Night World : Black Dawn Chapter 20

Maggie held Sylvia gently. Or at least, she knelt by her and tried to hold herasbest she could without disturbing the piece of broken spear that wasstill lodged in Sylvia's body. It was all over. Where Hunter Redfern and hismost trusted nobles had been, there was a large scorched crater in the earth. Maggie vaguely recalled seeing a few people running for the hillsGavin the slave trader had been among them. But Hunter hadn't been one of them. He had been at ground zero when the blue fire struck, and nowthere wasn't even a wisp of red hair to show thathe had existed. Except for Delos, there weren't any Night Peopleleft in the courtyard atall. The slaves were just barely peeking out againfrom their huts. â€Å"It's all right,† Jeanne was yelling. â€Å"Yeah, youheard me it's all right!Delos isn't dangerous. Notto us, anyway. Come on, you, get out of therewhat are you doing hiding behind that pig?† â€Å"She's good at this,† a grim voice murmured. Maggie looked up and saw a tall, gaunt figure,with a very small girl clasped to her side. â€Å"Laundress!† she said. â€Å"Oh, and PJ.-I'm so glad you're all right. But, Laundress, please†¦ .† The healing woman knelt. But even as she did, alook passed between her and Sylvia. Sylvia's facewas a strange, chalky color, with shadows thatlooked like bruises under her eyes. There was alittle blood at the corner of her mouth. â€Å"It's no good,† she said thickly. â€Å"She's right,† Laundress said bluntly. â€Å"There'snothing you can do to help this one, Deliverer, andnothing I can do, either.† â€Å"I'm not anybody's Deliverer,† Maggie said. Tearsprickled behind her eyes. â€Å"You could have fooled me,† Laundress said, andgot up again. â€Å"I see you sitting here, and I see allthe slaves over there, free. You came and it happened-the prophecies were fulfilled. If you didn'tdo it, it's a strange coincidence.† The look in her dark eyes, although as unsentimental as ever, made Maggie's cheeks burn suddenly. She looked back down at Sylvia. â€Å"But she's the one who saved us,† she said, hardlyaware that she was speaking out loud. â€Å"She deserves some kind of dignity†¦.† â€Å"She's not the only one who saved us,† a voicesaid quietly, and Maggie looked up gratefully atDelos. â€Å"No, you did, too.† â€Å"That's not what I meant,† he said, and kneltwhere Laundress had. One of his hands touched Maggie's shoulder lightly, but the other one wentto Sylvia's. â€Å"There's only one thing I can do to help you,† hesaid. â€Å"Do you want it?† â€Å"To become a vampire?† Sylvia's head movedslightly in a negative. â€Å"No. And since there's woodnext to my heart right now, I don't think it would work anyway.† Maggie gulped and looked at the spear, whichhad cracked in the confusion when the guards ran. â€Å"We could take it out – !† I wouldn't live through it. Give up for once, will you?† Sylvia's head moved slightly again in disgust. Maggie had to admire her, even dying, she still hadthe strength to be nasty. Witches were tough. â€Å"Listen,† Sylvia said, staring at her. â€Å"There'ssomething I want to tell you.† She drew a painfulbreath. â€Å"About your brother.† Maggie swallowed, braced to hear the terrible details â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"It really bugged me, you know? I would put on my nicest clothes, do my hair, we would go out †¦and then he'd talk about you.† Maggie blinked, utterly nonplussed. This wasn't at all what she had expected. â€Å"He would?† â€Å"About his sister.How brave she was. How smartshe was. How stubborn she was.† Maggie kept blinking. She'd heard Miles accuse her of lots of things, but never of being smart. Shefelt her eyelids prickle again and her throat swellpainfully. â€Å"He couldn't stand to hear a bad word about you,† Sylvia was saying. Her purple-shadowed eyes narrowed suddenly, the color of bittersweet nightshade. â€Å"And I hated you for that. But him †¦ I liked him.† Her voice was getting much weaker. Aradia knelton her other side and touched the shimmering silvery hair. â€Å"You don't have long,† she said quietly, as if giving a warning. Sylvia's eyes blinked once, as if to say she understood. Then she turned her eyes on Maggie. â€Å"I told Delos I killed him,† she whispered.†But †¦I lied.† Maggie felt her eyes fly open. Then all at onceher heart was beating so hard that it shook herentire body. â€Å"You didn'tkill him? He's alive?† â€Å"I wanted to punish him†¦ but I wanted himnear me, too†¦.† A wave of dizziness broke over Maggie. She bentover Sylvia, trying not to clutch at the slender shoulders. All she could see was Sylvia's pale face. â€Å"Please tell me what you did,† she whisperedwith passionate intensity. â€Å"Please tell me.† â€Å"I had him †¦ changed.† The musical voice wasonly a distant murmur now. â€Å"Made him a shapeshifter †¦ and added a spell. So he wouldn'tbe human again until I wanted †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"What kind of spell?† Aradia prompted quietly. Sylvia made a sound like the most faraway ofsighs. â€Å"Not anything that you need to deal with,Maiden†¦. Just take the leather band off his leg.He'll always be a shapeshifter †¦but he won't be lost to you†¦.† Suddenly her voice swelled up a little stronger,and Maggie realized that the bruised eyes werelooking at her with something like Sylvia's oldmalice. â€Å"You're so smart †¦ I'm sure you can figure outwhich animal †¦Ã¢â‚¬  After that a strange sound came out of herthroat, one that Maggie had never heard before.Somehow she knew without being told that itmeant Sylvia was dying-right then. The body in the green dress arched up once andwent still. Sylvia's head fell back. Her eyes, the color of tear-drenched violets, were open, staringup at the sky, but they seemed oddly flat. Aradia put a slender dark hand on the paleforehead. â€Å"Goddess of Life, receive this daughter of Hellewise,† she said in her soft, ageless voice. â€Å"Guideher to the other world.† She added, in a whisper,†She takes with her the blessing of all the witches.† Maggie looked up almost fearfully to see if theshining figure who had surrounded Aradia like anaura would come back. But all she saw was Aradia's beautiful face, with its smooth skin the color of coffee with cream and its compassionate blindgaze. Then Aradia gently moved her hand down to shutSylvia's eyes. Maggie clenched her teeth, but it was no use.She gasped once, and then somehow she was in the middle of sobbing violently, unable to stop it.But Delos's arms were around her, and she buriedher face in his neck, and that helped. When she gotcontrol of herself a few minutes later, she realizedthat in his arms she felt almost what she had inher dream, that inexpressible sense of peace and security. Of belonging, utterly. As long as her soulmate was alive, and they weretogether, she would be all right. Then she noticed that P.J. was pressed up againsther, too, and she let go of Delos to put one armaround the small shaking body. â€Å"You okay, kiddo?† she whispered. P.J. sniffed. â€Å"Yeah. I am, now. It's been prettyscary, but I'm glad it's over.† â€Å"And you know,† Jeanne said, looking down atSylvia with her hands on her hips, â€Å"that's how Iwant to go. Taking my own way out †¦ and totally pissing everybody off at the end.† Maggie glanced up, startled, and choked. Thenshe gurgled. Then she shook her head, and knewthat her crying spell was over. â€Å"I don't even know why I'm like this about her. She wasn't a nice person. I wanted to kill her myself.† â€Å"She was a person,† Delos said. Which, Maggie decided, was about the best summing-up anybody could provide. She realized that Jeanne and Laundress andDelos were looking at her intently, and that Aradia's face was turned her way. â€Å"Well?† Jeanne said. â€Å"Do you know? Which animal your brother is?† â€Å"Oh,†Maggie said. â€Å"I think so.† She looked at Delos. â€Å"Do you happen to knowwhat the name Gavin means? For a shapeshifter?Does it mean falcon?† His blacklashed golden eyes met hers. â€Å"Hawk orfalcon. Yes.† Warm pleasure filled Maggie. â€Å"Then I know,† she said simply. She stood up, and Delos came with her as if he belonged by her. â€Å"How can we find the falcon she had with her thatfirst day we met? When you were out with the hunting party?† â€Å"It should be in the mews,† Delos said. A fascinated crowd gathered behind them as theywent. Maggie recognized Old Mender, smiling and cackling, and Soaker, not looking frightened anymore, and Chamber-pot Emptier †¦ â€Å"We really need to get you guys some newnames,† she muttered. â€Å"Can you just pick one or something?† The big girl with the moon face and the gentleeyes smiled at her shyly. â€Å"I heard of a noble named Hortense once†¦ .† â€Å"That's good,† Maggie said, after just the slightestpause. â€Å"Yeah, that's great. I mean, comparatively.† They reached the mews, which was a dark littleroom near the stable, with perches all over thewalls. The falcons were upset and distracted, and the air was full of flapping wings. They all lookedalike to Maggie. â€Å"It would be a new bird,† Delos said. â€Å"I thinkmaybe that one. Is the falconer here?† While everyone milled around looking for him, Jeanne edged close to Maggie. â€Å"What I want to know is how you know. How didyou even know Gavin was a shapeshifter at all?† â€Å"I didn't-but it was sort of logical. After all, Bernwas one. They both seemed to have the same kind of senses. And Aradia said that Sylvia took care of Miles down at her apartment, and Bern and Gavinwere both there. So it seemed natural that maybeshe made one of them pass the curse along toMiles.† ‘But why did you figure Gavin was a falcon?† â€Å"I don't know,† Maggie said slowly. â€Å"I justwell,he looked a little bit like one. Sort of thin andgolden. But it was more things that happened-he got away from Delos and over to the hunting party too fast to have gone by ground. I didn't really think about it much then, but it must have stuckat the back of my mind.† Jeanne gave her a narrow sideways glance. â€Å"Stilldoesn't sound like enough.† â€Å"No-but mostly, it was that Milesjust had to bea falcon. It had to be something small-Sylviawould hardly be carrying a pigora tiger or a beararound with her up the mountain. And I saw herwith a falcon that first day. It was something she could keep near her, something that she could control. Something that was an-accessory. It just allmade sense.† Jeanne made a sound like hmph.†I still don'tthink you're a rocket scientist. I think you luckedout† Maggie turned as the crowd brought a little manwith a lean, shrewd face to her-Falconer. â€Å"Well,we don't know yet,† she murmured fervently. â€Å"ButI sure hope so.† The little man held up a bird. â€Å"This is the newone. Lady Sylvia said never to take the green bandoff his leg-but I've got a knife. Would you like todo it?† Maggie held her breath. She tried to keep herhand steady asshe carefully cut through the emerald green leather band, but her fingers trembled. The leather tie fell free-and for a moment hexheart stood still, because nothing happened. And then she saw it. The rippling changeasthebird's wings outstretched and thickened and thefeathers merged and swam†¦and then Falconerwas moving back, and a human form was takingshape†¦ . And then Miles was standing there, with his auburn hair shining red gold and his handsome,wicked smile He gave her the thumbs-up sign. â€Å"Hey, I knew you would rescue me. What arelittle sisters for?† he said-and then Maggie was inhis arms. It seemed a long time later that all the hugging and crying and explaining was done. The slavesthe ex-slaves, Maggie corrected herself-had begunto gather and organize themselves and make plans.Delos and Aradia had sent various messengers outof the valley. There were still things to be settled-months' andyears' worth of things. And Maggie knew that lifewould never be the same for her again. She would never be a normal schoolgirl. Her brother was a shapeshifter-well, at least itwas a form he could enjoy, she thought wryly. Hewas already talking to Jeanne about a new way ofgetting to the summits of mountains-with wings. Her soulmate was a Wild Power. Aradia had already told her what that meant. It meant that theywould have to be protected by the witches and Circle Daybreak until the time of darkness came andDelos was needed, so that the Night World didn'tkill them. And even if they survived until the final battle†¦it was going to be a tough one. Plus, she herself had changed forever. She feltshe owed something to the people of the valley,who were still calling her the Deliverer. She wouldhave to try to help them adjust to the Outside world. Her fate would be intertwined with theirsall her life. But just now, everybody wastalking about getting some food. â€Å"Come into the castle-all of you,† Delos saidsimply. He took Maggie's arm and started toward it. Justthen P.J. pointed to the sky, and there was an awed murmur from the crowd. â€Å"The sun!† It was true. Maggie looked up and was dazzled.In the smooth, pearly sky of the Dark Kingdom, in exactly the place where the blue fire had flashedfrom the earth, there was a little clearing in theclouds. The sun was shining through, chasing awaythe mist, turning the trees in the surrounding hillsemerald green. And glinting off the sleek black walls of the castlelikeamirror. A place of enchantment, Maggie thought, lookingaround in wonder. It really is beautiful here. Then she looked at the boy beside her. At hisdark hairjust now extremely tousled-and hissmooth fair skin, and his elegant bones. At themouth which was still a bit proud and willful, but was mostly vulnerable. And at those fearless, brilliant yellow eyes whichlooked back at her as if she were the most important thing in the universe. â€Å"I suppose that all prophecies come true by accident,† she said slowly and thoughtfully. â€Å"From just ordinary people trying and lucking out.† â€Å"There is nothingordinary about you,† Delossaid, and kissed her. Onefrom the land of kings long forgotten; One from the hearth which still holds the spark; One fromthe Day World where two eyes are watching; One fromthe twilight to be one with the dark.

