Zapp Book Report Essay - 879 Words

ZAPP book report 11/24/09 ZAPP The Lightning of EMPOWERMENT, by William C. Byham Ph.D. and Jeff Cox presents a story of different problems that managers/supervisors face and how they deal with the problems. The book shows how an autocratic supervisor would deal with a problem compared to a participative supervisor would handle the problems. The story shows the contrast between a supervisor that ZAPPS (empowers) her employees and a supervisor that SAPPS his employees by his interactions and management style with the employees. The author takes a fictitious workplace that probably resembles many work environments that we have all experience at one time or another. ZAPP The Lightning of EMPOWERMENT is about the complexity of human†¦show more content†¦Lucy used the four basic steps that are the ground work for ZAPPING her employees, the steps are Enhance Self-Esteem, Listen and Respond with Empathy, Share Thoughts and Feelings, Encourage Involvement. It has been my experience working in a management position that listening and responding with empathy is the most important step in the process of creating ZAPP. Employees want to know that they are being heard, that their concerns are taken seriously and that the management and the company care about the employees. I believe that employees seek to have 3rd party representation such as a union when they feel their voice is not being heard. Open, honest and respectful communication will go a long way towards maintaining the relationship between the company and its employees while avoiding the need for a third party to represent the employees. The other important aspect to the story is the power of SAPP. SAPP occurs when employees are not getting the encouragement or involvement from their supervisor. The Byham and Cox emphasize how small things that supervisors do or say can have negative effect on the employees in the work place. Thus comes the term SAPP. When employees lose the enthusiasm and desire to excel or move forward in the work place, they are considered to be SAPPED. Supervisors and managers must be careful when communicating with their employees to preventShow MoreRelated Politics, Power, and the American Media Essay3485 Words   |  14 Pagesthat same side the politics could never play out without a reporter willing to report what the political official wants to be heard. A politician’s public fate often lies in the trustworthiness of a reporter. Lance talks about how fragile this relationship is by stating, â€Å"When those sources are powerful officials surrounded by an entourage of eager rep orters clamoring for news, it is always possible that those who report what officials want them to will be rewarded while those who fail to convert keyRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesSuzanne Duda Lead Media Project Manager: Denise Vaughn Full-Service Project Management: Sharon Anderson/BookMasters, Inc. Composition: Integra Software Services Printer/Binder: Edwards Brothers Cover Printer: Coral Graphics Text Font: 10/12 Weidemann-Book Credits and acknowledgments borrowed from other sources and reproduced, with permission, in this textbook appear on appropriate page within text. Copyright  © 2011, 2007, 2005, 2002, 1998 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, OneRead MoreVarian Solution153645 Words   |  615 Pagesexactly aï ¬â‚¬ord 100 units of X and 50 units of Y ? $100. 2.5 (1) If Amy spent her entire allowance, she could aï ¬â‚¬ord 8 candy bars and 8 comic books a week. She could also just aï ¬â‚¬ord 10 candy bars and 4 comic books a week. The price of a candy bar is 50 cents. Draw her budget line in the box below. What is Amy’s weekly allowance? $6. Comic books 32 24 16 8 0 8 12 16 24 32 Candy bars 10 BUDGET CONSTRAINT (Ch. 2) 2.6 (0) In a small country near the Baltic

Communicating in Forums †Anthony’s Dilemma Free Essays

Communicating In Forums – Anthony’s Dilemma Carla Landes Gen/105 September 25, 2011 Arianne P. Bellizaire Communicating In Forums – Anthony’s Dilemma To me, it is very important when speaking in class forums that I choose my inclusive phrasing well. One should never make assumptions when communicating in forums and phrase comments as if in a â€Å"professional† setting. We will write a custom essay sample on Communicating in Forums – Anthony’s Dilemma or any similar topic only for you Order Now When posting most of my responses to discussion questions, I try to address a specific person and usually not the entire class and base my response accordingly. The first error that I feel Anthony made in his response to the class was â€Å"Hi guys. † It appears in the phrasing of his greeting that Anthony assumed the class was all male. Although, this does appear somewhat sexist, I however would not take offense to this type of greeting per say as it is typically a gender-friendly greeting. I do feel that the rest of Anthony’s response regarding his experience at the company conference was quite sexist, namely, how Anthony was surprised that the female or â€Å"lady† as he called her had â€Å"many good things† to say. I personally would not have mentioned the gender of the speaker, but just referred to the â€Å"speaker† at the conference. Most of Anthony’s discussion response focuses more in context with males attending this conference just by using some of his descriptive phrases such as â€Å"the good ole boys† and only mentioned the male managers, which would lead one to assume there were no female managers present. Anthony should have used language such as â€Å"Hi Class† or Hi All. † Also, Anthony could have been more inclusive with his descriptions of the managers, such as, â€Å"The managers and their families. I would think that Anthony’s concern over not offending anyone to me shows that had he had a face-to-face conversation in the same language, the response may not have been interpreted as sexist. Anthony could have clarified himself differently in his response. In conclusion, Anthony’s response was non-inclusive language and phrasing. His first mistake and my instruction to Anthony would be never rush when communicating in a group forum. Instead of rushing through the assignment, Anthony should have waited to post his response. Choose phrasing very carefully and leave opinions and emotions out of the post. How to cite Communicating in Forums – Anthony’s Dilemma, Essay examples

