Doubt: Catholic Church and Father Flynn

Decision making without concrete evidence can lead to faulty actions Leaders need to make decisions on the basis of substantiated evidence. Decisions made under other circumstances can cause the observer to doubt the legitimacy of the leader’s decision. In the play Doubt: A Parable, by John Patrick Shanley, Sister Aloysius’ mischievous mind is always looking for ways to over analyse the actions of Father Flynn. She is almost diabolical in her actions to have him removed from the school. Father Flynn, on the other hand, appears only interested in doing what is best for Donald Muller. Unfortunately, his well-intentioned actions make him vulnerable to the suspicious Sister Aloysius. Sister Aloysius’ certainty that innocent actions are harmful causes her to unfairly judge Father Flynn. Sister Aloysius unfairly judges Father Flynn's sermons and suspects his motives. At this point Sister Aloysius has only suspicions that Father Flynn could be in Doubt or knows someone that is. While speaking to Sister James, Sister Aloysius indicates her concerns about Father Flynn’s and indicates that by saying â€Å"Well, sermons come from somewhere, don't they? Is Father Flynn in Doubt, is he concerned that someone else is in Doubt? (Shanley 14). Sister Aloysius does not have any substantiated evidence of Father Flynn, as she only has her suspicions. One of her major character flaw is that she harbors a deep mistrust in her students, fellow sergman and society itself. So far, all she knew at that point was that Father Flynn grabbed a boy’s wrists, and that he was talking about Doubt in one of his sermons. Father Flynn said later on in the book that his sermons are not true stories because lies make for a better sermon. â€Å"I'm sorry, I'm not forthright, but I must be careful not to create something. I can only say I am confused, perhaps needless, about matters in St. Nicolas School,† Sister Aloysius remarks. (15) You can tell by this quote that she has some negative thoughts about the incident with Donald Muller, as she assumes that Father Flynn is having inappropriate behaviour toward Donald Muller. She is trying rephrasing it so it is less obvious of her concerns and assumptions. Sister Aloysius negatively judges Father Flynn's interest in promoting a closer relationship between the Church and the community because she feels it is an inappropriate way to interact with the students and community. But we’re not members of their family. We’re different†¦.. And they think were different. The working class people of this parish trust us to be different† (30) Sister Aloysius remarks. Sister Aloysius believes that because they are a Catholic school, they must stay true to their vows that the school believes in. She believes that the rules are in place f or a reason, and to be true to God, she must obey the oath that she took to become a Sister. Anything that challenges the operation of the school, and is out of line, she would not stand for. Therefore, she did not believe in the recommendation of changing the way things were already being run. The traditions of the Roman Catholic Church form the back bone of the rules and standards that Sister Aloysius is supporting. Father Flynn is a strong believer in the proposition that the Church should be more lenient and fun with the students, as it creates a better community of people. He makes a statement in the play that goes a little like this, â€Å"I think the message of the second Ecumenical Council was that the Church needs to take on a more familiar face. Reflect the local community. We should sing a song from the radio now and then. Take the kids out for ice cream. † (30) Father Flynn does not believe in following the rules of the Church to such a high extent that it is needed to emphasis every single rule. Unlike Sister Aloysius, he feels that having the school a more relaxed and fun environment results in creating a better learning strategy for the students. It also makes it a better environment for the teachers and student to be in because there is less stress. In result though, Sister Aloysius is against this proposition because she feels that she must abide by the rules and is more for the old school kind of method. Sister Aloysius unfairly doubts Father Flynn's explanation regarding the incident with Donald Muller because of her preconceived notions regarding his motives. â€Å"What happened in the rectory? † (32). Sister Aloysius questions. This quote states that she is clearly tired of dancing around the question, as at this point she has given up and just wants an explanation. She wants him to admit that he seduced the boy because she ‘knows’ that this is true due to her certainty. She does not believe his explanation that he was just talking to Donald in the rectory about keeping him on as an altar boy, even though he stole the wine. The needs for Father Flynn to tell her that she is right is important to her. This will put her at ease with the case and allow her to feel satisfied by her gain in authority and power. †There was alcohol on his breath when he returned from the meeting with you. † (33) Sister Aloysius remarks. She believes that Father Flynn is also guilty based on the fact that she assumes, he gave Donald Muller wine so he could seduce the boy. Believes that he did something to the boy, Sister Aloysius thinks that it is inappropriate and therefore, when he came back to class, he had his head on his desk and had alcohol on his breath. Sister James corroborates this remark by stating, â€Å"I did smell it on his breath† (33). This comment gives more certainty to Sister Aloysius and her beliefs. She does later on tell Sister Aloysius that she is going to bring Father Flynn down with or without Sister James’ help. This indicates how committed and certain she is to her stand on this critical issue. With the lack of supported evidence that Sister Aloysius has discovered concerning Father Flynn’s motives, it is unfair and unreasonable to be certain about her unquestionable justifications. She has closed her mind on all the other possibilities that could be, because of her singular mind set . If she doubts herself, she would feel unsteady and uncertain. Her hard-won knowledge would evaporate right before her and she would be vulnerable, a characteristic that she does not feel comfortable exploring†¦ just yet.

One word essay: Harmony Essay

Confucius once said â€Å"Let the states of equilibrium and Harmony exist in perfection, and a happy order will prevail throughout heaven and earth, and all things will be nourished and flourish.† Harmony is defined as the state of being in agreement or concord. Singapore is a bustling metropolis and a multi-racial society, where people of different ethnic groups co-exist and lived harmoniously. Singapore has thrived rapidly because of our openness to international trade flow, knowledge and cultures, all of which have brought us opportunities and progress. As Singapore moves towards a more diverse landscape, it is important that Singaporeans continue to embrace diversity and live in harmony. Singapore is also a cosmopolitan city , just like many other dynamic cities of the world. Singaporeans also need to go beyond understanding the main races to respecting all people regardless of race, language or religion, who live and work in Singapore – for the harmony, prosperity and progress of the nation. The nation’s turbulent and tumultuous history is a coherent testimony to the significance of racial harmony. The day commemorates the communal riots that broke out on 21 July 1964 between Malays and Chinese during a Muslim procession celebrating the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, which led to 36 dead and 590 injured. That is why we make it a point to commemorate Racial Harmony Day every year on 21 July. George Washington once said â€Å"Cultivate peace and harmony with all.† More importantly, throughout the year, we must strive to better understand the multifarious myriad of cultures and practices, and form strong friendships across the communities. These relationships that bind us as a nation will help us in difficult and dark times. Disharmony will also lead to schism , enmity and discord such as in Sri Lanka or Northern Ireland which kindles hostility. As Albert Einstein once said, â€Å"Harmony cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.† Singaporeans have to continue to build strong bonds in our community — bonds of friendship and understanding — to meet the challenges of the volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous global environment one faces today. Racial harmony is vital for peace, progress and prosperity in this multi-racial Nation. Through Racial Harmony Day,  Singaporeans can strengthen religious harmony through mutual tolerance and understanding. Singaporeans in turn will recognise the secular nature of our State, promote cohesion within our society and respect each other’s freedom of religion. As a nation, Singaporeans can then grow our common space while respecting diversity, foster interreligious communications, and thereby ensure that religion will not be abused to create conflict and disharmony in Singapore. Imperative is this celebration, as Singaporeans can assimilate and learn cultures and traditions of other races. This is paramount in avoiding misunderstandings and conflicts of different races and make our country a democratic society. So, what does the government do to promote racial harmony in our multi-ethnic society? Besides food tasting, games, homestays and the practice of donning ethnic costumes, a few key activities have been introduced to the Racial Harmony Day celebrations over the years. The practice of wearing orange ribbons – the colour symbolising racial harmony and intolerance towards racism – first began in 2001, when the Singapore History Museum (now known as the National Museum of Singapore) introduced it in a school. In addition, since 2008, OnePeople.sg has organised the Orange Ribbon Celebrations, a signature month-long event held every July, to commemorate racial harmony on a national level. The Government has also established Inter-Racial Confidence Circles (IRCC) and Harmony Circles in all our 84 constituencies to reach out to all Singaporeans in order to strengthen understanding and a shared sense of responsibility among Singaporeans of all races and religions. The IRCCs create opportunities for Singaporeans to explore and appreciate their differences and develop bonds among different ethnic and religious communities. They organise visits to the houses of worship of different religions. This fosters greater religious harmony between the different religious and ethnic groups. This can promote racial harmony in our society. In addition, more than 80 % of Singaporeans live in HDB flats. Living in multi-racial housing estates is a step towards forging a bond between the different racial groups in our society. As the various communities are brought closer together and share common facilities in the housing estates, it allows them to interact with and understand one another better. Living together in multi-racial housing  estates may also increase the likelihood of friction between different races. Hence, residents have to learn to live in harmony with one another.  Furthermore, government encourage schools to organise a range of cross-cultural activities for students during Racial Harmony Day, which may extend to become a weeklong event. Some of these activities include dressing up in ethnic costumes, sampling ethnic food and playing traditional games. Students also revisit the 1964 communal riots in different ways such as skits, talks and oral history accounts. Moreover, The National Heritage Board and its various museums took part in the Racial Harmony Day celebrations in 2001. Activities organised by the National Heritage Board included an exhibition at the National Archives titled â€Å"Living History: Tracing Our Customs and Traditions† and another exhibition at the Singapore Philatelic Museum, which explored Singapore’s ethnic cultures through stamps and postcards. We should not take our Singapore’s harmony for granted and should continue to flourish as a nation, regardless of our differences. Sallust, a roman historian, once said â€Å"Harmony makes small things grow. Lack of it makes great things decay.†

