A Look At Greek Lyric Poetry And John Cage Essay

Music goes beyond language barriers; it speaks no language but that of the heart. However, like all art forms it has tenets and principles as to what is good music and what is simply noise. How about when artists claim that their works are music when it seems that these are perceived to be avant garde, not the kind of music that dominates the cultural period and worse, does not come from tradition? This paper seeks to take a look at the music in Hellenistic Greece, in particular a lyric by one of its known muses, Sappho, with her only surviving complete work, Ode to Aphrodite, and compare it with what is considered to be experimental composition from John Cage, his 4’33†. Both pieces were meant to be performed – although how these are performed also raised questions. Ancient Greece is revered to be a center of learning, where arts and culture flourished. It was one of the places where the earliest treatises on the different art forms were written, and they were keen to what constituted good and bad art, giving raise even to debates as to what is the function of art. Plato was known to promote the arts that will inspire people’s thinking, not their emotions, for he considered human emotions a weakness, and also because during that time musical scales developed from the study of the harmony in the universe, the mathematical equations used by the Pythagoreans (Henderson, 1957). It was because of this that he did not approve of the poets’ lyrics, because it deviated from the musical modes they were used to and relied on what sounded good to the ear, making music became accessible to the people (Anderson, 1966). Sappho was one of those poets whose lyric poetry when sung communicated the love and sensuality it contained, as with her work Ode to Aphrodite, deviating from their traditionally highly mathematically composed melodies where people were supposed to be quiet and listen to rigidly, for her lyric love poems were made to be felt and inspire emotion. In this way, Sappho, and her contemporary poets at the time helped create a turn for Greek music. Like Sappho, John Cage contributed to music with his compositions, characterized as avant-garde especially his chance pieces. However, his work that challenged perceptions and definition of music is his notorious 4’33†, a piece where for four minutes and thirty-three seconds the orchestra plays nothing. John Cage wrote this piece when he realized that there will always be sound, and deliberately wrote â€Å"Tacet†, to instruct the musician not to play. What Cage wanted for the audience to hear was the different sounds that occur during the interval the piece is played – all the various sounds that one does not pay attention to because they listen to something else. This is different from silence, unless the figuratively the sound of silence, since Cage’s point was that there is always sound if one listens intently (Cage, 1973). Both Sappho and Cage’s music differed from one another in that Sappho was expressing herself through her poetry, while Cage was making the listener turn to his environment. Although created in different environment and cultures, both musical pieces can be interpreted in a personal way, making it a unique experience. Sappho’s Ode to Aphrodite can mean something else to a modern listener than it used to in ancient Greece, and of course Cage’s 4’33† would always conjure something unique for each individual. What this shows us is that although music is made in a certain era, it can transcend the boundaries of time as long as it resonates with what is human and universal, as an appreciation for the sounds around us and those that speak of love, and that although music is governed by principles of what makes it good, it will always be a matter of personal experience. SOURCES: Anderson, W. (1966). Ethos and Education in Greek Music. Cambridge, HUP. Cage, John. (1973). Silence: Lectures and Writings, Wesleyan Paperback. Henderson, Isobel (1957). â€Å"Ancient Greek Music† in The New Oxford History of Music, vol. 1: Ancient and Oriental Music,† Oxford, Oxford University Press. http://homoecumenicus. com/ioannidis_ancient_greek_texts. htm, Accessed on June, 15, 2009. http://www. greylodge. org/occultreview/glor_013/433. htm , Accessed on June 15, 2009.

Top Ten Characteristics of a Multicultural School Environment

Top Ten Characteristics Of A Multicultural School Environment Not all students are the same so they cannot be taught the same way. Their cultures and experiences the way they learn and respond to schooling. Several cultural factors affect the way students behave in a classroom. Each student is different because of physical and mental abilities, gender, ethnicity, race, language, religion, class, sexual orientation, and age (Gollnick and Chin, p. 6). Multicultural school has different characteristics.I think the most important is the composition of the faculty, administration, and other staff accurately reflects the pluralistic composition of the United States (Gollnick and Chin, p. 7) because this will influence a student’s behavior. The United States has one of the most extensive and diverse educational systems in the world. US population is composed of different races, each with different cultures. I think it would be helpful for a student to study in an environment wherein they value or give respect to different culture. The school environment and the faculty have great impact on student’s development.Because of this, students will be assured that they will not be discriminated. US has a federal legislation for elementary and secondary schools, No Child Left Behind, requires standardized testing of students to determine how effective a school is in helping students to learn (Gollnick and Chin, p. 12). A school is an institution where students learn the value of respecting others, if the faculty, staff and school administration lacks this, and then it can be hard for students with different culture to study and interact with others at school.Second is that the school curriculum incorporates the contributions of many cultural groups and integrates multiple perspectives throughout it (Gollnick and Chin, p. 7). Some people check on a school’s curriculum before they decide on what school they will go. It is important that the school gives val ue to the contributions of many cultural groups. I rank differences in academic achievement levels disappear between males and females, dominant and oppressed group members, and upper-middle-class and low-income students (Gollnick and Chin, p. ) as third because it is also important that students achievement will not be based on their gender, social group or race instead of their knowledge and abilities. With the persistence of racism, poverty, unemployment, and inequality in major social systems such as education, many persons have found it difficult to reconcile daily realities with the publicized egalitarianism that characterizes the public rhetoric (Gollnick and Chin, p. 36).In a multicultural school, students should not experience this, instead, they should experience equality no matter what race, culture, gender or social groups they are involved with. The faculty, administrators, and other staff see themselves as learners enhanced and changed by understanding, affirming, and reflecting cultural diversity (Gollnick and Chin, p. 7). The faculty, administrators, and other staff should be open for changes. They should learn on how to interact on different cultures. They should not be one-sided and be open for some changes because it is a part of life.Teachers and administrators are able to deal with questions of race, inter group relations, and controversial realities on an objective, frank, and professional basis (Gollnick and Chin, p. 7). States and school districts expect new teachers to have proficiencies related to multicultural education by the time they finish a teacher education program (Gollnick and Chin, p. 13). This means, since a teacher is one of the foundation in education, they should be the one to have the skill or proficiency to handle multicultural students.They should use professionalism in dealing with every student no matter what culture they possess. They should be proficient and unbiased in addressing issues raised by students, howeve r making sure that they answer it based on truth. Students are able to use their own cultural resources and voices to develop new skills and to critically explore subject matter (Gollnick and Chin, p. 7). I rank this as seventh because I believed that school is a place where a person develops his own knowledge and skills. The language in which students are taught is one of the most significant issues for schools.Many Americans have become concerned about how best to educate students who are new to the English language and to American culture. As children of all ages and from dozens of language backgrounds seek an education, most schools have adopted some variety of bilingual instruction. Students are taught in their native language until their knowledge of English improves, which is often accomplished through an English as a Second Language program. Cultural differences are treated as differences, rather than as deficiencies that must be addressed in compensatory programs (Gollnick and Chin, p. ). A multicultural school should be fair in giving compensatory benefits for students with different culture. Having different culture should not be a factor in receiving benefits that every student should receive. Instructional materials are free of biases, omissions, and stereotypes (Gollnick and Chin, p. 7). Instructional materials are important in teaching, because these are visualization of what the teacher is teaching. These should be free of biases or stereotyping. Students learn to recognize and confront inequities in school and society (Gollnick and Chin, p. 7).In an environment where there is no discrimination or prejudice, a student will learn how to recognize and confront inequities either in school or society. A multicultural school must teach student on how to address different discrimination. I put this on last because I think discrimination or inequity starts within us. A person must first learn to recognize and confront it inequalities by himself, in ca n be taught on school but experience is a best teacher. BIBLIOGRAPHY Gollnick, Donna M. Chinn, Philip C. 2006. â€Å"Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society. † Seventh Edition. Prentice-Hall/Merrill.

