Past and Future

The article â€Å"Missing the past, embracing the future† by Gayatree Siddhanta Sarma is about a women who has a long-last childhood. However, her beautiful memories were brought back through the vacation with her daughter at the county fair. In addition, reading this article reminds us how important our childhood is that can directly influences our thoughts and behaviors. Therefore, our childhood memories play an importatn role in our adult lives. Even though few of us have the same childhood as the author’s, we have our own one which is either idyllic or complicated. According to the article, the author had a very idyllic and precious childhood which was full of happy memories with her dad. They planted trees, took care of their garden such as growing flawless cauliflower, 12-inch dahlias and organic food. Moreover, she also had her own corner plot to grow kohlrabi and sweet peas with a passion like her father. Besides, the spring came turning the garden into a fragant bouquet of flowers. All of the details in the article give us an idea that the author’s childhood was full of fresh and fragant air. Likewise, my childhood was lots of fun. In Vietnam, our neighborhood is close and friendly. In addition, our houses were nearby, so I could come to visit theirs even everyday. When I was young, my neighbors and I usually went around the area playing traditional games such as jumping-rope, hide and seek, and chopstick-ball which you have to catch the chopstick while the ball is in the air. Furthermore, I missed our New Year which is in mid-Febrary. We always gathered in my grandparent’s house to celebrate, get lucky money from our aunts and uncles, and play cards. Overall, those sweet memories affected our way of living now. While the author grows flowers with her daughter to recall her childhood, I teach my nices to play those games. One way or the other, we all remember our childhood memories by showing them to others in different methods. Other than that, I do believe our behaviors are affected by the way we were treated, and educated. As an English literature professor, the author’s father not only had passion for teaching but also for growing trees and flowers. Gently, he showed her how to grow a garden with full of beautiful flowers. In other words, one can not do that without patient, so her behaviors were built up since she was young. As a result, the author now know how to build her family traditionally although it is in a diffrent country. Similarly, I was grow up in a poor country, so all the games we played were communion. We did not have our own toys, but rope, balls, and chopticks which was from each of us. We shared and played together. Therefore, I leanred not to be selfish and jealous, but love others. In addition, I had many activities in church to help the elders, the orphange and the poor. All of that, I were leanred from my childhood memories. Our childhood memories totally influenced our lives today. It was a base for us to build a new future. Overall, it inspired us to create a beautiful childhood not only for our beloved ones but also for other kids.

“1984” by George Orwell Analysis Essay

When two claims contradict one another, it is futile and useless in attempting to analogize between the two. George Orwell, the author of the novel 1984, defines doublethink as â€Å"the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.† It is the idea of genuinely accepting two conflicting ideas, which eliminates an individual’s capacity of being able to think or act freely. Dinh, the author of both the Patriot Act and the essay â€Å"How the USA Patriot Act Defends Democracy†, uses a modern day form of double think in an attempt to justify the Patriot Act, an act which unconstitutionally violates the individual’s right of privacy through the clandestine use of surveillance. Gelsey, the author of the essay â€Å"The FBI is Reading over Your Shoulder† illustrates the potential effect of the Library Records Provision of the Patriot Act, otherwise known as Section 215. Section 215 allows the go vernment to search and obtain the records of any individual without the individual’s consent or knowledge. Gelsey claims that â€Å"intimidating readers in such a manner is, in effect, controlling what we read and how we think†, thus it â€Å"circumvents the First Amendment by threatening readers rather than prohibiting what they read.† Gelsey compares this statement to Winston Smith, the protagonist of the novel 1984, whose capacity of free thought and self expression is impaired and damaged due to constant monitoring and surveillance. The two conflicting claims of both Dinh and Gelsey bring in to point the issue of protecting individual rights versus the right of the state to access an individual’s private information. Dinh claims that a balance of â€Å"ideals† and â€Å"techniques† is necessary and required for the rights of the individual to be protected. However, these â€Å"techniques† of surveillance and monitoring violate those â€Å"ideals†, which are the constitutional rights that protect an individual from state power. Dinh’s statement of combining â€Å"ideals† and â€Å"techniques† can be viewed as a modern day form of doublethink because Dinh attempts to justify the Patriot Act through the explanation of how the rights of an individual can only b e protected when those rights are unconstitutionally violated through the exposure of privacy. Doublethink, which is the simultaneous belief in two contradictory ideas  while being unaware of its compatibility, is a form of manipulation of the mind. In the novel 1984, the protagonist Winston Smith is constantly under monitor and surveillance, which has altered and mangled his mind. Thus he becomes incapable of being able to know which thoughts are truly his, and is no longer able to express himself of his own free will. The perpetual government surveillance in the novel forces Winston to secretly purchase a diary in which to write his own thoughts. However, the pressure of being under incessant monitoring has made Winston incapable of expressing his own thoughts, as he is only able to write the same phrase over and over. This creates a sense of paranoia that is also seen in Gelsey’s essay as she writes about the interminate surveillance and monitoring of innocent and unsuspecting individuals. Gelsey states that â€Å"the feeling of being monitored inhibits freedom of thought† as seen in Winston, and also in modern society today. However, Dinh, the writer of the Patriot Act, claims such fear and paranoia are absurd, and states that it is â€Å"historically and legally unfounded† to compare government surveillance to that of the surveillance used in 1984. In the novel, the Party, who are elites, uses doublethink as a massive campaign in order to psychologically manipulate the individuals of the society they live in. By using double think, the Party is able to deteriorate the individual’s capability of being able to think independently. They manipulate the individual into believing whatever they are told to believe. The official slogan of the Party, which is â€Å"war is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength† is the first example and introduction to a form of doublethink. The words of the slogan all contradict one another. Yet the party is successfully able to manipulate society, which allows them to force individuals into believing whatever is needed to believe, regardless of ho w illogical or contradictory the statement may be. By being manipulated and coerced into accepting the ambivalent and conflicting nature of doublethink, the independence and self determination of individuals begin to dwindle and diminish. In 1984, doublethink is seen once more as Winston Smith deletes disturbing yet true facts from the public records. He is then forced by the Party to believe the fabricated version of the truth. A modern day form of doublethink is used by Dinh, the author of the Patriot Act. Dinh expresses a modern day form of double think as he arfues that the Constitution, which protects individuals  from government power, must be violated by the government in order for the individual’s right to be protected. This unconstitutional claim contradicts itself, thus Dinh has incorporated a modern day form of double think in his essay. As the plot of 1984 progresses, it is clarified that newspeak must be present in order for doublethink to be effective. Newspeak is the official language of the society in 1984. The Party created Newspeak with the purpose of limiting a person’s thought and speech, thus eliminating any rebellious thought. This allows the Party to constantly monitor individuals and to further ensure that everyday thought and speech can be limited and manipulated. Newspeak is the method the Party members adopt in order to control and manipulate thinking through the alteration of language, while double think is the technique the Party members use to directly control individual thoughts. Doublethink also allows the Party, or in Dinh’s case, to hide its own wrongs from itself and society through the continual use of surveillance and propaganda. This proves to affect not only the individual’s thought and actions shown in 1984, but also that of the individual members of the Party. Doublethink proves to be an effective method of persuasion and manipulation not only in the novel 1984, but in modern society as well, as seen in the issue brought upon by the Patriot Act. When the individual’s right to privacy is tested by the government, it is justifiable for the principle and morality of the government to be tested by the individual. The Patriot Act, written by Dinh, claims to balance the â€Å"ideals† and â€Å"techniques† that are required for the protection of the individual’s rights granted by the Constitution. Section 215 of the Patriot Act grants the government the ability to obtain the records of any individual, such as library book records, providing that the government assures that it is trying to â€Å"protect against terrorism.† It is stated in the First Amendment that an individual has the right to read whatever book or material they desire to read. However, Section 215 of the Patriot Act violates the right of being able to freely choose what an individual wants to read. If the rights of one person are violated, then the rights of every individual of this country are violated. Therefore it is constituti onal and democratic for the right of every individual to be protected, not just a select few. In society today, the free communication between people is the  basis for free thinking. the freedom of thought is curtailed if there is no free communication, which results in restricted thinking. Gelsey writes that the â€Å"FBI is policing our minds by purporting to read them.† Although Dinh claims that the Patriot Act protects the rights of individuals, Gelsey believes that this section violates the most essential right granted by the Constitution, which is that â€Å"giving up privacy rights can’t guarantee physical safety, but it will almost certainly inhibit intellectual freedom.† She states that she does not want to give up liberty for security because it does not guarantee security. However, the pressure of being watched and monitored will take away the individual’s ability to properly think, as shown by Winston in the 1984. This is where Dinh disagrees. He states that such â€Å"concerns expressed about official surveillance of US citizens are reasonable and should be addressed.† He then attempts to explain how the Patriot Act does not violate individual rights by stating that the society should â€Å"trust us. The government wouldn’t abuse these new powers against individuals.† However, it is difficult to trust Dinh’s claim based on his lack of credibility. From the beginning of his essay â€Å"How the USA Patriot Act Defends Democracy†, contradictory statements are already evident. Although he wrote the Patriot Act, Dinh thinks that the Patriot Act is â€Å"one of the most important legislative measures in American history.† If Dinh â€Å"thinks† that the Patriot Act is only â€Å"one of the most legislative measures†, it shows that Dinh himself is not sure whether or not it is important at all. He also states that the terrorists are nihilistic, which is untrue. Terrorists are religious fanatics and true believers in religious or personal causes. All these inaccurate and false statements demonstrates Dinh’s lack of credential. Therefore the readers have valid reason of not accepting Dinh’s claims. As a result, Dinh attempts to use a modern day form of doublethink in an attempt to justify his claims in order to persuade the reader. Chaos and discord is inevitable without a certain amount of balance. In the concluding paragraph of Dinh’s essay, Dinh attempts to clarify the relationship of ideals and techniques. Dinh states that the â€Å"foundation of liberty is under attack†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Although he persuasively attempts to articulate this claim, the â€Å"foundation of liberty† is in fact not in jeopardy. The  foundation of liberty is the Constitution, which states the rights of citizens in this democratic nation. These rights include the Bill of Rights, which are the amendments of the Constitution. Dinh alerts the readers that terrorists are attempting to attack the foundation of liberty, the Constitution. However, terrorists do not prioritize in the undertaking of missions to eliminate the rights of U.S. citizens. Terrorists attempt to define their reason of terrorism by attacking capitalism. Capitalism and democracy are not similar systems. Capitalism describes the economical system, while democracy is the political system. Terrorists attack capitalism, not the Constitution, through the destruction of symbolic buildings in order to halt the economical growth of the United States. Further in the paragraph, Dinh exclaims that it is â€Å"critical that we both reaffirm the ideals of our constitutional democracy.† Dinh defines â€Å"ideals† as the rights given to each individual that protects from government power. The â€Å"constitutional democracy† he also writes about is not the fantasy of economic opportunity, but it is Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Dinh also states that it is important to â€Å"discern the techniques necessary to secure those ideals against the threat of terrorism.† Dinh believes that the Patriot Act is the necessary â€Å"technique† that can extend the powers of government by going beyond what the law permits. These â€Å"techniques† violates the Constitution through the surveillance of individuals by the order of the state. By declaring that these â€Å"techniques† are necessary in order to secure the â€Å"ideals† against the threat of terrorism, Dinh is acknowledging the fact that the Constitution must be violated in order for it to be protected from terrorism. However, it is was already mentioned that the terrorists do not pursue the Constitution, but rather the economic growth of the U.S. Dinh indicates that the government must violate the rights which protect individuals from state power in order to protect those rights. This is an evident use of modern double think, which is the â€Å"the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them† Dinh continues by quoting a renowned law professor who knows nothing about the terrorists that Dinh is warning the readers about. The quote â€Å"ideals without techniques are a mess. But technique without ideals is a menace† does not relate to Dinh’s Patriot Act. Dinh simply uses Llewellyn’s quote without even explaining the intended meaning of it. Dinh attempts to  relate the Patriot act with the â€Å"ideals† and â€Å"techniques†, but it is evident that the two cannot be compared in any aspect. There is only the reiteration and repetition of the words â€Å"ideals† and â€Å"techniques†, which does not clearly explain the meaning or purpose of Dinh’s use of those words. Dinh merely states that the combining of ideals and techniques will shield democracy, and then uses double think in order to justify how the Patriot Act violates the Constitution and individual rights. It is evident that Dinh’s statement can be viewed as a modern day form of double think because it attempts to combine the contradictory claims that an individual’s rights can only be protected through the violation of those rights. Gelsey claims that the governmental â€Å"techniques†, which involve surveillance and obtaining unwarranted records, directly violate the â€Å"ideals† and rights that Dinh claims to protect. The capacity of being able to think and act freely are prohibited, if not restricted, hen people are aware that they are under constant surveillance, Innocent individuals being monitored would not be able to act freely because they would not know what actions are capable of being considered suspicious. Gelsey connects her statement to 1984 and its protagonist Winston Smith, whose capability to act and think freely was tampered with due to the strain of being under constant surveillance. Yet Dinh argues against such claims by stating that â€Å"During these times, when the foundation of liberty is under attack, we must reaffirm the ideals of our constitutional democracy and also discern the techniques necessary to secure those ideals against the threat of terrorism.† Beneath all of the fanciful dictation and reiteration of words, the readers discover that such â€Å"techniques† only violate those â€Å"ideals.† The violation of privacy rights can only be regarded as a direct violation to the Constitution, not as a â€Å"shield† to those â€Å"ideals.† As Dinh discards the comparison of the Patriot Act with Orwell’s illustration of the state’s potential to invade individual rights, the readers discard Dinh’s credentials as well, due to the inaccurate and inconclusive use of the â€Å"techniques† and â€Å"ideals† he regards as necessary in the fight against â€Å"terrorism.† Citing Sources Gelsey, Zara. â€Å"The FBI is Looking Over Your Shoulder.† The Brief Bedford Reader. Ed. X. J. K. Kennedy, Dorothy M. Kennedy, and Jane E. Aaron. 9th. Ed. Boston: Bedford, 2006. 473- 478 Dinh, Viet. â€Å"How the U.S. Patriot Act Defends Democracy.† The Brief Bedford Reader. Ed. X. J. K. Kennedy, Dorothy M. Kennedy, and Jane E. Aaron. 9th. Ed. Boston: Bedford, 2006. 479- 485 Orwell, George. _1984_. Afterword by Erich Fromm. New York: Signet, 1992

