Monday, August 24, 2020

How are decisions in real world organizations actually made? Essay

There are different dynamic models in reality. These choices are made in various circumstances which can be distressing or typical business circumstances. The individuals who take choices in an association are people. There are different factors in any association or gathering of individuals that have sway on their turn of events and developments. One of such factors is strife. This paper talks about different parts of peace promotion and exchange at work environment. Struggle can be levy to different components. These elements can be singular variables like demeanor, observation, social and sexual orientation contrasts and it tends to be hierarchical components like unseemly designation of assets, the executives styles, initiative and sort of correspondence. Figure 2 Decision making forms Bounded Rationality There are different motivations to limited soundness. These are as per the following: normal Biases and Errors, securing Bias, arrogance inclination, affirmation predisposition, accessibility predisposition, agent inclination, acceleration of duty blunder, irregularity mistake and knowing the past inclination. Instinct: Intuition can be characterized as â€Å"Unconscious dynamic procedure dependent on experience of a similar activity or industry. † Individual Differences: Individual contrasts add to singular dynamic styles. Association Constraints: There are different sorts of hierarchical requirements which are affected by view of an individual or gathering. These are as per the following: Performance Evaluation Reward Systems System-forced Time Constraints Historical Precedents Formal Regulation Cultural Differences This assumes significant jobs in multi-area or global condition. Each spot on the earth has an assortment and distinction appended to it. These distinctions become more grounded with the separations. These distinctions can be in appearance, social structure or conduct of a person. This likewise adds to dynamic procedure. By what method can our recognitions shape moral or good choices? Discernments shape our moral and good choices. A person who sees that managing unreasonable with somebody is deceptive and not right activity will take choice so that it benefits its worker. Then again an individual with self driven methodology will consider himself first and will legitimize it by saying himself an expert. Social capital in a financial division is dictated by the quality and recurrence of the connections between its individuals, which, some proof shows, can shift from area to district as indicated by the socio-social development of every area. The nature of the connections, thusly, is influenced by the impression of the people about their ability to set up great working associations with others and perform satisfactorily. Reference: Holloway, R. E. (1977) Perceptions of a development: Syracuse University Project Advance. Unpublished PhD Dissertation, Syracuse University. Hutcheson, P. , Pearson, A. W. furthermore, Ball, D. F. (1996) Sources of specialized advancement in the system of organizations giving compound procedure plant and gear. Research Policy 25, No. 1, 25-41. Julie Gatlin, Allen Wysocki, and Karl Kepner2, Understanding Conflict in the Workplace1 recovered on 21 June 2007 from http://edis. ifas. ufl. edu/HR024 Robbins, Stephen P, 2005 Organizational Behavior, Eleventh Edition, Prentice-Hall

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Bloodlines Chapter Fifteen

ADRIAN SLEPT for a ton of the route back to Palm Springs. Obviously, his late-evening celebrating with Carla and Krissy had brought about next to no rest. Considering it made me awkward. Considering Jill encountering it through him made me sick. There'd been little we could accomplish for Carla and Krissy with the exception of offer our feelings. Strigoi assaults occurred. It was grievous and awful, however the main way most Moroi could ensure themselves was to practice alert, keep their whereabouts secure, and remain with gatekeepers if conceivable. For non-illustrious Moroi living and going to class on the planet like Carla and Krissy were, gatekeepers weren't an alternative. A lot of Moroi got by like that; they simply must be cautious. Both of them thought the conditions encompassing their companion's passing were dreadful. That was valid. They were. In any case, neither one of the girls thought much past that or felt there was anything odd about the throat-cutting. I wouldn't have either in the event that I hadn't heard Clarence's record of his niece's passing. I took Adrian back to Amberwood with me and marked him in quickly as a visitor, figuring Jill would rest easy thinking about observing him in the tissue. Sufficiently sure, she was at that point sitting tight for us in the residence when we showed up. She embraced him and flashed me a thankful look. Eddie was with her, and however he didn't utter a word, there was a look of irritation all over that said I wasn't the one in particular who thought Adrian had carried on absurdly. â€Å"I was so worried,† Jill said. Adrian unsettled her hair, which made her duck away. â€Å"Nothing to stress over, Jailbait. Inasmuch as the wrinkles come out of this shirt, there's no damage done.† No mischief done, I thought, feeling outrage fuel inside me. No damage aside from Jill needs to watch Adrian attach with different young ladies and bear his drinking gorges. It didn't make a difference if Lee really liked Adrian. She was simply too youthful to even consider witnessing anything like that. Adrian had been narrow minded. â€Å"Now,† Adrian proceeded, â€Å"if Sage would be sufficiently benevolent to continue playing driver, I'll take every one of us out to lunch.† â€Å"I figured you didn't have any money,† I called attention to. â€Å"I said I have relatively little money.† Jill and Eddie traded looks. â€Å"We, um, were going to meet Micah for lunch,† Jill said. â€Å"Bring him along,† said Adrian. â€Å"He can meet the family.† Micah showed up presently and was glad to meet our other â€Å"brother.† He shook Adrian's hand and grinned. â€Å"Now I see some family likeness. I was beginning to think about whether Jill was received, yet both of you sort of resemble each other.† â€Å"So does our postal worker back in North Dakota,† said Adrian. â€Å"South,† I rectified. Luckily, Micah didn't assume there was anything abnormal about the slip. â€Å"Right,† said Adrian. He contemplated Micah mindfully. â€Å"There's something natural about you. Have we met?† Micah shook his head. â€Å"I've never been to South Dakota.† I was almost certain I heard Adrian mumble, â€Å"That makes two of us.† â€Å"We ought to go,† said Eddie hurriedly, pushing toward our residence's entryway. €Å"i are very brave to get up to speed with later.† I scowled, perplexed by the demeanor change. Eddie was certainly not an awful understudy using any and all means, however it had been clear to me since coming to Amberwood that he didn't take a similar enthusiasm for the school that I did. This was a rehashed year for him, and he was substance to simply cooperate and just do what was important to remain on favorable terms. On the off chance that any other person thought his conduct was odd, they didn't show it. Micah was at that point conversing with Jill about something, Adrian despite everything appeared as though he was attempting to put Micah. Adrian's liberal proposal to purchase lunch just stretched out to cheap food, so our dinner was brisk. Following seven days of residence food, however, I valued the change, and Adrian had since a long time ago made his perspectives understood on Dorothy's â€Å"healthy† cooking. â€Å"You should've quite recently gotten a children's meal,† Adrian let me know, highlighting my half-eaten hamburger and French fries. â€Å"You could have spared me a ton of cash. What's more, gotten a toy.† ‘†A parcel' is somewhat of an exaggeration,† I said. â€Å"Besides, presently you have extras to help get you by.† He feigned exacerbation and took a fry off my plate. â€Å"You're the person who should take the extras home. How would you even capacity on so little food?† he requested. â€Å"One of nowadays, you're simply going to blow away.† â€Å"Stop it,† I said. â€Å"Just revealing to it like it is,† he said with a shrug. â€Å"You could remain to increase around ten pounds.† I gazed at him warily, too stunned to even consider evening concoct a reaction. What did a Moroi think about weight gain? They had immaculate figures. They didn't have the foggiest idea what it resembled to glance in the mirror and see deficiency, to never feel sufficient. It was easy for them, while regardless of how hard I functioned, I never appeared to coordinate their brutal flawlessness. Adrian's eyes floated over to where Jill, Eddie, and Micah were animatedly looking at rehearsing progressively self-protection together. â€Å"They're somewhat cute,† said Adrian in a voice pitched only for my ears. He played with his straw as he contemplated the gathering. â€Å"Maybe Castile was on to something about letting her date at the school.† â€Å"Adrian,† I moaned. â€Å"Kidding,† he said. â€Å"Lee would most likely provoke him to a duel. He was unable to quit discussing her, you know. At the point when we returned from smaller than normal hitting the fairway, Lee simply propped up on with, ‘When can we as a whole go out once more?' And yet, he dropped off the substance of the earth when he was in LA and I required him.† â€Å"Had you made arrangements to meet up?† I inquired. â€Å"Had he consented to take you home?† â€Å"No,† Adrian conceded. â€Å"But what else was he truly doing?† Simply at that point, a silver haired man cruised by, chancing upon Jill's seat as he adjusted a plate of burgers and soft drinks. Nothing spilled, however Eddie bounced to his feet with lightning speed, prepared to fly over the table and guard her. The man upheld up and muttered a statement of regret. Adrian shook his head in awe. â€Å"Just send him as a chaperone with whoever she goes out with, and we'll never need to worry.† Recognizing what I thought now about Adrian and Jill's bond, I had the option to respect Eddie's defense from an alternate perspective. Goodness, sure, I realized his watchman preparing had imparted that nature into him, however there consistently appeared to be something somewhat more grounded there. Something almost†¦ individual. From the start, I'd thought about whether possibly it was on the grounds that Jill was simply part of his bigger friend network, similar to Rose. Presently, I continued reasoning it may go farther than that. Jill had said Eddie had been the just one to attempt to ensure her the evening of the assault. He'd fizzled, no doubt through planning and not in view of an absence of ability. Be that as it may, what sort of imprint should that have left on him? He was somebody whose sole reason in life was to shield others †and he'd needed to watch somebody bite the dust on his watch. Since Adrian had breathed life into her back, was it practically like another opportunity for Eddie? A chance to make up for himself? Perhaps that is the reason he was so cautious. â€Å"You look confused,† said Adrian. I shook my head and murmured. â€Å"I believe I'm simply overthinking things.† He gestured seriously. â€Å"That's the reason I attempt to never do it.† A prior inquiry flew into my head. â€Å"Hey, why you told those young ladies your name was Jet?† â€Å"Standard practice in the event that you don't need chicks to discover you later, Sage. In addition, I figured I was ensuring our activity here.† â€Å"Yeah, yet why Jet? Why not†¦ I don't know†¦ Travis or John?† Adrian gave me a look that said I was burning through his time. â€Å"Because Jet sounds badass.† After lunch, we returned Adrian to Clarence's, and all of us returned to Amberwood. Jill and Micah headed out to do whatever them might feeling like doing, and I persuaded Eddie to go to the library with me. There, we marked out a table, and I drew out my PC. â€Å"So, we discovered something intriguing when I got Adrian today,† I told Eddie, keeping my voice library delicate. Eddie gave me a wry look. â€Å"I'm speculating the entire experience of getting Adrian was intriguing †in any event from what Jill told me.† â€Å"It could've been worse,† I conjectured. â€Å"At least he was dressed when I arrived. Furthermore, there were just two other Moroi there. I didn't unearth a sorority house loaded with them or anything.† That made him snicker. â€Å"You may have made some harder memories getting Adrian out of there if that was the case.† My PC screen flared to life, and I started the confused procedure of signing into the Alchemists' uber secure database. â€Å"Well, as we were leaving, the young ladies he was with discovered that a companion of theirs was executed by Strigoi the other night.† All funniness evaporated from Eddie's face. His eyes went hard. â€Å"Where?† â€Å"In LA, not here,† I included. I should've known not to open up the discussion like that without plainly expressing in advance that he didn't should be watching out for Strigoi nearby. â€Å"As far as we probably am aware, everybody's privilege †Strigoi would prefer not to hang out in Palm Springs.† Eddie became around one percent less tense. â€Å"Here's the thing,† I proceeded. â€Å"This Moroi young lady †this companion of theirs †was supposedly murdered like Clarence's niece.† Eddie's eyebrows rose. â€Å"With the cut throat?† I gestured. â€Å"That's unusual. Is it accurate to say that you are certain that is what happened †to both of them? That is to say, we're simply going off of Clarence's report, right?† Eddie drummed a pencil against the table as he contemplated this. â€Å"Clarence is

Saturday, July 25, 2020

Does Your Library Allow Guns

Does Your Library Allow Guns Nearly one in three Americans now owns a gun. That’s according to a new study published this week in the journal Injury Prevention. Although 29 percent of adults own a gun nationwide, the percentageâ€"as you might guessâ€"varies by state. Delaware has the least amount of gun-toters, at only 5 percent, while Alaska has the most at 62 percent. Perhaps more shocking is the fact that the majority of states allow guns in our public libraries. According to a recent update to the report “Can I Bring My Gun?” by Diana Gleason, head of public services and assistant professor at the University of Idaho College of Law Library, you can lawfully bring a  gun to libraries in at least 30 states. Gleason writes: “You can bring your handgun to a public library in Michigan. According to a fifty state survey of gun laws, it is likely you can also bring your handgun to the local public library in at least 29 other states including Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.” Many libraries have challenged state gun laws by individually prohibiting weapons on site. “The most important factor is whether states have preemption [to override local ordinances],” Gleason told American Libraries. “If a state doesn’t have it, then the libraries in that state can probably regulate guns on their property. If the state has preemption, the next most important factor is whether there is an exception in the law for libraries.” But prohibiting concealed weapons is not always at the discretion of libraries. In places like Michigan, Georgia, and Colorado, libraries have been forced to lift their bans and allow weapons within their facilities to follow state rules. The Annoyed Librarian at Library Journal  had this to say about last year’s Colorado decision: “The people who can’t go into a public library without carrying their guns are either a) gun fetishists, and thus crazy, or 2) suffering from extreme paranoia, and thus crazy. And that, gun nuts, is why people don’t want you carrying guns in their public libraries. You see the public library as a dangerous place, and everyone else agrees, at least when you’re there.” Librarians, for their part, often have been amazing anti-violence advocates. Take Scott Bonner, librarian at the Ferguson Public Library in Ferguson, Missouri, who kept library doors open following the shooting of Michael Brown last August. As for me, I like to see guns confined to the pages of books in my public libraryâ€"not in a patrons holster. Here are three important books about gun violence to check out: The Harder They Come by T. C. Boyle: Gun violence in America is the subject of Boyle’s latest novel. “My object is to create a work of art and then give it to you…I happen to be a writer that is very socially conscious, Boyle told the Los Angeles Times. I have concerns and I write about them. Guns by Stephen King: Written in 2013, after the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, King’s powerful essay points to solutions for gun violence. Fist Stick Knife Gun: A Personal History of Violence by Geoffrey Canada: This graphic-novel adaptation of Canada’s memoir of learning codes of violence in the Bronx is accessible for readers ages twelve and up. Does your library allow guns? Has this been an issue in your city? Tell us about your experience in the comments below. Sign up to Today In Books to receive  daily news and miscellany from the world of books. Thank you for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox.

