Blood Promise Chapter Eleven

I stared at Mark for several long seconds. Finally, stupidly, I asked, â€Å"Did you say†¦ heal?† Mark stared at me in equal surprise. â€Å"Yes, of course. She can heal other things, right? Why not this?† â€Å"Because†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I frowned. â€Å"That doesn't make any sense. The darkness†¦ all the bad side effects†¦ those come from Lissa. If she could just heal it, why wouldn't she heal it out of herself?† â€Å"Because when it's in her, it's too ingrained. Too tied into her being. She can't heal it the way she can other things. But once your bond has pulled it into you, it's like any other sickness.† My heart was pounding in my chest. What he was suggesting was too ridiculously easy. No, it was just ridiculous, period. There was no way after all that we'd been through that Lissa could heal that rage and depression the way she could a cold or a broken leg. Victor Dashkov, despite his wicked schemes, had known an astonishing amount about spirit and had explained it to us. The other four elements were more physical in nature, but spirit came from the mind and soul. To use that much mental energy-to be able to do such powerful things-couldn't be done without devastating side effects. We'd been fighting those side effects from the beginning, first in Lissa and then in me. They couldn't just go away. â€Å"If that were possible,† I said quietly, â€Å"then everyone would have done it. Ms. Karp wouldn't have lost her mind. Anna wouldn't have committed suicide. What you're saying is too easy.† Mark didn't know who I was talking about, but clearly it didn't matter for what he wanted to express. â€Å"You're right. It's not easy at all. It requires a careful balance, a circle of trust and strength between two people. It took Oksana and me a long time to learn†¦ many hard years†¦Ã¢â‚¬  His face darkened, and I could only imagine what those years had been like. My short time with Lissa had been bad enough. They'd had to live with this a lot longer than we had. It had to have been unbearable at times. Slowly, wonderingly, I dared to give credence to his words. â€Å"But now you guys are okay?† â€Å"Hmm.† There was a flicker of a wry smile on his lips. â€Å"I'd hardly say we're perfectly okay. There's only so much she can do, but it makes life manageable. She spaces out the healings as long as we can handle it, since it takes a lot out of her. It's draining, and it limits her overall power.† â€Å"What do you mean?† He shrugged. â€Å"She can still do the other things†¦ healing, compulsion†¦ but not to the levels she would if she wasn't always healing me.† My hope faltered. â€Å"Oh. Then†¦ I couldn't. I couldn't do that to Lissa.† â€Å"Compared to what she's doing to you? Rose. I have a feeling she'd think it was a fair trade.† I thought back to our last meeting. I thought about how I'd left her there, despite her begging. I thought about the lows she'd been experiencing in my absence. I thought about how she'd refused to heal Dimitri when I'd thought there might still be hope for him. We'd both been bad friends. I shook my head. â€Å"I don't know,† I said in a small voice. â€Å"I don't know if she would.† Mark gave me a long, level look, but he didn't push me on the matter. He glanced up at the sun, almost as if he could tell the time from it. He probably could. He had that surviving-in-the-wilderness kind of feel to him. â€Å"The others will wonder what happened to us. Before we go†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, plain silver ring. â€Å"Learning to heal will take time. What worries me the most right now is this vigilante mood you're in. The darkness is only going to make it worse. Take this.† He extended the ring to me. I hesitated and then reached for it. â€Å"What is it?† â€Å"Oksana infused it with spirit. It's a healing charm.† Once again, shock ran through me. Moroi charmed objects with elements all the time. Stakes were charmed with all four of the physical elements, making them lethal to Strigoi. Victor had charmed a necklace with earth magic, using the base nature of earth to turn the necklace into a lust charm. Even Sydney's tattoo was a charm of sorts. I supposed there was no reason that spirit couldn't charm objects too, but it had never occurred to me, probably because Lissa's powers were still too new and too foreign. â€Å"What's it do? I mean, what kind of healing?† â€Å"It'll help with your moods. It can't get rid of them, but it'll lessen them-help you think more clearly. Might keep you out of trouble. Oksana makes these for me to help between healings.† I started to slip it on, but he shook his head. â€Å"Save it for when you really feel out of control. The magic won't last forever. It fades just like any other charm.† I stared at the ring, my mind suddenly open to all sorts of new possibilities. A few moments later, I slipped it into my coat pocket. Paul stuck his head out the back door. â€Å"Grandmother wants to leave now,† he told me. â€Å"She wants to know why you're taking so long and said to ask why you'd make someone as old as her keep waiting and suffering with her back.† I recalled how fast Yeva had been walking while I struggled to keep up with my load. Her back hadn't seemed all that bad to me, but again, I remembered that Paul was only the messenger and spared him my commentary. â€Å"Okay. I'll be right there.† When he was gone, I shook my head. â€Å"It's hard being worthy.† I moved toward the door, then gave Mark a backward glance, as a random thought occurred to me. â€Å"You're telling me that going off on your own is bad†¦ but you aren't a guardian either.† He smiled at me again, one of those sad, wry smiles. â€Å"I used to be. Then Oksana saved my life. We bonded and eventually fell in love. I couldn't stand to be separated from her after that, and the guardians would have assigned me elsewhere. I had to go.† â€Å"Was it hard to leave them?† â€Å"Very. Our age difference made it even more scandalous.† A strange chill ran through me. Mark and Oksana were the embodiment of the two halves of my life. They fought against a shadow-kissed bond as Lissa and I did and also faced the same condemnation for their relationship that Dimitri and I had. Mark continued, â€Å"But sometimes, we have to listen to our hearts. And even though I left, I'm not out there recklessly going after Strigoi. I'm an old man living with the woman he loves and tending his garden. There's a difference-don't forget that.† My mind was reeling when I returned to the Belikov house. Without the bricks, the walk back had been a lot easier. It had given me a chance to ponder Mark's words. I felt like I'd received a lifetime of information in a one-hour conversation. Olena was going about the house, doing her normal tasks of cooking and cleaning. While I would personally never want to spend my days doing those sorts of domestic duties, I had to admit there was something comforting about always having someone who was around, ready to cook and worry about me on a daily basis. I knew it was a purely selfish desire, just as I knew my own mom was doing important things with her life. I shouldn't judge her. Still, it made me feel warm and cared for to have Olena treat me like a daughter when she hardly knew me. â€Å"Are you hungry?† she asked automatically. I think one of the greatest fears in her life was that someone might go hungry in her home. Sydney's perpetual lack of appetite had been a nonstop worry for Olena. I hid a smile. â€Å"No, we ate at Mark and Oksana's.† â€Å"Ah, that's where you were? They're good people.† â€Å"Where is everyone?† I asked. The house was unusually quiet. â€Å"Sonya and Karolina are at work. Viktoria's out at a friend's, but she'll be glad you're back.† â€Å"What about Sydney?† â€Å"She left a little while ago. She said she was going back to Saint Petersburg.† â€Å"What?† I exclaimed. â€Å"Left for good? Just like that?† Sydney had a blunt nature, but this was abrupt even for her. â€Å"The Alchemists†¦ well, they're always on the move.† Olena handed me a piece of paper. â€Å"She left this for you.† I took the note and immediately opened it. Sydney's handwriting was neat and precise. Somehow this didn't surprise me. Rose, I'm sorry I had to leave so quickly, but when the Alchemists tell me to jump†¦ well, I jump. I've hitched a ride back to that farm town we stayed in so that I can pick up the Red Hurricane, and then I'm off to Saint Petersburg. Apparently, now that you've been delivered to Baia, they don't need me to stick around anymore. I wish I could tell you more about Abe and what he wants from you. Even if I was allowed to, there isn't much to say. In some ways, he's as much a mystery to me as he is to you. Like I said, a lot of the business he deals in is illegal-both among humans and Moroi. The only time he gets directly involved with people is when something relates to that business-or if it's a very, very special case. I think you're one of those cases, and even if he doesn't intend you harm, he might want to use you for his own purposes. It could be as simple as him wanting to contract you as a bodyguard, seeing as you're rogue. Maybe he wants to use you to get to others. Maybe this is all part of someone else's plan, someone who's even more mysterious than him. Maybe he's doing someone a favor. Zmey can be dangerous or kind, all depending on what he needs to accomplish. I never thought I'd care enough to say this to a dhampir, but be careful. I don't know what your plans are now, but I have a feeling trouble follows you around. Call me if there's anything I can help with, but if you go back to the big cities to hunt Strigoi, don't leave any more bodies unattended! All the best, Sydney P.S. â€Å"The Red Hurricane† is what I named the car. P.P.S. Just because I like you, it doesn't mean I still don't think you're an evil creature of the night. You are. Her cell phone number was added at the bottom, and I couldn't help but smile. Since we'd ridden to Baia with Abe and his guardians, Sydney had had to leave the car behind, which had traumatized her almost as much as the Strigoi. I hoped the Alchemists would let her keep it. I shook my head, amused in spite of her warnings about Abe. The Red Hurricane. As I headed upstairs to my room, my smile faded. Despite her abrasive attitude, I was going to miss Sydney. She might not exactly be a friend-or was she?-but in this brief time, I'd come to regard her as a constant in my life. I didn't have many of those left anymore. I felt adrift, unsure what to do now. I'd come here to bring peace to Dimitri and had only ended up bringing grief to his family. And if what everyone said was true, I wasn't going to find many Strigoi here in Baia. Somehow, I couldn't picture Dimitri, wandering the road and farms for the occasional prey. Even as a Strigoi -and it killed me to think those words-Dimitri would have a purpose. If he wasn't returning to the familiar sights of his hometown, then he would be doing something else meaningful-inasmuch as a Strigoi could. Sydney's comment in the note had verified what I kept hearing over and over: Strigoi were in the cities. But which one? Where would Dimitri go? Now I was the one without a purpose. On top of it all, I couldn't help but replay Mark's words. Was I really on an insane vigilante mission? Was I foolishly rushing to my death? Or was I foolishly rushing into†¦ nothing? Was I doomed to spend the rest of my days wandering? Alone? Sitting on my bed, I felt my mood plummet and knew I had to distract myself. I was too susceptible to dark emotions as long as Lissa used spirit; I didn't need to further encourage them. I slipped on the ring that Mark had given me, hoping it would bring some sort of clarity and tranquility. I felt no noticeable difference, though, and decided to seek peace from that same place I always did: Lissa's mind. She was with Adrian, and the two were practicing spirit again. After some initial bumps in the road, Adrian was proving a quick study at healing. That had been the first of Lissa's powers to manifest, and it always irked her that he made more progress on what she had to teach him than vice versa. â€Å"I'm running out of things for you to heal,† she said, setting some tiny potted plants onto a table. â€Å"Unless we start cutting off limbs or something.† Adrian smiled. â€Å"I used to tease Rose about that, how I was going to impress her by healing amputees or something equally absurd.† â€Å"Oh, and I'm sure she had a smartass response for you each time.† â€Å"Yes, yes, she did.† His face was fond as he recalled the memory. There was a part of me that was always insanely curious to hear them talk about me†¦ yet at the same time, I always felt bad at the grief my name seemed to invoke. Lissa groaned and stretched out on the carpeted floor. They were in a dorm lounge, and curfew was swiftly approaching. â€Å"I want to talk to her, Adrian.† â€Å"You can't,† he said. There was an unusual seriousness in his voice. â€Å"I know she still checks in on you-that's the closest you'll get to talking to her. And honestly? That's not so bad. You can tell her exactly how you feel.† â€Å"Yeah, but I want to hear her talk back like you do in your dreams.† This made him smile again. â€Å"She does plenty of talking back, believe me.† Lissa sat up straight. â€Å"Do it now.† â€Å"Do what now?† â€Å"Go visit her dreams. You always try to explain it to me, but I've never actually seen it. Let me watch.† He stared, at a loss for words. â€Å"That's kind of voyeuristic.† â€Å"Adrian! I want to learn this, and we've tried everything else. I can feel the magic around you sometimes. Just do it, okay?† He started to protest again but then bit off his comment after studying her face for a moment. Her words had been sharp and demanding-very uncharacteristic for her. â€Å"Okay. I'll try.