senior center was a traditional multi-purpose facility operated by a large urban city (pop. 461,522) in Los Angeles County, and a private non-profit Jewish community center offering diverse programming and activities for individuals of all ages.

Careers Essay

Section A- Key Terms Balanced Decision-Making: Making good choices based on a mixture of logic and intuition. This is useful in a number of situations, and when making a good decision, displays discipline and intelligence. For example, if you have work at 9 am the next morning, and you’ve been invited to go out with your friends the night before, your logic may tell you not to, but your intuition wants to. Making the balanced choice depends on which is a higher priority, work or socializing. Credentials: Experiences that make you more qualified for a job. Employers will see these as accomplishments. Credentials are useful as they show that you are able to apply yourself to a task and complete it, which is useful information for employers, as well. They look good on your resume and make for a good alternative if you don’t have any work experience. Transferable Skills: Abilities that you can apply from one situation to another. This is useful because it will make you a candidate for a wider variety of jobs, and once you have a job, you will be able to adjust to different situations, good and bad, that may happen on an average day at work. Network: Connections with other people. Networking is useful when looking and applying for a job. If you have a large network, then you can talk to them about your need for employment, and have a higher chance of getting an interview. When applying for a job it’s useful as you have a wider variety of references to choose from. Reference: A person on your application form who employers can contact if they want someone else’s opinion on you. They will vouch for your experience, credibility and record. References, when chosen well, can be extremely useful. These references may notice things about you that you wouldn’t be able to share or necessarily know while being interviewed. In other words, they have an outsider’s perspective. Section B- Short Answers 3) The best way to contribute to your community is through volunteer work. But, if you’re looking to further your career ambitions at the same time, then you should be mindful to where you volunteer. For example, if you wanted to be an English teacher, volunteer at the library. If you wanted to work in PR, volunteer at Free the Children. Volunteer work is always great on a resume no matter where it’s from, but it’s even better when employers see that you’ve gotten a little taste of what they have to offer. Another way to contribute to your community is to organize a fundraiser. This looks great on a resume as it shows that you have leadership and communication skills, as well as a good heart. If you wanted to work at a hospital, donate all the proceeds to Make a Wish. If you want to work in art, donate the proceeds to sketch. The last and most general way to contribute to your community is to organize a garbage pick-up. This also shows that you have leader ship and communication skills. But, as all jobs and businesses are looking for ways to go green, this shows that you’re in that mindset and can bring it to where ever you work. 4) There are many things you can do to find out what post-secondary option is best for you. The first way I’d acquire knowledge on this subject is talk to family members and older friends. Make sure to get a wide variety in such as university and college graduates, as well as people who only have a high school diploma. Ask them how they feel about their education and qualifications, as well as how they feel about their career or job. Ask them for advice on finding out what’s best for you, and how they found out what was best for them. Another way I’d educate myself is to do research. Look up the employment rates of university, college and high school graduates. Think of careers or jobs that you would like to have in the future and look up what you would need in order to get that profession. Lastly, I’d tour universities and colleges to get a feel of them. I’d ask myself if I enjoyed one more than the other, and if I could see myself being at one. 5) A couple steps you should take when looking for work are: One- update your resume. Two- network. Tell your family, friends and your friends’ family that you’re looking for work. Three- look around. There are many worthwhile and credible jobs that are advertised whether it is online, in the paper or at centres. Four- don’t waste time! Hand out resumes to all the options that you receive. Five- communicate. Call to the places that you handed in resumes. It shows that you’re eager and will give you attention. 