Monday, September 30, 2019

Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 Misinterpreted Essay

Reading Fahrenheit 451 one can only wonder on somewhat naà ¯ve, but nevertheless terrible prophecy of the dark future to come, brought on us by Ray Bradbury. Often seen as a work of fiction or anti-utopia, in fact this is just a social horror story, if such a genre can be invented for its description. The technologies depicted in Fahrenheit are rather primitive compared to modern times. Sure, Bradbury had extrapolated the TV screens of 50’s and predicted the invention of giant TV walls, with â€Å"presence effect† that allows the viewer to feel himself in the center of action. Bradbury had expressed the fears that TV means death of media of a previous generation, being the books. But, as McLuhan stated, the technologies of past ages don’t die so easily, â€Å"The dominant technologies of one age become the games and pastimes of a later age† (McLuhan, p99). As fears that cinema would mean the death of theatre had proved themselves to be incorrect, thus a larger-scale fear that TV means the end of books had proved itself to be false too. On the other hand, Bradbury hadn’t predicted the invention of a new media which would outscore the TV as much as TV outscores the books: the Internet. The TV had no chance to progress into totally-enveloping media reality depicted in the book, losing the race to more modern media. While Bradbury’s technology prediction hadn’t been correct, his social predictions had proved to be uncannily true, if somewhat optimistic. The all-world media programming is here, broadcasted by orbiting satellites, â€Å"turns the globe into a repertory theater to be programmed† (McLuhan, p9). And the news brought to us by every source – from TV to Internet and even to Radio – are apt to be manipulated simultaneously, as was shown brilliantly in â€Å"Wag the Dog†. The censorship depicted by Bradbury isn’t here; instead, we have a total media coverage that produces fake events undistinguishable from real. People do not need to follow instructions told to them on TV; instead, we follow the views and ideas presented to us daily. The Electric Dog doesn’t roam the streets: the society is our Electric Dog that doesn’t kill nonconformists in real sense but effectively blocks ‘them’ from ‘us’. What brings salvation and hope in Bradbury’s world after the holocaust are Bible words. It doesn’t mean that he relies on religion to carry us through the new Dark Ages – rather, he tells us about our inner faith, which isn’t expressed but felt and understood. But as no holocaust had happened yet, only those who really feels in need seek salvation, others are content with what they’ve got. Bradbury’s views on government in Fahrenheit border with clear accusations of fascism, the burning of books being the most obvious historical reference. But fascism in US had became such a popular scare since the end of WWII that we don’t fear it as much anymore. After all, if government would ever decide to apply a ‘stricter’ views to economics like Roosevelt’s New Deal in 30’s, (which is quite possible now because of economics crisis), most voices would be raised in its defense rather than in its critics. People feel the government to be controlled by them, not the other way round. In Fahrenheit society education of youth program them to see their world as unquestionably right, defies critical thinking and praises the conformity instead. This is not only an exaggerated, but also a distorted picture of modern education, depicted just to scare us even more, to create a sense of further isolation of Guy Montag from the world. Bradbury doesn’t give much attention to the youth; this is sensible, for what he longs for is the past. Fahrenheit’s ending can be seen as a longing for â€Å"Golden Age†, the times that never were real but always in our eyes seem to be brighter than today. It is a hymn to nostalgia. But one cannot contemplate his past too long – he must consider the future. We should look ahead and be brave, no matter what dangers are waiting for us there. Works Cited Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. Published by Del Rey Books, Random House Publishing Group, 1953, renewed 1981. McLuhan, Marshall, From Clichà © to Archetype, Published by Viking Adult, 1970. Wag the Dog, by Barry Levinson, 1997 (the movie).

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Case Study 1: What’s the Buzz on Smart Grids?

CASE STUDY 1: What's the Buzz on Smart Grids? 1. How do smart grids differ from the current electricity infrastructure in the United States? Current electricity grids do not provide any information about how consumers actually use energy. That makes it difficult to develop more efficient approaches to distribution. The current system offers few ways to handle power provided by alternative energy sources. Without useful information, energy companies and consumers have difficulty making good decisions about using energy wisely. A smart grid delivers electricity from suppliers to consumers using digital technology to †¢ save energy reduce costs †¢ increase reliability and transparency The smart grid enables information to flow back and forth between electric power providers and consumers and †¢ allows both consumers and energy companies to make more intelligent decisions regarding energy consumption and production. †¢ provides information that would help utilities ra ise prices when demand is high and lower them when demand lessens. †¢ helps consumers program high-use electrical appliances like heating and air conditioning consumption times usage systems to reduce during of peak usage. could possibly lead to a five to fifteen percent decrease in energy consumption. 2. What management, organization, and technology issues should be considered when developing a smart grid? Management: Information feedback would allow consumers to see how much energy they are consuming at any moment and how much it’s costing them. That would allow them to make better decisions about using appliances like air conditioners and furnaces. They could potentially lower their energy bills. However, governments and energy companies need to help consumers overcome the intrusive feelings associated with the technology.Dashboard monitoring software must be easy for consumers to understand and use. Organizations: There are many disincentives for energy companies ass ociated with smart grids. Operating budgets and profits would be severely impacted if consumers greatly reduced their energy consumption. Implementation costs would be extremely high, even with federal government assistance. Consumer backlash is already evident in the few experimental cases to date. Without properly structuring the implementation, that backlash could grow against the energy companies.Technology: Networks and switches for power management, sensor and monitoring devices to track energy usage and distribution trends; systems to provide energy suppliers and consumers with usage data, communications systems to relay data along the entire energy supply system, and systems linked to programmable appliances to run them when energy is least costly, are all expensive and time consuming to retrofit into all the homes across the nation. Basically, the entire energy infrastructure would require retrofitting. 3.What challenge to the development of smart grids do you think is most likely to hamper their development? Some challenges to the development of smart grids include: †¢ Changing the infrastructure of the entire electric grid across the nation †¢ Installing two-way meters that allow information to flow both to and from homes and businesses †¢ Creating dashboards that are user-friendly †¢ Extremely high costs of retrofitting the entire grid infrastructure, estimated to be as high as $75 billion †¢ Potential intrusiveness of new technology †¢ Perceived and real loss of privacy Potential economic impact on energy companies 4. What other areas of our infrastructure could benefit from ‘smart’ technologies? Describe one example not listed in the case. One example that could benefit from smart similar to the electric grids is monitoring water usage in homes and businesses. Smart technologies could allow water utilities and consumers to †¢ Monitor water flows much like electric usage †¢ Turn off lawn sprinkl ers during the heat of the day or based on predetermined schedules †¢ Use monitors in lawns and around plants and shrubs to prevent over- or under-watering †¢ Monitor evaporation rates Monitor fountains, and other water for usage pools, features of usage 5. Would you like your home and your community to be part of a smart grid? Why or why not? Explain. Yes, I would like my home to incorporate the new smart grid technology because it offers to save energy, reduce cost, and increase reliability. Understandably, there may be costs associated with this production such as maintenance, installation, etc. However, I would be willing to pay a little extra up front if I would be saving a lot more throughout its usage. Not to mention helping the environment would not be a bad incentive.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

An Explication of the Theme of Choice in Robert Frosts The Road Not Taken and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