† The whole idea of Adrian trying to get into my head while I was watching him through Lissa's head was surreal, to say the least. I didn't quite know what to expect from him. I'd always wondered if he had to be asleep or at least have his eyes closed. Apparently not. He instead stared off at nothing, his eyes going vacant as his mind left the world around him. Through Lissa's eyes, I could see some of the magic radiating off him and his aura, and she tried to analyze each strand. Then, without warning, all the magic faded. He blinked and shook his head. â€Å"Sorry. I can't do it.† â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"Probably because she's awake. Did you learn anything by watching?† â€Å"A little. Probably would've been more useful if you'd actually made the connection.† Again, Lissa had that petulant tone. â€Å"She could be anywhere in the world, you know, on any schedule.† His words were smothered by a yawn. â€Å"Maybe we can try at different times of the day. I've been getting her†¦ actually, close to this time. Or sometimes I catch her really early in the day.† â€Å"She could be close by then,† said Lissa. â€Å"Or on a human daylight schedule in some other part of the world.† Her enthusiasm dropped. â€Å"Right. That too.† â€Å"How come you guys never look like you're working?† Christian strolled into the room, looking amused at Lissa sitting on the floor and Adrian sprawling on the couch. Standing behind Christian was someone I hadn't thought I'd see anytime soon. Adrian, who could detect women a mile away, also immediately noticed the newcomer. â€Å"Where'd you get the jailbait?† he asked. Christian shot Adrian a warning look. â€Å"This is Jill.† Jill Mastrano allowed herself to be nudged forward, her light green eyes impossibly wide as she looked around. â€Å"Jill, this is Lissa and Adrian.† Jill was one of the last people I'd expected to see here. I'd met her a little over a month ago. She was in ninth grade, which meant she'd be here on the upper campus in the fall. She had the same super-slim build that most Moroi had, but it was paired with height that was impressive even by vampiric standards. It made her look rail-thin. Her hair fell in light brown curls to the middle of her back and would be beautiful-when she learned how to style it properly. For now, it was kind of messy, and her overall impression-while cute-was kind of awkward. â€Å"H-hi,† she said, looking from face to face. As far as she was concerned, these were Moroi gold star celebrities. She'd nearly passed out when she first met me and Dimitri, thanks to our reputations. From her expression, she was in a similar state now. â€Å"Jill wants to learn how to use her power for good instead of evil,† said Christian with an exaggerated wink. That was his coy way of saying Jill wanted to learn how to fight with her magic. She'd expressed the interest to me, and I'd told her to find Christian. I was glad she'd had the courage to take me up on my advice. Christian was a campus celebrity too, albeit an infamous one. â€Å"Another recruit?† asked Lissa, shaking her head. â€Å"Think you'll keep this one around?† Jill gave Christian a startled look. â€Å"What's that mean?† â€Å"After the attack, lots of people said they wanted to learn to fight with magic,† Christian explained. â€Å"So they found me, and we worked together†¦ once or twice. Then everyone faded away once it got hard, and they realized they had to keep practicing.† â€Å"It doesn't help that you're a mean teacher,† pointed out Lissa. â€Å"And so now you've got to recruit among children,† said Adrian solemnly. â€Å"Hey,† said Jill indignantly. â€Å"I'm fourteen.† Immediately, she flushed at having spoken so boldly to him. He found it amusing, as he did so many other things. â€Å"My mistake,† he said. â€Å"What's your element?† â€Å"Water.† â€Å"Fire and water, huh?† Adrian reached into his pocket and pulled out a one-hundred-dollar bill. He snapped it out straight. â€Å"Sweetheart, I'll make you a deal. If you can make a bucket of water appear and dump over Christian's head, I'll give you this.† â€Å"I'll add in ten,† laughed Lissa. Jill looked stunned, but I suspected it was because Adrian had called her â€Å"sweetheart.† I took Adrian for granted so often that it was easy to forget he really was a hot guy. Christian pushed Jill toward the door. â€Å"Ignore them. They're just jealous because spirit users can't go charging into battle like we can.† He knelt down to Lissa's height on the floor and gave her a quick kiss. â€Å"We were practicing in the lounge upstairs, but I've got to walk her back now. I'll see you tomorrow.† â€Å"You don't have to,† said Jill. â€Å"I can get back there fine. I don't want to be any trouble.† Adrian stood up. â€Å"You aren't. If anyone's going to step up and be the knight in shining armor here, it might as well be me. I'll take you back and leave the lovebirds to their lovebirding.† He gave Jill a grand bow. â€Å"Shall we?† â€Å"Adrian-† said Lissa, a sharp note in her voice. â€Å"Oh, come on,† he said, rolling his eyes. â€Å"I've got to head back anyway-you guys are of no use once curfew comes. And honestly, give me some credit here. Even I have boundaries.† He gave Lissa a meaningful look, one that told her she was an idiot for thinking he was going to hit on Jill. Lissa held his gaze for a few moments and realized he was right. Adrian was a scoundrel at times and had never made his interest in me a secret, but walking Jill home wasn't part of some grand seduction. He really was just being nice. â€Å"All right,† said Lissa. â€Å"I'll see you later. Nice meeting you, Jill.† â€Å"You too,† said Jill. She dared a smile at Christian. â€Å"Thanks again.† â€Å"You better show up for our next practice,† he warned. Adrian and Jill started to step out the door, just as Avery stepped through it. â€Å"Hey, Adrian.† Avery gave Jill a once-over. â€Å"Who's your jailbait?† â€Å"Will you guys stop calling me that?† exclaimed Jill. Adrian pointed at Avery chastisingly. â€Å"Hush. I'll deal with you later, Lazar.† â€Å"I certainly hope so,† she said in a singsong voice. â€Å"I'll leave the door unlocked.† Jill and Adrian left, and Avery sat down next to Lissa. She seemed animated enough to be drunk, but Lissa smelled no liquor on her. Lissa was rapidly learning that some part of Avery was always just vivacious and carefree, regardless of intoxication. â€Å"Did you really just invite Adrian to your room later?† asked Lissa. She spoke teasingly but had been secretly wondering if something was going on between them. And yeah, that made two of us who wondered. Avery shrugged. â€Å"I don't know. Maybe. Sometimes we hang out once you guys are all tucked into bed. You aren't going to get jealous, are you?† â€Å"No,† laughed Lissa. â€Å"Just curious. Adrian's a good guy.† â€Å"Oh?† asked Christian. â€Å"Define ? ®good.'† Avery held up her hand and began ticking items off with each finger. â€Å"He's devastatingly handsome, funny, rich, related to the queen†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You got your wedding colors picked out?† asked Lissa, still laughing. â€Å"Not yet,† said Avery. â€Å"I'm still testing the waters. I figured he'd be an easy notch on the Avery Lazar belt, but he's kind of hard to read.† â€Å"I really don't want to be hearing this,† Christian said. â€Å"Sometimes he acts like a love 'em and leave 'em type. Other times, he mopes like some heartbroken romantic.† Lissa exchanged a knowing glance with Christian that Avery didn't catch while talking. â€Å"Anyway, I'm not here to talk about him. I'm here to talk about you and me busting out of here.† Avery threw her arm around Lissa, who nearly fell over. â€Å"Out of where? The dorm?† â€Å"No. This school. We're going off on a wild weekend to the Royal Court .† â€Å"What, this weekend?† Lissa felt like she was three steps behind, and I didn't blame her. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Because it's Easter. And her royal majesty thought it would be ? ®lovely' if you could join her for the holiday.† Avery's tone was grand and high-pitched. â€Å"And, since I've been hanging out with you, Dad's decided I'm on good behavior now.† â€Å"Poor oblivious bastard,† murmured Christian. â€Å"So he said I can go with you.† Avery glanced at Christian. â€Å"You can too, I guess. The queen said Lissa could bring a guest-in addition to me, of course.† Lissa looked into Avery's radiant face and didn't share her enthusiasm. â€Å"I hate going to Court. Tatiana just goes on and on, giving what she thinks is useful advice for me. It's always boring and miserable now.† Lissa didn't add that she'd once found Court fun-when I'd gone with her. â€Å"That's because you haven't gone with me yet. It'll be a blast! I know where all the good stuff is. And I bet Adrian'll come too. He can push his way into anything. It'll be like a double date.† Slowly, Lissa began to acknowledge that this might be fun. She and I had managed to find a little of the â€Å"good stuff† that hid underneath the polished surface of Court life. Every other visit since had been just as she described-stuffy and businesslike. But now, going with Christian and wild, spontaneous Avery? That had potential. Until Christian ruined it. â€Å"Well, don't count me in,† he said. â€Å"If you can only bring one person, bring Jill.† â€Å"Who?† asked Avery. â€Å"Jailbait,† explained Lissa. She looked at Christian in astonishment. â€Å"Why on earth would I bring Jill? I just met her.† â€Å"Because she's actually serious about learning to defend herself. You should introduce her to Mia. They're both water users.† â€Å"Right,† said Lissa knowingly. â€Å"And the fact that you hate it at Court has nothing to do with it?† â€Å"Well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Christian!† Lissa was suddenly getting upset. â€Å"Why can't you do this for me?† â€Å"Because I hate the way Queen Bitch looks at me,† he said. Lissa didn't find this convincing. â€Å"Yeah, but when we graduate, I'll be living there. You'll have to go then.† â€Å"Yeah, well, then give me this small vacation first.† Lissa's irritation grew. â€Å"Oh, I see how it is. I have to put up with your crap all the time, but you can't go out of your way for me.† Avery glanced between them and then stood up. â€Å"I'll leave you kids to work this out on your own. I don't care whether Christian or Jailbait goes, as long as you're there.† She peered down at Lissa. â€Å"You are going, right?† â€Å"Yeah. I'll go.† If anything, Christian's refusal had suddenly spurred Lissa more. Avery grinned. â€Å"Awesome. I'm going to head out of here, but you two had better kiss and make up when I'm gone.† Avery's brother Reed suddenly appeared in the doorway. â€Å"Are you ready?† he asked her. Every time he spoke, it always came out as sort of a grunt. Avery flashed the others a triumphant look. â€Å"See? My gallant brother, coming to walk me back before those dorm matrons start yelling at me to leave. Now Adrian'll have to find a new and exciting way to prove his chivalry.† Reed didn't look very gallant or chivalrous, but I supposed it was nice of him to come walk her back to her room. His timing had been eerily perfect. Maybe she was right about him not being as bad as people always thought. As soon as Avery was gone, Lissa turned on Christian. â€Å"Are you really serious about me bringing Jill instead of you?† â€Å"Yep,† said Christian. He tried to lie back into her lap, but she pushed him away. â€Å"But I'll count the seconds until you return.† â€Å"I can't believe you think this is a joke.† â€Å"I don't,† he said. â€Å"Look, I didn't mean to get you all worked up, okay? But really†¦ I just don't want to deal with all that Court drama. And it would be good for Jill.† He frowned. â€Å"You don't have anything against her, do you?† â€Å"I don't even know her,† said Lissa. She was still upset-more so than I would have expected, which was odd. Christian caught hold of Lissa's hands, face serious. Those blue eyes she loved softened her anger a little. â€Å"Please, I'm not trying to upset you. If it's really that important†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Like that, Lissa's anger diffused. It was abrupt, like a switch. â€Å"No, no. I'm fine bringing Jill-though I'm not sure she should be hanging out with us and doing whatever Avery has in mind.† â€Å"Give Jill to Mia. She'll look after her for the weekend.† Lissa nodded, wondering why he was so interested in Jill. â€Å"Okay. But you're not doing this because you don't like Avery, are you?† â€Å"No, I like Avery. She makes you smile more.† â€Å"You make me smile.† â€Å"That's why I added on the ? ®more.'† Christian gently kissed Lissa's hand. â€Å"You've been so sad since Rose left. I'm glad you're hanging out with someone else-I mean, not that you can't get everything you need from me.† â€Å"Avery's not a Rose replacement,† said Lissa quickly. â€Å"I know. But she reminds me of her.† â€Å"What? They have nothing in common.† Christian straightened up and sat beside her, resting his face against her shoulder. â€Å"Avery's like how Rose used to be, back before you guys left.† Both Lissa and I paused to ponder that. Was he right? Before Lissa's spirit powers had begun showing, she and I had lived a party girl lifestyle. And yes, half the time I was the one coming up with the crazy ideas to find a good time and get us into trouble. But had I been as out there as Avery seemed sometimes? â€Å"There'll never be another Rose,† said Lissa sadly. â€Å"No,† agreed Christian. He gave her a brief, soft kiss on the mouth. â€Å"But there will be other friends.† I knew he was right, but I couldn't help but feel a small stab of jealousy. I also couldn't help feel a small amount of worry. Lissa's brief spurt of irritation had been kind of out of the blue. I could understand her wishing Christian could go, but her attitude had been a little bitchy-and her almost jealous worry over Jill was weird too. Lissa had no reason to doubt Christian's feelings, certainly not over someone like Jill. Lissa's moodiness reminded me too much of the old days. Most likely she was overtired, but some instinct-maybe it was part of the bonding-told me something was wrong. It was a fleeting sensation, one I couldn't quite get a hold of, like water slipping through my fingers. Still, my instincts had been right before, and I decided I'd be checking in on Lissa more frequently.

