Plato theory of forms Essay

Plato was a duellist and thus believed that there are two worlds; the material world and the world of ideas/Forms. The world of ideas or Forms is the true reality and the world of appearances is just reflections of world of Forms. Plato believed that our knowledge of the Forms was a priori which means that our souls knew the Forms before it was inside us, therefore we have knowledge prior to experiencing the objects with our senses. Plato believes everyone is born with an intuitive but imperfect understanding of the Forms. He also believes the philosopher is able, through using his intellect, to achieve true knowledge of the abstract Forms without using his senses. Plato’s theory of Forms can be seen as unconvincing to some who believe that abstract ideas e. g table, horse, beauty are actually names that have been invented to help people describe their experiences of the physical world. This is a materialistic view as it suggests that objects in this world are the real reality and our ideas can develop based on experience of things. Aristotle agrees with this and believes knowledge is gained through experience and that there is not an eternal World of Forms that is a priori to us. However, in Plato’s defence some believe that each variety of a Form shares a likeness for example each horse is slightly different yet they all share something that makes it resemble a horse. According to Bertrand Russell, Plato`s theory made a `very important advance in philosophy, since it is the first to emphasise the problem of universals’. Plato’s theory is often regarded as unconvincing due to the fact that Plato believes that every object and idea in the world of appearances is an imperfect copy of an image or Form in the World of Forms. This suggests that there is a perfect Form of things such as a cinema ticket, mud or an insect and so on. According to Bertrand Russell, his ideas of the Forms when taken to its extreme.

The Rate Of Photosynthesis: Lab report

1) Construct a graph of your data2) Using the graph, estimate the time at which 50 percent of the leaf disks were floating on the surface. The point at which 50 percent of the leaf disks are floating will be you point of reference for future investigations Using the graph the estimated time that roughly 50% of the leaf disks were floating on the surface was around the 10th minute. At the 10th minute our number rose up to 26/50 leaf disks. 3. What variable were you testing in this investigation?We were testing the leaf disks as the control. The white light, and the water were the controlled variables. 4. Explain why the leaf disks started to float after being exposed to white light. The leaf disks started floating after being exposed to white light because the process of photosynthesis is light- dependent. Light is required for the process of photosynthesis to begin and so the disks would not start floating unless they were placed under the sun, or in this instance the white light.In this investigation, you measured the rate of oxygen production. How might you measure the rate of loss of carbon dioxide? The rate of oxygen production was measured by the amount of dicks that stated to float at a certain time. After the disks have all floated to the top, the rate of carbon dioxide loss could be measured by how long it takes for the leaf disks to float back down to the bottom. 7) Brainstorm possible environmental factors that could affect the rate of photosynthesis. Do research on one of these factors and write a short paper on your findings. Factors that could affect the rate of photosynthesis could be the duration of wavelength, high light intensity, or even air pollutants.The topic we researched was ‘High Light Intensity†. High light intensity happens beyond saturation point. Light intensity reduces the rate of photosynthesis. This affect is called solarization. It can be caused by photo-inhibition and photo-oxidation. Photo-inhibition and photo-oxida tion occurs when shade leaves are abruptly exposed to bright light or when sun leaves are exposed to bright light with environmental stresses such as water deficit or extreme  temperatures. Both occur when the energy absorbed by the photosynthetic reaction centers exceeds the ability to use that energy in metabolic activity.

Growth in this article

I am going to analyses the problem of economic growth in this article. As we are all aware, in the world we live in, there is this huge question everyone is trying to answer: â€Å"Is economic growth desirable – and most importantly- sustainable? † There are roughly two sides on this subject. Green-leftists, who are not supporters of the economic growth; and liberals who argue that prosperity will occur when economic growth exists. I want to go way back, in order to understand when economic growth started.Figure 1 According to the graph above, it started in the mid sass with the Industrial Revolution. It was a result of â€Å"mass production†, basically. Producing in mass amounts caused economic growth, this led to globalization, decrease of tariffs, international trade. As some people might argue, globalization is key for countries to have a strong economy. Globalization means that we can now solve our problems together and be heard by someone all across the wor ld. Globalization has helped several illnesses, as Alex Tabor -a Professor of Economics- puts it, â€Å"globalization saves lives†.Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 As we can see from Figure 2, life expectancy in 1800 was 40 in the UK where GAP per capita was around 3500 dollars, and about 27 in Cape Verve where GAP per capita was below 400 dollars. We can see from here that GAP per capita has a positive correlation with life expectancy, as years past, in 2012 as it is shown in Figure 3, same correlation applies. As Figure 4 clearly shows, child mortality has a negative correlation with GAP per capita. With economic growth, came better health care, wealth, technology, novelty, but that is Just one side of the story.Economic growth also brought environmental problems. Carbon emissions, pollution, global warming†¦ These are all world wide issues we have to deal with if we keep this track. First of all economics is the science of scarcity, as we can roughly describe it. So we have scarce resources, how do we keep growing? Most importantly, can we sustain this growth? Figure 5 (23. 12. 2013) As Figure 5 shows, we have limited resources, which we are running out of very quickly. This indicates that economic growth is not sustainable.Alex Tabor disagrees, he claims that incentives are key to ideas, and scarcity will be an incentive or everyone to invest in new energy systems. He believes that humanity has overcome many disasters and with the help of technology we can lower carbon emissions -even invent a machine that can absorber carbon from the atmosphere- and keep growing economically. Figure 6 Figure 6 indicates that there is a positive correlation between carbon emissions and GAP per capita. Here, I would like to refer to Tim Jackson who is a professor at University of Surrey. L want you to imagine a world, in 2050, of around nine billion people all aspiring to Western incomes, Western lifestyles. And I want to ask the question: How far and how fast would w e have to move?†¦ The carbon intensity of economic growth at the moment is around 770 grams. In the world I describe you we have to be at six grams of carbon. It's a 130-fold improvement and that is 10 times further and faster than anything we've achieved in industrial history. † I went further on my research and found some data on something called an â€Å"ecological footprint†. It shows that we would need 7. Worlds if everyone lived like the average Americana . This means, people who insist that economic growth will bring wealth and everyone will have western lifestyles, are mistaken. If everyone on Earth had Western lifestyles, non of us would survive. We have the â€Å"developing† countries to thank for that. Even if we had this â€Å"blind faith in our cleverness† as Tim Jackson puts it, economic growth did not only bring environmental issues. It has also brought inequality in human society. Augusta Comet had similar concerns about this issue. He was afraid that inequality would cause dissolution in society.Druthers called it an â€Å"anomie† and he claimed that this anomie led to aimlessness and despair. (He concluded that aimlessness and despair caused an increase in suicides, in the modern society. The rich became richer and the poor became poorer as economies kept growing. The gap between the poor and the rich got wider, inequality caused exploitation, and this caused â€Å"class struggles† which we can describe as the keystone in human history according to Karl Marx. I want to show you some data on the wealth distribution in America, one of the wealthiest countries in the world.Figure 7 Figure 7 shows that the bottom 80% has the 5% of the financial wealth. This indicates a great inequality, it means our economies keep growing but the only people who are getting richer are already rich. Liberals, as I mentioned before, support economic growth which leads to a rise in the GAP per capita. They argue that GAP is the keystone to check, in a prosper society. This statement is true at some cases, but not always as it is shown in Figure 7. In a world where 1% of the population owns 40% of the planet's wealth, it is crucial to talk about equality.Economics is considered as â€Å"the science of scarcity' as I already mentioned. We argue that we use this science to fulfill the infinite needs of human beings. Here is where I disagree; I don't think a human beings needs are infinite. Tim Jackson defines this as â€Å"conspicuous institution†. He says: â€Å"This is a story about us, people, being persuaded to spend money we don't have, on things we don't need, to create impressions that won't last, on people we don't care about. † I believe with the resources of our planet; we can create a more egalitarian and prosper society.Our aim must be to stop the exploitation/domination of the strong one over the weak ones. I want to go back to the environmental issues now. They can never b e ignored because environment is what we need to survive, if we damage it somehow, there is no turning back. So I believe environment should be our first priority. In a growing world, all states/ governments have to narrow down their economies, and start investing in alternative energy systems. I believe human beings are adaptable and they can always figure out a way to survive.So I'm not suggesting to shut down all economies and stop global trade etc. I am suggesting to slow down the growth, because if we keep up this track, the destruction of our planet will be inevitable. Then there are Moos: Huge companies without nationalities. The only thing they care about is to make profit according to economics. A rational company/individual maximizes its profits and minimizes its costs. This statement is, sadly, true in most cases. If we are these â€Å"self maximizing individuals† as Adam Smith defines us, I believe governments have to step up here and create an international commi ttee.This committee should regulate these companies' investments, expenditures etc. It should enforce laws in order to make sure that these companies show an effort to protect the environment and invest in alternative energy systems and not use nonrenewable energy sources. I have stated a few keystones that I believe are relevant to the subject. These keystones were; environmental issues, equality in terms of wealth distribution, reverting exploitation, investing in alternative resources and small regulations in the economy.

Epic Beowulf Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Epic Beowulf - Essay Example This is another way of engendering hope and celebrating life even when there are traces of warning and of darkness ahead. Man cannot but lose with death, and yet he can make most of his hay days to die without regret. And that is a cavalier's way of uttering a Donne like conceit with the lines: (from Death be not Proud; Holy Sonnets: X) Similar threats have been mellowed down with Shakespeare's sonnets with his optimism to conquer death with truth, love and beauty. Sometimes to him Death was not a physical death but a death in life as in Sonnet 73 where he speculates his coming death and yet feels dead at the same time like "Bare ruined choirs," an escape (Sonnet 66, "Tired with all these, for restful death I cry"), or Sonnet 55 vouching an undying "living record" of his lover's memory, in the "eyes of all posterity and dwell in lovers' eyes"! This idea of cheating melancholy, and eternal note of human sadness heard from the days of "Sophocles" through what Matthew Arnold hears and concludes in his poem "Dover Beach": This is Arnold's way of giving his fears and turmoil the only antidote, for he is helpless in a world swept by such helpless inevitable destiny of mankind.