Community Living Covenant Essay

Upon beginning a new chapter in my life and entering my first year of college, I have a strong desire to attend a school in which my Christian values will be respected, and also where I can learn and grow in my faith. Because my life already parallels the expectations set forth in the covenant, I do not feel living up to these standards will be difficult. In fact, I embrace the idea that I will be surrounded by others who hold the same morals and values that I do. In that sense, it will make the transition into college life a much easier one. I look forward to learning academically, as well as spiritually through the chapel services and Bible studies. Attending religious classes and mission trips is also an exciting prospect for me. Perhaps the only challenge that I can anticipate at this time is that of leaving the covenant upon graduation and entering into a secular world that does not always support my Christian way of life. However, I feel that the knowledge I gain from attending Point Loma will equip me with the skills necessary to contribute to society as well as maintain my relationship with Christ.

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Well, there is no doubt that life in villages is so beautiful, and very interesting indeed, but at the same we find that there are people who prefer to live in metropolitan cities and this is due to their lust of living in a modernized lifestyle. Anyway, to understand how these two different lifestyles differ, I will start by defining each lifestyle, therefore as to make it easy to understand the differences between them. LIVING IN A VILLAGE Many people tend to like this kind of a living, as it is a lifestyle which can be adored easily and thus it is believed that living in a village brings harmony and peace to yr mind. It is thoroughly known that a village is a place where communities dwell together, and this makes them know each other. In villages, people indulge themselves in many activities for a living, but mostly they farm, they keep tamed animals, and they even have poultry. This is because of most villages are far away from towns and cities. Anyway, in some places villages tend to be near some rivers or streams, thus making the villagers become fishermen as a way of a living. What makes living in a village so beautiful is the idea of living a lifestyle which is somehow primitive, but yet so healthy, because the environment there is not polluted, and the air is so fresh and full of pure oxygen. In villages people wake up early, as they sleep early. Early in the morning you hear the sounds of birds singing on trees , and the breezing winds whistle while they touch the leaves of the trees. Goats and cows graze the nearby prairies, or the grassy hills, while ducks and chickens roam around trying to find the morning worms in the warm soils. It is amazingly beautiful to just hear the sounds of nature around you. The other thing is that villagers tend to be more healthier than people who live in towns and cities, because the food they consume is basically from the crops they grow, so all the foods in villages are fresh and healthy. In villages, technology is something not commonly in use, as people stay in touch through being close to each other. At night , they stay together with a lamp, and old people tell the younger ones stories, till its time to go bed. Sometimes the only means of news is through the radio. The radio is the most commonly used technology amongst many villagers. Anyway, living in a village is something so beautiful and very sweet as it reminds you of how people used to live long time ago. Read more: City life vs village life essay LIVING IN A CITY Well, nowadays many people live in towns and cities, and this is mainly because of the search for better work opportunities. It is obvious that in cities life is very hard, tough and very stressful, and this is because of the metropolitan way of lifestyle. In cities, people don’t know each other, as it is obviously known that cities are dwelling places for hundreds of thousands of people and in some cities millions . So this makes it hard for people to know each other in such an environment. People in cities are always seen to be busy as life there is like that. Stress and hypertension are very common among people who live in cities, and this is because of the long working hours. However, technology, in cities is a common thing as people their tend to be a normal thing and everywhere they go they find themselves within these technologies, i.e., in schools, banks, working places e.t.c. Somehow, this is a nice thing as it is well known that technology makes things be easier and faster. The other thing which is very common in a city lifestyle, is the need for faster foods, as many food outlets there are in the service of providing such kinds of foods, but on the other hand, these kinds of foods are well known for the negative setbacks as we all know that these foods are tremendously unhealthy. Pollution is also a big problem there, fumes of poisonous gases coming from industries, and cars also play a role for the environment to be polluted. So this brings the lack of pure fresh air roaming around, and therefore many dangerous lung diseases become common to many city dwellers. Noise is also a big problem for people living in cities, the sounds of jam traffics and noisy industries are very common in cities. Anyway, we all know that cities are places where education is on high peaks, because the level of education in cities is based on high technologies. There are also things which are good in this kind of a lifestyle, there are many luxurious things to do, like in the entertainment fields. Cinemas, beautiful parks, fun places, and many other things which are very common in cities. WHERE I PREFER TO LIVE Well, truly speaking I prefer living in a village, because am the kind of a person who likes the sounds of nature, and the easy way of a lifestyle, and the reason is that I don’t like living in crowded places and the noisy sounds of cars and industries. Anyway, this is what I prefer and I know that many others prefer living in cities.

