Evaluate Learning Activities Essay

After any learning activity it is important to evaluate how the activity went. This is because it gives both the children and staff members a chance to reflect on the learning which has taken place and establish whether or not the learning objective was achieved. To evaluate effectively you should refer to the original learning objective to see what you set out to achieve and then reflect on the outcome and whether or not this outcome was satisfactory and that the targets you set have been met. In order to evaluate accurately you must be sure to make learning objectives very clear at the planning stage. This must be done in a way that ensures learners fully understand what the outcomes mean and the outcomes must be achievable for everyone in the group regardless of ability and within the time that you have available. The learning objective should be set out in a way which makes it easy for you to assess pupils against it. A good knowledge of the success criteria is also important when evaluating learning as children may not necessarily achieve the learning objective despite fully involving themselves in the lesson and showing real enthusiasm. Where this is the case you should record how hard the child worked and take a look at the reasons they did not meet the objective and see how you can help them the next time. The resources you have used also play an important part in how successful an activity is so you should evaluate the resources you used and whether or not they were used correctly and decide if there were other things you could have used that may have been more relevant and beneficial to that particular task. Continual assessment is important to monitor a Childs progress and while you should share the information with other teaching staff it is also important to share it with the child. This allows the child to share with you any concerns they have, things that they find difficult and things they enjoy which allows you to plan activities accordingly. It also gives you the chance to give them praise and encouragement by telling them which things they are doing really well at, how proud you are of what they have achieved and offer reassurance that they should not worry about things they find hard because you can do extra work on these areas and help them to understand. While it can sometimes be difficult to find time during the school day to give feedback to the teacher you must find a way to do this whether it is in a written report brief discussion or phone call. Not only do you need to report on the pupils progress and weaknesses you should also inform them of any difficulties you experience during an activity, such as disruptive pupils so that the problem can be addressed and resolved. It is important to be careful when giving feedback that while you are honest you are also tactful and do not lay blame for the activity on the teachers inadequate planning or the fact that the activity was not stimulating enough. The better the relationship you have with the teacher the easier it will be for you to put your point of view across and work well together to improve the learning environment and achieve better results. Always be positive when making your suggestions or giving feedback. Providing the teacher with feedback on the learner’s progress and participation can be done in various ways. If a child has not been participating you may just need to briefly mention it to the teacher and try and come up with strategies to help them get more involved in future activities. When a child is disruptive you can either discuss this with the teacher or make a written record of how the child was behaving, if you think there was anything that caused the behaviour, the effect it had on the rest of the group, how you tried to resolve the issue and manage the behaviour, whether you were successful in disciplining the child and what you think you could do to avoid the problem arising again. Hopefully the teacher will then respond and give you feedback on whether they have experienced similar problems with that child and how they dealt with it. Keeping records on how a child is progressing is also essential as it allows all staff involved to see which areas the child is ma king progress in and where they need to improve, it also lets everyone know the level that the child is at so that the appropriate level of work can be set. In order to support learning activities effectively it is important to reflect on what you have done and consider how you managed different activities. When an activity is finished you may feel disappointed with the outcome. Activities don’t always go to plan or achieve what you wanted them to and this can be for a variety of reasons When you feel that things didn’t work out the way you expected you have to reflect on the session and ask yourself how it went? Which aspects were you pleased with? What did not go as well as you planned? What would you change if you had to do the activity again? By doing this you can improve the way you plan activities which will benefit yourself and the children. To be able to effectively teach various areas of the curriculum you must ensure that your own knowledge of the subject is of a high standard and if you are out of practice and unsure of some subjects ask for help or update your qualifications. Many establishments provide refresher courses to bring Maths, English and ICT up to an acceptable level for working in a school setting. If you are unsure of a subject or a teaching method your uncertainty will be apparent to the children and your lack of knowledge will confuse them. You cannot possibly teach a child something you know nothing about so you should find out about the subject matter ahead of the lesson by doing some research. You should make sure you communicate with other members of staff to find out the strategies they use and information they pass on to the children so that they do not receive conflicting advice or information and become unsure of what they are supposed to be learning. While I feel that my basic English, Maths and ICT skills are at an acceptable level I realise that it has been quite some time since I studied them and intend to familiarise myself with the curriculum and strategies that schools at the present time use to educate the children so that I feel more confident in helping and advising the pupils that I work with. I intend to do this by accessing the resources the school uses and familiarising myself with them while also asking for advice from other teaching assistants.

Primal Fear Reflection

If someone in my family suddenly became diagnosed with a serious mental disorder I would be surprised. My family does not have much of a history of mental disorders so it would be surprising to have to deal with one. Depending on the mental disorder my loved one would be diagnosed with would change the way I helped them. If someone in my family kept forgetting things it would be very hard to take care of. I would have to repeat the same things over and over and over until they could understand what I was saying. The multiple personality disorder would also be very hard to control.If the slightest thing I did would piss them off I would have to calm them down somehow depending on what it was that I did wrong, although most of the time the real person has no idea what happened afterwards. I would love my family member no matter what their condition would be. I would take care of them in as many ways possible to help them live close to normal lives despite their struggle with a mental d isorder. My habits would simply change to their advantage. I would try and be there as much as possible to make sure they weren’t getting worse and/or causing more and more problems.I would say the most important thing to take care of my family member would be interchanging depending on what mental disorder they were diagnosed with. I don’t think I could be able to stand seeing my mom or dad or sisters turn into an alternate person who was the complete opposite as them. A serious bipolar disorder would cause me to struggle with their emotions and be able to understand what they were doing and how I could help them. My family members are very important to me and I would go out of my way to help them if they were diagnosed with a serious mental disorder.

Public International law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Public International law - Assignment Example Thus, it becomes cheap to import from other nations via international trade. Additionally, international trade facilitates maximum utilization of resources and proper disposal of surplus produce. Countries are pressured to fully exploit their resource for maximum economic benefit since the market is available. In addition, market for surplus produce is available to other countries. This reduces wastage and under utilization of resources. International trade also fosters peace and unity among nations. The economic interdependency among the trading nations creates friendship thus reducing international skirmishes. Free trade encourages innovation and competition ( DeCarlo 23). This is because free trade avails a variety of goods and services to the customers. This spurs competition between companies and various producers enhancing innovation among the producers and companies in their effort to develop better products for the competitive market. Free trade discourages growth of infant industries. To be precise, newly initiated companies find it difficult to survive in the international competition created by free trade. In fact, free trade eliminates the chances of protecting developing industries in a competitive market structure. Additionally, free trade reduces government earnings in that export duty is not levied. Consequently, free trade may result to dumping thereby reducing profits. Free trade is a set up than eliminates most tariff barriers and tax on the movement of goods and services between members while Custom union is an agreement among a group of countries to charge a common set of tariffs to the outer world and grant free trade among the members of the union. Most Favored Nation Principle is a status given by one nation to another to offer the most favorable terms and regulatory treatment to the goods or services during import or exports of similar products to all other nations. There can

Financial services accessibility Research Proposal

Financial services accessibility - Research Proposal Example This paper shall mostly be a discussion of the relationship between people and finance, in terms of governments’ failures in managing the country’s wealth. In general, this essay shall be founded on the assumption that access to financial services is a development opportunity to many people when the government is unable or does not provide support to communities. This essay shall discuss the current situation in terms of financial services accessibility, the impact of government failures, and solutions to improving accessibility and development opportunity. Aims: What exactly do you want to achieve? Why? For this dissertation, I want to make an informative determination of the government and the roles it plays in the management of financial services for the people. Specifically, it seeks to: Determine the role of the government in financial services Regulatory and legislative impact of its actions The impact of regulation on the growth and development of the country in general Hypothesis: A testable claim or tentative solution to the research puzzle This study hypothesizes that the government has a significant role in the financial services of the people through its regulations as well as legislative acts. The government also has a significant role in the growth and development of these financial services and eventually, the access and progress of the citizens availing of these financial services. Research questions: questions whose answers will help you prove or falsify your hypothesis. These are the key issues you would investigate during your PhD. This study seeks to determine whether or not the government has a significant impact on the following: Financial services accessibility Financial services regulation Growth and development stemming from these financial services. Theoretical framework: A statement and justification of the conceptual tool that you will use to analyse your evidence. The theoretical framework referring to the governmentâ €™s impact on the financial markets indicates that government actions within the financial system include regulation, intervention and personal business needs. Securing sufficient regulations includes the process of aligning the different political processes, managing the economy alongside the basic roles of a financial intermediary within a monetary economic system. Standard and exceptional intervention can be evaluated via standard and active monetary regulation policy processes used to impact on specific macroeconomic parameters including inflation, exchange, as well as interest rates via exceptional and specific interventions. Government financing requisites can be numerically evaluated via international stock exchanges. The financial system is also an industry, one which is more important especially as money is the foundation or basis for the financial operations. In effect, financial markets and services must function well in order for industries to operate well and the go vernment is tasked with ensuring that the financial systems and markets are functioning well Sources/Resources required: What evidence or data do you need to find? Evidence or data needed would mostly be discussions from various authors on their analysis of financial services and how the government impacts on these services. Evidence would come

Second part Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Second part - Essay Example Currently, a number of studies indicate that many employers still have this notion, and this makes them discriminate against these people when recruiting new employees. Exterior appearance is usually significant for those positions where an employee directly associates with suppliers, customers and other stakeholders. Therefore, an employer can decide not to hire a person with a tattoo for such positions with a notion that most stakeholders will consider them as members of criminal and other outlawed gangs. Therefore, this paper primarily focuses on discussing why employers should discriminate against people with tattoos at workplace. In different societies, tattoos symbolize certain cultures or events. For example, in certain cultures, tattoos portray a person’s status. This is mostly common in the western world. For instance, a person wearing a tattoo of his or her mother or father may indicate his or her love for the family. Moreover, it may also symbolize that a person belongs to a certain clan or community (Bredeson & Goree, 2012). In the 19th Century, tattoos were common phenomena among criminal and outlawed gangs, which differentiated them as anti-social members of the society who only complied with their own rules and beliefs. For example, bikers wore tattoos to indicate that they were against their society’s values and norms. In some circumstances, tattoos also affiliated a person to a given political party or religion. For example, the Catholics may wear a tattoo of a cross to signify their religious affiliation (Bredeson & Goree, 2012). Current studies, on the discrimination of people with tattoos at the workplace, have established that 40 percent of people aged between 19 to 30 years at least have a tattoo (Bredeson & Goree, 2012). These studies further indicate that 40 percent and 18 percent of people with a tattoo have more than two or more and six or more tattoos respectively (Bredeson & Goree, 2012). Therefore, this data calls for an