How Hiphop Has Changed the Youth in Society Essay

Throughout the past 30 years, there has been much speculation about how negative hip-hop music truly is, and how it actually affects the youth. The hip-hop music of recent years has been the foundation of many controversial issues and has been illustrated negatively by the media countless times. Issues such as gun and knife crime which has escalated heavily within younger age groups in the last 15 years, especially in the USA and UK and also drug abuse, the use of marijuana being used openly within the younger generations. Hip-hop has been accused of influencing the youth to become more misogynistic towards women by constantly having explicit content, such as racist and sexist lyrics in their music. Hip-hip has always been stereotypically associated with violence and black crime. Due to this, older generations have always had an antagonistic outlook on the entire hip-hop genre of music. Although hip-hip music is considered negative in the eyes of many people, there is to consider various questions to have a better understanding and point of view on the controversial issue. Today we speak, dress and drive what the stars do. Where we shop and eat even the types of homes we buy is dictated by what we â€Å"hear† the celebrities are doing. That is a powerful influence over an individual adult but only imagine what type of influence this has over an impressionable pre-teen. Due to the fact that hip-hop/rap music appeals to the thirteen to eighteen year old audiences and the artists performing come from very similar backgrounds of the listeners, rap music is able to control the way that youth think. Teens and pre-teens are using their part-time job pay check to buy grills (a form of jewellery worn in the mouth) and other types of jewellery and even weapons such as knives and guns are seen as metaphorical fashion accessories for the youth, as these things are incorporated into the lyrics of hip-hop and rap music. What is hip-hop music? In order to understand the hip-hop phenomena one must first create a foundation of knowledge through learning its history. Hip-hop began from a mixture of spoken word poetry, jazz drumming, and jazz instrumentations. Hip-hop is one of the most popular genres of music out today and has been steadily growing in popularity since its rise in fame from the late 1970s. With the rise of MTV in the early 1980s, early hip-hop music was constantly being shown with TV shows such as ‘Yo! MTV raps’ and since then has been known to be one of music’s most successful art forms and has remained popular to this day. With over forty years of being around, hip-hop has grown and matured and most importantly expanded from its origin of the south Bronx in New York, to worldwide. The genre and sub culture originated in the early 1970s when a Jamaican immigrant by the name of Clive Campbell aka DJ Kool Herc, first hit the scene in the Bronx. Campbell started DJ-ing his own parties, playing soul, funk as well as R&B records on his turntable set. Herc also brought his know how of the sound system and the popular dancehall/block party scene. Graffiti art had also begun to take shape in the subways of Philadelphia in the mid 1960s. A black teenager by the name of Cornbread began tagging the subways in hopes of attracting a girl he had found feelings for; from this form of youth expression came Graffiti. Fab 5 Freddy, one of the original DJs of Hip-hop, began an art from known as scratching and popularized DJing. Hip-hop consists of four elements, ‘B-boying’ or also known as break dancing. ‘Djing’, ‘Emceeing’, and street art or more commonly known as ‘graffiti’. Djing, also known as the first element of hip-hop began when disc jockeys created beats on two turntables. The way DJs created their beats was simple yet revolutionary in an essence. The DJs would first find a portion of a song that emphasized a percussive pattern, and then looped a portion of the song to form a rhythmic pattern. This procedure is now more commonly known as sampling. With the beat or instrumental now developed, the DJ decided the music needed some accompaniment to the music such as singing or poetry. This procedure is known as rapping or Emceeing. From hip-hop spawned the sub-genre ‘Rap’ in the early 1980s. More and more artists became interested in the new form of music out of New York. In 1981, Rap gained a lot of exposure through popular shows such as 20/20 and Saturday night live. The 1990s saw even more change in the hip-hop industry. Early in the decade, artists fought for permission to sell their albums since most authorities deemed them ‘obscene’ due to the explicit content within the music. A lot which expressed sexual references towards women and talked about the use of drugs. Hip-hop music also spoke strongly about politics and poverty, artists such as Tupac and Public Enemy spoke about such issues. In the 1990s the tension that had been gathering between the west coast ‘Gangsta’ and the East coast artists has exploded and resulted in the shooting deaths of Christopher Wallace and Tupac Shakur. In the present day Hip-Hop is one of the largest and fastest growing sources of capital and has a great influence on its fans. The roles that Hip-Hop and Hip-Hop artist play in America require responsibility, however, many of the performers and labels take none. By using television and other various sorts of visual media Hip-Hop portrays less than positive stereotypes and all but influences the youth to accept these stereotypes as normal behaviour. The detrimental effect that popular Hip-Hop has doesn’t stop at the visual level. Lyrical content in songs have been dumbed down and filled with violence, sex, and drugs. For example the song â€Å"Hate Being Sober† by Chief Keef condones the use of drugs at all times and gives the impression that it is ok and cool. â€Å"While many Hip-Hop songs contain messages about alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, few provide an accurate portrayal of the negative consequences of substance abuse† Negative accusations and harsh criticism has always been an issue for the hip-hop genre of music. Some of these accusations include how hip-hop influences the youth to become more misogynistic towards women by constantly having explicit content, such as racist and sexist lyrics in their music. Because of this, Hip-hop music has been criticized greatly by the media accusing the music of affecting the youth that sexism and other such forms of oppression are acceptable to society. Although the media has a major impact on how Hip-hop is viewed by the masses, their is some people who view Hip-hop differently. Famous civil rights leader Al Sharpton was asked on what he believed on this particular issue and said, â€Å"The hip-hop culture is just like electricity, it can be used negatively or positively. The same electric current that lights up your house can also electrocute you. It is the misuse of hip-hop culture to attack our women and promote violence. We must encourage the proper use of hip-hop culture. We are all influenced by the hip-hop generation. † (â€Å"Is hip-hop culture,† 2000) On a survey done to twenty-five people in the 17- 60 yrs of age range, twenty people know someone that is exposed to the Hip-hop culture and twenty-one of them believed that Hip-hop isn’t a negative art form. In Figures 1, 2, and 3 show the results from the survey done. On Figure 2, it shows that most of the people surveyed do believe that Hip-hop music has the most influence on the youth. Rap music generally depicts the lives and souls of many under privileged youths, citing depression and violence during upbringings. The youth of today’s society and in the past, take this music as a way of expression, a way of overruling everything they believe is corrupt and in their own way become corrupt themselves by not caring about the rules. Rap music can be transparently seen as a striking negative influence on today’s youth just by listening to certain songs which praise violence and the use of drugs. Take rapper Wiz Khalifa for instance. This artist is a prime example of being a huge negative influence to today’s society by the extensive amount of marijuana use, portrayed within his lyrics. The artist mentions marijuana in his songs and speaks about it in a positive way, speaking about the stimulating effects it has on him and almost making the drug sound ‘cool’ to the younger generation, making them think that smoking this drug is cool and acceptable as rapper Wiz Khalifa openly smokes it and mentions it. The number of drug references in rap music has raised six fold since the genre revolutionised pop music. Researchers who analysed the lyrics of hundreds of songs say rap has been transformed from one which warned against the dangers of drug abuse to one that routinely glorifies it. And because many of the references are coded, many parents are unaware what their children are listening to.

Annotated Bibliography. Generation Challenges in the future of nursing Essay

Annotated Bibliography. Generation Challenges in the future of nursing informatics - Essay Example Moreover, the article indicates that they are expected to make a reasonable effort in addressing rising demand for the nursing care services, which are focused on increasing supply of nurses. In this case, the nurses can increase their efficiency in the provision of care through the use of health Information Technology that has been considered a crucial issue through numerous discussions. The article covers issues related to the effect of the health IT and health informatics through an outlook of the nursing profession. In addition, the vendors across the health IT field are urged to facilitate understanding of the nursing profession through gearing them to meet challenges for reforming new era attributed to collaboration in offering health care services. Ball, M.J. (1995). Nursing Informatics: Where caring and technology meet. New York: Spinger-Verlag The book focuses on markets in health care practice and education settings, whereby it aims to address the issues relating to nursing practice and students; in fact, issues discussed relates to nursing leadership, nursing faculty and nursing informatics specialists. Moreover, this book is designed meet the needs of professionals in the health care fields such are quality officers, administrators, health IT professions, who are in the health care facilities. ... /journal_of_nursing/challenges_in_nursing_informatics.htm> The article discusses challenges faced by nurses due to constrains associated with innovation technology. It also seeks to explore ways through which these challenges can be overcome. The article offers nursing documentation, thereby explaining dynamics and complexity of the processes. Moreover, the article focuses on bridging the gaps that are present in the nursing documentation to the electronic record. In addition, there are abilities of nursing students discussed in the article, thereby allowing them to understand challenges, which are involving the constants evolutions of technology. In this case, the article offers relevant issues related to nursing practice in relation to challenges. Kaminski, (2011). Organizational management and generation X. Nursing Informatics. Retrieved on 2 Feb 2012 from The article takes into consideration the challenges and threats that are faced by managers in organizations, whereby this mana ger are classified into echelon of Baby Boomer and senior Silent Generation managers. These challenges are attributed to the emergence of the work force referred to Generation X, who are considered to be offering dynamic solutions to meet the needs of the workforce. The article covers issues related to technological knowledge, thereby facilitating the adaptability to change and diversity. There are other issues discussed in the article relating to sharing of time and downsizing, which have become a challenge to the organization. In this case, the unique brands of workers that are acquiescent to the needs are reflected in various scenes, in the workplace. Ericksen, A. (2009). Informatics: the future of nursing. RN journal. Retrieved on 2

Fire Fighting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Fire Fighting - Essay Example Thirdly, Madrzykowski explores fire dynamics and discusses different case studies on fire dynamics. He brings forth different fire scenarios and how development and progression of fire are influenced by different factors. For instance, ventilation influences the progression of the fire. In a closed compartment, heated gases mix with oxygen resulting in a flaming combustion. However, as the oxygen gets depleted, the fire decays. The heat emitted from the fire decreases and consequently the temperature decreases. When oxygen is introduced into the compartment, either through the opening of a window or a door, the heated gases mix with the oxygen and as a result, the energy levels begin to rise. Such a change in ventilation can lead to a flashover. Lastly, Alkonis and Madrzykowski discuss training on fire behavior and organizational change in the management of fires. To enhance safety and survivability, they recommend the application of water as soon as possible, limiting the opening of doors and windows, closing all doors and windows, identification of fire location, extent and characteristics of the smoke as well as identifying and interrupting the flow path. Importantly, the process of firefighting needs to be a well-coordinated effort with proper communication among team members (Kerber, Madrzykowski, & Alkonis, 2015). In summary, NIST and UL’s research has revolutionized firefighting and introduced change in modern day fire service. Undoubtedly, the changes are likely to stay for generations to come.

