Collective Consensus Theory Essay

Social norms can be defined as – The rules that a group uses for appropriate and inappropriate values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. These rules may be explicit or implicit. Failure to stick to the rules can result in severe punishments, the most feared of which is exclusion from the group. A common rule is that the some norms must frequently be displayed; neutrality is seldom an option. Here I include other norms, which are as follows: a. ) Injunctive Norms – These are behaviors, which are perceived as being approved of by other people. b. ) Descriptive Norms – The perceptions of how other people are actually behaving and whether their behavior is accepted or not. c. ) Explicit Norms – written or spoken openly. d. ) Implicit Norms – not openly stated (but you find out when you trespass them). e. ) Subjective Norms – How we will behave with others who valued us. f. ) Personal Norms – Knowing our standards about our own actions. By exploring social norms and inequalities, let me be more specific, about the Americans – Inequalities in American society have become so institutionalized that we rarely recognize most of them on a daily basis. Some are glaringly obvious: the privileges of the elite, the boss’ ability to come and go as he pleases- but these inequalities are sustaining, obvious, and don’t hurt as much because we are conditioned to accept them†¦ Some inequalities change as certain circumstances change. The type of social stratification I wish to discuss is ever changing, we’ve all experienced it, but have we all noticed it? We like to think we live in a classless, multicultural society where everyone is treated equally. Frankly we are deluded. Of course there are classes, and not everyone is treated equally. The classes in our world are based on race, ethnicity, education and politics. Of the phenomenons of social stratification is social inequality, which is the distribution of resources dividing society into rank, grades, family, religion and education. These divisions should not occur in our society, but it is the sad truth that it does. Ethnicity is different to race as ethnicity is a distinct cultural definition which people identify with as customs, family patterns and religion. The sociologist, Max Weber, defines ethnic groups as â€Å"human groups that entertain a subjective belief in their common descent because of physical type or of customs or of both or because of memories of colonialisation or migration†. The biggest problem that arises in race and ethnic relations is prejudice, which is born out of pre-judgment and lack of knowledge. The Sociological causes of prejudice are: 1. It draws together people who share it; superiority is important. This is an element of Emile Durkheim’s Collective Consensus Theory. 2. Competing for resources. It is easier to get things if you can write others off as less deserving. 3. We can project onto others, who we think are lesser than us, those parts of ourselves that we don’t like. The prejudices against those we think are ‘different’ have negative consequences such as limiting our vision of the world. But far worse is its effect on society; it leads to discrimination and the consequence of discrimination is inequality. For Karl Marx, inequality was seen as a dichotomy based on the relations of production and the concept of class is the basic indicator of inequality. Weber saw inequality as three abstracted mechanisms of power; class (economic power), status (social prestige power) and party (political power). Whichever way it is described, inequality is found everywhere, between class, in education, health, occupations and power and within classes with sex, age, ethnicity and religion. However, there is hope in the end, for people can be socially mobile, which is the movement of people between social classes. Society’s idea is that if you work hard enough you will move up in society, but this is not always true. People can move downwards in the social scale, or may start on the bottom and stay there because they do not have the same access to education as others may have. These people have less opportunities than others yet they are looked down upon because they are not upwardly mobile. How can people move up socially if they are not on an equal playing field to begin with? As long as people continue acting the way they do, inequality and racism will exist. Education is the key, and while older people may be set in their ways and may not be willing to change their views, we must educate the children, who are are future. Children must be taught that all people are equal and that thinking otherwise is wrong. For it is wrong. We were all created equal. Man made us not so. As per my view, when we live in a society were abiding by social, personal, or subjective norms, which are laid out for social and societal living is of utmost significance; I tend to stick to those norms and also inculcate the same things to people who are not aware of them. Man is a social animal, who needs to be trained to adapt different changes in societal environment. He has to abide by the norms laid out by the society to be accepted socially and morally, or else he/she is treated as a aborigine or uncivilized.

Gryphon: Teacher and Baxter

â€Å"Gryphon† is a short story about women. Author showed two types of women. The first type represented by the teacher, and the second type represented by the narrator’s mother. The teacher represents women who are free and not restricted by family. She was not married, she traveled in order to explore the world, and she was well educated, while narrator’s mother was a typically housewife dependent on her husband and predestined to â€Å"full- time mothering at home† (Rich, 1996) In the first paragraph is presented Miss Ferenczi a substitute teacher.Unlike other boring normal substitute teachers, who â€Å"provided easeful class day, and nervously covered material† (Baxter, p. 15)into the class came woman they had never seen. â€Å"She was no special age but her face had two prominent lines, descending vertically from the sides of her mouth to her chin. I knew where I had seen those lines before: Pinocchio. They were marionette lines† (Baxt er, 2010). As she walks to the blackboard, picking up pieces of white and green chalk, she draws a large oak tree on the left side of the blackboard saying the class needs this tree in it. Then she told the class about her royal Hungarian ancestor.She was proud of her mother being a famous pianist who succeeded her first concert in London for ? crowned heads. The substitute teacher’s behavior and personality surprised her students because she was strange. She was different from their mothers, which were uneducated housewives sitting â€Å"silently at the back of the room, doing her knitting. † (Baxter, 2010) Narrator’s mother â€Å"face and hairstyle always reminded other people of Betty Crocker, whose picture was framed inside a gigantic spoon on the side of the Bisquick box† (Baxter, 2010). For him his â€Å"mother face just looked white† (Baxter, 2010).She always had chores to do; she was only interested in cleaning and cooking. She did not part icipate in the life of her son, she really did not talk to him, she just command. They only have time for talking when â€Å"the father gets home† (Baxter, 2010). Everything has to be prepared before† the Lord's† coming home. For her the most important thing was â€Å"to clean up before dinner† (Baxter, 2010). The diamond is one symbol that helps to convey this theme. According to Miss Ferenczi â€Å"diamond s are magic and this is why women wear them on their fingers, as a sign of the magic womanhood† (Baxter, 2010).Every young girl dreams of a fairy-tale prince and to live happily ever after. In the consciousness of young women is a deeply rooted compulsion to marriage. â€Å"Women have married because it was necessary, in order to survive economically, in order to have children who would not suffer economic deprivation or social ostracism†. (Rich, 1996) In a really life it turns out that marriage is a trap. Men manifest a male power and tre at â€Å"the institution of marriage and motherhood as unpaid production† (Rich, 1996). They â€Å"confine women physically and prevent their movement† (Rich, 1996).Also narrator’s mother was in this kind of trap. â€Å"She touched the back of her hand to my forehead and I felt her diamond ring against my skin† (Baxter, 2010). â€Å"The diamond in the world was cursed and had killed everyone who owned it, and that by trick of fate it was called the Hope diamond† (Baxter, 2010). The same as marriage could kill women’s creativeness and their independence. â€Å"Definition of male pursuits as more valuable than female within any culture, so that cultural values become the embodiment of male subjectivity: restriction of female self- fulfillment to marriage and motherhood†. Rich, 1996) In an attempt to show† the restriction of female self- fulfillment to marriage and motherhood â€Å" (Rich, 1996) Miss Ferenczi predicted the future of their students using a tarot. Predictions are shown to be different for girls and boys. In the girl’s future she did not see higher education but she saw an early marriage, many children and tasks of housewife life, while in boy’s future: travel, late marriage and â€Å"maybe a good life† (Baxter, 2010). It is a proof that the situation of women is the same for many generations regardless of time, place and culture. In the short story â€Å"Gryphon† were shown two women and two styles of life.A common part for these two women is just sex. The substitute teacher was as the fabulous beast – gryphon – â€Å"with the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion† (Baxter, 2010) meanwhile a narrator’s mother was like a most women, who need men as social and economic protectors. Work Cited Charles Baxter. â€Å"Gryphon†. Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandel (7th Edition). : Bo ston: Wadsworth, 2010. 242-253. Print. Adriane Rich â€Å"Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence†. Feminism and Sexuality. Jackson E. Scott (1996).