An Explication of the Theme of Choice in Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening The two poems written by Robert Frost that are going to be explicated are named â€Å"The Road Not Taken,† written in 1916, and â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,† in 1922. The purpose of the explication of these two poems is to correlate them in order to establish a common theme that they both possess, originating from both of the poems’ individual themes. The theme that I choose to explicate concerns choice, or experiencing a time in life in which a choice has to be made given a set of possible options. When one is presented with a set of options pertinent to an important choice in life, they explore all of the possible outcomes of the options pertaining to that single choice. This is one of the reasons why it is important to spend time thinking about which option that should be chosen, lest a wrong or unfavorable decision is made. Once the sole option has been decided upon amidst the other options and possible outcomes that are given, a sense of confidence is attained and this instills the ideology into one’s mind that they have made the right choice, and they can now continue unobstructed in life with this positive mindset, knowing they made the right choice, and when it is reflected upon later on in life, the earlier instillation of the ideology—that they made the right choice that time—is still present during the reflection. The first stanza of Frosts poem The Road Not Taken portrays a traveler who has encountered a road divergence in which only one of its paths can be taken, in the first line â€Å"two roads diverged in a yellow wood.† Being a traveler, he closely examines one of the paths of the divergence, although his exploratory actions as a traveler are explained in the second and third lines of the stanza; â€Å"and be one traveler, long I stood and looked down one as far as I could† in which he gauges the safety of the path and the possible outcome before coming to a decision for which path he decides to continue on. Oftentimes in life when a decision for a choice has to be made, people observe the given options in every manner, to see and decide which one would be the best one to make, as the traveler is doing in this case for either of the paths he has the option of taking. In the second stanza of the poem, the traveler again examines the secondary path and makes his own observations about it in the first line; â€Å"then took the other, as just as fair†¦Ã¢â‚¬  in which he concludes that both of the paths are mostly identical. In the remaining lines of the stanza, he examines how this path of the divergence appears to be slightly more worn (possibly from more people traveling on it) than the other, noted in the second and third lines; â€Å"and having perhaps the better claim†¦ because it was grassy and wanted wear†¦Ã¢â‚¬  in which he actually comes to the conclusion that the paths are mostly identical in the fourth and fifth lines of the stanza; â€Å"though as for that the passing there†¦ had worn them really about the same.† It can be inferred that at this point, the traveler is indecisive of which path should be taken, since no decision was actually made at this point in the poem. When deciding upon the choice you want to make with the provided options, examining or observing the characteristics of both options is a key aspect of decision-making. In the first two lines of the third stanza, it is now known that the time of day is early, that the area still remains as it was previously, and none of the leaves covering both paths have turned black from the constant on-foot traversal of other human beings; â€Å"and both that morning equally lay†¦in leaves no step had trodden black.† It can also be inferred that the traveler is spending a long time thinking about which path he should take, in which the same is done for weighing the options for a choice which has to be made. In the remaining three lines, the traveler appears to have made a decision, apparently evident in the line â€Å"oh, I kept the first for another day!† in which he favors the second path over the first one, and intends to take the first path sometime later or afterwards. The traveler also realizes that they do not want to be exposed to a situation like this anymore, given that they understand the current circumstance; attributable to the phrase â€Å"yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.† Essentially, the traveler realizes the path they have chosen in order to arrive to this point (in the poem and in the journey; again, given the current circumstance), and that knowing how things lead to other things [â€Å"how way leads on to way†] introduces a doubtable possibility, which would be returning [â€Å"I doubted it if I should ever come back†]. In the first two lines of the last stanza, the traveler has finally decided which path they wanted to take in the divergence, and that when they decide to reflect upon this decision they made, later in life, they will say: â€Å"I shall be telling this with a sigh†¦somewhere ages and ages†¦hence two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by. And that has made all the difference.† In the very last line of this stanza, the traveler appears to be very content with his decision, and does not hint towards any sign of regression of choice in his words, hence their words â€Å"and that has made all the difference.† The aforementioned instillation of confidence is present in the traveler’s words (and mindset) because they do not regret the decision they have made during their reflection upon which choice they decided to make, and could also conclude that the traveler was able to continue in life undoubtedly because they believe and know that the choice they made was the correct one. In the first three lines of the first stanza within the second poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, the horseman is unaware of whose woods he thinks he is currently situated in, although he knows that ‘his’ house is in the village that is more than likely nearby, by saying â€Å"whose woods these are I think I know†¦his house is in the village though; he will not see me stopping here†¦to watch his woods fill up with snow.† In the last two lines of this poem, it appears that the horseman knows that he has somewhere else to be rather than the forest, and that ‘he’ would not want the horseman spending the night in the forest (despite its beauty), when the horseman should, or has to be, in town. The horseman’s horse realizes that they are not in town, and that it would be rather odd to stop suddenly without any real reason; in the second stanza’s first two lines â€Å"my little horse must think it queer†¦to stop without a farmhouse near.† The following two lines indicate the setting within the forest, and the darkness for the time of year it is; â€Å"between the woods and frozen lake†¦the darkest evening of the year.† Perhaps this natural setting and the darkness of the day, with the added ambiance of the forest is a reason why the horseman wants to stay and admire the beauty of the forest, but they have one of the options—of a choice—to stay in the forest. Within the first two lines of the third stanza, the horse realizes the peculiarity of the situation, because â€Å"he gives his harness bells a shake†¦to ask if there is some mistake,† given they are currently sitting in the middle of a quiet forest, on the darkest night of the year, in moderately snowy conditions and far from the nearby village—that needs to be reached. The ambiance of the forest’s quietness is also denoted in the following two lines of the stanza; â€Å"the only other sound’s the sweep†¦of easy wind and downy flake.† However, in the first two lines of the last stanza, the horseman realizes something—that despite where they are, they remember that they have kept a promise to someone; â€Å"the woods are lovely, dark and deep†¦but I have promises to keep.† It can be inferred that the horseman is currently in the process of upholding this promise to someone, in which he is venturing the nearby town, through the forest, to do so. The horseman had an option to remain in the forest that night, but they did not do so because they reminded themselves that they have a long journey to complete before they can actually go to sleep (apparently would be best for them to complete it sooner than later) in the village in the last two lines of the stanza; â€Å"and miles to go before I sleep†¦and miles to go before I sleep.† When comparing the lines from both sets of stanzas within both poems, the aspect of having a choice is present in both of them. In The Road Not Taken, a choice between which road has to be taken is made, and in Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, a choice of whether to continue through the forest to get to the town (to rest, presumably) or remain in it for the night (to adore its natural beauty) is contemplated, however the traveler in The Road Not Taken chooses a path to continue on his journey, and the horseman in Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening reminds himself that he has somewhere else to be instead of staying in the forest. Regardless of the circumstances that may arise during the situation of making a choice in life, you are still presented with the given options, and the options of course to examine or observe the possibilities of what you can do in such a situation, i.e. the traveler in The Road Not Taken having to pick a path based from his observations, or the horseman in Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening opting to go to town so they could rest (and complete the journey), rather than resting in the forest amidst its natural beauty (and not knowing what could happen overnight). However, once a decision is made from the given options, the ensuing circumstances or occurrences may either positively or negatively affect the mindset you have towards the decision you made, especially in hindsight or upon reflecting on what was done at that point in time, i.e. the traveler’s words in reflection of his choice of path he made—written in the last lines of the last stanza of The Road Not Taken; â€Å"I shall be telling this with a sigh†¦and that has made all the difference!† It is more than likely that Frost wants his readers and audiences to recognize these situations in life through means of expressing them his own poetry, which is perhaps why the handful of steps concerning the aspect of decision-making and its effects—especially in life—are poetically portrayed with his own examples, in different forms, in both of these poems.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Rhetorical Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Rhetorical Analysis - Assignment Example This paper is focused on the identification of rhetoric strategies in an academic and professional paper written by Saurav K. Dutta and Raef A. Lawson in the domain of managerial accounting. The title of paper is â€Å"Boosting Management Accounting’s Stature on Campus† and it has been published in year 2007. ANALYSIS OF RHETORICAL STRATEGIES Style and Tone The style adopted by authors of this paper is comprised of long and fluent sentences along with descriptive and appropriate usage of words. The appropriation of words used by the authors is strictly in concordance with the field which this paper has associations that is business. Structure of sentences is simple and effective which demonstrate the informative intention of authors. However, the paper is aimed to persuade the academic institutions, authors have adopted the straight writing technique in which simple structured sentences are presented to inform the audience about the criticality of the issue. As this art icle is professional as well as academic, the tone utilized by authors is highly descriptive. However, authors also have acquired a sarcastic tone to signify the criticality and to represent historic happenings in the domain of management accounting. ... Followed by the construction of the argument in which authors have demonstrated the flaw of contemporary academics on the basis of which the problems are developed as associative with the field of management accounting. By developing the whole explanation for the problem, authors have proposed a way out which is the basic purpose of the author to be developed. In this domain, the whole paper represents a systematic deliverance of the argument with a demonstration of excellence by the authors in the related field of study. Due to this, authors have successfully developed the stature of authors as credible and authentic which assists to imply the intended argument in a more sufficient manner (Dutta and Lawson 43-45). Pathos The presence of pathos in the article is distinctively highlighted with the explication of issue and its association with individuals who are professionally accountants in a negative manner. Authors have identified a significantly critical issue regarding the field of accountancy on the basis of which authors developed that this critical issue is decreasing the need of accountants. There are two prominent features in the paper which depicts the persistence of pathos acquired by authors in order to persuade the targeted audience on emotional plain. Firstly, authors have portrayed a factor of concern for the field of management, business and accounting that is the declining need and efficiency of accountancy in contemporary times. It creates an immensely persuading impact on the academies of business and field of accounting because of the importance which is intrinsically related to this discipline of studies. On the other hand, it illuminates problems for individuals who are acquiring the academic

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Violence in Secondary Schools and Colleges in Britain Essay

Violence in Secondary Schools and Colleges in Britain - Essay Example It is common to read in the newspapers and hear through other people that a teenager has been stabbed in the eye and the head by a fellow of 15 years old at school; we also hear and read about pupils that suffer cuts and bruises in a school/college attack or that are slashed across the face with a pencil sharpener; students mugging other students for their cash and mobile phones, and the list is long. The truth is that this issue has been raised some years ago. The police usually said that the incidents reported where not related to racial disputes. However, this need to be confirmed as usually ethnic groups is also part of the problem. In 2006, Ministers decided to change the law to provide teachers with the legal right to discipline unruly pupils and restrain children using reasonable force. In May 2005 the British government announced the creation of a task force (Curtis:2005) where experts heads and teachers would have to consider a national code of behaviour, and to set minimum standards expected by schools, parents and pupils, in order to tackle poor behaviour. Also, a new offence of "allowing a child to be found in a public place during school hours without good cause" to make sure parents keep track of their children was established, and the controversial right of parents to appeal when a pupil was excluded for more than five days was backed as well (Macleod:2005). The whole initiative represented a new move to construct a "culture of respect" in the classroom. However, as we have already seen, reforms have made little impact. Colleges started to take different measures like installing metal detectors in hundreds of secondary schools in an effort to dissuade pupils from carrying knives and dangerous weapons; increasing guards and security; introducing cameras; among others. The introduction of these cameras was important as by this measure some students were caught red-handed like for example in the act of stealing a purse or breaking the windows of the classroom, or vandalising cars in the school area. The question from now on is the following: How can we improve the current situation For the question raised we can think of many important measures that can be adopted. For example it is necessary to establish norms for behaviour for students. Students can be asked to set penalties and enforce rules. Also it is imperative to encourage parents to talk with teachers about the progress of the child, to engage in a closer relationship with the school authorities, and to learn how to recognize the warning signs of violence either at home or with their peers as they will surely reproduce later in the school environment. For teachers it is also important to recognise the signs of violence as soon as they occur and to stop them immediately. They can report immediately

The Balance Scorecard (BSC) in practice- the factors affecting the Essay

The Balance Scorecard (BSC) in practice- the factors affecting the successful implementation of a BSC - Essay Example Norton and Robert S. Kaplan (Punniyamoorthy & Murali, 2008). Balance Scorecard helps in implementing the organizational strategies in terms of actionable plan and make it a thorough continual process by providing a comprehensive road map of how to effectively carry out strategy, including the alignment and mobilization of the management team and other employees (Punniyamoorthy & Murali, 2008). According to Harvard Business Review, the Balance Scorecard is one of the most influential management ideas of the past 75 years (Palladium, n.d.). Today, many large, medium-sized and even small organizations use the Balance Scorecard as a performance measurement system, but usually small and medium-size companies fail to successfully implement that. This happens generally due to the gap between their strategies and vision. This paper is based on the concept of Balance Scorecard. The essay starts with the introduction, followed by a thorough understanding of the Balance Scorecard, with the significant reviews of the applicable literature, including factors that obstructs the successful execution of a Balance Scorecard. The Balance Scorecard is a tool that helps the organizations to create a link between its strategy and actions, encourages the individuals to involve in organizational planning, focuses on the critical phases of the business and take action instantly when change is required (Atkinson, 2006). It is a multidimensional tool that can be used in management, strategic and measurement systems. With its multidimensional tactics, the Balanced Scorecard integrates the performance measurement of both financial and management aspects (Punniyamoorthy & Murali, 2008). It measures the performance by focusing on four major perspectives, which includes financial stability, customer base, business operations, and learning and development. This tool gives the meaningful interpretations of the interconnections between the business processes

