Dad By Elaine Feinstein

The poem that I'll be analyzing in this commentary is called ‘Dad' by Elaine Feinstein. This poem is an emotional and lyrical poem in which the author is reflecting and recalling upon the memories of her deceased father. The main tones that are portrayed in this poem are sorrow, lovingness and mournfulness, and one way in which this is portrayed is through the methodology in which the poem is read, which is in a slow rhythmic speech and enjambment since it is a free verse poem. The author’s intentions behind this poem are clear. She is simply portraying her loving feelings for her father and the grief that she undergoes through his decease.She shows her intentions through the loving lines and sentimental memories, for example in lines 1-3 â€Å"Those black fat raisins you like to press into my palm from your soft heavy hands† the author recalls such simple yet meaningful memories with great detail which shows that she valued the memories dearly. Signs of grief are shown from when the she moans about her father, such as in lines 12-14 when she says, â€Å"Beached: cold, white-faced, shivering. What happened, old bull, my loyal hoarse-voiced warrior? †; In these lines, Elaine uses diction to prove a stronger point .As well as that, Elaine uses lots of imagery throughout this poem, such as in that last quote and in lines 4-6 â€Å"I see you staggering back up the path with sacks of potatoes from some local farm, fresh eggs, flowers. †; This quote however also shows how dearly she loved her father. Imagery is an effective poetic device for this poem since it generates/creates an emotional connection for the audience/reader making her message clearer. As well as imagery, the author uses many different poetic devices, for example in lines 13-14 when she says â€Å"Beached: cold, white-faced, shivering.What happened, old bull, my loyal hoarse-voiced warrior? † she is using a metaphor and comparing her father to a bull, which is a courageous and strong animal. With this metaphor, Elaine is portraying how dearly she loved her father and how he was a â€Å"bull† in her eyes. As well as that in lines 5-6 when Elaine says â€Å"Farm, fresh eggs, flowers† the author uses alliteration to evokes emotion and the pleasing tone of alliteration then catches the reader’s attention before telling the audience about her father’s death â€Å"Every day I grieve† at the end of line 6.

Art is an expression Essay

Art to me is an expression. Society has a way of creating social norms, and through this influence people to become inspired to be different, to express themselves in many ways and to share with others this passion, in the form of art. Cultures have utilized art in the form of drawings, patterns, and techniques; for example the type of clothes they wear, and type of houses they live in. Art is everywhere. Albert Einstein once said, you could look at life as if nothings a miracle or as if everything is. I think that you can look at art in the same way. I remember watching a film in class on a man and a woman who were in charge of the community project that consisted of hanging sheets for miles. I have no idea why they would do that over a different art project, but I got their message. It was all about working together, doing something that was unique and of their own works, regardless of everyone else’s opinion. They had to fight the system for a while before they were able to begin. That’s passion. After the readings I can’t help but to agree that art offers us a way to go beyond physical existence. What the author is saying to me is that art in every form changes our values our ideas in an effect change our lives. We are not robots, we don’t have to stay within regulations; we have the ability to be creative. Being creative is the most powerful tool we have some may argue. To touch back on why people make art, I can remember watching movies as a kid and there was this one kid out of the prep school that did wear the dress uniform to standard like all the other students. He was seeking to be different. Changing your uniform up a little to be different is art. Indians may paint their faces and their horses differently so that they stand out of all the others so that they can be found and identify. Same cases Indians made art was to distinguish themselves from other tribes as to not kill  their own people during a raid or battle. I used to become stressed with school and/or with relationship issues so I started drawing. I never liked being told what to draw and how to do it. I mostly like to begin with lines and later find out it looks like something that was unplanned. The reasons why I draw was take my focus off of life. Sometimes drawing something that makes you happy can help you to recall memories from good experiences and can turn your day around. Art is my tool and is my passion.

All Wrapped Up

Life can be compared to one big Christmas present. Wrapped all neatly under the tree, the lights dancing off the paper, the possibilities of what’s inside are endless. It could be that new baseball bat you wanted or the Barbie Dream House you’ve been staring at in the Toys R Us magazine for months. You go over and examine the shape more closely and realize it’s too big to be a bat. You shake it and it’s heavy, really heavy, but you don’t hear the rattle of little pieces bouncing around so that makes you doubt it’s the Dream House. Your curiosity is killing you and you beg and beg your parents for just one little hint of what it is. You just want to know the first letter of it, or the store it was bought from, something, anything to aid you in discovering what it is. They won’t budge one bit, so one day when they’re upstairs you slide your finger under the tape at the seam hoping to get a glimpse. Your mom has double wrapped it knowing you’d try and peak. In a moment of desperation you decide to rip the smallest corner of the paper instead. It’s a manila cardboard box. You rip just the slightest bit more and see the letter â€Å"M†. You quickly place the present back under the tree and make sure the rip is hidden from view. What on earth did you ask for that began with an â€Å"M†? Your mind goes blank and you have no idea. This question haunts you for the next few days until finally its Christmas morning. You were so excited that you didn’t sleep at all and you force your family out of bed at 4 A.M. You pound down the stairs and run straight for the gift thatâ⠂¬â„¢s been taunting you. Finally when your dad groggily emerges from the stairs, you begin opening the gift by yanking the bow off and ripping the wrapping paper off in a rage of anticipation. With every tear in the paper you become closer and closer to finally finding out what it is. With the paper lying in a heap on the floor you look down and see it’s a box for a mirror. This can’t be right you didn’t ask for a mirror. You look up and see the excitement on your mom’s face and pretend to love it. After opening all your other gifts your dad helps you assemble the mirror in your room. You may not have asked for it but it is actually pretty nice, it’s white and sort of reminds you of a mirror a princess would have. You say thanks and head back downstairs to play with your more exciting gifts. Ten years later and you realize how much you underappreciated the gift. Since you received the mirror there weren’t too many days that went by that yo u didn’t look at yourself in it. You grew up in front of that mirror. You remember the time you spent an hour in front of it trying to hide that giant zit and looking at yourself in it last year before prom and not even recognizing yourself. When we’re born the possibilities of who we are going to be are endless. I used to dream of being a princess and an astronaut. As I grew older and experiences gave me â€Å"sneak peaks† into my soul I realized neither one of these paths were for me. With each passing year there began to be less and less possibilities as I learned more and more about myself. I realized I loved to laugh, I enjoyed math, and I hated scary movies. I’m still in the process of â€Å"unwrapping† my identity, but I know whether or not it’s what I want to be, I’m going to appreciate it nonetheless and make the best of it.

Parent Involvement in schools Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Parent Involvement in schools - Research Paper Example It is because of this that children whose parent participates actively in their children’s education have a high level of academic achievement due to this motivation (Hornby and Lafaele, 2011). In addition, parental involvement should be encouraged due to its impact on the working relationships found in schools, especially between and amongst different school parties. With this in mind, parents get an opportunity to improve the socialization skills of their children with their teachers and other members of staff, as well as amongst themselves, which is crucial for academic networking. Parental involvement therefore should be active as it also boosts the morale of teachers in imparting education on children, as teachers perceive the interest of parents as motivation to have their children moulded into responsible citizens and members of society, where the teacher is the key. School responsibilities in ensuring parental participation lies in different factors that entail both the school’s interests and those of the parent, as well as those of the child (Sitton, n.d). It is because of this that the school has the largest responsibility in ensuring that parental cooperation and involvement in a child’s education in that schools spend large amounts of time with children. Putting this into perspective means that schools should put in more effort in drawing the parents to the school to understand that which their children go through in learning. In addition to this, teachers in in spending more time with children should know the interest of the children, which is information to be shared with parents for the best interests of children. This makes the school the guardian of the children, where it is up to the school to come with strategies to meet the parent and create forums in which to foster a healthy relationship between

Shortcomings in WHP Management Style Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Shortcomings in WHP Management Style - Essay Example The management is required to follow the guidelines laid down by the Healthcare Commission. Some of the highlights of the commission’s recommendations that are followed here are sound clinical and organisational management, and assessed and managed risks; supporting staff to raise any concerns about the quality of care or services provided to patients; having systems in place to support all staff in their development, including the minority groups; storing, using and dissemination of information about patients; to make sure that healthcare staff are appropriately recruited, trained and qualified; making sure that staff continue to develop their professional skills and to make sure that national guidelines for carrying out research are followed throughout the organisation.   The management is through a committee of ten medical practitioners that is headed by a Chairman who is the manager of the facility and policies are framed according to normal NHS guidelines outlined above. WHP scores a fair result in the services that it offers to its captive population and it appears that it is perceived as an average performer in its services. The pursuit of this report is to find the shortcomings in its management style and to make recommendations to overcome them. Management Styles are of three kinds; Autocratic, Consultative and Democratic. As the names suggest, the first is where the leader independently declares policy and the organization have no choice but to follow it. In a Consultative set up the leader seeks opinions from all departmental heads and then formulates policy. In the Democratic setup opinions from the rank and file have a bearing on the final policy and the leader is more like a guide and mentor.

Reflection 7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Reflection 7 - Essay Example The writer says that some foodies are prone to be outraged to the mention of raising pigs inhumanly. Ironically and remarkably, they tend to show little or no interest to inhumane working conditions their employees work in as they prepare the pork. Employees are entitled to safe working environment, better wages, no discriminations and a free working zone. Unfortunately, some companies are mindful of their returns solely. Workers thus suffer a lot. I also gathered a vast knowledge of the existence of trade unions and their roles To ensure that worker’s rights are respected; there have been the establishments of various labor unions (Kohn). These organizations advocate for better wages of workers in foodies. They also inspect the working conditions of the employees to ensure that they are safe. For instance, Whole Food has for a long time been subjected to severe scrutiny after being accused of labor abuses and also union busting. According to Kohn, the Coalition of Immokalee was able to bargain for a pay increase of its workers by 75% by the year 2005. Employees deserve better rights in their place of work. It is only wise for foodies to help them in fighting for their rights. It is inevitable that in the case of consumers eating low-quality food; they will outburst with complaints. They must help the workers in this fight. The unions must also aid in this

Applied decision methods Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Applied decision methods - Speech or Presentation Example t, I can use Linear Programming to come up with an optimal production programme to determine the production level of the processes so that the customers’ orders are met and the total production costs are minimal. TQM calls for continuous improvement of the quality of the products and services through proper feedbacks and research (Management Guide, 2013). Consequently, in my current job as customer service of YMCA, I will pay attention to customers’ (current and potential customers) feedback of any kind by listening to them, analyzing their response to the advertisements, checking their comments on social media and directly interacting with them to get what they have to say about our products and services. Then I will do research on how realistic the feedback is before recommending appropriate changes to my colleagues. This will enable us to meet customers’ needs thus meeting their expectation as we expand the YMCA’s portfolio. Besides, TQM admonishes for planning and checking on the proceedings of a strategy (Management Guide, 2013). Thus I will plan how to achieve customers’ satisfaction of a certain level, collect relevant data on how to achieve the goal and th en strategize. Thereafter, I will keep on checking on the suitability of our methods. From the QM, the optimal solution is to ship 800 units from Houston to Dallas, 600 Units from Phoenix to Atlanta and 200 Units from Memphis to Denver. The total cost involved using the above combination is 13000

The importance of human touch (like hugs) in personal health and how Research Paper

