Research Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Research Analysis - Essay Example The research took the form of Questionnaires that 300 teachers from different educational levels were to fill, aimed at judging their skills and knowledge, against their willingness to share the same skills and knowledge with their students, and the reasons that affected their performance in that respect. The following questions were to be filled in the questionnaires for data collection; To better analyze the data collected, an average number of the teachers with the same answers were to be categorized in the same class, from which the mean number would be taken as the representative of the actual status quo. Among the 300 teachers who filled the questionnaires, from all ages, sex and marital status, approximately 75% attributed the employers' judgment of their performance(s) on the remuneration they were paid. The same percentage (75%) of them felt motivated by an increment in their pay by their employers as a method of encouraging their individual development. 13% of the teachers indicated having timely, accurate, open two way communications with their employers. According to Pauline, & Fausel, (2007), pay in itself as the only method to compensate teachers for their performances could be deceiving.

Rigid journey Essay Example for Free

Rigid journey Essay It was a â€Å"rigid journey† that started with two voices and that ended with one. One is the voice of meaningless modernity. Disjointed and syncopated, this voice hopes to fit in with the norm, tirelessly finding meaning through misconstrued words. The other is the voice of an ailing past as it struggles to keep up with the present. It is the words of fable and myth, lost in the humdrum of everyday life. Coming in contact through an unexpected dialogue, these two voices collide but, further on, reveal their similarities in order to address the issues of their looming futures. Jonathan Safran Foer’s critically-successful debut novel Everything is Illuminated relishes in these two voices, speaking to its readers in dual tones as a metaphor of the different perspectives that arise from a problem of identity that epitomizes this generation: a generation fraught by issues brought about by concerns of industry, capitalism, and materialism. Part memoir, part travelogue, this novel primarily chronicles the travels of Jonathan Foer, a young Jewish-American writer of the same name as the author, who attempts to research his grandfather’s life in Ukraine and discover the woman who had saved him from apparent execution in the hands of Nazi soldiers. To make his trip remotely easier, he employs the help of Heritage Tours, a tour company that specializes in aiding Jewish-Americans retrace their roots in the Old Country. His guide and translator for this trip is Alex Perchov, a Ukrainian of the same age who is utterly enraptured by the American culture that reaching the State’s worshipped shores and becoming an accountant is all he has ever dreamed about. Along with the ride are Alex’s Grandfather, their supposedly blind driver, and his â€Å"seeing-eye bitch† Sammy Davis Junior, Junior. But, Foer, the author, also incorporates a second and third narrative amidst this backdrop of identity-searching. One, told in Jonathan’s voice, tells the story of his Grandfather’s shtetl or town, TrachimBrod, its fabled rise and evident fall during World War II. We can initially perceive the novel as a seeming coming-of-age story that finds its core in the retelling of the happenings of the Holocaust and its evident impact on its Jewish survivors and their kin. But, it also echoes of the capitalist ideologies that define our era and how it has come to mold our youth, as seen through the depiction of Jonathan and Alex. With this in mind, this paper aims to create an understanding of the hegemony within the text through the use of Marxist literary criticism. An Overview of Marxism and the Communist Manifesto At the heart of Marxism lies the struggle between classes, a definitive clash of ideologies brought about by the fight over the right of power. It is primarily a critique of the current Industrial Age society, wherein an apparent discrepancy between the growing bourgeois class and the working class began to be noticeable. Promulgated by Karl Marx in the early nineteenth century, Marxism finds its roots in the analysis of the source of power, the base of power, within a society and how this social class determines the course of production within a society (Marx and Engels 1848). Heralded as the core ideology of Communism, it is a politically-driven social theory that deems to see that the proletariat be considered a class, that the reigning bourgeois be overthrown, and that political power should be reverted to the proletariat (Marx, Engels, and Jones 15). Applied to literature, Marxism becomes a critique of the social structures and the point of authority found in the text, as concocted by the writer’s own perceptions of the history of class within the novel. The Communist â€Å"bible†, Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto, co-written by Frederick Engels, calls the proletariat to arms in what they see as a social revolution unlike any other. They deem that Capitalist rulings of the working class as exploitative, seeing these people merely as dispensable commodity to yield production. They deem the bourgeoisie as state of â€Å"the abolition of individuality and freedom (22). † They narrate series of possible events to the dissolution of the bourgeoisie that would mean the rise of the proletariat and the erasure of any other remnants of the feudalist system (Marx and Engels 17). Over-all, it is deemed that the only answer to a social revolution is the forcible overthrow of the present reigning base of power, the denouncement of past social conditions, and the creation of a strong network of representative that would protect the individual rights of working men and women. A Dichotomy of Roles What makes Foer’s novel a definite stand-out in the literary scene is its experimentation with form and its boundless potentials. For his novel, he follows three narratives as told by the two primary characters of the text, Jonathan and Alex. Placed in the context of Marxism, there is an evident inner struggle between the two characters that is representative of their own social statuses and how they manage to deal with the issues specific to it. According to Marx’s groundbreaking treatise, â€Å"society as a whole is more and more splitting up into two great hostile camps, into two great classes facing each other: Bourgeoisie and Proletariat (Marx and Engels 9). † Although, most may deem this social division as outdated, it still reveals much about our current social structure that expected. In our globalized view, such structure can now be attributed to cultures dominating over each other, cultures that manipulate the flow of international relations given the power they retain through their economic superiority—a system that Marx had initially suspected. As with today’s society, American culture (though flailing amidst the rise of new economic powers) remains the power base and controls much of the world’s economic activity, and hence, becomes the source of all human institutions and ideologies, or what Marx calls, the superstructure. With this power behind them, the base is able to influence the direction that society is driven to, characterizing each element as they see fit. Evident in the novel is undisputed hegemony of American culture as presented through the character of Alex. Ensnared by the allure of money and progress, Alex is the quintessential American â€Å"wanna be†. He is driven to create an image of himself that is allegedly reminiscent of this culture: a womanizer, an excessive spender, a big talker. Evidence of this fascination with American culture can also be read in page 69 wherein Alex speaks with Jonathan over dinner and bombards him with questions about American life: â€Å"Are there good accounting schools? Are there Negro accountants? How much is the coffee there (Foer 69)? † All the answers elicit an excitement for this prevailing culture, all the more pushing Alex to value it more than he does his own. In a letter to Jonathan written purportedly after the his visit to Ukraine, he mentions that he is saving up to go to the States, and that in order to save money (despite his Father’s belief that he isn’t so), he stays at the beach and just thinks. He thinks that Jonathan is so lucky (52). These ideas of American culture, the American Dream, are in fact disseminated through the film medium as presented in the text when Alex says: â€Å"I dig American movies (2). † It is, in essence, a diluted imagery of what American culture is like as shown through the limited capacity of film. Gone are seemingly politically correct ideologies and from the vantage point of Alex’s restricted viewpoint of American culture we see the flaws of a race and gender divided structure. It is also necessary to note the importance of the Alex’s use of language in the text. His language is a mix of profundity and slang in an attempt to sound as American as possible, but failing miserably to communicate what he actually means in the process. His misconstrued language echoes the attempt of the working class to attain a level of equality with the bourgeois (American culture), but unsuccessfully doing so because the line that separates the two arenas can never be crossed. Alex’s character, in this sense, epitomizes the proletariat desire to obtain an amount of power (how miniscule) it might be from the dominating bourgeois by inculcating themselves within a culture created by the elite. When he took on the role of translate for Jonathan, Alex believed it to be an â€Å"unordinary (Foer 2)† experience. By taking on this Americanized persona, Alex believes he is setting himself apart from a family of three Alex’s, from his own culture. He yearns to â€Å"depart† from his class and seek a brighter one in another. But, I believe, that this is the tragedy of Alex. He deems to create for himself a new personality, an individuality, but through the acceptance of another ideological structure that might even be stronger and far more dangerous than the one he opts to leave behind. This is, as what Marx says, is a sense of false consciousness (Eagleton 103). â€Å"People are conditioned by the material world to accept certain ideas and beliefs as objective fact. They misunderstand their position and the meaning of their position. (Progreba 2). † On the other hand, we see Jonathan who departs from the States and its culture to find his roots in Ukraine. Armed with the picture of his grandfather and the picture of the woman who rescued him, he embarks on a journey to understand his muddled identity. Whereas, Alex looks at the American culture as one that would finally define him, Jonathan temporarily denounces it and searches for it in his history. This is evident in his chronicle of the history of his grandfather’s little village. But, similar to Alex, he finds fascination in a culture other than his own and looks up to it as a medium to understand his own identity. By narrating the events that led to the destruction of the village, from its establishment and his grandfather, Safran’s, rescue from the Nazis, Jonathan communicates with his past and forms a dialogue with it. For both young men, this search for identity traces itself to their yearning to reclaim their place in a society that alienates them. According to Marxist theory, the capitalist society alienates people in three different levels: first, the worker is alienated from what he produces; second, the worker is alienated from himself; and third, the worker is alienated from society. â€Å"The work of the proletarians has lost all their individual character, and consequently all charm for the workman. He becomes an appendage of the machine, and it is only the most simple, most monotonous, and most easily acquired knack that is required of him (Marx and Engels 14). † Jonathan, who has taken a leave of absence from university, finds himself at a loss regarding his future goals in life, some of which are imposed on him by the requirements of his social circle: fame and fortune. By following these, he would have to let go of his roots, of his own identity, and deliver products as what society needs of him. Hence, he finds his travel to Ukraine an opportunity for soul-searching, a method to deliver himself from the constraints of social responsibilities and discover his own potential as a person. When Alex questions Jonathan about his yearnings to be a writer, Jonathan answers him half-heartedly, as if questioning even his own decision to take on this career (Foer 69). But, by the middle of the novel, as implied in one of Alex’s letters to Jonathan, he had gone on back to university to pursue this career, perhaps already with an inkling of his own identity discovered during his visit in Ukraine. Alex, on the other hand, seeks deliverance in American culture. He detests his Father who bullies him and his â€Å"miniature† brother, Little Igor. He yearns to separate himself from this abusive authority and find solace in a culture that is â€Å"free† and â€Å"progressive†. We can view his Father and their travel company in the Marxist context as the Capitalist. Their company, Heritage Tours, having been a family business for three generations ties Alex intensely to the family that he hopes to leave behind. As his mother had said, she is extremely proud that her son had decided to taking the responsibility of acting as a guide for the â€Å"Jewish boy† instead of wallowing around doing nothing and wasting money (Foer 2). Marxist theory also expands on the notion of a â€Å"counter-hegemonic† culture that should be developed in order to retaliate against the prevailing social norms as promulgated by the ruling class. Essentially, the novel revolves around this, as with any text that centers on a search for identity and individuality. Alex and Jonathan both are at war with their societies which is why they seek to find it another, whether in more direct forms (like Jonathan’s) or discreetly (like Alex’s). There remains, in the story of these two individuals, a definite struggle to fight against hegemony and the norm. Conclusion The third narrative, as we have mentioned, are letters from Alex to Jonathan, still written in the same manner as he had spoken to us in his usual narrative. These letters, from mere discussion of their positions in life finally show the kind of relationship these two young men are able to foster. They are the acceptance of their brotherhood amidst the flurry of modern life, amidst the demands of their social classes and their inherent responsibilities. But, most importantly, as the novel proves, it serves as an insight into a quiet counter-revolution that prevails today. Works Cited: Eagleton, Terry. Criticism and Ideology: A Study in Marxist Literary Theory. William Clowes Ltd. : Suffolk, Great Britain. 2006 Foer, Jonathan Safran. Everything is Illuminated. Houghton Mifflin Books: New York, New York. 2002 Jones, Gareth Stedman. â€Å"Introduction. † The Communist Manifesto. Penguin Books Ltd. : USA, 1967 Marx, Karl and Frederick Engels. â€Å"The Communist Manifesto. † Socialist Labor Party of America. 2006. Retrieved from http://www. marxism. net/pdf/marx/comm_man. pdf