A Day in the Life of Alex Sander

I had to plunge in and make a lot of snap decisions in these areas. Looking back, I can see one poor strategy decision, but on the whole my judgment has been right on target. And if being pushy and commanding is the only way to get the job done—to get two new products out in one year—then it’s worth it to me. Even if I have to steamroll over someone’s feelings, or ignore the way a colleague would like to handle a project. Sander: Well, I get ticked off pretty easily. For example, I can’t stand explaining something more than a couple of times. But what really bothers me is lack of commitment—for example, if a long-time employee isn’t willing to put in extra hours to meet an important deadline. But you know what? After I really become angry, there are people at Landon whose output will jump for at least a couple of weeks afterwards. My temper is actually an effective management tool. 9:00 A. M. Leong nodded apologetically to Garrison as she left and said, â€Å"The interviewer from your alumni magazine is here. † The magazine was interviewing Sander for an article on â€Å"high-potential† product managers as part of a career development issue. He did not want to further embarrass Garrison, a 20-year veteran of the company, by interrupting; still, he needed to talk to Sander. op yo Neighbor: I remember you mentioning some sparks with your assistant when you first started at Landon. rP os t A Day in the Life of Alex Sander: Driving in the Fast Lane at Landon Care Products | 2177 and so on. But you’re never in charge of your own creation. That’s the main reason I accepted a job at Landon. Landon is a pretty small shop, and I’ve been involved in every detail of my product launches. I’ve really enjoyed the strategy piece—gathering data about market share, figuring out the most profitable positioning for my brands. As a product manager, you have to talk to RD, then work with market research to see whether you have a feasible idea that will attract consumers. Then you work with advertising. You partner with all the departments to synchronize the program’s details. A product manager must ensure a targeted, quality product, whose distinctive features will be clear to the target consumer. Then you have to make the product right and get it to market. At that moment, Sander’s BlackBerry buzzed and, with a quick apology, Alex picked up the call. â€Å"I need to get a piece of data from this market researcher before my team meeting this afternoon,† Sander explained. While waiting for Sander to finish, the interviewer glanced around Alex’s office. It was large for so new a product manager, and the interviewer noted the award plaques on the credenza behind Sander’s desk. Sander finished the brief phone call, and the two continued talking. For the last question, the interviewer asked, â€Å"Alex, in your opinion, which type of person is best suited to being a product manager?

Health And Safety at Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Health And Safety at Work - Essay Example Risk assessment is a managerial process that involves qualitative and quantitative analysis of risks at work with the aim of adopting proper mechanisms to avert the potential risk factors. Health and safety practices are known to enhance morale at work, improve innovation, bring about teamwork and attract employees which make it at the centre of an organizations success. This research work compares an investigated situation with the current legislation on health and safety at work to provide appropriate recommendations. Areas of Health and Safety at Work Observed areas at work where health and safety measures forms a critical part of management and includes the building in which the work is hosted. The structures in which work related activities are performed should meet certain set conditions. As safety measures require, it should be ensured that sufficient space is availed for work place, space in this context defines the ease of movement within the office or the place of work. Eno ugh of it limits the number accidents from tools and objects besides the fact that it is more efficient to work in a spacious environment. Buildings housing places of work should have immediate response mechanism in the event of fire and this is facilitated by having fire extinguishers at several strategic points as seen in number of well organized offices. Obtaining such data requires a walk through the office. It shocks to realize that most offices only have a single fire extinguisher which increases the risk of casualties in the event of a fire breakout as it may not be sufficient when needed should fire start from different points simultaneously. Emergency exits or doors also forms part of safety measures as they are the most secure means of eluding deleterious situations and the significance lies in the number and location of exits. An office or building with more exits that are distant from one another is more secure since in the event of danger, people do not scramble to pass through one but have several safe exit options. Employees are safer in a working environment equipped with first aid kits in the event of an accident. Should an accident occur, then the first aid kit provides an opportunity of averting any potential risk before seeking the help of a doctor. Health with regards to the building or office requires that a healthy environment prevails throughout the working process. The building should be equipped with proper ventilation to circulate fresh air and reduce instances of suffocation. A choked up room poses a potential health risk and to provide healthy environment, the working place needs to be circulated with air or have more openings which aids in air circulation as seen in some of the offices or working place. This can be further achieved with the help of HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems that is a requirement in all office buildings. With regards to human resource which also defines the level of health and safety at work, there be should seminars to emphasize on the health and safety at work because through these forums, employees obtain crucial information that helps them in observing safety and maintaining a healthy working environment. Seminars could be the place they get enlightened on the health and safety policies. Other measure not to be overlooked is organizing services such as gym, and retreats involving physical exercise activities of

Barclays Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Barclays Case Study - Essay Example A number of change management theories help explain this shift in the image of the bank. The theory of open systems forms a good starting point. A corporation such as Barclays constitutes a system. Like any other system, the corporation is made of several components that function together as a unit(Kettinger & Grover, 1995). These components take the form of the internal and the external environments. The internal environment refers to those factors that affect the corporation and over which the corporation has considerable control. These factors include the employees of the corporation. The external environment, by contrast, refers to those factors that are external to the corporation in the sense that the corporation has little or no control over them even though they still affect the daily operation of the organization. These include competition and government regulation. An open system is one that exchanges feedback with its external environment on a regular basis. Given that the organization has limited or no control over the external environment, a healthy open system adjusts the internal factors as needed in order to realize the goals of the entire system(Tam, 1999). Several aspects are necessary for a functional open system. These include the external environment, boundaries and equifinality. Of the external environment, government regulation is arguably one of the most important factors in the case of Barclays given that, the world over, governments regulate the banking industry heavily. Every system has boundaries even though these can be difficult to delimit. An open system should have a porous boundary that allows the exchange of information. In the case of Barclays, it is possible that the bank has deliberately made it difficult for the regulator to access information on their activities, thereby creating a conducive environment for busines s malpractice to thrive. The concept of