Movie Scene Analysis Assignment Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Scene Analysis Assignment - Movie Review Example Here too the director tries to be an unseen observer. The death of a Samurai and the raping of his wife is the core incident of the story. It was woodcutter in the forest who discovers the body of the killed samurai. A priest is also a witness. But during the trial four witnesses including the wood cutter and the priest give different verses of the incident. The film tells us that it is difficult or near impossible to reach the truth, merely through the versions of witnesses, for every one will have his or her perspectives of things and all human memory is clouded by one’s own judgment, perception and ego. A very interesting scene or sequence of the film is in the beginning where the woodcutter is walking through the forest with his axe slung on his shoulder. The scene is composed of very sensuous movement of the camera, and is of duration of two minutes. It has no dialogue. The scene is a part of a flash back; incidentally the whole film is a flash back. The scene is construc ted in 16 shots , of which the wood cutter appears in twelve .There are three prominent close ups--- A present time close up of the face of the wood cutter and past time close up of the hat of the lady raped , hanging on a bush. ... During the fifties this was considered to be a taboo in cinematography and the cameraman, Miyagava Kazuo defies this tradition and creates wonderful image on the screen. Camera looking direct to the sun may be common in films today. But during those days the belief had it that the sun rays entering direct into the lens would burn the film in the camera. But here the shot direct into the sun gives the viewer the mis-en-scene experience of the camera, or the viewer himself entering into the heart of the forest. He himself is entering the forest along with the camera. It leads the viewer into the light and shadow world of the forest where the human mind can lose its way. This shot and the whole scene was often cited as one of the most remarkable camera work in black and white cinematography. The movement of the object in front of the camera creates the mental mood of the scene. In this scene of the twelve shots in which the wood cutter appears, in shots 13 and 15 the wood cutter moves r ight to left of the camera, in shots 2, 4, 5 and 9 he moves left to right of the camera; in shots 3 and 16 he moves towards the camera and in shots 8 and 14 he moves away from the camera. The shot 11 is much more complicated as far the movement of the object with in the frame is concerned. Here the woodcutter moves left to right and then right to left .In shot 6 he moves first left to right and then towards the camera and finally away from the camera. Here Kurosawa creates a sort of a complex rhythmic montage, which concentrates on the contradiction of the movements with in the frame. This choreography of the movements of the character in front of the camera creates a feeling that he is walking wayward as if getting trapped some where. It symbolizes the fact that he is getting

Justification of Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Justification of Terrorism - Essay Example The context behind these activities makes up the second part of this definition. And although terrorism has been a part of this world since the beginning of recorded history, it still does not hold a unanimously accepted definition. It has often been described as a plan and a scheme, a crime and a religious duty, and a justifiable reaction to aggression. Hence, it is clear that it mostly depends on whose point of view is being reflected by the definition. (Terrorism Research, n.d) Nowadays, terrorist activities are so widely used in the whole world, in order to solve the various conflicts that even the different law enforcement agencies of the same country hold different definitions of terrorism. For instance, in the United States, the Department of Defence, FBI, and the Department of State, all three major departments, define terrorism in their own manner. But a general definition that is widely accepted by the public is that terrorism is an act of violence that basically targets the crowd behind the instant victims. (Terrorism Research, n.d) The French Revolutionary Government coined the word terrorism during the French Revolution (1789-1799) by generating violence against the French population and killing thousands of people. Hence, their period of ruling came to be popularly known as the Reign of Terror. (Jenkins, 1990) Terrorist activities have been going on for many centuries. ... (Jenkins, 1990) During the 1960's, the Red Brigades of Italy and the Red Army Faction of West Germany rose in terror to change the economic and political systems of their homelands. Around the same time, a Jewish group used terrorism to end British rule in Palestine, and create a new country for themselves. Since the existence of a separate Jewish homeland, a number of Palestinian groups have been involved in violent activities in order to degrade and destruct the Jewish establishment and build their own country. (Jenkins, 1990) During the 1970's, the Irish Republican Army used violence to end British Rule in Ireland, while around the same period; a Puerto Rican organization widely bombed the United States to gain freedom from them. (Jenkins, 1990) Due to the frequent failure of violent activities during the past, terrorists have been constantly seeking new and better means to reach their targets. But although the number of ways to terrorize public has increased rapidly, the more alarming matter is the rising number of causes these activities are being used for. (Terrorism Research, n.d) Characteristic Features of Terrorism Terrorism has certain characteristics that differentiate it from other violent acts, and war. The four basic features held by a terrorist activity are: violation of the rules of modern warfare, aim to achieve political alteration, the victimized targets symbolizing the issue at hand, and the effort to achieve worldwide public attention. (Zalman, 2008) Some of the features that distinguish terrorism from other forms of violent conflict are described below in detail: Political Motive An act of terror is a violent action that is used to bring about a change in the political system. Some terrorist groups believe in a particular political

Reflection Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 26

Reflection Paper - Essay Example Consequently, their action may be misguided. I concur with the conclusion that love is not for amateurs. Love certainly needs persons who can differentiate it and react accordingly. It is easy for young people to confuse infatuation and romantic love. They may end up acting in an irresponsible manner in order to attract whoever they think they are in love with. The information on love is well stipulated, highlighting the different types so that people can distinguish the love they feel based on their circumstances. From this differentiation, there is no doubt that communication, being bi-lingual and avoiding the temptation to â€Å"mind-read† promotes healthy relationships. I find it particularly important for people with related feelings to communicate about it so as to avoid desperate or inappropriate ways to show it. I affirm that sex is mainly the activity taken up by many people who hope to show they love someone romantically. The adolescents stage present major difficulties to parents and educators as there are so many changes that occur in the adolescents. There is prevalent emotional instability among the adolescents. Embarking to educate them about their sexuality, the changes that they are likely to undergo and appropriate actions to take are of sheer importance. It is important that they learn about their bodies and learn to appreciate themselves the way they are. I firmly hold that a high self-esteem among the teenagers is one way to avoid participating in irresponsible sexual activities or poor social development. Certainly, the education can help them to know that sex is never a way to show love. Adolescent girls need to know this so as to avoid early pregnancies or contacting diseases that may jeopardize their futures. I agree with the deduction that parents are the chief sex educators for their children. They need to provide their children with information about their sexuality. Additionally, the fact that early experiences, attitudes,

PHD Proposal Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

PHD Proposal - Thesis Example As a result, there is an urgent need to reconsider the effectiveness and consequences of using video modeling with autistic children in Saudi Arabia. Autism is fairly regarded as the global disorder (Al-Salehi & Ghaziuddin, 2009; Al-Salehi, Al-Hifthy & Ghaziuddin, 2009). Unfortunately, little is known about its incidence and prevalence in the Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia. Given that most of the published information about autism and the teaching strategies for autistic children comes from the West, it is probable that this information may not be applicable in other countries. For example, 90% of autism cases in the industrialized world are believed to be caused by the genetic factors; whether genetic factors are responsible for autism in Saudi Arabia is yet to be discovered (Al-Salehi & Ghaziuddin, 2009). Nevertheless, some reports claim the estimated number of children with autism in Saudi Arabia to exceed 42,500 (Al-Salehi & Ghaziuddin, 2009). As a result, almost 43,000 of children in Saudi Arabia are currently in need for the development of effective teaching strategies, to help them learn the basic skills and to meet the predetermined learning and knowledge objectives. The proposed research will seek to evaluate the effectiveness of video modeling in teaching autistic children in Saudi Arabia. The basic research question to answer is whether video modeling is a relevant approach to teaching children with autism in Saudi Arabia. The specific research questions to answer include: That the current state of research provides a wealth of information about video modeling for teaching autistic children cannot be denied. How video modeling works in the learning environments with autistic children has long been the object of the peer scientific research. Rosenberg, Schwartz and Davis (2010) evaluated the effects of using a video modeling technique to teach three autistic preschoolers to wash their

Principles And Applications Of The Financial Management Assignment

Principles And Applications Of The Financial Management - Assignment Example Constructing new office building now at a cost of $4,000,000 from funds the business currently has; ii. Investing the $4,000,000 until 2017 when the business is ready to start construction of the building, at which time it would either use all of the $4,000,000; or iii. Obtain a bank loan for $2,000,000 to help finance the cost. The returns or expenditures on the various options need to be calculated and assessed in order to arrive at the best decision. The return on investment for the 4 year period is approximately 11 percent which represents a total of $434,872. Table 1 below shows the calculations. Option - Invest the $4,000,000 and construct building in 2017 Year Amount Interest    2013 4,000,000 3.50% 4,000,000 2014 4,000,000    4140000 2015 4,140,000    4284900 2016 4,284,900    4434871.5 Interest accumulated ($4,434,872 - $4,000,000)       434,872 ROI       11% Table 1 This return of 11 per cent is considered low when the inflation rate is taken into considerat ion. The forecasted inflation rate for 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 was 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 2.0 and 2.2 respectively (IMF 2013). This represents inflation of 9.2% for the 5 year period and 7 percent from 2013 to 2016. (See Table 2 in the Appendix for calculations). Therefore the real return on the $4,000,000 if invested would be 4 percent (11% minus 7%). If the building is constructed in 2017 the estimated value to construct it would be $4,415,252. See Table 2 for additional information. Computation of Value of Building in 2017 Year Amount Rate Value 2013 4,000,000 2.50% 4,000,000 2014 4,000,000 2.50% 4100000 2015 4100000 2.50% 4202500 2016 4202500 2.50% 4307563 2017 4307563 2.50% 4415252 Increase in value       415,252 Table 2 The table indicates that the change in value represents an increase of $415,252. Based on the interest calculated in Table 1 this would suggest that if the $4,000,000 was invested enough interest would be earned to cover the expected increase in the value o f the building.

