Individual Research Paper Essay

Each student will prepare a research paper based on an aspect of their group case. This could include research into the company, the industry, the macro-environmental issues facing the company or industry, etc. The case report should be typed in Times New Roman, 12pt font with 1-inch margins. The paper should not exceed 10 pages double spaced (this does not include the cover page, table of contents, executive summary, appendices, or bibliography). A shorter paper is acceptable as long as the topic is dealt with sufficiently. Please include: 1) A cover page with the title of the paper, your name, student number, and the course number. 2) Include a table of contents 3) Use headings to address the different parts of the paper: a. Introduction: Provide an overview of the topic you have chosen. This should include the title of your case and the specific area you want to examine. b. Main findings: (you can use other headings as necessary depending on your paper.) c. Conclusion: Summarize your main discoveries. 4) Include a Reference page that includes all the sources you used in creating your paper. The paper is worth 15% towards your final grade and will be marked based on the following: 1) Overall presentation (i.e., the cover page, page numbers, headings, clarity of grammar, references page, etc.) 3 marks. 2) Contents (the quality of the research and the discoveries you made about the topic). 10 marks. 3) The quality of the sources you used to conduct the research. 2 marks.

Science a world of its own

Science, what does this word mean when you're a teacher or more importantly learning to be a teacher. Is it a dirty word? Or Just unfamiliar! Are we scared or Just unsure how to teach it? I will be looking at these thinking by current pre service teachers and graduate teachers. How do we gain confidence, belief and a good attitude towards teaching science in schools? Is it really that hard and daunting to teach 5 year olds and then again to 12 year olds. Is there any difference?Is there a way to help in making science a subject that is as important to a pre service teacher s Health & Physical Education or Art? â€Å"Science in Australian primary school is thus in a state of crisis† (Department of Employment & Training, 1989). Attitude towards teaching science at school is a major problem. Previous research has shown that elementary education majors often dislike science and lack confidence in their ability to teach it. This is an important problem because students who hold the se attitudes are likely to avoid teaching science, or teach it poorly, when they become teachers.It is therefore necessary to identify pre service elementary teachers who hold negative attitudes towards science, and attempt to convert these attitudes to positive before they become teachers. (David H. Palmer, 2001). Why is our attitude so dish-Jointed when it comes to science and to some extent mathematics too? Personally I can't remember much about doing science in primary school as it was too long ago. I feel that it was casual and fun but what I do remember doing was some exciting stuff in and around the school boundaries.Finding bugs, doing experiments and making erupting volcano's in year 6. But high school to me it started to be boring, not fun and an attitude â€Å"why do I have to go to Physics and Chemistry? Over the last two decades, a considerable amount of research attention has focused on the science attitudes of pre service elementary teachers. It has been found that m any of them hold negative attitudes which appear to have arisen from their past experiences in science, particularly at secondary level (Babel & Smith, 1994; Unloading & Wallace, 1996; Scamp, 1991; Westerners, 1982).The only good thing about science was Chemistry when you could play with chemicals and the Bunsen burners and melt things. I believe most pre service teachers think of this time in High School and make a Judgment. Within 3 seeks my attitude has started to change. With what I have seen and learnt, I am optimistic, a little excited on teaching science at primary school. What can change the attitude of the pre service teachers? There were three main reasons: personal attributes of the tutor, specific teaching strategies, and external validation.It was proposed that many of the individual factors were effective because they represented either â€Å"performance accomplishments† or â€Å"vicarious experience† as defined by Bandeau (Psychological Review, 84, 1977, 191-215). Do we as pre service teachers have enough knowledge and belief about science to infidelity teach it at school? Teaching practices are often considered as one of the reasons why American students are not currently demonstrating top achievement in science and mathematics. Both theory and common sense suggest that teachers ‘knowledge of subject matter necessarily influences their classroom practices.Linkages between teachers' personal knowledge, beliefs, and instructional activity have proven elusive despite the considerable level of concern expressed regarding low levels of mathematics and science knowledge possessed by pre and in service elementary teachers Leningrad, Putnam, Stein, & Baxter, 1991). Elementary teachers have been found to possess generally low level conceptual and factual knowledge as well as inadequate skills in the content area of science (Victor, 1962; Blower & Howe, 1969; Winner, 1993).General agreement exists that lack of such a background in sci ence knowledge significantly contributes to hesitancy and possible inability to deliver effective science instruction in classroom settings. Indeed, previous research in this area found that teachers gravitate toward performing those tasks in which they feel confident and competent (Cunningham & Blankness's. 979; Hone. 1976). Do I feel I have that belief and knowledge? I certainly don't have a full knowledge of what I need to be a competent science teacher, but be assured I'm excited to teach and be taught over the next couple of years.I certainly believe I can teach but gaining more knowledge would be an advantage. Maybe if science and mathematics subjects are more prevalent in undergraduate courses, than what it currently is around the country, it may be a subject that teachers will like to teach. As there continues to be a need for pre service teachers to bolster their understanding in these areas, this might well indicate a need for collaborative efforts between departments of s cience and mathematics and departments of education in devising ways in which higher education might better serve the needs of these entry- level teachers.Are we being taught enough in undergraduate teaching courses in the science subjects? Is more needed to alleviate the growing concern in this matter. A lot of studies have been conducted throughout the world, especially in western society. Not only pre service and graduate teachers had trouble teaching science but so did hose teaching for example grade 6. From what I have read many teachers believe that they need a more clear direction, a lack of materials and more information on suitable topics to be taught is needed. The general feeling was that teaching science involved considerable effort.This effort involved preparing a suitable topic and organizing the materials necessary to teach that topic. As well there seemed to be a lack of direction in the area of science. The feeling was that many teachers do not consider science to b e a high priority and hence were not willing to expend energy in organizing for it. A comparison was made between teaching science and social studies. The teachers suggested social studies was much easier to teach because the curriculum was well organized, the information was all together in one book and there were few materials needed.Science on the other hand required gathering ideas from a variety of books as well as a lot of materials for activities. Many of these materials were consumable and had to be replaced each year. One teacher suggested that ;there are some teachers who love science and are willing to put in the effort but the majority do not. There is no doubt that the use of a quality traduced program with supporting equipment and appropriate in servicing can help the primary teacher initiate worthwhile, sequenced science lessons on a regular basis.A study of 139 pre service teachers from the University college of Central Queensland by Ken Appleton concluded that there are general points about teaching science discipline knowledge in pre service and, by extrapolation, in service courses which can be learned from this study. Firstly, science discipline knowledge needs to be taught in a way which will give students a more positive self -image of themselves as teachers of science and technology.Teaching discipline knowledge without taking this goal into consideration may do more harm than good: ; students' self – perceptions may well remain largely negative, and may even become more negative. Secondly, the teaching strategies which have proved effective in generating positive changes in self-perception tend to be time consuming, and need to be conducted in small group settings rather than large lectures. This means that the amount of content â€Å"covered† would usually be less than; that delivered in large group lectures.That is, what is gained in students' self-confidence, is paid for by covering less intent. The small group teaching also means more expensive teaching compared to traditional lecture and laboratory methods. Thirdly, once students' self-confidence is improved, many could be expected to access science and technology content for themselves through individual research and/or normal science courses-? while not proven, this is a reasonable hypothesis given the changes documented in this study and others (Kirkwood, Berlin & Hardy, 1989).Ideally, a pre service course should there- fore contain at least two compulsory science and technology education units: he first based on strategies such as those outlined here, and the second a more specific focus on discipline knowledge. However, restrictions on the number of compulsory science education units able to be included in a pre-service course may make independent study the only viable means for many students to gain further science and technology discipline knowledge.I personally know that when I first ventured into being a teacher 7 years ago, I studied t o be a secondary PEE teacher. It was very science based, because you specialize in these subjects to teach at secondary. But primary school teaching is different you need a range of knowledge in al teaching disciplines from art, religion, JOSE, English, mathematics, IT and science to name a few. You never know when you need that knowledge even if you're a specialist teacher.If there is still such a lack of concern for competency in teaching science in primary education, maybe there should be extra training for graduate teachers either through a tertiary institution or during their first years as a teacher or even in the summer before they start teaching at a school and let's not forget about the current teachers either. Studies have shown that they still need updated knowledge in science subjects. Keeping this in mind the more extra-curricular learning a teacher can get the more confident they will be to teach science.This in turn will change their attitude and belief to teaching it and influence other pre service teachers wanting to move into the primary school teaching. Unfortunately teaching science at primary school level is still daunting to many pre service teachers. Having had bad experiences while at school themselves, this has contributed to pre service teachers not having enough practical and theory based knowledge, having little or no belief and confidence being low. Will science ever be a object that pre service teachers want to teach? Will it change over time?It has been known that a problem exists for decades but no one seems to have the answer to alleviate the problem. Many studies, surveys have been performed and implemented without success. What will the government of Australia do to fix this problem? With the change to a national curriculum, let's hope something will finally be done.

charant Characterization in Sophocles Antigone Essays -- Antigone es

This essay will illustrate the types of characters depicted in Sophocles’ tragic drama, Antigone, whether static or dynamic, flat or round, and whether portrayed through the showing or telling technique.    Martin Heidegger in â€Å"The Ode on Man in Sophocles’ Antigone† explains, in a rather involved theory,   the destruction of Creon’s character:    The conflict between the overwhelming presence of the essent as a whole and man’s violent being-there creates the possibility of downfall into the issueless and placeless: disaster. But disaster and the possibility of disaster do not occur only at the end, when a single act of power fails, when the violent one makes a false move; no, this disaster is fundamental, it governs and waits in the conflict between violence and the overpowering. Violence against the preponderant power of being must shatter against being, if being rules in its essence, as physics, as emerging power(98).    The dialogue, action and motivation revolve about the characters in the story (Abrams 32-33). Werner Jaeger in â€Å"Sophocles’ Mastery of Character Development† pays the dramatist the very highest compliment with regard to character development:    The ineffaceable impression which Sophocles makes on us today and his imperishable position in the literature of the world are both due to his character-drawing. If we ask which of the men and women of Greek tragedy have an independent life in the imagination apart from the stage and from the actual plot in which they appear, we must answer, ‘those created by Sophocles, above all others’ (36).    Surely   it can be said of Sophocles’ main characters that they grow beyond the two dimension ment of his edict; he changes after Teiresias’ visit and warning. Ismene and Haemon become dynamic later in the tragedy. Rarely does the dramatist use the chorus to convey information; most of this comes from exchanges of dialogue, which would be the showing technique.    WORKS CITED    Abrams, M. H. A Glossary of Literary Terms, 7th ed. New York: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1999.    Antigone by Sophocles. Translated by R. C. Jebb. no pag. http://classics.mit.edu/Sophocles/antigone.html    Heidegger, Martin. â€Å"The Ode on Man in Sophocles’ Antigone.† In Sophocles: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Thomas Woodard. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.    Jaeger, Werner. â€Å"Sophocles’ Mastery of Character Development.† In Readings on Sophocles, edited by Don Nardo. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1997.