Technology and education

Introduction: Disability and TechnologyAccording to the U. S. Department of Commerce, more than half of all Americans use the Internet in some way, but â€Å"persons with a disability are only half as likely to have access to the Internet as those without a disability†¦ [a]nd while just under 25% of those without a disability have never used a personal computer, close to 60% of those with a disability fall into that category.† In addition â€Å"[a]mong those with a disability, people who have impaired vision†¦ have even lower rates of Internet access and are less likely to use a computer regularly than people with hearing and mobility problems† (National Telecommunications and Information Administration, 2000, p. xv).Cyndi Rowland, director of the Web Accessibility in Mind (WebAIM) project at Utah State University's Center for Persons with Disabilities, calls for a â€Å"national solution† to the problem of inaccessibility, especially â€Å"if we are t o abide by civil rights legislation, federal rulings, and common ethics† (Rowland, 2000, p. 10). Understanding the specific needs and concerns of students with disabilities may aid educators, information technology designers, and educational institutions to ensure that students with disabilities, particularly those who are blind or visually impaired, are not left behind in this technological â€Å"revolution.†The Internet and the web have become an integral part of higher education, transforming the educational experiences of all   students. In 1997, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the international body that oversees the protocols and operations of the Internet, created the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). WAI is responsible for promoting web functionality for people with disabilities and establishing accessibility guidelines. In this age of computer technology, many of the tools needed to enable students with disabilities to obtain equity in education and be yond already exist. For those involved in educational institutions, these tools can provide opportunities and independence, eliminating the obstacles and barriers that many of the current systems still enable.A review of the literature related to attitudes and other barriers that people with disabilities must contend with every day at school and at work, the integration of computer technology in postsecondary education, and the needs and concerns of students with disabilities, in particular those who are blind or visually impaired, may provide some insights for future policies and guidelines regarding access and use of computer technologies for students who are blind or visually impaired.Technology: Enhancing Modern EducationExperiences of people with visual impairments in the workplace and their use of computer technology and the Internet was the focus of a qualitative study conducted in Australia by Williamson, Albrecht, Schauder, and Bow (2001). Primarily through focus group rese arch, the researchers presented the perceived benefits and concerns of the study's participants. Most agreed that the Internet enabled them to participate in an information and communication format that is becoming a primary source for many people. Many also saw the Internet as enabling them to be less reliant on others and, therefore, facilitating an increase in their own privacy.However, some were concerned about a reduction in social contact and an increase in isolationism. An additional concern was that there would be a decline in the quality of services from such entities as the government and banks because more is being done online. Training was viewed as critical to successfully using the Internet and computer technology. This, it was believed by many, was the key to achieving equality in the workplace, yet many felt it was a low priority by agencies and workplaces. Cost was also viewed as a barrier to accessing computers and the Internet.With various Internet advances, more individuals in all sectors of the community are working from home.   For visually impaired members of community the Internet has the potential to free them from the restrictions they have experienced in the past while seeking to obtain employment. â€Å"Once the challenges of access have been surmounted, [visually impaired] users can take their places in the digitalized workforce† (Williamson et al., 2001, pp. 693-4).With computer technology becoming a part of all college students' educational experiences, how are postsecondary schools preparing students for a computer-integrated future? To determine how the use of various technologies affect student learning, Shuell and Farber (2001) conducted a study of 728 sighted undergraduate and graduate students at a large northeastern university, where they found that, in general, students perceived the use of computer technology in their courses to be very beneficial. Students also believed that the use of communication technology brought an increase in their sense of involvement in a course.Eighty-eight percent of the sample indicated that their use of computer technology helped them learn materials and skills, and 75 percent indicated that using computer technology improved the quality of interaction with their instructor. Students also viewed the use of dynamic computer presentations and the Internet in lectures very favorably; it kept their interest, and the students believed that it improved their learning.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Students also favored electronic forums as a way to interact with their peers (e.g., email, listservs, and newsgroups) and believed that the use of these forms of computer technology increased the quality of these interactions.Another interesting finding in this study was that students who considered themselves to be more independent tended to respond more favorably to these technologies and the learning benefits associated with them. One theme of this study was the appreciation that stude nts had of the ability for computer technologies to enable independent learning. When serving the needs of students with disabilities, independence is a key factor to consider.Lewis, Coursol, and Khan (2001) examined the use and effect of computer technology on student development and education. They surveyed 124 sighted undergraduate students who attended a regional public institution in the Midwest. Technology choices, which included use of email, the Internet, and multimedia, were based on technology trends in higher education.Results indicated that the majority of students were comfortable with computer technology, using such tools as email and the Internet for both academic and social purposes. Both men and women spent about the same amount of time on email, class assignments on the computer, playing computer games, and shopping on the Internet. However, women spent significantly fewer hours surfing the Internet than men did.Consistent with Shuell and Farber (2001), Lewis et al . (2001) also confirmed that students believe the use of email increases their frequency of communication with faculty, which, in turn, enhances the faculty-student relationship and enables faculty to be more accessible. The issue of accessibility was discussed in this report and how there is a need for higher educational institutions to address this issue, which the authors indicate to be a social problem that has significant economic and social implications. They point to the need to recognize that there are some students, including those with disabilities, who may be at a disadvantage when a course requires the retrieval of materials from the web.The use of computer technology has become an accepted and expected component of every student's postsecondary educational experience. To better understand the use and effectiveness of these technologies, all of the studies used in this paper that focused on computer technology in higher education examined one or more aspects of the integ ration of these technologies into the educational system. The Arant (1996) study focused on the use of the Internet and the World Wide Web in higher education.Employing both qualitative and quantitative methods (phone interviews and a survey), it concluded that, while using online components to traditional courses did not support the apparent belief that online education saved time and money, it did change the way in which courses were taught, with additional online portions being incorporated into courses. For students who are visually impaired or blind, this could result in additional barriers.Computer Technology and Visually Impaired StudentsIn an extensive two-year study in Canada, Fichten, Barile, and Asuncion (1999) investigated the computer, information, learning, and adaptive technology needs and concerns of Canadian postsecondary students with disabilities. Of the findings from this study, computers were found to be critical to the success of students with disabilities, and the vast majority of students, regardless of gender, age, program of study, or type of disability, could and did use computer technologies to help them succeed. An important development that emerged from this study was that students often â€Å"cross-used† technologies. For example, while students with visual impairments are expected to use screen reader software, students with learning disabilities also used this software.The students in this study considered computers as â€Å"electronic curb cuts,† enabling technologies that allow students with disabilities to better prepare for and participate in the information-based economy of tomorrow. Fichten, et al. (1999) urged postsecondary education institutions to design for accessibility and to consider the needs of students with disabilities before making purchases.   What the authors describe as â€Å"troubling† is â€Å"the absence, in many cases, of planning for access† for students with disabilities by postsecondary institutions (Fichten et al., p. 179).  As some technological barriers fall, others are slowly erected as new technologies continue to become part of a student's educational experiences. One suggestion the authors had for government funding bodies to help raise awareness of these issues was to take accessibility issues into consideration when reviewing grant applications and to create incentives for businesses to develop and market technologies that are accessible to all students. The authors wrote: The enormous potential of computers to remove barriers to students with disabilities and concerns over barriers posed by limitations in access were central issues noted by respondents in all categories in all phases of the research (p. 180).Shaw and Giacquinta (2000) used a questionnaire that was very carefully developed, field tested, and revised several times before being used for this study. The sample consisted of 412 sighted graduate students. This study was very well thought out and documented.  Ã‚   The authors suggested that faculty integrate more computer technology into their curricula (e.g., with the use of such tools as Blackboard, WebCT, and course web pages). They did not, however, take into consideration the ramifications of that suggestion as it applies to students who are blind or visually impaired.  Ã‚   Unfortunately, unless having been asked to consider it, most faculty do not think about students who are blind or visually impaired (or who have any other disability) when they begin to integrate technology into their curriculum.Shuell and Farber (2001) piloted a questionnaire and discussed it within two focus groups before using it for the study. Their sample was composed of 728 sighted undergraduate and graduate students.  Ã‚   Both qualitative and quantitative data showed a link between active, participatory learning and the positive perception of students regarding technology as a learning tool; they also confirmed tha t the use of technology made the classes seem more personal to the students.However, the authors caution that the apparent relationship found in their study between a positive perception of computer technology by students and students' actual learning is still unclear. Lewis et al. (2001) used an author-constructed survey, which they described as â€Å"a self-report, forced-choice survey.† One of the problems with this study is that a self-report is subject to response bias, although the results of this study were consistent with the others regarding a positive perception and use of computer technology by students in postsecondary institutions. Both Shuell et al. and Lewis et al. recommended that future research focus on the impact of technology on student learning. Lewis et al. also recommended the need to examine the use of technology among specific groups, such as students who are Hispanic, African American, and commuters.ConclusionGiven the state of existing literature in the area of postsecondary students who are blind or visually impaired, combined with the overwhelming integration of computer technology into the academic environment, there is still a need for a more substantive exploration into how postsecondary institutions are supporting and serving the best interests of these students. Disability scholars Susan R. Jones and Julie Smart point out the relationship between individuals who have a disability and how society views people with disabilities. They assert that disability is a universal issue, and yet there is no single disability experience.With a focus on the prejudices, discrimination and stigma experienced by people with disabilities and their responses to their disabilities, Jones (1996) and Smart (2001) define disability as a socially constructed phenomenon that combines the experiences of those living with a disability together with their environments. Goggin and Newell (2003) further state that â€Å"in the name of inclusionâ₠¬  society builds disability into digital technologies, arguing that disability has been constructed in the technological world of computing and computer networks and that there is a need to critically analyze the ways in which it is constructed within contemporary society.ReferencesArant, Jr., M. D. (1996, August). Going online to teach journalism and mass communication.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED399596)Fichten, C, Barile, M., & Asuncion, J. V. (1999). Learning technologies:Students with   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   disabilities inpostsecondary education [Montreal: Final Report to the Office of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Learning Technologies]. Adaptech Project,Dawson College. (ERIC Document   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Reproduction Service No. ED433625)Goggin, G. & Newell, C. (2003). Digital disability: The social construction of disability in   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   new media. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.Jones, S. R. (1996). Toward inclusive theory: Disability as social construction. NASPA   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Journal, 33(4), 347-354.Lewis, J., Coursol, D., & Khan, L. (2001). College students @ tech.edu: A study of comfort and the use of technology. Journal of College Student Development, 42(6), 625-631.National Telecommunications and Information Administration. (2000). Falling through the   Ã‚   net: Toward digital inclusion. A report of American's access to technology tools. Retrieved March 18, 2009, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.ntia.doc.gOv/ntiahome/fttn00/Falling.htm#6Rowland, C. (2000, October). Accessibility of the internet in postsecondary education:   Ã‚   Meeting the challenge. Paper presented at the Universal Web Accessibility   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Symposium 2000, San Antonio, Texas. Retrieved March 18, 2009, from   Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.webaim.org/articles/meetchallenge/Shuell, T. J., & Farber, S. L. (2001). Students' perceptions of technology use in college      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   courses. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 24(2), 119-138.Shaw, F. S., & Giacquinta, J. B. (2000). A survey of graduate students as end users of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   computer technology: New roles for faculty. Information Technology, Learning, and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Performance Journal, 18(1), 21-40.Smart, Julie (2001). Disability, Society, and the Individual. Gaithersburg, Maryland: Aspen Publishers.Williamson, K., Albrecht, A., Schauder, D., & Bow, A. (2001). Australian perspectives on the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   use of the internet by people who are visually impaired and professionals who work   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   with them. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 95(11), 690 – 701.