Rise and Fall of the Qin Dynasty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Rise and Fall of the Qin Dynasty - Essay Example In 225, the King of Wei surrendered where all of his territories were annexed to Qin dynasty. It was followed by the defeat of the Kingdom of Chu in 223 BC where its King was eventually killed and its General committed suicide. A year later, the Yan territory was taken until finally in 221, the last King of other warring states was captured with the seizure of the King of Qi (Portal 32-35). For the first time, ancient China was unified under a single leadership with Qin Shi Huang at the helm declaring himself as the first emperor of China (Portal 32-35). Qin dynasty’s rose to prominence as the first dynasty to unify China is a huge achievement considering that it started from a humble beginning. Qin dynasty begun when the last heir of the Zhou dynasty gave land to one of its Dukes, Duke Zhuang which enabled the Qins to start as one of ancient China’s vassal lords. Later, the small land granted by the Zhou dynasty expanded when Duke Zhuang’s son embarked on expans ionary quest that eventually established the State of Qin (Yu 15). The Qin dynasty’s reign however was short lived lasting only for 15 years from 221 until 207 BC. Despite this short period of Qin dynasty’s existence, it left a lasting legacy in China that even its name as a country was derived from this dynasty. Unification of China In 221 AD, the Qin dynasty through the leadership of Qin Shi Huang finally emerged as the victor during the period of warring states through its superior and fierce military. Immediately after its victory Qin Shi Huang installed himself as the first emperor of China which unified China under one ruler for the first time. Qin Shi Huang first directive as the emperor of China was to initiate reforms such as the improvement of the administration of its bureaucracy with the establishment of shi bureaucracy where educated bureaucrats were tasked to administer the various functions of the regime. The nature of military also changed when the vass al warriors under the former warring monarchs eventually faded in significance when they were replaced by the conscription of peasants who were previously imprisoned. Implementation of Reforms The reforms initiated by the Qin dynasty yielded to the increase of collection of funds and this afforded the regime to improve its military capability by building the size of the army and further improve the technology of its weapons. This increased military capability provided the Qin dynasty the advantage to defeat other kingdoms during the period of warring states and eventually unified it to make it the China that we know today. The Legalist Sanction One of the systems employed by the Qin dynasty that made it an effective state and perhaps even became precursor of the present idea of nation state is the use of legalist sanction. Legalist sanction was the basis of the despotic regime of Qin dynasty. This legalist thought was founded by Shang Yang who espoused that people should be subservi ent to the state but the state must also be ruled by law without exemption that even its rulers are subjected to it (Yu 80). Following this absolutist principle, the Qin dynasty believed that it is the foremost duty of any leader to increase the power and wealth of the state. Legalist sanction also imposes that for a state to be orderly it has to employ strict laws to create social stability. The legalist sanction w

Foreign investment decisions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Foreign investment decisions - Essay Example One specific example of this occurs in the Latin America and Caribbean-OECD Investment Initiative. It’s noted that this initiative aims to, â€Å"increase the contribution of private investment to economic and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean† ("Latin america and," 2011). This demonstrates that significant sums are being invested in this developing region through private infrastructure projects. Still, another prominent area where money from industrialized regions are entering emerging markets can be witnessed in investment opportunities offered by major banking entities. One of the predominant examples in this context occurs as the European Bank for Reconstruction offers an opportunity for individuals to invest in a number of potential emerging markets ("Introducing three new," 2011). There is a distinction between less developed and emerging markets. In this context of understanding, it’s noted that emerging markets are those that demonstrate a level of advancement in their economic structure throughout a variety of barometers. Conversely, less developed regions are those that have not yet achieve these stages of economic

Roman and Egyptian Technology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Roman and Egyptian Technology - Research Paper Example Horses and donkeys were domesticated roughly between 3000 BC and 4000 BC, while camels were domesticated between 2000 BC and 3000 BC, with the exact dates unavailable. By 3100 BC, Egyptians had invented sailing boats made of papyrus reeds tied together. However, the sails were weak and only useful when sailing unidirectional. Around 2700 BC, Egyptians made wooden ships for trade in the sea. They were steered using a long oar. On the other hand, the Romans built networks of roads in the empire for easy movement of the Roman army from one part of the empire to the other. The wealthy members of the empire used covered wagons on long journeys or horses (Olson 13). The Romans also had merchant ships famously called cortia, which had the ability to over 1000 tons of cargo. They had a single mast that carried the rectangular sail, though some others had small sails at the stern and bow. Similar to the Egyptians, the ships used oars for steering, though they had lighthouses for guidance. The fall of the Roman Empire was a blow to the transport system. Major roads in Europe became dirt tracks and mud in winter. The rudder was a European (earlier, the Roman Empire) invention that went a long way in the steering of ships. In addition, ships became advanced with the rudder and compasses, with three masts in addition by the 15th century. Turnpike roads opened in 1663, with the Bridgewater canal completion at the end of the 18th century. The nineteenth century saw the invention of the railways and steam locomotives, followed by horse drawn omnibuses in 1829 and the first car in 1886 by Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler (Danver 265). At the same time, steam turbines by Charles Parsons improved sea transport. Another interesting ancient technology is that of braces. According to archeologists and the American Association Orthodontists, there have been several discoveries of mummified ancients bearing metal bands around individual teeth. The Etruscans (Roman precursors) buried the ir dead dental appliances used to maintain dentition and space. In addition, a Roman tomb discovered in Egypt had a mummy whose teeth were bound by gold wire (Archwired). Additionally to note is the recordings of finger pressure treatment of teeth by Aurelius Cornelius Celsus during the time of Christ. Nonetheless, there were no significant orthodontic events occurring before the 17th century. The first publications on teeth straitening were in 1792. Astronomy, the natural science dealing with celestial objects, also dates back thousands of years ago. In ancient Egypt, people believed that the universe was an enormous rectangular box with Egypt at the center and huge lamps hanging down as the stars (Nicholson and Shaw 321). Similarly, most other cultures held the same concept with their cultures at the center of the world. Nonetheless, the ancient cultures, especially in Egyptian and Roman, were held back from technological development for investigating the cosmos by their beliefs i n their many unpredictable gods. The Jews, which was the only culture that worshipped God, had a positive influence on the science through the bible. The Greeks were the first ancient culture to become aware of their surroundings. In fact, the word astronomy is a derivative from the Greek words â€Å"law and order†. However, the Greeks were not the only culture to try their hands on astronomy, but

Sartre's Existentialism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sartre's Existentialism - Essay Example This research will begin with the biography of Jean-Paul Sartre. He was a French existentialist philosopher and has laid down the foundation of literary and philosophical existentialism in 20th-century philosophy with the help of his works and doctrines. Every question for a man starts from the mere idea of his existence on this Earth; thus the question subsequently arises as to who it was that created a human being. Most people have branded this creator by the name of God. Philosophers like Kant and Descartes have been able to give the example of an artisan that creates a paper knife or a paper cutter and designs it for a specific purpose, in order to meet a specific goal of cutting paper and have copied the same analogy for the purpose of a human being. Thus, God is the creator that has made individuals that roam the planet Earth and they come with a specific purpose of meeting their personal goals and objectives. However, there are atheist existentialists that believe that man â⠂¬Ëœjust is’. They do not believe that man has to be created by someone by the name of God, and thus write that the human race just began existing. This can be compared to certain moral values within society that people follow; for example, it is nowhere written that people must not lie or cheat; people choose to not lie or cheat because it is the ‘good thing’ to do. Once again, however, it has nowhere been mentioned by anyone in particular as to what ‘is good’ and what is not.‘is good’ and what is not. According to Dostoevsky, â€Å"If God did not exist, everything would be permitted.† This very sentence is the starting point for most existentialists. This is because most people find in God an assuring power that helps them to survive each and every day. Even if God does not exist in reality, everything will still be permitted. Existentialists write that man is born free, with freedom however from the time that he is born, he attaches himself to a segment of God in order to provide himself with something to rely upon in times of need. A human being cannot find anything else to depend upon except a higher power which he vests within the name of God. Thus, he discovers that he is without excuse. Man is left alone and does not have the right to blame anybody else for his actions; this mere thought drives a man to the greatest depths of fear which forces him to believe in God. According to the text provided, an existentialist â€Å"thinks that every man, without any support or help whatever, is condemned at every instant to invent man.† Thus, the only thing that stops a man from doing everything that has been permitted is the idea of being ashamed and being answerable to his own self. Every man is able to take on a certain amount of responsibility in order to carry out actions that would help him to understand himself and achieve more in life. However, every ounce of responsibility comes equipped with a certain amount of anguish that most people are not able to fathom and thus disguise in order to not let other people know that they are suffering from it. However, anxiety is quite commonly associated with heavy responsibility and thus, man requires someone that he can provide an excuse with in case he is not able to carry out these actions to the best of his abilities in a desired manner. God is the driving force that led human beings to believe in ideas of heaven and hell, thus if the possibility of His very existence vanishes, with that, the possibility and idea of an aspect of intelligible heaven or hell also disappears. The death of God simply anguishes a human being and forces him to think of a plane where he exists without the help of any higher power or force. This very thought is perturbing to the mind of a man who has

Digital Business Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Digital Business Management - Essay Example The firm that is analyzed in the paper is Prada Group, a retail store operating in Milan Italy, which started operating way back in 1913 by Mario Prada. Prada is a luxury store which sells leather hand bags, leather accessories, travelling trunks, luxury accessories and beauty cases. It is because of the designed goods which are handcrafted with fine materials and through sophisticated techniques, the store rapidly grew to be the shopping point for most of the European aristocrats and the elegant members of haute bourgeoisie in Europe. Prada is an official supplier of the Italian Royal family and has been serving since 1919. The turning point came when Miuccia Prada, granddaughter of Mario launched a partnership with Tuscan business man, Patrizio Bertelli. The partnership created a new era with creativity and new business ideas. In 1977, Bertelli set up I.P.I spa in order to consolidate the production and in the year 2003 I.P.I spa was merged with Prada spa. It opened up a new store in 1983 in the prestigious Via Della Spiga in Milan. A new brand named Miu Miu was launched in the year 1993. In the year 2003 the store entered into a ten year licensing agreement with the Italian eyewear Luxottica, one of the leaders in eyewear industry. In the same year Prada went into joint venture with Spanish cosmetic PUIG beauty and fashion group and launched a new women’s fragrance by the end of 2004. Prada became the official partner of Italian Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo in the year 2010 and in the same year it launched its collection and eyewear postcard. (Prada Group, p. 15). Apart from the offline stores the company also operates through online mode of business. Business Model E-business is often defined as transformation of some key business through the use of the web and internet technologies. Business model is architecture for the products and services and of the information flow which also includes the description of the business partners along with t heir roles (Hiltz, Murphy & Sigala, p.454). Business models are the most discussed topic and also the least aspect of the web which is understood. The web has changed the traditional business model of business. In the basic sense, business model is the method of performing business through which a company can sustain and generate sufficient revenue. A business model is essential and it shows how a company can make money by specifying its place in the value chain. Some of the business models are quite simple whereas others are complex. Internet has given rise to new kinds of business models. But at the same time the web is also reinventing tried and true models for online business. Business models have been defined and categorized into many different ways. Internet business model continuously keep on evolving and thus new as well as interesting variations can be expected in the near future (Rappa, â€Å"Business Models on the Web†). Prada Group had developed a business model w hich takes into consideration the value proposition and the revenue model. The reason behind the success of Prada group is the adoption of the business model. Figure 1: Business Model . (Source: Hiltz, Murphy & Sigala, p.454) Online value proposition (OVP) The first and foremost step in online business model is the value proposition for the relative business. Value proposition is mainly required for three things which are to target segmentation, focal the customer benefits and key resources of the business which can help deliver the benefit package in a much better way than its competitors. Value proposition is often considered as one of the smallest benefit package that a business offers to the customers. But the value cluster approach has helped the online business to address the multiple customer segments and at the same time offer a variety of benefits to its targeted