Friday, May 22, 2020

How Music Has Influenced Our Lives Essay - 966 Words

Mid Term Essay Sometimes in life people grieve. People feel all kinds of emotions. Music is almost an emotion itself. In my perspective music can be an escape, for however long you desire. Music has been call â€Å"a way of life† for many human beings. Somehow, it has made a large influence on the world. I can think of many instances where music has influenced my life. Music effects our everyday lives and can almost be an incomprehensive predicament. Music today is powerful and has a lot more meaning than just sounds and words. Music is so powerful that it has the power to manipulate and influence individuals in a positive or negative way. There is so much meaning behind music the lyrics nowadays. Music can tell an artist life story, things they have been through, and even their opinion on certain views. The most powerful function of music, however, is its ability to express our emotions, thoughts, and feelings. Music has been so important to me, I would venture to say that wi thout it, I would not be alive. As someone diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, or more commonly known as manic depression, I have been prone to very wide and potentially dangerous mood swings. These moods and the emotions associated with them, although often times irrational, were nonetheless extremely powerful. Emotions that powerful had to be released and expressed to the outside world. I like many teenagers, found that to express myself with words was far too difficult and frustrating. I found a way toShow MoreRelatedHow Music Has Influenced Our Lives2219 Words   |  9 PagesIntroduction Music is described as the soundtrack to life due to the various roles that it plays in the lives of its listeners. One of its significant roles is the socialization of members of the society. Listening to music is regarded as a part of human growth and development. On top of providing entertainment, music has many other roles in and impacts on the life of an individual (McDonald, Bryne, Carlton, 2006). Many scholars have engaged in research activities with the aim of observing theRead MoreMusic Loves Fashion Essay1190 Words   |  5 Pages| Music Loves Fashion | | | Emily Poe, Nina Martinez, Josh Sandoval | 4/5/2011 | Research showing that in today’s society music has a big influence on what people choice to wear. We conducted surveys and distributed them though different web facilities. We asked people â€Å"How does Country/ Hip-Hop influences your fashion? â€Å" | Nina Martinez Emily Poe Josh Sandoval Music Loves Fashion History shows that music influences society with the choices we make regarding clothingRead MoreThe Sound of Silence Discussion Essays1237 Words   |  5 Pages(â€Å"John Cage- Music, Sound and Silence). As stated in the YouTube video of John Cage about silence he believes that music is one of those things that don’t mean anything and that we should let things be as they are. This theory differs from many composers, who wish to have their music impact others. Cage believed that silence does not exist and he wanted people to create their own images from the sounds around. In Cage’s unique perspective he strived to change the way we listen to music and he wantedRead MoreBenefits of Music Essay1038 Words   |  5 PagesMusic â€Å"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music.† These were the words of Sergei Rachmaninoff, a Russian composer and pianist who was very influential in the twentieth century. Sergei had a very accurate perception of music and he understood the significance that music has. For some people, music is the center of their lives and it is the foundation on how they live. Everybody knows what music is and they all have heard a form of it but most people underestimateRead MoreCharacteristics Of Classical Music1277 Words   |  6 PagesA very big misconception with classical music is that it is one big group. There are four main musical periods of classical music. They are the baroque, classical, romantic, and the modern eras. The first major era of classical music is the baroque era. It started around 1600 and ended around 1750. The baroque time period was very important as it was a foundation for classical music to grow and develop. Many musical forms were made and developed as well. Some examples are the sonata, concerto, andRead More Pop Culture in 1960s and 1990s Essay802 Words   |  4 Pagesthe sixties and the nineties, my first thought was how much popular culture has changed since then and how different society is today. The strange thing is, the more I tried to differentiate between them, the more similarities I found. Both the sixties and the nineties were about youth, creativity, free-thinking, and expression. With the nineties coming to a close and the popularity of anything ?retro, I decided to compare the fashions, people, music, and issues that defined pop culture in the 1960Read MoreThe Mafia s Influence On Hip Hop1603 Words   |  7 Pagesis a unique culture, history, social impact and influence on society. Hip-Hop/Rap is one of the most popular genre of music. It has helped shape the pop culture into what it is today. What is popular culture? The ideas, activities or products, which are popular among the gener al mass. In today’s pop culture, one subject that is at the top of the list is hip-hop/rap. Hip-Hop music highlights verses consisting of slang and catchy phrases, which some parents find troublesome. However, the younger generationRead MoreMusic s Influence On America1467 Words   |  6 Pages Intro Music Music’s Influence on America in the Last Century This class is my first opportunity at exploring music through a broad and historical lens. Certainly I’ve learned plenty of information about how music is composed and what elements go into creating the music we have today. However, my favorite part of the class was learning about the history of American music and how it influenced culture. One could argue that culture affected music first, or vice versa. In my opinion, there areRead MoreMusic Has Impacted Our World1585 Words   |  7 PagesMusic has impacted our world in many ways, and it does not start with us. It has its beginnings with our ancestors. Music has not only been known for â€Å"vocal or instrumental sounds combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion† but also for a way that you can express your emotions, aim social problems or entertainment. Music has been evolving since it was first introduced to our world, and each era has had their own ups and downs with g ender equalities, racismRead MoreGrease Essay939 Words   |  4 PagesGrease is the word when it comes to my favorite musical past-time. But the question is, what was it about the rock and roll era in the 50s that influenced the writers of this stage musical turned movie? Also, how did this type of film affect the popular culture of the past and of today? That is the basis of this paperÂ…. Grease began as a five-hour long amateur show presented in a Chicago trolley barn in the summer of 1971 and eventually made Broadway. The film version of Grease began almost

Thursday, May 7, 2020

An Honorable Woman By Deborah Sampson - 966 Words

The Revolution released the potential for America to become very democratic; allowing space for political and social struggles to spread ideas of freedom and challenge the old way of doing things. Ideas of liberty invigorated attacks on both British and domestic American foundations and so did the beliefs of equality in the Declaration of Independence, which caused many in society who were seen as the substandard bunch such as women, slaves and free blacks to question the sanction of their superiors. During the eighteenth century, the American Revolution heavily affected the status of women in the states. The new revolutionary generation had many women that were contributing to the large struggle for national independence. An honorable woman by the name of Deborah Sampson, disguised herself as a man, enlisted in the Continental army, and fought in several battles. Many other patriotic women made their own homemade goods for the army as to object against the high prices being pressed by the merchants and some passed off secret information to the rebel army about the British. In Philadelphia, Esther Reed and Sarah Franklin Bache formed Ladies Associations to raise funds for American soldiers. These associations displayed how the Revolution was pushing women into public action on political issues and discussions. However, gender still continued to be a significant boundary of freedom within the states. Gaining independence did not change the family law that was adoptedShow MoreRelatedWomen in the Military Essay1469 Words   |  6 Pagesloading his cannon. After her husband died in battle, Corbin took over loading as well as firing the cannon, she was noticed for her exceptional aim and as being the last to stop firing the cannon after she was wounded. Margaret Corbin was the first woman to receive the pay of a soldier and remains the first and only Revolutionary War soldier to have been buried with military honors at West Point Cemetery (Diece). For these reasons , Corbin remains one of the most recognized women in military historyRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien2499 Words   |  10 Pagesupward as if caught in a final shrill syllable,† (O’Brien 105-106). This is an extreme example taken from Tim O’Brien’s book, The Things They Carried, specifically from a story titled â€Å"Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong.† A story of a once-naive civilian woman who, in the process of becoming a soldier in the traditional role of a man in combat, evolves into more than a mere soldier. Throughout history, many women were known to disguise themselves as men in combat. Now, they do not have to disguise themselvesRead MoreThe changing roles of women since 18653016 Words   |  13 Pages1890. It was the first and last quote from the majority report until 1918. In 1870 activist were angered that the 15th amendment did not include women. The NWSA or National Woman Suffrage Association was formed by Elizabeth Cad y Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, under the purpose to secure a Constitutional amendment that would give woman the right to vote. In 1872 Susan B. Anthony cast a ballot on the November 5th election illegally. Two weeks after the ballot was cast there was a warrant for Susan B. Anthony