The Rise in Female Gang Members Essay -- Organized Crime Gangs

Many people recognize that gangs have been around for what seems like forever. What they don't realize is that the numbers are increasing to amazing proportions, there were 28,000 youth gangs with 780,200 members in the United States (in 2000) and 20% to 46% of those members are female (Evans). And what is even more shocking is, in Chicago alone there are 16,000 to 20,000 female gang members (Eghigian). These girls start out as ?groupies?, become members, and sometimes even leaders of all-girl gangs because of troubles in the home, a need for money, for the social scene, or just because it is all they know. Allison Abner, who wrote Gangsta girls, sat down and spoke with three girls who have all been in gangs while, two still are. These girls speak of themselves and many others that live in isolated neighborhoods, where the high school drop-out rates are high, as well as unemployment rates (Abner). They are ready to work hard, and to achieve, but are not given the opportunities to do so. They often come from troubled and violent homes and just need something to ?fill the void...

Pro War Attitude Conveyed in Robert Bridges Poem Wake Up, England Essa

In the poem â€Å"Wake Up, England† by Robert Bridges, the speaker expresses his pro-war attitude and urges his English citizens to support the war by playing with our fears, duty and patriotism. In stanza one and two, the speaker asks the citizens to stand up for England because now is not a time for happiness. This is shown when, ‘Thou peace-maker, fight/Stand, England, for honor.’ (Line 2-3); meaning that the speaker is wanting the citizens of England to fight, either physically in the war or supporting it. As stated in stanza two, the enemy is dangerous and is advancing, so the English must not be idle; ‘Thy cavil’ and play; the foe is upon thee.’ The word â€Å"foe† is used to represent the opponent of England. The English need to be more alert and take initiative. To reinforce his point about the seriousness of war, the speaker alerts us about England’s enemy. As stated in stanza 3 the enemy’s are coming: ‘The monarch Ambition/Hath harnessed the slaves’. This states that the enemy is gathering an army and ready to fight England. In the following lines of stanza 3 the speaker contin...

Importance of Reading Essay

On many of the other pages of advice on this site I have emphasized how important reading is as far as learning English is concerned. However, there is a further, very important reason why ESL students should try to develop their reading skills: Educational researchers have found that there is a strong correlation between reading and academic success. * In other words, a student who is a good reader is more likely to do well in school and pass exams than a student who is a weak reader. Good readers can understand the individual sentences and the organizational structure of a piece of writing. They can comprehend ideas, follow arguments, and detect implications. They know most of the words in the text already, but they can also determine the meaning of many of the unfamiliar words from the context – failing this, they can use their dictionary effectively to do so. In summary, good readers can extract from the writing what is important for the particular task they are employed in. And they can do it quickly! Educational researchers have also found a strong correlation between reading and vocabulary knowledge. In other words, students who have a large vocabulary are usually good readers. This is not very surprising, since the best way to acquire a large vocabulary is to read extensively, and if you read extensively you are likely to be or become a good reader! So if you want your child to be successful at school encourage him or her to read. Reading non-fiction in English is probably the most important, but English fiction and any reading in the mother tongue – if done extensively – will help your child develop the reading competence that is essential for academic achievement. The graphic below illustrates the interdependence of vocabulary, reading ability and academic success. Source: http://esl. fis. edu/parents/advice/read. htm Reading enables the mind to think over objects of interest, which enable a person in making informed decisions, its food for the soul, for it nourishes the human intellect in probing things deeper, analyzing things, and provide guidance to people, to instances they have not yet been exposed to life. You see and remember new words and are given examples of how they are used, expands vocabulary. Why Is Reading Important? 1. Reading is fundamental to function in today’s society. There are many adults who cannot read well enough to understand the instructions on a medicine bottle. That is a scary thought – especially for their children. Filling out applications becomes impossible without help. Reading road or warning signs is difficult. Even following a map becomes a chore. Day-to-day activities that many people take for granted become a source of frustration, anger and fear. 2. Reading is a vital skill in finding a good job. Many well-paying jobs require reading as a part of job performance. There are reports and memos which must be read and responded to. Poor reading skills increases the amount of time it takes to absorb and react in the workplace. A person is limited in what they can accomplish without good reading and comprehension skills. 3. Reading is important because it develops the mind. The mind is a muscle. It needs exercise. Understanding the written word is one way the mind grows in its ability. Reading helps children [and adults] focus on what someone else is communicating.

Dantes Monsters Essays - Divine Comedy, Fiction, Literature

Dante's Monsters Essays - Divine Comedy, Fiction, Literature Dante's Monsters The monsters in Dante's Inferno are drawn almost directly from classical mythology. He creates some small demons and other beings, but the major monsters are taken from Greek and Roman lore. Dante uses monsters in his poem for many purposes. They all have specific jobs and are not just there purely to freighted the reader. Most of the jobs, that the monsters serve are in a modified municipal fashion. They are ferrymen, and guards to the prisons of hell. The monsters are not truly feared by the other characters of the story, for the people just seem to expect the monsters to do the jobs that they are doing. On the other hand, the demons that Dante creates are objects that strike fear into the hearts of those who see them. There are certain exceptions to the rule but for the most part the monsters fit this general mold. The first monster, that Dante encounters, is the ferryman Charon. Charon is not a true monster, for he is an old may with circles of flames around his eyes. The main reason that Dante fears Charon is not because he is physically imposing. It is because he is a little uneasy about his passage into the underworld and he does not know what to expect. Keep in mind that he has just passed thru the gates of hell, that are inscribed with some imposing sentences. These words cause Dante to think about whether he is going to be able to return from hell or if he is going to join the dammed. Then he approaches Charon who begins to shout at Dante and his guide Virgil. Dante is so overwhelmed by the scene that he passes out. Charon may not be a horrifying physical monster, but the mental devices that he uses on Dante and their effects, surely make him deserving of the title, monster. Charon comes directly from mythology, however he has a somewhat different job in this poem. In classical mythology , Charon is the ferryman across the river Styx. In the inferno, Dante makes him the ferryman for the river Acheron and uses another monster for the Styx which is deeper into hell. Charon is a very angry and objects to Dante's crossing the river because Dante is still alive and he still has the hope of going to heaven. Charon shouts at all the evil spirits that wish to cross the river into hell, for he is trying to speed up their decision to cross. Unfortunately, they have made this decision in their lives and consequently Divine Justice pushes them along. However, the action is still portrayed as a decision and this is why Charon encourages Dante not to make such a mistake. Virgil explains it to Dante thus: And they are eager to go across the river because Divine Justice goads them with its spur so that their fear is turned into desire. No good spirits ever pass this way and therefore, if Charon objects to youunderstand well what his words imply. (Canto 3 L124-130) What Charon's words imply are that he does not want Dante to cross into hell while he still has a chance to be saved. Dante then passes out, seemingly overwhelmed by not only the situation, and his fear of Charon but also because of the fear of his own mortality. The next monster, that Dante encounters, is the Cerberus, a three-headed dog. The Cerberus guards the gluttons at the entrance to the third circle of hell. The scene is that the gluttons are in a ditch of foul-smelling mud and are subject to eternal rain and hail. The Cerberus howls and claws them constantly and he clearly represents the sins that he is guarding. Cerberus' three heads and his insatiable appetite(he turns to Dante and Virgil and starts moving towards them until Virgil throws dirt into the three mouths and the monster's appetite is quenched) reflect the sins of the gluttons. Their situation in hell also represents their sins in life, for they are like pigs rooting around in mud. The Classical role of the Cerberus is almost the same as the way that Dante uses the monster. In classical mythology, the

English Sonnet Definition Essay Example

English Sonnet Definition Essay Example English Sonnet Definition Essay English Sonnet Definition Essay allusion reference to a person, place, even, thing that is known from science, religion, history, myth, culture. apostrophe a figure of speech in which the speaker addresses an absent or dead person or even an abstract quality or non-human as if it were present and able to respond. Metaphysical poets term applied to poets like Donne or Herbert and other 17th century poets who wrote in a deliberately difficult and abstract style. conceit an elaborate figure of speech that makes a surprising connection between two seemingly dissimilar things. metaphysical conceit a particularly startling conceit. incongruity lack of agreement, consistency, harmony. paradox a statement that seems to contradict experience but which may actually be true. wit a quality in speech or writing that combines verbal cleverness with deep insight. Lyric Poetry poem, often short, that has the form and musical quality of song; it is characterized by the song-like outpouring of the poets thoughts and feelings. Cavalier Poets characterized by; wit, short lines, precise language, charm, main themes; love, honor and time. Petrarchan abba abba cde cde rhyme scheme. (octet and sestet). Octave first eight lines of a sonnet. Sestet last six lines of a sonnet. Volta (turn) the turning point in the sonnet. (usually between the octet and sestet or between the last quatrain and the couplet). Shakespearean abab cdcd efef gg rhyme scheme. (4 quatrains and a couplet). Quatrain a four line unit in a sonnet. Couplet sums up or comments on the previous 12 lines of the sonnet. Sonnet a verse form consisting of 14 lines with a fixed rhyme scheme. Carpe Diem seize the day can be emphasized in poem.