Hnc Accounts - Business Law Outcome Essay Example for Free

Hnc Accounts Business Law Outcome Essay There are two institutions in the UK that have the power to make statutory legislation in Scotland. The first of these institutions is Westminster (London) where elected individuals serve in the House of Commons. These members are known as MP’s (Members of Parliament). Parliament is responsible for passing new laws (legislation). In the late nineties the House of Commons allowed the passing of devolved powers to the newly created Scottish Parliament. Only certain powers were transferred to Holyrood and Westminster still control the laws that govern Tax, National Security and many others. Westminster is still regarded as Primary Legislation. This means that any law made by Westminster in reserved matters of policy must be adhered to by the Scottish Parliament. The second of these institutions is Holyrood (Edinburgh) where 129 elected individuals serve in the Scottish Parliament. These members are known as MSP’s (Members of Scottish Parliament). The Scottish Parliament was created on the 11th Sept 1997. The voters in Scotland took part in a referendum where they voted on a Devolved Scottish Parliament. This meant that Westminster would allow this devolved parliament to create laws in certain areas of policy. The Scottish people voted for a devolved parliament and the devolved powers were transferred from Westminster to The Scottish Parliament on the 1st July 1999. Westminster reserved certain powers that still govern many areas of Scotland today but the devolved powers allow Scotland to pass laws and regulate in areas such as Agriculture, Health and Housing to name a few. The process of making primary legislation in the UK follows a very strict procedure of three distinct stages. An MP, Lord or a member of the public can raise a bill to suggest a change of law (legislation). The first stage  of the process involves a parliamentary committee of members. They will review the bill and decide whether it moves to the second stage. The second stage allows amendments to the bill and allows the bill to be scrutinized by the committee and member. If the bill passes this stage then the third stage involves a member vote. If a majority of the members vote for the bill then the bill will be passed and presented to the Queen to receive a Royal Assent. The bill is now law. Common Law has a major role in Scots law today and it draws on four separate elements. Common Law is often referred to as the ‘Unwritten Law’ or ‘Historical Law’. This unwritten law has developed over centuries and draws from different sources. 1. Common law is based on Equity. Equity is the process of allowing judges to apply fairness or justice when there is no legislation to refer to. They must base these decisions on fairness and equality for all. When the judge follows this process of Equity he/she is actually making the law. This is called Precedent and we will talk about this in more detail in point 4. 2. Common law is also based on Institutional Writing. Centuries ago men of a higher class would finish their schooling in the various cities of Europe. These men would learn the laws of other countries and on their return to their estates in the UK would write about these laws and use them to govern their own estates. Institutional Writings no longer hold the authority as days gone by as Government Legislation and Judicial Precedent are supreme and overrule Institutional writings if they are based on similar cases. 3. Common Law is also based on Custom. Custom is when over a long period of time a particular habit is recognized by the people or social grouping. An example of this would be ‘common law husband’ where the couple are not in fact married but have lived as such so therefore the man would be entitled to the same rights as a legal husband. 4. The most important piece of common law in the courts today is Judicial Precedent. Judicial Precedent is where a judge or jury has no other legislation or act of parliament to decide a particular dispute and any decision they make will be followed in the future for any other similar disputes. A precedent can only be superseded by a higher court, government legislation or act of  parliament. Judicial Precedent tries to keep the law stable. Consistency through the court system is vital when trying to uphold the virtues of Fairness and Equality. The four key institutions of the European Union are the Council of Ministers, European Parliament, European Court of Justice and the European Commission. Each of these institutions has a representative from each member nation to allow a voice from each of the member states. The European Commission along with the Council of Ministers can change and amend laws within the European states. The Commission, unlike The Council of Ministers, has the power to change Regulations and issue Directives (these are orders passed by the European Commission or The Council of Ministers to ensure legislation is implemented within all the member states). If a state, company or persons break or do not comply with European law then it is the European Commission who will raise a court action against those who are not complying. The Council of Ministers is the legislative body of the EU. They are head of decision making and law/regulation introduction in the EU. They are the most powerful of all the institutions in Europe. Although the Council has the highest power there are still areas of legislation that the Council cannot pass with the advisory input of the European Parliament. The European Parliament is to advise and make recommendations to the Council of Ministers in various areas of legislation. They will review any piece of legislation or directive and give their opinions on the matter. If the Commission does not implement the recommendations of the Parliament then they must advise why they have not done so. The Parliament cannot change, implement or make European law and are there solely as an advisory Parliament. The European Court of Justice is the highest court within the European states on Community law (laws that have been issued by the Commission or Council of Ministers). If a state, company or persons fail to abide by the regulations  and directives issued by the Commission then it is the Court of Justice responsibility to ensure the law is observed. The Commission will initiate the proceedings and allow the member state an opportunity to defend itself against the complaint. If that process does not result in the breach being rectified the action will then go to the Courts of Justice. There are two main types of European Legislation. They are Directive Regulation. 1. Directive legislation allows the European Commission to give a timescale for a piece to legislation to be introduced. Directives are issued to ensure that law is common throughout the European Countries. They keep the peoples equality to fairness and equality protected throughout the member states. If a country does not adhere to these directives sanctions can be issued. 2. Regulation Legislation is required in an emergency situation or crisis. They must be acted upon immediately by the state that the order is against. An example of this would be the BSE crisis in the 90’s when an immediate ban was put on the importing and exporting of beef from the UK. All member states had to adhere to this regulation to ensure that British beef stocks did not contaminate the other member states beef stock.

Management and Hr Essay Example for Free

Management and Hr Essay The CIPD introduced the HR Professional Map in 2009, which set out the new foundations for professional competency in HR and the criteria for new and revised CIPD qualifications. The map highlights 10 professional areas at four different levels and the eight key behaviours HR professionals need to operate. The HR Profession Map sets out the following eight behaviours: 1. Decisive thinker. Able to analyse information quickly and use it to make robust decisions. 2. Skilled influencer. Able to gain commitment from different quarters in order to benefit the organisation. 3. Personally credible. Expert in both HR and commercial issues, and takes a professional approach. 4. Collaborative. Able to work well with a range of people both within and outside of the organisation. 5. Driven to deliver. Focused on delivering best possible results for the organisation, and shows determination, resourcefulness and a sense of purpose in achieving this. 6. Courage and challenge. Has the courage and confidence to speak up and will challenge others even when met with resistance or unfamiliar circumstances. 7. Role model. Leads by example. 8. Curious. An inquisitive, open-minded type, who seeks out new ways to support the development of the organisation. The HR Profession Map identifies ten professional areas: 1) Insight Strategy Solutions (the ‘core’ of the Map) : understanding the company ethos activities, responsible for HR plans of action, is aware of the obstacles that block the path of being able to provide an effective HR function, provides solutions. Designs good rewards and benefits package, making the Company an attractive place to work, helping with retention of staff and attracting quality new staff members, central to the organisation. 2) Leading Human Resources : operational excellence understanding the requirements of the organisation. Will to be able to guide direct a fit for purpose HR function, responsible for staffing 3) Service delivery and  information. Managing HR information professionally. 4) Organisation design. Managing structural change and ensuring the organisation is appropriately designed. 5) Organisation development. Ensuring the organisation’s workforce, culture, values and environment will enable it to meet goals and perform well in the future. 6) Resourcing and talent planning. Making sure the organisation attracts people who will give it an edge. Managing a workforce with the balance of skills needed to meet short and long-term ambitions. 7) Learning and talent development. Making sure that people at all levels of the organisation have the skills needed to contribute to the organisation’s success, and that they are motivated to grow and learn. 8) Performance and reward. Making sure that reward systems – principally pay and benefits – are fair and cost-effective. Ensuring critical skills, experience and performances are rewarded. 9) Employee engagement. Supporting employees in maintaining a positive connection with their work, colleagues and the broader organisation, with a particular focus on good relationships between staff and their line managers. 10) Employee relations. Ensure that the relationship between the organisation and staff is managed within a clear and appropriate framework. â€Å"Orme added: The map will allow us to maintain rigour while improving flexibility: the flexibility to meet the needs of generalists and specialists and to support professionals at all levels, and the rigour to ensure HR professionals and employees alike can be confident that a CIPD qualification delivers not just the capabilities needed for today, but the capacity to adapt to the growing demands that will be placed on the profession in the future. (http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/hro/news/1017104/hrd-2009-cipd-introduce-hr-professional-map-equip-practitioners-tougher-future-role#sthash.ks3fgXhT.dpuf- 10.03.2014) Bands of Professional Competence: Band 1 – Entry stage into the HR profession and supports colleagues, manages data and information, broadly considered as being customer orientated. Band 2 – Advises and in some instances manages HR issues. An individual at this level will understand evaluation processes and be able to assist with known solutions. Band 3 – Defined as a leader of a professional HR area. An individual at this level will be have the ability to address major HR issues, generally at an organisational level and will be involved with  medium to long term HR planning. Band 4 – Manages and leads a professional HR area / division. Working at senior organisational level and will have responsibility for the development and implementation of HR strategies. There are standard definitions within each of the four bands which advise of the following 3 areas: 1) What you need to do within each band (activities covering 9 specific points) 2) What you need to know within each band covering 12 specific points 3) How you need to do it i.e. the prevalent behaviours that are essential for each professional area. The behaviour definitions are defined as: Driven to deliver Collaborative Personally credible Decisive thinker Skilled influencer For example an HR professional working competently at band 4 will be expected to be a decisive thinker, will be driven to deliver and will also need to be a skilled influencer. The point of the HR profession Map is that individuals either considering a career in HR, or who are currently working at any given level within HR, will understand the skills, requirements, knowledge and personal attributes required at each level therefor creating a clear progressive guide for their career path. My own experiences as a admin assistant has made me realise I am a generalist at present within HR, my limited experience is gradually developing and I am becoming a more confident person within the HR world, now being able to advise senior management without also reaffirming my thought with our HR director, I aspire to gain further knowledge and become a confident HR professional with this in mind it is not always advisable just to look at my own career and development but to that of others and whils t I don’t have the experience I do have the knowledge and the enthusiasm to help develop individual personal aspirations that need to be closely managed in consideration of an individual’s personal aspirations of how far i can progress my career. For example, a person with strong ability currently working at band 2 may well aspire to eventually be capable of working to the prescribed band 4 level but in reality, and despite whatever development takes place, they may well be unlikely to be able to progress to band 4. This may well be a  personality issue or that some people are just not leaders but not everyone will be able to develop themselves as decisive thinker and a skilled influencer, two of the most difficult requirements of any senior management. Looking at the overall Map and considering my current role within our organisation, I am confident that I am currently working within the band 2/3 area of Human Resources. It is clear that I have extensive work to do within my career path and feel that following onto further studies, whilst gaining the experiential knowledge will give me a sound grounding to a positive and progressive career. After assesing the the map I would consider that I am currently working between band 2 3. In my role as Admin Assistant I have responsibiity for ensuring that all HR related activities are managed effectivly and correctly under the supervision of the HR director. My customer base is predoninantly our management team but also our employees, union representatives and our clients senior managment teams. The conflicting needs of each group can be difficult at time to prioritise, not only do I have to answer to three sites managers who all require assistance in there own ways, I have the directors and the employees, as well as the employees of Youngs who are our client and at the end of the day (pay the bills). Within my own organisation we have a service level agreement with Youngs our client,this enable us to provide and maintain the service required, it clearly defines what is expected, when and how, it also states what we expect from the client to enable us to provide an effective service. Providing an effective service,with good communication in a timely manner builds customer confidence, but from a buisness point of view we also need to come in on budget, sometimes the clients expectations can be unreasonable, so as a service provider we have to sometimes negotiate and balance between our customers wants and needs to the needs and demands of the buisness, also balancing the needs of our employees needs to be apart of our management. â€Å"If you not serving the customer, you’d better be serving someone who isâ€Å" – Karl Albrecht – Developing Yourself as an effective learning and development practioner Whilst carry out the assignement and after discussing it with our HR Director  he brought to my attention a perfect example. â€Å"As an example, in a redundancy situation the needs of the union will be to ensure that as few employees as possible are made redundant however quite often in my experience a number of employees will activly want to be made redundantâ€Å" Director of HR Partners In Hygiene Whatever the situation, in my role I have to ensure that the needs of the business come are met first, then to time manage and balance the requirement of In terms of my own developemnt I am comfortably working within Band 2 for area such as insight, strategy, and solutions, leading HR and organisational design as well as performance and reward and feel with only 2 years experience I have progressed positivly, though am very aware I still need assistance coaching/ mentoring to develope my career path to continue and sustain the progression at the same pace. In order to ensure that I deliver to all my customers (internal external) I must ensure that I have maintain effective communication. The four main communication tools that I employ are: 1) Verbal – Face to face conversations with individuals or groups 2) Written – letters of communication, formal and informal 3) E-mail 4) Telephone conversations Each of the above have both advantages and disadvantages e.g. verbal communication is an effective tool for maintaining close contact and relationships with people but can be time consuming and generall leaves no trail i.e. evidence that a particular conversation has ever occurred. E-mail is an efficient and fast method of written communication but as there is no face to face contact emotions within an e-mail can be misinterpreted leading to misunderstanding. The sheer volume of e-mail can be a problem and in my experience almost everyone is guilty of using e-mail as mean to cover themselves. Written letters are a good record of communication but can be perceived as being too formal and again can be time consuming to compose, print, mail etc. As with any business attempting to be efficient in terms of effective communication, we use all of the above comminication methods at various times. Personally I do prefer oral communication whenever possible wven if this is via telephone rather than face to face.