Articles of Confederation Essay

America’s first form of government was under the Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation was written after the Revolutionary War, compiled of ideas by the Continental Congress. Under the Articles of Confederation its powers included conducting foreign relations, settling disputes between states, controlling maritime affairs, regulating Indian trade, and valuing state and national coinage. It purposely did not give the national government all the power in fear of tyranny like in Britain. In the end, the Articles of Confederation proved to be both inadequate in economic conditions and foreign relations. Under the Articles of Confederation the national government was not allowed to raise revenue to finance the war and other essential needs that a country need money for. The state governments had control of taxing the American people but many were unwilling to do so. So to try and finance the war the government and the states started to print currency. Although the currency was just paper and not backed by anything it was given out freely without excessive downgrading during 1775 to 1776. As 1776 went on the demand for both military supplies and civilian goods began to increase as the war progressed. America also encouraged trade and local production between the states. As the end of 1776 was approaching, the armies suffered reverses in both New York and New Jersey causing the prices to rise and inflation to finally set in. The state governments tried to fight inflation by taking control of wages and prices, and accepting paper money equal to hard money. They would also borrow funds, establish lotteries and even levy taxes to try and stop inflation. Their efforts were useless, though Congress attempted to stop printing currency altogether, they relied solely on money contributed by the states. By 1780, currency was worthless. Congressmen started to take action by establishing a department of finance with help from Robert Morris, a wealthy Philadelphia merchant. The government then asked the states to amend the Articles of Confederation and allow the Congress to levy duty of 5% on imported goods. Robert Morris had put national finances on stable balance, but the customs that Congress asked for were never adopted. The states’ had resisted in fear that the central government would become too powerful. As the war was ending Congress had to face major diplomatic problems. In the Articles of Confederation Article 4 had promised repayment of prewar debts, most of which were owed to by Americans to British merchants. In Article 5 it stated that states should allow loyalists to recover their confiscated property, which aroused considerable opposition. The state governments passed lass that denied the British subjects the right to sue for the recovery of property or debts in American courts. Since Congress had no power under the Articles of Confederation to overturn the decision, many loyalists were unable to get back what had rightfully been theirs to begin with. With this decision it gave the British an excuse to main their military posts on the Great Lakes long after when troops were supposed to have withdrawn. This had showed Congress weakness in the area of trade because the Articles of Confederation denied power to establish a national commercial policy. Right after the war had ended, Britain, France and Spain limited American trade with the colonies. The Americans were outraged but were unable to do anything about it. They thought that after the war, their independence would bring about trade with all nations. Members of the Congress, watched as British manufactured goods started to flood the states, while American produce could no longer be sold in British West Indies, once its prime market of trade. In the areas of finance, overseas trade and foreign affairs the Articles of Confederation were obviously inadequate. Congress was not allowed to levy taxes, nor was it able to impose its will on the states to establish a commercial policy. The Articles of Confederation, led the economy into a depression. The Continental Congress gave little power under the Articles of Confederation to the central government in fear of tyranny. In the end it only proved that too little power is not sufficient in controlling both economic conditions and foreign relations.

MGM625-0903A-01 Applied Finance for Decision-Making - Phase 1 Essay - 2

MGM625-0903A-01 Applied Finance for Decision-Making - Phase 1 Individual Project 2 - Essay Example difference between the current assets and the current liabilities, in other words, the assets set aside by the company in order to run the day to day operations (Samuels et al, 2000). The working capitals for the three years are computed as follows: The working capital of the firm is sufficiently higher than the current liabilities and it has remained almost steady for the three years, with a slight decrease in 2003. In case Superior Living is planning on entering new projects and investments, it will be essential to increase the current level of working capital. The current ratio of the company is the ratio of the current assets to the current liabilities. It indicates the liquidity position of the firm and its ability to cover the current liabilities with the liquid assets. The quick ratio is computed as the ratio of the ready cash assets (current assets – inventories – prepaid expenses) to the current liabilities. The liquidity ratios for Superior Living are computed as follows: It is evident that the current ratio is around 2 for the three years, indicating the strong liquidity position of the company. It is interesting to note that the inventories form a large portion of the current assets and they cannot be readily liquefied. The quick ratio is around 0.55 which is much lower than the ideal 1:1, indicating that the short term cash needs in case of solvency will not be met (Burks and Wilks, 2007). Hence the company needs to improve the cash assets. The short-term (due within a year) and long-term debts (due in more than one year) of the Superior Living are listed in the table below. The debt to equity or the gearing ratio is computed as the ratio of the long-term debt to the equity (Samuels et al, 2000). The values are tabulated below: The gearing ratio of the company is very low (2% - 3%) over the three years. Though the long-term debt has increased by $400,000 over the three years, the debt to equity ratio has not increased. The company is not

Strategic Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Strategic Human Resource Management - Essay Example It is important to note that it is difficult to have a consistent HRM approach in the presence of workforce representing multiple demographic segments as compared to earlier uniform workforce. This periodic and apparently long-term change requires management to have flexibility in its practices in order to maintain a positive psychological contract with a diversified workforce comprising of people from different cultures, ages and genders. Therefore, it is essential to determine if SHRM approach and flexibility in its practices can present employers with effective and desired outcomes. Since there are multiple forms of flexible practices used by employers, it is also important to identify likely consequences of these flexible approaches in the light of SHRM. Hence, SHRM advocates integrating HRM functions and organisational goals in order to respond to requirements of external environment. Four major forms of flexibility offered by SHRM are changes in employment models of wage, funct ion, numerical status i.e. contracts, and temporal state i.e. number and patterns of hours worked (Kalleberg, 2001). Different Forms of Flexibility There are various forms of flexible approach that govern current ideology of strategic human resource management. These flexible approaches entail practices regarding workplace, scheduling and compensation. Although a general perception of flexible HRM approach is viewed as employees working from remote locations however it is a more extensive phenomenon than that as not every job can be handled remotely. The term flexibility itself refers to organisation’s ability of adjusting its workforce numerically, functionally and financially in response to external environment and employees’ needs with reference to structure of the business (Wu, 2010, pp. 278-9). The concept of ‘flexible firm’ provided by Atkinson (1985) acts as a foundation behind workplace flexibility and its relation to strategic human resource manag ement. A flexible firm or employer is able to change number of employees according to its needs and also alter source of acquiring potential talent i.e. permanent or temporary hiring, outsourcing or part-time/ remote work arrangements. Another major area concerning flexibility offered by SHRM is the alteration in organisational structure followed by work design. As organizations have transformed into humanistic employers, their organisational model has become more decentralised with reduced bureaucracy. Reduction in levels of management has made employees more accountable and participative in organisational decision making (Armstrong, 2009). Another important element of ensuring flexibility in organisational practices is training employees with reference to external environment. Updating organisational skills’ base is essential for acquiring necessary competitive edge over other firms. The concept of upgrading is also supported by Armstrong (2008) as he has considered adaptat ion to be an important element of employer’s flexibility and adoption of SHRM as a fundamental ideology. Armstrong (2008) and Purcell (2001) have further presented three concepts i.e. resource-based view, strategic fit and strategic flexibility to be the foundation of strategic human resource management which is also supported by Wei (2006).