Cultural and Intercultural Communication Practices Essay - 1

Cultural and Intercultural Communication Practices - Essay Example   Starting with low context, this theory can be described as cultures where it is more important to communicate to the masses versus a specific population. For example, the United States of American and the United Kingdom are countries that considered low context groups due to their standard form of communication style and tone. In these countries, communication is done in the context of messages to a large population versus a specialized group. With this understanding, low context culture is also known to communicate through words and verbal cues versus allowing people to make their own inferences through the context of a given scenario or event. Because of these aspects, people in low context cultures tend to be more logical, individualistic, action-oriented and linear than those in high context cultures (Marin n.d.). Low context communication is expected to be concise and straightforward so there is little room for error when listening to communication messages. While low contex t cultures center on large populations, a high context culture focuses on types of communication messages that are specific to a certain group within the culture. With the purpose of high context cultures being to communicate specifically between specialized groups within a culture, people have a lot more opportunity to use their own inferences to make decisions and gather information versus those in a low context culture. Examples of high context cultures include France, China, Japan, Russia and India.

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Applied data management - Essay Example The steps for quality assurance of data included maintain electronic records backed by registers, reviewing the records on a periodic basis and validating the records. The compliance with the set standards was effected with the help of a feedback system both internal and external to the organization. It has been evaluated that the research findings indicate the role of information provided by the consultants as well as the customers in identifying the gaps in the process of quality assurance. This information allows the company to take necessary steps in filling the identified gaps in the system and achieve the desired benchmark standards recommended under the Quality Assurance Procedures. The action of quality control is a part of the quality assurance strategy that focused on producing outputs which are in line with the set standards. The highest standard of data management helped the company to provide excellent services to the customers and in the process meet the expectations of the customers. When the customer service exceeded the desired expectation, the standards of data management were raised in the process. The evaluation of the reports suggests the contribution of quality assurance strategy in data management to achieve continuous improvement by leveraging on technology, recycling of wastes, optimal utilization of resources, etc. Benefits of Quality Assurance Procedures The Quality Assurance Procedures in the company helped to put in place, a systematic sequence of activities that are aimed at improving the standard of operations, the presence of a feedback loop aimed to provide inputs on the prevailing gaps between the actual activities and the set standards. The benefits of the Quality Assurance Procedures are also applicable in the field of storage and maintenance of documents in the company and it largely impacts the way in which the documents are produced by the members of the company. The series of systematic activities under the Quality Assura nce Strategy provides the members a plan of action for developing and implementing the best standards of maintenance of documents in the company and improving on the quality control stage for removing the errors in the process (Chorafas, 2012, p.49). This internal activity of the company helps the members to deliver excellent level of professional services to the customers who form the external environment. The members are able to meet the expectations of the customers through data maintenance and service delivery of the highest quality. The point at which the members are able to apply the data management techniques at a level that exceeds the customer’s expectations, the company would be able to better the standards of data management on a higher scale. The various standard practices of keeping back-up data for electronic records, reviewing the data on a periodic basis and updating the records, retaining documents and completing service delivery within a finite duration, val idating the recorded data are all important data management techniques that would help the company to provide high quality of customer service on a timely basis (Watson, 2008, p.41). The Quality Assur

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The Managerial Aspects B2B E-Commerce - Research Paper Example The most effective method of discussion and understanding the multitudes of studies conducted on sales and marking the inclusion of theories and technology would be in the fact that we must first divide the process into manageable segments. Those pieces include divisions between retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers and through corporate operations. The vast majority of the literature would be concentrated from the year 2000 through to the present, more than likely as advances in computer and other electronic technology has managed leaps and bounds in both affordability and availability. This is especially true for markets across the country. The several research pieces brought into this literature review would in fact be between the years 2000 and 2006 and would focus on the ability for technological innovation of E-commerce and its effects on supply chain management to enhance sales and marking in a variety of sales and marking settings in general and specifically on the industr y of security relating to E-commerce. (Mentzer, 2001) One recognizable difference would be in the fact that literature which remains in the time span since the turn of the century would, in fact, be the speed, the accessibility and the overall development of systems and the internet itself. (Nissanoff, 2006) These elements, as they become more and more integrated into daily life outside of the consumers must be both understood by management and integrated into their sales and marking processes and procedures to keep the potential customers as well as the managements current in their information capacities.

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Global Warming and Agriculture - Essay Example Biologists believe that the agriculture practices represent a very carefully designed natural pattern in which the production is limited by a specific amount of natural growth. If these limits were pushed too far beyond, their natural allowance then, the cycle would be destroyed leading to a decline in productivity in general. However, with the increase in global warming, and drastic undefined climate change and decrease in agricultural produce proves the dilemma that both the variables work negative to each other, (negative correlation) and shows how vulnerable the entire system is upon the external changes such as the climate. Thus, it destroys the basic concept of sustainable agriculture, as this system was supposed to have an â€Å"adaptive capacity, as the ability to adjust to climate change, to moderate potential damages, to take advantages of opportunities, or to cope with the consequences† (McCarthy et al., 2001). Climate is the most significant variable of agriculture, whose even the slightest variability has pertinent effects upon the crop produce. The climate may have a stronger impact through indirect factors such as soil, water and terrain which influence the yield are actually produces of the weather conditions, and even slight variability in it, can have a massive impact upon the crop yields, which might be positive or negative, but certainly varying the regular pattern of production. Sustainability was the idea, which wanted to enhance the economic development of the world, in lure of the future generations. The ecologists were concerned with the increasing soil erosion, water depravity and its contamination, pest attacks and their immunity to chemicals, and foremost the social and economic equity all arising t and from the lack of production and its increasing variability. Ecologists worldwide through the analysis of historical data of crop yield suggest that mankind had through decades

A Theoretical and Conceptual Critique of chapter 5 from Jeffreys. S Essay

A Theoretical and Conceptual Critique of chapter 5 from Jeffreys. S. 1997. The idea of prostitution. Spinifex. Melbourne - Essay Example Other countries consider it a misdemeanour and still others regard it as a crime punishable by death. Despite the laws made to control or regulate the process of prostitution, the idea itself and the associated questions of choice as well as empowerment remain unanswered. It is therefore important to understand the idea to appreciate the social impact of prostitution. Jeffreys (1997) discusses this idea at length and also presents several different viewpoints as well as his own about prostitution being a choice which women are allowed to make in this time and age since they should have control over their own bodies. This choices comes with the understanding that the business they are about to enter may have its own consequences and if the governments of their location recognize the issues surrounding their problems it would be beneficial for all concerned parties. For example, if the government can regulate the process and even gain tax benefits from legalized prostitution there may be a net positive social impact of the practice. Jeffreys compares the choice of prostitution with other choices that women may make in this time and age. For example, he mentions â€Å"reproductive surrogacy and breast implants (Jeffreys, 1997, pg. 130)†, as two choices which women are allowed to make without too many questions being asked which leads us to consider prostitution as an active choice as well. However, the idea of making prostitution a choice comes with a dangerous connotation of not drawing the line anywhere at all. For instance, a person may say that taking cocaine is a choice, using marijuana is a choice even child pornography and paedophilia is a choice. In absolute terms, they may be choices indeed since many people choose not to indulge in those activities even if they have the opportunity to do so but the choice is a conscious choice since they know what impact their actions can have on themselves and society as