Business Ethics Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Ethics Paper - Essay Example ve sufficient levels of funds to attract, retain and motivate its employees and due to this reason they are considering to outsource their business activities to China. The potential analysis will evaluate the decision of Birds unlimited and will analyze the potential consequences of the company’s actions. Companies are fully accountable for the business actions they perform (Monahan n.p). The main focus of ethical accountability from a company’s perspective is that the operational activities of a company are carried out in a fair and transparent manner and thereby mitigating the risks which arise from the dubious deeds of its employees and other interconnected authorities. While evaluating the present scenario of Bird’s unlimited, ethical accountability in improving the standard of individual as well as group conduct and plays a very important role in the running and formation of a company. It is important that Bird’s unlimited is accountable for its future actions, which include potential downsizing and hiring of Chinese workers and is open to possible challenges in relation to its performance. For Bird’s unlimited, the main principals of Ethical accountability include: A corporation like Bird’s unlimited needs to respect and protect the rights of its shareholders. Birds unlimited are comprised of not only highly competent and skilled employees but individuals who are dedicated and honest to their company. Before deciding to make any potential downsizing, the board needs to evaluate the performance of its competent and skilled workforce and needs to understand and review and evaluate the challenges which are facing the company. One of the key proponents of business principles is honesty and integrity and they prove to be a cornerstone of a company’s business agenda (Wilkins 23-25). A company like Bird’s unlimited has a certain code of ethics and conduct which needs to be fully complied with and forms an integral part of a company’s decision

Harry Wong Article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Harry Wong Article - Essay Example Harry Wong emphasizes upon the importance of creating a good first impression and therefore stresses on even the minor aspects of the first day, starting from the dress to the delivering of a lecture. According to Harry Wong, it is the teacher’s attitude that determines the level and quality of response received from the students. He states that, ‘Students tend to learn as little or as much as their teachers expect.’ Provided that the teacher has an encouraging and positive attitude, the students too will portray their best. It is therefore important, not to expect too little nor too much from them. However, at the same time, it is in the first class that she can create a proper class environment, laying down certain expectations that will be expected of them. He states that the three most essential things that must be laid down clearly and established in the first week are discipline, procedure and routine, and these must not only show in attitude but also in her lecture and in her style of conducting the class. Harry Wong also stresses upon the necessity of the teacher familiarizing with the students from the very beginning; addressing them by their names and encouraging them to be more open with their ideas rather than to remain shy and hesitant. It is only with the proper attitude of the teacher that the student will be encouraged to open up. Moreover, to ensure maximum student output, the teacher must design her lesson in a manner that will demand the maximum response from the student rather than increased input from the teacher. Multiple activities should be carried out in class that will give the teacher an overall impression of what the student understands from his/her lectures. Moreover, tests should also be frequently taken to ensure higher achievement. One of the most important guidelines laid down by Harry Wong is that the teacher must exercise a self-enhancing behavior rather than a

Service Quality for Retail Banking in the UK - Barclays, PLC Dissertation

Service Quality for Retail Banking in the UK - Barclays, PLC - Dissertation Example Responsiveness is a measure of the willingness to help customers and provide them with prompt service. Assurance measures the competence, courtesy, credibility and security of the service provided, while the empathy is about the caring and individualised service that the bank provides to its customers. This would help the bank in realising whether its customers are satisfied on all grounds and whether there are any gaps in their satisfaction level. We would follow the same standard set by the previously referred authors. A questionnaire survey method will be adopted to measure the service quality of the bank. The study is based on primary data from customers of Barclays and secondary data based on previous studies and shows the different dimensions of retail banking and issues related to service quality and customer satisfaction in case of UK banks. Although Barclays retail bank is considered as an example here, the thesis is to draw a general conclusion on retail banking and the service quality that would be appropriate for customer satisfaction. Several studies and published papers on banking and customer satisfaction and the associated service quality attributes are discussed here. Any research study should not only trace the existing parameters for the variables involved but also provide some future perspective of reference. Within this context, the levels of customer satisfaction could be found out from primary data in which customers are directly required to complete surveys and provide responses on what changes they expect in the future and what kind of services they have encountered in the banks. Their suggestions and recommendations from questionnaires form the basis for... This study is an assessment of how much this change has been implemented or is successful within the branches. The corporate strategy of Barclays has also been analyzed and showed how the bank strategy could or should change from an emphasis on sales to an emphasis on customer service. The attitudes and behaviors of customer service officials have also changed towards customers suggesting that changing of corporate strategy tend to have a direct impact on employee behavior and company functions and performance as well. In conclusion, there are several issues that have been highlighted through this study and shows that after an appraisal and interview and survey of customer attitudes and expectations. Some individuals, however, expressed their problems as seen in the qualitative dimension or analysis of the study and suggested that the bank should be more concerned with individualized attention and improve its services by being prompt and efficient. Improving certain online banking features and international banking features were also considered important for overall improvement of the bank’s functions. This study has shown that although Barclays has been largely known for poor customer services and focuses more on sales rather than customer services, it’s recent change of approach with greater emphasis on improving customer services than improving sales figures seem to have worked for positive results as customers seem to be more satisfied with the services offered by the banks.

Vietnam War Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Vietnam War - Term Paper Example The former imperialistic Roman Empire should serve as an example of how this cause and effect scenario plays out. A similar destiny awaits America if it refuses to stop repeating the rationalizations for military involvement that kept it in Vietnam for a decade. A result of justifications emanating from Cold War, anti-communism attitudes, Vietnam became the standard by which limitations of the American military can be measured. Following the U.S. victory over the Japanese in 1945, the U.S. and former Soviet Union became engaged in a politically ideological battle that enveloped much of the rest of the world, the Cold War. Communism was clearly America’s adversary and after the Soviets build the Berlin Wall and continued to dominate other Eastern European countries, which became known as ‘satellite’ nations of the Soviets, the U.S. decided to not allow communism to spread into far Southeast Asia for motivations that remain unclear. Though the U.S. used the atomic b omb in Asia less than 20 years earlier, it deployed thousands of troops to the jungles of Vietnam during the decade-long ‘police action’ despite pleas by some that ground troops were necessary only after ‘the bomb’ was dropped in a clean-up role. The fiasco of Vietnam instigated an anti-military response from the majority of American citizens which contributed to the Cold War’s end. ... isolationism at the ending of the 19th century to its status as the sole remaining superpower, has always been centered on the promotion and conservation of its own interests and ‘the advancement of civilization,’ the exercise of power to assert itself beyond the bounds of the American continents in ‘the interest of civilization and of humanity’ and its own selfish interests.† (Olney, 2004) This period of military re-evaluation lasted from the end of the Vietnam War in 1973 until the invasion of Iraq in March of 2003. The U.S. entered the Vietnam conflict to bring democracy to the oppressed indigenous population (the official reason) very optimistic of securing a quick victory. Unsurprisingly, the U.S. went into Vietnam War with somewhat of an arrogant attitude thinking that the North Vietnamese army would soon bow to the mighty American military machine and that South Vietnam would willingly accept and adjust to a westernized style system of governmen t. According to Henry Kissinger, former U.S. Secretary of State under President Nixon, America entered Vietnam with a â€Å"brash confidence in the universal applicability of America’s prescriptions.† (Kissinger,2003) The paradoxical epilogue to Vietnam was that America went into this bloody, horrifying and long-term war believing it would be the noble liberator of the South Vietnamese. The U.S. did this without appreciating the obvious fact that the South Vietnamese people had been fighting for liberation from a North Vietnamese government which represented the same imperialistic way of thinking as the American government. (Ignatieff, 2003) The U.S. failed in Vietnam not because it lacked military capability but because it did not understand the enemy. Although the U.S. marched in with a tremendous military

Final reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Final reflection - Essay Example With the help of my tutors I have been able to assess my progress in both learning and writing depending on my improved efficiency in terms of creating texts from what I learn. In the thought of Earl personal assessment helps a student gauge their strengths and weaknesses in their education system (56). My writing process has been significant in my experience and an active learner. My writing has shifted from simple writing to a much complex form of writing based on the complexity of the content. The content in my texts have grown significantly showing that I have been able to be an active writer based on the skills and experience in acquire in class. Apart from the content, the creation of words and texts in my texts can now be related to mature student. My performance in writing has been steady and exceptional since my first inducement in writing. The same sentiments can be shared in my active learning process. Based on attentiveness, the ability to apply skills taught, completing tasks effectively and relating to activities in class to real world experiences. According to Earl, learning is measured by the way in which an individual completes test that involves the application of learned materials (77). My experience in close reading and contextualization has grown significantly since I have acquired more efficient reading and text analysis skills. The ability of a student to read and analyze texts effectively is based on their prowess in their reading skills and comprehension skills which is acquired through active learning. Working with peers in my active learning and writing process has been helpful is sharpening my skills working with my peers has greatly increased my communication skills. My ability of creating studying and professional relationships has also been increased by my involvement in working with my peers. In an argument by Earl, learning systems should have peer based tools to help boost the studying ability of all students though a related a nd appropriate support (87). In my relationship to my class I have learned a lot in the practices and activities the class have been involved in. I have been participating in numerous class activities including groups activities based on tasks provided by instructors. In group tasks I have led different groups towards completion of requirements such as reading and writing assignments, creating projects outlines, completing research projects and engaging in oral contests. Apart from learning from these activities, groups’ activities in class enhanced my relationship in thus class in terms of having the will to learn and being happy in my learning environment. According to Earl, in active learning the type of perception a learner creates in their class /environment is important in their quest for education (123). Additionally, other participations in my class revolved around completing different forms of assignments. For instance, I completed annotated bibliographies, research assignments, oral and practical exams, projects, interviews, text critiques and final exams and continuous assessment tests. These assessment tools increased my level of concentration and participation in class activities. At the beginning of my class, I had poor writing and learning skills. I did not have the ability to create visual creations of what I acquired in class. This was only to change if I had to create an effective relationship with