Comparison with Genesis 2-3; distinctive elements in Islam Essay

Comparison with Genesis 2-3; distinctive elements in Islam - Essay Example The Quran talks about how evil Satan’s intention was as the verses are explicit, â€Å"But Satan whispered evil to him. He said: â€Å"0 Adam! Shall I lead thee to the Tree of Eternity and to a kingdom that never decays?† It is clear to understand that Satan was always deceitful in his practices straying humanity from the good. As soon as Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree, they were expelled from the heavens. This in fact was how humanity was initiated as Adam and Eve were naked. The Genesis again discusses this as it states, â€Å"Now the serpent  was more crafty than any of the wild animals the  Lord  God had made. He said to the woman, â€Å"Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?† Whoever falls into the trap of Satan will always regret it because Satan is always keen in his motives to trick humanity into bad deeds. The Genesis just like the Quran foreshadows this as Genesis 2 states, the woman said, â₠¬Å"The serpent deceived me,  and I ate.† Notice how the Genesis refers to Eve as the woman, whereas the Quran refers to her as the Eve. Both the Genesis and the Quran draw similar parallel to what happened to Adam and

Emergency Technologies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Emergency Technologies - Essay Example Additionally, the discussion delves on the disadvantages of the same technologies in abetting crimes such as hacking and phising. There are various advantages of computers and the use of computer technology in investigations. For instance, in the determination of crimes, it is essential to conduct forensic investigations. This is to identify their authenticity in order to unearth the evidence. However, despite the numerous benefits of forensics, it also has its disadvantages. On that note, the prevention of crimes such as corporate fraud, intellectual property disputes, phising and contravention of the contract would most likely apply computer technology such as forensics to find the truth. For instance, computer technology through forensics enables the investigators to search and examine hug amount of data fast and efficiently (Moore, 2010). In other words, such technology uses search keywords stored in a hard drive found in different languages. Additionally, computer technology mit igates on cyber crimes because they occur in the internet. Alternatively, the use of forensics is making it easy to recover valuable data that was previously lost and deleted especially in a court of law.

Employment Law Compliance Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Employment Law Compliance Plan - Assignment Example Please note that the descriptions contain the consequences of the violation of the employment laws. The federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour applies to covered nonexempt employees (Fox & Davenport, 2013). The rate took effect from July 24, 2009. The minimum wage in Texas and Federal are equal. The federal minimum wage covers the workers of businesses with more than $500,000 (Canas & Cross, 2008). However, the administrative personnel, executives, and professional workers are exempted from the protection of the minimum wage. The non-exempted employees deserve a pay for the overtime for time worked over forty hours. The employers are liable for minimum wage if they classify the employees incorrectly as exempt when they do not qualify such status. The violation of the law attracts a fine of more than $100,000. It is a requirement for the employers to offer safety to the employees as stipulated in the Occupational Safety and Health Act. The employees should work in a safe environment that is free of hazards such as toxic chemicals, excessive heat and noise, and mechanical dangers. The employees can file their complaints with the Texas Department of Insurance Division of Workers’ Compensation (TDIDWC) (Fox & Davenport, 2013). The employers are liable to compensate the employees as determined by TDIDWC or OSHA. Employers cannot discriminate against the employees who file such complaints. The law prohibits any form of employment discrimination based on religion, race, sex, sexual orientation, color, national origin, disability, and age. Additionally, the law stipulates that employers should not discriminate employees who comply with a subpoena (Canas & Cross, 2008). Employers who violate the law are liable to prosecution and charges imposed on them. The courts have the rights to compel the employers to give compensation to the employees who have suffered due to discrimination. The employers should not

Assessment case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Assessment case study - Essay Example The two most important models related to disability are the medical and social models. For assessment of John's case, I would follow both the models as "Both the medical and social model aim to 'cure' disability, the former by curing the impairment and the latter by curing the environment and social attitudes. This indicates that, despite the polarity of their views of the world and the opposing positions they occupy, both models aim to improve the state of disability." (Wilson, 2003. p. 22) When a disabled child is small, his condition does not bother his parents much, as bringing him up is like bringing up a normal child, as at that stage all children are dependent on their parents for their needs. It is when the child grows up (during their adolescence stage) as is the case of John who is 15, that the parents as well as the disabled child realize the reality that that their situation is different from the rest and is going to remain the same. This is the time when parents get tota lly dejected. Since I am going to meet John and his family at such a critical stage, I would keep in mind that he and his family need emotional support more than anything else. For family members the burden of shouldering the responsibility of a disabled person takes a toll on their psyche and might frustrate them so much, that they start abusing and cursing the disabled person. They might not allow the disabled person to do things according to his liking by pointing his incapability to him. During the assessment meeting I would look into this aspect to determine whether John is getting proper care and love by his parents and siblings or not. If I find something amiss I will try to focus on this aspect so that John and his family members are able to deal with their unfortunate situation in a better way. I would see to it that every positive change begins from home. Since John is so used to of his family members being an intermediary between him and outsiders, I will try to encourage John to express himself as much as possible in the first meeting so that he gets comfortable with me and sheds his hesitance as my main objective is to improve his condition more than that of his family members. Both John and I will have to struggle a lot to understand each other because of his critical condition. I will try to systematically organize the service delivery in accordance to the policies and programmes designed by my team to deliver the best possible service to John and his family. Since assessment meeting is not only about John, but his circumstances too, I will try my best to organise, systemise and rationalise the information provided by John's father in his letter as well as my face-to-face communication with his entire family sensitively to get the crux of the whole situation. In this case, I will totally abide by the viewpoint of Coulshed and Orme who have rightly pointed out that "assessment is not just an event, for example the production of a profile on someone or a report for the court; it is, as indicated, a way of continuously collecting and synthesising available data, which includes thoughts and feelings, in order to formulate 'treatment' plans." (1998, p. 21) Through the letter of John's father it as clear that in the past he has not got much help from the

Managing a Telecom Project Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Managing a Telecom Project - Term Paper Example The company requires updating the cloud systems, integrating billing operations to the existing financial systems and provision of training to the staff of the company in a way that the new services can be utilized successfully and proficiently (IBM, 2014). There are certain requirements of the company regarding the completion of the project i-e the project should be completed within six (6) months of its inception. Moreover, the project has to be managed by a team of seven (7) members. The document presents a project management methodology to be adopted in order to achieve the project objectives along with its selection rationale. The document further discusses utilization of the agile project management for project deliverables. The document contains a description of the human resources required to complete the project, along with their qualifications and experience. In order to identify the scope of the project, a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is developed in the document. The document provides details of the WBS in which each activity / task identified in the WBS for the project is assigned human resources, cost and time. Moreover, in order to monitor the progress of the project, the monitoring and controlling processes of the project management are utilized and the same is presented in the document. In order to deliver a defect free project, an appropriate quality plan is included in the document – a project management report of managing the new teleco m service based on the cloud technology. It is pertinent to specify that a project plan containing the Gantt chart is developed to support the theories presented in this document. Currently, there are two (2) major project management standards include: the Project in Controlled Environment (PRINCE2) and Project Management for Professionals (PMP), Project Management Institute (PMI). However, in