Oligopoly Market Conditions

Oligopoly Market Conditions Oligopoly is such a market situation wherein the number of sellers is few and the numbers of buyer are many. That is unlike the monopolistic competition the seller are not one but at least two and could range up to ten. This is because of the following reasons. Heavy input costs of producing the product making it difficult for every firm to make investments. Entry barriers made by the bigger firms in the form of government regulations, price competition, brand setting and other pressure tactics. The method of production requires specialization which is not available with other firms. Product enjoys monopoly in the market. Thus the above mentioned few reasons can become the cause of set up of an oligopoly market. Number of sellers and buyers in oligopoly: Now Oligopoly, as mentioned above can have from two to tens suppliers, rather than one in the case of monopoly market. Thus they together become the price setters instead of price takers. Any rise in price will benefit the rise in sales of other company products that may be similar or differentiated. Reason being the other companies wont follow in rising their product prices as they would be expecting an increase in sales. On the other side, any fall in price will not help gain many customers, as the other companies will respond in a similar pattern and the result will be price war. Thus declining the price level would not help gain as many customers as expected. Price Equilibrium in Oligopoly: An equilibrium condition is when the prices remain unstable and the supply remains same. To increase the demand of the products and meet the competition of other products in the market, these firms indulge in heavy advertising campaigns. Through advertisements they teach the customers about the new feature that is added in their product and various other benefits of using their product. This sometimes results in putting stains on the other companys product in indirect words. Examples of Oligopoly: A number of examples of Oligopoly market situation can be figured out around us. These are explained as follows. PepsiCo and Coca Cola Co. are the two market leader and sellers of soft drinks around the world. Thus two numbers of firms selling to large number of buyers makes it an Oligopoly market. Furthermore these companies are always making heavy investments on advertisements around the globe. Some of the advertisements may be meant to harm the brand image of other. The result in another advertisement in response. Sometimes these matters are even taken to courts for settlement. Boeing and Airbus are another two large companies that makes planes to foster the need of various countries. Again these are two companies, which are the sign of Oligopoly market conditions. These companies although do not make much advertisements, but offers latest techniques at competitive prices by making product differentiation and attracting customers around the globe. OPEC includes a few numbers of sellers of petroleum product throughout the world. As the number of seller is not two but not many either. The numbers of buyers are large, including countries in Asia, Africa, Europe etc. Diagrammatic representation of Oligopoly: As we know that in the Oligopoly is a market where in the number of seller are more than two but not higher in number, whereas the buyers are many. Moreover the price rise results in benefitting the other companys product sales. And on the other hand the price fall results in attracting only a few customers. This type of market conditions can be displayed as follows. From the above diagram its clear that this diagram is very similar to monopoly market situation. But the difference is this type of condition remains for a definite price period. That is if any firm try to raise its prices from Pc to Po the result would be benefit to other firms. Whereas if a firm try to reduce its product prices than that would not foster him more customers than expected. The result would be affecting the profit margins. Thus a Cooperative Oligopoly price level is administered where in all the companies agree to follow a minimum price levels to earn good profits. Any displacement from the agreed price would affect the changer or so called the Cheater, either by fall in demand or fall in profits. Thus a Nash Equilibrium point can be accepted by all the companies in the Oligopoly where in all the companies earn good profits at the present output and price levels. Features of Oligopoly: Now we can conclude the features of the Oligopoly market conditions. These are as follows. Few producers or sellers and high numbers of buyers. Product differentiation is up to some level or no product differentiation. The firms enjoy normal profits in normal market conditions. The firms depend on advertisements, quality rivalry and generally accepted by the group of firms. Economies of scale will exist, as heavy investment and improved technology is needed to get similar quality output at the competitive costs. New firms cannot enter the market, as the old firms create a barrier through government restrictions, heavy investments, pressure techniques like takeover of the uprising company. Swift action is taken on the change in price level and defaming advertising campaign by according price change and responsive advertisements. Conclusion: In the nutshell we can say that the Oligopoly market situation is very similar to Monopoly market situation but with more than one number of seller up to limit extent. The pricing is done by proper agreement between the firms. The product differentiation may or may not present. The firms spend heavy on the advertising campaign and keep a close look at the advertising of other companies and response accordingly. The firms earn normal profits but input barriers on the new entrants.

Personal Narrative - Tae Kwon Do Essay -- Personal Narratives

Tae Kwon Do Once upon a time, I qualified for the Tae Kwon Do State Championships, to go to the Tae Kwon Do Junior Olympics in Orlando, Florida. It was my second year at the Jr. Olympics, and I was competing in two events. Sparring and forms. Forms has always been my favorite, partly because I was pretty good at doing them. Sparring was okay. I guess. So we get to the arena on the day I had to compete, and I’ve got all these little butterflies and whatnot flittering around in my stomach. Forms came first, and guess what! I screwed up. So there goes my chance at the event I’m any good at. So if I can’t even place in something that I am good at, how am I going to place in something that I’m not that great at? So I got to the holding area to get put into my division (they split us up according to rank, age, and weight). And what do they do? Put me in a group of only four. And how many places do they give out, you ask? Three. Yep, three. Now I’m really worried. All I can think is, "Omigod, I’m gonna be the only one not to place. Omigod, omigod, omigod†¦" Finally, after w...

The Death Penalty Is Needed In Our Uncivilized Society :: Pro Capital Punishment Essays

Introduction: Capital punishment is the most severe form of corporal punishment as it requires law enforcement officers to kill the offender. It has been banned in many countries, in the United States, an earlier move to eliminate capital punishment has now been reversed and more and more states are resorting to capital punishment for serious offenses such as murder. An Eye for and eye, a life for a life, who has never heard of the famous lex talionis? The Bible mentions it, and people have been using it regularly for centuries. We use it in reference to burglary, adultery, love and many other situations. However, some people use it on a different level, some people use it in reference to death. One steals from those who have stolen from him, one wrongs those who have wronged him, but do we really have the right to kill those who have killed. Today, there is a big controversy over capital punishment whether or not it works, or if it is morally right. We have a certain privilege on our own lives, b ut do the lives of others belong to us as well? Do we have the right to decide the kind of lives others can or cannot live? We find someone guilty of murder and sentence him to death, does that not make murderers out of ourselves? Can justice justify our acts? Those who assist in the death penalty are they not partners in crime? Is the death penalty a "Cruel and Unusual" punishment or is it now a necessary tool in the war on crime? With the increase in crime and violence in our society, how does the death penalty affect a North American family. History of the Death Penalty: Use of the death penalty has declined throughout the industrial Western World since the 19th century. In 1972, movement in America to have the death penalty declared unconstitutional during the landmark case of Furman v. Georgia, which declared the death penalty cruel and unusual punishment. However, after a supreme court decision in 1975, Gregg v. Georgia, which stated capital punishment did not violate the eighth Amendment, executions commenced again under state supervision. (Van der Haag, 1975, 3-4) The debate: Deterrence: There are four major issues in the capital punishment debate, the first being deterrence. A major purpose of criminal punishment is to deter future criminal conduct. The deterrence theory suggests that a rational person will avoid criminal behavior if the severity of the punishment outweigh the benefits of the illegal conduct.