Evaluation and selection of differentiation - Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss about the Evaluation and selection of differentiation. Answer: Introduction Management in an organization consists of various functions including but not limited to recruiting, financing, appraising, selling, strategizing and coordination within the firm. Every organization needs effective management practices to sustain and function efficiently. Various theories of management have been given till date which elaborate upon the important functions of the manager. There are different types of managers that function in different organizations. Every person has a different management style and different business requires different management styles from their employees. Every organization has three levels of management top level, middle level and first line managers (Fayol, 2016). These differ in their roles, responsibilities and decision making authority. This report throws light on the functions and roles of successful managers and different approaches to management. The report aims to explain the importance of efficient evaluation of the business environment which is why SWOT, PEST and Porters five force models have been explained. Functions and roles of successful managers Peter Drucker in his book established that managers have five important functions to perform in an organization which are given as below (The balance, 2017): Setting objectives: This includes setting SMART goals for the business as well as individual employees of the firm. Organize tasks and coordinate: this involves defining tasks and their allocation as well as accomplishment. Ensuring that the right people are doing the right jobs. Motivation and communication: Employee motivation is crucial in order to ensure employees achieve their targets and are satisfied with the firm (Drucker, 2017). Communication with employees and other stakeholders creates transparency and a clear flow of information within the business. Establishing targets and yardsticks that can measure the results and overall performance of the business. This is required to make sure that the firm is moving in the right direction. Develop people through efficient recruiting, training and nurturing employees. To ensure that the employees personal learning and growth is also catered to by the employer firm. Bureaucratic and administrative approaches to management Bureaucratic management refers to two important elements of management. Firstly, the hierarchy and organizational structure of the business must be clear. Secondly, the organization along with its members will be governed by clear and well defined set of rules (Bratton Gold, 2012). This approach keeps all the decision making authority to the top management of the firm. Max Weber was the first to define bureaucratic management. He stated that the division of labor and specialization must be clear in every organization. The organizations that follow the bureaucratic approach of management are ideally rigid, structured, formalized and authoritative. Administrative approach also leads to formalization and bring in structure to the organization. However, it does not concentrate power to just one person. The employees of the organization are given sufficient freedom to make small decisions. They are encouraged to participate in strategic decisions but the ultimate authority lies with the top management (Waring, 2016). This approach to management lays emphasis on motivating employees and ensuring their satisfaction in the organization. Recent approaches to study of management More recently various contingency approaches to management have been administered with specify that there are no fixed kinds of management styles rather every individual has a different style of management that suits best. It has also been identified that no fixed set of rules can govern the management principles across all the organizations. Rather due to the ever changing work environment, it is imperative that managers learn to adopt to the changing situations and make the best out of every situation. Similarly, aspects like employee motivation, employee satisfaction and work life balance of employees has also been gaining ground. Managers now lay special emphasis on how to retain and satisfy employees hired by the business. Pestle Model PESTLE model is performed to identify the situation of the external environment within which a particular company is operating. Marketers are recommended to conduct PESTLE analysis of their business frequently in order to remain aware about the industry on-goings (Hassan, 2012). Political The fast food industry has been facing issues from various governments who aim to minimize the developing fast food culture as well as reduce the extent of obesity. The health promotion boards of countries often indulge in the promotions of a healthier lifestyle as well as they organize many events in order to discourage the habit of eating junk food (Health promotion board, 2014). In doing this, automatically they indirectly lead to De-Marketing or creating negative publicity of fast food joints like McDonalds. The company must aim to secure the profit margins in various countries after a detailed study of the political state of that country as this tends to impact the businesss bottom line. Socio-cultural The socio-cultural environment that currently exists is well suited for the brand. The brand McDonalds breeds upon the increasing consumption of fast food. Families are largely dependent upon the fast and easily available food of McDonalds. But, a large number of people are now moving towards a healthy lifestyle and hence to secure its current market position, the brand McDonalds must introduce healthy food options in their chains. This has a positive impact upon the operations of the companys business and also leads to maximizing the sales (Sachdeva, 2015). Technological In the present scenario, most of the people are very well versed with the technology. To the extent that most people prefer that their food is ordered online or with the help of mobile applications. Any kind of restaurant which is unavailable on either of these platforms, by default faces a competitive disadvantage. The brand has successfully tied up with various delivery applications like Zomato, Uber Eats, Food Panda and other local apps of different countries. Competing firms of McDonalds including Burger king and KFC are also technologically advanced and hence in order to gain an advantage over them, McDonalds must work upon enhancing the service quality and speed of delivery. The company must also ensure the use the updated and recent technological tools, such that the consumers feel comfortable while buying the product (Galician, 2013). Porters five force model Porters five force model assists in gaining a deeper insight about the industry in which the company operates (Dobbs, 2014). Bargaining power of suppliers The bargaining power of the suppliers is extremely less. Firstly the brand name of McDonalds is very strong that it automatically gives the company an upper hand in front of its suppliers. Secondly, there are a large number of suppler and hence the competition among them is much higher. Thirdly, despite the existence of many franchisees McDonalds has not done vertical integration of its suppliers which means that different franchisees have their own set of suppliers. This reduces the suppliers power to bargain significantly. Bargaining power of buyers The buyers power to bargain remains incredibly high. Due to the vast extent of the fast food industry, the power of substitution remains very high. There is enormous competition in the industry from both organized and unorganized players of the industry. To increase the buyer power even further, the cost of switching brands is negligible for consumers and hence the risk is much larger for the company. Threat of substitution Substitution is a massive concern for McDonalds. There are many players in the market. The unorganized market is ever flourishing. And the cost of switching for buyers is negligible. Moreover, the switch in people to a healthier lifestyle has also led to the birth of various healthy eating options which has increased the threat of substitution. SWOT Opportunities The following opportunities are present before McDonalds and if the brand puts efforts in the given direction then it will not lead to increased productivity but also a larger customer base: Outlets of McDonalds can be made more attractive with more comfortable seating capacities and larger play areas for children in all their outlets. The brand must work towards enhancing the number of 24 hour open outlets. This would enable them to serve a larger customer base. Healthier options should be added to the menu in order to cater to the health conscious segment of the society. Threats This covers those aspects in the industry and environment which are expected to adversely impact the sales and brand value of McDonalds. Slowing overall economy can pose a threat by decreasing the disposable income of people. Large number of competitors in the organized as well as unorganized sector are the biggest threat to the sales of McDonalds products. Increasing obesity has led the government to discourage the consumption of fast foods. The changing lifestyle of people and their prominent switch to healthier food has also posed a significant risk to the brand. Ethical issues in business Ethics form a crucial aspect of any business. Without this, the business cannot expect to survive. Every organization has set different ethical standards for itself. In the long run of any firm, it is only natural for the firm to face ethical issues. However, addressing those issues in an effective manner is very crucial to the success and brand value of the business (Crane Matten, 2016). As a business, McDonalds must ensure the following ethical standards at all costs: The brand must ensure a sustainable supply chain management in order to make sure the raw materials are provided in time and of the best quality. The suppliers of McDonalds must strictly follow the ethical code of conduct provided to them. The nutrition and wellbeing of the customers is the top priority of the brand. The food as well as the caf premises must meet all hygiene standards. As a brand, McDonalds must not adversely impact the environment and hence it should have an effective waste management as carbon footprint reduction system. McDonalds must not create any kind of discrimination on any kind of basis including that of caste, creed, race, sex or gender. All the employees must be fairly compensated. Four ethical rules of business decision making Utilitarian rule: This implies taking an action or implementing a decision which is expected to have the largest positive impact over the highest number of stakeholders (Weiss, 2014). Moral rights rule: This depicts that individuals of the business take decisions based on fundamental rights and moral responsibilities. Justice Rule: This rule implies that decisions must be made by keeping in mind what is fair by societal standards. Practical: This rule keeps in mind the practical ethics. This signifies that no particular set of rules can apply to all situations. Hence, the practicality of the situation determines the decision made. Stakeholders of the organization Stakeholders indicate all the people who are directly or indirectly related to the organization. In the case of McDonalds, the following are the key stakeholders of the business: Consumers of fast food Suppliers of raw materials Competitors Media channels Franchisors Real estate agents Government parties Bankers Investors Trade unions Employees Insurance firms Corporate social responsibility Corporate social responsibility or CSR of any organization forms an important part the business. This CSR has been providing opportunity to businesses so they can add value to the society and therefore increase the companys productivity as well as customer service in the same process. There have been many approaches to explain the corporate social responsibility of businesses. Some companys conduct these activities to create some value in the society on the other hand some firms conduct these owing to the legal implications of the issue (Carroll, 2015). However, many firms across the globe have put tremendous efforts and have successfully made a mark in ensuring that the world today is a much better place because their CSR activities. As a part of its CSR activity McDonalds is always looking at reducing the waste generated at their outlets. Low energy LED bulbs and energy saving equipment are used across all the outlets. Cooking oil is recycles frequently and biodiesel is used to fuel over half of the delivery trucks. Organizational culture Organizational culture forms a crucial part of any business. It clarifies how the information would be traveled within the firm, how tasks are allocated and how the decisions are made. This culture represents the collective set of values, beliefs and ideologies of the business (Alvesson, 2012). It is important that the organizations put efforts in preserving their culture. The culture covers various components like departmentalization, delegation of responsibility and authority, transparency in communication and even decision making. The mission and vision of the organization as well as the people hired directly impact the culture of the business. Types of organizational culture There are four types of organizational culture as given below: Clan oriented cultures in an organization are like a family that focuses on doing everything together and towards a shared goal. Adhocracy oriented culture are more entrepreneurial in nature with a significantly high focus on risk taking and innovation. Market oriented culture focus on competition and delivering results and achieving higher goals. Lastly, Hierarchy oriented cultures lead to structured organizations with immense control and focus on efficiency. Resistance to change of organizational culture Resistance to change is natural in organizations. Employees often put efforts and get themselves accustomed to certain aspects of the business. There are various reasons why employees resist to organizational change. These are as below (Alvesson Sveningsson, 2015): Loss of status Surprise or fear of unknown Mistrust in the organization Fear of failure Fear of inability to adjust Organizational politics Poor timing Poor execution of change Conclusion This report covers various aspects of management which aim to provide a basic introduction to management. The first part of the report covers different managerial approaches and functions of a successful manager. This is important to every organization as it is crucial to understand the approach used by the managers and the approach that the organization requires. Any discrepancy in the two would lead to problems in the organization. The next part of the report covers the importance of macro environmental analysis. This is crucial in order to keep in terms with the on-goings of the business, industry and competitors. This keeps the business on its toes and leads to a better performance. Strategic management tools like SWOT, PESTLE and Porters five force model has been applied to McDonalds for better understanding of the same. Every business often goes through various ethical issues at different stages of the business. The four rules of ethical business decision making have been elaborated in the report. As a part of ethical business practice, corporate social responsibility plays an important role and leads to betterment of the society at large. Last part of the report focuses on organizational culture, its importance and reasons behind resistance to change in the organizational culture. Culture of the organization is very crucial for the success of the business. This leads to effective decision making and transparent communication within the firm. References Alvesson, M. (2012).Understanding organizational culture. Sage. Alvesson, M., Sveningsson, S. (2015).Changing organizational culture: Cultural change work in progress. Routledge. Bratton, J., Gold, J. (2012).Human resource management: theory and practice. Palgrave Macmillan. Carroll, A. B. (2015). Corporate social responsibility.Organizational dynamics,44(2), 87-96. Crane, A., Matten, D. (2016).Business ethics: Managing corporate citizenship and sustainability in the age of globalization. Oxford University Press. Drucker, P. F. (2017).What Makes an Effective Executive (Harvard Business Review Classics). Harvard Business Review Press. Dobbs, M. (2014). Guidelines for applying Porter's five forces framework: a set of industry analysis templates.Competitiveness Review,24(1), 32-45. Fayol, H. (2016).General and industrial management. Ravenio Books. Galician, M. L. (2013).Handbook of product placement in the mass media: New strategies in marketing theory, practice, trends, and ethics. Routledge. Hassan, A. (2012). Key Components for an Effective Marketing Planning: A Conceptual Analysis.International Journal of Management Development Studies,2(1), 68-70. Health Promotion Board, 2014, Singapores obesity issue, https://www.hpb.gov.sg/article/health-promotion-board-ramps-up-efforts-to-combat-singapore's-obesity-issue-with-new-season-of-million-kg-challenge, viewed on 4 January, 2018. Sachdeva, A. (2015). Evaluation and selection of differentiation as a strategy for McDonalds. The balance, 2017, Essential manger roles in the workplace, https://www.thebalance.com/the-10-essential-roles-of-a-manager-2275949, retrieved on 4 January, 2018. Waring, S. P. (2016).Taylorism transformed: Scientific management theory since 1945. UNC Press Books. Weiss, J. W. (2014).Business ethics: A stakeholder and issues management approach. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Once And Future King By White Essays - The Once And Future King

Once And Future King By White Experience is Everything In the book, The Once and Future King, T.H. White shows the importance that education relies heavily upon ones own personal experiences. When Merlyn is called on to tutor Wart, an adopted child, he uses this exact learning method on Wart. Merlyn, who is a magician, uses transformation as a his learning tool. Merlyn turns Wart into different animals to show Wart lessons of life. Through each transformation Wart experiences different forms of power, each being a part of how he should rule as king. When Wart experiences each of these different stages of lesson he finds out from Mr. P that mind power is nothing, from the wild goose he learns freedom, and the badger teaches him to accept what you have. When Wart is transformed into a fish Merlyn takes him to go talk to the master of the moat, Mr. P. This is the first transformation that Wart will learn his first lesson in. When Wart approaches Mr. P he already senses a great deal of danger because of his massive size and strength. Wart was so flabbergasted by his enormous structure that he could not think of anything to ask Mr. P. Then Mr. P replies with his view on life, a simple statement, "There is only power. Power is of the individual mind, but the mind's power is not enough" (52). Mr. P is showing the importance of physical power over the minds with this comment he makes . What Mr. P states astonishes Wart so much that Wart becomes speechless and does not move from where he is positioned. As Mr. P teaches his theories of life he becomes very agitated with Wart and Pronounces, "I think you ought to go away really almost at once in case my disillusioned mouth should suddenly determine to introduce you to my gills, which have teeth too" (52). As Wart is listening to Mr. P say this he is stunned by the words he is saying to him. Wart is astonished that Mr. P is thinking about eating him. At this instance Wart has enough time to turn around and swim away just in the nick-of-time to escape from Mr. P. Another one of Wart's transformation places him in a flock of geese. These geese are a peace loving race that never kill. Wart learns all about being a geese from other geese. Wart learns most of his lessons from a goose named Lyo-lyok. Wart and Lyo-lyok talk about how the geese communicate and most everything about geese. When Wart asks, "Are we fighting people?" (169). Wart and Lyo-lyok get in an argument. Lyo-lyok refuses to listen to Warts explanation to his question. Lyo-lyok did not understand Wart's point of view. Once Wart explains to Lyo-lyok his situation, she then helps Wart in his understanding of the goose. Wart learns that there is one leader to a group who is called The Admiral. He guides them on their flight south for the winter. The Admiral receives his position because of his knowledge of the southern migration route. He is only elected if all the geese in the migration group agree he is capable of doing the job. During the flight the geese obey his choices, since he is their elected leader. But his power ends once they are back on the ground, where he is only looked upon as a respected elder. Lyo-lyok teaches Wart about this and tells him, "this is how Great-uncle became an admiral" (171). Through out Wart experiences as a goose he learns alot about why the geese are not a group that fights within their species. Lyo-lyok tells Wart that the only reason humans fight amounts each other is that we set boundaries and that is what causes fighting. In the final transformation Wart visits the badger. The badger is a great philosopher who enjoys giving scholarly commentaries, this is why Merlyn wants this to be Warts last transformation. Merlyn explains that, "except for Archimedes, he is the most learned creature I know. You will like him" (183). While Wart is visiting him, he explains a story he has written on the creation of the animal kingdom's hierarchy. In his commentary he explains how man answered God's riddle and is awarded control over the animal kingdom. The Badger explains to Wart, in his view, that God created embryos and that the embryos had a chance to pick out three different characteristics to change about themselves. When man approaches God