Iliad and Achilles Actions Essay Example for Free

Iliad and Achilles Actions Essay Central to David Malouf’s Ransom, is the notion of loss, to deeply depict the fastidiousness and fragility of life. Achilles, in his quest to seek vengeance for the death of his be-loved friend, Patroclus, becomes distant as he struggles to remain emotionally intact, being unable to grasp onto the warrior and the leader he once was. Similarly, Priam’s better judgement and role as the King of Troy are clouded by the slaying of his son, Hector, acting irrationally, by conjuring up a precarious journey virtuously from a vision as a result of the trauma he has experienced from witnessing Achilles actions on his son. Consequently it takes the proceedings of Priam ransoming his son’s body to bring renewed empathy to both men. Achilles being born from both elements of earth and water is hindered to entirely comprehend who he really is. His Dad, Peleus being a great warrior and his mother, Thetis, originating from the element of water, â€Å"in all its many forms†. He inherits abilities from his mother, emulating an â€Å"eel – like, fluid weightless† sensation within himself, aiding his swift, rapid movements in battle. Yet Achilles is bought up by his father, where â€Å"he had entered the rough world of men†, thus not being exposed to the tender virtues of women, such as compassion, empathy and kind-heartedness, rather from of a young –age is subjected to â€Å"a world of pain, loss, dependency, bursts of violence and elation†. As a result Achilles is moulded by Peleus into the man; he wishes him to be, while Achilles aspires to impress Peleus to rifle for his loving approval, which is unfulfilled due to the absence of a feminine role model. Ultimately Achilles is deprived of his childhood; he is submerged into a world of violence and killing, where he becomes â€Å"numb† to the notion of death. Subsequently from the loss of his childhood, as well as being immersed in the culture of battle, Achilles is unable to find direction about who he truly is and successively he is unable to appropriately manage the loss of his dear friend Patroclus, envisioning himself as a protector to Patroclus. It is amidst Achilles emotional pain and gradual deterioration of Patroclus’ murder through which Malouf truly captures the concept of loss. Achilles visioning himself as a protector to Patroclus befalls emotionally disturbed â€Å"like a man obeying the needs of some other, darker agency†. From his childhood, Peleus taught Achilles to suppress his feelings, to not to expose to others how he felt, this strength remained mentally where he never learnt to deal with anguish and misery of his loved ones, especially Patroclus. As a result he becomes damaged and a blurred personality of what he once was that Malouf uses to show the consequences of emotional pain, to elude a resilient, strong minded leader in Achilles. Consequently Achilles becomes psychologically detached from reality, in a struggle to find solace for Patroclus’ death, reverting to massacring Hectors body repeatedly as â€Å"the self-consuming rage that drives him and wastes his spirit in despair†, is the beginning of the loss of his true self as a leader and a gladiator, which is stemmed from his ‘inward rage’, for his self-blame of Patroclus’ death, further obscuring his leadership and judgement to disrespect the body of Hector, to outwardly direct his anger at Hector’s body as a scapegoat for his true agony, at the loss of his adopted brother and the loss of his humane side, which Patroclus he him to draw away from a world of bloodshed and combat. Centralised to Malouf’s conceptual theme of loss, is the perception of loss facing Priam, through the murder and slaughter of his son, and the loss of his own perceived insignificance, as he journeys to Ransom the body of Hector. Priam’s most immediate and significant pain is climaxed, as he endures the murder of Hector, although Achilles actions ultimately prove the harshest ordeal to Priam, watching Achilles, ‘dragged the corpse to his car, secure it, knot after knot to the axle-tree, and hauled it off through the tumbling dust’. As Achilles for eleven continuous days drags ‘him up and down before the Greek Ships’, serving as a reminder to Priam for eleven days in a row, the loss and death of his son’s presence, evoking Priam to act out of instinct, journeying to re-obtain Hectors body. As a result Priam, viewing himself as an ‘ancient doll’, feels the desire and motivation due to Achilles actions, to conjure a treacherous journey, stripping himself of all ‘royal insignia’ and developing the courage to travel to the Greek camp undetected, without soldiers, but with the purity of his true self, ‘dressed in a plain white robe’. It is here that Priam’s desperation and misery are highlighted Malouf, to demonstrate the multitude of the situation, in which the way loss can diversely affect an individual, forcing them to go to great lengths to do what is perceived to them to be necessary. Ultimately, David Malouf’s concept of loss is explored through the main characters of Priam and Achilles. Both physically having the grieve for the loss of loved ones, Malouf explores this theme by depicting the dissimilar personalities of each character, and how each character adapts, copes and develops into a new leader after the ordeal of losing Patroclus and Hector. For Achilles he emerges a wrathful leader of his Myrmidons, being unable to have fully captured his emotions, as Patroclus was his escape from war. Conversely, Priam emerges as a wise man, viewing his own action as necessary, and rather than being systematic, spontaneously from a vision, journey’s to ransom the body of Hector.

Exposure to Computer Disciplines

Exposure to Computer Disciplines Q1 Give an Example of micro operations, microinstruction, micro program, micro code. And. Example of micro operations: Shif, load, increment, add subtract, multiply and divide etc. Example of micro programmes: chipsets. Q2 How Information Technology can be used for strategic advantages in business? Ans. It is defined as the study, design. development, implementation, support or management of computer based information systems particularly software applications and hardware applications. It can be used in the application in the business as it can be used to convert ,store,protect, process transmit and   security retrieve information. Q3 What Characteristics of software make it different from other engineering products? Ans.Software is a general term primarily used for digitally stored data such as computer programs and other kinds of information read and written by computers. Today, this includes data that has not traditionally been associated with computers, such as film, tapes and records. The term was coined in order to contrast to the old term hardware; in contrast to hardware, software is intangible, meaning it â€Å"cannot be touched†. Software is also sometimes used in a more narrow sense, meaning application software only. It is what we can call a set of programmes which are made in accordance while keeping in mind the needs of the customer. The difference between software and other engineering products is that the other engineering products such as machines and something else cannot be change its working or characteristics while made once but the software can be updated according to the needs of its user. Q4What are different addressing modes available? Ans. Types of Addressing Modes Each instruction of a computer specifies an operation on certain data. The are various ways of specifying address of the data to be operated on. These different ways of specifying data are called the addressing modes. The most common addressing modes are: Immediate addressing mode Direct addressing mode Indirect addressing mode Register addressing mode Register indirect addressing mode Displacement addressing mode Stack addressing mode To specify the addressing mode of an instruction several methods are used. Most often used are : a) Different operands will use different addressing modes. b) One or more bits in the instruction format can be used as mode field. The value of the mode field determines which addressing mode is to be used. The effective address will be either main memory address of a register. Immediate Addressing: This is the simplest form of addressing. Here, the operand is given in the instruction itself. This mode is used to define a constant or set initial values of variables. The advantage of this mode is that no memory reference other than instruction fetch is required to obtain operand. The disadvantage is that the size of the number is limited to the size of the address field, which most instruction sets is small compared to word length. INSTRUCTION OPERAND Direct Addressing: In direct addressing mode, effective address of the operand is given in the address field of the instruction. It requires one memory reference to read the operand from the given location and provides only a limited address space. Length of the address field is usually less than the word length. Ex : Move P, Ro, Add Q, Ro P and Q are the address of operand. Indirect Addressing: Indirect addressing mode, the address field of the instruction refers to the address of a word in memory, which in turn contains the full length address of the operand. The advantage of this mode is that for the word length of N, an address space of 2N can be addressed. He disadvantage is that instruction execution requires two memory reference to fetch the operand Multilevel or cascaded indirect addressing can also be used. Register Addressing: Register addressing mode is similar to direct addressing. The only difference is that the address field of the instruction refers to a register rather than a memory location 3 or 4 bits are used as address field to reference 8 to 16 generate purpose registers. The advantages of register addressing are Small address field is needed in the instruction. Register Indirect Addressing: This mode is similar to indirect addressing. The address field of the instruction refers to a register. The register contains the effective address of the operand. This mode uses one memory reference to obtain the operand. The address space is limited to the width of the registers available to store the effective address. Displacement Addressing: In displacement addressing mode there are 3 types of addressing mode. They are : 1) Relative addressing 2) Base register addressing 3) Indexing addressing. This is a combination of direct addressing and register indirect addressing. The value contained in one address field. A is used directly and the other address refers to a register whose contents are added to A to produce the effective address. Stack Addressing: Stack is a linear array of locations referred to as last-in first out queue. The stack is a reserved block of location, appended or deleted only at the top of the stack. Stack pointer is a register which stores the address of top of stack location. This mode of addressing is also known as implicit addressing. Q5 How will you differentiate b/w Arrays and Stacks? Explain by giving an example. Ans.   An array is a systematic arrangement of objects, usually in rows and columns. Specifically, it may refer to several things. Generally, a collection of data items that can be selected by indices computed at run-time, including: Array data structure an arrangement of items at equally spaced addresses in computer memory Array data type used in a programming language to specify a variable that can be indexed A   stack is a last in, first out   abstract data type and data structure. A stack can have any abstract data type as an element, but is characterized by only two fundamental operations: push and pop. The push operation adds to the top of the list, hiding any items already on the stack, or initializing the stack if it is empty. The pop operation removes an item from the top of the list, and returns this value to the caller. A pop either reveals previously concealed items, or results in an empty list. A stack is restricted data structure, because only a small number of operations are performed on it. The nature of the pop and push operations also means that stack elements have a natural order. Elements are removed from the stack in the reverse order to the order of their addition: therefore, the lower elements are typically those that have been in the list the longest Q6 How a translator is different from a Compiler? Ans. A compiler is a computer program that transforms source code   written in a computer   language(the source language) into another computer language (the target language, often having a binary form known as object code). The most common reason for wanting to transform source code is to create an executable program. The name â€Å"compiler† is primarily used for programs that translate source code from a high-level programming language to a lower level language (e.g., assembly language or machine code). A program that translates from a low level language to a higher level one is a decompiler Q7 Out of Linear and Binary Search ,which one is preferred where and why? Ans. Binary search is preffered over linear search because linear search is used for finding a particular value in a list that consists in checking every one of its elements, one at a time and in sequence, until the desired one is found Its worst case cost is proportional to the number of elements in the list; and so is its expected  Ã‚   cost   if all list elements are equally likely to be searched for. Therefore, if the list has more than a few elements then binary search is preferred. A binary search is an algorithm for locating the position of an element in a sorted listIt inspects the middle element of the sorted list: if equal to the sought value, then the position has been found; otherwise, the upper half or lower half is chosen for further searching based on whether the sought value is greater than or less than the middle element. The method reduces the number of elements needed to be checked by a factor of two each time, and finds the sought value if it exists in the list or if not determines â€Å"not present†, in logarithmic time. A binary search is a dichotomic divide and conquerr search algorithm.It is used for finding the telephone address for a given collection of name,address.

Women in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexi

Women in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie A warrior is recognized as sonmeone who battles for his/her beliefs. Even after receiving mortal wounds many times, such a person never leaves the battlefield. However, the inspiring and metaphorical idea of a warrior can certainly extend beyond the actual battlefield, and into the universal battle of living life. A woman must face this world like a warrior. She must endure the pain of a past that oppressed her, the adversity of a present that is only beginning to understand her, and a future that will continuously test her. From the beginning of time, Native American women have been a driving force in their cultures, retaining their immense strength throughout centuries of exploitation. Mothers and grandmothers held the family together with their gentle power, and medicine women were the local psychologists, therapists, physicians, and marriage counselors to entire tribes. In The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, Sherman Alexie's short story collection about life on the Spo kane Indian reservation, Alexie depicts characters that are world-wearied and heavy with 500 years worth of humiliation and rejection. They have lived their lives in the confines of the reservation, resorting to alcohol, depression, and frustration. However, these women seek to hold together, both spiritually and generatively, the fabric of a culture that is assaulted on all sides. They are warrior-like in their determination to battle the hardships of their lives, all while holding their families and their heritage together with great compassion and spirit. Although one may argue that many of these women were unable to avoid the inevitable feeling of hopelessness, one can see with a deeper look into the reservation that they firmly wrestle the battles that face them. The most immediate hardships that many of the women in Alexie's stories face are the struggles to hold together their crumbling families. For example, Victor's mother must endure the various 'storms'; of her life: her husband's alcoholism, the lack of basic necessities, her own depression, and the overall desperation of the household. However, she is able to give her family a sense of hope. 'During all these kinds of tiny storms, Victor's mother would rise with her medicine and magic?She would comb Victor's braids into dreams.'; (p. 5) ... ...e women face their opposition with a warrior's strength; yet also with a maternal-like gentle compassion. Whether it is picking up the pieces of a broken family, reaching out to a community, or having pride in one's heritage and background, the women all show a sincere dedication that is truly admirable. A woman's life is never easy, and the additional struggles of being a Native American make life on the Spokane reservation even harder. But these women bless the shields of their warriors as they face the unjust world, and they look towards the future with a warrior's spirit themselves. Summary Paragraph: The women characters in Sherman Alexie's The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven all show great compassion and warrior-like strength, despite the many trials that face them. They are able to hold their families together and give them some sense of hope. These women also extend their dedication into their broken communities by offering kindness and refuge. However, the greatest internal conflict that they face with strength is taking pride in their own heritage and spreading this pride. They face all of the innumerable opponents in life with a warrior's spirit.