Two Items on the Same Desk Essay Example for Free

Two Items on the Same Desk Essay The first six weeks of school are always a joy . They are the spring time of teaching. The last six weeks? Those weeks can be, in the immortal words of Thomas Paine, â€Å"The times that try mens souls.† Those are the days when teachers consider retirement regardless of whether theyve been teaching for three years or thirty. Mr. Hemphill was nearing the 30 year mark. Today Mr. Hemphill, as students always called him to his face, felt more like the â€Å"old Mr. Hemphill† he knew students often called him behind his back. Not quite 60, his friends, all of whom referred to him as just â€Å"Bob,† often commented on how young and fit he appeared for a man his age. To the high school students at Olympus High he was ancient. Ninety percent of the other teachers were youngsters under 40, most under thirty. â€Å"How old are you?† he was often asked. â€Å"Older than you can imagine,† hed reply. â€Å"I used to teach Shakespeare.† â€Å"You still teach it; we read Romeo and Juliet first semester.† â€Å"No, no,† he would grin. â€Å"I used to teach Shakespeare the MAN. Thats why he uses so many puns in his plays.† Mr. Hemphill never gave a quiz or test without including a bonus question, always a pun of some kind. He didnt feel very punny today. He just felt tired, weary to the bone. On his now cleared, moments earlier cluttered desk, were two items. The first was the true source of his fatigue. Seventh (the final) period of his day Mr. Hemphill had been doing his best to lead a literary discussion with a class of 38 students. Most of them hadn’t read the mere seven pages of the novel hed assigned for homework and upon which the discussion was about. Suddenly a piece of paper floated into the air from somewhere in the middle of the room, and past three or four desks. It lighted softly as a tiny bird at his feet. He picked it up. The paper, which had floated like a bird, was as welcome to Mr. Hemphill as bird poop. Indeed, the less euphemistic form of the word â€Å"poop† came to mind as he saw what was on the paper. In graphic, splendidly detailed tagger art color was a picture of a penis and scrotum on a skateboard. Mr. Hemphill commented on the quality of the art and expressed his wish that the author would channel his obvious talents in a more productive manner. What he almost said was that the artist must surely have spent hours and hours studying and handling his subject in order to depict it so 2. accurately. He didnt say it however because Mr. Hemphill in his core saw himself as a professional. His clothes, though not expensive, were ironed and neat, his shoes polished. The years hed spent in front of classrooms had taught him losing his temper was not professional. More importantly, it did you no good. He had taken a copy of the paper to the vice principal with the names of those he was certain were responsible. To the class as a whole he expressed his disappointment that some of them who had such grand potential for greatness were choosing to waste it on depravity. He meant it too and said it with great sincerity. A few looked as if they agreed with him. Several others, and probably the ones responsible, snickered albeit surreptitiously. â€Å"They think Im just an old, old guy from another planet,† he thought at the time. When he looked at the item now he felt disappointment once again, and anger, most definitely, and hurt. For some reason it definitely hurt. Of course it most likely had not been meant for him. It had a boys name on it, Nick ________, and it was likely a gang thing. When a gang member gives a guy a picture of a male private part it is a message. Hes calling the guy out, insulting him, asking him what hes going to do about it. Sometimes a gang guy draws a picture of the female equivalent. That is a worse insult, and implies the recipient wont or cant do anything about it because he’s just a P______. â€Å"Dont judge these guys† Mr. Hemphill told himself. â€Å"You dont know what the house or apartment they go home to is like. You dont know whats been done to them, what happens on their block, in their hood every day.† â€Å"Now why did they pose the penis on a skateboard?† he asked himself. The skateboard could be said to add an element of humor to the drawing. Humor to the deprived and ignorant who felt any fellow who farted was funny. But humor reflects that there is humanity somewhere in there. Maybe divinity too? Mr. Hemphill shrugged, and sighed, and turned the distasteful drawing over. Next to it was a letter from a former student, Sean. Hed found Mr. Hemphill earlier that day at break and came up to him to give him the letter. The letter wasnt to Mr. Hemphill. It was a letter to a college he was applying to. He was supposed to tell the college a little about himself and why he would be a great student to accept. Though the letter wasnt to Mr. Hemphill, the first half of it was all about him. â€Å"I owe my knowledge and ever-lasting developing love of the Literary Arts to Mr. Hemphill† the letter said. â€Å"He taught me the power stories have, and helped me learn the basic skills every writer needs. Because of him hopefully I will be able one day to consider myself a successful screen writer.† Mr. Hemphill re-read those lines three times savoring every word. He remembered Sean as he had looked as a freshmen. Short, pudgy, big glasses. It was a clichà © perhaps, but at first glance Mr. 3. Hemphill had thought that if he had a book of slang and looked up the word, â€Å"nerd† Seans photo would be beside the definition. He was smart and determined and wanted to learn. Sean wasnt as short or pudgy any more. He was starting to look like a handsome, confident young man. He would come into his own in college. â€Å"I didnt teach him anything, not really,† Mr. Hemphill reflected, â€Å"I just steered him a little.† What were the odds of receiving both these items on the same day? Mr. Hemphill remembered the year hed had Sean, his freshmen year. In the fall while he was absent and had a sub, some students who werent his students came to his fourth period pretending to be his students. Two of them distracted the substitute while the others stole some things off and in his desk. Somebody even snatched a big Muhammad Ali poster hed had on the wall for years. â€Å"Im so fast when I turn off the light switch on the wall, I can go jump into bed before its dark!† Ali said on the poster. Hemphill had used it for years to instruct students about hyperbole, and pride. The worst thing about the incident was that they took his pencil can. It wasnt worth anything, but it was something his oldest daughter had made for him when she was in kindergarten or first grade. Shed put paper around a small can and drawn hearts all over it, and it said, â€Å"I love you daddy† on it. Hemphill kept it on his desk with pencils in it for years. Every time he looked at it he remembered the way his Samantha, now a young mother, had looked the day she gave it to him. Why had they stolen that? Eventually the guilty students got ratted out and punished, but the stolen items were forever lost. Spring of that same year in his sixth period students got together and bought him a big brand new Muhammad Ali poster, nicer than the other one. They had gotten a card and all the students signed it and presented it to him during finals week. Those were the worst and the best things students had ever done to or for Mr. Hemphill throughout his whole career. They had happened during the same school year. These two items on the desk happened during the same school day. Looking at the two items, the gross picture and the letter were a dà ©jà  vu of that previous school year. The two items in a way represented of all the days and all the years he had been a public school teacher. How many of his students’ fathers had pencil can mementos on their desks? How many of his students, if asked to write an essay or a quick write about a hero, someone they admired, would turn in a blank sheet of paper? He remembered that he had asked to go to this school in this part of town. He’d started out at Capital High where students came from the town’s nicer neighborhoods and most of the parents had jobs. Innocent and idealistic, he’d wanted to go where he could combat ignorance and be a â€Å"light in the darkness.† After 30 years the idealism still smoldered in his heart. When that flame went out it would be time to quit. 4. Mr. Hemphill pushed himself away from his desk. Along the side wall uncorrected papers mounted up in little baskets. They would have to wait. He was too tired today to correct papers. Mr. Hemphill walked to the back window. There he looked out at the blue sky. He placed his hand over his heart, and then flung the hand outward like a fishermen who has just cleaned a fish and then flings the raw guts out into the open sea. It was a ritual started when his kids were small, a way to not carry the cares of the day home in the evening. Then he went home. He looked forward to kissing his wife and listening to his youngest daughter, a high school senior, tell him about her day. When he left the room one of the items on his desk was now in the waste basket beside the door. The other was inside his grade book tucked under his arm, gripped tightly beside his heart.

Classical influences in federalist papers-Madison Essay Example for Free

Classical influences in federalist papers-Madison Essay James Madison was the fourth President of the United States and was honored with the title of ‘Father of the American Constitution. ’ Madison is the epitome of intellectual forces, which came together in American politics by the end of the eighteenth century. Bernard Bailyn has hypothesized that the classics in colonial America was ‘illustrative, not determinative of thought. ’ To defy this notion and explain Madison’s ability to perform the role of an architect of a system that successfully integrated political and philosophical views, an assessment of Madison’s life and education will be important. A complex synthesis of classical, modern, philosophical, and rational thought has been revealed by the foundation of the American Republic, as well as, the impact of classical antiquity that was considered thoughtfully. In this regard, a combined political wisdom of thousands of years of human experience was reflected by the implementation of the abovementioned complex synthesis for the formation of a system of government. Simplistic theories of interpretation have been defied by a degree of reflection and contemplation that completed that republican government, which is accounted as one of the most purposefully design by the history of mankind. In two years, after the completion of his first year’s exams, the degree was finished by the Madison in English, Greek, mathematics, and Latin. During this time, Reverend John Witherspoon considered Madison as one of his favorite students, and it was an honor as the Reverend was the president of the college. Employing a syllabus that was classical and Christian Witherspoon taught Madison moral philosophies which greatly affected him for the rest of his life. Tangible manifestation in the Federalist Papers was found by the ability of Madison regarding the classical, as well as, modern political philosophy, which was often referred as quasi-Calvinist cognizance. Wherein the plan for a fractured government was described and advocated by Madison. In addition, any individual person or entity sought precluding of usurpation of the power of governance. This theological system of belief also reveals itself in an existing political philosophy. As per the political thinking of the Calvinist, the grace of God is responsible for all the authority. In this regard, due rights are received by both authority and liberty, when the relation between the citizens and rulers is standardized unbridled authority on the part of rulers lead to despotism, autocracy, and tyranny; unbridled liberty on the part of citizens generates into license, revolution, and anarchy. License, anarchy, and revolution have been generated by the unbridled liberty on the part of the citizens. Stewards from the God are found in the rulers, as proper constitution is formed in the government according to the principles of Calvinism. For God’s sake, the highest motives are considered for the obeying of the rulers by the citizens. An example for the understanding of development of the political, classical, and philosophical amalgamation for the debates that were performed during the formation of the American Constitution was presented by a strong proponent of the classics, Calvinist, and the Scottish Enlightenment Witherspoon. The diverse approach of Witherspoon to education provides an important explanation for understanding Madison’s talent of successfully merging classical and modern political theory into a feasible plan for a secure democratic state. In other words, an extensive intellectual focus was maintained by Witherspoon, by which, discordant philosophical, as well as, theological concepts were blended into an educational program effectively and coherently. When Madison came into politics his instant tasks were clear, first he wanted to put up a proposal for a democratic republican government acceptable to the representative body at the Constitutional Convention, and second, to assure the ratification of the proposed Constitution. From an extensive view point, Madison wanted to produce a classic dissertation on the American system of government, which would enlighten future generations about democratic republicanism. Madison was able to attain both of these goals through one channel and that was The Federalist Papers. This information helps in understanding how extensive knowledge of the classics was acknowledged by Madison and the other two authors. In Federalist no. 14 Madison presents a question, which can function as a good outline of his approach concerning the issue of the significance of the classics to the American people: It has been the glory of American people, as a blind veneration for antiquity, custom, knowledge, experience’s lessons, and objections of their senses has not been suffered by them, as the opinions of former times, as well as, other nations have been paid with a decent regard by these people. The Federalist has considered this thinking approach an obvious thing, since ancients have been referenced frequently by Madison, and their strengths and weaknesses have been borne in mind. When Thomas Jefferson sent the published texts of Polybius from France, the issues of the proposed government were considered by Madison, while positive and negative examples were considered and utilized from the ancient sources by him. Therefore Madison opposes the objections of people who mention the example of Ancient Greece as a sign of un-workability of a permanent republic. He argues that Greece was a democratic system that was often confused with a republic; Madison distinguishes between the two by mentioning that a democracy requires the people to be in assembly in order to carry out the business of the state, whereas a republic requires only the assembly of legislative body to work effectively. Hence he includes both democratic and republican doctrines in his government blueprint. The importance of the classics in the American Republic origin was demonstrated by the evaluation of specific sections comprising of papers of the Federalist, and specifically, the Madison. In addition, classical antiquity’s major references were also included in these sections as mentioned before, Madison frequently opted for classical tradition method to convey his political message, yet Madison often referred to antiquity as a negative prototype for a political culture. One area in which Montesquieu’s political philosophy complements Madison’s tactic is the issue of religion. After historical bigotry of the religion was criticized, and trade was meddled with it, it was commented by him that when the established religion satisfied the state, the establishment of another religion is not allowed. In this regard, establishment of any state religion was banned by the framers of the Constitution. Few smart and wise individuals should be communicated with the important political truths for their wise implementation, which was provided by the writings of the political philosopher, as the relationship between the political community and philosophy was considered as volatile. At the same time, harmful truths were concealed from these individuals by these writings as well. This concept was well aware by the student of Montesquieu, Madison. In the result, the classical and modern political philosophy was concealed by the furthering of his project. In this sense, the role of a crucial link in the chain of thoughts of the Romans and Greeks was played by the Madison, who was served by the Montesquieu. Classics are where Madison’s popular audience was at a majority and this is one fact that he used to his benefit in writing The Federalist Papers. In addition, major references to classical antiquity were contained in six out of eighty-five of the Federalist Papers. Passing references and explicit references regarding the specific indebtedness with a clear sign were contained in the twenty-three Federalist Papers. If these facts are considered, the link between classical antiquity and the origins of the American Republic appears to ignore a serious question. Mark Diamond states that the most immediate kind of political work was the Federalist, which was a piece of campaign propaganda. In addition, a view to the permanence of its argument was also provided to thoughtful men. The widest electorate was at once addressed by it, but able and educated men were also considered, by whom, the fate of the Constitution could be determined. Short-term objective was accomplished by the Federalist, in which, public opinion had to be influence with the relation of political system of the United States. Federalist As mentioned before, the people of New York were persuaded by the publishing of the Federalist for the ratification of the Constitution. It also made an attempt to elucidate different provisions of the Constitution and to enlighten the people by giving reasons, as to why other provisions like bill of rights had been excluded. It was argued by the Publius that an exceptional opportunity of reason and choice had by the Americans for the creation of own type of government. In contrast, earlier constitutions were determined by the chance of force. Publius argued that the Constitution shaped a republican style of government which was effective and sound in nature, but yet was controlled by checks and balances.