6) My first piece of advice to a friend who had a job interview would be to print off extra resumes and to have a separate sheet with a list of references. Also make sure to have all certificates for your credentials in case they want proof. Second, I’d tell them to arrive on time! Or even better, be early. It’ll give you time to relax and think over what you’re going to say. It’s the first impression that they’ll have of you, and being early or on time shows them that you can keep that up if you were to work there. Lastly, I’d tell them to be confident. Smile and give them a good handshake, wear a nice outfit, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Section C- Essay Question 1 To be blunt, the Careers course is too simple. There isn’t much homework, it’s very easy to get by without studying for tests and a lot of it is really just common knowledge. If you really want to get the full experience, the course should be â€Å"beefed up.† People have mentioned adding a co-op element in the course, which is a great idea. It allows students to apply their knowledge from in-class into the workplace, without having the stress of pay cheques or getting fired. If this was added to the curriculum, it would be even better if the work you did could be added to your resume under experience. The only issue would be that a lot of students wouldn’t want to work without getting paid, and would be upset if it weren’t to count for volunteer hours. Many students are probably happy with getting by with the minimal curriculum we have now. Overall, the co-op idea would definitely be a good experience for them whether they liked it or not, and would definitely enrich this course. Although it is believed that the course should be enriched, it should not be bumped up to be taught in grade 12. This is another way people have said that Careers could be enriched, because they would be able to use more complex terms and advanced language. But, the point of the course is not to expand your vocabulary; it’s to get you educated about your future. Also, many schools offer the course in grade 11, so that’s a compromise between grade 10 and 12. Learning the course in grade 10 allows students time to process information, as well as have working experiences such as volunteer work and jobs, and also to consider what they might like to do for a career. If students were to learn the logistics in grade 12, they’ve missed out on valuable information that could have helped them apply and keep high school jobs. In conclusion, Careers is a simple but effective course. It gives you a lot of useful information that you can benefit from for the rest of your life, gets you thinking about your future and tests your common knowledge. There are definitely many adjustments that can be made, though. Co-op would be great so students could test the knowledge that they’ve learnt in class to see if they thoroughly understand. If co-op was added, Careers should become a full course so students can have half the time for learning and preparing, and the other half for experiencing.

Vampire Academy Chapter 15

FIFTEEN MASON DELIVERED. He found me the next day before school. He was carrying a box of books. â€Å"I got them,† he said. â€Å"Hurry and take them before you get in trouble for talking to me.† He handed them over, and I grunted. They were heavy. â€Å"Christian gave you these?† â€Å"Yeah. Managed to talk to him without anyone noticing. He's got kind of an attitude, did you ever notice that?† â€Å"Yeah, I noticed.† I rewarded Mason with a smile that he ate up. â€Å"Thanks. This means a lot.† I hauled the loot up to my room, fully aware of how weird it was that someone who hated to study as much as I did was about to get buried in dusty crap from the fourteenth century. When I opened the first book, though, I saw that these must be reprints of reprints of reprints, probably because anything that old would have long since fallen apart. Sifting through the books, I discovered they fell into three categories: books written by people after St. Vladimir had died, books written by other people when he was still alive, and one diary of sorts written by him. What had Mason said about primary and secondary sources? Those last two groups were the ones I wanted. Whoever had reprinted these had reworded the books enough so that I didn't have to read Ye Olde English or anything. Or rather, Russian, I supposed. St. Vladimir had lived in the old country. Today I healed the mother of Sava who has long since suffered from sharp pains within her stomach. Her malady is now gone, but God has not allowed me to do such a thing lightly. I am weak and dizzy, and the madness is trying to leak into my head. I thank God every day for shadow-kissed Anna, for without her, I would surely not be able to endure. Anna again. And â€Å"shadow-kissed.