Essay --

The relaxed way to consider the concept of a differentiated culture is that of a system of sub cultures that occur in the organization. A casual look at an organization tells gigantic cultural diversity in terms of distinct offices; style of office lay out, uniforms accepted by staff groups; sharing of technology; style of technology, and work groups environment. Sub cultures are fruitful in numbers and range of cultural diversity. According to the research done by Dr. David Potter in his work Cultural Change states that the basic recipes for forming a sub culture are: 1. Two or more people come together for a common cause. 2. They encounter problems that require solving. 3. They develop solutions to solve these problems 4. More people join the group. 5. The groups are â€Å"cultivated† by the original founder or founders of the group. 6. A hierarchy starts to emerge. 7. A culturally specific expressive style emerges e.g. language, dress, and behaviors. 8. Group values, norms and established behaviors are developed then internalized by group members as the natural order of things. 9. Rituals, routines and artifacts are manufactured by the group as it grows that insulate their values, norms and established behaviors from change. 10. A cultural protocol emerges that through time is taken for granted by group members. 11. New group members are inculcated into the group culture through mediums such as storytelling, formal inductions, professional study and practical demonstrations to name but a few. 12. As the group continues to grow the established cultural themes morph into deeply held assumptions that form the cultural web of the group culture. The American philosopher and psychologist William James wrote, â€Å"In every concrete individual,... ...he first priority. Children are celebrated and sheltered. Wife fulfills domestic role. Mobility is limited. Difficulty separating work and personal relationships. Sensitive to differences of opinion. Fears loss of face, especially publicly.Shuns confrontation. Where as in America/Canada Wife often fulfills dual roles and Mobility quite common. Separates work from emotions/personal relationships.Sensitivity seen as weakness. Tough business front. In case of nationalism, Mexico Very nationalistic, Proud of long history and traditions, where as American/Canada Very patriotic. Proud of "American way of life." Assumes everyone shares his/her materialistic values ( Fu, Dienes, Shang, & Fu, 2013). Title and position more important than money in eyes of society in society case of Mexican where as money is main status measure and is reward for achievement in American/Canada.

The Delay in Hamlet’s Revenge Essay example -- Revenge and Vengeance i

The Delay in Hamlet’s Revenge  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   Hamlet's first thoughts after learning of his father's murder are of an immediate, violent revenge upon Claudius. However, his subsequent actions do not live up to these resolutions. Over four acts he takes little deliberate action against his uncle, although the ghost explicitly demands a swift revenge. In S. T. Coleridge's words, Hamlet's central weakness is that he is "continually resolving to do, yet doing nothing but resolve". Hamlet's first soliloquy, following a hostile conversation with Claudius and Gertrude, shows him grief-stricken, bitter and despairing. The source of Hamlet's melancholy is "his father's death" and the "o'er-hasty marriage" of his mother and uncle. He feels he has to do something, but he does not know precisely what. He expresses his disgust at his mother's inconstancy and incestuous remarriage, but is bound to suffer in silence: he must "hold [his] tongue" for reasons of diplomacy. The world seems empty, and he uses imagery of corruption, darkness, disease and imprisonment to reveal his state of mind. At the beginning of the play, all Hamlet sees is a terrible situation which he has no power to change. The ghost's command therefore gives Hamlet purpose; a reason to live. Its instruction is unmistakable: "if thou didst ever thy dear father love...revenge his foul and most unnatural murder." The apparition, armed "from head to foot", then relates the story of Claudius' treachery in graphic and horrible detail. It is now apparent to Hamlet what is "rotten in the state of Denmark". Shakespeare makes it very clear what Hamlet's duty is and who his enemy is. Hamlet is charged to avenge his father's murder and free Denmark from the shadow of the king's fr... ...e. N.p.: Princeton University Press, 1972.    Pitt, Angela. â€Å"Women in Shakespeare’s Tragedies.† Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from Shakespeare’s Women. N.p.: n.p., 1981.    Rosenberg, Marvin. â€Å"Laertes: An Impulsive but Earnest Young Aristocrat.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from The Masks of Hamlet. Newark, NJ: Univ. of Delaware P., 1992.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html    West, Rebecca. â€Å"A Court and World Infected by the Disease of Corruption.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from The Court and the Castle. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1957.      

Poverty Population Revised Essay

Believe it or not, more than a billion people worldwide subsists on less than one dollar per day.   At the same time, the world is expected to have another three billion people by 2050, a majority of which are going to come from the poorest areas (Merrick, 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Do poverty cause population growth?   Or is it the other way around?   This paper would look more closely at the relationship between poverty and population growth, and how to alleviate it.    *  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   *  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   *   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The World Bank writes that poverty has many faces: It’s not having a job. Hunger. Not having access to medical services and schools.   It’s fearing for the future.   It’s surviving one day at a time. It’s powerlessness (World Bank, undated).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bernadette Proctor, citing census data figures from 1993 writes that 39.3 million people were officially poor in the United States, 15.1% of that were earning a below the poverty level income.   This means that while most of these people worked, there were still not earning enough for their daily needs.   The situation was not any better in 2002, with 34.6 million American still living below the poverty level.   Lynette Clemetson at the New York Times quotes liberal economists as saying that any increase in poverty in the country was â€Å"too high† considering that the U.S. is viewed as a very prosperous country (Clemetson, 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Outside the United States, statistics on poverty paints a grimmer picture that affects far more people in a far devastating degree.  Ã‚   Anup Shah says that there is a distinguished disparity in income, with 80% of the world’s people living in countries where there is widening differences in income between the rich and the poor.   In fact, only 5% of the world’s total income are generated by almost half of the world’s population (Shah, 2008).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Out of 2.2 billion children in the world, 1 out of 2 are living in poverty, 1 in 3 do not have adequate homes, 1 in 5 do not have access to safe water, while 1 in 7 have no access to health services.   Many more do not have access to education and proper nutrition (Shah, 2008).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Worldwide, a billion people are illiterate.   Diseases like HIV/AIDS and malaria claim millions of lives.   People have no access to clean, potable water (Shah, 2008). Causes   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   While it is difficult to pinpoint exact and complete causes of poverty, the Earth Institute at Columbia University lists three causes of poverty: the social and economic displacement due to civil wars, or local conflicts affecting million of people; the inequitable distribution of land and wealth, and man-made policies like inadequate access credit assistance and adoption of unsustainable technologies (The Earth Institute at Columbia University, undated).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Anup Shah asks the empirical questions regarding the causes of poverty.   It could be personal, like wrong decisions made, laziness, or it could be a matter of governance and public policy.   Shah, however, looks deeper into the global causes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Structural adjustment policies have caused cutbacks in vital human services like health and education worldwide.   Ironically, the policies have been instituted by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund as loan and repayment conditions.  Ã‚   Shah also blames globalization in developing nations, after these countries opened their economies and found themselves competing with more powerful and industrialized nations.   It became a battle of who could provide cheaper wages, resources and lower standards, and has worsened poverty and inequality for most people.   Shah also mentions corruption as a cause of poverty (2008).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Doors to Diplomacy Project, sponsored by the U.S. State Department and Global Schoolnet, agrees but adds that overpopulation is another major cause.   The project defines overpopulation as the situation of having big numbers of people in too little space, with too few resources (2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rapid population growth worsens inequality,   impedes economic growth, and exacerbates poverty (Alonzo et. al., 2004).   Poverty is caused by many contributing factors, and thus is seen as a complex phenomenon.   While rapid and unsustainable growth alone cannot fully explain poverty, it can help worsen the poverty situation in any given area (Alonzo et. al., 2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Researchers at the University of the Philippines, citing a 2004 study that used data on 80 countries, states that a growing population exerts a â€Å"negative and significant† effect on the growth of the economy (Alonzo et. al., 2004). A Vicious Cycle   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Debates on population, poverty and its causes are very similar to the childhood question: which came first the chicken or the egg?   Thomas Merrick writes that the popular view in the 60s and 70s held that fertility decline would show population growth and eventually poverty came under fire in the 80s and the 90s (2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Merrick, however, clarifies that recent studies and thinking have shown that demographic trends do play a role in poverty studies.   Merrick states that the potential benefits of a lower population, however, rests on the timing and degree of demographic change, the focus of economic policies, the social and economic status of women.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are two contrasting views about population and poverty.   One says that higher population growth results in poverty, so lower fertility is the key to alleviating poverty (Merrick, 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The other holds that economic policies determine poverty reduction, disagreeing that family planning is all you need.   This view argues that poverty causes the people to want more children because they can help around the house and take care of their parents in old age (Merrick, 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Merrick also cites recent research that have found that when fertility declines, there is increased personal savings and investment becomes possible.   The scenario also gives rise to the situation wherein there are more workers responsible for fewer children.   Merrick, however, recognizes that this benefit is temporary, and soon, there will be a situation, when the opposite is true, more retirees will be depending on the working class.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Merrick also says that a higher population growth increases poverty by retarding the growth of the economy, and worsening the distribution of additional income created by the growth (Merrick, 2002). Government Policy   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Clemetson puts it succinctly:   the policy shifts that resulted in the reduction of benefits and welfare structure for the poor are to blame. Peter Timmer agrees. Timmer writes that the different views on the private and social returns of having many children paves the way for government interventions, hopefully something that extends beyond the simple family planning schemes to broader economic development policies (Timmer, 1994).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Timmer advocates for learning more about the dynamic behavior of poor households within the context of their environments.   This would lead to a sound policy that can break into the vicious cycle of worsening poverty and declining productivity (Timmer, 1994).   Timmer suggests economic development policies that addresses nutrition, health, and education, as well as policies that bring about a reduction in â€Å"income poverty† can help alleviate poverty (Timmer, 1994).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Timmer also says that it would be wise to raise domestic food production, which addresses nutrition further, and also offers a way to control food prices and income distribution by increasing access to food (Timmer, 1994).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Merrick adds that   family planning alone will not necessarily reduce poverty.   What’s needed to alleviate poverty is the combination of slower population growth, sound economic development, and the reduction of gender inequality (Merrick, 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Public policy should promote the woman’s right to   choose for herself how many children she wants to bear and when.   Public policy should inform and educate– and perhaps, subsidize –women about fertility regulation (Merrick, 2002). Empowering Women   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At the heart of the debate including poverty, public policy, and population growth, there is one common thread: empowering women.   The United Nations Population Fund explains that poor women who do not have access to family planning services will not be able to participate in income generating activities because they cannot time or space their children adequately.   A woman who is empowered to choose their family size will slow population growth and help alleviate poverty.   The UNFPA reiterates that reproductive health, women’s empowerment and equal right can help break the poverty cycle (United Nations Population Fund, 2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Empowering women also extends to getting paid employment and education.   The Population Problem: Theory and Evidence as cited by Atanu Dey in his essay The Population-Poverty Trap, states that the lack of education and subsequent paid employment can hinder a woman from making decisions on her own, for herself.   Both imparts a degree of self-confidence (Dey, 2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   *  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   *  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   *   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   More than a billion people are scarcely surviving worldwide.   Another two billion are not much better off.   Poverty is taking countless of lives, and making countless more miserable.   Whatever the reasons, poverty and its eradication, or at least, alleviation should be top of anybody’s list.   A growing body research have pointed to population growth as one of its leading causes.   A vicious cycle is apparent: population growth causes poverty, poverty causes population growth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This time, two things are clearer.   Public policy should be formulated only after a thorough understanding of poverty and its causes in a particular locale and milieu, and that policy should take to heart the role and importance of women if it should even go near succeeding.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In effect, the way to combat poverty is to put in policies and programs at the grassroots level that would curb the rapid growth of population, coupled with sound public policy and the active and informed participation (coming from education) of women.   Without any one of these elements, any measure will be doomed to fail. Alonzo, R., Balisacan, A., Canlas, D., Capuno, J., Clarete, R., Danao, R., de Dios, E., Diokno, B., Esguerra, E., Fabella, R., Bautista, S., Kraft, A., Medalla, F., Mendoza, M.N., Monsod, S., Paderanga, C., Pernia, E., Quimbo, S., Sicat, G., Solon, O., Tan E., and Tecson G. (2004). Population and Poverty: The Real Score. University of the Philippines School of Economics.   Retrieved on 14 April 2008. Causes of Poverty. (2006). Doors to Diplomacy Project. Retrieved on 15 April 2008. Clemetson, Lynette. (2003). More American in Poverty in 2002, Census Study Says.   New York Times. Retrieved on 14 April 2008. Dey, Atanu. (2004). The Population-Poverty Trap. Retrieved on 14 April 2008. Focus on global poverty. The Earth Institute at Columbia Univeristy.   Retrieved on 14 April 2008. Merrick, Thomas W. (2002). Population and Poverty: New Views on an Old Controvery. International Family Planning Perspectives, Vol. 28, No. 1.   Retrieved on 14 April 2008.   Poverty, Population and Development. (2004). United Nations Population Fund. Retrieved on 14 April 2008. Proctor, Bernadette. Poverty: Population Profile of the United States. U.S. Census Bureau.  Ã‚   Last Updated 8 February 2008. Retrieved on 14 April 2008. Shah, Anup. (2008). Poverty Facts and Stats. Retrieved on 15 April 2008. Shah, Anup. (2008). Causes of Poverty. Retrieved on 15 April 2008. Timmer, C. Peter. (1994). Population, poverty and politics.   The American Economic Review Vol. 84. No. 2. pp 261. Understanding Poverty. World Bank. Retrieved on 14 April 2008.