Pay Roll System Project Proposal Computer Science Essay

Pay Roll System Project Proposal Computer Science Essay Visual Basic was one of the first languages along with Paradox and Dbase designed to take advantage of GUI interfaces with visual programming in mind. We can build the menus, forms and reports of a program by visual drag and drop operations. Then complete the coding by filling in the skeleton programs developed during prototyping of the programs interface. Coding VB pioneered the use of standard 3rd party components such as VBX and now ActiveX. 6 8.2 Java 6 1 TITLE Payroll system 2 CUSTOMER SMITH News Agent, Watford. 3 BACKGROUND/OVERVIEW In Smith news agent, they are doing paper work calculation for employees monthly salary. And they are maintaining all employees details and salary details in paper works. They have to keep all details for long time for shop purpose. It takes long time to do all employees salary calculation. To solve the entire problem I decide to develop a system for payroll. All data are going to store in a database and all calculation is going to calculate by system. 4 MAIN FUNCTIONS OF THE SYSTEM In the system, Manager or Assistant Manager can login as an administrator. They can add employee details like First Name, Last Name, Address, Phone No, NI number, Bank Details, Tax Code, etc. For salary calculation they can enter employees working hours for that month. If they want they can add bonus also. Automatically the system will calculate the salary and it will generate the reports. Administrator can view and print the reports and details and if they want they can delete the employees details. 5 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM In Tax Code, there are two type of Tax Code in using. Those are: 5.1 Tax Codes end with a letter This Tax Code is made up of several numbers and a letter. This type of Tax Code is called Suffix codes. For example: 647L, 375K, etc (paypershop, nd). 5.2 Other Tax Codes This Tax Code has two letters. There is no Number or is the letter D followed by a Zero For example: BR, D0, and NT (direct, nd). In payment type, they are paying regular hours, bank holiday hours and holiday hours. They are not paying for sick hours. 6 SOLUTIONS FOR PROBLEM STATEMENT For Tax Code problem, I am going to use second type of Tax Code method (Other Tax Codes). For payment type problem, I am going to add a column called Pay Type. When they enter working hours they can select what type of working hours. For example: REG Regular BH Bank Holiday SICK Sickness Hours 7 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 7.1 AIMS The main aim of the project is to develop a system to store employees all details and working hours. The system has to calculate the payment and tax. The system also generates the reports. 7.2 OBJECTIVES To understand the current system I went to Smith news agent (my customer) store and met the manager. I collected the details about how they are doing current salary calculation and how they are keeping are records. It is unstructured interviews. To study a similar system I went to Dowson house hotel and met the manager. I got some details about how their current system working, how they are calculating the payment and tax and how they are storing their employees detail. To study about Unified Modelling Language(UML) It is help to create the logical design of the System. For e.g. Activity diagram, Use case diagram, Class diagram. To study about programming languages Java, Visual Basic.Net To study database applications Oracle, Mysql Design the system Testing and implementation Test the system and make sure it works according to the customers requirements, which includes verification and validation. Install the developed system in store. And train the manager and assistant manager. Get feedback from the manager and assistant manager. Make any change if they want changes or new features. 8 Literature review 8.1 Visual Basic.Net Visual Basic was one of the first languages along with Paradox and Dbase designed to take advantage of GUI interfaces with visual programming in mind. We can build the menus, forms and reports of a program by visual drag and drop operations. Then complete the coding by filling in the skeleton programs developed during prototyping of the programs interface. Coding VB pioneered the use of standard 3rd party components such as VBX and now ActiveX. Now, VB.NET has many new and improved language features. The .NET framework comes with ADO.NET, which follows the disconnected paradigm, i.e. once the required records are fetched the connection no longer exists. Error handling has changed in VB.NET. A new Try-Catch-Finally block has been introduced to handle errors and exceptions as a unit, allowing appropriate action to be taken at the place the error occurred thus discouraging the use of ON ERROR GOTO statement. Security has become more robust in VB.NET. In addition to the role-based security in VB6, VB.NET comes with a new security model, Code Access security (David, Chittibabu 2004). 8.2 Java Java was designed to be easy to use. Therefore it is easy to write, compile, debug, and learn than other programming languages. Java is object-oriented because programming in Java is cantered on creating objects, manipulating objects, and making objects work together. This allows you to create modular programs and reusable code. One of the most significant advantages of Java is its ability to move easily from one computer system to another. The ability to run the same program on many different systems is crucial to World Wide Web software, and Java succeeds at this by being platform-independent at both the source and binary levels. Java is one of the first programming languages to consider security as part of its design. The Java language, compiler, interpreter, and runtime environment were each developed with security in mind. In Java, multithreaded programming has been smoothly integrated into it, while in other languages, operating system-specific procedures have to be called in order to enable multithreading. Multithreading is a necessity in visual and network programming (Herbert 2007). 8.3 My Front End GUI After a lot of research I was decided to use VB.Net for my front end GUI. There are some good features in VB.Net. For example, we can build the menus, forms and reports of a program by visual drag and drop operations. Then we have to complete the coding. Like these there are lot of features. Why I did not chose the java? There are lot drawbacks. Java language programs runs on a virtual machine. Therefore it runs slowly and it takes more memory-consuming. In java, No separation of specification from implementation and No preconditions and post conditions. And Exceptions not caught within a method must be declared as thrown by that method. The default look and feel of GUI applications written in Java using the Swing toolkit is very different from native applications. 8.4 ORACLE (PL/SQL) Oracle is the No 1 database and has the most advanced feature set. Oracle is made up of a set of processes running in our operating system. Oracle database system has the following properties: Atomicity: That is Results of a transactions execution are either all committed or all rolled back. Consistency: The database is transformed from one valid state to another valid state. Illegal transactions arent allowed and, if an integrity constraint cant be satisfied then the transaction is rolled back. Isolation: The results of a transaction are invisible to other transactions until the transaction is complete thus increasing the security on data. Durability: Once committed (completed), the results of a transaction are permanent and survive future system and media failures and thus ensuring maintenance and protection of data (Steven, Bill 2005). We are using PL/SQL (procedural SQL) language to use the Oracle. With PL/SQL, we can use SQL statements to manipulate Oracle data and flow-of-control statements to process the data. Moreover, we can declare constants and variables, define procedures and functions, and trap runtime errors. PL/SQL is a block-structured language. A PL/SQL block has three parts: a declarative part, an executable part, and an exception-handling part (In PL/SQL, a warning or error condition is called an exception). 8.5 MySQL MySQL is open source Relational DataBase Management System (RDBMS). It is using Structured Query Language (SQL). The Mysql has lot of advantages. It is available on many different operating systems. We can use in different platform. It is free to use for personal, private, or development use. It is using Indexes like primary key index and unique index to avoid duplicate row data. We have the opportunity to optimize searching against even large amounts of text located in any field indexed as such. 8.6 My Back End I decided to use Oracle (PL/SQL) to use back end. In oracle, lot of advantages are there. PL/SQL makes it easy to detect and process predefined and user-defined error conditions called exceptions. Anonymous PL/SQL blocks can be embedded in an Oracle Pre-compiler. And one of the main advantages is recent version (10g) oracle has the concept of Flashback technology. Flashback provides an Efficient recovery from human errors Faster database recovery Helps in simplifying the management and administration processes Why I was rejected the MySQL? There are some drawbacks. The indexes take up disk space. Normally the space usage is not significant, but because of creating index on every column in every possible combination, the index file would grow much more quickly than the data file. In the case when a table is of large table size, the index file could reach the operating systems maximum file size. The indexes slow down the speed of writing queries, such as INSERT, UPDATE and DELETE. Because MySQL has to internally maintain the pointers to the inserted rows in the actual data file.