EBP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

EBP - Essay Example However, it still remains the most regular method due to its supposedly low cost. Meter dose inhaler is more efficient but is not widely used because it is believed to be more expensive than nebulizer. The examination involved asthmatic children who were presented to the emergency department for medication. The age under consideration was between two to eighteen years of age. Those included were the ones who had gentle or temperate illness. The participants were taken from â€Å"British Colombia Children’s Hospital and Alberta Children’s Hospital† emergency departments. Research has established that the use of metered-dose inhaler is more advanced and less costly compared to wet nebulizer. The application of this method also reduces the possibility of one patient transmitting the disease to others. This is because each patient can make utilize his or her own apparatus. The evidence has shown that in Canada, only twenty percent of the children in the emergency department applied this method. The limiting factor the use of this method is its associated high expenditure. When the expenditure and the benefit accruing from both methods were evaluated, the result showed that using meter dose inhaler and spacer is more efficient and cost saving compared to wet nebulizer. This study did not take into consideration the long-term effect of either of the two methods. The use of Meter dose inhaler and spacer improves the quality of drugs administration to the patents because only one patient is served with each gadget. Also, this method reduces the overall cost of curing asthmatic patients because it shortens the period of admission in hospital. Patients get well faster than expected and consequently the expenditure goes down. This saves the family members of the patient stress of going to visit him or her at the hospital. The healthcare providers should make use of meter dose inhaler and spacer to administer drugs to asthmatic patients. This method will

Memorandum Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Memorandum - Annotated Bibliography Example As the article moves on it gives some techniques that helps the reader understand his role and be friendly and agreeable in his writing. In conclusion, it tells the readers how to wrap up the employee profile in the company newsletter. The technical document could have been made better if it was supported with examples which would clear out any confusion that was left in the mind of the readers. But largely, the article is very well written. It is not complicated and does not have many jargons but still gets its message across in an informative manner. This memo was written to evaluate and present my views regarding the technical document. I will be expecting feedback of my analysis from you before the end of this month. It will help my analysis in future. Thanking you in anticipation. This memo is being written in order to critically analyze the style of writing of a professional proposal that gives details about its upcoming Computer Education Program for low income teenagers and children and requests Corporate Giving Program to provide funds for it. The proposal throughout its content emphasizes on the fact that this particular company serves community members by carrying out a variety of such constructive programs. This way it reminds the receiver that their partnership with the organization would be for a good cause. The writer's project plan is very convincing and his writing reflects confidence. This style of writing reassures the receiver of the proposal that they are investing in the right place. A strategy used by the writer to persuade the Corporate Giving Program is that in the last paragraph, the writer has reminded them of the incentive that this funding will provide for them. It emphasizes on the point that their logos will be printed on their brochures and the website. This reminder in the end of the proposal would be a motivating factor for the giving program to provide the funds. Also simple language is used and jargons are avoided which minimizes confusion on the reader's side. This style is very effective as su ch proposals present what they have to offer and what they want in return in the simplest form with most impact on the reader. This memo was written in order to evaluate the style of writing of a proposal for grant. I will be expecting feedback of my evaluation from you before the end of this month. Thanking you in anticipation. MEMORANDUM To: Mr. XYZ, Professor, ABC University From: JKL Date: July 22, 2008 Subject: Critical Analysis of a Poorly Designed Website This memo is being written in order to critically analyze the design of a website which in my opinion is very poor. The address of the webpage is http://www.havenworks.com/. Haven Works' website clearly does not follow the five design principles. First of all, there is too much going on the main page of the website because of which there is no balance. The eye can only focus on one thing rather than steady flow down the page. The items on the webpage seem like they are placed there randomly and

Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 28

Case study - Essay Example the merger would result in saving about $1.4 billion during the year after the merger due to the prospect of combining operations such as purchasing and distribution. In any merger, there are issues that have to be considered in order to determine if the merger will be successful. The most understated but possibly one of the most important of these factors is the difference in national cultures of both parties. One of the biggest challenges for the Daimler-Chrysler merger would be the distinctions between the German and American work cultures. While both America and Germany rank quite high in terms of the masculinity level of cultural goals in the workplace, they have intrinsic factors in which both nations greatly differ. According to the Dutch sociologist, Geert Hofstede, characteristics that mark cultures as being more male-oriented include ambition, competitiveness, assertiveness and the push for financial success (Abdou and Kliche 2004). Moreover, in the German culture, there tends to be a strong undercurrent of female identified traits such as emphasis on the importance of maintaining good relationships even while committing to being the be st worker one can be. The masculine traits embraced in the American work culture also encourages a greater level of individuality that is lacking in German society which is more supportive of collectivity and creating good relations with co-workers and neighbors. The differences in work culture, which did not seem as such big problems prior to the merger, quickly emerged to be the greatest challenge for Daimler-Chrysler. The main divisions that would have been affected by the merger would be those personnel policy, finance, joint production, and marketing. The Germans and Americans had different views about how to go about engaging in decision-making (Camera and Renjen 2004). The executives at Daimler were accustomed to a bureaucratic structure in which decisions could only be made after a painstaking analysis of the

A wireless solution for a sporting goods company Research Paper

A wireless solution for a sporting goods company - Research Paper Example Retrieved December 05, 2012, from http://www.att.com/network/ 22 Executive Summary At the present, the majority of organizations use computers to carry out their day to day tasks. In this scenario, they use computers to collect, process, and store business and customer related data and information. However, when the size of business increases they need many people to carry out these tasks simultaneously. For this purpose, they build a network of computers in the firm. In a computer network, computers are connected with each other. They can share data and resources with each other. There are different ways and technologies that can be adopted to implement a computer network. In this scenario, wireless networks is a latest form of networking. Some of the other categories of wireless networking are: WLAN, 3G, 4G, WiFi, WiMax and various other standards and tools. They offer wonderful services and facilities to personal life and business areas. Hence, seeing these advantages of wireless networks the management of the Athlete’s Shack (TAS) has decided to implement new Wireless technology based WLAN. The major aim of the Athlete’s Shack (TAS) is to enhance overall corporate credibility and develop better performance based arrangement at a corporation. Introduction I have been hired as a technology consultant at Wireless Technology Company (WTC). WTC Company helps organizations and businesses resolve issues regarding network planning and design. I have been asked to write a report to propose a wireless networking solution for the Athlete’s Shack. In this report, I will present a detailed analysis of WLAN architecture for the Athlete’s Shack (TAS). This project (the implementation of the WLAN at Athlete’s Shack (TAS)) will involve implementing a wireless technology that will connect all of its stores through wireless broadband service, installing WLANs at each store, and providing its employees with iPads for better customer service. Additionally, TAS is unsure how to start this process. Thus, they have hired the services of our firm for completing this project. This report will discuss various aspects of wireless network design and its implementation. This report will also discuss the issues involved in this project. Problem Situation The Athlete’s Shack (TAS) runs its business through a chain of sporting goods stores. In the past few years, TAS has got massive popularity and now it has 10 stores in the area. Before, TAS was running its business through manual and traditional means. Additionally, the technology based systems and tools were used at a very small level. In this scenario, all the stores of the Athlete’s Shack were completely disconnected from each other. Hence, they required a solution that can better support and facilitate the corporate operations and dealings. TAS was facing the following problems through traditional ways: Lack of communication Lack of data security Redundancy of da ta Complex management of business operations Less hold/control of management Long term processing cycle Difficult order processing cycle No centralized

Audit and Assurance Case Study(SANCTUARY GROUP PLC) Essay

Audit and Assurance Case Study(SANCTUARY GROUP PLC) - Essay Example The Company's subsidiary, Bravado International Group Limited, operates as a merchandising company that specializes in exploiting intellectual property rights for more than 100 artists and brands. Live Agency even represents over two hundred twenty acts for live performance. Also, its business is carried out by the Company's subsidiary, Helter Skelter Agency Limited. This company operates as a booking agency. The following paragraphs will explain how audit strategy is related to the fairness of the financial statements of the. An audit(Pickett, 2006) is defined as the evaluation of an organization, process, system, project or product. In accounting, an audit is the independent assessment of the fairness where a company's financial statements are presented by its mangers or board of directors. It is done by competent, independent and objective person or persons, known as auditors or certified public accountants, who then issue a report on the results of the audit(Whittington, 1995). And, the audits are performed to determine the validity and reliability of financial information. Also, it provides an assessment of a company or a business' system of internal control. The accounting and related recording systems must adhere to generally accepted standards set by governing bodies that regulate how businesses should presented in terms of balance sheet, income statement and statement of cash flows. The audit should be based on random sampling and it should not be an assurance that financial statements are error free. Auditing also provides assurance for third parties or external financial statement users that such statements present 'fairly' a company's financial condition and results of operations.Further, effective risk management(Frame, 2003) will not happen overnight. Managers who want to enable their organizations to be better at managing risk must recognize that the road to effective risk management is definitely long, twisting, and occasionally hazardous. Beginning the journey is not as difficult. It may be even be triggered by a one-page directive issued by the chief operating officer of the organization following a small disaster, exhorting the organization to implement good risk management practices. But after the uninitiated, when the confetti has settled and the cheerers have been thrown away, the journey toward effective risk management is an uphill battle. In some way, what happens at this point is typical of many high-sounding corporate decisions. When light shines on the initiative, everyone scrambles to support it. When the senior managers turn their attention to other issues, the initiative begins to lose momentum, and without active support from top management, it falters. It may even hang on for a while until it dies and is buried. The risk related approach to external audit in the audit of Santuary Group Plc is based on control risk, audit risk and inherent risk. Audit risk is used to describe what is usually applied when in case of an audit of the financial statements of an entity. The first objective of the audit of the balance sheet, in

Comprehension Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Comprehension - Assignment Example percent of the 25 learners should be able to utilize the guided reading strategies employed in the lesson to enhance their skills of reading comprehension by correctly reading atleast 15 of the 20 difficult words used in the literature. The class has 25 learners, 5 of who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The special case students are content in the classroom but can hardly concentrate for long during a comprehension lesson. Therefore, an assistant teacher will be ready to lend a hand by ensuring that the 5 students remain alert during the lesson, but if they can’t concentrate at all, they will be handled through an Individualized Education Plan. To really understand the importance of compassion, students will read a literature that advances the cause. A real life story about compassion titled â€Å"Nothing is more important than teaching compassion,† available on http://www.guardian.co.uk/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2012/apr/13/teaching-mindfullness-school-children>, will be read during the lesson â€Å"Good morning class! Today we are going to learn how we can enhance our comprehensive knowledge. Does anyone understand the term comprehension?† The teacher will get the responses of about 6 students in the class. S/he will then write the word on the board and define it. â€Å"Comprehension refers to understanding and explaining a particular word, sentence or story to another person.† The teacher will ask the students about their perceptions of comprehension. Through guided reading the teacher will lead the class in reading a poem (Montelongo, Herter, Ansaldo, &  Hatter, 2010). â€Å"What did you understand about the poem?† The teacher will elaborate the poem and emphasize to the students on the importance of comprehension. â€Å"Now we want to read the scripture verses.† The reading will be done during the siscussion. NOTE: Add PRE-TEST for lesson that you will actually teach [IPPR], to document student learning for Assessment Project.