Bi-lingualism and Second Language Acquisition in Children. The Essay

Bi-lingualism and Second Language Acquisition in Children. The benefits of doing so and which approaches are more advisiable What negative aspects highlighted - Essay Example Myths and fears abound but bilinguals themselves can disprove them. It is safe to say that today bilinguals are as successful as monolinguals in various discipline, perhaps even surpassing them. More discussion will be given time on the professional side of dealing with this phenomenon. There can be negative results, it is to be expected, but in our research we noted the positive sides reported by well-known experts in the field of linguistic and language study. Other topics discussed here are the causes of bilingualism, definition of bilingualism and who are to be called bilinguals, the results of the various studies of bilingualism, and other language and linguistic areas of study that affect or are affected by bilingualism. As an introductory part of the subject, we know bilingualism usually means knowing two or more languages; bilinguals can communicate to a group or a larger group, and to a diversified group of people as well. Bilingualism has struck many states throughout the world. More and more states have more than one language due to the presence of immigrants and new comers from places suffering from environmental or man-made forces. Some countries have turned into bilingual with more than two official languages; sometimes their communities speak more than the recognized languages. There are questions that this essay will attempt to answer, questions such as: What is the child’s native language? Should the language in the community or what is popularly spoken be the child’s native language? What must the community and educational institutions do to help bilingual children? What should parents do to deal positively with their bilingual children? Will bilingual children learn English, and will the experience of learning two languages lead to either cognitive or linguistic confusion? There are various phenomenological aspects of bilingualism that can be talked about considering that this is a broad and

Market Model Patterns of Change Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Market Model Patterns of Change - Research Paper Example The business expansion that has characterized many companies in the industry has led the expansion in the size of large companies and eventual attainment of a competitive advantage over smaller companies. Currently, the industry is experiencing enormous changes as a result of changing customer needs, emerging markets, and entrance of new competitors, technological advancement, and the strict environment regulations due to substance emissions (Blum, 2009). The changes have affected the demand, value chains and markets that characterize the industry. This has led to the transformation of the market into a more mobile model that is more competitive. The industry players and the new entrants have been forced to apply new competitive strategies that will enable sustainable success in the competitive industry. Pattern of Change Both the emerging and mature markets in the automobile industry are characterized by risk and opportunities. The global automobile industries have engaged in price wars crating frequent capacity overlap and rivalry. Therefore, the oligopolistic market model has been transformed into a competitive model. The competitive pattern of change is evident in its production, international trade changes, and supply chain and pricing. ... However, the lowering of the trade barriers and advancements in globalization has changed the tradition whereby the production location decisions are influenced by the international competitiveness. The international competitiveness is a product of the level of different tasks within the industry due to the vertical disintegration of global production. This is a change from the traditional business norms whereby the global competitiveness was determined by the level of the industry. Variation in Production Table 1: Top 20 Motor Vehicle Producing Countries   China 18,418,876 United States 8,653,560   Japan 8,398,654   Germany 6,311,318   South Korea 4,657,094   India 3,936,448   Brazil 3,406,150   Mexico 2,680,037   Spain 2,353,682   France 2,294,889   Canada 2,134,893   Russia 1,988,036   Ã‚  Iran 1,648,505   Thailand 1,478,460   UK 1,463,999   Czech Republic 1,199,834 Turkey 1,189,131   Indonesia 837,948 Poland 837,132 Argentina 828,771   Italy 790, 348 Source: http://oica.net/category/production-statistics/ Table 2: Annual Change in Production in Automobile Industry Year Production Change 1997 54,434,000    1998 52,987,000 -2.7% 1999 56,258,892 6.2% 2000 58,374,162 3.8% 2001 56,304,925 -3.5% 2002 58,994,318 4.8% 2003 60,663,225 2.8% 2004 64,496,220 6.3% 2005 66,482,439 3.1% 2006 69,222,975 4.1% 2007 73,266,061 5.8% 2008 70,520,493 -3.7% 2009 61,791,868 -12.4% 2010 77,857,705 26.0% Source: http://oica.net/category/production-statistics/1999-statistics/ International Trade The international trade is characterized by the dominance from a small number of companies. However, the industry faces segmentation that has made it more regional than global. The industry is also characterized by cost pressures, overcapacity and low profitability

Presidental and Parliamentary Systems of Government Term Paper

Presidental and Parliamentary Systems of Government - Term Paper Example Finally, conclusions were arrived at. The presidential separation of powers is not typical of modern constitutionalism. As such, there are several constitutional democracies that depict the commingling of governmental powers. Most of these systems of government are parliamentary systems. Such systems exhibit reliance of the head of government on the legislature for political survival. Another important trait exhibited by such governments is the power of the executive to declare elections by bringing about dissolution of the legislature.1 In the presidential systems of government, such powers are rarely encountered. These systems uphold the principle of separation of powers. The latter provides a governmental branch with the power to oversee the actions of the other branches, which generates a system of governance based on mutual distrust between the various branches of the government. Such invasive overlap among government branches ensures that no specific branch of government obtain s absolute power.2 In the US, delegation of power is quite strong, and society is politically active to a considerable extent, and there is extraordinary support from all quarters to the principle of democracy. Thus, the US represents a strong presidential system of government that differs from the Westminster model of democracy. The latter supports parliamentary democracy.3 The presidential system of the US establishes a strong President in the White House, who acts as the head of the state. In the Westminster model, the Prime Minister holds the position of pre-eminence. Despite these differences, both models focus on the concentration of power in the political party that has control over the legislature. In some democratic countries of Latin America, power is concentrated in the hands of a single person or party. Examples of such regimes are to be found in Venezuela, Colombia, and Costa Rica. 4 In the presidential systems of Greece and France, the President is elected by the peopl e and power is concentrated in the office of the President. These systems are known as delegate democracies. 5 The presidential system of government frequently includes a bicameral legislature. The passage of any law requires control over the executive, and the upper and lower houses of the legislature. These three entities are not elected at the same time and in the same election, which drastically increases the scope for dissent. 6 Parliamentary democracy is characterized by comparatively better stability. However, development in a country results in people aspiring for greater freedom with regard to expressing dissent. In addition, there is a greater tendency to spread different viewpoints. In the UK these desires have led to a gradual transition of the system of government towards the presidential system. 7 In fact, there is little of the original Westminster model that pertains to the political system prevalent in the UK. It is now quite apparent that the parliamentary system w ith its stability and authoritarian norms is apt only as far as the developing nations are concerned. With growth among the populace of a nation, it becomes essential to adopt a system of government that replicates a presidential system of governance. 8 The President in a presidential system of governance appoints the members of the Cabinet. In general, the latter are not members of the

Sainsbury (in branch level) Organisational diagonis and problem Essay - 1

Sainsbury (in branch level) Organisational diagonis and problem analysis - Essay Example The changes suggested in regard to the firm’s leadership should be more effectively promoted trying to avoid delays in the restructuring of the organization aiming to minimize the risk of potential damages. It seems that through an effective plan of action the firm will be able to stabilize its performance in the British market and seek for further growth. Under the influence of globalisation, firms in all industries have to continuously update their practices in order to secure their position either locally or internationally. In certain sectors, competition is extremely high, especially when firms of similar characteristics are involved. The UK supermarket industry is an indicative example. When trying to develop their organizational plans, the firms that operate in the particular industry have to face a series of challenges and barriers. Current paper focuses on the review of Sainsbury’s organizational structure and practices. Efforts are made so that the firm’s organizational problems are diagnosed; among them, one is chosen and is further analysed and evaluated. Also, recommendations are made so that the specific problem to be eliminated or, if the above target is not feasible, just to be effectively controlled. In this context, a series of change intervention methods are presented and appropriately justified, aimin g to support the improvement of the organizational performance, as expected to result from the limitation or the elimination of the firm’s key organizational problem. The research over the organizational structure and performance of Sainsbury’s is based on appropriate documentary evidence, which includes material of the following kind: books published in the academic literature, articles published by organizations focusing on financial evaluation (e.g. Bloomberg), articles of newspapers and non-governmental

The development of the Papacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The development of the Papacy - Essay Example Following this recognition, this essay examines the development of the papacy. While the contemporary office of the Pope constitutes a single individual this was not always historically true. During the early era of the Catholic Church, there were a number of popes, as the term referred to specific church leaders (Bokenkotter, p. 49). During the beginning of the Christian Church, there is the recognition that there was not a need for religious leaders, as the size of the religion was minimal. At this time there were only local leaders or bishops that organized many church gatherings and promoted the religion among the surrounding regions. During the first century, Rome was only emerging as a Christian center and as such, the extensive papal development would only gradually take hold. Towards the end of the second century, Rome became solidified as this Christian center. At this time, the Church of Rome was designated as the primary church to which all others should answer. In this wa y there is the recognition of the office of the Pope as originating from structural developments of church organization, rather than the innate religious nature of the office or individual (Bokenkotter, p. 111). According to the Catholic Church, the office of the Pope functions as a direct lineage of leadership leading back to the Apostle Saint Paul. This perspective positions the office as something that is intrinsic to the Christian faith and subsequently a natural extension of the word of God. To an extent then the Pope can be viewed as possessing a relationship with God that would position him as the most important person in the universe. In many ways the Pope’s social and political power would reflect this recognition. By the third century, following the Council of Nicaea, the papacy assumed the form it contains today. The Pope’s power continued to grow through the third and four centuries. With the fifth century, the world experienced the fall of the Roman Empire to invading German armies. Following the fall of Rome, the papacy gained increased power as many people turned to the Pope for continuity of leadership. The following Medieval Period would find the Pope at an all-time high of personal power. Following the ascension of Constantine as the Roman Emperor, he established the decree that all future Roman Emperors would require the approval of the Pope (Orlandis 1993, p. 34). The increasing connection between the Pope and political authorities would greatly expand the power and reach of the papacy. Subsequently, this period witnessed a significant amount of developments in the papacy. In 1073, Pope Gregory VII instituted the Gregorian Reforms (Orlandis 1993, p. 40). These rules raised the standards for leaders within the Catholic Church, notably encouraging celibacy among members. Perhaps the ultimately display of the Pope’s power, however, occurred during the Crusades. During this period Alexius, I even had to go to Pope Urban II to gain military support to guard against Muslim invasions. For the papacy, this demonstrates the significant political power the Pope had attained during the Medieval Period. From the 11th century onward, the papacy would experience a declining amount of influence. Because of the Pope’s involvement in many earlier conflicts, a schism emerged in the Church that divided the East and West. The onset of the Protestant Reformation in the

Marketing case study Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing case study - Assignment Example There are numerous speculations suggesting that e-commerce is the best thing that ever happened, however, some scholars seem to differ with this statement (Microsoft Corporation, 1999). This paper will look at both sides of the situations and some of the e-commerce platforms that are available. Online Shopping It is one of the popular means of e-commerce across the globe. The sellers usually create an online storefront, which is equivalent to a retail shop. The buyers will then have to buy products by clicking on to the things they want (Langer, 2002). One of the pioneer online shops is Amazon.com. It is still one of the famous online destinations around the world. Electronic Payment It is vital for one to understand that goods that are usually bought online are usually paid for by online payment (Microsoft Corporation, 2000). They usually use payment gateways and payment processors. This method of payment has been referred to be convenient as the mailing and writing of checks has be en reduced or discarded (Meier & Stormer, 2009). It has also ensured that there is safety among payment where notes are usually involved. Online Auctions One of the famous online auctions is the eBay. The physical auctions are nowadays predated by the online auctions. However, the online auction targets a large market clientele of sellers and buyers (Langer, 2002). The online auction has been reported to usually give rise to ridiculous pricing of products. This has made them to have many customers as they find it interesting and challenging when compared to the regular storefront shopping. Internet Banking This practice has reduced the number of people congesting the banking halls as people can transact all the banking operation in their own comfort (Singleton, 2001). Online banks give room for wire transfer, exchange and buying of products through the Internet. Online ticketing This includes movie, train, air and sporting tickets, which are purchased online. The booking process mak es it easy for buyers as they will not scramble for them at the shops or at the gates of the event (Meier & Stormer, 2009). Many people hate the idea of queuing and this gives them the opportunity of avoiding it. The classification of e-commerce is based on the type of individuals participating in the process. The first type is known as the business to business type of transaction. This involves the parties that are organizations or businesses (Risdahl, 2007). They include traders, retailers and manufacturers. The other type is business to consumers. This type of transaction is available around businesses that normally sell their products online to the end users or consumers (Langer, 2002). Finally, the other type of e-commerce is referred to as consumer-to-consumer type of transaction. This idea has been adopted from the earliest means of trade of butter where people exchange goods for goods (Raisch, 2001). The process allows individuals to exchange properties that they do not want with those that they need online. Advantages of E-commerce The Internet has been realized to be a market that has booming business (Drapkin, Lowy & Marovitz, 2001). Technological advancements have made it easy for many people can access the Internet. This means that there is a lot of exposure and many people can now access to e-commerce activities (VanHoose, 2011). Individuals are striving to ascertain that they utilize the Internet in the conduction of their daily affairs. Therefore, this means that more people are exposed to