Managerial economic Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Managerial economic - Assignment Example The prices of goods and service we purchase in the marketplace can have an elastic or inelastic demand. Three items I recently purchased are coffee, premium ice cream, and a ticket to watch an entertainment event. The first product coffee has an inelastic demand because its demand is not affected by price. The other two products have elastic demand. If the Ice cream or the entertainment ticket would have been too expensive it would have been possible that I would not have purchased the items. Price discrimination occurs when one customer is charged a different price for the same product at the same store. For example universities are participants of price discrimination. International students get charged a higher price for education than American citizens. The Avatar 6:00 P.M. example also qualifies as price discrimination. The people that enter the first movie run which starts prior to 6:00 P.M. get charge at times less than the people that go to the theater in the

Nursing home administration Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Nursing home administration - Assignment Example He is normally the key advisor to the senior most leaders like the chairperson and the vice-chair person of a nursing home. His general responsibilities include the provision of the managerial as well as the business administrative affairs of a nursing home. He also helps to budget, providing expertise in the medical fields related to finance, providing strategic plans, collection of the revenue as well as expense controlling, heading the human resource department, program developments, research grant administration, space maintenance, managing information systems as well as the contract agreements with the stakeholders of the nursing home. He also provides leadership to the nursing home in the event that the chair and the vice of the nursing home are not available to discharge their administrative functions to the nursing. Medical director This is a person who helps to provide a medical perspective expertise in the medical field of the therapeutic applications as well as the renal p roducts applications. He plays a key role in the provision of the reviewing as well as the oversight services in the clinical matters regarding the new product development of the nursing home (Polifko-Harris, 2004). ... Moreover, he also functions to provide the consultancy services to a nursing home in order to help in the engineering of the functions that help to support the label changes of a nursing home, provision of the pharmaceutical vigilance services, the nursing home risk assessment as well as the evaluation of the nursing home product complaints (Booyens, 2004). Director of nursing This is a person is involved in the supervision of all the nursing personnel at a nursing home as well as establishing the necessary required nursing standards in a nursing home and how they can be maintained for a long time. He also provides the responsibility and accountability services required for nursing services. In addition, he advices the CEO, the HR, COO, the clinical managers as well as the medical staff in relation to the medical nursing services. Additionally he consults with the medical director in regard to the clinical issues that might emerge from a nursing home. Additionally, a director of nurs ing is responsible for the completion of the special medical assignments in a nursing home as assigned by the medical director as well as the implementation of the medical reports. Moreover, the director of nursing participates in the interviewing process of the medical staff. Furthermore, he participates in the planning, the implementation, as well as the evaluation of the nursing home programs and services. However, there are occurrences of some health cases in a nursing home that might end up causing the roles of each of the above officers to overlap. Such a scenario is so despicable to speak since the officers might end up engaging themselves in supremacy battles at the nursing home; causing many conflicts in the

Health and safety risk assessment in civil engineering projects Essay

Health and safety risk assessment in civil engineering projects - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the welfare of people operating or working within the confines of any manufacturing or engineering environment is of main importance. Every worker should expect to be capable of carrying out their task in a safe manner that has no negative effect on their health and wellbeing. In fact, many organizations not only reduce risks and make improvements to the working environment but try to make their own working environment superior to others, making it a competitive aspect when recruiting staff. Health and safety in the field are about measures designed to protect the health and safety of workers, visitors and the general public who may be affected by workplace activities. Safety measures about controlling and reducing risks to anyone who might be affected by these activities. Health and safety are controlled largely by legislation and regulations and the law is continually being revised and updated. It is important that organizations are aware of these changes and keep up to date with developments. This unit provides an understanding of hazards and risks associated with health, safety, and welfare in an engineering workplace. Learners will develop an understanding of the requirements of health, safety and welfare legislation and regulations and of their roles in complying with the related legal obligations. Ideally, this unit would form a key component of the program, as the content is applicable to many engineering situations. Learners will be required to undertake full risk assessments and to appreciate the significant risks encountered in the workplace and the measures taken to deal with them (Melchers, 2002). They will also study the principles of reporting and recording accidents and incidents, again within a legal context. The main aim in civil engineering is to manage risk, eliminating or reducing it to acceptable levels (Melchers, 2002). Risk is the combination of the possibility of a failure event, and the risks resulting from the failure. For example, the extent of a particular failure may result in risks fatalities, injuries, property damage, or nothing more than annoyance. It may be regular, occasional, or rare happenings. The acceptability of the failure depends on the combination of the two. Probability is often more difficult to predict than severity due to the many things that could cause a failure, such as mechanical failure, environmental effects, and operator error. Any specialist in the field should be able to assess and comprehensively report on any environmental principle, from aquatic to marine science, air, soil, geology, geo-hydrology, archaeology, ecology, rehabilitation, or any such science connected to the environment. Safety engineering tries to lower the occurrence of failures, and make sure that when failures do happen, the results are not life-threatening. For instance, bridges are designed to carry loads well in excess of the heaviest truck likely to use them. This reduces the possibility of being overloaded. Most bridges are designed with back up load paths, so that if any one structural member fails, the structure will remain standing. This reduces the severity if the bridge happens to be overloaded. Safety should starts during the early design of a system. Engineers should consider what bad events can happen under what conditions, and predict the related accident risk. They should propose safety mitigation requirements in specifications at the start of development or changes to existing designs to make a system safer. These may be done by fully getting rid of any type of hazards or by lowering accident risk. More often, instead of engineers influencing the design, they should prove that an existing, completed design is safe. If the engineer discovers significant safety problems late in the development process, correcting them can be very costly (Great Britain, 2003). This type of error has the potential to waste large sums of money and likely more important, human

Significance of Proper Identification of the Market structure for the Essay

Significance of Proper Identification of the Market structure for the Organisaition using the example of The Ritz Carlton company - Essay Example However, consumer electronics industry is experiencing perfect competition and hence it is impossible for companies in this market to fix prices for their products. On the other hand in market with Oligopoly, only few suppliers are there and it is possible for the firms in such markets to control the price and market activities in such market structure. For example, OPEC is enjoying oligopoly in oil market. In monopolistic competition, there could be numerous suppliers; however, only few enjoy monopoly. In smartphone market, APPLE and Samsung are ruling now. Even though companies such as Nokia, LG, Blackberry, and Sony Erickson are there, only APPLE and Samsung have the upper hand. Even though monopolistic market structure is the primary objective of all organizations, it is difficult to maintain supremacy in such markets for a prolonged time. It is almost impossible for Ritz Carlton to think about following a monopoly or oligopoly market structure at present because of the huge capa bilities of competitors. At the same time, it is possible for Ritz Carlton dominate the hotel industry along with prominent competitors such as InterContinental Hotel Group, Marriott International Hilton Hotels and Global Hyatt. Key internal and external factors affecting Ritz Carlton Manpower cost is extremely high in American and European regions compared to that in Asian region. Moreover, global wealth is currently shifting from American and European is not so good for Ritz Carlton. Monopolistic competition helps companies to attain huge profits for a short period and a normal profit in the long run which is evident from the following illustrations. (Monopolistic competition, n. d.). From the above graph it is evident that the arrival of...This paper outlines the importance of proper identification of the type of market where the organization is intending to conduct business. The case of The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company, one of the prominent hotel groups, which is planning to expan d into new Asian markets, is under consideration. The increased readiness of overseas countries in recent times in attracting foreign direct investment is helping Ritz Carlton to think positively about market expansion. Since competition is different in different regions, the objective of Ritz Carlton is to identify less heavily competitive service markets across the world. Asia is the rapidly emerging region at present and Ritz Carlton is giving more attention to this region at present. Identification of proper market structure is necessary for Ritz Carlton to excel in emerging markets. Based on the competition in the market, market structure can be divided into four major categories. In markets with perfect competition, the market determines the price whereas in monopoly, instead of market, the company decides the price. In market with oligopoly, only few suppliers are there and it is possible for the firms in such markets to control the price and market activities in such market structure. It is difficult to maintain supremacy in markets with monopolistic competition for a prolonged time. The ability to set different prices to different markets (price discrimination) is one of the major advantages of having a monopolistic market structure. Monopolistic competition helps Ritz Carlton to prove the worth of its products and services to the customers. Moreover, it helps Ritz Carlton to enjoy huge profits for short terms and normal profits in the long run.

Formal specification of non-functional properties in component Research Paper

Formal specification of non-functional properties in component software engineering - Research Paper Example Component-based software engineering (CBSE) is observed as the best example of such technique (Chen, 2004). It assists in handling the intricacy through following a divide-and-conquer tactic, modularizing huge software schemes into smaller, reusable elements called (software) units. CBSE is believed to be chiefly effective in the background of what is referred to as unit markets, where units are established by autonomous third party establishers and purchased by application contractors to be organized into full applications. If the elements are to be bartered on component markets, they have to be escorted by a specific illustration of all of their pertinent properties (Lamanna, 2002). Element developers must articulate such an illustration without understanding the background in which their elements will be employed. Conversely, it has to be clear to the application contractors and has to be achievable for them to create specifications of distinct elements and rationalize about possessions of the ultimate system. For instance, application contractors need to acknowledge whether an application constructed from some set of elements (Bechhofer, 2005). These elements are organized on a system with reliable amount of present resources will accomplish the required execution goals, how much network bandwidths or memory will be devoured or whether data value will meet the needed benchmark. Thesis statement The ultimate aim of this report is to examine the concept of formal specification of non-functional properties in component software engineering. This entails reviewing the entire aspect of software development and looks at the specification languages that already exist as well as examining the component forms related to specification languages . The paper then examines the problems statement and the research plan then winds up with a conclusion. Literature Review General Concept of Software Development The following diagram (figure 1) provides an indication of the general software development procedure for non-functional characteristics. The main concept of approach is the division of measurement description usage meaning that precision of non-functional characteristics of applications using those gauges. A measurement refers to something that is practical to a system and produces quality value for the scheme being gauged (Chen, 2004). Examples of measurements are d elay, response time et cetera. Measurements are mostly described in relation to a contextual model which defines the concepts of an application system that has to be recognized in order to develop the measurement value. Therefore, dimension can be described autonomously as a real practical system. To employ measurements to a practical system, a mapping between the component model of the practical scheme and the context model of the measurement must be illustrated. The descriptions of measurements can be sophisticated, but on the other hand, it will be developed only a single time. Thus, the roles of dimension designer and practical designer must be put apart in the development process. According to Heiko  Ludwig 2004, their joint efforts directs to a precision of the system encompassing its non-functional characteristics (Bechhofer, 2005). The measurement modeler employs a graphical notation centered on the specification language CQML+ [2] and notions from [3] to identify measurem ents and their context designs (Zschaler, 2008). Ludwig adds on that designer can then described distinct