Louis XIVs foreign policy Essay Example for Free

Louis XIVs foreign policy Essay Assess to what extent was Louis XIVs foreign policy less successful after 1684. Up to 1684, Louis XIVs foreign policy had allowed him to acquire strategically important territory which made France more secure. In doing so, he also defended the reputation of the House of Bourbon on the battlefield and thus increased its gloire. However after 1684, his foreign policy enjoyed less success due to a combination of factors. The latter half of Louis reign was marked by two major wars: the Nine Years War and the War of Spanish Succession. Both of these wars emphasized a decline in France after its peak in 1684. For instance, the results of the Nine Years War suggest that France had clearly lost most of the territory gained at the Treaty of Nymegen in 1678. Meanwhile, the War of Spanish Succession did not result in as much success as Louis previous wars. This indicates a less successful foreign policy after 1684. In terms of territory, Louis only real gain was Spain from the War of Spanish Succession. On the other hand, Louis surrendered all possessions gained since Nymegen, with the exception of Strasbourg, such as Trier, Breisach, Philippsburg and most of Lorraine. Plus, the Spanish Empire had to been carved up, with parts of it going to other European powers. These losses imply that Louis no longer possessed a dominating influence over Europe; the North-Eastern border was yet again vulnerable to attacks from other nations. To add insult to injury, France and Spain could not unite to become one country. Prior to 1684, the French had been undefeated since Louis took his majority in 1661. However post-1684, there were several defeats for the French army, most notably at Blenheim in 1704 and Oudenarde in 1708 after which France was invaded. These defeats weakened the gloire of the French army, which had been feared prior to these defeats. Frances gloire was further diminished when the Allies invaded her during 1708 and 1709. These defeats suggest poor leadership and a deteriorating army which no longer held its former feared reputation. Other setbacks include destruction of the French navy at the Battle of Cap de la Hogue in 1692. This ended any chances of restoring James II as King of England. Restoring James would alter the balance of power in Europe in favour of Louis. The balance of power was extremely important because the balance of power had been in favour of France from 1661 1688. Despite these setbacks, both Louis and France were still able to gain some gloire. Firstly, gaining the Spanish Succession implied that the Bourbons had the upper hand in the dynastic struggle with the Hapsburgs. Secondly, although the French were defeated on several occasions, it did win some important battles, namely at Brihuega and Villa Victoba in 1710. Plus, the results of the Treaty of Utrecht suggest that France was still the dominating power in Europe. It would appear that the achievements of the latter half of Louis reign did not match the first half. This is reflected in the French gains in terms of territory and gloire. While the former half of the reign was characterised by territorial acquisitions such as Franche-Comtà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, Aire, Ypres, etc, the latter half was highlighted by losing land gained since the Treaty of Nymegen. These losses weakened Frances north-eastern and eastern border, which Louis had worked so hard to protect in the first half of his sovereignty. This loss also meant diminished gloire and reduced hegemony. Compared with the initial half of his reign, Louis appears to achieve less in the second half. This decline can be attributed to a combination of factors. Louis foreign policy before 1684 had created plenty of enemies in Europe, namely England, United Provinces, Spain, Holy Roman Empire and the German Princes. While before the Holy Roman Emperor had to deal with the Turks in the east, Leopold now had a free hand to intervene in the west. Louis foreign policy prior to 1684 had united Europe in hatred of him and France. The Dutch opposed him because he had fought them in the Dutch War, which resulted in sever disruption to Dutch trade. German Princes opposed him because Louis had taken land from them via the Policy of Reunion. Leopold also wanted revenge because Louis had illegally seized Strasbourg. Compared to the beginning of Louis reign, the European balance of power has shifted against France; whereas before there was disunity in Europe, now Europe was unified in hatred of France. This unity is very important because it shifts the balance of power against France. Whereas in previous wars France was able to isolate enemies, now she had to fight against the whole of Europe. Previous wars had used up Frances resources. Even by 1680 France was already in debt. On the other hand, her enemies enjoyed better provisions for finance, for example the William III was able to borrow money at low rates from of interest from the Bank of England. The minister and generals in the latter part of the reign did not have the same standard as at the beginning. This is particularly true of the army; Villeroi and Villars were mere shadows of their predecessors. The Allies, on the contrary, had excellent and able generals such as the Duke of Marlborough, Prince Eugene of Savoy and Heinsius. Whereas before France had the dream team of ministers and army generals, now the Allies have superior personnel. France was further weakened by the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, which forced plenty Huguenots to leave the country. This had a devastating effect on the French economy since many of the Huguenots were merchants, industrialists, engineers, etc. Frances loss was the Allies gain as many of these Huguenots moved to Allied countries. As a result, the Allied human resources grew at the expense of France. Although the change in the balance of power in Europe is importantly, ultimately the loss of resources was a more important factor in explaining why France was less successful after 1688. Hugue de Lionne was able to alienate opponents during the War of Devolution and Dutch War, whilst his successors were not able to do that in the Nine Years War or War of Spanish Succession. If French diplomats had been able to alienate opponents, then she wouldnt have had to fight the whole Europe. While Conde and Turenne remained undefeated, Villeroi and Villars suffered frequent defeats in the hands of the Allies. Had the French army stayed undefeated during the Nine Years War and War of Spanish Succession, then no doubt her gains would have been much more than what she actually received. Part of Louis success in the former half of his reign was due the fact that there was a power vacuum in Europe for France to explore. However, by the second half of the reign, that power vacuum had disappeared. Emperor Leopold had dealt with the Turks on his eastern frontier and could turn his full attention onto the west. While Charles II didnt want to be involved in expensive European warfare, there was no question of that after William III became King of England. This suggests that other European countries no longer had internal problems and were able to take part in European affairs. Another reason for the less successful latter half is the foreign policy of the former half of his reign had caused deep resentment and anger from other powers in Europe. Many countries had been offended by French actions; particularly regarding French aggression during the Policy of Reunions. This resulted in them wanting revenge against France. It would appear that Leopolds availability to intervene in the west was a more important factor than other countries wanting revenge against France. Leopold can be seen as Louis nearest contemporary. So, if any nation or coalition was going to match France, then Leopold had to be in it. This can be seen in the Grand Alliance of the Hague. Therefore, one of the main reasons for a less successful foreign policy post-1688 is because of Leopolds availability to intervene in the west. There is a combination of reasons as to why Louis was less successful after 1688. Some reasons are more than important than others; for example, the hatred of France from the Policy of Reunion drove other nations together against France and so the power vacuum, which was there at the beginning of the reign, disappeared. However, ultimately it was the combination of these reasons which caused French foreign policy to be less successful following 1688. Unity in Europe alone wouldnt have stopped French aggression. Similarly loss of French resources alone wouldnt have had as much effect had Europe been in disarray. In conclusion, the foreign policy in the latter half of Louis reign was clearly less successful than pre-1684. In terms of achievements she had secured her status in Europe by acquiring the Spanish Succession, which ensured that she was no longer surrounded by Hapsburgs; Louis had built a Bourbon base in Western Europe which would secure and strengthen both France and Spain. He also left behind a legacy of unprecedented French supremacy during which France was arguably the most powerful country in the world. However, there were failures from his foreign policy as well. The North-Eastern and Eastern frontiers was yet again weakened by the loss of lands which he had worked so hard to acquire before 1684. Furthermore, he left his successor with a Europe united in hatred of France who wanted to curb French power and hegemony.

Humans Are Selfish By Nature. Discuss.

Humans Are Selfish By Nature. Discuss. Humans are selfish by nature is a generalisation which is both refuted and supported by religions and moral codes around the world. However, from my experience as a learner, I believe that the validity of this statement is subjective, a matter of personal interpretation; as with many other ethical and moral issues in our lives. I have selected Christianity and Scientology to illustrate two major perspectives on this, and I believe they can both be considered to validate this quote, although in very different ways. The first discrepancy of this statement arises when we consider what is meant by the word, selfish. According to the Collins dictionary, to be selfish is to be unduly concerned with personal profit or pleasure  [1]  . Already this is a subjective matter, because who decides what degree of personal regard is unduly, or excessive, and thus considered selfish? The alternative viewpoint exists in the Webster 1913 dictionary where selfishness is described as believingthe chief motives of human action are derived from love of self  [2]  . This definition can be considered to reflect a more positive opinion, because love of self implies general respect for ones well being, instead of egotism. I believe that in our society we are generally expected to accept the word of authority to be an appropriate way of finding truth, but the variations between these two authoritative sources make me question whether or not it is the most effective way of finding truth about selfishness. Is it ri ght therefore, to simply accept what one reads in a chemistry textbook as concrete fact? I believe such inconsistencies should encourage us to ask questions as learners, because it is always possible that an authoritative, educational source might be mistaken! Another way of finding truth about this is through faith. Are humans selfish, in light of either definition, as a result of nature? If we are to accept the Collins definition of the word and apply it to Christianity, then I believe the answer is yes. Selfishness is mentioned in The Bible as being a false way of obtaining wisdom or truth, informing believers that where you haveselfish ambition, there you will find disorder and every other evil practice[because] such wisdom does not come down from heaven but isof the devil  [3]  . This implies that selfishness is not only a trait of mankind, but rather a sinful way of knowing instead of obtaining truth through God, or faith, and serving others. Thus, the validity of the statement, humans are selfish by nature, in terms of Christianity comes down to; are people sinners by nature? For believers, The Bible also provides the answer to this just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sinin this way death came to a ll men, because all sinned  [4]  . This informs followers that we are all born as sinners, and thus by faith in The Bible and the belief that selfishness is a sin, humans are indeed selfish by nature. Even the most selfless or perhaps godly of acts can be considered selfish. For example, if I was to complete my service hours for CAS purely for my personal ambition of completing the IB diploma, I would actually be considered selfish and thus sinful, because I am applying wisdomof the devil. If this is true for the Collins definition of selfish, then what did Webster mean by, love of self? According to L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology, it means to maintainconfidence in self[because] what is true for you is what you have observed yourself  [5]  . This code thus asks its believers not to find truth by faith, but rather through personal perception. This principle can be considered selfish according the Webster definition, or even by the Collins definition if someone else perceives this personal regard to be unduly, as everyones truth is different and no consideration is given to anyone elses perspective. But is this principle selfish by nature or nurture? This can be answered in some form through young children, because they very often act as a result of nature, or instinct, as opposed to developed habits  [6]  . For example, when I was about four years old, the ball I was playing with rolled onto my road. My first instinct was not to check for cars, but to re trieve the ball because that was the only object I was able to perceive at the time. By nature, I believed there was no risk because I assumed that the ball, which was of utmost importance to me in that instance, was equally as significant for everyone else. It was only when I learned from my parents, figures of authority, that it is dangerous to cross the road without looking that I began to doubt myself. This shows I naturally had a selfish view of the world because of my own biased perception, and it is only when perceived authoritative figures offer an alternative perspective that we doubt ourselves. Hubbard believes that nurturing this self-doubt, and in this context selflessness, means you have lost everything, because you no longer respect your own personal perception of the world. However, I believe that if we did not have the ability to consider other peoples perspectives then we would be blinded by our own self-importance, and of course unable to write TOK essays which att empt to consider more than one viewpoint! Through exploring these alternate perspectives, we can see that even acts of service can be thought selfish based on intent in Christianity, whereas in Scientology selfishness might simply mean confidence in self. However, despite their differences, both moral codes validate that humans can be considered selfish by nature regardless of how one acts, because it is a matter of personal perception and interpretation. If that is so, is it actually selfish for us to seek truth about this statement, when our motives are based on innate curiosity and ambition? Words (excl. footnotes): 984