Biography of Polycarp, Christian Bishop and Martyr

Biography of Polycarp, Christian Bishop and Martyr Polycarp (60-155 CE), also known as Saint Polycarp, was a Christian bishop of Smyrna, the modern city of Izmir in Turkey. He was an Apostolic father, meaning he was a student of one of the original disciples of Christ; and he was known to other important figures in the early Christian church, including Irenaeus, who knew him as a youth, and Ignatius of Antioch, his colleague in the Eastern Catholic church. His surviving works include a Letter to the Philippians, in which he quotes the Apostle Paul, some of which quotes appear in the books of the New Testament and the Apocrypha. Polycarps letter has been used by scholars to identify Paul as the probable writer of those books. Polycarp was tried and executed as a criminal by the Roman empire in 155 C.E., becoming the 12th Christian martyr in Smyrna; the documentation of his martyrdom is an important document in the history of the Christian church. Birth, Education, and Career Polycarp was likely born in Turkey, about 69 C.E. He was a student of the obscure disciple John the Presbyter, sometimes considered to be the same as John the Divine. If John the Presbyter was a separate apostle, he is credited with writing the book of Revelations. As Bishop of Smyrna, Polycarp was a father figure and mentor to Irenaeus of Lyons (ca 120–202 C.E.), who heard his preachings and mentioned him in several writings. Polycarp was a subject of the historian Eusebius (ca 260/265–ca 339/340 C.E.), who wrote about his martyrdom and connections with John. Eusebius is the earliest source separating out John the Presbyter from John the Divine. Irenaeus Letter to the Smyrneans is one of the sources recounting Polycarps martyrdom. Martyrdom of Polycarp The Martyrdom of Polycarp or Martyrium Polycarpi in Greek and abbreviated MPol in the literature, is one of the earliest examples of the martyrdom genre, documents which recount the history and legends surrounding a particular Christian saints arrest and execution. The date of the original story is unknown; the earliest extant version was composed in the early 3rd century. Polycarp was 86 years old when he died, an old man by any standard, and he was the bishop of Smyrna. He was considered a criminal by the Roman state because he was a Christian. He was arrested at a farmhouse and taken to the Roman amphitheater in Smyrna where he was burned and then stabbed to death. Mythic Events of the Martyrdom Supernatural events described in MPol include a dream Polycarp had that he would die in flames (rather than being torn apart by lions), a dream that MPol says was fulfilled. A disembodied voice emanating from the arena as he entered entreated Polycarp to be strong and show yourself a man. When the fire was lit, the flames did not touch his body, and the executioner had to stab him; Polycarps blood gushed out and put out the flames. Finally, when his body was found in the ashes, it was said to have not been roasted but rather baked as bread; and a sweet aroma of frankincense was said to have arisen from the pyre. Some early translations say a dove rose out of the pyre, but there is some debate about the accuracy of the translation. With the MPol and other examples of the genre, martyrdom was being shaped into a highly public sacrificial liturgy: in Christian theology, the Christians were Gods choice for martyrdom who were trained for the sacrifice. Martyrdom as Sacrifice In the Roman empire, criminal trials and executions were highly structured spectacles that dramatized the power of the state. They attracted mobs of people to see the state and criminal square off in a battle that the state was supposed to win. Those spectacles were intended to impress on the minds of the spectators how powerful the Roman Empire was, and what a bad idea it was to attempt to go against them. By turning a criminal case into a martyrdom, the early Christian church emphasized the brutality of the Roman world, and explicitly converted the execution of a criminal into a sacrifice of a holy person. The MPol reports that Polycarp and the writer of the MPol considered Polycarps death a sacrifice to his god in the Old Testament sense. He was bound like a ram taken out of a flock for sacrifice and made an acceptable burnt-offering unto God. Polycarp prayed that he was happy to have been found worthy to be counted among the martyrs, I am a fat and acceptable sacrifice. Epistle of St. Polycarp to the Philippians The only surviving document known to have been written by Polycarp was a letter (or perhaps two letters) he wrote to the Christians at Philippi. The Phillippians had written to Polycarp and asked him to write an address to them, as well as to forward a letter they had written to the church of Antioch, and to send them any epistles of Ignatius he might have. The importance of Polycarps epistle is that it explicitly ties the apostle Paul to several pieces of writing in what would eventually become the New Testament. Polycarp uses expressions such as as Paul teaches to quote several passages which are today found in different books of the New Testament and the Apocrypha, including Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, 1 Peter, and 1 Clement. Sources Ari, Bryen. Martyrdom, Rhetoric, and the Politics of Procedure. Classical Antiquity 33.2 (2014): 243–80. Print.Bacchus, Francis Joseph. St. Polycarp. The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 12. New York City: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. Print.Berding, Kenneth. Polycarp of Smyrnas View of the Authorship of 1 and 2 Timothy. Vigiliae Christianae 53.4 (1999): 349–60. Print.Moss, Candida R. On the Dating of Polycarp: Rethinking the Place of the Martyrdom of Polycarp in the History of Christianity. Early Christianity 1.4 (2010): 539–74. Print.Norris, Frederick W. Ignatius, Polycarp, and I Clement: Walter Bauer Reconsidered. Vigiliae Christianae 30.1 (1976): 23–44. Print.Pionius, Alexander Roberts, and James Donaldson. [English Translation of ]the Martyrdom of Polycarp. Ante-Nicene Fathers. Eds. Roberts, Alexander, James Donaldson and A. Cleveland Coxe. Vol. 1. Buffalo, New Yokr: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1888 Print.Thompson, Leonard L. The Martyrdom of Pol ycarp: Death in the Roman Games. The Journal of Religion 82.1 (2002): 27–52. Print.

Managerial Economics class dicussion wk7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Managerial Economics class dicussion wk7 - Essay Example Substitute goods such as barter and margarine derive the same satisfaction to a consumer and they have a high elasticity of demand in that when the price of one increases consumers will purchase the substitute hence reducing its demand. Before changing the price of such substitutes a manager should ensure that he adds value to the product in order to increase the good’s utility as compared to the substitutes. You can also consider increasing the products awareness through advertising. Cross elasticity of demand is the proportionate change in the demand of a commodity as a result of the change in the price of another commodity. Substitute goods such as cereals offer the same satisfaction to a consumer and they have a high cross elasticity of demand because when the price of one increases the demand for the other substitute product increases due to a relatively low price Krugman et al, 2010. Such substitute cereals include maize and rice. If a manager wants to reduce the cross elasticity of demand of his products he can still consider adding value to the product so that its competitive advantage is increased. High quality products should also be offered so that the customer loyalty is increased. A good will have a high income elasticity of demand if a change in its price affects the consumer’s purchasing power. A luxurious good such as a car will have a high income elasticity of demand if there is a change in the income of a consumer. If the consumer’s income reduces he will no longer be able to purchase the product hence reducing its demand by a unit. A manager can consider coming up with purchasing plans such as purchasing the goods in instalments so that they can still remain affordable to the

On a Daily Activity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

On a Daily Activity - Essay Example College is not an easy matter, and great devotion is necessary in order to succeed. As I went out the door I saw the sun burning brightly, maybe to brightly. I never had a love for hot weather, and I probably never will. Close to the fence I saw my grandmother and she was talking to a person who I didn't know. She gave me one of her usually look, with her piercing brown eyes and sinister smile. "Going to school" she said. "Yes I am". "You have an exam session right now, correct" "Yes I do well" "I hope you don't mess up". "I hope so too". She always said that. Always. And I hated every single word of it. No matter how well I did, there was always the possibility that I might mess up. But, I would be wrong if I said that her words where without meaning. It was an exam session, and the exams were quite hard. I do have more faith in myself, than in my grandmother words, so I believed that I would prevail. As I was walking towards the train station, I thought about a very interesting dre am I had last night. It was a wonderful dream, or rather a memory. I was lying on a beach near a lake and my girlfriend was lying next to me, her slender body so close to me that made breathing a Herculaneum task. She raised her head and smiled at me, her smile beautiful as ever. "Don't you think we should go home" she said "Just for a little while. I'm not in a hurry to get back home." "I hope you're not. I would be very offended". And then she widened her smile- a smile so enchanting; it will make even the strongest man a mere weakling. I don't get to see my girlfriend very much. We are both on college and they both have different responsibilities. I wish I could spend more time with her, but I guess you can get always what you want. I arrived at the train station and at first sight there wasn't anyone that I knew. I was entertaining myself with my MP3 player, as I am used to traveling and being alone, not including the presence of my close friends and girlfriend. Suddenly I heard a familiar voice. It was Christine, a girl I went to high school with, and I should say she was quite attractive that day. With her slender body, lovely smile and eyes that can seduce a god, she could have any man she wants. But I wasn't interested in her, nor I believe she was interested in me. "Hey, how are you doing I haven't seen you in a while. You look great!" "Thanks Christine. You look great as well, as always. Look, is the train going to be late The train during this time is usually late." "No I don't think so. They said that it was going to be on time. So are you going alone" "Yes I am a. What about you" "I met up with some of our old friends from high school and I am going with them. You can join us, of course." "Thanks. I will just a second." I went and I bought a newspaper. As usual there was nothing interesting to see. It was just your usual falling economy and various wars that exist in the world. The train came on time, just as Christine said. As usual, the train wa s crowded and there was nowhere to sit. We had to stand all the way to our final destination. As usual I indulged myself in my newspaper and the music coming out from my MP3 player. I was never a conversationalist and I didn't join the conversations that my former schoolmates were having. Caught and confined into a very small space, I waited for our hour-long journey to end.  Ã‚  

Case Study WA 6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Case Study WA 6 - Essay Example Potter can avoid potential liability from the customers and Aker by issuing a written notice to all customers in regard to the termination of Potter-Aker agency relationship. Certified customer mails could be used in this pursuit. Failure to do so could leave Potter liable for any unauthorized acts that Aker may undertake even though he has already been terminated. A principal-agent relationship exists between Pete and Al. This relationship is characterized by employer-employee aspects, where Al is the employee. The principal requires that the agent pursues the goals and objectives of the principal prior to the terms and conditions of employment (Goldman &Sigismond 410). Pete instructs Al to repossess some of Ted Turner’s property, but this activity is illegal. However, Al performs the duty as instructed. Al performs this task as part of his duties and responsibilities as an employee. Following the directives of the principal, the illegal repossession is conducted within employment scope. In this regard, the principal, Pete, is therefore fully liable for the illegal repossession of some of Ted Turner’s property. The principal confers authority upon the agent, but within the scope of