Evaluate Unilevers financial strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Evaluate Unilevers financial strategy - Essay Example A firm’s capital structure consist the mix of long term or permanent capital in the firm. This is the mix of various ordinary and preference shares, long term debt and retained earnings. All these sources are found in Unilevers capital structure. Capital structure theories are as discussed below. Dividends are part of the earnings which are distributed to the shareholders for their investment in the company. Dividends policies and decisions involve four critical issues: i.e. when the firm should pay dividends, how much dividend per share should the company pay, how should the company give out dividends and why should the firm pay dividends. Unilever pays dividend quarterly using residual dividend policy where the dividend is paid out of earnings after investment have been financed. The dividend is payable by cash. As to why In Aug, CEO John Polman mentioned, â€Å"While circumstances remain challenging in many marketplaces, I am motivated by the return to quantity development across all areas and the majority of nations and groups. More of our manufacturers are enhancing again behind strong enhancements, greater customer value improved marketing support, and better performance. We go on repairing quantity development while defending edges and income for the season. † Organizations go through different life-cycles just like individuals do. For example, individuals go through the beginnings, childhood and early-teenage stages that are recognized by plenty of fast development. People within these stages often do whatever it requires just to remain in existence, for example, eating, looking for protection and resting. Often, these individuals make energetic, extremely sensitive choices based on whatever is going on around them at this time. Start-up companies are like this, too. Often, creators of the company or system and its various associates have to do whatever is

What does Castells mean by 'the space of flows' And what relevance Essay

What does Castells mean by 'the space of flows' And what relevance might this idea have for processes of globalisation - Essay Example This paper now seeks to discuss space of flows based on Castells’ description, including its relevance to the different processes of globalisation. An example will also be developed in order to illustrate this discussion. This paper is being carried out in order to understand the more contemporary application and understanding of space of flows within the context of globalisation and all its related elements. Body As was mentioned above, space is basically a tool in the expression of society (Francke and Ham, 2006). The relationship between space and society is essentially full of complications, mostly because space does not reflect society, instead, it is an expression of society (Castells, 1996). Under this context, space is not a copy of society, instead, it is a mirror of society. Spatial elements are based on the complexities of the greater social constructions. Moreover, social processes impact on space by affecting the created environment drawn from previous societal an d spatial elements (Castells, 1996). Space, based on physics cannot be determined beyond the interplay of matter. Social theory discusses that space cannot be evaluated without considering social practices and applications. Castells (1996) assesses space based on material elements and on other material resources, like people, who participate in specific social interactions and social applications. Time and space cannot be evaluated without also considering social actions. Castells (1997) discusses time-sharing social applications and he cites the fact that space considers the practices which take place simultaneously. The distance between material resources and support is no longer essential or significant. Society is built around flows, including the flow of capital resources, of data, of technology, of organizational relations, of images, sounds, as well as symbols (Castells, 1997). Flows, in other words, include various elements within social organizations which manifest the diff erent processes governing people’s lives. Castells (1997) discusses about a spatial form illustrative of social applications which impact and dominate the interactions in society; this is known as the space of flows. Space of flows refers to the â€Å"material organization of time-sharing social practices that work through flows† (Francke and Ham, 2006, p. 8). Castells (1997) also discusses flows to be purposeful and repetitive activities of interactions covering physically non-related positions applied by social actors within the various structures of society. This can also be evaluated with the use of various layers and elements of material support which when taken together make up the space of flows. The initial layer which is the initial support for the space of flows is supported by various electronic variables highlighting the material foundations of the resources significant in the interrelated fabric of society (Crang, 2002). This is considered general and tact ile support for simultaneous applications and practices. It is considered spatial form in the context of the commercial society or the industrial society. Within the context of interactions, no place can survive in isolation as its position is mostly based on flows (Crang, 2002). Places do not fade into oblivion, however their existence is often incorporated into the network. Technological resources which support the network also support the new space. The second layer in the space of flow

Consumer behaviour in the ethnic food market Personal Statement

Consumer behaviour in the ethnic food market - Personal Statement Example This kind of liberty has somehow made the process intimidating. Writing a dissertation primarily entails the hard task of simultaneously coming up with a significant design. At the start, I have to let myself be open to every input such as lectures and class discussions, books and articles I read, might as well to journals I encountered. To refrain from losing the important facts and information, I have to put things that interest me into a journal. I've also tried doing some sort of research or survey wherein I have asked elder students and even faculties on what types of topics did they have for dissertation and have let them share their experiences as they come along the process. Their stories have somehow served as my inspiration and a challenge to do my best with such tedious and get fulfilling task. These motivations and the knowledge that my study could be of great contribution and significance in the future researches had kept me going. With my limited knowledge on major scholarly topics that are most important in my field, and having the great topics already used up; I have to do some general reading in the field to come up with a significant and original topic. ... Considering the scope manageability and the significance of the continuously rising Halal market particularly in Tesco retail setting, we have agreed that I should focus on that topic. With the help of my tutor, I manage to have a firm grasp of the facts in my case, and have been dedicated to answer vital "why" and "how" questions within the topic. Trends and outcomes in ethic food marketing, as well as their causes must be dealt with despite their apparent unavailability. Dissertation involves series of intricate process that needs full attention, hard work, and consistency. Coming up with the mere title is rather challenging. The author must come up with a clear, succinct, simple yet fully explanatory and can perfectly reflect the content of the whole document. After long reflection, several rejections and experts advice, I finally came up with the title "Consumer Behavior in the Ethnic Food Market", believing that it will best suit my topic in the clearest and simplest manner. This is then succeeded with review of literature, a considerably long part of the whole paper that supposed to provide the reader with a summary of the current knowledge related to the topic to be studied. I have learned to utilize all great facilities in the universities. After filing some initial paperwork from graduate school, I immediately began with my review of literature. Reading thru all the files I have gathered, I was somewhat disappointed to find out that some of it was actually irrelevant if not far from what I should focus on. I must have been very eager to gather an enormous information by only looking at their titles and carelessly browsing its contents, that I have failed to realize that I those would just take me out of my topic.

A Peoples History Essay Example for Free

A Peoples History Essay ZINN QUESTIONS – A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn Chapter 1 – Columbus, the Indians and Human Progress http://www.historyisaweapon.com/zinnapeopleshistory.html 1. According to Zinn, what is his main purpose for writing A People’s History of the United States? 2. What is Zinn’s thesis for pages 1-11? 3. According to Zinn, how is Columbus portrayed in traditional history books? 4. Why does Zinn dispute Henry Kissinger’s statement: History is the memory of states? 5. What is Zinn’s basic criticism of historian Samuel Eliot Morison’s book, Christopher Columbus, Mariner? 6. What major issues does Bartolome de las Casas bring up regarding Spanish expeditions in the Caribbean? 7. Identify one early and one subsequent motive that drove Columbus to oppress indigenous peoples. 8. What was the ultimate fate of the Arawak Indians? 9. What was the significance of Quetzalcoatl? 10. Compare the strategies and motives underlying the conquest of the Aztecs by Cortez and the conquest of the Incas by Pizzaro. 11. What were the major causes of war between the Powhatans and the English settlers? 12. Discuss the significance of Powhatan’s statement, Why will you take by force what you may have quietly by love? 13. Explain Governor John Winthrop’s legal and biblical justification for seizing Indian land. 14. Explain the main tactic of warfare used by the English against the Indians. 15. According to Roger Williams, how did the English usually justify their attacks on the Indians? 16. What ultimately happened to the estimated 10 million Indians living in North America at the time of Columbus’ arrival? 17. Evaluate the statement: If there are sacrifices to be made for human progress, is it not essential to hold to the principle that those to be sacrificed must make the decision themselves? 18. How does Zinn attempt to prove that the Indians were not inferior? Provide examples.