Free Essays on A Smokers Injustice

A Smoker’s Injustice On March 30, 2003 a smoking ban will go into affect in restaurants, bars, and public places throughout NYC. A ban on public smoking lead by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an ex-smoker, has intentions of improving the health of employees by segregating smokers from about 13,000 bars and restaurants in New York City. The ban is a modernized version of unjust law as described by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In an attempt to save lives, Mayor Bloomberg is taking an addiction and marking it illegal and in doing so, he is segregating man from man, an idea which was thought to be thrown out the window after the 1960s. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. states in his â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† that an unjust law is â€Å"a code that a numerical or power majority group compels a minority group to obey but does not make binding on itself. This is difference made legal.†(King Jr. 408) With the public smoking ban, Mayor Bloomberg is forcing smokers to either quit smoking or get up, go outside, smoke, and then come back to join their party. Mayor Bloomberg, an ex-smoker, would not be pleased if such a law was enforced during his smoking days, so why enforce it now and force current smokers out of the building. The mayor argues that the law will help preserve the health of employees who work at bars and restaurants. It is â€Å"designed to protect workers in the city's 13,000 bars and restaurants that have allowed smoking.†(Reuters, N.Y. Times) In a city where smoking and drinking go hand in hand, like peanut butter and jelly, smoking has become a symbol of the hardworking New Yorker who is just looking for a 15-minute break from the overwhelming stress of life. An employee at a bar has already thought about the fact that he/she will be working around second hand smoke, and if he/she still took the job after knowing that, then why should it bother the mayor? Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. quotes St. Thomas Aquinas in ... Free Essays on A Smokers Injustice Free Essays on A Smokers Injustice A Smoker’s Injustice On March 30, 2003 a smoking ban will go into affect in restaurants, bars, and public places throughout NYC. A ban on public smoking lead by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an ex-smoker, has intentions of improving the health of employees by segregating smokers from about 13,000 bars and restaurants in New York City. The ban is a modernized version of unjust law as described by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In an attempt to save lives, Mayor Bloomberg is taking an addiction and marking it illegal and in doing so, he is segregating man from man, an idea which was thought to be thrown out the window after the 1960s. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. states in his â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† that an unjust law is â€Å"a code that a numerical or power majority group compels a minority group to obey but does not make binding on itself. This is difference made legal.†(King Jr. 408) With the public smoking ban, Mayor Bloomberg is forcing smokers to either quit smoking or get up, go outside, smoke, and then come back to join their party. Mayor Bloomberg, an ex-smoker, would not be pleased if such a law was enforced during his smoking days, so why enforce it now and force current smokers out of the building. The mayor argues that the law will help preserve the health of employees who work at bars and restaurants. It is â€Å"designed to protect workers in the city's 13,000 bars and restaurants that have allowed smoking.†(Reuters, N.Y. Times) In a city where smoking and drinking go hand in hand, like peanut butter and jelly, smoking has become a symbol of the hardworking New Yorker who is just looking for a 15-minute break from the overwhelming stress of life. An employee at a bar has already thought about the fact that he/she will be working around second hand smoke, and if he/she still took the job after knowing that, then why should it bother the mayor? Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. quotes St. Thomas Aquinas in ...

The Mail is Arriving Way too Late, Watchdog Reports

The Mail is Arriving Way too Late, Watchdog Reports Even by the U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS) own recently lowered standards, mail delivery has become unacceptably slow, according to a federal inspector general. In fact, the number of letters being delivered late has increased by 48% in the 6 months since January 1, 2015, USPS Inspector General (IG) Dave Williams noted in a Management Alert sent to the Postal Service on August 13, 2015. In his investigation, IG Williams found that, â€Å"Mail was not being processed timely throughout the country.† Why Is the Mail Slower? On January 1, 2015, the Postal Service, in yet another attempt to save money it doesn’t have, lowered its own mail delivery service standards basically allowing mail to be delivered over a longer period of time than before. For example, where 2-day delivery of First-Class mail had been required before, 3-day delivery is now the acceptable standard. Or, â€Å"slow† is the new â€Å"normal.†Ã‚   [ Postal Services Losses by Year ] The move also paved the way for the Postal Service to go ahead with the closure of some 82 mail sorting and handling facilities across the nation, an action 50 U.S. Senators had recommended against. â€Å"The impacts on customer service and employees have been considerable,† Williams wrote of the lowered delivery standards and facility closures. The IG also noted that the delays had been â€Å"compounded† by two other factors: winter storms and employee scheduling issues. â€Å"Postal Service management stated a large number of winter storms disrupted service from January through March 2015, particularly for mail requiring air transportation,† wrote the IG. â€Å"Additionally, winter storms shut down highways on the East Coast and closed a contractor’s hub in Memphis, TN, delaying mail across the country.† As a result of the reduced delivery standards and facility closures, over 5,000 postal workers were assigned new job duties and were forced to change from working night to day shifts. This required staffing realignments and training of mail processing employees on new jobs, creating an inefficient workplace, according to the IG. How Slow is the Mail Now? IG Williams’ investigation showed that letters classified and paid for as 2-day mail took at least three days to arrive from 6% to 15% of the time from January to June in 2015, a service decline of almost 7% from the same period in 2014.   Five-day mail got even slower, arriving in six days or longer from 18% to 44% of the time for 38% service decline since 2014. Overall, during the first six months of 2015, 494 million pieces of mail failed to meet delivery time standards, a late delivery rate 48% higher than in 2014, investigators concluded. [ Door to Door Postal Services Might Be a Thing of the Past ] Remember when local First-Class letters were usually delivered the next day? Well, the Postal Service eliminated that service in January 2015 in preparation for its mail-handling facility closures. For all classes of mail, the new â€Å"relaxed† delivery standards have allowed the Postal Service one extra day to deliver as much as 50% of all mail traveling outside the Zip Code in which it was mailed, according to the IG’s report. Despite the predicted, but highly unlikely demise of â€Å"snail mail,† Postal Service statistics, show that the USPS handled 63.3 billion pieces of First-Class mail in 2014. Of course, that was 34.5 billion fewer pieces of mail than the 98.1 billion letters handled in 2005. In 2014, a focus group representing a cross-section of postal customer, told Postal Officials they would be willing to accept lowered delivery standards if it meant saving the Postal Service. Be careful what you ask for. What the Inspector General Recommended While noting that mail delivery times had improved recently, IG Williams warned that the level of service is still not where it was during the same period last year. To deal with the issue, IG Williams recommended the Postal Service put its plans for a second round of mail handling facility closures and consolidations on hold until it had corrected its staffing, training and transportation problems related to the lowered delivery standards. [ Back When You Could Mail a Baby ] Postal Service officials disagreed with the IG’s recommendation to put the facility closures on hold until delivery problems are solved. In May 2015, Postmaster General Megan J. Brennan put a temporary hold on further facility closures, but did not indicate when or under what conditions they would resume.

Seeing the value in art Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Seeing the value in art - Research Paper Example The great works of art purchase is not as is with normal public goods. Why then can’t art be able do fed and shelter us just like technology? What value have people therefore assigned art? According to Guest, (1), we concider art as feelings: the objective expwrience the the piece of art work instills in us. as such the quality of the artwork could be judged by how much feelings it evokes in us. As I investigate the value of art and why art needs to be assigned value just like technology so that it can feed and shelter us, this paper will establish the monetary, cultural and historical valuation of art. Additionally, it will discuss the reception of art work and art movements, as well art exhibitions that challenged tradition and subsequently broadened the definition of art present in contemporary visual artworks. Finally, the paper will outline the objectives and roles of public agencies involved in supporting the creation and installation of art before giving a brief summary conclusion on the findings. Assessing the value of an artwork involve a critical analysis of the term value. In economics, value refers to a commodity’s worth as measured against others. In ethics, it implies to those desirable and worthwhile qualities of a commodity. It may also include rating something in relation to its perceived worth, usefulness or importance. Sometimes value can also be understood in paintings and photography as the darkness or lightness of the given image. Monetary value refers to that property of having material worth. This is often indicated by how much money the property would bring if sold out. Monetary value of art has been an issue especially when it comes to how much is a given of art work decided. Smith (1) identifies that it is hard to seee art through the clutter of dollars. He asserts that the monetary value of art has been asigned by the new culture that differentiates