Handmaids Tale Vs. Fire Dwelle :: essays research papers fc

In the two books Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, and Margaret Laurence’s The Fire Dweller’s, the protagonists are very different in character. However, both of these women lost their identity due to an outside influence. In each of the books we see the nature of the lost identity, the circumstances which led to this lost identity and the consequences which occurred as a result of this lost identity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the book The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood our main character (Offred) has had her whole world stolen away by the government of Gilead. This new society is sexually repressed, and is founded by religious extremists. Women are only used to produce children, and have no rights at all in the new world of Gilead.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the book The Fire Dwellers by Margaret Laurence our main character Stacey MacAindra has been thrown into a life of responsibility. She has an uncommunicative husband who means well, but shows her no love. And four children who she feels are being ruined by her every action. She feels that life has much more to offer than the tediousness of every day routine.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The nature of Offred’s lost identity is very drastic. Before the new religious group of Gilead took over the world she was a very normal every day woman. She did what was expected of her time and continued to do so after the take over. She had a husband and a daughter who she loved very much. But the new society which she lives in love is not permitted. “ If I thought that this would happen again I would die. But this is wrong, nobody dies from lack of sex. It’s lack of love we die from. There’s nobody here I can love, all the people I could love are dead or elsewhere'; . Offred also had the choice of free will before her civilization changed. But then slowly women began to lose all of their rights and were no longer allowed to have jobs or even to use money,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  “Sorry, he said. This number is not valid.';   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  “That’s ridiculous, I said. It must be, I’ve got thousands in my account.';   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  “It’s not valid, he repeated obstinately. See that red light? Means it’s not   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  valid,';(p.164). “In the days of anarchy, it was freedom to. Now you are being given freedom from'; (p.24). Social class was not a racial matter before the take over; and each individual was treated equally.

Immigration and America :: Immigrants Emigration Essays

Immigration and America Many modern textbooks state that Christopher Columbus â€Å"found† America in 1492. Taken literally, this statement is obviously false. Many geologists will concur that the lands of the world have been in existence for billions of years. More pertinent to the discussion of American history, learned researchers will concur that there is proven fact that humans lived on the land now called America for thousands of years before the name Columbus reached the Western world. Over 37 million people from Europe, 6 million from Asia, and 10 million from the rest of the world have immigrated to the United States since 1820.[1] In essence almost all â€Å"Americans† are descended in some part from immigrants to the New World. The tossed salad that is America is made great because of the variety of ideas from foreign lands. Immigration is crucial to American success because of the extreme scope of thought contained within America and the acceptance of the world as a whole immigration brings. The success of America is based largely on the wide variety of thought brought to the New World. Multiple accounts describe the trials of immigrants attempting to gain a new lifestyle within America for one or more of a host of reasons. Many of these accounts detail a case in which the immigrant is able to become successful within a self-owned business or create a new idea for the good of the country and the world. Examples of this set of circumstances are plentiful. One such case is Samuel Slater.[2] His careful study of European mills proved very useful upon entrance in America. After building his own mill, America rose to become one of the world’s top producers of manufactured goods. Another valuable example is Andrew Carnegie of Carnegie Steel Corporation. Carnegie, a Scottish immigrant, came to America and first found work as a bookkeeper. He then progressed up the ranks of multiple companies and eventually started a steel business in Pennsylvania, later to become one of the most lucrative businesses in American history. Carnegie’s drive and determination after coming to the New World were outstanding and were voiced within his Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie. â€Å"There was scarcely a minute in which I could not learn something or find out how much there was to learn and how little I knew.

Code Switching in Language Acquisition Essay -- English Language Essay

Code Switching in Language Acquisition The acquisition of English as a non-native language proves quite problematic for some individuals. Because English was developed using modifications and borrowed words from scores of fundamentally different languages, it would seem to be a language which most peoples of the world could easily acquire. There should always be something about the language and structure that reflects an individual’s native tongue – whether it be phonology, syntax, or semantics. However, the very fact that English incorporates an international lexicon with the respective varied syntactical applications makes English a fairly difficult language to acquire. Research by Cummins (1987) focuses on the length of time needed to acquire English. To achieve the Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) level, a learner must study English from one to two years. However, to acquire the higher Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP), it takes five to seven years. In the acquisition of English, a normal linguistic behavior is the embedding of words or phrases from the native language into spoken English. This is called code switching. â€Å"Baker (1993) lists 10 purposes for code switches: (1) to emphasize a point, (2) because a word is unknown in one of the languages, (3) for ease and efficiency of expression, (4) as a repetition to clarify, (5) to express group identity and status and/or to be accepted by a group, (6) to quote someone, (7) to interject in a conversation, (8) to exclude someone, (9) to cross social or ethnic boundaries, and (10) to ease tension in a conversation† (Diaz-Rico & Weed, 2002). It is my opinion that the frequency of the use of code switching as well as the purposes for... ...er the changing form of the English language over time. As new cultures and languages converged through the millennia to develop into the English with which we are familiar today, how much impact did code switching have on the eventual integration of words from other sources? How much time and how large a population of different languages would be needed to change a lexicon? In how short a time could such a change occur? The opportunity to ponder these questions might not have occurred without the benefit of having taken this course, History of the English Language. Works Cited: Cummins, J. (1979). Linguistic interdependence and the educational development of bilingual children. Review of Educational Research, 49 (2), 222-251. Diaz-Rico, L. T. & Weed, K. Z. (2002). The cross-cultural, language, and academic development handbook. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Factors on the Four Functions of Management Essay