Foreign Investment In Russia Business Essay

Foreign Investment In Russia Business Essay The case discusses about Schindler which is a company who established itself in 1874 in Switzerland and they manufactured escalators and elevators. For the first time it made a strong decision to develop a fully owned subsidiary in India with the help Mr. Silvio Napoli who will be leading it. He was a Harvard graduate, young, very analytical and had a strong strategic mindset. The case focuses on the problems faced by Mr. Napoli on starting and setting up operations and activities in India which was totally opposite to Switzerland from where he belonged. Mr. Napoli being an expatriate found it very different and difficult to adjust and acquaint him to an Indian culture. He struggled upon Indias protectionist tariff policies, considerations regarding cost and also the staff that was doubtful on his ways as Napoli wanted things carried on his way. All these were a big threaten to his entire career as he wasnt able to go in accordance with his business plan. Mr. Napoli wanted to develop a cost effective solution to make, develop and sell a completely core and standardized product in India. He was a victim to several issues, mainly cultural issues.  [1]  Mr. Napoli being of Swiss origin believes in low context  [2]  communication style where as in India it is mostly of high context and maybe its for the same reason Napoli is regarded as very talkative. Napoli believed in sticking to business plan because of his orderliness as per Swiss. But the Indian management was mostly willing to customize. Mr. Napoli wanted to mix up his orderliness and generate the task-oriented nature which is why he was often regarded as impatient, impulsive and mostly a hard driver while Indian management compared Mr. Singh as an easy going, patient and friendly person. Indians are not very good time keepers and as a result they keep most of the things towards the end and this was strictly not tolerated by Napoli. This was another reason to issues in Schindler India. Another issue that came up is that, Napoli followed the Swiss habit of total accurate precision delivery where as Indians could be represented as they promise more but actually under deliver it. Napoli failed to understand the business culture properly as he was totally shattered with the increased import duties on certain specific noncore goods including elevators. In India the term of outsourcing was new and couldnt be accepted easily, as a result many mangers in India happened to sign agreements against the strategies of the business plan. This can be better understood if we take a look with the help of Hofstedes comparison model.  [3]  The Italian and Indian culture are different from each other and it is such that Italians are much more focused on themselves as a team unlike Indian culture, when we look at the uncertainty avoidance Italians are usually a bit hesitant in coming to an unknown conclusion unlike the Indian culture. He should have more understanding of the Indian culture. Napoli has failed tremendously to execute the plan that he presented at the time of term of sales, but a plus point is that he was able to develop a high leadership team, he also added onto the companys business model certain buy-ins which was also a wise decision. So somewhere he still has a chance. Secondly, I would like to consider the family issues he was having, he didnt make a wise decision in relocating his family and had to fight several personal issues like his pregnant wife, managing her and her issues also his children injuring themselves. Its not appropriate to take in Napolis family problems into account as a reason for his poor performance, since he comes from a typical Corporate Switzerland background. Thus, the strategy should be such that, the inputs from the top level management of India has to be revised and also deep considerations regarding the cultural, technological, economical and governmental elements of India and the target market of India. When the strategy is revised the top level management of Indian subsidiary should be allowed to take and make decisions on their own on several key issues. Napoli should focus only on high end regional decision making. In order to make Schindler India profitable, it is best to properly assess Napolis team and continuously recheck the sales strategy and explore the Indian market and culture more deeply looking into the mindset of people and activities prevailing and then reinforce his ideas. It is such that standard products and service will make the business progressive and even looking at Indias very basic elevator market currently prevailing is the key aspects that will make India branch profitable. UNILEVERS BUTTER BEATER: INNOVATION FOR GLOBAL DIVERSITY CASE SUMMARY BY DEVI SUDHAKARAN This is a case that shows the problems and difficulties country managers were faced with while beginning to start central direction on Pan European/International sales, positioning and product development. It showcases the rollout of Krona which is a new spread alternative. Also showing how this was a failed strategy to maintain a cross country product viewpoints and perceptions also cultural differences and the various biases of the different country managers of Unilever. It is seen that in the case Unilever was focusing completely on a centralized management style and wanted to increase their manufacturing abilities and capabilities, developing new product, economies of scale and even the leveraging of fixed investments in the brands. Local responsiveness was their core strength even while following a centralized management model. In the new organization, the country managers were made to bother about the variety in the tastes and preferences of different countries and also their needs were considered for making a completely new product which was the total opposite to their previous culture. When we look at the strategic rationale that was undertaken for the development of European Margarine, we see that they followed a basis of cost reduction method, there was a potential in the yellow fats category but using different approaches on national basis increased the cost for the development of new products.  [4]  It was seen that the transnational image was made stronger by the development of global brands which concentrated and created EU single market. They also leveraged high global expenses on brand investments. It was extremely difficult to develop a Pan European band with the different cultural diversity across the countries. There were immense problems between the country managers as they we greatly irritated by the various international strategies that have to be coordinated between the countries and also the loss of their autonomy all this resulted in a huge barrier for communication for the county managers. The country managers had to focus on the consumption habits of consumers across Europe and it was not possible to create one single approach as the consumer preference and selection of food and its types varied widely. For instance if we take a German consumer they are bothered on natural products, the environmental considerations and even of the safety of food. But on the other hand French were deeply into the traditional style of taste and enjoyed its pleasure. They also had problems of coordinating themselves as they wasted tremendous amount of time and money as various ICs (Innovation Centers) were spending time working on the very same products. There was also intense competition between the independent local subsidiaries which had their own methods and agendas for development regarding products. Another main issue was that the top-down process of innovation much slower at producing product ideas. There wasnt any financial budgets made for international products and the local managers were given full risk. In the very much declining yellow fat category the local manager required the market share and profit. Also the local managers wanted independence as they were change resistant and had a competition among themselves The underlying result after Krona being developed was very much below the bar, Krona became a huge success in Germany where it was made and developed because it was made only on the local likes and interest, but it failed miserably in the rest of the Europe. Another result in the company was a huge conflict of cultural problems and they also had to face the comments of developing products not according to the preference of consumers interest. Thus, the strategic decision should be such that its made to cater and satisfy the local needs and tastes, doing and performing like that of Coca Cola and McDonalds in China by means of presenting and offering the same nice product and making the consumers enjoy it tremendously, also make the top managers at Unilever such that they process and transfer their vision to the middle management and take away the fear of failing strategies. It is understood that many successful organizations are not ready for changes as it natural that changes alter and hamper their normal routines. Before making any crucial decisions its a must to understand the fact that proper steps and innovations must be taken to meet the national difference of people. FOREIGN INVESTMENT IN RUSSIA CHALLENGING THE BEAR CASE SUMMARY BY DEVI SUDHAKARAN The executive team of MLC Corporation was examining if it should continue to expand and increase its production and distribution into Russia, in May 2008. There was an increase in the Russian economy and there were three reasons that contributed for the same. Firstly, the increase of natural gas exporting to Europe. Secondly, the increase in the energy price which led to the tremendous growth of the energy sector resulting in widening of the economy. Mark Olexi who was the CEO of MLC had basically three alternatives in front of him. The first being, to further expand the plant export and also to continue the exporting because of its success in the past many years. The second one being, to strengthen Russias competition position abroad by building a manufacturing and distributing center. The third option was to wait and take time for both decisions because of the prevailing uncertainties and risk factors in Russian economic and financial aspects. The worldwide recession and the massive internal economic and financial crises were getting worse and it was doubtful if the Russian economy could withstand it or avoid it. Russia is undergoing a number of problems like a change in leadership as Vladimir Putin couldnt run as President for another term; it was also a doubtful and concerning issue of how the foreign companies in Russia would be operating depending on the attitude of Prime Minister Putin and the next successor President Dmitry Medvedev. Another problem being the energy price shooting up. Along with these, Russia and the U.S relationships were being deteriorated by George W. Bushs administration. Finally, the issue with regard to British and U.S financial system following the mortgage crises in 2007. Mark Olexi had to decide which alternative to select to generate maximum results. He could decide on either of the following four decisions: First, export from US, sell in Russia  [5]   while doing this the company could incur huge costs with regard to transportation and hence its very expensive to do so, also the unclear and complicated regulations in Russia can make it difficult for the selling to take place hence the company might suffer losses, even the political situation in the country is not good enough. On a positive note, since the production process is already established MLC would benefit from 70% of income coming from Russia. Second strategy is to produce in Russia, sell in Russia-by doing this even though there is a high risk factor we could generate larger profits, while investing in Russia it is possible to concentrate on the excess demand for the moment or even try a partial investment in Russia to see the success and progress of it. MLC could also make tie ups wi th the government and enhance their relationships with the government and hence form a hybrid / joint venture. Since the oil prices would possibly rise as per the forecast in the case, the Russian government would definitely secure the currency value. The third strategy is to produce in Russia, sell elsewhere- by doing this the company would be certainly risking itself and spending time and immense money in first identifying the pros and cons of that third country to sell and studying the economic and political nature of the third country, also knowing the consumers well, even understanding the unforeseen causes or changes in the environment. The fourth strategy is to produce elsewhere (not US, Russia),sell to Russia- By doing this the company would invest in a country that is geographically close to Russia, here the company can think of investing in an emerging economy, and can save expenses to a limit as its geographically closer, even expect a somewhat same political and economic conditions as its close but will definitely mitigate the currency risk involved in investing in Russia also try to focus and then expand the client base and even keep Russia from being 80% of the revenue generator. It would be ideal for the company to produce and sell in Russia considering the points mentioned above. In the case it is seen that more than half of the revenue generated in the company is from a single client as it is definitely not a good way to continue a firm. The company could be always on the threat of losing that client. If that happens then the company would be under series losses. The company should find a way to generate revenue from more than one client and make it dispersed as possible.  [6]   Thus, from this case it teaches the various skills necessary to analyze the economic country data and even the political situation of country and use the various methods for assessing the prevailing risk factors in order to come up with a right decision. AIRASIA: FLYING LOW COST WITH HIGH HOPES CASE SUMMARY BY DEVI SUDHAKARAN This case talks about an airline company in Asia- AirAsia operating as an LCC (low cost carrier) how it came up in the market fighting between the increasing and rising flight operation costs and competition in the Asia-Pacific region . It is important to first understand what makes Asia an attractive market for LCC, its mainly because of rapidly urbanizing population who are being developed and are ready to travel and see various locations, fewer substitutes for air travel with regard to traveling long distances with low fares, low but rising incomes of the population, the deregulation taking place and even sometimes disruptive innovation  [7]   A disruptive innovation is an innovation that helps create a new market and value network, and eventually goes on to disrupt an existing market and value network (over a few years or decades), displacing an earlier technology.  [8]   Tony Fernandez who was a private entrepreneur captured AirAsia airlines from the Malaysian government when it was debt ridden in the year, December 2001. After a month, Tony Fernandez re-launched AirAsia airlines as South-East Asias first LCC (Low Cost Carrier). He was able to generate huge success and increased the profitability tremendously and even expanded its routes. What he did was, he kept immense low cost structure comparing to the competitors and offered the customers extremely low airfare of 40% -60 % less than competitors. He developed the ticketless travel thus being environment friendly and consuming less paper. AirAsia developed also had free seating arrangements. Customers were even attracted as frequent draws were conducted on board and this surprised the passengers. He also developed a tag line Now Everyone Can Fly which attracted the customers and which they considered motivating. A multilingual website was also created; this attracted leisure travelers and purchased air tickets through it which had promotions and offer for specific traveling periods. AirAsia started off with the Easy To Book, Easy To Pay Easy To Fly message and developed the telephone booking centre, sales offices, travel agents and also created tie-ups with several local banks and post offices. Mr. Fernandez conquered and became the first in many new services in t he operation and started a plan which was considered risky by other services; he extended the airline services which included many long- haul routes. AirAsia was even first to stat the booking with the help of cell phones using a simple SMS. This showed how innovative he was and even went down to the corporate bone. AirAsia was ranked as the best LCC in the Asia region in the year 2007. It encouraged many other LCCs in the Asia Pacific area to come up with such ideas and on the other hand threatened MAS Malaysian Airlines a full service operator which was a major competition at home. MAS didnt let go the competition from AirAsia and took stronger steps than AirAsia and started a sudden price war by offering to customers a zero fare for domestic travel and also for short-haul flights. They even built up a campaign Everyday Low Fare which even grabbed the attention of the customers by even immense advertisement war  [9]  and impressing potential passengers. CHABROS INTERNATIONAL GROUP: A WORLD OF WOOD CASE SUMMARY BY DEVI SUDHAKARAN This case shows how Chabros International Group a Lebanese multinational wood company confronting a huge decrease of its largest subsidiary sales after the global economic crisis in 2008. Antoine Chami who was the owner and president of Chabros International Group when reviewed the companys financial statements for the end of year 2009 saw that there was a thirty percent drop in the sales from Dubai. There was a growing lumber sales demand and Antoine Chami had invested $ 11 million to acquire and expand one of the saw mills in Serbia to meet this demand. This happened in 2007 a year before the global economic crises took place. There was high capacity for the production of lumber but with regard to selling, had low profitability. To overcome this problem Chami could either shut certain parts of the Serbia mill or boost Chabros International Groups sales to use up all the capacity available of the sawmill. If that happens, should it continue to increase sales where it was already operating like that of UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Egypt or should it try to expand to a new places like Algeria, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Syria, Tunisia. He also would have doubts on Morocco, among other places, if it is the best country to expand for this activity? Also if it is the right time to start on such an expansion process FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT IN THE MIDDLE EAST: RIYADH AND DUBAI CASE SUMMARY BY DEVI SUDHAKARAN This is a case that deals with finding out the various key drivers of investing in the Middle East especially in Riyadh and Dubai of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates respectively by foreign rich countries like The United states of America, Japan and several European multinational and financial services and service providers. A considerable sample of foreign companies is interviewed to find out the main aspects in their decision process and what made them select the mode of operation and details about their business model. The case is in three sections, the first is about laws, regulations and requirements have changed considerably and that it has become more adapting to foreign investment in past years, this is performed with the help of several business environmental characteristic index and changes over time. The second part studies the exchange arrangements and framework for capital and financial transactions. The third section studies the various experiences of many multinational companies that have invested in the financial services sector of the Middle East.