Benin :: essays research papers

Benin, independent nation of W Africa, formerly called Dahomey. Once a French protectorate, it is a country of 40 ethnic tribal groups and a low-level economy.Land and EconomyLocated in the bulge on the S side of W Africa, Benin is bordered by Nigeria, Toga, Berkina Faso, and Niger, with 75 mi (121km) on the Gulf of Guinea. The coast is hot and humid, and there are two rainy and two dry seasons; average annual rainfall is 32in (813mm). Benin has three plateaus, one fertile, another of bare rocks, and a third with streams flowing to the Volta and Niger rivers and including the Atakora range. The E section is a plain. Subsistence agriculture is the economic base. Palm products and cotton account for half of export revenues.PeopleThe leading class in Benin is composed of male-line descendants of the Aja (Fons, or Dahomey) who had established the early kingdom. Trained for civil service by the French, they are the best educated; literacy is 25% among school-age children. In the N are the nomadic Fulani and the Somba tribe, hunters with no political organization; E are Baribas. 90% of the population is rural, and 65% practices animist religion. French is the common language.GovernmentBenin has been under military rule since 1970. The constitution of 1977 instituted a national assembly, whose members belong to the sole legal political party, the Benin People's Revolutionary Party.HistoryBenin's history dates back to three principalities-Allada, Porto-Novo, and Dahomey-in the S area who were being pushed by the N Kingdom of Abomey in the 16th century. Dahomey was the most aggressive, pushing N and selling slaves. In 1863 the king of Porto-Novo sought French protection. By 1892 France had subjugated all groups and made them protectorates as part of French West Africa. In 1960 the country became independent as Dahomey. The official name was changed to Benin in 1976. Economic and regional rivalries have caused numerous military coup d'‚tats and changes of government since 1960. The Marxist-Leninist military government in power since 1972, led by Brig. Gen. Mathieu Kerekou, relaxed its authority somewhat during the late 1970s and improved relations with France.