In regards to internal and external factors that can significantly influence the four functions of management, include such items as globalization, technology, diversity, ethics and innovation. Furthermore, all of these items pay an important role in the dominance of General Motors in the automotive industry. GM has changed manufacture attitudes to concentrate on some strategic priorities those being to become common, envision lean and compete fast, participate on a worldwide footing, cultivate the business and as a rule significantly keep their attention on the finished goods. General Motors is determined to be committed to a lean and familiar single, global manufacturing approach (Automotive Intelligence News, 2003). The external factor of globalization is a major factor in today’s business world. Globalization additionally adds to the factors of cultural diversity and cultural ethics as it pertains to business climate, culture and organization. Likewise, even in the US General Motors deals with the issues of diversity and values based of the many cultures that live within the country. Diversity can be both a help and a hindrance to the four function of management, in that when cultural diversity is utilized correctly it aids in all phases of business. However, if both the countries or the individual workers feel that their culture or beliefs are being looked down upon or are demeaned this can lead to serious repercussion. The same ca be said concerning the ethics each culture holds management must walk a fine line to ensure no vilification or no indignity occurs. Globalization needs a firm touch and a steady hand in the first planning, which entails what countries a company wants to build and sell their goods to, while maintaining a presence in that country. What value the product will bring, the cost of materials, taxes or tariffs, and if the people of those countries have a  need, the cost, and the desire to purchase their vehicles. As to organizing, in globalization GM must ensure that local customs will not be pushed aside and must they maintain a proper level of respect and decorum in dealing with the local population and their cultural identity. Manager must organize by creating a dialog with other countries on GM’s products, explaining the utilization of each countries environmental assets and capital, showing how that being a partnering country with GM will help their country and its people. They must correspondingly incorporate the concept of co-design and systems approach, during the organization function to ensure each country has the belief that they are truly partners with GM. General Motors is currently in the process of restructuring their Global Vehicle Engineering organization. The reason they are doing this is to enhance cross-system integration and to bring more coherent implementation across vehicle platforms. They are also further addressing the functional safety and compliance in its vehicles worldwide (GM News, 2014). Whereas this reorganization moves GM away from long-established regional authority toward an organization built on global functions. As to the role of leading, globalization brings with it a different set of problems and requirements. In General Motors situation the leading function of management, in the terms of what the role intention is remains the same and can be defined as the focus of guiding the activities of personnel with motivation. However, the challenges of doing so on a global scale are daunting because of issues in cultural difference, in ethics and diversity. Managers must have a working knowledge of the country’s culture, its ethical stances, and language differences both verbal and nonverbal. The controlling function of management within globalization again comes with its own set of issues that need to be overcome. Likewise, to be able to establish standards, then measure the performance in contrast to those standards and make corrective changes to those standards and plans that have been determined ineffective (Merchant, 1982). In a global setting put additional meaning to the controlling function of management. Management for General Motors have been successful in the endeavor and proof of this can be seen in how they continue to rank near or at the top the list of vehicles sold worldwide. GM is closing the gap on Toyota lead in sales, because of changes in how they are using the control function of management to correct the situation.  Since, GM began to renovate its vehicle roster into one of the keenest and newest in the automotive industry from one of the eldest and more outdated ones (Jie, & Horie, 2014). So any and everyone can see how globalization as an external factor affects a company such as General Motors in its operations of the four functions of management. Technology in this case should be considered both and external and internal factor that can affect a company such as GM. Since, technology deals with not only information and enterprise systems to run a business, it also deals with the creation of new products and equipment to be use in their cars and trucks. General Motors in being such a large global company have an extensive enterprise system to deal with employees, customers, security, and data collection to enable it to run both effectively and efficiently on a global scale. However, technology in the creation and advancement of products goes hand in hand with innovation. We can see how technology is part of innovation, in the way GM addresses the idea of a fully electric car that can go 200 miles between charges. Additionally, the connection of technology and innovation is seen in General Motor’s electric and gas hybrid car the Chevy Volt. GM similarly has an all-electric car that can go 82 miles on a charge called the Chevy Spark (The Denver Post, 2013). General Motor’s innovations created a need for better technology in electric car batteries, charging systems. They also created a need for electric charging facilities for people who are traveling on long trips, which are still under research as to cost, viability, and the possibility. All of this innovation leads to technology to design and build components that will be needed to compete in this sector of the industry. What is more, all four functions of management are thoroughly affected by globalization, diversity, ethics, innovation and technology as these elements play a crucial role in the structure and running of any business in today world economy. References Automotive Intelligence News. (2003). GM’s Global Manufacturing System – A System To Build Great Cars and Trucks. Retrieved from http://www.autointell.com/News-2003/January-2003/January-2003-1/January-03-03-p6.htm GM News. (2014). GM Restructures Global Engineering for Cross-System Integration. Retrieved from http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2014/Apr/0422-global-eng.html Jie, M. & Horie, M. (2014). Toyota Beats GM in 2013 as 10 Million Vehicles Seen. Retrieved from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-23/toyota-beats-gm-vw-in-2013-car-sales-sees-3-growth-this-year.html Merchant, K. (1982). Controlling Function of Management. Retrieved from http://sloanreview.mit.edu/ The Denver Post. (2013). General Motors working on 200-mile electric car, exec says. Retrieved from http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_24109259/general-motors-working-200-mile-electric-car-exec

“Success is ninety-nine percent failure.” – Soichiro Honda

Firstly, there are many standards in defining â€Å"success†. According to the Dictionary. com, success is the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like. It means that each person has his or her level of success, which means some people would think they are success when they earn a large amount of money; some would prefer a high social status; some would consider as having a happy family or achieved their personal goal. â€Å"Failure†, on the other hand, it is a feeling that people are disappointed when their goal or achievement cannot be reached. To be able to reach achievements, failure could be use as a stepping-stone toward success. In other words, â€Å"Failure is the mother of innovation. † The underlying implication shows that each failure is a step along the road to success. People should experience what they have learnt from failure; once they failed they could use the failure as a lesson and learn from what they have failed, use it to gain experience and move toward success. For instance, every person cannot run before they learn how to walk, and they must have the feeling of pain for improvement, and they also need to learn how to stand up wherever they fell. Thomas Edison said,† Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration. † He had tried more than 1000 experiments before he came up with a successful invention. His deafness did not disturb him from investing, and he did not give up and even thought the deafness could help him more concentrate. His example is one of the best to represent that one should never give up before success. If this quote put into marketing, one marketing strategy will not bring us to be success and never be the best way to run a business. As the market keeps changing internationally from time to time, companies should not give up to innovate new strategies to fulfill customers’ needs or improve their products regarding the market changes. When the companies suffered from economic downturn, some of them will choose to close down; however, some of hem will try to develop new market strategies to stay in the market if they can think from other aspects. Conclusion In conclusion, â€Å"Success is ninety-nine percent failure† is extremely related to human beings, it is because everyone may not be successful if they do not failed in their life. Everyone has different meaning of success, but people should not give up when they failed, they should to have solution to overcome problems.

Stefan’s Diaries: Origins Chapter 25

Excitement coursed through my veins as I stole out of the house, across the dew-dropped lawn, and toward the carriage house. I slid past Emily, who held the door open for me, and bounded up the stairs. I no longer needed the candle to find my way to Katherine. There, in the bedroom, she was wearing her simple cotton nightdress and absentmindedly swinging a crystal necklace that sparkled in the moonlight. â€Å"I think Father may be persuaded to call off the siege. At least he's willing to talk. I know I'll be able to change his mind,† I exclaimed, twirling her around the room. I expected her to clap with glee, for her smile to mirror my own. But instead Katherine disengaged herself from my grip and placed the crystal on her nightstand. â€Å"I knew you were the man for the job,† she said, not looking at me. â€Å"Better than Damon?† I asked, unable to resist. Finally Katherine smiled. â€Å"Y need to stop ou comparing yourself to Damon.† She stepped closer to me and grazed my cheek with her lips. I shivered with pleasure as Katherine pulled my body toward hers. I held her tightly, feeling her back through the thin cotton of her nightdress. She kissed my lips, then my jaw, running her lips, feather light, down the curve of my neck. I moaned and pulled her even closer, needing to feel all of her against all of me. Then she plunged her teeth into my neck. I let out a strangled gasp of pain and ecstasy as I felt her teeth inside my skin, felt her draw blood from me. It felt as though a thousand knives were piercing my neck. Still I held her more tightly, wanting to feel her mouth on my skin, wanting to fully submit myself to the pain that fed her. Just as suddenly as she bit me, Katherine broke away, her dark eyes on fire, agony etched on her face. A small stream of blood trickled from the corner of her lip, and her mouth twisted in excruciating pain. â€Å"Vervain,† she gasped, stepping backward until she collapsed on the bed in pain. â€Å"What have you done?† â€Å"Katherine!† I put my hands to her chest, my lips to her mouth, trying desperately to heal her the way she had healed me back in the forest. But she pushed me away, writhing on the bed, clutching her hands to her mouth. It was as if she were being tortured by an unseen hand. Tears of agony spilled from her eyes. â€Å"Why did you do this?† Katherine clutched her throat and closed her eyes, her breath slowing into guttural gasps. Every anguished cry from Katherine felt like a small stake in my own heart. â€Å"I didn't! Father!† I shouted as the dizzying events of that evening occurred to me. My brandy. Father. He knew . There was a clatter from downstairs, and then Father burst in. â€Å"Vampire!† he roared, holding up a crudely made stake. Katherine writhed on the floor in pain, shrieking in a high-pitched tone I'd never heard before. â€Å"Father!† I shouted, holding my hands up as he used his boot to prod Katherine. She moaned, her arms and legs kicking in opposite directions. â€Å"Katherine!† I fell to my knees and held Katherine's body close in my arms. She shrieked, her eyes rolling back so all I could see was white. Foam appeared at the corner of her blood-caked lips, as though she were a rabid animal. I gaped in horror and let go, her body falling to the floor with a sickening thud. I inched back, sitting on my heels and gazing at the ceiling as if in prayer. I couldn't face Katherine, and I couldn't face Father. Katherine let out another high-pitched wail as Father prodded her with his stake. She reared up –foaming at the mouth, her fangs bared, her eyes wild and unseeing–before falling back in a writhing pile. Bile rose in my throat. Who was this monster? â€Å"Get up.† Father dragged me to my feet. â€Å"Don't you see, Stefan? Don't you see her true nature?† I gazed down at Katherine. Her dark curls were matted to her forehead by sweat, her dark eyes were wide and bloodshot, her teeth were covered with foam, and her entire body was shaking. I didn't recognize any part of her. â€Å"Go get Sheriff Forbes. Tell him we have a vampire.† I stood transfixed in horror, unable to take a step in any direction. My head pounded, my thoughts whirled in a confused tangle. I loved Katherine. Loved her. Right? So why now did this †¦ creature disgust me? â€Å"I did not raise my sons to be weak,† Father roared, shoving a bundle of vervain in my shirt pocket. â€Å"Now go!† My breath came in deep rasps. The heat was suddenly stifling, unbearable. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't do anything. All I knew was that I couldn't stand being in that room for one second longer. Without a backward glance at my father or at the vampire writhing on the floor, I rushed out of the house, taking the steps three at a time, and raced for the road.