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

No child Left behind Act is a controversial United States Free Essays

string(160) " the highest math and reading scores since 1971 and that the math and reading scores for African Americans and Hispanics have reached an all time high as well\." The 2001-2002 No Child Left Behind Act is a controversial United States Federal law which attempts to tackle, head on, the problem of America’s public schools. There are more than fifty million students in our schools and there promises to be increases to this daunting number from immigration as well as the natural growth of the country. Under this new law, schools will be required to ensure that their students will meet or exceed the national requirements set forth by the federal government and the Department of Education. We will write a custom essay sample on No child Left behind Act is a controversial United States or any similar topic only for you Order Now Repeated failure of a specific school to reach these requirements will eventually result in the loss of funding as well as a decrease in the number of students attending these schools. The latter is made possible by the freedom that the No Child Left Behind Act gives to students and their parents who are attending schools that repeatedly do not meet the requirements set forth in this act. Any state challenges to the law are threatened with a cessation of funds and in 2005; Utah became the first state to challenge the law with the outcome having not yet been played out on the national level[1]. Where the correct amount of attention needs to be paid to and how these problems are to be solved, as well as the effectiveness of the No Child Left Behind Act, are sources for much debate. One of the biggest problems is high school drop outs and how this increase in drop outs can be curbed. The No Child Left behind Act focuses on a number of aspects of the public school system which the government believes needs to be improved. The first is the quality of the teachers who teach. It is a popular notion to blame the teachers for the shortcomings of the student in the classroom. The No Child Left Behind Act ignores the fact that today’s teacher is faced with more impediments to their successful ability to teach than ever before. An average student watches more than six hours of television a day, often times where there is no parental influence at home since often times, especially within the inner city, the student comes from a broken home and the mother is forced to work two jobs. Students within the inner city are faced with the constant threat of gang violence and gang influence which makes it not only difficult to learn and to achieve an education, but it is also a dangerous prospect as well. Also, there is within the American public school, a dangerous overcrowding, brought on by illegal immigration as well as other important factors. As a result, there are hundreds of schools within the country that are overcrowded. In Chicago, there are more than 150 elementary schools and 15 high schools, despite the addition of twelve new high schools and thirty additions to existing schools, which are overcrowded. Roosevelt High School on Chicago’s East side is more than 177% above capacity and Lerna Elementary school on Chicago’s south side is more than 150% above its designed capacity.[2] As a result, teachers are faced with an overcrowding of students; often times the number exceeds thirty five to forty students in which an increasing number cannot sp eak English. However, there exists some merit as to the requirement that teachers be knowledgably in the subjects in which they teach. In a 2004 USA Today expose, it was discovered that in the state of California, over 35% of high school teachers were teaching subjects different than what their major or minor in college.[3] This places the student at a severe disadvantage and makes the parents of these students nervous as to who exactly is teaching their students. The No Child Left Behind Act set forth a plan in 2002, when the law was enacted, that by the 2006-2007 school year, all teachers be regarded as highly educated in the subject in which they were teaching. This is achieved by teachers having standardized tests of their own in the subjects in whom they teach. A teacher must also have achieved a bachelor’s degree and demonstrate a command of the subject that they teach as well as a command of the English language, both in speaking and writing in order to be allowed to further teach. In order to see if these measurements will yield the expected positive results, further standardized testing in grades 3-5, 6-9 and 10-11 will be required.[4] Under the previous system, only students in grades 3, 5, 10-11 were given to standardized testing. It will be seen on a national basis in the coming months, as these results are published, as to whether or not this simple and presumed self evident requirement yield the results which the country demands. Another important addition to the current public school system is the ability of parents and their children to choose the schools that they will attend. Previously, students could only attend the schools which were designed for their area. This gave a uniform feeling to the public school map and ensured that those who were paying real estate taxes to their local school, was used to teach the students of the local area. The No Child Left Behind Act allows students and their parents who attend poorly performing schools, the freedom to choose the schools which they will attend. It claims that local government has failed their students and that it now falls upon the federal government to step in and fix the problem. This is a controversial aspect of the law but one which according to the Department of Education, in their 2005 annual report, stated a number of positive aspects to the law. First, more progress was made concerning 4th graders in their reading skills over the last five years than in the previous 28 years combined.[5] America’s freshman in high school achieved the highest math and reading scores since 1971 and that the math and reading scores for African Americans and Hispanics have reached an all time high as well. You read "No child Left behind Act is a controversial United States" in category "Essay examples" Lastly, forty three states and the District of Columbia have enjoyed unprecedented success in the increase of their students test scores. Not only is the law result-driven through the test scores which their students achieve, but focuses on the concept and quality of the education that their students are receiving. The gap between white and African American and Hispanic children, according to the Department of Education, states that it is the lowest that it has been in the history of public education. The parents are more informed about the quality and yearly performance of their schools through the publication of school report cards which grade the schools on a variety of various subjects which are designed to be helpful to the parent. This is also helpful in educating the parent as to what schools in the area would be a good fit for their child, if they so decide to move their child to another school district as their previous school repeatedly under preformed and did not meet their federal requirements. This is helpful as well, not only to the students and their parents but also for the school as well as the administrators are aware and feel the pressure to perform up to standards or their student body will decrease and so too will the amount of federal funding from the government. To many, this is a necessary and effective check on the apathetic attitude that some schools in the nation have felt towards the education of their students which they are employed to teach. A more conventional study is the communication between that of the parent and the teacher with regard to the standardized testing that is required multiple times in a student’s educational career. In 2005, New Jersey signed a contract to spend $35 million over the next four years to implement new testing standards for third and fourth graders with regard to math and science.[6] The Educational Commission Report reported in detail about the state implementation of the NCLBA, not only in New Jersey but all across the nation as well. Different from years past, the new implementation of this act represent a more systemic approach to achieving testing reform and improvement. Professional development of teachers and technical assistance for low-performing schools are at the front of this debate for needed change. The report also points out the need for states, districts and schools to raise the stakes in order to avoid failure and that steady progress must be achieved and charted in order to improve student achievement. Blending texts and graphics, the report gives a series of snapshots from March 2003-March 2004 in the field of student improvement for math and science scores for sixth graders. The progress is divided up into seven sub categories: standards and assessments, adequate progress, school improvement, supplemental service, safe schools report cards and teacher quality and how each area must meet or exceed state requirements. The danger in failing to do so, the report points out, is that once area may well be able to pull down the other groups as well and erase a great deal of effort that has been used in this endeavor. Any legislation the size of the No Child Left Behind Act is going to receive criticism. Much of it is justified and has allowed many to regard the law as ineffective or misguided. Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy criticized that: â€Å"The tragedy is that these long overdue reforms are finally in place, but the funds are not.†[7] It has been the long running complaint of school administrators that the money is not being sent to the schools in order to make the necessary changes. â€Å"School Administrator Charles Johnson of the Roosevelt High School in Chicago states: â€Å"If the government wants higher test scores, then they need to show us the money! All of these programs cost money. Give us the money and the results will follow.†[8] This is a problem and will probably continue to be a problem as the 2007 government budget again did not yield the necessary amount of money for these programs which as deemed necessary in the original 2002 No Child Left Behind Act. In our highly bipartisan political atmosphere, progress from the NCLBA can only be claimed through a great deal of studies and statistics in order to make such claims. Not only does the study set forth their guidelines, they give detailed statistics as to what areas of the country are meeting those standards and where in the country are the students falling behind at are at the highest risk of dropping out of school. Many studies come to the conclusion, and this one is no exception, that when a student is achieving in school and finds the subject matter and the atmosphere exciting, there is a minimal chance for that student to them drop out of school. The study found that all fifty states met or were partially on track (an improvement from the days before the NCLBA was implemented, to meet at least half of the 40 NCLB requirements. This constitutes an improvement of 11% over the previous year.[9] The study then concludes by pointing out how much of an improvement this is. Another problem with the law and one which prompts criticism of the government taking the lead in education reform is the possibility of corruption. The stakes are high for these schools to perform to the standards which the government has put in place for each individual schools. Some of these schools, knowing that they cannot meet these new requirements, will bend the result sin order for it to appear that they are meeting these new demands. This creative reclassification of the results has helped these troubled schools to maintain their previous level of government funding. In this, students are not learning more but are just being classified differently. In Missouri and Iowa, school administrators have admitted to the fact that in many of the schools across their respective states, they had lowered the requirements in order to meet governmental standards. Despite this temptation to create new and creative ways in which to show that these schools were achieving up to government standards, the No Child Left Behind Act allows for further funding towards schools which perform beneath federal standards as well as gives bonuses to schools that repeatedly meet and/or exceed standards. What does worry the aforementioned schools is the fact that only after a specific number of years, usually from 2-4 years of repeated failure to meet federal requirements, despite the extra funding, will schools then be cut off from this extra funding and will then be made to suffer the consequences. There has yet to be a significant number of schools which are placed under these restrictions and then forced to react in ways which would jeopardize the funding of their respective schools as the law is still relatively new. However, it is estimated that especially within the inner cities, these requirements, whether good or bad, will create a reaction that will eventually command a reform within the most troubled and poorly performing schools within each troubled area. The No Child Left Behind Act is controversial by nature. As the United States falls behind smaller and less affluent countries in the areas of science, reading and math, most everyone agrees that education reform is absolutely necessary.   However, with a problem that affects such a large population of the country in the form of parents, students and teachers as well as the society in which they reside, it is a fact that no legislation will please everyone. The No Child Left Behind Act is being implemented in order to correct decades of misuse by apathetic â€Å"but when high school students, upon their graduation, can read and write at only an 8th grade level, somebody is surely to blame.†[10] What is the source of argument is who exactly is to blame and in what capacity? Are the parents to blame when the student is a product of a broken home and there is nobody present within the home to make sure that the student adheres to his school work? Is the student to blame for not possessing the self discipline to make himself to study, seek assistance outside of school hours and to ensure his or her own success? Is it the government to blame for avoiding the fact that illegal immigration has flooded many of our nation’s schools which has resulted in the overcrowding of the schools or the fact that before this law, there were teachers who graduated with a degree in History, if they graduated at all, who were teaching Biology. Or is it the fault of society who now places a greater importance on the knowledge of pop culture over excellence in schools? In some degree or another, all of the above mentioned principal players are to blame. What the No Child Left Behind Act attempts to do is tackle all of these impediments to the educational process of our nation’s fifty four million students. The No Child Left Behind Act accomplishes the ability to shed light on a subject which has long been ignored: the public school system. However, no government institution can amend the problems of the public school system until the parents and students do their part as well. Only to a very limited degree can government institute behavior. It is up to those involved to ensure the success of themselves, their children, their school and their teachers. We are all in this together. WORKS CITED Collins, Kristin. No Child Left Behind National Science Teachers Association. www3. ntsa.org. December 31, 2003. Downloaded June 14, 2007 Dixon, Janet How No Child Left Behind Affects Your Children. Chicago Tribune June 12, 2004 Graham, Patricia No Child Left Behind. History of Education Quarterly Vol. 47 May 2007 Matthews, Jay No Child Left Behind Acts: Fact and Fiction Washington Post November 11, 2003 No Child Left Behind Act   www.ed.gov.   The Department of Education Downloaded June 14, 2007 How to cite No child Left behind Act is a controversial United States, Essay examples

Monday, April 27, 2020

The humanistic effect of the italian renaissance Essay Example For Students

The humanistic effect of the italian renaissance Essay The Italian Renaissance was driven by a force of great strides in humanity. This was a time for a re-awakening of educated thinking, great artistic endeavors, and an empowering factor of humanism to use free will to govern ones future rather than allowing the church to dictate the correct path in life. The city of Florence became the center for much of this activity, where artists and scholars were sponsored royally by like-minded families of great wealth and social power. More emphasis was put onto education as a means of freedom from ignorance instead of a reason to serve God. We will write a custom essay on The humanistic effect of the italian renaissance specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now There was a shift in power from the church to a general secularization in all areas of life, with the main focus being on the enhancement in the studies of the arts. The arts were looked at in a new way, using humanism as the new religion and the new way to achieve the greatest possible virtue. The actual term Renaissance means re-birth, which is essentially what was taking place overall, in Florence and other Italian states. For Burckhardt this period consisted, broadly speaking, of the 15th century in Italy, a time and place in which medieval man became modern man. -Italy-History of, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2000. 1) This was a re-birth of ideas, learning, communication, artistry and beliefs. All of these factors were culminating together to prepare the world for the dawning of a new age, and The Italian Renaissance began finding its niche among the elite in Florence in 1360, however, this was just the beginning. The Renaissance proved to be more established by the early fifteenth century among the rest of Italy, and eventually the rest of Europe. The world was changing and ready for a new way of thinking. No longer were individuals prepared to accept the teachings of the church as their guidelines in life. Society wanted more from life than what the church had to offer. Italian culture, most noteably in Florence, was growing wealthier. With this increase of wealth came a need to pursue personal limits in achievement, education, and ability. In their society, successful individuals, usually men, clearly were capable of doing more in this world than traditional religious views allowed. Modern European History I, 1992. (2) The humanists came forth from this need to learn. They were the intellect behind the Renaissance and brought to light a new view of what should be taught and studied. They embraced the classics; translating many from the ancient Greek and Roman script they were originally created in, and redefining how these works were originally interpreted. They looked upon studies in grammar, rhetorics, poetry, history and moral philosophy as a means of elevating their self-worth, and discovered that man can create his own destiny rather than follow a pre-ordained fate determined by the church. By using education to further themselves in society, the free-willed humanists were setting the standards for educated thinking, that current modern day life adheres to. Humanism was the most important single intellectual movement of the Renaissance. Eugene F. Rice Jr, 1970. (3) Humanism was not only focused on education; this way of thinking also held power over As much of the educational aspect centered in Florence, so did the growing desire for beauty and culture to be represented in art; another strong factor of humanism. With its economic and social standing becoming rapidly elevated, and due to the strong tradition of democracy it held, Florence would prove to have the ideal surroundings for the birth of artistry in the Italian Renaissance movement. .u24c07b6af06fbbee3e87c05702edc7da , .u24c07b6af06fbbee3e87c05702edc7da .postImageUrl , .u24c07b6af06fbbee3e87c05702edc7da .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u24c07b6af06fbbee3e87c05702edc7da , .u24c07b6af06fbbee3e87c05702edc7da:hover , .u24c07b6af06fbbee3e87c05702edc7da:visited , .u24c07b6af06fbbee3e87c05702edc7da:active { border:0!important; } .u24c07b6af06fbbee3e87c05702edc7da .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u24c07b6af06fbbee3e87c05702edc7da { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u24c07b6af06fbbee3e87c05702edc7da:active , .u24c07b6af06fbbee3e87c05702edc7da:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u24c07b6af06fbbee3e87c05702edc7da .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u24c07b6af06fbbee3e87c05702edc7da .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u24c07b6af06fbbee3e87c05702edc7da .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u24c07b6af06fbbee3e87c05702edc7da .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u24c07b6af06fbbee3e87c05702edc7da:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u24c07b6af06fbbee3e87c05702edc7da .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u24c07b6af06fbbee3e87c05702edc7da .u24c07b6af06fbbee3e87c05702edc7da-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u24c07b6af06fbbee3e87c05702edc7da:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Yellow Wall Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman EssayAt the beginning of the Renaissance, Florence was a well-established, commercial city primarily controlled by the rich merchant class and some of the very wealthy and powerful families that resided there. Families such as the de Medici family, would commission artists to design and build enormous churches, palaces and other monuments to cement the families position in Florence. Using this type of backing sponsorship, the growing artistic community was able to flourish and thrive, and produce a mutitude of glorious works, focusing on a new embodiment of their skill. The human body was looked upon and studied with more detail and realism than ever before. This lead to more accurate and life-like art work, both in painting and sculpture. Much of the art moved away from the old themes of portraying the world and humanity as perfectly as possible, and concentrated instead on capturing the actual likeness of the subject matter, no matter how unappealing or distressing it may have been. With enormous financial sponsorship behind them, artists were able to concentrate soley on their craft and expand it into the new, Renaissance style. They met great opposition rom the church but were able to continue moving forward with the ongoing support of The infallible teachings of the church combined with the power of the Pope, were constantly challenged by the humanists and those that followed this new style of thought. Citizens were more and more frequently pledging allegiance to the crown rather than to the Vatican, creating a steady decline of power from reli gion. The Christian truth that had been acknowledged as comprehending all phenomena, earthly or heavenly, now had to co-exist with a classical attitude that was overwhelmingly directed toward earthly life. Humanism, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2000. (4) Knowledge began to undermine the position of the church. An ever-increasing amount of followers of humanism reaffirmed the fact that humans are individuals and not just souls passing through earth on their way to eternity in heaven or hell. As individuals, every human had the right to discovering his own destiny and potential. These beliefs and views were strongly frowned upon by the church, who tried in vain to reassert their Much of the great wealth of the era was also looked at as un-Christian, but the humanists rgued that wealth was only a means to achieve greater virtue. Money was needed to fund and support the arts, which provided the tools to further enlightenment in these areas. The church however, could only accept this wealth if it was used for the greater good of society. This was an argument to prevail throughout the Renaissance. From the re-evaluation of education and art, society has derived an opportunity to determine their own destiny, based on the knowledge they choose to empower themselves with. Humanists may have opposed the church and its teachings in order o move forward with free will and choice, but without that opposition, life would not hold the amount of wonderment and variation that exists today. The humanistic efforts that began during the Italian Renaissance paved the way for society to become more independent in their thinking, more realistic in their arts, and more educated in subject matter that had been too long denied. The Italian Renaissance shaped and altered the modern world, bringing society out of the medieval times and onto the path that stretched toward the optimistic future.