Stereotypes in the Film The Matrix Essay -- Movies Film Feminist Pape

Stereotypes in the Film The Matrix The purpose of this paper is to expose some of the stereotypes present in the film The Matrix, directed by Andy and Larry Wachowski. In order to accomplish this we shall see that although The Matrix is considered to be a film about rebellion, it contains several stereotypical portrayals, which actually make it a film that supports the status quo. We shall also see that the African American characters in The Matrix (the Oracle, Tank, Dozer, and Morpheus) are all depicted in the stereotypical servant roles. Furthermore, the women (Trinity and Switch) in this film are portrayed stereotypically; that is, they are either reduced to a caring/nurturing role or they simply help make up the background (they do not have a voice). Finally, Morpheus’ initial power and leadership is stripped away leaving him to play the stereotypical supporting and buddy role. The Matrix is considered by many people to be a cyberpunk triumph. Declan McCullagh from wired.com writes: "When Neo/Reeves wakes up from his VR slumber and unplugs from The Matrix, he joins a ragtag band of rebels led by the charismatic Morpheus (Lawrence Fishburne). Their plan: To overthrow the artificial intelligences that have robbed humanity of reality" (McCullagh). Entertainment weekly also sees The Matrix as a movie about rebellion against oppression: "Neo is, of course, The One, the prophesied leader of the oppressed who will lead the people of Zion (an underground city populated by the last free humans) from bondage--but only if he can believe in himself and trust in the power of love" (Bernadin). Therefore, although the film appears to send a revolutionary message of a rage against ‘the machine’ or the matrix and its oppression, ... ...premacy should be the starting point of a renewed movement for racial justice" (hooks 118). Works Cited Bernardin, Marc. "The Matrix" 1999. <http://www.ew.com/ew/review/video/0,1683,846,matrix.html> (14 Apr. 2000) [address has moved to: <http://www.ew.com/ew/article/review/video/0,6115,270871~2|7696||0~,00.html> link updated by Dr P. 30 Oct 2002] hooks, bell. Killing Rage Ending Racism. New York: Henry Holt, 1995. McIntosh, Peggy. "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack," in Race, Class, and Gender in the United States, ed. Paula S. Rothenberg. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1998. McCullagh, Declan. "The Matrix: A Cyberpunk Triumph." Wired News. April 02, 1999. <http://www.wired.com/news/news/culture/story/18932.html> Wolf, Naomi. The Beauty Myth. How Images of Beauty are Used Against Women. New York: William Morrow, 1991.

The Work of John Steinbeck :: Biography Biographies Essays

The Work of John Steinbeck      Ã‚  Ã‚   John Steinbeck was a major literary figure in the 20th century and continues to be widely read in the twenty-first century. Steinbeck was born on February 27,1902 (About John Steinbeck) in the Salinas Valley of California. (Laskov) "His father, John Steinbeck, Sr. was the County Treasurer and his mother, Olive Hamilton Steinbeck, was a former school teacher. As a youth, he worked as a ranch hand and fruit picker. (John Steinbeck [2])". "He attended the local high school and studied marine biology at Stanford University between 1920 and 1926, but did not take a degree" (John Steinbeck [1]). Steinbeck's fascination with science and biology is evident in most of his works such as in this quote from the Grapes of Wrath: "Man, unlike any other thing organic or inorganic in the universe, grows beyond his work, walks up in the stairs of his concepts, emerges ahead of his accomplishments."   (Steinbeck 165) As Steinbeck began his writing career, he took many other jobs to supp ort himself. For a short time, he worked at the American in New York City, and then returned to California where he worked various jobs such as a painter and fruit-picker before taking a job as a caretaker for a Lake Tahoe Estate. (John Steinbeck [1]) His job as a caretaker allowed him time to write and by the time he left the job in 1930 he had already published his first book, Cup of Gold (1929) and married his first wife Carol Henning (John Steinbeck [2]). After his marriage he moved to Pacific Grove, California where, in the early 1930s, Steinbeck met Edward Ricketts, a marine biologist, whose views on the interdependence of all life deeply influenced Steinbeck's novel To a God Unknown (1933). (John Steinbeck [2])      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Tortilla Flat (1935) was Steinbeck's first successful novel. (John Steinbeck [2]) "Of Mice and Men (1937), a story of shattered dreams, became Steinbeck's first big success. In the same year appeared also The Red Pony". (John Steinbeck [2]) With his feet firmly planted as a successful America author, Steinbeck had many more pieces published during the next twenty years, including The Pearl and The Grapes of Wrath (1939). The Grapes of Wrath was hugely popular and was later made into an equally popular movie. (John Steinbeck [2])    John Steinbeck continued to write for the rest of his life, but many consider his writing career to have ended before he received the Nobel Prize.

Demographics Of Madagascar :: essays research papers fc

Formerly an independent kingdom, Madagascar became a French colony in 1886, but regained its independence in 1960. During 1992-93, free presidential and National Assembly elections were held, ending 17 years of single-party rule. Madagascar's forests are a shimmering, seething mass of a trillion stems and dripping leaves and slithering, jumping, quirky beasts out of nature's bag of tricks. Cut off from the African mainland for millions of years, Madagascar's teeming forests are a naturalist's wet dream; they've preserved oddities and developed specializations found nowhere else on earth, and you can get among them in a spectacular collection of accessible national parks. But any nation that turns to North Korea for aid has got to be a basket case. Madagascar's Marxist generals as well as its chameleons are fresh out of the Age of Dinosaurs. The generals haven't got it right - part of the population regularly suffers malnutrition owing to bad seasons and archaic economic orthodoxies at home and abroad. Since human settlement, the forests have been whittled down to a mere 15% of their former extent, scores of species are on the brink of extinction and the topsoil is barreling down into the Indian Ocean like. The countryside alternates between astounding untouched forests and breathtaking human-induced destruction on a scale almost unmatched anywhere. Madagascar’s physical geography is not conducive of the current global trends and needs for economic production. They are severely behind the World as a whole in economic growth and restructuring to fit new world markets. Most of Madagascar lies in tropical or subtropical environment; the soil structure in these sorts of regions is not able to sustain long-term cultivation. The topsoil is good for agriculture for a few years, but after much longer it becomes burnt out, or depleted, and then it needs to rest for a period of time until it can yield a decent crop again. This is because of the way this soil obtai ns nutrients and the type of nutrients generally located there. Considering the island’s physical composition, it will be hard for the poor African nation to catch-up to the new world averages. Physical Geography Madagascar is located 250 miles off the eastern coast of Africa, just south of the equator. This island nation contains no ‘Principal’ lakes, oceans, seas, rivers or islands; however it does have one ‘Principal’ mountain- Maromokotro- that is located on the island’s central plateau. The island is over 1000 miles (1580 km) long and 350 miles (570 km) wide.