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide - Essay Example As of 31st December 2007, Starwood group’s portfolio included a total of 897 Hotels with 275,000 rooms across 100 countries that primarily cater to the upscale markets of the lodging industry. The company employs about 145,000 people and has its headquarters in White Plains, New York (Starwood, 2008). It is clear that the level of competition in the hotel and lodging sector is very high. Hence it is essential that Starwood has to undertake immediate efforts to improve its services and market share in order to survive in this competitive environment. This consultancy report will analyze the company’s current situation and aim at improving the organization on the whole. This method is based on the product life cycle theory. This provides a means to correctly give importance to the product portfolio of a business unit. It is essential that companies have a combination of both high growth products as well as low growth products. The diagram below explains the BCG Matrix. Stars refer to businesses use huge amounts of cash and also generate large amounts of monies as well. Here the company has a high growth as well as high market share. These generally include businesses that have a large market share in a fast-growing industry. These businesses do generate cash, however, this is very limited as all of it is required to be used to keep in sync with the rapid growth. Businesses that are successful in this area mature to become ‘cash cows’, as the industry matures. Cash Cows, this is where the investments are low and the growth is also low, however, the profits and cash generation should be high. Businesses with a large market in a slow-growing industry fall into this category. The investments are low for these kinds of business units however these generate cash that can be used as investments in other business units.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Corporate accounting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Corporate accounting - Assignment Example Goodwill on acquisition, on the other hand, is the price the purchasing company parts with for the target company exceedingly above the target’s market book value usually accounting for the value of the target’s goodwill. The acquisition premium can be measured through a measurement known as Book Value Premiums where the effective offer price as a percentage premium should be divided by the target firm’s share market price minus one (Mukherjee& Mohammed, 2006, p.14). The share price of the target firm is recorded two days before the acquisition announcement to remove the effects of any rumors or information leaks in the market that may affect adversely the market share price of the target firm. Goodwill on acquisition can be calculated at cost minus any accumulated impairment losses such as losses arising from brand name usage following an initial recognition of assets. Goodwill on acquisition involves calculation of all the acquired firm’s assets to market value and add together the values of all acquired assets as the second step. Thirdly, subtract the identifiable assets from the purchase price. Fourthly, record the journal entry to recognize the acquisition and test the goodwill acc ount for impairment. Lastly, record the journal entry to recognize any goodwill impairment. The similarities between acquisition premium and goodwill on acquisition are that companies pay premiums when making acquisitions in the form of discounts or excess payment. Secondly, both acquisition strategies put pressure on the buying corporation to generate the outcomes its inherited stockholders will anticipate. Lastly, acquisition premiums arising from synergies may fall within the goodwill bucket. The difference between acquisition premium and goodwill on acquisition is that goodwill on acquisition should be reviewed on a yearly basis for

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Behaviour of Democratic Leaders in organisation Research Paper

Behaviour of Democratic Leaders in organisation - Research Paper Example Organizational behavior addresses the study of how individuals, rather than organizations, behave within the organizational situation. The field of study devotes itself to understand, explain and consequently improve the behaviors and attitudes of people and groups within organizations. A leader who is democratic shares the vision and decision-making processes with others in an organization and promotes higher morale. Studies have shown that democratic leadership has the potential to lead to higher levels of commitment, involvement, satisfaction and productivity among followers (Lee & Rosenbloom 69). This project will research the democratic aspect of organizational behavior of leaders, using a company case study to put more emphasis on the findings. It will further address the problems and challenges facing democratic leaders and propose solutions. A democratic leader is the force behind the motivation and success of an organization. Underlying their behavior is a strong trait of se lf-efficacy, which is also referred to as the social cognitive theory. The democratic leaders apply these concepts to define different areas within the organizational framework. The single aspect that sets leaders with democratic behavior apart from other leaders is the sharing of the processing of making decisions (Choi 249). Democratic leaders focus on arriving at decisions through winning consensus. This is because whenever there is consensus, there is always a greater commitment to tactics, strategies and targets because trust is a key feature of this style of leadership, which correlates well with the conduciveness of the working climate. Even for leaders who are open enough to admit that they are not sure about what needs to be done, a pool of talented employees can contribute excellent input that will move the organization towards it goals (Montana & Bruce 149). The democratic leader understands that employees who have been supported and given time to grow in their careers ca n make efficient team members that understand the organizational culture. On the other hand, being autocratic only suppresses their potential, hindering their growth which is detrimental to themselves, the leader and the organization (Montana & Bruce 112). In the decision-making role of leaders, the democratic ones will acknowledge that as a process, perception is a concept all employees pass through in their everyday activities, in or out of the work setting. They recognize that when employees meet colleagues and other leaders and evaluate performances, pass judgments and ultimately make business decisions, it is their perception of those events that will inform the next action they take. Therefore, whether flawed or accurate, their perception is their reality. The distorting or causal factors to employees’ perception considerably affect the impact of organizational behavior and productivity. Unlike the autocratic or coercive leaders, a democratic leadership will influence i ts followers to shift from tendencies of developing perceptive shortcuts capable of inflecting both negative and positive effects in their making of judgments (George & Jones 31). Therefore, they model and integrate guidelines that direct team members in their processes of making decisions. Such models have an emphasis on shaping corporate perceptions. For instance, although not to mean that they lack authority, a democratic leader does not impose directives on followers. Rather, this style of lea

Saturday, September 21, 2019

The True History of the Conquest of Mexico Essay Example for Free

The True History of the Conquest of Mexico Essay The True History of the Conquest of Mexico by Bernel Diaz Castillo started with the events leading to the discovery of the province of Yucatan. Following the coast to the west, they discovered reefs and coves, resulting to the ordering of the governor of Cuba to send out a Navy to investigate.   A series of events followed, from the discovery of one coast to another and finally reaching San Juan de Ulua, a small island. From the Indians, they found out about Mexico, a then undiscovered land. How the formalities went about and finally setting out to discover Mexico. Castillo also talked about the courteous reception they have received from the natives, and how, in the turn of events, the war between them and the Mexicans started. He related what went on in the war, both the battle itself and the legalities. He talked about how, eventually, they were able to conquer Mexico. One of the most important factors in the turn of events was the discovery of the Yucatan province. If it had not been found, everything would not have fallen into place. Don Hernà ¡n Cortà ©s’s letters to King Charles V are also very important in the sense that it was the main source of communication, though vague, and of course, a bit relative as a source. Diego Velasquez, the governor of Cuba, ordered to send a Navy to the new land they discovered.   They arrived at the river of Tabasco where they all got together. They followed the coast ahead, towards the west and arrived at the river of flags, from there arriving at a small islet that is now called San Juan de Ulua. They joined forces with another Navy to discover the new land. Diego Velasquez sent a servant to Gaspar de Garnica with orders and provision, in case they get caught, Don Cortez and the Navy will be taken to him. The Indians not only welcomed them, but treated them like Gods who came from the water and to them; Cortez became the light accompanied by horsemen and soldiers for the island of Cozumel. It was through words that they were able to get their way among the natives, a great communication skill that led them to these success. But the natives had other vicious traditions that had placed the fear of God in them, and circumstances that only God could have saved them from.   Complications arose in relation to the language, resulting to a change in course of actions. They were able to side-step this obstacle for Cortez knew of two Spaniards who were knowledgeable about the ways of Indians in the End of Cotoche and he aided their help. Cortez divided the ships and assigned who will captain in each one of them, also the instructions regarding the signals and other stuff. They got into the Indians small community and tried to befriend them, with the intentions of gaining their trust. Learning their customs, and gaining their friendship, the Spaniards started inserting their own ways, these of course is after gaining alliance with more than 30 communities of the mountain ranges.   They won the favors of the Indians by serving them and showing utmost respect. The Spaniards were all too careful in making their actions, taking every consideration and every possibility they can come up with. A proof of the smooth maneuvering of the Spaniards with careful planning and step by step take over. Hernando Cortez became the Commander in chief and Greater Justice of the small Indian island until the king Henry V gave out his orders. The Spaniards decided to populate Villa Rica with the Side Cross to strengthen and establish their grounds, close to the port where their ships were anchored. They also started integrating their Catholic religion when Cortez ordered the building of an altar with the image Mother Mary, a cross and the baptism of eight Indians, the natives accepting it. They returned to Villa Rica and conflicts gave them reason to set out for Mexico. They were ordered to go to Mexico and by the councils, an encounter forged the gap within their army. Castillo related of the great battle they faced from there and that it was only God’s mercy that lent them strength to overcome it. They had been trying in futility it seems to ask for reinforcement and how Cortez sent him to the King eighty thousand pesos in gold and silver, and sent a shot that was a very rich wrought of many figures, age of shaken gold under with silver, that by name said the Fenix, and also sent to its father, Martin Cortez, on five thousand pesos of gold. And of course, relating to corruption even at the time. In the latter part of their quest to conquer Mexico, the Spaniards branded them by establishing the Catholic religion, emphasizing the strong religious qualities that had been their main stronghold in every facet of their lives. Cortez has clearly dominated the scene and has in a lot ways disregarded the orders of his superiors. Religion is a great way to conquer people because there is no need for so much brute for. The main concern is their psychological aspect. Spaniards showed them the consequences of people without a religion. They introduced a concept of life after death, wherein you have to be a Catholic in order to be saved, to be ensured that you have a wonderful life after death. Throughout the literary piece, Cortez has expressed his side of the story, his views and how he perceived them. He talked about the blind obedience they had to their king and how even when Indians ate their fellow soldiers, they will not back out. He talks about the anomalies inside the church, the indulgences and the gold and all the other violence inflicted, but also his almost acceptance for he says they serve their own way and purposes. He talks about the land they were able to conquer, and the lives they have sacrificed and all for the wishes of their king, and yet bemoans the fact that credit is not given where it should be due. The way he talked about the church and their King relates to the very foundation of their society. It is the church that tells them how to live their lives by the way it dictates their being. What they do and how they do it is for the God above and the King. The implication of their blind obedience to their king is a touch of loyalty but also integrated duty. It is a realization of how the smaller designation of power works, how higher orders are side-stepped and how the one who holds that power can be formidable.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Capital and Corporal Punishment: Argumentative Essay