Thursday, March 19, 2020

First Flight Associates v. Professional Golf Co

First Flight Associates v. Professional Golf Co Identify the client Based on the facts of the contract between Pro Golf and First Flight Associates (FFA), which was rescinded prematurely, this paper seeks to advise FFA on the legal framework behind the termination. This paper analyzes the case and explores the problem that prompted the parties to seek court’s intervention whereas there were other avenues at disposal to solve the dispute.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on First Flight Associates v. Professional Golf Co specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Additionally, the paper will explore possible actions that the FFA could undertake to preempt the recurrence of a similar problem in its future dealings. My recommendations will be based on my knowledge of the business law, which has been gained throughout the course. Provide background to problem The case presented in this paper centers on a controversial agreement between Pro Golf and FFA. FFA was accused of the failure to honor its contractual duties. Pro Golf is a multinational company with its headquarters in the United States (US), and it operates under the trademark FIRST FLIGHT. Following the company’s desire to penetrate the global market, it appointed Robert G. Wynn as the sales representative in the Far East countries. Consequently, Wynn formed a company to execute the roles of a sales representative in Japan. The company, which was registered by the name First Flight Associates (FFA), marketed Pro Golf’s products under the trademark, FIRST FLIGHT. This aspect indicates that it was licensed to act as a sales representative of the licensor. The relationship between the two parties was informal since no formal contract was entered between the companies when the license was issued. On the contrary, the two parties formed an implied form of contract substantiated through the letters sent by each party. From the letters, FFA was to pay $2500 annually to Pro Golf as a consideration for the use of the trademark. However, to boost its marketing power, FFA sub-licensed other firms to use the licensor’s trademark among them being Teito Company. Under the new sub-license agreement, Teito was to pay an annual fee of $25,000 to FFA in exchange for the right to use the trademark to market the goods. The agreement between FFA and Teito Company caused disputes as the licensor sought full disclosure of the material facts on which the mentioned contract was founded. Following the failure by FFA to disclose the terms of the contract as required, Pro Golf notified the former of the intention to terminate the contract unconditionally due to failure to observe the contractual duties by the plaintiff.Advertising Looking for case study on business corporate law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The problem The termination of the contract without an agreement being reached between the two p arties as to how to execute the termination process formed the basis of the controversy. FFA allowed Teito Company to use Pro Golf’s trademark. Additionally, it did not disclose the terms of the engagement to the licensor even when required to do so. The reluctance by FFA to disclose the terms of engagement between it and Teito prompted Pro Golf to revoke the contract that it had made previously with FFA. The agreement was silent as to the reasons that could lead to termination. Therefore, the involved parties could not agree on the legality of such termination. In addition to the termination of the decree, Pro Golf declined to pay the commissions earned by the plaintiff arguing that the company’s customs allowed payment of such fees upon delivery of goods to customers. FFA approached the courts requiring the defendant to be compelled to pay all the money earned prior to the termination of the contract. Pro Golf opposed the FFA’s claims for commission saying tha t the licensee failed to observe its contractual duties, thus giving the right to rescind the contract. Expressly indicate termination causes According to Schaffer, Agusti, Dhooge, and Earle (2011), under the common law, a legally binding contract can only be terminated under the following circumstances Agreement by the parties Failure by one party to observe a material contractual duty The occurrence of the specified event Lapse of time Full execution of each parties contractual duties However, for a contract to be terminated due to the occurrence of a certain event, the anticipated issue must be specified clearly in the contract. Express indication of the events that may cause termination of a contract is important since it averts conflicts that may emerge from wrongful rescission of a contract by either party before maturity. Additionally, such indication eliminates uncertainties that may present regarding premature termination of a contract by one party. The occurrence of the stated event leads to automatic termination of a contract without having to approach the courts to question the legality of a decision by one party to terminate a contract. FFA should ensure that its future agreements highlight the conditions in which a contract may be terminated prematurely to avoid the recurrence of a problem similar to the one described in this case. The contract between Pro Golf and FFA did not highlight expressly the events that could prompt impulsive termination of the licensing contract, and thus the parties had to approach the courts for legal assistance.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on First Flight Associates v. Professional Golf Co specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Advantages Indicating the instances in which a contract may be terminated prevents wrongful termination of a contract by either party. This aspect eliminates confusion and delay in the execution of the contract. Additionally , the occurrence of the stated event leads to the involuntary termination of the contract, thus relieving each party of liability in the contract. This aspect leads to savings in terms of time and resources since the parties do not have to approach the courts to dispute the legality of such termination. Disadvantages The occurrence of the stated event leads to automatic termination of a contract, thus relieving each party of the attached contractual liabilities. In case one party has executed its duties fully, the other party may fail to honor its part of the bargain, thus leading to fresh disputes. Additionally, a contract may be terminated by other causes apart from those stipulated in the agreement, hence creating controversy. Establish formal contracts A formal contract refers to an agreement in which all the involved parties outline the material facts in a written text upon deliberation (Schaffer et al., 2011). Such contracts require extensive consultation between the contracti ng parties to come up with the representations to be included in the agreement. Where necessary, a legal expert is hired to oversee the drafting of the contractual document and ensure compliance with the law. FFA should consider engaging in formal contracts in which all facts are stipulated in the contractual document to avoid the controversy that may present in the course of execution of the contract. In its contract with Pro Golf, the parties did not meet physically to deliberate on the terms of the contract. On the contrary, the parties communicated through letters. The contract was thereby informal, and the conditions of the contract were only traceable from the correspondences. If FFA had engaged in a formal discussion with the defendant, perhaps the two parties would explore and agree on allowing other companies to use the trademark. Therefore, I would advise FFA to negotiate its rights with other parties and document the terms in written texts to avoid the recurrence of the p roblem in its future endeavors. Pros A formal contract has the terms of engagement written and understood by both parties. Therefore, it acts as a proof of the existence of such contract. In case of disputes arising in the course of executing the contract, both parties may refer to the document to resolve the conflict without involving a court of law. Moreover, a formal agreement minimizes the chances of disputes emerging from misunderstandings since the terms of the contract are made clear right from the outset.Advertising Looking for case study on business corporate law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Cons The terms of a contract may be of legal nature, which may require the services of a legal expert to guide the parties through the process. Such services may be expensive, which increases the operating costs. Additionally, the illegality of such terms may invalidate a contract even when a written document exists. Establish a dispute resolution method prior to entering the contract and Indicate the terms of engagement, whether agency or employment.  Most contracts often result in conflicts during execution, which must be resolved in time to avoid procrastinations in the performance of the contract. Therefore, parties to a contract ought to agree on the appropriate methods of resolving disputes without involving a court of law. A clear statement outlining the method to be employed in resolving disputes should be included in the contractual document. In such a case, if a dispute arises prior to the actual period of termination of the contract, it can be resolved promptly. FFA sho uld consider creating a dispute resolution team with its future contracting parties made up of a representative from both sides. The contract should state the fact that the decision by the team is final and that it cannot be contested in a court of law. This move will minimize the chances of misunderstandings coupled with preempting the chances of the parties to seek justice from the courts. In the light of these facts, I would advise FFA to deliberate dispute resolution methods prior to committing to a contact. In the contract between FAA and Pro Golf, no provision was made regarding dispute resolution hence the party resorted to seeking a legal interpretation from the courts. Advantages Providing a dispute resolution method provides a ceiling that limits the parties’ ability to go to the courts in case of disputes. Besides, it ensures that disputes are resolved promptly, thus minimizing the chances of court’s involvement in the resolution processes. Disadvantages Pro viding for a dispute resolution mechanism may limit the ability of a party to approach a court of law in the case of dissatisfaction by the verdict delivered through the stipulated dispute resolution method. Additionally, the resolution mechanism established by the contract may not always fit the different situations arising during the execution of the contract. Moreover, creating a dispute resolution team may require the establishment of a team of experts, which may increase the operating costs of the two parties. The terms of a contract A contract may be terminated on grounds of failure to perform the contractual duties from either party. Each party to a contract is under a legal obligation to act under the provisions of the contract. In case one party fails to act under such provisions, the aggrieved side is entitled to rescind the contract and seek damages for losses coming from the breach (Schaffer et al., 2011). In the case of FAA v. Pro Golf, the defendant accused the plainti ff of failure to observe the contractual duties, hence rescinding the contract. In the light of the mentioned facts, I would advise FAA to engage actively in the formulation of the contractual terms and stick by them during the execution of its mandated duties. This way, the firm will be freed from any liability arising from the failure to execute its duties as specified in the contract. Advantages Adherence to the contractual duties ensures that the contract remains valid, thus eliminating the chances of the other party rescinding the contract. Additionally, it ensures that the desired outcomes are achieved, thus averting disputes that may lead to legal interventions. Disadvantages Adherence to contractual duties may be limited by certain factors such as the impracticability of the obligation or illegality of such tasks. In such cases, the execution of the contractual duties is derailed, and it may prompt the involved parties to seek intervention from the courts of law. Reference S chaffer, R., Agusti, F., Dhooge, L., Earle, B. (2011). International business law and its environment. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

What Is the Power Set

What Is the Power Set One question in set theory is whether a set is a subset of another set. A subset of A is a set which is formed by using some of the elements from the set A. In order for B to be a subset of A, every element of B must also be an element of A. Every set has several subsets. Sometimes it is desirable to know all of the subsets that are possible. A construction known as the power set helps in this endeavor. The power set of the set A is a set with elements that are also sets. This power set formed by including all of the subsets of a given set A. Example 1 We will consider two examples of power sets. For the first, if we begin with the set A {1, 2, 3}, then what is the power set? We continue by listing all of the subsets of A. The empty set is a subset of A. Indeed the empty set is a subset of every set. This is the only subset with no elements of A.The sets {1}, {2}, {3} are the only subsets of A with one element.The sets {1, 2}, {1, 3}, {2, 3} are the only subsets of A with two elements.Every set is a subset of itself. Thus A {1, 2, 3} is a subset of A. This is the only subset with three elements. A A A Example 2 For the second example, we will consider the power set of B {1, 2, 3, 4}. Much of what we said above is similar, if not identical now: The empty set and B are both subsets.Since there are four elements of B, there are four subsets with one element: {1}, {2}, {3}, {4}.Since every subset of three elements can be formed by eliminating one element from B and there are four elements, there are four such subsets: {1, 2, 3}, {1, 2, 4}, {1, 3, 4}, {2, 3, 4}.It remains to determine the subsets with two elements. We are forming a subset of two elements chosen from a set of 4. This is a combination and there are C (4, 2 ) 6 of these combinations. The subsets are: {1, 2}, {1, 3}, {1, 4}, {2, 3}, {2, 4}, {3, 4}. B B Notation There are two ways that the power set of a set A is denoted. One way to denote this is use the symbol P( A), where sometimes this letter P is written with a stylized script. Another notation for the power set of A is 2A. This notation is used to connect the power set to the number of elements in the power set. Size of the Power Set We will examine this notation further. If A is a finite set with n elements, then its power set P( A ) will have 2n elements. If we are working with an infinite set, then it is not helpful to think of 2n elements. However, a theorem of Cantor tells us that the cardinality of a set and its power set cannot be the same. It was an open question in mathematics whether the cardinality of the power set of a countably infinite set matches the cardinality of the reals. The resolution of this question is quite technical, but says that we may choose to make this identification of cardinalities or not. Both lead to a consistent mathematical theory. Power Sets in Probability The subject of probability is based upon set theory. Instead of referring to universal sets and subsets, we instead talk about sample spaces and events. Sometimes when working with a sample space, we wish to determine the events of that sample space. The power set of the sample space that we have will give us all possible events.