Racism And Prejudice Cultural Studies Essay

Racism And Prejudice Cultural Studies Essay In a world with different skin, hair, noses, and just appearance in general, Racism is a big part of it. People in every ethnic background make racist statements about each other, such as blacks to white and Hispanics to blacks, so on and so forth. Racism is not even a word; Human kind has invented this even though all these ethnic groups are from the same species-Homo sapiens. This is a reasonable statement which the majority of the world has not even stopped to consider. The word Racism started to make its first manifestation in the early twentieth century but the idea that a certain group of people are superiors than other has been around in the word for an extensive time. For example in 15 century and 16 century the African populations were considered to be lower than any race and the Europeans use them as slaves. [1] Even before that when the Egyptians use the Jewish population as slaves to help them build their famous pyramids with their hard unpaid manual labor. In the late twentieth century when the United States start to segregate other nations around the world still had the same crisis. One of the worst racist events against any ethnic group situated in Europe to be accurate in Germany beneath the command of Hitler; slaughtering millions of Jews, Gypsies,  and  Catholics.[1] Effects of racism against ethnic groups can cause many social and political conflicts. In some cases this actions have even brought the ethnic groups to be paid lower than others of different societies because of their religion, appearance or nationalities. Theyre even put to do higher risk jobs because no one else would. [3] In example like the Immigrants that pass through a journey to get to the United States to get a healthier life, they have to work with being paid small quantities of money for a high risk or Unpleasant job that the citizen of the country are unwilling to do. Racism brings harms to others physically or emotionally in many ways: Self hate can be causes of racism were the person might dislike for his/her qualities. Suicides also are affected by racism, if their constantly mocked this can lead to depressions, suicidal thoughts and then death. Racial problems may also cause ethnic groups attack against someone or another certain ethnic group they consider worthless o r bellow themselves. Some even develop eating disorder because of verbal abuse that has affected him/her. Others take the anger and frustration becoming bullies and racist themselves. These thing help develop Ethnic hatred between each other and discrimination arise from these events. Racism has multiple concepts; Many types of racism. Racism has a cause and effect. Discrimination, oppression, violence, intimidation are some of them.[2] While racism between races are able to happened because of their difference in cultural, heritage, language, ideas and historical factors. Individual racism is an intentional n the part of the perpetrator to injure or harm another because of perceived racial difference. [8] The lynching of blacks by KKK is an example of individual racism.[2] Institutional racism evolves when racial oppression and inequality are at the norm in a society those attitudes subsequently permeate the various legal, educational, and economic institution, creating a system that directly or indirectly excludes or discriminates against, members of one or another racial or ethnic community. [2] Nativism occurs rather a lot in the United States, as thousands of people migrate every single year hoping for better standards of living for them and their families. As more and more they come and fill up the American cities with their religion, language, and ideas, Citizens complain on how their presence is taking jobs away that belong to them, they start becoming xenophobic and start to hate the immigrants. [5] This starts to cause ethnic tensions and hate groups develop against these foreigners. Moving on to a specific event in history, the most dreadful for  the United  States is the initiation of the organization Ku Klux Klan (KKK). KKK is a white ethnic group against the Immigrant population in the United States. Black African Americans arent the only ones affected by the KKK like some may think but also Catholics, Jewish and other religions that arent protestant. [6] The clan is made up of White supremacists. In the1890s African Americans where described as belonging to a diseased, degenerate race that its not likely to survive more than a generation.   This so called disease is known as Nigra [6]. The Mississippi  Senator James K. Vardaman foreshadowed that Nigra would be over by the 1920s. [6] The African American populations slowly increase as beatings and killing slowly came to a decrease. When they realized that the senator of Mississippi had an incorrect hypothesis the Ku Klux Klan decided to take action. They started atrocious acts such as murders against black political leaders, church leaders and community groups. They even also drove black farmers of their land with their assaults and hatred acts of violence. They publicized the death of each African American weekly. The KKK also in an act to intimidate started burning the Christian cross. In 1924 the organizations reached a peak of four million members but slowly decrease to the hundred thousand in 1930s and faded away in the 1940s. [6] When the North union army won the Civil war, the United States ratified the thirteenth amendment and slavery became dissolved. Southern states worked quickly to establish Black codes. Black code is design to prevent blacks from obtaining full rights; they could only marry, own property, negotiate contracts, and have limited participation in court proceedings against other blacks. [7] As African Americans lost tolerance with segregation during the World War II. A black Labor leader Philip Randolph went to Washington D.C. to object the prohibiting from employment in the industries to blacks. His protest was victorious; they established the Fair Employment Practices Committee. During the war years blacks generally saw an enhancement in their standard of living and laid the groundwork for the civil rights movement of the 1950s. After Blacks in the military were approved, the Black African population in the United States still had a bumpy moment particularly in the military when World War II began. Several riots started in the army as a situation that happened when execution of a black soldier at Fort Benning, Georgia, in 1941.[10] Another riot started in Cap Stewart, Georgia where the military police clashed with black soldiers protesting segregation in facilities and racial prejudice in close by towns.[10] After the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt signed an executive ordering Japanese Americans living in California, Oregon, and Washington to reassign to custody camps for the enduring of the war for their wellbeing. The detestation acts compel them to go incognito which affect the United States in the loss of 2/3 of their Vegetable crops which the Japanese Americans cultivate in the west coast. [8] Within days of the Pearl Harbor attack Japanese were fired from Civil Service jobs, their medical license and law were revoked, their business were Boycotted and their insurance policies were disregarded. [8] Japanese American got treated like prisoners in their own country just because of their background. Families were housed in the horse stalls before being shift into camps in inaccessible areas in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Utah and Wyoming. [8] Their farms, homes, business, and back accounts were confiscated. Some children often exploded in fury , some refusing to sign a loyalty oath and renounce to their American citizenship, others volunteered to serve in the U.S army but were segregated. Military riot were nothing compared to riot in cities, such as one that occurred Detroit in summer of 1943. [9] Young Black and white kids got involved in a small fight at a jam-packed beach in Detroit. In hours about five thousand people rioting. The rebellion got out of control for three days over huge parts of Detroit. The president had to announce state of emergency and called in about five to six thousand National Guard troops for aid. About thirty blacks were murdered and ten white people also murdered; about eight hundred people wounded. [9] In some countries there are some laws that prohibit discrimination based on race or appearance. [4] Most apply to federal government base industries. Hate crimes Racism are considered criminal act in many countries. Definitely standing up for the Anti-Racism is the best thing that anyone can do. Even though we all come from different cultures, we are Homo sapiens that live all together in this world. In a world with no racial tension and ethnic hatred we be a near to perfect world.