Capital and Corporal Punishment: Argumentative Essay What is meant by capital punishment? Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is the killing of a person by judicial process as a punishment for an offence. Britain has used the death penalty since its early history. Over 200 crimes could be punished by death within the 18th century, these consist of such trivial offences like stealing an item in a shop which was worth more than 5 Shillings, sending threatening letters and even cutting down a tree. In the 1820s this list off offences which could lead to death penalty was repealed due to a growing humanitarian movement against capital punishment and the views of the public which disagreed with this form of punishment. Also juries became more unable to convict defendants of relatively small offences if the offence meant they had to receive the death penalty as they felt too guilty to take the life of another person. This happened more and more even if all evidence pointed to the defendant of the crime to be guilty In 1861 parliament passed The offences against the persons act 1861 which established that murder could be the only offence in which a death penalty could be applied to during peace time. The only acception to this rule was if the defendant was to ask the Home Secretary to apply mercy, otherwise this sentence was mandatory to anyone convicted by a jury of murder. 1868 saw the abolishment of hangings being a public spectacle and from then onwards hangings and such kinds of capital punishment would exist only behind the walls of prison grounds. However it is argued by Henry Fielding that although this action was to make the death penalty a more civilised procedure, the sense of horror and fear within the public was increased as the way in which capital punishment was now administered was now more a secret and private affair. The start of the 20th century saw the birth of a new political force the Labour Party. The Labour party amongst its members felt negatively towards capital punishment and in January the party published a manifesto on capital punishment. The abolition of the death penalty was strongly supported and 27 important labour politicians signed this manifesto. However once the Labour party was elected into power they were unable to enact principles in which they had demonstrated and they seemed aspirational. In 1930 a select committee report suggested that a 5 year experimental period should be used to suspend the death penalty however the idea was unachieved. The House of Commons passed a bill in 1948 which included an amendment to abolish capital punishment. This cause much outrage and shock amongst the public and the House of Lord defeated the idea and the 1948 Criminal Justice Act was passed without the significant section included. The Royal Commission was set up in 1949 to help appease the publics opinion and help investigate circumstances when a murder might not attract a death penalty. It was stated that a murder which was unpremeditated or murder which was committed by the mentally unstable should remain outside of the administration of the death penalty. It was only later that diminished responsibility was recognised as a defence to murder. A defendant of murder which could be shown or proved to be insane as per the legal guidelines of the Mcnaghten rules could however escape execution. Derek Bentley a man with the mental age of a child was accomplice to a murder and was hanged in 1952 however his co defendant Christopher Craig escaped hanging. A petition for mercy was signed by over 200 MPs as well as much of the general public however Sir David Maxwell Fyfe the home secretary at the time was unconvinced and Bentley was hanged in 1953. The Gowers Commission of 1953 reported that the reform of the law of murder should include the abolition of capital punishment however the Government paid no attention to this advice. Ruth Ellis was hanged in 1955 in Holloway prison for the murder of her past lover. It appeared that murder had occurred though the state of passionate jealousy in which she was deeply disturbed by. As a result her case attracted much public attention, debate and publicity and hangings were suspended for two years. A Labour MP Sydney Silverman organised a national campaign against hanging which created huge debate amongst the media and parliament. In 1956 Britains most senior hangman Albert Pierpoint resigned as a result of personal conscience. A bill was then again created to abolish hanging however was thrown out by the Lord when passed through the house of commons. In 1957 the Homicide Act was passed in which introduced three partial defences to murder. These consisted of: provocation, diminished responsibility and suicide pacts. These three defences offered an alternative verdict of voluntary manslaughter in which a jury could apply if they were persuaded by the defences appropriateness to the case in which they were involved. This then enabled the judge to sentence at his discretion and thus avoid imposing the mandatory death penalty for murder. There was 87 hangings between 1950 and 1956 however in the following 8 years past 1957 there were only 29, and to this end there has been no noticeable rise in the rates of homicide. In 1964 a new Labour government was elected and those who were in favour of the abolition where encouraged to renew their beliefs and hopes through campaigns. A private members bill was introduced by Sydney Silver man which gained much support and was passed by the Commons and Lords with approximately two thirds in majority of both houses. After gaining the royal assent the Murder (abolition of the death penalty) Act 1965 was passed. The act included a pacifying clause to its opponents that the act would expire in 5 years unless parliament voted to retain it, however it seemed that the country was now at ease with the act and in 1969 James Callaghan moved a motion through parliament to remove the clause and thus retain the act. It has been argued for many years whether capital punishment should remain abolished or should be reinstated, here are some arguments for and against capital punishment: Arguments for capital punishment: Incapacitation of the criminal: Capital punishment permanently removes the worst criminals from society and should prove much safer for the rest of us than long term or permanent incarceration. It is self evident that dead criminals cannot commit any further crimes, either within prison or after escaping or after being released from it. Cost: Money is not of an infinite supply and the UK could be better off if the government spent our (limited) resources on the old, the young and the sick etc rather than spend our money on the long term imprisonment of murderers, rapists, etc. Retribution: Execution is a very real punishment and possibly the worst punishment which can be administered to an individual. Forms of rehabilitative treatment criminals are made to suffer in proportion to offences in which they may have committed seem merely uncompensational. Although whether there is a place in a modern society for the old fashioned principal of an eye for an eye is a matter of personal opinion. Retribution is seen by many as an acceptable reason for the death penalty according to my survey results. Deterrence: Does capital punishment deter individuals from committing crime. This is a hard matter to prove because in most countries the number of people actually executed per year in comparison to those sentenced to death is usually a very small proportion. However it does seem that in those countries (e.g. Singapore) which almost always carry out death sentences, there is far less serious crime. This leads us to believe that the death penalty does deter criminals from committing crime but only where execution is a virtual certainty. The death penalty is much more likely to be a deterrent when the crime in which a criminal executes requires planning and the potential criminal has time to think about the possible consequences. If the crime is committed in the heat of the moment there is no way that any punishment will act as a deterrent. Arguments against capital punishment: The main weakness with capital punishment is that there is no absolute certainty that people have committed the crime which they have been convicted for and genuinely innocent people can be executed to which there is no way of compensating them for a mistake of a sentence like this. Also a person convicted of murder may have actually killed a victim and may even admit having done so but does not agree that the killing was murder and may believe that it was of no fault of their own or an accident, for example a car crash could be seen as a murder. Often the only people who know what really happened are the accused and the deceased. It then comes down to the skill of the prosecution and defence lawyers as to whether there will be a conviction for murder or for manslaughter. Therefore it is probable that people are convicted of murder when they should really have only been convicted of manslaughter. For example the cases of James McNicol and Edith Thompson. A second weakness is the hell the innocent family and friends of criminals must also go through in the time leading up to and during the execution. It is often very difficult for people to come to terms with the fact that their loved one could be guilty of a serious crime and no doubt even more difficult to come to terms with their death in this form. It is un ethical to deny the suffering of the victims family in a murder case. In America, a prisoner can be on death row for many years awaiting the outcome of numerous appeals, some of which are fatuous and filed at the last minute in order to obtain a stay of execution. This can cause the families and friends of the defendants much unwanted and unneeded stress and pain which is unfairly administered. Another main weakness against the death penalty is that it needs to be remembered that criminals are real people too who have life and with it the capacity to feel pain, fear and the loss of their loved ones, and all the other emotions that everyone is capable of feeling. It easy to have the view of an eye for an eye when faced with a 70 year old murdering rapist but harder when considering criminals such as an 18 year old girl convicted of drug trafficking. In Singapore two girls where hung for this crime in 1995 who were both only 18 at the time of their offences and In China an 18 year old girl was shot for the same offence in 1998. There is no such thing as a humane method of putting a person to death. Every form of execution causes the prisoner suffering, some methods perhaps cause less than others, but there is no doubt that being executed would be a terrifying ordeal for anyone. The mental suffering that the criminal suffers in the time leading up to the execution is also overlooked. It can also be argued that the abolition of the death penalty has had an effect on the laws within the UK and the rate if criminality. What are these changes and how has the crime rate been effected? According to the Home Office Report (Murder 1957-1968) the murder rate in England and Wales steadily increased after the passing of the 1957 Act and further accelerated after suspension (effective abolition) of capital punishment in 1965. The graph below which was produced from that report, shows the rates for murders that would have been classed as capital and non capital under the 1957 Act. It continued to increase and in the 21st century has reached over 900 a year by 2004. It is clear to see that after the abolishment of the death penalty within the UK the rate of murder crimes after 1957 has steadily rose. The argument here is clear, does the death penalty reduce crime, although the graph above would suggest so in comparison to countries such as America which still possess capital punishment the rates of crime are not so different. In the United States, homicide rates are higher in states and regions with the death penalty than in those without it. However the rates for unlawful killings in Britain have more than doubled since abolition of capital punishment in 1964. Home Office figures show around unlawful killings 300 in 1964, which rose to 565 in 1994 and 833 in 2004. The figure for homicides in 2007 was 734. The principal causes of homicide are fights which involve fists and feet, stabbing and cutting by glass or a broken bottle, shooting and strangling. Convictions for the actual crime of murder (as against manslaughter and other unlawful killings) have also been rising incredibly. Figures released in 2009 show that since 1997, 65 prisoners who were released after serving life were convicted of a further crime. These included two murders, one suspected murder, one attempted murder, three rapes and two instances of grievous bodily harm. The same document also noted that 304 people given life sentences since January 1997 served less than 10 years of them, actually in prison. And Statistics were kept for the 5 years that capi tal punishment was suspended in Britain (1965-1969) and these showed a 125% rise in murders that would have attracted a death sentence. To conclude the abolition of the death penalty has had a huge effect on the rates of crime within the UK, as is clearly shown within the figures above. With no other form of punishment existing that has the same effect the death penalty had on criminals and individuals deterring them away from crime, there is nothing to indicate a reduction in the rates of crime within the UK. Corporal Punishment: Corporal punishment is a type of physical punishment that involves the infliction of pain as retribution for an offence, or for the purpose of disciplining or reforming a individual who has committed an offence. It is also used to deter attitudes or behaviour deemed unacceptable. In Medieval Europe, corporal punishment was encouraged by the attitudes of the medieval church towards the human body which was a common means of discipline. This had an influence on the use of corporal punishment in schools, as educational establishments were closely attached to the church during this period. However corporal punishment was not used uncritically, it has been recorded as early as the eleventh century that Saint Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury was speaking out against what he saw as the excessive use of corporal punishment in the treatment of children. Physical punishment has been a common punishment since ancient times. It is believed Jesus was beat before he was crucified. In England from the Middle Ages until the early 19th century whipping was a common punishment for minor crimes. In the 18th century whipping or being physically beat was a common punishment in the British army and navy. However it was abolished in 1881. In the Middle Ages discipline was extremely severe. Boys were beaten with rods or birch twigs. Discipline in Tudor schools was also savage. The teacher often had a stick with birch twigs attached to it. Boys were hit with the birch twigs on their bare buttocks. One of the most commonly used forms of corporal punishment was birching. This punishment meant beating a person across the backside with birch twigs. This was once a common punishment in schools and could also be imposed by the courts for minor offences. Birching was banned in Britain in 1948. Other forms of corporal punishment for adults included branding and mutilation. At the beginning of the 19th century two men Joseph Lancaster and Andrew Bell independently invented a new method of educating the working class. In the Lancaster system the most able pupils were made monitors and they were put in charge of other pupils. The monitors were taught early