Saturday, February 15, 2020

Developments In The European Union Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Developments In The European Union - Essay Example This effort was established by the Treaty of Maastricht in the year 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community. With almost 500Â  million citizens, the EU combined generates an estimated 30% share of the worlds nominal gross domestic product, (US$16.8 trillion in 2007) which also reflects global concern as structural and humanitarian developments (International Monetary Fund). Thus, the EU has developed a single market through a standardised system of laws which apply in all member states, guaranteeing the freedom of movement of people, goods, services and capital minimising the formalities of the Minister of External Affairs of the different member states and the other states accessing for the EU status (European Commission). It also maintains a common trade policy, agricultural and fisheries policies, and a regional development policy to convert the geographical differences into one landmass and also providing a broader channel of development in turns of trade and commerce, for the in and out the flow of the business is multiple, of course, huge (Farah 2006). With a far-sighted view of cash flow that can feed a fifteen member states, which have adopted a common currency, the euro, thus, expanding the operation of the transactions into many other nations. It has developed a role in foreign policy, representing its members in the World Trade Organisation, at G8 summits, and at the United Nations. Twenty-one EU countries are members of NATO. It has developed a role in justice and home affairs, including the dealings with immigration to the states by the abolition of passport control between many member states under the Schengen Agreement (Europa 2005).

Sunday, February 2, 2020

Cell proliferation experiment, Immunoprecipitation and western blot Essay

Cell proliferation experiment, Immunoprecipitation and western blot experiment, cell imaging experiment - Essay Example The aim of this work was to elucidate the mechanism by which cp250 causes tumors and identify which signaling pathways were activated by its binding to the cell. The first experiment looked at the effect of cp250 on cell proliferation and compared it to the effect of the growth factor PDGFA and the second and third experiments looked at which pathways were triggered by the binding of cp250 to hepatocytes. The aim of this experiment was to determine whether cp250 caused cell proliferation in hepatocytes and also to establish whether it was recognized by the same receptor that bound the growth factor PDGFA. As shown in Table 1, cp250 and PDGFA clearly have similar effects on cell proliferation. Hepatocytes that were treated with either cp250 or PDGFA both showed an increase in proliferation as compared to cells that were not given either. Moreover cp250 and PDGFA appear to bind to the same receptor, PDGFR. There does not appear to be any synergism when both are used together. Hepatocytes that were treated with antisense RNA to the receptor prior to incubation with the ligands did not show a significant increase in proliferation. In addition, scrambled siRNA that does not target any cellular mRNA does not affect the binding of either cp250 or PDGFA to the receptor. This indicates that the binding of cp250 is specific to PDGFR. The next step was to identify which downstream elements in the signaling process were activated on binding to the receptor. In order to do this, hepatocytes that were treated with cp250 and PDGFA were lysed and complexes that were formed were pulled down with an antibody to the receptor. Western blots with antibodies raised against different downstream signaling molecules were performed to identify which components were complexed with the receptor after activation. Controls were performed with cells treated with water. As can be seen in Fig.1A, cp250 and PDGFA both bind to the receptor PDGFR, confirming the first experiment. From Fig.1B, it can be seen that Phospholipase gamma 1 (PLC1) is recruited to the receptor after treatment with either cp250 or PDGFA. From Fig.1C, it can be inferred that autophosphorylation of PDGFR and phosphorylation of PLC1 take place, indicating the activation of PLC1 takes place once it is recruited to the activated receptor. Confocal Microscopy The aim of this experiment was to confirm the activation of the inositol phospholipids pathway and further characterize the downstream signaling pathway set off by the binding of cp250 to PDGFR. The confocal images show that when rat hepatocytes transfected with EGFP-tagged PLC1 are treated with either cp250 or PDGFA, the PLC1 is localized to the cell membrane, indicating their recruitment. This localization is markedly absent in cells treated with water alone. On addition of the red fluorescent Ca2+ sensing dye X-rhod-1, there is an increase in red fluorescence in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes treated with cp250 or PDGFA but not with water. This indicates that the IP3 signalling pathway has been activated upon binding of the viral protein. DISCUSSION The present work was intended to try and deduce the probable mechanism by which cp250 acts upon the hepatocyte and causes tumorigenesis. Given its similarity to the growth factor PDGFA, it seemed reasonable to postulate that it bound to the same

Saturday, January 25, 2020

Affirmative Action Is the Wrong Action Essay -- Argumentative Persuasi

Affirmative Action Is the Wrong Action The United States of America has long been a country divided by race. Hate has pervaded her existence since her conception, and now today’s society is forced to deal with those issues. Minorities have suffered at the hands of the white male majority for centuries as the social activities of the old war were brought to the new colonies, only to ferment and continue to affect the lives of all who lived within her borders. There is no doubting that this continued discrimination is a problem; however, the question arises with how to deal with it. Legislation has been passed to remedy the situation, yet has been seemingly ineffective. Affirmative action has caused problems without fulfilling its purpose. The downfall of affirmative action is that it is the wrong action; the United States society has problems, including an underlying tension of hate, but they cannot be fixed by the government’s laws; they will be fixed when society changes how it views its members. Affirmative action was put into affect with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Eastland 22). The purposes of affirmative action are noble at best-in theory they would serve to end the discriminatory practices so rampant in the American society. The goals were to repair or negate the effects of past discrimination, move towards diversity in both the private and public sector, to encourage representation in the work force, and to increase the economic levels of both women and minorities (Doverspike 3). The outlined goals of affirmative action are what we need for this country. The United States society needs to change the way it sees and treats its citizens. The methods that affirmative action uses, however, are not conducive to ac... ...l Perspective. Vancouver: The Fraser Institute, 1982. Doverspike, Dennis, Mary Anne Taylor, and Winfried Arthur, Jr. Affirmative Action: A Psychological Perspective. Huntington: Nova Science Publishers, Inc, 2000. Eastland, Terry. Ending Affirmative Action: The Case for Colorblind Justice. New York: Harper Collins, 1996. Puddington, Arch. â€Å"Affirmative Actino Should Be Eliminated.† Affirmative Action. Ed. Bruno Leone. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, Inc., 1996. 70-83. Rosenfeld, Michel. Affirmative Action and Justice: A Philosophical and Constitutional Inquiry. New Haven: Yale. 1991. Skrentny, John David. The Ironies of Affirmative Action: Politics, Culture, and Justice in America. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. Urofsky, Melvin I. Affirmative Action on Trial: Sex Discrimination in Johnson v. Santa. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1997.

Friday, January 17, 2020

Media Convergence Essay

What is meant by the term media convergence with regard to technology, and how has it affected everyday life? For technology, media convergence is when different media come together to do a similar task. The poster child for this is the smart phone. Smart phones are used to talk, text, email, social network, school, business, web browsing, and take picture and video. There are things that I’m sure I missed, but the smart phone has become the epicenter of technological convergence. I spend a lot of my time on my phone posting and promoting for my business. I make jewelry, cat pads, and blankets so I make my items, take a picture, post it to my Etsy page, and promote my store with my phone. When I get an order, I get an email to my phone I contact the buyer for details, and take payments all with my phone. With going to school, I need to check up on the forums to read and respond per class requirements. It makes it easy to do my schoolwork when I’m not home at my laptop. I can pull up the reading for the class on my document reader on my phone and catch up while I’m out and about. I have a six month old and I love taking his picture! I take his picture and post it on Facebook, Instagram, and send it to my family. My family lives in another state so I use my phone to do FaceTime with them so we can see each other all the time. The smartphone has made productivity so much easier because it’s all in one place and instant gratification is satisfied. For some people, the smartphone has become a big distraction and a burden. I think that cell phones, in general, have done damage to people’s grammar and spelling. They use shorthand and abbreviations for words and have forgotten the rule of your and you’re because they are using the shorthand ur. It’s sad.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

The Death Of Brady Paul Surovik Is Tragic, But Amendment...

Kayla Eckels Professor Leber ENG 122 October 22nd, 2014 Going Too Far The death of Brady Paul Surovik is tragic, but Amendment 67 goes too far. On July 5, 2012, Heather Surovik was hit by a drunk driver in her car and lost her unborn baby (Fender). The baby, Brady, was near birth, but not considered a person by the State of Colorado. The Surovik’s feel ripped of their justice, unable to avenge their son’s life. The Brady Amendment is a way of getting justice for Brady’s parents by having the Colorado Criminal Code and the Colorado Death Act include unborn babies as people. However, it goes too far. Amendment 67 says that as soon as an egg is fertilized by a sperm that bundle of cells is considered a person. Abortion would be considered murder. The â€Å"Personhood† Amendment is bad for Colorado because it violates a woman’s privacy, criminalizes doctors, and takes away a woman’s rights to common contraceptives. What a woman chooses to do with her own body is her business. When a woman chooses to get an abortion, she should have the right to do so. This procedure is between her and her doctor. A woman’s body should not be controlled or regulated by politicians and the strangers who vote â€Å"yes.† When abortion was illegal, about 5,000 women died from unsafe abortions before Roe v. Wade (The Impact of Illegal Abortion - Our Bodies Ourselves.). Violating a woman’s right to make safe choices, puts her life at risk. If the woman does not want the cells to grow into a baby, she should

Tuesday, December 31, 2019

The Impact of Family Relationships in “the Story of an...