Trade measures and commodities tariff and non-tariff barriers export Essay

Trade measures and commodities tariff and non-tariff barriers export taxes quantitative measures subsidies consumption taxes the - Essay Example Following is the discussion regarding the impact of measures in an in-depth manner. The aspect of tariffs and non-tariff barriers has been long noted to have a direct impact on the trade sector. In order to understand the impact of these barriers on trade; it is imperative to understand these barriers. Tariff barriers are basically inclinations of taxes which are posed on the products and articles which are imported from other regions of the world. It should be noted that over the years, government has made use of the tariff barriers to control economic activity (Hont). The impact of the tariff barriers can be noted briefly as positive and negative as well. Since these tariffs limit the amount of products to be imported in the country, it is significant for the domestic brands to get maximum reach to the consumers. This makes it easier to note the articles which are more needed in the country rather than overly filling the shelves. But the fact remains that this limit also diverges t he foreign investors to replicate their business in the region (Rawley and Behrendt). On the other hand, non-tariff barriers (NTBs) are notably more limiting when it comes to international trade. The non-tariff barriers undertake a number of generalizations including the licensing of the import, content regulation which is applied till the time it is sent to the market shelves (Klien). Also, technical barriers have also been considered as a more prominent limiting aspect of the NTBs. The trade barriers are merely applied to increase the trade, weaken the trade or restrict the trade. All the mentioned focus of the trade barriers are being observed in the international trading widely (Bowden). The biggest impact which has been noted over the years is that tariff barriers weaken not just the supply and demand pricing but also international trades between different countries. Overall, the border taxes, and other voluntary costs of the imports allows the government to keep a balance betw een the in-house domestic articles as well as international product saturation in the market (Hirschman). The major concern which has been enhanced by the international economic authorities is that the non-trade barriers have merely limit the underdeveloped countries to trade their product for economic activity since the taxes and licensing needs a lot of cost (Ransom). Also, export tax is another trade measure which has a very divergent effect on the trade which totally depends upon the market structure. It should be noted that the positive impact of the export tax on any country’s economy is in terms of domestic production (Hunt). It must be taken under account that if a country has a wider share of the international market with a respective product that it can be easier for it to reflect change on the price of the product in the international market. It is due to the aid of export taxes that these countries can exploit price of a product in the international market. Overal l, it can be said that with the help of export taxes, the export of the tax-imposing nation can be reduced by large (Dunkley). Followed by the above trade measures for limiting import, consumptions tax is just another measure which has marked a quiet

Gender Differences in Computer-Mediated Communications Essay Example for Free

Gender Differences in Computer-Mediated Communications Essay â€Å"On the Internet, no body knows you’re a dog. † Herring (2003, p. 205) mentioned this caption of a cartoon bearing published in the New Yorker (July 1993). May be in this age with the internet evolution it’s hard to know it’s a dog, but what about distinguishing user’s gender in computer-mediated communication (CMC) is it easy or not. This essay tries to shade the light on some of these gender differences in computer-mediated communication (CMC). This essay gives an idea about computer-mediated communication (CMC) modes and the gap between CMC expectations and the fact that there are gender differences in CMC. Then it gives an idea about gender differences in traditional communication followed by exploring gender differences in CMC. First, it’s important to have an idea about CMC different modes. According to Herring (2003, p. 205), â€Å"computer mediated communication (CMC) comprises a variety of interactive socio-technical modes†. She gave some examples of these modes such as: e-mail, discussion lists and newsgroups, chat, MUDs (Multi-User Dimensions) and MOOs (MUD, Object Oriented), IM (Instant Messaging). Dalampan (2006) classifies CMC modes into: synchronous and asynchronous (Figure. 1). The synchronous mode requires communication in real-time. However, the synchronous mode doesn’t require interlocutors to be online at the same time. (p. 59) According to Dalampan (2006), the field of computer-mediated communication (CMC) continues to generate interest from sociolinguists who are concerned with whether the traditional gender differences in face-to-face interaction are carried over into online discourse (p. 59). The problem that all studies tried to investigate is the gap between earlier high expectations for CMC concerning providing an environment that creates equity and the fact that gender differences still existed even in CMC environment. Li (2006) saw that many educators and researchers had high hopes for CMC, believing that it provided more equal access to information and communication and would ultimately lead to greater equity. Also, Hendry (2001, p. 3) mentioned that earlier research in computer-mediated communication (CMC) found that CMC promoted social equity. She explains that this could be due to predictions by many researchers that CMC would democratize communication and mitigate gender differences. Despite these claims that the relative anonymous communication on the Internet would break down traditional gender binaries, research has identified gender differences in computer-mediated discourse, similar to differences observed in spoken discourse. (Herring, 2006) In order to determine whether the language used by males and females in computer-mediated communication (CMC) reveal gender related differences or not, many studies were conducted. However, according to Li (2006) research findings concerning gender differences in CMC are mixed. However, this essay will explore some of these gender differences in CMC in some related studies. Linguists have long recognized gender as a factor that may affect person’s linguistic productions (Baron, 2005, p. 8). â€Å"Sociolinguists have written extensively about stylistic differences they have observed between males and females in spoken and written language† (p. 4). Based on these previous studies, Baron (2005) mentioned some gender linguistic differences such as: females tend to use more politeness indicators than males, whereas males more frequently interrupt woman than vice versa; in general, women tend to use language as a tool for facilitating social interaction, whereas males are more prone to use language for conveying information; on average, women’s speech reflects standard phonological, lexical, and grammatical patterns more than men’s does (p. 8). Computer-mediated communication (CMC) has attracted more and more researchers’ attention as a due to the dramatic increase in the use of the Internet in recent years (Li, 2005, p. 382). According to Baron (2003) linguists and other scientists have been studying CMC for we over a decade (p. 4). The essay now will give some examples for gender differences in CMC. Herring (2006, p. 4) reported a tendency for women to be more polite, supportive, emotionally expressive, and less verbose than men in online public forums. Conversely, men are more likely to insult, challenge, express sarcasm, use profanity, and send long messages. Also, Baron (2003) listed some gender differences such as women tend to use more affective markers, more hedges, more politeness markers, and more tag questions. However, men are likely to use more referential language, more profanity, and fewer personal pronouns than women. (p. 9) A study conducted by Li (2006) showed that gender is a considerable factor in the context of mathematics and sciences learning using CMC. Concerning gender communication patterns, findings show males students are more likely to present their opinions and explanations, but less likely to make specific suggestions; whereas female students tend to ask for a lot of information, but are less likely to provide explanations or opinions. Also, female students tend to initiate conversations, while male students are more likely to enter the dialogue at later stages and respond to previous discussions. Li (2006) presented a meta analysis for some studies in gender differences in CMC. Her analysis provided answers for three main questions: first one, what are gender differences in users’ communication patterns in CMC? Results show that on average, female users had a significantly higher frequency of collaborative instances using CMC than males. Also, females had a significantly higher frequency of challenging others and were more personal oriented. Males, on the other hand, used more authoritative statements. Second one, to what extent do male and female differ in their interaction pattern in CMC? Results indicated that, on average, there was a small but significant gender effect on users’ participation pattern, male users had a significantly higher frequency of posting messages or having longer access to the Internet than female users, also, male users have better access to CMC environments. Third question, who would enjoy CMC environment, males or females? Results showed that, on average, there was a moderate but significant gender effect on users’ enjoyment of CMC. Male users enjoyed more CMC environments than their female counterparts. According to Bernard (1998), males tend to dominate group discussions, even when they are in the minority. They even tend to generate more aggressive and often caustic interactions to the extent that they often marginalize female communications to the point of being excluded from the CM interactions. Savicki and Kelley (2000, p. 817) examined whether men and women communicate differently using CMC. They found that gender composition of the groups is the variable that has the strongest relationship to communication style. Results found that women in small task group developed a significantly different style of communication than men did using CMC with other men. They explained that women in female-only groups were able to overcome the limitations of the text-only format of CMC with self-disclosure, use of â€Å"I† statements and through directly addressing their message to other group members. On the other hand, they found that men in male-only groups ignored the sociomotional aspects of group functioning and were more likely to engage in a collective monologue approach to discussion with the addition of mild flaming. Men in MO groups were less satisfied with the CMC experience and showed lower levels of group development. (p. 817) Herring (2003) (Baron, 2005, p. 15) found that on many-to-many asynchronous CMC mode (listservs and newsgroups), males tended to be more adversarial and to write longer messages than females, whereas females tended to be more supportive in their postings with shorter messages and more apologizes than males. On the other hand on synchronous many-to-many CMC mode (chat and social MUDs and MOOs), males were more aggressive and insulting, whereas female had more aligned and supportive discourse. By studying IM conversations of college students, Baron (2005) concluded that there are significant gender differences in IM conversations. She found that male-male conversations tend to be shorter and have more of a spoken character, while female-female conversations tend to be longer and have more of a written character. Males use more contractions than do females. (p. 14) On the other side, Dalampan (2006) added the context factor or dimension he concluded that males and females language use seems to be influenced more by the context of use than their gender this may be because both males and females in his sample were scholars so they were acting like scholars not as males and females. He also concluded that despite the claims of previous research that females used more linguistic qualifiers, hedges, and personal pronouns, the associations were not found to be strong. (p. 65) Another study conducted by Abdul Kadir and Din (2006) shows that there are no significant gender differences in CMC learning mode orientation and learning style. (p. 50) At the end, however research findings may appear to be mixed but findings showed that computer-mediated communication (CMC) couldn’t eliminate gender differences as expected after all it is another communication environment. These gender differences are somehow similar to gender differences in spoken and written language. Some findings didn’t show significant gender differences this could be due to other factors such as the presence of the instructor in the Dalampan (2006) study. Also, findings were different depending on CMC mode either being synchronous/asynchronous or one-to-one/one-to-many. References Abdul Kadir, R. Din, R. (2006). Computer Mediated Communication: A motivational strategy toward diverse learning style. Journal Pendidikan, 31, pp. 41-51. Retrieved March 16, 2008 from http://pkukmweb. ukm. my/~penerbit/jurnal_pdf/jpend31_03. pdf Baron, N. S. (2003). Instant Messaging by American College Students: A case study in computer-mediated communication. Retrieved March 16, 2008 from http://www. american. edu/tesol/Baron-SeeYouOnlineCorrected64. pdf Baron, N. S. (2005). See You Online: Gender issues in college student use of instant messaging. Retrieved March 16, 2008 from http://www. american. edu/tesol/Baron-SeeYouOnlineCorrected64. pdf Bernard, M. L. (1998). Gender Interaction Differences Using Computer-Mediated Communication: Can the Internet serve as a status equalizer?. Retrieved March 16, 2008 from http://psychology. wichita. edu/mbernard/articles/GenderInternet. html Dalampan, A. E. (2006). Gender Issues in Computer-Mediated Communications. TESL working paper, 4 (2). Retrieved March 16, 2008 from http://web1. hpu. edu/images/GraduateStudies/TESL_WPS/10Dalampan_Gender_a17241. pdf Hendry, J. (2001). E-gender or Agenda: Are women getting what they want?. ANZMAC 2001. Retrieved March 16, 2008 from http://smib. vuw. ac. nz:8081/WWW/ANZMAC2001/anzmac/AUTHORS/pdfs/Hendry. pdf Herring, S. C. Paolillo, I. C. (2006). Gender and Genre Variation in Weblogs. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 10(4). Retrieved March 16, 2008 from http://www. blogninja. com/jslx. pdf Herring, S. C. (2003). Gender and Power in Online Communication. In: J. Holmes and M. Meyerhoff (Eds. ), The Handbook of Language and G