in the day before the other children arrived. When they did the monitors taught them. Under Lancasters system pupils who did well were rewarded with badges. When they collected enough badges they were rewarded with a toy. However Lancaster also used cruel punishments such as the pillory, suspending pupils in a basket from the ceiling and forcing them to wear a wooden log around the neck. Punishments in schools were still brutal in the 19th century. As well as beatings less able pupils were humiliated by being forced to wear a dunces cap. Until the late 20th century it was quite normal for teachers to beat children. In the 19th century hitting boys and girls with a bamboo cane became popular. In the 20th century the cane was used in both primary and secondary schools. The ruler was a punishment commonly used in primary schools in the 20th century. The teacher hit the child on the hand with a wooden ruler. Also objects such as shoes or the slipper were often used in secondary schools. Normally it was a trainer or a plimsoll. Teachers used a trainer to hit children on the backside. However when the cane was used it was recorded in a punishment book. When the slipper was used it normally was not, which meant in effect that PE teachers could hit children when they felt like it. The tawse was a cruel punishment used in Scottish schools. It was a leather strap with two or three tails. It was used in Scotland to hit a childs hand. In the 20th century the leather strap was used in some English schools. Children were either hit across the hands or the backside. It was not only schools where children where victims of corporal punishment, in the 19th century children were hit at work. In the early 19th century in textile mills children who were lazy were hit with leather straps. Furthermore lazy children sometimes had their heads ducked in a container of water. However in the late 1960s and early 1970s the cane was phased out in most primary schools. In England in 1987 the cane was banned in state-funded secondary schools. However it was only until 1999 that It was banned in private schools. Throughout history until very recently parents beat their children. In the 20th century many parents used a wooden spoon to hit children. Other implements used included belts, slippers and hairbrushes. In the late 20th century public opinion turned against corporal punishment and in several countries it has been banned. It has been argued for many years whether corporal punishment should remain abolished or should be reinstated, here are some arguments for and against corporal punishment: Arguments for corporal punishment: Some argue that corporal punishment is a quick and effective method and less cruel than long-term imprisonment. Individuals who possess this viewpoint think that corporal punishment should be re-considered in countries that have banned it as an alternative to imprisonment. A strength of corporal punishment includes the belief that a quick but painful punishment is more effective and ethical that long term punishments. Many people who argue for corporal punishment believe physical wounds heal quickly, while prison and other such long term punishments can affect relationships and job prospects. Also it is believed to have a greater deterrence rate and fewer costs to society. Some studies show that frequent smacking may be counter-productive however selective or infrequent smacking or spanking has been shown to be positively effective. Many people have the opinion that parents which slap a naughty child, or one whose behaviour is endangering itself, may sometimes be the best immediate course of action under certain circumstances as it prevents the negative behaviour recurring or increasing. Arguments against corporal punishment: Many people believe corporal punishment is ineffective. It is believed spanking a child will stop the child from misbehaving for the moment, but studies have shown that the childs compliance will only last for a short time. Also it has been proved corporal punishment actually increases the childs non-compliant behaviour in the future. Psychologist H. Stephen Glenn said Corporal punishment is the least effective method of discipline. Punishment reinforces a failure identity. It reinforces rebellion, resistance, revenge and resentment. And, what people who spank children will learn is that it teaches more about you than it does about them that the whole goal is to crush the child. Its not dignified, and its not respectful. Another main weakness for corporal punishment is that It has been linked to many adult problems. Corporal punishment studies have linked spanking during childhood to higher levels of adult depression, psychiatric problems, and addictions. Another study shows that children who were spanked have a lower IQ when compared to children whose parents used other methods of discipline and control. It is also a well known fact that corporal punishment can escalate to abuse. Because a spanking works for a while, the parent often repeats the spanking whenever the child misbehaves. Corporal punishment may then become a standard response to any misbehaviour. This can lead to increasingly frequent and harsher spanking which can exceed the reasonable force threshold and become abuse. To conclude corporal punishment although effective for a short while has been proven on more than one account to cause more problems than it solves. Also a law which enables a person to hit or hurt another person is completely un-ethical as it goes completely against the human rights which everyone possesses. Why Did the Great Depression Last so Long? Why Did the Great Depression Last so Long? WHY DID GREAT DEPRESSION LAST SO LONG? WHAT FACTORS CONTRIBUTED TO ITS END? Great depression Great Depression is the overall financial downturn that started in 1929 and kept going until around 1939. It was the longest also, most extreme depression ever tested by the industrialized Western world. In spite of the fact that the depression started in the United States, it brought about intense decreases in yield, extreme unemployment, and intense collapse in every nation of the globe. However its social and social impacts were no less amazing, particularly in the United States, where the Great Depression positions second just to the Civil War as the gravest emergency in American history. Economic history The timing and seriousness of the Great Depression shifted considerably crosswise over nations. The Depression was especially long and serious in the United States and Europe; it was slighter in Japan and a lot of Latin America. Maybe as anyone might expect, the most exceedingly awful sadness ever experienced originated from a large number of reasons. Decreases in customer interest, budgetary freezes, and confused government strategies brought about monetary yield to decline in the United States. The gold standard, which connected almost all the nations of the world in a system of altered money trade rates, assumed a key part in transmitting the American downturn to other nations. The recuperation from the Great Depression was impelled generally by the deserting of the gold standard and the resulting money related extension. The Great Depression achieved basic changes in monetary establishments, macroeconomic approach, and financial hypothesis. Timing and severity In the United States, the Great Depression started in the summer of 1929. The downturn got to be uniquely more regrettable in late 1929 and proceeded until early 1933. Genuine yield and costs fell steeply. Between the top and the trough of the downturn, mechanical creation in the United States declined 47 percent and genuine GDP fell 30 percent. The wholesale value file declined 33 percent (such decreases in the value level are alluded to as emptying). In spite of the fact that there is some verbal confrontation about the unwavering quality of the insights, it is broadly concurred that the unemployment rate surpassed 20 percent at its most elevated point. The seriousness of these decreases gets to be particularly clear when they are contrasted and Americas next most exceedingly bad subsidence of the twentieth century, which of 1981–82, when genuine GDP declined only 2 percent and the unemployment rate crested at fewer than 10 percent. Also, amid the 1981– 82 subsidence costs kept on rising, despite the fact that the rate of cost increment regulated considerably (a marvel known as disinflation†). Causes of the Great Depression The central reason for the Great Depression in the United States was a decrease in spending (here and there alluded to as total interest), which prompted a decrease underway as makers and merchandisers recognized an unintended ascent in inventories. The wellsprings of the withdrawal in spending in the United States changed throughout the span of the Depression; however they cumulated into an amazing decrease in total interest. The American decrease was transmitted to whatever remains of the world generally through the gold standard. In any case, an assortment of different elements likewise impacted the downturn in different nations. The causes are as follows; Stock market crash The starting decrease in yield in the United States in the late spring of 1929 is broadly accepted to have originated from tight U.S. financial approach went for restricting securities exchange hypothesis. The 1920s had been a prosperous decade, yet not an extraordinary blast period; wholesale merchandise costs had remained about consistent during the time and there had been gentle subsidence in both 1924 and 1927. The one undeniable territory of abundance was the stock exchange. Stock prices had increased more than fourfold from the low-slung in 1921 to the crest came to in 1929. In 1928 and 1929, the Federal Reserve had brought investment rates up with expectations of moderating the fast ascent in stock costs. These higher investment rates discouraged premium touchy spending in zones, for example, development and car buys, which thusly lessened generation. A few researchers accept that a blast in lodging development in the mid-1920s prompted an overabundance supply of lodging and a n especially huge drop in development in 1928 and 1929. Hence, although the Great Clatter of the stock market and the Great Depression are two truly separate occasions, the decrease in stock costs was one variable creating the decrease underway and work in the United States. Banking anxieties and monetary reduction The following hit to total interest happened in the decline of 1930, at the time the first of four waves of saving money frenzies grasped the United States. A saving money frenzy emerges when numerous contributors lose trust in the dissolvability of banks and at the same time request their stores be paid to them in real money. Banks, which regularly hold just a small amount of stores as money stores, must sell credits so as to raise the obliged money. This methodology of hurried liquidation can cause even a beforehand dissolvable bank to come up short. The United States experienced boundless managing account frenzies in the fall of 1930, the spring of 1931, the fall of 1931, and the fall of 1932. The last wave of frenzies proceeded through the winter of 1933 and reached a state of perfection with the national bank occasion proclaimed by President Franklin Roosevelt on March 6, 1933. The bank occasion shut all banks, allowing them to revive strictly when being esteemed dissolvable by government controllers. The frenzies took a serious toll on the American keeping money framework. By 1933, one-fifth of the banks in presence towards the beginning of 1930 had fizzled. The gold standard A few economists accept that the Federal Reserve permitted or created the immense decreases in the American cash supply incompletely to protect the gold standard. Under gold standard, each nation set an estimation of its coin as far as gold and took money related activities to protect the settled cost. It is conceivable that had the Federal Reserve extended extraordinarily because of the managing an account alarms, nonnatives could have lost trust in the United States dedication to the gold standard. This could have prompted expansive gold outpourings and the United States could have been compelled to downgrade. Moreover, had the Federal Reserve not fixed in the fall of 1931, it is conceivable that there would have been a theoretical attack on the dollar and the Unites States would have been compelled to forsake the gold standard alongside Great Britain. International lending and trade A few researchers stretch the significance of other global linkages. Outside giving to Germany and Latin America had extended incredibly in the mid-1920s. U.S. giving abroad then fell in 1928 and 1929 as a consequence of high premium rates and the blasting securities exchange in the United States. This diminishment in outside giving may have prompted further credit withdrawals and decreases in yield in borrower nations. In Germany, which experienced to a great degree fast swelling (hyperinflation) in the early 1920s, fiscal powers may have wavered to embrace expansionary arrangement to check the financial lull on the grounds that they stressed it might re-light swelling. The impacts of lessened remote loaning may clarify why the frugalities of Germany, Argentina, and Brazil twisted down before the Great Depression started in the United States. Sources of recovery and Conclusion Given the key parts of money related compression and the gold standard in creating the Great Depression, it is not astonishing that cash downgrades and fiscal extension turned into the main wellsprings of recuperation all through the world. There is an outstanding relationship between the time nations relinquished the gold standard (or debased their monetary standards significantly) and a recharged development in their yield. Case in point, Britain, which was constrained off the gold standard in September 1931, recuperated moderately early, whereas the United States, which did not viably downgrade its money until 1933, recouped considerably later. Additionally, the Latin American nations of Argentina and Brazil, which started to depreciate in 1929, had generally gentle downturns and were to a great extent recouped by 1935. Conversely, the Gold Bloc nations of Belgium and France, which were especially married to the gold standard and moderate to degrade, still had modern generation in 1935 well underneath its 1929 level. Bibliography and Sources used MILTON FRIEDMAN and ANNA JACOBSON SCHWARTZ, A Monetary History of the United  States, 1867–1960  Available at: https://www.google.com.ng/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=1cad=rjauact=8ved=0CBwQFjAAurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpress.princeton.edu%2Ftitles%2F746.htmlei=JH8QVbCuC8qUNuuOhMgKusg=AFQjCNFPP3wSJlCQfnWD7PprJTeLAvcLQgsig2=-xIZqf1VPxXFFglQHXjvGg BARRY EICHENGREEN, Golden Fetters: The Gold Standard and the Great Depression,  1919–1939  Available at: https://www.google.com.ng/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=7cad=rjauact=8ved=0CEMQFjAGurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpdf18.orumrf.com%2Fizjj_golden-fetters-the-gold-standard-and-the-great-depression-1919.pdfei=z38QVeGrGYKcgwTJ44DQBQusg=AFQjCNG-7y-HJcpY8n1jSHatfag3-NcjGwsig2=sy3MpyRbHKqWdgPgqLGCGgbvm=bv.88528373,d.eXY LESTER V. CHANDLER, America’s Greatest Depression, 1929–1941 (1970)  Available at: https://www.google.com.ng/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=1cad=rjauact=8ved=0CB0QFjAAurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jstor.org%2Fstable%2F1991426ei=FIAQVefINci6ggTFnIGACQusg=AFQjCNE7Hs75wkTzQbYRUFbO0ZB1P02I0Qsig2=csBo_ouzWmqyE1hfk68YAwbvm=bv.88528373,d.eXY