Based on your analyses of The Catcher in the Rye and two films Essay

Based on your analyses of The Catcher in the Rye and two films demonstrate one lesson developed in these texts about the role of - Essay Example The characters of Holden Caulfield in J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, the many characters in John Hughes’ The Breakfast Club, and Kat and Bianca Startford in Gil Junger’s 10 Things I Hate About You all struggle to maintain relationships with their parents while discovering their own identities, yielding different results in each situation. From the beginning of The Catcher in the Rye, it is evident that Holden Caulfield’s relationship with his parents isn’t quite what it is supposed to be. Holden discusses how he has been kicked out of school and yet, his parents are entirely unaware of it. He also expresses that he has no desire to come home. Right there, it was evident that Caulfield had a disconnect from his parents. Part of this disconnect may have been related to the fact that Caulfield was sent away to boarding school for so much of his life. Not only did he go to boarding schools, but he went to multiple boarding schools due to failin g out of one after the other. It is clear that he is a deeply emotionally disturbed individual throughout the novel, and yet his parents are insignificant figures in his life, as seen in the novel. Mr. and Mrs. Caulfield were not entirely to blame for this, of course. The family had gone through a great deal of emotional turmoil outside of Holden’s personal circumstances. Outside of the novel’s action, Holden’s older brother Allie, who serves as the family’s â€Å"golden child†, passed away from leukemia. Of course, this had an effect on Holden, his parents, and the relationship between them. As parents who are in mourning, their other children may not be on the forefront of their minds, as unfortunate as it may be. The consumption of their attention by the death of their child does not mean that they love their other children any less. Rather, they are preoccupied by the situation at hand. Consequently, the remaining children may feel as though th ey have been forgotten or are unimportant. In Holden’s case, he feels as though he’s living in the shadow of his deceased brother. Studies show that â€Å"Most children are resilient when bereaved, and their adaptation is facilitated by positive and authoritative parenting,† (Dowdney). Unfortunately for Holden, his bereavement process has not been facilitated. Rather, he has been in boarding school, where he has no choice but to sort things out for themselves. Coupling this with general teenage angst, it is extremely difficult for Holden to establish his own place in the world, let alone establish a healthy relationship with his parents. Each character in John Hughes’ The Breakfast Club has an intricate relationship with their respective parents. Their difference in social status also further the complexity of these relationships, as well as their behavior as a result of these relationships. In this film, the parent-child relationship is explored in a way in which we see how it effects the individual’s search for them true selves. In John Bender’s case, he adopts his tough guy persona as a way to mask the feelings he has over being physically abused by his father. Studies have shown that â€Å"Adolescents are at risk of academic failure, school drop-out, delinquency, and substance abuse. Some investigators have suggested that a history of family violence or abuse is the most significant difference between

Music and Literature Essay Example for Free

Music and Literature Essay Music and literature have played an important role in our community and society since not only humans but the earth was born. It’s still a great mystery as to who invented or made music first. But first of all we shouldnt focus as to when was music made but should see that what actually music is? How to define music has long been the subject of debate; philosophers, musicians, and, more recently, various social and natural scientists have argued about what constitutes music. The definition has varied through history, in different regions, and within societies. Definitions vary as music, like art, is a subjectively perceived phenomenon. Its definition has been tackled by philosophers of art, lexicographers, composers, music critics, musicians, linguists, sociologists, and neurologists. Music may be defined according to various criteria including organization, pleasantness, intent, social construction, perceptual processes and engagement, universal aspects or family resemblances, and through contrast or negative definition. Music is sometime said to be a branch of literature. Now the question stands that what is literature? Literature is the body of all written works; the collected creative writing of a nation, people, group, or culture; all the papers, treatises, etc. published in academic journals on a particular subject. Its particularly hard to understand but in simple words literature means a piece of work written deeply form the or whatever your experiences and brain say and to put that experience and the work of brain into a piece of writing. Literature comes from the Latin word literra meaning a piece of writing. Literature has many branches like narrative stories, novels, poems and etc. Music is also a famous branch of literature. There are many music lovers found all over the world. Music is further separated into many other branches e.g. jazz, pop and etc. Music has been with us since the start of our beautiful earth.

Insulation :: essays research papers fc

Before we look at insulation we must see how thermal energy moves. There are three ways it moves. The first is by conduction. Conduction is the transfer of energy by direct contact of particles. Heat spreads through out an object till the object is the same all the way around. (Physical Science section 6.1, page 1) This happens because all particles vibrate unless in an absolute zero situation. These more violently moving particles hit each other. Eventually these particles will vibrate at the same speed. Conduction takes place in all the states of matter. Solids conduct heat better then liquids or gases because the particles are more tightly packed. Solids, such as metals are good conductors of heat. Insulators are not good conductors of heat. (Physical Science section 6.1, page 1) The second way thermal energy travels is through convection. This is the transfer of thermal energy through the bulk movement of matter. This only happens in liquids and gases. As a gas or liquid gets lighter it expands and thus is less dense. It then rises and you get currents. This is how there are ocean currents and air currents(Physical Science section 6.1, page 1). The third way is by radiation. This is the transfer of thermal energy through waves. This radiant energy is given of in waves by one object and is absorbed by another and changes into thermal energy. Lighter colors reflect radiant energy while dark colors absorb it. All objects that are warmer then absolute zero emit radiant energy. (Physical Science section 6.1, page 1 and 2) Insulation does not allow heat to travel through it easily. This is why they are not good conductors of heat. Insulation uses trapped air pockets to make it hard for heat to flow through. There are three basic types of insulation: fibrous, cellular, and granular insulation. Fibrous insulation is made up of tiny diameter fibers which finely divide the air space. The fibers can be perpendicular or horizontal to the object being insulated. They may not be, however, bonded together. Silca, rock wool, and alumina silca fibers are used. The most common and widely used are fiber glass and mineral wool insulation. (Swales) Cellular insulation is composed of small individual cells of air completely divided from each other. The cellular material that may be used are glass or foamed plastic such as polystyrene, polyurethane, and elastomeric. (NIA) Granular insulation is composed of little nodules which contain hollow spaces.

Explain why the duke of Wellington’s government fell from power in 1830? Essay

The fall of duke Wellington’s government in November 1830 is regarded as one of the most important turning point and a very pivotal moment in British history. So decisive and seemingly unexpected, was the downward turn in the duke’s political fortune and his government, meant is was caused by an array of reasons. From the standpoint of the 2 major parties, the political stature of Britain was quite weak. As a result of arguments and internal splits within the government, the tory party for the first time in many years had become apart of the minority. The small liberal wing of the tory party, the canningities had left in 1828 after a series of disagreements with the Wellington, whereas the Ultra’s, who were loyal to Wellington and Peel, left the Tory party mainly because the of the passing of catholic emancipation in 1829. Another issue that caused the disintegration of Wellington’s Tory party was not only just catholic emancipation, but also the fact that the duke and peel had to announce it. The Act of C.E was passed in April 1829, with a total of 173 Tory MPs against it. The ultra Tories believed that Catholic emancipation was an assault on the British Constitution, Although many Tories sympathised with Peel, they hated Wellington for falling to catholic pressure and judged him as misguided, or even two faced because he had always been a opponent to Catholic Emancipation. There was also widespread opposition in the country at large, because many in many cities like Liverpool and Manchester, there were many immigrants. This not only fractured Wellington’s capability as leader, but his government as well because the Tory party was now split 3 ways: the canningities soon to be allied with the Whigs, and also the separate faction of ultra’s who felt betrayed by Wellington. But one of the key factors that essentially solidified end of the Wellington’s government, was the speech that he read out in the New parliament meeting of November 1830. In trying to win support from the ultras, he made a speech in which he said he saw no need to consider and change in the current parliamentary system, an opinion rarely shared by other, This can be argued as one of the worst political â€Å"own goals† in British History as he clearly missed the mood of the moment, as there was genuinely a big concern over parliamentary reform. Wellington’s argument seemed entirely wrong almost to the point of stupidity as there was immense support towards parliamentary reform from both inside and outside parliament. Another issue that pushed Wellington’s government to the brink, was the ever growing power of the Whig party. The Whigs were now pushing for parliamentary reform and they were now more stronger and more confident. They had support of the canningites, who were experienced in parliament and the support of the new King William IV, they had a monarch who was not opposed to them like King George the IV had been. Some ultra tories who felt betrayed by Peel and Wellington united with the Whigs and Canningities to defeat the government. By 1827- 30, the divisions within the Wellington’s government had become to severe, the various arguments between factions limited it’s political aims and capability. The Whigs had a big part to play in further fracturing Wellington’s government through it’s alliances with the canningities and the ultras, so inevitably had a big part to play in the demise off Wellington’s government. How close to revolution did Britain come in 1830-32? A revolution can be defined as a drastic and far reaching change in a country’s way of thinking and behaviour. It is usually due to the fact that political change fails to respond to social or economic distress. In Britain, The growing pressure to change an unrepresentative electoral system was strengthened by the deteriorating economy. Against a backdrop of poor harvests, rising rates of unemployment and revival of radical demands for reform – it could argued that at face value, Britain extremely close to revolution from the years of 1830 to 1832. An issue that helped in pushing Britain to the brink of revolution was the crisis caused by the harvest failure, high prices and unemployment. These were some of the many issues which cause unrest within the countryside, as their was protests ranging from the destruction of machinery to the burning of corn. So the swing riots of 1830-1831 had begun. The significance of the agricultural disaster of 1830 and the swing riots, is that is can be argued as one of the initial steps which caused the rebellious and revolutionary attitudes of the people of Britain to grow. A crucial issue that almost caused a revolutionary climate in Britain between 1830-32 was the issue of parliamentary reform. Although changes had been made, like redistributing seats to more industrially centred places like Manchester and Leeds, so giving the middle class factory owners more political power and significance, the fact remained that house of Lords and the government as a whole, was still saturated with Aristocracy. The public were being let down and felt that the house of lords was clearly out of touch with the working and middle classes’ wishes, and example of this was the rejection of the second reform bill by the Lords in 1831, which caused widespread anger throughout the country. Although many groups and coalitions were formed to support the great reform act, one of the most notable political societies’ was the Birmingham Political union. The need for change, and so revolution can be clearly seen in formation of this union, as a crowd of over 15,000 arrived on it’s first meeting. It was inspired by the works of the Catholic Association in attracting mass membership and being well organised, without any form of violence. To gain support, The BPU’s polices were mainly targeted at middle and working classes, but there were other important coalitions like the MPU (Metropolitan Political Union) which was dominated by artisans and craftsman, who had be radicals in the years of 1819. Ultimately, the union of these various craftsmen, businessmen, lawyers and workers increased the tensions and sense of uneasiness with the government, so once again spurs the idea that Britain was edging closer to revolution. As well as pressure from the BPU, Francis Plaice made London the central place of opposition of the Lords, but not the Whigs. Whereas elsewhere by 1832, there were cases of violent protests which appeared throughout the country. Riots spread from the small rural areas to the large industrial towns, as the tensions concerning reforms increased drastically. One extreme case of rioting was in Bristol, when a violent mob burned down almost all of there town centre. All these different forms of protest suggest that, revolutionary circumstances like the overthrowing of Charles X in France or the demolition of Tsar in Russia, was rapidly becoming an inevitability in Britain. Arguably the only thing that prevented full scale revolution was the desire of the Whig party and there newly elected leader lord grey’s partial support towards reform, and efforts in turning violent protests into † safe and legitimate reform.† However there were major political issues that suggested that, Britain wouldn’t have a revolution just yet, unlike it’s neighbour France. Since the late 1770’s the Lord grey had handled issues over parliamentary reform, but in 1831 he finally got his moment. Although the Whigs only partially supported the idea of parliamentary reform, Earl grey was enough of a politician to realise that in the defeat of the first 2 bills and public disturbances, some change will be needed to mediate the situation. A quote for Grey states that † The principle of my reform is to prevent the need for revolution†. Grey was very aware of the public’s opinion and knew that situation would only get worse if they were inhibited any form of change. Grey motives were clear from the start as his idea of â€Å"reforming to change† was faà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ade to stop Britain becoming a democratic country, and so helped prevent a revolution. Although the Whig party still headed for aristocracy and believed that the amount of property was the basis for representation, the small amount of change or daresay â€Å"reform† allowed them stop further rebellions and prevent Britain disintegrating, and also helped the poor and working classes. Redistribution was vital in preventing the working classes from rebelling, as they could take seats from seemly useless places like Old Sarum and Dunich to newly industrialising cities. The Whigs wanted to protect aristocracy, but firmly believed that to strengthen the constitution they had to give the franchise to people with new forms of property and intelligence, which meant that middle class factory owners could now sit as an MP and vote. There were other changes which allowed the Whigs to control the situation with the public, and so prevent a revolution, this included 31 small boroughs losing half their Mps and also mean that boroughs of less than 2000 votes were totally disfra nchised. Britain was going through bleak times with a deteriorating economy and unemployment rate, and prominent cases of radicalism and violence. The public were being let down and felt that the house of lords was clearly out of touch with the working and middle classes’ wishes: all these factors contributed to the urgent need of political reform, suggesting that to a certain extent that revolution was quite close, if the situation was left not dealt with any longer it probably would have occurred. However It must be said that Grey was speaking the truth when he said the bill was an aristocratic measure that was introduced to prevent the need for revolution. He was very clever in his methods of introducing a small amount of change to delay revolution, and restore order to Britain. Ultimately, aspects of the Whig party ensured that revolution could occur, on the face of it, it shows that they changed the political map forever, but in truth it was a limited, but clever change to preserve there current constitution. So in conclusion, I must say that although to a certain extent Britain had come close to a revolution, but the actions of grey and his Whig party in preventing revolution, meant that that to a slightly further extent Britain had not come close to a revolution.