Anthony Case 1-2 & Anthony Case 2-3 Essay

Anthony Case 1-2: Kim Fuller 1. In order for Kim Fuller’s plastic bottle grinding business to get off the ground she will need to manage the business with non-accounting and accounting information. The following information to run the business is non-accounting information, as it is not owned by the company did not occur through a monetary transaction: 2 grind machine workers, 1 truck drive, 1 accountant, and the 2 contracts with bottling companies. The remaining information is categorized as accounting information, as it is owned by the company, may provide future economic resource, and occurred through a transaction: 1 used truck, 2 trailers, 1 used grinding machine, 1 new grinding machine, 1 new computer, 1 warehouse, 3 investors’ deposits, 1 mortgage loan, and the owner’s initial investment into the company. 2. Below is the beginning balance sheet for Kim Fuller’s Business. a.) [pic]b.) To address the question of how Fuller should go about putting a value on the company’s assets, she must utilize the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) regarding the worth of her assets. Specifically through these principles, Fuller will be able to determine the fair value or cost of each asset – as a transaction occurred for each purchased item of equipment. Additionally, she will be able to add the value of the Warehouse based on the value at the time of her purchase. Through associating a cost with each, Fuller can easily determine the company’s assets. c.) Based on the balance sheet at the onset of the business, the Owners’ Equity is valued at $165,000. 3. Once Fuller begins to make her sales she will need to determine her revenues and expenses, as she will acquire inventory and the sell the goods for monetary value, which generates revenue. In order for Fuller to stay on top of her accounting for these revenues and expenses, which are also known as â€Å"profits and loss†, the business should utilize an income statement. This will allow the business to determine the net income of the business, which filters in to the balance sheet through the retained earnings – underneath owners’ equity. It is advisable for Fuller to begin with an income statement weekly  until she grasps the concept of accounting. Later on she can move it out to bi-weekly updates, and eventually even out to monthly – if the revenue stream is slower. Anthony Case 2-3: Lone Pine Cafà © 1. Balance sheet for Loan Pine Cafà © as of November 2, 2005. [pic]2. Balance sheet for Loan Pine Cafà © as of March 30, 2006. [pic]3. I believe that the partners would not have been able to receive their proportional share of the Owners’ Equity, as they would forfeit their rights to the business with the theft of assets (cash register and contents). Therefore, the entire Owners’ Equity to be earned would fall upon Mrs. Antoine, the lone remaining partner of the business.

Would you expect a stronger anti-union response

Would you expect a stronger anti-union response from an employer in a manufacturing environment or a service environment? Why? By Andres-Su Would you expect a stronger anti-union response from an employer in a manufacturing environment or a service environment? Why? I would expect a heavier anti-union response from the manufacturing industry for a wide variety of reasons. Firstly, because due to the fact there is more market power in manufacturing giving unions more leverage to exact demands from employers.Secondly, Jobs in service industries are generally of a shorter duration, so workers leave their Jobs frequently so unionization is not a high priority. The cost of labor is also higher in service Jobs, so unions have less power. So simply put, there will be a much more anti-union response in the manufacturing industry simply because manufacturing unions have much more power and leverage compared to workers in service industries. Select an organization with which you are familiar, and discuss the possible argaining units that would be appropriate for collective bargaining in its structure.Just because it Just literally happened, I chose MLB (Major League Baseball). Baseball players and owners signed an agreement for a new labor contract Tuesday, a deal that makes baseball the first North American professional major league to start blood testing on human growth hormone and expands the playoffs to 10 teams. The five- year deal collective bargaining agreement makes changes owners hope will increase competitive balance by pressuring large-market teams to rein in spending on mateur draft picks and international signings.Other highlights include: Players will be required to play in the All-Star Game unless injured or excused, Instant replay will be expanded to include decisions on foul lines and traps, subject to an agreement with umpires, Players, managers and coaches may not use smokeless tobacco products during televised interviews and may not carry them in thei r uniforms, Players arrested for DWI will be required to undergo mandatory evaluation, and Players will start wearing improved batting helmets manufactured by Rawlings by 013.Review the arguments for and against the Employee Free Choice Act and the Mandatory Secret Ballot Protection Act. How would you vote? Give your reasons. The Employee Free Choice Act is a piece of legislation that would change federal law in order to, according to the bill's authors; strengthen the rights of workers to unionize. It attempts to do so by changing the procedure by which workers unionize. Currently, union campaigns must secure support from 30% of workers in a company through card-ballots, which subsequently sends the campaign into a secret ballot lection.If a majority of workers then vote by secret ballot to unionize, a union may be certified by the National Labor Relations Board and established. The Employee Free Choice Act intends to change the law so that a union can be created by a majority vote from the card-ballot process alone, avoiding the second process of a secret ballot election. It also establishes stronger penalties for violation of employee rights when workers seek to form a union and during first-contract negotiations and provides for mediation and arbitration for first-contract disputes.