Hemingway’s The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber Essay

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The three characters in Hemingway’s The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber form a triangle in which the relationships are not clear from the beginning. The plot of the short story is not very complicated: during a safari, the rich and handsome Francis Macomber proves to be a coward when he runs off scared while hunting the lion he had wounded.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In fact, the attribute of ‘coward’ is given to him, indirectly, by his wife Margot and by Wilson, the hunter who accompanies them on the expedition. The whole story thus revolves around the killing of the lion, an act which seems to be the ultimate proof of manhood, and, which constitutes therefore a great attraction to women. The setting and the context of the story- the safari in the wilderness of Africa- seem to determine also the plot: Hemingway chooses for his characters two Americans with a great wealth and social stand, who are supposed to be very civilized, and exposes in fact their instinctual behavior, which seems to have kept its wild nature. Francis Macomber and Robert Wilson ‘fight’, by proving their courage in the hunt, for the ‘female’ who will instinctually choose the stronger of the two. The fact that the behavior of wild animals and that of humans have a common pattern is emphasized by Hemingway careful notation of the lion’s ‘feelings’ while he is being hunted by the two men. Thus, a clear connection is established between men and the wild animals: â€Å"Macomber had not thought how the lion felt as he got out of the car. He only knew his hands were shaking and as he walked away from the car it was almost impossible for him to make his legs move.†(Hemingway, 8) Thus, after Macomber’s failure in the hunt of the lion, Margot kisses the ‘winner’, Wilson, and completely ignores her husband, and her behavior seems to be the exact pattern of the creatures in the wilderness. Furthermore, the very night after Macomber’s defeat, she goes to bed with Wilson, without even trying to dissimulate in front of her husband. The courage to kill and to face death is taken here as the main criteria for manhood: â€Å"Fear gone like an operation. Something else grew in its place. Main thing a man had. Made him into a man. Women knew it too. No bloody fear.†(Hemingway, 12) The marriage between Francis and Margot had been nothing more than a profitable business affair, him having the money and she the beauty. As it is hinted, these interests are the only things that kept them together still. Both of them seem to be sure these ties are strong enough to secure against a break-up. However, after having found out about his wife’s betrayal, Macomber’s instinctive nature seems to be awakened: he discovers the exhilaration that the hunt and the killings produce in him, and his fear is completely gone. Still, Margot is not pleased by her husband’s success, as one would expect. She rather feels threatened, and tries to hide it by resuming her contemptuous attitude towards him: â€Å"’You’ve gotten awfully brave, awfully suddenly,’ his wife said contemptuously, but her contempt was not secure. She was very afraid of something.†(Hemingway, 11) Thus, Margot ‘rewards’ the braveness of her husband by killing him while he was fighting the bull, apparently trying to aim at the beast. However, it is obvious that she kills him intentionally, first of all, because of her strange behavior before the murder, and also because of the logic of events. As Hemingway hints, ‘she was afraid of something’ and it can plainly be seen that that something was the fact that Macomber might leave her for her betrayal, now that he found his self-assurance and his manliness again. This is exactly what Wilson alludes at after the ‘accident’: â€Å"’That was a pretty thing to do,’ he said in a toneless voice. ‘He would have left you too.’†(Hemingway, 14) She thus kills her husband to ward off the danger of having him leave her. This is proven by her strong emotions during the bull hunt, in which Macomber finally shows his braveness: her face is white with fear and probably contrasting feelings. At first she seems to congratulate again the winner, this time her husband: â€Å"’In the car Macomber’s wife sat very white-faced. ‘You were marvelous, darling,’ she said to Macomber. ‘What a ride.’†(Hemingway, 13) Nonetheless, her admiration soon turns into the fear that her husband will desert her: â€Å"Her face was white and she looked ill.† Again, the fact that Margot kills her husband on purpose coheres with the rest of her instinctive behavior: although the main reason of the killing seems to be his fortune or her social stand which she might lose, it may be that her murder is again instinctive, in the sense that she is afraid of losing the now desirable man, because of his courage. She prefers shooting him, again cohering with the hunt. Her ‘hysterical’ crying over the dead body of her husband do not manage to convince us of her innocence or her pain at the loss: she rather mourns him either because she needs to act in front of the other hunters, or because she has to give up the hero she had been looking for. The way in which she changes her mind after Macomber’s success, and she says that their hunting is by no means a heroic act, clearly demonstrates that she feels trapped, again manifesting her instinctual nature. At the end of the story, she herself is defeated by Wilson, who plainly lets her see that he knows the truth, and seems to enjoy the feeling of being able to submit her to his will, and have her beg: â€Å"That’s better, ‘Wilson said. ‘Please is much better. Now I’ll stop.’(Hemingway, 14) The meanings of Hemingway’s story are thus very complex, as he analyzes the instinctual relationships between men and women, and other instincts, such as that of killing and hunting or of possessing and dominating. Works Cited: Hemingway, Ernest. The Complete Short Stories. New York: Scribner Paperback Fiction, 1998

Does e-cigarette really safe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Does e-cigarette really safe - Essay Example It used this correlation to establish causality that by smoking e-cigarette instead of traditional cigarette one is safer because it is like smoking room air. By using this method of inferences, the author made the reader to forget that e-cigarette still has addictive substance such as nicotine and that it still put glycerin or propylene glycol into our lungs and who knows what the flavorings are made of. By using the above inferences, the author implied that smoking nicotine, glycerin or propylene glycol and other chemicals for the flavoring is similar to inhaling room air which is incorrect. The ideal experiment is not to compare inhaling the two substance to establish correlation that and then imply causation that e-cigarette is safe. Instead, the experiment should involve controlled test group such as comparing the effect of e-cigarette between people who smoked e-cigarette for a certain number of years and then compared them with those who did not to correctly establish the safety of

Philosophical issus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Philosophical issus - Essay Example Under the scrutiny of minimum conception of morality, Cultural relativism is critical as it serves the better part of group interest while at least capturing individual interests that are culture dependent. It is important to underline the ethical theory of utilitarianism which defines wrong or right in terms of the outcome of an action among the several alternative choices. In this concept, the aspect of utility emphasizes the right act as the action choice with the minimum bad results. In regard to minimum conception of morality, utilitarianism works outside the limits of individual interests and captures the interest of others. In other words, Utilitarianism seeks to govern conflicts between self-interest and common interests with the goal of optimal happiness of the greatest number(Rachels and James 116-9). For instance government decisions are based on the majority desire which may conflict with individuals with different wishes and such proposals vary across cultural framework of each country. This asserts that utilitarianism subscribe to the minimum conception of morality. According to Kant, some actions are wrong even if it would amount to more happiness than otherwise. In this moral theory concept, wrong or right consideration of an action is not dependent on consequences but individual obligation to do what is good for humanity. Kant attempts to answer the question of whether an individual’s action respects the goals of human beings rather than merely using them for personal purposes. In this respect Kant emphasizes consideration of other people’s interest in each individual’s action hence subscribing to the minimum conception of morality Social Contract Theory explains that morality constitute a set rules that govern behavior of people in the society such that rational persons will accept a given code of behavior on condition that others accept such standards as

Business analysis of a restaurant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business analysis of a restaurant - Essay Example The foods offered at the Straits Cafe are described in the elegant menus that are split according to meals, which include breakfast, dinner, brunch and dessert. The variety of foods served at the cafe ensure that the needs of all customers are met leading to customer satisfaction and loyalty, which transforms into high profits for the company (Yu 12). Location of the Restaurant The Straits Cafe is located in the heart of downtown. The mall in which the hotel operates is known as the Westfield San Francisco Centre. The Westfield San Francisco Centre is an urban shopping mall located in San Francisco, California (Roy 19). The mall is run by Westfielf Group and jointly owned by Forest City Enterprises. The businesses that surround the mall include Century Theatres, Bristol Farms grocery and San Francisco State Univerity. The Westfield San Francisco Centre operates between 10:00 am to 8:30 p.m. from Monday to Saturday, but closes at 7:00 pm on Sunday; however, the operation time for rest aurants and bars may differ (Roy 22). The Westfield San Francisco Centre attracts and retains major customers who find their way into the restaurant. The mall attracts more than twenty million tourists from across the world during all the four seasons (Roy 10). The mall offers a range of accommodations that meet all travellers’ needs. ... The Straits Cafe management team has witnessed additional visitors seeking accommodation in the restaurant. This has forced the hotel managers to hire an extra hall on the third floor of the mall that presently accommodates thirty-five customers. Competitors Stiff competition is one of the greatest challenges facing the Straits Cafe. There are several restaurants and cafes offering similar services in the Westfield San Francisco Centre (Roy 6). These include Hotel Palomar, Hotel Diva, Union Square Hotel, the Four Seasons San Francisco and Chinatown Hotel. Chinatown Hotel is just next to the Strait Cafe, and it offers almost similar products to Straits Cafe. Chinatown Hotel, however, has limited capacity; this factor gives the Straits Cafe a competitive advantage over Chinatown Hotel. This competition has led to the management introducing semi-private rooms and private rooms that attract customers who intend to hold private parties (Yu 16). Scale and Decoration The Straits Cafe occupi es a floor space of three hundred square meters. The kitchen and the bar alone occupy sixty and twenty square meters respectively. The interior of the restaurant has enough space and capacity to accommodate one hundred and twenty guests. The floor space is large enough to place thirty tables and leave passages between the sitting tables. The sitting arrangement is strategically planned by the management to avoid long waiting lists when customers place orders. The walls of the restaurant are beautifully decorated. The restaurant is equipped with high tech facilities that provide comfortable services to the customers. Adequate kitchen space enables the customers to pass through the cooking place and inspect the sanitation of the kitchen (Yu 22). This

A Christmas Carol by Chales Dickens Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

A Christmas Carol by Chales Dickens - Essay Example The problems included poverty, overwork and insanitary housing which were faced by the middle class, affecting their bodily and spiritual health. In A Christmas Carol, the family was however happy and contented with one another, looking happier in the partying mood. Scrooge on his part kept a close eye on the last of the children, Tiny Tim (Charles 2012). The rise of masses in this period benefited the actual masses as a result of working together and uniting in fighting their problems. Their moral and religious union was maintained. For instance, in the story A Christmas Carol, Cratchit’s family is portrayed as one buried in poverty. They were poorly dressed in scanty clothes and leaking shoes. Like in the Cratchit’s family, Mr. Scrooge, the Founder of the Feast, is predicted as a character liked by the others. They tend to celebrate him, and continue feasting on this Christmas day despite their problems. However, Mr. Scrooge is portrayed as the Ogre of the family, who se name threatens everyone in the party. Leisure and sport were other phenomena that characterized this period. The two represented cultural products of a changed and hierarchical society. Leisure was appreciated as an activity which allowed people to enjoy their lifestyles, giving them the freedom from the politics of the time. For instance, the situation of poverty and sufferings did not deter Cratchit family from loving each other and embracing the happy moments, such as that of Christmas. In conclusion, it can be seen that problems and suffering should not be a limit to people’s joy and merry-making. The Cratchit family is such a family beating all odds to make a happy moment for all. They have forgotten all their sufferings and engaged in leisure and feasting. The citizens as represented by the Cratchit family were full of love, affection and social warmth for each other. The values formed the basis for demand for greater human selflessness. Their

Political system of saudi arabia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Political system of saudi arabia - Essay Example This is all about making judgments in areas of disagreements between religious and supreme interests. In addition to that, the King keeps the tribes together, since there is a tribal structure in the state of Saudi Arabia. The Royal Family has the power to overthrow the king, supposedly. In 2005, the succession of the throne by King Abdullah progressed without any disturbances; just it has been same in the past (Maik et al 3). Recently, King Abdul-Aziz has put in place the rules for the succession by selecting an heir for the post of crown prince and deputy Prime minister. Saudi kings have also fixed a second deputy prime minister, who is next in turn on the unofficial succession line- up, since 1975, in order to maintain their control on the succession progression. Typically, the successors are the sons of the founder of Saudi-Arabia. Usually, the eldest brother is the new king while the second eldest brother, becomes crown prince. The Saudi Arabian Government The crowned king is th e main foundation of power in Saudi Arabian government while other senior princes enjoy immense authority and extensive liberty of action. Though, in practice the King’s powers are restricted and are achieved by consensus. The King has a responsibility to observe Islamic law and other country traditions at all the times. Saudi Arabia has also a heritage of decision making through consultation.