Analyzation of a quote from Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe Essay

In Things Fall Apart, Achebe focuses on differences in culture and society. In the quote, â€Å"The world has no end, and what is good among one people is an abomination with others.† Uchendu is discussing with Okonkwo and Obierka the massacre in Abame. I agree with the quotation. Many people have their own ways of doing things and then their actions are criticized by others. A prime example of this is religious groups in the world and all are criticized by one another at some point. A good example of that fueding is the on-going criticisms between Protestants and Catholics. Being Catholic myself, I can relate to this first-hand. Our beliefs to other religious groups are wrong, an abomination of what is â€Å"supposed to be done.† We also sometimes criticize our brethren in other faiths. The world is always in a constant fight. There is a deeper meaning in this quote and that meaning is that internally, the world will never end its constant criticism and bludgeoning of itself. It keeps going around in circles, and until one group decides to understand the other, the cycle will continue. Basically, the beliefs misunderstood by stubborn people who do not want to understand are picked on. The people whose beliefs are in question get angry and these differences are set in motion. And truly, until we all understand each other, universally, this cycle of craziness will certainly never end, making Uchendu’s statement correct.

Unnoticed Children Essay

Unnoticed Children Essay Unnoticed Children Essay June19, 2013 Amili Au Mark Keppel, 10 Unnoticed children Prompt: In your speculative writing, describe and analyze Salvador’s situation. Then examine what information, causes. Effects and possibilities will result if Salvador’s world doesn't change. Explain from the point of view of your role in Salvador’s world. Salvador is a child from a poor family with three younger brothers that he has to take care of. To my analysis, the mother is a single parent that has to take care of a baby and does not have the time to take care of the kids, so the oldest child took care of everyone. Salvador has to wake up early in the morning to wake his brothers up, tie their shoes, comb their hair and prepare breakfast for him and his three younger brothers. When it is time to leave to school, he runs with his brothers to school. In school, Salvador is a very lonely child with no friends; even the teachers don't remember his name. I think he is just very shy and even he had a friend, he would have the time to go out with his friends because he has the responsibilities to take care of his little brothers. His mother doesn't spend time enough time with him and his little brothers. Salvador has many negative thoughts; he has too much stress from school and home. The causes from his situation are that because he is very shy and doesn't have the guts to talk to others and make new friends, he is lonely so he doesn't talk in class. His mother is busy all the time taking care of the baby, so she left a lot of responsibility to Salvador. Giving responsibility to a child is good so they will be more matured, but the mother is giving him too much responsibility that she is abusing the use of Salvador. The effect of Salvador’s situation is his social life, because he doesn’t get to have the time to make friends and go play sometimes and he has to take care of his brothers. Not having friends in class makes him really lonely and quiet and so the teacher doesn't remember his name. If he has to still live on like this and his mother won’t change, he will become a

If Sentences for ESL Learners

If Sentences for ESL Learners English learners should learn if sentences, also known as conditional forms, in order to discuss various possibilities that are either realistic or imaginary. Follow the introduction below, you will find a grammar overview and explanation for each tense. Once you are familiar with these forms, use the referenced materials to practice and further your understanding of these forms. Teachers can print out the comprehension materials related to the materials, as well as the suggested lesson plans with point-by-point instructions on how to teach the conditional  forms in class. The Basics: What Are If Sentences? If sentences are used to discuss things that happen based on the condition that something else happens. There are three main types of if sentences. Use an if sentence in the first conditional to consider real, possible events in the present or future: If it rains, Ill take an umbrella. Use an if sentences in the second conditional to speculate about unreal, improbable events in the present moment or future: If I had a million dollars, Id buy a big house. An if sentence in the third conditional concerns imaginary (unreal) outcomes of past events: If he had spent more time studying, he would have passed the exam. If Sentence Forms Overview: If Sentence # 1 First Conditional If S present simple objects, S will verb objects- If the boys finish their homework early, they will play baseball. If Sentence # 2 Second Conditional If S past simple objects, S would verb objects- If he bought a new car, he would buy a Ford. If Sentence # 3 Third Conditional If S past perfect objects, S would have past participle objects- If she had seen him, she would have discussed the issues with him. Study If Sentences In Depth: Here is a detailed guide to all conditional forms with examples, important exceptions to the rules and a structured guide. The alternate guide provides options for advanced level learners. Finally, this guide to choosing between the first or second conditional provides further help on deciding whether to use the real or unreal conditional. Test Your Understanding of If Sentences: Once youve studied the rules - or if you already know the rules - test your knowledge: Conditional Forms Quiz For advanced level learners here is a reading dialogue comprehension exercise that focuses on using the third conditional. Teach a Lesson about If Sentences: This first and second conditional forms lesson employs reading comprehension about emergencies to help students discover and review the forms. Once students are comfortable with the form, they discuss other difficult or unusual situations using the first and second conditional This conditionals tic-tac-toe is a great game to help students review all three if sentence forms. Finally, here is a printable conditional form quiz to use in class. If Sentence Activities: Practice if sentences with grammar chants. Using chants, you and your classes can practice the structure so that it becomes natural and easy to remember.