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Terrorism: Paranoia and the Internet Essay -- Terror Terrorists Web Cy

Terrorism: Paranoia and the Internet My third edition American Heritage dictionary defines paranoia as "a psychotic disorder characterized by delusions of persecution or grandeur." Having looked that up, I'm not sure paranoia is the right label for what I'm about to write about; or at least, it is not the only label. I think, specifically regarding terrorism (by maybe more generally as well), the idea of paranoia blurs and blends at its boundaries between propaganda ("the systematic propagation of a doctrine or cause") and dogma ("a corpus of doctrines set forth by a religion" or "an authoritative principle or belief, esp. one considered to be absolutely true") and sensationalism ("the use of lurid or exaggerated matter, esp. in writing, journalism, or politics"). Differentiating amongst these is more difficult than I would have imagined before I began reading and researching on the Internet. The first Internet text I would like to consider comes from the Christian Broadcasting Network's website (www.cbn.com). It is the text of a press release: "Pat Robertson's Statement Regarding Terrorist Attack." Pat Robertson explains the reason for the horrific events of September 11th. our nation's great cities and innocent people were attacked, according to Robertson, because God has "lift[ed] His protection from us." Why? Robertson answers by condemning America's capitalist economy, condemning America's foundation in the rights to free speech and expression, condemning those Americans who support a woman's right to choose, and condemning the American government's enforcement of the separation of church and state. To me, Robertson's ideas, further exemplified in the following excerpts, seem dogmatic and sensationalist: "All over ... ...Government, and how to organize violent militia groups. The question facing us, as an open society, is how to respond to the most controversial and extreme uses of this new technology, this electronic, global Gutenberg printing press that turns all citizens into publishers who can reach thousands and even millions of people around the country and the world." I think the notion that fear is the goal of terrorists is of central importance to this issue. Terrorists want, strive, aim to incite terror. They want fear, anxiousness, and paranoia to fester amongst their targets. So, maybe it is the case that media and Internet abet this sense of paranoia; but in any case, it is the goal of the terrorists. And in a terrifyingly successful terrorist attack like that of September 11th, it makes sense that the nation would be left in a state of shock, terror, and paranoia.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

The Themes of Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter Essay -- Scarle

The Themes of The Scarlet Letter      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Scarlet Letter is a romantic novel, mainly because it is a long, fictitious tale of heroes and extraordinary events.   Unfolding over a seven year period, we are treated to the heroism of Hester Prynne and her adulterous beloved, the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale and the mysterious actions and behavior of their love child, Pearl, and the witch, Mistress Hibbins.   The story is set against the background of Puritan, New England, a stern, authoritarian, colony founded by a group of religious reformers.   Before the novel begins, Hester is guilty of an affair which produced Pearl while her husband was abroad.   Her husband, Roger Chillingworth, comes to America just as Hester is being pilloried.   He determines to remain in Boston in disguise in order to discover the man with whom she had the affair.   Chillingworth soon uncovers the identity of Pearl's father, the young and emotionally captivating pastor.   He proceeds to torment Dimmesdale's soul, event ually foiling the escape of the pastor, Hester, and Pearl.   At the end of the novel, Hester and Dimmesdale mount the pillory with Pearl together, where he reveals that he, too, has a scarlet "A" etched on his chest from remorse.   However, this act of public repentance allows him to be free of the Satanic clutches of Chillingworth.   Pearl, too, a child that barely seems human to others in the novel, reclaims her humanity by giving her real father a kiss and crying for the first time in the story.   There are two main themes at work in the novel.   The first is the conflict between romanticism and religion.   The second is the nature of sin, which the novel suggests is a guilty secret of all people.   The novel also portrays the sin of Chillingworth ... ...in the novel come off less sympathetically than those who sin because they are human in the face of oppression.    In conclusion, we see that for Hawthorne there is sympathy and some kind of identification with imperfect beings oppressed by some arbitrary religious interpretation to be perfect.   While Hester and Dimmesdale do, indeed, sin, it is only a sin in the eyes of others but an act of human love to them.   In a world where no philosopher has ever absolutely defined the will of God, i.e. the divine truth, it is amusing to view this Puritan community so sure of its divine right to judge that it tramples the human heart to shreds in the process.      WORKS   CITED Gross, S., Bradley, S., Beatty, R. C., and Long, E. H.   (eds.).   The Scarlet Letter:   An Authoritative Test, Essays in Criticism, and Scholarship.   New York, W. W. Norton & Company, 1988.

Osmosis Experiment :: Papers

Osmosis Experiment Aim: The aim of this experiment is to show how osmosis works in a plant cell. Plan: Method The ways we will do this experiment is firstly by getting a beaker and put a 100ml of water in it, then get a visking tube and put it in the beaker, so we don't block the holes with natural grease on our hands. After, we will get another beaker and pour some 1% sugar solution in it. When we have done this, we get one end of the visking tube and 'ruffle' it, then we get some string and one person will tie the end of the tube, while the other person hold it. The visking tube then will go back in the water, while we get a dropper and the beaker of sugar solution. After we will use the dropper to slowly and neatly pour the 1% sugar solution in the visking tube; we will fill it up  ¾ of the way. Then again one person will tie the other end; while the other person holds the tube, so now we have both end tied- we will make sure they are no leaks. When we have done this, we will take the beaker with water and visking tube to a weighing machine; we will then take the visking tube out and measure the mass of it (in grams). After, we will put the visking tube back in the beaker and leave it there for about 20 minutes. When the time is up, we will measure the mass of the visking tube again (in grams). During the experiment, we will observe the visking tube during the 20 minutes and see if the mass has increased or decreased at the end of the experiment. This experiment could be repeated, but using a 10% sugar solution, which would have helped us differ the different mass increase or decrease in both of them. We were planning to do this one to, but unfortunately-due to fewer supplies of visking tubes we could only