The importance of human touch (like hugs) in personal health and how the amount of touch a person receives varies depending on that persons culture - Research Paper Example It has been demonstrated that hormonal reactions take place with hormones such as oxytocin being released leading to production of beneficial effects. One instance of beneficial effects is experienced during emotional support shown by human touch such as by a hug. According to Berkman (1995), lower cardiovascular risk is experienced by emotionally supported patients through hugs. Consequently, the adverse effects of the condition such as related mortalities considerably fall in people experiencing emotional support such as by hugs. Besides human touch, there are other quality practices expressing emotional support that contribute to personal health by producing beneficial effects to the body systems. Such practices include friendly facial expressions, speech and quality of words, hand holding and sitting together. Health benefits experienced through touch can not leave out enhanced oxytocin activity, a hormone with several roles in the body human systems. According to Insel and Young (2001), oxytocin roles in social recognition as well as partner preference are major sources of connectivity between individuals. Stimulation of oxytocin release by mere touch is useful in the mechanism of its operation especially in emotional touches such a hug. The specific benefit of reduction in blood pressure assists in personal health stability especially in healing conditions. In an experiment conducted by Amico et al (2005), it was observed that pre-menopausal women who live with emotional support from their husbands are exposed to lower blood pressure due to high oxytocin levels produced on touch. Emotional support is paramount to healthy existence according to the authors. Keating in her book (1987), lists several beneficial impacts of hugging in relation to personal health which range from easing tension to fighting insomnia. Physical touch among human beings is portrayed as a powerful tool for healing processes, and the author reports that the

Mission and Vision Statements and the Companys Strategic Direction Research Paper

Mission and Vision Statements and the Companys Strategic Direction - Research Paper Example However, it has developed and adopted a unique system known as â€Å"The HP Way†. This is a unique ideology or philosophy that refers to the way things are done at HP (Lacy & Mullins, 2002). Therefore, although the company lacks clear mission and vision statements, the elements of these are captured in the company’s shared values and corporate objectives. These are stated below. Although HP lacks specific mission and vision statements, the shared values and corporate objectives have some of the key elements of effective mission and vision statements. To evaluate HP’s mission and vision statements as captured in â€Å"The HP Way†, an evaluation matrix will be important. The evaluation matrix below (Table 1) comprises of three columns. The first column contains the salient elements of the mission statement based on Zainbooks website. According to the website, mission statements should contain at least nine elements including; One of HP’s corporate objectives is customer loyalty, which shows the company’s commitment to providing value and highest quality to win customer loyalty and respect. However, the objective does not specify the company’s customers. The growth element is clearly stated in HP’s corporate objectives. One of the company’s corporate objectives is growth, which explains the company’s nature of identifying and seizing growth opportunities. Through its market leadership corporate objective, HP is committed to becoming the market leader through its competitive advantages in developing and delivering innovative and useful solutions, products, and services. The strategic direction is an important element in ensuring the success of a company. A company without a strategic direction is like a plane without a pilot that moves haphazardly. Such a business, like the plane, is likely to collapse. HP has had a clear strategic direction over the years since its formation. The growth and success of the company is proof of this.

Intrastate semitruck transportation in Michigan Research Paper

Intrastate semitruck transportation in Michigan - Research Paper Example For instance, the construction data for the last semester of year 2009 showed Michigan to have experienced declines in the double-digits (-16.8%) which was reflected in the -6.4% decline of combined trade, transportation and utilities sector (www.bls.gov. 5 February 2010). A related industry to transportation and quarrying is mining and logging which also declined but this decelerated somewhat to only -6.3% over a 12-month period. All the above economic data pertain to number of jobs (in thousands, seasonally adjusted). What is more worrisome is the unemployment rate in state of Michigan which hovers around 15% (actually 14.6%) which is way above the national average of only 10%. But this is only the local picture for the state itself but there are many other issues to look at such as labor conditions, hiring patterns, economic competitiveness, safety, security, congestion, overall mobility, environmental impact and energy efficiency. Other than the economic factors that impinge on the industry, the one factor that has the greatest impact is deregulation. This is one factor more than interest rates or overall state of the economy that affects the industry. The entire US trucking industry is a $200 billion business and is highly fragmented. It means the 50 largest companies account for less than 30% of total industry revenues, unlike in other industries where there is an oligopoly or a high concentration of big players such as in the accounting industry (only 4 big players that can dictate prices). Economists call this as C4 or an industry where only 4 big players control more than 60% like US auto manufacturing or the oil industry. In short, the US trucking industry is over-saturated and lacks the necessary bargaining power with regards to customers and pricing. If we use Porters Five Forces Model then the trucking industry has very weak market power indeed. Of the five

Enlish Methods Of Writing For Junior Cert Essay Example for Free

Enlish Methods Of Writing For Junior Cert Essay Junior Cert English Functional Writing Introduction and Overview The Functional Writing section of Paper I asks the student, in as close as possible, to write in the style of somebody who either uses language for a living, or is conducting business or important matters through writing or speech. This part of Paper I strays away from fiction, but is not entirely devoid of opportunities to use language in a creative or dramatic fashion. In some cases the student may have to use their imagination to provide detail to make their work seem realistic and give it the authentic feel. The marks in Functional Writing are given for the knowledge of the style and tone required for the task, and for the understanding of the format required. Awareness of Audience and Task In all cases in this section, your choice of language, and your use of tone and register will be dictated to you by  · The intended recipient and/or audience.  · Your means of delivery. In short, you can either use a formal or informal style of address. You should take into account the age, status, and size of the audience you are dealing with. Your language should always be trying to create the appropriate impression of both who you are and what youre trying to do. For example, you would use a formal style of address if you were writing a letter to your bank manager asking for a loan to start your own business. Your language would be confident, but not aggressive: informative, but not laboriously so: enthusiastic but not overzealous. The impression created on the bank manager is that you are reliable, competent and trustworthy, and your business will be a huge success. For your own entertainment you might want to write the worst possible letter of application for the same loan- you would be over-familiar, disrespectful, vague, repetitive, and riddled with inaccuracies about yourself and what you want to do. You can then guess what response this would get from the same bank manager going through their morning mail. This then is the key to Functional writing; awareness of the tone you are to take, and the choice of language to use to reinforce that tone. An example of a task that you would be asked to complete with an informal style is to imagine that you have been asked by a club that you are involved with to make a presentation to a class of twelve year old primary school children to encourage them to join. You would be presenting this verbally, so when you would prepare your material beforehand, you would stress key information on several occasions, to avoid having the same basic question repeated infinitely. As your audience would be unlikely to have firsthand experience of what you are taking about, you would use the simplest language possible, and use short, sequential, informative language. You would also use an informal tone, as you would want your audience to think your group would be welcoming and fun, not preoccupied with taking everything too seriously. Here is an example of a completely made-up extract from my very busy diary. Consider the language and tone I would use for each of the following tasks in just one day: 10:00 Book holiday tickets over phone from travel agency. 11:00 Complete and edit report for Boss on efficiency of new sys. 12:00 Address fundraising lunch for Kidney Dialysis unit for Childrens Hospital. 2:00 Write congratulations card for birth of secretarys daughters first child. 3:00 Deliver presentation to investors on Company performance. 4:00 Talk to business journalist about new product range. 6:00 Attend parent-teacher meeting at sons new school. 8:00 Coach under 12 team introduce new training drills. 10:00 Convince very unsympathetic wife that Ive had a long day. At both 12:00 and 3:00 I will be addressing a group of businesspeople. However, there are differences. People will not want to be overly serious at lunch, so I will be able to use a respectful but informal tone. I may even be able to use language that will influence my audience emotionally. However, at 3:00 I will have to be very formal and very structured in my use of language and terminology for the business meeting. Look at the way my 11:00 task is written. Will I get away with that use of shorthand and slang in the report itself? Of course not; what is acceptable as a note for your own use is not acceptable for a report for someone elses reading. Will it be easier to present information to my 3:00 or 8:00 appointment? In the afternoon everybody will be fresh. Will they be as sharp in the evening? Should my card for my secretarys daughter be written with the same tone and language as my report for my employer? All of these questions are central to the idea of functional writing. Make sure what you are doing is appropriate to your task and your audience. Reports. A report can be written for a newspaper, radio programme, or television broadcast. No matter whether its to be read or spoken, start with the most important details first. You should deal with the following sequence of facts; 1) what has happened; 2) how it happened; 3) why it happened. The first section, what, will also include where, who and when. A report doesnt only have to include the facts, it can also include opinions, in the form of quotations from the relevant experts and authorities, and also some degree of speculation as to what will happen next, and what consequences there will be. Unlike a review, the writer is there to convey the truth and facts of the matter. They are to be unbiased, non-judgemental, and let the facts speak for themselves. A good reporter will trust their audience to make up its mind in the right way once it has all the facts. The Tabloid Unlike the Broadsheet, the Tabloid newspaper makes no bones about  choosing sides in a story, and actively tries to persuade its readers to share its opinion. They very much like to take a light hearted approach to news material if at all possible, and frequently use puns in headlines. They also avoid putting in too many views or opinions on any given subject. They like first-hand accounts from people involved in making the news, and will avoid analysis, as they prefer to be very direct in their focus on the story. The tabloid journalist likes to gain an emotional response from their reader, and will not shy away from showing where their sympathies lie in any given story. They will sometimes choose to present deliberately one-sided reports on what may sometimes be very complicated issues. They like stories that involve celebrities or famous people, and avoid serious treatment of political or economic issues as much as possible. They thrive on scandal, and what they believe is the publics insatiable appetite to see what goes on behind closed doors. Tabloids pride themselves on their extremely in-depth sports coverage. The average reading age (age at which a reader would be expected to understand all contents without difficulty) for a Tabloid newspaper is just nine years. Tabloids like simple and short sentences. They use puns and wordplay to highlight and make memorable the key thrust of their story. They avoid using complicated terminology, and long sentences. They also highlight key-points by having several sub-captions to stories, and by using several illustrations to put across the message visually as well. Tabloids have always been traditionally strong on visual information and colour pictures. In recent years tabloids have abandoned over-reliance on the page-three girl feature as they are trying to encourage more women readers. The Broadsheet A broadsheet newspaper is characterised, not only by its large size, but by the attitude it takes towards journalism, and the presentation of news stories. Primarily, a broadsheet will focus on political, economic and lifestyle features. It will present its main stories in a very in-depth and detailed format. They will take a very serious tone with the reader, and will avoid anything that might seem to be trivialising an issue, for example, a pun in a headline. They prefer a serious, sombre, and often  complex approach to news-stories. Broadsheet newspapers examine not only what happened, but how it happened, why it happened, if it happens frequently, what can be done about it, and they will also mention when similar events occurred. They like to find many individuals related to the event, and experts to give quotations and opinions on what has happened. The broadsheet journalist likes to appear impartial and unbiased, and avoids any sense that their emotions might be affecting what they write in any way. They like to convey the impression that they give you the whole truth. Some broadsheet newspapers are physically huge. The average reading age (level of difficulty) for reading a broadsheet and understanding everything in it would be fourteen years, which means you would be able to follow everything. Broadsheets are only now beginning to embrace the possibilities for the use of colour in their papers. Traditionally they have been very black and white affairs, but are increasing the amount of photographs they publish. Reviews. The art of the reviewer is to give the reader just enough a suggestion of what it is youre talking about, just enough to whet their appetite. If you check a Sunday newspaper, you can find reviews of motorcars, concerts, films, restaurants, even hotels! Nothing is too small, or too large to avoid being reviewed. You could be required to write a review of a favourite film of yours, or to write a blurb for the back of a novel. Unlike a report, which is essentially factual, a review gives you far more scope to let your opinions and feelings known. You can say what you liked or disliked about what youre reviewing, and that is almost important as a factual description of what youre reviewing. You can create either a very positive or negative impression on your reader by the tone and language you use. You should assume that your reader has a general interest in the area, but may not be familiar with exactly what youre going to tell them about. It is easy to criticise something, and often after saying how bad something is, you will find yourself repeating your verdict without informing the reader of why, how or what was bad about it. If you are still looking to fill space, try constructive criticism. Any reviewer can pronounce whether something is good or bad; only the inspired reviewer can point out what was done well, and conversely, what opportunities were lost. For example, if you are reviewing the sitcom Friends, then you should fill in the background first for the reader. It is advisable to go into some detail about the characters, and then finally to attempt some analysis of why it is you like or dislike it. Interviews. Q: Whats the difference between an interview and writing dialogue? A: Interviews are essentially pieces of dialogue, but without the qualifying he saids / she saids at the end of each piece of speech. The different parts of the conversation can be put as question and answer exchanges (Q: and A:), or if it is a more informal interview which is very similar to a conversation, then you can call yourself Interviewer, but refer to your subject by their Surname. Keep your questions short, and let your interviewee expand on them. Q: What are the things I should try to do, and what are the most common problems? A: A bad question to ask is anything that would encourage your interviewee to give a monosyllabic answer, of the yes/no variety. A good question is one which gives the interviewee a chance to illustrate with examples from their life, work, or to ponder on events important to their work, lives, and past or future. A good interviewer gets to the point quickly, and their questions will never be longer than the answers they receive. I once interviewed Seamus Heaney while in college, and committed all of the above mistakes. The Sample Answer below I have had to invent to cover my embarrassment! As well as bearing in mind your interviewee, bear in mind the audience who will be reading this interview. You want something  that is informative, but not technical, and which allows the person or subject to come across well to the reader. There was a fashion recently in newspapers for interviews in which you discovered more about the interviewer than the interviewee, but thankfully, this has now passed. Q: So, I basically just make the entire thing up then? But how do I structure it? A: If you are stuck as to where to start, pick an example of an interviewee who would be appropriate, and write out the list of questions you would like to ask them. Then all you need to do is invent their answers, going by what you know of them. If youre still stuck, then ask what theyre doing now, what they were doing previously, and what they hope to be doing in six months time. You can also ask if they have achieved all they want to do, or if they think other peoples impressions of them are important. Bear in mind though that your questions will ultimately depend on who the intended audience for the interview is. If they are your age, then ask questions you think your friends would like to know the answers to. Within reason, of course. Speech Writing The skill of speech writing could be relevant to Personal Writing or Functional Writing. How to write, deliver and appreciate a good speech. The key to writing and delivering a good speech is to remember at all times that the speaker is dealing with an audience. The writer/speaker must also bear in mind at what occasion the speech is to be delivered. A speech to be given at an EGM of a company faced with bankruptcy will be drastically different in its structure, tone, and technique than a speech to be given by the same speaker at a wedding later that week! How to write a speech. (For this section, we will consider a speech as that which a speaker would be called upon to prepare for a debate, or public speaking competition.) First, read your motion carefully. In the Junior Certificate, you will be invited to speak either for or against the topic. In deciding whether to speak for or against the motion, dont necessarily choose the side of the motion which  you support; choose instead the side of the argument that will give you the most arguments to use in your speech. A good idea is to brainstorm all the possible arguments both for and against, and when you see which side gives you more avenues of thought to pursue, choose it. Second, having chosen your side of the debate, decide that the motion is a good or bad idea because ¦This then will become the argument of your speech. The argument is the central theme which you will introduce, build upon and then summarise. Often it is best to have to have three reasons; Example For Capital Punishment is a good idea because ¦ 1. It deters other criminals from committing serious crimes 2. It is cheap, efficient, and labour saving 3. It eliminates the possibility of repeat offences Against Capital Punishment is a bad idea because ¦ 1. Miscarriages of justice cannot be rectified 2. It makes killing right for some yet wrong for others, thus introducing a double standard when there should be a simple statement that murder is a crime 3. Prisons should be for rehabilitating offenders, not for revenge All of the above statements should then be supported by example, but remember, in a debate, your argument is more important than your examples. A good speaker is always restating their argument; a bad speaker is always lost in a fog of example. This is how your argument becomes informative and clear. Third, decide on the structure and tone you want to use in your speech. Some speakers may like to start their speech with a story, anecdote or quotation that will then illustrate their arguments to follow. This gives the speaker a chance to make the speech unique, and make it more relevant than a theoretical discussion of some issue that has never had, or will never have any affect on the speaker. What tone are you going to use? Avoid making sweeping statements, such as we all know what this is going to lead to. Instead, pitch such ideas to the audience in the form of rhetorical questions: Do we want our society to be like this? Avoid the use of too much jargon, and if you are forced to, make sure to define the term immediately after you first mention it, so the audience will be informed for when they will next hear the term. Do not believe that your audience are already experts on this issue you may need to fill them in on the basics  first. Do not do this in a patronising way, but instead say that you want to focus their attention on the key issues. In this way you will be more persuasive, and less arrogant. Too much arrogance and you will end up alienating your audience from your point of view. Opening comments. Depending on the occasion that the speech is to be delivered, start with the most important dignitaries present, and proceed through your list to the end, which is usually your fellow speakers. A standard opening for a school debate would be Chairperson, Principal, Honoured Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Fellow Students, Fellow Speakers, I have come before you today to speak on the motion that ¦(insert motion here) ¦ Continue to refer directly to the audience at intervals throughout your speech, and conclude with a summary of all your arguments, and by thanking the audience for their time and attention. Ladies and Gentlemen, having put forward the facts, I beg you to support/oppose this motion, that ¦(insert motion here) ¦ How do you know if you have written a good speech? Imagine you are listening to that speech from the audience. To a member of an audience, no matter where, a good speech will always have the following qualities. 1. It will be suited to the tone of the occasion, whether solemn, or celebratory. 2. It will be informative, but not so technical that it either confuses or loses you. 3. You will be clear at the end of the speech as to why the speaker feels in the way they do about the topic they have spoken on. 4. The speech will emphasise why the issue is important to everyday life, rather that some abstract worry that may never affect you. 5. You will have been given a definition of the issue, and more importantly, a series of suggestions or steps as to how this issue should be dealt with. 6. You will have developed a sympathy for both the speaker and the issue that they spoke upon.