Measuring Regional Economic Performance

Measuring Regional Economic Performance Introduction: Indicators on the economic performance of regional and territories inside districts are vital for compelling provincial policymaking. The drivers of the Economic performance of a region are measured over various other factor like industrial restructuring, global competitiveness etc. which has now become the global concerns as well. In this article, we are going to discuss the different measures of the regional economic performance and review how they are relevant and useful to understand our economic spaces. Economic measures: The need to utilize better furthermore even more boundless markers has been identified and future territorial approach is liable to concentrate on empowering all districts to understand the maximum capacity of their advantages, and in addition helping the poorest performing regions to close the hole with the better performing area (Skousen 2013). GVA and GDP are two well-known examples of the measures of the regional economic performance. However, the different measures of regional economic indicators include the other factors like Labor market, Productivity, skills, innovation, enterprise, investment, and competition. Regional Output or GVA (Gross Value Added): GVA is the worth produced by any unit occupied with a generation movement.in other words, it is value added to the materials and other inputs in the production of goods and services by the organizations of that region before any capital consumption or calculation of depreciation (Economic Performance and Developent n.d.). It is measured at current essential costs, barring expenses (fewer appropriations) on items. GVA in addition to expenses (fewer endowments) on items is proportionate to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (Avellaneda 2006). The information utilized here is delivered utilizing the pay methodology or GVA (I). GVA is the common factor used by most of the countries for measuring the economic development of the nations (Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress n.d.). As we know that the main source of GVA are productivity and income, which do vary. GVA calculations equation is the simple ratio of the economic activity carried in a region divided by the total number of population, i.e. people living in that region. However, in real sense to measure the productivity the equation should be rationalized by the total economic activity of that country by the total number of labor inputs (total job hours worked) utilized to create it. GV has numerator as the work place and the denominator is residence based which reflects the fact the GVA does not consider (Dunnell n.d.): the work force like youngsters or pensioners who are not direct contributors of the GVA, in other words we can say percentage gap in the regional differences of the residents. commuters who work in an out for the work variation in the labor market structure (for e.g. Full time or part time) across the regions. Because of the aforementioned factors, the GVA is made unsuitable per head and gives inconsistent results. This can be explained with an example that the place where high commuters are there will have higher GVA as compared to those where the commuters are in low quantity (International journal of Urban and Regional Research n.d.). GDP or Gross Domestic Product: Gross Domestic Product of an economic region provides the measure of the total economic activity of a country or the region. This means the Economic consists of total number of products and services produced in a country per annum (HALL TEWDWR-JONES 2011). Governments and specialists need to know whether the provincial approach help really prompts a get up to speed procedure, and the media frequently utilize the marker to analyze the monetary execution of locales and make rankings (Regional Studies 2015). Productivity: Productivity is a measure of the proficiency of production. It is the proportion of yield delivered to the inputs needed in the generation process. Because of work gainfulness, it gives a measure of yield every work data, where the work info can be either filled employments or hours lived up to expectations. It is A vast piece of the distinctions in productivity between the regions are because of diverse laborer characteristics. Other parts of a nearby economy, for example, the levels of development and business new companies can likewise affect benefit levels. These profits to financial productivity emerge from working in a thick city environment. The Labor Market: Labor Market consists of the different segments, they are – employment, unemployment, under employment and Economic inactivity (Davis Haltiwanger 2014). For most locales/nations, the information recommends work rates have been climbing even more as of late, despite the fact that the increment is not generally measurably critical. Monetary dormancy alludes to individuals who are not in occupation or unemployed, for instance individuals who are taking care of a home or family, or have resigned or are long haul sick. Net livelihood development is the quantity of employments made by growing and opening foundations short the quantity of occupations devastated by contracting and shutting foundations. Income and Earnings: Gross Disposable Household Income (GDHI) every head is prescribed as a measure of the territorial welfare of people. GDHI speaks to the measure of cash accessible inside the family unit part for spending or sparing after pay conveyance measures (for instance charges, social commitments, and profits) have taken effect. A key part of family unit pay is profit from business. This is income left after consumption connected with salary, e.g. assessments and social commitments, property possession and procurement for future annuity wage. It is figured horrible of any reasoning for capital utilization. GVA not every head is prescribed as a measure of welfare for various reasons. Case in point, because of driving, inhabitants may get their earnings from monetary movement in an alternate area, which is not caught by GVA every leader of their district. They might likewise have wellsprings of wage, which are irrelevant to current work, for example, annuities, and ventures. These are incorporated in the GDHI measure (ECONOMIC GROWTH AND TRADE 2015). Innovation: Development is an important, albeit not sufficient, condition for monetary achievement and is along these lines perceived as an imperative driver of gainfulness. Development involves, amongst different things, the improvement of new advancements that build productivity and the presentation of new, products that are more significant and administrations. It additionally incorporates intangibles, for example, new systems for working and enhancements to administrations. International Competitiveness: Competition from organizations based abroad upgrades the benefit of UK firms by making motivations to advance and guaranteeing that assets are distributed to the most proficient firms. Despite the fact that organizations may be focused without sending out abroad, fares give an evidence of how worldwide areas and nations are in their viewpoint and their capacity to face worldwide rivalry. Fares as a rate of GVA do not show that fares straightforwardly contribute this offer to GVA. Rather, GVA is utilized just as a valuable denominator to think about the relative commitment of fares. Conclusion: No single pointer can give a sufficient premise to evaluating a locales financial execution. The gainfulness of those working in a locale can be high, while family salary of occupants may be low because of moderately vast quantities of individuals. Utilizing a catch-all marker cant represent the fluctuating territorial exhibitions on gainfulness, wage and work market issues. The above has demonstrated that there can be contrasts in provincial monetary execution. Variety is significantly stronger inside districts – between little authoritative ranges, between the distinctive sorts of country and urban territories, or between city locales. Certain sorts of organizations benefit from being in close closeness to direct contenders. They can make utilization of a more prominent pool of suppliers, a bigger client base, and access to neighborhood systems, which can encourage learning and innovation spillovers. Bibliography Allen, K 2014, UK on track to be fastest growing G7 economy despite slowdown, viewed 22 Feb 2015, http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/oct/24/uk-economic-growth-slows>. Avellaneda, SD 2006, Good Governance,Institutions and Economic Development:Beyond the Conventional Wisdom, viewed 22 Feb 2015, http://www.upf.edu/dcpis/_pdf/sdellepiane.pdf>. Berger, PDT 2010, An Overview and Analysis on Indices of Regional Competitiveness, viewed 22 Feb 2015, http://www.bapress.ca/Journal-2/An%20Overview%20and%20Analysis%20on%20Indices%20of%20Regional%20Competitiveness.pdf>. Davis, SJ Haltiwanger, J 2014, Labor Market Fluidity and Economic Performance, viewed 22 Feb 2015, http://www.kc.frb.org/publicat/sympos/2014/083014-1.pdf>. Dunnell, K, National Statistician’s article: measuring regional economic performance, viewed 22 Feb 2015. ECONOMIC GROWTH AND TRADE 2015, viewed 22 Feb 2015, http://www.usaid.gov/haiti/economic-growth-and-trade>. Economic Performance and Developent, viewed 22 Feb 2015, http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/departments/economic-performance-and-development>. Economic performance and sustainable growth, viewed 22 Feb 2015, http://www.esrc.ac.uk/about-esrc/mission-strategy-priorities/economic-performance.aspx>. Galor, O 2013, Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, no. 10887, http://www.springer.com/economics/growth/journal/10887>. International journal of Urban and Regional Research, viewed 21 Feb 2015, http://www.ijurr.org/view/index.html>. Joseph Stiglitz, ASAJ-PF, The Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress Revisited, viewed 22 Feb 2015, http://www.stiglitz-sen-fitoussi.fr/documents/overview-eng.pdf>. Lequiller, F, Is GDP a satisfactory measure of growth?, viewed 22 Feb 2015, http://www.oecdobserver.org/news/archivestory.php/aid/1518/Is_GDP_a_satisfactory_measure_of_growth_.html>. Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress, viewed 22 Feb 2015, http://www.oecd.org/statistics/measuring-economic-social-progress/>. Measuring economic performance in your region (covering the indicator Regional Gross Domestic Product), viewed 21 Feb 2015, http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/ytos/measuring-economic-performance-in-your-region>. Moore, S Griffith, J 2015, The Freedom Path to Economic Growth: A Comparative Analysis of Country Performance, viewed 22 Feb 2015, http://www.heritage.org/index/book/chapter-3>. North, DC, Economic performance through time, viewed 22 Feb 2015, http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/2118057?sid=21105420472021uid=2uid=4>. Performance indicators, viewed 21 Feb 2015, http://www.economicsonline.co.uk/Managing_the_economy/Measuring_performance.html>. Pettinger, T 2014, Key measures of economic performance, viewed 22 Feb 2015, http://www.economicshelp.org/blog/10189/economics/key-measures-economic-performance/>. Regional Economic Indicators 2014, viewed 21 Feb 2015, http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/regional-trends/regional-economic-indicators/march-2013/regional-economic-indicatorsmarch-2013.html#tab-The-labour-market>. Regional Studies 2015, vol 49, no. 3. Skousen, M 2013, Beyond GDP: Get Ready For A New Way To Measure The Economy, viewed 22 Feb 2015, http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2013/11/29/beyond-gdp-get-ready-for-a-new-way-to-measure-the-economy/>. Slaper, T, Measuring the Economic Performance of Regions: Creative Destruction and Economic Dynamism, viewed 21 Feb 2015, http://www.ibrc.indiana.edu/ibr/2014/summer/article1.html>.

Architecture Essays -- Careers Jobs Architect

The career I have chosen for this project is an Architect. A building architect to be more specific. The career has many characteristics of work that I wish to pursue as I grow up. The main idea is thinking of new, and visually nice designs to grab your clients attention for them to buy your design. It also is a job were mathematics and now computer training is needed. The nature of work of an Architect is basically the design of building and other structures. The design of the building must not only be creative and what the client wants, but there are many different regulations and rules to follow to make the building affordable, safe, and proper size for it to fit in its specifically picked out plantation. First the Architect and the client must discuss the basic idea of the project, giving him basic ideas like size, shape, number of rooms and budget. The Architect will then make blue prints or drawing of his ideas, then present them to the client or clients who he is working for, to see if they like his idea and if they have any comments or suggestions that they would like to get met. If the clients like that idea of the building, the Architect must then draw final construction plans which show the building’s general appearance and details for it’s construction. Such details as the air-conditioning , ventilation and electrical systems to name a few. Architects now sometimes turn to computer-aided design and drafting or (CADD) only a few Architects will plan all their wo...

More Than Just A Shirt :: essays research papers

Before reading this poem one doesn't completely realize the details and stories behind an object as basic as a shirt. I had no idea that so much detail could be found in such a simple object, much less an entire poem. This poem presents a very good example of how we can easily overlook terrible things which happen, but choose to ignore. Even though we know bad working conditions exist in small countries which produce products we need, we choose to buy these products and support the inhumane working conditions. The poem does a good job of making us more aware of the world around us, and that there are more to things then meets the eye.The poem Shirt by Robert Pinsky is written in a free verse form. The poem tells the story behind a shirt. It starts by describing the shirt and its physical characteristics, but then goes into the story of the workers which produce it. The shirt is not one particular shirt, but all shirts in general. The first story which is described in the poem tells us about a factory which has poor working conditions. These conditions led to a fire which kills one hundred and forty-six people. A specific example of a man who tosses three girls out the window and then plunges to his own death serves to show us the horror of the situation. the poem then continues on to tell us of in humane conditions in Scotland. It ends by telling us about the slaves who picked and planted the cotton. The speaker seems to be telling us a story in order to inform us of what's going on in the shirt industry.Robert Pinsky doesn't have many obvious examples of diction in his work, although hints of it can be found. There is a simile in the first line of the tenth stanza. The line goes "corners of both pockets, like a strict rhyme"(line 28). When reading the poem many images present themselves. One of the first images I see continues to present its self through out the poem. This image is one of the shirt with its " invisible stitches along the collar "(2), " twin bar-tacked corners "(27), and " Buttons of simulated stone ".(45) The strongest image in the poem which really stuck with me was one of the man dropping girls out of the window, and then jumping himself.

New Faces for Mars

Mars often referred to as the Red Planet, has long been a subject of fascination; speculation about the existence of â€Å"Martians† was widespread early in the twentieth century; for example, issues of Scientific American in 1920 described possible communication with Mars using search lights and giant mirrors to reflect sunlight (Greeley 115). According to Greeley (2001), other proposals for communicating including digging huge trenches in the form of mathematical symbols in the Sahara Desert; these trenches were to be filled with kerosene and signal aflame to signal Mars. Based on Greeley (2001), although these ideas were never carried out, they reflected intense public interest in Mars. Telescopic observations of Mars began in the late nineteenth century and provided fuel for speculation about the nature of Mars. Space exploration of mars was initiated with the Mariner flyby in 1965; although it took only 22 close-up pictures covering a tiny fraction of the surface and showed the presence of a lunar like craters (Greeley 115). According to Greeley (2001), the geologic diversity of Mars was finally revealed by the Mariner 9 spacecraft. The Viking mission was the most complicated unmanned mission flown in the solar system according to Greeley; consisting of two orbiters and two landers. And in 1997, Mars Pathfinder landed and returned information for a third site on Mars; these missions have set the stage for more complex future missions including the return of samples to earth. It has been discovered before that more craters are older with some around 19 km across. Volcanism is also fascinating on Mars, which is said to have lava flowing but I’m not sure if this was really true. It is also said that the Red Planet has no plate tectonics and its outer layer doesn’t move horizontally, only its outer layer moves vertically. As for Mars’ other features, it is said that weathering and erosion are observed with dominated dust storms – global dust storms and sand dunes. It has also been said that there has been past flowing water before but this argument hasn’t been verified yet. As for the aliens wearing helmet, I doubt it because as of now there hasn’t been any findings of its existence. Maybe this might be true if water will be discovered in Mars. Due to advance research and technologies, I think that as time passes by, more and more findings could be discovered. If before, images are vague and cannot be distinguished easily, today, more and more sophisticated tools are being used to capture Mars’ images. Now, Mars’ tectonic features are more detailed compared before. It has also been found out that Mar’s volcanism is widespread and more diverse and young. Despite a virtual generation of studies based on newly devised technologies of space, Mars remains something of an enigma to man; fly-by, orbiting and landing missions by increasingly sophisticated space probes have revealed more about the Red planet in the last thirty years that had been gleaned in all previous centuries, but there are still many mysteries to be solved (Kargel ix). According to Kargel (2004), they range from the question of where Phobos and Deimos, the diminutive Martian Satellites, came from whereabouts of water which once sculptured much of the planet’s surface; these many more questions will only be answered after years, perhaps decades, of effort; and because the planet and its satellites preserve much of the ancient history of the solar system, they are important questions of science. Works Cited Kargel, J. S. Mars: A Warmer, Wetter Planet. New York: Springer Publishing 2004. Greeley, R. & Batson, R. The Compact NASA Atlas of the Solar System. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001.