Fundamentals of Geography Essay

In geology, a rock is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of one or more minerals or mineraloids. For example, the common rock, granite, is a combination of the quartz, feldspar and biotite minerals. The Earth’s outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. Rocks have been used by mankind throughout history. From the Stone Age rocks have been used for tools. The minerals and metals we find in rocks have been essential to human civilization. [1] Three major groups of rocks are defined: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. The scientific study of rocks is called petrology, which is an essential component of geology. At a granular level, rocks are composed of grains of minerals, which, in turn, are homogeneous solids formed from a chemical compound that is arranged in an orderly manner. The aggregate minerals forming the rock are held together by chemical bonds. The types and abundance of minerals in a rock are determined by the manner in which the rock was formed. Many rocks contain silica (SiO2); a compound of silicon and oxygen that forms 74. 3% of the Earth’s crust. This material forms crystals with other compounds in the rock. The proportion of silica in rocks and minerals is a major factor in determining their name and properties. [2] Rocks are geologically classified according to characteristics such as mineral and chemical composition, permeability, the texture of the constituent particles, and particle size. These physical properties are the end result of the processes that formed the rocks. [3] Over the course of time, rocks can transform from one type into another, as described by the geological model called the rock cycle. These events produce three general classes of rock:igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. The three classes of rocks are subdivided into many groups. However, there are no hard and fast boundaries between allied rocks. By increase or decrease in the proportions of their constituent minerals they pass by every gradation into one another, the distinctive structures also of one kind of rock may often be traced gradually merging into those of another. Hence the definitions adopted in establishing rock nomenclature merely correspond to more or less arbitrary selected points in a continuously graduated series. 4] Igneous Igneous rock (derived from the Latin word igneus meaning of fire, from ignis meaning fire) forms through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava. This magma can be derived from partial melts of pre-existing rocks in either a planet’s mantle or crust. Typically, the melting of rocks is caused by one or more of three processes: an increase in temperature, a decrease in pressure, or a change in composition. Igneous rocks are divided into two main categories: plutonic rock and volcanic. Plutonic or intrusive rocks result when magma cools and crystallizesslowly within the Earth’s crust. A common example of this type is granite. Volcanic or extrusive rocks result from magma reaching the surface either aslava or fragmental ejecta, forming minerals such as pumice or basalt. [3] The chemical abundance and the rate of cooling of magma typically forms a sequence known as Bowen’s reaction series, after the Canadian petrologist Norman L. Bowen. Most major igneous rocks are found along this scale. [2] About 64. 7% of the Earth’s crust by volume consists of igneous rocks; making it the most plentiful category. Of these, 66% are basalts and gabbros, 16% are granite, and 17% granodiorites and diorites. Only 0. 6% are syenites and 0. 3% peridotites and dunites. The oceanic crust is 99% basalt, which is an igneous rock of mafic composition. Granites and similar rocks, known as meta-granitoids, form much of the continental crust. [5] Over 700 types of igneous rocks have been described, most of them having formed beneath the surface of Earth’s crust. These have diverse properties, depending on their composition and how they were formed. Sedimentary Sedimentary rocks are formed by sedimentation of particles at or near the Earth’s surface and within bodies of water. This process causes clasticsediments or organic particles (detritus) to settle and accumulate, or for minerals to chemically precipitate (evaporite) from a solution. The particulate matter then undergoes compaction and cementation during diagenesis. Before being deposited, sediment was formed by weathering and erosion in a source area, and then transported to the place of deposition by water,wind, ice, mass movement or glaciers which are called agents of denudation. Mud rocks comprise 65% (mudstone, shale and siltstone); sandstones 20 to 25% and carbonate rocks 10 o 15% (limestone and dolostone). [3] About 7. 9% of the crust by volume is composed of sedimentary rocks, with 82% of those being shales, while the remainder consist of limestone (6%), sandstone and arkoses (12%). [5] Metamorphic Metamorphic rocks are formed by subjecting any rock type—sedimentary rock, igneous rock or another older metamorphic rock—to differenttemperature and pressure conditions than those in which the original rock was formed. This process is called metamorphism; meaning to â€Å"change in form†. The result is a profound change in physical properties and chemistry of the stone. The original rock, known as the protolith, transforms into other mineral types or else into other forms of the same minerals, such as by recrystallization. [3] The temperatures and pressures required for this process are always higher than those found at the Earth’s surface: temperatures greater than 150 to 200  °C and pressures of 1500 bars. [6] Metamorphic rocks compose 27. 4% of the crust by volume. [5] The three major classes of metamorphic rock are based upon the formation mechanism. An intrusion of magma that heats the surrounding rock causes contact metamorphism—a temperature-dominated transformation. Pressure metamorphism occurs when sediments are buried deep under the ground; pressure is dominant and temperature plays a smaller role. This is termed burial metamorphism, and it can result in rocks such as jade. Where both heat and pressure play a role, the mechanism is termed regional metamorphism. This is typically found in mountain-building regions. [2] Depending on the structure, metamorphic rocks are divided into two general categories. Those that possess a texture are referred to as foliated; the remainder are termed non-foliated. The name of the rock is then determined based on the types of minerals present. Schists are foliated rocks that are primarily composed of lamellar minerals such as micas. A gneiss has visible bands of differing lightness, with a common example being the granite gneiss. Other varieties of foliated rock include slates, phyllites, and mylonite. Familiar examples of non-foliated metamorphic rocks include marble,soapstone, and serpentine. This branch contains quartzite—a metamorphosed form of sandstone—and hornfels. [2] In geography maps are one of the most important tools researchers, cartographers, students and others can use to examine the entire Earth or a specific part of it. Simply defined maps are pictures of the Earth’s surface. They can be general reference and show landforms, political boundaries, water, the locations of cities, or in the case of thematic maps, show different but very specific topics such as the average rainfall distribution for an area or the distribution of a certain disease throughout a county. Today with the increased use of GIS, also known as Geographic Information Systems, thematic maps are growing in importance. There are however applications for different types of general reference maps when the different types are understood correctly. These maps do not just show a city’s location for example; instead the different map types can show a plethora of information about places around the world. The following is a list of each major map type used by geographers and a description of what they are and an example of each kind. †¢ Political Map: A political map does not show any topographic features. It instead focuses solely on the state and national boundaries of a place. They also include the locations of cities – both large and small, depending on the detail of the map. A common type of political map would be one showing the 50 U.  S. states and their borders along with the United States’ north and south international borders (map of the United States). †¢ Physical Map: A physical map is one that shows the physical landscape features of a place. They generally show things like mountains, rivers and lakes and water is always shown with blue. Mountains and elevation changes are usually shown with different colors and shades to show relief. Normally on physical maps green shows lower elevations while browns show high elevations. An example of a physical map is one showing the state of Hawaii (map of Hawaii). Low elevation coastal regions are shown in dark green, while the higher elevations transition from orange to dark brown. Rivers are shown in blue. †¢ Topographic Map: A topographic map is similar to a physical map in that it shows different physical landscape features. They are different however because they use contour lines instead of colors to show changes in the landscape. Contour lines on topographic maps are normally spaced at regular intervals to show elevation changes (e. g. each line represents a 100 foot (30 m) elevation change) and when lines are close together the terrain is steep. For example a topographic map showing the Big Island of Hawaii would have contour lines that are close together near the steep, high elevation mountains of Mauna Loa and Kilauea (map of the Big Island). By contrast, the low elevation, flat coastal areas show contour lines that are spread apart. †¢ Climate Map: A climate map shows information about the climate of an area. They can show things like the specific climatic zones of an area based on the temperature, the amount of snow an area receives or average number of cloudy days. These maps normally use colors to show different climatic areas. A climate map for Australia for example uses colors to show differences between the temperate area of Victoria and desert region in the center of the continent. †¢ Economic or Resource Map: An economic or resource map shows the specific type of economic activity or natural resources present in an area through the use of different symbols or colors depending on what is being shown on the map. For example an economic activity map for Brazil can use colors to show different agricultural products of given areas, letters for natural resources and symbols for different industries (image showing a map of Brazil). Road Map: A road map is one of the most widely used map types. These maps show major and minor highways and roads (depending on detail) as well as things like airports, city locations and points of interest like parks, campgrounds and monuments. Major highways on a road map are generally red and larger than other roads, while minor roads are a lighter color and a narrower line. A road map of San Francisco, California for example would show the major highways as a wide red line and other large roads as a lighter red with minor streets as gray (map of San Francisco). Thematic Map: A thematic map is a map that focuses on a particular theme or special topic and they are different from the six aforementioned general reference maps because they do not just show natural features like rivers, cities, political subdivisions, elevation and highways. If these items are on a thematic map, they are background information and are used as reference points to enhance the map’s theme. An example of a thematic map would be one showing the population change of Canada in specific locations from 1996 to 2001. The map shows the theme it is attempting to get across to its audience and uses a political map (e. g. one showing the provincial and territorial borders of Canada) to give it more of a reference. What Is the Difference Between Weather and Climate? It’s a sweltering midsummer day. â€Å"It must be global warming,† mutters someone. But is it the Earth’s changing climate that has made the day so warm? Or, is it just the weather that is so unbearable? Weather is the mix of events that happen each day in our atmosphere including temperature, rainfall and humidity. Weather is not the same everywhere. Perhaps it is hot, dry and sunny today where you live, but in other parts of the world it is cloudy, raining or even snowing. Everyday, weather events are recorded and predicted by meteorologists worldwide. Climate in your place on the globe controls the weather where you live. Climate is the average weather pattern in a place over many years. So, the climate of Antarctica is quite different than the climate of a tropical island. Hot summer days are quite typical of climates in many regions of the world, even without the effects of global warming. Climates are changing because our Earth is warming, according to the research of scientists. Does this contribute to a warm summer day? It may, however global climate change is actually much more complicated than that because a change in the temperature can cause changes in other weather elements such as clouds or precipitation. Atmospheric circulation is the large-scale movement of air, and the means (together with the smaller ocean circulation) by whichthermal energy is distributed on the surface of the Earth. The large-scale structure of the atmospheric circulation varies from year to year, but the basic climatological structure remains fairly constant. Individual weather systems – mid-latitude depressions, or tropical convective cells – occur â€Å"randomly†, and it is accepted that weather cannot be predicted beyond a fairly short limit: perhaps a month in theory, or (currently) about ten days in practice (see Chaos theory and Butterfly effect). Nonetheless, as the climate is the average of these systems and patterns – where and when they tend to occur again and again – it is stable over longer periods of time. As a rule, the â€Å"cells† of Earth’s atmosphere shift polewards in warmer climates (e. g. nterglacials compared to glacials), but remain largely constant even due to continental drift; they are, fundamentally, a property of the Earth’s size, rotation rate, heating and atmospheric depth, all of which change little. Tectonic uplift can significantly alter major elements of it, however – for example the jet stream -, and plate tectonics shift ocean currents. In t he extremely hot climates of the Mesozoic, indications of a third desert belt at the Equator has been found; it was perhaps caused by convection. But even then, the overall latitudinal pattern of Earth’s climate was not much different from the one today. The wind belts girdling the planet are organised into three cells: the Hadley cell, the Ferrel cell, and the Polar cell. Contrary to the impression given in the simplified diagram, the vast bulk of the vertical motion occurs in the Hadley cell; the explanations of the other two cells are complex. Note that there is one discrete Hadley cell that may split, shift and merge in a complicated process over time[citation needed]. Low and high pressures on earth’s surface are balanced by opposite relative pressures in the upper troposphere.