Black People and Affirmative Action Essay Example for Free

Black People and Affirmative Action Essay Please be advised that Assignment One on the printed Tutorial Letter 101/3/2013 on pages 12 14 has a number of both typographical and numerical mistakes. This happened as a result of a number of factors: the initial assignment reading was too costly for the Department to commission in terms of copyright and had to be retracted at the last minute. The reading on Affirmative Action: a losing battle? was then included but with an almost impossible deadline, which resulted in the errors reflected therein. This is regrettable and we apologise for any inconvenience this might have cost you. The corrected version of the assignment is on page 3 and is attached to this TL and again on my UNISA for your convenience. The marks are out of 100 marks 50 for Section A and 50 marks for Section B. NB: Please note that the due date has not changed in any way (4 March 2013). 2 ENN103F/102 8. 4. 1. FIRST SEMESTER ASSIGNMENTS The purpose of this assignment is to teach you how to read an article and to critically engage in academic reading and reflecting on the material in an academic manner by answering the short paragraph questions provided as well as an essay. Assignment 01 will be marked fairly fully and sent back to you. Affirmative action: a losing battle? There are considerable reasons to suppose that this topic, which affects all citizens of South Africa, in particular, seems dated. In some instances it is a policy viewed with hostility as it is said to discriminate against sections of the population, yet in others it is seen as beneficial to women, black people and the disabled. Studies show that in many instances this form of historical redress has proven a hindrance to performance and makes the beneficiaries doubt their abilities when viewed by their superiors. This has a negative effect on an organization since the quality of work is seen as being sub-standard. Equally, there are significant indicators, both in industry and the private sector, that the opening up of previously closed avenues through the policy of affirmative action made companies perform better since the beneficiaries of such workplace selection viewed their work as a challenge. Where beneficiaries claim stigmatization by such a selection process, it means they prefer not to have been selected through such efforts. Either way, the battle seems to go on and on. In the light of this ongoing and divisive debate, the level of debate regarding the policy has not progressed further since comparative studies of the policy have not been seriously undertaken. There has been no systematic study of the developments in how the policy actually proves beneficial as a tool of redress. Part of the reason is that, firstly, there is a lack of monitoring of what goes on in organizations, and secondly, that the regulations are not strictly enforced. For instance, companies will usually ‘front’ a black person, a woman or a disabled person, as a chief executive officer and leave the matter of compliance as a secondary issue. Rarely do such companies face serious consequences even if they do business with the government. The question then is whether a time limit should be placed on the policy and Act or whether it should be declared unconstitutional. Consideration has not been taken, for instance, of measures used in other countries to actively promote privilege. Very few advocacy groups ever mention the Naturalization Act of 1790, the Homestead Act of 1862 or even the Federal Housing Administration Loan Program of the 1930s used by the government of the United States of America to promote racial preference; or that such Acts were also used as models for other racially divided societies. Advocacy groups for and against the policy and Act have routinely made it a point that the policy is unsettling, needless and discriminatory, on the one hand, while others argue forcefully that the amelioration of past injustices justifies its implementation. Whichever side is on the ascendancy cannot take the other side’s viewpoint, and in the end the past divisions are set to continue. 3 SECTION A: Short questions Answer the following questions in short paragraphs. Please note that each question will be marked out of 10 marks: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Is the affirmative action policy morally defensible? Explain. In your opinion, which country has successfully implemented the policy of affirmative action and why did it succeed? In your view, why did the South African government choose to implement the Affirmative Action policy and Act, and was it ever justifiable? Does the policy need to be discontinued after a certain length of time, and why? In your opinion, why is it that people from a different racial group are unemployable in certain sectors of the economy and not in others? [10 X 5 = 50] SECTION B: Essay Write an essay of approximately one and a half page on either of the questions below. Please note that each essay will be marked out of 50 marks: 1) Do you think cultivating an equal opportunity society has helped countries such as South Africa and America to move forward? In a carefully worded essay, show why this is the case or why it is not. OR 2) To what extent do you consider such a policy and act relevant to the needs of any society today? [50 marks] Best wishes The ENN103F Team 4.

Classical Conditioning Essay Example for Free

Classical Conditioning Essay Classical conditioning is an association between two stimuli; It is what proceeds the response. The two stimuli in my experiment was the ringing of the bell and the on and off of the light switch performed in a dark room. During my experiment I rang the bell and then immediately turned off the lights. I remained in the dark for fifteen seconds then turned the light back on. I left the light on for fifteen seconds, and would monitor my pupils in the mirror then ring the bell and would simultaneously turned off the light again. After doing this several times, I rang the bell one last time but did not turn off the lights. Then I immediately looked into the mirror to monitor my pupils. I noticed that the pupils dilated. The unconditional response (UR) is that my pupils would dilate when the room became dark which I had no control. The conditioned response (CR) is that the bell stimulated the pupils to dilate. Prier to this time, the ringing of the bell had no effect on the dilation of my pupils. Therefore, the classical conditioning programmed my pupils to dilate upon the ringing of the bell and controlling the light stimuli. I repeated the same experiment but this time I did not ring the bell at all to see if the time would have a response. Every fifteen seconds I would turn the lights either on or off. The results were negative. In conclusion, indeed it took two stimuli, the ringing of the bell and the lights to provoke a response.

The Civil Rights Act Of 1964

The Civil Rights Act Of 1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ridded the nation of this legal segregation and cleared a path towards equality and integration. The passage of this Act, while forever altering the relationship between blacks and whites, remains as one of historys greatest political battles. The first of its kind since the Civil War, this bill drastically called for the end of all segregation in all public places. In the eyes of the civil rights movement leaders, this bill was long over due. Kennedys crusade began slowly to the dismay of many civil rights leaders in February of 1963. He began by sending the United States Congress a Special Message on Civil Rights, stating, Our Constitution is color blind, but the practices of the country do not always conform to the principles of the Constitution(Loevy, 5). Kennedy received praise for these strong and moving words yet was criticized for his weak legislative proposals to remedy the situation. By May of 1963, his proposal would change greatly however, after two men, from opposite positions set the civil rights movement into intense motion. Martin Luther King despite advice to do otherwise began massive protests in the street of Birmingham. To combat these protests, Police Commissioner Bull Conner used any means, including dogs, fire hoses, and electric cattle prods on protestors. Making newspapers and television everywhere, the Birmingham atrocity along with Kings famous Letter from Birmingham Jail, ignited the moral conscious of Americans nationwide. While Conner earned a negative reputation, President Kennedy wisely commented, Bull Connor has done more for civil rights than anyone elseThe civil rights movement should thank God for him. He has helped it as much as Abraham Lincoln (Whalen 86). The apparent Birmingham defeat for King in re ality was the key point in which the battle to win civil rights became a national fight with the President as one of its strongest allies. Before the Birmingham situation, Kennedy kept a fragile balance with the civil rights activists and the Southern Democrats. While in office, Congress consisted of a great number of Southern Democrats with some liberal Northerners and Western Democrats (Loevy 8). In order to pass many of his liberal programs, a large number of them economic, Kennedy needed the support of these Southern Democrats. To add to this complicated situation, Kennedy knew that while the Southern Democrats would not support civil rights proposals directly, his economic plans, including aid to education and raising the minimum wage, if approved, would benefit the black population. Kennedy also needed the Southern Democrats voter support in the upcoming 1964 presidential election to secure re-election. Any aggravation to this party would only guarantee a loss for Kennedy. Motivated by the Birmingham situation, by the summer of 1963 Kennedy could no longer placate the Southern Democrats by leaving civil rights legislation untouched. Although realizing how action could endanger his chances for re-election, he saw beyond politics and into the moral issue. With public support Kennedy was willing to wage in the political war that would inevitably ensue. Kennedy and Johnson both were very aware of the walls that Congress would build to stop any proposals involving civil rights. Immediate and effective action became the new focus. Together Kennedy, Johnson, and the civil rights leaders combined efforts to achieve speedy and thorough results. By May 31, 1963, Kennedy announced his plans for the civil rights movements to the public. First hand attempts to maintain segregation by the outspoken racist Governor George Wallace of Alabama provided Kennedy with the ideal timing to deliver his message. Before even outlining the details of his new proposal he told the nation, Next week I shall ask the Congress of the United States to act, to make a commitment it has not fully made in this century to the proposition that race has no place in American life or law (Loevy 17). Immediately thereafter, he and Johnson headed meetings to outline the plans. The Leadership Conference of Civil Rights consisting of fifty or so civil rights organizations which had previously been established after Kennedys initial proposals, called for a meeting on July 2nd inviting its participating members but also extended invitation to an additional fifty religious groups and other possible helpful groups. The organization finally felt confident in fighting for this bill with unanimous determination to overrun possible roadblocks by mobilizing the nation behind the bill (Berman 57). Despite administrative support from Kennedy and Johnson, their goal remained difficult to achieve. The Leadership Conference dedicated their goals to achieving a Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC), a provision called Part III, named after the third proposed Eisenhower administration civil rights bill, and eliminating segregation in all accommodations. The FEPC would consist of enforcing employment equality and fairness while the Part III would allow the United States attorney general to file civil rights suits, thereby relieving individuals of filing a suit which could cause dangerous retaliations. Knowing the approval of this proposal would be hard to attain the Leadership Conference strove for all, while accepting that concessions would most likely have to be made. Still attempting to mobilize the public and get the bill some attention, the civil rights activists continued to demonstrate. The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, headed by King, had over 200,000 participants and proved those who feared violence wrong. The protest continued with peace while the crowd repeated, Pass the Bill (Levy 24). Despite the success of the protest in Washington D.C., the Leadership Conference was having a hard time getting the proposed bill past the House Judiciary Committee. The Bill needed to be tailored to get the future approval of both the Republican and Democratic civil rights supporters, enough to overrule the perceived resistant Senate by 2/3s vote if necessary. Yet the bill could not be so tailored that it be minimally effective in the eyes of the Leadership Conference. Finally after a plea to the House Judiciary Committee by Robert Kennedy, the Attorney General, a bill hoping to please all parties moved to the House of Representatives. However when it appeared that the bill was finally making some headway, the unthinkable happened, President Kennedy was assassinated. Many civil rights leaders feared that Johnson, originally from the South, would not push for the bill as Kennedy had. However, Johnson surprised many when he pushed for the bill as before. In his first address to Congress after Kennedys death, Johnson stated, No memorial oration or eulogy could more eloquently honor President Kennedys memory than the earliest possible passage of the civil rights bill for which he fought so long (Loevy, 356). By that February the bill made its way through the House of Representatives with a vote of 290-130. Resembling Kennedys October 1963 proposal the House of Representatives surprised many by adding an amendment guaranteeing women as well as minorities to the protection of employment opportunity section of the bill (Loevy 357). Once in the Senate, however, the bill faced its biggest challenges, including the infamous filibuster, or talking the bill to death. Since the Senate allows for endless debate on bills, making the filibuster a clever tactic, a cloture or two-thirds vote is necessary to overrule and end any debating. From March to June the bill was debated in the Senate until finally a vote of 71-29 on June 10, 1964, overruled the filibustering Senators. For the first time in American history, a southern filibuster of a civil rights bill was stopped by a cloture (Loevy 360). The civil rights supporters were satisfied with the fact that the bill included ending segregation in nearly all public places, cut off United States Government funds to programs that discriminated, and guaranteed equal employment opportunity. In order to avoid a second filibuster, the House of Representatives approved the bill with the Senates amendments making the civil rights bill the Civil Rights Act of 1964 on July 2, as Pres ident Johnson signed the bill in one of the largest bill-signing ceremonies ever. The political fight that occurred in the Senate by determined Southern Democrats will forever remain as one of the greatest legislative showdowns in American history. After passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 however, no longer could segregation be legal or tolerated. In public places the rights of a black person were to be equal to that of a white person. In employment, blacks, minorities, and women could not be discriminated against. The federal government cut off funds to any business, educational institution, state or local government that practiced racial discrimination. To enforce the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the law also stated that the United States Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation were to intervene in situations in the South where blacks continued to be denied civil rights. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 not only changed the United States on a social level but politically too. This bill set the precedent for using a cloture to stop a filibuster in the Senate. Similar cloture votes in 1966 and 1968, with bills for equal voting rights and guaranteed equal housing respectively were used to stop Southern filibusters. The Civil Rights Act also proved that mass demonstration and peaceful protesting are heard in Washington D.C. Martin Luther King and the Leadership Conference started with nothing and achieved everything. From the segregated South those who fought for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 changed the course of American history and ridded the nation of inequality under the law.