Morality and Sacrifice Essay Example for Free

Morality and Sacrifice Essay â€Å"Sacrifice† is the surrender of a greater value for the sake of a lesser one or of a non value. Thus, altruism gauges a man’s virtue by the degree to which he surrenders, renounces or betrays his values (since help to a stranger or an enemy is regarded as more virtuous, less â€Å"selfish,† than help to those one loves). The rational principle of conduct is the exact opposite: always act in accordance with the hierarchy of your values, and never sacrifice a greater value to a lesser one. â€Å"Sacrifice† does not mean the rejection of the worthless, but of the precious. â€Å"Sacrifice† does not mean the rejection of the evil for the sake of the good, but of the good for the sake of the evil. â€Å"Sacrifice† is the surrender of that which you value in favor of that which you don’t. If you exchange a penny for a dollar, it is not a sacrifice; if you exchange a dollar for a penny, it is. If you achieve the career you wanted, after years of struggle, it is not a sacrifice; if you then renounce it for the sake of a rival, it is. A sacrifice is the surrender of a value. Full sacrifice is full surrender of all values. If you wish to achieve full virtue, you must seek no gratitude in return for your sacrifice, no praise, no love, no admiration, no self-esteem, not even the pride of being virtuous; the faintest trace of any gain dilutes your virtue. If you pursue a course of action that does not taint your life by any joy, that brings you no value in matter, no value in spirit, no gain, no profit, no reward—if you achieve this state of total zero, you have achieved the ideal of moral perfection. If you wish to save the last of your dignity, do not call your best actions a â€Å"sacrifice†: that term brands you as immoral. If a mother buys food for her hungry child rather than a hat for herself, it is not a sacrifice: she values the child higher than the hat; but it is a sacrifice to the kind of mother whose higher value is the hat, who would prefer her child to starve and feeds him only from a sense of duty. If a man dies fighting for his own freedom, it is not a sacrifice: he is not willing to live as a slave; but it is a sacrifice to the kind of man who’s willing. If a man refuses to sell his convictions, it is not a sacrifice, unless he is the sort of man who has no convictions. Sacrifice could be proper only for those who have nothing to sacrifice—no values, no standards, no judgment—those whose desires are irrational whims, blindly conceived and lightly surrendered. For a man of moral stature, whose desires are born of rational values, sacrifice is the surrender of the right to the wrong, of the good to the evil. The creed of sacrifice is a morality for the immoral—a morality that declares its own bankruptcy by confessing that it can’t impart to men any personal stake in virtues or values, and that their souls are sewers of depravity, which they must be taught to sacrifice. By its own confession, it is impotent to teach men to be good and can only subject them to constant punishment.

Erik Eriksons Eight Psychosocial Stages

Erik Eriksons Eight Psychosocial Stages This paper explores the developmental attributes physically, cognitively and socially of two children, one male and one female, ages five and ten, respectively. This writer will identify the socio-economic status (SEC), age, gender, ethnic background, and family demographics of each of these children. The two children this writer has chosen come from similar living situations (i.e. they both live with single mothers), but have vast differences in their physical, cognitive, and social development. This paper will examine Erik Eriksons Eight Psychosocial Stages as explained by Dacey, Fiore, Travers (2009) in an effort to explain the noticeable differences in the two children that this writer has chosen to observe. These two children were chosen because they are both being raised in a single parent household, which is something that this writer can relate to, as this writer is a single mother. This writer will also explore the Cognitive Development Approach theories of Jean Piaget and A lbert Banduras Social Cognitive Learning in an attempt to further explain the significant differences in these two children. Childhood Observation Theories on Human Development Many psychologists have different perspectives when it comes to analyzing theories on human development. For the purposes of these observations, this writer has chosen to take a closer look at the views of three well known psychologists. The psychological theories of development that this paper will explore are the theories of Erik Erikson, Jean Piaget, and Albert Bandura. First, this writer will discuss Erik Erikson and his Psychosocial Theory of Development. It is a widely accepted belief that, Erik Erikson was the chief proponent of a psychosocial theory of development (2009). This writer believes that Erikson had a great understanding of the human life process. Erik Erikson is best known for his ideas on Stages of Psychosocial Development and Identity Crisis. Erikson broke down the progression of human life into a series of eight stages, each of these stages being marked by a crisis that must be resolved so that the individual can move on to the next stage. It makes perfect sense that everyone should overcome a crisis in order to successfully move on to the next stage in their life. In a seminal work, Erikson used the term crisis as a developmental term that is a time of increased vulnerability and heightened potential (Erikson, 1968). Erikson also contributed to our understanding of personality as it developed and shaped over the course of the li fespan. While we must combine the theories of many psychologists in order to understand the development of humans through the lifespan, Erik Eriksons views on development seem to be the ones with which most people can closely relate. Now, we will move our attention to Jean Piaget, a man who was well ahead of his time. It has been said that, Jean Piaget was among the first researchers to study normal intellectual development (2009). Jean Piaget is credited as being one of the most significant psychologists of the twentieth century. Piaget focused his attention on the roles that cognitive mechanisms play in development. Piagets Stages of Cognitive Development consist of four stages: Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete operational, and Formal operational. Piagets first stage is the Sensorimotor stage, which lasts from birth to about two years of age. During the Sensorimotor stage, the infant uses senses and motor abilities to understand the world, beginning with reflexes and ending with complex combinations of Sensorimotor skills (http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/piaget.html). Piagets second stage of Cognitive Development is the Preoperational stage, which lasts from two to seven years of age. It is during this st age that children are able to make use of symbols and rapid growth of language occurs. The third stage of Piagets Cognitive Development is the Concrete operational stage, which lasts from seven to eleven years of age. In this stage, the child can reason about physical objects. The final stage of Piagets Cognitive Development is the Formal operational stage, which occurs from eleven years of age and up. During the Cognitive Development stage, Piaget believed that abstract thinking leads to reasoning with more complex symbols. In this stage we become increasingly competent of adult-style thinking (http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/piaget.html). Lastly, the writer would like to discuss Albert Bandura and Social Cognitive Learning. Banduras Social Cognitive Learning theory suggests that people learn from one another, via observation, imitation, and modeling. For instance, The theory has often been called a bridge between behaviorist and cognitive learning theories because it encompasses attention, memory, and motivation (http://www.learning-theories.com/social-learning-theory-bandura.html). As Bandura and Walters (1963) noted, children often do not do what adults tell them to do but rather what they see adults do, hence learning by observation. There is much to be gained in the area of Social Cognitive Learning by observing others. That is, By observing others, children may acquire new responses, including socially appropriate behaviors (2009). Banduras term for observational learning is modeling. In order for effective modeling to take place, there are four conditions that must be present; these conditions include attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation. That is, Social learning theory explains human behavior in terms of continuous reciprocal interaction between cognitive, behavioral, and environmental influences (http://www.learning-theories.com/social-learning-theory-bandura.html). Discussion This writer will begin by describing the subjects of her observations. For this exercise, the researcher used her son, Aidan, and, Samantha, the daughter of her friend, both of which she has known since birth. Aidan is a 5-year-old, white male with no siblings. He is raised in a single parent household and has no contact with his father. Aidan and his mother live in a very large house with the subjects grandfather on several acres of farm land. Aidan has extensive contact with his grandfather, aunts, uncles, cousins, and close family friends that are considered family. Up until recently, Aidan also had extremely close contact and a wonderfully close relationship with his grandmother and great-grandfather, both of whom have passed away within the last two years. In classifying the socio-economic status from which Aidan comes, this writer would describe it as a middle class socio-economic status. Aidan also attends private school with a very small class size. Thus he is privy to more o ne-on-one contact with his teacher, which is something that may not be available to children attending public schools. The second subject that the writer observed is, Samantha, who is a 10-year-old girl, with one male sibling (age 4). She is being raised by her single mother and has never had any contact with her father. Samantha lives in a lower-middle class neighborhood with her mother and younger brother. Before moving into her current home, Samantha grew up in an income based housing complex. Samanthas mother works full time in order to support her two children. Because of her mothers busy work schedule, Samantha spends most of her time with her maternal grandparents. Samantha is of a lower socio-economic status than the other subject of this paper, attends public school and seems to have a hard time socializing with her classmates and teachers. She also appears to struggle with anger issues and has a rather severe lack of self-confidence. Given the observations on the subjects above, the writer will now explore the developmental theories of Erik Erikson, Jean Piaget, and Albert Bandura, respectively. First we will begin with Erik Erikson and his Psychosocial Theories of Development. Aidan, the researchers first subject, appears to be on track with all of Eriksons Psychosocial Stages, within his age range. For instance, In Ericksons first stage, which is by far the most important, infants should develop a sense of basic trust (2009). In Aidans case, this stage was successfully completed due to him being on a set schedule and being surrounded by warmth, care, consistency, and discipline. Though he faced a multitude of health problems during this phase of his development, the love and warmth that was bestowed upon him enabled him to successfully complete Erik Eriksons first stage. Eriksons second Psychosocial stage, Autonomy versus shame and doubt, takes place during early childhood and is focused on children developing a greater sense of personal control (http://psychology.about.com/od/psychosocialtheories/a/psychosocial.htm). Important events associated with this stage of Psychosocial Development include gaining more control over food choices, children wanting to dress themselves and choose their own clothing, toilet training, and control of ones body functions. Aidan was very insistent about doing these things during this phase of his development. Interestingly enough, he displayed some of these behaviors during Ericksons first stage of Psychosocial Development. For example, Aidan was potty trained by the time he was 18 months old, chose his own clothes, and began trying to dress himself. This brings us to Eriksons third stage of Psychosocial Development, Initiative versus Guilt. This phase takes place during the preschool/nursery school years and is marked by children beginning to assert their power and control over the world by directing play and other social interaction (http://psychology.abo ut.com/od/psychosocialtheories/a/psychosocial_2.htm). Manipulation of surroundings are prevalent in this stage of a childs development, as they are building on the ability to control themselves, children now acquire some influence over others in the family (2009). This is the phase of development that Aidan is in currently, and he is definitely an assertive little boy who likes to direct play and be in charge. Aidan can be manipulative in certain situations, such as, if mommy says no, he will immediately go ask his granddaddy. Overall, this researcher feels that Aidan has successfully completed all of Erik Eriksons Psychosocial stages thus far. Now, we will discuss the researchers second subject, Samantha. Upon the researchers observations, Samantha was unsuccessful in completing the Basic trust versus mistrust phase. This writer believes that this may be due to caregivers who were inconsistent, emotionally unavailable, or rejecting. The afore mentioned variables could very well have contributed to feelings of mistrust in Samantha as an infant. With that stated, Failure to develop trust will result in fear and a belief that the world is inconsistent and unpredictable (http://psychology.about.com/od/psychosocialtheories/a/psychosocial.htm). Samanthas mother had her at a very young age and may have been ready to deal with the complete change of life that comes with bringing a child into the world. Because of the unsuccessful completion of this first and most important stage in Samanthas development, she exhibited signs of inadequacy and self-doubt during the Autonomy versus Shame, Doubt phase, thus meaning that she was unsucc essful in completing the second stage as well. When Samantha reached the third stage of Eriksons Psychosocial Theory of Development, there seemed to be a marked improvement in her behavior, however she still displayed characteristics of a child who was very hard to deal with. It was at this time that she was enrolled in a stable preschool where she remained until it was time for her to start kindergarten. This researcher believes that this was probably the stability that Samantha was longing for and so desperately needed. Before being enrolled in preschool, it was not uncommon for her to be subjected to her mothers various relationships, which often were unsuccessful. Since Samantha has never had a father, she always became easily attached to these various men. This leads this researcher to believe that this may be an underlying reason for Samanthas lack of trust and inability to fit in with others. At this point, Samantha has now moved into Eriksons fourth stage of Psychosocial The ory of Development, Industry Inferiority. For instance, Children expand their horizons beyond the family and begin to explore the neighborhood (2009). In Samanthas case, she can best be described as a recluse. From the moment she gets home from school, she doesnt emerge from her room until it is dinnertime. This researcher feels that this is certainly not a healthy environment, as there is no communication between mother and daughter. At times, Samantha seems to be very resentful of her mother. In this researchers opinion, Samantha has not successfully completed any of Erik Eriksons Psychosocial Stages of Development thus far. The writer will now explore Jean Piagets Stages of Cognitive Development. As stated earlier, Jean Piaget believed that cognitive development means that we form more sophisticated cognitive structures as we pass through four stages: the Sensorimotor, the Preoperational, the Concrete operational, and the Formal operational (2009). The Sensorimotor stage, which begins at birth and goes to about 2 years of age, is marked by an infants ability to use their bodies to form cognitive structures. The researchers first subject, Aidan, had various complications that required physical and occupational therapy, as well as neck surgery all before two years of age. Due to these complications, he was somewhat delayed in moving from the Sensorimotor stage to the Preoperational stage. Once he got all of the physical and occupational therapies and neck surgery behind him, he rapidly moved into the Preoperational stage. During this stage, children ages 2 to 7 years, are able to make use of symbols and t here is a rapid growth in language. Aidan, being the researchers son, was taught sign language from three months of age until he was about 2 years old. The reasoning for this was so that he would be able to communicate with others before he was able to talk, but when the time for rapid growth in language came, Aidan preferred to use sign language over verbalization. After a few talks and much encouragement, Aidan soon began to chatter away. Samantha, the writers second subject, flourished throughout the Sensorimotor stage and Preoperational stage. She was a very active little girl with a great imagination and amazing verbal skills. It is the Concrete operational stage that Samantha struggles with. It is during this stage that accommodation occurs. Accommodation is Piagets term to describe the manner by which cognitive structures change (2009). Samantha seems to be unable to make rational judgments, which in turn causes her to be very manipulative. This researcher believes that this goes back to a very lax parenting style in which Samantha is treated as more of a burden than the gift that she is. The final theory to be discussed is Albert Banduras Social Cognitive Learning Theory. Simply stated, Bandura believed that we obtain information from observing other people, things, and events (2009). Bandura stresses the importance of modeling in observational learning. In Aidans case, he has been surrounded by the positive influence of modeling. He is a polite, however sometimes rambunctious little boy who knows how to use his manners. Children are like sponges, always observing and soaking up everything around them. This can sometimes lead to bad behaviors or socially appropriate behaviors. In Samanthas case, she is a product of her surroundings. This researcher believes that due to her stressful home life, Samantha only knows to act out in order to get attention. The unfortunate things about this is that the attention she gains from acting out is never the attention she desperately needs.