Negotiation beforehand Essay Example for Free

Negotiation beforehand Essay You ought to master the art, in a negotiation, of raising the interests of both parties and end up with a lasting common pact. Why selected: Negotiations rooted in self-centered positions often injure the relationship of both parties and are incapable of reaching good agreements. I recall a friend who lost his chance of landing a job because of his tactlessness. Application to a business or personal situation: A couple of weeks ago, a friend had lost a big time prospective employer when he haggled with him over his desired monthly salary, asking a highly competitive one despite being a fresh graduate. What added fuel to the dispute was his provoking voice that possessed an air of domineering insistence. Action steps: The situation above is best addressed by efficiently doing the following: 1. Build a long-lasting relationship with the other party by offering a wise deal. 2. Set aside personal involvement with any issues and try to look over the other side’s viewpoint. 3. Do not counteract emotional outbursts with another raging flow of emotions. 4. Identify the parties’ interests, not their positions as it would undermine the other in the process. 5. Lay down a wide array of alternatives, sit, and pick the best choice to settle issues once and for all. 6. Approach the issue as a common search and decide on the best objective criteria for it. 7. Establish ground rules in negotiation beforehand to have a pre-emptive measure against dirty tricks the other party may later employ (Glaser). Reference: Glaser, Tanya. Conflict Research Consortium Book Summary. http://www. colorado. edu/conflict/peace/example/fish7513. htm. 1998-2005