Huamnities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Huamnities - Essay Example For example, he betrayed his wife by having an illicit affair with Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, war, the arts, industry, justice and skill. Many themes, motifs and symbols are used in the film: the power of ingenuity over strength, the drawbacks of temptations, disguises, and the wedding bed. All of these film materials subtly imply the common flow of a depiction of classical heroism: the story starts with a conflict, which is followed by a journey, with temptations along the way, and the eventual victory. The Ancient Greeks developed the idea of a hero, a star, or a protagonist. Throughout history, heroism is mostly portrayed through paradox and paradigm. Greek gods can always be observed to be standing in the middle of the beauty of the gods and the susceptibility of humans in battles. Odysseus took a very critical role in the film; he is the leader, and thus, much is expected of him. Being sacrificed to the battle and the claims of personal magnificence and fame, he is destined to although sequestered from the civilization he desires to protect. In his delicate equilibrium between devil-like belligerence and compassion for his victims, classical heroism is raised to prominence but disputed. The inconsistencies of the nature of classical heroism are inculcated in primeval notions by the valour of a woman. Ancient heroines, especially Greek goddesses, arise from the locations of the battles, taken away from the meadows of fight, but still are fully impacted in them the predicaments wherein political allegiances go against each other, and where fierce slaughtering is the lone way for a solution to be achieved. There is an overwhelming consistency in the adaptation of struggle, lost, pain, heartache, temptation, and victory into the way classical heroism is being depicted, not just in film, but in other forms of arts. In the Odyssey, Odysseus had

Why Is Homeschooling Better than Public Schools Speech Essay - 10

Why Is Homeschooling Better than Public Schools Speech - Essay Example In less than two months, all of us we will be through with our assignments and syllabus. No influence from other children and outsiders, the health of our children will be under close monitoring of the parent and every stage of the child development will be noted (Stevens, 2001). If you have not guessed of what I am touching on, I am talking about homeschooling. In 2013 alone more than 2.05 million US students were homeschooling. This was an increase of 75% from 1999. Not only in the US where homeschooling has been adopted, in Indonesia as indicated by Home School Legal Defense Association, more than 3000 families have now turned to homeschool as their best way to educate and shape their children. a. It is obvious that the major difference between homeschooling and public school is that the former is safer since the parent is with her or his child all the time. In public schools, bullying is very common, a vice affects the motivation of the children leading to poor performance. While parents who take their children to public school are not aware of what may happen to the child, parents who educate their children at home closely monitor their children and in case of any behavioural deviation, they address it on time. a. A major misconception about homeschooling is that it makes the children not to be exposed to life experiences. This is not true as far as I am concerned. Homeschooling children have adequate time to go for outing and meet their friends for example during the weekends (Welner and Kevin, 1999). Through social media, they can intermingle with their colleagues. There is no discrimination based on race, religion or nationality at home. Just by being comfortable during and after studying, the children are motivated to study the following day and they do not worry school as compared to their public school counterparts. b. More than 70% of homeschooling children take the career they choose. They are not influenced by their friends neither do the parents force them.

Week Two Discussion Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Week Two Discussion Questions - Essay Example Three types of communication tools the internet provides are emails, instant chat, and forum mechanisms. Emails are the most popular type of communication used on the internet today. Anyone can open a free email account at popular websites such as Yahoo, Google, and Windows Live. Emails are a great communication option for businesses because it is free and the message reaches the inbox of the recipient’s email account instantly. Chatting is an informal form of communication people used on the internet. Chat rooms mechanism can be used by companies to improve their customer service capabilities since chatting occurs in real time and its costs are a fraction of what it cost to set up a call center. Person to person communication is the most effective form of communication. One of the advantages of this form of communication is that people are able to utilize all senses which include vision, hearing, and body language during the communication session. Also in face to face meeting s the sender can take advantage of other technological tools such as projectors to transmit the message to a larger audience. A few years ago I worked for a company as an administrative assistant. My boss told me to take over the job duties of a certain employee during her vacation. I never spoke with the employee. When the person got back the employee was mad at me for taking over her duties. According to her my intervention with certain customers caused her a lot of inconveniences. My boss told me not to worry, but I suddenly had a person mad at me work due to a lack of communication. The proper thing would have been for a face to face meeting to have place between myself, the employee, and our boss prior to her vacation to discuss how to deal with her work area. I remember a few years ago I started a job for a company. I was the new employee there and I did not understand the corporate culture of the

Urbanism and Architecture Concepts

Urbanism and Architecture Concepts â€Å"Dwelling is the combination of architecture and urbanism† Dwelling, as a place to live, can be a house, a flat, an apartment or other place of residence. It is a place where human spent of most of their time while indoors. The concept of dwelling has been changed over the last hundreds years, in that period, the many dwelling building in different place of the world represent an unique local culture with different interior, exterior, structure, etc. However, in modern days, most of these symbols and architectural styles had already disappeared, dwelling buildings on this planet all blend into one style – Urbanism. It becomes more of an urban spaces, a place offers convenience and rest instead of an art product within its unique architectural style. Remmert Koolhaas was born in 1944 in Rotterdam, one of the greatest modernism architecture in the world. In early years he was a reporter and scriptwriter. After studying architecture between 1968 and 1972 in AASchoolArchitecture, and in Cornell University, with Zaha Hadid, Elia Zenghelis they established OMA. During his architecture life his famous works include Villa of Bordeaux, CCTV Headquarters in Beijing and Seattle Central Library in USA etc. In 2000, He acquired the Pritzker Architecture Price. His works are heavily based on surrealism combined with neoplasticism. Furthermore he adds the unique feature of the environment and society into building’s shape and structure in order to express different ideas and thoughts from human. Villa of Bordeaux is a perfect example showing Rem’s style dwelling, combining urbanism’s convenience and technology and beauties of the architecture. â€Å"Now we are left with a world without urbanism, only architecture, ever more architecture.† In the book â€Å"S, M, L, XL†, â€Å"What ever happened to urbanism†, Rem Koolhaas suggests that â€Å"Now we are left with a world without urbanism, only architecture, ever more architecture.†(S, M, L, XL, Rem Koolhaas, Bruce Mau, 1995, pp. 967). Of course urbanism still exist today, but the urbanism we have is the one different to what Rem Koolhaas described, it is the one impact by the modernization, it is a failure of urbanism. Nowadays urban expanding so quick with the negative impact from 20th century’s modern movement, in the past decades global economy and financial growth are slowly destroying traditional urban and its quality. This leads to the urban today where city is the form of citizen’s present needs as Rem described as â€Å"Exile to the virtual world†. (S, M, L, XL Rem Koolhaas, Bruce Mau, 1995, pp. 967) When architects designing cities, buildings or landscapes, too many things that cannot be controlled. Therefore architectu re is necessary or even essential for new urbanism. Rem suggests several points for the ideal ‘new urbanism’ should â€Å"no longer be concerned with the arrangement†¦ no longer aim for stable configurations†¦ denying boundaries†¦ discovering hybrids†¦reinvention of psychological space†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (S, M, L, XL Rem Koolhaas, Bruce Mau, 1995, pp. 969-971). In Bordeaux, an old couple wanted a new house after the husband experienced a car accident and has to spend the rest of his live on the wheelchair. Rem was the designer. Considering husband’s inconvenience, an elevator was added to the house as a representation of the urbanism, and turns into his personal world where he can find the sense belonging. In the villa he made the elevator a movable floor slab. Elevator moves among underground floor, ground floor and relatively enclosed first floor, beside is a wall vertically through the entire building, with all husband’s personal stuff, the arrangement is R.Koolhaas/OMA, Lemoine house, Floirac, near Bordeaux, 1994-98, In collaboration with Ove Arup. Preliminary sketch no longer a concern. While it is moving, this elevator becomes husband’s personal place and an independent space in the building. This becomes a type of urbanism’s â€Å"reinvention of psychological space†, denying boundaries of the floor. To husband’s point of view, the building is no longer separated as three different floors but as one structural space. Furthermore, this villa feature of hybrid of new urbanism by using different sorts of material is different parts of the building. Building was located on the top of the hill, surrounded with peaceful grass land and bush. Therefore the ground floor and first floor was mainly built by glass wall so that person live inside the villa can have the great view of Bordeaux city. Above the glass wall is the bedroom made by concrete, appear as a heavy box floating in the air determining a certain solution for layout of the building and quality of the space. However, glass wall cannot afford the weight of the conc rete slab, Rem use a special structure to solve the problem: A steel portal and a hollow piloti with a large diameter in reinforced concrete, reminiscent of the ones in the project for Agadir. To introduce a further, decisive degree of visual instability. (Roberto Gargiani, 2008, pp. 212). On the top of the concrete piloti is a long shiny stainless steel structure with the large concrete box on one side, on the other side is a large over-hanged concrete block buried in the patio garden, achieving equilibrium and make the top concrete box seems to float even more vividly. This technology is connected with the tradition launched by ledoux with the house pended. The perfect combination and hybrid of glass wall and concrete wall structure again express Rem’s ideal urbanism. The over-hanged concrete block buried in the patio garden. â€Å"Instead of enforcing coexistence, Bigness depends on regimes of freedom, the assembly of maximum difference.† It sounds impossible for an architect or even architects to control a large thing like skyscraper, large landscape or even a city. When the modernized urbanism meets architecture, the problem of the large occurs. â€Å"Beyond a certain scale, architecture acquires the properties of Bigness.† (S, M, L, XL Rem Koolhaas, Bruce Mau, 1995, pp. 494-516). Nowadays, between modernizations which is what citizens need and acquire, and architecture which is the art of the building, urbanism choose what citizens need and this is when architecture start to fall. Art and beauty of architecture is useless against urbanism. However, bigness is a solution, â€Å"it is the one architecture that can survive, even exploit†. (S, M, L, XL Rem Koolhaas, Bruce Mau, 1995, pp. 494-516). Just like what Rem said, Bigness is the solution or maybe the only solution for urbanism and architecture’s assembly. â€Å"Instead of enforcing coexistence, bigness depends on regimes of freedom, the ass embly of maximum difference.† Suggests Rem’s idea: by using bigness, freedom and large space to combine architecture and urbanism. Evoke the idea of bigness is to offer everyone live under urbanism maximum space, freedom and privacy. There are several uses of the bigness and in Rem’s residential work – villa of Bordeaux, such as elevator. In the theory of bigness: â€Å"The elevator – with its potential to establish mechanical rather than architectural connection.† (S, M, L, XL Rem Koolhaas, Bruce Mau, 1995, pp. 494-516). The art of architecture become useless in the large size building. To avoid this Rem turn the traditional elevator into a movable giant floor slab. Instead creating a single room for the husband, this elevator makes the all three floor as a space for husband, remain the technology of bigness and the ‘art’ of architecture at the same time. The R.Koolhaas/OMA, villa Lemoine, Floirac, near Bordeaux, 1994-98, in collaboration with Ove Arup. Elevator-living room with the mobile platform. elevator can move from opening public living room to private bedroom, gives him enough space but at the same time – regimes of freedom. Another example is the Glass wall under the concrete box bedroom. With a brief look from outside, the building looks like typical modernised urbanism type house. However the comparison of the top concrete close up type bed room and opening ground floor with glass wall surrounded represent the assemble of two different concepts and ideas. This villa has more than 400 metre square land and three floors. The large space combined with glass wall enlarge the sense of freedom and â€Å"The seeming failure of the urban offers an exceptional opportunity† Modernization heavily impact on urbanism on the negative side. Within globalization in urbanism, dwelling building all over the world are becoming more and more similar, some unique feature are decreasing. More buildings share same structure, same shape and same style. These took the original ‘urbanism’ away from the city, instead, urban become a solemn place full of steel framed building. This is the where Rem Koolhaas pointed out that â€Å"In a landscape of increasing expediency and impermanence, urbanism no longer is or has to be the most solemn of our decision; urbanism can be lighten up, become a Gay Science – Lite Urbanism.† (S, M, L, XL Rem Koolhaas, Bruce Mau, 1995, pp. 961-971). In modern days, under the fail urbanism, the new environment of urban is no longer a series place for living but a place where people can find themselves belong to, a place that not only bring them convenience and comfort, but also a simple place where they find enjoy to s tay, where they can find happiness and care. R.Koolhaas/OMA, villa Lemoine, Flo-rac, near Bordeaux, 1994-98, in col-aboration with Ove Arup .Intermediate upper-level plans;cross section In that case, Villa of Bordeaux can be the representation of ‘Lite urbanism’, building itself was a product of urbanism, offer people who live inside a place to rest, elevator offer husband who has to spent his life on wheel chair convenience, On the wall of the floating box, several holes with different height enable people at different level to look at the view outside. Furthermore about urbanism, house was locate on the top of the hill surrounded with no other building but quite grass land and bushes, different from the normal dwelling building locate in the city. Evokes an idea of the owner of the building who wants to take root of this place and live in seclusion. Without the crowd and noise, villa of Bordeaux becomes a representation of â€Å"Lite Urbanism†. Although the failure of the urbanism brings negative effects to cities, still Rem Koolhaas treats it as an opportunity at the same time and he designed lots of amazing architectural buildings such as Vil la of Bordeaux. Rem Koolhaas, 1996. Rem Koolhaas: Conversations with Students (Architecture at Rice). 1 Edition. Princeton Architectural Press. Roberto Gargiani, 2008. Rem Koolhaas/OMA (Essays in Architecture). 1 Edition. Rouledge http://wp.architecture.com.au/venicebiennale/venice-events/