† He talked about her a lot, among other things. Most of the time he wrote long sermons, just like what I'd hear in church. Super boring. But other times, the book read just like a diary, recapping what he did each day. And if it really wasn't just a load of crap, he healed all the time. Sick people. Injured people. Even plants. He brought dead crops back to life when people were starving. Sometimes he would make flowers bloom just for the hell of it. Reading on, I found out that it was a good thing old Vlad had Anna around, because he was pretty messed up. The more he used his powers, the more they started to get to him. He'd get irrationally angry and sad. He blamed it on demons and stupid stuff like that, but it was obvious he suffered from depression. Once, he admitted in his diary, he tried to kill himself. Anna stopped him. Later, browsing through the book written by the guy who knew Vladimir, I read: And many think it miraculous too, the power the blessed Vladimir shows over others. Moroi and dhampirs flock to him and listen to his words, happy just to be near him. Some say it is madness that touches him and not spirit, but most adore him and would do anything he asked. Such is the way God marks his favorites, and if such moments are followed by hallucinations and despair, it is a small sacrifice for the amount of good and leadership he can show among the people. It sounded a lot like what the priest had said, but I sensed more than just a â€Å"winning personality† People adored him, would do anything he asked. Yes, Vladimir had used compulsion on his followers, I was certain. A lot of Moroi had in those days, before it was banned, but they didn't use it on Moroi or dhampirs. They couldn't. Only Lissa could. I shut the book and leaned back against my bed. Vladimir healed plants and animals. He could use compulsion on a massive scale. And by all accounts, using those sorts of powers had made him crazy and depressed. Added into it all, making it that much weirder was that everyone kept describing his guardian as â€Å"shadow-kissed.† That expression had bugged me ever since I first heard it†¦ â€Å"You're shadow-kissed! You have to take care of her!† Ms. Karp had shouted those words at me, her hands clenching my shirt and jerking me toward her. It had happened on a night two years ago when I'd been inside the main part of the upper school to return a book. It was nearly past curfew, and the halls were empty. I'd heard a loud commotion, and then Ms. Karp had come tearing around the corner, looking frantic and wild-eyed. She shoved me into a wall, still gripping me. â€Å"Do you understand?† I knew enough self-defense that I could have probably pushed her away, but my shock kept me frozen. â€Å"No.† â€Å"They're coming for me. They'll come for her.† â€Å"Who?† â€Å"Lissa. You have to protect her. The more she uses it, the worse it'll get. Stop her, Rose. Stop her before they notice, before they notice and take her away too. Get her out of here.† â€Å"I†¦what do you mean? Get her out of†¦you mean the Academy?† â€Å"Yes! You have to leave. You're bound. It's up to you. Take her away from this place.† Her words were crazy. No one left the Academy. Yet as she held me there and stared into my eyes, I began to feel strange. A fuzzy feeling clouded my mind. What she said suddenly sounded very reasonable, like the most reasonable thing in the world. Yes. I needed to take Lissa away, take her – Feet pounded in the hallway, and a group of guardians rounded the corner. I didn't recognize them; they weren't from the school. They pried her off of me, restraining her wild thrashing. Someone asked me if I was okay, but I could only keep staring at Ms. Karp. â€Å"Don't let her use the power!† she screamed. â€Å"Save her. Save her from herself!† The guardians had later explained to me that she wasn't well and had been taken to a place where she could recover. She would be safe and cared for, they assured me. She would recover. Only she hadn't. Back in the present, I stared at the books and tried to put it all together. Lissa. Ms. Karp. St. Vladimir. What was I supposed to do? Someone rapped at my door, and I jerked out of my memories. No one had visited me, not even staff, since my suspension. When I opened the door, I saw Mason in the hall. â€Å"Twice in one day?† I asked. â€Å"And how'd you even get up here?† He flashed his easy smile. â€Å"Someone put a lit match in one of the bathroom's garbage cans. Damn shame. The staff's kind of busy. Come on, I'm springing you.† I shook my head. Setting fires was apparently a new sign of affection. Christian had done it and now Mason. â€Å"Sorry, no saving me tonight. If I get caught – â€Å" â€Å"Lissa's orders.† I shut up and let him smuggle me out of the building. He took me over to the Moroi dorm and miraculously got me in and up to her room unseen. I wondered if there was a distracting bathroom fire in this building too. Inside her room, I found a party in full swing. Lissa, Camille, Carly, Aaron, and a few other royals sat around laughing, listening to loud music, and passing around bottles of whiskey. No Mia, no Jesse. Natalie, I noticed a few moments later, sat apart from the group, clearly unsure how to act around all of them. Her awkwardness was totally obvious. Lissa stumbled to her feet, the fuzzy feelings in our bond indicating she'd been drinking for a while. â€Å"Rose!