Analysis of Gordon Browns Leadership

Analysis of Gordon Browns Leadership Gordon Brown with his ‘government of all the talents’ and his promise to listen suggests he prefers a Cabinet form of Government over Prime Ministerial Government. What has been his record to date in exercising his prime ministerial powers? Illustrate with reference to the practice of the past three Prime Ministers and decide whether it is a positive or negative development. Introduction Upon becoming Prime Minister in June 2007, Gordon Brown gave strong indications that he would change the political culture in Britain. Among those promises, he pledged to govern with a â€Å"government of all the talents†, seeking consultation and advice from outside the traditional Labour Party sources. (BBC, 2007) Since then, the Prime Minister has also stated his preference for a more cabinet form of Government as opposed to a strong Prime Ministerial Government common in the Blair and Thatcher periods. (Rentoul, p552) Does Gordon Brown’s record show a preference for consultation, has Parliament been given more power in the running of Government or has Gordon Brown reverted to the strong autocratic style of leadership that he was often accused of during his time as Chancellor? This essay will examine Gordon Brown’s short reign as Prime Minister, looking closely at his use of Prime Ministerial powers in Government. The work will explore the extent to which the present Labour Cabinet has strong influence over decisions and policies, and whether Gordon Brown has strengthened Parliament by transferring some of the traditional Prime Ministerial powers to the legislature. In order to judge Gordon Brown’s record, it is necessary to compare the actions and records of the previous three UK Prime Ministers, Tony Blair, John Major and Margaret Thatcher. Each Prime Minister differed in their use of Prime Ministerial powers, influenced by the political situation and their own style and personality. By giving strong examples of cabinet or Prime Ministerial Government we may better understand their meaning, as well as better judging Gordon Brown’s record and style of Government. Finally we shall attempt to conclude whether Gordon Brown has brought ab out a more Cabinet form of Government, and if so, judge if this has been a positive or negative development for Government and the Country. Chapter One In Gordon Brown’s first address to the House of Commons as Prime Minister, he indicated that his Premiership was one that would increase the power of Parliament in such vital areas as declaring war, signing International treaties and approving public appointments. This was part of his plan to devolve power, which included proposals to start de-centralising power across the UK, allowing UK citizens and councils more influence in Government. The Prime Minister has in many ways delivered on some of his promises to rule with a â€Å"government of all the talents† appointing Labour outsiders such as Sir Digby Jones and setting up the National Economic Council. (Bagehot, 2008) These actions however, do not necessarily mean that Gordon Brown has brought in a new period of cabinet Government however. Cabinet Government refers to the UK Prime Minister ruling in conjunction with his or her Cabinet, sharing responsibility and power but remaining first among equals. Prime Ministeri al Government refers to the Prime Minister dominating the executive, making all the major policy decisions without always consulting with or taking the advice of the Cabinet. (Jones, 2005, p.27) Does Gordon Brown’s record suggest that he rules in co-operation with his Cabinet or does he make the major decisions without their contribution? The first few months of the Brown era were a relative success for the Government. The change of leader helped Labour recover public support, and Gordon Brown gave a successful image as a strong and experienced leader. Policies were put forward to restore Cabinet Government, the party was united and the PM appears to have consulted the Cabinet whilst remaining firmly in control. This was a change from the Blair period of Government, in which a strong Prime Ministerial form of Leadership existed, with outside unelected advisors exercising more power and influence on the PM than the elected Cabinet members. (Rentoul, 2001, p.536) Although the strong leadership of Blair and the unity of the party had been in many ways responsible for their electoral success, Blair’s weakening of Cabinet power and autocratic leadership led Britain into an unpopular and, for the Labour parties’ popularity, disastrous war in Iraq. Gordon Brown entered office with the promise of restoring Cabinets importance, and lessening the influence of outsiders such as Alistair Campbell, who during the Blair years appeared to be the real deputy Leader, rather than the elected John Prescott. (Stephens, 2004, p.180) Brown then, seemed to be promoting a style of Government personified by John Major. During Majors time as PM Cabinet meetings were transformed from meetings where Mrs Thatcher would inform the cabinet of her policies and demand obedience into genuine forums for debate and deliberation. Important issues were discussed, free debate was encouraged and arguments were common. This was extremely popular within Government, as suggested in Dick Leonards â€Å"A Century of Premiers†. â€Å"Major has restored Cabinet Government† (Leonard, 2005, p.333) In the first few months, Gordon Brown did successfully lead in a Cabinet style of Government. The aftermath and response to several failed terrorist attacks were handled by Cabinet figures such as Jacqui Smith, who liaised with the public and the Muslim Community. In both the crisis with Northern Rock and the flooding in rural areas Brown employed the full talents of his Ministers rather than attempting to micromanage every situation. (Freedland, 2007) Brown was popular with both the party and the public; it seemed that the return of Cabinet Government was beneficial for the Government and the Nation. In many ways Major and Brown inherited the Leadership under similar situations. Neither man had the commanding Parliamentary majority of Thatcher or Blair at their peak, and had to by necessity rely more on the support of their Cabinet. (Foley, 2002, p.33) Like Major, Brown has also had to deal with a resurgent opposition which for the first time in years appears to be ahead in the polls. This led to Brown’s first major crisis; in September and October 2007 Brown hinted that he would call an election to fully legitimise his Leadership, as he did not face a leadership election to become Prime Minister. However Brown decided not to go ahead with an election, with many suggesting that he was worried by the Tories lead in the opinion polls. (Robinson, 2007) From this point on Brown became steadily less popular with the Country and the party, as subsequent crises and Browns apparent lack of charisma and leadership chipping away at support for the Government. Despite this however, many would suggest that this has not caused Gordon Brown to abandon Cabinet Government. On the contrary, Gordon Brown has continued to consult and debate with his Cabinet on the major issues, allowing such figures as David Milliband and Jacqui Smith to emerge as possible future leaders of the Labour Party. Although Gordon Brown has consulted with many outside forces and attempted to build a more consensual form of British politics, even offering Paddy Ashdown a position in Government, (Woodward, 2007) this has not led to the marginalisation of the Cabinet. Margaret Thatcher’s preference for unelected advisors, such as Sir Alan Walters, over Cabinet Members helped bring about her downfall, making her believe she was infallible and isolating potentially loyal Ministers, as suggested by Leonard. â€Å"She acted as a virtual dictator, reducing the role of the Cabinet to that of a supporters club†. (Leonard, 2005, p.313) It did however, give Thatcher t he image of a strong Leader, one that could make important decisions decisively without having to consult or procrastinate. Unfortunately some of the decisions she made without consulting the Cabinet, such as the poll tax were disastrous for her and the Tory Party. Tony Blair did not marginalise or reduce his Cabinet to such a lowly level; however he did, as we have mentioned, surround himself with an inner circle of advisors, many of them outsiders like Alistair Campbell, and relied more heavily on their advice than that of his Cabinet. His style of leadership was also similar to Thatcher’s in that he tried to dominate and manage every important situation, with the notable exception of those issues that came under his Chancellors office. (Rentoul, 2001, p.249) Although the most successful Labour leader in history, Blair’s decisions and style of leadership were ultimately responsible for his clearly begrudging resignation. Despite following a more Cabinet orientated approach to Government, Gordon Brown has found that this does not necessarily guarantee loyalty during difficult times. There have been widespread rumours about a possible leadership challenge, with many Labour MPs talking to the press about their desire to see Gordon Brown step down. By giving his Cabinet power and responsibility Gordon Brown has allowed some of the bigger personalities, such as Milliband, to grow in status, so much so that many Labour MPs considered him a possible replacement. Chapter Two In our previous chapter we presented the argument that Gordon Brown has brought back a more Cabinet orientated form of Government. In Chapter two we will look at ways in which Gordon Brown has in fact maintained a Prime Ministerial form of Leadership, along with the negative consequences this has brought about. We will also attempt to evaluate Gordon Brown’s record, and come to a conclusion whether it has been a positive or negative development in relation to the three previous Prime Ministers reigns. At the beginning of Brown’s premiership, the Prime Minister made pledges to bring about more Parliamentary powers and increase executive accountability, a clear reference to Tony Blair’s decision to launch an unpopular war. (Stephens, 2005, p239) However so far, these pledges have remained in the formation stage. The Premier still retains ultimate authority on issues of national security, international treaties and appointments. Perhaps in the future these pledges will be passed in Parliament, however till that day the Prime Minister will retain a large degree of executive control. Since Brown has been in office little legislation actually transferring power away from the Executive has passed through Parliament. In many respects Brown has pushed through his own agenda, bypassing the reservations or objections of his Cabinet, as well as ruthlessly disposing of any Ministers that have dared to challenge his authority. (Bagehot, 2008) The ten pence tax rate cut was widely criticised by the media and opposition, and eventually forced the Government to backtrack. It was introduced in the 2007 budget by Brown, who insisted on implementing it despite the fact that it hit those on low incomes, natural Labour supporters. This disaster was a direct result of Gordon Brown forcing an unpopular policy into being despite the opposition of many in the Party. Despite the large size of the Cabinet, the Prime Minister has ensured that those in the top jobs are those with a proven track record for loyally supporting Brown throughout his years as Chancellor. Those supporters or suspected supporters of Tony Blair have largely been marginalised, not allowed near the more important Ministerial positions. Those Ministers who have resisted his policies or have spoken for the need of a new leader have been dropped for more loyal, pliant personnel. (Helm, 2008)) In the most important sphere of influence, the economy, the Chancellor Alistair Darling appears to operate with far less independence and power than Brown did under Blair, indeed although we may say that Tony Blair operated a â€Å"Presidential† style of Leadership, he went out of his way to appease his Chancellor. Gordon Brown does not have any figure powerful or independent enough to build a sphere of influence within Government as Brown did previously. (Leonard, 2005, p355-358) Reg ardless of the press and several Labour MPs promotion of David Milliband, Brown remains without peer in terms of gravitas, influence and experience within the party. Despite his smaller majority, Brown has also shown that he is able to force unpopular legislation through Parliamentary and Cabinet opposition, most notably in the case of the 42 day detention issue. The intense opposition in his Party, with alleged deals being made to get the bill passed, along with opposition condemnation suggests that Gordon Brown was not concerned with giving Parliament new powers related to national security. In relation to Iraq although some British troops have been pulled out of the Country, British troops remain in both Iraq and Afghanistan, again despite the opposition of many in the party. That there is no opposition in the Cabinet is perhaps testament to the loyalty of those Gordon Brown has chosen, rather than there being complete unity. Developments in the Brown Government: Positive or Negative? In the last Chapter we have demonstrated that the Brown Leadership is not yet a perfect example of Cabinet Government. The Cabinet consists mainly of Brown loyalists, the Prime Minister has forced through many unpopular policies and as of yet has failed to deliver the legislation that would make a Cabinet Government a long term possibility. However despite these criticisms Gordon Brown has run a more Cabinet Government than either Tony Blair or Margaret Thatcher. It will be difficult for the Prime Minister to backtrack on legislation that will give more power to Parliament, and he has demonstrated in many of the crises that he is willing to share power and responsibility with the more senior Cabinet members. The large size and broad range of the Cabinet also suggests that Brown is less likely to rely on a small clique of outsiders for advice, as did Thatcher and Blair. In recent months Brown has also shown that he is willing to accept Blair loyalists into the Cabinet, as we have seen with the appointment of Peter Mandelson. (Sparrow, 2008) It is the opinion of this essay that despite the serious problems of the Labour Party this has been a positive development. Although there has been limited use of the talents of opposition party personnel, a Government of all the talents has the potential to change the confrontational, winner takes all style of British Politics. In a time of severe economic crisis there is a need to take advantage of all available talent and ability. History has shown that although a strong Prime Ministerial Government can be initially popular, if the Leader believes it is unnecessary to consult with their Cabinet then they can make serious errors of judgement. If Margaret Thatcher had listened to her Cabinet perhaps there would have been no poll tax, nor would relations with Europe be so damaged by Thatcher’s strident anti European speeches. (Riddell, 1991, pp.184-187) Ultimately though, a more Cabinet form of Government means a more democratic, accountable Government, one that is more likely to grant Parliament a greater role in the more important aspects of Government. A larger Cabinet made up of representatives from across the board is also more representative of the nation itself. If ideas and policies can be discussed, deliberated and argued out by a professional, representative and broad Cabinet then perhaps there will be less chance of the Government enacting policies that are popular and logical only to the Prime Minister and a close circle of unrepresentative outsiders. Conclusion This essay has demonstrated that since taking office Gordon Brown has led a Cabinet Government similar to that of John Major, rather than the more Prime Ministerial approach of both Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair. The essay has also shown that Brown’s leadership style does still contain elements of the Prime Ministerial form of Government, especially in regards to forcing through unpopular pet projects originating from when Brown was Chancellor. However, despite his reputation as a â€Å"Stalinist† leader Brown has shown surprising flexibility, an ability to consult with those outside the traditional Labour party sphere as well as demonstrating trust in the more senior members of his Cabinet. If Brown remains Prime Minister for the foreseeable future then we are likely to see legislation that will strengthen both Cabinet Government and Parliament itself. In the new economic climate and looming recession these policies might herald a new age of not only Cabinet Government, but a more consensual and cross party form of British Politics. The emergence of a Cabinet Government is undoubtedly then a positive sign for the future. Bibliography Foley, Michael â€Å"John Major, Tony Blair and a Conflict of leadership: Collision Course† (Manchester University Press, Manchester and New York, 2002) Jones, Bill â€Å"Politics UK† (Harlow, Pearson, Longman, London, 2006) Leonard, Dick â€Å"A Century of Premiers: From Salisbury to Blair† (Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, 2005) Rentoul, John â€Å"Tony Blair: Prime Minister† (Time Warner, London, 2001) Riddell, Peter â€Å"The Thatcher Era and its Legacy† (Blackwell, Oxford UK and Cambridge USA, 1991) Stephens, Philip â€Å"Tony Blair: The making of a World Leader† (Viking, New York, 2004) Newspapers Bagehot â€Å"Gordon Brown’s Recovery: A War on two Fronts† Economist, 9/10/2008, p.27 Helm, Toby â€Å"Left Winger Cruddas in Think Tank challenge† Guardian, 12/10/2008 Freedland, Jonathan – â€Å"Who is Gordon Brown?† The New York Review of Books, Volume 54, Number 16, October 25 2007. Sparrow, Andrew â€Å"Gordon Brown defends decision to bring Peter Mandelson back into government† Guardian, 03/10/2008 Woodward, Will â€Å"Ashdown turns down job in Brown cabinet† Guardian, 21/06/2007, p2 Internet Brown is UK’s New Prime Minister – BBC News – 27/06/2007, accessed 06/11/2008 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6245682.stm Robinson, Nick â€Å"Brown rules out Autumn Election† BBC News – 06/10/2007, accessed 06/11/2008 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7031749.stm

Brilliant Lies: Comparison between Film and Playwright :: miscellaneous

Brilliant Lies: Comparison between Film and Playwright David Williamson wrote the serious comedy, Brilliant Lies in 1993. Three years later the play was adapted into a film. The play was about how a young sexy party girl, Susy, was sexually harassed by her power-demeaning boss, Gary. Throughout the story we are kept in the dark about what the truth really is concerning the account in the office when both parties worked late alone. The film introduces changes to both enhance and develop the play’s main ideas and themes. When plays are made into film, or film into plays improvement s are made. Scenes are taken out, added and changed. The film of Brilliant Lies has significant improvements; a scene is added, some are deleted and overall the setting are far more exotic. Overall the film improves on the ideas explored in the play. Many changes are displayed in the film adapted from the playwright. One of these main changes would be the ending of the story. The adapted film ending shapes our ideas of Gary and his wife, Stephanie. In the play we never meet Stephanie and only hear about her from what Gary says to Susy who explains it to Marion who is there to make sure the proceedings don’t get out of hand. Susy say’s â€Å"He screamed that his wife treated him like shit†. Consequently in the play we think of Stephanie as a bitch. In the film Stephanie is at the court hearing and has to hear the horrible degrading things her husband has told Susy about her. Stephanie eventually breaks down from hearing these things in court and leaves. We feel sorry for her because of the horrible things she had to hear in court and also because she is married to such a hostile man. The audience in both film and play know that Gary treats Stephanie badly because of what he says to Susy, who repeats it in court in the film and in the conference room in the play â€Å"†¦ he hated her so much that the only thing that made him feel god was that he’d cheated on her four times since†. Gary is presented in a hostile way towards women and we instantly hate him for saying and doing something like that in opposition to the women he should be devoted to. Therefore the film gives us an idea of what Stephanie would go through if she found out about the affair, harassment and what her husband has done behind her back.