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

How Poe Observes the Characteristics Essay

How Poe Observes the Characteristics of the American Gothic Literature Tradition in â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† Edgar Allan Poe was destined to a life of darkness and insanity. As the son of traveling performers, Poe was abandoned to the horrors of the world at a young age. Poe is generally regarded as the father of American Gothic Literature, an example to such authors as Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville. The stories that Poe inscribed are prevalent in modern times, creating genres such as horror films and science fiction movies. â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† is one of Poe’s most memorable short stories, that epitomizes the American Gothic Literature Tradition through the dark narrative. In this short story Montresor, the protagonist, has a vendetta against Fortunato, a man that has wronged him thousands of times. To carry out his revenge, Montresor proceeds to lure Fortunato into the catacombs of his cellar, promising him amontillado, a rare wine. In the end, Fortunato is bound to a wall, while simultaneously being entombed by Montresor. The symbolism, settings, and narrator employed by Poe in â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† are the stereotypical elements to Southern American Gothic Literature To begin, Edgar Allan Poe utilizes his patriarchal mastery of symbolism to adhere to the characteristics of The American Gothic Literature Tradition in â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado.† Poe uses the symbol of Fortunato’s attire to describe his personality as foolhardy and gullible. He adorns â€Å"a tight fitting party-striped dress and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells† (Poe 1). He was dressed as a jester; this symbolic representation portrays Fortunato as a fool. Trent Lorcher touts â€Å"This is Montresor’s way of humiliating Fortunato further for the anger he has caused Montresor. Montresor wants Fortunato to die like the fool that he is â€Å"(Lorcher 1). Additionally, the amontil lado is a symbol within itself for deceit. Amontillado is a rare and delightful wine, a significant temptation to one who is a wine connoisseur such as Fortunato. The amontillado symbolizes Montresor’s deceit of Fortunato; at the mere mention of the amontillado by Montresor, Fortunato exclaims â€Å"To your vaults!† (Poe 1). Lorcher justifies this â€Å"Fortunato’s passion for good wine  leaves him susceptible to flattery, flattery which Montresor provides† (Lorcher 1). Another symbol is the way in which Montresor disposes of Fortunato, which depicts Montresor’s hatred and scorn for Fortunato. Montresor murders Fortunato in the most unusual fashion, he walls him up within a dungeon. In killing Fortunato in this humiliating method, it signifies Montresor’s true detestation for Fortunato and the want to dispatch of him in a humbling methodology. Poe describes this burial in such a manner: â€Å"I forced the last stone into position and plastered it up†¦. for the half of a century no mortal has disturbed [his bones]† (Poe 1). R.J. Russ supports this assumption by stating: â€Å"The way he a ctually killed Fortunato was torturous and cruel. This proves how angry he was at Fortunato†¦ Montresor [did] it because he wanted Fortunato to die in an [embarrassing] fashion that Montresor believed he deserved† (Russ 1). From Fortunato’s wardrobe, to the deceitful wine, to the mode that Fortunato was killed; Poe uses these symbols to observe the characteristics of the American Gothic Literature. As well as using symbolism to adhere to the elements of the American Gothic Literature tradition, Poe also delves into the twisted thoughts of a vengeful narrator. Poe uses the dynamics of a tortuous plan, an irrational storyteller, and honor of aforementioned Montresor to craft â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† into an American Gothic classic. Montresor tells the story of his revenge against Fortunato nearly fifty years after the live burial. He is proud of his intricate plan to take vengeance. Through imagery, Poe depicts a premeditated murder as planned by a ruthless Montresor. â€Å"Throwing them aside, I soon uncovered a quantity of building stone and mortar† (Poe 7). The prior planning required to execute this intricate plan is evident, as Montresor created the ideal situation t exact his revenge. Womack states, â€Å"By the end of Poe’s story, Montresor has gotten his revenge against unsuspecting Fortunato, whose taste for wine has led him to his own death† (Womack 5). In order to continue, Montresor supplies the weakening Fortunato with alcohol to further lower the senses of the impulsive Fortunato. The lure of Amontillado is too much for the jolly Fortunato, willing to stagger to his death at the promise of a taste of the fine sherry. Montresor attacks the pride of Fortunato when mentioning that Luchresi may be a better connoisseur of wine, in fact leading Fortunato to declare that â€Å"Luchresi cannot tell Amontillado from  Sherry† (Poe 3). This moment shows not only the pride imperative to Montresor’s plan for vengeance, but also the dignity that connoisseurs of wine such as Montresor and Fortunato possess. This pride is magnified in Montresor more so than Fortunato, as shown by the narrator’s opening line, â€Å"The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge† (Poe 1). The insult of Montresor is the death sentence for Fortunato, though the nature of the insult nor the consequence upon Montresor’s dignity is described. Montresor’s pride is the nature of his family as the motto upon the family crest, â€Å"Nemo me impune lacessit† (Poe 5). Simply, Poe shows that Montresor’s ancestry contains the same pride by creating a motto saying â€Å"No one assails me with impunity† (Poe 5). Poe further challenges the reliability and character of the narrator, and in fact â€Å"Poe does not intend for the reader to sympathize with Montresor because he has been wronged by Fortunato, but rather to judge him† (Womack 4). The narrator evolves throughout the story as his insanity grows, and doubt is created in the reader as to the reliability of Montresor. As the end of his deed draws near, the agonized howls of Fortunato are heard when the certainty of doom finally emerges upon the captive. The story continues, â€Å"I replied to the yells of him who clamored. I re-echoed, I aided, I surpassed them in volume and in strength. I did this, and the clamourer grew still† (Poe 8). The insane narrator is a characteristic of Poe’s American Gothic Literature tradition, a characteristic that continues in the Cask of Amontillado with Montresor, who recounts the story nearly 50 years after the murder of Fortunato. Womack expounds upon Poe’s fascination with the mad chronicler, saying, â€Å"Once again, the reader is invited to delve into the inner workings of a sinister mind† (Womack 4). Poe’s â€Å"Cask of Amontillado† is characterized as American Gothic Literature by th e story-telling of a vengeful narrator as well as the dark setting that is described. Lastly, in Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado,† dark setting is portrayed through the use of a medieval carnival to adhere to the American Gothic Literature tradition. To begin this short story, the cheerful setting of a medieval carnival is described â€Å"they walked amidst the drunken and mirth.† (Poe 1). The carnival is a profound, ironic representation of Poe’s twisted plots in which he conveys fear to his audience. Poe strays from a prototypical melancholy setting associated with  the American Gothic Literature tradition. â€Å"You would never expect a tale of sick revenge to take place at the same time as a merry making carnival† (Palmer 3). Another setting representative of evil is portrayed in Poe’s work through the isolation of the catacombs. â€Å"We passed through a range of low arches, descended, passed on, and descended, arrived at a deep crypt in which the foulness of the air caused our flame beat torches to grow the flame† (Poe 3). Poe’s use of imagery when describing the catacombs fashions a scene of isolation and despair common among short stories classified as American Gothic Literature . The use of a deep underground tomb is used to portray sinister setting and the chaos of impending death. â€Å"I busied myself among the pile of bones†¦. a succession of loud and shrill screams busted suddenly from the throat of the chained form† (Poe 6). The moment described in the quote is Fortunato’s realization that he will die as the egress to his tomb is gradually sealed. â€Å"Poe’s work in a sense puts the reader in the shoes of the victim in the tomb. As they experience fear, panic and rage in their final moments of struggle† (Moore 2). Poe’s use of setting in â€Å"The Cask of Amontialldo† is archetypal to the American Gothic Literature tradition, using the setting to further create a sense of mystique and unease. To conclude, Edgar Allan Poe is purely a master of The American Gothic Literature Tradition. He utilizes the prototypical elements of symbolism, a vengeful character, and an eerie setting to adhere to the specific protocol of The AGLT (American Gothic Literature Tradition). Poe’s exploitation of symbolism conveys underlying messages about the short story’s plot and characters. Poe’s dominance over the concept of having an unstable and vengeful protagonist entices the reader to read on. Finally, Poe’s use of a carnival as a setting is a sick twist, a place where one expects merriment is substituted with a place where revenge is taken. It is safe to presume that Poe’s life of disappointment, resilience, darkness, and mystery shaped him into an individual that properly utilizes all of the elements of The American Gothic Literature Tradition. Works Cited Lorcher, Trent. Symbolism and Irony in â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado. 17 January 2012. September 2013 . Poe, Edgar Allan. The Cask of Amontillado. 1846. September 2013 . Russ, R.J. Symbolism in Edgar Allen Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado. 28 April 2008. September 2013 . Womack, Martha. â€Å"Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado†Ã¢â‚¬  The Poe Decoder. 1997, September 2013 < http://www.poedecoder.com/essays/cask/>. Poe, Edgar A. Short Stories: The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe

Monday, September 16, 2019

Night World : Soulmate Chapter 12

was sixteen and her name was Ha-nahkt. She was a virgin priestess dedicated to the goddess Isis. She was wearing a fine linen shift that fell from her waist to her ankles. Above the waist, she wore nothing except a deep silver collar strung with beads of amethyst, carnelian, turquoise, and lapis lazuli. There were two silver bracelets on her upper arms and two on her wrists. Morning was her favorite time. This morning she carefully placed her offering in front of the statue of Isis. Lotus blossoms, small cakes, and beer. Then, facing south, she began the chant to wake the goddess up. â€Å"Awaken, Isis, Mother of the Stars, Great of Magic, Mistress of all the World, Sovereign of her father, Mightier than the gods, Lady of the Waters of Life, Powerful of Heart, Isis of the Ten Thousand Names †¦Ã¢â‚¬  A step sounded behind her and she broke off short, feeling startled and annoyed. â€Å"I'm sorry. Did I disturb you?† It was a woman, a beautiful woman with long black hair. â€Å"You're not allowed in here,† Ha-nahkt said sharply. â€Å"Only priests and priestesses†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Her voice trailed off as she looked at the woman more closely. Maybe she is a priestess, she thought. There's something in her face†¦. â€Å"I just want to talk to you,† the woman said. Her voice was husky and persuasive, almost mesmerizing. â€Å"It's very important.† She smiled and Ha-nahkt felt hairs stir at the back of her neck. If she's a priestess, I bet she's a priestess of Set. Set was the most evil of all the gods-and one of the most powerful. Ha-nahkt could sense power in this woman, no question about that. But evil? She wasn't sure. â€Å"My name is Maya. And what I have to tell you may save your life.† Ha-nahkt stood still. Part of her wanted to run from Maya, to go and get her best friend Khet-hetep-â€Å"es. Or, better yet, one of the senior priestesses. But another part of her was curious. â€Å"I really shouldn't stop in the middle of the chant,† she began. â€Å"It's about the stranger.† Ha-nahkt lost her breath. There was a long moment of silence, and then she said, â€Å"I don't know what you're talking about.† She could hear the shake in her own voice. â€Å"Oh, yes, you do. The stranger. Tall, blond, handsome†¦ and with such sad dark eyes. The one you've been meeting on the sly.† Ha-nahkt could feel the shaking take over her whole body. She was a priestess, sworn to the goddess. If anyone found she'd been meeting a man. †¦ â€Å"Oh, don't worry, little one,† Maya said and laughed. â€Å"I'm not here to turn you in. Just the opposite, in fact. I want to help you.† â€Å"We haven't done anything,† Ha-nahkt faltered. â€Å"Just kissed. He says he doesn't want me to leave the temple. He isn't going to stay long. He says he saw me, and he just had to speak to me.† â€Å"And no wonder,† Maya said in a cooing tone. She touched Ha-nahkt's hair lightly and Ha-nahkt moved instinctively away. â€Å"You're such a pretty girl. Such unusual coloring for this part of the world. I suppose you think you love him.† â€Å"I do love him,† Ha-nahkt blurted before she could stop herself. Then she lowered her voice. â€Å"But I know my duty. He says that in the next world we'll be together.† She didn't want to tell the rest of it, the remarkable things she'd seen with the stranger, the way she'd recognized him. The way they were destined for each other. â€Å"And you believed him? Oh, my dear child. You're so innocent. I suppose that comes from living your life in a temple.† She gazed around thoughtfully, then looked back at Hannah. Her face became grave and regretful. â€Å"I hate to have to tell you this,† she said. â€Å"But the stranger does not love you. The truth is that he's a very evil man. The truth is that he's not a man at all. He's an Ur-Demon and he wants to steal your sa.† Oh, Isis, Ha-nahkt thought. Sa was the breath of life, the magical force that allowed you to live. She'd heard of demons who wanted to steal it. But she couldn't believe it of the stranger. He seemed so gentle, so kind†¦ â€Å"It's true,† Maya said positively. She glanced at Ha-nahkt sideways. â€Å"And you know it is, if you think about it. Why else would he want to taste your blood?† Ha-nahkt started and flushed. â€Å"How do you know-?† She stopped and bit her lip. â€Å"You've been meeting him at night by the lotus pool, when everyone else is asleep,† Maya said. â€Å"And I suppose you thought it wouldn't hurt to let him drink a little of your blood. Not much. Just a bit. It was exciting. But I'm telling you the truth, now-it will hurt you. He's a demon and he wants you dead.† The husky, mesmerizing voice went on and on. It was telling all about Ur-Demons who drank blood, and men and women who could change into animals, and a place called the World of the Night, where they all lived. Ha-nahkt's head began to spin. And her heart shattered. Literally. She could feel the jagged pieces of it every time she tried to breathe. A priestess didn't cry, but tears were forcing themselves out of her closed lids. Because she couldn't deny that the stranger did act a little like an Ur-Demon. Why else would he drink blood? And the things she'd seen with him, the feeling of destiny†¦ that must have all been magic. He had tricked her with spells. Maya seemed to have finished her story. â€Å"Do you think you can remember all that?† she asked. Ha-nahkt made a miserable gesture. What did it matter if she remembered it? She only wanted to be left alone. â€Å"Look at me!† Ha-nahkt glanced up, startled. It was a mistake. Maya's eyes were strange; they seemed to turn different colors from moment to moment, and once Ha-nahkt met them, she couldn't look away. She was caught in a spell, and she felt her will slipping. â€Å"Now,† Maya said, and her eyes were deep gold and ancient as a crocodile's. â€Å"Remember all that. And remember this. Remember†¦ how he kills you.† And then the strangest thing of all happened. It suddenly seemed to Ha-nahkt that she was two people. One of them was her ordinary self. And the other was a different self, a distant self, who seemed to be looking on from the future. At this moment, Ha-nahkt and the future self were seeing different things. Ha-nahkt saw that Maya was gone and the temple was empty. And then she saw that someone else was walking in. A tall figure, with light hair and dark fathomless eyes-the stranger. He smiled at her, walked toward her with his arms held out. He grasped her with hands that were as strong as a demon's. Then he showed his teeth. The future self saw something else. She saw that Maya never left the temple. She saw Maya's face and body ripple as if they were made of water-and then change. It was as if there were two images, one on top of the other. The outward image was of the stranger, but it was Maya underneath. That's it. That's how she did it. The voice came from outside Ha-nahkt, and she didn't understand it. She didn't have time to think about it, either, because the next instant she felt the tearing pain of teeth. Oh, Isis, Goddess of Life, guide me to the other world†¦. â€Å"That's how she did it,† Hannah breathed. She was sitting up on the couch. She knew who she was, and more, she knew who she'd been. It was another of those blinding flashes of illumination. She felt as if she were standing at the end of the corridor of time and looking back at a hundred different versions of herself. They each looked slightly different, and they wore different clothes, but they were all her. Her name had been Hanje, Anora, Xiana, Nan Haiane, Honni, Ian, Annette. She had been a warrior, a priestess, a princess, a slave. And right now she felt she had the strength of all her selves. At the far end of the corridor, back where it was misty and blurry and faintly tinted pink and blue, she seemed to see Hana smiling at her. And then Hana turned and walked away, her task accomplished. Hannah took a deep breath and let it out. â€Å"She did it with illusions,† she said, hardly aware that she was talking out loud. â€Å"Maya. And she's done it before, of course. Maybe every time. What do you do with somebody who keeps killing you over and over? Never letting you live to your seventeenth birthday? Trying to destroy you, not just your life, but your heart†¦ ?† She realized that Paul was staring at her. â€Å"You want me to answer that?† Hannah shook her head even as she went on talking. â€Å"Goddess-I mean, God-she must hate me. I still don't understand why. It must be because she wants Thierry herself-or maybe just because she wants him miserable. She wants him to know that I'm terrified of him, that I hate him. And she did it. She convinced me. She convinced my subconscious enough that I started warning myself against him.† â€Å"If any of this is true-which I'm not going to admit for a second, because they would definitely take my license away-then I can tell you one thing,† Paul said. â€Å"She sounds very, very dangerous.† â€Å"She is.† â€Å"Then why are you so happy?† he asked pathetically. Hannah glanced at him and laughed. She couldn't hope to explain it. But she was more than happy, she was exalted. She was buoyant, ecstatic, over the moon. Thierry wasn't evil. She had the confirmation of a hundred selves whispering it to her. Maya was the enemy, the snake in the garden. Thierry was exactly what he'd told her he was. Someone who had made a terrible mistake and had spent millennia paying for it-and searching for her. He is gentle and kind. He does love me. And we are destined for each other. I've got to find him. The last thought came as an additional bright revelation, but one that made her sit up and go still. She had no idea how. Where had he gone? Home. Where was home? She didn't know. It could be anywhere in the world. â€Å"Hannah†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Wait,† Hannah whispered. â€Å"Look, Hannah, I think we should maybe do some work on this. Talk about it, examine your feelings †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No, hush!† Hannah waved a hand at him. â€Å"She gave me a clue! She didn't mean to, but she gave me a clue! She said he had connections with witches in Vegas.† â€Å"Oh, my God,† Paul muttered. Then he jumped up. â€Å"Hannah, where are you going?† â€Å"I'm sorry.† She darted back into the office, threw her arms around him, and gave him a kiss. Then, smiling into his startled face, she said, â€Å"Thank you. Thank you for helping. You'll never know how much you've done for me.† â€Å"I need money.† Chess blinked, but went on looking at her intently. â€Å"I know it isn't fair to ask you without explaining why. But I can't tell you. It would be dangerous for you. I just have to ask you to trust me.† Chess kept looking at her. The slanted green eyes searched Hannah's face. Then, without a word, she got up. Hannah sat on Chess's crisp white-on-white coverlet and waited. After a few minutes Chess came back into the room and settled her own petite self on the bed. â€Å"Here,† she said, and plunked down a credit card. â€Å"Mom said I could use it to get some things for graduation. I figure she'll understand-maybe.† Hannah threw her arms around her. â€Å"Thank you,† she whispered. â€Å"I'll pay it back as soon as I can.† Then she burst out, â€Å"How can you be so nice? I'd be yelling to know what was going on.† â€Å"I am going to yell,† Chess said, squeezing her back. â€Å"But more than that. I'm going with you.† Hannah drew back. How could she explain? She knew that by going to Las Vegas she would be putting her own life in danger. From Maya, certainly. From the Night World, probably. Even from the witches Thierry had connections with, possibly. And she couldn't drag Chess into that. â€Å"I've got something I want you to hang on to,† she said. She reached into her canvas bag and pulled out an envelope. â€Å"This is for you and for my mom- just in case. If you don't hear from me by my birthday, then I want you to open it.† â€Å"Didn't you hear me? I'm going with you. I don't know what's been going on with you, but I'm not going to let you run off on your own.† â€Å"And I can't take you.† She caught the glowing cat-eyes and held them. â€Å"Please understand, Chess. It's something I have to do alone. Besides, I need you here to cover for me, to tell my mom I'm at your house so she doesn't worry. Okay?† She reached out and gave Chess a tiny shake. â€Å"Okay?† Chess shut her eyes, then nodded. Then she sniffled, her chin trembling. Hannah hugged her again. â€Å"Thank you,† she whispered. â€Å"Let's be best friends forever.† Monday morning, instead of going to school, Hannah started for Billings airport. She was driving the Ford-her mom had fixed it over the weekend. Her mom thought she was spending the next couple of days with Chess to study for finals. It was frightening but exhilarating to fly on a plane by herself, going to a city she'd never been to before. All the time she was in the air, she was thinking, Closer, closer, closer-and looking at the black rose ring on her finger. She'd fished it out of her bedroom wastebasket. Now she turned her hand this way and that to see the black gems catch the light. Her chest tightened. What if I can't find him? she thought. The other fear she didn't want to admit, even to herself. What if she did find him, and he didn't want her anymore? After all, she'd only told him that she hated him a few dozen times and ordered him to stay away from her forever. I won't think about that. There's no point. First I have to track him down, and after that what happens, happens. The airport in Las Vegas was surprisingly small. There were slot machines all over. Hannah collected her one duffel bag at the luggage carousel and then walked outside. She stood in the warm desert air, trying to figure out what to do next. How do you find witches? She didn't know. She didn't think they were likely to be listed in the phone book. So she just trusted to luck and headed where everybody else was heading-the Strip. It was a mistake from the beginning, and that afternoon and night were among the worst times in. her life. It didn't start off so bad. The Strip was gaudy and glittery, especially as darkness fell. The hotels were so bizarre and so dazzling that it took Hannah's breath away. One of them, the Luxor, was shaped like a giant black pyramid with a Sphinx in front of it. Hannah stood and watched colored lasers dart from the Sphinx's eyes and laughed. What would Ha-nahkt have thought of that? But there was something almost sickening about all the lights and the hustling after a while. Something . . . unwholesome. The crowds were so thick, both inside the hotels and out on the street, that Hannah could hardly move. Everyone seemed to be in a rush-except the people nailed in front of slot machines. It feels†¦ greedy, Hannah decided finally, searching in her mind for the right word. All these people want to win free money. All these hotels want to take their money. And of course, the hotels are the winners in the end. They've built a sort of Venus' flytrap to lure people here. And some of these people don't look as if they can afford to lose. Her heart felt physically heavy and her lungs felt constricted. She wanted Montana and a horizon so far away that it pried your mind open. She wanted clean air. She wanted space. But even worse than the atmosphere of greed and commercialism was the fact that she wasn't finding any witches. She struck up conversations a few times with desk clerks and waitresses. But when she casually asked if there were any odd people in town who practiced witchcraft, they looked at her as if she were crazy. By nine o'clock that night she was dizzy, exhausted, and sick with defeat. I'm never going to find them. Which means I'm never going to find him. She collapsed on a bench outside the Stardust Hotel, wondering what to do next. Her legs hurt and her head was pounding. She didn't want to spend Chess's mom's money on a hotel-but she'd noticed police officers making people move on if they tried to sleep on the street. Why did I come here? I should have put an ad in the paper: â€Å"Desperately Seeking Thierry.† I should have known this wouldn't work. Even as she was thinking it, something about a boy in the crowd caught her eye. He wasn't Thierry. He wasn't anything like Thierry. Except for the way he moved. It was that same rippling grace she'd seen in both Thierry and Maya, an easy control of motion that reminded her of a jungle cat. And his face †¦ he was almost eerily good-looking in a ragamuffin way. When he glanced up toward the Stardust's tall neon sign, she thought she could see light reflect from his eyes. He's one of them. I know it. He's one of the Night People. Without stopping to think, she jumped up, slung her bag over her shoulder, and followed him. It wasn't easy. He walked fast and she had to keep dodging tourists. He was headed off the Strip, to one of the quiet dimly-lit streets that ran parallel to it. It was a whole different world here, just one block away from the glitter and bustle. The hotels were, small and in poor repair. The businesses seemed to be mostly pawnshops. Everything had a dingy depressed feeling. Hannah felt a prickling down her spine. She was now following the only figure on a deserted street. Any minute now, he'd realize she was tailing him-but what could she do? She didn't dare lose sight of him. The boy seemed to be leading her into worse and worse areas-sleazy was the word for them, Hannah thought. The streetlights were far apart here with areas of darkness in between. All at once he took a sharp left turn, seeming to disappear behind a building with a sign that read, Dan's Bail Bonds. Hannah jogged to catch up to him and found herself staring down a narrow alley. It was extremely dark. She hesitated a moment, then grimly took a few steps forward. On the third step, the boy appeared from behind a Dumpster. He was facing her, and once again Hannah caught the flash of eyeshine. She stood very still as he walked slowly toward her. â€Å"You following me or something?† he asked. He seemed amused. He had a sharp face with an almost pointed chin and dark hair that looked uncombed. He was no taller than Hannah, but his body seemed tough and wiry. It's the Artful Dodger, Hannah thought. As he reached her, he looked her up and down. His expression was a combination of lechery and hunger. Gooseflesh blossomed on Hannah's skin. â€Å"I'm sorry,† she said, trying to make her voice quiet and direct. â€Å"I was following you. I wanted to ask you something-I'm looking for someone.† â€Å"You found him, baby,† the boy said. He darted a quick glance around as if to make sure that there was nobody in the alley with them. And then, before Hannah could say another word, he knocked her into the wall and pinned her there.