The Coca-Cola Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

The Coca-Cola Company - Essay Example However, rising environmental concerns and 'green' initiatives adopted by various multinational companies have led Coca-Cola to adopt green marketing strategy. However, it is felt that the initiatives undertaken by them have yet to impact their brand image. This paper will highlight the importance of maintaining their market positioning and careful selection of target segment which will help the company to have more impact when introducing 'green' marketing initiatives. The paper recommends initiatives like use of renewable energy, celebrity endorsements, use of social networks site and presence in various 'green' events to build on their brand image of a 'green' organization. Coca-Cola is a multinational company with majority of its products ranging from varieties of carbonated drinks, juices and water. Carbonated drinks account for a major segment of soft drink industry. Soft drink has been increasingly popular among the younger generations and is the fastest growing industry in the beverage-industry. Coca-Cola has a strong market presence in the soft drink industry and has been continuously introducing various new products to satisfy the needs of their existing customers as well as attract new customers. ... Carbonated drinks account for a major segment of soft drink industry. Soft drink has been increasingly popular among the younger generations and is the fastest growing industry in the beverage-industry. Coca-Cola has a strong market presence in the soft drink industry and has been continuously introducing various new products to satisfy the needs of their existing customers as well as attract new customers. Through acquisition of local soft drink products, they have been strategically gaining competitive edge and strong local market presence. Coca-Cola's market strategy has helped them achieve high revenue and a strong brand image. Marketing strategies including buzz marketing, viral marketing, and celebrity endorsements have helped Coca-Cola to retain its brand image as well as remain competitive in the soft drink industry. In recent past, protection and preservation of natural environment have been one of the key promotional themes of many major corporations which are highlighted through 'green marketing'. Green marketing is a term that is used for activities spanning manufacturing a product to selling that product with a minimum impact on the environment. Environmental concerns like plastic disposal, wastewater discharge and increased energy consumption are some of the targets that companies have been considering. In view of these corporate-trends, the soft drink industry with Coca-Cola leading the bandwagon changed its manufacturing, packaging and distributing practices to address the environmental concerns and projecting themselves to be partners in the novel cause. With rising global concerns, consumers are also becoming more aware of their environment. They are becoming eco-friendly by

Aqua Resources To List On London Stock Exchange Research Project Paper

Aqua Resources To List On London Stock Exchange Project - Research Paper Example In a quest to diversify its portfolio, Aqua resources limited made several investments in subsidiaries such as Aqua Resources (In-Pipe) Holdings Limited, Aqua Resources Asia Holdings Limited, an exempt company incorporated in the Cayman Islands formed in October 2008 and Cooperative Aqua Netherlands Holdings UA, a Dutch co-operative company formed on 22 March 2010. In the company’s short life at the London Stock Exchange, the most significant decision was the tender offer toJPMorgan Private Equity Limited where the company sold out its ordinary shares to 29.9%. This resulted in less than 25% of ordinary shareholding in the public which formed a clear basis for its delisting from the stock exchange market. Table of Contents ABSTRACT 1 List of Tables 3 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 4 1.1Background of the Study 4 1.2 Justification 5 1.3 Objectives 5 Specific objectives 5 1.4 Hypothesis 5 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 6 2.1 Process of application for listing on LSE 7 2.2 Aqua Resources P erfomance 8 2.3 Risks relating to investments in water 9 2.3.1 Challenging six months and possible merger with other funds   12 2.3.2 Collapse in share price of China Hydroelectric Corporation 13 3.0 METHODOLOGY 17 In this event study we shall use the Capital Asset Pricing Method to calculate the abnormal returns of the investments made by Aqua Resources Fund for the period between 2008-2012. Basically the abnormal return refers to the excess returns on the expected returns realized from an investment. Theassumptions underlying the CAPM are: 17 3.2 Summary of significant accounting policies 21 iv.1RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 22 4.1 Procedure for calculation of Abnormal Return 22 Step 1 22 Step 2 22 Step 3 22 Step 4 22 24 5.0 LIMITATIONS AND FURTHER RESEARCH 24 6.0 CONCLUSION 25 Bibliography 26 List of Tables Figure 1Analysis of movements in NAV for the year ended 31 December 2011 (in â‚ ¬) 20 Figure 2: The Company ended the year with liquid funds of approximately â‚ ¬4 million, r epresenting approximately 6.9% of its net assets. 20 Figure 3: Share price performance of the company 23 Figure 4: Assets at unaudited fair value at period end 23 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the Study Aqua Resources Fund Limited was incorporated on 12 June 2008 as a closed-ended investment fund in the water resources sector with limited liability under The Companies (Guernsey) Law, 1994 as amended. The Company was established pursuant to the framework introduced by the Guidance Document issued by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission. The company’s investment manager is FourWinds Capital Management which has the responsibility for the discretionary management of its assets with a proven track record of generating returns and managing risk across natural resources investments including water-related assets The company had a subsidiary called Ranhill Water Technologies (Cayman) Limited. RWT was a fully integrated water and waste water company with in-house ex pertise in design, construction and operations of water and wastewater plants across a number of Asian countries. Other subsidiaries of the company include: Aqua Resources (In-Pipe) Holdings Limited (â€Å"ARIHL†), a Guernsey limited company formed in August 2009; Aqua Resources Asia Holdings Limited, an exempt company incorporated in the Cayman Islands formed in October 2008; and Cooperative Aqua Netherlands Holdings UA, a Dutch co-operative company formed on 22 March 2010. 1.2 Justification This study focusses

The Coca-Cola Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

The Coca-Cola Company - Essay Example However, rising environmental concerns and 'green' initiatives adopted by various multinational companies have led Coca-Cola to adopt green marketing strategy. However, it is felt that the initiatives undertaken by them have yet to impact their brand image. This paper will highlight the importance of maintaining their market positioning and careful selection of target segment which will help the company to have more impact when introducing 'green' marketing initiatives. The paper recommends initiatives like use of renewable energy, celebrity endorsements, use of social networks site and presence in various 'green' events to build on their brand image of a 'green' organization. Coca-Cola is a multinational company with majority of its products ranging from varieties of carbonated drinks, juices and water. Carbonated drinks account for a major segment of soft drink industry. Soft drink has been increasingly popular among the younger generations and is the fastest growing industry in the beverage-industry. Coca-Cola has a strong market presence in the soft drink industry and has been continuously introducing various new products to satisfy the needs of their existing customers as well as attract new customers. ... Carbonated drinks account for a major segment of soft drink industry. Soft drink has been increasingly popular among the younger generations and is the fastest growing industry in the beverage-industry. Coca-Cola has a strong market presence in the soft drink industry and has been continuously introducing various new products to satisfy the needs of their existing customers as well as attract new customers. Through acquisition of local soft drink products, they have been strategically gaining competitive edge and strong local market presence. Coca-Cola's market strategy has helped them achieve high revenue and a strong brand image. Marketing strategies including buzz marketing, viral marketing, and celebrity endorsements have helped Coca-Cola to retain its brand image as well as remain competitive in the soft drink industry. In recent past, protection and preservation of natural environment have been one of the key promotional themes of many major corporations which are highlighted through 'green marketing'. Green marketing is a term that is used for activities spanning manufacturing a product to selling that product with a minimum impact on the environment. Environmental concerns like plastic disposal, wastewater discharge and increased energy consumption are some of the targets that companies have been considering. In view of these corporate-trends, the soft drink industry with Coca-Cola leading the bandwagon changed its manufacturing, packaging and distributing practices to address the environmental concerns and projecting themselves to be partners in the novel cause. With rising global concerns, consumers are also becoming more aware of their environment. They are becoming eco-friendly by

Cultural Post-Modernism and the Machine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cultural Post-Modernism and the Machine - Essay Example The essay "Cultural Post-Modernism and the Machine" discovers Michael Bay’s "Transformers". The film ties its themes to heroism, the sub plots involving U.S. Marines as well as covert divisions of the government. The film Transformers is a post-modern study of culture as it explores the nature of good and evil as well as the consumer culture as it is oriented towards the encoded objects for the male gender. The film Transformers has within it the construction those things that are most often associated with the male cultural dream of perfection: oversized machines that are heroic, sentient, and vehicular. Cars are gender coded, the appeal of the car traditionally a high priority for men with women not having the same kind of relationship with their vehicles . Where cars are concerned, men have wished to personify them since they were invented, naming them after women, giving them personalities, and creating a sense of identity through the formulation of the body as combined wi th the ‘heart’ or engine. In a variety of film projects such as the Disney film The Love Bug, the television show Knight Rider, the film Christine, and even to an extent, the television film Duel directed by Stephen Spielberg, the idea of giving a vehicle sentience and a personality has been used to give life to the post-modern symbol of male virility. The film gives reverence to this concept through everything from the emotional musical score to the intensity and wisdom filled authority of the voice of Optimus Prime. The vehicle is a cultural symbol of virility for the male. The post-modern world is one of consumerism and is about the shift from the domestic world to the public world where displays of consumer power has replaced other forms of displays of virility. The power to control the machine, to own it and to have dominion over it has become the center of mating practices, conflicts for domination within the male gender, and for expressing male gendered control o ver the environment. Men no longer pick up a sword and go into combat style displays of strength. Post-modern expressions of male domination can involve the economic power to hold and control the strongest, most dangerous looking car on the block (Griffens & Carnes, 1990). While the explicit male domination of the automobile has ended as women now equally own cars, the idea of the car as the male extension of virility still exists. This can be seen as little boys play with cars and are more often attracted to play that involves trucks and cars. One of the more interesting scenes in the film involves a cultural connection to past films, all relating to a specific look as it is associated with heroism. The car is chastised by Megan Fox’s character for choosing to wear the exterior of a crappy old Chevy Camero, which appears to have insulted the ‘Autobot’ (the name for the transforming alien). The car then throws her and her co-star, Shia Lebouf out of the car so th at it can drive a bit away to the rising sound of music that is reminiscent of Quentin Tarantino’