Dostoevskys The Brothers Karamazov Essay -- Brothers Karamazov Dostoe

Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov Dostoevsky first presents Smerdyakov, in The Brothers Karamazov, in Book 3 of Part 1. The author divulges details of the conception of the fourth son of Fyodor Pavovich Karamazov. Late on a September evening, a drunk Fyodor, by modern standards, "rapes" a homeless woman. Stinking Lizaveta, the victim of Fyodor's violence, was a legend in the town. Regardless of her unattractive and dirty appearance, her poverty, and homelessness, the townspeople regarded her with sympathy and compassion. Fyodor, on the other hand, treated Lizaveta as an insubordinate who was undeserving of even an ounce of respect. He and his friends mock her. He, then, rapes her. And, as if these actions are not cruel and offensive enough, he vehemently denies any of it happening. Later, when Lizaveta gives birth to Fyodor's illegitimate son, it is Grigory and Marfa who take the boy in, baptize him, and decide to raise the child. The townspeople mistakenly credit Fyodor for taking the dead woman's child into his ho use. All of these disturbing actions on the part of Fyodor are cause for his punishment. While Fyodor neglected his fatherly duties to his other three sons, to this fourth, he rejects them completely. He finds the controversy around the mystery of the boy's conception amusing. He employs his own son as one of his servants, as his "lackey." Although incredible attention to detail is paid to the story of Lizaveta, Dostoevsky waits to speak of the boy himself. It is as if the author is all ready separating this last son. Dostoevsky claims to not want to go into detail about Smerdyakov so as not to distract the reader from the story. However, it is an intention set-up on the part of the author. When we finally learn more of this mysterious character, it is not until four chapters later. Dostoevsky is oddly able to summarize the character of Smerdyakov in only five pages, whereas, with the characters of his brothers, he needs many more pages. In this way, the author is showing the mistreatment of this innocent boy by all who know him. Grigory is ashamed of him. He spreads the story of Smerdyakov's birth and ruins his reputation indefinitely. All three of the brothers treat Smerdyakov not as an equal, but as a servant. Despite his displays of intelligence, Smerdyakov is labeled and mocked by everyone. He is called a lackey, an ass, a sco... ...he destruction of his third brother a little differently. Alexei cares to an extreme extent about others. He is deeply affected by the suffering of Ilyusha and the other schoolboys. Smerdyakov knows that by simply affecting the two brothers whom Alexei loves, he is also affecting Alexei. Alexei, to no avail, attempts to save what remains of his brothers' dehumanized states. While Smerdyakov's actions are cunning and deceitful, he knows at every moment exactly what he is doing and why he is doing it. He is fully aware of his own predicament. He is born into misfortune, attempts to avenge his name, and wreaks havoc upon this small Russian town. While he carefully manipulates people and skillfully executes his plans, he is aware also of the immorality of murder. Like Zisoma's "mysterious visitor," Smerdyakov commits his crimes out of passion. He does not wait for the jury to consider his case. Like the "mysterious visitor," he has convicted himself of murder and sentences himself death. Smerdyakov's vicious crime and brutal punishment complete a full life of violence starting at his conception. His passionately violent nature erupts implosively beneath a mask of implacable calm.