Substandard Patient Care or Health Care Delivery Paper Essay

Substandard Patient Care or Health Care Delivery Paper - Essay Example Five years later, since his last admission due to Upper respiratory infection, he was again admitted for three days due to URI accompanied with Rheumatoid Arthritis and in the month of September 2005, he was treated for Gastritis. Anywhere around the world, there seemed to be an outbreak of Respiratory infections which includes viruses such as the influenza virus, SARS, and now the avian flu virus. Respiratory illness is a common chronic health problem and places a significant financial burden on the health care system. Respiratory symptoms are significantly higher among poorer children, those in the inner city, and among minority populations. Immigrants from outside North America and Europe constitute over twenty percent of Metro Toronto residents, yet relatively little is known about their experience of respiratory illness. (Thompson et. Al. 2004) There have been many organizations that focus on the needs of the ill older adults. NHS organisations in England recognises the importance of the NSF for Older People and the emerging practice and policies related to this, such as Intermediate Care, the single assessment process, the 1999 Health Act Flexibilities and has responded by re-focusing its activity to realign more closely with the local and national priorities. (2005) Published in 2001, this NSF focuses on people who are over 50 and still active but who need to be able to maximise and maintain their health as well as people with age related needs who may have more complex social and medical problems. (2005) The Department of Health, Services and Social Safety applies palliative care services which aims to achieve the best quality of life possible for patients and their family through active identification, holistic assessment and appropriate management of problems, when progressive advanced disease is not responsive to curative treatment.(29) There are over a half million older adult aged 65 or over who are living in care homes (nursing and personal care) and a large number end their lives in these care settings. Unfortunately, care homes can only provide appropriate terminal care if barriers to the provision of care are addressed. The National Council for Hospice and Specialist Palliative Care Services (NCH&SPCS) holds documents containing practice recommendations and therefore, the provision of appropriate terminal care makes the process of dying more comfortable and meaningful for a person and their family. Nightingale's (1860) theory on nursing evolves around the concept that the patient's recovery is highly related to the conditions of his environment. The environment of a patient has a direct effect on his recovery or his deterioration. According to Nightingale, "Nature alone cures." With that she stresses on the healing properties of the physical environment of the patient; fresh air, light, warmth, cleanliness and a suitable diet. The environment not only refers to the physical aspect but also to the psychological and social environment surrounding the patient. Healthy communication with the patient and healthy environment keeps the patient's mind active and stimulated. Here Nightingale stresses that communication should be soothing and a form of

Advanced Management Accounting - Total Quality Management (TQM) Assignment

Advanced Management Accounting - Total Quality Management (TQM) - Assignment Example tion dynamics, provide an insight into the advantages that can be enacted through its integration, the possible drawbacks of T.Q.M and the considerations that need to be taken into account in case of its implementation, and finally, providing recommendations about its application with context to Spearhead Ltd. Reduced profits and shrinking in the network has brought about realization towards implementing quality system. T.Q.M being the front runner amongst quality systems has been suggested for implementation. T.Q.M is acronym for Total Quality management. As the name would imply, it pertains to quality management. Further dissection of the meaning would provide an insight into the nature and domain of operational capacity it entails. It refers to integrating quality mechanism in the every discipline and every domain of the organizational structure (MUKHERJEE, 2006, p. 393). Since Spearhead Ltd is faced with financial sink age, the addressing of different areas is required. T.Q.M would enable this. The low productivity in the financial sector impacts the clients’ satisfaction as well as the overall mood of the organization. Citing this, T.Q.M will enable undertaking a strategy that would enable overcoming the financial constraints. The domains of T.Q.M are not just limited to particular processes; rather it takes into account the working methods of the employees. The behaviour of the employees towards goals accomplishment along with the aptitude towards accomplishment of the goals and targets set forth. The focus of attention is the activities and the items used within as well. The use of the right of tools and techniques towards the accomplishment of tasks also entails the domain and consideration within a T.Q.M integrated system. Spearhead Ltd must look into the areas where wastes are high in percentage .The wastes are defined as those items, products and activities that do not add any value to the organizational activity or overall output. They in turn

Read the document I send you carefully Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Read the document I send you carefully - Essay Example With every market structure, however, comes advantages and disadvantages of adopting that particular choice. There are mainly four types of market structures with â€Å"perfect competition†on one extreme and â€Å"monopoly†on the other (Baumol, 1961, p.142. Furthermore, â€Å"monopolistic competition†and â€Å"oligopoly† are those salient structures that are counted asthe moderate ones. In this paper, we will be focusing primarily on the Perfect markets. It will incorporate an analysis ontheir relation to consumer demand and the comparison to any other market structure in the economy. PERFECT COMPETITION AND MARKET DEMAND Perfect Market: Perfect competition is â€Å"a very large number of firms producing a standardized product.† (McConnel&Brue, 2004) This means that a perfect market is that structure which entails numerous extents of â€Å"buyers and sellers† for selling the same kinds of product. Besides this, there are several other noticea ble characteristics of a perfect market that are being listed below: In competition oriented perfect market, there are groups of buyers and sellers who are involved. ... Lastly, there is perfect information about prices and technology among both the sellers and buyers. (Besanko&Brauetigam, 2010, p.330) The Perfect Market and the Demand Curve: The demand curve of a perfect market is perfectly elastic which means that it is a horizontal line. â€Å"The price elasticity of demand (PED) for a good is a measure of the degree of responsiveness of the quantity demanded to a change in the price, ceteris paribus.† (Quek, 2011, p.2). It happens so because of the fact that the presence of small firms in the market makes it difficult for them to influence the pricing fluctuations of the goods and services that they offer. This leads to an inflexible proposition of prices of products to the consumers and thus, a perfectly elastic demand curve is achieved in this context. The figure below illustrates the demand curve: Figure 1: Chart showing perfectly elastic demand in a perfect market (Source: Google Images) Quek propagates thatâ€Å"demand curve in a per fectly competitive firm is also its marginal revenue curve† (2011, p.2). â€Å"Marginal revenue†can be understood as the revenue received by selling one extra unit of production. The demand curve and marginal revenue curve are equivalent in a perfect market competition since the price of goods and services are preciselythe same. The demand curve is identical to the average revenue as well in a perfect market because each product is sold at the same price i.e. the average of the total production. An increase in the price of products in a perfect market leads to the quantity demanded of that product to rise to infinity while a decrease in price leads to the quantity demanded of the product to fall to zero. This is also

Crevecoeur in America Essay Example for Free

Crevecoeur in America Essay Hector St. John Crà ¨vecoeur is certainly not one of the greatest figures of American history, but he can at the very least be credited with having been witness to a great deal of some of the key events that lead to the inception of the United States of America in the 18th century.1 Crà ¨vecoeur saw the burgeoning nation under many different angles during different periods of American history2. This coupled with the fact that as a foreigner who lived in the colonies he was able to step back and appraise American life and culture and be also able to see it from the inside. This essay will focus on the American life of Hector St. John de Crà ¨vecoeur and attempt a sketch of how his life took place and how the colonies and the new American nation affected him. Firstly we will examine Crà ¨vecoeur’s life in the colonies, including his living conditions, regions he inhabited and his overall situation during his time there. Secondly, we will review his experiences in the colonies and North America. Thirdly we will attempt to see how, when and by whom was Crà ¨vecoeur influenced during his time in America and what effects this had on both the United States of American and Crà ¨vecoeur himself. Michel-Guillaume Jean de Crà ¨vecoeur – or St. John de Crà ¨vecoeur as we would later know him – would first set foot in North America in Canada in 1754. Fighting under the Montcalm during the French-Indian War, Crà ¨vecoeur left Canada for the English colonies where he worked as an itinerant merchant allowed him to envision many aspects and parts of North America. In 1759 he eventually settled down in Orange County in New York and became a citizen of the colony, changing his name to John Hector St. John.. Crà ¨vecoeur took up a life of farming and raised a family, while still keeping in touch with the outside world albeit staying out of its affairs almost entirely. After the upheaval of the Revolutionary War and a five-year long return to France, Crà ¨vecoeur eventually returned to New York in 1783 in the capacity of First Consul of his Christian Majesty to the State of New York. In this lofty position Crà ¨vecoeur toiled to establish trading between the American  colonies and the French crown. In addition he also informed France and through France, Europe of what the lives, people and the continent of North America was truly like. Although Crà ¨vecoeur’s sojourns in the colonies were no doubt a source of great pride and accomplishment, they were also a time of hardship, suspicion and uncertainty. St. John de Crà ¨vecoeur’s experiences in North America and the colonies within were varied. In turn his life there was filled with successes. After being a competent soldier for France he became a farmer and raised a family that he loved and was proud of. He eventually reached a position of at least symbolic power where he found himself in a position to both help his motherland as well as foster greater understanding, appreciation and maybe even prosperity for a land and a nation that had been his home for most of his life. However, if one were to equate Crà ¨vecoeur’s experiences on the continent to be purely idyllic one would be sorely mistaken. In addition to the hardships of rural life he also had to experience suspicion and imprisonment during his time there. Crà ¨vecoeur, although naturalized as an American, was still very much a Frenchman. Although very much liberal for his times Crà ¨vecoeur still retained a healthy respect for religion and monarchy, twin pillars of the French elite. He was also enamored with English society and government, considered far more liberal and egalitarian by the French philosophers still under the reign of an absolute monarchy. His first book was in fact dedicated to Abbot Raynal whose work â€Å"Histoire philosophique et politique des à ©tablissements des Europà ©ens dans les deux Indes† (1770) inspired him to think about America and his situation. Furthermore, Crà ¨vecoeur’s own experiences and his reading of instilled him with the idea that the American colonies, with their religious tolerance. Although ultimately addressed to the higher strata of society, designed as a sort of quaint picture of pastoral utopia, his works are ultimately a celebration and an accolade to the workingman a nd the lower classes of the time. Crà ¨vecoeur is even sometimes credited with being the inventor of what would become the American Dream. Colonial American shaped Crà ¨vecoeur. The hardships of the rural life began to change his view of the rural idyll that we first see in his writings. The dangers of that life and the unrelenting and often unjust vagaries of the elements, neighbors and country life bore down on him. Although still somewhat in awe of some of the leaders that permitted the Revolution some of his writings tell a tale of disillusion with great leaders and the hero worship that resulted with some of the heroes of the American Revolution, namely Washington. The Revolution further marred Crà ¨vecoeur’s utopian take on the colonies and also the English themselves. To say that Crà ¨vecoeur is an interesting character of American history is an understatement. Having been witness to three distinct phases of colonial America. These are the pre-revolutionary period, the actual American Revolution itself and its aftermath. These various periods and stages in his life affect him deeply and modified his writings and his views. In conclusion, Hector St. John de Crà ¨vecoeur embodies many things that characterized colonial America as both a land brimming with opportunity and a place and time steeped in brutality and harshness. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Patchell, Thomas â€Å"J. Hector St. John de Crà ¨vecoeur† in Early American Nature Writers ed. by Daniel Patterson (London: Greenwood Press 2008), 103 Plotkin, A. Saint-John de Crevecoeur Rediscovered: Critic or Paneygyrist? French Historical Studies, Vol. 3, No. 3 (Spring, 1964) 403-404 Plumstead, A. W. â€Å"Crevecoeur: A â€Å"Man of Sorrows† and the American Revolution† The Massachusetts Review, Vol. 17, No. 2 (Summer, 1976) 287-288 St. John de Crevecoeur, John Letters from an American Farmer, 1783, ed. Albert Stone (New York, NY: Penguin American Library, 1981), 226-227 St. John de Crevecoeur, John Qu’est-ce qu’un Amà ©ricain? (ed. Howard Rice) (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1943