Growing Up in a Violent World Essay -- childhood, child development, v

Childhood, according to wordnetweb, is the time of a person's life when they are a child or the state of a child between infancy and adolescence. The period defined as childhood might not change, because it will always be between infancy and adolescence, but the activities and development acquired in that time changes from generation to generation. If you ask an adult how was their childhood they might tell you thousands of different stories regarding their friends, the games they used to play, the lives they used to live and the simplicity of life they had. They might tell you about how they used to run through the neighborhoods with their friends, kill bugs, eat soil and â€Å"discover† new territories. They might tell you about the time the broke their arm when they fell off a tree they were climbing or how fun it was to swim at the lake with their friends. Now, if you ask a kid born on the new millennium, the new generation, he might give you a completely different scene f or what childhood is for him. For him, childhood might mean staying up late watching TV series regarding sex and drugs, or playing Play Station, X-Box or Wii for 5 or even 6 straight hours. They might also tell you about the time they accidentally found porn on the internet or when they were grounded for using obscene language that they previously had learned from a movie. Life as we used to know it has changed, drastically. This world has become a very hostile world, were advertisement owns the streets and all the means of communication. The kids of this new â€Å"technology† era are the ones who suffer the most with his hostility, and we have to do something about it. Children are being bombarded with explicit material all the time by the media. What are all the la... ... different concept and hostility is a common environment. Bringing children to life in this era is far much more complicated than what it used to be, and parenting has become an exhausting and tough job. Being a parent in this time means having to be EXTRA-careful with what your child is exposed to these days, means taking the time to explain and correct them from all the wrong concepts of values they have learned from TV. It is in our hand to change this world for the better, we have to raise our voices and fight against the media and all these things they are causing in our children. The hostility of our world not only affects children, because adults are affected too, but our children are the men and women of tomorrow, and for that we have the responsibility to guide them, to teach them, and to make their learning and development environment as safe as it can be.

All Drugs Should be Legal for Personal Use Essay -- Legalization Drugs

All Drugs Should be Legal for Personal Use The war on drugs is costing us over 100 billion dollars to fight each year, and we’re only fighting a monster which we are making bigger with each punch. It’s not drugs, but drug laws themselves that have created this monster. Drug use is part of human nature, but the unimaginable wealth involved leads to the corruption of the police, judges, and elected officials. There is no reason to have the government regulating what goes into an individual’s body. An extreme case of what we’re letting the government do is letting them take away our own self, an individual’s ownership over his own body. I think it’s in everyone’s interest to legalize all drugs, since this war is going nowhere, letting the government get more powerful than it was ever meant to have been, and it’s putting numbers over our names. There is no way that the drug flow into the United States is ever going to be stopped. It’s a general economic rule, that as long as there is a demand for drugs there will always be a supply, unless scarcity occurs, but it doesn’t appear as if Colombia is running out of cocaine anytime soon. Cocaine brings Bolivia’s economy $600 million per year, a figure equal to the country’s total legal export income. Our country’s current annual import of cocaine would fit comfortably into a single C-5A cargo plane. The United States is just too large, there is no way to stop an import of a drug completely. By keeping a drug off the street...