Shadow Kiss Chapter 18

Eighteen EVERYTHING BECAME FUZZY after that. I had vague impressions of moving in and out of consciousness, of people saying my name, and of being in the air again. Eventually, I woke up in the school's infirmary and found Dr. Olendzki looking down at me. â€Å"Hello, Rose,† she said. She was a middle-aged Moroi and often joked that I was her number one patient. â€Å"How are you feeling?† The details of what had happened came back. The faces. Mason. The other ghosts. The terrible pain in my head. All of it was gone. â€Å"Fine,† I said, half-surprised to be saying those words. For a moment, I wondered if maybe it had all been a dream. Then I looked beyond her and saw Dimitri and Alberta looming nearby. The looks on their faces told me the events on the plane had indeed been real. Alberta cleared her throat, and Dr. Olendzki glanced back. â€Å"May we?† Alberta asked. The doctor nodded, and the other two stepped forward. Dimitri, as always, was a balm to me. No matter what happened, I always felt a little safer in his presence. Yet even he hadn't been able to stop what had happened at the airport. When he looked at me like he was now, with an expression of such tenderness and concern, it triggered mixed feelings. Part of me loved that he cared so much. The other part wanted to be strong for him and didn't want to make him worry. â€Å"Rose†¦Ã¢â‚¬  began Alberta uncertainly. I could tell she had no clue how to go about this. What had happened was beyond her realm of experience. Dimitri took over. â€Å"Rose, what happened back there?† Before I could utter a word, he cut me off. â€Å"And do not say it was nothing this time.† Well, if I couldn't fall back on that answer, then I didn't know what to say. Dr. Olendzki pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. â€Å"We only want to help you.† â€Å"I don't need any help,† I said. â€Å"I'm fine.† I sounded just like Brandon and Brett. I was probably only one step away from saying, â€Å"I fell.† Alberta finally regained herself. â€Å"You were fine when we were in the air. When we landed, you were most definitely not fine.† â€Å"I'm fine now,† I replied stonily, not meeting their eyes. â€Å"What happened then?† she asked. â€Å"Why the screaming? What did you mean when you said we needed to make ‘them' go away?† I briefly considered my other fallback answer, the one about stress. That sounded completely stupid now. So, again, I said nothing. To my surprise, I felt tears build up in my eyes. â€Å"Rose,† murmured Dimitri, voice as soft as silk against my skin. â€Å"Please.† Something in that cracked me. It was so hard for me to stand against him. I turned my head and stared at the ceiling. â€Å"Ghosts,† I whispered. â€Å"I saw ghosts.† None of them had expected that, but honestly, how could they have? Heavy silence fell. Finally, Dr. Olendzki spoke in a faltering voice. â€Å"W-what do you mean?† I swallowed. â€Å"He's been following me for the last couple of weeks. Mason. On campus. I know it sounds crazy – but it's him. Or his ghost. That's what happened with Stan. I locked up because Mason was there, and I didn't know what to do. On the plane†¦ I think he was there too †¦ and others. But I couldn't exactly see them when we were in the air. Just glimpses†¦ and the headache. But when we landed in Martinville, he was there in full form. And – and he wasn't alone. There were others with him. Other ghosts.† A tear escaped from my eye, and I hastily wiped at it, hoping none of them had seen it. I waited then, not sure what to expect. Would someone laugh? Tell me I was crazy? Accuse me of lying and demand to know what had really happened? â€Å"Did you know them?† Dimitri asked finally. I turned back and actually met his eyes. They were still serious and concerned, no mockery. â€Å"Yeah †¦ I saw some of Victor's guardians and the people from the massacre. Lissa's†¦Lissa's family was there too.† Nobody said anything after that. They all just sort of exchanged glances, hoping perhaps that one of the others might shed light on all this. Dr. Olendzki sighed. â€Å"Could I speak with the two of you privately?† The three of them stepped out of the examining room, shutting the door behind them. Only it didn't quite catch. Scrambling off the bed, I crossed the room and stood by the door. The tiny crack was just enough for my dhampir hearing to pick up the conversation. I felt bad about eavesdropping, but they were talking about me, and I couldn't shake the feeling that my future was on the line here. † – obvious what's going on,† hissed Dr. Olendzki. It was the first time I'd ever heard her sound so irate. With patients, she was the picture of serenity. It was hard to imagine her angry, but she was clearly pissed off now. â€Å"That poor girl. She's undergoing post-traumatic stress disorder, and it's no wonder after everything that's happened.† â€Å"Are you sure?† asked Alberta. â€Å"Maybe it's something else†¦Ã¢â‚¬  But as her words trailed off, I could tell she didn't really know of anything else that would explain it. â€Å"Look at the facts: a teenage girl who witnessed one of her friends getting killed and then had to kill his killer. You don't think that's traumatic? You don't think that might have had the tiniest effect on her?† â€Å"Tragedy is something all guardians have to deal with,† said Alberta. â€Å"Maybe there's not much to be done for guardians in the field, but Rose is still a student here. There are resources that can help her.† â€Å"Like what?† asked Dimitri. He sounded curious and concerned, not like he was challenging her. â€Å"Counseling. Talking to someone about what happened can do worlds of good. You should have done that as soon as she got back. You should do it for the others who were with her while you're at it. Why doesn't anyone think of these things?† â€Å"It's a good idea,† said Dimitri. I recognized the tone in his voice – his mind was spinning. â€Å"She could do it on her day off.† â€Å"Day off? More like every day. You should pull her from this entire field experience. Fake Strigoi attacks are not the way to recover from a real one.† â€Å"No!† I had pushed open the door before I realized it. They all stared at me, and I immediately felt stupid. I'd just busted myself for spying. â€Å"Rose,† said Dr. Olendzki, returning to her caring (but slightly chastising) doctor mode. â€Å"You should go lie down.† â€Å"I'm fine. And you can't make me quit the field experience. I won't graduate if you do.† â€Å"You aren't well, Rose, and there's nothing to be ashamed of after what's happened to you. Thinking you're seeing the ghost of someone who died isn't too out there when you consider the circumstances.† I started to correct her on the thinking you're seeing part but then bit it off. Arguing that I'd really seen a ghost wasn't probably going to do me any favors, I decided, even if I was starting to believe that was exactly what I was seeing. Frantically, I tried to think of a convincing reason to stay in the field experience. I was usually pretty good at talking myself out of bad situations. â€Å"Unless you're going to put me in counseling 24/7, you're just going to make it worse. I need something to do. Most of my classes are on hold right now. What would I do? Sit around? Think more and more about what happened? I'll go crazy – for real. I don't want to sit on the past forever. I need to get moving with my future.† This threw them into an argument about what to do with me. I listened, biting my tongue, knowing I needed to stay out of it. Finally, with some grumbling from the doctor, they all decided I would go on half-time for the field experience. It proved to be the ideal compromise for everyone – well, except me. I just wanted life to go on exactly as it had. Still, I knew this was probably as good a deal as I'd get. They decided that I'd do three days of field experience a week, with no night duties. During the other days, I'd have to do some training and whatever bookwork they dug up for me. I'd also have to see a counselor, which I wasn't thrilled about. It wasn't that I had anything against counselors. Lissa had been seeing one, and it had been really useful for her. Talking things out helped. It was just†¦well, this was just something I didn't want to talk about. But if it came down to this or being kicked out of the field experience, I was more than happy to go with this. Alberta felt they could still justify passing me on half-time. She also liked the idea of having counseling going on at the same time I was dealing with fake Strigoi attacks – just in case they really were traumatizing. After a bit more examination, Dr. Olendzki gave me a clean bill of health and told me I could go back to my dorm. Alberta left after that, but Dimitri stuck around to walk me back. â€Å"Thanks for thinking of the half-time thing,† I told him. The walkways were wet today because the weather had warmed up after the storm. It wasn't bathing suit weather or anything, but a lot of the ice and snow were melting. Water dripped steadily from trees, and we had to sidestep puddles. Dimitri came to an abrupt stop and turned so that he stood right in front of me, blocking my path. I skidded to a halt, nearly running into him. He reached out and grabbed my arm, pulling me closer to him than I would have expected him to do in public. His fingers bit deep into me, but they didn't hurt. â€Å"Rose,† he said, the pain in his voice making my heart stop, â€Å"this shouldn't have been the first time I heard about this! Why didn't you tell me? Do you know what it was like? Do you know it was like for me to see you like that and not know what was happening? Do you know how scared I was?† I was stunned, both from his outburst and our proximity. I swallowed, unable to speak at first. There was so much on his face, so many emotions. I couldn't recall the last time I'd seen that much of him on display. It was wonderful and frightening at the same time. I then said the stupidest thing possible. â€Å"You're not scared of anything.† â€Å"I'm scared of lots of things. I was scared for you.† He released me, and I stepped back. There was still passion and worry written all over him. â€Å"I'm not perfect. I'm not invulnerable.† â€Å"I know, it's just†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I didn't know what to say. He was right. I always saw Dimitri as larger than life. All-knowing. Invincible. It was hard for me to believe that he could worry about me so much. â€Å"And this has been going on for a long time too,† he added. â€Å"It was going on with Stan, when you were talking to Father Andrew about ghosts – you were dealing with it this whole time! Why didn't you tell anyone? Why didn't you tell Lissa †¦ or †¦ me?