Vampire Diaries The Awakening Book Report English Literature Essay

Vampire Diaries The Awakening Book Report English Literature Essay Lisa Jane Smith is an American author. She lives in California. Her books are young-adult literature, horror, science fiction/fantasy and romance. She has written three trilogies, two series and two companion novels. Her books are popular and the characters are unusually beautiful people, human and supernatural and most of them are young, or at least almost youthful. Plot: In the start, its a story about Elena, she is a popular high school student. She has returning home from France at the start of a new school year.  She begins in senior year at Robert E. Lee High School; she meets her best friends Bonnie, Meredith and Matt. A new boy in school, Stefan Salvatore catches the attention of all the girls. All the girls want his attention, but he didnt care, including Elena. This chocks Elena, because she never had been ignored by a boy before. Through the memories of Stefan, I got to know that Stefan is a vampire from Renaissance Florence, Italy. He had also lived since the late fifteenth century. Elena reminds Stefan of a girl named Katherine, because both look exactly likes each other. Katherine is a vampire, who Stefan has fallen in love with. Stefan hoped to marry Katherine, but the romance become complicated when Stefans Brother Damon Salvatore, appeared, because Katherine was romantically interested in Damon too. Damon and Stefan hated each other, because they both loved Katherine. One night Elena was at a school dance and upset because Caroline showed up with Stefan. But later she went off with Dick, Tyler, and Vicki to the church, but Tyler brings her out into the graveyard. He puts her down and tries gets on top of her, Elena screamed and try to get him off. Stefan appears and beats Tyler, and brings Elena back to her house. Later, they start to be friend and they fall in love, as the started to fall in love, three people have been killed. One day she wanted to visit Stefan and she goes to Stefans house, she didnt found him in his room, but she found him in the roof with blood on mouth, telling her to not be afraid. She falls off the roof and he catches her. He brings her up to his room and tells her everything. Setting: Mysticfalls, Virginia: The whole story happens in Mysticfalls, some of the place there in our time I think. Because they dont talk like people did in old time and the places seems to be modern. Like the high school they go on, they have allowed having cars on the schools parking place. I dont think they could in old time. Renaissance Florence, The late fifteenth century in Italy: The author hasnt described how it looks but its has a lot of effect on the content. Here is almost the story start, because Stefan and Damon fight over the Katherine. Both hoped to merry her and they hate each other bitterly. Graveyard: The situation happens on night; because the author says the moonlight cast shadows over the graveyard, and the place is dark. Many worn and leaning granite, many old stones from centuries past. I think because its night and dark Tyler dared to try on Elena and then Stefan come. After it Stefan and Elena become friends. Character analysis: Elena: Elena has pale golden hair. Also blond and she are slender and she has a sky blue eye. She is popular, a trendsetter. The high school senior and the girl that can have any boy she wants, and every girl wants to be. She is confident and brave, because when Stefan told her that he was vampire, she was not so scared. Stefan: He is mysterious. He had a lean, flat-muscled body. His hair is wavy and dark. He is just average height. He is good vampire because he only drinks animals blood, because of that he is weaker than Damon, because Damon drinks human blood. He seems to be or he is the only one who can resist Elena from suck the blood from Elena. Damon: He is sexy and dangerous. He has dark eyes, and dark beauty and grace and the sensuality that drew women to him but he is evil. He wants revenge against Stefan, who has betrayed him and he want Elena, because she looks like Katherine and because he know that this would hurt Stefan and make him angry. He drinks human blood that makes him strong. Theme: I think the author try to tell us that vampire doesnt always is evil, and that they do not always drink humans blood. Elena doesnt seem to be afraid when Stefan told her that he is vampire, but he wont hurt her, maybe that some girls trust the boy when they really love him. Love can make to people to hate each other bitterly. Even in family and brothers who loved each other before, and love triangle can turn to be really difficult when two boys love the same girl. Yes, I think she has achieved her intended purpose. She describe so much that you get her point, what she try to say. Your opinion: I really like this book. Its really exciting, theres always happened something exciting but there are many difficult words and not much action. I think part two its going to be better because the first part, also this book its just about the history of them and about the past. Not so much action. Recommendation: I would recommend this book or this book series to girls but some boys might like this. Because this books its about love triangle and its really girly. I think teenagers would like this book series, 14-18 years old girls or maybe boys.

Levels Of Pollution In The Brisbane River Environmental Sciences Essay

Levels Of Pollution In The Brisbane River Environmental Sciences Essay River Brisbane is the longest river in the southeast Queensland of Australia. It originated from the foothills of the great dividing and flows through Brisbane city before releasing its water into Moreton bay. The river was named after Thomas Brisbane, New South Wales Governor, by John Oxley in 1823. The river provided and still provides a main form of transport between the city of Brisbane and Sydney. Before the European settlement Brisbane River was very clean and unpolluted. It was then used as a source of food and also for recreational purposes. For quite a long time the growth and settlement of people around river Brisbane has adversely affected the quality of its water as well as the life that it supports (Straughan 1972 p.93). As the town of Brisbane grew the river became very unclear and polluted and by 1928 the water quality had deteriorated to the extent that it was not safe even for bath. However the government of Australia decided to protect the river from pollution and by adopting antipollution acts as well as educating the public on the importance of protecting the environment. The river was used the source for agricultural water and also provided sand used in the construction around the growing city. The river faced so many risks of pollution from the growing industries and from the waster vessels that transported petroleum products and other substances. Nitrogen from sewage treatment and phosphorous from industrial discharge as well as other metals, were and still are among the main pollutants (MacKey, Hodgkinson Nardella 1992). However the data taken on the nitrogen and phosphorus levels in the river shows that the efforts of protecting the river have bared some fruits. In 2000 the average nitrogen levels were about 2.2mg/l while in 2009 the average level had dropped to 0.5mg/l. A graph plotted for both nitrogen and phosphorous show a decrease in their concentr ation in the river. Introduction For more than 400 million years now, the Brisbane River has been flowing. Its catchments have endured a number of floods and droughts seasons while its origins have continuously shifted as the surrounding land kept changing from time to time. In 1823 when John Oxley entered River Brisbane for the first time, the river was very clean and unpolluted. After a while Oxley realized that the river could be used as a new site for new settlement and through his suggestion, the city of Brisbane was developed alongside the River in 1825. The Brisbane River, whose origin is at the base of Great Dividing Range, has a catchment area of about 30,000km square and it releases its water into the bay of Moreton (National Library of Australia 1988). The once pure water of Brisbane was mostly used for drinking and for recreational purposes like swimming and the like. However as the city of Brisbane developed, industries started growing in it. At that time industries took the river as an efficient and cheap point for waste disposal. The Brisbane River was the only means of transport between Brisbane town and Sydney until when the road links were established. This river has for long been the most important asset for of Brisbane city as its still used for transportation, recreational and relaxation purposes. For the better part of the twentieth century, this river has been polluted and overused as its basin provided grazing grounds as well as fertile lands for agriculture (Institution of Engineers, Australia, 1986). According to AsiaRooms.com, the river basin also provided suitable catchment areas which could be used for damming purposes. The river presented several advantages which for the town and its people but the people exploited these advantages so carelessly such that self reparation appeared unfeasible. Today the Brisbane River has undergone considerable modifications to meet the requirements of the citys population which is increasing. Through diverse public awareness on the need to protect the environment, the river has gained significant political support in form of anti-pollution acts and policies that were adopted by the government (Doyle Kellow 1995 p.180). Currently the duty of checking pollution levels and water quality of river Brisbane is currently on the Queensland parliament. The parliament has so far made a lot of progress in its efforts of maintaining the quality of the river by establishing two anti-pollution acts. These acts comprise the 1971; Clean Waters Act and the Pollution of Waters by Oil of 1973. Due to the current public awareness on environmental protection and by the help of these acts, the quality of River Brisbane has significantly improved although its not yet at the safe levels. According to Doyle Kellow (1995), the River is currently supporting a population of 2 million people while transport and industries and still dependent on the river, which then helps to understand why its pollution level is still above the safe levels (p.180). The aim of this essay is to give a report on the levels of pollution of Brisbane River from the year 2001 to 2010. For the 150 years that the Europeans have occupation the region, River Brisbane has seen a number of modifications. The river has survived waves of exploration including agriculture, grazing, urbanization and settlement, etc. the urbanization and settlement required flood mitigation strategies and water storage for drinking purposes (Straughan 1972 p.94). Shipping channels and flood prevention measures also needed to be taken as the river was the main means of transport between the city and Sydney. Sand dredging along the river has been the main activity as sand was highly needed for construction in the city. Between the year 1900 and 1970 approximately 12 million cubic meters of sand were extracted from the banks of River Brisbane. Extraction reached its peak latter in mid 70s when about 1.45 million cubic meters of sand were being extracted annually. The extraction later dropped to 1 million per year and eventually ceased in 1996/7. The riches of the river between mt Crosby and Wivehoe are most pleasing aesthetically because of their cool atmosphere. Between Jindalee and mt. Crosby the river widens and then flows through rural and residential areas. In this area pollution by human beings is very evident and likely. Currently the Brisbane port is accountable for extraction of sand in the lower reaches of the river so as to maintain deep channels for water vessels. This long time dredging has considerably deepened the river hence making its banks quite unstable (Olafson 1978). Strong urban development has been evident throughout the city and on the south bank reach. As this river proceeds towards the Pinkenba, commercial and industrial areas dominate while further down from Murarie to the mouth, the river passes through mangrove lined region which is dominated by commercial shipping activity (MacKey, Hodgkinson Nardella 1992 p 418-420). The speed of water in this region is often determined by season. In this region the river reaches its highest flow speed during summer when there is high rainfall while the minimum flow is in winter when rainfall is minimal. Due to the slow flow of water in this region, there is likelihood of pollutants accumulation and overall deterioration of water quality. However this accumulation of pollutants can be cleaned by the release of water from storage dams situated in the river upstream. Wivenhoe and Somerset dams release certain amounts of water that are satisfactory to the water needs of the people of Brisbane. These two dams enable a more even water flow throughout the year thus maintaining and improving the qu ality of water in the river. The dams are also used as a means for flood prevention by reducing water flow from the range. Analysis of the past and current pollutants of river Brisbane According to Connell Shaw (1980), the major sources of pollutants of the river comprise the many large scale discharge points where wastes from industries and treatment plants discharge into the river (p.356-358). Currently the discharge from sewage is treated to a safer secondary standard with only a small portion of it being left in the primary standard. The small portion of primary standard sewage discharged into river Brisbane does not only contribute considerably to the toxicant load in the river but also to the nutrient load and increased demand for oxygen. This pollution leads to the contamination of fish and other aquatic life by such substances. Sewage discharge around the city of Brisbane is usually chlorinated hence causing a negative impact to the river. The most common discharges to river Brisbane resulted from the highly industrialized section of the river. The city of Brisbane has two main treatment plants for waste water as well as Gibson Island on the Southside and a luggage point on the North side both of which are found at the industrialized section of the river. Moreover River Brisbane faces other risks of pollution from the BP and Caltex oil refineries which discharge into the river discharge streams from potentially contaminated areas. Other discharges into the river such as runoff from the urban and industrial parts, and from upstream parts of the catchment, discharge substantial toxic pollutants into the river (Wong Tam 2005). Sometimes accidents occur resulting to spills of petroleum and insecticides among other substances. This often results to contamination of the river leading to fish death and other water lives. For instance in April 1998, a tanker known as Barrington was docked at White Island in Brisbane collided with a local boat named Austral Salvor. This accident resulted to a spill of 8 tonnes of heavy fuel into the river. Conclusion In order to recommend any possible measures that can help improve the quality of River Brisbane one must understand the past and the current pollutions characteristics of the river. In this paper, the pollution analysis of river Brisbane is based on the data provided by Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management. Nitrogen and phosphorous which are the main pollutants of the river have been measured and their levels in the river minimized. Nitrogen is found in fertilizers and it usually reaches the river when rain water passes through agricultural fields where fertilizer has been applied. Its also produced during sewage treatment processes. Phosphorous is produced in the waste treatment plants in Brisbane and from confined livestock operations. According to Cambridge Scientific Abstracts (1997), both nitrogen and phosphorous are can be harmful and toxic to aquatic life since their enhance growth of aquatic plants which then depletes the water of oxygen hence posing d anger to fish and other organisms (p.35). The graph below shows the levels of nitrogen and phosphorous in River Brisbane from the year 2000 to 2009. The concentration of these pollutants was measured in milligrams per litre of water. Fig.1 graph of nitrogen and phosphorous concentration against years From the graph we see that in 2000 the level of nitrogen in river Brisbane was quite high with more than 2mg of nitrogen in every litre of water. However due to the extensive public awareness and the anti-pollution measures taken by the government these levels reduced drastically between 2000/1 to below 1.5 mg/l. the downward trend in decrease of nitrogen continued until 2008 when the average level was about 0.5 mg/l. in 2009 the levels appeared to be rising again which shows that the government as well as the general public of Brisbane may have relaxed in its efforts to maintaining the quality of the river. On the other hand phosphorous levels have been low all through with level of below 0.4mg/l in 2000. The phosphorous levels have also shown a general downward trend and show a likely hood of reaching zero levels within the next few years if the same trend is maintained. The analysis of the past and the present pollution situations of river Brisbane indicate the government as well as the local authorities have done tremendous work in controlling the water quality of the river. If the efforts are maintained, the river will reach its old clean levels within a few years.