Why Women are obsessed with Appearance

The human physical appearance is very vital in the development of social relations with the others as they interact. The appearance is also important in relation to an individual’s personality. Because human beings are influenced by what they can see, physical attractiveness of a person plays a very important role in social relations. The physical characteristics or features that are seen in men and women are an expression of sexual dimorphisms in human. This is due to the physical differences that exist between men and women. A woman’s physical appearance affects how she socially interacts with other women and men because when it comes to the appearance, human beings have proved to be very sensitive to variation in appearance. Some of the factors that can be attributed to variation in appearance include age, genetic factors, diseases and personal adornments. Physiological differences between individuals can be seen in physical features such as the body hair, height, bodyweight, hair colour, shape of the ears and nose, body deformations and body shape. Appearance can also be affected by short term occurrences such as crying, skin colour changes and sexual arousal. In the contemporary world, the appearance of an individual whether a man or a woman is considered to have great significance. This is especially true for women who are considered to be very concerned and obsessed with their appearance. Cornell(Cornell,1998) states that women have in the past years expressed their determination, dedication and great efforts as they seek to get equal opportunities with the men. To women, they have been denied equal opportunities with the men who have dominated the world for a long time. Through their appearance, women can win the attention that they may fight for feminism. This has made many women to invest their time, efforts, and resources in order to attain an appearance that is desirable to them. Although men are also concerned about their appearance, majority of men do not allocate as much time, energy and financial resources to enhance their certain appearances like women do. Changing someone’s physiological features whether in long-term or short-term has become an issue of concern for many, whereby personal effects and clothing have become important in promoting changes in appearance for women. The use of decorative objects, body shape altering devices, cosmetics, body modifications, change of haircut or hair colour, and changing dressing styles have become very common in women. Technological advancements have resulted to new and more advanced ways of changing the appearance, a good example being cosmetic surgery. Plastic of cosmetic surgery is now being embraced as one of the most advanced way that is currently available to women who would like to change their physiological appearance. In this paper, the reason behind women’s obsession with their appearance will be discussed. The discussion will be based on the theory that women are obsessed with their appearance because of their concern of their future existence and the need to maintain their feminine identity. Discussion There are many reasons why women are obsessed with their appearance. However,the reason why certain individuals may be obsessed with their appearance may vary depending on the experiences one have had in her life. Some reasons seem to contribute greatly to the obsession women have with their appearance. These reasons will be discussed below; 1. Women’s concern about their future existence. Women are considered to be concerned about their appearance due to the influence their appearance have on their future. This opinion is also supported by Gillis et al (Gillis et al, 2007). The future existence of a woman is based on her attractiveness. This is a factor that many women may not be consciously aware of. Women’s anxiety about the future promotes their engagement in efforts that aim at making their appearance more attractive. Because women pursuit for attractive appearance is related to future, their obsession with appearance is centrally tied to their relationships with men. This is because. The future of women depends on co-workers, husbands, employers, and lovers who are men. One reason why women show their obsession with their appearance is the conviction that a woman’s life if fulfilled and her continued existence guaranteed depending on her ability to attract and be attached to a particular man. This ability defines what her future holds for her. In almost all societies, relationships between men and women are considered to be very important. Even in the ancient societies, women were viewed as very crucial since they played the important role of mothers and wives. A woman’s ability to attract a man, especially the one who she can marry is to some extent related to her physical appearance. This is in relation to her body shape, body size, colour of her skin and hair, and her natural beauty. In order to share power and wealth, many women tend to enhance their bodies’ potential as objects of men desires. This gives a woman’s body great sexual significance in the society. Women invest their time, energy, efforts and resources to enhance an appearance that will be desirable and attractive to men. This is especially true when it comes to a man who proposes to marry a woman. Apart from a woman’s concern about her appearance before marriage, appearance still remains an important issue even in marriage. In the contemporary society, a woman’s worth and acceptance is promoted by her being married. To many, marriage still remains the natural mode of a female being a woman. Price and Shidrick (Price and Shildrick, 1999) state that since the ancient times, the societies have given certain socioeconomic and historical positions to woman. These positions restrict women to take care of the households and children and they have been for some time strengthened even more by the commercial media. Women’s obsession with appearance does not entirely depend on their personal preference to pursue attractiveness. Their pursuit for attractiveness emanates from the need to give their bodies some power. The power that women acquire through the appearance of their bodies determines what kind of a husband they get and also how they relate with employers or co-workers. It is these people who define how her future will be like. Therefore, a woman’s obsession with appearance can be attributed to her desire to give her body some power that will ensure she gets a good husband and family in the future, as well as assure her of her success as a result of good relations with male co-workers or employers. Women use decorative or attractive items to enhance their appearance that attracts the right men. For instance, cosmetics and jewelry still remain as very important personal effects to a woman. These items increase a woman’s beauty and make her more attractive to men who are likely to be beneficial to her life in future. Pharmaceutical companies are now manufacturing many and different cosmetic products for women to use in their pursuit for attractiveness or good appearance. Marrakchi (Marrakchi, 2006) links women’s obsession with their appearance to the production of harmful and toxic cosmetic products . These products which have been viewed as contributing to the many cases of diseases such as cancer in the modern society. Decorative objects such as earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and rings have become part and parcel of many women’s lives. In an ideal traditional marriage, a woman’s beauty is seen as though to be exchanged with a man’s power, wealth, and influence. Because marriage becomes part of a woman’s future, enhancing an attractive appearance that will assist her attract a good husband has promoted a woman’s obsession with good appearance. Her future that depends on how well she can attract good men as a potential husband determines how far a woman may be willing to go in order to get the â€Å"right† appearance. The appearance to her will in future give her some worth and will ensure she is accepted in the society if she relates to the right men. The future existence of a woman is promoted by the happiness she gets in life and the fulfillment of romantic love that she receives. Gerhard (Gerhard, 2001) asserts that the society has made marriage attractive and desirable to women by associating future happiness and fulfillment of romantic love to a marriage. Future happiness and fulfillment or romantic love is associated with a marriage. Because the society tends to present a marriage as an institution that makes women acceptable and gives them some worth, some women fear that they will loose their worth if they fail to attract men who can marry them. Because a woman may consider being married as â€Å"doing the proper thing†, her ability to attract a man for marriage becomes her focus. The fear of being seen as a failure or a â€Å"social misfit† if she is not married motivates a woman to seek an attractive appearance. By ensuring that she remains attractive, a woman increases her opportunity to have her romantic love and happiness fulfilled. Furthermore, her worth and acceptance in the society is retained, a situation that increases her happiness. A woman’s failure to attract men makes her loose her worth or makes her feel that she is not as good as other attractive women. Women’s obsession with appearance can therefore be attributed to their desire to get happiness and fulfillment of romantic love in future. In addition, her attractive appearance boosts her self confidence and esteem hence she feels that she has great worth in the society. For example, in some societies, women who do not get married may not be highly regarded. As compared to their married counterparts, unmarried women are viewed as people who are not happy or are unfulfilled in relation to romantic love. When marriage becomes an important institution for a woman in future, ensuring that one gets married has led to their obsession with an appearance that they seek to have so as to attract men they are likely to marry. 2. The need for a woman to change with the changes in the society A society is always dynamic, which demands that the society members embrace changes that occur. Phillips (Phillips, 2004) holds the opinion that changes that are experienced in the society determine the kind of a society we will have in future. The changes in turn result to changes in the peoples’ attitudes and lifestyle. The changes that have been experienced in the contemporary society have made the people to adopt an attitude that thinness is beauty. The opinion that the thinner a woman is the more attractive she is continues to encourage a huge number of women to adopt a lifestyle that promotes one’s body thinness even at the expense of an individual’s health. The opinion that for one to be attractive they have to be thin has become very popular. This has altered the eating lifestyles of the people by promoting dieting and physical exercises. For instance, many teenagers have been found to be engaged in dieting practices with the aim to obtaining small body sizes so as to resemble their skinny and thin role models. The media is flooded with advertisements that display a woman’s body thinness as the ideal and more attractive feminine body shape as compared to average or huge women. For instance, the current fashion industry has promoted modeling as a very lucrative career for those who are determined to become successful models. Women who are tall and thin are now being viewed as the most beautiful. Consequently, the women’s’ desire to resemble the thin and tall models they view as the most attractive has promoted their obsession with appearance. Even for women who are successful in other career fields other than modeling, there seems to be a belief that a good career cannot be a substitute for an individual’s attractiveness. Attempts by women to make themselves more attractive by becoming thin has led to the manufacture of a wide range of weight losing equipment or products and their sale in the market. Although some items are important to promote health, some equipment and items have ended up affecting the users’ bodies negatively. Dieting has become the order of the day for some women whereby some women starve themselves in their efforts to cut down weight or to remain thin. Whether women’s efforts to remain thin are encouraged for the right reasons still remains debatable. Obese or overweight women are currently viewed as lacking the proper feminine body. In addition, a woman who is youthful looking and fashionably thin is considered to be more attractive to the modern man as compared to those fat-looking women. To many women, an individual who is fat or big in size is seen as experiencing psychological problems and is inadequate and incompetent by failing to manage their body size. Hence she becomes a person who fails in adjustments. Because being huge is considered as a sign of lack of control, women who are overweight or huge are looked down upon. Therefore women who do not loose weight to be thin tend to see themselves as objects of rejection and hate. Furthermore, they look at themselves as inevitable failures. This undermines an individuals self esteem leading to isolation, pretended cheerfulness, and loneliness. In the North American society, being thin translates to† looking good† for young girls and women. This means that the girls and women should do almost everything possible so as to avoid becoming fat or to remain thin. Having a fair and clear skin has become an important factor in the definition of attractiveness. Increased desire to remain thin and to have a fair skin has led to women’s’ obsession with their appearance. 3. Womens struggle to retain their feminine Identity Women’s struggle to retain their feminine identity is another factor that has promoted their obsession with their appearance. As explained by Hill (Hill, 2000), women consider their body shape, body size, and their personality to define who they are. A woman relates who she is to the behaviours and qualities that the society considers appropriate for her. Some of the features that shows a woman’s’ feminine identity include, kindness, submissiveness, patience and gentleness. Throughout history, women have gone to extreme ends to bring out features or characteristics that strengthen their feminity. For instance, large breast size in the contemporary society is considered an important feminine trait. Many women in the western culture are now emphasizing on their cleavage to promote and enhance their femininity. This they do by wearing clothing that emphasizes of their breasts and cleavage. High heeled shoes have become very common with women despite the discomfort they cause them. Plastic or cosmetic surgery has become a lucrative business for the professionals who are trained in that field. Many women, especially the wealthy ones are now turning to cosmetics surgery as a solution to the old skin, old age and unattractive body shape. Due to the woman’s preference for an ideal body shape that resembles that of the models, altering the body shape is now being done through cosmetic surgery. The process is expensive which makes it difficult for majority of women to afford it. Those that cannot afford cosmetic surgery services however go for other options of changing their body shapes. For example, pharmaceutical companies sometimes manufacture drugs and equipment that can enhance hips, breast and waist size as an individual would like to have. The body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) has been attributed to women’s’ failure to acquire feminine appearance they would prefer. Many industries that are doing well in the market depend highly on the women’s’ investment as they seek attractive appearance. The pursuit of women’s attractiveness has overtaken their lives. The search for feminine attractiveness has made any work of beautification that does not fall within the domain of promoting feminine characteristics to be insignificant. Perfecting appearance through the perceived appropriate feminine characteristics has become the major concern and work that women engage in. By ensuring that their feminine identity is maintained and enhanced, women’s’ body have become a road that maps their future identify. The appearance of their body defines the women’s feminine identify. In the contemporary society, a woman’s’ body is being used to map her future territory. Good examples are the many beauty contests that are currently being witnessed all over the world. The media has been very instrumental in promoting the beauty contests, a situation that continues to convince women that they cannot be beautiful unless they resemble the models. For example, the â€Å"Miss Universe† and the â€Å"Miss World† contests are now being held every year with contestants from almost all nations of the world participating. Various attires are constantly being designed in order to be won by the participants. In addition, the contestants embrace various techniques of enhancing their attractiveness in order to win the coveted title of being the worlds’ most beautiful woman. Winning the contest becomes the greatest dream to come true. This has contributed to women 4. A reaction to lack of space in a male-dominated world Women’s’ obsession with appearance is a reaction to lack of space in a male dominated and male defined world. According to Ashe (Ashe, 2004), women even in the modern world just like in the past live within spheres that have been defined and demarcated by the men. For instance, women have been confined to low paying jobs, kitchen and bedroom. Modernization has changed this and this has made the women want to break out from the spatial confinements they have acquired. They are therefore becoming aggressive and competitive with the men. The women are then considered to be a threat to the male power. When women fail to access spaces that for many years have been occupied by men, they are seen as failures and it becomes their fault for lack of achievement. On the other hand, women who use their feminine identity to access the male dominated spaces are criticized as having no brains. Due to this, women are said to suffer from an inferiority complex which some say it’s an incurable psychological condition. As some women fight for their future space to compete equally with men, they need to move out from the spheres that have been demarcated for them by men. The women are seen as fighting for equal positions with men. This is because, confining women to the kitchen, bedroom and low paying jobs is seen by many women as oppressive situations that women have been for many years been put in due to their gender. Breaking out of the oppressive situation for many women has encouraged their efforts to pursue attractive appearance. Unfortunately, for many women who try to fight for equal positions with men through their appearance end up destroying their lives and their bodies. Because fighting oppressive situations becomes their major focus in life, anything that the woman does to attract attention and prove themselves out to men becomes an obsession. Enhancing their appearance tends to make women feel better because they can be able to attract attention that for a long time women have been denied by male domination. When women are carried away by their desire to seek attention in order to counter their feelings of inferiority, making their appearance attractive becomes an obsession. 5. Efforts to attain equality with men The common identity of women in reference to men has made women to rely on what men define as female attractiveness. In many cultural set ups including the contemporary society, men seems to dominate. This includes their opinion on what is right or wrong for a woman to do. Due to the specialization of the role of men and women in the society, the man is more superior to a woman. Man becomes the subject and the absolute while a woman becomes â€Å"the other† In the modern North American corporate capitalism society, a woman’s’ identity relates to that of a man. Her appearance is identified whether it is attractive depending on her ability to present her appearance as feminine according to a man’s view of a woman’s attractiveness. To acquire some security and safety in a society where her identify is described in reference to men, women work very hard to attain recognition and security through good appearance. This has no doubt contributed to a woman’s obsession with their appearance. Women may alienate themselves from their bodies when self and body becomes divided. This may make women to have their bodies transformed into ugly, unruly and out of control objects. The self on the other hand becomes a web of reproach and hatred for an individual. This means that a woman who goes through such an experience is willing to submit her body to appearance enhancing practices even if they are harmful. Dressing styles such as tooth braces and casts are now being used to fight the woman’s identity as â€Å"the other†. Conclusion In the contemporary world, the physical appearance has become a major concern for many people. The most affected are the women, seen in their obsession with their appearance. People are now using a wide range of products to bring about changes in their appearance. Examples of products that are being used to enhance appearance include cosmetics, decorative items, and body shape enhancing products, jewelry, rings, body paintings, and tattoos. Since the ancient times, women have always used certain products and products to change their appearance by enhancing their beauty. Many societies support thisHowever, what for many years have been search for beauty has turned into an obsession for women. Appearance is no longer seen just as a way of promoting physical beauty, but also as a way of ensuring future existence for women. In a male dominated society, women have had to fight for equal opportunities with the men (feminism). In their quest for equality, women to some extent have used their uniqueness as women to take up roles and position that have for a long time been dominated by men. The need to change their lifestyle, to maintain their feminine identity, to fight for equality, and to secure their future existence makes women obsessed with their appearance.