Free

Freedom of Speech Essay Hindi is the most commonly spoken language in India. It is the fifth most spoken language in the world with about 182 million native speakers in 1998. The script used in writing Hindi is DevanÄ garÄ «. More than 180 million people in India regard Hindi as their mother tongue. Another 300 million use it as second language. Outside of India, Hindi speakers are 100,000 in USA; 685,170 in Mauritius; 890,292 in South Africa; 232,760 in Yemen; 147,000 in Uganda; 5,000 in Singapore; 8 million in Nepal; 20,000 in New Zealand; 30,000 in Germany. Urdu, the official language of Pakistan, spoken by about 41 million in Pakistan and other countries, is essentially the same language Literature in Hindi languages (Hindi: à ¤ ¹Ã  ¤ ¿Ã  ¤ ¨Ã  ¥ Ã  ¤ ¦Ã  ¥â‚¬ à ¤ ¸Ã  ¤ ¾Ã  ¤ ¹Ã  ¤ ¿Ã  ¤ ¤Ã  ¥ Ã  ¤ ¯) includes literature in the various Central Zone Indo-Aryan languages which have writing systems. It is broadly classified into four prominent forms (styles) based on the date of production. They are; * Vir-Gathas (poems extolling brave warriors) – 11th–14th century * Bhakti era poems (devotional poems) – 14th–18th century * Riti or Srngar poems (poems of romance) – 18th–20th century * Adhunik literature (modern literature) – 20th century onwards The literature was produced in dialects such as Braj, Bundeli, Awadhi, Kannauji, Khariboli, Marwari, Angika, Vajjika, Maithili, Magahi and Bhojpuri.[1] From 20th century, works produced in Standard Hindi, a register of Hindustani, is sometimes regarded as the only basis of modern literature in Hindi.[2] Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, is a standardised and sanskritised register of the Hindustani language (Hindi-Urdu) that is associated with the Hindu religion. Hindustani is the native language of people living in Delhi, Haryana, Western Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, northeastern Madhya Pradesh, and parts of eastern Rajasthan,[4] and Hindi is one of the official languages of India Hindi literature is broadly divided into four prominent forms or styles, being Bhakti (devotional – Kabir, Raskhan); Shringar (beauty – Keshav, Bihari); Veer-Gatha (extolling brave warriors); and Adhunik (modern). Medieval Hindi literature is marked by the influence of Bhakti movement and the composition of long, epic poems. It was not written in the current dialect but in other Hindi languages, particularly in Avadhi and Braj Bhasha, but later also in Khariboli. During the British Raj, Hindustani became the prestige dialect. Hindustani with heavily Sanskritized vocabulary or Sahityik Hindi (Literary Hindi) was popularized by the writings of Swami Dayananda Saraswati, Bhartendu Harishchandra and others. The rising numbers of newspapers and magazines made Hindustani popular among the educated people. Chandrakanta, written by Devaki Nandan Khatri, is considered the first authentic work of prose in modern Hindi. The person who brought realism in the Hindi prose literature was Munshi Premchand, who is considered as the most revered figure in the world of Hindi fiction and progressive movement. The Dwivedi Yug (Age of Dwivedi) in Hindi literature lasted from 1900 to 1918. It is named after Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi, who played a major role in establishing the Modern Hindi language in poetry and broadening the acceptable subjects of Hindi poetry from the traditional ones of religion and romantic love. In the 20th century, Hindi literature saw a romantic upsurge. This is known as Chhayavaad (shadowism) and the literary figures belonging to this school are known as Chhayavaadi. Jaishankar Prasad, Suryakant Tripathi Nirala, Mahadevi Varma and Sumitranandan Pant, are the four major Chhayavaadi poets. Uttar Adhunik is the post-modernist period of Hindi literature, marked by a questioning of early trends that copied the West as well as the excessive ornamentation of the Chhayavaadi movement, and by a return to simple language and natural themes.

Sequences of Development Essay Example for Free

Sequences of Development Essay The explanation of the sequence and rate of aspect of development from birth to 19 years. Ans. Following the timeline given the below illustrates these sequence of development from birth : 0-6 months – At this stage, the baby has just come out of the womb. There is a huge reliance on the environment and the mother for the survival of the baby. The baby is learning aspects of movement and coordination. He/she is grasping more awareness of surroundings. Food and warmth is exclusively supplied by the mother. 6-9months – The awareness of him/her to the environment becomes sharper. The muscle coordination and movements of the baby become more definite. The baby becomes more â€Å"free† with the environment and interactive. At this stage the young tot can crawl and sit up confidently. 9-12 months – Judging by the baby’s growth, (physically and mentally), It can be said that he/she is moving into the â€Å"toddlers stage†. Here he/she is taking some steps gradually. This stage is quite important in infancy as the muscular development is getting quite advanced. The child is aware of other children around him/her and is interacting with them. 2-24 Months – A lot of more definite changes are happening in the child’s life at this stage. He/She is moving into a greater deal of psychological development. Also, the mental development at this stage is getting quite advanced. The child is learning how to be more reliant on his/her own judgements and interestingly, a lot of changes in behavior can be seen at this stage. The child i s much more aware about the environment and can choose options on what to play with, how to play e. t. c. He/she becomes more responsive to education as the brain is much more advanced at this stage and actually â€Å" is eager to learn educational stuff†. The stage is vital in getting a child educationally involved as he/she is â€Å"ready to take on† so to say. 2-3 Years A behavioural pattern emerges here. The child suddenly starts to become a bit resolute and wants to have his/her own way. There is a certain amount of self dependency that is seen here and not seen in earlier stages. It might give his/her parents a fright and they can start to think if there is something wrong with the child. The brain is getting much more developed and the child is eager to learn. There are definite physical changes as well. The body becomes less susceptible to easy injury as the child’s skin toughens. He/she also becomes more immune to infection. 3-5 Years – The child is thinking like a â€Å"mini adult†. There is more confidence in speech. More assertion in expressing self. The child is looking more at the â€Å"behavioural pattern† of his/her parents and other people he/she is in care with. This is one of the most if not, the most important stages in the childs growth pattern as this is where the â€Å" Character forming† element can begin and will definitely form the rest of the child’s life. The main concentration on children at this stage must definitely be a form of positive character development and essence on positive thinking and acting. The child will grown from this stage into more adult ways of thinking and positive self reliance will result. For instance, some children may start to learn how cook and feed themselves even at this stage!! As the physical out look of the child takes on a more mature form, the child’s identity starts to express itself and in a psychological and social sense, the child takes on his/her awareness of self. 5-8 years The child is taking on more responsibility and is seeing him or her self as â€Å"part of the world â€Å" so to speak. The environment takes on a different dimension with him or her and a lot more emphasis is given to friendships and what they mean. The behavioural pattern in the child at this stage is formed for life. The child is having his or her own identity and is willing to share it with the world. An opinion of things start to take form in his or her own mind and as a consequence, certain forms of behaviour emege. It is important to note that at this stage of the child’s development, he or she is directly influenced by what mum or dad says and can be heavily affected by what is said to him or her. This is the stage where abuse can be much more destructive. As he or she may form opinions and be influenced by them easily, life’s truths and hardships will need to be passed down in a very â€Å"gentle† manner to him or her so there is understanding that these steps are taken for the child’s own good. 9-11 Years – The difference between boys and girls between them individually and to each other start to appear sharper and more permanent. The girl child sees herself as more expressive, will start to â€Å"grow â€Å" (in clear psychological and social terms) more and be more assertive. Despite this show of bravado, there is still a huge reliance on adults especially the parent or guardian. The males in their own case , will take strength from being in packs and express themselves more openly. There is a clear segregation of the different sexes at this stage and probably for the first time, a clear distinction between the physical characteristics of each other start to appear to the male/female child and an hints of an attraction start to emerge although initially very very subtly. Despite all this, the child is still very very dependent on his/her mother indeed. 1-19 Years – These years are more environment dictated to the child’s development than ever before. As the child starts to see more of what adults do (especially in the mid teenage years), he or she copies and will start to act it out. For instance, a boy may start to take interest in adult discussions more than before and will be spending time asking dad and mum certain questions. It is essen tial that parents and guardians spend much more time with their teenage children in understanding†them. This has been a very important aspect that has been lacking in parent/children relationships over the years. As this child in this case grows up into ages 14,15, 16, there is a natural â€Å" I wan to know all† syndrome. The support of the parent in understanding the psyche of their children will greatly influence and help them in the child’s journey to becoming an adult. As this is a very important aspect of his/her life, every support must be given from other adults to let this teenager know that life isn’t that challenging as an adult and welcome him of her into this final stage of development in life as one of them with mistakes to learn from and life to live in. Difference in the â€Å"sequence and the rate of development† The sequence in development in a child show the journey through each stage of development in a child and how this child moves through them. The rate of development highlights the progressive time span the child develops from childhood into teenage years. †¢ An explanation of how children and young people’s development is influe nced by {a} A range of external factors : 1, Socioeconomics – The wealth status of a child’s parents and economic environment will inevitably reflect on the child’s development. Children do depend on food, water, warmth and a suitable environment to move about freely. In some countries in the world, this basic requirement is a tall order and inevitably, the level of development in these kids is adversely affected. The access to quality education could also be impeded hence affecting a child’s intellectual, mental progress in life 2, Nutrition – nothing needs be said much about this factor as it is impossible to child to grow as he or she should without adequate food and water. This is key as food and water do have the biggest role to play at this stage of a child’s life. This is not just about three square meals a day but also a balanced diet which will include Proteins, carbohydrates, mineral salts and vitamins. 3, Family and Society – The major psychological development in a child’s life is fed through his or her family (in this context the father, mother, brothers and sisters and cousins external family). As we learn certain ways of life and conduct from our family members, a child will inevitably, pick up certain forms of habits and behaviour which may or may not be socially favoured. The set of friends a child mixes with can also influence the way he or she sees things hence influences the level of development in his or her psyche. 4, Physical Environment – The environment has a part to pay in physical development and otherwise in a child as there are different elements that makes up an environment for a child. E. g some environments such as war zones may not be the best place to bring up a young child.. There have been very strong images of children in Sierra Leone carrying guns and shooting people at a very tender age. Also, it was reported that a lot of children died in Japan following the second world war due to heavy radiation from the atomic bomb . It is not difficult to see why it is said that a child is the product of his/her environment. (b) A range of personal factors 1, Pregnancy stage : If the child while in the womb has been dosed with cocktails and cocktails of drugs, this will in effect, affect the child long term. The child could develop problems with breathing or even more permanent damage to the blood or other organs in the body. This is found quite common in developed nations especially in the west e. g here in the UK. This will be a debilitating situation to the child in their later life. 2, Health – Health problems can be genetic or caused by environmental factors. If the environment a child is raised up is not conducive, the child can be adversely affected by suffering from different diseases such as Cholera, Measles, Polio and so on. In over crowded and poorly ventilated areas, airborne diseases such as asthma, tuberculosis may spread and affect children more easily. , Physical Disabilities – This applies especially in cases of mental disability e. g downs syndrome, degenerative mascular dystrophy and these can restrict a child from exercising their God given abilities to do certain things and carry out certain tasks. This can also be seen in physically disabled children as they are not able to run and perform certain physical tasks. Their development as individuals is severely affected. â € ¢ How Current Practice is influenced by A) Theories of development There are many theories in which the most important influential factors ffecting the growth of children and young ones are based. For simplicity, they can be put into three broad areas which cover what the earlier child behavioural psychologists and sociologists based their conclusions. In terms of children’s educational needs ( on which this question is based on), there are three main areas to consider : 1, Maturationist Theory : This theory is based on the work carried out by Arnold Gessell. He advocated that the development occurs due to biological factors in predictable, sequential stages over time (Hunt 1969). The general belief by child education specialists is that children will learn automatically and naturally as they grow older (Farquhar and Stein,1993). With this theory comes the preparation of children at certain times for basic education. If a child can recite the alphabet, then they are with time and patience by the parents and guardians due for Schol. It is a very stage related progress. Being ready for nursery school, will be a stage when they can perform well in Arithmetic (sums) and can also display a good grasp of basic word spelling. In the current time, this is a method used or applied by schools for children when they seem to be lagging behind on the average level of learning. (2) Environmentalist Theory : With the environmental influence as stated earlier playing a significant part in the overall growth and development of a child, the educational side is revealed by John Watson and B. F Skinner for example, as a contributory factor. The idea is that children learn a lot from their environment and surroundings and as a result, can pick up â€Å"inspiration† in learning from how they can correlate what they learn with what goes on around them. An example of this is when the child can respond to what is on going in the class room that child has been placed. Learning qualification so to speak is based on what the child can see happening around him or her rather than an actual educational assessment. An example of this is the assessment given to children back in Africa in the 1960/70’s. In order to qualify for Primary School education, the child is asked to place his arm over his head in order to see if the hand can reach the ear lobe on the other side of the head. If the ear lobe is reachable, the child is accepted wether in the real sense of the word of assessment he is qualified or not. Children that suffer from slower learning under this theory are brought to be encouraged to use the environment around them as a teaching tool. (3) Constructivist Theory : The theory relates to the idea that children pick up learning attributes for development faster by interacting with friends and family In other words, the rate of learning is faster if the child can see close family as mum and dad as well as close friends around him or her while study. Theorists such as Jean Piaget and Maria Montessori conclude that the children actually â€Å"initiate† the whole learning process. An example can be seen when a toddler suddenly picks up a plastic bowl toy from the ground and places the lid on top. Parents can encourage their children in story telling activities at home and other activities that encourage reading out letters and counting. In the event of difficulty in learning, the child is given more close assessment and detailed teaching guides are put in place to give the young tot some more rigorous level of coaching.