Gambling in the United States Essay examples -- Gaming Casinos

Gambling in the United States   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gambling has increased in the last couple of years. Is it because people are addicted? There are two types of gambling: Compulsive Gambling and pathological gambling. Compulsive Gambling is when people have a hard time resisting to gamble. Pathological Gambling is when there is a need to gamble for money or for large amounts of money. Also people don’t know when to quit when they are pathological gamblers. Both types of gambling have major side effects, and can both lead to serious gambling problems.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Studies show that 82% of people gamble. In 1975 only 61% gambled (Richard E. Vatz).† Gambling has increased rapidly in the United States. Many Americans who gamble often lose more than they win. It is a bad habit that many people develop. As people are young the gamble for fun, as It carries on some may become addicted, and can become a â€Å"Pathological or Compulsive† Gambler.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"One third of Problem gamblers who receive treatment for compulsive gambling also received treatment for either chemical dependency or mental health problems (Lee S. Weinberg).† This is why people don’t know when to quit because some may have mental problems. If someone has a gambling problem, it is a serious behavior disorder that can cause psychological, financial, emotional, marital, and legal difficulties. Gambling effects peoples lives and families, not just the person who is gambling.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many signs when people have gambling p...

A Tale of Two Cities Essays: A Sad Tale Of Two Cities :: Tale Two Cities Essays

A Tale Of Two Cities The focus of A Tale Of Two Cities concerns the impetus and fervor of 18th century European socio-political turmoil, its consequences, and what Dickens presents as the appropriate response of an enlightened aristocracy and just citizenry. The tale opens with Dr. Manettte having spent the last 18 years of his life in the Bastille - innocent of all crimes save his disdain for the base actions of a French Marquis. The heinous nature of his confinement induced a madness remedied only by the devoted love of his Lucie. We next encounter these characters five years later attending the trial of Charles Darnay - a nobly born French immigrant who relinquished his station rather than partake in the barbarous class structure of 18th century France. The beautiful and virtuous Lucie Manette is admired by both Sydney Carton and his repugnant legal partner, C.J.Stryver. It is the inherently ethical Carton, not the aristocratic (and bellicose) Stryver who realizes that marriage to Charles Darnay would bring the greatest happiness to Lucie. Their bliss is short lived however,as the honor bound Darnay returns to Paris. His prosecution is propelled by a vengeful and newly empowered Madame Defarge a "patriot of the revolution" who utilizes the revolutionary "People's Tribunals" to redress grievances committed by the Evremonde clan. Aided by her cohort (aptly given the code name of "Vengeance") retribution, not justice, is her sole concern. "...I have this race a long time on my register, doomed to destruction and extermination."(370). This savage character - "Madame's resolute right hand was occupied with an axe,...and in her girdle were a pistol and a cruel knife"(244) - exhibits an anger so resolute and ferocious that its like may be comparable only to newly divorced female students here at N.Y.U. - but that is simply my experience. Dickens does not portray Madame Defarge and her compatriots as morally bankrupt but rather depicts their inevitable creation in the oppressive aristocratic class structure of 18th century Europe. A Tale Of Two Cities is written in a perfectly linear progression of this theme. It initially portrays the oppressive nature of the aristocracy (the imprisonment of Dr. Manette, the accidental death of a child and the trite response of the Marquis - among other graphic illustration) which leads to the fervor of revolutionary assassins seeking justice.