Information Systems Essay

Information systems are the foundation for conducting business today. In many industries, survival and even existence without extensive use of IT is inconceivable, and IT plays a critical role in increasing productivity. Although information technology has become more of a commodity, when coupled with complementary changes in organization and management, it can provide the foundation for new products, services, and ways of conducting business that provide firms with a strategic advantage. 3. What exactly is an information system? How does it work? What are its management, organization and technology components? * Define an information system and describe the activities it performs. An information system is a set of interrelated components that work together to collect, process, store, and disseminate information to support decision making, coordination, control, analysis, and visualization in an organization. In addition to supporting decision making, information systems may also help managers and workers analyze problems, visualize complex subjects, and create new products. * List and describe the organizational, management, and technology dimensions of information systems. Organization: The organization dimension of information systems involves issues such as the organization’s hierarchy, functional specialties, business processes, culture, and political interest groups. Management: The management dimension of information systems involves setting organizational strategies, allocating human and financial resources, creating new products and services and re-creating the organization if necessary. Technology: The technology dimension consists of computer hardware, software, data management technology, and networking/telecommunications technology. * Distinguish between data and information and between information systems literacy and computer literacy. Information literacy: is the ability to find, learn and use information. It doesn’t rely on what you can remember but what you can locate and use. The process of learning in an information literate environment involves being able to find the information rather than memorize it. Computer literacy: is the ability to use the computer. This is an understanding of how to use productivity software on the computer such as word processing, excel, and powerpoint presentation researchs. It is also having knowlege on how to use the internet, collabaration tools, and technology. 4. What are complementary assets? Why are complementary assets essential for ensuring that information systems provide genuine value for an organization? * Define complementary assets and describe their relationship to information technology. Complementary assets are those assets required to derive value from a primary investment. Firms must rely on supportive values, structures, and behavior patterns to obtain a greater value from their IT investments. Value must be added through complementary assets such as new business processes, management behavior, organizational culture, and training. * Describe the complementary social, managerial, and organizational assets required to optimize returns from information technology investments. Organizational assets: * Supportive culture that values efficiency and effectiveness * Appropriate business model * Efficient business processes * Decentralized authority Managerial assets: * Strong senior management support for technology investment and change * Incentives for management innovation * Teamwork and collaborative work environments Social assets: * The Internet and telecommunications infrastructure * IT-enriched educational programs raising labor force computer literacy * Standards (both government and private sector) Chapter 2 1. What are business processes? How are they related to information systems? * Define business processes and describe the role they play in organizations. Â  A business process is a logically related set of activities that define how specific business tasks are performed. Business processes are the ways in which organizations coordinate and organize work activities, information, and knowledge to produce their valuable products or services. How well a business performs depends on how well its business processes are designed and coordinated. Well-designed business processes can be a source of competitive strength for a company if it can use the processes to innovate or perform better than its rivals. Conversely, poorly designed or executed business processes can be a liability if they are based on outdated ways of working and impede responsiveness or efficiency. * Describe the relationship between information systems and business processes. Information systems automate manual business processes and make an organization more efficient. Data and information are available to a wider range of decision-makers more quickly when information systems are used to change the flow of information. Tasks can be performed simultaneously rather than sequentially, speeding up the completion of business processes. Information systems can also drive new business models that perhaps wouldn’t be possible without the technology. 3. How do systems that link the enterprise improve organizational performance? * Explain how enterprise applications improve organizational performance. Â  An organization operates in an ever-increasing competitive and global environment. The successful organization focuses on the efficient execution of its processes, customer service, and speed to market. Enterprise applications provide an organization with a consolidated view of its operations across different functions, levels, and business units. Enterprise applications allow an organization to efficiently exchange information among its functional areas, business units, suppliers, and customers. * Define enterprise systems, supply chain management systems, customer relationship management systems, and knowledge management systems and describe their business benefits. Enterprise systems integrate the key business processes of an organization into a single central data repository. This makes it possible for information that was previously fragmented in different systems to be shared across the firm and for different parts of the business to work more closely together. Business benefits include: * Information flows seamlessly throughout an organization, improving coordination, efficiency, and decision making. * Gives companies the flexibility to respond rapidly to customer requests while producing and stocking only that inventory necessary to fulfill existing orders. * Increases customer satisfaction by improving product shipments, minimizing costs, and improving a firm’s performance. * Improves decision making by improving the quality of information for all levels of management. That leads to better analyses of overall business performance, more accurate sales and production forecasts, and higher profitability. In short, supply chain management systems help businesses better manage relationships with their suppliers. Objective of SCM: Get the right amount of products from the companies’ source to their point of consumption with the least amount of time and with the lowest cost. SCM provides information to help suppliers, purchasing firms, distributors, and logistics companies share information about orders, production, inventory levels, and delivery of products and services so that they can source, produce, and deliver goods and services efficiently. SCM helps organizations achieve great efficiencies by automating parts of these processes or by helping organizations rethink and streamline these processes. SCM is important to a business because through its efficiency it can coordinate, schedule, and control the delivery of products and services to customers. Business benefits include: * Decide when and what to produce, store, and move * Rapidly communicate orders * Track the status of orders * Check inventory availability and monitor inventory levels * Reduce inventory, transportation, and warehousing costs * Track shipments * Plan production based on actual customer demand * Rapidly communicate changes in product design Customer relationship management systems: enable a business to better manage its relationships with existing and potential customers. With the growth of the Web, potential customers can easily comparison shop for retail and wholesale goods and even raw materials, so treating customers better has become very important. Business benefits include: * CRM systems provide information to coordinate all the business processes that deal with customers in sales, marketing, and service to optimize revenue, customer satisfaction, and customer retention. This information helps firms identify, attract, and retain the most profitable customers; provide better service to existing customers; and increase sales. * CRM systems consolidate customer data from multiple sources and provide analytical tools for answering questions such as: What is the value of a particular customer to the firm over his/her lifetime? * CRM tools integrate a business’s customer-related processes and consolidate customer information from multiple communication channels, giving the customer a consolidated view of the company. * Detailed and accurate knowledge of customers and their preferences help firms increase the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns and provide higher-quality customer service and support. Knowledge management systems : enable organizations to better manage processes for capturing and applying knowledge and expertise. These systems collect all relevant knowledge and experience in the firm, and make it available wherever and whenever it is needed to improve business processes and management decisions. They also link the firm to external sources of knowledge. Business benefits include: * KMS support processes for acquiring, storing, distributing, and applying knowledge, as well as processes for creating new knowledge and integrating it into the organization. * KMS include enterprise-wide systems for managing and distributing documents, graphics, and other digital knowledge objects; systems for creating corporate knowledge directories of employees with special areas of expertise; office systems for distributing knowledge and information; and knowledge work systems to facilitate knowledge creation. * KMS use intelligent techniques that codify knowledge and experience for use by other members of the organization and tools for knowledge discovery that recognize patterns and important relationships in large pools of data. * Explain how intranets and extranets help firms integrate information and business processes. Â  Because intranets and extranets share the same technology and software platforms as the Internet, they are easy and inexpensive ways for companies to increase integration and expedite the flow of information within the company (intranets alone) and with customers and suppliers (extranets). They provide ways to distribute information and store corporate policies, programs, and data. Both types of nets can be customized by users and provide a single point of access to information from several different systems. 5. What is the role of the information systems function in a business? * Describe how the information systems function supports a business. Â  The information systems departments is the formal organizational unit responsible for information technology services. The information systems department is responsible for maintaining the hardware, software, data storage, and networks that comprise the firm’s IT infrastructure. Compare the roles played by programmers, systems analysts, information systems managers, the chief information officer (CIO), chief security officer (CSO), and chief knowledge officer (CKO). * Programmers are highly trained technical specialists who write the software instructions for computers. * Systems analysts constitute the principal liaisons between the information systems groups and the rest of the organization. The systems analyst’s job is to translate business problems and requirements into information requirements and systems. * Information systems managers lead teams of programmers and analysts, project managers, physical facility managers, telecommunications mangers, or database specialists. * Chief information officer (CIO) is a senior manager who oversees the use of information technology in the firm. * Chief security officer (CSO) is responsible for information systems security in the firm and has the principle responsibility for enforcing the firm’s information security policy. The CSO is responsible for educating and training users and IS specialists about security, keeping management aware of security threats and breakdowns, and maintaining the tools and policies chosen to implement security. * Chief knowledge officer (CKO) helps design programs and systems to find new sources of knowledge or to make better use of existing knowledge in organizational and management processes.