Some Of The Models And Frameworks For Reflection Education Essay

Some Of The Models And Frameworks For Reflection Education Essay Having established the need for experiential knowledge that arises out of reflection, this handout is exploring some of the models structures and frameworks that can facilitate the reflective process. However, before we explore these frameworks some important distinctions are needed to be made about different types of reflection. Edgar Schon, an influential writer on reflection, described reflection in two main ways: reflection in action and reflection on action. Reflection on action is looking back after the event whilst reflection in action is happening during the event. To complicate matters there are different interpretations of reflection on action. Lets now explore these terms. Reflection in action means To think about what one is doing whilst one is doing it; it is typically stimulated by surprise, by something which puzzled the practitioner concerned(Greenwood, 1993). Reflection in action allows the practitioner to redesign what he/ she is doing whilst he/she is doing it. This is commonly associated with experienced practitioners. However, it is much neglected. Reflection on action is defined as: The retrospective contemplation of practice undertaken in order to uncover the knowledge used in practical situations, by analysing and interpreting the information recalled (Fitzgerald, 1994pp67) We can see here that reflection on action involves turning information into knowledge, by conducting a cognitive post mortem. Alternatively Boyd Fales suggest reflection on action is: The process of creating and clarifying the meanings of experiences in terms of self in relation to both self and world. The outcome of this process is changed conceptual perspectives (Boyd Fales, 1983pp101) We see here that Boyd and Fales focus more on self development. Here refection does not only add to our knowledge but challenges the concepts and theories we hold. Furthermore as a result we dont see more, we see differently. Atkins and Murphy (1994) take this idea one step further and suggest that for reflection to make a real difference to practice we follow this with a commitment to action as a result. The problems with these views of reflection on action are that they do not take account of the importance of reflection before action. This is when we plan out before we act what we want to do. So what have we learnt about reflection? It can best be seen as: Reflection before action Reflection in action Reflection after action. Now lets see which frameworks best support these approaches. Gibbs Framework for Reflection (Linked with the core skills of reflection) Stage 1: Description of the event Describe in detail the event you are reflecting on. Include e.g. where were you; who else was there; why were you there; what were you doing; what were other people doing; what was the context of the event; what happened; what was your part in this; what parts did the other people play; what was the result. Stage 2: Feelings and Thoughts (Self awareness) At this stage, try to recall and explore those things that were going on inside your head. Include: How you were feeling when the event started? What you were thinking about at the time? How did it make you feel? How did other people make you feel? How did you feel about the outcome of the event? What do you think about it now? Stage 3: Evaluation Try to evaluate or make a judgement about what has happened. Consider what was good about the experience and what was bad about the experience or what did or didnt go so well Stage 4: Analysis Break the event down into its component parts so they can be explored separately. You may need to ask more detailed questions about the answers to the last stage. Include: What went well? What did you do well? What did others do well? What went wrong or did not turn out how it should have done? In what way did you or others contribute to this? Stage 5: Conclusion (Synthesis) This differs from the evaluation stage in that now you have explored the issue from different angles and have a lot of information to base your judgement. It is here that you are likely to develop insight into you own and other peoples behaviour in terms of how they contributed to the outcome of the event. Remember the purpose of reflection is to learn from an experience. Without detailed analysis and honest exploration that occurs during all the previous stages, it is unlikely that all aspects of the event will be taken into account and therefore valuable opportunities for learning can be missed. During this stage you should ask yourself what you could have done differently. Stage 6: Action Plan During this stage you should think yourself forward into encountering the event again and to plan what you would do would you act differently or would you be likely to do the same? Here the cycle is tentatively completed and suggests that should the event occur again it will be the focus of another reflective cycle Gibbs model incorporates all the core skills of reflection. Arguably it is focused on reflection on action, but with practice it could be used to focus on reflection in and before action. Bortons` (1970) Framework Guiding Reflective Activities What? So What? Now what? This is the descriptionand self awarenesslevel and all questions start with the word what This is the level of analysisand evaluation when we look deeper at what was behind the experience. This is the level of synthesis.Here we build on the previous levels these questions to enable us to consider alternative courses of action and choose what we are going to do next. Examples What happened? What did I do? What did other do? What was I trying to achieve? What was good or bad about the experiences Examples So what is the importance of this? So what more do I need to know about this? So what have I learnt about this Examples Now what could I do? Now what do I need to do? Now what might I do? Now what might be the consequences of this action? Bortons model incorporates all the core skills of reflection. Arguably it is focused on reflection on action, but with practice it could be used to focus on reflection in and before action. Johns Model of Structured Refection Chris Johns (1994; 1995) model arose from his work in the Burford Nursing Development Unit in the early 1990s. He envisaged this model as being used within a process of guided reflection. His focus was about uncovering and making explicit the knowledge that we use in our practice. He adopted some earlier work by Carper (1978) who looked at ways of knowing in nursing. Ways of knowing Cues Aesthetics the art of what we do, our own experiences What was I trying to achieve? Why did I respond as I did? What were the consequences of that for the patient? Others? Myself? How was this person (people) feeling? How did I Know this? Personal self awareness How did I feel in this situation? What internal factors were influencing me? Ethics moral knowledge How did my actions match my beliefs? What factors made me act in an incongruent way? Empirics scientific What knowledge did or should have informed me? The framework uses five cue questions which are then divided into more focuses to promote detailed reflection. Cue Questions 1. Description of the experience Phenomenon describe the here and now experience Casual what essential factors contributed to this experience? Context what are the significant background factors to this experience? Clarifying what are the key processes for reflection in this experience? 2. Reflection What was I trying to achieve? Why did I intervene as I did? What were the consequences of my actions for: Myself? The patient / family? The people I work with? How did I feel about this experience when it was happening? How did the patient feel about it? How do I know how the patient felt about it? 3. Influencing factors What internal factors influenced my decision making? What external factors influenced my decision making? What sources of knowledge did / should have influenced my decision making? 4. Evaluation: Could I have dealt with the situation better? What other choices did I have? What would be the consequences of these choices? 5. Learning How do I now feel about this experience? How have I made sense of this experience in light of past experiences and future practice? How has this experience changed my ways of knowing Empirics scientific Ethics moral knowledge Personal self awareness Aesthetics the art of what we do, our own experiences Smyths Framework for Reflection on Action Activity Cues Describe What did I do? Inform (Analysis) What does this mean? Confront (Self awareness) How did I come to be like this? Reconstruct (Evaluation and Synthesis) What do my practices say about my assumptions, values and beliefs? Where did these ideas come from? What social practices are expressed in these ideas? What is it that causes me to maintain my theories What views of power do they embody? Whose interests seem to be served by my practices? What is it that acts to constrain my views of what is possible in my practice? We can see with a number of models they go through, some, or all of the following phases. Descriptive phase Reflective phase Emancipator phase Processes Description of practice events Reflective analysis against espoused theories Critique of practice regarding conflicts distortions and inconsistencies Examination of descriptions for genuiness and comprehensiveness Reflective analysis of the situations Reflective analysis of intentions Engagement in emancipatory change process Products Descriptive accounts/narrative Knowledge about practice processes and applications Learning and change in practice Self awareness Self critique and emancipation Phases in critical reflective inquiry Kim 1999

Analytical Toos/Charts for Law Enforcement Intelligence :: essays research papers

A Demographic Analysis gives information about an areas population in relation to the ages, race, gender, income, ethnic origin, and level of education. The demographic analysis is mostly used for strategic assessment and long term planning for law enforcement. The reason for analyzing this type of information is to predict by the indicators of the population the threat of criminal activity within an area. If it is known that the male population between the ages of 18 to 23 with an income of $30,000 or more are more likely to participate in drag racing and the population of an area just increased with these factors than the potential for accidents due to road racing will probably increase. By using the demographic analysis, the law enforcement agency can save lives and decrease the criminal activity before it is to late.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An Event Flow Analysis depicts events listed chronology. Most of the time the event flow analysis is used for one particular criminal activity. This type of analysis can show how a criminal activity is leading up to (or leading away from) another activity. This kind of analysis can be done as events unfold, because you have to wait for the events to occur, or you can demonstrate the events that have already occurred and conclude that the probability of another occurrence is likely.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A Telephone Record Analysis is an analysis that is built by collecting of telephone bills or nonaudio wire receipts. This type of analysis is a good way to find out what organizations or individuals a criminal is calling and can identify conspirators or other individuals that are that the criminal is either selling illegal merchandise to or buying it from.