Family relationships, especially involving spouses can create difficulties and challenges for one or the other, in-turn could create an impact in their relationship. Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour† and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† are short stories centralized on the view of two married women, the challenges they endure in their relationships and coping with their spouse. Women wanting to have freedom, having to deal with an illness and their position in the household can create such challenges for spouses. Freedom to women means to be treated as an equal to their spouse, to avoid being controlled with every aspect of their lives. In Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of and Hour and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s â€Å"The Yellow†¦show more content†¦These facts could be assumed that she was starting to get mentally unstable being imprisoned, with her spouse not willing to help her; a mental illness was present. The 18th century is known for husband’s being the dominant gender whereas their spouse is looked upon as â€Å"fragile† while their thoughts and suggestions being ignored. The husband’s duty would be that they are the income earners whereas the wife would preform her duties as what a typical wife would do during that era; run the household. Women would want to speak up but are afraid that it would show disrespect and as time goes on would eventually lead to resentment. In â€Å"Story of an Hour† Mrs. Mallard was hearing the news of her husband’s passing, upon receiving it, she would have such joy inside her which led to her death; â€Å"when the doctor’s came they said she had died of heart disease – of joy that kills† (Chopin 4). The story doesn’t elaborate the details of her marriage, only in the present, assumptions could be made how Mrs. Millard’s marriage was as a woman in the 18th century, and especially with the reaction she had upon hearing the news. In â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper†, the narrator’s husband was the main income earner with a â€Å"high standing position† (Gilman 55), while the wife was home. A quote said by the husband was â€Å"what is it little girl? He asked. Don’t go walking about like that – you’ll getShow MoreRelatedThe Yellow Wallpaper: A Look Into Post-Partum Depression1061 Words   |  5 PagesCharlotte Perkins Gilman’s story, The Yellow Wallpaper, portrays the life and mind of a woman suffering from post-partum depression in the late eighteenth century. Gilman uses setting to strengthen the impact of her story by allowing the distant country mansion symbolize the loneliness of her narrator, Jane. Gilman also uses flat characters to enhance the depth of Jane’s thoughts; however, Gilman’s use of narrative technique impacts her story the most. In The Yellow Wallpaper, Charlotte Perkins GilmanRead Mor eRelationship Between The Story of an Hour The Yellow Wallpaper1303 Words   |  6 PagesOutline * Story of an Hour and Yellow Wallpaper have challenges that were faced by the protagonists, setting looked to be in the same era with men being in charge of their wives lives. * Both women were emotionally and psychically trapped in their relationships * Both wanted freedom from their husbands * Both protagonists had an illness, which lead to had an opposite effect on both characters * Mrs. Millard had a heart condition and the narrator would develop a mentalRead MoreKate Chopin s The Yellow Wallpaper1415 Words   |  6 Pagescalled, â€Å"The Story of an Hour† and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s writing called, â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper.† There are many similarities and differences between both Victorian women’s perspectives and writing. This paper will compare and contrast the short stories written by Kate Chopin and Charlotte Gilman. When the audience reads both Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour† and Charlotte Gilman’s â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† there is a strong voice of Victorian women. The nineteenth century families were largeRead MoreOppression In The Yellow Wallpaper1422 Words   |  6 PagesIn â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, a woman who is a wife and mother is forced into a confined, isolated house to help with her mental illness. The woman is told by her husband, a physician, that the confinement is the best cure for her. The short story shows how the woman slowly succumbs to insanity as she spends her days in her room locked away from society. The author, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, was known as a prominent feminist and social thinker during the late eighteenth centuryRead MoreCritical Analysis Of The Yellow Wallpaper1915 Words   |  8 PagesWhen â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† is viewed within the scopes of New Historical, Feminis t, Psychoanalytical, Ethical and Reader response criticisms, the reader should first be imparted with the understanding of who Charlotte Perkins Gilman was, what she stood for, the time period in which the story was written, and how aspects of her cultural and historical background related to it. Second, how the circumstances imposed upon women’s freedom of thought. Third, the reader shall ascertain how Freud’s PsychoanalyticalRead MoreJames Joyces Araby And The Yellow Wallpaper1985 Words   |  8 PagesJames Joyce and The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The 1914 short story, Araby, follows a young boy going through his preteen years with a growing obsession for Mangan’s sister. Despite the fact that she is much older than himself and is involved in a nearby convent, he ignores these glaring problems and blindly continues in his love for this girl until he finally comes to realize that he cannot, in fact, be with her and is deeply saddened. The Ye llow Wallpaper by Charlotte PerkinsRead MoreMedia Magic Making Class Invisible2198 Words   |  9 Pagesupper-class families were twice as likely to obtain training beyond high school and four times as likely to attain a postgraduate degreeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (pp.342-343). Sewell concluded: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“socioeconomic backgroundà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦operates independently of academic ability at every stage in the process of educational attainmentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ( pp.342-343). The point here is that again, if your parents make $100,000 a year, you are most likely to succeed far in life and go to college get your degree. However, if your family makes $10,000Read MoreThe taste of melon by borden deal11847 Words   |  48 PagesThe Taste of Melon B O R D E N Focus Your Learning Reading this story will help you: ââ€"   relate your own experience to the story theme ââ€"   analyse story structure ââ€"   identify changes in the narrator’s perspective ââ€"   interpret characters’ motives 130 Look Closely D E A L When I think of the summer I was sixteen, a lot of things some crowding in to be thought about. We had moved just the year before, and sixteen is still young enough that the bunch makes a difference. I had a bunchRead MoreDieting Makes People Fat Essay19490 Words   |  78 Pagesstitch. Stitch,aka experiment 626, is one mischievous alien!. Thankfully, he has Lilo around to calm him down. Maybe someday hell know the different between good or bad.I really love him  . Lilo amp; Stitch is a 2002 American animated science fiction/family film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released on June 21, 2002.   Kullasatree 010 3EN   WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DRINK? I love to drink strawberry yogurt smoothie about 2-3 times per week. You have to try out this quick and easy recipeRead Morepreschool Essay46149 Words   |  185 PagesCalifornia Alliance Concerned with SchoolAge Parenting and Pregnancy Prevention (CACSAP/Cal-SAFE) California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE) California Association for the Education of Young Children (CAEYC) California Association of Family Child Care (CAFCC) California Association of Latino Superintendents and Administrators (CALSA) California Child Care Coordinators Association California Child Care Resource and Referral Network (CCCRRN) California Child Development Administrators

Monday, December 23, 2019

Essay about Teen Pregnancy - 2151 Words

Teen pregnancy is a major problem in the United States. There are significantly more teenage pregnancies in the United States than all other developing countries (Cleo Moore, 1995). According to The Complete and Authoritative Guide: Caring for Your Teenager, out of every five women under twenty, two will become pregnant. Teen pregnancy rates have increased 23% from 1972 to 1990 (Napier, 1997) In order to come to a solution it is important to examine why teenage pregnancy is so high in the United States. When analyzing teen pregnancy, an effective way to get to the root of the problem is using the critical component of the sociological imagination. Critically, the two most prevalent ways to look at teen pregnancy are through a†¦show more content†¦Liberals believe socioeconomic status is a factor in teen pregnancy. They want to put a stop to blaming the youth. Liberals understand it is time to examine why some teens want to become parents. When teens dont see a successful f uture for themselves, getting pregnant isnt that bad of an option. Factors in teen pregnancy are a perception of unattainable goals, and lack of educational and occupational prospects, both prevailing in poor communities. Dash (1989) concluded that child-rearing provides a tangible economic and psychological asset for black teens whose future prospects are bleak. There are more African Americans living in extreme poverty than Latinos and Whites (Ralley, pg#). In the journal article, Internal Poverty and Teen Pregnancy, the life options model is proposed. The life options model suggests that, If disadvantaged youths do not perceive that doors are open to them, it is perhaps difficult for them to see teen pregnancy as closing any doors (Young, Sue Martin, 2001) Young, Sue Martin (2001) examined adolescent females educational expectations. They found that females of all races who became pregnant had lower expectations of educational attainment and likelihood they would graduate high school, compared to their nonpregnant counterpart. There is a significant amount of evidence thatShow MoreRelatedTeen Pregnancy1426 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Teen pregnancy is often unplanned and challenging for the future life of mother and child. The increase risk of health problems for both mother and baby occur during teen pregnancy. Teen pregnancy impacts adolescent development in all aspects: physical, emotional, cognitive, and social development. Negative consequences result from teen pregnancy include: low income, increased school dropout rates, lower educational levels, and increased rates of substance abuse (Garwood, Gerassi, ReidRead MoreTeen Pregnancy1023 Words   |  5 PagesDoes access to condoms prevent teen pregnancy? Adolescent pregnancies remain a concern in public health worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) has indicated that annually about 16 million girls between 15 and 19 give birth. Indeed, in many countries policies and programs are developed and implemented for the prevention of teen pregnancy and reduction of risks and consequences it might cause. Furthermore, that a teenager becomes pregnant poses a risk to her health, her life and the fetusRead MoreTeen Pregnancy1246 Words   |  5 PagesA topic in American society that has proved to be an ongoing, and growing issue is that none other than teen pregnancy. In recent years, teen pregnancy rates have been increasing, which ultimately led to the topics increase of public and media attention. In American society teen pregnancy is often associated with negligence, as well as being irresponsible. In American society sex education for children is underdeveloped and instead society tends to use fear and shame to highlight/combat the dangersRead MoreTeenage Pregnancy And Teen Pregnancy1546 Words   |  7 PagesTeenage pregnancy is pregnancy in human females under the age of 20 at the time that the pregnancy ends. Low-income communities have the highest teenage pregnancy rates in the United States. Because of the fact that this is a very controversial issue in the United States, it is very important that most questions be addressed. Questions like, why is a teenage girl in Mississippi four times as likely to give birth as a teenage girl in New Hampshire? Or why is the teen birth rate in Massachusetts 19Read MoreTeen Pregnancy : Teenage Pregnancy1404 Words   |  6 PagesLauryn Jones Block 5 4/27/16 What is Teen Pregnancy? Teenage pregnancy is pregnancy in human females under the age of 20. A girl can become pregnant from sexual intercourse after she has begun to ovulate which can be before her first menstrual period, but usually occurs after the onset of her periods. In well-nourished girls, menarche usually takes place around the age of 12 or 13. Most teenage girls don t plan to get pregnant, but many do. Teen pregnancies carry extra health risks to both the motherRead MoreTeenage Pregnancy And Teen Pregnancy1057 Words   |  5 PagesTeenage pregnancy is a common thing here in America. It seems teens are getting pregnant more than the average married couple. There are some risk factors teen moms face and there is also another great turn outs. There is a major difference between the two. It’s important to tell teens the turnouts of teen pregnancy for the good and bad parts. There are risks of having sex, teen moms can make a difference for her and the baby, the risk of having HIV and/or any other STD’s, and the effects on theRead MoreTeenage Pregnancy And Teen Pregnancy1341 Words   |  6 PagesTeenage pregnancy is a prominent dilemma in our nation because it continues to place adolescents into delinquency. According to the United States Health and Human Services, three out of ten American teen girls will become pregnant at least once before they reach the age of twenty. That is nearly 750,000 teen pregnancies in a year (1) (HHS Pg.2 2014). Also according to U.S. Department of State, teen pregnancy budgets the United States and tax payers approximately seven billion dollars annually (2)Read MoreTeenage Pregnancy And Teen Pregnancy1664 Words   |  7 PagesTerrazas English 4 Miss Stahlecker 4 November 2015 Teenage Pregnancy According to cda.org, in 2013, a total of 273,105 babies were born to women that were in between the ages of 15-19 years old. Teenage pregnancy is a major concern in today’s society. This paper will talk about teenage pregnancy, statistics, ways to prevent teenage pregnancy, and after birth options. So why is teenage pregnancy so important? Some people are concerned about teens getting pregnant at such an early age. There are otherRead MoreEffects Of Teen Pregnancy On Teens1643 Words   |  7 PagesEvery teen has dream about how they want to graduate from high school and then go to college, but some teens are not willing to take the challenge. Some of these teens want to drop out of high school and other teens want to keep furthering their education. For some there are obstacle that life throw at them to be able to accomplish their goals. Earning an education is challenging enough, but when there is a teen parent trying to finish their education it becomes more difficult than it would beRead MoreTeenage Pregnancy And Teen Pregnancy905 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"16 and Pregnant†/ â€Å"Teen Mom† Promote or Discourage Teenage Pregnancy? (Agree/Promote) When it comes to the topic of do TV shows like â€Å"16 and Pregnant† and â€Å"Teen Mom† promote or discourage teenage pregnancy, most of us will readily agree that it in fact does promote teenage pregnancy. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of how does this promote teenage pregnancy. Whereas some are convinced that it promotes teenage pregnancy through the fame some of the young couples have