“Lord of the Flies”: Why Ralph is the Best Leader Essay

In Lord of the Flies, when a group of young boys are stranded on an island and left their own devices, a leader must be chosen. What separates a good leader is someone who cares for the greater good of the group and their well being rather than just caring about themselves. Some of the boys are better leaders than others and through characterization we see who is most capable of being chief. Ralph is the most qualified leader on the island because of his leadership skills, his talent of obtaining order, his unwillingness to let his id take over, and his democratic traditions. Ralphs leadership skills are what gets the boys support and motivates them towards a common goal. Shortly after all the children find each other Ralphs first instinct is that the island should choose a leader. The boys hold an election and because of Ralphs charisma and prestige they elect him. While the other boys are interested in playing and having fun on the island, Ralph is thinking about ways to stay alive and get rescued. Ralph displays his leadership skills through his speeches and presence in front of an audience; he holds a meeting in which he proposes a signal fire and creates a new goal for the island, which is to keep the smoke signal going: A fire! Make a fire, [the boys shouted]. At once half the boys were on their feet (38). By setting rules and boundaries, Ralph creates order and peace on the island like a true leader. Using the conch, which first helped unify all the boys together, Ralph creates a method of organization. He forms a rule that only the person holding the conch, a symbol of order, has the right to speak and may not be interrupted, thus giving limitations to the people. He also enforces rules to help keep the fire burning, which he believes is their only means of being rescued. In order to keep the island tidy, Ralph creates specific areas to go to the bathroom, keep potable water, build shelters, etc. Ralph knows that in order to maintain a civilized society there must be restrictions and laws: We ought to have more rules (42). Ralph is an excellent idol and leader of the island because of his morality and civilized actions during a time of anarchy. As the other boys on the island begin to form their own government, one full of destruction and chaos, Ralph prefers to maintain his moral and educated characteristics. On  their island without parents or police enforcement, the other children begin to lose their humane personas and become primitive, letting their id take over, however, Ralph continues to carry out plans and think with a conscience. When the children on the island loose all control and kill one of the boys Ralph is the only who has a sense of civilization and can realistically evaluate their actions for what it is: That was murder (156). While the other boys on the island loose all conditioning, Ralph remains civilized and preserves his ego. Ralphs characteristics and form of government represents the most fair and pure rule, democracy. He holds a government is which all people take action in political activities; before any decision is made Ralph gives all the boys a chance to give their opinions and be part of the decision-making. Just like in all democratic systems, Ralph offers everybody freedom and equality. Ralphs characteristics of morality, leadership and organization are all major qualities of a democratic ruler. When Ralph sees the Lord of the Flies, a sows skull on a stake, he knocks it down and breaks it into pieces. The smashing of the sows skull symbolizes Ralphs disgust towards totalitarianism and savagery. Instead of the harshness of a military based society Ralph prefers a peaceful society in which all citizens have a voice. When it comes to the greater good of civilization and having a fair administration, Ralph is the best leader on the island. His leadership skills, organizational skills, moral principles, and other democratic character traits are all crucial for a chief to have. Ralph wants what is best for the island and makes sure to get it in a diplomatic way. Through his speaking skills and organization, Ralph can persuade well and have great influence over his people. Ralph is the most excellent leader on the island and represents the finest form of government. Bibliography: Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Teenage Hypocrisy

At no other time In life does a person feel more insecurity than during teenage. We are erratic and inconsistent. Our character is in the process of being formed but it is far from being finished. The terrific insecurity produces the need to be accepted, respected and trusted. It is then that hypocrisy in its most innocent and faultless form takes birth because of our craving for these desires. But slowly as we continue to take this horrific curse of adolescence as a blessing, hypocrisy becomes our second nature. Almost involuntary. Think that at least once in our lives we all try becoming someone.Or try to pretend to be someone we are not. Just to be accepted. Just to fit in. But very rarely do we teenagers stop and think about what we are actually doing. About how we are losing our real selves while trying to be someone else. Someone we will never be. More importantly someone we don't have to be. I think that at this tender age we fear to stand alone or to be left out. So we do eve rything we can to walk with the crowd. We try to cluster together in groups and fit ourselves into perfect moulds. It is however like jamming square nails in round slots. What we need to understand is the fact that there are no moulds o fit into.We all are individuals with different interests, hobbies, point of views, opinions, beliefs and priorities. We should never have to change ourselves or impersonate to be accepted. The type of things we do these days just to be accepted are in my opinion absurd! We conceal too much. We lie too much. We fake too much. All of us typical teenagers seem to have an unwritten set of rules and ethics that rule our lives. One often is to never say anything that may even be remotely offensive to anyone in your presence with the exception of profuse profanity. But the important thing is that you onto need to do this.In a few years when you look back to reassess the decisions you made and the things you did, you will realize how ridiculous your needs we re. How you couldn't see the reality through the fog of immaturity. Trust me that popular group you trying so hard to be a part of is not worth losing yourself. And can tell you that the people who you think love you right now, won't even matter in a few years. You are bound fall apart as soon as the mask of hypocrisy falls, even if it is by accident. This is because we are never actually giving anyone a chance to know our real selves and to understand and accept us for who we actually are.Adolescence is a developmental phase which is prone to hypocrisy. So this teenage hypocrisy is a phase we all are going through or will be growing through. To a large extent teenage hypocrisy is a function of those expectations of adults and peers which conflict with our own feelings and desires. So is important to remember who we are and where do we want to be. And to grow out of this phase of regrets. Unfortunately some of us usually end up believing that hypocrisy is vital to survive in this wo rld of frauds and lies. But that's not true.It is important that we accept ourselves and understand that our individuality is not going to isolate us but rather give us a chance to welcome those people in our lives who will accept us for who we are and not for who they think we are. So stand for what you believe in, state what you really feel and don't worry about what others will think. In a nutshell all want to say is that don't ever change yourself for anyone or anything. That person you are trying to be is not half as awesome as you are. Learn to respect you uniqueness. Because you are one of a kind.

Impact of State Aid on Aer Lingus Essay

Aer Lingus is an airline in the republic of Ireland with a rich history that spans for a period exceeding 66 years. It’s an airline that is thought to hold a very special place in the hearts of most Irish people. In recent times, the airline has experienced difficulties. For example, there were agricultural problems both in England and in Ireland due to the emergence of BSE and Foot and Mouth disease. These are problems that caused the numbers of passengers traveling to various countries to go down. In 2001, workers were in strike due to salary issues and this adversely affected the operations of the Aer Lingus. Global economic crisis emanating from the most powerful economy in the world, the United States together with the September 11 terrorist attacks made many holidaymakers and seasoned passengers to panic and they thus feared traveling. Moreover, lack of funds has been another major problem and this is something that made Sabena and Swissair to close down because of insufficient funds. In fact, this is a problem that was so dangerous to many organizations that even Sabena had gone bankrupt. Due to such events, the major debate has been whether to provide state aid to Aer Lingus or not. The EU has been in the frontline to state that there is no need for the airline to be provided with state aid. On the other hand, some believe that since the government is a shareholder in Aer Lingus it should then use some of the tax payers’ money to inject more cash into the company to save it (Mulcahy, 2002). Since this is a state owned airline, its dependence on aid to raise capital has creates several problems for it. The financial performance of the airline has been undermined for quite a long period of time due to this dependence. However, in comparison to the private sector, state aid in most cases involves writing off the debts to financial institutions like banks. If it were the private sector on this issue, they would not have taken the consideration that such debts may be written off. The idea to use state aid for Aer Lingus may be seen as a bad option. This is so because if it was a private investor at Aer Lingus and they encountered huge debts, such an investor would have considered liquidating the airline and starting all over again using the available assets. But this has not been possible for Aer Lingus since its dependence is on the state to provide it with aid (Doganis, 2001). In 1994, the European Commission sought to approve the guidelines on evaluation proposals relating to state aid for airlines. Approving of the aforementioned proposals would see several conditions being imposed. For example, by relying on state aid, Aer Lingus is going to face the condition that it mustn’t expect additional aid in the coming future. Moreover, state aid according to the commission is not supposed to be used in any way to increase Aer Lingus capacity that may be to the detriment of EU competitors. Moreover, if Aer Lingus obtains this aid, the offer it has in the EU market is not supposed to increase faster compared to overall traffic growth. Aer Lingus is also not supposed to use the state aid to increase its direct competition against other airlines (Doganis, 2006). The impacts of state aid on Aer Lingus did not come with negative effects alone as aforementioned. There has been a success story to tell after state aid that was approved by the EU in mid 1990s. Even though reconstruction success at Aer Lingus took longer compared to Iberia and Air France, cost-cutting was achieved in years 2002 and 2004. State aid that Aer Lingus had received a decade ago had enabled it to survive most crises of that time. Up to early 2005, Aer Lingus still had not been privatized despite the crisis. Early 90s posed problems for Aer Lingus that are still similar to the current problems. The company lost profits amounting to 7% and talks embarked to seek a merger with Ryainar but this did not bear fruits. The management team came up with a recovery plan but the profits realized were still down. This is a problem that continued in 1992 but the appointment of Bernie Cahill as the board chairman saw the government provide more investment in the airline. After the proposal was accepted by the EU, some assets like the computer company and hotels were sold. By 1995, the company realized some profits. These shows the impacts of the state aid on Aer Lingus have been both positive and negative. But for Aer Lingus to survive in the market state aid is required since today, it estimated that the company is losing $2m in a single day. Moreover, the bookings have gone down by a staggering 80% (Barrington and Sweeny, 2001).