Health Care Interpreting Essays -- Communication, Bilingual People, Tr

Introduction As the demand of health-care interpreting is growing, health institutions need more professional medical interpreters. As an interpreter, however, many untrained bilingual people interpret between the patients and the medical practitioners in medical setting in Korea. When the interpreters who are related to the patient interpret for the patient and the medical practitioners, impartiality sometimes is challenged because it is difficult to adhere to neutrality when their relatives or friends are involved. This paper is aiming to figure out the principle of impartiality which seems to be most challenged and consequences of using relatives and friends as the interpreter drawn from my own interpreting experience in medical settings. Description When I was in Korea, I used to be a volunteer interpreter in international clinic. As a volunteer interpreter, my job was not demanded professional medical interpreting skills. One day, I got a call from a nurse who had a foreign patient. She told me that the patient was an English man and he needed an interpreter when he sees a doctor. The nurse also said that this consultation did not contain serious or difficult medical terminology. When I went to the waiting room, I recognized that he is my former English professor. He also remembered me so we exchanged greetings. While we were exchanging greetings, the nurse asked about our relationship and I told her that I took his class in last semester. When the nurse heard my story, she said that it might be good if the patient has a company who know him. At that time, I thought that our relationship, professor and student, would not be a problem to be an interpreter for him. Therefore, I showed him into the doctor’s room and started ... ... the patient. As a matter of situation and literature, I believe that the interpreters should not take an assignment which is related to the interpreter in medical setting. However, if the relationship with the patient is leading to successful consequences, the interpreters should take an assignment as the patient’s needed. Conclusion The top priority of the medical interpreters is removing language barrier between the medical practitioners and the patients and helping the patients to treat properly. Indeed, impartiality can be challenged in medical setting. However, some articles are pointed out that the interpreter who is related to the patient is not always harmful to the patients and the medical practitioners. Therefore, when the medical interpreters take an assignment, they should consider what the best is for the patients and the medical practitioners.

Exterior of the Crystal Palace Essay -- Architecture

Crystal Palace, Exterior The Crystal Palace was dismantled and rebuilt in Sydenham after the closing of the Fair and stood there until 1936 when it was destroyed by fire. Although it is no longer standing today, this structure is documented in photographs such as this one, through which it can continue to influence the worlds of architecture and engineering. The Great Exhibition of 1851 was the first event of its kind, bringing together people from all over the earth in an environment of peace and intellectual stimulation. Conceived as an "Exhibition of the Works of all Nations", the Great Exhibition was the brainchild of Prince Albert and Henry Cole of England. Queen Victoria's husband, his mind always "bent towards the artistic", was easily convinced by Cole to take on this event of massive proportions (Beaver, 11). As President of the Society of Arts, the Prince had played a large role in the exhibitions of 1847, 1848, and 1849. When a Royal Commission was formed in 1850, he was again chosen as President. Consequently, when Cole proposed a larger British Exhibition for the year 1851, he looked to the Prince for approval (Beaver, 11). The idea of a National Exhibition did not originate with the British, but with the French, who had organized the first exhibition of national products as early as 1798 and had held an exposition every five years since the beginning of the century. The fair in 1849 was particularly well organized and Cole hastily took leave to Paris to observe this event. He found that the initial plans for the 1851 Exposition in London were far too naà ¯ve, and if the British wanted to surpass the French, they must set their sights higher. The original site for the Great Exposition was to be the courtyard of... ...in Hyde Park for the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, 1851. London: Victoria and Albert Museum. 1972. Hitchcock, Henry Russell. The Crystal Palace: the structure, its antecedents and its immediate progeny: and exhibition. Northampton, Mass.: Smith College Museum of Art, 1952. Hobhouse, Christopher. 1851 and the Crystal Palace; being an account of the Great Exhibition and its contents; of Sir Joseph Paxton; and the erection, the subsequent history and the destruction of his masterpiece. London, Murray, 1950. Hyman, Isabelle; Trachtenberg, Marvin. Architecture. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc. 1986. Newhall, Beaumont. The History of Photography: from 1839 to the present. New York: Museum of Modern Art. 1982. Smithsonian. India Trough the Lens: Photography 1840-1911. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. February 2001.

Psychoanalytical Reading at Roald Dahl Short Stories Essay

Psychoanalytical Reading Psychoanalysis is a theory that was found by psychologist and neurologist in the 19th century who came from Austria, Siegmund Freud. As a psychologist, in dealing his patients, Sigmund Freud always give questions and analyze every problem that they face, so he then get a lot of bright spots which states that personal experiences that they experienced as a child, have an impact in influencing the personality of a person when they was growing up. Based on that statement is then also can be concluded that the events of the past or a person’s life experience can affect their psychological condition, and consequently impact on the activities that will performed by the patient in the future. The statement above is one of the applications of the theory of psychoanalysis to the psychology of someone who is discovered by Freud. This case was also found in one of the famous writer on the Victorian era, Roald Dahl. The story of a childhood that passed by him regarded as a trigger of ideas for Dahl in composing children stories that are very well known until this time, such as Matilda, George’s Marvelous Medicine, The Witches, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, and some of his work that is quite popular. Roald Dahl was born in Llandaff, Wales, on September 13, 1916. He was born from a family to a Norwegian. He was the son of the second wife of his father, Harald Dahl, and is the only son in the family. In his works, Roald Dahl describes his parents as being strong or as parents is very great. In the book Boy: Tales of Childhood, in telling that his father figure was superb, although his father lost his left hand, he is very adept at writing diaries, sculpt, and gardening. Dahl’s father died when he was 3 years old. Since his father’s death, the figure of a mother became the savior of their families. In her memoirs, recounted that Dahl has a very close relationship to his mother. For Dahl, his mother is someone who has the strength, which is responsible and very caring towards his family and his children. For example, the character of Grandmother in the story of The Witches is a picture of Roald Dahl’s mother. Dahl considers that the figure of the mother  is ver y valuable for them and can provide a convenience. The chosen short story that used by the writer in this essay is Boy: Tales of Childhood, which is one of the works of Roald Dahl that tells about the life of his childhood. This short story may be said to be the autobiography of Roald Dahl, but in the book Boy: Tales of Childhood, Dahl explains that this book is not an autobiography of him, but just a story about memories of his live gone through as a child, starting a story about his father, Harald Dahl, a tremendous diary-writer, the birth of a Roald Dahl, to the story of his school years until he left school at the age of 20. In this critical essay, the writer will criticize Boy: Tales of Childhood (1984), a story that tells about the early life of Dahl. Theory analysis used by the writer is the theory of psychoanalysis proposed by Sigmund Freud and utilizes the issues of the psychology of Dahl and the effect of his authorship. Writing can absolutely reflect the author’s psychological problem, or basically, his/her biggest desire or fear. It is explained in the quotation below that in a piece of writing, we can search for: Evidence of unresolved emotions, psychological conflicts, guilts, ambivalences, and so forth within what may well be a disunified literary work. The author’s own childhood traumas, family life, sexual conflicts, fixations, and such will be traceable within the behavior of the characters in the literary work. But psychological material will be expressed indirectly, disguised, or encoded (as in dreams) through principles such as â€Å"symbolism† (the repressed object represented in disguise), â€Å"condensation† (several thoughts or persons represented in a single image), and â€Å"displacement† (anxiety located onto another image by means of association). (Delahoyde 2011) Therefore, Boy: Tales of Childhood can be a basic source to find an issue from his unconscious. Based on that case, the writer raised issues about the state of psychology and experiences faced by Dahl when he was still sitting in school at the age of 7-18 years and the impact to the his authorship of children’s literature. The specific issue is about bully since the book  tells about it and later, I find that issue occurs in some other books by Dahl. During his childhood, Dahl was including as a resilient and strong kid, because in every level of education that he went through, from elementary, junior high, and high school, Dahl had always found himself bullied by people who are more mature than Dahl, such as seniors or boazers, matron, the hallway guard, and headmaster. Began when he attended Llandaff Cathedral School, where he was once punished by the headmaster, Dahl had to get strokes with a cane on his ass for what he did because Dahl is known to have tricked a woman selling sweets and candy in the they town, because the seller, Mrs. Pratchett, never show politeness and unfriendly to kids and costumers. Then, while attending St. Peter School when he was 9 years old, he also received harsh treatment from the guards/matron, masters, and the headmaster. One act of bullying that he got was when the school Latin teacher, Captain Hardcastle, Dahl accused of cheating while working on a writing assignment, but by Dahl was borrow his pen to a friend who broke his side. Because of allegations that, Dahl back should feel to get stroke with a cane on his ass AGAIN! The last, when he entered a public school in Derbyshire, Paxton, Dahl also harassment, insult and mockery, from the masters. The same ritual is contained in the boazers schools and principals als o punish students with strokes with a cane, but fortunately the same experience gained by Dahl had previously made ​​him cautious in every action that he did. It could be said in this case, past events or experiences that ever passed by Dahl when his school years were filled with unpleasant actions of the school officials, it could be a strong reason for the figure of a Dahl to write the story works containing about rudeness, or which is now better known as Bullying by adults or people who have a higher authority on children. In the two works which Dahl wrote, Matilda (1992) and George’s Marvelous Medicine (1981), we can see that the theme of both of these stories is  bullying, where the two characters in the works, Matilda and George had felt the bullying from people who are more mature than them both. Matilda always received harsh treatment from both the parents and her headmaster, and George have always had nagging and scolding of the grandmother who is not like him. In both of story above, Dahl used his childhood experiences in school to raise an issue, bullying and anti-bullying. It was concluded that Dahl wants to tell and invite readers, especially young readers, to be able to resist the actions of bullies from the other people. In conclusion, the writier end up using psychoanalytic theory of evidence that Roald Dahl uses his life experiences, especially when he was a child to adolescence as a matter of helping him find his ideas in writing his works. Thus, the state of a person’s psychology, personal experiences, is it good or bad experiences, can affect the activities to be gone through in the future, and sure enough, Dahl uses his school experience which can be considered extremely unpleasant and other matters as the originator the presence of the works he wrote. REFERENCES Dahl, Roald (1984). Boy: Tales of Childhood. Penguin Book Ltd: London Minderop, Albertine (2010). Psikologi Sastra: Karya Sastra, Metode, Teori, dan Contoh Kasus. Yayasan Pustaka Obor Indonesia: Jakarta Abrams, M.H (1999). A Glossary of Literary Term: Seventh Edition. Hcnle & Heinle: United State of America