Sunday, December 15, 2019

The Indigo Spell Chapter Five Free Essays

string(132) " in my tight calorie counting, but I swore I could still taste the sugar from all the wedding cake I’d eaten after the spell\." I LEFT SHORTLY THEREAFTER with the Alchemists and didn’t expect to see Adrian for a little while. He was staying on with the other Moroi a couple more days in Pennsylvania, so there was no chance of a repeat flight together. My trip back to California was quiet and uneventful, though my mind raced with all the developments of the last couple of days. We will write a custom essay sample on The Indigo Spell Chapter Five or any similar topic only for you Order Now Between Ms. Terwilliger’s cryptic warning and my new lead on Marcus, I had plenty to occupy me. A text message from Eddie greeted me when I hailed a cab at the Palm Springs airport: We’re eating at Marquee’s. Wanna join us? A follow-up message soon came: You can drive us back. I directed the driver to take me to a suburb on the far edge of the city rather than Amberwood’s home in Vista Azul. I was hungry, seeing as there’d been no dinner served on the plane in coach, and besides, I wanted my car back in my own hands. When I arrived at the restaurant, I found Eddie and Angeline sitting on one side of a booth with Jill on the other. Immediately, I knew why they’d chosen to eat so far from our school. Being away meant Eddie and Angeline could go out as a couple. Back at Amberwood, everyone thought we were related. Eddie, Jill, and I passed ourselves off as siblings, while Angeline was our cousin. Eddie and Angeline had recently started dating, so they’d had to hide their relationship from our classmates to avoid raising suspicions. We already seemed to attract enough attention as it was. Angeline was cuddled up in Eddie’s arm. Even he looked like he was having a good time, which was nice to see. He took his responsibilities so seriously and was often so tense that it seemed as though it wouldn’t take much to make him snap in two. Angeline – though uncouth, unpredictable, and often inappropriate – had proven remarkably good for him. That didn’t make him any less diligent in his guardian duties, of course. Things were a little different on the opposite side of the table. Jill looked miserable, slumped into the seat with her arms crossed. Her light brown hair hung forward, covering part of her face. After ill-fated romances with a guy who wanted to become a Strigoi and with Eddie’s human roommate, Jill had come to realize that Eddie might very well be the guy for her. It was fitting, too, because for a long time, he’d harbored a secret crush on her, fiercely dedicated to her in the way a knight served his liege lady. He’d never believed he was worthy of Jill, and without any signs of her affection, he’d turned to Angeline – just when Jill had come around and wanted him. At times, it seemed like some sort of Shakespearean comedy . . . until I looked at Jill’s face. Then I’d feel conflicted because I knew if Eddie returned her affection, Angeline would be the one with that sad, sad expression. It was kind of a mess and made me glad to be fr ee of any romantic entanglements. â€Å"Sydney!† Jill beamed when she saw me, brushing her hair away. Maybe it was because she needed the distraction, or maybe it was because Adrian’s new attitude toward me had lifted some of her moodiness. Regardless, I welcomed a return to the old friendliness in her rather than the brooding and accusing looks she’d harbored since I rejected him. â€Å"Hey, guys.† I slid into the booth beside her. Immediately, I opened up my cell phone’s picture album and handed it to her since I knew she’d want to know about the wedding right away. Despite all the intrigue that had gone down there, I had managed to take some pictures without the other Alchemists noticing. Even if she’d seen some of it through Adrian’s eyes, Jill would still want to examine everything in detail. She sighed with happiness as she scanned the pictures. â€Å"Look at Sonya. She’s so pretty.† Angeline and Eddie leaned across the table to get a look. â€Å"Oh. And there’s Rose and Lissa. They look great too.† There was an odd note in Jill’s voice as she spoke. She was friends with Rose, but her half sister was still a bit of an enigma. Jill and Lissa hadn’t even known they were sisters until recently, and the volatile political environment had forced Lissa to behave more as a queen than a sister toward Jill. It was a difficult relationship for both of them. â€Å"Did you have a fun time?† Eddie asked me. I considered my answer for several moments. â€Å"I had an interesting time. There’s still a lot of tension between the Alchemists and your people, so some of it was a little weird.† â€Å"At least Adrian was there. Must have been nice to have someone you know,† said Angeline, in well-meaning ignorance. She pointed to a picture I’d taken of the reception hall. My intent had been to get a full shot of the venue for Jill, but Adrian had happened to walk into the shot, posed and perfect like some handsome spokesmodel hosting the event. â€Å"Always so pretty.† Angeline shook her head in disapproval. â€Å"Everyone there is. I guess that means there weren’t any celebratory wrestling matches?† It was a sign of Angeline’s progress that she’d deduced that so quickly. Her people, the Keepers, lived in the wilds of West Virginia, and their openness to romance between vampires, dhampirs, and humans was only one of their more bizarre customs. Friendly fights broke out often, and Angeline had had to learn that such behaviors weren’t acceptable out here in mainstream America. â€Å"Not while I was there,† I said. â€Å"But hey, maybe something went down after I left.† That brought grins to Jill’s and Eddie’s faces and a hopeful look to Angeline’s. A waitress came by, and I ordered Diet Coke and a salad. Maybe I’d loosened up in my tight calorie counting, but I swore I could still taste the sugar from all the wedding cake I’d eaten after the spell. You read "The Indigo Spell Chapter Five" in category "Essay examples" Angeline tightened her hold on Eddie’s arm and smiled up at him. â€Å"If you ever get to see my home, you can fight my brother Josh to show that you’re worthy of me.† I had to swallow a laugh. I’d seen the Keepers’ community and knew she was absolutely serious. I worked to keep a straight face. â€Å"Aren’t you breaking a lot of rules by being together without that having happened yet?† Angeline nodded, looking a little glum. â€Å"My mom would be so scandalized if she knew. But I guess this is a unique situation.† Eddie smiled indulgently at her. I think sometimes he thought we were exaggerating about the Keepers. He was going to be in for a shock if he ever did visit them. â€Å"Maybe I can fight a bunch of your relatives to make up for it,† he said. â€Å"You might have to,† she said, not realizing he was joking. It was hardly romantic banter, but Jill looked decidedly uncomfortable discussing their relationship. She turned to me, very obviously trying not to look at them. â€Å"Sydney, what are we going to do about Christmas?† I shrugged, unsure what she was asking. â€Å"The usual, I guess. Give presents. Sing songs. Have Yuletide duels.† Angeline lit up at that. Jill rolled her eyes. â€Å"No, I mean, we’re going to be on winter break in a few weeks. Is there any way . . . is there any way we can go home?† There was a plaintive note in her voice, and even Eddie and Angeline broke their mutual admiration to stare at me. I shifted under their scrutiny. Angeline wasn’t as concerned about visiting the Keepers, but I knew Eddie and Jill missed their friends and family. I wished I could give them the answer they wanted to hear. â€Å"I’m sorry,† I said. â€Å"You’ll be staying at Clarence’s for break. We can’t risk . . . well, you know.† I didn’t need to emphasize the need for Jill’s safety. We were all familiar with that refrain. Ian’s comment about how fragile the throne was drove home the importance of what we did. Jill’s face fell. Even Eddie looked disappointed. â€Å"I figured,† she said. â€Å"I just hoped . . . that is, I miss my mom so much.† â€Å"We can probably get a message to her,† I said gently. I knew that was no substitute for the real thing. I was able to make occasional phone calls to my own mom, and hearing her voice was a million times better than any email could be. I even got to talk to my older sister, Carly sometimes, which always cheered me up since she was so bright and funny. My younger sister, Zoe . . . well, she was a different story. She wouldn’t take my calls. She’d nearly been initiated into the Alchemists – to take on this mission, in fact – when I’d stolen it from her. I’d done it to protect her from committing to the Alchemists so young, but she’d seen it as an insult. Looking at Jill’s sad face, I felt my heart clench. She had been through so much. Her new royal status. Targeted by assassins. Fitting in to a human school. Her disastrous and deadly romances. And now enduring Eddie and Angeline. She handled it all with remarkable strength, always resolutely going through with what she had to do even if she didn’t want to do it. Lissa was praised for being such an exemplary queen, but there was a regality and strength to Jill as well that many underestimated. Glancing up, I caught a spark in Eddie’s eyes as he too seemed to recognize and admire that about her. After dinner, I took them back to Amberwood and was pleased to see that my car was in perfect shape. I drove a brown Subaru named Latte, and Eddie was the only other person I trusted behind the wheel. I dropped him off at the boys’ dorm and then took Angeline and Jill back to ours. As we were walking in the door, I caught sight of Mrs. Santos, a teacher I knew by reputation. â€Å"You guys go ahead,† I told Jill and Angeline. â€Å"I’ll see you tomorrow.† They left, and I walked across the lobby, waiting patiently for Mrs. Santos to finish a discussion with our dorm matron, Mrs. Weathers. When Mrs. Santos started to turn around and leave, I caught her attention. â€Å"Mrs. Santos? I’m Sydney Melrose. I wondered if I could – â€Å" â€Å"Oh, yes,† she said. â€Å"I know who you are, dear. Ms. Terwilliger raves about you all the time at our department meetings.† Mrs. Santos was a kindly-looking woman with silver and black hair. Rumor had it she’d be retiring soon. I flushed a little at the praise. â€Å"Thank you, ma’am.† She and Ms. Terwilliger were both history teachers, though Mrs. Santos’s focus was on American history, not world. â€Å"Do you have a minute? I wanted to ask you something.† â€Å"Of course.† We stepped off to the side of the lobby, out of the incoming and outgoing dorm traffic. â€Å"You know a lot about local history, right? Southern California?† Mrs. Santos nodded. â€Å"I was born and raised here.† â€Å"I’m interested in nontraditional architecture in the Los Angeles area,† I told her, the lie rolling easily off my lips. I’d thought about this in advance. â€Å"That is, non-Southwest styles. Do you know any neighborhoods like that? I’d heard there were some Victorian ones.† She brightened. â€Å"Oh, yes. Absolutely. Fascinating subject. Victorian, Cape Cod, Colonial . . . there are all sorts. I don’t have all the information on me, but I could email you when I get home tonight. There are several I know off the top of my head, and I know a historian who could help you with others.† â€Å"That’d be great, ma’am. Thank you so much.† â€Å"Always happy to help a star pupil.† She winked as she started to walk away. â€Å"Maybe next semester you’ll do an independent study with me. Provided you can tear yourself away from Ms. Terwilliger.† â€Å"I’ll keep it in mind,† I said. As soon as she was gone, I texted Ms. Terwilliger. Mrs. Santos is going to tell me about historical neighborhoods. The response came quickly: Excellent. Come over right now. I scowled as I typed back: I just got here. Haven’t even been in my room. To which she replied: Then you can get here that much faster. Maybe that was true, but I still took the time to put my suitcase back in my room and change out of my travel clothes. Ms. Terwilliger lived pretty close to the school and looked as though she’d been pacing in circles when I arrived at her house. â€Å"Finally,† she said. I glanced at the time. â€Å"It’s only been fifteen minutes.† She shook her head and again wore the same grim expression she’d had out in the desert. â€Å"Even that might be too much. Follow me.† Ms. Terwilliger’s home was a little bungalow that could have doubled as a New Age store or possibly a cat shelter. The level of clutter set my teeth on edge. Spell books, incense, statues, crystals, and all sorts of other magical items sat in piles in all rooms of the house. Only her workshop, the room she led me to, was neat and orderly – even to levels I approved of. Everything was clean and organized, to the point of being labeled and alphabetized. A large worktable sat in the center of the room, completely cleared off, save for a stunning necklace I’d never seen before. The chain was made of intricate gold loops, and the pendant was a deep red cabochon stone in a lacy gold setting. â€Å"Garnet?† I asked. â€Å"Very good,† she said, lifting the necklace. The candlelight in the room seemed to make every part of it glitter. â€Å"It’s lovely,† I said. She held it out to me. â€Å"It’s for you.† I stepped back uneasily. â€Å"For . . . me? I . . . I mean, thank you, but I can’t accept a gift like that.† â€Å"It’s not a gift,† she said. â€Å"It’s a necessity. One that might save your life. Take it and put it on.† I refused to touch it. â€Å"It’s magical, isn’t it?† â€Å"Yes,† she said. â€Å"And don’t give me that look. It’s no different from any of the charms you’ve made for yourself.† â€Å"Except that anything you’d make . . .† I swallowed as I stared into the depths of that bloodred jewel. â€Å"It’s going to be a lot more powerful than anything I can create.† â€Å"That’s exactly the point. Now here.† She thrust it so close to me that it nearly swung out and hit me in the face. Steeling myself, I reached out and took it from her. Nothing happened. No smoke or sparks. No searing pain. Seeing her expectant look, I fastened it around my neck, letting the garnet lie next to my cross. She sighed, her relief nearly palpable. â€Å"Just as I’d hoped.† â€Å"What?† I asked. Even if I sensed nothing special about it, the garnet felt heavy around my neck. â€Å"It’s masking your magical ability,† she said. â€Å"No one who meets you should be able to tell that you’re a magic user.† â€Å"I’m not a magic user,† I reminded her sharply. â€Å"I’m an Alchemist.† A small flicker of a smile played over her lips. â€Å"Of course you are – one who uses magic. And to a particularly powerful person, that would be obvious. Magic leaves a mark on your blood that permeates your whole body.† â€Å"What?† I couldn’t have been more shocked if she’d said I’d just contracted a deadly disease. â€Å"You never told me that before!† â€Å"It wasn’t important,† she said with a small shrug. â€Å"Until now. I need you hidden. Do not take that off. Ever.† I put my hands on my hips. â€Å"Ma’am, I don’t understand.† â€Å"All will be revealed in time – â€Å" â€Å"No,† I said. At that moment, I could have been talking to Stanton or any of the countless others who’d used me and fed me pieces of information throughout my life. â€Å"It will be revealed now. If you’ve gotten me into something dangerous, then you either need to get me out of it or tell me how to.