† She turned to Mason with a dazzling smile. â€Å"You delivered.† He swept her an over-the-top bow. â€Å"I'm at your command.† I hoped he'd done it for the thrill of it and not because of any compulsion. Lissa slung an arm around my waist and pulled me down with the others. â€Å"Join the festivities.† â€Å"What are we celebrating?† â€Å"I don't know. Your escape tonight?† A few of the others held up plastic cups, cheering and toasting me. Xander Badica poured two more cups, handing them to Mason and me. I took mine with a smile, all the while feeling uneasy about the night's turn of events. Not so long ago, I would have welcomed a party like this and would have downed my drink in thirty seconds. Too much bothered me this time, though. Like the fact that the royals were treating Lissa like a goddess. Like how none of them seemed to remember that I had been accused of being a blood whore. Like how Lissa was completely unhappy despite her smiles and laughter. â€Å"Where'd you get the whiskey?† I asked. â€Å"Mr. Nagy,† Aaron said. He sat very close to Lissa. Everyone knew Mr. Nagy drank all the time after school and kept a stash on campus. He continually used new hiding places – and students continually found them. Lissa leaned against Aaron's shoulder. â€Å"Aaron helped me break into his room and take them. He had them hidden in the bottom of the paint closet.† The others laughed, and Aaron gazed at her with complete and utter worship. Amusingly, I realized she hadn't had to use any compulsion on him. He was just that crazy for her. He always had been. â€Å"Why aren't you drinking?† Mason asked me a little while later, speaking quietly into my ear. I glanced down at my cup, half surprised to see it full. â€Å"I don't know. I guess I don't think guardians should drink around their charges.† â€Å"She's not your charge yet! You aren't on duty. You won't be for a long time. Since when did you get so responsible?† I didn't really think I was all that responsible. But I was thinking about what Dimitri had said about balancing fun and obligation. It just seemed wrong to let myself go wild when Lissa was in such a vulnerable state lately. Wiggling out of my tight spot between her and Mason, I walked over and sat beside Natalie. â€Å"Hey Nat, you're quiet tonight.† She held a cup as full as mine. â€Å"So are you.† I laughed softly. â€Å"I guess so.† She tilted her head, watching Mason and the royals like they were some sort of science experiment. They'd consumed a lot more whiskey since I'd arrived, and the silliness had shot up considerably. â€Å"Weird, huh? You used to be the center of attention. Now she is.† I blinked in surprise. I hadn't considered it like that. â€Å"I guess so.† â€Å"Hey, Rose,† said Xander, nearly spilling his drink as he walked over to me. â€Å"What was it like?† â€Å"What was what like?† â€Å"Letting someone feed off you?† The others fell quiet, a sort of anticipation settling over them. â€Å"She didn't do that,† said Lissa in a warning voice. â€Å"I told you.† â€Å"Yeah, yeah, I know nothing happened with Jesse and Ralf. But you guys did it, right? While you were gone?† â€Å"Let it go,† said Lissa. Compulsion worked best with direct eye contact, and his attention was focused on me, not her. â€Å"I mean, it's cool and everything. You guys did what you had to do, right? It's not like you're a feeder. I just want to know what it was like. Danielle Szelsky let me bite her once. She said it didn't feel like anything.† There was a collective â€Å"ew† from among the girls. Sex and blood with dhampirs was dirty; between Moroi, it was cannibalistic. â€Å"You are such a liar,† said Camille. â€Å"No, I'm serious. It was just a small bite. She didn't get high like the feeders. Did you?† He put his free arm around my shoulder. â€Å"Did you like it?† Lissa's face went still and pale. Alcohol muted the full force of her feelings, but I could read enough to know how she felt. Dark, scared thoughts trickled into me – underscored with anger. She usually had a good grip on her temper – unlike me – but I'd seen it flare up before. Once it had happened at a party very similar to this one, just a few weeks after Ms. Karp had been taken away. Greg Dashkov – a distant cousin of Natalie's – had held the party in his room. His parents apparently knew someone who knew someone, because he had one of the biggest rooms in the dorm. He'd been friends with Lissa's brother before the accident and had been more than happy to take Andre's little sister into his social fold. Greg had also been happy to take me in, and the two of us had been all over each other that night. For a sophomore like me, being with a royal Moroi senior was a huge rush. I drank a lot that night but still managed to keep an eye on Lissa. She always wore an edge of anxiety around this many people, but no one really noticed, because she could interact with them so well. My heavy buzz kept a lot of her feelings from me, but as long as she looked okay, I didn't worry. Mid-kiss, Greg suddenly broke away and looked at something over my shoulder. We both sat in the same chair, with me on his lap, and I craned my neck to see. â€Å"What is it?