Leadership and Organization Behavior Essay

There are many business organizations that are started on various occasions, but only a few turn out to be successful organizations. The success or failure of an organization can mostly be associated with leadership. Leaders make a very big impact in the organization. The importance of leadership is recognized when the organization is going through some moments like crisis or serious changes, depending on how the issue will be handled. We can not just assume that leadership in the organization is shown at the top management, but even to the lower levels in the organization. Despite the importance of leadership, there has been no agreement on the definition of leadership in the organization. However, leadership can be defined as a means used to coarse people in the organization, without applying force, to work towards the attainment of the organizational goals, by motivating them. Non coercive method implies the leaders should make the people to follow them on a voluntary basis (Glasser, 2008). A leader influences a particular group to work towards achieving particular goals. Leadership does not depend on a formal authority or the title, but rather they carry out their tasks by applying leadership attributes such as; values, believes, knowledge, character, ethic and skills. The position of a manager, supervisor, leader etc give them the authority to accomplish certain goals and tasks in the organization, the power of manager lead or supervisor to accomplish organization goals does not make them leaders but simply they make themselves bosses. Leadership makes the followers want to make higher goals. Selfless services and honorable characters to the organization form the basis of good leadership. Respected leaders concentrate on what they know (such as jobs tasks and human nature), what they are (such as character and believes) and what they do (such as motivating implementing and providing directions. ). The qualities of a leader influence the followers to follow him. Followers want to be guided by the people whom they respect and have clear sense of directions. Leaders must be ethical in order to gain respect from their followers. Sense of directions among the leaders is achieved through conveying a strong vision of future (Glasser, 2008). Employee satisfaction in an organization can be predicted by the level of confidence and trust in the top leadership and effective communication. Effective communication helps to win organization confidence and trust which occurs through making the employees to become aware and understand the overall strategies of the organization, assisting the employees understand their roles which can contribute to the achievement of organizational goals and objectives and the information sharing between the employees and the leaders on how the organization is performing and how their departments are doing relative to the strategic goals of the organization. Therefore a leader must be able to communicate the vision of the organization and must be trustworthy. Good leaders need to concentrate the three attributes of leadership i. e. what they are, what they know and what they do. These attributes can be achieved by following the leadership principles. According to principles of leadership a leader is supposed to know himself and seek room for self improvement. A leader can know himself if he understands the principles of leadership. Seeking room for self improvement means that the leaders have to continuously strengthen their attributes. This can be achieved through interaction with others, reflection, self study and formal classes. Secondly the leaders must be technically proficient. Leaders are required to have a solid familiarity with their follower’s tasks and know their job (Nelson & Quick, 2007). Leaders must seek and take responsibilities of their action. They must such ways in which to guide their organization to achieve new heights. When things in the organization goes wrong leaders are not supposed to blame their followers or their fellow leaders but rather they should analyze the situation and come up with corrective response and be prepared to move into the next challenge. Leaders should make timely and sound decisions by use of good strategies of decision making solving problems and planning tools. Good leaders should set good role models by setting examples to others. They must see what they are expected to do not only hearing the changes they want to see. Leaders should know their people and care for their well being. They should know the human nature and take the responsibility for caring for their followers. Leaders are supposed to establish good communication with their followers. Communicating is a key responsibility in making sure that tasks are accomplished, supervised and understood. Team building and development of team spirit assist the leaders in employing their sections, organization, department etc to their fullest capabilities. Leaders should have an honest understanding of leadership attributes. They must also understand that determination of whether a leader is successful or not lies on the followers and not upon themselves. Followers are likely to get inspired if they lack confidence or trust in their leaders. Leaders are supposed to convince and set good example to their followers in order to become successful and be followed. Leaders lead through a two way communication between them and their followers sometimes communication between these two parties is non verbal. An example is when a leader sets a good example to the follower. The leader in this case does not necessarily require asking the follower on what to do about what himself is not willing to do. The way and how the leaders communicate with their followers improve or harm the relationship between them. Leaders are supposed to understand their followers in order to apply their leadership skills different followers would require different leadership styles. This means that a new employee may require more guidance and supervision than an experienced one. Also non motivated workers would require more motivation than motivated workers. Therefore the leader must understand the human nature through establishing the follower’s emotions, motivation and needs. Leader’s requiring to develop strategies on the possible cause of action for different situations (Nelson & Quick, 2007). The success of any leadership is determined in the degree in which the leaders are able to motivate the others. Motivation among the employees leads to work satisfaction. An organization may incur big losses if it looses its employees and therefore the key function of the leaders and the managers should be motivating the right people to remain and join the organization. Motivation directly affects the out put of an organization and this concerns both the quality and the quantity. The leaders and managers therefore need to understand how to motivate the followers according to the roles they play (Miner, 2005). The survival of an organization is determined by the motivation of the employees. On the other hand reinforcement focuses on the maintenance of motivation. The basic assumption in motivation are that the positive behavior among the followers that resulted to rewarding will be repeated and therefore negative behavior that resulted to negative consequences are less likely to be repeated. Certain behavior can be intensified and strengthened through reinforcement. Rewards and punishment are applied depending on whether certain behaviors occurred or did not occur. The role of the leaders is to strengthen the positive behavior through reinforcement (Miner, 2005). The employees and the leaders working in an organization have different characteristics. Leaders must learn how to manage the employee in their organization. The leadership skills that are acquired in schools are not sufficient to lead and manage the employees. Therefore training is important in order to ensure that individual objectives are aligned with organization objectives. To achieve this skills and knowledge are imparted to individuals. Goal setting on the other hand helps in defining the organization, give the direction to be followed and avoid chaos. Setting of organizational goals can help the leaders to motivate the employees by communicating what the organization have planned to achieve and through providing basis for recognition, success and achievements (Nelson & Quick, 2007). Goal setting helps in effectiveness of recruiting the followers. Team building results to many potential benefits which include; consensus building brain storming, looking at the problem from different perspective, trial and error, expert knowledge etc. employees are more encouraged to bring their work at the conference table and therefore they are likely to work harder. Leaders must ensure that there is an attitude of respect and tolerance for the ideas of the team member in the organization culture. The employees feel free in sharing their ideas with the team members when they help each other to succeed. Effective leadership helps in the success of the organizations. If there is no good leadership the organization may move too slow, become stagnant or even loose their direction. Timely decision making ensures that the running of organization is going on well. Leaders must ensure that decision making are correct, complete and involves all the stakeholders for the success of the organization (Nelson & Quick, 2007).

Bentton Group

From the book: Managerial Accounting for Managers by Noreen, Brewer, and Garrison Research and Application 5-34 The questions in this exercise are based on the Benetton Group, a company headquartered in Italy and known in the United States primarily for one of its brands of fashion apparel-United Colors of Benetton. To answer the questions, you will need to download the Benetton Group’s 2004 Annual Report at www. benetton. com/investors . You do not need to print this document to answer the questions. Required: 1. How do the formats of the income statements shown on pages 33 and 50 of Benetton’s annual report differ from one another (disregard everything beneath the line titled â€Å"income from operations†)? Which expenses shown on page 50 appear to have been reclassified as variable selling costs on page 33? 2. Why do you thing cost of sales is included in the computation of contribution margin on page 33? 3. Perform two separate computations of Benetton’s break-even point in euros. For the first computation, use data from 2003. For the second computation, use data from 2004. Why do the numbers that you computed differ from one another? 4. What sales volume would have been necessary in 2004 for Benetton to attain a target income from operations of â‚ ¬300 million? 5. Compute Benetton’s margin of safety using data from 2003 and 2004. Why do your answers for the two years differ from one another? 6. What is Benetton’s degree of operating leverage in 2004? If Benetton’s sales in 2004 had been 6% higher than what is shown in the annual report, what income from operations would the company have earned? What percentage increase in income from operations does this represent? 7. What income from operations would Benetton have earned in 2004 if it had invested an additional â‚ ¬10 million in advertising and promotions and realized a 3% increase in sales? As an alternative, what income from operations would Benetton have earned if it not only invested an additional â‚ ¬10 million in advertising and promotions but also raised its sales commission rate to 6% of sales, thereby generating a 5% increase in sales? Which of these two scenarios would have been preferable for Benetton? . Assume that total sales in 2004 remained unchanged at â‚ ¬1,686 million (as shown on pages 33 and 50); however, the Casual sector sales were â‚ ¬1,554 million, the Sportswear and Equipment sector sales were â‚ ¬45million, and the Manufacturing and Other sector sales were â‚ ¬87 million. What income from operations would Benetton have earned with this sales mix? (Hint: look at pages 36 and 37 of the annual report. ) Why is the income from operations under this scenario different from what is shown in the annual report?