Project Mercury and Its Legacy Essay Example for Free

Project Mercury and Its Legacy Essay In the twentieth century, the United States and the Soviet Union engaged in a competition called the Space Race. This was a race to who would be the first country to send a rocket and a human being up into space. Although the Soviet Union was the first to send both a rocket and a human up into space, the United States successfully carried out a space mission called Project Mercury. Project Mercury was carried out in 1959 and came to a conclusion in 1963. It was the first human spaceflight program that was undertaken by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). From when it was first introduced, to when the space mission was carried out, and when it had succumbed to its end, Project Mercury became an important mission which left one of the greatest legacies in United States history. In the initiation of Project Mercury, the government began a search for seven great Americans who would become United Statess first astronauts. To be considered for the position, the Americans had to meet some requirements, which were as follows: needed to be test pilots, needed to be no taller than 511, needed to weigh no more than 180 pounds, needed to be under the age of forty, needed to have a Bachelors degree or equivalent, have 1,500 hours of flying time, and have qualifications for flying jets. In addition to the requirements, the pilots had to go through rigorous testing and training that would assure that they were capable handling problems the spacecraft and the flight may pose on them. Out of the handful of pilots who met these requirements, only seven were chosen to become Americas first astronauts who were Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Wally Schirra, Gordon Cooper, and Deke Slayton. Since these flights were going to be manned, NASA contracted Max Faget as the primary designer, along with a team of engineers to build the Mercury Spacecraft. Its design was a cone-shaped one-man capsule with a cylinder mounted on top. Two meters (6 ft, 10 in) long, 1.9 meters (6 ft, 2 1/2 in) in diameter, a 5.8 meter (19 ft, 2 in) escape tower was fastened to the cylinder of the capsule. The blunt end was covered with an ablative heat shield to protect it against the 3000 degree heat of entry into the atmosphere (Mercury Spacecraft). This design would be the first capsule that would go up into space. Project Mercury was finally undertaken after all of the seven American Astronauts were physically and mentally prepared, the spacecraft was built, and the rockets were safe to launch. Before America could send the first human up into space, they needed to make sure that the rocket was not going to blow up as it had done in launch tests. Engineers and scientists were working hard to accomplish this, but trial after trial, the rockets were always blowing up. Finally, NASA was able to perfect the rocket, and on May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard was the first American to be launched into space on the spacecraft called Freedom 7. This event was one of the greatest moments for America which anticipated further launches into space to explore what is beyond Earths atmosphere. The second flight was manned by Gus Grissom who was launched into space on the spacecraft called Liberty Bell on July 21, 1961. He successfully was able to complete a suborbital flight, but as he landed, his spacecraft hatch blew open and NASA was not able to recover the spacecraft. The first American to orbit the Earth was the third flight using the Friendship 7 spacecraft that was manned by John Glenn on February 20, 1962. He was only able to orbit the Earth three times due to concerns about the spacecrafts heat shield. Then, on May 15, 1963, Gordon Cooper became the first American to be in space for over a day and successfully orbited the Earth twenty-two times using the Faith 7 spacecraft. He was also the last American astronaut to be launched into space alone. Ultimately, Project Mercury came to its end creating one of the greatest legacies of United States history. The overall cost for Project Mercury added up to $1.6 billion in inflation-adjusted dollars (Program Cost). There are numerous legacies that Project Mercury left to Americans. One of those legacies is the will of America to continue the space programs after President John F. Kennedy said that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before the decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth (President Kennedys Challenge). Also, Project Mercurys greatest legacy is that it was United States first successful human spaceflight program. Project Mercury also influenced author Tom Wolfe who wrote the book The Right Stuff, which was later developed into a movie directed by Philip Kaufman. In conclusion, from the inception and up to the end of the space program, Project Mercury was a prominent accomplishment for the United States, leaving one of the greatest legacies for America. It changed the game of how America would accomplish its goals of becoming the first country to send an astronaut to the moon. At the end, the seven American astronauts who were chosen to be part of the space program will always be part of United States history and Project Mercury will continue to be the reason for where we are today pertaining to Americas advanced space program.

Business strategy of low-cost airline

Business strategy of low-cost airline Case summary Allegiant airline, a leading US company has implemented several tactics in order to be a low cost airline. It provides low fees for checking baggages, boarding and seat assignment which enable Allegiant Air to compete with other low-cost airlines. Even if Allegiant would provided services in Europe, it would be a dominant low cost airline and would easily overtake Ryan air in terms of lower prices. Regarding a comparison with other low-cost airlines, recent statistics show that Allegiant Air in-flight fees rose to 22.7% extra income from ancillary and on board purchases, which takes advantage over Ryan air with 19.23% income from ancillary. Such extra charges during the in-flight service may be an inconvenience for the passengers, but they help keep the company aloft during the economic crisis. Allegiant Air is a low cost airline which occupies 80 aircrafts. The companys strategy also intends to achieve another 300 routes which include flights to Mexico and the Caribbean. Although the airline leases small air planes in order to save cost and to generate more profits, Allegiant avoids the main airports due to the fact that it is more economically beneficial and since they are not in competition with the big companies. Mr Gallagher, the chief exclusive describes how his company already partners with other business and provides packages, 30% of which are sold to customers. Article: Ian Wylie. (2009) â€Å"Tactics of low-cost airline† Financial Times: Published: October 18 2009 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c031e712-baa1-11de-9dd7-00144feab49a.html Case commentary This article describes Allegiant Air tactics low fair service and explains how the company adjust to keep competitive with other low-cost airlines and ahead of. One of its goals is to sell flights from other airlines on Allegiants site in order to increase customer awareness and keep their dominance as a low fare service. Regarding to Mr Gallagher speech â€Å"Shortly, we should be identifiable to 100m people throughout the US†. â€Å"At that point, we can leverage the brand name and arrange all your travel†(Wylie, 2009). Gallagher is the CEO (managing director) of Allegiant Air and understands that because of the recession some changes were necessary. Which required analysis of their macro-environment. For example they have used PEST analysis tool in order to scan the general and the competitive environment. To improve these general environment factors required constant and structured scanning and monitoring. (Understanding Strategic Management, Henry 2008). Using an analytical tool such as porters five forces, one is able to not only look into their external environment, but they are allowed the chance to exploit the powers of the Porters five forces by enabling them to basically understand what is needed to be changed in order to gain strategic advantages. The business method which companies such as Allegiant Air would have most probably used is Porters five forces. This is because they have to fully analyse their market segment of being a low cost airline and they also have set specific targets in order to gain competitive advantage over its rivals (Understanding Strategic Management, Henry 2008:69). For example if a new airline would have tried to enter into the market service, it would have been very difficult to survive unless the new airline had the ability to compete with the existing grater airlines such as Allegiant. Therefore, if a new airline tries to provide and offer their services, it will face the threat of entry and whether if enters to the market it will depend of the barriers to entry and the reaction of the existing competitors. It would be very difficult to survive because Alliance has an organized business plan and offers low prices tickets for its specific routes, as resulting, this will act the new airline to dete r its services from entering the market because it will be difficult to survive and compete. In terms of generic competitive strategy, Allegiant business strategy ensures a fit between its strategy and the (CSFs) Critical Success Factors of the industry and also strives for competitive advantage over its rivals. (Pathfinder 2006 :119) Allegiant Air has identified the fact that in order to sustain their competitive advantage, it now offers another 300 routes and intends to fly to Mexico and the Caribbean. Their business strategy is to advertise their services on others companies and selling flights from other airlines on the allegiant site. Also, allegiant has signed up to a pays short term contract basis and use airport employers on monthly leases. In case any specific service failing, due to short-term contract which Allegiant posses they have the ability to end it before making great losses. This will allows Allegiant to gain competitive advantage over its rivals since they can cut most of their costs in a short amount of time. Because of the competitive pricing scheme used by Allegiant, they have made it a difficult task for new and upcoming businesses to enter their market. However the case study which I have chose to assess its purely based on the US market. Therefore the outcomes of the strategies and analytical models which they chose to achieve their targets would most probably differ if they were to evaluate or asses other markets such as the EU, Asia. It could be considered a good example because what can be derived from the above article in the organization can handle and keep low costs for its flights by gaining a competitive advantage against its rivals. Also, the short term contacts that are signed by the Airline contribute to business strategy and allow the company to immediately stop its services in case profits begin to decrease. It is evident that this airline is capable of providing low cost tickets and also the airlines business strategy is effective enough to remain dominant and provides its services at low cost in order to survive and compete with rival companies. Weblink http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c031e712-baa1-11de-9dd7-00144feab49a.html [Access 21/10/2009] References * Author: Anthony (2008) â€Å"Henry Understanding Strategic Management† * Author: Robert M. Grant (2008) â€Å"Contemporary Strategy Analysis†6th edition. * Article: Author: By Ian Wylie (October 18 2009) â€Å"Tactics of low-cost airline† Financial Times: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c031e712-baa1-11de-9dd7-00144feab49a.html Key Words Take advantage, short term contracts, competitive advantage, business strategy, well define business plans, keep aloft in downturn, profitable business model, eventual goal â€Å"sell flights from other airlines on the Allegiant site†.

The Role Of The U.s. In The Third World In The Year 2000 :: essays research papers

The Role of the U.S. in the Third World in the Year 2000   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The United States budget will continue to tighten and we must better utilize our dollars spent on Third World aid. The questions of illegal immigration, the population explosion, and environmental issues will become vital to our future. With closer linkage of US aid to these issues we can get the most bang for our buck.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The best way to stop illegal immigration into the United States is not to erect higher fences at our borders, but to invest in the third world, primarily Mexico. Providing jobs at home where they enjoy life without worry about the INS is the best solution. This solution will be cheaper than increasing funding for border patrols and INS personnel. If we were able to keep most illegal immigrates home, the more impoverished they would become and the greater the incentive for them to cross the border. By investing and improving their homeland, more people would stay home, rather than take the dangerous journey to an unknown country to provide food for their families.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Slowing down population rates of third world countries must be another priority. Empowering women in third world countries, giving them independence from their husband and a choice in birth control is a start. Smaller grants similar to Foundation of the Philippine Environment can reward particular actions of foreign government, whether it be environmental, social or economic. Too many of current policies are aimed at creating markets for our commercial interests.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We must also link aid with environmental issues, making the rain forest and jungles more profitable to locals without bulldozing them. This has been demonstrated in Uganda with the mountain gorillas. Eco-tourism is helping the local economies and the national governments. This was also working in Rwanda until Civil War tore this country apart. Fortunately the mountain gorillas have been left alone for the most part, since this was their third largest income provider and the number one and two sources, coffee and tea fields were destroyed during the war.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Worldwide instant communication has improved human rights. The use of fax machines and cell telephones during the Tiananmen Square uprising informed the world of events and somewhat restrained the Chinese. Dan Rather doing the evening news from the Square while the protests were happening prevented the massacre from being ignored. The advent of CNN has put instant news into the hands of people all over the world.