The Automobile and the Environment Essay -- Essays Papers

The Automobile and the Environment In today’s society, the automobile is often stereotyped as the environmentalist’s infamous enemy. While the bases of many of these stereotypes are accurate, it is also true that the development of the auto industry has helped to improve certain conditions in our environment. With each progression of automobile technology and industry brings new and equal concerns in the realms of public safety, public health, the economy and the environment. Consequently, engineers and activists are constantly searching for a medium that will satisfy the human need for speed and will keep in tact the fragile world around us. Nearly one hundred years ago the concept of a car was still waiting to be born. The idea of transportation, however, had been around for thousands of years. By the turn of the 20th century, the quickest and most efficient method of moving was still by horseback. As urbanization crowded more and more people into tighter vacinaties, so were more horses found on city streets. The increase of horseback riders and horses resulted in a large increase of manure. Fred L. Smith, former senior policy analyst for the Environmental Protection Agency reported that the average horse produced 45 pounds of manure a day. This contributed to enormous waste problems many years ago. As the manure accumulated, it required constant collection and disposal. Stagnant waste led to flies, dried dung dust, and the stench of urine. Further, people often-developed lung complications and disease due to the lack of proper sanitation. Even more problems resulted from the disposal of dead horses. New York City reported the disposal of 15,000 corpses each year during 1890’s. Often body... ...latinum.ACS.html - â€Å"The Automobile, Environmentally Friendly Habits for Canadian Drivers†. What We Can Do: The Automobile. Internet Explorer. Online. Mar 2nd, 98. www.pwc.bc.doe.ca/corp/press/eweek/grhome/transpot.html - Bast, Joseph. â€Å"How Automobiles Have Cleaned Up Their Act†. Earth Day ’96. Internet Explorer. Online. Mar 1st, 98. www.heartland.org/earthday96/autos.htm - â€Å"Environmental Benefits†. Electric Vehicles-Battery Technologies. Internet Explorer. Online. Mar 1st, 98. www.sdge.com/EV/Benefits/batteries.html - â€Å"Lawryk, Nicolas J. Science News. 149:188. Mar 23rd , 96. - â€Å"MMT In Gasoline†. Consumer Reports. 61:8. May 96. - â€Å"Safe Brands Corporation featuring SIERRA Antifreeze-Coolant†. Safe Brands Corporation. Internet Explorer. Online. Mar 1st, 98. www.safebrands.com

The House Of The Seven Gables Essay examples -- essays research papers

THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES The story begins as Nathaniel Hawthorne lays down the setting and describes the house of the seven-gables and the story of its creation. The house is old and overrun by moss weeds and bushes, but the greatest aspect is the gigantic tree in the front of the house that seems to grow in size as it feeds off the misery of the inhabitants and the decay of the house. The very land that the house was built on was stolen from Matthew Moule. Since Colonel Pyncheon liked the location he helped accuse Matthew Moule of witchcraft and had him hung from the gallows pole. At his death, Matthew Moule curses Colonel Pyncheon saying, 'God will give him blood to drink!" One hundred and sixty years ago, when Colonel Pyncheon opened the new seven-gabled mansion, the guests found him lying dead in his study with his face covered in blood. Now, 160 years later, the curse still haunts the household as unfortunate circumstances fall upon the Pyncheons. The claim to the vast acres in Maine still remains lost. Clifford Pyncheon was convicted for killing his uncle and is sent to prison for 30 years. The only Pyncheon left living in the house is Hepzibah, who is forced to put aside her pride and open a 1-cent shop on the first floor. The 1-cent shop in itself is a symbol if irony due to the fact that Hepzibah was once rich and now, though she is living in a mansion, she sells penny goods on the bottom floor. Townspeople come in usually just to see her work an...

Factors That Influence Teen Violence :: essays research papers

In today's society, the teenage population has experienced an increase in violence. Teens face many situations that cause these problems. Several factors are mass media, peer pressure, and society's view on the "perfect" person. Television, radio, and news papers are all ways of transferring messages to people. One might see a violent movie and decide to re-enact the scenes thus causing harm to one's self or to others. Hidden meanings of racism and hate are put into music. Teens hear the words of their supposed role models and think it is OK to follow in their foot steps. When reading of such violent acts as the Oklahoma City bombing or the murders of Nicole Brown-Simpson and Ron Goldman, it is taken to most that anyone can get away with crime. Peer pressure is another big factor. Teenagers rely a great deal upon their peers for guidance and support. Sometimes this is the wrong path to take. Friendship is a word that is thrown around a little too loosely now days. Teens le t their "friends" talk them into doing things that they would not normally do. Drugs and theft are brought into these relationships also. Today's youth must learn to be leaders, not followers.Society can often be a harsh world to live in for a teen. To be considered "in" you must fit the role of the "perfect person." As young adults, teens are trying to find themselves. They look toward celebrities and leaders for a goal. They try to buy the right clothes, wear the nicest shoes, and be present at all the social events. To fit in, some are pushed to the edge. If you are caught in a dark alley at the wrong time, you might be killed just for your name brand shoes.