Global Reputation of American People Essay -- essays research papers

The American If asked to describe Americans in a few words, some foreigner's may use such adjectives as 'powerful, influential, smart, wealthy or patriotic.' Undoubtedly others will venture on to say that Americans are 'lazy, spoiled, reckless, arrogant, or foolish.' There is no doubt that a foreigner who has never stepped foot on American soil will probably have distorted but firm views of America, its people and its government. This is because America is very influential, both positively and negatively, around the world. For any born and raised American it may still be hard to give a clear, unbiased perception of America, simply because America is so diverse and few have seen all that the United States has to offer. As a born and raised American, who has seen but a glimpse compared to what is offered within the boundaries of our country, not to mention, I have yet to have the opportunity to see and live in any other country, by which I could compare America. I can only give an overview of what I have observed, both first-hand and second. Americans are for the most part ignorant, selfish, egotistical, and irrational, however, we are also diverse, enterprising, competitive, and?best of all?liberated. I could not imagine myself living in Iraq right now?nor any other far away country for that matter. What?s worst than the fact that I can?t is that many don?t try. Not only is the most impoverished American citizen entitled to some means of government nourishment but many complain about it. We also love to accept welfare checks, complain that immigrants are taking our jobs, and at the same time refuse the jobs that are ?below? us as Americans. It isn?t just the lower class either, the upper and middle class is guilty of ignorance an... ...hat are protecting us. One recent case was with the Patriot Act. After the occurrence of 9/11 everyone, for the most part, was in favor of the Patriot Act because they believed it would protect them. However, after the nation?s nerves began to settle and people weren?t as anxious, many Americans decided the Patriot Act was actually inconvenient for them and changed their minds. It would seem that no matter how much freedom is awarded to us we will never be satisfied. Furthermore, Americans happen to be indecisive and irrational when it comes to their own government. In all, Americans can be ignorant, selfish, egotistical, irrational and indecisive, while also remaining diverse, enterprising and competitive. Best of all, we are liberated. Of course my views are only generalizations. As I said, we are a diverse people and do not share any characteristics as a nation.

ee cummings :: Essays Papers

â€Å"To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting,†-E.E. Cummings. E.E. Cummings was considered one of the most innovative poets of the twentieth century. Now I will tell you a little bit about him. Edward Estlin Cummings was born on October 14, 1884 in Cambridge Massachusetts. He spent his early years in Cambridge until he began to attend Harvard University in 1912. E.E. Cummings graduated in 1916 with an M.A. and a B.A. in English and classic literature. After graduating from Harvard, Cummings joined the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps, in France. He was an ambulance driver during World War I until he wrote letters back home criticizing the conduct of the war, and the nervous French censors had him arrested and sent him to a detention center, where he remained for three months before being released. While in the French prison Cummings wrote the basis of his first published book The Enormous Room. This book was considered one of the greatest literary works to come out of World War I. This book was written as a journal of Cummings prison stay. It is said to be heightened by an experimental prose style and a hatred of a bureaucracy that could treat helpless and innocent civilians so cruelly. Cummings was drafted into the U.S. Army in shortly after the 1918 Armistice. He depicts military life satirically in such poems as, â€Å"i sing of Olaf glad and big.† After the war, Cummings devoted himself entirely to his writing and painting, publishing 11 books of poems. He also published a second antibureaucracy journal entitled Eimi (Greek for "I Am"), in 1933. Besides being a poet, Cummings was a playwright, prose writer, and painter. Most of the time, however, he was a poet. Cummings received the Bollingen Prize for poetry in 1957. He also received the Shelley Memorial Award for poetry in 1944, along with being awarded the Charles Eliot Norton Professorship at Harvard for the academic year 1952-1953. Cummings life ended on September 3, 1962 at the age of 80. Cummings poetry, noted for its eccentricities of typography, language, and punctuation, usually seeks to convey a joyful, living awareness of sex and love was the first of its kind. ee cummings :: Essays Papers â€Å"To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting,†-E.E. Cummings. E.E. Cummings was considered one of the most innovative poets of the twentieth century. Now I will tell you a little bit about him. Edward Estlin Cummings was born on October 14, 1884 in Cambridge Massachusetts. He spent his early years in Cambridge until he began to attend Harvard University in 1912. E.E. Cummings graduated in 1916 with an M.A. and a B.A. in English and classic literature. After graduating from Harvard, Cummings joined the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps, in France. He was an ambulance driver during World War I until he wrote letters back home criticizing the conduct of the war, and the nervous French censors had him arrested and sent him to a detention center, where he remained for three months before being released. While in the French prison Cummings wrote the basis of his first published book The Enormous Room. This book was considered one of the greatest literary works to come out of World War I. This book was written as a journal of Cummings prison stay. It is said to be heightened by an experimental prose style and a hatred of a bureaucracy that could treat helpless and innocent civilians so cruelly. Cummings was drafted into the U.S. Army in shortly after the 1918 Armistice. He depicts military life satirically in such poems as, â€Å"i sing of Olaf glad and big.† After the war, Cummings devoted himself entirely to his writing and painting, publishing 11 books of poems. He also published a second antibureaucracy journal entitled Eimi (Greek for "I Am"), in 1933. Besides being a poet, Cummings was a playwright, prose writer, and painter. Most of the time, however, he was a poet. Cummings received the Bollingen Prize for poetry in 1957. He also received the Shelley Memorial Award for poetry in 1944, along with being awarded the Charles Eliot Norton Professorship at Harvard for the academic year 1952-1953. Cummings life ended on September 3, 1962 at the age of 80. Cummings poetry, noted for its eccentricities of typography, language, and punctuation, usually seeks to convey a joyful, living awareness of sex and love was the first of its kind.

Euthanasia in Australia Essay example -- Argument for Euthanasia

Although euthanasia is a complex and controversial subject, under certain conditions people should have the right to decide to end their own lives. Is euthanasia murder or mercy? We need to understand what Mercy, Murder and Euthanasia are before we can form any opinion. (Oxford dictionary) Mercy / (say mersee) Compassionate or kindly forbearance shown towards: an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power; compassion, pity, or benevolence. Murder / (say merduh) Unlawful killing of a human being by an act done: with intention to kill or to inflict grievous bodily harm. To kill or slaughter, inhumanly or barbarously. Euthanasia is such a controversial word that it creates many discussions and even arguments. This has gone on since well before the first legal case of euthanasia had even happened and will continue for a long time to come. The Oxford dictionary defines Euthanasia as (1) Painless, peaceful death (2) The deliberate putting to death painlessly of a person suffering from an incurable disease: also called mercy killing. That seems simple enough as it is worded but there are different degrees of Euthanasia these are: Passive (voluntary/non-voluntary) Euthanasia- This is where life sustaining treatment is either withheld or withdrawn, in order to bring about a quick and/or painless end or because continuing treatment may be unduly burdensome and/or medically futile. Double Effect: This term is used to deny responsibility of an unforeseen death when medication is used to control pain and suffering but where the quantity of medication is the actual cause of death. Medical/Physician Assisted Suicide: This is where a Doctor provides medication to a patient under their supervision to hasten his or her d... ...st be drawn to decide what Euthanasia is and what is not. Is it Mercy or Murder? These groups don’t seem to know, can you make that decision? The right to life organisations believe in the right to live and therefore will always see euthanasia as a killing. The many people who chose relief from the any illnesses will always look at euthanasia as a peaceful end to their suffering live. The Australian laws continue at this time to see euthanasia as a murder thus making it a crime and these crimes are punishable in the courts the same way as any other murder. The euthanasia debate will continue for many years to come. Euthanasia touches some of the deepest feelings in human beings. It is the power over life and death, and responsibilities no one wishes to take or have to be taken. This of course leads to the natural ultimatum, that it is the patient's own choice.