Karl Marxs Estranged Labor Essay example -- essays research papers fc

Karl Marx's Estranged Labor In Karl Marx's early writing on "estranged labor" there is a clear and prevailing focus on the plight of the laborer. Marx's writing on estranged labor is an attempt to draw a stark distinction between property owners and workers. In the writing Marx argues that the worker becomes estranged from his labor because he is not the recipient of the product he creates. As a result labor is objectified, that is labor becomes the object of mans existence. As labor is objectified man becomes disillusioned and enslaved. Marx argues that man becomes to be viewed as a commodity worth only the labor he creates and man is further reduced to a subsisting animal void of any capacity of freedom except the will to labor. For Marx this all leads to the emergence of private property, the enemy of the proletariat. In fact Marx's writing on estranged labor is a repudiation of private property- a warning of how private property enslaves the worker. This writing on estranged labor is an obvious point of basis for Marx's Communist Manifesto. The purpose of this paper is to view Marx's concept of alienation (estranged labor) and how it limits freedom. For Marx man's freedom is relinquished or in fact wrested from his true nature once he becomes a laborer. This process is thoroughly explained throughout Estranged Labor. This study will reveal this process and argue it's validity. Appendant to this study on alienation there will be a micro-study which will attempt to ascertain Marx's view of freedom (i.e. positive or negative). The study on alienation in conjunction with the micro-study on Marx's view of freedom will help not only reveal why Marx feels labor limits mans freedom, but it will also identify exactly what kind of freedom is being limited. Karl Marx identifies estranged labor as labor alien to man. Marx explains the condition of estranged labor as the result of man participating in an institution alien to his nature. It is my interpretation that man is alienated from his labor because he is not the reaper of what he sows. Because he is never the recipient of his efforts the laborer lacks identity with what he creates. For Marx then labor is "alien to the worker...[and]...does not belong to his essential being." Marx identifies two expla... ...gative liberty. He states "...[private] property is...the right to enjoy ones fortune and dispose of it as one will; without regard for other men and independently of society." Private property for Marx is the mechanism by which man can be separate from other men and pursue his (negative) liberty. Marx's writings on estranged labor and in The Communist Manifesto are a clear repudiation of private property. What can be deduced then is that Marx does not favor negative liberties. Negative liberties require private property to exist and private property is for Marx the enslaver of the proletariat. With negative freedom eliminated from the discussion we are left with Positive or prescribed freedoms. Positive freedom, as was identified above, is the freedom to pursue specified options. That is, freedom to do certain things. Man is not necessarily given a choice of what these options are, he is simply free to pursue them whatever they may be. Positive freedoms then are the freedoms Marx likely wishes to uphold by denouncing estranged labor.Bibliography Bibliography 1Marx, Karl, The Early Marx, 2Marx, Karl and Engles, Freidrich, The Communist Manifesto, London, England, 1888

Charging Overweight Passengers by the Pound Essay

In the world today, obesity is becoming a serious problem that affects one’s life in different situations. One of these situations is flying in the airplane. David Landsel in his article â€Å"Some Airlines Make Obese Passengers Buy Two seats† pointed out that different airlines are taking some policies concerning this issue. However, united airlines are not taking any policies. Southwest and Midwest airlines claimed that overweight passengers should buy an extra seat. If the airplane is not full, and more seats are available, a refund will be returned to the passenger. American airlines put limitations on the services that the airline provides, but passenger is not forced to purchase an extra seat. Air France travelers that suffered from obesity will have the opportunity to buy the extra seat with a 25 percent discount. With these different deals about the fat passengers, there is surely a disagreement about accepting these policies or rejecting them. Obese passengers should buy two airline seats. This is because of several reasons that may be benefit for the obese passengers and the normal weight passengers. So this will help make everyone more comfortable. Some critics claim that obliging obese passengers to buy an extra seat is a ridiculous statement. They should not be penalized for something that they may not be able to deal with. They might have a disease that makes them that way. They argued that this is discrimination to obese people and should not be practiced. But this is not true. Discrimination against someone for something is based on an opinion without objective truth. In this case, it is completely obvious that the passenger is taking up more space than the accommodated seat space. So the argument of the opposing side fails to take into account. Other critics argued that airline tickets are sold per individual not per pound, and people should not be penalized because of their weight. This is a non convincing argument since airlines sell tickets by seat not per person. If someone takes up to two seats, he should have to buy two seats. That is how it is and should be. Obese people sitting in a single seat can become a serious issue. Passenger will seriously squeeze the passengers beside him, leading discomfort and cause a struggle to get out of the seat to the toilet. No one would accept an obese person sitting next to him squishing and taking more than his space for the whole entire flight. It is not fair to the people sitting next to fat travelers who are crushed and uncomfortable for the whole flight. Skinny people will be crowded out by overweight people. Second, airplane seats and seat belts are designed to hold an average weight of 170 pounds, so seat belts fail to restrain heavy passengers. This poses a safety risk for them on the aircraft. Another airline obesity issue is that obese passengers can affect the balance of the airplane by adding more weight. This excess weight requires more work for the plane to move a heavier object which makes the airplane sometimes in a dangerous position. One third argument that supports the statement that obese travelers should buy two airlines seats is that everyone is entitled to hundred percent of the seat for which he paid. Severely, obese people spill over to the next seat that is occupied by the person that purchased the ticket to that seat. Sometimes, fat passengers took up one third to one half of the other passenger seat space. So if any person takes up more than one seat space, he must purchase the additional space he requires. Urging passengers with high body mass to purchase an extra seat is a fair policy that needs to be done by the airlines in order to keep all their flights safe and comfortable for all the passengers. So, obese people must know that airlines are taking these policies to protect them. Delta’s Suzan Elliott states that the airline has no plans to implement any policy that discriminates against any of our passengers. This is how all the airlines think about this issue, but the difference is the way they practice these policies and deal with them with regard to the refund and the cost of the extra seat.