Succubus Heat CHAPTER 16

â€Å"Georgina.† My name came to me from far away, from far down a tunnel without an end. It echoed off the walls of my mind, loud at first and eventually fading to nothing. â€Å"Georgina. Look at me, sweetie.† â€Å"Let her sleep, Hugh.† â€Å"No, I need to talk to her and make sure she doesn't have a concussion. Georgina, come on. Open your eyes for me.† Through a mist of black fog, my brain parsed the words and slowly found meaning in them. Some basic response in me wanted to comply, but my eyelids felt like they were stuck together. Thinking-let alone answering-was too hard, but more words came to encourage me. â€Å"There you go, sweetie. Try it again. You almost had it.† With much effort, I finally managed to open my eyes. It was excruciating. My lids felt like they were made of lead. At first, I could only perceive one thing: light. I winced, wanting to sink back into that oblivion I'd been pulled from. And with this slight stirring of consciousness, all the pain I'd escaped from before suddenly returned. My head throbbed. My back burned. The clich? ¦ about breaking every bone in the body seemed like a very real possibility all of a sudden, and I was pretty sure I'd broken a few that weren't in my body. Sure, that didn't make sense, but with as bad as I felt, little did. â€Å"Oh God.† At least, that's what I tried to say. It came out as more of an indistinct moan. â€Å"Easy there. You don't have to say anything.† I opened my eyes again, this time making out a figure leaning over me. I knew his voice so well that I didn't need to see his face, which was a blur anyway. â€Å"Hugh,† I croaked. â€Å"Hey, ask her what-â€Å" â€Å"Shut up,† Hugh snapped. The jerky movement of his head made me think he'd glanced behind him, but I couldn't be certain. He moved his face closer to mine, bringing his features into sharper relief. He was paler than I'd ever seen him, his face filled with lines of worry and fear I'd never thought him capable of. He looked even more upset than when he'd come to tell us about Jerome's summoning. Reaching out, Hugh held the lids of one of my eyes open and shone a small light into it. I squirmed at the brightness-or at least I tried-but he was fast and did it to the other eye before it caused too much discomfort. When he finished, he moved his finger around in the air and studied my eyes as I followed it. â€Å"What's your name?† he asked. The voice behind him piped up. â€Å"You already said her name.† Hugh sighed and jerked a thumb over his shoulder. â€Å"What's his name?† â€Å"Cody,† I said. It was getting easier to speak, but the pain was going up the more conscious I became. Cody's voice was as familiar to me as Hugh's, and I felt certain Peter was here too. Hugh asked me a few other factual questions, like the current year and the location, and also if I was nauseous. â€Å"It all hurts,† I said, voice still slurred. I couldn't even move, let alone distinguish nausea from the rest of my pain. â€Å"Yeah, but do you feel like you're going to throw up? Right here? Right now?† I thought about it. My stomach hurt, but it was less of a queasy discomfort and more of a someone-just-kicked-me-with-stilettos discomfort. â€Å"No,† I said. Hugh sat back, and I heard him sigh in relief. â€Å"It all hurts,† I repeated. â€Å"Can you†¦make it stop?† He hesitated, and a moment later, Cody appeared beside him. â€Å"What's the matter? You've gotta give her something. Look at her. She's suffering.† â€Å"Understatement,† I mumbled. Hugh's face was still drawn. â€Å"I'm not gonna knock her out if she's got a concussion.† â€Å"She passed your tests.† â€Å"Those are field tests. They're not one hundred percent accurate.† â€Å"Please,† I said, feeling tears well in my eyes. â€Å"Anything.† â€Å"We know it won't kill her,† I heard Peter say. I'd been right about him being here. Hugh hesitated only a little longer. â€Å"Go get some water.† Cody disappeared, and Peter replaced him by Hugh's side. Hugh's expression was still grim. â€Å"Sweetie, I've got to clean up your back, and it's going to hurt.† â€Å"Worse?† â€Å"A different kind of hurt. But this has to be cleaned up so you don't get an infection, and then I need to shift you to check out the rest of you. The drugs'll help, but it's all going to hurt at first.† â€Å"Go for it,† I said, steeling myself. At this point, I couldn't really imagine worse pain. Besides, Hugh was a doctor. Everything was going to be okay now. Cody returned with a glass of water. Hugh made me drink some first, just to make sure I could keep it down. When I did, he gave me two pills to take with the rest of the water. I nearly choked on them-my throat felt raw and swollen, maybe from screaming-but I got them down. I wanted to ask what I'd just taken, but it seemed like too much work. â€Å"Should kick in in about twenty minutes,† Hugh said. I could see him fumbling with something in his lap. Standing up, he leaned over my back. Something wet touched my skin. â€Å"Son of a bitch!† Again, my words were slightly incoherent, but I think he caught my meaning. Stinging pain-a â€Å"different† pain, indeed-raced across my skin where he'd touched it. It was electric, sharp where the rest of my body throbbed. My desire to get away from that horrible stinging was so strong that I actually managed to move a little, but all that did was trigger the hurt in the rest of my body. The world blurred once more. â€Å"You're making it worse,† he warned. â€Å"Stay still.† Easy for him to say. I bit my lip as he continued. He was using antiseptic to clean the places Nanette had cut me. Necessary, as he'd said, but God, did it hurt. â€Å"Talk to her,† Hugh said to no one in particular. â€Å"Distract her.† â€Å"What happened?† asked Peter. â€Å"Who did this to you?† â€Å"Nice distraction,† said Hugh. â€Å"Nanette,† I said. Saying her name made my stomach turn, and I hoped I wouldn't have to go back on what I'd said to Hugh about throwing up. â€Å"She was†¦mad.† â€Å"I guess,† said Peter. â€Å"Mad I told Cedric about her†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Doesn't this kind of confirm your suspicions, then?† asked Cody. Yeah, if beating up the person who'd ratted out your secret plans didn't sound suspicious, I didn't know what did. But if Nanette really was behind Jerome's summoning, why not just kill me outright and leave no witnesses? Explaining that would take too many words and too much effort, so I just said, â€Å"I don't know.† â€Å"There,† said Hugh, straightening. â€Å"That wasn't so bad, was it?† I tried to glare, but I don't think he noticed. He rummaged in his kit once more and then leaned back over to start bandaging up the wounds. With as much as he was piling on me, I had the feeling I was going to look like a mummy. â€Å"Why didn't Dante stick around?† asked Cody. â€Å"Huh? Dante?† The bandage pressure wasn't as bad as the cleaning, but it was still uncomfortable. I wondered when those goddamned drugs were going to kick in. â€Å"He was here,† said Cody. â€Å"He called Hugh and told him to come over.† Some of the exact details of what had happened with Nanette were foggy, but I felt pretty confident, head trauma or no, that I would have remembered Dante being around. â€Å"Dante wasn't here,† I said. Hugh paused and looked me in the eye. â€Å"Then who called me? It was a guy, from your cell phone. Said to get over here and bring medical supplies-that you'd been hurt.† I frowned, and it came back to me, a shadow in the pain-filled haze of my memory. The strong arms and gentle voice. â€Å"There was someone here†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I began slowly. â€Å"Not Dante. Someone else. He put me to bed.† Silence fell. A slight fuzziness was starting to tingle the edges of my senses, which I took as a good sign. It was more of a pleasant, dreamlike fuzziness-not the I-can't-handle-this-pain-anymore kind. There was still a fair amount of that, though. The guys exchanged puzzled looks. â€Å"Are you sure it wasn't him?† asked Cody. â€Å"Why would Dante leave her, though?† asked Peter. Hugh snorted. â€Å"No telling with him.† â€Å"Stop,† I mumbled. â€Å"It wasn't him.† â€Å"You can't remember a face or anything?† Peter asked. â€Å"Was it even someone you knew?† I thought again, desperately trying to dig out the memory. There was nothing, though. Only that he'd been someone familiar. â€Å"I knew him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  That pleasant drowsiness was growing stronger. I wished it would hurry up. â€Å"There,† said Hugh. â€Å"All bandaged up. Help me move her so I can look at her ribs.† That was not fun, and the discomfort of the three of them turning me over-no matter how gentle they tried to be-was enough to momentarily break me out of the drug's soothing embrace. They managed to flip me over, putting moderate pressure on my back when I rested back against the bed, but allowing Hugh to examine the rest of me. He poked and prodded and had me take deep breaths. His final analysis was that I had a couple of broken ribs and a lot of bruising and pain that would just go away with time. â€Å"Great,† I said. I was so loopy by that point that I didn't even know if I was being sarcastic or not. Cody was still unable to give up my benefactor. â€Å"But who was here?† â€Å"The man†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I said. â€Å"You aren't going to get anything else out of her,† said Hugh wearily. â€Å"Not for a while. She's going to be in Dreamland any minute now.† â€Å"Dreamland. The man†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I repeated. Suddenly, I giggled. â€Å"The man in the dream†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I saw them exchange pitying looks, just before my eyelids drooped closed. They thought I was talking nonsense. None of them knew about the story of the man in the dream, of that alluring and improbable alternate life that Nyx had shown me. But as I drifted off to Dreamland, it wasn't Nyx's vision I saw. It was more of that same, painless black†¦at least, it was until I got jolted by a million volts of electricity. I let out a small cry of surprise, my eyes popping open. It felt like hundreds of icy needles were dancing along my body, piercing every nerve. The room's details, as well as my friends, came to me in sharp, crystalline detail. No more fuzziness. Turning my head slightly, I saw a fourth person. Mei. She stood beside my bed, face blank and emotionless, arms crossed across her black silk blouse. â€Å"What happened?† I asked. My words were still thick, but my speech capabilities had improved by leaps and bounds. â€Å"I healed you,† she said flatly. â€Å"Inasmuch as I can. You're still going to hurt.† Demons, though once angels, didn't possess that power to heal that their heavenly counterparts had. They could do it in small bursts, however, and in expanding my senses to assess my body, I could feel how she'd gotten rid of the worst of my pain. I still ached in some places, and even bandaged, my back still stung. I no longer wanted to die, however, so that was definitely an improvement. â€Å"Thank you,† I said. Mei didn't look particularly compassionate or benevolent. Her expression darkened. â€Å"They say Nanette did this?† I hesitated. I'd already gotten in enough trouble with the archdemoness for telling on her. Of course, my friends had undoubtedly already told Mei the truth, and anyway, she was the closest I currently had to a boss. I wasn't entirely sure if I could trust her, but if I had to place my money on the demon most likely to have my back right now (no pun intended), it was her. â€Å"Yeah,† I admitted. â€Å"I told Cedric that Nanette had met with Jerome. She'd met with Cedric too, so it seemed kind of like she was manipulating both of them.† Mei's face grew harder still. Whether she agreed with me or not, she didn't reveal. â€Å"Nanette won't bother you again.† And with no more than that, the demoness vanished. â€Å"Girl fight,† said Hugh, looking the happiest I'd seen him today. â€Å"I don't think it's going to be in creamed corn or anything like that,† I remarked dryly. â€Å"Her sense of humor returns,† said Peter. â€Å"Definitely on the road to recovery.† I tried to sit up and winced. â€Å"Or not.† â€Å"Don't push it,† warned Hugh. â€Å"Mei can only do so much-â€Å" â€Å"What the hell's going on?† We all turned. Dante stood in the doorway to my bedroom. His face was a mixture of incredulity and utter confusion. Without waiting for an answer, he hurried over to the bed and knelt down so that he was at my level. â€Å"Are you okay? What happened?† His expression was so tender, so full of concern that I was momentarily taken aback. Dante was indeed selfish and arrogant, but he did care about me, no matter what my friends thought. And in dire situations-like now-that bitter faà §ade of his fell, revealing someone whose soul hadn't turned completely black yet. He tried hard to hide this side of himself, but I knew it was there. â€Å"I had a run-in with a demon,† I said. I gave him a brief explanation of what had happened. He grew more and more incredulous as I spoke. When I finished, he glanced around the room, studying everyone accusatorily. â€Å"How does something like this happen? I thought demons couldn't go around roughing people up. Aren't you under some kind of protection?† â€Å"Technically Jerome's,† I said. â€Å"But he's kind of busy right now.† â€Å"Maybe you're under Grace and Mei's protection now,† mused Cody. â€Å"Mei looked pissed.† â€Å"She always looks pissed,† said Hugh. â€Å"I should hope so,† snapped Dante. â€Å"Are they going to go kick this other demon's ass?† â€Å"She's not likely to smite her, if that's what you mean,† said Hugh. â€Å"Grace and Mei are under the same scrutiny as everyone else, but I bet Mei'll bitch Nanette out.† â€Å"Great,† said Dante. â€Å"A stern talking-to. That'll show her.† â€Å"It's unlikely Nanette'll do anything else. If she was going to kill Georgina, she would have already.† There was an almost gentle tone in Peter's voice. I think Dante's outrage and concern had convinced the vampire that Dante might not be the complete and total bastard he'd always believed. My immortal (or not so immortal) friends finally decided I was in reasonable enough condition to leave me in Dante's care. Hugh promised to check on me tomorrow, and I thanked him again for his help. He and the others looked like they wanted to hug me, but with my back, they knew better. When they were gone, Dante went out to the kitchen and came back with a bowl of ice cream. â€Å"Good for what ails you,† he said. I was surprised to discover I had a considerable appetite. Judging from the time, I'd been out quite awhile before Mei had shown up. It had only felt like a few seconds. â€Å"Careful,† I teased. â€Å"People are going to think you're a nice guy.† â€Å"Well, I'll have to go rob some orphans to save my reputation.† He lay in bed beside me, curled on his side so that he could gently keep his hand on my arm and talk to me. As the evening passed, our conversation mostly touched on inconsequential things, topics to distract me from Seattle's increasingly dangerous situation. Finally, when it came time for both of us to sleep, Dante brought up the attack again. â€Å"Succubus†¦who was here earlier?† I knew he didn't mean Hugh and the vampires. I frowned. Even with Mei's healing, my memories were sketchy. â€Å"I don't know. But I think†¦I think it might have been Carter.† â€Å"Really? I still can't believe that angel hangs out with you guys. But if it was him, why didn't he heal you? He could have fixed everything.† Through the fog of that ordeal, I recalled my rescuer's words. I can't heal you . â€Å"Because he's not supposed to interfere,† I said slowly, remembering my earlier rumination on whether blowing up a stove was interference. â€Å"Heaven's supposed to stay out of this. He probably shouldn't have even carried me to bed-which is why he would have then gotten out of here and left it to Hugh to patch me up.† â€Å"An angel breaking the rules and a demon healing the sick,† Dante said. â€Å"You and your associates just get more and more fucked up.† I shifted slightly, cautious of my back, and rested my head against him. â€Å"That's for damned sure.†