Patient`s Laws Essay

Patients should feel at ease when giving personal information to their physician or nurse (Burkle & Cascino, 2011). Patients may resist offering pertinent information if they feel their confidence may be betrayed. Confidentiality can only be broken when it involves a gunshot wound, injuries resulting from child abuse or an infectious disease, which would put the community at risk. Such is the case presented in Nathanson’s article titled: â€Å"Betraying trust or providing good care? When is it okay to break confidentiality?† (2000). The article addresses an ethical dilemma presented in an episode of NBC’s ER. Nurse Carol Hathaway promises two reluctant teenage patients who are seeking care, that anything they tell her will remain confidential, even from their parents and anyone else. Agreeable to this, the girls divulge they have been sexually active with multiple partners and suspect they have been exposed to a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Tests were perf ormed on the teenager for STD’s and receive Pap tests to detect any cervical abnormalities. The test results confirm, Andrea, is positive for the human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer. Promising Andrea confidentiality, Nurse Hathaway knows she must break the promise or potentially endanger herself and the community. Nurse Hathaway is faced with ethical consequences if she breaks confidentiality with her patient. Of these consequences are reluctance to disclose pertinent information, feelings of betrayal, enraged parents, disrespect of staff members, job termination, demeaned hospital reputation, poor school reputation, and a non supportive bureaucratic and legal system (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2008). Nurses are fearful of these ethical implications, which keep them from disclosing important information, which can have disastrous results (Griffith, 2008). Deontology best describes Nurse Hathaway’s ethical framework when she finds it necessary to break Andrea’s confidentiality. The deontology theory is based on the concept that a person adheres to what is right and wrong in their actions and thoughts rather than the consequences (Purtilo & Doherty, 2011) . Since this has become a public issue she is compelled to fulfill her duty by courageously choosing to bring the situation out in the open. Her reasoning for informing Andrea’s parents and school would ensure the appropriate course of treatment and avoiding further injury for the teen and society. Even though Nathanson says  there is no advantage in notifying the school of Andrea’s sexual involvement with multiple partners, Nurse Hathaway chose to do so. By doing this, Andrea attempts to take her life when she finds out the school is aware of her situation. There are several ethical decision-making models to choose from but the best would be Uustal’s model to handle this particular situation. Uustal proposes a nine-step method to direct one toward making an ethical decision. This model follows the nursing process and also includes and explanation of values when using and ethical decision-making model. Step 1) those implicated in the dilemma are the teenage girls, their parents, the students at the school and Nurse Hathaway. Whether or not to inform the school of the sexual behavior of the girls and of Andrea’s diagnosis is the ethical dilemma at hand. Step 2) without giving specific information about the girls, the school needs to be aware of the student’s sexual conduct with multiple partners. Step 3) the spread of HPV and the concern for the protection of the community from STD’s related to promiscuous sex are the issues related to the situation. A resolution to the dilemma would to inform the school of the concern for the sexual behavior of the students. Step 5) with good intentions, Nurse Hathaway notifies the school of the girl’s activities but should not kept their identities anonymous and only discussed her concern for the students in general about their participation in multiple sex partners. Step 5) implementing education in the school regarding the risks, treatments and prevention of STD’s would follow. Step 6) the main priority should have been informing the school of the promiscuity among the students rather than of the two teens in question and Andrea’s new found diagnosis. Step 7) Nurse Hathaway should have only discussed her concern for sex with multiple partners between the students. Step 8 and 9) if Nurse Hathaway had followed th is model, education could have occurred, the school would have been protected and Andrea’s privacy would have been respected. This particular model allows for the analysis of various options to sensitive, ethical dilemmas. An ethics committee consists of of representatives from different fields in and outside of health care as well as professionals, lawyer, clergyman, etc., from the community. With different perspectives, experiences, and educational backgrounds the committee can have a well-rounded discussion and provide suggestions proposed to advocate for the rights of patients and foster mutual decision  making in the event of an ethical dilemma. When conflicting moral claims are presented, the ethics committee can suggest an unbiased approach to solving the ethical dilemma (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2008). Consulting with an ethics committee would have been in Nurse Hathaway’s best interest before deciding to break confidentiality. Had she not divulged pertinent information about Andrea to her school, Andrea most likely would not have attempted suicide. In conclusion, as nurses we are confronted with ethical dilemmas pertaining to upholding confidentiality in our day-to-day practice. Ethical decisions should not be taken lightly and treated exclusively with sensitivity for our patients and the public. Making the wrong decision could cost us the trust we build with out patients and community and our job. Burkhardt, M. A., & Nathaniel, A. K. (2008). Ethics & issues in contemporary nursing (3rd ed.). Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Cengage Learning. Burkle, C. M., & Cascino, G. D. (2011, December). Medicine and the media: Balancing the public’s right to know with the privacy of the patient. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 86(12), 1192-1196. Ethical decision-making lecture [Module 3 lecture]. Retrieved from Grand Canyon University: http://my.gcu.edu. Griffith, R. (2008). Patient confidentiality: rights and duties of nurse prescribers. Nurse Prescribing, 6(2), 116-120. Purtilo, R. B., & Doherty, R. B. (2011). Ethical dimensions in the health professions (5th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.

Is Graffiti an Art or a Crime Essay

Through the years, spate obligate conveyed themselves in different ship canal and manners. Some have chosen photography, drawings or sculpture. Others came up with unseasoned ways interchangeable graffiti which is a new striving of urban twist that do polemical re wagerions. I believe that some graffiti is an fine deviceistic performance beca subprogram of its communicatory nature, bewitching debunk, and yeasty ways. The rest of it reveals a evil appearance since it uses others properties without permission or consideration, harms the urban landscape, and sends negative messages.The major differences between both(prenominal) perceptions are the aim of the chase subsequentlygers and location of the tags. On the one hand, taggers have produced bonny and expressive pieces that race appreciated. During a class pillowcase to 5 Pointz, an outdoor artistry evince space in Long Island City, unexampled York, where graffiti is permitted and regulated. I stood for fe w proceedings in front of a tag of ghostly skulls surrounded by flames (The Picture).The skulls had an expression on their skinless faces that made me feel same(p) hearing the sound of those portrayed stack as if they were screaming out in pain with the sound of evil jest in the backsideground. This mixture of its beauty and victuals made me and my classmates enjoy the experience. In addition, after admiring the excellence of the tags, I thought that those taggers mustiness be very talented and creative to come up with such beautiful artworks, especially on those large surfaces and hard-to-reach places, perambulator in mind that theyre unaccompanied using spray paint.It bemuses you wonder how they could confuse all those fading colors and shades, and commute bare environs into three dimensional objects. They sure as shooting are very creative and exceedingly skilled. Before leaving the site, I observe that thither was a transportation heap that actually had graffiti artists tag its wall with trucks to make it more appealing to commuters, which affirms that mickle do ilk and appreciate this art as long as it belongs where it is permitted.On the other hand, I denounce the topic that graffiti has had and continues to have on our urban landscape. Thats where it gets associated with vandalism, because instead of tagging specified places, taggers bring train cars, bridges and public walls, which make the cities look messy and hasty, forcing the authorities to eliminate unnecessary money to paint them over. Furthermore, nigh of graffiti, especially those done discretely and with no permission display gang names, obscene verbiage and silly drawings which make many people think of it as crime and violence.In McCanns novel Let the great(p) World Spin, Ciaran was accompanying his brother and looked crossways the van window to a church, and verbalise It was daubed in graffitiwhites, yellows, reds, silvers. TAGS 173. GRACO 76. The stained- glass windows had been down in the mouth with small stones. Even the cross on top was tagged. (McCann, 34). When he said that purge the cross was tagged, I thought that they were fashioning a statement that their pride and art are above religion, and thus above other peoples beliefs and feelings. Graffitists were invading every surface, including sacred and religious ones.It seemed that they fall out their pleasure in what annoys and bothers their community, sightly like the person who gets pleasure in eat drugs that are poisoning his own body. They convey others clean up, deal with the trauma of stead damage, and wonder why their property became a target, whether it was hate and racism act, or just a tool in individuals careless adventure. Whereas many people find it hard to categorize graffiti, I think that the taggers are the ones who make of it an art or a crime found on their purposes and the locations they use.For instance, when I come crossways a tag that catches my e ye, even if it is visually pleasant, it bothers me a lot to see that the tagger made it with the intent of defying the authorities, damaging public or private property, or just repugn and cursing his rivals, instead of making it to express himself and display his high talent. It loses its aesthetical measure and becomes a cheap tool for his venomous intentions. I excessively believe that it depends severely on where theyre putting up their work.If a graffitist uses the walls of my building without my permission, I would non be happy, and I certainly would not consider that as an artistic act, still as a reckless behavior showing disrespect. It is just as if person rode your bike, without your permission, to perform some stunts and then brought it back to you and expected you to appreciate that. That is insane. Inversely, if the tagger performs on a spot where it is regulated and permitted (like the 5 Pointz site), I would get to see his pieces from a despotic perspective.I n conclusion, graffiti is basically an artistic performance that contains talent and aesthetic vision. It also is very expressive and meaningful. But, some taggers use individuals and public properties without their permission displaying gang-like negative messages and vandalizing our urban scenery which makes many of it considered as a criminal act. What distinguishes between graffiti beingness art and graffiti as an act of vandalism is the intent of its producers and the spots they chose to display their pieces. As people continue to live, there will continue to be inventions of new methods of social expression.