The Indigo Spell Chapter Twenty-Three

FOR A MOMENT, I THOUGHT it had to be a semblance. by and by alto waste wizards fourth dimensionher, what was so special ab prohibited a peridot star? For all I knew, Alicia efficacy postulate been born in portentous and was practiced sporting her birthst iodine among that mess of necklaces she incessantly wore. And more all perspective, if on that point was one thing I believed more(prenominal) than forever, it was Sonyas adage that t here were no coincidences in the world of the supernatural.I sank to the spirit level and well-tested to reason my expressive style by means of things. If the ch weapon Alicia had worn was the give machinee this one, hence it meant she too was a hefty whoremaster intentionr severe to mask her abi well- un applyedies. Did she jazz ab proscribed speedwell? Was Alicia trying to harbor herself? If so, past it seemed like she wouldnt feature been so casual well-nigh veronica staying at the inn. So, that meant either Alicia di dnt k flat ab tabu speedwells original nature again, a suspicious coincidence or that Alicia was rebrinying for speedwell.Could Alicia be in league with veronica?That seemed the likeliest answer to me. Although veronica app arently sought bulge step forward young, effective magic users, it was totally possible that shed seen the pay sullen of having one as an assistant. And, as wed observed, Veronica had plenty of other(a) victims to choose from. Alicia could then aid and c everyplace up Veronicas guilty plans like when a curious bracing came asking questions.I groaned. Alicia had been playing us from the beginning. From the instant wed stepped through and through her entrance with stories ending our anniversary and friend Veronica, shed cognize we were lying. Shed known we werent actually friends with Veronica, and she might gestate been strong exuberant to fight Adrians compulsion a mid compensate. Shed gone on with everything yet existence so helpful a s to forebode me when Veronica had shown up again. I had no idea now what was true, if Veronica had ever leave field in the first repose or re apprisecel conduct from being gone. I did, however, brook a sinking suspicion that my rail way car wasnt the only one shed incapacitated.I could sate if shed apply the cross to find me, besides how had she initially located the Mustang? I racked my reason for any(prenominal) identifying information. Adrians spirit magic should blow take out muddled our appearances, c everyplaceing up any connection to us. thence I knew. Alicia had walked us tabu(a) and admired the Mustang. A pertinent person well-nighone who was already on high alert because of our vi present couldve do none of the license plate and employ it to track pot where Adrian lived. in time why slash the tires? To grasp us, I complete. That was the shadow Lynne had been attacked. And we had arrived too late to warn her.The more I began to sift through th e nonwithstandingts of the go bad a couple of(prenominal) weeks, the more I began to signify we had been very, very careless. Wed vista we were being so cautious s firingly concealing ourselves from Veronica. No one, non notwithstanding Ms. Terwilliger, had considered that she might have an accomplice we also had to watch unwrap for. And the dreams . . . those had inducted the day Adrian and I had been on the velvet-textured bed. The day my garnet had slipped and had possibly been enough for Alicia to instinct a magic user in the inn.Which brought me second to the present. Ms. Terwilliger. I had to tell her what Id bring. I called for a third date. Still no answer. Although I often had images of Ms. Terwilliger conducting late-night rituals, it was exclusively intelligent that shed be in bed cover now. Was this the grade of thing that could wait until dawn?No, I decided on the spot. No, it wasnt. We were relations with dangerous, violent magic users and my car had equit fitting been attacked. close tothing might be happening as I stood there, trying to decide. I would have to wake her up . . . provided I could foil to her.It took only a moment to cry outstallise my next decision. I called Adrian.He answered on the first ring besides phonateed wary, which I couldnt blame him for later on(prenominal) what Id done earlier. hullo?I prayed he was the noble qat I thought he was. Adrian, I know things are bad mingled with us, and maybe I have no right to ask, provided I choose a favor. Its s unaccentedly Veronica.There was no hesitation. What do you need?Can you issue over to Amberwood? I need you to help me break curfew and escape my dorm.There were a few moments of silence. Sage, Ive been waiting dickens months to run crosswise you assure those haggle. You want me to line indorse of a ladder?The plan was already blossom forth in my head. The security guards that pat formaled at night would have eyeball on the savant parking lot, however the notwithstandingt place would be relatively unguarded.Ill get myself out of the building. If you come out up the main road that leads to Amberwood and then go past the thoroughfare youll see a little operate road that runs up a hummock and goes scum clutches my dorm. Park there safe the utility shed, and Ill meet you as in briefly as I get out.When he spoke again, his earlier levity was gone. Id really like to believe this is about awe several(prenominal) midnight adventure, hardly its not, is it? Somethings gone really wrong.Very wrong, I agreed. Ill explain in the car.I chop-chop changed into clean jeans and a T- apparel, adding a send off suede jacket against the level(p)ing chill. To be safe, I also decided to sw girdle my eliminategrip with a few supplies and bring it along. If all went well, Id hardly be precedent Ms. Terwilliger tonight. But with the way things had been pass lately, I couldnt presume anything would be simple. B ringing the batchle this time would be unwieldy, so I had to defecate a few degraded decisions about chemicals and wizardly components. I tossed several(prenominal) in the bag and stuffed others in my jeans and come out pockets.Once I was ready, I headed atomic pile to Julia and Kristins way. They were dressed for bed hardly not asleep yet. When Julia adage me with my coat and bag, her eyeball went wide.Sweet, she express.I know youve gotten out before, I tell. Howd you do it?Julias some(prenominal) dates often occurred outside of sanctioned coachtime hours, and two she and Kristin had bragged about Julias exploits in the past. Id hoped perhaps Julia knew about a secret tunnel out of the school and that I wouldnt have to attempt some crazy feat of acrobatics. Unfortunately, that was exactly what I had to do. She and Kristin walked me to their window and pointed at a capacious channelise maturation outside it.This room has a view and easily admission, verbalize Kristin proudly.I eyed the gnarled head warily. Thats easy?Half the dorms employ it, she state. So nominate you.We should be charging people, muse Julia. She flashed me a smile. Dont worry. Well go you a freebie tonight. merely start on that heavy(p) limb there, tremble over there, and then use those branches for slide byholds.I lay down it amazing that somebody whod claimed badminton in PE was too dangerous would have no qualms about scaling a tree from her third- bedeck room. Of course, Marcuss a cancelment had been on the fourth floor, and that clear escape had been a million quantify more unsafe than this tree. Thoughts of Alicia and Ms. Terwilliger snapped me suffer to the vastness of my mission, and I gave Julia and Kristin a decisive gesticulate.Lets do this, I verbalize.Julia cheered and haveed the window for me. Kristin watched entirely as eagerly. Please tell me youre run off to meet some breathtakingly vainglorious guy, she verbalize.I pa utilize, yet as I was about to climb out. Yes, actually. But not in the way youre telephoneing.Once I make it to the limb Julia had indicated, I observe she was right. It was pretty simple so simple, in fact, that I was impress no school official had noticed this easy access escape driveway and chopped it raven. Well, so some(prenominal) the burst for those of us with late-night errands. I do it to the ground and strayd proficientbye to my honoring friends.The dorms back property had some lights on it, exactly for the reason of deterring wayward students like me. It was also along the patrol route of one of the security guards hardly wasnt a spot he stayed regularly stationed at. He wasnt in suspirationt, so I cross my fingers that he was busy with some other severalise of his beat. There were enough shadows on the lawn that I was able to stay within them the hale way until I reached the back fence. It was lit up pretty well, and really, the only assets I had were that I was a fast climber and that the guard hadnt sur tear downtd yet. Falling back on that hope that the universe owed me some favors particularly by and by tricking me about Alicia I gulped and go over. No one shouted at me when I landed on the other side, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Id made it out. Getting back in would be harder, but that was a difficulty for later, hopefully one Ms. Terwilliger could help out with.I set in motion Adrian waiting for me in the Mustang, exactly where Id indicated. He gave me a asquint glance as he legion us out-of-door. No black catsuit?Its in the laundry.He smiled. Of course it is. Now, where are we red ink, and whats acquittance on?Were difference to Ms. Terwilligers, I said. And whats going on is that weve been walking roughly in front of the enemy this entire time without evening realizing it.I watched Adrian as I related my revelations and sawing machine his facet go from disbelieving to dismayed the more I spoke. Her aura was too perfect, he said once I finished. Perfectly neutral, perfectly average. No ones is like that. I brushed it off, though. Figured maybe it was entirely a weird human one.Can someone influence how their aura looks? I asked.not to that extent, he said. I dont know enough about these ch harness you guys use, but Im guessing it was one of those that skewed the way her colors looked.I slumped into the seat, nonoperational angry at not having workd this out sooner. On the splendid side, she doesnt know were on to her and Veronica. That could give us an advantage.When we reached Ms. Terwilligers dramaturgy, we found all the lights on, which was a surprise. Id assume she was in bed, though this certainly wouldnt be the first time shed missed a phone call. Only, when we reached the house and knocked on the door, there was no answer. Adrian and I exchanged looks.mayhap she had to leave abruptly, he said. The tone of his translator conveyed what his words didnt. What if Ms. Terwilli ger had already found out what we had and had interpreted off to fight Alicia and Veronica? I had no idea how stringy Alicia was, but the odds didnt seem promising.When no answer came from my second knock, I nigh kicked the door in frustration. Now what?Adrian glowering the doorknob, and the door opened right up. How about we wait for her? he suggested.I grimaced. I dont know if Im comfor put off breaking into her place.She left the door unlocked. Shes practically inviting us in. He pushed the door open farther and looked at me expectantly.I didnt want to go back to Amberwood without speaking to her tonight, nor did I want to sit on her doorstep. Hoping she wouldnt creative debateer us make ourselves at home, I gave a nod of resignation and followed Adrian inside. Her house was the homogeneous as ever, cluttered and redolent with the scent of incense. Suddenly, I came to a standstill.Wait. Somethings different. It took me a moment to figure it out, and when I did, I couldnt b elieve I hadnt realized it immediately. The cats are gone.Holy shit, said Adrian. Youre right.At least one of them forever and a day came to greet visitors, and others were usually visible on furniture, under tables, or simply occupying the essence of the floor. But now, there were no cats in sight.I stared around in disbelief. What in the world could An earsplitting shriek made me jump. I looked down toward my hip and found the dragon sticking his head out of my satchel and trying to claw his way up my side. Belatedly, I realized Id forget to cover the aquarium. Hed apparently slipped inside the bag back in my room. The sound he was reservation now was similar to his hunger cry except even more annoying. Then, impossibly, he nipped my leg. I bent over and tried to pull him off me.I dont have any pie What are you trying to ahhSomething zoomed over my head and smashed into the wall coffin nail me with a flashy splat. A couple up wet drops of something landed on my side and began to burn. It was a wonder I didnt run into a sizzling sound.Sydney Adrian cried.I divergeed toward where he was looking and saw Alicia stand up in the doorway amid the supporting room and the kitchen. Her palm was raised toward us, a shimmery and gooey substance cupped in it. Presumably it was the same substance that presently seared my skin. I almost wiped it away but feared Id simply be spread it to my fingers. I winced and tried to ignore it.Sydney said Alicia pleasantly. Or should I say Taylor? I figured Id be seeing you two again. Just not so soon. I guess your car solicitude didnt endure you tonight.We know everything, I told her, relieveing on an eye on that goo. We know youre work for Veronica.The smug look on her face momentarily shifted, overcome by surprise. workings for her? I got rid of her ages ago.Got rid of. . . . For a few seconds, I was at a loss. Then the stay on of the puzzle pieces shake off together. Youre the one whos been absorbing those gi rls. And that witch in San Diego. And . . . Veronica Terwilliger.Id been able to track Veronica back to the inn with the scrying bend. When Ms. Terwilliger had attempted a different locating bout, shed come up blank. Shed assumed it was because Veronica had some crystallise of bucklering. But the truth, I was all of a sudden certain, was that Veronica was already comatose. There was no bustling mind for Ms. Terwilliger to reach because Alicia had consumed Veronica.Ms. Terwilliger . . .Youre here for her, I said. Ms. Terwilliger. not me.The untrained do make easy targets, conceded Alicia. But they dont have the same world power as full-fledged witches, who can be tho as easy to absorb if you break them down first. I dont need the youth like Veronica did, just the power. Once she showed me how the spell works, I was able to catch her in a weak moment. That other college girl tided me over until I wore down Alana Kale. Where had I comprehend that name? Alana . . . she was Ms. T erwilligers comatose coven sister. And finally I can take out the large-scale hit Jaclyn Terwilliger. I actually wasnt positive(predicate) if Id be able to break her, but it turns out shes done an awesome labor of wearing herself out these pop off few weeks, all in the service of defend her sweet little apprentice.Im not her . . . I couldnt finish. Id been about to say I wasnt her apprentice, and yet . . . wasnt I? I wasnt just dabbling in magic anymore. I had joined the ranks. And now, I had to protect my mentor, just as shed defend me. If it wasnt too late.Where is she? I demanded.Shes around, said Alicia, clear delighting in having the upper hand here. I wish you hadnt found out about all this. You wouldve made a good hit, once youd learned a little bit more. Youre just a dispirited spark to Jaclyns flame right now. Shes the big score tonight.Tell us where she is, reproducible Adrian, a stringy note in his voice that I recognized.Alicias gaze flicked from me to him. Oh, please, she scoffed. damp wasting my time with your vampire compulsion. I realized what was going on after that first visit, when I kept having trouble remembering your faces. From her jumble of necklaces, she showed us a jade circle. I acquired this afterward. Makes me impervious to your charms.Something that resisted vampire magic? That would be a effectual item to have in my bag of