The Golden Lily Chapter 7

I SPENT MOST OF THE NEXT DAY wrestling with my refusal to help Sonya, ruminating over the decision as I went from class to class. There was a part of me that felt bad about not giving blood for the experiments. After all, I knew what they were doing was useful. If there was a way to protect Moroi from becoming Strigoi, then that could theoretically be applied to humans too. That could revolutionize the way the Alchemists operated. People like that creepy guy Liam being held at the bunker would no longer be a threat. He could be â€Å"sterilized† and released, with no fear of him falling prey to the corruption of Strigoi. I knew also that Sonya and the others were running into walls with their research. They couldn't find any reason for what had made Lee impervious to turning Strigoi. At the same time, despite the worthiness of the cause, I still felt staunchly opposed to giving up my own blood. I really was afraid that doing so would subject me to more and more experiments. And I just couldn't face that. There was nothing special about me. I hadn't undergone a massive transformation via spirit. Lee and I hadn't had anything in common. I was the same as any other human, any other Alchemist. I just apparently had bad tasting blood, which was fine by me. â€Å"Tell me about the charm spell,† Ms. Terwilliger said one afternoon. It was a few days after Clarence's, and I was still mulling over those events even while ostensibly doing work in her independent study. I looked up from the book in front of me. â€Å"Which variant? The charisma one or the meta one?† She was sitting at her desk and smiled at me. â€Å"For someone so against all of this, you certainly learn well. The meta one.† That had been a recent spell I'd had to learn. It was fresh in my mind, but I made sure to sigh heavily and let her know in a passive aggressive way how inconvenient this was for me. â€Å"It allows the caster to have short-term control of someone. The caster has to create a physical amulet that he or she wears†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I frowned as I considered that part of the spell. â€Å"And then recite a short incantation on the person being controlled.† Ms. Terwilliger pushed her glasses up her nose. â€Å"Why the hesitation?† She noticed every slip. I didn't want to engage in this, but she was my teacher, and this was part of my assignment so long as I was stuck in this miserable session. â€Å"It doesn't make sense. Well, none of it makes sense, of course. But logically, I'd think you need something tangible to use on the vict – subject. Maybe they'd have to wear an amulet. Or drink something. It's hard for me to believe the caster is the only one who needs enhancement. I feel like they would need to connect with the subject.† â€Å"You touched on the key word,† she said. â€Å"‘Enhancement.' The amulet enhances the spell caster's will, as does the incantation. If that's been done correctly – and the caster is advanced and strong enough – that'll push the power of command on to the subject. Perhaps it doesn't seem tangible, but the mind is a powerful tool.† â€Å"Power of command,† I muttered. Without thinking about it, I made the Alchemist sign against evil. â€Å"That doesn't seem right.† â€Å"Is it any different from the kind of compulsion your vampire friends do?† I froze. Ms. Terwilliger had long since admitted to knowing about the world of Moroi and Strigoi, but it was still a topic I avoided with her. My tattoo's magic wouldn't stop me from discussing the vampire world with those who knew about it, but I didn't want to accidentally reveal any details about my specific mission with Jill. Nonetheless, her words were startling. This spell was very much like compulsion, very much like what I'd seen Sonya do to soothe Clarence. Vampires could simply wield it unaided. This spell required a physical component, but Ms. Terwilliger had told me that was normal for humans. She said magic was inborn for Moroi but that we had to wrest it from the world. To me, that just seemed like more reason why humans had no business dabbling in such affairs. â€Å"What they do isn't right either,† I said, in a rare acknowledgment of the Moroi with her. I didn't like that the abilities I found so twisted and wrong were allegedly within human reach too. â€Å"No one should have that kind of power over another.† Her lips quirked. â€Å"You're very haughty about something you have no experience with.† â€Å"You don't always need experience. I've never killed anyone, but I know murder is wrong.† â€Å"Don't discount these spells. They could be a useful defense,† she said with a shrug. â€Å"Perhaps it depends on who's using it – much like a gun or other weapon.† I grimaced. â€Å"I don't really like guns either.† â€Å"Then you may find magical means to be a better option.† She made a small, graceful motion with her hands, and a clay pot on the windowsill suddenly exploded. Sharp fragments fell to the floor. I jumped out of my desk and backed up a few feet. Was that something she'd been able to do this whole time? It had seemed effortless. What kind of damage could she do if she really tried? She smiled. â€Å"See? Very efficient.† Efficient and simple, as easy as a vampire wielding elemental magic with a thought. After all the painstaking spells I'd seen in these books, I was stunned to see such â€Å"easy† magic. It kicked what Ms. Terwilliger had been advocating up to a whole new – and dangerous – level. My whole body tensed as I waited for some other horrific act, but judging from the serene look on her face, that was the only show of power she had in mind – for now. Feeling a little foolish at my reaction, I sat back down. I took a deep breath and chose my words carefully, keeping my anger – and fear – pushed down. It wouldn't do to have an outburst in front of a teacher. â€Å"Ma'am, why do you keep doing this?† Ms. Terwilliger tilted her head like a bird. â€Å"Doing what, dear?† â€Å"This.† I jabbed the book in front of me. â€Å"Why do you keep making me work on this against my will? I hate this, and you know it. I don't want anything to do with it! Why do you want me to learn it at all? What do you get out of it? Is there some witch club where you get a finder's fee if you bring in a new recruit?† That quirky smile of hers returned. â€Å"We prefer the term coven, not witch club. Though that does have a nice ring. But, to answer your question, I don't get anything out of it – at least, not in the way you're thinking. My coven can always use strong members, and you have the potential for greatness. It's bigger than that, however. Your perennial argument is that it's wrong for humans to have this kind of power, right?† â€Å"Right,† I said through gritted teeth. I'd made that argument a million times. â€Å"Well, that's absolutely true – for some humans. You worry this power will be abused? You're right. It happens all the time, which is why we need good, moral people who can counter those who would use the magic for selfish and nefarious reasons.† The bell rang, freeing me. I stood up and gathered my things together. â€Å"Sorry, Ms. Terwilliger. I'm flattered that you think I'm such an upstanding person, but I'm already caught up in one epic battle of good versus evil. I don't need another.† I left our session feeling both troubled and angry and hoped the next two months of this semester would speed by. If this Alchemist mission continued into next year, then creative writing or some other elective would become a very viable choice for my schedule. It was a shame too because I'd really loved Ms. Terwilliger when I first met her. She was brilliant and knew her subject area – history, not magic – and had encouraged me in that. If she'd shown the same enthusiasm for teaching me history as she did magic, we wouldn't have ended up in this mess. My dinners were usually spent with Julia and Kristin or â€Å"the family.† Tonight was a family night. I found Eddie and Angeline already at a table when I entered East's cafeteria, and as usual, he seemed grateful for my presence. â€Å"Well, why not?† Angeline was saying as I sat down with my tray. It was Chinese food night, and she held chopsticks, which seemed like a bad idea. I'd tried to teach her how to use them once, with no luck. She'd gotten angry and stabbed an eggroll so hard that the sticks had broken. â€Å"I just†¦ well, it's not my thing,† Eddie said, clearly groping for an answer to whatever her question was about. â€Å"I'm not going at all. With anyone.† â€Å"Jill will be there with Micah,† pointed out Angeline slyly. â€Å"Won't you need to come keep an eye on her since it's not at the school?† Eddie's answer was a pained look. â€Å"What are you talking about?† I finally asked. â€Å"The Halloween Dance,† said Angeline. That was news to me. â€Å"There's a Halloween Dance?† Eddie dragged himself from his misery to give me a surprised look. â€Å"How do you not know? There are signs everywhere.† I stirred around my steamed vegetables. â€Å"They must not be anywhere I've been.† Eddie gestured with his fork to something behind me. Turning, I looked back toward the food line I'd just been in. There, hanging above it on the wall, was an enormous banner that read HALLOWEEN DANCE. It listed the date and time and was decorated with badly drawn pumpkins. â€Å"Huh,† I said. â€Å"How can you memorize entire books but miss something like that?† asked Angeline. â€Å"Because Sydney's brain only records ‘useful' information,† Eddie said with a smile. I didn't deny it. â€Å"Don't you think Eddie should go?† pushed Angeline. â€Å"He needs to watch out for Jill. And if he goes, we might as well go together.† Eddie shot me a desperate look, and I tried to find him a way out of this. â€Å"Well, yeah, of course he'll go†¦ especially if it's off-site.† The banner mentioned some venue I'd never heard of. We'd seen no sign of the Moroi who were after Jill, but an unknown place presented new dangers. Inspiration hit. â€Å"But that's the thing. He'll be on-duty. He'll spend the whole time checking the place out, watching for mysterious people. It'd be a waste for him to, uh, go with you. You probably wouldn't have much fun. Better to go with someone else.† â€Å"But I should be protecting Jill too,† she argued. â€Å"Isn't that why I'm here? I need to learn what to do.† â€Å"Well, yeah,† he said, obviously trapped by her logic. â€Å"You'll have to go with me in order to look after her.† Angeline brightened. â€Å"Really? Then we can go together!† Eddie's look of pain returned. â€Å"No. We're going together. Not together.† Angeline didn't seem to be fazed by the nuances. â€Å"I've never been to a dance,† she admitted. â€Å"Well, I mean, back home, we have them all the time. But I don't think they'll be like the ones here.† That I agreed with. I'd seen the types of social events the Keepers had. They involved raucous music and dancing around bonfires, along with some kind of toxic homemade alcohol that probably even Adrian wouldn't touch. The Keepers also didn't think a social event was a success if at least one fight didn't break out. It was actually kind of amazing that Angeline hadn't gotten into one yet here at Amberwood. I should have counted myself lucky that her only transgressions were dress code violations and talking back to teachers. â€Å"Probably not,† I said neutrally. â€Å"I don't know. I've never been to a dance either.† â€Å"You're going to this one, aren't you?† asked Eddie. â€Å"With Brody?† â€Å"Brayden. And I don't know. We haven't even had our second date. I don't want things to move too fast.† â€Å"Right,† Eddie said. â€Å"Because there's no bigger sign of commitment than a Halloween dance.† I was about to get him back by suggesting maybe he and Angeline should go together after all when Jill and Micah joined us. Both were laughing and had a hard time settling down to explain what was so funny. â€Å"Janna Hall finished a men's suit in sewing club tonight,† said Jill between giggles. Once again, I felt a rush of joy at seeing her so happy. â€Å"Miss Yamani said it's the only guy's outfit she's seen in there in five years. Of course, Janna needed a model, and there's only one guy in there†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Micah attempted a tormented look but was quickly smiling again. â€Å"Yeah, yeah. I did the manly thing and stepped up. That suit was awful.† â€Å"Aw,† said Jill. â€Å"It wasn't that awful – okay, it really was. Janna didn't try to go by any size guidelines, so the pants were huge. Like, tents. And since she didn't make any belt loops, he had to hold it all up with a sash.† â€Å"Which barely held when they made me do a runway walk,† said Micah, shaking his head. Jill gave him a playful nudge. â€Å"Everyone probably would've loved if it hadn't held.† â€Å"Remind me to never ever sign up for an all-girls club again,† said Micah. â€Å"Next semester, I'm taking something like shop or karate.† â€Å"You won't do it again? Not even for me?† Jill managed a look that was amazingly both pouty and alluring. That, I realized, was more effective than any charm spell or compulsion. Micah groaned. â€Å"I'm helpless.† I didn't consider myself particularly sentimental – and still disapproved of their timid romance – but even I smiled at their antics. At least, I did until I caught sight of Eddie's face. He wasn't giving away much, to be fair. Maybe hanging around Dimitri had provided some tips on the guardian poker face. But Eddie wasn't Dimitri yet, and I could see the faintest signs of pain and longing. Why did he do this to himself? He'd refused to tell Jill how he felt. He took the noble stance that he was her protector and nothing more. Some part of me could understand that. What I couldn't understand was why he kept torturing himself by endorsing her going out with his roommate, of all people. Even with his hang-up over Micah and Mason, Eddie was forcing himself to constantly watch the girl he wanted with someone else. I had no relatable experience, but it had to be agonizing. Eddie caught my eye and gave a small shake of his head. Let it go, he seemed to be saying. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Angeline soon piped in with more talk about the dance, interrogating Jill and Micah about whether they'd be going. She also brought up her plans to go â€Å"with† Eddie. That pulled him out of his melancholy mood, and although I knew she annoyed him, I wondered if that was better than continually being tormented by Jill and Micah's relationship. Of course, the conversation came to a halt – as did Eddie's problem – when Micah frowned and pointed out what the rest of us had missed. â€Å"Why would you go to the dance together? Aren't you guys cousins?† Eddie, Jill, and I froze. Another cover story mess-up. I couldn't believe this had now slipped past me twice. I should have mentioned this as soon as Angeline brought up the dance. In the school's eyes, we were all related. â€Å"So?† asked Angeline, missing the point. Eddie cleared his throat. â€Å"Um, third cousins. But still. We're not really going together. It's more of a joke.