† He shook his head with a sort of amused exasperation. â€Å"Wade brought a feeder.† I followed his gaze to where Wade Voda stood with his arm around a frail girl about my age. She was human and pretty, with wavy blond hair and porcelain skin pale from so much blood loss. A few other guys had homed on her and stood with Wade, laughing and touching her face and hair. â€Å"She's already fed too much today,† I said, observing her coloring and complete look of confusion. Greg slid his hand behind my neck and turned me back to him. â€Å"They won't hurt her.† We kissed a while longer and then I felt a tap on my shoulder. â€Å"Rose.† I looked up into Lissa's face. Her anxious expression startled me because I couldn't feel the emotions behind it. Too much beer for me. I climbed off of Greg's lap. â€Å"Where are you going?† he asked. â€Å"Be right back.† I pulled Lissa aside, suddenly wishing I was sober. â€Å"What's wrong?† â€Å"Them.† She nodded toward the guys with the feeder girl. She still had a group around her, and when she shifted to look at one of them, I saw small red wounds scattered on her neck. They were doing a sort of group feeding, taking turns biting her and making gross suggestions. High and oblivious, she let them. â€Å"They can't do that,† Lissa told me. â€Å"She's a feeder. Nobody's going to stop them.† Lissa looked up at me with pleading eyes. Hurt, outrage, and anger filled them. â€Å"Will you?† I'd always been the aggressive one, looking after her ever since we were little. Seeing her there now, so upset and looking at me to fix things, was more than I could stand. Giving her a shaky nod, I stumbled over to the group. â€Å"You so desperate to get some that you've got to drug girls now, Wade?† I asked. He glanced up from where he'd been running his lips over the human girl's neck. â€Å"Why? Are you done with Greg and looking for more?† I put my hands on my hips and hoped I looked fierce. The truth was, I was actually starting to feel a little nauseous from all I'd drunk. â€Å"Aren't enough drugs in the world to get me near you,† I told him. A few of his friends laughed. â€Å"But maybe you can go make out with that lamp over there. It seems to be out of it enough to make even you happy. You don't need her anymore.† A few other people laughed. â€Å"This isn't any of your business,† he hissed. â€Å"She's just lunch.† Referring to feeders as meals was about the only thing worse than calling dhampirs blood whores. â€Å"This isn't a feeding room. Nobody wants to see this.† â€Å"Yeah,† agreed a senior girl. â€Å"It's gross.† A few of her friends agreed. Wade glared at all of us, me the hardest. â€Å"Fine. None of you have to see it. Come on.† He grabbed the feeder girl's arm and jerked her away. Clumsily, she stumbled along with him out of the room, making soft whimpering noises. â€Å"Best I could do,† I told Lissa. She stared at me, shocked. â€Å"He's just going to take her to his room. He'll do even worse things to her.† â€Å"Liss, I don't like it either, but it's not like I can go chase him down or anything.† I rubbed my forehead. â€Å"I could go punch him or something, but I feel like I'm going to throw up as it is.† Her face grew dark, and she bit her lip. â€Å"He can't do that.† â€Å"I'm sorry.† I returned to the chair with Greg, feeling a little bad about what had happened. I didn't want to see the feeder get taken advantage of anymore than Lissa did – it reminded me too much of what a lot of Moroi guys thought they cold do to dhampir girls. But I also couldn't win this battle, not tonight. Greg had shifted me around to get a better angle on my neck when I noticed Lissa was gone a few minutes later. Practically falling, I clambered off his lap and looked around. â€Å"Where's Lissa?† He reached for me. â€Å"Probably the bathroom.† I couldn't feel a thing through the bond. The alcohol had numbed it. Stepping out into the hallway, I breathed a sigh of relief at escaping the loud music and voices. It was quiet out here – except for a crashing sound a couple rooms down. The door was ajar, and I pushed my way inside. The feeder girl cowered in a corner, terrified. Lissa stood with arms crossed, her face angry and terrible. She was staring at Wade intently, and he stared back, enchanted. He also held a baseball bat, and it looked like he'd used it already, because the room was trashed: bookshelves, the stereo, the mirror†¦ â€Å"Break the window too,† Lissa told him smoothly. â€Å"Come on. It doesn't matter.