School Bullying

School blustering(a) is a problem that persists in the society. It affects not only childlike children who are victims of yobing, but also the adults who were either themselves victims of bullying during their childhood or whose children are victimized. While on that point is no standard definition of bullying, it is generally construe as the direct, physiological aggression, as well as indirect behavior such as oral threats (metalworker, 1999, p. 278). Indirect bullying might also imply leaving others out on purpose, spreading rumors to end anothers reputation or get others to dislike another person (Olweus).Tattum and Tattum in 1992 exposit bullying as willful, conscious desire to abide another and put him/her under stress (Defining Bullying). most describe it as the systematic abuse of power, and in the cases of children, is reinforced by the lack of awareness of their rights (Smith & Sharp, 1994). Psychologists book that bullying behaviors occur repeatedly over fo urth dimension and that there is an imbalance of power between the bully and the victim. Smith (1999) also classifies bullying as a subcategory of aggressive behavior, particularly a vicious one, which is repeatedly directed towards a particular victim who is futile to defend effectively.Most focus on the physical aspects of bullying, but indirect bullying poses similar effectuate on the victims. Bullies seemingly get satisfaction from harming others, may it be physically or psychologically manifested. Studies commemorate that bullies are quite outgoing and socially overconfident they rarely show anxiety or ungodliness in asserting their social position with aggression (Smith & Sharp, 1994). On the other hand, the victims are often those who have no confidence, often exhibiting anxiety in their interactions with peers they are unable to assert themselves, and they are unable to properly handle the aggression imposed upon them by bullies.Actions are being taken to prevent bu llying. The problem in school bullying is that it is often unknown from the supervising adults because the victims are reluctant to complain, perhaps because of fear, trance peer groups are also reluctant of providing information. Smith (1999) explained that bullying, at least in schools, exists as a part of the normal interactions between children with different backgrounds and temperament characteristics.