Succubus Blues CHAPTER 10

Jesus. What had I been thinking? I had to work today. Not only that, I had to work in ten minutes. I had no time for â€Å"real† clothing or makeup. With a sigh, I shape-shifted form, my robe giving way to gray slacks and an ivory blouse, hair and makeup suddenly done to my normal, immaculate perfection. Brushing my teeth and adding perfume could not be faked, and after performing those tasks, I grabbed my purse and sprinted out. When I reached my lobby, the desk clerk called out to me. â€Å"Got something for you.† He handed over a flat parcel. Still conscious of the time, I quickly tore at the wrapping and stifled a gasp at what I found. Black Velvet Paint by Number Kit, read the package. A subheading proclaimed: Create Your Own Masterpiece! Contains Everything You Need to Paint Just Like a Real Artist! The â€Å"masterpiece† I could create depicted a desert landscape with a giant cactus to one side and a howling coyote on the other. An eagle soared in the sky, and a ghostly, disembodied Native American head floated nearby. Terribly stereotyped and cheesy. A small piece of paper had been taped to it. Start small, the note said. Love, Roman. The writing was so perfect as to be unreal. I was still chuckling when I got to work. In my office, I settled in front of the computer and discovered a second morning surprise: another e-mail from Seth. It had been sent at five in the morning. Georgina, A few years ago, while writing Gods of Gold, I met a woman at a class I took on South American archaeology. I don't know how it is for women; it's probably not even always the same for us men. But for me, when I meet someone I'm attracted to, time stands still. The planets come into alignment, and I stop breathing. The angels themselves descend to sit upon my shoulders, whispering promises of love and devotion while less heavenly creatures whisper promises of an earthier, baser nature. I guess that's part of being a man. Anyway, that was what happened with this woman. We fell pretty hard for each other and dated off and on for a very long time. Some days we wouldn't be able to leave each other's side for more than a minute, and then later, months would go by without any sort of contact. I have to confess, this latter behavior was more my fault than hers. I mentioned before that Cady and O'Neill are demanding. During phases when I was hot into my writing, I wouldn't be able to think about or do anything else that didn't involve my novel. I knew it hurt her – knew she was the kind of person who wanted to settle down and start a family, live a quiet and committed life. I was not that kind of person – I'm not even sure I am now – but I liked the idea of always having someone around, someone reliable who I could call up when I was finally ready to make time. It really wasn't fair to do that to her, always leave her hanging like that. I should have ended things early on, but I was too selfish and too comfortable. One day, after not having spoken to her in a few months, I called her up and was astonished to hear a man answer the phone. When she came on the line, she told me she'd met someone else and wouldn't be able to see me anymore. To say I was shocked would be an understatement. I started rambling, going on and on about how much I cared for her, how she couldn't throw away what we had. She took it all pretty nicely, considering what a psycho I must have sounded like, but in the end, she closed things by saying I shouldn't have expected her to wait forever. She had her own life to live. The reason I share this embarrassing tale from the canon of Seth Mortensen is twofold. First, I need to apologize to you for what happened tonight. In spite of my grumblings, I really did intend to meet you. A couple hours before the game, I ran home to get something and suddenly thought of a solution to the snag that had been blocking me all day. I sat down to write, only planning to spend an hour on it. As you might be guessing by now, it took a lot longer than that. I got so caught up that I completely forgot about the game – and about you. I never heard my phone ring. I wasn't aware of anything else except getting the story out on paper (or rather, my screen). This, I'm afraid, is a problem I frequently have. It happened with my ex, it happens with my family, and unfortunately, it happened with you. Don't even get my brother started about how I nearly missed his wedding. The worlds and people in my head are so alive to me that I lose track of the real world. Sometimes I'm not even convinced Cady and O'Neill's world isn't the real one. I never mean to hurt people, and I feel terrible afterward, but it is a failing I can't seem to overcome. None of this justifies abandoning you last night, but I hoped this might offer some insight into my unbalanced worldview. Please understand how very sorry I am. My second reason for the memoir is to address your comment about Cady â€Å"getting some.† In thinking about her and O'Neill, I decided that Cady wasn't the kind of person who would wait around forever either. Now, don't get me wrong: I don't think Cady and my ex-girlfriend have a lot in common. Cady isn't looking to settle in the suburbs and pick out curtains with O'Neill. But, she is a bright and passionate woman, who loves life, and wants to live it. A lot of people were upset to see her break out of her devoutly chaste, puppy-at-O'Neill's-side role, but I think she had to do it. Let's face it: O'Neill takes her for granted, and he needed a wake-up call. Now, does this mean steps are being made to finally bring them together, as so many readers have asked? Naturally, as their creator, my lips are sealed on that, but I can say this: I have a lot more books with them in mind, and readers tend to lose interest when protagonists hook up. – Seth P.S. – By the way, I bought the condo. Mistee was so excited that she took me on the spot, and we made love all over the granite countertops. P.P.S. – All right, I'm making up that last part. Like I said, I'm a man. And a writer. My eyes still heavy with sleep, I sluggishly pondered the letter's message. Seth had had a serious girlfriend. Wow. That shouldn't have surprised me, especially considering the sex scenes he wrote. I mean, he couldn't have pulled them all out of imagination. Still, it was hard to picture introverted Seth participating in all the social exchanges normally required of a long-term relationship. And then the other part, his reasons for not showing. What to think of those? He was right in saying his burst of inspiration was no excuse for what he had done. The explanation did take away some of the sting, however, moving him from rude to simply thoughtless. No, maybe thoughtless was too harsh. Scattered, that was it. Perhaps scattered wasn't such a bad thing, I mused, since ignoring the real world allowed him to work on the written one. I just didn't know. I pondered all this for the rest of the morning, my anger from last night growing cold in the wake of time passing and my speculation on a brilliant writer's mind. By the time lunch rolled around, I realized I had gotten over the hockey mishap. He had not intended the neglect, and it wasn't like my night had turned out too badly after all. Around late afternoon, Warren came trolling around. â€Å"No,† I said immediately, recognizing the look in his eyes. I hated his presumption, yet always found myself eerily drawn to it. â€Å"I'm in a terrible mood.† â€Å"I'll make you feel better.† â€Å"I told you, I'm too bitchy.† â€Å"I like you bitchy.† The succubus feeding instinct began waking up. I swallowed, annoyed at it and my own weakness. â€Å"And I'm really busy. There are†¦ things†¦ I should do†¦Ã¢â‚¬  My excuse sounded halfhearted, though, and Warren apparently recognized that. He walked over to me and knelt by my chair, running a hand over my thigh. I wore thin, silky slacks, and the feel of his fingers stroking me through that smooth material was almost more sensual than on bare skin. â€Å"How was your date the other night?† he murmured, moving his mouth up to my ear and then my neck. I arched my head obligingly, in spite of my best resistance, liking the way his mouth grew fiercer against my skin, his teeth just teasing me. He was far from being a boyfriend but was still the closest I had to any sort of consistent relationship. That meant something. â€Å"Fine.† â€Å"Did you fuck him?† â€Å"No. I slept alone, alas.† â€Å"Good.† â€Å"He's coming back tonight, though. For the dance lesson.† â€Å"Really?† Warren unbuttoned the top two buttons of my blouse, revealing a pale pink lace bra. His fingertips traced the shape of one of my breasts, following its inner curve down to where it met the other one. Then he moved his hand up to that breast, playing with the nipple through the lace. I closed my eyes, surprised at my swelling desire. After helping Hugh close the contract with Martin, I wouldn't have thought I'd need a fix so soon. Yet, the hunger tugged ever so slightly within me, mingled with lust. Pure instinct. â€Å"We'll introduce him to Maria.† Maria was Warren's wife. The thought of passing Roman off on her was too funny. â€Å"You sound jealous,† I teased. I pulled Warren toward me, and he responded by pushing me on top of the desk. I moved my hands down to unfasten his pants. â€Å"I am,† he grunted. Leaning over, he pulled the bra down to bare my breasts and lowered his mouth to one of the nipples. He hesitated. â€Å"Are you sure you didn't fuck him?† â€Å"I think I'd remember something like that.† A knock sounded at the door, and Warren hastily sprang away from me, pulling up his pants. â€Å"Shit.† I, too, sat up and returned to my chair. With Warren's eyes on the door, I quickly used some more shape-shifting to neaten myself up and rebutton my blouse. Satisfied we were both decent, I called, â€Å"Come in.† Seth opened the door. I clamped down on my jaw, lest it drop open in astonishment. â€Å"Hi,† said Seth, looking back and forth between Warren and me. â€Å"I didn't mean to interrupt.† â€Å"No, no, you aren't,† Warren assured him, clicking into public relations mode. â€Å"We were just having a quick meeting.† â€Å"Not a very important one,† I added. Warren gave me a droll look. â€Å"Oh,† said Seth, still appearing like he wanted to bolt. â€Å"I just came by to see if maybe†¦ you wanted lunch. I†¦ e-mailed you about what happened.† â€Å"Yeah, I read it. Thanks.† I smiled at him, hoping to silently communicate that all was forgiven. The worried look on his face was so heart-wrenching that I felt certain his conscience had suffered more than my ego last night. â€Å"Excellent idea,† boomed Warren. â€Å"Let's all go get some lunch, shall we? Georgina and I can meet again later.† â€Å"I can't.† I reminded him about how short-staffed we were and how I was needed for coverage. He scowled when I finished. â€Å"Why haven't we hired anyone?† â€Å"I'm working on it.† Warren ended up just taking Seth out – something the writer seemed highly uneasy about – and I was left alone, feeling abandoned. I would have half liked to hear what else Seth had to say about writing taking over his life. I might have even liked getting laid. Neither was to be. Ah, the injustices of the universe. I apparently had one karmic favor left, however. Around four, Tammi – the red-haired girl from Krystal Starz – showed up to solve my staffing problem. As suggested, she brought a friend. After a quick interview, I felt satisfied by their competency. I hired them on the spot, pleased to have one task taken off my list. When the store finally closed later, those few hours of sleep were catching up with me more fiercely. I felt in no mood to teach a dance lesson. Realizing I needed to change, I closed the office door and shape-shifted my outfit for the second time that day. It felt like cheating, as always. For dancing I selected a sleeveless dress, clingy through the bodice and flowing through the skirt – just right for twirls. Colored in blending hues of peach and orange, I hoped the dress would warm my mood up. I also hoped no one had noticed I hadn't carried a change of clothes in with me this morning. On the overhead speakers, I heard one of the cashiers make the announcement that the store had closed, just as another knock sounded on my door. I called an entry, wondering if it might be Seth again, but Cody appeared this time. â€Å"Hey,† I said, forcing a smile. â€Å"Are you ready for this?† I had taught Cody to swing dance a year or so ago, and he had picked it up remarkably well, probably half due to vampire reflexes. As a result, I had – against his better judgment – recruited him to be my coteacher in these impromptu lessons for the staff. He kept claiming he was no good, but in both lessons so far, he'd proven remarkably efficient. â€Å"What? Dancing? Yeah. No problem.† I glanced around, ascertaining we were alone. â€Å"Any more weird occurrences?† Cody shook his head, blond hair framing it like a lion's mane. â€Å"No. It's been pretty quiet. Maybe I was overreacting.† â€Å"Better safe than sorry,† I advised, feeling like somebody's cliched grandmother. â€Å"What are you doing after this?† â€Å"Meeting Peter at a bar downtown. You want to come with us?† â€Å"Sure.† We'd all be safer as a group. The door pushed open, and Seth stuck his head inside. â€Å"Hey, I – oh, I'm sorry,† he stammered, catching sight of Cody. â€Å"I didn't mean to interrupt.† â€Å"No, no,† I said, waving him inside. â€Å"We were just talking.† I gave Seth a curious look. â€Å"What are you still doing here? Are you staying for the lesson?† â€Å"Er, well I, that is, Warren invited me to†¦ but I don't think I'll actually dance. If that's okay.† â€Å"Not dance? What are you going to do then, watch?† I demanded. â€Å"Be like a voyeur or something?† Seth gave me a sage look, appearing for the first time in a while like the guy who had written the comic observations about real estate agents and old girlfriends. The guy I'd once engaged in a stumbling flirtation with. â€Å"I'm not that desperate. Not yet, anyway. But it's really safer if I don't dance. For those around me.† â€Å"That's what I used to say until she made me try it,† remarked Cody, clapping me on the shoulder. â€Å"Just wait until you've been in Georgina's capable hands. You'll never be the same.† Before any of us could acknowledge that suggestive comment, Doug appeared behind Seth, outfitted as his grunge band self rather than assistant manager self. â€Å"Hey, are we getting this party started or what? I came back here today just for this lesson, Kincaid. You better make the trip worth my while. Hey, Cody.† â€Å"Hey, Doug.† â€Å"Hey, Seth.† â€Å"Hey, Doug.† I groaned. â€Å"All right. Let's do this.† We left en masse for the cafe, where tables were being moved to give us space. I introduced Cody and Seth along the way. They shook hands briefly, the young vampire looking at me meaningfully when he realized just which Seth this must be. â€Å"You sure you aren't going to dance?† I asked the writer, still puzzled by his obstinacy. â€Å"Nope. Just doesn't feel right.† â€Å"Yeah, well, after the shitty day I've had, running this shindig doesn't feel right to me either, but we all endure. Put on the happy face and go, you know?