Spirit Bound Chapter Eighteen

THE THING THAT REALLY SUCKS about being psychically linked to someone is that you have a pretty good idea when they're lying–or, in this case, not lying. Still, my response was immediate and instinctive. â€Å"That's not true.† â€Å"Isn't it?† She gave me a pointed look. She too knew that I could feel the truth in her words. â€Å"But that†¦ it can't†¦ † I wasn't at a loss for words very often–and certainly not with Lissa. So frequently in our relationship, I'd been the one being assertive and explaining to her why things had to be the way they were. Somewhere along the way, with me not realizing it, Lissa had lost that fragility. â€Å"I'm sorry,† she said, voice still kind but also firm. The bond betrayed how much she hated telling me unpleasant things. â€Å"He asked me†¦ told me specifically not to let you come. That he doesn't want to see you.† I stared at her pleadingly, my voice almost childlike. â€Å"But why? Why would he say that? Of course he wants to see me. He must be confused†¦.† â€Å"I don't know, Rose. All I know is what he told me. I'm so sorry.† She reached for me like she might hug me, but I stepped away. My head was still reeling. â€Å"I'll go with you anyway. I'll wait upstairs with the other guardians. Then, when you tell Dimitri I'm there, he'll change his mind.† â€Å"I don't think you should,† she said. â€Å"He seemed really serious about you not coming–almost frantic. I think knowing you're there would upset him.† â€Å"Upset him? Upset him? Liss, it's me! He loves me. He needs me.† She winced, and I realized I'd been shouting at her. â€Å"I'm just going on what he said. It's all so confusing†¦ please. Don't put me in this position. Just†¦ wait and see what happens. And if you want to know what's going on, you can always†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Lissa didn't finish, but I knew what she was suggesting. She was offering to let me see her meeting with Dimitri through the bond. It was a big gesture on her part–not that she could have stopped me if I wanted to do it. Still, she didn't usually like the idea of being â€Å"spied† on. This was the best thing she could think of to make me feel better. Not that it really did. All of this was still crazy. Me being denied access to Dimitri. Dimitri allegedly not wanting to see me! What the hell? My gut reaction was to ignore everything she'd just said and go along with her, demanding access when she arrived. The feelings in the bond were begging me not to, though. She didn't want to create trouble. She might not understand Dimitri's wishes either, but she felt they should be honored until the situation could be better assessed. â€Å"Please,† she said. The plaintive word finally cracked me. â€Å"Okay.† It killed me to say it. It was like admitting defeat. Think of it as a tactical retreat. â€Å"Thank you.† This time she did hug me. â€Å"I swear I'll get more information and figure out what's going on, okay?† I nodded, still dejected, and we walked out of the building together. With grim reluctance, I parted with her when the time came, letting her go off to the guardians' building while I headed toward my room. As soon as she was out of my sight, I immediately slipped into her head, watching through her eyes as she walked through the perfectly manicured grass. The bond was still a little hazy but growing clearer by the minute. Her feelings were a jumble. She felt bad for me, guilty that she'd had to refuse me. At the same time, she was anxious to visit Dimitri. She needed to see him too–but not in the same way I did. She still had that feeling of responsibility for him, that burning urge to protect him. When she arrived at the building's main office, the guardian who'd stopped me gave her a nod of greeting and then made a quick phone call. A few moments later, three guardians entered and gestured for Lissa to follow them into the depths of the building. They all looked unusually grim, even for guardians. â€Å"You don't have to do this,† one of them told her. â€Å"Just because he keeps asking†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"It's fine,† she said with the cool, dignified air of any royal. â€Å"I don't mind.† â€Å"There'll be plenty of guards around just like last time. You don't need to worry about your safety.† She gave all of them a sharp look. â€Å"I was never worried about it to begin with.† Their descent into the building's lower levels brought back painful memories of when Dimitri and I had visited Victor. That had been the Dimitri I'd had a perfect union with, the Dimitri who understood me entirely. And after the visit, he'd been enraged at Victor's threats against me. Dimitri had loved me so much that he'd been willing to do anything to protect me. A key card-protected door finally allowed access to the holding level, which consisted mostly of a long hallway lined with cells. It didn't have the depressing feel that Tarasov had had, but this place's stark and steel-lined industrial air didn't exactly inspire warm and fuzzy feelings. Lissa could hardly walk down the hall because it was so crowded with guardians. All that security for one person. It wasn't impossible for a Strigoi to break through a cell's steel bars, but Dimitri was no Strigoi. Why couldn't they see that? Were they blind? Lissa and her escort made their way through the crowd and came to a stop in front of his cell. It was as cold looking as everything else in this prison area, with no more furnishings than were absolutely required. Dimitri sat on the narrow bed, his legs drawn up to him as he leaned into a corner of the wall and kept his back to the cell's entrance. It wasn't what I had expected. Why wasn't he beating at the bars? Why wasn't he demanding to be released and telling them he wasn't a Strigoi? Why was he taking this so quietly? â€Å"Dimitri.† Lissa's voice was soft and gentle, filled with a warmth that stood out against the harshness of the cell. It was the voice of an angel. And as Dimitri slowly turned around, it was obvious he thought so too. His expression transformed before our eyes, going from bleakness to wonder. He wasn't the only one filled with wonder. My mind might have been tied to Lissa's, but back across Court, my own body nearly stopped breathing. The glimpse I'd gotten of him last night had been amazing. But this†¦ this full-on view of him looking at Lissa–at me–was awe-inspiring. It was a wonder. A gift. A miracle. Seriously. How could anyone think he was a Strigoi? And how could I have possibly let myself believe the Dimitri I'd been with in Siberia was this one? He'd cleaned up from the battle and wore jeans and a simple black T-shirt. His brown hair was tied back into a short ponytail, and a faint shadow across his lower face showed that he needed to shave. Probably no one would let him get near a razor. Regardless, it almost made him look sexier–more real, more dhampir. More alive. His eyes were what really pulled it all together. His death white skin–now gone–had always been startling, but those red eyes had been the worst. Now they were perfect. Exactly as they used to be. Warm and brown and long-lashed. I could have gazed at them forever. â€Å"Vasilisa,† he breathed. The sound of his voice made my chest tighten. God, I'd missed hearing him speak. â€Å"You came back.† As soon as he began approaching the bars, the guardians around Lissa started closing rank, ready to stop him should he indeed bust through. â€Å"Back off!† she snapped in a queenly tone, glaring at everyone around her. â€Å"Give us some space.† No one reacted right away, and she put more power into her voice. â€Å"I mean it! Step back!† I felt the slightest trickle of magic through our link. It wasn't a huge amount, but she was backing her words with a little spirit-induced compulsion. She could hardly control such a large group, but the command had enough force to make them clear out a little and create space between her and Dimitri. She turned her attention back to him, demeanor instantly changing from fierce to kind. â€Å"Of course I came back. How are you? Are they†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She cast a dangerous look at the guardians in the hall. â€Å"Are they treating you okay?† He shrugged. â€Å"Fine. Nobody's hurting me.† If he was anything like his old self, he would have never admitted if anyone was hurting him. â€Å"Just a lot of questions. So many questions.† He sounded weary, again†¦ very unlike a Strigoi who never needed rest. â€Å"And my eyes. They keep wanting to examine my eyes.† â€Å"But how do you feel?† she asked. â€Å"In your mind? In your heart?† If the whole situation hadn't been so sobering, I would have been amused. It was very much a therapist's line of questioning–something both Lissa and I had experienced a lot of. I'd hated being asked those questions, but now I truly wanted to know how Dimitri felt. His gaze, which had so intently focused on her, now drifted away and grew unfocused. â€Å"It's†¦ it's hard to describe. It's like I've woken up from a dream. A nightmare. Like I've been watching someone else act through my body–like I was at a movie or a play. But it wasn't someone else. It was me. All of it was me, and now here I am, and the whole world has shifted. I feel like I'm relearning everything.† â€Å"It'll pass. You'll get more used to it, once you settle back into your old self.† That was a guess on her part, but one she felt confident of. He inclined his head toward the gathered guardians. â€Å"They don't think so.† â€Å"They will,† she said adamantly. â€Å"We just need more time.† A small silence fell, and Lissa hesitated before speaking her next words. â€Å"Rose†¦ wants to see you.† Dimitri's dreamy, morose attitude snapped in a heartbeat. His eyes focused back on Lissa, and I got my first glimpse of true, intense emotion from him. â€Å"No. Anyone but her. I can't see her. Don't let her come here. Please.† Lissa swallowed, unsure how to respond. The fact that she had an audience made it harder. The best she could do was lower her voice so the others wouldn't hear. â€Å"But†¦ she loves you. She's worried about you. What happened†¦ with us being able to save you? Well, a lot of it was because of her.† â€Å"You saved me.† â€Å"I only did the final piece. The rest†¦ well, Rose did, um, a lot.† Say, like, organizing a prison break and releasing fugitives. Dimitri turned from Lissa, and the fire that had briefly lit his features faded. He walked over to the side of the cell and leaned against the wall. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, took a deep breath, and then opened them. â€Å"Anyone but her,† he repeated. â€Å"Not after what I did to her. I did a lot of things†¦ horrible things.† He turned his hands palm-up and stared at them for a moment, like he could see blood. â€Å"What I did to her was worst of all–especially because it was her. She came to save me from that state, and I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He shook his head. â€Å"I did terrible things to her. Terrible things to others. I can't face her after that. What I did was unforgivable.† â€Å"It's not,† said Lissa urgently. â€Å"It wasn't you. Not really. She'll forgive you.† â€Å"No. There's no forgiveness for me–not after what I did. I don't deserve her, don't deserve to even be around her. The only thing I can do†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He walked back over to Lissa, and to the astonishment of both of us, he fell to his knees before her. â€Å"The only thing I can do–the only redemption I can try for–is to pay you back for saving me.† â€Å"Dimitri,† she began uneasily, â€Å"I told you–â€Å" â€Å"I felt that power. In that moment, I felt you bring my soul back. I felt you heal it. That's a debt I can't ever repay, but I swear I'll spend the rest of my life trying.† He was looking up at her, that enraptured look back on his face. â€Å"I don't want that. There's nothing to repay.† â€Å"There's everything to pay,† he argued. â€Å"I owe you my life–my soul. It's the only way I can come close to ever redeeming myself for all the things I did. It's still not enough†¦ but it's all I can do.† He clasped his hands. â€Å"I swear, whatever you need, anything–if it's in my power–I'll do it. I'll serve and protect you for the rest of my life. I'll do whatever you ask. You have my loyalty forever.