† I stared into those dark, dark eyes, those eyes I loved. â€Å"Would you have believed me?† He frowned. â€Å"Believed what?† â€Å"That I'm seeing ghosts.† â€Å"Well†¦ they aren't ghosts, Rose. You only think they are because – â€Å" â€Å"That's why,† I interrupted. â€Å"That's why I couldn't tell you or anybody. Nobody would believe me, not without thinking I'm crazy.† â€Å"I don't think you're crazy,† he said. â€Å"But I think you've been through a lot.† Adrian had said almost the exact same thing when I asked him how I could tell if I was crazy or not. â€Å"It's more than that,† I said. I started walking again. Without even taking another step, he reached out and grabbed me once more. He pulled me back to him, so that we now stood even closer than before. I glanced uneasily around again, wondering if someone might see us, but the campus was deserted. It was early, not quite sunset, so early that most people probably weren't even up for the school day yet. We wouldn't see activity around here for at least another hour. Still, I was surprised to see Dimitri was still risking it. â€Å"Tell me then,† he said. â€Å"Tell me how it's more than that.† â€Å"You won't believe me,† I said. â€Å"Don't you get it? No one will. Even you †¦ of all people.† Something in that thought made my voice catch. Dimitri understood so much about me. I wanted – needed – him to understand this too. â€Å"I'll†¦try. But I still don't think you really understand what's happening to you.† â€Å"I do,† I said firmly. â€Å"That's what no one realizes. Look, you have to decide once and for all if you really do trust me. If you think I'm a child, too na?ve to get what's going on with her fragile mind, then you should just keep walking. But if you trust me enough to remember that I've seen things and know things that kind of surpass those of others my age†¦well, then you should also realize that I might know a little about what I'm talking about.† A lukewarm breeze, damp with the scent of melted snow, swirled around us. â€Å"I do trust you, Roza. But†¦ I don't believe in ghosts.† The earnestness was there. He did want to reach out to me, to understand†¦but even as he did, it warred with beliefs he wasn't ready to change yet. It was ironic, considering tarot cards apparently spooked him. â€Å"Will you try to?† I asked. â€Å"Or at the very least try not to write this off to some psychosis?† â€Å"Yes. That I can do.† So I told him about my first couple of Mason sightings and how I'd been afraid to explain the Stan incident to anyone. I talked about the shapes I'd seen on the plane and described in more detail what I'd seen on the ground. â€Å"Doesn't it seem kind of, um, specific for a random stress reaction?† I asked when I finished. â€Å"I don't know that you can really expect ‘stress reactions' to be random or specific. They're unpredictable by nature.† He had that thoughtful expression I knew so well, the one that told me he was turning over all sorts of things in his head. I could also tell that he still wasn't buying this as a real ghost story but that he was trying very hard to keep an open mind. He affirmed as much a moment later: â€Å"Why are you so certain these aren't just things you're imagining?† â€Å"Well, at first I thought I was imagining it all. But now †¦ I don't know. There's something about it that feels real†¦ even though I know that isn't actually evidence. But you heard what Father Andrew said – about ghosts sticking around after they die young or violently.† Dimitri actually bit his lip. He'd been about to tell me not to take the priest literally. Instead he asked, â€Å"So you think Mason's back for revenge?† â€Å"I thought that at first, but now I'm not so sure. He's never tried to hurt me. He just seems like he wants something. And then †¦ all those other ghosts seemed to want something too – even the ones I didn't know. Why?† Dimitri gave me a sage look. â€Å"You have a theory.† â€Å"I do. I was thinking about what Victor said. He mentioned that because I'm shadow-kissed – because I died – I have a connection to the world of the dead. That I'll never entirely leave it behind me.† His expression hardened. â€Å"I wouldn't put a lot of stock in what Victor Dashkov tells you.† â€Å"But he knows things! You know he does, no matter how big an asshole he is.† â€Å"Okay, supposing that's true, that being shadow-kissed lets you see ghosts, why is it happening now? Why didn't it happen right after the car accident?† â€Å"I thought of that,† I said eagerly. â€Å"It was something else Victor said – that now that I was dealing in death, I was that much closer to the other side. What if causing someone else's death strengthened my connection and now makes this possible? I just had my first real kill. Kills, even.† â€Å"Why is it so haphazard?† asked Dimitri. â€Å"Why does it occur when it does? Why the airplane? Why not at Court?† My enthusiasm dimmed a little. â€Å"What are you, a lawyer?† I snapped. â€Å"You question everything I'm saying. I thought you were going to have an open mind.† â€Å"I am. But you need to too. Think about it. Why this pattern of sightings?† â€Å"I don't know,† I admitted. I sagged in defeat. â€Å"You still think I'm crazy.† He reached out and cupped my chin, tipping my face up to look at his. â€Å"No. Never. Not one of these theories makes me think you're crazy. But I've always believed the simplest explanation makes sense. Dr. Olendzki's does. The ghost one has holes. But, if you can find out more†¦then we may have something to work with.† â€Å"We?† I asked. â€Å"Of course. I'm not leaving you alone on this, no matter what. You know I'd never abandon you.† There was something very sweet and noble about his words, and I felt the need to return them, though mostly I ended up sounding idiotic. â€Å"And I won't ever abandon you, you know. I mean it†¦ not that this stuff ever happens to you, of course, but if you start seeing ghosts or anything, I'll help you through it.† He gave a small, soft laugh. â€Å"Thanks.† Our hands found each other's, fingers lacing together. We stood like that for almost a full minute, neither of us saying anything. The only place we touched was our hands. The breeze picked up again, and although the temperature was probably only in the forties, it felt like spring to me. I expected flowers to burst into bloom around us. As though sharing the same thought, we released our hands at the same time. We reached my dorm shortly after that, and Dimitri asked if I'd be okay going in on my own. I told him I'd be fine and that he should go do his own thing. He left, but just as I was about to step through the lobby door, I realized my overnight bag was still back at the med clinic. Muttering a few things that would have gotten me a detention, I turned around and hurried back in the direction I'd just come. Dr. Olendzski's receptionist motioned me toward the examining rooms when I told her why I was there. I retrieved the bag from my now-empty room and turned into the hall to leave. Suddenly, in the room opposite mine, I saw someone lying in bed. There was no sign of any of the clinic's staff, and my curiosity – always getting the better of me – made me peek inside. It was Abby Badica, a senior Moroi. Cute and perky were the adjectives that usually came to mind when I described Abby, but this time, she was anything but. She was bruised and scratched up, and when she turned her face to look at me, I saw red welts. â€Å"Let me guess,† I said. â€Å"You fell.† â€Å"W-what?† â€Å"You fell. I hear that's the standard answer: Brandon, Brett, and Dane. But I'll tell you the truth – you guys need to come up with something else. I think the doctor's getting suspicious.† Her eyes went wide. â€Å"You know?† It was then that I realized my mistake with Brandon. I'd come at him demanding answers, which had made him reluctant to share anything. Those who'd questioned Brett and Dane had faced similar results. With Abby, I realized that I just had to act like I already knew the answers, and then she'd give up the information. â€Å"Of course I know. They told me everything.† â€Å"What?† she squeaked. â€Å"They swore not to. It's part of the rules.† Rules? What was she talking about? The royal-bashing vigilante group I'd been picturing didn't really seem like the type to have rules. There was something else going on here. â€Å"Well, they didn't have much of a choice. I don't know why, but I keep finding you guys afterward. I had to help cover for them. I'm telling you, I don't know how much longer this can go on without someone asking more questions.† I spoke like I was a sympathizer, wanting to help if I could. â€Å"I should have been stronger. I tried, but it wasn't enough.† She looked tired – and in pain. â€Å"Just keep quiet until everything's set, okay? Please?† â€Å"Sure,† I said, dying to know what she'd â€Å"tried.† â€Å"I'm not going to drag anyone else in. How'd you even end up here? You're supposed to avoid attracting attention.† Or so I assumed. I was totally making this up as I went along. She grimaced. â€Å"The dorm matron noticed and made me come in. If the rest of the Man? finds out, I'm going to get in trouble.† â€Å"Hopefully the doctor'll send you on your way before any of them find out. She's kind of busy. You've got the same marks as Brett and Brandon, and none of theirs were that serious.† So I hoped. â€Å"The†¦uh, burn marks were a little tricky, but they haven't had any problems.† It was a gamble in my game here. Not only did I have no clue about the specifics of Brett's injuries, I also didn't actually know if those marks Jill had described on him were burns. If they weren't, I might have just blown my insider act. But, she didn't correct me, and her fingers absentmindedly touched one of the welts. â€Å"Yeah, they said the damage wouldn't last. I'll just have to make up something for Olendzki.† A small flicker of hope shone in her eyes. â€Å"They said they wouldn't, but maybe†¦maybe they'll let me try again.† It was at that moment that the good doctor returned. She was surprised to see me still there and told me I needed to get back home and rest. I said goodbye to both of them and trekked back out into the cold. I barely noticed the weather as I walked, though. Finally, finally, I had a clue in this puzzle. Man?.