† Ms. Terwilliger stared at me for several quiet moments. A gray tabby cat rubbed up against my legs, ruining the seriousness of the moment. â€Å"You’re right,† she said at last. â€Å"I do owe you an explanation. Have a seat.† I sat down on one of the stools by the table, and she sat opposite me. She clasped her hands together in front of her and seemed to be having a hard time gathering her thoughts. I had to force myself to stay calm and patient. Otherwise, the panic that had been gnawing at me since the desert would completely consume me. â€Å"You remember that woman you saw in the picture?† she asked at last. â€Å"Your sister.† Ms. Terwilliger nodded. â€Å"Veronica. She’s ten years older than me and looks half my age, as you could undoubtedly tell. Now, it isn’t difficult to create an illusion. If I wanted to appear young and beautiful, I could – emphasis on appear. But Veronica? She’s actually managed to make her body young and vibrant. It’s an advanced, insidious kind of magic. You can’t defy age like that without making some sacrifices.† She frowned, and my heart pounded. Creating youth made all my Alchemist sensibilities reel. It was nearly as bad as Strigoi immortality, maybe worse if she was talking about a human doing it. That kind of twisted magic had no place in this world. Her next words drove home the wrongness of it all. â€Å"Or, in her case, sacrificing others.† Sacrifice. The very word seemed to poison the air. She stood up and walked over to a shelf, producing a newspaper clipping. Wordlessly, she handed it to me. It was a recent article, from three days ago, talking about a nineteen-year-old UCLA student who’d been found comatose in her dorm room. No one knew what had caused it, and the girl was hospitalized with no indication of when or if she’d wake up. â€Å"What is this?† I asked, not sure I wanted to know the answer. I inspected the article more closely, especially the picture it contained. At first, I wondered why the paper would show a sleeping old woman. Then, reading the fine print, I learned that the coma victim also displayed some unexplained physical symptoms: gray-streaked hair and dry, cracked skin. Doctors were currently investigating rare diseases. I cringed, unable to believe what I saw. She was hideous, and I couldn’t look at her for very long. And just like that, I suddenly understood. Veronica wasn’t sacrificing victims with knives and stone altars. She was conducting some kind of perverse magic on these girls that bent the rules of nature, putting them in this hideous state. My stomach twisted, and I gripped the table for support. â€Å"This girl was one of Veronica’s victims,† confirmed Ms. Terwilliger. â€Å"That’s how she maintains her youth and beauty – by taking it from others. When I read this, I thought – almost hoped – some other magic user was doing it. Not that I’d wish this on anyone. Your scrying spell confirmed she was in the area, however, which means it’s my responsibility to deal with her.† I dared a look down at the article again and felt that nausea well up again. The girl was nineteen. What would it be like to have the life sucked out of you at so young an age? Maybe the coma was a blessing. And how corrupt and twisted would you have to be to do that to someone? I didn’t know how exactly Ms. Terwilliger would â€Å"deal with† her sister and wasn’t sure I wanted to find out. And yet, if Veronica really was doing things like this to innocents, then yes, someone like Ms. Terwilliger needed to stop her. A magical attack of this magnitude was one of the most terrible things I could imagine. It brought back all my ingrained fears about the wrongness of magic. How could I justify using it when it was capable of such horror? Old Alchemist lessons came back to me: Part of what makes the Moroi particularly dangerous is their ability to work magic. No one should be able to twist the world in that way It’s wrong and can easily run out of control. I tuned back into the present. â€Å"How do I fit into this, ma’am? I already figured out where she is. Why am I in danger?† â€Å"Sydney,† Mrs. Terwilliger said, looking at me strangely. â€Å"There are few young women out there with your abilities. Along with youth and beauty, she intends to suck someone’s magic away and use it to make herself that much more powerful. You, my dear, would be the ultimate coup for her.† â€Å"She’s like Strigoi,† I murmured, unable to repress a shiver. Although those undead vampires could feast on anyone, they preferred Moroi because they had magic in their blood. Drinking Moroi blood made Strigoi more powerful, and a chilling thought suddenly hit me. â€Å"Practically a human vampire.† â€Å"Something like that,† Ms. Terwilliger agreed. â€Å"This amulet should hide your power, even from someone as strong as her. She shouldn’t be able to find you.† A calico cat jumped up on the table, and I ran a hand over her sleek fur, taking comfort in the small contact. â€Å"The fact that you keep saying ‘should’ makes me a little nervous. Why would she even come looking in Palm Springs? Does she know about me yet?† â€Å"No. But she knows I’m here, and she may check on me once in a while – so I need to hide you in case she does. I’m in a bind, however, because I need to find her but can’t actively do the hunting. If she finds out I’m investigating, she’ll know that I know she’s here. I can’t alert her. If I have the element of surprise on my side, I’m more likely to stop her.† She frowned. â€Å"I’m honestly surprised she would come so close to me in California at all. Regardless, I need to keep a low profile until it’s time to strike.† Ms. Terwilliger looked at me meaningfully, and I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach as I began to put together what she was saying. â€Å"You want me to hunt her.† â€Å"It’s not hunting so much as gathering some data. You’re the only one I can trust to do this. She and I can sense each other if we’re close, no matter how much we try to hide our magic. I know this is going to sound shocking, but I actually think it’d be best if you hunted her – even if you’re the one she’s after. You’re one of the few I can trust completely and you’re resourceful enough to pull something like this off.† â€Å"But I’d be putting myself out there. You just said I’d be a big catch for her.† The twists and turns here were mindboggling. â€Å"Yes. Which is why I gave you the amulet. She won’t sense your magic, and if you’re cautious in your investigation, she should have no reason to notice you.† I still wasn’t following the logic here. â€Å"But why me? You have a coven. If you can’t do it yourself, then there must be someone else – a stronger witch – who can do it.† â€Å"Two reasons,† she said. â€Å"One is that you have excellent investigative skills – more so than others older than you. You’re intelligent and resourceful. The other reason . . . well, if another witch goes after her, she might very well kill Veronica.† â€Å"Would that be such a bad thing?† I didn’t like violence and killing by any means, but this might be a case where it was justified, if it could save other lives. â€Å"You said you were going to ‘take care of her.'† â€Å"If I have no choice . . . if I must kill her, then I will.† She looked dejected, and I had a moment of empathy. I loved my two sisters. What would I do if I was ever in a deadly conflict with one of them? Of course, it was hard to imagine Zoe or Carly committing this kind of atrocity. â€Å"However, there are other ways of neutralizing and subduing a magic user. If there’s any way – any way at all – I can do that, I will. My coven sisters won’t feel that way, which is why I need your help.† â€Å"I can’t.† I pushed the stool back and stood up, nearly stepping on a cat in the process. â€Å"There must be some other way you can do this. You know I’m already bogged down in supernatural affairs.† I actually couldn’t bring myself to admit the real reason I wanted to dodge this. It was about more than just risking my life. So far, all my magical interactions had been with Ms. Terwilliger. If I signed on for this, I would be plunging into the world of witches, something I’d sworn I would never do. Ms. Terwilliger tapped the article, and her voice was quiet when she spoke. â€Å"Could you let this happen to other girls, knowing there’s a way you could stop it? I’ve never heard of any of her victims waking up. The way this spell works, Veronica needs to renew it every few years, and it requires five victims within one month. She did this once before, and it caught me off guard. This time, we have warning. Four more people could suffer this fate. Do you want that?† There it was. She’d called me on the other part that had been nagging me because she knew me too well. I couldn’t let innocents suffer, not even if it meant risking myself or facing the fears that haunted me. If I could stop this, I had to. No one deserved the fate of that girl in the paper. â€Å"Of course not.† â€Å"And let’s not forget that you could soon be one of her victims.† I touched the garnet. â€Å"You said I’m hidden.† â€Å"You are, for now. And I hope against all hope you’ll stay that way.† I’d never seen her so grim before, and it was hard to watch. I was used to her prattling, bumbling, no-nonsense nature. â€Å"But here’s something I’ve never told you about how magic users sense each other.† Something I’d learned over the years: it was never a good thing when people said, â€Å"Here’s something I never told you. . . .† I braced myself. â€Å"Untrained magic users have a particular feel that’s unique from the more experienced,† she explained. â€Å"There’s a oh, wild-ness about the magic that surrounds you. It’s easy for advanced witches to sense. My coven keeps track of novice magic users, but those are tightly guarded secrets. Veronica won’t have access to those names, but there are spells she can use that can pick up on some of that untamed magic if it’s near her. It’s how she probably found this poor girl.† Ms. Terwilliger nodded toward the article. The idea of me having some â€Å"wild† magical aura was as shocking as her saying I had magic in my blood. â€Å"When she absorbs a victim,† Ms. Terwilliger continued, â€Å"she gets a burst of that wildness. It fades quickly, but when she possesses it, it can briefly enhance her ability to scry for another untrained victim. The more victims she takes, the stronger that ability will grow. There’s a chance,† Ms. Terwilliger said gravely, â€Å"that it could be enough to break apart the garnet. I don’t know.† She spread out her hands. â€Å"So you’re saying . . . with each victim she attacks, the chance that she’ll find me increases.† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"All right. I’ll help you hunt for her.† I shoved all my fears and doubts aside. The stakes were too high. My life, the other girls . . . Veronica had to be stopped for all our sakes. Someone like her couldn’t be allowed to go on like this. â€Å"There’s more,† added Ms. Terwilliger. Really? â€Å"More than hunting an evil witch who wants to drain me of my life and power?† â€Å"If we can stop Veronica from finding less powerful victims, we can save their lives and limit her ability to find you.† She produced a small velvet bag and emptied it out onto the table. Several small agate circles fell out. â€Å"These are charms that have some ability to mask magic. Not as strong as the garnet – that would take too long. But they’re a quick fix that might save some of these other girls’ lives.† I knew where this was going. â€Å"And you want me to deliver them.† â€Å"I’m sorry. I know I’m giving you some very difficult tasks here.† This was getting worse and worse. â€Å"Difficult? That’s an understatement. And putting aside the fact that you want me to find a woman who could suck my life away there’s also the very small detail that the Alchemists would flip out if they knew I was involved with any of this.† Ms. Terwilliger didn’t answer right away. She just watched me. A black cat jumped up beside her and joined in the staring. Its yellow-eyed gaze seemed to say Do the right thing. â€Å"Where do I start?† I asked finally. â€Å"Finding that neighborhood is part of it, right?† â€Å"Yes. And I’ll tell you where to find her potential victims, if you’ll do the legwork of warning them. My coven keeps track of them. They’ll be girls very much like you, ones with power who refuse to train and have no mentor to look after them. Once we have a clear fix on Veronica herself . . .† Ms. Terwilliger’s eyes hardened. â€Å"Well, then. That’s when I’ll step in.† Once more, I wondered if I really wanted to know what that entailed. A moment later, she added, â€Å"Oh, and I thought it would be a good idea to obscure your appearance as well.† I brightened. I couldn’t explain it, but somehow, that made me feel immensely better. â€Å"There are a lot of spells for that, right?† I’d seen a number of them in my studies. Even if I had to use magic, it was better to at least look different. â€Å"Yes. . . .† She drummed her fingers against the table. â€Å"But the amulet might not be able to hide you wearing an ‘active’ spell, which would then defeat the whole purpose. What I was actually hoping was that your ‘brother’ Adrian might be able to help.† My legs felt weak, and I sat back down. â€Å"Why on earth should Adrian be involved in this?† â€Å"Well, he seems like he’d do anything for you.† I eyed her, wondering if there was a double meaning in that. Her gaze was far away, her thoughts turned inward. She’d meant her words honestly. â€Å"Veronica wouldn’t be able to detect vampire magic. His power . . . that spirit element he was telling me about . . . it can confuse the mind, right? Affect what others can see?† â€Å"Yes. . . .† She focused on me again, nodding in satisfaction. â€Å"If he could accompany you, help muddle whoever meets you . . . well, that would offer an extra level of protection.† I still didn’t know what all I’d be doing to hunt Ms. Terwilliger’s sister, but it sounded like, at the very least, there’d be a drive to Los Angeles in my future. Me, trapped in another small space with Adrian while he continued with that infuriating â€Å"loving from afar.† I was so caught up in the emotional turmoil that idea caused that it took me a moment to realize the larger issue I was letting myself get sucked into. â€Å"Do you realize what you’re asking?† I said quietly. I touched the garnet again. â€Å"To be a part of this, you’re asking me to expose myself to both human magic and vampire magic. Everything I try to avoid.† Ms. Terwilliger snorted, and for the first time tonight, I saw a return of her usual amused attitude. â€Å"Unless I’m mistaken, you’ve been exposing yourself to both kinds of magic for some time now. So, it can’t go against your beliefs that much.† She paused meaningfully. â€Å"If anything, it seems like it goes against the Alchemists’ beliefs.† â€Å"The Alchemists’ beliefs are my beliefs,† I said quickly. She arched an eyebrow. â€Å"Are they? I would hope your beliefs would be your beliefs.† I’d never thought about it that way before, but I suddenly hoped desperately that her words were true. How to cite The Indigo Spell Chapter Five, Essay examples