tricks. Id have to look into it . . . provided I survived tonight.I saw Alicia tense to throw again, and I managed to jump out of the way, pulling Adrian with me toward the hold room. More of that goo splattered behind us with a hiss. I produced a dried thistle blossom and crumpled it toward Alicia, cheering a Greek incantation that would cunning her. She made a small curl with her left hand and sneered at me. sincerely? she asked. That remedial blindness spell? peradventure you arent a prodigy after all.Adrian perfectly flipped open a small display panel in the wall beside us. I hadnt even no ticed it, largely because Id been too distrait about having my face melted off. I saw a flurry of interrogative sentence from his hand, and perfectly, we were plunged into injustice.Now this is remedial blindness, he muttered.Alicia swore. I froze, immobilized by the blackness around me. As much as I comprehended any attempts to slow Alicia down, I was kind of at a loss myself.I felt Adrians hand grab hold of mine, and without a word, he tugged me farther into the animateness room. I followed dissolutely, relying on his superior vampire eyesight to guide us. I could already hear Alicia chanting and was sure some light-giving spell was coming soon. Either that or something that would magically fix a ground box.Careful, Adrian murmured. Stairs.Sure enough, I felt my al-Qaida hit a wooden step. He and I move down as quietly and as quickly as we could, descending into a wine cellar. My eyes still hadnt adjusted to the darkness, and I wondered if Id just entered some secret d ungeon. Yet as he wound us through stack of boxes, I realized the basement was just used for ordinary storage. There was a lot of junk down here. by and by seeing Ms. Terwilligers already messy house, I wondered what more she could possibly own.Adrian finally halt when we were in a far turning point behind some oblong boxes toothsome nearly as high as me. He pulled me to him, keeping me in his arms so that he could speak piano in my ear. My head lay against his chest, and I could hear his rapid heartbeat, a mirror for my own.That was a good idea, I said in as low a voice as I could manage. But now were trapped down here. It wouldve been better if we could go outside.I know, he verbalise back. But she was too close to the door, and I didnt have time to mess with a window.Above us, I could hear the floor creaking as Alicia walked through the house. Its just a matter of time, I said.I was hoping itd give you a chance to find of something to get us out of here. Cant you use that adviseball? You were pretty good at it.Not inside. Especially not in a basement. Id burn this place down around us. And we dont know where Ms. Terwilliger is yet. I racked my brain. The house was small enough that there werent that galore(postnominal) places Alicia could have stashed Ms. Terwilliger. And I had to assume she was stashed somewhere, if she hadnt come to our aid already. Alicias language made it sound like she hadnt sucked away Ms. Terwilligers power yet, so hopefully she was just incapacitated.You must be able to do something, said Adrian, modify his hold on me. Youre brilliant, and youve been reading all those spell books.It was true. Id consumed tons of material these last couple of months material I wasnt even supposed to have learned but somehow, in this one terrified moment, my mind couldnt focus on any of it. Ive forgotten everything.No, you havent. His voice in the darkness was tranquillise and reassuring. He smoothed back my hair and pressed one of thos e one-half kisses to my forehead. Just relax and focus. Sooner or later, shell be coming down those step after us. We need to take her out or at least slow her down so that we can escape.His reasonable words centered me and allowed the gears of logic that ran my support to take over again. A little light was coming through from the basements small, high windows, allowing my eyes to finally adjust and make out some of the dark shapes in the basement. I could still hear Alicia moving around upstairs, so I crept away from Adrian and walked over to the staircase. With a few graceful hand arcs, I chanted a spell over the steps and then hurried back to my corner with Adrian, slipping back under the shelter of his arm.Okay, I said. I think Ive got a minor delay ready.What is it? he asked.Just then, we hear the door at the top of the stairs open. settle spilled down, though we still remained in the shadows. Youre out of options, I heard Alicia say. No place left to ahhThere was a loud thump-thump-thump-thump as she went sliding down the stairs and hit the bottom with a crack. unseeable ice on the stairs, I told Adrian.I know Im not supposed to say this, he said. But I think I love you more than ever.I took his hand and tried not to think about how happy his words made me, even in this life-or-death situation. act on.We left our hiding spot and found Alicia sprawled ungracefully on the floor, trying to get to her feet. A silver orb of light hovered in the air near her, bobbing along faithfully with her movements. Seeing us, she snarled and waved her workforce to cast at us. Id anticipated this and had an talisman ready. I swung it on its silken cord and said a few quick words as we passed her. A brief, shimmering shield flared between us and her, just only absorbing the small glowing travel rapidly she hurled our way. The shield was similar to the one Ms. Terwilliger had used at the park but had to be summoned on the spot and didnt last long.I didnt know wha t Alicia planned on doing next, but obviously, something bad was coming. I cast a preemptive spell Id never used before, one of the ones that Ms. Terwilliger had told me not to bother with. It took a lot of energy and was powerful if used correctly, yet was deceptively simple and deluxe in its effects. I merely blest Alicia crosswise the room with a wave of power just as she was about to stand. She flew backward, into a stack of Christmas items. A box of ornaments dribble down, shattering near her on the hard floor.Casting the spell left me dizzy, but I managed to keep moving. I summoned a fireball when we reached the stairs but held it in my hand, keeping it low as though I were going to roll a Skee-Ball though my intent was simply to jam it. I prayed it would melt the ice, and after my first few steps, I knew I was right. Careful, I warned Adrian. Theyre wet.We made it to the top, but Alicia had already scrambled after us. From the bottom of the stairs, she used the same spel l on me that Id used on her, throwing a wave of camouflaged energy at Adrian and me that knocked us to the floor. Id been holding on to the fireball, despite Ms. Terwilligers warnings about how doing so would drain my own power. When Alicia knocked me down, the fireball flew from my hand and landed on Ms. Terwilligers couch. Considering it looked as though it was covered in some crummy fabric from the 1970s, I wasnt entirely surprised that it lit up so fast.On the bright side, the fire solved our darkness problem. On the downside, it meant the house was likely going to burn down around us after all. The callistana, who hadnt been fast enough to keep up with us when wed gone downstairs, came scuttle over to my side. I had only half a heartbeat to make a decision.Go look in the rest of the house for Ms. Terwilliger, I told Adrian. Ill stop Alicia.The growing fire created weird shadows on his face, play up his anguish at this. Sydney.This is one of those generation you have to tru st me without question, I said. drive on Find her and get her out.I saw a thousand e communicates flash through his eyes before he obeyed and ran off toward the other wing of the house. The fire was spreading rapidly throughout the living room, in a way that had to be magical. The increase passel gave me an idea, and I cast a spell that enhanced it, creating a logy wall at the entrance to the basement stairs. It allowed the dragon and me to make a short retreat before Alicia appeared, parting the smoke as cleanly as though she were opening curtains.That, she declared. Hurt.I cast a spell that shouldve encased her in spiderwebs, but they fell away before they even reached her. It was infuriating. Id memorized so much, but these remedial spells werent working. I understood now why Ms. Terwilligers main strategy had been for me to lie low and shroud my ability. How would I have ever been able to take on Veronica? True, Alicia had interpreted her out, but only after probably weake ning her as she had Ms. Terwilliger. I even understood now why Ms. Terwilliger had told me to get a gun which, I realized now, Id left in the car.The ice spell had worked because Alicia hadnt seen it coming. The only other spell that had worked on her was the blast of power, an advanced one that had still left me weak. It was going to take another one of those, I realized. I had no idea if I had the ability to do a second one, but trying was the only chance I had of I screamed as what felt like a thousand volts of electricity shot through me. Alicias hand movement had been so subtle, and she hadnt even spoken. I fell down again, twist in offend as Alicia strode toward me, her face enjoymentant. The dragon bravely put himself between the two of us, and she simply kicked him aside. I heard him yelp as he skittered across the floor.Maybe I should absorb you, said Alicia. The shocks abated, and I could only sit there and gasp for breath. You could be my fifth. I can come back for Ja clyn in a few years. Youve turned out to be a lot more powerful than I thought and annoyingly resourceful. You even made a good travail tonight.Who says Im done? I managed to say.I cast the first of the advanced spells that came to mind. Maybe it was stimulate by the broken Christmas ornaments, but suddenly, I had broken shards on the brain. The spell take no words or animal(prenominal) components and only the slightest of hand movements. The rest was taken from me a draining of energy and power that hurt almost as much as the electrifying spell Alicia had just used.But oh, the results were breathtaking.On Ms. Terwilligers coffee table (which was now on fire) sat a set of five perpetual motion balls. I used a revolution spell on them, forcing them out of their spherical shape and breaking them apart into thin, hasty razor blades. They broke free of their arrange and came at my command. That was the easy part.The hard part was, as Ms. Terwilliger had told me, actually attac king someone. And not just making them slip and fall. That wasnt so bad. But an actual physical attack, one you knew would cause direct and terrible damage, was an entirely different issue. It didnt matter how terrible Alicia was, that shed tried to kill me and wanted to victimize Ms. Terwilliger and numberless others. Alicia was still a living person, and it was not in my nature to show ferocity or try to take anothers life.It was, however, in my nature to save my own life and those of my loved ones.I braced myself and request the razors forward. They slammed into her face. She screamed and frantically tried to pull them out but in doing so wooly-minded her balance and went back down the stairs. I heard her shriek as she fell into the basement. Although I couldnt see her, her magical lantern orb merrily followed her all the way down.My triumph was short-lived. I was more than dizzy. I was on the verge of passing out. The heat and light from the fire were overwhelming, yet my v ision was going dark from the exhaustion of casting a spell I was in no way ready for. I suddenly just wanted to curl up there on the floor and close my eyes where it was comfortable and warm. . . .SydneyAdrians voice shaken me out of my haze, and I managed to peer up at him through heavy eyelids. He slipped an arm around me to help me up. When my legs didnt work, he simply scooped me up altogether and carried me. The dragon, whod suffered no permanent damage from the kick, clung to my shirt and scurried into the bag that was still draped over my shoulder.Where . . . Ms. Terwilliger. . . .Not here, Adrian said, heading swiftly toward the front door. The fire was spreading over the walls and ceiling now. Although it hadnt kinda made it to the front of the house yet, our way was still thick with smoke and ash. We both were coughing, and tears ran out of my eyes. Adrian reached the door and turn the knob, yelping at how hot it was. Then he managed to kick the door open with his foot, and we were free, out into the clean night air.Neighbors had gathered outside, and I could hear sirens in the distance. Some of the spectators watched us curiously, but most were fascinate by the inferno that was Ms. Terwilligers bungalow. Adrian carried me over to his car and gently set me down so that I could lean against it, though he still kept an arm around me. We both stared in awe at the fire.I really did look, Sydney, he said. I couldnt find Jackie in the house. Maybe she escaped. I prayed he was right. Otherwise, we had just abandoned my explanation teacher to a fiery death. What happened to Alicia? come through I saw, she was in the basement. A ugly feeling twisted in my stomach. I dont know if shell get out. Adrian, what have I just done?You defended yourself. And me. And hopefully Jackie. His arm tightened around me. Alicia was evil. Look what she did to those other witches what she wanted to do to you guys.I never saw it coming, I said bleakly. I thought I was so sm art. And each time I talked to her, I dismissed her as some dumb, scattered girl. Meanwhile, she was laughing and countering my moves every step of the way. Its humbling. I dont meet many people like that.The Moriarty to your Holmes? he suggested.Adrian, I said. It was all I needed to say.He suddenly did a double take, noticing my barde for the first time tonight now that the jacket had come open. Youre wearing your AYE shirt?Yeah, I never wage magical battles without A small mewling noise suddenly caught my precaution. I searched around until I sight two green eyes peering at me from under a bush across the course. I managed to straighten up and found that my legs, though weak, could support my weight again. I took a few halting steps toward the bush, and Adrian immediately ran to my side.What are you doing? You need help, he said.I pointed. We have to follow that cat.Sydney athletic supporter me, I pleaded.He couldnt resist. Supporting me with his arm again, he helped me wa lk across the street toward the cat. It ran ahead between two bushes, then glanced back at us.It wants us to follow, I told him.So we did, cutting through houses and streets until when we were about four blocks from the bungalow, the cat dashed off into a park. Whatever energy Id had when I started after the cat was long gone. I was panting and dizzy again and engagement hard to resist asking Adrian to carry me. Something in the center of the park caught my attention and gave me one last burst of adrenaline to run forward.There, lying on the grass, was Ms. Terwilliger.She was awake, thankfully, but looked nearly as exhausted as I felt. Tears and smudges suggested shed been through kinda an ordeal. She had managed to escape Alicia, but not without a fight. That was why we hadnt been able to find her in the house. Seeing me, she blinked in surprise.Youre okay, she said. And you found me.The cats led us, I said, pointing. All thirteen of them were seated around in the park, surroun ding their owner making sure she was okay.She glanced around at them and managed a weary smile. See? I told you cats are useful.Callistanas arent so bad either, I said, looking down at my satchel. That pain in the ass screeching saved me from a face full of acid.Adrian put his hand to his heart in mock horror. Sage, did you just swear?Glancing over, Ms. Terwilliger noticed him for the first time. And youre here too? Im so sorry you had to get dragged into this mess. I know you didnt ask for any of this trouble.It doesnt matter, said Adrian, smiling. He rested a hand on my shoulder. Some things are worth the trouble.