Bloodlines Chapter Eighteen

â€Å"WHAT DO YOU MEAN ‘MISSING'?† I asked. â€Å"She was supposed to meet us a couple hours ago,† Eddie said, exchanging glances with Micah. â€Å"I thought maybe she was with you.† â€Å"I haven't seen her since PE.† I was trying hard not to kick into panic mode yet. There were too many variables at play and not enough evidence to start thinking crazy Moroi dissidents had kidnapped her. â€Å"This is a really big place – I mean, three campuses. Are you sure she isn't just holed up studying somewhere?† â€Å"We've done a pretty exhaustive search,† said the security officer. â€Å"And teachers and workers are on alert looking for her. No sightings yet.† â€Å"And she isn't answering her cell phone,† added Eddie. I finally let true fear overtake me, and my face must have shown it. The officer's expression softened. â€Å"Don't worry. I'm sure she'll turn up.† It was the kind of conciliatory thing people in his profession had to say to family members. â€Å"But do you have any other ideas of where she might be?† â€Å"What about your other brothers?† asked Micah. I'd been afraid it would come to that. I was almost one hundred percent sure she wasn't with Keith, but he should still probably be notified about her disappearance. It wasn't something I looked forward to because I knew there'd be a lecture in it for me. It would also be a sign of my failure in the eyes of other Alchemists. I should have stayed by Jill's side. That was my job, right? Instead, I'd – foolishly – been helping someone run errands. Not just anyone – a vampire. That's how the Alchemists would see it. Vamp lover. â€Å"I was just with Adrian,† I said slowly. â€Å"I suppose she could've somehow gotten to Clarence's and waited for him. I didn't actually go inside.† â€Å"I tried Adrian too,† said Eddie. â€Å"No answer.† â€Å"Sorry,† I said. â€Å"We were doing his interviews, so he must have turned his phone off. Do you want to try him again?† I certainly didn't want to. Eddie stepped aside to call Adrian while I talked with Mrs. Weathers and the officer. Micah paced around, looking worried, and I felt guilty for always wanting to keep him from Jill. The race thing was a problem, but he really did care about her. I told the officer all the places Jill liked to frequent on campus. They confirmed that they'd already checked them all. â€Å"You got ahold of him?† I asked when Eddie returned. He nodded. â€Å"She's not there. I feel kind of bad, though. He's pretty worried now. Maybe we should've waited to tell him.† â€Å"No†¦ actually, it might be a good thing.† I met Eddie's eyes and saw a spark of understanding. Adrian's emotions seemed to intrude on Jill when they were running strong. If he was panicked enough, she'd hopefully realize people were concerned and show back up. That was assuming she was just hiding out or had gone somewhere we couldn't find. I tried not to consider the alternative: that something had happened where she couldn't contact us. â€Å"Sometimes students just sneak off,† said the officer. â€Å"It's inevitable. Usually they try to sneak back in before curfew. Hopefully that's just the case now. If she doesn't show up then – well, then we'll call the police.† He walked off to radio the rest of security for a status check, and we thanked him for his help. Mrs. Weathers returned to the front desk, but it was clear she was worried and agitated. She came across as gruff sometimes, but I had the feeling she actually cared about her students. Micah left us to find a few friends of his who worked on campus, in case they'd seen anything. That left Eddie and me. Without conferring, we turned toward some chairs in the lobby. Like me, I think he wanted to stake out the door in order to see Jill the instant she showed up. â€Å"I shouldn't have left her,† he said. â€Å"You had to,† I said reasonably. â€Å"You can't be with her in classes or her room.† â€Å"This place was a bad idea. It's too big. Too hard to secure.† He sighed. â€Å"I can't believe this.† â€Å"No†¦ it was a good idea. Jill needs some semblance of a normal life. You could've locked her in a room somewhere and cut her off from all interaction, but what good would that do? She needs to go to school and be with people.† â€Å"She hasn't done much of that, though.† â€Å"No,† I admitted. â€Å"She's had a rough time with it. I kept hoping it'd get better.† â€Å"I just wanted her to be happy.† â€Å"Me too.† I straightened up as something alarming hit me. â€Å"You don't think†¦ you don't think she would've run away and gone back to her mom, do you? Or Court or somewhere?† His face grew even more bleak. â€Å"I hope not. Do you think things have been that bad?† I thought about our fight after the shower incident. â€Å"I don't know. Maybe.† Eddie buried his face in his hands. â€Å"I can't believe this,† he repeated. â€Å"I failed.† When it came to Jill, Eddie was usually all fierceness and anger. I'd never seen him so close to depression. I'd been living with the fear of my own failure since coming to Palm Springs but only now realized that Eddie had just as much on the line. I recalled Adrian's words about Eddie and his friend Mason, how Eddie felt responsible. If Jill didn't come back, would this be history repeating itself? Would she be someone else he'd lost? I'd thought this mission might be redemption for him. Instead, it could turn into Mason all over again. â€Å"You didn't fail,† I said. â€Å"You've been in charge of protecting her, and you've done that. You can't control her happiness. If anything, I'm to blame. I gave her a lecture for the shower incident.† â€Å"Yeah, but I destroyed her hopes when I told her the modeling idea Lee had wouldn't work.† â€Å"But you were right about – Lee!† I gasped. â€Å"That's it. That's where she is. She's with Lee, I'm certain of it. Do you have his number?† Eddie groaned. â€Å"I'm such an idiot,† he said, taking out his cell phone and scanning for the number. â€Å"I should've thought of that.† I touched the cross around my neck, saying a silent prayer that this would all be solved easily. As long as it meant Jill was alive and well, I could've handled her and Lee eloping. â€Å"Hey, Lee? It's Eddie. Is Jill with you?† There was a pause as Lee responded. Eddie's body language answered the question before I heard another word. His posture relaxed, and relief flooded his features. â€Å"Okay,† said Eddie a few moments later. â€Å"Well, get her back here. Now. Everyone's looking for her.† Another pause. Eddie's face hardened. â€Å"We can talk about that later.† He disconnected and turned to me. â€Å"She's okay.† â€Å"Thank God,† I breathed. I stood up, only then realizing how tense I'd been. â€Å"I'll be right back.† I found Mrs. Weathers and the security officer and relayed the news. The officer immediately spread the word to his colleagues and soon left. To my surprise, Mrs. Weathers almost looked like she was on the verge of tears. â€Å"Are you okay?† I asked. â€Å"Yes, yes.† She turned flustered, embarrassed at being so emotional. â€Å"I was just so worried. I – I didn't want to say anything and scare you all, but every time a student's missing†¦ well, a few years ago, another girl disappeared. We thought she'd just sneaked off – like Matt said, it happens. But it turned out†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Mrs. Weathers grimaced and looked away. â€Å"I shouldn't be telling you this.† As if she could stop with that kind of intro. â€Å"No, please. Tell me.† She sighed. â€Å"The police found her a couple days later – dead. She'd been abducted and killed. It was terrible, and they never caught her killer. Now I just think of that whenever someone disappears. It's never happened again, of course. But something like that scars you.† I could imagine so. And as I returned to Eddie, I thought about him and Mason again. It seemed like everyone was carrying baggage from past events. I certainly was. Now that Jill's safety wasn't a concern, all I kept thinking was: What will the Alchemists say? What will my father say? Eddie was just hanging up his phone again when I approached. â€Å"I called Micah to tell him everything's okay,† he explained. â€Å"He was really worried.† All signs of Mrs. Weathers's past trauma vanished the instant that Jill and Lee walked through the door. Jill actually looked upbeat until she saw all of our faces. She came to a halt. Beside her, Lee already looked grim. I think he knew what was coming. Eddie and I hurried forward but didn't have a chance to speak right away. Mrs. Weathers immediately demanded to know where they'd been. Rather than cover it up, Jill confessed and told the truth: she and Lee had gone off campus, into Palm Springs. She was careful to make sure Lee didn't get accused of any kidnapping charges, swearing he didn't know she could only leave with approved family members. I confirmed this – though Lee was hardly off the hook in my opinion. â€Å"Will you wait outside?† I asked him politely. â€Å"I'd like to speak to you privately later.† Lee started to obey, flashing Jill a look of apology. He lightly brushed her hand in farewell and turned away. It was Mrs. Weathers who stopped him. â€Å"Wait,† she said, peering at him curiously. â€Å"Do I know you?† Lee looked startled. â€Å"I don't think so. I've never been here before.† â€Å"There's something familiar about you,† she insisted. Her frown deepened a few moments more. At last, she shrugged. â€Å"It can't be. I must be mistaken.† Lee nodded, met Jill's eyes in sympathy again, and left. Mrs. Weathers wasn't done with Jill. She launched into a lecture about how dangerous and irresponsible they'd been. â€Å"If you were going to sneak off and break rules, you could've at least confided in your siblings. They've been scared to death for you.† It was almost funny, her advising on â€Å"responsible† rule-breaking. Considering how panicked I'd been, I couldn't find anything amusing just then. She also told Jill that she'd be written up and punished. â€Å"For now,† said Mrs. Weathers, â€Å"you are confined to your room for the rest of the night. Come see me after breakfast, and we'll find out if the principal thinks this warrants suspension.† â€Å"Excuse me,† said Eddie. â€Å"Can we have a few minutes alone here with her before she goes upstairs? I'd like to talk to her.† Mrs. Weathers hesitated, apparently wanting Jill's punishment immediately enforced. Then she gave Eddie a double take. The look on his face was hard and angry, and I think Mrs. Weathers knew there was punishment of a different sort coming from Jill's big brother. â€Å"Five minutes,† said Mrs. Weathers, tapping her watch. â€Å"Then up you go.† â€Å"Don't,† said Jill, the instant we were alone. Her face was a mixture of fear and defiance. â€Å"I know what I did was wrong. I don't need a lecture from you guys.† â€Å"Don't you?† I asked. â€Å"Because if you knew it was wrong, you wouldn't have done it!† Jill crossed her arms over her chest. â€Å"I had to get out of here. On my own terms. And not with you guys.† The comment rolled right off of me. It sounded young and petty. But to my surprise, Eddie actually looked hurt. â€Å"What's that supposed to mean?† he asked. â€Å"It means that I just wanted to be away from this place without you always telling me what I'm doing wrong.† That was directed to me. â€Å"And you jumping at every shadow.† That, of course, was to Eddie. â€Å"I just want to protect you,† he said, looking hurt. â€Å"I'm not trying to smother you, but I can't have anything happen to you. Not again.† â€Å"I'm in more danger from Laurel than any assassins!† Jill exclaimed. â€Å"Do you know what she did today? We were working in the computer lab, and she ‘accidentally' tripped over my power cord. I lost half my work and didn't finish in time, so now I'm going to get a lower grade.† A lesson on backing up work probably wouldn't be useful just then. â€Å"Look, that's really terrible,† I said. â€Å"But it's not in the same category as getting yourself killed. Not by a long shot. Where exactly did you go?† For a moment, she looked as though she wasn't going to give up the info. Finally, she said, â€Å"Lee took me to Salton Sea.† Seeing our blank looks, she added, â€Å"It's a lake outside of town. It was wonderful.† An almost-dreamy expression crossed her features. â€Å"I haven't been around that much water in so long. Then we went downtown and just walked around, shopping and eating ice cream. He took me to that boutique, with the designer who's looking for models and – â€Å" â€Å"Jill,† I interrupted. â€Å"I don't care how awesome your day was. You scared us. Don't you get that?† â€Å"Lee shouldn't have done this,† growled Eddie. â€Å"Don't blame him,† said Jill. â€Å"I talked him into it – I made him think you guys wouldn't mind. And he doesn't know the real reason I'm here or the danger.† â€Å"Maybe dating was a bad idea,† I muttered. â€Å"Lee's the best thing that's happened to me here!† she said angrily. â€Å"I deserve to be able to go out and have fun like you guys.† ‘†Fun'? That's kind of an exaggeration,† I said, recalling my afternoon with Adrian. Jill needed a target for her frustration, and I won the honor. â€Å"Doesn't seem like it to me. You're always gone. And when you aren't, you just tell me what I'm doing wrong. It's like you're my mom.† I'd been wading through all of this calmly, but suddenly, something about that comment made me snap. My finely tuned control shattered. â€Å"You know what? I kind of feel that way too. Because as far as I can tell, I am the only one in this group behaving like an adult. You think I'm out there having fun? All I'm doing is babysitting you guys and cleaning up your messes. I spent my afternoon – wasted my afternoon – driving Adrian around so that he could blow off the interviews that I set up. Then I get here and have to deal with the aftermath of your ‘field trip.' I get that Laurel's a pain – although maybe if Micah had been warned off from the beginning, these problems with her never would've happened.† I directed that last comment at Eddie. â€Å"I don't get why I'm the only one who sees how serious everything is. Vampire-human dating. Your lives on the line. These aren't the kinds of things you can screw around with! And yet†¦ somehow, you all still do. You leave me to do the hard stuff, to pick up after you†¦ and all the while, I've got Keith and the other Alchemists breathing down my neck, waiting for me to screw up because no one trusts me since helping your pal Rose. You think this is fun? You want to live my life? Then do it. Step right up, and you start taking responsibility for a change.† I hadn't yelled, but my volume had certainly gone up. I'd pretty much delivered my speech without taking a breath and now paused for some oxygen. Eddie and Jill stared at me, wide-eyed, as though they didn't recognize me. Mrs. Weathers returned to us just then. â€Å"That's enough for tonight. You need to go upstairs now,† she told Jill. Jill nodded, still a little stunned, and hurried away without saying goodbye to any of us. Mrs. Weathers walked her to the stairs, and Eddie turned to me. His face was pale and solemn. â€Å"You're right,† he said. â€Å"I haven't been pulling my share.† I sighed, suddenly feeling exhausted. â€Å"You're not as bad as they are.† He shook his head. â€Å"Still. You might be right about Micah. Maybe he'll keep some distance if I talk to him, and then Laurel will lay off Jill. I'll ask him tonight. But†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He frowned, choosing his words carefully. â€Å"Try not to be too hard on Adrian and Jill. This is stressful for her, and sometimes I think a little of Adrian's personality is leaking into her through the bond. I'm sure that's why she ran off today. It's something he'd do in her situation.