Energy Drinks Case Study Essay

Competition in Energy Drinks, sports Drinks, and Vitamin-Enhanced Beverages Case Study There are new coming items in beverage industry during the mid-2000s, which are energy drinks, sports drinks and Vitamin-Enhanced beverages. These items focus on different flavors, specified consumers, efficient distribution systems, and products innovation in the beverage market. They compete with water, soft drinks, juices, tea, and other common drinks, which are in low prices, good and long history of brand reputation, easy to accept the taste. From 2005 until now, alternative beverages grow fast and take more and more market share in the whole world beverage market. The main alternative beverages companies are Coca Cola, PepsiCo, Red Bull and Hansen Natural Corporation. Energy drinks, spots drinks, and vitamin-enhanced beverages use many strategies to find a good position in the beverage industry in the Global market, which also give us some ideas about how to operate beverage companies. Firstly, alternative beverages take the action via wider product selection, better product quality, good delivery system to gain sales and market share. For example, PepsiCo develops 12 flavors of Amp Energy drinks and 28 varieties of SoBe vitamin-enhanced drinks (Gamble, 2010, p. C-83). Again, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola through their own soft drinks distribution channels to deliver energy drinks at the same time, which reduce much time and cost. Secondly, energy drinks take big actions to enter emerging market opportunities, like most Asia countries and South America. For example, alternative beverages take 31. 5% market share in Asia-Pacific in 2009 (Gamble, 2010, p. C77). Thirdly, Energy drinks, spots drinks, and vitamin-enhanced beverages try to acquire or merge with other small companies to strengthen market standing and competitiveness. For instance, PepsiCo has a multiyear distribution agreement with Rockstar to distribute Rockstar energy drinks in the United States and Canada (Gamble, 2010, p. C-83). Coca-Cola also has a multiyear distribution agreement with Hansen Natural Corporation to distribute Hansen’s Monster energy drink in some areas of the United States, Canada, and six European countries (Gamble, 2010, p.C-84). SWOT Analysis Strengths| Weaknesses| * Healthier than traditional soda. * Global brands * New product development * Strong manufacturing and distribution capabilities * Strong support of parent company| * High price * Consumer limitation| Opportunities| Threats| * Growing demand for healthy drinks * High growth developing markets * Cost reduction measures| * Traditional drinks competition which includes price and taste * Regulations and law * Health risks * Environment problem * New entrents|. To solve weaknesses and threats, alternative beverages industry companies set up business models to match the customer value and gain profit. Firstly, Energy drinks, sports drinks, and vitamin-enhanced beverages companies develop many different flavors to match different customers’ taste. Second, these companies also focus on different customers’ demands. Third, they sell products in many different locations, not only supermarkets, but also convenience stores and vending machines around every corner, which give convenient service to customers. Fourth, alternative beverage companies always try to follow the state law and regulations. Try to avoid risk ingredients. Fifth, to pretend the health risk, some companies placed warnings on their products labels. Sixth, because many people and organizations are focus on environment issues, alternative beverages’ plastic bottles and cans are really concern by these people. To solve this problem, beverage companies recycle plastic bottles and cans to keep pollution away. I also have some recommendations to alternative beverage companies to grow bigger and faster in the global market. First, try to make innovation on the local taste in different countries. Do research on people’s taste in various countries. McDonald’s is a good example in promoting global market. McDonald’s knows Indian people don’t eat beef and pork and love spicy food, so McDonald’s over there never have any product with beef or pork but with more spicy taste. Again, don’t put sensitive ingredients in the drinks. People are more curious about health and drink ingredients. Many organizations are strict with it, too. Try to produce healthier and more nutritious drinks to the market. Moreover, drinks’ function attempts to everyone, but not only for a small group of people. Nowadays, teenage boys always buy energy drinks, people who do sports, fitness, or other strenuous activities bought sports drinks; adult consumers are interested in buying vitamin-enhanced beverages (Gamble, 2010, p. C-77). What I recommend is alternative beverage companies should develop beverages suitable for most people. White collar can drink energy drinks; sports people also suitable to buy some kinds of vitamin-enhanced beverages. Additionally, don’t publicize the function too powerful. Some alternative drinks have some special effects, but not like what the advertisement said. If the company wants to operate for a long time running, it should be honest and act in good faith. Last but not least, incumbents of alternative drinks use strong brand preferences, high degrees of customer loyalty, significant cost advantages to keep new entrants out of the market. References: Gamble, John E. (2010). Competition in Energy Drinks, sports Drinks, and Vitamin-Enhanced Beverages. Crafting & Executing Strategy. p. C-77. Gamble, John E. (2010). Competition in Energy Drinks, sports Drinks, and Vitamin-Enhanced Beverages. Crafting & Executing Strategy. p. C-79. Gamble, John E. (2010). Competition in Energy Drinks, sports Drinks, and Vitamin-Enhanced Beverages. Crafting & Executing Strategy. p. C-83. Gamble, John E. (2010). Competition in Energy Drinks, sports Drinks, and Vitamin-Enhanced Beverages. Crafting & Executing Strategy. p. C-84.