† Hypnotized, he walked over to the large, tinted window. I stared, my mouth nearly hitting the floor, as he pulled back and slammed the bat into the glass. It shattered, sending shards everywhere and letting in the early morning light it normally kept blocked out. He winced as it shone in his eyes, but he didn't move away. â€Å"Lissa,† I exclaimed. â€Å"Stop it. Make him stop.† â€Å"He should have stopped earlier.† I barely recognized the look on her face. I'd never seen her so upset, and I'd certainly never seen her do anything like this. I knew what it was, of course. I knew right away. Compulsion. For all I knew, she was seconds away from having him turn the bat on himself. â€Å"Please, Lissa. Don't do it anymore. Please.† Through the fuzzy, alcoholic buzz, I felt a trickle of her emotions. They were strong enough to practically knock me over. Black. Angry. Merciless. Startling feelings to be coming from sweet and steady Lissa. I'd known her since kindergarten, but in that moment, I barely knew her. And I was afraid. â€Å"Please, Lissa,† I repeated. â€Å"He's not worth it. Let him go.† She didn't look at me. Her stormy eyes were focused entirely on Wade. Slowly carefully, he lifted up the bat, tilting it so that it lined up with his own skull. â€Å"Liss,† I begged. Oh God. I was going to have to tackle her or something to make her stop. â€Å"Don't do it.† â€Å"He should have stopped,† Lissa said evenly. The bat quit moving. It was now at exactly the right distance to gain momentum and strike. â€Å"He shouldn't have done that to her. People can't treat other people like that – even feeders.† â€Å"But you're scaring her,† I said softly. â€Å"Look at her.† Nothing happened at first, then Lissa let her gaze flick toward the feeder. The human girl still sat huddled in a corner, arms wrapped around herself protectively. Her blue eyes were enormous, and light reflected off her wet, tear-streaked face. She gave a choked, terrified sob. Lissa's face stayed impassive. Inside her, I could feel the battle she was waging for control. Some part of her didn't want to hurt Wade, despite the blinding anger that otherwise filled her. Her face crumpled, and she squeezed her eyes shut. Her right hand reached out to her left wrist and clenched it, nails digging deep into the flesh. She flinched at the pain, but through the bond, I felt the shock of the pain distract her from Wade. She let go of the compulsion, and he dropped the bat, suddenly looking confused. I let go of the breath I'd been holding. In the hallway, footsteps sounded. I'd left the door open, and the crash had attracted attention. A couple of dorm staff members burst into the room, freezing when they saw the destruction in front of them. â€Å"What happened?† The rest of us looked at each other. Wade looked completely lost. He stared at the room, at the bat, and then at Lissa and me. â€Å"I don't know†¦I can't†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He turned his full attention to me and suddenly grew angry. â€Å"What the – it was you! You wouldn't let the feeder thing go.† The dorm workers looked at me questioningly, and in a few seconds, I made up my mind. You have to protect her. The more she uses it, the worse it'll get. Stop her, Rose. Stop her before they notice, before they notice and take her away too. Get her out of here. I could see Ms. Karp's face in my mind, pleading frantically. I gave Wade a haughty look, knowing full well no one would question a confession I made or even suspect Lissa. â€Å"Yeah, well, if you'd let her go,† I told him, â€Å"I wouldn't have had to do this.† Save her. Save her from herself. After that night, I never drank again. I refused to let my guard down around Lissa. And two days later, while I was supposed to be suspended for â€Å"destruction of property,† I took Lissa and broke out of the Academy. Back in Lissa's room, with Xander's arm around me and her angry and upset eyes on us, I didn't know if she'd do anything drastic again. But the situation reminded me too much of that one from two years ago, and I knew I had to defuse it. â€Å"Just a little blood,† Xander was saying. â€Å"I won't take much. I just want to see what dhampir tastes like. Nobody here cares.† â€Å"Xander,† growled Lissa, â€Å"leave her alone.† I slipped out from under his arm and smiled, looking for a funny retort rather than one that might start a fight. â€Å"Come on,† I teased. â€Å"I had to hit the last guy who asked me that, and you're a hell of a lot prettier than Jesse. It'd be a waste.† â€Å"Pretty?† he asked. â€Å"I'm stunningly sexy but not pretty.† Carly laughed. â€Å"No, you're pretty. Todd told me you buy some kind of French hair gel.† Xander, distracted as so many drunk people easily are, turned around to defend his honor, forgetting me. The tension disappeared, and he took the teasing about his hair with a good attitude. Across the room, Lissa met my eyes with relief. She smiled and gave me a small nod of thanks before she returned her attention to Aaron.