† That effectively killed the topic, and he couldn't help smiling triumphantly. Brayden picked me up immediately after school the next day so that we could make the windmill tour on time. Ms. Terwilliger had even let me go a few minutes early, after promising I'd get her a cappuccino on our way back to Amberwood. I was excited to see Brayden and the tour, yet as I got into his car, I felt a brief pang of doubt. Did I have any business doing these sorts of fun, personal activities? Especially now that the cover story had slipped a couple of times. Maybe I was spending too much time on me and not enough on the mission. Brayden had lots to tell me about the debate competition he'd attended over the weekend. We analyzed some of the more difficult topics he'd come across and laughed at the easy ones that had stumped the opposing team. I'd feared dating for years but was again pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to talk to him. It was a lot like the Shakespearean outing: an endless source of topics that we both knew lots about. It was the rest of the experience that still left me unsettled – the â€Å"date† stuff. The dating books I'd read since our last outing mostly advised on when to have sex, which was completely useless since I had yet to figure out holding hands. The giant windmills were pretty impressive. They didn't have the sleek beauty of cars that I loved, but I felt the same awe at the engineering they represented. Some of the windmills were over a hundred feet tall, with blades half the size of a football field. Moments like these made me marvel at human ingenuity. Who needed magic when we could create these kinds of wonders? Our tour guide was a cheery girl in her mid-twenties who clearly loved her job and all that wind energy represented. She knew all sorts of trivia about it – but not quite enough to satisfy Brayden. â€Å"How do you address the energy inefficiency that comes from the turbines needing wind speeds that fall into such a narrow range?† Then: â€Å"What's your response to studies showing that simply improving the filters in the conversion of fossil fuels would result in less carbon dioxide emissions than this sort of energy production?† And later: â€Å"Can wind power really be treated as a viable option when – after considering the cost of construction and other maintenance – consumers end up paying more than they would for traditional forms of electricity?† I couldn't be certain, but I think our guide wrapped up the tour early. She encouraged some of the other tourists to come back anytime but said nothing as Brayden and I walked past her. â€Å"That woman was sadly uninformed,† he told me, once we were back on the highway. â€Å"She knew plenty about the windmills and their facility,† I pointed out. â€Å"I'm guessing the latest controversies just don't get brought up much on these tours. Or,† I paused, smiling, â€Å"how to deal with, um, forceful tourists.† â€Å"I was forceful?† he asked, seeming legitimately surprised. He had gotten so caught up in his ideas that he didn't even realize it. It was endearing. I tried not to laugh. â€Å"You came on strong, that's all. I don't think they were prepared for someone like you.† â€Å"They should be. Wind power's got promise, true, but for now, there are all sorts of expenses and efficiency problems that need to be addressed. It's useless otherwise.† I sat there for several moments, trying to decide how best I should respond. None of the advice I'd gotten from the books or my friends really prepared me for how to handle discussions about alternative energy sources. One of the books – one I'd chosen not to finish – had a decidedly male-centric view that said women should always make men feel important on dates. I suspected that Kristin and Julia's advice right now would have been to laugh and toss my hair – and not let the discussion progress. But I just couldn't do that. â€Å"You're wrong,† I said. Brayden – who was a big advocate of safe driving – actually took his eyes off the road for a few seconds to stare at me. â€Å"What did you say?† Aside from learning that he had a vast store of extensive and random knowledge like I did, I'd also picked up on something else central to Brayden's personality. He didn't like to be wrong. This was no surprise. I didn't either, and we had a lot in common that way. And, from the way he'd discussed school and even his debate competition, I'd also deduced people never told him he was wrong – even if by chance he was. Maybe it wasn't too late to do the hair-tossing thing. Instead, I just rushed on. â€Å"You're wrong. Maybe wind isn't as efficient as it could be, but the fact that it's even being developed is a vast improvement over the outdated, archaic energy sources our society's been dependent on. Expecting it to be as cost-efficient as something that's been around much, much longer is naive.† â€Å"But – â€Å" â€Å"We can't deny that the cost is worth the benefits. Climate change is increasingly becoming a problem, and wind's reduced carbon dioxide emissions could have a significant impact. Furthermore – and most importantly – wind is renewable. It doesn't matter if other sources are cheap if they're going to run out on us.† â€Å"But – â€Å" â€Å"We need to be progressive and look towards what's going to save us later. To focus strictly on what's cost-efficient now – while ignoring the consequences – is short-sighted and will ultimately lead to the downfall of the human race. Those who think otherwise are only perpetuating the problem, unless they can come up with other solutions. Most don't. They just complain. That's why you're wrong.† I paused to catch my breath and then dared a glance at Brayden. He was watching the road, but his eyes were impossibly wide. I don't think he could have been more shocked if I'd slapped him. Immediately, I berated myself for what I'd said. Sydney, why didn't you just bat your eyelashes? â€Å"Brayden?† I asked tentatively when almost a minute passed with no response. More stunned silence met me. Suddenly, without warning, he pulled the car sharply off the highway and onto the shoulder. Dust and gravel kicked up around us. In that moment, I was absolutely certain he was going to demand I get out and walk back to Palm Springs. And we were still miles from the city. Instead, he caught hold of my hands and leaned toward me. â€Å"You,† he said breathlessly. â€Å"Are amazing. Absolutely, positively, exquisitely amazing.† And then he kissed me. I was so surprised, I couldn't even move. My heart raced, but it was more from anxiety than anything else. Was I doing it right? I tried to relax into the kiss, letting my lips part slightly, but my body stayed rigid. Brayden didn't pull back in revulsion, so that was a good sign. I'd never kissed anyone before and had been worrying a lot about what it'd be like. The mechanics of it turned out not to be so difficult. When he did finally pull away, he was smiling. A good sign, I guessed. I smiled back tentatively because I knew it was expected. Honestly, a secret part of me was a little disappointed. That was it? That's what the big deal was? It hadn't been terrible, but it hadn't sent me soaring to new heights either. It had been exactly what it seemed like, lips on lips. With a great sigh of happiness, he turned and began driving again. I could only watch him with wonder and confusion, unable to form any response. What had just happened? That was my first kiss? â€Å"Spencer's, right?† Brayden asked when we exited to downtown shortly thereafter. I was still so baffled by the kiss that it took me a moment to remember I'd promised Ms. Terwilliger a cappuccino. â€Å"Right.† Just before we turned the corner toward the street Spencer's was on, Brayden suddenly made an unexpected stop at a florist shop. â€Å"Be right back,† he said. I nodded wordlessly, and five minutes later, he returned and handed me a large bouquet of delicate, pale pink roses. â€Å"Thank you?† I said, making it more of a question. Now, in addition to the kiss and â€Å"amazing† declaration, I'd somehow earned flowers too. â€Å"They're not adequate,† he admitted. â€Å"In traditional floral symbolism, orange or red would have been more appropriate. But it was either these or some lavender ones, and you just don't seem like a purple person.† â€Å"Thank you,† I said, more firmly this time. As I breathed in the roses' sweet scent on the way to Spencer's, I realized that no one had ever given me flowers before. We reached the coffee shop soon thereafter. I got out of the car, and in a flash, Brayden was right by my side so that he could shut the door for me. We went inside, and I was almost relieved to see Trey working. His teasing would be a nice return to normality, seeing as my life had just detoured into Crazyland. Trey didn't even notice us at first. He was speaking intently to someone on the other side of the counter, a guy a little older than us. The guy's tanned skin, black hair, and similar facial features tipped me off pretty quickly that he and Trey were related. Brayden and I waited discreetly behind the guy, and Trey finally looked up, an astonishingly grim expression on his face that was pretty out of character. He looked surprised when he saw us, but then seemed to relax a little. â€Å"Melbourne, Cartwright. Here for a little post-windmill caffeine?† â€Å"You know I never drink caffeine after four,† said Brayden. â€Å"But Sydney needs something for her teacher.† â€Å"Ah,† said Trey. â€Å"The usual for you and Ms. T?† â€Å"Yeah, but make mine iced this time.† Trey gave me a knowing look. â€Å"Need to cool down a little, huh?† I rolled my eyes. The guy ahead of us was still standing around, and Trey nodded toward him while grabbing two cups. â€Å"This is my cousin Chris. Chris, this is Sydney and Brayden.† This must have been Trey's â€Å"perfect† cousin. At a glance, I saw little that marked him as better than Trey, except maybe his height. Chris was pretty tall. Not Dimitri-tall, but still tall. Otherwise, they both had similar good looks and an athletic build. Chris even had some of the same bruises and scrapes Trey often sported, making me wonder if there was a family connection to sports as well. Regardless, Chris hardly seemed like anyone Trey should be intimidated by, but then, I was biased by our friendship. â€Å"Where are you here from?† I asked. â€Å"San Francisco,† said Chris. â€Å"How long are you in town?† asked Brayden. Chris gave Brayden a wary look. â€Å"Why do you want to know?† Brayden looked surprised, and I didn't blame him. Before either of us could figure out the next move in the small-talk handbook, Trey hurried back over. â€Å"Relax, C. They're just being nice. It's not like they work for some spy agency.† Well, Brayden didn't. â€Å"Sorry,† said Chris, not actually sounding that sorry. That was a difference between the cousins, I realized. Trey would've laughed off his mistake. He never actually would have made the mistake. There were definitely different levels of friendliness in this family. â€Å"A couple weeks.† Neither Brayden nor I dared say anything after that, and mercifully, Chris chose that opportunity to leave, with a promise to call Trey later. When he was gone, Trey shook his head apologetically and set the completed coffees on the counter. I reached for my wallet, but Brayden waved me away and paid. Trey handed Brayden back his change. â€Å"Next week's schedule's already up.† â€Å"It is?† Brayden glanced over at me. â€Å"Mind if I go in the back room for a second? Figuratively, of course.† â€Å"Go ahead,† I said. As soon as he was gone, I turned frantically to Trey. â€Å"I need your help.† Trey's eyebrows rose. â€Å"Words I never thought I'd hear from you.† That made two of us, but I was at a loss, and Trey was my only source of help right now. â€Å"Brayden got me flowers,† I declared. I wasn't going to mention the kiss. â€Å"And?† â€Å"And, why'd he do it?† â€Å"Because he likes you, Melbourne. That's what guys do. They buy dinner and gifts, hoping that in return you'll – um, like them back.† â€Å"But I argued with him,† I hissed, glancing anxiously at the door Brayden had gone through. â€Å"Like, just before he got me the flowers, I gave him this big lecture about how he was wrong about alternative sources of energy.† â€Å"Wait, wait,† said Trey. â€Å"You told†¦ you told Brayden Cartwright he was wrong?† I nodded. â€Å"So why'd he react like he did?† Trey laughed, a big, full laugh that I was certain would draw Brayden back. â€Å"People don't tell him he's wrong.† â€Å"Yeah, I figured.† â€Å"And girls especially don't tell him he's wrong. You're probably the only girl who's ever done it. You're probably the only girl smart enough to do it.† I was getting impatient. â€Å"I get that. So why the flowers? Why the compliments?† Trey shook his head and looked like he was about to start laughing again. â€Å"Melbourne, if you don't know, then I'm not going to tell you.† I was too worried about Brayden returning to comment further on Trey's useless â€Å"advice.† Instead, I said, â€Å"Is Chris the perfect cousin you were talking about?† Trey's smirk faded. â€Å"That's the one. Anything I can do, he can do better.† I immediately regretted asking. Trey, like Adrian, was one of those people I didn't like seeing troubled. â€Å"Well. He didn't seem so perfect to me. Probably I'm biased from being around you all the time. You set the standard for perfection.† That brought Trey's smile back. â€Å"Sorry about his attitude. He's always been like that. Not the most charming branch of the Juarez family tree. That's me, of course.† â€Å"Of course,† I agreed. He was still smiling when Brayden returned, but when I cast a glance backward as I was leaving the coffee shop, Trey's expression had darkened again. His thoughts were turned inward, and I wished I knew how to help. On the drive back to Amberwood, Brayden said shyly, â€Å"Well. Now I know my schedule for the next two weeks.† â€Å"That's†¦ good,† I said. He hesitated. â€Å"So†¦ I know when I can go out again. If, that is, I mean. If you want to go out again.† That would've surprised me, if I wasn't already stumped by everything else that had happened today. Brayden wanted to go out with me again? Why? Girls especially don't tell him he's wrong. You're probably the only girl who's ever done it. You're probably the only girl smart enough to do it. More importantly, did I want to go out with him again? I glanced over at him and then down at the roses. I thought about his eyes when he'd gazed at me in the stopped car. I realized then the odds of me ever finding a guy who thought Shakespeare and wind farms were fun were pretty infinitesimal. â€Å"Okay,† I said. His narrowed his eyes in thought. â€Å"Isn't there some kind of dance your school's having? Do you want to go to that? People go to those, right?† â€Å"That's what I keep hearing. How'd you know about it?† â€Å"The sign,† he said. Then, as if on cue, he pulled into the driveway in front of my dorm. Hanging over the main door was a sign decorated with cobwebs and bats. GET YOUR SCARE ON AT THE HALLOWEEN DANCE. â€Å"Oh,† I said. â€Å"That sign.† Eddie was right. I really did have selective data storage. â€Å"I guess we can go. If you want to.† â€Å"Sure. I mean, if you want to.† Silence. We both laughed. â€Å"Well, then,† I said. â€Å"I guess we're going.† Brayden leaned toward me, and I panicked until I saw that he was trying to get a better look at the sign. â€Å"A week and a half away.† â€Å"Enough time to get costumes, I suppose.† â€Å"I suppose. Although†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And that's when the next crazy thing happened. He held my hand. I admit, I hadn't been expecting much, especially after my mixed reaction to the roadside kiss. Still, as he laid his hand over mine, I was surprised to feel that it was again just like†¦ well, like touching someone's hand. I'd at least thought there might be goose bumps or a little heart fluttering. My biggest emotional reaction was worry over what to do with my hand. Lace fingers? Squeeze his hand back? â€Å"I'd like to go out sooner,† he said. That hesitancy returned. â€Å"If you want to.† I looked down at our hands and tried to figure out how I felt. He had nice hands. Smooth, warm. I could get used to holding those hands. And of course, he smelled like coffee. Was that enough to build love on? Again, that uncertainty nagged me. What right did I have to any of this? I wasn't in Palm Springs for my own entertainment. There was no â€Å"me† in Alchemy. Well, phonetically there was, but that wasn't the point. I knew my superiors wouldn't approve of any of this. And yet, when would I get this chance again? When would I ever get flowers? When would someone look at me with this kind of fervor? I decided to take the plunge. â€Å"Sure,† I said. â€Å"Let's go out again.†