The Twilight Saga 2: New Moon Chapter 24 VOTE

HE WAS NOT PLEASED, THAT MUCH WAS EASY TO READ in his face. But, without further argument, he took me in his arms and sprang lithely from my window, landing without the slightest jolt, like a cat. It was a little bit farther down than I'd imagined. â€Å"All right then,† he said, his voice seething with disapproval. â€Å"Up you go.† He helped me onto his back, and took off running. Even after all this time, it felt routine. Easy. Evidently this was something you never forgot, like riding a bicycle. It was so very quiet and dark as he ran through the forest, his breathing slow and evendark enough that the trees flying past us were nearly invisible, and only the rush of air in my face truly gave away our speed. The air was damp; it didn't burn my eyes the way the wind in the big plaza had, and that was comforting. As was the night, too, after that terrifying brightness. Like the thick quilt I'd played under as a child, the dark felt familiar and protecting. I remembered that running through the forest like this used to frighten me, that I used to have to close my eyes. It seemed a silly reaction to me now. I kept my eyes wide, my chin resting on his shoulder, my cheek against his neck. The speed was exhilarating. A hundred times better than the motorcycle. I turned my face toward him and pressed my lips into the cold stone skin of his neck. â€Å"Thank you,† he said, as the vague, black shapes of trees raced past us. â€Å"Does that mean you've decided you're awake?† I laughed. The sound was easy, natural, effortless. It sounded right. â€Å"Not really. More that, either way, I'm not trying to wake up. Not tonight.† â€Å"I'll earn your trust back somehow,† he murmured, mostly to himself. â€Å"If it's my final act.† â€Å"I trust you,† I assured him. â€Å"It's me I don't trust.† â€Å"Explain that, please.† He'd slowed to a walkI could only tell because the wind ceasedand I guessed that we weren't far from the house. In fact, I thought I could make out the sound of the river rushing somewhere close by in the darkness. â€Å"Well† I struggled to find the right way to phrase it. â€Å"I don't trust myself to be enough. To deserve you. There's nothing about me that could hold you.† He stopped and reached around to pull me from his back. His gentle hands did not release me; after he'd set me on my feet again, he wrapped his arms tightly around me, hugging me to his chest. â€Å"Your hold is permanent and unbreakable,† he whispered. â€Å"Never doubt that.† But how could I not? â€Å"You never did tell me† he murmured. â€Å"What?† â€Å"What your greatest problem is.† â€Å"I'll give you one guess.† I sighed, and reached up to touch the tip of his nose with my index finger. He nodded. â€Å"I'm worse than the Volturi,† he said grimly. â€Å"I guess I've earned that.† I rolled my eyes. â€Å"The worst the Volturi can do is kill me.† He waited with tense eyes. â€Å"You can leave me,† I explained. â€Å"The Volturi, Victoria they're nothing compared to that.† Even in the darkness, I could see the anguish twist his faceit reminded me of his expression under Jane's torturing gaze; I felt sick, and regretted speaking the truth. â€Å"Don't,† I whispered, touching his face. â€Å"Don't be sad.† He pulled one corner of his mouth up halfheartedly, but the expression didn't touch his eyes. â€Å"If there was only some way to make you see that I can't leave you,† he whispered. â€Å"Time, I suppose, will be the way to convince you.† I liked the idea of time. â€Å"Okay,† I agreed. His face was still tormented. I tried to distract him with inconsequentials. â€Å"Sosince you're staying. Can I have my stuff back?† I asked, making my tone as light as I could manage. My attempt worked, to an extent: he laughed. But his eyes retained the misery. â€Å"Your things were never gone,† he told me. â€Å"I knew it was wrong, since I promised you peace without reminders. It was stupid and childish, but I wanted to leave something of myself with you. The CD, the pictures, the ticketsthey're all under your floorboards.† â€Å"Really?† He nodded, seeming slightly cheered by my obvious pleasure in this trivial fact. It wasn't enough to heal the pain in his face completely. â€Å"I think,† I said slowly, â€Å"I'm not sure, but I wonder I think maybe I knew it the whole time.† â€Å"What did you know?† I only wanted to take away the agony in his eyes, but as I spoke the words, they sounded truer than I expected they would. â€Å"Some part of me, my subconscious maybe, never stopped believing that you still cared whether I lived or died. That's probably why I was hearing the voices.† There was a very deep silence for a moment. â€Å"Voices?† he asked flatly. â€Å"Well, just one voice. Yours. It's a long story.† The wary look on his face made me wish that I hadn't brought that up. Would he think I was crazy, like everyone else? Was everyone else right about that? But at least that expressionthe one that made him look like something was burning himfaded. â€Å"I've got time.† His voice was unnaturally even. â€Å"It's pretty pathetic.† He waited. I wasn't sure how to explain. â€Å"Do you remember what Alice said about extreme sports?† He spoke the words without inflection or emphasis. â€Å"You jumped off a cliff for fun.† â€Å"Er, right. And before that, with the motorcycle† â€Å"Motorcycle?† he asked. I knew his voice well enough to hear something brewing behind the calm. â€Å"I guess I didn't tell Alice about that part.† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Well, about that See, I found that when I was doing something dangerous or stupid I could remember you more clearly,† I confessed, feeling completely mental. â€Å"I could remember how your voice sounded when you were angry. I could hear it, like you were standing right there next to me. Mostly I tried not to think about you, but this didn't hurt so muchit was like you were protecting me again. Like you didn't want me to be hurt. â€Å"And, well, I wonder if the reason I could hear you so clearly was because, underneath it all. I always knew that you hadn't stopped loving me.† Again, as I spoke, the words brought with them a sense of conviction. Of rightness. Some deep place inside me recognized truth. His words came out half-strangled. â€Å"You were risking your life to hear† â€Å"Shh,† I interrupted him. â€Å"Hold on a second. I think I'm having an epiphany here.† I thought of that night in Port Angeles when I'd had my first delusion. I'd come up with two options. Insanity or wish fulfillment. I'd seen no third option. But what if What if you sincerely believed something was true, but you were dead wrong? What if you were so stubbornly sure that you were right, that you wouldn't even consider the truth? Would the truth be silenced, or would it try to break through? Option three: Edward loved me. The bond forged between us was not one that could be broken by absence, distance, or time. And no matter how much more special or beautiful or brilliant or perfect than me he might be, he was as irreversibly altered as I was. As I would always belong to him, so would he always be mine. Was that what I'd been trying to tell myself? â€Å"Oh!† â€Å"Bella?† â€Å"Oh. Okay. I see.† â€Å"Your epiphany?† he asked, his voice uneven and strained. â€Å"You love me,† I marveled. The sense of conviction and Tightness washed through me again. Though his eyes were still anxious, the crooked smile I loved best flashed across his face. â€Å"Truly, I do.† My heart inflated like it was going to crack right through my ribs. It filled my chest and blocked my throat so that I could not speak. He really did want me the way I wanted himforever. It was only fear for my soul, for the human things he didn't want to take from me, that made him so desperate to leave me mortal. Compared to the fear that he didn't want me, this hurdlemy soulseemed almost insignificant. He took my face tightly between his cool hands and kissed me until I was so dizzy the forest was spinning. Then he leaned his forehead against mine, and I was not the only one breathing harder than usual. â€Å"You were better at it than I was, you know,† he told me. â€Å"Better at what?† â€Å"Surviving. You, at least, made an effort. You got up in the morning, tried to be normal for Charlie, followed the pattern of your life. When I wasn't actively tracking, I was totally useless. I couldn't be around my familyI couldn't be around anyone. I'm embarrassed to admit that I more or less curled up into a ball and let the misery have me.† He grinned, sheepish. â€Å"It was much more pathetic than hearing voices. And, of course, you know I do that, too.† I was deeply relieved that he really seemed to understandcomforted that this all made sense to him. At any rate, he wasn't looking at me like I was crazy. He was looking at me like he loved me. â€Å"I only heard one voice,† I corrected him. He laughed and then pulled me tight against his right side and started to lead me forward. â€Å"I'm just humoring you with this.† He motioned broadly with his hand toward the darkness in front of us as we walked. There was something pale and immense therethe house, I realized. â€Å"It doesn't matter in the slightest what they say.† â€Å"This affects them now, too.† He shrugged indifferently. He led me through the open front door into the dark house and flipped the lights on. The room was just as I'd remembered itthe piano and the white couches and the pale, massive staircase. No dust, no white sheets. Edward called out the names with no more volume than I'd use in regular conversation. â€Å"Carlisle? Esme? Rosalie? Emmett? Jasper? Alice?† They would hear. Carlisle was suddenly standing beside me, as if he'd been there all along. â€Å"Welcome back, Bella.† He smiled. â€Å"What can we do for you this morning? I imagine, due to the hour, that this is not a purely social visit?† I nodded. â€Å"I'd like to talk to everyone at once, if that's okay. About something important.† I couldn't help glancing up at Edward's face as I spoke. His expression was critical, but resigned. When I looked back to Carlisle, he was looking at Edward, too. â€Å"Of course,† Carlisle said. â€Å"Why don't we talk in the other room?† Carlisle led the way through the bright living room, around the corner to the dining room, turning on lights as he went. The walls were white, the ceilings high, like the living room. In the center of the room, under the low-hanging chandelier, was a large, polished oval table surrounded by eight chairs. Carlisle held out a chair for me at the head. I'd never seen the Cullens use the dining room table beforeit was just a prop. They didn't eat in the house. As soon as I turned to sit in the chair, I saw that we were not alone. Esme had followed Edward, and behind her the rest of the family filed in. Carlisle sat down on my right, and Edward on my left. Everyone else took their seats in silence. Alice was grinning at me, already in on the plot. Emmett and Jasper looked curious, and Rosalie smiled at me tentatively. My answering smile was just as timid. That was going to take some getting used to. Carlisle nodded toward me. â€Å"The floor is yours.† I swallowed. Their gazing eyes made me nervous. Edward took my hand under the table. I peeked at him, but he was watching the others, his fate suddenly fierce. â€Å"Well,† I paused. â€Å"I'm hoping Alice has already told you everything that happened in Volterra?† â€Å"Everything,† Alice assured me. I threw her a meaningful look. â€Å"And on the way?† â€Å"That, too,† she nodded. â€Å"Good,† I sighed with relief. â€Å"Then we're all on the same page.† They waited patiently while I tried to order my thoughts. â€Å"So, I have a problem,† I began. â€Å"Alice promised the Volturi that I would become one of you. They're going to send someone to check, and I'm sure that's a bad thingsomething to avoid. â€Å"And so, now, this involves you all. I'm sorry about that.† I looked at each one of their beautiful faces, saving the most beautiful for last. Edward's mouth was turned down into a grimace. â€Å"But, if you don't want me, then I'm not going to force myself on you, whether Alice is willing or not.† Esme opened her mouth to speak, but I held up one finger to stop her. â€Å"Please, let me finish. You all know what I want. And I'm sure you know what Edward thinks, too. I think the only fair way to decide is for everyone to have a vote. If you decide you don't want me, then I guess I'll go back to Italy alone. I can't have them coming here.† My forehead creased as I considered that. There was the faint rumble of a growl in Edward's chest. I ignored him. â€Å"Taking into account, then, that I won't put any of you in danger either way, I want you to vote yes or no on the issue of me becoming a vampire.† I half-smiled on the last word, and gestured toward Carlisle to begin. â€Å"Just a minute,† Edward interrupted. I glared at him through narrowed eyes. He raised his eyebrows at me, squeezing my hand. â€Å"I have something to add before we vote.† I sighed. â€Å"About the danger Bella's referring to,† he continued. â€Å"I don't think we need to be overly anxious.† His expression became more animated. He put his free hand on the shining table and leaned forward. â€Å"You see,† he explained, looking around the table while he spoke, â€Å"there was more than one reason why I didn't want to shake Aro's hand there at the end. There's something they didn't think of, and I didn't want to cine them in.† He grinned. â€Å"Which was?† Alice prodded. I was sure my expression was just as skeptical as hers. â€Å"The Volturi are overconfident, and with good reason. When they decide to find someone, it's not really a problem. Do you remember Demetri?† He glanced down at me. I shuddered. He took that as a yes. â€Å"He finds peoplethat's his talent, why they keep him. â€Å"Now, the whole time we were with any of them, I was picking their brains for anything that might save us, getting as much information as possible. So I saw how Demetri's talent works. He's a trackera tracker a thousand times more gifted than Jarres was. His ability is loosely related to what I do, or what Aro does. He catches the flavor? I don't know how to describe it the tenor of someone's mind, and then he follows that. It works over immense distances. â€Å"But after Aro's little experiments, well† Edward shrugged. â€Å"You think he won't be able to find me,† I said flatly. He was smug. â€Å"I'm sure of it. He relies totally on that other sense. When it doesn't work with you, they'll all be blind.† â€Å"And how does that solve anything?† â€Å"Quite obviously, Alice will be able to tell when they're planning a visit, and I'll hide you. They'll be helpless,† he said with fierce enjoyment. â€Å"It will be like looking for a piece of straw in a haystack!† He and Emmett exchanged a glance and a smirk. This made no sense. â€Å"But they can find you,† I reminded him. â€Å"And I can take care of myself.† Emmett laughed, and reached across the table toward his brother, extending a fist. â€Å"Excellent plan, my brother,† he said with enthusiasm. Edward stretched out his arm to smack Emmett's fist with his own. â€Å"No,† Rosalie hissed. â€Å"Absolutely not,† I agreed. â€Å"Nice.† Jasper's voice was appreciative. â€Å"Idiots,† Alice muttered. Esme just glared at Edward. I straightened up in my chair, focusing. This was my meeting. â€Å"All right, then. Edward has offered an alternative for you to consider,† I said coolly. â€Å"Let's vote.† I looked toward Edward this time; it would be better to get his opinion out of the way. â€Å"Do you want me to join your family?† His eyes were hard and black as flint. â€Å"Not that way. You're staying human.† I nodded once, keeping my face businesslike, and then moved on. â€Å"Alice?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Jasper?† â€Å"Yes,† he said, voice grave. I was a little surprisedI hadn't been at all sure of his votebut I suppressed my reaction and moved on. â€Å"Rosalie?† She hesitated, biting down on her full, perfect bottom lip. â€Å"No.† I kept my face blank and turned my head slightly to move on, but she held up both her hands, palms forward. â€Å"Let me explain,† she pleaded. â€Å"I don't mean that I have any aversion to you as a sister. It's just that this is not the life I would have chosen for myself. I wish there had been someone there to vote no for me.† I nodded slowly, and then turned to Emmett. â€Å"Hell, yes!† He grinned. â€Å"We can find some other way to pick a fight with this Demetri.† I was still grimacing at that when I looked at Esme. â€Å"Yes, of course, Bella. I already think of you as part of my family.† â€Å"Thank you, Esme,† I murmured as I turned toward Carlisle. I was suddenly nervous, wishing I had asked for his vote first. I was sure that this was the vote that mattered most, the vote that counted more than any majority. Carlisle wasn't looking at me. â€Å"Edward,† he said. â€Å"No,† Edward growled. His jaw was strained tight, his lips curled back from his teeth. â€Å"It's the only way that makes sense,† Carlisle insisted. â€Å"You've chosen not to live without her, and that doesn't leave me a choice.