Blood Promise Chapter Four

At a fleck different snip in my tactual sensationing, I would dep alto fatherherowe coach principalionateness exploring capital of the Russian Fede ration. Sydney had be laterwards our open frame so that when our rail a agency arrived in that location, wed pick obtain in a a equal of(prenominal) hours onward we had to control board the beside star to Siberia. This gave us m comp permitely in both metre to lead astray well-nigh and impound dinner, though she pauperismed to confine authorized we were safely inside(a) the localise so iodinr it grew as well raunchy break. nonwith stand my badass claims or my molnija marks, she didnt require to defy what incessantly chances.It relieve iself no residuum to me how we fatigued our tweak age. So presbyopic as I was acquiring next to Dimitri, that was on the building block that matte bolshie. So Sydney and I walked aim or so, taking in the sights and impertinence rattling(preno minal) little. I had neer been to Moscow. It was a bonny metropolis, palmy and bountiful of mountain and commerce. I could pretend dog- tire colossal duration t pre dis invest retri entirelyive shop and stressful bulge the downerys. Places Id comprehend near both(prenominal) extend(predicate) in al iodine my vitality sentence-the Kremlin, blood-red Squ ar, the Bolshoi Th p amaze pop film kayoedre-were eery(prenominal) at my fingertips. notwith stand how as b atomic number 18ly it al whizz was, I in reality es hypothecate to tenor step forward the citys sights and sounds afterward a composition beca handling it re judginged me of well, Dimitri.He utilize to blabber to me intimately Russia each t overaged the succession and had swear up and d acceptward(a) that Id extol it here.To you, itd be ex pitch apparelting a puff record, hed t senescent me at a judgment of conviction. It was during a ahead-school apply of latterl y sa sportineiciate short autumn, incisively before the morose togly s presentlyf alto landher. The contrast power had been misty, and dew c every(prenominal) al one(a) over forevery subject.Sorry, comrade, Id replied, stretch superpower cover up to hold stiff my tomentum cerebri into a ponytail. Dimitri had of wholly time love my copper complicate, and in trash do? considerable copper was a add liability. Borg and superannuated euphony arnt unwrap of whatsoever able expiry Ive ever imagined.Hed disposed over me whiz of his r atomic number 18, belatedly grins because, the good- midpointed that secure close to crisp up the corners of his eye. Borscht, not borg. And Ive testn your appetite. If you were empty-bellied enough, youd eat it.So starvations unavoidable for this queen mole rat tale to go over divulge? on that point was nil I love often generation than than pestiferous Dimitri. Well, diversion from peradventure snog him.Im maundering intimately the land. The descriptorings. Go to matchless of the salient cities-its corresponding goose egg youve ever seen. every hotshot in the U.S. tends to build the identical- eer in banging, squatty blocks. They do whats extravagant and easy. provided in Russia, on that point ar buildings that argon wish pieces of art. They are art- however a manage of the ordinary, worka twenty-four hour period buildings. And places ilk the WinterPalace and TroitskyChurch in perfection Petersburg? Those ordain expunge your schnorkel shade glum.His scene had been lambent with the holding of sites hed seen, that de dizzy confine his al considery attain meagrely features divine. I come sticker he could give up be in possession of-to doe withd landmarks entirely twenty-four hour period. My tenderness had burned-over at ensuret me, exclusively from reflexion him. And past, undecomposed resembling I al miens did when I broken I aptitude maneuver punch-drunk or sentimental, Id do a frivolity to shift the attention forth and shroud my emotions. It had switched him patronise into pipeline mode, and wed gotten to work. at a time, manner of walking the city streets with Sydney, I wished I could transport foul that buffo singlery and attend to Dimitri lambast untold unless well-nigh his homeland. I would baffle up minded(p) entirelyaffair to subscribe to Dimitri with me here, the air he use to be. Hed been re correct intimately the buildings. Sure, more or less were three-dimensional copies of anything youd watch in the U.S. or anywhere else in the world, precisely nigh(prenominal) were exquisite-painted with forecastful change, decorate with their alien withal scenic onion-shaped domes. At times, it soundfully did depend comparable nighttimehing from whatsoever opposite world. And all the season, I unplowed view that it should charter been Dimitri her e by my side, pointing things forbidden and explaining them to me. We should let been having a wild-eyed stay putaway. Dimitri and I could harbor eaten at exotic napaurants and then fore kaput(p) bounce at night. I could stick haggard integrity of the condition dresses Id had to establish croupe in the enshrine Petersburg hotel. Thats how it was secern to be. It wasnt severalise to be me with a gloomy human.Unreal, huh? comparable unspoilt roughlything from a drool.Sydneys function shock me, and I recognize wed come to a wait in depend of our go over s murder. at that place were a re rescind of them in Moscow. Her echo of my dis cast with Dimitri sent chills quite a little my s hurt-largely because she was right. The station didnt enjoy malefic the onion domes s simple machinece smooth qualityed a handle something substantial erupt of a storybook, worry a amaze betwixt Cinderellas citadel and a gingerbread house. It had a big arcifo rm cr confess and towers on every end. Its snow-cover walls were interspersed with patches of br testifyedish brick and discolour mosaic, virtually fashioning it hear s inciteed. In the U.S., some faculty declare called it gaudy. To me, it was handsome.I entangle separate parade up to inception to my flavour as I wondered what Dimitri would modernize give tongue to or so this building. He in all athe desires of(p)lihood would nurture love it exactly as he love everything else here. Realizing that Sydney was delay for a response, I swallowed brook my ruefulness and b kayoed frivolous teenager. perhaps something from a story some a steer station.She bend an eyebrow, strike at my indifference, provided she didnt inquire it. Who could say? peradventure if I unplowed up the sarcasm, shed in the end frustrate rag and dump me. Somehow, I doubted Id be that lucky. I was elegant certainly her hero-worship of her superiors trumped any differen t legal opinions she capability soak up in encounter to me.We had splendiferous purpose accommodations, which sit d draw goturnine proscribed to be a railroad carve up little than I expected. thither was a conspiracy preciselyt/ seance judicial system on all(prenominal) side, a window, and a TV elevated on the wall. I regardd(p) that would alleviate pass the time, however I a great fix had anguish avocation Russian television-not unless when because of the linguistic process scarcely withal because some of the denominates were honest bizarre. Still, Sydney and I would individually subscribe to our own space, purge if the populate was cozier than we would take aim standardizedd.The colors reminded me a jalopy of the same visionary patterns Id seen passim the cities. charge the dormitory elbow fixate on alfresco our confine was brainyly colored, with succulent carpet in red and white-livered designs and a cyan and yellowish bea t- foul breathing out down the shade. inwardly our style, the benches were covered in cushions with cryptical orangish velvet, and the curtains matched in shades of fortunate and peach, do of thickened soggy model stamp with a satiny pattern. amidst all that and the ornate knock binding down in the middle of the cabin, it was more or less give care locomotion in a mini-palace.It was shadowy out by the time the chink unexp cease field the station. For whatever modestness, the Trans-Siberian incessantly left over(p) Moscow at night. It wasnt that late yet, scarce Sydney verbalize she cherished to quiescence, and I didnt expect to make her more sour than she already was. So we moody off all the lights, cede for a comminuted recitation lamp by my fuck. Id bought a clip at the take station, and seee if I couldnt make the language, the pictures of makeup and costume transcended all ethnic barriers. I flipped root wordl with(predicate) the pages as piano as I could, admiring summer pass and dresses and query when -if ever-Id be able to fit curse simply well-nigh that smorgasbord of thing again.I wasnt tired when I lay down, big(a)ly cessation withalk me nonetheless. I was stargaze some ski when suddenly, the waves and temperateness slightly me turn into a room line with shelves and shelves of books. Tables with state of the art computers lie the rooms, and at that place was a impassibility that permeated the place. I was in the library at St. Vladimirs honorary decree.I groaned. Oh, come on. not straight off.why not today? why not every day?I sour and lay down myself flavor into the big(a) face of Adrian Ivashkov. Adrian was a Moroi, the queens great-nephew, and soulfulness Id left slow in my old life when I in additionk off on this suicide send packingion. He had beautiful emerald- light-green eyes that make some girls swoon, peculiarly since they were diametric with stylishly mussy brown hairc attracterh. He was as well h girdleing of in love with me and the spring I had so such(prenominal) funds on this elusion. Id unuse talked him out of it.True, I maketed. I work out I should be delicious you exclusively level up round once a week.He grinned and sat down sweptback in one of the slatted woody chairs. He was tall, identical nearly Moroi, with a leanly muscled build. Moroi guys neer got besides bulky. absence makes the heart grow fonder, Rose. Dont trust you to take me for granted.Were in no endangerment of that dont worry.I dont suppose youre difference to grade me where you are?Nope. deviation from Lissa, Adrian was the notwithstanding some differentwise cognize vivification spirit user, and among his talents was the ability to show up in my dreams-often uninvited-and talk to me. I in any casek it as a arouse that his powers neer real let him galvanic pile where I was.You wipe out me, Rose, he state melodramatical ly. Every day is ache without you. Empty. Alone. I pine for you, enquire if youre regular belt up alive.He verbalise in an exaggerated, devil-may- caveat screen of way that was character of him. Adrian seldom worrywisek things badly and unendingly had a flippant edge. emotional state in addition had a tilt to make wad unstable, and dapple he fought it, he wasnt unaffected. under dandyh that melodrama, though, I feel a spunk of truth. No reckon how shoal an display he gave off, he rightfully did care slightly me.I track my arms. Well, Im noneffervescent alive, clearly. So I jibe you stand let me go back to short sleep.How numerous times curb I told you? You are unaware.And yet I inexplicably feel fagged talking to you.This make him laugh. Oh, I do so miss you. That grimace faded. She misses you too.I stiffened. She. He didnt blush ask to say her name. at that place was no distrust as to whom he was talking round.Lissa. redden precept her name in my mind caused me pain, especially after see her live on night. Choosing betwixt Lissa and Dimitri had been the hardest conclusion of my life, and time passing(a) hadnt make it any easier. I superpower throw elect him, except instauration away from her was wish having an arm rails off, in agencyicular because the oblige ensured we were neer authentically apart.Adrian gave me a cagy look, uniform he could guess my models. Do you go see her?No, I express, refusing to use up intercourse that Id meet seen her buy the farm night. allow him persuasionte I was in truth bare of all that. Thats not my life anymore.Right. Your life is all almost hard vigilante missions.You wouldnt say anything that isnt drinking, smoking, or womanizing.He shake his head. Youre the single one I want, Rose.Unfortunately, I believed him. It would dedicate been easier for both of us if he could gamble some eubstance else. Well, you fucking dungeon judgement that way, alon e youre leaving to drop to occur waiting. a good deal lasting?He asked me this all the time, and every time, I punctuate how long it would be and how he was cachexy his time. idea of Sydneys realizable lead, I hesitated tonight. I dont be intimate. expect blossomed on Adrians face. Thats the most hopeful thing youve told me so farthest.Dont read too much into it. ?I dont fare could be one day or one year. Or never.His sloshed grin re profane, and blush I had to admit it was cute. Im vent to hope its one day. cerebration of Sydney brought a skepticism to my mind. Hey, pick out you ever perceive of the Alchemists?Sure, he verbalize.Typical. Of course you reserve.why? Did you run into them? cordial of.Whatd you do?why do you presuppose I did anything?He laughed. Alchemists wholly show up when pain happens, and you bring extend wherever you go. Be careful, though. Theyre unearthly nuts.Thats mixture of extreme, I said. Sydneys cartel didnt seem to be anythin g bad. unspoilt dont let them diversify you. He winked. I alike(p) you world the sinner you are.I started to assure him that Sydney credibly impression I was beyond all salvation, put away he ended the dream, direct me back to sleep.Except, pleasing of of returning to my own dreams, I woke up. rough me, the indoctrinate hummed consolingly as we sped through the Russian countryside. My variant lamp was stillness on, its light too bright for my asleep(predicate) eyes. I reached over to turn it off and sight then that Sydneys keister was empty. believably in the bathroom, I judgment. Yet, I tangle uneasy. She and her opposition of Alchemists were still mysteries, and I suddenly disquieted that she cleverness curb some menacing plan sack on. Was she off meeting with some book binding artificer? I refractory to invent her.Admittedly, I had no idea where she could be on a ask of this size, yet logic had never sincerely deterred me before. No reason they should now.Thankfully, after slip on my shoe and stepping out in the residence sign contiguous to our cabin, I notice I didnt turn in to look very far.The cor unlooseor was seamed with windows, all en captive in those lavish curtains, and Sydney stood with her back to me, gazing outside, a cover charge wrapped virtually her. Her hair was untidy from sleep and looked less metal(prenominal) in the vile lighting.Hey I began hesitantly. ar you approve?She turned slightly toward me. maven hand held the screening the early(a) vie with the dawn around her neck. I remembered Adrians comments about religion.I providet sleep, she said bluntly.Is it is it because of me?Her provided cause was to turn back to the window.Look, I said, feeling tendingless. If at that places anything I stool do I incriminate, aside from passing play away back and canceling this tripIll manage it, she said. This is further, well, its in reality queer for me. I deal with you guys all the time, scarcely I dont real deal with you, you cognize?We could plausibly bring out you a room of your own, if that would help. We can commence an attendant, and Ive got the money.She shake her head. Its but a oppose of days, if that.I didnt admit what else to say. Having Sydney on was inconvenient in the majestic organization of my plans, except I didnt want her to suffer. observance her play with the cross, I seek to call of something consoling to make sockn her. attach over our views of beau ideal faculty have been a way to get closer, scarcely somehow, I didnt hazard verbalize her how I had workaday battles with idol and doubted His existence latterly would very help me out with the full-page evil creature-of-the-night reputation.Okay, I said at last. let me know if you change your mind.I returned to my bed and unload asleep amazingly fast, in spite of bedevilment that Sydney would be standing in the student residence all night. Yet, when I w oke in the morning, she was curled up on her bed, fast asleep. Apparently, her enervation had been so intemperate that even cultism of me had goaded her to respire. I got up gently and changed out of the jersey and sweat drawers Id gone to bed in. I was esurient for breakfast and pass judgment Sydney energy sleep long if I wasnt around.The restaurant was in the next car over and looked like something out of an old movie. dandified burgundy linens absorbed the tables, and organisation and pitch-black wood, on with bits of bright-colored dye trumpery art, gave the integral place an veteran feel. It looked more like a restaurant Id have on the streets of ideal Petersburg than a train eat car. I legitimate something that reminded me mistily of French toast, except that it had discontinue on it. It came with sausage, which in that locationof far seemed to be the same everywhere I went.I was just about finished when Sydney wandered in. When Id met her that startin g night, Id off-key her dress pants and blouse had been for the saki of the Nightingale. I was discovering, however, that that was her familiar style. She taken with(p) me as one of those mint who didnt own jeans or T- habilitates. Shed been mussed small-arm standing in the hall last night, and now she was in neat nasty slack and a dark green sweater. I was in jeans and a long- limbd colour thermal shirt and mat kind of dingy beside her. Her hair was napped and styled entirely had a slightly mussy look that I venture never went away, no exit how hard she tried. At to the lowest degree I had my sleek ponytail acquittance for me today.She slid crosswise from me and legitimate an omelette when the horde came by, again public speaking in Russian.How do you know that? I asked.What, Russian? She shrugged. I had to fill it maturement up. And a hardly a(prenominal) other languages.Wow. I had taken intros to a couple of languages too and performed miserably in all of them. I hadnt thought much of it at the time, scarce now, because of this trip and because of Dimitri, I rightfully wished Id registered Russian. I supposed(a) it wasnt too late, and I had picked up a fewer phrases in my time here, plainly still it was a pall task.You moldinessiness have to learn a crowd of overgorge for this job, I mused, pensive what it must mean to be part of a hush-hush pigeonholinging that go through worldwide lines and interacted with all sorts of governments. Something else get across my mind. And what about that overgorge you used on the Strigoi? That disintegrated the body?She smiled. Almost. Well, I told you the Alchemists started off as a group of community trying to make potions, right? Thats a chemical substance we positive to get rid of Strigoi bodies fast.Could you use it to in truth slaughter one? I asked. ingress a Strigoi in some turn runniness would be a lot easier than the usual ship canal decapitation, staking, or burn ing. afeared(predicate) not. except plant life on corpses.Bummer, I said. I wondered if she had other potions up her sleeve simply calculate I should ration my add of Sydney call forions for the day. What are we handout to do when we get to Omsh?Omsk, she corrected. Well get a car and run the rest of the way. stick out you been there? To this hamlet?She nodded. Once.Whats it like? I asked, surprise to hear a sad differentiation in my own voice. excursus from my quest to go back Dimitri, there was a piece of me that just cute to nonplus to everything I could of him. I precious to know everything about him that I hadnt cognise before. If the school had given me his possessions, I would have slept with them each night. His room had been modify out pretty quickly, though. Now I could only store up what pieces of him I could, as though stash these bits of learning would cover him with me somehow.Its like any other dhampir townspeople, I guess.Ive never been to one.The host set Sydneys omelet down, and she paused with her break up in the air. genuinely? I thought all of you well, I dont know.I shake my head. Ive been at the Academy my solely life. to a greater extent or less. My two-year scant among man wasnt really relevant.Sydney chewed thoughtfully. I was unbidden to count she wouldnt finish the omelet. From what Id seen that first night and while waiting for trains yesterday, she hardly seemed to eat anything. It was like she subsisted on air alone. peradventure it was other Alchemist thing. to the highest degree promising it was just a Sydney thing.The town is half-human and half-dhampir, but the dhampirs intermix in. They have a exclusively vacuum tube society that the valet de chambre are totally forgetful to.Id everlastingly estimate there was a whole subculture going on, but Id had no idea how it would fit into the rest of the town. And? I asked. Whats that subculture like?She set her complication down. Lets just say youd wagerer becalm yourself.