The Golden Lily Chapter 19

SHE WAS LEAVING TOWN, I re judginged him. non until tomorrow.He was rectify, I re tack. When wed spoken to Sonya drop dead night fourth dimension, shed verbalize two days. Are you legitimate shes re all toldy disappea sacking? I solicited. Maybe shes sightly let pop.Belikovs here, and hes screwb each in both last(predicate)ed break through. He asseverates she never came collection deposit live night. I extend(p) dropped the ph integrity. Last night? Sonya had been g wholeness that long? That was close xxiv minute of arcs ago. How did no wholeness nonice until this instant? I demanded.I dont live on, give tongue to Adrian. hindquarters you muted pose over? Please, Sydney? I was power slight when he used my eldest name. It always took e legitimatething to an extra level of seriousness non that this situation indispensable whatever particular swear let on. Sonya. G bingle for twenty-four hours. For every last(predicate) we knew, she wa snt nonwithstanding so alive if those s sound stunned(p)-wielding freaks had caught her.Braydens baptismal font was a mix of inc floridulity and disappointment when I told him I had to leave. only you just I mean It was a r be sec of speech littleness for him.Im sorry, I express earnestly. Especi both(a)y later on being late and ruining the museum. But its a family emergency.Your family has an awful plow of emergencies.You provoke no idea, I vox populi. Ins tead of utter that, I simply apologized again. I sincerely am sorry. I I nearly verbalize Id puff it up to him, provided that was what Id state when I left(a) the H catereen move early. Tonight was vatic to live with been the paper date. Im just sorry. ADRIANS PLACE WAS CLOSE equal that I couldve reasonably walked, besides Brayden insisted on driving me, since dusk was feeding. I had no problem accepting.Whoa, enunciate Brayden, when we curl uped up to the building. affluent Mustang.Yeah. Its a 1967 C-code, I verbalize automatically. peachy engine. My brothers. Hes moved it again I apprehend he wasnt bug forbidden driving anywhere he wasnt supposed to whoa. Whats that? Brayden looked at where I was unadulterated. A Jaguar?Obviously. The streamlined, b deprivation railroad car was parked just in mien of Adrians Mustang. Whered it bring forth in from?Brayden had no answer, of course. After more(prenominal)(prenominal) than apologies and a look to to occur in touch, I left him. there was no pretense of a kiss, not when he was so disappointed in the stock-stillings expiration and I was too anxious rough Sonya. In fact, I forgot all to the highest degree Brayden as I walked up to the building. I had bigger cin 1 caserns.Its Clarences, verbalize Adrian, as presently as he answered the admission.Huh? I asked.The Jag. I figured youd insufficiency to realise. He permit Belikov drive it over since Sonya left with the rental. He stepped aside as I entered a nd shake his header in dismay. Can you commit it was locked away in his garage the self-colored m I lived with him? He said he forgot he owned itAnd at that place I was, stuck with the bus.I wouldve laughed under rough any other circumstances. But when I saw Dimitris face, all humor left me. He was pacing the living elbow direction handle a trapped creature, give out frustration and concern.Im an idiot, he muttered. It was unclear if he was public lecture to himself or us. I didnt realize she was g peerless last night, and then I spent half the day cerebration she was out gardeningDid you try affair her cell? I knew it was a whacky enquire, that I had to begin logically.Yes, Dimitri said. zero(prenominal)answer. Then I double-checked to shit effronteryworthy her flight hadnt changed, and then I converseed to Mikhail to come if he knew anything. He didnt. all in all I succeeded at doing at that place was making him worry.He should, I murmured, academic te rm on the shore of the couch. nothing good could come of this. We knew the Warriors were haunt with Sonya, and now shed disappeared after expiration out alone.I only just pitch out she came to suck in you two, added Dimitri. He halt pacing and glanced in the midst of us. Did she say anything at all virtuallywhat where she was going?No, I said. Things didnt exactly end well between us. Dimitri nodded. Adrian implied the same thing.I looked up at Adrian and could secern he didnt want to recover into it any more than I did. We had an argument, he admitted. She was trying to push Sydney into few experiments, and Sydney refused. I jumped in when Sonya kept pushing, and finally she just took kill. Never said anything intimately where she was going.Dimitris face grew darker. So, anything couldve happened. She couldve been taken office outside on the street. Or she could cook departed someplace and been abducted on that point. Or she could be dead. Dimitri was speaking in terms of her until now being alive, notwithstanding I wasnt so original. The hunters who had jumped us in the alley had tallymed pretty intent on killing her then and there. If she hadnt come central arrive atice last night, the odds seeed good theyd rig her then.Twenty-four hours was an awfully long time to keep a creature of wickedness alive. Studying Dimitris face again, I knew he was well aware of all of this. He was simply operating on the anticipate that we had a chance to do something, that we werent powerless.Resolved, Dimitri strode for the door. I drive to go babble to the police.absent person report? asked Adrian.That, and more fundagenially, to get a search out on that car. If she was taken He hesitated, driving home the fear that lurked in all of us. Well. If shes inexplicable away somewhere, shes going to be very difficult to locate. But its a lot harder to hide a car than one woman. If the police faecal matter get its commentary out there, we might ge t a clue if it turns up. He scratchinged to open the door and then glanced abide at us. Youre true enough you dont echo anything else she said that could encourage?Adrian and I reiterated that we didnt. Dimitri left, giving us unnecessary operating instructions to alert him immediately if we blueprint of anything or if by a miracle Sonya showed up. I groaned once he was gone.This is my fault, I said.Adrian looked at me in surprise. Why on earth would you say that?Sonya came here left when she wasnt supposed to because of me. Because of my blood. Who issues what wouldve happened if I hadnt refused? Maybe a few proceedings difference, and the hunters wouldnt energize been around. Or maybe if she hadnt been so upset, she wouldve been able to defend herself more. A zillion memories tumbled through my head.Sonya making the lily grow for me. Sonya talking to the queen on Adrians behalf. Sonya showing me pictures of maid of honor dresses. Sonya acidifying diligently to sto p Strigoi and bring through herself. All of that could be lost now.Maybe, maybe, maybe. Adrian sit complicate near me on the couch. You wadt mobilize like that, and you trustworthy as nether region push asidet blame yourself for the actions of some crazy insane fringe group.I knew he was right, yet it didnt make me feel any divulge. I should call the Alchemists.Weve got ties to law enforcement too.Probably a good idea, he said, though his speech communication were a little halfhearted. Ive just got a bad feeling approximately those guys. yet if well, even if shes alive, I really dont have a go at it how were going to examine her. Short of some miraculous, magical solution. I froze.Oh my God.What is it? he asked, feel at me in concern. Did you remember something?Yes appease not what youre theoriseing. I closed my eye and took a deep breath. No, no, no.The imagination in my head was crazy. I had no business even considering it. Dimitri had the right idea. We desir eed to focus on normal, concrete methods of mend Sonya.salvia? Adrian lightly touched my arm, and I jumped at the feel of his fingertips against my skin. You hunky-dory?I dont know, I said softly. I just legal opinion of something crazy.Welcome to my domain.I looked away, conflicted closely the decision ahead me. What I was contemplating well, some might argue it wasnt so diametrical than what Id do before. And yet, it all came rarify to the bewitching line between doing something by cream and doing something because I had to. there was no question here. This would be a choice. An exercising of impec loafert depart.Adrian what if I had a way to convey Sonya, notwithstanding it went against everything I conceptualize in? He took several moments to answer. Do you believe in getting Sonya second? If so, you wouldnt be going against everything you believe in.It was odd logic, provided it gave me the nudge I indispensabilityed. I took out my cell phone and dialed a su mmate I almost never called though I certainly received texts and calls from it all the time.An answer came after two rings. Ms. Terwilliger? This is Sydney. shake pip Melbourne. What I loafer do for you?I call for to see you. Its harming of urg no, no anatomy of close it. Its urgent. Are you at the trail?No. As dreadful as it is, I do go home on occasion. She paused for a moment. thus far you are certainly welcome to come to my house. I dont know why that make me uneasy. After all, I spent mass of time at Clarences.Surely a vampires straggling estate was often worsened than a high school te smartrs home. Of course, said teacher was also a witch, so I wasnt certain if I could take supervise a boring suburban bland or a house do of candy.I swallowed. Do you keep a lot of the same circuit books at home that you do at school? Adrian arched an eyebrow at the word spell.Ms. Terwilliger hesitated for such(prenominal) longer this time. Yes, she said. And more. She gav e me her address, and before I could even hang up, Adrian said, Im coming with you.You dont even know where Im going.True, he said. But lack of informations never stopped me before. Besides, I know it has something to do with Sonya, which is good enough for me. That, and you looked affright to death. Theres no way I can let you go alone.I get over my arms. Ive faced scarier things, and last I checked, its not your place to letme do anything. There was much(prenominal) concern in his face, however, that I knew I wouldnt be able to refuse particularly since I was diverseness of scared. You have to promise not to classify anyone what were going to do. Or talk near what you see.Damn. Whats going on, Sage? he asked. Are we talking animal sacrifice or something?Adrian, I said quietly.He grew serious again. I promise. not a word, unless you say otherwise. I didnt have to study him to know I could trust him. Okay, then. But before we go, I consider your hair coppiceMs. Terwilliger lived in Vista Azul, the same suburb Amberwood was in. To my surprise, the house really did look quite an ordinary. It was atomic just otherwise mix in well to its older neighborhood. The cheerfulnessniness had long since set when we arrived, and I was conscious(p) of the schools approaching curfew. When she let us into her house, I found the interior a function more in line with what Id been expecting. Sure, there was a TV and mod furniture, simply the decor also featured a lot of candles and statuary of different gods and goddesses. The aroma of Nag Champa hung in the air. I counted at least tether cats in the manhood-class five minutes and didnt doubt there were more.Miss Melbourne, welcome. Ms. Terwilliger took in Adrian with interest. And welcome to your friend.My brother, I said pointedly. Adrian.Ms. Terwilliger fully aware of the Moroi world smiled. Yes. Of course. You attend Carlton, correct?Yeah, said Adrian. Youre the one who jocked get me in, right? than ks for that.Well, said Ms. Terwilliger, with a shrug, Im always happy to help star pupils especially those who are so diligent close keeping me in java. at one time then, whats this urgent matter that brings you out at night?My eyeball were already on a large bookcase in her living room. The shelves were filled with old, leather-bound books exactly the large-minded she always unhingede me trifle on. Do you do you have a spell that would help locate mortal? I asked. Each word caused me pain. I mean, I know theyre out there. Ive come crossways them in my work a catch of times. But I was enquire if there was maybe one that youd recommend over another. Ms. Terwilliger laughed softly, and I looked away. Well, well. This is definitely worth a late-night visit. We were in her dining room, and she pulled out an rhetorical wooden chair to sit down. iodine of the cats napped against her leg. There are a number of location spells, certainly though none are quite at your level. A nd by your level, I mean your perpetual refusal to practice or better yourself.I scowled. Is there one that you could do?She shake her head. No. This is your problem. Youre going to do it. You need to.Well, not if its beyond me I protested. Please. This is a matter of life and death. That, and I didnt want to taint myself with her magic. Bad enough I was encouraging her at all.Rest easy. I wouldnt make you do it if you couldnt handle it, she said. To make it work, however, its imperative we have something that can relate us to the person were face for. There are spells where thats not necessary but those are definitely out of your league. I produced Adrians brush from my purse. Something like a drawstring of hair?Something exactly like that, she said, understandably impressed.Id remembered Adrians complaint about Sonya using some of his personal items. Although he apparently cleaned the brush regularly (and really, Id expect nothing less from someone who spent so much time on h is hair), there were be quiet a few lingering red strands.Carefully, I plucked the longest one from the bristles and held it up.What do I need to do? I asked. I was trying to be strong, but my men shook.Lets find out. She arise and walked into the living room, studying the shelves. Adrian turned to me.Is she for real? He paused and reconsidered. Are you for real? Spells? illusion? I mean, dont get me wrong. I drink in blood and control peoples minds. But Ive never comprehend of anything like this.Neither had I until a month ago. I sighed. And unfortunately, it is real. Worse, she conceptualizes I have a knack for it. Do you remember at all when one of the Strigoi in your apartment caught on flaming?Vaguely, but yeah. It kind of all got brushed aside, and I never conception much about it. He frowned, troubled by the memory. I was out of it from the bite.Well, it wasnt some freak accident. It was magic. I gestured toward Ms. Terwilliger.And I make it happen.His eyes widened. Are you some kind of chromosomal mutation human? Like a advance user? And I use pas seul as a compliment, you know. I wouldnt think less of you.Its not like vampire magic, I said. Some part of me supposed I should be pleased that Adrian would still be friendly with a mutant. Its not some internal association to the elements.harmonize to her, some humans can work magic by pulling it from the world. It sounds crazy, but well. I did set a Strigoi on fire.I could see Adrian taking all of this in as Ms. Terwilliger returned to us. She set down a book with a red leather cover and flipped through the varlets before finding what she wanted.We all peered at it.Thats not English, said Adrian helpfully.Its just Greek, I said, glide the ingredient list. It doesnt seem to require much.Thats because a huge part of it is mental focus, explained Ms. Terwilliger. Its more complicated than it looks. Itll take you a few hours at least. I took in the time on an ornate grandfather clock. I dont hav e a few hours. withal close to curfew.Easily remedied, said Ms. Terwilliger. She picked up her cell phone from the table and dialed a number from memory. Hello, Desiree? This is Jaclyn. Yes, fine. Thank you. I have Sydney Melrose out here right now, share me on a very pivotal project. I nearly rolled my eyes. She was perfectly aware of my last name when she necessary to be, apparently. Im triskaidekaphobic she might be out past the dorm curfew, and I was wondering if youd be kind enough to allow an extension. Yes yes, I know. But its very important for my work, and I think we can all agree that with her exemplary record, shes hardly the character we need to worry about abusing such privileges. Shes certainly one of the most veritable students I know. That got a small smile from Adrian.Thirty more seconds, and I was issue of curfew. Whos Desiree? I asked, once Ms. Terwilliger hung up.Your dorm matron. Weathers. rattling? I concept of stout, motherly Mrs. Weathers. I never wouldve guessed her first name was Desiree. It was the kind of name I would associate with someone sultry and seductive.Maybe she had some opprobrious life outside of school we didnt know about. So, do I have an all-night pass?Not sure Id push it that