† Again, Lissa started to say she didn't want that, but then a canny thought came to mind. â€Å"Will you see Rose?† He grimaced. â€Å"Anything but that.† â€Å"Dimitri–â€Å" â€Å"Please. I'll do anything else for you, but if I see her†¦ it'll hurt too much.† That was probably the only reason that could have made Lissa drop the subject. That and the desperate, dejected look on Dimitri's face. It was one she had never seen before, one I'd never seen before either. He'd always been so invincible in my eyes, and this sign of vulnerability didn't make him seem weaker to me. It simply made him more complex. It made me love him more–and want to help him. Lissa could only give him a small nod as answer before one of the guardians in charge said she had to leave. Dimitri was still on his knees as they escorted her out, staring after her with an expression that said she was the closest to any hope he had left in this world. My heart twisted with both sorrow and jealousy–and a bit of anger too. I was the one he should have looked at that way. How dare he? How dare he act like Lissa was the greatest thing in the world? She'd done a lot to save him, true, but I was the one who'd traveled around the globe for him. I was the one who had continually risked my life for him. Most importantly, I was the one who loved him. How could he turn his back on that? Both Lissa and I were confused and upset as she left the building. Both of us were distraught over Dimitri's state. Despite how angry I was over his refusal to see me, I still felt horrible at seeing him so low. It killed me. He'd never acted that way before. After the Academy's attack, he had certainly been sad and had grieved over that loss. This was a different kind of despair. It was a deep sense of depression and guilt that he didn't feel he could escape from. Both Lissa and I were shocked by that. Dimitri had always been a man of action, someone ready to get up after a tragedy and fight the next battle. But this? This was unlike anything we'd ever seen in him, and Lissa and I had wildly varying ideas on how to solve it. Her gentler, sympathetic approach was to keep talking to him while also calmly persuading Court officials that Dimitri was no longer a threat. My solution to this problem was to go to Dimitri, no matter what he claimed he wanted. I'd busted in and out of a prison. Getting into a jail cell should be cake. I was still certain that once he saw me, he'd have a change of heart about all this redemption stuff. How could he truly think I wouldn't forgive him? I loved him. I understood. And as far as convincing officials that he wasn't dangerous†¦ well, my method there was a little fuzzy still, but I had a feeling it would involve a lot of yelling and beating on doors. Lissa knew perfectly well that I had observed her encounter with Dimitri, so she didn't feel obligated to come see me, not when she knew they could still use her over at the medical center. She'd heard Adrian had nearly collapsed with all the magic he'd wielded to help others. It seemed so uncharacteristic of him, so unselfish†¦ he'd done amazing deeds, at great cost to himself. Adrian. There was a problem. I hadn't had a chance to see him since getting back after the warehouse fight. And aside from hearing about him healing others, I really hadn't thought about him at all. I'd said that if Dimitri really could be saved, it didn't mean the end of Adrian and me. Yet, Dimitri had barely been back twenty-four hours, and here I was, already obsessing ov– â€Å"Lissa?† Despite the fact that I'd pulled back to my own mind, part of me was still absentmindedly following along with Lissa. Christian was standing outside the medical center, leaning against its wall. From his posture, it appeared as though he'd been there for a while waiting for something–or rather, someone. She came to a halt, and inexplicably, all thoughts of Dimitri vanished from her mind. Oh, come on. I wanted those two to patch things up, but we had no time for this. Dimitri's fate was a lot more important than bantering with Christian. Christian didn't look like he was in a snarky mood, though. His expression was curious and concerned as he regarded her. â€Å"How are you feeling?† he asked. They hadn't talked to each other since the ride back, and she'd been largely incoherent during a lot of it. â€Å"Fine.† She touched her face absentmindedly. â€Å"Adrian healed me.† â€Å"I guess he is good for something.† Okay, maybe Christian was feeling a little snarky today. But only a little. â€Å"Adrian's good for lots of things,† she said, though she couldn't help a small smile. â€Å"He ran himself into the ground here all night.† â€Å"What about you? I know how you are. As soon as you were up and around, you were probably right there beside him.† She shook her head. â€Å"No. After he healed me, I went to see Dimitri.† All mirth disappeared from Christian's face. â€Å"You've talked to him?† â€Å"Twice now. But yeah. I have.† â€Å"And?† â€Å"And what?† â€Å"What's he like?† â€Å"He's like Dimitri.† She suddenly frowned, reconsidering her words. â€Å"Well†¦ not quite like Dimitri.† â€Å"What, does he still have some Strigoi in him?† Christian straightened up, blue eyes flashing. â€Å"If he's still dangerous, you have no business going near–â€Å" â€Å"No!† she exclaimed. â€Å"He's not dangerous. And†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She took a few steps forward, returning his glare. â€Å"Even if he was, you have no business telling me what I can or can't do!† Christian sighed dramatically. â€Å"And here I thought Rose was the only one who threw herself into stupid situations, regardless of whether they might kill her.† Lissa's anger flared up rapidly, likely because of all the spirit she'd been using. â€Å"Hey, you didn't have any issues helping me stake Dimitri! You trained me for it.† â€Å"That was different. We were in a bad situation already, and if things went wrong†¦ well, I could have incinerated him.† Christian regarded her from head to toe, and there was something in his gaze†¦ something that seemed like more than just objective assessment. â€Å"But I didn't have to. You were amazing. You made the hit. I didn't know if you could, but you did†¦ and the fire†¦ You didn't flinch at all, but it must have been awful†¦.† There was a catch in his voice as he spoke, like he was only now truly assessing the consequences of what might have happened to Lissa. His concern and admiration made her flush, and she tilted her head–an old trick–so that the pieces of hair that had escaped from her ponytail would fall forward and hide her face. There was no need for it. Christian was now staring pointedly at the ground. â€Å"I had to do it,† she said at last. â€Å"I had to see if it was possible.† He looked up. â€Å"And it was†¦ right? There really isn't any trace of Strigoi?† â€Å"None. I'm positive. But no one believes it.† â€Å"Can you blame them? I mean, I helped out with it and I wanted it to be true†¦ but I'm not sure I ever really, truly thought someone could come back from that.† He glanced away again, his gaze resting on a lilac bush. Lissa could smell its scent, but the distant and troubled look on his face told her that his thoughts weren't on nature. Neither were they on Dimitri, I realized. He was thinking about his parents. What if there'd been spirit users around when the Ozeras had turned Strigoi? What if there had been a way to save them? Lissa, not guessing what I had, remarked, â€Å"I don't even know that I believed either. But as soon as it happened, well†¦ I knew. I know. There's no Strigoi in him. I have to help him. I have to make others realize it. I can't let them lock him up forever–or worse.† Getting Dimitri out of the warehouse without the other guardians staking him had been no easy feat for her, and she shivered recalling those first few seconds after his change when everyone had been shouting to kill him. Christian turned back and met her eyes curiously. â€Å"What did you mean when you said he was like Dimitri but not like Dimitri?† Her voice trembled a little when she spoke. â€Å"He's†¦ sad.† â€Å"Sad? Seems like he should be happy he was saved.† â€Å"No†¦ you don't understand. He feels awful about everything he did as a Strigoi. Guilty, depressed. He's punishing himself for it because he doesn't think he can be forgiven.† â€Å"Holy shit,† said Christian, clearly caught off guard. A few Moroi girls had walked by just then and looked scandalized at his swearing. They hurried off, whispering among themselves. Christian ignored them. â€Å"But he couldn't help it–â€Å" â€Å"I know, I know. I already went over it with him.† â€Å"Can Rose help?† â€Å"No,† Lissa said bluntly. Christian waited, apparently hoping she'd elaborate. He grew annoyed when she didn't. â€Å"What do you mean she can't? She should be able to help us more than anyone!† â€Å"I don't want to get into it.† My situation with Dimitri bothered her a lot. That made two of us. Lissa turned toward the medical building. It looked regal and castle-like on the outside, but it housed a facility as sterile and modern as any hospital. â€Å"Look, I need to get inside. And don't look at me like that.† â€Å"Like what?† he demanded, taking a few steps toward her. â€Å"That disapproving, pissed-off look you get when you don't get your way.† â€Å"I don't have that look!† â€Å"You have it right now.† She backed away from him, moving toward the center's door. â€Å"If you want the whole story, we can talk later, but I don't have the time†¦ and honestly†¦ I don't really feel like telling it.† That pissed-off look–and she was right, he did have it–faded a little. Almost nervously, he said, â€Å"Okay. Later then. And Lissa†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Hmm?† â€Å"I'm glad you're all right. What you did last night†¦ well, it really was amazing.† Lissa stared at him for several heavy seconds, her heart rate rising slightly as she watched a light breeze ruffle his black hair. â€Å"I couldn't have done it without your help,† she said at last. With that, she turned and went inside, and I returned completely to my own head. And like earlier, I was at a loss. Lissa would be busy the rest of the day, and standing and yelling in the guardians' office wouldn't really help me get to Dimitri. Well, I supposed there was the off chance I might annoy them so much that they'd throw me in jail too. Then Dimitri and I would be next to each other. I promptly dismissed that plan, fearing the only thing it would land me with was more filing. What could I do? Nothing. I needed to see him again but didn't know how. I hated not having a plan. Lissa's encounter with Dimitri hadn't been nearly long enough for me, and anyway, I felt it was important to take him in through my eyes, not hers. And oh, that sadness†¦ that utter look of hopelessness. I couldn't stand it. I wanted to hold him, to tell him everything would be okay. I wanted to tell him I forgave him and that we'd make everything like it used to be. We could be together, just the way we planned†¦ The thought brought tears to my eyes, and left alone with my frustration and inactivity, I returned to my room and flounced onto the bed. Alone, I could finally let loose the sobs I'd been holding in since last night. I didn't even entirely know what I was crying for. The trauma and blood of the last day. My own broken heart. Dimitri's sorrow. The cruel circumstances that had ruined our lives. Really, there were a lot of choices. I stayed in my room for a good part of the day, lost in my own grief and restlessness. Over and over, I replayed Lissa's meeting with Dimitri, what he'd said and how he looked. I lost track of time, and it took a knock at the door to snap me out of my own suffocating emotions. Hastily rubbing an arm over my eyes, I opened the door to find Adrian standing out there. â€Å"Hey,† I said, a little surprised by his presence–not to mention guilty, considering I'd been moping over another guy. I wasn't ready to face Adrian yet, but it appeared I had no choice now. â€Å"Do you†¦ do you want to come in?† â€Å"Wish I could, little dhampir.† He seemed to be in a hurry, not like he'd come to have a relationship talk. â€Å"But this is just a drop-by visit to issue an invitation.† â€Å"Invitation?† I asked. My mind was still on Dimitri. Dimitri, Dimitri, Dimitri. â€Å"An invitation to a party.†