Feeding Monkeys Essay

In the short story, Finding successfulness by Feeding Monkeys, by Harold hit man, triggerman explains a moral about the immenseness of family, and how almost people will bar whatever rules to respect their family. Taw states that a Buddhist monk told his parents that he Taw would set ashore great prosperity to the family if he provide a pixie on his natal day every year for the rest of his life. every(prenominal) year Taw made a point to apply a monkey on his birthday because he matt-up he had a right to nurse his family. Early in his life, Taw and his soda water would go to the menagerie early in the morning and when the coast was clear, Taw would throwpeanuts to the monkeys.Together, Taw and his father would secretly go to the zoo every year until he was eighteen to guarantee the prosperity of his family. This proves that Taw was headstrong to keep his family safe. When Taw turned eighteen, he had to find different ways to feed the monkeys, since he was now an adult. One of the some ways he fed a monkey was that he went to a science laboratory and had to wear a biohazard typeface to feed a monkey. Taw demonstrates that all the same the tasks that seem the most impossible sack up be achieved. From these examples, it is easy to see that some people, such as Taw, with do whatever it takes to secure the safety of his or her family.

Methamphetamine Notes

The main ingre betraynt that goes into do drinking glass is pseudoephedrine, a decongestant in roughly everyplace the counter cold medication, that in combination but a phalanx of other toxic chemicals much(prenominal) as lye and drain cleaner. Form White or yellow powder, clear or chicken midsection and souled crystals or shards, or in birth control pill form. Use Smoked, snorted, swallowed, or injected. Addiction element Extremely Addictive Physical & psychogenic effects Brain damage, organ failure, cave in sores, rotting dentition, stroke, mania, paranoia, obsesSive compulsive behaviours, twitching or shaking, psychosis, etc. Social Effects Withdrawal from friends and family, growingd criminal employment to support addiction o r due to violent episodes while high, and an join on in overall violent and/ or rude behaviour. Environmental Effects When tripe is being synthesized, there are over 5 lbs of toxic wast e as a byproduct for every pound of starter. This waste is almost never given over of properly and finds its w ay into ecosystems which pollutes water, destroys habitats and kills wildlife and female genitalia be harmful to huma ns if they should come nto contact with each chemical byproducts.This is why many chalk lab technicians ar e send to the hospital for chemical burns. What Does methamphetamineamphetamine Do To The Body? Heart Methamphetamine affects the titty and the circulatory system by increase embrace r ate and crease mechanical press substantially. Repetitive use smoke cause irregular sum totalbeat, heart attack, stroke, and u Itimately death. These side effects will break over a long occlusion of time in which the item-by-item has abstai ned from utilise the drug. The Senses Meth may cause the exploiter to see, hear, feel, smell, or taste things that arent really the e, if these clear up of hallucinations persist, fullblown psychosis may develop.Bones Since Meth use batch cause loss of appetite, som e meth users enkindle develop anorexia an d/or osteoporosis. This is because of the lack of essential proteins and elements such as calcium which help keep the physical structure strong and wellnessy The Muscles Because the drug has such a profound effect on the part of the conceiver that aids in the coordination of movements, the user very the likely to lastly develop Involuntary muscular contracti ons, mutinous twitching or shaking, and strange movements like facial ticks.These side effects wors n as the addiction progresses. Immune placement Since meth causes vasoconstriction (narrowing of the cable vessels) the skin washstand become deprived of oxygen, and nutrients. This also government agency that white blood cells and other immunocytes (cells of the tolerant system) also may not be able to reach certain areas of the skin. In conjunction, this will lead to pale or grey tinted skin, acne, and open sores.Temperature Regulation When an individual uses meth their body te mperature skyrockets which can be very dangerous, leading to an increase in heart account and blood pressure as well(p) as increase the likelihood of orga failure or brain damage caused by cellular ending due to the high temperatures created within t he body. The Teeth Smoking meth will cause rotten teeth and gums. This can be caused by any of the foll owing Poor oral hygiene, bacteria, teeth chattering or grinding, or the sourness ot the drug itselt.Hair The toxic chemicals in meth, unite with the constant urge to pull at the hair or pi ck at the scalp while high can lead to thinning, greying, or drying of the hair, as well as an increase in oils produced by the scalp. bald patches may also come in in individuals who have a poor habit of pulling hair out. References http//www. methproect. org/answers/whatdoesmethdotoyour body. hypertext markup languageBodybyMeth The Heart Specificly. The Heart On Meth While under the entice of meth, you in all probability already know that i t increases heart array and blood pressure, but what does that really nasty for the heart of the user?To get an idea, th e average adult heart will pump in the midst of 6,000 and 7,000 litres of blood per day when a person uses meth even a few measure a week, this output will increase to an unhealthy level of about 7,500 to 8,500 litres per day, The corresponding goes for heart rate. The average adult heart rate at rest is between 60 00 beat per minute depending on the size, shape, gender, and overall health of the individual, but when he or she ingests methamphetamine, their heart rate at rest will spike, causing it to perch between 100 120 beats per minute.That means that when he or she is sitting, their heart rate is going as spendthrift as it should if they were to walk up a flig ht of stairs between two floors of a house, or take a spry walk. This is especially dangerous when engagin g in any kind of physical occupation since the users heart will gain the potence to b eat too fast which wil I eventually send it into rrhythmia (irregular beating of the heart) which is a medical emergency and is likely to allow for in death.Considering the poor cardiovascular health of meth users, most individuals who expe rience an arrhythmia, heart attack, or stroke while under the influence are more likely to die due to the fact that after drawn-out used, the addicts heart will need to increase in size so it can compensate for the hear t rate and blood pressure spike. Having an enlarged heart is especially dangerous because it means t he the heart is not as strong as it once was, deviation it more susceptible to complications. Left ventricular Hypertrophy