† Edward dropped my hand, shoving away from the table. He stalked out of the room, snarling under his breath. â€Å"I guess you know my vote.† Carlisle sighed. I was still staring after Edward. â€Å"Thanks,† I mumbled. An earsplitting crash echoed from the other room. I flinched, and spoke quickly. â€Å"That's all I needed. Thank you. For wanting to keep me. I feel exactly the same way about all of you, too.† My voice was jagged with emotion by the end. Esme was at my side in a flash, her cold arms around me. â€Å"Dearest Bella,† she breathed. I hugged her back. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Rosalie looking down at the table, and I realized that my words could be construed in two ways. â€Å"Well, Alice,† I said when Esme released me. â€Å"Where do you want to do this?† Alice stared at me, her eyes widening with terror. â€Å"No! No! NO!† Edward roared, charging back into the room. He was in my face before I had time to blink, bending over me, his expression twisted in rage. â€Å"Are you insane?† he shouted. â€Å"Have you utterly lost your mind?† I cringed away, my hands over my ears. â€Å"Um, Bella,† Alice interjected in an anxious voice. â€Å"I don't think I'm ready for that. I'll need to prepare† â€Å"You promised,† I reminded her, glaring under Edward's arm. â€Å"I know, but Seriously, Bella! I don't have any idea how to not killyou.† â€Å"You can do it,† I encouraged. â€Å"I trust you.† Edward snarled in fury. Alice shook her head quickly, looking panicked. â€Å"Carlisle?† I turned to look at him. Edward grabbed my face in his hand, forcing me to look at him. His other hand was out, palm toward Carlisle. Carlisle ignored that. â€Å"I'm able to do it,† he answered my question. I wished I could see his expression. â€Å"You would be in no danger of me losing control.† â€Å"Sounds good.† I hoped he could understand; it was hard to talk clearly the way Edward held my jaw. â€Å"Hold on,† Edward said between his teeth. â€Å"It doesn't have to be now.† â€Å"There's no reason for it not to be now,† I said, the words coming out distorted. â€Å"I can think of a few.† â€Å"Of course you can,† I said sourly. â€Å"Now let go of me.† He freed my face, and folded his arms across his chest. â€Å"In about two hours, Charlie will be here looking for you. I wouldn't put it past him to involve the police.† â€Å"All three of them.† But I frowned. This was always the hardest part. Charlie, Renee. Now Jacob, too. The people I would lose, the people I would hurt. I wished there was some way that I could be the only one to suffer, but I knew that was impossible. At the same time, I was hurting them more by staying human. Putting Charlie in constant danger through my proximity. Putting Jake in worse danger still by drawing his enemies across the land he felt bound to protect. And ReneeI couldn't even risk a visit to see my own mother for fear of bringing my deadly problems along with me! I was a danger magnet; I'd accepted that about myself. Accepting this, I knew I needed to be able to take care of myself and protect the ones I loved, even if that meant that I couldn't be with them. I needed to be strong. â€Å"In the interest of remaining inconspicuous,† Edward said, still talking through his gritted teeth, but looking at Carlisle now, â€Å"I suggest that we put this conversation off, at the very least until Bella finishes high school, and moves out of Charlie's house.† â€Å"That's a reasonable request, Bella,† Carlisle pointed out. I thought about Charlie's reaction when he woke up this morning, ifafter all that life had put him through in the last week with Harry's loss, and then I had put him through with my unexplained disappearancehe were to find my bed empty. Charlie deserved better than that. It was just a little more time; graduation wasn't so far away I pursed my lips. â€Å"I'll consider it.† Edward relaxed. His jaw unclenched. â€Å"I should probably take you home,† he said, more calm now, but clearly in a hurry to get me out of here. â€Å"Just in case Charlie wakes up early.† I looked at Carlisle. â€Å"After graduation?† â€Å"You have my word.† I took a deep breath, smiled, and turned back to Edward. â€Å"Okay. You can take me home.† Edward rushed me out of the house before Carlisle could promise me anything else. He took me out the back, so I didn't get to see what was broken in the living room. It was a quiet trip home. I was feeling triumphant, and a little smug. Scared stiff, too, of course, but I tried not to think about that part. It did me no good to worry about the painthe physical or the emotionalso I wouldn't. Not until I absolutely had to. When we got to my house, Edward didn't pause. He dashed up the wall and through my window in half a second. Then he pulled my arms frcm around his neck and set me on the bed. I thought I had a pretty good idea of what he was thinking, but his expression surprised me. Instead of furious, it was calculating. He paced silently back and forth across my dark room while I watched with growing suspicion. â€Å"Whatever you're planning, it's not going to work,† I told him. â€Å"Shh. I'm thinking.† â€Å"Ugh,† I groaned, throwing myself back on the bed and pulling the quilt over my head. There was no sound, but suddenly he was there. He flipped the cover back so he could see me. He was lying next to me. His hand reached up to brush my hair from my cheek. â€Å"If you don't mind, I'd much rather you didn't hide your face. I've lived without it for as long as I can stand. Now tell me something.† â€Å"What?† I asked, unwilling. â€Å"If you could have anything in the world, anything at all, what would it be?† I could feel the skepticism in my eyes. â€Å"You.† He shook his head impatiently. â€Å"Something you don't already have.† I wasn't sure where he was trying to lead me, so I thought carefully before I answered. I came up with something that was both true, and also probably impossible. â€Å"I would want Carlisle not to have to do it. I would want you to change me.† I watched his reaction warily, expecting more of the fury I'd seen at his house. I was surprised that his expression didn't change. It was still calculating, thoughtful. â€Å"What would you be willing to trade for that?† I couldn't believe my ears. I gawked at his composed face and blurted out the answer before I could think about it. â€Å"Anything.† He smiled faintly, and then pursed his lips. â€Å"Five years?† My face twisted into an expression somewhere between chagrin and horror. â€Å"You said anything,† he reminded me. â€Å"Yes, but you'll use the time to find a way out of it. I have to strike while the iron is hot. Besides, it's just too dangerous to be humanfor me, at least. So, anything but that.† He frowned. â€Å"Three years?† â€Å"No!† â€Å"Isn't it worth anyrhing to you at all? â€Å" I thought about how much I wanted this. Better to keep a poker face, I decided, and not let him know how very much that was. It would give me more leverage. â€Å"Six months?† He rolled his eyes. â€Å"Not good enough.† â€Å"One year, then,† I said. â€Å"That's my limit.† â€Å"At least give me two.† â€Å"No way. Nineteen I'll do. But I'm not going anywhere near twenty. If you're staying in your teens forever, then so am I.† He thought for a minute. â€Å"All right. Forget time limits. If you want me to be the onethen you'll just have to meet one condition.† â€Å"Condition?† My voice went flat. â€Å"What condition?† His eyes were cautioushe spoke slowly. â€Å"Marry me first.† I stared at him, waiting â€Å"Okay. What's the punch line?† He sighed. â€Å"You're wounding my ego, Bella. I just proposed to you, and you think it's a joke.† â€Å"Edward, please be serious.† â€Å"I am one hundred percent serious.† He gazed at me with no hint of humor in his face. â€Å"Oh, c'mon,† I said, an edge of hysteria in my voice. â€Å"I'm only eighteen.† â€Å"Well, I'm nearly a hundred and ten. It's time I settled down.† I looked away, out the dark window, trying to control the panic before it gave me away. â€Å"Look, marriage isn't exactly that high on my list of priorities, you know? It was sort of the kiss of death for Renee and Charlie.† â€Å"Interesting choice of words.† â€Å"You know what I mean.† He inhaled deeply. â€Å"Please don't tell me that you're afraid of the commitment,† his voice was disbelieving, and I understood what he meant. â€Å"That's not it exactly,† I hedged. â€Å"I'm afraid of Renee. She has some really intense opinions on getting married before you're thirty.† â€Å"Because she'd rather you became one of the eternal damned than get married.† He laughed darkly. â€Å"You think you're joking.† â€Å"Bella, if you compare the level of commitment between a marital union as opposed to bartering your soul in exchange for an eternity as a vampire† He shook his head. â€Å"If you're not brave enough to marry me, then† â€Å"Well,† I interrupted. â€Å"What if I did? What if I told you to take me to Vegas now? Would I be a vampire in three days?† He smiled, his teeth flashing in the dark. â€Å"Sure,† he said, calling my bluff. â€Å"I'll get my car.† â€Å"Dammit.† I muttered. â€Å"I'll give you eighteen months.† â€Å"No deal,† he said, grinning. â€Å"I like this condition.† â€Å"Fine. I'll have Carlisle do it when I graduate.† â€Å"If that's what you really want.† He shrugged, and his smile became absolutely angelic. â€Å"You're impossible,† I groaned. â€Å"A monster.† He chuckled. â€Å"Is that why you won't marry me?† I groaned again. He leaned toward me; his night-dark eyes melted and smoldered and shattered my concentration. † Please, Bella?† he breathed. I forgot how to breathe for a moment. When I recovered, I shook my head quickly, trying to clear my suddenly clouded mind. â€Å"Would this have gone better if I d had time to get a ring.'† â€Å"No! No rings!† I very nearly snouted. â€Å"Now you've done it,† he whispered. â€Å"Oops.† â€Å"Charlie's getting up; I'd better leave,† Edward said with resignation. My heart stopped beating. He gauged my expression for a second. â€Å"Would it be childish of me to hide in your closet, then?† â€Å"No,† I whispered eagerly. â€Å"Stay. Please.† Edward smiled and disappeared. I seethed in the darkness as I waited for Charlie to check on me. Edward knew exactly what he was doing, and I was willing to bet that all the injured surprise was part of the ploy. Of course, I still had the Carlisle option, but now that I knew there was a chance that Edward would change me himself, I wanted it bad. He was such a cheater. My door cracked open. â€Å"Morning, Dad.† â€Å"Oh, hey, Bella.† He sounded embarrassed at getting caught. â€Å"I didn't know you were awake.† â€Å"Yeah. I've just been waiting ior you to wake up so I could take a shower.† I started to get up. â€Å"Hold on,† Charlie said, flipping the light on. I blinked in the sudden brightness, and carefully kept my eyes away from the closet. â€Å"Let's talk for a minute first.† I couldn't control my grimace. I'd forgotten to ask Alice for a good excuse. â€Å"You know you're in trouble.† â€Å"Yeah, I know.† â€Å"I just about went crazy these last three days. I come home from Harry's funeral, and you're gone. Jacob could only tell me that you'd run off with Alice Cullen, and that he thought you were in trouble. You didn't leave me a number, and you didn't call. I didn't know where you were or whenor ifyou were coming back. Do you have any idea how how† He couldn't finish the sentence. He sucked in a sharp breath and moved on. â€Å"Can you give me one reason why I shouldn't ship you off to Jacksonville this second?† My eyes narrowed. So it was going to be threats, was it? Two could play at that game. I sat up, pulling the quilt around me. â€Å"Because I won't go.† â€Å"Now just one minute, young lady† â€Å"Look, Dad, I accept complete responsibility for my actions, and you have the right to ground me for as long as you want. I will also do all the chores and laundry and dishes until you think I've learned my lesson. And I guess you're within your rights if you want to kick me out, toobut that won't make me to go to Florida.† His face turned bright red. He took a few deep breaths before he answered. â€Å"Would you like to explain where you've been?† Oh, crap. â€Å"There was an emergency.† He raised his eyebrows in expectation of my brilliant explanation. I filled my cheeks with air and then blew it out noisily. â€Å"I don't know what to tell you, Dad. It was mostly a misunderstanding. He said, she said. It got out of hand.† He waited with a distrustful expression. â€Å"See, Alice told Rosalie about me jumping off the cliff† I was scrambling frantically to make this work, to keep it as close to the truth as possible so that my inability to lie convincingly would not undermine the excuse, but before I could go on, Charlie's expression reminded me that he didn't know arything about thecliff. Major oops. As if I wasn't already toast. â€Å"I guess I didn't tell you about that,† I choked out. â€Å"It was nothing. Just messing around, swimming with Jake. Anyway, Rosalie told Edward, and he was upset. She sort of accidentally made it sound like I wa? trying to kill myself or something. He wouldn't answer his phone, so Alice dragged me to L.A., to explain in person.† I shrugged, desperately hoping that he would not be so distracted by my slip that he'd miss the brilliant explanation I'd provided. Charlie's face was frozen. â€Å"Were you trying to kill yourself, Bella?† â€Å"No, of course not. Just having fun with Jake. Cliff diving. The La Push kids do it all the time. Like I said, nothing.† Charlie's face heated upfrom frozen to hot with fury. â€Å"What's it to Edward Cullen anyway?† he barked. â€Å"All this time, he's just left you dangling without a word† I interrupted him. â€Å"Another misunderstanding.† His face flushed again. â€Å"So is he back then?† â€Å"I'm not sure what the exact plan is. I think they all are.† He shook his head, the vein in his forehead pulsing. â€Å"I want you to stay away from him, Bella. I don't trust him. He's rotten for you. I won't let him mess you up like that again.† â€Å"Fine,† I said curtly. Charlie rocked back onto his heels. â€Å"Oh.† He scrambled for a second, exhaling loudly in surprise. â€Å"I thought you were going to be difficult.† â€Å"I am.† I stared straight into his eyes. â€Å"I meant, ‘Fine, I'll move out.'† His eyes bulged; his face turned puce. My resolve wavered as I started to worry about his health. He was no younger than Harry â€Å"Dad, I don't want to move out,† I said in a softer tone. â€Å"I love you. I know you're worried, but you need to trust me on this. And you're going to have to ease up on Edward if you want me to stay. Do you want me to live here or not?† â€Å"That's not fair, Bella. You know I want you to stay.† â€Å"Then be nice to Edward, because he's going to be where I am.† I said it with confidence. The conviction of my epiphany was still strong. â€Å"Not under my roof,† Charlie stormed. I sighed a heavy sigh. â€Å"Look, I'm not going to give you any more ultimatums tonightor I guess it's this morning. Just think about it for a few days, okay? But keep in mind that Edward and I are sort of a package deal.† â€Å"Bella† â€Å"Think it over,† I insisted. â€Å"And while you're doing that, could you give me some privacy? I really need a shower.† Charlie's face was a strange shade of purple, but he left, slamming the door behind him. I heard him stomp furiously down the stairs. I threw off my quilt, and Edward was already there, sitting in the rocking chair as if he d been present through the whole conversation. â€Å"Sorry about that,† I whispered. â€Å"It's not as if I don't deserve far worse,† he murmured. â€Å"Don't start anything with Charlie over me, please. â€Å" â€Å"Don't worry about it,† I breathed as I gathered up my bathroom things and a set of clean clothes. â€Å"I will start exactly as much as is necessary, and no more than that. Or are you trying to tell me I have nowhere to go?† I widened my eyes with false alarm. â€Å"You'd move in with a house full of vampires?† â€Å"That's probably the safest place for someone like me. Besides† I grinned. â€Å"If Charlie kicks me out, then there's no need for a graduation deadline, is there?† His jaw tightened. â€Å"So eager for eternal damnation,† he muttered. â€Å"You know you don't really believe that.† â€Å"Oh, don't I?† he fumed. â€Å"No. You don't.† He glowered at me and started to speak, but I cut him off. â€Å"If you really believed that you'd lost your soul, then when I found you in Volterra, you would have realized immediately what was happening, instead of thinking we were both dead together. But you didn'tyou said ‘Amazing. Carlisle was right,'† I reminded him, triumphant. â€Å"There's hope in you, after all.† For once, Edward was speechless. â€Å"So let's both just be hopeful, all right?† I suggested. â€Å"Not that it matters. If you stay, I don't need heaven.† He got up slowly, and came to put his hands on either side of my face as he stared into my eyes. â€Å"Forever,† he vowed, still a little staggered. â€Å"That's all I'm asking for,† I said, and stretched up on my toes so that I could press my lips to his.