† Seth looked like he didn't know, only giving me a small, bemused smile. A moment later, that smile dimmed slightly. â€Å"You said you got the e-mail†¦ did it†¦ do you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"It's fine. Forget about it.† His bizarre social habits might not mesh with mine, but I couldn't stand seeing him worry anymore about last night. â€Å"Honestly.† I patted his arm, gave him my Helen of Troy smile, then turned my attention to the scene upstairs. Most of the staff who'd worked today milled around, along with a few others who, like Doug, had come back. Warren and his wife waited with them, and so did Roman. He approached with a smile when he saw me, and I felt a faint wave of lust sweep me, independent of any succubus feeding. As good-looking as ever, he wore black slacks and a teal shirt that gleamed like his eyes. â€Å"Group date, huh?† â€Å"For my safety. I've always found it best to keep a few dozen chaperones on hand.† â€Å"You'll need a few dozen more in that dress,† he warned in a low voice, those eyes molesting me from head to toe. I flushed, taking a few steps away from him. â€Å"You'll have to wait your turn, like everyone else.† Turning away from him, I inadvertently made eye contact with Seth. He had obviously overheard the brief exchange. My blush deepening, I fled both of them for the center of the floor, Cody in tow. Putting on the so-called â€Å"happy face,† I pushed my long day out of my mind and grinned at my coworkers' whoops and cheers. â€Å"All right, gang, let's get going. Doug's in kind of a hurry and wants to finish this up as quickly as possible. I understand that's pretty standard for him in a lot of matters – especially romantic ones.† This elicited both positive and negative catcalls from the crowd, as well as an obscene gesture from Doug. I reintroduced Cody, who was less comfortable with the attention than I was, and began sizing up the group. We had more women than men, per usual, and a wide range of skill levels. I split couples up accordingly, putting especially adept women with other women since I felt confident they could dance the male part for this practice and switch effortlessly later. I didn't have such faith in everybody; some of them still struggled to follow a beat. Consequently, I started the lesson by reviewing from last time, turning on the music and making everyone practice basic steps. Cody and I monitored, making minor adjustments and suggestions. My tension from the long day eased slightly as I worked the crowd. I loved swing dancing, had loved it when it first emerged in the early twentieth century, and had been thrilled when its revival came around recently. I knew it was going out of style again, which was part of the reason I wanted to pass on the knowledge to others. Not knowing Roman's level of expertise, I'd placed him with Paige, a pretty skilled dancer. After watching them a minute or so, I shook my head and approached. â€Å"You hustler,† I chastised. â€Å"You acted all nervous about dancing, but in reality, you're a pro.† â€Å"I've done it a few times,† he admitted modestly, taking her into a turn I hadn't taught them yet. â€Å"Stop that. I'm splitting you guys up. Your skills are needed elsewhere.† â€Å"Oh come on,† pleaded Paige. â€Å"Let me keep him. It's about time we had a man around here who knows what he's doing.† Roman cut me a glance. â€Å"She said it, not me.† I turned my eyes heavenward and reassigned them to new partners. After a bit more supervising, I grew satisfied with the whole group's prowess, convinced I'd see little change. Deciding to move on, Cody and I taught them lindy kicks next. Not surprisingly, chaos soon broke out. The gifted in the group picked the move up right away, those who had struggled previously continued to struggle, and some who had performed fine with the basic steps and turns now fell completely apart. Cody and I moved through the dancers, doing damage control, offering our words of wisdom. â€Å"Keep the tension in your wrist, Beth – not too much, though. Don't hurt yourself.† â€Å"Count, damn it! Count! The beats are still the same as before.† â€Å"Keep facing your partner†¦ don't lose track of her.† My role as teacher consumed me, and I loved it. Who cared about vampire hunters and the eternal struggles of good and evil? I caught sight of Seth sitting off to the side, just as he'd vowed. â€Å"Hey, voyeur, still just want to watch?† I chided, breathless and excited from running all over the makeshift dance floor. He shook his head, a faint smile playing across his features as he studied me. â€Å"Plenty to see from here.† Standing up from his chair, he leaned forward in a familiar sort of way, startling me when his hand reached out and pushed up a dress strap that had slipped off my shoulder down to my arm â€Å"There,† he pronounced. â€Å"Perfect.† Goose bumps rose on my flesh at his touch, his fingers warm and gentle. For just a moment, a look I hadn't seen before crossed his face. It made him look less like the distracted writer I'd come to know and more†¦ well, male. Admiring. Considering. Maybe even predatory. The look was gone as quickly as it had come, though I still felt taken aback. â€Å"Keep an eye on that strap,† warned Seth mildly. â€Å"You've got to make him work for it.† He inclined his head slightly toward some dancers, and I followed the motion to see Roman walking one of the baristas through a complex step. I admired Roman's graceful moves a moment before turning back to Seth. â€Å"It's not that hard. I can teach you.† I held up a hand by way of invitation. He looked as though he might agree but shook his head at the last second. â€Å"I'd make a fool of myself.† â€Å"Ah yes, and sitting here alone, while everyone else dances and we're short of men – yes, that doesn't make you look foolish at all.† He gave a soft laugh. â€Å"Maybe.† When no other explanation came, I shrugged and returned to the dance floor, continuing my instruction. Cody and I added a couple new tricks, assisted in more practice, and finally stood off to the side admiring our pupils. â€Å"Think they'll be ready for the Moondance ?† he asked. The Moondance Lounge was a ballroom dance club that hosted monthly swing dance nights. We considered this group's appearance there to be the ultimate triumph of graduation. â€Å"One more lesson, I think. Then we can take them out in public.† An arm caught me around the waist, pulling me onto the dance floor. I recovered my footing quickly, falling in step with Roman as he spun me into an intricate turn. A few people nearby stopped to watch. â€Å"It's my turn to be teacher's pet,† he admonished. â€Å"I've hardly seen you all night; I don't think this counts as a date.† I let him lead me around flamboyantly, curious as to just how good he really was. â€Å"You're always changing what you want,† I complained. â€Å"First you just want to go out, now you say you actually want to be alone with me. You need to pick a story and stick with it. Be more specific.† â€Å"Ah, I see. No one told me that.† He led me into a reverse whip, and I followed through flawlessly, earning a grudging look of approval from him. â€Å"I don't suppose there's a Georgina Kincaid Instruction Manual around somewhere to help me avoid these embarrassing blunders in the future.† â€Å"We sell them downstairs.† â€Å"Oh yeah?† He began improvising steps now, and I enjoyed the challenge of second-guessing where he would go. â€Å"Is there a page on how to woo the fair Georgina?† â€Å"Page? Hell, there's a whole chapter.† â€Å"Required reading, I'd imagine.† â€Å"Definitely. Hey, thanks for the paint by number.† â€Å"I expect to see that on your wall the next time I'm over.† â€Å"With that horrible Native American stereotype? The next time you see it will be on the ACLU's hit list.† He spun me out into a flourish-filled ending, much to the delight of everyone else. They had long since stopped dancing to watch me make a spectacle of myself. I felt slightly self-conscious but shrugged it off, savoring the moment, taking Roman's hand to bow luridly to my coworkers' applause. â€Å"Get ready,† I announced, â€Å"because that's going to be next week's exam.† Cheers and laughter continued, but as they faded and the group dispersed for the night, Roman persisted in holding on to my hand, his fingers laced with mine. I didn't mind. We walked around, making small talk and saying goodbyes. â€Å"You want to go get a drink?† he asked me, once we were momentarily alone. I turned toward him, standing close, studying those gorgeous features. In the now-warmed-up room, I could strongly smell his perspiration mingled with cologne, and it made me want to bury my face in his neck. â€Å"I want to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I began slowly, wondering if alcohol and raw animal lust would be a wise combination with someone I wanted to avoid sleeping with. Looking beyond him, I caught Cody's eye. He was talking earnestly with Seth, which I found odd. Suddenly, I remembered my earlier promise to go meet the vampires at the bar. â€Å"Damn,† I muttered. â€Å"I don't think I can.† Still holding Roman's hand, I led him over to Cody and Seth. They stopped talking. â€Å"I feel left out,† joked Cody a moment later. â€Å"I saw you do some stuff just now that you never taught me.† â€Å"You were supposed to have been doing it for homework.† I cocked my head in consideration. â€Å"Have you met Roman, Cody? Or you Seth?† I made quick introductions around, and they all politely shook hands, guy-style. Once that was done, Roman settled his hand comfortably on my waist. â€Å"I'm trying to get Georgina to have a drink with me. But I think she's playing hard to get.† Cody smiled. â€Å"I don't think she's playing.† I looked apologetically at Roman. â€Å"I told Cody I'd meet him and another friend tonight.† The young vampire made a wave of dismissal. â€Å"Forget about it. Go have fun.† â€Å"Yeah, but – † I cut myself off and made significant eye contact with him  §?la Jerome and Carter. I didn't want Cody to go off alone, lest he be targeted by the vampire hunter, but I could hardly say that in front of the others. â€Å"Take a cab,† I said at last. â€Å"Don't walk.† â€Å"Okay,† he said automatically. Too automatically. â€Å"I mean it,† I warned. â€Å"Yes, yes,† he muttered. â€Å"Do you want to call it for me?† I rolled my eyes at him, then suddenly remembered Seth's presence. Feeling kind of embarrassed with him standing there while we all made plans, I wondered if I should offer to invite him along or send him with Cody. As though reading my mind, Seth bluntly declared, â€Å"Well, I'll see you guys later.† He turned around and left before any of us could answer. â€Å"Is he mad or something?† asked Cody after a moment. â€Å"I think that's just the way he is,† I explained, not sure I'd ever understand the writer. â€Å"Weird.† Roman turned back to me. â€Å"Ready to step out?† Seth quickly left my mind. Roman and I walked over to a small restaurant across the street from Emerald City, sitting together on one side of a booth. I ordered my vodka gimlet, and he got brandy. When our drinks arrived, he asked, â€Å"Should I be jealous of anyone back there?† I chuckled. â€Å"You don't know me well enough or have any claims on me to worry about jealousy yet. Don't jump the gun here.† â€Å"I suppose not,† he agreed. â€Å"Still, famous writers and suave, young dance partners are certainly exalted company.† â€Å"Cody's not that young.† â€Å"Young enough. Is he a close friend?† â€Å"Close enough. Not romantically close, if that's what you're still driving at.† Roman and I had snuggled together in the booth, and I gave him a playful poke in the ribs. â€Å"Quit worrying about my acquaintances. Let's talk about something else. Tell me about the world of linguistics.† I meant it half-jokingly, but he complied, explaining his specialty – classical languages, ironically enough. Roman knew his material well, speaking about it with the same wit and cleverness used in his flirtations. I followed these explanations avidly, enjoying the opportunity to engage in a topic few others knew anything about. Unfortunately, I had to taper my participation, lest I show just how well versed in the subject I truly was. It might look a little weird if a bookstore manager knew more about an area of study than someone who had made a career out of it. Throughout this whole gripping discourse, Roman and I stayed in contact – arms, hands, and legs touching. He never tried to kiss me, for which I was grateful, as that would have been walking into dangerous territory. We were really on an ideal date for me: stimulating banter and as much physical contact as a succubus could safely handle. Our flirty conversation flowed effortlessly, like reading from a script. Our drink flew by in an eye blink, and before I knew it, we stood back outside, parting ways and making arrangements for another date. I attempted my protests, but both of us could see how weak they were. He kept claiming I owed him a real, unchaperoned outing. Standing there with him, warmed by his presence, I felt surprised at how badly I wanted that date. The thing about sparing nice guys was that I always ended up lonely. Looking up at Roman, I decided then that I wanted to put off being lonely again – just for a little while. So I agreed to go out again, ignoring the mental warning bells this decision set off. His face lit up, and I thought he would definitely try a mouth kiss now. My heart thumped loudly at the prospect, scared and eager. Apparently my previous neurotic rants about not getting too close hit home, however. He merely held my hand, finally brushing his lips across my cheek in a kiss that was barely a kiss. He wandered off into the streets of Queen Anne, and a moment later, I walked the half-block back to my apartment. When I reached my door, I discovered a note taped to it. My name, done in beautiful, heavily inked calligraphy, lay scrawled across the surface. An apprehensive coldness ran through me. The note read: You are a beautiful woman, Georgina. Beautiful enough, I think, to even tempt angels into falling – something that doesn't happen nearly as often as it should anymore. Beauty such as yours is effortless, however, when you can make it anything you like. Your large friend, unfortunately, doesn't have such luxury, which is a damned shame after what happened today. Fortunately, he works in the right business to correct any damage to his appearance. I stared at the note like something that might bite me. It bore no name, of course. Ripping it off the door, I hurried into my apartment and picked up the phone. I dialed Hugh's number without hesitation. With the references to â€Å"large† and â€Å"right business,† he was the only one the note could be referring to. His phone rang and rang before giving way to an answering machine. Annoyed, I dialed his cell number. After three rings, an unknown female voice answered. â€Å"Is Hugh Mitchell there?† There was a long pause. â€Å"He†¦ can't talk right now. Who is this, please?† â€Å"This is Georgina Kincaid. I'm his friend.† â€Å"I've heard him talk about you, Georgina. This is Samantha.† The name didn't mean anything to me, nor did I have the patience for this runaround. â€Å"Well, can I please talk to him then?† â€Å"No†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Her voice sounded strained, upset. â€Å"Georgina, something bad happened today†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 