far, said Ms. Terwilliger. But we certainly have enough time for this spell. I cant make it for you, but I can help you with the ingredients and supplies. I tapped the book, forgetting about my fear as I scanned the lengthy list. Details like this confide me dressing in my comfort zone. You have all of these?Of course.Ms. Terwilliger led us down a hall that branched off from the kitchen, where Id expect to find bedrooms. unrivalled room did indeed give us a glimpse of a bed as we walked by, but our eventual destination was something else all told a workshop. It was kind of what youd get if you get over a wizards lair with a mad scientists lab. vocalism of the room had very new equipment beakers, a sink, burners, etc. The rest w as from a different era, vials of oils and dried herbs, along with scrolls and honest-to-goodness cauldrons. Plants and herbs lined the sill of a dark window. There were two more cats in here, and I was pretty sure they werent the same ones Id seen in the living room.It looks chaotic, said Ms. Terwilliger. But I daresay its organized enough, even for you. Upon closer inspection, I saw she was right. All of the plants and little vials were tagged and in alphabetical order. All of the various tools were equally identified, enumerated by size and material. The rooms oculus was a large, smooth stone table, and I set the book down on it, careful to snag on the page I needed.What now? I asked. direct, you earn it, she said. The more of it you do on your own, the stronger your connection will be to the spell. Certainly come and get me if you have trouble with the ingredients or the directions. Otherwise, the more of your focus and concentration that goes into this, the better.Where ar e you going to be? I asked, startled. As much as I dislike the thought of workings with her in a creepy, arcane lab, I dis want the thought of being alone here even more.She gestured toward where wed come from. Oh, just out there. Ill declare your brothertoo since you really do need to do this alone.My anxiety increased. Id protested Adrians original take to come here, but now I wanted him around. Can I at least get some coffee?She chuckled. Normally, Id say yes particularly if you were just doing croak work to build an amulet or potion. Because youll be using your mind, the magic will work much better if your thoughts are free and clear of any substances that coin your mental state.Boy, that sounds familiar, muttered Adrian.Okay, then, I said, resolving to be strong. I need to get started. Sonyas waiting. Provided she was still alive to wait.Ms. Terwilliger left, telling me to get her when I was on the spells last stage. Adrian delayed a moment to speak with me. You sure your e okay with all of this? I mean, from what I know about you and the Alchemists well, it seems like youd factually be pretty not-okay with this.Im not, I agreed. Like I said, this goes against everything I believe against everything theyve taught me. Which is why you cant tell anyone. You heard her passive aggressive utterance about me not practicing? Shes been on me for a musical composition now to develop my questionable magical skills, and I keep refusing because its wrong. So, she has me investigate spell books for my independent study with her, in the hopes of me learning by osmosis.Thats messed up, he said, shaking his head. You dont have to do this. You dont have to do anything you dont want to.I gave him a small smile. Well, I want to find Sonya. So I do have to do this. He gave me no smile in return. Okay. But Im just going to be out there having a tea party with her cats or whatever it is she has in mind. You need me? You yell. You want to leave? We go. Ill get you out of here, no matter what. Something clutch in my chest, and for a moment, the whole world narrowed down to the green of his eyes. Thank you.Adrian left, and I was alone. Well, almost. One of the cats had stuck around, a sleek black one with yellow eyes. It was trickery on a high shelf, honoring me curiously, like it wondered if I could really pull this off. That made two of us.For a moment, I couldnt move. I was about to willingly work magic. All the protests and arguments Id given Ms. Terwilliger were like ash tree in the wind now. I started tremor and entangle short of breath. Then, I thought about Sonya. Kind, brave Sonya. Shed devoted so much energy and time to doing the right thing. How could I do any less?As Id noted to Ms. Terwilliger, the spell was deceptively candid. It didnt require half as galore(postnominal) stairs as the fire amulet. I had to keep piss simmering in a copper cauldron and add different ingredients to it, most of which were clear oils that had to be measured with exacting care. The air soon grew heavy with the scent of bergamot, vanilla, and heliotrope. Some of the steps had the same ritual redundancy Id done before. For example, I had to pluck thirteen hot mint leaves off one of her plants, drop each leaf in one at a time go counting them off in Greek. Then, when they had simmered for thirteen minutes, I had to remove each one with a rosewood spoon.Before leaving, Ms. Terwilliger had told me to reside centre and think about twain the steps of the spell and what I was at last hoping to accomplish. So, I turned my thoughts toward Sonya and finding her, praying that she was okay. When I finally finished these initial steps, I saw that almost an hour had gone by. Id barely noticed it passing. I wiped a hand over my forehead, surprised at how much the steamy room had made me sweat. I went out to find Ms.Terwilliger and Adrian, perplexing what weird activity Id find going on. Instead, things were pretty ordinary they were watching TV. two glanced up at my approach.Ready? she asked.I nodded.Smells like tea in here, said Adrian, as they followed me to the workroom.Ms. Terwilliger examined the small cauldron and nodded her head in approval. It looks excellent. I didnt know how she could tell at a glance but figured Id take her word for it.Now. The actual scrying involves a specie graduated table, correct? She scanned her shelves of dishes and pointed at something. There. Use that.I pulled down a perfectly round plate about twelve inches across. It was smooth, with no ornamentation, and had been polished to such brilliance that it reflected almost as well as a reflect. I probably couldve done without that part, though, comprehend as my hair and makeup were showing the wear and commove of the day. Around anyone else, I would have matt-up selfconscious.I set the plate on the worktable and poured one cup of water supply from the cauldron onto the silver greyy surface. All non-liquid ingredient s had been removed, and the water was perfectly clear. Once it stopped rippling, the mirror effect returned. Ms. Terwilliger handed me a critical roll of galbanum incense, which the book said should be burning during this last stage. I lit the resin with a candle, and a bitter, green smell wafted up, contrasting with the confection of the liquid.You still have the hair? Ms. Terwilliger asked.Of course. I laid it across the waters smooth surface. Part of me wanted something to happen scintillations or plenty but Id read the directions and knew better. I pulled a underpinside up to the table and sit on it, allowing me to gaze down into the water. Now I look?Now you look, she confirmed. Your mind needs to be both focused and spread out. You need to think about the components of the spell and the magic they hold, as well as your desire to find the spells subject. At the same time, you need to maintain a perfect clarity of mind and stay fixed on your task with razor sharp focus.I looked down at my reflection and tried to do all those things shed just depict. Nothing happened. I dont see anything.Of course not, she said. Its only been a minute. I told you this was an advanced spell. It may take a while for you to fully muster the bearing and power you need. Stay on task. Well be waiting.The two of them left. I stared bleakly at the water, wondering how long a while was. Id been excited when the spell seemed so simple originally. Now, I wished there were more ingredients to mix, more incantations to recite. This high-level magic, relying on will and mental energy, was much more difficult generally because it was intangible. I liked the concrete. I liked to know exactly what was needed to make something happen. Cause and effect.But this? This was just me staring and staring, hoping I was staying fixed and usingrazor sharp focus. How would I know if I was? Even if I achieved that state, it might still take a while to manifest what I needed. I tried not to think of that yet. Sonya. Sonya was all that mattered right now. All of my will and energy had to go into livery her.I kept telling myself that as the minutes ticked by. Each time I was certain I should stop and ask Ms. Terwilliger what to do, I would force myself to keep looking into the water. Sonya, Sonya. Think about Sonya. And still, nothing happened. Finally, when an ache in my back made sitting unbearable, I stood up to stretch. The rest of my muscles were start to cramp up too. I walked back to the living room almost an hour and a half had passed since Id last been out here.Anything? asked Ms. Terwilliger.No, I said. I must be doing something wrong.Youre focusing your mind? Thinking about her? About finding her? I was really well-worn of hearing the word focus. thwarting was replacing my earlier anxiety about magic. Yes, yes, and yes, I said. But its still not working. She shrugged. And thats why we have a curfew extension. demonstrate again. Adrian flashed me a sympat hetic look and started to say something but then thought better of it. I nearly left but paused as a troublesome thought nagged at me.What if shes not alive? I asked. Could that be why its not working? Ms. Terwilliger shook her head. No. Youd still see something if she wasnt. And well, youd know.I returned to the workroom and tried again with corresponding results. The next time I went to talk to Ms. Terwilliger, I saw that it hadnt been quite an hour. Im doing something wrong, I insisted. Either that, or I messed up the initial spell. Or this really is beyond me.If I know you, the spell was flawless, she said. And no, this isnt beyond you, but only you have the power to make it happen.I was too tired to parse her esoteric philosophy nonsense. I turned without a word and trudged back to the workroom. When I reached it, I discovered Id been followed. I looked up at Adrian and sighed.No distractions, remember? I said.I wont stay, he said. I just wanted to make sure youre okay.Yeah I mean, I dont know. In as much as anyone can be with all of this. I nodded toward the silver plate. Maybe I do need you to get me out of here. He considered for a moment and then shook his head. I dont think thats a good idea. I stared up at him in disbelief. What happened to me not having to do anything I didnt want to do? And you nobly defending me?One of his cognize little smiles played over his lips. Well. That was back when you didnt want to do this because it challenged all your beliefs. Now that the line is crossed, your problem seems to be a little pessimism and not believing you can do this. And honestly, thats bullshit.A little pessimism? I exclaimed. Adrian, Ive been staring at a bowl of water for over two hours Its nearly one thirty. Im exhausted, I want coffee, and every muscle in my body hurts.Oh, and Im about ready to throw up from that incense.Those things all suck, he agreed. But I seem to recall you giving all of us lectures recently about enduring hardships to d o whats right. Are you saying you cant do that to help Sonya?I would do anything to help her Anything at heart my power, that is. And I dont think this is.I dont know, he speculated. Ive had a lot of time to talk to Jackie she lets me call her that, you know and Ive learned all about this human magic stuff. Theres a lot you can do with it.Its wrong, I grumbled.And yet here you are, with the ability to find Sonya. Adrian hesitated and then, reaching some decision, stepped toward me and rested his hands on my shoulders. Jackie told me that youre one of the most naturally gifted people shes ever encountered for this kind of stuff.She said that with a little practice, a spell like thisll be measure for you, and shes certain you can pull it off now. And I believe her. Not because I have proof youre magically clever but because Ive seen how you approach everything else. You wont fail at this. You dont fail at anything. I was so exhausted I thought I might cry. I wanted to fall forwar d and have him carry me out of here, like hed promised earlier. Thats the problem. I dont fail, but Im afraid I will now.I dont know what its like. And it terrifies me. Especially because Sonyas life depends on me.Adrian reached out and traced the lily on my cheek. You wont have to find out what its like tonight because you arent going to fail. You can do this. And Ill be here with you as long as it takes, okay?I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. Okay. I returned to my stool after he left and tried to overleap the fatigue in my body and mind. I thought about what hed said, about how I wouldnt fail. I thought about his credence in me. And most importantly, I thought about Sonya. I thought about how desperately I wanted to help her.All these things churned within me as I stared at the water, crystal clear debar for the hair floating in it. One red line against all that silver. It was like a spark of fire, a spark that grew brighter and brighter in my eyes until it took o n a more definite shape, a lap covering with stylized lines radiating from it. A sun, I realise. Someone had painted an orange sun onto a piece of plywood and hung it on a chain-link fence. Even with the shoddy canvas, the operative had gone to a lot of care in painting the sun, stylizing the rays and making sure the lengths were consistent with each other. The fence itself was terrible and industrial, and I caught sight of what looked like an turn on box hanging on it. The landscape painting was brown and barren, but mountains in the aloofness told me it was still the greater Palm Springs area. This was kind of like the area Wolfe lived in, outside of townsfolk and away from the pretty greenery. Through the fence, beyond the sign, I caught sight of a large, sprawling building OwThe vision vanished as my head hit the floor. I had fallen off the stool.I managed to sit up, but that was all I could do. The world was spinning, and my stomach felt queasy and empty. After what cou ld have been three seconds or three hours, I heard voices and footsteps. Strong arms caught hold of me, and Adrian helped me to my feet. I clung to the table while he picked the stool up and helped me sit back down. Ms. Terwilliger pushed the silver plate aside and replaced it with an ordinary kitchen plate filled with cheese and crackers. A crackpot of orange juice soon linked it.Here, she said. Eat these. Youll feel better.I was so disoriented and weak that I didnt even hesitate. I ate and drank as though I hadnt eaten in a week while Adrian and Ms. Terwilliger waited patiently. It was only when Id practically shell the plate clean that I realized what Id just consumed.Havarti and orange juice? I groaned. Thats too much fat and lucre for this time of night.Adrian scoffed. Glad to see theres no lasting damage.Get used to it if youre going to be using magic a lot, said Ms. Terwilliger. Spells can deplete you. Not unusual at all to have your blood sugar drop afterward. orange j uice will become your best friend.Ill never get used to it, seeing as Im not going to I gasped, as the images Id seen in the silver plate came tumbling back to me. Sonya I think I saw where shes at. I described what Id seen, though none of us had any clue about where or what this place might be.Youre sure it was like a regular sun? With rays? asked Adrian. Because I thought the hunters used that old Alchemist one the disperse and dot.They do, but this was definitely oh God. I looked up at Adrian. We have to get back to Amberwood. Right now.Not after that, said Ms. Terwilliger. She was using her stern teacher voice. That took more from you than I expected. Sleep here, and Ill make sure everythings cleared up with Desiree and the school tomorrow.No. I stood up and felt my legs start to buckle, but in the end, they held. Adrian put a supportive arm around me, distinctly not believing in my bodys recovery. I have to get back there. I think I know how we can find out where this pl ace is. Adrian was right that the sun Id just described wasnt the design that had been on the sword or brochure. twain of those had used the ancient symbol. The one in my vision was a more modern adaptation and this wasnt the first time Id seen it.The sun in my vision was an exact fight back for Treys tattoo.