† â€Å"No one forced her to do it,† I said. â€Å"Least of all Adrian. The fact that she coaxed Lee and didn't tell us shows that she knew it was wrong. That's free will. And Adrian has no such excuses.† â€Å"Yeah†¦ but he's Adrian,† said Eddie lamely. â€Å"Sometimes I don't know how much of what he does is him and how much is spirit.† â€Å"Spirit users can take antidepressants, can't they? If he's worried about it becoming a problem, then he needs to step up and take charge. He has a choice. He's not helpless. There are no victims here.† Eddie studied me for several seconds. â€Å"And I thought I had a harsh view on life.† â€Å"You have a harsh life,† I corrected. â€Å"But yours is built around the idea that you always have to take care of other people. I was raised to believe that's necessary sometimes but that everyone still needs to try to take care of themselves.† â€Å"And yet here you are.† â€Å"Tell me about it. You want to come talk to Lee with me?† All apology vanished from Eddie's face. â€Å"Yes,† he said fiercely. We found Lee sitting on a bench outside, looking miserable. He jumped up when we approached. â€Å"You guys, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have done it. She just sounded so sad and so lost that I wanted to – â€Å" â€Å"You know how protective we are of her,† I said. â€Å"How could you have not thought that this would worry us?† â€Å"And she's a minor,† said Eddie. â€Å"You can't just take her away and do whatever you want with her!† I admit, I was a little surprised that the threat to Jill's virtue was what he chose to bring up. Don't get me wrong – I was also conscious of her age. But after he saw her literally die, it seemed like Eddie would be worried about more than making out. Lee's gray eyes went wide. â€Å"Nothing happened! I would never do anything like that to her. I promise! I'd never take advantage of someone so trusting. I can't ruin this. She means more to me than any other girl I've dated. I want us to be together forever.† I thought being â€Å"together forever† was extreme at their ages, but there was a sincerity in his eyes that was touching. It still didn't excuse what he'd done. He took our lecturing seriously and promised there would never be a repeat. â€Å"But please†¦ can I still see her when you're around? Can we still do group things?† Eddie and I exchanged glances. â€Å"If she's even allowed to leave campus after this,† I said. â€Å"I really don't know what's going to happen.† Lee left after a few more apologies, and Eddie also returned to his dorm. I was walking upstairs when my phone rang. Glancing down, I was startled to see my parents' number in Salt Lake City on the caller ID. â€Å"Hello?† I asked. For a frantic moment, I hoped it was Zoe. â€Å"Sydney.† My father. My stomach filled with dread. â€Å"We need to talk about what's happened.† Panic shot through me. How had he found out about Jill's disappearance already? Keith jumped out as the obvious culprit. But how had Keith found out? Had he been at Clarence's when Eddie called Adrian? Despite his flaws, I couldn't imagine Adrian telling Keith what had happened. â€Å"Talk about what?† I asked, playing for time. â€Å"Your behavior. Keith called me last night, and I must say, I'm very disappointed.† â€Å"Last night?† This wasn't about Jill's disappearance. So what was it about? â€Å"You're supposed to be coordinating efforts for that Moroi girl to blend in. You aren't supposed to be out socializing with them and having a good time! I could hardly believe it when Keith said you took them out bowling.† â€Å"It was mini-golf, and Keith okayed it! I asked him first.† â€Å"And then I hear you're helping all these other vampires run errands and whatnot. Your duty is only to the girl, and that is to do only what's necessary for her survival – which I also hear you aren't doing. Keith tells me there was an incident where you didn't properly handle her difficulties in the sun?† â€Å"I reported that immediately!† I cried. I'd known Keith was planning to use that against me. â€Å"Keith – † I paused, thinking about the best way to handle this. â€Å"Misunderstood my initial report.† Keith had blown off my initial report, but telling my father his protege had lied would just put my father's defenses up. He wouldn't believe me. â€Å"And Keith's one to talk! He's always hanging out with Clarence and won't say why.† â€Å"Probably to make sure he remains stable. I understand the old man isn't all there.† â€Å"He's obsessed with vampire hunters,† I explained. â€Å"He thinks there are humans out there that killed his niece.† â€Å"Well,† said my father, â€Å"there are some humans out there who catch on to the vampire world, those whom we can't dissuade. Hardly hunters. Keith's doing his duty by enlightening Clarence. You, however, are misguided.† â€Å"That's not a fair comparison!† â€Å"Honestly, I blame myself,† he said. Somehow I doubted that. â€Å"I shouldn't have let you go. You weren't ready – not after what you went through. Being with these vampires is confusing you. That's why I'm recalling you.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"If I had my way, it'd be right now. Unfortunately, Zoe won't be ready for another two weeks. The Alchemists want her to undergo some testing before she gets her tattoo. Once she does, we'll send her in your place and get you†¦ some help.† â€Å"Dad! This is crazy. I'm doing fine here. Please, don't send Zoe – â€Å" â€Å"I'm sorry, Sydney,† he said. â€Å"You've left me no choice. Please don't get into trouble in your remaining time.† He disconnected, and I stood in the hall, my heart sinking. Two weeks! Two weeks and they were sending Zoe. And me†¦ where were they sending me? I didn't want to think about it, but I knew. I needed to stop this from happening. Wheels were already in motion. The tattoos, I suddenly thought. If I could finish my tests on the stolen substances and find out info about the blood supplier, I would earn the Alchemists' regard – hopefully enough to take away the taint that Keith had put on me. And why had he done it? Why now? I knew he'd never wanted me along. Maybe he had just been biding his time, building up evidence against me until he could get me ousted in one fell swoop. I wouldn't let him, though. I'd bust open this tattoo case and prove who the stellar Alchemist was. I had enough evidence now to get their attention and would simply turn in what I had if nothing new came to light within a week. The decision filled me with resolve, but I still had trouble sleeping when I went to bed later. My father's threat hung over me, as did my fear of the reeducation centers. After about an hour of tossing and turning I finally dozed off. But even that was fitful and troubled. I woke up after only a few hours and then had to fall asleep all over again. This time, I dreamed. In the dream, I stood in Clarence's living room. Everything was neat and in place, the dark wood and antique furniture giving the space its usual ominous feel. The details were surprisingly vivid, and it was like I could even smell the dusty books and leather on the furniture. â€Å"Huh. It worked. Wasn't sure if it would with a human.† I spun around and found Adrian leaning against the wall. He hadn't been there a moment ago, and I had a flash of that childhood fear of vampires appearing out of nowhere. Then I remembered this was a dream, and these kinds of things happened. â€Å"What weren't you sure about?† I asked. He gestured around him. â€Å"If I could reach you. Bring you here into this dream.† I didn't quite follow what he meant and said nothing. He arched an eyebrow. â€Å"You don't know, do you? Where you are?† â€Å"At Clarence's,† I said reasonably. â€Å"Well, in reality I'm asleep in my bed. This is just a dream.† â€Å"You're half right,† he said. â€Å"This is a spirit dream. This is real.† I frowned. A spirit dream. Since most of our information about spirit was sketchy, we had hardly anything on spirit dreams. I'd learned most of what I knew about them from Rose, who had been frequently visited by Adrian in them. According to her, the dreamer and the spirit user were actually together, in a meeting of the minds, communicating across long distances. It was hard for me to fully grasp that, but I'd seen Rose wake up with information she wouldn't have otherwise had. Still, I had no evidence to suggest I was really in a spirit dream now. â€Å"This is just a regular dream,† I countered. â€Å"Are you sure?† he asked. â€Å"Look around. Concentrate. Doesn't it feel different? Like a dream†¦ but not like a dream. Not quite like real life either. Call it what you want, but the next time we see each other in the waking world, I'll be able to tell you exactly what happened here.† I looked around the room, studying it as he'd suggested. Again, I was struck by the vividness of even the smallest details. It certainly felt real, but dreams often did†¦ right? You usually never knew you were dreaming until you woke up. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to still my mind. And like that, I felt it. I understood what he meant. Not quite like a dream. Not quite like real life. My eyes flew open. â€Å"Stop it,† I cried, backing away from him. â€Å"Make it end. Get me out of here.† Because in accepting that this really was a spirit dream, I'd had to acknowledge something else: I was surrounded in vampire magic. My mind was ensnared in it. I felt claustrophobic. The magic was pressing on me, crushing the air. â€Å"Please.† My voice grew more and more frantic. â€Å"Please let me go.† Adrian straightened up, looking surprised. â€Å"Whoa, Sage. Calm down. You're okay.† â€Å"No. I'm not. I don't want this. I don't want the magic touching me.† â€Å"It won't hurt you,† he said. â€Å"It's nothing.† â€Å"It's wrong,† I whispered. â€Å"Adrian, stop it.† He reached out a hand, like he might try to comfort me, and then thought better of it. â€Å"It won't hurt you,† he repeated. â€Å"Just hear me out, and then I'll dissolve it. I promise.† Even in the dream, my pulse was racing. I wrapped my arms around myself and backed up against the wall, trying to make myself small. â€Å"Okay,† I whispered. â€Å"Hurry.† â€Å"I just wanted to say†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He stuffed his hands in his pockets and glanced away uncomfortably before looking at me again. Were his eyes greener here than in real life? Or was it just my imagination? â€Å"I wanted to†¦ I wanted to apologize.† â€Å"For what?† I asked. I couldn't process anything beyond my own terror. â€Å"For what I did. You were right. I wasted your time and your work today.† I forced my mind to dredge up memories from this afternoon. â€Å"Thank you,† I said simply. â€Å"I don't know why I do these things,† he added. â€Å"I just can't help it.† I was still terrified, still suffocating in the magic surrounding me. Somehow, I managed to echo my earlier conversation with Eddie. â€Å"You can take control of yourself,† I said. â€Å"You aren't a victim.† Adrian had been gazing off, troubled by his thoughts. He suddenly jerked his gaze back to me. â€Å"Just like Rose.† â€Å"What?† Adrian held out his hand, and a thorny red rose suddenly materialized there. I gasped and tried to back up farther. He twirled the stem around, careful not to prick his fingers. â€Å"She said that. That I was playing the victim. Am I really that pathetic?† The rose wilted and crumpled before my eyes, turning to dust and then vanishing altogether. I made the sign against evil on my shoulder and tried to remember what we were talking about. â€Å"Pathetic's not the word I'd use,† I said. â€Å"What word would you use?† My mind was blanking. â€Å"I don't know. Confused?† He smiled. â€Å"That's an understatement.† â€Å"I'll check a dictionary when I wake up and get back to you. Can you please end this?† The smile faded to an expression of amazement. â€Å"You really are that scared, aren't you?† I let my silence answer for me. â€Å"Okay, one more thing, then. I thought of another way I can get out of Clarence's and get some money. I was reading about college and financial aid. If I took classes somewhere, do you think I could get enough to live on?† This was a concrete question I could deal with. â€Å"It's possible. But I think it's too late. Classes have started everywhere.† â€Å"I found a place on the internet. Carlton. A college on the other side of town that hasn't started yet. But I'd still have to act fast, and†¦ that's what I don't know how to do. The paperwork. The procedures. But that's your specialty, right?† â€Å"Sad but true,† I said. Some part of me thought Carlton sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it. He took a deep breath. â€Å"Will you help me? I know it's making you babysit again, but I don't know where to start. I promise I'll meet you halfway, though. Tell me what I need to do, and I will.† Babysit. He'd been talking to Jill or Eddie or both. That was reasonable, though. He'd want to know that she was okay. I could only imagine how my tirade had been paraphrased. â€Å"You were in college before,† I said, recalling his record. I'd scoured it when putting together the ill-fated resume. â€Å"You dropped out.† Adrian nodded. â€Å"I did.† â€Å"How do I know you won't this time? How do I know you aren't just wasting my time again?† â€Å"You don't know, Sage,† he admitted. â€Å"And I don't blame you. All I can ask is that you give me another chance. That you try to believe me when I say I'll follow through. That you believe I'm serious. That you trust me.† Long moments stretched out between us. I'd relaxed slightly, without even realizing it, though I remained up against the wall. I studied him, wishing I was better at reading people. His eyes were that green in real life, I decided. I just usually didn't look at them so closely. â€Å"Okay,† I said. â€Å"I trust you.† Total shock filled his features. â€Å"You do?† I was no better at reading people than I had been ten seconds ago, but in that moment, I suddenly gained a flash of understanding into the mystery that was Adrian Ivashkov. People didn't believe in him very often. They had low expectations of him, so he did as well. Even Eddie had sort of written him off: He's Adrian. As though there was nothing to be done for it. I also suddenly realized that, as unlikely as it seemed, Adrian and I had a lot in common. Both of us were constantly boxed in by others' expectations. It didn't matter that people expected everything of me and nothing of him. We were still the same, both of us constantly trying to break out of the lines that others had defined for us and be our own person. Adrian Ivashkov – flippant, vampire party boy – was more like me than anyone else I knew. The thought was so startling that I couldn't even answer him right away. â€Å"I do,† I said at last. â€Å"I'll help you.† I shivered. The fear of the dream returned, and I just wanted this to be over. I would've agreed to anything to be back in my non-magical bed. â€Å"But not here. Please – will you send me back? Or end this? Or whatever it is?† He nodded slowly, still looking stunned. The room began to fade, its colors and lines melting like a painting left in the rain. Soon, all dimmed to black, and I found myself waking up in my dorm room bed. As I did, I just barely caught the sound of his voice in my mind: Thank you, Sage.